GOP Senators Urge Trump Not to Restrict Foreign Worker Visas Amid Pandemic Nine Republican senators have urged President Donald Trump not to suspend certain categories of work visas during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that temporary foreign labor is important to both the survival of small businesses hurt by the pandemic and for a quick economic recovery. Guest workers are needed to boost American business, not take American jobs, the GOP lawmakers said in a May 27 letter (pdf), which calls on the Trump administration not to suspend the issuance of H-2B and H-2A visas, among other measures. These include a request for exemptions for employers operating in critical infrastructure industries and provisions allowing any businesses to apply for an exemption from a foreign worker restriction if they can show that their operations would suffer irreparable harm (permanent and severe financial loss) if unable to employ the non-immigrant worker in the United States. The Trump administration in April suspended the issuance of additional H-2B seasonal guest worker visas, which give temporary legal status to non-agricultural workers in such jobs as landscaping and hospitality. To clear up various misreporting DHSs rule on the H-2B cap is on hold pending review due to present economic circumstances. No additional H-2B visas will be released until further notice. Per the statute, H-2B allocations are set in consultation with @USDOL. Homeland Security (@DHSgov) April 2, 2020 President Trump, on April 22 in the Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak, wrote, In the administration of our nations immigration system, we must be mindful of the impact of foreign workers on the United States labor market, particularly in an environment of high domestic unemployment and depressed demand for labor. While immigration hawks have long opposed increasing H-2B visas, business groups have argued they are essential to fill jobs Americans are often unwilling or unable to perform. In their letter, the senators argue that while the pandemic has left tens of millions of Americans out of a job, close to 8 million American small businesses are at risk of shuttering forever, some of which rely on temporary and seasonal guest worker visa programs to fill a labor shortfall. Counterintuitive though it may seem when some 33 million Americans are jobless, the senators said in their letter that the businesses they seek to help by urging the Trump administration not to suspend the non-immigrant temporary visa programs rely on labor that many Americans are not qualified, able, or willing to perform. The senators argued that the temporary and seasonal nature of the work makes it exceedingly difficult to find American workers even under the current economic bust. They said this dynamic is made worse by the generous unemployment insurance under the COVID-19 relief bill that has created a disincentive for many American furloughed or laid off workers from finding new jobs, and by the fact that many American workers expect to go back to their previous jobs once lockdowns are lifted. The letter, whose signatories include Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.), said some of these businesses operate in sectors or geographical areas that, in contrast with the overall dismal national unemployment numbers, are not experiencing high rates of joblessness. Over 5,000 employers across 49 states rely on the H-2B program to get needed guest workers to help keep their forestry, landscaping, seafood, and hospitality businesses open, the senators said. The economic devastation that has occurred due to necessary precautionary measures taken to slow the spread of coronavirus would only be exacerbated if vulnerable businesses do not get the temporary labor they need to stay afloat, they added. The senators, in calling for any changes to foreign worker visa programs to be very narrowly tailored to prevent additional damage to the already struggling American small businesses who rely on the assistance made possible through these visas, have also requested the administration adopt a provision that would allow restrictions to be lifted quickly in industry sectors for which data shows persistent vacancies. As we begin to reopen and recover, we ask you cautiously approach any changes to our non-immigrant guest worker programs, the senators wrote, adding, Please keep American businesses, American workers, and the American economy as a whole in mind during any future actions that may limit employment based or guest worker visa programs so that we can get back to pre-pandemic levels of growth as quickly and safely as possible. Earlier this month, a different group of Republican senators wrote to Trump (pdf) calling for a halt in H-2B visas for up to a year or until the unemployment level falls back to a normal level. Four Republican senators, including Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), argued that young people should have access to temporary summer jobs, which H-2B guest workers typically occupy. In response to Twitter imposing a fact check on a pair of President Donald Trumps deceptive tweets, Trump announcedon Twitterthat he intends to sign an executive order (as soon as Thursday) aimed at potentially rolling back liability protections for social media companies. As it currently stands, the law shields social media companieslike Twitter, Facebook, and Googles YouTubefrom responsibility for what is posted by users on their platforms. The Trump administration has been mulling changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which provides cover for social media companies, due to the growing belief among far-right figures that their often toxic views are being surreptitiously filtered out of the back-and-forth on social media platforms. With a conspiracy theorist as their president and champion, right-wing commentators are 100 percent convinced theyre the victims of bias and are being what they call shadow banned from sites like Twitter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps order appears to be an act of intimidation more than anything else and looks to focus its attention on sniffing out perceived bias against conservatives. The order would prompt federal officials to open a proceeding to reconsider the scope of the law, the Washington Post reports. A change could mean potentially dramatic free-speech implications and wide-ranging consequences for a broad swath of companies reliant on doing business on the Internet. Trumps order is expected to rely on the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, two independent bodies, to chart the way forward. Along with Trump allies on the right, others have argued that Section 230 has given social media companies too much leeway in allowing what amounts to hate speech and abuse online, things that would not be allowable elsewhere in society. Tech companies argue that it would be unworkable to vet the deluge of posts created each day, and doing so in a broad, systematic manner would stifle speech, communication, and push the companies to be even more involved in determining what constitutes acceptable speech, not less. The byproduct of the current hands-off approach is that, along with many worthyor at least harmlessuses of these platforms, they are also hotbeds of election propaganda and political misinformation. Advertisement Advertisement Trumps Executive Order is certainly only for show, a way to appear aggrieved and to commiserate with his allies on the noxious right that have built outsized audiences pushing political falsehoods and false equivalencies. While the exact language of Trumps order is still not known, but what makes it particularly farcical is that Trump is likely the largest beneficiary of social media companies hands-off approach. If Twitter, for instance, were liable for each instance of defamatory or otherwise unlawful content posted by the current president of the United States, and had to parse and lawyer each and every Trump tweet, it would likely wipe out a substantial portion of the dangerous gobbledygook that comes out of his fingers. For more of Slates news coverage, listen to What Next. Democracy Democracy is assumed to be ruled by the people, and for the people: a system of authority in which inhabit are equal in constitutional rights and dignity, and the supreme control is vested in the people, by a free electoral process, and Capitalism is also a system of government where the capitalist makes the laws and policies, and civil rights are decided based on capital ownership a complete unequal system. Simply not democratic, democracy and capitalism does not go hand in hand, they contradict each other. The introduction of democracy in Africas gave likelihood to several Africans that a more open method for regularized procedures for leadership range and proxy would hold decentralized, and depersonalized power, ethnic tensions, and get rid of the neo-patrimonial reason that has protracted characterized political elites loom to the management of African states. However, Africans have now realized that many of these regime changes don't end up with democracy. In particular, a grey zone has lingering between full-fledged democracy and autocracy. It includes the so-called electoral democratic regimes, where nominally democratic procedures coexist with persistently authoritarian practices. Democracies being abused for personal gain in many African countries, and often leading to mega corruption, human rights violations, and political oppression. Failed elections From 2015 to 2019 almost thirty African countries held presidential, regional, municipal, and general elections in Africa. To name a few, Rwanda, Uganda, Comoros, Gabon, Botswana, and Mauritius. In Burundi President, Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term in 2015 despite a controversy over his eligibility to run. The opposition boycotted the election, and incumbent, Nkuruziza, was allowed to get a third term, But, his re-election led to an occurrence of violence, in Rwanda, Paul Kagame, ended genocide in 1994 and stabilized his country, but in 2015 Rwandas parliament voted to a two-term presidential limits removal influence by incumbent president, Kagame" elections were detained in 2017 President, Kagame, won a third label with 98% of the votes, Which means he could stay in power for life, In Ugandas President, Museveni' like, Kagame' came to power after a protracted rebellion upon assuming power in Uganda, Museveni himself recognized what was wrong with Africas and infamously said, The challenge of Africa in all-purpose and Uganda in distinct is not the people, but leaders who choose to extend in warrant against the requests of the masses. his lexis in 1986, rear then, he was a Democrat, an entrant of hope, life, and change. However, in 2017, president, Museveni' removed the age limit in his country constitution meaning he could be president for life, In Comoros President, Azali Assoumani removed the term limits in his country constitution, and in 2019 was re-elected. President, "Azali been in control since 1999, in Gabon, elections were held 2016, and incumbent president, Ali bongo was re-elected, but his re-election led to violence Plunging the country into crisis. In 2018 president, bongo removed the term limits. Every one of these constitutions changes were prepared through controversial referendums and were Manipulated by incumbents. In Seventy out of thirty-five, countries that obtain introduced limits to the number of consecutive terms that a President can serve incumbent presidents have tried to remove, amend, and now and then violate these provisions.with the exception, of Botswana and Mauritius, the continents oldest democracies continue to combine respect for political rights, human rights, free and fair elections, with prudent economic policies, and press freedom These democracies continue to grow stronger during a period in which Africans backsliding on democracy, and are questioning the rate of democracy. It is striking that Praising Africas. Democratic success stories dont count. A number of countries have not made any democratic progress in years, including Cameroon, Eritrea, Chad, Sudan, Mali, Guinea-Bissau. Leaders like, Paul Biya remain entrenched in Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, and scores of other countries. Poor quality of elections has heated up civil unrest in domestic politics in many African countries often leading to violence. Flawed elections, when passed as free, fair, and credible, leaving citizens with no choice than to question the credibility of these elections and often leading to citizens demanding regime change. Democracy marginalized minority Democracy subverts its guarantee of equality by being itself majority rule. No human or people considered equal if a part of it is deemed main and the rest minor. Burundi is the only country in Africa that provides a provision in its constitution for minorities nonetheless, it has been bent under the leadership of president, Nkurunziza. Democracy in Africa has not abridged the amount of exclusion in many countries, political exclusion has gone hand in hand with rising economic inequality, As a result, individuals and groups that lose out in the race for national office rarely enjoy governmental protection and are often marginalized which makes them feel that they have no stake within the system. We have convinced ourselves to believe the only way to choose a leader or representative is through the ballot box. Universal Declaration of Human Right states The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government, Thats the contradiction how a system that classified one group as less significant (minor), and another group more significant (main) represents or reflects the will of the people, democracy is a form of domination. Communism Communism is the egalitarian idea where both the state and the private sector is merged, owned, and managed by the electorate completely democratic, classless, and decentralized. Communism calls for the abolition of property, whether by the state, or firms, or private citizens: Communism wants all citizens to own everything equally, communism reduces inequality in societies.Communism is so effective because it overrides self-interest of folks and subjugates the welfare of the general population to achieve critical social goals. Communist command economies can wholly transform societies to conform to the planners vision. Examples include Stalinist Russia, Maoist China, and Castros Cuba. Russias thorough knowledge cost-cutting built up the armed depth to defeat the Nazis, and Then, immediately rebuilt the budget after humankind War II. Salif Keita Malian music legend, has given up on democracy. He said, Democracy is not a good thing for Africa, and he foster said, To have a democracy, people have to understand democracy, and how can people understand when 85% of the people in the country cannot read or write? He optional that, Africa desires a compassionate dictator like China I do agree with, salif keita, Democracy requires effective engagement of citizens who understand and have commitment to the fundamental democratic principles, values, and as well familiar with democratic political processes. However, democracy in Africa is a system that allows the uninformed to make decisions with equal weight as the informed Even in the great, United States of America there is an electoral college,While it is clear that democracy has failed Africas it is also important to note that trust in democracy around the globe continues to decline. A small amount of existence backs a large-scale intercontinental delve into chart by, freedom house shows that constitutional rights and civil liberties around the globe, deteriorated to their lowest point in more than a decade. In, 2017 Seventy-one countries suffered net declines in political rights and civil liberties, with only thirty-five countries registering gains. That symbols the 12th consecutive year of decline in democracy and global freedom. However, over the years there had been a significant amplify in calls for strong leaders. Countries such as Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, since, the 1960s, Chile and Brazil in the 1970s, or China, since the 1980s, seemed to back up that a stalwart person in charge or leadership committed to the development of its people are better than so-called democracy, while democratic countries grapple with domestic problems, inequality, corrupt policies, and democracy continues to decline, China has seized the opportunity to export their malign influence on other countries, and those countries are little by little doubling Chinas activities and adopting their ridicule for democracy. China continues to see democracy as a threat to its regime, and economic growth. Under the Communist Party leadership, China has made an astonishing achievement of bringing 700 million Chinese out of poverty and 87% of the Chinese people are contented with their economy, which includes an 11 % rate of income growth. Communism is the antidote for capitalist democracy in Africa. Reference https://theconversation.com/democracy-in-africa-ccess-stories-that-have-defied-the-odds-120601 https://theconversation.com/africas-2015-election-experiences-present-dilemmas-for-2016-polls-53312 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism https://www.theguardian.com/music/salif-keita Prinston anthony sieh moosh Nimene Is a master candidate at cavendish University Uganda studying international relation and diplomatic studies. Clumio, innovators of authentic SaaS for enterprise backup, announced the launch of the Clumio Research and Development Center in Bengaluru to begin operations in India. Clumio provides a secure backup as a service for enterprises that reduces the cost and replaces the complexity of managing data across all clouds with an authentic approach to SaaS. The center will be an integral part of Clumios capability to build and deliver services on its cutting-edge platform built on AWS. Clumio leverages the most modern cloud capabilities, including more than ten major AWS services, to ensure it meets the current and future backup requirements of the most demanding enterprises. The startup headquartered in Santa Clara, California was co-founded in 2017 by Poojan Kumar, Kaustubh Patil and Woon Jung, and to date has raised $186M of funding through Series A, B, and C. The Clumio Research and Development Center in India is a strategic investment for the company to innovate and build SaaS-based data protection solutions. To ensure steady progress through excellence across products and customer experiences, Clumio is hiring bright individuals to fill roles across Software Engineering, Cloud Operations and Customer Support and Success. The company, which continues to redefine data protection for an all cloud world, is creating a strong base in India already having 34 employees and planning to expand to more than 70 by the end of 2020. Poojan Kumar, CEO and co-founder, Clumio, said, When multi-national companies go to India, they generally go as an afterthought. Their when and why are different from Clumio. When is very late for them, sometimes 10 years in. For instance, a $45B collaboration software company went only a couple years ago. The why is often only for cost reasons. Clumio is unique in that we went to India within 18 months of our founding. The why was very pure to tap into the big candidate pool in India and not for cost reasons its for the talent. This will enable us to have the Clumio Research and Development Center be part of the DNA of the company not an afterthought. The Clumio Research and Development Center in India will not just act as support for the global team. It has its own charter and will drive front-end innovation and research to build cloud solutions from the ground up. The engineering teams will play an integral part in product development and building best-in-class technology solutions. To enable this, Clumio drives an entrepreneurial mind-set giving employees complete responsibility and fosters a culture of innovation. Sandeep Soni, GM and Vice President of Engineering, India operations, Clumio, said, India has a huge talent pool in technology and it is only growing as top-tier Indian educational institutes such as IITs, BITs, NITs produce new graduates. Just like the country skipped the evolution of landline-based communication for cell phones, this upcoming ambitious generation of talent is going to skip any kind of on-premises software development. SaaS services in the public cloud are going to be the draw. Clumio provides the perfect platform for them to build this. The existing generation of developers need to pivot their careers and learn how to build in the cloud. Building a great startup with a strong vision and taking it to fruition, on strong technical fundamentals, requires one to balance the exuberance and energy of youth with the direction provided by the steady steering of experience. Clumio has already assembled senior engineers with this pivot ambition and they are paving the way for the next generation to directly jump to the cloud. Clumio Research and Development Center is driving cutting-edge solutions in cloud innovation, data protection and proactive customer support. Key examples of work already done with the India teams support include the recent addition of Microsoft 365 to its secure backup as a service. This made Clumio the industrys first private, public and SaaS enterprise data protection service on a single platform. The team also built the REST API platform for Clumio it delivers on the promise of what REST architecture was supposed to solve for the internet era, applied to an enterprise domain such as backup, offered as a service. The team has also, in parallel, built strong foundations in simplifying user experience by constructing simple and intuitive user interfaces for several crosscutting features implemented by their state-of-the-art engineers from across the globe. Beginning Friday, CVS Health will open 39 new COVID-19 testing sites at drive-thru locations across Virginia. One of the CVS Pharmacy sites, which will utilize self-swab tests, will be at 2009 Wards Road in Lynchburg, with appointments available by signing up online at CVS.com starting today. Opening access to testing in more locations using our drive-thru window represents an important milestone in our response to the pandemic, said Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO, CVS Health, in a press release. CVS set a goal to establish 1,000 testing locations across the country by the end of May, and the company said the 39 Virginia sites will help their mission of processing up to 1.5 million tests per month. According to CVS, more than half of their national testing sites will serve communities with the greatest need for support, including those in poverty, lack of access to transportation and crowded housing. If youre worried you may have COVID-19, you should be able to get tested, Gov. Ralph Northam said in the release. I appreciate CVS stepping up to help more Virginians get access to testing at no cost, even if you dont have insurance. These 39 sites are an important part of Virginias testing plan. They are in the community, theyre open seven days a week, and they are staffed by people you can trust. Patients who schedule an appointment online will be required to stay in their cars and will be directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions, CVS Health said. A CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly. Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and the results will be available in approximately three days. Testing will not take place inside any retail locations, and CVS Pharmacy, HealthHUB and MinuteClinic will continue to serve customers and patients, according to the press release. The new testing sites in Virginia include: CVS Pharmacy, 6400 Landsdowne Center, Alexandria, VA 22315 CVS Pharmacy, 7205 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003 CVS Pharmacy, 3401 Charles Street, Baileys Crossroads, VA 22041 CVS Pharmacy, 1700 Seminole Trail, Charlottesville, VA 22901 CVS Pharmacy, 1329 Kempsville Road, Chesapeake, VA 23320 CVS Pharmacy, 2981 Military Highway S., Chesapeake, VA 23323 CVS Pharmacy, 16712 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Dumfries, VA 22026 CVS Pharmacy, 10090 Fairfax Boulevard, Fairfax, VA 22030 CVS Pharmacy, 3921 Prosperity Avenue, Fairfax, VA 22031 CVS Pharmacy, 9009 Silverbrook Road, Fairfax Station, VA 22079 CVS Pharmacy, 5832 Harrison Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22407 CVS Pharmacy, 4201 Plank Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22407 CVS Pharmacy, 10000 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Fredericksburg, VA 22407 CVS Pharmacy, 1511 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Fredericksburg, VA 22401 CVS Pharmacy, 1020 Seneca Road, Great Falls, VA 22066 CVS Pharmacy, 7515 Williamson Road, Hollins, VA 24019 CVS Pharmacy, 616 East Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176 CVS Pharmacy, 19305 Ruby Drive, Leesburg, VA 20176 CVS Pharmacy, 2009 Wards Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502 CVS Pharmacy, 6360 Hoadly Road, Manassas, VA 20112 CVS Pharmacy, 13180 Midlothian Turnpike, Midlothian, VA 23113 CVS Pharmacy, 13000 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, VA 23602 CVS Pharmacy, 4261 Little Creek Rd., Norfolk, VA 23505 CVS Pharmacy, 3717 Hampton Blvd. (SWC), Norfolk, VA 23508 CVS Pharmacy, 5829 High Street, Portsmouth, VA 23703 CVS Pharmacy, 31 W. Main Street, Radford, VA 24141 CVS Pharmacy, 8820 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23294 CVS Pharmacy, 5001 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23230 CVS Pharmacy, 8811 Forest Hill Road, Richmond, VA 23235 CVS Pharmacy, 5001 Forest Hills Avenue, Richmond, VA 23225 CVS Pharmacy, 3001 Lauderdale Drive, Richmond, VA 23233 CVS Pharmacy, 8121 Midlothian Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23236 CVS Pharmacy, 1205 N. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23223 CVS Pharmacy, 902 Garrisonville Road, Stafford, VA 22554 CVS Pharmacy, 1280 North Great Neck, Virginia Beach, VA 23454 CVS Pharmacy, 6099 Indian River Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23464 CVS Pharmacy, 1688 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 CVS Pharmacy, 1600 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185 CVS Pharmacy, 2207 Valley Avenue, Winchester, VA 22601 Wife of Detained Human Rights Lawyer Monitored by Chinese Authorities Chinese human rights lawyers and their families have been under tight control during the Chinese Communist Partys (CCPs) two sessions. Among them is Xu Yan, the wife of Beijing lawyer Yu Wensheng who was arrested in 2018 and hasnt been heard of since. Xu Yan has been monitored since before the two sessions and spoke about her situation in a May 22 interview with NTD. Xu said, A national security officer in Shijingshan, Beijing, called her on May 15 and told me to come downstairs and meet with them. When I refused to cooperate, they berated her on the phone. Then, on May 18 and19, she found that someone followed her when she went out. Since May 20, they have been on monitoring duty outside the apartment building. I dont know how long they are going to monitor me, Xu said. I went out yesterday and was followed by them. They didnt stop me from going out, but I dont know what will happen today. There were many times when they wouldnt even let me go out. They were on duty downstairs this morning, she added. Xu asked for people in the international community to pay more attention to her situation as well as to her husbands case. There is still no information about Yu Wenshengs case. He has been unlawfully detained for a long time without trial, which seriously violates the law and is very inhumane, she said. She also called on the CCP to immediately issue a verdict according to the law, acquitting and releasing her husband as soon as possible. Yu Wensheng was arrested by Beijing police in January 2018 for representing Falun Gong practitioners and 709 lawyer Wang Quanzhang. Since then, his family, friends, and even lawyers havent been able to see him. In April of 2018, Yu Wensheng was arrested by the Jiangsu police for inciting subversion of state power. His case was handled in secret last May, and no judgment has been pronounced so far. During these past two years, Xu has been summoned, interrogated, detained, and abused by the police many times for her public activism calling for her husbands release. She has met with many foreign ambassadors in China who told her they would continue to pay attention to his case. The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police will file 12 new chargesheets against 536 Tablighi Jamaat members from three different countries, officials said on Thursday. This is third day that police has filed chargesheets in the case. On Wednesday, 15 chargesheets against 294 foreign attendees were filed, while Tuesday witnessed 20 chargesheets against 83 foreign attendees. The Tablighi Jamaat, a religious organisation in Nizamuddin in South Delhi, had allegedly organised a congregation in March in violation of mass gatherings. The Tablighi Jamaat's Nizamuddin Markaz centre had become a coroavirus hotspot in the national capital. Adding today's numbers, the police will have filed a total 47 chargesheets against 910 foreigners from 32 countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, among others. Police said they are booked for violating visa regulations and not adhering to the government advisory issued to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, earlier in March. The Central Government has cancelled their visa and blacklisted the foreign Tablighi Jamaat members. Delhi police say the members have also violated the prohibitory orders issued under section 144 of the CrPC, says Delhi Police. Police also charged them for acting negligently in a way that was likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life, under section 269 Indian Penal Code (IPC), as well. Along with the aforementioned violations, police said the foreign nationals also disobeyed the quarantine rules, due to which IPC Section 271 was also invoked. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 22:05:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ANKARA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish military has killed three members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, the Turkish defense ministry said on Thursday. "Our operations against the terrorist organization PKK continue resolutely. Three PKK terrorists, identified through reconnaissance and surveillance, in the Hakurk region in the northern part of Iraq, were neutralized by an air operation," the ministry said in a written statement. Turkish authorities use the term "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured. Turkish security forces have long been conducting operations against the PKK in southeastern Turkey and in northern Iraq where the group has hideouts. These operations are intensified in the past few months. PKK members often use northern Iraq to plan cross-border attacks in Turkey. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for over 30 years, which has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people. Enditem - A lecturer at UCC has quizzed the EC on their decision to compile a new voter registration amid the COVID-19 fight. - Jonathan Asante Okyere said he has never in his life seen such an incompetent Electoral Commissioner before - Asante Okyere added that probably the lack of common sense could be the only reason why the operations of the Electoral Commission are being affected Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in A Political Science lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, Jonathan Asante Okyere has quizzed the EC on their decision to compile a new voter registration amid the COVID-19 fight. According to him, he has never in his life seen such an incompetent Electoral Commissioner before. Speaking in an interview on Onua FM, he described the decision by the EC to use the Ghana card and passport as the required documents for the registration as voodoo logic. Chairman of Electoral Commission, Jean Adukwei Mensah Source: UGC Source: UGC READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo swears-in Supreme Court Justices Mensa Bonsu and Yonny Kulendi In all my life being social and political, I have never seen an incompetent Electoral Commissioner like Jean Mensa, he said. Asante Okyere added that probably the lack of common sense could be the only reason why the operations of the Electoral Commission is being affected. He noted that the ECs position in allowing people to vouch for others, who are without NIA cards and Passports, would create the avenue for people to demand for money in guaranteeing, making it possible for foreigners to get registered which could compromise the integrity of the register. The UCC lecturer, however, admonished the Chair of the Commission, Madam Jean Mensa, to tread cautiously because the path she has chosen could be detrimental to Ghanas democracy. READ ALSO: Ghanas COVID-19 recovery rate second highest in West Africa In other news, the Electoral Commission of Ghana is set to begin the compilation of new voters' register in June, to make way for the December 2020 polls, according to the NPPs General Secretary, John Boadu. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) official told journalists about the ECs latest decision after an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting with political parties in Accra on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. The EC held the IPAC meeting with political parties at its headquarters to discuss matters and issues regarding the upcoming presidential and parliamentary polls. READ ALSO: Election 2020: EC to compile new voters' register June Yenkasa: "We have families to feed, we can't stop the Okada business" - Riders lament | #Yencomgh Read more: https://yen.com.gh/157603-obinim-peculiar-heart-condition---lawyer-opens-rushed-hospital.html Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Van Loi said the gift reflects the Vietnamese Government and peoples' sentiments to and solidarity with the South African government and people in the fight against the pandemic. He expressed his belief that under the leadership of the South African government led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, people in South Africa and Mbizana district in particular will overcome difficulties, thus creating conditions for bilateral diplomatic ties. Governor of Mbizana district Daniswa Mafumbatha, for her part, hailed Vietnam as an example in the fight against COVID-19 and wished that Vietnam would share its experience with the African country. She said Mbizana has a population about 320,000 people, 70% of them are young people and jobless. Therefore, the Vietnams gift reflects the continuation of traditional relationship between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the ruling African National Congress. The South African National Department of Health said as of the end of May 26, the country recorded 24,262 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, including 524 deaths. Eastern Cape reported the country's third largest number of infections with 2,864 cases, accounting for 11.8% of the total nationwide. Ukraine's government aims at Top 30 of World Bank's Doing Business 01:40, 28.05.20 1112 Talks are under way to reduce the tax burden on small- and medium-sized enterprises. Guwahati/IBNS: As many as 124 people from Assam, Manipur and West Bengal who stranded in Bangladesh due the COVID-19 lockdown, have finally returned back to India. The Indian people who were stuck in Bangladesh in past two months returned back to India through the Sutarkandi International Border point in Assams Karimganj district on Thursday. Most of the returnees are students, tourists and pilgrims. On the other hand, over 80 people from Bangladesh who also stuck in India due to lockdown have returned back to Bangladesh. Karimganj District Development Commissioner Ranjit Kumar Laskar said that, due to lockdown many people from both countries were stuck. Today, around 124 people from India who stuck in Bangladesh have returned to India. Following the directive of the Union government, the international border has been opened for two hours for the stranded people. Around 80 people from Bangladesh also returned back to their homes, Ranjit Kumar Laskar said. On the other hand, the people who were stuck due to lockdown are now very happy for the governments initiative. A medical student hailing from Kolkata said that, she was stuck in Bangaldesh in last two months due to lockdown. I am a medical student and I was stuck in Bangladesh due to lockdown. Now I am very happy that I will reach my home, the medical student said. One tourist from Assam said that he went to Bangladesh as a tourist, but stuck there due to lockdown. I am now very happy. Bangladesh is also well and I had not faced any problem, the tourist said. On the other hand, a lady hailing from Sylhet in Bangladesh who stuck at Silchar in Assams Cachar district with her family due to lockdown said that, they are now happy that, they will go to their homes. (By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati) Editors note: This story was updated Thursday morning to include a response from President Trump. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has asked President Donald Trump to extend use of the Michigan National Guard to combat the spread of COVID-19 through July 31 a request he granted shortly after. In the letter dated Wednesday, May 27, Michigans governor thanked the president for authorizing the use of the Michigan National Guard forces until June 24, but said theres much more work to respond to and recover from this crisis. To sustain the economic reopening of the State of Michigan and to mitigate the risk associated with potential COVID-19 recurrence, we need to extend the current authorities through July, Whitmer wrote in the emailed letter. By early Thursday afternoon, President Trump tweeted that he would extend their Title 32 orders through mid-August" so the men and women of the National Guard "can continue to help states succeed in their response and recovery efforts. The men and women of the National Guard have been doing a great job fighting the CoronaVirus. This week, I will extend their Title 32 orders through mid-August, so they can continue to help States succeed in their response and recovery efforts. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2020 A White House official confirmed Whitmers letter was received Wednesday evening. Michigan was one of several states that made similar requests. Trump previously authorized the use of the National Guard on March 27, granting Whitmers request to allocate up to 3,000 members of the Michigan Army and Air National Guard to perform humanitarian missions for up to 90 days. The president also authorized requests from governors in Connecticut, Illinois and Massachusetts. Members of the Michigan National Guard have helped run mobile testing facilities, distribute food and medical supplies, ensure the resiliency of supply lines, disinfect public spaces, and support public safety as needed. National Guardsmen have assisted food banks in communities across the state. Theyve also helped setup temporary medical stations to support coronavirus patients. The Michigan National Guard has been instrumental in flattening the COVID-19 curve in Michigan ... Whitmer said in a prepared statement. Im requesting an extension to continue utilizing the Michigan National Guard so we can safely reopen our economy while putting the health and well-being of all Michiganders first. Related: Michigan National Guard to provide free coronavirus testing in Flint Under Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the president can give authority to fully utilize the Michigan National Guard with federal pay and benefits. The extension will also ensure Guard members receive federal retirement and education benefits made available under the GI Bill, according to Whitmer. The Michigan National Guard is a crucial part of our emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will remain vital to our ongoing recovery, Whitmer said. I want to ensure the brave men and women serving in the National Guard receive the benefits theyre entitled to and have earned. Whitmers full letter can be found on the state of Michigan website, here. PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. 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. Read more on MLive: Michigan Secretary of State offices to reopen June 1 by appointment only Michigan Court of Appeals orders Owosso barbers shop to close Michigan shopping malls, retail stores weigh risk of opening doors during COVID-19 pandemic Thursday, May 28: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan In context: If you are ready for a glimpse of upcoming PS5 games, your wait might be over next week. Barring a scheduling SNAFU, Sony could be holding its first official games reveal for its next-gen console. Get ready for the hype to commence in full. Sony might be ready to unveil some upcoming PlayStation 5 games as early as next Wednesday anonymous sources with knowledge of the event told Bloomberg. Like many other presentations we have seen, particularly during the Summer Game Fest season, it will be an online affair. As for now, Sony's PlayStation 5 showcase is scheduled for June 3. However, the insiders indicated that organizers already shuffled the event around several times, so that date might change between now and then. They also mentioned that it is just one of many shows that Sony has lined up as we approach the PS5 launch this holiday season. When asked for confirmation, a Sony spokesperson unsurprisingly declined to comment, and the presentation is not listed on the Summer Game Fest calendar of events. Unlike Microsoft, which has shown quite a few upcoming titles for the Xbox Series X, Sony has been relatively quiet regarding the PS5. A couple of weeks ago, Epic Games revealed a tech demo running on a PS5 dev kit that both stunned and stirred up some controversy. However, other than that and a PlayStation State of Play focusing solely on Ghost of Tsushima (which is actually a PS4 title), Sony has not revealed much content to fuel the hype train. It's an unusual marketing strategy as the companies usually like to one-up each other and trade barbs as the consoles approach launch day. Sony has held off going blow for blow with the Redmond tech giant so far, but if the source's claims are valid, it could be getting ready to open the flood gates or at least line up a series of punches. Image credit: Jason Wang (artist render) Libya is further spiraling into a full-blown proxy war like Syria that could destabilize the region, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian warned today. The crisis is deepening. We are facing a Syrianization of Libya, he told a French Senate panel, according to Reuters. Le Drians comments follow a series of recent setbacks for warlord Khalifa Hifter and his self-styled Libyan National Army, which for the past year has waged an offensive on the capital, Tripoli. In capturing a key air base and several major towns this month, the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord has pushed back forces loyal to the renegade eastern commander. Libyas descent into chaos has drawn in several foreign powers, each pursuing their own agendas in the north African country. The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord enjoys support from Turkey, Qatar and Italy, while Hifters backers include the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Egypt, France and Jordan. Foreign weapons from the warring parties international patrons have flooded Libya in blatant violation of a United Nations arms embargo, and the presence of foreign fighters has further complicated the situation on the ground. Russia is accused of sending hundreds of mercenaries from the paramilitary Wagner group to fight on Hifters behalf, and Turkey has enlisted Syrian rebel fighters to shore up the Government of National Accord. The United Nations says Sudanese and Chadian rebels have also joined the fight. On Tuesday, the US Africa Command said Russia has sent fighter jets to Libya to tip the scales in its favor. In a statement, the AFRICOM commander, Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, likened the move to Moscows intervention in Syrias drawn-out civil war. During a phone call with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated US opposition to the continued level of weapons and munitions being brought into the country. With just four days for lockdown 4.0 to end on May 31, the Maharashtra government has started a review and planning for easing Covid-19-related restrictions from June 1. Maharashtra imposed a lockdown from the midnight of March 23, a day before the nationwide lockdown began. On June 1, the state will have been in lockdown for 69 days. State government officials have said restrictions will be relaxed in a phased manner. Lifting of curbs will be announced in advance. There will be more relaxations but in a calibrated manner and in phases, an official said. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has hinted restrictions will be eased on a trial basis to gauge the peoples response. In a meeting with district collectors, divisional commissioners and municipal commissioners on Wednesday, he said the number of Covid-19 cases had surged in districts with fewer cases after restrictions were eased. Experts said Maharashtra has to be extremely cautious about lifting restrictions. Anant Bhan, a researcher on global health, bioethics and health policy, said: The exit strategy has to be carefully applied and in a calibrated manner. The decisions have to be more local, at ward levels, and the impact needs to be constantly monitored. On Wednesday, Maharashtra recorded more than 100 deaths due to Covid-19, which has bruised the state more than others. As of May 27, Maharashtra alone accounted for 36% of the total cases in the country. With 105 fatalities recorded on Wednesday alone, the states toll went up to 1,897. The total number of infections recorded till Wednesday evening was 56,948. Of these, more than 37,000 are active cases. Starting from May 17, the state has recorded more than 2,000 new infections for 10 days in a row. The states worst-affected city, Mumbai, reported 1,044 new cases on Wednesday. The state has also witnessed intense political activity in the past few days, with a tussle between the Central and state governments over the Shramik Special trains for migrant workers and the BJP unit in Maharashtra attacking the state government over the growing number of Covid-19 cases. The ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi alliance put up a united front, with leaders from the Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party addressing a joint news conference. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Life, they say is just but a fleeting moment, today you are here, the next moment you are not. However, it is also said that legends live on even far long after their death. On this backdrop, Nigerians took to Twitter to celebrate the late prolific comic actor Sam Loco Efe after he passed away nine years ago. Though Loco was born in December and Passed away in August, the hashtag #samlocoday was initiated by celebrated Nigerian DJ, Jimmy Jatt who obviously could not wait until an anniversary to remember a man who brought so much joy and laughter to our screens. Mr Loco who was born in Enugu in southern Nigeria ventured into performing arts after having formed his own drama troupe in Benin in 1968. He had previously fought on the Biafra side in the Nigerian civil war, a war in which Biafra was significantly outnumbered in manpower and weapons, but never in willpower. Sam Loco Efe was found dead in a hotel room on Sunday morning 7 August 2011. The room door was forced open after he had failed to come down after retiring to bed the previous night. At the time of his death, he was considered one of the most successful and respected actors in Africa. To celebrate the late actor and his contribution to the movie industry in Nigeria, Twitter went buzzing yesterday under the hashtag #samlocoday. RIP Sam Loco, this man gave us hits back to back. #samlocoday pic.twitter.com/rYaq6u9LDT Lazy Youth Ambassador (@DarreySmuse) May 26, 2020 Legends are not to be forgotten #SamLocoDay pic.twitter.com/5OMYQ9V9oX Odunlade Adekola (@Odunadekolade) May 26, 2020 Legends are not to be forgotten #SamLocoDay pic.twitter.com/5OMYQ9V9oX Odunlade Adekola (@Odunadekolade) May 26, 2020 Legends are not to be forgotten #SamLocoDay pic.twitter.com/5OMYQ9V9oX Odunlade Adekola (@Odunadekolade) May 26, 2020 RIP Sam Loco, this man gave us hits back to back. #samlocoday pic.twitter.com/rYaq6u9LDT Lazy Youth Ambassador (@DarreySmuse) May 26, 2020 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 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. Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, an honest look at President Biden's press conference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices "Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the haileverything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees." ~ Exodus Chapter 10 verses 12 to 15. This is what the Bible says about locust attacks, and now Indians are convinced that the swarms of locusts invading northern parts of the country are Biblical and may even signal the end of the world. In the last few weeks, India has seen one of the worst locust attacks in history. Cities in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have been invaded by billions of locusts which usually feed on crops. However, this week locusts entered Jaipur's residential areas, which is a rarity. The last time locusts invaded residential colonies was in 1993, as per reports. The coronavirus outbreak, coupled with the devastating cyclone Amphan and the alarming locust attack, has everyone thinking that apocalypse may not be far off. Google trends reveal that since news of the locust attacks broke, people have been looking up Biblical passages on the event to understand what the religious book says about the event. Not just Google, even social media is buzzing with claims that the locust attack is Biblical: First fires, then disease, then floods, and now locusts. The Bible called it, my dudes. pic.twitter.com/n37JqUeI0F Krishnaa (@krishifishi) May 26, 2020 Locusts then in Pakistan now in India already warned in Bible.Joel 1:4;2:25 read pic.twitter.com/Xrs8qxuTTF Rajender (@Rajende29083913) May 26, 2020 #Locusts#LocustAttack Locust attacks have been mentioned in almost all ancient texts, right from wall paintings on ancients Egyptians pyramids to the Bible and Koran. Ancient Greeks talked about locust attacks and so did Sanskrit poems dating back to 747 BC. MYTHILI (@MY_THIL) May 27, 2020 Death . Disease. Cyclone . Floods. And now Locusts. All The biblical plagues. In the bible, it was because headstrong rulers would not do right. Kasturi Shankar (@KasthuriShankar) May 27, 2020 Goosebumps but yeah it is written in the Bible When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray Kolkata_Chhori (@Kolkata_Chhori) May 27, 2020 Jaipur: Then from the smoke came locust on the earth, and they were given powers like the power of scorpions of the earth. revelation 9:3 -10 in Bible. There is an old proverb Locusts have no kings, yet all of them march in ranhttps://t.co/aRaIUwL0VE https://t.co/njzn3cTNaW Ravi Rebbapragada (@RaviRebbapraga2) May 24, 2020 The Old Testament of the Bible does mention locusts in several parts, and a glance at the passages will show that the bugs have always been associated with destruction and devastation. In most cases, locusts were the weapons of the gods who used it to punish mankind. For example, the passage we quoted in the very beginning is from the Book of Exodus. In Egypt, their ruler, the Pharaoh refused to free the Israelites who had been enslaved and as punishment, the countrymen faced the wrath of God. Here's how the story goes. Enraged, the lord inflicted ten plagues upon Egypt - water turns to blood, lice, locusts, flies, darkness, boils, livestock pestilence, frogs, hail and the death of firstborn children. But did these really happen? An interesting article by Time has three wild theories about this. You can read it here. In fact, the trope of using locust attacks to symbolise destruction is not new. In his 1958 novel, 'Things Fall Apart', Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe used the allegory of locusts as a symbol of invasion. Of course, there is no way to say for sure that the Bible did see this coming. But one thing is certain - locust attacks have been around since the dawn of mankind and have been wreaking havoc for generations now. And that is probably why the Bible and other religious books associate these insects with devastation and loss of crops. A report by Moneycontrol shows that locusts have affected around 64 countries, which include Iran, Afghanistan, Africa and India. In the Indian sub-continent, more than 5,00,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed in Rajasthan. Gujarat has also been facing an infestation of locusts for the past five months? Biblical or not, you decide. Uday Kotak While China plays the part of the world's factory, India can be its office, said Uday Kotak, CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank, in a series of tweets on May 24. Kotak said: "Why should Google pay $200,000 to work-from-home US engineers when they can cheaply hire Indians here to do the same job on VC. Same with the finance analysts, marketing, architects etc. New world creates new opportunities." In the pre-pandemic world order, China played the part of the world's factory and a leading manufacturing hub. However, the country saw a long-drawn suspension of operations in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, and it is still on its way to a full recovery. At such a time, many have expressed the view that this could very well be an opportunity for India to ramp up capabilities and prop itself on the global stage. The Indian government has also been actively involved in creating an enabling and attractive environment for foreign players and investors to set up shop here. Pointing to the competitiveness of skilled professionals from India, Kotak emphasised how the human capital in this country can easily serve as a more feasible alternative to American professionals who are paid far more. However, his suggestion that could serve as a provider of 'cheap labour' did not go down well with a few netizens. Response to feedback: I reject that our engineers are inferior to the US. India can produce world class human capital. CEOs of Google, Microsoft & others are Indian. I did not suggest that we underpay Indians by saying cheap, only adjusting for purchasing power parity. https://t.co/ekTWA0G3KG Uday Kotak (@udaykotak) May 24, 2020 Kotak responded saying, "reject that our engineers are inferior to the US. India can produce world-class human capital. CEOs of Google, Microsoft & others are Indian. I did not suggest that we underpay Indians by saying cheap, only adjusting for purchasing power parity." The country holds the capability to produce "world class human capital" he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a phone call to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on May 27. The Ukrainian President expressed his gratitude for Azerbaijan`s humanitarian aid to Ukraine in connection with the fight against the coronavirus, describing it as a manifestation of the friendly relations at this difficult time. President Ilham Aliyev said this aid reflected the spirit of the relationship between the two countries and nations. The implementation of projects in Ukraine through Azerbaijani investments was discussed during the phone conversation. President Ilham Aliyev and President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the necessity of maintaining cooperation in political, economic, trade, and transport areas in the post-pandemic period. The Ukrainian President congratulated President Ilham Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan on the completion of the month of Ramadan and on the Republic Day. The head of state thanked for the congratulations. The presidents exchanged views over a range of bilateral and international issues. Quake hits Armenia: 28 km northwest of Jermuk Crete island lighthouse illuminated with colors of Armenian tricolor Aurora Humanitarian Initiative to allocate $500,000 to projects in Artsakh Sajid Javid: Britain must learn to live with COVID-19, it could be with us forever Erdogan suggests Putin and Zelensky meet face to face EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus meets Aliyev US imposes sanctions on Ukrainians related to 'Russian harmful foreign activities' Sabah: Ankara refuses to hold next Armenian-Turkish meeting in a third country US general discusses regional security and bilateral cooperation in Armenia Secret graves of alleged protesters discovered in Almaty Armenian side members to Armenian-American Intergovernmental Commission confirmed WHO advises countries to lift or ease international travel restrictions US sanctions against Vladimir Putin, Ruben Vardanian and members of the Russian government Armenian Foreign Ministry discusses Mirzoyan's participation in Turkey forum Thailand to resume non-quarantine travel scheme from February 1 Instagram introduces paid subscription feature NEWS.am daily digest: 20.01.22 Europe considers new strategy to combat COVID-19 Norwegian prosecutors refuse release Anders Breivik, 2011 mass murderer Erdogan urges Turks to sell foreign currency for liras Azerbaijan not yet returned about 300 sheep of Armenia villager Media: Israeli President thinks about visiting Turkey Dollar quite stable in Armenia Trade turnover between Ukraine and Armenia increases by 24% Armenia legislature speaker meets with of International Republican Institute president, and director for Eurasia Kremlin does not exclude new call between Putin and Biden EU Special Representative for South Caucasus to soon visit Armenia, Azerbaijan State Duma discusses work of biolaboratories near Russia's borders US lawmakers to parliament speaker: Armenian POWs must be returned to their homeland immediately Security Council chief: Armenia expects OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to visit region Armenia government does not approve plan to considerably raise minimum wage Turkish FM: Armenian representatives invited to diplomatic forum in Antalya Twitter suspends Mexican billionaire's account over offensive behavior Armenian PM says Omicron strain is slowly spreading Azerbaijan says it supports launching border delimitation process with Armenia with no conditions Zakharova speaks on Aliyev's visit to Kyiv Zakharova does not comment on Azerbaijan president's threats against France presidential candidate for her Artsakh visit Cavusoglu: Steps to increase mutual trust will be discussed at next meeting with Armenia US gives go-ahead to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to send missiles and other American-made weapons to Ukraine Zakharova: Russia, as OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, supports continuation of work in this format Cyber attack on Red Cross: data of over 515,000 people compromised Pashinyan: UK has been strong partner of newly independent Armenia Israel hopes UN will unanimously condemn Holocaust denial Armenia, Ukraine depositories sign memorandum of cooperation Azerbaijan advises Armenia to correctly assess the new geopolitical realities and draw conclusions Australia, UK to fight back against cyberattacks from China, Russia and Iran Protesting residents of Armenias Parakar community march to territorial administration ministry Armenia government approves protocol on implementation of readmission agreement with Lithuania Iran suspends gas supplies to Turkey MFA: Armenia has no preconditions for border delimitation 621 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Paris to have place named after Hrant Dink Armenias Parakar enlarged community residents protesting outside government building Turkey opposition party MPs petition for parliamentary inquiry into Hrant Dink assassination France, Germany, Italy and Spain call on Israel to halt construction in East Jerusalem Armenia parliament speaker in US, meets with Nancy Pelosi Iranian MFA: Relations between Iran and Russia have moved into a new diverse, intensified direction Biden says invasion of Ukraine will be disaster for Russia Newspaper: Armenia PM Pashinyan plans to hold Presidents office Newspaper: Opposition Armenia bloc, led by ex-President Kocharyan, starting new processes Taliban PM calls on Muslim countries to be first to formally recognize their government Saudi Arabia records lowest temperature in 30 years Erdogan's visit to Ukraine scheduled for February 3 Russian peacekeeping contingent establishes order of passage through Lachin corridor French Senate votes to ban hijab at sporting events Armenian FM: All necessary conditions to be created for Demarcation Commission work Olaf Scholz: Borders in Europe cannot be changed by force Lavrov presents Armenian Ambassador to Russia, with the Order of Friendship Bill Gates warns of pandemics far more serious than COVID-19 FM on mirror withdrawal of troops: Not a single Armenian village will be left without proper protection Macron: EU countries must work together on agreement for stability and security PM Pashinyan assumes accountability for Armenia special representative for negotiations with Turkey Turkey Central banks and UAE sign agreement worth almost $5 billion Blinken: Western countries need unity to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine Iranian President performs evening namaz in Kremlin after talks with Putin Turkish police detain women protesting price hikes in hygiene products Delegation headed by Chief of the Cypriot National Guard General Staff has meetings in Armenia Merkel refuses job in UN structure Greece receives the first batch of French Rafale fighters NEWS.am daily digest: 19.01.22 Azerbaijan hopes Pope to mediate in relations with Armenia Talks between presidents of Russia and Iran start in Kremlin Armenian FM: This is not first time Baku makes nonconstructive statements Armenian Investigative Committee: 3,809 people die in the 44-day war Ombudsman: I urge not to give in to Azerbaijani manipulations, to visit Artsakh Armenian FM: Armenia passes a package of proposals to Azerbaijan France names the main favorite of presidential election Garo Paylan concludes address in Turkey parliament in Armenian Russian Foreign Ministry believes there is no risk of large-scale war in Europe Dollar goes up in Armenia Sharmazanov: Armenia ex-President Sargsyan did not decide to hold press conference, he did not change his mind Blinken: Russia has plans to increase force on Ukraine borders : Azerbaijani military participate in Turkish drills Taliban say all conditions for recognizing legitimacy of government are met Azerbaijan MFA statement distorts events of Armenian massacres in Baku 32 years ago Karabakh ombudsmans office: Azerbaijans anti-Armenian, genocidal policy has clear chronology US official, Barzani are photographed against backdrop of Greater Armenia and Kurdistan map Armenia ex-defense minister, army General Staff chief, some others criminal case court hearing kicks off FM: Most important direction continues to be international recognition of Artsakh The blanket two-week quarantine on travellers coming into the UK will blow a 650million hole in the economy every week, experts said last night. It will wipe out the summer holiday season, which brings in 9billion in a normal year, leading to tens of thousands of lost jobs, say business leaders. Tourism makes up around a tenth of the economy and helps support a wide range of jobs in hotels, cafes, restaurants and shops. Foreign visitors to Cornwall are already cancelling trips up to October rather than wait for the UK to sort things out, the local tourism chief said. Passengers wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) queue up to board a flight at Terminal 2 of Heathrow airport, west London earlier this week An April photograph shows a pictured of Suenos guesthouse owners Teresa and Neil Jones in front of their boutique bed and breakfast in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Teresa said the fortnight of isolation may put off tourists from coming to the UK Instead, many are looking to other countries who are more welcoming after reopening. It came as Home Office figures revealed 18million passengers 200,000 a day flew into Britain without any health checks between January and March, when coronavirus was spreading across the country at a rapid rate. Ex-Tory aviation minister Theresa Villiers MP said this showed that targeted quarantine requirements should have been put in place at an early stage of the pandemic. Industry leaders said the Governments current refusal to allow tourists to visit Britain without spending two weeks in quarantine when they arrive would devastate the countrys economy. Separately, ex-aviation minister Theresa Villiers MP is urging a 'proportionate approach' with quarantine measures aimed at 'travel from Covid hotspots' The plan will contribute to more than 90 per cent of Britains summer tourism trade being obliterated, according to respected independent forecaster the Centre for Economics and Business Research. Its founder, Douglas McWilliams, said the overall cost of coronavirus to the travel industry could be more than 20billion. He said: The peak summer months of July, August and September would [normally] bring in over 9billion from inbound tourism. This will make struggle for survival even more difficult Teresa and Neil Jones say the two-week quarantine for visitors to the UK will make it even harder to keep their luxury guesthouse business afloat. The Suenos Guesthouse in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, has been fighting for survival after closing during the lockdown. Bookings taken for the five-star boutique hotel before the lockdown had already been cancelled. Now the couple fear their business could be hit further. Mrs Jones, 48, said: We do have overseas visitors and even though they dont make up a massive percentage, it probably will have an effect. She said the fortnight of isolation may put off tourists from coming to the UK. I dont think anybody wants to be stuck, not seeing anything or going anywhere for two weeks when they land in the UK, she said. Were not trying to have a go at the Government but it is frustrating. Everyone is in the same boat, everyone is trying to feel their way through this. Everybody feels that theyre trying to get ready to start again and build things up and you think that this is going to put you back a bit. She criticised the decision to impose a quarantine period now, saying: Its kind of a bit pointless now doing it after all this time because everybody has come in already without having to quarantine. Earlier in the lockdown, discussing the challenges the business faces, Mrs Jones said: Theres no point opening unless other businesses are open. When people come they want to see local attractions and go to restaurants and bars. She said the size of the guesthouse, which has five bedrooms, would make it easy to enforce social distancing rules. But it has communal areas and is popular because of its award-winning breakfast both of which may not be available to guests, depending on what the Government allows. Advertisement If the two-week blanket quarantine is enforced, this 9billion is likely to be reduced to 0.5billion, costing the tourist industry 650million a week. Business leaders last night blasted the measures, due to kick in from June 8. Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said: Foreign visitors are not just cancelling for next month theyre cancelling up to October because of the way our Government is handling the crisis. Dr Steven Freudmann, chairman of the Institute of Travel and Tourism, called it a stake through the heart of the industry, adding: This is a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. 'All other sensible countries closed their borders back in March. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UK Hospitality, said: The longer this quarantine is in place, the more damage it will wreak. Jace Tyrell, boss of the West End Company, which represents central London shops and hospitality firms, said: The current quarantine measures are going to be catastrophic. The row heightened last night after a Whitehall source called critics tin-eared, adding: I dont think people in Hull reading their Daily Mail over their Frosties are going to have much sympathy with the millionaire leaders of the travel industry. The comment came after close to 80 bosses including from The Savoy, Ritz and Mandarin Oriental wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel to demand she ditch the unworkable, ill-thought out and damaging plans immediately. The letter, seen by the Mail, said ministers had also been woefully slow to react and procrastinated to the point of absurdity. George Morgan-Grenville, chief executive of tour operator Red Savannah, who organised the letter, said: The quarantine plans are poorly thought out, wholly detrimental to industry recovery and are more or less unworkable. Hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, 75, who also signed the letter, told the Mail: Most of the travel industry is not millionaires, it is small family businesses who find it a struggle to survive. There will be millions unemployed who neednt have been. The outcry has received short shrift from the Government, which said businesses were being supported by a range of bailout schemes. The Whitehall source said: The travel and hospitality sector have been extensively engaged throughout the entire process. It seems, frankly, like theyve got tin ears. The science is quite clear. As community transmission of the virus falls to a manageable level we need to stop the importation of cases from overseas. 'However, there is flexibility built in. The quarantine programme will be reviewed every three weeks. Harry Potter-themed shop owner Phil Pinder (pictured) said the quarantine measures will hit York's busiest time of year Countries with similar levels of infections have already announced that their borders will be opened to tourists. Spain has said tourists will be welcome from July 1 and Italy has said European travellers can enter freely from June 3. But travel operator Tui has said it will cut up to 8,000 jobs amid the greatest crisis the industry has ever faced. Tens of thousands of hospitality and tourism staff are on furlough, and concerns have mounted that some will never return to work. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Airbus, which has a factory in Broughton near Chester, have all been forced to axe thousands of jobs. We depend so much on foreign visitors Losing foreign tourists this summer will have a huge impact on business in the historic city of York. Around 290,000 overseas visitors come in a normal year with August being the peak month and splash the cash in the medieval walled city. Phil Pinder owns a Harry Potter-inspired shop called The Potions Cauldron on the Shambles named Britains most picturesque street. Mr Pinder, who is also chairman of the citys retail forum, said: August is even busier than Christmas. Visitors from abroad have holiday money. They have changed it into a foreign currency so it becomes like magical money that needs to be spent before you go back home. Losing them will be a big blow. In 2018, 8.4million tourists injected 765million into the citys economy. Foreigners account for 15 per cent of the spending by visitors to York. Advertisement ALEX BRUMMER: A profoundly stupid act of economic vandalism Boris Johnsons government has made many startling missteps as it has sought to manage the coronavirus pandemic. Some have been understandable; this is a new virus and the havoc wreaked, unprecedented. Others have been the result of incompetence or complacency. There is one misstep, however, that stands out as profoundly stupid. Thats the decision to quarantine incoming passengers to our airports foreign nationals and returning Britons alike for 14 days, just as some normality starts to return to our lives. A passenger wearing a face mask arrives at Heathrow airport, west London, last week. Travellers arriving in Britain will face 14 days in quarantine from next month to prevent a second coronavirus outbreak Who will want to visit friends here, take a holiday or come to do business with such a draconian restriction in place? Out of the 18.1million people who entered the country by air in the three months prior to the coronavirus lockdown, just 273 were formally quarantined. Having failed spectacularly to act then, as the infection was spreading from the Chinese city of Wuhan worldwide, the authorities are playing catch up just as the long and painful lockdown is easing. Where is the logic in that? It is an act of economic suicide that not only threatens our aviation, hospitality and tourism industries, but is a devastating blow to Britains place in the world as one of the great financial and commercial centres. If this nation is effectively closed to international business, then the worst fears of those who opposed Brexit that great swathes of the banking and services sector would be driven offshore could actually be realised. One only has to look at the dramatic steps forced on a previously thriving airline industry to understand the scarring to the economy which is taking place. Flag carrier British Airways is implementing 12,000 job cuts, Ryanair is downsizing by 3,000 staff, and Easyjet announced yesterday that it will axe up to 4,500 posts. Meanwhile, Richard Bransons Virgin Atlantic is teetering on the edge of a precipice. As demand for new aircraft plummets, one of Britains industrial crown jewels, aerospace engine maker Rolls-Royce is closing entire factories resulting in around 8,000 redundancies. From our island home, overseas travel is a fact of life for every section of the community. So the sheer farce of having to self-isolate for 14 days after a short trip to Europe doesnt bear thinking about (and thats before other countries do as France has done and announced reciprocal measures). Flag carrier British Airways is implementing 12,000 job cuts, Ryanair is downsizing by 3,000 staff, and Easyjet announced yesterday that it will axe up to 4,500 posts My son Justin, who is working for a UK-based digital firm in Austin, Texas, has cancelled a trip home this August because he and his wife cannot risk the time and lost income involved in being quarantined for two weeks. The same applies to millions of others. The disastrous loss of revenues for airlines, airports and airport retailers, such as travel specialists WH Smith, is just a microcosm of the tragedy awaiting the UKs brilliant tourism industry. No wonder that 78 key British players in the travel and tourism industry felt compelled to appeal directly to Home Secretary Priti Patel in a letter this week, urging her to think again about her unworkable, ill-thought out quarantine plan. And how out of touch was that snide Whitehall jobsworth to dismiss the letter as the whingeing of elitist London luxury hotels and upmarket holiday firms that wouldnt much bother readers of the Daily Mail as they enjoy their morning cereal. Its bunkum and shows breathtaking ignorance. Many of our readers are part of the UK tourism industry, which employs 3.8million people from top London chefs to ticket sellers and guides at the nations monuments, from B&B businesses and canal boat operators to tea rooms, cafes and souvenir stand owners nationwide. Moreover, the latest data from the UKs Tourism Alliance and the Office for National Statistics shows the value of tourism stands at 145.9billion a year amounting to 7.2 per cent of total national output. Its as if national decision-makers do not have a clue as to how wealth is created in Britains open and dynamic economy. The prosperity of our nation relies heavily on the services industry which makes up more than 70 per cent of the nations output and is dominated by people skills. That requires the UKs vibrant army of hoteliers, tourist guides, consultants, lawyers, creatives, engineers, architects and construction experts, working across the globe, to be able to move freely in and out of the country. I am fully aware that in the midst of a pandemic when more than 37,000 lives have been lost ministers cannot ignore the potential flow of infection from overseas. One initial, sensible proposal for re-opening Britain to tourism was the idea of safe air corridors between the UK and France and other European destinations with low transmission rates but that was shot down almost as soon as it was mentioned. But the best way of dealing with the risk would be to significantly beef up screening at points of departure and arrival. Anyone who travels to the US is familiar with having to self-declare that they are not a drug trafficker. Travellers to Israel must self-certify that they are not carrying a weapon. It would be a simple matter for travellers to and from the UK to self-certify themselves to be Covid-19 free or immune, with random checks, big fines and isolation for those who flouted the rules. The sophisticated security devices made by Britains Smiths Industries, which already record many details of our lives when we leave or enter the country, could be programmed to assist screening. When lockdown began on March 23, the vast amounts of government financial support notably the furlough scheme were put in place so that economic life could emerge from hibernation rapidly. Shutting the doors on the UKs wonderfully open economy with an illogical quarantine policy is an act of vandalism that goes beyond all comprehension. Medical workers take a patient under intensive care into the Columbus Covid 2 temporary hospital, newly built to fight the COVID-19 epidemic, in Rome, Italy, on March 16, 2020. (Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images) Red Cross Reports Hundreds of COVID-19-Related Attacks on Health Staff, Facilities A top Red Cross official says the agency has recorded more than 200 COVID-19-related incidents of violence against its health workers and facilities. Peter Maurer, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said May 27 that the agency noted 208 attacks against health care workers and installations in 13 countries since March, and that the incidents have been related to the pandemic. The COVID-19 crisis is fast threatening to become a protection crisis, he told the United Nations Security Council via video call, noting that 23 percent of the incidents involved physical assaults. Maurer said that, overall, the incidents ranged from verbal threats against workers to setting fire to facilities reportedly housing COVID-19 patients. He added that its unlikely the data is exhaustive, noting that the real figures probably are much higher than what we calculated. He made the remarks in the context of a report to the Security Council on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts. Communities caught in the cross-fire of armed conflict suffer shock after shock, violation after violation, until their resilience is threadbare, he said. Maurers remarks come after the ICRC and a dozen other global organizations issued a declaration May 27 calling attention to acts of aggression targeting health care workers amid the pandemic. Unfortunately, the sad reality is that health workers have for a long time been subject to many shocking forms of violence, the agencies said in the joint communication. The recent displays of public support for COVID-19 responders are heartwarming, but many responders are nevertheless experiencing harassment, stigmatization, and physical violence, they wrote, adding, Some health-care professionals and the people they were caring for have even been killed. The ICRC issued a statement on Twitter, listing occupations and installations that are, by definition, protected under rules of war, but which have been targeted since the outbreak began. Doctors. Nurses. Paramedics Hospitals. Ambulances Clinics. All are protected under the rules of war. Yet since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been over 200 attacks on health care in just 13 countries. ICRC (@ICRC) May 27, 2020 Health-care workers and facilities and medical vehicles should never be a target of violence, and we urge governments, communities, and weapon bearers to respect and protect health care at all times, and to contribute to creating a protective environment in which health care can be provided safely, the agencies wrote in the declaration. The groups, which include the International Council of Nurses, the International Hospital Federation, and Physicians for Human Rights, urged that mental health support be extended not just to victims of violence, but to front-line medical staff responding to the outbreak. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and that emerged from Wuhan in 2019 to became a fast-spreading pandemic, has so far infected more than 5.9 million people worldwide and killed more than 357,000. We dont know whether Isadore Naboicheck knew Nathan Gilman way back in 1899, when the two Jewish entrepreneurs were making mattresses and bedding in Connecticut factories 34 miles apart. And we dont know whether the businesses they founded Gold Bond Mattress and The Gilman Brothers Co. supplied hospitals in the flu pandemic of 1918. The answer to both questions, now lost to history, is most likely yes. What we know is that in the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, well over a century later, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, operating those same two companies, came through big-time when the state of Connecticut needed emergency beds for hospital overflow. Gold Bond, a regional mattress-maker thats been in Hartford since Naboicheck founded it in 1899, made 3,500 specially designed mattresses, covered in waterproof, green vinyl, and delivered them to the state this spring. Just a few weeks ago, recall, we were near panic as cases piled up and every hospital in the state crafted a plan for patients who wouldnt fit in their wards. In all, they went to 20 locations including Stamford Hospital and 600 at the Connecticut Convention Center, very near the location where Gold Bond started. A total of 504 are still set up at the Southern, Western and Central Connecticut State University campuses. We feel very good that first and foremost we could help ensure that those who are going through this horrific situation had the care they needed, said Bob Naboicheck, grandson of the founder, whose 38-year-old son, Henry Skip Naboicheck is in the business. The mattress shipments came in large orders of 500 or 1,000, Naboicheck said. We were getting calls all the time, We need them, we need them. The price was under $100 for most of the mattressses. We wanted to be very competitive and we werent going to be gouging like some have done with masks, Bob Naboicheck said. And it worked out well for Gold Bond, a large maker of futons, which sells mattresses made with natural cotton through retailers and to hotels. With sales down by 40 percent at the start of what normally is the peak season for mattresses, the states orders kept the 62 factory employees working. Were the only mattress factory that was open in Connecticut, Naboicheck said. At the same time, down Route 2 in the Gilman section of Bozrah a village with its own post office, named for the company Gilman Brothers did not make beds. Its product is a styrene-backed foamboard, mostly used for retail displays and advertising. The March numbers looked terrible. They brainstormed and came up with an idea: They would design and build temporary beds made of the rigid plastic product, with components that would slide and snap into place. We were laughed at, said Bill VanHorn, the Gilman sales director. I said Thats OK, thats who we are. Indeed, over the years Gilman Brothers still owned and operated by the family had overcome a lot of challenges since Nathan Gilman founded the company in 1897 in New York and bought out his supplier on the Yantic River in Bozrah a few years later. In the 1920s, when the river ran too dry for water power, Gilman formed an electric company and hired his sons to dig holes for utility poles. The family owned the company until 1995 and it still serves the area. Gilman Brothers quickly made prototypes, set up an outsourced manufacturing supply chain and put out word the company was in the hospital overflow bed business. Then at exactly 9:33 a.m. Central time on March 28, VanHorn, working from home in Texas, received a call from Lt. Col. Christopher Chabot, in charge of medical planning for the Connecticut National Guard. Do you have the beds in stock? No, VanHorn said, theyre not made yet. We could move forward on it. Can you give us 1,000 on Monday? Whoa. VanHorn scrambled. That night the boards went out to the manufacturers. The trucks started shipping out Monday, VanHorn said. That helped create work for many of the companys 120 employees. Capt. David Pytlik, spokesman at the Connecticut Military Department, remembers those tense moments when the Army National Guard and the states commodities task force saw rising patient numbers and rapidly sourced beds and other supplies. It was like watching an emerging tsunami wave charging toward you, Pytlik said. With COVID-19 numbers declining, the beds and mattresses are mostly in storage now, in a New Britain warehouse. If wave 2 is worse than the first wave, that stuff is ready to go, Pytlik said. I would much much rather explain why we built too much capacity than why we didnt build what we needed. Today the two companies have expanded their emergency work. On the day this month when I visited Gold Bond, a shipment was heading out to a university hospital in Boston. Not coincidentally, the three Gold Bond factory workers I photographed that day, all nearby local residents, had worked at the company for 22, 20 and 18 years. These are backbone community businesses that take seriously their roles as suppliers and employers in hard times. Bob Naboicheck is a former chairman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford. Sales were good over the last few years for Gold Bond legally the Standard Mattress Co. but using the Gold Bond trade name despite the slow economy in Connecticut, which accounts for less than 10 percent of revenue. Now, in the crisis, Naboicheck added, Were just trying to keep this 121 year old business alive. And going forward, Gold Bond will do it in part in a joint agreement Gilman Brothers, which is expanding its temporary bed business to serve the disaster relief industry. Its a whole new market, theres an individual with the Department of Commerce that has helped us, VanHorn said, along with U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2. Were involved right now with a very large program with FEMA, he added, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. So now they are in bed together. Sorry, had to say that. Again, we dont know whether its the first time but Naboichecks grandmother, from Connecticut, was a Gilman. Any relation? Its lost to history. dhaar@hearstmediact.com If you thought work video meetings were difficult, try staging an entire musical live online. This is the ambitious aim of one musical production, which will soon become the first in Australia to livestream an entire season. The off-Broadway musical Whos Your Baghdaddy (Or How I Started The Iraq War) was due to play at Marrickvilles Flight Path Theatre in September, but producers were forced to innovate when coronavirus restrictions threw the shows future into doubt. Musical director Steven Kreamer and actors Katrina Retallick and Justin Smith prepare for the online production of a musical. Credit:Jessica Hromas Rather than cancel the satirical musical the producers decided to transform it to speak to our era of Zoom, Skype and Google Hangouts. For each show, the eight-member cast will gather in a space, most likely to be a rented house, to perform the musical which will be livestreamed. The musical is about intelligence officers, who were involved in starting the Iraq War, uniting for a support group meeting. To audience members watching online from home, the actors will look to be engaging in a counselling session over Zoom. As an artist, our way of communicating with people is with music, with our art, Amato said. Thats what we do. Its a different job when youre not playing for an audience. The all-volunteer movement, founded by Eastman viola professor Carol Rodland in 2009, has more than a dozen chapters nationwide, but Amato said many of them bowed out of doing a concert this year because of the pandemic. And while the notion of skipping the event this year might have crossed her mind, she and her colleagues were game for the challenge. This has been a really nice way to collaborate in a new way that we have never tried before, Amato said. And the need this year seems to be greater than the four previous years, she said. I think now you see a lot of people who are out of work and a lot of people who hadnt had to rely on food banks before are finding themselves in a new state of need, she said. And food banks are also strained because people arent donating as much. I think the problem is at both ends. In its first four years, the Tucson event has raised about $5,000 cash and 1,200 pounds of food. Democratic state legislators in Pennsylvania accused their Republican counterparts Wednesday of keeping a GOP lawmaker's positive coronavirus diagnosis under wraps for days, arguing that the lack of transparency may have increased their risk of contracting the potentially deadly infection. Republican State Rep. Andrew Lewis released a statement Wednesday revealing that he received his positive test result on May 20 - a jarring announcement that rattled House Democrats who said they had no idea he had been sick or that other GOP members had been told to self-quarantine due to possible exposure. Lewis, whose last appearance at the state Capitol was on May 14, said he immediately went into isolation after testing positive and informed House officials about his condition. He stressed that "every member or staff member who met the criteria for exposure" was contacted and told to isolate. One of Lewis's GOP colleagues confirmed on social media Wednesday that he had been asked to self-quarantine, but Democrats said they are aware of at least two other Republicans who were also instructed to stay home. On Wednesday, outraged Democratic lawmakers condemned House Republicans for not disclosing that the novel coronavirus had infiltrated Pennsylvania's state Capitol, with some demanding resignations and formal investigations into why details about Lewis's diagnosis were withheld. "While we are pleased to learn that this House member seems to have recovered, it is simply unacceptable that some House Republicans knew about this for more than a week and sat on that knowledge," Pennsylvania House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody said in a statement. "Knowing how House members and staff work closely together at the Capitol, we should have been made aware of this much sooner." Mike Straub, a spokesman for House Republicans, told The Washington Post in an emailed statement that GOP officials implemented guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Health. "Anyone who met those guidelines was notified and quarantined," Straub said. Straub declined to specify which legislators were notified or how many, citing medical privacy laws, but he noted that tracing the people Lewis had come into contact with at the Capitol in the days before the lawmaker tested positive was "easily verified." In a Facebook live stream Wednesday night, Lewis said he was at the Capitol for a couple hours on May 14 and only interacted with a handful of people. "I had no idea that I may have been exposed. I had no symptoms," Lewis said. "I wore a mask. I did not shake any hands." But that weekend, Lewis started to feel unwell, displaying symptoms that included a fever, fatigue and a slight cough. Within days, he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease covid-19. Lewis said he waited until Wednesday to go public with his diagnosis because he felt that the people he might have exposed "deserved a little window of time to get tested, do their isolation and those types of things." One such person was GOP state Rep. Russ Diamond, who disclosed Wednesday in a lengthy Facebook post that he had been self-quarantining since May 21. Earlier that day, Diamond, a vocal opponent of wearing masks, had addressed a Pennsylvania House committee in person barefaced, Spotlight PA reported. "Upon receiving that notice, I voluntarily cancelled every in-person meeting or other engagement I had on my schedule through today," wrote Diamond, noting that he did not know the identity of the person who tested positive. Diamond told Spotlight PA that he does not have any symptoms and did not get tested. "I am not ill. In fact, I feel like a million bucks," he wrote on Facebook, later adding: "I'm done. My self-quarantine ends today. Tomorrow, I will be back in Harrisburg." Similarly, Lewis said in his Wednesday statement that he had "fully recovered" and now feels "completely fine." Meanwhile, state Democrats were appalled that their Republican colleagues did not promptly inform them of Lewis's positive test result or the subsequent self-quarantines of other GOP members, instead allowing them to potentially risk exposure by continuing to participate in person in voting sessions and House committee meetings. Several Democrats said Wednesday that they only became aware of Lewis's diagnosis after being approached by a reporter. "I just spent the better part of the last 11 weeks sitting across a room from people who would eventually test positive and decided not to tell us," state Democratic Rep. Brian Sims said in a video live-streamed on Facebook. "They did do some kind of quarantine. They did do some kind of contact tracing. They, I guess, being Republican leadership." Sims, who at times grew visibly angry and repeatedly used expletives, attacked House Republicans for being "callous liars" and accused them of recklessly endangering lives in pursuit of partisan goals. "Every single day that our gerrymandered Republican leadership has been calling us up into this building so they could pass these ridiculous bills pretending that it was safe to be out there, they were covering up that it wasn't safe," he said, referencing efforts from GOP lawmakers pushing to reopen Pennsylvania. "You have no idea how the people around you are impacted." State Rep. Dan Frankel, minority chairman of the House Health Committee, said in a statement that he was "horrified to learn that members of the General Assembly failed to do the right thing." Frankel said Democrats only discovered Wednesday that four Republican legislators were self-quarantining. "The failure of these Republican members and their leadership to follow basic safety protocols makes plain their disregard for those around them, but worse: it reveals a total abdication of their responsibility to act as leaders during this confusing time," Frankel said. "The virus doesn't care about someone's ideology," he added. "The virus doesn't care if you believe in it." According to most recent figures, Pennsylvania now has more than 69,000 cases of coronavirus and roughly 5,200 reported deaths. Wednesday's revelation prompted a number of Democrats to call for the resignation of Republican leaders, including Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai, a demand that was supported by U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa.. "The utter indifference to peoples' lives" shown by House Republicans "proves that they are incapable, unqualified, and unwilling to faithfully discharge the duties of their office," Democratic State Rep. Leanne Krueger said in a statement. Others urged the state attorney general to launch an investigation into the incident. "We should know if any criminal or ethical laws were broken," tweeted state Rep. Kevin J. Boyle, a Democrat who chairs a House committee on which both Lewis and Diamond sit. But for Democratic Rep. Jennifer O'Mara, the decision whether to disclose details of Lewis's test results to all House lawmakers should not have had anything to do with politics. "This isn't a Republican or Democrat issue. This is a human being issue," O'Mara said. "My colleagues decided to keep information about public health from us, putting all of us at an unnecessary risk." - - - The Washington Post's Derek Hawkins contributed to this report. A former corporator from the Congress was booked on Thursday by Vakola police for allegedly misbehaving with an on-duty police sub-inspector, obstructing her from discharging her duties and threatening to harm her. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (operations) and spokesperson of Mumbai Police Pranaya Ashok confirmed the development. According to Vakola police, the incident took place on Wednesday around 10.30pm when the 28-year-old sub- inspector was working as a night duty officer at the station house. The 45-year-old corporator, Brian Miranda, visited the police station along with his wife after a fight broke out between two groups of residents of a society at Pandurang Vakil Wadi in Kalina. Miranda and his wife were supporting one group. The former corporator allegedly started arguing with the officer and called her biased. He also allegedly passed remarks insulting her modesty. Miranda however, has refuted the allegations. I went to the police station along with my wife as it was night. The sub-inspector was speaking to my wife rudely and was not willing to listen to her. My wife was defending four women in our society who visited the police station to lodge a complaint against another society member who had abused them. I did not misbehave with the officer as I did not even speak to her, said Miranda. Based on the officers complaint, Vakola police lodged a first information report (FIR) under sections 186 (obstructing public servant while discharging public functions), 189 (threat of injury to public servant) and 509 (words, act or gesture intended to insult womans modesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as well as the section 110 (behaving indecently in public) of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951. Theres a long chain of events that would need to happen for someone to become infected through contact with groceries, mail, takeout containers or other surfaces, said Julia Marcus, an infectious disease epidemiologist and assistant professor in the department of population medicine at Harvard Medical School. The last step in that causal chain is touching your eyes, nose or mouth with your contaminated hand, so the best way to make sure the chain is broken is washing your hands. An outbreak associated with a shopping mall in Wenzhou, China, may have been fueled by fomite transmission. In January, seven workers who shared an office in a shopping mall became ill when one of their co-workers returned from Wuhan. The mall was closed, and public health officials tracked two dozen more sick people, including several women who had shopped at the mall, as well as their friends. None of them had come into contact with the original sick office workers. The researchers speculated that a womens restroom or the mall elevators had been the source of transmission. Other studies have used invisible fluorescent tracers fake germs that glow under black light to track how germs are spread from surfaces. The findings are unnerving. In one series of experiments, 86 percent of workers were contaminated when spray or powder tracers were put on commonly touched objects in an office. When tracer powder was put on a bathroom faucet and exit doorknob, the glowing residue was found on employees hands, faces, phones and hair. From a shared phone, the tracer spread to desktop surfaces, drinking cups, keyboards, pens and doorknobs. A contaminated copy machine button added a trail of fluorescent finger prints transferred to documents and computer equipment. And just 20 minutes after arriving home from the office, the fake germs were found on backpacks, keys and purses, and on home doorknobs, light switches, countertops and kitchen appliances. A video making rounds on the internet shows how the black light experiment works. The glow germs are put on the hands of just one diner at a buffet, but by the end of the meal, everyone at the table has come into contact with the glowing germs. The video explains why scientists discourage the sharing of food during a viral outbreak. But while those experiments show how germs can spread on surfaces, the microbe still has to survive long enough and in a large enough dose to make you sick. Eugene M. Chudnovsky, a professor at the City University of New York, notes that surfaces are not a particularly effective means of viral transmission. With the flu, for instance, it takes millions of copies of the influenza virus to infect a person through surface-to-hand-to-nose contact, but it may take only a few thousand copies to infect a person when the flu virus goes from the air directly into the lungs. Dr. Chudnovsky, a theoretical physicist whose research has focused on the spread of the airborne infection, said a similar pattern is likely to be true for the new coronavirus, but the exact numbers are not known. I believe the C.D.C. is right when it says that surface transmission is not a dominant one, said Dr. Chudnovsky. Surfaces frequently touched by a large number of people, like door handles, elevator buttons, etc., may play a more significant role in spreading the infection than objects touched incidentally, like food packages delivered to homes. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Thursday said that the labelling two of US President Donald Trumps tweets with fact checks earlier this week does not make the micro-blogging website an arbiter of truth. This does not make us an arbiter of truth. Our intention is to connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves. More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions. jack (@jack) May 28, 2020 In a series of tweets, Dorsey explained that Twitters intention is to connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves. The explanation comes after Facebook CEO, in an interview with Fox News, said the Facebook should not be an arbiter of truth of everything that people say online". Trump, too, threatened to take action against the Silicon Valley company. Twitter has now shown that everything we have been saying about them (and their other compatriots) is correct. Big action to follow! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020 Dorsey stated that he is accountable for all the actions Twitter takes as a company. Please leave our employees out of this. Well continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make, Dorsey tweeted. He further highlighted Twitters Civic Integrity Policy which explains why the two tweets made by Trump on May 26 were labelled with Get the facts about mail-in ballots. As per the rules, misleading information about how to vote, the documents required to vote or the date and time of an election of other civic process are prohibited. The message linked to a curated fact-checking page with posts and factual summaries from journalists and news article that debunked the claim to be false. More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions, Dorsey added. Some Twitter users have also criticised the company for not labelling the tweets as false information. Bexar County is expected to receive at least $7 million from a settlement that the state of Texas and attorneys for counties and cities have negotiated with opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and distributors of the drugs, but County Judge Nelson Wolff questioned the sufficiency of the payout late Thursday. Wolff dismissed it as nothing compared to a public health crisis caused by opioid addiction that cost us hundreds of millions of dollars in suffering and everything else. The proposed deal, if approved, will mark the first national settlement between various governments and the opioid manufacturers and distributors, who have been accused of flooding the prescription market with addictive products. Its expected to be finalized in June. It is the first of many settlements to come, predicted San Antonio-based lawyer Mikal Watts, who represented Bexar County and 13 other Texas counties in the case. The proposal calls for the opioid distributors to pay $19.2 billion nationally over an 18-year period, while Johnson & Johnson will pay at least $4 billion. The money is expected to be used for opioid remediation programs. Texas is expected to receive approximately $1.5 billion, most of which will be divided among all 254 Texas counties, regardless of whether they participated in the litigation. The opioid epidemic is the largest man-made health epidemic in the history of this country, Watts said Thursday, praising the ability of lawyers to work with Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton across party lines to solve the problem. On ExpressNews.com: Bexar County Commissioners Court approves options for tackling San Antonio opioid crisis Bexar County is expected to get at least $7 million to be disbursed locally Watts believes it will start receiving the funds within the next year. An additional $68 million will be distributed throughout the region by a newly formed Texas Opioid Council. Additionally, the city of San Antonio is projected to receive nearly $4.4 million under the terms of the proposed settlement, Texas Attorney Generals Office records show. On ExpressNews.com: Bexar County plans to offer inmates new treatment option to fight deadly opioid epidemic As you know, I dont have a lot of love in my heart for the attorney general or for the state when theyve done everything they can to hurt urban areas, said Wolff, a Democrat. And about 70 percent of that money goes through the state. So Ive got reservations about it. I may be wrong. Bexar County Commissioners Court will meet in closed session Tuesday to discuss if they want to be part of the proposed settlement, Wolff said. Opioids are drugs that include prescription painkillers. Overdoses from these prescribed drugs, as well as illegal opioids, such as heroin, have quadrupled across the country since 1999. Such drugs played a role in more than 67,000 deaths nationwide in 2018, including more than 3,000 deaths in Texas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Paxton described the proposed deal as a coordinated bipartisan agreement with county leaders from around the state. This agreement provides Texans in all 254 counties with desperately needed funding for education, prevention and treatment in our fight against opioid abuse, Paxton said in a statement Thursday. Families around Texas from large urban areas to small farming and ranching communities will benefit from this collaborative effort between my office and local leaders across our state. The funds received by Texas will be divided three ways 15 percent will go to the state, 15 percent to political subdivisions such as counties and cities and 70 percent to the Texas Opioid Abatement Fund. Money from that statewide abatement fund will be distributed by the new Texas Opioid Council to jurisdictions based on specific metrics, such as the number of people suffering from opioid use disorder, the number of opioid deaths and the amount of opioids shipped into each county. The parties to the lawsuit also negotiated an agreement that limits attorneys fees to less than 10 percent of the settlement far below what is typical to maximize the dollars available to address the public health crisis. Under that agreement, attorneys who represented Texas counties and cities are guaranteed to receive almost 9.4 percent of the settlement funds. One of the big challenges was to get the dollars flowing to the local jurisdictions so that we could start fixing the problem, Watts said. So the attorney general asked and we agreed to accept fees that were substantially lower than our fee contracts. We did that to solve the opioids problem and to solve it fast. Other opioid-related lawsuits are still pending. Negotiations are continuing with Purdue Pharma, which filed for bankruptcy last year. Discussions also are continuing with other manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Peggy OHare covers demographics, the census and occasionally crime and general assignment stories in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Peggy, become a subscriber. pohare@express-news.net | Twitter: @Peggy_OHare US House passes bill authorising sanctions against Chinese officials over the mass incarceration of Muslim Uighurs. The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved legislation calling for sanctions on Chinese officials deemed responsible for the oppression of Uighur Muslims, sending the bill to the White House for President Donald Trump to veto or sign into law. The Uighur Human Rights Act passed by a 413-1 vote on Wednesday and came hours after Secretary of State Mike Pomp notified Congress that the administration no longer considered Hong Kong autonomous from China. The bill calls for sanctions against those responsible for the repression of Uighurs and other Muslim groups in Chinas Xinjiang province, where the United Nations estimates that more than a million Muslims have been detained in camps. It singles out the regions Communist Party secretary, Chen Quanguo, a member of Chinas powerful Politburo, as responsible for gross human rights violations against them. Beijings barbarous actions targeting the Uighur people are an outrage to the collective conscience of the world, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, told the house in support of the bill. The message was bipartisan, with Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, accusing China of state-sponsored cultural genocide. Beijing is out to completely eradicate an entire culture simply because it doesnt fit within what the Chinese Communist Party deems Chinese, McCaul said. We cant sit idly by and allow this to continue Our silence will be complicit, and our inaction will be our appeasement. Meaningful action The near-unanimous support in Congress the Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent puts pressure on Trump to impose human rights sanctions on China. Although Trumps fellow Republicans in Congress said they expected he would sign the bill, the White House has not yet indicated whether he will do so. Aides did not respond to requests for comment. Relations between Trump and Chinas government have become increasingly tense in recent weeks as Trump has blamed Beijing for worsening the coronavirus pandemic. Uighur activists welcomed the bills passage. We urge President Trump to sign the Uyghur Human Rights Policy into law as a matter of priority and take immediate steps to implement it, said Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, in a statement. Our community needs the US government and governments around the world to take real, meaningful action, as is provided for in this act. After years of suffering and frustration, the Uighur people need hope. China denies mistreatment and says the camps provide vocational training. Uighur activists and human rights groups have countered that many of those held are people with advanced degrees and business owners who are influential in their communities and have no need for any special education. People in the internment camps have described being subjected to forced political indoctrination, torture, beatings, and denial of food and medicine, and say they have been prohibited from practising their religion or speaking their language. While China has denied these accounts, it refuses to allow independent inspections. After an earlier version of the law passed in December, the Chinese foreign ministry accused the US of hypocrisy in its own counter-terrorism efforts. This bill deliberately smears the human rights condition in Xinjiang, slanders Chinas efforts in de-radicalization and counter-terrorism and viciously attacks the Chinese governments Xinjiang policy, said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, urging the US to stop the law. The Nepal government's move to give legal sanctity to its new map by bringing in a constitution amendment bill has been postponed for the time being, The Indian Express has reported. The new map, which depicts Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as part of the country, has led to a territorial spat with India. India had reacted angrily to the move saying such "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims will not be acceptable and asked the neighbouring country to refrain from such "unjustified cartographic assertion". On May 27, the Nepal government had failed to table the Bill owing to differences within the ruling party, according to the newspaper. "Border issues are sensitive by nature and require trust and confidence to be resolved to mutual satisfaction. We note that there is a larger ongoing debate on this matter in Nepal. It underlines the seriousness of this issue. It also demonstrates the value being attached to relations between Nepal and India," sources told the newspaper. The ties between the two countries had come 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. According to the report, a section of the ruling coalition in Nepal has advised the country's Prime Minister, KP Oli, to go slow on the issue. "The Government of Nepal has released a revised official map of Nepal today that includes parts of Indian territory. 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," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava had said on May 20. Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali had earlier this month summoned Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra and handed over a diplomatic note to protest against India inaugurating the key road. Flash . Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets the media and takes questions from reporters after the conclusion of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress. Kyle I. Grimes, president and general manager since 2016 of WGAL-TV, has been named president and general manager of WCVB-TV, Hearst Televisions flagship in Boston. According to a news release provided by Hearst, Grimes appointment is effective July 1. He replaces Bill Fine who will retire later this year. A replacement for Grimes has not been named. I have closely followed Kyle since he became general manager at the same station where I started my broadcasting career, Fine said. It is clear to me that he brings the necessary qualities to lead this great television station. I look forward to working with Kyle over the next few months as I transition from general manager to loyal viewer and alum. According to Hearst Television, "Under Grimess leadership at WGAL, the station added more than seven hours of local news per week as well as a weekly local public-affairs show. The station earned regional Emmy Awards in 2016 and 2019 for Best Newscast as well as regional Associated Press honors, including Outstanding News Operation and Best Newscast, in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Among other innovations Grimes oversaw the establishment of the WGAL 8 Hall of Fame to honor leaders who have made important contributions to the station during its 70-year history, and the development of a public/private partnership with Millersville University to preserve the stations film archive." The station also received finalist status for the National Association of Broadcasters 2019 Service to America Award for the stations support of the Lancaster Community Foundations Extraordinary Give program. WGAL also helped to raise money for organizations including the Red Cross, for victims of hurricanes Harvey and Florence; for the Childrens Miracle Network; and for Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to aid families during the 2020 pandemic. Before coming to WGAL, Grimes was president and general manager of WPTZ-TV/WNNE-TV, Hearsts NBC and CW affiliates serving the Plattsburgh, New York/Burlington, Vermont, television market. While he was there, the station received a national Edward R. Murrow Award, from the Radio Television Digital News Association, for a series investigating Vermonts Department of Children and Family Services, and two regional Murrow Awards for nationally followed reporting on the prison escape of convicted murderers in Dannemora, N.Y. He also worked at Hearsts ABC affiliate in Florida and other Hearst stations in California. READ MORE Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. John Li isnt ready to give up yet and hes hoping fellow Richmond Hill residents arent either. Along with others from the Yonge-Bernard Residents Association, Li is organizing a protest Sunday at the site to bring awareness to the citys decision to approve a controversial development plan that will see 40-storey condo towers built in the neighbourhood and make the suburban area of Yonge Street and Bernard Avenue with one bus stop, more dense than Yonge and Eglinton. He is also appealing to the province to intervene, and wrote a letter to Premier Doug Ford last week, asking for the government to review the convoluted manner in which city council conducted the vote on the matter. Council voted five times on the development, after initially voting against it, and then rescinding their vote, and approving the project with additional amendments. But then they changed their mind again, with the final vote taking place during an emergency in-camera meeting, leaving residents unclear about the final outcome Since there is no public record of who or what council voted on, residents are left to wonder what comes next for our neighbourhood, wrote Li. Residents plan to do their part to fight excessive development in our area, but how do we prepare to fight plans that are often changed and voted on away from public view? he wrote in the letter to Ford. We need your help. Earlier this month, the city held an online council meeting in which they were to decide if they supported a staff recommendation that would bring in 11,000 new residents and towers as high as 37 storey to the suburban strip of Yonge Street as part of a Bernard-Yonge Key Development Area. Residents had asked for the matter to be pushed to the fall in light of the pandemic, but city council said the vote was necessary ahead of the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) on July 2, the independent provincial body that adjudicates contentious municipal planning issues. More than a hundred people tuned in to the online council meeting. At first, council voted 5-4 against the staff recommendations. Council then went into a closed meeting to obtain legal advice about how planning staff would proceed at LPAT without council support. When they came out hours later, council reconsidered the vote. At that point, Ward 2 Coun. Tom Muench added an amendment that included greater density, the removal of green space and reduced parking requirements for condo developer in an effort to make the plan less car-dependent, he said. Hours after the original plan had failed, the plan finally passed 5-4 with the amendments. But that wasnt the end of it. The next day, city council called a late-night emergency in-camera meeting to discuss the matter again. The public minutes of the meeting, posted last week, offer little detail as to what took place. Regional councillor Carmine Perrelli, who moved the in-camera motions according to the minutes, said council ultimately voted in favour of the staff report without the amendments. When asked about the need for an in-camera emergency meeting, Perrelli said: As is the case with all large complex issues, there is always new information which requires many steps and details to be worked out in order to get the best outcome for the residents of Richmond Hill. Many times, these can be last minute in nature; the Yonge-Bernard KDA issue is no different. Li said he hopes the socially distant protest, approved by police, will get the word out to residents who may not know the way council has been operating. First, we want to tell council we are not going to give up, and we want neighbours to know about what happened, he said. We want council to feel pressure for their bad planning decision. Noor Javed is a Toronto-based reporter covering current affairs in the York region for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @njaved Read more about: The typical bar or restaurant in Ireland could face an 87% reduction in capacity if the 2m social distancing advice remains in place when they re-open. Capacities in pubs and bar/restaurants will drop to as little as one-eighth of pre-Covid-19 crisis levels under the HSE social distancing guidelines, according to a new report published by the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI). The report indicates that when the HSE social distancing guidelines are applied in any 100m squared area in a licensed premises, standing capacity will diminish to 12.5% while seating capacity is reduced to 34% of pre-crisis levels. Both the LVA and VFI will abide by the public health guidance issued by the Government, as they have done since the beginning of the current Covid-19 crisis. Compiled by Knapton Consulting Engineers, the report also found that total capacity for a typical pub or bar/ restaurant with an area of 140 square metres would drop by 79% if the bar and seating areas were square in shape and not enclosed. However, the report noted an 87% reduction in capacity is a much more representative figure for a typical bar and restaurant layout when the 2m physical distancing restrictions are applied. Before the Covid-19 crisis, maximum occupancy in a licensed premises was calculated at a rate of 2 persons per square metre for standing areas and 1 person per square metre for seated areas. This meant that in a pre-crisis context, a pub or bar/ restaurant could accommodate up to 200 people standing or 100 people seating for every 100 square metres. When the HSE social distancing guidelines are applied, the standing capacity per 100 square metres drops from 200 people to 25 people (12.5%), while the seated capacity in a bar or restaurant goes from 100 people to 34 (34%). World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines involve a social distance requirement of 1 metre. Under the WHO provisions, standing capacity would drop from 200 people to 100 (50%), while seated capacity in pubs and bar/ restaurants would decrease from 100 to 65 (65%). While each licensed premise is different in size, shape and layout, the report also notes that more complex geometries will result in lower occupancies when physical distancing is applied, ie physical distancing will result in a greater reduction in occupancy for narrow, small pubs than on those with larger circulation spaces with higher footfalls. Up to now, there has been a lot of speculation about what a social distancing environment actually looks like in a pub or bar/ restaurant, said Donall OKeeffe, Chief Executive of the LVA. Various figures have been bandied about, which did not provide clarity to the sector. We are now only a matter of weeks away from pubs with restaurant certificates and other hospitality venues reopening. That is due to be followed six weeks later by the reopening of other pubs across the country. It is vital that pub businesses fully grasp the commercial challenges they will face and thoroughly examine the prospects for whether they can afford to reopen. While every pub and bar/ restaurant will have different layouts and configurations, the findings will broadly apply across the sector and they are stark. Seated capacity will drop to approximately one-third of previous levels, while standing capacity can be divided by a factor of eight. "Those are dramatic decreases and they will have an extreme impact on turnover potential. The WHO requirements will still significantly reduce capacity, but they will at least allow more pubs and other hospitality businesses to be capable of trading in the shorter term. But that is a decision for the Government and the public health officials, Mr OKeeffe concluded. Since the beginning of this crisis, pubs have put the public health first, said Padraig Cribben, Chief Executive of the VFI. We were the first sector to be closed en masse, which was widely supported by pubs across the country in the interests of public health. Ultimately if there is to be a change in social distancing then that will need to be made by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and the Government. From the perspective of commercial viability, the WHO guidelines obviously make much more sense for hospitality venues such as pubs, said VFI Chief Executive, Padraig Cribben. While we have been calling for equality of opportunity to reopen for some time, the question still remains as how many pubs will actually be able to operate once the opportunity arises. That is a question that is still being asked by publicans across the country and we will certainly need further guidance on the reopening protocols in the near future to allow fully formed business decisions to be made in advance of any reopening, Mr Cribben concluded. The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Nasarawa State, Joseph Masin, has been kidnapped. His kidnap was confirmed by the police commissioner in Nasarawa, Bola Longe, Thursday morning. Mr Longe told journalists in Lafia that the bishop was taken from his house in Bukan-sidi in Lafia around 12:39 a.m. Thursday. He said the police have mobilised officers as well as hunters to free the cleric. Corroborating the incident, Yohanna Samari, a former CAN Secretary in the state, said the bishop was abducted by the attackers at midnight at his Bukan-sidi residence. Mr Samari said the abductors took the CAN chairman away on a motorcycle. He said although nobody was hurt during the incident, the family had been greatly traumatised. Tayo Samuel, the CAN Vice Chairman in the state, said the abductors had contacted the family, demanding N20 million ransom. Kidnapping for ransom has become rampant in many parts of Nigeria. PREMIUM TIMES published a report by SBM Intelligence that indicated that Nigerians paid over N7 billion as ransom to kidnappers between 2011 and March, 2020. He was the king of thieves, and an idol for criminals everywhere - a man so masterful in his frauds that even a detective described him as 'king of the hill'. His 2008 raid on a Massachusetts jewelers won him legions of underworld admirers: he and his crew abseiled in through the roof dressed in black, Ocean's Eleven-style, to flee with a Super Bowl ring and $2.5 million in loot. So confident was Sean Murphy of his own talent that he wrote a 37-page blueprint for burglaries, titled 'Master Thief: How to be a professional burglar', which was circulated among criminals in jail. Murphy's luck, however, ran out in 2009. Sean Murphy, a self-described 'Master Thief', was a scourge of New England and the eastern United States for decades. He is now arguing that he should be released from prison On January 17 he and two colleagues attempted to pull off what would have been one of the largest robberies in U.S. history, and attacked a Brink's vault in South Linden, Ohio, containing $90 million in cash. It all went horribly wrong when they cut through a cable and the cash caught fire. Six days later, on January 23, Murphy's problems worsened: he was arrested for the 2008 jewelry raid. He has been behind bars ever since. But now Murphy has a plan: he hopes to get out of prison. Murphy wrote a 37-page criminal guide, which was found in the cell of a prisoner in Essex County Jail in Massachusetts. It was used as evidence against him in his 2011 trial The 55-year-old from Lynn, Massachusetts has written to The Associated Press explaining that he calculates he should be released from prison. In the letter he notes he was arrested on January 23, 2009, for the E.A. Dion jewelers Super Bowl ring theft, and finally sentenced to two years for that crime more than 10 years later, on December 5, 2019. Murphy had spent 10 years successfully suppressing evidence in the case, AP noted, and lost his final appeals last year before deciding to plead guilty. Court records show he did not receive credit for jail time. 'Everything in between goes toward the federal sentence,' Murphy said in his letter, which he wrote to AP in February. Federal prosecutors take a different view. Sal Dominquez, an assistant U.S. attorney in Columbus, Ohio, said that the judge who oversaw the Brink's case ruled Murphy's federal sentence is to run on top of any unserved Massachusetts prison term. Murphy was convicted for the Brink's case by a jury in October 2011, and in January 2012 sentenced to 20 years, reduced to 13 years on appeal. The career criminal is unlikely to find much sympathy among prosecutors. Murphy by 2019 had exhausted all his appeals. He is pictured in December, entering Fall River Superior Court in Massachusetts, where he pleaded guilty to the $2.5 million gold heist For two decades he was known as the ring leader of what investigators termed the 'Lynn Breakers' - a burglary ring in his hometown of Lynn, Massachusetts. He was 'king of the hill' when it came to commercial burglaries, said Alan Zani, a retired Massachusetts State Police investigator. Murphy's many jobs included a break-in at a Berkshire armored car facility in Massachusetts in 1991 and at a Costco warehouse in Pennsylvania in 2004. The 1986 New York Giants Super Bowl ring. The Giants had won in 1986, 1990, and 2007, when Murphy stole a Giants Super Bowl ring He was also implicated in the theft of 1.8 million prescription drug pills from an AmerisourceBergen warehouse in 2006. Murphy attempted fraud at times, including a bogus priest abuse claim in 1998, filed jointly with his mother Sylvia, against the Archdiocese of Boston. The pair sought $850,000 in compensation - a fraudulent claim which landed him in prison for two years. More than once, Murphy even offered his expertise as a security consultant to companies he'd targeted, including a 2006 letter to Costco - an offer the company declined. It is for the Brink's heist that he is likely to be remembered, though. At the time, the facility regularly held millions of dollars for transfer to banks - and even more during the holiday season. Murphy studied the facility for months, sending an accomplice to track employees' comings and goings and even visiting himself to hand out water bottles and cigarettes at a nearby homeless shelter in hopes of providing DNA evidence that would lead authorities away from him and his gang. Photos taken at the Brink's vault in South Linden, Ohio, after the botched January 17, 2009 raid. The pictures showed that he and his two allies cut holes in the roof, destroyed the video security system and then shimmied down the walls into the warehouse Murphy accidentally set money in the vault on fire after he burned a hole through it with a thermal lance, a giant cutting tool whose oxygen-powered sparks can reach 5,000 degrees The scheme almost worked. Murphy and two others successfully entered the warehouse by cutting a hole in the roof and foiled the security system by setting up a 'cellular jammer' that blocked back-up calls from the alarm system after its wires were cut. 'Murphing' the building, the burglar dubbed the move. But the burglary collapsed when Murphy accidentally set money in the vault on fire after he burned a hole through it with a thermal lance, a giant cutting tool whose oxygen-powered sparks can reach 5,000 degrees. Instead of what could have been more than $90 million, Murphy had to settle for a few million in burned bills and about $800,000 in coins. Instead of walking away with $90 million, Murphy was left with charred banknotes. The heist, months in the planning, had been a failure - but a highly sophisticated one at that, the FBI said Authorities arrested Murphy a couple of weeks later on suspicion of carrying out the E.A. Dion case after a Super Bowl ring was found in his girlfriend's purse. Months later, he was identified as the chief suspect in the Brink's robbery. Harry Trombitas, a retired Columbus FBI Agent, helped lead the investigation that ended with Murphy's arrest for the Brink's break-in. He sat through Murphy's eight-day trial, and called him one of the best commercial burglars around. Trombitas said that Murphy's downfall is 'he thinks he's smarter than everyone else.' Murphy declined a plea deal that would have had him back on the streets by now, Trombitas said. 'He chose to spend all this time fighting to win,' he added. 'And in reality he's lost.' US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on social media companies on Thursday, White House officials said after Trump threatened to shut down websites he accused of stifling conservative voices. The officials gave no further details. It was unclear how Trump could follow through on the threat of shutting down privately owned companies including Twitter Inc. The dispute erupted after Twitter on Tuesday for the first time tagged Trumps tweets about unsubstantiated claims of fraud in mail-in voting with a warning prompting readers to fact check the posts. Separately, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals in Washington on Wednesday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit by a conservative group and right-wing YouTube personality against Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple accusing them of conspiring to suppress conservative political views. In an interview with Fox News Channel on Wednesday, Facebooks chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, said censoring a platform would not be the right reflex for a government worried about censorship. Fox played a clip of the interview and said it would be aired in full on Thursday. Facebook left Trumps post on mail-in ballots on Tuesday untouched. The American Civil Liberties Union said the First Amendment of the US Constitution limits any action Trump could take. Facebook and Alphabets Google declined comment. Apple did not respond to a request for comment. Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen, Trump said in a pair of additional posts on Twitter on Wednesday. The president, a heavy user of Twitter with more than 80 million followers, added: Clean up your act, NOW!!!! Republican Trump has an eye on the November election. Big Tech is doing everything in their very considerable power to CENSOR in advance of the 2020 Election, Trump tweeted on Wednesday. If that happens, we no longer have our freedom. STRONGEST THREAT YET Trumps threat is his strongest yet within a broader conservative backlash against Big Tech. Shares of both Twitter and Facebook fell on Wednesday. Last year the White House circulated drafts of a proposed executive order about anti-conservative bias which never gained traction. The Internet Association, which includes Twitter and Facebook among its members, said online platforms do not have a political bias and they offer more people a chance to be heard than at any point in history. Late on Wednesday, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said Trumps tweets about Californias vote-by-mail plans may mislead people into thinking they dont need to register to get a ballot. Separately, Twitter said Trumps tweets were labeled as part of efforts to enforce the companys civic integrity policy. The policy document on Twitters website says people may not use its services for manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes. In recent years Twitter has tightened its policies amid criticism that its hands-off approach allowed fake accounts and misinformation to thrive. Tech companies have been accused of anti-competitive practices and violating user privacy. Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon.com face antitrust probes by federal and state authorities and a US congressional panel. Republican and Democratic lawmakers, along with the US Justice Department, have been considering changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law largely exempting online platforms from legal liability for the material their users post. Such changes could expose tech companies to more lawsuits. Republican Senator Josh Hawley, a frequent critic of Big Tech companies, sent a letter to Dorsey asking why Twitter should continue to receive legal immunity after choosing to editorialize on President Trumps tweets. HARRISBURG, Pa. - A bitter partisan fight over a Pennsylvania lawmakers decision to wait a week before disclosing his COVID-19 diagnosis spread to the House floor Thursday, and the state attorney general declined to investigate. A day after Republican Rep. Andrew Lewis announcement through a news release that he had self-isolated and recovered from the illness that has killed at least 100,000 people in the U.S., Democrats expressed anger and demanded changes that would require masks on the floor and in committee meetings. The Legislature has continued to meet during the pandemic under rules that permit lawmakers to vote from home or from their Capitol offices, or to vote in person. Lewis, from a Harrisburg-area district, said he was tested two weeks ago, learned the results last week and stayed quiet out of respect for others in his circle. Rep. Brian Sims, a Philadelphia Democrat who put an emotional video on social media after Lewis made his announcement, said in floor remarks Thursday that the decision to keep the positive test a secret put others at risk. Sims discounted House Republicans response, which has led at least two members to self-isolate because they sit near Lewis in the chamber. To pretend that a member here coming to session only interacts with one, two, three people, thats ridiculous, we all know better, Sims said. Sims said House Speaker Mike Turzai, a Republican from north of Pittsburgh, should resign. Turzai said that he had been unaware of Lewis diagnosis and that as for himself, he would disclose if he became infected. We are not using this facility to make those kind of statements, Turzai said, scolding Sims for calling him by his first and last names only. My title is speaker. Rep. Rob Matzie, a Democrat also from north of Pittsburgh, said lawmakers are held to higher standards than the general public and should all disclose if they test positive for the COVID-19 virus. I have to believe that if Ben Franklin had COVID-19, hed tell everyone, Matzie said, invoking the name of a Pennsylvania hero. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. For older adults, people with existing health problems and some others, it can cause severe illness and death. Lewis said he had a fever for a day and a brief cough but has fully recovered. The majority-holding Republicans defeated a Democratic proposal to adjourn for more than a week to make time to change the policy on illness disclosures. I recognize that theres a lot of concern, but I think that individuals are also confusing contact with a positive individual versus someone who has been put in quarantine because of their contact with an individual, Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, said. House Minority Leader Frank Dermody, a Pittsburgh-area Democrat, proposed requiring face masks on the floor and during committee meetings, and to require disclosure of a positive test to leaders of both parties. It was not immediately acted upon as Dermody had requested. Attorney General Josh Shapiro declined requests by fellow Democrats to criminally investigate how Lewis diagnosis was handled. Shapiro released a statement urging lawmakers to demonstrate common decency. While I understand their frustration and concern, a criminal investigation is not warranted based on our initial review, Shapiro said. Capitol staff and state House members with concerns about COVID-19 contact tracing and exposure should contact the independent chief clerk of the state House and continue to follow the guidance of the secretary of health. Lewis news release said that other members and staff had also isolated. He has not responded to messages seeking comment. Leaders and GOP administrators followed state and federal guidelines and respected individuals health privacy rights, said Mike Straub, spokesperson for the Republican caucus. After Lewis tested positive, there was an effort to determine whom he had been in close contact with on May 14, his most recent day in the Capitol. House Republican human resources officials notified people who had been within 6 feet of him for about 10 minutes, and all of them subsequently isolated themselves, Straub said. Todays 14 days, and the folks that were aware of that have been self-quarantined have not shown any symptoms, Straub said. Aides and other staff members have been told to wear masks in the Capitols public spaces, but that requirement does not apply to elected representatives. House Democrats are doing their own contact tracing, trying to determine who might have been near Lewis and others who have self-isolated, spokesperson Bill Patton said. Two Republicans from Lebanon County, Reps. Russ Diamond and Frank Ryan, have said they were told of Lewis positive test result. From the moment I was notified I self-quarantined and was given a list of the symptoms to look for, and procedures to follow in event of illness, Ryan wrote on Facebook. He has not experienced symptoms, he said. Diamond, who sits near Lewis and Ryan, said he has experienced no symptoms and has not been tested. Quebec government announces reforms to its popular Quebec Experience Program and its intention to launch two new pilot programs. Quebec announces major immigration program reforms; 2 new pilots Quebec government announces reforms to its popular Quebec Experience Program and its intention to launch two new pilot programs. Quebec announces major immigration program reforms; 2 new pilots Quebec government announces reforms to its popular Quebec Experience Program and its intention to launch two new pilot programs. Quebec announces major immigration program reforms; 2 new pilots Quebec government announces reforms to its popular Quebec Experience Program and its intention to launch two new pilot programs. Kareem El-Assal Shelby Thevenot Alexandra Miekus Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Pour lire cet article en francais, cliquez ici. Following public consultations, the Quebec government announced today long-awaited reforms to its Quebec Experience Program. It will also launch two new pilot programs. Quebec expects that changes to the Quebec Experience Program ( or PEQ in French) will come into force through its immigration regulations in the coming weeks. Launched in 2010, the PEQ is a popular stream that provides a fast-track to permanent residence for temporary foreign workers and international students that have resided in Quebec. In the fall of 2019, Quebec announced major reforms to the PEQ, but was forced to back-track on them following a public outcry that the reforms were unfair to workers and students already in the province. Some workers and students who were planning to use the PEQ as an avenue to transition to permanent resident status would no longer have been eligible under the PEQ had the Quebec government gone ahead and maintained their proposed November 1st, 2019 changes. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs Four objectives for PEQ reforms In todays announcement, Quebec immigration minister Simon-Jolin Barrette outlined four major objectives behind the PEQ reforms: Better integration into the labour market More efficiency in the selection process to meet the provinces labour market needs French-language proficiency to facilitate economic and social integration Strong program integrity Increased work experience now required for workers and students Quebec is now introducing more work experience requirements under the PEQ to better promote integration into its labour market and society. Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) will now need to obtain at least 36 months of full-time work experience in the 48 months preceding their application for permanent residence. At the same time, Quebec announced that a transitional measure will be put in place to accommodate the TFWs who held a valid work permit before the new PEQ criteria is enshrined into law in the coming weeks. Students will now require either 12 or 24 months of Quebec work experience to be eligible for the PEQ. However, students that submitted their PEQ application before the new regulations take effect will have their applications under the rules in place at the time of their submission. Under the new rules, students who obtain a university degree in Quebec or a Quebec diploma of college studies will require 12 months of Quebec work experience in jobs that fall within National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes 0, A, and B. Students that obtain a Quebec diploma of professional studies require 24 months of Quebec work experience in NOC 0, A, B, and C level jobs. Students working in C level jobs can only be eligible under the new PEQ rules if their work experience is related to their program of study in Quebec. French knowledge for spouses Under todays announced reforms, Quebec states that spouses of principal applicants under the PEQ will need to demonstrate spoken knowledge of French. This is to ensure they will be able to integrate in the province. This requirement will come into effect one year after the reform comes into force. Stronger integrity Certificates of successful completion of advanced intermediate level French courses issued by educational institutions in Quebec will no longer be admissible as proof of knowledge of French. These documents have raised integrity issues over the years, as irregularities were uncovered. However, a worker or students French proficiency will be assessed under the previous rules if they have already registered, completed, or are currently participating in a French course (i.e., the language course will be accepted as proof of French). Processing times The PEQ has had a processing standard of 20 days, however the province is now committing to processing applications within a maximum of 6 months. The reason for this is Quebec wants to ensure it is treating PEQ and Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) candidates equally. Two pilot programs for nurses aides and tech workers Quebec will also be coming out with two new immigration pilot programs for nurses aides and tech workers. Nurses aides, or beneficiary attendants, are in high demand throughout the province. According to the Quebec government, current programs are not meeting labour market demands. Only 115 nurses aides have received permanent residence selection from Quebec since 2013. The new program will aim to bring in 550 nurses aides per year. The government also stated that artificial intelligence and information technology sectors are booming in Quebec. A new immigration pilot will allow the province to select 550 highly-skilled workers annually for immigration. The implementation of this pilot is meant to attract and retain specialized talent in these fields, and contribute to Quebecs influence and competitiveness in the global tech scene. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved Nissan announced Thursday it will close two auto plants, in Spain and Indonesia, as it sank into the red for the first time in 11 years after the coronavirus pandemic sent global demand plunging and halted production. Nissans Chief Executive Makoto Uchida told reporters the production in Europe will be centered at the British plant in Sunderland, and the production in Indonesia will move to Thailand, as the Japanese automaker reduces global production by 20%. Nissan Motor Co. reported Thursday a 671.2 billion yen ($6.2 billion) loss for the fiscal year ended in March, its first annual loss since the aftermath of the financial crisis in the year ending in March 2009. Yokohama-based Nissan had recorded a 319.1 billion yen profit the previous fiscal year through March 2019. Nissan said its global vehicle production dropped 62% in April to 150,388 vehicles from a year ago. Global vehicle sales slipped nearly 42% last month. Its sales for the fiscal year ended in March sank nearly 15% to 9.9 trillion yen ($91.6 billion). The future remains unclear and it is extremely hard to predict, Uchida said. Nissan had spent much of the past year seeking to patch up its tarnished reputation, damaged by the November 2018 arrest of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn over financial misconduct allegations, including under-reporting future compensation and misusing Nissan money. Nissan, which makes the Leaf electric car, X-Trail sport utility vehicle and Infiniti luxury models, also appeared to be beset by confusion at the top managerial levels for some time. Ghosn, sent in by Renault in 1999 when Nissan was near-bankrupt, had been such a major figure at Nissans helm for so many years. The coronavirus outbreak came on top of such woes. Uchida acknowledged Nissan was not yet able to give a financial projection for this fiscal year through March 2021. But he said financing had been secured and various measures to cut costs were underway, and the company will reshape its operations to restore profitability. He vowed Nissan would build on its core strengths, including reducing models as well as focusing on certain geographic areas, such as the domestic Japanese market, as well as China and the U.S., to achieve efficiency and profitability, rather than chasing sales size. We will admit our errors of the past and steer into the future in the correct way, without hesitation, said Uchida. Earlier Thursday, Spains government said Nissans decision to close manufacturing in the northeastern Catalonia region would result in the loss of some 3,000 direct jobs. The Industry Ministry urged Nissan to reconsider. Workers unions have warned 20,000 more jobs in Nissans supply chain in Spain would also be at risk if Nissan went ahead with the closure of its car manufacturing plant in Barcelona and two smaller factories in nearby towns. Like other automakers, Nissan has been also hurt by the sales decline in the U.S., a key profitable market. On Wednesday, the top executives of Renault of France, Nissan and smaller Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. held a joint news conference to underline the message the two-decade alliance remained strong. Seeking to ally doubts about the alliance unraveling, which have loomed after the Ghosn scandal, the executives said they will further share purchasing, development and technology to save costs and stay competitive. Nissan has repeatedly sought to distance itself from the Ghosn scandal. Ghosns successor Hiroto Saikawa has also resigned after allegations surfaced about dubious income. Ghosn has insisted on his innocence, saying his personal enemies concocted the allegations to get him removed. He fled to Lebanon late last year, skipping bail while awaiting trial. Ghosn said he escaped because he couldnt expect a fair trial in Japan. SOURCE: AP Advertisement These fascinating photographs give an insight into hair appointments of the future - featuring gloves and masks for all staff, protective screens at the reception desk and floor markings to ensure social distancing. One of Britain's first hairdressers ready for reopening is the Gatsby & Miller in Amersham, Buckinghamshire - one of the 25,000 UK salon partners of beauty giant L'Oreal which is creating a blueprint for the sector. This includes a digital screen in the window to display important reminders about social distancing, and clients being welcomed by one mask-wearing stylist who will stay with them for their visit via a one-way system. All staff will be wearing gloves and masks which will be changed throughout the day, while customers will be also asked to wear a mask during the appointment and hand sanitiser dispensers will be provided for their use. Photographs taken by MailOnline inside the salon today show a demonstration of the new salon, with Dawn Montgomery acting as a client and senior colourist Lauren Roads being the hair stylist. Dawn Montgomery acts as a client and senior colourist Laren Roads acts as a hair stylist in Amersham, Buckinghamshire One of Britain's first hairdressers ready for reopening is the Gatsby & Miller in Amersham, which will feature Perspex screens All staff at the salon will have to wear a face mask and gloves, while customers will be asked to wear a mask during their visit Floor markings will keep customers socially distanced during their appointment at the hair salon in Amersham Dawn Montgomery acts as a client to show how customers will pay for their appointments - with no cash accepted Lauren Roads prepares for work as she puts on a pair of gloves to help reduce the risk of spreading the virus at the salon The Government has not yet issued clear guidelines or rules on how and when salons can reopen as coronavirus lockdown rules are eased, so these pictures provide the clearest indication yet of what they may look like. Beatrice Dautzenberg, managing director of the L'Oreal professional products division, told the Daily Telegraph: 'We know that many salons have been getting ready for a safe reopening, like our salon partner Gatsby & Miller. 'How this salon has modified their space is based on the learnings from other markets where salons have already safely reopened and these modifications can easily be updated with any UK government guidelines.' It comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock today refused to commit to allowing hair salons to open on June 15 amid growing calls from hairdressers that they are ready to pick up the scissors. Mr Hancock said he would 'love' to be able to reopen hairdressers at the earliest opportunity, but admitted that the close proximity the profession requires is 'a challenge' for social distancing rules. Lauren Roads puts on a disposale apron in front of a mirror at the salon in Amersham which is getting ready for business All staff at the salon will have to wear gloves and a mask during the day, with these being changed for new ones at intervals The site in Amersham is one of 25,000 UK salon partners of beauty giant L'Oreal which is creating a blueprint for the sector Customers will be also asked to wear a mask during the appointment and hand sanitiser dispensers will be provided for them The Government has not yet issued clear guidelines or rules on how salons can reopen as lockdown rules are eased Clients will be welcomed by one mask-wearing stylist who will stay with them for their visit via a one-way system He also praised his wife for doing 'a fantastic job' in cutting his hair during the lockdown after salons were forced to close on March 24 when the UK went into lockdown. Mr Hancock said the challenge of having to be in close contact with people in order to cut their hair is 'not an insurmountable challenge' if protective equipment were to be put in place. Speaking on ITV's This Morning about the possibility of opening salons in the near future, he said: 'I would love to be able to do that and the way to do that is to ensure that, when it is safe to do so, hairdressing is brought back in a way that itself is safe. So, protective equipment. 'We are working on what it would look like to have the protective equipment, exactly as you say, in place. Hairdressing, like so many industries, we're doing everything we can to support them through what is inevitably an incredibly difficult time.' Pushed on whether June 15 could be feasible as an opening date, he added: 'I can't commit to doing it on that timetable but I can commit to working with the hairdressing industry, I already am, and talking to some of their representatives who are making this case and seeing how we could go about it. The fascinating photographs taken at the salon in Amersham today give an insight into hair appointments of the future Customers will stay socially distanced with floor markings helping to achieve this, while all staff will wear a mask and gloves Lauren Roads prepares for work by putting on a mask at the salon in Buckinghamshire today which is testing new procedures Hand sanitiser dispensers will be provided for customers to use, with a notice saying: 'Stop - wash your hands - thank you' Clients in the building will be asked to 'please clean your hands with sanitiser when entering and leaving the salon' Another sign at the products aisle asks customers to ask a stylist to assist them - and to not touch anything themselves 'I'm sure everybody understands that it has got to be done in a way that is safe to do.' When complimented on his own lockdown hairstyle, Mr Hancock replied: 'My wife cut it and I think she did a fantastic job.' The Government has set out a road map to reopen the economy after the UK coronavirus lockdown. But whilst non-essential retailers in England will open from June 15, hairdressers and beauty salons in England are not expected to reopen until July 4 at the earliest as there is thought to be a higher level of risk involved. The Government has not yet published guidelines for how the industry will operate after the lockdown. However, social distancing measures are expected to be put in place. Meanwhile, research conducted by MoneySuperMarket suggested that those who have cut their own hair during the lockdown have saved 35 on average. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 22:07:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HELSINKI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Finland's health authorities warned at a press conference on Thursday that although the numbers have improved, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Kirsi Varhila, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, said that Finns should continue to avoid domestic as well as international travel. "The risk of getting seriously ill in Finland from COVID-19 has not disappeared," she said. However, national broadcaster Yle reported that the government plans to cancel the recommendation against unnecessary domestic travel. Commenting on Finland's current policy of not making the use of face masks mandatory, Varhila said that while many European countries have introduced strict rules, Finland is "not alone in northern Europe" without general enforcement. She gave the low density of the population as one reason. She said the ministry is still working on a survey on whether the wearing of face masks should be made mandatory. The results would then be evaluated by the government. Mika Salminen, director at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), commented on a Finnish computer animation research report from Aalto University and Helsinki University that COVID-19 spreads faster through the air as aerosol than previously thought. Meanwhile, the government's plan to allow restaurants to reopen next Monday after nearly two months of closure has for now been blocked in parliament. The government has argued for a nationwide reopening, on condition that alcohol sales end at 10 p.m. and that bars and restaurants halve their seating capacity. However, some members of parliament want the new rules to be implemented incrementally across different parts of the country, arguing that the rules should be relaxed in areas with few or no new cases. According to THL, as of Thursday afternoon, Finland had confirmed 6,743 COVID-19 cases, of which 51 cases were new. The death toll reached 313, unchanged from the previous day. According to a preliminary estimate, at least 5,500 people have recovered from the disease. Enditem NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Mayor Bill de Blasio laid out a plan Thursday for Phase 1 businesses to reopen in the first half of June and cautioned that any business found opening before they are supposed to will be met with swift action from the city. Businesses in Phase 1 are slated to reopen in the first or second week of June he said, but the mayor cannot yet specify an exact reopening date because the city must first meet the guidelines for reopening laid out by the state. De Blasio warned a restart would not mean New Yorkers will go straight back to something that we used to think of as normal. Phase 1 businesses will be subject to random inspections from the city to educate them on the new guidelines but would be issued fines if needed if those guidelines are not followed, the mayor told reporters during a press conference Thursday. Those guidelines include businesses conducting mandatory health screenings of their employees every day in the form of questionnaires or temperature checks, providing them with free face coverings and protective equipment and frequently cleaning shared areas. The city will also require businesses to limit their capacity to 50%, set limitations on all in-person gatherings and meetings, have employees and customers maintain a 6-foot social distance, and set up distance markers and signage of the new rules. If we see problems and theyre not being addressed, were going to go out more aggressively to resolve the problems, de Blasio said. The goal here is not to fine businesses, not to shut down businesses, but to educate and support businesses, but weve got to get it right. If a business is having a consistent problem with health and safety, were going to give them a chance to correct it, but were not going to wait forever. Businesses in Phase 1 include retail, like clothing and office supplies, but restricted to curbside pickup or in-store pickup, manufacturing, construction and wholesale. The city will launch a business restart hotline for businesses trying to understand the new rules and would provide them with a clear set of industry guidelines next week. De Blasio said he anticipates anywhere from 200,000 to 400,000 New Yorkers will return to the workforce once Phase 1 industries reopen. Though the city has yet to outline a clear transportation plan ahead of the reopening, de Blasio said he was working with the MTA to figure out how New Yorkers could safely get to work on mass transit and what kind of capacity the transit system could hold. MAYOR WARNS FINES WILL BE ISSUED TO BUSINESSES CAUGHT OPENING AHEAD OF TIME As the city prepares for a reopening, some businesses have already vowed to reopen ahead of time. A tanning salon on Staten Island was shut down shortly after reopening Thursday despite government regulations. Before New York City can join regions across the state that have begun reopening in phases, it must first meet seven state-mandated reopening metrics. As of Monday, New York City only met five of those requirements. The states reopening plan is structured in four phases. Restaurants and other food establishments cannot fully reopen to customers until Phase 3. The mayor warned that $1,000 fines would be issued to any business refusing to close after getting caught opening ahead of time and that punishments would rise from there if they are caught again. Any business that attempts to open that should not yet be opened were going to tell them shut down right now, they shut down and they dont attempt to reopen, fine, if they attempt to stay open, if they ignore the instructions if one of these [city] agencies shows up and says you have to shut down now, youre not working within the rules of the state and city, and they ignore it, well, that starts with a $1,000 fine, and we will keep escalating from there. Borough Republicans have called for Staten Island to reopen ahead of other parts of New York City and asked the city and state to look at Staten Island as a separate region in its reopening strategy. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo and City Hall have both shot that idea down, with de Blasio saying on Thursday that people dont get to make their own laws. Anyone who wants to be reckless with this restart as some places in this country unfortunately have done, will be paid back potentially -- and tragically -- if they see a resurgence of this disease which then will set us back much much farther and endanger lives, he said when asked about the borough Republicans push to reopen. Were one city, we have our standards, the state is working with us, they see the wholeness of New York City, this is how were doing it, these are democratically elected governments, people dont get to make their own laws. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK*** Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Burkina Faso registered two new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total number of people infected since 9 March to 847, the government information service (GIS) announced Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) waited to be the final theme park operator in Central Florida to present its reopening plan to the country's economic recovery task force on Wednesday, and it's only fair that it will become the final of the area's gated attractions to get back to business. Disney World is proposing a phased reopening of its attractions beginning on July 11, at least a full month later than the rest of its area peers. Disney may be losing more money than any of its smaller rivals during the shutdown, but it also has the most to lose if it opens too early. With all of the other major theme park operators set to open in the first half of June, the House of Mouse will be able to monitor how the situation plays out and adjust its own opening strategy accordingly. Disney is going to let the little guys suffer through the learning curve as it becomes the only player in the area waiting until the summer season itself to reopen. The wildest ride in the wilderness Disney World will open its two most visited theme parks -- Magic Kingdom and Disney's Animal Kingdom -- on July 11. Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios will follow suit four days later. The experience will initially be a shell of the theme park experiences you remember. Attendance will be tightly capped, and advance reservations will be required. Guests will be subject to temperature checks on the way in, and they'll be required to wear masks to enter and remain in the park. The face coverings rule -- the most contentious part of the reopening plan -- will be relaxed in dining rooms and designated areas. Disney will naturally be stepping up its sanitation efforts, and social distancing markers will help keep guests apart from other parties -- theoretically. It may seem odd to see Disney World gunning for mid-July when everyone else in Central Florida has been cleared to start thrilling guests through the first two weeks of June. If it had asked for an earlier start, there's no reason to think it wouldn't have been granted. So, this is a deliberately calculated approach, even if it costs Disney a month of desperately needed revenue and possibly many of its displaced employees. Disney will be watching, giving itself five to six weeks to see what's working and what's not at competing theme parks. Disney will also be watching for a spike in new COVID-19 cases in the state that could threaten to reverse the state's aggressive reopening stance. The only thing worse than closing down once is closing down twice, and there should be more confidence in a sustainable opening if Disney waits until deeper into the summer to -- as they say in Toy Story -- wind the frog. There won't be a summer travel season this year, so it's not as if Disney's going to miss out on prime weeks of tourist activity. Outside of the July 11 reopening day that's bound to draw the locally curious, it wouldn't be a surprise if attendance levels never reach the daily reservation cap. The international and even national travel market is going to be on ice for at least the next several months. There's a recession cackling as it closes in like a villain in a Disney animated feature. Folks will also stay away by their own accord. The face mask issue is a polarizing one that no one can win, as both camps draw lines in the sand. Folks who refuse to wear face coverings won't be able to go to Disney's parks under the current playbook. If the policy is reversed while the dangers of contraction are still running high, then it will be folks who do wear masks who won't want to be around too many people who aren't taking similar precautionary measures. Disney can't win either way, so why not kick the can at least a month further down the road than everybody else? Time isn't kind right now. The US will end the last remaining sanctions waiver that allowed countries like China to cooperate with Iran on civil nuclear projects under the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced. European nations and other parties to the nuclear deal, including Russia and China, have continued to work with Iran within the framework of the 2015 pact, which eased economic sanctions on Tehran in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme. The waivers allowed companies from these countries to work with Iran on civil nuclear projects. The waivers were last renewed at the end of March and are due to expire at the end of the week. Pompeo announced on Wednesday that the waivers will end following a 60-day wind-down period that is meant to allow businesses to cease operations. "Today, I am announcing the end of the sanctions waiver covering all remaining JCPOA-originating nuclear projects in Iran the Arak reactor conversion, the provision of enriched uranium for the Tehran Research Reactor, and the export of Iran's spent and scrap research reactor fuel, Pompeo said. The announcement virtually ends the Iranian nuclear deal, which was a key foreign policy accomplishment of the previous Obama Administration. President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and has steadily reimposed US sanctions on Iran that had been eased or lifted under its terms. Pompeo alleged that the Iranian regime has continued its nuclear brinkmanship by expanding proliferation sensitive activities. These escalatory actions are unacceptable and I cannot justify renewing the waiver for these JCPOA-related activities as a result, he said, adding that the regime's nuclear extortion will lead to increased pressure on Iran and further isolate the regime from the international community. "Moreover, Iran's nuclear personnel need to make a choice work for Iranian proliferation organisations and risk being sanctioned or put their skills to work for the Iranian people in pursuits outside of the proliferation realm, he said. As the waiver covering JCPOA-related activities comes to an end, the United States is providing a 90-day extension for the waiver covering ongoing international support to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 to ensure safety of operations. We will continue to closely monitor all developments in Iran's nuclear programme and can modify this waiver at any time, he said. Pompeo also announced the designation of Majid Agha'i and Amjad Sazgar for engaging or attempting to engage in activities that have materially contributed to, or pose a risk of materially contributing to, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Sazgar is the Managing Director of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran entity responsible for the industrial-scale production of uranium enrichment gas centrifuge machines. In 2019, Sazgar managed and supervised the installation of centrifuges at Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment plant. Through these activities, Sazgar has contributed to Iran's continued provocative and destabilising expansion of its nuclear capabilities. Agha'i has also been centrally involved in Iran's uranium enrichment centrifuge operations, and is a manager in the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran subsidiary responsible for research and development of advanced centrifuges. Later Special US Representative on Iran, Brian Hook said that the US is taking these actions now because the regime continues to use its nuclear programme to extort the international community. The Iranian regime's threats are designed to intimidate nations into accepting Iran's usual violent behaviour for fear of something worse. We refuse to play by Iran's rules, he told reporters in a conference call. President Donald Trump's maximum pressure campaign has constrained and countered Iran in unprecedented ways. We have deprived the clerical rulers of vast amounts of revenue. We have disrupted their financial networks and their sectarian networks. Because of our pressure, Iran's leaders are facing a decision: either negotiate with us or manage economic collapse, he said. Hook said that Iran's economy is especially grim because the autocratic rule of the ayatollahs has proven to be an economic catastrophe for the Iranian people. Exports are down, the economy is in deep contraction, the budget the government budget is facing unprecedented pressures it cannot fix, and access to foreign reserves is minimal. The United States will continue its successful strategy of maximum economic pressure and diplomatic isolation, he asserted. The US, he said, will deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon. A man killed last week in a drive-by shooting at Memorial Park was identified Wednesday by Colorado Springs police. Robert Collins, 30, was killed when a person in a passing vehicle fired into the crowd at a vigil attended by about 50 people in Memorial Park Friday night for a woman who had recently died. Police have said they don't believe the killing was connected to the the woman for whom the memorial was being held, but have not commented on a possible motive for the shooting in one of the most popular parks in Colorado Springs. No arrests have been announced and no suspect information has been released. Two other men were hit and injured; both remain in the hospital. Collins' death is the 19th homicide in Colorado Springs this year. At this time last year, there were six. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Colorado Springs police at 719-444-7000 or to remain anonymous, call 719-634-7867. Click here for more local crime and public safety news. RELATED: (CNN) Mysterious fast radio bursts have been used to unlock another strange aspect of the universe: the case of the "missing matter." Here's how: Fast radio bursts, called FRBs, are powerful millisecond bursts of radio waves that have been known to occur in distant galaxies and travel across the universe to reach Earth. Astronomers have yet to determine what causes these fast radio bursts, which are unpredictable but can be spotted and traced back to their origin using sensitive telescopes. But they were able to use six of them to detect all of the missing "normal" matter in the interstellar space between galaxies and stars. . Normal matter, called baryonic matter in this study, is made of the protons and neutrons that comprise both humans and star stuff. But astronomers could only account for about half of it that should exist in the universe. To be clear, this is not the detection of dark matter, which accounts for 85% of the universe but has yet to be observed or detected by astronomers. Dark matter is known by how it interacts with other matter, and the quest to find it continues. The study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Unaccounted for, this missing matter was predicted to exist, but hard to find. In fact, astronomers have been searching for it over the last 30 years, the researchers said. Measurements of the Big Bang show how much matter was present in the early days of the universe, suggesting its existence. "The result has squared the cosmic ledger," said Jean-Pierre Macquart, lead study author and associate professor at the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research in Australia, in an email to CNN. "Decades ago, astronomers had been able to infer how much matter existed in of the early universe, but up til now we were only able to account for roughly half of this in the present-day universe. Where had the matter gone?" Macquart said it caused astronomers to question if their understanding of the early universe was defective, or if the matter disappeared or was just hiding in a state of very low density but high temperature that made it nearly impossible to find. "It turned out that it was hiding in a density so low that it does not emit light, it doesn't absorb it, and it doesn't reflect it," he said. It's there but not dense enough to be noticed. The sparse matter between stars is hard to find for this reason. Seeking out missing matter Astronomers first realized the potential of fast radio bursts to detect this missing matter the moment that their discovery was announced back in 2007, Macquart said. "The radiation from fast radio bursts gets spread out by the missing matter in the same way that you see the colors of sunlight being separated in a prism," Macquart said. Essentially, when the fast radio bursts pass through the missing matter, they slow down. The FRBs were used as a sort of "cosmic weigh station" for the missing matter, the researchers said. Surprisingly, even though they travel through quite a bit of matter to reach Earth, they act as a clean signal for the missing matter. "Their millisecond durations made it very easy to measure the effect of dispersion the process by which their longer wavelength emission is delayed with respect to their shorter wavelength emission is delayed and hence to measure exactly how much matter they have encountered on their multi-billion year intergalactic journeys to Earth," Macquart said. But the lead-up to this research was difficult. They needed to be able to identify the galaxy where each fast radio burst occurred, then point a telescope in that direction to determine the distance. Astronomers were able to pin down the source of a repeating fast radio burst in 2017. But single radio bursts are harder to pinpoint because they don't reoccur. ASKAP to the rescue The advent of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope, located in Western Australia, has enabled astronomers to essentially freeze the data from the short burst and use it to track back to the source. When the burst arrives at the telescope, ASKAP records a live replay within a fraction of a second, according to Keith Bannister, principal research engineer at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, or CSIRO, Australia's national science agency. He designed this pulse capture system. "ASKAP both has a wide field of view, about 60 times the size of the full Moon, and can image in high resolution," said Ryan Shannon, study coauthor and associate professor at Swinburne University of Technology, in a statement. "This means that we can catch the bursts with relative ease and then pinpoint locations to their host galaxies with incredible precision. Macquart said they were able to measure the distances to enough fast radio bursts to determine the density of the universe. Celine Peroux, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory who did not participate in this study, said the researchers have opened up a new field to study the properties of the missing matter. She also stressed that the role of the observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile provided the key measurement of the distance of the bursts, which made the experiment possible. "The measurement required the synergy of two very different kinds of telescopes in order to reach a firm conclusion," said Mariya Lyubenova, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory not associated with the study, in an email to CNN. "The distribution of ordinary matter in the universe matters, because it determines the framework in which galaxies, stars, and ultimately planets form." The detection also enabled further discoveries about fast radio bursts. "We've discovered the equivalent of the Hubble-Lemaitre Law for galaxies, only for fast radio bursts," Macquart said. "The Hubble-Lemaitre Law, which says the more distant a galaxy from us, the faster it is moving away from us, underpins all measurements of galaxies at cosmological distances." Next, the researchers want to use more fast radio bursts to determine how the matter has been distributed since they were able to measure it. "Does it lurk in the general environs of galaxies, connecting them like thin wisps of candy floss? Or is it distributed uniformly, like a thin all-pervasive mist, throughout the vast expanses of intergalactic space?" Macquart said. "We want to know this because this intergalactic matter plays a critical role in the cosmic ecosystem. It is like the 'atmosphere' in which galaxies are embedded, and it is critical to understanding how galaxies grow." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Mysterious fast radio bursts helped detect missing matter in the universe, study says." Lockdown 5.0 might not be imposed across the entire country. The phase five of the coronavirus lockdown might focus only on a few cities - the ones with high density of COVID-19 cases. The metro cities of the country are some of the most active hotspots and it is likely that the restrictions would remain in place for them. Eleven cities in the country account for 70 per cent of the total number of corona cases in India, stated a report in India Today. Six out of those, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune and Ahmedabad, have contributed to 60 per cent of the cases. Bengaluru, Thane, Indore, Jaipur and Surat are some of the other cities that have a high density of cases. Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Rajasthan records 131 new COVID-19 cases, state's tally at 7,947 However, the Centre might take a step back and allow states and UTs to draw up their own sets of guidelines and restrictions. The central government might, however, maintain a list of don'ts including large congregations and gatherings, reopening of malls, cinema halls and schools for primary section. The states and UTs, would then, draw up their sets of guidelines keeping in mind the government's list of restrictions. The central government has already allowed railways and airlines to operate passenger trains and flights. However, metros are yet to start operating. Even if the metro operations are restarted, social distancing protocols and SOPs are likely to be issued. Also read: Lockdown 5.0 guidelines: What to expect, how will they be different from Lockdown 4.0? Telangana government has decided to relax norms for all kinds of shops except for malls in Hyderabad. State-run RTC buses have been exempted from night time curfew restrictions and taxis, autos and other passenger vehicles would be allowed at the bus stations. Karnataka, too, has said that it would reopen malls, hotels, restaurants and cinema halls after May 31 if the Centre gives its approval. As India nears the end of the phase four of the lockdown, coronavirus cases in the country continue to increase. So far, there are more than 1.58 lakh cases in the country, including 4,531 cases. Maharashtra has the most number of cases in the country with 56,948 cases, while Delhi has 15,257 cases. Also read: Lockdown 5.0: Centre may let states decide on restrictions post-May 31 Stacey Hampton may have finally moved on from Michael Goonan. After the former couple split while filming the Married At First Sight reunion in January, the 26-year-old blonde cosied up to another man on Wednesday night. The mother-of-two shared a selfie in the arms of her heavily tattooed companion, known only as Mick. What's going on here? Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton (pictured) sparked rumours as she cosied up to a heavily tattooed man, known only as Mick, in a selfie on Wednesday night Mick first shared the selfie to his private Instagram account. Stacey then sparked more chatter by re-sharing it to her 197,000 followers. 'Mick' appeared to be shirtless in the picture as Stacey reclined on his bare chest and held his hand after he affectionately wrapped his arm around her. In a second picture, Stacey slipped Mick's gold Rolex Yachtmaster II watch onto her wrist. The pricey piece of bling is thought to be worth up to $40,000. 'Let's give them something to talk about': In a second picture, Stacey slipped Mick's $40,000 gold Rolex Yachtmaster II watch onto her wrist, alongside her own silver Rolex Mick's watch complimented Stacey's $7,000 silver Rolex and Cartier diamond bracelet. 'Let's give them something to talk about,' she captioned the picture, appearing to anticipate speculation their posts would knowingly create. It's believed that Mick works in sales, and runs his own website selling glassware. Influencer! Stacey and Mick cuddled up on Wednesday night in Sydney, after the mum-of-two flew to New South Wales from Adelaide for a photo shoot with former co-star Elizabeth Sobinoff Stacey split with her ex-'husband' Michael Goonan earlier this year. The couple called it quits after the blonde was accused of cheating with co-star Mikey Pembroke. Michael had previously been accused of cheating with a second co-star, Hayley Vernon. They both denied their alleged infidelities. Michael has since moved on with another co-star, KC Osborne. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Stacey for comment. Nana Fori, the Research Economist 28.05.2020 LISTEN A Research and Development Expert at Center for Africa Poverty Eradication, Nana Fori, has researched into the economical effects of the novel Coronavirus pandemic with its findings revealing that the virus has thrown the world leaders into a dark and dangerous waters as they struggle to balance public safety, economic concerns, nationwide lockdowns, travel bans and many other interconnected factors. The research indicated that the world's economic activities have plummeted in the wake of the deadly virus globally, as unemployment has soared largely due to the social distancing policies designed to slow the spread of the virus. Economies according to him are currently in downturn during this period but will certainly have a temporary boom once the threats and effects of the pandemic pass. The GDP foregone will be restored temporarily but may take a long while, as people will resume their usual routines and jobs which they couldnt do during the lockdown. The Research Economist pointed that effects of the outbreak on economic activity in Ghana will last beyond the end of the social distancing, and GDP will recover slowly. Even after the health risks recede, economies may likely go back to where they were before if proper policies are implemented and enforced. He stressed that at the beginning, when the virus surfaces, only a few people understood the timings and the period it would take for life to return to normalcy. He expressed optimistic that the discovery of the appropriate vaccine can allow economic activity to return to the pre-pandemic baseline. He added, it is more likely governments would not only want to focus on public health policies but also would want to reopen the economy as measures may have to be put in place to curtail economic activity to some degree. Nana Fori, predicted that travels will be less common whilst businesses will have to space workers and customers further apart. Restaurants will be serving fewer customers at a time, and sporting events, concerts, and other activities involving large crowds probably will remain off limits for a while. And even if the rules allow, many people may be reluctant to return to life as it was before the outbreak of the virus due to its nature. He also signalled the world to expect a quick but temporal economic recovery and bemoaned that the effect of the pandemic may take along while to heal. He prompted African's also to expect a change in their household abilities and willingness to spend: workers will lose their jobs, and they are likely to drain savings and increased borrowing. And they may become more fearful about the future. That means, as governments opens up the economies again, people may be unable or not willing to spend as readily as they did before the virus. He indicated that it is imperative that state and local governments generally would have to balance their budgets in this perilous times. "Governments will have to cut spending for economic recovery to be possible", he posited. Even once the economy reopens, firms may be fearful that they will close again either from a resurgence of coronavirus or from a new virus and investors may be less likely to invest in equipment or research and development. This decline in investment could make firms less productive than they would have been, also holding down GDP. Human capital would be affected greatly due to the pandemic, the relationship between workers and firms are valuable, he stressed. According to him, employers and workers will typically spend a lot of time in finding a good match, as some workers may then acquire or willing to acquire specific skills and knowledge to position themselves. As businesses are laying off their workers during the lockdowns, the affected workers might start looking for other jobs, or they may leave the labour market altogether, meaning human capital would be lost. Once firms can reopen, they may have to start the process of finding and training workers again. This will also slow the recovery. He advised that for us as a country to experience a fast economic recovery as a country, the goal of public policy in this era must first be to protect public health. Thus investing in personal protective equipment for health care workers, greatly ramping up testing and contact tracing, as well as doing everything possible to speed up the development and production of vaccines. He added that governments should push more research funding into the local pharmaceutical companies and herbal medicines as well as building of more effective and efficient Infectious Disease Prevention team with offices across the country to work on intelligence gathering into the disease spread. "Not only will these save live, but it will also create the conditions that will allow the Economic recovery to begin", he said. The concept of the Mid Shannon Wilderness Park (MSWP) was first mooted in 2013 - by a Longford County Council team led by Senior Planner Donall Mac An Bheatha - and according to MSWP Awareness Group PRO, Niall Dennigan, to lose out on the wilderness park and all its positive benefits of employment and tourism opportunities is unthinkable and would not be acceptable. Mr Dennigan said the MSWP Awareness Group were delighted to see the Mid Shannon Wilderness Park feature in Kieran Mulveys first Just Transition progress report and pointed out that they will be making a comprehensive submission to the EU Start Engagement Process, seeking the completion of the proposed Mid Shannon Wilderness Park. In addition, MSWP Awareness Group, will be proposing that the Climate Change Centre for the midlands - one of the key recommendations in Mr Mulveys 72-page report - is located within the wilderness park and that it also includes a museum depicting ESB and Bord na Mona history and a plaque commemorating ESB & BnM workers. Mr Dennigan outlined, We believe the Climate Change Centre would fit in perfectly with the Mid Shannon Wilderness Park development and educate tourists and those after us on the heritage of our area. Were also recommending that a museum depicting ESB and Bord na Mona history be established here to compliment the Climate Change Centre and the already established Corlea Trackway Visitors Centre. This would enhance the tourism offering of Lanesboro and Longford and offer visitors the opportunity to experience the ages of life - past, present and into the future. Such a museum should display some of the older Bord na Mona machinery that was renowned for its ingenuity. He added, A plaque commemorating all the names of ESB & BnM workers over the past 70 years should be erected, as a mark of not only respect, but of gratitude, for their years of tireless labour in establishing the midlands we all know and love today. Mr Dennigan stressed, To do anything with these lands, apart from complete rehabilitation, inclusive of educational and ecotourism standards, would be a complete step in the wrong direction and would automatically downgrade Ireland's status towards meeting our climate change obligation through carbon sequestration. Earlier this year, in late February, Longford County Council secured 482,806 to commence the process of developing the Mid Shannon Wilderness Park which will eventually encompass the cut away bogs in the Mount Dillon complex in county Longford and neighbouring Roscommon. The funding is to be used for the development of Corlea and Ederra bog walks, which will provide over 8km of trail as part of the Mid Shannon Wilderness Park. Mr Dennigan concluded, If you would like to add your support to our proposal, please feel free to contact via Facebook, Twitter or email midshannonwildernesspark @gmail.com IN LIGHT of Dr Tony Holohans admission at the Special Dail Covid-19 Committee last week that we have effectively extinguished it (the virus) from the community in general, right across the country the question arises for the continued legal justification for the governments restrictions, says Cllr Emmett OBrien. If the clear advice of the chief medical officer is that Covid is effectively extinguished then not only must the minister listen but act upon this advice and it also calls into question whether there is a continued, immediate and manifest risk to human life and public health at all. The state, through the cooperation of us citizens, has successfully limited and minimised the spread of Covid-19. The minister has power to exempt much more classes of workers. In other words with infection numbers falling restrictions must be lifted faster, said Cllr OBrien. The Pallaskenry man continued: If the government is going to continue to take away peoples basic freedoms permitted under the constitution it ought to have a good and sound legal reason. Cllr OBrien asks is this now less about public health than failing to have the political courage to limit authority and let go? SHANGHAI, May 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DFRobot is launching micro:Maqueen Plus this week, the newest offer of its popular educational robot series of micro:Maqueen. The new product, adopting machine learning technology, is designed for K-12 educators to teach AI through teaching AI. The newly launched micro:Maqueen Plus, created by open source hardware and STEM education solution provider DFRobot, is specially optimized in software and hardware for machine learning. In other words, unlike previous micro:Maqueen robots that are designed for programming, the new Maqueen is a Maqueen that learns. The Maqueen Plus is different from other educational programming robots on the market, it is equipped with AI capable of machine learning and visual recognition. It is able to continuously improve its abilities to recognise lines, colours, signs, QR codes, etc. Maqueen Plus has become smarter and performs better in circumstances such as autopilot. This whole process provides a direct and detailed experience for students to explore ideas and outputs of AI technology. With micro:Maqueen Plus, students can assemble a self-driving robot car by themselves. The body of Maqueen Plus contains few parts which can be assembled within minutes. And the AI-powered 'eye', an AI vision sensor which gives the car recognition abilities, is only one click away from becoming smart--with the learning button pressed, the sensor begins observing targets in its frame and learning to recognize the target with built-in AI visual ability. This machine learning process is easy to monitor, and with training and coding, students get the chance to develop further abilities and assign more tasks for the robot, as micro:Maqueen series offers many choices for further expansion. "The best way to learn AI is to teach AI," said Liu, product manager of micro:Maqueen Plus. "We are looking for a feasible approach to introduce AI technology to today's STEM classroom. Being a STEM-based hardware, the first thing Maqueen Plus does is to make it possible for students to build physical projects, rather than just talking about AI technology in theory. In order to make it easy to incorporate with, the robot is compatible with popular platforms like micro:bit, so teachers don't have to spend much time on further trainings of robotics or AI-related algorithms. What's more, the robot is designed as a reusable educational hardware, with a friendly price no higher than current programming educational robots on the market that have no AI-based design." Liu suggested that compared to previous micro:Maqueen, Maqueen Plus provides more flexible AI robot teaching programs, more functions and expansion ports. It has better power management, larger power supply capacity and chassis. Carrying abundant scientific and technological knowledge, it is not only suitable for classroom teaching, but can also be used for after school exercises and robot competitions. According to a World Economic Forum report published in 2019, 89% of the US based companies are planning to adopt user and entity big data analytics by 2022, while more than 70% want to integrate the Internet of Things, explore web and app-enabled markets, and take advantage of machine learning and cloud computing. Meanwhile, a recent global McKinsey survey on young people and employers found that 40 per cent of employers cited a lack of skills as the main reason for entry level job vacancies. Furthermore, 60 per cent agreed that new graduates were not sufficiently prepared for the world of work. Those changes of demands in the job market require STEM education be able to adapt to these rapid advances and prepare students in a manner that encourages them to embrace new technologies. "Making AI skills development a part of the curriculum as early as possible and looking at interactive resources which help students, and teachers, to break down complex concepts will help these technologies become more accessible. In doing so, we can prepare students with fundamental knowledge in these technical areas while giving them the broad skill set which is essential for later life." Ricky Ye, CEO of DFRobot, explained reasons for which the company is looking at new areas like AI in education. "To help students get to grips with AI and overcome any misconceptions around robotics, first-hand experience in the classroom is the best place to start. While pupils use technology in everyday life, there is often little understanding of how these devices come into being and the processes that underscore their output. Consequently, resources which allow students to learn through play and create their own AI-powered devices can help to deepen their understanding and appreciation of coding technologies. Especially if they are projects which resonate with students' interests," Ricky said. SOURCE DFRobot NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, left, and Doug Hurley speak during a news conference in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 20, 2020. John Raoux/AP Photo On Wednesday afternoon, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft plans to launch its Demo-2 mission. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are set to pilot the fully automated ship with a touchscreen control panel. "Growing up as a pilot, my whole career having a certain way to control the vehicle, this is certainly different," Hurley said. "For those of us who've been living with switches from the 60s for all these years," Behnken added, "a modern interface is something that's pretty exciting." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Update: SpaceX scrubbed Wednesday's launch due to potentially unsafe weather conditions. The next launch attempt is on Saturday at 3:22 p.m. ET. Nearly a decade ago, the space shuttle Atlantis landed in Cape Canaveral, Florida, for the last time. Not a single American rocket-and-spaceship system has launched into space since. That all changes on Wednesday at 4:33 p.m., when SpaceX plans to initiate its Demo-2 mission, launching NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley into space for a 110-day journey on the Crew Dragon spaceship. Jim Bridenstine, NASA's administrator, described it as "a new era in human spaceflight." And with a new technological era comes new tools: Here's what Behnken and Hurley say it's like to operate SpaceX's 21st-century spacecraft. 'This is certainly different' Unlike traditional space shuttles, the Crew Dragon's control panel is touchscreen-only. "It's probably a dream of every test pilot school student to have the opportunity to fly on a brand-new spaceship, and I'm lucky enough to get that opportunity with my good friend here," Behnken said during a media call in May. But the opportunity came with some challenges, and was the result of a long process of engineering experiments and tinkering. "I think it was probably on the order of at least five or six years ago when we went out to SpaceX and evaluated a bunch of different control mechanisms for the vehicle," Hurley said on the call. "Ultimately they decided on a touchscreen interface." Story continues NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley practiced a full simulation of launch and docking of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, in SpaceX's flight simulator, on March 19, 2020. SpaceX That decision took some getting used to for the pilots, both of whom typically operate analog control panels. "Growing up as a pilot, my whole career having a certain way to control the vehicle, this is certainly different," Hurley said. "For those of us who've been living with switches from the 60s for all these years, a modern interface is something that's pretty exciting," Behnken added. "It's the way of the future with vehicles," Hurley agreed. The docking sequence could be done manually, even though the Crew Dragon ship is fully automated Beyond the touchscreen interface, the ship will be fully automated. But "the Dragon spacecraft does have a lot of capabilities for us to intervene manually," Behnken said. And because the flight will involve a docking sequence, the pilots will manually control the spacecraft for part of the mission. "[We will] potentially finish off a docking sequence or approaching docking sequence that we couldn't do from an automated perspective," Hurley said on the media call. With the touchscreen controls, it took "a little more time to get used to that way of flying a vehicle, certainly, but it wasn't anything that became completely objectionable or was extremely difficult to do," Hurley said. "The touchscreen is going to provide us that capability just fine," Hurley added. "And we'll test it again on orbit for real." Read the original article on Business Insider I haven't gone so far as to put the bumper sticker on my car, but I can certainly appreciate the sentiment it expresses: "I'd rather be living in an Elin Hilderbrand novel." I get it - not just now, during these high-anxiety times, but also when I picked it up, in January, at a gathering (remember gatherings?) of 150 Hilderbrand superfans. The party took place on Nantucket, where many of Hilderbrand's books are set, and over the course of four days, it became clear why Hilderbrand - whose novels, I confess, I didn't always appreciate - is more than just "the queen of the summer beach read," as she is known to many. Her annual Bucket List Weekend is her attempt to re-create for her most loyal readers the warm and sunny world of her fiction. Never mind the bitter cold New England weather. Wearing skinny white jeans, a peach sequin tank and pointy heels, she was hostess, friend, confidante and, if necessary, politician. She greeted her fans lovingly. She smiled; she hugged; she clinked wine glasses. When one attendee showed up at a cocktail hour in a hot-pink homemade fan T-shirt, she leaned in for a selfie. She listened as her readers offered twists for her next novel ("I'll take any suggestions on how it should end," she gamely joked), asked for tips on their own literary endeavors and told her about their personal woes. When she learned that one fan had to cancel because she was having emergency surgery for a brain tumor, Hilderbrand politely snapped her fingers and had flowers sent. The Bucket List Weekend felt like many things that may not ever be (or be the same) again: an all-girl destination wedding; a bat mitzvah; a sorority party; a cancer survivors' support-group meeting; a (single-author) book festival; the most decked-out book club meeting ever. There was yoga with Elin, wine and cheese with Elin, book signings with Elin, a live Q&A with Elin (and her enthusiastic sister, Heather Thorpe), two gala dinners with Elin, cooking classes with Elin and the highlight for many: dive-bar dancing with Elin. Buses shuttled attendees to sites that appeared in many of Hilderbrand's books - mansions, restaurants and beaches where her characters have frolicked and fought and fallen in and out of love. Hilderbrand writes escapist novels. Characters with names like Tabitha Frost and Deacon Thorpe meet, squabble and reconcile - all while getting really tan on the toniest New England beaches. As Jake McCloud, the hunky male lead in Hilderbrand's latest book, "28 Summers" (an epic love story that pays homage to "Same Time Next Year"), puts it: "This place is a slice of heaven." The sun shines, the food is delicious and, as another writer once said about another place: All the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average. It would be easy to dismiss Hilderbrand's books as pure fluff. Many have. Madison Smartt Bell, who taught Hilderbrand at Johns Hopkins (Hilderbrand also graduated from the Iowa Writers' Workshop) said that while he was not surprised by her success, he has "mostly admired her from afar." If Hilderbrand had "been building a career as a 'serious and literary' writer," he said in an email, he would have been more involved. Hilderbrand and her readers don't care, and I can see why. As the "serious" literary world looks on with binoculars, Hilderbrand is selling books - lots of them, roughly 10 million and counting. Her 23 books have been on national bestseller lists, and her 2019 novel, "Summer of '69," was a nine-week No. 1 New York Times bestseller. They have been translated into multiple languages, and several books are in development for television series and feature films. On top of her commercial success, Hilderbrand has built something else: a sisterhood. To many of her readers, Hilderbrand is both a celebrity and a bestie. "This is better than meeting Madonna," said one Bucket List attendee (who had met Madonna). "She's just like us, but she can write - and lives in Nantucket," said another. Not only does Hilderbrand, a 50-year-old mother of three, occasionally give out her cellphone number at book signings, but she also actually answers the handful of fans who use it. She checks in on their health, their relationships, their children. She has even worked their names into her novels: Three attendees of her 2019 weekend appear in "28 Summers." The trio got the roles (albeit minor) by winning a trivia contest at a Bucket List gala. "I know lots of useless Elin book info!" joked Deena Rannazzisi Dick, a Realtor and mother of three who plays a receptionist at a doctor's office in "28 Summers." Many of the women who made the Bucket List pilgrimage are survivors - of cancer, divorce or simply life. In 2014 Hilderbrand had a double mastectomy, an experience she began speaking about at public events just days after it happened. At this year's party, attendees came from as far as Missouri, California and Toronto. Many had made reservations more than a year in advance - roughly 400 people vied for one of the 150 spots. They spent thousands to attend the event at the upscale Nantucket Hotel, where many room prices, though discounted, cost north of $400 a night. (Hilderbrand does not receive any proceeds beyond book sales.) Some got stranded on the mainland as stormy weather rocked the Atlantic. It was all part of the adventure - a badge of honor, as one attendee put it. Sure, there was a lot of partying, but something else also took place: a kind of communion that, four months later, feels especially poignant. As one reader said at that Q&A: "We want to be seen and appreciated." And here, they were. Trish Balas-Chambers, a retired registered nurse from Rye, New Hampshire, who's battled cancer, had come with three close friends, work colleagues she'd met years ago. As we talked in their hotel suite, some of them quietly confessed to not having read many of Hilderbrand's books, or even to not liking them so much. It didn't matter. For these 50-something women, the weekend was more than just a break from daily life. "It was like an extremely successful four-day therapy session of women taking care of women and continuing to nurture our relationship through good times and hard times," Balas-Chambers said. On the final day of the Bucket List Weekend, Hilderbrand surprised Balas-Chambers with a gift - signed manuscript pages from her story "Summer of '79." There were hugs and tears. It was like a scene from an Elin Hilderbrand novel. All these months later, as America hunkers down in isolation, that intimacy - of women sharing not just their love of a book or a writer, but of one another, in person - feels as distant as a carefree Nantucket summer. "The mind-set has changed now," Hilderbrand said by phone from her home on the island, where she's in lockdown with her children. "That weekend, I never gave a second thought to throwing my arms around my readers and dancing together. Now, I don't know." Hilderbrand does hope Bucket List 2021 will happen in January and plans to go on a modified tour with "28 Summers" when it is released next month. She says she'll do signings at a social distance, outdoors. It's a strange time, she admits, to be releasing a book set in June 2020 in which there's no pandemic and a woman is running for president. "People need to read things that are escapist, whether they can go to the beach or not," she says. These days, that bumper sticker feels truer than ever: I'd rather be living in an Elin Hilderbrand novel. Wouldn't we all - or at least spend a long weekend pretending we were? Amaravati, May 28 : The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Thursday demanded that Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of the country, be conferred posthumously on its founder and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao. On the second and final day of party's 'Mahanadu', a resolution was passed urging the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna on Rama Rao in recognition of his outstanding and multifarious contributions to the poor people, cinema and socio-political life of the country. The resolution was passed on the birth anniversary of Rama Rao. Popularly known as NTR, the legendary actor had formed the TDP in 1982 and created a record of sorts by leading the party to power within nine months in the then undivided Andhra Pradesh. TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu began the second day's deliberations after paying tributes to NTR. Naidu said the TDP would not relent till NTR was conferred the country's highest civilian award. He pointed out that NTR played a crucial role in opposing monopoly of the Congress and fought vigorously to form an alternative force at the national level. Addressing the Mahanadu on the second day, he said that nobody can shake the foundations of TDP as it has a strong place in the hearts of poor and backward classes right from its inception. The TDP chief recalled how NTR laid strong foundations for the party by launching popular welfare programmes like Rs 2 kg rice and housing for poor people that became role model for the rest of the country. Naidu asserted that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's conspiracies and false cases will not be able to frighten the TDP cadres and leaders who will fight back with the self-respect and self-confidence that were given by the party founder. Alleging that the government is foisting false cases, he said TDP cadres will not surrender to the ruling party's intimidatory tactics. Naidu pointed out that in 1989, the TDP met with a crushing defeat with a 9 per cent vote share but in 1994, their party came back with a resounding victory with a massive 17.7 per cent votes and Congress could not get opposition party status at that time. When the NTR government was dismissed undemocratically during Indira Gandhi time, Save Democracy agitation was run for 30 days which went down as a historic event in the political history of the country as a whole, he recalled. Referring to manhandling and humiliation meted out to Dalit doctor Sudhakar, Naidu said that the YSRCP was presiding over goondaism and rowdyism in order to frighten all sections of people and then to plunder the resources of the state. He said that if the TDP was not strong enough to fight back with self-confidence, the ruling party excesses would have become uncontrollable making common man's life miserable. Stop and Shop is extending its 10% pay increase for hourly store associates, the supermarket chain and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) labor union announced Thursday. The pay increase will be extended through July 4. It was first announced on March 20, and then extended through the end of May. New associates hired prior to May 30 will also receive the increase, the company said. More than 8,000 new associates have been hired since mid-March, a release said. With incredible dedication, teamwork and care for our customers, Stop & Shop associates are continuing to make extraordinary contributions throughout this situation, said Gordon Reid, Stop and Shop President, in a release. The Stop & Shop team continues to play a vital role in serving the needs of our local communities and ensuring that our neighbors have uninterrupted access to the food they need, he said. We are deeply thankful for this tremendous work. Stop and Shop operates more than 400 stores in eight northeastern states, including New Jersey and New York. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., May 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (AMG), a global asset management company, today announced with sadness the passing of Sean M. Healey, Executive Chairman from 2018 through 2020, and Chief Executive Officer from 2005 to 2018. Mr. Healey joined the Company in 1995 as a founding principal, and passed away following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). For the past 27 years Sean was my friend, mentor, and an inimitable leader, always exhibiting an indefatigable entrepreneurial spirit and unwavering dedication to friends, colleagues, and Affiliate partners. His deep intellectual curiosity and creativity, delivered with a penetrating wit, were inspiring and created tremendous value for AMG stakeholders over the decades, said Jay C. Horgen, President and Chief Executive Officer of AMG. Sean transformed AMG from a nascent start-up into a leading global asset manager with an innovative partnership approach and unmatched track record of partnerships, providing solutions for independent, partner-owned investment firms from growth capital, to strategic support initiatives such as marketing and distribution, to succession planning all while preserving their entrepreneurial spirit and culture. Patrick T. Ryan, Chairman of AMGs Board of Directors, said, Seans passion, creativity, and dedication extended far beyond his work at AMG; he was a devoted philanthropist, father, and husband. When he was diagnosed with ALS, Sean did not miss a beat, channeling his leadership and entrepreneurial spirit into establishing The Sean M. Healey and AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital, which, typical of all of Seans work, has become an innovative force in medical treatment and is transforming therapeutic approaches for people affected by ALS. His friendship and leadership will be deeply missed, and our thoughts are with his family. About Sean M. Healey Mr. Healey joined AMG in 1995 as an Executive Vice President. He helped to pioneer AMGs business strategy of investing in independent boutique investment firms to facilitate management succession through a structure that ensures an alignment of interests and continued meaningful equity ownership by the boutiques management team. Shortly after arriving, Mr. Healey led AMGs transformative investment in Tweedy, Browne, the highly regarded value equity firm which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, and he subsequently spearheaded AMGs initial public offering in 1997. Mr. Healey was instrumental in expanding AMG from just a few Affiliates to a leading global asset management firm with dozens of Affiliates, a global client base, and diversified, alpha-oriented product offerings across traditional and alternative asset classes. Under Mr. Healeys leadership, AMGs assets since its IPO have grown from nearly $40 billion to over $600 billion, and EBITDA has grown from less than $50 million to over $750 million. Story continues Mr. Healey became President and Chief Operating Officer in 1999, and in 2005 he was named Chief Executive Officer at AMG. He was named Chairman of the Board in 2010. Upon being diagnosed with ALS in May 2018, Mr. Healey stepped down from his position as Chief Executive Officer and became Executive Chairman of the Board. In addition to his role at AMG, Mr. Healey held a number of non-profit board positions, including serving as Co-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peabody Essex Museum; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; the Visiting Committee of the Harvard Law School; and the Board of Trustees of the International Game Fish Association. In 2006, Mr. Healey received a presidential appointment to serve on the President's Export Council, the nation's principal advisory committee on international trade. In November 2018, Mr. Healey, with support from AMG, friends, and colleagues, established The Sean M. Healey and AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) with more than $40 million raised to date. The Healey Center is led by Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, a world-renowned ALS researcher and Chair of the Neurology Department at MGH. The Healey Center is the largest hospital-based ALS research program in the world and supports a broad range of early stage trials of promising ALS treatments, including the first-ever ALS platform trial designed to accelerate the development of ALS therapies by assessing multiple treatment candidates simultaneously. More information on the Center can be found at: www.massgeneral.org/neurology/als/about/. About AMG AMG is a global asset management company with equity investments in leading boutique investment management firms. AMGs strategy is to generate longterm value by investing in leading independent active investment managers, through a proven partnership approach, and allocating resources across the Company's unique opportunity set to the areas of highest growth and return. AMGs innovative partnership approach allows each Affiliates management team to own significant equity in their firm while maintaining operational autonomy. In addition, AMG provides centralized assistance to its Affiliates on strategy, marketing, distribution, and product development. As of March 31, 2020, AMGs aggregate assets under management were approximately $600 billion, across a broad range of active, return-oriented strategies. For more information, please visit the Companys website at www.amg.com. Investor Relations: Anjali Aggarwal Media Relations: Jonathan Freedman (617) 747-3300 ir@amg.com pr@amg.com National Health Authority (NHA) - the agency that administers the Centre's flagship health assurance scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) - is on an enrolment drive to get more hospitals on board to treat the poor and vulnerable of India. Over 1,000 hospitals have been added to the list of facilities that offer treatments under AB-PMJAY in the last two months. The move comes in the backdrop of steady increase in COVID cases and the need for more healthcare facilities that can offer treatment to both COVID and non-COVID patients who are among the 50 crore beneficiaries of AB-PMJAY. "We have embarked on a drive to have more hospitals on board, for treatment of COVID and non-COVID cases. Most importantly we need more hospitals for non-COVID patients. From April 1, we have empanelled more than 1,000 hospitals so now we have close to 22,000 hospitals", Dr Indu Bhushan, CEO, NHA, says. Also read: Coronavirus update: India's COVID-19 tally nears 1.60 lakh mark, death toll past 4,500 Dr Bhushan also said the authority has launched an express way to empanel hospitals to get them quickly on board. The revised norms under the express route enables even those hospitals that do not fully comply with NHA's normal eligibility criteria to get empanelled for the programme. "We are taking them on board temporarily for three months, so that we can expand the quality and access to services", Bhushan says. The NHA chief however adds that the fast track selection does not mean compromise on quality of services. "We have been de-empanelling based on fraud and abuse and we still maintain zero tolerance of fraud and abuse, and we are not empanelling such hospitals. The relaxation is on other parameters. For instance, we have minimum criteria for number of beds, we have criteria for minimum infrastructure, minimum sq meters space; etc, these are the parameters than can be waived off", he explains. NHA had empanelled over 18,000 hospitals in its first year of operations. Ever since, in the last 8 months, it has added another 4,000, of which 1,000 happened in almost two months. Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Rajasthan records 131 new COVID-19 cases, state's tally at 7,947 Bhushan says the new additions are mostly from Tier II and Tier III cities of the country. "We don't have any data base where we can say how many hospitals are out there for us to tap. But we believe that by the end of this year 2020, we should be around 25,000 hospitals", he said. "We have launched a module called HEM lite, which requires smaller amount of information, so that even if the hospitals do not have all the certificates, they do not take too much time to fill out those information. Also we have shortened the empanelment process", Bhushan said. A technical manager with fruit and vegetable distributor Begley's has denied any wrongdoing following allegations by her employer she forwarded some confidential company information to her personal email. Terway Unlimited Company, trading as Begley's Distribution, last Monday obtained interim orders ex parte, one side only represented, against Agnieszka Luz requiring her to preserve the information and not disclose it. Earlier that day, it had suspended her. When the matter returned before Mr Justice Brian O'Moore today Marguerite Bolger SC, for Ms Luz, said her client denied any wrongdoing. The judge was told the sides had agreed Ms Luz would provide undertakings in lieu of the interim orders and that agreement was made without prejudice to the position of either party in the litigation. On that basis, Mark Connaughton SC, with Mairead McKenna, for Begley's, said the sides agreed the matter could be adjourned to June 10 for mention. The judge received the undertakings and, in response to concerns raised by Ms Bolger, said Ms Luz's lawyers are entitled to examine the information at issue. When granting the interim orders on Monday, the judge said he was doing so on the basis of taking at face value what company director Gregory Begley said in an affidavit about the nature of the information. There will clearly be an issue whether the material referred to is confidential or not and he had formed no view as to the rights of wrongs of the dispute, he said. Mr Connaughton earlier told the court that Ms Luz, of Annfield View, Porterstown, Dublin 15, started work some 12 to 14 years ago with the company, had held various positions and is currently technical manager. An investigation last year into a data breach at the company found no evidence Ms Luz was involved and the investigation, as far as she was concerned, had concluded, he said. A cohabitee was found in breach in disclosing certain details concerning remuneration, counsel said. Report found 600 emails had been forwarded, court told He said interactions last April and this month caused Mr Begley concerns in relation to Ms Luz, including she had accused him of trying to "exit her" from the company. A May 22 report by an IT consultant retained by the company identified some 600 individual emails across a variety of topics were copied and forwarded on dates in April and May to Ms Luz's personal email address with a server in Poland, Mr Connaughton said. His side maintained that included some highly sensitive company information. When Ms Luz arrived for work early on Monday, she had been addressed by Mr Begley about the data allegation, had not denied it but had not provided any information to Mr Begley, counsel said. Her current status is an existing employee but suspended, he said. Later on Monday, before the court hearing, the company received a letter from solicitors for Ms Luz which did not deal substantively with the issues in the court application, counsel added. A desert locust outbreak has been raging in East Africa since October 2019. Credit: FAO/Giampiero Diana A second wave of desert locusts in Africa and Asia is threatening famine for millions as critical resources are directed towards the COVID-19 crisis, scientists warn. Desert locusts are already swarming in East Africa and breeding in Iran and Pakistan, as well as Yemen, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says. The outbreak, which has been raging since last year, has so far placed around 20 million people at acute food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania, according to the FAO. Swarms have "been damaging crops and pastures and crippling communities in the Greater Horn of Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Southwest Asia" since October, explained World Resources Institute climate programme research analyst Tina Huang. However, without action the locust population "could grow 400 times larger by June 2020 and spread to new areas, disrupting food supply, upending livelihoods and requiring substantial resources to address", the World Bank says. The level of threat in West Africa could also change significantly in the next few weeks based on rainfall, winds and the locust situation in Arabia and East Africa, the FAO says. "Investments in preparedness and anticipatory actions should be immediately and quickly scaled up to face this potential threat," its latest situation update says. It warns that swarms risk migrating to summer breeding areas in India and Pakistan, as well as Sudan and parts of West Africa, including the Sahel and Chad. On top of the global COVID-19 emergency, Yemen is also facing multiple crises from violent conflict and disrupted health systems, while flooding in East Africa has killed about 300 people and displaced half a million, according to the Red Cross. Daniel Otaye, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Kenya's Egerton University, says countries in East Africa seem unprepared to deal with a second wave of locusts. "Policymakers in Sub-Saharan Africa should be strongly advised not to forget the locust outbreak amid [the] COVID-19 outbreak," Otaye says. "The two challenges should be fought concurrently." The World Bank estimates that, in Africa alone, more than 90 million hectares of cropland and pasture are at risk from the second wave, with damages and losses reaching US$9 billion. FAO desert locust global forecast May-July 2020. Credit: SciDev.Net In East Africa, pesticide shipments to the worst-affected areas have already been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "The biggest challenge we are facing at the moment is the supply of pesticides and we have delays because global air freight has been reduced significantly," says Cyril Ferrand, the FAO's resilience team leader for East Africa. Kim Kariuki, engagement director at the Busara Center for Behavioural Economics in Kenya, says a second wave of locusts could exacerbate already-disrupted global supply chains. "This would have untold effects on food security leaving smallholders even more vulnerable than before and jeopardising the economic outlook for recovery in the affected countries," he explains. The World Bank says repercussions will go beyond the economy and could last generations. "When affected households and families struggle to meet basic needs such as food and shelter, nutrition, healthcare, and education may be neglected, hindering long-term health and development, especially of children," the organisation says. "Studies of past locust plagues found a notable decrease in school enrolment in affected areas as well as evidence of stunting in infants and children." Action plans Otaye says governments in the region have diverted resources to control COVID-19, to the neglect of fighting the locust invasion. But Keith Cressman, the FAO's senior locust forecaster, tells SciDev.Net efforts to control the locust outbreaks are ongoing. "So far, more than 240,000 hectares have been treated with chemical pesticides or biopesticides across the East Africa region and 740 people have been trained up to conduct ground locust control operations," he says. Stephen Njoka, the director-general of the Desert Locust Control Organisation for East Africa, says the organisation is working with national governments and the FAO to control the locusts from the air and on the ground. "However, the new generation hoppers are now of age and very voracious," he says. Explore further New locust outbreak threatens food security for millions Provided by SciDev.Net The people of Pakistan reject the irresponsible remarks of US diplomat Alice Wells. After being in deep crisis for the last four decades, Pakistan has learned from its bitter experiences and become mature enough to understand this doomed attempt to defame Sino-Pak relations". Wells has passed similar remarks in the recent past on different occasions in her efforts to spoil China-Pakistan relations. On the surface, her remarks look as if they are in favor of Pakistan, but she knows how to choose the right vocabulary and themes to express her anti-China sentiments and incite the people of Pakistan against China. In fact, the US is fighting an anti-China War in Pakistan. She said that the US calls on China to offer transparent relief from the BRIs predatory loans that countries are suffering from. Wells had reiterated that the US was concerned about China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects because of a lack of transparency, and the unfair rates of profits that are guaranteed to Chinese firms involved in their execution. Earlier, Wells had repeated her criticism of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and CPEC during an online media briefing and had urged China to relieve the countries involved in these undertakings of its predatory loans". This is not the first time Wells has criticized CPEC. In November 2019, Wells said that the multi-billion-dollar project would take a toll on Pakistans economy at the time of repayments and dividend in the coming years. She stated that the project was a form of financing that guarantees profits for Chinese state-owned enterprises, with little benefits for Islamabad. In a statement issued in response to the US diplomat's comments, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan called her speech "totally baseless [and] just a repetition of her same old tune". "We take Pakistan as an equal partner and never asked Pakistan to 'do more'. We support Pakistans own model of development and never intervene in its domestic affairs. We highlight Pakistans responsible role in regional affairs and never exert pressure. CPEC is an important cooperation project between the two countries. It has always adhered to the principles of mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, openness and transparency. "The planning and implementation of the projects are carried out by the two sides through thorough consultations based on equality and scientific study. The Chinese companies under the project are all leading companies in their respective sectors and operate in full compliance with local laws and regulations," the statement said. It added that to date, CPEC has brought $25 million in direct investment and created more than 75,000 jobs in Pakistan. "China has been the major source [of foreign direct investment] in Pakistan for the last five consecutive years." Regarding the cooperation between China and Pakistan on the COVID-19 front, the Chinese Embassy said: "All Chinese companies working for CPEC have generously donated medical assistance to Pakistan [...] Over 20,000 Pakistani students are studying in China on scholarships provided by the Chinese government and universities. In the next stage of the project, both sides will strengthen cooperation on healthcare, industrial development, agriculture and education. CPEC will bring a new impetus to Pakistans economic revival even in the post Covid-19 period." China and Pakistan have a unique relationship that may be beyond the US comprehension. The Chinese Embassy stated that China will "never force Pakistan to pay back debts" and that "China's loans have no strings attached". "We have no intention to comment on Pakistan-US relations, but we hope that the United States can show basic respect to the [two countries]," the statement said, adding that China hoped the US would abandon its "Cold War and zero sum mentality" and give "concrete assistance to Pakistan". "We dont need any teachers, especially a teacher like the US," the statement concluded. Pakistan is a country of 220 million people and an old civilization. It is a mature nation that understands its national interests. Let the people of Pakistan decide and set their own priorities. The US advice may seem improper and misguided. We thank our brothers and sisters in China for understanding the true feelings of Pakistanis and extending their support at crucial moments. The people of Pakistan will not disappoint the Chinese and will do whatever is necessary to successfully complete CPEC. The opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to People's Daily Online. Zamir Ahmed Awan is a senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a sinologist at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan. E-mail: [email protected] 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, The monsoon is likely to arrive in Kerala around its normal onset date of June 1, weather forecasting officials said on Thursday, after observing new developing patterns that could speed up the progress of the rain system. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) earlier said the monsoon may be delayed by four days but a low pressure that is likely to form over the southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea could help make up for the delay at present. The low-pressure area is likely to bring rain to the west coast and make conditions favourable for advancement of monsoon earlier than expected. We can expect onset of monsoon over Kerala around June 1 or 2, said M Mohapatra, director general, IMD. The Arabian Sea is very warm and parts of it are conducive for development and intensification of a cyclone but IMD scientists said it is too early to give details of cyclone development. The models are not giving us a consensus statement right now. Some are showing intensification to a very intense or an extremely intense cyclone but many other global models are not showing such intensification. So, its too early to tell but a low-pressure area will form around May 31 to June 1. Sea conditions are favourable for intensification into a cyclone, he added. In its April forecast, IMD said monsoon rains this year are likely to be normal at 100% of long period average with model error of 5%. The monsoon, technically known as the southwest monsoon, is crucial for Indias farmers who rely on rain for irrigation of summer crops. Around 60% of the countrys net-sown area does not have any form of irrigation. Millions of farmers wait for the rains to begin summer sowing of major crops, such as rice, sugar, cotton, coarse cereals and oilseeds. Deficient monsoon years have coincided with a drop in rural earnings, a factor that is likely to be more closely watched this year due to the widespread erosion of the economy as a result of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and the lockdown it led to. The monsoon season begins in June and lasts till September. The rains usually cover most of the country by mid-July, though the pace is often independent of when it makes landfall on the subcontinent. Private forecaster Skymet Weather said the cyclone that is feared to develop may only move along the coast as a depression. The low-pressure system that will develop will be a fast moving system and is likely to move along the coast as a depression. It will bring heavy rains to Maharashtra and south Gujarat but may not intensify into a cyclone, said Mahesh Palawat, VP, climate and meteorology at Skymet Weather. But the low pressure area will help pull monsoon current upwards and make it conducive for monsoon onset, he added. Another low- pressure area has already developed over westcentral Arabian Sea. It is very likely to concentrate into a depression over the same region during next 48 hours and move northwestwards towards south Oman and east Yemen coast during next three days, the IMD said in a statement. Scientists are not expecting the current low pressure area to have much impact on the Indian coast. I was the face of the federal government. I was the one out there trying to warn the public, and he was, too. That was his way of saying, Hello? Wake up! That was his style. He was iconoclastic, he was theatrical he wanted to make his point. With farming increasingly proving to be unprofitable due to various reasons in Maharashtra, migrant workers returning to villages will have to return to urban centres for livelihood as soon as lockdown eases. Madhav Shep, 30, has a straightforward answer to those wondering if the migrant workers will come back to the cities once the threat around coronavirus subsides. We have no choice, he says. There is little work back home. Why do you think so many of us left our villages and moved to cities in the first place? Shep hails from Ambejogai in Maharashtras Beed district. Beed is part of the agrarian region of Marathwada, which accounted for 34 percent of nearly 12,000 farm suicides in the state between 2015 and 2018. I do not have farmland of my own, he says. I would depend on farmers in and around Ambejogai for employment. However, because of the mismatch between investment and returns, the farmers are not able to make a profit out of their crops. Further, the weather is getting increasingly erratic with climate change, leading to hailstorms and cloudbursts rupturing miles of farmlands in minutes. Therefore, struggling farmers have found it difficult to employ landless agricultural labourers like Shep the way they used to. Shep worked as an agricultural labourer in Ambejogai up until two years ago. Eventually, he gave up and migrated to Pune. I have a wife and two kids, he says. I could not depend on sporadic wages in villages to feed my family. In Pune, he did odd painting jobs in the city before lockdown, making Rs 12,000 a month. It is not much, but the income is at least consistent, says Shep. I got back home from Pune because the work stopped after lockdown. But I would have to go back once everything gets back to normal. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown on 24 March, migrant workers have made desperate attempts to return home. Mumbai and Pune, which have a large population of these workers, have witnessed harrowing scenes of hardship. Besides, there is a huge amount of intra-state migration too, where people, particularly from the poorer agrarian regions of Marathwada and Vidarbha, migrate to urban centres in Maharashtra for labour work. Bachchu Kadu, farm leader, and currently Minister of State, Labour Department, says around 10,000-12,000 people from every rural constituency migrate to urban centres in the state. There are 144 rural constituencies in Maharashtra, meaning at least 15-17 lakh people migrate within the state. There is no profit in farming, he says. That compels people to seek employment in cities. Since lockdown, though, they have all desperately tried to get away from the cities to their villages. Savita Jadhav, 32, from Vidarbhas Washim district, had to walk for 14 hours with her three-year-old daughter in her arms just to reach the point from where the state had organised buses for the migrant workers in Thane. She worked at construction sites before lockdown. The contractor that usually employs us switched off his phone, she says. We were reduced to seeking meals from well-meaning people during the lockdown. Several observers, pointing at how the lockdown has robbed the workers of their dignity where they had to depend on charity for even one meal a day, speculated whether the workers would ever come back to the cities. However, interactions with several of them who are currently in their villages indicate they would return, for they have little choice. Shep returned to Ambejogai on his Scooty with the family on 10 May. He completed the 350-kilometre journey in 13 hours and then spent the next 14 days outside the village in a makeshift hut at a farm. The sarpanch told us we had to quarantine ourselves, he said. We got in the village after we completed the 14-day period. The villages receiving residents returning from Mumbai or Pune are following strict protocols to avoid the spread of coronavirus into the vast expanse of rural Maharashtra. The Zila Parishad schools have been converted into quarantine centres. The village sarpanches have been tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the people returning to his or her village are quarantined before they mix with others. However, the health infrastructure across rural India is abysmal. And Maharashtra is no exception. Shep says everyone in Ambejogai is aware that the district hospital in Beed would be overwhelmed if the cases of coronavirus rise here. That makes us feel more paranoid, he says. I sneezed the other day, and suddenly I got conscious. Sheps village does not have a Zila Parishad school nearby to be turned into quarantine centre, so he was asked to quarantine in a farm outside the village. The farmlands too have been idle. There is no activity here, he says. The only reassurance is we would not starve here because we can get enough food grain through labour work. But what about medical expenses or school fees of my kids? How do I pay for that? Sheps testimony is merely a representation of the acute rural distress, which triggers large-scale migration towards urban centres. According to the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011, out of the nearly 1.4 crore rural households in entire Maharashtra, more than six million, or 44 percent, households depended solely on manual labour. To address the issue of residents in the rural areas not finding work where they live, the Centre came up with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005, which promised to provide 100 days of employment in the unskilled sector in rural India. However, it has barely managed to make an impact due to shoddy enforcement. According to its website, only 15.37 lakh households were employed under the scheme in Maharashtra in the financial year of 2019-20. That too, the average days of employment provided per household stood at 40.96 when the promise is to provide 100 days of work. Latur-based environment journalist Atul Deulgaonkar says if we want to improve the condition of migrant workers, we would have to bolster agriculture and rural economy. By destroying livelihoods in villages, we have left migrant workers at the mercy of those who employ them in urban areas, he says. Until we fix that, desperate workers would continue to migrate and get exploited in cities. Migration should be driven by aspiration, not survival. Besides the six million that are dependent on manual labour, there are five million households in Maharashtra that rely on cultivation. They too are grappling with the agrarian distress and exploring opportunities in the cities. Jairam Pande, 45, resident of a remote Taluka of Jalkot in Latur district, returned home in the first week of May. He worked as a driver in Thane, earning Rs 14,000 a month. He has 4-acre farmland in the village. But he has been living away for 15 years. Before Thane, I worked as a truck driver in Gujarat, he says. Before migrating out of Jalkot, I used to farm with my younger brother. When we realized it is impossible to sustain the household, I migrated, and my brother started looking after the farmland. The land in Jalkot is mostly barren. The water availability is sparse. Every season is worse than the previous one, Jairam says. The uncertainty is stressful. There is no future in farming. I would not wish it upon my enemy. I had no option but to move out. In Thane, the cases of coronavirus are rising alarmingly. Jairam is relieved to have dodged it, but he knows he would be back in no time. The thought of going back is scary, he says. But the idea of living in the village without work is scarier. New Delhi: Actress Shraddha Kapoor and her brother Siddhanth recently stepped out of their home for "groceries adventure", as described by her, amid the lockdown. The brother-sister duo have shared a selfie from a departmental store in which they went to buy stuff amid the lockdown. They wore face masks and gloves as preventive measures and posed while shopping. Groceries adventure with my bhaiya, read Shraddhas caption for the post while Siddhanth said, Its a lotttttaaaaa fun when you go grocery shopping with your sibling... stay safe all and ... when you are with someone at a close distance, make sure you are wearing a mask.. for your safety and others around. Take a look at their picture here: Shraddha and Siddhanth are children of actor Shakti Kapoor. Siddhanth is also an actor. He has been part of films such as Ugly, Shootout at Wadala, Bombairiya, Paltan, Bhoot - Part One: The Haunted Ship and Haseena Parkar, headlined by Shraddha. Meanwhile, Shraddha, last seen in Baaghi 3, has a Luv Ranjana film coming up. Riot police patrol the streets at the Central district of Hong Kong during demonstrations against the new proposed national security law. Ivan Abreu | Barcroft Media | Getty Images Hong Kong's special status with the U.S. now appears to be under threat, as U.S.-China tensions ramped up after Beijing proposed a new security law for the Chinese special administrative region. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Congress that Hong Kong was no longer highly independent from China. He pointed to Beijing's law that would effectively bypass Hong Kong's legislature which has been approved on Thursday reigniting concerns over the city's diminishing freedoms. "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground," Pompeo said in a statement. A U.S. law, passed last year, requires that Hong Kong retains enough autonomy to qualify for a favorable trading relationship with the U.S. The city has so far been exempted from tariffs that the U.S. has imposed on China as part of the trade war between the two countries. Here's what it means if Hong Kong loses its special status. Impact on U.S. trade with Hong Kong Hong Kong's trade with the U.S. would suffer a significant impact if tariffs were imposed. U.S. goods and services trade with Hong Kong totaled more than $66 billion in 2018, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). U.S. exports to Hong Kong were $50.1 billion, while imports were $16.8 billion, according to the data. Hong Kong was America's third-largest market for wine exports, fourth-largest market for beef and seventh-largest for agriculture products in 2018, according to the city's trade and industry department. Top goods imported from Hong Kong include machinery and plastics, according to the USTR. "A greater risk is that loss of special status leads the US to restrict sales of sensitive technologies to Hong Kong firms," Mark Williams, chief Asia economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a note that was sent out on Thursday morning. "Knowledge-intensive products from the US only make up around 5% of Hong Kong's total imports. But restricting the ability of Hong Kong-based firms to source sensitive products would remove one of Hong Kong's distinct advantages as a business location relative to mainland China," he wrote. Both U.S. and Hong Kong companies could suffer There are more than 1,300 U.S. companies operating in Hong Kong, as well as 85,000 Americans living in the city, according to the U.S. State Department. The international community's perception of Hong Kong as an autonomous and attractive place to do business could be affected. "Recent surveys by the American Chamber of Commerce show that US firms already plan to scale back their investments in the city," Capital Economics said. "Much of Hong Kong's success is based on its ability to attract FDI and enjoy the productivity dividends that come from hosting internationally-competitive firms." In a statement on Tuesday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that Hong Kong's autonomy under the "one country, two systems" framework has "long been among its greatest assets" in forming its transparent, rules-based economy. "It would be a serious mistake on many levels to jeopardize Hong Kong's special status, which is fundamental to its role as an attractive investment destination and international financial hub," it wrote, urging the Trump administration to prioritize a positive relationship with Hong Kong. Currently, Americans also enjoy visa-free travel to the Chinese territory. But visa restrictions could kick in if those tensions worsen, analysts said. "Pompeo's decision open(s) the door for possible tariffs on imports from Hong Kong, visa restrictions or asset freezes for top officials. China has previously warned it would retaliate if the US interfered in its affairs," Rodrigo Catril of National Australia Bank wrote in a note on Thursday morning. No impact on Hong Kong's global trade status A collaboration between Otago & ESR has received a substantial government grant to lead an international team of scientists to sequence the genomes of all of New Zealand's positive COVID-19 cases and track how the virus spread across New Zealand. Dr Jemma Geoghegan, a Senior Lecturer from the University of Otago's Department of Microbiology and Immunology, who is also an Associate Senior Scientist at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), has been allocated $600,000 from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Fund. The $25 million total fund allows for the rapid development of innovative solutions by New Zealand-based entities in response to COVID-19, and aims to alleviate the direct impacts of the virus threat. Dr Geoghegan will lead a 12-month project along with ESR lead bioinformatics researcher Dr Joep de Ligt. The aim of the project is to generate virus genomes from all of New Zealand's confirmed positive cases. Their team of 14 world-leading experts in virus evolution and phylodynamics will create a user-friendly web browser application that will be available to the public online and will track and explain the evolution, epidemiology, population dynamics and transmission chains of COVID-19 in New Zealand. An example of this type of application already in use is Nextstrain.org, which provides real-time tracking of pathogen evolution and is co-developed by team member Dr James Hadfield. Dr Geoghegan's team's advanced use of genomic data will be critically important to New Zealand during the wait for a safe and effective vaccine, she says. "When combined with geographic information we will be able to reveal pathways of viral spread (including from the global population) domestically and at the community level. "These results can be used to direct public health interventions such as quarantine, highlight transmission hotspots to target community testing and assess the impact of other interventions such as travel restrictions and border closures." Until recently, studies of viral outbreaks have been retrospective, where the evolution and spread of a virus within a population is only realised after the fact, she says. "Now however, advances in the next generation sequencing can generate whole viral genomes directly from patient samples within hours of the sample being received." Analyses of genomic data have played an important role in tracking the epidemiology and evolution of the virus in real time, and there has been an enormous global effort to contribute and share genomic data to inform local authorities and the international community about key aspects of the pandemic. This has led to a greater understanding of different COVID-19 outbreaks, and its spread. As part of ESR's strategy, it has invested in genomics capability and technology to support infectious disease surveillance and genomics research. The use of genomics in surveillance has been done in close collaboration and support of the Ministry of Health. The scale and speed with which this pandemic developed and needed to be tracked led ESR to invest in additional technology to leverage the strengths of both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing to increase capacity to over 200 genomes a week. Under a Ministry of Health contract, ESR has processed urgent samples, as determined by epidemiological investigations and public health professionals within 48 hours. Dr Geoghegan's project will focus on a wider investigation of all genomes that arrived in New Zealand. This will provide a valuable data source for future monitoring and in the potential event of a second wave. Co-lead researcher Dr de Ligt says the project will also enable scientists to understand how to manage and reduce the impact of outbreaks on vulnerable communities. "During the 2009 flu pandemic, the mortality rate among Maori was 2.5 times the rate of non-Maori," he says. Data from Maori communities will be incorporated into the project results, under the guidance of Maori biostatistician Andrew Sporle. ### Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) The Hague, Netherlands Thu, May 28, 2020 19:06 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bdac4313 2 Art & Culture Rijksmuseum,Netherlands,Museum,coronavirus,COVID-19,arts,art-and-culture Free Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum will display a famous 16th-century painting donated to commemorate victims of the coronavirus when it re-opens next week, almost three months after closing its doors, the museum said Wednesday. The 1587 painting by Flemish master Bartholomeus Spranger called "The Body of Christ Supported by Angels" was given to the museum by Dutch art collector and dealer Bob Haboldt. A handout photo made available on May 27, 2020 by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam shows 'The Body of Christ Supported by Angels' (1587) by Flemish 16th-century master Bartholomeus Spranger which was donated to the museum by Dutch art collector and dealer Bob Haboldt. (Rijksmuseum/AFP/Carola Van Wijk) "In the first place, it is a gift to everyone to commemorate the victims of COVID-19," Haboldt said in a statement, released by the Rijksmuseum. "It also serves as an example, encouraging everyone to do good for museums." Haboldt said the donation was to make a contribution "and on how we could best memorialize this period." "Coronavirus has affected me, in the first place emotionally," said the art dealer, who has offices in Amsterdam, Paris and New York. Made around 1587, the oil-on-copper painting depicts angels supporting the body of Christ, illuminated by heavenly light as they remove the body from a tomb. Also called an "imago pietatis" or image of compassion, the painting was originally made for private devotion. It became famous after another Dutch painter, the German-born Hendrick Goltzius copied it as a print that was reproduced and distributed in large numbers, the Rijksmuseum said. Read also: Top Dutch museums close over coronavirus Haboldt originally sold the painting at the European Fine Art Fair, commonly known as TEFAF, in the beginning of March, Dutch media reported. However, organizers cut short TEFAF, one of the world's premier fine arts fairs after one of the exhibitors tested positive for the new coronavirus. The painting's sale was annulled shortly afterwards and Haboldt decided not to put it up for sale again, the authoritative daily NRC newspaper said on its website. Neither Haboldt nor the Rijksmuseum put a price on the painting but a larger work by Spranger carried a tag of 5.5 million euros ($6 million) at TEFAF, the NRC said. Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits said the famous institution was "deeply grateful to Bob Haboldt for his generous gesture." "In these difficult times we have seen how art can offer solace and be a source of hope and reflection," said Dibbits. Amsterdam's famous Rijks and Van Gogh museums as well as restaurants around the country are reopening Monday under strict conditions, following almost three months of lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic which has claimed 5,781 lives so far. Riot police guard detained pro-democracy protesters in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong on May 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) Chinese-Language Newspapers Commentary Published in Toronto and New York Supports Hong Kong National Security Law Sing Tao Daily, a Chinese-language newspaper circulated in North America and Europe, has published a full-page commentary in Toronto and New York by the papers chairman in support of Beijings plan to implement controversial national security legislation in Hong Kong. Titled Absolutely Necessary and written by Ho Tsu-Kwok, the majority shareholder of the paper, the article repeats the Chinese Communist Partys remarks on the Kong Kong peoples fight for democracy and autonomy and supports the regimes push to enact the new national security law. In the past year or so, some people have blatantly engaged in Hong Kong independence attacking One Country, Two Systems and challenging the countrys bottom line. The central government [of the Peoples Republic of China] has reached the end of its patience, Ho wrote in the article, published May 22. He also blamed Western countries for inciting the Hong Kong people, even underage teenagers have been deceived and become thugs to subvert the Chinese government and engage in rebellious divisions, he wrote. If these countries are not plotting to incite subversion of the PRC, or rebellion, or split, what is the reason to object to Hong Kongs security law? he wrote, going on to defend implementing the security legislation. Beijings announcement on May 21 that it would pass a national security law for Hong Kongbypassing the citys own legislaturehas attracted international condemnation and reignited mass protests in the city, with plans for more in the coming weeks. Supporting Beijings Interests Sing Tao Daily, Hong Kongs second-largest Chinese-language newspaper, is owned by Sing Tao News Corporation Limited, of which Ho Tsu Kwok is the chair. Ho is a member of the pro-Beijing camp in Hong Kong and maintains good relations with the Chinese regime. According to a 2018 Hoover Institution report examining Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence in the United States, in 1998 Ho became a member of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, which functions as part of the United Front, an organization tasked with spreading Beijings influence abroad. Sing Taos coverage of China is clearly now aligned with that of state-run media from Beijing. In fact, in May 2001, the year he purchased Sing Tao, the owner established a joint venture with the Xinhua News Agency to create an information-service company known as Xinhua online, states the report. In 2003, together with state-owned CCP mouthpiece Xinhua and the China Economic Information Network, Ho launched the Beijing Xinhua Online Information Technology Co. Ltd. and began developing media and information technology businesses in mainland China. Over the years, he has formed alliances with Xinhua, Peoples Daily (also state-owned), China University of International Business and Economics, Peking University Founder Group, Sanlian Group, and others. In 2003, when the CCP tried to enact Article 23 in Hong Kongwhich triggered massive protests over concerns that it would limit freedoms in the autonomous regionSing Tao published commentary for two days in a row in support of the legislation. During the 2014 Hong Kong Umbrella Movement, Ho pretended to play the role of the middleman, on the one hand praising the police for being very restrained, its professional action deserving respect, and on the other hand persuading students and citizens to fight for democracy in a legal way. Apple Daily reported on Aug. 30, 2014, that Ho commented in an interview on the civil nomination proposal demanded by members of the pro-democracy camp for the 2017 Hong Kong chief executive election, saying theres no such thing as civil nomination in any political system worldwide and that he feared it may result in a member of the Triad organized crime syndicate getting nominated for the post. Su Gengzhe, a senior political commentator from Hong Kong, told The Epoch Times that in Toronto in 2014, a Sing Tao staff member told him that Ho once announced to his management team that whoever made an anti-communist statement would be pouring my rice (meaning jeopardize my livelihood). During the anti-extradition protests in Hong Kong last year, Ho published a full-page article titled Wait and See, which criticized Chief Executive Carrie Lam for being inefficient in stopping violence and preventing chaos. The Epoch Times contacted Sing Tao for comment but received no response. Canadian Hong Kong Community Concerned Canadian citizen Wang Zhuoyan, who grew up in Hong Kong, said she worries the citys autonomy will be damaged by the national security legislation because the CCP is bypassing the Hong Kong Legislative Council to establish the law, which is a direct violation of the Sino-British Union Statement and the principle of One Country, Two Systems. Once the law is implemented, freedom of speech, freedom of publication, and freedom of assembly will be in danger Wang told The Epoch Times. We have seen people with different political views who were punished and persecuted in mainland China. I believe it will happen in Hong Kong. Wang, who is the executive director of Alliance Canada Hong Kong, said that last year she saw many Hong Kong protesters being abused and attacked when detained by police. We are shocked, she said, that the Hong Kong Police Force, once hailed as one of the best police forces in Asia, has sunk to such a level. When this law is implemented, we have to face not only the corrupted police in Hong Kong but also people sent by the CCP, she said. Looking at the trend of police violence in Hong Kong in the past year, its been very worrying. And I cannot imagine how much worse this situation will become. Critics fear that the national security law, which bans acts of secession, subversion, and terrorism activities, would be used by Beijing to suppress and persecute dissenting voices. Local pro-democracy activists and lawmakers note that national security laws are frequently used to prosecute and jail dissidents in the mainland. The law also opens up the possibility of Beijings security agencies setting up operations in Hong Kong. Former Chinese lawyer Lai Jianping believes the CCP wants to strengthen its control of Hong Kong as part of its push to strengthen its control of the entire Chinese world. The regime is also afraid that the spirit of protest in Hong Kong will spread to mainland China, and that the people of mainland China will learn from Hong Kongs wave of fighting for democracy and freedom. Therefore, it must conquer Hong Kong as soon as possible, Lai said. CCP and Overseas Chinese Media According to a 2001 report by the Jamestown Foundation, four main tactics have been utilized by Beijing to control Chinese media in the United States. First is the attempt to directly control media by purchasing ownership of newspapers, television stations, and radio stations. Second is making use of economic ties to influence independent media that have business relations with China. Sing Tao is a good example. This leverage ensures that unfavorable content is avoided. Third is the purchase of broadcast time and advertising space by Beijing, as well as the regime providing free, ready-to-go programming and content. And the fourth is the deployment of government personnel to work in independent media and achieve influence from within. These tactics have been applied with much effect to both national- and local-level Chinese media throughout the United States, the report said. The report also described how the four main Chinese newspapers in the United States were directly or indirectly controlled by the CCP. It said the deputy chief editor at Sing Taos North America headquarters in San Francisco, Larry Lee (Li Ge), is himself a former editor of the Peoples Daily, the mouthpiece of the CCP. Last year, the Hong Kong governments attempt to enact legislation allowing extradition to mainland China led to several months of protests in the city. Ho published in Sing Tao 12 crimes of Chief Executive Lam for her ineffectiveness in stopping violence and urged Lam to act in accordance with Beijings instructions. Even though we are in Canada or in Australia or Europe, most Chinese media are under the influence of the Chinese communist regime. This is a very sad reality, said Sheng Xue, chair of the Federation for a Democratic China. The Beijing regime has infiltrated Chinese communities and networks in Canada, Sheng said, and business owners and others fear reprisals and exclusion from the community if they oppose the regime. If youre not following the regime, then you are not with them, she said. For Chinese media, it is very hard to stay neutral. A conference paper by Anne-Marie Brady, global fellow of the Wilson Center and a professor at the University of Canterbury, states that the Peoples Republic of Chinas foreign influence activities are part of a global strategy. Brady said Chinas go-global, multi-platform, national and international strategic communication strategy aims to influence international perceptions about China, shape international debates about the Chinese government, and strengthen management over the Chinese-language public sphere in China, as well as globally. She also noted that Chinas foreign media outlets such as China Global Television Network are employing more foreigners so as to have foreign faces explaining CCP policies. The Chinese state media advertorial supplement China Watch runs regularly in major North American newspapers, and state-owned China Central Television dominates the Chinese-language cable programs in Canada and the United States. The Hoover Institution report stated that along with Sing Tao, the World Journal, Ming Pao, online and social media outlets such as WeChat, and Chinese-language schools as well as Chinese-backed organizations are all part of the United Front. Viralcashmailer.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 11 Dec 2012, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the viralcashmailer homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the viralcashmailer homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if viralcashmailer has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the viralcashmailer homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the viralcashmailer homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the viralcashmailer homepage on Twitter + the total number of viralcashmailer followers (if viralcashmailer has a Twitter account). Basic Information PAGE TITLE Viral Cash Mailer DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE ISO-8859-1 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache (PHP/5.2.17) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux The language of viralcashmailer.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Type of server and offered services. Character set and language of the site. Operative System running on the server. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for viralcashmailer.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The type of Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The URL of the found Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Federal prosecutors in New York accused a former Venezuelan lawmaker on Wednesday of participating in narcoterrorism in an indictment claiming that a cartel headed by government leaders conspired with the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas to commit attacks against the U.S. The U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan accused Adel El Zabayar, 56, of conspiracy to commit narcoterrorist acts, conspiracy to import cocaine, and two weapons-related offenses. If found guilty, he could face 10 years to life in prison. El Zabayar is the president of the Venezuelan Federation of Arab Associations and Entities and was a member of the countrys National Assembly. According to the indictment, El Zabayar is an active member of the Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, a network of officials of the Nicolas Maduro regime involved in drug trafficking. The cartel allegedly includes Maduro himself and his number two, Diosdado Cabello. They were both indicted along with other officials in March on charges of drug trafficking, narcoterrorism, corruption, and money laundering. The federal prosecutors said that at the request of Cabello, El Zabayar obtained anti-tank rocket launchers in 2014 as partial payment for cocaine provided to the cartel by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which is considered to be a terrorist organization. We further allege today, for the first time, that the Cartel de los Soles sought to recruit terrorists from [Hezbollah] and Hamas to assist in planning and carrying out attacks on the U.S., and that El Zabayar was instrumental as a go-between, said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman. The indictment claims that El Zabayar held several meetings in 2014 with Cabello, who instructed him to travel to Syria and Palestine to obtain weapons and recruit members of Hezbollah and Hamas to train them in Venezuela. Cabello explained that the purpose was to create a large terrorist cell capable of attacking United States interests on behalf of the Cartel de los Soles, the indictment says. Story continues After spending several months in the Middle East, El Zabayar returned to Venezuela. A week after his return, he went to the presidential hangar at the Maiquetia airport in Caracas to receive, along with Cabello, a shipment of weapons from Lebanon, prosecutors said. Weapons allegedly obtained by El Zabayar included rocket-propelled grenade launchers, AK-103 assault rifles and sniper rifles. The prosecution cites the testimony of an unidentified witness who was present at these meetings but presented no further evidence. Adel El Zabayar According to the indictment, El Zabayar also acted as a liaison between the Venezuelan government and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In 2013, media reports said El Zabayar, who is of Syrian descent, joined Hezbollah forces to fight in the Syrian civil war. The Justice Department declined to comment on El Zabayars whereabouts. He reacted on Twitter to the U.S. accusation, at first saying he was surprised, then daring the department to pay his round-trip ticket to the USA to respond to the accusation UNDER THE GUARDIANSHIP OF THE UN. In other tweets, he referred to the accusation as infamies, lies and comedy. An honor that the empire HATES ME AS MUCH as the rest of the comrades, he added. President Donald Trumps administration has imposed strong sanctions against the Maduro regime and the countrys oil industry. It has also supported the Venezuelan oppositions attempts to oust Maduro. Since April, the U.S. has increased its military presence in the Caribbean in a counter-narcotics operation that also aims to cut the illegal funds flowing to Maduro and his allies. Reuters also reported that the Department of Justice is considering pressing drug-trafficking charges against Cilia Flores, Maduros wife. Todays charges against Adel El Zabayar for trading arms for cocaine, and recruiting extremists, further demonstrates the corruption inside the Maduro regime, said Timothy J. Shea, acting director of the Drug Enforcement Administration. As the layers of the Maduro regime are exposed, so are its immoral, unethical, and dangerous actions. Follow Nora Gamez Torres on Twitter: @ngameztorres After Katherine Wolf met her husband Jay at college in Alabama, they were looking forward to embarking on their life journey together. Eager to start off on the right foot, Jay enrolled in law school at Pepperdine University, and the pair moved across the country. Eventually the Wolfs welcomed a son, James, and for the first six months, Katherine was enjoying motherhood - until she had a massive stroke at age 26 that changed everything. "The stroke was congenital and I had no warning, symptoms, medical history, nothing," Katherine told POPSUGAR. "I had zero indication beforehand that anything was wrong. Then out of nowhere, the brain arteriovenous malformation ruptured and caused the massive brain stem stroke." Related: After Growing Up Without a Father, a Man Made a Helpful YouTube Channel For Kids Who Need Support Katherine was unconscious for weeks. Meanwhile, Jay had to juggle studying for the finals and the bar exam, tending to an infant, and caring for his wife. Eventually, her condition began to improve. "Two-and-a-half months into the ordeal, I began to wake up. It took multiple days to fully come back. When I could really begin to understand where I was and what has happened, I immediately began to obsess over where the baby was. I remember thinking, 'Who was taking care of the baby? What's happened?' It was all about the baby, because he'd been just my sidekick. He was by my side for six months straight." Slowly, Katherine began to recover. She went on to have 11 additional brain surgeries and mastered using a wheelchair. After seven years of treatment and physical therapy, her doctor gave her the OK to try for their second child. Jay and Katherine welcomed their son, John, in 2015. Of course, having two kids at home requires a ton of energy, but Katherine has made it work. "Living unafraid and making the decision that I can do hard things has helped." "John is crazy, making parenting in the wheelchair insane because he's so active and wild," she said. "It's really special to have James who's now 12 and John who's almost 5 in our home. By all accounts, I was never supposed to be the mother of a second child when they didn't think I would live." Story continues Although Katherine doesn't deny that having physical disabilities can be challenging when raising kids, she knows that her boys will grow up to be passionate adults. "I'm severely disabled," explained Katherine. "I cannot walk, I'm in a wheelchair, and I cannot drive a car. One of my hands doesn't work because I lost fine motor movement after my stroke, and I have a lot of significant health challenges. Because of that, my sons are just locked in to empathy and compassion in life. You can't really teach that stuff. There's something very beautiful about having to have them watch their dad put me in the wheelchair and having to see me do anything. It sometimes takes me 10 times longer than an able-bodied person." Because of the effects of her stroke, Katherine relies on Jay for certain parenting duties - like driving the kids to school - but she tries to be involved in their day-to-day activities as much as possible. "It's not easy. I'm basically the cheerleader of the family. I'm really saying, 'Go Jay! You've got this!' I'm here cheering them on and trying to help where I can, but a lot of it is his doing," she said. "I try to stay very involved. For instance, I can't drive because, but I ride in the car to school. I've never missed a car ride because I like to think it's so important for mom to be there, too." Although Katherine knows firsthand how terrifying medical issues can be, she's pledged to live her life unafraid. "There's always an element of fear of what would happen with my brain, especially when I was pregnant," she shared. "No one knows. Wisdom for sure is as a part of it, but just living unafraid and making the decision that I can do hard things has helped. I've done hard things. I would tell women with disabilities that pregnancy is going to be a hard thing, and that it's worth it." To learn more about Katherine and Jay, head to their website Hope Heals. Additionally, Katherine and Jay have shared their life journey in their books, Hope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and an Overcoming Love and Suffer Strong. By Ghazala Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Aligarh: Aligarh police Thursday arrested Farhan Zuberi, former member of Aligarh Muslim University Students Union along with his friend Ravish Ali Khan. Support TwoCircles The arrest of Zuberi is the latest in the ongoing spree of arrests of student leaders and Muslim activists across the country. On the afternoon of Thursday, May 28, Farhan Zuberi, a final year Masters student in Social Work at AMU was arrested along with one of his friend Ravish, who was released later by the police. Zuberi is an active voice on the AMU campus and was a participant in the anti CAA protests and would always challenge discrimination against Muslims. On April 16, 2020, Amir Mintoee, another student activist of AMU was arrested by police while he was providing food to the patients stuck at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and hospital in Aligarh. He was also a part of anti CAA protest and was arrested for being critical to the governments anti-Muslim activities. Student activists see the latest arrest as an act of silencing dissenting voices before the lockdown is over and anti CAA protests resume. Mashkoor Ahmad Usmani, former President of Aligarh Muslim University students union said, Farhan and I shared the same union tenure and I look at him as an emerging leader of our community. Government is targeting leaders and activists based on their religious identities, be it Asif Tanha, Umar Khalid, Safoora Zargar or Farhan. They want to terrorize the idea of dissent and want to make us learn that we will face the repercussions if we dont bow down to their ideology or policies. Usmani said the arrest of Zuberi comes at a time when courts are closed and other legal proceedings are not taking place and it will be very difficult for prisoners to get bail or be released. Government is taking advantage of this lockdown to lock the voices before they start questioning the government again, he added. Imran Zuberi, brother of Farhan Zuberi told TwoCircles.net that his family has no idea why Zuberi was arrested. Farhan has always been vocal about the issues concerning justice. We dont even know the sections that have been registered against him, he said, adding, But one thing is very clear that this government is punishing dissenters. They dont like a single voice criticizing or questioning them. Imran said that they are yet to be given the reason for his arrest. We will fight legally to get him released as soon as possible, he said. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 23:57:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LILONGWE, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Malawi has reported 102 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections to 203 with 4 deaths. Ministry of Health and Population Services spokesperson, Joshua Malango, confirmed the development to local media Thursday saying the new cases are from samples taken on May 25 and May 26. The news comes at a time when over 400 Malawians returning home from South Africa escaped from Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre where they were temporarily held upon arrival to have their samples analysed for COVID-19. According to Malango, most of the new cases are from the Malawian returnees including those who escaped the temporary camp. "Of the 102 confirmed cases, 92 have been recorded from Malawian citizens returning home from South Africa on hired buses. Seven positive cases have been confirmed from samples that were collected from truck drivers and other travellers at Mwanza Border while 3 other positives have been confirmed in Lilongwe," he said. Meanwhile, authorities have come under heavy criticism for poorly managing the returnees who are now loose into the country's population of 18 million with little measures to restrict their movements. The country is expecting 2,800 more returnees from South Africa between Thursday and Friday, increasing public panic at the time social distancing is not observed in the country as political campaigns continue to draw thousands together ahead of the presidential election in a month time. Enditem As it happened, it had two copies of that issue of The Patriot. Society officials decided to sell one, a copy acquired nearly 90 years ago from the York County Historical Society in York, Pa. Christies, which will sell that copy in an online auction that opens June 2 and runs to June 18, estimates that it will go for $300,000 to $500,000 enough, the antiquarian society says, to buy something else that would make its collection more complete. Officials of the group would not say what they had their eyes on. Ellen S. Dunlap, the president of the antiquarian society, said the editors who printed Keys poem could not have known what it would become. They were just putting something in there to fill up the column inches, in a way, she said. If they had not published it, would it have been forgotten or lost? No, she said. It touched an emotion. Somebody was going to publish it. Newspapers often published poems and ballads in those days. This one just became kind of a big deal, she said. (But it took 117 years. It did not officially become the national anthem until 1931, by coincidence the year the society acquired the copy that Christies is selling) For the patriots who ran The Patriot, Keys song was not just stop-the-press news, it was start-the-press news. The paper had not come out in almost two weeks. With the British closing in on Baltimore, the staff had taken a hiatus from journalism and had been engaged in the defence of the city, and thus in the service of our country, the editors explained in an article adjacent to the one about Keys song. As such, said Peter Klarnet, Christies senior specialist in Americana, the issue served as a unique time capsule into the time in which it was printed. The Christian Association of Nigeria has expressed hope that the ban on religious gatherings in the country may be lifted by the first Sunday of June. The ban is among the safety precautions in place to combat coronavirus in the country. CAN President Rev Samson Ayokunle gave the indication in a statement on Wednesday. He said they had been consulting with the Federal Government on the modalities to follow. He said if the government did not entertain any fear in opening markets and banks, there would not be any basis to hesitate in opening churches considering the fact that they are more organised than markets and banks. Ayokunle said, As a law-abiding institution, the church in Nigeria and the Christian Association of Nigeria that binds all of us together complied, hitherto, with governments directive suspending church services for the past eight weeks now. However, the Church is well prepared for resumption of worship and as one of the most organised institutions in the country with trained leadership and good guidance by the Scripture. We are in discussions with the Federal Government and are drawing the guidelines that churches would follow in order not to endanger the life of any worshipper and equally prevent COVID-19 infection. We are sure of compliance if the government allows our compliance team to work hand-in-hand with their law enforcement agencies to monitor compliance. If the government didnt entertain any fear in opening markets and banks which are not as organised as the church, why should government entertain fear about the compliance of the church? We are hopeful that latest by the first Sunday in June, all our churches would open again for congregational worship under COVID-19 prevention regulations. As I said before, we are consulting with the government on this. Meanwhile, CAN, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 met on Wednesday over the issue. The CAN delegation was led by the Chairman of its North Central chapter and President of FCT Baptist Conference, Rev. Israel Akanji. The representatives of the Federal Government were said to have promised to prepare their own recommendations to be presented to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), who would decide the accepted ones and present them to the country in his nationwide broadcast scheduled for next week. Apart from the usual the guidelines, the NSCIA was said to have asked that worship be held the same hour according to Quranic injunctions, but said children would not take part. A source said, The PTF and NCDC promised to prepare their recommendations which will be presented to the President, who will decide the accepted ones and present them to the nation in his nationwide broadcast scheduled for Monday. All parties agreed that it was time to reopen worship centres, the source added. Among the 13 guidelines sent to The PUNCH by Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant (Media and Communications) to Ayokunle, every worshipper must be screened before going into the church hall, while people with high temperature would be advised to see their doctors. He said, CAN will constitute a committee together with law enforcement agencies to enforce full compliance. The guidelines for the church should be along these suggestions: churches should disinfect their premises first before they are reopened for services. Churches should provide alcoholic sanitisers, temperature readers, soap and water on their premises to be supervised by medical professionals in the church. Dominic Cummings might have broken coronavirus laws by taking a trip to Barnard Castle with his family, police have said. But Durham Constabulary said it would not take any further action against the prime ministers chief adviser. An investigation concluded that the journey on Easter Sunday would have warranted police intervention as a potential breach of the Health Protection Regulations, which enforce the lockdown. However, police found that Mr Cummings did not break the law with his earlier 260-mile journey from London to his parents farm in County Durham. Durham Constabulary does not consider that by locating himself at his fathers premises, Mr Cummings committed an offence contrary to regulation 6 of the Health Protection Regulations 2020, a statement added, confirming that police were only assessing breaches of the law rather than government guidance. Officers said they had examined the circumstances around the trip to Barnard Castle, including witness evidence, Mr Cummings press conference and data from ANPR cameras. We have concluded that there might have been a minor breach of the regulations that would have warranted police intervention, a statement said. Durham Constabulary view this as minor because there was no apparent breach of social distancing. Had a Durham Constabulary police officer stopped Mr Cummings driving to or from Barnard Castle, the officer would have spoken to him, and, having established the facts, likely advised Mr Cummings to return to the address in Durham, providing advice on the dangers of travelling during the pandemic crisis. Had this advice been accepted by Mr Cummings, no enforcement action would have been taken. Police said there was no intention to take retrospective action in respect of the Barnard Castle incident since this would amount to treating Mr Cummings differently from other members of the public. Boris Johnson on Dominic Cummings: 'I regret the confusion and the anger that people feel' Investigators said they found insufficient evidence to support further media reports that the adviser was in Durham on 19 April, which he denies, and would be taking no further action. A Downing Street spokesperson said: The prime minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and legally given all the circumstances, and he regards this issue as closed. The statement highlighted that police found Mr Cummings had not broken the law by travelling to Durham, but did not acknowledge the findings over Barnard Castle. Steve White, Durhams acting police and crime commissioner, said the force had acted without fear or favour. He added: I am grateful to the chief constable for the work conducted in extremely difficult circumstances and the comprehensive and proportionate consideration of the facts. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said Mr Cummings broke the rules he helped to write. The country cannot afford for this saga to carry on only Boris Johnson can draw a line under it, he added. Keir Starmer has said that if he was prime minister, he would have sacked Mr Cummings. Boris Johnson should follow that advice. If he does not act then he will send a clear message that there is one rule for his closest adviser and another for the British people. Critics have argued that Mr Cummings breached guidance which is not legally enforceable from the government and NHS telling families to isolate together in their primary residence if anyone develops symptoms. At the time of the initial journey, Mr Cummings wife had symptoms of coronavirus and he fell ill days later. The adviser said he travelled to County Durham to isolate near relatives who could provide food and childcare if needed. Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings Show all 11 1 /11 Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings The TImes Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings Daily Mirror Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings Daily Express Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings The Independent Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings Daily Mail Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings The Guardian Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings The Daily Telegraph Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings Financial Times Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings i Newspapers react after Johnson stands by Cummings The Sun He claimed that the trip to Barnard Castle on 12 April was made to test his eyesight, rather than for leisure or sightseeing purposes, before the family returned to London. At a press conference, Mr Cummings said he sat by the river to recover from a brief bout of sickness and was seen with his wife and son in a nearby wood because they had stopped the car to allow the young child to relieve himself. Mr Cummings also went to work in Westminster while his wife was ill and visited a hospital to pick up his son after developing Covid-19 symptoms. Fines for breaching coronavirus laws are handed out on the spot by police, and Mr Cummings was not stopped during his journeys in County Durham. A local officer spoke to his father on 1 April, who confirmed that Mr Cummings, his wife and son were self-isolating with coronavirus symptoms. Durham Constabulary said the officer provided advice on security issues and gave no specific advice on coronavirus to any members of the family. The force has previously fined at least two people who travelled to the county from London. A Freedom of Information (FoI) by the BBC showed the pair journeyed from the capital to Peterlee about a week after Mr Cummings, on 8 April. The two people travelled together but were from different households, which was against the rules at the time. The FoI data only covered the first two and a half weeks after the regulations came into force on 27 March. Police across England and Wales issued around 3,200 fines in that period, but the total has now risen to more than 14,000. (Getty) Durham Constabulary had handed out 137 fines in total by 11 May, provisional figures show. Calculations by The Independent show the force was issuing them at an average rate when compared to other areas by population size. Both the government and police have refused to review fines handed out under coronavirus laws in light of Mr Cummings trip. The Health Protection Regulations make it illegal to leave home or be outside without reasonable excuse. But the law lists several exceptions including to access critical public services, including childcare or educational facilities. Human rights organisations had previously called for a wider review of fines, raising concerns that a significant number of fixed penalty notices have been wrongly issued. A lawyer previously told The Independent that most people will have paid the fines because there is no route of appeal other than refusing to pay and risking prosecution. While restrictions were relaxed in England on 13 May, the default fine was increased from 60 to 100. The same changes were not made in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, sparking further confusion over the extent of the law. A vehicle-borne IED blast was averted as security forces detected a car fitted with explosives in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, police said. Srinagar: A vehicle-borne IED blast was averted as security forces detected a car fitted with explosives in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, police said. The improvised explosive device (IED) was safely defused. "A major incident of a vehicle-borne #IED blast is averted by the timely input and action by #Pulwama Police, CRPF and Army," the Kashmir zone police wrote on its Twitter handle. A major incident of a vehicle borne #IED blast is averted by the timely input and action by #Pulwama Police, CRPF and Army. IGP Kashmir @JmuKmrPolice Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) May 28, 2020 According to sources, a white coloured private car was flagged by security forces at a mobile vehicle checkpoint but the driver sped away. They said the security forces fired few shots at the car, which they found abandoned some distance away. During checking, an IED was found fitted in the vehicle, which was later defused, the sources said. Further details are awaited. The pressure on timber rattlesnakes from snake hunters may be relieved a bit in June 2020, as organizations sponsoring organized snake hunts have canceled the events due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions. Organized hunts, which see snake hunters collecting a few dozen rattlesnakes from the surrounding forests and bringing their best finds to the event grounds for scoring and display to the public in snake pits, canceled in June were: Rattlesnake Round-Up, hosted by the Morris Fire Department, had been scheduled for June 13-14 in Morris. Sinnemahoning Rattlesnake Hunt, hosted by the Sinnemahoning Sportsmen's Club, has been planned for June 12-14 in Sinnemahoning. Noxen Volunteer Fire Company Rattlesnake Round-Up was set for June 18-21 in Noxen. Cross Fork Snake Hunt, hosted by Kettle Creek Hose Company No. 1, had been planned for June 27-28 in Cross Fork. The Keystone Reptile Club, which manages the snake-related aspects of the organized hunts, noted on its Facebook page that all hunt sponsors have option to move hunts to July if the state of Pennsylvania opens up social gatherings. Many small towns across Pennsylvania held annual rattlesnake roundups and hunts a few decades ago, but the number of organized, public-spectator hunts in Pennsylvania has dwindled to just 4 in each of the past few years. And, the remaining events have morphed into combinations of carnivals, flea markets and snake hunts. The hunt portion of the weekend remains central but is no longer as big a focus as it once was. Each of the hunts attracts hundreds or thousands of spectators that do not participant in any hunting. Beyond the four organized rattlesnake hunts, Pennsylvania has a season for properly licensed individuals hunting timber rattlesnakes and northern copperheads that runs from the second Saturday of June through July 31. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission offers venomous snake-hunting permits online for a fee of $25 for a resident and $50 for a non-resident. An applicant must first purchase a Pennsylvania fishing license. A permitted hunter may annually take, kill or possess only one timber rattlesnake at least 42 inches long and having 21 or more subcaudal scales, which are the large, flat scales on the underside of the snake between its vent and the base of its rattle. That requirement is intended to protect female timber rattlesnakes, which have fewer than 21 subcaudal scales. The permitted hunter may take, kill or possess one copperhead per year. The permit includes a tag that the hunter must complete upon taking, killing or possessing a rattlesnake and keep available as long as he has the snake. The hunter also must file an annual report with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Organized hunts require hunters to return their snakes to the spots where they were collected. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. Will Effective K-12 Education Survive Gov. Newsoms May Revise Budget? At his presentation of the 2020-21 May Revision budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom testified to the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on Californias economy. He said in a little over 100 days the coronavirus pandemic precipitated a 22.3% reduction in the states revenues. As a result of shelter-at-home orders issued to slow the coronavirus spread and save lives, millions of Californians have lost their jobs, schools have suspended classes and businesses have closed. According to Newsom, the pandemic created a $54.3 billion gap between projected state revenues and expenses since his January budget presentation. In order to rebalance the budget as required by law, he employs a number of financial maneuvers, including targeted spending reductions, redirecting aid from the federal government, creating new revenue sources, instituting deferrals, and drawing from the states rainy-day reserve fund. There is a possibility that funding could be restored to original budget levels if the HEROES Act, a $3 trillion stimulus bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, gains Senate and presidential approval. ADVERTISEMENT The projected drop in revenues significantly impacted how Newsom plans to fund Californias K-12 public education system. General funds for public education are projected to be down about $12 billion in 2020-21. About $1.6 billion in budget augmentations the governor proposed in January are rescinded. However, a $645 million increase to special education funding is being retained. The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which awards state money to school districts, is cut by 10 percent or a $6.4 billion reduction. Career technical education programs are cut in half, saving $100 million, and the After School Education and Safety Program will be cut by $100 million. To make up for the forced cuts in general fund contributions, Newsom is proposing several offsetting mitigating actions. $4 billion from the Coronavirus Relief Fund and $355 million from the Governors Emergency Relief Fund will be provided to school districts for learning loss mitigation. $1.6 billion is appropriated from federal Title 1 funds for school programs and another federal program will provide $714 million for child nutrition. $2.3 billion is being redirected from state funds to reduce pension contribution rates and deferred payments will be used to make about $5.4 billion available for school districts spending. According to the Legislative Analysts Office (LAO), the actions taken by Newsom achieved overall school funding that is roughly flat year-over-year. Acknowledging Newsoms efforts, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said, I want to thank Governor Newsom for working hard to prioritize and preserve public education as we weather this economic downturn. Todays updated budget proposal includes a variety of measures designed to avoid permanent cuts to education, which otherwise could have lasting impacts on a generation of students. California Teachers Association (CTA) President E. Toby Boyd said, Governor Newsoms leadership and commitment to safety in our public schools and colleges has been clear and much appreciated since the coronavirus surfaced in our communities 10 weeks ago. He also says, But the proposed education cuts for the 2020-21 budget will be devastating at a time when students need more support. ADVERTISEMENT The issues that plague K-12 education in California have only been magnified since the education budget was proposed in January. Then, Newsom expressed a clear intent to address the African American student achievement gap, to promote more diversity among teachers, and improve access to early childhood education programs. Parents have given school districts across the state high marks for how theyve responded to the pandemic. A statewide poll, conducted by Global Strategy Group for The Education TrustWest, finds that 81% of respondents rate school leaders general handling of the closures as excellent or good. But nearly 9 in 10 California parents are worried about their children falling behind academically due to coronavirus-related school closures. The governor, state superintendent of public instruction, county superintendents, school superintendents, school boards, charter school operators, corporations, foundations and individual citizens have all joined in a monumental effort to bridge the digital divide needed to achieve student equity in participating in the distance learning programs school districts developed to take the place of classroom instruction. According to the Department of Education, student enrollment is 6.2 million students, but 450,000 students are still without computers. 345,000 are in need of access to an internet connection. Although progress has been made in bridging the digital divide, the quick transition from classroom to online distance learning has raised concerns about students experiencing a COVID-slide. The term describes an educational setback students may experience when schools open in the fall. Experts predict they could return with one-third less learning gains in reading and less than 50% in math than they would have achieved in a typical school year. Were kind of assuming new materials are being offered, but new learning is not continuing at the rate it should, according to Megan Kuhfeld of the Northwest Evaluation Association. Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) has expressed concern about there being no statewide standard for distance learning programs. Ting said, Not only is there a lack of guidelines across districts, there is a lack of guidelines within districts If there are no guidelines its like were going into the Wild West California Department of Education (CDE) representatives responding to Ting at an education budget hearing indicated that it was up to the school districts to determine how best to deliver distance learning. When they realized it was an unacceptable response, they committed that CDEs Loss of Learning Ad Hoc Committee co-chaired by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) and E. Toby Boyd, CTA President, would be providing guidelines sometime in June. Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) said about Newsoms revised budget, This is a survival budget and that were trying to make sure that all of our kids and all of our staff and all of our school districts are kept safe. He went on to point out that the budget is directing a portion of the $4.4 billion for learning loss mitigation to go only to districts receiving LCFF concentration grant funds. That deprives money for needy students attending school districts not eligible for concentration grants, Muratsuchi said. The academic performance of African American students lags behind their peers under normal conditions. While school districts have tried hard to make distance learning equitable, for many students it just hasnt worked out. The challenge the Legislature faces as it considers approving the education budget is to assure that enough funds are allocated for school districts to provide safe, effective learning opportunities for all students under current health emergency circumstances. The girlfriend of the Sydney Lindt Cafe gunman who was sentenced to 44 years in prison for murdering his wife is using tax-payer money to appeal her sentence. Amirah Droudis, now 37, was convicted in 2016 after stabbing the mother-of-two 18 times and setting her on fire following a bitter custody battle with Man Monis. Monis, who was shot dead at the Martin Place siege in 2014 after holding 18 people hostage, recruited his girlfriend to murder his wife in 2013. But she has now launched a publicly-funded appeal to have her sentence reduced, according to the Daily Telegraph. Using Legal Aid NSW, which is funded by Australian taxpayers, she will argue the sentence was 'manifestly excessive', with the case due to be heard in June by the Court of Criminal Appeal next month. Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis (pictured, left) recruited girlfriend Amirah Droudis (right) to murder his wife in 2013 Amirah Droudis (pictured in 2016) was sentenced to 44 years in prison for savagely stabbing the mother-of-two, known as Helen Lee The victim had arrived at Monis' Werrington apartment block to collect their two children on April 21, 2013, but was attacked by Droudis in the hallway. After a judge-only trial, she was sentenced to 44 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 33 years. Her victim was given the pseudonym Helen Lee to protect her family's identity. Controversially, Droudis - who declared herself a terrorist - had been on bail when Monis launched his rampage in Sydney's CBD. Monis was also on bail, leaving him free to undertake the horrific terrorist hostage-taking, killing cafe manager Tori Johnson and mother and lawyer Katrina Dawson. Sydney siege hostage Elly Chen (pictured) is seen escaping the Lindt Chocolate cafe in Martin Placeon December 15 2014 Monis (pictured at his wedding to his first wife, whose identity has never been revealed) organised for her to be murdered during a bitter custody dispute He had been accused of his wife's murder and a series of sex offences. There is no suggesting Droudis was involved in the siege. Justice Peter Johnson, who found her guilty in 2016, she Monis planned the murder and recruited his girlfriend to carry it out, calling him an 'evil man' with 'vile beliefs'. Previously a mini-skirt-wearing hairdresser, Droudis met the terrorist in 2003. She soon converted to Islam, changing her name from Anastasia to Amirah. Droudis then appeared in 11 vile terrorist videos, which praised Osama bin Laden and gleefully discussed the September 11 terror attacks, the Bali bombings and the Holocaust. 'This was a brutal and callous attack upon a defenceless woman,' Justice Johnson said at the time. Monis forced workers at the cafe (pictured during the 2014 siege) to put ISIS propaganda in the windows Man Haron Monis (pictured in 2009) was the gunman behind the fatal Sydney cafe siege of 2014 '(Droudis) continued to stab Helen Lee after she was on the ground, making an attempt to defend herself by raising her hand.' Monis later tried to establish an alibi by staging a car crash outside a nearby police station to coincide with the time of the murder, later claiming Ms Lee's own father killed her. A spokesman for Legal Aid NSW said they were not allowed to comment on 'clients or potential clients'. The siege ended when police killed Monis after he shot hostage and Lindt Cafe manager Johnson. A self-styled cleric, Man Monis (pictured) was shot by snipers during the terrifying siege in 2014 in Sydney's CBD Police officers (pictured on December 15) stormed the cafe after Monis, who was out on bail for violent and sexual crimes, executed cafe manager Johnson Mumbai, May 28 : Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari launched several austerity measures to reduce the expenses of Raj Bhavan to make available more resources for Covid-19 relief, an official said here on Thursday. These measures are expected to save around 10-15 per cent of the Raj Bhavan budget for the current fiscal. Among the measures are no fresh capital works, whether new constructions or repair works, would be undertaken, barring ongoing works till they are completed. For this year, the upcoming Independence Day Reception, a red-letter day in the Raj Bhavan calendar of events, will be cancelled in Pune. The Governor has also barred all new regular recruitments and has deferred the proposal of purchase for a new car for the Raj Bhavan. Visiting dignitaries will be greeted warmly but without a bouquet as is the normal practice, which is being stopped, while the guest rooms in the palatial Arabian Sea-facing Raj Bhavan will not be decorated with flower vases/pots. Similarly, the VVIPs will not be presented with gifts or mementos as is customary, till further orders. Governor Koshyari will hold meetings and interactions with Vice-Chancellors of universities and other officials through video-conferencing to avoid travel expenses. The Governor has already given his one month salary and further pledged 30 per cent of his salary for one year to the PM CARES Fund. "The Governor estimates that these austerity measures would be a small but significant contribution to save resources that can be used to reduce the peoples' sufferings in the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic," said an official. Maharashtra is the worst-hit by the pandemic recording 1,897 fatalities and 56,998 cases till date. [May 28, 2020] Meet the Smaller Post-COVID-19 Office Space HOBOKEN, N.J., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Messaging Architects, an eMazzanti Technologies Company and information governance consultant, discusses the likely long-term smaller office spaces post-COVID-19 in a new article on the Messaging Architects website. The informative article presents several factors influencing office size, including technology, cost cutting, and increased permanent work from home (WFH) employees. The author goes on to share how future office spaces will be different. "COVID-19 will end at some future date. Its effects will last much longer, likely resulting in a generally smaller post-COVID-19 office space," stated Greg Smith, Vice President of Services Delivery at Messaging Architects. Below are a few excerpts from the article, "Meet the Smaller Post-COVID-19 Office Space." Why Offices will be Smaller "Lending support to this scenario, a recent Gartner survey revealed that 74% of CFO's expect to increase to cut commercial real estate costs. Indeed, cost-cutting measures pursued in response to tougher economic conditions make a lot of sense. Consider these additional factors:" - "Technology will make remote work as productive or more productive than in the office" - "With improved work-life balance, a more content WFH employee is more productive, giving both workers and employers good reason to continue WFH policies" More reasons offices will be smaller >> Looking Ahead to After COVID-19 We all want to get past the COVID-19 crisis and return to normal. While that long-term normal reveals itself, business leaders can boost productivity to a whole new level with fast, reliable, and flexible Cloud migrations from Messaging Architects. Have you read? 5 ways to Protect Your Business from COVID-19 Phishing SCAMS New Reasons to Migrate to Microsoft 365 About Messaging Architects With over 20 years of information management and technology consulting experience, the Messaging Architects team has provided corporations, educational intuitions, health care facilities and nonprofits with methodologies, procedures and technology to keep their data organized, compliant and secure. About eMazzanti Technologies eMazzanti Technologies has made the Inc. 5000 list eight consecutive years, is a 4X Microsoft Partner of the Year, the #1 ranked NYC area MSP, NJ Business of the Year and 5X WatchGuard Partner of the Year! Contact: 1-866-362-9926, [email protected] or http://www.emazzanti.net Twitter: @emazzanti Facebook: Facebook.com/emazzantitechnologies. Contact: Kent Sorensen, 480-334-5403, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meet-the-smaller-post-covid-19-office-space-301066592.html SOURCE Messaging Architects By Donald Kirk Details about what happened at Gwangju during those terrible days from May 18 through May 27, 1980, remain elusive four decades later. One of the greatest mysteries is who ordered helicopters to fire on demonstrators. Investigators will have trouble extracting confessions from aging army veterans or finding witnesses beyond those who have long since described what they saw, but hidden documents may be revealing. Chun Doo-hwan, the general who seized power in the months after the assassination of President Park Chung-hee nearly seven months earlier, has consistently denied helicopters fired on civilians, but the evidence is overwhelming. Those who saw them firing have already given eyewitness reports. The pockmarks of bullets slanting in downward trajectories are on display in the renovated Jeonil Building across May 18 plaza from the former provincial government offices that were occupied by student protesters before the final onslaught on May 27. Chun is not going to alter his denials while on trial for libeling a priest who described the firing from the helicopters. The record is clear even if we don't know how the order was passed down the chain of command. Could it be that Chun and his friend, General Roh Tae-woo, gave commanders the license to do as they pleased? The other great mystery that the commission might try to resolve is the American role. A raft of declassified State Department documents shows American concerns, conversations between American and Korean leaders and debate at high levels in Washington about what to do. As Brad Martin, a journalist colleague who was there at the same time as I, has written, there was still no "smoking gun," no document in which the Americans advise on suppressing the uprising, much less suggest firing on protesters. In fact, the State Department has released message traffic that shows the concerns of William Gleysteen, U.S. ambassador to Korea from 1978 to 1981, one of the most critical periods in the country's history, before, during and after the uprising. In one document, Gleysteen reported that "firmness toward the students should be coupled with conciliatory moves in the political area." Instead, the generals "proceeded with the May 17 crackdown" though "reactions" in Gwangju and elsewhere "had shown the generals to have been wrong." The military made a serious mistake, Gleysteen wrote, by "attacking Kim Dae-jung," the dissident hero and later President, who was jailed well before the students rose up in his name. "I was really more worried at this point about internal miscalculations," Gleysteen stated, than "about imminent attack from North Korea." Evans Revere, then a young U.S. diplomat in Japan, later deputy chief of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, fears "blame for the massacre can be placed on the United States." One talking point for this position is the claim that General John Wickham, the U.S. commander in Korea, authorized the movement of the 20th division to Gwangju. Operational control, however, was a formality. Wickham did not have the power to tell Chun not to send South Korean troops down there and was shocked by what happened. "The record seems pretty clear that Chun and the generals were lying to the United States about their intentions," Revere told me in an email. "Using their control of the media to portray the United States as supportive," they were "making sure that the U.S. was portrayed as complicit." Chun "was essentially playing the same game," the blame game, "that the Left has been playing ever since the massacre." The investigation should come up with details that have remained unknown for years along with material that's already out there. Any inquiry should note Gleysteen's attempts to persuade Chun of the need for democratic reform for which he had pressed well before Gwangju. "Our basic concern was that any new political arrangements in Korea be developed in a way which was acceptable to the Korean people," Gleysteen told a senior Cheong Wa Dae official a month after the massacre. He wanted Chun to know "We were particularly disturbed by some anti-American maneuvering within the regime quite apart from anti-American criticism in opposition/dissident quarters." The Americans, as the documents indicate, were caught between polarized forces. Hopefully the May 18 commission will focus on that dilemma while ferreting out new material. Donald Kirk visited the headquarters of the uprising in the provincial building before the end. He and other journalists got an impassioned briefing by Yun Sang-won, spokesperson and leader of the "citizen's militia," who died in the massacre. Donald Kirk ( ) writes from Seoul as well as Washington. crude oil Ravindra Rao COMEX gold trades mixed near $1,710/oz after a 0.3 percent gain on May 27. Gold fell as low as $1,684.2/oz in intraday trade on Wednesday but recovered to close above $1,700/oz level. Gold fell sharply in the last few days as stability in equity market reduced demand for safe-haven assets. Equity markets are on a firmer footing amid expectations that easing of virus-related restrictions may help economic activity pick up while stimulus measures by central banks and governments may help boost recovery. Improving virus situation in Europe, the US and some parts of Asia has led to the easing of virus-related restrictions. Amid latest on stimulus front, the European Union proposed a 750 billion-euro ($825 billion) recovery fund, two-thirds of which would take the form of grants, while the rest would be made up of more conditions-based loans for which countries could apply, Reuters reported. However, keeping a floor to the gold price is the weakness in the US dollar. The US dollar index remained under pressure as improved risk sentiment dented its safe-haven appeal. Concerns about the health of the US economy have added to pressure on the currency. Also, supporting gold price is increased US-China tensions and geopolitical tensions. US-China tensions have been high in the last few days over various issues, however, the latest leg of uncertainty is due to Chinas security law for Hong Kong. Tensions rose yesterday as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that China had undermined Hong Kongs autonomy so fundamentally the territory no longer warranted special treatment. ETF inflows also show renewed buying interest in the metal. Gold holdings with SPDR ETF rose by 2.33 tonne to 1119.04 tonne, highest since April 2013. Gold has bounced back after taking support near $1,680/oz level and amid increased US-China tensions but stable equity markets has restricted upside. We expect choppy trade to continue and one needs to wait for lower levels to create long positions. NYMEX crude fell over 2 percent to trade near $32 per barrel after a 4.5 percent decline yesterday. Crude oil price surged to over 2-month high earlier this week however failure to test the $35/bbl level has led to some correction. Weighing on crude price is API weekly report which noted an unexpected increase in US crude oil stocks and a bigger than expected rise in product stocks. API noted an 8.73 million barrels increase in US crude oil stocks as against forecast of 1.9 mn bbl decline. Also, weighing on crude price are concerns about US energy exports as increased tensions between the US and China threatens the partial trade deal signed earlier this year. Furthermore, weighing on price is mixed reports on OPEC and allies future course on production policy. OPEC and allies are due to meet on June 10 to discuss their production policy and market players want to see if more action is possible. Reuters noted that Russian Energy Minister met with domestic major oil companies to discuss the implementation of global oil production curbs and the possible extension of the current level of cuts beyond June. Bloomberg reports noted that Russia was in favour of easing up on supply cuts as planned in July. Supporting crude price is firmness in the US equity market as market players focus on reopening of global economies which will help boost economic activity and hopes of additional stimulus measures to support economic recovery. API inventory report has broken the upward momentum in crude oil price and we could see some extended correction at least ahead of inventory report today. The author is VP- Head Commodity Research at Kotak Securities : The views and investment tips expressed by experts on moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. The Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Niale Kaba, has debunked reports that the president of the bank, Akinwumi Adesina, has been asked to step down. In a statement signed by Ms Kaba, dated May 27, the board chairperson said the board is treating the lingering issue with utmost seriousness. On Tuesday, May 26, the office of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank Group held a meeting to examine the matter arising from a complaint from the board of directors of the bank, and about that which I received from some shareholders expressing different points of view, the statement said. The bureau, which I chair, wishes to assure the public that it is seized with the matter and it is treating it with utmost seriousness which it deserves. Further, the bureau informs the public that it has not taken any decision as falsely conveyed in some publications. I must emphasise that there is no governance or constitutional crisis at the African Development Bank Group. It is indeed false that the president of the Bank Group has been or is being asked to step down from his position. A Bloomberg report Wednesday claimed that the banks board may have agreed to an independent probe of Mr Adesina, after the U.S. rejected an internal investigation that cleared him of allegations of favoritism. Quoting two people familiar with deliberations on the matter, the report said Africas largest multilateral lender decided on the inquiry after several governments backed U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchins criticism of a bank-led examination into the allegations. READ ALSO: Bloomberg added that Mr Adesina may have to step back from the role until the probe is completed. But the board Thursday debunked such claims, saying Mr Adeshina has not been asked to step back as reported. Allegations In a petition by a group of whistleblowers, Mr Adesina was accused of 20 breaches of the banks code of conduct, including unethical conduct, private gain, an impediment to efficiency, preferential treatment, and involvement in political activities. The group, which noted their allegations were in line with AfDBs whistle-blowing policy, said these activities adversely affected the confidence and integrity of the bank. The bank, however, found the allegations to be frivolous. Regardless, the United States government expressed deep reservations about the integrity of the committees process and called for a fresh in-depth investigation of the allegations. In a letter dated May 22, 2020 to Ms Kaba, the U.S. government, through the Secretary, Department of Treasury in Washington, D.C., faulted the decision of the committee to totally exonerate Mr Adesina of all allegations, saying it was not yet time to make such a declaration. Mr Adesina in his response Wednesday maintained that he is innocent of all allegations of fraud levelled against him. He added that he believes a just, transparent and fair process would prove his innocence. I am confident that fair, transparent and just processes that respect the rules, procedures and governance systems of the Bank, and the rule of law, will ultimately prove that I have not violated the Code of Ethics of this extraordinary institution, he said. He also promised to work with other stakeholders of the bank in its drive to fulfil the mandate of transforming and accelerating Africas development. On Thursday, the Board of Governors said the bureau must be allowed to carry out its duty and deliver Justice on the matter. Everyone must allow the Bureau to do its work and allow due process to reign. All the Governors will be carried along in resolving the issue, the statement said. San Jose Serviced Apartments San Jose and Silicon Valley are critical parts of the national economy. Key Housing, the leading California service to locate hard-to-find serviced and furnished short term rentals in Northern California at https://keyhousing.com/, is proud to announce its NorCal designee for featured complex. Essential travel is slowly resuming to Northern California and many business travelers are looking for non-hotel options as California slowly reopens. "San Jose and Silicon Valley are critical parts of the national economy," explained Robert Lee, President of Key Housing. "Not surprisingly, essential travel is slowly increasing and we are seeing an uptick in inquiries for so-called 'serviced' or 'furnished' short term rentals in the San Jose area. Hence, our NorCal designee shines the light on our advantages vis-a-vis hotels." The company has designated the "Villa Torino Apartments" as the San Jose winner for featured complex for June, 2020. It can be viewed at https://www.villatorinoapts.com/. The complex offers furnished or so-called 'serviced apartments' and is convenient to downtown San Jose and indeed all of Silicon Valley. It's even pet-friendly, offering dog and cat owners the opportunity to bring their favorite friends if they so desire, subject of course to specific limitations per the rental agreements. Parking is also available thus making the complex car-friendly and great for an essential traveler who wants to stay in San Jose but may have meetings or engagements in nearby cities like Santa Clara or Milpitas or elsewhere in Santa Clara county. Persons who want to learn more can also visit the Key Housing listing at https://www.keyhousing.com/rightside.asp?action=form3&ID=148 and reach out to a rental consultant for help finding hard-to-find serviced apartments not just in San Jose but in Milpitas, Santa Clara, Mountain View and other key Silicon Valley population centers. Foreigners who want to read up on San Jose can also visit the company's blog at http://blog.keyhousing.com/tag/san-jose/. SAN JOSE AND POST-CORONAVIRUS SAFETY MEASURES San Jose, like all of California, is taking extensive precautionary measures against the Coronavirus. Obviously, the first priority of Key Housing is to protect the health and safety of its employees, clients, and their families. However, many companies and the government are still requiring employees to engage in essential travel. Travel to San Jose and nearby cities is thus continuing, but the business traveler is concerned about crowded hotels including exposure to other guests, staff, crowded buffets, and restaurants, etc. For this reason, Key Housing is issuing an alert on the advantages of short-term rentals vis-a-vis hotels. These are: a) Key Housing is closely monitoring and implementing all CDC recommendations to avoid the spread of COVID-19, b) Key Housing is not a hotel, that is an accommodation where multiple guests use the same furnishings, and instead each client enjoys the advantages of an individual residence, c) clients can rest assured in the knowledge that each Key Housing residence is set up for their exclusive use. As for the last point, each and every piece of furniture, housewares and linens in a temporary residence is being delivered fresh from the warehouse. Every item has been cleaned and disinfected. Additionally, special attention is paid to disinfecting all hard surfaces in the residence prior to a clients arrival. Journalists, bloggers, and clients who wish to learn more are encouraged to visit the website. ABOUT KEY HOUSING Based in Folsom, California, Key Housing Connections Inc. specializes in corporate housing and corporate rentals in large cities like San Diego, San Francisco, or Los Angeles as well as smaller cities like Carlsbad, Studio City, and Glendale. Key Housing is a leader in affordable, friendly, short-term serviced apartments in places like San Francisco, Ontario, Costa Mesa, and just about every city in California. Whether it's furnished apartments or serviced corporate housing, search, click, or call today! Key Housing (800) 989-0410 https://www.keyhousing.com/ Warren County leaders are asking short-term rental owners to take some basic health and safety precautions if they decide to resume renting their properties. Until now, leaders have asked property owners not to rent their properties at all during the coronavirus pandemic. The revised guidance includes an Airbnb request of allowing 24 hours between bookings for thorough room cleaning, use of approved cleaning products and ventilation of rooms. The state initially classified accommodations in Phase 3 of its reopening plan, but state leaders have modified that initial outlook, said Capital Region Control Room member Ryan Moore, the Warren County administrator. Hotels and accommodations have always been available to support essential services, and the state is now expanding that function in Phase 1 to recreational travelers including campground and RV park customers so long as precautions are taken to ensure proper social distancing, cleaning and disinfection protocols, Moore said in a statement. Our revised guidance reflects the states revised approach to accommodations. Warren County Health Services also requests that renters should all come from the same household and should not host outside visitors in the rental. Renters should keep track of when and where they travel in case someone becomes ill. Renters should follow established protocols for social distancing and wear a mask when social distancing cant be maintained. Renters should continue to limit unnecessary travel and use curbside pickup for food and other essential items. Property owners should have a plan in place to properly disinfect the rental after each visitor leaves, and allow at least 24 hours between bookings. Owners should have a plan in place to conduct a deep cleaning should a renter become ill. Owners should also display on the refrigerator a set of local protocols for visits from outside the region about mask use, gatherings and social distancing. Renters who become ill cannot be asked to leave. Rather, Warren County Health Services will need to be contacted to handle the matter. Owners must also post emergency services contact information for renters. Campground and RV park owners are asked to follow the states current guidelines for campgrounds available at https://esd.ny.gov/guidance-executive-order-2026. Warren County also released three posters that business owners can print for free and display in their businesses. Local design firm Sidekick Creative has provided a series of free signs for Warren County businesses to print and post to help remind their patrons to keep themselves and those around them safe. Each sign features text with all three reminders, so businesses can display all three or just one. The signs are based on a campaign done by Sidekick Creative for the Warren County Planning Department, which is on display in the Lake George Visitors Center. Local cases There were five people hospitalized with COVID-19 at Glens Falls Hospital on Thursday. Saratoga Hospital also has four positive patients. No one died from COVID-19 Thursday in any of the four local counties. On Thursday: Saratoga County reported three new COVID-19 cases, for a total of 467 cases. There was one new recovery reported, for a total of 404 people that have recovered from the virus. There are 49 active cases and six people are hospitalized, an increase of two. Warren County reported one new cases of COVID-19 in a nursing home Thursday morning. There have been 241 coronavirus cases confirmed since the outbreak began. No additional recoveries were documented, for a total of 152 full recoveries. Four COVID-19 patients are hospitalized and all are considered moderately ill. Thirty residents have died from COVID-19 infections. The last fatality was May 19. Washington County reported three new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 202 cases. There are 12 active cases, an increase of three. The number of recoveries stayed at 177. No one was hospitalized. There have been 13 deaths. Essex County has no new cases of COVID-19. The county has had 52 confirmed cases. There is one active case in Essex County, and 48 people have recovered. Twenty-nine people have tested positive for the antibodies. No one is hospitalized. Statewide, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 keeps declining and is under 4,200. New COVID-19 cases were at 163 on Wednesday. Seventy-four people died from COVID-19 infections in the state Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said from his daily press conference, held in Brooklyn on Thursday. The governor signed an executive order Thursday that authorizes private businesses to deny entrance to people who do not wear a mask or face covering. Cuomo said store owners have the right to protect themselves and other patrons. You dont want to wear a mask? Fine, but you dont have a right to then go into that store, if that store owner doesnt want you to, Cuomo said. Actress Rosie Perez and comedian Chris Rock joined the press conference. The two actors plan to do some commercials for the state encouraging people to wear masks and getting tested. Perez said she plan to spread love, the Brooklyn way. That says I love you and you love me. I respect you and you respect me back, she said. I dont care who you voted for. I dont care who youre going to vote for. All I care is we get out of this pandemic as quickly as possible and as safely as possible. Rock, who had a COVID-19 test Thursday, encouraged New Yorkers to get tested. If you love your grandmother, if you love your elderly mother, your elderly anybody, he said, you should get tested. Gretta Hochsprung writes hometown news and covers Washington County. You can reach her at ghochsprung@poststar.com or 518-742-3206. Follow her on Twitter @GrettaHoch or at her blog on www.poststar.com. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 3 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. Your wearable devices might be able to detect that you've been infected with the novel coronavirus days before you experience any symptoms. There are at least five studies analyzing smart trackers including Apple Watches, Fitbits, Oura smart rings, Garmin, Amazefits and Beddits. Researchers want to see if unusual changes in heart rate, activity, skin temperature sleep or other parameters and vitals can predict a COVID-19 diagnosis. Preliminary data from two of those studies, examining Fitbits and Ouras, suggest that the fitness trackers can do just that. Ouras were able to predict that people would experience symptoms such as a fever, cough or shortness of breath up to three days before they appeared. And Fitbits saw a spike in somebody's heart rate nine days before they reported symptoms to their physician. Fitness tracker companies have been teaming up with universities to develop an algorithm to detect the novel coronavirus before wearers show physical symptoms (file image) Early results from West Virginia University found that Oura smart rings (left) could predict up to three days before someone would experience symptoms. Researchers from Stanford saw Fitbit (right) record a spike in somebody's heart rate nine days before they reported symptoms to their doctor Although fitness trackers were first marketed as a way to count steps, several companies have become interested in combing technology with healthcare. Past research has linked wearable tech with early detection of a number of health issues including high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats and even kidney failure. Additionally, several anecdotal stories include patients who say their devices urged them to go to the emergency room before they even suspected they were ill. Last month, Fitbit announced it had partnered with Stanford Medicine and The Scripps Research Institute, to design an algorithm that measures a user's heart rate and skin temperature. The program would notice unusual patterns, which could predict if a wearer had contracted the virus before showing physical symptoms. 'Smartwatches and other wearables make many, many measurements per day - at least 250,000, which is what makes them such powerful monitoring devices,' Dr Michael Snyder, a professor and chair of genetics at the Stanford School of Medicine, said in a statement at the time. 'My lab wants to harness that data and see if we can identify who's becoming ill as early as possible - potentially before they even know they're sick.' Scientists say the wearable trackers could be beneficial in tracking down and isolating patients before they even receive positive test results. Pictured: Nurses care for a coronavirus patient in the ICU at Regional Medical Center in San Jose, California, May 21 Researchers told The Washington Post that early results show Fibits can predict COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, either before diagnosis or at the time of diagnosis, in 78 percent of the 14 patients they studied. In one patient, their heart rate jumped nine days before they even reported symptoms. In most cases, there were also unusual patterns but it was usually around the time patients noticed symptoms on their own. 'The bottom line is it is working, but it's not perfect,' Snyder told The Post. In a second study, Oura partnered several institutions including the University of California San Francisco Medical Center and West Virginia University. Thousands of medical staff and volunteers wear the rings, about the size of a wedding band, which detect body temperature, heart rate, and breathing rate. Participants wear the rings at night while they sleep and, because they record continuous amounts of data rather than take single readings, researchers believe they'll give a more accurate sense of a person's current health status. On Thursday, WVU's Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute said early results showed they can detect COVID-19 related symptoms such as a fever and coughing up to three days before they appear, with 90 percent accuracy. Dr Ali Rezai, executive chair of the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, says this is especially important when it comes to quickly identifying and isolating those at high risk, particularly frontline workers. 'The holistic and integrated neuroscience platform...allows for the accurate prediction of the onset of viral infection symptoms associated with COVID-19,' Rexai said in a statement. 'We feel this platform will be integral to protecting our healthcare workers, first responders, and communities as we adjust to life in the COVID-19 era.' In the US, there are more than 1.7 million confirmed cases of the virus and more than 100,000 deaths. Philadelphias Digital Literacy Alliance Fast Tracks Grant Cycle During COVID-19 New Online Exhibit Explores History of Mapping Bias Code for Americas GetYourRefund Project Evolves New York City has put out a call in search of partnerships that would expand its ability to offer affordable Internet connectivity to the residents of New York City Housing Authority homes.Formally, the call is being put out via a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI), which interested parties can find in full here . The deadline for responses is June 1. What the city is looking for, essentially, is a solution that will help address the digital divide and get more New Yorkers equitable access to technology that can benefit their lives.There is also a component that ties into the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, both in terms of the urgency with which the city would like to get residents connected and the amount of physical contact with citizens that potential partnerships would yield.As the city notes on the Web page announcing the RFEI, this is a unique opportunity for internet service providers, both large and small, with plans to rapidly close the digital divide in New York City to bring new service options to public housing communities while minimizing physical contact with residents.This all fits into broader efforts by the NYC Mayors Office of the Chief Technology Officer. The city has a New York City Internet Master Plan with a stated intention of releasing a Universal Solicitation for Broadband (USB). This new RFEI represents the first phase of the USB, with its special focus on expanding free or low-cost Internet to public housing residents.The last component worth noting here is that the city has also released statistics emphasizing why this work matters to the community, including that 46 percent of New York households living in poverty lack broadband at home, which totals roughly 1.5 million residents of the city.Residents lacking Internet access at home is a problem that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, with many of societys vital functions moving online to stem the rise of new virus infections. Education, telecommuting and telehealth functionalities are all being utilized at record numbers, and, as such, cities are working quickly to try to connect large segments of their populations.This RFEI from New York in search of partnerships is a clear example of these efforts.Also in response to the COVID-19 crisis, Philadelphias Digital Literacy Alliance (DLA) has fast-tracked its grant-making cycle.As a result, the DLA has named its three recipients for its grants this year, with the winners being Community Learning Center (CLC) , the ExCITe Center at Drexel University and SEAMAAC . Each of these organizations have been awarded $30,000.The groundwork for this move was laid in April, when the DLA began this process in order to provide funding that would create one or more roles called Digital Navigators within the selected organizations. These Digital Navigators are to be staffers focused on digital inclusion, doing the work of helping connect residents with affordable Internet service and technology. As the organization noted in its press release, those needs range from finding remote digital literacy training to helping residents apply for Internet access to identifying low-cost or free computers.Of the prize money, $25,000 is dedicated to launching the Digital Navigators while $5,000 is set for providing access to computers for those who need them. The selected groups all met the designated criteria for the grants, which were being prepared to identify an existing employee qualified to be a Digital Navigator, being able to define specific community reach within social distancing guidelines and having expertise in digital literacy work.In addition, Philadelphia has created this Web page to address issues around staying connected to the Internet during COVID-19.One of the key facets of civic tech is the visualization and mapping of data, and, as such, there is a new civic tech-related online exhibit that explores the history of bias in mapping.Dubbed Bending Lines , the project was initially scheduled to appear via a physical display in May 2020 put on by the Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Library. Due to COVID-19, however, all Boston Public Library buildings are currently closed. So now the exhibit has migrated online, where visitors can enjoy interactive material and new content specifically designed for digital consumption. Bending Lines is now being conceived of as a year-long project that will continue growing through virtual talks and workshops related to its content.What Bending Lines examines is the reality of every map being influenced by its creators' decisions, which can manifest in the way data is visualized within it. This could be because of design, labeling, data selection or other processes that are susceptible to potential biases. This reality, of course, is not always readily apparent to those who view maps, with their relatively straightforward surface presentations.Code for Americas GetYourRefund Project has continued to evolve during the COVID-19 crisis, so much so that the civic technologists involved with the work have shared a look at its evolution via a long thread on Twitter This thread which is a really interesting window into ambitious and large-scale civic tech work details the progression of involvement for volunteers with the project, complete with shout-outs to the Code for America Brigade members and staffers who have worked on this project.You can find it in full here. TEL AVIV, Israel and ATHENS, Greece, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alfa, founded in 1983 by Mr. Vasileios Paisios, has grown to become one of the leading providers of crop protection, fertilizers and seeds to Greek farmers. Alfa has served as ADAMA's representative in Greece for more than 30 years, and the companies have been strategic partners in the country since ADAMA's acquisition of a 49% stake in Alfa in 1993. ADAMA and Mr. Paisios have entered into a series of agreements in terms of which ADAMA will acquire the remaining 51% stake that it does not already own in Alfa, while Alfa will divest its formulation and logistics operations to a new entity owned by the Paisios family. As a result, ADAMA will own 100% of Alfa's commercial business including its wholly owned subsidiary Agribul in Bulgaria, providing ADAMA's crop protection and other agriculture-related inputs to local farmers. Bertrand Lombard, ADAMA's VP of Southern Europe, said: "After many successful years as ADAMA's partner, this transaction will finally bring Alfa fully into the ADAMA fold. With the support of Alfa's highly skilled team, ADAMA will further bolster its position and offering in this key market by driving the continued development of its value-added product portfolio, deepening Alfa's already strong relationships with local ag-input distributors, retailers and farmers, aiming at meeting the growing needs of farmers in Greece." Vasileios Paisios, Alfa's Chairman and CEO, added: "I am proud of our accomplishments over the decades, thanks to our talented team and our many years of collaboration with ADAMA. ADAMA's global reach and broad product offering, combined with our team's strong local expertise are a recipe for continued growth in this region. I see this as the next logical step in the development of the company to advance and progress in the dynamic Greek crop protection market." The transaction is expected to be completed within the coming weeks following the completion of customary closing procedures. About ADAMA ADAMA Ltd. is a global leader in crop protection, providing solutions to farmers across the world to combat weeds, insects and disease. ADAMA has one of the widest and most diverse portfolios of active ingredients in the world, state-of-the art R&D, manufacturing and formulation facilities, together with a culture that empowers our people in markets around the world to listen to farmers and ideate from the field. This uniquely positions ADAMA to offer a vast array of distinctive mixtures, formulations and high-quality differentiated products, delivering solutions that meet local farmer and customer needs in over 100 countries globally. For more information, visit us at www.ADAMA.com and follow us on Twitter at @ADAMAAgri. About ALFA Alfa Agricultural Supplies S.A. was founded in 1983 by Mr. Vasileios Paisios, and has grown to become one of Greece's leading providers of agricultural inputs. With a team of 85 employees, including 36 agronomists spread throughout Greece, the company offers a comprehensive product portfolio focused on the provision of high quality solutions and advice to the Greek farmer. Alfa's products (crop protection, seeds and fertilizers) provide solutions to most of crops in Greece. For more information, see www.alfagro.gr Contacts ADAMA: ALFA: Ben Cohen Vasileios Paisios Global Public Relations Management Email: [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE ADAMA Ltd. DGAP-News: Bond Resources Inc. / Key word(s): Miscellaneous The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 27, 2020) - BOND RESOURCES INC. (CSE: BJB) (the "Company" or "Bond") announces the following new appointments to the Board of Directors, following the closing of the acquisition of MJ Mining Inc., a private Canadian company whose wholly-owned US subsidiary holds the contractual rights to acquire the Mary K Property in Idaho, USA (the "Property"). (See news release of May 19, 2020 and related filings on SEDAR.) The Honourable Scott Brison of Windsor, Nova Scotia and Valery Zamuner of Outremont, Quebec were appointed directors of the Company following the resignations of Gary Arca and Cynthia Avelino. Mr. Arca continues to serve as CFO of the Company, and Ms. Avelino will act as Secretary. Hon. Scott Brison The Honourable Scott Brison joined BMO as Vice-Chair, Investment & Corporate Banking in 2019. As an elected Member of Parliament, Mr. Brison served the constituency of Kings-Hants (Nova Scotia) who elected him to Canada's House of Commons seven consecutive times over 21 years. During that time he served in government for seven years holding key roles, most recently as President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government from 2015 to 2019, Minister of Public Works and Government Services from 2004 to 2006, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister with special emphasis on Canada-U.S. relations from 2003 to 2004. In May 2020, Mr. Brison became Dalhousie University's eighth chancellor. Mr. Brison is a member of the Trilateral Commission and was named by the World Economic Forum of Davos, Switzerland, as one of its "Young Global Leaders." In August 2010, he was awarded the Order of San Carlos by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in recognition of his contributions to the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Mr. Brison serves on the board of the Canada-China Business Council, the Dalhousie University Board of Governors, the Macdonald Stewart Foundation, CJPAC and previously served as Chairman of SeaFort Capital Inc. Mr. Brison earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University. He has completed the Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century Executive Education Program at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. Valery Zamuner Ms. Zamuner holds a Bachelor of Law degree from Laval University and an MBA from the John Molson School of Business (Concordia University). A member of the Quebec Bar, Ms. Zamuner has more than 20 years of experience in international and domestic mergers and acquisitions for public and private companies. She has extensive experience in managing projects, negotiating deals and providing legal and business advice in a wide range of business industries, and is a member of the board of a number of public companies, providing an advisory role with respect to corporate law, executive compensation and corporate governance matters. "We wish to welcome our new board members, and are thankful to our departing directors for their invaluable contributions to bring the Company to its present state," said Joseph Carrabba, President & CEO of Bond. "We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead for Bond, with a strong board and management team that will help propel the Company's growth and build value for our shareholders." Bond also announces that its shares are now listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange ("FSE") trading under the symbol "5B1". The Frankfurt Stock Exchange operated by Deutsche Borse Group is one of the world's largest trading centers for securities and the largest of the eight stock exchanges in Germany. The Frankfurt listing is expected to facilitate the process of trading Bond's shares by investors in Europe and Internationally. About Bond Resources: Bond Resources is a mineral resource company that holds the contractual rights to acquire the Mary K mine in the Elk City mining district of Idaho. The Company will focus on near-term production and rediscovery at the high-grade historic mine. Led by industry veterans and located in the mining friendly jurisdiction of Idaho, USA, Bond Resources combines the technical expertise of industry experts and a transparent communications model to increase shareholder value. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD (sgd.) "Joseph A. Carrabba" Joseph A. Carrabba, President & CEO FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Telephone: 1-604-602-4935 Facsimile: 1-604-602-4936 Contact: Robert Eadie The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/56635 Click on, or paste the following link into your web browser,to view the associated documents http://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/56635 News Source: Newsfile 27.05.2020 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de House Democrats decision to expedite the changes to the loan program reflected a building sense of urgency among some moderates to put aside that broader dispute and find areas of agreement with Republicans where possible. This month, House Democrats pushed through a $3 trillion pandemic relief package over Republican opposition, but that bill is doomed in the Senate and faces a veto threat from President Trump. The small-business measure, however, enjoyed strong enough bipartisan support that it was considered on Thursday under faster procedures reserved for noncontroversial bills, passing 417 to 1. Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, was the lone no vote. Theres been a lot of negotiations to find something that will make it through the Senate and hopefully be signed into law by the White House, said Representative Dean Phillips, Democrat of Minnesota, who wrote the legislation along with Representative Chip Roy, Republican of Texas. Mr. Phillips, one of several moderate Democrats who had been reluctant to support the $3 trillion bill given its dim prospects of becoming law, agreed to vote for it after extracting a promise from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to allow a vote on the narrower and far more bipartisan legislation to modify the Paycheck Protection Program. We intentionally wanted a skinny bill that addressed a very specific issue, he added. We listened, and we modified it and came to a nice bipartisan conclusion. Church of Scientology Volunteer Ministers Share Prevention Resources with L.A. Communities Guided by the principle that an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure, Scientology volunteer ministers have visited Los Angeles emergency facilities, essential businesses and shops of every kind, delivering more than 100,000 educational booklets as the city reopens. The booklets How to Keep Yourself & Others Well, How to Protect Yourself and Others with a Mask and Gloves and How to Prevent the Spread of Illness with Isolation provide effective prevention measures and educate individuals on what they can do to keep themselves and others well. Volunteer ministers introduced owners and managers of local enterprises to the booklets and offered them, free of charge, to make available to those they service. Materials were also offered to churches of any denomination for both their clergy and parishioners. We wanted to do our part to address the uncertainty out there, said Stormy Stokes, Church of Scientology Inglewood community center director. There are a lot of things we as a community werent thinking about before that we need to know and apply now to stay well. After distributing the booklets, I can feel the difference people are less afraid and more confident once they have more knowledge. Its calming down the situation. ADVERTISEMENT Its also helping the community care for one another by giving store owners a way to help their customers, making all of us safer. Were all in this together and we want everyone to stay well. As stay-at-home orders begin lifting in countries around the world, Los Angeless distribution activity is part of a global effort to provide communities from Harlem to Johannesburg to Taiwan with prevention resources. In preparation, the Church of Scientology International Dissemination and Distribution Center in Commerce, California saw to the printing of 5 million copies of Stay Well booklets in 20 languages, including Gaelic and Zulu. Outfitted in protective jumpsuits, jackets, hats, masks and gloves for the safety of all, volunteer ministers have provided these booklets to their communities across the globe. I have been wanting to do something to help, said Cindy Moore, a volunteer minister and native Angeleno. As a mom of a three-year-old, anything that keeps our environment safe also keeps my daughter safe. Everyones actions affect everyone elses in this pandemic, so its important that every person understands that, knows that they can do something about it, and knows exactly what it is they can do about it. For decades, Scientology volunteer ministers have been working in Inglewood, South L.A. and throughout the greater Los Angeles area, and continue to stand ready, as does the Church, to provide assistance whether voluntary work, disaster relief or donations to emergency personnel. Among the many actions the Church of Scientology has taken to do its part in addressing this global pandemic, the Church created an online How to Stay Well Prevention Resource Center at scientology.org/staywell to make basic information broadly available. The Church produced more than a dozen PSAs, available on the site, where booklets and signs for social distancing, hand washing and other measures recommended by health authorities are available for free download in 20 languages. To learn more, visit https://www.scientology.tv/ STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to major changes in the way students are learning during the 2019-2020 school year, and now the New York City Department of Education (DOE) is looking at how the health crisis will impact those students applying to schools for fall 2021. According to a letter from Chancellor Richard A. Carranza, he explained that families and students are thinking about admissions for middle and high schools -- especially for schools that use selective admissions or screens as part of their admissions process. A students grades, state exam test scores and attendance are the key pieces of information typically used to admit students into selective or screened schools, as well as academic programs in schools. However, state exams were canceled for the 2019-2020 school year, the DOE changed the grading policy for elementary and middle school students, and the agency announced that attendance will not be a factor in the fall 2021 admissions. The DOE now has to determine how to adjust admissions to screened programs since that information is no longer available. The agency is looking to hear from parents, school leaders, students and other stakeholders to collect ideas and perspectives for the fall 2021 admissions process. All parents and students are invited to join virtual borough-based town hall meetings with executive superintendents. The virtual town hall meeting for Staten Island will be held on Friday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. with Executive Superintendent Anthony Lodico. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** Taken together, these necessary changes will mean we will need to adjust the admissions process for next year, especially for schools that use selective admissions, or screens as part of their admissions process, Carranza said in his letter. I want to be clear and make a commitment to you: we have not yet made any decisions on this policy, and will not do so without hearing first from you, our students and families. The chancellor said in the letter that the DOE is collaborating with students and families to develop a policy for the fall 2021 admissions due to the challenges brought on by the coronavirus. And when a policy is decided upon, I can promise you that we will ensure it is fair, transparent, and sensitive to the many ways in which our citys children are experiencing this pandemic, he said in the letter. VIRTUAL TOWN HALL DETAILS You can go to learndoe.org/face/ to register for the Staten Island town hall and learn how to join the session. If you would like to provide a comment during the session, you can say yes to that question when you register. Speakers will be given 90 seconds to share thoughts or questions. Interpretation will be available in Haitian Creole, Russian and Spanish. The DOE is also hearing from parent leaders across the city through meetings with the Chancellors Parent Advisory Council, Community Education Council (CEC) presidents and their councils, and other parent advocacy groups. 30 Photos of the pandemic in NYC: The gradual return to normalcy FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. The board of an Australian and Victorian government funded Belt and Road foundation was stacked with advisers with high-profile links to the Chinese Communist Party. The list of advisers, which includes members of China's Treasury, spearheaded lobbying of the Victorian government before it became the only Australian state to sign up to the multinational infrastructure initiative. Premier Daniel Andrews signed on to the package in 2018 and in May declared it "was more important than ever" to stimulate Victoria's post-coronavirus economy. The move, which will allow for Chinese investment in Victoria and for Victorian companies to participate in Chinese government projects overseas, has angered federal cabinet ministers who hold national security concerns over the deal as China becomes increasingly assertive in its pandemic diplomacy. New York Times Carl Hulse will share thoughts on nations political landscape by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. Carl Hulse, the chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times, will participate in a virtual discussion next week hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. Hulse, who is considered one of the nations leading authorities on congressional issues, will share his thoughts on the nations response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the November presidential and congressional elections, and the role the U.S. Supreme Court may play during the coming elections. The online discussion with John T. Shaw, Institute director, begins at 1 p.m., Monday, June 1. The free event is open to the public but registration is required and closes when the event starts. This is Hulses second presentation with SIU Carbondale. In April 2018, he discussed Washington Politics in the Age of Trump on campus. Carl Hulse is one of Washingtons most seasoned and shrewdest political observers. He has deep roots in Illinois and is able to connect the world of Washington to the challenges of the Prairie State, Shaw said. Carl will provide important insights into politics and public policy in pandemic battered Washington. Continuing series of conversations The discussion with Hulse is part of the Institutes series called Understanding Our New World with historians, political analysts, and state and national leaders discussing how the pandemic is reshaping the world. The Institute will host conversations with Illinois U.S. Congressman Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 8 and with former U.S. deputy secretary of state and U.S. Ambassador to Russia William J. Burns at 1 p.m., June 18. Burns is now the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Has been with New York Times for more than 30 years Hulse has been in his present position since 2016. He is managing editor of First Draft, a daily political newsletter within NYTimes.com. He is the author of the 2019 book, Confirmation Bias: Inside Washingtons War Over the Supreme Court, From Scalias Death to Justice Kavanaugh. Hulse was previously Washington editor for The Times, directing all facets of Washington coverage of the White House and executive branch, Congress, the courts and the Pentagon from 2011 to 2014. Grew up in Illinois Hulse, who is from Ottawa, graduated from Illinois State University, Hulse began his full-time journalism career at the LaSalle-Peru News-Tribune in January 1977. Hulse also worked for the Kankakee Daily-Journal and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel prior to becoming a correspondent and later Washington bureau chief for a regional group of community papers then owned by the New York Times in 1986. Hulse was appointed the newspapers night editor in 2001 and went to Capitol Hill a year later. Registration open for Hulses conversation Registration for the free ZOOM meeting is available in advance. After completing registration, participants will receive an email confirmation with information about joining the meeting, along with the meeting ID and password. Participants have an opportunity when they register to submit a question to Hulse by email at paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu or by including it in the Questions and Comments section on the registration form. NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to Washington becoming the next state after California to require public companies to have gender-diverse boards of directors, Susan C. Keating, CEO of the WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation (WCD), says: "One state mandate is a data point; two is a trend; three is our future. "Clearly our future is going to include more states mandating at least one woman on boards of publicly traded companies in their state. "We know that the pipeline of women qualified to serve as directors is vast, experienced, and quickly growing. Every one of our 2,400 members knows at least two more equally qualified women. With the state of Washington's new ruling, we are accelerating our pace into the future." For more information, please contact Davia Temin at 212.844.9544 or Suzanne Oaks Brownstein at [email protected], or visit www.womencorporatedirectors.org. About WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. The WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. (WCD) is the only global membership organization and community of women corporate directors. With 2,400 members globally, WCD is the world's largest membership organization of women corporate board members. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, WCD has 76 chapters around the world. The aggregate market capitalization of public companies on whose boards WCD members serve is over $8 trillion. In addition, WCD members serve on numerous boards of large private and family-run companies globally. SOURCE WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. Related Links https://www.womencorporatedirectors.org Samajwadi Party national general secretary Akhilesh Katiyar and district unit president Chavinath Yadav were booked for allegedly defying the coronavirus lockdown, police said on Thursday. Katihar and Yadav, along with their supporters, visited Govindpur on Tuesday after a dispute among villagers over cattle grazing in which some persons suffered injuries, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Patti, Ramesh Chandra said. A case was registered against the two leaders and about 150 others in Aaspura Devsara police station on Wednesday for flouting the lockdown orders, he said. Further investigation is on, Chandra added. (Newser) US health care workers have been praised as the heroes in this pandemic. But they're also the victims. COVID-19 has killed almost 300 of them, NPR reports. CDC data also show that more than 60,000 health care workers have been infected with the coronavirus. "It is underreported," said the president of National Nurses United. The union recently surveyed 23,000 nurses, more than 80% of whom said they had not been tested for the coronavirus. Union leaders are concerned that, during the crisis, unsafe practicesincluding a lack of adequate personal protective equipmentwill become the norm. There are no federal workplace rules specifically protecting health care workers from airborne pathogens such as the coronavirus; in 2017, the Trump administration blocked new regulations from taking effect that would have required the industry to prepare for a pandemic like this one, per NPR. story continues below Health care workers who speak out about the dangers, including those posed by a lack of PPE, are risking their jobs, per an opinion piece in the Hill. Nonetheless, professional groups, including Physicians for Human Rights, have advised health care workers that they have an ethical responsibility to come forward about the problems. A Washington Post-Ipsos survey of medical personnel completed early this month found major PPE shortages. Workers have staged protests to call for more and better protective equipment, including a nationwide event May 1, per CBS. On Thursday, Tennessee launched a COVID-19 Emotional Support Line888-642-7886for health care workers and front-line personnel dealing with the pandemic, per WBIR. (Doctors in Germany held a naked protest to call attention to the PPE shortage.) The administrator of the Porchester Gate building in London, where the Czechoslovak military intelligence service was based during the Second World War and where secret agents planned Operation Anthropoid, shows photos of the event's executors - Jan Kubis and Jozef Gabcik. (Source: SME/Nina Sobotovicova) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Grey sky contrasts sharply with the deep green lawns and brick facades of most of the buildings in view. In the north-west of England, red brick cladding is extremely popular. The town of Whitchurch in Shropshire is no exception. It lies only three kilometres from the border between England and Wales, so information boards in the area are, in addition to English, also in a language that most Londoners would not understand, let alone Slovaks. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Whitchurch, population 10,000, is not a place where tourists go on holiday. On the contrary, it gives the impression of a quiet town, which it is still difficult to get to even by taxi. It was a brazen crime spree that has gripped the Greater Toronto Area for almost three years. A turf war between towing companies that has resulted in murders, arson, gang violence, threats and intimidation. This past week, a number of police forces working together in an operation called Project Platinum announced 20 arrests and over 200 charges filed against a number of individuals involved in these crimes. They also seized weapons, over one million dollars in various drugs, including Fentanyl, $500,000 in cash, 11 tow trucks and much more. Police allege that four distinct criminal organizations were involved and were fighting over much more than turf. They had a sophisticated scheme that involved insurance fraud at auto centres, physiotherapy clinics and more. Its also not over. Police expect to make 30 more arrests in this ongoing investigation. Peter Edwards is a crime reporter at the Star, who has covered organized crime for years. He has written over 15 non-fiction books on the subject. He joins This Matters to break down this big bust and what happens next. Listen here or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. Cambridge University is 'actively seeking' financial support from the government despite being the UK's richest higher education institute. The university's vice chancellor Professor Stephen Toope has warned the institution risks losing hundreds of millions of pounds due to the coronavirus pandemic. In an email to staff and students, he explained the university was looking for government support in a bid to avoid 'unpalatable' measures such as pay freezes and reductions. Cambridge University (pictured) is seeking financial support from the Government despite the 800-year-old institution being one of the richest universities in the UK He added that even in the best-case scenario the university, which boasts a multi-billion pound endowment fund, is expecting 'significant' financial strain in the next academic year. This is due to the expected drop in the number of international students - who pay higher tuition fees - and a drop in research funding. 'Even a downturn that resolves itself swiftly, with a relatively quick return to business as usual, would cause the Collegiate University a reduction in cashflow of several hundreds of millions of pounds,' Prof Toope wrote in the email seen by the Daily Telegraph. 'An extended downturn, with long-lasting economic effects, would require significant changes within the academic University.' He added that the 800-year-old university was analysing several cost-cutting measures. It comes after Cambridge announced plans last week to host all of their lectures online for the entire 2020/2021 academic year. The decision has proven unpopular with students who say they are willing to defer their studies for a more traditional university experience. The university is expecting significant financial strain over the next academic year due to a lack of incoming international students and the institution is analysing cost-cutting measures Polls revealed one in five students would defer to the next academic year if social distancing measures are still in place in September. If accurate, experts warned that UK universities could be 760 million out of pocket. When asked about the unpredictable situation facing universities, the Prime Minister told MPs on the Liaison Committee he hopes all universities will be able to offer face-to-face tuition next year. Cambridge's central university's endowment fund is valued at 3.4 billion, according to its most recent annual accounts. It holds total reserves of over 5.2 billion which includes the value of fixed assets. It also has an annual expenditure of 2.3 billion. The towering bronze statue, shown last summer, depicts Roosevelt riding a horse, as two nameless African and Native American men flank him on foot. (AP) The museum said the statue of the 26th U.S. president "communicates a racial hierarchy" that the public had "long found disturbing." The statue will be on loan to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota, due to open in 2026. Bhubaneswar, May 28 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, here on Thursday, appealed Odias spread across the globe to sing "Bande Utkal Janani" at 5.30 p.m. on Saturday to encourage and show respect to the covid warriors. "I request our 4.5 crore Odia brothers and sisters, irrespective of where you are staying, to sing 'Vande Utkal Janani' at 5.30 p.m. on May 30 by maintaining social distance," Patnaik said in a video message. He said the objective behind it was to encourage and respect covid warriors' dedication and sacrifices. "Vande Utkal Janani" was the opening song of Utkal Sammilani during the fight for the formation of a separate province. "In the time of Covid-19 crisis, the song will be of great help in strengthening our determination," Patnaik said. He said Odisha had set an example not only in India but all over the world in saving lives from coronavirus. "The state's death rate is lowest in the world. Around 50 per cent of patients have recovered and returned to their homes," he said. It was an unprecedented achievement for Odias, he added. Earlier, the Chief Minister spoke over phone to sarpanch, Asha and Anganwadi workers who turned Covid-19 positive while serving people. He praised their courage and dedication in providing outstanding service to society and wished their speedy recovery. IANS cd/pcj -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Is this news anymore? Illinois lawmakers have approved an out-of-balance, gimmicky budget. It should not surprise you that the Illinois legislature passed another state budget that doesnt add up. It should not surprise you that spending will outpace revenue by billions of dollars, and lawmakers bragged about it anyway. It should not surprise you that the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 relies on borrowing from the federal government and a fingers-crossed rescue from Congress. It should not surprise you that the budget, despite the coronavirus pandemic, includes no cuts or trims or furloughs or even an ask of the states public employee unions to, at least, delay pay raises. Those raises will kick in this summer despite state unemployment at a record high, above 16%, with layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts throughout the private sector. It should not surprise you that Gov. J.B. Pritzker, unlike other Democratic governors across the country, didnt dare suggest that government workers share in the sacrifice, as he and other politicians so often request of private sector workers who heavily subsidize public employee pensions. Democratic governors in Wisconsin, California and New York either cut public sector pay, instituted across-the-board spending cuts throughout state government, froze hiring or other spending and did so weeks ago when revenues began to plummet. Not here. Illinois lawmakers kissed the ring of organized labor repeatedly during their special session, arguing that state workers at this time of great need should not be touched, as if every employee in every agency is a front-line worker dealing with a health crisis, which is preposterous. None of us will be immune from tightening our belts and helping to support the cause and helping those most in need, Californias Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said in pulling his states union leaders to the table to negotiate pay cuts. Any such movement here by Pritzker or the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, Speaker Michael Madigan and Don Harmon, to demand shared sacrifice? The answer will not surprise you. Chicago Tribune Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Telangana recorded 71 Covid-19 cases and one death on Tuesday. The death toll has risen to 57, while the total number of cases stands at 1,991. Reportedly, a staff nurse at Niloufer Hospital also tested positive for the virus. This is the second health worker from the hospital to test positive. As many as 120 people were discharged on Tuesday the highest in a single day. This takes the total number of recovered patients to 1,284. However, the spike in recoveries can also be attributed to the new ICMR guidelines that permit hospitals to discharge asymptomatic patients after 10 days, even if they dont test negative for Covid. Additionally, the relaxations in lockdown has played a key role in increasing the number of cases. A four-year-old boy, who had returned with his parents to Jaklair village in Mahbubnagar district from Mumbai, was tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. The infants parents work as labourers in Mumbai. After the government permitted migrants to go back to their native places, the couple had travelled to Jaklair along with the toddler. When the child developed a cough, he was taken to Makthal Government Hospital. He was later referred to Mahbubnagar Government Hospital and finally to Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad. In Nagarkurnool district, a positive case of Covid was recorded a couple of days ago. The 55-year-old patient, who was residing in Hyderabad, had returned home to Ramachandrapuram after the lockdown relaxation. According to Dr Sravan Kumar, Special Officer for Covid-19 in Nagarkurnool, his family in Ramachandrapuram had held a small function in the colony after his return. He was tested positive afterwards. He may also have transmitted the virus that he may have contracted from Hyderabad to the attendees. As on Tuesday, 39 people have been placed under home quarantine and the entire locality has been sealed. A similar case of transmission was observed in Shadnagar of Rangareddy district on Monday, where five of a family tested positive. They had gone to Hyderabad to attend the funeral of a relative, who was had tested positive for Covid-19 posthumously. According to Dr Chandu Nayak, Deputy DMHO of Rangareddy, the family may have caught the virus because the cremation was performed without adequate precautions. Meanwhile, in Nalgonda, a 14-year-old migrant from Mumbai tested positive on Tuesday. Johnny Cashs granddaughter was called a liberal p***y for wearing a face mask inside a Nashville grocery store, according to her own mother. Rosanne Cash recently counted the incident on Twitter, saying that her daughter previously spent time on a ventilator after contracting the H1N1 virus. My daughter lives in Nashville and wore her mask to buy groceries, she wrote. Guy yells at her: Liberal p***y! Cash added that her daughter nearly died of the previous H1N1 infection and is therefore taking necessary precautions against the novel coronavirus. She was in the ICU for a week, on a ventilator for three days. She CANNOT get Covid, Cash wrote. The ignorance and hatred is so painful. Shes trying to survive. Rosanne Cash is Johnny Cashs eldest daughter, born during his marriage to his first wife, Vivian Liberto. Johnny Cash was considered an icon among Nashville's country scene. Hes buried outside the city in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The Johnny Cash museum in Nashville continues to celebrate his life, career, and legacy. Advertisement A protester was thrown from the hood of a police cruiser in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday night as a Black Lives Matter demonstration calling for justice for George Floyd turned violent. About 1,000 protesters descended on LA following the 46-year-old father-of-two died in Minneapolis Monday, moments after a white cop knelt on his neck for eight minutes until he passed out. As protests entered their second day in Minnesota, tensions began building between law enforcement and African-American communities across America, with demonstrators calling for the four officers involved in Floyd's death to be charged with murder. The first break-off protest sprung up in downtown LA Wednesday afternoon and quickly escalated into violence. Shocking aerial footage shows several protesters surrounding a California Highway Patrol cruiser and smashing the back windows on the 101 Freeway. One protester clambered on the hood before tumbling to the ground when the police officer drove off. The man was seen lying motionless on the ground and covered in blood, but he did regain consciousness and was taken to hospital in an ambulance. A second police cruiser that arrived at the scene was also attacked, had its windows smashed and was seen fleeing. BREAKING NEWS: Black Lives Matter protestors attacking police cars on 101 freeway in LA during #GeorgeFloyd protest @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/iMYnFU2mO6 Liz Habib (@LizHabib) May 28, 2020 Shocking aerial footage shows several protesters surrounding a California Highway Patrol cruiser and smashing the back windows on the 101 Freeway One protester clambered on the hood before tumbling to the ground when the police officer drove off The man is seen falling from the hood of the police cruiser, which had it's rear windshield shattered by protesters The man was seen lying motionless on the ground and covered in blood after being thrown from the police cruiser The man is seen here being attended to by fellow protesters after falling off the hood of the cop car The man did regain consciousness and was taken to hospital in an ambulance The injured protester lays bleeding on the highway 101 surrounded by other protesters Emergency services rushed to the scene as the man was pictured lying motionless on the ground Los Angeles firefighters are seen moving the man into the back of an ambulance after his fall from the cop car The man waves at the crowds as he is taken off in a wheelchair by emergency responders Demonstrators attack a highway patrol car during a protest for George Floyd in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday Black Lives Matter protest in Downtown LA. pic.twitter.com/JY6yG6dZY9 Jesus Malverde (@DJTosin) May 28, 2020 The march rally began near the Hall of Justice at around 4p.m. local time before protesters marched through the streets toward the area of Temple. People carried signs reading Black Lives Matter. The group then made its way onto the 101 Freeway where they blocked cars along the road. The freeway was forced to shutter. By around 6.25pm local time, the crowd began moving off the freeway and continued moving through downtown LA streets, reported NBC Los Angeles. As night fell, some protesters were seen burning an upside-down US flag before they carried the burnt remains of the flag towards a row of police officers. The LA protest came hours after Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore issued a statement condemning the video of Floyd's death as 'incredibly disturbing'. It's almost 20 years since LA was rocked by riots following an incident of police brutality against a black man. Rodney King was violently beaten up by LAPD officers in 1991, sparking riots and civil unrest the following year. LA residents showed their support for the Minnesota community rocked by Floyd's death, while protests in Minneapolis entered their second day and descended into chaos with looters setting fire to retailers and one man being shot dead. John Elder, Minneapolis Department Police Chief confirmed in a midnight press conference that one person was shot and killed and that another person was being held in custody over the shooting. A man burns an upside-down US flag as protesters gather in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday night The stars and stripes are torches by protesters who held aloft signs saying 'Abolish the police' A man faces a row of police holding the remains of the US flag as outrage grows across America Protesters react in front of police as they gather in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday as outrage grows across America It's almost 20 years since LA was rocked by riots following an incident of police brutality against a black man Rodney King was violently beaten up by LAPD officers in 1991, sparking riots and civil unrest the following year The body of a man - who medics later confirmed had been shot - was found lying on the sidewalk outside the Cadillac Pawn shop by police officers who performed CPR on him. The police chief would not confirm reports that the shooter was the owner of the pawn shop who shot the victim dead because he was looting his store. News of the death topped off a night of chaos and destruction across the city as rioters stripped shelves bare, set fire to stores and tried to break into a bank when protests over Floyd's death descended into violence. Stores including Wendy's, Target, Walmart and AutoZone were looted, ransacked and set alight before rioters tried to bust open an ATM, as many ignored pleas from Floyd's family and Minnesota Governor Walz to protest peacefully Wednesday night. Footage on social media showed car parts company AutoZone up in flames as people were seen hurling rocks through its windows. LA residents showed their support for the Minnesota community rocked by Floyd's death, while protests in Minneapolis entered their second day Hundreds of people took to the streets of LA to protest over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis Protesters wore face masks and held up their fists in the air as they joined together to call for the officers to be charged over the killing The protest in LA marks the first break-off rally to take place outside Minneapolis The Black Lives Matter march moved through the streets of downtown LA Wednesday night At the Target store near the site of Floyd's arrest, the inside of the store lay in ruins, with stock depleted of all goods and the remaining merchandise flung across the floor. Witnesses reported thieves using power tools to break open cash registers and trying to access the store's safes, before it too was set alight and seen engulfed in flames. Rioters then turned to a Wendy's where they sprayed graffiti on the walls before moving onto a bank - trying to bust it open and raid the ATMs. A group of four men with huge firearms were seen outside a GM Tobacco store as they said they had come to protect local businesses from looters, reported Minnesota Reformer. The vigilantes called themselves 'heavily armed rednecks' as they stood guard outside the businesses. Disorder erupted in the streets of the city on the second day of the rally over Floyd's death, after footage emerged Tuesday showing white police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the black man's neck moments before he died in police custody. Floyd is heard pleading with Chauvin, saying 'please, please, I can't breathe' and 'My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts' while witnesses urged the arresting officers to stop. Cops were seen spraying pepper spray into the crowds and outraged Minnesotans threw metal railings at the windows of the police precinct as the two groups clashed on Wednesday. The march began near the Hall of Justice at around 4p.m. local time before protesters marched through the streets toward the area of Temple The group then made their way onto the 101 Freeway near downtown where they blocked cars along the road People - many wearing face masks - carried banners reading Black Lives Matter It comes after: A 10-minute video was widely shared on social media on Tuesday showing white officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for eight minutes as he pleads to be released before eventually losing consciousness and later dying Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis later that night demanding justice for the 46-year-old, leading to confrontations with police officers firing rubber bullets Four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's arrest were fired on Tuesday after initially being placed on paid administrative leave Four fired police officers are named as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called on prosecutors Wednesday to arrest and charge Chauvin New video footage casts fresh d oubt on claims Floyd resisted as two officers are seen manhandling and forcibly removing him from his car and he appears to be complying with officers Floyd's family demanded police officer Chauvin be charged with murder, and the other three officers involved charged as murder accomplices A protest started in the streets of downtown LA Wednesday night over Floyd's death with one man being taken to hospital after he fell from a moving police cruiser Minneapolis protesters escalated into violence Wednesday as cops and protesters clashed and stores including Target, AutoZone and Walmart were ransacked and set on fire by looters A looter was shot dead in Minneapolis Wednesday night and officers had arrested a man for homicide Demonstrators looted a Target store in Minneapolis Wednesday evening while mostly peaceful protesters gathered for a second night demanding justice over the death of George Floyd Footage surfaced on social media Wednesday of a group of people piling boxes of goods onto a shopping kart outside the store located near the scene of the black man's arrest The police precinct window's were smashed and some protesters hurled metal railings at the doors Some protesters wreaked havoc on the police precinct, pushing over barriers and smashing up the site's windows Police property is damaged by people gathered for the rally as Gov Walz's pleas for a peaceful protest were ignored by some Police spray pepper spray into crowds as protesters outside the Minneapolis police third precinct continue a second day of protests One woman was seen being blasted in the face with pepper spray as she held up a banner with a slogan saying 'Charge killer cops' A woman douses her face in milk after she was exposed to tear gas sprayed by cops This followed chaotic scenes at Tuesday night's protest where demonstrators were seen dousing their faces in milk to limit the effects of the tear gas and desperately fleeing the hail of rubber bullets raining down on them. Minnesota Governor Walz issued a plea Wednesday for people to practice social distancing and protest peacefully while calling on cops to exercise restraint at the rally. This comes as a new incident report reveals medics arrived at the scene of Floyd's arrest to find the black man already 'unresponsive' and 'pulseless'. Wednesday's protest in Minneapolis started peacefully but clashes soon emerged between the demonstrators and police officers. One woman was seen being blasted in the face with pepper spray as she held up a banner with a slogan saying 'Charge killer cops' while another poured milk over her face to limit the effects of the tear gas sprayed in her face. Floyd was filmed Monday begging the Minneapolis cop to stop and telling him he could not breathe before he lost consciousness and later died George Floyd's (pictured) heartbroken family have called for the cops to be charged with murder and their lawyer revealed white cop Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for a staggering eight minutes during the arrest for forgery A woman throws rocks at the police building where the four officers connected with Floyd's death worked People launched missiles including rocks and bottles at the building where the four officers connected to Floyd's death worked. The protest descended into chaos for the second night in a row as anger boiled over following the death of a black man Tensions are building after a bystander's video posted online showed Floyd, 46, pleading with arresting officers that he couldn't breathe as an officer knelt on his neck People launched missiles including rocks and bottles at the building where the four officers connected to Floyd's death worked. Some protesters also threw debris at a car with pro-Trump and pro-police messaging on it as it drove through the area. Police officers and protesters started gathering throughout Wednesday outside the Minneapolis police third precinct close to the scene of Floyd's arrest. Flowers and photos were laid outside the Cups Food deli where the incident unfolded Monday to pay homage to the man who family members said was 'everyone's favorite person'. Many protesters were pictured wearing face masks to protect against the spread of COVID-19 as Governor Walz urged people to practice social distancing. Police officers wore riot gear and held bats as they tried to create a human barrier between demonstrators and the precinct. Some cops were seen stationed on the roof of the building looking down on the crowds gathering below. One man is being supported by other protesters and clutching his face after being struck by a beanbag Cops are positioned on top of cars with guns while they survey the crowds of people gathered Officers created a barrier with metal railings but some protesters tore them down Police aim their guns into the crowds on the second night of protests Some protesters also threw debris at a car with pro-Trump and pro-police messaging on it as it drives through the area Officers on bicycles wear gas masks and visors while some carry guns filled with rubber bullets People held signs saying 'silence is violence' and speak from a megaphone to the crowds Protesters have started descending on the streets of Minneapolis for a second night over the death of George Floyd Minnesotans began gathering outside the police precinct Wednesday for another day of protests following Floyd's death Monday Protesters gather as a new incident report reveals medics arrived at the scene of his arrest to find the black man already 'unresponsive' and 'pulseless' Police officers and protesters started gathering throughout Wednesday outside the Minneapolis police third Precinct close to the scene of Floyd's arrest Flowers and photos were laid outside the Cups Food deli where the incident unfolded Monday to pay homage to the man who family members have said was 'everyone's favorite person' Police officers and protesters started gathering throughout Wednesday outside the Minneapolis police third Precinct close to the scene of Floyd's arrest Many protesters were pictured wearing face masks to protect against the spread of COVID-19 as Governor Walz urged people to practice social distancing at the event Some cops were seen stationed on the roof of the building looking down on the crowds gathering below Authorities claimed Tuesday that Floyd had resisted arrest by cops, however footage from the scene has cast doubt on the version of events as it appears to show the 46-year-old father of two cooperating with officers as he is manhandled out of his vehicle and placed in handcuffs outside the Cup Foods grocery store on 38th and Chicago Ave in south Minneapolis. The release of the MFD report sheds yet more light on Monday's shocking events, detailing that fire crew were called to assist medics with a man - called 'pt' in the report - who had trauma to his mouth. It states that Fire Station 17 of Minneapolis arrived at the scene outside the Cup Foods store to find 'multiple squads on scene and small crowd of citizens'. The report points to confusion at the scene as neither the cops nor bystanders gave information to medics on Floyd or his location. Candles are left in memory of Floyd. Tuesday's protest descended into chaos when police and protesters clashed with cops hurling tear gas canisters into the crowds and demonstrators seen desperately fleeing the hail of rubber bullets raining down on them Protesters call for justice for George Floyd following his death outside the Cup Foods store where he passed out after a white cop knelt on his neck for eight minutes A cyclist rides down Portland Avenue and gives a peace sign to motorists who honked their horns to show support for George Floyd near a makeshift memorial Signs and banners reading George Floyd's name, 'Black Lives Matter' and 'I can't breathe' were plastered at the scene Two Minneapolis police officers point guns with rubber bullets as police stand guard against protesters outside the Third Precinct A protester holds a newspaper in front of the Minneapolis police at the front of crowds starting to gather Wednesday A man adds to the flowers and messages left in memory of Floyd as people demand justice over his death It says that while the crew tried to find Floyd to give medical support, they overheard and were told by 'several people that the police 'had killed the man''. The report adds that the bystanders were 'upset but not unruly'. Crew members were finally able to find a cop inside the store who told them medics had put Floyd in an ambulance and left the scene. Crew members were also told by an off-duty firefighter who witnessed the end of the struggle that they had seen Floyd become unresponsive on the ground while handcuffed and subdued by cops. Medics then called for assistance and the crew responded to the ambulance which had moved to 36th and Park Avenue. Two crew members got into the ambulance where they found 'an unresponsive, pulseless male', the report states. According to the report, medics never managed to recover a pulse on route to the hospital and Floyd's 'condition did not change'. It is not yet clear if Floyd ever regained a pulse after he went limp and passed out under the knee of the cop while he gasped for breathe and begged him to stop. Governor Walz broke protocol in his daily coronavirus briefing Wednesday to talk about the 'tragic events' in Minneapolis Monday and to send his 'deepest sympathies' to Floyd's family. 'Like so many Minnesotans and so many people across the country and world I was shocked and horrified by the video of George Floyd's death,' the governor said. 'It's very clear to anyone that what happened to George Floyd is wrong,' Walz said. 'The lack of humanity in the video as I said made me physically ill and is even more difficult to understand.' An autopsy has not yet been completed, officials said. Walz thanked protesters for their peaceful rally Tuesday night - before making a thinly-veiled dig at law enforcement that some protesters ended up 'in harm's way' at the rally. Governor Walz broke protocol in his daily coronavirus briefing Wednesday to talk about the 'tragic events' in Minneapolis Monday and to send his 'deepest sympathies' to Floyd's family Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said during the briefing that an investigation is underway and said that the state is dealing with 'a systemic problem' 'When I was with you Saturday I closed by wishing everyone a peaceful Memorial Day,' Walz said. 'Unfortunately Memorial Day evening in Minneapolis was anything but peaceful - and neither was last night.' Walz said he 'respect[s] the right to peacefully protest'. 'It's how people express their pain, process tragedy and work to create change,' he said. 'But I was saddened to see some of the protesters were in harm's way last night.' CCTV footage from a nearby restaurant shows part of the altercation between Floyd and the officers on the scene. A handcuffed Floyd sits on the ground as a police officer, who was not seen in the original viral video, speaks to him before picking him up and holding him against the wall Video footage shows the moment George Floyd was pulled from his car by officers during his arrest, moments before he lost consciousness after a white officer knelt on his neck for several minutes The four fired police officers involved in Monday's incident have been identified as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng A photo taken across the street from the scene show three officers arresting Floyd as he lay on the ground. The FBI and state law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into the man's death The victim's family's lawyer Ben Crump issued a statement urging protesters to act peacefully on Wednesday night and to not 'sink to the level of our oppressors'. 'The community is understandably and rightfully upset by the wrongful death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, and their grief and outrage are pouring out onto the streets of Minneapolis. We share these painful emotions and demand justice, but we also urge everyone who wishes to raise their voice to engage in peaceful protests and observe social distancing,' 'We cannot sink to the level of our oppressors, and we must not endanger others during this pandemic. We will demand and ultimately force lasting change by shining a light on treatment that is horrific and unacceptable and by winning justice.' Walz urged protesters to wear face masks and practice social distancing at Wednesday's rally. 'I just want to encourage everyone to be safe in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and I want to thank protesters for their commitment to safely protest in the pandemic,' he said. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said the state will 'get answers' but also urged protesters to stay safe at the protests. 'George Floyd should be alive today,' she said. 'The grief in this moment is unbearable.' Flanagan warned that the same communities most affected by Floyd's death are those also worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic - as black communities have been disproportionately hard-hit by the outbreak. Floyd, 46, was a father of two. His family are calling for the four officers involved to be charged with murder over his death 'Last night we saw those choose to protest their grief and anger wearing masks and distancing themselves,' she said, adding that she wanted to 'thank' those protesters. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, also speaking at the press conference, said an investigation into Floyd's death is now underway. Ellison said the incident reminds him of historic cases of police conflict with the African-American community, such as the death of Rodney King back in 1991. 'This is not an isolated case,' he said. 'We're dealing with a systemic problem.' 'This tragic event that took the life of George Floyd is a point in time and an incident involving a person,' Ellison said. 'The reason there is so much outrage is that this is a part of a larger pattern.' John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, echoed sentiments from the victim's family's lawyer Ben Crump that there are worrying similarities in the case with the death of unarmed black man Eric Garner. Garner died in 2014 after he was placed in a chokehold by New York City police and pleaded for his life, saying he could not breathe. 'It reminds me so much of the Eric Garner case in New York but I promise you that unlike the Eric Garner case we will not wait years for action,' he said. 'You will not have to wait - there will not be a lag.' City officials on Wednesday formally identified the four fired police officers involved in Monday's incident as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng. The cops, who were initially placed on paid administrative leave, were terminated from the Minneapolis Police Department on Tuesday after footage of Floyd's arrest was widely shared on social media. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called on prosecutors Wednesday to arrest and charge Chauvin for his role in the incident. 'If most people, particularly people of color, had done what a police officer did late Monday, they'd already be behind bars,' Frey said in a tweet on Wednesday. 'That's why today I'm calling on Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to charge the arresting officer in this case.' REVEALED: White cop who knelt on George Floyd's neck was involved in a fatal police shooting and one of the other fired officers paid a $25K settlement after being sued for using excessive force in arrest where he punched and kicked a handcuffed suspect Two of the cops fired over the arrest of black man George Floyd have already been investigated for their roles in previous use-of-force incidents, it has been revealed. Derek Chauvin, 44, the officer filmed kneeling on Floyd's neck during his arrest, is a 19-year veteran of the force who was investigated over a fatal police shooting in 2006. Now it's been revealed Chauvin was investigated for his role in the 2008 shooting of Ira Latrell Toles during a domestic assault call. Toles was wounded after police said he went for an officer's gun and Chauvin shot him. Two years earlier Wayne Reyes, 42 was killed by officers after allegedly pulling a shotgun on the six cops, which included Chauvin, The Star Tribune reports. A second officer involved in Monday's arrest, Tou Thao, was part of a $25,000 out of court settlement after being sued for using excessive force in 2017. In a lawsuit obtained by the DailyMail.com shows Thao was sued for using excessive force in arrest where he was accused of punching and kicking a handcuffed suspect 'until his teeth broke'. Derek Chauvin, 44, (left) the officer filmed kneeling Floyd's neck during his arrest, is a 19-year veteran of the force who was investigated over a fatal police shooting in 2006. A second officer involved in Monday's arrest, Tou Thao, (right) is said to been part of a $25,000 out of court settlement after being sued for using excessive force in 2017 DailyMail.com has contacted Minneapolis police for comment and for the officers' full records with the department. Two other officers arrested in the case have been named as Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng The second officer, Thao, was sued in 2017 by Lamar Ferguson who said the cop had used excessive force during his arrest. A lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com states 'Defendant Thunder and Defendant Thao's use of unreasonable force on Plaintiff, in the form of punches, kicks, and knees to the face and body while Plaintiff was defenseless and handcuffed, was so extreme that it caused Plaintiff to suffer broken teeth as well as other bruising and trauma.' The case was settled out of court for $25,000 after Thao said he had punched Ferguson after he 'actively resisted arrest'. He wrote: 'After at this point he's actively resisting arrest. He so I had no choice but to punch him. I punched him in the face.' All four officers were fired Tuesday. DailyMail.com has contacted Minneapolis police for comment and for the officers' full records with the department. Chauvin is said to be represented by lawyer Tom Kelly. He was Jeronimo Yavez' attorney after the Minnesota police officer fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop in 2016. Yavez was found not guilty on all three charges by a jury in 2017. The remaining two officers have been identified by the city as Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng. Both were reportedly rookie cops who were still in their probationary periods, according to the StarTribune. Fierce is a new model of creative and technical delivery targeting international clients seeking creative and technical expertise from a cost-effective market. Fierce founder and CEO, David Moffatt. What caused you to leave Hellocomputer and start your own thing? Looking back, arent you glad you travelled the world with your family before embarking on this new venture? Comment on the timing of this coinciding with the launch of Fierce. How has Fierce responded to the lockdown and global crisis? Comment on the impact of this on the business and industry. Comment on the gap in the market you identified and how your business seeks to solve this problem. How did you come up with the name? Im a musician and cant help but make up band names. So, consider it a South African electro-indie rock band that has global ambition. But if youre looking for an adman response, Id say something like being distinct in advertising now demands being not just brave, but fierce! What barriers have you had to overcome to get to the launch phase? Given the global crisis, what has changed in terms of your next steps/vision for the company? What is your view on the future of work? Any trends in this space that youre particularly excited about? It targets clients that own their customers decision journey and analytics but require specific support services, as well as agencies that require access to specialist skillsets on a per-project basis.The network comprises over 50 strategically aligned creative, technical and analytics experts, and its strength lies in the ability of the team to identify specialists to address core challenges optimally across the marketing spectrum. Offering strategy services, marketing data and analytics, comprehensive creative and content production (UI & UX design, video, film and animation), and digital product development across the full spectrum of scripting languages.We chat to founder and CEO David Moffatt, who was previously the CEO and Group MD of digital agency Hellocomputer, which he exited in 2017 after completing his management commitment to its acquirer FCBLeaving Hellocomputer was not easy, nor a light decision! With my team, we built an amazing culture that led to years of great work. I remain proud of the role we played, after selling to FCB, in transforming it into an integrated agency. However, when my five-year management commitment ended, I decided to shift my focus towards my family and some adventurous travelling. So, we took our three kids out of school and travelled around the world for six months.Yes! Naturally, this conversation came up amongst us. We briefly placed the scenario on a pedestal extolling how wonderful it would have been locking down in some majestic tropical paradise. However, the reality of being far from loved ones during an unprecedented crisis swiftly dawned upon us. Not to mention the implications of a year's worth of planning going out the window!Everyone has a war story and Fierce is no different. Fortunately, the model is designed to be both highly efficient (no permanent production resource) and operate remotely so it will weather the storm.Weve redesigned the new business strategy and shifted focus away from the USA. Plans to establish relationships at key industry events such as SXSW (Austin, USA), Creative Week (New York, USA), Festival of Creativity (Cannes, France), etc. have been kiboshed for 2020, and developing ad network partnerships appears improbable as they are understandably focused on retaining revenue within their networks.The global slowdown will bring severe pressures on businesses and the marketing industry especially. Budget cuts, looming retrenchments, depressed consumer demand and an increasingly complex industry will make marketers lives increasingly difficult. Businesses will expedite their digital transformation in both their workflow processes and their marketing. Correspondingly were anticipating an uptick in the adoption of marketing data analytics to track returns and limit wastage.South Africa possesses outstanding creative and technical expertise that easily competes with the best in the world. But at a fraction of the cost. Fierce is a trustworthy and experienced conduit through which international agencies and clients can do business with this talent.Equally relevant is the fact that complexity of the martech landscape demands deep expertise in certain disciplines. These are best served by companies or individuals with a laser focus on a specific skill set. Fierce assists brands, clients and agencies to unlock solutions on a project basis.Permanently hiring capabilities for these passing requirements doesnt make financial sense for agencies or clients that have in-housed their marketing.The main challenge is to create awareness and build credibility in foreign markets, and perhaps to ingrain the behaviour change to outsource to South Africa.The vision remains firm, which is to build an offshore network of talent to service international agencies and marketers. I'm conscious of Fierces determination being misconstrued as an under-appreciation for the severity of the situation we all find ourselves in so we are cautiously testing demand. However, trading and contributing to stimulating the South African economy is essential. So we have to push on.Data-led creativity that is digital-first, contextual and personally relevant.The martech gold-rush is fascinating. Im excited by the potential of data to provide one view of the customer experience and actionable insights to continually improve the return on marketing investment. This is a key strategic area for fierce.Creativity remains the most transformative power on the planet. Humans are fundamentally creative. Yes, all of us! And I believe that South Africa should aspire to be the most creative country in the world. That will lead to immense progress on many fronts, and I hope that Fierce plays a small part in that. Over 60% of Irish employees are worried about the impact of Covid-19 on their job, and their ability to find a job in the future, according to new research conducted by recruitment platform, Jobs.ie. The survey conducted among employees across 40 different industries, found that Covid-19 has already impacted over 80% of peoples jobs. Of those whose jobs have been impacted, 45% have been let go on a temporary basis with a further 16% saying that they have been let go permanently. Others have experienced reduced working hours, pay reductions, company closures, redundancies or have moved to a working from home environment. According to the survey, Covid-19 has affected peoples jobs at all experience levels, including 82% of those who are in their current role for less than a year, 86% of those who have been in their role between one and three years, and 80% of those who have been working in their current job for more than three years. Over 70% of employees who have been impacted by Covid-19, said they are not confident that the changes to their job will be reversed by their employer in the future. Of those, 33% say they have no confidence in the changes being reversed and a further 38% saying they do not know if they will be. The research reveals those working in hotels (11%), retail (9%) and travel and tourism (6%) have been most affected by Covid-19. Those within the hotel industry have been most affected by temporary job losses, with 66% of employees in this sector experiencing some level of change. A further 16% in the hotel industry say they were let go permanently. Amongst those within the tourism and travel sector, 47% of those who have been impacted by Covid-19 say they have been let go on a temporary basis. A further 33% say they were let go permanently. For those who have impacted in the retail sector, 41% say that they have been let go temporarily, with 15% saying they have lost their job permanently. Speaking this week, General Manager at Jobs.ie, Christopher Paye said, "It is particularly telling that amongst those who have been professionally impacted by Covid-19, over 70% are not confident that the changes to their jobs will ever be reversed. This potentially suggests a breakdown in communications between employers and employees. It is important that employers maintain open channels of communication with their employees, providing them with regularised updates on what each phase will mean for the business." He added, "In the current circumstances, clear communication and consistent contact by employers is vital to allay uncertainty and anxiety." Source: www.businessworld.ie A group of residents, merchants and property owners in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood is suing San Francisco in federal court to block the citys effort to set up a sanctioned tent encampment at 730 Stanyan St. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city is working to establish safe sleeping sites, where the homeless can have a place to sleep and basic services while maintaining social distancing in order to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. But the plan to put around 40 tents at 730 Stanyan, a site formerly occupied by a McDonalds restaurant that is now owned by the city, engendered swift backlash from people who live or work nearby, largely over concerns of health risks. Some opponents said they were deeply upset that the encampment would be placed on such a dense, high-traffic area. Such concerns about public health underpin the lawsuit filed Wednesday, filed by the Concerned Citizens of the Haight neighborhood group. Joe Goldmark, managing partner at Amoeba Music, confirmed that the store was a member of the group in an email to The Chronicle. Goldmark said the store was strongly opposed to the Stanyan Street site. We, the merchants on Haight Street, have long been on the front lines dealing with the collateral issues of the homeless, who unfortunately at times have drug, alcohol and/or psychological issues. Establishing this camp next to us exacerbates these problems exponentially, he said. Amoeba Music is adjacent to the McDonalds site. Harmeet Dhillon, the San Francisco attorney representing the group, has also sued the state on behalf of two pastors in Riverside County and two parishioners in San Bernardino County to demand that California lift its temporary ban on in-person religious services that is a result of the pandemic. On Monday, the state announced that churches can reopen, within limits, though they remain closed in Bay Area counties. The governor and the mayor told us we cant go to church, we cant go to work, we cant go to school or do hardly anything. But its safe to put a contagion unit in the middle of the street, Dhillon said. Its just contrary to science, common sense, zoning, due process and the rights of the people who live there. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle The suit suggests that the city does not intend to provide for adequate sanitation at the site, like installing portable toilets rather than flush toilets, with no published schedule for when theyd be cleaned. The group is also concerned that more than one person may be able to live in one tent, potentially increasing the number of people at the site. The city made this decision despite several alternatives that are many times larger than the 730 Stanyan St. lot and/or provide more resources to campers and/or are owned by the citys Recreation and Parks department, the suit says. City officials have said that other locations, including Recreation and Park Department properties, were considered but ultimately discarded for various reasons. The parking lot at Kezar Stadium was considered, for example, but rejected in part because it is being used as a parking lot for UCSF medical workers, an arrangement thats also generating money for the city. Safe sleeping sites are an emergency measure to help people experiencing homelessness move off of crowded sidewalks to help prevent the spread of the virus, said Francis Zamora, a spokesman for the citys Emergency Operations Center, which has a role in choosing locations for the camps. The first one opened recently between the Main Library and the Asian Art Museum in the Civic Center. These sites are short-term, temporary areas where health and safety standards are implemented and services like food, water, sanitation and health care are provided, he said. The opponents also said that the temporary encampment would undo the hard-won victory neighborhood residents have won in trying to stabilize and clean up 730 Stanyan, which City Attorney Dennis Herrera declared a public nuisance in 2015, when it was still a McDonalds restaurant. The site was a locus of illegal activity in the neighborhood, prompting police calls for drug sales, fights, assaults, auto burglaries and dog attacks. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. We will review the lawsuit, and we expect to defend the citys sensible decision to move forward with the safe-sleeping site, said John Cote, a spokesman for the city attorneys office. The coronavirus is easily transmitted among people living in close quarters, but city officials have made assurances that the site would be safer than the alternative people living in tents on the street. With the city limiting the homeless shelter population to slow the spread of the virus, tents have mushroomed on streets and sidewalks in the Haight, the Tenderloin, the Castro and other neighborhoods. The site is supposed to open next week. Dhillon declined to say whether she intends to file a request for a preliminary injunction to halt the setup of the site. To stop preparation of the site, Dhillon would need to prove that nearby residents would suffer irreparable harm from the camp and that the group is likely to prevail in court on the merits of its claims a high legal bar. Last year. nearby residents opposed to a Navigation Center homeless shelter on Seawall Lot 330 on the Embarcadero also sued the city to block its construction, but ultimately failed. Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents the Haight-Ashbury, said the city would not be deterred from creating a safe sleeping site by an anonymous, vocal minority thats not representative of the broader communitys acceptance of the encampment. I think every neighborhood and every district needs to do its part in this crisis, and our neighborhood is no exception. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa Donald Trump launched a new vaccine war in May, but not against the virus. It was against the world. The United States and the UK were the only two holdouts in the World Health Assembly from the declaration that vaccines and medicines for COVID-19 should be available as public goods, and not under exclusive patent rights. The United States explicitly disassociated itself from the patent pool call, talking instead of the critical role that intellectual property playsin other words, patents for vaccines and medicines. Having badly botched his COVID-19 response, Trump is trying to redeem his electoral fortunes in the November elections this year by promising an early vaccine. The 2020 version of Trumps Make America Great Again slogan is shaping up to be, essentially, vaccines for usbut the rest of the world will have to queue up and pay what big pharma asks, as they will hold the patents. In contrast, all other countries agreed with the Costa Rican proposal in the World Health Assembly that there should be a patent pool for all COVID-19 vaccines and medicines. President Xi said that Chinese vaccines would be available as a public good, a view also shared by European Union leaders. Among the 10 candidate vaccines in Phase 1 and 2 of clinical trials, the Chinese have five, the United States has three, and the UK and Germany have one each. Trump has given an ultimatum to the World Health Organization (WHO) with a permanent withdrawal of funds if it does not mend its ways in 30 days. In sharp contrast, in the World Health Assembly (the highest decision-making body of the WHO), almost all countries, including close allies of the United States, rallied behind the WHO. The failure of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) against COVID-19, with nearly four times the annual budget of the WHO, is visible to the world. The CDC failed to provide a successful test for SARS-CoV-2 in the critical months of February and March, while ignoring the WHOs successful test kitsthat were distributed to 120 countries. Trump has yet to hold his administration and the CDC responsible for this criminal bungling. This, more than any other failure, is the reason that the U.S. numbers for COVID-19 are now more than 1.5 million and about a third of all global infections. Contrast this with China, the first to face an unknown epidemic, stopping it at 82,000 infections, and the amazing results that countries such as Vietnam and South Korea have produced. One issue is now looming large over the COVID-19 pandemic. If we do not address the intellectual property rights issue in this pandemic, we are likely to see a repeat of the AIDS tragedy. People died for 10 years (1994-2004) as patented AIDS medicine was priced at $10,000 to $15,000 for a years supply, far beyond their reach. Finally, patent laws in India allowed people to get AIDS medicine at less than a dollar a day, or $350 for a years supply. Today, 80 percent of the worlds AIDS medicine comes from India. For big pharma, profits trumped lives, and they will continue to do so, COVID or no COVID, unless we change the world. Most countries have compulsory licensing provisions that will allow them to break patents in case of epidemics or health emergencies. Even the WTO, after a bitter fight, accepted in its Doha Declaration (2001) that countries, in a health emergency, have the right to allow any company to manufacture a patented drug without the patent holders permission, and even import it from other countries. Why is it, then, that countries are unable to break patents, even if there are provisions in their laws and in the TRIPS Agreement? The answer is their fear of U.S. sanctions against them. Every year, the U.S. Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issues a Special 301 Report that it has used to threaten trade sanctions against any country that tries to compulsorily license any patented product. India figures prominentlyin this report year after year, for daring to issue a compulsory license in 2012 to Natco for nexavar, a cancer drug Bayer was selling for more than $65,000 a year. Marijn Dekkers, the CEO of Bayer, was quoted widely that this was theft, and We did not develop this medicine for Indians We developed it for Western patients who can afford it. This leaves unanswered how many people even in the affluent West can afford a $65,000 bill for an illness. But there is no question that a bill of this magnitude is a death sentence for anybody but the super-rich in countries like India. Though a number of other drugs were under also consideration for compulsory licensing at that time, India has not exercised this provision again after receiving U.S. threats. It is the fear that countries can break patents using their compulsory licensing powers that led to proposals for patent pooling. The argument was that since many of these diseases do not affect rich countries, big pharma should either let go of their patents to such patent pools, or philanthropic capital should fund the development of new drugs for this pool. Facing the pandemic of COVID-19, it is this idea of patent pooling that emerged in the recent World Health Assembly, WHA-73. All countries supported this proposal, barring the United States and its loyal camp follower, the UK. The United States also entered its disagreement on the final WHA resolution, being the lone objector to patent pooling of COVID-19 medicines and vaccines, noting the critical role that intellectual property plays in incentivizing the development of new and improved health products. While patent pooling is welcome if no other measure is available, it also makes it appear as if countries have no other recourse apart from the charity of big capital. What this hides, as charity always does, is that people and countries have legitimate rights even under TRIPS to break patents under conditions of an epidemic or a health emergency. The United States, which screams murder if a compulsory license is issued by any country, has no such compunction when its own interests are threatened. During the anthrax scare in 2001, the U.S. Secretary of Health issued a threat to Bayer under eminent domain for patents for licensing the anthrax-treatment drug ciprofloxacin to other manufacturers. Bayer folded, and agreed to supply the quantity at a price that the U.S. government had set. And without a whimper. Yes, this is the same Bayer that considers India as a thief for issuing a compulsory license! The vaccination for COVID-19 might need to be repeated each year, as we still do not know the duration of its protection. It is unlikely that a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 will provide a lifetime immunity like the smallpox vaccine. Unlike AIDS, where the patient numbers were smaller and were unfortunately stigmatized in different ways, COVID-19 is a visible threat for everyone. Any attempt to hold people and governments to ransom on COVID-19 vaccines or medicines could see the collapse of the entire patent edifice of TRIPS that big pharma backed by the United States and major EU countries have built. That is why the more clever in the capitalist world have moved toward a voluntary patent pool for potential COVID-19 medicines and vaccines. A voluntary patent pool means that companies or institutions holding patents on medicinessuch as remdesiviror vaccines would voluntarily hand them over to such a pool. The terms and conditions of such a handover, meaning at concessional rates, or for only for certain regions, are still not clearleading to criticism that a voluntary patent pool is not a substitute for declaring that all such medicines and vaccines should be declared global public goods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike clever capital, Trumps response to the COVID-19 vaccine is to thuggishly bully his way through. He believes that with the unlimited money that the United States is now willing to put into the vaccine efforts, it will either beat everybody else to the winning post, or buy the company that is successful. If this strategy succeeds, he can then use his COVID-19 vaccine as a new instrument of global power. It is the United States that will then decide which countries get the vaccine (and for how much), and which ones dont. Trump does not believe in a rule-based global order, even if the rules are biased in favor of the rich. He is walking out of various arms control agreements and has crippled the WTO. He believes that the United States, as the biggest economy and the most powerful military power, should have the untrammeled right to dictate to all countries. Threats of bombing and invasions can be combined with illegal unilateral sanctions; and the latest weapon in his imaginary arsenal is withholding vaccines. Trumps little problem is that the days of the United States being a sole global hegemon passed decades ago. The United States has shown itself as a fumbling giant and its epidemic response shambolic. It has been unable to provide virus tests to its people in time, and failed to stop the epidemic through containment/mitigation measures, which a number of other countries have done. China and the EU have already agreed that any vaccine developed by them will be regarded as a public good. Even without that, once a medicine or a vaccine is known to be successful, any country with a reasonable scientific infrastructure can replicate the medicine or the vaccine, and manufacture it locally. India in particular has one of the largest generic drug and vaccine manufacturing capacities in the world. What prevents India, or any country for that matter, from manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines or drugs once they are developedonly the empty threat of a failed hegemon on breaking patents? Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Galih Gumelar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, May 28, 2020 17:21 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bdabc0bd 1 National #COVID19,COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia Free The government is under scrutiny for failing to meet public expectations in its response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Politicians and members of the public have called the policies inconsistent and disappointing. A public opinion survey conducted by Jakarta-based pollster Indo Barometer between May 12 and 18 polled 400 respondents in seven provinces in Indonesia, including Jakarta, East Java and West Java the three provinces hit hardest by the epidemic at the time of the survey. About 54 percent of the respondents said they were dissatisfied with the central governments COVID-19 policies, mainly because of inconsistencies in rules, sluggish distribution of social aid, inaccurate social aid recipient data and late action to mitigate the outbreak. About 46 percent of the respondents said, in the open-ended questions, that they were satisfied with the governments response to the outbreak, believing that it had acted fast in handling the virus and had managed to contain the virus through the implementation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB). Two major problems social assistance distribution and inconsistent policies must be resolved, Indo Barometer executive director M. Qodari said in a statement on Tuesday. I think it is best to say that President Joko Jokowi Widodo needs to change his policy in handling the epidemic to achieve a higher public satisfaction rate. The government has issued a variety of policies since the first two COVID-19 cases were recorded in early March, including authorizing some regional administrations to impose PSBB individually and authorizing 405.1 trillion (US$ 27.06 billion) in extra spending to cushion the virus impact on the economy. The government is now gearing up to gradually reopen the economy under health protocols to establish a so-called new normal, even as confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to rise, leading many to question the decision. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), in opposition to Jokowis government, has said it is no surprise that the government was inconsistent in handling the epidemic given that it had underestimated the impact of COVID-19 from the outset, instead of focusing on preventing the virus from reaching the country. Every policy was decided in an instant, PKS spokesman Ahmad Fathul Bari said on Wednesday. The lack of public appreciation toward the governments COVID-19 policies has arisen simply because the government has failed to prepare them thoroughly. Critics had previously criticized the government for having a lower rate of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing than other Southeast Asian countries. Suyoto, a politician from the pro-government NasDem Party, said the government had no experience in handling any widespread epidemic before COVID-19, so it was understandable that its policies were far from perfect. Suyoto, who heads the partys public policy department, said the government needed to give the public better explanations of the policies and the scientific arguments behind them. He cited the example of when Jokowi called on the public to make peace with the epidemic and live in the so-called new normal without giving any scientific arguments to support his appeal. Health Ministry expert staff member M. Subuh said the publics trust in the governments COVID-19 policies would eventually improve once they saw the overall positive impact of PSBB. He said he believed the policy had been effective in containing the disease because many local leaders had said it had helped flatten the infection curve in their respective regions. Presidential spokesman Fadjroel Rachman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. As of Wednesday, PSBB remained in place in four provinces and 23 cities and regencies, but cities such as Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan, Tegal in Central Java and Makassar in South Sulawesi had decided not to extend the restrictions. European low-cost airlines are pressuring airports to slash charges in return for resuming flights, as the COVID-19 shutdown intensifies their race with traditional carriers to lower costs and win post-pandemic business. In letters shared with Reuters, Wizz Air, Ryanair and easyJet have demanded long-lasting fee discounts or waivers from airports, signalling that the lowest offers will win more returning traffic. Wizz Air, in a "request for proposals" from airports last month, indicated it was ready to shake up its business, flagging "significant shifts in network strategy resulting in capacity reallocation between airports". "Bidders are requested to submit a price offer concerning a three-year term agreement," it said, calling for an "all-in" charge to replace the usual passenger, take-off, landing, parking and security fees. A low-cost travel boom has spurred European regional development over two decades as budget carriers focused on secondary airports, many of them local government-owned. Critics have accused the no-frills operators of relying on subsidies, from below-cost airport fees to tourism advertising. While issuing ultimatums to airports, low-cost carriers have led attacks on legacy airline bailouts. Ryanair vowed this week to challenge Lufthansa's aid. Their power over airports is among key advantages that budget airlines hold against traditional rivals, along with greater flexibility to cut jobs and costs, in a discount-driven recovery that leaves premium and long-haul business trailing. The economic crisis will bring "a shift from high-cost carriers towards low-cost", Wizz Air Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi predicted in an interview this month, saying the Hungarian carrier would "go airport by airport" for better deals. "Airports will be desperate for filling that capacity," Varadi added. RYANAIR: '100% WAIVER' Ryanair's up-front demands go further than its rivals'. "Ryanair Group will prioritise those airports who agree the following load factor/cost measures," it said in its letter last month, before requesting a "100% waiver" on fees until October and deep cuts extending another year. The Irish group is actively pursuing "once-in-a-lifetime airport discounts", CEO Michael O'Leary told investors last week. "We're getting real savings there." EasyJet invited airports to make Apprentice-style pitches during 20-minute Skype sessions held recently "to discuss how you can and will support easyJet to restart operations". It added: "We request that you present to us your best offer, which will strongly influence how we deploy capacity." Bids should cover all charges and throw in "short-term restart incentives", the British airline said, as well as winter rebates, "marketing funds for easyJet online media" and additional "local government and tourist board support". EasyJet cannot comment on specific discussions, a company spokeswoman said on Thursday. "We work together with all airports to negotiate charges that allow for traffic development that would not otherwise take place." BEAUTY CONTESTS Airports left deserted by the pandemic have less capital spending flexibility than airlines, threatening many with insolvency unless summer traffic picks up, their leaders say. Olivier Jankovec, who heads industry group ACI Europe, said low-cost carriers were banking on "desperate" airports' readiness to waive fees just to bring in passengers and make some money on retail, food and drink. "The airlines are playing that to the fullest extent, running beauty contests between airports," Jankovec said. Letters like Ryanair's "show the incredible dominance they can exert over airports today as a result of this crisis". Flying from smaller bases, the budget airlines are better able to put the squeeze on airports than higher-cost rivals and also have more to gain, Dublin-based Goodbody says. Landing and route charges account for 13% of non-fuel costs at British Airways parent IAG and 40% at Ryanair, according to the firm - which expects budget airlines' 27.5% European market share to increase by 4.3 points in two years. "Low-cost carriers will get better deals at airports," said Mark Simpson, an analyst with the brokerage. "They are the ones that will provide growth as intra-European traffic recovers first and faster than network carriers' long-haul." Search Keywords: Short link: (Natural News) Just in time for the global enforcement of so-called social distancing, engineering and robotics firm Boston Dynamics has unveiled a new robot dog that it says can herd sheep without the need for an actual human shepherd. Known as Spot, the yellow and black tech marvel can traverse pastures and herd sheep remotely with ease, eliminating the need for human supervision. And the only fuel it requires is electricity, with no need for a paycheck. In a video shared by robotics software company Rocos, Spot is seen marching through a pasture in New Zealand showing off its programmed skills. Not only can Spot herd sheep, it can also help with honing what is known as precision agriculture. The robot mechanism can scan orchards, as one example, to determine which fruit is ripe as well as how much of it there is going to be. Robots, like Spot from Boston Dynamics, increase accuracy in yield estimates, relieve the strain of worker shortages, and create precision in farming, reads a YouTube description of the robots abilities. Equipped with real-time mapping technologies, infrared cameras, and various other advanced sensory equipment, Spot has the potential to revolutionize the future of agriculture. It also, conveniently enough, makes a great spying and surveillance tool in the age of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). Already, the Spot robot has been used to assess patients as well as remind people in public parks to stay at least six feet apart from one another. When actual humans are not present to keep the human herd obedient to the governments decrees, in other words, Spot can help fill that gap. Robots are now replacing human baristas at Asian coffee shops, too Another use for these types of robots is to replace actual human workers at food establishments such as coffee shops. This is reportedly taking place in South Korea, where robot baristas are now making and serving people coffee. With the ability to make upwards of 60 different types of coffee drinks, South Korean barista robots have all but completely replaced the human staff at one cafe which now requires only one human employee to be present inside the store. Here is your Rooibos almond tea latte please enjoy, the robot reportedly said to one customer while serving her what she ordered on a computer-programmed tray. Its even better if you stir it. Perhaps this was the plan associated with this plandemic all along: to permanently remove even more human workers from the workforce and replace them all with soulless robots, none of which require breaks, benefits, or pay. Our system needs no input from people from order to delivery, and tables were sparsely arranged to ensure smooth movements of the robots, which fits well with the current untact and distancing campaign, says Lee Dong-bae, director of research at Vision Semicon, a smart factory solution provider that helped develop the barista robot. By the end of 2020, Vision Semicon hopes to supply another 30 cafes with these types of robots, which means more South Koreans will be out of work. Perhaps they can learn how to keep the robots properly maintained to ensure that they do not harm customers as they wheel themselves around their assigned establishments. Robots are fun and it was easy because you dont have to pick up your order, a 23-year-old student from South Korea told Business Insider. But Im also a bit of worried about the job market as many of my friends are doing part-time jobs at cafes and these robots would replace humans. 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: CNET.com YouTu.be BusinessInsider.com NaturalNews.com Ben Page, CEO at Ipsos Mori UK and Ireland: 'You need to represent the society that you serve'. (Getty) Diversity and inclusion isnt just a matter of doing the right thing its been shown countless times across benchmark reports, such as the annual bellwether report from McKinsey, that the more diverse teams are, the greater returns are likely to be. Gathering for a DIAL Global Digital Summit, where Verizon Media is a strategic partner, executives at the worlds largest organisations discussed how companies can lead and win through inclusion and how organisations can craft better inclusion strategies for a competitive edge. Ben Page, CEO at gold standard pollsters Ipsos Mori UK and Ireland was on the first panel, alongside Christopher Kenna, CEO and founder of Brand Advance and David Grevemberg CBE, CEO of The Commonwealth Games Federation. READ MORE: DIAL Global Virtual Summit: Google, Amazon, Unilever execs talk about diversity and inclusion Page, who has been at the global market research firm for 33 years, pointed out that the core of what they do is to understand humanity and why people think or do the things they do. When it comes to diversity, it is two pronged not just in terms of having diverse teams of employees but also to be constantly mindful, even when you think youre doing it right. You need to represent the society that you serve, he said. Page gave an example where a project had a blind spot and missed out a whole demographic of people because the team making the methodology did not include a person representing that community. Page discussed how during a crisis, people tend to turn to business leaders as well as political leaders for guidance. He said, what people need more than ever is transparency, empathy, and clarity to give them confidence and help them navigate the new world of work during the coronavirus pandemic. Domestic flight operations to and from Kolkata will resume from Thursday after a gap of two months due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Kolkata: Domestic flight operations to and from Kolkata will resume from Thursday after a gap of two months due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Though domestic flight operations across the country began on 25 May, it could not be restarted in Kolkata as the state machinery was involved in the relief and restoration work after the extremely severe Cyclone Amphan whiplashed many areas of the state. On Thursday, 10 flights will take off from Kolkata and an equal number will arrive in the city, sources at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport said. The first flight from Kolkata has left for Guhawati at 6.05 am, the sources said. Domestic flight operations will also resume at Bagdogra airport in north Bengal too. The West Bengal government had recently come up with a set of guidelines for people arriving in the state in domestic flights. According to it, those entering the state from Thursday must submit a self-declaration form stating that they had not tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two months, according to an advisory of the health department. The passengers will also need to undergo health screening after they arrive at the airport, the advisory said on Monday. 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 symptom, they shall inform the local medical officer or the state call centre, the advisory said. All symptomatic passengers will be taken to the nearest health facility for testing, it said. Regular sanitisation, disinfection shall be done at the airport, the advisory stated, adding that there should be adequate availability of sanitisers at different points. Arrangements for contact-less travel with social-distancing norms have been readied at the city airport to keep passengers safe from COVID-19, a top airport official said on Wednesday An "absolute contact-less procedure" with "least possible surface touch" will be provided to passengers from the time of entering the airport till boarding the flight under the new arrangement. Director of NSC Bose International Airport Kaushik Bhattacharya had earlier said, "We have taken all measures to keep the entire operations touch-free. We will entirely go by the directives of the Centre in this regard." WASHINGTON, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2020/Consumer-Alert-CPSC-and-Mueller-Austria-Warn-Consumers-to-Stop-Using-Select-Versions-of-Onion-Chopper-Pro-to-Avoid-Injury The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Mueller Austria are urging consumers to immediately stop using select versions of Mueller Austria's Onion Chopper Pro (model #M-700). The versions in question feature a locking tab that must be pushed towards the blades in order to properly lock into place. The product's locking tab can detach from the rest of the unit during use, causing hands and fingers to slide into the blades. Approximately 72,000 affected units were sold to consumers on Mueller Austria's website www.muellerdirect.com and Amazon.com between September 2016 and December 2019 for about $20. Mueller Austria introduced a new chopper in December 2019 with a different locking tab configuration. This notice only applies to the older versions of the onion chopper that features a locking tab which slides toward the blades. Mueller Austria, of Oakland, Calif., is currently in the process of negotiating a joint recall with CPSC. The firm wants to take action in order to protect consumers and provide a remedy. However, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has created a number of unforeseeable circumstances for Mueller Austria, and it remains uncertain when a remedy will become possible. Consumers in possession of the affected products are strongly encouraged to cease all use of the products for their own safety. Consumers are advised to check for a future announcement of this recall at www.cpsc.gov. About U.S. CPSC: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years. Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission. For more lifesaving information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC or sign up to receive our e-mail alerts. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at 301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired. CPSC Consumer Information Hotline Contact us at this toll-free number if you have questions about a recall: 800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054) Times: 8 a.m. 5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytime Call to get product safety and other agency information and to report unsafe products. Media Contact Please use the phone numbers below for all media requests. Phone: 301-504-7908 Spanish: 301-504-7800 Release Number: 20-129 SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Related Links http://www.cpsc.gov 28.05.2020 LISTEN The Police administration has been urged to consider reviewing the training duration for police recruits from six months to a maximum of twelve months. Social Commentator and Youth Activist Mr Kwabena Frimpong believes that the police are responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public law and order but the period of training is woefully adequate to equip them physically and mentally for this challenges. He is of the view that their professional responsibilities could be carried out in a more professional manner if the period of time used to train new police personnel is extended beyond the current six months period. Mr Kwabena Frimpong on Kumasi-based Boss Fm lamented that as a result of the shorter period used in training the personnel recruited into the police service, there seems to be a rush on the training and this does not help in any way as they fail to acquire the necessary professional skills needed for effective policing. He has therefore called for a national discourse on the issue for the necessary amendments to be effected. Mr Frimpong in his submission posited that most of the actions taken by some police personnel expose them as not been much equipped for the needed professional skills for the job. This he said is evident from the manner in which many police personnel respond to matters when called to duty. He cited an instance where he personally chanced upon a policeman compelling someone who had not put on a nose mask to buy one from a nearby seller by force. "The Police as we know are supposed to be friends of the citizenry but we see otherwise", Mr Frimpong opined. He sorrowfully cited another scenario where a driver who has lost his way in the Kumasi city asked for direction from a policeman on duty who refused to offer any form of support He continued that the attitude put up by some police officers when they are effecting arrest of a suspect leaves much to be desired as they exhibit violent conduct that brings the name of the noble profession into disrepute. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Social media was supposed to be the great equalizer, but a new study suggests that most elected officials in Canada, the United States, and elsewhere are struggling to connect with people on Twitter. (Matt Rourke/The Canadian Press/AP) Republican Senators Want Twitter to Stop Editorializing Comments or Lose Immunity Republican Senators spoke out against Twitters labeling of President Trumps comments while refraining from fact checking his political opponents comments. Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) suggested that Twitter and other big tech companies lose the immunity afforded to them by the federal government if they are choosing to go from a forum to a publisher status. Yesterday, for the first time ever, Twitter branded the Presidents tweets with a fact check designed to encourage readers to believe that the Presidents political speech was inaccurate, said Hawley. Twitters decision to editorialize regarding the content of political speech raises questions about why Twitter should continue receiving special status and special immunity from publisher liability under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, added Hawley. The law still protects social media companies like @Twitter because they are considered forums not publishers, Rubio said. But if they have now decided to exercise an editorial role like a publisher then they should no longer be shielded from liability & treated as publishers under the law, he added. This special immunity from suits and from liability thats worth billions of dollars to them every year, why are they getting subsidized by federal taxpayers to censor conservatives to censor people critical of China, they need to explain we need some answers, Hawley said on Fox News. Hawley sent a letter to Twitters CEO, Jack Dorsey in which he questioned why the fact checking appears to be one-sided and politically motivated. The Missouri Senator raised the question as to why inaccurate information by Joe Biden and the Chinese Communist Party is not labeled with a fact check label. Meanwhile, where has Twitter been in response to the outright lies and propaganda by the Chinese Communist Party and its so-called wolf warriors, busy blaming American soldiers for the start of COVID-19 on social media? Will Twitter also fact check these outrageous statements? said Hawley. Unfortunately, your company is not alone in censoring content to please the Chinese Communist Party, said Hawley. The Issue of big tech companies censoring conservative speech is not a new one and has been addressed at a series of Senate briefing with big tech executives in 2019. In a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing with Twitter Public Policy Director, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) made it clear he was not going to allow social media bias and censorship. If we have tech companies using the powers of monopoly to censor political speech, I think that raises real antitrust issues, Cruz said at a U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing in April 2019. Cruz said about 70 percent of the public gets their news from social media sources so the power the companies possess is tremendous. The ability for a handful of giant tech companies to decide if a particular speaker is disfavored that he or she may speak, and their words simply fade into the ether, continued Cruz. Twitter, Google, and Facebook, have denied their platforms are politically biased, and Democratic senators disagree with Republican claims, saying there is no evidence of conservatives being singled out. Since the pandemic, social media platforms have been limiting the reach of posts that contain words or references to the virus unless theyre from trusted sources, experts say. But its the platforms that are deciding who these trusted sources are, said Andrew Selepak, social media professor at the University of Florida. In essence, the platforms are acting as gatekeepers to information, which is the exact opposite of the purpose behind social media, in that it should not limit the voice of users, he told The Epoch Times. If the online public square is only limited to voices vetted as acceptable by social media companies, we may never know whose voices are being limited or silenced and they may never be able to tell us, Selepak said. There are solid arguments to limit some speech in cases of inciting violence, such as ISIS using platforms to spread its violent ideology, and recruit members. If the only option for people is to not use the platform, and there are no other alternatives, then free speech is truly silenced, Selepak said. According to Andrew Contiguglia, president of the not-for-profit First Amendment Lawyers Association, theres not much people can do about companies moderating or censoring posts on their platforms. We have this First Amendment right to free speech, but the social media sites have control over the message we are trying to convey, Contiguglia told The Epoch Times. Some people have expressed concern that social media sites arent doing enough to counter violent or false speech, he said. At the same time, others argue platforms are unfairly banning and restricting access to potentially valuable speech. Bowen Xiao contributed to this report. A campaign group formed by anti-Trump Republican operatives has launched a TV commercial against the partys leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, who is up for re-election this November. Deriding him as Rich Mitch, the ad is being broadcast in the senators home state of Kentucky. It is the work of the Lincoln Project, an operation founded by veterans of various Republican campaigns united in their disgust for Donald Trump, as well as for their partys acquiescence to him and his agenda. What will history say about Mitch McConnell? asks the ads voiceover. Well, hes spent most of his time making deals for himself. Not so much for Kentucky. Mitch didnt have money when he went to Washington 35 years ago. Today, hes one of the richest guys up there. So what did Kentucky get in the bargain? Well, were 40th in job opportunity, 45th in education, 43rd in healthcare. Getting the picture? Self-enrichment on the part of senators has become something of a running story lately. Republican senators Richard Burr of North Carolina and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia have both been met with public disgust after it emerged they had sold off millions of dollars of shares in industries vulnerable to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic before the economic impact was clear but after they had received confidential briefings forecasting it. With stories like these in the air, the Lincoln Projects attack on Mr McConnell attempts to hit what could be a highly sensitive electoral nerve. After 35 years, Kentuckians are still waiting for the kinds of opportunities Mitch worked so hard to give himself. With another six years of Mitch McConnell, from the hollow to the horse farm, well still be waiting. And Mitch? Hell just be richer. So what will history say about Mitch McConnell? The same thing many Kentuckians say now: not a damn thing. The Lincoln Project, whose express aim is to prevent the presidents re-election, has made a conventional TV ad buy for the McConnell spot, spending $250,000 to get it on the airwaves. However, the projects approach to advertising has also been highly targeted. Earlier this month, it paid a mere $5,000 to screen an anti-Trump ad titled Mourning in America during a Fox News show the president is known to watch devotedly. The result was a barrage of rageful tweets from the president, ensuring the ad received maximal attention and raising the group more than $1.4m. SAN DIEGO, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- North Island Credit Union has announced the recipients of its Spring 2020 Teacher Grants to assist educators in funding innovative learning opportunities for their students. Through the program, the credit union will provide 10 grants of $500 each to directly support classroom projects in San Diego County. The Spring 2020 North Island Credit Union San Diego County Teacher Grant recipients include: North Island Credit Union Grant Recipient School City Wendy Castillo Bostonia Language Academy El Cajon Vanessa De Los Reyes Mount Miguel High School Spring Valley Fernando Escobar, Jr. Emerald Middle School El Cajon Misty Gilliland Rios Elementary School El Cajon Deborah Otto Creekside Elementary School San Diego Alejandro Picazo Rancho del Rey Middle School Chula Vista Stacy Salz Calavera Hills Middle School Carlsbad Chelsea Stewart Jamul Elementary School Jamul Kelly Young Lindbergh Schweitzer Elementary School San Diego Nicole Zdunich San Pasqual Union Elementary School Escondido "Teachers today are facing unprecedented challenges in engaging with their students in new and different ways, and continue to go above and beyond in adapting to new learning environments," said CEO Steve O'Connell. "We congratulate these inspiring teachers, and are proud to continue our commitment to supporting our education community through these grants. We hope this extra support will help educators as they create innovative and meaningful programs for their students, whether through online or in-classroom learning." The credit union grants will help fund a wide variety of programs illustrating the creativity and commitment teachers bring to their classrooms and communities. Projects receiving grants include a student Poetry Rap Cafe, student-led news broadcast programs promoting digital citizenship, an innovative design workshop, STEAM and coding programs, and designing and building medieval catapults, among many others. Since the creation of the program in 2012, the credit union has awarded $115,000 in teacher grants to support classroom programs. Up to 20 grants are awarded bi-annually in the spring and fall. Any full-time classroom teacher in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside County can apply for a grant for a program that has clearly defined learning objectives tied to students' academic needs, displays creativity in education, and targets a significant number of students. More information is available at northisland.ccu.com. About North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union California Credit Union is a federally insured, state chartered credit union founded in 1933 that serves public or private school employees, community members and businesses across California. With more than 165,000 members and assets of $3 billion, California Credit Union has 25 branches throughout Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The credit union operates in San Diego County as North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union. California Credit Union offers a full suite of consumer, business and investment products and services, including comprehensive consumer checking and loan options, personalized financial planning, business banking, and leading-edge online and mobile banking. Please visit northisland.ccu.com for more information or follow the credit union on Instagram or Facebook @northislandcu. SOURCE North Island Credit Union Upper West Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Francis Aboagye Nyarko, has pointed out that the disinfection and fumigation exercise on-going in the region will help boost the morale of his officers and spur them on to continue to give more, in the country's COVID-19 fight. He was speaking during the launch of the U/W Police-Zoomlion disinfection and fumigation exercise at the Regional Police Headquarters, Wa, Upper West Region, on Wednesday, 27 May, 2020. The short but very important ceremony was attended by senior police officers and Zoomlion Ghana Limited regional officials. According to DCOP Aboagye Nyarko, though none of his officers in the region has tested positive for Covid-19 so far, there was still the need for them to strictly observe the Covid-19 preventive protocols. We must do all we can to protect ourselves from the Covid-19 disease, he urged the officers in the region. Consequently, he indicated their readiness to assist the Zoomlion Ghana Limited disinfection teams to ensure that the exercise was done very well, safeguarding working environment of police officers in the region. The regional police commander expressed his appreciation to Zoomlion Ghana Limited and Police Administration for the initiative to ensure the safety of police personnel across the country. The exercise will cover all police facilities in the region including police stations, holding cells, barracks, various offices amongst others. On his part, the Regional Manager for Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr Emmanuel Volisuuri, said the exercise will be done in about 58 districts of the Upper West Region. "We are all aware of the ravaging effects that the novel coronavirus pandemic has caused around the world of which Ghana has been impacted. It was proper to do this exercise, particularly in police stations considering their frequent interaction with the public, he noted. Shortly after the launch, the Zoomlion sprayers started disinfecting and fumigating the regional police headquarters. After the regional command, Zoomlion moved to disinfect the Nadowli Police Station. Upper West Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Francis Aboagye Nyarko, has pointed out that the disinfection and fumigation exercise on-going in the region will help boost the morale of his officers and spur them on to continue to give more, in the country's Covid-19 fight. He was speaking during the launch of the U/W Police-Zoomlion disinfection and fumigation exercise at the Regional Police Headquarters, Wa, Upper West Region, on Wednesday, 27 May, 2020. The short but very important ceremony was attended by senior police officers and Zoomlion Ghana Limited regional officials. According to DCOP Aboagye Nyarko, though none of his officers in the region has tested positive for Covid-19 so far, there was still the need for them to strictly observe the Covid-19 preventive protocols. We must do all we can to protect ourselves from the Covid-19 disease, he urged the officers in the region. Consequently, he indicated their readiness to assist the Zoomlion Ghana Limited disinfection teams to ensure that the exercise was done very well, safeguarding working environment of police officers in the region. The regional police commander expressed his appreciation to Zoomlion Ghana Limited and Police Administration for the initiative to ensure the safety of police personnel across the country. The exercise will cover all police facilities in the region including police stations, holding cells, barracks, various offices amongst others. On his part, the Regional Manager for Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr Emmanuel Volisuuri, said the exercise will be done in about 58 districts of the Upper West Region. "We are all aware of the ravaging effects that the novel coronavirus pandemic has caused around the world of which Ghana has been impacted. It was proper to do this exercise, particularly in police stations considering their frequent interaction with the public, he noted. Shortly after the launch, the Zoomlion sprayers started disinfecting and fumigating the regional police headquarters. After the regional command, Zoomlion moved to disinfect the Nadowli Police Station. Anilkumar T By Express News Service KOCHI: Amid the governments all-out efforts to stem the Covid spread, non-compliance by those in home quarantine is threatening to torpedo the good work done in this regard so far. Despite the alarming rise in the number of Covid cases, violation of home quarantine is rampant across the state. According to the data available with the City and Rural police, 247 cases (until May 26) have been registered for violating home quarantine rules in the district. While 232 cases were registered within the City police limits, 15 cases were reported from the rural parts. Though all those found guilty of non compliance were shifted to institutional quarantine, police and health department are struggling to check the violations. It is a major source of worry. Despite stern instructions, many of them are not understanding the seriousness of the situation. So far 15 cases have been recorded in rural parts of the district. People belonging to the high-risk category and those coming from other states and abroad should observe 14-day home quarantine. If they fail to do so, they will be put in institutional quarantine, said K Karthik, district police chief (Rural). Strangely, the rampant home quarantine violations are occurring even as the police are tracking the movement of those quarantined using Happy@Home mobile app and also with the help of neighbours. These people should show some social commitment. By violating the protocol, they are putting the lives of many others at risk, he said. Meanwhile, the Rural police have also decided to deploy around 1,000 volunteers to monitor the movement of people in home quarantine. The volunteers with police officers will visit each home to track the movement of people in home quarantine. Bike patrolling will be carried out with the help of these volunteers. If anyone is found violating the protocol, they will face legal action, added Karthik. Spl bike team to keep violators in check The city police have deployed special bike patrolling team to intensify surveillance on people placed under home quarantine and in isolation, in a bid to curb down quarantine violations. Ann Coulter once said that sometimes it can be difficult to debate liberals because every so often, they say something so incomprehensibly stupid that you don't even know how to respond. This is one of those moments. Imagine being so daft that you don't know that Spanish comes from Spain. Guaranteed, the person who wrote the above excerpt took out at least $100K in debt to attend a mediocre university and thinks there are an infinite number of genders. But rather than try to convince leftists that this philosophy is unintelligible and racist, I am in total agreement with them. Speaking another civilization's language is indeed cultural appropriation, and I won't stand for such bigotry. That's why I propose that from this point forward, Central Americans should no longer be allowed to speak Spanish. They must now speak Aztec. Unfortunately for the commenter above, Spanish is indeed a white language. Sure, the Spaniards are slightly tanner and better-looking than the rest of us European mutts, but they are European and white. Sorry, liberals Spanish belongs to the whites. While I understand that this language change will be drastic, fear not: the Aztec language, formally known as Nahuatl, is still spoken by at least 1.5 million people in Mexico today! So it can easily be reintroduced into the cultures south of the border. Unfortunately, they won't be allowed to use the Roman alphabet that the Spaniards introduced to the natives when they translated Aztec into written word for the indigenous people. Unlucky for Western Hispanics, the Roman alphabet belongs to European whites, too, and simply allowing them to continue using it would only reinforce the elements of European imperialism and white supremacy and be a daily reminder of the genocide committed against the native cultures. Instead, Aztec-speakers will have to return to pictograms used before the evil white conquistadors arrived and supplied the alphabet, the wheel, and draft animals. In better news, the new Aztec-speakers will be allowed to use the unique numerical symbols created by their ancestors as well as the Aztec calendar. Additionally, now uninhibited by the shackles of Western morals, these indigenous people should be free, better yet encouraged, to re-establish the practice of human sacrifice. After all, culture is relative and who are we to judge another civilization's customs? Leftists are absolutely right when they demand that any remnants of colonialism among non-whites be destroyed. It's only fair that we unburden these poor minorities with the language our ancestors forced them to speak. We must take back the Spanish language and permit only white Europeans to use it...except Beto O'Rourke. He will be allowed to speak only in Gaelic. Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has published today its first TAG quarterly report that analyzes rising trends in nation-state and financially motivated attacks. Google also discloses seven coordinated political influence campaigns that took place on its platforms during Q1 2020. The Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG) is a group inside the Googles security team that tracks operations conducted by nation-state actors and cybercrime groups. Google TAG has published today its first TAG quarterly report, the Q1 2020 TAG Bulletin, that provides insights on the campaigns monitored in the first quarter of 2020. The report includes recent findings on government-backed phishing, threats, and disinformation campaigns, as well as information about actions the tech giant has taken against accounts coordinated influence campaigns. A first scaring trend reported by Google is the rising of hack-for-fire companies currently operating out of India. Another trend was the rising number of political influence campaigns carried out by nation-state actors worldwide. Experts confirm that threat actor continues to use COVID-19 lures, the pandemic has taken center stage in the world of government-backed hacking. Google continues to uncover COVID-19 themed attacks, groups like Iran-linked Charming Kitten focuses on medical and healthcare professionals, including World Health Organization (WHO) employees. Experts reported new activity from hack-for-hire firms, many based in India, that are using Gmail accounts spoofing the WHO to target business leaders in financial services, consulting, and healthcare corporations within numerous countries including, the U.S., Slovenia, Canada, India, Bahrain, Cyprus, and the UK. The lures are designed to trick victims into signing up for direct notifications from the WHO to stay informed of COVID-19 related announcements, and link to websites under the control of the attackers that clone the official WHO website. Weve seen new activity from hack-for-hire firms, many based in India, that have been creating Gmail accounts spoofing the WHO, said Shane Huntley, head of Google TAG. The accounts have largely targeted business leaders in financial services, consulting, and healthcare corporations within numerous countries including, the US, Slovenia, Canada, India, Bahrain, Cyprus, and the UK. While there have been many hack-for-hire companies around the world, most are located in the UE, Israel, and some Arab countries. This is the first time that a report references the activity of hack-for-hire Indian companies. The Google TAG also investigated groups that have also engaged in coordinated social and political influence campaigns. The TAG team tracked a total of seven influence operations in Q1 2020. In January Google terminated three YouTube channels as part of a coordinated influence operation linked to Iranian state-sponsored International Union of Virtual Media (IUVM) news organization. In February, the company terminated one advertising account and 82 YouTube channels that were employed in a coordinated influence operation linked to Egypt. The campaign was sharing political content in Arabic that was supportive of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain and was critical of Iran and Qatar. The campaign being tied to the digital marketing firm New Waves based in Cairo. In March, TAG terminated five different influence operations. Three advertising accounts, one AdSense account, and 11 YouTube channels part of a coordinated influence operation linked to India sharing pro-Qatar messages. Google banned one Play Store developer and terminated 68 YouTube channels as part of a coordinated influence operation sharing political content in Arabic supportive of Turkey and critical of the UAE and Yemen. Google also terminated one advertising account, one AdSense account, 17 YouTube channels, and banned one Play developer involved in a coordinated influence operation linked to Egypt supporting of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain and critical of Iran and Qatar. Google also banned one Play developer and terminated 78 YouTube channels used in a coordinated influence operation linked to Serbia. Google also shut down 18 YouTube channels that were part of a coordinated influence operation linked to Indonesia. Since March, weve removed more than a thousand YouTube channels that we believe to be part of a large campaign and that were behaving in a coordinated manner. These channels were mostly uploading spammy, non-political content, but a small subset posted primarily Chinese-language political content similar to the findings of a recent Graphika report. Well also share additional removal actions from April and May in the Q2 Bulletin. concludes Google. Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs Google TAG, nation-state acting) Share this... Linkedin Share this: Twitter Print LinkedIn Facebook More Tumblr Pocket Share On Different regions face distinct challenges in emerging from COVID-19 lockdowns, Canada's top public health doctor noted Thursday as New Brunswick had to suspend its legislature, Ontario saw a jump in cases and Manitoba grappled with loosening restrictions on gatherings. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/5/2020 (602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam responds to a question during a news conference on Parliament Hill Thursday May 28, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Different regions face distinct challenges in emerging from COVID-19 lockdowns, Canada's top public health doctor noted Thursday as New Brunswick had to suspend its legislature, Ontario saw a jump in cases and Manitoba grappled with loosening restrictions on gatherings. Dr. Theresa Tam described Canada as "a series of regional epidemics," with the hardest-hit provinces remaining Ontario and Quebec. "Even within those jurisdictions, you need to hone in on certain areas," she said as she urged authorities to focus their efforts on hot spots and vulnerable areas such as long-term care homes. Her assessment proved true on Thursday as various provinces experienced setbacks and successes in the fight against the virus. New Brunswick's provincial legislature abruptly adjourned, a day after officials confirmed a health-care worker who had travelled outside New Brunswick was at the origin of a cluster that has grown to at least six cases in the Campbellton area. Premier Blaine Higgs has said the health-care worker was in contact with "multiple patients" over a two-week period after returning to the province without self-isolating. The area, near the border with Quebec, will now have to return to tighter restrictions on physical distancing. Tam said the response shows public health officials across the country are taking a cautious approach to reopening. "I think there has always been the message in different jurisdictions that there's a flexibility in the public health system to reinstate or pull back on some of the measures as they see fit, based on their own epidemiological context," she said. Ontario also experienced a small setback as it reported 383 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, after several consecutive days of fewer than 300 new cases. It brings the provincial total to 26,866, an increase of 1.4 per cent over the previous day. The province continued to deal with the fallout of a scathing Canadian Armed Forces report alleging "horrific" conditions in five long-term care homes, including insect infestations, poor hygiene and aggressive behaviour toward residents. On Thursday, five Ontario Liberal MPs representing ridings with long-term care homes "devastated" by COVID-19 urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Health Minister Patty Hajdu to push the province to hold a full inquiry into the province's long-term care system. They said Ottawa should work with the provinces to develop "enforceable national standards." Trudeau did not hold his usual COVID-19 news conference, as he co-hosted a major United Nations conference and prepared for a Thursday evening first ministers meeting. Canada is competing for one of two non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council next month, and Trudeau is running on a platform of trying to help rebuild the post-pandemic world. "And for the global economy to recover, and for our domestic economies to bounce back, we need a global, co-ordinated plan," Trudeau told the videoconference. "Our citizens need to have confidence in international institutions that leave no one behind and are capable of overcoming global challenges." Manitoba's premier, meanwhile, called on Trudeau to clear up mixed messages about Indigenous ceremonies after a First Nation chief said his community would hold its annual powwow next month, even if provincial public health orders continue to limit the size of gatherings. "Now is not the time to begin to disrespect public health orders that have kept Manitobans safe all Manitobans," Brian Pallister said. He said he would be bringing up the issue on a call with Trudeau later Thursday. Chief Cornell McLean said that after careful consideration Lake Manitoba First Nation decided to go ahead with the community's traditional powwow, although he promised social distancing measures would be in place. "It is our culture," McLean said. In Quebec, Premier Francois Legault said that outside of seniors residences, the infection rate is decreasing even in Montreal, the epicentre of the virus in Canada. The number of daily new cases of COVID-19 in the city has been decreasing for the past week. Legault said another piece of good news is that the province's hospitals have 173 fewer COVID-19 patients than they did a week ago. However, new projections released by Quebec on Thursday warned that hospitalizations and deaths could increase by August if the majority of Montrealers don't follow public health directives. The models were divided on what will happen if compliance is strong, with 50 per cent projecting a gradual reduction in hospitalizations and deaths, and the other half suggesting those numbers could still increase. The operation of long-term care homes and paid sick leave for workers is expected to be front and centre on the agenda when Trudeau hosts the first ministers' call. The prime minister has promised federal support in both areas but his offer has been met with mixed reactions from provincial and territorial leaders. 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. Legault has said the province's corporate leaders want to know who will pay for Trudeau's promise to ensure 10 days of paid sick leave for workers who fall ill with COVID-19 or are required to go into quarantine after exposure. On long-term care homes, Legault came close to suggesting the feds should butt out, apart from sending the provinces more money for health care in general, which they could then spend as they see fit. In contrast to Legault, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been vocally grateful for the offer of federal help. Trudeau on Wednesday repeatedly stressed that the federal government will respect provincial jurisdiction as it embarks on a discussion with the premiers. with files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax and Joan Bryden in Ottawa This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2020. Artist Peter Alexander in his studio in Santa Monica in 2014. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) For Peter Alexander, the moment that helped change the direction of his art arrived after a mundane session of ding repair on his surfboard in the 1960s. He had poured some resin into a paper cup to seal his board, and over the course of several hours the resin hardened into a translucent puck. "I remember at the bottom of the Dixie Cup, this clear material," he told a documentary team from the Getty Conservation Institute in 2014. "And I was doing a project and I thought, 'I bet this could be done in polyester, in this resin.' So I started casting it in little things like little boxes." Those experiments with industrial materials, begun when he was a student at UCLA, led to the creation of ethereal sculptures that evoked the quietly shifting nature of light, color and environment. And they put Alexander among the vanguard of Southern California's Light and Space artists, a movement that brought buoyancy and perceptual play to Minimalism, which until then been dominated by the more austere forms emerging from the East Coast. "Cloud Box," 1966, by Peter Alexander, on view at the Getty Museum in 2011 as part of Pacific Standard Time. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times) One of his early pieces, "Cloud Box," from 1966, consisted of a resin cube that within its modest dimensions (it's only 10 inches tall) seems to harbor an entire atmosphere of billowing clouds over an open plain. His later "wedge" sculptures, slender prisms of color that can reach heights of 8 feet, seemed to evanesce into transparent nothingness at the top. Resin, which gets brittle over time, grows increasingly fragile as it ages. The material's shifting nature, the artist told the Getty, made him "think about longevity and things being fugitive." Alexander died on Tuesday morning at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 81. His death was confirmed by representatives at Parrasch Heijnen Gallery, his long-time art dealers. The cause was undisclosed but said to be unrelated to COVID-19. "Untitled," 1968, by Peter Alexander one of the artist's wedge sculptures, in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. (Museum Associates / LACMA) "He was a good spirit and very brilliant," says Billy Al Bengston, an artist who also pioneered the use of industrial materials in the '60s. "He really did invent something that had never been done before, and that's hard to do." Story continues The artists became friends when Bengston served as a juror on a citywide art exhibition and Alexander presented one of his early sculptures for consideration. "It had to be the '60s or '70s," recalls Bengston. "I said, 'Give him everything!' It was the only thing that was any good. All the rest of the art show was crap. It was this little sculpture just fantastic." Old and new sculptures by Peter Alexander on view at Parrasch Heijnen in Los Angeles in 2016. (Christopher Heijnen / Parrasch Heijnen Gallery) Alexander was not as well known as some of his contemporaries in the Light and Space movement, such as Robert Irwin or James Turrell. Part of that is likely due to the varied nature of his work. Over the years, working with resin proved increasingly toxic to the artist landing him in the hospital in the early 1970s. Around 1972, he abandoned the material altogether. For more than three decades after that, he turned his attention to painting, producing a wide range of works on canvas, paper and, during one period, even velvet many of them inspired by landscape, light and other natural phenomena, including his fascination with the idea of L.A. on fire. His paintings depicted luminous sunsets, explosive storms and moody cityscapes of Los Angeles at night. At a 1992 lecture at the Laguna Art Museum, he explained his turn toward painting and his feelings at the time on minimalism, which he called a "crock." Peter Alexander, "Thrasher," 1992. Oil on canvas. (UCI Institute and Museum for California Art) I kept seeing these incredible sunsets, he said. I really wanted to make a picture a real, dumb picture. Alexander returned to sculpture-making as the result of an accident a fortuitous one. In 2006, the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris included one of the artist's resin sculptures from 1971 a black bar that extended to a height of eight feet in the group exhibition "Los Angeles: 1955-1985." But the piece fell off the wall shortly before the show opened and was destroyed. (A wall piece by fellow Light and Space artist Craig Kauffman also broke during that unlucky exhibition.) Luckily for Alexander, however, the museum not only paid the value of the sculpture it gave him the resources to fabricate a new one. "The Pompidou was really invested in the process of re-creating the work," says Franklin Parrasch, who in addition to Parrasch Heijnen in L.A., operates a namesake gallery in New York. "He began working with a mannequin manufacturer in Los Angeles, and they were able to come up with the translucence he wanted but with new safety standards." Instead of resin, Alexander could now work with urethane which was less toxic and showcased pigment to better effect. "That's when I got interested in the effects of color," Alexander said in the Getty interview, "how we feel about color, how we respond to color." Later sculptures by Peter Alexander featured buoyant color such as this installation shown at Parrasch Heijnen Gallery in Los Angeles in January. (Parrasch Heijnen Gallery) And thus began a fruitful new wave of sculptural production, one that reflected his deep interest not just in materials, but in the nature of color. "He was one of the most extraordinary colorists," says Robin Clark, a curator who included Alexander's work in the critically acclaimed exhibition "Phenomenal: California, Light, Space, Surface" at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in 2011, part of the first Pacific Standard Time series. "He talks in different interviews of the influence of Rothko, which is easy to see. And he also talks of Vermeer these sensitivities to the qualities of light." In fact, if there's a thread that stitches together the disparate works from throughout his career, it is his thoughtful employment of tones: fruity oranges, dusty pinks, oceanic greens, incandescent yellows. Peter Alexander, "Vallarta," 2003. Acrylic on panel. (Ruth Bachofner Gallery) Clark describes his use of color as "sumptuous." In a 1968 review in Artforum, critic Fidel Danieli noted that Alexander's work evoked something "so sensuously romantic that they recall the luscious and Baroque Rubens more than mechanistic Newtonian physics." In a review of a solo show of his work at Parrasch Heijnen in 2016, Times contributor David Pagel describes colors that recall "the night sky seen from beneath the surface of an illuminated swimming pool, icicles reflecting sunshine on a sub-zero afternoon and waves gently lapping a sandy beach just before disappearing into the wet sand. "The combination of outlandish artifice and grounded experience is startling." Peter Alexander in his studio in the 1960s. (Clytie Alexander Archive) Alexander was born on February 27, 1939, in Los Angeles the fourth generation of a well-to-do Southern California family that ran oil fields. He grew up in Newport Beach, where the sun and the ocean were staples. (He was surfing by the age of 13.) One of the most lasting memories of his youth was watching a meteor shower over the beach. "It was an indelible impression," he told Times contributor Hunter Drohojowska-Philp in 1999. "I am sure that when you experience things like that when you are young, you've been branded somehow." Peter Alexander on May 26, 1998, standing before "Dorado," one of his black velvet works using acrylic and collage. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times) As a young man, he was initially interested in pursuing not art but architecture. He attended the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1950s and studied under architect Louis Kahn. During summers, he produced architectural drawings in the Los Angeles studio of the Modernist Richard Neutra. He followed this with academic stints in architectural programs at the Architectural Association in London, UC Berkeley and USC, but ultimately decided "architecture wasn't for me." So Alexander enrolled in the art department at UCLA, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1965, followed by a master's in fine arts in 1968. It was during his time at UCLA that he began to make his early sculptures in resin. An installation view of sculptures by Peter Alexander at Parrasch Heijnen Gallery in 2016. (Christopher Heijnen / Parrasch Heijnen Gallery) But even if he never formally practiced architecture, his architectural studies nonetheless shaped his work especially when it came to connecting light and space. As he told The Times in 1999: "To use Louis Kahn's phrase, 'What does the building want to be?' What does the object want to be? What does the material want to be?" Clark, who worked with Alexander for several years in the lead-up to the show at MCASD, says architecture played a huge role in the ways he viewed and installed his work. "When he starts making those box works," she explains, "he did think about them as rooms that you could visually enter." Artist Peter Alexander's prefabricated studio in Santa Monica in 2013. (Dave Lauridsen) Alexander, in fact, described some of the early resin pieces, such as "Cloud Box," as "little rooms" that functioned as "places to go." His wedge sculptures, prisms of varying widths and heights that seem to evaporate at the top, were inspired by being in an airplane and coming in for a landing at LAX. "I was looking down and noticing the ocean and how it changes color before it hits the sand," he said in 2014. "And I thought, wow, that would be beautiful that'd be perfect. So I did these that objects disappear at the top." "Green Wedge," 1969 by Peter Alexander as seen in the Light and Space exhibition "Primary Atmospheres" at David Zwirner gallery in New York in 2010. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times) Alexander was a low-key figure known for his sense of humor and his dedication to his work. He will likely best be remembered for his Light and Space sculptures. (His pieces figure in major museum collections all over the U.S. including New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.) But over his career, he created a range of work from traditional watercolors to more experimental multimedia works that employed found materials (some created with the assistance of his first wife, painter Clytie Alexander). He did film work, creating the drawings for the 1975 film version of Nathanael West's novel "The Day of the Locust." He also made public art, such as the 48-foot mural titled "Blue" for Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003. Peter Alexander's "Blue" hangs on a lobby wall inside Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) In 1999, the artist was the subject of a survey at the Orange County Museum of Art titled "Peter Alexander: In This Light," which was organized by Naomi Vine, then the museum's director, along with art critic Dave Hickey. Bengston worked on the installation design. At the time, Alexander acknowledged the eclectic nature of his art. "On the surface, the work doesn't seem consistent," he told Drohojowska-Philp. "I am really looking forward to seeing all this stuff together. Then, I think, the connections will be obvious." The connection was color but also something more primal. "Peter wasn't just interested in the light, but the source of the light," Parrasch says. "Peter was extremely spiritual." In his work, Alexander took the intangible and found a way to give it physical form. The artist is survived by his second wife, artist and musician Claudia Parducci, and their son Pietro, as well as his first wife, Clytie Alexander, and their two daughters, Hope and Julia all of whom live in L.A. He is also survived by his brother, Brooke Alexander, an art dealer who lives in New York. A memorial service is being contemplated for a future date, when health conditions allow. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations in Alexander's name to Art Division, an educational organization serving L.A.'s Rampart District. Synack, Inc., a Redwood City, Calif.-based crowdsourced security testing platform, raised $52m in Series D funding. The round, which brought total funding to $112.1m, was led by B Capital Group and C5 Capital with participation from previous investors GGV Capital, GV (formerly Google Ventures), Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Icon Ventures, Intel Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Microsofts venture fund M12 and Singtel Innov8 (the corporate venture arm of the Singtel Group). The company intends to use the funds to expand internationally, invest in the community, and further advance its technology. Founded in 2013 by former NSA security experts Jay Kaplan, CEO, and Dr. Mark Kuhr, CTO, Synack is a crowdsourced security platform that continuously protects organizations with ethical hacker talent and proprietary scanning technology. More than 1,500 of the worlds best security researchers from 82 countries are part of the Synack Red Team community that hunts for critical vulnerabilities. Their smarts combined with the software safeguards global banks, federal agencies, DoD sensitive assets, and close to $1 trillion in Global 2000 revenue. FinSMEs 28/05/2020 Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 12:39:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Three racial incidents that have aroused concerns nationwide this month show the racial wound in the United States is worsening amid the coronavirus epidemic, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives in the country as of Wednesday. In Minneapolis, the biggest city in the midwest state of Minnesota, George Floyd died in police custody on Monday evening shortly after a white police officer held him down with a knee on his neck though the black man in his 40s repeatedly pleaded, "I can't breathe," and "please, I can't breathe." The police officer's way of handling the man is not approved by the local police department. Several hundred protesters, chanting and carrying banners that read "I can't breathe" marched in Minneapolis on Tuesday evening and clashed with police after a video recording the arrest of Floyd spread on social media earlier in the day, local media reported. In 2014, a cellphone recorded an unarmed black man, Eric Garner, repeatedly said "I can't breathe" when a New York officer held him in a chokehold before his death in police custody. Since then, the plea has become a rallying cry at demonstrations against police misconduct across the country. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday called Floyd's death "very sad and tragic," saying "justice will be served" in his case. "I want to see justice for George Floyd ...I want to see the charge of the arresting officer take place," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said on Wednesday. Also on Monday in New York's Central Park, a black man, a bird watcher, asked a white woman to leash her dog as required by the park's rules. The woman refused and called the police. As the man filmed on his phone, the woman said in a rising voice to him, "I'm going to tell them there's an African-American man threatening my life." While dialing, she repeated "African-American" to the operator twice. The video also went viral on U.S. social media platforms, evoking intense discussions about the history of false accusations made to the police against black people, which sometimes put their lives in danger. Within 24 hours, the white woman publicly apologized and was fired from her job, and the black man expressed regret for the extent of the retribution, a New York Times report said Wednesday. The two persons in the encounter, though in different races and without connections, even share the same surname. The third incident happened in the southern state of Georgia where two white men fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man jogging unarmed on the street. Arbery was shot dead in February but the gunmen, a 64-year-old father and his son, had been at large for more than two months until the video capturing the moment of the killing circulated on social media earlier this month, triggering widespread outrage over racial inequity, and leading to their arrest on charges of murder and aggravated assault. "The death of Mr. Floyd is deeply disturbing and should be of concern to all Americans," the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which represents the heads of police departments in largest U.S. cities, said in a statement on Wednesday. Data compiled by the non-partisan APM Research Lab last week revealed that the coronavirus outbreak has aggravated racial inequality in the United States as African Americans suffer a disproportionate share of the negative health and economic outcomes from the coronavirus pandemic. With a death toll of more than 20,000 or about one in every 2,000 of the entire U.S. black population, African Americans were dying at a rate of 50.3 per 100,000 people, compared with 20.7 for whites, 22.9 for Latinos and 22.7 for Asian Americans, the data showed. Enditem We have lived in Galloway Township for 45 years and have known Harrison for 30 years. We are puzzled by her primary opponents attacks on her as 1) a non-resident outsider, 2) a George Norcross stooge, and 3) a clone of Rep. Jeff Van Drew. Harrison graduated from Holy Spirit High School and Stockton State College, married a Stockton professor (Ken Harrison), and lived and raised three children in Smithville, where we were often guests at their home. Even when she finished her Ph.D. and became a faculty member at Montclair, and even after her husband became terminally ill, she commuted from Galloway Township to her job. She has never voted anywhere but Atlantic County. She knows this district and its people. When she considered running to challenge Van Drew, before other candidates had announced, she did what any sensible potential candidate would do: She inquired about her support from Democratic Party leaders locally and statewide and asked for their endorsements. Somehow, that has been cited as evidence that she is a tool of the Norcross machine. Anybody who thinks that Harrison takes orders from anyone obviously doesnt know her very well. She's known for her incredible curves and has even modelled for the likes of Playboy. And on Thursday, Simone Holtznagel showed off her stunning figure as she shared some behind the scenes images on Instagram from a racy beachside photo shoot. The 26-year-old, who rose to fame on Australia's Next Top Model in 2011, flaunted her best assets in a plunging black one piece. Taking the plunge! Simone Holtznagel (pictured) showed off her best assets and incredible curves in a one piece during a racy beach shoot this week Simone took the saucy images while on set in Byron Bay for Natasha Oakley's swimwear brand, Monday Swimwear. In the photos, Simone stuns with her bleached blonde locks out and over her shoulders and wears natural-looking makeup. The one piece features a plunging neck, a supported waist and is high-cut at the hips. Beach babe! In the photos, Simone stuns with her bleached blonde locks out and over her shoulders and wears natural looking makeup Last month, Simone enjoyed a photo shoot for the brand at Sydney's iconic Palm Beach, where she wore a number of retro-style bikinis. The looks included a classic white bikini and a racy leopard print number. Simone first shot to fame in 2011 after she placed second runner-up on Australia's Next Top Model. So hot she needs to cool down! Last month, Simone enjoyed a photo shoot for Monday Swimwear at Sydney's iconic Palm Beach, where she wore a number of retro-style bikinis She's not shy! The blonde bombshell landed her first Playboy cover back in October 2015, covering 'The College Issue' The blonde bombshell landed her first Playboy cover back in October 2015, covering 'The College Issue.' Simone, who hails from Sydney's Wollongong, recently relocated back to her native Australia after living in Los Angeles for her career. She appeared on the Australian version of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2018. Certain stores may attract enough shoppers to hit their capacity limit and require a line outside the store, but many shoppers will choose to stay home, said Gabriella Santaniello, president and founder of A Line Partners, based on what the retail research firm has seen in places like Texas and Florida. Some shoppers are likely still being cautious, while others may wait for more stores to reopen. FLINT, MI -- Delta Air Lines can suspend flights to and from Flint Bishop Airport and United Airlines can stop service to Kalamazoo and Lansing, according to a tentative order issued by the federal government. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued the show cause order on Friday, May 22, and set the deadline for hearing objections to the tentative decisions for 5 p.m. Thursday, May 28. A total of 15 airline requests to suspend service to various airports across the country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were covered in the order, including Deltas route from Flint to Atlanta and Uniteds service from Chicago to Lansing and Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport. After reviewing the carriers prioritized lists, and resolving any conflicts per the procedures described above and in the notice, the department has tentatively decided to grant exemptions to covered carriers for points as described ... The department granted all requests that were possible to grant under the procedures published in the notice ...," the order says in part. Delta, which lost $534 million in the first three months of this year, had initially asked to suspend all flights to and from Flint, Lansing and Kalamazoo without forfeiting money its receiving in response to the coronavirus emergency. Pat Corfman, a Bishop Airport spokeswoman, said in an email to MLive-The Flint Journal that officials are awaiting the final word from the DOT on Delta and said that once final, the order would represent a market suspension that does not necessarily mean that Delta will be gone from Flint forever. What it does mean is that Delta doesnt have to fly from Flint between now and Sept. 30 to receive the governmental financial aid available to the airlines, Corfman said. Delta has been a fantastic airline partner to us since April of 2001. We will work with them through this process, and look forward to their continual reassessment of the situation and how Flint Bishop can fit into their network. Corfman said in the interim, American Airlines continues its Flint service to Charlotte, North Carolina, "which has very similar connections to Deltas flight to Atlanta. American and United also fly from Flint to Chicago OHare, and Allegiant Air flies to Florida and is still scheduled to begin flights between Bishop and Nashville starting June 5. Delta has said in its request to suspend service to some markets that it recognizes its exemption request may result in an inconvenience for fliers who will have to drive farther to access its flights. However, that inconvenience is outweighed by the public health and safety of the employees that Delta is trying to protect, the airline filing with the DOT says. This is especially true given the limited number of passengers who will be affected, as reflected in the passenger counts from the affected airports. The airline says fliers who would typically use the airport in Flint can still use Delta flights in Detroit, 74 miles away. Craig Williams, director of the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek airport, said the decision to suspend United flights is disappointing. However, the airport needs our stakeholders to be strong as we navigate our exit out of this pandemic, Williams said in an email to MLive. "Our focus now is on ensuring Uniteds return in October and making sure that when they do they can do so with the optimism that they will succeed in serving southwest Michigan. Delta Air Lines files to suspend all flights in Flint, Lansing and Kalamazoo Kalamazoo airport loses 94% of passengers amid pandemic Flint Bishop Airport stays open, starts checking passenger temperatures The state of Arizona is taking Google to court after an investigation found its impossible to stop Google from tracking your movements. Google is watching and tracking you, even when you don't know it or haven't consented to it, an investigation has found. San Francisco: The US state of Arizona filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing Google of committing fraud by being deceptive about gathering location data. Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich said the suit resulted from an investigation launched two years ago after a media report that Google had ways of knowing where users were even if they opted not to share location information with the internet firm. While Google users are led to believe they can opt-out of location tracking, the company exploits other avenues to invade personal privacy, Brnovich said in a release. Its nearly impossible to stop Google from tracking your movements without your knowledge or consent. The suit charges Google with violating Arizona fraud law and calls for the company to hand over money it made from its activities in that state. The attorney general and the contingency fee lawyers filing this lawsuit appear to have mischaracterized our services, Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said in response to an AFP inquiry. We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data. He added that Google looks forward to setting the record straight. While Google provides users the option of declining to share location information while using its services or smartphones powered by Google-made Android software, it can glean from app or online activity where users are to target ads, the suit argued. By PTI JAMMU: The Centre has assured the Jammu and Kashmir administration of full support in evacuating the union territory residents stranded abroad due to the coronavirus lockdown, an official spokesman said on Thursday. A repatriation flight for the J and K residents from Muscat to Srinagar has been scheduled on June 2, he said. It was conveyed to the J and K administration by the Ministry of External Affairs in response to Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam's request for prioritising evacuation of the UT residents stranded in Oman, Dubai and Iran, the spokesman said. The ministry, in a communique received on Wednesday, has conveyed that the Centre is seized of the matter that 24 J and K pilgrims are currently stranded in Iran and efforts are being made to facilitate their early return, he said. "Our Mission in Muscat is in touch with Indian nationals in Oman and we have tentatively scheduled a repatriation flight from Muscat to Srinagar on 2 June 2020," the spokesman quoted the ministry as saying. The communique further said the ministry has already arranged a repatriation flight from Dubai to Srinagar evacuating 155 passengers, including four infants. Besides, the Centre had earlier facilitated the return of students and pilgrims from Iran, he said. The external affairs ministry has assured the Jammu and Kashmir government of all possible assistance in facilitating the early return of J and K residents stranded abroad, the spokesman said. Carmel, IN, May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Community Association Services of Indiana, an Associa company, announces Jennifer Freeman as the new branch president. Ms. Freeman joined Associa in 2012 as a community association manager, bringing with her several years of experience in the local multi-family housing industry. Ms. Freeman has served in a variety of positions, including director of management services, and most recently, as the branchs vice president. As vice president, her duties included operational leadership and strategic planning, as well as overseeing, supervising, mentoring, and training a team of community association managers. As the new president, Ms. Freeman will focus on the branchs day-to-day operations, business development, client growth and retention, employee education and training, and developing and maintaining strong relationships with clients, communities, and residents. Jennifer has been a valued member of the Associa family for more than eight years and has provided the highest level of service for our clients, residents, and communities, stated Steve McKinley, senior vice president of operations, central region. We are excited to see where her continued leadership, operational, and communication skills lead us as a branch and as a team. Ms. Freeman graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing. She has earned her Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) designation from the Community Associations Institute (CAI). With more than 200 branch offices across North America, Associa delivers unsurpassed management and lifestyle services to nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 10,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise and trailblazing innovation. For more than 40 years, Associa has provided solutions designed to help communities achieve their vision. Stay Connected: Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/associa Subscribe to the Blog: https://hub.associaonline.com/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/associa Join us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associa [May 28, 2020] Delphix Accelerates Shift to Digital for Global Enterprises REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Delphix , the industry leader in DataOps, announced the completion of its original mission to provide a comprehensive data platform to accelerate digital and customer experience transformation for global enterprises. With physical lockdowns rolling across the world, companies have accelerated the shift from physical to digital business models and operations. Enterprises need to adapt quickly to these changing market conditions or risk being disrupted by more agile competitors. With our latest platform release, weve completed our original mission, said Jedidiah Yueh, Delphix Founder and CEO. In order to drive digital or customer experience transformations, companies need to harness data across a multi-generational range of systems, from ERP implementations to apps running on the mainframe. Our platform collects data across these systems to fuel cloud, AI, and other digital transformation programscutting time and cost by more than 20%. Delphix was founded in 2008, during the last financial crisis, to help companies do more with their data. The Delphix DataOps Platform started with support for Oracle databases and applications. Early customers quickly loaded ERP systems like SAP and Oracle EBS onto the platform, achieving dramatic results. We tried a new technology and won big, said a senior IT manager at KLA-Tencor, a Fortune 1000 manufacturer and the first company to deploy Delphix. Delphix provides the elasticity to expand our project infrastructure when we need it. KLA-Tencor used Delphix to go from two to eleven SAP projects a year, while reducing data footprint by 94% and saving over $400K in infrastructure costs. Data is the key constraint for complex projects like SAP releases," said Ashwin Ballal, former CIO at KLA-Tencor. "SAP projects cost millions and are critical for managing core business processes like order to cash. After Oracle databases and applications, Delphix added support for Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, SAP ASE, SAP HANA, and other major applications and database platforms. Customers need a comprehensive data platform to help drive transformations, said Yueh. Otherwise, its like trying to fly a plane without sufficient instrumentation. With our most recent platform release, we have completed everything on our initial roadmap. In 2019, Delphix made its data platform SDKs available to ISVs. Since launching its SDKs and the DataOps marketplace, Delphix data coverage has expanded to include: Legacy platforms: mainframe, Informix, etc. New data platforms: MongoDB, CouchDB, MariaDB,etc. Cloud platforms: Aurora, RedShift, Azure SQL, etc. Workflow, monitoring platforms: ServiceNow, Splunk, etc. Automation platforms: Ansible, Terraform, Jenkins, Chef, etc. Over 100,000 development, testing, and analytics environments; Over 30,000 customer applications released per year; Over 2 million automated data operations; Over 2 exabytes of customer data across private and public clouds. We have customers managing thousands of releases and approaching a million monthly CI pipeline runs on our platform, said Jason Grauel, Delphix VP of Product Management. That would be impossible without API-driven access to a range of sophisticated data operations. The Delphix DataOps Platform provides critical features that instrument data across the application lifecycle including: Virtualization, which radically shrinks data footprint; Time machine to travel to any point in time; Version control, which lets developers and data scientists manage data like code; Compliance, which includes profiling, templates, and automated data masking; Integration to enable fast data synchronization across systems; Replication to move data across private and public clouds; Automation to integrate with DevOps and CI/CD tools. It took Delphix a decade to achieve its original mission, which laid the foundation for enterprise-wide data coverage. Over that period Delphix also built a profitable business with over $100 million in annual recurring revenue. Now Delphix is looking to the future. We use Delphix to synchronize and extract student data from on-prem to AWS for the CSU Chancellors Office, said Rudy Gonzales, Unisys Program Director at California State University. Now that we have a super-fast data bridge to the cloud, were able to harness AI technologies to drive better student outcomes. Im excited to see where Delphix takes its data platform next. The ability to quickly and securely collect and distribute data across the entire spectrum of multi-generational systems is compelling, said Jim Mercer, research director, DevOps, IDC. It can help enterprises accelerate digital transformation programs and more easily embrace disruptive technologies like AI and cloud. With the foundation in place, the next 10-year horizon is focused on unlocking the full value of the data in our platform, said Yueh. Cloud, AI, and the regulatory horizon are forming the perfect storm. Our native data operations, APIs, and SDKs make it increasingly easy for customers and ISVs to weave data across their compliance and transformation programs. And well continue to invest in building out that ecosystem. In the end, we believe that every company is a data company if it wants to survive. And if companies want to master data operations, theyll need a purpose-built platform to manage data across the ongoing transformation lifecycle. Delphix will host the first-ever (virtual) Data Company Conference on June 25th, 2020, highlights of which include: Opening Keynote by Jedidiah Yueh: 7 Deadly Sins in the Age of AI; Leaders from the worlds largest brands will share their experiences of mastering data operations to accelerate innovation; Experts will be on hand all day to discuss key topics such as cloud adoption, CX; transformation, data privacy, and AI/ML; A preview of the future vision for the Delphix DataOps Platform. Register for the event here. About Delphix Delphix is the industry leader in DataOps and provides an intelligent data platform that accelerates digital transformation for leading companies around the world. The Delphix DataOps Platform supports a broad spectrum of systemsfrom Oracle databases to mainframes, ERP applications, and Kubernetes containers. Delphix provides a comprehensive range of data operations and APIs to enable modern CI/CD workflows and automates data compliance for privacy regulations, including GDPR, CCPA, and the New York Privacy Act. In addition, Delphix helps companies sync data from private to public clouds, accelerating cloud migrations, customer experience transformation, and the adoption of disruptive AI technologies. In a world where every company is becoming a data company, Delphix provides a critical platform to enable data-driven transformation. For more information, visit www.delphix.com or follow us on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn . Alex Plant Delphix [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 00:08:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned Thursday many of London's private renters are facing the risk of imminent homelessness, calling on the British government to protect them from eviction. "Many renters are just one pay cheque away from homelessness. It's completely unacceptable that London renters should be facing a ticking timebomb where they could lose their home...Ministers still have an opportunity to steer us away from this cliff edge and avoid inflicting needless suffering on renters across the country, but they must act now," said Khan. In March, the government suspended evictions for three months to stop renters losing their homes during the crisis, and the ban to protect households that have been unable to pay rent during the crisis will expire next month. "Almost a third of Londoners rent privately and COVID-19 has underlined the precariousness of their situation. Many are on lower incomes, have little or no savings and may have had to reduce or stop work due to the pandemic. This means that many households may be in a position where they cannot afford to pay their rent," said the City Hall, headquarters of the Greater London Authority, in a statement. Enditem New Delhi: As swarms of locusts make their way to India for the breeding season in summer, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have been put on high alert. According to a Jodhpur-based organisation that warns about locust attacks, the female lay eggs two days after mating. Only the yellow coloured locusts lay eggs, not the pink coloured ones. The eggs are laid 6 inches deep inside the ground, it digs a hole and there is white powder at the enterance of the hole. After 12 days, some clefts emerge from the eggs, but they become adults within 30 days. The locusts fly throughout the day and in the evening they sit on trees. Overnight they stay there and then start flying as the morning sun rises. Wherever they their swarm goes the entire crop is wiped out. To kill them, a pesticide called Malathian is sprayed. Accordin to experts, there xis likely to be extensive crop losses if authorities fail to curb the fast-spreading swarms by June when monsoon rains spur rice, cane, corn, cotton, and soybean sowing. Locusts have entered India after traveling from Africa through Yemen, Iran and Pakistan. Currently, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra are under locust attack Investigations are continuing after a man and a woman died in a horror head-on collision in Menai in Sydney's south. Emergency services were called to Alfords Point Road at New Illawarra Road about 4.40pm on Thursday after the crash between a Nissan Tida hatchback and a Toyota Hilux. The 23-year-old male driver of the Nissan and his female passenger, also aged 23, died when their vehicle collided head-on with the Toyota, being driven by a 46-year-old man. Two people were declared dead at the scene of the Menai crash. Credit:Nine News The Toyota driver was taken to St George Hospital with a fractured wrist and rib injuries, police said. Anusha Ravi By Express News Service BENGALURU: On May 6, CM BS Yediyurappa announced a one-time cash relief of Rs 5,000 to cab and auto drivers as part of his Rs 1,610-crore COVID-19 economic package. Weeks later, not a single beneficiary has received the compensation. In fact, the government is yet to set up the software that will facilitate verification of applications on the Seva Sindhu app, and integration of data between the Seva Sindhu portal and transport and finance departments to ensure transfer of aid via DBT. With auto and cab drivers struggling to navigate the online application process, only 1.30 lakh applications have been received so far. The CM had estimated that the compensation would benefit about 7.75 lakh auto and cab drivers in the State. The situation is the same for barbers and washermen, who were also considered for the Rs 5,000 compensation. We have raised concerns over online applications not accepting alphanumeric details of chassis numbers. In many cases, Drivers Licence and Aadhaar are not accepted because of errors. The portal doesnt load on phones or home computers, forcing drivers to go to cybercafes or Seva Sindhu counters, where they have to pay, said Tanveer Pasha, president, Ola-Uber Drivers and Owners Association. The bigger challenge for drivers is the portal not accepting more than one application per chassis number. We are asking the transport department to consider driving licences to pay relief. The portal rejects the application even if one alphabet is changed between Aadhaar and Drivers Licence, said Kantaraju, general secretary, Adarsha Auto Drivers Union. We are hopeful that money will be given in three-four days, said Manjunatha, president, Adarsha Auto Drivers Union. The Opposition, meanwhile, has accused the government of making the process difficult. @CMofKarnataka @BSYBJP has betrayed people by not fulfilling his Rs 1,610 Cr package promise. He seems to be following his @BJP4India leader @PMOIndia @narendramodi Crisis... State govt is asking licence to release funds... (SIC), tweeted Siddaramaiah. The government, however, maintains that the money meant for disbursal is set aside. All applications have to be verified. Once the money disbursal begins, there is no turning back, so we have to filter out ineligible applications, said a source. The transport ministry, in charge of the applications, says the software to integrate DBT is still being developed. We have received 1.30 lakh applications and expect about 6 lakh, said N Shivakumar, Transport Commissioner. BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday that national security legislation, which Chinas parliament voted overwhelmingly to impose on Hong Kong, would benefit the territorys long-term stability and prosperity. Democracy activists in the city and Western countries fear the legislation could endanger Hong Kongs special autonomy and freedoms under the one country, two systems model in place since its 1997 handover from British to Chinese rule. Reporting by Tony Munroe; Editing by Gareth Jones Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. [May 27, 2020] The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Announces Investigation on Behalf of Colony Capital, Inc. Investors (CLNY) The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces an investigation on behalf of Colony Capital, Inc. ("Colony" or the "Company") (NYSE: CLNY) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. On November 8, 2019, the Company revealed its financial results for the third quarter of 2019. Among other results, Colony reported a GAAP net loss of $555 million, or $1.15 per share, which "notably included reductions of godwill, real estate and provision for loan losses totaling $540.3 million . . . of which $387.0 million was attributable to the reduction of goodwill primarily as a result of the pending sale of the Company's industrial investment management business and related real estate portfolio, and the decrease in management fees from Colony Credit Real Estate, Inc. resulting from impairments related to its portfolio bifurcation." On this news, the Company's share price fell $0.48 per share, or over 8%, to close at $5.00 per share on November 8, 2019. Then, on May 8, 2020, the Company issued a press release revealing its financial and operating results for the first quarter of 2020. In the press release, the Company reported that its portfolio companies had defaulted on $3.2 billion of debt secured by hotels and healthcare-related properties and that Colony had received a notice of acceleration covering $780 million of the defaulted debt. On this news, the Company's share price fell $0.08 per share, or over 3%, to close at $2.02 per share on May 8, 2020, thereby injuring investors. Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert): twitter.com/FRC_LAW. If you purchased Colony securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200527005961/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio (Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Martin Scorsese has signed with Apple to make his next movie, Killers of the Flower Moon. According to Deadline, the tech giant's studio arm will produce it as an original Apple film, with Paramount set to distribute to cinemas, following a bidding war with several other major studios. Netflix, which produced Scorsese's last movie, the epic mob drama The Irishman, is said to have been was among those vying for the picture, along with the likes of Universal and MGM. Read more: What to watch on Netflix this week The movie is reportedly set to cost Apple between $180 and $200 million (around 160 million), and is another hugely ambitious project from the iconic director. With Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio set to star, it's based on the acclaimed non-fiction book Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI, written by David Grann. It exposes the case of a series of brutal murders among the Osage Nation tribe of Native Americans in Oklahoma in the 1920s. The murders, more than 60 in all, began after oil was discovered beneath the tribe's land, with the investigation among the first for fledgling law enforcement agency, the FBI. Read more: Jonah Hill named the sweariest actor in Hollywood As the number of those being killed began to mount, the FBI took up the case, using undercover agents and a former Texas Ranger to try and uncover the truth. De Niro and DiCaprio have not worked together since DiCaprio's breakthrough movie This Boy's Life in 1993, though both have worked extensively with Scorsese. Scorsese's first out with a streaming platform netted him 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Film, though it unfortunately failed to convert any of them. Sohum Shah puts an end to speculations around Tummbad 2, says he's working on another project The Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has called for the full disclosure of the COVID-19 test results of Members of Parliament and Parliamentary staff. There should be nothing to hide. Let us lead by example and in a way that avoids entrenching stigmatization which is becoming a major challenge in the national coronavirus response. Many world leaders and institutions of repute have not concealed the result of their tests, the Ghanaian Parliament shouldn't be an unworthy exception, Ablakwa noted in a post on Facebook. Mr. Ablakwas comments come at a time when the leadership of Parliament has been accused of lying to Ghanaians following reports that some two MPs and 13 parliamentary staff have been infected with COVID-19. The Minority Chief Whip, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, has insisted the report was true and lambasted the leadership of Parliament for trying to conceal the truth. However, the Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye has described as unacceptable what he terms as the unilateral declaration of COVID-19 results of persons in public. According to him, such sensationalism fuels stigmatization. Below is the full post by Mr. Ablakwa As I noted earlier today on the floor of Parliament though with some resistance from the Rt. Hon. Speaker which I take in stride, I am totally disappointed in how the COVID-19 testing of MPs and Staff of the House has been managed. There should be nothing to hide. Let us lead by example and in a way that avoids entrenching stigmatization which is becoming a major challenge in the national coronavirus response. Many world leaders and institutions of repute have not concealed the result of their tests, the Ghanaian Parliament shouldn't be an unworthy exception. Even more troubling; by refusing to be transparent we shall fail to observe the urgently needed contact tracing and disinfecting protocols thereby endangering the health of those associated with Parliament including all MPs, staff, journalists, family relations, guests of Parliament and our constituents, many of whom we continue to engage very regularly. COVID-19 is not a death sentence. Let the august House set a better example! ---citinewsroom Attorney General William Barr says he doesnt expect a criminal inquiry into the origins of the Russia investigation to target former President Barack Obama or Joe Biden, the former vice president and President Donald Trumps Democratic opponent. But that doesnt mean the investigation, led by US Attorney John Durham of Connecticut, doesnt carry its own political consequences. The inquiry could conclude this summer, meaning fresh revelations might be exploited by Trump in the heat of the election season to damage Biden or to attack the Obama administration. Buoyed by the Justice Departments decision to dismiss the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn and by the ongoing declassification of Russia-related material, Trump and his allies have looked to Durhams investigation as the last opportunity to hold accountable officials they say wronged the president. Former Obama administration officials, meanwhile, find themselves scrutinized for actions they took four years ago while investigating Russian election interference. A look at where things stand: What exactly is the investigation about? Durham is a veteran federal prosecutor with decades of Justice Department experience. Hes investigated FBI corruption related to the handling of Boston mobster Whitey Bulger and later the CIAs harsh overseas interrogations of terror suspects. He was named last year by Barr to investigate the origins of the Russia investigation. Durhams investigation is one of multiple inquiries the department has undertaken in connection with the FBIs probe into potential coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. Those include an internal review of the Justice Departments handling of the Flynn investigation, and an inspector general report that was issued last December. Unlike those inquiries, which were focused on Justice Department employees, Durhams mandate is much broader, spanning the activities of the CIA and other agencies across government. Durham has been scrutinizing the intelligence communitys assessment that Russia interfered in the election in support of Trump, and what information the government had when it reached that conclusion. Barr has said the inquiry is far broader than just the FBIs flawed applications to monitor a former Trump campaign adviser, and covers actions taken after the election, too. Are any of the recently reported developments under investigation? Yes. Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec said Wednesday night on Fox News that Durhams investigation will include a review of unmasking requests during the course of the Russia investigation. The issue gained attention earlier this month when newly declassified information showed that multiple intelligence and Obama administration officials asked the National Security Agency to disclose to them, or unmask, the name of an American that had been concealed in classified intelligence reports. That American was revealed to be Flynn. Kupec said John Bash, a US attorney in Texas who previously worked inside the Trump White House, has been selected to specifically review the issue. Names of American citizens are routinely redacted from intelligence reports that are produced when the US conducts surveillance of foreigners. But US officials can ask to receive the identity if they believe its vital to understanding the intelligence, which is apparently what happened in Flynns case in 2016 and 2017. Kupec acknowledged that unmasking isnt inherently wrong in fact, requests have been more common in the first years of the Trump administration than they were at the end of Obamas tenure but said the frequency, the motivation and the reasoning behind an unmasking request can be problematic. What is its current status? Barr has hinted at a resolution as soon as this summer, though precisely when the investigation will end is an open question. Over the course of months, Durham has conducted interviews and spoken with government figures in the US and abroad, traveling last year with Barr to meet Italian government officials. In a pattern with unmistakable echoes of special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation, current and former officials have lined up a whos who of Washington attorneys to navigate them through the probe. Though the work continues, it is unclear how much it has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which has restricted travel and complicated access to some government buildings in the Washington area. What has Durham said about the investigation? Not much. But his main public statement coming just after Inspector General Michael Horowitz issued a report saying the Russia investigation had been opened for a legitimate basis was telling. In the statement, released through the Justice Department, Durham said he disagreed with the inspector general about the investigation being properly predicated. Horowitz has acknowledged that Durham disputed that there was a sufficient basis to open a full investigation, which gives the FBI more intrusive tools than a preliminary one. Barr has been public that the investigation is now criminal in nature while Trump and his allies, inside and outside the White House, frequently attack by name former officials who they see as deserving targets of Durhams scrutiny. On Tuesday, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany lambasted former CIA Director John Brennan, claiming he had shaded the truth by saying a dossier of information about Trumps ties to Russia played no part in the opening of the investigation. In fact, the investigation was started without the dossier. How might Trump use the Durham investigation? Trump and his supporters hope the investigation will uncover misconduct and support the presidents claims that the Russia investigation was a witch hunt. Even after Horowitz released a comprehensive report on the origins of the investigation, Trump insisted Americans should be more interested in Durhams probe. Trump is likely to seize on any modicum of questionable activity during the counterintelligence probe, which morphed into Muellers investigation. Mueller concluded that the Russian government interfered in the election, but his investigation didnt find sufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy between Trumps campaign and Russia. Mueller also examined multiple possible instances of obstruction of justice and pointedly said he could not exonerate the president. How will the investigation end? Barr has mentioned that there could be not only a written report, similar to a document produced after Muellers probe, but also criminal charges. But neither he nor Durham has said who could wind up charged, or if anyone will be. Barr said last week that despite calls by Trump and some of his supporters for Obama and Biden to be investigated, he did not expect either man to become targets of Durhams probe. Our concern over potential criminality, he said, is focused on others. Though Justice Department policy cautions against overt investigative actions in the run-up to an election, Barr has said that policy would not apply here since Durhams investigation isnt targeting a candidate. That raises the possibility that a criminal charge, or significant development, could be revealed in the crucial weeks prior to the election. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) Bocaue, Bulacan Mayor Eleanor Joni Villanueva-Tugna passed away on Thursday. In a tweet, Sen. Joel Villanueva confirmed the death of his sister. "Today Bocaue lost its finest public servant. Mayor Joni was relentlessly serving Bocauenos during this lockdown despite her medical condition, which eventually caused her life," said the senator. Her death was also confirmed by the Jesus is Lord (JIL) Church founded by her congressman and evangelist father, Bro. Eddie Villanueva. She served as executive director of the Christian movement. Villanueva died at 5:08 p.m. due to sepsis secondary to bacterial pneumonia, according to JIL. In a statement posted on Facebook, JIL described the mayor as an exemplary leader, a pioneer, a trailblazer, and woman of vision and action. She dreamed big dreams for God and the ministry and worked day and night to bring those to fruition, it said. While we grieve her passing, let us also not forget to keep praying for the whole Villanueva and Tugna families as they go through this emotional ordeal, the church added. The late mayor is also the sister of former Bocaue mayor Jon-Jon Villanueva and Jovi Villanueva-Binalla. Their mother died in March due to "arrhythmia secondary to septic shock." Joni Villanueva is also the wife of former congressman Sherwin Tugna. Several politicians have posted online messages of sympathy to the bereaved family. Ron Munsayac, executive director of Partido Demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan (PDPLaban), wrote on Twitter: The @PDPLABAN offers its condolences, sympathies, and prayers for our beloved partymate Mayor Joni Villanueva-Tugna. She has always been one of our exemplar local chief executives as evidenced by her dynamic leadership in Bocaue, Bulacan. Photo: Public Domain Sandro Botticellis small, nearly unknown 15th-century masterpiece gives us a human being stripped of all hope. The painting is a metaphysical crucible filled with the woes of the external world, invisible emotions, shame, wailing last things, cataclysmic loss, silence, final journeys, the closing down of life, demonic intensity, and the retraction of self. Often called, perfectly, La Derelitta (or The Desperate One), it is the saddest painting I have ever seen, though Ive never seen it in the flesh. I first saw it in my 20s. I had talked my way into a job showing slides for art-history classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The afternoon I projected it, it smote me. Theres no visual way into or out of this picture no space. Its all wall, a kind of premodern brutalism and rigid minimalism. Everything is stripped of adornment, rendered in low relief, unreal, dreamlike, diminished but concrete, realistic. Botticelli made The Desperate One in Florence when he was approaching a life crisis. He was born there in 1446 and died there in 1510. He never lived for long more than a few miles from where he was born, like Bruce Springsteen, who also has imagined encyclopedic universes filled with operatic casts. Springsteen once remarked, I made it all up; thats how good I am. Botticelli saw it all. He was an eyewitness to the birth of a new world and the beginning of its death. Florence was the center of the Italian Renaissance and indeed the entire West. Botticelli was at the center of this center. He worked in the service of the Medici, including Lorenzo de Medici, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. The Medicis bank was the biggest in Europe; they were brokers to the pope and to potentates. Lorenzo was less about business, though, and more about culture. He was a notable poet and gathered around him a cadre of philosophers, poets, and sculptors and painters of the future: Botticelli, Michelangelo, Verrocchio, Ghirlandaio, and Leonardo. Together, they delved into recently rediscovered Greek philosophers like Aristotle and Plato and helped invent humanism. They were archaeologists as well and identified extraordinary lost works of pagan, Greek, early Roman, and early Christian art. This whole ancient world was revealed for the first time in over a thousand years. It was as if these artists and thinkers had found a new sun. Almost overnight, hundreds of years of medieval, Byzantine, and Gothic art dissolved. Gone was the stiff, flat, linear, ultrareligious piety of these former styles. Then, in the beginning of the 15th century, came the equivalent of the invention of the camera: the rediscovery of the kinds of perspective seen in ancient Roman wall painting. Soon followed the reinvention of portraiture and landscape painting, with things depicted in a new, receding realistic space. It was like seeing movies for the first time objects seeming to move toward or away from you! People were flabbergasted. With the new humanism came the reintroduction of all sorts of lost and found pagan and mythological stories. These included mythical beings, satyrs, and subjects like homosexuality, debauchery, and the sensuous pleasures of the world. (It was a time when calling someone a Florentine meant homosexual.) In 1482, when Botticelli was in his full powers as a painter, the preacher-prophet Girolamo Savonarola came to Florence. Assigned to one of the citys most important churches (where the beatified Fra Angelico painted), Savonarola arrived breathing fire and brimstone. He railed against aristocrats, the Medicis, wealth, the corrupt Church, and the papacy and advocated a return to ascetic Christianity. Anything pagan was wickedness. Savonarola soon had his own roving gangs of young supporters who turned belligerent enforcing Savonarolas will. On the eve of Lent, the thugs went from home to home in Florence rounding up all things considered vanities. This could mean mirrors, clothing, furniture, keepsakes, jewelry, books, and much more. Including art. Particularly art like Botticellis, deemed to be unchristian, sacrilegious, sinful, and pagan. These items were taken to Florences central square, where they were stacked into an enormous pile, then set aflame. This was the infamous bonfire of the vanities. Legend has it that, under Savonarolas sway, Botticelli burned some of his own work. If so, the loss reverberates still. Savonarola was now perhaps the most powerful man in Italy (aside from the pope). He held so many under his influence that the pope himself was having none of it. Finally he reached his limit. In 1497, he excommunicated Savonarola and soon threatened Florence with an interdict should the city continue to harbor the demagogue. In May of the following year, Savonarola was hanged and burned as a heretic in the same square as the former bonfire. The Desperate One, seemingly painted in prophetic anticipation of all of this, gives us glimpses of the internal ruin Botticelli experienced. This is a scorched, depleted world. The grieving figure is bent over. No face is visible, only flowing male hair. He is barefoot like the dancing Dionysian figures and nymphs Botticelli had painted previously and now despaired of. The figure feels like a penitent, almost a ghost. Its like the Rapture just happened: Everyone has vanished or left; the figure is alone. Except for a few mystic visions, Botticelli spent his last years in unproductive emotional exile. He lived to see his own Early Renaissance style subsumed by the big three of the High Renaissance: Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael. Botticelli was all but forgotten until the 19th century, when the Pre-Raphaelites reclaimed him. From the vantage of today, his life might look like a righteous tragedy a noble artist defeated by the forces of repressive belief. But they repressed him, too, and oppressed him. Savonarola may have been burned, but his judgment hung over Botticelli nevertheless. I dwell on the paintings only detail, a small wooden double door with ironwork atop it in a shallow, narrow hallway. This door is important, I know. The only visual respite in the painting is seen just over the door: a patch of blue sky. I ache to know whats on the other side of that door when a strange question pops into my head: Will the door ever open? Now I see it: an absence on the door that finally unlocks the painting. I always knew it but never noticed it before: There is no doorknob, no handle, latch, or lever. Though some scholars believe the painting depicts Mordecai from the Book of Esther, I see the figure as Botticelli. He could be in Hell; there are no gates, so I cant say. Instead, I surmise that he is outside the closed Gates of Paradise. The door before him may only be opened from the inside, by Saint Peter, who weighs ones sins, deeds, and life. Botticellis beliefs and actions condemned him, and he knows it. This is not Hell. This is a terrible purgatory of knowing grief. A constant cry comes from this little picture. It is not Sartres existential smirking Hell is other people. Rather, I hear something I now hear more every day from so many reaching out of their seclusion: Hell is no other people. *This article appears in the May 25, 2020, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now! Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday alleged that the Indian governments arrogant expansionist policies is becoming a threat to its neighbours as he tried to curry favour with Islamabads all-weather ally, China. The Indian government with its arrogant expansionist policies, akin to Nazis Lebensraum (Living Space), is becoming a threat to Indias neighbours. Bangladesh through Citizenship Act, border disputes with Nepal & China, & Pak threatened with false flag operation, Khan said in a series of tweets. Several areas along the 3,500-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh and North Sikkim have witnessed major military build-up by both the Indian and Chinese armies recently, in a clear signal of escalating tension and hardening of respective positions by the two sides even two weeks after they were engaged in two separate face-offs. The LAC is the de-facto border between India and China. Pakistan and China consider their relations as all-weather friends and their leaders often express support to each other on matters of core interests. Khan further alleged that India had illegally annexed Kashmir and dubbed it as a war crime. Pakistan has been unsuccessfully trying to drum up international support against India for withdrawing Jammu and Kashmirs special status on August 5 and bifurcating it into two Union territories. India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was its internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda. Khan in his tweet said that the Indian government is not only a threat to the countrys minorities, but also a threat to regional peace. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also alleged that Indias aggressive policy towards its neighbours is putting at stake the regional peace and security. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office on Wednesday rejected as misleading and factually incorrect the media reports about the virtual meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ambassadors to the United Nations on May 20. It said that during the meeting, Pakistans Permanent Representative to the UN highlighted the growing Islamophobia and violence against Muslims in India. The FO statement said that sharing the growing concern over serious implications of Islamophobia in India, a large number of OIC Ambassadors supported the need for a coordinated OIC position on Islamophobia at the UN. (TNS) One silver lining of the otherwise dire coronavirus pandemic, area health care professionals say, has been the implementation of telemedicine, the practice of visiting with patients via telecommunications.That doesn't, however, mean its high-priority rollout has come without a learning curve, a reality one Topeka-based doctor had reinforced ahead of a recent session that was slotted to be done by video teleconference."One of my patients had to reschedule today because they're still using a flip phone," said Dr. Wade B. Welch, a neurologist at the University of Kansas Health System St. Francis campus. "That's pretty amazing, you know?"While kinks remain to be worked out patients' familiarity and comfort level with the technology used; often spotty access to reliable Internet and the recent strain put on broadband networks worldwide; and the inability of health care providers to make physical contact with a patient over video telemedicine's debut has nevertheless been "a godsend," Welch said.That rings true for groups who would have taken advantage of the service with or without a pandemic, such as older adults, patients with mobility issues and individuals who live in rural areas."It's sort of like a magical bridge between me and a patient," Welch said, "so it eliminates a lot of obstacles that are normally present for patients."Those groups will continue to need quality care long after COVID-19 is gone, which perhaps points to telemedicine's long-term viability."(Telemedicine) is here to stay, even post-pandemic," said Dr. Sushmita Veloor, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at St. Francis. "This opens up a lot of opportunities for us to reach out to those patients."The majority of St. Francis' telemedicine visits have come via video teleconference (68%), with smaller numbers connecting via telephone (27%) and electronic medical records system MyChart (4%). Veloor noted that nearly half (47.82%) of St. Francis' total telemedicine visits have been utilized by individuals over the age of 60, a "pleasant surprise" given the challenges new technology can sometimes pose to that age group.Another welcome sight, Veloor said, has been the way the medical community has risen to the challenge of this moment, particularly in its expedited implementation of telemedicine."It's never happened in history before where you've seen this go from a project that could've taken two to three years to put in place to making it happen in about two weeks or so," Veloor said. "And so pretty much every health care system has jumped on board because we were dealing with a completely new scenario that none of us had seen before, and we had to adapt and be prepared and change how we were doing this rather quickly."Sometimes referred to as telehealth, telemedicine has been "a wonderful thing for patients" in terms of both safety and convenience, said Dr. Kevin Dishman, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Stormont Vail Health."Technology will never replace that personal relationship with your family physician, someone who knows you," Dishman said. "Telehealth is just a component of that care. It's a tool. It will never replace staff. It will never replace visiting with your physician. It will never replace the high-quality healthcare you get from somebody that's known you forever. What it is, it's the ability to add another tool to our armamentarium to take better care of people. ..."I've been here long enough to where I can remember when everything was on paper, before we moved to an electronic medical record, so that's been a huge thing. I think telehealth is going to be as big as that." Michael Khan has been named Trent University's new provost and vice-president academic. Khan leaves his post as dean of human kinetics at the University of Windsor for the five-year term at Trent, where he replaces Jackie Muldoon. He was also the head of the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences at Bangor University in Wales. He grew up in Trinidad and Tobago and went to three universities in Canada before spending 12 years in the U.K. Khan holds a PhD in Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia, an M.A. in Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario and a B.Sc. in Geophysics from McGill University. Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, a 23-year-old US citizen, has been arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to ISIS A Florida man has been charged with providing material support to ISIS, including attempting to buy weapons and scouting potential targets for a terrorist attack in the Tampa Bay area. A federal criminal complaint released by the US Department of Justice charges Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, a 23-year-old US citizen, with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The charge carries a potential 20-year prison term. A public defender listed in court records for Al-Azhari said the government's charges in the case unfairly attempt to portray him as a terrorist. 'The allegations misunderstand both the law and the evidence,' said the public defender, Samuel Landes, in an emailed statement. 'I'm thankful that in this country everyone enjoys a presumption of innocence, and I look forward to Mr. Al-Azhari's day in court before a jury of his peers.' An FBI affidavit says Al-Azhari was recorded as expressing admiration for Omar Mateen, the mass shooter who carried out a massacre at the Orlando Pulse nightclub in 2016 before being killed by police, and even drove there to scope out the location. In a conversation with a confidential informant, the FBI says, Al-Azhari said 'that's how I want to die, to be honest.' The informant then asked how many people Al-Azhari wanted to kill. Al-Azhari allegedly scouted multiple locations in the Tampa Bay area to attack, including Honeymoon Island State Park (pictured) 'I don't want to take four or five, no. I want to take at least 50,' Al-Azhari replied on the recording, according to the affidavit. 'You know like, brother Omar Mateen in Orlando did. He took 49 with him.' The affidavit also details how Al-Azhari negotiated with an undercover FBI employee to purchase a variety of guns and silencers, including an AK-47-style rifle. He was arrested Sunday after taking possession of weapons allegedly to be used in an attack. 'We are grateful for the hard work and swift action by our law enforcement partners and concerned citizens during this investigation,' said US Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez, whose district includes Tampa. 'Their coordination and cooperation in this matter allowed us to interrupt a serious threat, without harm to anyone.' According to the 62-page FBI affidavit, Al-Azhari scouted a number of targets in the Tampa Bay region, including multiple beaches, Honeymoon Island State Park and even the Tampa FBI field office. He also allegedly rehearsed what he would say when carrying out an attack, some of which was intercepted by electronic surveillance on May 16. 'Know America. Today is your emergency. Today we kill from you guys like you killed from us,' he is overheard saying, according to the affidavit. 'This is a revenge for Muslims.' An FBI affidavit says Al-Azhari expressed admiration for Omar Mateen (left and right), the mass shooter who carried out a massacre at the Orlando Pulse nightclub in 2016 Court-ordered searches of Al-Azhari's iPhone also revealed numerous videos and extremist statements advocating jihad attributed to the Islamic State group. Another video, the FBI says, shows Al-Azhari in a facemask and pointing a gun at presumably someone on the floor. 'Hey you, get on the floor. Get on the floor now. Don't you move, don't you move, I'm telling you, I will kill you,' he says on the video. Then, Al-Azhari looks into the camera and says: 'God willing, the exalted. This is revenge for my brothers Al Muwahideen [the monotheists] in Guantanamo in general, and for my brother [redacted] in particular. ...this is a revenge for all my Muslim brothers in Iraq and al-Sham [Syria] and everywhere.' He then points the gun at what is presumed to be someone on the floor and says: 'those who were killed by the hands of those filthy crusaders.' Al-Azhari had previously been convicted in Saudi Arabia in 2015 of terror-related crimes, including attempting to travel to Syria to participate in jihad and join a terrorist group along with two others, including his own father. He served three years in prison in Saudi Arabia and then was deported back to the US, according to the FBI. He lived in California and since 2019 in the Tampa area. A key to the case was an eBay transaction in which Al-Hazhari purchased weapons parts for $375 from someone in Texas. The package was halted by the US Postal Service and eBay flagged the purchase. The seller then provided FBI agents with details about the deal and the Postal Service seized the package. According to the affidavit, FBI has been aware of Al-Azhari since at least May 2019. Al-Azhari was previously arrested on state weapons charges on May 1 for allegedly carrying a concealed pistol On May 1, Al-Azhari was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm after allegedly making threats to harm his colleagues at Home Depot. Prior to his arrest of the state charge, FBI agents interviewed some of his co-workers at the home improvement store, who expressed concern about statements that the suspect had made concerning Islam, guns and violence. A supervisor told agents that when speaking about the September 11 attacks, Al-Azhari had said that he believed that Americans got what they deserved that day, according to the affidavit. The same supervisors also allegedly overheard Al-Azhari speaking to other co-workers about jihad, saying that it involved 'defending Islam.' Another colleague at the Home Depot had reported Al-Azhari to corporate security, claiming that he tried to convince his co-workers to convert to Islam, and that he 'spoke negatively and passionately about the United States and homosexuality.' Al-Azhari was arrested on Sunday and was being held in the Pinellas County jail at the request of federal agents. Australia has shelved a major review of its $4 billion foreign aid program and will instead redirect hundreds of millions of dollars over the next two years to help countries in the Indo-Pacific tackle the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 development plan, to be revealed on Friday, will take money from programs that require international travel and face-to-face engagement including scholarships, sports and volunteer schemes and instead spend it on pandemic recovery initiatives. A portion of Australia's foreign aid budget will be refocused, with the Pacific, Timor-Leste and Indonesia named as key priorities. Credit:Richard Vogel The review of the development budget, being led by former ambassador and intelligence boss Dennis Richardson, will be revisited in about two years, with the government deciding the COVID-19 outbreak had changed how Australia should direct its aid in the interim. The roughly $4 billion Australia spends on aid or 0.2 per cent of gross national income won't change under the COVID-19 plan, but a portion will be refocused, with the Pacific, Timor-Leste and Indonesia named as key priorities. (Newser) Protests over the death of George Floyd, the unarmed black man who died after a white Minneapolis cop knelt on his neck Monday, continued Wednesdayand not just in Minneapolis. In California, a Black Lives Matter protest blocked all lanes of traffic on both sides of the 101 freeway, a major thoroughfare, during rush hour in Los Angeles. Things got violent, with a patrol car's windows smashed and at least one injury, Deadline reports. Protesters also swarmed the hood of a California Highway Patrol cruiser, NBC 4 reports. More on the fallout from Floyd's death: Meanwhile, in Minneapolis: Protests continued for a second night Wednesday, and this time they turned fatalthe Star Tribune reports a person was shot dead, and the death may have come at the hands of a pawn shop owner whose shop was allegedly being looted. Looting and violence were widespread, fires were set, and State Patrol troopers have moved in. The mayor, who earlier called for the officer who knelt on Floyd's neck to be arrested, said he has asked the governor to consider bringing in the National Guard. story continues below President weighs in: President Trump told reporters Wednesday that "I'm very sad about that. Very, very sad event," when asked about Floyd's death, NBC News reports. Questioned further about the possibility of the police officers involved being prosecuted, Trump, who was in Florida at the time, said, "We're going to look at it, and we're going to get a report tomorrow when we get back, and we're going to get a very full report. But a very sad day." President Trump told reporters Wednesday that "I'm very sad about that. Very, very sad event," when asked about Floyd's death, NBC News reports. Questioned further about the possibility of the police officers involved being prosecuted, Trump, who was in Florida at the time, said, "We're going to look at it, and we're going to get a report tomorrow when we get back, and we're going to get a very full report. But a very sad day." More from Trump: The POTUS later tweeted, "At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd ... I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement. My heart goes out to Georges family and friends. Justice will be served!" The POTUS later tweeted, "At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd ... I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement. My heart goes out to Georges family and friends. Justice will be served!" Fallout for the Minneapolis PD: The University of Minnesota announced it will limit its connection to the local police department, and will stop using its officers for security at events including football games, ESPN reports. The University of Minnesota announced it will limit its connection to the local police department, and will stop using its officers for security at events including football games, ESPN reports. A Fox News host responds: Sean Hannity started his show Wednesday night by discussing Floyd's death, Mediaite reports. "You know, Im a big supporter of law enforcement. I am," Hannity said, but the video of Floyd being restrained disturbed him and he didn't understand the police response. "This is not a violent crime were talking about. We are talking about some suspected forgery of some kind," he said. "It makes no sense. No resistance that I see at all." (Read more George Floyd stories.) Kavita Krishnan's debut book examines the various facets of 'freedom' for women in modern-day India, revealing the deceptive ways in which seemingly benign tropes, hiding in plain sight, disempower women in the garb of emancipation. The introduction to Kavita Krishnan's book Fearless Freedom, titled 'If You Want to Be Safe, Why Do You Demand Freedom?' succinctly summarises the dichotomy that lies at the crux of her treatise. The communist feminist activist, who's also a part of the CPI(ML) Liberation politburo, reveals the threats to female life and autonomy that hide in plain sight in government welfare schemes, seemingly innocuous comments made in social circles, and even our school textbooks. Krishnan's debut book is, unsurprisingly, an extension of her unapologetic voice that was thrust to the fore following the 2012 Delhi rape incident. The activist had protested against a controversial statement made by then-Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, who questioned Jyoti's decision to venture out at night. Eight years since, the conviction in her voice has only grown more robust. In an interaction with Firstpost, Krishnan speaks about the 'disempowerment' often hidden in 'empowerment', men as feminist allies, and what truly entails justice for victims of sexual assault. You point out through the length of your book that in India, women are required to trade their freedom for their safety. It's a subject that hits home for women all over. Was it difficult to research on and write about issues that might often feel personal? Did you ever feel like you might lose objectivity? Not really. I felt instead that as a woman and a feminist, I had insight and experience that could supply objectivity to the conversation. The conversation around the issue of women's safety has till now been dominated by those least objective about it: custodians of the patriarchal, casteist, capitalist system, with vested interests in rationalising curbs on women's freedoms. Is it not strange that we think women can't be "objective" about their own freedoms? In one of your chapters you write: "If you think education makes for greater freedom for women, you are wrong. Education contributes only marginally to freedom of movement 42.9 per cent women with no schooling and 45.3 per cent women with twelve years or more of schooling have freedom of movement." I find this juxtaposition of education and mobility of women quite interesting and startling, especially because education can be a powerful tool for social emancipation. Would you say it's possible to subvert education as a tool for empowering women further? If yes, where does this process of education and subversion really begin? I am not saying that education is not important. Education is a right. But education is not a magic pill to cure patriarchy. There is no magic pill. There's a difference between saying "quality education of equitable standards should be available as a right to all" (this is true), and making the not so true claim that "education can set the oppressed free." Those who are educated are not necessarily less oppressive. Those who are less educated are not more oppressive than those with a lot of degrees (if anything, the opposite tendency is true). Education in itself may or may not aid social emancipation. Education systems tend to school individuals to accept rather than challenge hierarchies and subordination. Whatever subversion happens, usually happens outside the formal schooling system. Of course education is a right. But education itself is not emancipation. Emancipation requires us to acknowledge and identify structures of oppression and inequity, and fight to change those structures. India's schooling system does not acknowledge caste or gender or class inequality. Mention of these hierarchies in school textbooks is taboo. Meanwhile plenty of prejudices (casteist communal, patriarchal) get reproduced in schooling (covertly, or even blatantly when schools segregate students based on caste or faith or gender; or when school officials tell girls (as they did in my own school in Bhilai), that they should not take away engineering seats and jobs from boys, and tell boys that the home-science subject was not a suitable option for them). You draw your readers' attention to the deceptive ways in which language functions in furthering patriarchy in the garb of women empowerment, especially in various government schemes. And yet, there are women who have been conditioned into accepting such messages as their uncontested reality, thereby leading them to condone such stances. How does one address this issue without further endangering the lives of such women? The schemes I speak of garb disempowerment as "empowerment" and not just through linguistic or discursive strategies but in very real, material ways. Women's lives are endangered by these schemes, not by the attempts of feminist movements to encourage women to assert their autonomy. We are all subject to conditioning (even those of us who are educated and from elite, even progressive households). Learning to take our own experiences and insights, as well as our urge for autonomy seriously, is the only way towards any genuine "empowerment". When it comes to women who are complicit in acts like honour killing, dowry, sex selection, what are your thoughts on challenging this culpability, considering advocates of patriarchy often use this as an excuse to let the system off the hook. Just because women also participate in oppressing other women and marginalised genders, does not legitimise gender-based oppression or discredit feminism. Early in my book, I discuss findings that a larger proportion of women than men in India, openly justify wife-beating and domestic violence. I observe there that this fact is not especially surprising to me as a feminist activist: "Patriarchal social relations, like other oppressive relations, do not rely on coercion alone they rely in very large measure on being able to acquire the consent of the subordinated classes or sections of people...unsurprisingly, it is older women who are expected to enforce the rules and supervise the labour and subordination of the daughters-in-law, even as they themselves have now earned some measure of respite from the surveillance and subordination." Recognising this does not mean condoning women who are complicit in gender-based violence, nor can it mean condoning such violence itself or dissing the very existence of patriarchy. What are the most important steps that men can take in order to be allies to women and members of other gender groups? Is unlearning an important aspect of the exercise? Men have a huge part to play. We all have unlearning to do, irrespective of which gender or sexual orientation we identify with. But men need to play a far greater part in talking to and persuading other men and boys to acknowledge and resist patriarchy. Woke men need not expect praise and pats on the back from women for being woke. They really need to stop themselves from telling women how to (and how not to) fight patriarchy. Instead they should ask themselves, "How much are we doing everyday to change how other men and boys perceive masculinity and treat persons of other genders?" In one of your other chapters you write: "People are going to continue to be patriarchal, they say so one has to appeal to their patriarchal interests to allow girls to be born. If individual patriarchal families want to avoid girls, perhaps they can be induced to allowing girls to be born in the collective interest of patriarchal society, or so the argument goes. The problem is that as long as women are devalued and denied personhood and equality, patriarchy is not particularly insecure." Does it surprise you that such campaigns continue to find acceptance across various sections of society, and that they have only seldom been flagged as problematic? Does this also point to gaps in the discourse and pedagogy in feminism at present? It is really not the job of feminists to have to explain how using fire to fight fire, that is using patriarchy to fight patriarchy is a bad strategy, doomed to fail; in fact that it is a strategy designed to protect rather than challenge patriarchy. And yet we feminists continually do this thankless task. After that, it is a bit much to be asked if the persistence of the notions we fight daily, is because we feminists have failed! Surely, it is anti-feminists, and those indifferent to feminism, not feminists, who bear responsibility for persistence of anti-feminist ideas and campaigns? With recent movements like #MeToo and Shaheen Bagh in India, do you think the feminist vocabulary for women has also begun to evolve cutting across regions, languages, religions and castes? I would put it differently. In fact, feminist vocabulary in India is evolving to better appreciate how women from different castes, classes, and oppressed communities articulate feminism differently. There is no singular feminism there are plural feminisms, and that is welcome. What are your views on the recent #boislockerroom incident, which involves a group of school-going teenagers. How does one address this issue among impressionable age groups such as the one in question, without using coercive measures for reformation? I think that in very large part, the silence in Indian society and schools about gender, caste and class hierarchies and oppressions, and about sexuality, is a breeding ground for the #boislockerroom type of phenomenon which is very widespread. It becomes more and more toxic with growing age and entitlement. Instead of thinking about how to "reform" boys, we need to think about how to reform our schooling and our society. There are no easy answers there. But I do believe that a more honest and open-ended system of education that is less focussed on competition and more on mutual understanding, is the way forward. One of the most insightful and sensitive articles on the whole episode is by Paromita Vohra for Firstpost. The hanging of the 2012 Delhi gang-rape convicts earlier this year led to social media dividing on the issue of capital punishment yet again. You begin your book with this incident, and you've also strongly advocated against the death penalty. It has even been empirically proven that capital punishment does not bring about a reduction in violence against women. However, since a systemic overhaul of attitudes and thoughts is slated to take centuries, how does one, in the meantime, go about "bringing justice" to victims of sexual abuse, according to you? I think the point my book seeks to make is that hanging, capital punishment, do not merely "fail" to reduce gender-based violence. They actively help bolster up and cover up for patriarchy. They divert and distract us from the uncomfortable issues we need to raise with our selves and our own households and societies. Justice for victims of abuse and violence need not wait centuries it can happen the minute we create a climate (in society, in police stations, in courtrooms, in politics) where those victims can speak their truth without being shamed and blamed. Fighting the culture of victim blaming goes a long way towards achieving justice. "Justice" is about acknowledging the harm done to the victim, honouring their truth it is not equal to a particular jail sentence and certainly not to the death penalty. T he FTSE 100 added 74.54 points at 6218.79 today amid hopes for a global recovery from the coronavirus. Connor Campbell, financial analyst at Spreadex, said: Even with the Dow Jones losing some of its swagger, the European indices clung fiercely to their optimistic rally on Thursday. For the FTSE, it had to overcome the heavy losses incurred by Standard Chartered and HSBC, which fell on the China-Hong Kong developments. That didnt stop the UK from climbing, briefly sauntering past 6225 for the first time since early March. M&G rose, still benefiting from yesterday's decision to stick with paying a dividend. Meanwhile low-cost airline easyJet jumped as it announced plans to slash staff by 30% and shrink its fleet. Cineworld surged to the top of the second division leaderboard after it secured new funds and said its cinemas would reopen in July. Retailers, such as Next and Burberry, bounced higher as preparations continue to get stores reopened on UK high streets on June 15. In company news, Boohoo jumped after the online retailer bought the remaining stake of Pretty Little Thing from its founder and operating chief. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey dealt a sombre note on the economy. He wrote in the Guardian that the recovery would be long and hard. But he hinted more quantitative easing was likely and this kept traders in buoyant mood. The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were M&G, up 10p at 150p, Burberry, up 103.5p at 1,583.5p, Evraz, up 17.9p at 290.7p, and Melrose, up 7.2p at 125.85p. The biggest fallers of the day were Rolls-Royce, down 27.1p at 319p, Standard Chartered, down 19.3p at 392.1p, Meggitt, down 9.8p at 295p, and HSBC, down 12.25p at 384.35p. However China continues to loom large over the markets as the growing concern about Beijing's looming crackdown on security laws in Hong Kong causes jitters. A drumbeat of opposition and veiled threats from the US continued to rumble but with US secretary of state Mike Pompeo declaring Hong Kong was no longer autonomous from China. If that stance holds, Hong Kong would no longer benefit from lower tariffs than China's. The South China Morning Post said China was ready to hit back if the Washington took any punitive actions. CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said: "A US and China flare-up could let some of the air out of the current air of optimism." Asian stocks and oil prices fell back as a result. Little wonder HSBC and Standard Chartered - closely tied to the region - dropped. The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil increased 3.26% to $35.21. An armed college student who allegedly killed two men in a crime spree was caught in Maryland, police said. Several police agencies and the FBI searched for the 23-year-old, Peter Manfredonia, over six-days after a spate of crimes were committed last week. He was found at a service station in Hagerstown, Maryland, on Wednesday. He was not injured and no officers were hurt during the arrest, Connecticut State Police said. The suspect will face justice and this will bring closure. This is what is important for the families of the victims, said Connecticut State Police spokeswoman Christine Jeltema. Mr Manfredonia was wanted in the machete killing of 62-year-old Ted DeMers and the wounding of another man in Willington, Connecticut, on Friday. Cyndi DeMers, the first victims wife, said afterwards that the Connecticut University senior was searching for a woman he knew, who lived next door. Recommended One person shot dead amid George Floyd protests in Minneapolis The student is then thought to have killed Mr DeMers with a machete after offering him a ride to his parked bicycle. The University of Connecticut senior is also thought to have shot Sandy Hook high school friend Nicholas Eisele, 23, at his home on Sunday, Police said he also stole guns and drove a truck about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest with Mr Eiseles girlfriend to Derby, Connecticut. She was later found safe. Authorities have not offered a possible motive for the crimes. A man matching descriptions of Mr Manfredonia was spotted on Tuesday night near Scranton, Pennsylvania, prompting another search there. Police later suspected Mr Manfredonia to be in the Hagerstown, Maryland, area, where a ride-hailing service dropped off someone matching his description Wednesday. A lawyer for the suspects family, Michael Dolan, said they were relieved the search had ended peacefully. This came as a total surprise to everybody based on Peters past, said Mr Dolan. Hes been a kind-hearted person who has no history of violence or any trouble with the law. Connecticut governor Ned Lamont offered thanks to police agencies including those in other states that were involved in the search. We are appreciative of their unified approach to this disturbing situation, Lamont said on Twitter. It's 'not safe' to reopen all schools next week and could lead to a surge in coronavirus cases, experts have today warned. A panel of scientists, set up to challenge decisions made by ministers, fear the move to reopen schools in England on June 1 goes against scientific advice and 'jumps the gun'. Pushing classrooms to return will undoubtedly see the R levels raise and could risk a surge of cases in some communities, the report by the 'independent SAGE' warned. Delaying schools reopening to June 15 approximately halves the risk that a child will catch Covid-19, they said. In any situation, the chances a child would die are extremely low. But children have the ability to transmit the virus to adults, such as teachers or parents. And they claimed an aggressive test, trace and track programme which works on a local level would limit spread of the virus when schools reopen. But head of NHS Test and Trace, Baroness Dido Harding, said the local element will not be fully in place until the end of June. Independent Sage, set up to challenge decisions made by ministers, said delaying a school reopening to June 15 approximately halves the risk that a child will be infected and it would be almost impossible by September The UK Governments position is that schools in England should reopen from 1st June to pupils in reception, Year 1 and Year 6. It's provoked a mixed response with huge criticism from teaching unions. Pictured: Headteacher Elaine Bradley in a rearranged classroom at Slaithwaite C of E Junior and Infant School in Slaithwaite, near Huddersfield Independent Sage revealed the impact of opening schools on the chances a child under the age of ten would get infected in the coming weeks. The average number of children who catch the virus in a 400-children class are represented in this diagram Independent Sage was created when the official Sage (scientific advisory group for emergencies) faced criticism for its lack of transparency in advice given to the Government. In its latest report, the committee looked over the official Sage reports which helped inform decisions on when schools should return. Sage modelled what would happen in seven different scenarios, all of which result in the R rate increasing. The R rate is how many people one infected person transmits the virus to. If it is 3, it means 10 people would pass it on to 30 more, and so on. The most recent estimates for the UK are that R is between 0.7-1, and Sage warned last week the UK was on the brink of surpassing 1. An R rate above 1 would cause cases to spiral uncontrollably - and Sage says this would happen in any given scenario of schools returning. How bad the situation became would depend entirely on the location, including how many tests were available and whether test, track and trace was running properly. Where there are ongoing new infections within the community, evidence suggests that reopening schools could increase the spread of the virus by up to 0.3 on the R value. The Independent Sage report said: 'The school reopening scenario chosen by the government is not one of those modelled by SAGE making the potential impact of reopening even more uncertain. Robust testing systems are not in place everywhere. 'Additionally, public adherence to social distancing is influenced by trust in the government and its messaging. 'This trust is increasingly strained. We therefore believe that by going ahead with a general school reopening from 1 June, the government is not following the advice of its SAGE group and is risking a new surge in cases of COVID19 in some communities.' Sir David King, a former government chief scientific adviser who chairs Independent Sage, said the Government were 'jumping the gun'. Head teacher Frances Swallow (R) works with Teaching Assistant Sarah Yates (L) tries to create a safe teaching environment at Marsden Infant and Nursery School in Marsden Teaching Assistant Sarah Yates applies tape to the floor to define a 2m boundary around the teacher's workspace He told The Independent: 'Whilst we totally understand the imperative to get the nations children back in the classroom as soon as it is safe to do so, the evidence clearly shows that the government has jumped the gun here. DANGER OF CORONAVIRUS TO CHILDREN IS LOW, SCIENTISTS SAY The government's SAGE experts have suggested children are at low danger from coronavirus - and warned the 'shock' of school closures are blighting a generation. Although the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies admit there is no certainty, a raft of papers suggest that children are less likely to be infected and infectious than adults, and teachers do not seem at heightened risk. The documents, prepared in the weeks up to May 1, float the idea of splitting classes in half and having children attend schools alternate weeks, saying that could slash the effect on the coronavirus 'R' number. Unions insisted the SAGE evidence, published before Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed schools would be opening on June 1, was 'inconclusive' and demanded delay. Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance has said reopening schools was likely to push the R rate up. But he stressed that was the case for any change to lockdown, and schools were 'not a high risk area for R'. Speaking at the Downing Street press briefing on May 22, Sir Patrick said coronavirus was a 'long term epidemic' and 'schools have to get back for education for our young people at some point' Sir Patrick said: 'The risk for children (from coronavirus) is much lower - we know that. 'They are at low risk but not zero risk and there have been some serious cases of children, of course, but very few compared to adults and older age groups. 'The broader risk in terms of opening schools is that as soon as you introduce any contact, you put pressure on the R and you put pressure on numbers, and that's true of anything we are going to do in terms of changes to contact.' Eminent statistician Sir David Spiegelhalter said the risk of coronavirus to children is 'unbelievably low' and claimed children carry just a fraction of the viral load compared to adults, which significantly reduces their ability to fall ill or infect others. He pointed out that just one out of 7million children aged four to 14 in England and Wales has died from COVID-19. Professor Spiegelhalter said that at least one child had died from a rare inflammatory illness linked to coronavirus, but reassured parents that the risk of the complication would now be 'much lower now the epidemic in the community is under control.' He also said data has also shown that teachers do not have a greater risk of becoming infected. Advertisement 'Crucially we conclude that the best way forward cannot be one size fits all, it requires localised case by case responses to ensure that the risk of flair ups is kept to a minimum.' The report said 'robust testing and tracing procedures' will reduce the chance of infectious staff, parents, or children attending school. Decisions on schools reopening should be based on whether there is a well-functioning contact tracing system in place at a local level. This means local councils are set up with all the right resources to deliver tests to people and monitor outbreaks in the area - without being overwhelmed. It is important that timely information from these sources is available at the local level and can be accessed by head teachers, other teachers, and parents and children. Local public health services should collect data and notify head teachers when there is evidence of a local hotspot emerging, the report said. 'We have seen no compelling evidence that these conditions have so far been met across the country. Until they are, it is not safe to open schools everywhere on June 1,' scientists warned. Baroness Dido Harding, who is heading up the NHS Test and Trace system, admitted to MPs the scheme may not be ready on a local level until the end of June, Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, who was in the call, claimed. The UK Governments position is that schools in England should reopen from 1st June to pupils in reception, Year 1 and Year 6. It's provoked a mixed response with huge criticism from teaching unions who fear for the safety of both children, teachers and their families who will face the risk of becoming infected after weeks in lockdown. Independent Sage revealed the impact of opening schools on the chances a child under the age of ten would get infected in the coming weeks. It used data from mathematical models which have mapped the spread of Covid-19 in the UK and assumed the R number was below 1. If a child returned to school on June 1, there is a 4.2 per cent chance they would come into contact with a classmate who has the coronavirus - four times what it would be if they stayed at home. The risk halves if the child goes back to school on June 15, and is cut to 0.5 per cent if plans are pushed back to September. The chances the child would actually catch the virus is very low in any given situation, and extremely low for death. On June 1, there is a 1.5 per cent chance a child would catch the coronavirus and a 0.23 in a million chance they would die from it. Waiting two weeks would slash those odds by half to 0.76 per cent and 0.11 in a million chance, respectively. To put this into perspective, the daily chance of being killed in a road traffic accident is about 0.074 per million, the team noted. Staying at home at all time points is about half as risky as going to school, but also means that children do not get the benefit of having face-to-face learning and seeing their friends, which is a key reason ministers want school to return. The problem there in lies with the fact many children who become infected could still pass the virus onto other children and adults. Children are just as likely to catch the coronavirus as adults, current UK data suggests, but don't seem to be diagnosed often. This is for two reasons - children to do not show the typical symptoms that adults to, if at all, and testing has only been recently expanded to children. Children may be less likely than adults to pass the virus to others based on how long they are infectious for, the report said. Whether or not a school classroom is the perfect environment for the virus to spread remains to be seen, but so far there has been no worrying evidence of this from the thousands of children of key workers who have been going to school during the pandemic. The contact tracing system got running today, with an army of 25,000 call-handlers to identify primary contacts of Covid-19 patients. It's been launched without a much anticipated phone app which in theory will detect strangers who a Covid-19 patient has been in close proximity to. Everyone who displays coronavirus symptoms will be asked to report themselves to test and trace officials either online or through a new helpline. Their job will be to find, test and isolate these people and contact anyone who they have had close interactions with. Family members, flatmates, partners and close contacts will be told to go into isolation for a fortnight even if they have no symptoms. NHS chiefs have warned 'key bits' of the system are not yet operational and staff working behind the scenes said the site crashed. FALLS TOWNSHIP >> In an effort to be fiscally responsible while ridding Falls Township Community Park of Canada geese, the Falls Township Supervisors approved a multi-faceted, year-long geese mitigation plan at a one percent savings over 2021. Stepped up geese management efforts began in 2015 and have significantly reduced the number of geese at the park, Falls Township Parks and Recreation... The BBCs long-running comedy quiz show QI has revealed the bizarre and strict guidelines issued by the broadcaster in the 1940s. During its new series, starting tonight at 9pm on BBC Two, it explains how the corporation ditched vulgar references to honeymoon couples, chambermaids, and fig leaves. In an exclusive clip for FEMAIL, presenter Sandi Toksvig also reveals that the word 'basket' was banned in the BBC's variety policy guide for writers and producers. The BBCs long-running comedy quiz show QI has revealed the bizarre and strict guidelines issued by the broadcaster in the 1940s. Pictured left to right: Phil Jupitus, Alan Davies, Sandi Toksvig, John Barrowman, Aisling Bea She tells panellists Alan Davies, John Barrowman, Phil Jupitus and Aisling Bea: 'In the late 1940s they issued something called the BBC's variety policy guide for writers and producers. 'It became known as the green book and it was what was acceptable for broadcasting. 'There was an absolute ban on jokes regarding lavatories, effeminacy in men, immorality of any kind and any suggestive references to honeymoon couples, chambermaids and fig leaves.' Sandi added: 'The use of the word "basket2 must be avoided and suggestive references to ladies underwear, so things like "winter draws on" - you couldn't say that. 'And it conceded that references to Noah was sometimes permissible but it added that since there is seldom anything to be gained by them and since they can engender much resentment they are best avoided all together. John Barrowman, Alan Davies, Sandi Toksvig, Phil Jupitus, Aisling Bea as they appear on tonight's new series of QI on BBC Two In an exclusive clip for FEMAIL, presenter Sandi Toksvig (pictured) reveals that the word 'basket' was banned in the BBC's variety policy guide for writers and producers 'You couldn't make jokes about solicitors, miners or the working class,' she explained. 'Particularly, you could not make any joke about a specific Irish family called The McGillycuddy of the Reeks.' Sandi said: 'Apparently several jokes have been made about them and they took offence and even now we should not be amused by them.' QI returns tonight for its eighteenth series and will see a host of new and returning panellists join Sandi and Alan each week. QI (short for Quite Interesting) uses a new letter of the alphabet each series - with the show exploring topics headed up under R this time around. Speaking ahead of the new series, Sandi commented: 'From restaurants and rubbish to the rude and the ridiculous, this series promises to provide a range of riveting facts and riotous revelations. 'Im really excited for viewers to see what weve discovered youre in for a treat.' Donald Trump has some ideas about fighting the coronavirus. We hit the body with a tremendous, whether its ultraviolet or just very powerful light, the president says, to the bafflement of nearby aides. Supposing, I said, you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way, continues the president, gesturing toward her Her? I should explain. The words are 100 per cent Donald Trumps. The actions belong to comedian Sarah Cooper, whose homemade lip-synchs of the presidents rambling pandemic-related statements have become the most effective impression of Trump yet. Cooper posted that first video, titled How to Medical, to TikTok and Twitter in April. In a 49-second tour de force, Cooper illustrates his musings on light and disinfectant using a lamp and household cleaning products, playing the presidents puzzled aide in cutaways. She captures her Trump entirely through pantomime. She crosses her arms and bounces on her heels, like a CEO filibustering through a meeting while the staff suffers. Plenty of wags seized on Trumps bleach prescription for easy jokes, but her performance gets at something deeper: the peacocky entitlement of the longtime boss who is used to having his every whim indulged, his every thought doodle praised as a Michelangelo. Cooper has been on a tear since, her karaoke Trump holding forth on the math of disease testing and wrestling with what it means to test positively for a virus. Channelling the presidents announcement that he was taking the drug hydroxychloroquine (against prevailing medical advice) as a COVID preventive, shes a manic Willy Wonka, handing out a blister pack of pills to herself as a girl in pigtails. Long before he was elected, Donald Trump posed the challenge of being easy to imitate and thus nearly impossible to satirize. Everyone has a Trump, and when everyone has a Trump, no one does. A big problem comes when a writer tries to take the presidents belligerent spoken jazz (I know words. I have the best words) and force it into comedic 4/4 time. Even the most lacerating satire has to impose coherence on Trump, which like news reports that try to find a narrative in his ramblings ends up polishing the reality, losing the chaos essential to the genuine article. Which maybe destined Donald Trump to be the TikTok president. The service was built around the concept of lip-sync videos, and to spoof this president, the perfect script is no script. Before Coopers How to Medical, other TikTok users riffed on a Trump ramble about the power of germs. Kylie Scott posted Drunk in the Club After Covid, lip-synching Trumps words as a rambling inebriate, finding 80-proof logic in the teetotaller presidents musings. The germ has gotten so brilliant, she mouths cradling a drink, squinting her eyes and spiralling a finger toward her temple that the antibiotic cant keep up with it. (A TikTok search on #drunktrump yields a growing crop of examples.) In 2008 Tina Fey hit on a version of this with her Saturday Night Live impression of Sarah Palin, some of whose best lines were verbatim or near-verbatim quotes. But even Fey put some English on Palins English, as with the line I can see Russia from my house, which some people later mistook for a real quote. With Cooper, theres the added frisson of having Trump who boasted of sexual assault, ran on xenophobia and referred crudely to African and Caribbean countries played by a Black woman born in Jamaica. (Compare the SNL sketch that used as a punchline the idea that Leslie Jones wanted to take over the role of the president.) Its more than just irony. Theres something liberating about Cooper taking on a subject she couldnt be expected to mirror, much as Melissa McCarthy was freed to imagine a hyper-aggro version of former press secretary Sean Spicer. Instead, Coopers Trumpian drag is partly a caricature of performative masculinity. (Trumps lifelong public persona has also been a caricature of performative masculinity.) Theres something provocative in a woman trying on a male politicians unexamined confidence, his viewing of the other people in the room as temporarily useful props. Its part an impression of Trump, part an attempt to ask whether a woman could get away with what Trump does and what that might look like. (Cooper wrote a 2018 humour-advice book titled How to Be Successful Without Hurting Mens Feelings.) Other Cooper videos are more minimal, like a 12-second clip of the president touting his economic record: We are bringing our country back, and a big focus is exactly that, with the, uh, minorities, specifically, if you look at, uh, the Asians. Theres no outfit or staging. Cooper does all the work with her eyes, which dart around frantically on each uh, before landing somewhere off-screen and pointing on Asians. This is another theme of her Trump, the insistent confidence betrayed by microexpressions of terror. From Coopers lips, the presidents sentences become plywood bridges hes trying to nail together, one shaky plank at a time, over a vertiginous Looney Tunes canyon. Beyond capturing the moment, Coopers Trump says something about what makes a good political impression. Too often, people judge it by the Rich Little standard how much you manage to look and sound like the subject. Mimicry is a neat trick, but its not satire unless theres an idea of the person, which can hit closer to the core than a pitch-perfect imitation. What Cooper and company are developing is comedy not as writing but as a kind of live-action political cartooning. And it has applications beyond Trump. Comedian Maria DeCotis performs Gov. Andrew Cuomos briefing digressions about family life in quarantine as a kind of stir-crazy sitcom, in which she plays the New York governor, each of his grown daughters and one daughters boyfriend. All these pieces prove that creativity eventually finds ways to work its way out of apparent dead-ends: not just how to make comedy under quarantine but how to ridicule a self-satirizing political moment. Comedians are not the only people to look at our current reality and say, I have no words. As it turns out, you dont need any. Read more about: Famed investor Stanley Druckenmiller has recently said that the current return to risk ratio in broad equities is the worst that he has ever seen in his career, and that is the sentiment shared by Bob Thompson, portfolio manager at Raymond James. Thompson told Kitco News that this market is entirely liquidity driven. This market rally has been totally fed by the Fed over time. The bubble is building. We have corporate debt. Here in Canada, we have massive consumer debt, he said. This is how it happens. People are going to blame the coronavirus for this, but the coronavirus is just the pin that popped the bubble. The bubble was already there. Thompsons comments come as China passed legislation to enact special security laws in Hong Kong that could strip away the citys autonomy and freedoms, analysts say. People have to realize that China is a communist country. They use capitalism to their advantageso sooner or later they were probably going to do this to Hong Kong. I think they chose this opportunity because things are in a bit of turmoil right now anyway. So obviously its going to be a big issue with trade going forward and the coronavirus is going to be played as a political issue so we can blame somebody, he said. However, with the Federal Reserve continuing to pump liquidity into the monetary system, investors are likely to shrug off any escalating tensions between the U.S. and China for now. In terms of investing strategies that have worked, Thompsons book Stock Market Superstars details the way some of the best fund managers have picked stocks, one of whom is Eric Sprott, former chairman of Sprott Inc. There were a few things that I learned, one of them I learned from Eric [Sprott] is conviction. You have to have conviction, you cant pay attention to what other people are saying. You have to do your own research, he said. Theres a saying, stock market corrections are when stocks are returning to their rightful owners and I think thats a great strategy, because if you have conviction youre going to stick with it. Mumbaikars were sent into a tizzy after social media posts claimed that locusts have arrived in Mumbai. The rumours of locusts invading Mumbai began after posts on WhatsApp and Twitter showed similar looking insects swarming and entering homes. However, Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) under the Union Agriculture Ministry clarified that the pests were not heading for Mumbai and are currently restricted to eastern Maharashtra. "The invasion is restricted to parts of eastern Maharashtra with districts in Vidarbha affected in the state. The wind direction from Madhya Pradesh is favourable for their movement and food availability in these zones," LWO Deputy Director KL Gurjar LWO told Hindustan Times. ALSO READ: Worst locusts attack in decades; crops damaged in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, UP, Rajasthan The locust infestation is presently centred in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Unverified social media posts had claimed that the pests could enter Mumbai from Gujarat on Thursday morning. Authorities refuted these claims as wind direction will not let the locust swarm move towards Mumbai from Gujarat. Presently, there is no warning of locusts arriving in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, including Mumbai. Meanwhile, the locusts have moved towards Gondia district in Maharashtra after ravaging crops in the neighbouring Bhandara. Authorities in the district have been alerted about the movement of pests. ALSO READ: Is locust swarm invading Delhi? Here's the latest update Meanwhile, fire tenders were used to spray pesticides on crops and trees in 1 km radius of Temani village of Bhandara which was affected by locusts. The insects are now moving towards east with the wind, towards Tiroda tehsil in neighbouring Gondia district. Farmers in Palghar district of Maharashtra have also been asked to prepare for a possible locust attack on crops. ALSO READ: Locusts spare Delhi for now, but threat continues The suit, filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, adds to the growing backlash against Clearview since January, when The New York Times reported that the company had amassed a database of more than 3 billion photos across the internet, including from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Venmo. This trove of photos enables anyone with the Clearview app to match a person to their online photos and find links back to the sites where the images originated. Ladislas Ntaganzwa convicted for plotting to exterminate Tutsis and ordering the killing of more than 25,000 people. A Rwandan court has handed a life sentence to a former politician found guilty of orchestrating the killing of tens of thousands of people during the 1994 genocide in the country, a court spokesman said. Ladislas Ntaganzwa, a former mayor of Nyakizu in southern Rwanda, was indicted in 1996 by the Arusha, the Tanzania-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, on charges of direct and public incitement to commit genocide, murder and rape. Ladislas Ntaganzwa was today sentenced to life imprisonment over genocide crimes committed during the genocide against Tutsi in 1994, court spokesman Harrison Mutabazi said on Thursday. According to the indictment, he addressed the surrounded Tutsis and told them to lay down their arms. Then he gave the order for the massacre to begin, whereupon the gendarmes and communal police shot at the crowd. The tribunals indictment accused Ntaganzwa of plotting to exterminate Rwandas Tutsi population and personally ordering the massacre of more than 25,000 Tutsi civilians in his town in April 1994. It then passed the case to a Rwandan government court. The tribunal closed five years ago and was replaced by a successor body, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, with offices in Arusha and The Hague, Netherlands. About 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutus were killed during the genocide, which took place during the last four months of the Rwandan Civil War. Alexis Musonera, Ntaganzwas lawyer, said he planned to appeal the ruling. We plan to appeal because evidence in the hearing was based on witnesses testimony but that was not enough as some witnesses were contradicting themselves. We are not happy about this lengthy life jail term, Musonera told the Reuters news agency. The judgement was announced via video conference while Musonera used Skype to follow it with Ntaganzwa at Mpanga prison in the countrys southern province. Ntaganzwa was arrested in December 2015 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rwanda took him into custody in March 2016. The United States had offered up to $5m for information leading to his arrest. The sentencing comes shortly after Felicien Kabuga, the top-most fugitive from the genocide, was arrested in France last week after 25 years on the run. The wealthy businessman is accused of supplying machetes to the killers in the genocide and broadcasting propaganda urging mass slaughter. On Wednesday, Kabuga appeared in a French court and denied the charges. His request for bail was denied. He seeks trial in France and not in Africa. The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals also announced last week that it had concluded that former Defence Minister Augustin Bizimana, another of the most-wanted fugitives, had died. The remaining high-profile genocide suspect at large is Protais Mpiranya, a former commander of the Presidential Guard of the Rwandan Armed Forces. Friends star Lisa Kudrow said Matthew Perry left her with a priceless memento from the series. The 56-year-old actress told Jimmy Kimmel that Perry gave her a cookie jar that was in the apartment of Monica Geller (Courtney Cox) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) on the top-rated comedy. Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay on the NBC staple, explained the backstory, and her improvisation, that led Perry to gift her with the receptacle for sweets. The latest: Friends star Lisa Kudrow, 56, said Matthew Perry, 50, left her with a priceless memento from the series - a cookie jar reading Cookie Time 'We're shooting a scene, years before we were finished, and my line was, "Oh! I better get going," like, "Oh! I'm late, I better get going."' Kudrow said that she was not costumed with a watch and mistook the cookie jar for a clock. 'As the words were coming out, I went, "Oh, good, there's a clock,"' Kudrow said. 'I gestured to that, and said, 'Oh! Look at the time. I gotta get going." 'And during shooting, Matthew said, 'Did you look at the cookie jar and say look at the time?' A look back: Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay on the NBC staple, explained the backstory, and her improvisation, that led Perry to gift her with the receptacle for sweets To infinity and beyond: Lisa appeared on Jimmy Kimmel to promote her new show Space Force Chilling out: Lisa said she was quarantining at her Palm Springs home until the heat became too much to deal with She said Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the program, presented her with the piece from the set she the hit comedy wrapped up in 2004. 'I think the first thing I asked was, "This was so nice - did you get permission?"' Kudrow said. 'I mean, my car used to get searched every night when I left.' Lisa, who has a 22-year-old son named Julian Stern from her marriage to Michel Stern, said she's been 'relaxing the whole time' at her homes in Palm Springs, California and Los Angeles. DALLAS, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ozarka Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, a part of the Nestle Waters North America family, is extending its $10,000 "Every Drop Counts" Earth Science Scholarship application deadline to June 15, 2020. "We recognize that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, circumstances for many students and families have changed," said Trey Mixon, Natural Resource Manager for Nestle Waters North America. "By extending the deadline, we hope we'll be able to encourage as many applicants as possible in our continued effort to support Texas students pursuing degrees and careers in earth sciences." Ozarka established the "Every Drop Counts" Earth Science Scholarship Program in 2002, upon the opening of its bottling facility in Hawkins, Texas. Since that time, the company has awarded more than $450,000 in scholarship funds to statewide applicants. Over the past 18 years, statewide winners have included recently graduated high school seniors, PhD candidates, college undergraduates and MS candidates from across the state. These applicants are studying a variety of earth science subjects from hydrological engineering and natural resource management to glaciology and the effects of climate change. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply by downloading the application materials here. The winner will be announced in late summer. Applicants must be a United States citizen and a Texas resident at the time of application. They must have a 3.0 or above grade point average (G.P.A.), be currently pursuing higher education in the earth/environmental sciences, and not be an employee, or related to any employees of Nestle Waters North America or Ozarka. In addition to this award, the company also provides an annual $10,000 scholarship to a Texas State University student in partnership with The Meadows Center for Water & Environment, as well two $2,500 awards, presented annually to graduates of local high schools in Wood County, near the company's East Texas operations. The Wood County high school awards are given each year to two outstanding students graduating from Hawkins and Harmony High Schools who are pursuing degrees and careers in earth and/or environmental sciences. This year's winners have been chosen by the schools and will be announced in early June. About Nestle Waters North America Nestle Waters North America offers an unrivaled portfolio of bottled water brands for healthy hydration, including Ozarka Brand Natural Spring Water, Nestle Pure Life , Perrier, S. Pellegrino and Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water. The company also owns and operates ReadyRefresh by Nestle, a customizable water and beverage delivery service. Just Click and QuenchSM. Based in Stamford, Connecticut with approximately 7,000 associates in the United States, we manage natural resources for long-term sustainability, and we conserve more than 18,000 acres of natural watershed area. We currently source water for our six regional spring water brands from 38 active springs throughout the United States. We are also committed to creating shared value and being a good neighbor in the 140 communities where we operate in the U.S. For more information, visit us at https://www.nestle-watersna.com/en and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @NestleWatersNA. Contact: Catherine Herter Ervin For Nestle Waters / Ozarka Tel: 512.632.5470 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Nestle Waters North America Related Links www.nestle-watersna.com By Express News Service BENGALURU: Karnataka recorded 135 new positive cases on Wednesday, bringing the total tally of cases to 2,418. The state also recorded three deaths in the districts of Yadgir, Bidar and Vijayapura, taking the death count to 47, besides two non-Covid cases. The day saw 17 discharges, putting the total number of discharges at 781. In Yadgir, Patient 2301, a 69-year-old woman returnee from Maharashtra, was brought dead to the designated hospital on May 20, and the swabs were collected later. Test results showed the patient tested positive. In Bidar, Patient 1712, a 40-year-old male, was diagnosed with SARI, complaints of fever, cough, breathlessness and was a known case of diabetes mellitus. He died on Wednesday. In Vijayapura district, Patient 2011, an 82-year-old male, was admitted to hospital with complaints of fever, cough, chest pain and breathlessness, and died on May 26. However, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar revealed that ICMR has approved 60 laboratories for testing in the state. In February, we had one testing centre, the National Institute of Virology, Bengaluru. By the end of March, we added six, in April-end, we had 17, and now we have reached 60. On Wednesday, the state conducted 12,694 tests -- the highest numbr so far. In March, we had tested 2,308 samples, and and in April, we tested 55,034 samples, and so far in May, we have done 1,79,397 tests, which is a good number. Among the 135 positive cases recorded on Wednesday, 118 have travel history 116 are inter-state travellers and two are international travellers while the remaining patients are contacts of earlier patients. The highest number of cases was from Kalaburagi district, which recorded 28 positive cases, followed by 16 cases from Yadgir and 15 cases from Hassan. All the patients had returned from Maharashtra. Bidar came next with 13 cases, with 11 returnees from Maharashtra, while one was a contact of a patient. In Dakshina Kannada, 11 cases had returned from Maharashtra. Udupi recorded 9 cases, all with travel history to Maharashtra. Six cases were from Bengaluru Urban two with travel history to Nepal and UAE, two others had returned from Tamil Nadu, one from Maharashtra and the last was a contact of previous patient. Davanageres six cases were contacts of patients. Raichur recorded five cases, while Chikkaballapura logged four cases who had returned from Maharashtra. Belgavi also with four cases two cases returned from Maharashtra, one from Kerala and the other from Delhi. Three cases from Chikkamagaluru and Vijayapura also returned from Maharashtra. Bengaluru Rural had two cases, who were contacts of previous patients. The districts bordering Delhi are witnessing a sharp increase in the number of cases, which is a matter of concern, Vij, who is also the state health minister, told reporters in Ambala. Chandigarh: Citing a sharp increase in coronavirus cases during the past one week in Haryana districts adjoining Delhi, the state's Home Minister Anil Vij issued fresh orders for sealing borders with the national capital. The order is likely to make the movement of people travelling across the borders without valid permission tougher. The order came just days before the fourth coronavirus lockdown ends on 31 May. "I have again issued orders today that in the districts adjoining Delhi, no leniency should be shown. Eighty per cent of our coronavirus cases are from the districts adjoining Delhi. Therefore, we are maintaining strictness on our borders with the national capital and keeping these sealed," the minister said. He, however, in an order said barring the categories exempted by the Delhi High Court and the Centre, the state borders for others will remain completely sealed. The districts bordering Delhi are witnessing a sharp increase in the number of cases, which is a matter of concern, Vij, who is also the state health minister, told reporters in Ambala. He cited the movement of people into the districts bordering the national capital as the reason behind the surge in cases. Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar are the four worst-hit districts accounting for a majority of 1,504 infection cases in the state. Faridabad has reported the maximum seven fatalities in the state followed by three in Gurgaon and one in Sonipat, according to a state health bulletin. On Thursday, Gurgaon reported 68 fresh cases followed by 18 in Faridabad and four in Sonipat. The total cases in Gurgaon are 405, Faridabad 276, Sonipat 180 and Jhajjar 97, as per the bulletin. As police and intelligence services conduct a region-wide hunt targeting Adil Ahmad Hafizsuspected by authorities of being the suicide-attacker tasked with driving the car-bomb found near southern Kashmirs Pulwama on Wednesday night to its targethis older brother has issued an emotional appeal for the fugitive to terminate his mission and surrender. Please come home quickly, Ejaz Ahmad says in a video obtained by News18. Your parents are waiting for you. If its paradise you want to go to, the path lies through your parents. Leave this path you are walking on, he urges, adding, Every problem can be solved through discussion. There is no point to sacrificing your life for people want to eat Indias rice and Pakistans salt, Ahmad says in the video clip. Police in Kashmir, government sources said, are hunting for a second car-bomb packed with explosives, believed to have been assembled by the same Jaish-e-Muhammad cell that fabricated the device found in Pulwama on Wednesday night. Security forces had prevented a massive car bomb attack after they stopped a vehicle carrying 40-45 kg of improvised explosive device (IED). The plan had chilling similarities with last year's terror attack in Pulwama, when over 40 soldiers were killed. The chances are Adil Hafiz will attempt to use this second car-bomb to complete his mission, a senior intelligence official said. Every effort is being made to locate him before that happens. Local Terror Recruitment Born in 1999 in the small village of Larve Kakpora, near south Kashmirs Pulwama, Hafiz is part of a new cohort of Kashmiri militants who have begun volunteering for suicide-missions with terrorist groups like the Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taibaa stark departure from an earlier generation who rarely volunteered for these roles. Educated at the local school in Larve, he began studying for a Bachelor of Sciences degree at college in Pulwama. In November, 2019, though, he dropped out of college and joined the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. The family, police sources say, made several efforts to have their son return home, before formally filing a complaint with police in March, 2020. Later, the Jammu and Kashmir police believe, Adil Hafiz worked for Lashkar-e-Taiba cells active in southern Kashmir, before finally volunteering for this suicide mission. Kashmir-zone Inspector-General of Police Vijay Kumar told Network 18 that police had been searching for the cell responsible for building the car-bomb found in Pulwama for over a month. From a variety of sources, Kumar said, were confident that the target was a security force convoy. The consequences could have been horrific. In February, 2019, a Jaish-e-Muhammad suicide bomber had struck a Central Reserve Police Force convoy at Leithpora, near Pulwama, killing 40 police personnel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had responded by ordering the Indian Air Force to bomb a Jaish-e-Muhammad seminary at Balakot, in Pakistans Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, sparking off the first air-battles between the two countries since the war of 1971. Lots of people in the Indian security establishment believed Pakistan had been deterred by the crisis from further large-scale terrorist attacks in Kashmir, a senior Indian intelligence official said. The Pulwama suicide-bombing plot suggests otherwise. New Jaish Commander The latest Pulwama plot, police and intelligence services in Kashmir believe, accelerated early this year, after the arrival of a new Jaish-e-Muhammad operations chief, known to Indian authorities by the pseudonym Abdullah Rashid Ghazi. Ghazi is thought to have crossed the Line of Control in Poonch along with several other Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorists early this year. From his base in the mountains above Pulwama, intelligence sources said, Ghazi issued instructions to a Jaish-e-Muhammad bomb-maker in the Kulgam areaknown to intelligence services only by the nickname Lambu, or tall guyto fabricate two car bombs, including the one found on Wednesday. The bombs, investigators believe, were from locally-sourced ammonium nitratea common fertilisermixed with fuel. Even though the Jaish-e-Muhammad has carried out dozens of suicide-attacks in Kashmir, ethnic Kashmiris played a marginal role in these operations until 2017. Barring the May 2000, car-bomb strike on the XV Corps headquarters in Srinagar, carried out by high-school student Afaq Ahmed Shah, state residents were not known to have carried out any suicide attacks. The murderous street battles between police and protestors which began in 2008, though, saw ethnic Kashmiris becoming increasingly active in the Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. In December, 2017, teenager Fardeen Khandey and 21-year-old Manzoor Baba participated in a suicide-squad attack on a Central Reserve Police Force complex in Pulwama, the first known ethnic Kashmiris to have carried out such an operation. Following the Islamist-led insurrection of 2018which saw the state apparatus disintegrate across south Kashmirethnic Kashmiri participation in suicide attacks have seen a steady uptick, helped along by Inter Service Intelligence Directorate pressure on terror groups to put daylight between their operations and Pakistan. Adil Dar, the 20-year-old who carried out the 2019 suicide-bombing in Pulwama, was among this new cohort of volunteers. By the time this video reaches you, he said in a suicide video, I will be frolicking in paradise. The Jaish has kept the flame of jihad alive here even in the most difficult circumstance. Come, join the group and prepare for the last fight, he said. The son of a small businessman who radicalised amidst street battles with police in 2016, Dar had dropped out of high school in 2017 and began work at a sawmill. In 2018, he was reported missing by his parents, and listed in police records as having joined the separatist movement. Lots of the new jihadists have the much the same profile, said Inspector-General of Police Vijay Kumar. Theyre mostly semi-educated, with few economic prospects, and are often drawn to religious extremism and then terrorism because it gives them some sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. Their frustrations and resentments are easily exploited by jihadist groups, he added. A Louisiana cop has been fired hours after posting a Facebook comment where he said it was 'unfortunate' more black people didn't die of coronavirus. Steven Aucoin, an officer of the Kaplan police department, was commenting under a local news station's live feed of a press conference being given by John Bel Edwards, Louisiana's governor. The chief police officer of the town, Joshua Hardy, explained how his now ex-officer commented under the news feed that was being run by KLFY News. Left: In response to a commenter claiming the virus was 'created to kill all the blacks', Kaplan police officer wrote 'well it didn't work... how unfortunate'. Police chief Joshua Hardy said on closer investigation, other comments were found by Aucoin that were 'not suitable for a police officer to put up on Facebook' The racist Facebook comments were posted under a live stream of a press conference being given by John Bel Edwards Louisiana's governor Aucoin was responding to another commenter who wrote, in broken English: 'virus that was created to kill all the BLACKS is death.' 'Well it didn't work,' Aucoin wrote in reply, 'how unfortunate,' according to screenshots of his comments that have been shared widely online. In an announcement on Facebook, the Kaplan Police Department wrote: 'We are writing this to inform everyone that we were made aware of the situation with the comments on Facebook from Steven Aucoin. 'Chief Hardy had the incident looked into and the officer was terminated. Chief Hardy and the Kaplan Police Department would like to apologize for this matter.' Chief Hardy was also interviewed by KLFY News, who broke the story upon being made aware of the comments under their live feed. 'We're held to a higher standard than normal civilians, so you got to watch what you do, you got to watch what you say. You can't just go and post anything you want on social media,' Hardy said. A Louisiana native, Joshua Brothers, also a firefighter and army veteran, told the outlet that it's possible Aucoin's comments could have been taken out of context due to a recent Facebook update in which not all comments appear in chronological order. When asked about this possibility, Chief Hardy said that when they looked into the issue, they found other comments by Aucoin that were 'not suitable for a police officer to put up on Facebook.' In order to prevent this from happening again, Hardy said that he has notified his officers of the social media policy at the precinct that was updated when he arrived in office. The police department were praised on Facebook when they announced the termination of Aucoin's employment. One user, posting under the name Ang Garcia, said: 'Thank you for that swift action. I hope this department and others continue to follow this example. 'I also hope other organizational factors that encourage or permit the existence or growth of racism within the department are being addressed as well. It takes us all.' Pictured: Kaplan Police Department chief - Joshua Hardy. Hardy said that police officers are 'held to a higher standard than normal civilians', and fired Steve Aucoin for his racist comments on Facebook The Kaplan Police Department posted an update on May 15 announcing that Aucoin had been fired for the comments he made on Facebook The news of Aucoin's comments and subsequent dismissal comes as a number of racially charged incidents involving police have hit the headlines across the U.S. On May 21, two white men were arrested in Georgia on suspicion of the February killing of Ahmaud Arbery - a 25-year-old black man - which came to light after a video was shared on social media of former police officer Gregory McMichael and son Travis that appeared to show the men chasing Arbery down and shooting him. The two men were arrested and public outrage over the lack of response from local officials in February has been wide-spread. On Monday May 25, a video was shared on social media showing a white Minneapolis Police Department officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for over 8 minutes, until he died. The incident has sparked protests in Minneapolis and public outrage against police brutality, and the four MPD police officers involved have been fired, with further investigations pending. Also on Monday at around 8 a.m., a white woman named Amy Cooper was walking her dog off the leash in Central Park in New York. When a black man - Christian Cooper, who was out bird watching - asked if she could put her dog on the leash, she called the cops on him, saying her life was being threatened by an 'African American man'. She has since been terminated from her job as head of insurance investment solutions at Franklin Templeton on Tuesday, having been placed on administrative leave a day earlier. Following the backlash against Coopers actions, New York State Lawmakers Assemblyman Felix Ortiz and Senator Brian Benjamin introduced new legislation on Tuesday that would make falsely reporting an incident as a hate crime illegal, should it pass. On Tuesday night, a white venture capitalist - Tom Austin - who threatened to call the police on a group of Black entrepreneurs working out in a Minneapolis gym had his office lease terminated. It turned out the men he threatened were fellow businessmen, operating a business out of the same building that Austin worked in. GETTYSBURG, Pa., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 400 executives of health and human service organizations across the country will come together virtually, June 15, for The 2020 OPEN MINDS Strategy & Innovation Institute to exchange ideas on how to leverage trends and opportunities, scale innovation, and gather tools and skills to build a long-term plan for sustainability in a post-COVID-19 health care market. "We look forward to the online gathering of the leaders in specialty health care for people with chronic conditions and complex support needs. We've all learned to pivot to virtual operations and virtual service delivery in the last three months of social distancing. Now it's time to pivot to virtual conferences," says Monica E. Oss, chief executive officer at OPEN MINDS. "Our team of experts has put together a dynamic week-long digital experience so executives can learn and network from wherever they are. We are grateful to our partners, speakers, and attendees for making this possible," she added. The virtual event format will allow attendees to: Attend 35+ online sessions live during the week of June 1 , with a schedule convenient to all time zones. , with a schedule convenient to all time zones. Participate in live discussions with thought leaders and other attendees after each live session. Invite colleagues and board members to watch from the convenience of their home or office, and organize team debriefs after each day's events. Participate in interactive panels, town halls, and networking receptions. Visit the virtual exhibit hall to meet with industry partners and get to know their products and services. Schedule individual appointments with industry partners, faculty, and OPEN MINDS senior team members throughout the week. senior team members throughout the week. Connect with speakers, experts, and other attendees through an exclusive LinkedIn discussion group. OPEN MINDS will launch an event website immediately prior to the start of the week-long event, which will serve as the entry point to all live sessions and the virtual exhibit hall. Sessions recordings, slide decks, and industry partner materials will be available to all attendees for 30 days after the event. The 2020 OPEN MINDS Strategy & Innovation Institute is headlined by Carl Clark, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Center of Denver; Alison Rizer, Former Vice President of Strategy & Health Policy, UnitedHealthcare; and Michael J. Hammond, Vice President, Product Strategy & Partnership Development, Optum Health. The faculty includes 40 leaders from provider organizations, health plans and industry partners. The virtual Institute is sponsored by Credible Behavioral Health Software, Netsmart, PsychU and PKD Network, Qualifacts Systems Inc, Genoa Healthcare, Welligent, CapGrow Partners, and Core Solutions. The live event schedule is: Strategy & Innovation Institute, June 1 3, Noon 5:30 pm EDT 3, Noon Value-Based Reimbursement Executive Seminar, June 4 , Noon 3 pm EDT , Noon I/DD Executive Summit, June 4 , 11 am 6 pm EDT , How To Develop A New Service Line Executive Seminar, June 5 , Noon 3 pm EDT , Noon Children's Services Executive Summit: Emerging Models For Children's Health Homes, June 5 , 11 am 5:30 pm EDT Registration is still open for The 2020 OPEN MINDS Strategy & Innovation Institute week. For more information on the program, or media inquiries, contact Meena Dayak, Executive Vice President, Market Intelligence, OPEN MINDS, at 717-334-1329 or [email protected] . ABOUT OPEN MINDS OPEN MINDS is an award-winning information source, executive education provider, and business solutions firm specializing in the domains of health and human services serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. For thirty years, we've been pioneers for change helping organizations implement the transformational business practices they need to succeed in an evolving market with new reimbursement, competition, policies and regulations. OPEN MINDS is powered by a national team of experienced executives and subject matter experts with specific expertise and experience in nine key market areas mental health, addictions, chronic conditions, autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities, long-term care, children's services, social services, juvenile justice, and corrections health care. Our mission is to improve the quality of care for consumers with complex support needs by improving the effectiveness of those serving them provider organizations, payer and insurance organizations, government agencies, pharmaceutical organizations, and technology firms. Learn more at www.openminds.com . SOURCE OPEN MINDS Related Links www.openminds.com DALLAS, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Employer Direct Healthcare is excited to announce its new partnership with The School Board of Highlands County. On January 1, 2020, The School Board of Highlands County began offering Employer Direct Healthcare's SurgeryPlus benefit, a supplemental benefit providing surgical concierge services with a focus on quality care, lower costs, and a better member experience. The approximately 2,400 members participating in The School Board of Highlands County's health plan will have access to the SurgeryPlus benefit's full-service healthcare concierge for over 1,400 non-emergent procedures. When they choose to utilize the SurgeryPlus benefit, members will be paired with their own dedicated Care Advocate. Their Care Advocate will assist them with everything from their selection of a surgeon, to scheduling appointments, transferring medical records, and even arranging travel, removing the stress and confusion often associated with planning for medical care. As an added benefit, when participants elect to use a participating surgeon through the SurgeryPlus benefit, The School Board of Highlands County will waive all coinsurance and deductible obligations. John Zutter, CEO of Employer Direct Healthcare commented, "Our partnership with The School Board of Highlands County was formed earlier this year to help their teachers and staff, along with their families, access top-quality healthcare at affordable prices. The current COVID-19 crisis has made this mandate more critical than ever, and we are excited to continue to build on our strong momentum, driving savings and superior outcomes for our members and the County." About Employer Direct Healthcare and SurgeryPlus Employer Direct Healthcare is an innovative healthcare services business providing high-quality and cost-efficient solutions for self-funded employers and their members. The company's core product, the SurgeryPlus benefit, provides full-service surgical concierge services to covered members, managing the entire process on their behalf. The SurgeryPlus benefit helps members identify quality providers at lower costs, helping employers and their plan participants dramatically reduce surgical costs while providing satisfying outcomes for members. Employer Direct Healthcare is majority owned by Dundon Capital Partners, LLC, a Dallas-based private investment firm, founded by Tom Dundon. Contact: John Zutter, [email protected] SOURCE Employer Direct Healthcare GRAFTON The Winery at Aeries Resort will open Friday for outdoor seating noon to 8 p.m. with a limited menu, socially-distanced shade by canopy tents and music on the weekend. According to a news release, the management team at Grafton SkyTour and Aeries Resort have developed and implemented a company-wide response plan that adopts all components of the Restore Illinois Phase 3 Business Toolkit for Restaurants & Bars as standard practices and procedures. Aeries has restricted site access via Grafton SkyTour is requiring mandatory temperature screening of employees and guests. By Associated Press MANILA: A Philippine court has sentenced an American to life in prison on charges of sexually exploiting Filipino children using webcams to sell videos, photos and livestreams to buyers abroad, an official said Wednesday. The conviction of David Timothy Deakin is a strong warning to offenders that "they could not hide even if they commit sexual exploitation crimes in cyberspace because law enforcers are collaborating worldwide to catch them," National Bureau of Investigation official Janet Francisco said. Judge Irineo Pangilinan Jr. of the regional trial court in northern Pampanga province declared Deakin guilty of qualified human trafficking and sentenced him to life imprisonment and ordered him to pay a fine and indemnify his victims. The ruling was handed down online Tuesday because of coronavirus quarantine restrictions. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation provided the information that led to Deakin's arrest in April 2017 in Pampanga's Mabalacat city, Francisco said. Associated Press journalists were allowed to witness the raid on Deakin's apartment near a red-light district and his arrest. Francisco, who heads an anti-human trafficking force, said the raid led to the seizure of the largest amount of digital evidence related to online sexual exploitation of children in the country so far. Her agents also found children's underwear, toddler shoes, cameras, bondage cuffs, fetish ropes, meth pipes and stacks of hard drives and photo albums in Deakin's two-bedroom apartment. Deakin was originally from Peoria, Illinois, and has been in the Philippines since 2000. He told the AP in an interview shortly after his arrest that he didn't make videos of children. The Washington, D.C.-based private group International Justice Mission said its social workers have helped bring eight of Deakin's victims to recovery and cited one as welcoming his conviction "because he won't be able to victimize anyone anymore." Samson Inocencio Jr, who heads the IJM in the Philippines, said the justice system should continue protecting vulnerable children who are unsafe during the coronavirus lockdown. A study released by the group last week said the Philippines has emerged as a global hot spot for online child sexual exploitation, with cases increasing sharply in recent years. Parents have agreed to have their own children victimized for the money. The webcam scheme involves pedophiles in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia who pay facilitators to sexually abuse children, even babies, in the privacy of Philippine homes. They watch and help direct the abuses through online livestreaming services. The wide use of English, availability of internet connections and international cash transfer systems have combined with long-entrenched poverty and wide access to vulnerable children to allow many abuses to happen in the Philippines. The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. TOP OF THE HOUR: UN urgently appeals for $2.4 billion to help Yemen cope with war and virus. State in Australia to allow as many people in churches as pubs after archbishops complaint. Philippine president relaxing lockdown in Manila next week. South Korea reports 58 new virus cases, China none. ___ UNITED NATIONS The U.N. humanitarian chief is urgently appealing for $2.4 billion to help millions in war-torn Yemen cope with the conflict and COVID-19, saying programs are already being cut and the situation is alarming. Mark Lowcock told a briefing Thursday that the U.N. has only received $516.6 million of the $3.4 billion it needs until the end of the year, amounting to just over 15%. The United Nations and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting a virtual pledging conference for Yemen on Tuesday seeking $2.4 billion, including $80 million to respond to the pandemic. Lowcock and the heads of 10 U.N. agencies and several U.N. officials and humanitarian organizations issued a joint statement Thursday saying COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across the country already experiencing the worlds largest humanitarian crisis as a result of the war, and expressing increasing alarm about the worsening situation. Tragically, we do not have enough money to continue this work, they said. Of 41 major U.N. programs in Yemen, more than 30 will close in the next few weeks if we cannot secure additional funds. This means many more people will die, they warned. The 17 signatories said they have the skills, staff and capacity to meet the difficult challenges of delivering aid in Yemen, but no money. And time is running out. We ask donors to pledge generously and pay pledges promptly, they said. ___ SYDNEY An Australian state government has announced that as many people will be allowed in churches as in pubs after an archbishop complained of unfair pandemic rules. Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher on Thursday encouraged Catholics to sign a petition calling on the New South Wales government to treat churches the same as pubs by increasing capacity limits from 10 to 50 people beginning June 1. State Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced Friday that churches will also be allowed to increase congregation sizes from 10 on Monday in line with relaxed restrictions on pubs, cafes and restaurants. It is crucial that worshippers remember to follow health advice. This is particularly important for people with co-morbidities aged over 50 and people aged over 70, Berejiklian said. The government had been wary of adjusting the restrictions on places of worship after COVID-19 outbreaks in churches and church choirs overseas. The states chief health officer, Kerry Chant, said places of worship need to find alternatives to practices that might spread the virus, like singing, sharing books and passing around collection plates. Communal singing and chanting should not occur because of the high risk of transmission, Chant said. ___ MANILA, Philippines The Philippine president is relaxing a lockdown in the capital, the countrys epicenter of coronavirus infections, in a tightrope move amid an economic downturn and massive government spending to help feed millions of poor families restricted to their homes. President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday night that metropolitan Manila will be placed under a more relaxed quarantine Monday after more than two months of police- and military-enforced lockdown that restrained public mobility and most economic activities. The economy contracted in the first quarter in its weakest run in two decades. Under the new arrangement, more work and business operations, along with public transport, will be allowed to resume, but physical distancing, face masks and other safeguards will continue to be required. Classes will remain suspended. Duterte made the televised announcement hours after the Department of Health reported a single-day spike of 539 infections, more than 60% of them in the congested capital. That brought the total number of infections to 15,588, including 921 deaths. Duterte warned the danger is far from over. Remember that the entire nation is still under quarantine, Duterte said. The state has every right to control your movement if you pass on a contagion to the population. ___ SEOUL, South Korea South Korea has reported 58 new cases of the coronavirus, all in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, as officials scramble to stem transmissions linked to a massive e-commerce warehouse near the capital. The figures announced Friday by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought national totals to 11,402 infections and 269 deaths. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called for officials to examine working conditions at warehouses of online shopping companies, which have seen orders surge during the pandemic, and other congested workplaces where infection risks may be high. Health authorities on Thursday said they found at least 82 infections linked to workers at a warehouse operated by local e-commerce giant Coupang in Bucheon, near Seoul. Officials had planned to complete testing on 4,000 workers and visitors to the warehouse. South Korea has reported 177 new COVID-19 cases over the past three days, a resurgence that threatens to erase some of its hard-won gains against the virus and worsen a massive shock to the countrys trade-dependent economy. ___ BEIJING China on Friday again reported no new coronavirus cases or deaths. Just 70 people remain hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 and another 414 are being isolated and monitored as possible cases or after testing positive without showing symptoms. China has reported 4,634 deaths from the disease among 82,995 cases. ___ CAIRO Yemens Houthi rebels have acknowledged for the first time that the coronavirus has spread to multiple governorates under their control. The Houthi health ministry buried the admission in a muted statement Thursday, saying only that authorities are working to trace and isolate infected cases that have been recorded in the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces across the war-torn country. The rebels have officially reported just four cases, including one fatality, and have muzzled doctors and journalists who try to speak out about a dramatic surge in deaths among those with COVID-19 symptoms. The statement accused the World Health Organization of sending inaccurate and deficient tests, and said it would reveal the results in the coming days. Yemens internationally recognized government has reported 278 cases and 58 deaths. A major outbreak is threatening to overwhelm the countrys health system, which has been devastated by five years of war. ___ SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday announced the end of a 10-week stay-at-home order meant to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The Democrat said that on Friday the state will move to the third phase of his five-stage recovery plan, meaning manufacturing and retail business will resume and there will be outdoor dining and small social gatherings. Chicago, the nations third-largest city, which has been battered by the pandemic, will move more slowly. Mayor Lori Lightfoot says restrictions will be loosened next week, with city offices, parks and libraries to reopen in coming weeks. ___ HARRISBURG, Pa. A state lawmakers decision to keep his COVID-19 diagnosis a secret is dividing the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Democrats say the Republican legislator needlessly put peoples health at risk. The fight spilled onto the House floor on Thursday as Democrats denounced how it was handled by the lawmaker and the majority Republican leadership. Republicans defeated a Democratic effort to end the legislative session so there would be time to change policies on disclosing illnesses. And the state attorney general declined requests by fellow Democrats to criminally investigate how the diagnosis was handled. He urged lawmakers to demonstrate common decency. ___ WASHINGTON Emergency management officials briefed President Donald Trump Thursday about the challenges of preparing for what is expected to be an above-average hurricane season amidst a coronavirus pandemic. During an Oval Office meeting, officials reported that the Atlantic hurricane season is expected to have 13 to 19 named storms and six to 10 of those storms could develop into hurricanes. Vice President Mike Pence says that when people are displaced by tropical storms or hurricanes, they are used to congregating at local schools or gyms. He says there will be different challenges now and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided recommendations to local and state officials on how to respond to natural disasters during a pandemic. Recommendations include encouraging evacuees to plan on staying with friends and families rather than end up in shelters. ___ SAN FRANCISCO San Franciscos mayor has announced plans to reopen the city on June 15 for outdoor dining and indoor shopping, religious services, and sporting events without spectators. Mayor London Breed says local coronavirus statistics are positive enough to restart the local economy, but she warned that residents must continue wearing masks and shelter in place. Breeds guideline allows for barbershops and hair salons to reopen in July, and nail salons, tattoo parlors, gyms and bars scheduled to reopen in August. San Francisco is one of six Bay Area counties that coordinated a shutdown in mid-March. All reopening dates are tentative. ___ ATLANTA Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday announced plans to allow bars and nightclubs to reopen, overnight summer camps and summer schools to begin and professional and amateur sports to resume operations and practices, all with social distancing and sanitation restrictions in place. The Republican also extended a public health state of emergency, describing the road ahead as a slow and careful transition to a new normal. The continued easing of restrictions comes as public health experts warn that new daily confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in Georgia are ticking upward after weeks of decline. ___ CAIRO Sudans public prosecutor says that another two senior officials of ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashirs regime have contracted the coronavirus in detention. The attorney general said that former vice president Ali Muhamed Taha and former defense minister Abdel Raheem Muhammad Hussein tested positive while imprisoned in the capital of Khartoum. Both are in their 70s and are the latest of four former party leaders to be infected, raising fears the virus is spreading rapidly through the cells of Kober prison. They were transferred to isolation centers for treatment. Officials have ramped up testing of other political figures who landed in jail after a sweeping protest movement toppled al-Bashir in April last year. Sudan has released over 4,000 low-risk prisoners to prevent a major outbreak. But freeing former leaders could prove politically explosive as the country makes a fragile transition to democracy. ___ ROME Italys education minister is promising students they will return to school in September. Minister Lucia Azzolina told RAI state TV Thursday evening that come September all the nations school children will hear the school bell ring again. She said students older than six will have to wear protective masks at school and stay a safe distance apart from classmates. Schools were closed as a safety measure after Italy started seeing hundreds of cases before the entire nation went into lockdown in early March. The COVID-19 outbreak in Europe began in Italy. While the Italian government eased restrictions this month on many sectors of daily life, including allowing museums and all retail shops to open, restaurants to resume dining-in service and people to frequent parks, school buildings will stay shuttered for the rest of the school year. The only exception is high school students in their final year. They will return to school on June 17 to have individual oral exams needed for graduation. ___ BOGOTA, Colombia The U.N. childrens agency is warning that Latin America could see a devastating jump in childhood poverty. UNICEF and Save the Children warned Thursday that 46% of children in the region could be living in poor households by the end of the year as a result of the new coronavirus pandemic. That would make Latin America the second hardest hit region in the world. An additional 16 million children are projected to live in poor households this year. Monica Rubio, UNICEF s social policy adviser, says such a rise would significantly reverse gains made in reducing childhood poverty in the past two decades. The United Nations estimates that the regions economy could contract 5.3% this year, a downturn that would be worse than the Great Depression. The World Food Program says upward of at least 14 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean could go hungry this year. ___ RALEIGH, N.C. North Carolinas Democratic governor says his administration hasnt received the written safety plan for the upcoming Republican National Convention that his health secretary asked for amid friction with President Donald Trump on the events capacity. Gov. Roy Cooper said during a Thursday afternoon briefing that his administration has yet to see plans for how the RNC envisions safely holding the convention in Charlotte in August amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump threatened in a tweet Monday to move the convention unless Cooper could guarantee a full-capacity gathering. Trump reiterated the idea by saying he wanted an answer from Cooper within a week, or hed be forced to consider moving the convention somewhere else. Cooper said his administration required a similar written plan from NASCAR ahead of its recent race in the Charlotte area that was run without fans. He said hes in similar discussions with other sports teams, including the NFLs Carolina Panthers. ___ Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak EDWARDSVILLE Chief Judge Bill Mudge on Friday issued an order re-opening courts on Monday, but lawyers and others involved must stick to strict guidelines. Mudge issued a general outline of procedures for all court cases, as well as specific details for various divisions, such as criminal, family, traffic and misdemeanor. There will be no civil trials until after Aug. 1. He said the Madison County Court orders follow closely the orders of the Illinois Supreme Court. People who wish complete details may visit the Illinois Supreme Court or the Madison County Court websites. Mudge previously said shields and other safety devices will be in place to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus. The time and place for various functions is also detailed in the order. Cleaning efforts have been stepped up. General procedures applicable to all court houses are: * Lawyers and parties must arrive promptly for hearings and leave after the hearing ends. * Lawyers and named parties only are allowed to attend hearings, depending on the type of hearing and subject to the assigned judges directive. * Face coverings are required while in the courthouses, subject to possible exceptions. * Social distancing must be maintained at all times within the courthouses. * No one will be allowed to congregate inside or outside the courtrooms. * Case management and status hearings should be conducted remotely, pursuant to divisional guidelines established by presiding judges, unless by leave of the court. * Avoid touching doorknobs, handrails, computers, copiers and other high-touch areas. Access to some computers and copiers will not be available during this time. * Capacity limits will be in place for each courtroom. Each judge will control access to his or her courtroom. Docket calls are being re-arranged and organized to reduce the number of people in the courtroom and allow for social distancing. Scheduling will be changed to prevent large gatherings at a single time. Remote hearings should be conducted via phone and video conference. The Madison County Sheriffs Office will be in charge of entry to the courtrooms and will screen people who enter. Everyone will be required to have a face covering. People who have recently travelled abroad or have had contact with those who have travelled abroad, those directed to quarantine by a medical provide, those who live with people who have been quarantined, those who have been diagnosed with or had close contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 and anyone with flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough or shortness of breath with not be allow in. Photo: The Canadian Press Violent protests over the death of a black man in police custody rocked a Minneapolis neighbourhood for a second straight night as angry crowds looted stores, set fires and left a path of damage that stretched for miles. The protests that began late Wednesday and stretched into Thursday morning were the most destructive yet since the death of George Floyd, who was seen on video gasping for breath during an arrest in which an officer kneeled on his neck for almost eight minutes. In the footage, George pleads that he cannot breathe before he slowly stops talking and moving. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey appealed to the governor to activate the National Guard and asked for calm. Please, Minneapolis, we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy, he said on Twitter. Protests also spread to other U.S. cities. In California, hundreds of people protesting Floyds death blocked a Los Angeles freeway and shattered windows of California Highway Patrol cruisers. Pockets of looting continued Thursday at Minneapolis stores where windows and doors were smashed. Television station KSTP reported some fires at businesses burned with no firefighters on the scene. A liquor store employee displayed a gun as he stood among the debris of broken bottles and beer cans inside the business. Amid the violence, a man was found fatally shot Wednesday night near a pawn shop, possibly by the owner, authorities said. Protesters began gathering Wednesday afternoon near the city's 3rd Precinct station, in the southern part of the city, where the 46-year-old Floyd died on Memorial Day as police arrested him outside a convenience store on a report of a counterfeit bill being passed. Protesters also skirmished with officers, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas in a repeat of Tuesday nights confrontation. By Thursday morning, smoke hung over the city, and looters carried merchandise from a damaged Target store with no interference by police. Video of the stores interior showed empty clothing racks and shelves and debris strewn about. Obscenities were spray-painted on the outside of the store. The U.S. Attorneys Office and the FBI in Minneapolis said Thursday they were conducting a robust criminal investigation into Floyd's death and making the case a priority. The announcement came a day after President Donald Trump tweeted that he had asked an investigation to be expedited. The FBI had already announced that it would investigate whether Floyds civil rights were violated. The officer and three others were fired Tuesday. On Wednesday, Frey called for him to be criminally charged. Frey asked Gov. Tim Walz to activate the National Guard, a spokesman confirmed Thursday. The governors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Walz tweeted for calm Wednesday night, calling the violence an extremely dangerous situation and urging people to leave the scene. Also on Wednesday night, officers responding to a reported stabbing near the protests found a man lying on the sidewalk with what turned out to be a bullet wound, police spokesman John Elder said. The man was pronounced dead at a hospital. Elder said a suspect was in custody and that the facts leading up to the shooting were still being sorted out. SPRINGFIELD Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said granting leniency to the arsonist who torched an African-American church on the night Barack Obama was first elected president would send the wrong message to our Springfield community and beyond. Michael Jacques, convicted by a jury in 2011 for setting fire to Macedonia Church of God in Christ on Tinkham Road in November 2008, seeks to shave three years off his nearly 14-year sentence because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to court records. Jacques, 35, argues that he should be released because he is overweight, has high cholesterol and is at risk of developing diabetes. I have enough to deal with, with our court systems allowing repeat violent offenders out again and again. Now they want to let a convicted church arsonist out years earlier on a B.S. compassionate release where was his compassion when he performed this most hideous crime," Sarno said in a statement on Thursday. He added, "I hope, pray and urge our federal court system to not allow this to happen... This terrible race-based crime occurred very early in my mayoral administration in November 2008, right after the election of our nations first African-American president, Barack Obama. Sarrno said he recalled the work done by city police and fire officials and state and federal law enforcement to quickly bring this arsonist to justice. "An event such as this could have torn any city apart, but thanks to the strong, respected and calm leadership of Bishop (Bryant) Robinson, as we all worked together as one, this did not occur, the mayor said. Sarno appealed the federal courts "not to let this convicted church arsonist out years ahead of his time it would send the wrong message to our Springfield community and beyond. Good Morning Britain viewers were left shocked after Jason Watkins' interview was derailed. The Crown star appeared on Thursday's show to discuss his latest TV projects and the campaigns he has been working on. Yet the 53-year-old actor's interview overran, and he was unfortunately cut off mid-sentence as he spoke about child bereavement, with the credit music blaring and the show crashing off-air. Shocking: Good Morning Britain viewers were left shocked after Jason Watkins' interview was derailed when he appeared on Thursday's show Jason's daughter Maude tragically died from sepsis at just two years old, and he is now a patron of Child Bereavement UK. Discussing his work with the charity, Jason said: 'It's a terrible place to be...' but was interrupted by the GMB theme music blaring out. Sheepishly, presenter Ben Shephard announced, 'Sorry Jason, we're going to have to stop you there', as the show cut to Lorraine Kelly's segment. Unfortunate: Sheepish Ben Shephard had to cut Jason off sentence in a chat about child bereavement as the closing titles music blared Oops: Viewers were shocked by the abrupt end to the interview, taking to Twitter to express their disappointment at the way it was handled Viewers were shocked by the abrupt end to the interview, taking to Twitter to express their disappointment at the way it was handled. They penned: 'Wow! That was rude cutting Jason Watkins off mid sentence. Why bother asking him a question about his charity work for mental health if you knew you were ending the show? #GMB'; 'Such a pity that GMB just cut off Jason Watkins as he was talking about the childrens bereavement charity hes a patron of - important messages being given #GMB'; 'Wow, cut him off whilst talking about a serious subject but had time to ask a stupid question about Dominic Cummings. Disgusting. #GMB'; 'Don't they get a countdown to when they should stop talking in their ear,, very rude! #GMB'; '#gmb seamless transition to #lorraine'; 'Shut him down quick didn't they #GMB'; 'And you're outta here chap !#GMB'; 'Ee they do tgat all the time cuttin people off #gmb' [sic]. Tragic loss: Jason is a vocal supporter of Child Bereavement UK after losing his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Maude to sepsis on New Year's Day in 2011 Jason is a vocal supporter of Child Bereavement UK after losing his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Maude to sepsis on New Year's Day in 2011. In 2010 a persistent cough and consequent respiratory problems prompted two consecutive visits to a hospital A&E, where Maude was initially diagnosed with croup, a type of respiratory infection. But within two weeks of developing her first symptoms she had died. Tragedy: Jason revealed he was 'angry for a long time' at fate when Maude (pictured) died of sepsis on New Year's Day in 2011 She had in fact fallen victim to sepsis, an insidious illness in which the immune system reacts violently to infection, attacks its own tissue and eventually leads to organ failure. Speaking to The Sunday Times Magazine in March, he revealed he was 'angry for a long time' at fate for taking the child he shared with his wife Clara Francis. He admitted, 'Clara and I felt cheated', describing the pattern of his grief changing over time, from an acute pain to a 'heart-shaped feeling that you carry around for ever.' Grieving: Jason pictured with his wife Clara Francis - the mother of his three children Bessie, Maude and Gilbert, has been vocal about his daughter Maude's death Jason and Clara - who already had an older daughter Bessie, 13 - decided to try for another child after Maude's death. He added: 'Life was not going to rob us of our happiness. And Gilbert [now eight] has brought us so much happiness.' For help and support with the loss of a child please contact Child Bereavement UK on 0800 02 888 40 Eight out of ten people infected with coronavirus may never show symptoms, meaning the true infection total could be five times higher, according to an Australian study of an Antarctic cruise holiday. A cruise ship with mostly Australian and Kiwi passengers set sail from Argentina in mid-March but quickly turned into a catastrophe as COVID-19 spread on board. Eight passengers had to be evacuated to receive care and one died while the others were flown home. Of the 217 passengers and crew on board, 128 tested positive for the virus, according to a study led by Professor Alvin Ing of Macquarie University and published today in the journal Thorax. Out of those 128, a total of 104 patients, or 81 per cent, did not have any symptoms. This means there were four asymptomatic carriers for every ill passenger. A cruise ship with mostly Australian and Kiwi passengers set sail from Argentina in mid-March but quickly turned into a catastrophe as COVID-19 spread on board. Pictured: Coronavirus patients in Italy Melbourne epidemiologist Ivo Mueller told the Australian Science Media Centre: 'If the same pattern is repeated elsewhere, this means that in countries that only test symptomatic cases, the true burden of infections may be five times higher than currently reported.' In theory, this means that Australia's true case total could be more like 35,000 instead of the 7,150 officially recorded. Disease expert Professor Sanjaya Senanayake of The Australian National University said scientists are struggling to work out the true percentage of asymptomatic patients. He said: 'There have been varying proportions of asymptomatic cases in differing studies including about 40 per cent in study from Iceland, 18 per cent on another cruise ship, 30.8 per cent in Japanese evacuees from Wuhan and almost 80 per cent in another Chinese study. So it's hard to know which is right.' The ship left in mid-March from Argentina for a planned 21-day cruise of the Antarctic, along a similar route taken by explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton in the early 1900s. It set sail after the global pandemic was declared by the World Health Organisation and two of the study authors happened to be passengers, while a third was the expedition physician. 'In early March, the WHO suggested the figure of asymptomatic patients might be only one per cent, very different from the 81 per cent figure found on the cruise ship Passengers and crew were screened for Covid-19 symptoms, body temperatures were taken before boarding, and no-one who had recently travelled through countries with high infection rates at the time such as China and South Korea was allowed on. The first recorded fever on board the ship was on day eight and the study authors said from that point all passengers were confined to their cabins and surgical masks were issued, while full personal protective equipment was used for any contact with any patients with a fever. Eight people had to be medically evacuated from the ship and the authors said there had been one death to date. The Uruguayan government and Ministry of Health provided a 'sanitary corridor' for the repatriation of 112 Australian and New Zealand passengers on day 28 and for all other passengers on day 32. Researchers from the faculty of medicine and health sciences at Macquarie University, the oncology trials unit at Sunshine Coast University Hospital and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners believe their study to be the first instance of complete Covid-19 testing of all passengers and crew on an isolated cruise ship during the current pandemic. More than 80 per cent of the passengers and crew who tested positive for Covid-19 were asymptomatic Professor Alan Smyth, joint editor in chief of the journal, said the study's results could have implications for the easing of lockdown restrictions if more people than previously thought have already had the virus. He said: 'It is difficult to find a reliable estimate of the number of Covid positive patients who have no symptoms. 'In early March, WHO suggested the figure might be only one per cent, very different from the 81 per cent figure found on the cruise ship. 'As countries progress out of lockdown, a high proportion of infected but asymptomatic individuals may mean that a much higher percentage of the population than expected may have been infected with Covid. 'These individuals may have immunity to Covid. This demonstrates the urgent need for accurate seroprevalence studies to estimate the overall population infection rate across the globe.' It remains unclear what level of immunity people develop once they have had Covid-19. Liquor outlets in Kerala to open on May 28; new app to regulate customers India pti-PTI Thiruvananthapuram, May 27: Over two months after liquor outlets in Kerala were closed due to the nationwide COVID-19 induced lockdown, the Kerala government on Wednesday decided to open them across the state on May 28, using a new app to regulate customers. Using the mobile app, people will receive an e-token to book the time slot to visit the nearest outlet and this would reduce the crowds seen earlier, State Excise Minister T P Ramakrishnan said. The state-run liquor outlets and other bar and beer and wine shops were closed since March 24, when the centre declared nationwide lockdown to contain spread of COVID-19. Super spreader: Kerala slams Centre for trains sent without heads-up "The state-run outlets in Kerala are crowded under normal circumstances and in today's scenario, it cannot be allowed. A new system, using a mobile application, will be used to book the time slot to purchase the liquor. This is a virtual queue system," he told reporters The new application ,'BevQ', will be available in Play store from Wednesday evening and the sale will begin on May 28 from 9 am to 5 pm. "The sales will be only to those who have the token and at a time only five people should be there are the outlets," he said. Ramakrishnan also said that an individual can purchase liquor only oncein four days and requested people not to come to the outlets without the e-token. To a question, Ramakrishnan said the government does not have any plans for home delivery of liquor. Donald Trump offers to mediate between India and China over border issue | Oneindia News The Minister said that apart from 301 state-run outlets in the state, 576 out of the total 613bar hotels in Kerala have also agreed to the terms and conditions put forward by the state government to sell liquor. "Bars and hotels will have special counters to sell liquor at Kerala State Beverages (Manufacturing & Marketing) Corporation Ltd (BEVCO) rate," he said. He made it clear that there would not be any sale, other than parcel services, at bar hotels. Dismissing the corruption charges levelled by the Opposition in granting permission to a company which developed the app, he said the firm was selected by an expert panel of the government's Start up Mission. The panel received 29 proposals, of which five were short listed. Kerala risks sliding into community transmission: CM Vijayan "Another committee considered the technical aspects and the price quoted by the companies and this particular one was selected. They had quoted Rs 2.83 lakh," the Minister said. He also said that customers at the outlets would be charged 50 paise to meet SMS charge to the service provider, the rent for the Cloud service and regular maintenance expenses. The state government had on May 13 increased the price of liquor by 10-35 per cent to shore up its revenue as it is facing a severe financial crisis due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown. The cabinet recommended a 10 per cent tax hike for beer and wine and 35 per cent for all other categories of liquor. At present, the sales tax on IMFL is 202 per cent for brands priced up to Rs 400 and 212 per cent for brands above that. With the new rates, this will increase to 237 per cent and 247 per cent respectively. Despite the high tax, Kerala has the highest per capita consumption of liquor in the country. Many Soviet war memorials and graves of soldiers located in Lithuania require restoration, but local authorities often prevent repair work, Russian Ambassador in Vilnius Alexander Udaltsov has said in an interview with the Lithuanian Kurier newspaper MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) Many Soviet war memorials and graves of soldiers located in Lithuania require restoration, but local authorities often prevent repair work, Russian Ambassador in Vilnius Alexander Udaltsov has said in an interview with the Lithuanian Kurier newspaper. "It is impossible to say that the condition [of Soviet memorials] is satisfactory right now. Many structures require major repair work, serious restoration and, in some cases, replacement. However, those initiating prevention of repair and restoration work are counting on the gradual destruction of these structures," Udaltsov said, adding that diplomats and embassy employees visited some 300 mass graves and memorials in Klaipeda over the past two months. The ambassador also talked about the monument to Soviet soldiers in the northeastern city of Obeliai, said that it was "in a horrible condition," and added that local authorities undermined the Russian embassy's efforts to replace it by issuing a ban. According to Udaltsov, some 80,000 Soviet soldiers and 220,000 prisoners of war are buried in Lithuania. The Halton District School Board released its summer learning plan Wednesday evening and it includes adjustments and new endeavours for students to pursue. The board said in an email it is adjusting its summer school opportunities in accordance with recent direction from the Ministry of Education as a result of COVID-19. We have been waiting for this, parent Nisha Salogub said on Instagram. Exciting, much-anticipated news. For Grade 6, 7 and 8 students: Literacy and numeracy programs: Grade 6 Math Camp students may enrol in a math camp for one session only (repeated program). Grade 7 and 8 Literacy and Numeracy students may enrol in both the math and literacy programs or choose just one program. Offered each summer, these programs are designed for HDSB students who do not consistently attain Level 3 on their report card or are newcomers to Canada. Using authentic, experiential and inquiry-based learning, students may deepen their knowledge and understanding while consolidating concepts in their chosen area of focus, the email reads. This summer, classes will take place virtually using Google Meets in a synchronous learning environment. Session 1: July 6-9 and July 13-16 (Monday-Thursday) from 9-11 a.m. Session 2: July 20-23 and July 27-30 (Monday-Thursday) from 9-11 a.m. To register your student, parents must fill out a registration form and registration is open until June 10. Grade 8 Reach Ahead Credit: Grade 8 students who consistently achieve Level 3 or higher can achieve a high school credit online through remote teacher-led instruction by successfully completing one of the following summer school courses: NAC1O: Exploring Canadas Indigenous Cultures Grade 9 Students will learn to identify Indigenous art forms and describe relationships between the art forms and Indigenous traditions, philosophy and culture. GLD2O: Exploring My Future Grade 10 (Open) Students will investigate occupations of interest and develop an understanding of work through practical hands-on experiences. Dates: July 6-31. To register your student, parents must fill out a registration form and registration is open until June 30. Grade 9-12 Credit Courses & Upgrades: The health, well-being, and safety of our students and staff continues to be the highest priority for the Halton District School Board. With this in mind, we have made the decision to conduct all classes for Summer 2020 online through remote teacher-led instruction, the email update states. Students who have already registered for an in-class course will automatically be registered in the online class. If you do not want to take the course online, please contact summerschool@hdsb.ca. Registration for Grade 9-12 credit courses is already open. HDSB students can register through myBluePrint. New for 2020: Upgrading Courses (HDSB students only): Grade 9-12 HDSB students can upgrade a full credit course they passed during the school year in 55 hours, rather than the normal 110 hours. Registration for upgrading courses will open on Monday, June 1. HDSB students can register through myBluePrint. Registration for all secondary credit courses will be open until June 30. Confirmation of registration will be sent out on July 2 through myBluePrint. For up-to-date information on secondary credit courses, please visit www.garyallan.ca or email summerschool@hdsb.ca. Sheryl Sandberg's schedule was packed as the Facebook chief operating officer arrived in Portland, Oregon, for a summer forum of state prosecutors who were meeting to talk shop and share ideas with one another. Sandberg was slated to chat with the state officials about corporate citizenship in the digital age during a private morning session that Facebook had organized at the downtown Hilton Hotel in June 2018. She had a meet-and-greet with Utah's attorney general, Sean Reyes, who had been considered the year before for the chairmanship of the Federal Trade Commission. Later, in another Facebook-organized meeting, Sandberg and other company managers talked about digital privacy with the state legal chiefs. The meetings took place three months after reports that Facebook had allowed the harvesting of personal data of millions of users without their permission, in what became known as the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Federal and state lawmakers were escalating pressure on the company over the data breach as well as its dominance of the social-media market. The FTC and several state attorneys general had opened investigations. According to emails reviewed by Bloomberg, the sessions with Sandberg during the National Association of Attorneys General summer meeting were just one day in a multi-year outreach program aimed at state prosecutors. Hundreds of emails were sent between company executives and state officials from 2017 to 2019, a sample of which were seen by Bloomberg. The emails were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by the Tech Transparency Project, which is part of the Campaign for Accountability, a political watchdog group. The emails show how Facebook went to great lengths to develop friendly relationships with powerful state prosecutors who could use their investigative and enforcement powers in ways that could harm Facebook's revenue growth. In the end, the company's charm offensive met with mixed results: Most of those attorneys general are now investigating the company for possible antitrust violations. Facebook isn't unique among large companies in establishing contact with state attorneys general, and the Campaign for Accountability doesn't allege wrongdoing by the social-media giant. "Attorneys general have massive jurisdiction over businesses and virtually everything they do," said James Tierney, who served as Maine's attorney general for a decade. "Every major industry should develop an understanding of attorneys general and reach out to them." The state-level campaign played out as the company was also expanding its Washington presence to deal with allegations beyond antitrust and privacy, including that foreign interests had exploited its platform to interfere in elections. Over the last few years, the company has broken its own federal lobbying records, reconfigured the leadership of its policy shop, and brought Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to Washington to woo critics, including for meetings with President Donald Trump, who has accused the company of suppressing right-leaning perspectives. The Campaign for Accountability, a nonprofit that has investigated technology companies, politicians and abortion-rights opponents, among others, obtained the emails from the AGs' offices. Its executive director, Daniel Stevens, declined to name donors to the organization other than to say that they aren't corporations and include the New Venture Fund, a public-interest philanthropy. Stevens' group is also part of Freedom From Facebook & Google, an anti-big-tech coalition that counts Public Citizen and the Communications Workers of America as members. Facebook said the company has longstanding relationships with state AGs to collaborate on initiatives to keep the internet safe. "The country's attorneys general take online safety seriously and so do we," said Will Castleberry, Facebook's vice president of state and local public policy. "That's why for many years we have taken every measure to help them in protecting people and being the best partners we can be." Facebook has worked with state prosecutors to promote online safety under a program that dates back to 2013. A Facebook spokesman said it's continuing to work with state attorneys general on responding to the spread of covid-19 and other issues. Allison Gilmore, the chief communications officer for the AGs' association, confirmed that Facebook held a meeting at the same Hilton Hotel in June 2018, but said it wasn't coordinated by the association, which doesn't accept money from corporations to host events. "It is fairly common for outside organizations to schedule their own meetings adjacent to NAAG events, since more attorneys general are likely to be in attendance and available," Gilmore said in a statement. While state attorneys general are law enforcement officials, they are also politicians and many see the post as a stepping stone to higher office. Corporate lobbyists often donate to their campaigns and schmooze with them at legal conferences, while also pressing their case on state regulatory issues. The emails show that Facebook offered to produce, distribute and promote public service messages for the state prosecutors. It hosted high-level meetings between the AGs and company executives. It also donated to the state prosecutors' political campaigns and at times worked through them to craft state laws that might affect the company's practices. Attorneys general looking to promote their ideas or accomplishments couldn't do much better than Facebook's offer of access to its platform. It has 1.7 billion daily users and can micro-target individuals by location and demographics. An Amazon.com spokeswoman said the company often works with state AGs on consumer protection issues such as privacy and price gouging, but said she isn't aware it offers them any advertising discounts. The spokeswoman for the AGs' association said she isn't aware of any event hosting or filming of public-service ads by other large tech companies. Facebook and its employees, including Sandberg, donated more than $237,315 to various attorney general campaigns between 2014 and 2020, according to FollowTheMoney.org, which tracks political contributions at the state and local level. Microsoft Corp. and its employees gave $128,192 to attorneys general, Alphabet Inc.'s Google and its employees gave $120,686 and Amazon gave $43,945 in the same period, according to the campaign finance-tracking group. Facebook has also given nearly $579,000 to the Democratic and Republican associations of attorneys general between 2014 and 2018, according to the Center for Responsive Politics' database, which goes up to 2018. Google and Microsoft gave slightly smaller amounts in the same period. Spokespeople for Microsoft, Google and Amazon declined to comment on their donations. During the NAAG meeting in Portland, Facebook provided a top official as a speaker, according to the agenda. Erin Egan, Facebook's chief privacy officer, joined a panel to discuss social media companies' use of consumer data, along with former Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen and a lobbyist for a technology trade group. In the private meeting later that day, in addition to Sandberg, Egan, former general counsel Colin Stretch and Castleberry also planned to be present, according to an email from Castleberry to Reyes, the Utah attorney general. They discussed "the specifics of CA," an apparent reference to Cambridge Analytica, the political consulting firm with ties to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign that obtained the Facebook data. Alan Crooks, a political consultant for Utah's attorney general, confirmed that Reyes met with Sandberg at the conference, but said the relationship with Facebook began years before. The social media giant had provided financial backing and expertise to a task force on internet crimes against children that the Utah attorney general and others were involved in. Facebook donated $25,000 to Reyes' campaigns between 2014 and 2020, according to FollowTheMoney.org. In the same period, Microsoft gave Reyes $9,209, Amazon contributed $5,000 and Google $2,500. "Facebook has been a tremendous corporate partner" but it doesn't get any special consideration in return for its help, Reyes said in a statement. "It is no secret that my office and other state AGs are currently investigating Facebook." Reyes was potentially a well-placed ally for Facebook. In early 2017, Trump's transition team included his name on its short list for FTC chairman, where he would have overseen both privacy and antitrust as one of Facebook's most important regulators. The position went to Joe Simons, its current chairman. Facebook's outreach helped it secure a key win in Vermont. In May 2019, an outside lobbyist for Facebook sent an email to Vermont Assistant Attorney General Ryan Kriger and State Representative Michael Marcotte, who were collaborating on the drafting of a new data-privacy bill. The lobbyist asked them to delay a vote on the bill so that Facebook could propose modifications. Kriger and Marcotte agreed to the delay, the emails show. Marcotte said it's not unusual for lawmakers to delay a vote to seek input from organizations that have a stake in the outcome. "It was just to make it crystal clear what could be done and what can't be done," Marcotte said. During deliberations on the bill, Facebook asked to add language that ensures that companies could still use students' information for marketing purposes as long as it wasn't identifiable, according to Marcotte. While some lawmakers thought the added language was redundant, it eventually made it into a bill that became law in March, Marcotte said. Facebook donated a total of $8,580 to the campaigns of Vermont Attorney General Thomas Donovan between 2014 and 2020, according to FollowTheMoney.org. His office didn't respond to requests for comment. In the same period, Google gave Donovan $4,000 and Microsoft gave $2,500. In February 2018, the emails show, Reyes and three other attorneys general encouraged their colleagues to participate in a video urging citizens to report suspected trafficking cases to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. "Our partners at Facebook are providing the production and distribution of a human trafficking awareness PSA, to be distributed via Facebook users beginning March 30," the attorneys general wrote. The PSAs were filmed at an NAAG event and developed in conjunction with Thorn, an anti-human trafficking organization founded by actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. At the time, Congress was pushing forward with a measure to narrow liability protections for websites that knowingly facilitate sex trafficking. Tech companies, including Facebook, initially opposed the legislation because it weakened the much-loved Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet platforms from lawsuits over content posted by third parties. The ads allowed Facebook to show it could fight sex trafficking without having to change the liability shield. But after a barrage of criticism, Facebook changed course and supported the legislation. Trump signed the bill into law in April 2018. In a January 2017 email, Castleberry thanked Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden's office for participating in a video that encouraged consumers and organizations to maintain internet privacy and safety practices as part of an industry-backed public awareness campaign. He also sent instructions on how to use a "$3,000 coupon code," so Wasden could advertise the video to constituents on Facebook without having to pay Facebook's normal advertising rate. A spokesman confirmed that Wasden participated in the video, but said that his office didn't use the promotional credit. Sandberg has donated $4,700 to AG campaigns between 2014 and 2020, according to FollowTheMoney.org. That doesn't include $5,000 to Letitia James in her successful campaign for New York attorney general in 2018. The money was later returned, and James is now leading an antitrust investigation of Facebook, joined by 46 other AGs. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) has recommended that coronavirus testing of nursing home care workers increase to twice weekly to cut down the infection rate in skilled care facilities. What he's saying: "If you are infected, on average 5 to 6 days later, you will begin to have symptoms, but you are shedding virus the two days before you become symptomatic," Cassidy, a gastroenterologist, said Thursday at an Axios digital event. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that nursing home workers regularly take their temperature and stay home if they are feeling ill. Cassidy also said that telehealth could prove to be difficult to integrate into nursing homes. This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here. Many remember the blight of 1970s New York, when the city, financially strapped, had its share of subway graffiti, trash-strewed streets and seemingly rampant crime. That era faded for a variety of reasons, including the contributions of residents, business owners and urban renewal advocates who refused to abandon their neighborhoods and devised ways to lift them up. Carvel H. Moore made a career out of that mission by developing some of the citys first business improvement districts public-private partnerships to help maintain community space. She died of complications of the coronavirus on April 25 at a nursing home in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., , her son Jack Moore said. She was 90. facebook like button Tweet tweet button for twitter Published May 28, 2020 University of Louisiana Monroe English major Taylor Barclay, of Bossier City, has been awarded a $1,500 Summer Internship Stipend from Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honors Society. The stipend provides funding to society members accepting summer internships. The awards are competitive, and only a limited number are presented. Barclay will be working with Jana M. Giles, Ph.D., of the English Program in the School of Humanities, College of Arts, Education, and Sciences, as editorial intern for the academic research journal Conradiana. Giles has served as managing editor of the journal since 2015. Conradiana is dedicated to the study of the British and Polish modernist novelist Joseph Conrad. "I'm very excited for the great opportunity to work with Dr. Giles on the Conradiana internship this summer. It's a great opportunity to continue the scholarly work I'm passionate about and learn more about career choices that tie into my English degree. I'm very grateful to ULM for providing internship opportunities like this one, which helps humanities students expand their knowledge, experience, and resumes. Joining Sigma Tau Delta through ULM also gave me the chance to apply for the stipend for this internship," stated Barclay. This is the third time that ULM English majors have won the summer internship stipend from Sigma Tau Delta. In 2016, Lauren Haigler and Shelby Russell worked with Giles on Conradiana. "I am delighted to be able to work with such a capable and talented young person as Taylor this summer," said Giles. "Taylor has worked with me on the journal for the past two semesters while enrolled in the Internship in Technical and Professional Communications (ENGL 4080), so she is already well prepared. Extending her experience this summer will really polish her skills for future jobs involving professional editing. Fortunately, editing can easily be done remotely, given the need for caution during the coronavirus pandemic." The internship must involve working for an organization while being directed by a supervisor/mentor within that organization. The internship's duties must be consistent with the applicant's level of education, area of study, and career goals. Financial need is taken into consideration in addition to internship length. "I hope this encourages ULM English majors to expand their skill set to professional editing, and to apply for nationally competitive opportunities. They can reach for the stars," said Giles. Annexation, or the act imposing Israeli sovereignty and law on about one-third of the West Bank [Jewish settlements], would be the ultimate fulfilment of a dream for the settlers and the ideological right. Fifty-three years have passed since the 1967 Six-Day War and the founding of the first settlement Kfar Etzion which was reestablished after being destroyed during the 1948 War of Independence. With an especially friendly American president, Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing ahead with his annexation plan. It is expected to be brought before the government for approval July 1, once the precise mapping of the area is completed and after advanced talks with the US administration about all its details. The problem is that during the last few days, there have been some bumps along the road in dealing with the administration. These include differences of opinion regarding the exact mapping of the settlement lands. One Israeli official involved in the matter says that some members of the American team are imposing conditions that would make it impossible for isolated settlements to continue to exist. Regardless, the plan is likely to be brought before the government for approval this summer, before the United States holds its presidential election. But much to everyones surprise, there is growing opposition to the plan among the settlers leadership. While some leaders have encouraged Netanyahu to embrace the plan as a sign of things to come, others have gone so far as to demand that he reject it out of hand. The main reason that these opponents give is that agreement to the proposal in principle would imply Israeli acceptance of an independent Palestinian state in the rest of the West Bank. While some settlers opposed the plan even before this, it is worth remembering how they greeted the plan with singing and dancing when it was first released. In fact, some settler leaders were in Washington for the event. Among the regional Judea and Samaria council heads spearheading the current wave of opposition are Yochai Damari, a resident of the settlement of Othniel, who heads of the Mount Hebron Regional Council, and Shlomo Neeman of Karmei Tzur, who heads the Gush Etzion Regional Council. The particular West Bank settlements in which they live add a personal dimension to their opposition to this annexation plan. The Trump plan in its current iteration would leave them as isolated enclaves completely surrounded by Palestinian territory. Neeman told Al-Monitor that these enclaves are like a frog in the throat, which is impossible to swallow. It is unacceptable to have Jewish settlements, which are home to Israeli citizens, connected to their country by a narrow strip of road, just 10 meters wide, with a Palestinian state on either side of it, he said. Why, then, did they agree to the plan so enthusiastically when it was first released? We thought that in exchange for annexation, Israel had agreed to negotiate with the Palestinians. However, once we were expected to give our approval in advance to the creation of a Palestinian state, we opposed it unequivocally, Ne'eman said. Even if that means forgoing Israeli sovereignty? He said, Absolutely. Weve lived like this, under military rule, for the past 50 years. We can continue living that way for another 50. We oppose the creation of a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. On the other hand, the plan is a positive step forward in the sense that it dismisses the idea of transferring Jewish or Arab populations in order to achieve peace, and in the sense that it includes Israeli sovereignty. He also points out that in exchange for sovereignty, during the negotiations Israel would have to give up on construction outside settlement boundaries until permanent borders are established through negotiations. A freeze on settlement construction will strangle them, Ne'eman said. We wont be able to build even on the 30% of land that will come under Israeli sovereignty. Neeman is apprehensive over a report published May 6 by Israel Hayom newspaper. The article summarizes explanations provided to the newspaper by US Ambassador David Friedman, by which the absolute majority of settlers, some 400,000 people, will continue living their lives as always, with construction taking place according to the laws that apply to towns and villages inside Israel. According to Friedman, about 10,000 to 15,000 of settlers wont be able to expand their communities' area, but will still be able to build upward. Oded Revivi, the mayor of the settlement town of Efrat south of Jerusalem, takes the opposite position. He compared the current decision to the decision made by Israels first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, in 1947 to accept the United Nations partition plan, even though it left the Jewish state with only a small part of the Land of Israel. The willingness of the Zionist movement to accept partition was a major factor behind international support for the creation of the State of Israel and its recognition by most nations, Revivi said. Another important factor is widespread public support for annexation. Revivi added, Israeli society is ready to offer widespread acceptance to everything we built here. A unity government made up of the Likud, the Labor party and Blue and White wants to impose Israeli sovereignty on Efrat, Beit El, Shilo, Elon Moreh and other settlements. An absolute majority of Knesset members is prepared to vote for that. Israel needs the United States on its side, said Revivi. He said he believes it is impossible not to agree to the American plan, which ensures the continued existence of all the existing settlements. According to him, Israel may not have this chance again. He goes on to hint at the possibility that Trump will lose the election and that Joe Biden will become president. Biden has declared his opposition to the Trump plan. What does he think a full solution will look like? We would enter into negotiations for four years, after which we could very well decide to create a Palestinian state, but by that we mean a state that isnt very different from the Palestinian Authority today. In other words, it would be a state with full civilian rights, but it would also be completely demilitarized, and with Israeli control over its border crossings. We could certainly live with that. Both sides in this debate are applying pressure on the new batch of ministers, and especially on Netanyahu. Ironically, there may even be cooperation between right-wing factions opposed to annexation and similar factions on the left to prevent the plan from being implemented. A leading Chinese virologist whose mysterious disappearance sparked speculation about the deadly novel coronavirus emanating from a bio-lab in Wuhan, was for the first time interviewed on China's state television where she warned that such viruses are just the "tip of the iceberg" and expressed regret over science being "politicised". Shi Zhengli, known as the Bat Woman for her passionate research about bats and the viruses associated with them, had early this month refuted "rumours" of her defection to the West on her Chinese social media WeChat account. She also posted nine photos of her recent life. On Tuesday, Shi was interviewed on state-run television CGTN in which she made a direct reference to US President Donald Trump's allegations that the COVID-19 originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) where she is a lead researcher on bats. Shi explained that she and a group of researchers obtained samples of coronavirus on December 30 last year and performed high-throughput sequencing of the samples and the isolation of pathogens. And then in a very short time, we identified that this was a new type of coronavirus in these samples. We obtained its whole genome sequence. It showed that the pathogen's sequence was not the same as the already existing viruses. So we named it a novel coronavirus," she said, adding that it was submitted to the World Health Organisation (WHO) on January 12. 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 researchers carried out animal infection experiments for pathogen identification. We completed an animal infection experiment with transgenic mice on February 6. Then we completed the animal infection experiment with rhesus monkeys on February 9. Both the animal infection experiments showed that the coronavirus isolated by us was a cause of the unexplained pneumonia," she said. In the English translation of the text of her interview published by state-run channel, there was no reference to her mysterious absence and her tweets denying rumours of her defection. In an apparent reference to allegations that the virus has emanated from the lab, she said, I think that science has been politicised. It's very regrettable. I believe scientists from around the world don't want to see this. As I mentioned before, the researches on infectious diseases must be open and transparent." She said she will continue with her research as there are many types of bats and other wild animals in nature (which could potentially be the carriers of many viruses). The viruses that we have discovered are actually just the tip of the iceberg. If we want to protect humans from the outbreak of new infectious diseases, we must take the initiative to learn about these unknown viruses carried by wild animals and give early warnings," she said. China is resisting mounting pressure from the US and the leaders of many countries for an inquiry into the origin of the virus, which was initially stated to have emerged from a wet market in Wuhan selling live animals located close to WIV. Besides Trump, who stepped up demand for an investigation into the origin of the virus and whether it escaped from Wuhan Institute of Virology, Britain, Australia and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for more transparency from Beijing on COVID-19 origins. Separately, a Chinese official raised questions about the virus emerging from the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan. "At first, we assumed the seafood market might have the virus, but now the market is more like a victim. The novel coronavirus had existed long before," Gao Fu, director of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. Gao said he had gone to Wuhan to collect samples for COVID-19 researchers in early January, but no viruses were detected in the animal samples. Viruses were only found in environmental samples, including sewage, he said. Gao said that the Chinese government and scientists are working hard to study the origin of the virus, but it is characterised by cross-species transmission, and so far, intermediate hosts of the virus have not yet been confirmed. His comments came as China is building up an alternative narrative to the origin issue pointing to reports that COVID-19 cases were reported in different parts of the world well before December last year. China's new narrative followed as the World Health Assembly, a decision-making body of the Geneva based WHO recently passed a unanimous resolution to probe the origin of the virus. China, which also backed the resolution, called for a comprehensive evaluation of the global COVID-19 response to sum up experiences and address shortcomings after the pandemic is brought under control. This should be led by the WHO and conducted in a science-based, professional, objective and impartial manner, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. On Tuesday, Zhao also criticised Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his comments that COVID-19 has spread from China. Abe said in Japan on Monday that "it's true that the novel coronavirus spread from China to the world". Zhao during a media briefing said China opposes "politicising and stigmatizing" the origin of the virus, which goes against the efforts. "Blindly following a certain country for political reasons should not override scientific judgment and cooperation as the most powerful weapons for the international community to battle against the pandemic," Zhao said. Worldwide, the novel coronavirus, which originated in China late last year. has infected nearly 5.5 million people, killing over 346,000. 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 WASHINGTON - Attorney General William Barr has appointed a U.S. attorney in Texas to scrutinize Obama-era officials who sought to identify anonymized names in government documents that turned out to be people connected to then-President-elect Donald Trump, a Justice Department official said Wednesday. In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said the attorney general had tasked John Bash, the U.S. attorney in the western district of Texas, to examine the practice of "unmasking," which many Republicans charge was abused by the previous administration to unfairly target people close to Trump. "The attorney general determined that certain aspects of unmasking needed to be reviewed," said Kupec. "We know that unmasking inherently isn't wrong, but . . . can be problematic." Bash's review is an offshoot of an investigation underway by Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, who was tapped by Barr to investigate the origins of the 2016 election interference probe that has overshadowed Trump's presidency. Like Trump, Barr has been sharply critical of the 2016 investigation, which centered on the question of whether Trump's campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the election's outcome, and he has said the Durham investigation could produce some results in late spring or early summer. Notably, Barr said during a news conference last week he did not expect Durham would investigate former president Barack Obama or former vice president Joe Biden, Trump's presumptive opponent in this year's election. The attorney general has appointed multiple U.S. attorneys from other jurisdictions to review work done by career prosecutors and agents in politically sensitive cases. In the case of Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the U.S. attorney from St. Louis determined that Flynn's 2017 guilty plea for lying to the FBI should be voided, because he concluded - and Barr agreed - that the Flynn investigation was unjustified. Congressional Republicans have also vowed to investigate what they call the unmasking scandal, after the Trump administration declassified a list of Obama officials who may have received information regarding Flynn. Unmasking is a common practice, drawn from government rules to protect privacy by withholding the names of American officials or companies mentioned in intelligence documents, particularly intercepted communications of foreign leaders. If a U.S. official wants to better understand the information in the document, they may ask to have that American's identity unmasked. Republicans have sought to portray unmasking as akin to leaking derogatory information about Trump associates to the media, but unmasking by itself only tells the requesting, authorized government official who a particular person is. Conservatives charge Obama-era officials may have used the unmasking procedures to inappropriately target people close to Trump, including Flynn. The president has accused the Obama administration of "spying" on the Trump campaign, and used the amorphous term "Obamagate" to stoke conservative anger. The Commissioner for Health in Cross River State, Betta Edu, says the COVID-19 free status of the state is due to Governor Ben Ayades proactive efforts, and not a matter of coincidence or luck. Cross River is yet to record a single case of the novel coronavirus as of May 27. This is neither a coincidence nor luck, this free status of the state is as a result of the states early measures and proactive efforts even before the said virus hit Africa, Mrs Edu, a medical doctor, said in a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES, Thursday morning. Mrs Edus statement, titled Neither fake rumours nor panic will manufacture the virus in Cross River State, said some people who should join hands with Mr Ayades administration to build a safe environment for the people were rather going about circulating lies in order to create fear and panic in the state. The commissioner said the administration welcomes constructive criticism because it gives us room to improve and do better, but said they are against the peddling of fake news in the state. The life and welfare of every Cross Riverian remains sacrosanct to the government of Ben Ayade as this is evident in the efforts put so far by this administration even before the outbreak of COVID-19. The health sector for the past five months has witnessed massive change, starting from our General Hospitals across the state wearing new look, capacity building of health work force for effective response to the coronavirus outbreak, the taskforce, the isolation centers, and others Ben Ayade has left no stone unturned, as the state swung to action as early as January to tackle this global pandemic. Weve maintained that tempo, without relenting till date. We remain the first State to close our borders and conduct screening at all entry and exit points of the State. We started the no mask, no movement in Nigeria. We have continually done the needful. And so far, were very proud of the results and achievements, irrespective of the fake rumours being carried around by rumour-mongers to probably distract us which remains impossible especially as there is absolutely nothing to lose sleep for, she said. Mrs Edu, who heads the state taskforce on COVID-19, advised people in Cross River not to be live in fear, but to continue to adhere to the health directives issued by the government and health workers, regarding the novel coronavirus. We remain resolute in this (COVID-19) fight and nothing whatsoever can distract us, she said. India on Thursday said it is still to hear from Pakistan on a proposal for a coordinated response along with Iran to control the problem of desert locusts, which have devastated vast areas in all three countries. New Delhi is in the process of supplying 20,000 litres of the pesticide Malathion, made by Hindustan Insecticides Limited, to Tehran, for anti-desert locust operations, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told a virtual news briefing. In view of the alarming situation of the locust problem this year, we had suggested that [the channel of communication with Pakistan] be activated and coordinated control operations be undertaken, he said. We are yet to receive a response from Pakistan, he added. Hindustan Times had first reported on May 21 that Pakistan had not responded to Indias proposal for coordinated operations along with Iran to tackle the problem. Srivastava said India had taken the initiative for developing regional cooperation to control desert locusts because of the magnitude of the problem this year. India and Pakistan have a channel of communication, at the level of locust officials, that is usually activated in June, he said. People familiar with developments said India had even offered to supply Malathion, which has been found very effective in controlling desert locusts, to Pakistan. In Iran, the pesticides supplied by India will be used to control locust populations in Sistan-Balochistan and South Khorasan provinces, the people said on condition of anonymity. The proposal for coordinated operations was made by India against the backdrop of swarms of the destructive pests making their way to Indian states such as Rajasthan after breeding and maturing in Iranian provinces and Pakistans Balochistan province. India had also suggested to Pakistan that the two sides could coordinate locust control operations along their border, the people said. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), hopper bands of locusts are maturing in the southwestern coastal plains of Iran, and another generation of breeding is underway in the countrys southeast. In Pakistan, adult groups of locusts are migrating to the Indian border from breeding areas in Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces. India has an institutionalised mechanism for cooperation with Pakistan, including regular border meetings between locust officers. Six meetings, led by plant protection advisers of India and Pakistan, are held every year from June to November, either at Munabao on the Indian side or Khokhropar on the Pakistani side, for exchanging information. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Rivers State Executive Council has approved the review of the 2020 Budget in line with the present economic realities occasioned by ... The Rivers State Executive Council has approved the review of the 2020 Budget in line with the present economic realities occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic. Accordingly, the States 2020 Budget has been reviewed by 48 percent from N530,813,357,619.00 Billion to N300,370,071,183.00 Billion. The State Commissioner for Finance and Supervisory Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Isaac Kamalu announced this while briefing newsmen after the State Executive Council meeting, presided over by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike at the Government House, Port Harcourt. Kamalu stated that; The State Executive Council also gave approval for the review of the 2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, accommodating a downsizing of the budget. The decision was taken in consideration of all necessary parameters geared towards offering the state purposeful service and effective leadership. The State Executive Council also approved the commencement of a free transportation scheme in Port Harcourt amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. State Commissioner for Transport, Soni Ejekwu said the Council approved the Free Bus Scheme with a fleet of 28 Luxury Buses to convey commuters free of charge during this COVID-19 period. The Scheme which would start from Monday, June 1, 2020, is part of measures introduced by the government to ameliorate the sufferings faced by those living and doing business in the state. The Free Buses would convey commuters in Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt, Eleme and Oyigbo Local Government Areas, he said. The Commissioner also stated that wearing of facemasks would be a compulsory requirement for any commuter who would want to enjoy the free service. Earlier, the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim announced the setting up of an Executive Council Committee to work out modalities that would outline conditions to be met by those who intend to bury their loved ones during this period. Besides, the company intends to reduce the long-haul fleet Open source Ukraine International Airlines Company (UAI) will dismiss 900 employees due to the quarantine measures in the country which led to the closure of all international flights, as Interfax-Ukraine reported. The air company has started the process of the downsizing of the workforce in accordance with the legislation. It will take at least two months. Currently, the management of the company assumes all possible measures for cost-saving and income generation from one-time flights. Our goal is to keep the company and the key staff, particularly, flight personnel. To our great regret, the significant decrease of the volumes of the activity of the air company led to the forcible downsizing of 900 highly professional UAI employees, the message said. Moreover, the Ukrainian company intends to reduce the long-haul fleet. As we reported, the Infrastructure Ministry and Foreign Ministry hold talks about the renewal of the flights abroad. EasyJet will cut thousands of jobs representing as much as 30% of the workforce to cope with a long-term hit to demand from the coronavirus crisis. Europe's second-biggest discount carrier will begin employee consultations in coming days, it said in a statement Thursday. The Luton, England-based firm has about 15,000 workers, suggesting 4,500 posts are at risk. EasyJet is slashing costs in preparation for a return to service in a European market greatly diminished by the pandemic. Rivals British Airways and Ryanair Holdings Plc plan to let go a combined 15,000 workers, with the U.K.'s plan to quarantine arrivals hurting chances for a recovery in the busy London area. In Scandinavia, SAS AB said Thursday it will scrap 5,000 jobs and may need more state aid, while Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA may run out of cash in the third quarter. The region's biggest carrier, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, has been struggling for weeks to pin down a $10 billion bailout. EasyJet Chief Executive Officer Johan Lundgren said on a media call that there are no plans to raise additional equity, though the situation remains fluid. "That is something that we will continue to look into as a whole range of additional things that we are considering," he added. Lundgren sees a slow recovery from the crisis, with demand "only returning to 2019 levels in about three years' time." The carrier will operate 51 fewer jets than planned by the end of 2021 and also rationalize its network of European bases. Flights will resume on June 15 on a handful of routes, mainly within Britain and France, the company said. Capacity is set to be down 30% on usual levels in the three months through September, and though winter bookings are ahead of last year, that's partly as a result of people changing flight dates. Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Daniel Roeska called the carrier's plans and outlook "cautious," especially when compared with Ryanair, which will return capacity faster and anticipates an earlier rebound in demand. The fleet plan is also at the bottom end of a range set out in mid-April, he said in a note. Investors had been waiting on news of EasyJet's payroll plans after the carrier was one of the few European airlines not to have announced layoffs. The company's response was complicated by internal strife as founder and No. 1 shareholder Stelios Haji-Ioannou sought to unseat four executives including Lundgren. The entrepreneur, who was defeated last week, wants to block the purchase of 100 Airbus SE planes he says the carrier neither needs nor can afford. EasyJet has already deferred delivery of 24 planes, helping to reduce near-term expenditure by more than $1.2 billion (1 billion pounds). It has also taken out two loans, tapped the U.K.'s Covid Corporate Financing Facility, and is seeking 650 million pounds through the sale and lease-back of aircraft. That would take total additional liquidity to about 2 billion pounds. Just over one-half of EasyJet's staff are based in the U.K. The carrier has about 4,000 pilots, 8,500 flight attendants and 2,500 office workers. U.K. pilot union Balpa said it's shocked at the scale of the job losses and not convinced that they need to be so deep. The cuts come as Britain prepares to introduce a controversial quarantine plan that airlines say will deter people from flying. More than 70 executives from travel firms including London's iconic Ritz and Dorchester hotels, wrote to the government calling for the move to be dropped. Minneapolis The Minneapolis mayor called Wednesday for criminal charges to be filed against the white police officer seen on video kneeling against the neck of a handcuffed black man who complained that he could not breathe and died in police custody. Based on the video, Mayor Jacob Frey said officer Derek Chauvin should be charged in the death of George Floyd. The footage recorded by a bystander shows Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes as Floyd is gasping for breath on the ground with his face against the pavement. "I've wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?" said Frey, who is white. "I saw no threat. I saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary." The day after Floyd died, Chauvin and three other officers were fired an act that did not stem the flood of anger that followed the video shot on Memorial Day outside a convenience store. Protesters marched more than 2 miles Tuesday to the police precinct in that part of the city, with some damaging property and skirmishing with officers in riot gear who fired tear gas. A smaller protest was underway Wednesday at the same precinct, and another demonstration was planned for later in the day in the suburban neighborhood where Chauvin was believed to live. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Many activists, citizens and celebrities called for criminal charges before Frey did. But Floyd's family and the community may have to wait months, if not years, before investigations are complete. Floyd family attorney Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights lawyer, called for peaceful protests. "We cannot sink to the level of our oppressors, and we must not endanger others during this pandemic," he said in a statement. "We will demand and ultimately force lasting change by shining a light on treatment that is horrific and unacceptable and by winning justice." Speaking to reporters at Cape Canaveral, Florida, President Donald Trump called the death in Minneapolis "a very, very sad event" and said his administration was going to "look at it." May 4 of this year marked the 50th anniversary of the National Guard killing four students and injuring nine others at Ohios Kent State University. The incident, which happened just weeks after I was born, is commemorated each year with solemn observances and multiple media retellings. We usually hear firsthand accounts from people who were there. I was familiar with the Kent State Massacre long before I understood its antecedent (i.e., the Vietnam War). Thats not surprising given that the victims were white. That fact all but ensures that this story will be told and re-told in perpetuity. By contrast, I didnt learn about the police shooting of students at Mississippis Jackson State University, known then as Jackson State College, until I was in college myself. The disproportionality in media coverage of tragic events is one of the many confounding aspects of racial inequality in America. Whether its the wall-to-wall reporting of missing white youth as opposed to African American youth, health disparities in Black communities or other phenomena, media coverage (which is a major component of what becomes the historical record) lags far behind when it comes to our issues. The exception, of course, is the saturation of the news cycle vis-a-vis crimes that African Americans commit or are alleged to have committed. Journalist Tim Spofford wrote the only book about the Jackson State incident. Called Lynch Street: The May 1970 Slayings at Jackson State College, the book was released in 1988 and offers insight into the context and precipitating factors that led to the shooting. The two main factors that fueled the deadly confrontation were the escalation of the Vietnam War and the long-simmering racial tensions in Mississippi. (Incidentally, Lynch Street was named after John R. Lynch, who had been a Black congressman during Reconstruction.) Regarding the first issue, President Richard Nixon had expanded the war into nearby Cambodia, which was a neutral country (i.e., it didnt choose sides during the Vietnam conflict). On the evening prior to the shooting, students had threatened to burn down the campus ROTC building. Regarding the second issue, Mississippi was (and remains) one of the nations hotbeds of racism. This includes the notorious white supremacist attitude that pervaded law enforcement ranks. The Jackson State incident occurred just after midnight on May 15, mere days after the one at Kent State, but it receives far less coverage (then and now). The shooting victims at Jackson State, which is an HBCU, are Black. That fact all but ensures that this story will not be as well known. Roughly 100 Black students had gathered on Lynch Street, which bisects the Jackson State campus, on May 14. The group reportedly threw rocks at white motorists who were driving down Lynch Street, which was frequently a site of racial unrest. By late evening, the students had started fires and overturned cars following a false rumor about the death of Charles Evers, a civil rights leader and brother of Medgar Evers. Firefighters arrived at the scene, followed a short time later by at least 75 police units from the city and the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The firefighters left the scene shortly before midnight, leading the police to disperse the crowd that had collected in front of Alexander Hall a womens dormitory. Shortly after midnight, police officers opened fire on the residence hall, claiming that they were being fired upon by a sniper from the building. (After an investigation, the FBI found no evidence of a shooter.) Students said they had done nothing to provoke the officers. The gunfire lasted for roughly 30 seconds, and more than 460 shots were fired by a reported 40 state highway patrolmen. The students scattered and several people were trampled and/or cut due to the falling glass. All the windows on the side of the building facing Lynch Street were shattered. Visitors to the campus can still see bullet holes in the facade of Alexander Hall. When the smoke cleared, witnesses found that two young people had been shot to death. One victim was Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, age 21, who was a junior at Jackson State. The other victim was James Earl Green, age 17, who was a senior at a local high school. No official was ever prosecuted or even arrested following the shootings at Jackson State. The active-duty soldier who has been hailed a hero for thwarting a possible mass shooting on a Kansas bridge by running over the suspect with his pickup truck broke his silence Thursday afternoon, saying that his military training kicked in and that he was prepared to put himself in harm's way. The valiant serviceman was identified on Thursday as Master Sgt David Royer, of Fort Leavenworth, a 15-year veteran of the US Army. One person was injured by the shooter during the incident that took place Wednesday morning on the Centennial Bridge that connects Kansas and Missouri, according to Leavenworth police Chief Patrick Kitchens. That person, also a soldier, was a random victim. Master Sgt David Royer is pictured during a press conference on Thursday describing how he thwarted a mass shooting on a Kansas bridge by running over a gunman Royer's white Chevy Silverado is seen pushed up against the suspect's black car on the bridge on Wednesday morning During a press conference this afternoon, Master Sgt Royer told reporters that he was driving home from an appointment when he saw that the car in front of him stopped and that the driver was standing on the bridge. As Royer was speaking to his fiance over bluetooth, he said he witnessed the man in the road pull out a rifle and open fire at passing motorists. Royer instructed his fiancee to call 911 and report an active shooter on the bridge, and then he told her he 'had to go.' 'I assessed the situation very quickly, looked around and just took the only action possible I thought I could take,' Royer recounted. 'I accelerated my truck as quickly as possible and struck the active shooter and pinned him underneath my truck.' Royer attributed his ability to react quickly to the emergency to his extensive military training, which included active-shooter drills. 'I was shocked that was happening, but the adrenaline took over and with the military training I received I took appropriate action,' he said. After mowing down the suspect, Royer said he made sure he no longer posed a threat, then proceeded to render first aid to the injured man lodged under his truck. Royer said when he went over to the suspect's car to turn off the engine, he noticed a pistol resting on the seat. Moments later, first responders arrived on the scene and took over, with Royer describing their actions as 'textbook' and 'amazing.' Royer revealed that his fiancee was 'panicking' after hearing gunshots during their call. After the incident was over, the soldier called his wife-to-be back to tell her he was unharmed. The master sergeant later arrived home and was reunited with his fiancee and children. 'I mowed my grass and ate dinner and spent time with my family,' Royer said, summing up the incident as 'pretty surreal.' The soldier revealed that when he later spoke to his family, his father was at first angry at him for putting his life at risk, but ultimately he was happy that his son took action. Traffic is back up on the bridge during the active shooter investigation on Wednesday Master Sgt Royer said he was driving across the bridge on his home home from an appointment when he encountered the shooter When asked about his truck, Royer jokingly lamented that his 2014 Chevy Silverado, which was the first vehicle he ever bought, likely has been damaged beyond repair, prompting Police Chief Kitchens to quip that someone should call Chevrolet and ask the automaker to send the hero soldier a new truck. Royer said his takeaway from what happened is 'not to be afraid. Everything would turn out OK. There's people all around the world that would do things like that. I believe there is more good out there than there is bad.' Royer grew up in a small town in Ohio. He said both his parents and his military veteran brother are courageous people who had taught him from a young age to do what's right and protect the innocents. 'It kinda runs in our blood to stand up and do what's right and put ourselves in front of harms' way if we need to,' he said, After getting into some trouble as a teen, Royer said he got his life in order, graduated from high school and joined the military in 2005, with his first posting being Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Officers initially believed they were responding to a road rage incident on the Centennial Bridge that connects Kansas and Missouri, not far from Fort Leavenworth, the police chief said. Instead, they discovered that a man had been using multiple weapons to fire randomly at vehicles before Royer used his truck to thwart the attack, Chief Kitchens said on Wednesday. Authorities gather on Centennial Bridge after a shooting Wednesday, May 27, near Leavenworth, Kansas. A Fort Leavenworth soldier is being credited with saving lives after he stopped a person who was randomly shooting on the bridge that connects Kansas and Missouri 'The soldier intervened by striking the shooter with his vehicle, causing him to be critically injured, but ending the encounter with the active shooter and likely saving countless lives,' the police chief said. 'There doesn't appear to be a target,' he added. 'The person was simply, randomly firing at vehicles as they passed by.' The shooter, described as a 37-year-old resident of Platte County, Missouri, drove to the bridge at around 11 a.m., parked his car, and started to shoot at random cars crossing the bridge, according to a news report by KMBC news. Aerial footage from Kake news showed police officers on the bridge, which had been closed, investigating the scene The suspect had a semi-automatic rifle and a handgun, shooting three different vehicles during his attempted attack, with at least seven bullets flying through the window of a Ford Taurus. Aerial footage of the bridge after the incident showed vehicles involved in the attack and police officers and their vehicles working on the bridge, which had been closed and taped off to the public. April Steinke, who had been at the nearby Nextcare Urgent Care when the incident happened, said: 'Me and another patient just heard some sirens and I was like, "Wow. That's awful close,'' adding that she was impressed with the soldier's quick thinking. 'That's a hero to me,' she said of the soldier. Both the shooting victim and the suspect were in serious but stable conditions in nearby Kansas City hospitals, police said. Pictured: Leavenworth police Chief Patrick Kitchens speaks during a press briefing following the incident. Kitchens said that it didn't appear the the suspect had a target and was shooting indiscriminately before the soldier hit him with his car Kitchens said no motive for the shooting has been determined, but investigators are looking into the suspect's history. The suspect is from Platte County, Missouri. The guns are reportedly being traced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to check whether they had been purchased legally. Centennial Bridge bridge crosses the Missouri river and connects Leavenworth, Kansas, and Platte County, Missouri, and is 2,500 feet long. One lane on the bridge was reportedly already closed for road work before the shooting occurred. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Supreme Court affirmed that an appeals court does not have jurisdiction to hear a petition by the city of East Cleveland related to the prolonged legal battle over a 2012 police chase that ended in the shooting deaths of two unarmed people. The states high court affirmed Thursday that the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals correctly ruled last year that it could not hear the city of East Clevelands petition for declaratory judgment in its misdemeanor dereliction-of-duty case against Cleveland police Sgt. Randolph Dailey. Under the Ohio Constitution, appeals courts only have jurisdiction over a handful of original actions, such as habeas corpus. It is well settled that [c]ourts of appeals lack original jurisdiction over claims for declaratory judgment. the Ohio Supreme Court said in its ruling. Declaratory judgments are court rulings that define the rights of the parties involved in a matter. They do not require the parties to take any specific actions or award damages. East Cleveland Law Director Willa Hemmons petitioned the appeals court for declaratory judgment after an East Cleveland jury found another Cleveland police supervisor, Sgt. Patricia Coleman, not guilty of dereliction of duty in July 2019. Daileys misdemeanor trial has not yet been scheduled. His attorney, Henry Hilow, said Thursday that Hemmons should dismiss the charge against Dailey because an East Cleveland jury, the appeals court and the Ohio Supreme Court have all weighed in on aspects of the case in the seven-and-a-half years since the 2012 chase. This case is out of time, Hilow said. This case should be dismissed. Hemmons, in an email Thursday, did not directly address whether the city of East Cleveland will move forward with its case against Dailey. But she said the decision will undoubtedly be fatal to the case. Unfortunately, now justice probably will never be obtained with reference to Randolph Dailey as to East Cleveland, Hemmons said. East Cleveland Municipal Court Judge William Dawson ruled against the city on several evidentiary matters during Colemans trial. The city could not appeal those evidentiary rulings, so it petitioned the appeals court for declaratory judgment to have them reconsidered before Daileys trial, which has no start date as of Thursday. Specifically, Hemmons argued that Dawson erred when he said jurors should consider the entire dereliction-of-duty ordinance in East Clevelands municipal code, rather than just one specific section related to a failure to perform official duties. She also argued that Dawson should have allowed jurors to review Clevelands general police order related to vehicle pursuits. The 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals dismissed Hemmons petition two months later, saying it showed a negligent understanding of the jurisdiction of courts of appeals to entertain declaratory judgment actions. East Cleveland obviously cannot prevail in this action because this court lacks jurisdiction, a three-judge panel wrote in the appeals court decision. The dereliction-of-duty charge against Dailey accuses him of failing to effectively oversee the Nov. 29, 2012 chase that ended in the shooting deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. Dailey was not among the 13 police officers who fired a combined 137 gunshots at Russell and Williams in an East Cleveland parking lot. Michael Brelo was the only officer charged in the shooting, and a judge acquitted him of voluntary manslaughter in May 2015. Daileys misdemeanor case is the only one that remains undecided as part of a prolonged legal battle that began when a Cuyahoga County grand jury charged him and four other supervisors back in 2014. Coleman was previously found not guilty, and the city of East Cleveland dismissed charges against three other supervisors before their trials. Colemans attorney asserted during her trial that the three other supervisors each paid $2,500 into East Clevelands law enforcement trust fund in exchange for their charges being dropped. The city of East Cleveland has refused to acknowledge any payments, but financial records show the citys Law Enforcement Trust Fund took in $7,500 in January 2019, the same month the city dismissed the charges against the three supervisors. This is the second time the Ohio Supreme Court weighed in on a matter related to the 2012 chase and deadly shooting. Attorneys for the five supervisors appealed the decision to move their clients cases from Cleveland to East Cleveland, and accused former Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty of shopping for a more favorable jury pool. The states high court ruled in 2017 that the cases could move forward in East Cleveland Municipal Court. Read more from cleveland.com: Cleveland police supervisor found not guilty of dereliction of duty in chase from 137 shots case Trial for Cleveland police supervisors from 137 shots case is culmination of years-long legal battle Michael Brelo stays fired, other officers involved in 137-shots chase get jobs back Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ivan Couronne (Agence France-Presse) Thu, May 28, 2020 12:02 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bda9efa8 2 Science & Tech SpaceX,NASA,space,united-states,aerospace,lightning-strike Free After a day of suspense, SpaceX's landmark launch to the International Space Station -- the first crewed mission to blast off from US soil in almost a decade -- was scrubbed Wednesday due to fears of a lightning strike. With NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley strapped into the Crew Dragon capsule, the launch pad platform retracted and rocket fueling underway, SpaceX made the call to abort. "Unfortunately, we are not going to launch today," launch director Mike Taylor said, with about 17 minutes to go until takeoff. "We had just simply too much electricity in the atmosphere," NASA chief Jim Bridenstine said later. "There wasn't really a lightning storm or anything like that, but there was a concern that if we did launch it could actually trigger lightning," he added. This was the case for the Apollo 12 mission, which was struck twice shortly after launch -- losing the use of some non-essential instruments but completing its mission nonetheless. A rocket and its plume ascending through clouds act as conductors and can trigger lightning at lower levels of atmospheric electricity than what is required for natural lighting. The delay means a wait of at least a few more days for the first crewed launch on an American rocket since the space shuttle program ended in 2011. They will try again on Saturday. If successful, the launch will be the first time the feat has been performed by a privately owned company. A live video feed showed Behnken and Hurley -- in their futuristic white uniforms adorned with the US flag and the logos of NASA and SpaceX -- waiting as propellant was unloaded from the reusable Falcon 9 rocket after the launch was postponed. The emergency ejection system remained armed until the fuel tanks were emptied, in case of an accidental explosion. The launch had been scheduled for 4:33 pm (2033 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. Neil Armstrong and his Apollo 11 crewmates lifted off from the same spot on their historic journey to the Moon. The mission comes despite shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, with the crew in quarantine for the past two weeks. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump had arrived in Florida to watch, but headed back to the White House once the launch was called off. Read also: NASA gives go-ahead for first crewed SpaceX flight on May 27 SpaceX win over Boeing Founded in 2002, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. has torn up the rules to produce a lower-cost alternative to human spaceflight that has gradually won over skeptics. By 2012, it had become the first private company to dock a cargo capsule at the ISS, resupplying the station regularly ever since. Two years later, NASA ordered the next step: to transport its astronauts there by adapting the Dragon capsule. "SpaceX would not be here without NASA," founder Elon Musk said last year, after a successful dress rehearsal without humans for the trip to the ISS. The US space agency paid more than $3 billion for SpaceX to design, build, test and operate its reusable capsule for six future space round trips. The project has experienced delays, explosions, and parachute problems -- but even so, SpaceX has beaten aerospace giant Boeing to the punch. Boeing's NASA entry, the Starliner, is still not ready. The move by NASA to invest in privately developed spacecraft -- a more budget-friendly proposition than spending tens of billions of dollars developing such systems itself, as it had done for decades -- was begun under the presidency of George W. Bush for cargo, and then under Barack Obama for human flight. At the time, there was immense hostility in Congress and NASA to the start-up's claims of what it could achieve. Read also: No SpaceX T-shirts for tourists at Cape Canaveral Ending dependence on Russia A decade on, it was Trump who was present for the launch. The Republican is trying to reaffirm American domination of space, militarily but also by ordering a return to the Moon in 2024. NASA hopes to entrust "low Earth orbit" space travel to the private sector in order to free up dollars for its more distant missions. Crew Dragon is a capsule like Apollo, but updated for the 21st century. Touch screens have replaced switches. The interior has more subtle lighting. It looks entirely different from the huge winged space shuttles that carried astronauts into space from US soil from 1981 to 2011. "We're expecting a smooth ride but we're expecting a loud ride," said Behnken, who, like Hurley, flew in the shuttles twice. When the mission eventually goes ahead, Crew Dragon will catch up with the space station, and will probably remain docked there until August. If it fulfills its mission and is certified safe, it will mean the Americans will no longer depend on Russian Soyuz rockets for access to space rides. [May 28, 2020] Versus Systems Grows In-Game Rewards Offering With HP LOS ANGELES, May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Versus Systems (CSE:VS) (OTCQB:VRSSF) (FRANKFURT:BMVA) today announced a new agreement with HP (NYSE: HPQ) to bring its patented in-game rewards platform to a broader range of HP users. Following the successful installation of Versus-powered OMEN Rewards in OMEN Command Center, announced last August, HP will now include rewards software as a pre-installed feature in all OMEN and Pavilion Gaming desktops and laptops. The new agreement also includes expanding OMEN Command Center and OMEN Rewards into the gaming markets in China beginning this summer. OMEN Command Center is available for download by any Windows10 PC via the Windows Store. OMEN Rewards will allow everyone running the OMEN Command Center app to play their favorite games for real-world prizes, gift cards, trips and experiences. OMEN Rewards is the result of a multi-year collaboration with Versus Systems that has integrated their patented prizing platform into HPs OMEN Command Center. We are thrilled to work with one of the best, most well-recognized brands in the world as we bring in-game and in-app rewards to players and viewers worldwide, said Matthew Pierce, CEO of Versus. HP is a premiere PC developer across the globe and we are proud to be a part of their strategy to bring more engaging interactive experiences to players and viewers everywhere. About Versus Systems Versus Systems, Inc. has developed a proprietary in-game prizing and promotions engine that allows game publishers and developers to offer in-game prizing across various platforms including mobile, console, PC games, and streaming media. Brands pay to place products in-game and gamers compete for those prizes. For more information, please visit www.versussystems.com or visit Versus Systems official YouTube channel . For Versus Systems, contact: [email protected] This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities will not be and have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: the proposed use of proceeds from the Offering. These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A DUP MLA has called for a return to normality after Covid-19 - despite his party leader Arlene Foster having repeatedly stated that the pandemic will mean a "new normal" in the future. Christopher Stalford made his comments on social media on Tuesday after Northern Ireland recorded no new coronavirus deaths. He said he hoped this meant people soon being "able to get back to normal", adding that there was "no such thing as a 'new normal'". The South Belfast MLA posted: "Zero deaths today from Covid-19. This is good news. "Our people have endured massive curtailment of their rights to achieve this. "I hope we will soon be able to get back to normal. "There is no such thing as 'a new normal'. We are a free people and we will be again. "Anyone who says give away a little freedom forever for the 'common good' (define common, define good?) is asking you to become a lesser citizen. Back to normalcy ASAP." His comments come despite First Minister Arlene Foster having warned that people "need to prepare for a new normal" even after the "initial Covid threat recedes". At a number of daily Executive briefings, the DUP leader has said the pandemic will have long-term implications for how both the private sector and the state operates and stressed that people will have to adapt to the realities of social distancing. The DUP was contacted for comment, but did not respond. Earlier this month Mr Stalford had to apologise after liking a tweet about domestic murder, posted by a Belfast-based polling company. He was widely condemned on social media after he liked the tweet referencing lines from a 'Carry On' film. The Newswire team is set on helping healthcare institutions communicate their news and information to their target audience during the ongoing crisis. NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / The healthcare industry, without question, has been the most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis to date. With varying reports of limited Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), high transmission rates, and overcrowded hospitals, the news coverage of the crisis has been nothing short of disheartening since early March. Regardless, many healthcare firms, whether they are treating COVID-19 patients or not, are still trying to help patients by offering care, services, and products during these distressing times. A multitude of healthcare institutions that offered non-emergency care services before the pandemic have begun offering virtual consultations and self-care smartphone applications to help educate and treat patients that are quarantined at home. Many private practitioners are creating new digital channels to spread relevant information to their patients, and many have turned to PR firms to distribute additional messaging addressing COVID-19 related concerns, delays, and adjustments. Newswire's Earned Media Advantage Guided Tour is an excellent resource for healthcare companies looking to continue to share their company news during this unpredictable time period. Newswire's team of Earned Media Advantage Strategists help small to midsize businesses deliver the right message, to the right audience, at the right time, and through the right medium. "This crisis has hit every industry hard, but whether we like it or not, this is the new normal for everyone right now," said Charlie Terenzio, Newswire's VP of Earned Media Advantage Business. "During a time like this, consistency is key. Healthcare companies simply cannot afford to fall behind in their media, marketing, and communications campaigns. By re-establishing or solidifying connections with industry media, healthcare firms can continue to offer essential services to their target audience during this lockdown." While social distancing measures and quarantining orders from state governments have put a damper on many healthcare technology firms, there is a sense of cautious optimism that is budding. Many executives in the field are looking to bounce back during the third quarter of this fiscal year as many state orders begin to loosen up in the upcoming months. 18Loop, a healthcare technology non-profit organization, is using this opportunity to target industry media and promote their work in an effort to optimize their chances for coverage in the near future. The firm, which specializes in VR technology and robotics, uses this technology to assist children that are undergoing cancer recovery treatments. "The main message we wanted to communicate to hospitals and technologists is simply to take a look at just how helpful VR can be in the lives of these children and beyond," said Gregory Tarnacki, Executive Director of 18Loop. "We chose Newswire because we thought Newswire was the best vehicle to get our press release out to different people in the media. I think we've created some traffic so far, and we are currently working with the Newswire team to fine-tune our targeting to do an even better job next time." Through Newswire's Earned Media Advantage Guided Tour, customers can transform their press releases from owned media to the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, increased website traffic, greater return on media and marketing communications spend, and increased sales. C-suite level executives from across all industries have enjoyed the results from Guided Tour by improving the overall impact of their media and marketing campaigns to help aid in sales in order to achieve their business goals. The program includes a dedicated Earned Media Advantage Strategist who personally connects with each customer to better understand their business needs to create a 'customerized' plan which is implemented during each campaign to ensure Customer Success. Find out how Newswire is Transforming the Value of Press Releases today and learn how your business experience the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, increased website traffic and increased sales. About Newswire? Newswire delivers press release and multimedia distribution software and services (SaaS) that empower the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, increased traffic, greater return on media and marketing communications spend and the competitive edge. With over a decade of experience, Newswire continues to provide its customers with the ability to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time through the right medium.? To learn more about how Newswire can help you, visit http://www.newswire.com. Contact Information Charlie Terenzio VP of Earned Media Advantage Business ?Newswire ?Office: 813-480-3766 Email: charlie@newswire.com SOURCE: Newswire View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/591791/A-Helping-Hand-for-Healthcare-Newswires-EMA-GT-Assists-Companies-With-Sharing-Stories-During-Global-Pandemic Finland has seen no spike in coronavirus cases two weeks after schools reopened - while Norway has admitted stopping classes might have been unnecessary. The Nordic countries have both been easing their lockdowns after successfully flattening the curve of infections, with schools among the first things to reopen. That stands in stark contrast to the UK where a planned reopening of schools on June 1 looks unlikely to go ahead amid a standoff with teaching unions. Union bosses say there is 'inconclusive' evidence that the reopening - which would have seen pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 return next week - would be safe. Finland - which allowed pupils to start returning to school on May 14 (pictured) - says it has seen no spike in coronavirus cases in the two weeks since Finland began reopening its schools on May 14 with social distancing measures in place after coronavirus case numbers and deaths fell significantly from their peak. Daycare centres and primary schools were among the first to open, with social distancing in place. Mika Salminen, director of health security at the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare, revealed on Thursday that she has seen 'no evidence' of an uptick in cases. The two week period between the reopening and her announcement is significant, because that is thought to be the maximum incubation period of the virus. That means any infections caused early in the reopening would be expected to have shown in the data by now. Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg has admitted that closing schools may not have been necessary to slow the pandemic, admitting she acted 'out of fear' However, she cautioned that the time since the reopening 'has been short' and more evidence is needed to be conclusive. Finland has confirmed 6,743 cases of the virus and 313 deaths. Meanwhile in Norway, which began reopening schools in April, Prime Minister Erna Solberg admitted that closing them might not have been necessary to slow the spread of the virus. Quizzed on her virus response by public broadcaster NRK, she admitted that 'many' of her decision were taken 'out of fear' amid dire worst-case predictions from scientists. She said he approach was to take no risks despite uncertainty about how the virus would spread, including shutting down schools on March 12 as the country went into full lockdown. Reflecting on the decision, she said: 'Was it necessary to close schools? Maybe not. But at the same time, I think it was the right thing to do at the time. 'Based on the information we had, we took a precautionary strategy.' A phased reopening of UK schools due on June 1 is unlikely to go ahead amid a standoff between teaching unions (NASUWT chef Patrick Roach left) and the government (Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, right) She said we 'may never know' whether any individual measure was responsible for slowing the spread of the virus, or whether it was all the measures taken together. Norway has reported 8,401 cases of the virus and 235 deaths. Britain - which did not go into lockdown until March 23 - has been forced to take a more cautious approach to easing measures after suffering 267,240 cases and 37,460 deaths from the virus - one of the worst tolls in the developed world. A limited number of outdoor activities have been allowed since mid-May, but the majority of businesses and schools remain shuttered. From next week retail stores will gradually reopen with people allowed to socialise outdoors with other households, but people will still be asked to work from home if possible and avoid public transport. Schools across the country were supposed to begin a phased reopening at the same time, but such a move now appears unlikely. At least 11 councils have said they will not reopen classrooms on Monday as planned, while unions have repeatedly called for more talks on the issue. Schools in Scotland and Wales will not return until at least August 11. MOUNTAIN VIEW (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. State of Arizona filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against Google alleging deceptive and unfair practices used to obtain users' location data. In the filing, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich accused that the tech giant exploits these data for its lucrative advertising business. In a tweet, Brnovich said, 'We brought forward this action to put a stop to Google's deceptive collection of user data, obtain monetary relief, and require Google to disgorge gross receipts arising from its Arizona activities.' Meanwhile, defending its policies around location data, Google spokesman Jose Castaneda reportedly said, 'The Attorney General and the contingency fee lawyers filing this lawsuit appear to have mischaracterized our services. We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data.' According to Brnovich, the state started its investigation of Google following a 2018 media article about how users are lulled into a false sense of security to believe that Google provides them the ability to actually disable their Location History. The company's over 80% of revenues in 2019, i.e., $135 billion out of $161 billion, were generated through advertising. The lawsuit alleged that Google collects detailed information about its users without their consent or knowledge, including their physical locations, to target them for advertising. In February, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas had filed lawsuit against Google alleging that its educational platforms violated federal child privacy laws. The company is also being probed by a coalition of state attorneys general over its dominance in online advertising. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The death of Floyd, a black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police, has sparked violent protests and prompted that citys mayor to ask the governor to activate the National Guard. Floyd was seen on video saying he could not breathe while a white officer kneeled on his neck for almost eight minutes. THE SADNESS of a young man dying in a car crash just weeks after his father passed away is "unimaginable" said a parish priest. Niall O'Grady was fatally injured in the collision involving a car and a truck in County Limerick on Tuesday afternoon. The incident occurred on the stretch of road between Hynes' Cross and O'Rourke's Cross on the N20. Originally from Raheen, Niall aged in his forties, had moved to Bruree. Married to Kim, they have two young children - Michael and Freya. Fr Richard Davern, co parish priest of Mungret - Crecora - Raheen, said the funeral Mass of Niall's father - Tony O'Grady - in March. "Everyone is just shocked. There is no answer to it," said Fr Davern, who added that Niall was an only child. "It is unimaginable - the sadness of it - for his mum Siobhan. Her only child dying 11 weeks after she lost her husband. It doesn't bear thinking about. The poor cratur," said Fr Davern. The old Irish word convey the deep sadness and sense of shock. On behalf of the whole parish, he expressed his condolences to Niall's mum, wife, children, family and many friends. He worked for Uber in Limerick city and before that St Andrew's Group in Shannon. Very popular and kind-hearted, Niall's last post on his Facebook page was to ask people to donate to Pieta House. "For my birthday this year, I'm asking for donations to Pieta House, Preventing Suicide and Self Harm. I've chosen this charity because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope that you'll consider contributing as a way of celebrating with me," wrote Niall. Beloved husband of Kim; dearly loved father of Michael and Freya and much-loved son of Siobhan and the recently deceased Tony. Regretted by his aunts, uncles, brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, mother-in-law Marion, cousins and a large circle of friends. A private funeral will take place. Mass Cards and letters of sympathy can be posted to Thompson Funeral Directors. "So sorry to hear of this tragedy. I worked with Niall over the years. He was so full of life. My sincerest condolences to his wife and family," wrote one. May he rest in peace. 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. When Ewen Leslie read the scripts for Operation Buffalo he asked writer / director Peter Duncan (Rake) about the playing style. After all, ABCs miniseries on Maralinga, had more than a few lighter moments, indeed even those punctuated by mirth. Duncan revealed his intent was satire. One of the first things I said to him was, This should go fast shouldnt it? and he said, I dont write slow,' says Leslie. He writes in a way that you dont normally get on screen He writes in a way that you dont normally get on screen. The dialogue is very dense you have reams of dialogue, that you normally only get on stage. You really have to get out the pencil and do the work on dialogue. The 6 part series, described as historical fiction, is based around the British Nuclear Test Program between 1953 and 1963 in Maralinga, South Australia. It left the land contaminated for decades and the Maralinga Tjarutja people dispossessed of their home. Filmed in consultation with local indigenous communities, the series portrays this little-known chapter in Australian history, and comes with a formidable cast including Jessica de Gouw, James Cromwell, Tony Martin and Frances Djulibing. It was just absolutely mind-boggling that this happened, and mind-boggling that we dont know the full story of this. It isnt taught in schools that it isnt a well-known part of Australian history, Leslie continues. The story of Maralinga is so bleak The story of Maralinga is so bleak, so horrible and just really, really sad. (Peter) absolutely wanted to pay respect to that and make sure that story came through over the 6 hours of the show. But at the same time, he wanted to make something that was entertaining and compelling, with characters that people could go with. Leslie plays Major Leo Carmichael, an engineer who supervises the various towers from which the atomic bombs are dropped. When the series opens he has his hands full with a missing prostitute and the early arrival of officials, including the British High Commissioner and members of the Menzies cabinet. I just have to apply it dead straight I just have to apply it dead straight and get serious as it goes along, he explains. Theres certainly situations that I find myself in that are somewhat humorous -but only humorous in the sense that they are so incredibly stressful. (Peters) natural bent, as we know from Rake, is to go with somewhat of a satirical edge. But I loved that he was having fun with the period. Obviously, the whole reason they were dropping atomic bombs was because of the Cold War, the Communist threat, the fact that there were Russian spies in the British and Australian governments. There was so much fear around the reds under the beds. He absolutely wanted to pay full respect to the horror of what happened He absolutely wanted to pay full respect to the horror of what happened and how terrible it was. But at the same time, the situation was ludicrous. I mean, you had one government which agreed to allow another government to drop atom bombs in its own country. They knew the radiation travelled, They were telling everyone that there were no Indigenous communities out there and no one would be harmed. And meanwhile, they had one guy patrolling an area the size of Great Britain. It was just absolutely ludicrous. Tonally, Operation Buffalo also pays homage to period film and television, including Catch 22 and Dr. Strangelove. In one scene it felt like I was doing Hitchcock noir, the next was like doing a political thriller, and then with Jessica de Gouw I was doing a Cary Grant Katharine Hepburn comedy. Filming took place last year at Potts Hill in western Sydney and Parachilna in South Australia. Porchlight Films also consulted with the Maralinga Tjarutja community. By episode six there are truth bombs being dropped on the audience. Leslie insists that for any light start the series has, things shift as the story unravels. By episode six there are -for want of a better word- truth bombs being dropped on the audience. I think a large amount of Australians know this story, but I think even the ones that do arent aware of the full facts. Hopefully thats what people really love about the show: as it reveals itself and goes on, it has more shocks and surprises. And the most awful thing is theyre all true. Operation Buffalo airs 8:30pm Sunday on ABC. Australia's youngest coronavirus victim threw a party just days before he died, as his family raises doubts as to whether he actually died from the killer disease. Nathan Turner was found dead at his home in Blackwater, Queensland, by his partner - who he recently proposed to - on Tuesday afternoon. Mystery surrounds how the miner contracted the virus, after not leaving the town since February. Now officials fear it may spread further, after revelations Mr Turner and his fiancee Simone Devon hosted a party at their home just days before his death. At 30 years-old the miner is the youngest person in Australia to die from the deadly respiratory infection, bringing the national death total to 103. Nathan Turner (pictured, left) with his partner Simone Devon (right) who threw a party days before he died of coronavirus Nathan Turner (pictured) became the youngest person to die of COVID-19 in Australia, aged just 30 Mr Turner had a series of health problems and had been displaying symptoms in the weeks before his death, but was only tested after his body was found. About a dozen locals attended the party and have since been tested for COVID-19, 7News reported. All but two of Mr Turner's close contacts had been tested by Thursday morning with all being cleared of the deadly coronavirus. Ms Devon had also tested negative for the killer virus but is suffering with symptoms and will undergo further testing while staying with her parents. After the 30-year-old's death was made public, Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young denied allegations he did not have the disease. 'There was a test done ... which is a very sensitive test and it came back positive,' MS Young told reporters. 'I believe it was a positive.' Nathan Turner (pictured) is the youngest person in Australia to die from COVID-19, taking the national death toll to 103 Nathan Turner (pictured) hadn't left his hometown of Blackwater since February, but still contracted COVID-19 and died on Tuesday Ms Young said Mr Turner had a 'complicated medical history' that 'needs to be worked through' and did not know the impact of his other medical issues. 'Whether or not COVID-19 was the precipitating cause for his death, that's how we report it,' she said. Mr Turner's shattered family does not believe coronavirus is what caused his death as he also suffered from epilepsy and asthma, and regularly caught the flu. In what is fast becoming the country's most mysterious coronavirus case, Mr Turner had not travelled outside his hometown of Blackwater, not known to have any other coronavirus infections, since February. Nathan Turner's partner was later taken to Blackwater Hospital (pictured) to be tested after developing symptoms of COVID-19 Nathan Turner (pictured) worked as a miner, but had been off work since November, officials said CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement His shock diagnosis forced the closure of the town's police station, after three officers were forced into home isolation, as were paramedics who rushed to the scene. The bakery where his fiancee works has also been closed. Health authorities are concerned that the man had never been tested for the virus, and are urging anybody living in Blackwater who is displaying symptoms of COVID-19 to present to a testing clinic immediately. Health Minister Steven Miles said fever clinics are being set up in Blackwater and Emerald - an hour's drive west. Officials now suspect an infected nurse, already suspended from her job at an aged care facility, may have given him the virus. A nurse is seen testing a woman for COVID-19 at a testing centre in Sydney on May 12 (pictured) with similar tests being performed at the Queensland aged care centre Earlier this month, the unnamed nurse continued working at the North Rockhampton Nursing Centre despite having coronavirus symptoms. The nurse is reported to have been contagious since May 3, and continued working with the elderly residents despite showing symptoms from May 5. She later tested positive, sparking a frantic testing blitz of the centre's 200 vulnerable residents - all of whom tested negative. The nurse has been suspended and has been referred to the Crime and Corruption Commission over an alleged breach of public health directions. It is now alleged she travelled 167km from Rockhampton to Blackwater, and may have infected Mr Turner - who had not left the area for months. She was allegedly in the town on May 10, four days before she tested positive. Wireless networks have transformed how we interact with the world around us. But what does the future of this technology hold? And what innovations can we expect to see from the fifth-generation mobile infrastructure known as 5G? ACT | The App Association aims to find out through a special public webinar with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this Thursday, May 28th, at 1 PM ET. "A Conversation with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on Commission Priorities for 5G and the New 5G Upgrade Order" aims to elucidate the FCCs views regarding 5G. Today, the mobile app economy is valued at $1.7 trillion and currently employs nearly 6 million Americans across every state in the nation. The COVID-19 public health crisis has shined a light on just how valuable this economy is; mobile capabilities have provided tremendous benefit during these times of need. Remote patient monitoring, telemedicine, remote work, and distance learning have all surged in popularity in recent months as the pandemic shut down other crucial facets of society. As Americas regulator of airwave resources, the FCC is committed to advancing 5G and enabling further innovation with mobile technology. Commissioner Brendan Carr will be representing the FCC during the virtual seminar. Carr has championed numerous FCC policy changes to facilitate the rapid development of 5G networks. Most recently, he announced a new 5G Upgrade Order. Intended for a June vote, this multi-year effort by Congress and the FCC would streamline equipment upgrades for existing cellular towers. It will certainly be a central talking point of the event. A Conversation with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on Commission Priorities for 5G and the New 5G Upgrade Order is being held by ACT | The App Association, a Washington, D.C.-based public policy organization representing more than 5,000 tech companies leading the app economy. ACT strives to drive intelligent innovation and regulation in mobile technology by connecting its top leaders with preeminent policymakers. The webinar will begin with a conversation between ACT President Morgan Reed and Carr, followed by a live panel discussion delving into the 5G Upgrade Order and innovative use cases that the new wireless connectivity will enable. Carr will be participating in this panel discussion alongside Marc Fischer of Dogtown Media, Andrew Savitz of Canned Spinach, and Vishal Singh of Quantified Ag. Fischer is CEO and Co-Founder of Dogtown Media, a Venice Beach-based mobile technology studio that leverages disruptive design strategies and dynamic development to deliver industry-leading apps. To date, Dogtown Media has created over 200 mobile apps in industries including Healthcare app development, IoT, and Artificial Intelligence. The firm recently returned to the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Companies in America for the 3rd year in a row. Savitz is Partner of Canned Spinach, a design and development firm that specializes in user experience and user interface design. From music to real estate, Canned Spinach focuses on transforming ideas into meaningful brands, products, and experiences in a variety of industries. Singh is CEO and Co-Founder of Quantified Ag, a precision livestock analytics company. Quantified Ag makes the beef supply better by providing feedlot workers with the tools to identify sick animals sooner and more accurately. With an all-star panel line-up and a number of hot topics to talk about, A Conversation with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on Commission Priorities for 5G and the New 5G Upgrade Order is an event that any aspiring mobile app innovator or entrepreneur cannot afford to miss. For more information about the event, visit here. Turkeys foreign ministry has accused Greece of breaching the fundamental rights of refugees and migrants, and also increasing tension along the countries shared borders instead of engaging in dialogue. Athens recently criticised remarks by Turkish authorities suggesting that the border might be opened to refugees once the coronavirus pandemic eased. Expecting an influx of refugees, Greece also said that it started mobilising forces to boost defences along its border with Turkey. The border area was the scene of clashes in March after Turkey said it would no longer prevent refugees and migrants from reaching the European Union. Acting with motives towards domestic politics, Greece is misleading the public opinion by manipulating the facts, Hami Aksoy, the Turkish foreign ministry spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday. The fact that Greece openly infringes fundamental rights and freedoms of refugees has been documented in reports by human rights organisations. It is a shame that ones who give innocent people all kinds of unjust treatments at the border call Turkey barbaric. Greece reinforces border On Wednesday, Greek police spokesman Theodoros Chronopoulos told AFP news agency an additional 400 police would be sent to the northeastern Evros river border region as a precautionary measure. The deployment will add to hundreds of officers already in the area and more are expected to be sent in the coming days. In March, skirmishes between the Greek police and refugees and migrants went on for days, with the latter trying to cross the border as Greek riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at them. 200302085719576 Turkish authorities evacuated those people almost a month later, and Greek state TV said a makeshift camp where they were staying was set on fire, amid fears of a coronavirus contagion. On Tuesday, Greek Defence Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos told Skai TV that Athens was aware of certain statements that suggest we will face pressure on our borders again, especially our land borders. Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias elaborated on Thema Radio, saying there are statements by Turkish officials to the effect that once the coronavirus season is over, [crossings] will not be prevented by Turkey. After the surge in March, Athens said it would extend a border fence in the area, a move that has created a new dispute with Ankara. Ankara: Coordination needed Turkey says it should be consulted about the fence expansion, noting that the Evros riverbed has significantly changed due to natural and artificial reasons since the border was established in 1926. Ankara says technical coordination is required, and that it would not allow any fait accompli on its border. Greece counters that the frontier is unchanged and that it is not obliged to consult Turkey about infrastructure on its own side of the border. The fence is on Greek soil, beyond any doubt, and with room to spare, the Greek foreign minister said on Wednesday. A plane of Jin Air. (Source: amp.gulf-times.com) Jin Air plans to restart flight services on routes from Incheon to Bangkok (Thailand), Taipei (China), Narita and Osaka (Japan) and Vietnam from June 1st, to bring overseas Koreans, those studying abroad and businessmen to the country, the company said in a statement. The company said it will operate one to two flights a week to the five cities from June to also meet cargo-carrying orders, it said. Jin Air has suspended all of its international flights since April, as countries strengthened entry restrictions on incoming passengers to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. But seven domestic routes have been in service despite the virus outbreak. Apart from Jin Air, other budget carriers of the RoK have also planned to resume international flights. Jeju Air said it will reopen flights to Manila in the Philippines in June, while Air Busan and Air Seoul will restore international routes in July./. A gymnasium at the state prison in Lancaster was filled with inmates' beds before federal court orders of a decade ago reduced inmate populations. Diminished crowding has helped reestablish rehabilitation and reentry programs, but the state has a long way to go. (Los Angeles Times) Editors note: This editorial is the second in a series of three. The first was published Wednesday and the third will be published Friday; you can find them at latimes.com/opinion. Its just like in the movies: When a prison inmates term ends hes given some money, a new outfit and a bus ticket back to wherever he lived when he was convicted of his crime however many years before. In California, the amount is $200, minus the cost of the clothes and the bus ride. And then what? How does a person go home to a place he or she hasnt seen in decades? In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, released inmates encounter an especially bewildering world. They see scenes fit for science fiction movies or dystopian novels. They see people on the street wearing face masks and police handing out citations to those who cluster too close together in public places. They see shuttered storefronts. They see residents hunkering down in their homes for weeks on end. This was not the world they remember. Its an especially strange time to come home. But the ugly truth is that its always a strange and difficult time for released prisoners to come home. Except for the clothes, the cash and the bus ticket, most states go out of their way to make life tough for former inmates. Even in the best of times, affordable housing is scarce. Drug treatment and mental health care are inadequate. Jobs are hard to find, and advancement is usually out of the question because state laws put professional licenses and many academic degrees out of reach of people with criminal records. Regaining basic rights of citizenship such as voting can be difficult. Rough reentry isnt an outgrowth of the coronavirus. Its standard operating procedure. Californians, meanwhile, can be forgiven for mistakenly believing that the pandemic has emptied state prisons and county jails, turning loose a tsunami of ex-inmates and creating a reentry crisis on a previously unseen scale. After all, the state in April announced the early release of 3,500 prisoners to relieve crowding and to stem the spread of infection, and county jail populations have dropped by about 20,000 from their pre-pandemic levels. Story continues While it is true that the flood of former offenders in dire need of services is massive, in fact its always been massive. The inflow of new inmates into prisons and jails has temporarily slowed, but the institutions remain full and the outflow is steady. Those 3,500 state prisoners were within several weeks of their release dates and were about to come home anyway to the same dearth of assistance and opportunity. A similar number of prisoners is released every month, even in normal times, as their terms end. The Los Angeles County Jail has reduced its inmate population by almost 6,000, but with nearly 12,000 people still inside, it remains the nations largest local lockup, more than a third again as populous as the Cook County Jail in Chicago or Rikers Island in New York. And despite its emergency reduction and the steady stream of regularly scheduled inmate releases, the L.A. County jail remains officially full, close to its rated capacity. In other words, the coronavirus-era scale of need for reentry services is similar to the need in normal times, and similarly unmet. That makes life dangerous for former offenders, who are blocked from taking their rightful places as wage-earning, taxpaying, voting members of the community. There have been marginal improvements in California over the last decade. By 2010, state prisons were so overcrowded that inmate beds took up every spare inch of floor space. Rehabilitation and reentry programs were scrapped because there literally was no room for them. But federal court orders to reduce the inmate population prompted then-Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature to implement a series of reforms, most notably Assembly Bill 109, which assigned people doing time for lower-level felonies to county jails. Voters in 2016 approved Proposition 57, which offered prison inmates a chance at earlier parole for earning education or rehab credits. Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to close prisons and expand reentry programs. On the federal level, conservative and liberal reformers joined with President Trump in 2018 to adopt the First Step Act to reduce federal incarceration and reauthorize funding for reentry programs such as job training and education. The same forces are now seeking a second step that would direct millions of dollars toward more ambitious reentry programming. They recognize that $200 and a bus ticket doesnt cut it. They could go even further by eliminating restrictions that make former felons ineligible for many professional licenses and academic degrees. They could ensure that coronavirus recovery money for small businesses does not exclude people who have put time in prison behind them. They could prevail upon states such as Florida where in 2018 voters granted former inmates the right to vote to scrap completely their barriers to voting and other measures of full participation in society. (A court on Sunday struck down a requirement that Floridians released from prison pay off all fines and fees before exercising their restored right. Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would appeal.) In Los Angeles County, reform advocates successfully lobbied the Board of Supervisors to stop two new jail projects in favor of a program of alternatives to incarceration. The same programs that are desperately needed to keep people in crisis out of the criminal justice system mental health care, drug treatment, peer support, meaningful educational and professional opportunities are needed for people returning after time locked up. People are coming home from jails and prisons in greater numbers than ever before not just because of coronavirus concerns, but because counties, states and the federal government are finally coming to terms with years of excessive reliance on incarceration. Its also time to come to terms with our past fumbling of reentry our failure to adequately prepare for the safe and successful return to our communities of neighbors and family members, young and old, who have spent part of their lives locked up. Creating a constructive reentry program will require a close partnership between government and the growing network of service providers, often led by people who did their time in jail or prison and are now equipped with the knowledge and perspective needed by the inmates returning home. The pandemic has highlighted the current system's inadequacies, but the shortcomings won't magically disappear after the virus is gone. Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has enrolled its first patients in a clinical trial of a drug treatment that appears to shorten recovery time for people with coronavirus. The trial is the next phase of a clinical investigation into the use of the antiviral drug remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19. Remdesivir is considered a breakthrough in the treatment of coronavirus. The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is one of approximately 100 hospitals internationally participating in the continuation of the study and is the only hospital in central Pennsylvania to participate in the clinical trial. All participants in the patient trial will be given remdesivir and either an anti-inflammatory drug called baricitinib or a placebo containing inactive ingredients. Baricitinib is already FDA-approved in the U.S. and more than 65 other countries as a treatment for adults with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis. Principal investigator, Dr. Catharine Paules, said clinical trials on remdesivir to date have found that the clinical recovery time in COVID-19 patients was shortened by about four days. That's a big deal for treating patients with covid because they tend to have very long hospital stays and helping people recover and get out of the hospital quickly is definitely a benefit for these patients, she said. Remdesivir also showed trends to mortality benefits, Paules said. Even though this study wasnt able to show a clear mortality benefit, there was a suggestion of one, she said. The findings on remdesivir have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The continuation of the trial will assess whether pairing remdesivir with the anti-inflammatory drug baracitinib leads to further improvement in outcomes. What we want to do is improve upon what we did with remdesivir, said Paules, an infectious diseases physician at Hershey Medical Center and assistant professor of medicine at Penn State College of Medicine. We want people to get better even more quickly and we want to be able to decrease mortality. The study is double-blind, which means neither researchers nor patients know who receives baricitinib and who does not. Participation is voluntary and open to adult hospitalized COVID-19 patients who meet certain criteria and provide consent. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization of remdesivir, meaning physicians can prescribe the drug to patients outside clinical trials if they feel it will benefit their patients. We do have a supply here at Hershey, Paules said. So patients can get that outside the clinical trial or they can do the clinical trial, in which case, they will get the remdesivir and potentially this new drug. Side effects may be possible with both remdesivir and baricitinib, Paules said. Common side effects for remdesivir include nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, although Paules said those side effects were rare. Serious side effects include short-term elevation in liver function tasks. The good news is that when remdesivir is halted those liver function tests typically go back to normal, she said. Like any drugs there are side effects and that must be weighed against potential benefits. Baricitinib has an extensive history of safety data. The initial portion of the remdesivir trial enrolled 1,063 patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 at 73 national and international sites, including Hershey Medical Center. The initial portion of the trial, which was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), ended in mid-April. The United States has surpassed 100,000 coronavirus cases. Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 5.7 million people and killed over 355,000, with the U.S. having the most confirmed cases and deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Europe has recorded about 170,000 deaths. 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 NSW Supreme Court judge has condemned the treatment of a 35-year-old Indigenous man with a mild intellectual disability who has been subjected to a tough supervision order restricting his movements for more than a decade, saying he has not been a "truly free man" since his teens. Justice Peter Hamill revoked the order in a judgment on Tuesday and said the history of the case brought to mind American author John Steinbeck's famous observation in The Grapes of Wrath: "There is a failure here that topples all our successes." The 35-year-old man had not been truly free since he was 16, Justice Hamill said. Credit:Andrew Meares Darryl Carr, a "proud Wiradjuri man" from NSW's central west, had spent the vast majority of his adult life behind bars not for "any heinous crime" but for failing to comply with the strictures of a supervision order imposed after he was released from prison in 2009 for serious crimes committed when he was 16, Justice Hamill said. The five-year extended supervision order (ESO) made by the court in 2009 was "still current, 11 years later" because the clock stopped running every time he was imprisoned for even minor breaches of conditions. The strong admonishing giving by the honble High Court of Telangana to the state government led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar on the issue of scale of testing to combat Coronavirus is majestic, wise and welcome. This comes after the TRS government has recalcitrantly and comprehensively ignored all criticism, advice and voices from all other quarters, including general public, medical experts, World Health Organisation, even the Central government on the extent of testing. The politically motivated approach to view the battle against Covid-19, including large-scale testing, taking precautions, providing medical and other frontline working staff with protection gear, reporting and sharing information, managing contacts of those infected by the disease as a race towards the bottom, and to hope to emerge politically unscathed by showing least numbers singularly is a reflection of the worst possible mindset during a global pandemic. Having wrongly placed the brand of Hyderabad and Telangana over the health and life of people, who expectantly looked up to the state to protect it, was most unfair and terribly disappointing of a popularly elected government. It was therefore obvious that judiciary was the last resort of hope for the over four crore people of Telangana, which did not even react positively to the Central government advisory on the matter. Rising to the momentous occasion, the bench of Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chouhan and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy rightly directed the K. Chandrashekar Rao government to start testing the dead, increase testing numbers, and make quarantine rules of those who are returning from different parts of the country more stringent. The honble court also took the moral onus to call out the bureaucratic chicanery of changing red zones into orange and orange into green and sought reports in particular from the district collectors of Suryapet and Nirmal. The HC has exposed the Trojan horse. It is not for the government to choose for truth over one-upmanship and sincerely fight the pandemic. JOLIET, IL Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow is asking the voters to re-elect him to a seventh term of office in November's election. On Wednesday, Joliet private practice lawyer Rick Munoz told Joliet Patch he will be running as the Republican candidate. Munoz said he plans to unseat Glasgow, calling the long-time state's attorney a major disappointment amid the coronavirus outbreak. Munoz said Glasgow has been largely invisible during the pandemic. Meanwhile, numerous local small businesses across Will County have sustained economic ruin amid Gov. J.B. Pritzker's executive order forcing bars, sit-down restaurants, hair salons, health clubs, barbershops, jewelry stores and a host of others to remain off-limits to walk-in traffic the past three months, Munoz said. "The biggest thing, honestly, is the shutdown," Munoz told Joliet Patch's editor Wednesday. "The governor had only 30 days of emergency power." Munoz said that Glasgow should have been working with Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley letting the governor know that the Illinois State Police would not be arresting people in Will County if small local businesses choose to stay open and defy Pritzker's order to keep Illinois businesses closed during the pandemic. Munoz also said that Glasgow is a no-show at the Will County Courthouse. "He's absent," Munoz said. "He doesn't come to the courthouse. He's completely absent when you're talking about people's rights. And with the continued shutdown, he should have been telling (businesses) they had a right to be open. There's no need to be going through these phases." Munoz told Patch he is working with Will County GOP Chairman George Pearson to obtain the necessary petition signatures to be on the Republican ballot for November. Munoz assured Patch he will submit more than enough signatures so voters have a choice when deciding who will be their Will County State's Attorney these next four years. Story continues Pearson told Patch on Wednesday that Munoz needs to submit at least 597 valid signatures by June 1. Pearson said they plan to obtain at least 1,000 signatures. "If we get 1,000, we'll be good," Pearson said. When Patch asked Pearson if Munoz has what it takes to defeat Glasgow, one of Will County's most recognized elected officials, the GOP chairman answered, "absolutely." "Rick is a man of integrity and a vision for the law that has been missing in Will County for the last 16 years," Pearson said. Regarding Glasgow, "it's definitely time for him to go," Pearson added. Patch called Glasgow's director of public affairs, Carole Cheney, on Wednesday seeking Glasgow's reaction to the criticisms being leveled against him by Munoz. "Rather than respond to statements made by an individual who is not even at this point an official challenger who will be on the ballot in November, I am focused on continuing to protect our community's safety, health, and welfare as I have done throughout my tenure as Will County's longest serving State's Attorney," Glasgow said in a statement. State's Attorney Jim Glasgow, at right, is seeking a seventh term in November's election. File image John Ferak/Patch Munoz told Patch that earlier in his career he worked in St. Charles in the Kane County State's Attorney Office and there was an expectation the state's attorney would be a regular presence inside the courtrooms. Munoz said he has had his own law firm since 2002. This marks his first run for political office. Munoz said if he's elected by the voters of Will County, he will be a regular presence in the courtrooms of the new Will County Courthouse, which is set to open in late October. "You've got to be present," Munoz said. "You've got to be accountable. I'd look at the people of Will County like my clients, and my clients want to see me in the courtroom." Munoz said one of his other big complaints surrounds the lack of communication between the state's attorney and victims of crimes. Munoz clarified he is not talking about the role of the victims services staff, rather, his complaint involves the courtroom prosecutors. "I would be looking at victims of crimes," Munoz said. "I think they need more personal contact from the prosecutors. Guess what? Victims want to talk to people in charge, too." Munoz said that based on his interactions with crime victims at the courthouse, "they are saying there's very little contact with the state's attorney." During Wednesday's interview with Joliet Patch, one of the courthouse employees approached Munoz, whispered to him and walked away. When Patch asked what she said, Munoz said the courthouse employee told him she will be supporting his candidacy against Glasgow. Nowadays, running as a Will County Republican is an uphill climb. In the 2018 general election, all of the county offices, including two judge races, were won by Democrats. "I have the energy for it and I have the focus for it," Munoz told Patch. "In a Rick Munoz administration, people are going to know I'm around." Glasgow has won his past four elections after losing his 2000 re-election bid against Joliet attorney Jeff Tomczak. Four years later, Glasgow beat Tomczak and has remained in political power ever since. In 2012, Glasgow defeated Republican challenger Dave Carlson by a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent. Carlson later became a Will County Circuit Court judge. In the 2016 election, Glasgow ran unopposed. Joliet attorney Rick Munoz is running as a Republican for Will County State's Attorney. Image via John Ferak/Patch This article originally appeared on the Joliet Patch The company, based in Louisville, KY, provides an easy-to-use, senior friendly communications platform, that allows families, residents and staff to communicate easily through their smart phones and television screen. Additionally, it provides a pathway for telehealth and communication by physicians, hospitals and other senior-focused companies when installed in the seniors' home. Wesley, who has served as a consultant to the company for the last year, will focus on building corporate infrastructure, the continued expansion of myFamilyChannel services across senior focused industries, and securing capital for future growth. "Tim is just the person we need to take the company to the next level," said Todd Smith, Founder and CEO of myFamilyChannel. "I am honored that he believes in our mission, and I know we will make a great team." Wesley's experience in healthcare and senior living includes engineering large-scale mergers and acquisitions, launching an IPO, and building investor coalitions. He will put that expertise to work for myFamilyChannel to assist the company at this critical growth stage. "My background in senior living has been as an owner/operator, but I'm looking forward to working on the technology side of the business. Our product is a game changer, one that connects seniors to the people that care about them and for them, more seamlessly than ever before. The technology offers a platform that is adaptable, accessible and easy to use. I believe the potential is huge and the senior living vertical is just the beginning." About myFamilyChannel myFamilyChannel was developed by Odessa Studios, a healthcare technology team based in Louisville, Kentucky whose mission is to make technology simple and safe for analog natives. For more information on myFamilyChannel, please visit www.myfamilychannel.com. To learn more about myFamilyChannel, you can also contact Todd Smith at [email protected]. WATCH THE PROMO VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/410407937 WATCH THE INFORMATIVE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/QM22y6F8WgU Follow Us! On Facebook: www.facebook.com/myfamilychannelsocial/ On Instagram: www.instagram.com/myfamilychannel/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/myfamilychannel/ SOURCE myFamilyChannel Related Links http://www.myfamilychannel.com Sorry! This content is not available in your region A member of the audience looks at a screen during McKinsey & Company Korea Managing Partner Choi Won-sik's address at the 2020 Korea Times Forum held at The Plaza Seoul hotel, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Kim Bo-eun Korea drew global attention after the government, in collaboration with the private sector, managed to quickly set up testing facilities and contact tracing methods, and effectively curbed the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Global consulting firm McKinsey & Company credits the success to this efficient public-private partnership. Mass testing played a crucial role. This was enabled by biotech firm Seegene, which used an artificial intelligence (AI) based big data system to design a COVID-19 diagnostic test utilizing genetic modeling without the need of a sample. The process took three weeks; developing the test using standard techniques would have taken an estimated two to three months. The government cross-checked laboratory results and fast-tracked approval of the test kits to scale up testing capacity. The government also launched drive-through testing at 96 locations in 23 days. The testing process was streamlined to take 15 minutes, and minimizes direct contact, as the driver did not have to leave the vehicle. This enabled a testing capacity of 20,000 people a day. Drive-through testing also eliminated the need to decontaminate spaces between patients. Automated testing systems reduced the time to obtain results. The time to complete a test was reduced from 24 hours, Feb. 10, to 6 hours by Feb. 27. The government authorized the private sector to conduct testing after falling short of testing capacity during the 2015 MERS epidemic when only government entities could carry out tests. In the case of COVID-19, private laboratories provided 90 percent of the country's testing capacity. The government also cut down contact-tracing time from 24 hours in early February to 10 minutes at the end of March by incorporating a digital surveillance system that gathered information from 28 public and private organizations, including the police, mobile carriers and credit card companies. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images BART director Rebecca Saltzman blasted a police enforcement strategy in BART's "Welcome Back" plan during a Board of Directors meeting Thursday morning and asked general manager Robert Powers to revisit the language. "I asked BART staff to rewrite this extremely problematic paragraph," Saltzman wrote on Twitter on Thursday, clarifying the position that she articulated in the meeting. "These are not the top priorities of the department, and BART's Police Chief confirmed that when I asked. Priorities continue to be enforcement of serious crimes and increasing presence on trains and in stations." Syracuse, N.Y. In the final hours of a two-week countdown to the next phase of a restart, Gov. Andrew Cuomo muddied the waters about whether Central New York can enter phase two. On a talk radio show Thursday afternoon, Cuomo said a group of international experts would need to sign off on the states health data before New York can move forward into the next phase in his four-phase restart plan. Let them analyze it and if they say we should move forward, we move forward, he said. Its unclear whether those experts have already signed off on the data for Central New York, or if well have to wait to learn their results. Or whether we even need Cuomos explicit approval to start reopening phase two businesses like salons, retail outlets and offices. His comments came on the eve of an anticipated reopen date for hundreds of businesses. Local officials across Upstate spent the entire week trumpeting Friday as the start date for another phase of reopening. Its the latest wrinkle in a process thats been riddled with confusion, frustration and sloppy communication. Cuomos comments seemed to blindside Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, who had just finished telling reporters that Central New York was ready to start phase two on Friday, despite the states silence. When told about Cuomos panel of international experts afterward, McMahon said hed never heard of such a thing. McMahon later said he would wait for clarification from the state about what Cuomos comments meant. He has a call with other regional leaders and state officials at 7 p.m. tonight. In his daily calls with state officials, though, none have said that Central New York wouldnt be allowed to start phase two tomorrow, McMahon said. The rules are the rules, and weve met the metrics, McMahon said. Nobody from the control room has called and were on hold for phase two. McMahon said hes never gotten explicit approval from the state to enter phase two. But he didnt need it, he said, since this has been a data-driven process all along. If Central New York meets the metrics Cuomo established, it should be allowed to move ahead to the next phase. McMahon and his counterparts across Upstate, then, have spent all week telling business owners to get ready to start phase two on Friday. Cuomo has hardly mentioned phase two in his daily briefings, which have mainly focused on getting federal relief. Theres been minimal guidance from the state all week on phase two. Industry-specific rules that were expected last night have still not been released. Some businesses like nail salons still dont even know if theyll be included in phase two. The states muddled response left in limbo thousands of stylists, barbers, retail workers and shop owners, Destiny USA tenants, massage professionals, pet groomers and other New Yorkers desperate to get back to work. Now, as the hours tick down to Friday, local leaders and business owners are once again looking for some kind of answer from the state: Can we reopen tomorrow or not? This is an evolving story. Check back later for more information as we learn it. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources McMahon: Central New York to begin biggest phase two reopening Friday, despite states silence Wording on phase 2 of NY reopening tweaked: All office jobs now included Syracuse AD John Wildhack anticipating reduced Carrier Dome capacity during football season Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here. Eddie Gancayco spent three decades working in food service at some of New Yorks most prestigious institutions, including Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan. As manager of the cafeteria and catering there the last half-dozen years, he helped feed the hospitals doctors and nurses. Some of the same doctors and nurses treated him during his six-week battle with the new coronavirus. He died of complications of the infection on May 6 at 62. Mr. Gancayco was one of the growing number of nonmedical workers who kept hospitals clean and safe and their staff members nourished before succumbing to the virus themselves. Guwahati/Agartala, May 28 : Amidst the COVID-19 surge, around three lakh people have been affected as the pre-monsoon flood situation deteriorated in eleven districts of Assam, officials said on Thursday. Officials of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that roughly 20,000 people are taking shelter at relief camps at Nalbari, Goalpara and Tinsukia districts while other affected people have made their own makeshift arrangements at higher places. The ASDMA officials said that heavy and incessant rain since Tuesday has led to the flooding of 321 villages in 11 of Assam's 33 districts while a man drowned at Rongjuli village in western Assam's Goalpara district on Wednesday. Of the 11 districts, Goalpara, Nalbari and Tinsukia are the worst affected. According to the officials, most rivers are in spate but the mighty Brahmaputra, Jia Bharali and Puthimari are flowing above the danger mark in Jorhat, Sonitpur and Kamrup districts respectively. The officials said that the floods have so far damaged crops in 2,678 hectares and affected 44,331 domestic animals and 9,350 poultry. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal held a meeting with senior officials of the concerned departments in Guwahati on Wednesday and Thursday and reviewed the flood situation in the state. He asked the officials to ensure the all Covid-19 protocols including social distancing, hand washing, wearing of masks are continued at the relief camps in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus during the flood season. "The Chief Minister has also directed all the Deputy Commissioners to keep ready soap, water for hand washing and masks for inmates and to sanitize the flood relief camps. He also asked the district administrations to ensure that no irregularities take place while distributing relief to the flood affected people," an official in the Chief Minister's secretariat said. The incessant rain accompanied by a nor'wester (also known as "Kalbaisakhi") and water-logging also affected life in Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Meghalaya. Officials in Itanagar said that a woman and her two children were buried alive in a landslide at Arzoo village in Dibang Valley district on Monday night. Incessant rain for the last couple of days triggered the landslides and floods that left trails of large scale devastation in the entire state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier on Tuesday also warned of extremely heavy rainfall in Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Several parts of Assam and neighbouring states have been receiving heavy rain since super cyclone Amphan weakened last week. IMD director Dilip Saha told IANS on Thursday that pre-monsoon rains occurred in most parts of the northeastern region as the normal monsoon is expected to enter the region in the first or second week of June. A Chorus of US Lawmakers Call for Immediate Investigation into George Floyd Killing U.S. lawmakers have called for a federal investigation into the death of Mr. George Floyd, echoing the Presidents orders to the Department of Justice and FBI. Many lawmakers made public statements condemning the brutal death of Floyd and called on the DOJ to investigate the exact circumstances. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said that public outrage should fuel justice and bring about an end to racism. No Americans should fear enmity and harm from those sworn to protect us. The death of George Floyd must not be in vain: Our shock and outrage must grow into collective determination to extinguish forever such racist abuse, Romney said Thursday. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) in a statement said the actions of the police officer involved was not warranted by the circumstances presented in the video. It must be stopped, and thosewhatever their profession, whatever their motivationmust be held accountable for actions unjustified by circumstances or fact. What happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis on Monday recalls the tragic deaths of so, so many others before. I call on the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation of Mr. Floyds killing immediately, Hoyer said Wednesday. The same day, one Minnesota Congressman praised the Minneapolis Police Chief for firing the police officers involved in the death of Floyd but he said an investigation must lead to rooting out the inequities in the criminal justice system. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), I also join my colleagues in the federal delegation, led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, in calling for a swift and exhaustive investigation at all levels of law enforcementincluding at the federal level. Mr. Floyds family deserves justice. My hope is that by fully prosecuting this case in pursuit of that, we can also begin to seriously address the inequities in our criminal justice system and focus on saving lives, including the lives of black men who have suffered disproportionately under it for centuries. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) along with Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman calling for accountability for George Floyds death. The congresswomen said while local investigations were in process, they wanted to see an independent oversight of law enforcement at all levels. We urge you to ensure that all evidence is quickly secured, including all video footage, and to aggressively pursue justice, the lawmakers wrote. Mr. Floyds death appears to be yet another horrifying instance of excessive force leading to the death of African Americans across this country, the lawmakers continued. The same day, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) condemned the killing and called for a thorough investigation, There should be a federal investigation, not only into those police departments, but as appropriate their days offices and what it also should happen is that there should be a federal investigation into civil rights abuses. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), on Wednesday, called for the arrest of police officers involved in the killing of Floyd. Saying, Firing the officers that killed #GeorgeFloyd was the right first move. The second? Arrest them. #icantbreathe. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has ordered the DOJ and FBI to expedite an investigation into the death of George Floyd. At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd, Trump said on Twitter. I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement, he said. My heart goes out to Georges family and friends. Justice will be served! Credit: Technical University of Denmark If you make your bio-product 100% sustainable it may be way too expensive to produce. If you make it less environmentally friendly, you may, at some point, end up having a feasible product that can compete on market terms. But is it still sustainable? This balancing game is very real to lots of companies producing bio-chemicals; that is chemicals produced from biomass instead of petroleum which chemicals are conventionally made from. Now, a group of scientists specializing in so-called techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessments (LCAs) have come up with a framework to ease this balancing. The framework is important to make informed decisions, explains Adjunct and first author behind a recent study in Trends in Biotechnology, Olafur Ogmundarson: "By combining economic and environmental impacts in a monetary single score we can measure the trade-offs between these two indicators when assessing sustainability of biochemicals or biochemical processes. This is necessary, because biochemicals are not per default sustainable just because they are bio-based," he says. Olafur Ogmundarson, now Adjunct at University of Iceland, is former Senior Sustainable-Innovation Manager at The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability at DTU, where he and his DTU co-workers performed most of this research. Shifting the burden With this framework, research and development unitsboth at universities and companiescan assess the true sustainability of biochemicals and optimize the performance both from an environmental and an economic viewpoint. Basically, the framework can be used to find hotspots, or especially problematic steps, in the production process and help the company shift the burden on the balance to find the golden spot where economy and sustainability outweigh each other. "There is a lot to gain by applying both methodologies for a truly sustainable future, because we all need chemicals and their different applications. We just need them to be sustainable!" Useful in early phase of development This framework makes it possible to develop sustainable bio-chemicals by choosing the right biomass input, fermentation process, downstream processes etc. for a given bio-compound. Without assessing both the environmental and economic sustainability from an early stage of development, companies may end up with some high-damage steps that could, or should, be eliminated. "The framework might show that at an early stage of development it is possible to optimize a certain production step to get the highest return on investment and simultaneously cause the lowest environmental impacts. This framework is a way to assess the full impact of a product or processnot just looking at either economy or sustainability, which is unfortunately rather common today." Money talks In order to make a TEA-LCA assessment and ending up with a monetary single score for a given bio-product, the researchers had to translate environmental impacts into a monetary value in order to compare economy and sustainability factors directly. This is imperative, Olafur Ogmundarson explains: "Let us take an example. A new molecule is being developed in a laboratory. It shows great market potential, and the economic indicator is, therefore, good. This is despite that a lot of energy, toxic chemicals and water are used in the production process. Because these inputs are cheap, they don't have an impact on the economic indicator. But they have huge negative environmental impact. So, the environmental indicators have to be converted into money to count equally in the framework." The devil is in the detail Unfortunately, this framework is not 'plug-and-play' to ordinary people and still require a lot of knowledge about TEA and LCA. "To create an online tool for everyone to use would, of course, be ideal, but it is also not easy. The devil is in the detail. We need to know the estimated materials needed and energy inputs and outputs for the different process steps. So, based on the current setup of the framework, individual cases must be assessed independently." Going forward, the researchers hope to develop this framework further. This includes exploring other ways of monetizing environmental damages and expand which costs are included in the calculations. "We need to find a way to include the social pillar of sustainability in the framework; worker's rights, working conditions, salary etc. and we would welcome collaboration on developing the framework further. This applies to both researchers and companies," he concludes. More information: Olafur Ogmundarson et al, Combining Environmental and Economic Performance for Bioprocess Optimization, Trends in Biotechnology (2020). Journal information: Trends in Biotechnology Olafur Ogmundarson et al, Combining Environmental and Economic Performance for Bioprocess Optimization,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.04.011 Business transformation specialists Signavio and Deloitte have announced a new global partnership. The announcement brings together both companies to address the growing worldwide demand for solutions and services in the areas of digital transformation, process digitization, and automation. The partnership supports global users across all digital transformation projects, including the areas of process excellence, ERP transformation, RPA, risk and compliance, and customer excellence. To drive these global projects, the partnership will utilize the entire solution portfolio of the Signavio Business Transformation Suite an integrated solution platform for modeling, managing, analyzing, optimizing, and executing business processes. The Suite includes modern technologies like process and decision management, process mining, and customer journey mapping. "Signavio is continuing its corporate growth trajectory globally. To achieve this, we rely on strategic alliances to strengthen our consulting and technology partner program," says Dr. Gero Decker, co-founder and CEO at Signavio. "The cooperation offers us the opportunity to develop additional industry and customer segments on a larger scale. We're excited by this partnership announcement with Deloitte," Dr. Decker adds. As part of the partnership, Signavio and Deloitte, a leading global provider of audit and consulting services, will pursue a jointly designed go-to-market strategy. "We see a significant increase in demand for solutions across process management, optimization, and automation," explains Olly Salzmann, Managing Director of Deloitte KI GmbH. Julian Lebherz, Head of the Center for Process Bionics at Deloitte, explains: "With our Process Bionics approach, and Signavio's technology expertise, we are already able to integrate data-driven process analysis with holistic digitization and automation." In the Center for Process Bionics, Deloitte combines its worldwide expertise in process mining with a holistic management approach that delivers a dynamic, continuous application of gained insights across the entire company. The approach follows the model of natural processes such as neural networking, growth, adaptation, and evolution. Signavio's business transformation and process management solutions will form an integral part of Deloitte's Process Bionics offering. About Signavio Over 1 million users in more than 1,500 organizations worldwide rely on Signavio's unique offering to make process part of their DNA. With its powerful mining, modelling and automation capabilities, Signavio's Business Transformation Suite is a cloud-based management platform that enables mid-size and large organizations to understand, improve and transform all of their business processes faster than ever and at scale, providing new levels of business process speed and real-time intelligence. Its intelligent decision-making tools address digital transformation, operational excellence and customer centricity, placing them at the heart of the world's leading organizations. Headquartered in Berlin, with offices in the US, UK, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada, Singapore, Japan, India and Australia, Signavio has helped optimize over 1 million processes across the globe. www.signavio.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005035/en/ Contacts: Geraldine Teboul Global SVP Marketing geraldine.teboul@signavio.com +49 151 540 70110 +33 6 68 79 64 50 or Kyle Tildsley signavio@pancomm.com +617 502 4300 Events that echo what we have seen happen to too many people, too many times in too many places, and yet we as people have not yet found the humanity to stop these vile, horrid acts from happening, to truly contend with the racism that permeates our society, and then to root it out, Pritzker said at his daily news briefing on Wednesday, in East St. Louis. As a white elected official, I feel a special responsibility to speak out today and to own the obligation that I have to shape public policy in a more equitable direction. Being black in America cannot be a death sentence, but it is. In some ways, it is. And its dangerous to pretend otherwise. We must actually do something to change that reality, to make it so men like George Floyd are not killed on a street corner, gasping for air in broad daylight. TORONTO - TD Bank Group and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce have fallen in line with the rest of Canada's Big Six financial institutions in reporting significant drops in profit and increases in their provisions for credit losses. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/5/2020 (602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A TD Canada Trust branch is shown in the financial district in Toronto on August 22, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette TORONTO - TD Bank Group and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce have fallen in line with the rest of Canada's Big Six financial institutions in reporting significant drops in profit and increases in their provisions for credit losses. TD revealed Thursday that its second-quarter profit slipped to nearly $1.52 billion or 80 cents per diluted share, down from $3.17 billion or $1.70 per diluted share a year ago. Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of 89 cents per share for the period ended April 30, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv. On an adjusted basis, the bank earned 85 cents per share in its most recent quarter, down from $1.75 in the same quarter last year. "This quarter we went through tremendous headwinds...as we absorbed a substantial increase in provisions for performing loans as well as market pressure from the steep drop in interest rates," said chief executive Bharat Masrani on a call with analysts. "A tough quarter, no question, but one that demonstrates the resilience of our model and our strategy." The fluctuations matched the patterns of many other banks that reported earnings earlier in the week and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce who hosted its quarterly call hours before TD. CIBC shared that it earned $392 million or 83 cents per share for in its second quarter, down from a profit of $1.35 billion or $2.95 per share in the same quarter last year. On an adjusted basis, it reported a profit of 94 cents per share, a drop from $2.97 per share during the same period last year. Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of $1.58 per share for the quarter, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv. "This is our moment of truth," said chief executive Victor Dodig on a call with analysts. While the conditions that created the bank's decreases are unlikely to abate soon, he believes CIBC has the resources to cope with such troubles. "Economic headwinds are likely to be here for the near term," he said. "While there are many unknowns related to the pandemic, its effect on the economy and the path to recovery, what is certain is our strong capital liquidity will allow us to withstand ongoing stress." The banks were largely weighed down by payment deferral programs they rolled to give relief to Canadians struggling with financial hardships. Their provisions for credit losses were much higher than in past quarters. TD's soared to nearly $3.22 billion from $633 million during the same period a year ago, while CIBC put aside $1.41 billion, up from the $255 million it reported in its previous second quarter. All of Canada's big banks have announced dramatic increases in their provisions for credit losses due to the pandemic. Some of their leaders have warned the pandemic is "not a garden-variety recession" and said the economy is scraping "the bottom of the barrel." They have hinted that their provisions for credit losses could grow a prediction some analysts have made as they forecast much uncertainty and further declines in future quarters. Barclays analyst John Aiken said in a note to investors Thursday that CIBC opted to take significant reserves up front and that should be viewed positively. "However, given the lukewarm reception that Royal received when it took a similar strategy, we are not certain that the implications will be immediately rewarded by the market," he said. Solid allowances and a strong capital ratio have meant the relative outlook for CIBC appears to have improved. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. He noticed TD was showing some "underlying resiliency" in its business model as well as solid contributions from its capital markets and retail brokerage exposures. "TD appears to have taken a more conservative approach to provisioning than the initial banks reporting," he said. "While we would expect TD to benefit from the relative strength of its earnings, we may also see the market potentially take a revisionist view to the banks that may not have been arguably as conservative in their approach to the outlook for credit." With files from Craig Wong This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:TD, TSX:CM, TSX:RY) Editors note: Kathleen Tantuico is a recent graduate of the UP College of Law and passed the 2019 Bar examinations. She has a graduate diploma in Archaeology from the UP Archaeological Studies Program. She specialized in Cultural Heritage and History at the Ateneo. She is currently a member of the National Committee on Monuments and Sites under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) Remnants of the Philippines colonial history are remembered through significant Spanish-era churches, stone houses, monuments, and other historical sites scattered all over the Philippines. These structures are identified by official heritage markers attached on visible areas within their premises. Heritage markers not only bear the cultural and historical significance of a building or space. They also indicate that such structure or area must be preserved and protected from destruction. As May, National Cultural Heritage Month, comes to a close, it is important to raise awareness on an important aspect of Philippine heritage: what is a heritage marker, and why is it crucial in ensuring the protection and preservation of significant heritage structures? The inscription of heritage markers on heritage structures can be traced back to the 1970s, when then-President Marcos declared numerous historical and cultural structures as National Cultural Treasures, National Shrines, Monuments and Landmarks. At that time, these heritage markers merely declared the historical and cultural significance of heritage buildings or sites, and provided no other legal implications. In 2010, the Philippine Congress passed the National Cultural Heritage Law to address the destruction of heritage sites in the country. During the deliberations prior to the enactment of the law, senators expressed concern over the destruction of historical buildings to construct roads and other large-scale development projects. In particular, one senator bared that a declared historical area in Cagayan de Oro was deliberately destroyed for the construction of a bridge. Senator Edgardo Angara, one of the sponsors of this law, then explained that had there been a law protecting the historical area, a permit from the National Museum should have first been obtained before demolishing the historical site. Hence, the Heritage Law supplemented existing laws to intensify the protection of cultural heritage in the country. Today, heritage markers are visible signs that a built structure or an open site bears cultural or historical significance to the country. These structures are protected by law, and must not be demolished or altered without being sanctioned by the appropriate government agency. Under the said law, the following immovable cultural properties are entitled to a heritage marker: National Cultural Treasures; Important Cultural Property; National Historical Shrines; National Historical Monuments; National Historical Landmarks, and World Heritage Sites. The Church of San Mattias in Timauini, Isabela. Photo by ELVIRA A. TANKIAMCO/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS The Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila. Photo by JASON IAN YAP/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS National Cultural Treasures possess outstanding historical, cultural, artistic, and scientific value, which is highly significant to the country, as determined by either the National Museum (NM) or the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). An example of this is the Church of San Mattias in Timauini, Isabela. This Spanish-era stone church with a unique cylindrical bell tower is the only one of its kind in the Philippines. Other examples are Fort Pilar in Zamboanga City as a historic site; and Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte as a Spanish Colonial lighthouse. Important Cultural Properties have exceptional cultural, artistic, and historical significance to the Philippines, as determined by either the NM or the NHCP. These include the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila; and the Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice in the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. National Historical Shrines are historical sites or structures revered for their history, as determined by the NHCP. These include the site of the Battle of Mactan in Cebu, which is the site where Lapulapu killed the Portugese explorer Magellan. National Historical Monuments are structures that honor illustrious persons or commemorate events of historical value, as determined by the NHCP. The Jose Rizal monument in Luneta Park is one example. National Historical Landmarks are sites or structures that are associated with events or achievements significant in Philippine history, as determined by the NHCP. An example of this is the Leyte Landing Site in Tacloban, Leyte, the site where General Douglas returned to the Philippines in World War II. Lastly, World Heritage Sites are heritage sites that not only have national significance, but also have unique characteristics that are significant to world heritage, as declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Office (UNESCO). An example of this is the Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao, Ilo-ilo. The Battle of Mactan Monument in Cebu. Photo by JSINGLADOR/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS The Rizal Monument at the Luneta Park in Manila. Photo by JEN ACABA/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS The Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao, Ilo-ilo. Photo by HARRY BALAIS/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Heritage Buildings are significant not only for their historical value, but also because of the soundness of their physical integrity. It is through these structures that we are still able to glimpse into the Spanish-era Philippines. Marked heritage structures, as well as the markers themselves, must not be defaced or destroyed. They must also maintain their overall appearance and authenticity. Thus, buildings and areas with heritage markers are also entitled to government funding for protection, conservation and restoration, even during times of armed conflict, natural circumstances and other exceptional events. The NHCP or the NM can also suspend activities in the building or site, if its physical integrity is in danger. The specific cultural agency that determined the heritage structures cultural significance is also indicated on a heritage marker. Hence, if a marked building has been destroyed, or is threatened with destruction through unauthorized renovation, real-estate development, road-widening projects, or demolition, and even vandalism, either the NHCP or the NM must be informed immediately. In fact, a hefty fine of 200,000 or even imprisonment of at most 10 years await any person who destroys, demolishes marked heritage structures. In 2018, charges were filed against a parish priest for the unauthorized renovation of a Spanish-era convent that was declared an Important Cultural Property. Even unmarked historical structures are protected by the law. Structures that are at least 50 years old are presumed as Important Cultural Properties, and can be officially declared and marked as such later on. Numerous unmarked Spanish-era historical structures have been spared from destruction, thanks to this provision. For example, in 2019, the NHCP saved an unmarked 243-year old watch tower in Maasin, Leyte from being destroyed by a road-widening project. A parish priest was also stopped from renovating an unmarked Spanish-era convent in Iloilo without securing a permit from the NHCP. Any interested person can file a petition to have an unmarked historical structure or site officially declared as either a National Cultural Treasure or an Important Cultural Property. To do this, they must file a petition with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Stakeholders such as Local Government Units, cultural and tourism councils and schools will then be summoned to participate in the deliberation process, which the NM or the NHCP must resolve within 90 days. Heritage markers not only inform the public about heritage structures importance to Filipino history and culture. They also work to shield these historic structures from destruction. This ensures that their appearance is closest to how they appeared centuries ago. Being able to experience them as such, the present generation can now be linked to the previous generations, which is one way by which cultural heritage can truly be experienced. The US and India must develop a plan to counter a possible effort by China to strengthen its position in the Indian Ocean by deepening ties with Pakistan and Sri Lanka by taking advantage of their economic woes due to the coronavirus pandemic, an American think-tank has said. There have been considerable concerns in India over China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean region. India has been trying to expand maritime cooperation with countries of the region including Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Singapore, primarily with an aim to check the growing Chinese assertiveness. According to the Hudson Institute think-tank, the coronavirus pandemic threatens not only lives and livelihoods in South Asia; it could also be the precursor of significant political and strategic shifts in the region. The Bangladesh and Indian economies will survive the devastation, but their governments will have to restore growth by protecting and encouraging investment, the think-tank said in a report jointly authored by Indian-origin Hudson research scholar Aparna Pande and former Pakistan Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani. "Pakistan and Sri Lanka will likely move in the direction of negative growth and will need debt relief from their international creditors. Without it, Sri Lanka faces the prospect of a sovereign debt default. Both countries are likely to look to China as their benefactor, as their leaders have tended to do for a while," it said. According to the report titled "Crisis from Kolkata to Kabul: COVID-19's Impact on South Asia", China will most likely press its advantage by bailing out South Asia's indebted governments, "in exchange for its pound of flesh". "This would come at the expense of India's security and US influence in the region. India and the United States must develop a plan to counter efforts China will likely make to strengthen its position in the Indian Ocean by deepening ties with Pakistan and Sri Lanka," said the Hudson report, released this week. Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been a target of Beijing's ambitious Belt and Road (BRI) scheme, criticised for creating 'debt traps' by burdening fiscally weak countries with unsustainable debt. The BRI is Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature global infrastructure policy. First announced in 2013, the project promises to build ports, roads and railways to revive the ancient Silk Road and create new trade corridors linking China to Asia, Africa and Europe. The BRI also includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which India opposed as it goes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In December 2017, Sri Lanka handed over the control of the southern sea port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease, triggering concern over Beijing's efforts to expand influence in the Indian Ocean region. Beijing has recently granted an "urgent" loan of USD 500 million to Colombo to help it fight the virus, which has infected over 1,465 people and claimed 10 lives in the country. Earlier this month, China inked a USD 5.8 billion deal with Islamabad to build a dam in Gilgit-Baltistan, a move strongly opposed by India which said that carrying out such projects in territories under Pakistan's illegal occupation was not proper. The IMF has recently approved a loan of USD 500 million to cash-strapped Pakistan to cope with the economic crisis being posed by the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected over 59,000 people and killed more than 1,220. The country has also sought additional loans from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to tide over the crisis. The report said India's initiative to develop a regional response to the threat posed by COVID-19 has been undermined by Pakistan's insistence on raising the Kashmir issue even in this challenging time. "Given that Pakistan has fewer resources to further its military buildup against India, it is likely to escalate the use of sub conventional warfare (terrorism) in an effort to gain the upper hand against much-larger India," the report noted. Pakistan, it said, might seek relief from terrorism-related strictures on grounds that it needs space to deal with the coronavirus emergency. International pressure, especially Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray-list sanctions targeting Pakistan, might be needed to restrain the worst anti-Indian impulses of its civil and military leaders, the report added. In the past, Pakistan has used natural disasters to expand terrorist infiltrations into Kashmir and India. Indian officials are concerned that Pakistan could use the COVID-19 crisis as a distraction to do the same, the report observed. "Although a full-blown war in the subcontinent is unlikely, tensions between India and Pakistan will probably continue to impede efforts for regional cooperation. Such cooperation could ease the task of economic reconstruction that will almost certainly take place when the pandemic has died down. India could, and probably will, try to work with other countries in the region, but not Pakistan," the report said. In the workhorse competitive labor market model used by economists, knowing whom we work for is irrelevant for understanding the sources of wage risk and wage inequality. Workers carry the risk of shocks to their productivity wherever they work, and they bear it fully. But imperfections in the labor, credit, and insurance markets weaken this extreme view. Job search costs on the two sides of the labor market, as well as the presence of non-monetary components that workers or firms value, such as job amenities or employee loyalty, imply rents from the employment relationship. Wages deviate from marginal productivity and become dependent on firm characteristics, such as profits, value added, or other measures of performance. Alternatively, asymmetries in access to credit or insurance may lead to the establishment of long-term employment relationships in which firms partially insure workers wages against productivity risks, with the transmission of firm shocks onto wages becoming a function of differences in risk tolerance as well as limits on the feasible set of contracts, such as workers inability to make some types of commitments. A growing literature in labor economics has thus tried to quantify the role of the firm in explaining the structure and evolution of wages, the types of risks that individuals face over the life cycle, how individuals respond to these risks, and important welfare and policy questions. This summary describes some of my recent work on these issues. Measuring Shocks and Pass-Through Measuring the linkages between wages and firm performance is challenging due to various confounding factors, such as aggregate, geographic, or industry shocks that alter workers outside options rather than the rents from the employment relationship. Recent work has tackled these challenges using administrative employer-employee data with detailed information on both wages and firm performance. A strand of the empirical literature started by John Abowd, Francis Kramarz, and David Margolis documents systematic firm effects on wages and a positive correlation between firm and worker fixed effects consistent with production complementarities arising from assortative matching of highly productive workers and highly productive firms.1 A related literature studies the pass-through of firm-related shocks onto wages. An early example of the pass-through literature using employer-employee data is my paper with Luigi Guiso and Fabiano Schivardi, which analyzes worker social security and firm balance sheet records from Italy.2 One challenge, common to the entire literature, is how to measure firm shocks. We use unexplained variation in value added, which we argue is a sensible metric of firm performance as it measures the volume of contractible output that remains once intermediate inputs have been remunerated. An important novelty of our work is the distinction between permanent and transitory firm shocks, which in principle may help separate rent sharing from partial insurance interpretations of the pass-through coefficient. A key finding is that wages appear insulated from transitory shocks but respond, albeit partially, to permanent changes in the firms fortunes. One explanation is that diversified access to insurance or credit markets allows firms to absorb transitory shocks, but bankruptcy constraints prevent full insurance of permanent shocks, requiring wages to adjust. We also find that the estimated pass-through effect is larger for workers with greater responsibilities in the firm, such as high-level executives, and for firms with lower performance variance. Remarkably, these qualitative findings have been replicated for several other countries, including the United States.3 Recent studies have departed from a pure statistical methodology of measuring firm shocks and searched instead for quasi experiments in which the firm faces exogenous shifts in its fortunes, such as a product market or technology shock. For instance, Patrick Kline, Neviana Petkova, Heidi Williams, and Owen Zidar measure firm shocks with the allowance of patent applications by US firms.4 Figure 1 Implications for Lifetime Risk Two implications of the foregoing evidence are that firm risk may represent a significant component of the lifetime uncertainty faced by workers, and that firm-induced wage risk can help us understand how consumers respond to uncertainty shocks. A positive pass-through means that workers partake of the bad as well as the good fortunes of the firm. Under standard assumptions about preferences, workers are more willing to pay to avoid bad states of nature than to increase the chance of good ones. Guiso, Schivardi, and I calculated that firm-related shocks could explain about half of the workers permanent unexplained wage risk, which is more welfare-relevant than transitory wage risk. A limitation of this calculation is that it is based on a sample of job stayers, which may understate the role of firm shocks, since part of the adjustment may come from job-to-job switches or movements across employment states. Wage risk and employment risk indeed go hand in hand, as emphasized in the literature on the persistent wage scarring effects of job displacement. Benjamin Friedrich, Lisa Laun, Costas Meghir, and I use administrative data from Sweden to account for the effect of firm-specific shocks on both wages and labor market transitions.5 We calculate that by age 55 about 40 percent of the cross-sectional variance in wages of high-skill workers is attributable to firm-level shocks. For unskilled workers this is only about 6 percent, a finding potentially consistent with union protection an important institutional feature of the Swedish labor market being more important for them. To better understand the implications of our findings, we simulate our model of counterfactual scenarios in which we change the nature of wage variability over the life cycle of a worker. In one scenario, we eliminate any pass-through of firm shocks onto wages but keep match effects such as those attributable to production complementarities across workers. In another scenario, we shut down all firm effects. We find that the variance of wages over the life cycle declines substantially when eliminating firm shocks, but less so when only match productivity shocks are eliminated. Given that the impact of firm shocks on earnings can be attenuated through job mobility, in another counterfactual experiment we eliminate job-to-job moves or quits into unemployment. If workers cannot move or quit, shocks stay with them longer and cannot be avoided, resulting in higher variances over the life cycle. This is mostly due to pass-through of firm-specific shocks. Hence, workers mobility represents an implicit form of insurance against the transmission of firm-specific risk. This insurance is imperfect, however, since mobility is significantly limited by job market frictions. A decrease in the frequency of job-to-job moves has been shown to indicate declining labor market fluidity and firm-level employment volatility.6 Nicholas Bloom, Fatih Guvenen, John Sabelhaus, Sergio Salgado, Jae Song and I use administrative US Social Security data to document that the Great Moderation the period of reduced economic volatility between the mid-1980s and the onset of the Great Recession observed at the firm and macro levels extends to workers wages as well, contradicting earlier evidence from survey data.7 We show that declining wage volatility can be reconciled with the well-known finding of increasing wage inequality because of a strong simultaneous decline in mobility across the wage distribution. We also find that the two micro forms of moderation appear related, consistent with a pass-through of firm-related shocks onto wages. Figure 1 shows the relationship between wage growth volatility and firm employment growth volatility, measured by the 9010 percentile difference, in data aggregated at the industry/year level. These findings are confirmed when looking at firm-level variation, which allows us to control more convincingly for sorting of high-risk workers into high-risk firms, and hence to better assess the causality of the relationship. Implications for Saving Behavior Andreas Fagereng, Guiso, and I go beyond the question of how much firm shocks matter for wages and analyze the implications of these shocks for household finance. In particular, we study how firm-induced wage risk, which is outside the control of the worker, affects wealth accumulation and financial portfolio composition. In a first study, we use Norwegian administrative data to test whether consumers respond to the increased wage risk that is induced by a decline in the firms fortunes by accumulating precautionary savings.8 Our estimates are consistent with the presence of a moderate degree of prudence, even in a setting, like Norway, where the government provides substantial social insurance. This is because wage risk, unlike unemployment risk, remains largely uninsured. In a second study, we test whether households tilt their portfolio away from risky assets when facing greater human capital risk because they work for a particular employer.9 We document that the effects of background risk are heterogeneous across the wealth distribution. This heterogeneity comes from two sources: a pass-through channel, whereby the effect of firm shocks is larger for wealthier workers, either because they have a greater ability to self-insure and hence demand less insurance from the firm, or because they have greater bargaining power when splitting rents from the employment relationship; and a background risk channel whereby wealthier workers are less sensitive at the margin to an increase in background risk. We conclude that background risk is an important determinant of portfolio allocations, and that it discourages stockholding significantly only for those at the bottom of the wealth distribution. For those at the top it has negligible effects. This has an important implication for asset prices: because most stocks are held by the wealthy, background risk has little effect on aggregate demand for stocks, and thus on stock returns. Future Directions There is convincing and relatively uncontroversial evidence that idiosyncratic firm shocks transmit onto wages. The evidence is consistent with several theoretical explanations, and more research on which one best fits the data would certainly be useful. More research could also be directed at studying how firm-related risk affects other important household finance decisions, such as why households hold very heterogeneous risky portfolios, contrary to the predictions of standard models such as the Capital Asset Pricing Model. One prominent explanation is hedging of human capital risk, which significantly depends on firm-induced risk. The long-term nature of the employer-employee relationship also implies repeated interactions among workers employed at the same firm. Giacomo De Giorgi, Anders Frederiksen, and I studied consumption network effects using firm shocks as a source of exogenous variation in peers consumption.10 In principle, the firm may also facilitate coworkers insurance exchanges with respect to specific wage and consumption shocks, although the empirical relevance of this activity is yet to be established. The climax fell on the first week of May, when medics observed the average of 500 new cases every day ABC News Ukraine is already past the climax of the coronavirus pandemic. This was mentioned during the press conference of the workgroup that performs mathematic modeling of Covid-19-related issues in Ukraine. According to the scientists, the climax fell in the first week of May, when medics observed the average of 500 new cases every day. "Currently, the peak is left behind, however, the fall of the curve of new cases of infection is quite soft, and we're witnessing the decrease of the daily rate", said Anatoliy Zahorodniy, the Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences. The Academy workers also said that since May 10, the epidemic appears to be fading under a more optimistic scenario. It foresees that the number of infected people in Ukraine could exceed 29,000, and the number of lethal cases could reach 1,000. According to Ukraine's Healthcare Ministry, as of early May 28, Ukraine had 22,282 cases of Covid-19, 669 of these had lethal outcome. Sixteen cases are observed in the Armed Forces. Sarah Roza has revealed she's had a neck and jaw lift, raving about the 'non-invasive procedure' in a post on Instagram. The 40-year-old former Married At First Sight star shared a photo of herself looking revitalised and credited the 'Nefertiti Lift' with giving her a 'youthful appearance'. 'Did you know that one of the most sensual parts on a woman's body is her neck?' she wrote, explaining the procedure. Before and after: Sarah Roza has revealed she's had a neck and jaw lift, raving about the 'non-invasive procedure' in a post on Instagram on Wednesday. Pictured before (left) and after (right) 'It's a highly erogenous zone & such a delicate part of the female form. A beautifully youthful neck, jawline & decolletage is one of the most sought after looks these days...' Sarah revealed she had recently visited a cosmetic surgeon's office in Melbourne to have the 'Nefertiti Lift'. 'Named after the Egyptian Queen with the famously lovely jawline, a Nefertiti Lift is a non-invasive procedure where tiny amounts of injectables help to subtly lift & tighten the muscles around the neck & jawline to create a more youthful appearance,' she explained. Getting a lift: Sarah revealed she had recently visited a cosmetic surgeon's office in Melbourne to have the 'Nefertiti Lift' The 2018 MAFS alum has previously boasted about her 'love' of injectables, telling fans on Instagram Stories in May 2018 she's a fan of Botox. 'Heaps of you have asked if I have anti-wrinkle injections and I do, because I love them,' she said at the time, as reported by Daily Mail Australia. 'I only have it just in my forehead and in between my brows, and on the sides of my brows to give them a lift.' Wrinkle-free: The 2018 MAFS alum has previously boasted about her 'love' of injectables, telling fans on Instagram Stories in May 2018 she's a fan of Botox Sarah said she feels 'fresh' after undergoing the cosmetic procedure, and loves the results she gets. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia in 2018, Sarah revealed that she's never been under the knife and prefers non-invasive procedures instead. 'I have had Botox on my forehead only. Everything else is au naturel, baby! I really look after myself with excellent skincare,' she explained. He paid through the nose to return to his native village in Bihar from Mumbai, among the cities worst-hit by Covid-19, but back home the future looks bleak for 20-year-old Vishal Kumar, who happens to be the sole breadwinner of his family. Out of job and with little savings left, Kumar said he might have to go back to the western metropolis if he is unable to find a job in Arwal, his home district. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage After failed attempts to find a berth in a Shramik Special train, Kumar had bought a plane ticket with almost all the money he had saved to reach Bihar, but the government, shortly after, shelved its plan to resume flight operations in mid-May. Left with no choice, he coughed up Rs 8,500 to book a seat in a private bus, which was ferrying migrants to Daltonganj in Jharkhand. I used to get a monthly salary of Rs 16,000 working for an eyewear wholesaler in Mumbai. I barely managed to save money after meeting all expenses. Now, I have little money left, and my future hangs in a balance with no job opportunity in sight amid the lockdown, Kumar said. After an exasperating bus journey for five days, he reached Daltonganj on May 20, and returned to his native place at Chulhan Bigha in Arwal district with help from his relatives. He is currently undergoing 14-day quarantine at an isolation centre near his place. Along with him, over 50 other fellow migrants, many of them Surat returnees, are lodged at a quarantine centre in Pirawa panchayat area of the district. Vijay Kumar, a middle-aged daily wager who lost his job at a private concern in Surat, told PTI over phone, I had no money left to pay rent. I thought it was best to return home. Vijay, who earned Rs 500 per day, said he was lucky to have got a berth in a Shramik Special train. The factory owner gave around 500 of us eight kilogramme of foodgrains and vegetables, before shutting down the unit on May 22, he said. Big cities extend hospitality only till you work there. Once out of work, it is difficult to arrange two meals a day. Cashless and hungry, hundreds of us returned to our native places in Bihar, Vijay added. Narrating his travel woes, Vishal Kumar said 35 of them travelled in a bus, which made stops at dhabas where they had dal-roti in a hurry. For nature calls, too, they had to patiently wait for the bus to stop at remote locations, he said. The two, however, were all praise for the arrangements made by the state government for housing migrants at the quarantine centres. We got Balti kit (bucket, towel, soap among other things) and comfortable beds set up in the classrooms of a middle school, which has been converted into a quarantine centre, Vishal said. He, was, however, sceptical about his job prospects in this eastern state. As soon as I step out of the quarantine centre, I will start looking for a job. My malik (employer) said I could return to work once the situation improves... But amid the Covid-19 crisis, I dont want to return anytime soon. If I dont find anything here, I may have to catch a train to Mumbai, he noted. Lakhs of migrants who have hurried back home in Bihar, walking, peddling bicycles and hitchhiking their way to their native places, are no longer sure if they would be able to live by Prime Minister Narendra Modis mantra of Jaan Bhi Jahaan Bhi (life as well as livelihood). The Bihar government has promised to make livelihood arrangements for the returnees after mapping their skills, but with so many having returned to the state from metropolises, it remains to be seen if they would stay put to dig earth or lay bricks under the MGNREGA scheme. Six people were killed on Wednesday in a gunfire battle that opposed two families in the southern part of Saudi Arabia. Security authorities received a report of shooting between a number of people in Al-Amoah province, the official SPA news agency reported citing Zaid Muhammad al-Sabbash, a spokesman for Aseer regions police. Three other people were injured in the shootout, according to the spokesman who also indicated that measures were taken to arrest the rest of suspects. The official did not provide reasons behind the incident but accounts on social media say the two families clashed over a plot of land. Many social media users called for banning firearms in the kingdom, Anadolu news agency reports. Its terrible, and it should not have happened, Stone said. Because the truth is, if they had done good testing from the very beginning from at least a month ago or two months ago, we would have mitigated a lot of these deaths and a lot of this horrible stuff that has happened to staff. That is the real tragedy in all of this. 'India is not going to accept whatever the Chinese say. That is not going to happen.' IMAGE: Indian soldiers stand guard as vehicles pass through the Zojila Pass on their way to the Ladakh frontier. Photograph: PTI Photo "Our military preparedness is robust. We can handle such incidents on the LAC along with the situation on the LoC and the inflitrations. Our army is well-prepared," Lieutenant General D S Hooda (retd) -- the former Northern Army commander under whose command the Indian Army conducted the surgical strikes on September 28-29, 2016 in Pakistan occupied Kashmir-- tells Archana Masih/Rediff.com in the concluding part of a two-part interview. Summer months account for heightened activity on the Line of Control with Pakistan. Now with the confrontation on the Line of Actual Control with China, does this open a two-front engagement for India? I don't think so. Even the Chinese do not want a full-fledged conflict. These are methods to put pressure by doing some moves on the LAC. I wouldn't worry because our military preparedness is robust. We can handle such incidents on the LAC along with the situation on the LoC and the inflitrations. Our army is well-prepared. Let me go back to Chumar (Eastern Ladakh) in 2014. The Chinese tried to carry out a transgression in that area ahead of Xi Jinping's visit. It happened at a time when Kashmir was under floods -- that was when the Chinese came in. No troops could have come from Kashmir to Ladakh due to the floods if it was required, but we handled it with whatever force levels were available in Ladakh at that time. So I think there are enough troops and capability to handle such incidents. I don't see it going to an all-out war, I don't think either countries want that. As if strategically timed, China asked its citizens to return from India citing the rising number of COVID-19 cases. This added to the concern that the confrontation at LAC was very serious. Didn't we get out citizens back from Wuhan and other countries? If China wants to bring its citizens back, we shouldn't read too much into it. IMAGE: A soldier from the People's Liberation Army jumps through a ring of fire during a military exercise in Shihezi, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China. Photograph: Reuters How well-trained are PLA soldiers? These are professional armies and professionally trained soldiers. Just like our soldiers are extremely well trained. I don't think we should make too much of a comparison, that would not be a professional judgment. In any case, you should never underweight your adversary. IMAGE: Both India and China have deployed additional troops in Eastern Ladakh after recent border clashes. Photograph: PTI Photo We have had these standoffs with China, but you agree that this time there seems to be a greater strategy behind that? Yes, the earlier incidents were triggered locally. Like in Dokalam they were building a road and we stepped in and that led to tensions. This time considering the area, the number of Chinese troops and preparations, it seems like a planned operation at a fairly high level. That's why I feel a resolution for this particular incident could get a little tricky because it is not something that could get triggered due to local conditions. The Chinese are saying that you stopped our patrol. I think that is just an excuse. Incidents of such scale do not happen because of one local patrol being stopped because patrols being stopped have been going on for many, many, years. There are protocols for when patrols come face to face. There is a 'banner drill' where both sides are supposed to go back and this has been going on, but this one is different. IMAGE: Indian and Chinese soldiers at the India-China border. Photograph: PTI Photo Will this standoff continue for a period of time before it is brought under control? I'll be putting myself on a limb here, but it is not going to get resolved in a hurry. After all, if the Chinese have come in with some intent, they would want to achieve some gains and India is not going to back down. India is not going to accept whatever the Chinese say. That is not going to happen. I see an extended period of negotiations. I just hope the situation doesn't become worse or escalates, but the negotiations are not going to be concluded in a hurry. But like you say, neither of the two countries would want all-out war? Absolutely. I don't think it will come to that and I don't think it will reach that level. Production: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com While kids spend their summer days waiting for the ice cream man to roll down their streets, San Antonians 21 and over will have trucks filled with adult beverages to look out for. La Gloria, one of Chef Johnny Hernandez's restaurants, is launching a new concept today margarita trucks. The fleet of bright pink trucks will bring drinks and select food items to customers. The first truck starts deliveries at noon today within a 3-mile radius of Crockett Park in downtown. By June, La Gloria plans to serve other areas like the Dominion, Stone Oak and Alamo Heights. RELATED: The Texas 'tea playground' with up to 500 possible flavors just opened in San Antonio The boozy version of a summer sweets truck will be stocked with La Gloria favorites that you can purchase in single-order sizes or packages. The menu includes La Gloria's house margarita (frozen or on the rocks), the Blue Margarita, the Prickly Pear Margarita and the Mango Margarita. These options will be served in 16-ounce cups with a 50 milliliter add-on of El Jimador tequila starting at $10. Drink packages include 12-ounce cocktails with 375 milliliter bottles of liquor for $38. The cocktails you can purchase in a package are the House Margarita, Los Pepinos Cucumber VodkaRita, the Las Fresas Margarita and Jack and Coke. Taco kits and favorites from The Fruteria, another Hernandez restaurant, will also be available along with snacks like street corn, chips, salsa and queso. Customers must purchase a food item with the alcohol. The food will be premade before being delivered. Hernandez said the new trucks are a way to serve customers who are holding off on dining in at restaurants because of the coronavirus pandemic. The chef's restaurants reopened on May 1 for dine-in. Our Margarita Trucks are another fun and creative way to adapt to the ever-changing business landscape, he said in a news release. Today, safety is top of mind for everyone, and many of our customers are simply not ready to dine out; however, we know that doesnt mean they dont crave one of our famous margaritas." As long as supplies last, the margarita truck deliveries will be available from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. All orders must be a minimum of $40 and will include a $5 delivery charge. Orders and payment must be made online. Customers can reserve their deliveries on the La Gloria website. Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye Another one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies is throwing its weight behind the development of a coronavirus vaccine. Novartis (NYSE:NVS) will partner with Massachusetts General Hospital to develop a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate. An experienced partner The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Institute, part of the nonprofit Mass General Brigham health system, has entered an agreement with AveXis, a gene-therapy developer that Novartis bought in 2018 for $8.7 billion, to mass-produce a vaccine candidate called AAVCOVID. It uses an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector to deliver genetic blueprints that should spur the production of harmless protein fragments that resemble the spikes found on the surface of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. AveXis is probably a good fit to handle the production of AAVCOVID: The Novartis subsidiary already manufactures Zolgensma, one of just two AAV-based gene therapies currently approved by the FDA. Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche (OTC:RHHBY) markets the other, Luxturna. Scaling up While it's true that Novartis has the means to produce an FDA-approved medicine based on AAV vector technology, that doesn't necessarily mean the company's ready to produce billions of doses of a new AAV vector vaccine at the moment. Zolgensma is a $2.1 million treatment for a rare, inherited, muscle-wasting disorder that affects roughly 30,000 children in the U.S. Though AAVCOVID is still in preclinical stage testing, Novartis is preparing to scale up production before trials with human subjects begin. AveXis will produce its first doses of AAVCOVID later this month. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jeff Mason and Nandita Bose (Reuters) Washington, United States Thu, May 28, 2020 08:40 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bda8f7bc 2 World Donald-Trump,social-media,executive,orders,Twitter,White-House Free US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on social media companies on Thursday, White House officials said after Trump threatened to shut down the platform he accused of stifling conservative voices. The officials, who spoke to reporters traveling with Trump to Washington from Florida aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, gave no further details. Before leaving for Florida earlier in the day to observe a space launch that was postponed because of bad weather, Trump again accused Twitter Inc and other social media of bias without offering evidence. It was unclear how Trump could follow through on the threat of shutting down social media companies. The American Civil Liberties Union said the First Amendment of the US Constitution limits any action Trump could take to regulate such platforms. Twitter declined comment on news of Trump's plans. Facebook and Google did not immediately comment. Separately, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals in Washington on Wednesday upheld the dismissal of a suit brought by a conservative group and right-wing YouTube personality against Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple alleging they conspired to suppress conservative political views. Trump's latest dispute with social media emerged after Twitter on Tuesday for the first time attached a warning to some of his tweets prompting readers to fact check the president's claims. In the tweets tagged by Twitter, Trump made unsubstantiated claims about mail-in voting. Trump falsely claims that mail-in ballots lead to vote fraud and ineligible voters getting ballots. "Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen," Trump said in a pair of additional posts on Twitter on Wednesday. The president, a heavy user of Twitter with more than 80 million followers, added: "Clean up your act, NOW!!!!" Strongest threat yet Trump's threat to shut down platforms like Twitter and Facebook is his strongest yet within a broader conservative backlash against Big Tech. Shares of both companies fell on Wednesday. Last year the White House circulated drafts of a proposed executive order about anti-conservative bias which never gained traction. The Internet Association, which includes Twitter and Facebook among its members, said online platforms do not have a political bias and they offer "more people a chance to be heard than at any point in history." Asked during Twitter's annual meeting on Wednesday why the company decided to affix the label to Trump's mail-in ballot tweets, General Counsel Sean Edgett said decisions about handling misinformation are made as a group. "We have a group and committee of folks who take a look at these things and make decisions on what's getting a lot of visibility and traction...," he said. In recent years Twitter has tightened its policies amid criticism that its hands-off approach allowed fake accounts and misinformation to thrive. Tech companies have been accused of anti-competitive practices and violating user privacy. Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon face antitrust probes by federal and state authorities and a US congressional panel. Republican and Democratic lawmakers, along with the US Justice Department, have been considering changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law largely exempting online platforms from legal liability for the material their users post. Such changes could expose tech companies to more lawsuits. Republican Senator Josh Hawley, a frequent critic of Big Tech companies, sent a letter to Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey on Wednesday asking why the company should continue to receive legal immunity after "choosing to editorialize on President Trump's tweets." Twitter's rival Facebook left Trump's post on mail-in ballots on Tuesday untouched. New Delhi: The BJP is going to hold a month-long campaign staring from June to mark the first anniversary of the Modi 2.0 government and will hold digital rallies in all districts across the country, its general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said. Underlining that the party stood with the general public in the fight against COVID-19, Yadav said the party workers distributed 19 crore food packets and more than 4 crore packets of ration across the country. Addressing a press conference via video conference, he said, "Amid the corona crisis the BJP workers were on the ground. They were serving people in all 909 organisational districts across the country and providing them all necessary help." Besides food, the party workers also distributed more than 5 crore masks, made people aware Aarogya Setu app, motivated them to contribute in PM Cares fund. Talking about the first anniversary of the Modi 2.0 government, Yadav said, "The party will hold digital rallies across the country and its all seven wings will also hold 500 digital rallies in their respective fields." BJP president JP Nadda will also address the party workers through Facebook Live on this occasion, he said. The party will reach out to people with a letter written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi talking about self-reliant India, achievements of the government, and will distribute them in ten crore families, Yadav said. When asked about upcoming Bihar elections, Yadav, who is also party's in-charge for the state, said it is for the Election Commission to decide when and how polls should be held. "As far as the BJP is concerned, the party has been preparing for the elections and will use new technologies for campaigning and communicating with the people," he said. Always an aggrieved victim, isn't he. Donald Trump got super mad when Twitter added a little fact-checking note on a couple of his bogus 'voter fraud' disinformation tweets. Next, Trump threatened tthreatened to shut down Twitter, one of the platforms he falsely accuses of stifling conservative voices. Now, he is said to be planning to sign some kind of social media executive order to express his outrage. .@realDonaldTrump will sign an executive order shortly about social media and internet companies, @PressSec tells reporters on Air Force One. The president has been very critical of @Twitter in the last 24 hours. Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) May 27, 2020 White House says Trump will sign an executive order "pertaining to social media" tomorrow, but provides no details on what it might say or do. Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) May 27, 2020 From Reuters: The officials, who spoke to reporters traveling with Trump to Washington from Florida aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, gave no further details. Before leaving for Florida earlier in the day to observe a space launch that was postponed because of bad weather, Trump again accused Twitter Inc and other social media of bias without offering evidence. It was unclear how Trump could follow through on the threat of shutting down social media companies. () Separately, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington on Wednesday upheld the dismissal of a suit brought by a conservative group and right-wing YouTube personality against Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple alleging they conspired to suppress conservative political views. Read more at Reuters: Trump to sign executive order on social media on Thursday: White House [reuters.com, Jeff Mason, Nandita Bose] Air Force One has landed at @Andrews_JBA. @PressSec told reporters aboard that Pres Trump will be signing an Executive Order on social media. Follows his irritation with Twitter for doing fact check on his vote-by-mail tweets. pic.twitter.com/qwcmSV86K4 Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 27, 2020 News via pooler @peterbakernyt: "Kayleigh McEnany came back just before landing to say that POTUS is signing an executive order today "pertaining to social media" but had no details on what it would do." Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) May 27, 2020 Editor's Note: With so much market volatility, stay on top of daily news! Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news and expert opinions. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - The U.S. and Germany accounted for most of the gold exports out of Switzerland last month, as Swiss trade data showed a marked change from the norm as key Asian gold-consuming nations imported almost none, said Metals Focus. Gold-market participants closely monitor the Swiss data since the country is a key hub for refining of precious metals. April exports from Switzerland rose for the second straight month in April even though major refineries were fully or partially shut down form several weeks starting in late March. April exports to the U.S. hit a record high of 43 metric tons (in fine-weight terms) in March, then soared to 111 tons in April. Such a notable surge also saw the U.S. overtake Greater China to become the largest destination for Swiss gold bullion exports for 2020 to date, Metals Focus said. To put this into perspective, at an average of less than 2t per month, the U.S. accounted for only 1% of Swiss exports over 2014-2019. Growing concerns about a shortage of physical gold deliveries on Comex (as a result of coronavirus lockdowns) was the key driver behind this surge. Germany imported eight tons of gold from Switzerland in April, half the record level of March but still historically high, the consultancy said. Excluding the U.S. and Germany, Swiss gold exports were only seven tons in April, compared to a monthly average of 121 from 2014 to 2019, Metals Focus noted. Many nations had their lowest Swiss imports ever in April, with mainland China importing none, while Hong Kong and India slumped to just one and 500 kilograms, respectively. This was due to retailers being closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and consumers shying away from discretionary purchases such as jewelry, Metals Focus said. DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan's Border Guarding Directorate has accused Kyrgyzstan of "attempting to destabilize" the situation at a disputed segment of the border between the two Central Asian nations after fresh clashes in recent days. The Tajik side said in a statement on May 27 that the latest provocation came as a Kyrgyz man allegedly shot a 25-year-old Tajik woman, who was hospitalized with a gunshot wound. "We consider it as an attempt of premeditated destabilization of the situation along the state border that might cause a response by Tajik citizens residing close to the vulnerable area," the statement said. Officials of the Kyrgyz Border Guarding Service told RFE/RL that Tajikistan's latest claim about the shooting is being investigated. Several days earlier, on May 24, Tajik authorities said a Tajik man suffered a gunshot wound after border guards of the two countries exchanged fire in the same area, while on May 8, Kyrgyz authorities said another shooting along the border with Tajikistan in Kyrgyzstan's southern region of Batken left three Kyrgyz border guards injured, one of whom sustained serious wounds and has been treated in a hospital since then. Tajik authorities said at the time that two Tajik citizens were wounded in the shooting. The situation along the border has been tense for years, with each nation accusing the other of escalating tensions. The Tajik-Kyrgyz border was discussed on May 26 at an online session of foreign ministers of member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after the session that his country had called on Tajik and Kyrgyz authorities to solve the issue peacefully and offered to mediate a deal between the two countries. Many segments of borders between former Soviet republics in Central Asia have been disputed since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and clashes frequently take place. In the wake of intensified tensions along the Tajik-Kyrgyz borders last July, Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon held meetings in Tajikistan's city of Isfara and the Kyrgyz city of Cholpon-Ata to discuss the situation, but the tensions have remained. With reporting by Asia Plus People stand in a queue to fill their reservation forms as an old man sits on the floor to wait for his turn. (DC Photo: Deepak Deshpande) Hyderabad: On a day when Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao warned people to be prepared for increasing cases of Covid-19 in the state over the next couple of months or so, the health department announced that coronavirus infections saw one of its greatest single-day spikes on Wednesday with 107 new cases being reported from Telangana. Six more deaths were also reported on Wednesday taking the total deaths from the disease that refuses to be controlled in the state, to 63. Though the Telangana health department in its daily Covid-19 bulletin made many changes on Wednesday to how data was presented, the bottom line was that the state has now rushed past in a tearing hurry, with Wednesdays 107 fresh cases, the 2,098 mark in the total number of Covid-19 cases. As on Wednesday night at 10 pm, the total Covid-19 cases in Telangana stood at 2,098. In yet another indication of a data management practice or style that raises questions than answers with no accompanying explanations for change in data presentation style the Covid-19 bulletin introduced a new category of patients locals into the mix along with a hitherto unknown Saudi Arabia deportees category giving their numbers. It may be recalled that the TS health department and the office of the director of health have been at the receiving end of some tough talk by the Telangana High Court during the past few days on data submission among other issues. With respect to the deportees, the health department said the Government of India airlifted 458 deportees from Saudi Arabia. These deportees have been quarantined in government quarantine centres in the state. Till date 82 deportees have tested positive for Covid-19 and are being treated. The bulletin also said the large number of migrants returning from various other states are being home quarantined and monitored by the district authorities. Symptomatic migrants are being tested and a majority of the migrants are arriving from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar etc. Till date, 154 migrants have tested positive for covid-19 and are being treated. It is the first deadly attack since a three-day ceasefire announced over the Eid al-Fitr holiday ended on Tuesday. At least 14 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed in an attack officials blame on the Taliban, the first deadly assault since a three-day ceasefire ended at midnight on Tuesday. The fighters attacked a checkpoint in Parwan province north of the capital, Kabul, said Waheeda Shahkar, spokesperson for the provincial governor. The Taliban have also suffered casualties, Shahkar said. District police chief Hussain Shah said Taliban fighters set fire to the checkpoint, killing five security force personnel. Two more were shot dead. The Taliban has not commented. It is the first attack that Afghan officials have blamed on the Taliban since the end of three-day ceasefire held over the Eid al-Fitr holiday. According to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, civilian casualties fell by 80 percent during the temporary truce. A drop in violence has largely held since it ended on Tuesday night, although Afghan security forces carried out air strikes in the south on Wednesday that killed 18 fighters, police said. Taliban prisoners released The surprise truce offer from the Taliban and the lull in fighting has raised hopes that stalled peace negotiations between the fighters and the Afghan government could resume soon. Afghan authorities have responded to the ceasefire by releasing hundreds of Taliban prisoners this week, and plan to further free an equal number of inmates in the coming days. 200526070348775 The Taliban has also said it plans to free a group of government prisoners. The exchange is part of a US-Taliban deal signed in February, which excluded the Afghan government, that stipulates Kabul would release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and the Taliban would free about 1,000 national security personnel. Kabul had already freed about 1,000 Taliban inmates before the ceasefire, while the Taliban had released about 300 government captives. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has donated medical supplies worth over one hundred and fifty thousand Ghana cedis (GHS150,000.00) to selected hospitals at a ceremony held at the Ga East Municipal hospital in Accra today. Items donated include medical overalls (500), protective goggles (500 pieces), facemasks (8500pieces), gloves (5000pieces), infrared thermometers (80 pieces) and ten medical boots. Also donated were 65 gallons of hand sanitisers, 100 packs of bottled water, and 1200 boxes of soya milk. The beneficiary hospitals include the Ga East and Suntreso Government hospitals which are holding centres for COVID-19 patients in Accra and Kumasi, and the Ghana Adventist Health Service. Presenting the items, Dr William Yaw Kpakpo, Country Director for ADRA said today's donation is an expression of love and appreciation to the dedicated and sacrificial work health workers. President of the Northern Ghana Union Mission, Pastor Kwame Kwanin Boakye, who handed over the items said the Adventist Church is committed to supporting the government and the Ghana Health Service in their fight against the disease indicating that the church had earlier donated 100 thousand Ghana cedis to the COVID-19 Fund last month and was also spending time praying. The Medical Director for Ga East Municipal hospital, Dr Ebenezer Oduro Mensah and the Administrator for Suntreso Government Hospital, Mr Samuel Dodzi, received the items on behalf of their facilities while the Director for the Ghana Adventist Health Service, Dr Paul Amo Kyeremeh received that of the Adventist hospitals. In their response, Dr Oduro Mensah said this items will go a long way to support patient care. He assured Ghanaians that the country was doing quite well in the fight and needed the support of both the government and private sector to win the battle. The Suntreso Administrator was equally happy to receive the items and said the protective gears had come at the right time as they were needed by the health workers. ADRAs donation to the health facilities was sponsored by ADRA International/Africa, Southern and Northern Ghana Unions of Adventists, Hope Channel Ghana, Valley Life Company Ltd, Lan T Soya Milk Company and the Adventist Medical Stores. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video T his is the shocking moment a man set a hotel reception clerk on fire after he refused to hand over cash. Police in Texas branded the attack at the Budget Host Inn, in Fort Worth, on Sunday night as "absolutely horrific". CCTV footage captures the suspect pouring a clear liquid though a small hole in the hotel desk's front window. Moments later, after a short exchange in which the thief is alleged to demand money, he sparks a cigarette lighter and sets the liquid ablaze in a huge fireball. Police are hunting the man after he threatened to burn the hotel worker alive / Fort Worth fire department The footage, released on Facebook by Fort Worth fire department, shows flames engulf the hotel worker and the office and left the clerk running for cover. "He made robbery demands to the clerk and threatened to burn him alive if he did not comply," the Fort Worth Fire department said in a Facebook statement on Tuesday. "The male suspect then attempted to carry through with his threat causing minor burns to the clerk and extensive fire damage to the office." The man appeared to make off in a white Honda Accord / Fort Worth fire department As the hotel's reception was ablaze, the suspect fled out of the front door and appeared to make off in a white, four-door Honda Accord. Detectives are now trying to track down the suspect, described as a Hispanic male with long hair. Police said: "The T-shirt and ball cap visible in gas station video, is then covered with a button down shirt and the cap turned inside out. "He fled the scene in a white four door car that is believed to be a Honda Accord with a sunroof and rear spoiler." Anyone with information should call Fort Worth Fire Department Lt. James Horton at 817.929.8735 or Tarrant Co Crime Stoppers at 817.469.TIPS. FDI enterprises have been gradually recuperating from the coronavirus outbreak thanks to the assistance from local authorities and the governments efforts to contain the pandemic. browser not support iframe. Though Ha Nam is considered less vulnerable to COVID-19, the province is still cautious by carefully monitoring local firms preventive works against the pandemic. The efforts have paid off with over 270 FDI projects in Ha Nam province continuing to operate during the pandemic. Vietnams central and local governments effective measures against COVID-19 have won trust among foreign investors in the Vietnamese business environment. This positive sign, according to experts, is forecast to kick-start a new wave of FDI if Vietnam can keep up the good work./.VNA The United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada scolded China on Thursday for imposing a new security law that they said would threaten freedom and breach a 1984 Sino-British agreement on the autonomy of the former colony. "Hong Kong has flourished as a bastion of freedom," the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada said, adding their "deep concern regarding Beijing's decision to impose a national security law in Hong Kong." China's parliament approved a decision to go forward with national security legislation for Hong Kong that democracy activists in the city and Western countries fear could erode its freedoms and jeopardise its role as a global financial hub. The United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada said the new legislation would "curtail the Hong Kong people's liberties, and in doing so, dramatically erode Hong Kong's autonomy and the system that made it so prosperous." "China's decision to impose the new national security law on Hong Kong lies in direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the legally-binding, UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration," they said. "We are also extremely concerned that this action will exacerbate the existing deep divisions in Hong Kong society," they said in the joint statement. China says the legislation will aim to tackle secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in the city but the plan, unveiled in Beijing last week, triggered the first big protests in Hong Kong for months. "We call on the Government of China to work with the Hong Kong SAR Government and the people of Hong Kong to find a mutually acceptable accommodation that will honour China's international obligations under the UN-filed Sino-British Joint Declaration," the UK-US-Canadian-Austrian statement said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, May 28, 2020 18:52 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bdac33f2 1 World COVID-19,APEC,economic-impact,coronavirus,virus-corona,international-cooperation,new-normal,international-trade Free Indonesia has stressed the importance of a concerted effort from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries to jump-start economic activity in the region once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. In the Extraordinary Senior Officials Meeting on Wednesday, chaired by Malaysia and held online for the first time ever, leaders of the 21 APEC member countries emphasized the value of collaboration, cooperation and a united vision in the collective battle against COVID-19. The meeting was a follow-up to directives of APEC trade ministers outlined in the Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Statement on COVID-19. The unity of vision, synergy and collaboration is key to mitigating the impact posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and a start to the economic recovery in the region, Desra Percaya, a senior official from the Foreign Ministry who headed the Indonesian delegation in the meeting, said in a statement issued by the ministry. Read also: COVID-19: Indonesia calls for global cooperation to overcome medical supply shortage According to the statement, APEC trade ministers had given the senior officials the mandate to develop a coordinated approach that was expected to facilitate the process of knowledge-sharing and best-practices formulation on the handling of COVID-19. APEC also discussed cooperation for the joint procurement of essential goods, such as medical equipment and medicine, to ensure affordable health care. Indonesia urged APEC to identify realistic efforts for all members be it developed or developing countries. The implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, transparency on policy implementation and reinforcement of the logistical system are concrete initiatives APEC could take. These would smoothen the trade flow in the Asia Pacific region during the pandemic, Desra said during the meeting. Strengthening trade facilitation and lowering non-tariff barriers could also help the private sector, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), by cushioning the impact of COVID-19. Such efforts are deemed effective for economic recovery, as 40 to 60 percent of the gross domestic product of APEC members came from SMEs, Desra added. Read also: Indonesia steers clear of COVID-19 resolution politicization Indonesia is also preparing a new approach to keep the economic wheels running amid the pandemic by planning to roll out a set of guidelines the government calls the new normal. In particular, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto has issued new health protocols for employers to usher in the so-called new normal even as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country continues to rise. In a ministerial decree issued on Saturday, Terawan detailed how offices and manufacturers should operate under the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB). The ministerial decree, among other things, requires company managers to create task forces to curb the spread of the disease. They should also ensure cleanliness and hygiene at the workplace and increase the number of handwashing facilities. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 02:58:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close File photo taken on May 22, 2020 shows Chili Talk owner Fiona Ding in her restaurant in Rockville, Maryland, the United Sates. The nation's restaurant industry has 1 million restaurants and nearly 16 million employees, and many locations are dealing with the uncertainty brought by the government's response to the COVID-19. (Photo by Matthew Rusling/Xinhua) by Matthew Rusling WASHINGTON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Famous for its authentic dumplings, East Dumpling House, a Chinese restaurant in Rockville, U.S. state of Maryland, was thriving just a couple of months ago. But all that has changed. Now, owner Hong Ren sits in a darkened dining room that was once buzzing with activity, trying to figure out how to sustain the lockdown that has grounded the nation's economy to a halt. "It's very slow. We just do takeout," Ren told Xinhua. When asked how long her business can go on like this, she said, "I'm really not sure. We see every week how to do the next week." Planning ahead is difficult under the current circumstances, she noted. Ren is not alone. The nation's restaurant industry has 1 million restaurants and nearly 16 million employees, and many locations are dealing with the uncertainty brought by the government's response to the novel coronavirus. In metro D.C., Maryland and Virginia -- the so-called DMV -- governments have banned dine-in services, causing restaurants to switch to takeout. Peter Chang, a well-known Chinese restaurateur, told Xinhua that his business is now doing only 20 percent of what it did before the lockdown, as he is only allowed to offer takeout. The lockdown came right in the middle of a burgeoning D.C.-area trend, that of higher-end Chinese restaurants setting up in the area, which cater to customers willing to pay more. Chang's Q by Peter Chang and Mama Chang were both part of that trend, but he said he will not be able to open any new restaurants until everything is back to normal. Chili Talk owner Fiona Ding said her restaurant is still paying its employees, but cannot make a profit on takeout alone. Tables and chairs have been stacked in a corner, replaced with X marks, each six feet apart, indicating where customers should stand to maintain social distancing. The place is locally famous for authentic Sichuan flavor, and even natives of such Chinese cities as Chengdu say it tastes just like their hometown. But for now, people will have to enjoy the cuisine from home. "Our customers still love us. They order food now through apps," Ding told Xinhua. "The commission for the apps, it's super high," Ding said. "So we're not really making money, but I think we can get through this." While the U.S. government has launched the Paycheck Protection Program, which costs taxpayers nearly 700 billion U.S. dollars, restaurateurs nationwide said the program does not meet their industry's unique needs. The restaurant industry was projected to be worth nearly a trillion dollars in 2020, according to the National Restaurant Association. The trade group said the industry needs its own multi-billion-dollar bailout. A lack of business has created additional problems, such as insurance companies that are not paying out and landlords who are demanding rent in spite of the crisis. While most U.S. states are in the process of reopening, it may take some time before restaurants open at full capacity. However, some cities, in states including Virginia, Maryland, Indiana, Florida and Maine, are shutting down streets to make way for pedestrians and restaurant tables, not unlike parts of Paris and other European cities. Residents in Mexico have turned to camping out in their cars and on sidewalks in order to cross the border and arrive to work on time in Southern California. Scores of workers crowd Otay Mesa Port of Entry hours before immigration officials permit access to entry to the U.S. since the Trump administration tightened the its border with Canada and Mexico due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. On a typical night, cross-border employees could be seen slumped in their beach chairs and covered in blankets to fight off the chilly temperatures so that they can either walk into the United States or drive straight over. Commuters from Mexico who work in Southern California spend the night near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry to open to cross to the United States from Tijuana Cross-border workers sleep in their vehicles as they wait in line for the Otay Mesa Port of Entry to open to allow essential workers to cross from Tijuana to California. Port of entries at the northern and southern United States border have cut their service times due to the coronavirus crisis as the Trump administration sought ways to control the outbreak A man sleeps next to another male individual who rests on a beach chair as they both await for the U.S. immigration officials to open the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and allow workers to cross from Tijuana to California A Tijuana resident, interviewed by the San Diego Union Tribune, works at a flower shop in Chula Vista, California, and has arrived as early as 10:30pm on some nights to cross the border once it opens at 6am because of the never-ending delays he had previously encountered at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Julio Quintero, who was given a 30-minute grace period by his employer due to the traffic jams at the border, recalled setting his alarm and tucking himself in the back of his car with a blanket. 'It's very tiring, but what else can we do?' he said. Instead of sleeping on the Mexican side of the border, another Tijuana resident decided it was best to beat the early morning traffic and cross via San Ysidro. 'I don't see the point of staying a few feet away from the port of entry when you can cross at night and sleep at or near your work,' David Ramos said. The length of time for land travel via the northern and souther United States has been severely impacted since March 21 when temporarily limits were imposed on inbound land border crossings to essential travel Commuters take a nap while waiting for the Otay Mesa Port of Entry to open to cross to the United States from Tijuana Cross-border employees from Mexico have been spotted resting and sleeping near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry so that they can cut down their wait times to enter the United States from Tijuana Gustavo de la Fuente, the executive director of the Smart Border Coalition, said 'border wait times' will surely worsen as business in the San Diego area resume operation as local governments slowly trim back on social distancing measures. The length of time for land travel via the northern and southern United States has been severely impacted since March 21 when temporarily limits were imposed on inbound land border crossings to essential travel. The souther and northern port of entries are open to citizens of the United States, individuals who are legal residents and who hold work visas and people who are seeking entrance for educational and medical purposes. However, any person traveling for tourism and recreational purposes is not allowed entry. The travel ban was extended to June 22 last Friday as the government continues its battle against the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. 'We monitor and make operational adjustments daily, depending on the totality of the workload we have at each port,' U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement, according to the San Diego Union Tribune. 'While the nonessential travel restrictions are in place, we are focused on maintaining wait times for workers crossing during the weekday morning peak hours similar to what they were before the restrictions came into effect,' the agency said in a statement. Drivers in Tijuana, Mexico camp out in their cars overnight as they seek early and quick entrance to the United States via the Otay Mesa Port of Entry Christmas and New Year decorations depicting a Russia's Rosneft oil company logo at the "Biryusinka" toy factory in Krasnoyarsk By Olga Yagova, Olesya Astakhova and Gleb Gorodyankin MOSCOW (Reuters) - Rosneft does not have enough crude to ship to buyers with which it has long-term supply deals, making it hard for the Russian company to continue with record oil cuts beyond June, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. Rosneft has told the energy ministry it would be difficult to maintain cuts to the end of the year, as it has had to cut shipments to major buyers, such as Glencore and Trafigura, despite good demand, two sources close to the talks said on condition of anonymity. Glencore and Trafigura declined to comment. Rosneft and Russia's Energy Ministry did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. President Vladimir Putin, who decides on oil policy, spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday about "close coordination" on output cuts, agreed in April to tackle oil market weakness because of the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia, de facto leader of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, proposes to extend the record cuts until December. "Rosneft is in pain... They must supply refineries, term buyers. There are simply no resources," a source familiar with Rosneft's operations told Reuters. Rosneft, run by one of Putin's closest allies, Igor Sechin, has long opposed output cuts in tandem with OPEC, but has been overruled by the president, who is keep to deepen political cooperation with the Middle East. The company, which sells mostly to long-term buyers, has cut output by 17% so far in May versus April, a source familiar with daily output data said. It will export 800,000 tonnes in 8 cargoes from Baltic ports in June compared to 27 cargoes in April and 13 in May even though buyers wanted more oil as demand recovers in Europe and the value of Russian crude Urals has strengthened. Glencore, which has a 5-year supply deal with Rosneft, will get two Baltic cargoes in June compared to eight in April. Trafigura will get one compared to ten. Story continues The remaining five June cargoes of Urals were allocated to Total and Gunvor - the winners of Rosneft's 6-month tender for April-September loading. The volumes are the minimum under tender terms. Rosneft also exports from the Black Sea and the Pacific and could compensate buyers on those routes or in the Baltic in the future, the sources said. (Editing by Dmitry Zhdannikov and Barbara Lewis) Contact: Oak Fund Services (Guernsey) Limited Company Administrator Attn: Mark Woodall Tel: +44 1481 723450 Eurocastle Announces Posting of 2020 Annual General Meeting Notice Guernsey. 28 May 2020 - Eurocastle Investment Limited (Euronext Amsterdam: ECT) ("Eurocastle" or the "Company") today announces that notice of its Annual General Meeting containing the full text of the proposed resolutions and a proxy statement has been mailed out to all holders on record as of Tuesday, 26 May 2020. In addition, the Company has posted the Annual General Meeting notice on its website under Periodic Reports and Shareholder Communications in the Investor Relations Section. As previously announced, Eurocastle will hold its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, 17 June 2020, at the Company's registered office at 2:00 pm Guernsey time (3:00 pm CET). The meeting will be held in accordance with social distancing and "stay at home" measures implemented by the States of Guernsey in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. ABOUT EUROCASTLE Eurocastle Investment Limited. The Daily Beast A man and woman in New York have been both fired and arrested for verbally assaulting a family on a train in an incident that police have determined to be a hate crime.The Daily Voice reported that Justin Likerman and Kristin Digesaro, of Long Island, turned themselves in on Wednesday. They have been charged with aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. New Yorks Metropolitan Transit Authority said the charges were brought in conjunction with the Manhattan Distri By PTI KATHMANDU: Nepal on Thursday registered its highest single-day surge in the coronavirus cases with 156 new infections, taking the COVID-19 tally in the Himalayan nation to 1,042, the health ministry said. Among the 156 newly infected people, 12 are women. The newly confirmed COVID-19 patients were aged between 2 and 70, according to the Ministry of Health and Population. Dhanusha, Jhapa and Rautahat districts, bordering India, have reported 29, 25 and 20 new cases respectively in the last 24 hours, it said. Seventeen corona patients were detected from Mahottari, 14 each from Saptari and Surkhet, 8 from Dailekh, 7 from Sarlahi, 6 from Siraha, 3 each from Syangja and Bardiya, 2 each from Dolakha and Kailali, one each from Nawalpur, Solukhumbu, Bajhang, Darchula, Makawanpur and Banke districts, the ministry said. Meanwhile, one more patient has died due to COVID-19 taking the death toll to 5. A 56-year-old man with alcoholic liver disease, who died at a Lalitpur based hospital on Wednesday, has been diagnosed with coronavirus. So far, PCR tests have been conducted on 60,696 people to detect coronavirus. The number of patients recovered from the infection are 187, the ministry said. The number of active corona patients currently undergoing treatment at different hospitals across the country stands at 850, it added. The number of COVID-19 patients have been increasing in the recent weeks, as hundreds of Nepalese migrated to India for different reasons including employment are returning home. The Nepal government is providing quarantine facilities to them near the border. Nepal, which has extended its nationwide lockdown till June 2 to contain the spread of the deadly virus, is among the countries having the least number of COVID-19 cases. Nepal has also extended the suspension on all domestic and international flights till June 14. The surge in coronavirus cases has prompted the government to seal the Kathmandu Valley, imposing complete restriction on people entering the capital city. MILAN (Reuters) - EasyJet will not fly to Italy if Rome prolongs social distancing rules on planes beyond June 15, the budget airline's chief executive said in a newspaper interview. "It would be impossible for companies to operate with only a third of the seats sold," Lundgren was quoted as saying by Corriere della Sera on Thursday. Lundgren said that if Italy were to extend the measure then easyJet would not fly there, adding "it would be harmful to the recovery: the country risks falling behind." The easyJet CEO also questioned the 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) Rome will invest in relaunching struggling Italian airline Alitalia, saying any support should be offered to all and at market conditions and should not favour one. "I don't question the nationalisation. But the support needs to be available to all, otherwise one creates distortion. Aid allocated in Europe risks going to inefficient carriers." Rome is preparing to re-take control of Alitalia after 11 years of private management and three failed restructuring attempts, with its problems exacerbated by the coronavirus crisis that has devastated the airline industry. "Italy is one of the main markets for easyJet: we have employees here, we carry almost the same number of passengers as Alitalia, we make our contribution to the country. I find it unacceptable that one helps only one airline. Lundgren also asked for more transparency in the mechanisms for accessing subsidies and for other measures to help the sector, including a reduction in airport taxes. EasyJet said on Thursday it planned to cut up to 30% of its staff, or 4,500 jobs, and shrink its fleet, to fit the market that will emerge from the coronavirus crisis. (Reporting by Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Alexander Smith) First, lets compare several countries, with Bitcoin as a representative example of a legal country. We will introduce Japan, Singapore and the Philippines as typical examples. Bitcoin illegal countries India, Vietnam and China are typical examples of Asian countries where Bitcoin is illegal (or strongly restricted). As for China, there are particularly large influences and the special standing position. India does not have a legal view of virtual currencies, and there are noticeable moves to tighten regulations. Although it is a country with strong monetary policy, such as abolishing high-value banknotes and effectively blocking deposits, it has a strong direction to tighten regulations on Bitcoin. Considerable restrictions are being discussed, such as the total ban on virtual currencies and the suspension of bank services for companies and individuals engaged in virtual currency transactions. Advertisement Other completely illegal countries in Asia include Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. The best blockchain investment in the world For those who entered virtual currency investment in 2017 from the first year of cryptocurrency and lost or had an unrealized loss due to the crash in 2018, the word China is never so impressive when it comes to cryptocurrency related, I do not think it is a word. The following are some of the major regulations enforced by China. Advertisement Prohibition of ICO Prohibition of virtual currency exchange operation Prohibition of virtual currency exchange through the exchange Regulation of mining Although the possession of virtual currency itself is not illegal, the strictness of regulation on virtual currency is unprecedented in the world. The cryptocurrency related regulations have been strengthened, and the overall market price of cryptocurrencies has plummeted each time. China is a country that is hostile to virtual currencies. Tax summary in virtual currency trading You understand that the handling of virtual currency is completely different depending on the country. It is not just that cryptocurrencies can be traded in a legal country, and even in legal countries, the tax rate on that transaction will change greatly, so lets compare again. Next, the most obvious option is to buy those bitcoins by visiting: bitcoin trader login. Advertisement First of all, in Japan, the tax of virtual currencies has been completely tax-free because the legal treatment of profits up to 2016 has not been decided at all, but from 2017 onwards, tax will be levied on profit determination. I am. However, regarding the position of virtual currency, the handling has not been decided yet, and it is treated as miscellaneous income. If the profit of the stock or FX is fixed, it is fixed at 20%, but in the case of virtual currency, the maximum tax rate will be 55% depending on the amount of the fixed profit. You must be careful as the tax rate will be considerably high if you exceed a certain amount. This is also the amount of money set for the sake of convenience, so it is expected to improve as the law is further developed in the future. Advertisement In Singapore, long-term cryptocurrencies are treated as capital gain and are not taxed. For long-term holdings of large amounts of crypto, Singapore proves to be a fairly attractive option. In the case of the Philippines as well, the profit settlement of virtual currency is treated as income tax and is a progressive tax. There is no particular difference due to the span of short-term and long-term transactions. The highest tax rate is 32%, which is not the same level as Singapore, but it is possible to save a lot of tax compared to the case where profit is fixed in Japan. Considering the merits of the Philippines itself due to the development of virtual currency, it seems to be an attractive choice for investing in virtual currency. Advertisement No one can predict exactly how virtual currency will develop or become obsolete when it finally begins to be recognized by the world. It is not surprising that there are countries that regulate or ban virtual currencies because there are elements that can shake the hegemony of the country, but in reality, there are not many countries that are strongly regulated or explicitly banned. The prime minister of Libyas UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, announced May 18 that his forces had taken control of the key al-Watiya air base from the forces of Khalifa Hifter, commander of the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA). On the same day, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces Gen. Mohamed Zaki and other prominent military leaders including the chairman of the Armed Forces Operations Authority, the head of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority and the commander of the Central Military Region. Sisi said it is important to show the highest level of combat readiness to protect Egypt's national security. The meeting discussed the latest Libyan developments and stressed Sisis rejection of foreign interference in Libyan internal affairs. Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in an official statement that the president was briefed during the meeting on the security situation on all Egyptian strategic fronts as well as on the efforts of the armed forces to control the border and pursue terrorists in North Sinai and the Libyan border. In the early hours of May 19, LNA spokesman Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Mismari issued an official statement in which he explained that Hifter had commanded the relocation of his forces from the Tripoli front lines, stressing he had not been defeated as the GNA claims. Hifter's forces have suffered a series of setbacks in recent weeks as pro-government forces seized the cities of Sabratha and Sorman, west of the capital. The withdrawal of the forces from the al-Watiya base kicked off three or four months ago, when we withdrew combat aircraft, ammunition, spare parts and heavy equipment. Individuals subsequently withdrew under air cover, he added, describing the withdrawal process as excellent and aimed at preserving lives. On the sidelines of Sisis meeting with the African Union-led Contact Group on Libya, the Egyptian presidency issued another, more direct statement regarding the Libyan developments. According to it, Sisi stressed during the meeting that Libyas stability is vital to Egypt's national security and that Egypt has not and will not tolerate terrorist groups or parties who offer support them. Khaled Okasha, head of the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, said the LNA found it important to pull back amid mounting pressure on al-Watiya air base. Okasha told Al-Monitor that Hifters withdrawal from the base was a tactical move to protect the remaining military equipment and weapons that were not destroyed in Turkey's airstrikes. An Egyptian security source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Hifters withdrawal from al-Watiya is not a defeat but a tactical move to amass forces in the city of Tarhuna, southwest of Tripoli. The city is considered a launching point for Hifters forces to liberate Tripoli from the hands of terrorist militias backed by Turkey, the source added. He pointed out that Egypt will continue to support Hifter politically, diplomatically, logistically and security-wise against terrorist groups in Libya. The source said strong coordination continues between the Egyptian leadership and Hifter, with whom Sisi met in August 2019 to discuss several issues including the battle for Tripoli. Al-Arabiya reported that during the August 2019 meeting, Hifter requested Egyptian support for the LNA in international forums, especially with regard to lifting the arms embargo imposed on Libya, and that the two discussed security coordination between their countries. Libyan journalist Abdel Sattar Hoteitah said that the recent Turkish strikes in support of the GNA in Libya were primarily aimed at evicting Hifter from Tarhuna, but when the strikes failed to achieve their goal, [Turkey] sought to pressure Hifter on another front. On May 20, GNA spokesman Colonel Mohamed Qanunu announced the destruction of an air defense system used by Hifters forces in Tarhuna. Qanunu said his forces are also pursuing Hifters fighters in the capital. Mismari, meanwhile, asserts that Turkey sent 1,500 Islamic State fighters in Syria to support the government in Libya. Hoteitah stressed that Egypt fully supports Hifter in his war against terrorist militias backed by Turkey and said that while Egypt will not intervene militarily in Libya, it will nonetheless support Hifter at the security and logistical levels. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, May 28, 2020 13:09 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bdaa4465 1 National COVID-19,new-normal,coronavirus,doni-monardo,COVID-19-in-Indonesia Free As Indonesia braces to gradually reopen the economy, the government has announced that the country's regions should meet two main conditions to be able to ease COVID-19 mobility restrictions and start welcoming the so-called "new normal". Regions should either have maintained zero COVID-19 cases or have witnessed a significant decrease in the number of infections to relax curbs and reopen businesses under health protocols, COVID-19 task force chief Doni Monardo said. "There are a total of 110 regencies and cities with no COVID-19 cases so far," Doni said on Wednesday, Of the figure, except Papua, as many as 65 areas on the mainland and 22 areas on islands will be offered to reopen normally." The 110 regencies and cities include those located in a number of provinces, including in Aceh, Riau, North Kalimantan, Maluku and Jambi, according to the government's data. Doni said the areas were nearly sterile, though not fully safe, from the disease because the residents living in the regions had adhered to health protocols during the COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, regions categorized as "green zones" -- namely those that have recorded COVID-19 cases but have been seeing a declining rate of virus transmission -- in accordance with the World Health Organization's (WHO) indicators will be considered to reopen, Doni said. Among the indicators is that regions should see a 50 percent decline in the number of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases for more than two weeks as well as a significant decline in COVID-19 fatalities. A declining number of COVID-19 patients and suspected cases in hospitals will also determine whether a region is allowed to reopen its economy. Read also: 'I don't think we can wait': Business groups ready for 'new normal' despite risks Doni added that regions should also meet other conditions to be able to reopen, including recording an increase in the number of recoveries, an increase in the number of completed monitoring procedures against COVID-19 suspects, an increase in specimen testing in the period of two weeks and scoring a basic reproduction number (R 0 ) of COVID-19 below one. "We will coordinate further with the National Development Planning Agency and the Coordinating Economic Ministry with regard to easing restrictions in regions, Doni said, adding that the final decision would also depend on local administrations' preparedness to face the new normal. Previously, several provincial administrations reportedly prepared to reopen businesses in the regions. On the resort island of Bali, for instance, hotels have been drafting guidelines for health protocols under the so-called "new normal" situation as the local government signaled to reopen tourist destinations gradually. West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil has also announced that the province should brace for a "new normal" starting on June 1, tribunnews.com reported on Wednesday. With regard to preparing the country for the new normal scheme, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto issued on Saturday a new health protocol for workplaces to ensure that businesses continue to run while maintaining efforts to contain the coronavirus. Epidemiologists, however, have warned the government to be prudent in making the decision to reopen the economy, arguing that the country was continuing to see a rise in COVID-19 cases. On Wednesday afternoon, Indonesia reported 686 new COVID-19 cases nationwide, bringing the total to 23,851 confirmed cases with 1473 fatalities. (trn) Horses race past empty stands at Santa Anita Park on May 22. (Ashley Landis / Associated Press) Nadal, one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby, was retired following a workout at Santa Anita on Thursday after suffering a fracture to his left front leg. The undefeated colt already had earned 150 qualifying points and was ranked No. 1 in the National Thoroughbred Racing Assn. poll of 3-year-olds. The news of the injury was first reported by the BloodHorse after confirmation from co-owner George Bolton. Nadal was coming off a win in the split division of the Arkansas Derby, his fourth straight win. Nadal underwent surgery at Santa Anita with two screws inserted to repair a lateral condylar fracture. He had completed a half-mile workout. As a Grade 1 stakes winner, he now will be sent to the breeding shed. This has been a tumultuous time for trainer Bob Baffert, who started the week with an incredible bench of three undefeated horses for the Kentucky Derby, which is scheduled for Sept. 5. But Tuesday, media reports said that the Baffert-trained winner of the other Arkansas Derby division, Charlatan, tested positive for lidocaine, an analgesic. Lidocaine is an approved drug, but only in certain dosages. It is believed the positive was for being over the legal limit. A split sample is being sent to a different laboratory. If the sample comes back negative, it would be as if nothing happened. If the second test reaffirms the first test, there would be investigation that could lead to Charlatans disqualification from the Arkansas Derby and a fine and suspension for Baffert. Charlatan would be eligible to run in other qualifying races. Nadal and Charlatan were scheduled to run in the Belmont Stakes on June 20. Charlatan may run in the Woody Stephens at Belmont. Bafferts third horse, Authentic, undefeated in three starts in including a win in the San Felipe, is set to run in the Santa Anita Derby on June 6. Iran's state media has been accused of editing a photo of a 13-year-old girl beheaded by her father in an honour killing to make it look as if she is wearing a full hijab. Romina Ashrafi was killed with a farming sickle as she slept in her family home in Hovigh, northern Iran, on May 21 as 'punishment' for trying to marry an older man. The news was widely reported in Persian-language media, but state-run newspaper Jame Jam appears to have photoshopped an image of Romina to cover her hair. Iranian state-run newspaper Jame Jam appears to have photoshopped an image of beheaded teenager Romina Ashrafi (actual image right) in order to cover up her hair (left) The first image of Romina that went around the world this week showed her standing next to a pot of flowers with a pastel green headscarf on. The scarf is sitting further back on her head meaning that the front of her hair is showing - which violates Iran's strict modesty laws. Another image, which seems to have appeared in Wednesday's edition of the newspaper, shows Romina with her hair fully covered. Masih Alinejad, a US-based Iranian journalist who has long campaigned to overturn Iran's modesty laws, tweeted the image along with several other accounts. She wrote: 'Shame on Islamic Republic state media for covering Romina's hair by photoshop. 'She was 13 and murdered by her father. Now they depicting the victim of an honor killing in 'appropriate hijab' for her honor. 'They killed her again. This is gender apartheid not cultural difference.' Alinejad has herself been the target of regime attacks in the past, and her brother is currently in jail in Iran. She is campaigning for his release. Romina's killing prompted fury in Iran when it was first reported this week - including by Iran International TV - and has led to calls to toughen up 'honour killing' laws. The teenage girl initially fled the family home with 34-year-old Bahamn Khavari after her father expressed outrage at their plans to get married. The killing of teenager Romina Ashrafi in the Iranian town of Talesh, around 198 miles northwest of the capital, Tehran, has prompted a nationwide outcry But both of their families contacted authorities, leading security forces to conduct a five-day hunt before detaining the couple and taking Romina home. Local media reported that although Romina told authorities she would be in danger at home and feared for her life, they handed her back as required by law. After committing the murder, Romina's father allegedly handed himself in to police and confessed to the crime - while still holding the bloodied murder weapon. District governor Kazem Razmi said the girl's father is being held in custody and an investigation into the case is underway. While Iran's policy of 'an eye for an eye' would usually justify the death penalty in murder cases, it does not apply to fathers who murder their daughters. The maximum sentence Romina's father could expect to receive is 10 years in jail, according to the vice president for women and family affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar. That prompted President Hassan Rouhani to plead for the speedy passing of several anti-violence bills that have stalled before being written into law. Ebtekar said on Twitter that a bill on the protection of young people was in the 'final phase' of validation by Iran's Guardian Council. The council, which vets legislation to ensure compliance with Iran's constitution and Islamic sharia law, has thrice previously called for changes to the law after it was passed by lawmakers, Ebtekar newspaper wrote. The publication fears that if the council sends back the bill, it will be buried by Iran's new parliament, which held its first session Wednesday and is dominated by conservatives and hardliners opposed to Rouhani. NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Floating Point Group (FPG) simplifies how institutional traders deploy algorithmic systems for cryptocurrency trading. FPG provides a US-regulated single-point-of-access for sophisticated trading with a suite of algorithmic execution tools. The company closed $2 million in seed funding from AngelList & MetaStable Capital founder Naval Ravikant, pif.vc , Algorand's CEO Steve Kokinos, BoxOne Ventures, Seabury Global Markets, and several asset management executives. With the investment, the startup is aggressively expanding its engineering staff and is acquiring regulatory licenses in the U.S. to broaden the jurisdictions it can serve. "It's becoming clear that sophisticated quantitative traders and platform developers are viewing the cryptocurrency markets as an exciting new opportunity," said John Peurifoy, CEO of FPG. "As this market matures, we'll continue to add critical pieces of the prime brokerage stack through innovations and strategic partnerships with other high quality groups to deliver a holistic experience that meets the technical requirements of algorithmic traders or other groups building trading applications." FPG's API enables delivery of real-time and historical market data across the most liquid exchange and non-exchange venues, the execution of trades directly on those markets using FPG's smart order router to source liquidity, and the ability to trade on credit when funds are held with qualified custodians. To date, FPG has executed hundreds of millions of dollars of trades and is feeding market data to more than 20 organizations. "Liquidity in cryptocurrency markets is extremely fragmented - getting best execution involves not only multiple exchanges but routing through multiple pairs on each exchange," said Josh Felker, founder of BoxOne Ventures and previous partner at DRW. "FPG has built the most rigorous quantitative approach to this problem that I've seen and their performance and slippage stats are proof." About Floating Point Group FPG is an MIT-born startup accelerating the growth of cryptocurrency trading. They offer a consolidated, regulated API for advanced order execution and real-time market data being used by some of the largest and highest performing quantitative traders in the cryptocurrency space. Their API leverages partner settlement networks enabling fast and performant order execution that can happen partly or entirely from an account with a qualified custodian. For more information, visit FPG or their blog written by leading engineer Jared Katz. Contact: Kevin March [email protected] SOURCE Floating Point Group Related Links https://floating.group Wednesday saw the launch of the government's large-scale testing strategy, which investigates the wider spread of the virus throughout the country. Scientists from Research Luxembourg reiterated the importance of large-scale testing on Thursday. The strategy aims at identifying more asymptomatic patients that have unknowingly contracted the virus, which allows for better contact tracing and the breaking of infection chains. This process eventually allows to accelerate the lifting of restrictions and a return to normal. Current infection numbers in Luxembourg are considered to be positive, but it would be wrong to think that the virus is no longer present in Luxembourg. The researchers underlined that the country had experienced an extremely elevated infection per capita rate, higher than that of the United States in comparison. The risk of another infection wave persists as the prevalence of positive cases in the French and Belgian border regions is still high. According to scientific estimations, a renewed and accelerated spreading of the virus could overburden the Luxembourgish health sector and increase the national death toll by 8 to 10 times. Currently, 2.6% of the population have developed anti-bodies to the coronavirus, as the newest data sets from the CON-VINCE-study relate. Traces of the virus can also be found in sewage water in purification plants. Between 12 and 25 February, remnants of Covid-10 could be identified in sewage water for the first time. LONDON, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlights Navigator Holdings Ltd. (the "Company", "we", "our" and "us") (NYSE: NVGS) reported operating revenue of $81.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 , compared to $76.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 . for the three months ended , compared to for the three months ended . A net loss of $8.5 million (or a loss per share of $0.14 ) for the three months ended March 31, 2020 , which includes COVID-19 related foreign exchange losses of $3.7 million and a $3.0 million loss on the 50/50 joint venture (the "Export Terminal Joint Venture") relating to the ethylene export marine terminal at Morgan's Point, Texas (the "Marine Export Terminal") prior to the commencement of the take-or-pay contracts. This results in a loss relating to our vessels of $1.8 million (or a loss per share of $0.03 ) compared to a net loss of $3.3 million (or a loss per share of $0.06 ) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 . (or a loss per share of ) for the three months ended , which includes COVID-19 related foreign exchange losses of and a loss on the 50/50 joint venture (the "Export Terminal Joint Venture") relating to the ethylene export marine terminal at (the "Marine Export Terminal") prior to the commencement of the take-or-pay contracts. This results in a loss relating to our vessels of (or a loss per share of ) compared to a net loss of (or a loss per share of ) for the three months ended . Adjusted EBITDA (1) was $26.0 million for the for the three months ended March 31, 2020 , compared to $27.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 . was for the for the three months ended , compared to for the three months ended . Fleet utilization improved to 89.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2020 compared to 84.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 . compared to 84.8% for the three months ended . In April 2020 a further long-term throughput commitment was agreed for the Marine Export Terminal, increasing total offtake commitments to approximately 95% of nameplate capacity. a further long-term throughput commitment was agreed for the Marine Export Terminal, increasing total offtake commitments to approximately 95% of nameplate capacity. In March 2020 , the Company collaborated with Pacific Gas Pte. Ltd. and Greater Bay Gas Co. Ltd. to form and manage a pool of up to fourteen vessels ("Luna Pool") commencing in the second quarter 2020. The Luna Pool will focus on the transportation of ethylene and ethane to meet the growing demands of our customers. , the Company collaborated with Pacific Gas Pte. Ltd. and Greater Bay Gas Co. Ltd. to form and manage a pool of up to fourteen vessels ("Luna Pool") commencing in the second quarter 2020. The Luna Pool will focus on the transportation of ethylene and ethane to meet the growing demands of our customers. We have achieved a record of 489 days without a Lost-Time-Incident (LTI) across our in-house technical managed fleet of 17 vessels. The conversion last year of Navigator Aurora to using ethane for propulsion has resulted in carbon emissions decreasing by approximately 25% for the first quarter, which is the equivalent of taking around 5,000 cars off the road. The Company's financial information for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 included in this press release is preliminary and is subject to change in connection with the completion of the Company's quarter-end close procedures and further financial review. Actual results may differ from these estimates as a result of the completion of the Company's quarter-end closing procedures, review adjustments and other developments that may arise between now and the time such financial information for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 is finalized. Recent Developments Terminal In April 2020, a further long-term throughput commitment was executed for the Marine Export Terminal, increasing total offtake commitments to approximately 95% of the one million ton annual nameplate capacity. The terminal is now fully functional and the throughput agreements are ramping up. The terminal is expected to operate at a level of approx. 600,000 tons per annum pro-rata until the cryogenic storage tank becomes operational later this year. The Company did not make any contributions to the Export Terminal Joint Venture during the first quarter, However since March 31, 2020 the Company has contributed $7.5 million to the Export Terminal Joint Venture by drawing down on the Company's terminal credit facility. This is in addition to the $125.5 million contributed as of December 31, 2019 of our expected share of the approximate $150.0 million capital cost of the Marine Export Terminal. Luna Pool In March 2020, the Company collaborated with Pacific Gas Pte. Ltd. and Greater Bay Gas Co. Ltd. to form and manage the Luna Pool, focusing on the transportation of ethylene and ethane to meet the growing demands of our customers. The Luna Pool became operational during the second quarter of 2020, initially with the introduction of seven vessels. It is expected that all 14 will have joined the pool by the end of the second quarter. Currently nine of the 12 vessels in the pool are transporting ethylene, two carrying ethane and one carrying propylene. Trends 2020 began well in January this year, with healthy utilization of our vessels at 97% and Clarksons' 12 month timecharter assessment reaching a high of $695,000 per calendar month. This upward trajectory was disrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the subsequent lock-downs, first starting in Asia which were swiftly followed by the rest of the world. As a consequence, our February and March utilization levels fell to 84% and 85% respectively as a result of reduced economic activity. However, LPG demand remained relatively resilient to COVID-19 as it fulfills a fundamental energy need for heating and cooking among the world's population. Most of the LPG transported in handysize vessels cater for this domestic demand and we expect the traditional intra-continent handysize LPG trades to remain largely unaffected. The larger gas carrier segment is more sensitive to changes in global LPG price arbitrage as well as to the replacement of LPG as a preferred feedstock in the petrochemical sector compared to the handysize segment. The U.S. became the largest exporter of LPG in 2019 and the volume is dependent on both local demand and global pricing which affects the monthly output from the country and more importantly the availability of tons to be shipped. This in turn impacts the rate levels for Very Large Gas Carriers. Handysize vessels distribute a small fraction of the U.S. LPG volume as the vast majority is transported long distance across the Pacific Ocean by larger vessels. By contrast, Handysize vessels are predominately employed in other LPG exporting and consuming areas which are more sheltered from global price arbitrage movements. Whereas the larger gas carrier segments have high price volatility, the handysize quoted timecharter index fell by only 5% to $665,000 per calendar month at the end of the first quarter. April continued in the same vein as March in terms of utilization of our vessels. However China and many other countries are gradually beginning to ease out of lock-down and re-start manufacturing sites. Ethylene from the Marine Export Terminal re-commenced during May with the cargoes moving world-wide. U.S. produced propylene was exported for the first time in more than a decade on handysize vessels bound for Far Eastern destinations. European producers continued exporting butadiene to East of Suez importers. These deep-sea petrochemical trades provide robust ton-mile demand to the segment. Therefore, combining both LPG and petrochemical trends during the period, we see May utilization of our vessels regaining some lost ground and is on track to reach the approximately 90% level. 2020 has been and continues to be disrupted by COVID-19. Uncertainty remains as to the impact of COVID-19. As more and more countries ease themselves out of lock-downs and re-start their economies it is expected that demand for long haul petrochemical cargoes and regional LPG distribution will increase. COVID-19 The impact of COVID-19 continues to affect global economic conditions that effect our business, financial condition and the results of our operations. The ultimate severity of COVID-19 is uncertain and its future effects depend on the spread of the outbreak, the reactions of various national governments and the duration of the impacts of the virus. Therefore an estimate of the likely impact cannot be made at this time. The Company and its two third-party technical managers continue to have challenges with crew changes, consistent with most shipowners, although a small number of crew changes have recently taken place, as a result of some countries being more accessible than others. The Company continues to assess when it is safe and feasible to undertake crew changes. Drydocking vessels and arranging surveyors to carry out Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE) and Chemical Distribution Institute (CDI) inspections also remains more complex, with flag state, classification societies, as well as our charterers currently taking a pragmatic approach when it comes to providing extensions or requiring vetting approvals for our vessels. The Company has no debt facilities maturing during 2020 and has only one debt instrument maturing in 2021, a $100.0 million bond with Nordic Trustee AS as bond trustee, that matures in February 2021. The Company continues to assess the capital markets and is considering options for deferring its maturity or refinancing the bond using alternative capital raising. Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 Compared to the Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 The following table compares our operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2020: Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 Percentage Change (in thousands, except percentages) Operating revenue....................................................................... $ 76,103 $ 81,257 6.8 % Operating expenses: Brokerage Commissions................................................. 1,309 1,255 (4.1 %) Voyage expenses.............................................................. 13,357 17,544 31.3 % Vessel operating expenses.............................................. 29,474 27,406 (7.0 %) Depreciation and amortization...................................... 18,947 19,210 1.4 % General and administrative costs.................................. 4,803 6,031 25.6 % Total operating expenses................................................ 67,890 71,446 5.2 % Operating income........................................................................ 8,213 9,811 19.5 % Foreign currency exchange (loss) / gain on senior secured bonds.............................................................. (184) 11,417 n/a Unrealized gain / (loss) on non-designated derivative instruments................................................................... 783 (13,961) n/a Interest expense................................................................ (12,153) (12,372) 1.8 % Interest income................................................................. 215 219 1.9 % Loss before income taxes and share of result of equity accounted joint venture....................................................... (3,126) (4,886) 56.3 % Income taxes............................................................................... (93) (168) 80.6 % Share of result of equity accounted joint venture................ (38) (3,041) Net loss.......................................................................................... (3,257) (8,095) 148.5 % Net income attributable to non-controlling interest.............. (422) Net loss attributable to stockholders of Navigator Holdings Ltd........................................................................... $ (3,257) $ (8,517) 161.5 % Operating Revenue. Operating revenue net of address commission, increased by $5.2 million or 6.8% to $81.3 million for three months ended March 31, 2020, from $76.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019. This increase was primarily due to: an increase in operating revenue of approximately $3 .0 million attributable to an increase in fleet utilization which rose from 84.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 to 89.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2020; .0 million attributable to an increase in fleet utilization which rose from 84.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 to 89.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2020; an increase in operating revenue of approximately $0.6 million attributable to an increase in vessel available days of 34 days or 1.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2020 primarily due to an increase in the number of ownership days for the leap year; attributable to an increase in vessel available days of 34 days or 1.0% for the three months ended primarily due to an increase in the number of ownership days for the leap year; an increase in operating revenue of approximately $4 .2 million primarily attributable to an increase in pass through voyage costs, as the number and duration of voyage charters during the three months ended March 31, 2020 increased, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2019; and .2 million primarily attributable to an increase in pass through voyage costs, as the number and duration of voyage charters during the three months ended March 31, 2020 increased, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2019; and a decrease in operating revenue of approximately $2 .6 million attributable to an decrease in average monthly time charter equivalent rates, which decreased to an average of approximately $634,350 per vessel per calendar month ( $20,855 per day) for the three months ended March 31, 2020, compared to an average of approximately $662,526 per vessel per calendar month ( $21,782 per day) for the three months ended March 31, 2019. The following table presents selected operating data for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2020, which we believe is useful in understanding the basis for movements in operating revenue: Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 Fleet Data: Weighted average number of vessels.............................. 38.0 38.0 Ownership days................................................................... 3,420 3,458 Available days.................................................................... 3,398 3,432 Operating days.................................................................... 2,881 3,055 Fleet utilization.................................................................... 84.8 % 89.0 % Average daily time charter equivalent rate (*).............. $ 21,782 $ 20,855 * Non-GAAP Financial Measure - Time charter equivalent: Time charter equivalent ("TCE"), rate is a measure of the average daily revenue performance of a vessel. TCE is not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For all charters, we calculate TCE by dividing total operating revenues, less any voyage expenses, by the number of operating days for the relevant period. Under a time charter, the charterer pays substantially all of the vessel voyage related expenses, whereas for voyage charters, also known as spot market charters, we pay all voyage expenses. TCE rate is a shipping industry performance measure used primarily to compare period-to-period changes in a company's performance despite changes in the mix of charter types (i.e., spot charters, time charters and contracts of affreightment) under which the vessels may be employed between the periods. We include average daily TCE rate, as we believe it provides additional meaningful information in conjunction with net operating revenues, because it assists our management in making decisions regarding the deployment and use of our vessels and in evaluating their financial performance. Our calculation of TCE rate may not be comparable to that reported by other companies. Reconciliation of Operating Revenue to TCE rate The following table represents a reconciliation of operating revenue to TCE rate. Operating revenue is the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP for the periods presented. Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 Fleet Data: Operating revenue....................................................... $ 76,103 81,257 Voyage expenses......................................................... 13,357 17,544 Operating revenue less Voyage expenses............... 62,746 63,713 Operating days............................................................. 2,881 3,055 Average daily time charter equivalent rate............ $ 21,782 $ 20,855 Brokerage Commissions. Brokerage commissions, which typically vary between 1.25% and 2.0% of revenue, decreased by 4.1% to $1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, from $1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 despite an increase in operating revenue on which brokerage commissions are based. The decrease was primarily due to a reduction in the brokerage commissions percentage charged on some of our time charters. Voyage Expenses. Voyage expenses increased by 31.3% to $17.5 million for three months ended March 31, 2020, from $13.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019. This was primarily due to an increase in the number and duration of voyage charters undertaken during the three months ended March 31, 2020, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2019, with these increased voyage costs being pass through costs, corresponding to an increase in operating revenue of the same amount. Vessel Operating Expenses. Vessel operating expenses decreased by 7.0% to $27.4 million for the year three months ended March 31, 2020, from $29.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019. Average daily vessel operating expenses decreased by $693 per vessel per day, or 8.0%, to $7,925 per vessel per day for the three months ended March 31, 2020, compared to $8,618 per vessel per day for the three months ended March 31, 2019. This was primarily due to unexpected costs incurred for repairs and maintenance for the three months ended March 31, 2019, which have not reoccurred for the three months ended March 31, 2020. Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense increased by 1.4% to $19.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, from $18.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019. Depreciation and amortization expense included amortization of capitalized drydocking costs of $2.1 million and $1.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 respectively. General and Administrative Costs. General and administrative costs increased by $1.2 million or 25.6% to $6.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, from $4.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019. The increase in general and administrative costs was primarily due to a revaluation of an Indonesian Rupiah bank account as at March 31, 2020, following a significant weakening of the Indonesian Rupiah against the U.S. dollar in March 2020 as a result of COVID-19, before regaining most of the lost value since the quarter end. Non-operating Results Foreign currency exchange gain on senior secured bonds. Exchange gains and losses relate to non-cash movements on our 600 million Norwegian Kroner 2018 Bonds which are translated to U.S. Dollars at the prevailing exchange rate as of March 31, 2020. The foreign currency exchange gain of $11.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was as a result of the Norwegian Kroner continuing to weaken against the U.S. dollar, being NOK10.5 to USD 1.0 as of March 31, 2020 compared to NOK8.8 to USD 1.0 as of December 31, 2019. Unrealized loss on non-designated derivative instruments. The unrealized loss on non-designated derivative instruments of $14.0 million relates to the fair value movement in our cross-currency interest rate swap for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and is primarily due to the weakening of the Norwegian Kroner against the U.S. dollar. The unrealized gain on this swap for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $0.8 million. Interest Expense. Interest expense increased by $0.2 million, or 1.8%, to $12.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, from $12.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019. This is primarily as a result of interest on the Marine Export Terminal that is no longer being capitalized, following the commencement of operations in December 2019, partially offset by a reduction in U.S. LIBOR on all of our floating rate debt facilities. Income Taxes. Income tax relates to taxes on our subsidiaries incorporated in the United Kingdom, Poland and Singapore and our consolidated variable interest entity ("VIE"), incorporated in Malta. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, we accrued taxes of $168,000 compared to accrued taxes of $93,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2019. Share of result of equity accounted joint venture. The share of result of the Company's 50% ownership in the Export Terminal Joint Venture was a loss of $3.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily as a result of initial low volumes passing through the Marine Export Terminal following its commencement of operations in December 2019. Non-Controlling Interest. We have entered into a sale and leaseback arrangement with a wholly-owned special purpose vehicle ("lessor SPV") of a financial institution. While we do not hold any equity investments in this lessor SPV, we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary of this entity and accordingly, we are required to consolidate this VIE into our financial results. Thus, the income attributable to the financial institution of $0.4 million is presented as the non-controlling interest in our financial results. Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2020: (in thousands) Three months ended March 31, 2019 2020 Net loss $ (3,257) $ (8,095 ) Net interest expense 11,938 12,153 Income taxes 93 168 Depreciation and amortization 18,947 19,210 EBITDA(1) $ 27,721 $ 23,436 Foreign currency exchange loss / (gain) on senior secured bonds 184 (11,417) Unrealized (gain) / loss on non-designated derivative instruments (783) 13,961 Adjusted EBITDA(1) $ 27,122 $ 25,980 1 EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measurements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP (non-GAAP financial measures). EBITDA represents net income before net interest expense, income taxes and depreciation and amortization. We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA before foreign currency exchange gain or loss on senior secured bonds and unrealized gain or loss on non-designated derivative instruments. Management believes that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are useful to investors in evaluating the operating performance of the Company. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not represent and should not be considered alternatives to consolidated net income, cash generated from operations or any measure prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and our calculation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to that reported by other companies. See the table above for a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to net loss, our most directly comparable financial measure calculated accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our Fleet The following table sets forth our vessels as of May 28, 2020: Operating Vessel Year Built Vessel Size (CBM) Employment Status Current Cargo Charter Expiration Date Ethylene/ethane capable semi-refrigerated Navigator Orion........................................................ 2000 22,085 Spot market Ethylene Navigator Neptune................................................... 2000 22,085 Time charter Ethane October 2020 Navigator Pluto......................................................... 2000 22,085 Time charter LPG July 2020 Navigator Saturn...................................................... 2000 22,085 Spot market Ethylene Navigator Venus....................................................... 2000 22,085 Time charter Ethane November 2020 Navigator Atlas......................................................... 2014 21,000 Contract of affreightment Ethylene July 2020 Navigator Europa..................................................... 2014 21,000 Contract of affreightment Ethylene August 2020 Navigator Oberon..................................................... 2014 21,000 Spot market Ethylene Navigator Triton....................................................... 2015 21,000 Spot market Ethylene Navigator Umbrio..................................................... 2015 21,000 Spot market Propylene Navigator Aurora...................................................... 2016 37,300 Time charter Ethane December 2026 Navigator Eclipse...................................................... 2016 37,300 Spot market Navigator Nova........................................................ 2017 37,300 Time charter Ethane June 2020 Navigator Prominence............................................. 2017 37,300 Time charter Ethane October 2020 Semi-refrigerated Navigator Magellan................................................. 1998 20,700 Drydock Navigator Aries......................................................... 2008 20,750 Time charter LPG July 2020 Navigator Capricorn................................................ 2008 20,750 Time charter LPG June 2020 Navigator Gemini..................................................... 2009 20,750 Spot market Butadiene Navigator Pegasus.................................................... 2009 22,200 Spot market Propylene Navigator Phoenix.................................................... 2009 22,200 Spot market Propylene Navigator Scorpio..................................................... 2009 20,750 Time charter LPG June 2020 Navigator Taurus...................................................... 2009 20,750 Spot market LPG Navigator Virgo......................................................... 2009 20,750 Spot market LPG Navigator Leo........................................................... 2011 20,600 Time charter LPG December 2023 Navigator Libra......................................................... 2012 20,600 Time charter LPG December 2023 Navigator Centauri................................................... 2015 21,000 Spot market Butadiene Navigator Ceres........................................................ 2015 21,000 Spot market Butadiene Navigator Ceto.......................................................... 2016 21,000 Spot market Butadiene Navigator Copernico................................................ 2016 21,000 Spot market Butadiene Navigator Luga......................................................... 2017 22,000 Time charter LPG February 2022 Navigator Yauza...................................................... 2017 22,000 Time charter LPG April 2022 Fully-refrigerated Navigator Glory........................................................ 2010 22,500 Time charter Ammonia June 2021 Navigator Grace........................................................ 2010 22,500 Time charter LPG June 2020 Navigator Galaxy..................................................... 2011 22,500 Spot market Navigator Genesis..................................................... 2011 22,500 Time charter LPG June 2020 Navigator Global...................................................... 2011 22,500 Time charter LPG November 2020 Navigator Gusto........................................................ 2011 22,500 Time charter LPG December 2020 Navigator Jorf........................................................... 2017 38,000 Time charter Ammonia August 2027 Conference Call Details: Tomorrow, Friday, May 29 , 2020, at 9:00 A.M. ET, the Company's management team will host a conference call to discuss the preliminary financial results. Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time using the following numbers: 1 (877) 553-9962 (US Toll Free Dial In), 0(808) 238-0669 (UK Toll Free Dial In) or +44 (0) 2071 928 592 (Standard International Dial In). Please quote "Navigator" to the operator. There will also be a live, and then archived, webcast of the conference call, available through the Company's website (www.navigatorgas.com). Participants to the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast. A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available until June 5, 2020, by dialing 1(866) 331-1332 (US Toll Free Dial In), 0(808) 238-0667 (UK Toll Free Dial In) or +44 (0) 3333 009 785 (Standard International Dial In). Access Code: 11870348# About Us Navigator Holdings Ltd. is the owner and operator of the world's largest fleet of handysize liquefied gas carriers and a global leader in the seaborne transportation of petrochemical gases, such as ethylene and ethane, liquefied petroleum gas ("LPG") and ammonia. Navigator's fleet consists of 38 semi- or fully-refrigerated liquefied gas carriers, 14 of which are ethylene and ethane capable. The Company plays a vital role in the liquefied gas supply chain for energy companies, industrial consumers and commodity traders, with our sophisticated vessels providing an efficient and reliable 'floating pipeline' between the parties. We continue to build strong, long-term partnerships based on mutual trust, our depth of technical expertise and a modern versatile fleet. The Company also owns a 50% share, through a joint venture in an ethylene export marine terminal at Morgan's Point, Texas on the Houston Ship Channel, USA. Navigator Gas Attention: Investor Relations Department - [email protected] New York: 650 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10022. Tel: +1 212 355 5893 London: 10 Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5DH. Tel: +44 (0)20 7340 4850 Navigator Holdings Ltd. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) December 31, 2019 March 31, 2020 (in thousands, except share data) Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents..................................................................................................................... $ 64,820 $ 51,027 Restricted cash.......................................................................................................................................... 1,310 15,200 Accounts receivable, net......................................................................................................................... 23,462 24,366 Accrued income........................................................................................................................................ 6,280 3,020 Prepaid expenses and other current assets........................................................................................... 17,670 19,514 Bunkers and lubricant oils...................................................................................................................... 9,645 10,705 Insurance receivable 2,939 3,228 Total current assets.................................................................................................................................. 126,126 127,060 Non-current assets Vessels in operation, net.......................................................................................................................... 1,609,527 1,592,100 Property, plant and equipment, net....................................................................................................... 1,159 991 Investment in equity accounted joint venture.................................................................................... 130,660 127,619 Right-of-use asset for operating leases................................................................................................. 6,781 6,517 Total non-current assets.......................................................................................................................... 1,748,127 1,727,227 Total assets............................................................................................................................................... $ 1,874,253 $ 1,854,287 Liabilities and stockholders' equity Current liabilities Current portion of secured term loan facilities, net of deferred financing costs........................... $ 64,703 $ 64,775 Senior unsecured bond, net of deferred financing costs.................................................................... - 98,953 Current portion of operating lease liabilities........................................................................................ 1,178 1,145 Accounts payable..................................................................................................................................... 10,472 12,276 Accrued expenses and other liabilities.................................................................................................. 14,124 16,531 Accrued interest........................................................................................................................................ 4,424 2,367 Deferred income....................................................................................................................................... 14,154 15,170 Amounts due to related parties.............................................................................................................. 451 446 Total current liabilities............................................................................................................................. 109,506 211,663 Non-current liabilities Secured term loan facilities and revolving credit facilities, net of current portion and deferred financing costs..................................................................................................................................... 578,676 562,443 Senior secured bond, net of deferred financing costs........................................................................ 67,503 56,142 Senior unsecured bond, net of deferred financing costs.................................................................... 98,513 - Derivative liabilities.................................................................................................................................. 5,769 19,730 Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion................................................................................. 6,329 5,683 Amounts due to related parties.............................................................................................................. 68,055 66,698 Total non-current liabilities..................................................................................................................... 824,845 710,696 Total liabilities........................................................................................................................................ 934,351 922,359 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity Common stock$.01 par value per share; 400,000,000 shares authorized; 55,907,438 shares issued and outstanding, (December 31, 2019: 55,826,644)........................................... 558 559 Additional paid-in capital....................................................................................................................... 592,010 592,361 Accumulated other comprehensive loss............................................................................................... (331 ) (411) Retained earnings..................................................................................................................................... 347,566 338,898 Total Navigator Holdings Ltd. stockholders' equity.......................................................................... 939,803 931,407 Non-controlling interest........................................................................................................................... 99 521 Total equity............................................................................................................................................... 939,902 931,928 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity.......................................................................................... $ 1,874,253 $ 1,854,287 Navigator Holdings Ltd. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) Three months ended March 31, (in thousands except share data) 2019 2020 Revenues Operating revenue........................................................................................................................................................................................................... $ 76,103 $ 81,257 Expenses Brokerage commissions................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1,309 1,255 Voyage expenses............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 13,357 17,544 Vessel operating expenses............................................................................................................................................................................................. 29,474 27,406 Depreciation and amortization.................................................................................................................................................................................... 18,947 19,210 General and administrative costs................................................................................................................................................................................. 4,803 6,031 Total operating expenses............................................................................................................................................................................................. 67,890 71,446 Operating income.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8,213 9,811 Other income/(expense) Foreign currency exchange (loss) / gain on senior secured bonds............................ (184 ) 11,417 Unrealized gain / (loss) on non-designated derivative instruments......................... 783 (13,961 ) Interest expense.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. (12,153 ) (12,372 ) Interest income................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 215 219 Loss before income taxes and share of result of equity accounted joint venture.......................................................................................... (3,126 ) (4,886 ) Income taxes................................................................................................................................................................................................................... (93) (168 ) Share of result of equity accounted joint venture.................................................................................................................................................... (38) (3,041 ) Net loss..................................................................................................................................... (3,257) (8,095) Net income attributable to non-controlling interest......................................................... (422) Net loss attributable to stockholders of Navigator Holdings Ltd...................................................................................................................... $ (3,257 ) (8,517 ) Earnings/loss per share: Basic and diluted:........................................................................................................................................................................................................... $ (0.06) $ (0.14 ) Weighted average number of shares outstanding: Basic and diluted:........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 55,680,889 55,838,186 Navigator Holdings Ltd. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (Unaudited) (in thousands, except share data) For the three months ended March 31, 2019: (In thousands, except share data) Common stock Number of shares Amount 0.01 par value Additional Paid-in Capital Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Retained Earnings Total December 31, 2018 55,657,631 $ 557 $ 590,508 $ (363 ) $ 364,408 $ 955,110 Adjustment to equity for the adoption of the new leasing standard (136 ) (136 ) Restricted shares issued March 20, 2019 174,438 1 1 Net income (3,257 ) (3,257 ) Foreign currency translation (48 ) (48 ) Share-based compensation plan 345 345 March 31, 2019 55,832,069 $ 558 $ 590,853 $ (411 ) $ 361,015 $ 952,015 For the three months ended March 31, 2020: Common stock Number of shares Amount 0.01 par value Additional Paid-in Capital Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Retained Earnings Non-controlling interest Total December 31, 2019............................ 55,826,644 $ 558 $ 592,010 $ (331) $ 347,566 $ 99 $ 939,902 Adjustment to equity for the adoption of the new credit losses standard.......................................... (151) (151) Restricted shares issued March 19, 2020................................................. 80,794 1 1 Net income........................................... (8,517) 422 (8,095) Foreign currency translation............. (80) (80) Share-based compensation plan...... 351 351 March 31, 2020.................................. 55,907,438 $ 559 $ 592,361 $ (411) $ 338,898 $ 521 $ 931,928 Navigator Holdings Ltd. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) Three months ended March 31, 2019 (in thousands) Three months ended March 31, 2020 (in thousands) Cash flows from operating activities Net loss......................................................................................................................................... $ (3,257) $ (8,095) Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities Unrealized (gain) / loss on non-designated derivative instruments................................... (783 ) 13,961 Depreciation and amortization............................................................................................... 18,947 19,210 Payment of drydocking costs.................................................................................................. (1,675 ) (1,380) Amortization of share-based compensation........................................................................ 346 352 Amortization of deferred financing costs.............................................................................. 604 1,073 Share of result of equity accounted affiliates...................................................................... 38 3,041 Insurance claim debtor............................................................................................................. (407) Unrealized foreign exchange loss / (gain) on senior secured bonds.................................. 184 (11,417) Other unrealized foreign exchange gain/(loss)...................................................................... 34 (432) Changes in operating assets and liabilities Accounts receivable.................................................................................................................. (6,585 ) (904) Bunkers and lubricant oils........................................................................................................ (2,706 ) (1,060) Prepaid expenses and other current assets............................................................................ (1,738 ) 1,416 Accounts payable, accrued interest and accrued expenses and other liabilities............ (626 ) 3,589 Net cash provided by operating activities.......................................................................... 2,783 18,947 Cash flows from investing activities Payment to acquire vessels...................................................................................................... (233 ) (294) Investment in equity accounted joint venture..................................................................... (32,385 ) Purchase of other property, plant and equipment............................................................... (68 ) (15) Insurance recoveries.................................................................................................................. 118 Net cash used in investing activities..................................................................................... (32,686) (191) Cash flows from financing activities Proceeds from secured term loan facilities and revolving credit facilities....................... 107,000 Issuance cost of refinancing of vessel................................................................................... (19) Direct financing cost of secured term loan and revolving credit facilities....................... (1,442 ) Direct financing cost of terminal credit facility.................................................................... (7) Repayment of secured term loan facilities and revolving credit facilities....................... (93,275 ) (16,633) Repayment of refinancing of vessel to related parties....................................................... (2,000) Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities......................................................... 12,283 (18,659) Net (decrease)/increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash........................ (17,620) 97 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period.............................. 71,515 66,130 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period.......................................... $ 53,895 $ 66,227 IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning plans and objectives of management for future operations or economic performance, or assumptions related thereto, including our financial forecast. In addition, we and our representatives may from time to time make other oral or written statements that are also forward-looking statements. Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in our business and the markets in which we operate as described in this press release. In some cases, you can identify the forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "should," "would," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "forecast," "foresee," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "propose," "potential," "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this press release. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the completion of the Company's quarter-end close procedures and further financial review with respect to the Company's financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 , and other developments that may arise between now and the disclosure of the Company's final results for such quarter; , and other developments that may arise between now and the disclosure of the Company's final results for such quarter; global epidemics or other health crises such as the recent outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19, including its impact on our business; future operating or financial results; pending acquisitions, business strategy and expected capital spending; operating expenses, availability of crew, number of off-hire days, drydocking requirements and insurance costs; fluctuations in currencies and interest rates; general market conditions and shipping market trends, including charter rates and factors affecting supply and demand; our ability to continue to comply with all our debt covenants; our financial condition and liquidity, including our ability to refinance our indebtedness as it matures or obtain additional financing in the future to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions and other corporate activities; estimated future capital expenditures needed to preserve our capital base; our expectations about the availability of vessels to purchase, the time that it may take to construct new vessels, or the useful lives of our vessels; our continued ability to enter into long-term, fixed-rate time charters with our customers; the availability and cost of low sulfur fuel oil compliant with the International Maritime Organization sulfur emission limit reductions, generally referred to as "IMO 2020," which took effect January 1, 2020 ; ; our vessels engaging in ship to ship transfers of LPG or petrochemical cargoes which may ultimately be discharged in sanctioned areas or to sanctioned individuals without our knowledge. changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities; potential liability from future litigation; our expectations relating to the payment of dividends; our expectation regarding providing in-house technical management for certain vessels in our fleet and our success in providing such in-house technical management; our expectations regarding the completion of construction and financing of the Marine Export Terminal and the financial success of the Marine Export Terminal and our related Export Terminal Joint Venture with Enterprise Products Partners L.P.; and other factors detailed from time to time in other periodic reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of these factors. Further, we cannot assess the impact of each such factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward-looking statement. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether because of future events, new information, a change in our views or expectations, or otherwise. We make no prediction or statement about the performance of our common stock. SOURCE Navigator Gas - President Yoweri Museveni said the decision to go into elections in 2021 will greatly depend on the advice he receives from scientists - However, the statement caused uproar from the Opposition who insisted elections can only be guided by the country's Constitution - Constitutionally, the country is expected to head to the poll in February 2021 Long-serving Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has said he has no idea when the next elections will be held following the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed many lives across the world. According to the 75-year-old head of state, the fate of the 2021 election lies in the hands of scientists who are fighting to contain COVID-19. READ ALSO: More woes for Ruto as 3 MPs ditch Tanga Tanga, pledge loyalty to Uhuru Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has ruled the landlocked nation since the 1986. Photo: Yoweri Museveni Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Driver turns his truck into a house as he awaits COVID-19 clearance at Malaba border In a report by the Daily Monitor, secretary general of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Justine Kasule Lumumba said the current coronavirus crisis in the country had affected the electoral calendar greatly. We in NRM are political players. We cannot take a decision and say elections will be at this time without the advice of the scientists. All the presidential directives that have been given so far have been based on the advice of scientists, Equally when it comes to elections, it will depend on the numbers of COVID-19 patients as the tests go on and also most importantly the advice of scientist, said Lumumba. He spoke during Inter-party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) meeting where Justice Forum (Jeema) took over its leadership from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party. READ ALSO: Hali ilivyo: Intimate messages between radio host Alex Mwakideu, lover leak online However, the FDC party leader Patrick Amuriat Oboi said the country should go into the elections and scientists had no role in determining the dates. We should go in for these elections and I am sure that as FDC, we are going to win. Why should we postpone elections? There is no any law that permits the extension of elections. If the government wants to postpone elections, they should announce a state of emergency and conduct a referendum, Amuriat said. According to him, there are other diseases such as malaria that have never prevented an election from taking place. Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine is expected to run against President Museveni in the presidential race. Photo: Bobi Wine Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Video of police officers squeezing suspect's private parts angers Kenyans He suggested the electoral commission instead should start planning early and be given enough funds for it to conduct the elections by increasing the number of polling stations in a bid to reduce instances of COVID-19 transmission. Constitutionally, the elections are expected to be held in February 2021. President Museveni has been ruling the landlocked nation since 1986 and has been facing a lot of Opposition from MP Bobi Wine who has also shown interest in the country's top leadership. 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 PR-Inside.com: 2020-05-28 17:30:05 Amsterdam/s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 28 May 2020 On 28 May 2020, Van Lanschot Kempens annual general meeting of shareholders (AGM) adopted the 2019 financial statements. The AGM, which was held today in Amsterdam, also approved all other resolutions put to a vote. The AGM agreed, among other resolutions, to the appointment of Karin Bergstein as a member of the Supervisory Board, as well as to the policies for both Statutory and Supervisory Boards. Van Lanschot Kempens shareholders also approved the proposed payment of a cash dividend of 1.45 per Class A ordinary share. Payment is conditional upon being in compliance with our stated capital ratio targets and as circumstances allow such as the uncertainties over Covid-19 in the opinion of the Statutory and Supervisory Boards. Payment will not be earlier than 1 October 2020, a decision taken in response to the advice of the European Central Bank (ECB) and De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). After the AGM, Willy Duron stepped down as chairman and member of the Supervisory Board, with Frans Blom taking over the chairmanship. Willy Duron had been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2007 and became its chairman in 2016. We are grateful to his many years of service to Van Lanschot Kempen. The full agenda and notes are available via vanlanschotkempen.com/agm. FINANCIAL CALENDAR 26 August 2020 Publication of 2019 half-year results 29 October 2020 Publication of 2020 third-quarter trading update Media Relations: +31 20 354 45 85; mediarelations@vanlanschotkempen.com Investor Relations: +31 20 354 45 90; investorrelations@vanlanschotkempen.com About Van Lanschot Kempen Van Lanschot Kempen, a wealth manager operating under the Van Lanschot, Kempen and Evi brand names, is active in Private Banking, Asset Management and Merchant Banking, with the aim of preserving and creating wealth, in a sustainable way, for its clients. Van Lanschot Kempen, listed at Euronext Amsterdam, is the Netherlands oldest independent financial services company with a history dating back to 1737. For more information, see vanlanschotkempen.com Disclaimer This document does not constitute an offer or solicitation for the sale, purchase or acquisition in any other way of or subscription to any financial instrument and is not an opinion or a recommendation to perform or refrain from performing any action. This document is a translation of the Dutch original and is provided as a courtesy only. In the event of any disparities, the Dutch version will prevail. Attachment Comvita Limited (Comvita) has today announced its intention to raise approximately NZ$50 million via a NZ$20 million placement (Placement) to institutional investors, together with an approximately NZ$30 million 1 for 4.15 pro-rata accelerated non-renounceable entitlement offer (Entitlement Offer) (together the Offer). The Offer is fully underwritten by Craigs Investment Partners Limited and Forsyth Barr Group Limited. Chairman, Brett Hewlett said Comvita has continued to benefit from strong demand for its products as consumers are actively choosing natural products that strengthen immunity. In addition, this years Manuka honey harvest has been very strong in terms of both volume and quality setting us up nicely to meet that strong demand in larger key target markets of China and North America. The business continues to make good progress on its cost out and business transformation programme, trading profitably January through May and paying down debt from improving operating cashflows. The Board believes that now the market conditions have stabalised, it is prudent to undertake the equity raising as foreshadowed earlier in the year to reset the capital structure, build greater resilience in our balance sheet and enable the business, under new the CEO, David Banfield to focus on profitable growth. Key highlights Comvita is undertaking an approximately NZ$50 million equity raising at an offer price of NZ$2.50 per share via a NZ$20 million underwritten Placement, together with an approximately $30 million 1 for 4.15 underwritten Entitlement Offer to reset its capital structure, build resilience and support its growth agenda. Comvita has experienced strong trading performance year to date across most major markets with year-to-date sales up 7%1 on a like-for-like basis and year-to-date gross margin up from 39%1 to 49%. Very strong honey harvest season with volume increased 84% and quantity of UMFTM2 10+ up 185%. Three point plan to stabilise performance, transform the organisation and build long term resilience and growth well underway, including Comvitas NZ$15 million business transformation programme. The Board believes it prudent to now pursue an equity raising as foreshadowed earlier in the year to reset capital structure, build resilience and position the business to take advantage of future growth opportunities. All of the Independent directors and the CEO will be supporting the offer with a minimum combined committed participation of $0.5m Comvita continues to be well supported by its debt provider and post capital raise has secured new debt facilities and terms to 1 July 2022 Post the equity raising, Comvita expects net bank debt / FY20 Underlying EBITDA (per guidance)3 to decrease from 3.6x to 0.9x (as at 30 June 2020). Equity raising details The fully underwritten approximately NZ$50 million equity raise comprises a NZ$20 million Placement and an approximately NZ$30 million Entitlement Offer. Under the Entitlement Offer, eligible shareholders may subscribe for 1 new ordinary share for every 4.15 existing shares held as at 5.00pm (NZST) on the Record Date of Friday, 29 May 2020, at an application price of NZ$2.50 per new share. The application price reflects a 34.4% discount to NZ$3.81, being the last closing price of Comvitas shares on the NZX on the night prior, Wednesday, 27 May 2020 and a 27.2% discount to the theoretical ex-rights price of NZ$3.43 (TERP)4. The transaction will be supported by all of the Independent Directors and the CEO who have committed to subscribe for $0.5 million of new shares. Placement details The Placement to institutional investors will raise NZ$20 million at the offer price of NZ$2.50 per share. The Placement comprises the issue of 8.0 million shares to eligible, sophisticated and other institutional investors located in New Zealand, Australia and other selected international jurisdictions. The placement represents 11.5% of Comvitas ordinary shares on issue following the Entitlement Offer. Settlement of the Placement is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 3 June 2020, with commencement of trading of new shares on the NZX on the same day. Entitlement offer details The 1 for 4.15 Entitlement Offer will raise a total of approximately NZ$30 million at an application price of NZ$2.50 per share. The Entitlement Offer will be conducted in two parts, a component to institutional investors (Institutional Entitlement Offer) and a component to retail shareholders (Retail Entitlement Offer). The Entitlement Offer is non-renounceable, and entitlements will not be tradeable or otherwise transferrable. Eligible shareholders under the Institutional Entitlement Offer include sophisticated, professional and other institutional shareholders located in Australia, New Zealand and select international jurisdictions as at 5.00pm (NZST) on the Record Date of Friday, 29 May 2020 (Eligible Institutional Shareholders). The Institutional Entitlement Offer will be accelerated and will close on Thursday, 28 May 2020. The Retail Entitlement Offer will be offered to eligible retail shareholders with registered addresses in New Zealand as at 5.00pm (NZST) on the Record Date (Eligible Retail Shareholders). The Retail Entitlement Offer will open on Wednesday, 3 June 2020, and close on Friday, 12 June 2020 (unless extended). Provided they have taken up their full entitlement, Eligible Retail Shareholders may also apply for additional new shares not taken up by other retail shareholders up to a maximum of 100% above their pro-rata entitlement. The Retail Offer Document, containing full details of the Entitlement Offer, will be sent to Eligible Retail Shareholders on Wednesday, 3 June 2020. The rights will not be listed on NZX and there will be no shortfall bookbuild for those entitlements not taken up. Those shareholders who do not exercise their entitlements, or who are ineligible to do so, will have their shareholdings diluted. Retail shareholders who do not use a custodian or nominee to hold their shareholding are strongly encouraged to complete applications online via www.comvitashareoffer.co.nz given the likelihood of delays with the postal system at this time. Those that do apply for shares by postal applications are strongly encouraged to mail their applications as early as possible during the offer period. Additional information Additional information regarding the Offer is contained in the investor presentation accompanying this announcement. The investor presentation contains important information including key risks and foreign selling restrictions with respect to the Offer. Nothing contained in this announcement constitutes investment, legal, tax or other advice. Investors are encouraged to seek appropriate professional advice before making any investment decision. For any questions in respect of the Retail Entitlement Offer, please visit www.comvitashareoffer.co.nz or call Link Market Services Limited on +64 9 375 5998 (within New Zealand) between 8:30am and 5.00pm (NZST) Monday to Friday during the Retail Entitlement Offer Period. For other questions, investors should contact their broker, solicitor, accountant, financial adviser or other professional adviser. Source: Comvita Limited (Comvita) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Tower Limited (NZX: TWR) Update on Tonga Volcanic Eruption and Tsunami Event 21st January 2022 Morning Report Trade Window Holdings Limited (NZX: TWL) TradeWindow and Mastercard teams up Genesis Energy Limited (NZX: GNE) FY22 Q2 Performance Report Seeka Limited (NZX: SEK) Seeka announces dividend of 13 cents per share 20th January 2022 Morning Report Z Energy Limited (NZX: ZEL) Q3FY33 Operating Data Smartpay Holdings Limited (NZX: SPY) Trading Update Rua Bioscience Limited (NZX: RUA) Shareholders Approve Zalm Therapeutics Share Issue Harmoney Corp Limited (NZX: HMY) HMY achieves cash NPAT profitability in 1HFY22 While opinion is still split here and across the state on whether the raid was necessary, there are still some lingering questions about what the raid really accomplished. Yes, many said, the ringleader and some others who were exploiting immigrants have been rightfully convicted. But many wonder about the others, who were contributing to the town and are now gone. FP Trending The Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has announced that the firm will stop making 4G smartphones for the Chinese market by the end of this year. Xiaomi will focus its energy on the development of satellite internet and 6G technology, he revealed. However, the circulation of its 4G LTE models in the international market, as in India, will continue. In an interview conducted by Xinhua, Lei Jun, the co-owner and CEO of the tech giant revealed the future plans. The problems faced by the company due to the pandemic were also discussed in the interview. Xiaomi has been launching 5G handsets to revolutionize the way smartphones are used. Starting from game streaming, to audio conferencing to autonomous driving; the firm aims to spread its 5G devices across the worldwide market. Due to the impact of the epidemic, the speed of 5G promotion has indeed slowed down, but our strategy has not changed, and we will continue to push 5G mobile phones, said Lei Jun in the interview. On Tuesday, Xiaomi had launched the cheapest 5G smartphone available, Redmi 10X, in China. This works for the companys mission of bringing 5G use in the affordable range. The Redmi 10X comes with an AMOLED display and features MediaTek Dimensity 820 below the range of $250 in China. Besides, Xiaomi has also started research on 6G and satellite internet development. The development of satellite will make internet accessible for those living in the rural sections with feeble mobile networks. The decision to draw back 4G devices in their home market is understandable, given the majority of the networks in China have switched to the new connectivity technology. This also indicates that India will see availability of Xiaomi 4G handsets for a considerable time now. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now. By Carla Javier, Kyle Stokes and Mariana Dale A task force convened by the Los Angeles County Office of Education released a framework Wednesday with guidelines for the county's 80 school districts as they plan for when, how -- and maybe whether -- to reopen school campuses. The 43-page document lays out how different schools could operate in the 2020-21 school year, though ultimately, the decision on reopening campuses is up to the leaders of each district and charter. "Schools are not going to look the same when they reopen," Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools Debra Duardo said in a briefing on the framework. "And our framework offers options and a lot of flexibility that can be adapted to promote the physical distancing that we expect the Department of Public Health to require of us." Practically, that means districts could implement measures like: Providing instruction in a "hybrid" way, meaning some in-person classes and some via distance learning Staggering schedules, including lunch and recess Organizing students in "stable" groupings, so they're with the same people each day Capping class sizes in typical classrooms to 16 students Moving instruction outdoors and into non-traditional classroom spaces Making hallways and stairwells one-way Scheduling hand-washing time and bathroom use Identifying an "isolation room" for students or staff who may be sick Limiting activities or assignments that involve sharing supplies And many, many more In a separate update, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said state guidelines on reopening schools will be released in early June, but he provided a few glimpses of what that guidance will include: face coverings for everyone, smaller classes, fewer students on buses, physical distancing, and temperature checks. But here's a preview. CA Supt. @TonyThurmond says: - Students can expect to wear face coverings in schools whenever in-person instruction resumes - Social distancing will have to be maintained - Smaller numbers of students on buses - Expect temperature checks #caedchat Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) May 27, 2020 Some of those guidelines echo those made by the county, though if differences were to arise, Susan Chaides from LACOE's Community Health and Safe Schools Unit said the county Office of Education would recommend following the most strict guidance. SOME DISSENT (AND A LETTER TO TRUMP) Not everyone agrees that these guidelines are the right approach, though. Palos Verdes Unified School District superintendent Alex Cherniss -- along with nine other local superintendents -- signed a letter listing concerns with some of the proposed guidance. Cherniss forwarded the letter to President Donald Trump. "Policies and procedures like keeping children 6 feet apart and requiring young children to wear face coverings all day are not only impractical, but will render our ability to reopen school on a daily basis nearly impossible," Cherniss wrote in the letter. The 10 area superintendents expressed concern about the guidelines and asked for more flexibility on the proposed physical distancing and face covering guidance. In the letter, they argued that it could be very expensive to follow those guidelines and difficult to get young people to comply with them. "While many of these proposed guidelines may be feasible in a hospital setting or a commercial business setting, we do not believe they are feasible or practical in a school setting," they wrote. icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy The Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest in the state and second largest in the nation, declined to comment on LACOE's framework on Wednesday. United Teachers Los Angeles, the union that represents LAUSD teachers, said in a statement that it's surveying staff, students, and the community about reopening, and will integrate what they learn into negotiations with the district. "Educators want more than anything to be back in schools with our students, whom we love," the union said in a statement. "But, we also understand deeply that the only way this can happen is if schools are healthy, safe, and improved. The status quo will not be enough to safeguard students and educators alike." There's also the challenge of paying for it all. As LACOE task force member and Rowland Unified School District Superintendent Julie Mitchell acknowledged in a briefing on the framework, implementing these guidelines could be expensive, and this year is expected to be a tough one for school budgets. "School districts need full funding," Mitchell said. "This is necessary not only to provide the services that our schools and districts have provided in the past and our community so desperately relies on, but there will be significant costs that are additional, related to the reopening and serving our students in our community during and post-pandemic." The L.A. County Office of Education task force report includes a flow chart to guide school officials as they make plans for the 2020-21 school year. CHILD CARE The LACOE guidelines also apply to students in daycare and preschool programs. The changes will be apparent from the moment parents drop off their kids off outside the center -- adults won't be allowed to walk into the classroom with their little ones. "We're really pushing for parents to be part of that environment with the children, that's essential to the learning process, but here we are going to have to go opposite of that," said Keesha Woods, executive director of Head Start and Early Learning at the L.A. County Office of Education. The inside of classrooms will look different too. Typically, children rotate through different learning centers focused on specific activities like reading or theater. Woods says it's likely teachers will move between groups of children instead to minimize the amount of contact and remind children of the new rules. "You can tell a 6-year old to stay in an area, and they're more likely to stay there versus a 3-year-old," Woods said. Preschools and daycares would be limited to groups of 10 kids under the LACOE guidelines. (Priska Neely/LAist) Right now, public health officials say groups of young children should be limited to 10. Infants should be limited to groups of four. "I have every intent of serving the same number of kids," Woods said. "However, I do know that I'm going to be serving some children in the classroom. I'm going to serve some children through our distance learning." One way to increase the capacity of the child care centers and encourage children to stay a healthy distance apart could be the creation of outdoor classrooms. "Most of the centers are open right now, they are keeping the children outside as much as possible," said Sonia Cleary, who oversees Early Head Start programs at Child360 for about 100 children. A few South L.A. centers that have remained open through the pandemic moved toys like Legos, blocks and books outside to supplement traditional activities like chalk drawing and playground climbing. These centers might have other lessons for district early education programs, such as how to screen children for illness at the start of each school day and communicate with families about wearing masks. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing has gained support among fund managers and stockbrokers for its mooted plan to attract more tech giants to list in the city by allowing expanding the use of dual-class shares. The city's exchange has proposed allowing corporate shareholders, as well as founders and key managers, to own shares with more voting rights than other shareholders. The exchange is collecting views on its plan until Sunday. While fund managers and stockbrokers remain wary of allowing a handful of shareholders to exercise overweening influence on a company's future, they hope more safeguards will protect ordinary shareholders. Hong Kong's bourse is rolling out the welcome mat for US-listed mainland Chinese tech firms to decamp to Hong Kong due to the increasingly tense relationship between the US and China. Online shopping company JD.com and gaming giant NetEase have already applied for a secondary listing in the city. Charles Li Xiaojia, HKEX's CEO is encouraging US-listed Chinese companies to come home. Photo: Nora Tam alt=Charles Li Xiaojia, HKEX's CEO is encouraging US-listed Chinese companies to come home. Photo: Nora Tam At least 38 US-listed mainland tech giants, including Tencent Music, currently do not qualify to list in Hong Kong as they have corporate shareholders with a weighted voting rights WVR structure. Such structures are allowed in the US and Singapore. About 42 per cent of all US-listed mainland tech firms have WVR structures while 84 per cent of the 50 biggest technology unicorns in mainland China have corporate shareholders, HKEX said in its proposal. HKEX's move would expand the listing reform it introduced in April 2018 that allowed the listing of companies whose founders or other key staff held shares with greater voting rights. The exchange is now proposing to admit firms with corporate shareholders who also own such shares. "It is a logical move for the HKEX to expand the listing reform further. If an individual can hold the shares with more voting rights, a corporate shareholder should also be allowed to do so," said Clement Chan Kam-wing, managing director of accounting firm BDO. Story continues The 2018 listing reform allowed companies with multiple classes of shares with different voting rights to list here. It has successfully attracted Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, online food-delivery company Meituan Dianping, as well as a secondary listing by the South China Morning Post's New York-listed parent company, Alibaba Group Holding. The three together commanded a market value of about HK$5.3 trillion (US$679 billion) at the end of 2019 " or 14 per cent of the market capitalisation of all companies listed in Hong Kong. The proposed rule change will make Hong Kong a more attractive listing venue, according to Stephen Chan, a partner at law firm Dechert. "The new rules would particularly benefit any innovative businesses that are a part of an ecosystem of companies, or those that are locked in a corporate structure after rounds of pre-IPO funding," Stephen Chan said in a written interview. Hong Kong Investment Funds Association, the industry body for international fund management companies operating in the city, consider the safeguards already proposed by the HKEX inadequate. It believes that the sunset clause limiting the WVRs shares by corporate shareholders to no more than 10 years, with an option to renew by no more than five years subject to the approval of independent shareholders, is too long. The HKEX should cut it down to five years with a renewal of no more than three years, subject to independent shareholders' approval, said Bruno Lee Kam-wing, chairman of Hong Kong Investment Funds Association. "The listing applicant should understand that corporate WVR class share is a privilege and that it does not come as a default," Lee said. The association also urges the exchange to allow tech companies to have either individuals or corporate shareholders with WVR, and not both. Financial Services Development Council, a government body says the HKEX proposal could enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong as a listing venue while safeguarding the interest of the investors. Market capitalisation requirements for a corporate shareholder to own WVR shares limit the number of candidates to less than 300 firms globally, the council says on its website. HKEX's proposal will limit WVRs to companies with a market cap of at least HK$200 billion, and they must own at least 30 per cent of the company to be listed. 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. WINNIPEG - Manitoba's premier has added his voice to provincial leaders calling on Ottawa to clear up mixed messages about Indigenous ceremonies, after a chief said his First Nation would be holding its annual powwow even if public-health orders continue to limit the size of gatherings. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/5/2020 (602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. WINNIPEG - Manitoba's premier has added his voice to provincial leaders calling on Ottawa to clear up mixed messages about Indigenous ceremonies, after a chief said his First Nation would be holding its annual powwow even if public-health orders continue to limit the size of gatherings. "Now is not the time to begin to disrespect public health orders that have kept Manitobans safe all Manitobans," Brian Pallister. The chief of a First Nation in Manitoba says the community will go ahead with its annual powwow next month even if provincial public health orders continue to limit the size of public gatherings to 50 people. Lake Manitoba First Nation Chief Cornell McLean is seen in a handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Chief Cornell McLean, *MANDATORY CREDIT* Pallister said he would be bringing up the issue on a call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later Thursday. "We are not people who believe in two-tiered health," the premier added. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe criticized the federal government's approach earlier this month after RCMP were dispatched to a sun-dance ceremony. Moe said no one is exempt from provincial public health orders because no one is exempt from COVID-19. Thousands of people usually travel across the country to dance and reconnect during the powwow season. This year, most traditional gatherings have been cancelled or delayed over concerns about the novel coronavirus or due to provincial restrictions on how many people can gather. Chief Cornell McLean said that after careful consideration Lake Manitoba First Nation decided to go ahead with the community's traditional powwow next month. "It is our culture," McLean said. Two months ago, Lake Manitoba was one of the first reserves in the province to restrict travel in and out of the community, about 160 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Many other First Nations followed. McLean said there have been no cases of COVID-19 in the region. He said it has been difficult for many residents as they deal with the stress of isolation, financial strain and concern over their families. Some have turned to alcohol or drugs, he said. He believes the powwow that is being organized will bring healing. "It's important because we are trying to start that healing process for our members." There have been 294 cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba. However, the number of infections has stagnated over the last few weeks. The government reported two new cases on Thursday; 14 are active. McLean and his council watched as the provincial government began to loosen restrictions this month. He said they decided to move forward with the powwow when the limit on outdoor gatherings was increased to 50 people. "We will make sure that social distancing is being followed," said the chief, who added that anyone not feeling well should not attend the event running June 19-21. "We won't have people standing arm in arm, that's for sure, but we will find a way to make it work for our community." The powwow is still being planned and McLean did not indicate how many people are expected to take part. Outside of community members, people from four nearby First Nations are likely to come, he said. Organizers will be watching what happens with provincial public- health orders and will decide if there needs to be a limit on attendance, but there won't be less than 100 people, McLean said. The First Nation may get criticized for holding the powwow, but McLean noted the federal government has made it clear that Indigenous ceremonies won't be stopped during the pandemic. "Canada must not and will not prohibit these important practices," Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said earlier this month. Any decision to cancel or postpone cultural practices remains up to community leadership, Indigenous Services spokesperson Martine Stevens said in an email. First Nations leaders and ceremonial organizers are given information on COVID-19 public health measures. Manitoba Health said Indigenous ceremonies need to follow current public health recommendations. The department said it will work with First Nations to provide public health guidance. Wab Kinew, Manitoba's NDP Opposition leader, said he believes the chief knows what is best for the community. He denounced Pallister's comments and said the only two-tiered health care that exists on reserves is the underfunding of health services for First Nations people. "It's so unfortunate that we have a premier that would want to make inflammatory statements because it's counterproductive to the collaboration that would have all parties work together to stamp out COVID-19." Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Arlen Dumas, grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said governments and First Nations need to be flexible to ensure traditions are maintained while keeping people safe. "Everyone is super sensitive to the reality of what we are dealing with in the time of this pandemic," he said. Dumas said the assembly is in constant contact with the province's chief public health officer and the federal government. First Nations are being advised to remain vigilant and look out for one another. Manitoba chiefs acted quickly to keep communities safe when it was clear COVID-19 was spreading, Dumas said. They continue to do what's best for their communities now that Manitoba is taking steps to reopen,he added. "We aren't going to be able to isolate ourselves forever, so how do we start living with this thing?" This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2020 During COVID-19 air travel much safer than eating out and grocery shopping Explained: Why passenger may not need RT-PCR report for domestic travel if fully vaccinated Flying to US: New travel guidelines you should know With the flights back, here is how the Indian skies look today India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, May 28: From today onwards, the entire nation has been covered after flight services resumed in West Bengal. Our skies and airports are going to get as busy as they always were in the coming days, Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri said. He also shared a picture captured by flightradar24. The image captured at 9.126 am today showed the Indian skies with the numerous flights operating. With operations starting from West Bengal today, we have now the entire country covered, the minister also said in a tweet. Meanwhile, Vistara said its first 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which was delivered to it by Boeing in February this year, operated its maiden commercial flight from Delhi to Kolkata on Thursday morning. How airports and airlines will operate once the lockdown is lifted While domestic passenger flights resumed across India from Monday, they restarted in Andhra Pradesh from Tuesday and in West Bengal from Thursday. With operations starting from West Bengal today, we now have the entire country covered. This is how the picture looked in a capture from @flightradar24 at 9.16 am this morning. Our skies & airports are going to get as busy as they always were in coming days.@PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/5BfrntdaDc Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 28, 2020 In a press release, Vistara's Chief Commercial Officer Vinod Kannan said, "We are seeing a reasonable demand on some of the routes and are happy to add more flights to fly people home and help them reunite with their loved ones. This also enabled us to deploy India's first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the Delhi-Kolkata route on 28 and 29 May 2020." The airports at Kolkata and Bagdogra have been permitted to handle 20 daily flights each from Thursday onwards. The airline said its flight UK705, operated using Dreamliner plane, departed from Delhi at 7.05 am on Thursday and arrived at Kolkata at 8.55 am. There are 30 seats, 21 seats and 248 seats in business class, premium economy class and economy class of this wide-body aircraft. Domestic flight rules: From web check in to Aarogya Setu, what you should know Congress launches Speak Up India campaign to urge govt for direct relief to poor | Oneindia News India had imposed a lockdown on March 25 to curb the spread of coronavirus. All scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended since then. While domestic passenger flights resumed from Monday, international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India. The Sadhus, who are overseeing the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya, have objected to Imran Khan-led Pakistan government against interfering in countrys affair. The strong objection by the Hindu Sadhus comes after Pakistan had ranted against the start of construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. According to the reports, the Hindu Sadhus at Ayodhya have raised concerns regarding recent Pakistan Foreign office statements on Ram Mandir construction at Ayodhya and warned the Pakistan authorities of not to cross limits or else Ram mandir will be constructed in Islamabad too. The Sadhus have also urged the government of India to give a befitting reply to Pakistan. India had responded to Pakistans rant against the start of construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, saying that the Islamic country had no locus-standi on the issue. Launching a blistering attack on Pakistan, the Indian Foreign Ministry advised the Imran Khan-led government to read their own countrys constitution before comments. Pakistan rants condemning the commencement of construction of Ram Mandir Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan took to Twitter to interfere in Indias internal affairs yet again and fear-monger about Indias religious minorities even as Hindus, Sikhs and Christians continue to get persecuted in the Islamic Nation of Pakistan. In the statement issued by the Pakistan spokesperson, the commencement of the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya was condemned, calling the Supreme Court verdict in the matter controversial. While ? is grappling with unprecedented #COVID19, RSS-BJP combine is busy unabashedly advancing Hindutva agenda. The commencement of construction of a Mandir at the site of Babri Masjid is another step in this direction & Govt & people of ?? condemn it in the strongest terms. pic.twitter.com/1V4iWW7tvi Spokesperson ?? MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) May 27, 2020 In the statement, it is alleged that the RSS-BJP are busy advancing their Hindutva agenda even as the world is grappling with the Coronavirus pandemic. While alleging this, Pakistan, a country which is based on the tenets of religious hatred and the premise that Muslims cannot live alongside Hindus, forgets that India is indeed a Hindu majority country and just because historic wrongs perpetuated by Islamic invaders are being rectified now, it does not qualify to be called Hindutva agenda. The Statement then says that the controversial Supreme Court judgement in the Ram Mandir case shredded the veneer of so-called secularism of India by making clear that the minorities are not safe in India and they have to feat for their lives, beliefs and places of worship. In this segment, Pakistan obviously forgets to mention that the Babri Masjid was actually built after a grand temple was razed to the ground and desecrated by Muslim invaders. That the structure is now being razed to the ground and a temple is being built is only righting a historic wrong committed by Muslim invaders. Then, as usual, the statement issued by Pakistan calls upon the world community to hold India to account for perceived injustices to Muslims, when there clearly exists none. It is pertinent to note, that only recently, the Maldives, which is an Islamic country, had called out Pakistans agenda against India and asserted that Islamophobia allegations against India are untrue. Maldives has come out in defence of India at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meet and called out Pakistans rising Islamophobia propaganda against India. As per reports, Pakistan tried to push the narrative of rising Islamophobia in India. The Maldives, however, called it out and said that isolated statements by motivated individuals along with the misinformation campaign on social media cannot be taken as the feelings of 1.3 billion Indians. Maldives Permanent Representative to the UN Thilmeeza Hussain said that alleging Islamophobia in the context of India would be factually incorrect. Let me state that singling out India, the largest democracy in the world and multicultural society and home to over 200 million Muslims, alleging Islamophobia would be factually incorrect. It would be detrimental to the religious harmony in the South Asian region. Islam has existed in India for centuries and it is the second-largest religion in India with 14.2% of Indias population, she said. The Maldives, which is also an Islamic country, said that India, in recent years, has developed stronger ties with Islamic nations such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan and Palestine. Prime Minister Modi has been given high civilian awards in these countries. Creative producer of the television serial Naagin, Mukta Dhond, has dismissed reports of actor Nia Sharma being written out of the show, but admitted that the series will undergo a transformation soon. It has been reported that actors Rashami Desai and Anita Hassanandani would end their runs on the series, following the conclusion of season four. Mukta told TellyChakkar, Well, we are not shutting the fourth season. We have something big planned for our avid viewers of Naagin. When the show returns, it will come back with a bang where you will see Nia Sharma like never before in the show. She did, however, admit that few characters will eventually be out of the show and new characters will be introduced. In short, one story will end and another one will start. Dismissing rumours that the removal of Rashami and Nia was due to budget constraints, Mukta said, I want to clarify that Nia and Rashami going out of the show has got nothing to do with budgets. Both the girls are like family and we will surely work with them in near future. She said that the news would have eventually been shared, however we are disclosing the suspense now as the show took a long break due to the lockdown. A source close to the development had earlier told Mirror Online, The makers are planning a complete revamp for Naagin 4, with new faces, new storyline and new twists and turns. Rashamis character does not fit in the post-lockdown version of the show and she has already been informed about it by the production team. Also read: Naagin 4 actors Rashami Desai, Nia Sharma shown the door, Vijyendra Kumeria says he was expecting this to happen: report Naagin 4 is a supernatural series, produced by Balaji Telefilms, and follows the destiny of shape-shifting female snakes (naagins) who must get hold of the fabled naagmani (snake jewel). Rashami had joined the show just before the lockdown was enforced. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan in an interview celebrating her 20th anniversary in the film business revealed that her husband, Saif Ali Khan, was offered the lead role in her 2012 film Talaash, but turned it down. Speaking to BBC Asian Network, Kareena said that she was taken aback when Saif told her that hed turned it down. I think at that time Saif wanted to do a more commercial kind of movie, Kareena said, adding that she only became attached to the project when Aamir Khan signed on to play the lead role. She called it one of her finest works. Talaash released in the same year that Kareena and Saif tied the knot. Asked about the one thing she learned from Saif that has changed her the most, she said, The best thing Ive learned from Saif is being comfortable with myself and not always be running after money, success, fame. Hes taught me to love the greater things in life, that theres something greater than money, fame and success, which I probably didnt know -- like family, love, calmness, peace of mind, or reading a book, or sitting and having a conversation not about work and competition. Also Watch | Akshay Kumar on interviewing PM Modi; Kareena on pay parity Also read: Kareena Kapoor: Saif Ali Khan tells me that tag of being super successful wont last but being great actor will She said that she hopes to be an inspiration for younger actors, and that they can now see the importance of making good choices and competing with themselves and not among themselves. Kareena said that she chose to not pursue a career in Hollywood, like her contemporary Priyanka Chopra, because she did not want to be away from her family. She admitted that shed be really good in a Hollywood film, but added, I can be good in a Hindi movie also. Asked about what she wants to achieve in the next 20 years, she said that she wants to move to London, because London is my favourite city in the world. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 23:45:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, May 28 (Xinhua) -- President of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Legislative Council (LegCo) Andrew Leung said on Thursday he supports the decision by the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, on national security legislation for Hong Kong. "I am supportive of the NPC's decision to safeguard national security and maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong," Leung said at the LegCo Complex, adding that the decision was made out of necessity and urgency in the light of Hong Kong's current situation. Deputies to the 13th NPC on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to approve the NPC Decision on Establishing and Improving the Legal System and Enforcement Mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to Safeguard National Security. The NPC, according to the decision, entrusts its standing committee to make national security laws to be promulgated and enforced in Hong Kong. Leung noted that the relevant laws target those acts and activities to split the country, subvert state power, organize and carry 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. "I am glad to see the explanations by both the central government and the HKSAR government that the implementation of 'one country, two systems' in Hong Kong remains unchanged," he said. The rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents and international investors in accordance with the law, including freedoms of procession, assembly, expression, publication and of the press, among others, will not be affected, he added. "I believe the decision will benefit Hong Kong's economic development, better safeguard people's livelihood and properties, and ensure the well-being of the community," Leung said. He expressed hope that the HKSAR government will work hard in explaining the relevant issues to address the concerns of Hong Kong residents and the international community. "We should also keep an open mind and adopt a pragmatic attitude towards this legislative work," he said. Enditem Shooting incident leads to deadly crash in Independence INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - Independence police are investigating a shooting incident that ended in a deadly multi-vehicle crash at US 24 Highway and Sterling Avenue. Police responded to a shots fired call around 2:30 Wednesday afternoon near E. Nettleton and N. Emery. Before police arrived on scene, the people involved in the shooting left the residence [...] Tragic crash report today: "An uninvolved motorist. Officers responded around 2:30 p.m. to the 800 block of North Emery for a domestic disturbance call with shots fired, according to a news release."Read more: Several McDonald's employees in California went on strike after allegedly being told to use dog diapers and coffee filters as face masks. At least four workers reportedly contracted the coronavirus within the past week. The 22 workers of the Telegraph Avenue McDonald's did not show up to work Tuesday, striking to demand a two-week paid quarantine period, company-paid medical costs and a deep cleaning of the store, plus proper personal protective equipment. Organizers said the cooks, cashiers and other workers were told to wear face masks made out of unused dog diapers or use coffee filters to make masks when they ran out of masks handed out by management. Scroll down for video Pictured: a mask made out of a dog diaper that was given to employees at the Oakland-area McDonald's Workers at an Oakland-area McDonald's held a strike this week after they were allegedly told to use dog diapers and coffee filters as face masks 'McDonald's is treating us like dogs,' said worker Delia Vargas in a statement. 'We don't want to die for their hamburgers so we are going on strike, to protect ourselves, our families and our communities.' The United States has now surpassed 100,000 deaths this week and recorded 1,699,933 cases of the coronavirus. Photos shared by The Fight for $15, an organization that helps organize fast-food workers, on Twitter showed McDonald's workers protesting outside the store. Signs taped to the store's wall read 'Stop Treating Us Like Dogs,' 'Protect Essential Workers Now' and 'McDonald's: Protect Essential Workers.' In addition to PPE, staffers are demanding a two-week paid quarantine period, company-paid medical costs and a deep cleaning of the store Staffers held signs reading 'protect essential workers' and 'Stop treating us like dogs' while protesting outside the McDonald's store Employees did not show up for work Tuesday after at least four employees, as well as those employee's family members, tested positive for coronavirus A large message that appeared to be painted on the parking lot's ground, in McDonald's signature yellow and red colors, read 'Justice and PPE Essential 4 Workers.' In a videos from the protest, one employee explained he was on strike for not only his safety, but customers. 'We are on strike because we need protection from workers. We can't continue working well with the food if we're infected and infecting clients,' the employee said. Another added: 'We're on strike because we demand better working conditions for my coworkers and I. We're not animals, we're human beings who have families that depend on us. 'If we're working, it's because we need to and we sill follow working conditions suitable for us and customers.' Delia Vargas: ''McDonald's is treating us like dogs. We don't want to die for their hamburgers so we are going on strike, to protect ourselves, our families and our communities' One employee claimed that her coworker was in the hospital with COVID-19, but had not been been contacted by her boss Employee Zaira Prieto: ''Workers are just afraid theyre going to get fired if they speak out and say something' She continued to say that striking workers demand a $2 raise and 'that it is retroactive for all the time that we have worked.' 'We also demand better benefits for out coworkers that are in the hospital for the virus and with [whom] our boss hasn't communicated.' Other signs read 'Greedy Bosses Kill Workers' and 'When We Strike, We Win!' In addition to the four employees who've allegedly fallen ill, at least three others, including one staffer who is pregnant, have exhibited symptoms. Family members of sick employees, including a 10-month old baby, have also tested positive for the virus, according to The Fight for $15. Pictured: Signs posted outside the Oakland McDonald's by striking staff members reads 'Greedy Bosses Kill Workers' and 'When We Strike, We Win!' Pictured: an employee striking outside the McDonald's who said 'we're not animals' and demanded better protection When one worker asked a manager about closing the store down for cleaning, the manager supposedly said it would mean losing customers, according to The Fight for $15. Zaira Prieto, an employee at the McDonald's, told the San Francisco Chronicle that she knows at least one staffer who exhibited flu-like symptoms at a different location and told to go home. Instead, Prieto said he came to work at her restaurant. 'We dont get paid if we have to quarantine. We should be getting paid for that time,' she said. 'Workers are just afraid theyre going to get fired if they speak out and say something.' The workers also were told the restaurant would be completely shut on Monday, but people were still working that day. McDonald's, in a statement on Tuesday, said that the restaurant was closed for a 'deep cleaning procedure' after three employees tested positive for COVID-19. However, protest organizers have said that the number of sick employees is actually four. 'We identified and reached out to all restaurant staff who had been in close contact with the employees who contracted the virus and advised they self-quarantine in accordance with CDC guidelines,' said Michael Smith, owner/operator of the McDonald's on Telegraph in the statement. 'We expect to reopen in a few days when we can safely staff the restaurant again. Our people are the heart and soul of our McDonald's family, and we are keeping those impacted in our thoughts for a fast and full recovery.' Smith also said that workers are required to wear personal protective equipment at all times, 'and the claims of being asked to wear coffee filters and dog diapers are entirely false.' He said McDonald's is in full compliance with CDC guidelines and state-level orders, and is providing employees with paid leave, and 'nearly $20,000 worth of grocery gift cards to further aid them during this difficult time.' Tuesday's strike in Oakland comes a week after McDonald's cooks and cashiers in 20 cities nationwide went on strike to protest what they called the company's failed response to the pandemic. Despite staffers' claims and protests, McDonald's officials said the company is complying with public health guidelines from the CDC Last month, McDonald's workers held a car protest in Hayward demanding hazard pay and more coronavirus safeguards. Workers from various restaurants including San Jose and San Leandro were in a car caravan circling the fast-food chain in Hayward, honking and holding signs in protest. The protest in early April was inspired in part by similar protests in Los Angeles at that time when a worker tested positive for the virus. In San Francisco, McDonald's workers filed a complaint with the city's health department after mangers similarly told workers to use coffee filters as masks, according to Fight for $15. At a separate restaurant in San Francisco, workers were not told when a colleague tested positive for COVID-19, and also filed a complaint with the city health department, the organization said. The spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories could increase if there are further cuts in print, online and broadcast media. That is one of the concerns of the Press Ombudsman in his annual report published today. It also shows there were 252 press complaints last year, down from an average of 350 over the last ten years, primarily over breaches of trust, accuracy and privacy. Ombudsman Peter Feeney is worried that staff or cost reductions could affect democracy and the scrutiny of those in power. He said: "If there is further slippage in the Irish media and more and more people get their information from social media, we are losing the ability to analyse ourselves, we are losing the ability to engage in conversation between ourselves. "We are losing the ability to engage in conversations between ourselves and we are handing it over to multinationals which are virtually unregulated where there is a huge amount of disinformation." The Press Ombudsman also said people's privacy has to be respected in online stories just as much as in print or broadcast content. One of nine complaints upheld involved the use of photos taken from an Instagram account for use in an online article. Ombudsman Peter Feeney said media outlets need to be just as careful when using social media content as part of a story. San Francisco, May 28 (IANS) Several India-based firms are spoofing the World Health Organisation (WHO) by creating fake Gmail accounts and luring business leaders in disguise of informing them of latest Covid-19 announcements and hack their personal and financial information, Google has warned. These "hack-for-hire" firms, many based in India, have been creating Gmail accounts spoofing the WHO, largely targeting business leaders in financial services, consulting, and healthcare corporations within numerous countries including, the US, Slovenia, Canada, India, Bahrain, Cyprus, and the UK. "The lures themselves encourage individuals to sign up for direct notifications from the WHO to stay informed of COVID-19 related announcements, and link to attacker-hosted websites that bear a strong resemblance to the official WHO website," security researchers from Google's Threat Analysis Group said on Wednesday. The sites typically feature fake login pages that prompt potential victims to give up their Google account credentials, and occasionally encourage individuals to give up other personal information, such as their phone numbers. On any given day, Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) said it is tracking more than 270 targeted or government-backed attacker groups from more than 50 countries. Last month, it sent 1,755 warnings to users whose accounts were targets of government-backed attackers. "Our team of analysts and security experts is focused on identifying and stopping issues like phishing campaigns, zero-day vulnerabilities and hacking against Google, our products and our users," said the tech giant. Google continues to see attacks from groups like Charming Kitten on medical and healthcare professionals, including WHO employees. "We're seeing a resurgence in Covid-related hacking and phishing attempts from numerous commercial and government-backed attackers," said the company. Government-backed or state-sponsored groups have different goals in carrying out their attacks: Some are looking to collect intelligence or steal intellectual property; others are targeting dissidents or activists, or attempting to engage in coordinated influence operations and disinformation campaigns. Google said that since March, it has removed more than 1,000 YouTube channels that were part of a large campaign and behaving in a coordinated manner. "These channels were mostly uploading spammy, non-political content, but a small subset posted primarily Chinese-language political content similar to the findings of a recent Graphika report," said the company. Several cybersecurity firms have seen a spike in Covid-19 related scams and hacking attempts. Hackers are also creating scam sites similar to Covid-19 relief packages. Researchers at Check Point Software Technologies revealed in mid-May that they have seen 192,000 coronavirus-related cyber-attacks per week over the past three weeks, a 30 per cent increase compared to previous weeks. --IANS na/ Tile, the maker of Bluetooth trackers that help find lost keys and other items, is urging European regulators to open an investigation into Apple for alleged anticompetitive behavior. In a letter sent last week to Margrethe Vestager, Europe's antitrust chief, Tile said Apple made changes to its operating system that hurt the small California startup and gave Apple an advantage as it plans to launch a product that is similar to Tile's. "Apple has taken several steps to competitively disadvantage Tile, including by making it more difficult for consumers to use our products and services," wrote Kirsten Daru, vice president and general counsel for Tile. "We encourage the Directorate-General to launch an inquiry into Apple's anti-competitive behavior in Europe." The letter has not previously been made public. By sharing its letter publicly, Tile follows in the footsteps of Spotify, the Swedish music streaming service that filed an official complaint in Europe last year against Apple, alleging publicly that Apple's pricing policies drive up costs for its competitors. Tile and Spotify are among a small but growing group of companies breaking their silence on what they see as an abuse of power by large technology companies such as Apple. Tile and others see Europe as more fertile ground for possible action. In general, Europe's regulators have been more aggressive than America's in their investigations of the biggest players in tech for alleged anticompetitive behavior, and Tile is hoping to find a sympathetic ear to air its grievances. Apple spokesman Fred Sainz said in an email that the company strenuously denies the allegations. "Last year, we introduced further privacy protections that safeguard user location data. Tile doesn't like those decisions so instead of arguing the issue on its merits, they've instead decided to launch meritless attacks." One of Tile's central allegations is that Apple last year took away the option for its users to choose to "always allow" their location data to be shared with a newly installed app. Tile's app works best when its customers choose that option because the Tile smartphone app needs to know where it is when it was last in contact with a lost item, such as a set of keys left on a park bench. At the same time, Apple automatically defaults customers into always allowing location data to be shared with Apple's "Find My" feature, which replicates some of Tile's features. Tile is concerned that the Find My service will be used by Apple to launch a rumored hardware product that mimics Tile's small devices, instantly giving Apple an advantage in the market. Sainz said the decision to revoke the option for "always allow" was based on privacy. "Stronger privacy protections may not be in every company's business interest, but they are in the interest of every person with a smartphone. The changes we made in iOS ensure that users concerned about their data privacy can more easily understand and control when apps access their location. We will always stand behind decisions that provide users with greater transparency and control over their personal information." In bringing its fight against Apple to Europe, Tile may have an easier time getting regulators to pay heed, but it won't necessarily get the outcome it desires, said Randal Picker, an antitrust expert and professor at the University of Chicago Law School. "I could imagine the European Union finding abuse of a dominant position, but can they find a remedy that actually does something here? So far, I don't think they have a track record of success on that," he said, pointing to past cases against tech companies that have resulted in fines but haven't changed competition behavior in the marketplace. Maria Tsoni, a spokeswoman for the European Commission, acknowledged in an email that the commission had received the letter from Tile. "Our preliminary investigation into Apple's alleged anti-competitive practices through its App Store policies is ongoing. We cannot comment on or predict its timing or outcome," she wrote. The commission was already investigating the allegations made by Spotify last year and it says it continues to monitor the market and takes note of the views of app developers that compete with Apple. The Washington Post first reported in November that lawmakers were concerned that Apple was making changes to its policies in the name of privacy that also hurt competitors. The article mentioned how Tile was affected by Apple's new "always allow" policy. "I'm increasingly concerned about the use of privacy as a shield for anti-competitive conduct," Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, who serves as chairman of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, said at the time. "There is a growing risk that without a strong privacy law in the United States, platforms will exploit their role as de facto private regulators by placing a thumb on the scale in their own favor." Rich Luchette, communications director for Cicilline, declined to comment on the letter from Tile. "If privacy was Apple's primary concern, however, it would subject FindMy to at least the same standards as competing apps," Tile's Daru wrote in the letter to Vestager. READING, MA The Northeast School of Ballet has trained young dancers since 1971, starting in Sandra McNaught's Melrose living room before transitioning to a building on Essex Street, where an electrical fire displaced it in 2010. The school spent the next 18 months working out of the city's Memorial Hall before settling into a historic stone church in Reading Center, where it grooms performers and houses its performing company, the Northeast Youth Ballet. The school has survived quite a bit over its 49 years. Thanks to the coronavirus, it may not see its 50th. The nonprofit is buckling under the pressure of the financial reality brought on by COVID-19. While the school has transitioned to streaming its training to cramped living spaces, the spring season performances and many classes have been canceled and the significant revenue that comes with them has evaporated. "The students are incredibly disappointed that their spring performance season was canceled," Denise Cecere, McNaught's daughter who founded the youth ballet in 1996, said. The school was prepping for an exchange program in Florida to perform Sleeping Beauty. But the short-term disappointments are giving way to long-term fears. The school doesn't know when it can open or performances will be allowed and if so, when will people start coming back in the same numbers as before? The school is developing online contingencies for summer programs, but there's a limit. "It is not an ideal set up for dancers that need space to move," Cecere said. "They are limited to small areas in their homes and coping with sometimes insufficient wifi on their computer or phone. However, watching them take their daily Zoom classes, is an example of perseverance, hard work, passion, and discipline the training instills. They inspire me!" On the line is the future of a generation of local dancers. Over the past few decades, the school has sent dancers to world class ballet companies and ambassadors of the art as global educators. More immediately in danger is the annual Nutcracker performance in Andover, which is open to children who audition from more than three dozen cities and towns. Story continues "Northeast School of Ballet is a lifeline to many young dancers who have discovered a passion for ballet early in life and who find that dance allows them to express themselves, find their centers, and nurture their souls," Erika Wolf, who sits on the company's board, said. The school is seeking donations to help it get to the whatever the new normal will be. You can find its website here. This article originally appeared on the Melrose Patch The Unification Ministry will give US$4.9 million to a project by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to help sustainable development in North Korea. A ministry spokesman on Wednesday said the money will come from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund. The money will be doled out over the next six years, with $720,000 earmarked for this year, and will be chiefly spent to teach North Korean officials accounting. "We expect that this project will contribute to integrating North Korea into the international community and creating a single unified market between the two Koreas in the future," the spokesman said. "We will ensure spending transparency by receiving reports every year." But critics warn that there is nothing of a strikingly humanitarian or urgent nature about the project since North Korea may need to tackle a food shortage and other issues long before improving its statistical capabilities. The government has been trying to accelerate various kinds of cross-border projects since the ruling party's landslide victory in April's general election. The minister and vice minister of unification visited the demilitarized zone earlier this week and the government is now considering resuming tours to the border truce village of Panmunjom and reopening the DMZ hiking trail in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. On May 20, the ministry declared null 2010 sanctions against the North imposed over the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan, claiming they no longer stand in the way of cross-border cooperation. And on Tuesday, the ministry announced a plan to abolish restrictions on meetings between North and South Koreans. But international sanctions and a deafening lack of interest in North Korea stand squarely in the way of all the government's quixotic efforts to engage the North. The U.S. State Department on Tuesday reiterated that inter-Korean cooperation must proceed "in lockstep with" progress in North Korean denuclearization. Patients undergoing planned surgery are now having to self-isolate for a week to 14 days as part of the "new normal" in hospitals due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Public and private hospitals have now resumed operations on waiting list patients after mass cancellations were ordered in March, pushing the number of people queueing for surgery to 86,343. Dr John Lunn, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Hermitage Medical Clinic in Lucan, Dublin, who is operating on public patients referred from Tullamore Hospital, said the pandemic had led to an overhaul in procedures and how patients were managed. People's temperatures are checked before entering the hospital to determine if they have a fever, which could be one of the signs of Covid-19. Dr Lunn said patients who were due to have planned surgery awee advised they must self-isolate for at least a week in advance at home. "The week before surgery is most important. They are then swabbed 48 hours before the surgery and tested for Covid-19," he said. If the swab is clear, it can go ahead and if not it will be postponed unless emergency surgery is needed. Procedures in the theatre have also changed, with environmental precautions before and after the operation. It all adds to the length of time involved which can impact on the number of patients treated in a day. More outpatient contacts with patients who have been for diagnostics are also done over the phone instead of in person, Dr Lunn added. Dr Bairbre Golden, who is an anaesthetist in the hospital, said patients were also having to get used to seeing their doctors in full protective clothing where they could resemble a "spaceman". "When I meet the patient, I have a face mask and gloves. The patient, nurse and myself walk to the theatre and I say to them 'when you see me again I will look like an alien'," she said. "I have to don the PPE and put on a full gown, gloves to my wrists, goggles and face masks. I then put on a plastic apron and a pair of disposable gloves. The nurse is also in full PPE. "It is different for patients and we try to joke to relieve the stress. I hope we can make it as easy as possible for them but it can be stressful. "I am grateful to have the PPE and it can be extremely hot in it but it is now second nature." Beverly Maloney, from Edenderry, Co Offaly, badly in- jured her knee after slipping on ice last October. She suffered a dull ache in her knee and was all set to have surgery at Tullamore Hospital in April but it was cancelled because of the coronavirus risk. "I was semi-urgent but the surgery had to be postponed," Ms Maloney said. However, much to her relief, she was called in to have a knee arthroscopy procedure last month with surgeon Eoin Sheehan. She counts herself lucky to be among those who made it off the waiting list. In just two months, all the progress made in reducing numbers on the public waiting list for surgery nationally was wiped out. Last month's figures are a new high, exceeding the previous peak recorded in July 2017. The numbers of patients waiting over a year to see a specialist at an outpatient clinic rose from 173,202 to 194,110 - another record high. KYODO NEWS - May 28, 2020 - 19:18 | All, Japan, World The Japanese government said Thursday it is "seriously concerned" about China's push, despite a growing international outcry, to impose a national security law that it is feared will suppress political activity in Hong Kong. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said a free and open Hong Kong should be maintained under the "one country, two systems" framework, and that Tokyo had relayed its view to Beijing before China's national legislature passed Thursday a resolution regarding the introduction of the law. "We are seriously concerned about the decision on Hong Kong by the National People's Congress despite strong concerns expressed by the international community and the people of Hong Kong, as well as about the current situation in Hong Kong," Suga, the top government spokesman, said at a press conference. "We will continue to closely follow developments and address the situation in collaboration with other countries concerned," he said, adding that Hong Kong, an important partner for Japan, should prosper in a "stable and democratic" manner. Related coverage: FOCUS: Sino-U.S. strains over Hong Kong may ignite tensions in East Asia China passes resolution on national security law for Hong Kong The decision by China came amid growing fears the law banning separatism, subversion, foreign interference and terrorism in Hong Kong would provide Beijing with more opportunities to erode freedoms and human rights in the former British colony. Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba summoned the Chinese ambassador to Japan, Kong Xuanyou, on Thursday evening to relay Tokyo's concerns. The United States has criticized the Chinese law, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying Hong Kong can no longer be seen as maintaining a high level of autonomy. Chris Patten, Hong Kong's last British governor, said last week Britain should tell China that imposing a national security law on Hong Kong is "outrageous." Asked if the Chinese move would affect President Xi Jinping's state visit to Japan, Suga said Tokyo will broadly communicate with Beijing. "Japan and China need to jointly tackle regional and global challenges, including containing the spread of the novel coronavirus," Suga said, adding, "We will continue to keep up efforts toward this end." Xi's visit to Japan in spring was postponed due to the pandemic. The virus was first detected in China's Wuhan in December. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe drew flak from China for saying Monday, "It is a fact that (the virus) spread from China to the world." Srinagar, May 28 : A double bench of the J&K High Court on Thursday dismissed the petition filed by Kashmir High Court Bar Association president, Mian Abdul Qayoom in which he had challenged his detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Mian Qayoom was detained under the PSA on August 5 last year following the abrogation of Article 370, and he was shifted to a jail in Agra. He was later brought to the Tihar Jail in Delhi. Three prominent advocates, Zafar Ahmad Shah, Mian Tufail Ahmad and Nazir Ahmad Ronga appeared for Mian Qayoom. The lawyers for the petitioner stated that the grounds for the PSA detention were vague and the order had been signed by the District Magistrate without application of mind. The lawyers also argued that the health condition of the petitioner had deteriorated during detention and that the government has the power to revoke, amend or alter the detention order or even to release the petitioner on parole. Advocate General D.C. Raina submitted that the prayer of the petitioner had already been considered by the government and was rejected. While dismissing the petition the court said it leaves it to the detenue to decide whether he would wish to make a representation to the home department for revocation of the PSA order slapped on him. In a significant remark the court said an adverse order on any such application, if made, shall not entail any legal proceedings. The double bench of the high court comprised Justice Ali Muhammad Magray and Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul. In February this year, a single bench of the high court comprising Justice Tashi Rabstan had dismissed another petition challenging the PSA detention of Mian Qayoom. Shell Oil Shell Oil, the U.S. subsidiary of energy giant Royal Dutch Shell, has evacuated nine workers from a company platform in the Gulf of Mexico for testing and treatment of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. The workers were airlifted by helicopter to unidentified medical facilities. Five of the workers tested positive for coronavirus, two are waiting test results and two were negative for the virus. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, May 28, 2020 14:50 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bdaace9f 1 National social-assistance-funds,disbursement,governance,Greater-Jakarta,poverty,COVID-19,cash-transfer,village-funds Free The government missed its self-appointed target of disbursing cash transfer assistance ahead of Idul Fitri on Sunday, as various city and regency administrations still scrambled to fine-tune their beneficiaries data, contributing to ongoing delays. They are part of the states program to provide social assistance to millions of ordinary Indonesians who have little means to shield themselves from economic losses borne from the COVID-19 outbreak and its ensuing restrictions. As of Tuesday, the government had disbursed cash transfers to 7.86 million out of the 8.3 million households from outside Greater Jakarta who were registered recipients under the social assistance program, despite going all out to reach its target. It had ordered state-owned postal service PT Pos Indonesia, which it partnered with to distribute the aid, to take on longer hours for the cause and set up distribution points away from post offices in an effort to reach the intended beneficiaries. However, the need to regularly update and verify the data of intended recipients had slowed the disbursement process, said Social Affairs Ministry secretary-general Hartono Laras. There are some regions that asked to have the disbursement delayed because they want to update their data. There are also regions whose [proposed list of aid recipients] did not comply with the budget ceiling, Hartono told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. So we are disbursing to regencies that have asked for additional aid [first]. On Thursday, the ministry said that the cash transfers have reached all 8.32 million intended households, but the number of recipients on the list also grew to 8.73 million. The government initially aimed to disburse the cash transfers to 9 million households outside Greater Jakarta, but only 8.3 million were tagged for disbursement before the Muslim holiday. The acknowledgement of flaws in the system has confirmed the critique of some good governance experts. Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) secretary-general Misbah Hasan said lengthy procedures in updating recipient data had proven to be another obstacle for the social aid program, which had already been complicated by travelers joining the mudik (Idul Fitri exodus) wave over fears of economic fallout. Social Affairs Minister Juliari Batubara said, however, that the government was on track to conclude disbursements to all households before the end of the week. The cash transfers are just one of the governments social safety net programs aimed at easing the pains associated with the COVID-19 outbreak, especially among the poor and vulnerable population, whose livelihoods hang in the balance. They are among what the government calls non-regular social assistance programs intended for those unable to benefit from the Social Affairs Ministrys Family Hope Program (PKH) and staple food cards (Kartu Sembako) program. Aside from cash transfers, the government also provides staple food assistance for 1.9 million households in Greater Jakarta in a bid to prevent people particularly informal workers who have lost their income from returning to their hometowns. In total, the government has set aside Rp 6.8 trillion (US$460.6 million) for staple food assistance in Greater Jakarta and another Rp 32.4 trillion for cash transfers for people residing outside of the megapolitan area. Beneficiaries are to receive Rp 600,000 in cash or the equivalent in staple food for three months from April until June, with the possibility of extending the non-regular programs until December at half the amount provided at the moment. Juliari also said the government was mulling over the inclusion of aid recipients from both non-regular programs in the ministrys Integrated Data for Social Welfare (DTKS) system, the official list of beneficiaries used as the basis for the nationwide distribution of social assistance. The government will deliberate their inclusion, Juliari told the Post in a text message on Wednesday. Additionally, the state has instructed village administrations to disburse the same amount of village funds for cash assistance as the non-regular programs. Villagers who have or are vulnerable to falling into poverty due to the COVID-19 restrictions and are not covered by existing social safety net schemes are eligible, so long as they are confirmed by village authorities. Next to acknowledging a lapse in the system, the ministrys poverty management director general Asep Sasa Purnama said the sheer variety of assistance schemes had also slowed the disbursement process, even though they werent meant to overlap. For instance, Asep noted that 31 people in Indramayu, West Java were found to be listed as recipients of cash transfer programs by the ministry and from the village funds. A lack of coordination among state and village authorities has both sides questioning whether a potential beneficiary should be listed under one scheme or another, he said. Village officials suggested disbursing the aid to people already on the list from the central government, as it was for them a much simpler procedure to change the line-up at the village level, Asep explained. To improve data management for the DTKS, the government should look into cutting red tape by further empowering local administrations with direct access to the central database, Fitras Misbah said. Villages have the Village Information System (SID); if it can be connected to the central governments One Data platform, it should cut short the unwieldy bureaucratic process, he said. Madison, N.Y. - A 61-year-old Madison County woman riding a bicycle was hit by a car and died Thursday morning in the town of Madison, according to the New York State police. Becky A. Eisenhut of Madison was riding south on Lake Moraine Road when she was struck from behind by a 2016 Jeep Wrangler, state police said in a news release Thursday. The driver, Delos J. Thurston, 22, Whitesboro, was going in the same direction when his vehicle struck the bicyclist near the intersection with Frederick Road, police said. Eisenhut was pronounced dead at the scene. Thurston was not injured. Police responded to the crash at 11:36 a.m. Police said a police drug recognition expert examined the driver and found no signs of alcohol or drug impairment. The investigation is continuing. Lucknow, May 28 : After receiving feedback that all is not well in Lucknow hospitals, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has now set out to verify facts himself. After surprise inspection of the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital on Wednesday, the chief minister, on Thursday, reached the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civil hospital in the state capital to check out the arrangements and facilities available there. The chief minister asked the staff and the doctors to ensure best possible treatment of all patients, including the Corona positive patients. He saw the cleanliness level of the hospital and also interacted with patients in the emergency ward. The chief minister also visited a quarantine centre. The chief minister, during his Team 11 meeting on Wednesday, had asked concerned ministers to visit the hospitals in their departments and make a reality check. While Yogi Adityanath himself went to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, accompanied by medical education minister Suresh Khanna, he sent health minister Jai Pratap Singh to inspect the Balarampur hospital. At the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, the chief minister expressed his displeasure at the fact that patients were waiting endlessly at the triage area. Ward boys were seen moving around without masks and the norms of social distancing were also being violated. The chief minister asked the concerned officials to increase staff and make extra arrangements so that those requiring urgent attention get it as quickly as possible. The chief minister also took notice of bedsheets missing from the beds in the triage area. An international research team has for the first time obtained the structure of the light-sensitive sodium-pumping KR2 protein in its active state. The discovery provides a description of the mechanism behind the light-driven sodium ion transfer across the cell membrane. The paper came out in Nature Communications. KR2 is a member of a very large family of microbial rhodopsins -- light-sensitive proteins present in the cell membrane of archaea, bacteria, viruses, and eukaryotes. These proteins have a wide range of functions, including light-driven transport of ions across the membrane. Such ion channels and pumps are the primary tools of optogenetics, a booming field in biomedicine with a focus on controlling cells in the body by illuminating them with light. Optogenetics came to prominence due to its contributions to minimally invasive techniques for brain research and neurodegenerative disorder treatments addressing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other diseases. Beyond that, optogenetics enables reversing vision and hearing loss and restoring muscle activity. Despite its many successes, further development of optogenetics is complicated by the limited number of available proteins suitable for cell activation and inhibition. For example, the most widely used optogenetic tool, channelrhodopsin 2, whose structure was originally reported in Science by MIPT researchers and graduates, can transport both sodium, potassium, and calcium ions, as well as protons. The protein's low selectivity leads to undesirable side effects on cells. As a result, optimizing the protocols for using optogenetic tools is currently costly and time-intensive. The search for new, more selective proteins is a priority for optogenetics. One of the candidates, the KR2 rhodopsin discovered in 2013, is a unique tool that selectively transports only the sodium ions across the membrane under physiological conditions. Understanding how KR2 works is crucial for optimizing the functional characteristics of that protein and using it as the basis for new optogenetic tools. MIPT biophysicists published the first structures of KR2 in its various forms in 2015 and 2019. Among other things, they showed that the protein organizes into pentamers in the membrane, and that such behavior is vital to its functioning. However, all the models described so far have looked at the protein in its inactive, or ground state. Yet it is only in the active state -- after illumination -- that the protein actually transports sodium. To understand how the KR2 pump works, the researchers have now obtained and described its high-resolution structure in the active state. "We began by using the traditional approach, activating KR2 in pregrown protein crystals by illuminating them with a laser and getting a snapshot of the active state by rapidly freezing the crystals at 100 kelvins," said the study's first author, MIPT doctoral student Kirill Kovalev. "We got lucky, because such manipulations may well destroy the crystals. To avoid this, we had to fine-tune the laser wavelength and power and find the optimal exposure time." Producing the large number of high-quality KR2 rhodopsin crystals necessary for the experiments has been made possible by the unique equipment of the MIPT Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases. The most significant finding of the study is identifying the amino acid residues of the protein that bind the sodium ion inside the KR2 molecule. They are the factor that determines the rhodopsin selectivity toward a particular type of ions. In addition to that, a high-resolution structure for the protein's active state at 2.1 angstroms -- 21 hundred-billionths of a meter -- has revealed the precise configuration of the sodium ion binding site at the protein's active center. For the first time, the team showed that the binding site of KR2 has become optimized for sodium ions in the course of rhodopsin evolution. This means that the active state structure obtained in the study is best-suited for the rational design of next-generation KR2-based optogenetic tools. "In the course of our work, we also obtained the active-state KR2 structure at room temperature," Kovalev added. "To achieve this, we had to update the well-known protocols for collecting crystallographic data. Besides, we employed a synchrotron radiation source to leverage the serial crystallography techniques, which are growing popular right now." The room temperature KR2 structure confirmed that the protein model produced from a low-temperature snapshot is correct. This provided a direct demonstration that cryogenic freezing did not affect the rhodopsin's internal structure. The structures reported in the paper have allowed the scientists to provide a first-ever description of active light-driven sodium ion transport across the cell membrane. Specifically, the study shows that sodium transport most likely involves a hybrid mechanism comprised by relay proton transport and passive ion diffusion through polar cavities in the protein. The mechanism proposed by the researchers has been confirmed via functional studies of mutated KR2 forms and molecular dynamics simulations of sodium ion release from the protein. "Ion transport across the cell membrane is a fundamental biological process. That said, sodium ion transport should be enabled by a mechanism distinct from that involved in proton transport," explains Valentin Gordeliy, the director for research at the Grenoble institute for Structural Biology and the scientific coordinator of the MIPT Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases. "For the first time, we see how a sodium ion is bound inside the rhodopsin molecule and understand the mechanism for ion release into the intercellular space." The biophysicists are convinced that their findings not only reveal the fundamental principles underlying ion transport across the membrane but will be of use to optogenetics. MIPT is continuing the development of optimized KR2 protein forms to expand the toolkit for brain research and neurodegenerative disease therapies. ### The study reported in this story featured researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Russia); the University of Grenoble and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (France); Julich Research Center, Aachen University, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Germany); as well as the ALBA synchrotron facility in Spain. The study was supported by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Conference (CVPR), the largest conference of its kind, unveils the latest research spanning the fields of computer vision, deep learning, artificial intelligence, image compression, pattern analysis, and beyond. This year's conference convenes as a virtual event from 14 -19 June 2020. As a virtual event, attendees will be able to participate remotely from around the globe, accessing the diverse and original content for which the conference is known. CVPR 2020 registrants will explore topics as varied as medical data analysis, facial recognition, machine learning, autonomous driving, social analytics, fashion applications, and much more. The following sampling of presentations offers a glimpse into the leading research to be introduced at this year's event. Medical Data Analysis - IntrA: 3D Intracranial Aneurysm Dataset for Deep Learning1 (Tuesday, 16 June, 14:40, PDT) Researchers from the University of Tokyo and South China University of Technology introduce a 3D intracranial aneurysm dataset, IntrA, that supports physicians in more precisely diagnosing and treating intracranial aneurysms. Facial Recognition - Face X-Ray for More General Face Forgery Detection2 (Wednesday, 17 June, 10:20, PDT) Microsoft Research Asia and Peking University unveil a specialized X-ray approach for detecting forgery in facial images. Machine Learning - Iterative Answer Prediction with Pointer-Augmented Multimodal Transformers for TextVQA3 (Thursday, 18 June, 09:25 PDT) Scientists from the University of California, Berkeley and Facebook AI Research reveal a new model for TextVQAa dataset that explores visual reasoning based on text in images4tasks that outperforms existing approaches on three benchmark datasets. Autonomous Driving - SurfelGAN: Synthesizing Realistic Sensor Data for Autonomous Driving5 (Thursday, 18 June, 11:10 PDT) Waymo, Google Brain, and the University of Texas at Austin have joined forces to advance autonomous driving by synthesizing realistic camera data for simulated scenarios. Social Analytics - Learning Interactions and Relationships between Movie Characters6 (Thursday, 18 June, 9:15 PDT) Researchers from Max-Planck-Institute for Informatics and Inria Paris propose neural models to learn and jointly predict interactions and relationships, leveraging movie characters to test their model. Fashion Applications - ViBE: Dressing for Diverse Body Shapes7 (Thursday, 18 June, 11:40 PDT) A new model helps to align clothing images with body type through a body-aware embedding algorithm, according to researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and Facebook AI Research. "Presentations debuted at CVPR describe significant advances in computer science, with substantial impact throughout society," said Ramin Zabih, Cornell Professor of Computer Science and Co-Chair of the CVPR 2020 Organizing Committee. "In conference sessions, we're seeing the best work produced by a research community that numbers in the thousands and spans the globe. The thriving commercial ecosystem that surrounds CVPR turns these research papers into exciting products in a surprisingly short timeframe." These technical highlights scratch the surface of a program of more than 1,500 presentations, including oral and poster presentations, tutorials, and workshops. In addition, CVPR will feature fireside chats with Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft; Charlie Bell, SVP, Amazon Web Services; Dr. Harry Shum, former Executive Vice President, Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence and Research Group; and Dr. Fei-Fei Li, former Vice President, Google and Chief Scientist of AI/ML, Google Cloud. Author presentations, including live Q&A sessions, will take place at the above-referenced times, and final proceedings will be published in IEEE Xplore. Accredited members of the media can register for the virtual conference or request individual papers by emailing [email protected]. Additional details on the full virtual CVPR 2020 program can be found on the conference website at cvpr2020.thecvf.com. "Through CVPR, leaders in the field band together to present the advancements fueling next-generation technologies and solutions," said IEEE Computer Society Executive Director Melissa Russell, co-sponsor of the event. "This year's event continues to facilitate global exchange, despite the impact of COVID-19. It's a testament to the resilience of this community that no matter the challenge, scientific collaboration prevails." About CVPR 2020 CVPR is the premier annual computer vision and pattern recognition conference. With first-in-class technical content, a main program, tutorials, workshops, a leading-edge expo, and attended by more than 9,000 people annually, CVPR creates a one-of-a-kind opportunity for networking, recruiting, inspiration, and motivation. CVPR 2020, originally scheduled to take place 14-19 June 2020 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle Washington, will now be a fully virtual event. Authors and presenters will virtually deliver presentations and engage in live Q&A with attendees. For more information about CVPR 2020, the program, and how to participate virtually, visit http://cvpr2020.thecvf.com/. About the Computer Vision Foundation The Computer Vision Foundation is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to foster and support research on all aspects of computer vision. Together with the IEEE Computer Society, it co-sponsors the two largest computer vision conferences, CVPR and the International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV). About the IEEE Computer Society The IEEE Computer Society is the world's home for computer science, engineering, and technology. A global leader in providing access to computer science research, analysis, and information, the IEEE Computer Society offers a comprehensive array of unmatched products, services, and opportunities for individuals at all stages of their professional career. Known as the premier organization that empowers the people who drive technology, the IEEE Computer Society offers international conferences, peer-reviewed publications, a unique digital library, and training programs. Visit www.computer.org for more information. 1 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2003.02920.pdf 2 https://arxiv.org/pdf/1912.13458.pdf 3 https://arxiv.org/pdf/1911.06258.pdf 4 https://textvqa.org/ 5 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2005.03844.pdf 6 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2003.13158.pdf 7 https://research.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ViBE-Dressing-for-Diverse-Body-Shapes.pdf SOURCE IEEE Computer Society Related Links https://www.computer.org The Vietnamese Embassy and relevant agencies in the RoK and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines have worked together to arrange the flight which landed at Da Nang International Airport in the central city on May 27. The passengers include children, students, the elderly, sick people, labourers whose visas have expired and tourists, people on business trips who were stranded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following orders of the Prime Minister, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Transport have collaborated with Vietnamese agencies in a number of countries to bring home Vietnamese citizens over the past few weeks. All returnees and crew members have been quarantined after landing. Those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 have been moved to healthcare facilities. The Vietnamese agencies located overseas will continue to work with domestic airlines to arrange more flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home, depending on the developments of the pandemic and quarantine capacity of localities. Venkatachalam Anbumozhi The upcoming 36th ASEAN Summit will take place against the backdrop of severely damaged business and investor confidence caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Containing and mitigating the spread of the pandemic is the current priority of all ASEAN member states, with concerted efforts to shore up public health systems. As countries around the world debate how quickly they should reopen their economies from the lockdown, some ASEAN countries like Vietnam are largely ahead of the curve. A nationwide social distancing campaign that shut down non-essential businesses ended on April 22 in Vietnam, and life has returned to striking normalcy within a month, with reported coronavirus infections in that period. Domestic tourism is slowly picking up, as authorities ease social distancing regulations on planes, trains, and buses. As a result of decisive actions on timely travel bans, cluster testing, and prolonged quarantines, Vietnam has only seen a tiny number of confirmed infections. In early April, the Vietnamese government also announced a $2.6 billion relief package aimed at 20 million people, which included cash transfers to those considered poor and vulnerable. Similar containment and recovery strategies are being followed by other ASEAN member countries, as they are unveiling economic stimulus packages of unprecedented size, scale, and scope. They also realised that the pandemic is an economic challenge of much greater gravity than the 1997 and 2008 financial crises. While individual countries are making strenuous efforts to successfully contain the pandemic, there are serious flaws in the international co-operation strategy to deal with the crisis. Since the discovery of COVID-19 in December, countries have acted in almost complete isolation from one another. Only on March 25 did the United Nations launch a $2 billion global response plan to fund the fight against the pandemic. It is unclear how the ASEAN as a block endorsed it or benefited from it. On April 14, the ASEAN+3 leaders meeting committed to establishing an ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, but the details and composition of the contributions are not yet detailed. Global financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank do have economic co-operation instruments but they are often accompanied by restrictive bilateral conditions to be dealt by the countries individually. It is a hope that more globally co-ordinated action by the G20 will be undertaken as more COVID-19 containment strategies become successful. The onset and offset of the global health crisis containment measures like lockdowns, social distancing, international air travel bans, and limiting freight transport are being enacted based on contagion rates of individual ASEAN countries and their capacity of healthcare infrastructure. The announced unemployment subsidies vary from country to country depending upon their fiscal space, while migrant labourers from heavily-infected countries are banned from travelling. In the last two months, epidemic walls replaced physical walls of the ASEAN member states. Such scenarios would represent the collapse of the One community, one response vision. Given the nature of the epidemic, developmental stages and infrastructure gaps, adaption of these country-specific measures is understandable. However, it is myopic, unsustainable, and potentially counterproductive. The current lack of co-ordinated action at both regional and global level is not only concerning, but also surprising. If the virus is not eradicated in every country, every country will lose because sooner or later the disease will reappear and thus continues the prolonged economic meltdown. An economic crisis caused by a virus that ignores borders cannot be tackled successfully like this. The ASEAN can defeat this invisible adversary and lessen the adverse economic impacts, but only with strong regionally co-ordinated actions and strong leadership. To succeed, the forthcoming ASEAN Summit needs to achieve at least three important goals. First, ASEAN leaders must show that they can work together to implement co-ordinated regional plans announced during the Special Summit held on April 14. Second, a concrete action that can help the ASEAN show leadership in stimulating the global economy is to roll back the trade restrictions imposed during the pandemic and conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Experience in the past three years shows that tariffs can slow global economic growth. On the other hand, concluding RCEP negotiations will help revive business confidence and stimulate growth a needed shot in the arm for the global economy at this juncture of the pandemic. Last but not least, ASEAN leaders need to offer a co-ordinated and synchronised fiscal stimulation plan, substantially bigger than what the 10 countries have already announced in an uncoordinated way, making them less impactful. Stimulus measures can be an opportunity to invest in economic transformation and technological innovations that are necessary to deliver sustainable development. Both the short term and long-term stimulus measures should aim at achieving the multiple purposes of delivering economic prosperity, widening wellbeing, enhancing resilience, strengthening circular economy, and decarbonising growth. Building on what has been announced, the bloc should strengthen the functional effectiveness of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency by enhancing budgetary support. Nevertheless, Vietnam should also ensure that all of the ASEAN dialogue partners are committed to the above goals and their development aid budgets remain ring-fenced but enlarged, and not diverted to domestic priorities. This is where true humanity and solidarity in international co-operation must be demonstrated. If an enhanced regional co-operation and strong leadership were ever necessary in the ASEAN, it is now more than ever before. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 03:36:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close "We urge all parties to a conflict to refrain from asymmetric use of force in densely populated areas. There should be zero tolerance of harming civilians," says Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. UNITED NATIONS, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Wednesday that all parties to a conflict must fulfill their obligations of protecting civilians under international law, while stressing that the global community must address the root causes of conflicts and promote development for peace. "All parties to a conflict must fulfill their obligations of protecting civilians under international law. The Geneva Convention, International Humanitarian Law and relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 1265, and other resolutions concerning women, children, medical personnel and missing persons, must be fully implemented," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said at the Security Council's open video teleconferencing meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. "We urge all parties to a conflict to refrain from asymmetric use of force in densely populated areas. There should be zero tolerance of harming civilians. It is also critical for all parties to give special attention and care to vulnerable groups in particular women and children, and facilitate safe and unimpeded humanitarian access," said the ambassador. Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic brings further risk to civilians in armed conflict, Zhang said that all parties should prioritize the interests of the people and take proactive measures to combat the virus. "Unilateral sanctions severely undermine the capacity of vulnerable countries to respond to the pandemic, aggravating civilian sufferings. We call on relevant countries to lift unilateral sanctions immediately and join the global efforts of combating the virus, including by supporting the leading role of the World Health Organization," said the envoy. In a rare move against Chevron Corp.s board, shareholders of the US oil giant are calling on the company to disclose lobbying efforts and ensure that they support international goals to combat global warming. The proposal was the only one where a majority of Chevrons investors diverged from the boards recommendations in an annual meeting held virtually Wednesday. The matter was brought by BNP Paribas Asset Management, which has stepped up efforts in recent years to help further the international Paris Agreement on climate change. BlackRock Inc., Chevrons second-biggest shareholder, also backed the measure. The vote comes as the worlds oil giants are already reeling over a pandemic-fueled market rout, while also facing increasing pressure to curb greenhouse-gas emissions and contribute more to the fight against climate change. US oil majors Chevron and Exxon Mobil Corp. have noticeably lagged behind their European counterparts in making carbon-cutting pledges. BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell Plc have both committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 -- a move that Chevrons chief recently called aspirational and Exxons described as nothing more than a beauty competition. Though Americas two biggest oil companies say they support the goals of the Paris accord, some investors want reassurance that theyre not funding trade organizations that promote policies to the contrary. Climate issues are so central to the work of these organizations that its hard not to be concerned that theres the potential for misalignment, said Jonathan Bailey, head of ESG investing at Neuberger Berman, which voted for the proposal. This will also help accelerate clearer activities from the organizations they support. Chevrons board had recommended investors vote against the proposal, saying that it already made transparent disclosures of its lobbying activities. The defeat -- with a preliminary count showing 53% of investors voting in favor of the proposal -- means Chevron will be required for the first time to issue a report detailing how those activities align or not with climate goals. The result is a real rebuke to Chevron and a wake-up call to the board, said Kathy Mulvey, a campaign director at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Companies must back up their statements with consistent action. CAIRO - The family of a slain Libyan human trafficker attacked a group of migrants in a town that recently changed hands amid the fighting over the countrys capital, killing 26 Bangladeshi and four African migrants, the Tripoli government said on Thursday. There was scant information about the attack in the statement issued by the U.N.-supported government in Tripoli. But the U.N. migration agency said the migrants were shot and killed on Wednesday in a smuggling warehouse in the desert town of Mizdah, where a group of migrants were being held. The slayings underscore the perils that migrants face in Libya, where violence and lawlessness have created a haven for smugglers to operate along the North African countrys coastline. The government statement said migrants had killed a local trafficker in Mizdah, near Tripoli, allegedly prompting his family to take revenge and kill the 30 migrants. Eleven migrants were wounded in the rampage, it added, and taken to a hospital in the western mountain town of Zintan. Other migrants in critical condition were rushed to clinics in Tripoli, said the International Organization for Migration, adding that some appeared to be victims of abuse. The Interior Ministry in Tripoli issued an arrest warrant for the suspected attackers, the government also said. This senseless crime is bleak reminder of the horrors migrants have to endure at the hands of smugglers and traffickers in Libya, said IOMs Libya Chief of Mission Federico Soda, urging Libyan authorities to launch an immediate investigation into the killings and hold the perpetrators accountable. Migrants fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East typically pass through Libya on their way to Europe, departing Tripolis rocky coast in inflatable dinghies. The Libyan coast guard, trained by the EU to keep migrants from reaching European shores, intercepts boats at sea and returns them to Libya, where many migrants land in detention centres rife with torture and abuse. On Thursday, the coast guard rescued 211 migrants, including women and children, in the Mediterranean Sea and brought them back to Libyas shore, said Safa Msehli, an IOM spokeswoman. The number of those fleeing Libyas conflict has sharply risen in recent weeks, according to the U.N. migration agency, as the battle for control of the capital intensifies. In the past week alone, nearly 700 migrants were stopped and returned to detention facilities. Militias loosely allied with the Tripoli government have been defending the countrys capital from a year-long offensive by eastern-based forces trying to capture it. 179 Shares Share Recently, I ran across a post on social media with multiple bullet points of theories targeted at the current COVID-19 pandemic. Having encountered handfuls of previous posts running along the lines of these factually incorrect claims, I decided it was time to politely challenge the post by asking for the sources of these claims. Within minutes, I was attacked by multiple users with claims of being a sheep, ignorantly believing everything Im told, and to look up the facts. As an incoming emergency medicine resident, I was shocked at the amount of resistance I faced, as my initial hope was to have a conversation. It was through this conversation that I wanted to ultimately stand up for my fellow healthcare providers and provide trustworthy information. Following the initial attacks, I was at a fork in the road with the choice to exit the conversation or continue. I decided to stay the course and continue responding. After a day-long exchange of various topic shifts, twirls, and outrageous claims, the other contributors stopped responding. By the next day, the posting was ultimately taken down. Regardless of putting out credible information with my responses, providing citations, and treating others with respect, I came out of that exchange demoralized and unsure if I had any impact at all. This prompted me to question: What are our responsibilities as healthcare providers on social media to combat misinformation regarding COVID-19? Johnathon Swift once said, Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it. As frontline healthcare workers come home from exhausting shifts and look for a way to connect with others through social media, they may face a range of posts on a spectrum ranging from factual to fabricated. Consequently, multiple options might run through that persons mind, such as unfriending that person, responding to the post (in a multitude of ways), scrolling past it, etc. In this day and age of constantly breaking news, it doesnt surprise us that misinformation is distributed faster than truth. That begs the question of why address the post if we ultimately feel it wont go anywhere? Sensationalism in media and the wide range of political bias challenges the sources by which these posts are deemed credible as well. The majority of us are not politicians, rather healthcare providers, and many times these posts are muddled by influences of political topics as well. What is scary to think is that these types of misinformation can ultimately guide policy, which directly impacts local and national public health. However, we have a priority to care for our patients within the walls of the hospital. If you choose to respond or challenge someones post, first check in with yourself and make sure you have the emotional bandwidth to respond professionally and communicate effectively. Prioritize what is important to you as a healthcare provider with a support system of family and friends. These times are taxing for those sacrificing their health and safety to battle this pandemic, and everyones emotional and spiritual capacity is limited. It helps to find common ground in approaching these claims, while ultimately using clear communication and focusing on credible information in your responses. To a certain degree, we do have of duty to ensure factual information regarding our profession is portrayed appropriately. This is one way in which we may indirectly advocate for our past, current, and future patients. However, this should only be done to the degree that it doesnt cause emotional harm to ourselves and impede our ability to care for the patients we see on a daily basis. Mahir Mameledzija is an emergency medicine resident. Image credit: Shutterstock.com New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today hell issue a new executive order allowing private businesses in New York to deny entrance to anyone not wearing a mask. The order comes as more businesses and stores in New York prepare to reopen after months of coronavirus shutdowns. Legal and retail experts have said businesses already had authority to keep customers without masks out of their workplaces. Destiny USA already said it will require masks for shoppers. The new order provides even more cover for stores and other businesses. They are deceptively effective, Cuomo said of masks during a press conference in New York City. The are amazingly effective. Cuomo first issued an order in April requiring masks in public settings when individuals cant stay far enough apart from each other. Its a new concept, Cuomo acknowledged today. It wasnt something that any Americans considered before the virus hit, but it must become the norm now, he said. Its respect, he said. Its civic duty. It is humanity. Cuomo also said the order will help reduce conflicts among people wearing masks and not wearing them. In confined spaces like small stores, someone without a mask could easily raise tension. Comedian Chris Rock and actress Rosie Perez both appeared with Cuomo at his news conference today. Cuomo said they would help the state with outreach and communication on the importance of mask wearing. Both spoke at the press conference and urged all New Yorkers to get tested for the virus and wear masks. Both will appear in a new advertisement for the state. I dont care who you voted for, Perez said. "All I care is that we get out of this pandemic as quickly as possible and as safely as possible. We can lower these numbers. We are already doing it. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources These restaurants in Central New York have closed. How many more will there be? Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Less than 1% of tests returned positive overnight; 4 more deaths Phase two could begin as soon as Friday in CNY: What will you be able to do? Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 (Bloomberg) -- Twitter Inc. flagged one of Donald Trumps posts for violating its rules against glorifying violence, escalating a clash with the U.S. president after he signed an executive order that seeks to limit liability protections for social-media companies. Early Friday, the social media company obscured the presidents comments about protests in Minneapolis with a warning that the tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the publics interest for the Tweet to remain accessible. Trumps executive order came after Twitter began selective fact checks of his posts on the platform. Under current law, companies like Twitter and Facebook Inc. are protected for users posts. Trump told reporters that his order calls for new regulations under section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to make it that social media companies that engage in censoring or any political conduct will not be able to keep their liability shield. Twitter earlier this week labeled two of his posts about mail-in voting potentially misleading and provided links to news coverage of his comments. The president responded with outrage, accusing the social media company of censorship and election interference and threatening to possibly shut down the service. Im signing an executive order to protect and uphold the free speech rights of the American people, Trump said. Currently, social media giants like Twitter receive an unprecedented liability shield based on the theory that theyre a neutral platform, which theyre not. Trump said he expected the order or the regulations it produces to be challenged in court. If it were legal for him to shut down Twitter, Trump said, I would do it. In the clash Friday over protests in Minnesota after the death of a man in police custody, Trumps comments, concluding with the words when the looting starts, the shooting starts, incited a strong response from other Twitter users. Those replies have since been hidden or removed by the company. The options to reply and like the tweet have also been disabled, while the retweet and quote-tweet functions have been left active. Story continues Twitter rose less than 1% in late trading Thursday after the signing was announced. That followed a 4.4% decline in the regular session, the most in four weeks. Order Text The order said the protections against lawsuits should only apply when companies act in good faith to take down or limit the visibility of content. Any removal or restriction made in a manner that is deceptive, pretextual, or inconsistent with a providers terms of service would not qualify as being in good faith, nor would a move without adequate notice, reasoned explanation, or a meaningful opportunity to be heard. Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Technology Association trade group, called the order unconstitutional and ill-considered. Americas internet companies lead the world and it is incredible that our own political leaders would seek to censor them for political purposes, Shapiro said in a statement. In a tweeted statement, Twitter called the executive order a reactionary and politicized approach to a landmark law, adding, attempts to unilaterally erode it threaten the future of online speech and Internet freedoms. A Facebook spokesperson said exposing companies to liability would penalize those that allow controversial speech and encourage platforms to censor anything that might offend anyone. YouTube Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki, in an interview with David Rubenstein on Bloomberg Television while the order was being prepared, said, we have worked extraordinarily hard to make sure that all of our policies and systems are built in a fair and neutral and consistent way. The Department of Commerce, in consultation with the attorney general, would be responsible for petitioning the Federal Communications Commission within 60 days to craft the new regulation. This debate is an important one, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. The Federal Communications Commission will carefully review any petition for rulemaking filed by the Department of Commerce. Industry and civil liberties groups who denounced the order as an illegal end-run around free-speech protections and said it gave the FCC powers it does not actually have. Twitter has been an essential tool for Trump as both a politician and as president, dating back to his false allegations that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya. Trump has observed himself that the social media platform allows him to dodge the press and speak directly to his 80 million followers. It has also afforded him the unfettered opportunity to assail political opponents and to promulgate conspiracy theories and other misinformation. Attorney General William Barr, who joined Trump for his remarks, said the order would not repeal Section 230, which provides social-media companies their liability protection. But its been stretched and I dont know of anyone in Capitol Hill who doesnt agree that its been stretched beyond its original intention, he said. I think this will help get back to the right balance. Trump and Barr also said they were reviewing possibilities to seek legislation further curbing Section 230 protections. Barr said the government may also bring litigation. One of the things we may do, Bill, is just remove or totally change 230, Trump said. What I think we can say is were going to regulate it. Roth Criticism Earlier Thursday, Trump called out a single Twitter employee, head of site integrity Yoel Roth, in a tweet complaining that the platforms decision to fact-check his tweets on voting by mail could taint the U.S. election. White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany criticized Roth for political tweets, including one that said actual Nazis inhabit Trumps White House. Twitters head of site integrity has tweeted that there are quote, actual Nazis, in the White House and no fact-check label was ever applied to this actually outrageous and false claim made against the White House and its employees, she said. White House officials complained that Twitter did not originally append fact checks to China Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lijan Zhao, who without evidence wrote that it might be the U.S. military that brought the coronavirus to China. Twitter has since added the fact-check link to his tweets. Democrats have largely applauded the effort to fact-check the president. But they questioned why Twitter didnt similarly add links to recent tweets by the president that baselessly accused MSNBC host Joe Scarborough of murdering a former staffer who died while at work in one of his congressional offices nearly two decades ago. Yes we like Twitter to put up their fact check of the president, but it seems to be very selective, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. The executive order is the latest in a years-long campaign by the president and his allies against social media companies. The companies say they have more aggressively sought to combat disinformation and foreign interference campaigns after the federal government found that Russia and other state operatives used U.S. social media to influence the 2016 election. Bias Allegations Republicans have alleged that Twitter and Facebook are politically biased in the way they display posts and block certain material deemed offensive, and objected to Twitters decision to ban certain political advertising. Last May, the administration set up a website asking Americans to submit instances of alleged political bias on social media. We always knew that Silicon Valley would pull out all the stops to obstruct and interfere with President Trump getting his message through to voters, Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement. Partnering with the biased fake news media fact checkers is only a smoke screen Twitter is using to try to lend their obvious political tactics some false credibility. The president has complained about Twitters efforts to combat manipulative and abusive content by deleting fake profiles -- leading to a decline of hundreds of thousands of users in his follower count. The websites have denied their actions are politically motivated, and Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey said then he also lost around 200,000 followers in the purge. In 2018 congressional testimony, Dorsey said there were technical explanations for cases of alleged bias raised by Republican lawmakers. Still, the debate has exposed a rift among Silicon Valley tech giants, with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticizing Twitters decision in an interview with Fox News. I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldnt be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online, he said. Private companies probably shouldnt be, especially these platform companies, shouldnt be in the position of doing that. Dorsey fired back in a tweet posted Wednesday night, saying the fact-check was designed to make sure people didnt misunderstand the presidents tweet and believe they didnt need to register to vote in order to receive an absentee ballot. (Updates with latest Twitter-Trump clash in sixth paragraph) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. A sharp decline in the cases of COVID-19 by November this year has been predicted by the Lagos State Government. This was revealed by the States Health Commissioner, Prof. Akin Abayomi, during the Ministerial Press Briefing to commemorate Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olus one year in office. It is difficult to predict when the pandemic will end in Nigeria because this depends on a lot of factors. But in the next four to six months (between September and November), we will see a sharp decline in the number of cases in the country, and this will signal that we are coming towards defeating the outbreak, Abayomi said. He predicted Lagos State to likely reach between 90,000 to 120,000 cases of coronavirus. Abayomi, however, insisted these figures do not signify a peak period for the state. There are currently 3,756 confirmed cases in Lagos Share this post with your Friends on More than 2,000 substitute teachers have applied to a government support fund, education officials have revealed. The group was left in limbo when the lockdown hit - unable to work and also unable to access the furlough scheme, leaving them without an income. Earlier this month the Executive launched a 12m support fund. Derek Baker, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Education, told the education committee that 2,125 substitute teachers applied for the money. The deadline for the scheme was Tuesday and the teachers will be paid in the June payroll. Meanwhile, SDLP education spokesman Daniel McCrossan called for clarity for pupils, parents and teachers on the arrangements for the safe opening of schools when lockdown restrictions can be eased. The West Tyrone MLA said that people need certainty about how normally large classes will operate, when children will return, how school transport will be arranged and other issues. "But they are being left in the dark with no information about when or how school reopening will be managed. This is not something we can just spring on people at the end of August, they need time to prepare and everyone should have the opportunity to engage in the design of a new process," he said. New Delhi/Srinagar: Intelligence sources have warned that Pakistan-trained terrorists are planning to carry out terror attacks in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the days to come. According to intelligence sources, a group of around 20 terrorists associated with the Taliban are being trained by Pakistan's Special Service Group in an undisclosed location in Afghanistans Jalalabad to carry out terror attacks in J&K. The Pakistan-backed terror outfits are planning to make more attempts to infiltrate into the Indian side of the border, the intelligence sources said. The Pakistani Army is trying to push terrorists into the Indian side and many groups of terrorists have been spotted roaming at their launch pads across the Line of Control. Two groups of unidentified terrorists, concentrated at Pakistan Post and Sardari, opposite Gurez Sector, are planning to infiltrate into the Indian side. Another group of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists, concentrated at Kel and Tejian, opposite the Machhal Sector, ae looking for an opportune time to infiltrate into the Indian border. On the other hand, terrorists linked to Lashkar-e-Toiba have been concentrated at Nattar village in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir and Pakistan Army post at Badmash Complex. This comes hours after the security forces foiled another Pulwama-style attack by intercepting a vehicle in South Kashmirs Pulwama district, which was carrying improvised explosive device (IED) to target security forces convoy on Thursday, Jammu & Kashmir Police said that security agencies had prior inputs about the possible suicide attack by the Pakistan-backed terrorists, and by intercepting it timely, a major tragedy has been averted. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, the Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range, Vijay Kumar said that security forces stopped the suicide attacker at two checkpoints and fired warning shots but the vehicle kept moving jumped both points but he (attacker) left behind the vehicle late night yesterday at Ayegund area of Rajpora, Pulwama. Police said that the attack was being planned on the 17th day of Ramadhan - the holy Islamic day of Jang-e-Badr, but due to an alert and continued anti-terror operation, the plan was foiled. Intel sources said that a group of unidentified terrorists is planning to attempt weapon snatching at Bijhbehara in Anantnag and are likely to attack the on Jammu and Kashmir Police in Yaripora, Kulgam & Qazigund. From the chatter across the LOC, it has also emerged that the Pakistan-backed terror groups might launch fidayeen attacks on the Indian security forces attack along the stretch near Pantha Chowk, Srinagar. British drugmaker GSK said on Thursday that its previous flu pandemic vaccine, which used some of the same ingredients as COVID-19 vaccines currently under development, was not linked to a rise in cases of the sleep disorder narcolepsy. A spokesman for GSK said the "science has moved on" since concerns were first raised about links between narcolepsy and its H1N1 vaccine, called Pandemrix. Previous studies in several countries, including Britain, Finland, Sweden and Ireland, where GSK's Pandemrix vaccine was used in the 2009/2010 flu pandemic, had suggested its use was linked to a significant rise in cases of narcolepsy in children. Narcolepsy is an incurable, lifelong disorder that disrupts normal sleep-wake cycles and causes severe nightmares and daytime sleep attacks that can strike at any time. George Floyd, 46, moved to Minnesota to improve his life and become his "best self," but instead, he is dead because of Minneapolis police. The latest: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared a state of emergency and activated the state's National Guard in response to violent clashes over the past two days between police and protesters in the Twin Cities. What they're saying: "They executed my brother in broad daylight," George Floyd's brother Philonise told CNN on Thursday. "I'm tired of seeing black men die." Why it matters: "It's both necessary, and at this point, pedestrian to observe that policing in this country is mediated by race," Jelani Cobb writes for The New Yorker. The tale of the tapes: The Minneapolis police didn't tell the truth in their initial press release, claiming Floyd, a black man, resisted arrest. They also omitted that an officer pinned him to the ground by the neck. (He was originally stopped for a nonviolent offense.) didn't tell the truth in their initial press release, claiming Floyd, a black man, resisted arrest. They also omitted that an officer pinned him to the ground by the neck. (He was originally stopped for a nonviolent offense.) Two subsequent tapes put an end to those lies. Floyd could be heard on one video saying that his neck hurt and that he couldn't breathe: "They're going to kill me." put an end to those lies. Floyd could be heard on one video saying that his neck hurt and that he couldn't breathe: "They're going to kill me." The police then treated protesters like insurgents instead of citizens, using flashbangs, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protests which became riots. protesters like insurgents instead of citizens, using flashbangs, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protests which became riots. Those riots destroyed property and resulted in another death, but at the beginning of that story is the murder of a black man by police officers. and resulted in another death, but at the beginning of that story is the murder of a black man by police officers. "I've wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, "Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?" The big picture: Floyd is one of far too many black men who die every year at the hands of police officers. The only reliable statistics that exist are because of years of hard work by activists and reporters, not police departments. that exist are because of years of hard work by activists and reporters, not police departments. And those are just the statistics of killings , leaving out the incidents that don't end in death but nevertheless destroy relations and leave individuals with mental and physical scars. , leaving out the incidents that don't end in death but nevertheless destroy relations and leave individuals with mental and physical scars. The cops who are fired for bad behavior are often rehired because of their unions or move to other police departments in other towns. Few are prosecuted, frustrating activists and victims alike. What's next: The Justice Department said Thursday that the case is a "top priority," and President Trump wants "justice to be served," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said this afternoon. The four Minneapolis officers Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng have been fired. Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng have been fired. "I would like for those officers to be charged with murder because that's exactly what they did," his sister Bridgett Floyd told the "Today" show. The bottom line: Floyd, who worked security at a restaurant, "was loved by all my employees and my customers," owner Jovanni Thunstrom told CNN. 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 Frost & Sullivan prepares to honor companies in customer contact & customer experience industry SANTA CLARA, California, May 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Customer service practitioners and solution providers of all areas are invited to nominate their organizations and/or clients for the CC Awards (CCs), the customer service awards program that recognizes excellence and outstanding achievement across key areas of the industry. The CCs provide an opportunity to reward those who are leading the way in innovative actions, committed pursuit and exceptional service to their customers. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1173409/Frost_Sullivan_The_CC_Awards.jpg To submit a nomination or learn more, please click here: www.frost.com/ccawards. "By recognizing companies who are breaking new ground in customer service excellence, we aim to create a forum for celebrating and sharing best practices in the world," said Michael DeSalles, Principal Analyst, Information & Communication Technologies at Frost & Sullivan. Following nominations, a panel of industry experts and Frost & Sullivan research analysts will judge each category. Companies selected as best-in-class will be honored as "Kahunas" in the category or categories for which they entered. Kahunas will then be invited to compete once more to be considered for the "Big Kahuna" recognition in each category. All winners will be honored, and Big Kahuna winners are currently planned to be announced at the 16th Annual Customer Contact West: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange, October 18-21, 2020, at the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa in Tucson, Ariz. Practitioners or solution providers that focus on distinguished customer experience are encouraged to nominate their accomplishments in one or multiple categories. Consideration will be given to those whose achievements have set them apart during the past year. About Frost & Sullivan Over five decades, Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Pipeline Company, has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Visit our website. Contact: Brooke Filson Global Events, Frost & Sullivan E-mail: [email protected] Related Links www.frost.com SOURCE Frost & Sullivan State prosecutors in California are investigating the credentials that Tara Reade, the former Senate staffer who has accused Joe Biden of assaulting her in 1993, attested to in as many as 20 criminal trials, including an attempted murder case where her testimony was deemed 'critical.' The Monterey County District Attorneys office said it never tried to verify the credentials on her resume before using her as a paid expert witness on domestic violence issues. Reade, who went by Alexandra Tara McCabe, made several claims on her resume and in court that have now come into question. State prosecutors in California are investigating the credentials that Tara Reade (pictured) attested to in as many as 20 criminal trials, including an attempted murder case where her testimony was deemed 'critical' Reade said she had a bachelors degree from Antioch University, which the school denies. She said she worked in Bidens office from 1991 to 1994, while Senate records show her there from December 1992 to August 1993. And she said she served as legislative aide for Biden while he worked on the Violence Against Women Act, while witnesses and records describe her holding a more junior role, sometimes supervising interns or handling mail. 'We are investigating whether Ms. McCabe gave false testimony under oath,' Chief Assistant District Attorney Berkley Brannon of Monterey County said Wednesday. 'At the time, we did not contact the schools she said she attended to see if they would disclose her records. We did not require that she provide proof of all the extensive professional training and experience listed on her CV (curriculum vitae),' Brannon told The Associated Press in an email. Defense lawyers are also investigating her testimony, hoping to glean the extent of her work through county payment records. Brannon said it was not yet clear how often she gave expert testimony. Reade, testifying in December 2018, said: 'I was just doing the math. Its been over 20 times.' A month later, before the same judge and prosecutor, she said the number was 'I think at least 10.' Defense lawyers could seek to have their clients convictions overturned in some or all of those cases, depending on the weight of the other evidence. The statute of limitations for perjury in California is three years, they said. In the December 2018 case, Reades testimony helped send Jennifer Vasquez and Victoria Ramirez to prison for seven years to life in an arson and attempted murder case. Reade earlier this year said that Biden digitally penetrated her and groped her in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building in spring 1993. Biden has vehemently denied her claims, and current and former Biden staffers say they cannot recall such an incident The victim, a man, had been in a volatile relationship with Vasquez. He initially told police he saw two women running from the scene, but days later recanted, saying he had instead seen two men, defense lawyers said. 'She comes to court and says hes probably lying (the second time) because it was a domestic violence situation,' said Roland Soltesz, who represented Ramirez. 'When she started testifying, she immediately started talking about Joe Biden and the Violence Against Women Act. To me, that actually made her sound credible to the jury.' A month later, after James Sloop, 41, was convicted of holding his ex-girlfriend against her will, prosecutors sent out a press release that said McCabe, 'a domestic violence expert, provided critical testimony which aided the jurys understanding as to why victims of domestic violence recant, minimize, and frequently stay in abusive relationships.' Sloop is appealing the conviction, which led to a 17-year sentence on a firearm charge and other charges. In both trials, the defense lawyers questioned Reade about her education and experience. 'Well, I worked originally for former U.S. Senator Joseph Biden as a legislative aide. He worked on the Violence Against Women Act. He was one of the sponsors,' Reade testified at Sloop's trial. 'Do you have an undergraduate degree?' 'Antioch University,' she replied, according to the transcript, which the AP obtained. Reade said she had a bachelors degree from Antioch University (pictured), which the school denies Reade this month has continued to challenge Antiochs statement that she never finished a degree program there. However, she has not been able to produce any documentation. She did complete a law degree from the Seattle University in 2004, but said she never became licensed to practice law. Reade, 56, changed her name to Alexandra McCabe after fleeting an abusive husband in 1996. She later returned to using Reade. Her career experience includes several stints working with domestic violence organizations, along with work with animal rescue groups. 'I have reached out to the DA and I am ready to assist anyway that is needed,' Reade said Wednesday. Reade earlier this year said that Biden digitally penetrated her and groped her in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building in spring 1993. Biden has vehemently denied her claims, and current and former Biden staffers say they cannot recall such an incident. Last week, as questions about her California court testimony emerged, prominent #MeToo lawyer Douglas Wigdor dropped Reade as a client. Philadelphia defense lawyer Alan Tauber, who has worked on exoneration cases, said questions about an expert's qualifications can be 'enough to stain a case.' 'The assumption is if you have an expert here, theyve been vetted,' said Tauber, now the citys first assistant public defender. 'If you were to find one dishonest thing in her credentials, the entire house of cards falls.' Karriem Allah explains why, according to the divine law in the Holy Quran, Allah outlawed the practice of usury and established guidelines for resolving debt. Karriem Allah opens his Message discussing the recent surfacing of unforeseen drawbacks in the many rigorous government executive orders imposed on U.S. citizens, in the purported mitigation of the COVID19 crisis. He draws attention to the recent indication by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee that Washington residents who resist contact tracing COVID19 testing may not be permitted to enter food markets to purchase necessities. Karriem Allah raises the concern of some dissenters, who see this imposition as a precursor for mandatory COVID19 vaccination. Karriem Allah, referencing the Gospel of Matthew, discusses the apparent absence of prudence in the confusing and inconsistent legislative responses of federal and state government officials to the COVID19 crisis. He cautions elected officials to be conscientious that such confusion places inordinate burdens on an already financially- and socially-constrained U.S. population. Karriem Allah discusses the necessity to consider the Quranic and Biblical narrative of Jonah, as an examplein escaping the disturbing circumstances prophesied to occur at this time, especially given the current breakdown of the economies of nations throughout the Earth. He explains how the narrative of Jonah can be applied to city, municipal, county and state governments who are responsible for shepherding smaller populations. Karriem Allah explains why the recent decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to strike down Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers stay-at-home or lockdown order was the right decision. Karriem Allah discusses the apparent misconduct of unilateral decisions made by governors and how these actions may eventually foment intense public condemnation; consequently, threatening the stability and security of cities and states. Karriem Allah further chides the mass news media for causing discord between state governors and state legislatures; thereby, influencing the formation of dictatorships in the Office of the Governor. Karriem Allah explains why, according to the divine law in the Holy Quran, Allah outlawed the practice of usury and established guidelines for resolving debt. Karriem Allah further advises federal, state and local government officials to begin moving towards strict adherence to these divine statutes before economic and social conditions plummet to the extent where recovery becomes doubtful. This lecture, A Message to Local, State, and Federal Governments regarding the Guidance of Allah thru HIS Messiah, the Honorable Louis Farrakhan, is part of the Messianic Prophecies Series, and is available on Karriem Allahs Vimeo and Youtube channels, and his website. If youre looking for a fictional good fright to distract you from the real ones, look no further than this third entry in the Hidden Iceland series (available June 23), featuring brainy, glum police inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir. Its midwinter with blowing snow and little daylight when three bodies are found in and near a remote farmhouse. The talented Jonasson backs up two months to portray with the precision of Harold Pinter two complex marriages whose outcomes are not at all ambiguous, this being a crime novel. On a couple of occasions, Hermannsdottir shrieks with horror, and readers will, too. India plans to bring back 100000 by end of phase 2 of Vande Bharat Mission on June 13 344 new Covid-19 positive cases and 6 deaths reported in West Bengal 115 new Covid--19 cases detected in Jammu and Kashmir In last 24 hours, 367 new Covid-19 cases and 22 deaths reported in Gujarat Railways increases advance reservation period for all special trains from present 30 days to 120 days Highest single-day spike of 1,024 cases takes Covid-19 tally to over 16K in Delhi 1,438 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 in Mumbai today Amit Shah spoke to Chief Ministers to get their views on coronavirus lockdown 369 positive cases and 10 deaths reported in last 24 hours in Pune India has recorded 158,333 cases and 4,531 deaths, as per Ministry of Health on Thursday. The country has recorded over 6,000 cases for the last three days. Maharashtra remains the most-affected state in the country. With Nagaland reporting new infections, the entire northeastern region has been infected by Covid-19. The pandemic has shown no signs of abating as Brazil and US recorded a high number of deaths. 1 lakh people have died in the US due to Covid-19. US wants to reopen as the administration believes the curve could be flattening. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic The court also canceled a warrant for Onyshchenko's arrest. The Higher Regional Court of Oldenburg in Germany has ruled not to extradite former Ukrainian Member of Parliament Oleksandr Onyshchenko who is wanted in Ukraine for alleged fraud and money laundering. The ruling is based on the judges' decision that it was not possible to establish whether Onyshchenko's case in Ukraine was not politically motivated, according to Deutsche Welle's Ukrainian Service. What is more, the judges suggested that if Onyshchenko was extradited, Ukraine would not be able to ensure international law regarding conditions in prisons, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights. Therefore, they said his extradition was unacceptable. The judges refer to a report by the Council of Europe, which includes materials collected in 2017-2018 on "inhuman conditions of detention of prisoners [in Ukraine], degrading human dignity." The court also canceled a warrant for Onyshchenko's arrest. Read alsoFugitive MP Onyshchenko detained in Germany media As UNIAN reported, agents of the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) in December 2015 began a pretrial investigation into the theft of funds during the extraction and sale of natural gas under Ukrgazvydobuvannya's joint operation agreements, as a result of which the state suffered losses amounting to about UAH 3 billion, or US$111.1 million. Investigators established that from January 2013 to June 2016, the suspects illegally seized UAH 1.6 billion (US$59.3 million), received from gas sales, inflicting damage to Ukrgazvydobuvannya in the amount of over UAH 740 million (US$27.4 million). Detectives found that 29 persons had been involved in the crimes. Seven of them, in particular, the organizer of the scheme, Onyshchenko, were put on the wanted list. The Verkhovna Rada in summer 2016 deprived Onyshchenko of parliamentary immunity, and also voted for his detention and arrest. But before that, using parliamentary immunity, he managed to flee Ukraine. On November 14, NABU chief Artem Sytnyk said Onyshchenko could be extradited from Spain to Ukraine as early as in December 2019. At the end of November, Onyshchenko announced that he was going to return to Kyiv on December 13. As evidence, he demonstrated a ticket for a Ryanair economy flight from Barcelona to Kyiv, which was scheduled for December 13. On November 29, he was detained in Germany's Aachen at the request of NABU and the Specialized Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). Protesters demonstrate during a rally against Pennsylvania's coronavirus stay-at-home order at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Friday, May 15, 2020. AP Photo/Matt Rourke State Rep. Andrew Lewis, a Republican state lawmaker in Pennsylvania, learned that he had COVID-19 on May 20. He waited until May 27 to reveal the news. "Out of respect for my family, and those who I may have exposed, I chose to keep my positive case private," he said in a statement. While concealing his positive test, Lewis was publicly calling for an end to Pennsylvania's shutdown. Democrats responded with outrage. "It is reprehensible that GOP Rep. Andrew Lewis tested positive for coronavirus, yet never bothered to inform his colleagues," Rep. Kevin Boyle tweeted. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A Republican state lawmaker in Pennsylvania waited more than a week before revealing that he tested positive for COVID-19 and called for ending the state's shutdown a day after getting the news angering Democratic colleagues who fear that he may have exposed him to the virus. "Out of respect for my family, and those who I may have exposed, I chose to keep my positive case private," state Rep. Andrew Lewis said in a statement issued Wednesday. "Now that I have fully recovered and completed the quarantine as required by the Department of Health, I feel now is the appropriate time to share this information with the public." Lewis received his positive test result on May 20, according to the statement. A critic of the shelter-in-place order from Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, he earlier declared it "time to reopen" the economy. In late April, he appealed to the Trump administration for an investigation into Wolf's response to the pandemic, claiming it infringed on constitutional rights. A day after receiving his positive test result, Lewis was on Facebook posting a call to "End the Shutdown Now." Democrats responded with outrage. "It is reprehensible that GOP Rep Andrew Lewis tested positive for coronavirus, yet never bothered to inform his colleagues," State Rep. Kevin Boyle tweeted. "Any Republican leader who knew and didn't inform House staff & members needs to resign." Story continues "I am livid," Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "They were derelict in their duty when they did not alert us to this immediately," he said. "They put our health at risk [and] they put our families at risk." At least one of Lewis' Republican colleagues was defiant. State Rep. Russ Diamond, who has boasted of shopping without a mask, is the only lawmaker known to have been contacted about possible exposure to Lewis, with Pennsylvania Republican leadership declining to identify others. On social media, Diamond used the news to mock liberals. "Control freaks of the world," he tweeted, "unite by clutching your pearls!" Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com Read the original article on Business Insider A giant fund is proposed, some of it raised on capital markets, but several countries express doubts. Ursula von der Leyen's proposals will have to please "frugal" states as well as the Southern European countries that need the money most A recovery fund worth 750bn (670bn; $825bn) has been proposed by the EU's executive Commission to help the EU tackle an "unprecedented crisis". The package will be made up of grants and loans for every EU member state. Economies across the 27-nation EU bloc have been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic, but several southern states had big debts even before the crisis. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said "this is Europe's moment". "Things we take for granted are being questioned. None of that can be fixed by any single country alone," she told the European Parliament. "This is about all of us and it is way bigger than any of us." The Commission has dubbed the plan Next Generation EU. Without the backing of all 27 EU member states, it cannot go ahead. But Germany and France have backed plans for the money to be raised on the capital markets. Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said the fund was a "European turning point" that would be added to instruments that had already been launched. Spain and Italy have seen the highest number of deaths in the EU during the coronavirus crisis and, in the wake of the financial crisis, are particularly keen on grants rather than loans being added to their public debt. Several "frugal" states object to taking on debt for other countries. Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden reject the idea of cash handouts to relatively poorer countries. What did the Commission president say? Mrs von der Leyen said the 750bn fund would be made up of 500bn in grants and 250bn in loans. It would be raised by lifting the EU's resources ceiling to 2% of EU gross national income and would be reliant on the EU's strong credit rating. When added to a proposed 1.1 trillion budget for 2021-27, the 750bn recovery fund would bring to 1.85tn the amount that the Commission says will "kick-start our economy and ensure Europe bounces forward". When added to an earlier 540bn initial rescue package, that would amount to a total of 2.4tn, said the Commission president. The EU's much-cherished four freedoms had to be fully restored, she added, those of freedom of people, goods, services and capital. She said "this is an urgent and exceptional need for an urgent and exceptional crisis". The money raised on the capital markets would be paid back over 30 years between 2028 and 2058, but not later. The Commission says it could be paid back in several ways: Commissioner Maros Sefcovic says recovery has to be based on green and digital policies as well as "increased resilience" and lessons learned from the Covid-19 crisis. The budget will be "equipped with increased firepower to be able to generate massive investment at the scale and speed needed to kick-start all our economies", he says. The European Central Bank has played a key role in helping eurozone countries emerge from the debt crisis with its stimulus programme of bond-buying. But concerns about the ECB programme's future were raised earlier this month when Germany's top court ruled that it violated the German constitution. The UK has left the EU so is unlikely to have any involvement in the fund as it stands.BBC Chennai, May 28 : A virtual reality (VR) model built from the CT scan of an 11-year old boy from Egypt and a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) enabled doctors at the MGM Healthcare here to successfully carry out an implant operation, the hospital said on Thursday. The VR model developed by a student of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was to check whether the LVAD could be implanted in the boy and whether his chest could be closed post the implant. The boy, small in size for his age, was suffering from a life threatening condition called restrictive cardiomyopathy and severe pulmonary hypertension (very high pressure in the lungs) with recurrent heart failure admissions for the last one year, MGM Healthcare said. The boy with a history of cardiac arrest was airlifted urgently in an air ambulance from Cairo. After being turned down by hospitals in the US and western Europe, the boy was referred to K.R. Balakrishnan, Chairman, cardiac sciences, and Director, Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant & Mechanical Circulatory Support, by the pediatric cardiologist in Cairo who was treating the child. According to MGM Healthcare, the boy was turned down by foreign hospitals as his high lung pressure meant that a heart transplant was ruled out and there were no commercially available LVADs for a child of his size. Soon after his arrival here, the boy's heart failure worsened. The only option available was to consider whether somehow an LVAD, a battery-operated mechanical pump, could be implanted to help the left chamber of the heart pump blood to the rest of the body, MGM Healthcare said. The doctors faced major impediments, as the existing pumps were built for adults. What if the chest could not be closed after the operation? Also, the size of the heart chamber, the left ventricle, was a major concern, as it was heavily muscle bound, full of excess, useless muscle with very small cavity size. There was no way of knowing if the pump could be fitted inside the heart. It was then that Balakrishnan got in touch with R. Krishna Kumar, a professor in the Department of Engineering Design, IITM, and requested him if a virtual reality model could be built from the CT scan of the child, so that a virtual implant could be carried out to ensure that the implant was possible. So, a virtual model was built to make sure that the procedure was possible. Armed with the confidence of this knowledge, the implant was carried out and it was a success. The boy has recovered rapidly and gained weight. The family is now waiting to return to Cairo, once air travel restrictions are lifted. "We thoroughly evaluated the child before planning for the LVAD. We had limited options. We decided to go ahead with the heart pump implant only after the virtual model built at the IIT showed that it was feasible," Balakrishnan said. Commenting on the virtual reality model, IITM's Kumar said, "There were many challenges technically as the image clarity of the commercial software built into the imaging machine did not meet the requirements. After intense discussions on the algorithms to be used, Sathish Kumar, my student, built the virtual reality model in one night, as time was crucial." "After being turned down by many hospitals, we had almost given up hope. Our child had been ailing for a few years and we could not bear to see him suffer like this. We are grateful that we were referred to this facility where the doctors ensured a fresh lease of life for our son," the boy's mother, a pediatrician herself, said. Going to get groceries these days is the source of anxiety for many people during the pandemic the lineups, the narrow aisles, the touching of produce. But when you're hard of hearing or deaf, the task can be exponentially more difficult. "The masks that everyone is wearing right now are quite the barrier," said Leah Riddell, community outreach director for the Ontario Cultural Society of the Deaf. Riddell, speaking through a sign language interpreter, said masks prevent people from being able to read lips or facial expressions. "For those wearing masks, I'm not sure if they're talking to me or if they're talking to somebody else. So there's a lot of assumptions. And if you ask somebody to repeat they can be very dismissive," said Riddell. "We have to go out, we have to survive. We have to work. So there are a lot of members within the community that are quite anxious and quite concerned when they need to go out." Submitted With more and more businesses opening their doors, and Canada's top health official now officially recommending the use of face coverings in public, the task of communicating has become increasingly difficult for some who are deaf or hard of hearing. While options such as clear masks have emerged in some places, they are not widely available or worn, so people who are deaf or hard of hearing and are struggling to communicate now are asking for patience and understanding from the public. Different levels of hearing The widespread use of masks has affected a range of people with different levels of hearing ability. Craig Lund, a Toronto-based marketing head hunter, has been hard of hearing since he was three. He is deaf in his right ear, has about 30 per cent hearing in his left ear and wears a hearing aid. "What the pandemic has shown is that I rely on reading lips a lot more than I realized," said Lund. Keith Whelan/CBC "Masks came along and all of a sudden I started to struggle a whole lot with understanding what was going on." Story continues Lund described a few instances at the grocery store where he's been unable to understand what someone is saying. "There's a lot of anxiousness when people are having conversations they want you to move along quickly. And people start to get irritated really quickly too," said Lund. For those who are deaf, masks present an additional challenge: about 70 per cent of American Sign Language (ASL), involves facial expressions and body movements, and only 30 per cent comes from hand signs, said Riddell. "Facial expressions are quite critical in the language, and with the masks it's a barrier that prevents communication from happening because half the face is covered," she said. CBC Until recently, the struggles have been at grocery stores. "Now that things are starting to slowly reopen we're noticing it even more. There are more concerns, more anxiousness, about, 'Are they going to understand, are we going to be able to do this?'" said Riddell. Masks plus physical distancing Another challenge is just how much masks muffle the sound of a voice. "There have already been some studies to show that general surgical medical masks may reduce the way someone perceives sound by three to four decibels (DB)," said Rex Banks, an audiologist and director of hearing health care at Canadian Hearing Services, adding that can make someone's voice 25 to 30 per cent softer. Evan Mitsui/CBC Physical distancing makes the problem even worse. "So you have the level of speech that's decreased and then also when you put the distance in there so trying to stand maybe six feet away from each other who knows at this point how much of the sound is actually reaching the person," he said. Banks said there are a number of speech-to-text apps and other tools that he's advising people to use during this time. Canadian Hearing Services has also been conducting a series of webinars that offer resources for people who are having challenges right now. Clear masks In recent weeks, there's been a popularization of clear masks intended to help those who are hard of hearing communicate. Meredith Brookings, owner of Couture Alterations in Whitby, Ont, pivoted to manufacturing PPE after the pandemic was declared. She typically tailors wedding gowns or dresses for special occasions. Meredith Brookings One of her products that's seen a spike in demand: clear masks. It started with a request from the Canadian Helen Keller Centre. "We put our heads together to come up with a design to help," said Bookings, who has now been inundated with requests for clear masks. "From New Brunswick to Windsor to up north and Peterborough. I even had a couple of requests from Kansas City and Texas down in the States." While clear masks offer some benefits, the problem is that it's other people not just those in the deaf community that need to be wearing them for them to help those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Because of that, Riddell said right now many still prefer face shields because they're more accessible. Some are even getting creative and making shields at home. Medical grade masks Health Canada recently authorized the use of one type of mask with a clear mouth for medical use against COVID-19, manufactured by Clearmask LLC, a Baltimore company It's the first clear mask that's been given the green light by the federal body during this pandemic, but it's unclear how many health-care workers are wearing them in Canada. Clearmask In the meantime, the deaf and hard of hearing community is asking for understanding from the public. "A lot of times it's an invisible disability," said Lund. "People don't realize that there are other things going in other people's lives. Everyone has various levels of stresses or abilities whether it's mental health or hearing." Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press Sometimes that means putting yourself in another person's position before reacting, said Riddell. "It's just very important for mainstream society to understand you just need to have some patience with us to communicate." Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week? local Former TD Maria Bailey has initiated defamation proceedings against the publishers of the Irish Mirror over its coverage of 'Swing-gate'. The High Court action is understood to relate to two articles published last year about her controversial personal injuries claim against a Dublin hotel after she fell off an indoor swing on its premises. The 44-year-old's lawsuit against the Dean Hotel on Harcourt Street caused considerable controversy. In legal documents filed on her behalf, she claimed the hotel was negligent because the swing was unsupervised and there were no instructions on how to use it. Ms Bailey also stated that she had been unable to run for three months due to her injuries. However, she withdrew the claim after the Irish Independent revealed she had run a 10km race within three weeks of the incident. The case attracted much publicity and now the former Fine Gael TD for Dun Laoghaire has initiated proceedings against one news outlet which covered the story. An action was initiated yesterday in the High Court against MGN Limited, the publishing company for the Irish Mirror newspaper and website. The precise grievance Ms Bailey has against the publisher has not yet been outlined to the court. However, it is understood Ms Bailey is unhappy with language used to describe her ill-fated personal injuries action in two columns published by MGN last year. The first of these columns was published a year ago this week and Ms Bailey's case was initiated just inside the statute of limitations for defamation. As of yet, no papers have been filed in the case, although the cause of action has been recorded as "defamation" on the High Court system. Ms Bailey is being represented in the case by Osbornes Solicitors, a firm based in Naas, Co Kildare. The Irish Mirror declined to comment, but is expected to defend the case. The 'Swing-gate' controversy blew up in the middle of the local elections campaign last May and some in Fine Gael blamed it for the party's poorer-than-expected performance. Last November, Fine Gael de-selected Ms Bailey as a general election candidate after a motion by party members in her constituency asked for an urgent review of candidates in the area. The incident with the swing occurred when Ms Bailey was on a night out with friends in July, 2015. She was a county councillor at the time. The politician sat on one of a set of swings in the hallway outside Sophie's, a rooftop restaurant and bar in the Dean Hotel, but fell backwards off it while having her picture taken. A legal filing said she hurt her head, hip and back and was "dazed and shocked" after the fall. It claimed a severe pain in her back prevented her from getting out of bed the following morning. Ms Bailey later went to the Beacon Hospital, where a legal filing said she was diagnosed with concussion, soft-tissue injuries and contusions, and advised to attend physiotherapy. She would later list 18 different particulars of alleged negligence against the hotel, including that the swing was a foreseeable risk and should have been supervised, that it was fitted in an unsafe and unsecure manner due to the absence of sufficient space or cushioning around it, and that there were no instructions on how to safely use it. But the hotel robustly defended the claim, alleging in a legal filing that Ms Bailey had items in both hands and that if any injury was suffered, this was due to her own negligence. Ms Bailey later admitted in a radio interview with RTE's Sean O'Rourke that she had a beer in one hand and was reaching for her friend's bottle of wine when she fell. She attempted to defend her claim and said she was genuinely hurt in the fall. But the interview further inflamed the controversy. Ms Bailey was represented by Madigan Solicitors in the personal injuries case. The firm is where Culture Minister Josepha Madigan worked prior to joining the Cabinet in 2017. An internal Fine Gael inquiry cleared Ms Madigan of any wrongdoing. The Irish Independent previously revealed Ms Madigan processed an application for Ms Bailey to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB), but her involvement in the case was said to have been "minimal". The Dean Hotel did not agree to a PIAB assessment in the case, leading to Ms Bailey's ultimately withdrawn proceedings in the Circuit Court. If you are under 65, in reasonably good health and do not have a Vitamin D deficiency, you only have a tiny chance of dying from COVID-19. And if you are younger than 34, your chances of dying from the virus are so small as to almost be statistically undetectable. Those are the words of my good friend Richard Rahn in his latest column for the Washington Times. Rahn very skillfully explodes the alarmism that has surrounded the spread of the new coronavirus. As of now, its quite simply not much of a threat unless youre 85 or older, live in a nursing home, [and] have serious health problems including a Vitamin D deficiency. Rahn thankfully notes that only a tiny portion of the population is in such a condition. So while Rahns statistical breakdown of C-19 reads as great news, the view here is that there are dangers that come with turning debates about freedom into statistical battles. Rahn would likely agree. To use an obvious example, Memphis is a city in zero tax rate, lightly regulated Tennessee. San Francisco is a city in heavily taxed, heavily regulated California. Yet a drive down Poplar in Memphis would reveal to the driver visually whats true empirically: Memphiss economy is a small fraction of San Franciscos. Based on that, should Memphis and Tennessee adopt Californias high-tax and high regulation way of doing things? After all, over half of the worlds venture capital flows to the Golden State. The Tennessee/California contrast is hopefully a reminder that freedom is its own virtue. The reality, as Californias immense entrepreneurial wealth attests, is that talented people can still thrive to varying degrees despite all sorts of tax, regulatory and spending barriers. The goal should be less intrusive government regardless of outcome. Applied to the virus, Rahn is plainly of the view that the lockdowns cruelly foisted on the electorate by local, state and national politicians have brought incalculable damage to the U.S. economy. No argument there. The lockdowns were and are a tragedy. That theyve been so disastrous speaks at least partially to why its so dangerous to make the Covid argument a statistical one. To see why, consider what many well-meaning people will do with Rahns excellent piece that yet again exposes the viruss microscopic lethality: theyll pass it around while concluding that its time for the lockdowns to end. It all makes sense at first glance. But only at first glance. Please read on. On second glance, its easy to see just how dangerous such an approach is. Thats the case simply because Covid-19 wont be the last virus to work its way around the world. Rest assured that when the next one rears its ugly (or largely benign) head, alarmist scientists, doctors, and self-styled experts will quickly have scared-of-their-own-shadow politicians lusting to do something to protect us from illness, and perhaps death. Which is why those properly horrified by the lockdowns should re-focus the argument on freedom. Think about it. If not about freedom, what happens if the expert conclusion about a future virus is that its most lethal for those under 34? Implicit in all the statistical back-and-forth is that lockdowns might be justified then. Right? Young people are Americas future and all that. Wrong. Assuming a virus comes about that is said to favor old over young, then its safe to say that the young will not need a law. Precisely because theyre eager to live longer and healthier lives, theyll likely shelter-in-place on their own. What is it about avoiding getting sick or dying that requires force from politicians? At the same time, there will be some young people for whom the threat of death means nothing. Of the view that theyre bulletproof in terms of health, some in the 34 and under range will continue living, working and traveling as though the virus is an irrelevancy. If so, great. Its great because the assumptions and models created about most anything tend to not age very well. Lest readers forget, in the 1980s it was broadly thought that AIDS was an easily spreadable disease by contact. People avoided the afflicted like the plague. They no longer do because we now know that what the experts once thought to be true isnt. With the coronavirus and future viruses, the same applies. Assuming one materializes that once again seems to hit 34 and under the hardest, the ideal is that some youthful types throw caution to the wind. Without their defiance, we cant really know the truth about why the virus spreads, and who is most endangered by it. Free people produce information. Its all a reminder that lockdowns arent just inexcusable because they destroy jobs, businesses and the human spirit. What takes away freedom is also anti-life. Lockdowns blind us as to what is best for us, and what will keep us safest when our safety is most imperiled. In short, if we make the C-19 argument solely about numbers, we hand the very politicians who created so much economic misery the power to do so again. Lets not do that. But lets most crucially not allow lockdowns again because what crushes freedom also crushes the knowledge necessary to elongate life. Plans to loosen restrictions on hunting bears and wolves in Alaska, alongside their cubs and pups, are being finalised by the Trump administration. Both the National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service are taking steps to allow for more hunting and trapping in Alaska's 10 national preserves, a move that has been condemned by conservation groups. National preserves differ from national parks in that they allow hunting, fishing, trapping and resource extraction. Both agencies said in separate statements that their plans will better align federal and state laws. The park service decision rolls back prohibitions adopted in 2015 under the Obama administration that are otherwise permitted under Alaskan state law and federal law. The Anchorage Daily News reports that the changes will allow the hunting of black bears, including cubs and females with cubs, with artificial light at den sites, as well as the baiting of black and brown bears by luring them with food. The hunting of wolves and coyotes, including pups, during the denning season, will also be permitted. Swimming caribou can also be targetted, including from motorboats. The change in regulations is described as amazingly cruel by Jesse Prentice-Dunn, policy director for the Centre for Western Priorities. He said that it is just the latest in a string of efforts to reduce protections for Americas wildlife at the behest of oil companies and trophy hunters. Alaskan indigenous groups and lawmakers are pleased with the decision. The Tanana Chiefs Conference a tribal group is also supportive of the move, arguing that the previous rules were introduced without adequate tribal consultation and in disregard to rural Alaskas dependence on wild food sources. Recommended Rare white grizzly bear spotted in Canada Lawmakers, including Republican Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, who is chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, see the decision as a victory for states rights, saying that Alaska is best positioned to decide on policy issues regarding wildlife management. Governor of Alaska Michael Dunleavy says: Hunting and responsible management of wildlife are an integral part of the Alaskan lifestyle and this will further align hunting regulations on the federal level with those established by the State of Alaska for the benefit of Alaskans. Congressman Don Young thanked interior secretary David Bernhardt and the Trump administration, saying: With the release of this final rule, we are eliminating a wrongful federal seizure of Alaskas authority. Im thankful to those who played a role, including the countless state and local stakeholders that have helped to fight this blatant overreach by the previous administration. The Obama administration argued that the rules were necessary to avoid destabilising Alaskan ecosystems by reducing the numbers of predators. A statement from the park service says that it retains the authority to close areas in national preserves to hunting if there are conservation concerns. The new rule, Sport Hunting and Trapping in National Preserves in Alaska, will soon be published in the Federal Register. National parks in Alaska will remain closed for hunting and trapping. Under the Trump administration the Department of the Interior has expanded access to public lands for both hunters and fossil fuel companies. In April it proposed expanding access to 2.3 million acres of land across 97 wildlife refuges and nine fish hatcheries for hunting and fishing. It was not so long ago that the conventional wisdom in Washington was that a genuine crisis like the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had the power to cool partisan hostilities, pulling elected officials together to present a united front to a stricken nation. In a pandemic that has now claimed more than 100,000 lives, that is not proving to be the case. House Republicans marked the grim milestone this week by filing a lawsuit against Speaker Nancy Pelosi, accusing Democrats of a pandemic-enabled, unconstitutional power grab when they instituted proxy voting so that some lawmakers could avoid travel to Washington during the coronavirus outbreak. It was one more partisan fight in a toxic political environment fraught with personal insults, institutional shaming and constant accusations of putting party over the nations well-being in efforts to stir the passions of one voting bloc or another. Partisanship seems to continue to escalate in spite of the crisis, said Tom Daschle, who as a Democratic senator from South Dakota was the Senate majority leader during the Sept. 11 attacks and their immediate aftermath. It is the worst I have seen it in my lifetime. And there is no end in sight. After the Sept. 11 attacks, stunned members of Congress and the Bush administration immediately toned down their usual back-and-forth and pulled together for months behind a variety of antiterrorism initiatives. Republicans and Democrats crowded together on the steps of the Capitol to sing God Bless America, and President George W. Bush told his top aides that politics has no role in this. Dont talk to me about politics for a while. A teen who went fishing on Wednesday in Limestone County is now missing, and the authorities are searching for him in the Elk River. Miguel Alonso, 16, was last seen fishing on the banks of the river near a boat ramp at the end of Elk River Park Road in the Clements area near the Lauderdale County line. Stephen Young, a spokesman for the Limestone County sheriffs office, said deputies began investigating when family members reported Alonso missing overnight. He never returned home from his fishing trip. At the river, deputies found some of Alonsos fishing gear, but the teen wasnt there. Rescue crews and divers are searching the water for any sign of Alonso. UPDATE: rescue crews are in the water near the Elk River Park Rd boat launch searching for missing teen Miguel Alonso. pic.twitter.com/QUdnxQRczU Limestone Sheriff (@LimestoneCoSO) May 28, 2020 Young said, however, that authorities cant say with certainty that Alonso is in the water. Alonso was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt, brown pants and white shoes. Anyone with information is asked to call 256-232-0111. The President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina has not been asked to step down, Mme Niale Kaba, the chairman of the banks Bureau of the Boards of Governors said today. Kaba in a statement circulated today said it is false that the President of the Bank Group has been or is being asked to step down from his position. Her reaction came following reports that the board had accepted the U.S.-led demand that an independent probe be constituted to probe the whistleblower allegations against Adesina. The contentious report also indicated that Adesina would be asked to step aside for the probe to hold. Kaba acknowledged receiving letters from some shareholders expressing various views following the report of the ethics committee of the board. But she said the board has not taken any decision as conveyed in the reports. Read her full statement: The Bureau of the Boards of Governors of the African Development Bank met on Tuesday, 26 May to consider the matter arising from a whistleblowers complaint against the President of the Bank, which was dealt with by the Ethics Committee of Board of Directors of the Bank and for which I received letters from some shareholders expressing various views. Following the meeting, my attention has been drawn to several publications in the national and international press regarding the content of the deliberations of the said meeting, and I am compelled to make clarifications in order to avoid any misunderstanding. The Bureau, which I chair, wishes to reassure the public that it is seized with the matter and that it is treating it with the utmost seriousness that it deserves. Further, the Bureau informs the public that it has not taken any decision as falsely conveyed in some publications. I must emphasise that there is no governance or constitutional crisis at the African Development Bank Group. It is indeed false that the President of the Bank Group has been or is being asked to step down from his position. Everyone must allow the Bureau to do its work and allow due process to reign. All the Governors will be carried along in resolving the issue. Chair of the Bureau of the Board The race is on for Ridgefields 111th seat in the state legislature, wtih Democrat Aimee Berger-Girvalo facing off against Republican Bob Hebert. The evening of Tuesday, May 26, the Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee unanimously nominated long-time Ridgefield resident, Aimee Berger-Girvalo, as their candidate to run for the 111th seat in November. This is the time when creative, long-term thinking about Ridgefields and the states economies, business, education, families as well as health and safety must be foremost in our decision-making, Berger-Girvalo said, accepting the nomination. I will work with First Selectman Rudy Marconi, State Senator Will Haskell, State Representative Ken Gucker, and Congressman Jim Himes to ensure that Ridgefield and our state thrive. I am 100 percent committed to our town, not only for my family, but also for yours, for our front-line workers, for our seniors, for our local businesses, for our property, and for our schools. Nominated by First Selectman Rudy Marconi, and introduced by Senator Will Haskell, Berger-Girvalo accepted the endorsement in the presence of her children. Most recently, Berger-Girvalo coordinated volunteers to raise money to help out locally during the COVID-19 crisis, and has spent the months since the last election cycle researching and advocating for ways to increase voter registration and turnout in Connecticut. Berger-Girvalo has been an advocate of education, local business development, and has spoken out for women, seniors and children. Having run for the 111th seat once before, she said shell take her battle-tested campaign energy and understanding of the exceptional challenges of 2020 and beyond to the voters this November. Democrats plan to mount a strenuous effort to elect Berger-Girvalo to the 111th seat, to represent Ridgefields interests and values. According to Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee Chairman Joe Shapiro, this is the first time the 111th State Legislative seat is open in 20-plus years. We are ready to make sure that Aimee goes to Hartford, said Shapiro. This year our campaign will not only focus upon local races such as the 111th, the 138th (northern Ridgefield) which is being defended by Ken Gucker, and the 26th Senatorial that Will Haskell is defending, but also upon returning Jim Himes to Congress and bringing real leadership and competence to the White House with a new president. I urge you to visit www.ridgefielddems.net to volunteer. This is the most consequential election of our lives. Endorsed by Marconi, Haskell and Congressman Jim Himes, Aimee Berger-Girvalo is participating in the Citizens Election Program, which provides clean elections financing to qualified candidates for statewide offices and the General Assembly. This program allows candidates to compete without the influence of special-interest money. Under the program candidates for state representative can qualify for public financing of their campaigns by raising $5,000 from a minimum of 300 individual residents of the district theyre running in. The 111th General Assembly District falls entirely within Ridgefield, covering all of town south of George Washington Highway and Canterbury Lane, while the multi-town 138th District includes the portion of Ridgefield north of those streets. The 111th District seat was held for some 20 years by Republican State Rep. John Frey, who announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election. The Republican Town Committee nominated Selectman Bob Hebert as the GOP candidate for the seat on Thursday, May 21. OTTAWAA Canada-U.S. salvage operation to find a Cyclone helicopter that crashed into the sea off the coast of Greece has located wreckage and bodies, the military reported Wednesday. A remotely operated vehicle made the discovery early Wednesday at a depth of 3,143 metres in the Ionian Sea, about 400 kilometres east of Sicily. The operation found a large piece of the fuselage. The remains of missing military personnel were discovered around it. Over the next hours and days, the recovery team will continue their search for both our fallen and additional pieces of the wreckage. We remain committed to staying on site for as long as necessary, the military said in a statement. The discovery was made early in the search. The salvage ship with the search teams on board only left a Greek port on Monday. However, the helicopter crashed within sight of a Canadian warship on Apr. 29 so searchers had a good idea of its location. As well, crews were hoping that a beacon in the wreck would help guide them to it. Lt.-Gen. Mike Rouleau, commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command, which oversees the militarys domestic and international operations, said it was encouraging news and commended the joint team for its work. Retrieving the helicopter itself will also go a long way in helping us to understand what occurred, Rouleau said in a statement. Lacking the expertise itself for such a deep-sea operation, the Canadian military had enlisted the help of the U.S. Navy for its skills and equipment to search for the missing CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, which crashed into the sea while returning to the frigate HMCS Fredericton after a maritime surveillance mission. All six personnel on board were killed. One body and the partial remains of a second crew member were located shortly after the crash. The investigation into what caused the crash of the state-of-the-art helicopter is ongoing. The cockpit voice and flight-data recorders were recovered immediately after the crash and should provide key clues to investigators. The military said Wednesday that it had no updates on the investigation. Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 21:40:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The German economy is likely to shrink 6.6 percent in 2020 before growing from this "low level" by 10.2 percent next year, the ifo Institute forecasted on Thursday. Ifo Institute expected a "sharp slump" of 12.4 percent in the second quarter of 2020 before an economic recovery would take place by the middle of next year. "Only then will production of goods and services attain the level it would have reached without the coronavirus crisis," said Timo Wollmershaeuser, head of forecasts at ifo Institute. The forecast, based on a survey among German companies, would depend heavily on how quickly the business situation of German companies would return to normal, ifo Institute noted. In the best case, German companies had indicated that this might take an average of only five months. In this scenario, Germany's economic output would only decline by 3.9 percent this year. "On average, participants consider it most likely that their own business situation will return to normal in nine months," added Wollmershaeuser. In the worst case, with an average normalization period of 16 months, economic output in Germany would even shrink 9.3 percent this year. According to ifo Institute, the recovery would then be drawn out "well into 2022." Overall, the business expectations of German companies in all sectors of the economy had "brightened considerably" while the assessment of the companies' current business situation still remained poor, ifo Institute noted. All scenarios assumed a gradual easing of the lockdown to have had started in Germany at the end of April. According to ifo, average economic output in Germany was likely to have contracted by around 17 percent during the COVID-19 lockdown. Enditem Averting what could have been a major terrorist attack on Thursday, the Pulwama police, the CRPF, and the Indian Army detected and destroyed a vehicle fitted with an IED after receiving timely input and taking proper action. As per sources, on Wednesday evening, a vehicle skipped a signal between 8:30 to 9:30 pm at Aayangund Rajpora, Pulwama, after which forces fired a few aerial rounds, and followed the vehicle. Sources said that the persons in the vehicle managed to escape but left the car - a white Hyundai Santro - on road 200 meters from the naka. After checking, it was found that the vehicle was fitted with an IED later. Sources confirmed that the IED was destroyed in a controlled detonation on Thursday morning by BDDS Team, with the purported modus-operandi bearing a striking similarity to the February 14, 2019, Pulwama terror attack - the worst ever on Indian security personnel, perpetrated by Pakistan-based terrorist groups. READ | 2 BSF personnel martyred in terrorist attack in Srinagar; Read BSF statement here Sources further informed that the case will be handed over to NIA and team has reached the spot. They said that the car was driven by Jaish-e-Mohammed or Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, however official confirmation is awaited. Sources added that the car also bore a fake number plate. #WATCH J&K: In-situ explosion of the vehicle, which was carrying IED, by Police in Pulwama. Major incident of vehicle-borne IED explosion was averted by Police, CRPF & Army after Pulwama Police got credible info last night that a terrorist was moving with an explosive-laden car pic.twitter.com/UnUHSYB07C ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2020 READ | Srinagar: 2 Hizbul terrorists, including divisional commander, eliminated Pulwama terror attack On 14 February 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethpora (near Awantipora) in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were martyred in the incident. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed. The attacker was Adil Ahmad Dar, a local from Pulwama district, and a member of Jaish-e-Mohammed. The attack led to a severe heightening of tensions between India and Pakistan, with India responding by dealing Pakistan's terror infrastructure a major blow, with the Indian Air Force destroying Pakistan's terror factory on Balakot, after which Pakistan attempted to attack India in Nowshera, which witnessed an air-to-air dogfight. READ | J&K: Four Lashkar terrorist associates arrested in Budgam; terror bid foiled in Pulwama READ | Terrorists fire rifles, hurl grenades at CRPF, police personnel in Pulwama Colt Johnson and Larissa Dos Santos Lima had one of the most notoriousand tumultuousrelationships ever on TLCs 90 Day Fiance. From three domestic violence arrests to arguments with Colts mom, Debbie Johnson, Colt and Larissas marriage never seemed to get off the ground. On the upcoming fifth season of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After, Larissa and Colt continue their journey as a newly-divorced couple. While Larissa deals with the legal aftermath of her arrests, gets a new boyfriend (Eric Nichols), and seeks out plastic surgery, Colt ventures out on his own to try his hand at dating. But it doesnt always go too well, judging by the trailers and clips that have been released so far. Colt Johnson | Bryan Steffy/WireImage RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Larissa Dos Santos Lima Is All About Plastic Surgery On the New Season Of Happily Ever After Colt moves on from Larissa in one trailer for Happily Ever After Colt seems ready to move on from his ex-wife in the trailer for 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After. The 35-year-old software engineer from Las Vegas, Nevada, explains, After Larissa was arrested for the third time, I filed for divorce. And Mother Debbie has no love lost for her former daughter-in-law, saying with a smile: Im glad shes gone. Larissas ex says hes ready to try his hand at dating again. After the divorce, it was hard for me to move on, he admits. But Im ready for Colt 2.0I actually started dating again. One clip shows Colt hugging a redheaded woman at a bar on what looks to be a first date. But Colt doesnt pull any punches and cuts right to the chase about what he wants from her. Would you come back to my hotel room so we can probably have sex? he asks. Looking turned off and confused, his date repeats incredulously, Sex? He also battles his ex-girlfriend And when Colt does get a girlfriendnow his ex, Jess Carolinethe relationship looks just as conflict-filled as Colts marriage to Larissa. In the 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After trailer, Colt enters his hotel room to find Jess enraged and throwing things at him. Whoa! What the f***? he exclaims about her outburst. Jess accuses her boyfriend of being dishonest with her about other womenwhich she seems to indicate is a pattern of Colts. You lied! Again! she screams at him. Showing him his phone, Jess accuses Colt of still talking to a former fling. Vanessa, talk. Youre still friends. You talk every day! she yells in a rage. I cant read it, Colt responds unconvincingly. But Jess says the proof is in the pudding. Look at it! Lies! she yells before storming out. Wait! Jess! Colt cries out, following after her as she hightails it out of the hotel room. Some 90 Day Fiance fans thought Colt was being creepy 90 Day Fiance fans chimed in immediately with their thoughts about Colts behaviorespecially his rather straightforward question about sex on what seemed to be a first, or early, date with a stranger. Did he really just ask her that question?? one Instagram user wrote. Talk about being straightforward. Another 90 Day Fiance fan agreed, adding that Colt didnt seem to communicate well about his intentions. Thats not how it works, you need to make your intentions clear before dating someone, they argued. Im sure any classy woman would be turned off by Coltys statement, especially if its the first date. If you want to avoid wasting time just ask her if shes into you before taking her out. Another critic wrote simply, He has no tact. Meanwhile, clips from the upcoming season of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After show Larissa fighting with Eric (with whom she broke up and recently got back together), taking pole-dancing classes to get the body of a stripper, and talking with her lawyer about the aftermath of her third arrest. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment We have a kid that needs a bed tonight. What do you think? I remember the strange feeling of that first call from the social services worker. I remember my wife and I talking after the call, asking each other the same question should we do this? And I remember how quickly the uncertainty shifted to an unquestionable yes. May is National Foster Care Month, and its worth taking a moment to reflect on. About a year and-a-half ago, my wife and I decided take the foster care training. I had some firsthand experience, as my parents had a couple short-term foster kids, tossed in among myself and my five siblings. My wife and I knew it was, in theory, a noble endeavor. We knew there was a need. We knew that there was a direct biblical injunction to care for orphans. But it took us a while to overcome the concerns about practicality, which were finally allayed at a doughnut-laden meeting in our church basement on a rainy Saturday morning. And Id be lying if I didnt acknowledge that while we had one 3-year-old son, the three following miscarriages certainly expedited our decision to open up our home to kids in need. After saying yes to that first call, we walked slowly up the stairs in the Department of Social Services Building. Weve learned that its common to know almost nothing about a child youre about to take, often because the case workers may just be learning about the situation themselves. But sure as the sun rises, it also sets, and kids that come into care need somewhere to sleep when that sun sets. Upon entering the office, we happened upon a small-framed, charming little 1-year-old girl, toddling in and out of the cubicles. We signed papers for about 30 minutes, and then the social workers handed us the child here you go. Over the next six months, I became incredibly attached to this little girl. As did my wife and son. She became a beloved part of our family. She was extraordinarily friendly, could be very loud, and tangled with our son in the best ways she would even outmatch him from time to time, at least in determination if not in strength. Fostering looks very different for different situations. Different ages, issues, relatives the challenges and rewards can vary widely. Apart from this 1-year-old girl (as well as her sweet infant sister later on), weve fostered another baby who was born very early, at 33 weeks. Hes still with us today goes by J. He came to us at 37 weeks, after four weeks in the NICU. Though he was doing well, the slightest thing could send him back to the hospital, as he was so small and underdeveloped especially his lungs. When cold season came around, despite our best efforts to prevent it, he did indeed get a cold, which was a traumatic experience for his tiny lungs. I hate the sight of seeing doctors rush into a room, but thats what I saw when J couldnt effectively breath on his own, and they had to intubate him, without much time to spare. Thankfully, he was eventually stabilized, but we were there for about eight days in total. Sometimes, like in this case, being a foster parent simply means sitting for days on end in a hospital, just being present with a kid who may not have anyone else to be there. Foster care is supposed to be about folks stepping forward to take care of kids in need people who are willing to take on extra work, extra parenting, extra time, extra tasks to help these kids to sacrifice, and by doing so, to bless the children. And this is true. However, a funny thing happens in the midst of that. The supposed blessers become the blessed. Its a topsy-turvy thing, but I have no doubt that the kids weve fostered did more for me than I did for them. In giving care to a child like this, the caregiver is blessed joy and wonder is revealed, in things big and small. Grace is observed, felt. And dont we know this to be true? Dont we know that its in giving that we truly receive, that its in sacrificing that we gain? Throughout my Christian walk, one thing Ive always struggled with is practical service. Ive started many things but have failed to sustain them service to the homeless, tutoring, mentoring, picking up a volunteer slot here and there nothing has lasted. Fostering has changed that. Its ironic. Somehow, I was unable to keep up with topical, periodic service endeavors. But fostering, this full-time, round the clock service somehow seems less burdensome to me its odd. Theres something so clear about this endeavor. Unlike much of life, its just straightforward a kid needs a home to go to, food to eat, a bed to sleep, someone to talk to, someone to pay attention to them. Ive come to love this sort of full time, comprehensive care ministry. After six months of having that little 1-year-old girl (who all the sudden became an 18-month-old girl), something very difficult happened. She left. There one day, gone the next. Putting her to bed the last night was one of the more painful nights of my life. The pain was not because we were worried about her future situation. It was clear she would be with a loving relative. So this was a good outcome, a success story. But not a story without pain. No one had identified her father. She had not had a father before she came to us. Then I was that father figure for six months and wanted to be forever. And while she was going to be in a good home, it was still a fatherless situation. That pains me now as much as it did on the day she left. I also feared that she would think we abandoned her, that we just left her. I struggled with this thought at the time wondering whether it was worth it to love someone for a short period of time, if you wont be able to love them forever. Is it worth the pain? Hard as it is, the answer is an absolute yes. As they say, tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Fostering is a messy world. An inherently sad world. A hard world. A world with children that have been abused, neglected, or perhaps just have parents that are going through rough spots in life. Its often a world that involves uncertainty and pain, and yet great joy. But heres the point. While we cant control the difficulty and uncertainty of all that comes with fostering, we do have control over one thing whether or not we put ourselves in the situation at all. We have the potential to have an extraordinary impact on kids, parents, and communities. The only question is whether we are willing, is the Church willing, to care for these children who dont have anyone else willing or able to care for them? Are we willing to step into the fearful thing that James called pure religion? Its not safe. Its hard, but its unquestionably good. Mark Lawrence Earley Jr. is a graduate of Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia School of Law. He practices law in Richmond, Virginia, where he lives with his wife, Mary Alice, his son, Abraham, and his foster son, J. @MarkLEarleyJr PHOENIX Arizona cities and counties will get $440 million in federal money to help them deal with budget issues stemming from the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Doug Ducey announced Wednesday. The money will come from $1.9 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds that Ducey can spend at his discretion. Local governments saw their costs spike for police and firefighters at the same time that sales tax revenue plummeted as people stayed home to slow the spread of the virus. Ducey said the cities have flexibility in how to spend the money, though the federal government requires that they cover expenses related to the virus. I dont like it when the federal government makes governors stand in line and beg, Mother may I?' Ducey said during a discussion with several mayors. And I dont want to do that to our local leaders either. That flexibility involves some budgetary sleight of hand that the governors office suggested: Cities can cover their police and fire budgets with the new federal funds, freeing up that money for other uses. Thats critical because cities face large budget deficits due to business shutdowns triggered by the coronavirus. Mayors from a half-dozen cities attended a Wednesday meeting with Ducey and outlined various ways they plan to spend the new cash. They include public safety but also promoting tourism, giving grants or loans to small businesses and business development projects. Ducey also said the state will provide up to $150 million in cash advances to cover emergency costs for which local governments, hospitals, schools, nonprofits and other organizations expect to eventually be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some mayors and county officials have pressured Ducey for weeks to release funds to local governments. Among the most vocal were officials in Pinal County, where the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this month to begin drafting a lawsuit seeking to force Duceys hand. Ducey said that delay was justified because of the uncertainty surrounding the effects on state coffers and because they needed additional U.S. Treasury Department guidance. We wanted to do it the right way, we wanted input from local leaders as to what was needed, Ducey said. And we also wanted to have some idea around our revenues in Arizona, where our economy was. Arizonas three largest cities and two largest counties got money directly from the federal relief package known as the CARES Act. Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa and the counties of Maricopa and Pima collectively received $960 million. Some have already begun spending it on small business assistance, rent and mortgage help, protective equipment, internet connections for children who dont have access at home and other initiatives. Arizonas 88 other cities and 13 other counties said Congress intended for them to get a piece of the nearly $1.9 billion thats earmarked for the state. Even after the money sent to cities and counties, Ducey will have more than $1.5 billion. Ducey did not detail how hed spend the rest of the money he controls but said hed look to support the health system and social safety net, and boost the states unemployment trust fund. The state has logged more than 572,000 new unemployment claims since late March, pushing the unemployment rate above 16%. The reason its not the full amount is there are going to be needs that are yet unforeseen at the state level, Ducey said. We want to ensure that we have enough to pay and replenish our unemployment benefits. Peoria Mayor Cathy Carlat told Ducey the money will help her city reimburse its costs and provide grants or loans to small businesses. Theyve taken a lot of hits, Carlat said of small businesses. These people have saved their whole life to run these family businesses. In other developments Wednesday: State health officials reported 479 additional COVID-19 cases with 24 additional deaths, increasing the states totals to 17,262 cases with 831 deaths. Yuma County officials reported a spike in cases following Memorial Day weekend. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at Yuma Regional Medical Center has tripled over the past two weeks to 60, The Arizona Republic reported. Bharat Magu, the hospitals chief medical officer, said he expects it to continue rising for another week to 10 days. 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. 28.05.2020 LISTEN Introduction Chiefdom, kingdom, or queendom is almost as old as humanity itself. The Holy Book of Christianity (the Bible) has accounted for so many chiefs or kings. It is clear that God Himself cherishes chieftaincy to the extent that He chose some of the patriarchal kings Himself before they were ordained. For example, King David (son of Jesse of Bethlehem), a man after Gods own heart was chosen by the Lord God Himself before David was ordained a King over ancient Israel (1 Samuel 16). I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king (1 Samuel 16:1). There are even two books in the Bible devoted to Kings namely 1Kings and 2Kings. In this article and in its subsequent episodes, I will use chief as a generic term for kings and queens or traditional rulers of similar kind. Again, the constitutional definition for a chief in Ghana will pass for my reference to a chief in the piece. I will also use chiefdom and kingdom interchangeably throughput the piece. Those who pay meticulous attention to technical definitions and references to such traditional authority terminologies should therefore pardon me from heart. The article will unfold in separate but chronological episodes so as not to make reading of the piece a boring exercise. Readers and discussants of the topic are cordially entreated to share their consonant and divergent views on the subject in the comment section of the publishing portal ( www.modernghana.com ). Biblical Accounts Of Sibling Rivalry Rivalry can be defined as competition for superiority or for the same objective or for the same gain. Most rivalries go with cynicism. Siblings are persons or children or offspring of the same parentage whether or not they were born by both parents or they share only one parent (father or mother). One may therefore define sibling rivalry as a jealous or cynical competition or fighting that ensues between or among siblings for a given purpose. Sibling rivalry usually starts from childhood and transcends adulthood or it starts in adulthood due to inheritance acquisition. Nukunya (1992) observed that sometimes sibling rivalry emanates from the fact that some of the children of one parentage are adopted while others are biological. However, adopted children are supposed to be fully incorporated or integrated into the kinship of the parent(s) that did the adoption or into the family of their fictional or social parents. I dare say that parental preferences for one child over the other is also one of the causative factors of sibling rivalry as it was in the case of Esau and Jacob in the Bible (Genesis 27: 6-15). Polygamous marriages started by Lamech (Genesis 4:23) and concubinage as practiced by the biblical patriarchs and in modern societies continue to compound the sibling rivalry phenomenon. Since rivalry or jealousy is inherent in human nature, sibling rivalry and its devastating effects may continue till the world ends. Sibling rivalry is therefore part of kinship. Nukunya (1992: 11) asserted that kinship is the key to the understanding of traditional societies...because kinship is the basis for the organization of many groups and relationships around which the fabric of social life is built. Several accounts of sibling rivalry can be found in the Bible. I will attempt to touch on some of them if not all since I am not a biblical scholar and I will not pretend to be one under the circumstance. Sibling rivalry in the Bible started between Cain and Abel, the first two children of Adam and Eve. Eventually, Cain murdered his biological brother, Abel. This sad biblical account is a monumental lesson that sibling rivalry can lead to death. Said differently, siblings can kill one another due to rivalries. Other biblical sibling rivalries are listed below. Isaac and Ishmael, sons of Abraham the father of faith. The two brothers were not united. Joseph, the son of Jacob and his brothers who sold him into slavery in Egypt. But for the insistence and admonition of Reuben their eldest brother (who would later be cursed by Jacob), the siblings would have killed Joseph just as Cain killed Abel. David and his brothers. One may read 1 Samuel 16. Rachel and Leah, two biological daughters of Laban who married their cousin Jacob. At a point, Aaron and Miriam were against their brother Moses and therefore backbitten him. Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon) killed 69 brothers in one day except Jotham who hid himself from his murderous brother. The killings were due to a chieftaincy dispute Abimelech started due to rivalry and he got financial support from his maternal uncles to hire the assassins. Absalom commanded assailants who killed his brother Amnon. Just like Absalom did to Amnon, Solomon caused the killing of his brother Adonijah. In the Gospel, Jesus even gave a parable of sibling rivalry using the prodigal son and his brother as examples. In Mathew 10: 21, Jesus was prophetically specific about sibling betrayals and murders. He said, Brother will betray brother to death... It is clear from the foregoing that sibling rivalry has been part of humanity from the beginning and so shall it be as Jesus indicated. It behoves siblings to manage rivalry situations or their misunderstandings well so that such rivalries do not become worse to the point of death or to the point of division among their descendants. One sibling rivalry today can transcend many generations to come. Our current understanding of sibling rivalry from the biblical accounts and its deadly ramifications will inform our discussions in subsequent episodes. Our focus will be on the effects of sibling rivalries on chieftaincy disputes in Ghana. Until then, I say: ~Asante Sana ~ Author: Philip Afeti Korto Email: [email protected] Bali will never be the same again when the holiday island reopens to tourists following the coronavirus pandemic. Bali Tourism Agency is drafting a series of overhauled standard operating procedures and health protocols which will become the new normal when travel restrictions ease, which could be as early as October. Holidaymakers should expect big changes everything from the moment they touch down on the island, from airport arrival and immigration process to cleanliness of tourist attractions and entrances, hotel check-in and increased accommodation prices. Plans are already in place for Nusa Dua to become the first province on the island to reopen for tourism, followed by Ubud, Kuta and other areas frequented by holidaymakers. Overhauled airport arrival procedures will be the new norm for tourists when they return to Bali. Pictured is a domestic traveller getting their health documents checked by airport security at at Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali Hotel prices are also expected to rise as part of an overhaul operators believe will improve the quality of tourism in Bali. 'I am certain that this process will make Bali a destination of even higher quality, because we have a premium product with a premium price,' Bali Hotel General Managers Association deputy chairman I Made Ramia Adnyana told Coconuts. IHGMA deputy chairman Ketut Swabawa added: '[Because] even if the hotels are already implementing hygiene [standard], but outside of it [the staff] don't have the same standard, we can expect a second wave of COVID-19. It comes a week after the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry announced a Cleanliness, Health and Safety program (CHS) will be implemented at all tourist destinations. Nusa Dua is expected to become the first province in Bali to reopen to foreign tourists Bali is set to become a pilot project in the implementation of the CHS program which will later be expanded other regions in Indonesia. 'The CHS movement aims to increase tourist confidence in Indonesia's tourism destinations and industry after COVID-19 so as to encourage increased tourist movements and visits in Indonesia, which in the initial stages will certainly be dominated by domestic tourists,' Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy secretary Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani told reporters. 'In this way, it is expected that a clean, healthy and safe destination and tourism industry can be realized so that it does not pose a health risk to tourists, managers and the community.' Officials are hopeful Indonesian tourism will return to pre-coronavirus levels in 2021. Around 20,000 Australians visited Bali at any one time before the pandemic before the number of foreign tourists arriving in Indonesia plunged 60 per cent in March as the outbreak spread worldwide. As of May 28, there were 415 coronavirus cases in the Bali, including 302 recoveries and four deaths. 'COVID-19 has spread widely throughout Indonesia, including Bali,' a warning to Australians on the Smart Traveller website states. Hotel prices are also expected to rise post-coronavirus. Pictured is the Coral View Villas Hotel situated in Lipah Bay, East Bali By Aremu Lukman Umor When a man falls in a pit, he teaches everyone around him a lesson. The erstwhile governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, imprudent tussle with his All Progressive Congress (APC) party leadership, Lagos State chapter, was the main and apparent reason why he was supplanted with governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, after an unfavourable primary election between the duo. Though Ambode had realized his mistakes earlier before the primary, he knelt before the party leadership for forgiveness but then, it was too late as Babajide Sanwo-Olu was already in the heart of the party leadership. Since the Ambode issue, many governors and politicians who werent loyal to the party leadership before are now loyal and dance to its tune. Theyre not ready to fall into Ambodes pit nor his take treatment. Till today, many Lagos residents dont know why the party leadership forsook Ambode. Though there were rumours all over Lagos as to why Ambode fell out of favour then, some said because he relinquished the former governors good legacies. Some said because he didnt involve his partys bigwigs in his government. I have a friend who said he was a direct opposite of Babatunde Fashola in project executions. The party leadership is in the best position to justify why Ambode was renounced. Despite Ambodes uncalculated tussle with the party leadership that denied him of his second term lessons, the incumbent Edo State Governor, Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, his hopeful of making difference as he treads his path. Obaseki and the national party chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole are in full disagreement, and their disagreement had birthed factions in the state. While Adams has his own faction, Obaseki has his too. All within the All Progressive Congress (APC), Edo chapter. The party leadership had earlier called for the reconciliation of the duo. The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, and other bigwigs within and outside the party had mediated. Still, Obaseki and Adams believe allowing the sleeping dogs to lie cant resolve the issue. Who is going to bow for who is their problem? Adam isnt ready to bow for Obaseki being is state governor. And Obaseki isnt ready to give him his regards as his partys national chairman. Now, Edo State governorship election is looming and Oshiomhole isnt interested in Obaseki return. He wants his own candidate to emerge. Dont forget that Oshiomhole is a big fish in the party leadership pond. Obaseki wants to return, and believe Oshiomhole doesnt have the power to outshine him. However, with the All Progressive Congress (APC), National Working Committee (NWC), ably led by Adams Oshiomhole, had decided to adopt a direct primary for the governorship primary election in Edo State, and it was slated to hold June 22. The primary is to pick the governorship candidate for the September 2020 Edo State election. Oshiomhole had made this known through the All Progressive Congress (APC), National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Lanre Isa-Onilu on May 22. With Adams decision, Governor Obaseki might receive Akinwunmi Ambodes treatment. The chances that he wont suffer the same fate as Ambode is very slim. Unarguably, with the look of things, the direct primary is a time bomb mounted for Obaseki. Ever since the announcement was made, Oshiomhole camp has been hopeful while there has been tension in Obaseki camp. Mr. Crusoe Osagie, Obasekis Spokesperson, said the All Progressive Congress (APC), National Working Committee (NWC), doesnt have the charisma to impose on a state the method of governorship primary election it would hold. Its obvious that Obaseki cant risk the Ambode treatment. However, If the party insists that a direct primary election is the only option available, then, Obaseki should come again tomorrow. Aremu Lukman Umor is a sociologist and writer [email protected] Share this post with your Friends on BASTROP, Texas No mask allowed. Thats the new rule a bar in Elgin, Texas, is asking its patrons to follow, defying the COVID-19 guidance set by county, state and federal leaders. This week, a sign was posted outside the Liberty Tree Tavern as the bar navigates reopening after the coronavirus pandemic. Due to our concern for our customers, if they FEEL (not think) that they need to wear a mask, they should stay at home until they FEEL that its safe to be in public without one. Sorry, no mask allowed, the posting read. The sign then advised that it would adhere to Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts requirements limiting occupancy of bars to 25% and 6 feet of social distancing between parties. Sorry for the inconveniences please bear with us thru the ridiculous fearful times, the sign reads. The Liberty Tree Tavern in downtown Elgin has posted a sign outside its entrance cautioning that anyone wearing a mask will not be allowed in. Elgin has not been spared from the spread of the coronavirus. The city of about 10,000 has recorded the most known COVID-19 cases of Bastrop Countys three cities 53 of the countys 187 cases and has recorded one of the countys two coronavirus-related deaths. Bastrop County and municipal leaders have made efforts to keep their messaging consistent on the guidelines people should follow to minimize the virus spread. On April 8, Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape issued an order, which is no longer in effect, that required residents to wear face masks in public. Per CDC guidelines, face masks help prevent the spread of droplets while speaking, or from a cough or sneeze. Anyone caught violating that order could have faced up to 180 days in jail and a fine up to $1,000. Pape withdrew his face covering directive about three weeks later after Abbott issued an executive order eliminating local enforcement of such requirements as part of his plan to reopen Texas businesses. The Liberty Tree Tavern in downtown Elgin has posted a sign outside its entrance saying that anyone wearing a mask will not be allowed in. The countys Deputy Director of the Office of Emergency Management Christine Files, who has been leading the countys coronavirus response, said Wednesday that we continue to encourage all of our citizens to wear masks when asked about the rule. Story continues Kevin Smith, who owns Liberty Tree Tavern, did not answer several telephone calls or messages seeking comment Wednesday and was not around when the Bastrop Advertiser of the USA TODAY Network visited the tavern. Charles Chamberlain is a regular at Liberty Tree and said he has been there about three times unmasked since bars were allowed to reopen on May 22. Chamberlain, 58, is a survivor of stage 4 cancer and the H1N1 virus someone who would be considered at a higher risk of severe illness if he contracted the virus. I was quarantined in the Med Center for 12 months during my cancer treatments in Houston. When I quit my treatments the doctor asked me if I was ready to die, and I looked at him and said, This aint even living, its existing, Chamberlain said. This quarantine... thats not living, thats existing. Going to the bar, going to the lake, going swimming with your friends, barbecuing, fishing thats living, he said. Inside the bar, Chamberlain said stools and tables have been removed to encourage lower occupancy and social distancing, and he hasnt yet seen the place get too crowded. People need to use more common sense, he said, and mask mandates like those ordered by Pape is a clear example of government overreach. You should have a choice of what you want to do. If I get it, I get it. If I do, Ill deal with that. You cant live forever, he said. Follow reporter Brandon Mulder on Twitter: @brand4on What we know: Violent protests, fires, looting and anger erupt in Minneapolis after George Floyd's death Police: Soldier stopped active shooter, saved 'countless lives' by striking him with car This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Elgin, Texas restaurant Liberty Tree Tavern says no masks allowed We are engaged with China to resolve border row: India on Trump's offer to mediate India pti-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, May 28: India on Wednesday said it was engaged with China to resolve the border issue while reacting to US President Donald Trump's offer to mediate between the two countries to settle the festering dispute. "We are engaged with the Chinese side to peacefully resolve it," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, replying to a volley of questions at an online media briefing. Coronavirus: Karnataka bans transport from 5 states amid Coronavirus fears | Oneindia News PM Modi did not converse with Trump on border standoff with China: Officials In the midst of the tense border standoff between India and China, Trump on Wednesday said he was "ready, willing and able to mediate" between the two countries. "We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute," Trump said in a tweet. The sudden offer was seen as an attempt to irk Beijing as it came following rising hostilities between the two countries on a range of issues. Trump previously offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, a proposal which was rejected by New Delhi. Asked about the situation in Eastern Ladakh, Srivastava said India is committed to the objective of maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas with Chinese and Indian armed forces scrupulously follow the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries on the matter. "At the same time, we remain firm in our resolve to ensuring India's sovereignty and national security," he said. The MEA spokesperson said the Indian troops take a very responsible approach towards border management and strictly follow the procedures laid out in various bilateral agreements and protocols with China to resolve any issue that may arise in the border areas. "The two sides have established mechanisms both at military and diplomatic levels to resolve situations which may arise in border areas peacefully through dialogue and continue to remain engaged through these channels," he said. Trump's unexpected offer came on a day when China took an apparently conciliatory tone by saying that the situation at the border with India is "overall stable and controllable." In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday that both China and India have proper mechanisms and communication channels to resolve the issues through dialogue and consultations. PM Modi not in a good mood over flare up with Chinese says Trump 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. It is learnt that the Chinese side was particularly peeved at India laying a key road in the Finger area of Pangong Tso Lake besides another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in North Sikkim on May 9. It is learnt that both India and China are looking at a solution to the issue through talks. On May 5, the Indian and the 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 tranquillity in the border areas. Since the confirmation of Da Nangs first case of Zika virus earlier this week, local health workers have examined 50,000 of the citys residents who may have been exposed to the pathogen. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health announced on Monday that N.H.N., a 25-year-old worker in Da Nang, is Vietnams first confirmed Zika patient of 2020. N., from the central province of Quang Nam, works for Hoa Phat Steel Pipe Co. Ltd. in Lien Chieu District, Da Nang and lives alone in a local boarding house on Ton Duc Thang Street in Hoa Khanh Bac Ward. He first reported to the Medical Center of Lien Chieu District on April 29 after running a fever for nearly 24 hours. His other symptoms included a headache, loss of appetite, nausea, and pain in his joints and muscles. Doctors tested him for Zika but they chose not to admit him and instead sent him home with medication. His fever subsided two days later and he decided not to return to the center for a re-examination. His Zika test results came back positive on May 19. Dr. Ton That Thanh, director of the Da Nang Center for Disease Control, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the center has since sent healthcare professionals to inspect N.s neighborhood and check on its 50,000 residents in Hoa Khanh Bac Ward. The healthcare workers were also tasked with paying special attention to the 200 households within a 200-meter radius of the patients boarding house, as well as the steel plant where he works and its 600 member staff. The teams examinations showed that no one in the patients neighborhood or workplace was experiencing Zika symptoms. Dr. Thanh also noted that, though contracting Zika virus can dangerous for pregnant women, no woman living within 200 meters of the patients residence or working alongside him was expecting. Both Zika and dengue fever are vector-borne diseases carried by mosquitoes, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health said, adding that the onset of the monsoon season creates favorable conditions for the insects to transmit the two diseases. Therefore, the countrys top heath regulators are urging local governments across the country to carry out mosquito control campaigns in order to prevent the spread of these diseases. Vietnam recorded its first-ever Zika case in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa in 2016. Since then, the country has documented 265 cases, mainly in southern Vietnam and some central and Central Highlands provinces. In June 2016, a girl was born prematurely with microcephaly in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, according to a report published in the medical journal The Lancet. The infants then-23-year-old mother had experienced symptoms of fever and rash linked to the virus during her second trimester. The symptoms resolved uneventfully. Zika is spread primarily by the bite of infected Aedes species mosquitoes, including Ae. aegypti and Ae. Albopictus, which bite both day and night, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its website. The disease can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus and infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects. There is currently no vaccine or medicine for Zika. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! 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 Weve known that the N.J. Department of Labor hasnt been giving workers the opportunity to have federal taxes withheld from their $600 expanded federal unemployment payments. Workers can have taxes withheld from their regular unemployment benefits. Just not from the $600. New Jersey does not tax unemployment benefits, but the federal government does. Without the option to withhold taxes from the $600 payments, workers could be are looking at a federal tax bill of potentially hundreds or thousands of dollars, depending on how long they collect benefits and their overall tax situation. They could even be assessed underpayment penalties when they file their 2020 returns. Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo was asked why workers cant withhold taxes from the payments last week during one of the governors briefings, and he gave a surprising answer. The reason why is we didnt want to wait longer to get the money out, he said. We asked the Labor Department to expand on his answer. A spokeswoman said adding the tax withholding option would have delayed "by several weeks the distribution of the much-needed $600 supplement. " Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC) is a new federal program for which the states had to build the infrastructure, while maintaining security, to distribute these benefits in as timely manner as possible, spokeswoman Angela Delli-Santi said in an emailed statement. She said the agency is working to program the system to handle the tax withholding issue for those who want to elect withholding. Delli-Santi said workers should "prepare accordingly when filing their taxes. She added that the agency distributed $1.9 billion in PUC benefits to N.J. workers as of May 16, and was ahead of many states in getting these benefits into the hands of eligible unemployed workers. The U.S. Department of Labor said a number of states are having technology challenges in implementing tax withholding for the $600 payments. If states are unable to withhold federal taxes, they must notify claimants that their $600 payments are subject to federal taxes something New Jersey has done and the state will issue a 1099G form at the end of the year, a spokesman said. The $600 FPUC is taxable. Therefore, states must include FPUC when preparing 1099Gs, and must, consistent with Section 3304(a)(l8), FUTA (26 U.S.C. 3304(a)(18)), withhold taxes from the weekly benefit amount and from the $600 FPUC, when an individual elects to have taxes withheld, a U.S. Department of Labor advisory said. WHAT CAN WORKERS DO? Its unclear whether there will be new laws and tax rules to address the issue, so based on current law, heres what you need to know. Much depends on your federal income tax liability. If you will owe less than $1,000, you do not have to withhold taxes or make any estimated tax payments, said Bernie Kiely, a certified financial planner and certified public accountant with Kiely Capital Management in Morristown. You also will not have to pay any penalties, he said. But if your tax is $1,000 or more, in order to avoid an underpayment penalty, you must pay through withholdings or estimated tax payments, or a combination of both. Your withholdings and estimated tax payments must add up to either: 100% of your prior years income tax, or 110% of your prior years income tax if your prior years adjusted gross income was more than $150,000 for married couples who file a joint tax return, or $75,000 if your filing status for the prior year was married filing separately or single; or 90% of your current years federal income tax. Before you have to pay any federal income tax, you have to earn more than the standard deduction, Kiely said. In 2020, the standard deductions are: Single/Married filing separately $12,400 Married Filing Jointly $24,800 Head of Household $18,650 So not everybody will need to pay estimated taxes, depending on their total tax situation. But for those who do, you may have to calculate your estimated tax. But how much? Kiely said if you worked in January, February or part of March, hopefully you had the appropriate income tax withheld from your regular paychecks. If you received unemployment compensation, you could have requested that 10% be withheld for federal income tax, he said. The actual tax due is based on your marginal tax bracket for the entire year so it is possible 10% withholding is not sufficient. He said the 10% tax bracket after your standard deduction is for those who earn up to $9,875 for singles and up to $19,750 for married people who file jointly. Those who started receiving the extra $600 benefit could get it weekly for a maximum of 17 weeks in N.J., from the week ending April 4, 2020 through the week ending July 25, 2020. Thats an extra $10,200 of untaxed income for which N.J.'s Labor Department isnt yet facilitating withholding. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage The law allows the IRS to waive underpayment penalties if you didnt make a required payment because of a casualty event, disaster, or other unusual circumstance and it would be inequitable to impose the penalty, but its not yet clear that the pandemic would qualify. Kiely said if you owe an underpayment penalty, you can calculate it by using IRS Form 2210. If you need more help, contact your tax preparer. And if you didnt elect to have federal taxes the flat 10% withheld from your regular payment, you can go to your unemployment account and change that. Its just not available for the $600 amounts. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Karin Price Mueller may be reached at bamboozled@njadvancemedia.com. The House of Representatives has asked its relevant committees to liaise with security agencies to investigate the reports of breaches in interstate travel ban. This is sequel to a motion moved by Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu and nine others on Thursday. The House also asked that a special task force be set up to monitor and implement the interstate lockdown. As the cases of COVID-19 rise, Nigerians are assailed daily with troubling reports of people sneaking into states across the country. While arrests have been made on a number of occasions, investigation by this newspaper showed that what stands between travelling from Nigeria and Benin Republic by sea, which borders Nigeria to the west, is a few thousand naira. A report by TheCable also showed that with N16,500, residents could travel from Lagos to Abuja, without being arrested. READ ALSO: The ban on interstate travel, save essential travels, was mandated by the federal government on April 27 with state governments following suit by locking their land borders. At a time like this when movement is being restricted world wide, Mr Elumelu said when moving the motion, there are videos of massive movements of travellers mostly smuggled in trucks carrying food items or livestock from one part of the country to another, this a complete drawback to the COVID-19 containment effort. He aded that the reports of complicity by security agents who are supposed to be enforcers to the compliance of the orders on the interstate lockdown is disturbing. If not immediately curtailed will further increase the number of COVID-19 cases to an alarming high, that can put the country in a precarious state, he explained. Nissan bosses have delivered a vote of confidence in UK car making by announcing that the Sunderland plant will become the hub for production of core models for Europe - securing thousands of jobs in the North East - after confirming the closure of two other factories. The Japanese firm will close plants in Spain and Indonesia, as it sank into the red for the first time in 11 years after the coronavirus pandemic sent global demand plunging and halted production. Workers have been protesting outside the factory in Barcelona on Thursday. Nissan's chief executive Makoto Uchida said production in Europe will be centered at the British plant, as the brand reduces its global production and number of model offerings by 20 per cent by 2023. Safety net for Sunderland: Nissan bosses on Thursday announced the closure of its car factory in Spain with core model production now due to be centred at the UK plant Reports emerged earlier this month that some Renault models - namely the Captur and Kadjar SUVs - that are currently built in other countries could be shifted to Sunderland as bosses look to improve efficiency between the alliance. Renault owns just over 40 per cent of Nissan's shares, and the two companies operate a strategic alliance of their respective production facilities. Stephen Ma, Nissan chief finance officer, said: 'In western Europe, we will maintain production of core models in Sunderland and maintain efficiency.' The positive news for Sunderland follows a time of uncertainty for the North East factory, which has been under threat in recent years. This was accelerated by an announcement in February 2019 that plans to manufacture the next-generation X-Trail SUV at Sunderland had been scrapped in favour of production in Japan. The UK factory, which is the biggest single car-making facility in the country and employs around 6,000 workers, currently makes the Qashqai and Juke SUVs and the Leaf electric model. It also produces a small output of Infinti models. It is the second largest vehicle producer in Britain behind Jaguar Land Rover, churning out 346,535 new cars in 2019. That was a decline in outputs of 22 per cent on the year previous. As well as being a boost to workers, the news will be welcomed by British motorists following the news that 10 per cent import tariffs will be introduced for new cars built in Europe and shipped to the UK from 2021 under Brexit proposals. This is likely to make home-built cars more affordable, with EU car makers expected to pass the new tariff costs onto consumers - making vehicles on average 1,500 more expensive - rather than absorb them. The Sunderland factory is the biggest single car-making facility in the country and employs around 6,000 workers Nissan is the second largest vehicle producer in Britain behind Jaguar Land Rover, churning out 346,535 new cars in Sunderland in 2019. That was a decline in outputs of 22% on the year previous The plant has been closed since the middle of March due to the Covid-19 pandemic and will not be restarting production until next month. The phased return of manufacturing in Sunderland will start on Monday 8 June, which is over a month after Rolls-Royce become the first UK car maker to resume outputs on May 4. David Leggett, automotive analyst at GlobalData, said: 'Loss-making Nissan had no real alternative but to cut costs wherever it could. The closure of the troubled Barcelona plant was widely expected, but the company is also taking serious action to reduce cost elsewhere including closing a plant in Indonesia. 'The new focus on core markets and products also makes sense, along with greater leveraging of the alliance with Renault in Europe - again, a move that should reduce costs. 'Concentrating on vehicle segments where Nissan is strong - especially electric vehicles, but also SUVs - was a no-brainer for a management team now embarking on a post-Carlos Ghosn strategic path.' The phased return of manufacturing in Sunderland will start on Monday 8 June, which is over a month after Rolls-Royce become the first UK car maker to resume outputs on May 4 An announcement yesterday by the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi alliance confirmed changes were afoot. It set out a new 'leader-follower' scheme designed to enhance efficiency between the three companies by increasing shared production and development as well as designating key markets to the specific brands. Each firm will become the lead 'reference' brand in key regions and of key technologies, with Renault spearheading the European market and development of next-generation compact SUVs. Nissan will become the lead firm in Japan, North America and China and will develop the next-generation Nissan Qashqai-based C-segment SUV, which is due in 2025. It's expected that Nissan will reduce its focus on lower-margin segments such as superminis, which could spell the end of the once-popular Micra. The alliance hopes this will ensure its remaining factories can work at 100 per cent capacity. Bosses said that Europe remains 'an important region for Nissan', but the firm acknowledges that market conditions are tough, with a combination of high regulation and competition. The brand is on track to introduce more than eight new electric vehicles globally by 2023 as, like other car manufacturers, it shifts operations to plug-in cars. Nissan workers gather during a protest in Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday morning Protester burned a barricade of tyres during outside the Nissan manufacturing plant in Spain The news comes at the expense of Nissan's Spanish manufacturing plants in the northeastern Catalonia region, which is predicted to result in the loss of some 3,000 direct jobs in the area. The Nissan Motor Iberica plant currently produces the Navara, NV200 and electric e-NV200 vans, as well as the Renault Alaskan pick-up sold in mainland Europe. Hundreds of workers burning tyres and shouting 'war' blockaded Nissan Motor Company's Barcelona plant on Thursday after the Japanese carmaker announced it would shut it from December as part of a global restructuring plan to slash costs. Spain's Industry Ministry says in a statement on Thursday that it regrets the company's decision despite proposals to keep the plant running, and urges the car manufacturer's executives to consider alternatives. Workers' unions had warned that 20,000 more jobs in Nissan's local supply chain would also be threatened if the company closed its car manufacturing plant in Barcelona and two smaller factories in nearby towns. Nissan Sunderland currently produces the Qashqai and Juke SUVs as well as the electric Leaf (pictured) Renault owns just over 40% of Nissan's shares, and the two companies operate a strategic alliance Nissan Motor Company reported Thursday a 671.2billion yen ($6.2billion) loss for the fiscal year ended in March, its first annual loss since the aftermath of the financial crisis in the year ending in March 2009. Yokohama-based Nissan had recorded a 319.1billion yen profit the previous fiscal year through March 2019. Nissan said its global vehicle production dropped 62 per cent in April to 150,388 vehicles from a year ago. Global vehicle sales slipped nearly 42 per cent last month. Its sales for the fiscal year ended in March sank nearly 15 per cent to 9.9trillion yen ($91.6billion). 'The future remains unclear and it is extremely hard to predict,' Uchida said. Nissan had spent much of the past year seeking to patch up its tarnished reputation, damaged by the November 2018 arrest of former chairman Carlos Ghosn over financial misconduct allegations, including under-reporting future compensation and misusing Nissan money. The coronavirus outbreak came on top of such woes. Uchida acknowledged Nissan was not yet able to give a financial projection for this fiscal year through March 2021. But he said financing had been secured and various measures to cut costs were underway, and the company will reshape its operations to restore profitability. City officials on Thursday said they are still interested in preserving the Poole property on Albuquerques West Side, noting they now have millions in state dollars available to buy it for open space. Mayor Tim Keller, City Councilor Lan Sena and Albuquerque parks and open space officials gathered Thursday at the citys San Antonio Oxbow Open Space to reiterate their desire to expand it by acquiring nearby land, like the 23-acre Poole property currently slated for residential development. The proposed development has drawn opposition from neighbors and others concerned about the density and environmental impacts. The New Mexico Legislature behind a push from Sen. Jacob Candelaria, an Albuquerque Democrat earlier this year appropriated $4.6 million to help the city acquire the privately owned property that sits on a bluff above the Rio Grande. We have reached out to the developers to begin this conversation, and we are just ready for that return call, City Parks & Recreation Director Dave Simon said Thursday at the site. But Brian McCarthy of Gamma Development who rebuffed Keller last year when the mayor suggested possibly trading city land for the Poole property said he is still advancing existing development plans. Gamma in February received site plan approval for 69 homes. We are still moving forward with our application and our plan to develop the site and build beautiful homes, McCarthy told the Journal in a text message. TOKYO The auto alliance of Nissan and Renault said Wednesday it will be sharing more vehicle parts, technology and models to save costs as the industry struggles to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Alliance Operating Board Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard said the group, which also includes smaller Japanese automaker Mitsubishi, will have each company focusing on geographic regions. There is no plan for a merger of our companies, the chairman said. Our model today is a very distinctive model ... we dont need a merger to be efficient. He stressed the alliance needs to adjust to the unprecedented economic crisis, to pursue efficiency and competitiveness, not sheer sales volumes. Now is the time to rebuild, Senard said, making clear he believed the alliance remained strong. All automakers are suffering from the pandemic, and scaling back or suspending production, but Nissan was reeling before the crisis struck from a scandal involving its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn. Yokohama-based Nissan is due to report its annual results on Thursday and has forecast it will slip into its first yearly loss in 11 years. Under the latest so-called leader-follower initiative, Nissan will focus on China, North America and Japan; Renault on Europe, Russia and South America and North Africa, and Mitsubishi on Southeast Asia and Oceania, for the benefit of the entire alliance. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida said the alliance planned to pursue fiscal strength together. The synergy is huge, he said. The number of vehicles sharing the same platform will double by 2024, saving 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), according to Senard. The shared technology will also include electric cars and autonomous driving, platforms and car bodies, the executives said. Nissan is a leader in electric cars with its Leaf, but such technology will be available to the other alliance members, they said. The companies gave few details of how the revamp would deliver in the short term, as the car industry grapples with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and pressure to develop less polluting vehicles. Story continues They said in a joint statement that they aimed to produce nearly half of their vehicles under the new leader-follower approach by 2025 and hoped to cut investment per model in the scheme by up to 40%. The range of vehicles they produce is expected to fall by 20% by 2025 though the firms did not say how many jobs would go as they shift production. The previous strategy was focused on growth and volume ... we focused as much as possible on differentiation in models to achieve growth, Alliance General Secretary Hadi Zablit told reporters. Today we have a much higher scope of sharing between the brands. Renault owns 43% of Nissan, while Nissan owns 15% of Renault. The government of France owns 15% of Renault. Frances government announced on Tuesday a bailout of more than 8 billion euros ($8.8 billion) for the nations auto industry. A 5-billion-euro ($5.5 billion) French government loan guarantee is under discussion for Renault. The measures include subsidies to encourage people to buy low-emissions models. Analysts say automakers, including Nissan, need to slash costs. Car companies find themselves in extraordinary times right now due to the COVID-19 crisis and the impact of lockdowns and economic recession on sales. A key theme emerging in companies response to the crisis is the need to focus on core and profitable activities, said David Leggett of analytics company GlobaData. Nissan's brand suffered from the arrest of Ghosn in November 2018 on suspicion of various kinds of financial misconduct, including under-reporting promised compensation and misusing Nissan money. Ghosn had been sent in by Renault in 1999, to save Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy. He insisted on his innocence from the start and accused some at Nissan of concocting allegations to block a merger with Renault. Preparations were underway for a courtroom showdown when Ghosn fled to Lebanon while out on bail in late 2019. The Brazilian-born Ghosn holds Lebanese citizenship and Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. U.S. authorities recently arrested two Americans accused of helping Ghosn escape, reportedly by secreting him in a box for musical instruments flown in a private jet. Japanese prosecutors issued arrest warrants for them last year and are seeking their extradition. Before his downfall, Ghosn was a revered figure in the auto industry, especially in Japan, where he was a corporate superstar. Material from Reuters was used in this report. Related Video: Click here to See Video >> AUBURN HILLS, MI Months after pleading guilty to a lesser misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated, State Rep. Rebekah Warren has been sentenced to probation and community service. Oakland County 52nd District Court Division 3 Judge Julie Nicholson sentenced Warren Wednesday, May 27, to one year of probation and 10 days of community service, court records show. Warren, D-Ann Arbor, was originally arraigned, Jan. 30, on one misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated with blood alcohol content greater than 0.17 percent, records show. She pleaded guilty to the lesser charge, Feb. 18, avoiding a heftier penalty attached to the super drunk statute. The charge stems from her arrest on suspected drunk driving in December 2019. Police dashcam video recordings obtained by MLive/The Ann Arbor News through a Freedom of Information Act request show Warrens SUV crash into a barrier at 11:25 p.m., Dec. 26 on northbound I-75 in Auburn Hills. She continued driving after the impact. Her blood alcohol content was later measured at 0.212 percent, almost three times the legal limit, according to blood analysis by Michigan State Police. Michigans super drunk law, which was enacted in 2010, enhance penalties for motorists convicted of driving drunk with a BAC of .17 or more. Warren published a post to her Fans of Rebekah Warren Facebook page, saying she had made a serious mistake when she decided to drive home drunk from a gathering in Detroit on Dec. 26. State Rep. Rebekah Warren says shes owning up to drunken driving incident, wont be bullied into resigning I fully own up to my behavior in December, she wrote. I am human, and I will stumble. When I do, I strive to take responsibility and act to correct my mistakes. To those of you who have shown understanding, sympathy and support even though you may find fault in my actions as I do you have my deepest appreciation. Warren was elected in 2018 to serve a third and final term in the House of Representatives after serving two terms in the state Senate. Warren represents the 55th District, one of four state House districts in Washtenaw County. It includes parts of Ann Arbor and Milan, as well as Augusta, Pittsfield, Ann Arbor and York townships. More from The Ann Arbor News: Ypsilanti residents can apply for COVID-19 assistance care packages Judge takes 3 candidates off Ypsilanti Twp. primary ballot, denies clerk, trustee colluded Pints and puzzles to pick up lost revenue offered by downtown Ann Arbor gelato shop University of Michigan to receive up to $130M for biomedical research A Dublin-based Garda civilian employee is under investigation because she is suspected of providing key information to dealers linked to the 'Mr Big' drugs gang, in return for cocaine. Up to eight homes of suspected drug dealers in north Dublin linked to the Garda employee were raided yesterday as officers tried to find more evidence in their "corruption" enquiry. The National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) is conducting the probe after receiving information that the young woman was being paid in cocaine to provide information to the gangsters. Yesterday, around 50 NBCI detectives were involved in raiding properties of drug dealers in the Malahide, Swords and Coolock areas of the capital. There were no arrests in this phase of the operation and the garda employee has been suspended from duty but has not yet been detained. A garda spokesman said last night that the force did not comment on internal investigations. The garda employee is suspected of passing on information which she looked up on the Pulse system about the movements of the drug dealers, a senior source said last night. Her use of Pulse attracted suspicion and it led to her phone being seized earlier this month. She was interviewed about the matters and then suspended from duty. Her use of the garda internal computer system led investigators to conclude that she had been looking up things like recent sightings of the drug dealers by gardai and other sensitive information gardai had about them. It seems she had been passing on the intelligence from the internal garda system on her mobile phone to the drug dealers through Snapchat and other social media apps by sending screengrabs of their Pulse history. The woman, who is aged in her 20s, has a cocaine problem and the dealers were taking advantage of this. Their homes were hit yesterday and more evidence was secured. The investigation is ongoing, the source added. The probe into the young woman is considered far more serious than another internal investigation into a Dublin-based garda civilian employee which emerged last week. In that case, gardai are investigating an allegation that this woman had access to information setting out the times and locations of Covid-19 checkpoints and passed on that information to people involved in the drugs trade in south Dublin and Co Wicklow. She has not been arrested or suspended from duty. These are separate cases and the two females are not based in the same garda facility, a source said last night. The drug dealers the suspended garda employee is suspected of providing information to are relatively low-level operators linked to Mr Big, the Coolock-based crime boss whose mob has emerged as chief suspects in the murder of hitman Robbie Lawlor in Belfast last month. They are not big-time on a national level but they are significant dealers on a local level, a source said last night. Traffickers Electronic items were seized in the raids of their properties, including phones, and the examination of these items will form a key part of this investigation. Mr Big, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is now considered one of the countrys main drug traffickers. These lads, targeted by the NBCI, would be runners for him. It will be interesting what shows up on their devices, the source said. The Mr Big gang is considered the biggest drug-dealing organisation on the northside and has also been involved in tiger kidnappings. It is suspected of carrying out the brutal gun murders of Real IRA brothers Alan and Vinnie Ryan in 2012 and 2016 as part of extortion-related disputes. The mob is involved in a number of feuds, including in Drogheda where it is aligned with the Maguire faction. Sources say that the gang has dozens of crack cocaine-dealing teenagers involved in its enterprises in Darndale and other north Dublin suburbs. One of these sub-groups was involved in stabbing a 38-year-old man multiple times earlier this month after he was accused of attending the funeral of slain hitman Robbie Lawlor a sworn enemy of Mr Big. Lawlor was the chief suspect in the murder of his former close associate Kenneth Finn (36), a close pal of Mr Big, in February 2018. When Lawlors brother-in-law Richie Carberry was shot dead in Bettystown, Co Meath, last November, the slain criminal blamed Mr Big for organising it in a secretly recorded prison phone call. The anchovies we know today are small, plankton-eating fish that often flavor our Caesar salads and pizzas. But fossil records show that anchovies of yore were more formidable. An international group of researchers reported two species of fish that roamed the seas about 40 to 45 million years ago. The two species had fangs lining their lower jaws and a single saber tooth on their upper jaws, suggesting that they were predators who hunted smaller fish. Their closest living relatives? Anchovies. "This discovery adds an important piece to the broader picture of fish evolution and of how marine environments changed into what we see nowadays," Alessio Capobianco, a University of Michigan researcher and the lead author of the study, wrote in an email to CNN. The findings were published this month in the journal Royal Society Open Science. The team studied two species of these saber-toothed anchovies using fossils. One, called Clupeopsis straeleni, was discovered in Belgium and had first been described in the 1940s. It was just below half a meter long. The other, called Monosmilus chureloides, was discovered in Pakistan and was about a meter in length. CT scans conducted on the fossils revealed the unique arrangement of teeth and also showed that the two species shared many anatomical features with modern-day anchovies. "That was another big surprise for us, as all living anchovies are much smaller than those extinct forms and most of them are specialized to eat plankton and have very tiny teeth," Capobianco wrote. The two species aren't direct ancestors of anchovies, but rather an "offshoot from the lineage leading to anchovies that did not survive to the modern day," Capobianco said. In fact, modern-looking anchovies likely already existed while their saber-toothed cousins were swimming the seas. "However, because most living anchovies are plankton-feeders with tiny or no teeth, the discovery of saber-toothed anchovies poses the question: were the anchovies' ancestors also fanged, fish-eating creatures, and only later they evolved adaptations for plankton feeding?" Capobianco wrote. "Or were they similar in habits to the living species, and the saber-toothed forms evolved from plankton eaters?" 'Failed evolutionary experiment' Approximately 66 million years ago, a global mass extinction wiped out not only dinosaurs, but predatory fishes and reptiles. The loss of those species in the seas left a vacancy in marine ecosystems, Capobianco explained, which several species tried to fill by diversifying and evolving into new forms. Some of those predatory fish species evolved into animals that we see today, such as mackerels, tunas and barracudas, he said. Others, like the saber-toothed anchovies, ultimately went extinct. "Saber-toothed anchovies are a perfect example of such failed evolutionary experiments: short-lived groups that did not survive to the modern day with remarkable adaptations that cannot be predicted on the basis of living species," Capobianco wrote. It's unclear why the saber-toothed anchovies went extinct, Capobianco said. One possible explanation could have been competition with other predatory fishes that survived to this day. Another explanation suggests their extinction might be a result of global climate changes that have occurred since they swam in the seas. But there's not enough data right now to know. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 "What is people first?" Chinese President Xi Jinping asked, before offering his own answer when he was talking with lawmakers at the ongoing national legislative session. "So many people worked together to save a single patient. This, in essence, embodies doing whatever it takes (to save lives)," he said. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, is a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress. During his deliberations with fellow deputies from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Friday, "people" was a keyword. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, takes part in a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, May 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) Xi referred to a story told by another deputy that morning. Luo Jie, from the COVID-19 hard-hit province of Hubei, told reporters at the session how medical workers in his hospital spent 47 days saving an 87-year-old COVID-19 patient. "About 10 medical workers meticulously took care of the patient for dozens of days, and finally saved the patient's life," Xi said. "I am really impressed." In the COVID-19 pandemic, health workers around the world got to know the elderly are the most difficult to treat and require the most sophisticated medical resources. China has given every patient equal treatment irrespective of their age or wealth. In Hubei alone, more than 3,600 COVID-19 patients over the age of 80 have been cured. In the provincial capital Wuhan, seven centenarian patients have been cured. "We mobilized from around the nation the best doctors, the most advanced equipment and the most needed resources to Hubei and Wuhan, going all out to save lives," Xi said during the deliberations, adding that the eldest patient cured is 108 years old. "We are willing to save lives at all costs. No matter how old the patients are and how serious their conditions have become, we never give up," Xi said. Xi joined political advisors and lawmakers on Thursday and Friday in paying silent tribute to the lives lost to COVID-19 as the top political advisory body and the national legislature opened their annual sessions. This year's government work report said China's economy posted negative growth in the first quarter of this year, but it was "a price worth paying" to contain COVID-19 as life is invaluable. Military medical staff airlifted by eight large transport planes of the air force of the People's Liberation Army arrive at Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 2, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua) "As a developing country with 1.4 billion people, it is only by overcoming enormous difficulties that China has been able to contain COVID-19 in such a short time while also ensuring our people's basic needs," the report said. Epidemic response is a reflection of China's governing philosophy. The fundamental goal for the Party to unite and lead the people in revolution, development and reform is "to ensure a better life for them," Xi said. The nation's average life expectancy reached 77 years in 2018, more than double that in 1949, when the people's republic was founded. Chinese people are not just living longer but better lives, with more material wealth and broader choices to pursue individual dreams. All rural poor will bid farewell to poverty this year as part of the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The Party's long-term governance, Xi said, rests on "always maintaining close bond with the people." "We must always remain true to the people's aspiration and work in concert with them through thick and thin," Xi said. Maharashtra: Jobs for 600 with 3,000 kg fish sold direct-to-home by Anjana Vaswani May 28,2020 | Source: Mumbai Mirror Like vegetables and grains, why hasn't there been enough fish on our plate during the lockdown? That's because though seafood is on the list of essential commodities, ice isn't. And by the time the Centre announced its fifth addendum to lockdown guidelines on April 10 and exempted marine fishing and related activities from restrictions, lakhs of desperate workers had already left the city's docks, leaving behind an ominous silence. Determined to weather the storm, Ganesh Nakhawa, a fisherman from Karanja, has started running a mini fish market out of his home. Armed with a business degree from Edinburgh's Napier University, not only has he designed a unique direct-to-home model, he has also generated revenue for 600 fisherfolk and engaged scores of out-of-job fisherwomen for cutting and cleaning. Small-scale fishing had already crippled within days of the lockdown being announced and hand-to-mouth workers had started pawning gold jewellery for one square meal a day. A distressed Nakhawa started airing their grievances on social media and posted pictures of fresh catch brought in by some fishermen from his community. One such post caught the attention of Andheri-based Myron Mendes, who works with the Indian Network on Ethics and Climate Change. Mendes asked Nakhawa if he would deliver fresh catch to him and his neighbours. Nakhawa jumped at the chance and carried 50 kg of fish on that first trip to the city in the second week of April. It took him an hour to drive the distance that usually takes three hours. The entire catch, which included pomfret, prawns, white prawns, barracuda and squid, sold out. To clean 50 kg of prawns, we need to employ 20 women. Ganesh Nakhawa The next order from Mendes was 175 kg. Nakhawa's Instagram posts also attracted other customers, and by April 18 his car was proving to be too small to fit in the increasing orders. He pulled out the rear seats, got a member of his community to revamp the vehicle to carry cold storage boxes, and labelled the car with his Insta handle, "The Last Fisherman of Bombay", inspired by a mural he'd seen during an art festival at Sassoon Dock. By April 22, he was delivering 200 kg of fish every day to Dadar, Mahim, Bandra, Khar, Santacruz and Juhu, in addition to Andheri. Directly selling the catch By early May, Nakhawa and his team were directly selling the catch from 25 fishing boats, helping bring back to business almost 500 fishermen and 20 women from the community. "To clean 50 kg of prawns, we need to employ 20 women," he said. Nakhawa's home in the Karanja fishing village has now turned into a small fish market. The 400-sqft ground floor is a godown packed with storage boxes ready for delivery, other 200-sqft-rooms are being used for cleaning fish (some of his team clean the seafood outside their own homes to strictly maintain physical distance), and a small living area has become a 'tech room', where youngsters from the community manage the delivery logistics, sitting two metres apart from each other. "Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that this would be possible," said Nakhawa, with a touch of pride. His Linkedin profile says he is on a "mission to make fisheries sustainable", and he has now engaged the services of a tempo-owner to meet the current demand of 3,000 kg of fish every day for retailers, wholesalers and endconsumers. David Brunnstrom, Humeyra Pamuk, Sarah Wu WASHINGTON/HONG KONG (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday China had undermined Hong Kongs autonomy so fundamentally that the territory no longer warranted special treatment under U.S. law, a potentially big blow to its status as a major financial hub. Pompeos certification to the U.S. Congress follows Chinas announcement of a plan to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong, which has triggered fresh unrest in the territory, with police firing tear gas and water cannon. It now falls to President Donald Trump to decide to end some, all, or none of the U.S. economic privileges which the territory enjoys. Pompeo made no recommendations in his statement. But people familiar with the matter said the Trump administration was considering suspending Hong Kongs preferential tariff rates for exports to the United States as part of its response to Chinas plan. Trump could also opt for targeted sanctions against Chinese officials, government entities and businesses involved in enforcing the new legislation, according one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Trump, already at odds with Beijing over trade and Chinas handling of the coronavirus pandemic, had said on Tuesday Washington was working on a strong response that would be announced before the end of the week. He offered a muted response to democracy protests in Hong Kong last year while prioritizing a trade deal with China he saw as important for his November re-election bid. But ties with Beijing have since soured considerably and bipartisan pressure has mounted for decisive action. Pompeo said Chinas plan to impose the new legislation was only the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine Hong Kongs autonomy and freedoms. No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground, he said. He said he certified that Hong Kong no longer warrants treatment under U.S. laws in the same manner as U.S. laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997, when Britain ended its administration of the territory and returned it to China. It is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself, Pompeo said. The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act approved by the U.S. Congress and Trump last year requires the State Department to certify at least annually that Hong Kong retains enough autonomy to justify the favorable U.S. trading terms that have helped it remain a world financial center. Under the act, officials responsible for human rights violations in Hong Kong could be subject to sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes. Chinas security proposal, unveiled last week, triggered the first large street protests in Hong Kong for months. The United States, European Union, Britain and others have expressed concern about the legislation, widely seen as a possible turning point for Chinas freest city. Pompeo discussed the legislation with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Wednesday and both agreed the international community must support the people of Hong Kong and respond to Beijings continued erosions of Hong Kongs autonomy, a State Department statement said. Specifics of the security bill remain unclear and will not be enacted until later. It is meant to tackle secession, subversion and terrorism after major unrest last year and could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in Hong Kong. MORE PROTESTS AND ARRESTS Chinese authorities and Hong Kongs Beijing-backed government say there is no threat to the citys high degree of autonomy and the new security law will be tightly focused. Beijing has said it will take necessary countermeasures to any foreign interference. Its for the long-term stability of Hong Kong and China, it wont affect the freedom of assembly and speech and it wont affect the citys status as a financial centre, Hong Kong Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung told reporters. Hong Kong police fired pepper pellets and made 360 arrests on Wednesday as thousands of people protested against the bill. Late into the evening, protesters were still cramming sidewalks, chanting for full democracy and for Hong Kong to seek independence from China, saying this is now the only way out. A heavy police presence around the Legislative Council had earlier deterred protesters from disrupting a debate of a bill that would criminalise disrespect of the Chinese national anthem. That is expected to become law next month. Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Humeyra Pamuk, Matt Spetalnick, Sarah Wu, Scott Murdoch, Jessie Pang, Clare Jim, Pak Yiu, Joyce Zhou, Twinnie Siu, Donny Kwok and James Pomfret; Writing by David Brunnstrom, Anne Marie Roantree, Michael Perry and Robert Birsel, Marius Zaharia; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Stephen Coates, Mark Heinrich and Sonya Hepinstall The situation in the Azov-Black Sea region has been brought up for the first time for discussion at the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation. Ukraines Deputy Foreign Minister Yehor Bozhok said this while commenting on the Forums online meeting under the chairmanship of Ukraine, the Foreign Ministrys press service reported. "For the first time, the Ukrainian chairmanship has brought the situation in the Azov-Black Sea region to the Forum for a comprehensive discussion," Bozhok said. Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Anton Korynevych was a speaker from Ukraine at the event. He emphasized Russia's ongoing violations of fundamental principles and norms of the OSCE and international law. The aggressor state continues illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol along with a growing militarization of the peninsula and adjacent territorial waters. The representative of Ukraine noted that Russia hinders navigation in the Azov-Black Sea region under contrived pretexts, which is a gross violation of international maritime law. Intensive militarization of the Sea of Azov continues. Such a destructive policy of the Russian Federation has negative consequences not only for Ukraine and other countries of the Black Sea basin, but also for the wider region. The speaker from Ukraine drew special attention to gross violations of human rights and freedoms in Crimea, illegal conscription of Ukrainian citizens into the Russian army, harassment of the Crimean Tatar national minority, illegal imprisonment of Ukrainian citizens and other serious crimes of the occupying state in Crimea. The meeting participants expressed deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the Azov-Black Sea region and beyond, marked by conflicts that seriously affect the European security order. Respect for international law, the principles of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to ensure free maritime navigation is crucial for the restoration of security and cooperation in the Black Sea region. Russia's lawless actions against Ukraine and Georgia deeply affect the security situation and cooperation in the region. The delegates called on Russia to provide unimpeded access to the occupied Crimean peninsula for international organizations in order to obtain reliable information on the security and humanitarian situation on the peninsula. They also discussed ways to strengthen the work of the OSCE SMM to monitor the obstruction of navigation in the Sea of Azov and the economic and social consequences of such obstruction for the coastal areas of Ukraine. It is important that the Mission regularly reported on the illegal militarization of the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula, in particular on military exercises there. The Mission's reports should also reflect the impact of such policies of the aggressor State on the environment, and health and safety of people living in the surrounding areas. Ukraine's partners made it clear that the intensification of NATO's military activities in the Black Sea is a direct consequence of Russia's aggression against Georgia and Ukraine. They assured the Ukrainian and Georgian side of their intention to continue close cooperation. According to the latest figures from the Spanish Health Ministry, 75% of new coronavirus cases on Wednesday were diagnosed in Madrid and Catalonia. Of the 231 new infections, 174 were reported by the two regions. Up until Monday, the Health Ministry had reported the sum number of new coronavirus infections. This figure, however, included old cases that had only recently been diagnosed due to delays, for example, in test results. In an effort to provide a more accurate picture of the transmission rate, health authorities now record how many infections have been diagnosed since the previous day. An outbreak that happens because of a small, innocent party could be the beginning of another epidemic Fernando Simon, director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts According to Wednesdays figures, the Spanish Health Ministry recorded 39 coronavirus-related fatalities over the past seven days, bringing the total number of victims to 27,118. This is just one more above Tuesdays figure of 27,117. Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts, said Wednesday that the level of coronavirus transmission was very low, but warned that the small spikes in infections detected in some areas in Spain could lead to larger outbreaks. Moving phases [on the coronavirus deescalation plan] does not imply that there is zero risk. An outbreak that happens because of a small, innocent party could be the beginning of another epidemic, he said. If the [confinement] measures are being relaxed slowly its for a reason. If we are not all in Phase 3 its because we have to go slowly. On the source of the new infections, Simon said that there could have been transmission among asymptomatic cases who have been able to maintain networks within the family and the workplace. According to the health official, as Spain continues to ease the coronavirus lockdown rules, these cases have likely led to new outbreaks, like those seen in the Catalan province of Lleida and the southeastern region of Murcia. In the case of the former, the outbreak was traced to a birthday party which was attended by 20 people, despite the lockdown limits on social gatherings. Four of the guests had Covid-19 and ended up infecting the rest of the partygoers. Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts, on Wednesday. Borja Puig de la Bellacasa / Mon (EFE) The data published on Wednesday by the Health Ministry is difficult to compare with last weeks figures given the change in the way that information is reported. Where before it was provided in an aggregate manner, it is now collected on an individual basis that provides more detail about each specific case, including the date of diagnosis and when symptoms began. Although this new system offers a more accurate way to calculate the number of new daily infections, it has broken the historical series and made it difficult to make comparisons with earlier figures. The number of daily hospital admissions is also unknown only the weekly figure is reported. According to the latest figures, 283 patients were hospitalized in the last seven days. Although most of these admissions took place in Madrid (88) and Catalonia (54), the number was more evenly spread, with Castilla y Leon, Castilla-La Mancha, Andalusia and Aragon reporting more than a dozen hospital admissions. In this same period, 13 people were admitted into intensive care across Spain. The change in reporting methodology has also led to significant revisions of the official figures. On Monday, the Spanish Health Ministry removed nearly 2,000 coronavirus-related deaths from the official count. One in five coronavirus hospital patients died from virus The Spanish Society of Internist Medicine (SEMI) on Wednesday published the preliminary results of a study into 12,200 coronavirus patients at 150 hospitals. According to the results, one in five coronavirus patients admitted to hospital died from the virus. The research also highlighted the deadly impact of the virus on senior hospital patients. In the 50-to-59 age bracket, four in 100 patients did not survive the disease. This rose to 42.5% for patients over 80 and more than 50% for those over 90. The research is based on the information that doctors must fill out for each patient, which includes more than 300 variables. More than 19,000 deaths in Spains care homes A total of 19,194 people have died of coronavirus or with associated symptoms at residences run by Spains social services, according to a tally made by EL PAIS using figures provided by regional governments. According to this tally, nearly 36,000 residents at these homes have contracted the virus. English version by Melissa Kitson. A woman in Texas is facing charges after being seen using a hammer to threaten a Latina doctor and her husband whom she mistakenly referred to being Mexican during a profanity-laced rant in Houston. The woman, whom authorities identified as Constance Lynn Bono, 60, was arrested Sunday after "unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly threatening Arturo Cordovez with imminent bodily injury by using and exhibiting a deadly weapon, namely, a hammer," court documents show. Cordovez was with his wife, Dr. Lia Franco, at the time of the incident. Both Cordovez and Franco are originally from Ecuador, but live in New Orleans. Franco has been finishing up her medical residency, which includes treating COVID-19 patients during the coronavirus pandemic, NBC's affiliate in Houston KPRC-TV reported. To decompress, the couple decided to spend Memorial Day weekend in Houston. They noticed Bono following them in a car Sunday and decided to stop their car on the side of the road, Franco told KPRC-TV. Bono also stopped her vehicle, Cordovez said. After that, she started showing a hammer through the mirror. She was shaking her arm ... and cursing at us, I think. I was thinking, what did I do? The couple then decided to drive to a gas station and call 911. That's when Bono pulled up beside them and started screaming. She screamed, You Mexicans, get out of my f---ing country. Go back to your f---ing country, Franco said. A video captured Bono getting out of her car, wearing a green shirt with an Irish flag, walking toward the direction of the couple as she waved a hammer in her hand. "Of course, we were scared," Cordovez told Telemundo in Spanish. "As soon as she heard our accent, she immediately said 'you f---ing Mexicans go back to your f---ing country." Arturo Cordovez with his wife, Dr. Lia Franco (Family photo) According to Franco, it seemed like the woman "needs help, she needs treatment." "But that doesnt justify the fact she needs to follow the laws of her country, Franco said. Story continues Court documents show that authorities requested Bono be evaluated to determine whether she has a mental illness or any other intellectual disabilities. Bono has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony, according to court documents. If convicted, she could serve up to 20 years in prison. The charge can be elevated to a first-degree felony if prosecutors think this was a racially motivated attack, KPRC-TV reported. The case is expected to go to a grand jury. Bono was released on bond Wednesday, pending a court appearance in July. Her attorney, Hans Nielsen, told NBC News in a statement that his "client adamantly denies the allegation that has been filed against her." "She has two young nephews who are Hispanic that she loves dearly and she is not a racist. The claim that she is a racist is a false allegation and she denies it," Nielsen said. Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The coronavirus pandemic may have brought most of the global property market to a standstill but in Sweden, which never fully went into lockdown, a village has gone up for sale for 70 million Swedish krona ($7.3 million). Satra Brunn is a "wellness village" on the outskirts of the Swedish capital of Stockholm. The village dates back to 1700 when doctor Samuel Skragge discovered the water source at Satra and bought the surrounding land. He then built a well, well house, hospital, church and housing. This was at a time when natural springs soared in popularity, as drinking and bathing in high-quality water was thought to have a rebalancing and healing effect on one's health and wellbeing. Word spread about the "healing properties" of Satra Brunn's water, attracting the local elite to build summer homes on the land, which have since been donated to the land's owners. PR-Inside.com: 2020-05-28 17:48:03 Russian supercomputer Employed to Develop COVID-19 Treatment RSC Group: Hunan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Xiamen University joined a multi-national The Good Hope Net team to combat coronavirus Press contact: Oleg Gorbachov Corporate Communications Director, RSC Group +7 (967) 052-50-85 oleg.gorbachov@rscgroup.ru The Hunan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Xiamen University have joined an international science group named The Good Hope Net (https://thegoodhope.net/) from Russia, Finland, Italy and Canada which got a high priority access to Russian RSC Tornado supercomputer for studying methods to fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus infection. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005 JSCC RAS supercomputer. (Photo: Business Wire) The multi-national research team uses a recently upgraded cluster system based on 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors which has been deployed by RSC Group, the leading Russian solution provider for high-performance computing. The Good Hope Net project aims to develop medicine for diagnostics and therapy against the coronavirus contagious disease that became the cause of global pandemic. Finding treatments to prevent and mitigate negative impact of COVID-19 is the highest priority in the worldwide scientific community now. Current studies use the latest advances in experimental physics, chemistry, and biology to investigate the life cycle of the virus. Sophisticated simulation methods requires supercomputing power to study all details of interaction between the Spike-protein on coronavirus surface and the human protein ACE2 which is known to be the entry point for SARS and SARS-2 coronaviruses. It will help to complete all research stages within a limited amount of time. Rapid global spread of COVID-19 coronavirus infection pandemic has shown that there are no clear global emergency response plans against threats to humankind caused by new viruses. One of the obvious shortcomings is the lack of technologies for quick development of medicines for diagnostics and therapy. We all have different competences, knowledge, skills and resources. Our geographically distributed team includes virologists, biologists, chemists, mathematicians and physical scientists. The international cooperation is extremely important to achieve quick progress and rapidly react to the ever-changing situation with global coronavirus pandemic. We hope that our research will actually help to fight spread of such infections, explains Anna Kichkailo, Head of Laboratory for Digital Controlled Drugs and Theranostics at the Krasnoyarsk Federal Science Center of Russian Academy of Sciences. The international team consists of: Laboratory for Digital Controlled Drugs and Theranostics and Laboratory of Physics of Magnetic Phenomena, Kirensky Institute of Physics at the Federal Science Center, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences ( Krasnoyarsk, Russia ), ), Laboratory for Biomolecular and Medical Technology, V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University ( Krasnoyarsk, Russia ) project coordinator , ) , Laboratory of Chemical Cybernetics, Department of Chemistry at Lomonosov Moscow State University ( Moscow, Russia ), ), Laboratory for Computer Simulation of Biomolecular Systems and Nanomaterials at N. M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (IBCP RAS, Moscow, Russia ), ), Organic Synthesis Laboratory, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medical Science, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICBFM SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia ), ), The Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, Hunan University (China), School of Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China), Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian (China), The Bioanalytical and Molecular Interaction Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa ( Canada ), ), Institute for Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology (IEOS), part of National Research Council (CNR), Naples ( Italy ), ), Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Department of Pharmacy, Federico II University of Naples ( Italy ), ), Nanoscience Center and Department of Chemistry, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla (Finland). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005 BEIJING: Chinas Parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly approved directly imposing national security legislation on Hong Kong to tackle secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in a city roiled last year by months of anti-government protests. The National People`s Congress voted 2,878 to 1 in favour of the decision to empower its standing committee to draft the legislation, with six abstentions. The legislators gathered in the Great Hall of the People burst into sustained applause when the vote tally was projected onto screens. Meanwhile, the US has called for a UN Security Council meeting on Hong Kong, as the Trump administration indicated that it will not keep quite on China's new national security law to curb freedom in the former British colony. US President Donald Trump has indicated that the United States was working on a strong response to China's planned national security legislation for Hong Kong, which was approved by the Chinese Parliament on Thursday. The newly approved security law reduce Hong Kong's separate legal status. At a White House news briefing on Tuesday, Trump was asked if he planned sanctions against China over Hong Kong and if he intended to put restrictions on visas for students and researchers from the country. "We're doing something now. I think you'll find it very interesting ... I'll be talking about it over the next couple of days," he replied. Pressed if this would include sanctions, he said: "No, it's something you're going to be hearing about ... before the end of the week, very powerfully, I think." Trump did not elaborate, but White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said earlier the president was displeased by the proposed security law and found it "hard to see how Hong Kong can remain a financial hub if China takes over". Asked if this might mean an end to special economic treatment Washington affords to Hong Kong, McEnany said she had nothing to announce about the precise response. Trump's economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, earlier called Beijing's actions "very disturbing." "China is making a big mistake, frankly," he said. Kudlow said Washington would welcome back any American companies from Hong Kong or China's mainland. Proposals discussed so far include tax breaks, subsidies including a potential $25bn "re-shoring fund" and new local content rules. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is due to release a congressionally mandated assessment on whether Hong Kong enjoys sufficient autonomy to justify continued special economic treatment, said last week the legislation would be the "death knell" for the territory's autonomy. If the State Department decides to decertify the territory, Trump would then have to decide whether to end some, all or none of the privileges Hong Kong currently enjoys. Trump has previously warned of a strong reaction and National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said the legislation could lead to US sanctions. Update (6/1/20): Sony has officially halted plans to hold a PlayStation 5-centric digital event this week, saying in a statement that it doesn't want to detract from current events in the United States and will hold the event at a later, yet-unspecified date. While Sony's statement doesn't mention the specific events that led to the postponement, it is almost certainly referring to ongoing protests taking place across the United States against police violence toward Black communities, sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis, Minnesota police last week. "We have decided to postpone the PlayStation 5 event scheduled for June 4," reads a statement from the company. "While we understand gamers worldwide are excited to see PS5 games, we do not feel that right now is a time for celebration and for now, we want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard." Update (5/29/20): Sony has confirmed it'll be holding a digital event on Thursday, June 4 to spotlight the "future of gaming" on PlayStation 5. The event will kick off at 1pm PDT and will provide a first look at some of the games that'll be heading to the next-gen console. "Weve shared technical specifications and shown you the new DualSense wireless controller. But what is a launch without games? Thats why Im excited to share that we will soon give you a first look at the games youll be playing after PlayStation 5 launches this holiday," reads the PlayStation Blog. "The games coming to PS5 represent the best in the industry from innovative studios that span the globe. Studios, both larger and smaller, those newer and those more established, all have been hard at work developing games that will showcase the potential of the hardware." The showcase will run for just over an hour, and will be the first in a series of events centered around the PlayStation 5. Original Story (5/28/20): Sony is preparing to host a digital PlayStation 5 showcase event next week, according to a fresh report from Bloomberg. "People with direct knowledge of the matter" told Bloomberg that the event will spotlight games for the next-generation console, and could take place on June 3. Although those sources emphasis that plans could still change, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Sony host a conference at the start of June -- a month that's typically peppered with big announcements from the E3 conference and Direct-style showcases. Over the past few months, Sony has shared a deluge of tech specs and design information relating to the PlayStation 5 and its new DualSense controller, but some key questions remain. For instance, here's still no word on how much the console will cost when (or perhaps, if) it launches this year, and we also have no idea what the unit actually looks like. No further details on the order, however, have been provided ABC News White House officials, U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on social media companies today, on May 28, Reuters reports. However, the officials gave no further details on the order itself. The issue erupted on May 26, when a few posts of the American president on Twitter concerning possible falsifications during elections in California on mail were marked by Twitter as those containing misleading information. Nevertheless, yesterday, on May 27, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit by a conservative group and right-wing YouTube personality against Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple accusing them of conspiring to suppress conservative political views. As we reported earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump rejected U.S. intelligence warnings that Russia would interfere in the 2020 US presidential election. "Democrats are launching yet another disinformation campaign in Congress, claiming that Russia prefers me instead of one of the Democratic loafers who are still unable to count their votes in Iowa in two weeks," the U.S. president said. New Jerseys top court is weighing releasing more state prisoners as expanded testing has revealed hundreds more coronavirus cases behind bars. Although Gov Phil Murphy signed an executive order more than a month ago allowing some at-risk and non-violent inmates to be temporarily released, the process has lacked both urgency and transparency, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and the states public defender told the state Supreme Court on Wednesday. The groups asked the court to speed up the process of releasing prisoners and expand who is eligible. This executive order has failed to protect the vulnerable and the staff," New Jersey Public Defender Joseph Krakora said. "Its made it impossible for the prisons to protect those people who remain in ... and has enhanced the risk to the community as a whole. Anyone scheduled to finish their sentence within a year should be quickly considered for release, they said, which would include people deemed ineligible under the governors order. A state attorney representing the corrections department disagreed, saying the hundreds of people released so far coupled with prisons enhanced cleaning measures and testing were adequate to protect prisoners and staff. Inmate hospitalizations were also down, said Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Cohen. The department of corrections and the juvenile justice commission are very concerned about the spread of the virus, she said. New Jersey has the highest coronavirus inmate death rate in the nation, and most of its 43 prisoner deaths happened after Gov. Phil Murphy signed the executive order. At least three employees have also died, and an NJ Advance Media investigation found the state repeatedly failed to stem the outbreak. Out of more than 3,000 people flagged for possible release under Murphys executive order, 607 were approved for either temporary home confinement or parole, according to court documents filed by the state attorney generals office. A little more than half that number, 337, have been released so far, leaving hundreds who received approval in limbo. (State officials previously reported higher totals, and the court documents said previous reports accidentally duplicated numbers.) New Jersey has released about 180 people to a home, and paroled about 170. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage Part of Wednesdays three-and-a-half hour hearing centered on what rights prisoners should have. Inmates denied home release currently werent being told why, according to ACLU-NJ lawyer Alexander Shalom, nor were they given a chance to appeal. The denial sometimes stemmed from a lack of stable housing, he said, and an appeals process could let prisoners fix the problem. Cohen responded that due process wasnt necessary for inmates in this case, because state officials were technically just transferring inmates from one facility to another, even if the new facility was a prisoners house. Since they remained under state supervision, she said, the corrections commissioner had no obligation to let inmates argue their cases. Although the corrections commissioner has finished reviewing all 3,000-plus people flagged by the executive order, Cohen said, he could still weigh future releases on a case-by-case basis, and inmates could still petition courts individually. Many of the seven justices seemed hesitant to override the governors executive order, but some also appeared skeptical of Cohens argument that giving inmates more information would be burdensome to state officials. Allowing some due process could help make sure government is not acting arbitrarily when peoples health is in the balance Justice Jaynee LaVecchia said. About 8%, or 1,500 inmates currently have the virus, according to state data, a much higher rate than the general population. More than half of the approximately 18,000 people within the adult system had been tested as of Tuesday, and more than 730 employees have also tested positive. The justices said they would review the arguments quickly but gave no timeline for a decision. NJ Advance Media staff writers S.P. Sullivan and Joe Atmonavage contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Colorado Politics senior political reporter Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist. South Africa: President hosts pitch sessions for infrastructure projects development President Cyril Ramaphosa will on 23 June 2020 host the inaugural Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium of South Africa (SIDSSA) to unveil an infrastructure pipeline for six priority sectors. In preparation for the symposium, a market sounding exercise, in the form of pitch sessions, will be held on Thursday, 28 May and Friday, 29 May. The pitch sessions will give project sponsors an audience from national and international funding institutions, which include multilateral development banks, development finance institutions, asset managers and commercial banks to present infrastructure projects that have been identified as potentially bankable and those that require project preparation funding. Government recognises that infrastructure investment is a critical driver for the future growth of the South African economy. South Africa requires a catalytic kind of infrastructure investment that will contribute to higher long-term growth, and address spatial disparities, transform the economy and create much needed jobs, said the Presidency. The infrastructure projects included in the pitch sessions will form part of the infrastructure pipeline focusing on the network industries of water, transport, energy and digital infrastructure as well as sectors with high job absorption capacity such human settlements, agriculture and agro-processing. The SIDSSA is a culmination of a meeting convened by President Ramaphosa in February this year, which brought together business associations, line ministries and financial institutions. The Investment and Infrastructure Office in the Presidency, headed by Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has since established the SIDSSA platform, drawing in sector specialists, technical and financial structuring experts, and policy departments that have considered 177 infrastructure projects across public and private sectors. The market sounding exercise this week will unpack some of these projects. According to the Presidency, the unveiling of a credible infrastructure pipeline at SIDSSA is a direct response to the decline in infrastructure spend in recent years. Currently, infrastructure spend amounts to 13% of total spend. This needs to grow to 30% by 2030 to achieve the NDP growth targets. The economic headwinds exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic have created an opportunity for key role players in the infrastructure space to stimulate the economy through infrastructure investment. Optimistically, the SIDSSA process will help the country to enhance its prospects of successfully accessing the reservoir of liquidity, said the Presidents office. The SIDSSA process is also set to lift the preparation and packaging of unfunded projects to emerge with a fundable project pipeline, and define the roadmap towards the revision of the countrys infrastructure plan. - SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-05-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Protesters march on Hiawatha Avenue while decrying the killing of George Floyd on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Thousands of protesters gathered in the streets of Minneapolis on Tuesday to demand justice for the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died from police force. George Floyd, 46, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes during an arrest on Monday. Disturbing video footage surfaced showing Floyd saying "I can't breathe" repeatedly, and begging the officer not to kill him. On Tuesday, four Minneapolis police officers who were involved in his death were fired. The FBI and state authorities are now investigating his death. Protests in Minneapolis began peacefully as people gathered in the streets to demand justice. But police officers and protesters quickly began to clash, resulting in officers deploying tear gas. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis on Tuesday to demand justice for the police killing of George Floyd. Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man, was killed on Monday after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes during an arrest. A video of his death shows Floyd begging for his life saying, "Please, please, please, I can't breathe," and, "Don't kill me," as bystanders pleaded with the officer to let go. The video showed Floyd became unresponsive after the officer knelt on him after about four minutes, but the officer kept kneeling on his neck until an ambulance arrived. Floyd was transferred to a hospital, where he died that evening. On Tuesday, the four police officers involved in the arrest were fired. But thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand justice for Floyd, and display their frustration with police brutality in America. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis on Tuesday to demand justice and protest the police killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man. Protesters march on Hiawatha Avenue while decrying the killing of George Floyd on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Story continues Source: Insider, Reuters Floyd was killed on Monday, May 25, after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly eight minutes. Protesters march and carry signs decrying the killing of George Floyd on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Source: Insider A disturbing video surfaced showing Floyd telling the officer he couldn't breathe. Protesters carried signs with Floyd's last words, showing how he begged the officer to let go of him. A protester holds a sign while demonstrating against the death of George Floyd outside the 3rd Precinct Police Precinct on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Source: Insider Others wrote the harrowing message on their face masks. A protest wearing a face mask with the words "I can't breathe" is seen at the area where George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was pinned down by a police officer kneeling on his neck before later dying in hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Miller Local media reported that the protests began peacefully, with people gathering in crowds to chant, hold signs, and fight for justice. People gathered at Chicago Ave. and East 38th Street during a rally in Minneapolis on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via Getty Images Source: Insider The protests began at the scene were Floyd was killed. People gathered with signs saying "Stop killin' black people" and "Justice for George Floyd." Protesters gather at the scene where George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was pinned down by a police officer kneeling on his neck before later dying in hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Miller Source: Insider Flower memorials were placed at the site of his killing. Flowers are seen at the site where George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was pinned down by a police officer kneeling on his neck before later dying in hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Miller Protesters wore masks and tried to maintain social distance, according to WCCO, the local CBS station. Protesters gather at the scene where George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was pinned down by a police officer kneeling on his neck before later dying in hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Miller Source: WCCO At the site of his killing, protesters chanted "I can't breathe," and "It could've been me." Protesters gather at the scene where George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was pinned down by a police officer kneeling on his neck before later dying in hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Miller Source: WCCO "We're here to let them know this can't be tolerated, there will be severe consequences if they continue to kill us this will not go on another day," one protester told WCCO. Protesters gather at the scene where George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was pinned down by a police officer kneeling on his neck before later dying in hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Miller Source: WCCO Signs showing the anger and frustration against the Minneapolis police department and police brutality in America as a whole were prominent. Protesters gather at the scene where George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was pinned down by a police officer kneeling on his neck before later dying in hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Miller Around 6 p.m., the protesters began to march toward the 3rd Precinct of the Minneapolis Police Department. Protesters gather at the scene where George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was pinned down by a police officer kneeling on his neck before later dying in hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Miller Sources: Insider, WCCO Four police officers involved were fired on Tuesday, and protesters demanded they be charged with Floyd's murder. Protesters demonstrate against the death of George Floyd outside the 3rd Precinct Police Precinct on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Source: Insider Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the FBI is now investigating Floyd's death. But many protesters argue that justice will not be served until the police officers are convicted. Protesters demonstrate against the death of George Floyd outside the 3rd Precinct Police Precinct on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Sources: Insider, Insider Later in the evening, the protests began to take a turn when police officers and demonstrators clashed. People face off with police near the Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct. People gathered at Chicago Ave. and East 38th Street during a rally in Minneapolis on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via Getty Images Source: Insider A small group of people stood on police cars and began vandalizing the police station, according to local media outlets. Protesters demonstrate against the death of George Floyd outside the 3rd Precinct Police Precinct on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Sources: Insider, WCCO, KMSP Some protesters were seen throwing bricks and rocks at empty police cars. A person damages an empty police vehicle near the Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct. ichard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via Getty Images Source: Insider Police responded by forming a barricade around the precinct, fully dressed in riot gear. Police clashed with protesters at the Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct. People gathered at Chicago Ave. and East 38th Street during a rally in Minneapolis on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via Getty Images Source:Insider In the early evening, police began firing tear gas and flash grenades at the crowds. Tear gas is fired as protesters clash with police while demonstrating against the death of George Floyd outside the 3rd Precinct Police Precinct on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Sources: Insider, WCCO Videos showing the direct conflict between police and protesters were posted on social media. Police clashed with protesters at the Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct. People gathered at Chicago Ave. and East 38th Street during a rally in Minneapolis on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via Getty Images Source: Insider Read the original article on Insider Six districts in the Upper East Region have been restrained from dealing with sales and distribution of subsidized fertilizer to farmers due to incessant reported cases of smuggling. According to the Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Mr Francis Ennor, only nine districts could provide the services to farmers during the present cropping season. The restricted districts include the Kassena Nankana West District, Bawku West and Bawku Municipal, Pusiga, Garu and Tempane Districts. Mr Francis Ennor who made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga, had earlier said in some interviews, that until the rains start, no fertilizer would arrive in the Region due to the smuggling. The Regional Director has however given a nod to input in the remaining nine districts to start bringing in their produce with the onset of the rains, to help the farmers who have started preparing and cropping their farms. He said due to irrigation and farming activities at the Tono Irrigation areas, input dealers in the Kassena Nankana District had been given approval to supply farm inputs. Though he was unable to give specified quantities because his outfit was still sorting that out, he mentioned that 20 articulator trucks of fertilizer had arrived in the Bolgatanga Municipality, for PENTASCO, distributors of farm inputs. The MoFA Director reiterated that in all remaining fertilizer sales points, personnel of Nation Builders Corps (NABco) will be present to oversee the distribution of the fertilizer. On Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJs), he said the programme would continue to receive the needed support in the entire region and indicated that District Chief Executive Officers will provide approval for the distribution of government subsidy to the farmers. He said this year, the compound fertilizer was expected to be sold for GH42.00 while Urea would be sold at GH40.00, and both were contained in 25kilogramme bags instead of the 50KG bags distributed last cropping season. All the inputs would be in identifiable PFJs sacks, he added. On Seeds, he said the maizehybrid and open pollinated varieties, cowpea and soya beans would be sold at GH5.00 per kilo. On Covid-19 and how farmers can be protected, he advised input dealers to follow the protocols and not allow over-crowding at the sales points. 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 first quarter of 2020 saw UK food and drink exports fall by over 700m compared to the same period in 2019, new figures show. Exports of food and drink in Q1 decreased by 12.7 percent to 5.1 billion compared to the same period last year. Sales to the EU were hit the hardest, with total value falling by 17.4% compared to 2019, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said. This decrease was largely driven by the immediate impacts of Covid-19, including the closure of hospitality and travel sectors. This meant a loss of sales into restaurants, cafes, bars and the out-of-home sector across Europe. While sales to the majority of the UKs top markets declined, demand has been more resilient from others nations, including Singapore, Canada and Norway, which each saw sales growth of more than 10%. The performance of FDF's top ten products has been mixed, with whisky, cheese, gin, wine, beer and breakfast cereals declining in value and volume. Conversely, UK-produced salmon and pork saw over 10 percent value growth. Dominic Goudie, head of international trade at FDF said: We can now see how Covid-19 has impacted valuable overseas sales of UK food and drink that were worth over 23 billion in 2019. The closure of the hospitality sector in high-value export markets in the EU and further afield has been devastating for many exporters. "However, we can also see that opportunities do remain in retail channels in many markets." Ensuring a quick return to growth would be essential to support resilience in the industry and also the UKs economic recovery, Mr Goudie said. "We are working closely with government to set out a recovery plan that will deliver a return to sustainable export growth right across the UK." (Newser) President Trump isn't doing himselfor the countryany favors by pushing unfounded conspiracy theories about MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal warned Wednesday. The conservative publication's board, condemning the president's behavior in unusually strong terms, said Trump's claim that Scarborough was involved in the death of a congressional staffer in 2001 is "ugly even for him." Scarborough has criticized Trump, but responding in this manner "isnt political hardball. It's a smear," the board writes. Trump "rightly denounces the lies spread about him in the Steele dossier, yet here he is trafficking in the same sort of trash." story continues below The WSJ notes that despite Trump's claims on Twitter, there is "no evidence of foul play, or an affair with the woman, and the local coroner ruled that the woman fainted from an undiagnosed heart condition and died of head trauma." They conclude: "We dont write this with any expectation that Mr. Trump will stop. Perhaps he even thinks this helps him politically, though we cant imagine how. But Mr. Trump is debasing his office, and hes hurting the country in doing so." The Hill notes that Trump continued to tweet about the subject Wednesday, claiming "Psycho Joe Scarborough is rattled" by "all of the things and facts that are coming out on the internet about opening a Cold Case." (Read more Joe Scarborough stories.) Certemy will help the Board accomplish more with a small staff, create numerous efficiencies, enhance reporting capabilities, and reduce data entry errors. Certemy, a leading provider of occupational licensing management software for state licensing boards, announced today that the West Virginia Board of Architects will use Certemy to automate license applications and renewals for 1,300 licensed architects statewide. Certemy will help the Board accomplish more with a small staff, create numerous efficiencies, enhance reporting capabilities, and reduce data entry errors. The West Virginia Purchasing Division has designated Certemy as an approved technology vendor for all WV state agencies. WHAT PROBLEMS WILL CERTEMY SOLVE FOR THE WEST VIRGINIA BOARD OF ARCHITECTS? The Board needed to upgrade a mostly manual system that made it time-consuming to process applications as efficiently as it wanted. In particular, Certemy will help the Board solve the following problems: Allow board staff to process license applications and renewals from anywhere, including their home office. Create a centralized online data repository that simplifies data reporting, and streamlines licensing workflows. Eliminate tedious and redundant re-keying of data. Reduce phone calls and emails so board staff can focus on more strategic activities. Eliminate paper and lower postage costs. Provide the public with easy access to real-time disciplinary data. Enhance and transition continuing education (CE) tracking to online reconciliation of submitted CE units against actual license requirements. Help licensees quickly find Board-approved CE sessions. Enable architects to manage their license applications and renewals including document uploads online using their smartphones. WHY DID THE WEST VIRGINIA BOARD OF ARCHITECTS CHOOSE CERTEMY? The Board selected Certemy after a thorough review of major vendors currently offering licensing management software to state boards. The Board chose Certemy for the following reasons: COST The Board determined that Certemy provided the best combination of required functionality with the lowest cost of ownership. Certemy offers predictable, budgeting-friendly annual pricing that includes implementation, training, support, and monthly platform updates. EASE OF USE The Board found Certemy to be the easiest system to deploy, manage, and change over time. Certemy uses configurable building blocks for common licensing management functions such as capturing data, uploading documents, processing online payments, logging work experience, tracking exam registrations, and managing continuing education. The Board will quickly assemble and configure these building blocks without programming to create personalized workflows that accurately model and automate their real-world processes. These same building blocks will allow the Board to make simple changes like adding new fields to an application, changing a fee, or modifying CE requirements in minutes and without programming. REGULATORY INDUSTRY EXPERTISE The Board appreciated Certemys unique blend of technical and regulatory experience. Certemy is staffed by experts in cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) software systems. But we also employ former regulators and executive directors with personal experience of regulatory challenges and opportunities who help ensure our software meets the unique demands of occupational licensing management. ABOUT CERTEMY Certemy is a leading provider of affordable, easy-to-use licensing management software for occupational licensing boards and regulatory bodies. Our platform streamlines and automates licensing and testing-related workflows to help occupational licensing boards become more efficient, transparent, and agile while reducing IT costs and administrative burdens. By reducing tedious busy work for licensing boards, we allow them to focus more time on their core mission to protect the public. Certemy delivers the lowest cost of ownership for any comparable solution with predictable Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) pricing with no implementation or change fees. We also provide the only licensing management solution that allows board staff to update application and renewal processes without IT help or programming. Our platform scales to support boards of every size from those managing a few hundred licensees to those managing over 100,000. An active member of the credentialing community, Certemy is a proud member of The Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR), the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE), and the Association of Test Publishers (ATP). Learn more about Certemy at https://certemy.com. ByteDance has made a series of moves recently to transfer TikToks decision-making and research capacities out of China. TikToks poaching of Disneys Kevin Mayer to be its CEO was just the most visible part of a broader strategy by its Chinese owner to shift its centre of power away from China at a time of rising global tensions, several people familiar with the plans told Reuters news agency. The short video apps parent company ByteDance has quietly made a series of moves in recent months to transfer global decision-making and research capabilities out of its home country, the sources said. The strategy is aimed not only at TikTok, which is not available in China, but all of ByteDances non-China focused businesses, the sources said. Such businesses also include units in India like social networking app Helo. ByteDance has expanded TikToks engineering and research and development operations in Mountain View, California, according to three sources. One of the people said it had hired more than 150 engineers there. ByteDance has also hired a New York-based investor relations director to stay in touch with major investors including General Atlantic and KKR, relationships that were previously managed through Beijing, according to two sources. The new hire, Michelle Huang, is a former SoftBank investor who worked on the Japanese firms investment in ByteDance. Huang did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The changes come at a time of heightened tension between the United States and China over trade, technology and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as intense US regulatory scrutiny of TikTok, which has rapidly gained popularity around the globe and counts the US as one of its biggest markets. Formerly Walt Disney Co streaming chief Mayer, who was dually named ByteDances chief operating officer based in Los Angeles, will also be handed leadership for areas such as global corporate development. Many of his responsibilities were previously managed out of Beijing, according to three sources. More broadly, ByteDance is also recruiting engineers around the world, including in Singapore, Jakarta and Warsaw, online job postings show. These significant organisational changes are being greeted warily by some ByteDance staff who support the companys global operations from China, three sources told Reuters. They are concerned they may become less relevant in the next phase of expansion and have started to look for work elsewhere, the sources said. American migration For TikTok, the rapid expansion of the US engineering team is part of efforts to migrate its technical resources to the West from China, where most of the work on the app has been done up to this point, according to two of the sources familiar with the companys plans. It is not uncommon for multinational tech companies like Google to have engineers in China. Although the engineering team on the app has previously reported to managers in China, TikTok is in the process of recruiting a high-level executive to run the engineering department from the US, according to two sources. It has approached a senior Google employee in recent months, one source said. Severing ties with the China-based team will be difficult, however. Some of the engineers in China support TikTok as well as ByteDances Chinese social media app Douyin, the three sources said. Separating development completely would be nearly impossible as both apps share some infrastructure, two of the sources said. TikTok, which allows users to create short videos with special effects, has become wildly popular with American teenagers doing viral challenges that pair dances with music clips from the apps library. Its Chinese ownership has, however, caused concerns in Washington about TikToks handling of personal data. The company uses sophisticated artificial intelligence to make video recommendations based on users behaviour on the app. Separately from the hiring of 150 staff, the Mountain View team has poached a few dozen data engineers from US tech giants to manage user data security, one source said. Issue of credibility Since last year, TikTok has faced scrutiny by US authorities over potential national security risks. An investigation by the US Treasurys Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) is focused on the handling of personal data, Reuters reported in November. Legal experts said regulators would study TikToks latest actions to determine if they mitigated any potential risks and were more than cosmetic touches. With any attempted restructuring, the issue is one of credibility, said Paul Marquardt, CFIUS lawyer at law firm Cleary Gottlieb, who is not involved in the TikTok review. CFIUS would assess whether it actually believed that the operations were functionally independent and insulated from potentially hostile influence. Republican Senator Marco Rubio was among US lawmakers who last year urged CFIUS to review ByteDances 2018 acquisition of Musical.ly, a music video app popular in the US. When asked about whether TikToks recent moves could assuage US regulatory concerns, he told Reuters: As long as TikTok or any other application operates in a way that gives the Chinese government and Communist Party leverage, it is impossible to separate the dangers of using such an application from the reality that users information could be at risk. Vietnam's participation in the UN peacekeeping forces represents its responsibility to the international community. The UN recognizes the commitment and results that Vietnam has achieved in this area. Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Grete Lochen talked with VietNamNet on the occasion of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers (May 29). Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Grete Lochen. When it comes to gender equality, Norway is a leading country. What has Norway done to promote womens participation in the armed forces in general and peace operations in particular? Norway has a proud history of pioneering the advancement of women. Women were given the same rights as men to vote in 1913. Norway also has one of the highest rates in the world for womens participation in the work force; women 67.5% and men 73.4% in 2019. We had the worlds first female submarine commander in 1992, the first female Chief of the Air Force and the first female UN Force Commander, Major General Kristin Lund. We have had several female Ministers of Defence - the first one was appointed in 1999. All these women are serving as very important role models for other girls and women in seeking opportunities and ensuring gender equality within the armed forces. In 2015, we got universal compulsory military service. The main argument is that the armed forces need to be able to recruit among the most capable candidates. We cannot exclude half of the population in this recruitment process. Despite these encouraging facts, the achievements did not happen overnight or without struggle. For example, the first suggestion to change the constitution so that women could vote came in 1886, but it took 27 more years before this right was granted to all women in Norway. We still have much to improve. We need a better gender balance in many professions and work places, including the military and the police, as well as in senior management positions. Norway has also been active in UN-led peacekeeping operations. UNs first female commander of a peacekeeping force, Major General Kristin Lund, is a Norwegian. Vietnam also focuses on promoting womens participation in the UN peacekeeping operations (UNPKO), do you have anything to share about Norways perspectives on promoting womens participation in peacekeeping operations? First of all I would like to commend Vietnam for its contributions to the UN Peacekeeping Operations in South Sudan and Central African Republic. Being a new troop sending country to the UN peacekeeping operations Vietnam thereby reaffirms its commitment and responsibilities in the international community. As for my country, Norway has a long and rich history as one of the founding members of the United Nations (UN). For more than 70 years, Norway has been a strong supporter of a strong and efficient UN and a rule-based international order with the UN at its core. As a consistent partner, Norway is the seventh largest contributor to UN system, and one of the very few countries that spends 1% of the National Gross Income on development. With a very small population (over 5.3 million people), more than 40,000 Norwegians have served in UN-led peacekeeping operations since 1949, including currently in South Sudan, the Middle East and Mali. Like Vietnam, Norway sees many benefits from having womens participation in UN Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO). Peacekeeping operations have developed from military monitoring operations to become increasingly complex operations with significant peacebuilding elements. Civilians are often targets in modern conflicts. Sexual and gender-based violence is used as a tactic of war or terrorism. Women peacekeepers are important in terms of operationalizing the gender perspective in operations and missions. In some contexts, it may be easier for women personnel to establish contact with and gain access to local communities dominated by women. This leads to broader perspectives and a broader understanding of the situation. Having a high percentage of women in operations and missions can thus help to increase trust and success. Likewise, nor should the effect that meeting women in uniform has on local women police officers or military personnel be underestimated. Greater diversity means improved decisionmaking, planning and results, leading to greater operational effectiveness and performance. Diversity in UNPKO allows engagement with all members of the communities we are there to protect. In all fields of peacekeeping, women have proven that they can perform the same roles, to the same standards and under the same difficult conditions, as their male counterparts. We must take note that women in the peacekeeping missions are not alone responsible for systematically integrating the gender perspective. The mission itself and its leadership must have ownership and take a systematic approach. However, more women in peacekeeping means more inclusive and sustainable peace. That is why we should recruit and retain female peacekeepers. In 2000, 20 years ago the UN Security Council (UNSC) issued Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which highlighted a shift in UN policy to engage more women in peacekeeping operations around the world. It affirmed the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, negotiations, peacekeeping, humanitarian responses and post-conflict reconstruction. Further, it stressed the need to integrate a gender perspective in these areas, including in peacekeeping operations. A watershed moment in the decades-long history of UNPKO occurred on 12 May 2014, when Major General Kristin Lund of Norway was appointed as the first woman to serve as Force Commander in the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus*. General Lunds appointment is a major acknowledgement of the implementation of the UNSC Resolution 1325 in peacekeeping operations. As soon as she was appointed, Major General Lund decided to crack the glass ceiling in UNKPO. She said ...it is time and it is important that other women see that it's possible also in the UN system to get up in the military hierarchy to become a force commander. Since then, gender has always been on the top of her agenda. She initiated a female military network, engaged women to become more visible and increased the number of female observers. She also mandated that the all-male teams in military skills competitions had to have females. She has become an important role model and champion for the UN, gender and leadership. It is encouraging to see an increasing rate of womens participation in UNPKO. In 1993, only 1% of all deployed uniformed personnel were women. By 2012, women made up 3% of military and 10% of police personnel in UN peacekeeping operations. Currently, women account for almost 30 percent of the international civilians working in peacekeeping and special protection missions. We need to be ambitious. As part of its Action for Peacekeeping initiative, the UN Secretariat and Member States collectively committed to increase the number of civilian and uniformed women in peacekeeping at all levels and in key positions. In 2014, Vietnam started to deploy military officers to UNPKO missions in South Sudan and Central Africa. As a Vietnams active supporter in this, how would you assess the effectiveness of Vietnams deployment of forces to these missions? What would you say about Vietnams efforts in increasing womens representation in UNPKO? I would like to congratulate Vietnam on having recently your first officer to fill a UN military officer vacancy at the UN Department of Peace Operations in New York, Lieutenant Colonel Luong Truong Vinh. Vietnam is a new troop sending country to the UNPKO (since 2014) but is increasingly getting more active. Globally, Vietnam exchanges high-level military delegations to the UN headquarters and field missions. Regionally, Vietnam participates in the regional expert groups on peacekeeping and cooperates with countries in the region on combined peacekeeping and humanitarian activities. Vietnams participation in UNPKO has demonstrated the countrys responsibility towards the international community. In June 2018, the UN recognised the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations as one of four international training centres in the region and agreed to carry out training under a three-party partnership (comprising Vietnam, the UN and a partner country). This reflects the UN's appreciation of Vietnam's commitment and contributions to UN peacekeeping missions. I am also happy to see Vietnams strong support for the UNSC resolutions on the role of women in all phases of the peace process and in UN peacekeeping activities. Vietnam shows the responsibilities and actively supports UN initiatives, particularly on issues related to gender equality, women empowerment and prevention of sexual abuse and exploitation. Vietnam is also committed to increasing the rate of women participating UN peacekeeping operations, both individually and by contingent. All this is highly appreciated. Let keep up your good work! Vietnam is planning to send engineering and police forces to take part in UNPKO; does Norway have any experience to share with Vietnam on this? What do you think about the cooperation opportunities between Vietnam and Norway in UNPKO, Ambassador? Vietnamese peacekeepers. That sounds great! Congratulations! Police plays a very important role in UNPKO. Developments in recent years have shown how crime and armed conflict overlap. This makes crises and conflicts more unpredictable. The military and the police need to cooperate closely in order to find expedient ways of dealing with situations. Sexual violence in armed conflicts constitutes serious abuse. Research has shown that this kind of violence does not necessarily decrease after a conflict has ended. It is therefore necessary that preventive measures are based on a long-term perspective. It is necessary to be aware of this issue in the period prior to, during and after a conflict. For the Norwegian police service, preventing and dealing with sexual violence is an integral part of the national approach. These issues are part of our police training. We have a lot of experience to share with Vietnam and others, including the importance of involving women police officers in peacekeeping operations. The police is a core component in these operations, whether by working directly to protect civilians or through building the capacity of local police and thereby helping to ensure that abuse and other criminal offences are prevented, investigated and prosecuted. I believe such international multilateral institutions like the UNPKO or any UN-led mechanisms would provide member countries with unique opportunities to learn from each other. As you know, Norway is also seeking a seat as a non-permanent elected member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the period 2021 - 2022. We hope that we would have a chance to work with Vietnam for one year in the Security Council. We have a lot of common interests and it will give us even more opportunities to work closely together on issues such as women, peace and security. Its all about our common future and that global challenges require global solutions. We are all experiencing this very clearly during this unsettling time due to the Covid-19. On this international day of UN peacekeepers, we pay tribute to all the women and men who have served as military, police or civilians in UNPKO. We commend their professionalism, dedication, and courage, and honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace. Lets work together to promote a peaceful common future. Bao Duc ---------------- * About Major General Kristin Lund Major General Lund has an extensive history of achievement in a male-dominated arena, with 40 years of military experience at national and international levels. In 1991, she was deployed during Operation Desert Storm to Saudi Arabia, and then served in Afghanistan at the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations International Security Assistance Force Headquarters. In 2009, she was promoted to the rank of Major General and then Chief of Staff of the Norwegian Home Guard - the first female officer to be promoted to such positions. Her experience in the UN includes her service with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon and the UN Protection Force in the Former Yugoslavia. With the U.S.-Canada border closed to non-essential travel, CBSA officers use in-house guidelines to determine if now is the right time for a foreign national to come to Canada. How CBSA determines essential travel revealed in internal memo With the U.S.-Canada border closed to non-essential travel, CBSA officers use in-house guidelines to determine if now is the right time for a foreign national to come to Canada. How CBSA determines essential travel revealed in internal memo With the U.S.-Canada border closed to non-essential travel, CBSA officers use in-house guidelines to determine if now is the right time for a foreign national to come to Canada. How CBSA determines essential travel revealed in internal memo With the U.S.-Canada border closed to non-essential travel, CBSA officers use in-house guidelines to determine if now is the right time for a foreign national to come to Canada. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Border officers are on the frontlines enforcing Canadas travel restrictions, but the particulars of how they determine essential travel for specific situations have not been made available to the public. Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) distributes internal instructions to the authorities who get the final say in who crosses the Canadian border. CIC News has obtained a copy of the bulletin that is meant to help border officers decide the outcome of a foreign national trying to enter Canada from the U.S. Though foreign national family members of Canadians are exempt from the travel ban, they must still demonstrate that they are coming to Canada for a non-optional or non-discretionary reason, which does not include a family funeral, for example. Do you have more questions on coronavirus and Canada immigration? Check out our FAQ page Even if the foreign national is coming to Canada to witness the birth of their first-born child, they still have to demonstrate that they have a plan to isolate themselves for the 14-day quarantine requirement for most in-coming travellers, otherwise, they may be denied entry. If the foreign national was a grandparent of that newborn baby, their reason for travel would not be considered essential. These are some of the nuances that are not immediately evident in the information available on the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) webpage. The CBSAs social media platforms also offer some resources, and you can contact them to ask questions about your individual circumstances. When you get to the border, you will need to explain to CBSA officers why your trip is essential at this time, during a global pandemic when travelling poses an imminent health risk. You also need to have an adequate plan to quarantine for two weeks, if you are not exempt. Failure to meet these requirements may result in being denied entry to Canada, or having to carry out quarantine in a government-approved facility. Some of the exemptions to the quarantine requirement are listed in the contents of the CBSAs internal memo below. This is not the entire memo, which is 28 pages and offers instructions that are oftentimes more relevant to officers than to travellers. It is the list of scenarios used to guide CBSA officers, edited for clarity and length. The Rationale column has been transcribed verbatim, except in the case of grammatical errors. The governments terms, non-optional and non-discretionary have been kept to preserve the intended meaning. Some scenarios were left out if the hypothetical parties involved were able to enter Canada by right, such as First Nations, and Canadians. Cases where foreign nationals had to cross the border due to a natural disaster or a highway closure were also left out of this list; both scenarios would be considered essential and therefore a permissible reason to enter Canada. The scenarios from CBSAs list have been sorted into the following five categories: family, students, workers, business, and other travellers. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs Family Learn more about Canadian family sponsorship Students Discover your options to study in Canada Workers Get help with Canadian work permits Business owners Start a business in Canada Other travellers Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved A manhunt that lasted six days and spanned four states for a University of Connecticut student wanted for two homicides and other crimes ended with a bit of luck. Connecticut state police Detective Michael Zella was informing a U.S. marshal of the description of Peter Manfredonia, a Newtown High School grad who had been on the run since last Friday, when he turned and the 23-year-old was standing a few feet away from them near a Maryland truck stop Wednesday night. The man standing nearby matched the description investigators had for Manfredonia, right down to his red sneakers, according to Lt. Michael Pendleton, commanding officer of the Connecticut state polices central district. Pendleton said Manfredonia surrendered without incident. At that point, he went to the ground, he did not resist, and absolutely no force was used to effect the arrest, Pendleton said Thursday during a news conference outside the state police headquarters in Middletown. Pendleton said police recovered a weapon in a black bag approximately 200 yards away from where the arrest occurred, but he declined to say what type of weapon was recovered. State police on Wednesday night had said the weapon was a gun similar to the one used in the Derby homicide. Manfredonia waived extradition to Connecticut during a court appearance Thursday in Maryland. Pendleton said it was not immediately known when Manfredonia will return to Connecticut and what charges he will face. Pendleton declined to comment on the motive for the crime spree, which police said included homicides in Willington and Derby as well as a home invasion and kidnapping. He also declined to say whether state police have interviewed Manfredonia since his arrest, and if police were previously notified that he may have been a danger to others. Pendleton said police were aided in their pursuit by Manfredonia using Uber for parts of his time on the run. He said the warrant for Manfredonias arrest will likely be released down the road, but did not offer a timeline. We talked to all the family members of the victims, Pendleton said. They were very appreciative of our efforts and bringing him to justice. Special Agent David Sundberg, head of the New Haven field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, offered his condolences to the victims and their families for what he called senseless acts of violence. We are very, very proud to have been part of a collaborative law enforcement team that worked to find Mr. Manfredonia and take him into custody without any further violence, Sundberg said. Manfredonia, who is being held without bond, appeared in court Thursday via video because of the coronavirus pandemic on a fugitive from justice charge in Washington District Court in Hagerstown, Md. Michael Dolan, attorney for Manfredonia, said he spoke with his client Wednesday night after he was arrested. He was exhausted and scared, Dolan said. The search for Manfredonia, a University of Connecticut senior, ended Wednesday night near a truck stop in Hagerstown. The massive manhunt involved the FBI, law enforcement from four states and local police departments in Connecticut. All of us our extremely saddened by the loss of life of two Connecticut residents, the severe injury of an elderly person, the terror inflicted upon countless others, said Col. Stavros Mellekas, commanding officer of the Connecticut state police. The savagery of these crimes propelled our detectives to commit themselves to finding this individual as quickly as possible. A source close to the investigation said Manfredonia was on his way to see his former girlfriend in Willington last Friday when his motorcycle broke down. Willington resident Theodore DeMers offered Manfredonia a ride on his four-wheeler when police say the 62-year-old man was fatally attacked with an edged weapon. John Franco, 80, was critically injured in the attack when he came to help his neighbor. Alice Franco told Hearst Connecticut Media on Wednesday that her husband, who grew up in Trumbull and is a U.S. Navy veteran, is now in stable condition. On Sunday, Manfredonia is also suspected in the killing of Nicholas Eisele, a 23-year-old former Newtown High School classmate who lived in Derby. Eisele died from gunshot wounds to the head, the states medical examiner said. Manfredonia could face a number of interstate crime charges involving the alleged kidnapping of Eiseles girlfriend who police say he took from the Derby home. The woman was found unharmed Sunday afternoon at a New Jersey rest stop near the Pennsylvania border. Twenty years ago, as a new Member of Parliament participating in international Track-II events, two themes made a big impression on me. The first was how much influence China had managed to acquire globally. At dozens of gatherings, I saw influential personalities from politics, diplomacy, think-tanks, and Fortune 500 corporations speak emphatically in favour of China. The second theme was many commentators saying they wished India would step up and play a larger role in geopolitics, but also bemoaning that we had a long way to go. Indeed, we did. For in the preceding two decades, from 1980 until the turn of the century, China had transformed itself in comparison to India. From an economy with per capita income similar to ours, its GDP had already become nearly thrice Indias size, eventually to become five times larger. That growth in wealth afforded it much more military and economic clout around the world. But over the years, there have been big changes in both these themes, in opposite directions. These have only intensified in recent months. On the one hand, during the coronavirus pandemic, the number of nations that are unhappy with China and suspicious of its motives has grown exponentially. On the other hand, the goodwill for India and its actions, and respect for its capabilities, have grown equally sharply. Our path forward requires understanding both these trends. It was a dozen or so years ago that I first ran into western companies complaining about doing business in China. After years of praising the ease of doing business there, and contrasting it with India, they had begun sounding off about Chinese partners appropriating their intellectual property rights and unexpectedly turning into competitors. China used its growing wallet to push its strategic aims around the world, using aid funding in a uniquely new manner. While traditional aid by developed nations consisted of subsidised, long-term, low-interest funding, Chinese projects, like those under the One Belt One Road (OBOR) came with high commercial rates of interest. At least one such project, the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, has been directly taken over by China after it defaulted on those usurious repayments. China also became increasingly assertive in geopolitics, such as in its South China Sea disputes with neighbours and others. Some commentators sensed hubris in this, and a shift away from the path of Deng Xiaoping, the architect of Chinas economic prowess, who had advised his successors to maintain our position, meet challenges calmly, hide our capacities, and bide our time, remain free of ambition, never claim leadership. Gradually, diplomats and Track-II delegates began using different terminology in reference to China. From the turn-of-the-century phraseology that the rise of China was inherently beneficial to the world, within a decade, the tenor shifted to an insistence that it must play by the rules of global engagement from which it had itself benefited. With the growing tensions over trade in recent years, and the pandemic this year, the wheel has turned further. Last week, a White House report titled The US Strategic Approach to the Peoples Republic of China did away with all previous diplomatic euphemisms and asserted it is responding to the Chinese Communist Partys direct challenge by acknowledging that the two powers are in strategic competition. The US is not alone, as many nations around the world have taken a stand demanding China come clean about the origins of the coronavirus and the beginnings of its spread in Wuhan. After initially rebutting such demands, China has acceded to an inquiry by the World Health Organization. But at the same time, it has lashed out against Australia, one of the lead signatories, with punitive economic measures. China has also taken steps in its own immediate neighbourhood that are raising eyebrows. India, too, is experiencing yet another face-off across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in Ladakh. To be sure, the border dispute has not seen a shot fired in anger in decades. Yet, recent years have seen a series of such incidents, the last one being at Doklam in 2017. India has demonstrated that, while remaining peaceful and reasonable at all times, it is capable of being resolute in defending its territory. All these developments present opportunities for India, which has been gaining respect in the worlds eyes since the Atal Bihari Vajpayee era, and more rapidly in recent years. This has defence aspects, of course, including the acquisition of equipment, technology, production, and joint exercises. However, the economic aspect will be crucial. And whatever your views on Indias ~20 lakh crore economic stimulus, the policy reforms built into it are the key. Making available large chunks of land, rejigs in labour and other laws, and especially opening up all sectors to private investment are what India has long needed. As China was the latest to demonstrate, it is far, far easier to win friends and influence nations with a bigger wallet. India is set to follow the same path, without the hubris. Baijayant Jay Panda is vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and a former Member of Parliament The views expressed are personal As the coronavirus continues to make grocery shopping uncomfortable, farm boxes have emerged as a great way to get fresh produce, support local farmers and avoid human contact. Unlike Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions, where people commit to getting produce from a specific farm on a regular basis, these new farm boxes are sold as one-offs. That means you can try a few before landing on your favorite or alternate between farms depending on what produce youre hoping to get that week. Many local farms put together a mix of seasonal vegetables or fruit or a combination for a set price, which you can order online and pick up either at a farmers market or a nearby restaurant. Some farmers markets have also created boxes filled with ingredients from multiple farmers, while others have launched more customizable options. Home delivery is also available in some cases. Restaurants such as Canela in San Francisco, Pomella in Oakland and the Tender Greens chain also have begun putting together their own produce boxes. Its another low-stress way to buy vegetables, though we didnt include them on this list. Here are the Bay Areas farm box options, in alphabetical order by farm or provider. Be sure to check the websites for ordering instructions, as some require you to place your order a certain number of days before your intended pickup time. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Agricultural Community Events The North Bay farmers market operator created an online marketplace so you can shop for produce from familiar vendors and then pick up your custom farm box for a $10 fee. Pickups are Tuesday at the Downtown Novato Community Farmers Market and Petaluma East Side Farmers Market; Wednesday at the Fairfax Community Farmers Market; Wednesday and Saturday at the Santa Rosa Community Farmers Market; and Saturday at the Petaluma Farmers Market. Learn more at https://ilovefarmersmarkets.localfoodmarketplace.com Agricultural Institute of Marin This organization, which operates farmers markets in San Francisco, Marin County and the East Bay, has created a Bounty Box for $25. It contains enough produce to feed one or two people for a week, and is available for pickup Thursday at the Thursday Marin Farmers Market in San Rafael, Saturday at the Grand Lake Farmers Market in Oakland and Sunday at Clement Street Farmers Market in San Francisco. Order at https://www.agriculturalinstitute.org/order-now Borba Family Farms Choose between a large and small box ($50/$30) of assorted produce from this family-owned organic farm. Pickups are Saturday at Danville Farmers Market, Diablo Valley Farmers Market in Walnut Creek and Sunnyvale Farmers Market, and Sunday at California Avenue Farmers Market in Palo Alto, Los Gatos Farmers Market and Mountain View Farmers Market. Order at https://borba-farms.myshopify.com Brokaw Ranch Restaurants typically clamor for Brokaws avocados. Now the family-owned Santa Paula ranch offers $26 and $35 boxes containing pounds of citrus alongside avocados. Pickups are Tuesday at the South Berkeley Farmers Market, Saturday at the Downtown Berkeley Farmers Market and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco, and Sunday at California Avenue Farmers Market in Palo Alto. Order at http://brokawavocado.square.site Chefs Cart Launched by San Francisco chefs in an effort to support local farmers, Chefs Cart creates a weekly box featuring fruits and vegetables from a variety of small farms. The boxes cost $40, with add-ons like sourdough, eggs and fresh pasta, and are available only for home delivery in San Francisco. Order at https://www.chefscart.farm County Line Harvest Get produce grown in Petaluma with County Lines $25 or $40 boxes with an emphasis on greens. Pickups are Saturday at the Grand Lake Farmers Market in Oakland and Marin Country Marts Farmers Market in Larkspur, and Sunday at the Sunday Marin Farmers Market in San Rafael. Order at https://countylineharvest.com Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) The nonprofit behind San Franciscos Ferry Plaza Farmers Market creates boxes with a mix of ingredients from different market vendors, plus recipe ideas. The CUESA boxes including a $35 box of fruit and snacks and a $55 box with enough produce to feed a family for a week are available for curbside pickup at the Saturday market only. (See also Brokaw Ranch, Dirty Girl Produce, Farm Co-op Box, Green Thumb Organics Farm and Star Route Farms for other boxes available at the market.) Order at https://cuesabox.square.site Dirty Girl Produce As a favorite of Bay Area chefs, its no wonder the Santa Cruz County farm has pickup locations at so many restaurants. Find the $40 boxes usually including strawberries this time of year at restaurants in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Palo Alto. Pickups are also available Tuesday at the South Berkeley Farmers Market, Saturday at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco and Sunday at the Stonestown Farmers Market in San Francisco. Order at http://www.dirtygirlproduce.com Farm Box by 409 + Co. The design agency 409 + Co. collaborates with local farms such as Happy Quail Farms and Oya Organics to offer a weekly $35 box, which contains fruit and vegetables, while the larger $55 box might also contain extras like jam or granola. Add-ons like yogurt, bread and pie from local purveyors are also available. Pickup is at the Happy Quail Farms stand at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco; home delivery is available between Marin County and San Jose. Learn more at https://farmbox.409.co Farmacy CSA The owner of Miramonte Farms and Nursery in San Juan Bautista (San Benito County) started this farm box service, which provides four options at low prices, including 16 servings of vegetables for $20 and 10 pounds of fruit for $20. Add-ons like strawberries, milk and bread are also available. Pickup is Wednesday at Heart of the City Farmers Market in San Francisco, Saturday at the Downtown Palo Alto Farmers Market and Sunday at Stonestown Farmers Market in San Francisco. Order at https://www.farmacycsa.com Fort Mason Center Farmers Market Order produce plus eggs, meat, bakery items and more online and pick up your custom farm box at the Wednesday or Sunday markets in San Francisco for a $5 fee. Home delivery in the neighborhood is available for $15. https://www.farmtoflat.com Green Thumb Organics Farm Organic fruit and vegetable boxes come in three sizes ($35-$60) from this 4-acre farm in San Juan Bautista (San Benito County). Pickups are Wednesday and Sunday at Heart of the City Farmers Market in San Francisco, Thursday at North Berkeley Farmers Market and Saturday at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco. Order at https://www.greenthumborganicsfarms.com/shop-produce Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle 2019 Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Happy Boy Farms Based near Watsonville, Happy Boy is a familiar sight at Bay Area farmers markets. You can order a $30 box of seasonal vegetables a mix of greens and roots by emailing csasales@happyboyfarms.com. Pickups are Saturday at the Downtown Berkeley Farmers Market, Grand Lake Farmers Market in Oakland, San Mateo Farmers Market, Noe Valley Farmers Market in San Francisco and Sunnyvale Farmers Market; and Sunday at the California Avenue Farmers Market in Palo Alto, Fort Mason Center Farmers Market in San Francisco, Montclair Village Farmers Market in Oakland, Mountain View Farmers Market, Moraga Farmers Market and Temescal Farmers Market in Oakland. Find more details on Instagram Hikari Farms The Watsonville greenhouse operation specializes in Asian greens and Japanese cucumbers, all organic. The farm partners with Oakland restaurant Ramen Shop and Berkeley restaurant Fish & Bird Izakaya for distributing $27 boxes, though availability varies. Order through the restaurants at https://www.ramenshoptogo.com for Ramen Shop or https://www.toasttab.com/fish-bird-sousaku-izakaya/v3 for Fish & Bird. Portola Valley Farmers Market The Thursday operation is the first Bay Area farmers market to convert to a drive-through model. Shoppers can buy a mix of organic fruits and vegetables online for $35, with add-ons like eggs and beef available. Order at https://www.safeportolavalleymarket.com/#/ Star Route Farms For $30, you get a box of organic vegetables with an emphasis on leafy greens picked that morning at this farm in Bolinas. Star Route drops off boxes at restaurants in San Francisco, Berkeley and Marin County. Otherwise, pickups are Thursday and Sunday at the Marin Farmers Market in San Rafael and Saturday at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco. Order at https://www.starroutefarmsllc.com The Urban Edge Farm Each box from this Brentwood farm contains roughly eight types of organic fruits and vegetables, which Oaklands Grand Bakery will deliver to homes all over the Bay Area on Sundays. The box costs $39.95, including delivery. Order at https://grandbakeryoakland.com/products/farm-box The Village CSA Urban Village, the operator behind several Bay Area markets, launched an online shopping option where you can build your own Village Box from familiar farmers market vendors, then pick it up outside the market in a designated curbside loading area. As of late May, Urban Village offered this service only at the Temescal Farmers Market in Oakland. Learn more at https://uvfm.org/online-orders# Tomatero Farm The small organic farm outside Watsonville drops off boxes at San Francisco restaurants Aziza and Nopa. In addition to vegetables, the $40 boxes typically include strawberries and eggs. Order through the restaurants at http://azizasf.com/menus/take-out-menu/ for Aziza or https://direct.chownow.com/order/19713/locations/28363 for Nopa. Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker Timothy Klausutis is right: His late wife deserves better than a president who has cynically seized on the tragic circumstances of her death at 28 and perverted it for perceived political gain. President Trumps unfathomable cruelty in suggesting that then-Rep. Joe Scarborough had an affair with Lori Klausutis, an aide in his office, and murdered her almost 19 years ago, is sickening. Her husbands anguish over what he described as the constant barrage of falsehoods, half-truths, innuendo and conspiracy theories since the day she died is palpable in the letter he sent last week to Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey, imploring him to remove Trumps tweets about his wife. New Delhi: Actor-politician Hema Malini on Wednesday issued a statement in connection to Kent RO Systems controversial 'Atta & Bread Maker' advertisement that portrayed housemaids in a bad light by depicting them as infection carriers. She termed the advertisement as inappropriate and said that it does not resonate with her values. Hema Malini and her actress daughter Esha Deol are the faces of the company that drew heavy criticism on social media for its advertisement. It cautioned against kneading of flour to make a dough by a maid claiming that "her hands might be infected" and suggested using the company's product for the same purpose. Views expressed by the recent advertisement of Kent Atta by Kent RO Systems and are inappropriate. The Chairman has already tendered a public apology for the mistake. I hereby wish to put on record that I respect and stand by all sections of society, read the 71-year-old MPs statement shared on Twitter. Views expressed by the recent advertisement of Kent Atta by @KentROSystems do not resonate with my values and are inappropriate, The Chairman has already tendered a public apology for the mistake.I hereby wish to put on record that I respect and stand by all sections of society. pic.twitter.com/i6tY3hJdt8 Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) May 27, 2020 After facing flak on social media, the company took down the advertisement and tendered an apology. Twitter termed the ad to be absurd, in bad light and classist. In his apology on behalf of the company, Chairman Mahesh Gupta said, "Our recent advertisement of Kent Atta & Bread Maker on social media was unintentional, badly communicated and was wrong. And therefore, it was immediately withdrawn. We are extremely sorry for this incident and want to apologise to everyone, especially to the people whose sentiments were hurt." The advertisement is contrary to the beliefs and professional standards of Kent, he added. "We will investigate how our advertisement standards were compromised and we will further take corrective and preventive action so that such incidents are not repeated in future," Gupta said adding that "we support and respect all sections of the society and apologise for the mistake". TWO months after its first confirmed Covid-19 cases were announced on March 29, 2020, Cebu City has surpassed the 2,000 mark in the number of Covid-19 infections in the city. On Thursday, May 28, the Cebu City Government announced 42 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the Citys total to 2,055. Of the number, 1,559 cases remain active. City Hall also announced 77 new laboratory-negative cases from Barangays Suba (three), Bacayan (eight), Punta Princesa (three), Labangon (one), and Luz (62), bringing the total number of laboratory-negatives to 471. Cebu City Hall spokesperson Rey Gealon said 161 asymptomatic Covid-19 patients staying at isolation centers in Barangays Bacayan, Carreta, Mambaling, Inayawan and Luz will be released on Friday, May 29 after their laboratory tests yielded negative results for the virus. Of those scheduled for release, 31 are from Bacayan, 23 from Carreta, 44 from Mambaling, one from Inayawan, and 62 from Luz. Meanwhile, the 42 new Covid-19 cases are from Barangays Tejero (two); Sambag 2 (three); Tisa (one); Inayawan (one); Ermita (two); Basak Pardo (one); Mambaling (one); Sawang Calero (one); Pahina Central (one); Duljo (one); Suba (three); Pasil (22); two from the Cebu City Jail while there is one with unverified address. Other cases In Lapu-Lapu City, four new Covid-19 cases were reported on Thursday. Mayor Junard "Ahong" Chan said the four new cases are from Barangays Pajac, Gun-ob, Basak and Pajo. In the Province, eight new Covid-19 cases were also reported. Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said of the eight, five are from Barangay Linao, Minglanilla town. The others are from Talisay City (two) and Dumanjug town (one). Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. said the Citys two new cases are a 66-year-old man from Barangay Tanke who was admitted to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) and a 25-year-old man from Barangay Dumlog who works for a hospital in Cebu City. Gullas has contacted the family of the two patients and asked them to be subjected to swab tests. Story continues Talisay City now has 46 Covid cases with six deaths and two recoveries. A 41-year-old dialysis patient from Dumanjug town also tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday. Two inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) also yielded positive results for Covid-19 during a repeat test, Garcia said. Cebu Province now has a total of 144 Covid-19 cases. All-time high Nationwide, new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in the Philippines hit an all-time high of 539 in the last 24 hours. This as the Department of Health (DOH) improved its capability to validate cases. The latest number, as of Thursday, is higher than the 538 recorded on March 31, which epidemiologists earlier considered as the peak of the countrys epidemic curve. The total case count increased to 15,588 as of 4 p.m. Thursday, just a few hours before President Rodrigo Duterte was expected to announce his decision on the recommendation to downgrade quarantine restrictions. DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, during the regular virtual press briefing Thursday, attributed the spike in cases to the departments improved capability to validate reported cases with the hiring of additional encoders. We expect the number of cases to continue increasing in the next few days because we are still validating other reported cases, she said in Tagalog. The number of cases is on an uptrend because of the increasing number of cases that have been validated with the hiring of additional encoders, Vergeire added. Of the new cases, 330 come from the National Capital Region or Metro Manila, 55 from Central Visayas or Region 7, 99 from other regions, and 55 from among the repatriates. The DOH also reported 17 additional mortalities, raising the death toll to 921. An additional 92 patients have recovered from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), bringing total recoveries to 3,598 as of Thursday. Among overseas Filipinos in 47 countries, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Covid-19 cases went up to 2,821 as of May 28. No new deaths were reported and the death toll remained at 334. Of the remaining total, 1,553 are receiving supportive care while 934 have recovered or have been discharged. Worldwide, Covid-19 has killed 349,095 out of the more than 5.48 million people who have been infected. (JJL, NDT, JCT, ANV/JKV, MVI/SunStar Philippines) The T-11 personnel parachute offers jumpers a slow and stable descent, especially in high winds, and can support more weight than previous parachutes, a crucial advantage for warfighters who carry robust, heavy gear. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link U.S. Army paratroopers with the 173rd Airborne Brigade execute emergency procedures in response to a T-11 parachute system malfunction during airborne training above the Nella Drop Zone in Tuscany, Italy, Aug. 7, 2014 (Picture source: U.S. Training Support Specialist Vincenzo Vitiello) Also, since the T-11s canopy deploys slowly and further away from the aircraft than preceding parachutes, the U.S. Army was able to increase the gross cargo weight of a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft by 15,000 pounds, which allows the aircraft to safely carry more fuel or cargo. During developmental testing at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in the early 2000s, the T-11 proved to be a remarkably robust system, able to compensate for multiple kinds of malfunctions that testers intentionally rigged into it: When they tied the hem shut, the T-11 still inflated through corner vents. Even when testers put different reefing lines throughout the canopy and tried to restrict airflow inside, it still inflated. Now long-fielded, the T-11 is still returning to YPG for further refinements and improvements. In addition to testing a new pack tray, testers are currently testing improvements to the T-11s reserve parachute, which Soldiers count on in the unlikely event the T-11s main parachute doesnt deploy. If a jumper exited the aircraft, did his six-second count and had no main above his head, he would pull the reserve parachute, said Martin Gilbert, test officer. The testing didnt utilize live jumpers but torso mannequins with stubs for arms to simulate jumpers. The mannequins were ballasted with weight, then loaded onto an aluminum deployment rack specially designed and constructed by YPG engineers that is loaded into the cargo bay of a C-17. The deployment rack allows the aircrew to move and deploy the mannequins by means of a large crank, ensuring a safe and uniform drop from the aircraft. We did low-speed reserve deployment with the main parachute fully inflated to check that the reserve uprights dont entangle with the mains on deployment, said Gilbert. Since there is no physical instrumentation on the parachutes themselves during these tests, evaluators depend on GoPro cameras in the aircraft and ground-based tracking instruments for video and data of each parachutes deployment, particularly the critically important first seconds of flight. Once each airdrop is complete, testers recover the landed parachutes, after which they undergo a meticulous inspection of the parachute systems for rips and tears. YPG is home to all manner of parachute testing, with spacious and instrumented ranges large enough to accommodate even the worlds largest cargo parachutes. New Delhi: A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device blast was averted as security forces detected a car fitted with explosives in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, police said. The improvised explosive device was safely defused. "A major incident of a vehicle borne #IED blast is averted by the timely input and action by #Pulwama Police, CRPF and Army," the Kashmir zone police wrote on its Twitter handle. Secures Prepayment Funding Facility Melbourne, May 28, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Nova Minerals Limited ( ASX:NVA ) ( FRA:QM3 ) ( OTCMKTS:NVAAF ) is pleased to announce it has executed an agreement with Collins St Asset Management Pty Ltd ('CSVF' or 'Investor'), for an investment of A$2 million (with an additional loan of up to A$4 million subject to terms agreed upon by the parties) ('Funding Agreement'). The initial funding commitment will be provided within seven days. CSVF's A$2 million investment will be provided by way of a prepayment which is repayable by the Company within 120 days, or otherwise is convertible to shares or repayable in accordance with the terms set out below. Concurrently, CSVF will convert all of its NVAO options, the proceeds of which will be used, along with Nova's current cash, to expedite exploration and the Estelle Gold Camp.NVA Executive Chairman, Mr. Avi Kimelman said: "During 2020, Nova's intent and strategy is to continue its systematic exploration approach to seek to significantly increase the current 2.5Moz resource and simultaneously move the Korbel prospect to feasibility stage during the course of 2020 on the path to production.Furthermore, we look forward to assay results in due course for hole KBDH-002 (542.1m) which appears to contain the same mineralisation that was encountered in the 2.5Moz Inferred Resource and remains open at depth as announced on 25 May 2020 with further results expected.Collins St Asset Management is already a significant shareholder of Nova Minerals, and we could not have asked for a better partner. Collins St Asset Management were ranked amongst the top 5 Australian equity fund managers of their type in 2019 by both Morningstar and Mercer. Of all the many facilities and direct equity offers made to us, this was the least dilutive and the most beneficial for shareholders.On a separate note, Nova Minerals' investment in Torian Resources ( ASX:TNR ) is up approximately 800% from initial investment with exciting drill results pending at its Mt Stirling Gold Project. The Nova Minerals Board and management will continue to make calculated decisions in the best interest of its shareholders over the long term; the Torian investment and this prepayment placement being examples of this focus."Key Terms of Funding Facility between Nova Minerals Limited ( ASX:NVA ) and Collins St Asset Management Pty Ltd ATF Collins St Value Fund (CSVF):- A$2,000,000 to be made available immediately, which will be deemed to constitute a prepayment facility with a face value of $2,200,000 repayable or convertible to shares in accordance with the terms below. Funds to be applied to advance the Company's current drilling programs.- An additional prepayment facility of up to A$4,000,000 may be made available subject to terms agreed upon by the parties.- Nova Minerals has the right to repay the face value of the loan at any time within 120 days, provided that the minimum repayment amount is not less than $550,000 on each occasion ("Repayment Period").- If Nova Minerals has not repaid the loan within the Repayment Period:o The Investor will have the right to convert all or some of the outstanding face value of the loan to Nova Minerals' shares at an issue price per share of $0.07 (subject to shareholder approval if required).o If the Investor does not exercise the right above, the parties have agreed to seek to negotiate an alternative repayment option. However, in the absence of an agreement, any amount of the outstanding face value not converted will be increased by 5% and will be repaid by the Company in equal monthly instalments over a period of 6 months through the issue of Nova Minerals' shares at an issue price which is the lower of: (a) $0.07; or (b) a 20% discount to the lowest 5 day VWAP (for any period of 5 consecutive days, but excluding days where there are no trades of the ordinary shares of the Company) during the immediately preceding month (in each case subject to shareholder approval, if required).- In consideration of CSVF's entry into the arrangement, the Company will issue CSVF 4,300,000 shares and 18,000,000 options with an expiry date of two years and an exercise price of $0.07. These shares and options will be issued without shareholder approval under ASX Listing Rule 7.1.- The prepayment facility otherwise contains terms which are typical to similar financing arrangements including: anti-dilution provisions in the event of bonus issues; rights of first refusal to participate in future financing up to 25%; warranties and undertakings by the Company which limit further financing and other significant or material corporate action subject to exceptions; typical events of default (including liquidity events) which may accelerate repayment or conversion rights if triggered and result in default interest; and provisions which require cash payments in the event that issues on conversion would result in a breach of takeovers laws.About Nova Minerals Limited Nova Minerals Limited's (ASX:NVA) (FRA:QM3) (OTCMKTS:NVAAF) vision is to develop North America's next major gold trend. The company is focused on exploration in Alaska's prolific Tintina Gold Belt, a province which hosts a 220 million ounce (Moz) documented gold endowment and some of the world's largest gold mines and discoveries including Victoria Gold's Eagle Mine and Kinross Gold Corporation's Fort Knox Gold Mine. The company's flagship Estelle Project has a current total estimated JORC gold resource of 9.6Moz (3Moz Indicated and 6.6Moz Inferred). Estelle is a 45km long string of 15 identified gold prospects bracketed by the Korbel deposit in the north and the RPM deposit in the south. These two deposits are currently host to extensive exploration programs. Additionally, Nova has an indirect interest in the Canadian Thompson Brothers Lithium Project through a substantial stake in Snow Lake Resources Ltd (NASDAQ:LITM) and holds a 12.99% interest in Torian Resources Limited (ASX:TNR), a gold exploration company based in Western Australia. To reopen or not to reopen? For wineries in some counties, like Sonoma, that is the question. As of last weekend, Sonoma is the only Bay Area county where wineries have gotten the greenlight to introduce outdoor wine tastings since shelter-in-place orders went into effect March 17. Other parts of the state with major wine industries, like Santa Barbara County, are slowly seeing some wineries resume tastings too. In other words, for now its a patchwork, with some wineries allowed to open and others still prohibited. Why? Because winery tasting rooms arent included in Californias Stage 2 plans part of the states phased-in process of reopening the economy after shelter-in-place unless they serve full meals. Which turns out to be a thornier issue than many wine drinkers might expect. Napa County, for example, forbids wineries from serving full meals. This might confuse you if youve ever enjoyed a cheese plate overlooking the Silverado Trail, but the key for Napas zoning codes is that the wine-food pairing has to be an accessory to the winerys main purpose, which is agriculture. The food can be added on only as an afterthought to the wine; the food must be, as David Morrison of the Napa County Planning Department reminded vintners in a letter this week, clearly incidental, related and subordinate to the primary use of the winery. Other counties, like San Joaquin, which includes the Lodi wine region, allow wineries to serve food as part of a special event. That may incentivize lots of wineries to hire food trucks or caterers to provide meals, once San Joaquin County moves further into Stage 2. One Lodi winery, Michael David, has a full restaurant and tells me it plans to reopen this weekend. But as everyone tries to figure out the convoluted rules of each individual county under each stage of reopening, one question keeps coming up. Why are tasting room reopenings tied to food service? Will handling food actually make wineries safer? Many wine industry leaders say no. On Tuesday, the heads of 31 California regional wine associations groups like the Napa Valley Vintners, the Lodi Winegrape Commission and Monterey County Vintners sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom asking him to reconsider the food-service condition. It strikes us as illogical that a winery must offer a sit-down, dine-in meal as a condition to reopen, the letter reads. If a winery can safely reopen with food service, a winery can certainly reopen safely without food service. (Newsom, incidentally, co-owns three Napa wineries, Cade, Odette and PlumpJack, which he put in a blind trust while in office.) Indeed, wouldnt food service just introduce more potential contamination for visitors and winery employees? The fear of adding another point of contact has led some wineries to choose not to open, even if they could. The need to serve food is daunting and we are not willing to put our employees at risk, said Kenneth Wayne Blair, sales director at Preston Winery in Healdsburg. Instead of opening now, Preston is trying to focus on building up business through its farm store, which sells meat and produce. I can see two reasonable arguments for the food requirement. One is that it will limit the overall number of wineries that can reopen, which is in the public interest right now, as were still seeing new coronavirus cases and want to encourage people to stay home. The other argument is that food is essential, while wine is not, and so the only way to justify wineries reopening is to have them function as restaurants. But are restaurants essential? Id argue no. Thats not to say restaurants shouldnt be reopening right now, but if the goal is limiting all nonessential activities, then I dont see how wineries are different from sit-down restaurants. And in Napa and Sonoma counties, restaurants like the French Laundry, the Restaurant at Meadowood and SingleThread are as potent a draw for tourists as wineries are. (Though none of those restaurants are currently open.) Moreover, winery tasting rooms are uniquely suited to become relatively coronavirus-safe environments. They usually have outdoor space and often already take reservations. Many wineries, in Napa especially, will see only a few groups of people a day under normal circumstances. Their primary products wine bottles are pre-packaged, which strikes me as a lot safer than food products that require lots of handling. My position, in other words, is that our state governments logic is inconsistent. Californias small wineries are struggling, desperate to reinstate the crucial revenue channel that tasting rooms provide. And Californians are going stir crazy and this tantalizingly beautiful weather weve had lately in the Bay Area is practically begging for a Wine Country road trip. Still, I admit I have my misgivings about wineries reopening right now. The idea of crowds of people swarming a tasting room, even under these ultra-cautious protocols, still makes me worry whether were moving too fast, too impatiently, as we try to combat this pandemic together. Its just one little example of the endless moral dilemmas presented by the coronavirus crisis, which seems to make every decision harder. I appreciated what health expert Chunhuei Chi told Deborah Netburn in the LA Times: The idea of safe or not safe is not black and white. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. What Im drinking Esther Mobley / The Chronicle Smith Story The Boonies Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 2017 ($58, 13.5%): I realize Ive been writing only about white wine and rose lately, but I promise Ive been drinking red wine too. Heres a great example of why Mendocino Countys Anderson Valley does Pinot Noir so well. This wine, from husband-wife team Eric Story and Ali Smith Story, comes from the so-called deep end of Anderson Valley the valleys northwestern stretches that are surrounded by redwood trees and get a lot of cool air from the Pacific Ocean. Its a wine of simultaneous lightness and depth. Translucent and delicate, it nevertheless has a strong, firm frame, with intense notes of black cherry, wet earth and orange peel. What Im reading Ashley Fetters examines the trope of the wine mom in the Atlantic. The wine mom has become a shape-shifting, multifaceted idea; she seems like a threat to some, a victim of circumstance to others, and to still others, she just seems like a good time, Fetters writes. Another COVID-19 business casualty: The great gay leather bar the Stud, in SoMa, has permanently closed after 54 years. My colleague Ryan Kost has a great remembrance of this special place. But wait its not all bad news! Check out this uplifting piece from The Chronicles Janelle Bitker about restaurants that are unexpectedly thriving during the shutdown. Drinking with Esther is a weekly newsletter from The Chronicles wine critic. Follow along on Twitter: @Esther_Mobley and Instagram: @esthermob A trade group of Illinois movie theater owners is pushing the state to revise its guidelines to allow cinemas -- when they re-open -- to seat more than 50 people. That number is currently the maximum outlined under Governor J.B. Pritzkers Restore Illinois plan, which has five phases. Later this week, the state will be moving into Phase 3, which allows for gatherings of up to 10 people in businesses including retail stores, salons and offices. Movie theaters are part of the Phase 4 re-openings, which limits gatherings to no more than 50 people. The Illinois chapter of the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) is hoping to see that number revised and is advocating for a proposal that would instead limit auditorium attendance to 50% of an auditoriums seating capacity. The trade group is also pushing to open earlier. No major studio films are on the calendar for June, but there are two big titles still in play for July: writer-director Christopher Nolans Tenent on July 17 and Disneys live-action adaptation of Mulan on July 24 -- both could get pushed back if enough theaters arent open nationwide. In Illinois, the earliest Phase 4 can begin is June 26. That would seem to give theaters plenty of time to accommodate Tenets opening. But its more complicated than that, said Chris Johnson, CEO of the 15-theater movie chain Classic Cinemas, which is based in Downers Grove. He is also president of the Illinois chapter of NATO. The ramp up time for our industry is really important, he said. The studios make their decisions based on how many screens are available, and if Tenet is theoretically opening July 17, they have to start their marketing campaigns now. But they need to know that they have key cities in key markets -- and what could happen is, if they cant count on those markets they might push the movie down the release schedule. According to a spokesperson for the state: Movie theaters and cinemas are currently slated for Phase 4, the timing of which will be determined by public health metrics. DCEO (Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity) has and will continue to engage NATO and other industry groups as guidelines are developed and as progress is made toward our recovery from COVID-19." Johnson said he and his fellow theater owners are less concerned about the timing issue -- as long as Illinois does enter Phase 4 by the end of June. A number of theaters, he said, have reduced seating capacity in recent years, replacing standard seats with recliners that take up more space. So if you have an auditorium that used to seat 150, now it seats 50. But now youve got to social distance so youre down to next to nothing. So to compensate, wed like to offset that in the bigger auditoriums. If youre just stuck with that 50-person maximum, then youre not going to be able to gross as much and its not as attractive to the studios, which take a hefty percentage (at least 50% but often more) of each ticket price. Johnson stressed that we want to make sure everybody knows, we want to open in a safe and appropriate manner. We want to work with the protocols that are out there. Other measures the trade group is recommending: Employee training on enhanced cleaning procedures, social distancing and the use of masks and gloves Taking employee temperatures before each work shift Mandating a six-foot distance between parties in an auditorium Placing six-foot markings in areas where guests need to queue and assigning staff to ensure social distancing is respected Without a slate of new films to screen initially, theaters will need to rely on older movies. But it isnt like, were going to open the doors and everybodys going to rush to the movie theater, said Johnson. So by opening up a little early, it gives us a chance to acclimate our staff and the audience to this new process and procedures. It will give us an opportunity to refine the operation. Moviegoers will be required to wear masks when entering the theater and buying concessions, but once seated will be allowed to remove their masks to eat and drink. (Conversely, patrons will need to put their masks back on to make a trip to the restroom or when exiting the theater.) Are theater owners entering a make-or-break scenario? Were trying to work to avoid getting to that point," Johnson said. "Whenever I read stories in the paper about This industry is down 30% or That industry is down 70% -- were down 100%. So getting open and having the opportunity to do something is important. The sad part is, the summer is our busy season; it always outweighs the rest of the year because people are out of school on summer break. Ultimately, whether Tenet and Mulan open in July will be a decision left up to the studios: Warner Bros. and Disney. The other big question is whether enough moviegoers will feel comfortable and safe returning to theaters. Warner Bros. has reached out on a regular basis and they want to know the status of the markets that theyre not sure of, said Johnson. So theyre making decisions accordingly. I certainly am hopeful that were going to hit the June 26 date (for Phase 4). By the way, there is one other movie slated to come out in July: A thriller called Unhinged starring Russell Crowe, set to open July 1. Its a brand new film that was supposed to be released in September, Johnson said. Because of the shutdown A Quiet Place Part II moved to that same date and the studio behind Unhinged didnt want to go up against it, so theyre taking quite a risk and theyre going to be a warm-up act for movie theaters. We are very appreciative that theyre going out on a limb. Which films from the archives would Johnson like to see in his theaters to tide audiences over until there are new releases available? I always like The Big Lebowski. Comedies are always good. For some reason I was thinking about Tommy Boy and Chris Farley the other day. Groundhog Day might be one since, with the quarantine, it feels like weve been living that movie for the past couple months. The General Assembly adjourned its special pandemic session in the wee hours of a holiday weekend. Heres what you might have missed. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 MINNEAPOLIS From our first contact with Europeans to the present, Indigenous people have careened from one public health crisis to another. Our healing process and our historical memory of these moments should not end with vaccinations. Traditions of song and dance help restore the balance that is drained by bodily sickness and deliver spiritual sustenance to those who have lost loved ones. Art, in other words, allows us to survive. During the 19th century, settlers appropriated our lands, water and resources, rendering our communities susceptible to smallpox. Indigenous people, over time, developed herd immunity. We also began taking advantage of vaccination when it became available with the Indian Vaccination Act of 1832, enacted primarily to protect new settlers in our midst. When influenza hit in 1918, my people were only beginning to recover from a low point in our population. We resided in remote, rural communities of the Great Lakes, but, as in years past, that did not save us. Under the reservation system, thousands of children were sent away from home to government boarding schools, where influenza spread. This made our experience with the pandemic one we have never forgotten. During that global pandemic, a new healing tradition emerged among Ojibwe women. If you have been to a powwow a multifaceted gathering of nations in recent years, you have seen it performed. Glittering and full of camaraderie, powwows are an Indigenous space for male drummers to sing, while everyone from children to seniors dance their style. Aspects of the powwow have grown more commercial, but the Jingle Dress Dance exists as a deeply spiritual part of these celebrations. Multnomah County officials say they plan to submit a Phase 1 reopening plan to the governors office June 5 and begin reopening June 12. Oregons most populous county is the only county of the 36 statewide that hasnt sought approval from Gov. Kate Brown to resume many business operations. Washington County is hoping to reopen beginning Monday, while Clackamas County was approved to start reopening last Saturday. The metro areas gradual reopening arrives as county and state public health officials respond to a mysterious coronavirus outbreak at an unnamed business. Officials said they do not believe the outbreak causes a significant risk to the community. Here are more developments to know Thursday: JOBS: Oregon officials disclosed for the first time that more than 220,000 Oregonians are awaiting jobless benefits. The Employment Department has not followed in the footsteps of other states to resolve the benefits backlog. CASES: Only Gilliam and Wheeler counties have yet to document a single coronavirus case, after Lake County in southern Oregon reported its first pair of positive tests. More than 4,000 people statewide have now tested positive for COVID-19. TESTING: Oregon State researchers found no coronavirus infections among 649 Corvallis residents tested in a city-wide study, marking the third week of similar results. BUSINESS: In a dose of positive news from the coronavirus, Portland startup Bright.md raised another $8.7 million as coronavirus spurs interest in medical technology. DINING: Oregon cities are embracing Euro-style street seating to help restaurants reopen while ensuring distance among customers. TRANSIT: TriMet officials are preparing for a $135 million revenue hit due to the decline in riders amid the coronavirus outbreak. LIFE TODAY: When coronavirus put a halt on the in-person school year in Oregon, it didnt just cancel graduations and proms, it meant the end of planned trips and events students had fundraised for the whole year or longer. Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter -- The Oregonian/OregonLive Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Troubled actress Jessica Marais appears to be recovering well after being hospitalised earlier this month. The Packed To The Rafters star looked healthy and happy as she spent time with her friend Hugh Sheridan this week. Jessica, 35, beamed in the colourful photo Hugh posted to his Instagram account on Wednesday. Recovering: Troubled actress Jessica Marais appears to be recovering well after being hospitalised earlier this month. The Packed To The Rafters star looked healthy and happy as she spent time with her friend Hugh Sheridan this week 'Best day of my life with my dearest friends,' Hugh, 34, captioned the photo of him and Jessica with well-known casting director, Ann Fay. Jessica, who is mother to eight-year-old daughter Scout, smiled widely as she snuggled up against the cool weather with a rainbow-coloured scarf around her neck. Hugh also rugged up for the sweet photo wearing a mustard sweater with a matching Baker Boy cap. Rafters reunion: : Jessica and Hugh have been friends since 2008 when they co-starred in Packed To The Rafters on Channel Seven (also pictured Angus McLaren) It comes after emergency crews were called to Jessica's eastern suburbs home for a welfare check on the afternoon of Saturday, May 2. Three officers were seen ringing Jessica's doorbell at about midday before two male paramedics entered the building. Minutes later, Jessica emerged wearing black leggings and a grey cardigan as she slowly stepped down the stairs with the assistance of the paramedics. Troubled times: Emergency crews were called to Jessica's eastern suburbs home for a welfare check on the afternoon of Saturday, May 2 A witness told Daily Mail Australia she was not wearing any shoes, her hair was a 'dishevelled mess' and she was in a 'visibly distressed state'. Jessica was walked to an ambulance where she was put on a gurney and it's understood she was then taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick. A NSW Police spokesperson later confirmed emergency crews had attended the Coogee property on Saturday. Worrying: A witness told Daily Mail Australia the former Love Child actress wasn't wearing any shoes, her hair was a 'dishevelled mess' and she was in a 'visibly distressed state' 'About midday today, police attached to Eastern Beaches Police Area Command attended a unit in Beach Street Coogee to assist NSW Ambulance Paramedics with a 35-year-old female patient,' the statement said. 'No further information is available.' Five days before she was hospitalised, Jessica had uploaded a worrying Instagram post about love and learning. Emotional: Five days before she was hospitalised, Jessica had uploaded this photo to Instagram of a hand-written essay about love 'Love is learning that in an effort to challenge myths of perfection, it needs to honour its importance to others,' she wrote. Love says it gets confused and overwhelmed. Love is healing.' The mother-of-one had abruptly quit the Amazon Prime reboot of Packed to the Rafters in February 'for personal reasons'. Pulling the plug: The mother-of-one had abruptly quit the Amazon Prime reboot of Packed to the Rafters in February 'for personal reasons' (pictured with Packed To The Rafters co-stars) She'd played Rachel Rafter in the original Channel Seven series from 2008 to 2013. In 2014, Jessica spoke about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. 'I was diagnosed at one point with bipolar. I have developed ways to talk myself down from any ledges I find myself on,' she told The Australian Women's Weekly. 'There's probably one day a month when I am an absolute mess. In my case it's hard to separate what is due to trauma or stress and what is due to a simple chemical imbalance.' If you, or someone you know, needs support please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 A requirement for Netflix and other streaming services to include more Australian content could help home-grown drama and documentaries survive, a Griffith University television industry expert says. Senior lecturer Andy Nehl said Australian television had been struggling for years before COVID-19 put a stop to local production and live programs and dramas. Harrow is an Australian television drama series produced in Brisbane. "The television industry was already facing major challenges, with subscription online streaming services like Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus and Amazon Prime that were eating into audiences of free TV," he said. "Those changes have provided a real challenge particularly for commercial TV because they get money from advertising." On May 26 we reached a Memorial Day Milestone, as 100,000 people in the United States died of COVID-19. This is more Americans than were killed in the Vietnam, Korean, Afghanistan and Iraq Wars combined. May 11: It is unbelievable that President Obama criticized me for the coronavirus virus response. He had eight years to prepair (his word) the next president for a pandemic and he failed. I have done a tremendous job. There are still more people alive than dead! May 13: He (Dr Fauci) wants to play all sides of the equation. I was surprised by his answer, actually, its not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools. May 14: We have the best testing in the world. Could be that testing is overrated. Maybe it is overrated. When you test, you have a case. When you test, you find something wrong with people. If we didnt do any testing we would have very few cases. May 15: (Nurses) Running into death just like soldiers running into bullets is a beautiful thing to see. May 15: The U.S. will reopen with Operation Warp Speed, this means big and means fast. Vaccine or no vaccine were back and were starting the process. Not everybodys going to want to get it. May 16: Prior to the Plague floating in from China, our Economy was blowing everybody away, the best of any country, EVER. We will be there again, and soon! May 17: Doing really well, on solving the CoronaVirus situation (Plague!). It will happen. I am proud to announce that the United States will donate ventilators to our friends in India. May 18: A lot of good things have come out about the hydroxy. I happen to be taking it right now. I think it is good. Ive heard a lot of good stories. Ive been taking it (hydroxychloroquine) for the last week and a half. If it doesnt work, youre not going to get sick and die. What do you have to lose? May 19: When we have a lot of cases (1.5 million), I dont look at that as a bad thing, because it means our testing is much better. I view it as a badge of honor, really, its a badge of honor. May 21: I tested very positively in another sense so-this morning. Yeah. I test positively negative, right. So, I tested perfectly this morning. Meaning I tested negative. May 21: People say thats (second coronavirus wave) a very distinct possibility. Its standard and were going to put out the fires. Were not going to close the country. Were going to put out the fires. Whether its an ember or a flame, were going to put it out. But were not closing our country. May 22: The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important places essential places of faith to open right now, this weekend. If they dont do it, I will override the governors. America, we need more prayer, not less. May 25: Finished, just finished (hydroxychloroquine) and by the way Im still here. Frankly, Ive heard tremendous reports about it. Many people think it saved their lives. You had a study in France, you had a study in Italy that were incredible studies. May 26: This is so unfair to me! Everything was going great. We were cruising to re-election! When all else fails, blame China and Obama. Gail Lehmann is a resident of Ridgefield. She has been chronicling the presidents direct quotes regarding the pandemic since the end of January. This is the sixth installment. Berlin: Germany wants to impose a European travel ban and asset freeze on the head of Russia's military intelligence agency and several of its spies in response to a 2015 cyberattack on the German Parliament that was traced back to Moscow earlier this month. The government will invoke a European Union sanctions mechanism, created last year, that allows member states to ask that restrictions be imposed on individuals involved in cyberattacks. The mechanism has not been used before. From the left: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, First Deputy Defence Minister Valery Gerasimov, and Deputy GRU chief, Vice Admiral Igor Kostyukov, who Germany wants to sanction. Credit:AP The sanctions, which would also include a ban on business contacts inside the bloc, have to be agreed upon by the other 27 EU member states. The process, officials said, could take time. A senior German diplomat, Miguel Berger, informed Russian Ambassador Sergey Yuryevitch Nechayev of the government's decision during a meeting at the German foreign ministry Wednesday. In a time where stock buyback programs have come under scrutiny, HP is sticking to the principles laid out in the company's value plan, CEO Enrique Lores told CNBC Wednesday. "We still think that buying back stock is good because we think it's undervalued" and "we are going to stay committed to the principles that we shared in the value plan," he said in an interview with Jim Cramer on "Mad Money." Share buybacks have come under fire as some corporations sought government funding to help carry them through the downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Many businesses opted to suspend buybacks, as well as dividends, to hold on to cash flow, leading to record low buyback levels this quarter as employers grappled with the virus situation. "We think we have an opportunity of raising debt, we also will be giving back to shareholders 100% of free cash flow," Lores continued, "and as the [coronavirus] situation gets more stable, we will become more aggressive at buying shares back and returning capital to shareholders." HP dished out $400 million in share repurchases and dividends in its last quarter, according to a press release. The comments came after the computer and printer manufacturer posted mixed quarterly results for the quarter ending April 30. The company printed a miss on the top line and a 6-cent beat on the bottom line, recording 51 cents of earnings per share, minus some items, on revenue of $12.47 billion. Wall Street analysts were looking for 44 cents of earnings per share on $12.93 billion in revenue, according to Refinitiv. HP's third-quarter guidance also fell below expectations. The stock was down as much as 5% in the aftermarket. In a quarter defined by a coronavirus-induced slowdown, HP saw sales fall 11% from the year-ago period. The commercial hardware, workstations, printing and desktops businesses took the biggest hits, according to FactSet. Lores, who has led HP for more than three decades, pinned printer and personal computer softness on supply chain disruptions caused by state-sanctioned shutdowns to slow the spread of Covid-19, the deadly disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Factories in China reopened in mid-February, which impacted the two segments, he said. "We saw some demand for home printers but we couldn't ship because we had these supply chain issues," he said. Lores pointed out a bright spot in subscriptions, which grew 30% year over year during the quarter. The company counted a subscriber base of 6 million in February. That has since crossed the 7 million mark, he said. "This is very important for us because this is how we want to drive the business going forward," he said. "So it's a significant support for the strategy that we have put in place." As for getting factories back online, Lores expressed a sense of optimism about the company's future. "The team has done a fantastic job getting the factories back to work and at the beginning of May we were almost at full capacity," he said. "And I say almost because, given the corona environment, there could be always surprises from us, or from some of our suppliers, but we have really addressed the supply chain problems that we had." HP shares ticked up to $17.12 during Thursday's session. The stock is down nearly 17% year to date. New Delhi: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has defended his companys action on fact-checking information on the microblogging site. Dorseys reaction came after US President Donald Trump threatened the company with big action that can come in the form of an executive order soon. Dorsey said that Twitter would continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. "Fact check: there is someone ultimately accountable for our actions as a company, and that's me. Please leave our employees out of this. We'll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make," tweeted Dorsey. Fact check: there is someone ultimately accountable for our actions as a company, and thats me. Please leave our employees out of this. Well continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make. jack (@jack) May 28, 2020 Twitter on Tuesday (May 26) labeled two tweets from US President Donald Trump making false statements about mail-in voting as potentially misleading. The move is significant becuase Twitter has fact-checked President Trump for the first time. Twitter imposed the label on two tweets President Trump posted Tuesday morning falsely claiming that mail-in ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent and would result in a rigged election. The tweets posted by President Trump focused mainly on Californias efforts to expand mail-in voting due to the outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19 in the US. On Sunday, the California Governor Gavin Newsom was sued by Republican National Committee over the states moves to expand mail-in voting. Following this, Trump, announced retaliation is coming in the form of an executive order against the social media companies. "Stay Tuned!!!" Trump tweeted to his more than 80 million followers on the platform. Trump has warned social media giants that his government could "strongly regulate" or "close them down" after Twitter fact-checked one of his tweets for the first time. The Twitter CEO said the action on Trump's tweets does not make them an "arbiter of truth", referring to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg who jumped into the fray, criticising Twitter for flagging tweets by Trump. This does not make us an arbiter of truth. Our intention is to connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves. More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions. jack (@jack) May 28, 2020 "Our intention is to connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves. More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions," Dorsey stressed. Per our Civic Integrity policy (https://t.co/uQ0AoPtoCm), the tweets yesterday may mislead people into thinking they dont need to register to get a ballot (only registered voters receive ballots). Were updating the link on @realDonaldTrumps tweet to make this more clear. jack (@jack) May 28, 2020 Notably, President Trump has been attacking Democratic-controlled states like California over the last few days over their efforts to expand mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic. Data from a wearable device can reveal coronavirus symptoms days before you even realize you're sick, researchers have found in preliminary studies. That means fitness trackers could be on their way to becoming sickness trackers. The initial findings from two academic studies are a small step in the fight against the coronavirus, and a giant leap for wearable tech. If Fitbits, Apple Watches and Oura smart rings prove to be an effective early-warning system, they could help reopen communities and workplaces - and evolve from consumer tech novelties into health essentials. Since March, a half-dozen academic studies have been exploring whether the constant stream of data that wearables gather about our bodies offers any clue about who has caught the coronavirus. I've been a guinea pig for two of them, though I prefer the term "citizen scientist." (See below for how you can contribute to studies still recruiting volunteers.) For now, these aren't clinical trials - rather, researchers are gathering data and looking at it retrospectively for patterns. The greatest potential might come from a lesser-known wearable I've been testing for the past five weeks: a health-tracking ring called Oura. The $300 wireless device looks like jewelry and collects data about my heart rate, breathing and - critically, for the coronavirus - temperature. The ring, made by a seven-year-old company based in Finland and the United States, is being used in two studies at West Virginia University and the University of California, San Francisco involving tens of thousands of health-care workers, first responders and volunteers like me. I also joined a Scripps Research study with a $400 Apple Watch, sending data to researchers exploring whether heart measurements from a range of popular trackers are enough to detect the coronavirus or other viral infections. None of the studies have yet published peer-reviewed results, but we're getting the first evidence that the idea works. On Thursday, researchers at WVU's Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute reported that Oura ring data, combined with an app to measure cognition and other symptoms, can predict up to three days in advance when people will register a fever, coughing or shortness of breath. It can even predict someone's exact temperature, like a weather forecast for the body. Professor Ali Rezai, the institute's director, said the technology is valuable because it's tuned to reveal infection early on, when patients are highly contagious but don't know it. He calls the combination of the smart ring and app a kind of "digital PPE," or personal protective equipment. It can say, "This individual needs to stay home and not come in and infect others." There's more: Researchers at Stanford University studying changes in heart rate from Fitbits tell me they've been able to detect the coronavirus before or at the time of diagnosis in 11 of 14 confirmed patients they've studied. In this initial analysis, they could see one patient's heart rate jump nine days before the person reported symptoms. In other cases, they only saw evidence of infection in the data when patients noticed symptoms themselves. "The bottom line is it is working, but it's not perfect," said Stanford professor Michael Snyder. Given the hype that often engulfs consumer gadgets, there's plenty of reason for caution about tech charting an unknown path with a disease that's still a mystery in many ways. Researchers still need to crunch more numbers to identify the difference between a patient with the coronavirus and another illness. And they need to do a lot more coronavirus testing on study participants to figure out whether they can detect an infection in people who don't feel symptoms at all. And we're weeks - or more likely months, say more-conservative researchers - away from turning all those insights into warning systems that can be clinically tested. "I haven't seen that subtlety embraced by most tech companies," said Ben Smarr, a professor at the University of California, San Diego who is helping lead the data-crunching on the UCSF study, which hasn't reported results. "I'm wary because I don't want this to be used to sell people a false solution or false hope." - - - Accuracy is the question that hangs over detecting the coronavirus from a gadget. Fitness trackers started as a way to count steps, a relatively low-stakes measure. Marketers pushed the idea that everyone should take 10,000 steps per day, but it was never rooted in much science. As tech companies have grown more interested in health care, they have added more sensors to wearables. Fitbits now collect heart data, and Google bought the company last year to get closer to the bodies of millions. Apple was the first to receive Food and Drug Administration clearance for an Apple Watch app that could identify an atrial fibrillation. Researchers say the coronavirus could be a game changer for tracking disease with wearables. "Because everybody is going through this, it is an opportunity for us to collect data from essentially the entire population, which is very unique," said Duke University professor Ryan Shaw. He's helping lead the university's coronavirus smartphone and smartwatch study called "Covidentify," which has yet to report findings. But how do you extract health information from devices that, for the most part, aren't designed or used like medical devices? Wearable researchers I spoke to say they treat the data not as an individual measurement, but rather as a baseline - a view of what's "normal" for your body, from which they can spot deviations. Then the researchers feed weeks of historical data into software that hunts for patterns. These algorithms are able to spot things humans usually don't notice about their own bodies, like a slightly elevated resting heart rate. Subtle changes in temperature, heart rate variability and sleep patterns allow the software to make predictions about what is likely to come in the days ahead. The studies at Duke, Scripps and Stanford are largely open to data from whatever wearable devices participants might use. One in 5 Americans uses some sort of fitness tracker, according to Gallup, and being agnostic helps researchers reach a wider audience. There are questions about the accuracy of the data produced by some devices. "We don't believe that any of the devices that we're using in our study are bad enough that we wouldn't be able to capture the signals that we expect to capture," Duke professor Jessilyn Dunn told me. A study she helped author found that heart rate sensors - which shine green light through the skin - didn't have significantly more difficulty with darker skin. Still, Dunn said, her software gives different weight to data from different manufacturers and models. The Oura ring, with about 150,000 users, isn't nearly as popular as smartwatches and fitness trackers. But it offers several advantages, say researchers. First, the ring is small. That means people are more likely to wear it even while they sleep, the best time to collect an accurate resting heart rate that's critical to understanding the body's baseline. My Apple Watch, which I typically charge while I'm sleeping, reports that my resting heart rate is eight beats per minute higher than what is reported by the Oura, which I wear while I sleep. Sara Belch, a nurse manager in Morgantown, West Virginia, who joined the RNI study, said she wears her ring 24 hours a day, even when she's working, and only needs to charge it every four or five days. "It's smooth, and I don't feel any different wearing it," she said. The Oura is also able to collect constant temperature readings from the finger, a data point missing from most wrist wearables. One of the theories being tested by the UCSF study, called TemPredict, is that people with latent coronavirus infections can exhibit body temperature changes visible through constant monitoring. Oura donated some rings to the UCSF study and gave researchers at both UCSF and RNI access to raw data from participants. Both research projects say they're independent from the company. The other critical element for the studies is data that doesn't come from a wearable. All of them ask participants to check in regularly via apps and websites to report symptoms such as coughing or the results of any coronavirus tests. The RNI study is the most demanding. Participants have to check in via its special app twice daily, including participating in games that test attention and other brain functions. They also take and report their temperature with a traditional thermometer, with results sometimes verified by a professional. RNI said its software is more than 90% accurate at forecasting the onset of coronavirus symptoms. But that is based on the population it has studied - so far, a little more than 600 health-care workers and first responders. To detect the coronavirus, as opposed to just symptoms, Rezai said they'll need more participants to train algorithms to pick up on the many, sometimes unexpected ways diverse bodies respond to the virus. On Thursday, RNI's study opened up to 10,000 more volunteers. - - - There's wide agreement that wearables can produce useful data. But turning it into early-warning systems brings a whole different set of challenges. Not least among them is privacy. To participate in the research, I had to agree to near constant monitoring of my body. The Oura ring records my heart rate and temperature in one-second increments. The next step would be for researchers to conduct trials where they pass real-time warnings back to study participants based on their own data. None have done that yet, because they're limited by academic research rules. Snyder is seeking approval from Stanford in the next few weeks to begin providing feedback to a small set of participants. Smarr said the UCSF study could reach that point as soon as the fall. Taking those systems to millions of people might require permission from the FDA, which regulates medical diagnostics. It's a gray zone. The question is: Would an app be making a lifestyle suggestion - "you seem off today" - or offering a coronavirus test? A false negative could be disastrous if people make decisions about exposure based on a bad diagnosis. Wearable tech currently negotiates that space with lots of disclaimers. Oura goes further than most wearables in giving users advice about how their bodies are faring from day to day. It turns heart rate, sleep, activity and other data into a daily "readiness" score that suggests how much activity or rest you might need to optimize the day ahead. For at least one Oura user, that score alone turned out to be a valuable coronavirus warning. In early March, Finnish entrepreneur Petri Hollmen had been traveling, including to areas of Europe that were coronavirus hot spots. But he was feeling fine. Then one morning, he opened his Oura app and saw that it gave him a readiness score of 54, far below his typical 80 to 90. The app said it had noticed a 1-degree Celsius - or 1.8-degrees Fahrenheit - increase in his temperature. So even though he had no symptoms, Hollmen went for a coronavirus test - and, sure enough, tested positive. "I didn't feel ill," he told me. But because of the diagnosis, he and his family members isolated at home until the infection passed. His experience, which partly inspired the UCSF study, is a reminder of one more critical piece to any early-warning tech: We have to be able to do something with the information. "I could see a near future where someone notices their wearable data start to deviate from normal, and that's a sign they should stay home for a few days until they can do a test, and make sure what they're seeing isn't coronavirus," said Jennifer Radin, who is leading the Scripps study. "But it has to be paired with action like staying home and access to diagnostic tests to reduce false positives," she said. "There are of course, many other reasons why your resting heart rate can go up, like if you're stressed or you change your exercise program." - - - Join a covid-19 wearable study All of these academic studies ask participants to complete regular questionnaires, as well as share body data, where possible Duke Covidentify (covidentify.covid19.duke.edu) Devices: Fitbit and Garmin (and soon Apple Watch), but no device required to participate by answering daily surveys Focus: Determine whether data from surveys and devices can help determine if you have covid-19 or influenza, and how severe the infection is expected to get Scripps Detect Study (detectstudy.org) Devices: Apple Watch, Amazefit, Beddit, Fitbit, Garmin, Oura or any device that can share data through Google Fit or Apple Health Focus: Whether changes in heart rate, activity, sleep or other parameters might be an early indicator of coronavirus or other viral infection. Stanford Covid-19 Detection Study (innovations.stanford.edu) Devices: Fitness trackers including Fitbit, Garmin and Apple Watch and Oura Focus: Whether data collected from wearable devices can be used to predict the onset of an infectious disease such as covid-19 Note: Currently only enrolling people who are at higher risk of exposure. Will open more broadly soon. UCSF TemPredict (ouraring.com/ucsf-tempredict-study) Devices: Oura Focus: Whether changes in baseline temperature and other body measurements can predict the onset of covid-19 RNI Feasibility of Wearable Devices for Covid Monitoring (wvumedicine.org/rni/covid19) Devices: Oura Focus: Forecasting coronavirus symptoms from body and mind data Note: Previously closed, now opening to 10,000 more participants Advertisement Protesters gathered outside the home of the white former police officer who was filmed pinning a black man to the ground by his neck before dying moments later in police custody. Derek Chauvin, 44, knelt on George Floyd's neck for eight minutes during his arrest on Monday, despite the man begging him to stop and bystanders warning him he was 'killing' him. People descended on his home Wednesday and scrawled the word 'Murderer' on his driveway, as protests over Floyd's death entered the second day in Minneapolis. A sign was propped up at the end of his driveway reading 'People don't kill people, cops do' as calls mounted for the fired cop to face murder charges over Floyd's death. People descended on his home Wednesday and scrawled the word 'Murderer' on his driveway Protesters gathered outside the home of the white former police officer who was filmed pinning a black man to the ground by his neck before dying moments layer in police custody A sign is propped up at the end of his driveway reading: 'People don't kill people, cops do' Other demonstrators carried signs and wore T-shirts reading 'I can't breathe' - some of the last words Floyd said as he begged the police officer for his life. Some held signs reading 'Black Lives Matter' and pictures of Floyd as they marched on the property. They were then met by a wall of police officers who had set up security around Chauvin's home. Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the force, was fired Tuesday after footage surfaced online of Floyd's arrest. Derek Chauvin, 44, the officer filmed kneeling Floyd's neck during his arrest, is a 19-year veteran of the force George Floyd was filmed Monday begging the Minneapolis cop to stop and telling him he could not breathe before he lost consciousness and later died The video taken by a bystander on Monday showed Floyd struggling to breathe on the ground as Chauvin knelt on his neck for several minutes. Floyd, who was arrested on suspicion of forgery on Monday night, was heard repeatedly saying he could not breathe as he lay on the ground next to the tire of a squad car. 'Please, please, please, I can't breathe. Please, man,' Floyd, who is shirtless, begs the cop. The officer repeatedly tells him 'Well get up and get in the car then,' while he continues to pin Floyd to the ground. Floyd responds 'I will' but the cop continues to hold him to the ground by his neck. 'My stomach hurts, my neck hurts, everything hurts,' Floyd is heard gasping at one point, before saying he needs water. After several minutes, one of the officers tells him to 'relax.' Protesters wrote 'A murderer lives here' on the ground outside Chauvin's home Other demonstrators carried signs and wore T-shirts reading 'I can't breathe' - some of the last words Floyd said as he begged the police officer for his life People descended on his home Wednesday as protests over Floyd's death entered the second day in Minneapolis They were then met by a wall of police officers who had set up security around Chauvin's home 'Man, I can't breathe,' Floyd responds, before eventually passing out. An ambulance then arrives and police officers move the man's limp body onto a stretcher. In the footage, shared by onlooker Darnella Frazier, multiple witnesses were also heard arguing with the two cops over their excessive use of force. City officials formally identified Chauvin as one of the four fired police officers Wednesday alongside Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday joined calls from the victim's family to arrest and charge Chauvin for his role in the incident. One protester wears a face mask as she holds up a sketch of George Floyd, the 46-year-old father of two who died Monday Protesters are met by police outside Chauvin's home. Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the force, was fired Tuesday after footage surfaced online of Floyd's arrest The video taken by a bystander on Monday showed Floyd struggling to breathe on the ground as Chauvin knelt on his neck for several minutes A sign reads 'There are no good cops 'til "good" cops hold bad cops accountable!' 'If most people, particularly people of color, had done what a police officer did late Monday, they'd already be behind bars,' Frey said in a tweet on Wednesday. 'That's why today I'm calling on Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to charge the arresting officer in this case.' It emerged Wednesday that Chauvin has been involved in a series of other use-of-force incidents, including being investigated for his role in three separate police shootings - one of which was fatal. In 2011, 23-year-old Leroy Martinez was shot and injured during a chase given by officers including Chauvin. People wear face masks as they hold signs aloft demanding justice over Floyd's death A man holds his hand up in a fist in protest over the death of the black man following his arrest by the white cop It emerged Wednesday that Chauvin has been involved in a series of other use-of-force incident This followed an investigation in 2008 over Chauvin's involvement in the shooting of Ira Latrell Toles during a domestic assault call. Toles was wounded after police said he went for an officer's gun and Chauvin shot him. Two years earlier Chauvin was one of six cops investigated when Wayne Reyes, 42 was killed by officers. Reyes had allegedly pulled a shotgun on the officers. Chauvin is said to be represented by lawyer Tom Kelly. He was Jeronimo Yavez' attorney after the Minnesota police officer fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop in 2016. Yavez was found not guilty on all three charges by a jury in 2017. Technavio has been monitoring the medical education market and it is poised to grow by USD 129.66 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 17% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005292/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Medical Education Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Stanford University, University of California, University of Cambridge, University of New England, University of Oxford, University of Washington, and Yale University are some of the major market participants. Although the growth in the number of online medical education programs will offer immense growth opportunities, threats from open-source and free educational resources will challenge the growth of the market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. Growth in the number of online medical education programs has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, the threat from open-source and free educational resources might hamper market growth. Medical Education Market 2020-2024: Segmentation Medical Education Market is segmented as below: Learning Method Blended Learning Online Learning Courses Graduate Courses Certifications And Training Post-graduate Courses Geography North America Europe APAC South America MEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR40007 Medical Education Market 2020-2024: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our medical education market report covers the following areas: Medical Education Market size Medical Education Market trends Medical Education Market industry analysis This study identifies gamification in medical education as one of the prime reasons driving the medical education market growth during the next few years. Medical Education Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Medical Education Market, including some of the vendors such as Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Stanford University, University of California, University of Cambridge, University of New England, University of Oxford, University of Washington, and Yale University. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Medical Education Market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Medical Education Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist medical education market growth during the next five years Estimation of the medical education market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the medical education market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of medical education market vendors Table Of Contents : PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis Value chain analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2019 Market Outlook Market size and forecast 2019-2024 PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY LEARNING METHOD Market segmentation by learning method Comparison by learning method Blended learning Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Online learning Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by learning method PART 07: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY COURSES Market segmentation by courses Comparison of courses Graduate courses Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Certifications and trainings Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Post-graduate courses Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by courses PART 08: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 09: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024 APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024 South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024 MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 10: DECISION FRAMEWORK PART 11: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 12: MARKET TRENDS Gamification in medical education Increase in partnerships between medical universities and associations Rise in number of medical bootcamps PART 13: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 14: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Harvard Medical School Johns Hopkins University New York University Stanford University University of California University of Cambridge University of New England University of Oxford University of Washington Yale University PART 15: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations Definition of market positioning of vendors PART 16: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005292/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Stella Maxwell embraced a new look for her latest Vogue Japan cover. Though the Kiwi model, 30, was still stunning as ever, she switched things up in the beauty department for the shoot. It was hard to recognize the blonde as she rocked blunt fringe and thick, dark eyeliner in the photos. Double take: Stella Maxwell looked stunning but barely recognizable on two covers for July's issue of Vogue Japan Stella looked windswept in one cover, gazing at the camera while clad in a crisp blue and white striped Burberry blouse. Below her read: 'Positive energy' - slogan which seemed to read as a reminder during these uncertain times. In the alternate cover Maxwell was seen lounging in a beach chair donning a slinky nude Gucci slip dress with black lace trim. Stella tagged her team in the caption, giving a shout out to photographer Giampaolo Sgura, Vogue Japan editor-at-large Anna Dello Russo, stylist Elissa Santisi, makeup artist Helene Vasnier, and hairstylist Ward Stegerhoek. Switching things up: Straying from her usual look, the Kiwi beauty rocked blunt fringe and thick, dark eyeliner in the photos In the house: Stella opened up about life during isolation in a recent interview with V Magazine Stella opened up about life during isolation in a recent interview with V Magazine. Reflecting on the situation she said: 'I think this has changed everyone's outlook on life. Really one can not help but be reminded of the fragile nature of our existence. 'I have certainly been reminded that we should appreciate every moment we have both with others and our own self. To appreciate the liberties we sometimes take for granted.' Feeling grateful: Reflecting on the situation she said: 'I think this has changed everyone's outlook on life. Really one can not help but be reminded of the fragile nature of our existence' Cute couple: The Victoria's Secret Angel dated Miley Cyrus in 2015 Maxwell made her mark as a Victoria's Secret Angel and as the face of the cosmetics brand Max Factor. She has also made headlines when she briefly dated Miley Cyrus in 2015. She also had an on-and-off relationship with actress Kristen Stewart from December 2016 to July 2019. Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency in the Volta Region, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced that cash transfers have been made to 659 teaching and non-teaching staff in his d constituency. Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in According to him, the figure comprises 570 teaching and non-teaching staff from 45 private schools and 89 volunteer teachers in public basic schools who are not on government payroll. This intervention from the North Tongu MP was to reduce the plight of private school teachers who have not received salaries since March due to the COVID-19 induced closure of schools. READ ALSO: Ghanas COVID-19 recovery rate second highest in West Africa In a Facebook post sighted by YEN.com.gh the MP said the source 30% of funding for the intervention was from the MPs Common Fund, 20% from MPs personal contribution, and 50% from the MPs fundraising efforts from donors. He expressed appreciation to those whose generosity helped make the initiative a resounding success. Ghanaians have lauded his kind gesture to the teaching staff in his constituency. Akamba said he has made other MPs useless. Forson asked that the Central Tongu MP learns from him. Charles asked for God's blessing for the North Tongu MP. READ ALSO: Election 2020: EC to compile new voters' register June In other news, the Electoral Commission of Ghana is set to begin the compilation of new voters' register in June, to make way for the December 2020 polls, according to the NPPs General Secretary, John Boadu. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) official told journalists about the ECs latest decision after an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting with political parties in Accra on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. The EC held the IPAC meeting with political parties at its headquarters to discuss matters and issues regarding the upcoming presidential and parliamentary polls. READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo swears in Supreme Court Justices Mensa Bonsu and Yonny Kulendi Bawumia fires Mahama - Stop embarrassing yourself; always check the data before you talk | #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Bexar County pushed past 2,500 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, as 45 more cases surfaced in the past 24 hours. Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported one new death, a Hispanic man in his 90s with underlying medical conditions who had been battling the virus at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in the South Texas Medical Center. That brings the local death toll since the start of the pandemic to 70. As of Wednesday, there were 2,525 total novel coronavirus cases. More than half of the patients sickened by the virus have recovered. Total recoveries stand at 1,337. On Wednesday, 92 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were hospitalized in San Antonio. Among them, 39 were in intensive care units, while 19 were on ventilators to help them breathe. We do have a slight uptick in patients in our hospitals ... up five from yesterday, Nirenberg said. Despite that, he said, the city and the county remain in good shape. Our positivity rate over the last several weeks has gone down, Nirenberg said. We maintain a strong level of capacity in our hospitals. And the severity of illness is also under control. We are seeing that number of positive patients tick up, but theyre moderately ill. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff noted the number of people in the hospital is the highest its been since the middle of April. That shows you this hasnt stopped, Wolff said. So dont take things for granted out there. Protect yourself and protect others. On ExpressNews.com: Texas lawmakers to consider paycheck protection flexibility bill Nirenberg and Wolff again urged residents to keep wearing masks and practicing social distancing, especially as more businesses and venues continue to reopen. If anyone is under the assumption that this virus is all of a sudden going to go away, theyre wrong, the mayor said. What we have to do is prepare ourselves to live with it in a way that contains it and keeps our most vulnerable members of our community safe from it. And so far, so good. Our community has come together to do that. The city is offering free walk-up testing, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday at San Antonio Colleges Welcome Center, 1533 N. Main Ave., and Highlands High School, 3118 Elgin Ave. Appointments arent required. Across Texas, nearly 58,000 people have been diagnosed with the virus since the start of the pandemic. Almost 1,400 of them were new cases just reported Wednesday, according to a website maintained by state health officials. So far, 1,562 people have died statewide from COVID-19. Nearly 38,000 Texans have recovered from the virus, while more than 22,000 are still sick, according to the website maintained by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services and the Texas Department of State Health Services. Harris County, the home of Houston, continues to lead the state with the largest number of diagnosed cases and the most deaths. More than 11,000 people have tested positive there, while 221 residents have died. Dallas County ranks second statewide, with more than 9,000 people testing positive and 213 residents dying from the virus. On ExpressNews.com: Texas nursing homes get help to connect residents, relatives Bexar County ranks fifth. Across Texas, the largest share of diagnosed cases has turned up in people in their 40s, according to demographics posted on the state health officials website. Texans in their 30s and Texans in their 50s have also been hit particularly hard. But among those Texans who have died, the biggest share were elderly at least 80 years or older. In Atascosa County, where Pleasanton and Jourdanton are located, a second resident died from COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to a Facebook post by the countys Emergency Management Office. No information about that patient was released. A total of 36 cases have been diagnosed in Atascosa County since the start of the pandemic. Nearly all of those patients 29 people so far have recovered. Five are still sick. Residents and staff at all six of Atascosa Countys nursing homes began getting tested Wednesday for the COVID-19 virus. This is being done to comply with Gov. Greg Abbotts order for all such facilities in Texas to test their residents and workers for the virus. In Medina County, 70 people have tested positive since the pandemic began. More than half of those 37 patients are described as Texas Department of Criminal Justice prisoners. So far, 24 patients have recovered in Medina County, while two have died. One patient remained hospitalized Wednesday. On ExpressNews.com: UTSA professors rabbit fever vaccine to be tested against coronavirus In Wilson County, 38 cases have been diagnosed since the start of the pandemic. More than half of those are linked to the Frank M. Tejeda Texas State Veterans Home in Floresville, where 14 residents and nine staff members have tested positive for the virus. Five of those residents have died, while four others have recovered. All nine staffers have recovered. The total number of recoveries across Wilson County, including people at the veterans home, comes to 22. In Bandera County west of San Antonio, six people have tested positive for the virus in recent weeks. No deaths have been reported. In Kendall County, the home of Boerne, a total of 30 people have tested positive, but most of them 22 patients in all have recovered. No deaths have been reported. In Comal County, where New Braunfels is the county seat, a total of 87 people have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic. Most of them 67 people have recovered. Three patients are hospitalized. The death toll there remains at six. State and county officials will open a drive-through testing site in Comal County from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Bill Brown Elementary School, located at 20410 Texas 46 in the Bulverde and Spring Branch area. Residents must call 512-883-2400 or visit www.txcovidtest.org beginning Thursday morning to register and receive an appointment before they can be tested at the site. In Guadalupe County, where Seguin is located, a total of 129 cases have been reported. Most of those patients 95 people in all have recovered, while 34 are still sick. Two people remained hospitalized Wednesday. No deaths have been reported. Peggy OHare covers demographics, the census and occasionally crime and general assignment stories in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Peggy, become a subscriber. pohare@express-news.net | Twitter: @Peggy_OHare A weekly roundup of legal and legislative news affecting guns, the gun business and gun owners' rights. For a deeper dive into the topics discussed here, check out this week in gun rights at FPC. Meltdown after new pro-gun bill in Pennsylvania On Wednesday, Pennsylvania House Republicans passed H.B. 2440. It's not even three pages long, but the Pennsylvania House Democrats seem to believe that the sky is falling over the Commonwealth. The contents of the bill are pretty straightforward: in a single paragraph, the House voted to establish shooting ranges, sportsman clubs, hunting facilities, firearms and ammunition manufacturers, retailers, importers, and distributors as life-sustaining businesses. The bill protects these entities and their employees from being put out of business or restricted in operation by the state. What was the response from the Pennsylvania House Dems? Big bad scary ghost guns and 3-D printed guns will be sold to felons! Illegal gun sales are now okay! And it's going to "make[] the wild, wild west look like Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." How much fun that sounds aside, there's a few things to talk about. First of all, you can't make something that's illegal "okay" under the law - it's either illegal or it's not. ..... Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has warned churches in his diocese not to "jump the queue" and put "everyone at risk" by breaking the lockdown restrictions on public masses. Dr Martin said disregard for public health norms in a pandemic is "unacceptable" and added, "there is no room for self-dispensation from or self-interpretation of the norms." His statement followed media reports that a parish in Blackrock, Co Dublin allegedly allowed people attend daily mass in recent days contravening pandemic restrictions on public worship. Referring to the media reports, Archbishop Martin, while not naming any individual church, noted that the Dublin parish has a policy statement published on its website stating, "public attendance at daily or Sunday Mass is not permissible during the current pandemic". Dr Martin said he had been "assured that the parish has now returned to that policy." He highlighted that the Irish church is working "intensely" to ensure that the reopening of churches for public worship will take place in a manner and at a time that is safe. He also stressed that public health policy would only work when its proposals and sequencing are fully respected by all. Some churches in Dublin have remained open throughout the pandemic for private prayer. Fr Dermot Leycock told RTEs Drivetime today that ten days ago during windy weather his parish in Blackrock had decided to create space at the back of the Church of the Guardian Angels, where those people who turned up for 10am Mass could be seated in a socially distanced way, while attending Mass and receiving communion. "The numbers only really started to grow in the last few days as word got out," he told RTE. However, in his statement, Archbishop Martin underlined that what is involved in reopening churches for public worship "is more than simple social distancing." The church in Blackrock remained closed today during daily 10am mass, but it was live-streamed for worshippers. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 28 Trend: Iranian Foreign Ministry has congratulated the Azerbaijani people on the Republic Day, Trend reports referring to the message posted on the official Twitter page of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Our sincere congratulation to the government and the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the Republic Day, the message said. On this prominent day, we wish them everlasting peace and prosperity. The Supreme Court on Thursday directed that the migrant workers can't be charged travel fare either by train or bus. The apex court also said that the Railways has to provide trains to the States as and when asked for the same, news agency PTI said. "When a migrant worker wishes to go to a state, no state can say that we will not take you," a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan directed. The Supreme Court also said that the originating state will provide meals and water at the stations and during the journey, while the Railways would provide the same to the migrant workers. Food and water should also be provided to the migrant labourers for travel in buses, it said. The bench, also comprising Justices SK Kaul and MR Shah, directed that the States monitor the registration of migrant workers and ensure that they are made to board the train or bus at the earliest. The top court said that complete information in the given matter should be publicised to all concerned states and Union Territories (UTs). It said though there is no doubt that concerned State governments and UTs are taking steps, several lapses have been found in the process of registration, transportation and providing food and water to migrants. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the apex court that 50 lakh migrants have been moved to their homes by Shramik Specials between May 1 and 27. He also said that 41 lakh workers were sent through the road. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court earlier this week took suo motu cognisance of the plight of migrant labourers stranded across the country amid coronavirus lockdown. The apex court had said that there are lapses on the side of the Centre and the State governments and urgent measures are needed to address the problems of migrant labourers. The top court had also asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to assist it on the issue. There were reports of many migrants being stranded in different parts of the country due to the suspension of transport services amid lockdown. Many walked long distances to reach their villages from the urban centres of the country. Also read: This stock held by Rakesh Jhunjhunwala has gained 27% in last five days, did you miss the rally Also read: Mukesh Ambani may soon score another fat cheque for Jio Platforms -- this time from global giant Microsoft Instant Pot Leek and Potato Soup How to prepare this soup in an Instant Pot. Tips for making this pressure cooker porrusalda: Instant Pot Leek and Potato Soup Print With Image Without Image Yield: 8 servings as an appetizer, 4 servings as a main course Author: Karen Kerr This leek and potato soup is so simple and rustic, yet it is so flavorful and comforting. Ingredients: 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving 3 large leeks, white and light green parts, sliced lengthwise, and then into 1/2 inch thick widthwise slices, washed and drained 4 bay leaves 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices 6 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for serving Salt and freshly ground black pepper 5 cups chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth 1 small cooked cod fillet (poached, baked, or pan fried), broken into pieces (optional) Instructions: Using the saute setting of your Instant Pot, add the olive oil, and heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the leeks and bay leaves and cook for 3 minutes, until the leeks are softened. Add the potatoes, carrots, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of salt, depending on how much salt there is in the broth you will be adding. If your broth is unsalted, add 3 teaspoons. If your broth is store bought, add 1 teaspoon. Add 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Pour in 5 cups of chicken broth and stir. Cancel the saute function and lock the lid of your pressure cooker in place. Turn the valve to the "seal" setting. Choose pressure cook or manual, and set the pressure on high and the cooking time to 3 minutes. When the cooking time has finished, manually release the pressure by moving the valve on top to Venting. Press Cancel and carefully remove the lid. Discard the bay leaves and serve drizzled with olive oil, extra pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Add optional cooked cod or other fish. Calories 221.05 Fat (grams) 7.44 Sat. Fat (grams) 1.31 Carbs (grams) 27.11 Fiber (grams) 2.64 Net carbs 24.47 Sugar (grams) 4.36 Protein (grams) 12.06 Sodium (milligrams) 298.57 Cholesterol (grams) 16.88 https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2020/05/instant-pot-leek-and-potato-soup.html Karen's Kitchen Stories soup, leeks, potatoes Soup, appetizer Spanish, Basque Did you make this recipe? Tag @KarensKitchenStories on instagram and hashtag it #KarensKitchenStories Created using The Recipes Generator How to stay up to date with Karen's Kitchen Stories? Facebook food photo sharing group (you don't have to be a blogger). While youre here please take a minute to Finally, please . Its a great way to stay up to date on all the latest and greatest blog recipes. Be sure to follow me on Facebook . Do you like taking photos of the food you make? You can also join my(you don't have to be a blogger).While youre here please take a minute to follow me on Pinterest . Im always pinning great recipes from fellow bloggers.Finally, please follow me on Instagram . Its a great way to stay up to date on all the latest and greatest blog recipes. This leek and potato soup is so simple and rustic, yet it is so flavorful and comforting.With chunky vegetables and a garlicky broth, this soup is the perfect starter for dinner. You could also serve it for lunch with salad and crusty bread. It's both light and hearty at the same time.This leek and potato soup is a take on, a soup from Spain's Basque region. In fact,means leek soup in Basque.While the traditional leek and potato Spanish soup is simmered for two to three hours, you can achieve that same creamy texture by preparing it in an Instant Pot in just 3 minutes of sauteing and then just 3 minutes of pressure cooking (not including the time it takes to reach pressure)! It's pretty much miraculous!While Instant Pot s (or other electric multi-cookers ) are primarily electric pressure cookers, you can also saute in them, which makes it so easy to cut down on extra pots and pans. Plus, they also have a slow cooker function as well as a yogurt function, which I hear is great for proofing dough (I haven't tried it yet).To make this soup, you saute the leeks in the multi-cooker, add all of the rest of the ingredients, set it to pressure cook, and then set the cooking time to 3 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure, at which time the 3 minutes start.Once the 3 minutes are up, you manually release the pressure. Be sure to read the instructions that come with your machine to prevent burns. I also like to lightly cover the release valve with a dish towel to absorb and diffuse the steam as it is expelled from the pressure cooker.You can either peel the Yukon gold potatoes or leave them unpeeled, as I did. Either way is fine. You can also cut the potatoes into chunks, or, if you want to be more Basque-like, you can break the potatoes into irregular chunks to release more starch. Just cut them part way, and then break them with your hands.Be sure to wash the leeks thoroughly before sauteing them. I like to add them to a salad spinner filled with water after slicing them. Just swirl them with your hand, drain, and spin. You can also do this with a bowl of water and a strainer.To keep this dish vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock. If you want to be totally luxurious, shrimp stock would be amazing in this soup.For a creamier soup, smash some of the potatoes with a wooden spoon or granny fork after cooking.In Spain, they often add bits of salt cod when serving this soup. Salt cod is not easy to find here, so I added a few bits of leftover poached cod.This soup is delicious the day it is made and it also makes delicious leftovers. It gets even creamier over time as the potato starches are released into the broth.To serve this soup, drizzle it with a little bit of olive oil and a shake of crushed red pepper or a dash of hot sauce.Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month's theme is Instant Pot Favorites. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location.With Progressive Eats it's a virtual party. A theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. Come along and see all of the delicious Instant Pot dishes!This recipe was inspired by my new purchase, Milk Street, Fast and Slow: Instant Pot Cooking at the Speed You Need, along with various Spanish recipe resources on the web.Check out my recipe index for more amazing recipes. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Silver Range Resources Ltd. (TSXV:SNG) ("Silver Range") announces the closing of the second tranche of the private placement announced February 11, 2020. The second tranche consisted of the issuance of 5,225,000 units at a price of $0.08 per unit, for gross proceeds of $418,000. Each unit consisted of one common share and one share purchase warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one additional common share at a price of $0.16 until May 26, 2022, provided that in the event the closing price of Silver Range's shares is $0.20 or greater for a period of ten consecutive trading days subsequent to the expiry of the statutory hold period, Silver Range will have the right to provide all warrant holders with notice that the expiry date for the warrants has been shortened to thirty calendar days from the giving of such notice. All of the securities issued as part of this second tranche will be subject to a hold period in Canada expiring on September 27, 2020. No finder's fees were paid and an insider, Strategic Metals Ltd., purchased 2,000,000 units for proceeds of $160,000. Exploration update In late April, Silver Range conducted a brief sampling program at the Tree River Project. At Tree River, Archean conglomerate hosts gold together with sulphides and carbonaceous material in a setting analogous to that found in the Witwatersrand of South Africa and the Pilbara district in Australia. Sampling by Silver Range at the Main Zone, originally explored by BHP Billiton and Strongbow Exploration returned grab samples up to 114 g/t Au and a chip sample returned 0.20 m @ 540 g/t Au. This zone is exposed intermittently over a strike length of 650 m, is strongly silicified and contains visible gold at the highest-grade exposure. The West Zone is 3.6 km along strike and returned grab samples up to 14.05 g/t Au. The April 2020 sampling consisted of collecting one metre by one metre sawn panel samples in excess of 40 kilograms to obtain a more representative indication of the bulk concentration of gold in bedrock. Samples were collected at the Main and West Zones. Results are pending. Silver Range has resumed operations in Nevada. Geophysical surveys and trenching are planned at the Loner Property where surface mineralization exposed in old workings returned 1.83 m @ 25.7 g/t Au from the brow of an adit and grab samples up to 16.60 g/t Au. At the East Gold Point Property, geochemical and geophysical surveys together with mapping and sampling are planned to investigate the inferred eastern extension of mineralization mined beneath the town of Gold Point. Reconnaissance work will also be conducted on several new targets. Interim Financial Statements Silver Range also announces that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has experienced delays associated with the limited availability of its internal accountants in connection with the preparation of its interim financial statements and related Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD &A") for the period ended March 31, 2020. In response to similar issues experienced by other businesses, the Canadian Securities Administrators have granted blanket relief for all market participants, providing up to a 45-day extension for periodic filings normally required to be made on or before May 30, 2020. In accordance with the blanket relief, Silver Range will delay the filing of its interim financial statements for the period ended March 31, 2020, the MD & A for the corresponding period and related management certifications of interim filings. Silver Range intends to file these documents prior to mid-June under the terms of the 45-day extension announced by the British Columbia Securities Commission under BCI 51-515, dated March 23, 2020. Until such time as the filings are made, Silver Range's management and other insiders are subject to a trading blackout that reflects the principles contained in Section 9 of National Policy 11-207 - Failure to File Cease Trade Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions. Other than as disclosed in Silver Range's press releases, there have not been any material business developments since the date on which it filed its annual financial statements and related MD & A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. About Silver Range Resources Ltd. Silver Range is a precious metals prospect generator working in Nevada and Northern Canada. It has assembled a portfolio of 45 properties, 8 of which are currently under option to others. Silver Range is actively seeking other joint venture partners to explore the high precious metal targets in its portfolio. ON BEHALF OF SILVER RANGE RESOURCES LTD. "Michael A. Power" President and Chief Executive Officer For further information concerning Silver Range or its exploration projects please contact: Investor Inquiries Richard Drechsler Vice-President, Communications Tel: (604) 687-2522 NA Toll-Free: (888) 688-2522 rdrechsler@silverrangeresources.com http://www.silverrangeresources.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results that may prove to be inaccurate as a result of exploration and other risk factors beyond its control, and actual results may differ materially from the expected results. SOURCE: Silver Range Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/591660/Silver-Range-Resources-Ltd-Closes-Second-Tranche-of-Private-Placement-Provides-Updates-on-Exploration-and-the-Filing-of-Interim-Financial-Statements YEREVAN. Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan issued a congratulatory message on Republic Day; this was reported by the Prime Minister's Office. The message reads as follows: Dear people, proud citizens of the Republic of Armenia, Proud citizens of the Republic of Artsakh, Proud Armenians of the Diaspora. Congratulations to all of us on Republic Day! After taking control of Alexandropol on May 15, 1918, the Turkish vanguard forces reached the village of Sardarapat on May 21: it seemed that they would inevitably enter Etchmiadzin and Yerevan, and the rest of the Armenians were doomed. The situation was critical. However, it was necessary to stand up to the deadly attack. Aram Manukyan was the one to embody the fighting spirit and the strength of the Armenians. Always fair and decisive, Aram used to say in those days of despair. Let us all get down to work, and we are sure to be on the winning side! Despair soon changed to enthusiasm. In the heroic battles of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan and Gharakilisa, the Armenian nation once and for all earned its worthy place on the world map. The May victories led to the establishment of the Republic of Armenia. The heroes of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan and Gharakilisa became the builders of Armenias independence. Eternal glory to Aram Manukyan, Tovmas Nazarbekyan, Movses Silikyan, Dro, Nzhdeh, Daniel and Poghos Bek-Pirumyans, Yezidi cavalry detachment commander Jhangir Agha! Glory to the Armenian army, the peoples volunteer corps fighters and clergy who fought with arms in hand! On those heroic days of 1918, about 1500 men and women worked hard in the territory of todays Yerablur to erect military fortifications on the initiative of Aram Manukyan. Yerablur was the defensive end of Yerevan. The victorious battle of Sardarapat prevented Yerevan from being captured, and Yerablur became a special place of pilgrimage years later to commemorate the heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of Artsakh. Today we are committed to the victorious contribution and message of Sardarapat and Artsakh, we believe that we will have the Armenia of our dream with a just and creative society striving for progress and change, a strong economy and an even stronger and more modern army. Dear compatriots, Aram Manukyan used to say. you must know that I am powerless without you. The entire Armenian nation is a hero, and our efforts will go in vain unless people want ... to work and save the Armenians from impending doom. Therefore, let us all get down to work for the sake of the Armenia of our dream! I am convinced that the victorious citizen of the Republic of Armenia will never again allow the loss of statehood or citizenship, the loss of our sovereign rights, the loss of faith and optimism. The Republic of Armenia must exist on the planet Earth forever, the flag of Armenia must fly high forever, symbolizing our spirit and pride, our freedom and sovereignty. Long live Freedom! Long live the Republic of Armenia! Long live the Republic of Artsakh! Long live the heroes of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan, Gharakilisa! Long live the founding fathers of the First Republic! And long live us and our children who live and will live in a Free and Happy Armenia! A team of surgeons from private Da Nang-Hoan My Hospital have successfully operated on a three-year-old with congenital heart disease the second surgery after the first emergency operation in 2018. She was released from the hospital three days after the operation on Thursday. A three-year-old girl and her mother at the Hoan My-Da Nang Hospital after a heart operation. She has been released from the hospital after the successful surgery. Photo courtesy Hoan My Da Nang Hospital Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hien said the three-year-old girl from Da Nang, whose heart suffered the most complicated defect (Apso Type II) five months after birth in 2017, was rescued at the hospital in 2018. The doctor said the first operation had helped save the girl as she could not breathe. The patient had a temporary heart operation two years later as she was not strong enough for the final surgery. She was taken to the hospital in poor heath, and doctors decided to go ahead with the risky procedure in early May. The six-hour operation was a success, and the girl was able to breath unaided after using ventilators at the hospital. Doctors at the Hoan My Da Nang hospital during a heart operation on a three-year-old girl in Da Nang. The girl recovered and was released the hospital three days after the operation. Photo courtesy Hoan My Da Nang Hospital In 2018, doctors at the hospital also saved a five-month-old baby from Quang Nam Province with congenital heart disease. According to the hospital, more than 9,000 children and teenagers in four central provinces and cities of Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Nghe An and Da Nang had received free heart screening examinations following the hospitals 2018 under-18 heart care programme. The citys health department said 2,500 children under 18-year-old with heart disease in the central region have received free surgeries at the hospital since 2007. VNS Medical procedure saves under-20kg babies with irregular heartbeat Infants from the central and southern region with a severe irregular heartbeat who weigh less than 20 kilogrammes can now be treated with radiofrequency catheter ablation at Children's Hospital 1 in HCM City. PHILIPSBURG:--- Scores of Civil Servants including police officers turned up at the Government Administration Building to protest the proposed cut in vacation pay for the years 2020 and 2021.The Chamber of Labor Unions already indicated to the Government of St. Maarten that they were not going to accept cuts in their salaries and or vacation pay to meet the demanded cuts laid down by the Dutch Government. Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion gave the unions his last proposal on Monday where he indicated that the government of St. Maarten will not cut salaries and that the only cuts civil servants will face are the proposed 50% in the vacation pay of 2020 and 2021. The unions were supposed to present a counter-proposal to the Minister of Finance today but instead, their members marched to the Government Administration Building where they are currently protesting. The protest it is understood was sparked due to the letter sent by Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs on Tuesday. Some teachers who are not part of the Windward Islands Teachers Union already indicated that they were going to accept the proposed cuts in their vacation pay. Click here to view the letter sent to Civil Servants. A Brandon police officer and an officer with the Manitoba First Nations Police Service are facing criminal charges, including voyeurism, following an investigation by Manitobas police watchdog. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/5/2020 (602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us A Brandon police officer and an officer with the Manitoba First Nations Police Service are facing criminal charges, including voyeurism, following an investigation by Manitobas police watchdog. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) was notified of an allegation against a Brandon Police Service officer and launched an investigation in April 2019, which determined the alleged incident occurred without the knowledge and consent of the victim. Civilian director Zane Tessler said in a media release that he is "satisfied there are reasonable grounds to believe a criminal offence occurred," and the BPS constable was charged with voyeurism. Brandon police Chief Wayne Balcaen said Wednesday he was aware of the allegation as it was BPS who notified the IIU in April, but would not be divulging the name of the officer or any further details to protect the identity of the victim. The officer is still employed with BPS in a "non-operational capacity," Balcaen said, meaning he will not be involved in any investigations while the matter is before the court. See Woman Page A2 Woman alleges intimate images distributed without consent The IIU was also notified of allegations against a MFNP officer in December 2019, and an investigation determined the victim had no knowledge and did not consent to intimate images of her being shared. The Manitoba First Nations Police Service officer faces two counts of distributing intimate images of a woman without her consent. MFNP Insp. Dave Scott was not available for comment on Wednesday, but previously told CBC News the officer is on administrative suspension as a result of the charges. The allegations have not been proven in court and both officers are presumed innocent. The Brandon Sun will not be naming the officers until theyve made their first appearances in court. The BPS officer is scheduled to appear in court July 7, and the MFNP officer is scheduled to appear July 15. The two officers have also been involved as third parties in a civil lawsuit against a woman accused of leaking intimate photos of a BPS candidate to senior members of the force during a hiring competition. The victim alleges the woman distributed the intimate images of her without her consent as an act of revenge after discovering the intimate photos on her then-partners computer. The woman in turn sued the two officers, claiming they were to blame for sharing the images. The claim against one of the officers has since been discontinued, and the other officer has filed a motion requesting the third-party claim against him be dismissed. The woman has also since filed a third-party claim against the City of Brandon, alleging BPS is "jointly and severely liable" for their involvement in the distribution of images. These allegations also havent been proven and the lawsuit remains before the court. The Brandon Sun Russia is coordinating with countries including France to invite the leaders to attend the Victory Day parade in Moscow on June 24. While the Russian President recently announced that the annual May 9 massive military parade will be held in June, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reportedly said that it is quite a short period for compiling the schedules of international leaders. Peskov added that the invitations would be coordinated on a case-by-case basis and it will also be coordinated with each country individually. The new date of June 24 marks the 75th year after the first victory parade in Red Square following Germanys surrender to Soviet commanders on May 9. While Peskov reportedly informed that the president of Kyrgyzstan has confirmed his attendance, a foreign ministry official also said that participating countries including France were being issued 'repeat invitations. According to an international media report, Chinas leader Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron of France were among the most high-profile confirmed attendees with invitations sent to other world leaders including British PM Boris Johnson and US President Donald Trump. READ: Russia Postpones BRICS, SCO Summits Slated For July Amid COVID-19 Crisis The parade traditionally takes place every year on May 9 and it is also Russias most important holiday. Thousands of people gather in Moscow, including elderly veterans proudly wearing their medals. This year, the parade was supposed to highlight Russias exception role in history and on the world stage, however, due to the unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak, the country had to postpone the military parade. READ: US Military Says Russia Deployed Fighter Jets To Libya COVID-19 outbreak Earlier this week, while announcing the date for the military parade, Putin reportedly said that accord to specialists, Russia has passed the peak of the outbreak. He ordered his ministry to start preparing for the event and said, We will do this..on the day of the legendary, historical victory parade in 1945. Meanwhile, Russia has recorded 379,051 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,142 deaths. Russia has the third-highest number of coronavirus cases across the globe, only behind the United States and Brazil. The exponential surge in COVID-19 cases forced the Russian President to postpone the parade, however, he had promised that the nation will celebrate it on a grand scale. (Image: @RussianEmbassy/Twitter) READ: Russia To Hold World War II Victory Parade On June 24 READ: Putin Says Russia Passed COVID-19 Peak, Orders WWII Victory Parade On June 24 Riot police were deployed across Hong Kong on Thursday as lawmakers debated a bill that would criminalise disrespect of China`s national anthem, and as the United States piled pressure on China to preserve the city`s freedoms. Heated debate over the bill - the latest spark of anti-government unrest in the semi-autonomous city - saw two pro-democracy lawmakers removed from the Legislative Council which was then adjourned. Police fired pepper pellets and made 360 arrests on Wednesday as thousands of people took to the streets in anger over the anthem bill and national security legislation proposed by China that has raised international alarm over freedoms in the city. Late into the evening, protesters were still cramming sidewalks, chanting for full democracy and for Hong Kong to seek independence from China, saying this is now "the only way out". US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Hong Kong no longer qualified for special treatment under US law, potentially dealing a crushing blow to its status as a major financial hub. China`s plan to impose the new legislation was "only the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine Hong Kongs autonomy and freedoms", he told Congress. "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground," he said. Beijing unveiled plans last week for national security legislation for Hong Kong that aims to tackle secession, subversion and terrorist activities. It could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in the city that was supposed to have a high degree of autonomy under the terms of its 1997 handover to China by former colonial power Britain. Chinese authorities and the Beijing-backed government in Hong Kong say there is no threat to the city`s high degree of autonomy and the new security law would be tightly focused. The United States and China clashed over Hong Kong at the United Nations on Wednesday after Beijing opposed a request by Washington for the Security Council to meet over the national security legislation. The US mission to the United Nations said the issue was "a matter of urgent global concern ?that implicates international peace and security". China said the legislation was an internal matter for China. "SHOW TIME" Tensions between Beijing and Washington had already been rising over China`s militarisation of the South China Sea, trade and the coronavirus pandemic. "Already, international business is facing the pressure of increased tension between the U.S. and China, but the enactment of China`s security law for Hong Kong could take the tension to a whole new level," said Tara Joseph, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. "This is show time for Hong Kong," Joseph said in a commentary in the South China Morning Post. US President Donald Trump has promised an announcement on what action he will take over Hong Kong at the end of the week. More than 1,300 U.S. companies have offices in the city, providing around 100,000 jobs. Trump has a long list of possible responses, including visa and economic sanctions, David Stilwell, the State Department`s assistant secretary for East Asia, told reporters. "Sanction is painful but necessary," Agnes Chow from Hong Kong`s pro-democracy group Demosisto said at a news conference. China`s security plan ignited the first large protests in Hong Kong for months, after the city was rocked by often violent pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019 over an unsuccessful bid to introduce an extradition law to China. Protesters and pro-democracy politicians say Hong Kongs National Anthem Bill, which aims to govern the use and playing of the Chinese national anthem, represents another sign of what they see as accelerating interference from Beijing. Among other things, the bill carries penalties of up to three years jail and/or fines of up to HK$50,000 ($6,450) for those who insult the anthem. The anthem bill is expected to become law next month. London: Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists have released a horrific new video that shows five boys, including one, said to be from the UK, aged between 10 to 13 years shooting prisoners in Syria. The boys are seen shooting dead five men identified as captured Kurdish fighters who are kneeling. A caption claims the white boy in the video is Abu Abdullah al-Britani, who is allegedly British. All the boys are pictured in full military fatigues and a black hat alongside the four other boys. Five hostages are shown dressed in familiar orange jumpsuits seen in previous ISIS propaganda videos, The Times reports. No one can save the Kurds even with the support of America, France, Britain, Germany, the devils in hell, the British boy is heard to say in Arabic. He then calls for the takbir the term referring to the phrase Allahu akbar which the other boys shout in unison, raising their pistols to the sky before shooting the hostages dead. The video then pans to gunshot wounds to the mens heads as they lie dead in the sand. The four other boys in the footage are captioned as being Tunisian, Kurdish, Egyptian and Uzbekistani in origin. There is no confirmation of the identity of the British boy from the UK Foreign Office but it is believed he could be the son of a white-British woman convert and was taken to join ISIS at the age of 10. The name Abu Abdullah al-Britani may refer to his adopted Father, a young British terrorist who married in Syria and was killed in a drone strike. Children have featured prominently in ISIS propaganda in which the militant group boasts about preparing the next generation of fighters. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The wave of deaths, one-third of which has come from the world's financial capital of New York and neighbouring New Jersey and Connecticut, has had a devastating impact on American economy which has now gone into recession with an unprecedented over 35 million losing their jobs in the last three months. New York : The death toll from the novel coronavirus in the United States has crossed one lakh, the highest for any country in the world, as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaks havoc across the globe by upending life and disrupting economic activity. However, a silver lining is the rate of both deaths and new cases have been registering a decline, a development that has encouraged almost all of the 50 States to announce plans to reopen their economies. "With the 100,000th recorded American death due to COVID-19, our nation marks a somber milestone. All across the country, families are mourning loved-ones lost to this disease," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said. "It is difficult to comprehend the scope of this tragedy, and each of these 100,000 Americans is a parent, grandparent, sibling, child, and valued community member," he said after Johns Hopkins University which records the data reported that the death toll on Wednesday crossed the 100,000 mark. The New York Times said that the death toll exceeds the number of US military combat fatalities in every conflict since the Korean War. It matches the toll in the United States of the 1968 flu pandemic, and it is approaching the 116,000 killed in another flu outbreak a decade before that, it said. So far, more than 1.7 million Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus. According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the coronavirus has impacted all age groups and communities in the US. Asian Americans accounts for 4.7 per cent of the total coronavirus cases and Black Americans 26.3 per cent. There is no official record for deaths of Indian-Americans or those who got infected. But some unofficial estimates put the number of deaths among Indian-Americans to over 500 in New York and New Jersey area and those who tested positive to several thousands. Several prominent Indian--American doctors and eminent community members have succumbed to the COVID-19 in the past two months. After initial hiccups, the US has ramped up its testing across the nation. So far, it has done a record 15.7 million tests of which 1.8 million have tested positive, the CDC said. The largest number of cases of over 500,000 have been found in the age group of 18-44 years, followed by over 450,000 in the age group of 45-64 years. "Our nation mourns the loss of so many Americans to this deadly pandemic now more than 100,000 killed, including nearly 5,000 in Illinois," Congressman Bill Foster said. "It's important to realise that while this crisis has caused deep economic strain to our economy, those who've lost friends or family members to the coronavirus are the ones who've experienced the most pain, and our thoughts are with everyone mourning loved ones," he said. Globally, the coronavirus has claimed 355,615 lives and has infected over 5.6 million people, according to the Johns Hopkins University data. (Natural News) As states across the U.S. ramp up their reopenings, some are coming under fire for publishing misleading statistics or concealing information related to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Government officials in a number of states are now facing questions about how open and honest theyve been on how the virus is impacting their state. The U.S. has reported more cases and deaths from COVID-19 than any other country. However, the method for counting the deaths varies by state. As a result, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci said, in a testimony before the Senate earlier this month, that the actual number of people whove died from the pandemic is almost certainly higher than whats been reported. States misreporting coronavirus numbers In Georgia, one of the first states to launch its reopening, officials have apologized and corrected what they have described as a processing error that wrongly showed a downward trend in the number of new daily infections in the state. This error made it appear as if new infections had dropped every day for two weeks. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the error was at least the third in three weeks. (Related: STUPID-19 strikes again: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp releases rigged coronavirus chart that scrambles dates to create false impression of infection decline.) Meanwhile, in neighboring Florida, which has also moved to quickly reopen swathes of its economy, several data-related controversies have also arisen. Recently, reports have come out that state officials directed a top Florida Department of Health data manager earlier this month to remove specific coronavirus data from the public view. This data showed that Floridians reported symptoms associated with COVID-19 before cases were officially announced. Emails showed that data manager Rebekah Jones had complied with the order, but not before saying that it was the wrong call. Jones was later taken off her role in maintaining the states coronavirus dashboard. She told CBS that she refused to manually change data to drum up support for the plan to reopen Florida. Jones is currently under active criminal charges cyberstalking and cyber sexual harassment, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis. Last month, Florida officials stopped releasing the list of COVID-19 deaths being compiled by the states medical examiners. The list had, at times, shown a higher death toll than the total being published by the state. A spokesman for the states Health Department has since stated that the medical examiners had a different method for reporting deaths and that reports of deaths being hidden were untrue. The Arizona Department of Health Services cut off a team of Arizona State University and University of Arizona experts who had provided pandemic modeling for the state, saying that the state preferred to use the federal model. However, after receiving backlash, the Health Department reinstated the team, though its unclear if their input is being used by state officials when making decisions. Nursing home coronavirus data remains an issue One of the big issues when it comes to the publication of specific coronavirus data involves cases and deaths in nursing homes. State and local officials have come under intense scrutiny over the collection and release of this information. COVID-19 has hit nursing homes particularly hard, thanks to both their residents vulnerability and the policies that states and localities have put into place, especially when it comes to revealing the names of the facilities involved. Earlier this month, Arizona officials argued that they should not reveal the names of nursing homes with outbreaks because it could give those facilities a stigma and could lead to discrimination against them. The officials made this argument in response to a lawsuit from Arizona news outlets demanding that the state provide information on coronavirus cases in nursing homes. In Pennsylvania, on the other hand, state officials finally released nursing home data last week after weeks of delay in the face of significant pressure. Meanwhile, the federal government says that it plans to publish such information by the end of May. Visit Pandemic.news for the latest updates on the rate of COVID-19 deaths and infections. Sources include: NBCNews.com CBS12.com 12News.com Hosted.AP.org AZCentral.com As COVID-19 fuels economic uncertainty thats impacting college enrollment, Houston Community College has seen almost a 9 percent enrollment increase for the upcoming summer semester. This increase, according to HCCs Vice Chancellor of Student Services Dr. Shantay Grays, may be the direct result of an economic downturn that is motivating students to return to school to learn new skills. CLASS OF 2020: Bellaire High School grads persevere amid chaotic semester The numbers that weve seen in terms of the increase are primarily for our continuing and returning students, said Grays. A continuing student is a student who has been enrolled for consecutive semesters; a returning student is a student who may have sat out for a lone semester and has decided to go back to school. HELP AMID PANDEMIC: Need help? Want to volunteer? Heres Houstons COVID-19 resource guide Were seeing a significant number of those students return to college beginning this summer, said Grays. Thats very promising news. Historically, community colleges have benefited from economic downturns as people aged 25 and older gravitate to community colleges but return to the labor force when the economy starts improving, according to the Community College Research Center. From a CCRC blog post, the magnitude of unemployment during the pandemic is already much greater than it was during the Great Recession, which would seem to suggest that there will be substantial numbers of unemployed adults who may seek out further education at a local community college. Unemployed workers are viewing community college as a new avenue that can help keep them afloat during uncertain times. As unemployment in Harris County has reached more than 200,000 people as of March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, HCC is undertaking a campaign that specifically targets those who are displaced and out of work. HCC, partnering with other local non-profits and entities, has introduced JobsNowHouston, which helps people find in-demand occupations as well as offer accelerated certificate and education pathways at HCC to help get those jobs. It really gives folks the up to the minute data on the job postings that are out there. What jobs are hot, whats happening in the market and were tracking that data on a regular basis, said Associate Vice Chancellor of Workforce Instruction Michael Webster in a video announcing the website. Weve got short term training and certificates that folk can get to get good jobs fairly quickly. Although HCC has seen an uptick in enrollment for continuing and returning students for the upcoming summer semester, the college system has seen a decline in new college applicants. Prior to the onset of COVID-19, HCC was on track to exceed the number of new applicants they received, mostly from high school students. What weve seen now, as of March through the current date, were down by about 9,000 applications, said Grays. I do believe that is a direct correlation of COVID-19s effect on our local school districts. HCC usually receives applications around Spring Break as that is usually the period where many high school seniors have not received notice from the four-year institution of the choice and start making plans to go to community college. Students have also not been able to coordinate with their high schools as easily to get the required meningitis vaccination or receive help to complete their FAFSA application. Grays believes HCC wont see any change in terms of the number of new students they will receive but instead they will just see a delay in the time in which those students will be able to complete the enrollment process. For financial aid, many students and families are unaware that if their financial situation has been adversely affected by the pandemic, they may be eligible to receive state or federal aid in which they wouldnt have been able to receive otherwise. HCC is pushing out information to encourage students to apply, even if they think they are not eligible. For those who are returning students who may have applied but wasnt awarded enough to cover the full cost of attendance, were adjusting their financial aid award based on their employment information, if that happened to have changed as a direct result of COVID-19, Grays said. Through all of HCCs marketing efforts, the college systems fall 2020 semester is still up in the air regarding class capacity or if they will have in-person courses at all. The administration is considering all options, knowing that there will still be some concern from individuals, faculty, staff and students about the safeness and concerns about returning to campus, said Grays. Equally, we have students who are eager to return to a traditional learning environment. Were taking all those things into consideration in our planning. Houston Community Colleges service area is Houston, Katy, Spring Branch and Alief independent school districts, Stafford Municipal School District, and the Fort Bend portion of Missouri City. For more information go to www.hccs.edu. ryan.nickerson@hcnonline.com Kufre Carter, the journalist detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) despite perfecting bail, has been freed. His lawyer,... Kufre Carter, the journalist detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) despite perfecting bail, has been freed. His lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, had accused the DSS of awaiting a directive by Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel, before releasing his client. Kufre was arrested by the DSS and the Police April 27 over a purported phone conversation with an anonymous doctor. The state government alleged that the audio castigated the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. When Uwemedimo Nwoko, the Attorney General of Akwa Ibom, arraigned Kufre on three-count charges on alleged defamation, the defence applied for bail. Initially, a N3 million bail was granted with one surety who must be a Permanent Secretary with the Akwa Ibom State Government or a civil servant of Grade Level 17. But the defence applied to the Akwa Ibom State High Court for reduction and on May 18, Justice Archibong Archibong of the State High Court varied the bail conditions and reduced the bond to N200,000. The bail was perfected on May 22 but the DSS refused to allow Kufre go despite the court order served on them In a statement, Effiong announced that the journalist with XL 106.9 FM in Uyo was released on Wednesday after spending one month in DSS custody. He disclosed that the Director-General, Yusuf Bichi, ordered the command in Akwa Ibom State to comply with the court order. Effiong said the state government ought to have known that the rule of law was not going to be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. The state government also knew that in cases of oppression, state-sponsored terror and persecution, no amount of threat, blackmail or intimidation would make us to apologise or beg them. The counsel recalled that he told Uwoko in court when he tried to humiliate me by announcing to the hearing of lawyers on 11th May, 2020, that Kufre had apologised to the governor. Our client did not and has no reason to do so. I also told Mr. Nwoko that it is the governor who must apologise to our client. Those who clandestinely bargained for an apology in an attempt to give the government a soft landing did so in bad faith. They never sought our opinion or consent. No union or association intimated us of their plan to hold a nocturnal meeting with the government over our clients case, this is not how sincere people behave. Effiong further stated Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) leadership in Akwa Ibom did not play any useful role in Kufres release. The activist noted that on the contrary, they attempted to massage the insatiable ego of their friends and benefactors in government. The Attorney-General claimed that it was the NUJ leadership that told him that they had extracted an apology from our client which he said was meant for Governor Udom Emmanuel. That false statement from Nwoko came to us as a rude shock given that the State Chairman and Secretary of the NUJ had issued a public statement in commemoration of the recent International Press Freedom Day wherein they jointly distanced themselves from our clients case. Effiong told the government and other parties that his client will seek legal redress in court over the violation of his fundamental rights, and will claim damages and public apology and ancillary reliefs. On the pending criminal charge against Kufre at the Chief Magistrate Court, Fulga Street in Uyo, the counsel said they will meet the Akwa Ibom government in court on Monday, June 1 for trial. Meanwhile, just like Kufres case, Gabriel Ogbonna, a legal practitioner based in Aba, Abia State, is still in DSS custody even after bail perfection. Prominent lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and DSS DG, Bichi to intervene. Ogbonna is being incarcerated over a publication on Abia Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, despite a subsisting court order. PRESS RELEASE Luxembourg, 27th May 2020 VELCAN HOLDINGS: NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ON 29th JUNE 2020 VELCAN HOLDINGS announces to the shareholders of the Company that the Annual Ordinary General meeting will be held on Monday the 29th of June 2020, at 10 a.m., in the offices of the law firm Tabery & Wauthier, 10 rue Pierre dAspelt, L1142 Luxembourg, in order to vote on the approval of the 2019 annual financial statements and condensed non-audited consolidated financial statements and on the renewal of the Board of Directors members and of the Auditor. All required information and related documents will be available for downloading on the companys website on 27th May 2020: Notice of the Annual Ordinary General meeting; Board of Directors report on the resolutions proposed to the General Meeting; Text of the proposed resolutions; Single participation form. The annual management report and the audit report are available online since 29th April 2020. The Board of Directors invites the shareholders to consult the following page: http://www.velcan.lu/investors/reports-accounts/ * * * Investors Relations Contact investor@velcan.lu About Velcan: Velcan Holdings is a Luxembourg headquartered investment holding company founded in 2005, operating as an independent power producer in emerging countries and managing a global portfolio of financial assets. The company owns and operates a 15MW hydro power plant in Brazil that it developed and built in 2009. The company is currently developing as main energy project a cascade of hydropower concessions located in India and totalling 571 MW. Hydropower concessions provide long periods of cash generation but their development outcome is uncertain and many years are needed to bring these projects to maturity in emerging countries: it involves field studies in remote places, obtaining the necessary authorizations and permits, and land acquisition in political and regulatory environments that can be unstable or heavily hampering. Meanwhile Velcan Holdings actively manages its treasury, investing in listed and unlisted financial instruments. Story continues Velcan Holdings headquarters are in Luxembourg, with administrative and financial offices in Singapore and Mauritius. The team dedicated to the development of the Indian hydropower cascade is based in New Delhi and at the project site (Arunachal Pradesh). The team dedicated to the Rodeio Bonito plant is based in Sao Paulo and Chapeco (Santa Catarina State). The company was launched more than 15 years ago by its reference shareholder LHP SA, owned by Velcan Holdings management team. Velcan Holdings is listed on the Euro MTF Stock Market in Luxembourg (Ticker VLCN/ISIN FR0010245803). Velcan Holdings never performed any Public Offer as understood under Directive 2003/71/CE of the European Parliament and Council. Disclaimer This press release contains prospective information about the potential of the projects in progress and/or of the projects of which the development has begun. This information constitutes objectives attached to projects and shall not be construed as direct or indirect net income forecast of the concerned year. Readers attention is also drawn on the fact that the performance of these objectives depends on future circumstances and that it could be affected and/or delayed by risks, known or unknown, uncertainties, and various factors of any nature, notably related to economic, commercial or regulatory conjuncture, which occurrence could be likely to have a negative impact on future activity and performances of the Group. This announcement does not constitute a public offering (offre au public) nor an invitation to the public or to any qualified investor in connection with any offering. This announcement is not an offer of securities in the United States of America or in any other jurisdiction/country. Attachment Our sales specialists often see residency applicants who plan to spend only part of their time in Cayman, but its not long before they are asking us to help them plan a permanent move for their families and often their business. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to constrain free movement across the globe, high-net-worth individuals who are normally globally mobile are looking at low-density jurisdictions as residency safe havens. Destinations featuring high-quality healthcare, modern infrastructure and a strong, proactive response to the pandemic demonstrate added value to those in search of privacy and safety. With their search for places in which to seek refuge has come a review of residency-by-investment programmes by high-net-worth individuals, as it is anticipated countries will open their borders first to citizens and legal residents before welcoming back visitors. Some of those high-net-worth individuals are looking to the Caribbean, particularly the Cayman Islands. The cosmopolitan jurisdiction is both an easily accessible tropical island and a thriving financial centre, and thus appeals to individuals considering relocation to the Cayman Islands for residency purposes. The tax-neutral British Overseas Territory with one of the lowest-population densities in the world may well provide the answer for those seeking a new domicile. Whilst not the only country to offer residency through investment to high-net-worth individuals, Daniel Altneu, a senior associate at law firm Bedell Cristin, notes that the Cayman Islands offers some distinct advantages. "In addition to its pre-eminence as a luxury vacation destination and an international financial centre, the territory boasts one of the highest GDPs and standards of living in the world, says Altneu. Its traditional values of community and privacy and the fact that it is a safe and secure place with one of the lowest crime rates in the Caribbean make it the address of choice to many high-net-worth individuals who are attracted by its natural beauty, well-developed infrastructure, stable government, elite health services and education systems." The public and private sectors in the Cayman Islands provide timely and efficient service in normal times and, in response to the current global pandemic, have demonstrated agility in moving to remote work environments with negligible impact on business continuity. This is an important factor when considering a jurisdiction for residency, says Chris Willis, managing director government advisory and programme delivery with Latitude Consultancy Limited. The most important features of Caymans residency programme are ease of application, reasonable physical residence requirements per year and efficient, predictable processing, Willis explains. The amount of the investment must be reasonable and in a sensible vehicle such as real estate. In addition to timely processing of applications, the Cayman Islands offers two residency certificates through investment in real estate; a 25-year residency certificate requiring a minimum investment of US$1.2 million and 30 days annual residency, and a certificate of permanent residence requiring a minimum investment of US$2.4 million and one-day annual residency. Those who achieve permanent residency by independent means may apply to become a naturalised British Overseas Territory resident in five years. Those individuals seeking to purchase a property to meet the real estate investment requirements will find an extensive selection of luxury properties available with a straightforward acquisition process as there are no restrictions on foreign ownership of property, no alien landholding license requirements and certainty of title. Jackie Doak, president of business development at Dart and broker of Provenance Properties, the official Christies International Real Estate affiliate in the Cayman Islands, notes that Caymans modern infrastructure, high-quality building standards, sophisticated business environment and vibrant community make the transition to island living an easy one. Our sales specialists often see residency applicants who plan to spend only part of their time in Cayman, but its not long before they are asking us to help them plan a permanent move for their families and often their business. Comprehensive relocation guides describing how to buy real estate and how to establish a business presence in the Cayman Islands can be reviewed here. United States President Donald Trump will reportedly sign an 'executive order' pertaining to social media on Thursday, May 28. The report occurs after the President was fact-checked on two of his tweets on Twitter, giving criticisms on the mail-in ballot system. Reporters from the White House revealed this information but said that they are not sure what would be the content of the said order. Trump plans to sign 'Executive Order' related to social media; What could it be? Several White House reporters had recently tweeted that U.S. Pres. Trump will soon sign an 'executive order' connected to social media. The press does not yet identify the information regarding the said order. However, reports said it was related to the recent conflict between social media platform Twitter and the President. White House says Trump will sign an executive order "pertaining to social media" tomorrow, but provides no details on what it might say or do. Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) May 27, 2020 On the flight back to Washington, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters President Trump is going to sign some kind of executive order on social media. No further details appear to have been offered, but it comes after he lashed out over fact checks on his tweets. Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 27, 2020 Trump vs. Twitter: What went wrong? On Wednesday, May 27, Tech Times mentioned Twitter's sudden fact-checking on Trump's tweets about the mail-in ballot system. As quoted by CNET, on Tuesday, May 26, Pres. Trump criticizes the mail-in ballot saying, "There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-in-Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent." He followed up this tweet stating that this system will be a "rigged election." All of a sudden, Twitter added a label on both tweets made by the President and said that both statements were "potentially misleading information about voting processes." Trump to close down social media platforms? After being fact-checked, the President followed up his tweets and said that Twitter is now interfering in the 2020 Presidential election. It also suggests that he is planning to do something on social media in America, by not "allowing it to happen." @Twitter is now interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election. They are saying my statement on Mail-In Ballots, which will lead to massive corruption and fraud, is incorrect, based on fact-checking by Fake News CNN and the Amazon Washington Post.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020 Twitter CEO expects clash with the President Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey already expected the start of a clash between his platform and the President. He said that this clash will continue until November elections. For now, the White House has not yet discussed any info regarding the upcoming executive order. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A 70-year-old priest was arrested for allegedly sacrificing a 52-year-old man inside a temple in Odisha's Cuttack district to appease the goddess and end the coronavirus pandemic. Priest Sansari Ojha engaged at Brahmani Dei Temple in Bandhahuda area under Narasinghpur police station allegedly beheaded a man inside the shrine on Wednesday night, said police on Thursday. Later, the priest surrendered before the police. The deceased has been identified as Saroj Pradhan. The priest claimed he was ordered by the goddess in his dream to sacrifice a human in order to bring an end to the pandemic, the police said. "The priest claimed that he saw Goddess in his dream and was asked to sacrifice a human's life to bring to an end to coronavirus. Hence, to appease the goddess, he decapitated the man," said Alok Ranjan Ray, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Athagarh. While the dead body has been sent for an autopsy, police have seized the murder weapon from the shrine. Police said they were initiating an investigation into the incident as both had shared weed at the temple. WOODBRIDGE, N.J., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fusion Health announced that it has completed its acquisition of 100% voting and non-voting shares of Kalos, Inc. Kalos, a leader in pharmacy management solutions, is located in Topeka, Kansas. The company is nationally recognized for its proven software in retail pharmacies, universities, and correctional facilities. Kalos was founded in 1940 under the name State Typewriter Co. In 1960, Jim Springer Sr. purchased the company later to be joined by Al Rimmel in 1961. At that time, the company sold and serviced typewriters and copiers. With the change from typewriters to office equipment the company rebranded its name to State Office Systems, Inc. The company later opened another division to develop custom management software for pharmacies located in correctional institutions and university health centers and again changed its name to Kalos, Inc. Jim Springer, Jr. has worked for Kalos for over 40 years, the last 20 years as Owner and President. Fusion Health is an industry leader in Electronic Health Records (EHR) within the corrections industry as well as other government run agencies. Recognized by .INC as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States for the past three years, Fusion's acquisition of Kalos will allow for its expansion and diversification in its markets and product offerings. Bryan Jakovcic, Fusion's Founder and President entered the corrections industry in 2010. "Seeing an underserved and underdeveloped market, I saw that I could make a difference by providing quality, cutting edge solutions. By having the patient population managed by our technology we could provide timely information to one of the sickest patient populations in the country," stated Jakovcic. "Since our entry into the market, and in working with Kalos' team on numerous implementations, I always felt that the Kalos team would be a perfect fit in our vision, culture and mission. This acquisition will allow us to provide our client base with a greater level of service and innovation," stated Jakovcic. Jakovcic confirmed that Kalos will continue to operate under its current brand name and will be absorbed into Fusion as an operating subsidiary with the staff remaining in Topeka. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed although financing was arranged by JP Morgan Chase. Fusion was advised on the transaction by Militia Hill Capital Advisors. Information on Fusion Health: www.FusionEHR.com Media Contact: Alyssa Baricevich 732-218-5705 [email protected] SOURCE Fusion Health Related Links http://www.FusionEHR.com An Amazon warehouse worker in California has died from coronavirus, becoming the ninth known employee to succumb to the illness. Harry Sentoso, 63, was hired by Amazon in late March amid the company's hiring spree in response to the pandemic. Amazon announced that it would hire 100,000 workers in mid-March. The company made a similar announcement in April, adding a goal of an additional 75,000 employees to help with customer demand. At the time, the father-of-two had been laid off from his previous job and was excited to get back to work, his family told the Los Angeles Times. His first day working at the Amazon delivery center in Irvine was on March 29. Two weeks later on April 12, his 27th wedding anniversary, Sentoso passed away. After working for five days, Sentoso's family says he began to feel ill on one of his days off. Though he was feeling under the weather, Sentoso went back to work on Sunday, April 5, according to the Times. That same day his wife started feeling sick. Sentoso worked four more days until he started having more severe symptoms like shortness of breath and a fever. Scroll down for video Amazon warehouse worker, Harry Sentoso, 63, of California has died from the novel coronavirus, becoming the ninth known employee to succumb to the illness. His first day working at the Amazon delivery center in Irvine (file image) Two weeks later on April 12, his 27th wedding anniversary, Sentoso passed away. He was working at the Irvine facility (file image) when he passed away His wife got tested and her results came back positive for the coronavirus. A doctor told her that it was safe to assume that Sentoso was also infected, according to the Times. But a few days later, Sentoso was having trouble breathing altogether and his family called 911 after he collapsed in their driveway. First responders arrived but Sentoso died on the way to the hospital. A Dailymail.com request for comment to Amazon was not immediately returned. At least eight other Amazon warehouse workers have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. The nine Amazon employees who have died from coronavirus across the United States At least nine Amazon employees have died from the coronavirus across the US. George Leigh (pictured), an Amazon sort associate and learning ambassador, was the sixth employee to die of COVID-19 One employee was confirmed to have died in Indiana, having worked at the SDF8 facility in Jeffersonville. The unnamed employee last worked on April 1 but was later diagnosed with COVID-19 on April 25, WLKY reports. Amazon said that it was not notified of the man's condition until May 11. The company then alerted staff via text message, which is current protocol. An employee at the company's fulfillment center in Tracy, California, died from the virus and was confirmed by Amazon on April 30. That employee had last worked on April 1 but it was not clear on when he contracted the virus, KNTV reports. George Leigh, 59, died of coronavirus on April 9 in Long Island after he reportedly began to feel ill in late March. An unnamed employee, 50, worked the night shift as a picker at the online retail giant's facility in Waukegan, Illinois. He died on April 18, leaving behind his wife, five children and two stepchildren. Gerard Tuzara, an Air Force veteran, became the first known Amazon warehouse worker to die from the coronavirus on March 31 An Amazon worker at a warehouse in Staten Island, New York - where employees called for greater coronavirus safety measures - died of COVID-19 after contracting the virus last month. The company said the employee was last onsite on April 5 and was confirmed to have the virus on April 11 as he remained in quarantine. Contact tracing revealed no link to other employees. Gerard Tuzara, an Air Force veteran, became the first known Amazon warehouse worker to die from the coronavirus on March 31. The 35-year-old worked as an operations manager at Amazon's Hawthorne facility near LAX airport in Southern California. Tuzara's last day of work was March 6 after which point he was on vacation in Mexico until March 20. An eighth female employee worked at Amazon's packing plant in North Randall, Ohio. She was diagnosed on April 30, which was the last day she was at work. The company learned about her diagnosis on May 8 and she died on May 18. Harry Sentoso became the ninth employee to die from coronavirus-related complications. He passed away on April 12 after working at an Irvine, California, warehouse for just two weeks. Advertisement The company has refused to release complete data on the number of employees who have been infected, died or recovered from coronavirus. NBC News reports that those deaths have taken place in North Randall, Ohio; Hawthorne, California; Tracy, California; Waukegan, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Jeffersonville, Indiana; Bethpage, New York; and Staten Island, New York. Just last week an Ohio female worker, who had been with Amazon since November 2018, became the eighth person to die from the coronavirus. At the time, spokesperson Lisa Levandowksi said the woman, who has not been identified, was last on the job on April 30, the same day she was diagnosed. There are more than 1.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the US with at least 100,442 deaths The death toll surpassed 100,000 late Wednesday evening and stands at 100,442 as of Thursday morning However, the company only learned of her test results on May 8, and she died on May 18. 'We are saddened by the loss of an associate who had worked at our site in Randall, Ohio,' Levandowski told NBC News. 'Her family and loved ones are in our thoughts, and we are supporting her fellow colleagues.' Levandowski said Amazon is providing grief counseling to the woman's colleagues and utilizing contact tracing. At least 13 state attorneys have asked for Amazon to provide data on the actual number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. However, Amazon has refused to release any figures regarding the number of employees affected by the disease -but says it is improving the safety of its workers. This includes providing face masks and temperature checks and disinfecting surfaces such as elevators buttons and door handles. 'We respect the rights of employees to protest and recognize their legal right to do so,' Amazon said in a statement last month, 'However, these rights do not provide blanket immunity against bad actions, particularly those that endanger the health, well-being or safety of their colleagues.' Hourly pay has also been increased for its workers by $2 per hour and those that are diagnosed with the disease will receive paid sick leave. Amazon has seen an increase in its service with more people quarantined at home and needing deliveries, and this good news for the company's CEO Jeff Bezos. A recent report from Comparisun, which compares popular small business services and products, predicted that Bezos will become the world's first trillionaire, a status he may reach by 2026 at age 62. BookExpos 2020 Middle Grade Buzz editors take to the virtual stage on Friday from 2-3:15 p.m. ET, to spread the word about upcoming titles they are looking forward to introducing to the childrens book world. Here is a hint about what theyll have to say. Wesley Adams, executive editor of Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books for Young Readers, on Chance: Escape from the Holocaust, Caldecott Medalist Uri Shulevitzs first middle-grade book, a memoir chronicling his familys eight-year odyssey to escape the Nazis by fleeing Warsaw for the Soviet Union: As his longtime publisher, we at FSG were immediately ensnared by Chance as a particularly exciting moment in Uris storied career: for the very first time in more than five decades of creating books, Uri is undertaking by far the longest narrative hes ever written to reveal the exciting story of his survival as a refugee from the Nazi invasion of Poland. Illustrating his text in loose, almost sketchbook style, Uri captures an impressionistic portrait of himself as a very young artist on the run with his mother and father, in a tough yet approachable treatment of a difficult subject that is truly the capstone to a remarkable book-making career. Phoebe Yeh, v-p and publisher of Crown Books for Young Readers, on Kelly J. Baptists Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero, which introduces a boy who discovers a love of poetry after finding his late fathers journal, which is filled with stories about a superhero who bears his nameand whose powers he wishes he had: I was lucky. I got to meet Isaiah Dunn and his talented creator, Kelly J. Baptist, early. Isaiah made his first appearance as the hero of the winning entry in a short story contest sponsored by We Need Diverse Books, later published in the anthology Flying Lessons & Other Stories. Immediately, I was captivated by Kellys strong narrative voice, and by how skillfully she captured Isaiahs voice with compassion and humor. We knew that Isaiah had more to tell us, this time in the novel Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero, giving voice to homelessbut not helplesschildren. Andrea Davis Pinkney, Scholastic v-p and executive editor, on Aida Salazars Land of Cranes, in which Betita, a Latinx girl who knows she is a crane, learns to hold on to hope and love, even amid the darkness of a family detention center for migrants and refugees: As soon as I read Land of the Cranes, I was ushered in by its captivating urgency. My first thought was, This book will change lives. Aida Salazars poetry enfolds readers. Her word-music gently lifts usup, up, up. Here is one of those singular novels that is so gripping, you will want to immediately read it again after you get to the last page so that you can re-experience its power. The beauty of Aidas storytelling invites us to fly. Young Betitas plight reminds us that every child can rise on the wings of hope. Land of the Cranes is etched in my heart. Maggie Rosenthal, associate editor of Viking Books for Young Readers, on Thirteens by Kate Alice Marshall, a dark and twisted story set in a sleepy town where three 13-year-olds disappear every 13 years: From the initial pitch, I was hooked by a spooky tale that centers on the can-do power of kids working togetherbut what convinced me that we had something extra special on our hands as Thirteens took shape is the subtle focus on found family. The story opens with the protagonist, Eleanor, recovering from a traumatic event that took her mother from her and forced her to relocate, and yet she still finds a way to trust new friends and get outside of her comfort zone. That beautiful heart at the core exists happily alongside a deliciously creepy villain; I find that unusual combination completely irresistible. Reka Simonsen, editorial director of Atheneum Books for Young Readers, on Tune It Out by Jamie Sumner, which stars a girl with a sensory processing disorder who must find her own voice after her world turns upside down: I havent been able to stop talking about Jamie Sumner since I fell in love with her debut, Roll with It. In it, she brought to life a smart, feisty, loveable girl with cerebral palsy who refused to let her wheelchair define her. With this new book, Im even more blown away by Jamies ability to tell an honest, heartfelt story about what its like living with a sensory processing disordera disorder that many people dont understandand what its like living in poverty. I think Tune It Out will speak to so many kids who dont often see themselves represented in books. For more information on BookExpo Online, visit the BookExpo Facebook page. Anushka Sharma New Delhi: The controversy over the Paatal Lok web series is gaining momentum. A complaint has been lodged against this series producer Anushka Sharma at Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar police station. Anushka SharmaJaspreet Matta, co-convener of the state BJP's Sikh cell, has also sought registration of an FIR against Anushka. A complaint has also been lodged with the National Minorities Commission. Advertisement Jaspreet Matta said that the matter was related to hurting the religious sentiments of Hindu and Sikh communities. He alleged that controversial scenes were presented in two episodes of the series. Virat Kohli and Anushka SharmaThe Sikh community has demanded a series of bans. In this regard, Jaspreet Matta has demanded Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar to take action regarding this whole matter. Not only that, the BJP leader has also instructed Virat Kohli to get a divorce from Anushka Sharma. Earlier, the Gurkha organization had lodged a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against actress Anushka Sharma for making "sexist remarks". Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) Residents of areas under general community quarantine won't need to bring quarantine passes anymore when they head out of their homes, the Interior Department said Thursday. "Hindi na kailangan ng quarantine pass sa (in) general community quarantine, hindi na siya absolute," Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano told CNN Philippines' The Source. "Kasi ang ating GCQ, nakita natin hindi na siya ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) or total lockdown. Ang GCQ, ang tinitingnan na lang natin dito... meron pa rin tayong tinatawag na mga minimum health standards." [Translation: There's no need for a quarantine pass during general community quarantine, it's not absolute. Because in our GCQ, it's not a total lockdown anymore. In GCQ, what we're looking at is... there are what we call minimum health standards.] Ano, explaining the development, said officials would presume that citizens have already developed "discipline" when they hit the roads for errands. "Ang ating presumption dito, nagkaroon na ng disiplina 'yung mga tao, at 'yung pamilya, nasanay na sila na isa na lang ang lumalabas sa kanila. Preparation papuntang new normal," he added. [Translation: The presumption is, people already have discipline, and families are already used to only one member heading out. This is our preparation for the new normal.] The sentiment was shared by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who said that discipline was one of the deciding factors in the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force's recommendation to place Metro Manila under a more relaxed community quarantine starting June. "The level of confidence is very high. Unang-una napatunayan ng mga Pilipino na kaya nilang sumunod... pinatunayan natin na disiplinado ang mga Pilipino," Roque said in his virtual media briefing in the same day. [Translation: The level of confidence is very high. First of all, we proved that Filipinos can follow the rules. We proved that they have discpline.] "Discipline, on top of case doubling rate improvement, ang (is the) basis for relaxing," he added. The capital region and some high-risk COVID-19 areas are under the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine until May 31. For now, only essential workers and health frontliners are allowed to go by their routines. Residents are encouraged to stay at home, but are allowed to head out for emergency, food, and other important errands. The IATF has formally recommended that Metro Manila shift to GCQ from June 1 to 15, with high-risk barangays (villages) still subject to localized lockdowns. The proposal, however, would still have to be approved by President Rodrigo Duterte, who is expected to make the announcement on Thursday night. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 15:48:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- India's federal Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare has stepped up locust control operations as the swarm outbreak has spread to five states -- Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, officials said Thursday. According to the ministry, 200 Locust Circle Offices (LCO) were conducting survey and control operations in close coordination with local administration and agriculture field machinery in affected states to combat the menace. "In Rajasthan 21 districts, in Madhya Pradesh, 18 districts, in Punjab one district and in Gujarat two districts have undertaken locust control until now," the ministry said, adding that "For effective control of locusts beyond scheduled desert areas, temporary control camps have been established in Ajmer, Chittorgarh and Dausa in Rajasthan; Mandsaur, Ujjain and Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh and Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh." Until Tuesday, control operations against locusts have been carried out on 47,308 hectares area in 303 places in Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The LCOs in coordination with district authorities have roped in fire brigades, survey vehicles, control vehicles with spray equipment and tractor mounted sprayers to sprinkle pesticide for effective locust control. Reports said in Maharashtra, swarms of locusts have been found in Nagpur district moving toward Ramtek city. The swarms are said to have first entered farms in Fetri, Khangaon in Katol in Nagpur district and in Ashti taluka in Wardha district, where they damaged orange crop and vegetable plantations in some areas. Farmers said they hired laborers and used age-old techniques like beating drums and vessels to scare the locusts. Even in Uttar Pradesh, the farmers have kept vehicles parked alongside parks, and played the high-pitched music. Locust, a large-sized insect is a short-horned grasshopper of migratory habit, which attacks crops or green vegetations. It causes extensive damage due to its feeding behaviour. Officials say the locust swarms usually enter the scheduled desert area of India through Pakistan for summer breeding in the month of June and July with the advent of monsoon. This year, however, the incursions of locust hoppers and pink swarms have been reported much earlier. The migratory pest has the ability to fly hundreds of kilometres collectively. Enditem SIA applauds the 2020 honorees for their impressive dedication, innovation and leadership in this critical technology market and looks forward to honoring this outstanding group during SIA GovSummit. SIA CEO Don Erickson The Security Industry Association (SIA) and SecureIDNews have selected five distinguished biometrics and security leaders as the 2020 winners of the Women in Biometrics Awards a globally recognized program co-founded by SIA and SecureIDNews and co-presented with sponsors IDEMIA, Biometric Update and the SIA Women in Security Forum. The honorees will be recognized during the 2020 SIA GovSummit, SIAs annual government security conference, which will be hosted as a free virtual event June 1-4. On June 3 at 1 p.m. EDT, attendees will enjoy a special keynote panel session honoring the award winners The Women in Biometrics Awards Presents the Future of Biometrics in Government Security Applications. The Women in Biometrics Awards honor the efforts of top female leaders helping drive the biometric identity and security industry. Nominees and past winners include those working for biometric companies, peripheral suppliers, system integrators, academia, government and security and IT departments at a variety of organizations in the United States and internationally. The 2020 winners of the Women in Biometrics Awards are: Jeni Best, Branch Chief, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Jeni Best has extensive program management experience running large-scale programs and working with external stakeholders, exemplified in her work on CBPs Biometric Exit Program as well as in developing and implementing Automated Passport Control and Mobile Passport Control. Leading the CBP charge in implementing biometrics at airport touchpoints, Best has operationalized CBP biometric exit solutions at 27 U.S. airports and 2 international locations. Best contributed to the development of CBPs exit roll-out strategy, which leverages stakeholder engagement and partnerships to achieve CBPs biometric mandate. For much of 2019, she served as the acting director of biometric air exit operations at CBP often referred to as biometric boarding. Best has over 20 years of experience with CBP and its predecessor agencies working on issues related to immigration, travel and tourism, business transformation initiatives and biometrics. She holds a bachelors degree from Sam Houston State University and a masters degree in criminal justice from Boston University. Anne May, Biometric Support Center Lead, Identity Operations Division, Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Anne May has 25 years of program management experience in the public sector, including 17 years of experience with biometric technologies. She began her government career with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), where she was the program manager for large-scale records management systems and also served as biometrics portfolio manager, overseeing budget and system business operations for the INS biometrics program. May has worked at US-VISIT since its inception in 2003, managing the implementation of multi-year, multi-agency projects and responsible for the deployment of specialized biometric hardware to over 550 border patrol and immigration enforcement field sites. After over a decade of service to the OBIM, Anne has excelled in her leadership and dedication filling multiple critical roles as an irreplaceable subject matter expert in the field of biometrics. Anne is the lead manager for the DHS 24/7 Biometric Support Center, an integral piece of the identity mission for worldwide U.S. government missions. She has also applied her expertise in support of building the next-generation DHS biometric system, Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology. Mei Ngan, Computer Scientist, Image Group, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Mei Ngan is a scientist in the NIST Image Group, which develops standards, measurement methods and best practices for biometric technologies, promoting accuracy and interoperability and the gold standard for biometric testing and evaluation worldwide. She is an accomplished computer scientist who has produced creative and outstanding work in the fields of face morphing detection, tattoo recognition and face recognition evaluation providing the needed science and framework to underpin the successful measurement and assessment of technologies for operational viability. Ngan is the project lead for the NIST Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT) MORPH program an ongoing project focused on evaluation of automated face morphing detection capabilities and has become an integral part of the FRVT activities at NIST. In 2014, she launched the Tattoo Recognition Technology Program, the first NIST program to provide a measurement and testing foundation to support the operational needs and applications for image-based tattoo recognition. Ngan has also led the NIST project supporting the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity Janus program, targeting the development of advanced face recognition algorithms for unconstrained images. Lauren Reed, Senior Program Director for Biometric Forensics, IDEMIA National Security Solutions (NSS) In her role at IDEMIA NSS, Lauren Reed leads the deployment of large-scale multimodal biometric systems to U.S. government foreign partners, enabling them to advance their crime and terrorism detection capabilities. She has been working in biometrics and forensics for more than 20 years; prior to joining IDEMIA NSS, she was the first woman to serve as director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory at the Defense Forensic Science Center, which provides forensic and biometric laboratory services in seven scientific disciplines to the military criminal investigative agencies of U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) globally. Reed also previously served as the first chief of the Biometric Examination Services Branch for the Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency in Clarksburg, West Virginia, where she was instrumental in standing up multi-modal biometric examination operations for the DODs Automated Biometric Identification System with expansion of services to include face and iris in addition to fingerprints. In 2012, she received the FBI Directors Award for Exceptional Public Service for leading a latent print sharing initiative between the DOD, FBI and DHS resulting in more than 500 identifications associated with terrorist and national security cases. Reed holds a Bachelor of Science from Washington State University, a Master of Forensic Science from National University and an executive MBA degree from Kennesaw State University. Annet Steenbergen, Co-Founder, Aruba Happy Flow Project Annet Steenbergen is a visionary Dutch national who is well respected in the U.S. and internationally as the co-founder/initiator of the Aruba Happy Flow project for the government of Aruba, the first seamless airport implementation of its kind in the world, a single-token initiative that creates a seamless flow of passenger facilitation from curb to gate through the reuse of biometrics and advanced cooperation between the public and the private sector. Steenbergen took stakeholder cooperation to a new level between the governments of Aruba and the Netherlands, KLM Airlines, the Aruba Airport Authority and the biometric vendor to provide biometric-based security while substantially enhancing the passenger experience and creating room for expansion of Happy Flow to other airlines and countries. She has more than 20 years of international experience working in the field of border control, border management and public-private cooperation at airports, previously holding roles with the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service at Schipol Airport and at headquarters in the policy department for border management. Besides her work for the government of Aruba, Steenbergen is a consultant on passenger facilitation innovation with a strong focus on seamless travel solutions, where biometrics are used as a baseline for facilitation, security and GDPR-compliant privacy, or privacy by design. She holds a masters degree from Leiden University and has also studied at University College London, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the University of the Witwatersrand. Each year, the Women in Biometrics Awards recognize the best and brightest talent helping to advance biometrics technologies, which are essential to securing identities today, and the achievements of these female industry leaders are improving processes like air travel, enhancing cutting-edge fields like facial recognition and working to keep people safe, said SIA CEO Don Erickson. SIA applauds the 2020 honorees for their impressive dedication, innovation and leadership in this critical technology market and looks forward to honoring this outstanding group during SIA GovSummit. Once again, the 2020 class of Women in Biometrics Award winners astound me with their contributions to the security industry and society in general, said Chris Corum, editor and publisher, SecureIDNews. Their collective work keeps international borders secure, fights terrorism, aids law enforcement and makes our daily lives safer and more convenient. SIA GovSummit the annual government security conference hosted by SIA brings together government security leaders and private industry technologists for top-quality information sharing and education on security topics affecting federal, state and even local agencies. Attendees will hear keynote presentations from Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.); Brian Harrell, assistant director for infrastructure security at DHS Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA); Daryle Hernandez, chief of the Interagency Security Committee within DHS CISA; and Kathleen McGuiness, auditor of accounts for the State of Delaware. Additionally, GovSummit 2020 will feature specialized sessions on cutting-edge topics such as emerging applications of facial recognition technology, trends in federal procurement of security products and services, drones and counter-UAS technology, fever detection and camera technology in pandemic recovery and using robotics in security operations. Learn more and register to attend virtually for free here. About SIA SIA is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with over 1,000 innovative member companies representing thousands of security leaders and experts who shape the future of the security industry. SIA protects and advances its members interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation at the federal and state levels, creating open industry standards that enable integration, advancing industry professionalism through education and training, opening global market opportunities and collaborating with other like-minded organizations. As the premier sponsor of ISC Events expos and conferences, SIA ensures its members have access to top-level buyers and influencers, as well as unparalleled learning and network opportunities. SIA also enhances the position of its members in the security marketplace through SIA GovSummit, which brings together private industry with government decision makers, and Securing New Ground, the security industrys top executive conference for peer-to-peer networking. SIAs Women in Security Forum offers programs, networking and professional growth events and thought leadership opportunities to promote and advance the involvement of women in the security industry. Any employee of a SIA member company regardless of gender is eligible to join the forum. About SecureIDNews SecureIDNews is an industry-leading source for enterprise and government identity, credentialing and security markets published by AVISIAN. More than 30,000 subscribers and hundreds of thousands of web visitors get their ID technology news from AVISIANs suite of identity and security publications. About IDEMIA IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space. Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets our identity whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from the financial, telecom, identity, public security and IoT sectors. With 13,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries. About Biometric Update BiometricUpdate.com is the leading news property that publishes shareable breaking news, analysis, and research about the global biometrics market. Our global audience of 900k+ readers includes governments, law enforcement agencies, financial institutions and many other vertical industries along with OEMs, service providers, system integrators, enterprise and industry professionals. [May 28, 2020] DigitalAMN Expands Communication Efforts - Retaining Emerging Markets Consulting, LLC for Investor Relations Services NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital Asset Monetary Network, Inc. or DigitalAMN (OTCMKTS: DATI), a Public Accelerator-Incubator (PAI), announced today, that the Company has retained Emerging Markets Consulting, LLC (EMC) to help expand its communication efforts by EMC providing investor relations services to ensure proper and appropriate marketing to DATIs public marketplace. As a business management consultant in the microcap space and as DigitialAMNs CEO, I am abundantly aware of the CEOs responsibility to ensure that both shareholders and the general marketplace, are efficiently and compliantly kept abreast about the Companys operations and events, stated Ajene Watson, CEO of Digital Asset Monetary Network, Inc. On the same note, I am clear that there is a difference between appropriate marketing, communication and investor relations vs. what is inappropriate. When it comes to investor relations, there is an art to doing it correctly to help facilitate a companys long-term messaging and overall growth, while at the same time adhering to SEC regulations. Given my background, I take proper communication in the public markets as serious as I do my fight against toxic financing. So, when choosing a firm to handle such sensitive tasks, we did not choose lightly, nor decide quickly. Our courtship with Emerging Markets Consulting, LLC began in late 2019, with preliminary discussions and a trial engagement. However, because they do not accept just anyone as a client, we had to meet their criteria, just as much as they had to meet ours. As mentioned in a recent Coffee Talk, the folks over at EMC have been specializing in this arena for over 20 years and have a talent for getting a companys message out there, the right way, and they have a highly regarded reputation. We are excited to work with EMC, to ensure that our message is perfected, and the proper information gets disseminated appropriately to our target audience. James Painter, President of EMC, said, We are looking forward to working with the DigitalAMNs talented team and to effectively communicate Digital AMNs PAI ecosystem ad their on-going business strategies to the public in compliance with OTC Markets Promotional guidelines. To view the Companys most recent shareholder update, please visit https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/27/2039238/0/en/DigitalAMN-Issues-Update-on-Path-Forward-Amid-COVID-19-Disruptions.html ABOUT Emerging Markets Consulting LLC Based in Clermont, Florida, Emerging Markets Consulting, LLC (EMC) brings over 20 years combined experience in the investor relations industry. EMC is an international investor relations firm with affiliates around the world. EMC is relationship-driven and results-oriented with the goal of seeking attractive emerging companies and concentrating its resources and efforts to serve a limited number of high-quality clients. For more information, visit EMC's website at www.emergingmarketsllc.com. ABOUT Digital Asset Monetary Network, Inc. Digital Asset Monetary Network, Inc. ( OTCMKTS: DATI ) is the first company to utilize the Public Accelerator-Incubator (PAI) model, with the intent to follow the global success of accelerators and incubators around the world, adding niche opportunities to both the microcap and startup communities. As a PAI, Digital Asset Monetary Network will develop and acquire innovations that solve problems through digital platforms and other electronic applications. Twitter: https://twitter.com/OTC_DATI LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digitalamn/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalamn/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DigitalAssetMonetaryNetwork/ For investor and general information, please email [email protected] Forward Looking Statements Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the Company's actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "expect," "intends," "intend," "anticipate," "anticipates," "plans," "plan," to be uncertain and forward-looking. No information in this press release should be construed as any indication of Digital AMNs future revenues, results of operations, or stock price. Contact: Public Relations Answering Center (718) 285-6378 EXT 401 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) The mayors of Baguio City and Cebu City have appealed to the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) to reconsider the forms of community quarantine imposed in their areas effective June 1. IATF Resolution No. 40 recommended that Baguio City be placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) until June 15. "Considering that Baguio is relatively successful in implementing COVID-19 response and management measures within our borders, we are inclined to seek a reconsideration of our classification before the IATF Screening and Validation Committee," read mayor Benjamin Magalong's appeal to the body to place Baguio City under the less stricter modified general community quarantine instead. Magalong added that out of the city's 32 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 29 have fully recovered from the disease. "[W]e have only 2 active cases who remain in non-critical condition, while our 1 fatality was immunocompromised as she had tuberculosis as an underlying condition," said the mayor in his appeal. He added that the city's case doubling time is 24.44 days. Among the things Baguio City was also able to accomplish in its fight against the coronavirus include ramping up mass testing, identifying areas of concentration for the illness, formulating health and safety protocols for each sector, and establishing a central triage center to assess the health conditions of people entering the city and two isolation units. "With the steps we have already taken, the innovations we seek to accomplish, and the disciplined character of the Cordilleran people, you are assured that the City of Baguio will be exemplary in the implementation of MGCQ regulations," stated Magalong in his appeal. Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella also filed an appeal to the regional IATF asking that the city be placed under GCQ instead of the national IATF's recommendation of modified ECQ. EMBED: Edgar Labella's appeal to IATF seeking reconsideration of MECQ status "As of May 27, 2020, the COVID-19 cases in the City is at 2,013 but the deaths remain at 25, or a case fatality rate of 1.2%," read the mayor's appeal. Among the other reasons Labella cited in the appeal are the city's 19.6% case recovery rate and case doubling time of more than seven days. There is also a significant indication of a continuous reduction of additional cases in Cebu City, he added. "Given the foregoing, it is but a logical step for the City Government to transition into General Community Quarantine but with the corollary discretion to place under segmental and sequential lockdown critical areas," said mayor's appeal. Mayors and governors were given until 5 p.m. today (May 28) to appeal the quarantine scheme which the IATF recommended for their city, municipality, or province. MANILA, Philippines More than 300 Filipino seafarers repatriated from cruise ships docked in Germany have arrived in the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the DFA said the group was among the crewmembers of Sea Chefs and TUI cruises who had to wait for two months to be repatriated after their usual cruise liner routes, mainly in the Caribbean region, were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. The repatriated Filipinos landed in Manila on May 25 after they departed from Hamburg via a chartered TUI Airlines flight, the department said. The repatriates were assisted at the send-off by TUI staff, Philippine Ambassador to Germany Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega, and Labor Attache Delmer Cruz, it added. Before boarding, Ambassador Dizon-De Vega expressed appreciation to the Filipino crew for their patience and understanding, as well as the companies for their coordination. It has been a very difficult period for all of you and we look forward to the time when you can all come back to work in the cruise industry, Dizon-De Vega said. The post Over 300 repatriated Filipino sailors from Germany arrive in PH appeared first on UNTV News. Its not unusual to experience some bumps in the online dating road. Everyone is out there with their feelings, trying to make a meaningful (or casual!) connection, and sometimes it doesnt go exactly as planned. In an effort to help you #BumbleBetter, we asked The Kit readers to submit their burning online dating questions, then we posed a selection of them to Meredith Gillies, Senior Marketing Manager of Bumble Canada, who knows all the ins and outs of the app. Read on for some seriously useful intel. Any ideas on how to date during this pandemic? I was thinking that we could make the same dinner and then eat it over Zoom. Is this fine for a first pandemic date or is it too much? Amelia, 35 The first thing to remember is virtual dating is new to everyone, so dont think youre being extra by setting up an interactive first date. Bumbles data shows that people are having longer in-app video calls (the average time is 29 minutes in Canada). Virtual dates dont have to feel completely different from what youd normally do on a first dateyou can grab an afternoon coffee, have a glass of wine, play a game or watch a movie together. Weve heard that people are feeling more relaxed when virtually connecting directly from Bumble using our in-app video calling feature, because they dont have to exchange personal information like phone numbers or change out of their sweatpants. I find it really hard to start up a conversation with a guy. Do you have any tips on a successful intro line other than, Oh, hey there? Allie, 29 You are not alone in feeling at a loss for words when starting a conversation! Good news for youwe recently launched the Question Game, which can act as your first move with a new match. Choose from some of the in-app questions provided or type your own; once you both respond, the answer will appear in a chat and you can discuss the responses. Is it better to use a profile picture where youre wearing full makeup and have your hair done, or be more natural? Which gets more attention? Anonymous, 30 Your pictures should be authentic, a real reflection of who you are. Show off your smile, your eyes and your entire facewithout a filter. Graphic overlays or FaceTune are distracting and a big turn-off to many. Choose a combination of your favourite photos so people can see more of your personalityand yes, you should have six pictures! Including three or more photos increases your chance of matching with someone by 31 per cent. Dont put a group photo as your first pic and avoid wearing sunglasses. Your profile is your chance to showcase slices of your actual life. If your dog is the centre of your world, include a cute snap of you and the pup. (However, dogfishing is a new trend to avoiddont borrow a friends pet to reel someone in!) I dont want to waste my time with anyone whos just on a dating app to have fun. How can I attract men who are looking for the real deal? Anonymous, 29 Around Valentines Day 2020, which truly feels like forever ago, we polled 4,000 Canadian Bumble users about what success looks like to them on the app. Results showed 18 per cent said they are looking for a casual romantic relationship, such as a hookup or friends with benefits; 27 per cent said they are open to anything; and 46 per cent of respondents said they are on Bumble looking for a long-term romantic relationship. We recommend swiping with an open mind and staying positive! Dont get defeated if a match isnt the one. Be clear on your profile and use all the features available to you. Add a badge that shows what youre looking for, use your bio and answer profile prompts so fellow users have the most information about you possible. My friend went to meet someone from a dating site and was expecting a tall, blond Swedish guy, and the person who showed up was quite the opposite. My question is, how do you confirm that the person is really who they say they are? Lucy, 31 Next time, make sure they have a little blue check mark on their Bumble profile, which means theyve undergone Photo Verification to combat this type of catfishing. It only takes a momenta user takes a real-time selfie in the same pose as an image provided by the app, submits it and a third-party moderator compares it to their profile photos and verifies them if everything checks out. Download the Bumble app at bumble.com and start making meaningful connections today! On March 13th, a John Hopkins University infectious disease specialist and an Albert Einstein College of Medicine member published a paper claiming the most effective treatment for the COVID-19 lies in the blood plasma of the people who have fully recovered from the disease. According to the researchers, the antibody strategy is effective in other infections. They also claim the tools needed to collect and administer plasma already exists. Their paper influenced the medical community to conduct experimental therapies in hundreds of U.S. hospitals. Less than three months later, more than 16,000 patients have received plasma from coronavirus survivors. History of Plasma Treatments The blood from recovered patients has long since been used to treat patients since the 1918 Spanish Flu, which infected more than 500 million worldwide. Studies from 1918 pandemic claim transfusion of plasma from the patients who have recovered from the flu effectively reduced the mortality in patients with influenza and severe complications. Plasma treatments have also been used to treat other epidemics and infections such as measles, severe acute respiratory syndromes, and Argentine hemorrhagic fever. Researchers injected convalescent plasma to 188 patients who suffered from the rodent-borne fever in the 1970s. Only 1 percent of plasma recipients died of the disease, while 16.5 percent from the control group succumbed to the hemorrhagic fever. However, the plasma treatment showed no benefits in 84 patients infected with Ebola in Guinea in 2015. The therapy also carried risks in transmitting blood-borne pathogens. The plasma treatment can also cause acute lung injury and circulatory overload, which can lead to difficulty breathing and death. Effectivity In January, doctors and researchers in China have begun experimenting convalescent plasma therapy in COVID-19 patients. The results, which were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reported that the conditions improved for all ten plasma recipients. Researchers at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York compared 39 COVID-19 patients who received plasma transfusions with other patients who did not receive the therapy. According to the published reports, the mortality rates were 12.8 percent in the plasma group and 24.4 percent in the control group. The patients who received plasma treatments also an improved survival rate compared to controlled patients. While the data showed promise, experts believe more rigorous clinical trials are needed. The researchers at Mount Sinai are already creating plans to conduct a study involving 275 treated patients. Other similar trials are also underway in Europe and parts of the United States. Complications Researchers have also started studying the therapy's safety. The data collected show complications seem to be rare. A U.S. paper compiled a report on 5000 patients and found 36 severe events, including lung injury and rejection. The adverse events may have been results of the disease, the paper says. If the treatment is shown to work, the medical community would also face problems meeting the demand. One plasma donation could only be enough for one or two patients. The donor's blood type would also need to match the recipient's. Many research institutions and blood banks have collaborated with Microsoft to launch a campaign called The Fight Is In Us. The campaign aims to get tens of thousands of recovered COVID-19 patients to donate blood plasma. Want to read more? Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday that "We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute." His proposal to help resolve the recent border standoff between the two Asian neighbors isn't likely to succeed, however, because they don't require U.S. assistance in this respect. In fact, it can be argued that this is a self-interested gesture masked with a thin veneer of altruism designed to cleverly advance the American geostrategic agenda. China and India are once again embroiled in a border incident that reminds many of the same one from two years ago near the Donglang Plateau. Just like back then, the current standoff was caused by India making a dramatic scene over its efforts to confront the Chinese military, motivated by New Delhi's official stance that the Xinjiang region of Aksai Chin has been "occupied" by Beijing for decades. This position was reiterated after last summer's abrogation of Article 370 in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution pertaining to Kashmir. China accused India of moving its troops beyond the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a claim that India has also made against China. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells, the official who had once again recently criticized the Belt & Road Initiative's (BRI) flagship project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), even tried to compare this standoff to the situation in the South China Sea. Although this was meant to portray China as aggressive, she does have a point, though not the one that she meant. The South China Sea has become more dangerous ever since the U.S. and some of its allies refused to recognize China's legitimate claims in this region, even going as far as provocatively staging so-called Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOP) through this strategic body of water. Similarly, India has recently taken to doing something similar along the LAC in Kashmir. It's not a coincidence that India has moved a lot closer to the U.S. in recent years, even becoming "comprehensive global strategic partners" since Trump's visit in February. Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd L) meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2nd R) in Brasilia, Brazil, November 13, 2019. /Xinhua Furthermore, India's envisaged leading role in the Pentagon's so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy unveiled last year has worried observers who fear that the South Asian state might start working hand-in-hand with the U.S. to "contain" China. Therefore, the latest developments don't inspire optimism about its intentions, especially considering the support Wells has extended to India. Trump's mediation proposal is unlikely to be accepted by China, but it might very well be positively received by the U.S.' close Indian partner, which is the point. The U.S. is currently engaged in a hybrid war of aggression against China, using all means at its disposal to destabilize the People's Republic. These include the trade war, FONOPS in the South China Sea, the information war related to COVID-19, support for the violent Hong Kong protest movement, and military aid to Taiwan separatists, among others. The U.S. clearly doesn't have China's best interests in mind and thus wouldn't be a neutral mediator. What the U.S. wants to do is draw global attention to the low-level incident along the LAC in Kashmir to further slander China as "aggressive." It also hopes that it can drive a deeper wedge between the two neighbors and consequently weaken the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) blocs in which they are both leading members. While preaching peace, Trump actually has devious anti-Chinese intentions that aren't in alignment with India's objective geostrategic interests of maintaining stable relations with its Chinese neighbor. Neither China nor India require any external mediation to resolve their latest dispute since bilateral channels are sufficient for this purpose. Even if they request third party support to help them resolve this incident, they'd both be much more likely to use their mutual Russian BRICS and SCO partner's diplomatic services instead of the U.S. As always, America is only trying to advance its own interests at others' expense through its zero-sum outlook on international relations, which is why both China and India should be wary. Editor's note: Andrew Korybko is a Moscow-based American political analyst. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of China Military Online. Mumbai, May 28 : Actresses Paoli Dam and Vidya Malvade had a great time together on the set of the web series "Kaali 2", and they particularly discussed yoga and fitness. Paoli said: "(Co-star) Chandan (Roy Sanyal) and Vidya are fantastic actors. I have worked with both of them before. It was like a reunion, Vidya being so into yoga and fitness, which I absolutely love. Sometimes we even used to discuss yoga and have conversations about healthy food and stuff." "I learned so much during the shoot. Sometimes it used to get difficult with night shoot and action scenes, but I think all these moments kept us going. I had a wonderful time with all the actors," the actress added. "Kaali 2" is a bilingual show, created and directed by Rohan Ghose and Aritra Sen, with an ensemble cast including Rahul Banerjee, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Abhishek Banerjee, Vidya Malvade along with Paoli in the title role. "Kaali 2" is set to release on May 29 on the OTT platform ZEE5. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Master Sgt. David Royer was leaving Fort Leavenworth in Kansas on Wednesday, driving home in his Chevrolet Silverado and talking to his fiancee via Bluetooth, when he hit some traffic on the Centennial Bridge, which connects Kansas and Missouri. Suddenly, he said, a man got out of the vehicle in front of his, pulled out a rifle and began to shoot. Sergeant Royer told his fiancee to call 911 and said he had to go. Then he hit the gas and rammed into the gunman, pinning the shooter underneath his Chevy. I wasnt necessarily frightened, Sergeant Royer, 34, told reporters on Thursday. I was shocked that it was happening and the adrenaline took over and, with the military training that Ive received, I took appropriate action and took out the threat. Chief Pat Kitchens of the Leavenworth Police Department said the sergeant, who has served in the Army for 15 years, saved countless people after the gunman started to fire at cars with no particular association at about 11 a.m. Gathering for a DIAL Global Digital Summit, executives at the worlds largest organisations discussed how companies can lead and win through inclusion. (Getty) The world is trying to navigate a new way of working amid the coronavirus pandemic. But leaders are keen to make sure that efforts to make the workplace as diverse and inclusive as possible are still high on the agenda. Ultimately, diversity and inclusion isnt just the right thing to do, its also good for business. It is a fact that a company with a more diverse workforce performs better financially. The business case remains robust that those with diversity on executive teams are more likely to have financial outperformance those stats have strengthened over time, said Leila McKenzie Delis, CEO of diversity and inclusion membership organisation DIAL Global. She added that even if a company has improved its diversity, it still needs to be bold to foster inclusion and belonging and use Employee Resource Groups (ERG) and Business Resource Groups (BRG) to empower underrepresented groups. Gathering for a DIAL Global Digital Summit, where Verizon Media is a strategic partner, executives at the worlds largest organisations discussed how companies can lead and win through inclusion and how organisations can craft better inclusion strategies for a competitive edge. Christopher Kenna, CEO and founder of Brand Advance was on the first panel, alongside David Grevemberg CBE, CEO of The Commonwealth Games Federation, and Ben Page, CEO at gold standard pollsters Ipsos Mori UK and Ireland. READ MORE: DIAL Global Virtual Summit: Google, Amazon, Unilever execs talk about diversity and inclusion Brand Advance is a marketing company that helps governments and brands reach diverse communities at scale. Kenna pointed out that during the coronavirus pandemic, he has actually seen the groups revenue grow 400% globally due to governments and companies doing a complete pivot on the consumers they want to reach. Around three months ago, you would see likes of bus drivers and cleaners being called low-paid workers they are now known as key workers, said Kenna. Story continues Previously, no marketers put much effort to reach that demographic, such as the over 50-years-old, those with disability, or from various backgrounds. Now every government and brand wants to reach key workers. There has been a whole of landmark change in how they want to reach people. Kenna outlined how, prior to coronavirus, brands and governments would see Brand Advance as an outside agency and would go to the likes of marketing giants WPP (WPP.L) for mainstream consumers and Brand Advance for the Other. Now, they are flocking to Brand Advance because they represent millions of people they want and need to reach during the crisis. Kennas Brand Advance company also leads by example. Kenna says the groups is a Noahs Ark of diversity as theres two of everyone. Part of the birth of Brand Advance came from his passion to make the world a more equal place. He said I am a black, gay CEO with two teenage kids one boy who is mixed-race and one girl who is white and blonde. READ MORE: Coronavirus: Lockdown measures could widen gender pay gap in UK I want to make sure my children are treated equally and I will shout out every day until that happens. Everyone should be on even keel. In terms of the COVID-19 pandemic being a pivotal moment to create social change and business for the better, Kenna said change happens a whole lot faster if there is a commercial change to show for it. He said that, at the end of the day, advertisers and brands want to get their goods or services in front of as many people as possible and get them to buy things they didnt even know that they wanted. Now they are reaching huge demographics and millions of people they didnt necessarily do before at scale, and for a lot less than two months ago. I have a ray of hope that when [C-suite] look at their marketing spend in months down the line, theyll realise that cost per acquisition fell down while reaching larger demographics and that they will continue the trend in putting ad spend down in the same way. Swarms of desert locusts, which according to a UN alert pose a severe risk to the countrys agriculture this year, have reached new locations, chomping through vegetation and crops across farmlands in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, leading the Centre to issue a locust warning to 16 states. Locusts can fly up to 150 km a day and a one-square-kilometre swarm can eat as much food as 35,000 people in a single day, according to the Food and Agriculture Organizations Desert Locust Information Service bulletin. The government has readied a fleet of air force helicopters for spraying pesticides, set up 11 new monitoring stations, and is importing new equipment to fight the invasion. Also Read: As locusts invade Maharashtra, Centre assures Mumbai not in their path Locust swarms have damaged orange, mango orchards and paddy fields in Bhandara, Gondia, Nagpur and Amravati districts of Maharashtras Vidarbha region. Maharashtras joint director (agriculture) Ravi Bhonsale said a team was rushed to Bhandara on Thursday to spray pesticides in the affected areas. Timely action averted any major loss to crops, he said. A locust swarm entered Ghorawal in Uttar Pradeshs Sonbhadra from Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday afternoon and damaged crops across several villages in the district , which borders Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. The damage was not much as most of the vegetables and other crops have been harvested, said district agriculture officer Piyush Rai. Also Read: About 90,000 hectares hit by locust in 20 Rajasthan districts Farmers in Agra heaved a sigh of relief on Thursday as locusts from Dausa in Rajasthan moved towards Bhangarh in Rajasthan. Three locust swarms have moved away from Agra and the one nearest moved towards Madhya Pradesh due to the wind flow, said district plant protection officer Ram Pravesh Verma. He added the threat continued from the locust swarm traced to Dausa, around 140 km away. Verma said on Thursday a swarm was within 30 km of Agra but due to sudden change in wind directionm it got diverted towards Gwalior. We are keeping a constant watch, Verma said. Plant protection division joint director Suwa Lal Jat said the locust threat has been controlled in an area spread over 73,000 hectares in Rajasthan. He added 95,000 hectares was earlier affected across 24 districts in the state. ... Barmer, Jodhpur, Ganganagar, Dausa, Bikaner and Hanumangarh are badly affected, he said. Jat said a swarm was present between Jaipur and Dausa and may either settle in Alwar or Dausa. Alwar is 100 km from Delhi. Officials have increased the vigil to counter a possible locust attack in Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand. Punjab is highly vulnerable as swarms of locusts were seen in Rajasthans Hanumanagrh district for a third day on Thursday. Punjab agriculture secretary KS Pannu said authorities in Fazilka, Bathinda and Muktsar districts that border Rajasthan have been equipped with ample stock of pesticides to deal with the locust attack. Farmers are not being able to sow new crops. We have not seen such an invasion before, said Raminder Uppal, a locust control official in Punjabs Fazilka. Haryana and Uttarakhand governments have set up district control rooms to coordinate locust control operations. Officials in these states said that drones have also been procured to spray chemicals and fire tenders and trackers with chemicals were on standby for pest control operations. Farmers maintained vigil hundreds of kilometers away in Karnatakas Bidar as locusts were expected from western Maharashtra, where they reached on Tuesday. State agriculture minister B C Patil said the wind direction suggested the locust swarm was unlikely to reach Karnataka. There is a 99.99% chance that it [the swarm] will not come to Karnataka. So, farmers need not worry, he said In Delhi, Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar reviewed the mitigation measures on Thursday. In a statement, Tomars office said the government was taking the invasion very seriously as it could afflict damages in the crucial rice-planting Kharif season beginning next month. India is in the process of importing new equipment to deal fight the infestation. Currently, locust control offices have 21 Micronair and 26 Ulvamast sprayers to kill the pests. They are specialised sprayers that use malathion and other agents to contain the pests. The agriculture minister has approved the import of 60 sprayers from the Micron Group of the UK, which is a manufacturer of specialist spraying equipment. The ministry also floated bids for drones for aerial spraying of insecticides for effective control over tall trees and inaccessible areas. Helicopters are being readied for deployment, an official said. These pests have to be controlled before farmers begin sowing summer-sown, or kharif, crops during the June-to-September monsoon season. The ministry of civil aviation has approved conditional exemption to government entity for use of remotely piloted aircraft systems for anti-locust operations. The equipment being imported from the UK will begin arriving in the next 15 days, another official said. Usually, locust swarms enter the Scheduled Desert Areas of India through Pakistan for summer breeding in the month of June and July with the advent of monsoon. This year, however, the incursions of locust hoppers and pink swarms have been reported much earlier because of the presence of a residual population of locust in Pakistan which they couldnt control last season, an agriculture ministry statement said. A surge in locust attacks since last year is being attributed to favourable breeding weather caused by a large number of cyclones in East Africa. India, China and Pakistan face the most risk in Asia, according to the UN. Pakistan has already declared an agricultural emergency. Locust attacks are known to cause a considerable drop in agricultural output. A moderate infestation chomped through winter crops in an estimated 300,000 hectares in Rajasthan and Gujarat in January. The crucial summer-sown season begins next month. (With inputs from Varanasi,Nagpur and Bathinda) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Benin staged local elections minus key opposition parties on Sunday with authorities pushing ahead despite the coronavirus threat and calls for a delay Cotonou, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th May, 2020 ) :Benin staged local elections minus key opposition parties on Sunday with authorities pushing ahead despite the coronavirus threat and calls for a delay. The West African nation of 11 million this week lifted a raft of restrictions aimed at halting the spread of the virus. COVID-19 has caused 339 confirmed infections and two deaths in the country. Turnout nonetheless appeared to have suffered, observers noted after the polls had closed, and it saw that in opposition strongholds it did not exceed 10 percent. Opposition leader Joseph Tamegnon charged in declaration that President "Patrice Talon believes he has the Republic under his thumb." Campaigning was limited to posters and media appearances as candidates were forced to call off rallies due to a ban on gatherings of over 50 people. For the voting, the autonomous national election commission (CENA) made face masks mandatory for voters and enforced social distancing measures at polling stations. "We have received a lot of hydro-alcohol gels and masks for all voters," returning officer Mathieu Daki told at N'dali in the north of the country. In the economic capital Cotonou where most coronavirus deaths have occurred, election officials ensured voters were more than a metre apart. However, not everyone appeared to have been reassured. In the city's 5th district election agent Dimitri Assani admitted voters were "few and far between". Donatien Sagbo Hounga wore a mask to enter the polling station, but said he was waiting "till there were no other voters in front of the election agents" to move forward to cast his vote. "It may seem excessive but it's necessary," Hounga said. [May 28, 2020] Razer Introduces Blade 15 Studio Edition for Creators With New 8-Core CPU and Quadro RTX Graphics Razer today announced the all-new Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition laptop, a mobile-workstation tailored to meet the needs of every type of creator from audio engineer to VFX artist. The new mobile studio is equipped with the latest 8-Core 10th Gen Intel processor and an NVIDIA (News - Alert) Quadro RTX 5000 GPU accented with supportive features such as a custom calibrated 4K OLED touch display, a UHS-III SD card reader and USB-C charging. The new Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition is the perfect combination of performance and functionality wrapped in a svelte mercury white package. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005105/en/ The all-new Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition offers creators the perfect balance between performance and functionality (Photo: Business Wire) Performance Made Possible Inside the Blade 15 Studio Edition is the new 8-Core 10th Gen Intel (News - Alert) Core i7-10875H processor capable of up to 5.1 GHz clock speeds when utilizing Intel Thermal Velocity Boost technology. The eight cores paired with the improved boost clock speeds, results in significant performance gains in CPU intensive applications. For creators and technical professionals working with dense 3D models or complex VFX designs, the Blade 15 Studio is equipped with the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 GPU. The Quadro RTX 5000 boasts 16GB of GDDR6 memory for multi-app creative workflows and 48 RT Cores for improved real-time ray tracing performance, allowing creators to interact with their work in new and unique ways. "If I was to ask myself a few years ago, if I could pull off a high concept CG animated project like Battlesuit on a laptop remotely - I would probably think I was insane," said Hasraf 'HaZ' Dulull, Director and Producer of Battlesuit. "Today, tools like Unreal Engine powered by NVIDIA GPU rendering on a Blade laptop are empowering filmmakers like myself to push the boundaries of sci-fi storytelling without restrictions, thus enabling me to realize my vision regardless of how wild my imagination is." Performance Made Visual At the center of the new Blade 15 Studio is a 15.6-inch 4K OLED touch display, transporting users to other dimensions with its retina-shattering clarity and rich immersive colors. Each display covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color space and is custom calibrated for color accuracy and a low Delta-E for consistency when working in different environments. The display also features an utra-low response time of 1ms for creators working in VFX or video game development. Finished with a Gorilla glass panel for increased durability, touch users can work effortlessly on the Blade 15 Studio Edition with peace of mind. Performance Made Versatile Designed to be as reliable as it is powerful, the new Blade 15 Studio Edition chassis is crafted from a single block of aluminum and anodized with a mercury white finish. The result is a thin yet durable design that can stand the test of time and the exploits of adventurous users. "I've been working with the previous Blade 15 Studio over the last few months and have found it not only to be a great day-to-day laptop but when you need to call on it to really push things, this machine comes alive," said Jarred Land, CEO of RED Digital Cinema. "Now it looks like the new Blade Studio is even better with the new 8-core processor and YES! The ability to now charge over USB-C/Thunderbolt. The new updates will surely make this my primary laptop in the future." The Blade 15 Studio Edition is equipped with the latest connectivity options to make every creator's life easier, such as a UHS-III SD Card (News - Alert) reader, Bluetooth 5, and USB-C with Thunderbolt 3. In addition to data and video transfer, the USB-C ports now grant users much greater flexibility allowing for use with a low powered universal USB-C power adapter for charging in an emergency. The all-new Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition features the latest in processing and visual technology empowering creators to create their life's best work whether in the field or in the studio. Pricing and Availability The all-new Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition will start at $4299.99 USD / 4599.99 MSRP and is available now at Razer.com and through select retailers in the United States and Canada. It will come soon to select retailers in Europe, China, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information on the Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition and other RTX Studio laptops, please visit razer.com/gaming-laptops/razer-blade-studio-edition For more information on #MadeWithBlade and a behind the scenes on the creation of Battlesuit, please visit razer.com/campaigns/made-with-blade/battlesuit Media For product images of the Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition Download Here For the product specification sheet for Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition Download Here For a behind the scenes video of how the Battlesuit film was created using the Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition View Here and Download Here About Razer Razer is the world's leading lifestyle brand for gamers. The triple-headed snake trademark of Razer is one of the most recognized logos in the global gaming and esports communities. With a fan base that spans every continent, the company has designed and built the world's largest gamer-focused ecosystem of hardware, software and services. Razer's award-winning hardware includes high-performance gaming peripherals and Blade gaming laptops. Razer's software platform, with over 80 million users, includes Razer Synapse (an Internet of Things platform), Razer Chroma (a proprietary RGB lighting technology system), and Razer Cortex (a game optimizer and launcher). In services, Razer Gold is one of the world's largest virtual credit services for gamers, and Razer Fintech is one of the largest offline-to-online digital payment networks in SE Asia. Founded in 2005 and dual-headquartered in Irvine and Singapore, Razer has 16 offices worldwide and is recognized as the leading brand for gamers in the USA, Europe and China. Razer is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 1337). Razer - For Gamers. By Gamers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005105/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] WOOD RIVER Interim Madison County 911 Director Dana Burris was officially made director at Wednesdays Emergency Telephone System Board meeting. The board voted unanimously via teleconference, with Ellar Duff absent, to approve the appointment. The board went into executive session, then voted on Burris appointment. Burris has headed the agency since she was appointed acting director in July 2017, when then director Terry McFarland went on medical leave. Prior to that she was training administrator, and had previously served as an acting director. She was later appointed interim director and continued in that position after McFarland was terminated in early 2018. Part of the reason she remained as interim was that Madison County 911 was in the middle of developing its final 911 consolidation plan, and the board did not want to have to deal with bringing on a new administrator in the middle of that. However, because of numerous delays and setbacks the plan is now tied up in legal battles, and several months ago the board began considering appointing a permanent director. I think Dana has plenty of experience, ETSB Board Chairman Robert Rizzi said after the meeting. Shes served as the interim on several occasions.and done a good job. The appointment takes effect immediately. She will be paid approximately $95,000 annually, which had been her current salary. Rizzi said the only completed application they had received was Burris. In other business, Burris told the board they were looking at updating the 911 equipment, which dates to 2010. She said they have asked the states 911 coordinator to begin updating the equipment despite the lack of a consolidation plan at this point. Its at the end of life, and its becoming more and more difficult to find replacement parts, Burris said. A hearing on the consolidation plan will also likely be delayed until at least July 8. In December the ETSB filed a request for administrative review in Madison County Court after the plan was denied by the state. The Illinois State Police has recently filed a third request for an extension on the hearing date, citing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Burris said the extension will probably be granted. Everything has been so delayed and there have not been any court dates, she said. Its probably going to take a little time. Healthcare facilities, nonprofits, private companies and governments are working together to feed and house COVID-19 patients who have no safe place to quarantine while recovering from the virus. The groups arent just helping people experiencing homelessness, but also those who have a home but not their own room to safely quarantine in. Were all partners in this and without each other we couldnt be succeeding to the extent that we are, said Dr. Mark Harlow, chief medical officer for the Oyate Health Center and board president of the Cornerstone Rescue Mission. The community has been extremely generous in helping both organizations, Harlow added. Oyate Health Center, which serves the Native American community in Pennington County, has seen 61 COVID-19 cases, spokesman Brandon Ecoffey said Wednesday afternoon. And it has rented 22 rooms which are currently all booked at the Travelodge hotel to help two main groups of patients, Harlow said. The first group are people from congregate living areas such as homeless shelters or halfway homes. Harlow said its safer for them and others to isolate in the hotel rooms than to live in the group facilities. The second group are people who live in multi-generational homes where they may not have their own bedroom or would be risking infecting an elderly or immunocompromised relative. If we can provide a safe place to quarantine, thats what were going to do, Ecoffey said. Were protecting the families, were protecting the community and flattening the spread, Harlow added. A spokesman for Monument Health did not immediately respond to a message asking if the hospital pays for hotel rooms for these groups of people like Oyate Health Center does. Patients at the hotel which has given Oyate Health Center a discounted medical rate are visited by nurses twice a day and can call for help at any time, Harlow said. The Mission donates sack lunches while Oyate Health Center buys hot dinners from Colonial House. As of Wednesday afternoon, six patients have become sick enough that they needed to be transferred from the hotel to Monument Health, Harlow said. And because all of the hotel rooms are full, Oyate Health Center has had to refer some patients to Rapid Citys emergency shelter. The temporary 100-bed shelter at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center opened May 5. Its a collaboration between Rapid City, Pennington County and multiple medical and nonprofit organizations. It's managed by Norma Rendon, director of Where All Women Are Honored, a nonprofit that uses Lakota values during its domestic and sexual violence prevention work and at its shelter for survivors. The emergency shelter isnt just for sick people without homes but for anyone who has no other place to go quarantine, said Darrell Shoemaker, spokesman for the Rapid City government. Shoemaker said the shelter will accept anyone who has a referral from a medical or social services provider who has determined the shelter is the best place to keep the person and others safe. There were eight guests as of mid-day on Wednesday, Shoemaker said. The emergency shelter is also used to quarantine people with COVID-19 who are staying at homeless shelters, Shoemaker said Womens shelter The mens shelter in downtown Rapid City has not seen any COVID-19 cases but there have been five at the womens facility, Lysa Allison, executive director of the Cornerstone Rescue Mission, said Wednesday morning. The first woman from the Women and Childrens Home which houses homeless women and children as well as parolees went to get tested May 18 after developing symptoms, Allison previously told the Journal. Allison said she believes the woman and her children found family to live with. Allison said she asked the Department of Health to arrange for mass testing the day she learned of the first positive case. But before the mass testing occurred, she said, two more women began to feel sick and were tested at Monument and Oyate Health Center. The woman tested at Monument will recover at the emergency shelter while the woman tested at Oyate Health Center has been put in the hotel. Harlow said the Department of Health sent over testing equipment and Oyate Health Center tested all 26 adult residents tribal and non-tribal members over the weekend. Two asymptotic women ended up testing positive and are quarantining at the emergency shelter, Allison said. "I believe they were surprised by that, they didn't feel any symptoms, she said. The Women and Childrens Home has been cleaning the shelter and stopped receiving new residents in April order to allow for more social distancing, Allison said. Staff are required to wear masks at all times and residents must wear them when they're in common areas. Allison said some women must leave the shelter to go their essential jobs or medical appointments, but most dont need to go to the grocery store since the shelter provides meals for them. Were not a prison, not a lock-down center, so residents are allowed to leave but are encouraged to only do so for essential reasons, Allison said. Staff also encourage residents to go on walks to get fresh air and exercise. The 68-bed facility now has about 16 residents due to the lack of new intakes and residents who are quarantining, Allison said. But new guests will now be accepted on a case-by-case basis now that testing has shown that no one else is positive for the virus. Mass testing lets us keep infected and non-infected guests safe, and tells us is its safe to bring new people into the shelter, Harlow said He said a homeless family a woman and her two children at the hotel will be transferred to the Women and Childrens Home once they no longer have the virus. Contact Arielle Zionts at arielle.zionts@rapidcityjournal.com. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Egypt has succeeded in making a major archaelogical discovery amid coronavirus COVID-19 crisis as the country's Supreme Council of Antiquities discovered a unique cemetery dating back to the el-Sawi era, known as the 26th Dynasty. Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, anounced that an Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission affiliated with the University of Barcelona discovered the cemetery in Bahnasah region, located in Minya governorate, a very popular archaeological regions in Egypt. According to Waziri, the newly-discovered cemetery consists of one room built with polished limestone. The walls have a curvature from the top of the roof, which gives a flat appearance to the cemetery. It is to be noted that other cemeteries discovered in the area are vaulted. Waziri also informed the media that the cemetery did not have any funerary furniture. Esther Ponce, head of the joint mission, said that the archaelogists have also found eight tombs dating back to the Roman era with a domed and nonengraved roof. The tombs are full of Roman tombstones, bronze coins, small crosses and clay seals. Soha Bahgat, spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, told Al-Monitor Bahnasawas known in Hellenistic times as the city of Oxyrhynchus (meaning sharp-nosed fish). In the Islamic era, the city of Bahnasa was named after Bahaa el-Nesaa, the daughter of the city's governor during the Islamic conquest, she said. Bahgat added that Bahnasa was a prominent city during the Roman era and over 30,000 monks used to live here back then. The city has a complete archive that was uncovered in the late 19th century consisting of more than 50,000 papyri, she added. According to Bahgat, the archaeological excavations began in 2008 and the Egyptian-Spanish mission has also discovered the ruins of a mudbrick church dating back to the fifth century. The excavation works was completed in 2013 after a two-year break in 2011 and 2012 due to the security situation in the country. At that time, the mission succeeded in finding the remains of soft brick walls of a prayer room, a monks room, a dining room, a kitchen and a crops storage area. The May 22 photographs of a hopeful store owner opening her boardwalk shop, masked and cautiously optimistic, juxtaposed with the same owner viewing her potential customers, unmasked and thus defiant, is exactly why this pandemic continues to rage. There will always be people who think that they are above the cautions the rest of us take seriously. A scan of the beach and boardwalk cameras last weekend showed a few people walking the boardwalk, some masked, some not, but it is clearly uncrowded, so perhaps the message did get through to the majority of visitors. Locals still appear to have the sense to stay home. "We want to resume flight traffic to Majorca from mid-to-end June. Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Bulgaria are also well-prepared, TUI CEO Fritz Joussen said. Now we can plan holidays for Majorca, the Spanish mainland and the Canary Islands and make our customers an offer. Millions of holidaymakers have the certainty that summer holidays in Spain are possible during school holidays. This is a good signal for many families, but also for TUI as a tour operator and the travel agencies that advise customers on their holiday decisions." After Greece, Cyprus, Croatia and Bulgaria, Spain has now also provided clarity for the start of the holiday season. One in ten people in hospital care develops a healthcare-related infection. Together with Getinge, Semcon is developing a new digital platform to make it easier to identify where the risk of infections during surgery is greatest. In Sweden, infections are the most common form of injury as a result of treatment in hospitals a problem that is also widespread globally. According to an estimate from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there are nearly 9 million cases of healthcare-related infections in European hospitals and long-term care every year. The digital platform we are currently developing with Getinge helps healthcare better understand a number of evidence-based risk factors. Based on data from the platform, we can develop solutions to reduce the risk of infections in surgical environments. This contributes to reduced human suffering and reduced healthcare costs. Johan Kristensson, Team Manager and business responsible connected products, Semcon Using a number of sensors in an operating theater, the digital platform can collect different types of data, which can be displayed in real time as well as analysed afterwards. This creates a better understanding of what is happening in the operating theater and how to make improvements to reduce healthcare-related infections. According to the research, many endogenous and exogenous parameters have an impact, and we want this project to help us evaluate the impact of the environment in the operating theater. Semcon has extensive experience in both product development and software development, as well as extensive knowledge in medical technology, which makes them a good partner in this project. Jonas Andersson, Vice President Global Product Management in Infection Control, Getinge A prototype is due to be tested in an operating theater at a hospital. The project is based on a number of feasibility studies that Semcon has conducted together with Getinge, and Semcon is contributing to the project with excellence in embedded, sensing systems and UX. Picture this. Youre standing in what looks like an endless line at your credit union during your lunch break. Its dusty and dark. The posters are outdated. Chicagos If You Leave Me Now is playing in the background. You can see that only one teller is working and shes in no hurry. Its been almost 45-minutes and youve barely moved. You step out of line to fill out your deposit slip with the pen chained to the desk. Then, as you get back in line, you hear, Next, but you head for the exit instead. As youre walking out, you hear the faint sound of Chicago playing in the distance Baby, please dont go. Youll take away the biggest part of me. But, you know its time. A problem some credit unions have is outdated services and mobile apps that are lacking key features and are just blah. They dont realize small, simple changes can bring their services up-to-date and dramatically increase ROI. So, lets take a look. Logix Smarter Banking: Its Convenient Banking thats Connecting with Members If you havent heard about Logix Federal Credit Union, founded in 1937, theyre located in California and transforming the digital member experience. From engaging online and brick-and-mortar customers to making banking convenient, friendly and positive experiences, here are a few takeaways if youre interested in digital transformation for your mobile apps. Background Information With 400+ positive Yelp reviews, Logix is ranked 4.5 stars. Customers LOVE them and are VERY receptive to their brand. A few key points about Logix: As of March 20, 2020, Logix FCU had $6.29 billion in assets, $1.76 billion in loans and a 15.98 net worth ratio Increased its member base by 89% and Forbes Magazine named them Number One Credit Union in California The credit union has just over 207,000 members, 740 full-time staff and 4 part-time staff. Logix is open online 24-hours and accessible from smartphones, tablets and computers. What distinguishes Logix from other credit unions are the new technologies they implemented to reach younger audiences (millennials, online members). The Logix app includes a clean, easy-to-navigate, user-friendly interface and it integrates across mobile. Logix has a strong presence online and on social media. So, what is it that Logix is doing that you can benefit from? Lets take a look. Data Analytics, Marketing and Promotions We already have a really great member experience, especially in our branches, and so were driven by wanting to make our members feel welcomed, significant, and engaged. What were trying to do is take that feeling and replicate it across other channels: on our website, within online banking, and throughout our mobile app. Anna Fonseca, CEO, Logix Data Analytics To stay on top of digital banking changes, Logix implemented a new business intelligence and data analytics department. This department is crucial to gathering key insights and useful data on members and staff. The data is shared with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning products that can provide special reporting on specific member behaviors. Hence, all that new technology can help Logix harness data they need to improve user experiences. But, it doesnt stop there. Marketing and Promotions Logix is personable and convenient. Logix uses a tiny robot named Robix. Hes displayed on various landing pages and might be driving a car to promote auto loans or holding up a heart around Valentines Day. Hence, ads make members smile while highlighting added savings and marketing is attractive. Logix clearly identifies with members. Promotions, marketing and other convenient features include: Promotions that identify with families and communities like Name the Logix Robot and Decorate your Halloween pumpkin like the Logix robot Offers customers cant refuse (to increase conversions) like Open a new account and receive $150, $50 for Auto Loan Referrals and Get up to $2,000 No surcharge fees at their 30,000 ATMs and overdraft protection with courtesy pay Financial education to learn about money management skills Risk-based, auto, participation and indirect loans Convenient loan and savings calculators, e-statements, remote deposit captures and mobile payments Landing Pages, Images, CTAs and Colors Logix has a clean interface on their landing pages. The background isnt harsh and the soft orange color is inviting. They also limit the amount of text with each ad. Logix uses the appropriate font sizes and large call-to-action (CTA) buttons to help members navigate pages. Images are consistent with their brand and usually only include the Logix robot and bold colors that display ads. Some pages include reviews and feedback with large images to help members feel confident when accessing the site. For credit unions that want to take a similar approach, Neil Patel suggests: Use customer reviews to show transparency About 92% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase. Neil says to put testimonials everywhere, not just on a dedicated page that members may have trouble accessing. Support customers Even in hard times The COVID-19 update (above) lets members know the credit union is there to assist them. And, they can click on a simple link to find support and financial services (without having to come to a branch and stand in line). Limit information on the screen display area Instead of lengthy applications, limit whats shown. Remember, members are busy and theyre banking from their phones. A few CTA buttons can make it easier for them to get the information they need. Other ways to clean up your app include removing carousel banner ads. Clarks shoe company did this after their A/B test and increased conversions by 17.5% while bounce rates fell 16%. Include high-quality images As more people are online, they can choose where to shop and bank. Make your app visually appealing to them. Website design drives about 94% of traffic. Clean images can also reduce bounce rates so always check your analytics. Next, dont be afraid to pay more for staged images instead of generic stock images that people have seen before. Increasing your authenticity can improve your brand. Take a look at Logixs image below for Advice and Planning. Again, the images are large and clear while the text is minimal. Limit landing page lengths (enough scrolling already!) Creating a longer landing page doesnt always mean consumers will stay on the page. It might confuse them if all youre asking for is an email address, for example. Keep the content simple for better results. To test this, monitor your email signup page, a CTR to your blog page and a visits services page. Consider a company like Marketo for marketing automation. They provide short-form templates to reduce unnecessary scrolling. Banking and Loan Products, Education Center and Online Support Another area where Logix makes banking convenient is with its education center, shown above as Advice and Planning. And, for credit unions this is important. Your education center is a self-help area where members and applicants can have their questions answered. If you dont have an education center or knowledge base, consider setting one up for your app. It might include YouTube videos, help topics, common questions, top articles, blog posts and tutorials about products and services. Check out Hubspots resource center and knowledge base options to personalize your pages and make them engaging. A few additional tips: Make it easy for customers/members to find solutions to routinely asked questions. Include a search bar option for questions not immediately viewable. Include chat and text options that can work with machine learning and AI. This should be available 24-hours a day. You can automate this feature through your software and it will free up humans so they can help members who come into your brick-and-mortar locations. Keep your content fresh, relevant and minimal. Monitor searches with Google Analytics. Youll know the topics youre missing and can make the necessary changes. Optimize your loan origination app across mobile devices. Instead of taking a website and trying to convert it into a mobile app, start a new app thats optimized for mobile devices and social media. Make Your Mobile Banking App Convenient . . . And, Customers Will Spread the Word When you set up your lending suite of services, if youre finding that there are features youre missing, consider upgrading your loan origination software. Loan origination system software like Sync 1 provides credit unions with smartphone integration to increase membership and lending (auto loans). Members can access the best rates in real-time and make informed loan decisions. Heres how they helped Neighbors Federal Credit Union in Baton Rouge. Ultimately, as consumers are accustomed to shopping instantly and conveniently from their smartphones, they want to bank the same way. Hence, your mobile app shouldnt lag behind. Optimize your app with clean images, big CTA buttons, loan calculators and account features. With digital mobile app solutions that include automation, AI, and other tech advances, banking is becoming not just smarter but more convenient. As Logixs CIO Eduard Chuang pointed out, We truly aim to provide the best possible banking experience that our members can have. And, when members are happy, theyll access more features confidently and will share their experiences with others. And, thats a win-win for everyone. Well, Domo arigato Mr. Roboto! RENO, Nev., May 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nevada Exploration Inc. (NGE or the Company) (TSX-V: NGE; OTCQB: NVDEF) is pleased to report that the recently-completed reverse-circulation (RC) drilling program at its South Grass Valley Project has focused the Companys search for new Carlin-type gold deposits (CTGDs) to a mineralized corridor, which the Company believes is the potential common fluid source for three of the four target areas that the program was designed to advance. Having used RC drilling to cost-effectively increase its data coverage at the project, and thus its confidence in its geologic model, NGE is now preparing to return to core drilling to complete a carefully-targeted deeper drilling program to test this corridor, which NGE has named East Golden Gorge, for Carlin-type gold mineralization. Discussing how the latest drilling program has advanced the project, Wade Hodges, NGEs CEO: The objective of our preliminary, 2018-2019 core-drilling program at South Grass Valley, which consisted of 10 core holes spread along nearly four kilometers north-south, was to test for the presence of a Carlin-type mineral system large enough to support one or more multi-million-ounce Carlin-type gold deposits, at what is a completely-covered project that we identified as part of our hydrogeochemistry-led exploration program. Achieving this objective was a big milestone for the project and NGE, though it is important to point out that at the end of this initial program, while we believed we had successfully discovered a large new Carlin-type mineral system, our geologic model was made up of only a couple handfuls of drill holes across an area comparable in size to the entire northern Carlin Trend, in a part of Nevada where geologic features important for mineralization can change quickly, over short distances. To continue to advance and de-risk this still early-stage project, the goal for our second round of drilling at South Grass Valley was to establish the major geologic controls for mineralization in order to guide our search for potentially economic deposits, and for this we needed to improve the resolution of our geologic model, which required many more drill holes. To maximize the number of pierce points we could complete, for this second round of drilling we changed to less-expensive RC drilling; and to guide the distribution of these drill holes across the project, we chose to cluster the holes in four discrete target areas, each of which represented places within the district that already showed promise in terms of their specific geologic settings, and that also were supported by elevated gold and Carlin-type pathfinder geochemistry in multiple sample mediums. As we shared in our monthly drilling updates, challenging drilling conditions across much of the project - largely the result of a combination of swelling clay plus highly-fractured and intensely-silicified bedrock, proved difficult for the medium-sized RC drill rigs we were using; and a significant number of the RC drill holes did not reach target depth. As a result, we only completed 17 of the approximately 23 planned holes, and in several cases were forced to stop these holes shallower than we had expected. Despite the challenges, with the addition of these 17 new drill holes, we are looking at an almost three-fold increase to our total number of drill holes at South Grass Valley, which has considerably sharpened our understanding of the geology across the project. We believe strongly that geology is what is going to drive any discovery at South Grass Valley, and as weve shared, our goal at this stage of the project was essentially to establish what controlled the hydrothermal fluid flow responsible for the mineralization. The combined results of our two drilling programs have now given us multiple lines of evidence that at two of the four target areas, Freddie and Golden Gorge, the mineralized hydrothermal fluid flow was focused along a specific stratigraphic bedrock unit we call the Clm Unit, and that the direction of fluid flow at these targets appears to have come from a common source area, which we have named East Golden Gorge, located immediately west of a major structural corridor. Our third target area, Water Canyon, is located parallel to this same structural corridor and similarly up dip of the projected southern extension of East Golden Gorge, and while weve only completed two drill holes here so far, the results have provided some early geochemistry support that the geologic features responsible for East Golden Gorge could extend considerably further to the south. At our fourth target area, Waterfall, the results of the RC drilling helped to improve our overall geologic model, but do not support continued work in this target area. In summary, despite completing a smaller program than planned, with our 2020 RC drilling: we meaningfully advanced two of the four target areas (Freddie and Golden Gorge), which are resolving into a single deeper target in the East Golden Gorge area; we collected initial drill samples in a third target area (Water Canyon) along the projected extension of East Golden Gorge; and we effectively killed the fourth target area (Waterfall), which helps us to now narrow our focus to East Golden Gorge, which we believe represents the shared source of the shallower expressions were seeing at the remaining targets areas. Having established the likely dominant geologic controls for mineralization, and where these features are most likely to have focused hydrothermal fluids and concentrated their gold budgets to create potentially economic grades, were now narrowing our focus for the next phase of exploration at East Golden Gorge. This remains a district-scale target, with the potential for multiple discoveries, and as we begin to shift scales and zoom in to this specific geologic setting, we are going to continue with our systematic approach to exploration. Over the coming weeks, well be sharing the details of our next-stage program, which we expect will be a return to core drilling to complete a series of deeper holes, generally oriented north-south, to test an approximately 3.5 km length of the East Golden Gorge target area for increasing grades of Carlin-type gold mineralization. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2c6c9769-0f8d-4155-9a38-1790eeb7484f TECHNICAL SUMMARIES BY TARGET AREA Freddie Freddie is centred northeast of Goodwin Butte, where initial core drilling defined large zones of sulphide-bearing, silicified breccias within silty carbonate units that showed evidence of low-angle thrust faulting. These favourable host units sit below a shale cap rock at the intersection of major structural features along an antiformal fold hinge, which together represent a characteristic combination of host rocks and mineral controls for CTGD mineralization. The target is supported by elevated gold and related pathfinders within the silicified breccias, as well as by strong overlying geochemistry anomalies in soils and groundwater. NGEs objectives for the RC drilling program were to determine the extent and controls of the alteration features seen in the core drill holes, and to test their shallower, up-plunge, extension towards the west and north for increasing gold and Carlin-type pathfinders. NGE completed five RC drill holes in and around the Freddie target area for a total of 1,960 metres. With these RC drill holes, NGE was specifically aiming to collect samples of a Cambrian-aged limey mudstone containing sedimentary debris flows and turbidite breccia units (the Clm Unit) that sits immediately below a less-permeable and less-chemically-reactive laminar shale and calcareous siltstone unit. Based on the intensity of silicic alteration and Carlin-type pathfinders, the results of the earlier core drilling suggested the Clm Unit had seen the most hydrothermal fluid flow. Four of the five RC drill holes encountered at least the top of the Clm Unit (all except SGVR017), and two of the holes tested all or most of the full thickness of the unit (SGVR002 and SGVR003). Collectively, the results of the RC drill holes have confirmed that the Carlin-type alteration features seen in the initial core drilling extend another kilometre to the WNW, which provides additional evidence of the massive scale of the mineral system at the project. The results of the RC drilling also further confirm that the intensity of both the alteration and Carlin-type pathfinder geochemistry is strongly related to the Clm Unit, consistent with what was seen in the earlier core holes. In terms of testing the up-plunge (westward) extension of the alteration features, the zonation and decreasing intensity of the alteration seen in the RC drill holes, as well as the decrease in the relative concentrations of Carlin-type pathfinders, provide multiple vectors, all of which point to a source direction for the mineralized fluids back towards the east, having most likely followed the Clm Unit upwards, along dip from the direction of a major structural feature that NGE refers to as the Water Canyon structural corridor, which as detailed below, defines the eastern boundary of Companys East Golden Gorge target area In summary, based on the combined evidence from the core and RC drill holes, NGE believes that the mineralized hydrothermal fluid flow at Freddie was predominantly stratigraphically controlled within the Clm Unit, and that the source direction for this lateral flow was from the east, down dip, from the direction of East Golden Gorge. Having established these likely important controls for mineralization, with NGEs next drilling program, the Company expects to use deeper core drill holes to follow the projection of the Clm unit down dip, eastwards, closer to what the Company believes is the likely source of the mineralized hydrothermal fluid flow. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ab9e5f98-bd77-4aac-9cb2-52a6efd0e160 Waterfall Waterfall is located within lower-plate bedrock, now known to be sitting directly on top of the Grass Valley Stock, at the projected intersection of high-angle NW and NE-trending faults. The target was supported by early evidence that a component of the high concentration of gold in groundwater centred over Golden Gorge could potentially have originated upstream from the Waterfall area, as well as by moderately elevated arsenic in soil across the western part of the target. The target concept to test at Waterfall was that of fracture-controlled mineralization within hornfelsed lower-plate. NGEs objectives for the RC program were to define the interface between the lower-plate and the Grass Valley Stock in this area, and to test this geologic setting for evidence of mineralization. NGE completed a NE-SW fence of three RC drill holes (SGVR004, SGVR009, and SGVR010) along the northwestern edge of the target, for a total of 966 metres. The three holes encountered a thick section of the projected favourable carbonate host rocks, including the Clm Unit, above large areas of the Grass Valley Stock, which confirms their up-dip projection to the west. While the holes did encounter anomalous CTGD pathfinder geochemistry, the concentrations at Waterfall are considerably lower and less consistent than those seen at Freddie and Golden Gorge to the east, and are associated with much weaker alteration features. Furthermore, the results of the more-detailed 3D groundwater sampling provided by the RC drilling also show that the high concentrations of gold in groundwater seen in the Golden Gorge area do not continue this far west to Waterfall. Altogether, the gold and Carlin-type pathfinders in the bedrock and groundwater samples from the RC drilling at Waterfall show significantly lower concentrations compared to those seen to the east. With the improved understanding of the geology at Waterfall it appears that the favourable lower-plate host units at Waterfall were likely separated from hydrothermal fluid flow from the east. In summary, the RC drilling results do not support additional work in this area. Rather, the results at Waterfall, notably the major contrast in terms of gold and pathfinder concentrations between Waterfall and Golden Gorge, further emphasize the importance of establishing the edge of the intrusive, which marks the boundary between the two target areas, in understanding the controls for mineralization across the project. In this case, the intrusive appears to have blocked the lateral flow of mineralized fluids from reaching the Waterfall target area. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e1ca2706-83bc-4c53-8e08-9480339cca27 Golden Gorge Golden Gorge is located to the east of the Grass Valley Stock, where NGEs earlier core drilling confirmed the presence of anomalous gold and CTGD pathfinders within silicified and marbled breccias along the intrusive margin. The target is supported by the coincident alignment of the highest gold-in-groundwater concentrations seen at the Project, which closely map the interface between the lower-plate bedrock units and the intrusive. NGEs objectives for the RC drilling program were to establish the extent of and test for mineralization within the hornfels aureole on the east flank of the intrusive, as well as to test the western, up-dip extension of favourable alteration and geochemistry features seen in the earlier drilling. NGE completed seven RC drill holes at the Freddie target area for a total of 1,470 metres. With these holes, NGE was specifically aiming to accurately establish the edge of the intrusive, and then to sample the lower-plate bedrock units along its margin. Additionally, with an improved understanding of importance of the Clm Unit based on the drilling results at Freddie, the Company was also aiming to complete the RC drill holes at Golden Gorge deep enough to sample this unit. NGE began drilling at the western edge of the target, moving eastward. Four of the westernmost holes proved to be located on top of the granite. The other three drill holes (SGVR006, SGVR015, and SGVR016) successfully entered and sampled lower-plate bedrock along the intrusive, with SGVR006 and SGVR015 exhibiting significant hornfelsization. In terms of testing for mineralization within the hornfels aureole, while the shallower-than-expected drill holes only sampled a portion of this vertical zone, they encountered significant silicification associated with highly-anomalous Carlin-type pathfinder geochemistry, which most notably included a 52-metre interval in SGVR015 averaging 200 ppm arsenic and 145 ppm antimony. The location and relative intensity of the alteration and pathfinders seen in the drill holes at Golden Gorge suggest the presence of localized vertical fluid flow along the intrusive margin, which could represent an important setting for mineralization, consistent with the Companys original target concept, though at depths below where the RC drill holes could test. Beyond the hornfels aureole, the general intensity of alteration and geochemistry seen in the Golden Gorge drill holes increases at depth and towards the east, as also seen to the north at Freddie, consistent with mineralized hydrothermal fluids being sourced from the Water Canyon structural corridor. In summary, compared to Freddie, Golden Gorge is located closer to the Water Canyon structural corridor to the east, and bounded to the west by the Grass Valley Stock. Together, NGE believes these features focused the mineralized hydrothermal fluid flow to a narrower volume of bedrock in this area of the project, which is often favourable for depositing gold. Like at Freddie, NGE believes the source direction of the lateral flow of mineralized fluids at Golden Gorge was down dip to the east, from the East Golden Gorge area, and that the dominant control for fluid flow was likely the Clm Unit. Accordingly, in this area of the project, just as at Freddie to the north, NGE expects its next drilling will test the down-dip projection of the Clm Unit, closer to the likely source of the mineralized hydrothermal fluid flow. Also, based on the evidence for a vertical component to the fluid flow within the hornfelsed lower-plate along the margins of the Grass Valley Stock, NGE expects to continue to include this area in its next phase of work, particularly where the fluid-controlling Clm Unit intersects the intrusive. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e6f89b01-abcd-47d7-b003-163603b873ac https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8b59b583-7593-4974-ac0e-0afe54f0f7b1 Water Canyon The Water Canyon target area is located at the south end of the project, west of the Water Canyon structural corridor, at the projected intersection of multiple structural features, east of an historic adit and trench workings exposed in outcrop. The target is supported by elevated Carlin-type pathfinders in soil and groundwater. The planned RC drilling program represented a large, two-kilometre step out southward from the initial core holes, along the projection of the favourable geologic features that run parallel to the Water Canyon structural corridor. The program also provided an opportunity to sample Roberts Mountains Formation units, a lower plate unit that sits higher in the stratigraphy than the majority of the lower-plate units seen further to the north. NGEs objectives for the program were to test for evidence of hydrothermal fluid flow in Roberts Mountains Formation units, as well as for gold and related pathfinders within hornfelsed lower plate close to the Grass Valley Stock. NGE completed two RC drill holes (SGVR013 and SGVR014) in the Water Canyon target area for a total of 590 metres. SGVR013 entered Roberts Mountains Formation under shallow gravel cover, right up against the Grass Valley Stock, and proceeded to alternate in and out of lower plate and granite. Compared to SGV013, in addition to deeper cover, SGVR014 encountered a mudflow unit sitting on top of the lower-plate Roberts Mountains Formation units, which continued until the bottom of the hole. In terms of testing for hornfels-related mineralization close to the intrusive, SGVR013 encountered narrow intervals of elevated pathfinder geochemistry (e.g. 4.5 metres averaging 299 ppm arsenic) that confirmed there were likely structurally-controlled zones of mineralized fluid flow in this area, but did not encounter much thicker intervals indicative of the scale of fluid flow seen in the hornfels at Golden Gorge. In terms of sampling the Roberts Mountains units, SGVR014 intersected fracture-controlled silicification and anomalous pathfinders that confirm some mineralized fluids reached these upper units, but the alteration and geochemistry were not comparable to the those in the deeper units further to the north. Beyond testing the lower-plate, the drill holes sampled the alluvium and bedrock above the lower-plate, including the mudflow unit that sits on top of the lower-plate. Of particular note, the mudflow in SGVR014 contained what appear to be mineralized boulders similar to those seen in the mudflow unit further to the north in the initial core holes, which contained anomalous gold and pathfinders. One 4.5-metre mudflow interval in SGVR014 averaged 101 ppb gold. As each assay represents an average concentration over a sample interval, the Company expects that the mineralized boulders may contain higher concentrations. Based on NGEs modelling of the Paleozoic surface, the Company believes the boulders are representative of lower-plate bedrock that was exposed at the surface at the time the mudflow was deposited, and that the source direction for the mudflow was from the south, which suggests that the mineralized boulder material originated even further south than the Water Canyon target area, and importantly, that parts of the mineralization, only seen at depth to date, were exposed at surface at some point. In summary, the two shallow drill holes provided limited support for mineralization in the Roberts Mountains formation and an incomplete test of the intrusive margin. What the narrow intervals of alteration and elevated pathfinders have provided, however, is early evidence that the fluid flow responsible for the East Golden Gorge target could extend this far to the south in which case, the shallower units tested at Water Canyon were likely peripheral to the main fluid flow, suggesting any mineralization in this area is likely deeper or closer to Water Canyon structural corridor, in the direction of where East Golden Gorge projects towards the south. Separately, the mineralized boulders in the mudflow provide a second line of evidence that supports the possibility that the mineralization associated with East Golden Gorge extends further to the south, and possibly shallower. Work at this southern end of this district-scale project remains very early stage, and NGE expects that improved geologic information from next-stage drilling at East Golden Gorge will help guide any additional work in this area. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f1b2983d-2742-46ab-af06-7a17f9b928ee East Golden Gorge By integrating the results of its drilling with the results of its air magnetic and gravity geophysics surveys, working with Mira Geoscience, NGE has built a constrained inversion model to refine its understanding of the likely features responsible for a NNW lineament seen in both the gravity and air magnetics. To answer these questions, the modelling specifically focused on: (1) mapping the top of the lower-plate bedrock; (2) refining the geometry of the Grass Valley Stock; and (3) defining the extent of a magnetic mudflow unit encountered in the drilling above the lower plate. As shared in the Companys drilling update news release dated March 2, 2020, the results of the inversion modeling show a linear, canyon-like topographic feature in the lower-plate surface that NGE believes marks a regional-scale, high-angle fault system that the Company has named the Water Canyon structural corridor. The modelling also shows that the extent of the magnetic mudflow unit is largely controlled by this canyon-like feature, consistent with how a mudflow would likely behave when constrained by this type of topography, which provides secondary support for the presence of the structural corridor. These types of major structural features represent critical, deep-seated, primary fluid pathways at Nevadas major CTGD camps, such as the Post-Gen fault that cuts through the northern Carlin trend. NGE believes that establishing the presence and location of the Water Canyon structural corridor is a critical step in understanding the source of mineralized hydrothermal fluids and their subsequent secondary flow across the district. Based on the combined results of the core and RC drilling programs, the zonation and intensity of the alteration and pathfinder concentrations, particularly as seen at Freddie and Golden Gorge, provide multiple lines of evidence that the source direction for hydrothermal fluid flow was from the east at depth, consistent with the Water Canyon structural corridor providing a primary source of mineralized fluids for the district. The combined drilling results also show that within the sequence of potentially-favourable lower-plate host units that dip eastward toward the Water Canyon structural corridor, the alteration and their associated increase in Carlin pathfinders are most concentrated within the Clm Unit, which NGE believes represented a dominant, stratigraphic, secondary control for the hydrothermal fluid flow. With this improved understanding of the potential controls for mineralization across the district, NGE believes that the alteration features seen at Freddie, Golden Gorge, and potentially Water Canyon, are the shallower expressions of the hydrothermal fluid flow that followed the Clm Unit westwards and upwards from the Water Canyon structural corridor. NGE expects that following the Clm Unit down dip towards the Water Canyon structural corridor will form the dominant theme for the next phase of exploration. NGE has named this common deeper target area, which is bounded to the east by, and runs parallel to, the Water Canyon structural corridor, East Golden Gorge. The target concept at East Golden Gorge is that of stratigraphically-controlled mineralization within the Clm Unit. The Company is now designing a next-staged drilling program to test East Golden Gorge for increasing grades of CTGD mineralization, and looks forward to sharing its plans with its stakeholders over the coming weeks. As NGE continues to advance the Project, per NI 43-101, 2.3(2), the Company must remind its stakeholders that the Project remains an exploration target for which the potential quantity and grade of any mineral resource is still conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. About Nevada Exploration Inc. With mature, exposed search spaces seeing falling discovery rates, NGE believes the future of exploration is under cover. The Company has spent 15 years developing and integrating new hydrogeochemistry (groundwater chemistry) and low-cost drilling technology to build an industry-leading, geochemistry-focused, under-cover toolkit specifically to explore for large new Carlin-type gold deposits (CTGDs) in the more than 50% of Nevada where the bedrock is hidden beneath post-mineral cover. Nevadas exposed terrains have produced more than 200 Moz of gold, and experts agree there is likely another +200 Moz waiting to be discovered under cover in Nevada. NGE has completed the worlds largest hydrogeochemistry exploration program, focused on north-central Nevada, and is now advancing a portfolio of three district-scale projects in the heart of the Cortez (Battle Mountain-Eureka) Trend. NGEs most advanced project is South Grass Valley, located south of Nevada Gold Mines Cortez Complex. Based on the Companys work to date at the project, NGE believes it has discovered a mineral system at South Grass Valley with the architecture and scale to support multiple Carlin-type gold deposits (CTGDs), and the potential to host an entire new district. NGE believes South Grass Valley is one of the most exciting new district-scale, Carlin-type projects in Nevada. For more information, the Companys latest videos are available at: https://www.nevadaexploration.com/investors/media/ For further information, please contact: Nevada Exploration Inc. Email: info@nevadaexploration.com Telephone: +1 (604) 601 2006 Website: www.nevadaexploration.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Wade A. Hodges, CEO & Director, Nevada Exploration Inc., is the Qualified Person, as defined in National Instrument 43-101, and has prepared the technical and scientific information contained in this News Release. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, without limitation, expectations, beliefs, plans, and objectives regarding projects, potential transactions, and ventures discussed in this release. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made numerous assumptions, regarding, among other things, the assumption the Company will continue as a going concern and will continue to be able to access the capital required to advance its projects and continue operations. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are the risks inherent in mineral exploration, the need to obtain additional financing, environmental permits, the availability of needed personnel and equipment for exploration and development, fluctuations in the price of minerals, and general economic conditions. A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company is disclosed in the Companys continuous disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law. Tensions between India and China were on the rise as President Donald Trump offered to "mediate" between the two countries. The statement comes as Beijing's envoy that arrived at New Delhi on Wednesday reassured that the two countries posed no risk to each other. The US president said that they had notified the two countries' officials that the United States is prepared and willing to mediate or arbitrate the border disputes between the two, in a tweet Trump posted on Wednesday that caused New Delhi to scramble, as reported by The Print. The US as the mediator Zhao Lijian, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said that the status in the China-India border was "generally stable and controllable." He added that the two parties were keeping open communication through their front-line military units and embassies to resolve the disputes in a calm and collected manner. The Asian country is committed to following agreements that the two countries signed and is planning to maintain peace and stability in the region between China and India, added Zhao. Sun Weidong, China's ambassador to India, offered to put ties back on agreed terms. Without mentioning the border status, Sun said that the two countries "pose no threat to each other" and that they should not let whatever differences they have to compromise bilateral cooperation. According to the HindustanTimes, he added that the two countries should find a solution to the problem using communication and continually finding solutions to disputes. On Wednesday, Alice G. Wells said that China is showing disturbing behaviour which begs questions of how the country is seeking to utilize its increasing power. Also Read: Afghanistan President Commits to Releasing 2,000 Taliban Prisoners Amid Eid al-Fitr Ceasefire The offer made by Trump, which is not a first as he has previously tried to do with New Delhi and Islamabad last year, comes in the wake of rising tensions between the US and China on disputes over bilateral trade and the global pandemic wreaking havoc across the world. Efforts made by the Narendra Modi government has been lauded by the Chinese envoy in their fight against the coronavirus and its move to go to early lockdown when it had fewer cases than India. "At present, we feel heavy-hearted and empathy while India's epidemic situation is getting more severe," he added. A risky move The tweet by the US president provides additional evidence of his antipathy with China that is pushed by some members of his administration. "It's a move to poke the Chinese, surely, much like a class teacher calling two squabbling students," said one anonymous source. They also added that China considers itself to be part of the elite class and will not allow a third party to monitor its actions. President Donald Trump and his Republican colleagues have been on a relentless attack against China amid the COVID-19 crisis as the US claims to have the Asian country be held responsible for the virus spreading across the world. The US president has also called for an official investigation looking into the origin of the pandemic. Officials have also suggested that the coronavirus was allegedly leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan. Related Article: Twitter Adds Fact-Checks to Trump's Tweets, The President Says the Platform is 'Stifling Free Speech' @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 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. 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 Big venues in NSW will be able to host up to 500 patrons when lockdown restrictions ease on Monday - and there's loopholes to allow them to let even more inside. The NSW Government has announced a limit of 50 people would be allowed in pubs, restaurants and cafes from June 1. However, a clubs' patron capacity can increase depending on the number of restaurants and cafes inside the club. So a venue with three restaurants and two cafes, for example, can admit up to 500, provided they can maintain the one patron per four square metre rule. Up to 50 patrons will be permitted in bars, restaurants and cafes from Monday - but bigger venues with multiple dining areas will be able to accommodate more Staff and contractors are not included in the 50-person capacity. However, an internal Clubs NSW industry document obtained by the ABC claims clubs can actually open for more than 500 - as long as they have extra eating areas inside. ClubsNSW CEO Josh Landis, who reportedly sent the document to clubs, says they can use conference rooms as dining areas areas so they can take more patrons. The document also says patrons don't have to order food to have a drink and can stay inside even when the restaurant or cafe closes. Mr Landis told his members the upper limit of 500 patrons had been removed after they lobbied the NSW Government. Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello, who is responsible for liquor and gaming regulation, said the NSW Government had liaised exhaustively with both AHA and ClubsNSW to deliver this plan. Large clubs with multiple dining facilities will be permitted to have an additional 50 patrons per area. Pictured is an Australian RSL It comes as the federal government prepares to discuss fast tracking the reopening the economy in two weeks at a national cabinet meeting if infection rates remain low. Scott Morrison has been told the benchmark for reducing restrictions is 10 infections a day excluding those Australians returning from overseas. NSW will also ease coronavirus restrictions on religious services, weddings and funerals from Monday. Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday said in a statement that from June 1, up to 20 people could attend weddings, 50 at funerals and 50 at places of worship. However strict social distancing guidelines would continue to apply. We know how important these services are to individuals and families but as we ease restrictions further, we must remember to keep one another safe,' Ms Berejiklian said. 'It is crucial that worshippers remember to follow health advice. This is particularly important for people with co-morbidities aged over 50 and people aged over 70.' The government had been wary about adjusting the restrictions on places of worship after observing COVID-19 outbreaks in churches and church choirs overseas. But state religious leaders pushed for the relaxation after the government last week announced up to 50 people would be allowed to dine in restaurants, pubs and cafes from June 1. The NSW government announced last week up to 50 patrons would be able to dine in restaurants and cafes from June 1 NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant outlined the risks requiring management. 'Places of worship will be asked to find alternatives to practices that might spread the virus, like singing, sharing books and even passing around the collection plate,' Dr Chant said on Friday. 'Communal singing and chanting should not occur because of the high risk of transmission.' Anthony Fisher, the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, on Friday said in a statement he was pleased the government had heeded the requests of NSW churchgoers. He emphasised the Catholic church would abide by all government health regulations. 'The closure of our churches and indeed of all places of worship has been deeply distressing for many people of faith in our community,' Archbishop Fisher said. 'It added to the isolation and anxiety that so many were feeling. Guests will still be required to maintain social distancing as they head to pubs when restrictions ease next week. Pictured are women enjoying a drink in a Darwin bar on May 15 after the NT reopened licensed premises earlier this month 'With restrictions easing, many were concerned that the churches were being left behind, and wanted to make their voices heard. People of faith weren't asking for special treatment, but wanted to be treated equally.' Meanwhile, the state government has a fight on its hands to get a 12-month public sector pay freeze through parliament, with upper house crossbench MPs vowing to block the $3 billion saving measure. Ms Berejiklian on Thursday raised the possibility of job losses amid the COVID-19 pandemic unless the proposed freeze was endorsed on Macquarie Street. But NSW Labor, the Greens and the Shooters Party have flagged they will block the move in the Legislative Council, with one crossbencher arguing the coalition is engaging in 'economic blackmail' during a health crisis. Ms Berejiklian last week sought a freeze on pay rises for MPs, which was extended on Wednesday to include the entire NSW public service comprising 410,000 workers. Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey has labelled the plan an act of 'economic vandalism' at a time when frontline workers such as nurses, police officers and teachers are risking their lives. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dmitry Zaks (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom Thu, May 28, 2020 10:20 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bda98eef 2 World UK,Prime-Minister,Britain,Boris-Johnson,EU,European-Union,post-Brexit,negotiation Free UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet EU leaders next month in a bid to reinvigorate stalled post-Brexit negotiations that London said Wednesday must finish by the end of year even if no deal is reached. Britain officially left the European Union in January but still trades with other nations as if it were a member of the bloc. London and Brussels must still agree on everything from fishing rights to state aid rules and environmental standards to avoid a chaotic breakup that might hurt workers and frighten financial markets. They have given themselves until the end of the year to strike an agreement -- and until June 30 to approve an extension to the talks if it seems like more time is required. Johnson's chief negotiator David Frost reaffirmed to UK lawmakers on Wednesday that Britain had no intention of asking for more time despite fundamental differences in the sides' positions. "The firm policy of the government is that we will not extend the transition period, and if asked, we will not agree to it," Frost told a video conference. "I think that we will always put a lot of emphasis on economic and political freedom at the end of this year and thus avoiding ongoing significant payments into the EU budget." A little behind schedule Brexit dominated British politics and frustrated EU officials for years after the seismic 2016 EU membership referendum -- won against the odds by the Brexit camp championed by Johnson. But the coronavirus pandemic has put EU-UK talks on the back-burner. Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier developed COVID-19 and Johnson himself was hospitalized for the virus in April. The three have since recovered and the sides concluded a third round of video conference talks this month. "We are perhaps a little bit behind where we would like to be otherwise, but only by a week or two," Frost said. He said Johnson would join the talks before the June deadline for a summit that could determine whether Britain simply splits from the other 27 nations without a trade deal in 2021. "The expectation on both sides is that these are done at leader level," Frost said. "And, therefore, yes, the prime minister would attend." 'Big gap' The European Union is willing to offer Britain preferential trade terms if Johnson signs up to the major standards and regulations followed by the remaining 27 nations of the bloc. Barnier has sent a letter to UK parliamentary leaders reaffirming that Brussels was open to extending the talks for one or two years. "The European Union has always said that we remain open on this matter," Barnier wrote. Debates about Britain's acceptance of the EU "level playing field" on standards and regulations are at the heart of the negotiations. Johnson's team argues that the whole point of Brexit was to give Britain the right to set its own rules. Analysts suggest that the global economic damage wrought by the pandemic has left the UK government feeling more confident that it can deal with the much smaller shock of leaving the EU without a deal. "I think it's fair to say that we have a fundamental disagreement at the moment on most aspects of the level playing field," Frost said on Wednesday. "In most of the important areas there is a big gap." He opened his mouth to speak further and then stopped himself. He had been about to say the phrase, "that poor woman" he later acknowledged, but he could not bring himself to complete the thought. "She went racial. There are certain dark societal impulses that she, as a white woman facing in a conflict with a black man, that she thought she could marshal to her advantage," he said. "I don't know if it was a conscious thing or not," he added. "But she did it, and she went there." The video of Christian Cooper's confrontation with a white woman at Central Park, NY, set off a painful discourse about the history of dangerous false accusations against black people made to police. Credit:Brittainy Newman/The New York Times Cooper's love of birding began at age 10, he said, when his parents, two Long Island schoolteachers, enrolled him in a 4-H program. There, in a woodworking class, he crafted a bird feeder that he set in his lawn. The creatures that flocked to it set off a fascination that has endured for four decades, through his time at Harvard, where he graduated with a degree in political science, and into his years as an editor for Marvel Comics, where he is credited with creating one of the first gay characters in the Star Trek comic universe. A northern rough-winged swallow alighted on a branch and Cooper, 57, trained his lenses on it for a while. Then he resumed. "If we are going to make progress, we've got to address these things, and if this painful process is going to help us address this there's the yellow warbler!" Cooper said, cutting himself off to peer around with his binoculars. At length, he turned his eyes away from the tops of the London plane trees and continued where he had left off: "If this painful process oh, a Baltimore oriole just flew across! helps to correct, or takes us a step further toward addressing the underlying racial, horrible assumptions that we African-Americans have to deal with, and have dealt with for centuries, that this woman tapped into, then it's worth it," he said, setting his binoculars down on his chest. Loading "Sadly, it has to come at her expense," he added. On Tuesday, Amy Cooper was fired by her employer, Franklin Templeton, where she had been a head of insurance portfolio management, according to her LinkedIn page. Cooper, who graduated from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, also surrendered her dog, Henry, to the rescue organisation she had adopted him from, the same day, according to a Facebook post by the group. She issued a public apology to Christian Cooper, whom she had encountered in a semi-wild part of the park called The Ramble, where dogs must be leashed. After she refused to tether her dog on Memorial Day, Christian Cooper said, he attempted to lure the dog with treats, to induce her to restrain her pet. In a statement, Amy Cooper said she had misread his intent. "I reacted emotionally and made false assumptions about his intentions when, in fact, I was the one who was acting inappropriately by not having my dog on a leash," she said in the statement. She did not respond to multiple requests for comment. New York City's Commission on Human Rights has begun an investigation into Amy Cooper's actions. Christian Cooper said he had read her apology. He called it "a start". He said he was not interested in meeting her or in any face-to-face reconciliation. What he was interested in were birds, like the sighting in 2018 of a rare Kirtland's warbler that led him to sprint from his office in Midtown Manhattan to the park to catch a glimpse. Cooper, who now works in communications and lives on the Lower East Side, has fed his passion with birding trips to Central Park and around the world, and he is on the board of the New York City Audubon Society. He has developed a virtuoso's ear for their birdsong, and can identify them by chirp. ("There's a myth that I have the best ears in the park," he said. "It's a myth.") A new report has shed light on the damage caused to Syria over nine years and the amount that is need for the reconstruction writes Asharq Al-Awsat. Total economic losses in Syria over nine years of war have surpassed 530 billion dollars, more than 130 billion dollars above estimates made two years ago by Syrian and international experts, according to research presented in Beirut on Wednesday by the Syrian Centre for Policy and Research. Some 40 percent of Syrias infrastructure was also reportedly destroyed, with losses of around 65 billion, and a poverty rate of 86 percent. As for human losses, the number of those who had died conflict-related deaths reached 690,000 people, including 570,000 of them killed directly as a result of the war, which has driven 13 million Syrians from their homes as displaced people and refugees. Some 2.4 million children in Syria are living without schools, which feature six different curricula in different areas of influence in the country. They make up about 35 percent of school-age children inside Syria, with similar numbers of non-enrollment in places of refuge outside Syria. Rabie Nasser, the researcher who presented those numbers, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday that in light of these statistics, it is impossible to talk about reconstruction before treating the roots of the conflictmost important of which is injustice, including political, social and economic injustice. He added that, the most important part of reconstruction is to transcend conflict. This is a long-term and gradual process of lifting injustices and opening up the possibility for society to participate in erasing the impacts of the conflict and building a new future. Two years ago, Russian officials spoke of 400 billion dollars worth of damages in Syria. There is no doubt that these new numbers pose a major challenge to any Syria reconstruction plan, especially in light of domestic conditions and worldwide economic crisis amid the coronavirus pandemic. As one researcher said, these numbers move the idea of reconstruction closer to fantasy. The report, which was prepared by Syrian experts through deep work and relationships inside Syria, is part of a series addressing the impacts of armed conflict there between 2011 and 2019, particularly the social and economic situations, and institutions. It proposes alternative strategies for reconstruction, based on dismantling conflict economics, developing social consensus and establishing fair and inclusive institutions. Economic injustice The conflict has led to the formation of different and fragmented economies within a fractured state. According to the report, the incentive systems in these new economics showed that one of the few shared interests among the forces competing for control, was the misuse of economic resources for the benefit of the conflicts elites at the expense of productive economic activity. The ingredients of the economy were transformed into sources of ongoing violence by destroying a large part of the capital, or reallocating it to conflict-related activities, the report read. The report estimated the economic losses of the conflict to be at around 530.1 billion dollars by the end of 2019, equalling 9.7 times Syrias 2010 GDP at stabilized prices. Social injustice Syrias population increased by 0.9 percent in 2018, and 1.1 percent in 2019, with the total population reaching 19,584,000 in 2019. The conflict caused the forced displacement of more than 5.6 million people searching for safety in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and other countries. The number of internally displaced people reached some 6.14 million last August, the largest number of people internally displaced by conflict anywhere in the world. Syrians are continuing to lose millions of years of education, with 2.4 million children aged five-17 out of school by 2019. As one researcher said, these current statistics represent a catastrophe because millions of children will suffer from a lack of skills and knowledge, in addition to the other impacts of conflict. The conflict has also left behind an inconsistency in curricula across Syria, due to the establishment of different educational systems in each region, according to the governing power there. There are six different curricula in use. A similar number of children are out of school outside of Syria as well. Some 24 million years of schooling have been lost for Syrians, and this complicates opportunities for advancement in the future, the researcher said. The report revealed that the death rate increased from 4.4 deaths per 1,000 people in 2010 to 9.9 in 2017 and 7.0 in 2019. According to the report, 570,000 people were killed directly, while 120,000 others died due to a lack of equipment, medicine and appropriate living conditions. The overall poverty rate reached its peak in 2016 at 89.4 percent, then lowered in 2019 to 86 percent. The economic crisis in Lebanon only exacerbated economic conditions in Syria. The US Caesar Act is expected to be implemented in the middle of next month, which will bring additional burdens to the living and economic situation. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. President Trumps executive action aimed at social media companies like Twitter isnt so much about Twitter. It is about getting re-elected and there are few better ways to rally his base than to rail on California liberals in Silicon Valley. The president has little to lose by taking a shot at the San Francisco tech company and outfits such as Facebook because the Bay Area, as well as Silicon Valley and California in general, overwhelmingly supports Democrats, contributes to their campaigns and dislikes Trump. So Trump revs up his base by ripping on Big Tech even though Big Tech helped get him elected. Who said that? Trumps campaign manager, Brad Parscale. Parscale said the Trump campaign raised much of its $250 million online haul in 2016 through a robust Facebook advertising push. He also said Trump had masterfully used Twitter to steer the media narrative during the campaign. The president is still using his 80 million-follower Twitter feed to shape the story his feud with Jack Dorsey and company is competing this week for top billing with the nearly unfathomable milestone of 100,000 Americans killed by COVID-19. Facebook and Twitter were the reason we won this thing, Parscale told Wired magazine in the days after Trumps 2016 election. Twitter for Mr. Trump. And Facebook for fundraising. But that sort of nuance doesnt rile up Trumps GOP base. Railing on tech companies as biased against conservatives does. A Morning Consult poll last year of Republicans found that 48% felt Facebook was biased against conservatives and 36% felt Twitter was anti-conservative. And that was before Twitter stuck fact checks debunking a pair of Trumps tweets this week making incorrect claims about Californias plans to have a nearly all-mail election in November. Thats what triggered Trumps order Thursday that would remove a provision of a 24-year-old federal law protecting tech companies from lawsuits over content on their platforms. Were here today to defend free speech from one of the greatest dangers, Trump said before signing the order, referring to the tech monopoly that has unchecked power. To Trump, railing on Silicon Valley generates the same reaction as pounding other elites like the media and Democratic governors who dont want to open the their states for business quickly enough. Its a well-worn tactic that has kept his conservative base with him through three-plus years in office. California is an easy target for conservatives because of the image that were freaky San Francisco and Hollywood people, said Donnie Fowler, a former Democratic operative who has worked to bridge the gap between Silicon Valley and Washington for two decades and is now the CEO at Tech4America. It reinforces their messages. Trumps latest blast at Silicon Valley started with another shot at California. On Tuesday, Trump took on Gov. Gavin Newsoms plan to mail ballots to all California voters for the November election, breaking at least temporarily from the detente the two had stuck to during the pandemic. Trump tweeted that there is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed. Twitter pointed out, accurately in its fact check, that that is false. Evidence of voter fraud is very rare anywhere, including California, UC Irvine election law Professor Rick Hasen told The Chronicles Its All Political podcast. In the five states that use all-mail balloting which include some heavily Republican states like Utah the amount of election crime generally is very low, Hasen said. That didnt matter to the president. Trump exploded after Twitter attached its fact check, tweeting that Big Tech is doing everything in their very considerable power to CENSOR in advance of the 2020 Election. If that happens, we no longer have our freedom. But Zack Graves, policy director at the libertarian-leaning Lincoln Network think tank that links Silicon Valley and Washington, said theres a disconnect between how many Republicans feel about bias at technology companies and how they feel about regulating them. That Morning Consult poll last year of Republicans, which his group commissioned, found that 41% of respondents agreed that technology platforms should be free from government regulation regardless of political or ideological bias, because they are private companies. Forty percent said tech companies need to be regulated by the government to stop political or ideological bias. My view is that conservatives are not upset by content moderation itself, theyre distrustful of progressives in San Francisco having massive and opaque power over it, Graves said in an email Thursday. Harvard government Professor Thomas Patterson doesnt think Trump is that fearful of Twitter. Its just a good excuse to go after them. But he is very fearful, and rightfully so, of vote by mail, said Patterson, author of the new book Is the Republican Party Destroying Itself? And Why It Needs to Reclaim Its Conservative Ideals. Why? Patterson thinks its because Trump believes it could hurt his re-election chances by making it easier for more people to vote. If you ever agreed to it, Trump told Fox News in March, youd never have a Republican elected in this country again. That, too, is untrue. Just ask Californias newest member of Congress, Rep. Mike Garcia. The Republican businessman easily won a nearly all-mail House election in Southern California this month, flipping a seat that had been held by a Democrat, just hours after Trump told reporters that mail-in ballots were subject to tremendous corruption. Tremendous corruption, cheating. And so, the president said, Im against it. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli A Ghanaian entrepreneur, Madam Josephine Marie Godwyll, is among eight entrepreneurs from sub-Saharan Africa, to be awarded funding to harness engineering and business skills of their organisations to help tackle the spread of COVID-19. A statement issued by the British High Commission in Accra said the funding was initiated by the Royal Academy of Engineering in early April as the virulence and rapid transmission of COVID-19 gripped countries around the world. The initiative is with the support of the UK Governments funding through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and Project CARE (COVID Africa Rapid Entrepreneurs). It said the Academy already works extensively with engineers across sub-Saharan Africa, and the new initiative was an extension of the partnership supporting small and medium engineering businesses to re-focus their work to help address the challenges of COVID-19. It noted that the Project CARE initiative means that Young at Heart Ghana, run by Josephine Marie Godwyll and her team, are able to support children across Ghana to continue to learn remotely and safely despite COVID-19. Commenting on Madam Godwylls success, Mr Iain Walker, British High Commissioner to Ghana said: Project CARE has rightly recognised the agile and important contribution Josephine and her team at Young at Heart Ghana have made to the countrys education system. Their innovative work supplements the efforts of the Ministry of Education, to ensure that children across Ghana continue to access quality and vital education despite the restrictions and difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The statement said more than 50 people applied for funding through Project CARE, and only eight were chosen to receive funding including entrepreneurs from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa as well as Ghana. Each of the successful candidates received 5,000 to support them in scaling up their COVID response. Talking about her work, Madam Godwyll said Remote learning platforms have never been more essential. The benefits of e-learning have been further illuminated not only as an alternative but a necessity due to the disruptions in traditional approaches to learning in these atypical times. She said Ananse At Home, is a homeschooling program based on the Ananse The Teacher e-learning platform, which uses stories and games to explore learning modules in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), art and literacy, through hands-on activities conducted with everyday materials found at home. Designed with a full awareness of the constraints associated to access, the app can be deployed on both phones and computers through both online and offline engagement. We believe this programme, which is part of the Lab and Library on Wheels project, is the kind of disruptive innovation that is needed especially in such a disruptive time. The statement said Madam Godwylls team have created the Ananse The Teacher App, which had been adapted into a home schooling programme called [email protected] It said the free app provides a range of home-learning modules for children aged 8 14. It intimated that these modules focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as literacy and art. Participants receive module instructions and activities every week. It said the programme also enables parents, who were having to act as teachers, to access a network of teachers and mentors who can provide extra support and answer questions. It said the Project CARE will continue to work with manufacturers and other partners to provide innovative answers to the challenged of COVID-19. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Zoom Video Communications, Inc has appointed Indian-origin Velchamy Sankarlingam as the new president of engineering and product. His appointment will be effective on June 12. After working for more than 9 years in Sankarlingam VMware, a traded software company, Sankarlingam has joined video chat app Zoom. At VMware, Sankarlingam was senior vice president, Cloud Services Development and Operations. And, before VMware, he was VP, engineering and technical operation at WebEx. At Zoom Inc, Sankarlingam will oversee the company's engineering, product, and development operation team. He will be directly reporting to Zoom CEO Eric S Yuan. According to the LinkedIn profile of Sankarlingam, he is experienced in hardware, software, and service industries in engineering and management areas. He also has an advanced degree in Engineering and Management. Sankarlingam did his BE in Electronics and Communication from Anna University. Thereafter, he finished his MS in Computer Science from Northern Illinois University from 1989-1990. He also did MS in Business and Policy from Stony Brook University between 1993 and 1995. Recently, the Zoom app has faced a lot of backlash from many countries, including India for a range of privacy issues, including sending user data to Facebook, and wrongly claiming the app had end-to-end encryption. However, the video conferencing app is still very popular. The use of Zoom has soared to 300 million daily meeting participants in April 2020 from 10 million back in December. Meanwhile, Zoom is attempting to improve its security measures ever since it vowed to fix its "biggest trust, safety and privacy" issues in April. In its latest blog post, the company has urged its users to update the app and web client before May 30 as it enables Galois/Counter Mode (GCM) encryption for all the Zoom meetings. GCM or Galois/Counter Mode encryption is an algorithm for authenticated encryption of data that assures the genuineness of the confidential data. In a blog post, Zoom mentioned that "From May 30 GCM encryption will be fully enabled for all meetings". It added that all Zoom clients and Zoom Rooms should be on version 5.0 or higher of the app in order to join any meeting. The support for enhanced GCM encryption was added with Zoom 5.0 in April and this will be implemented system-wide from May 30. Also read: Lockdown 5.0 guidelines: What to expect, how will they be different from Lockdown 4.0? Also read: Coronavirus lockdown: Govt may need to inject $20 billion into state banks Judge Dismisses CCP Virus Coverage Lawsuit Against Fox News A judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed against Fox News over the networks CCP virus coverage. The suit said Fox violated Washington states Consumer Protection Act, accusing some of its personalities of downplaying the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the coronavirus that originated in China and causes a disease called COVID-19. Superior Court Judge Brian McDonald said the plaintiff, the Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics, didnt establish its case and its assertions do not hold up to scrutiny. The leagues professed goal in this lawsuitto ensure that the public receives accurate information about the coronavirus and COVID-19is laudable. However, the means employed here, a CPA claim against a cable news channel, runs afoul of the protections of the First Amendment, added McDonald, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee. In a statement responding to the ruling, Fox said that the group that filed the suit used a false portrayal of commentary to try to silence a national news organization to settle a partisan grievance. This was not only wrong, but contemptuous of the foundation of free speech and we are both pleased the court dismissed this frivolous case and grateful to the First Amendment community that rallied to our side, it added. This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the CCP virus, which causes COVID-19. (Niaid-RML via AP/The Canadian Press) Statements cited in the suit included one by Sean Hannity, a popular Fox host, telling viewers in early March that opponents of President Donald Trump were trying to bludgeon Trump with this new hoax in reference to the virus. Fox received support from the Internet & Television Association and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which filed an amicus brief arguing the case should be dismissed. The Plaintiff in this case has asserted that news providers do not enjoy First Amendment protection when they distribute their programming over a cable television system, the filing stated. That radical proposition is plainly wrong. Ruling against Fox would effectively strip First Amendment protections from any content distributed over the Internet, the committee said. An attorney for the league, also known as WASHLITE, told news outlets that it plans to file an appeal. Hizbul Mujahideens ambition of carrying out an attack on the lines of the February 2019 suicide car bombing in Pulwama may have been fulfilled on Thursday had security agencies not received last-minute intelligence about the movement of a car packed with a powerful bomb in the area, two counter-terrorism officers said. Troops of Jammu and Kashmirs Special Operations Group (SOG), Rashtriya Rifles, and the 182nd and 183rd battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) secured all the routes to Pulwama and set up checkpoints on Wednesday night after receiving information that a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was driving a white Santro car laden with explosives, the officers said on condition of anonymity. Thy were told that the terrorist may be targeting a convoy of troops or planning to ram the explosive-laden car into a security forces camp. Also Watch | Car with 60 kg explosives intercepted in Pulwama, major attack averted The car, fitted with a powerful bomb made of around 40-45 kg of ammonium nitrate and nitroglycerin, was spotted at Ayangund, Rajpora in Pulwama around 2.30 am on Thursday. The terrorist identified as Adil managed to flee through the jungles, but security agencies averted a repeat of the February 14, 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed. The attack carried out by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group prompted the Indian Air Force to bomb a JeM terror camp in Pakistans Balakot and brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war. The two counter-terrorism officials cited above said three camps two of the CRPFs 183rd battalion and one of the Rashtriya Rrifles -- were located within 3 km and 5 km of Ayangund where the car was intercepted. The area was evacuated by dawn and the bomb-laden vehicle was allowed to explode by bomb disposal squads because defusing it manually was deemed too risky, one of the officers said. J&K director general of police Dilbagh Singh said the attack was suspected to have been planned by JeM and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). This is a Jaish and Lashkar joint operation. But the (terror) factory is located in Pakistan, whether it produces terrorists of Hizbul, Jaish or the TRF (The Resistance Front), he said. J&K Police Inspector General Vijay Kumar said It was not the first time terror groups in Kashmir had worked together. JeM, LeT and HM have regularly used each others resources and network of overground workers to carry out attacks on security forces or civilians, he said. At least five Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists disclosed to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), after a failed car bombing on a CRPF convoy in Banihal on March 30, 2019, that the HM leadership aspired to carry out a Pulwama-like attack. The NIA will take over the probe of Thursdays planned attack as well. A shift to mail voting is increasing the chances that Americans will not know the winner of Novembers presidential race on election night, a scenario that is fueling worries about whether President Donald Trump will use the delay to sow doubts about the results. State election officials in some key battleground states have recently warned that it may take days to count what they expect will be a surge of ballots sent by mail out of concern for safety amid the coronavirus pandemic. In an election as close as 2016s, a delayed tally in key states could keep news organizations from calling a winner. "It may be several days before we know the outcome of the election," Jocelyn Benson, Michigan's Democratic secretary of state, said in an interview. "We have to prepare for that now and accept that reality." Ohio's Republican secretary of state, Frank LaRose, pleaded for "patience" from the public. "We've gotten accustomed to this idea that by the middle of the evening of election night, we're going to know all the results," LaRose said Wednesday at a forum on voting hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center. "Election night reporting may take a little longer" this year, he warned. Delayed results are common in a few states where elections are already conducted largely by mail. But a presidential election hasn't been been left in limbo since 2000, when ballot irregularities in Florida led to weeks of chaos and court fights. For some election experts and Democrats, the prospect of similar uncertainty is especially worrisome this year, as Trump disparages mail-in voting as fraudulent and has claimed without evidence that widespread mail balloting will lead to a "rigged" election. "It's very problematic," said Rick Hasen, a University of California-Irvine law professor. "There is already so much anxiety about this election because of the high levels of polarization and misinformation." Hasen is among the experts who have been studying the strains on the U.S. electoral system during the pandemic. He recently convened a bipartisan group of academics to recommend safeguards for a disputed election. Some members have gamed out dramatic scenarios like state legislatures or governors refusing to seat electors, or a candidate refusing to cede power. Meanwhile, some Democratic operatives, lawyers and even the presumptive presidential nominee have grown increasingly vocal with their concerns that Trump will try to meddle in the election. Joe Biden recently said he thinks Trump may use his office to intervene: "Mark my words, I think he is going to try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can't be held." Oregon vote-by-mail ballots for the May 2020 primary election. Trump campaign spokesman Ken Farnaso called the accusation "another unsubstantiated creation of the liberal conspiracy theory machine." Trump said last year in an interview that he would accept the results of the 2020 election. Since then, however, the coronavirus has dramatically changed how Americans vote. As voters look for a safer alternative to in-person voting, election officials from both parties have promoted mail-in and absentee voting options, and requests for mail ballots have surged in the primaries. Many states expect to be scrambling to process millions more in November. While each state runs its own process, those mail ballots can take longer to count. In some states, the ballots can be accepted several days after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked before polls closed. And while some states count the ballots as they come in, others notably the critical battlegrounds of Michigan and Pennsylvania have laws that forbid processing mail ballots until Election Day, guaranteeing the count will extend well past that night. That doesn't mean The Associated Press and other news organizations won't call a winner. The AP regularly calls races before the official vote count is complete, using models based on partial results, past races and extensive polling. But in particularly tight contests, the AP and other news organizations may hold off on declaring a winner. That could lead to a national roller coaster ride of shifting results. In Michigan and Pennsylvania, two states that helped hand Trump his 2016 victory, Democrats have pushed to relax the laws forbidding them from processing ballots before Election Day but faced GOP resistance. In Pennsylvania, only 4.6% of the state's voters voted either early or by mail in 2016. But now both parties are urging voters to send in mail ballots for next week's primary elections, and officials are overwhelmed by absentee ballot requests. Philadelphia says it wont even begin to count mail ballots until after the end of primary day, June 2. Forrest K. Lehman, elections director in Lycoming County, Pa., warned: In terms of November, if they dont let us start canvassing sooner than the day of the election, theres no way anyone can responsibly call Pennsylvania on election night. Another factor that could delay the count is Democrats' push to require states to accept mail ballots postmarked on Election Day. Democrats have filed more than a dozen lawsuits demanding that standard and note that the U.S. Supreme Court required it for Wisconsin's April 7 election. But, because of that requirement, Wisconsin couldn't release results from its election until April 13. By NICHOLAS RICCARDI, The Associated Press More: With voting by mail in Pa. this year, election results may not be known for days, officials say From wrong addresses to voter disenfranchisement: Why some Pa. election officials oppose all mail-in primary Pa. boosts campaign to encourage voting by mail A lack of money and government mandates has led to widespread delays and disparities in testing the countrys 1.4 million nursing home residents for COVID-19, allowing the virus to spread largely unchecked and kill tens of thousands of older adults, residents, staff and health care advocates tell the Hearst Television National Investigative Unit. Youre asking every day, Did anybody else come up positive? said one resident of a central Florida nursing home. It feels like, she said, a carnival thats like a shooting gallery and you're just trying to dodge bullets. The resident, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from the facility, lives in a nursing home that has had more than a dozen COVID-19 cases and about a half-dozen resident deaths from the virus. While the home has been visited frequently by the states health department and other regulators, she said she has been tested only once since early March. Im worried, she said. Im very worried. Testing Mandates Vary So far, at least 32,000 seniors have died from the virus, roughly one out of every three COVID-19 fatalities in the U.S., according to U.S. Senate research. Florida, where the resident interviewed for this story lives, does not mandate any frequency of coronavirus testing in nursing homes. New York has instituted mandatory testing, for workers. "No other state is requiring that the staff be tested twice a week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said earlier this month. The governor said testing staff so aggressively was a necessary step because long-term care workers can spread the virus while asymptomatic. New Nationwide Rules Possible Now, new rules nationwide could be coming. The White House warned governors two weeks ago that if more testing at nursing homes is not done soon, "then there's a good chance we will order them to do that, a senior administration official told reporters. Asked about it earlier this month, though, President Donald Trump stopped short of mandating it. "I think it's important to do, he said May 11, and I think, frankly, some of the governors were very lax with respect to nursing homes. It was obvious right from the beginning." Inspectors have found infection control and prevention problems at nursing homes from coast to coast during the pandemic, according to hundreds of pages of inspection reports obtained for the National Investigative Units COVID Clusters: Seniors at Risk investigation, which first published its findings earlier this month. A subsequent report from the Government Accountability Office found even pre-pandemic, infection control deficiencies were present in most nursing homes, according to five years worth of data analyzed by the watchdog agency. The report said infection control was, in fact, the most common kind of deficiency cited in those facilities, with 82 percent of the surveyed homes having that type of problem one or more times from 2013-2017. Failures included proper hand hygiene or use of preventative measures, such as isolating sick residents and using personal protective equipment, to slow the spread of infection among residents and staff. Help is on the way Congressman Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) now wants to mandate nursing home testing. He's supporting a bill that would require weekly COVID tests of nursing home residents - and daily for staff. His Pennsylvania district includes a nursing home where 76 people have died so far the most fatalities of any care facility in that state, government health records show. Pennsylvania's attorney general has now announced "several criminal investigations" into nursing homes. "I absolutely do think that we will need congressional hearings, Lamb said in an interview, to impose accountability where it lies for people that didn't treat these seniors the right way, but also to change the way we're doing business going forward. To fearful nursing home residents and worried families, Lamb pledged, "Help is on the way." The still unmet need for testing and personal protective equipment in those facilities was brought up during a Senate hearing last week. The chairwoman of the Special Committee on Aging, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said during the hearing that she believed testing for every resident and staff is a good idea. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) represents a state where 70 percent of COVID-19 deaths are from long-term care facilities one of the highest percentages in the country. When asked during a Capitol Hill interview what should have been done to prevent such a high rate, the senator responded, We should have had testing early on." Sen. Shaheen is an original co-sponsor of a bill that would require an inspector general to investigate the federal governments response to the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes. Shaheen said, I think there is not yet enough accountability into the governments delayed actions. Lack of Money The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services now urge states to do more testing but advocates say new, voluntary guidelines given to states this month are "not grounded in reality" and don't come with the money to get it done. Testing all 15,000 nursing homes in America residents and staff would cost an estimated $440 million per week, according to figures provided to the National Investigative Unit by the American Health Care Association, which represents about 14,000 of those care facilities. READ THE STATE-BY-STATE BREAKDOWN OF NURSING HOME COVID TESTING HERE Katie Smith Sloan, the president of LeadingAge, an organization that represents non-profit aging facilities, issued a statement titled, Not Grounded in Reality. In it, Smith Sloan said, in part, Any plan that leaves nursing homes, assisted living communities, and other aging services providers without immediate and consistent access to life-saving tests and PPE is a deadly failure. Every one of the 75 Florida nursing homes Dequasia Canales's 1199SEIU union represents has had at least one worker who's COVID positive, she said. "For them to go into work every day and be afraid and not know who's positive, who's not positive, what they may be walking into, what they need in order to stay safe creates an unfair burden, Canales explained in an interview. So we need transparency, she added. Lawmakers Arent Doing Enough But for residents like the woman in a central Florida nursing home who spoke in an interview after more than a dozen COVID cases among her fellow residents, the message of transparency and a need for more testing is not getting through to the people who have the power to make it happen. "The lawmakers aren't doing enough for people here in these nursing homes. They really aren't. And they need to realize that one day, they will be in one or their family member. And I dont think they would want the care that we are receiving, she explained. To address lingering concerns about care, C.M.S. says it is creating a "Coronavirus Commission on Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes" to look at what went wrong in the COVID-19 response and how to improve. It is now soliciting nominations for the commission. Mark Albert is the chief national investigative correspondent for the Hearst Television National Investigative Unit, based in Washington D.C. Kevin Rothstein and April Chunko contributed to this report. Have a coronavirus-related tip? Send information and documents about this topic to the National Investigative Unit at investigate@hearst.com. NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Hardships during our childhood years often have a long and profound impact on our lives. Alex Saenz experienced a childhood full of difficulties and hardship that he was able to overcome and become the person he is today. Instead of letting it get him down, he used it as fuel to achieve his dreams. "I grew up in West Phoenix from very humble beginnings. I lived in a trailer park from the age of 13-18. During the ages of 13-18, my parents divorced and I dealt with a lot of emotional and mental issues such as anxiety, depression, loneliness and abandonment. Having felt all this, I worked my butt off in high school and graduated with a 4.2 GPA." recounts Alex. With this kind of GPA, Alex had the opportunity to go to plenty of elite colleges. Instead, his interest was piqued by real estate investing. Though he had very little money in his bank account, Alex wanted to achieve his goal of making six or seven figures, so he began his venture into real estate. "At the time of jumping into real estate, I had less than $500 in his bank account. This was money I had saved up from working at a grocery store pushing carts where I only made $7.50 an hour from pushing carts. Having no emotional or financial support, I dove into real estate head first by door knocking and putting signs out on street corners. It took me nine months to get my first real estate wholesale deal. During this time, my mom moved to Nevada, which was 18 hours away. I then had to move into my friend's house and work out of my friend's little brother's room, which was Spiderman themed. I started to dig deeper and work harder by marketing for real estate deals." States Alex. Though these months were difficult for Alex, like before, he pushed through it and finally made his first closing. This first deal changed everything for Alex. He was only 19 and had already closed a sale and quickly began closing other sales. He began to expand his team and hire other agents to help build his business and close more sales. "Having closed my first real estate deal by January 2016, I took off in real estate. I was 19 when I closed my first real estate deal! In 2016, still at the age of 19, I closed 12 real estate wholesale deals for $120,000 in revenue. Keeping living expenses low, I invested nearly everything back into business. I hired two sales guys to help hunt down more real estate deals, by 2017, the real estate company grew to five total team members!" exclaims Alex. Alex has never looked back since beginning his journey. His business took off and he was able to create his real estate business All in Entrepreneurs with his two partners: Carlos Reyes and Sal Shakir. He also has started creating youtube videos in which he shares his life story and ways to help others learn the tricks of the real estate trade. "In 2017, my company closed 62 deals for $615,000 in revenue with more than 60% profit margins. This was all done at 20 years young. In 2018, being 21, I continued to grow my real estate company and Co-Founded ALL IN ENTREPRENEURS with his partners Carlos Reyes and Sal Shakir. In 2018, Over 100 deals were closed, and it was the first 7 figure year in business and I was only 21. Fast forward to 2020, I have closed over 300+ deals with my 7 figure real estate acquisition firm." states Alex. Though Alex has faced numerous challenges, he has worked hard to overcome them and achieve his goals. He has always had a good mindset, which has helped him come as far as he has at such a young age. In the future, Alex hopes to keep expanding his real estate business as well as continue pioneering his new solar power company. "I am a millionaire now, currently 23 years old, building more companies, earning 6 figures monthly through real estate, and consulting solar and SAS (tech/software) companies. I am most excited to help others overcome poverty, bad programming and helping younger entrepreneurs achieve success at a young age!" Remarks Alex. If you want to learn more about Alex's amazing life story, you can check out his YouTube channel by subscribing to Alex Saenz on YouTube. In addition, you can follow him on Instagram @alexsaenz and check out his business at allinnation.com CONTACT: Paula Henderson 202-539-7664 phendersonnews@gmail.com About VIP Media Group VIP Media Group is a hybrid PR agency. Their diverse client base includes top-class entrepreneurs, public figures, influencers, and celebrities. SOURCE: VIP-Media View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/591852/Alex-Saenz-is-a-Millionaire-at-Age-23-Because-Despite-his-Hardships-He-Always-Tried-to-Work-Harder-and-Do-More Brutal: Avril Flanagan was stabbed more than 50 times and stuffed into a suitcase The mum of an Irish woman murdered by her British ex-boyfriend has spoken of her outrage after being told he will be freed just over halfway through his 19-year sentence. Alan Daulby was convicted of killing 20-year-old Avril Flanagan after he stabbed her more than 50 times with a kitchen knife at his flat on the Costa Blanca in Spain. The car valeter, from Liverpool, used a mop and bleach to wipe up her blood, showered and changed clothes and tried to stuff her mutilated body into a suitcase before leaving it under his sofa for her loved ones to discover before going on the run. He had wrapped her body in an old duvet and plastic sheeting and taped her up. Anguished mum Barbara Flanagan's only partial consolation was her belief that the monster who killed Avril would remain behind bars for nearly two decades. But on the eve of the 11th anniversary of Avril's murder on May 29, 2009, she revealed how she had been left feeling "sickened and cheated" after being told the 35-year-old was being released from prison early on licence. Ms Flanagan, who divides her time between Spain and Swords, Co Dublin, also told how she found out only by chance last year that Daulby had been transferred from a Costa Blanca prison, where he began his July 2012 murder sentence, to a UK jail. "I've been told by a liaison officer in England that the law stipulates he serves half his sentence in prison and the other half in the community on licence, and the jail sentence imposed in Spain cannot be increased," she said. "Finding out a man who's done such awful things to another human being is going to be back on the streets in October sickens and outrages me, whatever the law says. "He's still a young man and I definitely believe he still poses a danger to others. "I'm speaking out now because I want people to know what sort of man is going to be let out into the community, and I am Avril's voice." A spokesman for the UK Ministry of Justice said: "We understand the distress caused to victims when an offender is released and our sympathy is with the family of Avril Flanagan. "Anyone released from prison faces strict licence conditions, such as curfews and exclusion zones, and can be returned to custody if they breach them." 'They attack standing crops and vegetables.' 'They don't attack people.' 'People are just panicking.' IMAGE: A huge swarm of locusts attack trees in a village in Jaipur. Photograph: Ashok Sharma/ANI Photo Even as the nation fights the coronavirus pandemic, there is a new panic, this time over the swarms of locusts that have so far damaged crops in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and were heading into Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Although locust swarms flying into the country is an annual feature, this year it has come two months early and so was unexpected for this time. The Government of India's Locust Warning Organisation under the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare has been in constant touch with the affected states to curb the menace before it spreads further. Officials say this year's locust attack is the worst they have seen in 26 years. Dr K L Gurjar, deputy director of the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage at the ministry of agriculture, who is busy coordinating the counter-measures with states, tells A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com that "there are eight to ten swarms" in the country. "They are spread over three states -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh," he adds. What is different about this year's locust attack? This year they have come two months early. They first come to Iran, they breed there in spring. Then they come to Baluchistan. They come to India in summer. How does the government tackle them? We are spraying them with chemicals. We do that at night and in the early morning hours. How many swarms are currently in India? Approximately there are eight to 10 swarms. They are spread over three states in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Do they come every year like a clockwork? They come every year. Last year also they had come, but not so early. What can be done to prevent the attacks? We are continuously monitoring them. When they settle down at night, a team from the central government and state government work together. We find them and then spray them with chemicals. What is under risk, apart from crops? Do they come into cities, attack people etc? They attack standing crops and vegetables. They don't attack people. People are just panicking. Can they be genetically modified to make them more ferocious? No, they are not genetically modified. There are growth regulators that can be introduced at the infant stage. But that is not available in India. Can they be part of a bio attack? No, that is not possible. What is the locusts's life span? Their lifespan is 90 days. How long do these attacks last? They normally last for one or two months when the migrations will continue. It depends on how many enter. If they breed here, then it will last longer. What is the value of the total damage they cause? Presently there are no standing crops. So they have damaged only vegetables. News Corp's Australian boss Michael Miller has defended the Murdoch-controlled publishing giant's decision to cease printing more than 100 regional and suburban newspapers, including the Manly Daily, arguing the media industry is more fixated on the move than audiences. But a string of upset Nationals MPs serving electorates affected by the closures, including Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, expressed disappointment with three urging the company to reconsider the move and one describing it as an "absolute disgrace". News Corp is closing down more than 100 regional and suburban print titles, including the Leader Newspapers in Victoria Credit:AAP/James Ross Mr Miller on Thursday confirmed reports that News Corp would axe hundreds of jobs as it ended print editions of a string of smaller papers, including one of the oldest mastheads in NSW, the Parramatta Advertiser and the Mornington Peninsula Leader and Bayside Leader in Victoria. "The people who feel most aggrieved by not publishing print editions are those in the industry," Mr Miller said. "[The readers] are subscribing online more than subscribing in print." A woman accused of murdering her three young children at their home in Dublin was unable to come to court again as her case was adjourned for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The bodies of Deirdre Morley's sons Conor (9) and Darragh (7), and her daughter Carla (3) McGinley were discovered in their home at Parsons Court in Newcastle, just before 8pm on January 24 last. Ms Morley, 43, was remanded in custody by Dublin District Court on January 29, with an order that she would receive a psychiatric assessment while in prison custody. The district court had heard she has been in the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) since her first hearing. Ms Morley, a nurse at Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, Crumlin, in Dublin, was charged with three counts of murder. A sick note was furnished to Judge John Hughes who adjourned the case in her absence until June 10 next. She had not been able to attend court on five previous dates. Last month her solicitor told the court there was a doctors report stating my client has been deemed fit to plead and the matter will go through the normal procedure. The District Court cannot grant bail in a murder case. Ms Morley was found by a taxi driver near her house shortly before the childrens bodies were discovered. She was treated for a number of days at Tallaght University Hospital before she was charged. The childrens father Andrew McGinley arrived home at the same time that gardai and paramedics reached the house. When they went inside, they found the three children dead. A note had been left to urge whoever came through the door of the family home not to proceed any further but to call gardai instead. She made no reply in response to each of the charges and was handed a copy of charge, Detective Sergeant Dara Kenny had said at Ms Morleys first hearing on January 29 last, five days after the deaths of her children. United Nations experts accused some of the US states of manipulating the executive orders amid coronavirus crisis to curb womens reproductive rights. The UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls expressed regret that the emergency orders suspending procedures not deemed immediately medically necessary had been used by states including Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Iowa, and Ohio to restrict access to abortion. We regret that the above-mentioned states, with a long history of restrictive practices against abortion, appear to be manipulating the crisis to severely restrict womens reproductive rights, said Elizabeth Broderick, Vice-Chair of the Working Group, in a statement. The UN Working Group further highlighted the importance of access to abortion services during the pandemic as women are facing mobility restrictions due to quarantines and lockdowns. Broderick said that the ongoing situation is illustrating a pattern of restrictions and retrogressions in access to legal abortion care across the country. We fear that, without clear political will to reverse such restrictive and regressive trends, states will continue pursuing this pattern, she added. 'Putting women at risk' The Working Group expressed serious concern that the officials are putting women at risk by denying access to time-sensitive abortion care which will worsen systematic inequalities. The expert said that women will be forced to travel out of the state with such rules to access abortion care, putting their own health at risk. Broderick emphasised that abortion care constitutes essential health care and must remain available during the COVID-19 crisis. The Working Group said it is extremely concerned by the US insistence to remove references to sexual and reproductive health and its derivatives from the Global Humanitarian Response Plan on COVID-19. It warned that removing references to sexual and reproductive health from the HRP will have devastating consequences for women worldwide. We reiterate that sexual and reproductive health services, including access to safe and legal abortion, are essential and must remain a key component of the UNs priorities in its responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, it added. Read: UN Experts Call For Universal Basic Income To Help Revive Economy Read: Myanmar Military Continues To Escalate Its Assault In Rakhine State: UN Expert (Image credit: AP) By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 27, 2020 | 02:31 PM | PADUCAH Baptist Health Paducah has received two breast-imaging honors this month.The first of which is a three-year accreditation in breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the second being a designation as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. Both honors were awarded by the American College of Radiology.The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. The breast MRI provides important information about numerous breast conditions that other imaging modalities, like mammography or ultrasounds, may not pick up on.The accreditation is awarded by board-certified physicians and medical physicists, who are experts in the field. It is awarded to facilities that meet ACR "Practice Parameters and Technical Standards" after a peer review evaluation.The peer-review evaluations, which are conducted in each breast imaging modality by board-certified physicians and medical physicists, determined that Baptist Health Paducah has achieved a high practice standard in image quality, personnel qualifications, facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs.The ACR, which was founded in 1924, is a medical society that is dedicated to serving their patients and society as a whole by empowering radiology professionals to advance the practice, science, and professions of radiological care. The college serves more than 37,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs that focus on the practice of medical imagine and radiation oncology, and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.You can learn more about the American College of Radiology at the link below. On the Net: The bodies of dead birds are collected in a four-block area during spring and fall migrations each year. It is estimated that 1,000 birds die a year because they don't see glass as a solid surface. Read more If youve been noticing a lot of dead birds around where you live, youre not alone. The topic has been popping up in neighborhood Facebook groups, from those targeting South Philly to Center City to West Philly to the citywide Being Neighborly: Philadelphia group. My friend and I talk about this ALL THE TIME! I step over multiple each day, wrote one poster in Being Neighborly: Philadelphia. Inquirer readers are spotting them, too. One wrote to us through our Curious Philly portal to ask: I have been noticing lots of dead adult birds on the ground in the Old City / Society Hill area while walking my dog. My friends in Northern Liberties are noticing this as well Any idea why? ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters Before you let your imagination wander, the answer has nothing to do with the coronavirus, says Jason D. Weckstein, Ph.D. an associate curator of ornithology at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and Drexel University professor. Although, the pandemic could be to blame for why youre noticing the unfortunate phenomenon. The whole COVID crisis has forced people to live in the moment in many ways, says Weckstein. Now, people arent rushing anywhere anymore. Theyre getting out and noticing nature more, and all of the creatures around them. Dead birds, both babies and adults, are a normal part of the urban environment, says Weckstein. And spring is high season for bird deaths, for two main reasons. Dead baby birds First, its breeding season right now for many of the common bird species in the city. What you are probably seeing most are baby birds that have fallen out of their nests, says Weckstein. These are likely mostly baby European starlings, house sparrows, and rock pigeons. Some of them could be American robins. Hatchlings (up to 3 days old) and nestlings (3 to 13 days old) both too young to leave the nest can fall for a variety of reasons. Most of it is by accident, the result of a flimsy nest or an attempt to take flight before its time. Sometimes predators will scare them and trigger a premature hop. For fledglings, fully feathered birds that are ready to jump or start fluttering their wings, casualties are a common part of the process of leaving the nest. If youre a fledgling, your parents will stick with you, but there are a lot of predators in the city, says Weckstein, If you hop out [of the nest], and youre not in a sheltered spot where you can hide while waiting for mom or dad to feed you, you can get eaten. One of the biggest enemies: cats. Cats kill between 1.3 billion and 4 billion birds a year, according to a report published in the science journal Nature Communications. And in the region, where there are around 400,000 feral and free-roaming cats, theres no lack of furry paws and sharp claws for birds to dodge. READ MORE: Philly has 400,000 stray cats. Heres how to deal with it. Some predators will eat the birds, like hawks, but cats will just kill them and leave them there, says Weckstein. Its hard being a baby bird theres a lot of mortality. Its true. Most baby songbirds leave the nest before they can fully fly, and according to Mass Audubon, only 30% survive their first year of life. But young fledglings are also quite resilient. When they take that first jump out of the nest, yes, sometimes they get injured, says Weckstein, but theyre pretty good at bouncing back on their feet. Far over on the Arctic coast, Barnacle goose babies begin their lives by plunging off cliffs as high as 400 feet tall. Adult deaths Its not just little ones that are dying. Adult bird deaths are also common in the spring. We see it every year in the spring and the fall because we have this epic migration of birds, some flying as far as from South America to Canada's boreal forest, says Weckstein. Unfortunately in the city, we have these tall glass buildings, and the birds are hitting them, especially when theyre lit up. Migration ends in the beginning of June, so plenty of additional birds are still flying through Philadelphia at the moment. The majority of birds navigate at night, using the stars as guides. Theyre attracted to the lit up buildings, especially at dawn, which can result in fatal collisions. And although many people in those tall offices are currently working from home, most remain lit 24 hours. Deaths happen during the daytime, too. If birds see a reflection of a tree on the glass, theyll fly right toward it. And like babies, adults have to contend with predators like cats. These are all among the reasons why you might find a dead bird lying on the sidewalk. Again, its nothing unusual, especially during this time of year. As far as I am aware there isnt any special increase in the number of dead birds being seen these days, and its definitely not something special about COVID, says Weckstein. What is special seeing how many people are out enjoying the outdoors. Its maybe one of the positive things that has come out of all of this. Chennai, May 28 : Actress Jyotika says she feels glad to have led the Tamil courtroom drama "Ponmagal Vandhal" that portrays a strong female character, who will go to great lengths to seek justice. "Each actor looks for challenging roles that take their acting to greater heights, and my character Venba has brought out the best in me. I am glad to have led a film that portrays a strong female character who will go to great lengths to seek justice," she said. "Ponmagal Vandhal" also features Parthiban, K. Bhagyaraj, Thyagarajan, Pratap Poten and Pandiarajan. Directed by JJ Fredrick, it revolves around the story of a resident in Ooty named 'Petition' Pethuraj who reopens a case from 2004 that involved a serial killer, Psycho Jyoti, who was convicted for the kidnapping and murder. Venba, his daughter and a passionate lawyer, weaves through the loopholes to unveil the truth. It is the first Tamil film to be launched on direct-to-stream on May 29. "Every actor has films that they have invested a large part of themselves in. This is one such film for Jyotika and it excited her to be working with 5 veteran actors in a single film," said Jyotika's husband, Tamil superstar Suriya, who has produced the film. "Initially to see a young director bringing us such an intense script was extremely commendable. Fredrick has written the character and the script in such a way that it feels relevant timelessly, even during the testing times of this pandemic. We believe that any film being put out to the world, should have points that would leave the audience to ponder or debate upon and Jo's films have done it time and again for the well-being of the society. "On having watched the preview of the film, we are extremely happy with the effect it created on both men and women who watched it. I am also a huge fan of thrillers and this film satisfies me as an audience and also a producer. We are also happy to be associated with Amazon Prime Video who are taking this content to over 200 countries and territories," he added. As part of our #LockdownLessons series, Bizcommunity is reaching out to South Africa's top industry players to share their experience of the current Covid-19 crisis, how their organisations are navigating these unusual times, where the challenges and opportunities lie, and their industry outlook for the near future. Casian Dendere, chief executive officer of COENG What was your initial response to the crisis/lockdown and has your experience of it been different to what you expected? Comment on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on your organisation or economy as a whole. How is your organisation responding to the crisis? Comment on the challenges and opportunities. How has the lockdown affected your staff? / What temporary HR policies have you put in place regarding remote working, health & safety, etc.? How are you navigating physical distancing while keeping your team close-knit and aligned? How have you had to change the way you operate? Any trends youve seen emerge as a result of the crisis? Your key message to those in the sector? What do you predict the next six months will be like? We chatted to Casian Dendere, chief executive officer of COENG, to get his take.I was initially surprised and impressed at governments drastic response to the arrival of Covid-19 in South Africa, but I quickly realised the necessity of the hard lockdown and was relieved that we as a company had already implemented the necessary technological infrastructure to allow us to work remotely. There was a brief teething phase while we all ensured we had the right security and teleconferencing software in place, but it has actually gone better than expected. I am very impressed at the agility of the COENG team.In my view, the civil engineering and construction sector is the backbone of the economy and contributes significantly to employment and growth in the country. However, before the pandemic, the industry was in a slump with margins remaining tight amid a generally low market performance. There is no doubt that recovery of the industry will be even tougher now, but COENG is prepared to keep sailing these seas. As an established firm, we are better off than others and will do our part in uplifting the sector.We are ensuring that we communicate consistently with our stakeholders. In uncertain times, we know that our employees, clients, and partners need to be kept abreast of developments at COENG. During this pandemic, we have learnt that things can change in a moments notice. Being able to embrace and communicate these changes has been integral to our operations.Obviously business unusual creates many new challenges, and they change all the time as we move through alert levels. First it was the work-life balance of working from home, which I know was tough for many people who were managing children, home-schooling, elderly parents, etc. The new challenge is the phased and safe return to work. However, I think the opportunity here is for companies to think outside the box in terms of operations. Now is the perfect time to reassess your systems and processes and see what can be adapted to better cater for your clients and importantly your staff.When President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the move from level 5 to 4, our teams went back on site where we continuously conduct screening and testing of personnel while also ensuring we comply with the guidelines that have been put in place. Our sites comply with the requirements of Covid-19 Occupational Health and Safety Measures in Workplaces COVID-19 (C19 OHS), 2020. We have also maintained that anyone who can work from home will continue to do so. Finally, anyone who has knowingly come into contact with a Covid-positive case has to inform us so that we can perform full risk management and respond accordingly.It has been all about communication. It helps that we were already a close team with a world-class project management system in place to keep us aligned. However, we have seen our team-leaders really step up in reassuring their teams that their open-door policy remains in place. We understand the fears and uncertainty brought by this age, and have made it a priority to communicate clearly and frequently with our valued staff while also inviting them to share their experiences and ideas.Obviously, we were unable to work on many of our sites for a long period, so that was a big disruption to the norm. But aside from that, our office-related tasks remained largely unchanged except that they moved to our homes. We have amazing cloud infrastructure and an integrated management system for our projects, so operations were able to continue.I foresee a more long-term adoption of virtual meetings driven by the ever-improving features and functionalities of teleconferencing apps, and a much lower tolerance for sitting in traffic.Adopt and adapt. The industry needs to grab this opportunity to adopt technology which will enable better service delivery, while also adapting to the changing needs and concerns of customers. We are entering a new age with increased competition, and you have to be agile to keep up.With some reports expecting South Africas Covid-19 infection rate to peak only in September, I expect the country to toggle between various alert levels as the government tries to balance national health with economic activity. It is going to be a rough ride and I think everyone is going to have to hang on tight. If Central New York moves into phase two of reopening on Friday, offices will be allowed to bring employees back but business owners, building managers and employees should prepare for a new way of working in them. International real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, along with Syracuse-based affiliate Pyramid Brokerage Company, has compiled a 34-page recovery readiness reopening manual to get offices outfitted and equipped for reopening with the proper precautions in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The guide covers everything from elaborate office redesigns featuring smart building technology and touchless entry to simpler, more affordable solutions for smaller offices such as signage and plastic wrap. Here are eight major ways offices will be different when they reopen: 6-feet office Social distancing in the office will be a top priority once the doors open. Cushman & Wakefield call this the 6 Feet Office," and detail dozens of suggestions and considerations for keeping employees six feet apart. The experts there recommend looking at your floor plan to determine how each space is used: for circulation, individual seating or meetings. Then, you can begin planning protocols for social distancing. For circulation spaces," or places with lots of foot traffic such as corridors, stairs and entries, Cushman recommends one-way circulation." That means routing people in one direction to avoid crossing one another face-to-face. For individual seats, options might include alternating desks in a checkerboard pattern or spacing out workspaces further apart. Cushman encourages businesses to consider removing alternate or additional seating areas to discourage people from using it. They also suggest converting meeting space into new individual work spaces. Other options might include adding panels between desks and specifying seat assignments for offices that had previously used open seating. The report also recommends reducing capacity in meeting areas by removing chairs. Cushman reminds business owners and managers they can also completely decommission these areas to discourage gatherings. Masks and trash While many have grown accustomed to wearing a mask in public, expect to see additional rules and protocols for masks and personal protective equipment in the workplace. Any workplace where employees cant stay six feet apart will have to rely heavily on masks to keep workers safe, but many companies are preparing to require masks even in larger, less dense workplaces. Businesses where employees interact with the public also will need to deploy masks and other PPE as necessary. Protocols for masks will vary depending on the workplace, but each business will have to consider a number of questions. Will masks be provided or will employees bring their own? Will masks be single-use or reused? Will employees need to be trained on how to safely use PPE? Another consideration is disposal. Employers will need to inform workers how they are expected to safely remove and dispose of PPE if necessary. Cushman suggests creating separate receptacles for PPE disposal and making them prominent and available through the workplace. Plastic-wrapped furniture Upholstered furniture is difficult to sanitize, so the experts recommend removing it altogether if possible. Another option is plastic wrap, which could make sanitizing much easier. Plastic wrap might prove to be a helpful material for other touchpoints, too. Cushman & Wakefield recommends evaluating all of the surfaces in your office that are most likely to be touched by multiple people. That might include furniture, light or utility switches, cabinets, drawers, shared phones, whiteboards, remote controls, printers or scanners. Plastic wrap isnt going to work for all of this. Wherever possible, Cushman suggests removing this equipment to dissuade people from using it. The reports also encourage business owners to consider assigning touchpoints to a designated employee. For example, one person is responsible for hitting the light switches or adjusting the thermostat to avoid multiple people interacting. Fewer doors and touchless entryways Doors are hotspots for germs. Cushman notes the easiest way to avoid multiple people touching door knobs is to remove internal doors in an office space. A more expensive option is touchless doorways, which the group predicts will become more popular, along with other touchless and smart building technology throughout offices, in kitchens and bathrooms, too. But for those who cant afford to install new, tech-driven doors at the entrances and exits of an office, Cushman recommends simply reducing the number of entryways. Consider designating one door for the entrance, one for the exit. Entrances will be a major point of contact between employees and customers for many businesses. Cushmans suggestions include considering requirements for entry, such as temperature screenings. They also recommend placing hand sanitizer outside and inside the entryways. Consider having an employee monitor doorways or reception, but rethink how this might work: Could you try out a virtual concierge using technology? Should one employee act as doorway attendant to avoid having multiple people touching the doorway? How will deliveries be handled? Some of these considerations also apply to elevators, which can be particularly challenging spaces for preventing the spread of the virus. If possible, have employees skip the elevator. Attendants can also help with avoiding multiple people touching the buttons. Workplace hygiene State and federal guidance require businesses to have plans for cleaning and sanitizing the workspaces. Regular housekeeping should cover kitchen areas, vending machines, bathrooms, meeting rooms, and phone rooms in addition to individual workspaces. Employers will also be expected to encourage good personal hygiene among employees. Thats as simple as covering coughs and sneezes, and hand-washing. But employers can also encourage good hygiene habits by providing sanitizer and disposable cleansing wipes near common touchpoints, and by promoting protocols for sharing equipment. Employers may also want to eliminate coffee pots and water coolers for the time being, unless they have plans for how to sanitize this equipment after every single use. Staggered schedules Work from home has been a smooth transition for many companies that have traditionally occupied offices. The Cushman & Wakefield report says get ready for hybrid ways of working. Employers who want to get back into the office should be considering how they can best use that space while the pandemic is still a threat. Considerations include which employees need to work from the office, and when, as well as the costs and requirements of reopening the office. If you do move ahead with reopening, it will likely be necessary to stagger employees schedules to accommodate social distancing. Cushman & Wakefields 6 Feet Office plan would likely reduce capacity by at least half for most businesses. When scheduling, make sure you are making time for cleaning in between employees using a space. Businesses should also consider density checks: How will you monitor the number of employees in the building? Will you designate an employee to oversee this, or use technology? Consider promoting meters and dashboards for density and office space use, to share with employees. Isolation room The Cushman & Wakefield report recommends every office have an enclosed room where anyone who becomes sick or is experiencing Covid-19 symptoms can go. This isolation room should not be used for any other purpose. The report stresses the importance of having a plan in place if there is an outbreak or even one case of Covid-19 in the workplace. The isolation room is just the physical component of a businesss response. The individual reopening plan should also include protocols for how the business will respond should an employee contract the virus. Signage Finally, to accomplish all of the other components of the Cushmans 6 Feet Office," businesses will need clear signage and markings to explain the rules and protocols. Signs outside the business and at the entryway should explain what employees and clients can expect. Additional signage should direct people toward PPE and sanitizer. Signage is going to be key for wayfinding employees will have been used to certain patterns of moving around the building, so its important offices have prominent guidance and reminders. Small business owners: Have a question or a story to share about how youre coping through the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdown? We want to hear from you. Contact Back in Business reporter Julie McMahon: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992. CNY BACK IN BUSINESS Unsure which phase your small business can reopen in? Make a pitch, expert says A lot of home-cut repair: CNY barbers are eager to fix your quarantine hair disasters These restaurants in Central New York have closed. How many more will there be? Want to get back to the gym? Multiple gyms plan to open for personal training within a week Coronavirus threatens to pull the plug on Syracuses small business networks Syracuse DJ shares coronavirus lesson: Its OK to put passion aside to pay the bills More from CNY Back in Business Sign up for the Back In Business newsletter to get small business advice delivered to your email inbox. (Bloomberg) -- CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. won its European Union court fight to overturn the EUs veto of its bid for rival O2, in a blow to Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager that may make it easier to get deals past merger watchdogs. In a surprise ruling on Thursday, the blocs General Court toppled the European Commissions 2016 merger ban, citing numerous mistakes in the EU regulators analysis and saying regulators failed to prove the tie-up would have harmed rivals and customers. While the case is largely symbolic -- the companies have expressed no plans to resurrect the deal -- its one of a growing number of challenges to the EUs merger review process. Regulators wield huge power to extract concessions from companies under threat of blocking a transaction they see as harmful to competition and likely to increase prices for consumers. This is a resounding victory not only for Hutchison but for the entire European mobile telephony industry, said Douglas Lahnborg, a lawyer at Orrick. Its probably the most important court ruling over the last 15 years in the field of mergers. Most-Feared In its decision, the commission rejected Hutchisons argument that combining its Three unit with Telefonica SAs U.K. business would help the company invest more in new networks and technology. Instead, it found that it risked increasing prices. The EUs opposition to merging two mobile networks in the same country also killed other potential deals, effectively pushing many telecoms operators to combine with cable companies or look at cross-border transactions instead of direct national rivals. Vestager, now in her second term as EU commissioner, made her name with tough antitrust enforcement, making the EU one of the most-feared jurisdictions for global deal-making. The courts criticism may weaken regulators ability to demand companies make the changes they want to get a deal through. Hutchison said Thursdays ruling forces the commission to fundamentally revisit its approach to merger reviews in this key sector. Story continues Brake on Deals The commissions approach has unfortunately acted as a brake on, or in a number of cases prevented, vital industry consolidation in Europe which would have resulted in significant new investment, innovation and benefits for European consumers and industry, the company said in a statement. The commission in Brussels said it will carefully study the judgment, which can be appealed. EU merger enforcement has deterred most attempts by European telecoms operators to buy direct rivals, often deals that would have reduced the number of mobile phone providers in one country from four to three. While EU officials repeatedly say theres no magic number for telecoms, they rarely approve so-called 4-3 deals. The ruling is a step in the right direction for operators toward consolidation, said James Barford, a telecom analyst at Enders Analysis. He said 4-to-3 mergers seem to have paused since the 2016 decision because it appeared the European Commission was taking a different view on them. Telefonica has moved on in the meantime, a spokeswoman said, referring to a new deal the company recently announced. O2 agreed earlier this month to merge with Liberty Global Plcs Virgin Media to create the U.K.s largest phone and internet operator. Virgin Media doesnt operate its own mobile network in the U.K., and currently rents connectivity from BT Group Plc to offer wireless services to customers. Virgins combination with O2 may face an easier ride from regulators because it combines fixed and wireless assets, not two wireless companies. While the U.K. has quit the EU since the deal dispute erupted, the legal challenge highlights how tough antitrust enforcement has swayed telecommunications M&A activity in the region. Virgin Media, O2 Combine to Create New Telecom Giant In their ruling, the Luxembourg-based EU judges cited the EUs failure to show that the effects of the concentration on the network-sharing agreements and on the mobile network infrastructure in the U.K. would have hindered competition significantly. They also accused the commission of failing to prove to the requisite legal standard the effects of the deal on prices and quality of services for consumers. The tribunal found there was not sufficient proof either that the transaction would have significantly impeded competition on the wholesale market. The case is: T-399/16 CK Telecoms UK Investments v Commission. (Updates with lawyer comment from fourth paragraph) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 11:19:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Wang Lili SINGAPORE, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China is not only necessary but also urgent, a renowned Singaporean attorney has said. Lawmakers have been deliberating a draft decision on national security legislation for Hong Kong at the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature. Chung Ting Fai, founder of the Chung Ting Fai & Co Advocates and Solicitors, a law firm in Singapore, made his comments in a recent interview with Xinhua. In the past several months, there have been local and foreign anti-China forces sabotaging Hong Kong's security and people's safety and properties, he said. "Some Hong Kong residents or visitors were beaten up and even been set on fire; quite a number of restaurants and shops were vandalized; public transportation was blocked," which has not only damaged Hong Kong's international image, but also threatened and disrupted Hong Kong residents' normal lives, said Chung. "No country in the world would tolerate these kinds of atrocities," said Chung, who lived in Hong Kong before moving to Singapore with his family at the age of 10. Therefore, the evolvement of the situation in Hong Kong spells a need and urgency of the legislation on national security, so as to maintain Hong Kong's rule of law, safeguard Hong Kong's security, stability and prosperity, and protect the basic rights and freedom of its people, he said. In line with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, the NPC is entitled to such kind of legislation, which is within the framework of the Basic Law, Chung stressed. For Hong Kong, administrated under the "one country, two systems" principle, "one country" is the prerequisite, without which the "two systems" would have no base, he said. Chung quoted Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi as saying that the draft decision "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." In fact, maintaining stability and rule of law in Hong Kong is vital for its roles as the global trade and financial hubs, said Chung, who is also director of the Hong Kong Singapore Business Association. The legislation on China's national security at an early date would help to guarantee Hong Kong's stability and rule of law, which is in the best interests of investors and traders there, and would also reconsolidate Hong Kong's roles in the international arena, said Chung. Enditem The United States has announced it will end sanctions waivers that allow Russian, Chinese, and European firms to carry out civilian nuclear cooperation with Iran, effectively scrapping the last remnants of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a move dismissed by Tehran as "desperate." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on May 27 that Irans continued nuclear brinkmanship by breaching some of its nuclear commitments did not justify renewing the waivers. The regimes nuclear extortion will lead to increased pressure on Iran and further isolate the regime from the international community, he said. Nonproliferation experts say that the waivers give international experts a valuable eye into Tehrans nuclear activities and that its scientific research is for legitimate civilian purposes, such as medicine. In response, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said on May 28 that the United States had made the move in a bid "to distract public opinion from its continued defeats at the hands of Iran." The U.S. move may also further ratchet up tensions with other signatories to the Iran nuclear deal who have tried to salvage it -- Russia, China, France, Germany, and Britain -- at a time when Washington is seeking their cooperation to extend a UN arms embargo on Iran. "Ending waivers for nuclear cooperation with Iran...has effectively no impact on Iran's continued work" on what the Islamic republic insists is a purely civilian nuclear energy program, the spokesman of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Behruz Kamalvandi, added in a statement published on the agency's website. U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. In response, Iran has breached several provisions of the JCPOA at the fringes, saying that it can reverse them if other parties to the deal come back into compliance. Ending the waivers puts the remaining parties to the deal in a tough spot -- proceeding with the projects risks U.S. sanctions, but halting work puts them in violation of their obligations under the nuclear deal and gives Iran further justification to violate the accord or withdraw from it all together, Kelsey Davenport, the director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, told RFE/RL. The end of the civilian-nuclear cooperation waivers applies to international work at Iran's Arak heavy-water research reactor, the provision of enriched uranium for the Tehran Research Reactor, and the transfer abroad of spent and scrap reactor fuel. Companies involved at these facilities now have a 60-day wind-down period to cease operations or face sanctions. However, Kamalvandi said ending the waivers would not impact Iran's continued work on the Arak reactor and "other equipment" by Iranian experts. The Trump administration also provided a 90-day extension for the waiver covering international activity at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant to ensure safety of operations. The international civilian cooperation parts of the JCPOA were designed to make Irans nuclear program more transparent and less capable of producing weapons. Iran hawks in Congress and the Trump administration say the civilian nuclear waivers allow Iran access to technology that could be used for nuclear weapons. But in extending the waivers in the past, the Trump administration implicitly recognized the nonproliferation benefits of the civilian projects. Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, told reporters the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" policy has constrained Iran. "Irans leaders are facing a decision: either negotiate with us or manage economic collapse," he said. But critics of the Trump administration say that its policy of "maximum pressure" has failed to convince Iran to negotiate a "better deal." Instead, the strategy is to completely eliminate the nuclear accord, making it harder for other signatories or a future president to save the JCPOA. It is clear that this is a political decision by an administration bent on killing the nuclear deal, irrespective of the consequences, Davenport said. Trump's action shows a blatant disregard for the security concerns of U.S. allies and partners and further undermines U.S. credibility. In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Washington's actions are becoming more and more dangerous and unpredictable." She cited the U.S. move to end sanctions waivers for countries that remain in the Iran nuclear accord, as well as its decision to walk away from a key military treaty with Moscow. The United States announced last week it was withdrawing from the Open Skies agreement, which permits unarmed aerial surveillance flights over dozens of participating countries, because of violations by Russia an accusation Moscow denies. With reporting by AFP Anantapuram (Andhra Pradesh) [India], May 29 (ANI): Swarms of locusts on Thursday hit Dasappa Road, Rayadurga in Anantapuram district, destroying plants of farmers. Locals said that the locusts ate all leaves and flowers of plants. "This plant was good when I came to my shop in the morning. But now while returning home, I saw that the plant is leafless. And the plant next to it is full of locusts. I had locusts on TV. But they came to Rayadurga for the first time," Ramesh, a local shopkeeper, told ANI. "This may trouble farmers. They may get afraid and panic," he said. Locust, known as 'Tiddi Dal' in north India, is a type of grasshoppers that usually move in large numbers and devastate crops. Earlier this year, several parts of Rajasthan had reported locust attacks. The Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has warned of another attack in May-June this year. Notably, the first locust attack of this year was reported from Ganganagar, a district in north Rajasthan bordering Pakistan on May 11. (ANI) S ome of the greatest business ideas have been born in times of adversity. From Uber and Slack, created in the wake of the financial crisis, all the way back to Disney, established when Walt Disney had the idea of making funny cartoons to cheer up the masses in the 1929 Great Depression. But, while many new unicorns will be started up in the current crisis, many existing giant companies have changed the way they do business too, as they adjust to the new realities of pandemic life. Many found the changes theyve undertaken will make them better businesses for life. Here are 10 of Britains best big-company pivoters: Foxtons has launched virtual video tours of its properties / Jeremy Selwyn Foxtons and Winkworth These two estate agent companies are among those in the industry that have boosted their use of tech since the coronavirus outbreak. Up until reently, the government had urged people to avoid moving where possible, physical viewings were off the cards, and estate agents shut branches. The rules have now been relaxed. Foxtons chief operating officer Patrick Franco told the Standard that since the lockdown in March, the company has launched virtual video tours of properties. The London firm drew up basic guidelines for tenants, landlords and sellers on filming homes using phones, including what parts of the property to include and focus on. Those were then sent to Foxtons sales and lettings agents who got a virtual crash course in iphone film editing from the marketing team. To date around 2000 video tours have been created and put online for would-be buyers or renters to view. Franco says this is new technology for the company, and it has been well received. During the lockdown there was an 85% spike in the number of rental applications made online. Franco said: Prioritising technology which serves customers enabled us to quickly make virtual viewings and valuations not only happen, but also successful. AIM-listed Winkworth, which has 60 branches in London, also launched virtual viewings and valuations. Chief executive Dominic Agace said: Although clients are now able to have one of our agents carry out socially distanced valuations and viewings again, the success and uptake of videoing and viewing tech will mean we will continue to adopt this method of contact post Covid-19. Watches of Switzerland For a long time the luxury goods sector was slow to sell online, preferring to serve customers in Bond Street stores and in other high end shopping streets. That has changed over the years, with Watches of Switzerland Group among retailers making a push to boost digital sales. That push has been ramped up since the virus outbreak, said chief executive Brian Duffy. Duffy said the firm, which sells Rolex and Cartier watches, started to sell some brands online during the lockdown that it previously only sold in stores, such as Panerai and Jaeger LeCoultre. Duffy has also hosted several Instagram Live interviews with luxury watch brand chiefs and key industry figures. The moves have helped entice customers who are at home to shop. The efforts have made an impact. Watches of Switzerland Group saw online sales leap 45.8% in the six weeks to April 26. When shops reopen the firm expects the majority of customers will want to view products in physical stores, but the pandemic has shown the sector has serious potential to grow further online. AO World The chief executive of AO World recently said: "In terms of online shopping behaviour, I believe we have seen five years accelerate into only five weeks." The statement was typically forthright from the online electricals retailers boss John Roberts, a man who founded his company after a 1 bet with a mate in a pub. He has a point though, the idea of buying appliances like washing machines and dishwashers online without seeing them physically first would have been alien to many, but now consumers have accepted it as a reality. Moreover, practices such as video conferencing are now commonplace among an older generation who may not have glanced at a laptop before opening up a new potential market. And with the world outside closed, home technology has been at the crux of making life bearable. There has been a new appreciation for anything that has got a plug on it, Roberts told the Standard this week. Sales are up more than 100% in most categories from breadmakers to TVs as consumers try to keep themselves busy. For AO, this rapid shift hasnt so much required a change in business model as an opportunity to try and keep consumers if and when normal conditions return. Roberts believes AOs is a brand that, after customers try it, they dont go back to High Street shopping. So far, the business says it has taken market share from rivals. The next task: hanging on to it. Dixons Carphone The owner of the Currys PC World brand has long looked a business in choppy waters. The rise of Amazon and fellow rivals offering cheap prices left its huge estate of out-of-town stores looking like a liability, and a push to improve prices and customer service levels has arguably only partially mitigated that. On top of that, a trend towards consumers not upgrading their smartphones as regularly has hurt its Carphone Warehouse division in recent years. So newish chief Alex Baldocks decision to permanently shut all of its 531 standalone Carphone stores, putting 2900 jobs at risk, at the onset of the virus crisis felt the right call, sadly for its staff. Since then, the electricals group has had to shutter all of its physical stores, and sell exclusively online amid the lockdown. The impact hasnt been as bad as many feared it has replaced two-thirds of lost store revenues with online sales as shoppers bought home office and gaming equipment. The company has been quick on its feet: trying to replicate the push to offer strong customer service online with employees offering live video shopping. It has also been able to keep stores in the Nordics open and use them as a blueprint for how its UK shops may begin to reopen next month, with contactless payment and a drive-in click-and-collect service which sees shoppers pick up goods in the car park. Its a tough road ahead, but Dixons has had a good crisis so far. Morrisons Britains grocers had to be the swiftest businesses to react to the virus crisis, to justify to government that they could safely be kept open while also dealing with extraordinary demand from panicked shoppers. Each showed swift innovation: Tesco quickly set up shop to assist NHS workers at the Nightingale hospitals while Sainsburys brought in a volunteer shopping card so vulnerable people who cant leave the house could send someone to stores on their behalf. All adjusted hours to allow the vulnerable to shop alone. Morrisons has perhaps showed the most innovation earliest: rewarding staff with increased bonuses, speeding up payments to small suppliers to stop them going bust and introducing dedicated hours for NHS workers to shop. In store, it has also led the way in distancing measures, bringing in protective screens and priority speedy shopper queuing outside stores for those with baskets keen to get in and out quickly. Charged with feeding the nation, Britains grocers have stepped up to the plate. John Fallon is chief executive at Pearson / Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg Pearson The publisher of educational books has spent years trying to reinvent itself for a digital world, adapting its old printed-books to digital lessons. The journey is pretty much complete. So, when covid closed schools and forced teachers to do their jobs digitally, it already had the tools they needed, but had to teach teachers how to use them. So, it launched a series of webinars for teachers, explaining how to use its products, potentially winning them over to the new possibilities forever. In many countries, it gave away millions of pounds worth of teaching materials for free to help keep education going. That has paid dividends, with around half of the US lecturers and professors who used its freebie teaching materials have now confirmed they will use, and pay for, the products in the Fall term. It also created in six weeks a series of 360 online courses aimed at teaching furloughed employees how to boost their skills or train for something new. From coding to engineering, it teamed up with Open University and a host of other educational establishments to get the courses online and make workers more valuable to employers. ITV Faced with the collapse in advertising revenues, ITV realised it had to get creative to retain and attract clients. So, it started working on ways to provide extra bang for the advertisers buck by engaging TV viewers in the commercial-making process. It launched a competition, where key advertisers commercials were shown, then members of the public were invited to make their own, personal versions of the ad. The idea, taken up by advertisers including Honda, meant extra airtime for the brand, far more focus on the content and style of the ad, and a more engaged audience. Homeserve For a company that makes money from sending tradesmen in to fix your broken boiler or other appliances, a lockdown is about as bad it gets. Nobody wants to let strangers into their homes unless its absolutely necessary. However, Homeserve quickly worked out that it could still supply help in many cases by offering advice over the telephone in what it called telefixes and offering quotes for jobs via video. Both innovations will continue to operate when the crisis is over, the company says. Even the brokers at Lloyds of London have embraced change / In Pictures via Getty Images Lloyds of London Fountain pens and good old-fashioned shoe leather used to dominate the Lloyds market but a shutdown of its Underwriting Room due to coronavirus has triggered a massive acceleration of digital underwriting. Instead of using scratches - the term for an underwriters signature agreeing to insure a risk - Lloyds underwriters and brokers are either entering into contracts digitally using an online system called Placing Platform Limited (PPL) or using a special emergency trading protocol over email. PPL, developed by US software giant Ebix, had a record week at the end of March, with 5,600 risks placed on the system. The shake-up is encouraging for Lloyds, which has long tried to make the market more digital. HONG KONG, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Chief Secretary for Administration of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Matthew Cheung said Wednesday that foreign attacks on the national security legislation for Hong Kong smack of "hypocrisy and double standards." Cheung stressed at a press briefing that safeguarding national security is the common responsibility of the nation and Hong Kong. National security falls within the purview of the central authorities and national security laws are enacted at the state level in all countries in the world including the United States, Cheung said, dismissing foreign criticisms on the national legislature's draft decision to enact related laws for Hong Kong. Cheung said the legislation is aimed at fully implementing the principles of "one country, two systems," "the people of Hong Kong governing Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy, and keeping core values of Hong Kong and the determining factors of its success. The freedoms of assembly, speech and others of law-abiding Hong Kong residents will not be harmed, Cheung said. "I urge Hong Kong residents not to look at this matter with conspiracy theories and be misled." The Legislative Council on Wednesday resumed the Second Reading debate on the National Anthem Bill. Cheung said the bill has gone through more than two years of discussion and the legislation is Hong Kong's constitutional responsibility, stressing that Hong Kong residents will not break the law as long as they do not insult the national anthem. NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hennessy today announced Unfinished Business, a new initiative committed to help small businesses power through the immediate financial challenges of COVID-19 and ensure they have the resources needed to get back on their feet. Several communities are bearing a disproportionate share of the health and/or economic consequences of this global crisis and these are the communities this initiative is aimed at supporting. Beginning in June, the platform will donate to support small business entrepreneurs, with a vision to continuously replenish funds so that this first donation is not the last. In addition to capital, the initiative will also provide access to information, educational content and other assets to help safeguard continuity during and after the COVID-19 crisis. "Hennessy has always valued the spirit of resilience and this is what these small businesses represent. We do not want these pillars of community to succumb to the current global pandemic and are offering our support to help them continue pushing forward," said Laurent Boillot, Chief Executive Officer, Hennessy. In order to provide immediate relief, Hennessy has enlisted three national organizations already working to support businesses in their respective communities. Unfinished Business will provide funds to One Hundred Black Men of New York, the Asian American Business Development Center, and the Hispanic Federation to ensure support is distributed directly at the community-level among those who need it the most. "Built for community by community, Unfinished Business is an extension of our legacy supporting multicultural consumers and underscores our 'Never stop. Never settle.' ethos," said Giles Woodyer, Senior Vice President, Hennessy US. "We want to do all that we can to help the small businesses survive the current crisis and pledge resources for the long term; as long as they have unfinished business to settle, so do we." "COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the nation's small business community, and in many cases Unfinished Business will provide much needed support and assistance. The Founding Chapter of One Hundred Black Men applauds Hennessy for recognizing that small businesses are the soul of America," stated Michael J. Garner, President, Founding Chapter, One Hundred Black Men of New York. "Small businesses represent the economic hope and promise of Latino neighborhoods. We are proud and grateful to join Hennessy in this groundbreaking effort to bring much-needed financial relief to businesses that are essential to restoring the economic well-being of our community," said Frankie Miranda, President, Hispanic Federation. There will always be Unfinished Business long after the quarantine is over, informing Hennessy's commitment to work with partners to sustain the initiative. In times of crisis and beyond, direct support won't just reach small business: it will also strengthen surrounding communities through employment, positive role modeling, and an inflow of economic and cultural vibrancy. "The Asian American Business Development Center, along with the Hispanic Federation and One Hundred Black Men, is honored to stand in solidarity with Hennessy to support small business," said John Wang, President, AABDC. As part of Unfinished Business, Hennessy will offset the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry with a pledge of $750,000 to an organization in support of bartenders and hospitality workers. The Unfinished Business initiative will launch in June; visit https://www.hennessy.com/en-us/unfinished-business for more information. ABOUT HENNESSY The leader in Cognac, the Maison Hennessy has shined around the world with its exceptional blends for more than 250 years. Built on founder Richard Hennessy's spirit of conquest, the brand is present in more than 160 countries. Based in the heart of the Charente region, Hennessy is also a steadfast pillar of the regional economy, the standard-bearer for a sector rich in expertise. The House's success and longevity are rooted in the excellence of its cognacs, each of which is born of a unique process of transmission from generation to generation. The first wine and spirits house to be certified ISO 14001, Hennessy unites its capacity for innovation and the support of all of its partners to protect this exceptional area. As the crown jewel of the LVMH Group, Hennessy is a major contributor to French international trade, with 99% of production sold in export, and a worldwide ambassador for the French art de vivre. Hennessy is imported and distributed in the U.S. by Moet Hennessy USA. Hennessy distills, ages and blends spanning a full range: Hennessy V.S, V.S.O.P Privilege, Hennessy Black, X.O, Prive, Paradis, Paradis Imperial and Richard Hennessy. Imported Cognac Hennessy 40% Alc./Vol. (80), 2020 Imported by Moet Hennessy USA, Inc., New York, NY ABOUT ONE HUNDRED BLACK MEN OHBM was founded in 1963 (following an act of injustice against a Black woman) by Hon. Judge Robert Mangum, Hon. David N. Dinkins, Jackie Robinson and other prominent men of the civil rights era. One Hundred Black Men is the premier civic organization for Black Men and has grown to have over 100 chapters throughout the United States and abroad. OHBM supports communities by annually awarding $100,000 in college scholarships; conducting gun buyback programs that have removed 160 guns from our streets; championing the efforts of City and State government leaders to award 30% of contracts to MWBEs throughout New York State, COVID-19 Hunger Relief and other feeding programs; and annually mentoring over 200 students from throughout New York City through their Junior One Hundred Mentoring Program. ABOUT THE HISPANIC FEDERATION The mission of the Hispanic Federation is to empower and advance the Hispanic community. Hispanic Federation provides grants and services to a broad network of Latino non-profit agencies serving the most vulnerable members of the Hispanic community and advocates nationally on vital issues of education, health, immigration, civil rights, economic empowerment, civic engagement, and the environment. For more information, please visit www.HispanicFederation.org ABOUT THE ASIAN AMERICAN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL The Asian American Business Development Center, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization established in 1994. It assists Asian American businesses in strengthening their capacity to compete in the mainstream market, to expand business opportunities, and to promote recognition of Asian American businesses' contributions to the general economy. AABDC: www.aabdc.com Outstanding 50 Awards: www.outstanding50award.com AABR: www.aabusinessroundtable.org MEDIA CONTACTS Kate Kenny, BCW Global (908) 834-5563, [email protected] Jacqueline Long, Hennessy (917) 596-3871, [email protected] SOURCE Hennessy Related Links https://www.hennessy.com SHIMLA: A day after Rajeev Bindal stepped down as the Himachal Pradesh BJP chief, party sources said that the high command is likely to appoint former Naina Devi legislator Randhir Sharma as working president till a new leader is elected. The sources said the working president could be appointed in a day or two. Sharma belongs to Bilaspur, the home district of BJP national president JP Nadda, and was in the race for the post in January also but the party favoured Bindal, who went on to serve as state unit chief for four months. The sources said that eventually the state party chiefs post may go to Kangra district and bigger changes were likely in the Himachal unit. However, in this entire episode, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur has strengthened his position. Bindal, 56, had in a video message posted on social media, cited moral grounds for quitting the post on Wednesday after his name was indirectly dragged into a corruption case involving the state health department. Incidentally, it was his second video message, the first was sent just an hour ago propagating Prime Minister Narendra Modis plan to organise a virtual rally on May 30 to highlight the achievements on the completion of one year of the National Democratic Alliance governments second term. Nadda accepted Bindals resignation within hours. But this was the epilogue. THE PROLOGUE The events that unfolded when the BJP came to power in December 2017 provided a prologue to the episode. Bindal, a five-time legislator, was expecting an important berth in the government. However, the power struggle that ensued due to the defeat of veteran leader Prem Kumar Dhumal in the assembly elections, resulted in Jai Ram Thakur becoming the chief minister and Bindal was made speaker of the Vidhan Sabha. All were happy except Bindal. In 2020, amid several names doing the rounds for the new party chief, Bindal emerged as the final choice. Bindal said he was happier to serve in the organisation. However, his elevation did not go down will with certain party leaders and they were waiting for an opportunity. COUP-DE-GRACE However, even his detractors hadnt expected the moment to arrive so soon. What better time than during the Covid-19 pandemic. The day the medical equipment purchase scam in the state health department surfaced, hushed voices discussed its political connection. Health department director Dr AK Gupta was suspended and arrested for the scam days before he was to retire. He was said to be close to several ruling party leaders and some of them had even proposed his name to the chief minister for an extension. Initially, there were references and later fingers were directly pointed at Bindal. His detractors added fuel to the fire. Tremors were also felt in the power corridors in Delhi. Unhappy with the whole episode, the high command discussed the issue with chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, while the Prime Ministers Office appointed a nodal officer to oversee the probe. Jai Ram Thakur is learnt to have told the high command that the scam had brought a bad name to the party and the state government, particularly after the name of a leader had cropped up. The plot was enough to throw the captain out of the ship. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Gaurav Bisht Gaurav Bisht heads Hindustan Times Himachal bureau. He covers politics in the hill state and other issues concerning the masses. ...view detail The coronavirus pandemic adds another element. A US-China Economic and Security Review Commission report about Taiwan this month suggested that Beijing was taking advantage of the world being "distracted" by the outbreak. Loading China is probably more worried about being perceived as weak because of the coronavirus and even more resolved to double down on its sovereignty claims, rather than making brazen moves while the world was looking the other way, said M Taylor Fravel, director of the security studies program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The recent flare-up along the "line of actual control", which has marked the unofficial border between China and India since they fought a war in 1962, prompted a response from US President Donald Trump. "We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute," he tweeted on Wednesday. Altercations near the line of actual control are not uncommon. India sent its troops in to stop China from building a road in the disputed region of Doklam in 2017, beginning a two-month-long confrontation that triggered fears of war between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Loading The relationship between the two countries remains tense, exacerbated by efforts from both capitals to stoke nationalist sentiment. The obvious place for this to erupt is at the point where the two countries bump up against each other. But reports in India suggest China has gone further this time, with troops crossing into territory that India claims in the Galwan River valley, about 200 kilometres north of Pangong Lake, and setting up camps there. Analysts said the intrusion in the valley, if confirmed, represents a break from the past. "This is seriously uncharted territory," said Ajai Shukla, an Indian defence analyst and former army officer who has written about the tensions, adding that he could not recall an incident like this in the three decades since India and China established protocols to build confidence at the border. "This is a high-level, coordinated, planned action from the Chinese side." Video footage from Chinese TV of a live-fire drill on the Indian border in 2017. Credit:Anonymous Figuring out what is happening in the western Himalayas, where the Indian region of Ladakh faces Tibet, is hampered in no small part by the difficulty of getting access to the region. "The most benign explanation for this current situation is that this is one of those things that got out of hand," said Tanvi Madan, an expert on India's relations with China at the Brookings Institution. The dispute appears to centre on India's construction of a major road in the Galwan valley that runs roughly parallel to the line of actual control. Both sides object to any development that appears to challenge the status quo. "China was not happy about this road being completed and inaugurated in October 2019, because it essentially will now allow India to have a stronger presence in that entire area," Madan said. Loading Indian media outlets have reported that China's People's Liberation Army has deployed almost 5000 soldiers to territory it claims in the valley this month. China "has recently undertaken activities toward hindering India's normal patrolling patterns," Anurag Srivastava, a spokesman for India's Ministry of External Affairs, said last week. "We are deeply committed to maintaining India's sovereignty and security." A spokesman for the Indian Defence Ministry declined to comment on the tensions and did not respond to questions about what had occurred in the valley. General Manoj Naravane, India's army chief, in remarks to reporters this month downplayed the incidents as part of an existing pattern of "temporary and short-duration face-offs" due to the unsettled nature of the frontier. China's diplomats also minimised the tensions. Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday that the two countries were "capable of resolving these issues properly through dialogue and consultation." Fuelling concerns, China's aggressive approach on its borders coincides with another big increase in its defence budget, even as its economy grinds almost to a halt amid the pandemic. The Communist Party's leaders announced a 6.6 per cent increase in the defence budget this week, taking annual spending to $US178 billion ($268 billion). While Trump administration officials have criticised China's actions, the tensions between the two countries could, in fact, have led Beijing to stop checking its behaviour, said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. "For many years, preserving a stable relationship with the US was a top priority for Beijing and may have been a partial restraint on Chinese behaviour," she said. The tensions over trade, technology and human rights have taken on a whole new dimension with the emergence of the new coronavirus, which the Trump administration blames China for allowing to spread. HALIFAXNova Scotia is reporting two new cases of COVID-19. That brings the provinces total number of confirmed cases to 1,055, which includes 59 deaths since the pandemic arrived in March. The Northwood long-term-care home in Halifax the site of the worst outbreak in the province has 16 active cases among 12 residents and four staff members. Eight individuals were being treated in hospital Thursday, three of them in intensive care but 977 people have recovered from the viral infection. On Wednesday, Nova Scotia announced it would begin reopening its economy on June 5 by lifting restrictions on businesses that have an approved plan to comply with public health protocols. The list of businesses that can reopen includes restaurant dining rooms, bars, wineries, distilleries, taprooms, hair salons, barbershops, spas, nail salons, tattoo parlours, gyms, yoga studios and climbing centres. Read more about: The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has released the guidelines for reopening the states economy on Monday. Mr Abiodun disclosed this in an address on Thursday. The governor had earlier said the state will ease the lockdown imposed to curb coronavirus and will reopen its economy by June 1. This newspaper also reported how the state extended the lockdown by a week, maintaining that residents can work between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. According to the governor, Ogun State experienced an increase in confirmed cases, with 59 new reported cases, bringing the total number to 242. While it is remarkable that 12 individuals were discharged within the week, making it 109 total discharges, leaving us with 133 active cases, I am pained to announce that in the same period, we lost three people to the virus. May the Almighty comfort the families of the nine departed persons and heal the active cases on our hands. We have already tested 1,562 people out of the 10,900 people so far screened, a better future is here. The @NCDCgov during the week accredited Nigerias first fully state-funded Molecular Lab in Sagamu, which has since commenced full operations and increased our daily testing capacity to 650. While this is commendable on the part of government, I must say the recorded level of compliance from the people is not encouraging, the official said. Violators He said the state had arrested and prosecuted 235 violators in mobile courts and impounded 64 vehicles which defied travel and curfew restrictions. These violations have been reflected in the 2nd phase of the lockdown easing, which as I indicated in my last briefing, begins on Monday, 1st June, 2020, as advised by our science professionals, statistics and feedback. New guidelines The second phase of the lockdown easing will be guided by the following, in line with the extant guidelines of the COVID-19 PTF, being that Ogun State is affected by the FGs lockdown directive: Relaxation windows will now be observed on all five working days (Monday to Friday), but the FG-directed curfew from 8 p.m. (night) to 6 a.m. (morning) remains in place on these days. Total lockdown will be maintained on Saturdays and Sundays. Extant restrictions and advisories remain in place on interstate travels, wearing of facemasks, public transport, markets, religious centres, restaurants and other relaxation spots. This implies that all forms of gatherings (social or religious) of more than 20 people remain banned. Industries are advised to comply with the Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines for READ ALSO: Workplaces in Ogun State to Combat COVID-19 jointly issued by the ministries of health, and industry, trade and investments. A task force we have now set up will be conducting random checks on industries and other enterprises to ascertain compliance. This reminds us that this is mere easing and not a full reopening of the economy, so I encourage as many of us that can continue to work and meet online and remotely from home to continue to do so. The governor added: Further easing of the lockdown will allow us all more time to run our businesses and return to an almost usual life, but only if we follow the guidelines above. We will not condone acts of violation even under the guise of work, as these are a threat to our collective wellness. Weve been seeing how firms in the US are taking interest in Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Jio. the first one to start the streak was social media giant Facebook, followed by four others (Silver Lake, Vista EP, General Atlantic and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.) that have all resulted in a total investment of around Rs 78,562 (roughly $10.3 billion) in just a few weeks. Reuters However, tech giants Google and Microsoft are now taking interest in investing in Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio respectively reveals a series of new reports. Reports by Financial Times revealed that the search engine giant is looking to buy a stake of 5 percent in Vodafone Idea -- the second largest telecom company in India. On the other hand, Microsoft is looking to invest $2 billion in Reliance Jio Platforms, according to another report by Mint. In fact, news about Microsoft taking interest in Reliance Jio has been going around since a month now. Today, Jios services are enjoyed by over 388 million subscribers that it was able to accumulate in the three year period. Reuters Googles investment with Vodafone Idea could help the telecom giant survive the storm of losses that it experienced (along with Bharti Airtel) after the entry of affordable and competitive prices by Reliance Jio. It hasnt been the first time Google has taken interest in the telecom industry in India. Weve seen Google connect railway passengers to the internet in over 400 million railway stations. However, it quit doing so earlier this year (which was taken over by Indian Railways). With India being the second largest internet market in the world with over 600 million users, the opportunity would surely seem tempting to them. Itll be interesting to see how citizens in the US react to this if it did come true, as we saw how people reacted when Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg announced his investment at a time when businesses in the US were suffering. In Iraq, a national lockdown to halt the coronavirus pandemic has found some unexpected fans: local businesses who no longer have to compete with Turkish, Iranian or Chinese imports. Those countries, as well as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait, typically flood Iraqi markets with inexpensive products at prices local producers can't compete with. That includes everything from cars and computers to frozen chicken and even Iraq's national fruit, dates, which in recent years were more often imported from the Gulf than plucked from local palm trees. Local producers were left in the dust, struggling to compete given their expensive raw materials and low outputs compared to the enormous quantities being imported. Not anymore, said Amin Qassem, who has operated an ice cream factory in the oil-rich province of Basra since 2006. "The coronavirus crisis has allowed us to prove ourselves on the Iraqi market," he said, relishing the sweet moment. Qassem's 3,000 employees across six factories pack 144,000 ice cream cones and wafer sandwiches every hour. "When there was cheap ice cream coming in from Iran, I had to lower my prices to sell so that my ice cream wouldn't be stuck melting in storage," said Qassem. "Now, I can sell at higher prices. We were able to win back the same markets where imports once crushed us." - Out with the imports - Experts have long warned that oil-rich Iraq must diversify its economy to insulate it from the swings of the energy market. As OPEC's second-biggest oil producer, it relies on oil exports to fund more than 90 percent of its state expenses. This year, with oil prices crashing to around a third of their 2019 prices, Iraq will struggle to keep its government running, pay salaries or import essential goods. The International Monetary Fund projected Iraq's imports of goods and services would drop from $92 billion in 2019 to $84 billion this year and to $81 billion in 2021. Diversification has been a tall order for a country with a fledgling private sector, under-developed banking system and a weak customs regime that makes it cheaper to import than to produce. But with coronavirus restrictions, all that could change. As part of Iraq's lockdown measures put in place in March, it has officially closed its federal border posts with Iran, Turkey and Kuwait to both people and goods. Imports through Um Qasr, the southern port through which Iraq brings in crucial food and medicine, have dropped. As a result, Iraq is importing less according to data from its trade partners. It bought $973 million worth of Chinese goods in December but that dropped to $775 million by April, according to the Chinese General Administration of Customs. Imports from Iran also fell from $450 million per month before the coronavirus pandemic to $300 million currently, according to Hameed Husseini, a member of the Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce. Iraq is also taxing imports more stringently. Its Customs Office attributed "the notable rise" in customs revenues -- from $2.5 million in the first half of April to $7.3 million in the first half of this month -- to "tougher monitoring measures". Higher duties force Iraqi retailers to bump up the prices of imported goods, so local businesses can better compete in the markets. - Fishermen catch a break - Hadi Abbud, who owns a plastics factory in Basra, has already seen an exponential surge in orders for plastic tubing, usually brought in from China. His factory has been working 24/7 to mould, cut and polish thick plastic cylinders proudly stamped "Made in Iraq." "These days, I'm getting new orders for plastic tubes faster than I can even produce them," said Abbud, his white hair meticulously combed back. Sales are so good he is planning to recruit another 50 workers for his 100-man factory. "The situation has really changed," Abbud said, his smile barely concealed by the face mask he wore as part of mandated social distancing in his factory. Even at sea, the difference is notable. Basra's beleaguered fishermen have long competed with Iranian and Kuwaiti rivals in the wedge of Gulf coastline that is Iraq's only access to the sea. "Starting around a month ago, there have been many more fish," said Mohammed Fadel, who sells his daily catch at a stand in Basra's downtown market. "The Kuwaiti and Iranian fishermen aren't coming out anymore," he told AFP, leaving the Gulf almost exclusively to gleeful Iraqi fishers. In Basra's markets, tables are now heaving with rows of silvery fish and buckets of prawns, carefully examined by shoppers in gloves and masks. The catches are so plentiful that a kilogramme of "zubeidy," a local sea bream, has dropped from $16 to $9. "The number of fish -- and the prices -- are just extraordinary," said Fadel. Iraqis walk through a fresh produce market in the southern Iraqi city of Basra as some lockdown restrictions imposed during the novel coronavirus pandemic have been eased Iraqis local businesses have long struggled to compete with cheap Turkish, Iranian or Chinese imports The International Monetary Fund projected Iraq's imports of goods and services would drop from $92 billion in 2019 to $84 billion this year Experts have long warned that oil-rich Iraq must diversify its economy to insulate it from the swings of the energy market An Iraqi vendor sells dried fish in the southern Iraqi city of Basra Basra's fishermen have long competed with Iranian and Kuwaiti rivals in the wedge of Gulf coastline that is Iraq's only access to the sea The International Longshore and Warehouse Union can immediately appeal a jury verdict that it was liable for damages and must pay millions of dollars to former Port of Portland Terminal 6 operator ICTSI Oregon Inc., a federal judge ruled Thursday. A federal jury in November awarded $93.6 million in damages to ICTSI Oregon. But in March, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon lowered the amount to $19,061,248, finding the evidence at trial didnt support the jurys larger award. The judge then gave ICTSI Oregon the choice of either accepting the lower amount or holding a new trial solely on the damages. ICTSI rejected the lower amount, setting the stage for a new trial. Simon on Thursday granted the unions request to hold off setting a new trial on damages until its appeal is considered by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. If a new trial limited to damages is held before this issue is resolved on appeal and if ILWU were to prevail on appeal, a second trial would result in a significant waste of the parties and the district courts resources, Simon wrote in a 22-page ruling. A jury found that the union sabotaged shipping traffic and caused productivity to plummet through years of labor slowdowns and stoppages at the ports container terminal. The unions workers were pressuring ICTSI Oregon to give them dockside jobs plugging in, unplugging and monitoring refrigerated containers, taking the so-called reefer jobs away from an electricians union. The union argued it would be seriously harmed if a new trial only on damages went forward. It is all too likely that the ILWU will be forced into bankruptcy as a result of a second trial on damages, its lawyers wrote to the judge, if any award equaled or exceeded the $19 million set by Simon, on top of the expense of holding the trial. The Philippine-owned ICTSI Oregon, which signed a 25-year lease in 2010 to operate Terminal 6, left the port in March 2017, idled by the labor strife it says the national longshore union and the local chapter encouraged. The company argued at trial that the union engaged in illegal labor practices over nearly five years and caused tens of millions of dollars in losses to its business. Attorney Dan Jackson, representing the union, argued this week that the union is entitled to a full retrial, saying the law and the evidence didnt support the jurys verdict that the union engaged in illegal activity after Aug. 13, 2013, or that the unions activity caused all of ICTSIs alleged damages. The union argues the jury should have distinguished any unlawful labor actions from other nonlabor factors or legal union actions that could have caused the terminal operators losses. The union contends ICTSI was required to provide evidence showing what damages resulted from illegal labor practices and what came from other factors. Attorney Michael T. Garone, representing ICTSI, accused the union of further delay tactics. Does ICTSI Oregon, the victim, matter or is it all about the ILWU and its self-inflicted problems? Garone asked as he argued this week against an immediate appeal. The victim of the conduct has a right to a prompt and effective remedy. This is just an effort to punt this down the road for two to three years and not have to face the ramifications of its illegal actions. Three labor lawyers wrote briefs in support of the unions push for an immediate appeal. They argued the case will have a far-reaching public impact on labor law, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic when workplaces have become significantly more unsafe, attorney Klaus H. Hamm wrote on their behalf. Immediate appellate review is necessary to clarify the permissible basis for damages liability in order to avoid chilling statutorily and constitutionally protected worker protest, professors Catherine Fisk and Erwin Chemerinsky wrote in a separate brief to the court. Fisk teaches labor law and employment law at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law and Chemerinsky is the dean of University of California at Berkeley School of Law. Simon found there are reasonable differences of opinion on how case law should be interpreted affecting the allocation of damages that allow for immediate review by the appeals court. "Reasonable jurists could disagree on whether the Court should have applied tort law principles or antitrust law principles in this context, and whether applying antitrust law principles would have made a difference in the outcome of the Courts pretrial rulings, jury instructions, or the Post-Trial Opinion in this case,'' Simon wrote in his decision. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Subscribe to Facebook page Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. The crowd launched early, even though the SpaceX Crew Dragon didn't rise from Pad 39A as scheduled. Space Coast locals and visitors from hundreds of miles away stayed through the drizzle and the downpours even a tornado warning before the eventual scrub of the first crewed launch from U.S. soil since 2011. People hungry to watch history in the making and perhaps eager to get out of COVID-19-forced isolation made their way to Cocoa Beach, Space View Park in nearby Titusville, roadways, side streets and front yards across the Space Coast. Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey told people this month to come watch the scheduled launch in person. The invitation ran contrary to NASA's recommendation to watch the launch via broadcast. Previously: Unlike NASA, Florida sheriff encourages people to come see historic SpaceX launch in-person After the launch was scrubbed, spectators from the east side of the bridge blended with those on the west side of A. Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville, to start the walk back to their vehicles. They were hoping to see the first U.S. crewed mission in almost a decade, Crowds, along with heavy rain, poured into coveted viewing spots across Brevard, but the mission was postponed scant minutes before the scheduled 4:33 p.m. launch. Elon Musk: How he took SpaceX from an idea to the cusp of making history Even after word dropped that the launch was a no-go, many made plans to return for the next attempt, set for Saturday. "Do you guys want to get a hotel room for Saturday night? Jake Mills asked after hearing the scrub announcement on his phone via the SpaceX YouTube channel. The Gainesville network engineer and 10 relatives had traveled to the Cocoa Beach Pier to watch the launch. Bummed out. But safety first, right? said Mills, who has friends who work for SpaceX. I would rather wait until Saturday for a healthy, safe launch than to bend the rules and launch unsafely, he said. SpaceX launching its first human crew to space: Here is everything you need to know Not many masks were sighted among the onlookers. Crowds were far smaller than for high-profile launches of the past and between the COVID-19 crisis and bad weather, nowhere near the crowd estimates circulating for weeks. NASA had urged spectators to stay away and watch the launch online or on TV because of the pandemic. Story continues Matt Ward and Emma O'Halloran from Orlando parked next to the Beachline around 7:30. People started showing up at dawn to view the launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon to the International Space Station. Still, by early afternoon, traffic was blocked on the A. Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville. The bridge grew more crowded prelaunch time and became a sea of thousands of pedestrians headed west after the scrub. The Beachline causeway over the Banana River heading east or west was like a wet parking lot by late afternoon. At Cocoa Beach Pier, which was no more packed than on a sunny, pre-pandemic weekend, the few hundred who braved nasty storms were primed for the event. Before 10 a.m., surfers were catching waves, and TV crews had positioned their equipment at Rikki Tiki Tavern at the end of the pier, cameras pointed north toward the launch site. The pier opened at 11 a.m., and a handful of lunchtime patrons filtered in. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was evident: Officials shut down the pier from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. to clean and sanitize the area. 'We didn't want to miss it' About 90 minutes before the scheduled launch time, Gulf Coast resident Olga Cole and her family took refuge beneath the Cocoa Beach Pier during a downpour. She was born and raised in Moldova, an Eastern European nation that declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. She was raised to revere cosmonauts but wore a white NASA shirt to witness the historic American launch. Because of the past of my country, the USSR, we prize the cosmonauts. But it is a big deal, the 24-year-old said, holding her 7-month-old daughter, Katherine. Space is common for everyone." Olga and her husband, John, 23, a self-described Elon Musk fan, arrived Tuesday night from St. Petersburg. Bill and Robbin Dick of The Villages in central Florida paid $40 for two spaces to park their 35-foot Winnebago Sunstar motor home at the pier. By 9 a.m., the couple had extended the vehicle's awning and set up folding chairs, prepped to watch NASA's launch coverage on TV. "It's a historic launch. We're retired. And these are things we want to do. We didn't want to miss it," said Bill Dick, a retired New York City firefighter. Russell and Gladia LaFontaine from Deltona set up a little canopy and fishing until launch, parked next to the Beachline. People started showing up at dawn to view the launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon to the International Space Station. At Port Canaveral, diners began trickling into Rusty's Seafood and Oyster Bar just before noon. At 50% capacity, the restaurant holds about 150 people. "We're bringing in business, definitely, but it's not what we'd like to bring in." said Rusty Fisher, owner. "Just managing people, that's the big thing, making sure they behave themselves." Follow reporter Britt Kennerly on Twitter: @bybrittkennerly Contributing: Rick Neale, Eric Rogers, Suzy Leonard, Tim Walters, John Torres, Tim Shortt, Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Jay Cannon of the USA TODAY Network. Police: Soldier stopped active shooter, saved 'countless lives' by striking him with car The next 100 days: How the coronavirus will continue to change your life at home, at work, at school and beyond This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launch: Plenty of crowds, traffic despite weather, pandemic India's coronavirus cases crossed 1.58 lakh today with over 6,000 fresh cases registered for the seventh straight day, while the recovery rate improved further to over 42 per cent. The number of COVID-19 related death also increased further to 4,531. As per the data released by ministry of health and family welfare this morning, the total number of cases in India increased to 158,333 and the death toll to 4,531, registering a growth of 6,566 cases and 194 deaths in 24 hours since Wednesday 8 AM. The number of active coronavirus patients in the country surged to 86,110, while 67,692 have recovered so far. Delhi saw its highest single-day spike of 792 fresh cases with its tally of confirmed cases rising to 15,257. The death toll in the national capital rose to 303. This was the first time when Delhi reported over 700 COVID-19 cases, while its previous single-day high was 660 recorded on May 22. Maharashtra, the worst-hit state, reported a record number of 105 deaths and 2,190 new cases, taking the tally of its fatalities to 1,897 and of confirmed cases to 56,948. Mumbai alone reported 1,044 new cases and 32 more deaths in last 24 hours. Also Read: Coronavirus vaccine: Moderna, Novavax, CanSino candidates show promise Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of coronavirus cases as 817 fresh cases reported on Wednesday, taking the COVID-19 tally in the state to 18,545. Gujarat recorded 374 fresh cases and 23 deaths in last 24 hours. The fatalities due to COVID-19 infection in the state rose to 938, while Ahmedabad alone saw over 700 deaths. Uttar Pradesh tally crossed 7,000-mark on Wednesday after reposting 269 fresh cases in last 24 hours. The death toll in the state rises to 177. Also Read: No travel fare to be charged from migrant workers, directs Supreme Court Meanwhile, fresh cases were reported from various other states and union territories as well, including Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Odisha, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry. The coronavirus cases in Kerala breached the 1,000-mark after 40 people, including 37 returnees from abroad and other states, tested positive. While Kerala was the first state in India to report a COVID-19 case on January 30, it had almost flattened the curve of the virus spread till arrival of people from outside began earlier this month. Globally, the total number of coronavirus cases surged to over 5.6 million, while the death toll crossed 355,000 mark, as per the Johns Hopkins University. The COVID-19 deaths from the novel coronavirus topped 100,000 in the United States. More Americans have now died from the virus than from the Vietnam and Korea wars combined. Farmers have been told to manage risk better and protect themselves with a crop yield safety net after weather extremes led to the smallest winter cropping area in decades. Arable farmers have been impacted by recent adverse weather conditions, the repercussions of which will be felt on future crops. Last summer, the UKs highest-ever recorded temperature of 38.7C was reached in Cambridge, which was followed by Englands fifth wettest November on record. Now a rural expert at insurance broker Lycetts has urged farmers to take steps now to protect their businesses from volatile weather periods. Rupert Wailes-Fairbairn said the firm's latest insurance policy, Crop Shortfall Insurance, was designed to help farmers weather the storm by compensating for production shortfalls. In an increasingly volatile world, we farmers need to manage risk better, said Wailes-Fairbairn, who grows oilseed rape and cereals at his farm in Northumberland. Over the past few decades, we have seen enormous changes to normal weather patterns and as sowing and growing conditions continue to be less than optimal, so too will our output." Last autumn, relentless rain led to arable farmers planting the smallest winter cropping area in decades, he noted. Consequently, farmers were forced to turn to spring cropping on some soils that are not really suited to spring establishment. In turn, spring crops are shallower rooting and less able to tolerate moisture deficits and prolonged hot weather. We have the tools to manage price risk," Wailes-Fairbairn said, "You can sell forward, you can buy an option, or take cover on the futures. Thats why Lycetts developed the first index product in the UK to manage cereals and oil seed rape shortfall. It does what it says on the tin. The weather is, and will increasingly become, more unpredictable now is the time to make sure the income from your crops is not. Crop Shortfall Insurance protects up to a quarter of the policy holders cereals and oil seeds output, he explained. Pay-outs will be triggered if there is more than a 10 per cent difference between the Defra regional yield data for the year, relative to the eight-year regional average. The product can cover either a farms total crop output or individual crops, such as winter oilseed rape, winter barley, winter wheat or spring barley. For example, if there was a crop shortfall in the region of 25 percent, a farmer can expect a payout of 15 percent of their output. If there was a 35 percent shortfall, 25 percent of your chosen output would be paid out, Wailes-Fairbairn said. Cover for the following years harvest must be taken out for winter oilseed rape by the end of August, winter barley by the end of September, winter wheat by the end of October, and spring barley by the end of February. New Delhi: The Pension fund regulator Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India (PFRDA) has now allowed Aadhaar-based paperless KYC process for new subscribers under the National Pension System (NPS). Here is what the PFRDA decision means The PFRDA has permitted e- NPS/Points of Presence facilities to use offline Aadhaar of prospective subscribers with their consent for opening NPS accounts. The Aadhaar-based offline paperless KYC verification eliminates the need to provide a physical copy of the 12-digit identifier. How can NPS Subscriber apply for paperless KYC verification Under the new process, an applicant can download the password-protected Aadhaar XML file by accessing the UIDAI portal through eNPS The subscriber can share the same for his or her KYC The KYC details are in machine-readable XML format, which is digitally signed by UIDAI allowing eNPS/ POPs to verify the demographic contents of the file and certify the same to be authentic. The identity and address of the applicant can be verified in the process. The facility can also be availed for opening NPS accounts through Points of Presence (POP), which are offering this facility 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... EDMONTONAlberta is introducing legislation to allow the government to set maximum time limits on approvals for energy projects. Energy Minister Sonya Savage said a review of the system has shown that, at times, it takes too long for Albertas energy regulator to make decisions on whether to allow an oil and gas project to proceed. The review found that while some projects were approved in as little as five days or less, others took months or years. We heard continuously that the AER process is onerous, its unpredictable and uncertain on the timelines, Savage said in an interview prior to the legislation being tabled in the house Wednesday. Thats where this legislation kicks in, is to allow cabinet to put timelines in place. Savage said they are giving the energy regulator time to improve its processes for approvals, but if not, the bill would give the government the authority to impose deadlines. The bill fulfils an election promise from Premier Jason Kenneys United Conservative Party in the spring 2019 campaign. The UCP argues Albertas approval rates have been twice as long as those in Saskatchewan and four times longer than other competing jurisdictions, such as Texas. Environment Minister Jason Nixon said the approvals must still take into account environmental concerns and public safety. Were not pushing for automatic approvals, but we want the review process to take place in a competitive fashion, to make our province competitive when it comes to this issue, Nixon said. Were not instructing that department of the AER not to say no, but we expect the review process to be efficient. The bill does not propose imposing timelines on a case-by-case basis. Nixon said the review, started last fall and involving 300 stakeholders, found that the delays were caused mainly by problems with logistics and that the AER was not taking advantage of online processes to speed up decisions. Nixon said that has been improved recently. The AER, for example, is now testing OneStop, an automated web-based system to process routine applications. Nixon said another theme was a lack of clear policy direction, forcing the regulator to go back and forth with government to clarify the rules. We did see a bunch of spots where the regulator ended up almost in a frozen state because they had not heard from the government on policy issues, Nixon said. NDP energy critic Irfan Sabir said the Opposition supports clear timelines and took steps toward it while in government. While in government, we improved the approval process significantly by streamlining and digitizing it, and by investing in Indigenous consultation capacity to ensure that Indigenous people were included in resource-development decisions, Sabir said in a statement. If the UCP wants to improve approval times, consultations and assessments have to be done right. They must have meaningful support for consultation capacity in place to avoid future court challenges, prevent delays in getting our resources to market and secure jobs for Albertans. Nikki Way, a senior analyst at the Pembina Institute, a climate and energy think tank, added that continued discussion about reducing approval timelines is beside the point a credible regulator needs to manage more than just pushing out fast approvals. Todays announcement is not addressing the real issue that is, to ensure the AER is equipped to do its job properly and could result in further eroding the investor and public confidence needed in this emerging era where investors are demanding higher (environmental, social and governance) performance. The bill is part of a larger overhaul of the energy regulator undertaken by Kenneys government. It has previously replaced the board of directors, and a new CEO has been appointed. Laurie Pushor, the former deputy minister of the Saskatchewan ministry of Energy and Resources, was named to the top post in late March. Read more about: Patna: The Patna High Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of the death of a woman on board a train carrying migrants from Gujarat to Bihar, after a video clip of her little son fiddling with the shroud placed on her body while it lay at a railway station went viral and provoked outrage. Meanwhile, two more deaths were reported on board 'Shramik Special' trains in Khagaria district carrying migrant workers back home from different parts of the country amid the lockdown. A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sanjay Kumar took up the matter soon after the latter brought to the notice of the court a newspaper report about the incident that took place on Monday last but came to light two days later. The court directed Additional Advocate General S D Yadav to return with details in the post-lunch session. In the afternoon, Yadav submitted that the deceased was mentally unstable and had died a natural death" during the course of her journey from Surat which was a fact" reported by her companions--her sister and brother-in-law. Yadav also informed the court that no post-mortem was conducted nor was any FIR registered and the body was allowed to be taken home after recording the statements of the family members by railway authorities at Muzaffarpur station. The district administration facilitated their onward travel by arranging for an ambulance up to their destination. The Additional Advocate General also said that the woman, hailing from Katihar, had been living with her sister and brother-in-law after being deserted by her husband and that the orphaned child is in safe custody in the guardianship of the sister of the deceased. Yadav added he will, nonetheless, personally pursue the matter with the authorities (concerned) who would again reach out to the family, enquiring about any need of assistance. The court took note of Yadav's contention that the Advocate General had spoken to the states Standing Counsel in the Supreme Court and the Solicitor General of India for ascertaining information of overlapping of issues though the same had not been received by the time of hearing. The court posted the matter for further hearing on June 3, noting that in view of the submissions made, it would prudently refrain from issuing any further directions, more so when the child is in safe custody. However, let what is so stated by Shri Yadav, as also complete facts be known to the court, on the personal affidavit of the concerned principal secretaries, before the next date, the bench said. Bihar has received close to 20 lakh migrants since these special trains began running and there have been quite a few incidents of people dying on way to their homes. Two such deaths were reported on Thursday in Bihar's Khagaria district. A woman died on a Katihar-bound train from Gujarat, while a man travelling by another Shramik Special from Rewari in Haryana also breathed his last aboard. On Monday, Muzaffarpur railway station was witness to another death. Besides the woman, a boy aged about five years died in his mothers lap while his father made a desperate hunt for some milk to feed the hungry child upon alighting from the train they had boarded from Delhi. Meanwhile, leader of the opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Yadav interacted with the womans bereaved parents via video conferencing, offered his condolences and got an amount of five lakh handed over to them by the Katihar district unit chief of his Rashtriya Janata Dal. He also expressed dismay at complaints of lack of facilities like food and water on 'Shramik Special' trains and mismanagement in their running, often causing inordinate delay in their arrival. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. 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 Disney plans to restrict the number of guests, who will be required to reserve their park passes ahead of time. Walt Disney Co plans to reopen the worlds largest theme park, Walt Disney World, in phases beginning on 11 July, if the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, approves. Disney wants to reopen Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on 11 July and Epcot and Hollywood Studios on 15 July, according to Jim MacPhee, senior vice president of operations for the Walt Disney World Resort, who presented plans during a webcast meeting. (Click here for LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak) The successful reopening of its parks is a signal event for Disney and the rest of the world as governments and companies strategise how to move out of lockdown while the novel coranavirus is still a threat. After MacPhees presentation, an Orange County task force OKd the plan, sending it to Florida Governor DeSantis for final approval. When the Disney parks reopen, guests and employees will be required to wear masks and undergo temperature checks. The resort will suspend parades, meet-and-greets with Disney characters, fireworks displays and other activities that create crowds. It will enable and encourage contactless payment systems, and expand its existing mobile order systems in restaurants. Disney plans to restrict the number of guests, who will be required to reserve their park passes ahead of time. Park guests will be greeted by signs such as HELP US PROTECT THE MAGIC PLEASE LIMIT HANDLING OF THE PRODUCT, IF ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED, PLEASE ASK A CAST MEMBER. Starting in January, Disney closed theme parks around the world to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. On Wednesday, Disney Chief Executive Officer Robert Chapek told CNBC the company currently has about 20,000 people per day visiting Shanghai Disneyland, which reopened on 11 May with mandatory masks, temperature screenings and social distancing for visitors and employees. A stunningly well preserved Roman mosaic floor dating back to the 3rd century AD has been discovered hidden under the soil of a vineyard in Italy. The floor, found in a hilly area above the town of Negrar di Valpolicella near Verona, was uncovered just a week after archaeologists returned to work from lockdown. The area was already known to researchers, as the remains of a Roman villa had been found there a century earlier, but that dig was abandoned in 1922. Historians described it as the discovery of the year and town officials confirmed they were working with the owner of the land to make the historic site accessible. A stunningly well preserved Roman mosaic floor dating back to the 3rd century AD has been discovered hidden under the soil of a vineyard in Italy The floor, found in a hilly area above the town of Negrar di Valpolicella near Verona, was uncovered just a week after archaeologists returned to work from lockdown Last year, a team from the Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Verona started digging again, to uncover more of the ancient home. Work began in October 2019, but was suspended in February 2020 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic - putting Italy in a strict lockdown. A week after work resumed they found the stunning mosaic floor hidden underneath a row of vines and are now gently excavating the rest of the area. The first round of images to appear online show the pristine floor and foundations. On their Facebook page, Negrar di Valpolicella officials said the goal of the dig is to 'to identify the exact extension and exact location of the ancient construction.' Roberto Grison, the mayor of Negrar di Valpolicella, told the local newspaper LArena it was a cultural site of special value and deserves attention. 'For this reason, together with the superintendent and those in charge of agricultural funds, we will find a way to make this treasure enjoyable,' he said. Historian Myko Clelland said the find was one of the most important of the year. 'Newly discovered just outside of Verona, what could be this year's biggest discovery - an almost entirely intact Roman mosaic villa floor,' he said on Twitter. He said there are many examples of similar stunning pieces of history buried under foot - in fact, he said there are parts of former Mesopotamia where there are hills in areas that should be entirely flat. Last summer a team from the Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Verona started digging again - to uncover more of the ancient home. Historians described it as the discovery of the year and town officials confirmed they were working with the owner of the land to make the historic site accessible Theyre actually remains of entire towns, where residents built layer after layer until the whole thing became metres tall,' he told the Metro. A thousand possible reasons, but a very loose rule of thumb is about an inch of soil per century, its amazing how humanity has a habit of just building on top of previous efforts. Rome is a fascinating example, many rediscoveries there on a regular basis! Authorities in the town are working with the owners of the site to find a way to ensure the 'archaeological treasure' can be accessible. 'Subsequently, the Superintendence will connect with the owners of the area and with the Municipality to identify the most suitable ways to make this archaeological treasure available and open and visible under our feet,' they wrote. Wearing skinny white jeans, a peach sequin tank and pointy heels, she was hostess, friend, confidante and, if necessary, politician. She greeted her fans lovingly. She smiled; she hugged; she clinked wine glasses. When one attendee showed up at a cocktail hour in a hot-pink homemade fan T-shirt, she leaned in for a selfie. She listened as her readers offered twists for her next novel (Ill take any suggestions on how it should end, she gamely joked), asked for tips on their own literary endeavors and told her about their personal woes. When she learned that one fan had to cancel because she was having emergency surgery for a brain tumor, Hilderbrand politely snapped her fingers and had flowers sent. UIA will dismiss 900 employees due to closure of air traffic because of COVID-19 pandemic, to reduce long-haul fleet Ukraine International Airlines (UIA, Kyiv) has begun a process of the forced dismissal of 900 employees due to the closure of air traffic because of anti-epidemic quarantine measures introduced by Ukraine, the company's press service has said. "Now the company's management is taking all possible measures to reduce costs and generate income from single flights. Our goal is to preserve the company and key personnel, in particular flight crews. Unfortunately, a significant decrease in the airline's activities resulted in a forced reduction of 900 UIA highly professional employees," UIA President Yevhen Dykhne said. The airline's press service told Interfax-Ukraine that UIA has already begun the process of staff reduction in accordance with the law, which will require a minimum of two months. Dykhne emphasized that in connection with the introduction of restrictive measures on regular passenger air transportation since March 17 of this year, UIA's work was practically stopped. The company also noted that the UIA long-haul fleet will also be reduced. Burundi's main opposition party on Thursday filed its submission to the Constitutional Court to contest the results of a presidential election it alleges was riddled with fraud and irregularities. On Monday the electoral commission announced that ruling party candidate Evariste Ndayishimiye had won the vote with 68.72 percent, while opposition leader Agathon Rwasa's National Freedom Council (CNL) trailed with 24.19 percent. "We have just handed in our submission to the Constitutional Court for the May 20 election," Rwasa said outside the court. "We observed many irregularities... we have proof of ballot stuffing, voting on behalf of dead people etc...The results announced are false. We have proof that there was massive fraud." Rwasa said that if the court did not rule in the CNL's favour, the party would take the case to the East African Court of Justice in Arusha, Tanzania. The court in Burundi has until June 5 to make its decision. The ruling CNDD-FDD party meanwhile launched its celebrations with a large gathering in the capital Gitega to pray and thank God for the victory. Burundi's Catholic Church said Wednesday its observers stationed at polling centres across the country also witnessed ballot box tampering, officials harassing and intimidating voters, and proxies registered "in place of dead people and refugees". "We deplore the many irregularities regarding the freedom and transparency of the electoral process, as well as fairness in the treatment of certain candidates and voters," said Bishop Joachim Ntahondereye, head of the Conference of Catholic Bishops. In contrast, a joint statement issued by western diplomats Wednesday made no reference to any irregularities and urged the opposition to pursue legal paths to contest the election outcome. A diplomatic source speaking on condition of anonymity, said the statement was a compromise between those who wanted to congratulate the ruling party -- China, the United Nations and African nations such as Kenya and South Africa -- and those who were more critical, such as France, Belgium, the European Union and United States. CNL international spokesman Aime Magera criticised the "vague and ambiguous" statement, adding it could be seen as supporting the electoral "coup d'etat". If the opposition's legal efforts are rejected, Ndayishimiye will be inaugurated in August for a seven-year mandate. He will take over from President Pierre Nkurunziza who has been in office for 15 years. Nkurunziza's controversial bid to stand for a third term in 2015 sparked violence and a major political crisis which left at least 1,200 dead and saw 400,000 flee the country. The regime tightened its grip on the country, and allegations of rights violations by security forces have soared in recent years. Evariste Ndayishimiye, seen here on the campaign trail, has been declared victor of Burundi's presidential elections Burundi's presidential election By Express News Service CHENNAI: In what sounds like a solace for the stressed air travellers, the State government has agreed to provide transit passengers with paid accommodation, and they need not be quarantined, according to sources from Chennai Airport. Officials, while speaking to Express, said that the decision to this effect was taken after having discussions with State government authorities and the airlines. Meanwhile, Chennai Airport is geared up to start services to Kolkata, as West Bengal is set to resume flight operations on Thursday. Indigo will be operating one flight departing from Chennai at 7.35 pm. In the meantime, the flight from Kolkata will arrive Chennai at 12.55 pm. The inbound and outbound flight services are likely to be reduced on Thursday, with a total of 38 flights scheduled. This is way less when compared to 44 flights being scheduled on Wednesday. The Airport Authority of India said that on Wednesday, even the flight services to Varanasi resumed. Under the Vande Bharat Mission, Chennai Airport Customs ensured smooth clearance of Special Relief flight of Air Mauritius, MK-110, which arrived from Mauritius with 98 passengers. Of the passengers, 36 were sent for government quarantine centre and 34 taken to hotels. Health authorities are now investigating whether a fly-in, fly-out worker unknowingly brought the coronavirus to a small mining town in central Queensland. Nathan Turner, 30, was found dead in his Blackwater home on Tuesday afternoon and a post-mortem test returned positive for COVID-19. "There is a significant fly-in, fly-out workforce, so all of that is being investigated as well," Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young told reporters on Thursday. Contact tracers initially thought a Rockhampton nurse who travelled to Blackwater might have been the source of infection for Mr Turner. The alleged financier of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, arrested this month in France after 25 years on the run, will be transferred to the war crimes tribunal in Arusha, Tanzania, once conditions allow it, a judge in The Hague has ruled. The judge was replying to a request for Felicien Kabuga to be temporarily transferred to The Hague given travel restrictions in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. Described as Africas most wanted man, Kabuga has been held in a French jail since his May 16 arrest at his home outside Paris. Kabuga was indicted by the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1997 on seven counts, including genocide, incitement to genocide and crimes against humanity. The tribunal, headquartered in Arusha, Tanzania, formally closed in 2015 and its duties were transferred to the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT), based in The Hague. The MICT has a branch in Arusha. Kabuga once one of Rwandas richest men is accused of creating the notorious Interahamwe militia that carried out massacres, and the Radio-Television Libre des Mille Collines which, in its broadcasts, incited people to murder. He is alleged to have used his wealth and influence to funnel money to militia groups as chairman of the Fonds de Defense Nationale (FDN) fund. About 800,000 people Tutsis but also moderate Hutus were slaughtered over 100 days of ethnic violence committed by Hutu extremists in 1994. At his first appearance in public, on May 20 before a French court, Kabuga said he wanted to be tried in France. Claiming to be 87 though officials say he is 84, Kabuga said from a wheelchair that he was very ill. The Paris court is set to rule on June 3 whether to hand Kabuga over to the MICT, whose arrest warrant calls for Kabuga to be transferred to Arusha. Judge William Sekule of the MICTs Arusha branch said such a transfer could happen once anti-coronavirus restrictions are lifted. Any variation to this mandate should be exceptional, he argued in the ruling made public on Thursday. If transfer to the Arusha branch is not possible at the relevant time, appropriate relief may be sought, he added. She has keeping up with her fitness regime during lockdown. And Olivia Buckland was back at it again on Thursday as she completed week six of her Shreddy fitness challenge. The reality star, 26, showed off her toned and tattooed waist in a grey sporty crop top, which she teamed with skintight leggings. Working out: Olivia Buckland kept up with her fitness regime on Thursday as she completed week six of her Shreddy fitness challenge Olivia went make-up free as she showed her followers the different exercises from the intense workout. The television personality relied on her kitchen bench to do a set of tricep dips, before moving into lunges, hip thrusters and toe taps. After uploading the workout, Olivia took to her Instagram stories to tell fans she had done a nine mile bike ride. Svelte: The reality star, 26, showed off her toned and tattooed waist in a grey sporty crop top, which she teamed with skintight leggings Working up a sweat: Olivia went make-up free as she showed her followers the different exercises from the intense workout Hip thrusters: Olivia worked up a sweat during the intense session Wow: After uploading the workout, Olivia took to her Instagram stories to tell fans she had done a nine mile bike ride The reality star added she stopped off for ice cream halfway through the ride to give herself the motivation to cycle back home. Both Olivia and her husband Alex have been determined to maintain their fitness despite the closure of all gyms across the United Kingdom. The star credits exercise to helping with her overall mental health, something which she recently spoke about. Olivia discussed her 'bad days' when suffering with depression and anxiety alongside The Valleys' Lateysha Grace and Geordie Shore's Sophie Kasaei. Motivated: Both Olivia and her husband Alex have been determined to maintain their fitness despite the closure of all gyms across the United Kingdom In the chat, in conjunction with MTV, Olivia admitted at some of her lowest points, she wouldn't brush her teeth or shower yet she discussed her determination to rid herself of the guilt that came with her 'down days'. The reality star said: 'I used to feel guilty for having a bad day, so if I spent the whole day in bed, I wouldn't brush my teeth, I wouldn't shower and I had to learn not to feel guilty about that... 'I think sometimes when you're so stressed you really do get knackered. You need the sleep so don't feel bad you need the time to recuperate it helped me to learn and accept that I will always have bad days but you will eventually get out of them'. Every inch of Umar Kamani's sprawling office is a different shade of garish, improbable pink. The rooms are pink, the retro-style telephones are very pink, and motivational messages imploring staff working at his online clothing giant, Pretty Little Thing, to channel 'good vibes only' are blazoned across the walls in neon candy hues. A gigantic winged unicorn in one corner has been artfully dressed for the festive season in a series of oversized pink bows and strings of glittering diamante. Subtlety, it seems, has no place here, in the headquarters for what has swiftly become a global retail phenomenon. Umar Kamani, pictured with Tulisa Contostavlos, is regularly seen mixing with celebrities However, he always credits his family and particularly his father, Mahmud with his work ethic. His grandparents, who were originally from India, arrived in Manchester from Kenya in 1969 when his father was just two years old. Mahmud's career began in the rag trade with a market stall selling handbags. But he invested his money wisely in property and began a wholesale business, Pinstripe, sourcing garments from India. By the early 2000s, the company was selling 50 million-worth a year to high street brands such as Topshop and Primark, which led to Mahmud setting up the Boohoo brand in 2006. The family lived in a large home in Chorlton, Greater Manchester, with several generations grandparents, uncles, cousins all under the same roof. The Boohoo brand is now worth 3.7billion and has sponsored ITV2 reality show Love Island. But Mahmud was determined his children should not be spoiled and made sure to instil a strong work ethic in Umar and his younger brothers, Adam and Samir. Umar Kamani credits his family, pictured, with the work ethic that has helped build his success 'At the time I didn't understand,' Kamani admits. 'Dad used to shout at us, wake us up, bang on our doors like a headmaster. He said we should get up early and get our minds working. 'All those things he drilled into us have been worth it for me and my brothers none of us put our feet up, ever.' Still, it is clear Kamani has always had his own ideas. He was expelled from 12,000-a-year Stockport Grammar School for being 'rebellious', which led to a stint at Rydal Penrhos boarding school in Wales. The discipline and self-sufficiency he learned there put him 'in very good stead', he admits he had to 'get his own milk' and 'polish my own shoes' for the first time. 'There were 19 of us at home,' he shrugs. 'There was always someone to do things for you.' He later studied business at Manchester Metropolitan University but remarkably, he admits he never took his degree and even mocked up his graduation photograph to give his parents the picture they'd always wanted. 'In my third year I got really into going to the gym and stopped going to uni, but Indian parents are very proud,' he says. Mahmud Kamani, pictured right, alongside his son, didn't want to spoil his children, but helped them set up Pretty Little Thing 'I knew my mum wanted that photo of me in a gown and hat so I thought the best thing to do would be to hire a costume and get someone to come and take the pictures. 'Then I told my parents that graduation day was when I knew they would be away. I didn't admit it for about two years. 'The picture is still there, though, because my mum likes to show off.' While Mahmud may not have wanted to spoil his children, he did help Kamani set up PLT with a multi-million pound gift. But it was Umar who grew the brand, aiming at girls and women between 14 and 24. In the beginning, the website received only one order a week. But within a few years the website was supplemented by an app, and Kamani had tapped into the US market and a new world of celebrity endorsement. There are now PLT offices around the world in LA, Miami, New York and Paris. 'I want to keep moving forward,' he says. 'If I just took what my father gave me and didn't grow or move forward then I would feel like a failure. 'My biggest fear is failing, so going teetotal has kept me sober. I want to be an inspiration for young people, to give them dreams and ambition, so I have a responsibility to behave properly. 'I used to go out and really enjoy myself but the bigger the business has got, the more I have to tighten the bolts.' A woman believed to be one of the victims of a Gilgo Beach serial killer has been formally identified as a Philadelphia escort who went missing two decades ago. Valerie Mack, who also went by Melissa Taylor, vanished near Atlantic City, New Jersey in 2000 at the age of 24. Her naked torso was found in Manorville, New York later that same year. Then, in 2011, more of her remains were uncovered more than 40 miles away during a search near Gilgo Beach on Long Island - a discovery that linked her to a suspected serial killer in the area. Eleven sets of human remains were uncovered in 2010 and 2011 along Gilgo Beach. Most of them were young prostitutes. No one has been arrested for their deaths. On Thursday, police revealed that Mack was identified through genetic genealogy technology. For the past nine years, she had been dubbed 'Jane Doe No. 6'. 'For two decades, Valerie Macks family and friends were left searching for answers and while this is not the outcome they wanted, we hope this brings some sense of peace and closure,' Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said in a statement. The Gilgo Beach killings have made national headlines and were recently the subject of a Netflix film, titled Lost Girls. Valerie Mack, who also went by Melissa Taylor, vanished near Atlantic City, New Jersey in 2000 at the age of 24. Her torso was discovered in Manorville, New York several months after her death, before other parts of her body were uncovered near Gilgo Beach in 2011. She was known as 'Jane Doe No. 6' prior to her identification Eleven sets of human remains were uncovered in 2010 and 2011 along Gilgo Beach. Most of them were young prostitutes. Police say it is unlikely that one person is responsible for all their deaths, but are certain that several of the killings are linked The 2010 disappearance of Shannan Gilbert, a 24-year-old sex worker who vanished after leaving a client's house on foot near Gilgo Beach, triggered the hunt that exposed the larger mystery. Months later, a police officer and his cadaver dog were looking for her body in the thicket near the beach when they happened upon the remains of a different woman. Within days, three other bodies were found, all within a short walk of one another. By spring 2011, that number had climbed to 10 sets of human remains - eight women, a man and a toddler. Pictured Suffolk County Search Divers in April 2011 after the bodies of at least 10 people were found in the area after cops began a search for missing sex worker Shannan Gilbert Investigators have been unable to determine who is responsible for all of the deaths, or whether a lone serial killer or several suspects were involved. Over the years, they've said it is unlikely one person killed all the victims. Chillingly, Mack is at least the second person whose remains were found in both Manorville and along Gilgo Beach. Police found the skull of Jessica Taylor, a 20-year-old prostitute, near Gilgo Beach and most of the rest of her body in a wooded area of Manorville 40 miles away. Mack's identification comes four months after police reinvigorated the investigation into the suspected serial killings, releasing images of a belt that was found near the crime scene. Cops also created a website specifically for the investigation in a bid to finally solve the cold case for which there have been no arrests. The first four bodies found were those of women in their 20s who worked as prostitutes, according to police (all pictured). In total, the remains of eight women, one Asian man and one toddler were all found along several miles of parkway in 2010 and 2011 Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart announced in January that the belt appears to have the embossed initials, WH or HM. Hart said authorities believe the belt was handled by the suspect and did not belong to any of the Gilgo Beach victims. She did not give a specific location about where the belt was found. The belt was discovered in the early stages of the investigation but was a previously undisclosed piece of evidence withheld from the public. It's unclear why, but Hart said her team believed 'it was time' to release the information. Hart didn't say whether DNA from the killer was taken from the belt. The unexpected announcement on Friday came four months after police released images of a black leather belt that was found at the crime scene, pictured, branded with WH or HM In total, 10 sets of human remains - those of eight women, one Asian man and one toddler - have been found along Gilgo Beach. The Asian man, who authorities said was dressed in women's clothing, was found in March 2011. Police believe the toddler was the child of one of the victims, but the girl and mother were found in two different areas. The toddler was found on April 4, 2011. The first four bodies found were those of women in their 20s who worked as prostitutes, according to police. Maureen Brainard Barnes, 25, went missing on July 9, 2007. Her remains were found on December 13, 2010. Megan Waterman, 22, who had a daughter, went missing on June 6, 2010. Her body was also found on December 13, 2010. An aerial view of the area near Gilgo Beach and Ocean Parkway on Long Island where police found the remains in 2010 and 2011 as they searched for missing sex worker Shannen Gilbert The remains of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, who had been living in the Bronx at the time, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27, were also found on December 13, 2010. Barthelemy's body was the first to be found. She went missing on July 12, 2009. Costello disappeared on September 2, 2010. In March 2011,police discovered the skull of a 20-year-old prostitute identified as Jessica Taylor. Five more remains were discovered at Gilgo Beach over the next two weeks. Meanwhile, Shannan Gilbert's body was later found in the marsh in the community of Oak Beach in December 2011, about three miles east of where the other 10 sets were discovered. Police have long maintained that Gilbert's death was accidental and excluded her from the 10 other bodies found during the case. They said at the time that she drowned in a drug-induced haze after wandering into the wetland, but her relatives have long disputed that determination. An independent autopsy results commissioned by Gilbert's mother indicated she too may have been strangled like the other victims. In one of the more unusual twists in the saga, Gilbert's mother, Mari, was murdered last year by another daughter, Sarra, in her upstate New York home. Samsung Electronics (OTC: SSNLF) is making it easier for people to store and trade cryptocurrency thanks to a new partnership with Gemini Trust, the crypto exchange, and custodian. Through the deal, Gemini Trust will power the Samsung Blockchain Wallet, enabling users in the U.S. and Canada to purchase, sell, and trade digital tokens. It marks the first time that Samsung Electronics is partnering with a U.S. crypto exchange. Gemini Trust was founded by twin entrepreneurs and venture capitalists Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. As it stands, the Samsung Blockchain Wallet is a secure crypto wallet that enables users to store digital tokens on their Samsung smartphone. Users of the wallet also get access to decentralized blockchain apps otherwise known as DAapps. With the new integration, customers will be able to buy and sell crypto, view their Gemini account balances, and transfer tokens into a cold storage, which is a secure way of storing cryptocurrencies offline. By integrating with Gemini, the tech stock aims to take some of the complexity out of buying and selling digital tokens. Doing so typically requires people to jump through several hoops, relegating cryptocurrency mainly to tech-savvy consumers. In order for crypto to be adopted by the masses, it has to be simple to access that asset class. The new integration will work on several Samsung smartphones including the Galaxy S20 Series, Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy Note 10 Series, Galaxy Fold, and Galaxy S10 series. The companies noted in their press release that major wireless carrier Verizon isn't supporting the app. Mayor Michael Tubbs today announced the extension of Stocktons Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED), the nations first mayor-led guaranteed income initiative. In February 2019, SEED, a collaboration between the Office of Mayor Michael Tubbs, the Reinvent Stockton Foundation, the Economic Security Project, and the residents of Stockton, California, began giving 125 Stocktonians a guaranteed income of $500/month for 18 months. A result of a generous donation made by philanthropist Carol Tonan, the demonstration has now been extended to 24 months, with the final disbursement scheduled for January 2021. Everyone deserves an income floor. Thats why I am thrilled to extend SEED for an additional six months, allowing our recipients to weather this pandemic and keep themselves and their families safe and healthy. Nationally, were seeing people turn to Stocktons project as a model for how to respond to economic disruptions and were proud to continue to lead the nation in a conversation about what it means to care for one another, especially in times of crisis, said Mayor Tubbs. Receiving the guaranteed income each month allows me to spend money on essentials, like my medication, car payments and food for my family, said Lorrine, SEED recipient. I felt extremely relieved when I found out about the extension, it made me feel like everything is going to be okay. Lorrine and the 124 other recipients learned of the extension on May 27th, when Sukhi Samra, Director of SEED, reached out via text, phone, and video call to share the news. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive, as many recipients expressed gratitude and comfort knowing that they will continue to receive the $500 until January. About SEED The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) is the nations first mayor-led guaranteed income initiative. A collaboration between the office of Mayor Michael Tubbs, the Reinvent Stockton Foundation, the Economic Security Project, and the residents of Stockton, California, SEED is born out of the simple belief that the best investments we can make are in our people. In February 2019, SEED began giving 125 Stocktonians a guaranteed income of $500/month.This income is unconditional, meaning there are no strings attached and no work requirements. SEED research is led by Dr. Stacia Martin-West, University of Tennessee, and Dr. Amy Castro-Baker, University of Pennsylvania, with funding from the Evidence for Action program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The goal of the SEED research is to determine if guaranteed income can reduce stress and thereby unleash potential and opportunity. To learn more visit https://www.stocktondemonstration.org/ SEED Press Contact: Martha Shaughnessy media@stocktondemonstration.org 415-987-0285 Veteran radio presenter Captain Smart has called for a third force in Ghana's political space, arguing that the two biggest parties, the New Patriotic Party(NPP) and the National Democratic Congress(NDC) have failed to improve the fortunes of the country. According to the former host of Adom FM's 'Fabewoso', the aforementioned political parties have not utilised the opportunities given to them by Ghanaians and they need to be shown the exit door. Captain Smart made these comments in an interview with Kofi Tv when answering questions about his relationship with the two biggest parties in the country. "Both political parties(NPP & NDC) are political waste, we need to throw them in the garbage. We need a serious third force that has got a clear perception of where Ghana wants to go." "Both of them know me very well. Yes, I followed the NPP from childhood with J.A Kuffour and the likes of Stephen Asamoah Boateng, late Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey but I think the two parties(NPP & NDC) have lost it and there is no direction from them." To him, the country has not progressed because successive NPP and NDC governments are not putting the right people in certain strategic positions. "You see, it is like the political parties(NPP & NDC) are playing a payback game. In this country, we keep changing people without understanding their role and what they can offer the country. After an election, we change everything and even change the keepers of public toilets and replace them with new people. So there is nothing like continuity and that is why anytime I'm answering a question about Ghana, I become very passionate it." "We have no excuse to become a better country but these two political parties are not given the right people among them certain strategic positions. They are all my friends by the way." Source: Ghanaweb Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Canadian court ruled yesterday that the extradition trial of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei and daughter of the founder of the China-based tech giant, can proceed. Meng was detained 18 months ago at Vancouver International Airport on the orders of the Trudeau government, acting at the behest of the Trump administration. Washington intends to prosecute her on trumped-up charges of violating the United States punishing illegal sanctions on Iran. In her ruling, British Columbia Supreme Court Associate Justice Heather Holmes found that the offence Meng is accused of would be considered a crime if it were committed in Canada and, consequently, that the US extradition request meets the double criminality test. The legal concept of double criminality requires that the purported crime that is the subject of an extradition request also be considered an offence in the country from which the accused is being extradited. Mengs attorneys had argued that as Canada lifted its sanctions against Iran in 2016, the actions the US government alleges that she committed, even if true, would not constitute a crime under Canadian law. Whilst Justice Holmes tried to dress up her ruling in restrained legal language, it was transparently a political judgment, rooted in Canadian imperialisms close and, under conditions of global capitalist crisis, ever more pivotal strategic partnership with Washington. Holmes 23-page decision essentially reprised the argument lawyers for the Canadian government had made before her: i.e., the fact that Canada was not imposing sanctions on Iran at the time was irrelevant because Meng is being charged with fraud. Canadas law of fraud looks beyond international boundaries to encompass all the relevant details that make up the factual matrix, including foreign laws that may give meaning to some of the facts, she wrote. She later added that the Minister of Justice would have to decide whether extraditing Meng to the US, where she faces the prospect of 30 years in prison, would be unjust or oppressive. In other words, Mengs fate is a political rather than a legal affair. Meng was seized by Canadian authorities in December 2018 as part of a calculated provocation. The detention occurred the same day as the far-right US president sat down with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in Argentina to bully him into accepting a deal in the US-instigated trade war with Beijing. The Canadian Border Security Agency, whose officers initially detained Meng, gave her the impression that they merely wished to question her. They took her belongings, including her phone, and supplied them to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Only several hours later did Meng learn that she was to be detained, and that she had been tricked into handing over her belongings. Her legal defence team have pointed to these facts to argue that her rights were violated and that she should be released. This matter will be dealt with in a separate hearing at a later date. The persecution of Meng by American and Canadian authorities is one element in a broader US-led drive, supported by Democrats and Republicans alike, to thwart Chinas emergence as an economic and geostrategic rival. Beijing is the main target of Washingtons refocusing of its aggressive foreign policy to combat strategic competitors that it fears threaten its position as the worlds economic and geopolitical hegemon. Huawei has come under fire because it is Chinas flagship corporation in modern technology and telecommunication infrastructure, as shown by its leading position in the 5G sector. The Trump administration, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser Robert OBrien, have demanded that US allies block Huawei from participation in their 5G networks on the grounds that the Chinese company and its technology represent a security risk. The Trudeau Liberal government has integrated Canada ever more fully into Washingtons economic, diplomatic and military-strategic offensive against China. In addition to seizing Meng, the Liberal government has increased the deployment of Canadian military forces to the Asia-Pacific region, including by sending vessels into the contested South China Sea. Ottawa also agreed to an updated version of NAFTA, the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which consolidated a North American trade bloc dominated by the US with the aim of waging economic war and preparing for military conflict with China. In 2017, as the Trudeau government released a new defence policy that hiked military spending 70 percent by 2026, then Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland described the economic rise of China as a key strategic threat to Canada. However, the Trudeau government has dragged its feet on taking a final decision on Huaweis participation in the 5G network. This has been seized upon by a faction of the Canadian ruling elite, led by the Conservatives and right-wing media outlets, to denounce Trudeau for appeasing China and demand that an even more hardline approach be taken to Beijing. In the days leading up to yesterdays ruling on Mengs case, this anti-China campaign reached a crescendo. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer seized on Chinas proposed adoption of a national security law aimed at clamping down on protests in Hong Kong to demand that the Trudeau government exploit the issue of human rights more aggressively to step up pressure on Beijing. Accusing Trudeau of pursuing a policy of appeasement, Scheer called for Canada to lead an international coalition to impose sanctions on China over Hong Kong. Significantly, he likened his proposal to the leading role that former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper played in creating an anti-Russia alliance that imposed sanctions on Russia following the fascist-led coup in Ukraine in 2014. The pro-imperialist forces who toppled Russian-aligned president Viktor Yanukovych were financed to the tune of billions of dollars by the US State Department, Canada, and Germany, among others. After Russia responded by annexing Crimea, the NATO allies imposed stringent sanctions on Moscow and began a series of menacing military deployments along Russias western border and in the Black Sea that continue to escalate. The Canadian media also made much of a report released last week by the neoconservative British think tank the Henry Jackson Society, which urged the Five Eyes security alliance, consisting of the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, to step up efforts to decouple from China. Canada, the report claims, depends on Chinese production for 367 types of goods, including 83 deemed important for critical national infrastructure. This week, the Trudeau government announced a national security review into the planned purchase by Chinas Shandong Gold Mining Co. of TMAC Resources, a gold mining company based in the Arctic. A government official said that economic and national security issues played a role in the move. Canadas national security establishment has long claimed that China poses a threat to Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. Trudeau has insisted, in answer to his critics on the right, that his government is taking a tough stance on Hong Kong. He has voiced deep concern over the national security law and asserted that his government stands with the people of Hong Kong. Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne co-signed a statement with his British and Australian counterparts denouncing Beijings proposed law and accusing it of violating the terms of the Sino-British Treaty of 1984, which guaranteed Hong Kongs autonomy. As always, such human rights claims are highly selective and are dictated by the Canadian bourgeoisies predatory interests. Canada under Trudeau has close ties with repressive regimes around the world, from that headed by General Sisi in Egypt and the Saudi monarchy to Modis India. But, as far as a significant section of the ruling elite is concerned, Trudeaus approach is far too conciliatory. Fen Hampson, an international affairs expert at Carlton University who writes regularly in the Globe and Mail, the Canadian bourgeoisies newspaper of record, ridiculed the governments attitude to China as talk softly and carry no stick. Former Liberal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler co-authored a piece published in Policy Options on Monday, no doubt timed to coincide with the human rights posturing by the US and Canadian ruling establishments over Hong Kong. It demands Ottawa take legal steps to hold China accountable for its deliberate suppression of information about the coronavirus pandemic. Cotler was a key figure in mobilizing support for an open letter released by the MacDonald Laurier Institute think tank in April that blamed China for the pandemic. Among those who signed were Scheer and the two main competitors to succeed him as Conservative leader, Peter MacKay and Erin OToole. These right-wing forces are sure to be emboldened by the BC Supreme Courts ruling on the Meng case. They will no doubt seize on the predictable condemnation of the judgement from Beijing to rail against Chinas disregard of Canadas democratic and independent institutions, and cast Ottawa as a tiny David bravely confronting the Chinese Goliathall the time concealing the fact that Canada is a junior partner in US imperialisms reckless drive to derail Chinas rise through all means, including all-out war. COLUMBUS, Ohio - At least 2,098 Ohioans have died with confirmed or probable coronavirus by Thursday, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The state now has at least 33,915 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19. As of Wednesday, Ohio had at least 33,439 COVID-19 cases and at least 2,044 Ohioans have died with the virus. The increase of 476 cases and 54 deaths doesnt necessarily mean they all happened in the last 24 hours. There is some lag between when the state gets information from local health departments. Just under 6 million people have had COVID-19 across the globe, including at least 1.7 million in the U.S, according to Johns Hopkins Universitys coronavirus tracker. At least 350,000 people have died worldwide, including 101,000 in the U.S. Gov. Mike DeWine discussed Ohios coronavirus testing during his Thursday briefing. Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton had the day off. Expanded tested criteria DeWine announced he is expanding the criteria to allow people who present symptoms of COVID-19 to be tested to prevent community spread. Previously there were just three tiers of people who could get tested. Priority 1: People with symptoms who are hospitalized or work in health care, including in nursing homes, emergency medical technicians. Priority 2: Residents of long-term or congregate living facilities; first-responders; Ohioans 65 and older; people with underlying medical conditions with consideration for racial and ethnic minorities with such illnesses, as they are at increased risk for COVID-19; people at workplaces or large gatherings who public health officials determine need to be tested to evaluate/manage community outbreaks; and residents and staff in long-term care settings where there have been outbreaks. Priority 3: Ohioans with and without symptoms receiving essential surgeries and procedures Priority 4: Testing must first be available to people in the first three tiers. But with expanded testing capacity, people who have symptoms -- but dont meet any of the above categories -- can be tested to decrease community spread. Pharmacies The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has clarified rules that allow pharmacists to order and administer coronavirus tests, DeWine said. Pharmacies are an important part of our plan to fight COVID-19, he said. He said the coronavirus.ohio.gov website will have links to pharmacies, retailers and community health clinics where people can schedule tests. Long-term living visitation Beginning June 8, intermediate care facilities for people with developmental disabilities and assisted living facilities can begin to allow visitation, DeWine announced. The lift of the visitation ban doesnt yet apply to nursing homes. He said it was a delicate balance between not spreading the virus and allowing facility residents to see families. DeWine said theres flexibility in the guidelines to allow each place to make its own rules. The state would like to see protocols at each such as temperature-taking, social distancing and set visiting hours, he said. We will continue to examine, monitor, and adjust as we carefully and thoughtfully lift restrictions on visitation, he said. The well-being of our residents has been, and remains, central to our decision-making. County fairs The Ohio State Fair was canceled last week. A working group for county and independent fairs came up with guidelines for the smaller fairs to operate, although they must work with their local fair boards and the focus should be education, DeWine said. The fairs are encouraged to provide children agricultural education, as well as other non-agricultural educational projects through groups such as the 4H. But the fairs dont have to open -- if they cant afford to pull it off with the state guidelines of social distancing and food service. And the guidance could change, depending on the outbreak, DeWine said. Expanding TechCred program The state has beefed up the tech credit program, which has been available for employers to enroll employees to gain new skills, for people who are not working right now, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said. There are 753-industry credentials. Over 450 can be completed through distance learning, Husted said. We encourage employers to take advantage of that," he said. "We encourage prospective employees to take advantage of that as well. Examples of these credentials and training providers can be found at TechCred.Ohio.gov. On Thursday morning, the state announced over 1.2 million Ohioans -- of a state with 11.7 million people -- have filed unemployment claims over the past 10 weeks. Other coverage: Gov. Mike DeWine gives a coronavirus update: Watch live 2,044 Ohioans have died with coronavirus: Wednesday update Gov. Mike DeWine, lawmakers condemn threat of violence against Rep. Emilia Sykes and father Sen. Vernon Sykes Ohio coronavirus deaths surpass 2,000: Gov. Mike DeWines Tuesday update Ohio State Fair is canceled this year due to coronavirus I see that Mark dude everywhere spewing his racist and misogynistic views... Makes my blood boil tbh >:/ All the support to the family and friends of George Floyd (RIP) and to everybody protesting there. Reply Thread Link As long as people keep to the corporations and stay away from people's homes, storage units, etc... go for it. Fuck these companies. I'm not crying over Target or Walmart getting fucked when they fuck us everyday. Reply Thread Link Because this is a sign that the State has degenerated to a point where its citizens arent interested in upholding their end of the deal, essentially. Im not an extremist by any means but I find this action completely acceptable and necessary. Rarely do I say this but sometimes you need to do damage to show how far things have devolved for groups and that the OTHER side, not the rioters, have given up on any form of social cohesion. You should be disgusted with that, not broken windows at the library. Reply Parent Thread Link Ok I missed this. Wtf happened?? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Imma need some context on this one. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Holy shit! That music was crescendoing in my headphones and making my heart speed up Reply Parent Thread Link Jennifer, the white lady in a wheelchair that was stabbing people at Target, can actually walk. This whole thing is theatrics made to paint #BlackLivesMatter in a bad light. pic.twitter.com/lNnLUSoKHb Santiago Mayer (@santiagomayer_) May 28, 2020 Reply Parent Thread Expand Link She should just backed up like Abby and took ha ass to the Baskin n Robbins Reply Parent Thread Link when I woke up this morning and first went on twitter I was so confused seeing memes like this on my feed lol they have been so good Reply Parent Thread Link Most white people only like black protests one way: In documentaries about the 1960's. Neal Brennan (@nealbrennan) May 28, 2020 Reply Thread Link not to mention (sorry to co-opt this comment) that it's not ONLY black rioters and looters but the media would like it to seem like black people are acting in violence Reply Parent Thread Link Burn it the fuck down tbh Reply Thread Link Comments like this and the one from Tammy Lauren are absolutely infuriating, because they will criticize the protestors no matter how they choose to protest - silently, loudly, kneeling, marching, none of it is "appropriate" to these racist shitheads. Reply Thread Link i hope she dies Reply Parent Thread Link Exactly. she bashed Colin Kaepernick's protest methods on Trevor Noah and conveniently offered no suggestion on what she thinks "appropriate" protest methods are, fuck her. I don't even have to go on her twitter to guess that she was a big supporter of those idiotic protests for haircuts and salons to open though. and those people had guns and were screaming in cops' faces. Reply Parent Thread Link Oh no who will think of the poor target and autozone! Burn it all down tbh Reply Thread Link I read the cop keeps ordering food delivery and the deliverers find out its his home (tons of protestors) and they leave. Hope he dies of starvation Reply Thread Link these petrified rotten mayo humans are so fucking transparent to everyone but themselves and its honestly so fucking enraging. I'm so fucking tired and angry of being tired and angry every fucking day. I'm so fucking exhausted. Reply Thread Link i will never understand how people can claim to be clutching their pearls over merchandise being ~looted at target but stay silent when the cops literally murder a black man i mean, i understand that it's racism, but it just baffles me. PRIORITIES. Reply Thread Link You know that he Black community has been outright oppressed in the same ways for decades, right? The destruction of communities, red lining, police brutality... These angry actions are reactions against state sanctioned disenfranchisement and murder. If you don't get that now, you're probably not ever going to get it. And I'm an Australian telling an American this... ffs. Reply Parent Thread Link Bet Mark didn't say shit when yt people were rioting over a fucking pumpkin festival, or because of a hockey game, or because a sexual assault enabling POS coach got fired, etc. & etc. Reply Thread Link They dont care. This country and these racists (and a lot of other people tbh) value capitalism over life. Reply Parent Thread Link Make America great again with a rampant lack of gun control, racial bias in the justice system, and corporations who can literally end world hunger that get tax breaks Reply Parent Thread Link https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate Bless the protestors. Reply Thread Link Seeing people complaining about the looting like shut the fuck up Debra, I know you were a teenage shoplifter. If you care more about corporations like target and auto zone than human lives, youre disgusting. Reply Thread Link i also saw this tweet that provided some interesting context: Some context for people who don't live here: Target HQ is in Minneapolis. Lake St. Target, which got looted tonight, is literally Target's experimental site for loss prevention & surveillance policies geared toward poor people. Very few people in the neighborhood like that Target Ian Coldwater (@IanColdwater) May 28, 2020 since we live in a country where capitalism rules over all, looting works. it puts pressure on the state to pay attention since the only thing they care about - a profit center - is being harmed. it's the definition of "no justice, no peace."i also saw this tweet that provided some interesting context: Reply Thread Link in other news, broderick hunter is so fucking fine ughhhh i cant stand it Reply Parent Thread Link He is!!! I just dunno. Im being cautious lol. Reply Parent Thread Link GUUUURL Reply Parent Thread Link Lawd he is, I thirsted for him so hard on insecure my gawd Reply Parent Thread Link God he is! Hope he is not an odiot Reply Parent Thread Link Hold the phone.... he's on Insecure? he's an actor??? i thought he was just one of those gorgeous model influencer dude for years now. I need to catch up Reply Parent Thread Expand Link exactly. going forward, all protesting in america will have to work this way for there to be any sort of radical change -- the bottom line of this country will always be the dollar and it seems like ppl are only now starting to realize that. Reply Parent Thread Link New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) Indian Army Commanders' Conference kicked off in New Delhi on Wednesday wherein discussion over China frontier in Sikkim, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh would be done at great length. The conference was planned much before the tension with China in eastern Ladakh region. Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane is presiding over the conference. The top commanders of the force are attending the meeting and all security issues, including the Chinese aggression in Ladakh will come up for discussion during it, said a senior Indian Army officer. The Army Commanders' Conference, an apex level biannual event which facilitates conceptual level deliberations culminating in important policy decisions scheduled for April 2020 and postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic, will now be organised in two phases. The first phase of the conference began on Wednesday and would continue till May 29, 2020 and the second phase in the last week of June 2020. The apex level leadership of Indian Army will brainstorm on current emerging security and administrative challenges and chart the future course for Indian Army. To ensure due diligence, decisions are taken through collegiate system comprising Army commanders and senior officers. During the first phase, which has started at the South Block, various aspects pertaining to operational and administrative issues including studies related to logistics and human resources will be discussed. This also includes the emerging situation along the Line of Actual Control with China. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held discussion over prevailing ground situation or face-off in Ladakh. Singh met Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and three service chiefs to understand the ground situation and to discuss the next move of the forces. Singh was briefed about Indian response in matching up to the Chinese troops mobilisation. It was clarified during the meeting that Indian Army will hold its fort and talks to diffuse the situation would continue. It was also decided in the meeting that road constructions must continue and Indian fortifications and troop deployment must match the Chinese. For the last few weeks, Indian Army and China's People's Liberation Army held several meetings to resolve face-off in Eastern Ladakh at the Line of Actual Control, however no breakthrough has taken place yet. The last meeting took place on Sunday but many things remained unresolved, said source, adding that more commander level talks are in pipeline to resolve the issues. Sources said that there have been five rounds of talks between military commanders on the ground but there is no breakthrough. --IANS sk/skp/ HONG KONG, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / In an era when opportunities and challenges coexist, everyone needs to face a highly competitive society and complex and changeable challenges. Negative emotions, unclear self-awareness and inherent thinking patterns often make us fall into a vicious circle of failure, thus missing the chance of success. However, life is a creative process with infinite possibilities. Its key lies in how to break through the difficulties and limitations, empower yourself and create your own path of growth. This reporter specially interviewed --Marvin Lau, CEO of LEGACY, to discuss effective ways to broaden life and realize self-value, to help everyone face challenges in a changeable environment, to break through self-limitation, to fully stimulate their own potential, vitality and creativity, and to create valuable and outstanding wonderful life. Marvin Lau has been engaged in the field of potential development for more than 20 years and has rich experience in growth training. In 1995, Marvin joined ARC International Ltd, a large-scale international training workshop center, as a course instructor and trained in the United States and Hong Kong. In 2000, Marvin and other seven mentor teams set up the LEGACY in Hong Kong, leading the top trainers and senior training teams in the industry to promote Chinese self-awareness, potential stimulation and dream realization as the lifelong vision of the enterprise. As an all-round consulting center for experiential growth workshops, Marvin Lau said that "LEGACY is a people-oriented career based on love and develops a platform for sustained growth. It shoulders the mission of "arousing deep consciousness, improving life quality and creating a world full of happiness ". It focuses on transmitting dreams of dreamers, realizing outstanding life, helping people to understand their current state and broaden their thinking through experiential growth training. Broaden their thinking, clarify their directions of growth, and constantly renew themselves in terms of body, spirit, mind and social emotion, so as to enhance the value of their lives and realize the overall success." Story continues Due to strong market demand, LEGACY has opened four training centers in Hong Kong, Taipei, Shenzhen and Beijing respectively. These include the Taipei Training Center established in 2001, Shenzhen Training Center established in 2003, and Beijing Training Center established in 2007. In recent years, with the rapid development of the Internet, LEGACY has expanded the curriculum to the Internet, trying to drive more Chinese to break through the shackles of self, find a correct orientation in life and realize the value of life. "After many years of development, LEGACY's efficient training skills and outstanding training results have spread to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Shenzhen, Beijing and other places, successfully helping more than tens of thousands of participants to effectively improve their personal, self-awareness, team cooperation, organizational leadership and professional skills, and many of the industry's outstanding leaders are graduates of LEGACY. "Marvin Lau said. Regarding the competitive advantage of LEGACY in the field of growth training, Marvin Lau said, "The reason why LEGACY has achieved remarkable training results and is deeply trusted and supported by everyone is mainly because LEGACY has abundant teachers. Each of them is an outstanding student who has benefited from the success of LEGACY and has made achievements in society. They believe that LEGACY promotes self-improvement, achieves others and benefits society, and are willing to use their own experience to promote the growth of students. "Secondly, the courses of LEGACY are all tailor-made experiential learning. They are based on the needs of different aspects such as occupation, interpersonal relationship, finance, health, family, life goals and life direction. LEGACY Workshops have set up core ladder workshops and multi-dimensional workshops respectively, which are dedicated to helping students to have a clearer understanding of themselves through direct physical, emotional and spiritual learning, to change the habitual way of learning, to enhance comprehensive competitiveness, to find the best state of life, and to truly realize a full and successful life. In addition to pursuing the promotion of personal values, LEGACY also attaches great importance to the dedication of social values. In the process of healthy development, LEGACY continues to repay the society. Since its establishment in 2000, LEGACY has taken practical actions to practice the humanistic care of the enterprise and has actively devoted itself to social welfare. Every year, LEGACY contributes 5% of the profits to social welfare as charity donations, participating in charity activities in the fields of caring for the elderly, caring for children and helping the disadvantaged. At present, Marvin Lau is also cheering up the enterprises affected by the epidemic. He said, "I believe that we should always be optimistic about everything and we cannot solve our problems by being helpless. Since the epidemic already exists, keep calm and optimistic attitude to face it. "Fortunately, the epidemic prevention and control work has been effective. At present, the course of LEGACY in Taiwan has been progressing steadily. Students from Shenzhen and Beijing have already learned through online teaching. The Hong Kong Training Center is expected to resume work by the end of June. Previously, the LEGACY participants took an active part in the distribution of epidemic prevention materials as volunteers and made modest contributions in the field of social welfare. "Although the outbreak of the epidemic has temporarily suspended the development plans of LEGACY, LEGACY will actively consolidate the business and enhance the team's strength, and continue to make contributions in the charity field based on the long-term development of the enterprise. "Marvin Lau said. After the epidemic has passed, LEGACY will certainly help more people to enhance their self-worth and achieve outstanding growth in life. Media Contact: Company Name: Legacy Training Ltd Person: Ms.Su Wong Phone: +852 3525 0118 Email: Suwong@Legacyasia.net Wedsite: http://www.legacyasia.net SOURCE: LEGACY View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/591787/Interview-with-Marvin-Lau-Reach-LEGACY-Make-Outstanding-Life NASA Astronauts Doug Hurley, closest, and Bob Behnken simulate their upcoming mission in SpaceX's Crew Dragon training vehicle in Hawthorne. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have trained for years for this moment. They spent, at minimum, hundreds of hours learning the intricacies of the SpaceX capsule they'll ride to the International Space Station. And they got used to the craft's touch-screen flight system, a major change from the 2,000 switches and circuit breakers used to fly the space shuttle. Soon, all of that preparation will be put to the test. Behnken and Hurley will be the first people ever to launch in SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule. During that test flight, which because of Wednesday's weather is now slated for liftoff from Florida on Saturday at 3:22 p.m. EDT, the astronauts will make sure all the systems work before NASA certifies the spacecraft to regularly transport its astronauts to the space station. But just two months before the mission, during a time when they were learning crucial skills for everyday space-station living, the coronavirus outbreak hit. Without close, interpersonal training, it can be hard to learn those routine tasks, like using and fixing the complex piece of machinery that is the station's toilet. "You want to be able to do the things youre going to have to do every day without having to think too much about them," said Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who retired in 2018. "Those are the things that are going to waste time if you arent pretty familiar going in. There's already a lot riding on this mission. Saturday's launch is the first time NASA astronauts will launch to orbit from U.S. soil since the space shuttle was retired in 2011. If the mission is successful, NASA will no longer have to rely solely on Russia to transport U.S. astronauts to space, which has cost the U.S. billions of dollars. It would also bolster NASA's bet that relying on commercial companies for "routine" services, such as transporting cargo and crew to the space station, will free up the agency to focus on more ambitious endeavors, such as missions to the moon or Mars. Story continues "The expectation after Apollo was that wed be on Mars by 1980," said Lori Garver, who was NASA's deputy administrator from 2009 to 2013. "Finally, I think, were going to be able to accelerate our progress by opening it up, reducing the cost." For SpaceX, a successful launch would achieve the company's long-standing goal of sending humans into space. It also signifies how much the company has evolved over its 18 years. When SpaceX and Boeing Co. were awarded multibillion contracts in 2014 to develop separate spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the space station, the Elon Musk-led SpaceX was seen as a scrappy upstart. Today, the company has an extensive list of customers ranging from commercial satellite operators to the U.S. military and, of course, NASA. "They build and operate what I consider to be safe spacecraft," said former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr., who was initially unimpressed with SpaceX after a visit early in the company's history. "They have grown in my estimation and my personal esteem, in no small part due to their leadership in the form of Gwynne Shotwell." Shotwell, the company's president and chief operating officer, said earlier this month that there are thousands of SpaceX employees focused on this mission. "We spent years working on this vehicle," she told reporters. "There will be a little sense of relief once [Behnken and Hurley are] in orbit. Ill feel more relief when they get to the station and then, obviously, I will start sleeping again when theyre back safely on the planet. In March, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread, NASA had to evaluate the astronauts' remaining training sessions and decide which had to be done in-person, with as few people as possible, and which could be held remotely. Learning how to use the space station's kitchen equipment? Virtual. Instructors used photos and videos to show Behnken and Hurley how to warm up food and figure out how much water they'd need to rehydrate their food packages. Practicing space walks? In person. Behnken suited up in a replica of the spacesuit he'd wear during an actual spacewalk and scaled a life-size space station mock-up that sits in a 40-foot-deep pool at Houston's Johnson Space Center. The 20 or so experts who usually congregate in a nearby conference room to answer questions or give tips watched from home and relied on video communications, said Megan Levins, chief training officer at Johnson Space Center. Learning how to use the space station's toilet? Definitely an in-person lesson. "It's hardware you want to make sure you know how to use," Levins said. The station's waste management system is high-tech and involves buttons, switches and a number of parts. There are pumps and compressors. There's a suction function that pulls urine into a funnel and runs it through an air/water separator. Suction is also needed to perform the vital task of pulling solid waste into the toilet. ("In zero gravity, everything floats," Whitson said.) That's why it's so important to know exactly how to set up the toilet, use it and figure out if there's a problem. Usually, astronauts will train side-by-side with an instructor, who uses a mock-up of the toilet to show them how to manipulate its valves. This time, the instructor stood more than six feet away, wore a mask and gave verbal instructions to the astronauts at the mock-up toilet. It's less efficient to explain everything verbally, Levin said. It is more difficult but doable. NASA has plenty of experience isolating staff to stave off illness. Decades before the COVID-19 pandemic, NASA established strict rules to keep astronauts from getting sick before they launched into space and potentially infected others in their close living quarters. And in the early days of the space program, astronauts were sequestered once they returned home. Famously, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were quarantined for three weeks after their moon mission in 1969 for fear of lunar contagions. Nowadays, astronauts typically enter quarantine two weeks before launch and get their temperatures checked every day, said Whitson, who is also a former chief of NASA's astronaut office. During this period, only a few peoplesuch as spouses or those crucial to the mission are allowed to visit the crew. "Weve never used the term 'social distance' ... but thats exactly what we were doing," she said. "We have one integrated ventilation system onboard. If one person gets sick, everybodys going to get sick. For Behnken, the additional measures put in place were just an extension of what he was already used to as a veteran astronaut and former chief of NASA's astronaut office. "We assume pandemic for all crews that are headed toward the space station," he said. "We just have been doing that longer. On Earth, particles from a sneeze might travel six feet. But in space, those particles can stay in the air for much longer, though they will eventually get filtered out through the station's ventilation system, Whitson said. "Everything is going to be in your face," she said. Vietnamese and international scientists have announced the discoveries of a new species of beetle and two new species of cicadas in Vietnam. Pham Hong Thai, a scientist from the Vietnam National Museum of Nature under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), informed the official Vietnam News Agency of the findings on Wednesday. They were the fruit of joint efforts by entomologists from the Hanoi-based museum and their colleagues from Japan and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Thai said. A new species of beetle named Rhyparus vietnamicus Ochi, Kusui, Pham, 2018 was discovered by Japanese and Vietnamese scientists in the northern province of Lao Cai. According to its scientific description, the beetle belongs to the genus Rhyparus, tribe Rhyparini, subfamily Aphodiinae, family Scarabaeidae, and order Coleoptera. Specimens of the new beetle species were collected by the scientists in Lao Cai, measuring 7.7 to 7.9 millimeters in body length. With the discovery, there are now two species of the genus Rhyparus confirmed to be distributed in Vietnam. Around the same time, scientists from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and their peers from the Vietnam National Museum of Nature also announced two new species of cicadas. They are from the genus Sogana, family Tropiduchidae, sub-order Auchenorrhyncha, order Hemiptera. The scientists named one species Sogana bachmana Constant & Pham, 2019 and the other Sogana baviana Constant & Pham, 2019. The male specimens of the two species of cicadas measure 29.0 millimeters and 23.5 millimeters in length, respectively. The family Tropiduchidae consists of about 660 species distributed across the world, of which 20 have been found in Vietnam to date, following Wednesdays announcement. Of the genus Soganas 13 species, five have been discovered in Vietnam, accounting for around 40 percent of the total number of species under the genus. Such statistics may not fully reflect the diversity of the family Tropiduchidae in Vietnam, according to the entomologists, as there are many discoveries of new species and genera in the Southeast Asian country still waiting to be announced. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Twitter chief executive officer Jack Dorsey testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing concerning foreign influence in use of social media platforms, on Capitol Hill, September 5, 2018 in Washington, DC. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said he stands by the company's decision to fact-check two tweets by President Donald Trump, even as it has attracted intense criticism by Trump and his allies. The statement comes as the White House is preparing an executive order that would target social media companies for alleged bias in their content moderation strategies. In a series of Tweets late Wednesday, Dorsey addressed the firestorm created by the company's decision to label Trump's tweets with a fact-check for the first time. Twitter on Tuesday added a link under two of Trump's tweets about mail-in ballots that said, "Get the facts about mail-in ballots." When clicked, the links directed users to a page that said, in part, "Trump falsely claimed that mail-in ballots would lead to 'a Rigged Election.' However, fact-checkers say there is no evidence that mail-in ballots are linked to voter fraud." Dorsey on Wednesday stood by his stance that Trump's tweets "may mislead people into thinking they don't need to register to get a ballot (only registered voters receive ballots)," but said Twitter would update the link on the tweets "to make this more clear." "This does not make us an 'arbiter of truth,'" Dorsey wrote. "Our intention is to connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves. More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions." Tweet Tweet Dorsey's statement came shortly after the White House said Trump would sign an executive order about social media companies on Thursday. According to a draft of the order obtained by CNBC, Trump would direct the Federal Communications Commission to propose and clarify regulations of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. It would also encourage the Federal Trade Commission to take action against companies engaging in "deceptive" acts of communication. The working draft of the order cites Twitter by name. The statute targeted in the executive order is commonly criticized by lawmakers across the political spectrum for shielding Big Tech companies from liability for their users' content. Section 230 was created to allow online platforms to engage in "good Samaritan" moderation of "objectionable" material without being treated like a publisher or speaker. In effect, some conservatives have claimed, it also allows them to get away with removing political views they object to. Social media companies like Twitter and Facebook have vigorously denied such accusations. Ahead of the White House's announcement about the executive order, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he would introduce legislation "to end these special government giveaways." He's previously introduced a bill that would grant companies the liability protection if they submitted to audits to ensure their algorithms and content-removal practices are "politically neutral. "If @Twitter wants to editorialize & comment on users' posts, it should be divested of its special status under federal law (Section 230) & forced to play by same rules as all other publishers," Hawley wrote in a tweet. Trump railed against Twitter for its initial decision to label his tweets, saying the company was "interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election." "Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen!" Trump wrote in a tweet Tuesday. On Thursday, he tweeted "This will be a Big Day for Social Media and FAIRNESS!" Twitter has been cautious overall with its use of fact-checks on posts by world leaders. It released a policy last June to address the ways it would deal with speech by world leaders, exempting them from certain standards it holds for other users but giving it the ability to take action in the most extreme cases. Twitter has reasoned that most speech by such figures should remain accessible since it is in the public interest, but that action is needed when those statements could cause real-world harm. Twitter had refused to label a series of Trump's tweets from earlier this month that included an unfounded accusation that MSNBC host Joe Scarborough should be investigated over the death of his former staffer nearly 20 years ago while he was a congressman. A medical examiner at the time found no evidence of foul play. The coroner concluded that the 28-year-old hit her head in his Florida district office after fainting from an undiagnosed heart condition. Scarborough was in Washington at the time. In a CNBC interview that aired Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he does not think social networks should be fact-checking what politicians post. "Political speech is one of the most sensitive parts in a democracy, and people should be able to see what politicians say," he told "Squawk Box" co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. WATCH: Here's how Big Tech companies are combating coronavirus misinformation The arts and culture sector needs immediate and direct government support to help it survive the coronavirus lockdown, the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA) has warned. The sector will be the last to return to full capacity, with thousands of events already cancelled. The economic impact of the shutdown to date is estimated at more than 10m. NCFA has presented a 13-step plan for the survival and recovery of the arts and culture sectors. The volunteer-led group said organisations are losing 2.9m per month during the shutdown. It estimates that 19,000 days of paid work were lost before the end of April 2020, and a potential income of 6.4m will be lost from cancelled activities by the end of May. More than 12,000 events have been cancelled and, in just eight weeks, more than 2.4m people have lost out on artistic experiences. The Governments ban on large events those of more than 5,000 capacity remains in place until the end of August, but smaller events and venues are struggling to adapt too. Their new reality is likely to involve social distancing to some degree and many festivals, such as the Cork Midsummer Festival, have had to cancel their entire slate already. Even large events planned for later in the year, such as the Cork Opera House summer musical, have been cancelled as cast members and crew cannot rehearse or build sets. NCFAs 13-point plan urges the government to invest some 20m in the Arts Council this year to support artists and organisations. The NCFA is also calling for the Covid-19 unemployment payment to be extended until it is viable for arts and cultural events to take place. Some 14,000 people in the arts sector are receiving this payment. The group also wants some of the European Commissions emergency funds to be reserved for the arts and culture sector, and says the next government needs greater input from those in the arts, including specific advisors from the area. A series of medium and longer-term proposals are pitched too, including the simplification of the Arts Council grants application scheme and the introduction of tax incentives to boost investment in the area. NCFA also calls for the refund of public liability and employers liability insurance where events have been cancelled. A failure to invest equitably in the arts at this crucial juncture in recovery planning will seal the decimation of an industry that asks little and offers much, NCFA said. There will be an irretrievable loss of wisdom and skills, and any recovery will be a journey that many, if not most, in the sector will be unable to undertake or sustain. Artists will be unable to create, arts workers will be forced out of the industry and likely never return, arts organisations will close their doors, and Irelands artistic output will stagnate. If we allow the arts to be left behind as we move to rebuild Ireland, attempts to restimulate the arts and culture sector down the line will be unachievable; there will be far too little left for any meaningful revival of the ecosystem that salves, sustains and sells our country. As the novel coronavirus moves through poorer parts of the world, many expect high infection rates. Cheek by jowl crowding, poverty, limited sanitation facilities, and the urgency to leave home for work to survive all make social distancing and isolation almost impossible. And yet, we expect that successes from these countries will emerge and pave the way for solutions elsewhere and that these will stem from the people and systems behind community-based primary healthcare. Alarmed at the prospects of COVID-19, many cash-strapped health ministries from Rwanda to Pakistan began planning well before they registered their first cases. Hospitals were designated for treating coronavirus patients only and hotels and quarantine facilities were earmarked for returning travellers and those with less severe symptoms. Proposals to buy equipment, test kits and personal protective equipment (PPE) were also quickly put together. However, glitches surfaced early. The fact that funds, supplies and equipment were largely unavailable, coupled with the rising number of infections, began to seed unease. In India, doctors were evicted by neighbours fearing infection. In Pakistan, medical workers who participated in a protest to demand PPE were arrested. In Bangladesh, many private clinics and hospitals closed, as staff were afraid of being exposed to COVID-19. Following large numbers of absentee health workers, the Bangladeshi government offered increased pay and life insurance to lure staff back to work. Workers who stayed away were sacked and maligned in the press. No country, let alone poor countries, can afford to risk the health of, or indeed, drive away precious healthcare workers. Rather than put them at risk of infection, and in turn, risk infecting their patients, governments should consider alternatives. In this respect, Rwanda showed leadership. Their whole-of-government approach included: deterring people with suspected COVID-19 infections from coming to health facilities unless seriously unwell; minimising contact between health workers and infected patients; and focusing on prevention and care within communities. These approaches are relevant everywhere, but particularly for resource-poor countries where health facilities have little to offer in terms of beds, let alone ICUs and ventilators, or associated staff and resource demands. Taking this route is not as difficult as it may sound. However fragile, most poor countries have health systems designed around principles of primary healthcare an approach based on health service delivery, disease prevention, screening and caring for the sick within the communities where people live. The idea is that only patients with the most complex of needs should be seen at hospitals. This approach is built on sound science and maximises the use of scarce resources, including medical staff. The majority of sick people, including those with coronavirus symptoms, can and should be catered for at or close to home. This is in the interests of patients, their pockets and their time. And keeping patients away from health facilities also helps reduce the spread of the virus. The good news is that following decades of investments, many resource-poor countries have fleets of community-based health workers (CHWs). These workers deliver door-to-door services and know their communities well. They are trained in prevention of infectious diseases and in common-symptom management, so adding COVID-19 to the work they already do is relatively simple. Furthermore, for every doctor, there are hundreds of CHWs. Compared to doctors and nurses, CHWs not only cost less to train and pay, but they also generally remain within their countries. And, as members of their communities, they are known and trusted, which is essential during epidemics. Indeed, CHWs are already widely engaged in the COVID-19 response. In the absence of test kits, CHWs use checklists of coronavirus symptoms to form the basis for diagnosis. Some agencies have developed apps to support CHWs diagnose, monitor and even track patients contacts. Wherever CHWs work with community leaders, a lot can be achieved. There are countless examples where such partnerships have achieved the seemingly impossible following disasters not least in countries such as Bangladesh, used to repeat onslaughts of epidemics, floods and cyclones. CHWs can establish COVID-19 readiness, by raising awareness and dispelling confusion; arranging isolation spaces and support services for the vulnerable and sick; providing soap, disinfectants, medicines and food; and even arranging to safely bury the dead. Community health workers are already innovating to work safely. In operations that we know of around the world from Uganda to Afghanistan, CHWs are finding ways to work and largely maintain distance, including using megaphones, phones, and working through others. With adjustments, CHWs can keep regular health services running while supporting COVID-19 needs too. CHWs are backstopped by other health professionals, sometimes by phone, the internet and occasionally, through telemedicine, too. Community health workers can signal to a hospital if a person suspected of having the infection is seriously ill; and in turn, hospitals can indicate if they are able to accept patients. The difference between theory and practice will surely be in ample evidence in the coming months. That said, much can be achieved if primary healthcare is prioritised over hospitals in the fight against COVID-19. Such decisions should not be viewed as second-best solutions for the poor because they represent the best bet for prevention, containment and care. We should be building on tested local strengths rather than scrambling to mimic high-cost medical interventions with limited, and in some instances, unproven, prospects of efficacy. Mushtaque Chowdhury and Gijs Walraven are co-authors of this article. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. In Milwaukee, an offender committed murder while released on supervision. In Seattle, questions remained over how a deadly police encounter unfolded. In New York City, fatigued officers made questionable decisions during a routine traffic stop. We can agree that these scenarios reflect system failings. However, the criminal justice system lacks a mechanism to examine these events and effectively prevent their recurrence.When a significant negative outcome, or "sentinel event," happens in the criminal-justice system, it is rarely the result of a single actor or mistake. Rather, many small misjudgments, oversights and other errors compound to create a context in which a death in custody, a wounded police officer, a failure to provide sufficient probationary supervision or other negative event can occur.Traditionally, the American criminal-justice system has taken a "bad apple" approach to error that assigns blame after a negative event. Although focusing on individual performance is appropriate in some instances, this approach fails to address the multiple system flaws that may have contributed to a problem. Errors are often caused by many individuals making decisions based on what they see as the best course of action in a given set of circumstances. Often, systems have set up these front-line actors to fail. If we merely punish a single individual without examining larger systemic issues, we miss a crucial opportunity to learn from error and prevent future negative outcomes.Shifting the criminal-justice culture away from blame and toward safety and improvement is the goal of the National Institute of Justice's Sentinel Events Initiative , which mobilizes a system-oriented approach to error. This is not a "one-size-fits-all-jurisdictions" federal effort. Rather, the Sentinel Events Initiative supports the local development of a review process in which all actors -- law-enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, victims, advocates and others -- conduct a forward-looking review of a sentinel event to identify and mend contributing system weaknesses.Rather than simply assigning blame, these reviews ask the question, "How can we keep this from happening again?" Reviews have been implemented to examine the near-miss prosecution of a father wrongly accused, but then cleared, of murder in Illinois; a homicide committed by a minor under supervision in Milwaukee; and wrongful-conviction cases in New York City.Although it is impossible to put a price tag on justice-system failings, scattered studies give a sense of the magnitude of the cost to taxpayers. Texas, which has paid more than $93 million in compensation, has one of the most generous compensation statutes for wrongfully convicted individuals, allowing a lump-sum payment equal to $80,000 for each year an individual was wrongfully incarcerated as well as monthly annuity payments. Illinois has spent more than $250 million on wrongful convictions, including $156 million for legal settlements. In addressing factors that will eliminate the need for future compensation and lawsuits, sentinel-event reviews can help mitigate these costs, as well as the unquantifiable impact on the lives of the wrongfully convicted, the toll sentinel events can take on officer welfare, and the danger of the real perpetrators walking free.The Sentinel Events Initiative draws inspiration from medicine and aviation, which have used these reviews to increase safety, lower costs and instill a culture of continuous improvement. As one seminal patient-safety paper put it, these reviews take the approach that "every defect is a treasure."After years of scientific research, practitioner outreach and pilot efforts, last month the National Institute of Justice launched a $1.6 million national sentinel-event demonstration project in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance. This project will enable state and local sentinel-event review panels across the country to learn how to best empower jurisdictions to explore system weaknesses and generate locally tailored solutions to mitigate risk and improve system-wide performance.In viewing negative outcomes as opportunities for learning, local policy influencers can shift the focus of the criminal-justice system away from blame and toward safety and system improvement. In doing so, they have a genuine opportunity reduce risk, save taxpayer money, earn public trust and improve the future administration of justice. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: The Shadnagar police, who are investigating the allegations of attempt to gang rape a 25-year-old nurse, have found that there is no evidence to substantiate the allegations. The police also found that the woman had self-inflicted injuries. On Tuesday, a nurse complained to the Shadnagar police, that her friend tried to rape her, along with his friends. However, when we questioned her, she gave three different accounts about the turn of events. So far, none of her allegations are found to be true. According to the first account, her parents beat her up, as per the second statement, she was injured in an accident, and, third description was that her boyfriend injured her, said A Sreedhar Kumar, Shadnagar Inspector. The police said complainant was in a relationship with Bhanu for two years. They also had consensual intercourse, which doesnt attract rape charges, police said. The police filed a case under IPC 354 (assault to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons), and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman). Joe Biden will speak at the Texas Democratic Partys convention next month, anchoring a lineup of liberal icons as the party pushes to retake the state from Republican control in November. The former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will appear on the last day of the weeklong convention, which is being held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Texas Democratic Party also announced Thursday that Beto ORourke, the former El Paso congressman who challenged Biden in the primary, will help close out the event on June 6. Bidens March primary win in Texas helped galvanize support around his campaign as he sought to overtake opponents including U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Party leaders believe Texas, long a Republican stronghold, will be newly in play as the campaign moves into the fall. Texas is the biggest battleground state in the country, state party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa and Vice Chair Carla Brailey said in a statement. With Joe Biden at the top of the ticket, Texas Democrats will help him win the White House. This is our moment. BIG-NAME HEADLINER: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to headline virtual Texas Democratic Convention The virtual event, which could be a test run for the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee later this summer, also will feature U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Biden rivals Warren, Kamala Harris and Julian Castro. U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, also will appear. The Texas GOP will hold its state convention in-person in Houston in mid-July. Even before the pandemic, Democrats were hoping to win several U.S. seats in Texas and flip the state House to Democratic control. The health crisis has thrown an additional spotlight on health care coverage and the future of Texas beleaguered oil industry, issues that Biden hopes to seize upon in the fall. A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign called the state turning blue a pipedream. Texans will see through this staged attempt to win their favor and resoundingly reelect President Trump in November, she said in an email. LUSAKA - Zambia's president has pardoned a gay couple sentenced to 15 years in prison in November under colonial-era sodomy laws in a case that caused a diplomatic row with the United States. Japhet Chataba, 39, and Steven Sambo, 31, were among nearly 3,000 inmates pardoned by President Edgar Lungu last Friday to commemorate Africa Freedom Day, according to the government gazette. Related: Gay marriage came to Costa Rica on Tuesday, and just after midnight, Daritza Araya Arguedas and Alexandra Quiros Castillo became the first same-sex couple to wed. A Lusaka High Court judge had sentenced them to 15 years in prison under laws that forbid sex between couples "against the order of nature." The case drew criticism from then U.S. ambassador Daniel Foote, who said the sentence was too harsh and could damage Zambia's reputation. Washington later withdrew Foote following the row with Zambian authorities over the issue. Over the past decade, several African countries have come into conflict over LGBTQ rights with Western countries, many of who are major aid donors. Related: Cau's appointment as mayor of Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes arrives as anti-LGBTQ sentiment is on the rise in France. The previous Obama administration cut aid to Uganda and Malawi over their anti-homosexual laws and policies, although Western condemnation sometimes provokes African leaders into taking more hardline positions. Uganda announced plans in October last year for a bill that would impose the death penalty for gay sex, but later backtracked after major aid donors said they were monitoring the situation. Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram New York: Wall Street ended lower on Thursday (US time) following a late-session reversal, with Facebook weighing on the market after President Donald Trump said he would sign an executive order related to social media companies and would hold a news conference on China on Friday. Shares of Twitter ended down 4.4 per cent and Facebook fell 1.6 per cent following news of the executive order. The White House, after the market close, said Trump had signed the order, which removes a liability shield they currently enjoy. Wall Street finished lower after Trump announced he will discuss China in a media conference on Friday (US time). Credit:NYSE Trump said he was directing Attorney General William Barr to work with states to enforce their own laws against what he described as deceptive business practices by social media companies. Concerns about China-US relations may also have driven the late decline. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told CNBC on Thursday that Hong Kong may now be needed to be treated like China when it comes to trade and other matters, echoing remarks by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday. (Newser) General Electric has sold its lighting business, which originated with Thomas Edison more than 140 years ago. For some, it's "as if Kellogg had jettisoned its cornflakes business or Ford had stopped making cars," reports the New York Times, noting GE floodlights allowed for the first MLB night game in 1935, some three decades before the first LED was developed in a GE lab. But with energy-efficient LEDs now outselling traditional incandescent lightbulbs, the sale to Savant Systems Inc., a Massachusetts-based home automation company, was a logical step for the struggling conglomerate, which recently unloaded its biopharma and appliances divisions, per CNET. GEto receive $250 million, per the Wall Street Journalhad been looking to sell its lighting business for years in order to focus on more profitable areas. story continues below "I suspect it could have been done a long time ago because, as GE looked at its portfolio, its consumer businesses like toasters and things like that weren't good, profitable businesses," Joseph L. Bower of Harvard Business School tells the Times. Lightbulbs are "not really significant for a very big, big company." Some 700 GE employees will now move to Savant, which has been granted use of the GE brand. "Together with Savant, GE Lighting will continue its legacy of innovation, while we at GE will continue to advance the infrastructure technologies that are core to our company and draw on the roots of our founder," CEO H. Lawrence Culp Jr. says. Edison created the Edison General Electric Company, which was merged with the Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form the General Electric Company in 1892. The inventor then sold his shares. (Read more General Electric stories.) Harvey Weinstein, the former Hollywood film mogul who is serving a prison sentence in a New York state penitentiary for rape, is being accused by another four women of sexually assaulting them on separate occasions decades ago. In 1994, Weinstein, who has been accused by scores of women of a range of sexual crimes including harassment, rape, and assault, is alleged to have lured one of the women to a hotel room when she was just 17 years old. He has denied the allegations, saying any sex was consensual. A lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday also names Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinsteins brother, longtime business partner, and co-founder of Miramax Films and the Weinstein Company; Miramax; and The Walt Disney Company. Harvey Weinstein, 68, is seen above being led into a Manhattan courtroom in February 24. Four more women have filed lawsuits alleging Weinstein raped and sexually assaulted them decades ago They are accused of fostering a culture of silence which allowed the abuse to take place. A spokesperson for The Walt Disney Company told DailyMail.com: 'The Weinsteins operated and managed their business with virtual autonomy. 'There is absolutely no legal basis for claims against the company and we will defend against them vigorously.' Harvey Weinstein allegedly told the 17-year-old girl to meet him in his room for a business meeting to discuss an acting opportunity. According to the lawsuit, Weinstein, 68, greeted the girl at the door while he was almost naked. He then sexually assaulted and raped her, it has been alleged. The lawsuits filing was reported by the New York Daily News. Because she was on her own in a hotel several miles from her home, with no way of getting home without Weinsteins associate taking her there, she decided to keep her cool and try to get through the meeting as quickly as possible, the lawsuit states. Initially, the girl, who is referred to in the court filing as 43-year-old Jane Doe II, rejected Weinsteins advances, her lawyers claim. But then he cornered her and forced her to perform oral sex on him, it is alleged in the lawsuit. Weinstein then proceeded to rape her, according to the filing. Weinstein's brother, Bob (left), is named as a defendant in the lawsuit. He is accused of fostering a culture of silence which allowed the abuse to take place. The brothers are seen above in November 2009 Afterward, Weinstein demanded that the girl turn over her drivers license. He allegedly threatened her, saying that if she revealed what happened, he would not only make sure she never got to act in any films, but also have his associates track her down and physically harm her and her family. According to the lawsuit: She was thus afraid to come forward until now. The three other women named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit make similar allegations against Weinstein. Jane Doe I alleges that Weinstein raped her in a hotel room during the Cannes Film Festival in France in 1984. Weinsteins brother, Bob; their onetime production company, Miramax; and the Walt Disney Company, are also named in the lawsuit. As Harvey Weinsteins sexual abuse of young girls and women continued for decades on end and became harder to conceal, the number of participants and facilitators continued to grow, the suit states. There is no doubt that Harvey Weinstein was acting within the scope of his employment while sexually abusing Plaintiffs and, as evidenced by his repeated avoidance of discipline, had his behavior ratified or concealed by higher-ups, managers and principals at The Weinstein Company, Walt Disney and Miramax, according to the lawsuit. Disney acquired Miramax, the film studio co-founded by the Weinstein brothers, in 1993 for $60million. The Weinsteins continued to operate Miramax until leaving the company in 2005. Shortly thereafter, they founded The Weinstein Company. DailyMail.com has reached out to Miramax, the independent film studio which produced such hits like Pulp Fiction, The Crying Game, and Shakespeare in Love, for comment. Harvey Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison term for rape at the Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York A representative for Harvey Weinstein was also asked to comment. Jane Doe III has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Weinstein in a hotel room in the SoHo section of Manhattan in 2008. Jane Doe IV claims she was assaulted by Weinstein during the Venice Film Festival in 2013. The other plaintiffs are now aged 70, 38, and 35. The four women were able to file lawsuits thanks to a New York State law, the Child Victims Act, from last August which allowed victims of sexual abuse to sue their assailants even though the statute of limitations had expired. In March, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison by a New York judge for sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping Jessica Mann, a former aspiring actress. His conviction was hailed as a victory for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct by powerful men. Last month, Weinstein was charged in Los Angeles with a third sexual assault case, and prosecutors there said they have started the process of seeking his extradition from New York. Weinstein, who tested positive for the coronavirus soon after being incarcerated in upstate New York but has since recovered, was charged with a single felony count of sexual battery by restraint. The Walt Disney Company vowed to fight the lawsuit. It is being accused of fostering a culture of silence which allowed the abuse to take place Miramax, the independent film studio founded by the Weinstein brothers, is also named in the lawsuit The 68-year-old had already been charged in Los Angeles with rape, sexual penetration by force and forcible oral copulation for an alleged encounter with one woman, and with sexual battery of a second woman, both in February of 2013. The latest case stems from an incident that occurred in May 2010 at a Beverly Hills hotel, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office said in a statement accompanying the amended five-count criminal complaint that contained the new charge. The revised criminal complaint filed says Weinstein touched an intimate part of the victim while she was restrained against her will by the film producer and an unnamed accomplice. None of the three women cited as Weinsteins accusers is identified in court papers. The third accuser was interviewed by law enforcement in October as a possible corroborating witness in other complaints, and provided detectives last month with information confirming that the assault took place within the 10-year statute of limitation, prosecutors said in their statement. The district attorneys office also announced on Friday that two other cases involving Weinstein were declined for prosecution because the victims did not want to testify against the defendant in this case. Prosecutors in Los Angeles have initiated a request for temporary custody of Weinstein from New York State as they begin the extradition process, the statement said. He is to be arraigned on the Los Angeles charges once he arrives. If convicted as charged in the revised complaint, Weinstein faces up to 29 years in prison, according to the statement. Lori Vallow's best friend says she believes the cult mom's missing children are dead - and that the 'cult' mom's killer brother could be responsible. Melanie Gibb revealed her heartbreaking theory on what happened to Lori's kids, Tylee Ryan and Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, in an interview with East Idaho News nearly nine months after they disappeared in September. 'They're not on this planet anymore,' Gibb said in the final portion of the three-part interview that aired Thursday. 'I don't think they are. That's my personal opinion.' Gibb said she suspects that Lori's brother, Alex Cox, may have done something to the children for Lori or for a 'higher reason' related to the family's extreme religious belief that the end of the world is approaching. 'If he really truly believed these things, maybe he felt he was doing something good for not only them, but God,' she said. Cox died in December, three months after Tylee, 17, and JJ, who turned eight on Monday, were last seen in Rexburg, Idaho. At the time of his death Cox was under investigation for fatally shooting Lori's previous husband Charles Vallow in July. Police originally ruled that he acted in self defense but reopened the case after Lori's children were reported missing. Scroll down for video Lori Vallow's best friend Melanie Gibb revealed that she believes the cult mom's missing children are dead in an interview with the East Idaho News that aired on Thursday Lori's children Tylee Ryan and Joshua 'JJ' Vallow were last seen in Idaho in September Gibb believes that Lori's brother Alex Cox (left) may have done something to the children. Lori is currently behind bars on charges of neglect and desertion related to their disappearance Gibb, who has known the Vallow family for years, offered a brief explanation for why she doesn't think it's possible that the children are alive. 'Tylee is a very strong-willed individual, and she's capable of making a phone call if she needs to call, and she hasn't reached out to anybody and let anybody know she's alive,' she said. 'I can't imagine she would be quiet the whole time.' Addressing the possibility that Tylee is hiding out with JJ, Gibb noted that it would be difficult for the teen to take care of the boy alone because he's autistic. 'JJ's a handful. He wouldn't have his medication with him, so how could she take care of him?' Gibb said. 'It doesn't add up.' She also questioned the fact that Lori and her new husband Chad Daybell fled Idaho for Hawaii soon after police discovered the children were missing. 'If they're in a safe place, why is [Lori] in Hawaii having a great time on her honeymoon when her children are hiding for safety?' she asked. 'That doesn't even make sense. I think most people understand that.' Several other relatives of Lori, including her mother Janis Cox, sister Summer Shiflet and niece Melani Pawlowski have defended her in recent weeks, insisting that the children are fine because their mother would never harm them. When asked if she thinks Lori's family members know more than they're saying, Gibb said it's likely that some do. 'I don't know all of what they know from Lori. I know some of them what they know. I don't know what everybody knows, but some of them do [know something],' she said. Gibb met Lori (above together) in October 2018 through the Church of Latter-day Saints. She last spoke to Lori back in November, days after the children were reported missing Gibb questioned the fact that Lori and her new husband Chad Daybell fled Idaho for Hawaii soon after police discovered the children were missing. 'If they're in a safe place, why is [Lori] in Hawaii having a great time on her honeymoon when her children are hiding for safety?' Gibb said in the East Idaho News interview. 'That doesn't even make sense. I think most people understand that.' Lori and Chad are seen on the beach in a photo from their wedding Lori is currently behind bars on charges of child neglect and desertion in connection with JJ and Tylee's disappearance nearly nine months ago. The case captured national attention with the revelations that police were also investigating three mysterious deaths connected to Lori and Chad. Timeline of JJ and Tylee's disappearance July 11 2019: Lori Vallow's husband, Charles Vallow, is killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona August: Lori moves children JJ and Tylee to Rexburg, Idaho September 23: The last time JJ was seen at his school in Idaho October 19: Chad Daybell's wife Tammy dies at their Idaho home October 25: A friend of Tylee receives a text from her phone November 5: Lori and Chad marry November 26: Out-of-state relatives ask Idaho police to perform a welfare check on JJ. Lori and Chad claim he is in Arizona with relatives. Police also learn Tylee has not been seen since September, either November 27: Police execute a search warrant at Lori and Chad's home, discovering the couple have fled Idaho December 11: Tammy Daybell's body is exhumed from the Utah cemetery December 12: Lori's brother, Alex Cox, believed to have died in Arizona December 21: Police issue a press release about JJ and Tylee, revealing they believe their disappearance is linked to Tammy's death December 24: Lori and Chad issue a statement through an attorney saying they love their son and daughter and look forward to addressing 'allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor' December 30: Police accuse Lori and Chad of lying to investigators and say they believe the couple know where the kids are or what happened to them January 26 2020: Lori and Chad are seen for the first time in months as police serve two search warrants in Kaua'i January 30 Lori misses court deadline to produce the children to authorities February 20: Lori is arrested in Kauai Advertisement The first death is that of Charles Vallow, Lori's husband of more than a decade who filed for divorce from her five months before he was shot and killed by her brother Alex on July 11, 2019 in Chandler, Arizona. The second mysterious death was Tammy Daybell - Chad's previous wife - who was found dead at the couple's home in Salem, Idaho, on October 19. Her death was initially ruled as natural but was reclassified as suspicious following the children's disappearance. And the third death was that of Cox, who was found dead in Gilbert, Arizona, on December 12. A medical examiner determined earlier this month that he died of natural causes while he had the overdose drug Narcan in his system. Gibb knew many of the characters involved in the complicated case, having met Lori and Chad several years ago through the Church of Latter-day Saints. She went into hiding back in December after the case began making headlines but decided to speak out for the first time last week in hopes that her unique insights could help investigators locate JJ and Tylee. During the East Idaho News interview Gibb revealed how both Lori and Chad asked her to lie about where the kids were when police first began searching for them on November 26. Lori told police that Gibb had taken the children to Arizona with her for the Thanksgiving holiday. But Gibb refused to go along with Lori's story because she had a gut feeling that 'something was terribly wrong'. In the portion of the interview aired on Thursday, Gibb described her final conversation with Lori days later. 'I think the first question I said is: "Why haven't you told us where the kids are?"' Gibb recalled. '[Lori responded]: "Well, for your safety, we cannot tell you." 'That was just alarming to me. What safety? Why am I in danger? I didn't feel like I was in danger.' When Gibb demanded to know why Lori had lied to police and said the kids were with her, Lori said it was for JJ's safety. She refused to give Gibb any concrete answers on what was happening with the children, or why she and Chad weren't cooperating with law enforcement. Gibb recalled telling Lori: 'I'm concerned for you. I'm concerned for your salvation. This is not light. This is darkness.' 'I was very uncomfortable talking to her,' she added. 'It was a disturbing conversation. I just continued to tell her that I was concerned for them. And I am, and I was.' Gibb said she told Lori and Chad they were evil before hanging up the phone. She said she hasn't spoken to either of them since that day. Tylee was last seen on September 8 when she visited Yellowstone National Park with her family (pictured). JJ was last seen two weeks later on September 23 Over the course of the interview Gibb went into extensive detail about Lori and Chad's 'dangerous' religious beliefs. She said she became concerned about how those beliefs were affecting the children after Lori told her she believed JJ was a zombie when Gibb last saw the boy, days before he vanished. Gibb also said that Lori and Chad had predicted that their spouses would die and thought it was part of a greater plan to prepare for Doomsday. Looking back at the couple's relationship now, Gibb described Lori as a 'puppet' on Chad's hand. 'They're two people that have a lot of passion for a lot of things. They think a lot alike, as far as spiritual ideas go, and he comes across as reserved and quiet, and she is not,' Gibb said. 'I think ultimately they are just as equally bad for each other.' Gibb said that the teachings the couple bonded over and still discuss on a daily basis while Lori sits in jail do not represent the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 'These doctrines are dangerous, and look what they lead to. They lead to people dying,' she said. 'If that doctrine was not revealed, then these people would not have died.' Chad's wife Tammy Daybell (pictured together) was found dead under suspicious circumstances at their home in Idaho in October Lori's fourth husband Charles Vallow (pictured together) was shot dead by her brother, Alex Cox, in July 2019 Despite everything that's happened, Gibb said she still loves Lori and Chad. She said she is hopeful that Chad will do the right thing and disclose where the children are, and had a message for him. 'I still care for you and Lori. This is really painful what you're going through, but God has always taught us to be honest,' Gibb said. 'There are no exceptions to those rules. Even if you're guilty and confess, there's a peace that comes from telling the truth. I know I have that peace because I've come forward because people passed away.' Gibb is preparing to see Lori again face-to-face this July, when she is called as a witness at the mom's preliminary hearing in Rexburg, Idaho. 'We've had a lot of fun times together. We've laughed a lot, and I love her,' she said of Lori. 'I'm so sorry that she's been so deceived by Chad. I wish that none of this had happened. 'I have learned a great deal about deception, and now you [Lori] have learned a greater deal about deception. I just hope that you can really put aside a lot of what your wants are and be humble. '[God] still loves you. You can always be forgiven.' The unprecedented economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty around the timing of a vaccine has prompted Canadas national housing agency to paint a pessimistic scenario of a recovery that extends beyond the end of 2022. A special housing-outlook report by Canada Housing and Mortgage Corp. (CMHC) on Wednesday, is less optimistic than some other forecasts, including the Bank of Canadas April monetary report, said CMHC chief economist Bob Dugan. However, he said the housing agencys outlook is consistent with some of the less favourable bank projections. The situation is quite dire, Dugan told reporters. Households when theres so much uncertainty they tend to be more cautious about purchases. Between social distancing, which limits your ability to go view a home to buy a home and uncertainty about the future, demand for homes is going to be curtailed quite a bit. CMHC CEO Evan Siddall gave a parliamentary committee a preview last week of many of the reports findings, including a projected national decline in home sales of between 19 and 29 per cent from pre-COVID-19 levels. Those transaction figures wont likely trend up until later this year, bringing the total annual transactions to between 416,000 to 450,000 sales, versus about 520,000 before the downturn. It also forecasts historic declines in housing starts this year of between 50 per cent and 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels between 109,000 and 147,000 units, compared to 210,000 housing starts that were anticipated. CMHC says home prices will decline between nine and 18 per cent from the peak of the first quarter of this year. Its best-case forecast is based on economic recovery beginning this summer. In the worst case, though, which assumes a vaccine wont be available until spring 2021, that recovery doesnt start until the second quarter of next year, said Dugan. Until that vaccine is in place, even as we allow businesses to open, there (is) still social distancing protocol that has to remain in place in order to avoid further waves of infection, he said. Although economic data is still scarce around the impact of COVID-19, Dugan cited the loss of three million jobs that pushed the unemployment rate from 5.6 per cent in February to 13 per cent in April. And that statistic does not include workers who have left the employment market if those were counted, unemployment would likely be closer to 20 per cent, he said. A nine per cent contraction in the economy in March, a 10 per cent tumble in retail sales and a 57 per cent month-over-month drop in housing sales from March to April all suggest a profound economic shock that is shared with many of Canadas key trading partners. High household debt is another key vulnerability, said Dugan, citing estimates of 12 to 15 per cent of households that have taken mortgage deferrals. This increases the burden of an already stretched household. If those deferrals escalate into foreclosures, that could impact the willingness of banks to make loans and that could prolong the recovery. He did not rule out the possibility or banks extending deferrals or governments providing more aid if the recovery drags on. Dugan said CMHC does not specifically track which jobs are likely to be lost permanently. Nor did he say how many mortgage deferrals the agency expects to descend into arrears and ultimately foreclosure. CMHC will report on rental markets and Census Metropolitan Areas in June. Among the provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland, are expected to see the most severe economic fallout due to their reliance on oil. Updates for census metropolitan areas and rental markets will be published at the end of June, said Dugan. Ontario home sales and prices are expected to suffer more severe declines than those in Quebec and British Columbia. Second-quarter home prices in Ontario are projected to be between $569,701 and $675,105 by the end of 2022. The comparable range of prices expected in the second quarter of this year is $623,126 to $659,716. Phil Soper, CEO of Royal LePage, talks about the market on the Star's podcast The Woodlands Township will reopen seven community swimming pools with limited hours and reduced capacity on Saturday, June 6. The pools, located in various villages around the township, are smaller and normally only used by nearby residents. The township Board of Directors unanimously approved an updated reopening plan during their meeting on Wednesday, May 27, including changes to the 2020 swimming pool user fee structure to reflect less access, a reduced swimming pool season and fewer programs. Related: Woodlands board may finalize initial swimming pool openings Chris Nunes, the director of the townships Parks and Recreation Department, provided another detailed report on the status of the townships vast swimming pool network, which includes the village pools, various splash pads and the Rob Fleming Aquatic Center. Nunes has been furiously working on a swimming pool reopening plan for weeks, made more complex by the ever-changing uncertainty over reopening dates and levels of capacity. Nunes said the seven community pools would operate on a 25% capacity and with very limited hours from noon to 6 p.m. each day. The fees for the pools were reduced following a public hearing during Wednesdays meeting. No members of the public called into the online Zoom meeting to comment on the fee changes and it was approved quickly with little discussion. The seven pools that will reopen on June 6 are: Alden Bridge, Sawmill, Forestgate, Bear Branch, Wendtwoods, Harpers Landing and Creekwood. The fee structure for the 2020 season only is as follows: resident day pass costs were reduced from $6 to $5; the non-resident day pass cost was decreased from $12 to $10; and season pass rates were kept at the normal $40 for residents and $120 for non-residents. The pools will have very limited access due to the 25% capacity rules. Alden Bridge can only have 97 bathers at one time; Sawmill is set at 64 people; Wendtwoods is limited to 104 people; Harpers Landing can hold 44 swimmers; Bear Branch is limited to 58; Creekwood is reduced to 68 people and Forestgate is limited to 69 swimmers. As for the openings of the Rob Fleming Aquatic Center and the other community pools and splash pads, those dates are still in flux, Nunes said, and are dependent on several factors such as a loosening of restrictions from state and county officials as well as CDC best practices guidelines. Nick Wolda, the communications director for the township said the township board wanted to emphasize, That the pools will have restrictions in capacity and a season pass does not grant any additional rights over day passes. No punch cards or external day care or group pass rates will be available this summer due to social distancing. Individuals purchasing an annual pass need to be aware that there will be a limited number of pools open this year due to COVID-19 and there is no privilege for admission as compared to a daily pass holder, Wolda said in an email. Refunds will not be issued due to the limited number of pools and/or state or other guidelines that may require pools to be closed. On HoustonChronicle.com: Cornyn, Cruz at odds over further immigration restrictions Township Director Bruce Rieser said opening of the pools has been complicated for several reasons, including the restrictions and closures ordered by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as well as a lack of the necessary number of lifeguards to staff all the pools in an appropriate manner. In addition to their duties watching swimmers, the lifeguards will now be required to do more intensive and regular COVID-19 novel coronavirus-related cleaning and disinfecting of the pools and equipment, something that requires more staff than normal. The township is taking a cautious approach to open as quickly and safely as possible while following the guidelines set down by the governor and the CDC, Rieser said. We are trying to get the pools open and everything back to normal. The issues around social distancing and other restrictions on group sizes not only affect the capacity of pools, but prevented us from doing (lifeguard) training. It is just going to take longer than normal. If we can only have limited openings, weve kind of concentrated on community pools. Wed like to have them all openwe have less than half the normal number of lifeguards. It is going to be an unusual season. jeff.forward@chron.com A helicopter lands aboard the flight deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin as it sails near the Paracel Islands on May 28, 2020. Updated at 7:18 p.m. ET on 2020-05-28 The U.S. Navy on Thursday sailed a guided missile destroyer close to the Paracel Islands, its latest freedom of navigation operation in the disputed South China Sea, drawing reaction from Beijing. The USS Mustin passed within 12 nautical miles of Woody Island and Pyramid Rock, which are both occupied by China, according to an unnamed U.S. Navy official cited by CNN. The operation took place at a delicate time in U.S.-China relations after Washington declared that Hong Kong no longer qualifies for special status under U.S. law, following Beijings move to impose national security legislation on Chinas freest city. The second freedom of navigation operation, or FONOP, the U.S. has conducted near the Paracels in a month, it follows weeks of elevated tensions in the South China Sea (SCS) as Beijing has moved to assert its sweeping territorial claims. Those efforts have U.S. criticism and diplomatic protests from other claimants in Southeast Asia. Lt. j.g. Rachel Maul, a spokesperson for the 7th Fleet, said in a statement to RFA that the USS Mustin asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law. The exercise was not aimed at only China but also Vietnam and Taiwan, which also claim the Paracels, she said. " Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedom of navigation and overflight and the right of innocent passage of all ships, the spokesperson said. The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, which is responsible for Chinas military conduct in the SCS, called the U.S. operation a naked act of hegemony and claimed to have sent aircraft and warships to monitor the USS Mustins passage. The statement said the Mustin passed through the territorial waters of Chinas claimed features in the Paracels. Territorial waters typically refers to the 12 nautical-mile limit around an island or coast. DESRON 15, the Destroyer Squadron that the USS Mustin belongs to, released two photos of its transit through the Paracels with an accompanying caption, stating the USS Mustin is underway conducting operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. DESRON 15 describes itself as U.S. 7th Fleets principal surface force, the 7th Fleet being the U.S. Navy force based at Yokosuka, Japan. The FONOP follows a bilateral exercise between the U.S. and Singaporean navies on Sunday and Monday, also in the SCS. The USS Gabrielle Giffords joined the RSS Steadfast for the first-ever drill involving a U.S. littoral combat ship alongside the Singaporean navy. The USS Gabrielle Giffords is based at Singapores Changi Naval Base. In mid-April it patrolled the South China Sea near the site of a Chinese pressure campaign against a Malaysian-contracted drillship in Malaysian waters. That stand-off has since ended. Meeting our partners at sea gives our navies the opportunity to practice maritime proficiencies, and further strengthen the bond between both countries, said Capt. Ann McCann of the U.S. Navys DESRON 7 in a press release. Engaging with our network of partners in the region is essential to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. The last FONOP near the Paracels was on April 28. The maneuvers are meant to exercise the right to innocent passage even in disputed waters, and underline the U.S. position that Chinas sweeping maritime and territorial claims in the South China Sea are unlawful. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the area overlapping Chinas. On Tuesday, Philippine Defense Chief Delfin Lorenzana discussed the South China Sea with his counterpart in Japan, Defense Minister Taro Kono, the Philippine News Agency reported. That same day, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte spoke by phone with Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan, according to Vietnamese state media. Both leaders agreed to a peaceful resolution of the South China Sea issue and to continue the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Code of Conduct negotiations with China. The Centre for Peoples Empowerment and Rights Initiative (CPRI), an NGO has indicated that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has dire psychological impact on pregnant women, which could lead to a surge in maternal mortality in the country. It said the psychological impact stemmed from the fact that pregnant women and lactating mothers had their bodies already burdened with the pregnancies and breastfeeding, which had reduced their immune systems and made them susceptible to the COVID-19. Mr Dominic Wunigura, the Programmes Coordinator for the CPRI, said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa on Thursday. At the moment all attention of health structures is geared towards covid-19. Resources, publicity and personnel is now all on covid-19 or mostly on covid-19 which means that sensitisation on people coming for antenatal services, delivery service, people coming with their children for immunisation are also going to reduce, he explained. That, he said, had discouraged some pregnant women and lactating mothers from visiting the health facilities for Antenatal and Postnatal Care services due to the fear of contracting the virus. He indicated that interaction with some members of the public had shown that some pregnant women no longer go to the health facility for health care services due to the COVID-19, but rather resorted to self-medication. So the chances that their attention will be drawn away from seeking these services are very high, which means that they may not have the counseling that they needed, he added. Mr Wunigura noted that pregnancy related complications that could have been detected during the ANC period would not be detected, which he said posed a serious risk to the pregnant women. He added that children who needed immunisation would not also get access to those services, and that it may not have immediate impact but over time we are going to have these cases increased. Mr Wunigura said the education on the COVID-19 was done through the media such as the radio stations and television, which according to him did not benefit some hard to reach communities. He therefore advocated the need for special initiatives to help educate those hard to reach communities on the virus through involving traditional leaders such as chiefs and queen mothers as well as the Assembly Members in the sensitisation drive. Mr Wunigura also urged the government not to focus all attention on the fight against the COVID-19 to the neglect of other health service delivery such as maternal health care service. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Press authorities in Vietnam have shut down the digital version of a newspaper for running stories that contained untruthful information. Phu Nu (Women) Online, which is the online edition of Phu Nu TPHCM (Ho Chi Minh City Women) newspaper, will be suspended for one month and is required to pay a VND55 million (US$2,372) fine, according to a decision signed on Thursday by Nguyen Thanh Lam, director of the Authority of Press under the Ministry of Information and Communications. Phu Nu TPHCM is also required to make corrections and apologize as per regulations. The editor-in-chief, Le Huyen Ai My, was named in the decision as the person to represent the newspaper to abide by this decision. The newspaper had published a series of investigative stories in its print and online editions about Sun Group, a Vietnamese realty giant, in September and October 2019, according to the decision. The articles contained certain false information which brought about particularly adverse effects, the decision said. Phu Nu Online is inaccessible at the time of writing. Phu Nu TPHCM is the mouthpiece of the Ho Chi Minh City Womens Union. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Antarctic ice sheets retreated up to 50 metres a day at the end of the last Ice Age and this could happen again, causing global sea levels to rise, a study found. Cambridge University experts used patterns of wave-like ridges on the Antarctic seafloor to calculate how quickly the ice sheets melted around 12,000 years ago. These ridges were produced on the line where the ice sheet began to float, causing it to squeeze the sediment on the seafloor as it moved up and down with the tides. Assuming a 12 hour cycle between alternating high and low tides, the team were able to use the distance between the ridges to calculate the rate of ice retreat. The team used a remote-controlled submarine vehicle to take images of the seabed from around 197 feet (60 metres) above the ocean floor. Scroll down for video The Antarctic ice sheets retreated up to 50 metres a day at the end of the last Ice Age and this could happen again, causing global sea levels to rise, a study found 'By examining the past footprint of the ice sheet and looking at sets of ridges on the seafloor, we were able to obtain new evidence on maximum past ice retreat rates,' said paper author and Scott Polar Research Institute director Julian Dowdeswell. These, he added, were 'very much faster than those observed in even the most sensitive parts of Antarctica today.' In fact, the historic retreat rates got almost as much as ten times faster than the maximum rates at which the ice has been observed melting away in modern times reaching around 131164 feet (4050 metres) per day. This is equivalent to a retreat at a rate of more than 6.2 miles (10 kilometres) a year. Ice shelves the floating parts of ice sheets cover around three-quarters of the Antarctic coastline and help to buttress against the collapse of ice inland. In some parts of the continent, these supports have been weakening with the Larsen A and B ice shelves having notably undergone rapid collapse in 1998 and 2002, when around 1250 square miles of ice became fragmented. The shelves are being thinning out by both the presence of relatively warm water currents that are eating away at them from below and melting on their top surfaces caused by rising summer temperatures. As this occurs, the ice shelves become weaker and the glaciers behind them flow faster into the sea and their margins retreat. Cambridge University experts used patterns of wave-like ridges on the Antarctic seafloor to calculate how quickly the ice sheets melted around 12,000 years ago These ridges were produced on the line where the ice sheet began to float, causing it to squeeze the sediment on the seafloor as it moved up and down with the tides Assuming a 12 hour cycle between alternating high and low tides, the team were able to use the distance between the ridges to calculate the rate of ice retreat The team used a remote-controlled submarine vehicle, pictured, to take images of the seabed from around 197 feet (60 metres) above the ocean floor 'The deep marine environment is actually quite quiet offshore of Antarctica, allowing features such as these to be well-preserved through time on the seafloor,' explained Professor Dowdeswell. 'We now know that the ice is capable of retreating at speeds far higher than what we see today.' 'Should climate change continue to weaken the ice shelves in the coming decades, we could see similar rates of retreat with profound implications for global sea level rise.' The full findings of the study were published in the journal Science. The team used a remote-controlled submarine vehicle, pictured, to take images of the seabed from around 197 feet (60 metres) above the ocean floor The researchers found that historic retreat rates got almost as much as ten times faster than the maximum rates at which the ice has been observed melting away in modern times reaching around 131164 feet (4050 metres) per day. This is equivalent to a retreat at a rate of more than 6.2 miles (10 kilometres) a year Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian attends a news conference in Beijing, China April 8, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Twitter has labeled two tweets from Chinese government spokesman Lijan Zhao with a fact-check icon. Twitter applied the label to the tweets after being questioned by the New York Post over a potential double standard, following the company's decision to fact-check tweets from President Trump. Zhao's tweets are from mid-March, and in them he suggests the US army could have been responsible for bringing the coronavirus to Wuhan. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Twitter has slapped its fact-check icon on tweets from a spokesman for the Chinese government a day after it did the same thing to President Trump. Twitter added its "Get the facts about COVID-19" tag to tweets from Lijan Zhao, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry. The tweets are from mid-March, and in one Zhao suggests the US Army could have brought the coronavirus to Wuhan, the city at the epicenter of the outbreak. "It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation," Zhao wrote. Lijian Zhao (@zlj517) March 12, 2020 Clicking on the information badge takes you to a Reuters report on the World Health Organization saying the evidence suggests coronavirus originated in animals and not in a lab. Twitter added its fact-check tag after being alarted to Zhao's tweets by The New York Post, the Post reports. Zhao has a history of trolling the US and the Trump administration on Twitter. The change comes as Twitter appears to be more willing to fact check tweets even from political figures, something its major rival Facebook notably avoids. On Wednesday Twitter labeled two tweets from President Trump with the same fact-check badge. In the tweets Trump claimed that mail-in votes in the 2020 presidential election would be subject to voter fraud. Story continues The Post says it pressed Twitter about a possible double standard in labelling Trump's tweets but not Zhao's. Initially Twitter said it wouldn't add the tag, but later said it would following a "further review," per The Post. Twitter did not directly respond when asked by Business Insider if this timeline is accurate. "The Tweets in question contain potentially misleading content about COVID-19 and have been labeled to provide additional context to the public. These actions are in line with the approach we shared earlier this month," a Twitter spokeswoman said. Trump, enraged by Twitter's move, has subsequently threatened to shut down social media companies, and the White House said he is due to sign an executive order "pertaining to social media" later on Thursday. Read the original article on Business Insider The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia says the party will challenge the Electoral Commissions (EC) decision to compile a new voters register ahead of the December elections. He said the NDC will do all it can to prevent the EC from leading political parties and Ghanaians into a dangerous and confusing situation. That decision [by the EC] goes against the Constitution that actually established the Electoral Commission and so we are going to contest that one. This is the beginning, it is not the end at all, so dont let anybody be confused that when EC comes out to announce anything, even if it is unconstitutional, that settles the disagreement. The disagreement is just about to begin, he said on Eyewitness News on Wednesday. The Electoral Commission on Wednesday held a two-session IPAC meeting on the controversial issue of the compilation of a new voters register and a decision was taken that the exercise will commence next month. But Asiedu Nketia accused the EC of turning the forum of the Interparty Advisory Committee (IPAC) into one where it only informs election stakeholders of its decision rather than a forum that allows for dialogue and consensus. If IPAC has been changed into a forum where information is just released to us, then IPAC has lost its meaning and it will be a waste of time for anyone to be part of itThe Electoral Commission has taken a decision, not IPACThe decision was not presented for endorsement, he said. He indicated that the timelines announced by the EC are unworkable and lies in potential breach of the law. Filing of nominations according to the law should be happening in September and you need final voters register to be able to file nominations by September. So according to the timetable, the register will not be ready by September so they are walking us into a very dangerous and confusing situation and they are still proud about it, Asiedu Nketia stressed. Were fighting for Ghanaians He said the NDCs position must not be viewed as a party fighting for its own interest but for the benefit of all Ghanaians. According to Asiedu Nketiah, the NDC is poised to educate the public on the implications of the ECs planned action and how they could be disenfranchised. Whatever action we will take, you will hear about it. It is not about NDC per se We consider it a part of our duty to intensify public education to let the public know the impact of what Electoral Commission (EC) wants to do to them and I believe that if they [Ghanaians] all become aware of what the EC is doing, they will exercise their power to prevent the EC from disenfranchising them, he said. New voters register brouhaha The Electoral Commission's decision to compile a new voters' register has been met with mixed reactions from the political front. Whereas the NDC and some opposition parties are against the decision, the NPP and 12 other political parties have backed the move. Regardless of the resistance, the EC has decided to proceed with the exercise but subsequently, put it on hold following the outbreak of the Coronavirus. Although the exercise is currently on hold, the EC says it will observe the necessary safety protocols if the time comes for the registration exercise to commence. ---citinewsroom Newly qualified young doctors in Ireland who face an unprecedented intern year in Irish hospitals have a duty to look after their own health, according to the head of the body that registers and polices medics. The Medical Council President Dr Rita Doyle has written to each of the more than 1,000 medical interns to congratulate them as they embark in their medical careers, amid the challenges of COVID-19. The Council has also revealed that there has been big increase in the number of young doctors who have registered to do their intern year in Ireland. You will learn more this year than you will in any single year of your career ahead. Embrace it. Of course, this year is different for you as you will face something no intern year has ever faced before, she said. The letter stresses the importance of personal well-being and the requirement for each new doctor to have their own GP, in accordance with Guide to Professional Conduct & Ethics from the Medical Council. A sick doctor is a patient. And cannot be of benefit to their own patients you must remember your duty to protect your own health and contribute to the safety and wellbeing of other healthcare workers, added Dr Rita Doyle. Acknowledging the challenges of COVID-19 facing the health service and these new doctors, Dr Doyle encourages the class of 2020/21 to trust in their training, skills, trainers and one another. Recently appointed Interim CEO of the Medical Council, Philip Brady added: The Medical Council plays an important role in supporting doctors and protecting patients. Our new colleagues should be confident that the Council is here to support them throughout their careers. Our efforts to support Irelands response in tackling COVID-19 will be bolstered by the registration of 1,020 interns so far this month. This is a sizable increase on the 733 registered in 2019. A full copy of the letter is included below: Letter to Intern Year 2020/2021 from the President of the Medical Council Dear Colleague, I choose that word carefully, colleague, for you have completed your medical degree, am proud to call you a colleague. As President of the Medical Council I am honoured to welcome you to the profession. The Medical Councils role is to protect patients and to support doctors. The Council has been with you from the time you filled in your CAO form, applied to a graduate-entry programme or applied to an Irish Medical School to study medicine. The Council will continue to support you, throughout your career, right up to the day you retire. Last year I had the privilege of speaking to the incoming interns at the National Intern Gathering organised by the NDTP. For obvious reasons that is not possible. As a member of the incoming intern year you face many challenges and new experiences. This is a familiar and normal feeling for all newly qualified doctors. You will learn more this year than you will in any single year of your career ahead. Embrace it. Of course this year is different for you as you will face something no intern year has ever faced before. We, your colleagues, will be there to support you. I can still remember much of my Intern Year. I remember the SHOs and Registrars who taught, encouraged and supported me. I remember the fun of being part of a team. I remember the pain in my feet, not being used to standing all day, but most of all I remember the patients who were patient and tolerant of me. I still remember some of their names. I also remember, with great discomfort attending the post-mortem of a patient with whom I had spoken the previous day. I found it chilling and haunting and I would have been too shy to share it with anyone. Now I know that these events must be shared in order to make sense of them and there is no shame in being frightened or upset. There are a number of things I wish to say to you as you begin the start of your career in medicine. Once you receive your intern place make sure you have a GP. As a doctor you have an ethical duty to care for yourself. A sick doctor is a patient. And cannot be of benefit to their own patients. You should be provided with a list of GPs in your area when you begin and you can also visit the Irish College of General Practitioners website to view GPs in your area. While you and your colleagues will be providing high levels of medical care during this pandemic, you must remember your duty to protect your own health and contribute to the safety and wellbeing of other healthcare workers. Registered medical practitioners of all levels of training and experience are called upon to do their utmost in giving compassionate care to patients, and wholehearted support to each other. Please remember that amidst the heavy workload, longer hours, additional pressure and stress, please take the time to care for yourself. Take breaks, eat regularly, and get rest. One of the greatest tools in a doctors medical bag is strong communications skills. Being a good communicator will help you to treat your patients, to inform family members in a clear way with compassion and to support your colleagues, especially your fellow interns. At various points this year you will face some very tough days. You will also have days filled with joy. This is true for your fellow interns too. Take the time to check in on one another. Be there for one another. You will never now how much it means to be offered a cup of tea from a colleague at a time you need it until you are offered. Medicine is the caring profession and that extends beyond your patients. You must care for each other. Some of your fellow interns will become your best friends who will stay with you for life. Care for one another. Support each other. Compassion and empathy: Human beings feel- so doctors must feel also. Patients need to feel heard. At the end of the day people wont remember exactly what you said or did but they will remember how you made them feel. Always introduce yourself when you meet a patient or family members. Curiosity is a very important trait in a doctor. By this I mean why must always be on the front of our radar. Why did that patient get this disease now. What caused that? Scepticism is a necessary part of our armamentarium, particularly with regard to evaluating research. It is not common enough amongst medics. Strong work ethic: You will work hard, no two ways about that but there needs to be a good work-life balance. Humility: Capacity of having a modest view of ones own performance, one that is important throughout your career. Knowledge: You will never know as much about medicine as you do now. Final med standard is generalist. You will probably go on to specialisation and become a master in your own field. Confidence: After a while you should develop a quiet confident way about you. Arrogance or cockiness has no place in medicine. Professionalism: The doctor patient relationship is a privileged one, one that depends on the patients trust in the doctors professional conduct. Professionalism is at the core of the doctor patient relationship and is fundamental for patient safety and the delivery of high-quality healthcare. You have been educated and trained in some of the worlds best medical schools. As you embark on the next phase of your education, as it is only the next phase as the study of medicine is life long, trust in your training, trust in your skills, trust in your trainers and most importantly trust one another. You are joining a noble profession. A caring profession. To quote Hippocrates "Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity. Finally, I know that despite the excitement of beginning your career you may have some fear and concerns in relation to the current situation with COVID-19. This is a challenging time for us all, but one we will get through together. To quote the poet Seamus Heaney If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere. Once again, welcome to the profession. I am proud to call you my colleague. Kind regards, Dr Rita Doyle President of the Medical Council Alberta has cut oil production by 1 million bpd so far, the provinces Energy Minister, Sonya Savage, has told OPEC, according to Reuters. The Minister stated there is currently no point in announcing additional output adjustments, as production has come down on its own, OPEC said, noting that Additionally, the province already had mandated adjustments in place prior to COVID-19 due to a lack of pipeline capacity and inability to move the oil out of the producing region. Indeed, Alberta has been a step ahead of other producers when it came to cutting production, although not by design. Pipeline constraints had already forced Canadian crude prices low enough for many producers to struggle to survive, and the fallout of the oil price war and the coronavirus pandemic only sped up the inevitable: forced production cuts on top of government-instituted ones. Albertas oil sector was one of the first and hardest hit by the crisis, with doubts emerging at one point about whether the oil sands industry would even survive this crisis. The industry itself is pessimistic. A recent Business Outlook Survey from the Bank of Canada found that the industry was more pessimistic about its outlook than it was in either 2008, during the Great Recession, or even 2014 when oil price last fell in the $20s and below. Now, however, as prices begin to improve, some Canadian producers are starting to reverse production cuts, according to the Canadian Press. The production restart is tentative, however, and companies are ready to reverse it again if prices move in an unfavourable direction. For now, this seems unlikely, according to some analysts. As long as nobody cheats on their [production] cuts and we continue to see states opening up, provinces in Canada opening up, other jurisdictions around the world opening up, its more tailwind to the price, Phil Skolnick from Eight Capital told the Canadian Press. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: 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. An early morning fire tore through an apartment building in Garfield displacing multiple families. Police received a call around 1:30 a.m. of a fire at a three-story building on the corner of Jewell Street and Semel Avenue, police Capt. Richard Uram said in a statement. When police arrived, they found the building already consumed by flames, the statement said. The New Jersey chapter of the American Red Cross said was assisting 10 people from five families with clothing and shelter due to damage from the blaze. Officers managed to force their way into the building and evacuate all the residents. Residents of the neighboring building were also evacuated. Garfield firefighters, along with mutual aid from Rochelle Park, Saddle Brook and Lodi fire departments, battled the blaze and ultimately extinguished it. Two police officers were treated for smoke inhalation and one man was taken to the hospital. It was not immediately clear what injuries, if any, the man had and if he was a resident or first responder. The fire is still under investigation and a cause has not yet been released Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Beijing, May 28 : Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei on Thursday protested against the decision of a Canadian court on the company's CFO Meng Wangzhou, which has declined to invalidate a request from the US for her extradition. Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, is being sought by Washington on charges that she committed bank fraud and violated US sanctions on Iran by misleading banks about the business her company allegedly conducted in that country through a subsidiary called Skycom, reports Efe news. Attorneys for Meng argued that because Canada is not a party to the US sanctions, the charges against her do not constitute a crime under Canadian law. But in the ruling issued on Wednesday, Heather Holmes, associate chief justice of the provincial Supreme Court in British Columbia, said that Meng's interpretation of "the double criminality analysis would seriously limit Canada's ability to fulfil its international obligations in the extradition context for fraud and other economic crimes". In response to the development, Huawei said in a statement on Thursday: "We have repeatedly expressed confidence in Ms Meng's innocence. Huawei continues to stand withMeng in her pursuit for justice and freedom. "We hope that Canada's judicial system will eventually prove Meng's innocence. Her lawyers will continue to work tirelessly to see that justice is done." The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa also released a statement expressing China's "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to the court's decision and said it has made "serious representations with Canada". "The US and Canada, by abusing their bilateral extradition treaty and arbitrarily taking forceful measures against Meng Wanzhou, gravely violated the lawful rights and interests of the said Chinese citizen. "The purpose of the US is to bring down Huawei and other Chinese high-tech companies, and Canada has been acting in the process as an accomplice of the S," it added The Embassy described the decision to go ahead with Meng's extradition process as a "grave political incident" and called for her immediate release and safe return to China. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that the country's justice system is independent and that the government cannot intervene in court decisions. Meng was arrested by Canada at the request of the US on December 1, 2018, in Vancouver, where she was making a stopover on a trip from Hong Kong to Mexico City. In an indictment unsealed in January 2019, the US Department of Justice said the charges against Huawei and Meng "relate to a long-running scheme by Huawei, its CFO, and other employees to deceive numerous global financial institutions and the US government regarding Huawei's business activities in Iran". Meng was released on bail 10 days after her arrest and now resides with her family in one of two mansions she owns in Vancouver. She is required to wear a GPS ankle bracelet and pay for her own 24/7 surveillance. After Meng's arrest, China froze diplomatic and trade relations with Canada and accused Ottawa of violating the human rights of one of its citizens. Beijing also detained two Canadian citizens - former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor - and continues to hold them on charges of endangering China's national security. Bengaluru, May 28 : Nineteen people, mostly labourers, who were stuck in Lakshadweep islands due to the lockdown, have returned to Mangaluru in a ship, an official said on Thursday. "Nineteen people arrived in Mangaluru from Lakshadweep islands. They all have been screened for Covid-19," Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B. Rupesh told IANS. All the 19 returnees have been stamped and sent to home quarantine. "Because they have not shown any symptom, the risk is low," Rupesh said. According to Rupesh, many people working near the port keep going to Lakshadweep and this time they got caught up in the islands because of the lockdown. "Many of the returnees are labourers and construction workers. Between Mangaluru and Lakshadweep, vessels crisscross regularly in normal times," a Mangaluru Old Port official told IANS. He said the labourers worked in government construction projects in the Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea. Both the governments of Karnataka and Lakshwadeep coordinated for the return of the workers. Except one employee, all the other 18 are labourers. They returned from islands such as Kavaratti, the capital of Lakshwadeep, Agatti and Kilttan in the vessel Amindivi. Lakshwadeep is 365 km southwest of Mangaluru off shore. Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Submit The National Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, says the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) consistent attacks on the Electoral Commission (EC) are needless and misguided. The attacks on the EC is absolutely needless and an attempt to subject the EC to the direction or control of any person or authority is unconstitutional and totally misguided, he said in a statement issued today, Thursday, May 28, 2020. The opposition NDC has taken on the EC in recent times over the electoral management bodys decision to compile a new voters register ahead of the December 7, 2020, general elections. Although the EC insists that it wants to ensure that the register used for the 2020 polls is transparent and credible, the NDC believes such exercise is only a waste of resources. The NDC have boycotted two separate IPAC meetings organised by the EC to have issues with the voters register ironed out. The opposition NDC is also unhappy with the ECs decision to restrict identification documents for capturing voters onto the yet to be compiled new register to Ghana card and passport and have vowed to use appropriate forums to have the issue addressed. But Mr. Freddie Blay in his statement accused the NDC of shifting the goalpost. The opposition's attempt to keep shifting the opposing goalpost from the cost of procuring a new voter register to the cost of lives for going through a progressive electoral process, clearly demonstrates their inconsistencies and hypocrisy. Those vehemently opposing to the compilation of a new voters' register, weaving their arguments around the potential exponential COVID deaths and infections are in pursuit of their parochial and self-serving interests, he stated. Find Freddie Blays statement below Ignore the provocation and empty threats of the NDC Discussions on the Electoral Commission's planned compilation of a new voter register began since the last quarter of 2019. The NPP has clearly stated its position on this subject, hence our reluctance to dignify and engage in debate on the subject anymore. The opposition NDC has embarked on a relay race with this unproductive debate, passing the baton from its Presidential Candidate, to its National Chairman, General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary, Director of Elections and numerous communicators on FM stations and social media. We obviously cannot as a people continue wasting precious time on staged debates by the opposition about whether or not the Electoral Commission should go ahead with the compilation of an advanced biometric voters' register. The EC in is its wisdom and justifiably so, has made its decision. The attacks on the EC is absolutely needless and an attempt to subject the EC to the direction or control of any person or authority is unconstitutional and totally misguided. The 1992 Constitution clearly states out the functions of the Electoral Commission which includes compiling the register of voters and revise same at such periods as may be determined by law; and to undertake programs for the expansion of the registration of voters. Thankfully, our electoral system has since 1992 progressed steadily, despite the many different peculiar challenges faced. From the period when we used opaque ballot boxes through to the most recent 2016 biometric register, there has always been debates about our electoral system, sometimes resulting in boycotts and the activation of our judicial processes. Notwithstanding, we have over time built a progressive, strong and enviable democracy on the African continent. I call on the good people of Ghana to continue cherishing and protecting what we have taken close to three decades to build, becoming a beacon of democracy in the African Region. The opposition's attempt to keep shifting the opposing goalpost from the cost of procuring a new voter register to the cost of lives for going through a progressive electoral process, clearly demonstrates their inconsistencies and hypocrisy. Those vehemently opposing to the compilation of a new voters' register, weaving their arguments around the potential exponential COVID deaths and infections are in pursuit of their parochial and self-serving interests. They seem to forget that the December 7 elections would not be any different, because Ghanaians would be expected to queue in lines to cast their votes and also witness the votes counted and recorded as prescribed in the 1992 constitution. Therefore, the CSO Alliance and Inter-Party Resistance Against the New Voters Register should spare Ghanaians the provocative and empty threats of chaos, confusion, bloodshed, and death in the name of protecting the constitution. In any case, all Ghanaians must strive to protect the constitution of Ghana, though I doubt the credentials of the NDC in doing so, especially when they tout themselves as owning the monopoly of violence. However, the plant of democracy is watered with the blood of martyrs, so if any of them so desire to be one of such as a result of our progressive democracy, so be it! The NPP is confident that irrespective of the protocols and restrictions brought about by COVID 19, the nation would always rise to the occasion of protecting and exercising constitutional rights, including going through a new electoral process. The challenges of COVID 19 offers us a great opportunity to work together on our attitudes towards collectively building a disciplined and prosperous nation. If we all recognize as a people that in one way or the other there are potentials for an exponential spread of COVID 19 when we undertake our constitutional mandate of voting or registering for voter identification, then we must begin to prepare now for the containment of a potential explosion in 6 months. The earlier we as Ghanaians think about developing a registration and voting system that should be better perfected by December 7 through the EC's advanced biometric voters' registration process, the better for our constitutional democratic development. Political parties and civil society groups can begin to have discussions on what a safe voter registration center should look like with standardized hygienic conditions, self-protective gears, and queuing lines arrangements that conform to the social distancing protocols. There are lessons we can learn from how the banking sector uses technology to allocate tally numbers and apply a similar improved mechanism that can inform our planning of ensuring human safety at polling stations. A 90 days' continuous registration across the 16 regions of the country can be enough time to register 18 million eligible voters at a maximum of 60 persons registering each day per polling station. The new biometric voters' registration process offers a unique opportunity to the EC to practically and quickly begin to mainstream the COVID 19 protocols into how they will conduct Ghana's electoral processes up until the December 2020 general election. The efforts by Nay Sayers and warmongers just like Major Boakye-Djan, Asiedu Nketia and Elvis Ankrah to suppress the citizenry with fear are to say the least, wicked, opportunistic and unfortunate. They appear to have embarked on a very long sleep similar to that of Rip Van Winkle and have missed out on Ghana's progress since the revolutionary days. There is absolutely no need to give value to the currency of their arguments that Ghana cannot compile a new register due to COVID 19, because it is as bad as an opinion that suggests we cannot hold an election this year, and for that matter it is sterile. Ghanaians can see how being in opposition for less than four years is already taking a frustrating toll on the psychological health of the opposition NDC leadership, triggering irresponsible utterances. I call on the media to also be measured and circumspect in how they give oxygen and dignity to such fruitless debates. Any responsible political party leadership would at this point in time be cooperating with the institutions of state-mandated to supervise and manage general election in Ghana, making constructive criticisms that would keep such institutions focused on delivering a credible and safe election. The Nana Addo NPP-led Government remains committed to protecting lives, providing the funding and necessary support including maintaining law and order that should enable the EC to prepare towards conducting fair and transparent elections come December 2020. I, therefore, urge Ghanaians to continue rallying behind the President, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and his government who have demonstrated courageous and decisive leadership over the period, particularly in these times of war against our common enemy COVID 19. Signed: Hon. Freddie Blay National Chairman, NPP citinewsroom Goodvalley generated strong results in Q1 2020 and improved revenue and earnings driven by volume growth and higher average live pig prices while further strengthening the Group's food brand and sales of branded premium products in Poland. While the global outbreak of COVID-19 had no significant impact on operations or sales in the quarter, it reduces visibility and entails increased uncertainty. "We grew profitably as we delivered high production efficiency and increased sales across our markets at a higher average price." says CEO Hans Henrik Pedersen. Q1 2020 Group revenue increased by 24% to DKK 399 million (Q1 2019: DKK 322 million), and Goodvalley's Adjusted EBITDA grew to DKK 131 million (Q1 2019: DKK 37 million), corresponding to an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 32.5% (Q1 2019: 11.5%). The strong performance was driven by higher live pig prices, solid volume growth and good production efficiency. The Polish business grew revenue to DKK 255 million (Q1 2019: DKK 212 million) and improved Adjusted EBITDA significantly to DKK 72 million (Q1 2019: DKK 7 million) based on higher pig price and live pig volumes as well as improved performance in the food division. In Ukraine, Goodvalley increased revenue to DKK 108 million (Q1 2019: DKK 74 million) and lifted Adjusted EBITDA significantly to DKK 45 million (Q1 2019: DKK 16 million) on the back of higher volumes and an improved price level as well as record-high production efficiency in the quarter. Revenue in the Russian business was stable at DKK 36 million (Q1 2019: DKK 35 million) as volume growth compensated the impact of a lower live pig price, which contributed to a decrease in Adjusted EBITDA to DKK 8 million (Q1 2019: DKK 10 million) alongside a negative currency impact following the outbreak of COVID-19. Outlook Goodvalley maintains the outlook for 2020 and expects revenue of DKK 1,600 - 1,750 million and an Adjusted EBITDA of DKK 320-380 million. The outlook is based on strong year-to-date performance coupled with increased uncertainty mainly related to COVID-19. Conference call On 29 May 2020 at 08.30 (CET), Goodvalley will host a conference call at which CEO Hans Henrik Pedersen and Vice CEO Kristian Brokop Jakobsen will provide comments on financial and operational performance in Q1 2020, the outlook and answer questions. Registration is not required. The conference call will be conducted in English and can be followed live here: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/9p6ecubs Participants should dial the numbers provided below and state conference code 1089541 Denmark: +45 32 72 80 42 Norway: +47 239 60264 Poland: +48 222 120 152 Sweden: +46 (0)850 692180 United Kingdom: +44 (0)844 571 8892 Further information Group CFO, Jakob Brasted + 45 76 52 20 00 info@goodvalley.com GOODVALLEY AT A GLANCE Goodvalley is an international producer of high-quality pork products operating in Poland, Ukraine and Russia based on Danish production standards. The company is to a large extent self-sufficient and masters the whole production chain from field to fork, from growing crops for feed, breeding and slaughtering pigs including using the manure in biogas facilities to produce electricity and organic fertilizer for the fields. Goodvalley is certified as a carbon neutral company by German TUV and operates according to the highest standards in terms of animal welfare, transparency in the production and sustainable production methods. Attachment SAN JOSE, Calif., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) is thrilled to recognize three recipients of the inaugural Legal Innovation in Operations Project ("The LIO Project''). This prestigious recognition program was designed to honor those law firms seeking to achieve innovation and design excellence in legal operations, thereby contributing to the continuing evolution of the global corporate legal ecosystem. The LIO Project is focused on how law firms are changing their practice group service and business models to better address client needs from an operational (rather than substantive) perspective. It is about analyzing, designing and improving the client experience and business performance of a company through the lens of its corporate legal function and their internal business customers. And, it is about demonstrating the role and value the legal function can play when it focuses on business outcomes rather than solely legal outcomes. The LIO Project's purpose is to honor those law firms that are developing innovation and design excellence through interaction with in-house legal operations teams. To assess the law firm entries, CLOC utilized a scorecard to stack rank those entries based on several criteria, including: Applicability of the solution to meet client needs and addresses a specific articulated issue or pain point. Relevance of the problem across a relatively large market of users/clients. How thoroughly the solution was stress tested. Feasibility that the solution can be easily built, replicated or acquired by others. Whether the solution was delivered within one of the CLOC CORE 12 functional areas. Inclusiveness of the solution in addressing the needs of both business of law personnel and legal practitioners. Identification and application of specific metrics and measurements. Team and individual development of new learnings and insights gained from their efforts. We were extremely pleased to receive a number of exciting law firm submissions and appreciate each of the firms that made the effort to participate in our inaugural LIO Project. Your enthusiasm and creativity is inspiring and we look forward to your continued engagement with the CLOC community. Without further ado, we are excited to announce the three law firms who are being recognized as "2020 LIO Leaders" within the CLOC community. Husch Blackwell: In becoming the National Coordinating Counsel charged with leading a large asbestos litigation portfolio the firm was asked by its client to craft an entirely new and creative approach. This team developed a unique service model including new compensation and incentives for the firm lawyers which fed partly into a unique AFA structure. Beyond this, the actual client experience was explored, contemplated, and stress-tested early on to ensure that the firm was meeting not just the client's business objectives but was also accounting for their human strengths and weaknesses needs and key jobs. In the first 10 months, this model reduced active docketed matters by 30% and lowered legal spend by over 30% all while balancing the business objectives of and aligning firm incentives with the client and maintaining high quality work. Kelley Drye: In reimagining how to reconcile and manage bankruptcy claims for one of its clients, a team at this firm created and launched a tailor made digital interface. The primary focus was to allow their client to "reclaim" significant amounts of time while also improving the accessibility and accuracy of key information. While this solution relies heavily on technology, the team employed various methods and approaches from design thinking in order to capture the real user problem and ultimate user experience of the tool and process. KO Law Firm: Designed an entirely new legal business model within the contracts management arena that is proving highly beneficial to clients with limited in-house and/or contract management capabilities. By applying a new and creative lens to the traditional people, process, and technology triad, this team experimented to find the appropriate business model through which it could generate value for its clients and itself. In doing so, they didn't just focus on how legal services are delivered; they also engineered a unique operating model that ensures scale and sustainability for this new model. Congratulations to the CLOC LIO Project recipients! And, thank you to all the Law Firms who submitted their entries for this year's LIO Project and to all the law firms who are bringing innovation and excellence to their legal operations counterparts. Look for a video showing the solutions on cloc.org soon. About Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium is a global community of experts focused on redefining the business of law. By helping legal operations professionals collaborate with each other and with other industry players, including law firms, technology providers, and law schools, CLOC seeks to improve the delivery of legal services. CLOC is a 501(c)6 non-profit professional association. SOURCE CLOC Related Links www.cloc.org Ian Paisley said comments made about the Stormont Executive which were emailed to more than 300 people, were made in a "jocular manner" and meant for a friend. As the track and trace scheme in England got off to a shaky start yesterday, it emerged that North Antrim MP had accidentally emailed hundreds of MPs saying he "wouldn't let any government, least of all the NI Execuitive [sic], track and trace me and my movements!" The email was seen by Sunday Times journalist Gabriel Pogrund, who shared the story on social media, adding that Mr Paisley said he was "responding in a 'jocular manner', and backs efforts to support health of the nation". Mr Paisley said in a second email: "Oops, was replying in a jocular manner to a friend and obviously sent you all an email by mistake. "Of course I support measures to protect the health of the nation by our government and NI Executive. "Hope you saw the funny side of that. Ian." The email which sparked the exchange was from a member of the public who said the government should direct their focus towards contact tracing. "Please consider devolving responsibility to local health centres who can be trusted," it said. Contacted by the Belfast Telegraph on Thursday night, the MP was reluctant to comment further on the email. It is what it is, he said. Earlier First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster told a Stormont press conference that the Northern Ireland contact tracing scheme was the cornerstone of what we are doing to try to control the virus. She said she was very pleased that we are the first part of the UK to have contact tracing in place and I hope that everyone realises we're ahead in relation to that. The DUP has not responded to requests for comment. A local artist and onlookers wear masks on the boardwalk during the Memorial Day holiday weekend in Ocean City, Md., on May 23, 2020. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images) Worries Rise as Vacationers from Pandemic Hotspots Travel to Popular Areas There are 44 lakes in Fulton County in Upstate New York and the vacation season means more people from the tri-state area will travel to the region, bringing possible asymptomatic carriers of the CCP virusa concern that other vacation spots and beaches share as the country starts reopening. Many people own lake houses and vacation houses in our county and some of them live within an hour from here, somewhere in New York City, Connecticut, or New Jersey and so they pay taxes and have an absolute right to go up and enjoy their vacation, Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino told The Epoch Times. The governor has suggested and others have suggested, that when you come from the main area that you quarantine for 14 days. Now the concern I have is that most people come up to their summer places for three or four days [during the] weekend. And its not enough time to quarantine, added Giardino. Giardinos said he cant ask people not to come because they own the property and pay taxes and when they come to their summer or weekend homes, they go to the grocery stores, service stations, or small restaurants which have reopened. So people are getting pent up and want to get out so they may come early while their region is closed still, theyre not fully open. Theyll come up to ours which is starting to open now. Can I stop them as a sheriff? No. Would I try to stop them? No, he said. Vacation homes have been a persistent topic in the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus debate. A research study last month suggested that rural counties with vacation homes were seeing an increase in outbreaks. 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) During the early spread of the virus in rural America, counties with seasonal homes showed a faster spread of the virus than rural communities without them, Jessica Carson, a research assistant professor at the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire who conducted the study, told The Epoch Times in an email. This is consistent with anecdotal reports of hot spots in popular vacation locations as visitors, including some who are unknowingly infected, exit urban areas attempting to socially distance at second homes and seasonal rental properties, said Carson in a statement earlier. Carson studied 199 rural counties around the country where 25 percent of housing units belong to seasonal dwellers and found out that these communities had almost twice the number of cases per capita compared to those without them as of April 5. However, an update on April 29 read, case data through April 27, 2020, indicate that the gap between rural counties with higher and lower shares of seasonal housing has essentially closed. She later clarified to The Epoch Times that as the country reopens, this trend would most likely shift. With more people transitioning out into public again, caseload patterns are bound to shift again, but it is early to tell exactly what this will look like, she said. People walk along the shore at Jones Beach in Long Island, N.Y., on May 24, 2020. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images) Debate Around Beaches Beaches and lakes are becoming the first destinations as the country starts to reopen and desperate people start to emerge out of the lockdowntriggering political debates and new public health concerns. Social media videos of people in Ocean City, Maryland, crowded on the boardwalk without protective masks raised a lot of eyebrows. Intense public debate was raised after New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo let cities and counties decide whether to open their beaches or not, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio decided to keep city beaches closed. Thus when Long Island leaders decided to open their beaches, fears that New York City residents would travel to the opened beaches and spread the CCP virus there arose, causing some counties in Long Island like Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau to open their beaches to residents only. Again, only Suffolk residents will be permitted to visit Smith Point County Park and Cupsogue Beach County Park beginning this Saturday to kick off Memorial Day weekend, said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on May 20. Lifeguards walk along Jones Beach on Long Island, N.Y., on May 24, 2020. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images) Earlier, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran had criticized De Blasios decision to close the citys beaches until around mid-June. The Nassau legislature then started preparing a measure to ban New Yorkers from its beaches, Curran said on May 20. In the Hamptons, authorities enforced monitoring for capacity on the beaches around Memorial Day. However, the influx of people from New York City is only continuing to increase, according to a realtor who has seen inquiries increase four times during the lockdown. Joseph Kazickas of Rosehip Partners Real Estate told The Epoch Times that theres increased demand these days from New York City, which is still under lockdown, for summer homes in the Hamptons, and all of this activity started in March. Traditionally, March and April are what we call kind of garbage months because they generally dont run out at all. But this year, people started to rent in March or April in May, said Kazickas, adding that in April, people rented out May and June and now people are looking for whatever is left. So the market has been very, very active traffic to our website has quadrupled over last years levels, he said adding he gets between 15 to 20 inquiries every day. Just be Responsible Lake George in upstate New York had several measures in place to make sure safety measures remained everyones first priority during the Memorial Day celebrations. The week before Memorial Day, concerns in the town were raised after a large crowd without face masks was seen and State Sen. Betty Little criticized people for not maintaining social distancing rules, according to North Country Public Radio. We are continuing to spread the word that masks are mandatory in NY when social distancing isnt possible. This is crucial people follow this standard as asymptomatic people could spread the virus, Amanda May Metzger, the Marketing Manager of the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce, told The Epoch Times in an email. Metzger said the town saw about 40 percent of the crowds compared to a normal Memorial Day weekend after recently reopening in the first phase. However, for Susan Roy, an immigration attorney who lives and practices in New Jersey, the issue of asymptomatic carriers traveling to holiday spots is more personal. Roy has lost two family members, two close friends, many friends parents, and several clients to the pandemic and shes keeping away from the newly-opened crowded beaches and has no plan to visit one anytime soon. As New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy increased the maximum size of outdoor gatherings to 25 on May 22, Roy told The Epoch Times that the country cannot stay under lockdown for too long and people are going to move around for holidays and they should just be responsible. Youre just protecting everybody, your own family, other people, families, friends, as long as people are willing to be responsible, she said adding that the virus is real and severe. Giardino expressed similar sentiments and said visitors have to be mindful of the distance and cooperate. So every day I get complaints about employees in delis not wearing masks and customers not social distancing, he said, adding that visitors who often throng to delis, reopened restaurants, and gas stations should be considerate. The PM explained how the 'Nature Isle of the Caribbean' is attracting foreign investors to become citizens and contribute to the small country's feat to be "the world's first climate-resilient nation." Established in 1993, Dominica's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme allows carefully vetted investors and their families to obtain second citizenship in exchange for a financial contribution, starting at US$100,000. To date, Dominica stands as the best country for citizenship by investment , according to the CBI Index, published by the Financial Times' Professional Wealth Management magazine. After congratulating the PM on the exemplar handling of the pandemic, Allan Jacob, the Senior Editor of Khaleej Times, asked whether, "in the new normal", there would be greater interest in investing in Dominica, particularly via CBI. PM Skerrit credits Dominicans' discipline and the island's high-quality healthcare for the success. Moreover, foreign investors and external partners trust Dominica because of its transparent processes in using CBI funds. "Our suppression of COVID-19 cases really has shown the committed spirit of the people of Dominica," PM Skerrit commented. "But it also demonstrates the robustness and effectiveness of our health system [] Normally, in circumstances after natural disasters like Hurricane Maria, you would have had associated health issues, whether it is water-bourne diseases or other forms of diseases. We never saw this in Dominica because of the effectiveness and robustness of our health system," he explains. Dominica braved through two natural disasters in the space of two years: Storm Erika in 2015 and Hurricane Maria in 2017. Ever since, the small nation embarked on an admirable journey towards climate resilience. It uses funds from the CBI Programme to sponsor many transformative projects that prepare the island to withstand future weather challenges. "We launched our Housing Revolution in 2015 following a tropical storm [] and also subsequent to that, in 2017, the hurricane [Maria]," says PM Skerrit. "We made a commitment to our citizens that, if we were to be visited by a similar storm, we will be in a better position to withstand the ravages of these natural disasters [] We in small countries do not contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases but we are the major victims of the effects of climate change. And so, we made a commitment to build some 5,000 resilient, hurricane-proof homes." With the project swiftly underway and thousands of Dominicans already living in new homes, PM Skerrit said more families are due to receive safe accommodation before the hurricane season starts. "We'll be handing over keys to 225 of those homes to deserving families across the length and breadth of the country." Since the Housing Revolution is fully funded by CBI, the Prime Minister thinks that new economic citizens can take pride in directly changing lives of their fellow citizens. "I believe it is a sense of commitment and a sense of contribution from our investors who have invested in the construction and the financing of those homes," the PM noted. On why Dominica maintains an impeccable reputation, Premier Skerrit explains that the country strongly believes in transparency and accountability. "We have a very transparent way of spending our CBI funds," says the PM. "Our CBI funds are reported to the Parliament [] If you go to the Parliament and look at the budgetary estimates, you will see where we clearly indicate how these funds are being spent." Moreover, Dominica modelled its CBI Programme so that it has a long-term, sustainable impact on the economy, standard of living, workforce skillsets and prospects. "We have decided to use the CBI funds in a sustainable way," says the Prime Minister. "We avoid using it for recurrent expenditure. We use it mainly for public sector investment programmes, the building of schools, [] hospitals, health centres, roads, bridges, the education of our human resources, our children, our youth." Typically modest, the PM echoed what many investor immigration experts have repeatedly voiced over the past year: that Dominica is the 'poster child' for CBI transparency. "Without boasting, we can be a template for many countries with CBI programmes as to how best to utilise those funds to create jobs, to grow the economy, to reduce poverty, and to create a sustainable path for development in our country," says Mr Skerrit. Allan Jacob commented that this is "one of the reasons why you consistently top the CBI ratings." On balancing development and sustainability, the PM said that Dominica is "at the forefront of climate change" and so the island is focused on implementing its green agenda, again putting the money from foreign investors-turned-citizens to good use. "Climate change is real, and we have lived the impact and implications of climate change," the Prime Minister stated. Dominica seeks to "invest in sustainable projects that could help us withstand the effects of climate change," PM Skerrit says. "We're moving more towards renewable energy and, in the next few years, we will be able to produce about 85% of our energy through renewable means. We have this major geothermal project which, in large measure, will be financed with CBI funds. We will be able to supply most of our energy [needs] from geothermal [sources]," the Prime Minister explains. "Critically, we will be able to export the excess energy to the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, thereby [] eliminating the use of fossil fuel in our country." Dominica's sustainability policies also address lowering pollution and reliance on plastic. "The other thing we will be moving very speedily to is using more renewable materials. For example, we were able to supply our citizens [with] over 100,000 renewable shopping bags, moving away from the use of plastic bags," states PM Skerrit referring to the "Go Green Dominica" initiative. "We have banned Styrofoam material in our country," he continues. "In the next month or two we will be banning the use of single-use plastic bags in an effort to maintain our sustainable development agenda and also [for] the protection of the environment and, in so doing, putting us in a better position to deal with the effects of climate change." Between 2013 and 2019, Dominica spent US$216 million from CBI reserves on economic transition and recovery efforts. This is detailed in a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) stating that CBI "generated tangible impacts on almost every aspect of life in Dominica." In conclusion, Abhinav Mishra congratulated the Dominican officials and government-mandated firm CS Global Partners, saying that "with PwC confirming Dominica's superb standing and Dominica consistently gaining the number one ranking by the PWM/FT CBI ranking, the journey has been amazing and very-very well-managed." Visit www.cbiu.gov.dm to find out how you can become an economic citizen of Dominica and support its journey towards climate resilience. CONTACT: [email protected], www.csglobalpartners.com SOURCE CS Global Partners Related Links http://www.csglobalpartners.com/ These new sites will utilize self-swab tests and deliver on the company's commitment to establish 1,000 locations across the country by the end of May, as originally announced on April 27 . These new test sites will help enable the company's goal of processing up to 1.5 million tests per month, subject to availability of supplies and lab capacity. "CVS Health has been at the forefront of helping our nation scale-up COVID-19 testing capabilities, and we're proud to meet our goal of establishing 1,000 testing sites in communities across the country," said Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO, CVS Health. "Opening access to testing to more locations using our drive-thru window represents an important milestone in our response to the pandemic. We remain grateful for the daily efforts and sacrifices of our front-line colleagues who make the continued expansion of our testing possible." More than half of the company's 1,000 test sites will serve communities with the greatest need for support, as measured by the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index. The index tracks a variety of census variables including poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded housing that may weaken a community's ability to prepare for and recover from hazardous events like natural disasters and disease outbreaks. Self-swab tests will be available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, in addition to state and age guidelines. Patients must register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday, May 29 to schedule an appointment. Patients will be required to stay in their cars and will be directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions, and a CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly. Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and the results will be available in approximately three days. Testing will not take place inside any retail locations, and CVS Pharmacy, HealthHUB and MinuteClinic will continue to serve customers and patients. The additional new testing sites in Illinois include: CVS Pharmacy, 2422 College Avenue, Alton, IL 62002 62002 CVS Pharmacy, 1910 Montgomery Road, Aurora, IL 60504 60504 CVS Pharmacy, 8911 Ogden Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513 60513 CVS Pharmacy, 2815 North Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60618 60618 CVS Pharmacy, 1930 West 103rd Street, Chicago, IL 60643 60643 CVS Pharmacy, 3156 West 103rd Street, Chicago, IL 60655 60655 CVS Pharmacy, 11055 S. Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60643 60643 CVS Pharmacy, 570 North Fairview Avenue, Decatur, IL 62522 62522 CVS Pharmacy, 6210 Main Street, Downers Grove, IL 60516 60516 CVS Pharmacy, 3200 Flossmoor Road, Flossmoor, IL 60422 60422 CVS Pharmacy, 2000 Skokie Valley Road, Highland Park, IL 60035 60035 CVS Pharmacy, 2375 Drauden Road, Joliet, IL 60434 60434 CVS Pharmacy, 8001 North 2nd Street, Machesney Park, IL 61115 61115 CVS Pharmacy, 14701 S Pulaski Road, Midlothian, IL 60445 60445 CVS Pharmacy, 7139 North Milwaukee Avenue, Niles, IL 60714 60714 CVS Pharmacy, 3400 Lincoln Highway, Olympia Fields, IL 60461 60461 CVS Pharmacy, 250 W. 144th Street, Riverdale, IL 60827 60827 CVS Pharmacy, 2617 18th Avenue, Rock Island, IL 61201 61201 CVS Pharmacy, 1111 North Dunlap Street, Savoy, IL 61874 61874 CVS Pharmacy, 3434 Dempster Street, Skokie, IL 60076 60076 CVS Pharmacy, 1801 North Illinois Street, Swansea, IL 62226 62226 CVS Pharmacy, 16701 South Harlem Avenue, Tinley Park, IL 60467 60467 CVS Pharmacy, 3001 West Washington Street, Waukegan, IL 60085 60085 CVS Pharmacy, 1515 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, IL 60091 A complete list of CVS Pharmacy drive-thru test sites can be found here. More information on steps CVS Health has taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including support for health care providers and clinicians facing financial and administrative strain, is available at the company's frequently updated COVID-19 resource center . For downloadable COVID-19 testing media assets, including photos, video and interviews with CVS Health executives, please visit the Media Resource Center. About CVS Health CVS Health employees are united around a common goal of becoming the most consumer-centric health company in the world. We're evolving based on changing consumer needs and meeting people where they are, whether that's in the community at one of our nearly 10,000 local touchpoints, in the home, or in the palm of their hand. Our newest offerings from HealthHUB locations that are redefining what a pharmacy can be, to innovative programs that help manage chronic conditions are designed to create a higher-quality, simpler and more affordable experience. Learn more about how we're transforming health at https://www.cvshealth.com. Media Contact Charlie Rice-Minoso, (773) 610-7100 [email protected] SOURCE CVS Health Related Links http://www.cvshealth.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Beijing, China Thu, May 28, 2020 14:45 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bdaac5cb 2 World China,Hong-Kong,democracy,US,Mike-Pompeo Free China's rubber-stamp parliament endorsed plans Thursday to impose a national security law on Hong Kong that critics say will destroy the city's autonomy. The National People's Congress (NPC) of over 2,800 delegates voted in favour of the proposal to draft the law, which would punish secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and acts that endanger national security. The United States has revoked Hong Kong's special status under US law, opening the way for the city to be stripped of trading privileges, as Washington accused China of trampling on the territory's autonomy. Under legislation passed last year to support Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters, the US administration must certify that the city still enjoys the freedoms promised by Beijing when it negotiated with Britain to take back the colony. "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground," said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, adding the trade hub "does not continue to warrant" its special status. The determination means that Hong Kong could lose trading privileges -- including lower tariffs than the mainland -- with the world's largest economy. President Donald Trump will ultimately decide which actions to take, said David Stilwell, the top State Department official for East Asia. "The steps will be considered and they will be as targeted as possible to change behavior," Stilwell told reporters, while acknowledging it was unlikely Beijing would change course. NEW DELHI: Two projects developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT - Delhi) to combat the coronavirus infection have received financial support from Microsoft India. The two IIT Delhi projects are the PCR-based COVID-19 detection assay and ELISA based diagnostic serological assay against COVID-19. The IIT-Delhi is continuing research to tackle the COVID-19 situation with a focus on the early detection of the disease. And, in this endeavour, Microsoft India has come forth to support two such projects of the institute. A press release from the IIT-Delhi said, ''One of them pertains to ICMR approved probe-free real-time PCR-based COVID-19 detection assay developed at the Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, IIT Delhi. This probe-free technology will be more affordable and easily scalable.'' ''The other project is a collaboration between IIT Delhi and National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, and aims to develop an ELISA based diagnostic serological assay against COVID-19. If successful, it will create an economical, commercial process for manufacturing the antigens used in ELISA and home-based diagnostic kits to offer an effective, quick, robust and affordable diagnostic solution to COVID-19 outbreak.'' Research is one of the most important aspects of COVID-19. The Principal Scientific Advisor's office is proud of IIT Delhi that it has successfully developed low-cost high quality testing solution using one-step RT-PCR assay and working on ELISA methodology. ''Microsoft India, known for its philanthropic founder and leadership, has supported the initiative both through financial support and global technical resources and infrastructure, said Dr Sapna Poti, part of COVID-19 Special Task Force at the Principal Scientific Advisor's office. Prof. V Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi expressed his pleasure and said, Microsoft India has time and again associated with IIT Delhi for the betterment of research, and this contribution to projects focused on COVID-19 detection research shall help the nation combat these difficult times. Timely detection can prove to be the key to curb the spread of the virus, and I am glad our institute is devising means to achieve it. Rohini Srivathsa, National Technology Officer, Microsoft India said, We want to make sure researchers working to combat COVID-19 have access to the tools and resources they need. Researchers at IIT-Delhi are leading a critical effort to develop low cost diagnostic solutions that will make COVID-19 testing much more affordable and accessible for all. Microsoft India is proud to support this effort and we hope that by expanding access to our technology resources and grants, we can help accelerate this important work. The funds from Microsoft India will be utilized for establishing a fast-PCR protocol for our ICMR-approved assay said Prof. Vivekanandan Perumal (KSBS, IIT Delhi), Principal Investigator of the RT-PCR-based COVID-19 detection assay project. Further, Prof. Manoj B Menon (KSBS, IIT Delhi), the co-investigator of the project added, We will also be optimising other COVID-19 RT-PCR assays currently being developed in our laboratory. Testing continues to be a challenge in managing COVID-19 and is likely to remain so for the years to come. IIT Delhi happens to be the first academic institute successful in offering a test that has been approved by ICMR. The grant from Microsoft India will aid in commercialisation of the probe free detection assay that has been developed at IIT Delhi and also fund research on examining the possibility of creating an ELISA like assay for COVID detection. This collaboration highlights IIT Delhi's strength in healthcare. We wish success to both the teams in their respective projects," Prof. Anurag S. Rathore, Dean, Corporate Relations, IIT Delhi, said. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 28, 2020) - Sego Resources Inc. (TSXV: SGZ) ("Sego" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the start of 2020 exploration which will include a 2,000 metre drilling program at the Miner Mountain Porphyry Copper-Gold project near Princeton, BC. The company delayed commencement of the program due to the COVID-19 quarantine requirements but, having consulted with government, industry, contractors, local community and landowners, Sego Resources has deemed exploration safe to commence following strict hygiene and distancing protocols. CEO J Paul Stevenson comments "We are excited to get our drilling program underway safely after the COVID-19 delay and build on the breakthrough observations made in late 2019. Exploration will expand on the outcropping mineralization in the Southern Gold Zone and drilling will commence in the first week of June at the Southern Gold, Cuba and Granby targets. The company is fully funded for the upcoming project." Following the new interpretation (See News Release November 28, 2019), the Company has completed a detailed re-logging program of 28 diamond drill holes at the Cuba, Granby and Southern Gold targets. This work confirms that a well mineralized early porphyry intrusion at the Cuba zone has been overprinted with later, grade-destructive alteration and that deeper drilling is planned to test beneath this shallow level alteration. A number of faults have been identified that offset the porphyry mineralization and drilling at Cuba and Granby is designed to test the offset deeper extensions of the well mineralized porphyry. At the Southern Gold Zone high grade hand samples from earlier, now reclaimed trenches indicate porphyry mineralization beneath the shallow till cover. The Company will spend late May reopening and extending these trenches and completing additional mapping prior to the commencement of drilling. The Company has granted 4,150,000 stock options for certain Directors, Consultants and Employees at an exercise price of $.08, subject to regulatory approval, including TSX Venture Exchange approval. The options will be issued in conjunction with the stock option plan approved at the last Annual General Meeting, October 16, 2019. There is no material change about the issuer that has not been generally disclosed. This news release was reviewed and approved by Selina Tribe, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Sego is 100% owner of the Miner Mountain project, an alkalic copper-gold porphyry exploration project near Princeton, British Columbia. The property is 2,056 hectares in size and is located 15 kilometres north of the Copper Mountain Mine operated by Copper Mountain Mining Corporation and Mitsubishi Copper. Sego has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Upper Similkameen Indian Band on whose Traditional Territory the Miner Mountain project is situated. Sego has received an Award of Excellence for its reclamation work at Miner Mountain. For further information please contact: J. Paul Stevenson, CEO (604) 682-2933 For investor & shareholder information, please contact: MarketSmart Communications Inc. Ph: +1 +1 877 261-4466 Email: info@marketsmart.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this news release. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statement of historical facts that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects re forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/56703 After a thirty-year search, the missing ordinary or 'baryonic' matter that scientists predicted ought to be found in the universe has been located. The so-called 'missing baryon problem' emerged when cosmologists in the late nineties predicted that 5 per cent of the universe should be made of normal matter. However, when they counted up all the ordinary matter they could observe, they could only account for around half what they predicted the universe should have. Researchers led from Australia, however, have now figured out where all the 'missing' matter is spread thinly across the vast expanses between galaxies. This matter is dubbed 'WHIM' the 'warm-hot intergalactic medium' and is made up of a a low-density, million-degree hot plasma that permeates the universe. They were able to finally detect the seemingly hidden matter using mysterious flashes of energy known as 'fast radio bursts'. As these radio bursts travel through the WHIM on the way to Earth, they spread out which let experts measure the density of the Universe along their path. Scroll down for video After a thirty-year search, the missing ordinary or 'baryonic' matter that scientists predicted ought to be found in the universe has been located. They were able to detect the hidden matter using mysterious flashes of energy known as 'fast radio bursts'. As these radio bursts travel to Earth, they spread out which let experts measure the density of the Universe along their path. Pictured, an artist's impression of an FRB leaving a galaxy 'We know from measurements of the Big Bang how much matter there was in the beginning of the Universe,' said paper author and astronomer Jean-Pierre Macquart of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research. 'But when we looked out into the present Universe, we couldn't find half of what should be there. It was a bit of an embarrassment.' 'Intergalactic space is very sparse. The missing matter was equivalent to only one or two atoms in a room the size of an average office.' 'So it was very hard to detect this matter using traditional techniques and telescopes.' In their study, the researchers used fast radio bursts as a kind of 'cosmic weigh station', Professor Macquart explained. 'The radiation from fast radio bursts gets spread out by the missing matter in the same way that you see the colours of sunlight being separated in a prism,' he added. 'We've now been able to measure the distances to enough fast radio bursts to determine the density of the Universe.' 'We only needed six to find this missing matter.' The missing matter is baryonic that is, made up of three quarks, just like protons and neutrons. It is not the same as the dark matter and dark energy which are thought to make up the other 95 per cent of the our universe and still remain elusive. The researchers used fast radio bursts as a kind of 'cosmic weigh station', Professor Macquart explained. 'The radiation from fast radio bursts gets spread out by the missing matter in the same way that you see the colours of sunlight being separated in a prism,' he added 'We've now been able to measure the distances to enough fast radio bursts to determine the density of the Universe', said Prof. Macquart 'We only needed six to find this missing matter' Fast radio burst are themselves a bit of a mystery, as astronomers are unsure what kind of event could release the colossal amounts of energy needed to create them such being equivalent to all the energy released by our Sun over eight decades. The burst have been notoriously difficult for scientists to study, as they last for only milliseconds when viewed from Earth and can come from any direction in the sky. The researchers used the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope or ASKAP to monitor for bursts reaching the Earth. 'ASKAP both has a wide field of view, about 60 times the size of the full Moon, and can image in high resolution,' explained paper author and astrophysicist Ryan Shannon, of the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, 'This means that we can catch the bursts with relative ease and then pinpoint locations to their host galaxies with incredible precision.' The full findings of the study were published in the journal Nature. The researchers used the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope or ASKAP to monitor for bursts reaching the Earth MOSCOW, RUSSIA / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Mechel PAO (MOEX:MTLR) (NYSE:MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, reports increased sales of rails and sections for wagon building over the first four months of 2020. Over these months, Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant has shipped 3.5 times more rails year-on-year, with sales totaling 145,000 tonnes. Rail exports have more than doubled during this period. The plant has also signed its first contract with Georgian Railways and began shipping, as well as signed yet another contract with Belarus Railways. Customers of the plant's rails also include projects of Russia's Defense Ministry and several Russian steelmakers. Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant also signed a contract with Uzbekistan Railways for Z-sections which are used in wagon building. So far in 2020 Izhstal supplied the Moscow Metro with some 5.400 tonnes of conductor rails used for construction and modernization of the Russian capital's underground transit system. In 2019, Izhstal shipped nearly 6,000 tonnes of conductor rails. Apart from Moscow, other Russian cities that are either constructing or repairing their metro systems - such as Kazan and Saint-Petersburg - voiced their interest in the plant's output. In May, the plant received a certificate of compliance for its conductor rails from the voluntary wagon building product certification agency. "Our facilities continue to increase output and sales of railway products and develop exports even as the pandemic forced economic activity into a recession. This is proof of our products' high quality and market demand," Mechel PAO's Chief Executive Officer Oleg Korzhov noted. CONTACT: MechelPAO EkaterinaVideman Tel: + 7 495 221 88 88 ekaterina.videman@mechel.com Mechel is an international mining and steel company. Its products are marketed in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa. Mechel unites producers of coal, iron ore concentrate, steel, rolled products, ferroalloys, heat and electric power. All of its enterprises work in a single production chain, from raw materials to high value-added products. Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Mechel, as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements. We refer you to the documents Mechel files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form 20-F. These documents contain and identify important factors, including those contained in the section captioned "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in our Form 20-F, that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, the achievement of anticipated levels of profitability, growth, cost and synergy of our recent acquisitions, the impact of competitive pricing, the ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and licenses, the impact of developments in the Russian economic, political and legal environment, volatility in stock markets or in the price of our shares or ADRs, financial risk management and the impact of general business and global economic conditions. SOURCE: PJSC Mechel View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/591785/PJSC-Mechel-Mechel-Ups-Sales-of-Railway-Products The English phrase deep state kept cropping up during Catalonias independence bid to refer to the deep state structures that act independently of the incumbent administration, with a single goal in mind: to protect their own privileged position. Spains deep state includes high-ranking civil servants and official bodies, such as the Court of Auditors, and has a strong bearing on Spains law enforcement agencies, especially the Guardia Civil, whose military nature and capillary presence across the country have traditionally allowed it to act as a power onto itself. For one, it was Guardia Civil officers who masterminded the most recent coup detat staged in Spain (1981). If there is someone who embodies the archetype of the civil servant who steps over the line to further their own deeply reactionary agenda it is colonel Diego Perez de los Cobos, the Guardia Civil officer who led the most embarrassing police operation in recent European history: the attempt to stop Catalonias independence referendum on 1 October 2017. The decision by Spains Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to sack Perez de los Cobos has triggered a political storm in Madrid. The reason for Marlaskas decision can be traced back to several Guardia Civil reports which suggest that Dr Fernando Simon and Health Minister Salvador Illa might be criminally liable for having allowed a street march in Madrid on March 8, when there was a risk of a Covid-19 outbreak. To an outsider, this might look like an unacceptable attempt by the Spanish Interior Minister to meddle in the affairs of a law enforcement agency that is acting as judicial police. But knowing Perez de los Cobos and how the deep state works, there is no doubt that it is currently engaged in bringing down the PSOE-Podemos social-communist coalition government on a number of fronts in particular, in the courts of law, including the pandemic. However, it is for the people, with their ballot or if necessary through a vote of no confidence, to judge the Spanish governments handling of the pandemic. Under no circumstances should Spains courts of law, whose heavy political slant became apparent in the case of Catalonia, have a say in the matter because that would jeopardise the very foundations of democracy. As it turns out, now the victims of the deep state are the PSOE and Podemos; even Grande-Marlaska, whose name was often mentioned in connection with it. And all that because Spains deep state does not approve of the current administration. For Catalans this merely confirms what we had warned of many times: if the powers-that-be ever felt threatened in any way, they wouldnt just target Catalonias independence movement, which is likely the biggest threat to their survival, but also anybody who dared to question their supremacy. Lets hope PM Pedro Sanchez realises that he must use this historic opportunity to take decisive action against the deep state, as this is the only way that Spain will be able to become a quality democracy that nobody can call out over the existence of political prisoners, unsanctioned police operations or point out that there court cases where the enemy criminal law applies. In short, to become a country where there is no place for the likes of colonel Perez de los Cobos. This is to symbolically show that the insurers are turning the lights out on businesses, BIG general counsel John Houghtaling told CNN. Houghtaling created BIG, together with restauranteurs such as chefs Thomas Keller and Wolfgang Puck, in an effort to push for business interruption payouts for affected restaurants. Read more: Calls for business interruption insurance cover for coronavirus grow louder Insurance companies across the country have denied coverage, the attorney added. [Claims] have been uniformly denied regardless of policy language -- theyve just said they dont cover it. CNN reported that the blackout lasted for one minute. After the planned blackout, local business leaders were joined by Whoopi Goldberg, chef Eric Ripert, and others in a video message, which called for the federal government and insurers to support businesses impacted by the pandemic. Businesses like mine in New York, and businesses large and small across America paid year after year for insurance to protect the livelihood of our business families and suppliers that are part of us, Ripert, who owns the fine dining restaurant Le Bernardin in New York, said in a statement. We are at a critical inflection point in which the insurance companies and the federal government can change the course of history, our citizens economic health and well-being on a grand scale. Thai scientists are developing a coronavirus vaccine that is cost-effective and accessible to its neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. The country also aims to play a part in preventing a supply shortage globally. Last week, their government announced its plans to have the vaccine ready for deployment next year after the successful trials of Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University conducted on mice. Kiat Ruxrungtham, director of the university's coronavirus vaccine development, emphasized that their aim is not to make money but rather to address the issue of accessibility, South China Morning Post reports. Thailand has already begun their trials on the experimental vaccine on monkeys last Saturday, one of at least 100 vaccines under development worldwide. Help Thy Neighbor "We don't aim for making money. It's not a money issue but an accessibility one," said Kiat Ruxrungtham. He and his team have partnered with experts and biotech companies in North America to mass-produce the vaccine in Thailand, at a price more affordable in the country and its neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Formerly known as Siam, the Kingdom of Thailand has had some success in controlling the spread of the coronavirus with just over 3,000 cases and 57 deaths recorded. Moreover, the country has already started easing some restrictions as it is positioning itself as the number one safe destination to visit once travel restarts. In the past month, Thailand has been reporting less than 10 cases per day, compared to the hundreds of cases being reported daily in Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. "If our neighbors still have high infection numbers, then we won't survive as well in the long term," said Kiat. He added that it is important not to rely on big economies to develop and manufacture the vaccine against coronavirus. Doing so could result in a supply bottleneck. If ever one of the coronavirus vaccine candidates work, it is unlikely that a manufacturing facility can make millions or billions of doses to supply countries around the world. So, countries like Thailand should step up and do their own work as well, according to Kiat. Read Also: 'Very Low' Dose Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Elicits Immune Response with No Side Effect, First Human Trial Show Thai Scientists Begin Vaccine Trials on Monkeys A Thai official confirmed that they are now testing a vaccine against the coronavirus on monkeys after its positive results in mice. Suvit Maesincee, Thailand's minister of higher education, science, and research and innovation, said that researchers hope to have a "clearer outcome" of its effectiveness by September. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has outlined a policy that the scientists must develop a vaccine and join the world in its search for a vaccine against the deadly virus, Suvit told the reporters on Saturday. Moreover, Suvit also said that Thailand has already reserved two manufacturers for its vaccine, which uses messenger RNA that prompts body cells to produce antigens, molecules on the surface of coronavirus that spur the immune system into action. The National Vaccine Institute, the Department of Medical Science, and Chulalongkorn University's vaccine research center is currently in charge of developing the vaccine. Read More: Chinese Doctors Claim they Found New COVID-19 Cure that Can Stop Coronavirus from Spreading Even Without Vaccines The city on Thursday released a transcript of the 911 call that brought police to the grocery store where Floyd was arrested. The caller described someone paying with a counterfeit bill, with workers rushing outside to find the man sitting on a van. The caller described the man as awfully drunk" and said he was "not in control of himself. WILLIAMSPORT A Philadelphia drug dealer who failed to report to prison as directed has pleaded guilty in U.S. Middle District Court to a charge of failure to surrender for service of a sentence. Warren Jahleel Johnson, 28, entered his plea Thursday and remains detained as he has been since his Nov. 23 arrest in Philadelphia. Johnson failed to report to the federal prison at Fort Dix, New Jersey, last Nov. 15 as ordered by Judge Matthew W. Brann after he sentenced him to 6 years. Johnson was observed on surveillance video earlier that day walking outside the building in Philadelphia where the federal probation office is located, Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur said. A cut-off ankle monitor was found in the courtyard of the building, he said. Brann, over MacArthurs objection, had permitted Johnson to self-report to prison so he had time to take a test to become a certified electrician. Johnson claimed he had completed the class and needed only to take the test. He had tested the judges patience in April 2019 when he was an hour late for his guilty plea to a charge of possession with intent to deliver heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine. Johnson apologized, explaining he was tardy because he got stuck in traffic on Interstate 80 coming from Philadelphia. Brann responded by telling him he should have been aware of the traffic from driving that highway to peddle your heroin. Johnson and co-defendant Tarron Anthony Davis, also of Philadelphia, admitted traveling from Philadelphia to the Williamsport area to distribute heroin to hundreds of customers with whom they contacted by mass text messages. Dennis pleaded guilty to a charge of distribution of a controlled substance that resulted in death and is serving a 16-year prison sentence. He admitted being responsible for the heroin and fentanyl that caused the death of Joshua Breon, 24, of Bellefonte, who was found unresponsive inside a parked vehicle in a suburban Williamsport shopping center on Dec. 9, 2016. -- Other recent John Beauge stories on PennLive: Old Wood-Mode agrees to pay employees $10.3 million, but will they ever get the money? Search of transferred inmates property has Lewisburg Penitentiary locked down Dining out has new meaning in Montoursville; borough places picnic tables on parking lot Williamsport man accused of giving 6-year-old a sexually transmitted disease 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. The outgoing Presbyterian Moderator has said he has contacted more than 400 of his church's ministers by phone or video-link since lockdown. The Right Reverend Dr William Henry, who relinquishes his office next Monday, said he had been busier than ever, despite his full diary being "wiped" due to the coronavirus pandemic. He revealed contacting the ministers "took much time over five or six days a week, but it was an opportunity to find out what was going on, and to hear about their struggles, and to encourage them and pray with them". "That personal contact with each of my colleagues is not something which a Moderator usually gets to do, but it was time well spent," he said. The Moderator explained that he was "anxious for ministers who were not able to transmit online services". "I wanted to take the pressure off them and do something for the whole denomination, providing some normality perhaps," he said. "Uppermost in my mind also was the sense of identity, of being a Presbyterian family who could not meet together. I wanted to give expression to that in the midst of everything." He added: "We have all been affected by the pandemic, and my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones across our island and those who have battled against the virus. "They have been in my thoughts and prayers, just as those who continue to go that extra mile in providing daily care for them in our hospitals and care homes. "It has been incredible and as a church we thank God for their selfless service and sacrifice." The Rev Henry last preached to a church congregation on March 15. "I have been asked if I feel that I have been 'locked-out' because of the Covid-19 emergency," he said. "We have all had to make adjustments and to live with changed times. As a Moderator your diary is full, you know exactly what you are doing and then suddenly 12 weeks or more are wiped. "However just as in the months before the lockdown, I have been busy and in some ways even busier, but in a different way. I have done 11 weekly pre-recorded services, with the last one going out on Sunday." He admitted that his year in the post had "pushed me out of my comfort zone". "I am naturally quite shy and reserved and that is not who a Moderator is. You have to get out there, speak up and do the things you are called to do," he said. He said that since the lockdown the Irish church leaders have met more frequently, through video-conferencing, nearly every two weeks. He has already taken part in online meetings with the First and Deputy First Ministers, UK church leaders and the Taioseach. The Moderator's outgoing address will be streamed live on Monday night during the installation service for the new Moderator, Rev David Bruce. The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has donated face masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment to the Police Clinic in Abuja in support of the fight against the novel coronavirus. The items, which included 125 infrared thermometers, 250 packs of face masks, 500 packs of hand gloves, protective suits and gears were personally delivered on Thursday by the Executive Secretary of the NHIS, Mohammed Sambo. The supplies were purchased under the guideline laid down by the federal government for procuring COVID-19 PPEs, Mr Sambo said. He said the donation will further boost multi-sectoral cooperation between the police and the agency needed to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak. The NHIS has a long-standing relationship with the Nigerian police. We are glad when the Presidential Task Force (PTF) selected the police force for the distribution of these items. Its an investment that is worth it. We provided items they will need both in the clinic and other operations been at the front line, the Executive Secretary said. Receiving the equipment, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who was represented by Agbanlahor A.I, thanked the NHIS for the gesture. He also assured that they will be put to good use. We will use these PPEs well and we thank NHIS for them, but we need more of this because we are also front-liners, he said. What I observed is that these items are mostly limited for hospitals and officers in Abuja but it will be good if a similar gesture is shown by other agencies so as to help police facilities in the states. NHIS donates PPEs to Police Clinic The National Coordinator of the Presidential taskforce, Aliyu Sani, in his remark at the event said about 10 percent of people infected with COVID-19 are health workers. He said this is the reason why the police facility needs more of such donations. Mr Aliyu urged other agencies to emulate the NHIS so as to curb the spread of the virus. On Wednesday evening, the NCDC announced 389 new cases in Nigeria, bringing the total number of coronavirus infections to 8,733. According to the centers figures, fatalities increased from 249 to 254, while recoveries increased from 2,385 to 2,501. Only Cross Rivers state is yet to confirm a case Nigeria. Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves her home to go to B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday, May 27, 2020. The Canadian Press via AP An executive for Chinese tech giant Huawei suffered a legal setback Wednesday when a Canadian judge ruled that proceedings to extradite her to the United States will go ahead. The decision on so-called double criminality, a key test for extradition, found that bank fraud accusations against Meng Wanzhou would stand up in Canada. The interim ruling denying Meng's attempt to gain her freedom means she will continue to live in a Vancouver mansion under strict bail conditions while her case plays out. It also effectively dashed hopes for a quick mending of Canada-China relations, which soured following her arrest on a US warrant in 2018 during a stopover in Vancouver. "The double criminality requirement for extradition is capable of being met in this case," British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Heather Holmes said in her 23-page ruling. "Ms. Meng's application is therefore dismissed," she added. Prosecutors accused Meng of committing fraud by lying to a bank, in this case an American one. That is a crime in both Canada and the United States. Outside the courthouse, protestors held placards that read "Extradite Meng Wanzhou," "No Huawei in Canada" and "Canada don't let China bully us." Inside, Meng was composed as the judge explained her decision, in contrast to a gleeful thumbs up the "Huawei Princess" had given while posing for pictures with family and friends on the steps of the courthouse days earlier. Huawei said in a statement it was "disappointed" by the ruling, adding that it looked forward to Meng ultimately being exonerated. - 'Grave political incident' - China's Embassy in Ottawa, meanwhile, accused the United States of trying "to bring down Huawei" and Canada of being "an accomplice." "The whole case is entirely a grave political incident," it said in a statement. "We once again urge Canada to take China's solemn position and concerns seriously, immediately release Ms. Meng Wanzhou to allow her to return safely to China, and not to go further down the wrong path." Beijing has long signaled that her repatriation was a precondition for improved bilateral ties and its release of two Canadians detained on espionage suspicions. The arrests of former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor nine days after Meng was taken into custody have been widely decried as retribution. While the eldest daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has been out on bail, the two Canadians remain in China's opaque penal system. China has also blocked billions of dollars' worth of Canadian agricultural exports. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has insisted on leaving it to the courts to decide Meng's fate. He lamented last week that communist-led China "doesn't seem to understand" the meaning of an independent judiciary. On Wednesday his foreign minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, said Canada would "continue to pursue principled engagement with China to address our bilateral differences and to cooperate in areas of mutual interest." He also said Ottawa would continue to press for the release of Kovrig and Spavor, "who have been arbitrarily detained for over 500 days," and for clemency for a third Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, facing execution. - Iran sanctions - During four days of hearings in January, the court heard that Meng lied to the HSBC bank about Huawei's relationship with its own Iran-based affiliate Skycom in order to secure nearly US$1 billion in loans and credit, putting the bank at risk of violating US sanctions. Lawyers for Canada's attorney general on behalf of the US Justice Department pointed to a 2013 presentation in Hong Kong in which she told HSBC executives that Huawei no longer owned Skycom and that she had resigned from its board. The Crown called this a deception, asserting that Huawei controlled the operations of Skycom in Iran and held its purse strings. "Lying to a bank to obtain financial services is fraud," Crown counsel Robert Frater told the court. Defense lawyer Eric Gottardi accused the US of abusing its treaty with Canada by asking it to arrest Meng as part of a campaign against China's largest international company and leader in 5G, or fifth-generation wireless technologies. The court, however, dismissed defense arguments that the case hinged on the US sanctions against Iran that Canada had repudiated. "The essence of the alleged wrongful conduct in this case is the making of intentionally false statements in the banker client relationship that put HSBC at risk," Holmes wrote. "The US sanctions are part of the state of affairs necessary to explain how HSBC was at risk, but they are not themselves an intrinsic part of the conduct." Holmes noted that her ruling in no way makes a determination on whether there is sufficient evidence to justify extradition. That question will be decided at a later stage in the proceedings. The case now continues to a second phase, yet to be scheduled, when the defense will challenge the lawfulness of her arrest, followed by more hearings likely in September. Any appeals could further drag it out for years. (AFP) The U.S. Army announced Thursday that it will soon deploy a team from the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) to Colombia to advise security forces in counter-drug operations. The June 1 deployment of the company-sized element marks the first time an SFAB advisory team has been ordered to support a partner country in the region as part of the Enhanced Counter-Narcotics Operation, which was announced April 1 by President Donald Trump, according to a U.S. Army South news release. Read Next: Navy Admiral Submits Results of Probe on Virus-Infected Ship The team will support U.S.-Colombia diplomatic and development efforts by training, advising and assisting local security units, as well as working in "priority areas" where they will focus on bolstering logistics and intelligence capabilities to directly support the cooperation agreement, the release states. The Pentagon announced in mid-February that the 1st SFAB, based at Fort Benning, Georgia, would deploy to Africa to train local forces in an effort to contend with Russia and China in the region. Elements of the unit were sent to the continent in March, but COVID-19 interrupted the deployment, according to a May 7 Army news release, which states that U.S. Army Africa is now working with the State Department to plan for a future security force assistance mission "once conditions allow the advisers to return." The unit deployed for the first time in 2018 to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Army's 4th SFAB, stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, will soon deploy to Afghanistan to replace the 3rd SFAB as part of a regular rotation in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel, the service announced in late April. SFABs are the first permanent Army units whose core mission is conducting security cooperation activities, which in the past had been conducted by regular brigade combat teams. Upon arrival in Colombia, the 1st SFAB team will go into a 14-day preventive isolation that the local government mandated to control the spread of COVID-19, according to the release. "The deployment has no specified duration, and the team will remain with their host units as determined by U.S. and Colombia military leadership assessment," the release states. "The SFAB deployment demonstrates [U.S. Southern Command's] enduring promise of friendship, partnership and solidarity with its partners." -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Related: Army SFAB Will Face Tough Conditions During Africa Mission: Milley Bob Evans's new partnership with the National FFA Organization is designed to pay homage to Bob Evanss roots in the farming community while inspiring the next generation of farmers. Today, Bob Evans Restaurants celebrates the reopening of its dining rooms in several states with the announcement of a new partnership with the National FFA Organization, originally established as Future Farmers of America. The partnership is designed to pay homage to Bob Evanss roots in the farming community while inspiring the next generation of farmers and solidifying the brands commitment to the spirit of innovation that brings the freshest foods to our restaurants. The partnership will be centered around Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) grants that will give high school students the opportunity to further explore careers in agriculture through experiential learning projects and programming during the school year. In the past few months, its become increasingly clear the importance of securing the countrys food supply for times like these when were met with the unimaginable. The only way that can happen is through continued investment in the people responsible for ensuring we all have wholesome, fresh food to eat our nations valued farmers, said Saed Mohseni, chief executive officer for Bob Evans Restaurants. Bob Evans was, first and foremost, a farmer. But, he was also an innovator and entrepreneur, Mohseni continued. In supporting the next generation of farmers, were celebrating that spirit of innovation thats in our DNA while helping to ensure a fresh and robust food supply and strong future for families and farmers across the country. SAE grant applications open in the fall and more information and details on how to apply will be shared at that time. FFA members across the country constantly show how they are leading in their communities, said Molly Ball, president of the National FFA Foundation. This partnership with Bob Evans is a perfect fit, as it provides resources to help our members continue to be innovative and embrace their entrepreneurial spirit. Our core beliefs are deeply rooted in bringing Americas Farm Fresh to our guests. That comes to life through everything from our hospitality and welcoming farmhouse decor, to the ingredients and dishes on our menu, said Bob Holtcamp, chief marketing officer for Bob Evans Restaurants. As we begin to reopen our dining rooms, we are excited to welcome guests back to the farm and, through our partnership with FFA, we look forward to helping the next generation of American farmers and celebrating the farming community with our guests and staff. For more information on our commitment to FFA, visit BobEvans.com/FFA and for local restaurant hours, visit BobEvans.com. For more information about FFA, visit FFA.org. ### About Bob Evans Restaurants, LLC Bob Evans Restaurants is a chain of family style restaurants founded and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, which owns and operates nearly 500 locations in 18 states, primarily in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the United States. Founder Bob Evans believed in treating strangers like friends and friends like family; and those principles are alive today at every Bob Evans Restaurant. As a private company owned by Golden Gate Capital, Bob Evans Restaurants is focused on providing quality food and hospitality to every guest at every meal, each and every day. For more information and restaurant locations, visit BobEvans.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About National FFA Organization The National FFA Organization is a national youth organization of more than 700,000 student members as part of 8,600 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About National FFA Foundation The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize FFA member achievements, develop student leaders and support the future of agricultural education. A separately registered nonprofit organization, the foundation is governed by a board of trustees that includes the national FFA president, educators, business leaders and individual donors. For more, visit FFA.org/Give. A chilling video shows the horrific last moments of a kayaker lost at sea off the New South Wales, Australia coastline. Jeremy Worthy, 43, posted the video on Facebook Sunday, May 24, as a last-ditch rescue plea just hours before his body was found in the water. In a DailyMail report, Mr. Worthy had posted a final plea for help on his social media account before his empty kayak was found washed up on the beach. ALSO READ: [VIDEO] Man With A Daredevil-Stunt Leaps Out of Hot Air Balloon At 24,000 Feet What happened? The adventurer, who was hopelessly trapped in the tumultuous swells miles from land in any direction, lamented in the video, saying there's no going back where he came from. "[Do I] keep going or stay here?" he said. Pictures uploaded on Facebook from 11:20 a.m. Sunday shows the native Yass, Australia, had embarked on a fishing trip for kayaks. His attempts to get back to Snapper Island near Batemans Bay were outlined as the current and powerful winds forced his kayak further out to sea. Mr. Worthy also described the difficulties he was facing as waves washed up upon him. Despite getting "swamped while launching," according to an 11:36 a.m. post, Worthy said the conditions were not too bad past the waves on the shore. Mr. Worthy had posted a final plea for help on Facebook before his empty kayak was found washed up on the beach. At 12:21 p.m., he posted a live video while paddling through the swell, telling the camera that he was tired from struggling against the tide. "This is tiring, pushing me where I don't want to go," Mr. Worthy told the camera about his bleak predicament. He said, "[his situation is] cold and wet and dark." "Sitting here thinking, who wants to be an embarrassing fool, to ring marine rescue," he added. He then posted a map of his location with no description while on the kayak. A woman commented on the post saying she wished the 'reality of the situation' had been realized. Around 12:30 pm Sunday, emergency services were called to the beach, just nine minutes after Mr. Worthy uploaded his last video to Facebook. ALSO READ: Instagram Speeds Up Plans to Add Account Memorialization Feature Due to COVID-19 Deaths Before Mr. Worthy's body was found between Square Head and Sandy Spot, someone found an empty kayak and informed the police. An officer retrieved the body and received CPR before paramedics arrived, but he died on the scene, NSW Police said. Surely be missed Mr. Worthy's friends and family flooded with tributes on social media, remembering him as a 'true friend' who would be 'missed by everyone.' "Jeremy, I wish I had of seen this and called marine rescue as not long after you drowned," one netizen wrote, adding the 'good morning' greetings would surely be missed. One of his friends "couldn't believe" Mr. Worthy passed away just like that since they had only seen each other a couple of days ago. "Fly high mate, forever loved and missed by everyone you have truly been a good friend," the netizen said. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Conflict erupts at Minneapolis, L.A. protests over George Floyd death Protests in Minneapolis over the in-custody death of George Floyd escalated into violence Wednesday night, as stores were looted and police deployed tear gas. At least one fire broke out during the second day of downtown demonstrations by hundreds decrying Floyd's death. Remember that during similar uprisings over, local protesters clashed with KCPD even amid largely peaceful demonstrations in Kansas City . . . Here's a glimpse at push back against authorities across the nation in the era of coronavirus: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa about the coronavirus crisis on Wednesday, May 27. PM Modi assured the Sri Lankan Prime Minister that India will support the island nation in every possible way in these challenging times. According to an official statement, the two leaders also discussed the impact of COVID-19 on the health and economic sector as well as the measures that both the countries are taking to counter them. Meanwhile, PM Modi congratulated the Sri Lankan Prime Minister for completing 50 years in politics and wished him all the best for the future. PM Modi also conveyed his condolences at the sudden and untimely demise of a prominent Sri Lankan Tamil leader of Indian-Origin -- Arumugan Thondaman. According to a statement, he recalled Thondaman's role in taking forward the partnership between India and Sri Lanka. Currently, Sri Lanka has recorded a total of 1,469 cases of COVID-19 infection, out of which 732 people have recovered. Meanwhile, 10 people have succumbed to the infection. Read: Sri Lanka seeks $1.1B currency swap facility from India as pandemic batters forex kitty Sri Lanka assures strong cooperation with India On Tuesday, Sri Lanka assured the fullest commitment for stronger and deeper cooperation with India while appreciating the continued exchanges of goodwill even during the pandemic. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena conveyed the same to newly accredited Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay on his courtesy visit. According to an official press release by the ministry, on his first working day as the High Commissioner, Gopal Baglay discussed bilateral issues with Sri Lanka's Foreign Relations Minister. Read: 'Mere speculation': MHA debunks news report that claimed PM Modi to announce lockdown 5.0 The newly accredited Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay paid a courtesy call on Minister of Foreign Relations Dinesh Gunawardena at the Republic Building today(26) Full Media Release at: https://t.co/cE6dbse8AE #DiplomacyLk #SriLanka @IndiainSL @DCRGunawardena pic.twitter.com/N7ei0EcOok MFA SL (@MFA_SriLanka) May 26, 2020 Read: Centre warns China; 'None can stare back at Modi's New India,' says Ravi Shankar Prasad Read: Ex-MEA spox Gopal Baglay visits Sri Lanka's FM as India's new Envoy; gets commitment (With ANI Inputs) LATEST May 28, 9:53 p.m. Here's a look at new cases reported in Bay Area counties. This list will be updated as more counties release case reports on Thursday. Sonoma reported one new case to increase its total to 531. Deaths remain four. San Francisco reported 29 new cases to increase its total to 2,437. Deaths remain 40. San Mateo announced 59 new cases, bringing its total to 2,022. The death toll remains 82. Alameda reported one new death and 48 new cases. The case total is 3,097 and the death toll is 94. Contra Costa reported nine new cases, increasing its total to 1,384. The death toll remains 37. Marin reported six new cases, increasing its total to 436. The death toll remains 14. Napa reported two new cases to increase its total to 111. The death toll remains three. Santa Clara reported 17 new cases to increase its total to 2,701. The death toll remains 140. Solano reported one new death and seven new cases. The case total is 509 and the death toll is 22. May 28, 3:05 p.m. The City of San Francisco is now requiring that individuals wear masks whenever they leave their homes and interact with people outside their households. The city previously only required masks in mostly indoor situations, but it now mandates that individuals wear masks when exercising less than 30 feet from others or when passing people on the sidewalk. During a Thursday press conference, Mayor London Breed stated that businesses have the right to turn away any individuals who are not wearing masks, but asked that individuals not confront non-mask-wearers. "If you are not the police, please don't act like the police," she said. "The last thing we want to see are people who are confronting other people and creating what could escalate to a violent situation. Just let us do our job." Breed also outlined San Francisco's roadmap for reopening over the next few weeks. Click here to read more. May 28, 12:45 p.m. Sonoma County will not reopen any additional businesses for the next two weeks. The county obtained a regional variance from the state and reopened restaurants last week and even though officials have the state's permission to reopen shopping malls, hair salons and places of worship, county health officer Dr. Sundari Mase said such businesses will not reopen for at least another two weeks. Its not a decision to take lightly, but I feel that we should keep our shelter-in-place order with the modifications that we put forth last Friday, Mase said. Mase said officials want to see the impact of reopening restaurants before bringing more businesses online. May 28, 11:45 a.m. In a White House press conference Thursday, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany addressed a forthcoming executive order from the president aimed at reeling in social media companies. The order is a response to an incident Wednesday wherein Twitter began fact-checking the presidents tweets. There are various shields in place that shield these social media companies, and allow them to censor conservative users, McEnany said. Were not able to see what happens behind those shields. Were looking at ways to remove those shields to shed some light on what is happening, and some of the decision-making behind the scenes. Thats generally and broadly the idea. McEnany added that an announcement should be made to the public before 5 p.m. ET Thursday. May 28, 11:20 a.m. CVS is opening 91 new pharmacy drive-through coronavirus testing sites across California on Friday. There are 14 sites currently operating at CVS locations across the state, and many of the new sites are opening in underserved areas that do not have accessible testing sites yet. Individuals hoping to get a test must schedule an appointment in advance. A list of locations can be found here. May 28, 9:45 a.m. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office reported Wednesday three inmates at its jails have tested positive for COVID-19 since last weekend, according to NBC News. May 28, 9:30 a.m. The website Stat News took a close look at the demographics of the people who tested positive for COVID-19 in a study conducted in San Francisco's Mission District. "Not a single white person tested positive, though 34% of the tracts residents are white, according to the U.S. Census; 58% are Hispanic," Stat News reported. In a major effort led by UC San Francisco, free, voluntary COVID-19 testing was offered to every resident in a 16-block area running from Cesar Chavez to 23rd Street and South Van Ness to Harrison Street. From April 25-28, more than 4,000 people were tested. Of those who tested positive, 95% were Latinx and 5% Asian or Pacific Islander. When we all saw these results most people were a little spellbound, Dr. Diane Havlir, chief of the UCSF Division of HIV, Infection, and Global Disease at San Francisco General, told Stat News. It was sobering. Researchers conducted two types of tests to identify those individuals who are currently infected and those who previously had the virus. The diagnostic test for active COVID-19 was implemented by collecting samples with nasal swabs while the antibody test was done with a finger-prick to collect a blood sample. Results were available within 72 hours. Read more about the UCSF study here and read SFGATE's original article on the study here. Coronavirus in the greater Bay Area: A county-by-county snapshot ALAMEDA COUNTY: 3,097 confirmed cases, 94 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities, retail and manufacturing For more information on Alameda County, visit the public health department website. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY: 1,384 confirmed cases, 37 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities, retail and manufacturing For more information on Contra Costa County, visit the public health department website. LAKE COUNTY: 19 confirmed cases What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities, retail, manufacturing, car washes, pet groomers, outdoor museums, offices where telework is not possible, received state approval to open dine-in restaurants, shopping malls and schools For information on Lake County, visit the public health department website. MARIN COUNTY: 436 confirmed cases, 14 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities, retail and manufacturing Fore more information on Marin County, visit the public health department website. MONTEREY COUNTY: 441 confirmed cases, 8 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities, retail and manufacturing For more information on Monterey County, visit the public health department website. NAPA COUNTY: 111 cases, 3 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities, retail, manufacturing, car washes, pet groomers, outdoor museums, offices where telework is not possible, received state approval to open dine-in restaurants, shopping malls, schools and hair salons For more information on Napa County, visit the public health department website. SAN BENITO COUNTY: 83 confirmed cases, 2 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities, retail, manufacturing, restaurants, shopping malls For more information on San Benito County, visit the public health department website. SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY: 2,437 confirmed cases, 40 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities, retail and manufacturing For more information on San Francisco County, visit the public health department website. SAN MATEO COUNTY: 2,022 confirmed cases, 82 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities, retail and manufacturing For more information on San Mateo County, visit the public health department website. SANTA CLARA COUNTY: 2,701 confirmed cases, 140 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities; retail and manufacturing Fore more information on Santa Clara County, visit the public health department website. SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: 205 confirmed cases, 2 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities, retail, manufacturing For more information on Santa Cruz County, visit the public health department website. SOLANO COUNTY: 509 confirmed cases, 22 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: All "low-risk" businesses that can comply with physical distancing guidelines; received state approval to open dine-in restaurants, shopping malls and schools For more information on Solano County, visit the public health department website. SONOMA COUNTY: 530 confirmed cases, 4 deaths What's open beyond essential businesses: Outdoor businesses and activities, retail, manufacturing, car washes, pet groomers, outdoor museums, offices where telework is not possible, received state approval to open dine-in restaurants, shopping malls and schools For more information on Sonoma County, visit the public health department website. CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Here are answers to your most frequently asked questions about coronavirus Stage 3 may come soon: What that means for summer travel Sweden's 'herd immunity' experiment backfires With more research on kids and coronavirus, a UCSF doctor shares what parents need to know WHEN WILL THE BAY AREA REOPEN? What's open and closed in California? In-store retail can reopen across California, pending county approval Newsom details 4 stages to reopen California businesses In the weeks following the announcement of Gov. Charlie Bakers plan to reopen Massachusetts amid the coronavirus outbreak, restaurants - slotted in phase two - and gyms - placed in phase three - have publicly voiced their dissatisfaction over the governments plan. On Tuesday, Dr. Michael Hirsh, Worcesters director of public health, acknowledged the difficulty businesses face in a phased reopening, but emphasized the importance of the approach. If were all doing different things at a different pace, with a different style, we will not succeed in doing the analysis that we need to understand what these numbers are about, Hirsh said. Bakers plan requires at least three weeks between phases. Public health data will dictate whether a new phase is introduced, if no action should be taken or if a return to a previous phase is needed. During a news conference in Worcester, Hirsh highlighted how the phased approach is key to understanding the data. If all businesses had reopened on May 18 even under guidelines and the state experienced a spike in numbers, it may be difficult to determine why. Under a phased approach, Hirsh said, only certain industries are open and if a spike results, its easier to pinpoint why. Any issues could then be addressed after they were identified. If all businesses opened, determining what sparked the surge would be extremely difficult. Its very important that every community try to stick to those because if things start to go sour and we start to see a number jump in cases, we want to know exactly what it was that made Worcester have its number as opposed to Boston, Hirsh said. On Wednesday, Worcester announced 41 new confirmed cases of coronavirus pushing the overall total to 4,000. City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. was confident that Worcester, which averaged more than 70 cases daily last month, was beyond the surge. Hirsh credited the decline in numbers to residents in the city following social distancing guidelines. I feel pretty proud of the fact that were still on the same page in Worcester, Hirsh said. Were cautious. Were confident and were going to get the facts going forward to know when its time to open up more. Hirsh said the citys Department of Public Health has received dozens of calls from residents asking why some businesses can reopen while others must remain closed. The city, he said, is doing its best to follow the governors guidelines and protocols. Hirsh applauded both Augustus and Mayor Joseph Petty for their collaborative efforts in leading Worcester through the pandemic. On Tuesday, Petty announced the creation of an Economic Recovery Committee that will consist of members of the business community. Petty hopes the first meeting will be held this week. The committee is expected to discuss the best ways to help Worcester regain the momentum it had prior to the pandemic. Every point discussed will be done with a close eye on public health trends too. I think thats the way you should do it, scientifically, Hirsh said. I think thats always been how weve tried to roll here in the city is to use science and facts and data to back up whatever decisions we have to make. Related Content: National Freedom Councils Agathon Rwasa files case in constitutional court, claiming evidence of fraud in May 20 polls. Burundis main opposition party has filed a case in the countrys constitutional court challenging last weeks presidential election result, claiming there is evidence of fraud. Burundis election commission said on Monday the governing party candidate, retired General Evariste Ndayishimiye, had won the presidential election with 69 percent of the vote. It added that candidate Agathon Rwasa got 24 percent of the vote and the election was peaceful. But Rwasa, the opposition leader of the National Freedom Council (CNL), while speaking to reporters on Thursday after filing the complaint, said appalling errors were made across the country, adding that no district or province was spared. We have provided evidence that there has been a massive fraud, Rwasa said. The announced results are false. The court will have until June 5 to decide the case. Rwasa said if the court did not rule in the CNLs favour, the party would take the case to the East African Court of Justice in Arusha, Tanzania. If the legal challenge is not successful, Ndayishimiye will be inaugurated in August for a seven-year term. Reports of political violence The May 20 vote to replace President Pierre Nkurunziza had been preceded by reports political violence including the arrest, torture and murder of opposition activists, according to a local rights group and Amnesty International. There was also controversy over holding the election during the coronavirus pandemic, which critics argued posed a public health risk. There were also no foreign observers present, as the government said they would have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the country. The countrys last election in 2015 was marked by violence, with hundreds of Burundians killed and hundreds of thousands exiled during the unrest, in which the opposition accused Nkurunziza of violating a peace deal by running for a third term. Rwasa said the evidence in his filing showed that people had voted using dead voters identities, that polling stations had used an electoral register that has never been published by the electoral body, and that ballot boxes had been stuffed. While the East African Community, a regional body, gave the election a clean bill of health on Tuesday, the Conference of Bishops of Burundi criticised the conduct during the polling, saying observers from some parties had been chased from polling stations. A joint statement issued by western diplomats on Wednesday made no reference to any irregularities and urged the opposition to pursue legal paths to contest the election outcome. The electoral bodys officials were not immediately reachable to comment on Rwasas complaints. Five other candidates also stood in the polls, in which 5.11 million registered voters were eligible to participate. [May 27, 2020] Filinvest and 'Plug and Play' form alliance to accelerate digital innovations in the Philippines BANGKOK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Philippine conglomerate Filinvest Development Corporation and Plug and Play, considered the foremost global innovation platform, join forces to fuel innovations in property and real estate technology, as well as in adjacent sectors in energy and sustainability, mobility, protech, smart living and IoT. The partnership is the first initiative of its kind in the Philippines. The two companies, through Filinvest's President & CEO, Josephine Gotianun-Yap, and Plug and Play's Executive Vice President & Head of Corporate Innovation for APAC, Shawn Dehpanah, have signed an agreement to collectively develop and promote new services for the real estate and smart living sectors through a collaboration program with global startups. This synergy is anchored on a strong shared intent to digitally transform the real estate sector and evolve with customers' changing behaviors and preferences. Filinvest will work with Plug and Play to access pioneering tech-driven businesses across 20 verticals. According to Plug and Play's Shawn Dehpanah, "We are very proud of this partnership with the Filinvest group. They are an innovator in creating smart environs and spaces, and our goal is to establish the most innovative hub for Filinvest in engaging entrepreneurs and startups who are digitally transforming many areas of real estate and Smart Living pillars through Plug and Play's innovation platform. This is a first in the Philippines and the team from Filinvest is one of the most forward-thinking corporate groups we have worked with thus far, so we look forward to collaborating more closely on various initiatives." Inspiring innovative and practical solutions in the Philippine real estate sector, especially given the Covid situation Filinvest's myriad of real estate projects and ecosystems provide an ideal platform for introducing cutting-edge digital solutions. Filinvest's Mrs. Yap underlined the grou's focus on innovation -- "We are committed to bringing in fresh, innovative ideas that benefit Filinvest's customers, employees, and partners, and solve real business challenges. For instance, I recently talked about how drone inspection of Filinvest projects and properties will allow us to perform checks of various locations while safeguarding the health of our people. This kind of innovative and practical solution, along with other non-contact tech-enabled interactions in our properties, will not only be helpful during this time when community quarantines are in place, but also in a post-Covid setting." "We see that smart, digital technologies will drive the future of the property industry. We want to leverage tech as much as possible to transform our business, engage our customers and locators, as well as help make a lasting positive impact to the local communities," Mrs. Yap said. "We are pleased with Plug and Play's unmatched reach across several geographies and industries. We are geography and industry-agnostic when it comes to sourcing tech-driven models and solutions that can be applied here in our region. This partnership will allow us to mutually leverage Filinvest's property assets and wealth of experience in real estate, as well as Plug and Play's immense network of innovative technology startups across the globe," Mrs. Yap adds. Pursuing digital capabilities to build new dreams Filinvest's entry into tech-driven investments and businesses started at the conglomerate level last year, with the parent company rallying its top leaders to map out opportunities in their respective verticals to help transform them into digital businesses. In parallel, Filinvest had formalized its intent to invest in technology-driven opportunities by founding its very own digital foundry, f(dev), led by digital and fintech industry leader, Xavier Marzan. Pronounced function-dev, the f(dev) brand represents the "input-to-output" role of Filinvest's digital ventures arm -- capitalizing on resources such as talent and partnerships as "input", and creating new tech-driven business models as "output". Taking after its mother company's mission of empowering Filipinos to achieve their new dreams, f(dev) aims to harness the power of digital and disruptive technologies -- coupled with the infrastructure and capabilities of the Filinvest group and its partners -- to build ecosystems that create largescale impact among underserved markets in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. About Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC) Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC) is one of the leading, most stable and diversified conglomerates in the Philippines. Through its diverse businesses, FDC has established a strong reputation as a dependable partner in economic development. FDC currently has strategic holdings in key industries such as real estate development and leasing, banking and financial services, hotel and resort management, power generation and sugar. FDC's aim is to grow this legacy of success by continuing to strengthen its position in the industries where it competes and embarking on new endeavors that will bolster its role in nation building. Visit www.filinvestgroup.com for information on the company. About Plug and Play Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 10,000 startups and 400 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 700 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/thailand About f(dev) f(dev) is the digital venture builder & innovation factory of the Filinvest Development Corporation (FDC). Powered by FDC's considerable infrastructure and resources, it is one of the largest corporate-led digital venture foundries in the Philippines and in the Southeast Asia region. Team f(dev) combines deep digital industry expertise and rich startup-building experience to launch and invest in new technology-driven businesses & capabilities -- aimed at capturing underserved markets and transforming real-world sectors.For more information, visit https://www.teamf.dev/ Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200527/2814513-1 SOURCE Plug and Play [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 28, 2020] Molina Healthcare Announces Pricing of Offering of $800 Million of Senior Notes Due 2028 Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: MOH) (the "Company") today announced that it priced $800 million aggregate principal amount of its senior notes due 2028 (the "Notes") to be sold in a private offering to "qualified institutional buyers" pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and to certain persons outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act. The offering is expected to close on or about June 2, 2020 (such actual closing date, the "Settlement Date"), subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Notes will not be guaranteed by any of the Company's subsidiaries at the time of issuance. The Notes will bear interest at a rate of 4.375% per year. Interest will be payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing December 15, 2020, and will accrue from the Settlement Date. The Notes will mature on June 15, 2028. The Company estimates that after deducting fees and expenses payable by the Company, the net proceeds from the issuance and sale of the Notes will be approximately $789 million (the "Net Proceeds"). The Company intends to use the Net Proceeds to fully repay indebtedness outstanding under its existing term loan facility (the "Term Loan Facility") and permanently reduce commitments in respect thereof. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had $600 million outstanding under the Term Loan Facility. The Company may use a portion of the Net Proceeds to fund the pending Magellan (News - Alert) Complete Care ("MCC") acquisition. If the Company determines not to use a portion of the Net Proceeds to fund the pending MCC acquisition, it intends to use the remaining Net Proceeds for general corporate purposes, which may include repayment of indebtedness, funding for acquisitions, capital expenditures, additions to working capital and capital contributions to the Company's health plan subsidiaries to meet statutory requirements in new or existing states. The Notes hav not been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the benefit of, a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S) except in transactions exempt from, or not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase the Notes and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction where such offer, solicitation or sale is prohibited. About Molina Healthcare Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, provides managed healthcare services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare served approximately 3.4 million members as of March 31, 2020. For more information about Molina Healthcare, please visit molinahealthcare.com. Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 This press release contains "forward-looking statements," including statements related to the Company's offering of the Notes and intended use of net proceeds of the offering, which are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks related to whether the Company will consummate the offering of the Notes on the expected terms, or at all, market and other general economic conditions and whether the Company will be able to satisfy the conditions required to close any sale of the Notes. Additional information regarding the risk factors to which the Company is subject is provided in greater detail in its periodic reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. These reports can be accessed under the investor relations tab of the Company's website at molinahealthcare.com or on the SEC's (News - Alert) website at sec.gov. Given these risks and uncertainties, the Company can give no assurances that its forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, or that any other results or events projected or contemplated by its forward-looking statements will in fact occur, and it cautions investors not to place undue reliance on these statements. All forward-looking statements in this release represent the Company's judgment as of the date hereof, and, except as otherwise required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to conform the statement to actual results or changes in its expectations. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005829/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Analysis banner Business Insider Trump Twitter Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images For the first time, Twitter on Tuesday rolled out a feature to flag President Trump's tweets about voting by mail as misleading in an effort to provide more context and fact-check them. The platform added a "get the facts about mail-in ballots" banner below Trump tweets falsely claiming that mail ballots in California will be "substantially fraudulent," "stolen from mailboxes," and sent to non-voters. Twitter's fact-check section contradicted itself by both saying that mail-in ballots are "very rarely linked to voter fraud" and, right below it, that there is "no evidence" linking mail-in ballots to fraud. Twitter also misleadingly grouped together Oregon, Utah, and Nebraska's vote-by-mail policies. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. After months of President Donald Trump falsely claiming that absentee voting and voting by mail would lead to extensive voter fraud and corruption on his Twitter account, the social-media platform rolled out a feature to fact-check and provide more context to his misleading and incorrect statements. Shortly after the feature launched, Trump claimed Twitter was "completely stifling FREE SPEECH" by adding a fact-check underneath his tweets. On Wednesday morning, he threatened to "strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen." Twitter, as a private company, is well within its rights to add fact-checks to users' content, and Trump has no authority to unilaterally shut down the platform. But the company's initial effort to fact-check his false tweets on vote by mail was somewhat misleading and confusing itself, with Twitter later correcting at least one part of its fact-check. The entire episode reveals the challenges of social-media platforms taking on the role of fact-checkers and arbiters of truth on complicated issues like US elections, the details and procedures of which vary from state to state. Story continues On Tuesday morning, Trump fired off a series of tweets repeating a usual, unsubstantiated refrain that "there is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In-Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent" in the 2020 election. He declared, without evidence, that "mailboxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed" in California, falsely charging that the state is sending ballots to "anyone living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there." Trump's tweets come as the Republican National Committee and other Republican groups are suing in the state of California, which already has high levels of mail-in voting, over Gov. Gavin Newsom issuing an executive order to send every registered voter a mail-in ballot for the November presidential election. A Twitter spokesperson told Insider that Trump's tweets "contain potentially misleading information about voting processes and have been labeled to provide additional context around mail-in ballots," in line with previous policies it rolled out earlier this month to either remove or add labels and warnings to flag content that spreads misinformation about COVID-19. Below the tweets, a user is prompted by an alert to "get the facts about mail-in ballots." Skitched_tweets Screenshot via Twitter When a user clicks on the "get the facts about mail-in ballots" banner, it leads them to a Twitter event page titled "Trump makes unsubstantiated claim that mail-in ballots will lead to voter fraud" with a Twitter-written blurb explaining the context behind Trump's attacks on California and writing that "experts say mail-in ballots are very rarely linked to voter fraud." Twitter fact check screenshot Screenshot via Twitter Twitter then presents a "what you need to know" section right below, which almost immediately contradicts the previous statement right above it. The next section says, citing unnamed "fact-checkers" that "there is no evidence that mail-in ballots are linked to voter fraud," which gives the impression there is no fraud whatsoever involving mail-in ballots. The first iteration of Twitter's fact-check of Trump's tweet on vote by mail. Screenshot via Twitter To be clear, all voter fraud and absentee-ballot fraud, in particular, is exceedingly rare. But no matter how rare, it still exists. According to the conservative Heritage Foundation's own database of voter- and election-fraud cases, there have been 1,100 criminal convictions for all voter fraud and 143 criminal convictions for fraudulent use of absentee ballots over the past 20 years. As MIT elections scholar Charles Stewart and National Vote At Home Institute CEO Amber McReynolds, two leading experts on voting by mail, said in an April op-ed, those figures come out to 7.1 cases per year nationwide and an average of three convictions per state in the past 20 years, accounting for just 0.00006% of all votes cast in that time. But there's still a significant difference between saying that mail-in ballots are "very rarely linked to voter fraud" and saying there's "no evidence mail-in ballots are linked to voter fraud." Twitter juxtaposing those two conflicting statements could ultimately cause more confusion than it helps readers find the real facts. The second point in the fact-check is correct in noting that California has for years and will continue sending ballots only to registered, verified voters and not hand them out to anyone regardless of their registration or immigration status, as Trump claimed both in his tweets and in response to questions from reporters at a Tuesday press conference. The Heritage Foundation's database has identified only two individuals, both unauthorized immigrants, convicted for ineligible voting in California, and one instance of a conviction for fraudulent use of absentee ballots in the state over the past 20 years. In both of the ineligible-voting cases, the defendants used fraudulent birth certificates and Social Security cards under alternate identities to vote. One of the cases was of a man convicted on five counts of illegally voting in federal elections who testified in court that he supports Trump and has donated to Republicans. As The Wall Street Journal reported, however, the third bullet point in the first version of Twitter's fact-check is slightly misleading in grouping together the three states of Utah, Oregon, and Nebraska as having similar vote-by-mail policies. Oregon and Utah are among five states that, over the past several election cycles, have held their elections almost entirely by mail by sending every registered voter an absentee ballot. While voters in Nebraska can request absentee ballots without a documented excuse and some counties in Nebraska do send every voter a ballot, the state has not similarly held its elections almost entirely by mail. In the 2018 midterm elections, for example, 94% of voters in Oregon cast ballots by mail compared to 82% in Utah and just 24% in Nebraska. This year, Nebraska also joined several other states, including Georgia, Iowa, and Michigan, in sending every registered voter an absentee-ballot request form for the state's May 12 primary elections, leading to about 80% of voters casting ballots by mail during COVID-19 pandemic. Since last night, however, Twitter corrected the third bullet point to instead say that "five states already vote entirely by mail," referring to Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah, and Hawaii, and to correctly note that all states have "some form" of absentee voting. Twitter_corrected_screenshot Screenshot via Twitter The company said that Trump's tweets don't violate Twitter's official rules banning misinformation surrounding elections because they don't directly try to discourage people from voting, but do "contain misleading information about the voting process, specifically mail-in ballots" and the platform is "offering more context to the public." Yet Twitter did not comment on Insider's inquiries about the misleading and somewhat contradictory information in its first fact-check, which aims to provide such "context," or how it plans to vet and verify the information it presents in its fact-checks of Trump's tweets in the future. This instance makes it clear that keeping track of and correctly characterizing all the nuances and discrepancies in US election policy in a few digestible sentences is no easy task for a social-media platform, or anyone, to take on. Even while trying to correct serious misinformation about the integrity of absentee voting perpetrated by its most powerful user, Twitter risks causing additional confusion. Read the original article on Business Insider [May 28, 2020] Poly Introduces Room Solutions for Microsoft Teams Rooms to Deliver Smart, Simple and Consistent Collaboration SANTA CRUZ, Calif., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Plantronics, Inc. ("Poly" formerly Plantronics and Polycom) (NYSE: PLT), a global communications company that powers meaningful human connection and collaboration, today unveiled a new series of Poly Room Solutions for Microsoft Teams Rooms Poly G10-T, G40-T and G80-T. These solutions include audio and video tools that deliver superior meeting experiences for users on Microsoft Teams, and gives IT managers the ability to easily scale for meeting rooms of all sizes. Teams usage continues to skyrocket with more than 75 million daily active users, further deepening the need for consistent cloud collaboration experiences across devices. With the rapidly changing work environments expanding into the home and across differing room setups, users, IT managers and administrators need flexible, hybrid devices. Poly Room Solution for Teams Rooms provides customizable room tools that enable seamless virtual collaboration experiences with little to no-touch control. They join the previously announced Poly Studio X family that will also offer native Teams video experiences. "As more and more users recognize the value of video-based collaboration while working from anywhere, they will need to stay connected and productive with tools that integrate easily with cloud collaboration platforms like Teams," said Tim Root, vice president and general manager, room collaboration, Poly. "Poly Room Solutions for Microsoft Teams Rooms are designed to make meetings feel natural and effortless with the highest quality in audio and video, so all participants feel like a true part of the conversation. Poly partnered with Lenovo's ThinkSmart team to deliver an enterprise-class compute appliance, built on Intel vPro technology, to provide a secure, reliable platform for our Poly Room Solution for Teams." "Lenovo is excited to join forces with Poly to deliver Poly Room Solution for Microsoft Teams, featuring ThinkSmart Edition Tiny," said Joseph Mingori, general manager, Lenovo Smart Office Business. "This offering allows us to deliver a joint solution designed to meet our shared customers collaboration space needs." As many enterprise and SMB customers prepare to deploy their organization to Teams, Poly Room Solution for Teams Rooms offers the latest tools to deliver best-in-class audio and video experiences from automatic group framing to speaker tracking technologies, turning even passive meetings into powerful communication experiences. Poly Room Solution for Teams Rooms not only delivers the premium Poly audio and video for Teams, but also provides a clutter-free experience from start to finsh with simple installation and maintenance in any size room. The lack of messy cords means that not only is it simple to set-up and use but ensures that the focus remains on collaboration and output, not on tangled wires. Poly Room Solution for Teams Rooms is just the latest in Teams Rooms technology from Poly. Poly has been working alongside Microsoft for over 15 years and now has the most certified headset and speakerphone devices for Teams available, including: Trio C60, Calisto 5300, Calisto 5200, Calisto 3200, Voyager 4200 Office and UC Series, Voyager 5200 Office and UC Series, Voyager 6200 UC, Voyager 8200 UC, Blackwire 3300 and 5200 Series, and most recently, Blackwire 8225. "Customers look to Poly and Microsoft to deliver a seamless collaboration experience across collaboration, calling and meetings," said Ilya Bukshteyn, partner director for Microsoft Teams devices, Microsoft. "Poly brings our joint customers a broad portfolio of devices, all delivering a consistent Microsoft Teams user experience, and enabling those users to collaborate and communicate easily, quickly, and seamlessly wherever they are working." In a live roundtable taking place at 2pm ET, Tom Puorro, executive vice president, general manager, products and Ilya Bukshteyn, partner director, Microsoft Teams Devices at Microsoft, will discuss the how to embrace the future of cloud collaboration in the enterprise and beyond. Poly's Room Solution for Teams Rooms comes in a variety of different configurations and can comfortably equip small to large rooms, depending on individual need: G10-T , the base kit to get organizations started includes: , the base kit to get organizations started includes: Poly GC8 controller Lenovo ThinkSmart Edition Tiny VESA/Wall Mount Kit 10m fiber optic USB cable fiber optic USB cable G40-T , designed for small to medium-sized rooms: , designed for small to medium-sized rooms: Poly GC8 controller Lenovo ThinkSmart Edition Tiny VESA/Wall Mount Kit 10-meter USB-Fiber cable Poly Studio USB G80-T , designed for medium to large-sized rooms: , designed for medium to large-sized rooms: Poly GC8 controller Lenovo ThinkSmart Edition Tiny VESA/Wall Mount Kit 10-meter USB-Fiber cable (25-meter, 40-meter, option also available) EagleEye Director II Trio C60 Poly Room Solution for Teams Rooms will begin shipping upon Microsoft Teams certification, in the coming months to select regions. For more information, please visit: https://www.poly.com/us/en/solutions/platform/microsoft/teams-rooms About Poly Plantronics, Inc. ("Poly" formerly Plantronics and Polycom) (NYSE: PLT) is a global communications company that powers meaningful human connection and collaboration. Poly combines legendary audio expertise and powerful video and conferencing capabilities to overcome the distractions, complexity and distance that make communication in and out of the workplace challenging. Poly believes in solutions that make life easier when they work together and with our partners' services. Our headsets, software, desk phones, audio and video conferencing, analytics and services are used worldwide and are a leading choice for every kind of workspace. For more information visit www.Poly.com. Poly, the propeller design, and the Poly logo are trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Media Contact: Shannon Shamoon PR Manager +1 (831) 201-9142 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/poly-introduces-room-solutions-for-microsoft-teams-rooms-to-deliver-smart-simple-and-consistent-collaboration-301066472.html SOURCE Poly [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A call for a permanent memorial to a woman who helped spark the regeneration of Brooke Park in Londonderry has been made following her sudden death this week. Retired academic, university lecturer and passionate Gaeilgeoir Dr Aine Downey (nee Morton) passed away on Monday aged 78 and will be remembered in Derry as a "champion for the underdog". In recent years she lent her voice and support to her son Garbhan, who is part of the Derry University Group that campaigns for an independent university in the city. Among those paying tribute to Dr Downey was Dalton Kehoe, who joined forces with her to bring about the restoration of Brooke Park. This effort also included the first children's park in Northern Ireland with specialist equipment for the disabled. Mr Kehoe said: "I have known Aine since we first formed the campaign to regenerate Brooke Park, a place she loved. "Aine was a champion for the underdog and she passionately wanted to see Brooke Park restored and returned to the people. "She loved Brooke Park so much and helped achieve so much for the park. "I think it would only be fitting if there was a permanent memorial to her placed there." Dr Downey was also a native Irish speaker who did much to promote the language in Derry. Dr Anne McCloskey, who knew Dr Downey through their shared love of Gaelic, said she was broken-hearted at the loss of her friend. She added: "Aine was very proud of her culture and her heritage and was involved in all the Irish language initiatives in Derry. More latterly, through her son Garbhan, she was involved in the university for Derry group. "The people of Derry and the interests of the people of Derry were front and centre of everything she did. "Her presence in the city will be sorely missed." Experts say it's not a good idea to warm up your car in winter Experts say it's not a good idea to warm up your car in winter. Here's why. Ghanaian Benjamin Aidoo, the leader of the troupe of dancing pallbearers who have become a global sensation because of a viral meme, is happy that US President Donald Trump has shared footage of the dancers. In a Facebook post, Mr Trump re-posted a video that had been doctored to show the pallbearers dancing with a coffin that had the words "Biden president" written on the side. Joe Biden is likely to be Mr Trump's challenger in November's election. Mr Aidoo told the BBC's Sulley Lansah that he saw the president's Facebook post as the "ultimate endorsement" of his work. He felt that the whole world will now see the post and it could open many doors for him. In 2017 the dancing pallbearers went viral following BBC Africa's coverage of their flamboyant coffin-carrying dances, garnering millions of views. Three years later and the group has experienced a second round of internet fame, with social media users adopting the troupe as a dark-humoured symbol of death in the time of Covid-19. Mr Aidoo said that he still cannot believe how popular his video has become and he keeps getting calls and granting interviews from all over the world. 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 Boeing Co said Wednesday it was eliminating more than 12,000 US jobs, including involuntary layoffs of 6,770 US workers as the largest American planemaker restructures in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Boeing also disclosed it plans several thousand remaining layoffs in the next few months but did not say where those would take place. The company announced in April it would cut 10% of its worldwide workforce of 160,000 by the end of 2020. Boeing said Wednesday it had approved 5,520 US employees to take voluntary layoffs and they will leave Boeing in the coming weeks. Boeing also disclosed it is notifying 6,770 workers this week of involuntary layoffs. Boeing is moving to cut costs as it faces a drop in airplane demand from the coronavirus pandemic. Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun told employees in an email the pandemics devastating impact on the airline industry means a deep cut in the number of commercial jets and services our customers will need over the next few years, which in turn means fewer jobs on our lines and in our offices. ... I wish there were some other way. Boeing shares rose 0.7% in mid-day trading to $145.76. In April, Boeing recorded zero orders for the second time this year and customers canceled another 108 orders for its grounded 737 MAX plane, compounding its worst start to a year since 1962. The pandemic worsened a crisis for the company in which the 737 MAX was grounded last year after the second of two fatal crashes. Last month, Boeing raised $25 billion in a bond offering that allowed the company avoid taking government aid. The job cuts include more than 9,800 employees in Washington State. Boeing said Wednesday the several thousand remaining layoffs will come in additional tranches over the next few months. Boeing said it expects to resume 737 MAX deliveries in the third quarter following regulatory approvals, with production re-starting at low rates in the second quarter before gradually increasing to 31 per month during 2021. Were moving forward with our plan to restart 737 MAX production in Renton, Washington, Calhoun said in his email. Reuters reported in April 737 MAX approval is not expected until at least August. WASHINGTON - An effort to pass a significant surveillance reform package collapsed Wednesday evening, falling victim to presidential tweets, opposition from the Justice Department and the fracturing of a fragile coalition among liberals, moderates and conservatives. House Democratic leaders decided to abandon a scheduled vote a few hours after Donald Trump issued a veto threat on Twitter. They have no immediate plans to revisit the issue, a Democratic aide said. The pulling of the bill to reauthorize a series of national security powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act came a day after the president tweeted his disfavor, ostensibly on grounds that it fails to address what he calls "the greatest political, criminal, and subversive scandal in USA history." While he has never explicitly spelled out what he means, Trump has variously blasted the FBI for its flawed surveillance of a former campaign aide, Carter Page, and accused the government without evidence of spying on Trump Tower during the campaign. None of the now-expired authorities the bill sought to revive were at issue in Page's surveillance, which the Justice Department inspector general roundly criticized in a December report as having been conducted on the basis of applications riddled with errors and omissions. But that did not stop the president from urging "all Republican House Members [to] vote NO on FISA." On Wednesday evening before the vote, he tweeted a threat: "If the FISA Bill is passed tonight on the House floor, I will quickly VETO it." The underlying law, USA Freedom Act, expired on March 15, a few days after the House voted to reauthorize it. The Senate amended the House version earlier this month to bolster civil liberties protections, teeing the bill up for House action. On Wednesday, GOP leadership directed all members to vote "no." That included Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who earlier supported the bill. The Justice Department issued a statement decrying the Senate-passed legislation as watered down. Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said it "would unacceptably impair our ability to pursue terrorists and spies." Others, including progressive Democrats such as Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said the bill was not strong enough. "We cannot in good conscience vote for legislation that violates Americans' fundamental right to privacy," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D- Wash., and Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. It is unclear whether or when Congress will try again to reauthorize USA Freedom, which in turn amends FISA - the law that governs how and when the FBI can conduct surveillance or obtain records in national security and counterterrorism cases. GOP leaders have suggested such an effort will have to wait for the completion of an investigation by U.S. Attorney John Durham into the origins of the Russia inquiry that began in 2016 into whether Trump campaign members or associates coordinated with Moscow. Investigations that began before USA Freedom lapsed on March 15 can continue to make use of the "business records" or "Section 215" provision of FISA, which enables the FBI to collect any "tangible things" - books, documents, records - when relevant to a national security investigation. But agents opening new cases will have to use other tools to get such material, or go without. The same holds true for a second provision that allows agents to obtain "roving" wiretaps to follow terrorism suspects who quickly switch phones and email accounts. A third permits agents to surveil individuals who may be planning a terrorist attack but are not affiliated with a foreign terrorist group. That one has never been used. "These three authorities did not go down for civil liberties reasons," said Bobby Chesney, a law professor at the University of Texas, Austin. "They were held hostage to other concerns and now the hostage has been shot." Civil liberties advocates contend that investigators can turn to other tools, such as national security letters and criminal warrants. "So this notion that the sky is falling if the authorities lapse is not a fair one," said Neema Singh Guliani, senior legislative counsel for the ACLU. But law enforcement officials have said the loss of these tools impairs investigators in new probes, such as the recent terrorist attack at a Pensacola, Florida, naval station. Another casualty of the bill's defeat is a measure that had found favor in both chambers: to end the National Security Agency's authority to obtain the phone records of suspected terrorists and any American whose phone number appears in those records. The agency suspended the program in early 2019, but lawmakers wanted to write the ban into law. The Senate bill strengthened third-party oversight of the process used to obtain court approval for wiretaps and searches in national security investigations. It required judges with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which decides whether to authorize surveillance, to appoint an amicus, or third-party observer, in any case involving a "sensitive investigative matter.'' Had the provision been law in 2016, the court would have had to appoint an amicus to help it determine the appropriateness of surveilling Page, Trump's former campaign aide. Privacy advocates in the House wanted to go further and adopt other provisions. In particular, Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, after negotiating with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., had agreed on an amendment to bar the collection of Americans' web browsing history without a warrant. But disagreements over the interpretation of the measure's wording led Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who had sponsored a similar amendment in the Senate, to withdraw his support, as did a liberal Internet rights group, Demand Progress. "The upshot is you have a quite broad coalition of diverse interests and perspectives who all agree on skepticism of these government institutions," said Chesney, adding, "and they do not seem troubled by the expiration of these three FISA provisions as collateral damage in the process." - - - The Washington Post's Devlin Barrett and Paul Kane contributed to this report. The Nigerian government has rallied support for the president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina. A letter by the Nigerian Minister of Finance, Budget and National planning, Zainab Ahmed, urged the board of the AfDB to ignore calls for an independent investigation of Mr Adesina. Mrs Ahmed urged Kaba Niale, chairman of the AfDB board of governors, to follow laid down processes to protect and preserve the bank. The call for an independent investigation of the president is outside of the laid down rules, procedures and governing system of the bank and its articles as it relates to the code of conduct on ethics for the president, the letter reads. Allegations In a petition by a group of whistleblowers, Mr Adesina was accused of 20 breaches of the banks code of conduct, including unethical conduct, private gain, an impediment to efficiency, preferential treatment, and involvement in political activities. The group, which noted their allegations were in line with AfDBs whistleblowing policy, said these activities adversely affected the confidence and integrity of the bank. The bank, however, found the allegations to be frivolous. Regardless, the United States government expressed deep reservations about the integrity of the committees process and called for a fresh in-depth investigation of the allegations. In a letter dated May 22, 2020 to Ms Niale, the U.S. government, through the Secretary, Department of Treasury in Washington, D.C., Steven Mnuchin, faulted the decision of the committee to totally exonerate Mr Adesina of all allegations, saying it was not yet time to make such a declaration. Mr Adesina in his response Wednesday maintained that he was innocent of all allegations of fraud leveled against him. He added that he believed a just, transparent and fair process would prove his innocence. READ ALSO: I am confident that fair, transparent and just processes that respect the rules, procedures and governance systems of the Bank, and the rule of law, will ultimately prove that I have not violated the Code of Ethics of this extraordinary institution, he said. He also promised to work with other stakeholders of the bank in its drive to fulfil the mandate of transforming and accelerating Africas development. On Thursday, the Board of Governors said the bureau must be allowed to carry out its duty and deliver Justice on the matter. In her letter Thursday, Mrs Ahmed implored the bank to adhere to procedures in addressing the issue. As a bank we must uphold the rule of law and respect the governance systems of the bank, she said. If there is any governance issue that needs improvement, there can be considered and amendment proposed for adoption in line with laid down procedure. For a few short hours every couple of months a pristine 1993 Toyota Supra advertisement glimmers in the sun over Highway 101. The anachronism has been confusing San Francisco motorists riding through SoMa for a while now, and hastily taken shots of the billboard have caused speculation on social media. Some assumed the retro ad was part of a new guerrilla marketing campaign, but it turns out the billboard posting is a bona fide original that has been unmoved since 1993, as Chris Teague of The Drive revealed this week. The Toyota Supra advertisement with its "The Line Has Been Crossed" tagline is briefly revealed every time workers change out the ad space, but how has the 90s image survived, where hundreds of subsequent marketing displays have disappeared? The ad space, topped with the Salesforce logo, is owned by Clear Channel Outdoor. Regional President Bob Schmitt revealed to The Drive that it was in fact the last painted image used in the space before the company switched to vinyl prints. The company decided not to paint over the original and instead left it intact as a canvas from a different era under all later advertisements. The image is in excellent condition as it's protected from damaging light and weather by the new vinyl ads, while it waits for its brief time in the sun again. For The Drive story, read here. Andrew Chamings is a digital editor at SFGATE. Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AndrewChamings STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While many health-care workers around the globe are focused on treating coronavirus (COVID-19) patients during the ongoing pandemic, others are preparing for a new health crisis on the horizon, one centered around mental health. Earlier this month, the United Nations released a new report, COVID-19 and the Need for Action on Mental Health," highlighting ways in which the pandemic has been, and will continue to, negatively impact citizens mental health. The report notes that feelings of depression and anxiety have increased in areas most severely impacted by the pandemic, with a combination of fear, isolation and financial insecurity often contributing to the deteriorated mental state. Peoples distress is understandable given the impact of the pandemic on peoples lives. During the COVID-19 emergency, people are afraid of infection, dying, and losing family members. At the same time, vast numbers of people have lost or are at risk of losing their livelihoods, have been socially isolated and separated from loved ones, and, in some countries, have experienced stay-at-home orders implemented in drastic ways, according to the report. Certain populations -- such as first responders, health-care workers, the elderly and children -- are increasingly vulnerable to the detrimental mental health effects of the pandemic due to heightened stress levels at work and physical isolation from friends and family. With the mental health issues onset by the pandemic expected to last long after the virus is gone, the report emphasized the need to not only provide widespread, emergency support in the near-term, but to invest in long-term mental health initiatives and enact policies that provide care to all those in need. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** An ongoing, longstanding issue is that mental health across health, social, education and other sectors has been heavily underfunded. Countries spend on average only 2% of their health budgets on mental health. Given the increased long-term needs caused by the pandemic, this is the time to address inequity and organize affordable community-based services that are effective and protective of peoples human rights as part of any national COVID-19 recovery plan, according to the report. The Staten Island Advance spoke with the boroughs leading mental health experts to discuss how the pandemic has impacted Staten Islanders, and where those who are struggling can seek help. HEARING FROM PATIENTS MORE With the coronavirus pandemic placing a great deal of unforeseen stress on Staten Islanders, the boroughs mental health-care providers say they have seen an increased volume of calls from those seeking help. We are getting a real surge in the number of people reaching out and looking for referrals and support and its certainly a sign of the times, said Pete Shiffman, a nurse and president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) NYC Staten Island. Dr. Joel Idowu, chief of Psychiatry at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC), said: We put out a public hotline that people can call if they are experiencing anxiety about the pandemic and we got a lot of calls, especially in the beginning." While the number of people reaching out for help has increased, it has become more difficult, in some cases, to connect these people with the appropriate resources due to the pandemic. What weve found with the pandemic is that its really complicated the process of getting help for a loved one because finding a therapist or psychiatrist that is accepting new patients right now is very difficult, and then theres the issue of health insurance that compounds it, Shiffman said. FEAR OF CONTRACTING AND SPREADING A major factor contributing to declining mental health is peoples fear not only of contracting coronavirus themselves, but also the fear of spreading it to loved ones who may be at an increased risk of death should they get sick. Theres a direct impact if someone has become ill or a family member has become ill that may involve feelings of fear, grief and the associated stressors of having to take care of ones health or having to take care of a loved ones health, said Dr. Timothy Sullivan, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwell Health, Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH). Shiffman said: The anxiety or phobia of becoming sick, there are people who have had this long before the pandemic and this has certainly exacerbated that. Not to mention fear for younger people of infecting their elderly relatives. These are all anxiety-producing things. EFFECTS OF ISOLATION Being forced into isolation due to strict stay-at-home orders has also negatively impacted the mental health of many. The fact that people are restricted to their homes and dont have the freedom to go out can cause cabin fever, said Idowu. People might then start experiencing anxiety, depression and difficulty interacting with those within their household as they lose connection to the outside world. Isolation can be particularly hard on the elderly, many of whom are separated from their family, whether they live alone or within a nursing facility. Knowing that many of my patients can not receive visitors is such a hardship. Having people involved in your life is one of the key components, so this has really made things difficult," Shiffman said. And we know that as the city begins to reopen, people who are considered vulnerable, like the elderly, will still be in this lockdown state for quite sometime. Sullivan said: Were seeing an increase in reported symptoms of distress from elderly patients who dont have the benefit of being in contact with loved ones. Its really stressful to not be able to get a hug from your family members. In some cases, the detrimental effects of isolation can become so severe that Sullivan has advised some of his elderly patients to go out and spend time with their family, so long as they are able to do so in a safe and healthy environment. We have to try to have whatever contact we can with older family members as they continue to isolate. I have patients who I have urged to go to a park with their family where they can maintain safe distance because just seeing them in the flesh is helpful as long as people can do it safely. Its certainly an improvement over just talking to people on the phone or over the internet, he said. DISRUPTED DAILY ROUTINES The disruption of daily routines due to the pandemic is also wearing on some, with shifting schedules making many feel unproductive and potentially driving them into a deep depression. Structure to me is one of the key things that has been really damaged by this pandemic, peoples sense of structured days, Shiffman said. Without that peoples sleep patterns are disrupted, and the scariest thing is when people are home all day and theres nothing to do but think and think and think. Scheduling activities, however small they may seem, is key because we need to maintain that structure, he added. Sullivan echoed Shiffmans sentiment, noting that the return to a regularly scheduled routine can be incredibly beneficial for ones mental health. Healthy routines tend to get disrupted during times like this, which is part of whats hard about this pandemic," Sullivan said. Its funny, I had some co-workers, administrative folks, who were working from home for awhile and when they came back to work recently they said, You know, its nice to actually have my routine back,' and thats something that affects everybody who had a routine and had to give it up. SUBSTANCE ABUSE Although the boroughs hospitals have not seen a large uptick in substance abuse admissions, mental health experts tend to agree that the increased levels of stress and anxiety brought on by the coronavirus have driven many to abuse substances as an unhealthy coping mechanism. Surprisingly, we havent seen a large increase in people coming in for substance abuse, said Idowu. That being said, we know that people are using alcohol and other substances as a coping mechanism in the home. Sullivan said: We worry that there are people who are using substances in greater amounts, but they have not yet presented. For example, our admissions for detox from alcohol are relatively low compared to our averages." I dont think all of a sudden everybody got sober and stopped drinking. In fact, if you look at liquor store sales I think people are drinking a fair amount. At some point thats going to rear its head as big problem, he continued. Sullivan went on to explain that while alcohol-related admissions are down, there has been a slight uptick in admissions at methadone clinics, potentially due to the disrupted supply of illicit street drugs. We do know our methadone clinics are seeing a slight uptick in people seeking help for opiate use, Sullivan said. Thats probably, partly, because the supply of opiates is a little less dependable than the liquor stores are. EFFECT ON CHILDREN Children, some of whom are too young to fully grasp the implications of the pandemic, are particularly susceptible to declining mental states due to lack of socialization, increased academic stress as a result of remote learning, disrupted routines and increased conflict within the home. Some children, particularly those without siblings within their age range, are at increased odds of developing mental health issues, which can manifest in the form of behavioral outbursts. I think a lot depends on the number of siblings in the household and their relative ages, said Christopher Keane, a family nurse practitioner (FNP) who serves as assistant vice president of Outpatient Behavioral Health at RUMC. Theres a lot of sibling bonding going on, which works as a positive, but then -- depending on the number of children and separation in age groups -- it can lead to incredible isolation on the other side," he continued. Miriam Prat-Jerez, a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) who runs RUMCs largest childrens mental health clinic, explained the various issues Staten Island children and families have been experiencing throughout the coronavirus crisis. We are seeing a lot of trauma reactions and grief, and an increase in anxiety and that sometimes in children manifests in behavioral disturbances -- which increases conflict at home, Prat-Jerez said. The disruption of daily routines can be even more impactful on children than adults, particularly those who cant fully grasp why their world has changed so suddenly. The disruption in the routine and the unpredictable environment is definitely going to trigger children, especially if theyre too young to fully comprehend whats happening, Prat-Jerez said. Remote learning, which has taken the place of in-class instruction during the pandemic, has also placed a burden on both children and parents struggling to adjust to the new routine, some of whom can not afford enough supplies for the whole family. The academic instruction at home causes a lot of stress on the parents and the children. Even things like not having enough laptops at home or having to listen to your siblings Zoom class from across the table. Those things over time contribute to stress, said Prat-Jerez. This time of year can be particularly tense for many children anyway, according to Keane, with high levels of academic stress brought on by impending final grades and the possibility of summer school. This time of year is always delicate, because this is when the grades come in, when graduation either does or doesnt happen, so its a high-anxiety time of year for the youngsters, Keane said. EFFECT ON FRONTLINE WORKERS Those operating on the frontline of the pandemic, specifically health-care workers and first responders, are at increased risk of developing mental health issues, in some cases as serious as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as a result of facing the crisis head on. I think that for first responder and health-care workers, especially those on the real forefront of this, theyre witnessing things that theyve never seen before and that has a psychological effect on them, said Idowu. For health-care workers, the fear of contracting the virus at work and bringing it home to their loved ones can be a major stress on the whole family. If youre a health-care worker, youre family doesnt see you the same way anymore. Theyre worried about what you might be coming home with, which can breed a whole new anxiety within the family, said Keane. Additionally, some health-care workers across the country have been forced to make the near-impossible decision of which patients to place on ventilators and which to stop treating, an unbearable choice that can result in moral injury, where health-care workers are left wrestling with whether or not they made the right call. Others experience moments so devastating that the situations feel unjust, causing a great deal of conflict within the workers mind. When youre working closely with someone whose dying and cant see their family -- even though you know the reason why thats so, and that nothing can be done about that -- as youre holding up the cellphone so they can say good-bye as someone is about to be put on the ventilator, theres a natural feeling in us that things shouldnt be this way," Sullivan explained. That kind of situation creates tremendous stress in our mind because things dont mesh. Theres a strong feeling that it shouldnt be like this, he continued. For first responders, such as EMS workers, Keane said that the sheer volume of calls during the height of the pandemic likely contributed to increased levels of stress and anxiety that were exacerbated by the inability to stop and process. Generally speaking, they get what is called a secondary traumatic stress response because of ongoing trauma and having to look at very bad situations every day, said Keane. Its almost like someone told you the house next door is on fire. And then they said the house across the street is on fire. And then as soon as you thought you had control of that, by the way, the house behind you is on fire. Having a never-ending cycle like that for a solid 60-day peak, without having time to process whats happening, is incredibly challenging, he added. The painful experiences of these health-care workers and first responders make them increasingly vulnerable to developing PTSD, as many did in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. They often have to view or be present for situations in which they have very little control, and thats certainly the case when you see a lot of people dying, especially people you wouldnt expect to die. I think some of the toughest stuff people have had to face was seeing otherwise healthy, young adults coming in, ending up on ventilators and ultimately passing away. That stuffs not supposed to happen, said Sullivan. EFFECT OF UNEMPLOYMENT, FINANCIAL INSECURITY As unemployment continues to soar across the country, the accompanying financial insecurity can cause increased levels of stress and anxiety, in some cases resulting in substance abuse and domestic disputes. If you lose your job, and then theres the fear of how do I meet my financial obligations to my family, you cant pay your bills, you dont know when youre going to be able to get another job, those worries and anxieties can then lead to mental health issues, said Idowu. It can lead to people abusing substances and can create interpersonal relationship problems within households. Couples start to argue more which, in some cases, resulting in physical altercations, he continued. For some, the inability to provide for ones family can lead a person into a deep, depressive state that causes him or her to further isolate. People become very depressed and reclusive. Im fearful there will be a surge in substance and alcohol abuse, not to mention people losing their home and not knowing how to care for their families. Thats a tremendous anxiety-provoking experience for anybody, and for some its crippling, said Shiffman. FIRST TIME HANDLING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES While people dealing with existing mental illnesses have seen their problems exacerbated in recent months, many others who have never dealt with such issues are now experiencing them for the first time. The people who have existing mental health issues, the pandemic is increasing their symptoms in some ways because of the fear and anxiety of either getting the virus, said Idowu. But we also know that periods like this will lead to new sets of people developing mental health issues, either during the pandemic or after it happens." While both groups will experience similar symptoms, those who have existing mental health issues may actually be better positioned to handle the situation than those experiencing them for the first time. People who already have a history have the benefit, hopefully, of being connected to care providers who will be checking on them. They have an increased tendency to develop severe symptoms because of that history, but at least theyre seeing their providers and responding to our efforts to reach out to them, Sullivan said. If its someone who has never had a history of psychiatric issues, we want to really educate them, because it may be hard for that person to ask for help or know that they need help, he continued. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made it more difficult for some with existing issues to receive regular care. Some are being disconnected from their treatment services, which increases the likelihood that they will start to not function well within the community, Idowu said. Some clinics are not open, so patients have not been able to see their care providers because of that. Those who have been doing it over the phone or virtually are realizing that its not the same as sitting down face-to-face with your doctor or therapist, he added. HOW TO GET HELP If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health issues, there are numerous resources available to you on Staten Island. NYC Well offers free, confidential mental health support for all New York City residents. To receive free counseling, New Yorkers can text WELL to 65173, call 1-888-NYC-WELL, or visit the programs website to chat online. RUMC has also set up its own 24-hour mental health hotline that can be reached at (718) 818-6300. In addition to free mental health counseling, NYC Well offers a list of free mental health apps to help during the coronavirus pandemic and can connect you with behavioral health and substance abuse services in your area. Both SIUH and RUMC also offer robust mental health and substance abuse programs for Staten Islanders seeking assistance. People can call our clinic. They can call for an appointment or even just for a screening, said Sullivan. Well talk to you and do a screening and see if you need to come in for an evaluation. Then well set that up and, if need be, we can do it remotely for people who may be apprehensive about coming in. Idowu said: We have several services and programs that provide mental health services to different age groups and categories depending on what the patients needs are, from patients as young as 2 years old to those as old as you can think of." Visit the SIUH website to get in touch with a mental healthcare provider within their network. Visit the RUMC website to get in touch with a mental healthcare provider within their network. Additional local support programs are available through the NAMI NYC Staten Island website. "We are delighted to have closed this acquisition which will give us a significant competitive advantage moving forward," said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO, Firmenich. "This acquisition affirms our commitment to becoming a global leader in renewable ingredients as we meet the growing demand for sustainable products in Perfumery and beyond. Above all, we look forward to working with our long-time partners and welcoming all DRT employees to Firmenich." DRT will further strengthen Firmenich's already leading Perfumery & Ingredients business, enabling the Company to offer its customers the world's best selection of renewable and sustainable ingredients. DRT will also bring new capabilities in health & nutrition, cosmetics, as well as a number of new markets, including adhesives, coatings and agriculture. The acquisition reinforces Firmenich's presence in France, its second largest market. DRT has a turnover in excess of 550 million, employs more than 1,500 people around the world and operates through a global footprint with four production sites located in France, two in the USA, two in India and one in China. Firmenich announced that it had entered into exclusivity with Ardian, Tikehau Capital and family shareholders to acquire the company on March 6, 2020. Consultation with the relevant employee representatives and the required customary approvals by the antitrust authorities have been obtained since then, and the acquisition has now closed. About Firmenich Firmenich is the world's largest privately-owned perfume and taste company, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895. Driven by its purpose to create positive emotions to enhance wellbeing, naturally, Firmenich has designed many of the world's best-known perfumes and tastes, bringing delight to over four billion consumers every day. Renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its leadership in sustainability, each year, Firmenich invests 10% of its turnover in R&D to understand and share the best that nature has to offer responsibly. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.9 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2019. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com. About DRT Founded in 1932, DRT specializes in the development of gum rosin and turpentine extracted from pine resin. DRT's head office is located in Dax, France and sells its products around the world. DRT has a diversified product portfolio of more than 300 ingredients addressing a variety of end markets. DRT operates 9 manufacturing facilities either directly or with joint venture partners. More information about DRT is available at www.drt.fr. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1120565/Firmenich_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1174079/DRT_Logo.jpg SOURCE Firmenich Related Links https://www.firmenich.com While Maharashtras struggle to contain coronavirus continues, it has now got a fresh headache in the form of swarms of locusts that have entered the state and were reported to be moving towards Gondia district on Thursday after having attacked crops in neighbouring Bhandara. An alert has been sounded in the Gondia district, reported PTI and added that authorities have swung into action to deal with the approaching menace. Locust swarms are currently also sweeping across several other Indian states in the western & northwestern part affecting Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, according to the agriculture ministry. Authorities have confirmed that an agriculture team rushed to Bhandara in the early hours of Thursday to spray pesticides with the aid of two fire tenders in Temani village of the district after information on locusts reaching the areas was received. Pesticides were sprayed on crops and trees in one-km radius in the Bhandara village When the team reached the area in the early hours, pests were seen on mango, teak, moha, jambhul, ber and other trees. Pesticides were sprayed and by morning, a large number of the crop-eating pests fell from trees and died, divisional joint director of agriculture Ravi Bhosle said. He said that while the mango trees were the most affected, the pests ate leaves and left the fruits alone. He added that they couldnt damage the paddy fields. The official confirmed that the locust swarms were now heading eastwards with the wind towards Tiroda tehsil in neighbouring Gondia district. The agriculture ministry had earlier released information that till May 26, an area of around 47,308-hectare at 303 places in Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh had been covered by control operations against locusts. It added that the Locust Circle Offices (LCO) are working in coordination with district administration and state agriculture departments. Also Read: Centre steps in after locust attack spreads to 5 states, swarm splits into two: Latest updates The ministry has also deployed 89 fire brigades for pesticide spray; 120 survey vehicles; 47 control vehicles with spray equipment and 810 tractor-mounted sprayers for the purpose of locust control as per the requirement. PHILIPSBURG:--- On Tuesday, May 26th, 2020 at approximately 3.30 pm, the police patrol was sent to in Cole Bay for what the central dispatch explained was attempted robbery, but upon further investigation, it was discovered to be an escalated altercation then a robbery. Officers arrived on the scene at Dr. Lasly Lago Street after receiving reports that two males dressed in an orange vest, cleaning the streets attempted to rob an individual in the neighborhood. The resident was curious as to what the two males were busy doing in the vicinity and questioned why they were in front of her gate. For reasons still unclear to the officers, the resident was pushed to the ground by one of the road workers. The male workers were later attacked by the residents dogs when they noticed that their owner had been attacked. They then fled the scene in an unknown direction once the dogs had begun to chase them. The Special Unit Robbery looked into the other claims of robberies which were said to have taken place on various days through the month of May by males wearing an orange vest and no such reports or claims had been made to the police. The Sint Maarten Police Force is currently aware of the information circulating through social media regarding a spree of robberies happening within the communities and would like to publicly dispel those rumors. Officers were sent to the same location this morning, Wednesday 27th May, where a new set of workers were also cleaning the road as they were contracted to do. We understand that social media is a means to bring fast awareness, but we are also pleading with the community to be careful of the news you spread/forward without concrete facts, as it might cause unnecessary panic within the communities. Sint Maarten on a whole is already on high alert during this COVID-19 pandemic and false information helps feed into the stress. The detectives are currently still investigating the incident that took place in its entirety and is asking the public to allow us to do so; please cease from spreading nonfactual information as it creates more harm than good. KPSM Press Release. There is another incident on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border. A 25-year-old Shukron Sharopova, who worked in her rice field, was wounded by a shot from neighboring territory. According to the press center of the Border Troops of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan, the incident occurred in the area of the village of Chorkukh. A Tajik citizen with a serious wound was taken to hospital. A Kyrgyz citizen, a resident of the village of Kuktosh, Aksaysky district, shot at the girl. The causes of the incident are being clarified. Nevertheless, Tajik security officials assessed: "This provocative action by a Kyrgyz citizen is regarded as an attempt to artificially destabilize the situation on the state border line, which could lead to a response from the border residents of the Republic of Tajikistan in this vulnerable zone." As noted in the department, at the scene, the relevant authorities conduct explanatory work among the population, to normalize the situation. Recall, this is the third armed incident on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border in the past month. (See. "Bulletin of the Caucasus" Kyrgyz and Tajiks shot each other on the eve of Victory Day). At first, firing was opened on Victory Day, and then on Ramadan. The border conflict between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan lasts for many years due to unresolved land issues. At the beginning of the year, the parties were going to exchange territories, but then the negotiation process seemed to come to a standstill. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov offered Dushanbe and Bishkek assistance in resolving the conflict. "A young woman was shot at this one, but there is no reason to accuse her or another resident of Tajikistan of violating the border. And the land where she worked is not in the disputed category. This is the farmland of the team number 14 of the Chorkuh seed farm, a former state farm Ittifok. A citizen of Kyrgyzstan Soat Bakhtibekov was shooting, not a military man, but a civilian. What could be the reason? Revenge for someone? Or an attempt to destabilize the situation? More likely, the second. Heres the force interested in maintaining tension, said "Vestnik Kavkaza" Tajik expert Negmatullo Mirsaidov. According to the expert, the local Tajiks, who have talked more than once with the Kyrgyz military, say that some of them recognize the efforts of activists of local Kyrgyz communities to rock the situation. Rumor has it that in Kok-Tash and Aksay there are many supporters of ex-presidents Almazbek Atambekov and Kurmanbek Bakiyev. These people are trying to use the situation in the border region to solve domestic political issues. "It seems to some politicians that its all the same that a lot of blood can be shed on either side tomorrow, the Tajiks and the Kyrgyz will burn at home. I dont think there will be a winner in this war. And they all think about power, their own influence, interests, I use the people, push neighbors, "said the expert. Mirsaidov believes that young people need to be reassured so that a working commission that deals with issues of territorial exchange can complete the work that has begun. Several land exchange options are proposed. According to the Kyrgyz side, this is the Aryk-Asty section in the village of Kok-Tash in the Batken region and the village of May, in which Tajiks live. The second plot is land located in the area where the Kyrgyz village of Samarkandek and the Tajik Chorkuh border. The Tajik side has not yet commented on which sections are ready to exchange. You cant see the end and edge of the earth, all the foothills are free. We wont give an inch! - this is false patriotism. But can something that brings people trouble, grief and tears be considered patriotism? Think about it! The expert called. A collaborative study between scientists in India, Saudi Arabia and South Korea aimed at discovering potential drugs to SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans has led to new findings that could pave way for clinical trials to cure the Coronavirus disease. The recent study is titled Unravelling lead antiviral phytochemicals for the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro enzyme through in silico approach. It has been co-authored by Dr. Arun Bahadur Gurung (North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong), Joongku Lee (Chungnam National University, South Korea) and three others, Dr. M. Ajmal Ali, Dr. Khalid Mashay Al-Anazi along with Dr. Mohammad Abul Farah (King Saud University). The research has used screening from FDA approved antiviral drugs applying computational approach to embark on a scientific experimentation of vaccine development for the disease. Dr Mohammad Abul Farah, originally from Ranchi in the Indian state of Jharkhand, spoke with TwoCircles.net about the study that has revealed substances and proteins having high capabilities of being used in treatment of the COVID-19 disease. An alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University, he is currently Professor at Saudi Arabias King Saud University and closely associated in the Genetics Laboratory at its College of Science in the Department of Zoology. Having more than a decade of experience in academics and research in cytogenetics and genotoxicity, he is also working with Proteonik Inc, a South Korea based biotechnology research organization. He opines that the discovery of novel drug molecules is crucial and is need of the time as mortality rate due to Coronavirus is rising exponentially and the speed for finding a vaccine must be accelerated with more variety in clinical lab experiments. He explained that at present there are no approved antiviral drugs or vaccines for the treatment of human CoV infection therefore the scientists in this study were compelled to use computational methods to address the problem and build on effective therapeutics against the current pandemic. Support TwoCircles Dr Farah informed that the researchers have proposed potential lead molecules which can be explored as drug candidates for the treatment of the COVID-19 disease. He further detailed the findings of the study for TwoCircles.net, beginning with the fact that SARS-CoV-2 Mpro protease enzyme is a well-characterized drug target. Through the studys recent structural elucidation based on X-ray crystallography, it has opened an avenue for structure-based drug design. They have also explored a small library of phytochemicals with previously reported antiviral properties for the identification of small molecular inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro enzyme leading to identification of three lead molecules which exhibit higher binding affinities as compared to the control. The findings are novel and exciting as the lead molecules also demonstrated broad-spectrum antiviral activities against SARS-CoV Mpro and MERS-CoV Mpro, he informed. He also outlined that the scientists screened small drug-like molecules from a dataset of phytochemicals possessing antiviral activities and this was achieved with the help of drug-like filters and toxicity studies. The selected molecules were evaluated for their binding affinity to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro enzyme using molecular docking, from which a total of 38 phytochemicals belonging to the class of flavonoids, alkaloids, essential oils, organic acids, stilbenes and other phytoconstituents were screened. This led to identification of three lead molecules Bonducellpin D and Caesalmin B and 5,7-dimethoxyflavanone-4- O--d-glucopyranoside all three having antiviral activities against parainfluenza virus (PI-3) and bovine (cattle) virus. These three lead phytochemicals, he says, have potential to be developed as effective antiviral drug specifically against SARS CoV-2. When asked whether this identification would accelerate the process of vaccine formation or not, Dr Farah pointed that antiviral drug development takes place via classical mechanisms usually by targeting important virus enzymes such as polymerases, proteases or neuraminidase; however vaccine against a specific virus is developed by injecting the same virus in inactive form or non-pathogenic form to activate the host immune system to produce specific antibodies against the virus. For that, he said the current findings need further validations through in vitro and in vivo lab experiments for developing into drug candidate molecules. Bonducellpin D is a promising drug candidate against coronavirus, suggest the findings. While the three substances were found to be significantly inhibiting Mpro enzyme that ultimately block the viral replication, Bonducellpin D was identified as a unique precursor to a vaccine for coronavirus. Discussing Indias more than 1 lakh mark of current infection rates coupled with a fourth phase of a nationwide lockdown and massive breakdown of economy unfolding with the migrant crisis, Dr Abul Farah highlighted that all the three lead molecules that need further validations through lab experiments can be obtained through a clinical manufacturing company and in case they are not available commercially, they can easily be purified from the source (plant), or could be synthesized in any chemistry lab equipped for organic synthesis. Of course, India can afford all these kind of research, he said, when inquired about the feasibility of obtaining or manufacturing the same molecular binding in research labs in the country. He assured that India has many high standard virology and clinical trial labs, and the substances for clinical experiments can be obtained easily. (The research paper can be accessed here:https://www. sciencedirect.com/science/ article/pii/S0024320520305816) New Delhi/Washington, May 28 : China extended reconciliatory messages to India after the US requested for an immediate online UN Security Council meeting to discuss a new legislation for Hong Kong to crush all dissent. The US mission at the UN said that China's proposed national security law for Hong Kong is a "matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security, and warrants the immediate attention of the UN Security Council". Infuriated by the move, China's Ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun tweeted that Beijing "categorically rejects the baseless request of the US for a Security Council meeting" and "legislation on national security for Hong Kong is purely China's internal affairs". Just before the US and China engaged in a diplomatic duel at the UN, American President Donald Trump tweeted that he had conveyed to both China and India that Washington was willing to mediate or arbitrate in the "raging border dispute". Soon after, the Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong in a selective interaction with Indian media extended an olive branch to New Delhi over the ongoing face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh between the soldiers of the two countries. "China and India should never let their differences shadow the overall bilateral ties and must enhance mutual trust," he said. The reconciliatory messages came after weeks of simmering tensions on both Eastern and Western frontiers between the two countries. On May 5, the Chinese side took offence to the construction of a road by India on its own side in the Pangong Tso Lake area beside another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley. Around 250 soldiers of both sides engaged in a violent face-off using iron rods, sticks, and even resorted to stone-pelting. In a similar incident, Indian and Chinese forces clashed in North Sikkim on May 9 near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector. On both the Western and Eastern sectors, soldiers sustained injuries. After talks through established mechanisms at the LAC and the border, both sides disengaged. "China and India should be good neighbours of harmonious coexistence and good partners to move forward hand in hand. The realisation of 'Dragon and Elephant dancing together' is the only right choice for China and India, which serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and two peoples," the Chinese envoy added. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that "now the China-India border area situation is overall stable and controllable", adding that both China and India have proper mechanisms and communication channels to resolve the issues through dialogue and consultations. Anunt de selectare a participantilor si participantelor la cel de-al doilea curs de instruire din cadrul Programului educational pentru dezvoltarea competentelor lucratorilor de tineret CAMBRIDGE, Mass. The Washington Posts top editor told Harvard University graduates Thursday that facts and truth have become matters of life and death, yet he warned that some leaders continue to undermine the very idea of objective fact, all in pursuit of political gain. Executive editor Martin Baron never mentioned President Donald Trump by name during his virtual commencement address, but he took veiled swipes at the presidents attacks on the press and his clashes with the science community. Baron warned of growing threats to the press and free expression, but also to science, medicine and the idea of fact itself. He said the stakes have been laid bare amid the coronavirus pandemic, as misinformation puts peoples lives at risk. The publics safety requires the honest truth, Baron told Harvards graduating class. Yet education, expertise, experience and evidence are being devalued, dismissed and denied. The goal is clear: to undermine the very idea of objective fact, all in pursuit of political gain. The Post is a frequent target for Trump, who routinely dismisses coverage he doesnt like as fake news. He often takes to Twitter to voice his frustration and has repeatedly called the Post and other outlets the enemy of the people. Yet Trump himself has faced mounting scrutiny over the truth of his claims. Twitter added fact checks to two of his tweets this week, the first time the platform had taken such action, prompting Trump to accuse the company of stifling free speech. During his speech, Baron decried efforts to demonize the press in the United States, saying they embolden other governments to do the same, including in China, Turkey and Mexico. He cited an increase in journalists being imprisoned around the world, in some cases facing accusations of false news. He also cited the 2018 slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. He was murdered there at the hands of a team sent by highest level Saudi officials, he said. His offense? He had sharply criticized the Saudi government. Baron warned that leaders who crave more power for themselves always move quickly to crush an independent press. But he said they also target historians, scientists, courts, medical professionals and subject matter experts of every type. Today the governments leading scientists find their motives questioned, their qualifications mocked despite a lifetime of dedication and achievement that has made us all safer, Baron said. Trump has often put himself at odds with scientists on topics ranging from climate change to COVID-19. He recently rebuked the nations top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, after Fauci cautioned against reopening the nations schools too soon. Baron, a graduate of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, called for a renewed commitment to facts and evidence. He said its acutely important now, when peoples health can be jeopardized by false claims, wishful thinking and invented realities. Baron gave his address from his home, while graduates and their families watched online. Harvard is among dozens of universities across the U.S. that canceled campus graduation ceremonies and moved them online amid the pandemic. A former editor of The Boston Globe, Baron drew on his time in Boston and recounted the newspapers work in uncovering years of sex abuse by priests in the citys archdiocese. The story was later depicted in the 2015 film Spotlight. He also drew on Harvards motto, Veritas the Latin word for truth telling students they have a duty to continue their pursuit of truth. Facts and truth are matters of life and death, he said. Misinformation, disinformation, delusions and deceit can kill. Here is what can move us forward: Science and medicine. Study and knowledge. Expertise and reason. In other words, fact and truth. Parents protested outside Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22D, on Wednesday, against collection of fees despite classes being suspended amid the Covid-19 lockdown . At least five other schools have witnessed similar protests in the past one week. The parents said their economic condition is constantly deteriorating and they cannot afford to pay fees due to loss of jobs. Nitin Goyal, president of the Chandigarh Parents Association, said, The protesting parents had a meeting with the school officials. They demanded waiver of fees till the school is reopened. However, the management didnt agree. School principal Amita Khuranna said, The education department said we are supposed to charge fees. Only a handful of parents turned up for the protest today. By Park Moo-jong On Aug. 25, 2015, about 150 people, including several lawmakers of the then opposition party, held a "ceremony" to see off a convict going to jail to serve her two-year prison term in front of the Seoul Detention Center. They shouted "Han Myeong-sook is not guilty." Han, a former prime minister under the government of the late President Roh Moo-hyun, was holding a Bible and a bunch of lilies, a symbolic flower of purity, and wearing a black dress. The Supreme Court had found her guilty of bribery in a unanimous judgment by all 13 justices in a final appeal hearing, upholding the Seoul High Court's verdict against the then 71-year-old lawmaker from the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), led by Moon Jae-in, now President of the Republic of Korea. "I am wearing black today because the judiciary justice (of this nation) died. I am innocent," she told her supporters and walked into the prison as if she were a "democracy fighter" against a dictatorial and police state. The judiciary system of the nation, governed by law, found the lawmaker guilty of having accepted dirty money from a businessman (now dead) in her prime minister's office through five-year-long hearings and two appeals. But the defendant and the main opposition party attacked the highest court's final verdict. Then NPAD leader Moon, who was elected president later in May 2017 after the fall of then President Park Geun-hye, said at that time, "We expected the judiciary to become the last bastion protecting justice and human rights, but that expectation collapsed today." Five years later in May 2020, the ruling camp is going all-out to overturn the Supreme Court's judgment against Han, apparently engineered by the surprising landslide victory of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the successor of the NPAD, in the April 15 general election. Leaders of the DPK that won 177 seats out of the total 300 in the poll are calling for a reinvestigation of Han's bribery case. Its floor leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon said that "all the circumstances prove that former Prime Minister Han was the victim of the prosecution's biased investigation and judicial manipulation." Kim claimed that Han proclaimed her innocence for her two years in prison and is still suffering. Kim also says that it is not yet too late to bring to light the whole truth. It is rare for a ruling party to call for the reinvestigation of a criminal case of a politician who was found guilty of bribery by the Supreme Court. Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae sympathized with Han's call in her parliamentary testimony. The ruling camp cited a memoir the convicted briber (now dead) wrote in prison as grounds that the criminal charges against Han was manipulated. The late businessman wrote in the memorandum that he made a false statement that he gave money to Han due to prosecutors' deals and even threats. But the memorandum was adopted as evidence in the trials and the court concluded that it was groundless. It was the prosecution that submitted it to the court as evidence. The businessman was found guilty of perjury. The new development started after a pro-ruling camp media outlet reported the memorandum anew and the DPK promptly took issue with it as if it was waiting for such a news report. Then NPAD chairman Moon had a luncheon the day before Han was put behind bars and ordered his aides to examine the possibility for the request of a retrial of Han's case. But he gave up filing for a retrial which deemed infeasible while public opinion turned against it. The Supreme Court's judgment was thoroughly based on evidence, the undisputed element of any criminal case, as seen in the U.S. TV series, "Crime Scene Investigation" (CSI). All 13 justices unanimously accepted the evidence that Han took 300 million won ($243,000) in kickbacks. Then, what has made the ruling camp pursue the reinvestigation of Han's case anew on the grounds of the memorandum? Han is an undisputed symbolic figure in the current ruling forces. She is a core elder who served as a prime minister in the Roh administration. It was Han who read the eulogy at the funeral of Roh in 2009. When she was released from prison in August 2017, the then spokesman of the DPK claimed that political revenge (against Han) began before she read the eulogy. The unanimous decision of all the 13 Supreme Court justices means that Han was lying. Otherwise, the nation's highest court should be disbanded, if the Republic of Korea wants to remain a country governed by law. It is hard to believe that all the 13 justices were corrupt enough to unjustly convict her. If the ruling camp leaders "believe" that Han is "innocent" and a victim of a political revenge, what they have to do right now is file for a retrial. Han's case is not a political issue. It's a criminal case. That's it. Ask for a retrial without attacking the prosecution and court in the name of "reform" of law enforcement agencies. Park Moo-jong (emjei29@gmail.com) is a standing adviser of The Korea Times. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English daily newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after working as a reporter since 1974. Farmers have been warned to remain vigilant to fraudulent scams and other criminal activity during the coronavirus pandemic. The advice comes following reports of suspicious websites advertising farm vehicles and machinery for sale that, in reality, do not exist. NFU Cymru, which raised the reports, said it was concerned that some farmers could be 'duped' into buying goods online from sources they would not usually consider. The union's deputy president Aled Jones has called for more awareness of 'unscrupulous' individuals who target businesses through criminal and fraudulent activity. "Given the restrictions currently in place, farmers may be looking online to purchase goods and big ticket items that they would usually travel to inspect in person. "At a time when some farmers buying habits may change to adapt to the current situation, its very important to stress that we should all be wary," Mr Jones said. NFU Cymru has issued advice for farming businesses to consider before committing to online purchases, such as sticking to trusted brands and websites. Farmers are encouraged to avoid purchasing goods online over public Wi-Fi, and to use a secure payment method with an extra layer of password protection. When shopping online, it is advised to check for the padlock. If the website uses a https web address and carries a security padlock in the browser, it means that any data entered is encrypted, making it harder for others to intercept. Mr Jones said there were many things farmers could do to protect themselves online and minimise the chances of falling victim to a scam. "Id encourage all farmers to heed the advice being given around online scams and exercise extra caution before committing to online purchases, he said. The union added that if 'something seems too good to be true, it usually is. A major tragedy was averted after security forces recovered and defused a 45-kg improvised explosive device (IED) from a Santro car in south Kashmirs Pulwama district on Thursday early morning. Police said the IED was recovered by a joint team of security forces, including J&K police, 44-Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF after the vehicle, a white Santro car, with a fake registration number, was signalled to stop at a checkpoint(yesterday late evening at Rajpora Pulwama), but it tried to accelerate and go through the barricade. At least 45 kgs of explosive material was fitted in private vehicle jointly by Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorists in a bid to target security forces. Timely action of security forces averted major tragedy, Inspector General Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar told Republic TV. Read: Fake Number Plate On Terrorists' Pulwama IED Car Came From BSF Jawan's Scooter: Sources Read: EXCLUSIVE Details Of Pulwama Terror Attack Accessed: Here's How Forces Foiled IED-car Plot Our men stopped the suicide attacker at two checkpoints and fired warning shots at both sites. The attacker jumped both few checkpoints and left behind the vehicle late night yesterday, the IGP said. This car was kept under watch for the night. People in nearby houses were evacuated and the vehicle was destroyed on site by the bomb disposal squad. The vehicle was using a number plate of a scooter registered somewhere in Kathua district, he added. IGP said a terrorist identified as Adil Ahmed who works for the Hizbul and nowadays also is seen with Jaish and two other terrorists of these outfits are behind the act. They were planning the suicide attack on 17th day of Ramazan (Jang e Badr- May 11), but couldnt do it due to our intensified operations against militants, Kumar further said. Last year on 14th Feb, some 40 soldiers lost their lives after a suicide bomber drove a car full of explosives into a CRPF convoy at Lethpora, National Highway. After the terror attack in Lethpora, for which JeM claimed responsibility, India retaliated by dropping bombs on a terror camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and engaged the Pakistan Air Force in aerial combat. The confrontation escalated after Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistan after downing his MiG-21 fighter jet. However, diplomatic outreach by India and global powers led to Islamabad releasing him after two days. Read: IED-fitted Car Destroyed In Pulwama As Forces Avert Major Feb 2019-like Terror Attack Read: Pulwama IED-attack Foiled: Drone Video Shows Terrorists' Car Being Detonated By Bomb Squad MOTORCYCLE-riding gunmen shot a 32-year-old laborer in Alangalang, Leyte Wednesday, May 27. Police identified the victim as Edgar Abano, married and resident of Sitio Capilihan, Barangay Bugho, Alangalang. Initial investigation revealed the victim, together with his son and another companion, attended the town's vesper celebration at the house of a certain Aileen Condeza in Barangay Hubang Wednesday evening. When they were walking toward their service vehicle, an unidentified gunman onboard a motorcycle suddenly appeared and shot the victim, hitting him in the different parts of his body. The perpetrators fled after shooting Abano, police said. The victim was brought to a hospital in Tacloban City for medical treatment. The Alangalang police are investigating the incident. (SunStar Philippines) In a statement, Kaine said that he had tested positive for the flu earlier this year and that he began experiencing new symptoms in late March. After his wife experienced symptoms including fever, chills, congestion and coughing, the two spoke with their doctors, who told them in early April that it was probable theyd had mild coronavirus cases, Kaine said. (Newser) The New York City birdwatcher targeted in an allegedly racist confrontation with a woman in Central Park on Memorial Day says he's "not excusing the racism" but thinks attacks on the woman, who has since been fired from her finance job, might go too far. "Any of us can makenot necessarily a racist mistake, but a mistake" and "I don't know if her life needed to be torn apart," says Christian Cooper, a 57-year-old black man, in an interview with the New York Times. He was back birdwatching in the park Wednesday. Two days earlier, he'd requested that a white woman, Amy Cooper, leash her dog as is required in the Ramble, a park area frequented by birdwatchers. He then offered the dog a treat. In a viral video, the woman said she would tell police that an African-American man was threatening her life. She then called 911. story continues below Amy Cooper has apologized, saying she "reacted emotionally and made false assumptions" about Christian's motives. Christiana Harvard graduate and former Marvel Comics editor, credited with creating one of the first gay characters in Star Trek comicssaid the apology was "a start," per the Times. "Now, should she be defined by that, you know, couple-of-seconds moment? I think that's really up to her and what she does going forward," he tells NPR. Either way, death threats against the woman are "wholly inappropriate and abhorrent and should stop immediately," he says, per KTLA. "To get that kind of tidal wave in such a compressed period of time, it's got to hurt," he tells the Times. Amy Cooper also surrendered her dog to a shelter. And on Wednesday, the NYC Commission on Human Rights opened an investigation into the case. (Read more Central Park stories.) Members of staff at the Qianjiang Museum in Hubei Province showcase a hazmat suit, worn and signed by Shanxi Province's medical team that supported Hubei in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. [Xinhua] A memorial and museums to commemorate the nation's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic have been separately proposed by a legislator and two political advisers. "The country has a total of 5,535 museums, but few of them focus on public health, pandemics or disaster prevention," said Lu Yongxiu, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body, and deputy curator of the Tianjin Art Museum. Lu proposed during the two sessions the establishment of a museum to help people cope with grief and mourning that resulted from the novel coronavirus outbreak. She said, more importantly, a museum could teach younger generations how to prevent and contain disasters and pandemics in the future. Lu suggested it be called the Museum of Disaster Reduction and Pandemic Control for Youth and Children and be established under the National Disaster Reduction Center of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Another CPPCC National Committee member, Zhang Fengbao, vice-president of Tianjin University, said: "Knowledge about infectious diseases should be shared with young generations. We also need to raise public awareness of pandemic control and prevention among young children." Zhang said a museum should highlight the contributions of medical workers, soldiers, police and social workers on the front line. It should also recognize the commitment of Chinese medical experts offering support overseas and the generous donations by Chinese companies of medical supplies to fight the global pandemic. Cai Hua, a National People's Congress deputy and head of the Tianjin Lawyers Association, proposed a memorial hall or a monument to commemorate the country's efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and pay tribute to heroes from different sectors of society. Since mid-February, 10 provincial-and city-level museums have called for donations of diverse items related to the pandemic. On March 15, the National Cultural Heritage Administration issued a notice calling for the donation of medical and other items. On May 12, the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University donated 16 items, including protective suits and equipment and prescriptions for patients, to the Tianjin Museum. Since January, when the outbreak intensified, many museums around the country have launched online services and livestreamed exhibitions. "Our studies indicate the overall online clicks on the country's museums have hit 5 billion since late January, which reflects the public's interest in and demand for museums," Lu said. (Source: China Daily) It might seem bad, but the worst that can happen when you buy a stock (without leverage) is that its share price goes to zero. But in contrast you can make much more than 100% if the company does well. To wit, the Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer Company Limited (HKG:1066) share price has flown 116% in the last three years. That sort of return is as solid as granite. Also pleasing for shareholders was the 28% gain in the last three months. The company reported its financial results recently; you can catch up on the latest numbers by reading our company report. Check out our latest analysis for Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer was able to grow its EPS at 21% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. In comparison, the 29% per year gain in the share price outpaces the EPS growth. This suggests that, as the business progressed over the last few years, it gained the confidence of market participants. It's not unusual to see the market 're-rate' a stock, after a few years of growth. The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). SEHK:1066 Past and Future Earnings May 28th 2020 We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer's earnings, revenue and cash flow. What About Dividends? When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. We note that for Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer the TSR over the last 3 years was 127%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! Story continues A Different Perspective We're pleased to report that Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 98% over one year. And that does include the dividend. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 17% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer you should know about. We will like Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK exchanges. 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. Interview Europes Rich Continue to Buy Myanmars Illegal Teak: EIA An elephant pulls a teak log at a logging camp in Pinlebu Township, Sagaing Region, in 2014. / Reuters Illegal teak from Myanmar is not allowed to be traded in the European Union under the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) since 2013. However, the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)s latest report said traders are paying to ship illicit teak into Europe, avoiding import rules to get their hands on valuable timber for high-paying clients for use in luxury products, like yacht decking. The EIAs latest report The Croatian Connection Exposed Importing illicit Myanmar teak through Europes back door said the import/export documentation the agency obtained showed that 10 shipments of timber totaling 144 tonnes arrived in Rijeka in Croatia between 2017 and 2019. Invoices put the total value at nearly US$1 million (1.4 billion kyats), although the wood was selling at far higher rates to yacht builders. Alec Dawson, a forestry campaigner at the EIA, took part in an email interview with The Irrawaddy on Myanmars dwindling forests. What is the highlight of your latest report? The report reveals the results of an EIA investigation into companies throughout Europe attempting to circumvent enforcement of the EU Timber Regulation by landing timber in Croatia. In the last two years, European authorities have a strong stance on Myanmar teak being brought into the EU, and direct trade in teak has declined significantly in countries that have enforced this position. However, other countries have seen a rise in Myanmar timber imports, including Croatia. Through documents provided by the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture in response to a freedom of information request, EIA has discovered that a Croatian company, named Viator Pula, has been used by traders throughout Europe to land timber and trade it on to them. In several cases, the companies receiving the timber have had warnings given to them specifically or to the industry in their country stating that either their due diligence for Myanmar teak was inadequate or that it was not possible to provide adequate due diligence in Europe for Myanmar teak. Instead of ceasing trading or improving their own due diligence systems, they have opted to source timber through Croatia. Why isnt Myanmars teak yet able to comply with the EUTR? What reforms are needed? To comply with the EUTR, importers of Myanmar teak need to be able to conduct due diligence to ensure that their timber is from a legal source. Myanmar has been significantly affected by illegal logging. For many years there was harvesting above the allowable cuts set by the Forest Department. In recent years Myanmar has taken significant steps to reform, for example by reducing its annual cuts and introducing a log export ban. In recent months the Forest Department has seized large quantities of illegal timber so are clearly taking action against illegal logging. However, what is needed is transparency to ensure that this illegal timber is not making its way into international markets. Your report says the imports of timber from Myanmar have substantially increased in many EU states, including Croatia, Greece and Italy and decreased in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Myanmar has introduced the log export ban and reduced the annual timber harvests, but Myanmar teak logs are still being traded illicitly within the EU as you say. Why is that? The timber is not coming into the EU as logs it is sawn timber so avoids the log export ban. This timber is being illegally imported into the EU because it is against EU regulation to bring timber into the EU market without adequate due diligence to confirm its legality, all the way to the source. Timber companies in the EU have not been able to prove this due diligence to a high enough standard. About two years ago, a number of EU countries (Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, for example) took action to stop these European companies trading timber with inadequate due diligence. Some of those companies have then chosen to use middlemen in places like Croatia to ship timber, rather than cease trading or improve their own due diligence. The Croatian authorities has now taken action to try and stop this, and hopefully trade of illicit timber into Croatia will be reduced as well. How many EU companies are being punished or face punishment for trading illegal teak logs in the EU or for violating EUTR? At the moment, EIA is aware of an investigation into two Dutch companies and one Czech company, as well as steps being taken against two Croatian companies, including Viator Pula. How many tonnes of Myanmars teak is being confiscated due to EU companies not following due diligence? Not very much teak is being confiscated, as companies are circumventing enforcement by trading through places like Croatia and Italy. In April 2019 the German authorities issued an order that 26 tonnes of Myanmar teak be confiscated and returned to where it was shipped from. How serious is the crisis facing Myanmars forests? Does deforestation continue and why? Recent reports of large seizures of illegal timber, such as 1,400 tonnes seized in Mandalay and 2,800 tonnes seized in Kachin, show that illegal logging is still contributing to deforestation in Myanmar. However, that these seizures are taking place shows that Myanmar is taking positive steps to combat the illegal timber trade. There were claims about your report last year, State of Corruption: The top-level conspiracy behind the global trade in Myanmars stolen teak that some of the facts were wrong, what would you like to say? EIA gave a comprehensive response to these criticisms in this piece on our website. In brief, EIA had multiple sources for its findings about Cheng Pui Chee and stands by the report. The article cited above misquotes EIAs report in multiple instances. EIA welcomes reforms that make MTE [Myanma Timber Enterprise] more transparent, however, any suggestion that PEFC [Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification] verifies Myanmar timber for the EU market is not true at present. VANCOUVERSome Chinese media found themselves doing a swift turnaround Wednesday after Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou lost her bid to have her extradition case dropped. A day earlier, Chinese-language publications in mainland China had been predicting the Canadian court decision would release Meng after her year and a half of house arrest in Vancouver. On Wednesday, that wasnt how it went. Some papers had even reported that Meng who has been fighting a request by authorities in the United States to have her extradited on fraud charges had been released already. Canadian court gives final verdict, Ms. Meng is innocent and will be released, read a headline in the Jiemian news, an incorrect story that soon spread across media in China. As the misinformation spread, a photo taken over the weekend of Meng and friends outside the Vancouver Law Courts, in which a man appears to be touching the ankle bracelet she wears as part of her house arrest, was captioned by bloggers as a picture of the bracelet being taken off. Eventually, the initial article on Jiemian News was removed and a correction issued, offering an apology and explaining that an error made by staff at the paper had published the incorrect story. On Wednesday, the actual decision by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Heather Holmes was released. Bad News: Meng Wanzhou is not released, read a Chinese-language headline in the Canadian Chinese News, a Canada-based publication. The article said Chinese Canadians were disappointed by the decision, and had expected Canada-China relations to improve with the release of Meng. Meng Wanzhou is not released today. The fight will continue next month, read another headline in Guancha.cn, a state media outlet in China. Victor Ho, the CEO of Analytica Inc., a Chinese-language news platform in Vancouver, said the Jiemian News article with wrong information about Mengs release likely led to the shock seen across Chinese-language social media when the real decision came out. The decision broke in the middle of the night in China and few analytical pieces had been published by Wednesday afternoon in Canada. Ho said he expects publications to soon set about attacking Canada and its institutions. Shortly after the decision was read, the state-run Global Times, often characterized as the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party (CPP), had already started. Its coverage began with accusations Canadas independent judicial system had fallen prey to U.S. bullying. The unjustified ruling, which will mean the continued detention of Meng, has no real impact on Huawei, because the company will not succumb to the U.S. because of any individual. But it will make Canada a pathetic clown and a scapegoat in the fight between China and the U.S., read the article. It did not attribute the comment directly, only crediting the quote to experts. Many publications in the country chose to simply publish The Associated Press version of the story and small bulletins. Others, like the state-controlled wire service Xinhua, wrote their own bulletins, quoting CCP officials. The United States and Canada abused their bilateral extradition treaty and arbitrarily took compulsory measures against a Chinese citizen without cause, Xinhua quoted the countrys Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian as saying. Meng was first arrested in December 2018 by Canadian authorities in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities who wish to prosecute her over several allegations, including fraud. But Meng argued that because the charges relate to U.S. sanctions on Iran and the operations of a Huawei subsidiary in that country, the lack of such sanctions in Canada meant she was not eligible for extradition as the alleged crime would not be one in Canada. Justice Holmes didnt see it that way and ruled the accusation is Meng lied to a bank to secure a loan and, if true, it is illegal regardless of the sanctions. The extradition case will now continue. Read more about: [May 27, 2020] KKR Appoints Nicholas Hyde as Managing Director to Lead Client Partner Group in Australia & New Zealand KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the appointment of Nicholas Hyde as a Managing Director to lead KKR's Client Partner Group in Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Hyde will be responsible for managing and expanding KKR's client relationships in Australia and New Zealand, raising capital for the Firm's private and public markets strategies, and leading new business development for the region. He will be based in Sydney and will work closely with members of KKR's senior team in Australia and the region, including Scott Bookmyer, Head of KKR Australia, and Diane Raposio, Head of KKR's Client and Partner Group in Asia Pacific and Head of KKR's regional Capital Markets business. Mr. Hyde brings nearly 30 years of experience to the Firm. He joins from IFM Investors in Sydney, where he was a Director responsible for leading new business development to institutional accounts in Australia, New Zealand and Asia across products spanning private equity, infrastructure, debt and alternatives. Prior to IFM Investors, he was a Managing Director of Institutional Business Development at Wellington Management in Sydney, and he previously held senior sales roles at investment banks including Deutsche Bank, Citi and JP Morgan (News - Alert) in London, New York and Sydney. Scott Bookmyer said, "We are pleased to welcome Nic to the team. He brings significant experience tha will help us further develop our business in Australia and New Zealand and strengthen our relationships with our valued investment partners. Nic's appointment reinforces our long-term commitment to the Australian market and he will play an important role in our continued efforts to build a multi-product, world-class platform across a diverse range of strategies in the region." Australia is an increasingly important market for KKR globally, and Mr. Hyde's appointment is the latest addition to KKR's Australia team across seniority levels and asset classes that include private equity, real estate, credit and infrastructure. Recent senior appointments include Ben Hall, Managing Director and Head of Credit for KKR Australia, and Andrew Jennings, a Director leading KKR's Infrastructure business in the market. KKR has been investing in the Australian market since 2006, and since then, has invested or committed more than A$9 billion of equity into high-caliber companies across asset classes. KKR's current Australian portfolio across asset classes includes, but is not limited to, Arnott's, Australian Venue Co., Findex, GenesisCare, Laser Clinics Australia, Latitude Financial Services, MYOB and Pepper Group. About KKR KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter (News - Alert) @KKR_Co. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200527005967/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Workers compensation provider Pie Insurance announced the closing of $127 million in new financing and capital commitments. Gallatin Point Capital joined the insurtechs current investors in the capital raise, including Greycroft, SVB Capital, Aspect Ventures, Elefund, and Sirius International Insurance Group. The company said the new financing includes $27 million to support the continued expansion of Pie Insurances offering to small business owners. The additional $100 million equity capital commitment will also support Pies strategic initiative to form and purchase licensed insurance companies. Pie was founded in 2017 to provide workers compensation insurance to small businesses, both directly through its website and also through independent insurance agents. Pie operates as a managing general agency for Sirius America Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Sirius Group. Insurtech Pie Launches TV Campaign in California for Workers Comp Insurtech Pie Insurance Eyes Slice of Workers Comp Market Pie plans to form an affiliated company, Pie Carrier Holdingsin which Gallatin Point Capital is the lead investorto create and purchase licensed insurance companies. Pie Carrier Holdings will own the licensed insurance companies that Pie will use to issue a portion of its insurance policies. The company said Sirius Group is also investing directly in Pie Carrier Holdings and will continue to issue insurance policies offered by Pie. Were impressed with the results Pie has achieved in such a short time period, said Matt Botein, co-founder and managing partner at Gallatin Point Capital. We welcomed the chance to contribute to their expansion strategy in a meaningful way. A year ago, Pie completed a $45 million Series B funding round. Participating investors included SVB Capital, Sirius Group, Greycroft, Moxley Holdings, Aspect Ventures, and Elefund. To date, Pie has raised $188 million. Pie says its written premium grew to nearly $19 million in the first quarter of 2020. Pie offers workers compensation coverage using an online quote tool in 34 states and the District of Columbia. The company said it will continue to expand across the nation to serve more small businesses, either directly or through their agents. Topics Mergers Carriers Workers' Compensation InsurTech Tech Talent Funding Debra A. Jensen, Managing Partner, has been selected to Super Lawyers in 2005, 2008 to 2010, 2014, and 2019 to 2020. She is a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. When her fellow partners unanimously elected her as managing partner in 1999, Debra became one of three women who were the top managing attorneys at Philadelphia law firms. In 2019, Debra was appointed as a Hearing Committee Member by The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Debra also serves on the Board of Directors of the Legal Clinic for the Disabled. Debra has achieved significant results for her clients in the area of medical malpractice, products liability, and personal injury. Richard M. Jurewicz, Senior Partner, has been selected to Super Lawyers each year since 2004. As a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, he holds more than 38 multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements, and primarily focuses on products liability, construction accident, and automobile cases. Richard is one of 100 Pennsylvania attorneys inducted into the Outstanding Lawyers of America, has been included in The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers of Pennsylvania, and is also listed in Best Lawyers in America. He is recognized by his adversaries as an extremely skilled trial attorney who tenaciously represents his clients rights. Richard also received an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating an attorney can receive. Arthur L. Bugay, Senior Partner, has been selected to Super Lawyers each year since 2010. He is AV-rated as an attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. As a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, Arthur primarily focuses on personal injury, employment law, construction accident litigation, and products liability matters. Arthur is an active volunteer for the indigent and has been honored with the Award for Outstanding Service by the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project. He is currently a Fellow of the Academy of Advocacy and serves on the Amicus Curiae Committee of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Exceptional Child Committee. Norman J. Weinstein, Of Counsel at Galfand Berger LLP, has been selected to Super Lawyers each year since 2005. As a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, Norman focuses his work in Workers Compensation and social security disability. In 2019, Norman received a Citation from City Council, City of Philadelphia for his dedication to advocating on behalf of injured workers and has been included on PhillyLabors Whos Who in Injury and Injured Workers Advocacy list. The Pennsylvania Bar Association has also recognized Norman for his pro bono services for the Support Center for Child Advocates and other organizations. Bradley Smith, Partner, has been selected to Rising Stars for the third consecutive year. During his time at Temple University Beasley School of Law, Bradley provided pro bono representation to indigent individuals by participating in the Advanced Family Law Clinic. Today, Bradley continues to assist immigrants in the naturalization process by providing pro bono services and is a staunch advocate for workers rights. Outside the courtroom, Bradley has published essays and articles regarding the legal rights of injured workers. Currently, Bradley serves as an Editor for the Pennsylvania Bar Association Civil Litigation Newsletter. The legal team at Galfand Berger LLP is dedicated to representing the needs of clients and providing support to the community through pro bono services and outreach. With offices in Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Reading, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, we serve clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including Allentown and Harrisburg. For more information, call 800-222-8792 or visit http://www.galfandberger.com. Bay League boys and girls basketball teams will play five league games and then there will be a tournament to determine seeding for CIF-Southern Section playoffs. The Bombay high court has directed the Maharashtra government to disclose whether testing facilities for detecting Covid-19 infections are available in every district of the state. A division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice KK Tated passed the order on Tuesday in response to a public interest litigation filed by a fisherman named Khalil Ahmad Hasanmiya Wasta, who complained about the lack of testing facilities in Ratnagiri district. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage The bench asked government pleader PP Kakade to furnish the information by Friday, when a hearing of the case is scheduled. Wasta, who hails from Rajiwada area in Ratnagiri district, approached the high court through advocate Rakesh Bhatkar, and sought a direction to authorities to establish a full-fledged Covid-19 testing facility, approved by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), on May 7. ICMR has approved a testing facility at BKL Walawalkar Rural Medical College at Ratnagiri. Wastas petition contended this facility is yet to become functional as it doesnt have a certificate issued by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. The petition further states the population of Ratnagiri is 16.15 lakh, and of the six hospitals in the district, two are reserved for treating Covid-19 patients. It states that initially there were only seven Covid-19 cases in the district, and by the end of April, two of the patients died and the others recovered. There were no Covid-19 patients at the beginning of May. The petition added that in the first week of May, authorities allowed local migration and granted passes to 44,531 people for entering Ratnagiri. At about the same time, about 30,000 people entered the district without permission, and as a result, 29,259 persons were kept in home quarantine till May 19 and 4,634 swabs were to be sent for testing, the petition said. Of these swabs, 92 were found to be positive for the Coronavirus and the result of 426 tests is pending. The 58-year-old fishermans petition stated the swabs are required to be sent for testing at Miraj in Single district 178 km from Ratnagiri and 237 km from Dappli, the end point of the district. It added that after the virus spread rapidly in different parts of Maharashtra, the testing facility at Miraj refused to accept swabs from Ratnagiri as it was overburdened. Thereafter, the district collector instructed medical teams in the district on May 15 not to collect swabs of all migrant workers for testing. Against this backdrop, Wasta asked the court to direct state authorities to make the testing facility at Ratnagiri functional at the earliest, as any delay in testing would be dangerous to human life. SAN FRANCISCO:In a lawsuit filed against Google, the US state of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has alleged that the search engine giant violated privacy of Android users by tracking their location without their proper consent, The Washington Post reported. For certain features, like weather and Chrome browser, Google allowed location tracking to run in the background despite users switching off app-specific location tracking, the suit alleged. "At some point, people or companies that have a lot of money think they can do whatever the hell they want to do, and feel like they are above the law, " Brnovich was quoted as saying by The Post in an interview reported on Wednesday. "I wanted Google to get the message that Arizona has a state consumer fraud act. They may be the most innovative company in the world, but that doesn't mean they're above the law." The Arizona Attorney General wants Google to pay back the residents profits the company might have earned from monetizing their data. "The Attorney General and the contingency fee lawyers filing this lawsuit appear to have mischaracterized our services, " a Google spokesperson told The Verge. "We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data. We look forward to setting the record straight, " the spokesperson added. Technology giants, including Google, have faced allegations of user privacy violations on many occasions, prompting politicians in the US to talk of stricter regulations and even breaking up "Big Tech". Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. The Air Force is planning to transform airlift planes to hold a massive number of explosives, to transform these humble airlifters into potent weapons platforms. Making a cargo plane into some potent weapons platforms is low cost, without a need for expensive modification by using it as a weapon truck that carries ordnance and munitions. It will find targets and drop it to give the enemy a strong blast, reported in Defense News. Air frames to be used for this conversion will be the C-130J Super Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III for the generous space wherein can hold more enough ordnance to make a big impression and airdropping munitions in a massive way. Palletized munitions According to Maj. Gen. Clint Hinote, there have been two tests that worked with palletized munitions that were dropped from a C-130 and C-17, testing suitable the Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability cell on the planes. Last May 27, those concerned with the project were at an event in the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Hinote added that all the particulars about designing the prototype and deployment were in discussions. How do Palletized munitions work? According to The Drive, the weapon is a collection of munitions which is attached to what is a small pallet that direct all the contents in the pallet with tracking information to guide them to the target. All the releasing and targeting info are done by the smart pallet. All the air-lifter has to do is release the smart pallet, the plane gets out while the pallet weapon will attack from a distance. Also read: Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt Will Be Putting China in Place as It Blatantly Harass US Assets Hinote said this is maximizing how much can be brought to bear on the target which is better since it can hit a lot with a long-range attack that hits hard. He added that more bombers might be needed, but there are better ways to deliver more packages. Deploying air-lifter provide more cost-effective solutions that packs more punch than relying on traditional methods. Palletized Munitions Demo On Jan.28, a demo was done to show how the technology works using an MC-130J that dropped three of the simulated palletized munitions on the Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. According to the Air Force Research Laboratory, the packaged munitions were placed in Combat Expendable Platforms (CEPs) which release through a roller system mention in a May 27 report. Aircrews released at about five of the CEPs with mock munitions that were as heavy with four Cargo Launch Expendable Air Vehicles and Extended Range (CLEAVERs) that were dropped in several altitudes to test the equipment, as described in Breaking Defense. The weapon packages were able to destroy stationary and moving targets. Designers of the palletized munitions want to get more sophisticated simulated munitions and finally weapon platforms that includes a warhead and terminal self-propelled system. One question is what asset the Air Force will control and if will it be an attack jet or a bomber. Hinote added,"Some kind of extremely streamlined command and control is going to be necessary, or else you must have an integrator somewhere." He also mentioned that the air force is not too keen on using palletized munitions that makes it twice as harder to get the technology. He said that is not that hard to develop the advanced pallet based weapons. The concept of using airlift planes as cheap platforms and weapons trucks will be something to watch out for. Related article: Naval Star Wars: US Navy Demo High Tech Drone Busting First Ever Working Laser @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. OTTAWAThe COVID-19 cluster that has forced New Brunswick to roll back some reopening measures is an example of the caution needed as jurisdictions across the country ease restrictions, Canadas top doctor said Thursday. The provincial legislature abruptly adjourned a day after officials confirmed a health-care worker who had travelled outside New Brunswick had infected at least two other people in the Campbellton area upon return. Premier Blaine Higgs has said the health-care worker was in contact with multiple patients over a two-week period after returning to the province without self-isolating. The news means the Campbellton area, near the border with Quebec, will now have to return to tighter restrictions on physical distancing. On Thursday, Canadas chief public health officer, Theresa Tam, said the New Brunswick case shows public health officials across the country are taking a cautious approach to reopening. I think there has always been the message in different jurisdictions that theres a flexibility in the public health system to reinstate or pull back on some of the measures as they see fit, based on their own epidemiological context, so I think that is what you are seeing in New Brunswick at this point, she said. Meanwhile, Ontario also experienced a small setback as it reported 383 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, after several consecutive days of fewer than 300 new cases. It brings the provincial total to 26,866, an increase of 1.4 per cent over the previous day. The number of tests reported also jumped to 17,615, from 15,133 the previous day. Tam said that while much of Canada has flattened the curve of novel coronavirus infections, there are still a significant number of cases in vulnerable settings such as long-term care homes, as well as parts of Ontario and Quebec. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not hold his usual COVID-19 news conference, as he co-hosted a major United Nations conference and prepared for a Thursday evening first ministers meeting. Canada is competing for one of two non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council next month, and Trudeau is running on a platform of trying to help rebuild the post-pandemic world. And for the global economy to recover, and for our domestic economies to bounce back, we need a global, co-ordinated plan, Trudeau said in a prepared text of his opening remarks. Our citizens need to have confidence in international institutions that leave no one behind and are capable of overcoming global challenges. Trudeau is co-hosting the four-hour virtual conference, which was expected to include 50 heads of state and government, including Germanys Angela Merkel and Frances Emmanuel Macron, along with representatives of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the private sector. Later Thursday, Trudeau will face a challenging meeting with the countrys premiers as he broaches two topics that fall squarely within provincial jurisdiction: the operation of long-term care homes and paid sick leave for workers. The issues are expected to be front and centre when he conducts his eleventh first ministers conference call. The prime minister has promised federal support in both areas but his offer has met with a mixed reaction from provincial and territorial leaders. Quebec Premier Francois Legault appeared lukewarm about Trudeaus promise to ensure 10 days of paid sick leave for workers who fall ill with COVID-19 or are required to go into quarantine after exposure. Legault said Wednesday there was a very negative reaction from the corporate side, to the proposal. Well, obviously, there is a question there that isnt clear: Who will pay? he said. On long-term care homes, Legault came close to suggesting the feds should butt out, apart from sending the provinces more money for health care in general which they could then spend as they see fit. At the outset of the pandemic, the federal government did increase those transfers by $500 million. In contrast to Legault, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, has been effusive in his thanks for the offer of federal help. The prime minister offered his full support and I am grateful for the prime ministers commitment to working with us to solve this problem because we need their help if were going to fix this broken system, he said Tuesday. Ford too is calling for more federal funding but hes gone beyond that. As far as hes concerned, everything is on the table, including integrating long-term care homes into the public health system, which is delivered by the provinces but under the national principles of the Canada Health Act. Trudeau was careful Wednesday not to wade into the debate over national standards or bringing long-term care homes under the auspices of the Canada Health Act. He repeatedly stressed that the federal government will respect provincial jurisdiction as it embarks on discussion with the premiers. With files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax and Joan Bryden in Ottawa Read more about: Press release Stockholm 28 May 2020 The Annual General Meeting in Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB will be held on 29 June 2020. In order to counteract the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19, the Board of Directors of the Bank has decided that the Annual General Meeting should be conducted without the physical presence of shareholders, representatives or third parties and that the shareholders before the meeting should be able to exercise their voting rights by post. Shareholders will have an opportunity to ask questions to the board and management in advance. SEB has a strong liquidity position and a solid capital buffer and is now fully using that strength to support its customers and thereby society at large in these challenging times. As previously communicated, SEB's Board of Directors has evaluated the dividend proposal for 2019. The board recognises the importance of the dividend to many of the bank's shareholders. However, in light of the current situation, an uncertain outlook and the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on the economy, the board has decided to propose to the annual general meeting that no dividend payment shall be made at this point in time. Depending on how the situation develops, the board may assess a dividend payment later this year and if deemed appropriate, convene an Extraordinary General Meeting and present a proposal for dividend. The Nomination Committee proposes re-election of Signhild Arnegard Hansen, Anne-Catherine Berner, Samir Brikho, Winnie Fok, Sven Nyman, Lars Ottersgard, Jesper Ovesen, Helena Saxon, Johan Torgeby and Marcus Wallenberg. Johan H Andresen has informed that he is not available for re-election. The compensation to the Directors of the Board is proposed to be unchanged. The notice and the Nomination Committee's and the Board of Directors' complete proposed resolutions are available on www.sebgroup.com and at the Bank's Head Office, Kungstradgardsgatan 8 in Stockholm. The notice will be published in Post- och Inrikes Tidningar on 29 May 2020. An announcement of the notice will be published in the Swedish newspapers Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet and Dagens Industri on 29 May 2020. Enclosure: Notice to the Annual General Meeting in Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB 2020 For further information, please contact Christoffer Geijer, Head of Investor Relations +46(0)8 763 8319 christoffer.geijer@seb.se (mailto:christoffer.geijer@seb.se) Press contact Frank Hojem, Head of Corporate Communication +46(0)8 763 9947 frank.hojem@seb.se (mailto:frank.hojem@seb.se) This is information that Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ.) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 6.30 pm CET, on 28 May 2020. SEB is a leading Nordic financial services group with a strong belief that entrepreneurial minds and innovative companies are key in creating a better world. SEB takes a long term perspective and supports its customers in good times and bad. In Sweden and the Baltic countries, SEB offers financial advice and a wide range of financial services. In Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany and the United Kingdom, the bank's operations have a strong focus on corporate and investment banking based on a full-service offering to corporate and institutional clients. The international nature of SEB's business is reflected in its presence in some 20 countries worldwide. On March 31, 2020, the Group's total assets amounted to SEK 3,286 billion while its assets under management totalled SEK 1,758 billion. The Group has around 15,000 employees. Read more about SEB at https://www.sebgroup.com . Attachments Thiruvananthapuram, May 28 : A row is in the offing over the new Vice-Chancellor of the Calicut University as Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan delayed his nod, blocking the chances of the ruling Left government's favourite candidate. The selection panel, comprising State Planning Board vice-chairman V.K. Ramachandran, Chief Secretary Tom Jose and UGC representative M. Jagdeesh Kumar, had short-listed professor at M.G. University K.M. Seethi and Central Tuber Crops Research Institute Principal Scientist C.A. Jayprakash. While Ramachandran and Jose backed Seethi, Kumar preferred Jayprakash. Kerala Minister for Higher Education K.T. Jaleel had informed the Governor that the state government preferred Seethi. According to sources, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also informed the Governor about his preference. But Khan took his time and Seethi reached his superannuation as a professor. During its virtual monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 26, the Katy Independent School District Board of Trustees appointed two new principals: Stephanie McElroy at Bear Creek Elementary and Shannon Smith at Shafer Elementary. McElroy began teaching in 1998 in Katy ISD. She started in fifth grade reading. McElroy moved to Sealy Independent School District in 2006 as a high school assistant principal at Selman Intermediate School. Not long after, she was promoted to principal. Top hits: Get Houston Chronicle stories sent directly to your inbox Beginning in 2009, McElroy became the associate principal of curriculum and development at Sartartia Middle School in the Fort Bend School District. She started as the principal at Navarro Middle School in the Lamar Consolidated School District in 2015. With 22 years in education, I have served a variety of communities, all very unique and diverse, said McElroy. My passion and love for educating children drives every decision I make to be in the best interest of children. She said she strives to build community and teams that offer a school that is nourishing. She added that a mix of high expectations and compassion has helped her schools be successful. The thought of leading at Bear Creek excites her, she said, because she will get to come back to Katy ISD, where her teaching career began. Katy is a special place, full of talented people, which will allow me to grow in my career. I am very excited to join the rich 40-year tradition at Bear Creek Elementary. A legacy that rich is special and creates a bond in a community, which is generational, McElroy explained. McElroy holds a bachelors degree from Sam Houston State University and a masters degree from the University of Houston in Clear Lake. Morning Report: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox Smith started teaching in 2005 at Berry Middle School in Mesquite. She took on the role of testing coordinator there in 2009. In 2010, she became the assistant principal at Sherman High School in Sherman, where she worked until 2012. That year, Smith moved to Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District and began teaching again. She came to Katy ISD in 2015 as assistant principal at Exley Elementary. In 2018, she took on the role of assistant principal at Taylor High School. Smith believes working at the elementary, junior high and high school levels has equipped her well for the new position. Each of these experiences has provided opportunities to learn and grow, build relationships and work in all areas of the school, said Smith. From those opportunities, Ive gained knowledge and wisdom that have prepared me for the next step. Excited to get to know the Shafer community and the school family, she said she has heard a lot of positive things about its staff and teachers. She is certain the year ahead will be a great one. Asked about the difficult spring semester and her hopes for the fall, she explained that she looks forward to getting the students back into a familiar and normal place at Shafer. I am hoping we will be able to welcome students back into the building, allowing teaching and learning to happen, authentically, in the classroom. I know everyone is searching for a sense of normalcy, and that is something I hope schools will be able to offer to students very soon, she said. Smith holds a bachelors degree from Texas Tech University and a masters degree from Texas A&M Commerce. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan has called for sources of severe air pollution to be identified a soon as possible. Air pollution is becoming more and more serious. Nhan was speaking at a conference on pollution management and improving air quality in big cities yesterday in Hanoi. Experts from the Vietnam Environment Administration said that air pollution was more critical in big cities such as Hanoi and HCM City. The air quality index (AQI) in different localities often exceeds safe levels that can be harmful to human health, especially fine dust known as PM2.5, single particles which have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres. From September to December last year, AQI in many places exceeded even 300 the most harmful level for peoples health. From February 14 to 21 this year, PM2.5 levels continued to increase, sometimes surpassing norms by three times. To improve air quality and ensure community health, Deputy Minister Nhan asked for improvements to forecasting, measurement and the use of official date sources to supply correct information to the public via multimedia. The main reason for air pollution was exhaust fumes from vehicles, so Hanoi, HCM City and other big cities were at high risk and should conduct research and then propose plans to limit the number of vehicles, said Nhan. Big cities should also develop public transport and take old vehicles off the road. More trees should also be planted and water should be sprayed along main streets, especially during dry weather. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is responsible for completing regulations and laws on environmental protection. Clauses related to air protection, air supervision and assessment should be added to the amended Law on Environment Protection, which should be completed this year. The ministry should also promulgate technological norms about exhaust fumes and air quality which are in accordance with other developed countries. The Ministry of Transport should build a strategy to develop environmentally friendly public transport, while construction sites in urban areas take measures to limit dust and punish projects that do not. The Ministry of Industry and Trade needs to instruct the use of natural resources properly, and protect the environment from industrial production and trade. Projects and plants which were likely to cause environmental pollution such as coal, petroleum, chemicals, steel, fertiliser and mining should be put under close supervision. The Ministry of Construction should promulgate a circular about environmental protection in construction work, and regularly check construction sites. VNS Air pollution a top concern for big cities in Vietnam At 7 am on November 6, air monitoring systems in Hanoi all reported that air quality was at the purple and red levels, or very harmful and harmful levels, respectively, to human health. A Chinese survey team on Wednesday reached Mount Everest through Tibet to remeasure the exact height of the world's tallest mountain. According to China's measurement, the height of Mount Everest is 8844.43 meters which is four meters less than Nepal's calculations, the state media reported. On May 1, China, which differs with Nepal over the height of Mount Everest, began a new survey to measure the altitude of the world's highest peak. The event marked a crucial step in China's mission to remeasure the height of the world's highest peak, which scientists believe will enhance human knowledge of nature and help boost scientific development, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. After summiting, team members began erecting a survey marker on the snow-covered peak, which measures less than 20 square meters, the report said. Chinese surveyors have conducted six rounds of scaled measurement and scientific research on Mt Everest and released the height of the peak twice in 1975 and 2005, which was 8,848.13 meters and 8,844.43 meters respectively, the report said. In Tibetan language, Mount Everest is known as Mount Qomolangma. "The changes of Mount Qomolangma are of key significance to the global studies of geology and ecology, and have a major impact on people's lives," said Chen Gang, an engineer with the Ministry of Natural Resources. Mount Everest is located in the collision and compression zone between the edges of the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate, where crustal movement is very active. "Accurately measuring the height of Mount Qomolangma is helpful to the study of the elevation changes of the Himalayas and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau," Gao Dengyi, an atmospheric physicist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences said. The team members remained at the summit for two and a half hours, a new record for Chinese climbers. China and Nepal settled their border dispute in 1961 with the boundary line passing through the summit of Mount Everest. More and more international climbers are reportedly using the Tibetan side of Mount Everest as China has improved infrastructure facilities compared to that of Nepal. China which closed Qomolangma National Park in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region as a precaution following the coronavirus outbreak reopened it on May 1 coinciding with May Day holidays. Nepal closed all of its Himalayan peaks including Mount Everest in March in view of the coronavirus outbreak. Chinese tech firm Huawei is working with China Mobile to build two 5G stations on Mount Everest. The stations are expected to cover the summit of the mountain. The two installations will be the world's highest terrestrial 5G base stations, Global Times reported on May 1. "The 6,500-meter-high point will likely be the highest place where Huawei is able to build a 5G station, but whether the signal can extend as high as the summit at 8,848 meters still needs to be tested. We are striving to make that happen," Zhang Bo, Huawei project manager said. Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Delhi's NDMC building sealed for 2 days; country's COVID-19 cases at 1.58 lakh Also read: India-China standoff: Donald Trump offers to mediate 'raging dispute' As we face tragedy, devastating economic turmoil and dislocation, public libraries will play a key part in the recovery of our country, cities and lives. Libraries offer all people regardless of background or circumstance free access to the tools and knowledge they need to open doors of opportunity and be productive members of society. To remain true to their mission, all libraries must undergo radical change. To serve the public in the face of unprecedented challenges, libraries will need to transition their services to the virtual space and explore new avenues to serve the public and bring people together, even while we are apart. Since the New York Public Library has invested for years in digital offerings, we have been able to quickly transition and expand a wide variety of online services. Our goal has been to replicate, as best we can, the unique experience of being in a library while at home. We offer online story times, tutoring and other educational tools for parents coping with remote learning, virtual book clubs, author talks, a book discussion podcast, virtual consultations with reference librarians, interactive online book recommendations and small business and job search webinars that have attracted thousands of participants. We worked with vendors to provide at-home access to research databases, made available thousands of special collections and improved access to hundreds of thousands of free e-books to browse and borrow instantly via our e-reader. And that is only scratching the surface. So far, our necessary experiment is going well. We have seen an 864 percent increase in digital library card sign-ups in our e-reader app SimplyE since our temporary closing began, and an approximate 200 percent increase in new users across all e-reading platforms. We have also seen a 236 percent increase in views of our educational resources. This experience has made it clear to us that libraries must invest or continue to invest in digital and virtual technologies and expertise. There is so much more we can do. Every library should aspire to provide the broadest possible digital access to all books and the worlds accumulated knowledge, not just the snippets now available on the web. The digital public library is a piece of necessary public infrastructure that must be built with the same care, collaboration, and adherence to values including privacy that we have used to build and run our branches. Singapore-based fintech startup GoBear has raised $17 million from returning investors Walvis Participaties, a Dutch venture capital firm, and Aegon N.V., a life insurance and asset management provider. The funding brings GoBears total funding so far to $97 million, and will be used to expand its consumer financial services platform, which is available in seven Asian markets: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Founder and CEO Adrian Chng told TechCrunch that GoBear will focus on what it calls its "three growth pillars": an online financial supermarket that evolved from the companys financial products aggregator/comparison service; an online insurance brokerage; and its digital lending business, which it recently expanded by acquiring consumer lending platform AsiaKredit. The company has also added three new executives over the past few months: chief information technology officer Valeriy Gasratov; chief strategy officer Jinnee Lim as Chief Strategy Officer; and Mike Singh from AsiaKredit as its new chief lending officer. GoBear originally launched in 2015 as a metasearch engine before transitioning into financial services. The company now works with over 100 financial partners, including banks and insurance providers, and says its platform has been used by over 55 million people to search for more than 2,000 personal financial products. The startup serves consumers who dont have credit cards or other access to traditional credit building tools. Similar to other fintech companies that focus on underbanked populations, GoBear aggregates and analyzes alternative sources of data to judge lending risk, including patterns in consumer behavior. For example, Chng said if a loan application is filled out in less than a minute, it is more likely to be fraudulent, and applications made between 8:30 p.m. and midnight are less risky than ones made between 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. Data points from smartphones are also used to assess creditworthiness in markets like the Philippines, where the credit card penetration rate is less than 10%, but more than 40% of the population uses a smartphone. Story continues Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Chng said GoBear has been gross margin positive since the end of 2019. Interest in travel insurance has declined, but the company has continued to see demand for other insurance products and lending. Its online insurance brokerage has grown its average order by 52% over the last three months, and the company has seen 50% year-over-year growth from its loan products. There are other fintech companies in Asia that overlap with some of the services that GoBear offers, like comparison platform MoneySmart, CompareAsiaGroup and Grab Financial Group. In terms of competition, Chng told TechCrunch that not only is the market opportunity in Asia huge (he said there are 300 million underbanked people across GoBears seven markets), but the company also differentiates with its three core services, which are all interconnected and draw on the same data sources to score credit. Chng anticipates that the pandemic will spur more financial institutions to begin digitizing their products and looking for partners like GoBear to help them manage risk. In turn, that will make more financial institutions open to using nontraditional data to score credit, enabling underbanked markets to have increased access to financial products. "The momentum is here. I think now is the time for tech and data to transform financial services," he said. "As a platform, we are really looking for partners to come with us for the next phase of growth and investment. I feel positive even with COVID-19, because I think that we will have more acceleration, and the opportunity to change peoples lives and benefit them and investors by solving tough problems will only increase." A man who imported cocaine into Australia to pay for his cancer treatment has been jailed for seven years after the drugs were discovered inside packages containing children's books. Luiz Diego Mouzinho De Lima, 31, agreed to accept two packages of cocaine, which were sent to his address at Vaucluse in Sydney's east in mid-2019 under a fictitious name. Luiz Diego Mouzinho De Lima, pictured in 2019, has been jailed for importing cocaine into Australia in children's books. Credit:NSW Police Media The Brazilian national was to be paid $5000 for each parcel and said he believed they would only contain a "small amount" of the drug. Each package had more than 700 grams of the powder, with the pure cocaine itself weighing a total of 904.3 grams. The packages, sent from Portugal in April last year, were intercepted by Australian authorities who "detected anomalies" and x-rayed the items. The drugs were discovered inside children's books with Portuguese titles including, When I Was a Baby, Stories to Fall Asleep and Princess Stories. Major airlines on both sides of the Atlantic are cutting even more jobs as they struggle to cope with a plunge in air travel that will leave the airline industry much smaller than it was before the coronavirus pandemic and economic collapse. EasyJet said Thursday that it will cut up to one-third of its 15,000 employees. The London-based budget airlines CEO said he had no choice. We do it to make sure that easyJet not only survives through this period, but also comes out of this as a strong and competitive company, Johan Lundgren said. This is still the worst crisis that this industry has ever been faced with. Theres a huge amount of uncertainty going forward. American Airlines, meanwhile, plans to cut its 17,000 management and support staff by 30 per cent about 5,100 jobs. That could include layoffs in October if there arent enough takers for a buyout offer. Executive vice-president Elise Eberwein said in a memo to employees that nearly 39,000 other employees have signed up for partially paid leave or early retirement, and the airline is extending a buyout offer to administrative staff. Laid-off workers will be paid through Sept. 30 to comply with a no-furloughs provision attached to $5.8 billion in government aid that American is getting to help cover payroll costs. Delta Air Lines said Thursday that it will extend early-retirement and buyout offers in a bid to limit layoffs in the fall. About 40,000 of Deltas 91,000 employees have already agreed to take unpaid leave. While we never dreamed just a few months ago that we would be talking about a smaller Delta this was expected to be a year of growth, after all this is the reality were facing, CEO Ed Bastian said in a memo to employees. Its not just airlines. Boeing announced that it will eliminate about 13,000 jobs worldwide, including sending layoff notices this week to 6,770 U.S. employees, because of falling demand for new planes. Airlines are reporting a slight increase in passengers since mid-April, when the number of flyers fell to under 100,000 a day in the U.S., a level not seen since the 1950s. But the carriers are bracing for a slow recovery it will take time for many people to feel safe from the virus while flying. It will likely be two to three years before we see demand recovery on a large scale, Bastian said. Around the world, airlines have grounded about 15,000 jets more than half the global fleet and pressed some planes into cargo duty to bring in revenue. They have cut back to bare-bones schedules to reduce costs and match the small number of people who are still flying. In some case, those moves have not been enough. Several major airlines have filed for bankruptcy protection, including the two largest carriers in Latin America, Latam and Avianca. They are continuing to fly while hoping to reorganize their finances and shed debt. The Latin American carriers have not received government aid to prop them up. Major airlines in Europe and the United States are on better footing after receiving promises of billions in assistance. If the pandemic rages on and air travel remains severely depressed this fall, however, there are no guarantees, even for the strongest airlines. In the United States, bankruptcy speculation has swirled around American Airlines, which has the most debt and the shortest time to wait for a travel recovery, given its faster rate of burning through remaining cash. CEO Doug Parker tried to quash the chatter. Ive heard people say that, Parker said during an investor conference. We dont look at (a bankruptcy filing) as an option, thats failure. Parker predicted that every U.S. airline will survive but the industry will emerge 10- to 20-per-cent smaller in 2021 than it was before the pandemic. The airlines troubles are creating ripples through the aviation industry, at aircraft makers Boeing and Airbus and their suppliers. General Electric Co. is cutting jobs in its aircraft-engine business. So is Spirit AeroSystems, which makes fuselages and other components. Unions representing workers in aviation fear that companies are using the emergency to shed employees unnecessarily. Some, like Brian Strutton, general secretary of Balpa, the British pilots union, said he was shocked by the scale of cuts announced at easyJet. Given easyJet is a British company, the U.K. is its strongest market and it has had hundreds of millions in support from the U.K. taxpayer, I can safely say that we will need a lot of convincing that easyJet needs to make such dramatic cuts, Strutton said. He called the downturn a temporary problem that doesnt require massive job losses. Airlines are looking for governments to help not only with financial aid but to take steps that might encourage more people to fly. U.S. airlines want the government to screen passengers for fever, although some public health officials question temperature readings as a reliable indicator of whether someone is infected with coronavirus. EasyJets Lundgren sharply criticized the U.K. governments move to begin requiring a 14-day quarantine period for international visitors. How do you explain to British people that well see Germans and other European nationalities going to holidays in Greece and parts of Spain where theres less risk of being infected than in places in the U.K., he said. Theres no mayor in any big city that has the diversity that we have here in Chicago who cant be thinking every single day, watching whats happening in Minneapolis, this could be me, this could be our city, this could be us going through this incredibly challenging time, Lightfoot said. To watch the entirety of that video and to see the life leave another human being on the ground, begging ... for his life, say he cant breathe, getting no relief and just then seeing when the paramedics came how callously they treated him, almost like he was a piece of meat, it sickened me. And I want to make sure that something like that doesnt happen in our city. "This is truly a pivotal moment in the healthcare industry," said Wright Lassiter III, president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System. "The COVID-19 pandemic has created both extraordinary challenges and unprecedented opportunities for leaders like Henry Ford to accelerate transformation and increase access to care. A trusted and experienced strategic advisor, Carladenise brings a demonstrated ability to help organizations achieve the kind of optimal growth and performance that really enables them to better serve their customers." "I'm honored to become part of an internationally renowned, mission driven organization like Henry Ford, especially at a time when our communities need us the most," said Edwards. "Being part of a team with a shared vision to harness technology, innovation and scientific advancements to create clinical and economic value in a way that makes a tangible difference in the health of the community especially our most vulnerable populations is exciting and quite humbling." Edwards comes to Henry Ford from Providence St. Joseph Health, a $24 billion Catholic health system headquartered in Renton, WA, where she serves as executive vice president and chief strategy officer. Previously, she served as chief administrative officer for Providence Health & Services' Population Health division and was instrumental in the 2016 merger with St. Joseph Health. She spearheaded integration and alignment efforts and built the payer and provider contracting division before being promoted to lead strategy for the newly formed organization comprising 51 hospitals and 800+ clinics across seven states. Additionally, Edwards was chief strategy officer for Alameda Health System in Oakland, CA, where she served alongside Lassiter when he was CEO of the $850 million public hospital system. An expert in the intersection between healthcare and technology, Edwards also held leadership roles including founding president and CEO of a nonprofit corporation, which governed California's electronic Health Information Exchange and interim commissioner, chief of staff and state health information technology coordinator for Georgia's Department of Community Health. She also advised multiple healthcare, technology and nonprofit clients as principal advisor and CEO with a Florida based consulting firm. Rooted in a strong commitment to service, Edwards has served on several boards, including University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing, Seattle-based College Success Foundation and Heluna Health, a not-for-profit population health company headquartered in California. She has a Ph.D. in Medical Sociology from the University of Florida. She earned her master's degree in Education and Psychological Services and bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. About Henry Ford Health System Under the leadership of President and CEO Wright L. Lassiter, III, Henry Ford Health System is a $6.5 billion integrated health system comprised of six hospitals, a health plan, and 250+ sites including medical centers, walk-in and urgent care clinics, pharmacy, eye care facilities and other healthcare retail. Established in 1915 by auto industry pioneer Henry Ford, the health system has more than 33,000 employees and remains home to the 1,900-member Henry Ford Medical Group, one of the nation's oldest physician groups. An additional 2,200 physicians are also affiliated through the Henry Ford Physician Network. Henry Ford is also one of the region's major academic medical centers, receiving nearly $100 million in annual research funding and remaining among Michigan's largest NIH-funded institutions. Also an active participant in medical education and training, the health system has trained nearly 40% of physicians currently practicing in the state and also provides education and training for other health professionals including nurses, pharmacists, radiology and respiratory technicians. For more information, visit henryford.com. SOURCE Henry Ford Health System Related Links https://www.henryford.com [May 28, 2020] Synack's $52 Million Investment Fuels Future of Remote Security Testing from World's Elite Hackers Synack, Inc. ("Synack") today announced that it raised $52 million in Series D funding to transform security testing through its crowdsourced platform powered by the world's most skilled ethical hackers who work with proprietary Synack technology to accelerate the hunt for critical software vulnerabilities. New investors B Capital Group and C5 Capital co-led the round, bringing total funding to $112.1 million. Previous investors GGV Capital, GV (formerly Google Ventures), Hewlett Packard Enterprise ("HPE"), Icon Ventures, Intel (News - Alert) Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Microsoft's venture fund M12 and Singtel Innov8 (the corporate venture arm of the Singtel Group) also participated in the round. In 2013, Synack set out to leverage the best cybersecurity talent so organizations could swiftly discover critical vulnerabilities that left them dangerously at risk. Today, more than 1,500 of the world's most skilled ethical hackers from 82 countries are active members of the Synack Red Team ("SRT"). Synack augments their talents with continuous security monitoring technology that utilizes machine learning and AI to quickly and more efficiently root out vulnerabilities. Global 2000 companies - the world's leading banks, retailers and healthcare companies representing over $1 trillion in assets - as well as major federal government agencies such as the Department of Defense (and the "Hack the Pentagon" program) and cutting-edge defense and aerospace companies such as General Dynamics (News - Alert) Information Technology ("GDIT") already trust some of their most critical assets to Synack. "GDIT upholds a continuous cyber commitment to our customers," said GDIT Chief Information Security Officer Michael Baker. "It's a core part of our mission to ensure the cyber protection for today while anticipating the threats of tomorrow. During today's remote working environment, crowdsourced security has enabled us to continuously operate in a distributed model with confidence." This $52 million funding round will allow Synack to invest even more in the SRT community, further advance its SmartScan technology that continuously monitors for vulnerabilities and enhance data analytics and research to demonstrate the value of Synack's hacker-driven approach. Additionally, Synack will use the money to: Expand internationally. Organizations throughout the U.S., Europe and in parts of the Middle East and Asia have already adopted Synack's platform. Now, Synack will expand its international reach by forging new relationships with businesses and agencies in critical need of advanced, continuous vulnerability testing. Much of this will be done through Synack's expanding global partner network. Synack will also extend its offering beyond the Global 2000 to accommodate medium sized and smaller enterprises. Organizations throughout the U.S., Europe and in parts of the Middle East and Asia have already adopted Synack's platform. Now, Synack will expand its international reach by forging new relationships with businesses and agencies in critical need of advanced, continuous vulnerability testing. Much of this will be done through Synack's expanding global partner network. Synack will also extend its offering beyond the Global 2000 to accommodate medium sized and smaller enterprises. Continue innovating. Synack will invest in its core products that combine hacker talent with AI and machine learning to find and fix exploitable vulnerabilities at scale. Synack will invest in its core products that combine hacker talent with AI and machine learning to find and fix exploitable vulnerabilities at scale. Improve security for everyone. The investment will give Synack greater flexibility to invest in new products and offerings that can expand its crowdsourced cybersecurity model at a critical time when all organizations are relying on an increasingly remote workforce. "For years, remote work has become more and more desirable. Now, it's essential. Companies of all sizes are leaning on the platforms and services that enable a more nimble, dspersed workforce," said Synack CEO Jay Kaplan. "The only way to guarantee trust and control in cybersecurity used to be through on-site work. That's simply no longer the case. Synack can maintain trust and visibility all while giving customers access to an army of the most talented ethical hackers to defend against today's relentless cyberattacks. Over the past seven years, we've proven this model has kept critical organizations safe." Premier investors B Capital Group and C5 Capital will partner with Synack to add value through its next stages of growth. As a global investor specializing in growth-stage firms, B Capital Group provides hands-on support in areas such as business development, operations, talent management and capital formation through a dedicated in-house team and a strategic partnership with The Boston Consulting Group. "Synack offers a market-leading and unique augmented intelligence cybersecurity platform to secure mission-critical applications for some of the world's largest banks, retailers, technology vendors, and federal agencies," said Rashmi Gopinath, General Partner at B Capital Group. "The remote, crowdsourced model is incredibly vital for organizations to fast track security testing especially in the current environment. Synack's approach will become the default way for all organizations - regardless of their size - to test vulnerable digital assets. I am really excited to back the Synack team for a second time through B Capital." C5 Capital is a leading investor specializing in technologies that can establish a more secure digital future. They recognized the critical role Synack plays in solving the cybersecurity talent gap, which has become glaringly apparent during the current health crisis. Throughout this period, the SRT was a collective force for good, working to secure Covid-19 related apps from key government agencies. In March, when the initial stay-at-home orders took effect in the U.S., the SRT spent 70 percent more time hunting for vulnerabilities and found 250 percent more flaws than the same period last year. "This is a model that can resolve the widening cybersecurity skills gap," said William Kilmer, managing partner of C5 Capital, "The combination of crowdsourced penetration testing with hackers from more than 80 different countries and insights from artificial intelligence enables sustainable security at scale, giving organizations the ability to take advantage of the world's best ethical hackers to protect critical information and customer data. We believe this powerful combination has the potential to solve many current and future cybersecurity issues." For more information about how Synack helps organizations defend themselves against cyberattacks, how the crowdsourced cybersecurity model works or what it's like for the ethical hackers working on the platform, please visit www.synack.com. About Synack Synack is the most trusted crowdsourced security platform on the market continuously protecting organizations with unparalleled ethical hacker talent and proprietary scanning technology. More than 1,500 of the world's best security researchers from 82 countries are part of the Synack Red Team community that hunts for critical vulnerabilities. Their smarts combined with Synack's powerful software safeguards leading global banks, federal agencies, DoD sensitive assets, and close to $1 trillion in Global 2000 revenue. A 4-time CNBC Disruptor 50 company, Synack was founded in 2013 by former NSA security experts Jay Kaplan, CEO, and Dr. Mark Kuhr, CTO. The company is located in Silicon Valley with regional offices around the world. About B Capital Group B Capital Group is a global firm specializing in equity investing in venture and growth-stage companies that have achieved traction with customers. Through our extensive global network and exclusive partnership with The Boston Consulting Group, B Capital helps high growth startups navigate business challenges, raise capital and attract talented leadership at key points of their journeys to scale. With offices in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore, B Capital believes innovation can come from anywhere. Our unique multinational presence and deep industry knowledge have enabled us to build a portfolio of startups in Enterprise application software, Infrastructure, Security and AI/ML, Fintech and Insurtech and HealthcareTech and Bio IT that are transforming large traditional industries across borders and geographies. Portfolio companies include AImotive, Atomwise, Blackbuck, Bounce, Bright.md, CXA, Evidation Health, Icertis, INTURN, Plastiq, Ninja Van, Notable Labs and SilverCloud Health. For more information, visit http://www.bcapgroup.com/. About C5 Capital C5 Capital Limited (C5) is a global specialist investment firm that exclusively invests in the secure data ecosystem, including cyber security, cloud, AI and space. The firm is dedicated to nurturing a secure digital future with an investment strategy that is based on building long-term relationships with innovative companies that share in our mission. For more information, visit: www.c5capital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005407/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Beijing on Thursday ratified a plan to impose draconian sedition and subversion legislation on Hong Kong that would enable its feared state security police to operate in the city, which was promised the continuation of its traditional freedoms under the 1997 handover to China. The rubber-stamp National People's Congress (NPC) passed the proposal by 2,878 "votes" to 1, with six abstentions, paving the way for the powerful NPC standing committee to draft the legislation and insert it into Hong Kong law without going through the city's own legislature. Media footage of the voting buttons at the desks of NPC delegates showed three options: "In favor," "support," and "agree." The one vote against was apparently triggered by someone not pressing any button at all, reports said. In a move that likely signals the end of Hong Kong's promised autonomy and traditional freedoms of speech and association, the ruling Chinese Communist Party says the law is needed owing to "notable national security risks" following months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Introducing the proposal on May 21, NPC vice chairman Wang Chen said "forceful measures must be taken to prevent, stop, and punish such activities." Under the terms of the handover, Hong Kong was expected to bring in legislation banning acts of "treason, secession, sedition [or] subversion," but city-wide protests and the likelihood of a pro-democracy landslide at Legislative Council (LegCo) elections in September have led Beijing to conclude that this might not occur for some time. An earlier version of the law was shelved following mass popular protests in 2003. The law is also intended "to prohibit foreign political organizations from conducting political activities in Hong Kong, and to prohibit political organizations from establishing ties with foreign political organizations," according to state media. The decision will enable the authorities to "prevent, stop and punish" any activities deemed by Beijing to be subversive, or instigated by "foreign forces." Such legislation has been used in mainland China to accuse journalists of spying, or to punish peaceful critics of the regime. When needed, state security police from mainland China will set up shop in Hong Kong to fulfill their duties under the new law, according to a precis of the decision supplied by Xinhua. The NPC standing committee will now formulate the legislation and insert it into Annex 3 of Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, whereupon it will become law in Hong Kong, without the need to pass through LegCo. The end of autonomy Commentators in the city said the announcement has marked the end of Hong Kong's promised autonomy under the "one country, two systems" formula. Premier Li Keqiang told NPC delegates on Thursday that the law would "stabilize" the city, and ensure its "long-term stability and prosperity." Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam issued an immediate statement welcoming the move. "I welcome the passage of the Decision by the NPC," Lam said. "Safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests is the constitutional duty of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and concerns every Hong Kong citizen." She said the decision showed the "care" that Beijing had for Hong Kong. "The legislation to be enacted for the HKSAR to safeguard national security aims to prevent, curb, and sanction an extremely small minority of criminals who threaten national security," Lam said, echoing recent comments by Chinese officials. She said it wouldn't affect the "legitimate" rights and freedoms of the city's seven million residents, without elaborating on what "legitimate" meant. Hong Kong and Chinese officials have increasingly used anti-terrorism rhetoric to describe the activities of a minority of protesters who have resisted widespread violence from riot police with barricades, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and other makeshift weapons. Reported by Lu Xi and Man Hoi-tsan for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. China on Thursday passed a new security legislation for Hong Kong that makes any show of dissidence against the mainland a crime and for the first time paves the way for Beijing to install its own security agencies in the protest-wracked city. Critics of the new law and several western countries, most prominently the US, have said it essentially ends the unique system of governance under the one country, two systems mechanism which governed Hong Kong since the British handed it over to China in 1997. The writing in of the new security law into Hong Kongs special charter, or Basic Law, will see the mainlands control over the SAR tighten substantially. The city has seen violent protests since last June on that very issue: Beijings apparent tightening of control over the city and its impact on freedoms including that of free speech and expression. The move came after prolonged social unrest and escalating street violence had plunged Hong Kong into the gravest situation since its return to the motherland in 1997, official news agency, Xinhua reported, referring to the protests. The National Peoples Congress (NPC), Chinas rubber-stamp Parliament, passed the bill with 2878 votes in favour on Thursday, the last day of its delayed and shortened annual meeting; one voted against it and six abstained. Leading Chinese politicians have stoutly defended the bill. Addressing his annual press conference at the end of the NPC, Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday said that the approval of Hong Kong national security legislation aims for HKs prosperity. Li said the law would be good for Hong Kongs long-term stability and prosperity and the one country, two systems formula would remain a national policy It will uphold and improve the one country, two systems policy, NPC chairperson Li Zhanshu told delegates during the closing ceremony. It is in line with the constitution and Hong Kongs Basic Law and is in the interest of all Chinese people including Hong Kong people, he added. Full details of the law are yet to be made public but it criminalises secession, subversion, terrorism and activities by foreign forces that interfere in Hong Kong. The bill says that when needed, relevant national security organs of the Central Peoples Government will set up agencies in Hong Kong to fulfil relevant duties to safeguard national security in accordance with the law. Hong Kongs Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam said her government would work with Beijing to complete the legislative work as soon as possible, according to agency reports from the city. The law will not affect the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents, she said in a statement welcoming the Chinese parliaments vote. The new legislation is set to worsen relations between China and the US. Already, international business is facing the pressure of increased tension between the U.S. and China, but the enactment of Chinas security law for Hong Kong could take the tension to a whole new level, Tara Joseph, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong wrote in a commentary for the South China Morning Post newspaper. This is show time for Hong Kong, she wrote. This is the death knell for Hong Kong, make no mistake of it, this is the end of one country, two systems, the Hong Kong that we loved, a free Hong Kong, pro-democracy lawmaker from Hong Kong Dennis Kwok was quoted by agencies as telling reporters on Thursday. She welcomed her third child, a son named David, in January. And Bar Refaeli looked sensational as she enjoyed a spot of sunbathing in Tel Aviv, Israel, in snaps she shared via Instagram on Wednesday. The model, 34, showed off her slender figure while topping up her tan in a chic green bikini that ensured her toned abs were on display. Stunning: Bar Refaeli looked sensational as she showed off her abs and slender figure in a green bikini while sunbathing in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday Bar looked windswept as a strong gust blew while she posed for a photo, making her golden tresses partially cover her face. The model wore a pair of chic black shades to shield her eyes from the brilliant weather, while she accessorised with a simple necklace that had her and her children's names written in cursive. Accentuating her long legs in one photo, Bar relaxed on a sun lounger and stretched her arms above her head to show off her modelling prowess. Legs for days: Accentuating her long legs in one photo, Bar relaxed on a sun lounger and stretched her arms above her head to show off her modelling prowess Still glamorous: Bar looked windswept as a strong gust blew while she posed for a photo, making her golden tresses partially cover her face Bar took to Instagram in January to announce she and husband Adi Ezra, 45, had welcomed their third child together. Sharing a snap from labour, Bar captioned the post: 'This is what real GLAM looks like. 3rd baby in 3.5 years. Life is beautiful.' Ahead of the arrival of their new addition, Bar revealed she has been pregnant for three of the last four New Year's Eves, by sharing near-identical snaps from the date wearing exactly the same dress. Along with David, the couple are also parents to daughters Liv, three, and Elle, two. New arrival: Bar announced she had given birth to her third child with an Instagram snap in January, her third child with husband Adi Ezra Adi, Bar's second husband, is heir to his grandfather Dudi's company Neto Group, one of the five leading food conglomerates in Israel. The couple married in their native Israel in 2015. Bar was previously married to Arik Weinstein between 2003 and 2005. In an interview with Hello! Fashion Monthly in 2015, the model admitted family is everything to her and she's planning to have a large brood. 'I think this will be a decade of family... I come from a family of four children,' she told the publication. 'A lot of mums could read this and think, "Yeah, try having one first". Hopefully, Ill have a big family, but I'll take it one by one.' Memories: Bar revealed she has been pregnant for three of the last four New Year's Eves, by sharing near-identical snaps from the date wearing exactly the same dress Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 05:34:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, May 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. blueberry growers got a ray of sunshine when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced last week that blueberry was one of the agricultural products approved to be exported to China. "Exporting to China is a huge opportunity," blueberry grower, Kourtney Ketterhagen of Mitchell Organics, told Xinhua Wednesday. Ketterhagen, a third-generation blueberry farmer, with her kids set to become the fourth generation, grows high-end organic blueberries in Arlington township, Michigan, the leading state for cultivated blueberry production in the United States. "The acidity of our soil dictates the rich flavor and hardiness of the berry," Ketterhagen said. "Our premium berries are organic, we weed and trim by hand, and manage our plants and harvest very carefully. Demand always outstrips supply." The United States is the largest producer of blueberries in the world, and, according to United Nation's FAOSTAT, is responsible for over 56 percent of global production, or more than 700 million pounds (about 318 million kilograms). A recent press release from the USDA said that U.S. blueberry exports to China could total 62 million U.S. dollars annually, reported Agweb, a U.S. agriculture news website, on Sunday. Fresh blueberries from Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey and North Carolina may be exported to China after treatment, according to the release. Blueberries from California, Washington and Oregon can export to China if growers use a systems approach to control pests. USDA officials and Chinese plant health officials signed a work plan in May outlining the pest screening measures that blueberry producers must comply with to ship to China, according to the release. Growers said that the latest move is very helpful to them, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak where supply chain disruptions have hit the blueberry farmers pretty hard. Ketterhagen said her family had managed to weather the outbreak so far because they grow only premium blueberries but she saw the Chinese market as providing a potential lifeline for other growers. "China could be a real boon for our blueberry farmers in these difficult times," she said. Enditem By IANS NEW DELHI: China extended reconciliatory messages to India after the US requested for an immediate online UN Security Council meeting to discuss a new legislation for Hong Kong to crush all dissent. The US mission at the UN said that China's proposed national security law for Hong Kong is a "matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security, and warrants the immediate attention of the UN Security Council". Infuriated by the move, China's Ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun tweeted that Beijing "categorically rejects the baseless request of the US for a Security Council meeting" and "legislation on national security for Hong Kong is purely China's internal affairs". Just before the US and China engaged in a diplomatic duel at the UN, American President Donald Trump tweeted that he had conveyed to both China and India that Washington was willing to mediate or arbitrate in the "raging border dispute". Soon after, the Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong in a selective interaction with Indian media extended an olive branch to New Delhi over the ongoing face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh between the soldiers of the two countries. ALSO READ | No India-China border trade through Lipulekh Pass this year due to COVID-19 "China and India should never let their differences shadow the overall bilateral ties and must enhance mutual trust," he said. The reconciliatory messages came after weeks of simmering tensions on both Eastern and Western frontiers between the two countries. On May 5, the Chinese side took offence to the construction of a road by India on its own side in the Pangong Tso Lake area beside another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley. Around 250 soldiers of both sides engaged in a violent face-off using iron rods, sticks, and even resorted to stone-pelting. In a similar incident, Indian and Chinese forces clashed in North Sikkim on May 9 near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector. On both the Western and Eastern sectors, soldiers sustained injuries. After talks through established mechanisms at the LAC and the border, both sides disengaged. "China and India should be good neighbours of harmonious coexistence and good partners to move forward hand in hand. The realisation of 'Dragon and Elephant dancing together' is the only right choice for China and India, which serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and two peoples," the Chinese envoy added. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that "now the China-India border area situation is overall stable and controllable", adding that both China and India have proper mechanisms and communication channels to resolve the issues through dialogue and consultations. A growing chorus of Republicans are pushing back against President Donald Trump's suggestion that wearing cloth masks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus is a sign of personal weakness or political correctness. They include governors seeking to prevent a rebound in coronavirus cases and federal lawmakers who face tough reelection fights this fall, as national polling shows lopsided support for wearing masks in public. "Wearing a face covering is not about politics - it's about helping other people," Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said Tuesday in a plea over Twitter, echoing comments by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) last week. "This is one time when we truly are all in this together." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., posted a photograph on Instagram of himself in a mask Tuesday night. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., who faces a tough reelection fight, has added "#wearyourmask" to his Twitter handle, after photographing himself earlier the month wearing a mask in an airport as part of an appeal for the public to "remain vigilant." Sen. John Cornyn (Tex.), a member of the Republican leadership who is running for reelection this year, shared a photo of himself in a mask Monday, asking others to adopt the practice. "We all have to do our part. Maintain social distancing but if you can't, do this," Cornyn wrote on Instagram. "Easy peasy. Go for it." The comments come as Trump continues to treat face masks as something to mock, refusing to wear one in public and joining his staff and family in ridiculing his Democratic rival Joe Biden for doing otherwise. White House staff members are required to wear masks in the building, though Trump is exempted from that rule. The president retweeted a picture of a masked Biden taken Monday during a war memorial visit. The caption: "This might help explain why Trump doesn't like to wear a mask in public." Donald Trump Jr., the president's son and campaign surrogate, who traffics in zingers meant to anger liberals, posted a similar image on Instagram, calling the face mask "a muzzle so Joe can't sniff anyone." Dan Scavino Jr., the deputy chief of staff at the White House, shared doctored footage on Twitter on Monday that makes it appear as if Biden wore a face mask while eating. Such jabs have sharpened a divide that recent polls show largely exists within the Republican Party, as clear majorities of Democrats and independents have embraced the need for mask wearing, in line with the scientific consensus that it is an effective method to slow the spread of the virus, potentially speeding a recovery of the economy. A poll this month by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 89% of Democrats and 72% of independents report wearing a mask every time or most of the time when they leave home, compared with 58% of Republicans. Three recent public polls have found that between 64% and 72% of the public says Trump should wear a mask. Between 38% and 48% of Republicans say Trump should do so. "That is an issue that divides Republicans and not anybody else," said Nick Gourevitch, a Democratic pollster who recently helped write a public memo to lawmakers and liberal interest groups recommending that they embrace the mask issue. He noted that open-ended questions in a public Democratic tracking poll he conducts began to find the word "mask" repeated in mid-May when voters were asked what negative things they thought they had "seen, read or heard" about Trump's response to the coronavirus. The attacks from Trump and his allies over masks have similarly cheered Biden's advisers, who view the debate as a way to show the contrast Democrats see as the heart of their message for the fall. For Biden, the debate with the president over masks is a stand-in for their deeper disagreements over Trump's handling of the pandemic. When asked Tuesday by CNN if wearing a mask projected strength or weakness, Biden offered a third option, saying it projected leadership. He called Trump "an absolute fool" for his mockery of protective measures. "Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely masculine," Biden said. "It reminds me of the guys I grew up with playing ball. They would walk around with a ball, but they didn't like to hit very much." On Tuesday Biden made his Twitter avatar a picture nearly identical to the one Trump mocked. He also posted it on Instagram, with the caption "wear a mask." Trump has said previously that he supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations that face masks be worn by everyone "in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain." But he has also said, "I don't think I am going to be doing it." On a visit last week to a Ford plant in Michigan, he wore a mask during a private tour but removed it to speak to the news media, saying he had been tested for the virus that morning, so he did not pose a danger, and he "didn't want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it." At the White House on Tuesday, Trump said that his tweet about Biden's mask was a response to the circumstance. He said he found it "very unusual" that Biden had worn a mask outside, even though the logistics of Biden's appearance placed him near others at times and thus fell under the administration's recommendations for wearing a mask. Then the president accused the inquiring reporter of being "politically correct" for not removing his mask to ask the question. "I wasn't criticizing him at all," Trump said of Biden. "Why would I do anything like that?" While the president has stoked cultural divisions with his jabs, the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign have not yet followed him into making masks a major part of messaging strategy. But some Republican strategists said there was a clear logic to Trump's tactics, assuming voters see them positioning Trump as a champion for the return to normal life. Male Republicans, a key part of Trump's base, were more skeptical of mask wearing than other groups in the recent Kaiser poll. Eric Beach, the co-chairman of Great America PAC, a pro-Trump effort that is working on the presidential race, said Trump had repeatedly shown leadership by challenging assumptions around questions such as when schools should reopen. "There is this capitulation that Biden seems to have," Beach said. "That capitulation seems to be: Believe the science, don't question anything and don't show any leadership, whereas Trump understands that we should question science and should question data as he did with reopening the schools." Masks are recommended for the public by all state governments, while nine states have broad mandates and 24 states have more targeted mandates, largely requiring mask use in workplaces, according to tracking by the National Governors Association. On Capitol Hill, the question of wearing masks has largely been settled. All GOP senators wear masks when they are around the Capitol, on the Senate floor and into their lunch meetings - except Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), who has recovered from a coronavirus infection and considers himself immune. While speaking at hearings and on the Senate floor, they follow a standard set by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., removing the masks only to speak formally. In the House, a minority of conservative lawmakers, most visibly Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), have embraced the symbolism of refusing to wear a mask. Some House Democrats, by contrast, have taken to prominently wearing masks. Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (Md.) wore a mask in the pattern of the Maryland state flag while overseeing a recent pro forma session. Others have delighted in seeing Trump using a mask at the Ford plant last week in images that were captured during a backstage moment before he stepped in front of the cameras. "OMG! He actually wore one," Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., celebrated when she shared the image online. "See, it didn't hurt that much." - - - The Washington Post's Scott Clement and Paul Kane contributed to this report. Boris Johnsons government has made many startling missteps as it has sought to manage the coronavirus pandemic. Some have been understandable; this is a new virus and the havoc wreaked, unprecedented. Others have been the result of incompetence or complacency. There is one misstep, however, that stands out as profoundly stupid. Thats the decision to quarantine incoming passengers to our airports foreign nationals and returning Britons alike for 14 days, just as some normality starts to return to our lives. A passenger wearing a face mask arrives at Heathrow airport, west London, last week. Travellers arriving in Britain will face 14 days in quarantine from next month to prevent a second coronavirus outbreak Who will want to visit friends here, take a holiday or come to do business with such a draconian restriction in place? Out of the 18.1million people who entered the country by air in the three months prior to the coronavirus lockdown, just 273 were formally quarantined. Having failed spectacularly to act then, as the infection was spreading from the Chinese city of Wuhan worldwide, the authorities are playing catch up just as the long and painful lockdown is easing. Where is the logic in that? It is an act of economic suicide that not only threatens our aviation, hospitality and tourism industries, but is a devastating blow to Britains place in the world as one of the great financial and commercial centres. If this nation is effectively closed to international business, then the worst fears of those who opposed Brexit that great swathes of the banking and services sector would be driven offshore could actually be realised. One only has to look at the dramatic steps forced on a previously thriving airline industry to understand the scarring to the economy which is taking place. Flag carrier British Airways is implementing 12,000 job cuts, Ryanair is downsizing by 3,000 staff, and Easyjet announced yesterday that it will axe up to 4,500 posts. Meanwhile, Richard Bransons Virgin Atlantic is teetering on the edge of a precipice. As demand for new aircraft plummets, one of Britains industrial crown jewels, aerospace engine maker Rolls-Royce is closing entire factories resulting in around 8,000 redundancies. From our island home, overseas travel is a fact of life for every section of the community. So the sheer farce of having to self-isolate for 14 days after a short trip to Europe doesnt bear thinking about (and thats before other countries do as France has done and announced reciprocal measures). Flag carrier British Airways is implementing 12,000 job cuts, Ryanair is downsizing by 3,000 staff, and Easyjet announced yesterday that it will axe up to 4,500 posts My son Justin, who is working for a UK-based digital firm in Austin, Texas, has cancelled a trip home this August because he and his wife cannot risk the time and lost income involved in being quarantined for two weeks. The same applies to millions of others. The disastrous loss of revenues for airlines, airports and airport retailers, such as travel specialists WH Smith, is just a microcosm of the tragedy awaiting the UKs brilliant tourism industry. No wonder that 78 key British players in the travel and tourism industry felt compelled to appeal directly to Home Secretary Priti Patel in a letter this week, urging her to think again about her unworkable, ill-thought out quarantine plan. And how out of touch was that snide Whitehall jobsworth to dismiss the letter as the whingeing of elitist London luxury hotels and upmarket holiday firms that wouldnt much bother readers of the Daily Mail as they enjoy their morning cereal. Its bunkum and shows breathtaking ignorance. Many of our readers are part of the UK tourism industry, which employs 3.8million people from top London chefs to ticket sellers and guides at the nations monuments, from B&B businesses and canal boat operators to tea rooms, cafes and souvenir stand owners nationwide. Moreover, the latest data from the UKs Tourism Alliance and the Office for National Statistics shows the value of tourism stands at 145.9billion a year amounting to 7.2 per cent of total national output. Its as if national decision-makers do not have a clue as to how wealth is created in Britains open and dynamic economy. The prosperity of our nation relies heavily on the services industry which makes up more than 70 per cent of the nations output and is dominated by people skills. That requires the UKs vibrant army of hoteliers, tourist guides, consultants, lawyers, creatives, engineers, architects and construction experts, working across the globe, to be able to move freely in and out of the country. I am fully aware that in the midst of a pandemic when more than 37,000 lives have been lost ministers cannot ignore the potential flow of infection from overseas. One initial, sensible proposal for re-opening Britain to tourism was the idea of safe air corridors between the UK and France and other European destinations with low transmission rates but that was shot down almost as soon as it was mentioned. But the best way of dealing with the risk would be to significantly beef up screening at points of departure and arrival. Anyone who travels to the US is familiar with having to self-declare that they are not a drug trafficker. Travellers to Israel must self-certify that they are not carrying a weapon. It would be a simple matter for travellers to and from the UK to self-certify themselves to be Covid-19 free or immune, with random checks, big fines and isolation for those who flouted the rules. The sophisticated security devices made by Britains Smiths Industries, which already record many details of our lives when we leave or enter the country, could be programmed to assist screening. When lockdown began on March 23, the vast amounts of government financial support notably the furlough scheme were put in place so that economic life could emerge from hibernation rapidly. Shutting the doors on the UKs wonderfully open economy with an illogical quarantine policy is an act of vandalism that goes beyond all comprehension. SILVER SPRING, Md. - Requiring patients to visit a hospital, clinic or medical office to get an abortion pill is needlessly risking their health during the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of physicians allege in a lawsuit that seeks to suspend the federal rule. The federal lawsuit, which the American Civil Liberties Union filed Wednesday in Maryland, questions why patients cant fill a prescription for mifepristone by mail. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone to be used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol, to end an early pregnancy or manage a miscarriage. Of the more than 20,000 drugs regulated by the FDA, mifepristone is the only one that patients must receive in person at a hospital, clinic, or medical office, yet may self-administer, unsupervised, at a location of their choosing, the lawsuit says. The ACLU sued the FDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other groups. An HHS spokeswoman referred an Associated Press reporters inquiry to the FDAs media affairs office, which said in an email that the agency does not comment on pending litigation. In 2017, the ACLU filed a lawsuit in Hawaii that challenged the FDA limits on where women can get the abortion pill. In January, a federal judge suspended the Hawaii case until the U.S. Supreme Court rules in a separate abortion-related lawsuit from Louisiana. The Louisiana case could determine whether doctors and clinics have a right to challenge abortion restrictions in federal courts. Julia Kaye, staff attorney at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, said the Trump administration apparently would rather endanger the lives of patients and doctors than lift an unnecessary barrier to abortion care. At every other turn during this pandemic, the federal government is trying to make it easier for patients to get the medical care they need without unnecessary health care visits that jeopardize their safety, Kaye said. The federal courts have heard other cases concerning access to abortions during the coronavirus pandemic. After Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order in March that barred non-essential medical procedures during the pandemic, Texas Republican attorney general said that providing abortions other than for an immediate medical emergency would violate the order. A federal appeals court ruled last month that Texas can ban medication abortions to fight the spread of COVID-19. Earlier this month, a federal judge rejected a request by Arkansas only surgical abortion clinic to prevent the state from enforcing a rule requiring a negative coronavirus test before a woman undergoes the procedure. ___ Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. (Adds context on Trump's options, Democratic senator) * Trump plans China news conference for Friday * U.S. economic adviser warns on status * China's parliament applauds vote * Law will not affect rights, freedoms - Carrie Lam * Tensions rise after U.S. puts special status in doubt By Jessie Pang, Yew Lun Tian and Jeff Mason HONG KONG/BEIJING/WASHINGTON, May 28 (Reuters) - China's parliament on Thursday approved a decision to go forward with national security legislation for Hong Kong that democracy activists and Western countries fear could erode the city's freedoms and jeopardise its role as a global financial hub. China says the new legislation will aim to tackle secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in the city/ But the plan, unveiled in Beijing last week, triggered the first big protests in Hong Kong for months. Thursday's move was quickly condemned by the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada. U.S. President Donald Trump's economic adviser warned that Hong Kong, which has enjoyed special privileges under U.S. law based on its autonomy from Beijing, may now need to be treated like China when it comes to trade and other financial matters. "We can't let this go unnoticed and they will be held accountable for that," Larry Kudlow told CNBC. Trump, who has vowed a tough U.S. response, told reporters he would hold a news conference on China on Friday. "We'll be making certain decisions and we'll be discussing them tomorrow," he said. Under congressional legislation Trump signed last year, it now falls to him to decide to end some, all or none of the U.S. economic privileges Hong Kong enjoys. Trump offered a muted response to Hong Kong's mass democracy protests last year while prioritizing a trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping that Trump saw as important for his November re-election bid. But ties with Beijing have since soured considerably. Story continues Chinese authorities and Hong Kong's Beijing-backed government say there is no threat to the city's autonomy, but critics say the security legislation will erode the high degree of autonomy the former British colony has enjoyed under a "one country, two systems" formula since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Riot police were out in force in Hong Kong on Thursday as its lawmakers debated a bill to criminalise disrespect of China's national anthem. Dozens of protesters chanted slogans in a shopping mall, but there was no repeat of disturbances the previous day when police made 360 arrests. In Beijing, members of China's mostly rubberstamp parliament burst into prolonged applause when a tally showed 2,878 votes to one in favour of moving forward with security legislation, with six abstentions. Details of the law, which could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in the city, are expected to be drawn up in coming weeks. It is expected to be enacted before September. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said it would be good for Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity and the "one country, two systems" formula would remain a national policy. TENSIONS Beijing's move comes as U.S.-China tensions have worsened amid mutual recriminations over the coronavirus pandemic, which began in China but has hit the United States hardest. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday Hong Kong no longer warranted special treatment under U.S. law, given the erosion of autonomy in the territory. But it is far from clear that Trump will be prepared to take what analysts have called the nuclear option and completely end the special economic status Washington has conferred on Hong Kong since the end of British rule. U.S. officials and people familiar with the discussions said the administration was crafting a range of options, including targeted sanctions, new tariffs and further restrictions on Chinese companies. Two sources told Reuters on Thursday that Washington was also planning to cancel the visas of thousands of Chinese graduate students. {nL8N2DA4FT] Trump's actions may be tempered by concern for the more than 1,300 U.S. companies that have offices in Hong Kong and provide about 100,000 jobs. David Stilwell, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, said steps would be calibrated to mitigate the impact on Hong Kong people and U.S. businesses. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer blamed Trump for failing to stand up for Hong Kong, saying in a tweet: "Pres. Trump will forever be known as the president who lost Hong Kong to the Chinese Communist Party because of his mollycoddling of Pres. Xi." Democracy campaigners in Hong Kong were despondent. "This is the death knell for Hong Kong, make no mistake of it, this is the end of 'one country, two systems' ... the Hong Kong that we loved, a free Hong Kong," said lawmaker Dennis Kwok. (Reporting by Jessie Pang, Anne Marie Roantree, Donny Kwok, Noah Sin, Clare Jim, Sarah Wu, Lisa Lambert, Jeff Mason, Humeyra Pamuk, Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom; Writing by Michael Perry, Marius Zaharia and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Stephen Coates, Robert Birsel, Sonya Hepinstall and Cynthia Osterman) Josh Pressly is the first to admit that Savannah Cafe and Bakery can count its blessings and that gratitude stems from memories of recent times when it didnt take long to count register receipts. During a period in which many bakeries werent exactly rolling in dough, Pressly and his staff adapted on the fly to persevere in the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. We really changed our whole restaurant model through all of this, said Pressly, regional manager for the bakerys Pasadena and Webster restaurant locations, which offer food ranging from sandwiches to desserts. We kind of changed our business where we were delivering groceries and switched over to doing some different stuff. We never closed. It was nice to have people come in. Going to a restaurant kind of gives everybody a sense of normalcy, and when you cant do that, I think its very odd for people. It was a challenge. Every week when they would change the rules, it was like opening a new place. Pressly said his restaurant eventually addressed needs more than desires. Something we did at our Webster store is that we had a nonprofit group work with us, he said. Our nonprofit partner would send groceries to nurses, hospitals, nursing homes a lot of front-line workers who werent able to go to the grocery stores. We were very fortunate. We were selling toilet paper, chicken, paper towels and meal deals to allow our staff to come in and get some hours, he said. We tried to give back to the community as much as we could while also making sure we were standing by the end of it. Like after a hurricane Pressly felt that business move was the right call. The community grabbed hold of it when we started doing things we didnt do before, he said. We were trying to fill a need. The community embraced us, and we embraced the community. It was very much like after a hurricane event where neighbors help neighbors. With restaurants currently open to just 50 percent capacity, recovery is still slow. When we opened up to 25 percent, we didnt see a whole lot of difference in business, Pressly said. We had a few folks come in. Were about three weeks in now, and were slowly starting to see customers coming in to eat. We had a decent portion of our business which was takeout, and thank goodness it wasnt full dine-in because I know a lot full dine-in restaurants really had to change completely. 70 percent revenue drop after rodeo shut down Pressly said one event triggered a massive shortfall for many businesses in the greater Houston area. The day they shut down the (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo), we dropped 70 percent of our revenue, Pressly said. It was more of a consumer-confidence thing than anything else when the rodeo shut down. It became real to everybody, and it had serious business implications immediately. We didnt do anything at the rodeo, but the day after it shut down, the business that came in our door changed dramatically. Fortunately, his business survived and Pressly was able to secure funding from the Paycheck Protection Program. We did not have to lay off anyone, Pressly said. We had some folks who decided that they did not want to work through this, but the ones who did want to work, we were able to keep them around in some capacity. Pressly said the recovery is happening, albeit at a snails pace. The bakery noticed a difference after Gov. Greg Abbott opened up in-door dining to 50 percent with social restrictions. Every day, it seems there are a few more folks who are coming in, Pressley said. The streets seem a little bit busier. We did breakfast before this, and that had to be put on the back-burner until returns to normal. The restaurants are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. We also have a catering business that is being affected because other businesses are not at capacity, either, Pressly said. Hope for the summer Many restaurants havent been able to survive the pandemic. Some of those include franchises while others are long-standing mom-and-pop restaurants. Only a handful of all businesses have been completely immune to the pandemic. The Savannah Cafe and Bakery in Pasadena has been open since 2008, while the Webster location opened in 2014. We sure would like to be at 100 percent capacity by the end of July, but well see what happens, Pressly said. Were at the mercy of the lawmakers to see what we need to do. The social distancing is a smart idea, but at some point, weve got to get back to a semblance of normal. All these business models are built to do 100 percent capacity; so weve got to get there sooner than later. tdunnam@hcnonline.com A passer-by spotted a woman's body floating in a lake near a popular Melbourne park. Police were called to the Darebin Parklands in Alphington, north-east Melbourne, around 11.25am on Thursday morning. Emergency services attended the scene with a police chopper hovering overhead. A passer-by spotted a woman's dead body floating in a lake near Darebin Parklands (pictured), in north-east Melbourne, around 11.25am on Thursday morning The cause of death is not yet known and the police investigation is ongoing. A Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the death is not being treated as suspicious. Police will prepare a report for the Coroner. 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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 Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, has said he is not interested in becoming the President of Biafra when it is... Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, has said he is not interested in becoming the President of Biafra when it is eventually actualized. Kanu insisted that his only interest was to ensure the actualization of Biafra and not to become president. The IPOB leader stated this during his latest broadcast on Radio Biafra. He vowed to retire once Biafra is actualised. According to Kanu: I dont want to be president of anything, I dont want any contract I need nothing from anybody I need absolutely nothing, let Biafra come then I retire. I didnt want anything, I dont want your mansion, I dont want your cars I need nothing from you but to do the will of God that all but here they dont understand it. Kanu also alleged that he was approached by the Department of State Services, DSS, to sell IPOB. If I want to sell this movement I would have sold it in DSS custody, in Kuje they came and I said No, when I came out they came and I said no is it now that am going to betray you? You know its not possible, my father and my mother are in heaven watching and you think I will abandon Biafra? When my mother and my father are in heaven watching please give me a break, he said. Syracuse, N.Y. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said Central New York is set to begin phase two of its reopening Friday, a target that hes repeated multiple times over the past two weeks. Gov. Andrew Cuomo surprised local officials, though, when he said during a radio interview that phase two would occur after international experts had looked at the data. The mixed messages from officials has turned into a breakdown that has left business owners and the local politicians advocating for them frustrated. Confused? You arent the only one. Chemung County Executive Chris Moss was clearly upset that Cuomo provided more information to National Public Radios Alan Chartock during a radio interview than he had to one of the officials he had named part of his Southern Tier Regional Control Board. He declared that businesses in his area will be open, regardless of what Cuomo says. NEW: Chemung County Exec Chris Moss says businesses in his area will begin Phase 2 tomorrow, regardless of what Cuomo says. The governor can make that comment to someone on the radio but we cant get a call from the governors office? ... You know what, were opening tomorrow Jon Campbell (@JonCampbellGAN) May 28, 2020 According to a report by WBNG in Binghamton, Broome County Executive Jason Garnar called the lack of communication with Cuomo frustrating and said that he would not punish any business owners who open on Friday. The lack of communication came on a day in which Cuomo had Chris Rock and Rosie Perez with him at a press event in Brooklyn. Are we winging Phase 2?? Asking for a friend Dmoney (@meanlittlemissy) May 28, 2020 Not a word in Cuomos press conference today about much of Upstate NY that was supposed to enter Phase 2 today. But he had Chris Rock and Rosie Perez with him. WTF? Cuomo Watch (@CuomoWatch) May 28, 2020 @NYGovCuomo You stated over and over again that the control rooms control the valve. 5 regions should go to phase 2 tomorrow & have heard nothing from you to the contrary. 14 days r up. This is not transparency. This is not facts. This is BS. Melissa OHara (@msohara1015) May 28, 2020 According to News Channel 9, Madison County Board of Supervisors Chairman John Becker said theyll move forward, regardless of what Cuomo says. First on @NewsChannel9: Board of Supervisors Chairman John Becker tells me Madison County will enter Phase 2 tomorrow, with or without the approval of @NYGovCuomo. pic.twitter.com/T8t7rWTIXD Andrew Donovan (@AndrewDonovan) May 28, 2020 The Buffalo News Aaron Besecker wrote that Western New York was as confused as everyone else about when phase two might begin. If you heard the governor on the radio this afternoon talking about phase two of reopening, I wonder if you are as confused as I am. https://t.co/FSYs8kvNZ1 Aaron Besecker (@AaronBesecker) May 28, 2020 Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Duffys office told WHAM that there would be a minimum of two weeks between phases but that it wouldnt always be exactly two weeks. Phase 2? We are wondering too. This is the response from Bob Duffy's office when we asked moments ago: "The guidelines between phases is a minimum of two weeks, not exactly two weeks. We are waiting to hear from them, as well. Monitor https://t.co/eWCHQ9U5gm the latest. Ginny Ryan (@ginnyryan) May 28, 2020 MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources McMahon: Central New York to begin biggest phase two reopening Friday, despite states silence Wording on phase 2 of NY reopening tweaked: All office jobs now included Syracuse AD John Wildhack anticipating reduced Carrier Dome capacity during football season Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Contact Chris Carlson anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1639 Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday held a press conference to announce the second edition of Cashless Day, an initiative to promote non-cash payment in the Southeast Asian country. The Communications Department under the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS), and the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM) also coordinated the organization of the event. Cashless Day was first suggested by Tuoi Tre Editor-in-Chief Le The Chu in January 2019, with June 16 being the designated date. The event was meant to solicit ideas and suggestions from SBV officials, economic experts, financial specialists, and representatives from several local commercial banks on what can be done to reduce the use of cash in the country. Speaking at Tuesdays press meeting, Tuoi Tre Deputy Editor-in-Chief Do Van Dung remarked on changes in peoples payment behavior in the last year. Dung said that the changes can be observed in microeconomic activities, such as the availability of cashless payment options at markets and supermarkets, and in the bigger picture reflected in the overall growth of cashless payment in Vietnam. According to SBVs latest data, there are currently about 88.5 million bank accounts active in Vietnam. Daily transactions processed by SBVs system are valued at US$17 billion. By the end of 2019, payments made via the Internet had grown 64 percent in quantity and 37 percent in value, while those performed through mobile phones had risen 198 percent and 210 percent in quantity and value, respectively, against 2018. Nguyen Dang Hung, deputy general director of NAPAS, said that the institution handles nearly 2.8 million cashless transactions, worth some $1 billion, daily. The growth of non-cash payment is attributed to the fact that more services have accepted payments made via NAPAS, while fee cuts which SBV estimates to reach about VND1 trillion ($43 million) by the end of 2020 also play a role. A woman makes a cashless payment at a bookstore on Nguyen Van Binh Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, May 26, 2020. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre During her remarks at Tuesdays meeting, Le Thi Thuy Sen, head of SBVs communications department, said Cashless Day is an important event to realize a national financial strategy, which targets, among others, improvement in public access to banking products and services. For the same purpose, NAPAS and Vietnamese lender VietBank on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding on the research and application of the formers domestic chip cards in transport payment, which is expected to be implemented by the end of this year. The accessibility of bank cards will be an important factor to encourage people to use public transport, contributing to the construction of smart, modern cities, NAPAS Hung said. In its second year, Cashless Day 2020 will offer several incentives and feature a series of events, including support for Vietnamese farm produce, a virtual run, and seminars on cashless payment, according to Tran Xuan Toan, a member of the editorial board at Tuoi Tre. Particularly, the first 100 small merchants to register for the Cashless Small Business program at khongtienmat2020.tuoitre.vn will be given an mPOS card swipe machine provided by NextPay Holdings and Visa Inc. The Cashless Small Business program also offers a 50-percent discount on mPOS devices and a one-year free license to use business management software Nextshop, and a 70-percent discount for small businesses who subscribe to Nextshops three-year service package. Merchants at the An Dong Plaza shopping center in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City can also encourage customers to make cashless payments through a 20-percent cashback program. Meanwhile, a program to promote consumption of domestically grown agricultural products hurt by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic will also be carried out under a joint effort by Vietnamese mobile wallet app MoMo, Tuoi Tre, and leading retailer Saigon Co.op. Accordingly, users will be able to purchase Vietnamese agricultural products via the MoMo app from June 10 to 30 this year. The program will be piloted in Ho Chi Minh City with the first available produce being lychee and rice. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led a united call for global co-operation at a major United Nations meeting Thursday aimed at mitigating the devastating social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/5/2020 (602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill for a meeting of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ottawa, on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led a united call for global co-operation at a major United Nations meeting Thursday aimed at mitigating the devastating social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. And UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tacitly endorsed Canada's ability to convene larger groups of countries to serve the greater international good a key plank in Canada's platform for a temporary seat on the Security Council. The COVID-19 conference came as Canada is competing for one of two non-permanent seats on the Security Council next month against Norway and Ireland. Canada is running on a platform of trying to help rebuild the post-pandemic world, and Trudeau said Thursday's video conference of more than 50 heads of state and government was an example. Trudeau said the conference was the result of ongoing work with his conference co-host, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, to mitigate the effects of climate change. "Canada has a long tradition of convening, of gathering people together to deal with larger issues and this is certainly a role we hope to play on the UN Security Council," Trudeau said. "We demonstrated (that) today on an issue we've been working on over the past five years in terms of development, financing and improving economic flows to countries in need. This is something that we can gather critical masses of consensus around the world." Trudeau said Canada, potentially as one of 10 rotating non-permanent members of the council, could help find common ground with its five veto-wielding permanent members who have been deadlocked for years on many issues, notably the carnage in Syria. "I, of course, agree with the prime minister. I have never seen the council work being paralyzed by elected members," Guterres said. Trudeau, Guterres and Holness began the hours-long videoconference by affirming support for the international institutions that need to lead the recovery. "Our citizens need to have confidence in international institutions that leave no one behind and are capable of overcoming global challenges," Trudeau said in opening remarks Remarks by dozens of heads of state and government followed, including Germany's Angela Merkel, France's Emmanuel Macron, and Britain's Boris Johnson, along with representatives of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the private sector. U.S. President Donald Trump was noticeably absent as was China's Xi Jinping. Trump has argued that wise leaders put the interests of their own countries first. Guterres said the U.S. and China would support the various committees that were created in Thursday's meeting to report back to him by July on the financial recovery. One by one, Merkel, Macron, Johnson among others thrashed Trump's go-it-alone approach without mentioning his name. Merkel reminded the gathering that Germany has trumpeted climate change during its past G7 presidency. Trump is hosting the G7 summit this year. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted the pandemic might push some countries to focus on their own needs. "This is wrong. We have to work together, and for each other." Macron, who has never shied away from criticizing Trump, said the "collective action" of the world's multilateral system is crucial. "No single country can find a solution to this crisis. There can be no isolated solution. We have to address issues collectively, such as health, the environment, justice." Johnson, sometimes viewed as a kindred political spirit of Trump's, piled on. "No single country hold the keys to victory against our invisible enemy," he said. "If we are to defeat COVID-19, achieve a global recovery, and avoid a future pandemic, then we must work together across borders." Ireland and Norway, Canada's rivals for the two temporary seats on the security council, echoed the sentiment. "This is no time to seek confrontation and to look inward," said Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg. "Let us use this moment to ensure more global co-operation in order to build back a healthier, greener, fairer, gender-equal and sustainable world." The subtext of the looming Security Council vote was also on display. Trudeau has been courting the support of various large voting blocs in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean because European countries are expected to rally around Norway and Ireland. Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, the current chair of the 20-country Caribbean Community, thanked Trudeau for his remarks, but laid down a clear marker for him and others. "I hope that this high-level session will not simply be the record of glorious speeches but will trigger action that is needed badly." Trudeau said later he wanted to see firm action, noting that Caribbean countries that depend on tourism to support their economies need help to overcome the fiscal damage done by pandemic's lockdown and closed borders. Unless countries come together now to co-ordinate a recovery plan, the UN estimates the pandemic could slash nearly US$8.5 trillion from the world economy over the next two years, forcing 34.3 million people into extreme poverty this year and potentially 130 million more over the course of the decade. The UN said all countries face economic strain due to the pandemic, particularly developing countries which were already in "debt distress" before the crisis and can't afford to cushion the blow for their citizens or to undertake fiscal stimulus measures. The conference addressed "six urgent areas of action" to mobilize the financing needed for a global recovery: Expanding liquidity in the global economy and maintaining financial stability. Addressing debt vulnerability for developing countries "to save lives and livelihoods for billions of people around the world." Involving private sector creditors in recovery plans. Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Enhancing external financing for inclusive growth and job creation. Preventing illicit offshore financial holdings and money laundering that siphons off trillions of dollars needed for rebuilding economies. Aligning recovery policies with sustainable development goals. "Despite all the technological and scientific advances of recent decades, we are in an unprecedented human crisis because of a microscopic virus," said Guterres. "We need to respond with unity and solidarity." This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2020. Oregons appellate courts on Thursday began reversing convictions across the state that resulted from non-unanimous verdicts, sending 19 cases back for retrial as they begin their review of more than 260 such convictions so far. The Oregon Supreme Court returned 16 cases to trial courts and the Oregon Court of Appeals returned three cases. The defendants in the cases were convicted on a range of charges, including felon in possession of a firearm, first-degree sex abuse, burglary, theft and driving under the influence of intoxicants. The reversals followed last months ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Ramos v. Louisiana that the U.S. Constitution banned non-unanimous jury verdicts in cases involving serious crimes. The decision affected defendants and inmates in Louisiana and Oregon, the only two states that had allowed such verdicts in recent years. On May 11, the state Department of Justice provided the Oregon appellate courts with a list of 269 cases pending on appeal that would be affected by the ruling. The Oregon Supreme Court and Court of Appeals issued decisions on the first of those cases this week. It will now be up to the district attorneys in the state to decide whether to hold new trials, release defendants for their time served, drop the charges or negotiate a settlement. These are the 16 cases sent back to trial courts by the Oregon Supreme Court on Thurs., May 28, 2020. Among the cases sent back, for example, is 10-2 split verdict against Roy Allen Richards, convicted in Clackamas County Circuit Court of first-degree sex abuse of a 7-year-old girl. Deputy Public Defender Kali Montague argued that the trial court erred by instructing the jury in Richards case that it could render a nonunanimous jury verdict and by accepting the jurys nonunanimous verdicts. Clackamas County District Attorney John Foote said he would retry cases sent back to his jurisdiction. Lost in all of this is the victims, Foote said. "Its important to note again these verdicts do not reflect weve got innocent people who are convicted. Its a technicality.'' Foote says he expects most of the convictions to be overturned and sent back to trial courts to involve sex abuse cases with adult women and children as victims. Another defendant, Myron Lee Newell, is 91 and his attorney has asked that Newell be released to live with his wife, arguing that the elderly man is at higher risk of contracting the coronavirus while behind bars. Newell was convicted in Crook County in 2017 of first-degree sex abuse. Newell is an inmate at the Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla and is set for release on Aug. 18, 2023. "His health has deteriorated while he is in custody, and he is unable to do such simple tasks for himself such as put on his shirt. He is in a wheelchair,'' attorney Ryan Scott wrote to the state Supreme Court. "When his case is returned to Crook County, as seems inevitable, he is likely to be released, since he was allowed pre-trial release prior to his conviction. His wife of more than sixty years is fit and capable of taking care of him, with the help of two of their adult children.'' Scott said Thursday hes "hopeful a just resolution will be achieved soon'' for Newell, and that Newell will be returned to a Crook County jail next week. Another case returned to Clackamas County was that of Jerry Thomas Wellington, convicted of 10 counts of first-degree sodomy and 20 counts of first-degree sex abuse. "A courts failure to instruct the jury that it must arrive at a unanimous verdict and acceptance of a non-unanimous verdict are structural errors,'' wrote Deputy Public Defender Sarah Laidlaw in the case. "The verdicts are invalid in this case, and there is no way to reconstruct the jurys deliberations and predict what would have happened had the trial court required unanimity.'' Oregon was the only state in the country that allowed juries in most felony cases aside from murder to convict defendants with a 10-2 or 11-1 vote. Federal courts and all other states require a unanimous verdict for crimes such as manslaughter, rape and arson. In 2018, voters in Louisiana rejected their system of split-verdict convictions. Louisiana also had allowed split verdicts in murder cases. Defense lawyer Lawrence Matasar said the district attorneys "who opposed defense lawyers obviously meritorious motions for unanimous verdicts are wholly responsible for this expected result, which puts legitimate victims through the trauma of a second trial.'' Foote took issue with Matasars statement, saying its unfair to blame prosecutors. "We dont write the laws. And non-unanimous juries were a voter-approved ballot measure that had been supported by the courts for decades It was the law. Its our sworn duty to follow the law. Only the courts and legislature create the law,'' Foote responded. Lewis & Clark Law School professor Aliza B. Kaplan said she was very happy to learn that things are moving following the Ramos v. Louisiana ruling. And my hope is that the rest of the process for all of these folks moves swiftly. In 48 other states and at the federal level, they never would have been convicted in the first place.'' Kaplan published an influential article in the Oregon Law Review that argued how nonunanimous juries undermined the states criminal justice system and remained a relic of Oregons less-tolerant past. Any double jeopardy challenges wouldnt apply to retrials in these cases, which resulted from convictions reversed on appeal or vacated in a proceeding that resulted from the initial case, according to Kaplan and other lawyers. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Subscribe to Facebook page Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter An Australian man has been rescued after being robbed by pirates on speed boats off the coast of Bali. Tadeusz Nowicki, 70, spent three days stranded at sea near Tanjung Menjangan, South Sumatra, after the horrifying incident on May 22. He was alone of his yacht, named Hoopla, when up to ten pirates armed with guns swarmed him. Tadeusz Nowicki, 70, spent three days stranded at sea near Tanjung Menjangan, South Sumatra, after the horrifying incident on May 22 He was alone of his yacht, named Hoopla, when up to ten pirates armed with knives swarmed him (Pictured: Tadeusz Nowicki with rescuers) They stole his GPS, boat steering wheel, communication radios, iPhone, passport, fuel, cash and food, the Daily Telegraph reported. He had managed to send off an Emergency Position Indicating Reported Beacon during the ordeal which notified the International Maritime Organisation. The information was then sent to the Australian embassy in Jakarta which launched the urgent rescue operation. After a three-day search, Mr Nowicki was found drifting off the coast on Kuala Telada. Lampung police spokesman Zahwani Pandra Arsyad said Mr Nowicki plans to return to Australia as soon as he can. The official Covid-19 death tally does not include people who died outside hospital and were not tested. Between March 1 and May 12, Spain recorded 43,295 more deaths than what would be considered normal for this time of the year, based on past mortality rates. This is up 52% from the expected deaths for the period. The figure includes 27,302 confirmed fatalities from Covid-19, but there are an additional 15,993 deaths that show up on civil registries but are not recorded as coronavirus victims, even though many of them probably are. On Wednesday, a system update with new data sent in by civil registries turned up 12,000 more excess deaths than were previously known. Of these, 7,300 were in Catalonia (mostly in Barcelona), 2,500 in the Madrid region and 800 in Castilla-La Mancha. The excess fatality figures may also include deaths not directly caused by Covid-19 The Covid-19 death toll provided by the Health Ministry only counts cases where the deceased were tested for the virus. But there are infected people who died without getting tested, and who may have passed away outside a hospital inside their homes or at care facilities and do not show up in the official statistics. But just how many are they? The best estimates are provided by the civil registries, which send their figures to the Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) run by the Carlos III Health Institute. In late April, using consolidated data, there were over 185,000 deaths, compared with expected figures of around 145,000 to May. And that is despite the fact that the entire population had been mostly confined to their homes since March 15. Without these mobility restrictions, the death tally would be even higher. Excess deaths are calculated using a mathematical model that provides the number of expected deaths under normal conditions. There are typically spikes during heat waves or flu season. But the coronavirus crisis is eclipsing all previous events. The data provided by MoMo reveals that the excess deaths during the current crisis are not comparable to anything that has happened in the last two years. In the summer of 2018 there were around 700 excess deaths due to a heat wave, a 2% rise from the expected number. And in January 2019 there were approximately 3,000 excess deaths, very likely from the flu, up 4% from expected figures. The excess death figures are suffering from reporting delays. One of the problems with regional civil registry records is that deaths are notified two to three days late. And during the coronavirus crisis, these time frames have become even longer. Also, some civil registries have not yet digitalized their records, which creates even greater delays. The present analysis takes this into account, and focuses on deaths that occurred until May 12. Regional differences Data collected by MoMo shows that the cost of the coronavirus crisis is not the same across Spains regions. Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha have registered twice as many deaths as expected. In Madrid, the figures on excess deaths suggest that over 6,000 people probably died from Covid-19 yet are not showing up in the official statistics. In La Rioja, which recorded one of Spains first outbreaks, deaths were up 48% from expected figures in recent weeks. In Navarre there was a spike in deaths a week ago, up 56% from what would be considered normal. And in the Basque Country there were 40% more deaths than expected. At the other end of the spectrum, the least affected regions are the Canary Islands, Murcia, Galicia and Andalusia, where observed deaths were less than 15% above the expected figure. The Valencia region recorded 1,197 deaths to April 10, around 20% more than expected. Other factors Another factor to take into account is that the mathematical models for predicting deaths were not created for lockdown situations. These models probably factor in fatalities from events like car accidents, which are currently at historically low levels due to the confinement measures. This means that the number of deaths caused by Covid-19 could be even greater. The excess fatality figures may also include deaths not directly caused by Covid-19, such as people who died of other causes when the health system was overstretched and could not provide the same kind of care as under normal conditions. Confinement measures and fear of going to the hospital may have also delayed ill people from visiting a doctor. The true impact of the coronavirus on mortality will only be more precisely known at a future date, when it becomes possible to analyze registered deaths by various causes; the National Statistics Institute (INE) releases this information on an annual basis. Methodology Our observed and expected death figures were calculated using MoMos figures, available on its website, but they do not coincide completely. This is because we aggregated the number of weekly deaths, and also because we raised the figures for some regions to adjust for the lack of digitalized information in some civil registries. We did this on the basis of 2019 definitive death records provided by the INE. English version by Susana Urra. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Kite flyers in the city using the banned 'manja' thread may be detained under the Goondas Act, which means they will not get bail for a year. This comes in the wake of the increasing trend of kite flying during the lockdown. At least 13 people in Chennai have been injured by the thread since the lockdown began. While several teenagers and youngsters have been nabbed for flying kites and making 'manja' thread, they are usually let off with a warning and only very few were arrested. On Tuesday, a four-year-old girl suffered an injury in the neck from a manja thread in MKB Nagar and is undergoing treatment. Similarly, on Monday, a 35-year-old suffered a cut near her nose. In light of these incidents, the Chennai City Police Commissioner A K Viswanathan has issued an internal circular to detain the offenders under the Goondas Act and pointed out that the time for warnings and showing mercy is over. "In spite of several warnings, people do not seem to listen. Every day, the patrol police on seeing the kites follow them to the locality and as soon as seeing the police, the flyers cut off the 'manja' thread which is even more dangerous as they fly aimlessly cutting anyone in the way. When the police teams enquire in the locality who were flying the kites, people are very protective of the offenders and do not reveal their names," said a senior police officer. In July 2017, National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned the use of 'Chinese' kite strings, made of nylon or any synthetic material, which is non-biodegradable. They directed all the state governments to prohibit the "manufacture, sale, storage, purchase and use" of synthetic manja or nylon threads and all other synthetic strings used for flying kites with immediate effect. The Chennai city police had also banned flying kites using manja and have made awareness videos on the issue. A senior police officer claims that when they conduct raids and seize manja threads, they normally do not book the suspects as most of them turn out to be juveniles. Josiah Mika, age nine, was diagnosed with febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome, known as FIRES A young boy has died from a rare form of epilepsy brought on by the common cold. Josiah Mika, age nine, was diagnosed with febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome, known as FIRES, on May 1 - a condition onset by a cold or flu that causes back-to-back seizures for more than 24 hours. The one-in-a-million children diagnosed with the illness, like Josiah, are often sent straight to the intensive care unit. Constant seizures leave the majority of young survivors with varying degrees of brain damage and developmental disabilities. The illness is so rare and ill-researched that specialists treating the boy from Auckland, New Zealand, had treated just one other patient with the condition before, Stuff reported. Josiah fought the sickness for two weeks before he died on May 16 at Starship Hospital. Josiah fought the sickness for two weeks before he died on May 16 at Starship Hospital His bereaved parents Jerome and Julia said the nation's tough COVID-19 lockdown laws made it difficult for his large extended family to say their goodbyes. Hospital policies created to curb the spread of coronavirus often meant that only one person was allowed to visit the dying boy at a time. 'We had situations where we could only have one [visitor] at a time, and it was quite hard emotionally,' Mr Mika said. Loved ones sent bouquets of flowers to the family's home (pictured) and others left heartfelt messages for the family on the Facebook page 'Trying to adapt to the restrictions ... trying to be there for each other and our boy, it was a very full on time for us.' To ensure the whole family could be attend the funeral, the parents-of-four livestreamed the the service on a memorial page set up on Facebook. Loved ones sent bouquets of flowers to the family's home and others left heartfelt messages for the family on the Facebook page. Mrs Mika described her son as a 'beautiful spirit, very honest, very kind'. The most critically ill COVID-19 patient in Vietnam is now able to make basic communication with doctors after his dosage of sedatives was reduced on May 27 evening, doctors have said. The British patient is treated at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. The 43-year-old pilot, who was named by the Scottish Daily Mail as Stephen Cameron, was connected to the Buddha Bar coronavirus cluster in Ho Chi Minh City's district 2. Doctor Tran Thanh Linh, deputy head of HCM City-based Cho Ray Hospitals intensive care unit, said after reducing doses of muscle relaxants and reducing sedatives, Cameron is now capable of performing simple gestures, while still on life support. He was previously declared treated of the coronavirus on May 21 following many negative tests, but the disease has devastated his immune system and resulted in multiple organ failures. His coughing has improved and he can move his fingers and toes, although breathing and limb weakness remain issues. Cameron is no longer on kidney dialysis, however. His lung functions have improved quite a bit compared to the worst moments during his treatment for the virus at the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, where he has been treated for COVID-19 since he was confirmed to be infected, but these improvements are not enough, doctors said. Linh said in two days, the Cho Ray Hospital will hold consultations with the treatment sub-committee of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Control and Prevention to determine if it is okay to wean him off of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or stop the treatment altogether. British Consul General in HCM City Ian Gibbons on May 21 sent a letter to HCM Citys leaders and medical staff to thank for their support for British nationals, especially the excellent care for Cameron. British Consul General thanks Vietnam for efforts to save Covid-19-infected pilot The British Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City expressed his deep thanks to Vietnamese doctors for their great efforts to save a Covid-19-hit British pilot, known as Patient 91. In the letter sent to HCM City Peoples Committee Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong, British Consul General in HCM City Ian Gibbons highly appreciated HCM Citys efforts controlling the Covid-19 pandemic. Ian Gibbons thanked local authorities for helping ensuring the safety of British nationals, saying that Although in a complex situation of public health emergency, the city departments have dealt with a number of consular enquiries from us and other consulates with patience and professionalism. According to Gibbons, the consulate received useful and informative guidance from municipal authorities, enabling them to seek support from the hospitals and quarantine sites for British nationals. He particularly expressed deep thanks to the HCM City Hospital of Tropical Disease and Cho Ray Hospital over the excellent care for the pilot named Stephen Cameron. They have worked tirelessly and spared no efforts in helping him during the time he has been critically ill in hospital. Your results speak for themselves as weve seen by the increasing global recognition Vietnam is rightly receiving for its efforts to tackle COVID-19, he wrote. At the end of the letter, Gibbons noted We have been in very close touch with all the relevant authorities throughout the time the patient became unwell. We could not have asked for better treatment. Once again, my sincere and personal thanks to all involved in his care. The British pilot has also seen a slight health improvement following long treatment in HCM City. A lung transplant will be carried out on him when his health is ensured./.Dtinews/VNA Health ministry considers repatriating British pilot after being treated for coronavirus Vietnam's most critically ill COVID-19 patient, a British pilot, has now been deemed to be coronavirus-free, and the health ministry is considering the option of bringing him back to the UK for further care depending on his condition. New Delhi: The economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and the exacerbation caused by repeated, harsh lockdowns in India is much worse than thought earlier. It is already evident that the widespread loss of livelihoods across most sectors of the economy is de rigueur; so is the uncertainty surrounding a vaccine or other solutions to this deadly virus, thereby prolonging the pain. The latest forecasts paint a rather bleak picture of the economy even as the government and the RBI keep shying away from providing any accurate reading of the situation. Global forecasters have now begun amending their earlier assessments to lower growth forecasts further for India even as the deadline for yet another possible extension of lockdown looms, even as Covid-19 infections continue to rise. An analysis by ratings agency Crisil says that India is witnessing its worst ever recession since Independence and instead of the positive growth number the agency had put forth earlier, 2020-21 could see the economy shrink by five per cent. Analysts at the State Bank of India (SBI) say the current quarter (April-June) could see an unprecedented 40% decline in GDP and just two states (Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu) could account for a fourth of the total loss in growth this fiscal. Global ratings agency Fitch has lowered its global GDP forecast for 2020 to (-) 4.6% from (-) 3.9% earlier, to reflect further cuts in growth estimates for some countries as also the growing health crises in Brazil, Russia and India. Fitch has also pegged GDP decline for India at five per cent this fiscal. And Goldman Sachs has revised its earlier forecast of (-)20% GDP growth in the current quarter versus the January-March period. It now says the degrowth will be a whopping 45%. Crisil and Fitch seem to agree that the biggest reason for such an unprecedented downward revision in Indias growth forecasts, within a span of a month, is a harsh lockdown imposed by the government. India has been under a lockdown since March 24 which has lead to a near collapse in all economic activity. Now, though the government has allowed a graded opening up of businesses, there seems to be no calibrated exit strategy from such a long lockdown as infections continue to rise, Indias health infrastructure remains overwhelmed and the economy slides further. Just one example of the mess that such a graded but unstructured lifting of lockdown has brought on: resumption of domestic flights on Monday (May 25) saw nearly one in two cancelled and hundreds of passengers were left to fend for themselves. With different states following different protocols on quarantine and opening up airports for flights, only one in six flights took off or landed across the country compared to the pre-lockdown daily average. Such chaos is also evident across factories which are working with drastically reduced staff strength and still grappling with myriad logistical challenges; the near collapse of public transport across Indias major cities; and markets continuing to wear a deserted look. Fitch says in a note that The biggest revision by far (in growth forecasts) has been for India, where the virus outbreak has prompted a very severe lockdown that has lasted much longer than expected. And Crisil has termed the lockdown in India the most stringent in the world, using data from a study by the University of Oxford (Blavatnik School of Government) to show that India scored 99 out of 100 in Government Response Stringency Index with its harsh lockdown enforcement in April. Counting lockdown 4.0, Indians have had 68 days of confinement. S&P Global estimates that one month of lockdown shaves three per cent of annual GDP on average across Asia-Pacific. Since Indias lockdown has been the most stringent in Asia, the impact on economic growth will be correspondingly larger. And the State Bank of India has referred to total Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) loss of a whopping Rs 30.3 lakh crore due to the long lockdown. As the country grapples with momentous economic challenges, there seems to be continued reluctance on the part of the government to offer any meaningful fiscal relief. A fiscal stimulus package was announced earlier this month, where the government claimed it had infused more than Rs 20 lakh crore or nearly 10% of the countrys GDP. But the relief may not be more than 2% of the GDP as most measures were medium to long term reforms, with little immediate fiscal implication. So will the economy rebound (despite the near absence of fiscal stimulus and no timeline for the virus effect to lessen)? If yes, by when? Analysts say growth has tanked so badly in the ongoing quarter that it is bound to revive from such lows in the next (July-September), partly due to the abysmally low base effect. And may even begin spurting in the successive quarters. But till then, the economy needs support. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has indicated in interviews last week that the government is open to providing more fiscal stimulus to help the economy but there is no clarity on whether this will happen and if it does, in what form. From all available indications and macro economic data, a second round of stimulus is not just the need of the hour, it could be critical to sustain even the lowered economic contraction forecasts. The spread of the virus remains unpredictable and an extended lockdown has already had a detrimental effect on the economy. While the RBI has done its bit to provide a large monetary stimulus, the need for a larger fiscal stimulus has not abated. According to Goldman Sachs, While macroeconomic policies have clearly eased and we expect them to ease further...we believe that policy support, in particular discretionary fiscal policy support (defined as direct support to households and businesses) which can minimize second-round effects of the pandemic, and make any economy quickly rebound in times of an unprecedented shock, has been tepid so far. Has the time come for large doses of direct cash transfers? Perhaps it has. The author is a senior journalist. Views expressed are personal. Officer who faces charge, discipline after Monday wreck identified A charge is pending against Watertown police officer Karter Lingen, 27, after a Monday afternoon crash in which one person was injured, to the state. Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: 275 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths (in last 24 hours) reported in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total number of cases in the state to 7445, the state health department. Auto refresh feeds NDMC panel chief Jai Prakash, SDMC standing committee chairman Bhupender Gupta and EDMC panel head Sandeep Kapoor held a meeting on Thursday to discuss ways to combat the coronavirus outbreak, officials said. The heads of the standing committees of Delhi's three municipal corporations -- NDMC, SDMC, EDMC -- in a joint statement said, in view of the coronavirus pandemic, instructions have been issued to streamline arrangements at crematoria and burial sites. Directions have been issued to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to civic staff working at cremation sites, authorities said on Thursday. Two Shramik Special trains - one from Kerala and another from Gujarat - brought back 1,359 migrant workers to Manipur on Thursday, an official said. These people were stranded in the two states due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 36 new patients, five were residents of a municipal chawl locality in the area. In good news, no death due to COVID-19 was reported in the slum-dominated area since Wednesday evening. The death toll in the area thus stands at 70. The count of coronavirus cases in Dharavi in Mumbai rose to 1,675 on Thursday as 36 more people tested positive for the infection, an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. The drug is not FDA-approved for the treatment of COVID-19 but it has been identified as a possible treatment for the infection and the US government has requested its immediate availability. Hydroxychloroquine sulfate was first synthesised in 1946 and is in a class of medications historically used to treat and prevent malaria. It is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, childhood arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases. US President Donald Trump is feeling "absolutely great" after taking a two-week dose of antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine and will take it again if he thinks he is exposed to the coronavirus, a top White House official has said. The West Bengal government has set up quarantine facilities for passengers coming from the states which have been affected the most by the coronavirus pandemic. Medical screening facilities for passengers detraining were set up at all the stations where the special trains had stoppages or at the terminal stations, state officials said. Several Shramik Special trains on Thursday arrived in West Bengal from different states, including Maharashtra and Gujarat, two of the most affected states with the COVID-19 disease, officials said. The United States recorded 1,297 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, bringing its total to 1,01,573 since the global pandemic began. The country has also officially logged 1,720,613 cases of the virus, far more than any other nation. "Today I'm signing an executive order to protect and uphold the free speech and rights of the American people. Currently, social media giants, like Twitter, receive an unprecedented liability shield based on the theory that they're a neutral platform - which they're an editor with a viewpoint," Trump told reporters after he signed an executive order on Thursday. US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at stripping social media giants like Twitter and Facebook of legal immunity for the content posted by third-party users. The order comes a day after Trump accused Twitter of election interference, after it added fact-check links to two of his tweets. Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar on Friday appealed to Mamata Banerjee to be more emphathetic towards migrants wanting to return home. Banerjee has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the alleged "whimsical" functioning of the Railways in sending Shramik Special trains to West Bengal. Four more people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Of these, three had arrived from Maharashtra's Thane and one from Delhi, Kangra Deputy Commissioner, Rakesh Prajapati told ANI. With 9 new positive cases for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh five from Hamirpur and four from Kangra districts, total positive cases in the state rises to 290 including 208 active cases, said state health department, reports ANI. "The seeds, mostly of eggplant, bitter gourd, pumpkin, chiili, beans, cucumber and okra, will be distributed by the BJP district farmers' wing. This is a small step by the party to make Nagaland a self-reliant state," he said. Nagaland BJP chief and state minister Temjen Imna Along launched the distribution programme at the party's state headquarters on Thursday in the presence of other leaders. Days after the ruling PDA coalition, of which the BJP is a part, said it would focus on agriculture and allied sectors to lift the sagging economy of Nagaland, the state unit of the saffron party has begun distributing hybrid seeds of kharif crops among farmers. According to the Union Health Ministry, with 7466 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, the total cases have reached 1,65,799. The total active cases are now at 89,987, with 71,105 patients have recovered and 4,706 have deaths. A total of 175 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, along with the highest spike of 7,466 new Covid-19 cases, according to the latest updated by the union health ministry. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel reiterated in talks held with Home Minister Amit Shah where he sought views from CMs on lockdown that borders of state shouldn't be opened, requested to consider views of CMs on train/flight service and ease borrowing condition for states under economic package, reports ANI India is now the ninth worst-hit country, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. According to the tracker, the countrys tally is 1.65 lakh and the toll is 4,706 as of Friday morning. The toll is more than that of China where 4,638 people have died so far. In the biggest single day spike, Kerala on Thursday had reported 84 COVID-19 cases taking the state's infection count to 1,088. This is the second fatality in the last two days and the death toll in the state has risen to eight. A man hailing from Telangana, who reached Thiruvananthapuram from Rajasthan and tested positive, had succumbed to the virus on Thursday. A 65-year old man died of COVID-19 at the Government Medical College Hospital here in the early hours on Friday, taking the toll due to the disease in Kerala to eight, officials said. A domestic help at the minister's residence was diagnosed with the disease, following which samples of Bose and his family members were sent for examination. The reports, which arrived on Thursday night, showed Bose and one of his family members have contracted the virus, the source added. State Fire Services minister Sujit Bose has been advised to undergo home quarantine after his test results came out positive, the source said. A minister in West Bengal has tested positive for COVID-19, making it the first such case in the Mamata Banerjee-led state cabinet, a well-placed source in the government said on Friday. People in large numbers are gathered at the Delhi-Gurugram border, as the Haryana government yesterday sealed borders with Delhi in the wake of increasing number coronavirus cases, reports ANI. Mumbai on Thursday reported 1,438 coronavirus cases and 38 deaths. The total number of cases now stands at 35,485, with 1,135 deaths. Amid rising Covid-19 cases in the city, almost all intensive care unit (ICU) beds available for Covid-19 treatment are occupied. As of May 28, of the 645 Covid Care ICU beds, 99% were occupied. A total of 65% of the 4,292 beds with oxygen support were occupied, while 72% of 373 ventilators were in use, data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) showed, reports Hindustan Times. Tirumurti, who assumed charge as India's Permanent Representative to the UN last week, presented his credentials virtually as telecommuting arrangements are in place at the UN headquarters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UN chief Antonio Guterres has appreciated India's assistance to other countries to combat the COVID-19 pandemic during a virtual conversation with Ambassador TS Tirumurti, India's envoy to the world body, the Secretary General's spokesman has said. 91 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Rajasthan till 10:30 am on Friday, taking the total number of cases to 8,158. The state toll rose to 182 after 2 deaths were reported, according to the state health department, reports ANI. The rupee opened at 75.71 at the interbank forex market and then gained further to 75.65, up 11 paise over its last close. It had settled at 75.76 against the US dollar on Thursday. Rupee was trading in a range-bound manner as improving investor sentiment was offset by rising tensions between Washington and Beijing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Forex traders said investors are awaiting the country's gross domestic product data for the January-March quarter, due later in the day, for further cues. The rupee appreciated 11 paise to 75.65 against the US dollar in opening trade on Friday as foreign fund inflows and weak American currency boosted investor confidence. Union Minister Piyush Goyal appeals to people suffering from serious ailments, pregnant women, senior citizens and children below the age of 10 to travel in Shramik Express trains only when necessary. His appeal came after reports of deaths on special trains. A video showing coronavirus patients at a hospital in Uttar Pradeshs Prayagraj district complaining of inhuman conditions, has been rounding rounds on social media NDTV reports. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath Chief Minister Yogi Aditynanath holds a meeting with the Industrial Association and signs a Memorandum of Understanding to provide employment of migrant workers who have returned to the state amid the nationwide lockdown. Two floors of the Parliament's Annexe building have been sealed, the sources added. This is the second case of an official posted in the building testing positive for the infection. Rajya Sabha Secretariat official tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, the fourth such case in the Parliament complex, sources told PTI.The director-level officer who attended work on 28 May was found positive for the infection along with his family members, they said. Meghalaya has reported 21 COVID-19 cases so far. One person succumbed to the disease, while 12 others have recovered. All information about the patient, including his age and gender, have been withheld to protect privacy, a health department official said. Total cases : 21, Recovered : 12, deceased :1, active cases : 8, Sangma tweeted on Thursday night. A person who recently returned to Meghalaya from Haryana has tested positive for COVID-19, raising the number of active cases in the state to eight, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said. Considering the resumption of timetable-based train services from June 1, Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Narottam Mishra has said passengers who show symptoms of COVID-19 upon their arrival in the state will be quarantined for 14 days. Starting 1 June, the Railways plans to run 200 non-AC passenger trains daily as per timetable. All scheduled passenger flights were suspended in India from March 25 to May 24 due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. While domestic air services resumed on Monday, international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in the country. The number of coronavirus cases among police personnel in Maharashtra rises to 2,211 after 116 cops test positive, ANI reports. Twenty-five cops in the state have died of the disease so far. The Ministry of National Health Services reported that 25,309 cases were diagnosed in Sindh, 22,964 in Punjab, 8,842 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 3,928 in Balochistan, 2,100 in Islamabad, 658 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 227 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Pakistan''s coronavirus cases on Friday reached 64,028 with 2,636 new patients while the death toll climbed to 1,317 after 57 people lost their lives in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said. UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic will cause unimaginable devastation, usher in hunger and famine of historic proportions and lead to a loss of $8.5 trillion in global output -- the sharpest contraction since the Great Depression -- if nations did not respond with unity and solidarity. A Central Industrial Security Force personnel posted at the GRSEL, a warship manufacturing facility in Kolkata, has succumbed to the novel coronavirus, officials said on Friday. They said head constable Susanta Kumar Ghosh, 58, was a resident of Murshidabad district of West Bengal. This is the fourth death from coronavirus in the about 1.62 lakh personnel strong force and the second from this unit, a defence PSU located in Kolkata. The total COVID-19 positive cases in Delhi stands at 17,386, including 1,106 cases that were reported yesterday. 7,846 people have recovered so far and 398 people have succumbed to COVID-19. The Delhi government told the court that 28 such bodies were cremated on Thursday and the last rites of the remaining 35 will be performed by Saturday. Only those bodies will be retained where post mortem and investigations are to be carried out, it said. The AAP government informed the Delhi High Court on Friday that it was taking urgent steps, including extending the timings of crematoriums, to tackle the issue of cremating those who have died due to COVID-19 and the piling up of bodies at mortuaries. He was on deputation to the investigative agency from a central paramilitary force, the officials said. The COVID-positive official has been admitted to hospital for treatment and an employee who was in his contact quarantined, they said. The official is an upper-division clerk who works at the establishment branch of the headquarters, they said, adding that he last came to office on 18 May and his COVID-19 test report came on Thursday. A junior-rank officer of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has tested positive for coronavirus infection, officials said on Friday. Manipur currently has 53 active coronavirus cases. Five patients have been discharged following their recovery. Three more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Manipur, raising the total number of such cases in the state to 58, an official said. All three hail from Imphal West district, he said. Karnataka on Friday reported 178 new COVID-19 positive cases from 5 pm of 28 May to 12 noon today. The total positive cases stand at 2,711 including 1793 active cases, said sate health department. All commercial passenger services were halted on March 25 when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. While the domestic routes have been reopened for flying with a curtailed schedule from May 25 (Monday), international services remain suspended. Mumbai International Airport has handled 191 scheduled flights, including 50 services on Thursday, catering to around 20,000 passengers since the resumption of domestic passenger air services this week. The CSE's perception survey on changing commuting choices post-pandemic included over 400 middle and high-income groups in Delhi and surrounding NCR cities. The first results show public mood is changing. The use of public transport is expected to reduce for six months post-lockdown and 'health safety' will be the top priority for people while choosing the most suitable mode of travel, a recent analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment claimed. The chief minister said Goa will pitch for relaxations like allowing reopening of malls, restaurants and gyms in the state during the lockdown period. He said all these sectors (gym, mall and restaurant) can open with 50 per cent of their staff capacity and by strictly adhering to social distancing norms and other protocols related to curbing the coronavirus spread. Sawant, who spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the phone on Thursday, said during the conversation he suggested lockdown extension for another 15 days, but sought relaxations for Goa during the period. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said the current phase of lockdown, slated to end on May 31, should be extended till June 15 considering the overall COVID-19 scenario in the country, where the case count has crossed the 1.6 lakh-mark. A BEST spokesperson said that the decision was taken as per the directives of the Supreme Court. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) on Friday announced that no ticket fares will be charged from migrant labourers when buses are made available for dropping them at the city railway stations for their journey to their home states. The rupee opened at 75.71 at the interbank forex market, gained further ground, and finally settled at 75.62, up 14 paise over its last close. It had settled at 75.76 against the US dollar on Thursday. Forex traders said investors are awaiting the country's gross domestic product data for the January-March quarter, due later in the day, for further cues. The rupee appreciated 14 paise to provisionally close at 75.62 against the US dollar on Friday as foreign fund inflows and weak American currency boosted investor confidence. The Indian Council of Medical Research writes to the World Health Organization, expressing its disagreement with the world health bodys advisory against the use of hydroxychloroquine in treating coronavirus patients, ANI reports. The ICMR cities the difference in dosage administered to patients and says international dosages are four times higher than Indian trials. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Home Minister Amit Shah and senior officials to discuss the way forward on Friday, as the fourth phase of the lockdown comes to an end on Sunday, according to several media reports state. A key decision is likely tomorrow on whether to extend the restrictions amid the steady rise in virus cases, reports NDTV . Locals in Narsamuda area of Asansol district of West Bengal protest against the state governments decision of converting a school there into a quarantine centre, as they fear the spread of COVID-19 infection, ANI reports "Madhya Pradesh reported 192 new COVID-19 cases, including 84 in worst-hit Indore district, which took the tally of patients in the state to 7,645, health officials said. Thirteen deaths due to coronavirus infection increased the number of victims in MP to 334, they said." Ireported. The Rajasthan government on Friday decided to let all monuments and museums open from 1 June, India Today reported. "The lockdown will continue with minimal effects. Jute mills and tea gardens will operate with 100 percent workforce capacity. We are together in this. I am sure with all your cooperation and understanding Bengal will emerge victoriously," she added. "Continuation of restoration work is one of top priorities and workforce increase will ensure that public services are uninterrupted. In the private sector, I urge all to stay safe, work indoors as much as possible and to the best of their abilities. Prerogative lies with the respective managements of private entities to decide on workforce capacity and act accordingly. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that with multiple crises in state, the government has decided to increase public workforce capacity from 50 percent to 70 percent. Mumbai reported 1,437 new positive cases of COVID-19 and 38 deaths on Friday. The total number of positive cases in Mumbai is now 36,710, the Municipal Corporation Greater Mumbai (MCGM) said. The number of containment zones over coronavirus in Delhi rose to 102, India Today reported. "As many as 50 containment areas in Delhi have been de-contained so far," the report said. 45 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death reported in Jharkhand on Friday, the total number of positive cases in the state is now 521, said the state health department. On Friday, Assam reported 144 cases of coronavirus, resulting in the state's number of cases increasing to 1,024. The new cases were reported from Kamrup, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Cachar, Dhemaji, Hojai, Golaghat, Lakhimpur, Hailakandi and Karbi Anglong districts The Telanagana health department said that 100 new coronavirus positive cases were reported in the state on Friday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 2,008. The court heard several issues related to the Covid-19 situation in the state, the order for which is reserved for Saturday," The Indian Express reported. "The Gujarat High Court (HC) on Friday said there was no need to take the state governments permission before conducting Covid-19 test at private laboratories before emergency procedures. Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates: 275 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths (in last 24 hours) reported in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total number of cases in the state to 7445, the state health department. The Delhi government on Friday said that the Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital and Satyavadi Raja Harish Chander Hospital were designated as dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. The Tamil Nadu health department said that 874 new coronavirus cases were reported in the state on Friday, taking the total patients in the state to 20,246. Reports said that 11 healthcare workers, including two resident doctors, have tested positive for coronavirus at the AIIMS on Friday, taking the total number of hospital staff infected so far to 206. Since 1 February, 206 healthcare workers including two faculty, ten resident doctors, 26 nurses, nine technicians, five mess workers, 49 hospital attendants, 34 sanitation workers and 69 security guards have been infected by the novel coronavirus, an AIIMS official was quoted by PTI as saying. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that additional flights had been announced by Air India under the Centre's repatriation exercise called 'Vande Bharat Mission'. Bookings start from 1100hrs on 30 May. The flights are: Delhi to Auckland on 4 June, Delhi to Chicago and Stockholm on 5 June Delhi to New York, Frankfurt and Seoul on 6 June Mumbai to London and Newark on 6 June Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and informed him about the views of all chief ministers on the extension of the ongoing nationwide lockdown beyond May 31, officials said. A key decision is likely tomorrow on whether to extend the restrictions amid the steady rise in virus cases, reports NDTV. The total COVID-19 positive cases in Delhi stands at 17,386, including 1,106 cases that were reported yesterday. 7,846 people have recovered so far and 398 people have succumbed to COVID-19. Karnataka reported 178 new cases of COVID-19 as returnees from neighboring Maharashtra continue to add to the state's tally, taking the total number of infections to 2,711, the health department said on Friday. Of the fresh cases, 156 are returnees from Maharashtra. Rajya Sabha Secretariat official tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, the fourth such case in the Parliament complex, sources told PTI. The director-level officer who attended work on 28 May was found positive for the infection along with his family members, they said. This is the second case of an official posted in the building testing positive for the infection. UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic will cause unimaginable devastation, usher in hunger and famine of historic proportions and lead to a loss of $8.5 trillion in global output -- the sharpest contraction since the Great Depression -- if nations did not respond with unity and solidarity. Union Minister Piyush Goyal appeals to people suffering from serious ailments, pregnant women, senior citizens and children below the age of 10 to travel in Shramik Express trains only when necessary. His appeal came after reports of deaths on special trains. A minister in West Bengal has tested positive for COVID-19, making it the first such case in the Mamata Banerjee-led state cabinet, a well-placed source in the government told PTI. State Fire Services minister Sujit Bose has been advised to undergo home quarantine after his test results came out positive, the source said. Amid rising Covid-19 cases in the city, almost all intensive care unit (ICU) beds available for COVID-19 treatment are occupied. As of 28 May, of the 645 COVID Care ICU beds, 99% were occupied. A total of 65% of the 4,292 beds with oxygen support were occupied, while 72% of 373 ventilators were in use, data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) showed, reports Hindustan Times. India is now the ninth worst-hit country, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. According to the tracker, the countrys tally is 1.65 lakh and the toll is 4,706 as of Friday morning. The toll is more than that of China where 4,638 people have died so far. According to the Union Health Ministry, with 7466 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, the total cases have reached 1,65,799. The total active cases are now at 89,987, with 71,105 patients have recovered and 4,706 have deaths. With 9 new positive cases for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh five from Hamirpur and four from Kangra districts, total positive cases in the state rises to 290 including 208 active cases, said state health department. US President Donald Trump is feeling 'absolutely great' after taking a two-week dose of antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine and will take it again if he thinks he is exposed to the coronavirus, a top White House official has said. The count of coronavirus cases in Dharavi in Mumbai rose to 1,675 on Thursday as 36 more people tested positive for the infection, an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. In good news, no death due to COVID-19 was reported in the slum-dominated area since Wednesday evening. The death toll in the area thus stands at 70. On a day that the toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,531 in India and the number of cases climbed to 1,58,333, the Supreme Court issued a slew of directives aimed at ensuring relief to stranded migrant workers across the country. In the past 24 hours, the country reported 194 deaths and 6,566 cases, the Union health ministry said. The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 86,110 while 67,691 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, according to the ministry. "Thus, around 42.75 percent patients have recovered so far," a senior official said. In the hearing on Thursday, the Supreme Court directed that no migrant worker should be charged for travelling to their home towns and made it obligatory for states to provide food and shelter for those languishing on roads. SG lashes out at 'armchair intellectuals' Solicitor General Tushar Mehta complained to the Supreme Court that there are "arm chair intellectuals" acting as "prophets of doom" in the country by spreading negativity and not recognising the "humongous" efforts being made to deal with migrant workers' crisis following the COVID-19-induced lockdown. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MR Shah, hearing a suo motu case on the miseries faced by migrant workers during the lockdown, was also informed by Mehta, appearing for the Centre, about the steps taken by the government to deal with the crisis. He said that around one crore migrant workers have been transported due to their native states, but there are some who do not want to shift due to the reopening of the activities. Migrants are walking because of anxiety or local level instigation where they are said walk now, trains won't run', he told the court. The SC bench asked Mehta about the confusion over the payment of travel fare of stranded migrant workers and said that migrant workers should not be made to pay for their journey back home. "What is the normal time? If a migrant is identified, there must be some certainty that he will be shifted out within one week or ten days at most? What is that time? There had been instances where one state sends migrants but at the border another State says we are not accepting the migrants. We need a policy on this," the bench told Mehta. The bench, questioning him over the travel-fare for the migrant workers, said: "In our country, the middlemen will always be there. But we don't want middlemen to interfere when it comes to payment of fares. There has to be a clear policy as to who will pay for their travel." State-wise cases and deaths Of the 194 deaths reported since Wednesday morning, 105 were in Maharashtra, 23 in Gujarat, 15 in Delhi, 12 in Uttar Pradesh, eight in Madhya Pradesh, six each in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal, three each in Karnataka and Rajasthan, two each in Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Kerala. Of the total 4,531 fatalities, Maharashtra tops the tally with 1,897 deaths followed by Gujarat with 938 deaths, Madhya Pradesh with 313, Delhi with 303, West Bengal with 289, Uttar Pradesh with 182, Rajasthan with 173, Tamil Nadu with 133, Telangana with 63 and Andhra Pradesh with 58 deaths. On Thursday, the toll reached 47 in Karnataka and 40 in Punjab. Jammu and Kashmir has reported 26 fatalities due to the disease, Haryana has 18 deaths while Bihar has registered 15. Odisha and Kerala have reported seven deaths each, Himachal Pradesh five, while Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Assam have recorded four deaths each so far. Meghalaya has reported one COVID-19 fatality so far, according to data from the Union health ministry. According to the ministry's website, more than 70 percent of the deaths are due to comorbidities. As per the ministry's data updated in the morning, the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 56,948 followed by Tamil Nadu at 18,545, Delhi at 15,257, Gujarat at 15,195, Rajasthan at 7,703, Madhya Pradesh at 7,261 and Uttar Pradesh at 6,991. The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 4,192 in West Bengal, 3,171 in Andhra Pradesh and 3,061 in Bihar. Whereas, it has risen to 2,418 in Karnataka, 2,139 in Punjab, 2,098 in Telangana, 1,921 in Jammu and Kashmir and 1,593 in Odisha. Haryana has reported 1,381 coronavirus cases so far while Kerala has 1,004 cases. A total of 781 people have been infected with the virus in Assam and 448 in Jharkhand. Uttarakhand has 469, Chhattisgarh has 369, Chandigarh has reported 279 cases, Himachal Pradesh has 273, Tripura has 230 and Goa has registered 68 cases so far. Ladakh has reported 53 COVID-19 cases, Puducherry has 46 instances of infection, Manipur has 44, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands has registered 33 cases. Meghalaya has registered 20. Nagaland has reported four infections, Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Arunachal Pradesh have reported two cases each while Mizoram and Sikkim have reported a case each till now. 367 domestic flights operated till 5 pm A total of 367 domestic flights, carrying 30,136 passengers, operated throughout the country till 5 pm on Thursday, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. Airports in West Bengal also started operations on Thursday, three days after domestic air travel resumed in India after a gap of two months. All scheduled domestic passenger services were suspended in India from 25 March to 24 May due to restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier in the day, Puri had said that 460 domestic flights carrying 34,336 passengers were operated on Wednesday. In the case of West Bengal, the minister on Sunday had said that the state will handle domestic flights from Thursday. Figures for domestic flights for 28th May 2020 are in. Departures 367 30,136 passengers handled. Arrivals 310 25,530 passengers handled. Total movements 677 with 55,666 passenger footfalls at airports. Total number of flyers 30,136 These are numbers till 1700 hrs for Day 4. pic.twitter.com/7V0IOXLHcD Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 28, 2020 A total of 428 domestic flights carrying 30,550 passengers and 445 domestic services carrying 62,641 flyers were operated in the country on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. With inputs from PTI remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led a call for global co-operation today at a major United Nations meeting aimed at mitigating the devastating social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference is taking place as Canada competes with Norway and Ireland for one of two non-permanent seats opening on the UN Security Council next month. Canada is running on a platform of helping to rebuild the post-pandemic world. Trudeau co-hosted the meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and opened the hours-long video conference by affirming Canada's support for the international institutions he said should be leading the recovery. "And for the global economy to recover, and for our domestic economies to bounce back, we need a global, co-ordinated plan," Trudeau said. "Our citizens need to have confidence in international institutions that leave no one behind and are capable of overcoming global challenges." More than 50 heads of state and government participated in the meeting including Germany's Angela Merkel, France's Emmanuel Macron and the U.K.'s Boris Johnson along with representatives of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the private sector. U.S. President Donald Trump did not take part. Trump has argued that wise leaders put the interests of their own countries first. One by one, Merkel, Macron, Johnson, the president of the European Commission and the prime ministers of Norway and Ireland among others thrashed Trump's go-it-alone approach without mentioning his name. They defended the World Health Organization, which Trump has defunded, and the Paris agreement on climate change, from which Trump is withdrawing. Merkel reminded the gathering that Germany rallied nations to fight climate change during its past G7 presidency. Trump is hosting the G7 summit this year. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted the pandemic might push some countries to focus on their own needs. Story continues "This is wrong. We have to work together, and for each other." Canada vying for security seat Macron, who has never shied away from criticizing Trump, said "collective action" by the world's multilateral systems is crucial. "No single country can find a solution to this crisis. There can be no isolated solution. We have to address issues collectively, such as health, the environment, justice," said Macron. "The price is paid by all. The solution must be found by all." Johnson, sometimes viewed as Trump's political kindred spirit, said all countries are striving to protect their people, as they should. "Yet no single country holds the keys to victory against our invisible enemy," he added. "If we are to defeat COVID-19, achieve a global recovery and avoid a future pandemic, then we must work together across borders." Ireland and Norway, Canada's rivals for the two temporary seats on the security council, echoed that sentiment. "This is no time to seek confrontation and to look inward," said Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg. "Let us use this moment to ensure more global co-operation in order to build back a healthier, greener, fairer, gender-equal and sustainable world." The subtext of the looming Security Council vote was also on display. Trudeau has been courting the support of various large voting blocs in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean because European countries are expected to rally around Norway and Ireland. Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, the current chair of the 20-country Caribbean Community, thanked Trudeau for his remarks, but laid down a clear marker for him and others. "I hope that this high-level session will not simply be the record of glorious speeches but will trigger action that is needed badly." Unless countries come together now to co-ordinate a recovery plan, the UN estimates the pandemic could slash nearly US$8.5 trillion from the world economy over the next two years, forcing 34.3 million people into extreme poverty this year and potentially 130 million more over the course of the decade. "This is our chance to begin a conversation on how we can emerge from this truly global crisis as a stronger and more cohesive world one that creates growth for everyone, addresses inequality and cares for the most vulnerable," Trudeau said Thursday. "Canada is ready to do our part as we help bring the world together in the fight against COVID-19." In a release about the event, the UN said all countries face economic strains due to the pandemic, particularly developing countries which were already in "debt distress" before the crisis and can't afford to cushion the blow for their citizens or to undertake fiscal stimulus measures. 'Urgent areas of action' The conference is addressing "six urgent areas of action" to mobilize the financing needed for a global recovery. Those six areas are: Expanding liquidity in the global economy and maintaining financial stability. Addressing debt vulnerability for developing countries "to save lives and livelihoods for billions of people around the world." Involving private sector creditors in recovery plans. Enhancing external financing for inclusive growth and job creation. Preventing illicit offshore financial holdings and money laundering that siphon off trillions of dollars needed for rebuilding economies. Aligning recovery policies with sustainable development goals. The conference aims to create a discussion group in each of the six areas, with the goal of providing concrete proposals by mid-July. "Despite all the technological and scientific advances of recent decades, we are in an unprecedented human crisis because of a microscopic virus," said Guterres. "We need to respond with unity and solidarity." Sofia: Bulgarias highest appeals court has dismissed a request by the former chief prosecutor to review the parole granted to an Australian convicted of murder in 2009, meaning he is now free to leave the country. Jock Palfreeman, who served 11 years of a 20-year sentence for murder and attempted murder in the 2007 stabbing of two Bulgarians, one of whom died, during a street melee in Sofia, was granted parole by a panel of three judges in September. Jock Palfreeman is now free to leave Bulgaria after the court ruled in his favour. Credit:AP The parole meant he could be released on condition of good behaviour. Then Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov, now head of the anti-corruption commission, made an application to the Supreme Court of Cassation to have Palfreeman's parole revoked, arguing that two of the judges had a conflict of interest. A mental health expert has said the effects of a recession brought on due to coronavirus restrictions could have bigger implications for the psychological wellbeing of the nation than lockdown itself. Professor Siobhan O'Neill of Ulster University said it is essential Northern Ireland emerges from lockdown in a timely manner and as quickly as possible so that the economy can be protected. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph's Coronavirus podcast, she said one of the biggest problems that could emerge in coming months is a recession if the economy collapses post-lockdown, resulting in wide-reaching implications in years to come. "There are people for whom the emergence from lockdown is really important, not just for their mental health but in terms of the economy and jobs, getting people back to work," she said. "One of the biggest problems that could result from this that would affect people's mental health is the recession. It's about emerging from lockdown in a timely way but also as fast as we can so we can protect the economy." While many have been protected by job protection and assistance schemes brought forward by the government, this is not always enough, she said. "If there are huge job losses and harsh austerity measures after this, that's really going to impact on the mental health of the population and there's going to be a cost to that as well. "The next year or so needs to be managed very carefully to avoid austerity and job losses. Unemployment is a huge predictor of suicide rates and mental health problems in the population. We also need to avoid a second wave if we can. We need to trust that our leaders and their advisers are going to do the right thing." There are higher rates of mental illness in Northern Ireland due to the legacy of the Troubles and trauma passed on to the next generation, she said. "We were already struggling to meet the needs of the population." It means many people with existing mental health issues are struggling because they may be unable to access support services in the same way. "A lot of mental health services are working hard to make sure appointments and systems are maintained. It can just make existing trauma related mental health illnesses worse. There are new mental health problems for people who are really suffering the effects of stress and anxiety and fear of Covid and lockdown." However, for many the short-term stresses and anxieties of lockdown will have no effect, she said. "There's more demand and there are more people who are stressed at the moment. Most people will be OK in the long term. Going through this kind of experience can help people build resilience, they know they can cope with change and adapt and be resilient." News stories about people breaking lockdown restrictions can impact the mood of the nation, especially as the unified approach first shown in the early weeks of lockdown begins to wear off, she said. "When there's news stories about people breaking lockdown, that can affect our mental health too because it makes us question our own behaviour and our own decisions and sacrifices. "The longer this goes on, the more difficult this will be - there was an expectation at the start that this would be time-limited. Dates were really particularly important and now there's so much more uncertainty around that, it can be difficult to stabilise and know that it will end in some way." The Belfast Telegraph Coronavirus podcast is on Spotify and Soundcloud. Capable school graduates sometimes choose low-ranking universities which do not match their abilities. According to the findings of HSE University researchers, up to one-quarter of school graduates in Moscow enrol in low-quality universities despite scoring highly on their USE (Unified State Exam, the final school exam and a standard university admission mechanism in Russia). This academic mismatch limits their life opportunities and often stems from unequal starting conditions in the family and at school. Parents without a university education are not always aware of the difference in quality among universities and therefore cannot give useful advice to their children. Non-elite secondary schools do not normally provide vocational guidance or discuss university admission options with students. As a result, many top academic performers from less privileged families and schools do not even attempt to enrol in high-ranking universities. Inequality Starts Early Generally, the USE system lives up to its promise of expanding access to higher education. However, inequality persists due to students' family and school backgrounds. Limiting attitudes projected by their parents and teachers often prevent school graduates from making the right decision: those who could boost their upward social mobility by entering a prestigious university often do not even consider this option. Having monitored enrolment in Moscow universities for the correlation between students' academic ability and the ranking of universities they choose, researchers found a significant mismatch: up to 28% of students chose a university below the level that they deserved based on their USE score. This finding is striking, given that students in Moscow enjoy 'the widest range of options for entering Moscow-based universities; unlike aspiring students from the provinces, Muscovites do not need to relocate to attend the university of their choice', says the study co-author Ilya Prakhov https://www.hse.ru/en/staff/prakhov. In the regions, the rate of mismatch between the academic potential of students and the quality of universities they choose may be even higher. Not many aspiring students take the risk of applying to a university in another city. Educational migration is constrained by what the student's family can afford; local living standards also play a role, as regions with growing economies and good job opportunities are more likely to retain young people. This new research is based on a sample of 718 observations from the HSE's Trajectories in Education and Careers longitudinal study (Moscow panel). The researchers compared individual students' USE scores in the school subjects required for university admission against the quality of enrolment for their chosen university, i.e. the average USE score of all students admitted to subsidised slots in this university. A positive difference between a student's USE score and the average USE score of all students attending their university indicates an undermatch, i.e. a choice of university below the student's ability. How Can You Tell That Your Child Has Undermatched? Suppose your son scored 75 in Russian, 85 in Mathematics and 80 in Physics, giving an average USE score of 80. Suppose further that the average USE score of students attending his university ranges between 65 and 75, averaging 70. By subtracting the university average from your son's USE score, you can see that he has undermatched by 10 points (80-70=10) and could have entered a higher-quality university where the students' average USE score is 80. While undermatching, according to Prakhov, 'only affects one-quarter of school graduates, inequality in access to higher education can occur at earlier stages in secondary school, because USE scores often depend on family and school characteristics'. Doomed by Parents A key factor in undermatching is family influence. It was proven more than half a century ago that family background has a powerful impact on children's education. Parents' socioeconomic status (SES) -- their level of education, income and cultural involvement -- tends to 'program' their child's path in life. The family largely determines a youngster's achievements in school and their desire or reluctance to graduate from high school and pursue higher education. Parents can underestimate their children's abilities and discourage attempts to pursue higher education - or suggest less prestigious universities which are easier to enter. This often happens to students from poorer and less educated families. Not having first-hand experience of studying at a university, parents may not have enough information on preparation and enrolment to provide proper guidance to children. This situation hinders intergenerational mobility and causes children to follow the path of their parents and fail to improve their socioeconomic status. Termed parentocracy by social scientists, this creates a system where parents, voluntarily or otherwise, determine the future of their offspring based on the family's socioeconomic background and attitudes rather than the child's individual abilities and achievements. In addition to this, according to Prakhov, a student's family can affect their USE results, since 'a lack of parental investment in the child's human capital (knowledge and skills) tends to limit the latter's academic achievement'. In contrast, young people from high-status families are at an advantage and far less likely to undermatch. This finding is confirmed by other studies stating that children from families with high professional and educational status are twice as likely to enter a prestigious university as their peers from low-resource families. Researchers explain this through three family-related factors: strong family attitudes towards a good education, parental investment in their children's studies and the child's high academic performance associated with it. Awareness of available higher education options also makes a difference: it has been found that more informed students are less likely to attend low-quality educational institutions. Power of Money and Knowledge Parents with high socioeconomic status are prepared to hire private tutors and pay for university preparation courses for their child. By contributing to students' academic performance and confidence, this additional learning helps them score better on the USE, understand their options and avoid undermatching. According to Prakhov and Sergienko, high-priced 'intensive' courses and high-quality tutors ensure an almost perfect match between student and university. A family's culture is often measured by the number of books in the home library. 'Books are an essential resource for investment in human capital', the researchers comment. 'In a home with lots of books, a curious child is far more likely to take one from the shelf and read it'. Students who read many books are less likely to enter a low-quality university. Indeed, as far as family factors are concerned, inequality in access to education begins long before university, with the bookshelf in one's parental home. School as Sorting Machine Not only family, but school also contributes to inequalities in students' choice of educational path and resulting prospects in life. Quite often, the educational path is decided from the first grade, with more affluent families choosing prestigious lyceums and gymnasiums for their children, and families with limited means choosing schools near their home. Both choices can determine the child's future, especially given that Russian students rarely switch schools, and many stay in the same school until graduation. Tracking, or selecting a particular academic track and perhaps switching to a certain type of school (e.g. one with a focus on mathematics or foreign languages, etc.), normally occurs in high school and is often linked to families' socioeconomic status, with less resourced families choosing ordinary rather than elite schools. In a few countries, tracking takes place earlier: Germany and Austria assign children to specific tracks at age 10, and Russia is the world leader for pre-tracking, with educational paths determined at the age of six or seven. Public education effectively perpetuates existing social inequalities, where children of wealthier parents benefit from the best school and university education. According to Prakhov and his co-author Denis Sergienko, graduates of the 300 top-ranking secondary schools in Moscow are less likely than others to undermatch with their chosen university. 'Attending an elite rather than ordinary school contributes significantly to the student's USE score and reduces the risk of undermatching', the researchers emphasise. Also important is the quality of teaching. Good teachers know how to support their students' motivation and confidence. It has been found that teachers who hold their students to high standards help them develop higher self-esteem. In Search of a Solution What then needs to be done to help all aspiring undergraduates make the most of their academic ability and performance? According to experts, schools and families should work together to change the attitudes and improve the knowledge of low-SES parents. Steps need to be taken to minimise the limiting influence of parental background on the choice of educational path for their children. The attitudes of some schools which tend to be biased against children from low-SES families should also be addressed. It has been shown that teachers and school administrators sometimes perceive parents' low level of education as a signal that their children's educational aspirations are also low, and such students are not given sufficient attention. According to Prakhov and Sergienko, improving teacher performance in non-elite schools could increase the chances of success for their students. Schools could also offer elective classes focusing specifically on preparation for the USE, for the benefit of low-income students. And finally, students need to be informed and updated on available options of university enrolment and the overall situation in the educational market. ### Dutch racing driver Arie Luyendyk has praised countryman Max Verstappen for remaining grounded amid skyrocketing fame, fortune and success. Verstappen's new Red Bull deal makes him one of the highest paid drivers in Formula 1 history, with boss Dr Helmut Marko smiling that the 22-year-old "will not be happy" once the sport includes driver salaries in the budget cap. But despite this growing power in Formula 1, Verstappen is staying grounded according to two-time Indy 500 winner Luyendyk. "What I like about him is that he has not suddenly become arrogant," the 66-year-old, best known for his long career in American open wheel racing, told De Telegraaf. "Max can still be as enthusiastic as a boy after succeeding in a race," Luyendyk added. "Lewis Hamilton doesn't have that at all." (GMM) Iowa hospitals received $190.3 million in CARES Act relief fund payments in April and were expecting as much as $360 million more in a second round of federal relief aid underway now, interviews and documents shared with IowaWatch and the Globe Gazette show. The cash helps, especially at small, rural access care hospitals of 25 or fewer beds that have been stretched thin during the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital and industry leaders said. But it wont bring them to the break-even point, even as the hospitals have resumed a major source of their income with non-emergency and clinical procedure. Kirk Norris, CEO and president of the Iowa Hospital Association, said modeling his association has done shows that Iowa hospitals could lose as much as $1 billion by the end of June or beginning of July because of the virus. The relief dollars from the CARES Act would make up only half the loss. We have a pretty good handle on what happened in March and, basically, half of their revenues evaporated, Norris said. April wasnt much better because state restrictions ordered by Gov. Kim Reynolds in much of March, all of April and the first part of May prohibited the hospitals from offering non-emergency surgeries and radiology procedures or other clinical visits. Ideally, hospitals would have enough money in reserve to handle an emergency-driven, dramatic shift in business, a nationally recognized rural health researcher at the University of Iowa College of Public Health said. On a temporary basis, which is what we hope, you have cash reserve, you have lines of credit, said Keith Mueller, Gerhard Hartman professor and head of Health Management and Policy. Most small rural hospitals, however, would not have as much cash on hand as larger ones, nor a strong line of credit, Mueller said. You dont have the same profile financially as some of the larger institutions, he said. Adding to the problem: Hospital administrators have not been able to predict when revenue will pick up again. Mueller said hospitals have been buying time to see how much federal assistance helps. But assistance isnt covering all of the expenses, especially for hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, he said. The largest total Health and Human Services payouts from two programs the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act as of May 13 were a little more than $34.7 million to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, HHS data show. Catholic Health Initiatives, in Des Moines and other locations in western Iowa, was next at $13.8 million. UnityPoint Health-Iowa Lutheran Hospital, in Des Moines, was next at $13.2 million, the data showed. CARES Act payouts were based on annualized patient revenue, thus the largest payments went to Iowas largest hospitals. Hospitals have collected $362.7 million of the $383.3 million distributed so far for Iowas rural hospitals, clinics and community health centers, the IowaWatch review of disbursements showed. MERCYONE NORTH IOWA Administrators at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center, like those at other hospitals, spent the first part of 2020 rearranging staff to deal with COVID-19. Leaders balanced demands created by the need to address a pending surge in virus cases while income-producing non-emergency surgeries and many clinical appointments were canceled. In April, the medical center issued a statement saying that its leaders had taken salary cuts, and that furloughs were under consideration. MercyOne North Iowa spokesperson Stephanie Duckert said in an email that the medical center has received $20.8 million from the federal CARES Act. She noted that the sum won't cover the hospital's total losses, which "extend beyond that of the direct costs related to shifting our focus entirely to preparing for COVID-19. "Having to reduce volumes for non-urgent procedures and elective services during this time has had a much greater financial impact than what is covered by these funds," Duckert wrote. MercyOne North Iowa President Rod Schlader said he expects the financial impacts of COVID-19 will continue for some time. "Our teams continue to prepare to treat those with COVID-19 while simultaneously meeting the care needs of all others we are privileged to serve," Schlader wrote in an email. "And while we are hopeful the worst of COVID is behind us, our teams will be implementing several measures to ensure the safest care environment for our patients and colleagues as we gradually resume non-urgent health care services. This gradual services expansion may extend the financial impact for our hospital but we believe it is the best approach to ensure safety." The American Hospital Directory data show 23 Iowa hospitals reporting losses of more than $1 million for their last audited reporting period - before the COVID-19 impact. Patient billings are down but non-patient revenue keeps the spending deficit from being worse. Non-patient revenue comes from people using a hospital service, such getting a lab report about a specimen delivered to the hospital instead of being taken there. MercyOne North Iowa reported net income of $26 million on $1.17 billion in total revenue (patient and non-patient) for the period ending June 2019, the latest for which free data from the American Hospital Directory was available. This story is part of a collaboration of Institute for Nonprofit News members examining the effect of COVID-19 on rural health care. Partners are Carolina Public Press, IowaWatch, Side Effects Media, Wisconsin Watch and Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting. IowaWatch reporting in this project was made possible by support from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems. Read the collaborations work here: Slammed: Rural health care and COVID-19. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 At CES 2020 in January, Samsung had announced that it would bring Samsung Health to its Smart TVs. The platform is now available for the companys 2020 Smart TV lineup. Samsung Health for Smart TVs is designed to revolutionize the concept of at-home workouts. It is a user-centric wellness platform that syncs across your phones and wearable devices as well. In fact, the new health platform for Samsung Smart TVs brings a lot more than what the smartphone and wearable apps offer. Of course, there will be personal dashboards and challenges, but theres more. Advertisement Users get free premium classes on various fitness-focused activities like yoga, meditation, strength training, stretching, barre, pilates, dance, cardio, and full-body workouts. The contents vary in terms of exercise level and discipline, so there is something for everyone. 2020 Samsung Smart TV owners can also start new wellness routines. When on, the TV will automatically remind them that its time to get up and work out. Users can create profiles for individuals or for the whole family for personalized workout recommendations. You can also set workout goals and challenge yourself, or a family member for some fun. Samsung Health will keep track of the status and cheer you on when you get closer to the goal. Advertisement The dashboard connects to mobile and wearables apps to bring all stats into one centralized place. So the calories you burn while on the move wont go unnoticed. Your daily stats from all your devices will be synced to analyze your progress. The whole intention of Samsung Health is to motivate our consumers to live healthier lives by meeting them wherever they are, across Samsung platforms, said Won-Jin Lee, Executive Vice President at Samsung. Samsung smart TVs get Samsung Health Samsung last month added six new fitness-focused apps to its Smart TV lineup, namely Calm, obe fitness, barre3, Echelon, Fitplan, and Jillian Michaels Fitness. These apps now come integrated with the Samsung Health platform on the companys 2020 Smart TVs. Advertisement Users get over 5,000 hours of fitness and wellness content as well as more than 250 instructive fitness videos from these partners. Samsung says the partner ecosystem will continue to expand in the future, so the consumers will always be able to discover something new or find content that suits their specific fitness needs. The aforementioned six apps are also available to download independently on select older Samsung Smart TVs in some regions. Its unclear whether the company plans on making the Samsung Health platform available to its older TV models. Mumbai, May 28 : The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will give a loan of USD 177 million to upgrade 450 kms of state highways and major districts roads in Maharashtra, an official said here on Thursday. The agreement was signed for the Maharashtra State Road Improvement Project by the Ministry of Finance's Additional Secretary (Fund Bank & ADB) Sameer Kumar Khare and ADB India's Resident Mission Country Director Kenichi Yokoyama. Under the project, 2 major district roads and 11 state highways, with a total length of 450 kms would be upgraded to double-lane standard across seven districts. This will boost connectivity to the national highways, interstate roads, seaports, airports, rail hubs, district headquarters, industrial centres, enterprise clusters and agriculture areas in the state. Khare said that the project would improve connectivity between rural and urban centres in the state enabling rural communities better access to markets, employment opportunities and services. The improved mobility will expand development and livelihood opportunities outside the state's major urban centres to second-tier cities and towns, thus reducing the income disparities. According to Yokoyama, the project will also strengthen road safety measures by developing a road safety audit framework intended at protecting vulnerable groups like elderly, women and children, in tune with the best international practices. Another feature of the project would be to update the road maintenance system by encouraging a 5-year performance-based maintenance obligation to contractors to sustain asset quality and service levels. It will also focus on training the Maharashtra PWD project staffers to build their capacity in climate change adaptation and disaster resilient features in road design, maintenance planning and safety. News Corp Australia has confirmed it will axe hundreds of jobs and stop the print editions of more than 100 suburban and regional mastheads as part of a major restructure aimed at cutting costs and consolidating its editorial and commercial operations. The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed in April that the company was undertaking a major review of its business model and regional publishing business. The cuts follow a string of newsroom closures triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and a faltering advertising market. Some titles including the Manly Daily, Parramatta Advertiser and Inner West Courier in suburban Sydney will cease publishing in print and move to digital only editions, while others such as the Progress Leader in Melbourne and Rouse Hill Times in NSW will cease altogether. In a note to staff on Thursday, News Corp executive chairman Michael Miller told staff that the business would move to a digital-focused model which would result in job losses. Closed quarter with net working capital of $28.4 million Achieved revenues of $1.9 Million for Q1 2020, improving gross margin by 17% compared to Q1 2019 for Q1 2020, improving gross margin by 17% compared to Q1 2019 Achieved first sales in Colombia of low-THC medical cannabis, and subsequent to the quarter, began its first high-THC medical cannabis sales in Colombia on May 19 th 2020 of low-THC medical cannabis, and subsequent to the quarter, began its first high-THC medical cannabis sales in on 2020 Increased revenues from its Kuida brand by 18% compared to Q1 2019, despite the impact of sales reduction in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia and abroad and abroad In May 2020 , received first medical cannabis prescriptions for UK patients participating in Project Twenty21 , received first medical cannabis prescriptions for UK patients participating in Project Twenty21 Signed exclusive agreement with Medlive, a distributor serving 3,000 clinics and hospitals in Brazil , subsequent to the quarter , subsequent to the quarter Signed exclusive agreement to manufacture and distribute Khiron-branded medical cannabis products in Lima , Perus largest city with 8.6 million inhabitants , Perus largest city with 8.6 million inhabitants Entered into a medical cannabis distribution agreement in Colombia with Locatel, a pharmacy, healthcare products, and medical equipment retailer with a database of over 2 million patients in Colombia , subsequent to the quarter with Locatel, a pharmacy, healthcare products, and medical equipment retailer with a database of over 2 million patients in , subsequent to the quarter On April 1, 2020 , launched teleconsultation service in Colombia giving patients access to health services and doctors trained to prescribe medical cannabis , launched teleconsultation service in giving patients access to health services and doctors trained to prescribe medical cannabis Entered agreement with Tecnologico de Monterrey , a leading Latin American university in Mexico bringing Khirons online education program to 1,500 physicians and healthcare practitioners TORONTO, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Khiron Life Sciences Corp. ("Khiron" or the "Company") (TSXV: KHRN ), (OTCQX: KHRNF), (Frankfurt: A2JMZC), a vertically integrated cannabis leader with core operations in Latin America and Europe, announced today its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. These filings are available for review on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com All financial information in this press release is reported in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise indicated. Summary of Key Quarterly Financial Results Canadian dollars Q1 2020 Q1 2019 $ $ Revenues ('000s) 1,901 2,091 Gross profit ('000s) 437 413 General and administrative costs ('000s) (5,847) (4,471) Net loss ('000s) (9,237) (8,004) Adjusted EBITDA (1) ('000s) (5,865) (5,668) Net loss per share (basic and diluted) (0.08) (0.11) Weighted average shares outstanding ('000s) 116,607 75,895 1. Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization or in this case loss) is a non-IFRS measure calculated as net loss as reported under International Financial Reporting Standards and adding back share-based compensation expense, transaction fees, depreciation and non-recurring items. Refer to the Company's MD&A for a reconciliation. Discussion of Operations for the Three Months Ending March 31, 2020 The Company recorded a net loss of $9.2 million in Q1 2020. This compares to a net loss of $8.0 million in Q1 2019. Adjusted EBITDA is comparable between periods at $5.9 million. Revenues decreased in Q1 2020 compared to Q1 2019 due to the impact of COVID 19, the appreciation of the Canadian dollar by an average 6% relative to the Colombian peso and the suspension of surgical procedures at the Company's health centres after the Colombian government declared a national emergency in March 2020, which required suspension of invasive surgeries. Effective May 26, 2020 the health centres have resumed these surgical procedures, and the Company expects to fill the backlog of suspended surgeries throughout the year. Notwithstanding, the health services operating segment increased its gross margin to 21% in Q1 2020, compared to 18% in Q1 2019. The Company incurred higher general and administrative costs in Q1 2020 compared to Q1 2019 mainly due to higher salaries and office costs because of its increased presence in multiple countries as the Company prepared to execute its growth strategy through 2019. Q1 2020 also saw less transaction related activity and reduced travel expenses with the onset of COVID-19 restricting all company travel. Management Commentary Alvaro Torres, Khiron CEO and director, commented: "During Q1 2020, the Company achieved major milestones that position Khiron as the leading medical cannabis company in Latin America. Most importantly, we achieved these milestones in the middle of an extraordinary global health and social crisis, which speaks to the Company's resilience and ability to innovate and adapt to the changing environment. As of today, Khiron is the first and only company to sell low- and high-THC medical cannabis in Colombia, and we have achieved significant milestones in our other target countries, which position us to enter the execution phase of our business strategy. With the dramatic global impact from the COVID-19 pandemic in the quarter we acted swiftly, securing authorization to remain operational in Colombia as an essential service while adjusting our global priorities and spending to appropriately reflect the anticipated revenue impact. The health of all our staff and their families remain a priority for us in this challenging time and as we emerge from the pandemic, we will continue to provide support for their wellbeing and for our community." Webcast and Q&A Khiron invites individual and institutional investors, as well as advisors and analysts, to attend a webcast and Q&A to discuss the Company's first quarter fiscal 2020 results. DATE: Friday May 29, 2020 TIME: 10:00am EDT/7:00am PDT PRESENTERS: Alvaro Torres, Khiron CEO and Director, and Chris Naprawa, Khiron President FORMAT: Live 20 minutes presentation and Q&A session REGISTER LINK: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/2385157/00B4EC003A08BA324FF170D670FCE287 About Khiron Life Sciences Corp. Khiron Life Sciences Corp. is the dominant integrated medical cannabis company in Latin America. Khiron has core operations in Latin America, along with activity in North America and Europe, and is licensed in Colombia for the cultivation, production, domestic distribution, and international export of both tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) medical cannabis. The Company delivers best in class regulatory compliance, is fully authorized to manufacture and fill prescriptions for high- and low-THC medical cannabis in Colombia and has the first approved line of CBD cosmetic products on shelf in Colombia, and available in the United States and the United Kingdom. With a focused regional strategy and patient oriented approach, the Company combines global scientific expertise, agricultural advantages, branded product market entrance experience and education to drive prescription and brand loyalty to address priority medical conditions such as chronic pain, epilepsy, depression and anxiety in the Latin American market of over 620 million people. The Company is led by Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alvaro Torres, together with an experienced executive team, and a knowledgeable Board of Directors that includes former President of Mexico, Vicente Fox. Visit Khiron online at www.khiron.ca and on Instagram @khironlife Cautionary Notes Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Khiron undertakes no obligation to comment analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of Khiron, its securities, or financial or operating results (as applicable). Although Khiron believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, such forward-looking statement has been based on expectations, factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Khiron's control, including the risk factors discussed in Khiron's Annual Information Form which is available on Khiron's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and are made as of the date hereof. Khiron disclaims any intention and has no obligation or responsibility, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. SOURCE Khiron Life Sciences Corp. Related Links https://www.khiron.ca/en/home A woman in a wheelchair was punched in the head and sprayed with a fire extinguisher after trying to block protesters - allegedly with a knife in her hand - during the George Floyd riots in Minneapolis last night. The woman claimed she was 'peacefully protesting' to stop people from looting a Target store, but she was quickly set upon by a crowd who subdued her in angry scenes on the second night of violence in the city. The crowd outside the Target store shouted that the woman had a knife, and footage showed her holding what appeared to be a sharp object. Other accounts claimed that the woman was not disabled and got out of the wheelchair to attack some of the looters. Named online as Jennifer, she later said she had been 'punched in the head several times' before others tried to restrain her. A woman in a wheelchair was sprayed with a fire extinguisher after trying to block protesters outside a Target store. Onlookers claimed she had a knife and the video is captioned: 'She stabbing people' Footage of the violent clash has been widely shared on social media, including by conservative writer Andy Ngo. While some deplored the video as a brutal attack on a disabled woman, others saw Jennifer as the aggressor and the fire extinguisher as an act of self-defense. One widely-circulated clip has the caption 'she stabbing people', showing a crowd of people filming the woman as she sat in a doorway. One man emerged from inside the store and tried to pull the wheelchair out of the doorway, wrestling with the woman as someone shouted: 'She got a knife'. Out of shot, another person then took hold of a fire extinguisher and sprayed foam in her face, prompting cheers from the crowd of onlookers. The woman was completely obscured by foam for a moment as some onlookers appeared to throw projectiles towards her and others fled the scene. The woman claimed she was 'peacefully protesting' to stop people from looting a Target store, but she was quickly set upon by a crowd who said she had a knife Another woman carrying a teddy bear on her back approached Jennifer's wheelchair and made a grab for something she was carrying, possibly the alleged knife. A third woman then appeared from behind Jennifer and beat her several times on the head, drawing a rebuke from some of the crowd. Speaking to a bystander afterwards, Jennifer claimed she was 'peacefully protessting' against the crowds. 'I was peacefully protesting and trying to block the way so they couldn't leave with carfuls of stuff. Before she was sprayed with the fire extinguisher she was seen in another video as a man dragged her wheel chair and seemingly tried to push it over 'They attacked me from front and back, they punched me in my mouth and my head. I got punched in the head several times. 'I got grabbed from behind, people grabbed my wheelchair, they stole my keys, they stole everything they could off me. 'I got maced in the face, I got covered in fire extinguisher stuff,' she said, saying emergency medics had told her to go home. Even then, Jennifer said she was 'trying to block traffic' so that 'they don't go that way', putting a mask on as she spoke. The Target clash came on a second night of protests after the death of George Floyd, a black man who was pinned to the ground by a white police officer's knee despite pleading that he could not breathe. People could be heard screaming as the woman was pushed around and nearly tipped over President Donald Trump called Floyd's death 'sad and tragic', and all four officers who were holding Floyd in custody have been fired. Prosecutors said they had called in the FBI to help investigate the case, which could involve a federal felony civil rights violation. Police continued to hold the crowds back from scaling a fence into the precinct's parking lot, where their cruisers contain guns. But an auto parts store from across the precinct was set alight and a nearby Target was being looted last night. Other protests remained peaceful. At the spot where Floyd was first arrested, people carried placards and laid tributes and there was no vandalism. 'I would like those officers to be charged with murder, because that's exactly what they did,' Bridgett Floyd, the victim's sister, said on NBC television. A man was shot dead outside a pawn shop after protests over the death of George Floyd descended into chaos Wednesday night and rioters smashed up stores across the city 'They murdered my brother.... They should be in jail for murder.' Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey said he could not understand why the officer who held his knee to Floyd's neck had not been arrested. 'Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail? If you had done it, or I had done it, we would be behind bars right now,' Frey said. 'Based on what I saw, the officer who had his knee on the neck of George Floyd should be charged,' he said. Floyd had been detained on a minor charge of allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill to make a purchase at a convenience store. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said the FBI needs to thoroughly investigate the case. A man poses for photos in front of a fire at an AutoZone store. John Elder, Minneapolis Department Police Chief confirmed in a press conference that one person was shot and killed and that another person was being held in custody 'It's a tragic reminder that this was not an isolated incident, but part of an engrained systemic cycle of injustice that still exists in this country,' Biden said. 'We have to ensure that the Floyd family receive the justice they are entitled to.' The protests evoked memories of the riots in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 after a policeman shot dead a young African-American man suspected of robbery, as well as the case of New Yorker Eric Garner, who was detained by police for illegally selling cigarettes and filmed being held in an illegal chokehold by police that led to his death. 'How many more of these senseless excessive-force killings from the people who are supposed to protect us can we take in America?' said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who was retained by Floyd's family. H ealth officials' calls to enact a stronger lockdown of care homes to prevent spiralling coronavirus deaths have been rejected by the Government. Care homes have increasingly become the epicentres for deaths linked to Covid-19 across the UK, with the toll standing at more than 10,000 in England. Downing Street received an 11-point plan proposing "a further lockdown of care homes" from Public Health England (PHE) on April 28, the Guardian reported. The plan urged ministers to "use NHS facilities and other temporary accommodation to quarantine and isolate residents" and "consider whether staff can move into the care home for the next four weeks". The moves were not included in the action plan unveiled by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and neither the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) or PHE denied the report. Instead, a DHSC spokesman said: "This is an unprecedented global outbreak, the worst pandemic for a hundred years, and we have seen that around the world this new coronavirus has had a devastating impact on some of the most vulnerable people. "We have been working tirelessly with the care sector to reduce transmission and save lives, and have based all our decisions on the latest scientific and clinical advice - as a result nearly two thirds of care homes have had no outbreak at all." The spokesman also highlighted a 600 million fund to tackle the spread, including by limiting staff movement between facilities, and a 1.3 billion fund to cover alternative accommodation to isolate residents. All staff and residents are also now able to get coronavirus testing regardless of whether they have symptoms, and ministers have battled to get the protective equipment needed to slow the virus's spread. Office for National Statistics figures for England and Wales show the proportion of deaths taking place in care homes has risen every week. This stood at 4 per cent in the week ending March 20, before rising to 31 per cent in the week ending April 17, and 44 per cent in the week ending May 15. TLC was one of the most successful girl groups of the 1990s and early 2000s. The band which consisted of members Tionne T-Boz Watkins, Lisa Left Eye Lopes, and Rozonda Chilli Thomas released several hits including Waterfalls, No Scrubs, and Creep. Tragedy struck in 2002 when Lopes was killed in a car crash but prior to that, there were reports that the ladies werent getting along and were on the verge of a breakup. Read on to find out what really went down. Lisa Left Eye Lopes, Chili, and T-Boz of TLC | Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images TLC filed for bankruptcy The group was formed in Atlanta in 1990. Their first record titled Ooooooohhh On the TLC Tip dropped in 1992 and received critical praise. They followed that up with their sophomore album CrazySexyCool which Rolling Stone lists as one of the greatest albums of all time. CrazySexyCool produced four chart-topping singles and TLC received two Grammys but despite that success, the ladies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The album sold more than 11 million copies in the U.S., however, the ladies claimed they werent paid fairly and after recording and production costs were unable to pay their bills. Lopes broke down just how she and her bandmates went bankrupt in a memorable scene on VH1s Behind the Music. The bankruptcy case was settled out of court after TLC sued LaFace Records and Pebbitone. Their contracts with LaFace were renegotiated and Pebbitone agreed to let them out of their production/management deal. The ladies clashed TLC | Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Aside from their financial woes, there were reports over the years that they were dealing with other issues as well as rumors that Watkins and Thomas were feuding with Lopes around the time their third album FanMail came out in 1999. That same year, Lopes publicly challenged Thomas and Watkins to release solo projects. The women eventually settled their feud and Watkins talked about her feelings towards Lopes at that time telling Vogue, Did I get mad at her? Yes. But did I love her less? No. If you have an argument and make up, what does that have to do with love? You dont lose your bond because you had a disagreement. You actually get closer. After concluding their FanMail tour, each member decided to pursue personal interests. Lopes untimely passing Lisa Left Eye Lopes | Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage On April 25, 2002, Lopes was killed in a car accident while in Honduras on a spiritual retreat. Authorities said there were seven people traveling in the vehicle when it lost control. Lopes was the only fatality. Watkins and Thomas released a statement upon hearing the news which read: We had all grown up together and were as close as a family. Today we have truly lost our sister. Prior to her death, Lopes had already recorded some of her vocals for the groups fourth album, 3D. Rather than disband, Watkins and Thomas continued to perform as a duo and used old footage of Lopes to include her in their later performances. In a 2017 interview with HuffPost, Watkins opened up about the loss of her friend. I want to celebrate her life, she declared. I want to feel good about what we did together. I dont want to be in a dark place anymore. I want to feel like we built something great together and keep that going for her. RELATED: What Was TLCS Lisa Left Eye Lopes Net Worth at the Time of Her Death? A bitter family dispute may have led to the brutal murder of a beloved greyhound racing trainer, police say. Karen Leek, 69, was found dead at her property in Devons Meadow, south-east of Melbourne around 10am on Tuesday. At the time of her death, Ms Leek had been living with her great-niece and her five-year-old daughter. The property, where Ms Leek also trained and bred greyhounds, is only accessed through a gate which requires a code. Police believe Ms Leek's murderer may have been known to her. Karen Leek, 69, was found dead at her home in Devons Meadow, south-east of Melbourne around 10am on Tuesday It is not known if Ms Leek was killed in front of her five-year-old relative but police said they had interviewed the child. It is not suggested that Ms Leek's great niece or the five year olds mother were in any way involved in her death. One close friend said she had seen Ms Leek the night before her shocking death. 'When she (the great-niece) first came here Karen gave her a place to live. Everything was fine,' the friend told the Herald Sun. 'But then she met a guy, that's how it all started.' Another friend, and chair of Greyhound Racing Victoria, said the industry had been 'rocked' by Ms Leek's death. 'She was an amazing person, it's such a massive loss for us,' Peita Duncan told Nine News. 'It's devastating for our industry and it's rocked us to our core.' The 69-year-old was a pioneer in the greyhound racing industry and was well loved Flowers have been left at the Devons Meadows property which has been turned into a crime scene Another woman, believed to be the five-year-old's grandmother, arrived at the scene and entered the property to pick up a bag of personal belongings. Greyhound Racing Victoria also paid tribute to Ms Leek. 'The greyhound racing community is devastated by the shock news that Karen Leek has passed away, aged 69,' the industry said. 'Karen was one of the most respected people in greyhound racing, recognised for her success as a breeder, rearer and trainer.' Homicide detectives analysed the home with help from a police helicopter Homicide detectives spent more than 30 hours analysing the home which has been turned into a crime scene. A police helicopter was also used to examine the property. Ms Leek was introduced to greyhound training and racing when she was just 13 and went on to be a leading pioneer in the sport. She had helped breed some of Australia's superstar greyhounds including Bewildering, Moreira and Nolen. Police are treating the death as suspicious and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. They are also urging anyone who may have dashcam footage of the property to inform police. Ms Leek had been caring for the five-year-old daughter of her great niece at the time of her death Experts at Monument Health have determined that COVID-19 cases will surpass more than 775 cases in the next two weeks, and the area will see its peak infection rate change from early July to late June. COVID-19 is real and projected to grow rapidly in our region over the coming weeks, said Dan Daly, spokesman for Monument Health. Cases West River reached 273 total COVID-19 cases and 179 of those are active cases, according to the latest data from the state health department. The bulk of the cases are in Pennington County, with 172 total cases, 3 deaths and 134 active cases. Monument Healths short-term projections are based on data from the past two weeks, which were used to calculate expected growth over the next two weeks. The hospital system says in 14 days, the number of COVID-19 cases West River could grow to 776. Monument Health is basing their projections off of a growth factor known as the doubling rate. The current rate is eight days, as Tuesdays positives were at 266. The time span from when the number of cases was at half of that number was eight days ago on May 19 when there were 137 positive cases. As the doubling rate increases (meaning the time span will be shorter as cases increase), the number of confirmed cases will in turn begin to multiply quickly. The hospital system notes the actual rate could be shorter because there are community members who are most likely positive, asymptomatic and who have not been tested, they said in a release. The hospital system also said in a press release that they have 30 COVID-19 patients hospitalized Wednesday, which means that the region is trending a week ahead of the projected peak in local infections, the release states. Monument Healths projections combine with statewide data to factor in the impact of tourism and summer events in the Black Hills region. The projections, they say, estimate that Rapid City Hospital would have had only half those patients today - 15 of them. Projections previously showed West River peak infections would hit in early July. With what the state is seeing today, Monument Health estimates the peak may hit earlier, in late June. The hospital system estimates COVID-19 hospitalizations in Rapid City could grow from 30 to 400 by late June. Monument Health said its prepared for the potential surge, but it will certainly stretch capacity from both a space and staffing standpoint, according to a release. The projections Monument Health and the state both reference are based on the assumption that the communitys adherence to social distancing would be at a rate of 50 percent. However, its estimated that the communitys adherence to social distancing is likely lower -- close to 25 percent, Daly said. Results from antibody testing, which show whether a patient had COVID-19 in the past, reveal that the coronavirus hasnt been present in the community until recently. Monument Health reports that of the 2,221 antibody tests taken from patients so far, only 21 tests have come back positive. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The casinos and resorts of Alabamas only federally recognized Indian Tribe will fully reopen to the public Monday, June 8. Wind Creek Hospitality said all three of its Alabama-based resort properties will first reopen to small groups of invited guests June 4, followed by a public opening of the full operation the following Monday. Wind Creek, which also operates resorts in Aruba, Curacao, Nevada and Florida, closed its facilities in March to halt the spread of COVID-19. The company owns hotel properties and casinos in Alabama at Wetumpka, Atmore, Montgomery, as well as the Mobile Greyhound Track. Among measures adopted due to the pandemic, the company has announced temperature checks for all guests and employees, and masks or face coverings required for everyone. Guests should bring their own masks, but those without will be able to acquire one at the property for a small donation supporting local first responders, health care providers, and COVID patient relief funds, the company says. According to the companys seven-page reopening plan, there will be hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the properties and ventilation will be increased. Employees will be sent home if they show fever, cough or shortness of breath. Smoking will only be allowed in designated spots separate from the gaming floor, restaurants and public areas. There will also be limits to the number of guests on the casino floor, which equates to roughly one-third of normal operations. There will also be increased distances between tables in dining areas, markings for appropriate distances near hotel check-in and other areas where lines usually form. Hotels will be operated at 50 percent occupancy, and hotel rooms will be left unoccupied for at least 24 hours until they are thoroughly cleaned. The casino floor will be open to the public for four sessions each day, with deep cleaning conducted between sessions. Each machine will also be cleaned before and after every guest. The company said special waiting areas will be available for guests at each property if it is at capacity. At reopening, Wind Creek is also introducing a new reservation system that lets guests make a reservation for a particular session up to fourteen days in advance. The company hopes the system will eliminate lines that would frustrate social distancing requirements. Just like your favorite restaurant on a Friday night, a reservation isnt required," Wind Creek CEO and President Jay Dorris said. "But if you absolutely want to join us on a given day and time, reservations are available. The reservation system will be open to visitors by June 3 at the website or by calling (866) 946-3360. Southwest Monsoon is likely to reach Kerala around June 1, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on May 27. On the progress of the southwest monsoon, the IMD said it had further advanced into some parts of the Maldives-Comorin area, some more parts of south Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Andaman Sea and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. "Conditions are becoming favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some parts of Maldives-Comorin area and adjoining southeast Arabian Sea, remaining parts of Andaman Sea and some more parts of south and the central Bay of Bengal during next 48 hours," IMD said. "A low-pressure area is likely to form over the southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea between May 31 and June 4. In view of this, conditions are very likely to become favourable from June 1 for the onset of southwest Monsoon over Kerala," it added. The department also said the maximum temperatures are likely to recede from Thursday in north India, which is reeling under a severe heatwave. "Under the influence of a western disturbance and an east-west trough and likely occurrence of rain/thunderstorm from May 28-30, maximum temperatures over plains of north India likely to recede from May 28 onwards with a substantial reduction of heatwave conditions from May 29," the IMD said. The temperatures north and central India have soared over 47 degrees Celsius at a few places since the past four-five days. The maximum temperature in Churu, which had recorded 50 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, was 49.6 degrees, followed by 48.9 degrees in Ganganagar and Bikaner districts of Rajasthan. Bathinda in Punjab recorded 47.5 degrees Celsius, while it was 47.2 degrees in Delhi. (With inputs from PTI) Last Tuesday, spy photos of eight Russian jets were captured by US Military Intelligence that were sent to Libya as support for General Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army faction. When Moscow was asked to comment on the presence of Russian military assets, there was no statement given by Russian officials on the matter. According to Forbes, there was an arrival of the jets that came after the LNA had to move out last May 18 away from the Al-Watiya airbase which important is because of its closeness to the Libyan capital, Tripoli. An earlier accord was reached between General Haftar's group and the National Government in Tripoli. This ongoing conflict in Libya will unsettle the state of the country. General Stephen Townsend of the U.S. Africa Command said in a press statement that the jets were Russian soldiers for hire that will be flying the Russian jets to attack Libyans soon, which was denied by Libya from an RT News report. Another US Air Force Gen. Jeff Harrigan explained that Russia sending equipment and personnel will be the herald of noticeable Russian military in the affairs of the southern Mediterranean. Should Russia occupy bases along the Libyan coast, then it will be followed by extended range anti-access area denial (A2/AD) in the region which explained by National Interest. This will be problematic for the security of the southern end of Europe. Spy photos that were captured included Su-24 bombers, and the older MiG-29S called Fulcrum C by NATO alliance, to date the Fulcrums are numerous as Russia's most capable front-line jets equal to modern fighters. Further investigation into the six MiG-29s has hit pay dirt, as they have been spotted deploying from Russia to Iran, next from Iran to Syria. Also read: Japanese Navy Has Less Warships Than Chinese Fleet, But Numbers are Not Everything Aside from the MiG-29s, along with the package was an escort of modern (VKS) Su-35 jet which are bigger more powerful versions of the MiG-29s, but the Su-35s turned back to the Syrian base they came from. Russia and Mercenaries To avoid getting in hot waters, mercenaries like the Wagner private military company are used by Russia as expendable assets, which exposes Moscow to less risk and politically unaccountable to meddle in hot places like Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela. Case in point is an assault on a US base located in Syria during 2018 in which some casualties were Russian mercenaries. The deaths of these Russian mercenaries were conveniently hushed by both the US and Russia, not mentioning it and concealing a potential flashpoint for war. As an asset, the LNA will be a source of business and give Moscow a base to operate from the Mediterranean, which is of strategic importance. Russia and Turkey are active in exchanging mercenary force in the Libyan civil war. Some digging revealed that in 2017, Erik Prince, formerly owned the Black Water mercenary group, with connection to prominent US politicians. It might be that mercenary pilots were used to flying a plane as support for the Libyan National Army, this was confirmed in warisboring. The Libyan conflict It began in 2011 when the incumbent Muammar Qaddafi was overthrow, destabilized Libya had the LNA and GNA civil war that started in 2014, and since then the country is in chaos. Next came ISIS which was stamped out shortly by a combined local and multinational force in 2017. Related article: Deployment of Chinese Aircraft Carriers Close to Taiwan Could Trigger US Naval Confrontation @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Thousands of Middle Eastern students complete their studies in Canada every year. Here's a step-by-step guide on how you can be one of them. Benefits of studying in Canada from the MENA region Thousands of Middle Eastern students complete their studies in Canada every year. Here's a step-by-step guide on how you can be one of them. Benefits of studying in Canada from the MENA region Thousands of Middle Eastern students complete their studies in Canada every year. Here's a step-by-step guide on how you can be one of them. Benefits of studying in Canada from the MENA region Thousands of Middle Eastern students complete their studies in Canada every year. Here's a step-by-step guide on how you can be one of them. Mohanad Moetaz Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Canada welcomes the third highest number of study visa holders in the world, right after the United States and Australia. In fact, there are currently over 640,000 international students in Canada. Canada has become an increasingly popular destination for international students. In fact, the international student population in Canada has more than tripled in the last 10 years. Many of these students arrive from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Of the total number of international students in Canada, there are over 36,000 from the following MENA countries: Algeria Bahrain Egypt Iran Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Libya Morocco Oman Palestine (Gaza and the West Bank) Qatar Saudi Arabia Sudan Syria Tunisia United Arab Emirates Yemen An advantage MENA students may have over some of the other international students is their language ability, since English is taught in most MENA countries. In addition, many North African students are fluent in French, placing them in the ideal position to study at French-speaking institutions in provinces such as Quebec and New Brunswick, and cities such as Ottawa and Sudbury. See if you are eligible to study in Canada in fall 2020 Why Canada is a great option for MENA students Receive a quality education Canada boasts some of the best universities in the world, with three in the top 100: The University of Toronto, McGill University and the University of British Columbia. With this in mind, its no wonder that many MENA students choose Canada. Pay affordable tuition Unlike in the United States and other popular study destinations, you dont have to break the bank to study in Canada. You do pay a little more than Canadians as an international student but the international fees are still much lower than in other countries. Study and work Not only is tuition affordable, you can also work while you study. Typically, youll be allowed to work for up to 20 hours a week during the semester, and full time during scheduled breaks. Work and stay in Canada after you graduate You can stay in Canada after you graduate, most commonly by obtaining a Post-Graduation Work Permit. With the permit, you will be able to work full time for any employer and smoothly transition from student to professional. After you work for at least one year, you may be eligible for popular permanent residence pathways such as the Canadian Experience Class and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Having Canadian study and work experience will result in a higher Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score under Express Entry, which is the main system that Canada uses to welcome economic class immigrants. Enjoy a high quality of life Canada ranks very well in most aspects of living standards, especially in housing, income, jobs, community, life satisfaction and education. See if you are eligible to study in Canada in fall 2020 Embrace diversity and culture It is important to remember that Canada is bilingual. If you speak English or French, youll settle in easily. Canada famously welcomes thousands of immigrants every year from all over the world. Because of this, Canada is very diverse and youll be exposed to many different cultures. In fact, it is estimated that 51% of the population of Toronto were born outside Canada. Find people from your country or region You will likely find Middle Eastern, Persian, Arab or North African student societies in the university or college you will join. For example, the University of Toronto has a Middle Eastern Students Association and Ryerson University has an Arab Students Association. In addition, in many of Canadas cities, you are highly likely to find expats from your country. Montreal has the local Quebec Islamic Centre. Toronto has the Arab Community Centre of Toronto. The city also boasts a large Iranian diaspora, often referred to as Tehranto. Canada has eased immigration rules amid the coronavirus pandemic Studying from abroad: If travel restrictions or other coronavirus-related interruptions are making it difficult to come to Canada, students will be able to complete up to 50% of their program from abroad and still be eligible to apply for a Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP). This means that students unable to arrive to Canada in time for the fall 2020 semester can begin their Canadian educational program online, and not have time deducted from the length of their PGWP as long as they arrive to Canada by December 31, 2020. You will still be eligible for the PGWP even if you arrive to Canada in 2021, although time outside of Canada in 2021 will result in a shorter PGWP length. A longer PGWP duration is preferable since it gives MENA students more time to obtain the Canadian work experience that they need to become eligible for more of Canadas immigration programs, which sometimes require that an immigration candidate have such work experience to be eligible for the given program. More time to submit immigration applications: Incomplete applications will not be refused. Implied status: Students and graduates who are already in Canada with expired visas may continue to work provided they have applied for an extension. Canada is helping international students during the coronavirus pandemic Canada understands the importance of international students to its society and economy, and has therefore decided to help students impacted by COVID-19. The following are a number of ways the Canadian government are supporting international students: Working hours: Students may be able to work for up to 40 hours per week in certain sectors. Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB): The CERB offers $500 per week for 16 weeks to eligible international students Step-by-step guide to study in Canada if youre from the MENA region Step 1: Select a program at a university, college or other learning institution. Step 2: Apply to your selected Canadian designated learning institution. Once you are successful in your application, you will receive a letter of acceptance. Step 3: Apply for a study permit. A study permit is a document that allows MENA students to legally study in Canada. You must apply with your letter of acceptance from the designated learning institution, and prove that you have enough funds to cover the first year of tuition. You must also be admissible to Canada, and you may be required to submit a police background check or a medical. If you are from Morocco, you may be eligible for a fast-track option. Study in Canada this fall Canada embraces international students from some 200 different countries, and MENA students can find a home in Canada. There are many benefits to study in Canada from the MENA region, and Canada is doing its part to welcome international students from the MENA region and all corners of the globe in time for the fall 2020 semester. See if you are eligible to study in Canada in fall 2020 Drones are being deployed in the fight to curb COVID-19 in the U.S. Novant Health and California-based UAV delivery startup Zipline have launched distribution of personal protective gear and medical equipment in North Carolina. Novant is a nonprofit healthcare provider with a network in the Southeastern United States. Through the partnership, Zipline's drones will make 32-mile flights on two routes between Novant Health's emergency drone fulfillment center in Kannapolis to the company's medical center in Huntersville, North Carolina where frontline healthcare workers are treating coronavirus patients. Zipline and Novant are touting the arrangement as the first authorized long-range drone logistics delivery flight program in the U.S. The activity has gained approvals by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and North Carolina's Department of Transportation though the FAA offered TechCrunch nuanced guidance on how it classifies the undertaking. The story behind the Novant, Zipline UAV collaboration has a twist: The capabilities for the U.S. operation were developed primarily in Africa. Zipline has a test facility in the San Francisco area, but spent several years configuring its drone delivery model in Rwanda and Ghana. Co-founded in 2014 by Americans Keller Rinaudo, Keenan Wyrobek and Will Hetzler, Zipline designs its own UAVs, launch and landing systems and logistics software for distribution of critical medical supplies. The company turned to East Africa in 2016, entering a partnership with the government of Rwanda to test and deploy its drone service in that country. Zipline went live with UAV distribution of life-saving medical supplies in Rwanda in late 2016, claiming the first national drone-delivery program at scale in the world. Zipline co-founder Keller Rinaudo (L) with Rwandan President Paul Kagame (middle) in 2016. Image credits: Zipline The company expanded to Ghana in 2016, where in addition to delivering blood and vaccines by drone, it now distributes COVID-19-related medication and lab samples. Story continues Based on its African operations, Zipline was selected by regulators to participate in medical drone delivery testing in the U.S. in 2016, in coordination with the FAA. The company's African business also led to its pandemic response partnership with Novant Health. The North Carolina-based company was in discussion with Zipline on UAV delivery before the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., but the crisis spurred both parties to speed things up, according to Hank Capps, a Senior Vice President at Novant. That included some improvisation. For its current launch site the operation is using space donated by a local NASCAR competition team, Stewart-Haas Racing. According to Capps, the current collaboration using drones to deliver medical supplies from that site could grow beyond the 32-mile route Zipline and Novant began flights on last Friday. "Right now we plan to expand it geographically within our footprint, which is fairly large within North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia," he told TechCrunch on a call. That, of course, will depend on regulatory approval. The FAA granted Novant Health permission to operate the current program which the FAA classifies as a distribution vs. delivery operation through a 107 waiver. This rolls up into the evolving federal code on operation of unmanned aircraft in the U.S. and allows Novant and Zipline to operate "until Oct. 31, 2020, or until all COVID-related restrictions on travel, business and mass gatherings for North Carolina are lifted, whichever occurs first," according to the FAA. The U.S. regulatory body also stipulated that "Part 107 is a waiver, not a drone license." The FAA offered cautious confirmation that the Zipline/Novant partnership is the first approved long-range unmanned delivery service in the United States. "I am not aware of any that are flying routes as far as what they are doing in North Carolina, but I try to be careful when talking about firsts," an FAA spokesperson told TechCrunch. Last month UPS and CVS announced a shorter-range drone delivery program of prescription drugs to a retirement village in Florida. Image credits: Novant Health The arrangement between Zipline and Novant is not for financial gain according to both parties but still supports Zipline's profitability thesis advanced by co-founder Keller Rinaudo. Healthcare logistics is a $70 billion global industry, and its still only serving a golden billion on the planet, he told me in a 2016 interview. On a recent call, Rinaudo noted the startup is generating income on operations to serve that market, although the company doesn't release financial data. "At the distribution centers that have been operating for more than a year, Zipline is making money on the deliveries that we do," he said. Rinaudo pointed to the more favorable margins of autonomous delivery using small, electric-powered UAVs versus large internal combustion vehicles. "I think that these kinds of services are going to operate much more profitably than traditional logistic services," he said. Zipline sold investors on that value proposition. The company has raised (a reported) $233 million in VC from backers including Andreeson Horowitz and Goldman Sachs. Zipline intends to expand its drone delivery business in the U.S. and anywhere in the world it finds demand, according to its CEO. In addition to partner Novant Health, Zipline has caught the attention of big logistics providers, such as UPS which has supported (and studied) the startup's African operations back to 2016. The Zipline, Novant launch of UAV delivery of medical supplies in the U.S. is a high-point for the thesis that Africa's tech ecosystem which has become a hotbed for VC and startups can produce innovation with global application. The presidents of Rwanda and Ghana Paul Kagame and Nana Akufo-Addo were instrumental in supporting Zipline's partnerships in their countries. Other nations on the continent, such as Kenya, South Africa and Zambia, continue to advance commercial drone testing and novel approaches to regulating the sector. Image credits: HHP/Harold Hinson For all the talk that COVID-19 may force an isolationist shift across countries, the Zipline, Novant Health partnership is very much a globally incubated solution applied locally in the U.S. to an international problem. The program combines a medical drone delivery startup founded in San Francisco with a model tested in Africa to an American healthcare venture in North Carolina, with a little help from a NASCAR race team. This could reflect the unique application of tech and partnerships to come in the fight against COVID-19. As many as 12 patients have succumbed to Covid-19 in Ludhiana district. While seven of them were from the district, the other five, who died in city hospitals, belonged to other cities. However, two men, who tested Covid-19 positive after they died, have not been included in the list of the Covid fatalities. Among them, a 27-year-old man from Gagandeep Colony in Bhattian Bet died under mysterious circumstances on May 15. His mandatory corona test was conducted and the report received on May 19 confirmed he was Covid-19 positive. Similarly, the body of a 40-year-old man was found lying near the railway track in the Gill area on May 15. He was also found positive. However, the authorities said not counting these men in the Covid-19 list was not a policy decision. Civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga said, I cannot comment as to why they have not been included in the list of the dead. Only principal secretary (health) is the appropriate authority to answer the issue. Principal secretary (health) Anurag Agrawal said the state had a liberal policy on Covid-19. We have included even those in the list who had comorbidities. We are diligently conducting tests of the dead to find the source. In some cases, the deceased, who tested Covid-19 positive in the first test, was found negative in the repeat test. In the context of the two cases, I do not have the details. State epidemiologist Dr Rajesh Bhasker said, The details of the two deceased were not shared by the district authorities, otherwise they would be on the list. BART, the transit system long known for its sprawling map and packed trains, now faces a grim reality: Its running out of money. Confronted with the worst financial crisis in the agencys 48-year history, agency staff managed to scrape together a $915 million budget to survive for one year. A full third of its projected revenue comes from one-time sources, including emergency stimulus funds, federal reimbursements for coronavirus-related expenses and a deferred payment for new railcars. Internally, the agency has discussed drastic measures, including the possibility of closing stations, though spokeswoman Alicia Trost said that idea never advanced to a stage that it would make sense. The budget proposal, which is set for a board vote in June, shows the deep scars of coronavirus, a cratering Bay Area economy, and widely accepted remote working that may require a complete reimagining of mass transit. It indicates that without government bailouts and the deferred railcar payment, BARTs deficit for this fiscal year would soar above $300 million. Next year remains a big question mark. Staff on the finance team described their budget as balanced but precarious in a slide presentation they plan to deliver at Thursdays board meeting. It begins with a sobering message from General Manager Bob Powers. This budget is a snapshot in time but considerable uncertainty remains, Powers wrote. The budget relies on reduced service, suspension of capital allocations, further public investment, and an economic and epidemiological outcome that is the midpoint of two possible scenarios. In one scenario, 50% of riders return to BART within a year. In the other, the system recovers only 15% of its riders. Former BART board Director Tom Radulovich noted the seismic impact of the shutdown on a system that traditionally saw rush hour crowds as its bread and butter. BART was conceived so that commuters could drive in from the suburbs, park in a lot and catch a train to San Francisco. At its peak, BART hauled 400,000 people across the bay each day, relying on fares for two-thirds of its operating budget and parking revenue for an additional portion. Both dropped 93% when shelter-in-place clamped down. During my last 10 years on the BART board, peak period capacity was this huge challenge, Radulovich said. And now its gone. In March alone, the number of trips taken on BART dropped by nearly 6 million, and the agency lost about $40 million in revenue over six weeks. Its managers sent desperate letters to state and congressional leaders, begging for help. They slashed service, instituted a hiring freeze, restricted overtime and eliminated vacant positions. But their options were limited. BARTs vast service area and infrastructure prevents it from moving expenses around, and its board has adamantly opposed worker layoffs or furloughs. Im very clear that were not talking about furloughs or cuts to staff salaries, board President Lateefah Simon told The Chronicle. Im very much championing our staff. She and other board members made various arguments against layoffs, saying it would be hard to ramp service back up without a large labor force, and that its unfair to cut workers livelihood in the middle of a pandemic. Yet the budget presentation also classifies labor and benefits as a cost over which it has limited control, illustrating the power of its unions and labor contracts. Plummeting fares and parking revenue arent the only factors hobbling BART. The agency also relies heavily on sales tax revenue, now projected to drop 16% below forecasts prior to the pandemic. The property taxes that help fund transit will likely fall 6% below expectations, and state transit assistance fueled by diesel sales could plunge 40%, according to state finance reports. The long-anticipated extension to San Jose, now scheduled to open June 13, may require more financial assistance, BART staff wrote in their presentation. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority built the 10 miles of track into north San Jose, and intended to pay BART to operate it using a mix of fares and sales tax revenue both of which will fall far short of predictions. 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. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Some observers, including Radulovich, wonder whether BART officials will have to rethink the systems purpose. Since opening in 1972, BART has funneled people from suburban homes to jobs in San Francisco. The agency built extension after extension stretching out to Dublin, adding a line to Antioch and inching tantalizingly close to Silicon Valley so that people could live wherever they wanted and have access to transportation. But the traditional model of standing-room-only trains wont fit in an era of social distancing, or one of economic downturn in which jobs evaporate or go remote. And even Powers acknowledges peoples reluctance to ride transit. In the future, its unlikely that BART will receive anything remotely close to the federal stimulus package it collected this year, said Randy Rentschler, legislative director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. So unless the agency shrinks its budget, it could start the 2022 fiscal year with a $300 million hole. On Wednesday, Powers and other staff unveiled a 15-point recovery plan that included longer trains, extra cleanings and other measures to lure riders back. I dont think the region can handle everyone driving (to work) in cars, Powers said. I dont think thats the solution. Officials will keep a skeletal schedule through September, with trains running 30 minutes apart possibly every 15 minutes during rush hour and shutting off at 9 p.m. each night. At that point the agency hopes to gradually boost service, anticipating that a year from now BART could carry half the number of riders it saw during a pre-COVID-19 rush hour. Staff dont expect to see their old weekday level of commuters until at least 2023. With the future so murky, BARTs finance team proposed revising the budget each quarter. Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan FILE PHOTO: The shore of the Parana River, where the water level has severely dropped, is seen, in Rosario, Santa Fe (Corrects to remove reference to COFCO as the owner of the grounded ship in paragraph 6) By Hugh Bronstein and Maximilian Heath BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Shallow water in Argentina's Parana River will slow exports and hurt the country's soy crushing margins at least through September, officials said, as more cargo ships are needed to carry the same amount of commodities. Drought has pushed the Parana to its lowest level in decades, complicating transportation and soymeal production. An increasing number of ships are running aground and higher costs are pressuring margins at the giant soy crushing plants that make Argentina the world's top exporter of livestock feed, used to fatten hogs and poultry from Southeast Asia to Europe. "The Parana is at its lowest level in 50 years. This prevents normal navigation and limits the amount of cargo that can be carried by ships, which adds to costs," said Omar Perotti, governor of Santa Fe province which is home to the grains hub of Rosario on the banks of the Parana. The situation is not expected to improve until September, he said, reflecting a growing consensus among weather experts. Transport problems in Argentina can throw off world trade flows as impatient buyers look to rival exporters Brazil and the United States to fill temporary supply gaps. A Chinese-owned ship hauling 42,000 tonnes of soymeal ran aground and was blocking traffic on Thursday at the Rosario port of Timbues, with tug boats working to free the vessel, according to port officials. Some ships dropped anchor to wait it out while others lightened their loads, allowing them to navigate the crash zone. While dryness of the river increases costs for soy crushers in Argentina, global agro-industrial companies with operations in the country, like U.S.-based Bunge, can compensate by way of increased margins in other parts of the world. Rosario is home to some of the biggest soymeal factories in the world. They crush beans from Argentina and neighboring Paraguay, the world's No. 4 exporter of the oilseed. But the river's shallowness has delayed the arrival of barges from Paraguay. Story continues Failure to receive Paraguayan soy on time generates delays in processing the bean and complicates compliance with international contracts, the Rosario grains exchange said in a recent report. The latest data from Argentina's Coast Guard show the Parana's level at Rosario at 0.82 meters, on a scale in which zero is a reference point rather than the actual depth of the waterway. The normal median level for May is 3.68 meters. The level of the Parana is unlikely to recover until Southern Hemisphere spring rains start to hit the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay about three months from now, said local meteorologist Leonardo De Benedictis. (Reporting by Hugh Bronstein and Maximilian Heath, additional reporting by Karl Plume in Chicago, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Alistair Bell) Commanding officer of Ukrainian Army's 1st Tank Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Yuriy Mezhakov passed away in Donbas combat area. This is mentioned in the message of the press office of Joint Forces Operation HQ. The HQ claims that the deceased officer was a true professional. Lt.Col. Yuriy Mezhakov led the unit since 2019. On May 27, the Ukrainian military shot down an enemy drone flying over positions in the Mariinka area (Donetsk region). This is stated in the daily report of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, published on its website. "In addition, in the morning, Ukrainian defenders shot down an enemy Quadcopter UAV, which was flying over positions in the Mariinka area," the statement said. On May 22, a militant drone dropped a fragmentation grenade on the position of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Starohnativka village. As a result of the explosion, one Ukrainian serviceman received a shrapnel wound. As we reported earlier, the agreement was reached on the discussion of the forming lists for prisoners exchange at the session of the Trilateral Contact Group. Protesters holding banners in support of Hong Kong pro-democracy demonstrators attend a rally against the Chinese regime's newly announced national security legislation for Hong Kong, at Taipei main train station on May 23, 2020. (Ben Blanchard/Reuters) Taiwan Pledges Help for Fleeing Hongkongers, Riles China TAIPEITaiwan promised on May 28 to settle Hongkongers who flee the Chinese-ruled city for political reasons, offering help from employment to counseling, and prompting angry condemnation from Beijing as it pushes security legislation for Hong Kong. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen this week became the first world leader to pledge specific measures to help people from Hong Kong who may leave the former British colony because of the new legislation. Chen Ming-tong, head of Taiwans top China-policy maker, the Mainland Affairs Council, told parliament that the government will establish an organization to deliver humanitarian relief that includes settlement and employment in a joint effort with activist groups. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen delivers her inaugural address at the Taipei Guest House in Taipei on May 20, 2020. (Wang Yu Ching/Taiwan Presidential Office/Reuters) He said counseling services will also be available for Hongkongers, some of whom may have taken part in pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Many Hongkongers want to come to Taiwan. Our goal is to give them settlement and care, Chen said, urging the public not use the word refugee as it could be emotionally harmful for people from the city. Chen didnt give details, such as scale and timing of the relief, when pressed by lawmakers, saying the government is still working on the program. China denounced Taiwans move, saying its ruling Democratic Progressive Party was seeking to loot a burning house and sow discord. Pro-democracy supporters scuffle with riot police during a detention at a rally in Causeway Bay district in Hong Kong, on May 27, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Hong Kongs demonstrators have won widespread sympathy in democratic Taiwan, which China considers as its territory, to be taken by force, if necessary. Taiwan has shown no interest in being ruled by autocratic China. Help for Hong Kong has won rare bipartisan support in politically polarized Taiwan, and three opposition parties have introduced bills to make it easier for Hongkongers to live in Taiwan if they have to leave the city due to political reasons. Taiwan has no law on refugees that could be applied to protesters seeking asylum, but its laws promise to help Hongkongers whose safety and liberty are threatened for political reasons. Pro-democracy protesters are arrested by police in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong ahead of planned protests against a proposal to enact new security legislation in Hong Kong, on May 24, 2020. (Isaac Lawrence/ AFP via Getty Images) Some say Tsais government isnt moving fast enough. Please come up with details of the humanitarian relief at the soonest. Dont wait until people shed blood like water, Chen Yu-jen, a lawmaker from main opposition Kuomintang party, said. Ivan Tang, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist, welcomed Tsais support and said there was a sense of urgency among protesters in the city, some of whom had been barred from entering Taiwan because of travel restrictions to contain the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Taiwan has become a popular destination for Hongkongers leaving the city, with the number of Hong Kong citizens granted Taiwan residency jumping 150 percent to 2,383 in the first four months of 2020 compared with a year ago, official data shows. University applications to Taiwan from Hong Kong also rose 62 percent in 2020 from a year ago. The islands education ministry said this week it was planning to raise the quota for Hong Kong students. By Yimou Lee. Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. Kolkata: West Bengal BJP president and parliamentarian Dilip Ghosh on Thursday said that he will not follow coronavirus lockdown imposed in the state and dared Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to do whatever she can. The West Bengal BJP leader also accused the Trinamool Congress government of deliberately stopping the BJP leaders and workers from helping the Cyclone Amphan-hit people of the state. Ghosh alleged that the ruling party is deliberating using the police force to stop BJP workers from carrying out the relief work and help those affected by the devastating Cyclone that recently ravaged the state. Challenging the Mamata government, Ghosh said that whenever he along with his party workers try to distribute relief material to people in Cyclone-hit areas, they are denied permission from the police. He threatened that the BJP workers will now take to streets and clash with police and warned of dire consequences. Ghosh alleged that the Chief Minister herself, ruling party leaders and ministers continue to tour various parts of the state and meet people and no one stops them but whenever opposition party leaders step out of their house to help people they are stopped from meeting the Cyclone-affected people and carry out relief work. It may be recalled that Ghosh was recently stopped by the police from visiting cyclone-affected areas in West Bengals South 24 Parganas district, triggering a war of words between the saffron party and the ruling TMC. Ghosh was on his way to Canning and Basanti, two of the several areas of the district affected by cyclone Amphan, to distribute relief materials. His car was allegedly stopped by the police at the Dhalai bridge near Garia area of the district. In a tweet, Ghosh said that he was barred from going to Cyclone-hit areas of Canning and Gosaba. Ghosh threatened to stage a sit-in protest if he was not allowed to go to the affected areas. Meanwhile, the police said that Ghosh didnt have any permission to move in that area according to lockdown and disaster management rules. It may be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced advance assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for the cyclone-hit state and an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the families of each of those killed and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Hyderabad: Hinting that there would be no further extension of lockdown in the state beyond May 31, Chief Minister K. Chandra-shekar Rao on Wednesday said that people should not be scared of Coronavirus as its the rate of infection was not alarming despite easing of lockdown restrictions. At a high-level review meeting with senior officers at Pragathi Bhavan, the Chief Minister has decided to allow all shops to function every day in Hyderabad from Thursday instead of the odd-even method devised earlier. Malls, cinema halls and function halls would continued to remain closed. RTC buses have also been exempted from night curfew and would be allowed to run up to Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station at Imlibun in Hyderabad in the night also. Inter-state bus services, city bus services and Metro Rail services would not operate for a few more days. The government has also directed police to allow the passengers having bus tickets in the night-time to reach their homes in the city in autos and taxis. Though the government expects an increase in positive cases in the country in the next two to three months, he said people should not be scared or panicked. He asked them to be cautious and maintain physical distance and hygiene. Even if there is an increase in the positive cases, Mr Rao said officials are ready to handle any number of cases and also instructed officials to provide emergency care to the patients if their health deteriorates. Reliance has already raised investments from the likes of Facebook and KKR, Silver Lake, Vista Equity, and General Atlantic. Reliance may bag another big investment for its Jio platforms. According to a Livemint report, Microsoft is negotiating an investment, estimated to be worth $2 billion, for the Jio platforms. Reliance just last week announced it had raised 11,367 crore investment from the US equity firm KKR. Before this, Reliance has raised big investments from Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity, and General Atlantic. Microsoft has been in discussions with several players in the digital payments services space. With Reliance, Microsoft is interested in buying a more than a 2.5% stake in Jio Platforms, Livemint quotes a source as saying. According to the report, theres no guarantee the investment will go through though Microsoft has shown an interest in buying a stake. It is worth noting that Microsoft and Reliance are already long-term cloud partners. Microsoft is also working with Reliance Jio to bring its xCloud gaming platform to India. Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella, during an event in Mumbai earlier this year, reiterated the importance of partnership with Reliance Jio. Weve been working with Reliance across the entire stack - everything from what they are going to be doing with Azure in their own data centres and how they will extend it, Nadella had said. Separately, Bharti Telecom, the promoter company of Bharti Airtel, raised more than $1.15 billion through accelerated book-build offer of Bharti Airtel shares. Airtel will use the money to clear the debts. London [UK], May 28 (ANI): The founder and leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain has appealed to the US Congress to table a bill for the independence of Balochistan and Sindh, the two provinces of Pakistan where people are facing worst human rights crisis. In his latest statement released on the social media platforms, he also welcomed the US Congress's decision to table a bill on Tibet independence because of mercilessly curbing the basic fundamental rights of the Tibetans for years. "This is the right time for honourable Dalai Lama to do more and more efforts for helpless Tibetans", said Altaf. He added, "Here, I would like to appeal to all the honourable members of US Congress to please spare some of your precious time to pay the attention to the plight of Balochs of Balochistan Province and Sindhi and Urdu Speaking People (Commonly known as Mohajirs) of Sindh Province of Pakistan, where sisters, mothers, daughters, sons, brothers, and fathers are enforcedly disappeared, putting them behind bars and extra-judicially killings of their office bearers and members and even their relatives for the past 72 years by the Pakistan Army and its intelligence agencies". A freedom movement is ongoing in Balochistan and Sindh, the two major and resource-rich provinces of Pakistan as indigenous people are facing human rights violations for decades now. Extrajudicial killings, abduction, and torture of political activists, students, and intellectuals are being carried out by the Pakistan army and spy agency, the ISI. Altaf Hussain said, "In the name of humanity I appeal to all the members of US congress to please also table a bill for the independence of Balochistan and Sindh Provinces to save the lives of over 80 million people". "90 per cent of people of Balochistan and Sindh provinces want to have their own independent Balochistan and Sindhudesh", said the Muhajir leader. Born in Karachi city of Pakistan, Altaf Hussain is living in exile in London since 1992. (ANI) The Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Serebour Quaicoe says activities of the Commission are clearly exempted from the ban on public gatherings imposed on the country. Speaking to Bernard Avle on The Point of View on Citi TV on Wednesday, Dr. Quaicoe said: Our understanding is that it [the ban] doesnt cover our activities so when we get there we will cross it. It is our understanding that it does not affect our operations. So as it is now, we can still go ahead. So that is our understanding, he said. President Akufo-Addo, in a national address on Sunday, March 15, 2020, banned all public gatherings including conferences, workshops, funerals, festivals, political rallies, church activities, and other related events as part of measures to stop the spread of coronavirus in the country. At the time, Ghana had recorded six cases of COVID-19. The President in that broadcast gave a caveat that private burials were permitted however mourners present must not exceed 25. Private burials are permitted, but with limited numbers, not exceeding twenty-five (25) in attendance, President Akufo-Addo said. The National Identification Authority which was organising its Ghana Card registration exercise at the time was compelled to suspend the exercise. ---citinewsroom At least 27 civilians killed in three attacks between Tuesday night and Wednesday evening, local officials say. Armed men on motorcycles have killed at least 27 civilians in central Mali in three attacks on ethnic Dogon farming villages in less than 24 hours, local officials said on Thursday. Central Mali has been ravaged in recent years by ethnic reprisal killings, as recriminations between Fulani herding and Dogon farming communities over violence compound long-standing grievances. Local officials told Reuters news agency they believed the three attacks, between Tuesday night and Wednesday evening, were carried out by people claiming to be defending Fulani against rival Dogon. We were surprised by the attack on the village of Tille. Seven were killed, all Dogons, some of them burned alive, said Yacouba Kassogue, the deputy mayor of Doucombo, the municipality in which Tille is located. Attacks on villages in the neighbouring areas of Bankass and Koro killed another 20 civilians, most of them shot or burned to death, local officials said. A spokesman for Malis army was not immediately available for comment. The army has been criticised by rights groups and residents for failing to protect civilians in central Mali. Increasing violence Violence between the Dogon and Fulani has compounded an already dire security situation in Malis semi-arid and desert regions, which are used as a base by armed groups with ties to al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) group. The Fulani are primarily cattle breeders and traders, while the Dogon are traditionally sedentary farmers. 190401200021637 Last year, the United Nations mission in Mali (MINUSMA) announced it recorded at least 488 deaths in attacks on Fulanis in the central regions of Mopti and Segou. In the bloodiest raid, about 160 Fulani villagers were slaughtered in March last year at Ogossagou, near the border with Burkina Faso, by suspected Dogon hunters. MINUSMA said since January 2018, armed Fulanis had caused 63 deaths among the civilians in the Mopti region. MINUSMA has been operating in Mali since 2013, which ranks as the most dangerous UN mission, with 125 peacekeepers killed in attacks since deployment. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a consultancy that tracks political violence, says it recorded nearly 300 civilian deaths in Mali in the first three months of 2020, a 90 percent increase over the previous quarter. SEATTLE, May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Healthcare contract research outsourcing aids in reducing costs associated with developing new medicines and drugs. It offers clinical trial services in all phases, regulatory services, medical writing services, and clinical data management services. The global healthcare contract research outsourcing market is estimated to account for US$ 229.2 Bn in terms of value by the end of 2027. Market Drivers: Emergence of pandemic diseases is expected to boost growth of the global healthcare contract research outsourcing market over the forecast past. For instance, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread in over 200 countries, affected around 2,883,603 people, and resulted in 198,842 deaths worldwide as of April 27, 2020, as reported to the World Health Organization. Increasing launch of new products is also expected to aid in growth of the market. For instance, in January 2020, WuXi Advanced Therapies, a global contract development and manufacturing organization, launched fully integrated adeno-associated virus Vector Suspension Platform to help accelerate the timeline for cell and gene therapy development. Market Opportunities: Significant growth in the biopharmaceutical sector is expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities for players in the market. For instance, according to IQVIA Institute, emerging biopharmaceutical companies accounted for 73% of late stage research in 2018. Increasing R&D in oncology and immunology is also expected to aid in growth of the market. For instance, in August 2019, Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC, a global contract research organization, collaborated with Harbour BioMed, a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, to develop Harbour BioMeds therapeutics in the fields of oncology and immunology. Request for Sample copy @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/3788 Key Takeaways: The global healthcare contract research outsourcing market was valued at US$ 74.7 Bn in 2019 and is forecast to reach US$ 229.2 Bn by 2027 at a CAGR of 15.1% between 2020 and 2027. The growth of the market is attributed to increasing growth in the biopharmaceutical sector in developing economies such as India during the forecasted period. Clinical trials segment held dominant position in the global healthcare contract research outsourcing market in 2019, accounting for 50.1% share in terms of value. Increasing incidence and prevalence of pandemic diseases along with increasing product launch is expected to boost growth of the global healthcare contract research outsourcing market over the forecast past. Market Trends: Major players in the market are focused on adopting cloud-based technologies. For instance, in December 2019, KCR S.A., a healthcare contract research outsourcing company, adopted Veeva Vault, a cloud enterprise content management platform, for its clinical research programs. Major players in the market are also focused on adopting partnership and collaboration strategies to enhance their market share. For instance, in November 2019, Worldwide Clinical Trials, a contract research organization, announced that Cyclo Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, signed an agreement with the company to conduct a pivotal trial to assess the efficacy of Cyclo Therapeutics, Inc.s proprietary hydroxypropyl beta cyclodextrin, Trappsol Cyclo, for the treatment of Niemann-Pick Disease Type C. Competitive Landscape: Major players operating in the global healthcare contract research outsourcing market include, IQVIA, PRA Health Sciences, Covance, Inc., WuXi Advanced Therapies, Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc., Parexel International Corporation, Charles River Laboratories International Inc., Icon, Plc, Medidata Solutions, Inc., Worldwide Clinical Trials, Inventiv Health, Inc. (Pharmanet Development Group Inc.), Medpace Holdings, Inc., and Piramal Life Sciences. Key Developments: Players in the market are focusing on offering remote clinical monitoring services to enhance their market share. For instance, in March 2020, PRA Health Sciences expanded its Mobile Health Platform for remote clinical monitoring in response to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. Major players in the market are also focused on adopting M&A strategies to expand their product portfolio. For instance, in February 2020, Parexel International Corporation, a healthcare contract research outsourcing company, acquired Model Answers, a consultancy firm that offers pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling, simulation and analysis services. Buy-Now this Research Report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/3788 Market Segmentation: Healthcare Contract Research Outsourcing Market, By Service Type: Safety Syringes Clinical Trials Drug Discovery Preclinical Phase I Phase II Phase III Phase IV Regulatory services Medical writing Clinical data management Others Healthcare Contract Research Outsourcing Market, By End User: CROs Clinical Trial Laboratories AMCs Healthcare Contract Research Outsourcing Market, By Region: North America By Country: U.S. Canada Latin America By Country: Brazil Mexico Argentina Rest of Latin America Europe By Country: Germany U.K. France Italy Spain Russia Rest of Europe Asia Pacific By Country: China India Japan Australia South Korea ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East By Country: GCC Israel Rest of Middle East Africa By Country: South Africa Central Africa North Africa The Kano State government on Wednesday announced that three more patients had died from coronavirus complications, bringing the total fatalities in the state from the disease to 41. The state ministry of health in its late Wednesday tweet also said the state has discharged one more patient, bringing the number of those so far discharged to 135, while the total confirmed cases stands at 936. The ministry, however, did not provide more information on the patients who died on Wednesday as well as those discharged. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Wednesday also confirmed additional 389 new cases across the country with Kano having 13 new cases. The public health agency also announced additional five deaths from the virus. However, it did not mention the state (s) where the deaths occurred, but the official statement in Kano said three deaths were reported in the state. Almajiris infected Meanwhile, the Kano government, same Wednesday, said 28 street children known as almajiris have tested positive to COVID-19. The head of the committee tasked to repatriate almajiris from Kano, Murtala Garo, in a COVID-19 task force briefing at government house, said 1,146 almajiris were tested in the state. Out of the 1,146 almajiris who were tested for COVID-19, 28 of them were tested positive while 311 were diagnosed with other illnesses such as fever, malaria, stomach pain among others, Mr Garo said. He added that over 1,000 almajiris were arrested roaming the streets in Kano metropolis. So far we have repatriated 419 Almajiris to Katsina, 524 to Jigawa, 155 to Kaduna, 38 to Bauchi and 36 to Gombe states. Also, the official said Kano received 179 repatriated Almajiris from Adamawa, 220 from Nassarawa, 96 from Gombe, 18 from Katsina, 92 from Kaduna states. Mr Garo added that, 723 Almajiris, who are indigenes of Kano that were brought to the state, have been taken to their parents and they would be integrated to the new schools designed to replace the traditional almajiri education system. Weve changed the system Ganduje Also, at the states task force briefing, the governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, said the traditional almajiri system of education has been remodelled to comply with the states free and compulsory primary and secondary schools education policy. He said all the almajiris and non-almajiris must be in school. Whoever insists (he or she wants) to run almajiris school must follow the guidelines we put in place for running an almajiri school. Parts of the guidelines include, that the school must have a curriculum which must integrate conventional fields of study, such as English, Mathematics and craft training among others. Teachers must provide pupils with decent accommodation, good feeding system, they must have qualified teachers, there must be a system of evaluation and control, like quality assurance and there must be system of examination among other guidelines, Mr Ganduje said. The governor also said the new system was not meant to dismiss Islamic teachers but rather to further incorporate them into the mainstream teaching programme of their pupils with new set of mentoring systems. LANSING, MI -- Utility companies across Michigan have extended protections in place for customers at risk of being unable to pay the bill during the states stay-at-home order which runs through June 12. Among the companies that extended protections are DTE Energy and Consumers Energy which are the two largest utility companies in the state. The protections stem from an April directive from the Michigan Public Service Commission which asked utility companies to confirm they would follow along with certain protections for vulnerable residents in the state. The MPSCs directive does not include municipally-owned utilities or rural electric co-operatives, as the commissions jurisdiction does not apply to those utilities. However, MPSC says most of those companies have agreed to comply with the protections as well. The protections in place include the suspension of disconnections for the states most vulnerable populations, low-income and senior customers. That also includes waiving any late fees for low-income customers receiving energy assistance. That also applies to those facing a sudden loss of income or employment due to the COIVD-19 crisis. Customers that are exposed to, infected by or quarantined because of COVID-19 are considered eligible for a 30-day medical hold to avoid a disconnection of service. Deposits and reconnection fees for low-income customers, seniors and customers experiencing financial hardship while also be waived when trying to reconnect services. Finally, the utilities must extend access to, and availability, of flexible payment plans to those customers as well. The MPSC is encouraged by the utilities continued cooperation in assisting customers needing help during such challenging times, said MPSC Chairman Sally Talberg in a press release. We urge anyone struggling to pay their utility bill to reach out now for help. Those who are experiencing financial hardships are encouraged to contact their utility provider to see what protections are available to them. They can also contact Michigan 211 to find what assistance is available for getting help to pay utility bills. 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. Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. READ MORE Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus Thursday, May 28: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Michigan coronavirus cases climb again after Memorial Day Weekend reporting lull Unemployment scam may lead to payment disruptions for Michigan residents Note to readers: if you purchase something thr The murder of a 14-year-old girl in Iran who ran off with an older man has renewed calls for the government to impose harsher punishments on so-called honor killings. In mid-May, Romina Ashrafi fled the town of Talesh with her 34-year-old boyfriend, Bahamn Khavari. They were apprehended by police less than a week later. Under Iranian law, girls as young as 13 can marry, although the average age is 23. Police turned Ashrafi over to her father, even though the teenager said she feared for her life, Iranian state media reported. Her father, Reza Ashrafi, is accused of beheading his daughter while she was sleeping May 21. Local media reported he used a farming sickle in the slaying. He is currently in custody and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of murder. The killing has prompted outrage nationwide, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has reportedly urged his Cabinet to fast-track legislation that would impose harsher punishments for honor killings. There are no government statistics on the number of women and girls who die in honor killings each year in Iran. The US State Department notes the practice occurs most often among rural and tribal populations. In a statement, Amnesty International wrote it was appalled that the Iranian authorities repeatedly ignored Romina's pleas for protection from her violent and abusive father. The rights group called on Irans authorities to criminalize domestic violence and to ensure accountability that doesnt resort to the death penalty. Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Irans last shah, wrote on Twitter that the countrys regressive laws enabled Ashrafis murder. Laws that permit domestic violence, honor killings, child abuse & child marriage do not belong in the 21st century, he wrote. The solution is a return to secular law. Any big design project takes planning, but these hilarious fails are perfect examples of when more care was needed. Collated by Shareably, baffled social media users from around the globe have posted a series of funny examples of spectacular flaws they came across in every day life. The bizarre photos include a transparent toilet door, a bike path that meets with a barrier and a very elevated cash machine that even the tallest people would struggle to use. Here, FEMAIL brings you some of the most amusing incidents of poorly designed projects that never should have been approved. Stairway to Hell! This user, from an unknown location, shared a picture of a poster showing a man tackling a naked flame by appearing to pick up a staircase Tall order! This user, from an unknown location, shared a picture of a man struggling to get cash out of a very elevated ATM Road to nowhere! This user, from the UK, shared a dangerously designed cycle path which merges with a pavement - via a concrete barrier Ana, is that you? This user, from the US, shared a picture of a very disturbing Frozen-themed Christmas decoration Which floor was it? This user, from the US, shared a picture of some very confusing lift buttons in a hotel Poor Nemo! This user, from Australia, shared a picture of a poorly designed snow globe which left one of the fish unable to swim in the water Clashing colours! This user, from an unknown location, shared a picture of a T-shirt with the slogan 'green is the new black' - despite the fact the top is pink Don't trip! This user, from an unknown location, shared a photo of an optical illusion-style carpet design on a staircase which plays havoc with your eyes On your bike! This user, from the US, shared a snap of a very uneven cycling path which would be lethal to ride on Playtime's over! This user, from an unknown location, shared a picture of a very risky slide location How did this get given the green light? These traffic lights in America appear pretty useless as they're blocked by a bridge - or simply facing the wrong way An accident waiting to happen! This bike lane, in an undisclosed location, has been blocked by poles on the edge of the road BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty revealed her DIY haircut to viewers on Thursday after saying she 'couldn't take it anymore.' Naga, 45, showed pictures which proved her newly cropped look wasn't the work of a hairdresser and a breach of lockdown rules. The presenter said she took the scissors to her own hair at home and had only meant to cut the sides but got carried away. 'I couldn't take it anymore': BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty showed off the results of her DIY haircut on the show on Thursday as she admitted 'it's OK, a bit messy maybe' DIY 'do: Naga had taken to Twitter to reveal she had taken the scissors to her own hair as her growing locks needed some attention Co-host Charlie Stayt, 57, revealed he'd also been trimming his own hair, but viewers were amazed that immaculate Naga's new 'do was all her own work. Pics were posted on Twitter and Instagram and were also aired on the programme as she explained her decision. Naga said: 'I couldn't take it any more, I actually cut all my hair. My make-up friends and hairdressing friends said "what are you doing?" but I couldn't take it. That's the spirit: Naga has said she had been relying on a strong wax to hold her hair in place but said that she had to take matters into her own hands as salons won't open before July What a difference: Naga showed the length of her hair pre-cut three days before on Instagram when she proved she had been relying on hair wax on air to keep her locks in place Getting carried away: Naga tweeted that she had only meant to cut the sides of her hair but ended up doing the whole thing There for her: She said last week that her husband had been giving her a helping hand with the scissors 'It has been done and I think I did OK. It is neat, there are no chunks out of it, it is OK, a bit messy maybe.' Weatherman Matt Taylor joked to Charlie Stayt: 'Are you going to tell her about that gap at the back Charlie?' Yesterday Naga posted on Twitter: 'I couldn't stop myself. I was only meant to trim the sides! I couldn't bear the curly bits misbehaving any more. Ho hum.' Hair today: Naga's hair looked much longer on May 22 - she first attempted a trim on May 25 and had another go at it this week Immaculate: Naga looked like she had been to a professional salon on Thursday the results were so good Joking around: Weatherman Matt Taylor joked to Charlie Stayt (left): 'Are you going to tell her about that gap at the back Charlie?' Allie P on Twitter posted: 'Hair looks awesome, outfit beautiful and shoes, I want them. Lovely, lovely, lovely.' Herby Snipe said: 'Well done, looks good and I've been doing that for years. As an old man it saves me a fortune.' And Barrie Jaques posted: 'Great job Naga, beautiful as always.' Her decision to cut her hair came after Health Secretary Matt Hancock appeared on This Morning on Thursday. Who knew there was so much? She shared a picture of all the hair she had cut off which was piled up in the sink He has said he cannot commit to hairdressers being allowed to open in England on June 15 but is working to ensure they are open as soon as possible. Mr Hancock said: 'I would love to be able to do that and the way to do that is to ensure that, when it is safe to do so, hairdressing is brought back in a way that is safe. So, protective equipment. 'I would love to be able to do [reopen them] but you do have to be in close contact with people in order to cut their hair 'Its a challenge because inevitably you have to be close, but its not an insurmountable challenge Were working on what it would look like to have that protective equipment in place.' Wait a while: Health Secretary Matt Hancock appeared on This Morning on Thursday and said he cannot commit to hairdressers being allowed to open in England on June 15 Pushed on if hair salons would open on June 15 alongside shops, he said: I cant commit to doing it on that timetable.' Ruth Langsford complimented the Health Secretary on his hair, to which he responded: 'My wife cut it and I think she did a fantastic job. 'I was actually inspired by watching Phillip have his cut on video last time I was on this programme.' Meanwhile, Naga has been hailed for her sharp dressing but last month quickly shut down a critic. One viewer took exception to a pair of heels she was wearing. 'Im not known for my own sartorial elegance but why would anyone like Naga Munchetty feel the need to wear high-heeled shoes like these on a BBC TV breakfast news programme? Discuss...' he posted. She swiftly replied with the perfect response: 'Because I want to.' Azizi Developments, a leading private developer in the UAE, has increased the headcount for its business operations with the employment of 40 new joiners. The company also has plans to hire another 60+ professionals within the coming two months. These new hires are deployed across its customer service department, including its customer care and mortgage teams, its sales and marketing department, as well as several other operational functions. Azizis upsizing comes in light of an increase in sales enquiries, reflecting an uptick in demand in its world-class properties amid the current buyers market, and the developers continuous efforts in enhancing its customer centricity and transparency. Among the new joiners are eight senior-level Directors with extensive experience in the real estate sector and several customer service managers and executives that will lead and achieve Azizis revamped customer care strategy. The developer is increasing its volume of curtesy calls, project updates, and customer site visits and is implementing further channels of informative communications. Moreover, Azizi has reduced its turnaround time for responses to enquiries and case resolutions to less than 24 hours. The customer service department is also tasked with exploring further innovative ways to boost customer happiness, following the success of its recent surprise announcements. DALLAS, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J) was selected by England's Environment Agency to design, develop and implement the National Flood Risk Assessment 2 (NaFRA2), a pioneering cloud computing system that will help create a step-change in the quality and scope of England's national flood risk information. Along with JBA Consulting and a small group of industry and academic experts, Jacobs will combine its industry-leading flood modelling experience with web technologies and cloud computing to develop a system that underpins national-scale flood analysis in England. The Environment Agency estimates the four-year contract value at $10 million (8 million). "We believe this will be the world's first cloud-based, interactive national flood risk assessment system combining local and national flood modeling for rivers, sea and surface water," said Jacobs People & Places Solutions Senior Vice President and General Manager, Europe, Middle East and Africa Donald Morrison. "Once operational it will enable the Environment Agency to manage flood risk in England more effectively and efficiently." NaFRA2 will be designed to store, process and manipulate input data, and manage the production of outputs. The project includes substantial national-scale flood modeling, spanning scenarios for different flood defense states, breaching, blockage and climate change. These will help the Environment Agency produce a comprehensive picture of risk and uncertainty, including core public national flood risk information and data to support flood incidents. "We are thinking and acting differently on this challenging and groundbreaking project," said Environment Agency National Director of Operations and Project Sponsor Steve Moore. "Our work with Jacobs will help to identify and alleviate the risk of flooding that currently affects more than 5.2 million properties in England." At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $13 billion in revenue and a talent force of more than 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related reaction of governments on global and regional market conditions and the company's business. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 27, 2019, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, as well as the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law. For press/media inquiries: Kerrie Sparks 214.583.8433 SOURCE Jacobs Related Links http://www.jacobs.com 23 Shares Share Imagine there are two individuals who have been admitted to a hospital due to COVID-19, and both desperately need ventilators. One is a 60-year-old with a heart condition, and another is a 63-year-old with chronic kidney disease. Because of resource constraints, you have to decide which patient will be able to receive a ventilator. Both patients families are looking to you to help their loved one through this illness. With COVID-19 cases spiking across the country, doctors across the country may increasingly find themselves facing such a gut-wrenching decision. In response, state governments are creating points-based systems to decide who can receive a ventilator if doctors need to ration care. These points are based in part by the presence of chronic health conditions. The more points a patient has, the more likely they would be denied a ventilator if there is a shortage of resources. One glaring omission from this points-based system is an adjustment for race or socioeconomic status. Poorer patients tend to have higher rates of chronic disease, which will lead to more points and eventually less access to ventilators. As a doctor on the frontlines, I believe state governments should reconsider the inclusion of race or socioeconomic metrics in the event hospitals need to ration ventilators. Early epidemiological studies are demonstrating that the incidence and mortality of COVID-19 is significantly higher in marginalized communities across the United States. In New York City, Hispanic coronavirus patients make up 34 percent of all fatalities from COVID-19. In Michigan, a majority of cases are clustered in poor working communities in Detroit. In Chicago, 71 percent of the deaths from the virus have occurred among black individuals. The reason for this disparity is likely multifactorial, ranging from unstable housing that does not allow for social distancing or lower-paying jobs that require individuals to work outside their homes. If ventilator rationing goes into effect at a hospital, ventilated patients will be subjected to a points-based system to determine whether they can receive a ventilator. In Massachusetts where I practice, there are points for short-term clinical parameters, such as blood oxygen levels. There are also points for long-term clinical parameters, such as the presence of chronic diseases like heart failure, hypertension, or lung disease. These long-term clinical parameters fail to capture that there are social determinants that lead to these chronic conditions. For example, lack of access to healthy food options, which often impacts our poorer patients, will increase the risk of heart disease. As a result, these patients get penalized twice. Not only are they more likely to be stricken with this disease, but they are also deprioritized for a ventilator in a points-based system. A reasonable solution to this problem is providing a point adjustment for a patient who is either Black, Latinx, or resides in a neighborhood with a median income at or below the federal poverty line. Lowering the points accumulated by a patient in one of these social groups would not fully equalize health disparities from COVID-19, but it would at least acknowledge that health conditions are not blindly assigned to patients. Rather, it would capture the reality I see every day that health conditions are a product of structural inequities that my patients have faced historically and in the present day. For example, in Boston, black communities continue to suffer housing segregation and instability that is linked to historical injustices such as redlining and exclusionary zoning. This lack of housing has been associated with chronic lung and heart disease, metrics that are being measured in ventilator rationing frameworks. Some may argue that in a pandemic, the priority should be to maximize the number of lives saved as much as possible. This is a morally defensible argument, but we must acknowledge that, intentional or not, blind utilitarianism will favor the lives of wealthier Americans at the expense of poorer communities. On the other end of the spectrum, some may argue that this adjustment doesnt go far enough, and that there are other marginalized groups that should be adjusted for, such as homeless populations and disabled patients. These groups should be included in these frameworks, if we are able to get input from representative groups on how to best classify the severity of these conditions. Of course, the hope is that hospitals will not need to resort to rationing measures for our patients. But if this does happen, we must remember that there have been many moments in Americas recent history where marginalized communities have been implicitly oppressed in obtaining housing, employment, financial assistance, and health care. We should not let this pandemic mark a moment in our country where our governments and health system unintentionally exacerbated underlying health inequities by denying lifesaving care for marginalized Americans. Vishal S. Arora is an internal medicine resident. A version of this article was originally published on Undark. Read the original article. Image credit: Shutterstock.com NASA has said the spacex launch that was scheduled for last night in Florida could have triggered a dangerous lightning strike had it gone ahead. Looming rain and thunderstorms meant that the first launch of astronauts from US soil in nine years had to be aborted less than 17 minutes before lift-off. NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley were sitting within the Crew Dragon capsule aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, both built by billionaire Elon Musk's firm. As part of the 'Demo-2' mission, the pair are due to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) after travelling for 19 hours and remain there for up to four months. Both were aboard the Crew Dragon capsule for hours, waiting to take off at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. However, as weather conditions worsened, NASA and SpaceX decided to reschedule the mission for safety reasons to Saturday, May 30, at 3:22pm EDT (8:22pm BST). Scroll down for video In this Wednesday, May 27, 2020 image from video made available by SpaceX, liquid oxygen vents off the Falcon 9 rocket as NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in the Crew Dragon capsule prepare for launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., moments before the mission was aborted due to weather problems Ominous weather is seen above launch pad 39A at Cape Canaveral as the countdown clock continues on launch day at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 27 At 16 minutes and 54 seconds to go before the rocket launch, the SpaceX crew scrubbed the mission NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said the decision was made because there was 'simply too much electricity in the atmosphere' but called the day a valuable 'wet dress rehearsal'. 'There wasn't really a lightning storm or anything like that, but there was concern that if we did launch it could actually trigger lightning,' he said. 'I know there is a lot of disappointment today. The weather got us. 'But I also wanted to say this was really a great day for NASA, it was a great day for SpaceX. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (pictured) said that there was a concern a launch could trigger lightning, adding that NASA and SpaceX 'made the right decision' The Crew Dragon capsule before launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft undergoing final processing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, last month 'I think our teams worked together in a really impressive way, making good decisions all along. 'We have a lot to look forward to. In just a few short days on Saturday afternoon we are going to do it again. 'Here is what we know we are going to launch American astronauts on an American rocket from American soil. We are going to do that. We are very close.' When it does happen, the launch will be the first crewed launch from the US into orbit since NASA's space shuttle program ended in 2011. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken, background left, and Doug Hurley perform communication checks in the Crew Dragon capsule before launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (SpaceX via AP) Hurley, left, and Behnken wave as they walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on their way to Pad 39-A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. The two astronauts will now fly on the SpaceX test flight to the ISS on Saturday Launch director Mike Taylor cited a number of unspecified 'weather violations' for halting the mission after a day of showers and a tornado warning. Not only was there not enough time to wait for weather to improve, but rain, clouds, clouds, lightning and field mill data which measure the amount of electricity in the atmosphere all violated Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon launch criteria needed to launch at various times throughout the day. While the conditions were improved shortly after the launch was scrubbed, the teams went ahead with the postponement because the spacecraft would have had to leave on time to rendezvous with the ISS. SpaceX CEO and owner Elon Musk and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (L) wear protective face masks as they leave astronauts crew quarters before the launch Earlier, SpaceX boss Elon Musk said he accepted absolute responsibility if the launch of his Falcon 9 rocket were to end in tragedy. Elon Musk told CBS This Morning: 'I'm the chief engineer of this thing so I'd just like to say that if it goes right, it's credit to the SpaceX-NASA team. If it goes wrong, it's my fault For the first time in nearly a decade, astronauts will blast into orbit aboard an American rocket from American soil, a first for a private company NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley were strapped in the cabin of Crew Dragon Capsule atop the Falcon 9 rocket Hurley, 53, and Behnken, 49, had been strapped into their seats for just over two hours before the launch was called off. Both had to remain with the Crew Dragon capsule until all the fuel in their rocket was unloaded and the emergency escape system was disarmed. 'We could see some raindrops on the windows and just figured that whatever it was, was too close to the launch pad at the time we needed it not to be,' said Hurley, commander of the spacecraft, before exiting the Crew Dragon capsule. A boat passes the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch of the SpaceX test flight to the International Space Station was scrubbed with more than 16 minutes to go in the countdown due to lightning 'Understand that everybody's probably a little bit bummed out. That's just part of the deal. We'll do it again, I think, on Saturday.' 'Appreciate your resilience sitting there in the vehicle,' a controller replied. 'Nothing better than being prime crew on a new spaceship,' Behnken responded. British astronaut Tim Peake said it was a shame that the SpaceX launch was scrubbed but added 'the rules are there in the interest of safety'. A NASA helicopter escorts the crew to Launch Pad 39-A, Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Two astronauts will fly on the SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station scheduled for launch Wednesday The mission, named Demo-2, would have seen SpaceX become the first private company to send astronauts into space. SpaceX, which has received billions of dollars from NASA since the late 2000s, has been supplying cargo to the ISS since 2012. Since ending its Space Shuttle programme in 2011, NASA has depended on Russia's space agency Roscosmos to transport its astronauts to the space station. In 2014, NASA awarded SpaceX and Boeing contracts to provide crewed launch services to the space station as part of its Commercial Crew Program. Mission managers were monitoring a number of ominous weather conditions, including the threat of lightning, even as crews began loading the rocket with fuel, when the countdown clock was stopped Spectators watch from Titusville, Florida, as SpaceX Falcon 9 prepares to lift off with NASA astronauts on board. NASA pushed ahead with the preparations despite the coronavirus pandemic but asked spectators to stay at home - advice many did not heed According to NASA, the aim of the Demo-2 mission to show SpaceX's ability to ferry astronauts to the space station and back safely. It is the final major step required by SpaceX's astronaut carrier, the Crew Dragon, to get certified by NASA's Commercial Crew Program for more long-term manned missions to space. 'What today is about is reigniting the dream of space and getting people fired up about the future,' Musk said in a NASA interview before the postponement. Earlier, SpaceX boss Elon Musk said he accepted absolute responsibility if the launch of his Falcon 9 rocket were to end in tragedy. Musk told CBS This Morning: 'I'm the chief engineer of this thing so I'd just like to say that if it goes right, it's credit to the SpaceX-NASA team. If it goes wrong, it's my fault.' SpaceX chief Elon Musk speaks during a press conference after the launch of SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo mission at the Kennedy Space Center Musk also told the astronauts young sons just before the launch attempt: 'We've done everything we can to make sure your dads come back OK.' NASA pushed ahead with the preparations despite the coronavirus pandemic but asked spectators to stay at home. Despite this thousands of people jammed area bridges and beaches to watch, many of them not wearing masks or observing the six-foot social distancing rules. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump listen as Marillyn Hewson, chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin, second from left speaks during a tour of NASA facilities before viewing the SpaceX Demonstration Mission 2 Launch at Kennedy Space Center, May 27, 2020. From left, Vice President Mike Pence, Hewson, second lady Karen Pence, Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabana, Donald Trump and Melania Trump President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had arrived in Florida to watch the launch before it was delayed. Trump, who before the postponement marvelled at the 'magnificent' rocket on the pad, later tweeted that he will return to Florida for the next try, and the vice president did the same. 'Thank you to @NASA and @SpaceX for their hard work and leadership. Look forward to being back with you on Saturday!' Trump said. Launch coverage on Saturday, May 30, will begin at 11am EDT (4pm BST) on NASA Television, as well as the NASA live webpage and its various media channels. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a latest update today that conditions are favourable for the advancement of Southwest Monsoon. The National Forecasting Centre of IMD said that with the strengthening of westerlies and increase in convective clouds, the southwest Monsoon has further advanced into some parts of Maldives-Comorin area, some more parts of south Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Andaman Sea and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The National Forecasting Centre further said that the conditions have been becoming favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of Maldives-Comorin area during next 48 hours. A Low Pressure Area is likely to form over southeast & adjoining east central Arabian Sea during May 31 to June 4, 2020. In view of this, conditions are very likely to become favourable from June 1 for onset of southwest Monsoon over Kerala. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It is a historic alliance: Meharry Medical College is partnering with the National Institutes of Health to test the historically black colleges antiviral drug, which it hopes will eradicate COVID-19. The collaboration represents a vital relationship in the overall fight for the public safety of African Americans, whose rate of infection and death from the coronavirus has been disproportionately higher than other racial groups in the country, according to health care leaders. This has been growing for years, Dr. John Maupin, a former president of Meharry and the Morehouse School of Medicine, told NBC News. And its extremely important when there is a disease or condition that disproportionately impacts African Americans that they trust the people who are looking for the cures. Meharrys focus, Maupin said, has always been on the impact that diseases have on African Americans. And many times we have to talk about the cultural factors and social factors and other factors that have to be considered when doing research to develop a cure or preventative response that will help African Americans, he added. So, these institutions have been at the forefront of that. And support from the NIH exponentially improves the chances of doing great work. Meharry joins a frantic race for an antiviral drug that has intensified globally, as more than 5.4 million people have been infected and more than 340,000 have died worldwide. Dr. Donald Alcendor (Meharry Medical College) Dr. Donald Alcendor, an associate professor at Meharry and a scientist, told NBC News that he and his team at the college have developed a reagent, called MRCV-19, designed to prevent the devastating effects of COVID-19. The antiviral drug has been synthesized, meaning it has been produced and is prepared to begin the arduous trek from early trial to human trial to market. Im thinking this may be something special, Alcendor said. What can you take if you test positive for the virus? This is our option. MRCV-19 is primarily intended for those infected with the coronavirus before it causes damage, Alcendor said. It would sit in the body for up to five days and attack the RNAribonucleic acid, a nucleic acid present in all living cells before it would have a chance to wreak havoc on the lungs, COVID-19s modus operandi. Story continues It would defeat the purpose of the virus, he said. Inflammation and the disease itself would be reduced. It will be tested at the NIH in human lung cells in the near term, an NIH official said. Support from the NIH, along with Meharrys rich tradition, has allowed Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, the colleges president, to attract a team of scientists that concentrates on drug discovery and development. Dr. James Hildreth. (Heharry Medical College) Meharry is one of many institutions taking advantage of the technology at NIH to accelerate its research on a potential therapeutic drug against COVID-19 virus, Hildreth said. Doing so greatly facilitates our research and lowers the overall cost of the research as well. Over the last 20 years, Maupin said, there has been a lot more investment from the NIH in minority-serving institutions, which they called of emerging excellence. What was lagging was having some of the key resources that many other institutions had. It was not whether they had the intellectual talent, but whether they had some of the infrastructure and support system needed to carry their science forward. They were able to recruit some amazing scientists whose major focus is on diseases that disproportionately affect African Americans, he said. This cadre of great scientists often gets overlooked, even though their science continues to be great. The president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Patrice Harris, said that HBCU participation in the search for COVID-19 treatments is invaluable in informing research and cures. Like with any other crisis, we need the data and the science to drive decisions of treatment. So its exciting to have Meharry doing this work, she said. And Im very excited to know of the partnership with an HBCU and the NIH exists because of the disproportionate number of African Americans COVID-19 is impacting. Patrice Harris (Courtesy Dr. Patrice Harris) The NIHs assistance also has brought to the forefront the excellence of black scientists, Maupin said. HBCUs dont have a lot of wealthy donors, he added. But their work puts a spotlight on their talent. It puts a spotlight on their purpose and it puts a spotlight on the continued re-investment in these institutions. Their work in COVID-19 is demonstrating again you must continue to put the investment in these institutions because they have some answers that will not only be helpful to the African American community, but to all Americans. CLEVELAND, Ohio After nearly three months of quarantine, Ohioans are ready to get out and enjoy summer. But this year, theyll have to rate the risks of their favorite fun activities, due to the coronavirus. There is really no such thing as zero risk of transmission, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine associate professor Mark Cameron said. Still, some activities are safer than others. And there are new tools and distancing measures in place to mitigate the threat of the coronavirus constant in our lives. Cleveland.com interviewed experts from Ohio State University, MetroHealth, Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Lorain County Community College and University Hospitals to assess the risk of that backyard barbecue or trip to the beach. There are some general rules to consider in each scenario, including: -- How crowded a venue is and how long youll be around other people. The longer youre around other people the more likely the virus will spread. You should also consider the capacity of the place youre visiting, and whether the number of people there can be controlled to maintain social distancing. -- Whether people at a gathering or venue will be wearing a mask. Experts say everyone should wear a mask in public. -- Whether that activity extends outside a small social circle youve maintained during shelter-in-place; each new person introduces a risk. -- If the event or gathering is inside or outside, and the nature of the activity or gathering. Even after these rules are applied, certain scenarios fundamentally carry a much higher risk. A solitary kayak trip or a solo camping trip carries much less risk than say, a drink with friends at a crowded indoor bar. But each type of outing or gathering carries different risks. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame/Cleveland Museum of Art: Low-medium risk The Rock Hall and the Cleveland Museum of Art are scheduled to open in June, and experts say the large museums dont pose a tremendous risk. The number of people inside the buildings can be limited and its easy to wear a mask. Its also not difficult to maintain social distance as you move through the exhibits. Congregating can be controlled. Museum coordinators are used to managing traffic flow and there arent many shared surfaces where visitors can spread germs. As long as visitors spread out and wear masks, experts think visiting large museums is low to medium risk. Cleveland Metroparks beaches: Low-medium risk If people are social distancing on a beach, staying more than six feet apart as you sunbathe, its low risk to medium risk. You can also keep you distance while swimming or wading in the water. I think you'd have to be unlucky, said University Hospitals Dr. Keith Armitage, the medical director of the Roe Green Center for Travel Medicine and Global Health. The number of people at the beach can be controlled, as seen when the MetroParks shut down access to Edgewater Beach on Memorial Day. Problems emerge, and the risk increases, when beaches are packed and you cant keep a safe distance between people. Gyms: High risk Gyms are considered high risk. People may not want to wear a mask while exercising. Theyre breathing hard, huffing and puffing and producing a lot of respiratory droplets. This is especially problematic because people are most contagious before they show symptoms. Gyms are making significant changes to reopen, including maintaining distance between workout equipment, reducing capacity and implementing heavy sanitation procedures. Proper sanitation procedures and properly distancing gym-goers could reduce risk. Ferry to Put-in-Bay or Kelleys Island: Medium risk A ferry is tough, because a certain number of people need to be able to board to make it worthwhile. So its harder to limit capacity. Theres a balance between controlling capacity and maintaining social distance, while ensuring the ferry still provides a viable service to the community, Cameron said. People are also spending a chunk of time there, surrounded by strangers. But masks can help lower the risk. So can remaining in the outdoor section. He puts it at a medium-high risk. Churches and places of worship: Medium risk Attending services at a place of worship carries risk. Churchgoers are spending a notable amount of time together. Churches, typically welcome to all, must decrease the number of people allowed inside. They must create distance between people attending services. Packing people in a church for an hour is really risky, Armitage said. Masks, again can help mitigate the risks of infection. So can restrictions like the Catholic church has introduced, in closing off pews and eliminating handshakes at the sign of the peace. Think of it as medium-high risk, with mitigation factors. Shopping malls: Medium risk Think of a shopping mall like the grocery store. Get in and out. We can get in and get out of a retail store quite easily, Cameron said. This is more of a medium risk. Group outdoor exercise: Low risk Running with one or two friends consistently is lower risk but larger groups for outdoor exercise can be a problem. More people means its more difficult to socially distance while working out in a group and there are more droplets coming from heavy breathing during exercise. Its also harder to wear a mask when youre exercising. If youre running or biking with a group of people for an extended period of time, it could present a moderate risk. As long as people arent running, as a tight group beside each other, then I would say thats low to medium risk, Cameron said. To keep a low risk, minimize the number of people you exercise with, stay outdoors and maintain social distance while running or biking. Paddle boarding, kayaking, boating: Low risk As long as all the components of these ventures are properly sanitized, heading out on the water is considered low risk. And the activities are growing. Those are activities where a family who's been staying at home, sheltering in place that's really what they can go out and do as a family, Cameron said. A large boat with a crowd of people in close quarters is unadvisable, so stick to activities that allow you to socially distance, like kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding. Try to avoid touching your face if youre renting any equipment. Risk goes up if you wait in a crowded boat house or line where people arent socially distanced. If youre going to rent a kayak or boat, be sure to take your mask. Weddings: High risk A wedding, as celebrated before the pandemic, would be high risk. Usually at weddings youre dancing with other people, shaking hands, maybe even hugging other people you cant do that, said Dr. Thomas File, chair of the infectious disease section at Northeast Ohio Medical University and the infectious disease division at Summa Health. You just have to realize theres going to have to be different behavior. State regulations ban dance floors at weddings and require spacing out tables, but allow couples to have up to 300 guests. Wearing masks and cutting out the buffet would also cut risk. So would appointing monitors to ensure people are appropriately social distancing and bringing in elderly relatives or those at risk on live video. Another precaution to incorporate: a drink limit. When you have alcohol youre going to be less attentive to spacing, MetroHealths Dr. David Margolius said. Still, problems remain, even if you limit your guest list. Youve got a group of people spending an evening together. Theyll be eating and drinking, so masks wont be on all the time. And your guests will likely be mingling, even if they're not supposed to be. Backyard BBQs: Low-high risk, depending on group A barbecue would be a great way to spend an afternoon with your immediate family who youve been sheltering in place with during the pandemic but when you move outside of that circle, theres more risk. Dr. Iahn Gonsenhauser, chief quality and patient safety officer at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said if youre inviting 30 people to a backyard gathering who you havent seen since the pandemic started high fiving, handing out hot dogs and telling jokes thats a high risk situation. But if you meet up with one other family, maintaining social distancing while socializing in a large outdoor space, thats low-risk. Its all of these pieces that you want to try and line up, Gonsenhauser said. Renting an Airbnb/hotels/camping: Low-high risk Summer travel is starting up. When traveling, dont make it a destination vacation with friends you havent seen since the pandemic began. If youre traveling with people within your existing contact network to visit a cabin in the woods or set up camp, generally risk is lower. I think were getting to a point where the risk is not as great, Dr. Harry Kestler, a microbiology professor at Lorain County Community College, said. Hotels are obviously going to work very hard at making sure they sanitize Youre coming into a situation where their occupancy isnt very high where there isnt as much risk of exposure. Short-term rentals could provide families and couples safe way to get away. But its important to do your research to ensure the owners are doing their part to be safe. If an Airbnb condo or home had been unoccupied, and without any foot traffic or visitors for three days before you arrive, the risk of contracting the virus is close to zero, Armitage said. If you if you go to an Airbnb, and no one has been there for a couple days, it's very low risk, Armitage said. If you arrive in the afternoon, after guests left that morning, there could be contaminated surfaces. With hotels, its also important to do your research. How hotels clean the rooms and rotate the rooms matters. If you and the hotel staff wear masks during check in, and you are given a room thats been vacant for a couple of days, its low risk. But if you spend time in a crowded hotel lobby, restaurant or bar, with no one wearing masks, thats high risk. Dog parks: Low risk When it comes to exhausting a family dog, the dog park is a popular summer option especially as the ground dries out with the heat. The dog park generally poses a lower risk because of the outdoors. If you stay an appropriate distance away from other families, wear a mask, experts generally consider the risk to be low. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention recommends social distancing for dogs because of potential spread of the disease among animals or from humans to animals. So, it might be better to head to a friends backyard and let the dogs play. Restaurants (patios v. indoor): Low-high risk When social media showed patios crowded with people the first weekend after state restrictions were listed, it caused uproar. Those pictures depicted people very close to everybody else on the patio, not wearing masks. Gov. Mike DeWine later clarified that the state requires diners and bar-goers to be sitting when eating and drinking, which would allow for greater control on social distancing. Its easier to control crowds on an outdoor patio than inside the restaurant, and the UV light mitigates some of the risk. Eating dinner on the patio would be low to medium risk, but having a drink at the bar or eating inside a crowded restaurant is high risk. Restaurants can lower the risk by properly spacing seating to ensure that droplets from eating, laughing and talking are spread only within tables. Having servers wear masks also lowers the risk, as does physical barriers between tables. Maintaining a small social circle, it allows you and the other members of that circle to know where everybody else has been, Dr. Joseph Khabbaza, a pulmonary and critical care doctor at Cleveland Clinic, said. When you start interacting with those outside of your circle, you dont know where theyve been or who theyve been around. One essential hang-up with restaurants? Its impossible to wear a mask while eating a drinking. Summer camp: High risk Summer for many families means sending kids to sleepaway camp, where they can socialize and participate in fun summer activities. But camp carries a high risk due to the pandemic. It's just not the kids getting the virus, it's them bringing it home, Armitage said. Think of the camp like as like Mardi Gras. People travel from all around an area of the country, they congregate together in close quarters, and then they return home. Children, though seemingly at less risk for developing severe COVID-19 symptoms, are less likely to follow social distance protocols and wear masks correctly. They also spend a lot of time congregating together during camp in the dining halls and bunk rooms. Though risks could be reduced through cutting the number of campers and having everyone wear masks, experts said the prospect of overnight camps is tricky. Day camps are adding social distancing measures, too, under state regulations. But there are still risks. Every kid who is coming into contact with one another is essentially exposing each other to all of the other childrens contacts, and when they come home at the end of the day, exposing their parents, Gonsenhauser said. The District Chief Executive for Sefwi- Akontombra in the Western North Region, Mr Louis Owusu-Agyapong, has cut sod for the construction of a six-unit classroom block with an office and store for the Nuru Islamic school at Akontombra. The project, according to the DCE, is been funded by the Zongo Development Fund and was expected to be completed in four months to improve upon Islamic education in the area. Cutting the sod, Mr Owusu-Agyapong said the Nana Addo-Bawumia government was committed to bringing Development projects to Zongo communities across the country, hence the creation of the Zongo Development Fund initiative. He said the Zongo Development Fund through the Ministry of Zongo and Inner City Development last year sponsorship two Muslims from the District to Mecca as well as constructed a mosque at Tumuda. He expressed gratitude to President Akufo-Addo and the Zongo Development Fund for giving the District its share of Zongo Development Fund projects. The DCE called on Muslims communities to give the government the needed support in order to benefit from more of such projects. He warned the contractor against shoddy work and urged him to complete the work on schedule. Alhaji salifu Zidan, an Opinion Leader from the Muslim community who spoke on their behalf, commended President Akufo- Addo and Mr Alex Djonoboah Tetteh, Member of Parliament for Sefwi- Akontombra for all that they have been doing for Muslim and Zongo communities in the District. According to him, they had sent many petitions to the Akontombra District Assembly for the construction of the school block but to no avail. He indicated that it was only during the Akufo Addo Government that Muslims in the District were sponsored to Mecca for the first time. Mr Sylvester Afenu in charge of Heartberg Company Limited, the construction firm executing the project promised to complete the project on schedule. ---GNA The world's oldest man, Bob Weighton, has died from cancer aged 112. Mr Weighton, from Alton, Hampshire, became the world's oldest man after the previous record holder Chitetsu Watanabe, from Japan, died in February, aged 112. The great-grandfather to 25, lived through both world wars, the 1918 flu pandemic, the rise and fall of the USSR and the creation of the Internet. He died of a pancoast tumour despite having never smoked, according to a heartwarming statement released by his family. The world's oldest man is now 111-year-old Romanian Dumitru Comanescu, who will turn 112 on November 8, according to Guinness World Records. Bob Weighton, from Alton, Hampshire, became the world's oldest man after the previous record holder Chitetsu Watanabe, from Japan , died in February, aged 112 The world's oldest man is now 111-year-old Romanian Dumitru Comanescu, who will turn 112 on November 8, according to Guinness World Records Mr Weighton died of a pancoast tumour despite having never smoked, according to a heartwarming statement released by his family In a statement, his grandson Magnus described 'our beloved Bob' as a 'witty, kind, knowledgeable, conversationalist father, grandfather and great grandfather'. The Weighton family statement said: 'With great sadness, the Weighton family announces the death of our beloved Bob Weighton. 'He died peacefully in his sleep, from cancer, on the morning of Thursday May 28, 2020, at his flat in Alton, Hampshire, where he lived independently. 'We are so thankful for the time we have had with him - extended time. He's always been a true gentleman, a very lovely, down to earth chap with no airs or graces. 'He died from a pancoast tumour, yet he never smoked - not a chance! 'Aged 112, Bob was the oldest man in the world. 'Bob was an extraordinary man, and to the family that was not really because of the amazing age he reached. A role model to us all, he lived his life interested in and engaged with all kinds of people from across the world. 'He viewed everyone as his brother or sister and believed in loving and accepting and caring for one another. He had many, many friendships and read and talked politics, theology, ecology and more right up until his death. 'He also cared greatly for the environment. The second bedroom in his flat was a workshop, filled with furniture, windmills and puzzles he made and sold in aid of charity, often from bits of wood pulled from skips.' Mr Weighton, pictured here in 1934, was a teacher before his retirement Mr Weighton, pictured, lived independently until his death according to his family The statement added: 'We are so grateful that until the very end Bob remained our witty, kind, knowledgeable, conversationalist father, grandfather and great grandfather, and we will miss him greatly.' When Mr Weighton, a former teacher and engineer, became the world's oldest man, he said at the time that he was 'taken aback'. Speaking to Good Morning Britain in March, the super-centenarian - someone aged 110 plus - said he was happy celebrating the anniversary in lockdown. Despite making it 12 birthdays past 100, Mr Weighton only had one card of the Queen - who sends one every year - on display on his bookshelf. When asked where the other were, Mr Weighton said he asked Her Majesty to stop sending them. He told the Mail: 'Because it would be a waste of taxpayers' money and she's got enough on her plate with Harry and . . . what's she called? And also I don't need a load of cards cluttering the place up.' Mr Weighton, pictured as a boy, said he had never intended becoming this old and said he has no secret to his longevity When asked which moment he would recreate if he could, Mr Weighton said: 'Meeting my wife, I don't know what kind of life I would have lived without her. The pair met at university, while preparing to travel abroad to volunteer in foreign countries, and insisted it was 'true love' that 'stood the test of time'. Mr Weighton said: 'She was destined for Ghana in Africa. I volunteered to go to Taiwan so we were miles apart and months of not having communication, letters took six or eight weeks. 'It was true love and it stood the test of time. After four years of separation and not seeing one another, we still got married and look back with great pleasure and rejoice.' Mr Weighton, who died in his flat today, was born in Kingston-upon-Hull, Yorkshire on March 29, 1908. He was one of seven children and is survived by his two children, 10 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. When he was 10, Mr Weighton lived through the 'Spanish flu' pandemic of 1918, which claimed the lives of between 50 million and 100 million people. He said: 'I only read about it in history books when I got older. 'Actually I wasn't aware there was a Spanish flu around, because none of my brothers and sisters or people I knew were affected. 'I am sure they were, but a child's world is not an adult's world, a child doesn't read the newspapers and there was no radio in those days. So you didn't get news in the sense you get it thrown at you in all directions nowadays.' Mr Weighton, pictured left, married his wife Agnes, right, in Hong Kong in 1937 He remembers the outbreak of World War I and as a teenager he trained in marine engineering. By the time he qualified in 1925 the shipping industry was in decline, so he headed to Taiwan to work as an English teacher. Out there, he met his future wife Agnes. In the early part of World War II, Mr Weighton and his family lived in Denver, US. He was recruited by the British Political Warfare Mission for his knowledge of Japanese after the attack on Pearl Harbour. Mr Weighton deciphered enemy messages and also worked to disrupt the morale of the Japanese to try and help the Americans win their fight. After the war, he was finally able to return to England with his wife and three children and spent the rest of his working life as a lecturer in marine engineering at City University in London, until his retirement, aged 65, in 1973. He and his wife, who passed away in 1997, spent much of their retirement volunteering as marriage counsellors and helping at youth groups in Alton. Mr Weighton, circled, is photographed here in 1911 along with his siblings and grandmother Mr Weighton lived through the reign of five monarchs and seen 26 Prime Ministers come and go from 10 Downing Street. Remarkably, he had shared the title of Britain's oldest man with Alf Smith, of Perthshire, as the pair were born on the same day, but Mr Smith died last year. He said that the 'world is in a bit of a mess' with coronavirus and explained that the challenge posed by the pandemic is significant. Mr Weighton said: 'In the Second World War you knew what you had to do. 'You might fail but the objectives were clear as Churchill rallied the country behind him, "We will fight on the beaches", etc etc. 'We knew exactly what we had to do. That was an objective that you could possibly reach, but nobody knows how we are going to defeat the virus.' A man is in the hospital after being shot to the chest in New Orleans East on Wednesday night, according to New Orleans police. A release from the New Orleans Police Department said the man was taken to the hospital by Emergency Medical Services, but authorities did not provide information on his condition. The shooting occurred in the 4600 block of Eastview Drive. It is not immediately clear what time police received calls about the shooting, but they alerted media around 10:15 p.m. Information on possible suspects or a motive are not available at this time. Stay with NOLA.com for more updates. SHANGHAI, May 27 (Xinhua) -- China's Fosun Group has recently received gratitude from Porto, Portugal, for its donated detection kits. A total of 5,000 nucleic acid detection kits donated by Fosun Foundation, together with a batch of other medical supplies offered by Shanghai were sent to Porto in late March. The donated detection kits were mainly used to conduct nucleic acid tests for elderly people and employees in Porto's nursing homes according to feedback from Portugal, said Yang Zhijun, deputy general manager of Shanghai Fosun Long March Medical Science Co., Ltd, the developer of the detection kits. Thanks to the donation from Fosun Foundation, Porto's testing program was made possible without consuming detection kits of Portuguese National Health Service (SNS), at a time when detection kits were scarce, according to an article published on a website produced by the Porto City Council. The detection kits have obtained the medical device registration certificate issued by China's National Medical Products Administration and the European CE certification, Yang said. Besides the aforementioned 5,000 nucleic acid detection kits, the Shanghai-based company also donated 20,000 more detection kits to Portugal at the end of March. A laboratory diagnosing COVID-19 patients at Polytechnic Institute of Braganca (IPB), recognized the effectiveness of Fosun's detection kits. There are plans to use these detection kits in nucleic acid tests for children, and in retirement communities and schools, according to the laboratory's email to Fosun's office in Lisbon. "We are facing testing times that demand from individuals, governments, civil society and the private sector accrued responsibility, commitment and solidarity to deal with a crisis that is heavily impacting our societies and health care systems," according to a letter of appreciation sent from the Portuguese side to Fosun. The letter expressed gratitude for Fosun's provision of personal protective equipment and detection kits for Portuguese medical workers. Health officials are trying to work out how a 30-year-old miner who didn't leave his Outback town caught coronavirus before becoming the youngest Australian killed by the disease. Nathan Turner, who had underlying health conditions, was found dead at home in Blackwater, Queensland by his devastated fiancee on Tuesday afternoon. A post-mortem revealed he had the virus but mystery surrounds how he caught it because he hadn't left the coal-mining town, which has zero cases, since February. Officials are urging the town's 5,000 residents to get tested. So far about 50 tests, including 18 of Mr Turner's family and friends, have come back negative. Nathan Turner (pictured) was found dead at his home by his partner on Tuesday afternoon Investigators are probing whether an infected nurse who enjoyed an illegal 300km road trip to 'watch the sunset' in his town may have given it to him. But Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles today said Mr Turner had symptoms before the unnamed nurse drove from Rockhamptom on 10 May. 'The timing of that trip means it's unlikely that she is the source of the infection, but it's possible,' he said. The nurse claimed she went to the town to see the sunset and did not leave her car. Mr Miles said her story was 'curious' and that she will be re-questioned by investigators. The Commonwealth's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly on Wednesday said Mr Turner had been suffering from coronavirus symptoms for three weeks, meaning the nurse could not have been the source. 'He had three weeks of a respiratory illness prior to his death,' he said. Officials are also probing whether a FIFO worker may have given him the illness. 'There is a significant fly-in, fly-out workforce, so all of that is being investigated as well,' Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young said. Nathan Turner (pictured) was described as the 'life and soul of the party' by his devastated mates after he became the youngest person in Australia to die with coronavirus Nathan Turner (pictured, left) with his partner Simone Devon (right) who discovered his body on Tuesday after she returned from work How did Mr Turner catch coronavirus? There are four main theories 1. From an infected nurse who drove 167km to his town to 'see the sunset' 2. From a FIFO worker 3. He didn't have the virus and test was a 'false positive' 4. From an unknown contact in town Advertisement Another possibility is that Mr Turner did not have the virus at all. A second test conducted on Mr Turner's body returned a negative result for coronavirus - but Ms Young has rejected it. 'It was contaminated with quite a bit of blood. So therefore, it wasn't an effective test,' she said. Dr Young rejected suggestions that the first test was a 'false positive.' 'There was a test done which is a very sensitive test and it came back positive,' she said. Mr Turner had numerous health problems and had been off work since November. He has been added to Queensland's COVID-19 death toll and the national death toll of 103. The nurse being investigated is already embroiled in scandal after going to work at the North Rockhampton Nursing Centre aged care home, despite having symptoms of the disease. The woman has admitted going on an illegal road trip on May 10, driving 167km from Rockhampton to Blackwater to allegedly 'see the sunset'. She told health officials she had visited the mining town briefly to admire the views, but claimed to have not left her car. She allegedly told authorities of her bizarre road trip shortly after her initial diagnosis, prompting questions as to why no one in the town was informed. Nathan Turner (pictured) is the youngest person in Australia to die with COVID-19, taking the national death toll to 103 A nurse is alleged to have gone to work at the North Rockhampton Nursing Centre (pictured on May 16) despite having symptoms of COVID-19 Local MP Brittany Lauga told the Courier Mail that the nurse, who is under investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission, should be fined for breaking lockdown rules. At this time, travel over more than 50km was only allowed for essential reasons, which would not include admiring a sunset. 'It's irresponsible. It's against the law,' Ms Lauga said. 'It doesn't make sense to anyone I've spoken to who lives in this region why you wouldn't get out of the car, go to the loo or anything and we rely on people being honest with their contact tracing.' It was contaminated with quite a bit of blood. So therefore, it wasn't an effective test Dr Jeanette Young rejects second negative test on Mr Turner's body It comes as Mr Turner's devastated friends paid tribute to their mate, who had recently proposed to his girlfriend. 'He was a larrikin and always the life of the party,' one friend said. A coal miner, Mr Turner had been off work since November after suffering from seizures and complex medical problems. Tests were conducted after his death, as despite showing symptoms for three weeks, he had not been tested. His shock diagnosis forced the closure of the town's police station, after three officers were forced into home isolation, as were paramedics who rushed to the scene. Fiancee Simone Devon, who discovered his body in their home when she returned from work at a local bakery, has since tested negative. The bakery has been closed 'indefinitely', and Ms Devon is isolating at home before being tested again. But reports on Wednesday night claimed there was uncertainty about Mr Turner's condition, despite Queensland Health officials saying he died of COVID-19. The victim has not worked since November and has not left the central Queensland town of since February. Blackwater (pictured) has a population of about 4,500 people His death brought Australia's coronavirus death toll to 103. It is understood that a test conducted on Tuesday night tested positive for the virus, but a second test came back negative, with sources saying it was contaminated and therefore invalid. A statement from Queensland Health said it had no evidence to confirm the two cases were related, but it is investigating all relevant information. 'Contact-tracing information provided to Queensland Health for the central Queensland case identified on May 14 was that the individual travelled to Blackwater in the second week of May but did not interact with other individuals there,' it said. 'Information provided to Queensland Health about the case identified today indicated the man had respiratory symptoms since the first week of May. Nathan Turner (pictured) worked as a miner, but had been off work since November, officials said 'At this time, no evidence has been provided to Queensland Health that links the two cases. But we will continue to assess all information relevant to any case.' Earlier this month, the unnamed nurse continued working at the North Rockhampton Nursing Centre despite having coronavirus symptoms. The nurse is reported to have been contagious since May 3, and continued working with the elderly residents despite showing symptoms from May 5. She later tested positive, sparking a frantic testing blitz of the centre's 200 vulnerable residents - all of whom tested negative. The nurse has been suspended and has been referred to the Crime and Corruption Commission over an alleged breach of public health directions. A nurse is seen testing a woman for COVID-19 at a testing centre in Sydney on May 12 (pictured) with similar tests being performed at the Queensland aged care centre Mining trucks are seen in Blackwater (pictured) where Mr Turner worked, but had not been at work since November Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said it proves why anyone with symptoms should stay home, particularly if they have contact with vulnerable people. 'It is very, very difficult to understand,' she said. 'The most important thing we can all do to protect each other is to stay at home if we're sick.' Nathan Turner (pictured) became the youngest person to die of COVID-19 in Australia, aged just 30 During a press conference held on Wednesday morning, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said it appeared the man had been ill for several weeks. 'He has a complicated medical history and that also needs to be worked through,' she said. 'Age is not a total predictor of people who are going to do badly. 'The other thing is we don't know the impact of the other medical issues he had. That will be something for the coroner to look at. 'Whether or not COVID-19 was the precipitating cause for his death, that's how we report it.' Clinics have now been set up in Blackwater and Emerald so anyone with symptoms can be tested. Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles urged 'anyone in Queensland' to get a coronavirus test. 'This message is particularly important for all the blokes out there,' he said. 'I know that men sometimes fob off their illnesses, they don't go and get medical assistance, but it's incredibly important right now that anyone with symptoms goes and gets tested.' A total of 2.37 million children returned to school on Wednesday, accounting for 47 percent of the total. But 561 out of the 20,902 schools that reopened on Wednesday had to send students back home after coronavirus infections surged in a warehouse by online commerce company Coupang in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Incheon city education officials decided to close 243 schools in the western port city again on Thursday, though high school seniors will be allowed to return. Help India! By Muhammed Tauqeer Its been more than 70 years since the independence of India, an arduous journey of freedom from the British colonial rule; a Freedom that was going to liberate Indians from discrimination, oppression and slavery; a Freedom that was going to eliminate excessive taxes, prevent loot of Indias natural resources; a Freedom that was going to give control of the social, economic and political system to Indians; in short a Freedom where Indians were going to reclaim sovereignty of their country. Support TwoCircles On the other hand, another state of Pakistan was created with pretty much the same freedom drivers but additionally to protect the political interests of Muslims, who according to Jinnah would have been numerical minorities and would have to live as second class citizens if not for a separate state. The countrywide lockdown, imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus, has instilled ambivalence in people about the notion of freedom. Or rather it has prompted a question about the reality and subjectivity of freedom. What is Freedom? Should there be absolute Freedom? If not absolute freedom, then who will quantify adequacy of regulations to achieve parity between Freedom and Responsibility? Freedom is a broad term used to define the absence of external influence in choice or action like interference, coercion, necessity etc. An ignorant human being would also understand the first part of the definition where it identifies external force as lack of freedom but what most literate people fail to understand is the necessity part. Can a hungry, thirsty man have choice or Freedom? Take the simple example of manual scavenging, would any human being be passionate about this job? Or its just their hunger (necessity) that is driving them to choose this profession? Or it is their status in society for generations that is not letting them come out of this stigma? Then where is the Freedom? The reality of Freedom In the 73 years since independence, both the countries have not been able to get rid of the social evils. Caste still define the position of a person in society; women are still forced into prostitution; men still have to get into the rat holes to clean drains for few pennies; fathers still face the burden of dowries; tribals are still forced to make way for mines; villagers still compelled to run to cities for bread & butter; labourers still left to die in slums; farmers still commit suicide under the burden of interest on loans; taxmen still taking away the earnings of the middle class; as long as handful privileged ones are happy and free. Wasnt this the same before independence? Or has it become worse? These are merely symptoms of chronic disease and not the cause. Then what really is the cause? When these countries got Independence from the British colonial rule, it was nothing more than a change of faces. Most of these faces were western educated elites driven by anti-colonial sentiment and not an independent socio-politico-economic ideology. Not to forget that these same political parties had initially decided to reform under British rule rather than choosing complete overhaul of the system but eventually caught up with an idea of self-rule although with an ideological vacuum. British succeeded in pushing their capitalist economic system coupled with a secular, democratic political structure down the throat of these countries. This adoption was made easy by the fact that these countries had a history of capitalist Sahukars & Thakurs and at the same time the politicians were western educated in this same economic and political system. So the slavery continued post-independence, this time ideologically embedded into the politico-economic system. Had we really been a free country with an independent politico-economic system, the priorities of the governments would have been different. The coronavirus pandemic broke out in a neighbouring country and a clear response would have been to seal the boundaries upfront rather we prioritized economic benefits over the life of our citizens and allowed international travel for weeks before it actually landed at our doorsteps. Now that we are in lockdown for more than 50 days, we are prioritizing home delivery of liquor over food, clothing & shelter which used to be fundamental needs. The poor have more hope in NGOs and individual humanitarians than the Government. The hollowness of Governments response can be judged from the fact that they are requesting individuals, private entities to pay full salaries to employees but their own actions are contrary to what they are preaching. Govt employees, many of whom are putting their life at risk in the line of duty, are taking pay cuts. Another example is the showering of rose petals on health workers; wouldnt it have been better if they would have been provided with sufficient PPE kits rather? The much-hyped economic stimulus of 20 Lakh Crore rupees is nothing more than eyewash to attract international capital investments. This package is being rolled out through a credit system which will further burden the individuals or organization with interest payment and only strengthen capitalists. On the other hand, the story of Pakistan Governments response to the situation is not very different except that they have limited control internally to implement any laws. One must shun superficial thinking to see the real villain in this ostensible response to the health emergency of Coronavirus is not the Government or any political party but the underlying capitalist politico-economic system which influences the very thought of the polity. Corporates funding political parties is a reason for getting favourable policies and not a charity. As long as this influence exists, we cannot claim freedom. What we actually got is a lollipop of capitalist slavery packed with the glittery wrapper of Freedom. Subjectivity of Freedom Its always hard to digest reality, especially when it contradicts your views; its natural to think why we should subscribe to someones theory. Lets revisit the definition of Freedom again its absence of external influence in choice or action like force, coercion, necessity and some might also add regulation. Does that mean Freedom is absolute? Does it imply I can do what I want? We live in a society where our lives are connected with others and our actions are not completely independent but consequences of our actions will impact others (not just other human beings but absolutely everything around us in the ecosystem). Ones freedom cannot be at the cost of others misery hence the idea of absolute freedom is absurd and there is always a need for regulations. Thankfully every county on the surface of the earth has a regulation and no state subscribes to this idea of absolute freedom. But the question remains, if not absolute freedom then how much is not too much freedom? This is where lawmakers of every country define regulations/laws according to their interpretation and hence different countries are seen at a different level on the scale of liberty or freedom indices. So this is an established fact that Freedom or for that matter Liberty is subjective. Regulations created by humans will always be self-serving, subject to change, subject to influence by the rich & powerful, and at the whims of limited human thinking capacity. This is exactly the reason why capitalists have been so successful in manipulating the world order in their favour by funding rulers or lobbying, not to forget the most influential arms lobby milking trillions of dollars by instigating wars through different means. Even if hypothetically we manage to create perfect laws for us, it will always discriminate against others in the ecosystem; global warming is a perfect example. The real cause of chaos in the world lies in the subjectivity of laws created by humans, for Subjectivity is inherently conflicting. By now the question of how much freedom is not too much? has changed to who will define how much freedom is not too much?. Who should then create laws if not humans? The answer is very simple who can create a better manual for a system than the creator of the system! Way forward The coronavirus pandemic has brought even the most powerful countries to its knees. Even the most liberal countries of the world had to impose restrictions to contain the effect of the virus. This is definitely not the worst crisis witnessed by humanity till now and there is no guarantee that there wont be any worse crises in future. Just a critical analysis of its causes is not going to serve any purpose but this awakening of society has to be materialized in providing a more constructive solution to the problems. Muslims of this time have a unique opportunity to implement and show to the world the comprehensive unchangeable social, political, economic system revealed by God through the Quran & Sunnah. This can only be achieved by the way of the Prophet through rigorous dawah and convincing Muslim rulers to adopt the comprehensive Islamic system and demonstrate to the world how this could solve all the problems of humanity. Any means other than the method of the Prophet will lead to doom only. Hence this call is for Muslims of the world to wake up and work on the dawah with the mission to implement Islams comprehensive social, political and economic system rather than wasting time behind petty differences. WASHINGTON President Trump, who built his political career on the power of a flame-throwing Twitter account, has now gone to war with Twitter, angered that it would presume to fact-check his messages. But the punishment he is threatening could force social media companies to crack down even more on customers just like Mr. Trump. The executive order that Mr. Trump signed on Thursday seeks to strip liability protection in certain cases for companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook for the content on their sites, meaning they could face legal jeopardy if they allowed false and defamatory posts. Without a liability shield, they presumably would have to be more aggressive about policing messages that press the boundaries like the presidents. That, of course, is not the outcome Mr. Trump wants. What he wants is the freedom to post anything he likes without the companies applying any judgment to his messages, as Twitter did this week when it began appending get the facts warnings to some of his false posts on voter fraud. Furious at what he called censorship even though his messages were not in fact deleted Mr. Trump is wielding the proposed executive order like a club to compel the company to back down. It may not work even as intended. Plenty of lawyers quickly said on Thursday that he was claiming power to do something he does not have the power to do by essentially revising the interpretation of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the law passed by Congress in 1996 that laid out the rules of the road for online media. Legal experts predicted such a move would be challenged and most likely struck down by the courts. New Delhi: The Delhi High court on Thursday (May 28) pulled up National Investigation Agency (NIA) for hurriedly moving civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha, accused in Bhima Koregaon violence case, from Delhi to Mumbai. The court also raised its concern over how the applications were hastily moved in Mumbai and Delhi courts by the NIA during holidays to procure Navlakha's transfer to Mumbai, while his interim bail application was still pending with it. The court observed that it "would not see too much cause for hurry, in this case, in view of the inexplicable, frantic hurry shown by the NIA in moving the applicant from Delhi to Mumbai while this matter was pending and the NIA had itself sought time to file a status report, this court does get a sense that all proceedings in this jurisdiction would be rendered utterly infructuous if an element of urgency is not brought to bear on the present proceedings." Navlakha had moved the interim bail application on medical grounds, stating that considering his health and age it was unsafe for him to be in the prison. After which the notice was issued to NIA, which sought time to file the status report. Navlakha's medical status report was requisitioned from the Jail Superintendent. Counsel for Gautam Navlakha, Nitya Ramakrishnan, informed the court that a hearing for extension of the applicants judicial remand was conducted on May 23, 2020, before the Special Judge (NIA), Delhi and judicial remand was extended up to June 22, 2020, despite that the interim bail application was pending. On May 24, the NIA had moved an application before the Special Judge, Mumbai seeking production warrants for Navlakha. , and the same was allowed and transfer/transit order was sought and allowed by Special Judge (NIA), Delhi and he was taken away to Mumbai, stated to be lodged in Taloja Jail in Mumbai. Navlakha's counsel alleged that in none of the proceedings did the NIA disclose the pendency of the present bail application. She contended that the only purpose for which the NIA has taken such hasty actions is to render the present proceedings infructuous and to take the applicant out of the jurisdiction of this court. She also submitted that Mumbai, which has suffered the highest number of infections and deaths due to COVID-19 virus, the applicant has been exposed to even more serious health risk, while he was seeking interim bail from this court to avoid that very risk. The court also made NIA's Investigating Officer from Mumbai to answer certain factual queries through video-conferencing. The court observed, "Prima-facie it appears that while on the last date, this court had granted adequate time to the NIA to file its status report in response to the interim bail plea; and while the NIA has filed an affidavit opposing that plea, the NIA has acted in unseemly haste to instead remove the applicant out of the very jurisdiction of this court; and, if the applicant is right, without even informing the Special Judge (NIA), Mumbai or the Special Judge (NIA), Delhi of the pendency of the present proceedings." The court directed IO, SP Vikram Khalate to file an affidavit on the lines of the responses given, file a complete copy of the proceedings in the application for issuance of production warrants, to place on record the report of the applicants medical examination conducted once he reached Mumbai. It also sought the record of the application moved by the NIA seeking an extension of judicial remand, a record of the application filed by the concerned Jail Superintendent, Tihar Jail, seeking permission to transfer the applicant to Mumbai, besides directing the Jail Superintendent to provide a copy of the last medical status report of the applicant. The high court has listed the matter for June 3. Navlakha was arrested by the Pune Police from his Delhi residence in August 2018, following the violence at Koregaon Bhima village in Pune district on January 1, 2018. Authorities in Wuhan said they have completed a citywide testing drive of every resident after the reemergence of a cluster of new coronavirus cases sparked fears of a second wave of infections at the birthplace of the now deadly pandemic. Wuhan government said it tested nearly seven million people in 12 days in the city of over 11 million, several Chinese local media reported Wednesday. A total of 6.68 million people underwent nucleic acid tests, of which 206 asymptomatic cases were reported, according to Bloomberg calculations based on daily numbers released by the local health commission. Residents who have not been tested before, and people living in residential compounds with previous cases of infection, or old or densely populated estates were prioritised in the ambitious testing regime. PREMIUM TIMES, citing a widely circulated document from Wuhans anti-virus department, reported how the campaign was kick-started on May 12 after six new cases were recorded more than a month after no infections had been seen in the entire city. Thousands of medical and other workers were mobilised for the testing regimen that saw residents of the city that relaxed its 76-day lockdown in early April troop out for the exercise that experts say underlines Chinas anxiety over the resurgence of the virus which infected more than 82,000 of its people, killing over 4 thousand. Although the few newly reported cases in Wuhan are asymptomatic and appear under control, experts said they highlight the risk that China could face another largescale spread. The pace of testing increased rapidly over the course of the campaign, with the city offering tests to over 1.1 million people on May 23, more than 26 times the number that was completed on the first day, according to the Wuhan Health Commission. Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Asian country cannot afford to ruin the hard-won achievement of containing the virus at a meeting with representatives from Hubei, the province of which Wuhan is the capital, Bloomberg reported. Even though COVID-19, the potentially dangerous pneumonia-like disease caused by the coronavirus, is said to have emanated from a local Wuhan market to spread to almost 200 countries, claiming more than 350,000 lives and sickening more than five million in five months, Chinese authorities have led the fight against the contagion. China managed to contain the spread of the virus through rapid testing, fumigation of entire streets, adherence to safety guidelines and restrictions that locked down hundreds of millions of residents for 11 weeks from mid-February to early April when the total lockdown was lifted. Even before the mandated citywide testing in Wuhan, many companies in the city had taken the initiative to test all their employees before they returned to work because they risked getting shut down again if even a single infection was found. China has also embarked on a serological survey to determine the true scale of its outbreak. The project involves researchers taking blood samples from a representative group of people to see if they have generated antibodies to fight the virus. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud have discussed the global energy market over the phone, and stressed the importance of the OPEC+ deal, the presidential office said in a statement. "The sides continued their discussion of the developments on the global energy market. Both sides noted the importance of the joint efforts to reach the OPEC+ agreements on reducing oil production in April," the statement reads. It was noted that they agreed to continue close coordination on this issue between the energy ministries Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabias Crown Prince also touched on current issues of bilateral cooperation following Vladimir Putins visit to Riyadh last October. The Russian president extended his greetings to Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud on Eid al-Fitr. PUNE, India, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Key Companies Covered in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Manufacturing Market Research Report are Microsoft Corporation, Google LLC, IBM Corporation, Amazon.com Inc., NVIDIA Corporation, Siemens AG, GENERAL ELECTRIC, SAP SE, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. AI in Manufacturing Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 The global AI in manufacturing market size is expected to rise owing to increasing demand for collaborative robots and growing semiconductor industry. According to Fortune Business Insights, its latest report, titled "Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Manufacturing Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Offering (Hardware, Software, and Services), By Technology (Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Context Awareness), By Application (Process Control, Production Planning, Predictive Maintenance & Machinery Inspection, Logistics and Inventory Management, Quality Management, and Others), By Industry (Automotive, Medical Devices, Semiconductor &Electronics, Energy & Power, Heavy Metal & Machine Manufacturing, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027.", observes that the market will hit USD 9.89 Billion by 2027, while exhibiting a promising 24.2% CAGR between 2020 and 2027. This market is expected to witness substantial growth owing to the COVID-19 impact and hence the 2020-2027 CAGR is high/very high, as a large section of industry would look to adopt AI in order to automate the operation with less human intervention. Artificial intelligence (AI) is believed to be a game-changing modern technology for the manufacturing industry. Adoption of AI in manufacturing provides multi-faceted benefits such as accurate and rapid data-driven decisions, minimizing of operational costs, optimizing several processes, and improving the overall experience of customer-satisfaction. In addition to this, AI can be easily embedded to the existing products and services offered by the companies to render them reliable, effective, and safe. For instance, in the automotive industry, AI-based technology such as computer vision is used to accurately detect obstructions to prevent road fatalities, while promoting safe driving. Get Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/sample/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-manufacturing-market-102824 An Overview of the Impact of COVID-19 on this Market: The emergence of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill. We understand that this health crisis has brought an unprecedented impact on businesses across industries. However, this too shall pass. Rising support from governments and several companies can help in the fight against this highly contagious disease. There are some industries that are struggling and some are thriving. Overall, almost every sector is anticipated to be impacted by the pandemic. We are taking continuous efforts to help your business sustain and grow during COVID-19 pandemics. Based on our experience and expertise, we will offer you an impact analysis of coronavirus outbreak across industries to help you prepare for the future. Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Market. Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-manufacturing-market-102824 What does the Market Report Offer? The market report offers an exhaustive study of several factors such as drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities that will affect the growth of the market in the forthcoming years. The report covers regional demographics that include qualitative and quantitative information about the regions that are further divided into nations that are contributing to the growth of the market between 2019 and 2026. Furthermore, the competitive landscape has been discussed in-depth that include information of several players operating in the market. Moreover, information on the adoption of strategies such as merger and acquisition, collaboration, partnerships, and joint ventures by the companies that will drive the growth of the market has been included during the projected horizon. Drivers and Restraints: Increasing Adoption of Cobots to Promote Growth Emergence of automation and robotics has propelled the rise of collaborative robots (Cobots) across several manufacturing industries. Cobots are perceived as an essential addition to implement several industrial operations such as detecting failure scenarios, analyzing the result, and further taking appropriate action to resolve the issues. Increasing adoption of Cobots by the manufacturers is anticipated to drive the growth of the AI in manufacturing market during the forecast period. For instance, MVI Maskinfabrik, a Danish kitchen utility manufacturer, invested in Cobot to cater to the increasing demand for its several products. According to the company, the investment proved to be the right decision as it reduced 50% time required in the wielding process of its products. Furthermore, the total cost procured to buy Cobot was far more less than a wielding machine. Speak to Analyst: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-manufacturing-market-102824 Regional Analysis: Increasing Investment for AI-based Platform in Asia-Pacific to Drive the Market Among the regions, the market in Asia-Pacific that hit USD O.68 Billion in 2019 is expected to hold the highest global AI in manufacturing market revenue during the projected horizon. This is ascribable to factors such as increasing investment for AI-based platforms in countries such as India, China, and Japan in the region. The market in Europe is expected to be the second-most leading region in the forthcoming years. Countries such as the UK investing a huge sum of about USD 1.3 Billion in developing AI technology will drive the market growth in the region. North America, on the other hand, will witness significant growth owing to increasing investment in R&D activities and growing number of startups for AI technology between 2020 and 2027. Competitive Landscape: Rockwell Automation Introducing New AI Module to Augur Growth In April 2019, Rockwell Automation, Inc. announced its launch of a new AI module, FactoryTalk Analytics LogixAI to enhance industrial production. The new AI module efficiently predicts analysis for precise decision making without interference from the data scientists. In addition to this, the module detects data anomalies, while alerting the workers to attain precise results. Major focus of the companies to provide AI-based solutions to strengthen market position will bode well for the growth of the market in the forthcoming years. Furthermore, amid the global pandemic, COVID-19, adoption of AI technology by the manufacturers will contribute to the market growth during the projected horizon. List of Key Companies Profiled in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Manufacturing Market Research Report are: Microsoft Corporation ( United States ) ) Google LLC ( United States ) ) IBM Corporation ( United States ) ) Amazon.com Inc. ( United States ) ) NVIDIA Corporation ( United States ) ) Siemens AG ( Germany ) ) GENERAL ELECTRIC ( United States ) ) SAP SE ( Germany ) ) Rockwell Automation, Inc. ( United States ) ) Mitsubishi Electric Corporation ( Japan ) Quick Buy AI in Manufacturing Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/102824 Detailed Table of Content Introduction Definition, By Segment Research Approach Sources Executive Summary Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints and Opportunities Emerging Trends Key Insights Macro and Micro Economic Indicators Consolidated SWOT Analysis of Key Players Porter's Five Forces Analysis Global AI in Manufacturing Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecasts By Offering Hardware Software Services By Technology (Value) Computer Vision Machine Learning Natural Language Processing Context Awareness By Application (Value) Process Control Production Planning Predictive Maintenance & Machinery Inspection Logistics and Inventory Management Quality Management Others By Industry (Value) Automotive Medical Devices Semiconductor & Electronics Energy & Power Heavy Metal & Machine Manufacturing Others (Aerospace & Defense, Conglomerates, etc.,) By Geography (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa and Latin America TOC Continued...!!! Get your Customized Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-manufacturing-market-102824 Have a Look at Related Research Insights: IOT Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Platform (Device Management, Application Management, Network Management), By Software & Services (Software Solution, Services), By End-Use Industry (BFSI, Retail, Governments, Healthcare, Others) And Regional Forecast, 2019 - 2026 NLP Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Deployment (On-Premises, Cloud, and Hybrid), By Technology (Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Text Analytics, Speech Analytics, Pattern and Image Recognition, and Others), By Industry Vertical (Healthcare, Retail, BFSI, Automotive & Transportation, Advertising & Media, Manufacturing, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Machine Learning Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Component (Solution, Services), By Deployment (On-Premises, Cloud), By Industry (BFSI, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Retail, Telecommunication, Government and Defense), By Enterprise Size (Large Enterprises, SMEs)Others and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 AI Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Component (Hardware, Software, Services), By Technology (Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Others), By Industry Vertical (BFSI, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Retail, IT & Telecom, Government, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Cyber Security Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Solution (Network Security, Cloud Application Security, End-point Security, Secure Web Gateway, Internet Security), By Deployment Type (Cloud and On Premise), By Enterprise Size (Small & Medium Enterprise and Large Enterprise), By End-Use (BFSI, IT and Telecommunications, Retail, Healthcare, Government, Manufacturing) and Region Forecast, 2020-2027 Virtual Reality Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Offering (Hardware, Software), By Technology (Nonimmersive, Semi-Immersive), By Industry Vertical (Gaming & Entertainment Media, Healthcare, Education, Automotive, Aerospace & Defense, Manufacturing), By Application (Training & Simulation, Educational, Attraction, Research & Development) and Regional Forecast, 2019 2026 Augmented Reality (AR) Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Component (Product, Software, Maintenance & Support Services), By Device Type (Handheld Devices, Stationary AR Systems, Head-mounted Displays (HMDs), Smart Glasses, and Others), By Industry (Gaming, Media and Entertainment, Education, Healthcare and Medical Devices, Retail, Logistics, Manufacturing and Engineering, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data. At Fortune Business Insights, we aim at highlighting the most lucrative growth opportunities for our clients. We therefore offer recommendations, making it easier for them to navigate through technological and market-related changes. Our consulting services are designed to help organizations identify hidden opportunities and understand prevailing competitive challenges. Contact Us: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1-424-253-0390 UK: +44-2071-939123 APAC: +91-744-740-1245 Email: [email protected] Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs Read Press Release https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-manufacturing-market-9956 SOURCE Fortune Business Insights A Taliban delegation has arrived in Kabul for talks over a prisoner swap, just hours after Afghan officials blamed the militant group for two deadly attacks in the countrys north and west. The prisoner exchange is part of a U.S.-Taliban agreement signed in February that called on the Afghan government to release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and for the militants to free around 1,000 government captives as a confidence-building measure ahead of formal peace talks. A technical delegation of the Taliban is in Kabul to work with a technical team of the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on the release of prisoners of both sides, said National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal on May 28. Later in the day, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted that the group had released 80 Afghan soldiers and government officials from their jails in northern Baghlan and Kunduz provinces. It brings to more than 300 the number of captives freed by the Taliban since April. Last month, Afghan government representatives met with a three-member Taliban team in Kabul to discuss a prisoner swap, the first time an official Taliban delegation had been in the city since the group was driven from power by U.S.-led forces in 2001. But the militant group broke off the talks days later, saying they had made no progress. Since then the militants have intensified attacks on government forces, leaving the U.S.-Taliban peace deal on the verge of collapse. But the Talibans announcement of a May 24-26 cease-fire to coincide with the Eid al-Fitr Islamic holiday has created new momentum. In the first two major incidents since the three-day truce ended, officials said the Taliban killed 14 members of the Afghan security forces. Waheeda Shahkar, spokeswoman for the northern Parwan Province's governor, said on May 28 that seven Afghan soldiers were killed when the militants attacked a checkpoint. "The Taliban has also suffered casualties," Shahkar added. Prisoner Releases District police chief Hussain Shah said militants set fire to the checkpoint, killing five security force personnel. Two more were shot dead. On the outskirts of the western city of Farah, Taliban gunmen mounted an attack on a police post, killing seven officers, provincial police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib said. "Eight Taliban fighters were also killed in the clash, which lasted for half an hour," Mohib said. Some reports said at least three police officers were taken hostage. The Taliban has not immediately claimed the attacks. The government has called on the militants to extend the cease-fire so long-delayed peace talks could begin. During the cease-fire, Afghan authorities released some 1,000 Taliban prisoners -- part of a pledge by the government to free up to 2,000 militants in response to the Taliban's cease-fire move. A senior member of the Taliban on May 27 told AFP that militants were planning to free about 50 to 100 Afghan security-force members as early as May 28. Earlier, a senior Taliban figure was quoted as saying the group is considering an extension of the cease-fire if these developments, like the announcement of prisoner releases, continues." The prisoner exchange is part of a February 29 U.S.-Taliban agreement that did not include the Afghan government. Under a key point of the deal, Washington agreed to reduce its military presence in Afghanistan from about 13,000 to 8,600 by mid-July in a first stage, before a complete withdrawal by May next year. U.S. President Donald Trump on May 26 said he has not set a target date for a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, amid speculation he may make ending Americas longest war a campaign issue ahead of Novembers presidential election. But U.S. and NATO officials speaking on condition of anonymity said U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan is down to nearly 8,600, well ahead of schedule, in part because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Trump said there were "7,000-some-odd" U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, but officials clarified that number was slightly over 8,600 troops. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and dpa A small cruise company says it plans to be the first to begin cruising again on U.S. waters since the coronavirus pandemic caused cruise ships to be anchored across the globe. American Cruise Lines announced this week that the 184-passenger modern riverboat American Song will depart from Portland on June 20 and sail to Clarkston, Washington, along the Columbia and Snake rivers. The company also said in a news release that the 190-passenger American Harmony is scheduled to depart from Memphis, Tennessee, on June 28, and sail along the Mississippi River to New Orleans. American Cruise Lines, which is based in Guilford, Connecticut, said it would voluntarily sail at 75% capacity and will adhere to safety protocols. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control in March issued a no sail order to cruise companies, but it only applies to those with more than 250 passengers and crew members on board. American Queen Steamboat Co. has also said that it will resume cruises on the Mississippi River in late June. Read more: WASHINGTON This week, 55,200 families in Connecticut enrolled in the food stamp program received extra money to compensate for children in those households who received free and reduced-price meals in their schools before the pandemic closed school houses in mid-March. But tens of thousands of other families that relied on those school meals to keep their children fed will have to wait a while longer to benefit from part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act passed by Congress more than two months ago. The state Department of Social Services says the 265,631 public school and 1,748 private school students who receive free or reduced school lunches in the state are eligible for a one time payment of $364.80 per child to purchase food. But many of those children who qualify for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program have not yet received help partly because they live in about 80,000 households that are were not previously enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the official name for food stamps. Those households dont have the EBT cards that allow food stamp recipients to buy groceries at supermarkets and other places. To be able to access that food aid, those households must receive EBT cards from the state. The process to set up the Pandemic-EBT program in Connecticut has also been impacted by a myriad of planning and technological factors involved in delivering the benefits, the Department of Social Services said. The department had to coordinate with and obtain information from the state Department of Education, which in turn had to seek information about children who received free and reduced-price meals from each individual school district. We appreciate the phenomenal job by the Department of Education and participating school districts in getting us up-to-date information about eligible children, said Dan Giacomi, SNAP program manager for DSS. We created this new process, tested it, and are running it in what we believe is a timely manner under the circumstances, which included getting an amendment with additional funding from USDA because of the changing date of school closure. Yet Robin Lamott Sparks, executive director of End Hunger Connecticut!, said the pandemic has shown a weakness in the way Connecticut agencies communicate and share information with each other. What this has really done is show that social service sectors have been operating in silos, she said, and that more efforts should be made to get systems talking to each other. But thats not something that can happen overnight, Lamott Sparks said. Connecticuts plan also had to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for approval. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Connecticut - and California - had been approved to implement the Pandemic EBT program on April 24. The USDA had already approved state Pandemic EBT plans for Michigan, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Arizona, Illinois, Alabama and Wisconsin. But an analysis by The New York Times found that by May 15, only about 15 percent of eligible children had received benefits and just 12 states had started sending money. So most of the nation has been slow to get billions of dollars in food aid to hungry kids. However, the Times said that finally the pace is accelerating, with millions of families expected to receive payments in the coming weeks. Many of the children who once ate their free or reduced-price meals at school are picking up grab-and-go meals and food at pickup sites now that the USDA relaxed rules so that schools can offer them. Lamott Sparks said Connecticuts schools have done a good job at providing these meals, but they are not enough to keep hunger at bay. Its sometimes difficult for a parent to get them, she said, because the meals are available only at certain times which can conflict with a parents work schedule. And some parents lack transportation to visit a school or site distributing food, Lamott Sparks said. She also said giving households SNAP benefits funnels money to local grocers and other businesses. Ultimately, SNAP is better for the economy, she said. Muzaffarpur: A woman migrant labourer returning from Gujarat's Ahmedabad died on the train mid way to her native place in Bihar. The woman, Arvina Khatoon (35) a resident of Katihar, was already ill for the past one year and her condition suddenly deteriorated and on Monday (May 25) at around 12 noon the woman died in the train. In a scene that is heart wrenching, a video has gone viral of the woman's toddler son who is seen her approaching her dead body kept at the railway platform in Muzaffarpur. The son is seen trying to wake up his dead mother, then he gets distracted and starts playing around her. Read the story in Hindi here The woman had boarded the train on Sunday with her sister and brother-in-law and her two-and-a-half-year old son. She died on the train near Madhubani. When the train reached Muzaffarpur Junction at around 3 pm the railway police removed the the woman's body off the train and placed it on the platform. Speaking on the incident, GRP Deputy SP Ramakant Upadhyay said, 'The incident took place on May 25. The woman was coming from Ahmedabad and died inside the train near Madhubani. Her brother-in-law said that the woman died suddenly. There was no problem of food and water. The woman had an illness for the past one year and was also mentally unstable." Meanwhile, the special Shramik trains has transported around 48 lakhs passengers in as many as 3543 trains to their home states in 26 days, according to an official statement. NORWALK Three people were caught outside of a city Walmart with guns, knives and a quarter pound of marijuana, according to police. Lt. Jared Zwickler, a Norwalk police spokesman, said an officer was patrolling the Walmart located at 680 Connecticut Ave. around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when they encountered a suspicious vehicle. After pulling over the car, Zwickler said the officer smelled marijuana inside. One of the cars three occupants handed over a bag of marijuana, Zwickler said, admitted that were also guns inside. Police searched the car and found a rifle, handgun, a foot-long machete, two knives, an ax and 131 grams of marijuana packaged for sale, according to Zwickler. He said police also found a digital scale. None of the occupants had a pistol permit, Zwickler added. Steven Jutras, 31, of Bridgeport, was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of marijuana within 1,500 feet of a school and possession of marijuana with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school. He was held on $25,000 bond. Teague Mayville, 22, of Vermont, was charged with having a weapon in a motor vehicle and was held on $25,000 bond. Alana Williams, 23, of Florida, was charged with having a weapon in a motor vehicle and carrying a pistol without a permit. She was held on $50,000 bond. The three were each given court dates on June 22. LONDON May 27, 2020 Richard Branson Jeff Skoll Edwards, California California Africa Africa Africa Africa West Africa Jeff Skoll California $200m here Gavin Pelser Christo Wiese Africa Africa Africa here Zimbabwe Lesotho Burundi Rwanda Swaziland South Africa Kenya www.higherlifefoundation.com Jeff Skoll www.skoll.org New Mexico www.virgingalactic.com Long Beach, California Richard Branson's $50m Africa Richard Branson www.virginunite.com /PRNewswire/ -- African and global philanthropists have teamed up to help African nations secure urgently needed ventilators, breathing support devices and other medical equipment, in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.Strive Masiyiwa, co-founder of Higherlife Foundation, who has recently been appointed as an African Union Special Envoy to mobilise the private sector response to COVID-19, is leading a private partnership to start local manufacturing of the equipment. Working with fellow philanthropists Sirand, the group have identified two solutions which will be manufactured in South Africa.The initiative will start with the production of 1,000 bridge ventilators, a design that was provided to this partnership for free by Virgin Orbit and has recently received emergency use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is designed with a price significantly lower than a normal ventilator.The partners are also in discussions with Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company regarding the oxygen helmet prototype produced in partnership with NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center inand the Aerospace Valley Task Force in, pending a grant of emergency use authorization by the US FDA. Oxygen helmets help open up the alveoli in the lungs, and delay or prevent Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)." said Masiyiwa, founder and Group Chairman of Econet Global.The philanthropists have come together to secure initial orders, ensuring that the devices can quickly reach healthcare professionals across the continent to save lives. This will be the first of many innovations that will be locally manufactured into serve the needs of over 1.2 billion people facing the onslaught of this pandemic.Masiyiwa has also pulled together a team to build an online platform to manage global procurement of medical equipment, including PPE. To be launched in partnership with the Africa CDC before the end of May, it will play a critical role in supply management, with Invicta as one of many manufacturers who has agreed to sell medical equipment through this platform.Branson, whose companies developed the ventilator and oxygen helmets as part of their philanthropic efforts to support the global COVID-19 response, has a deep and long relationship withBranson said.In 2014-16, the African Union in partnership with a range of global organisations, successfully led the response to Ebola in, stopping it from taking millions of lives and spreading to the rest of the world. Its expertise will be critical in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and in strengthening health systems across the continent.Founded by, the-based Skoll Foundation has committed to expanding its giving toto fight COVID-19 and its impacts. Skoll's first COVID-19 grants were directed to the African continent in early February to assist with pandemic preparedness and response. A full list of Skoll's grants to date are availableSkoll said,, Director of Invicta Holdings and CEO of Engineering Solutions Group shared,Image and video assetsHigherlife Foundation is a social impact organization that invests in human capital to build thriving individuals, communities and sustainable livelihoods. Founded by Strive and Tsitsi Masiyiwa in 1996, the Foundation was first launched inand has since spread its footprint to, and. Higherlife Foundation implements projects in Education; Health; Rural Transformation and Sustainable Livelihoods; and Disaster Relief and Preparedness impacting millions of lives in the communities it serves.The Skoll Foundation drives large-scale change by investing in, connecting, and celebrating social entrepreneurs and the innovators who help them solve the world's most pressing problems. Founded by, the Foundation's signature program is the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Today, the Foundation's portfolio includes 116 organizations and 144 social entrepreneurs around the world. Learn more at skoll.orgVirgin Galactic is a vertically-integrated aerospace company, pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals and researchers, as well as a manufacturer of advanced air and space vehicles. Using its proprietary and reusable technologies and supported by a distinctive, Virgin-branded customer experience, it is developing a spaceflight system designed to offer customers a unique, multi-day, transformative experience. This culminates in a spaceflight that includes views of Earth from space and several minutes of weightlessness that will launch from Spaceport America,. Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company believe that one of the most exciting and significant opportunities of our time lies in the commercial exploration of space and the development of technology that will change the way we travel across the globe in the future. Together we are opening access to space to change the world for good.Virgin Orbit builds and operates LauncherOne, the world's most flexible dedicated launch service for commercial and government customers. Designed and manufactured in, LauncherOne is air-launched from a modified 747-400 carrier aircraft, allowing it to operate from locations all over the world in order to best serve each customer's needs. Virgin Orbit's systems are currently in an advanced stage of testing, with initial orbital launches expected soon. Virgin Orbit is a privately-held business owned by SirVirgin Group and by Mubadala Investment Company. To learn more or to apply to join Virgin Orbit's talented and growing team, visit virginorbit.com.Virgin Unite is the entrepreneurial foundation of the Virgin Group and the Branson family. We started Virgin Unite with the aim of bringing people together to never accept the unacceptable, to turn challenges into opportunities and to always push boundaries that make both business and the world better.Virgin Unite and the Branson family have donated overto partners acrossworking to strengthen health systems and support economic development this includes partners like Last Mile Health and Living Goods who mobilise and train thousands of community health workers; Sightsavers, who are working to end Trachoma; and the One Acre Fund, supporting more than one million African farmers.Our overheads are covered byand the Virgin Group, meaning that 100% of all donations received go directly to where they are needed most. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/african-and-global-philanthropists-team-up-to-manufacture-covid-19-medical-equipment-in-africa-301065611.html SOURCE Virgin Unite These new sites will utilize self-swab tests and deliver on the company's commitment to establish 1,000 locations across the country by the end of May as originally announced on April 27 . These new test sites help enable a goal of processing up to 1.5 million tests per month, subject to availability of supplies and lab capacity. "CVS Health has been at the forefront of helping our nation scale-up COVID-19 testing capabilities, and we're proud to meet our goal of establishing 1,000 testing sites in communities across the country," Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO, CVS Health. "Opening access to testing in more locations using our drive-thru window represents an important milestone in our response to the pandemic. We remain grateful for the daily efforts and sacrifices of our front-line colleagues who make the continued expansion of our testing possible." More than half of the company's 1,000 test sites will serve communities with the greatest need for support, as measured by the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index. The index tracks a variety of census variables including poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded housing that may weaken a community's ability to prepare for and recover from hazardous events like natural disasters and disease outbreaks. "This is great news for our families, our businesses, and the heroes on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to keep working to expand testing, which is why it is crucial that Michiganders who have COVID-19 symptoms, even mild ones, or have been in contact with someone who has the virus can get tested," Governor Whitmer said. "Our partnership with CVS Health is a significant step toward speeding up Michigan's recovery and getting Michiganders back to a sense of normalcy in their daily lives. We owe it to the real heroes of this crisis medical workers, first responders and other essential workers to do what we can to stop the spread of the virus, and CVS is helping us do just that. We will get through this together." Self-swab tests will be available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, in addition to state and age guidelines. Patients must register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday, May 29 to schedule an appointment. Patients will be required to stay in their cars and will be directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions, and a CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly. Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and the results will be available in approximately three days. Testing will not take place inside any retail locations, and CVS Pharmacy, HealthHUB and MinuteClinic will continue to serve customers and patients. The new testing sites in Michigan include: CVS Pharmacy, 2100 West Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 48103 CVS Pharmacy, 1700 South Industrial Highway, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 48104 CVS Pharmacy, 5757 Whitmore Lake Road, Brighton, MI 48116 48116 CVS Pharmacy, 1402 W. 14 Mile, Clawson, MI 48017 48017 CVS Pharmacy, 39350 Nine Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48167 48167 CVS Pharmacy, 33021 Garfield Road, Fraser, MI 48066 48066 CVS Pharmacy, 1550 Lake Drive Southeast, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 49506 CVS Pharmacy, 17120 Kercheval Avenue, Grosse Pointe, MI 48230 48230 CVS Pharmacy, 240 M .A.C., East Lansing, MI 48823 .A.C., 48823 CVS Pharmacy, 21777 21 Mile Road, Macomb Township, MI 48044 48044 CVS Pharmacy, 720 General Motors Road, Milford, MI 48381 48381 CVS Pharmacy, 44300 5 Mile Road, Northville, MI 48168 48168 CVS Pharmacy, 46960 Van Dyke Avenue, Shelby, MI 48317 48317 CVS Pharmacy, 2115 Twenty-Five Mile Road, Shelby Township, MI 48316 48316 CVS Pharmacy, 30920 Southfield Road, Southfield, MI 48076 48076 CVS Pharmacy, 100 West Maple Road, Walled Lake, MI 48390 A complete list of CVS Pharmacy drive-thru test sites can be found here. More information on steps CVS Health has taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including support for health care providers and clinicians facing financial and administrative strain, is available at the company's frequently updated COVID-19 resource center . For downloadable COVID-19 testing media assets, including photos, video and interviews with CVS Health executives, please visit the Media Resource Center. About CVS Health CVS Health employees are united around a common goal of becoming the most consumer-centric health company in the world. We're evolving based on changing consumer needs and meeting people where they are, whether that's in the community at one of our nearly 10,000 local touchpoints, in the home, or in the palm of their hand. Our newest offerings from HealthHUB locations that are redefining what a pharmacy can be, to innovative programs that help manage chronic conditions are designed to create a higher-quality, simpler and more affordable experience. Learn more about how we're transforming health at https://www.cvshealth.com. Media Contact Charlie Rice-Minoso, (773) 610-7100 [email protected] SOURCE CVS Health Related Links https://www.cvshealth.com By Aisha Jabbarova Azerbaijan's national flag carrier AZAL airlifted 175 citizens from Moscow to Baku by a charter flight on May 27. All passengers have been placed in quarantine after arrival. It should be noted that AZAL carries out charter flights in accordance with the plan determined by the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has so far repatriated over 20,000 citizens from different countries over COVID-19 crisis. ____ Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Indian markets witnessed a breakout on May 27 as the bulls pushed the S&P BSE Sensex by over 1,000 points to close above 31,000 while the Nifty reclaimed the vital 9,300 level. Easing of restrictions and the gradual resumption of business activity in India and across the world raised investors hopes of the economy getting back on track, say experts. According to pivot charts, the key support level for Nifty is placed at 9,101.47, followed by 8,887.98. If the index moves up, key resistance levels to watch out for are 9,431.22 and 9,547.48. Stay tuned to Moneycontrol to find out what happens in currency and equity markets today. We have collated a list of important headlines across news platforms which could impact Indian as well as international markets: US Markets US stocks rose on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 closing above 3,000 for the first time since March 5, as the further easing of lockdowns lifted optimism for an economic recovery. Asian Markets Asian shares are likely to dip on Thursday after remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Hong Kong no longer warranted special treatment under US law reignited worries about worsening relations with Beijing. SGX Nifty Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a positive opening for the index in India with a 73 points gain. The Nifty futures were trading at 9370 on the Singaporean Exchange around 07:32 hours IST. Japan approves fresh $1.1 trillion stimulus to combat pandemic pain Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes cabinet approved on Wednesday a new $1.1 trillion stimulus package that includes significant direct spending, to stop the coronavirus pandemic pushing the worlds third-largest economy deeper into recession. The record stimulus of 117 trillion yen, which will be funded partly by a second extra budget, followed another 117 trillion yen package rolled out last month. The new package takes Japans total spending to combat the virus fallout to 234 trillion yen ($2.18 trillion), or about 40% of gross domestic product. India may need to pump $20 billion into coronavirus-hit state banks India may need to inject up to Rs 1.5 lakh crore rupees ($19.81 billion) into its state-owned lenders as their pile of soured assets is expected to double during the coronavirus pandemic, three government and banking sources told Reuters. The capital plans were still being discussed and a final decision could be taken in the second half of the fiscal year, a second government source said. India's fiscal year runs from April 1. One banking source said it was unlikely the federal government would be able to fund the entire capital injection itself and may rely on indirect measures such as issuing bonds as a means of recapitalisation, a method which it has used previously. NCLT approves IL&FS stake sale in GIFTCL to Gujarat govt The National Company Law Tribunal has approved crisis-hit IL&FS to selling its stake in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company (GIFTCL) to the Gujarat government. IL&FS has 50 percent stake in GIFTC. The Gujarat government has agreed to pay a positive equity value of 100 per cent of the IL&FS stake in GIFTCL, by which, the positive equity value of over Rs 32.70 crore will come to IL&FS, according to an NCLT order. The order said that IL&FS had sought that an amount of Rs 61.84 lakh is excluded as resolution process costs incurred for meeting various expenditures, other applicable taxes from the sale proceeds of the applicant's shareholding in GIFTCL to the Gujarat government. Results on May 28 Lupin, Federal Bank, TVS Motor Company, CEAT, Automobile Corporation of Goa, Agro Tech Foods, Benares Hotels, Chembond Chemicals, LT Foods, Heidelbergcement India, Hindusthan National Glass, IIFL Finance, Inditrade Capital, Muthoot Capital Services, Radico Khaitan, Rain Industries, Tata Steel Long Products, Wendt (India). FII and DII data Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 334.74 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth Rs 2,408.85 crore in the Indian equity market on May 27, provisional data available on the NSE showed. Stock under F&O ban on NSE Vodafone Idea is under the F&O ban for May 28. Securities in the ban period under the F&O segment include companies in which the security has crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit. Crude Oil prices fell in early trade on Thursday after U.S. crude, gasoline and heating oil inventories all rose more than expected, dousing hopes of a smooth recovery in demand from coronavirus lockdowns. The decline extended losses from Wednesday on uncertainty about Russia's commitment to deep oil production cuts in the lead-up to a June 9 meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, dubbed OPEC+. With inputs from Reuters & other agencies The potential timing, scale and investment in the industrial production of the rare earth metal - which is deemed a critical mineral in the United States, Canada, Australia and the European Union - are all being assessed, Rio Tinto said.Scandium is used in a range of industries, including light-weighting in aerospace and transportation, 3D printing and fuel cells.Rio Tinto has already developed a new process to extract high-purity scandium oxide from by-products generated in the production of titanium dioxide at its RTFT metallurgical operation in Quebec, Canada.Its RTFT Research & Development Centre in Sorel-Tracy has been producing scandium oxide since the second half of 2019 and the process is now being used at a larger scale at a pilot facility.Rio Tinto chief executive J-S Jacques said the advances in scandium are a good example of how the company is looking at its operations to determine how to extract value from by-product streams, which in turn helps the company to reduce waste.Scandium, produced at an economic scale, is a critical mineral that has the potential to provide unique solutions to materials science challenges and drive progress in manufacturing, Jacques said.This exciting breakthrough in processing technology leverages our existing mining operation to provide what can be a scalable, high-quality and low-cost source of scandium oxide, he added.Titanium industry sources estimate the global market is evenly split at 80,000 tonnes for aerospace titanium scrap and 80,000 tonnes for mixed ferro-titanium scrap, which is used in steel production.Fastmarkets price assessment for ferro-titanium 70% Ti, max 4.5% Al, ddp Europe , stood at $4.5-5 per kg on April 8, consolidating gains made in the first week of April.Rio Tinto is also trialling the production of small quantities of an aluminium-scandium master alloy by combining the scandium oxide produced by RTFT with output from its aluminium business, also based in Quebec.Small additions of scandium into aluminium alloys increases strength, heat and corrosion resistance, along with substantially improving welding properties.Previously, the high costs associated with scandium have deterred its use. But both of Rio Tintos scandium oxide and master alloy streams have low production costs and require minimal capital investment because there are no direct mining costs, they use existing metallurgical plants and have no impact on the main process flow.Security of supply issues and a high cost of production have limited the growth of demand for scandium for many years, with the US Geological Survey estimating global supply and consumption to be about 15-20 tonnes per year.Scandium is present in most rare-earth deposits and in bauxite residues - commonly known as red mud.To date, however, it has only been extracted from ores in a few mines worldwide - predominantly in China, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Philippines and Russia.Major aircraft producers have been assessing the adoption of aluminium-scandium alloys to reduce aircraft weight by 15-20%.APWorks in Germany - in co-operation with the Airbus Group's research & development division - has developed Scalmalloy, a high-performance scandium-aluminium magnesium alloy designed for the additive manufacturing of high-strength aerospace structures. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Bloomberg Opinion will be running a series of features by our columnists that consider the long-term consequences of the crisis. This column looks at the impact on the U.S. prison system.With the coronavirus coursing through correctional facilities large and small, states have been releasing small numbers of inmates who are not deemed threats to the public. The response raises obvious questions: If the inmates are not public threats, why are they locked up in the first place? And how dangerous are the inmates left behind that they deserve to face a risk of death? Criminal justice reform has been on the periphery of public debate for more than a decade. The Bureau of Justice Statistics pegs annual incarceration costs at more than $80 billion. Related costs, such as criminal courts, add to the tally. In addition to finances, issues of morality, public safety and public health are all significant factors that influence Americas approach to incarceration. Absent policy or political consensus, most political leaders have been reluctant to reduce their prison populations significantly even now. Fear of the coronavirus has proved no match for public misperceptions of the threat of violent crime, which drives the demand for removal of offenders from society. A more humane, rational and cost-effective approach is still possible, but it will require a different political debate, and political leaders who soothe fears rather than exploit them. *** Prison policy in the U.S. is the product of multiplying fear by indifference. Fordham University law professor John Pfaff, author of Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform, wrote in the Washington Post: Our draconian approach toward violent crime rests on viewing certain people, and certain groups of people, as not fully human. This has always been a pressing concern in criminal justice reform; during the pandemic, it is a matter of life and death. Story continues Nationwide, at least 42 prison staff and 446 inmates have already died, according to a tracker at the UCLA School of Law. The numbers continue to rise. Prisons and jails are ripe for staggering levels of Covid-19 infection, due to the close quarters and the limits on sanitation and personal hygiene, said Lauren-Brooke Eisen, director of the justice program at the Brennan Center at New York University. That makes everyone inside those incarcerated and those on staff sitting ducks for the virus. Even so, relatively few inmates have been released. The federal Bureau of Prisons, with more than 171,000 inmates, has released fewer than 5,000. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on April 10 signed an executive order allowing some inmates convicted of nonviolent crimes to be released due to the pandemic. As of mid-May, the ACLU estimated the state had released fewer than 100 inmates 10 percent of those eligible though state officials said the number is higher. The overall U.S. prison population has declined over the past decade, to fewer than 1.5 million, after a sharp, sustained rise that began in the 1970s. The retreat is partly due to a reduction in violent crime, and to more lenient attitudes among the public and politicians toward nonviolent drug offenders. Its probably not a coincidence that the change accompanied an evolution in the stereotype of the drug abuser, from a black crack user in the 1990s to a white opioid user today. The reform impulse has gained genuine traction. District attorneys in Philadelphia and San Francisco were elected on platforms stressing decarceration. Conservative states have joined the quest to reduce prison populations. Mississippi and Louisiana, states long synonymous with prison brutality, have sought ways to reduce populations and divert low-level offenders. Oklahoma has an initiative on the November ballot that would result in less severe sentences for some classes of convicted criminals. Perhaps the most surprising source of progress was the White House. Donald Trump has made demagogy about crime a mainstay of his politics, lingering, in particular, on the details of beautiful young white women killed by undocumented Mexican immigrants. But in 2018 Trump broke from his own record and rhetoric, signing the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform that paved the way for the release of thousands of federal inmates. The law gives judges more discretion in sentencing, expands access to rehabilitation programs, slightly increases credits to reduce federal prison time and makes sentences for crack cocaine more equitable compared with those for powder cocaine. Momentum for reform has since stalled, and the reluctance to release inmates despite the pandemic suggests how deeply entrenched the nations punitive conventions are. Politics is a major reason. Many political leaders prefer to avoid the risks of a potentially career-ending Willie Horton attack, in which a prisoner paroled or released on their watch proceeds to commit violence, allowing political opponents to pounce. Attorney General William Barr didnt wait for a new Willie Horton to emerge. He has already denounced prison-reform efforts as demoralizing to police who now must look on as the criminals that they have risked their lives to apprehend get turned loose by social-justice DAs and progressive judges who no longer see their role as protecting the community from predators. Unlike reform, Barrs demagogy is risk-free. It builds on Trumps 2016 campaign, which exploited public perceptions of crime that are so skewed as to be almost delusional. In 18 of 22 Gallup surveys conducted between 1993 and 2018, at least 60 percent of Americans said that crime had risen compared with the year before. In reality, violent crime plummeted during that span, hitting a 45-year low in 2014. Likewise, the Pew Research Center reported that in 2016, 57 percent of registered voters said that crime in the U.S. had gotten worse since 2008. In fact, rates for both violent and property crime declined markedly over the decade. A Brennan Center study found that more than half a million Americans are now imprisoned with no compelling public safety reason. But compelling and public safety are highly subjective measures. *** What might a sensible program of decarceration look like? Perhaps a little more like Europe. In 2013, a delegation of state officials traveled to Germany and the Netherlands to observe criminal justice systems that run on different philosophies, with dramatically different results. Both nations incarcerate at a fraction little more than a tenth of the rate in the U.S., which has the largest prison population in the world. The more sparing use of prison results from a very different view of crime, punishment and rehabilitation. Noncustodial sanctions, fines and diversion programs are far more common sentences even for crimes deemed felonies in the U.S., including assault. In the Netherlands, some convicted of crimes are sentenced to a task sometimes hundreds of hours of work intended to benefit the community. For those who do go to jail, sentences are generally shorter than in the U.S. The chief goal of incarceration is rehabilitation, including reintegration into the community. Corrections staff are well-trained professionals whose job is not to warehouse criminals but to prepare them for more productive lives. The U.S., by contrast, spends far less on providing social services to those who break the law than on funding policing and punishment. Those priorities are reflected at every level of society. The American Civil Liberties Union noted that 14 million American students go to schools that have a police officer but no counselor, nurse, psychologist or social worker. The nations indifference to poor students is related to its willingness to warehouse those same students in prisons when they become teens and young adults. If American society, and its political leadership, is unwilling to invest in providing opportunity even for nonviolent offenders, what hope is there for an inmate from a marginalized neighborhood who commits a violent act as an adolescent or young man? Ultimately, successful prison reform requires a more generous, less fearful polity, one less eager to embrace pitiless retribution as a moral and political value. Productive reforms shorter sentences, diversion programs, services to facilitate social integration in lieu of incarceration entail redirecting public investment. But they require something else: an assumption of small but nonetheless real risk. A convicted criminal who is not in jail is one with the capacity to offend again, possibly violently. As long as U.S. voters entertain wildly false notions about the true measure of that risk, and remain willing, even eager, to be manipulated by appeals to fear, humane policies will remain out of reach. Prisoners and corrections personnel will die unnecessarily in this pandemic. Many already have. More rational, and humane, policies could have saved lives. But for such efforts to take root, more Americans are going to have to learn to care about such lives in the first place. A better criminal justice system in the U.S. is premised on better politics. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Francis Wilkinson writes editorials on politics and U.S. domestic policy for Bloomberg Opinion. He was executive editor of the Week. He was previously a writer for Rolling Stone, a communications consultant and a political media strategist. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. With the worlds attention glued to the coronavirus pandemic, news about anything else has been slipping farther and farther down the proverbial front page. But that doesnt mean nothings been going on. Whether by design or coincidence, politicians and others are taking cover under coronavirus news to move forward on their plansand with so much to say about the pandemic, journalists have been letting slide what might otherwise land above the fold. Some of the most worrying buried news concerns the environment. In late March EPA, led by former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, rolled back the Obama administrations hard-won fuel efficiency standards. Shortly after that the agency, whose core function is to create and enforce environmental regulations, announced an indefinite suspension of enforcement. It said that expecting polluters to follow guidelines during the pandemic is unreasonable. Environmental news came from outside the agency, too. On March 16, the Department of Defense released a report into the news-sink Friday afternoon time slot finding that the number of military bases with high levels of certain cancer-linked chemicals jumped by nearly fifty percent since 2018. A few weeks later, airlines lobbied international regulators for release from carbon offsetting obligations in light of the epidemic, saying pulling out was a matter of survival for the industry. The next day, the Canadian gas company TC Energy announced it had begun building the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline, which has been the subject of sustained protests and was rejected twice by the Obama administration. Other areas of the federal government have been busy too. The Justice Department dropped a case, originally brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, against two Russian companies that worked to influence the 2016 presidential election. (Officials said it was to prevent the firms from using the case to gather intelligence about U.S. systems, not an attempt to undo Muellers work.) President Trump, meanwhile, fired the top watchdog of the intelligence community, who had managed the whistleblower complaint that led to his impeachment late last year. Despite the pandemic, the Trump administration is pressing forward with several longstanding priorities. One is tightening access to food stamps. A work requirement rule that would have revoked benefits for up to 1.3 million people is on hold during the state of emergency declaration, but the administration has not said whether it will challenge a recent preliminary injunction against the rule once President Trump lifts the declaration. Another new rule, requiring a separate food stamps application for people already receiving other benefits, is still set to impact up to 3.1 million eligible Americans. Sign up for CJR 's daily email And with the help of advisor Stephen Miller, the administration has continued its quest to severely restrict immigration. The State Department has suspended visa operations, and immigration courts are closed. Trumps April proclamation limiting green cards, Miller recently promised supporters in a leaked call, is just the beginning: the administration also plans to curtail foreign worker visas, and is actively soliciting input from anti-immigration groups on future changes. Congress, although mainly focused on coronavirus relief, is also weighing the EARN IT Act, a privacy-curtailing bill that experts predict would ban end-to-end encryption (used in secure messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp), hold online platforms responsible for content posted by users, and give law enforcement a long-sought backdoor into other messaging services like iMessage. In the Senate, a three-year review by the Republican-led Intelligence Committee confirmed the intelligence communitys assessment that Russia undermined the 2016 election to help President Trump. Mitch McConnell has also made significant moves during the pandemic. In April, he continued his quest to pack courts with extremely conservative judges, shepherding President Trump to nominate McConnells associate Justin Walker to the highly influential D.C. Circuit appeals court;Walker previously clerked for Brett Kavanagh and made dozens of media appearances in support of his former boss during Kavanaghs contentious confirmation hearing. McConnell also added an amendment to the renewal of the PATRIOT Act that empowers the attorney general to surveil Americans web browsing and search history without a warrant. At the state level, Governor Andrew Cuomo is basking in widespread media praise for his leadership during the crisis. But there was little reporting on his 2021 state budget, which contains billions in cuts to Medicaid and reverses bail reforms that would reduce jail populations currently at a high risk for coronavirus exposure. Only local news has covered Cuomos repeated refusals to back relief for the 40 percent of New Yorkers who rent their homes, particularly his silence on bills currently in the state legislature that would freeze rents for 90 days and extend an eviction moratorium through the end of the year; the governors response has been to extend an eviction moratorium, although it only applies to tenants directly impacted by Covid-19. And with the subway all but empty, an arson on an uptown train that killed a conductor and injured over a dozen passengers, amid a rise in emotionally disturbed populations taking refuge on the trains, in late March didnt snag much notice, either. Speaking of evictions, Jared Kushners real estate company has continued serving them, including to tenants left jobless or otherwise impacted by the coronavirus. Hes not the only elite making out nicely amid the first stages of a global depression: Goldman Sachs has boosted its chief executives salary and purchased two private jets for executive use, one of which costs over $50 million. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Zoe Beery is a freelance writer, editor, and audio producer in New York. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is preparing to sign an executive order Thursday that could open the door for federal officials to try to penalize Facebook, Google and Twitter for the way they moderate content on their sites, according to two people familiar with the matter, opening a major rift between Washington and Silicon Valley with potentially dramatic free-speech implications. The wide-ranging order comes two days after Twitter took the rare step of labeling one of the president's tweets and linking viewers to news articles that fact-checked his claims. The move infuriated Trump and his supporters, who quickly blasted Twitter and its peers in Silicon Valley for engaging in censorship and exhibiting political bias, charges the companies have long denied. Trump's directive chiefly seeks to embolden federal regulators to rethink a portion of law known as Section 230, which spares tech companies from being held liable for the comments, videos and other content posted by their users, according to the two sources, who requested anonymity to describe a document that could still evolve and has not been officially signed by the president. It would task the Commerce Department to petition the Federal Communications Commission to open a rulemaking proceeding to reconsider the scope of the law, the people familiar with the document said. It also would seek to channel complaints about political bias to the Federal Trade Commission for investigation, which would be encouraged to probe if tech companies' content-moderation policies are in keeping with their pledges for neutrality. Lastly, it would require federal agencies to review their spending on social-media advertising, according to the people familiar with the White House's thinking. The executive order has gone through multiple iterations in recent years, and it may still change, the sources cautioned. Even so, it would be up to the FCC and FTC, two independent agencies operating outside the president's cabinet, to determine exact courses of action once Trump signs it. Still, it marks the White House's most significant salvo against Silicon Valley after years of verbal broadsides and regulatory threats from Trump and his top deputies. It also may raise fresh, thorny questions about the First Amendment, the future of expression online and the extent to which the White House can properly - and legally - influence the decisions that private companies make about their apps, sites and services. The White House declined to comment. A White House spokesperson told reporters earlier Wednesday that the president would sign an executive order "pertaining to social media" on Thursday, but didn't provide further details. Trump later in the evening again charged the tech industry sought to "censor" conservatives entering the 2020 election. The FCC and FTC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Facebook did not have immediate comment. Twitter and YouTube did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump is one of social media's most prolific, influential users, armed with a Twitter account that reaches more than 80 million people and a campaign war chest that's made the president one of the most pervasive advertisers on Facebook and Google. But he is also one of the web's most controversial voices. He has previously shared and tweeted posts, photos and videos that appear to run afoul of major tech companies' guidelines that prohibit or discourage harmful, abusive or false content. For years, Twitter in particular largely allowed Trump to share his views unfettered anyway, believing even his most controversial tweets were in the public interest. But fierce blowback eventually forced Twitter to reconsider its hands-off approach, culminating in the company's first-ever attempt Tuesday to label the president's tweets about mail-in ballots. Trump responded by claiming major social-media companies are biased, threatening to "strongly regulate, or close them down" in response. Until this week, Trump had issued only threats to regulate or penalize Facebook, Google-owned YouTube and Twitter over a range of claims, even suggesting at one point the industry tried to undermine his election. Previously, though, the White House has backed down, even shelving prior versions of its executive order targeting social-media companies. In July, the president convened a "social media summit" at the White House featuring GOP lawmakers and Republican strategists, an event seen at the time as a precursor for further action to come. The event drew sharp rebukes from digital experts and congressional Democrats, who felt Trump had used the backdrop of the White House to condone some of his supports' most provocative, controversial online tactics - the very kind of behavior tech companies often try to combat. That same month, the Justice Department opened a wide-ranging review of the tech industry, which since has blossomed into a full inquiry on Section 230. Repeatedly, Attorney General William Barr has raised the potential that the U.S. government could seek changes to the rules. "No longer are tech companies the underdog upstarts," Barr said in a speech this February, reflecting on the origin of the statute. "They have become titans." The law itself is controversial. It allows tech companies the freedom to police their platforms for abuse without fear of lawsuit. But critics say those exceptions have also allowed some of Silicon Valley's most profitable companies to skirt responsibility for the harmful content that flourishes on their platforms online, including hate speech, terrorist propaganda and election-related falsehoods. Republicans also believe that Facebook, Google and Twitter should be held accountable for perceived political bias, a call echoed by White House officials and GOP lawmakers in Congress alike. - - - The Washington Post's Elizabeth Dwoskin contributed to this report. Dhaka, May 28 : The Bangladesh government has decided not to extend the ongoing shutdown over the coronavirus pandemic, allowing offices to reopen on May 31, the media reported. Offices and other workplaces will be allowed to operate on a limited scale until June 15, subject to their compliance with several health and hygiene directives, bdnews24 quoted State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain as saying on Wednesday. "The lockdown won't be extended. Economic activities will resume on a limited scale. At the same time, people must follow all the health directives to ensure their safety," he said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved the decisions and an official order will be issued on Thursday, Hossain said. "We are not opening everything, but on a limited scale," he added. The elderly, those suffering from any disease and pregnant women will not be allowed into the offices. The lockdown described as a general holiday by the government along with a transport shutdown started on March 26 after the first COVID-19 cases and deaths were reported in the country. It is now ending after 66 days. The COVID-19 caseload topped 38,000 and the death toll neared 550. The government allowed the readymade garment factories to reopen and eased some other restrictions by the end of April when the number of patients and deaths began to increase, reports bdnews24. The public transport system and educational institutions, however, will remain closed as the government has not made a decision about them. In her address to the nation on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr three days ago, Hasina had also hinted at reopening. "Life cannot remain at a standstill. We may have to live with the coronavirus at least until a vaccine is developed. But the economy must be restarted for the sake of our livelihoods." TORONTO, May 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HALMONT PROPERTIES CORPORATION (TSX-V: HMT) announced today that net income to common shareholders for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was $ 770,000 as compared to net income of $626,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2019. Three months ended (in millions) March 31, 2020 March 31, 2019 Revenue $ 2,735 $ 1,928 Net income - total 1,117 771 - for common shareholders 770 626 Net income per share for common shareholders 0.65 0.57 The increase in the Companys earnings compared to the same period in 2019 is due principally to the additional capital invested in 2019 in commercial properties, loans receivable and forest properties. With respect to the impact of COVID-19, our businesses overall performed well in the first quarter, however our commercial properties are being impacted and we are working to mitigate the consequences. The book value of each common share increased to 58 at March 31, 2020 compared to 51 in 2019. Halmont revalues its principal assets each year in accordance with IFRS accounting principles, considering available market information and the relevant terms of its joint-venture and partnership agreements. As a result, the common share book value approximates their realizable values. Halmont Properties Corporation invests directly in real estate and securities of companies holding property, energy, and infrastructure. This news release includes certain forward-looking statements including managements assessment of the Companys future plans and operations based on current views and expectations. All statements other than statements of historic facts are forward looking statements. These statements contain substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond the Companys control. The Companys actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which represent estimates and assumptions only as of the date on which such statements are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For additional information: Heather M. Fitzpatrick President 647-448-7147 New Delhi, May 28 : Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, said on Thursday that the government is concerned about the issue of locusts and is dealing with the situation urgently, after holding a high-level meeting with both the Ministers of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Parshottam Rupala and Kailash Choudhary, and Secretary (DAC&FW), Sanjay Agarwal, to review the locust control operations. Tomar said in a statement issued by the ministry, "The Centre is in close touch with the affected states and an advisory has been issued. Fifteen sprayers will start arriving from Britain in the next 15 days. Besides, 45 more sprayers will be procured in a month or one-and-a-half months.'' Drones will be used to spray pesticides on tall trees and at inaccessible places for effective control of locusts, while plans are afoot to deploy helicopters for aerial spray, he added. Tomar said 11 regional control rooms have been established and special contingents have been deployed along with additional manpower to check the spread of locusts. He assured that the affected states will be allocated additional resources and financial aid if required. The DAC&FW Secretary informed the ministers that currently 21 micronairs and 26 Ulvamasts (47 spray equipment in total) in the locust control offices (LCOs) are being used for locust control and 200 officials have been deployed for the purpose. Beyond the scheduled desert areas, temporary control camps have also been set up in Jaipur, Chittorgarh and Dausa in Rajasthan, Sheopur, Neemuch and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh and Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, said the statement. Locusts have been controlled in an area of about 50,468 hectares in 334 locations in Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, according to the Agriculture Ministry. The Ministry of Civil Aviation had approved "conditional exemption to government entity (DPPQS) for use of remotely piloted aircraft system for anti-locust operations on May 21, and in accordance with this order, two firms have been finalised through tender for the use of drones for spraying pesticides, the statement added. "Today, there is no information regarding entry of any new locust swarm from the Indo-Pak border areas, whereas, on May 26, a locust swarm had entered from Sri Ganganagar district in Rajasthan. Control operation is going on against these swarms," said the ministry. As on date, there are some active swarms of immature locusts in Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Bikaner, Suratgarh and Dausa districts of Rajasthan, Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, Rewa, Morena, Betul and Khandwa districts in Madhya Pradesh, and Nagpur and Amravati districts in Maharashtra, for which control operations are in progress, said the statement. Russian attorney suspected of fraud put in detention RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 13:20 28/05/2020 MOSCOW, May 28 (RAPSI) - Attorney Sergey Shcherbakov on Thursday was placed in detention on suspicion of involvement in organized fraud upon a court order, the press service of Russias Investigative Committee reports. The man was arrested on Wednesday. According to the investigation, Shcherbakov is related to a criminal gang of Moscow businessman Rafael Khamidullin and lawyer Fail Sadretdinov, engaged in preparing forged documents and have fraudulently acquiring of rights to Moscow property items, registeration of them as their ownership and bank accounts embezzlement. Allegedly, they caused damage worth over 250 million rubles ($3.5 million) by their actions. Investigators believe that Sherbakov repeatedly represented the interests of actually late people upon the order of Sadretdinov and Khamidullin committing therefore property embezzlement. President Moon Jae-in, left, talks with ruling Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon, center, and main opposition United Future Party floor leader Joo Ho-young, right, ahead of a lunch at Cheong Wa Dae, May 28. Yonhap By Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in will work more closely with the next National Assembly for a more effective management of state affairs in the post-COVID-19 period, according to the presidential office, Thursday. Moon had a long lunch meeting with the floor leaders of the two major parties the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon and his counterpart of the main opposition United Future Party (UFP), Rep. Joo Ho-young and discussed urgent issues including a third extra budget, which Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party have seen as crucial for economic recovery and job creation in the wake of the global health challenge. The meeting took place two days ahead of the inauguration of the 21st Assembly, elected through the April 15 general election. Moon underlined the importance of cooperative politics ahead of the opening of the new Assembly, May 30. "The President expressed high hopes for dialogue and communication with the two floor leaders," presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a briefing. The President highlighted frequent meetings as the best way for cooperative politics. "The first step for cooperative politics for the President and the ruling and opposition parties will be to get together often, without any formalities. In the past such meetings took place when there was an issue that needed to be resolved. But in the future, we should meet regularly, even when there aren't any urgent issues, and discuss state affairs," Moon was quoted as saying by Kang. To facilitate communication between the government and the opposition parties, Joo suggested the President create a Cabinet post which will be in charge of political affairs, mainly dialogue with the opposition bloc. Moon, in response, instructed his Chief of Staff Noh Young-min to look into the suggestion, according to Kang. In particular, Moon stressed the need for the Assembly's support for the response to COVID-19 and some of his cherished reforms, such as that of the prosecution. The core of this plan is to establish a separate investigative body for crimes by high-level officials. "Moon said, in order to tackle the biggest crisis since the Great Depression, the Assembly must swiftly proceed with the bill for the third extra budget to create jobs. He also expressed his hoped that the investigative body will be launched in July as planned," the spokesman added. The President also noted some of the latest activities by the UFP's Joo for "national unity" in the past few weeks. "He noted Joo's visit to the ceremony for the 40th anniversary of the May 18 pro-democracy movement in Gwangju and his participation at a memorial service of the 11th anniversary of the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun," Kang said. It was the first time for Moon to meet with the floor leaders of the political parties since Nov. 5, 2018, and also the first time to meet the floor leaders of the two main parties without the participation of those from the minor opposition. In previous lunch meetings with floor leaders of party leaders, the spokespeople from the parties were present, but this time the participants were limited to the two floor leaders and Noh Young-min, the presidential chief of staff, to allow for a more in-depth discussion, according to the presidential office. The lengthy meeting is seen to reflect Moon's wish to communicate closely with the Assembly in order to tackle the national crisis around the COVID-19 pandemic. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, takes part in a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, at the third session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing, capital of China, May 22, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] Yu Cheng, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress from Hubei province, was a participant in a deliberation attended by President Xi Jinping on Sunday. She and her fellow deputies from the province talked about the people's war on the novel coronavirus in what was the hardest-hit region in China. "We all feel that our country has made people's lives, health and safety the top priority in the face of an unprecedented epidemic," she said. Yu, who works at Wuhan Second Light Industry School, volunteered to help community workers in a neighborhood in Wuhan, Hubei's capital, to combat the contagion after the epidemic struck the city. She called the country's epidemic response a reflection of the governing philosophy of the Communist Party of China, which was highlighted by Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, as "putting people first". While joining discussions with the NPC deputies from Hubei, Xi showed his great concern for issues that matter to people's livelihoods in the epidemic-stricken province, such as employment, schooling, social welfare, poverty relief and the legitimate concerns of people who have suffered great losses due to the epidemic. He also urged prompt efforts to strengthen public health and medical service systems to better protect people's lives. "People" has become a key word in Xi's everyday work since he became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 2012. He said on various occasions that "the people's desire for a better life is the goal we strive to realize". While taking part in a deliberation with NPC deputies from the delegation of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Friday, Xi particularly stressed adhering to "people first" in coordinating epidemic control and economic and social development. Xi mentioned a story told by another NPC deputy from Hubei, Luo Jiepresident of Taihe Hospital in the city of Shiyanwho told reporters how medical workers in his hospital spent 47 days saving an 87-year-old COVID-19 patient. "About 10 medical workers meticulously took care of the patient for dozens of days, and finally saved the patient's life," he said. "I am really impressed." Amid the spread of COVID-19, the CPC has, from the very beginning, stated clearly that people's lives and health are the top priority. "We mobilized from around the nation the best doctors, the most advanced equipment and the most needed resources to send to Hubei and Wuhan, going all out to save lives," Xi said during the deliberations, adding that the oldest patient to be successfully treated is 108. "We are willing to save lives at all costs. No matter how old the patients are and how serious their conditions have become, we never give up," he said. In Hubei alone, more than 3,600 COVID-19 patients over the age of 80 have recovered thanks to medical care. In Wuhan, seven centenarian patients have recovered. Wu Fan, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top political advisory body, said that as a disease prevention and control professional, she witnessed the country's all-out efforts to mobilize all available resources to save lives. The CPC's "people-first" philosophy is reflected in the nation's emphasis on improving admission and recovery rates and reducing the infection and mortality rates to the maximum extent, Wu said. While delivering this year's Government Work Report to the ongoing NPC session, Premier Li Keqiang said China's economy posted negative growth in the first quarter of this year, but that was "a price worth paying" to contain COVID-19, since life is invaluable. "It is only by overcoming enormous difficulties that China has been able to contain COVID-19 in such a short time while also ensuring our people's basic needs," Li said. Xi, while talking to NPC deputies from Inner Mongolia, also called for wholehearted efforts to solve problems that concern people's immediate interests, including healthcare, housing, elderly care and food safety. He said the ultimate goal for advancing socioeconomic development is to meet people's increasing needs for a better life. Xi urged Party and government officials to have a correct perspective on political achievements and prudently exercise the power that people grant to them. He called for firm efforts to combat corruption and oppose the practice of formalism and bureaucracy. The Party's long-term governance rests on always maintaining a close bond with the people, Xi told the NPC deputies, and "we must always remain true to our aspiration and work in concert with the people through thick and thin". Experts said that understanding the CPC's people-centered philosophy holds the key to knowing Chinese politics as well as the core value of the Party in governing the world's most populous country. It is the original aspiration and mission of the CPC to take people's pursuit of a better life as its greatest value and to translate the country's development results into people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and security, Xin Ming, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said in an article published by the Study Times newspaper on May 22. Sticking to a people-centered development philosophy reflects the prominent strength of China's political system and is also a marked advantage of the nation's governing system and capacity, Xin said. Huo Zhaoliang, an NPC deputy and head of Xilingol League in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said Xi always bears in mind people's livelihoods, and he added that he will faithfully carry out Xi's requirements in his work and lead the people to secure a better life. Song Huaying, a CPPCC member and also deputy secretary of the CPC Xingtai city committee in Hebei province, said she will strive to turn the aspiration of serving the people into concrete action, and lead the local people to advance efforts in poverty reduction and rural vitalization to secure the goal of eliminating absolute poverty. All rural poor will bid farewell to poverty this year as part of the nation's goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - A coalition of eight Mauritanian opposition political parties Wednesday called for a quick solution to problems facing the people, an official source said here Concern grows as health officials in Seoul report 79 new cases on Thursday in the biggest jump since April 5. South Korea has reported its biggest spike in new coronavirus cases in nearly two months, raising fears of a second wave of disease in a country widely praised for containing the initial outbreak. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced 79 new cases on Thursday, saying 67 of the new infections were in the Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of South Koreas 51 million people live. It was the third straight day of rising infections and the largest increase since April 5, when authorities announced 81 cases. Health Minister Park Neung-hoo pleaded for all residents in the greater capital area to avoid unnecessary gatherings and urged companies to keep sick employees off work. He said at least 69 cases this week have been linked to a cluster of infections at a logistics facility operated by Coupang, one of the countrys largest online shopping firms, in Bucheon, west of Seoul. Kim Gang-lip, the vice health minister, said around 4,100 workers and visitors to the building were under self-isolation, with more than 80 percent tested so far. We are expecting the number of new cases linked to the warehouse to continue rising until today as we wrap up related tests, he told reporters. According to the KCDC, the new cases brought the countrys total as of midnight on Wednesday to 11,344 with 269 deaths. Pedestrians in face masks cross a street in Seoul as the authorities rushed to control new clusters of coronavirus [Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters] South Koreas robust programme of testing earlier this year was credited with helping keep the number of deaths comparatively low in a global pandemic that has now killed more than 350,000 people. And unlike many countries, South Korea did not impose a strict lockdown to control the new virus. But Yonhap news agency said this weeks surge in new infections has put South Koreas fight against the virus in trouble. The warehouse cluster appears linked to an outbreak that emerged in several Seoul nightclubs and bars in early May, according to the KCDC, and comes as the country seeks to ease social distancing rules, reopen schools, and keep new infections in check. KCDC Director Jeong Eun-kyeong said the country may need to reimpose social distancing restrictions, saying it was becoming increasingly difficult for health workers to track transmissions amid increasing public activity. The number of people or locations we have to trace are increasing geometrically, she said during a briefing on Wednesday afternoon. We will do our best to trace contacts and implement preventive measures, but theres a limit to such efforts. Theres a need to maximise social distancing in areas where the virus is circulating, to force people to avoid public facilities and other crowded spaces. Health officials said on Thursday they would be conducting on-site inspections of logistics centres across the country, to develop better policies for preventing outbreaks at such facilities. Coupang, backed by Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank Group, said it closed the Bucheon facility on Monday. It said on Thursday it had also closed a separate facility in Goyang, in the Seoul suburbs, after an employee there tested positive. As soon as the employees diagnosis was confirmed, Coupang sent home and self-quarantined employees who had contact with the employee, the company said in a statement. The spreading outbreak and warehouse closures come as Coupang and other e-commerce firms scramble to keep up with a surge in orders as more people opted to shop from home during the coronavirus outbreak, despite the absence of a strict lockdown. In February, March and April, sales of South Korean online retailers including Coupang jumped 34 percent, 17 percent and again 17 percent, respectively, from the same months a year ago, according to trade ministry data. Pakistans foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Wednesday that any aggression by India will receive a befitting response as the countrys people and armed forces are always ready to respond to any Indian hostility. State-run Radio Pakistan quoted Qureshi as saying in a statement: Indias bellicosity is aimed at provoking Pakistan, but we showed patience in the past and will exercise restraint in future too. However, the foreign minister made it clear Pakistan reserved complete right to its defence. Qureshi said the Pakistan Army had downed an Indian drone on Wednesday, which was an example of India aggression. He didnt give details or say where the drone was downed. He added, We prefer the path of peace but our desire for calm should not be misconstrued as our weakness. Qureshi also gave a clear message to India to act sensibly and live with peace, according to Radio Pakistan. There was no immediate response to Qureshis remarks from Indian officials. The immediate provocation for Qureshis comments also couldnt be ascertained. In recent weeks, both Qureshi and Prime Minister Imran Khan have repeatedly targeted India over the situation in Kashmir and the treatment of Indias minorities. Khan even criticised Indias handling of a border row with Nepal in a tweet on Wednesday. India has rejected such criticism by Khan and other Pakistani leaders as interference in the countrys internal affairs and called on Pakistan to address the issue of terrorism emanating from its soil. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Jobs, masks and census participation. That sums up the issues the SouthWest Organizing Project and several partner organizations are trying to address through their masks with a message project, said organizer Monica Demarco. Demarco, a newly graduated SWOP intern, said when the coronavirus pandemic hit, she wanted to find a way to reach people whose livelihoods would be affected but who wouldnt be eligible for stimulus funds. She reached out to a number of organizations that work with refugees and immigrants, and came up with the plan: With help from those partner agencies, SWOP could recruit a number of people, including refugees and immigrants, to sew masks. SWOP would pay them a wage to do so, and the masks would be distributed in areas with high needs and low resources. Then, Demarco said, SWOP CFO Marisol Archuleta had another suggestion: Use the masks as a vehicle to encourage people to fill out the census form, a flag SWOP had already been carrying since last year, since an undercount of New Mexico residents could result in millions of dollars in lost federal funding. Its making connections and collaborating and building positive relationships between all these organizations, Demarco said. SWOP spokesperson Mikyle Gray wrote in an email that Matron Records helped promote and design the masks, which bear slogans like Dont be silenced, be counted, and are now available in English, Spanish, Tewa and Swahili. Representatives of New Mexico Womens Global Pathways and Casa Fortaleza and others then produced the fabric masks. Finally, organizations including Pueblo Action Alliance, Transwoman Empowerment Initiative, Crossroads For Women, Street Safe, the Resource Reentry Center, Shiprock and Santa Clara Pueblo have helped manage distribution to those in need, including to Native, undocumented, refugee, transgender and incarcerated people. Demarco said Wednesday about 2,500 masks have been created so far, and about 2,000 have been handed out through partner agencies. A Florida woman was killed early Wednesday morning in Baldwin County in a single-vehicle wreck on I-10, authorities said Wednesday afternoon. Pensacola resident Brittany Johnson Hans, 26, died when the 2013 Dodge Dart driven by 20-year-old Hunter Andrew Richey, of Milton, Florida, left the highway and struck a tree near the 53-mile marker on I-10 around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. Troopers were still investigating how the vehicle left the road. Hans was ejected from the Dart and sustained fatal injuries, authorities said. She was not wearing a seatbelt. No further information was available as troopers continued to investigate the incident. MEXICO CITYDrug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, a notorious underworld figure who is on the FBIs most wanted list for the murder of a federal agent more than three decades ago, said in a legal appeal he has no money, is too old to work and has no pension. The odd plea was filed Tuesday by Caro Quinteros lawyer seeking an injunction against his arrest or extradition to the United States for the kidnapping and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena in Mexico in 1985. The plaintiff argues insolvency, because he says he is more than 60 years old, is neither retired nor has a pension and given the fact that he is a fugitive from the law, cannot work or perform any activity to earn money, court papers state. The U.S. government says Caro Quintero and his family remain in the drug trade. After spending years in prison in Mexico, Caro Quintero was freed in 2013, a decision that angered Washington. A Mexican federal court has issued a warrant for his re-arrest, but he remains at large. Ali Larijani presided over the last session of Irans tenth parliament on May 21, officially putting an end to his speakership career, which lasted 12 consecutive years, making him the longest-serving speaker in the history of the Islamic Republic. Larijanis closing speech was a rosy portrayal of the outgoing parliament and a fiery counterattack against critics, who have long accused the assembly of incompetence. Ever since his announcement last December not to run for the new parliament, Larijani has left Iranian observers wondering where he would go next. Addressing the question, he continued to keep his books closed to the public, telling state TV as recently as last week, I will return to my first home academia. (He will be teaching philosophy.) Those comments, however, have not ended speculations about a man who has been in the top echelons of power for four decades. Among the sensitive positions in Larijanis portfolio was the secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), the influential body of 12 senior officials in charge of vital national security decisions dealing with Irans territorial integrity and national sovereignty. Back in 2005, Larijani was appointed to the post at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and the West over Irans controversial nuclear program. Larijani led several rounds of marathon talks with European officials in an effort to resolve the standoff. Nevertheless, his mission remained inconclusive in 2007 after he resigned amid growing differences with hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who pushed an anti-West agenda that prompted multiple international sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Thirteen years on, a return by Larijani to the SNSC is subject to a heated debate. Ultraconservative Fars News Agency has reported that pushes are being made for Larijanis appointment to the same chair. Under the Iranian Constitution, the SNSC secretary is picked by the sitting president after receiving the green light from the supreme leader. The argument has been backed up by rumors about a split between current SNSC Secretary Ali Shamkhani and the government of President Hassan Rouhani. While Shamkhani has maintained an overall moderate approach in line with that of the president, he is believed to have become increasingly detached from the administration in recent months. In an interview last August, Shamkhani demonstrated a visible shift of his earlier stance and the official line of the Rouhani government, after he regretted the Iran nuclear deal in hindsight. Still, for a man at Larijanis level of influence and closeness to the supreme leader, the SNSC secretariat might not be a surprise promotion. In 2005, Larijani tried his luck at the presidency. In a divided conservative camp, he garnered less than 6% of the votes, standing next to the last defeated candidate. But during 16 years following the polls, Larijanis political leaning has increasingly tilted toward the moderate camp. His unwavering support behind the nuclear deal was the milestone in his political career, marking his divorce from hard-liners. It was manifested famously in the ratification of the 2015 pact on parliament floor during a 20-minute session. An attempt by Larijani at Irans next presidency is perhaps what the Reformists also direly need after they lost their grip on parliamentary seats, replacing an overwhelming majority with a tiny minority. They largely explain the defeat on the pre-vote purge at the hands of the hard-line supervisory body, the Guardian Council. The February elections were also marred by the lowest turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic, further making matters worse for the small group of Reformists who had made it into the competition. More powerless than ever before, the Reformists appear to be preparing to repeat the pattern they successfully applied to the 2013 and 2017 presidential votes. With their candidates barred, they did find the solution in endorsing Rouhani, who was known as a moderate figure sharing much of their fundamental tenets. Today, both Rouhani and Larijani are Reformists, because they have broken free from the conservative discourse, said Elias Hazrati, secretary-general of the pro-Reform National Trust Party, indicating that the Reformists are ready to throw their full weight behind Larijani. However, the Reformist camp itself has witnessed a fast-paced popularity decline in recent years. The Rouhani governments performance, particularly on multiple economic fronts, has led to unprecedented public disillusionment, culminating in the nationwide November protests over increased fuel prices that saw hundreds of Iranians killed. Thus, unless they patch up the gap with the public, the Reformists waning public approval could serve Larijani more harm than good. Larijani holds no chance for the next presidency, Reformist pundit Sadegh Zibakalam said, because the last parliamentary elections proved that the public no longer favors the traditional conservatives or the Reformists, and the only ones who go to the ballot box are supporters of very hard-line groups. In the typical power play of Iranian politics, the influential veterans rarely exit the top circle unless they fall from grace. A full Larijani departure from the political scene, therefore, remains highly unlikely. The presidency, on the other hand, also seems to be a tough target. Another factor at play is some veiled support the supreme leader traditionally lends a favored candidate in the run-up to the presidential polls. While it might be too early for him to make such statements, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei laid out the overall trajectory in a virtual meeting with Iranian students May 17, where he stressed that a young administration could remedy the countrys woes, implying that a circulation of the elites is the pathway to progress. He noted, nevertheless, that the next president does not have to be necessarily in his 30s. Picking up on those remarks, senior Reformist figure Abdullah Nasseri has offered a bleak projection on a Larijani presidency, advising him to think twice. If Larijani enjoys political intelligence, following the supreme leaders speech, he ought to refrain from running for president. The supreme leaders speech for a young administration is also expected to boost aspiring candidates and swing the chances in their favor. Three of them have already stuck their necks out: Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, 38; Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari, 48 both rising stars of the moderate camp and former parliamentarian Mehrdad Bazrpash, 40, who could serve as the hard-liners ideal candidate. And to defeat them all, the veteran Larijani will undoubtedly have to face an uphill battle. Cement exports from Pakistan drops due to COVID-19 in 10MFY20 28 May 2020 The Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) of Pakistan has released cement export data for the 10 months of July 2019 to April 2020. It visibly carries the impact of coronavirus on the cement industry in the country. Pakistan's cement industry has earned export revenue of US$223.20m by exporting 5.949Mt of cement and clinker in 10MFY19-20, compared to US$243.12m from 5.738Mt of exports in the year-ago period. This represents a 8.2 per cent decline in terms of value in dollars, but adds a growth of 3.7 per cent in terms of quantity, during this period, as reported by FBS. In local currency terms, the export value increased by 8.3 per cent to PKR34.96bn (US$217.4m) from PKR32.27bn during this export period. However, the cost per tonne fell from US$42.42/t in 10MFY18-19 to US$37.51/t in 9MFY19-20. In April 2020 alone, revenue shrank to US$13.13m on the export of 363,563t from US$16.15m with cement exports of 434,499t in March 2020. This represents a contraction of 18.2 per cent and 16.3 per cent both in terms of value and quantity, respectively. Besides, when compared with data of April 2019 (US$21.86m from 531,802t), a negative trend was also observed. The value of exports decreased by 39.9 per cent and 31.6 per cent in terms of quantity YoY. Export challenges The export of cement to Afghanistan has been disturbed due to the closure of the border. In contrast, no export dispatches were made to India since March 2018, after Delhi increased the import duty and rendered exports from Islamabad uncompetitive. All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers' Association (APCMA) is also silent about export breakdown for the last two months. Inayat Ullah Niazi, CFO of DG Khan Cement, while discussing the outlook of the cement sector, in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic, at a recently organised Webinar by BMA Capital Management, has stated that cement export has become more competitive in the past couple of months due to diversion of Vietnamese cement from China to Bangladesh. As a result, export prices to Bangladesh have fallen by up to US$25-27/t from US$30-32/t. However, he expressed hope that price levels would be normalised once the export demand of Vietnamese cement from China revives. Similarly, Atif Kaludi, CFO of Lucky Cement, had stated that on the exports front, Bangladesh and Africa are Lucky Cements more critical export markets, followed by Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The company has exported 1.6Mt during 9MFY20, out of which 50 per cent was clinker. He was quite optimistic that once the lockdown is over, local and export dispatches would reach to pre-COVID levels by June. The export orders were not cancelled and are being held, for the time being, he remarked. The CFO personally felt that local demand growth for next year could be in the range of 5-10 per cent. Meanwhile, the export of cement to Afghanistan was resumed. Pakistan, in the middle of May, had decided to open its border crossings with Afghanistan for 24 hours-a-day and six days-a-week to facilitate cross-border trade. The trade was affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries. Published under FP Trending LG Electronics has rolled out a new 48-inch OLED TV to cater to the needs of people who want a mid-size screen that fits best in their living space. The South Korean electronics manufacturer has said that the latest TV comes with the 4K Ultra HD OLED 48CX and is suitable as a second TV or for serious gaming. LG claims that the TV set provides more vivid and sharper 4K picture quality due to its density comparable with that of a 96-inch 8K display. It delivers 4KUHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution. According to a report by Engadget, similar to other 2020 4K OLEDs from LG, the new TV set includes NVIDIAs G-Sync tech for tear-free high frame rate PC gaming. The website says FreeSync support will arrive with a software update. LGs 48-inch CX OLED TV supports a number of popular HRD formats including dynamic HDR10 and Dolby Vision at up to 120 fps (frames per second) for 4K UHD content. It has an auto low latency mode (ALLM), enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC), and variable refresh rate (VRR) which should make it compatible to deal with the Xbox Series X and PS5 this autumn. LG said that its 48-inch CX OLED TV and other 2020 LG OLED TVs feature HDR Gaming Interest Groups (HGiG) HDR gaming profile. This enables gamers to enjoy high quality graphics when playing HDR games via consoles. The TV is BT Surround ready and enables two LG Bluetooth speakers to be connected simultaneously, up-mixing 2.0 channel sound to virtual 4.0 surround sound for more immersion in favorite games. According to a report by ZDNet, LG previously only offered 55, 65, 77 and 88-inch models for its OLED TVs. LG's new mid-sized TV will begin sales in key markets in Europe and Asia from June, while it will be available in North America and other parts of the world later this year. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 00:42:43|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close The closing meeting of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2020. Leaders of the Communist Party of China and the state Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attended the meeting, and Li Zhanshu presided over the closing meeting and delivered a speech. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, concluded its annual session on Thursday. Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders including Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attended the closing meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Li Zhanshu, an executive chairperson of the presidium of the session, presided over the meeting attended by nearly 3,000 NPC deputies. Lawmakers adopted the Civil Code, which is to take effect on Jan. 1, 2021. Xi signed a presidential order to promulgate the Civil Code. The meeting also adopted the NPC Decision on Establishing and Improving the Legal System and Enforcement Mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to Safeguard National Security, which became effective upon its release on Thursday. Addressing the meeting, Li Zhanshu said that making major strategic achievements in fighting COVID-19 in about three months has demonstrated the great strength of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Civil Code, the first law defined as a "code" of the People's Republic of China, is a milestone legislation for fully advancing China's law-based governance and improving the socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics, he said. As for the decision to make national security laws for the Hong Kong SAR, Li said that it serves the fundamental interests of all Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots. He also praised the Chinese people's spirit of innovation, struggle, cherishing unity and pursuing dreams, saying those have formed the fundamental force to drive the country forward in spite of all difficulties. At the meeting, legislators approved the plan for the national economic and social development and the central budget for 2020. They also approved resolutions on the government work report, and the work reports of the NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. Before the closing meeting, Li presided over the meetings of the presidium of the session and the presidium's executive chairpersons. Enditem BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 28 Trend: US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo has congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the Republic Day on behalf of the Government of the United States of America, Trend reports citing the US State Department. The United States and Azerbaijan have enjoyed an important partnership for nearly 30 years. We engage on important issues such as security, energy and economic development, and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Whether serving shoulder-to-shoulder to help establish peace in Afghanistan or working together to strengthen European energy security through the Southern Gas Corridor, our two countries continue to collaborate on some of the worlds most pressing challenges, said Pompeo. He pointed out that the United States remains strongly committed, as a Minsk Group co-chair country, to the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world unique challenges this year, I am confident the people of Azerbaijan will face up to them with courage and determination. The United States stands with you and supports the sovereignty and independence of Azerbaijan, said Pompeo. Though he was dubbed the Playboy Prince long ago, Prince Andrew remained an untouchable force in the British royal family for nearly six decades. Though there were rustlings of some alleged questionable actions and activities that the Duke of York participated throughout his life, none of it truly rose to the surface until late 2019. In July 2019, one of Prince Andrews close friends, convicted sex-offender, Jeffery Epstein hanged himself in prison amid a sex trafficking investigation against him. This pushed people to dig further into Epsteins past and into his connections with some A-listers, including Prince Andrew. Epstein and the Duke of York had been friends since the late 90s and their friendship continued even after Epstein was convicted of soliciting sex with a minor in 2008. Now, one of Epsteins accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, is accusing the prince of having sex with her as a minor and a new Netflix doc is recounting the night they allegedly met. RELATED: This Is How Prince Andrew Dodged Decades Of Bad Publicity Prince Andrew refuses to address the scandal In November 2019, Prince Andrew stepped away from royal life, following a horrible interview with BBCs News Night where he said he did not regret his friendship with Epstein. Instead of cooperating with the FBI investigation that landed Epstein in jail at the time of his death, the Duke of York has gone on the defense. Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation, an insider told the Associated Press. The Duke is more than happy to talk to the FBI but he hasnt been approached by them yet. He is angry about the way this is being portrayed. Ghislaine said, Hes coming back to the house. And I want you to do for him (Prince Andrew) what you do for Epstein. Virginia Roberts Giuffre shares details about her previous encounter with Prince Andrew at Ghislaine Maxwells London townhome. pic.twitter.com/IZVYaIfdTt TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 20, 2019 RELATED: Prince Andrew Is Set to Deal With Some Seriously Bad Press With a New Netflix Documentary and a Biography Dropping This Week Netflixs Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich paints Prince Andrew in a terrible light Amid Epsteins death many women have come forward to reveal the reported grooming and sexual abuse that went on. Giuffre has alleged that Prince Andrew was an abuser and a participant. The prince has categorically denied all of Gunthriess claims even though there is photo evidence that the pair did meet. Now Netflixs new documentary, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich presents a witness who claims Prince Andrew visited Epsteins private island, called Pedophile Island by the press, on numerous occasions and was at many of the late bankers infamous parties. RELATED: Prince Andrew Claims The Photos Connecting Him to Jeffrey Epstein Were Doctored Netflixs Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich recounts the night Prince Andrew allegedly met Virginia Roberts Giuffre According to the documentary, Prince Andrew allegedly made jokes with Giuffre about her age. Ghislaine [Maxwell] has this favorite guessing game that she does, she goes to Prince Andrew How old do you think Virginia is? And he said 17, Giuffre says in the film. Shes like, Oh youre right! They made a little joke about it. He was like, My daughters arent far from your age. My daughters are a little bit younger than you.' In the documentary, Giuffre recounts the first evening she was allegedly assaulted by Prince Andrew. We went out for the night, club Tramp in London, she recalled. He dances and hes profusely sweating over me and it was disgusting. We get back to the townhouse, go upstairs. I have this little Kodak yellow camera and I ask Jeffrey to take a photo of me and Prince Andrew together. Ghislaine Maxwell is literally just right behind me. She tells me, youre going to have to do for him what you do for Jeffrey, and it hit me. Right after that photo was taken I was sexually abused by Prince Andrew for the first time. Prince Andrew has not yet commented on the film. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg Maybe its a diversion from the 100,000 pandemic death toll. Maybe its pique at being caught in another spurious claim. But President Trumps assault on social media is definitely an attack on free speech as practiced by those who dare to question him. Trump is pushing a troubling idea: oblige Twitter, Facebook or Google to defend themselves for opinions on their networks. The president intends to shred the legal protections that these platforms now enjoy against outside complaints of unfairness. The present guarantees enshrine the independence that comes with the internet. The Coalition on the Right to Information (RTI) has reiterated the need for the effective implementation of the RTI Law in order to ensure access to information by the citizenry. It said the effective implementation and use of RTI Law requires driving both the supply side (government establishing the internal systems and ensuring compliance) and demand side (citizenry using the law to demand for information and monitoring implementation). The RTI Coalition in a statement, copied to the Ghana News Agency to mark the first anniversary after the Presidential Assent to the RTI Act, 2019 (Act 989), noted that the law became effective on 2nd January 2020, as per the provisions of the Act. It said sadly, one year after the assent and 141 days since it took effect, major milestones as set out by the supervising Ministry, the Ministry of Information, in its roadmap towards the implementation of the Act have still not seen the light of day. It said notable amongst these milestones are to; set up the RTI Commission Office, appoint Commissioners and fully staff and train the Office (all by 10th October, 2019), and equip the Office of Head of Civil Service to set up Information Units within all public institutions; and recruit, train and place Information Officers in these Units (by end of August 2019). The rest are design template of Information Manual for Public Institutions (by September 9th, 2019), and draft a Legislative Instrument and lay same before Parliament by October 2019. It said the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana in March, has definitely disrupted government plans and redirected the attention of the Ministry of Information that had become the focal point for coordinating public communication on governments response to the virus. The statement said the response to the virus outbreak has itself presented an opportunity for government to act in ways consistent with the RTI Act. In this respect, the RTI Coalition was happy to observe the proactive and responsive attitude the government has shown in providing information on the pandemic to the public. We are therefore minded to commend the President, Ministries of Information, Health, and the other relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government for living up to the tenets of the RTI Act 2019, it said. While, we acknowledge the challenges brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic, the Coalition wishes to emphasize that access to timely and adequate information and the need for implementing the RTI roadmap has become more important than ever in these times of COVID-19. It said crucially, Ghanaians need to know exactly what Government was doing to tackle the crisis, and how duty bearers would be held to account for policies and the increased emergency related public spending during these times. It said but more importantly was having the appropriate mechanism for accessing such critical information. Monitoring the Global situation, we have observed some threats to many countries obligations on access to information and public health which must not emerge in our own Country. The statement noted that these include some governments trying to limit criticism of poor decision-making or restrict human rights or hide corruption in emergency legislations that limit access to information about the pandemic and/or extend the deadlines by which governments had to respond to information requests; and the tendency to have public access to information deprioritized while public services are reduced. It said under no circumstances must any government use the pandemic as an opportunity to cover up ineffectiveness, corruption or wider human rights abuses. It said to this end, the Coalition calls on government not to neglect its obligations under the RTI Act because they were dealing with a pandemic. It said all building blocks towards the effective implementation of the RTI Act must be put in place without any further delay. We encourage government to continue to be proactive in sharing information and remain responsive to citizens feedback and questions about the information government is supplying. It said details of all contracts, grants, loans, support to companies, and other spending, as well as information on members of all committees providing scientific, economic or other advice to public bodies must be readily available to the public. It said governance, human rights and law enforcement information must also not be left out of disclosure. Similarly, we call on all citizens to take advantage of the RTI Act to demand information on public health data around coronavirus cases, deaths, testing, facilities, the countrys involvement in drug trials, contingency planning and other issues. 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 Madbouly's statement came following a meeting with the head of the medical syndicate who presented several demands concerning the safety of medical teams in hospitals Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Thursday Egyptian doctors who die owing to the coronavirus are treated as martyrs, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate announced. Madoubly said during a meeting with the head of the syndicate Dr Hussein Khairy that financial compensations to the doctors' families will be handled by the Fund of Medical Professions announced by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in late March, the syndicate noted. The meeting was attended by Presidential Health Adviser Dr Awad Tag El-Din. It tackled the latest coronavirus developments and the problems and demands of medical teams. Khairy discussed four issues in the meeting: the shortage of some medical supplies and the lack of proper training; the syndicate's demand to increase PCR tests for medical staffs; allocating isolation hospitals for infected medical team members; and the doctors' request that in the eventuality of their death due to the coronavirus they be treated as martyrs and their families be compensated financially like the martyrs of the police and Armed Forces, the syndicate's statement added. The head of the syndicate also raised the issue of the new doctors assignment system and the controversy among young graduated doctors. Madbouly said the issue was still being negotiated with all parties involved. He added the medical supplies were available in hospitals but that there was a bureaucracy crisis with warehouse managers that will be dealt with immediately. The prime minister also stated the PCR testing was in fact being expanded and special places to isolate infected members of medical teams are being allocated in hospitals in accordance with previous cabinet decrees, the statement said. In the past two weeks, the Egyptian government enrolled 330 general, centralised and university hospitals nationwide to screen coronavirus patients. The prime minister asserted that he was ready to be involved personally to solve any complaint sent by the medical syndicate through a communication channel in order to solve any crisis immediately, the statement continued. The meeting came after the syndicate presented several demands to the government concerning the safety of medical teams in hospitals after the spread of the virus among the medical teams in the past few weeks. The Egyptian Medical Syndicate reported that at least 350 doctors were infected last week. In the past 24 hours, the syndicate reported the death of three doctors due to the coronavirus, raising the death toll of doctors due to the pandemic to 23. Egypt has reported so far 20,793 coronavirus cases since the outbreak of the virus in mid-February, including 5,395 fully recovered cases and 845 fatalities. The syndicate held an online press conference last Thursday to request the government to extend the partial curfew implemented during the Eid week for two more weeks to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country. The conference took place amid the growing anger among doctors following the death of Dr Walid Abdel Halim, a 32-year-old doctor who worked at El-Munira General Hospital and contracted the coronavirus and passed away last week. The death of Abdel-Halim stirred uproar among doctors across social media platforms as many accused the Ministry of Health of ignoring the requests of medical staffs." There have been repeated calls by the medical and nursing syndicates as well as the Medical Professions Union for the health ministry to allocate special hospitals for infected medical staffs amid a surge in their cases. In a statement on Monday, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate held the ministry "fully responsible" for the rise in coronavirus infections and deaths among medical staff which it said is the result of the ministrys inaction and negligence to protect them. Initial investigation into the death of Abdel-Halim after he had contracted the coronavirus revealed that "some aspects of administrative deficiency" have occurred in dealing with the infected doctor at the hospital, the health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Search Keywords: Short link: I lost most of yesterday going with my 92 year old mother to the ER at Grandview Medical Center. As youll see shortly, this misadventure shed light on some coronavirus issues. If medical professionals arent being vigilant about coronavirus risks in one of the few places in Alabama that had some sensible post-lockdown provisions that unfortunately werent in place all that long (mandatory masks in public), God forbid where the state and other red states will be in a month. My mother fell two nights ago. In her carpeted bedroom, she bent down to pick up something off the floor using her little walker for support, even though I have repeatedly told her never to pick up anything from the floor, to leave it or call me. The walker fell over and she fell partly on it. She seemed more bruised than anything but was also very badly shaken up, particularly since it took some doing for me to hoist her off the floor. She was quite banged up on one shin, and on one side from her mid waist to hip. My hypothesis was that shed badly bruised her floating rib and the general area. She had pain only when lying on that side and when going from lying down to sitting or vice versa. The next day, once she finally got out of bed (shed slept very badly due to difficulty of finding a good position; she normally sleeps on her damaged side. We had a home duty nurse come in to give her a look, which happened a day later than it should have, meaning yesterday. The nurse did a pretty thorough exam, thought she was OK, no sign of internal damage, not too much soreness where she poked. By happenstance, the aide and I sat Mom up in bed so she could stand before the nurse left. The nurse didnt like how painful that was. The nurse though she might have a hip fracture or a fractured floating rib and wanted her checked out. I was resistant due to coronavirus risk. The nurse and one of the managers at the agency (also a nurse) recommended Grandview Medical Center as being the least exposed hospital. So off to the ER. We had a series of not good incidents on the coronavirus front on the way to my mother getting diagnosed. I rode in the ambulance in the front seat. Driver was not wearing a mask. At the ER, there was a tent next to the entrance with clear plastic sheeting on its front side. I asked if that was for coronavirus testing. No, I was told it was for coronavirus screening before entering. I would assume that would normally consist of at least taking temperatures. But no one was there and the EMTs seemed a little puzzled that we breezed in. Im used to ERs where patients are registered immediately and screened for triaging purposes. Then you sit around and wait. Here, even though my mother was strapped into a gurney, the two EMTs rolled her about 3 feet from a long counter that had work spots behind and below it, with more workspaces behind. Not all the spots were filled but about a half dozen were, and all but one was wearing medical scrubs and masks (the woman dressed in non-hospital garb was also masked). No one else was in intake limbo. Normally, I would have acted like a New Yorker and found out what was up and what the process was, but the ambulance guys acted as if this was normal. Theyd also told me I wasnt supposed to be there and I would be shooed to the lobby, but that never happened (Ive never heard of an ER not allowing an immediate relative to participate in intake and seeing the doctor). While I was parked on a chair, waiting, someone in scrubs came though the lobby, sweeping up odds and ends. His mask was pulled down well below his nose. After we got done with the imaging (results seemed to be the least bad of possible bad outcomes1) we had more fracas getting me back home than anticipated. The nurses earlier in the day had recommended that a ambulance take her back, if nothing else to have a couple of strong guys wheel back to her bed and put her in it. Theyd assumed I could ride back. No dice. Five ambulance companies refused, including the one that had given me the ride out. So I had to call and wait a LONG time for a cab, well after the ambulance had left. So your humble blogger was back in the ER intake open area where I was not supposed to be, in a chair off to the side by the entrance doors so as to be out of the way. Someone wheeled in a gurney with a very old woman in it, pallid and with her eyes closed. The EMT, who was standing next to her, was not wearing a mask, and she wasnt either. Both were less than six feet from me. I cleared my throat and said by putting her so close to me, he was endangering her. This was the only way I thought to get the idea of endangering her in without calling him out directly for not wearing a mask. Maskless EMT instead told me to move. I informed him I am injured (true) and there was nowhere else to sit. He refused to shift the gurney even though there was plenty of room for him to scoot it a couple of feet. So, screwing my joints up in the process, I hauled the two heavy and one heavy-ish bags Id brought (laptop, charger, book, stuff my mother would need if she was admitted), the chair, and me through the inner set of sliding glass doors and sat in the little vestibule between them and the outer glass doors. Youd think moving furniture to a place it was ostentatiously not supposed to be, in full view of the hospital staff walking through the intake area and even some in the seats, might get some notice of the You arent supposed to be there sort, allowing me to complain about the latest incident of maskless medical staffers in their facility, and ask why werent they doing something about it. Instead, after a while, a nurse came to tell me my cab was coming and helped me get to the main lobby. This casualness about mask discipline in a hospital is jarring. I cant tell how much of this behavior is about this hospital versus the South generally. I did tell this story to a colleague who knows a California teaching hospital well, and he was shocked. Birmingham is already getting overflow coronavirus cases from Montgomery, which is just about out of ICU beds. So it looks like a hot and sickly summer is around the corner. ______ 1A CAT scan showed acute fracture in her third lumbar vertebra. Weirdly that is less bad than any other problem they could have found. A hip fracture would would mean an operation even if all they did was put a pin in her. Im leery of general anesthesia for old people. It appears in some cases to worsen cognitive decline. There is not much to do except for her to wear a back brace and take pain meds. I was pushy so she got both before she left. NYC mayor says he expects between 200,000 and 400,000 people to head back to work during the first phase. The most populous city in the United States has announced plans for a phased reopening as the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the country. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday outlined what the first phase of a gradual reopening will look like in the most populous US city, and said he expected between 200,000 and 400,000 people to head back to work during that phase. De Blasio said he expected the first phase of reopening to be announced in the first or second week of June and it would include four business sectors: construction, manufacturing, wholesale suppliers and non-essential retail. Thats four whole parts of our economy, manufacturing, construction, wholesale, and parts of retail that havent been opened yet again with restrictions, de Blasio said at his daily news briefing. Were now actually in a position to start talking about opening things up, step by step, phase by phase, he continued. Next week, the city will launch a series of initiatives to help businesses navigate reopening, including industry guides and a business restart hotline, the mayor said. Authorities will monitor business compliance with reopening guidance by conducting random visits, and de Blasio said violators will be subject to the summons in egregious circumstances. New York has been the epicentre of the US coronavirus outbreak, although the Navajo Nation has a higher per capita infection rate, according to Navajo authorities. Deaths in the US passed 100,000 on Wednesday, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said more efforts are needed before the city reopens. Public transportation must be thoroughly and routinely disinfected and contact tracing must be improved, according to Cuomo. New York City, we have to make more progress on some of the metrics. We have to make more progress on whats called contact tracing, which is very important. After you test, whoever winds up positive, you trace back those contacts and you isolate, Cuomo said. More attention must be paid to the hotspots inside the city, which typically include areas with higher populations of lower-income and minority residents. Because if you look at New York City, there are very different stories within the city, Cuomo said. LA begins limited reopening Earlier this week, California moved to further relax its coronavirus restrictions and help the battered economy. Retail shops and offices were allowed to open on Wednesday and the largest Roman Catholic archdiocese in the US announced a plan to resume services as Los Angeles County took another step towards a reopening that seemed hard to imagine a week ago. Los Angeles, which has been proceeding more cautiously because of a disproportionately large share of Californias coronavirus cases, moved ahead after Governor Gavin Newsom relaxed statewide rules on Monday to allow worship and shopping to resume with restrictions. San Francisco and other Bay Area counties, which have had more success curbing the spread of the virus than LA, have yet to take those steps out of an abundance of caution. Santa Clara County health officer Sara Cody, who led others in issuing a stay-at-home order, even criticised the governor for relaxing rules too rapidly before they could determine if incremental reopenings led to a resurgence of infections. California is in the second step of a four-stage reopening process after leading the country to close businesses and lock down residents in March. The reopening is being phased in by county and business sector. Some statewide commerce is allowed, including curb-side retail sales and limited in-store shopping, manufacturing and office work. Some counties were permitted to open limited dine-in restaurant service, barbershops and hair salons. State beaches, bars, gyms and large venues, such as theatres, remain closed. TORONTO - Huawei Technologies Co.s push to become a leading supplier of 5G technology in Canada appears to be in jeopardy after the Chinese tech giants CFO suffered a legal setback in a B.C. court, prompting an angry response from Beijing. The chance of them being a leading supplier is next to none. I think the chance of them being involved at all in the network is still up in the air, Jonathan Berkshire Miller, an expert in international security issues with the Macdonald Laurier Institute, said Thursday. His comments came a day after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled that the U.S. extradition case against Meng Wanzhou, a senior Huawei executive and daughter of the founder, can proceed to the next stage. Miller said Canada has attempted to keep its decision about Huaweis role in 5G networks separate from the Meng case but said China has retaliated by arresting two Canadians ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor and blocking some Canadian exports to China, including canola. Chinas behaviour in the Meng case adds to the perception that it cant be trusted to allow Huawei to be independent of Beijing and abide by the local laws where it does business, Miller said. I think theres going to be significant pressure (against Huawei) both domestically from parts of the national security community and also from our allies. For Canadas telecom industry and the federal government in Ottawa, Huawei has long been known as an important equipment supplier one that U.S. officials consider a significant threat to national security. Thats largely because Huawei is a major supplier of the equipment needed for wireless networks that could potentially be used to gather sensitive information for the Chinese government. IDC Canada vice-president Lawrence Surtees agreed that the Meng case may have given the Trudeau government a way to defer its decisions on Huawei but noted that the main government agency involved with the decision, the Canadian Security Establishment, hasnt found a reason to block the company. In addition, he said, excluding Huawei from Canada could be costly and complicated for some of the wireless networks building out their 5G networks, particularly the antennae and tower base stations that Huawei has installed in Canada for a decade. Besides that, he said Huawei has a major research and development centre for 5G and 6G technology in Ottawa. Fifth-generation technology which the government and carriers expect to be a catalyst for future economic growth will be introduced in stages over about a decade, although the exact timing of the stages is uncertain. Bell and Telus have used Huawei extensively in their fourth-generation networks and would be more affected by a Huawei ban than their rival Rogers Communications, which has predominantly used network gear from Swedens Ericsson, Surtees said. He added that Telus has been a more outspoken supporter of Huawei than Bell, which announced in February that Nokia of Finland another of Huaweis two long-standing rivals would be its first 5G supplier. Bell Canada said in its first-quarter results that it will continue investing in network and innovation, with no changes planned for its 2020 capital budget despite uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Bell works with multiple network equipment providers, including Nokia, Cisco, Huawei and others. All of our suppliers must abide by Bells strict security and conduct requirements including all necessary federal oversight and regulation, Bell spokesman Marc Choma said in an email. Miller said hes had conversations with senior officials at Telus and theyre deeply frustrated by the process. Im not in a position to say whether theyre going to give up on Huawei, but I think this has become much, much more complicated than they ever imagined it would be, Miller said. The Meng Wanzhou case, the two Michaels and so many other elements in the international geopolitical realm vis-a-vis China has complicated this decision so much. Founded in 1987 by a former officer of the Peoples Liberation Army, Huawei has seen explosive growth over the past 10 years and reported revenue of US$123 billion for 2019. It has operated in Canada since 2008 and currently employs about 960 people in this country about 600 in research and development. Huaweis Canadian head office is in Markham, Ont. while its Canada Research Centre is based in Ottawa. The company also has research facilities in Markham, Waterloo, Ont., Montreal, Vancouver and Edmonton. Huawei also makes smartphones for current wireless networks, sold in Canada by Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Videotron under their main brands as well as some secondary brands such as Virgin Mobile, Fido and Koodo. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2020. Kabul/Xinhua: Seven soldiers and 19 militants have been killed and one soldier and three children were wounded during clashes in two Afghan provinces, authorities said on Thursday. In one incident, seven personnel of Afghan Regional Army and one militant were killed and one soldier wounded during clashes in eastern Parwan province early Thursday, a provincial government spokesperson Wahida Shahkar told Xinhua. "The fighting erupted roughly at 2:00 a.m. local time in Siagerd district. One soldier was injured and two soldiers were presumably captured by the militants," the spokesperson said. The Afghan Regional Army deploys in remote areas to protect villages and districts where the national army has limited presence. In southern Zabul province, 18 Taliban militants were killed in clashes with security forces and a subsequent airstrike in Shah Joy district on Wednesday afternoon, the provincial government said in a statement. "The provincial military commission called in air support after dozen of Taliban militants stormed joint Afghan security forces' checkpoint in Shah Joy. Three children were wounded during militants' firing in the area," the statement added. The clashes came after a three-day ceasefire between Taliban militants and government security forces was ended on Tuesday night. The Taliban did not extend the ceasefire which was declared during the three-day Muslim's Eid al-Fitr festival despite the national and international call for extension of the brief truce. Social distancing takes on a whole new meaning at the beach. Beachgoers have been told to keep towels and blankets at least 6 feet way from each other, no gathering of large groups, no active sport activities on the beach, and now they are warned to stay away from and dont touch any man o war seen in or out of the water. According to FOX News Carolina, the National Weather Service is warning beachgoers of several sightings of man o war, a species of siphonophore, along South Carolina and North Carolina shores. The NWS said lifeguards reported sightings in the Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach areas, as well as Wrightsville Beach, N.C. Fun fact: We just learned that these 16-foot tentacles are actually on the short side. Adult man o' war tentacles are usually around 30 feet long. So yeah, please don't mess with these. Stay safe! https://t.co/3R9PO503LZ NWS Wilmington NC (@NWSWilmingtonNC) May 28, 2020 Apparently, a man o war that had washed ashore on North Myrtle Beach had tentacles measuring 16-feet-long. Myrtle Beach Online reported Thursday that North Myrtle Beach Ocean Rescue is flying purple flags Thursday afternoon, indicating dangerous aquatic life in the area. NMB spokesperson Pat Dowling said two have washed ashore recently, specifically near Cherry Grove Pier and just north of the pier. Lifeguards in the area spotted nearly one hundred in the Thursday morning due to recent Tropical Storm Bertha. "People should talk to a lifeguard before entering the ocean water when a purple flag is flying, Dowling said. Lifeguards at these beaches strongly advice people to stay away from these highly venomous species, both in the water and on shore. Many would wonder why anyone would even think of touching such a creature. According to Critter Science, man owar have a colorful and somewhat beautiful appearance. The creatures are usually easy to spot because they have a bright blue float on the surface of the water from which a series of long tentacles hang that are covered with stinging cells. The float, a balloon-type structure, can be up to 6-inches tall that has, what looks like, a ruffled fin attached to the top. The fin works as a sail, because the man o war doesnt swim, it used wind and ocean currents to propel forward. The creatures sting is excruciatingly painful to humans but rarely deadly. And beware, detached tentacles and dead specimens (including those that wash up on shore) can sting just as painfully. So, great advice is never touch a man o war, dead or alive. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Read more: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, May 28, 2020 14:47 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bdaacc98 1 City COVID-19,coronavirus,new-normal,large-scale-social-restrictions Free Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto has suggested that several regions, including Jakarta, might be ready to welcome the so-called "new normal" phase as they have shown a decline in COVID-19 transmissions. Citing National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) data, Airlangga said the spread of the disease had slowed in Central Java, Bali, Jakarta and Yogyakarta, where the basic reproduction number (R 0 ) of COVID-19 had fallen below 1. Some areas in Sumatra, including Aceh, West Sumatra, Riau and Bangka Belitung, as well as some provinces in Sulawesi and Kalimantan have also seen an R 0 of below 1, Airlangga said, adding that "the trend keeps decreasing". "Based on Bappenas data regarding R 0 , some areas are ready [to welcome a new normal], including Aceh, Riau [...] as well as Jakarta, by the end of their large-scale social restriction periods on June 4," Airlangga said. Read also: Concerns mount over reopening of offices, malls as Indonesia steps into 'new normal' The capital, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, has imposed large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) since April 10 and has since extended the policy twice to curb the spread of the contagious disease. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, however, previously refuted a claim that the city was going to reopen shopping centers in early June, citing the potential to extend the PSBB. Bappenas chairman Suharso Monoarfa previously stated that Jakarta had the potential to become a model for the new normal, saying the capital had met all the requirements. Suharso also said that Jakarta's R 0 of COVID-19 had already fallen below 1, indicating low transmission. The capital also has more hospital beds for COVID-19 treatment than the number of new cases that require hospital care and conducted swab tests on more than 1,000 per 1 million people as required by the World Health Organization. By William James and Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Britain on Wednesday to move on from what he described as a 'very, very frustrating episode' when his closest adviser provoked outrage for taking a long-distance drive during the coronavirus lockdown. Dominic Cummings has refused to quit after it was revealed that he had travelled 400 km (250 miles) from London to northern England in March with his four-year-old son and his wife, who was sick at the time, to be close to relatives. Johnson has repeatedly backed his adviser By William James and Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Britain on Wednesday to move on from what he described as a "very, very frustrating episode" when his closest adviser provoked outrage for taking a long-distance drive during the coronavirus lockdown. Dominic Cummings has refused to quit after it was revealed that he had travelled 400 km (250 miles) from London to northern England in March with his four-year-old son and his wife, who was sick at the time, to be close to relatives. Johnson has repeatedly backed his adviser. On Wednesday several lawmakers directly challenged the prime minister as he again voiced his support for the aide, who is credited with delivering a big majority for Johnson at a parliamentary election in December. However, opinion polls show that faith in Johnson has tumbled since the story broke on Friday, and some of his Conservative lawmakers have called for Cummings to go. "It's been a very, very frustrating episode and I understand why people ... have been so concerned, because this country is going through a horrendously difficult time," Johnson told a parliamentary committee. "(If) what we need to do is to focus on getting the message right ... then I think what we need to do really is to move on." It was a message his ministers pressed earlier on Wednesday, trying to dampen down the row over Cummings, a divisive figure who is seen by both allies and opponents as Johnson's most important and influential strategist. Former finance minister Sajid Javid added to the dissent within Johnson's party by saying Cummings should apologise, the Bromsgrove Standard newspaper reported. POLITICS BEFORE PUBLIC HEALTH? Around 40 Conservative lawmakers have gone further and said he should quit, a tally by Sky News showed. Yvette Cooper, an opposition Labour lawmaker, said the prime minister was more interested in "trying to protect Dominic Cummings" than giving straight answers. "The problem is, that means you are putting your political concerns ahead of clear public health messages," she said. Johnson, who suggested she was trying to score political points, announced that a new test and trace programme to better monitor the spread of the virus in the population would launch in England on Thursday. The programme, which will mass test and identify the contacts of anyone who has been close to a case of COVID-19, is seen as crucial to helping the government ease the most stringent lockdown in peacetime history. Britain is poised to start relaxing measures on non-essential retail shops and schools, and possibly to allow more social contact soon for millions of people who have been mostly stuck at home for weeks. Johnson said he wanted to announce new details in June or early July on how to spur an economic recovery. But the row over Cummings has prompted some to lose faith in the government's strategy, with many people still unable to understand how a senior official had not broken the rules by driving north for help with childcare when the government repeatedly told people to "stay home" and "save lives". Britain has the second highest death toll from the virus globally, with the confirmed tally rising by 412 to 37,460 on Wednesday. Cummings said he had acted reasonably and not broken the lockdown rules. But YouGov found 71% of people believed he had broken them, and 59% thought he should resign. (Additional reporting by William James, Elizabeth Piper, David Milliken, Estelle Shirbon and William Schomberg, writing by Elizabeth Piper, editing by Stephen Addison and John Stonestreet) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. A a time when Covid-19 has caused massive upheaval across the world, a young couple in Odisha got married in the quarantine centre. The two had ran away from their respective homes in January this year. On Sunday, Saurabh Das, a 19-year-old youth of Sagada village in Puri district, married his girlfriend Pinkyrani Das in a quarantine centre of the same village at the end of 14 days of quarantine. Saurabh had eloped with Pinkyrani in January this year to Ahmedabad where the two lived as a couple. However, the girls family did not lodge any FIR against the boys family. As the plastic factory where Saurabh worked in Ahmedabad shut during lockdown, the two were finding it difficult to come back. After much difficulty, the couple landed in Sagada village and were quickly taken to the quarantine centre. The two had checked into the quarantine centre on May 10 after returning from Ahmedabad, where Saurabh worked in a plastic factory. Though both showed symptoms of Covid-19, their swab tests came negative. As the girl had become pregnant, we decided to get them married off. They got married on May 24 after completing 14 days of institutional quarantine at Sagada village, said Nimapara Block Development Officer Manoj Behera. As their family members cant enter the quarantine centre, two teachers who are in-charge of the quarantine centre acted as parents of the bride and groom. The local sarpanch, ward member, ASHA worker and Anganwadi worker helped organise the marriage. Meanwhile, 76 people tested positive for Covid-19 in Odisha on Wednesday, taking the number of cases to 1,593, a health department official said. Of the fresh cases, 74 people returned to Odisha from other states like Gujarat, West Bengal, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, and were lodged at different quarantine centres. Dorothy Jean Tillman is a typical 14-year-old in many ways: she loves dancing, scrolling through TikTok and hanging out with her friends. But the Chicago teenagers latest achievement a masters degree from Unity College certainly sets her apart from her peers. Im very proud of her and Im proud of the example that shes leaving behind, mom Jimalita Tillman tells PEOPLE of her daughter, who goes by DJ. DJs academic journey began in schools for gifted and talented children, though she soon came to feel that the distractions of a regular school environment were actually making it harder for her to learn. Jimalita Tillman DJ Tillman graduates from Excelsior College With that in mind, she started dual enrollment for high school courses at 8 years old, going to regular class during the day, then taking online high school modules after school. After completing high school, she earned her associates degree in psychology from the College of Lake County at age 10, then went on to receive her bachelors degree in liberal arts from Excelsior College at 12. Earlier this month, she accomplished her biggest feat yet with a masters degree in environmental science and sustainable engineering from Unity College. Jimalita Tillman DJ Tillman with Unity College President Melik Peter Khoury We did a little family celebration, she tells PEOPLE of her graduation, which was tentatively postponed to August due to coronavirus restrictions. It was something small and simple because we still have to respect the rules of quarantine. DJ says it was her grandmother who first stoked her interest in STEM and engineering, as shed buy her various magazines and books on the topic, which led the avid young pupil to join engineering and coding enrichment programs as a child. RELATED: Boy, 13, Earns Fourth Associates Degree as He Becomes California Colleges Youngest Grad Ever While shes unsure what her future holds at the moment, she knows she wants it to somehow involve STEM and shes starting by giving back. Story continues RELATED VIDEO: Meet 6 Outstanding High School Seniors Committed to Improving their Communities and the World Meet 6 Outstanding High School Seniors Committed to Improving their Communities and the World Congratulations to the Class of 2020 Last year, DJ accompanied her mom on a business trip to Cape Town, South Africa, where she met a group of local girls who shared her passion for STEM but lacked the resources DJ enjoyed back at home. Inspired, she developed a plan to bring STEM labs to her new friends, and began fundraising for things like computers and microscopes, which she hopes to bring to Cape Town once coronavirus restrictions have lifted. I know in the future I want to be an entrepreneur. I want to be my own boss, she says. I kind of want to be able to take everything that Ive learned, all of my degrees, and group them into one thing. Because the way I am, I cant stay on one project. I have to hop around to different things to make sure I stay passionate in everything equally. Meanwhile, shes also working on a book called Unlock the Jeanius Within which she calls a wellness, goal-oriented compilation featuring excerpts from various people and also floats the idea of one day hosting a podcast. Jimalita Tillman DJ Tillman To get where you want to be, you have to be dedicated, she says. [I dont want people to be] like, Oh man, shes so smart, I can never do that. Thats not what I want them to think when they read or hear or see my story. I want them to be like, 'Oh my gosh, she's so goal-oriented. I need to be determined. I need to have tunnel vision to get to where I want to be. I need to be able to communicate my goals,' and things like that. While her academic achievements are certainly impressive, mom Jimalita says its her daughters ability to balance her studies with a thriving social life that makes her the most proud. RELATED: 'Relieved' Kansas Teenager Will Graduate from Harvard Days After Graduating from High School I try to keep myself really immersed in the arts, so like, normal, quote unquote, kid things, DJ says. Shes a member of a local dance ensemble called The Happiness Club, with which she performs all across Chicago, and shes also a student ambassador for the Harold Washington Cultural Center, a gig that earned her a trip to the Tony Awards several years back. DJ has also performed with the Illinois High School Musical Talent Association and the Chicago production of Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen and even helped rewrite the Gettysburg Address to a rap, which Hamilton star Miguel Cervantes performed at the Illinois Bicentennial while dressed as Abraham Lincoln. Shes also an alumnus of the Legacy Flight Academy, a youth aviation nonprofit inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen. Jimalita Tillman DJ Tillman Shes not isolated, and what I love about her is that she can code switch she can talk with the adults who are her peers, and then she can be with the kids who are her peers, her mom says. Although shes advancing academically, she gets all the things that her peers get. The owners of Sydney's Mascot Towers are claiming more than $15 million in damages from the developer of a neighbouring building they allege is responsible for major cracks appearing in the apartment complex they were forced to evacuate almost a year ago. Fair Trading is also investigating the certification work on Peak Towers, which was developed by Aland Developments and neighbours the 132-unit Mascot Towers in Sydney's inner-south. It comes as the state government has agreed to extend accommodation assistance to Mascot Towers owners for nine months. They have been unable to return to their apartments since they were evacuated in June last year, following structural cracking in the 10-storey complex. Peak Towers at 27 Church Avenue, left, stands adjacent to the Mascot Towers complex. Credit:Wolter Peeters In documents filed in the NSW Supreme Court, Mascot Towers' owners corporation alleges deep excavation work for the Peak Towers basement car park led to the foundations of its building being compromised and unable to support the loads bearing down on it. With a name like Daves Carry-Out, Sandra McCrays popular downtown Charleston restaurant can hardly be expected to provide indoor seating. And in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, its not. Im just waiting until we can get over this virus, said McCray, who no longer allows customers to use the few indoor tables she set up a few years back for her customers convenience. Right now were social distancing. Since May 1, when Gov. Henry McMaster announced he was loosening restrictions on on-premise dining, South Carolina restaurant owners have grappled with how to best serve their patrons. Their decisions run the gamut from still-closed kitchens to fully opened dining rooms. But at least in the Charleston area it appears black and white restaurateurs have on balance reached different conclusions about which course to take. Of all 63 black-owned independent restaurants in greater Charleston which offered indoor seating prior to the mandated closure of dining rooms across the state, 51 have reopened in some capacity. But 37 of those restaurants, or 72 percent of reopened restaurants, are limiting service to takeout. Among the local institutions which as of Wednesday hadnt reopened their dining rooms are Berthas Kitchen, Martha Lous Kitchen, Nigels Good Food, Buckshots Restaurant, Hannibals Kitchen and My Three Sons. As for other restaurants in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, a representative sample provides some sense of their reopening inclinations. Of the regions 63 independent restaurants with the highest Yelp ratings (a group which includes just one black-owned restaurant, Daves Carry-Out), 60 are now selling food again. On-premise dining is available at 50 of those places, or 83 percent of reopened restaurants, with 38 of them offering indoor tables. Eugene Wade of Port City Seafood in North Charleston suggests the statistics reflect what the restaurants serve, such as the turkey wings at Daves or garlic crabs he used to fry. He notes everybody would always pick up at markets like his, which has lately discontinued its prepared food service. African Americans aint no different than anybody else, he said. But the African American community has been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. A recent study found black Americans represent 13.4 percent of the U.S. population, but 60 percent of COVID-19 deaths, a discrepancy which researchers have attributed to social conditions and structural racism. Accordingly, many black business owners are acutely aware of the risks associated with violating social distancing principles. Ive seen a lot of places opening, but I wanted to be safe, says Dominique Mood, owner of 4:16 Nutrition in Summerville. Moods customers traditionally liked to linger to chat, but shes prepared to adopt stringent rules before restoring indoor seating. Yvette Calvin of Heavenly Spoon in North Charleston has a similar perspective. Theyre opening up everything, but we have cases every day, rising, rising, rising, she said on Wednesday afternoon, hours before the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control announced the state had set a daily coronavirus death record. Im not going to open up to the public. This restaurant is me and my family. If one gets it, all of us gets it. Still, Calvin added that sticking to takeout hasnt hurt her business. In fact, sales are up; Calvin suspected a few radio ads may have helped boost her curbside program. By contrast, takeout-only is becoming a more challenging proposition in downtown Charleston, where dozens of restaurants in proximity are inviting customers to claim an indoor table. Estadio owner Max Kuller on Thursday revealed on Instagram that his Spring Streets restaurants revenue has been halved since April. While some of this is clearly due to our peers restarting to-go programs, much of the revenue has definitely been lost to patios and dining rooms and our guests venturing into riskier confines, he wrote in a post illustrated by a graph of the states coronavirus case count. Kuller continued, We are honestly baffled that many peers who we hold in high regard are tuning out this science. Juice Bar MC in Moncks Corner is relatively new, so owner Nicholas Gourbine doesnt have a set of figures from last year against which to gauge sales. But he knows it was slow a few weeks ago and is just now starting to pick up. Yet he hasnt been tempted to open indoor seating. Gourbine said when he tells customers that he and his employees are still practicing social distancing, they always understand. New South Wales will allow 20 people to attend weddings and 50 people to gather at funerals and places of worship from Monday. Only 10 people can go to church and weddings while 20 people can attend indoor funerals. Up to 30 people are allowed at outdoor funerals. The restrictions have meant many have missed their loved ones' funerals while others have been struggling to get refunds for cancelled weddings. Meanwhile, most religious people have not been to their local place of worship since lockdown laws were tightened in March. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced easing of restrictions on Thursday, warning people still have to practice social distancing. Up to 20 people will be able to attend weddings in NSW from Monday, a boost from the current maximum of 10. Meanwhile, up to 50 people will be able to attend funerals and places of worship 'We know how important these services are to individuals and families but as we ease restrictions further, we must remember to keep one another safe,' Ms Berejiklian said. 'It is crucial that worshippers remember to follow health advice. This is particularly important for people with co-morbidities aged over 65 and people aged over 70.' When churches reopen to larger gatherings, choirs, sharing books and the passing of collection plates will be continue to be banned to prevent infection. Churchgoers and anyone attending a place of worship will be required to sign in with their contact details, as is the current practice. The announcement comes after a Catholic Church petition urging the NSW Government to allow more people to attend Mass garnered more than 10,000 signatures. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) announced the increase on Thursday, warning people still have to practice social distancing once larger gatherings are permitted 'Why are 50 people allowed to dine in a restaurant, but only 10 people are allowed to attend Mass, even though our churches are often much larger in size?' the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney petition read. 'We do not consider church attendance to be non-essential; indeed, nothing is more essential than the practice of our faith. 'Premier, Catholics are not asking for special treatment, we are asking for equal treatment.' After the Church's prayers were answered, it posted on Facebook:'Thanks to the more than 10,000 people across NSW who have signed a petition calling on the Premier to end unfair restrictions.' Father Bernie Thomas gives an evening prayer at Mary Immaculate Church in Waverley on May 23. The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney started the petition on Wednesday, urging the NSW Government to allow more people to attend Mass Similar to NSW, Victoria allows up to 10 people at weddings and places of worship. Meanwhile, 20 people can attend indoor funerals and 30 mourners can gather at outdoor ceremonies. From 1 June, up to 23 people will be able to attend weddings - the celebrant, the couple being married, and 20 guests. Up to 50 people will be allowed to attend a funerals at larger locations while only 20 can attend at-home funerals from the same date. Up to 20 worshippers will be able to attend places of worship from June 1. Queensland currently has exactly the same laws as NSW and Victoria when it comes to weddings, funerals and places of worship. Ten people can attend a wedding or place of worship, 20 people can attend indoor funerals and 30 people can attend outdoor funerals. But from June 12, weddings and places of worship can have 20 people while funerals can have 50 mourners. Men gather at Lakemba Mosque in south west Sydney, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. From June 1, up to 50 people will be able to attend mosques and other places of worship Tasmania is on the same boat as Queensland, NSW and Victoria. The island state allows for 10 wedding guests and 10 people at places of worship. In addition, 20 people are allowed at indoor funerals and 30 are allowed outdoors. But from June 15, up to 20 people will be allowed at weddings and places of worship. Meanwhile, the number of funeral guests will be buffed to 50. Like most of the other states, the ACT allows for 10 people at weddings at places of worship, 20 people at indoor funerals, and 30 at outdoor ceremonies. Western Australia allows up to 20 people to attend indoor funerals, weddings and places of worship. Up to 30 people are permitted at outdoor ceremonies. Lastly, the Northern Territory has no limit on the number of people who can attend weddings, funerals and places of worship. The Top End does, however, have a two-hour limit on activities, including funerals, wedding and religious ceremonies like Mass. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 02:17:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KHARTOUM, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A Sudanese army officer was killed on Thursday and other soldiers were injured in an attack by "an Ethiopian militia" on a border area in eastern Sudan, official SUNA news agency reported. "An Ethiopian militia penetrated into the Sudanese territories in the border in Gedaref State, attacked some agricultural projects and clashed with the Sudanese military force at Baraka Norein camp in the state," the report said. It noted the clash resulted in the death of Karam-Eddin, commander of the army force, who was injured then died at a local hospital, while a number of soldiers and civilians were also wounded. The report added that the Sudanese army had sent reinforcements to the area and expelled the militia out of the joint border. The period of preparation for agricultural season in the border area between Sudan and Ethiopia usually witnesses attacks by militias. Enditem AUSTIN, Texas, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ethyl Ambrosia, a leader in edible alcohol technology, has secured a $450,000 funding round. Leading the company's first financing round is Third Craft. The investment will be used to expand the company's sales, marketing and rebranding efforts. The female-founded company is best known for its vegan gel bites, an elevated and re-imagined twist to the jello shot. Differentiated both by packaging and formulation, the boozy bites are the perfect addition to any celebration. Rather than including gelatin (which is made from animal by-products), the boozy gel bites have three types of seaweed as ingredients, making them both vegan and naturally shelf stable. The product is 15% alcohol by volume and comes packaged in a patent-pending miniature champagne glass. The unique packaging includes a stem that twists and pushes the gel bite to the top of the glass, allowing the consumer to avoid touching the product. "We are proud of the food and packaging innovation our team has developed to really disrupt this space. Our goal is to help people celebrate and connect, and we are excited to see that by applying this cutting-edge food technology and package design, we open up this fun and exciting product category to a whole new segment of consumers and higher end celebrations," said CEO Dee Dee Bryant, "the venture firm not only brings capital to ramp up our efforts, but also brings significant strategic counsel in the food-and-beverage space." The food scientist behind these boozy gel bites is Mike Eisenmenger, PhD. Eisenmenger has been leading design, development, and commercialization of new food and beverage products for over ten years in industry and ten years in academia. His expertise in understanding and manipulation of the product-process-package interface has resulted in product launches generating over $600MM in new revenue for ConAgra Brands and then PepsiCo. "Bringing my passion for food innovation to the alcohol industry and leveraging the latest in food science & technology to unlock Dee Dee's vision has been an amazing & fun experience," said Chief Science Officer Mike Eisenmenger, PhD, "it's not often we get to elevate a product/experience to new heights like what is being done at Ethyl Ambrosia." The boozy gel bites are available in popular cocktail and drink flavors (Rose, Mojito, Moscow Mule) and in Citrus Punch (a throwback to younger days). The boozy gel bites are currently being sold online at www.ethylambrosia.com and are delivered directly to consumers. The company also operates a tasting room in Austin, TX. About Ethyl Ambrosia: Ethyl Ambrosia is an edible alcohol company founded by Dee Dee Bryant out of a love and passion for bringing people together. The company offers premium vegan gel shots conveniently delivered directly to the consumer, giving them the freedom of their younger years but with a sophisticated touch. To learn more or order Ethyl Ambrosia boozy gel shots, visit www.ethylambrosia.com. Follow Ethyl Ambrosia on Instagram and Facebook at @ethylambrosia. About Third Craft: Third Craft is an Austin, TX based private equity firm created to actively invest in challenger brands in the craft food and enabling infrastructure space. Our cross - discipline team brings significant competitive advantages to our partners who share our mission to address the massive need for consumers to live, eat and drink better. To learn more, visit www.thirdcraft.com. SOURCE Ethyl Ambrosia C ontroversial Hong Kong legislation relating to national security has been approved in China's parliament. Ministers supported the new policies which aimed to tackle secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in the city. However when the proposals were unveiled in Beijing last week they triggered the first big protest in Hong Kong in months. Democracy campaigners warned that implementing the law could erode citizens' freedoms. Riot police were out in force on Thursday while a bill to criminalise disrespect of Chinas national anthem was further discussed. Demonstrators scuffle with riot police during a protest about new Hong Kong laws / REUTERS Dozens of protesters gathered in a shopping mall to chant slogans but there was no repeat of disturbances the previous day when police made 360 arrests as thousands took to the streets in anger over the anthem bill and the national security legislation proposed by China. Last year, the city was rocked for months by often violent pro-democracy demonstrations over an unsuccessful bid to introduce a law governing extradition to China. The Chinese governments security law for the city is fuelling fear in Hong Kong and beyond that Beijing is imposing its authority and eroding the high degree of autonomy the former British colony has enjoyed under a one country, two systems formula since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Communist Party delegates take part in a session after voting on a new draft security bill for Hong Kong / Getty Images Members of Chinas mostly rubberstamp parliament, the National Peoples Congress, in the Great Hall of the People to the west of Beijings Tiananmen Square, burst into prolonged applause when the tally showed 2,878 votes to one in favour of moving forward with legislation, with six abstentions. Details of the law are expected to be drawn up in coming weeks. It is expected to be enacted before September. Chinese authorities and the Beijing-backed government in Hong Kong say there is no threat to the citys autonomy and the new law would be tightly focused. Chinas Premier Li Keqiang said the law would be good for Hong Kongs long-term stability and prosperity and the one country, two systems formula would remain a national policy. Conflict between China and the United States would harm both sides while both stood to gain from cooperation, he told a news conference. Hong Kongs Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam said her government would work with Beijing to complete the legislative work as soon as possible. Students from Hong Kong and Taiwan display placards reading 'Bad laws of Chinas national security' during a protest / AFP via Getty Images The law will not affect the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents, she said in a statement welcoming the Chinese parliaments vote. Democracy campaigners in the city were despondent, however. This is the death knell for Hong Kong, make no mistake of it, this is the end of one country, two systems ... the Hong Kong that we loved, a free Hong Kong, pro-democracy lawmaker Dennis Kwok told reporters. The United States, Britain and the European Union have also expressed concern about the security legislation and its implications for Chinas freest city. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday Hong Kong no longer qualified for special treatment under American law, potentially dealing a crushing blow to its status as a major financial hub. The proposed security law was only the latest in a series of actions undermining Hong Kong freedoms, he told Congress. Pro-democracy supporters scuffle with riot police during a rally in Causeway Bay district on May 27 / Getty Images No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground, he said. The security law could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in the city. Relations between the two countries have been tense over Chinas claims in the South China Sea and trade, with the coronavirus pandemic adding to the acrimony. Already, international business is facing the pressure of increased tension between the US and China, but the enactment of Chinas security law for Hong Kong could take the tension to a whole new level, said Tara Joseph, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. This is show time for Hong Kong, she said in a commentary in the South China Morning Post. President Donald Trump has promised action over Hong Kong, with an announcement at the end of the week. More than 1,300 U.S. companies have offices in the city, providing about 100,000 jobs. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Congress hat Hong Kong no longer enjoys the autonomy promised by Beijing / POOL/AFP via Getty Images China said it would take necessary countermeasures against foreign interference in what it insists are its internal affairs. Hong Kong stocks .HSI underperformed most of Asia, closing down 0.7 per cent. Mr Trumps possible response could include visa and economic sanctions, David Stilwell, the State Departments assistant secretary for East Asia, told reporters. DALLAS - A woman managed to go into labour and give birth alone in a Texas jail cell without any corrections officers noticing until after she had delivered the child, a sheriffs official said Thursday. The woman had the baby in a Fort Worth jail cell on May 17, according to Tarrant County Sheriffs Office spokeswoman Lt. Jennifer Gabbert. The woman did not immediately disclose the birth, but the baby was soon discovered by a corrections officer and both were taken to a hospital, Gabbert said. She could not immediately provide information about the health of the mother and child. Jail staff knew the woman was pregnant and had been checking on her regularly, Gabbert said, without specifying the frequency of those checks or whether they knew her due date. She declined to identify the mother and would not answer several questions about the birth including how the woman could have gone into labour and delivered a child without it coming to the guards attention. Jail staff dont know how long the labour lasted due to the mother not notifying corrections staff of the impending birth, Gabbert said. The sheriffs internal affairs department is investigating the birth but there is no indication of wrongdoing by jail staff, Gabbert said. The mother has been held in jail without bond since January on charges of assaulting a family member and injuring a child, elderly or disabled person, Gabbert said. The delivery was first reported by the Forth Worth Star-Telegram. The jail has been fighting an outbreak of the new coronavirus among inmates and staff. Fort Worth police have erred against arresting those accused of some minor crimes to avoid spreading the virus to new inmates. The child was born a few days before state inspectors informed Tarrant County Jail staff that they were not meeting minimum standards for checking on some inmates, according to Brandon Wood, executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. The jail was sent a notice of non-compliance on May 21 after inspectors found staff were late to check on a inmate who died by suicide, Gabbert said. We take this very seriously and the internal investigation is ongoing, she said. The jail submitted a plan to correct the issue and was re-certified six days later. Chicago threatens to temporarily close churches that defy gathering restrictions Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The city of Chicago has threatened to temporarily close at least three churches that continue to violate the governors executive order by holding in-person worship services with over 10 people during the early phases of the citys coronavirus reopening plan. Chicago Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady sent letters to congregations on Saturday, informing them that if they continue to hold in-person worship services with over 10 attendees, the city has the authority under state law to force churches to comply with state orders. Such enforcement measures include a summary abatement, the letter reads. Arwady argued in the letter that the state has the power to order that a location be closed and made off-limits to the public to prevent the probable spread of a dangerously contagious or infectious disease until such a time as the condition can be corrected or the danger to the public health eliminated or reduced in such a manner that no substantial danger to the publics health any longer exists. In addition, as the Health Commissioner, I have the power and duty to cause all nuisances affecting the health of the public to be abated with all reasonable promptness, and general police powers to correct, by whatever means are necessary, any health hazard that presents an immediate risk to the life or health of one or more citizens of the City of Chicago. One of the churches that received the letter is Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church in Albany Park, a church that has sued for a temporary injunction against the state order but had its motion rejected by a federal judge. The Pentecostal church received an order from Arwady on May 15 directing it not to hold gatherings at its house of worship on North Bernard Street until public health officials indicate that it is safe to do so. However, the congregation reportedly held gatherings far in excess of ten individuals allowed by the Executive Order and was later issued an administrative notice of violation by the Chicago Police Department. Gatherings held contrary to the Executive Order can result in the unintentional spread of the disease to some of our most vulnerable residents. I appeal to you as a leader in your community and remain hopeful that you will work with me for the health, safety, and welfare of all Chicagoans, Arwady said in her letter. If you continue to operate in defiance of the Executive Order, the City will pursue all available legal remedies, including those outlined above. Any future gatherings conducted contrary to the Order will be considered a failure to abate and the City will take steps necessary to abate, including Summary Abatement. The conservative religious freedom nonprofit Liberty Counsel, which is representing Elim and other Romanian churches in the city, argued in a statement that the citys threat to conduct a summary abatement is tantamount to a threat to close or destroy churches. According to the Illinois Supreme Court, Summary abatement would mean to put down or destroy without process. This means the inspector can, upon his own judgment, cause the alleged nuisance to stop on his own authority and effect a destruction of property at his discretion, the law group noted, citing the case of City of Kankakee v. New York Cent. R. Co. The letter from the city comes as President Donald Trump stated last week that he wants state governments to allow churches to reopen as essential entities. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines for church leaders to consider in their plans to reconvene in-person services as states relax COVID-19 restrictions. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said on Friday that only outdoor and drive-in services will be allowed when under the next phase of its Restore Illinois plan. Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced on Friday that the city would enter phase three of the reopening plan in June as long as progress is made on key metrics. In between President Donald Trumps announcement that houses of worship should open and Memorial Day where we honor brave men and woman who fought and died for our freedom, Chicago threatens to close and even destroy churches, Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver said in a statement. What a contrast. The executive orders from Gov. J.B. Pritzker are an insult to the First Amendment and to all Americans who understand the price and value of religious freedom. Each day the thug tactics to close churches in Illinois gets more bizarre and outrageous. The courts must stop this insanity. In the letter to churches, Arwady pointed out that the spread of COVID-19 in worship-service settings has been documented by the CDC. She cited the case of an Arkansas church linked to at least 35 cases of coronavirus among attendees and three deaths. This occurred as a result of just two individuals (index cases) participating in church events several days before they developed symptoms of nonspecific respiratory symptoms and fever, she noted. This outbreak highlights the likelihood for widespread transmission of COVID-19 at group gatherings, even before any participants show symptoms. Arwady also stressed that the city of Chicago itself has lost three faith leaders to Coronavirus. Other churches that received the letter from Arwardy threatening summary abatement include Metro Praise International and Philadelphia Romanian Church Chicago on Sunnyside Avenue, according to Block Club Chicago. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Metro Praise and Elim Romanian continued to hold services on Sunday. We are very disappointed with all of this, including not being considered as essential in the beginning, as a church, Metro Praise International Pastor Joe Wyrostek told a local NBC affiliate. Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church Pastor Chris Ionescu told NBC5 that there wont be a stand down on our part. Its only the city that escalates, he said. I wonder, if they threaten us with such extreme measures, what else is left? While apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch reported a sales decline of more than 30% during its latest quarter, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, its results also hinted at a rapid rebound among younger consumers as it reopens stores across the U.S. Abercrombie said it's recovered about 80% of its sales in the U.S. stores it has opened so far, compared with a year ago. And it has reopened 45% of its stores in the country, or 285 locations. It said shoppers appear to be flocking to malls to visit its stores in the U.S. at a faster pace than in parts of Asia. Abercrombie also owns the Hollister and Gilly Hicks lingerie brands, which are geared toward a younger customer than the namesake label and offer more casual, beach-themed tops and bottoms. The early results from Abercrombie compare favorably with Macy's, which said earlier this month that its sales are down about 50% in its recently reopened department stores. One reason for the stark contrast could be that teens one of Abercrombie's target groups of customers are ready to spend, more than older generations. Many of them are out of school and looking for something to do with friends, to pass the time during the pandemic. "Yes, perhaps they are feeling more comfortable [shopping] because they are younger," CEO Fran Horowitz said in a phone interview after the company reported earnings. "Currently we are beating our expectations," she said, referring to its sales targets and the 80% figure. [May 28, 2020] Woodruff Sawyer Adopts CyberCube's Broking Manager US-based Insurance brokerage Woodruff Sawyer has partnered with CyberCube to become one of the first organizations to leverage CyberCube's "Broking Manager" in its insurance advisory services. Woodruff Sawyer, a 100-year-old insurance broker headquartered in San Francisco, advises clients on business risks and risk mitigation in the areas of cyber liability, management liability, property and casualty and employee benefits. Broking Manager is the first software-as-a-service application CyberCube has built specifically for the insurance broking community, and offers a stream-lined approach to generating the financial exposure impact that helps clients make informed decisions on coverages and limits. Broking Manager allows Woodruff Sawyer to quantify and explain to their clients, both large and small, the sources and financial impact of cyber risk exposure. The platform also produces reports that can be used to educate prospects and clients on potential sources of loss, recent and relevant cyber events, and peer-to-peer benchmarking. Oren Schetrit, Director of Product for CyberCube, said: "We're thrilled to have partnered with Woodruff Sawyer through our beta program, and that Woodruff Sawyer has chosen to use our platform going forward. Brokers have a key role to play in helping companies manage their financial exposure to cyber risk; and we're confident Broking Manager will help accomplish this." "Woodruff Sawyer has been an exemplary partner and thought leader in terms of understanding cyber threats and the risks they pose to enterprises. Working together, we've ensured that our product meets their enterprise client needs, while focusing on efficient brokerage workflows. We look forward to helping Woodruff Sawyer leverage our platform to quantify cyber risk exposure and facilitate informed insurance buying decisions." Dan Burke, Partner and National Cyber Practice Leader for Woodruf Sawyer added: "CyberCube's 'Broking Manager' is changing how Woodruff Sawyer approaches our clients' cyber liability needs. The platform quickly and easily models and quantifies our clients' cyber risk. As a result, we're able to have thoughtful conversations about a client's risk appetite and the appropriate level of insurance they require." Broking Manager complements CyberCube's two existing products: Portfolio Manager and Account Manager, which are designed for risk carriers and are used by leading companies across the insurance ecosystem. A Woodruff Sawyer-hosted webinar featuring CyberCube will be available at https://woodruffsawyer.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8PDpdBuhTQyefI9enlXVGA at 10am Pacific Time on 17 June. ENDS About CyberCube CyberCube delivers the world's leading cyber risk analytics for the insurance industry. With best-in-class data access and advanced multi-disciplinary analytics, the company's Software-as-a-Service platform helps (re)insurance organizations make better decisions when advising clients on the financial impact of cyber risk, underwriting individual risks or managing cyber risk aggregation. CyberCube's enterprise intelligence layer provides insights on millions of companies globally and includes modeling on thousands of points of technology failure. The CyberCube platform was established in 2015 within Symantec (News - Alert) and now operates as a standalone company exclusively focused on the (re)insurance industry, with access to an unparalleled ecosystem of data partners and backing from ForgePoint Capital, HSCM Bermuda, MTech Capital and individuals from Stone Point Capital. For more information, please visit www.cybcube.com or email [email protected] About Woodruff Sawyer As one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the US, Woodruff Sawyer protects the people and assets of more than 4,000 companies. We provide expert counsel and fierce advocacy to protect clients against their most critical risks in property and casualty, management liability, cyber liability, employee benefits, and personal wealth management. An active partner of Assurex Global and International Benefits Network, we provide expertise and customized solutions where clients need it, with headquarters in San Francisco, offices throughout the US, and global reach on six continents. For more information, call 844.972.6326, or visit woodruffsawyer.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005367/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] EU governments ban malaria drug for COVID-19, trial paused as safety fears grow The drug hydroxychloroquine, pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump and others in recent months as a possible treatment to people infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is displayed in Provo By Matthias Blamont, Alistair Smout and Emilio Parodi PARIS/LONDON/MILAN (Reuters) - European governments moved on Wednesday to halt the use of anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients, and a second global trial was suspended, further blows to hopes for a treatment promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump. The moves by France, Italy and Belgium followed a World Health Organization decision on Monday to pause a large trial of hydroxychloroquine due to safety concerns. A UK regulator said on Wednesday that a separate trial was also being put on hold, less than a week after it started. The study, being led by the University of Oxford and partly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was expected to involve as many as 40,000 healthcare workers. "All hydroxychloroquine trials in COVID-19 remain under close review" while investigators assess any further risks, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said in an email to Reuters. The swift moves by authorities in countries hit hardest by the pandemic highlighted the challenge for governments scrambling to find ways to treat patients and control the novel coronavirus. After early reports that it might help some patients, regulators in several countries had allowed hydroxychloroquine to be used as a potential COVID-19 treatment. Trump was a particularly strong supporter, describing the drug as a "gamechanger." He later announced he was taking it to prevent infection. However, more recent studies have raised serious safety issues. British medical journal The Lancet has reported coronavirus patients receiving hydroxychloroquine were more likely to die and experience dangerous irregular heartbeats. On Wednesday, France's health ministry cancelled a decree in place for nearly two months that had allowed hospital doctors to dispense it in specific situations for COVID-19. Medicines agencies in France and Italy said the drug should not be used for COVID-19 outside clinical trials. Belgium's regulator said trials aiming to evaluate the drug should also take potential risks into consideration. Story continues Swiss drugmaker Novartis is pushing ahead with its U.S. study involving 440 patients, while French company Sanofi declined to comment on the future of its two trials. Italian health authorities concluded that the risks, coupled with little evidence hydroxychloroquine was beneficial against COVID-19, merited a ban outside of clinical trials. "New clinical evidence on the use of hydroxychloroquine in subjects with SARS-CoV-2 infection ... indicates an increased risk for adverse reactions with little or no benefit," medicines agency AIFA said. The WHO said a safety panel would evaluate by mid-June the drug's use in its multi-country trial of potential COVID-19 treatments. Germany is looking at The Lancet study and the WHO's decision but has not made any decision about new guidance on hydroxychloroquine, a spokeswoman for its drugs regulator said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has allowed healthcare providers to use hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 through an emergency-use authorization, but has not approved them to treat it. It also warned in April, that for safety reasons, the drug should be used only for hospitalized COVID-19 patients or those in clinical trials. The agency did not respond to queries asking whether it was reconsidering the emergency-use authorization. (Reporting by Matthias Blamont in Paris, Emilio Parodi in Milan, Marine Strauss in Brussels, Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt, Alistair Smout in London and Michael Erman in New York; Writing by Josephine Mason and John Miller; Editing by Mark Heinrich/Peter Graff and Grant McCool) He was a big sensation on primetime television before he moved to the big screen with Lootera in 2013. Later, Vikrant Massey proved his mettle with films like A Death In The Gunj and his last release, Chhapaak. His upcoming projects include Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, Haseen Dilrooba and Ginny Weds Sunny. Locked up at home during quarantine, Vikrant is spending his time watching movies and shows, cooking and realising the importance of life outside the confines of the home. Catching up with the actor, we play a quick round of the Three things lockdown version with him. Find out what he had to say... 3 books you wouldnt mind being locked down with We don't tend to keep reading the same books. But authors I dont mind reading would be Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgard, American author Bill Bryson, a wonderful author who makes you laugh and Kushwant Singh. These are three writers I do not mind reading more than once. 3 things youve watched during the lockdown I have watched a lot of films during the lockdown. I watched Thappad, the series, Money Heist and The Vikings. I watched English Medium and then revisited Irrfan Khan saabs Paan Singh Tomar. 3 songs youve heard the most during this time Three songs I have heard the most in my life would be any Michael Jackson songs. I know the lyrics by heart. I also love George Micheal songs and those by the Backstreet Boys. I hear these often. 3 people youve talked to the most since the lockdown started I talk to my girlfriend Sheetal (Thakur) regularly, my mom and dad. Also, to my close-knit group of friends. 3 people you will meet as soon as the lockdown is over My brother, my mother and my father. 3 outfits that define your lockdown Shorts and t-shirt, a plain white cotton kurta and pyjama. I specify 100 per cent cotton because its important during summers. I also wear shorts with a sleeveless ganji. 3 dishes youve eaten the most during this time Kheer, basic chicken gravy and dal chawal. 3 dishes you miss the most Mutton, palak paneer and rajma chawal, all made by my mother. 3 places you wish to visit as soon as this is over I was to go to London and Scotland for a brief holiday. Once we can travel, I would want to do that. Also, Goa. Ive missed the place badly. I miss the salt in the air. I'd like to take off to the hills because its too hot around. 3 things you realised you were taking for granted before quarantine Life in general. We were also taking hygiene lightly. So much can happen by just washing hands. The value of health and life and the possibility of it being normal again. Weve come to realise that this world can practise religion without worship places being open. The world can function without wars. Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Moscows ambassador in Damascus, Alexander Efimov, as his special envoy for developing relations with Syria on May 25. It is a newly created post and an addition to the two already existing envoys working with Damascus, the Kremlins special envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev and its special presidential envoy on the Middle East, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. Efimov will keep his job as Syrian ambassador, a position he has held since 2018. Prior to the assignment, Efimov spent five years as Russia's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Efimovs appointment can be viewed through two lenses. First, it may serve to help the Kremlin find the right balance between the diplomatic and military segments of Russias foreign policy team overseeing Syria. Lavrentiev, until recently the only presidential representative focused exclusively on the Syrian dossier, is generally associated with the military side. His mission has involved hashing out compromises in negotiations with Turkey and Israel as well as the creation and management of the so-called de-escalation zones mandated by the Astana and Sochi agreements, the purpose of which being to essentially fragment the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad. Lavrentiev has also been trying to nudge Assad into making symbolic concessions necessary to keep the Constitution Committee's work afloat. The creation of the Astana platform itself is the brainchild of the Russian military in Syria, eager to squeeze as many dividends as possible from the protracted conflict in the country. More pertinently, the military wants to see further budget increases to the boost armed forces and solidify Russian positions in the Middle East. From the perspective of achieving political compromise in Syria, however, the military's approach is hardly justified. Pursuing peace through the disarmament of the opposition groups and subsequently incorporating the rebels into the Russian-controlled 5 Corps may at first glance look like a valid compromise. It sounds like a good plan to the backers of Assads regime. However, those proposals make Russia appear less an arbiter who can motivate elites in Damascus to make compromises and more an ally to (or even the part of) the Syrian military. Moreover, the Russian military in Syria has a PR problem. Its accusations against the United States lack weight, not least due to a reputational hit it suffered following a series of high-profile gaffes when Russian state channels presented video game clips as war footage. The Defense Ministrys attempts to deny any success by the US-led international coalition in fighting the Islamic State in Syria also face doubts. At times even the Kremlin, mindful of its own publicity, sought to distance itself from the ministrys stance. The killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is one example. Initially the Kremlin supported the Defense Ministry, casting doubts on the US account of Bagdhadis killing. Yet later presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov contradicted those claims. Seen in this fashion, Efimovs new post could be considered a counterweight to the military influence in Russian foreign policy. The new envoy can bring a more economic and diplomatic component to the task of managing the situation in Syria. The second aspect of Efimovs appointment has to do with the task of rebuilding Syria, a topic that has been steadily rising on the Kremlins agenda. Efimovs past experience of working with the United Arab Emirates, an ally of growing importance to Russia and Syria, may also prove useful. It is notable that on Putin's last trip to Syria in January, he decided to touch down at Damascus International Airport despite lingering security threats, in what was perhaps a sign that the airport may be scaling up its operations. Indeed, last year several airlines, among them Bahreins Gulf Air and UAEs Emirati Etihad, mulled the possibility of resuming flights to Damascus Airport. Russian businessmen, for their part, showed willingness to bankroll the airports expansion via building an additional terminal. According to some reports, Russia even asked Israel to cease targeting the airport. In return, Moscow said it might help reduce the volume of Irans supplies through Damascus. The UAE has relayed to Moscow its willingness to play a part in rebuilding Syria's war-ravaged economy that has experienced further strain thanks to Western sanctions. Both Russian diplomats and Syrian civil servants have been engaging in dialogue with Abu Dabi officials. At one point, Damascus Governor Alaa Ibrahim mentioned interest expressed by some Emirati and Jordanian real estate companies to implement several projects in Daraya. The recent appointment of Talal al-Barazi as Syrias minister of local trade and consumer protection, replacing the much-criticized Atef al-Nad (an official linked to the notorious Rami Makhlouf), also has ties to the UAE. Efimovs UAE background, together with his knowledge of civilian and diplomatic affairs, makes him a helpful addition to the list of special envoys. He can bring his connections and unique perspective to feed information and analysis directly to the Kremlin, bypassing the Foreign Ministry and other bodies. It also strengthens the institutional position of the Russian Embassy in Syria. From now on, Damascus has to keep in mind that it is Russian diplomatic specialists, and not just military officers or private military contractors, who handle Moscow's Syria dossier. Last but not least, Efimovs appointment serves to further tighten Putins grip over Syrian affairs and solidify his role as a final arbiter in key decisions in this area of Russian foreign policy. By expanding the circle of his envoys, the president wants to make sure he is presented with a diverse set of views on the situation in Syria, as well as with different perspectives on Russias potential courses of action. And it all makes Putins personal preferences the ultimate and ever less predictable factor in defining Moscows strategy. Like an A-List actor, Hollywood cant resist casting the F-14 Tomcat, and we shall see her again sometime soon in Top Gun: Maverick, albeit in a cameo role. But before Tom Cruise brought us Maverick, there were the real Top Guns! This is what the trailer for Tomcat Tales, the latest documentary from Speed & Angels Productions, offers us a glimpse of. Its time to strap in to hear from the real TOP GUNS, the actual U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School graduates, as they tell never-before-heard stories of what it was like flying the mighty Tomcat! This will be the ultimate documentary about Americas most beloved Navy jet fighter the Grumman F-14 Tomcat! Tomcat Tales features four Rear Admirals, the Top Guns first Commanding Officer, the last living Naval Aviator who flew all of the Grumman Cats, and many other icons who flew the swing-wing beast of the seas! Mark Vizcarra and his brother who produced and directed this film both flew Tomcats, and actually flew together in an F-14 and later again in a Hornet during their operational careers. Its rare for film-makers to have such a unique, first hand perspective when it comes to military aviation. Stay tuned for the official release of Tomcat Tales this summer! As an award-winning, screenwriter, director, and producer, Mark Vizcarra founded Speed & Angels Productions to bring a fresh and unique perspective to producing entertaining content. His thousands of hours of flying the worlds most sophisticated fighters and landing aboard nine different aircraft carriers while serving in the United States Navy brings a level of authenticity to a niche piece of commercially viable storytelling. Speed & Angels Productions slate of untold stories delivers spectacular aerial cinematography and dramatic story arcs to an untapped market yearning for aviation and historical content. ALBANY A Niskayuna man who stole trade secrets from General Electric pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Thursday. Yang Sui, 42, admitted during an appearance before Judge Mae DAgostino that between 2015 and 2017 he stole numerous electronic files pertaining to the research, design, and manufacture of silicon carbide metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors, known as MOSFETS, according to federal prosecutors in Albany. Sui is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 10 when he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine either $250,000 or twice the value of the financial value of the crime. He also faces up to three years of supervised release. Under federal sentencing guidelines, most sentences are generally far less than what is technically possible under the law. The case, investigated by the FBI, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss and National Security Division Trial Attorney Matthew Chang. Hate speech is on the rise in America, particularly against members of the Asian and Jewish communities. Should cities, such as San Antonio, do nothing? Or should they try to minimize the harm caused by hate speech? My colleagues, St. Marys law professors Colin Marks and Chad Pomeroy, recently argued that San Antonio and its residents should do little to deter hate speech except in clear cases of criminality. (To equate free speech with crime chilling, Other Views, May 20). They said the city went too far when, in response to heated political rhetoric calling the coronavirus the Chinese virus, the City Council adopted a resolution. However, according to even the most potent portions of that nonbinding resolution, all persons are simply encouraged to report any antisemitic, discriminatory or racist incidents to the proper authorities for investigation and urged to denounce hate. Marks and Pomeroy are wrong. Our city leaders have a moral duty to fight discrimination. That duty is rooted not only in religious and philosophic teachings but in the widely endorsed principles of the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There is a difference between pure speech, on the one hand, and speech that is coupled with unlawful conduct, on the other hand. Pure speech is accorded broad constitutional protection. Speech accompanied by unlawful conduct is not. If only speech is involved, the merits of opposing views are properly left to the judgment of the marketplace. Thus, a person ordinarily cannot be sued or jailed for publishing a book or making a speech that espouses odious views. However, if speech is accompanied by unlawful conduct, the analysis changes. The matter is no longer an abstract clash of ideas. Instead, the issue is whether one persons interest in freedom from harm outweighs anothers interest in freedom of action. The First Amendment does not permit an individual to threaten another with imminent physical contact. That is an assault. The victim of an assault has a right to compensation under tort law, and the defendant is also subject to criminal penalties. Under tort law, words alone (pure speech) are not enough to constitute an assault. But if the words are accompanied by threatening gestures such as brandishing a weapon or chasing the victim they may be actionable. The assailant cannot defeat a tort action for assault by claiming the protection of free speech rights under the First Amendment. The problem with saying that a city should encourage the reporting or investigation of hate speech only in cases of clear criminality is that many cases are not clear. There needs to be an investigation. It is impossible to know whether hate speech is constitutionally protected without looking at the facts. Should we be concerned about the San Antonio ordinance chilling hate speech? Certainly not. What we should be worried about is whether weak and vulnerable victims of discrimination are being bullied into relinquishing their civil and human rights. Vincent R. Johnson is interim dean and the Charles E. Cantu distinguished professor of law at St. Marys University School of Law. Reuters Two NASA astronauts gearing up to ride SpaceX's new space taxi will now be on a mission planned to last more than a month, instead of a week, to help the short-handed crew aboard the International Space Station, the US space agency said on Friday. The launch is scheduled for May 27 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will arrive at the ISS the following day. The mission, SpaceX's first carrying humans, marks the company's climactic test before NASA can certify its Crew Dragon capsule for regular operational flights. Space Shuttle veterans Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are set to be the first astronauts launched from American soil since the shuttle program was terminated in 2011. The mission's extension allows Hurley and Behnken to help swap out the station's batteries, a task that requires an outside spacewalk the current US resident on the ISS, Chris Cassidy, could not do alone. The two astronauts embraced the mission extension, with Hurley saying it could last anywhere from one to four months. "I think that it being in the summertime, hopefully with a 27 May launch date, we're hitting a good time so that my son will be able to follow the mission a little more closely than he would if he was in school," Behnken said. SpaceX and Boeing Co have been awarded a combined $7 billion to build separate crew transportation systems under the Commercial Crew Program, NASA's flagship campaign to use the private sector for ISS missions and curb its reliance on Russia's Soyuz rocket. "We currently are supporting the station with the bare minimum," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said on Friday. "Without the presence of Behnken and Hurley, we otherwise would likely defer such an operation until additional NASA crew members are available." Kirk Shireman, NASA's ISS program manager, told reporters on Friday that the agency is basing the length of Hurley and Behnken's mission on how quickly SpaceX can finish preparations on its next capsule. Delays with development of both SpaceX and Boeing vehicles have led NASA to extend its reliance on Russia, forcing the space agency to buy additional seats on the Soyuz rocket to ferry more astronauts to space. Dont take off your mask. Dont touch your classmates. And, please, dont toss your cap. New Jersey released guidelines Wednesday night for outdoor, in-person high school graduation ceremonies that Gov. Phil Murphy said would look unlike any others" before. Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, all students must stay six feet apart, schools may want to consider barring guests and districts should consider checking the temperatures of every person who attends the event, according to guidance from the state Department of Education. The guidance also says drive-thru ceremonies, which many high school have already planned for June, cannot occur until July 6, the same date Murphy announced in-person ceremonies could occur. (The full list of guidelines can be seen here.) Notably, the directive does not give districts the total number of people who can attend a ceremony. It says only that ceremonies must meet the capacity limits for outdoor gatherings in place on the date of the graduation. That number is currently 25, although Murphy has said he hopes to increase it as new COVID-19 cases decline. That was the directive I was looking for, said David Cittadino, superintendent of the Old Bridge Township School District, home to one of the states largest high schools. That is the information I thought would have been key. Cittadino, whose graduating class has about 750 students, added districts will likely interpret the states suggestions for temperature checks and other safety measures as rules rather than guidelines for fear of legal liability. If you didnt do that, there would be those critics saying you should have done it, he said. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage Graduation ceremonies have become a flashpoint in the push to reopen the state after the near-lockdown measures Murphy imposed in March. The guidance comes a day after Gov. Phil Murphy announced colleges, high schools and middle schools can have outdoor, in-person graduation ceremonies beginning July 6. The shrinking number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations gave the governor confidence that schools can have ceremonies as long as proper safety measures are taken, he said. He had also been pressured to allow in-person ceremonies by parents, students and state politicians from both parties. The steps we are taking are necessary to ensure the health and safety of everyone in attendance, Murphy said Tuesday, but we are equally as confident that no one will ever forget the way we will celebrate the Class of 2020. Other key guidelines include: Exclude anyone with a temperature of 100.4 F or higher. Strongly encourage everyone attending to wear face coverings. Limit access to indoor facilities, with the exception of the bathroom. Consider contact-less measures for providing students with diplomas. Limit contact between students and families by discouraging throwing caps or giving gifts or flowers. Schools are thrilled with the flexibility the state offered to hold in-person ceremonies, but the devil is in the details, said Robert Zywicki, superintendent of the Mount Olive Township Public Schools. Specifically, the provision about maximum attendance being based upon the then current directives for outdoor gatherings will mean that districts will have to probably plan for multiple ceremonies to ensure proper social distancing, Zywicki said. Like parents and families, some New Jersey superintendents waited late into Wednesday evening for the state guidelines that Murphy had said would come by the end of the day. The news came around 8:30 p.m., and school leaders spent the night trying to assess what it means for their communities. It seems more and more like decisions about graduation ceremonies are being made without consulting school leaders," said Scott Taylor, superintendent of Highland Park School District. Superintendents would tell the decision-makers that we need to know once and for all the guidelines we have to follow. "We would tell them that they have to take lots of things that goes into planning into consideration before making a firm decision. Cittadino said the states constantly changing stance on graduations has created confusion. He was hoping the guidance released Wednesday would be clear and concise. Instead, he has more questions. I am thinking there is going to have to be more information to come out, Cittadino said. My concern is if there is so much confusion over a graduation ceremony... what are the directives going to be for the 2021 school year and what is school going to look like? Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. "This agreement establishes a win-win partnership between the City of Tulsa and IC Bus for decades to come," Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said. "The industry leader in school bus manufacturing will have a home to build products that are trusted all around the world, while local jobs are secured and the taxpayers' facility is properly maintained for the long term. I am excited for the future of IC Bus in Tulsa." The nearly mile-long, 1-million-square-foot plant is the world's leading producer of school buses. Bus production is currently at its peak, and approximately 75 vehicles are typically produced daily. "We'd like to thank Mayor Bynum for his personal involvement in resolving these negotiations," said Phil Christman, president of Operations for Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV), the parent company of IC Bus. "Thanks to his leadership, we have a decades-long framework to stay, invest and grow the IC Bus plant and our supply chain in Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma. Tulsa is a great community with a talented workforce. We're very pleased to be remaining in Tulsa, and look forward to keeping it what it is today the school bus capital of the world." Mayor Bynum's agreement with IC Bus retains the following economic benefits in Tulsa for years to come: More than 1,600 men and women have careers manufacturing and assembling the safest, most technologically advanced school buses ever made. Manufacturing jobs provide economic opportunity and stable careers for Tulsa families, and the IC Bus plant provides annual direct income of more than $60 million annually. The average team member has worked at the plant for 6.5 years. families, and the IC Bus plant provides annual direct income of more than annually. The average team member has worked at the plant for 6.5 years. The IC Bus plant spends $750 million each year on vendors and suppliers, including more than 100 Oklahoma-based businesses. each year on vendors and suppliers, including more than 100 Oklahoma-based businesses. An IC Bus supplier, IMMI, is building a 45,000-square-foot greenfield manufacturing plant, specializing in the manufacturing of seating systems, in Tulsa to support the assembly of school buses at the IC Bus Plant. to support the assembly of school buses at the IC Bus Plant. The new lease prioritizes current and long-term investments in plant maintenance and improvements and creates an automatic process for establishing a multi-year investment program every 5-years of the lease. About the City of Tulsa: Tulsa is the second largest city in Oklahoma, with a population of over 400,000. Tulsa has developed a widely diversified business base which includes nationally prominent companies in aviation and aerospace, telecommunications, data processing, manufacturing and distribution among several job sectors. Tulsa is known to have the best of big-city amenities balanced with low cost of living and high quality of life with its world-class parks, museums, and music along with great shopping and food experiences. The City of Tulsa government has approximately 3,700 employees and handles a wide range of services and operations for Tulsa residents. About Navistar: Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) is a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliates produce International brand commercial trucks, proprietary diesel engines, and IC Bus brand school and commercial buses. An affiliate also provides truck and diesel engine service parts. Another affiliate offers financing services. Additional information is available at www.Navistar.com. SOURCE Navistar International Corporation Related Links http://www.navistar.com T wo men caught transporting more than 20 million of cocaine in a frozen food van have been jailed after one of Britains biggest ever drugs busts. Baldev Singh Sahota, 54, was driving the food truck on the outskirts of Birmingham when police swooped on December 11 last year, finding 168kg of class A drugs hidden among pallets of food. Fellow drug supplier Shakti Gupta, 34, was caught when officers then raided a property on a nearby trading estate, recovering a further 4kg of cocaine and MDMA as well as a kilo of drug cutting agent. Scotland Yard said the seizure was one of the biggest in British history and they suspect the majority of the drugs were intended for sale on the streets of London. Shakti Gupta was given 18 years Gupta was jailed for 18 years and Sahota 16 years after both admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Detective Superintendent Neil Ballard, from the Mets Specialist Crime Command said: This operation has resulted in one of the largest land seizures of cocaine within the UK, ever. It is an extremely significant amount of Class A drugs that indicates the scale of this organised drug supply, which the Met has successfully dismantled. This sentencing result is due to the hard work and commitment from those involved in dismantling drugs networks that are intrinsically linked to the violence that we have seen playing out on our streets throughout the country. This result should serve as a stark warning to anyone involved in the supply of drugs in London and the rest of the UK that we will do everything we legitimately can to bring you to justice. The Met will continue to work with, and assist, our colleagues in other forces around the country, who are all dedicated to removing the drugs from our streets and reducing the serious violence associated with drugs supply, to protect the public. Body-worn camera footage captured the moment Met officers, working with colleagues in the West Midlands, searched Sahotas van after a stop on the A45. Hidden among the shipments of frozen meat were 168 dark-coloured bricks of cocaine, each weighing a kilogram and neatly packaged into food boxes. Police later raided a property on a trading estate in the Hockley district of Birmingham where Gupta was based. Sahota, from Oldbury, West Midlands and Gupta, of Quinton, Birmingham, both admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine when they appeared at Birmingham crown court in January. They have been in custody since and were sentenced on May 13. The MoIT would replace the FiT with competitive bidding Photo: Le Toan The central province of Binh Thuan, where there is high potential to develop renewables in Vietnam, has asked relevant authorities to carefully review the financial capacity of locally-invested company HLP Invest after it submitted a proposal to survey land for a giant $4.4 billion wind project. Established in 2017, HLP Invest initially had a charter capital of only VND3 billion (over $130,000), with seven founding individual shareholders. Among them, general director Nguyen Manh Cuong is the largest shareholder, contributing about 38 per cent of the charter capital. Besides that, Cuong is also the founding shareholder of VSP Binh Thuan II Solar Power JSC, which is proposing to transfer 100 per cent of capital to overseas investors. Cuong said that in order to select qualified investors and push the project in time, it may have to tighten the requirements, with Vietnam poised for a renewable energy boom thanks to a feed-in tariff (FiT) of 9.35 cents per kilowatt-hour (KWh) for solar, FiT of 8.5 cents KWh for onshore, and FiT of 9.8 cents KWh for offshore wind projects, for a period of 20 years. Some experts, however, have raised questions as to whether or not domestic companies are simply registering projects like this and then reselling it to other investors, with wind farm development depending critically on the experience of international project developers. Most solar and wind developers in Vietnam have no idea about energy and are only interested in land acquisition. They consider renewable energy projects as real estate ones so the strategy is to get the land and/or the power purchase agreement then sell as soon as possible to take the profits, solar rooftop expert Mai Van Trung told VIR. Risky developments According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), as of May 11 there were 92 solar power projects and 10 wind power ones operating commercially in the nation, with a total capacity of nearly 6,000MW. The ministry admitted that some projects have been transferred partially or wholly to foreign investors by establishing joint ventures or share sales, including investors from Thailand, the Philippines, China, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia. One Indian renewable investor who has three renewable energy projects across Asia told VIR that Vietnams surging demand and high FiT for renewable are luring interest, but it poses more risks for latecomers as the rate will be locked in the coming time. According to Decision No.13/2020/QD-TTg dated April 6 on incentives for development of solar energy in Vietnam, the newly-released FiTs will only be available for projects with commercial operation date prior to December 31. This is a short timeline, considering the long lead-in-time for some deliveries and, for many projects, completing land acquisition procedures. Meanwhile, Nguyen Dang Anh Thi, an energy and environmental specialist in Canada said, We have seen a boom in investment into renewable energy, mostly solar photovoltaic (PV), in Vietnam in the last three years. It is a good sign that the country is doing the right thing in clean energy transition. However, as an emerging market where a reasonable legal framework is yet to be established, while the current FiT is attractive, there is no question that a lot of so-called investors have been trying to acquire as many projects as they can. Thi added that the big concern is while real investors with strong technical expertise and financial resources are still looking for good projects to invest, others are just sitting on their projects doing nothing but trying to make money by selling their licences. This project speculation not only limits the country from having the correct and best investors but also causes damage to the business environment. Specifically in solar PV, these activities will potentially cause delays in venture installations and overall delays in the national energy master plan, causing electricity shortages. Meanwhile, John Rockhold, chairman of the Vietnam Business Forums Power and Energy Working Group, pointed out that many local businesses have registered renewable energy projects and then find a way to sell to others because local authorities do not get the necessary data to carefully and impartially appraise project proposals, with no specific standard criteria to assess the capacity of the investor including experience, financial and technical capacity. He suggested that this could be minimised by requiring data to impartially appraise the capacity of investors by competent authorities and actively support investors by facilitating compensation and land clearance to minimise difficulties raised. The hot renewable development of Vietnam, while bringing success, is also spurring more risk for investors involved in mergers and acquisitions and competition for land, and causing issues with an overloaded grid and transmission lines. An auction fix The MoIT is studying and proposing to apply a bidding mechanism for developing renewable energy sources to replace the FiT mechanism in the future. With the support of the World Bank, the government is designing a programme based on the present strategy developed through consultations with various ministries and the private sector. This is considered to be more beneficial for the development of Vietnams renewable energy market when technology costs fall sharply, and renewable energy can compete with traditional sources including coal and gas. A competitive bidding mechanism, if established, can help to select the right investors and reduce the development risks perceived by them, thus reducing risk premium expectations in equity returns and cost of debt of the project, according to energy and environmental specialist Thi. As a result, the competitive bidding could lead to a reduced solar PV tariff being offered. There are many international best practices in competitive bidding around the world for Vietnam to learn from, Thi added. The Vietnam Business Forums Power and Energy Working Group said that the MoIT proposed in March a competitive pricing mechanism for solar PV power project development to the prime minister for approval, which outlines three auction options that can apply in parallel for years to come (see box). Rockhold said that with the first option, concerns remain that financially unqualified investors are getting licences for projects approved under the national power development plan who only registered bids to pass the project on to foreign investors. Regardless of their capacity to back up a competitive bid, they manipulate bidding with the sole goal of selling their major or minor stakes in project companies for marginal profit. As soon as an under-qualified local investor has his project approved, he will reach out to sell the project right away. Bidding or not, they were planning this from the start. In this case, it would not fix the problem, Rockhold said. Meanwhile, the second and third options might help to eliminate under-qualified investors to secure projects and sell them at a later stage as in bidding dossiers they have to prove their qualifications and capacity to bid. Auctions also require that all information and costs on land, grid connections, compensation and more are made available, Rockhold added. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, May 28, 2020 13:34 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bdaa7e8a 1 Business industry-ministry,new-normal,guideline,manufacturer,COVID-19 Free The Industry Ministry will issue a guideline for manufacturers to resume operations during the partial alleviations of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), as the country gears up to restart the economy under a new normal. Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasismita said on Wednesday that the guideline would be in accordance with a set of policies on the prevention of COVID-19 in offices and factories, issued by Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto on May 20. The policies set out requirements for businesses to be allowed to reopen, including keeping a physical distance between workers, ensuring sufficient handwashing facilities and prohibiting older workers from working late hours. Insya Allah [God willing], I will sign the guideline on Friday for employers who wish to operate during the new normal, he said during an online press conference. The COVID-19 outbreak has forced shops, factories, offices and schools to shut down, causing widespread layoffs and a decline in manufacturing industry production. Physical distancing requirements have also affected the operation of manufacturing businesses as many Indonesian factories require workers to carry out tasks in close proximity. Agus hopes the partial lift of PSBB measures could revive manufacturing companies productivity, as factories across the country have seen their utilization rate drop to 20 to 30 percent. Even in new normal conditions, factories an only deploy half of its workforce, which will affect their productivity, he said. Factories that already use robotics and 4.0 technology can do well without on-site workers. However, most of our factories still heavily rely on human labor. The manufacturing industry accounts for almost 20 percent of Indonesias gross domestic product (GDP), the largest among other business sectors. The Health Ministrys PSBB policy allows manufacturing factories to operate during social restriction with operational and mobility permits (IOMKI) from the Industry Ministry and strict health protocols. During the press conference, Agus said the ministry had issued 17,000 IOMKI since the Health Ministrys regulation took effect. Crime By Ls Cohen Published: May 28 2020 Investigators used a technique called genetic genealogy to identify the victim as Valerie Mack. Suffolk Police announced on Thursday that they have positively identified a Jane Doe victim in the Gilgo Beach Murders. The identity of Manorville Jane Doe, aka Jane Doe #6 is Valerie Mack. This is believed to be the first time a law enforcement agency in New York State has used genetic genealogy to identify an individual as part of a police investigation, SCPD said in a statement. In a New York Times article on genetic genealogy, the technique uses DNA submitted to online genealogy sites. Experts believe the technique could be used to revive investigations into a vast number of cases that have gone cold across the country, including at least 100,000 unsolved major violent crimes and 40,000 unidentified bodies, the article said. According to police, Mack, who also used the name Melissa Taylor, went missing in 2000 at the age of 24. She was working as an escort in Philadelphia at the time of her disappearance and family members last saw her in the spring or summer of 2000 in the area of Port Republic, New Jersey. Macks partial remains were found in a wooded area off Halsey-Manor Road in Manorville the same year she went missing and more than a decade later, her dismembered remains were found along Ocean Parkway. You can watch a news conference with Hart announcing the identity of Jane Doe #6 below: For two decades, Valerie Macks family and friends were left searching for answers and while this is not the outcome they wanted, we hope this brings some sense of peace and closure, said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart. Hart thanked the FBI for helping police in the investigation and for the technology that identified the previously unknown victim. We will continue to use every investigative tool available to aggressively investigate these murders, she said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 28 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The export of ready-made clothes from Turkey to Azerbaijan from January through April 2020 increased by 4.88 percent compared to the same period of 2019 and amounted to $12.9 million, the Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend. At the same time, the export of ready-made clothes from Turkey to Azerbaijan in April 2020 decreased by 10.92 percent compared to April 2019 and amounted to $2.7 million. The export of ready-made clothes from Turkey to the world markets decreased by 20.1 percent from January through April 2020 compared to the same period of last year and reached $4.8 billion. This figure made up 9.3 percent of the country's total export volume from January through April 2020. Turkey exported ready-made clothing worth $575.8 million to the world markets in April 2020, which is 61.7 percent less than in the same month of 2019. The export of ready-made clothes from Turkey in April 2020 amounted to 6.4 percent of the country's total export volume. Turkey exported ready-made clothing worth $16.5 billion over the past 12 months (from April 2019 through April 2020). --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu T he UK's chief Brexit negotiator has ruled out accepting a request from the European Union for an extension. David Frost said the Government would reject such a request as the legally binding June 30 deadline for extending negotiations beyond 2020 looms. It comes after EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the bloc was "open" to a two-year extension on Wednesday. He was responding to a letter from the Westminster leaders of the SNP, Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru, SDLP, Greens and Alliance Party calling for a 24 delay amid deadlock in talks. Lord Wood of Anfield said during a Lords EU committee hearing this afternoon: It sounds like the June deadline for an extension request is neither here nor there, it wont be used under any circumstances. Is that true? David Frost has called on EU negotiator Michel Barnier (right) to drop his 'ideological' approach / AP Are there any circumstances for doing the negotiations that would prompt you to actually consider an extension request? Mr Frost responded: The Governments positions pretty clear that we are not going to ask for an extension and if the EU asks for one, we will not agree to that. So I think thats just part of the framework now and were working to an end-year deadline." Earlier this month, the negotiator admitted "very little progress" had been made in the "disappointing" latest round of talks with the EU. He hit out at the EU's negotiator Michel Barnier, saying he found it "hard to understand why the EU insists on an ideological approach which makes it more difficult to reach a mutually beneficial agreement." The two sides are at stalemate over trade, security and fisheries ahead of the next round of talks which begin on June 1. Downing Street has previously said it could be forced to divert its attention from negotiations towards a no-deal scenario if no breakthrough is made by July 1. Over 165 migrant workers were ferried back home to Jharkhand from Mumbai in a chartered flight, which was arranged by the alumni network of a Bengaluru-based law school, making it the first such instance in the country amid the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, an official statement said. The Air Asia flight carrying 169 migrant workers and five children left the western metropolis at 6.25 am and reached Ranchi, the Jharkhand capital, around 8.25 am, an airline spokesperson said. The spokesperson said the National Law School (NLS) alumni association had taken on lease a 180-seater A320 plane, a first such charter operation by the budget carrier since passenger services resumed in the country. AirAsia India is proud to be a part of this initiative that helps migrant workers, adversely impacted by the lockdown, reach their homes and families. We have been working closely with the organisers, alumni of the National Law School, who we understand have independently crowdfunded their efforts to assist and repatriate migrant workers from Mumbai to Ranchi, the official said in a statement. At Ranchis Birsa Munda Airport, the migrant workers underwent a medical screening and the administration provided them with food packets, before sending them off to quarantine centres in different districts of Jharkhand in buses. Expressing gratitude to the alumni association of the law school in Bengaluru, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said, This is the first time in the country that a plane brought mazdoor back during the lockdown. I appreciate the effort of the Alumni Network of National Law School, Bengaluru. Shyel Trehan, one of those behind the initiative, said in the statement, We are happy to have made this very small contribution to addressing a massive travesty. I would like to thank AirAsia for all their support. This was a massive group effort with Priya Sharma, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Bombay, and the alumni from the National Law School working together, Trehan said. One of the workers, after completing the formalities at the airport, said he would want to thank the law school alumni network and the state for ensuring his safe return. I work as a welder in Mumbai. All of us are happy to return. I would like to thank everybody who facilitated our return, he told reporters. Soren, on his part, said the state is committed to bringing back all the migrant workers stranded in different corners of the country and in this endeavour, the government has established communication with the Centre. PTI PVR IAS RMS RC (Reuters) - Moderna Inc has extended a deal to secure large volumes of the lipids used to produce its experimental COVID-19 vaccine as the U.S. biotech looks to build capacity and produce enough doses to meet expected global demand. The company on Thursday signed an agreement with Swiss firm CordenPharma for the supply of large-scale volumes of lipid excipients used to produce its vaccine candidate. There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for COVID-19, and experts predict a safe and effective vaccine could take 12 to 18 months from the start of development. Vaccines are seen by world leaders as the only real way to restart their economies after months of lockdowns. However, there is a growing concern that some nations, including the United States, could seek to hoard a successful candidate as initial manufacturing capacity is unlikely to be sufficient to meet global demand. Moderna said last week that its vaccine candidate, the first to be tested in the United States, produced protective antibodies in a small group of healthy volunteers, offering a glimmer of hope for a vaccine among the most advanced in development. "This expansion will increase supply of lipid excipients used to manufacture our mRNA products," Moderna's chief technical operations and quality officer, Juan Andres, said. Moderna plans to supply millions of doses per month in 2020 and tens of millions a month in 2021 if the vaccine proves successful. The company has signed a 10-year deal with Swiss contract drug manufacturer Lonza to help speed up manufacturing the vaccine with the aim to reach up to a billion doses annually. Moderna's shares were up 2% before the bell on Thursday. (Reporting by Shubham Kalia and Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by David Clarke and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to travelers worldwide being impacted by COVID-19, travel insurance providers are already making policy changes to address new concerns and the future of travel. Travel insurance comparison site, Squaremouth.com, spoke with ten leading travel insurance providers to reveal four ways travel insurance is evolving because of COVID-19. New Traveler Concerns are Top Priority for Providers Before January 2020, pandemics and viruses were not common concerns for travelers, with only one provider on Squaremouth.com offering coverage for CDC alerts. Following the widespread impacts of COVID-19 on the travel industry, coverage for viral outbreaks may become more in demand. Providers are developing policies that will offer more coverage for some of the impacts of a future pandemic, such as travel warnings and CDC alerts. "We want to be here for our customers should a future pandemic occur. We have launched new plans that include coverage for Level 4 Travel Warnings," said Bailey Foster, Vice President of Trip Cancellation for Trawick International. Providers Offer Coverage for Medical Concerns In order for a traveler to have coverage for any event, they must purchase a travel insurance policy before the event occurs. Many travel insurance providers stopped covering losses related to COVID-19 as early as January 21, the date the first CDC alert was issued. However, some providers are still offering cancellation and medical benefits relating to COVID-19 on new policies purchased. "Contracting COVID-19, as well as being quarantined while traveling, is still something that can disrupt travel plans, and travelers could have coverage," said Dean Sivley, President of Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. As of May 28, 2020, travelers can purchase policies from six providers on Squaremouth.com that include cancellation coverage if they contract COVID-19 or are quarantined. Future Trips May Require Different Benefits According to data collected on Squaremouth.com, 40% of customers plan to travel domestically following COVID-19, compared to just 11% in previous years. In response to this new behavior, travel insurance providers are creating more products geared toward the domestic traveler, which includes trip cancellation coverage and low medical benefits. "Most U.S. travelers can be covered by health insurance when traveling within the U.S., so they may need little to no medical coverage from their travel insurance," said Jessica Burns, Vice President of Tin Leg. "Trip cancellation coverage will be the most important benefit for domestic travelers, as is can reimburse 100% of their non-refundable trip cost if they have to cancel for a covered reason." Cancel for Any Reason Coverage Will Remain Top of Mind The Cancel for Any Reason upgrade became widely popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, and remains the best option for future travelers with concerns not covered by a standard policy. "Travelers want assurance that they can cancel a trip and get reimbursed if another unprecedented situation occurs to disrupt their travel plans," said Jeremy Murchland, President of Seven Corners. TRAVEL INSURANCE INFORMATION FOR COVID-19 The Traveler's Guide to Travel Insurance for COVID-19 was created to inform travelers about their insurance options during the coronavirus pandemic. The Coronavirus Pandemic Current Event Center includes answers to frequently asked questions and providers' position statements. These resources are updated daily as the situation evolves. ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH SQUAREMOUTH compares travel insurance policies from every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third-party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare travel insurance policies side-by-side . More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com . Available Topic Expert: Kasara Barto [email protected] SOURCE Squaremouth Related Links http://www.squaremouth.com Then there are the mistakes. A data entry slip-up caused Massachusetts to pump up the number of federal claims by nearly a million last week. The previous week, a similar flub in Connecticut mistakenly inflated its total by a quarter of a million. Its unclear if states are including duplicate claims due to error, fraud or the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, said Ernie Tedeschi, a policy economist at Evercore ISI in Washington. But that is not all. That system is also probably missing millions of other laid-off workers. As of Tuesday, three states had not put the pandemic unemployment insurance program into effect, and several others have yet to report any claims. Thirteen states have not started another federal emergency relief program, to provide an additional 13 weeks of benefits to workers who have exhausted their state benefits. Laid-off workers who have not applied for benefits and those who have left the labor force entirely are not included in the claims numbers. Nor are any of the eight million undocumented workers who lost their jobs. They are not eligible for any benefits. Neither are new graduates just entering the labor force. Matthew Wilson, 24, who lost his barista job in Philadelphia, was turned down because he had been working in the state for less than a year. It doesnt make any sense I moved, and now Im magically not qualified for unemployment? said Mr. Wilson, who relocated to Pennsylvania after graduating from Tufts University in Massachusetts last year. He appealed the decision and heard last week that his claim had been approved, but he hasnt received any money. His partner, who also lost her job as a barista, has applied four times but has yet to collect benefits. As for regular unemployment benefits, states draw up their own rules and administer benefits. The result is that in some places, like Florida, Texas and Arizona, only a small fraction of jobless workers are receiving benefits, while other states offer much broader coverage. The Gombe State Government has debunked rumours that the Federal Government has fixed June 8 as resumption date for schools in the country. On Thursday, the state Commissioner for Education, Dr. Habu Dahiru made the clarification during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe. Also Read: Gombe Lifts Ban On Religious Activities He warned schools in the state against reopening or risk their licenses being revoked. Advertisement Dahiru said that the ministry of education was yet to receive any circular from relevant agencies on resumption date for schools in the country. He further expressed that the state isnt considering opening of schools until the virus is defeated. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. (TSX-V: REVO), (Frankfurt:IJA2) (the Company) is pleased to announce that a Definitive Agreement (DA) has been signed with Flutterwave on May 28th 2020. The DA, signed by RevoluGROUP CEO, Steve Marshall and, Ernest Obi, of Flutterwave, for RevoluPAY e-Wallet family remittances to be collected at African banks linked to the Flutterwave platform in: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo DRC, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The parties have agreed upon delivery commissions payable to Flutterwave, independent of the amount sent and per individual beneficiary delivery via RevoluPAY into African territories. The technical linking of mutual merchant payments settlement systems and the mechanism for the instant delivery of worldwide remittances is expected to be concluded within 30 days. About Flutterwave And Their Remittance Delivery Markets Flutterwave, specializing in African payment settlements, was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in San Francisco and Lagos Nigeria. In 2019, Flutterwave processed 107 million transactions worth $5.4 billion, according to company data. Further information concerning Flutterwave can be found at: CNN, Reuters, Techcrunch. More than half of global population growth over the next 30 years is expected to occur in Africa, according to a report from the United Nations. About the Targeted Remittance Markets According to the World Bank, remittances to Sub-Saharan Africa grew almost 10 percent to $46 billion in 2018, supported by strong economic conditions in high-income economies. Remittances to the Middle East and North Africa grew 9 percent to $62 billion in the same year. The Companys Strategy Concerning the African Continent In conjunction with todays Africa focused definitive agreement the company will draw upon the profound knowledge and relationships of RevoluGROUP Executive Director Mr. Bernard Lonis. Mr. Lonis, a diplomat and dual Senegalese/French citizen, was the consul of Senegal in Spain for approximately 7 years until late 2019, at which time he was named the consul to France in Spain. France has one of the largest populations of African migrants in Europe, a large proportion of inhabitants of its overseas departments and territories who have African roots live in the country but maintain sociocultural, economic or political ties to their country of origin. The ensemble of the French population with an African heritage is estimated to be close to 5.5 Million citizens. Remittances from African diasporas are estimated to be three times the total sum of official development assistance around the world ($429 billion in 2016) Source. Top 40 World Bank Update Further to the news release dated the 25th May 2020, RevoluPAY S.L. CEO, Alfredo Manresa, successfully notarized the cited legal deed on the 26th May, modifying the: paid-up share capital, operating license and corporate name to properly reflect the new licensed financial nomenclature - RevoluPAY EP S.L. The deed was same-day submitted to the Central Bank. As a result, the company and said Top 40 World Bank expect to sign the impending agreement early next week. Links Utilized in This News Release World Bank - https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2019/04/08/record-high-remittances-sent-globally-in-2018 French Diplomacy - https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/africa/the-african-diaspora-in-france/ Flutterwave - https://flutterwave.com CNN - https://money.cnn.com/2017/07/31/technology/business/flutterwave-africa/index.html Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/us-flutterwave-worldpy-funding/african-fintech-flutterwave-gets-35-million-partners-with-worldpay-idUSKBN1ZK1IE TechCRUNCH - https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/21/african-fintech-firm-flutterwave-raises-35m-partners-with-worldpay/ RevoluPAY Country List 2020 - https://revolugroup.com/site/assets/files/5590/revolupay_2018.pdf About RevoluPAY The Companys flagship technology is the PSD2 Licensed RevoluPAY, the Apple and Android multinational payment app. Built entirely in-house, RevoluPAY features proprietary, sector specific, technology of which, the resulting source code is the property of the Company. RevoluPAYs built-in features include: Leisure payments, travel payments, forex, retail and hospitality payments, Remittance payments, Real Estate payments, Healthcare Payments, Egaming, Esports, pay-as-you-go phone top-ups, Utility Bill payments, alternative Lending, etc. RevoluPAY is powered by blockchain protocols, and, is squarely aimed at the worldwide multi-billion dollar leisure sector and, + $595 billion family remittance market. RevoluPAY is operated by the European wholly owned subsidiary RevoluPAY EP S.L located in Barcelona. RevoluPAY EP S.L is a fully self-licensed European PSD2 payment institution under the auspices of EU Directive 2015/2366. RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. controls 5 wholly owned subsidiaries on 4 continents. About RevoluGROUP Canada Inc.: RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. is a multi-asset, multidivisional publicly traded Canadian company deploying advanced technologies in the; Online Travel, Vacation Resort, Mobile Apps, Money Remittance, Mobile Phone Top-Ups, EGaming, Healthcare Payments, Esports, Invoice factoring, Blockchain Systems, and Fintech app sectors. Click here to read more. For further information on RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. (TSX-V: REVO) visit the Companys website at www.RevoluGROUP.com. The Company has approximately 165,042,105 shares issued and outstanding. RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. Steve Marshall ______________________ STEVE MARSHALL CEO For further information contact: Don Mosher RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. Telephone: (604) 685-6465 Toll Free: 800-567-8181 Facsimile: 604-687-3119 Email: info@revolugroup.com NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. RESTON, Va., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ligado Networks today announced more than $100 million in new investments to begin taking the necessary steps to build 5G IoT networks that serve mission-critical industries like public safety and emergency response, commercial transportation, energy, and manufacturing. The financing, which comes in the wake of recent, unanimous regulatory approval modifying Ligado's spectrum licenses, is the first tranche of new investment in the company's future. The funding demonstrates significant commitment from investors to help Ligado advance American competitiveness in the race to 5G, as well as spur economic recovery. "With this new round of capital, we are better prepared than ever to do exactly what we've said: get this mid-band spectrum deployed to support the next-generation wireless networks needed to bring America's critical infrastructure and essential services into the 21st century," said Ligado CEO Doug Smith. "The investments will create American jobs, expand innovation and directly enhance critical industries such as first responders, health care workers and supply chain personnel that depend on ubiquitous and ultra-reliable networks to protect and secure American lives." After several years of testing, the Federal Communications Commission last month approved Ligado's more than four-year-old application to update its spectrum licenses to provide new 5G services. The new investment announced today provides capital specifically earmarked to operationalize Ligado's vision. It will support expansion of the wireless ecosystem, including chipset and device development and spectrum standardization. Besides supporting critical entities like public safety and emergency response, Ligado's services can also serve customers in the transportation, agriculture, energy, and supply chain sectors. "At a time of unprecedented uncertainty at home and abroad, we stand ready to help boost America's economic progress, job creation and national security by providing critical support to the companies and workers that this country can't live without which is important now more than ever," Smith said. As the company moves into this new phase of development, it is also taking steps to enhance its current services and introduce new offerings to current customers. These include facilitating Internet of Things device operations across both satellite and terrestrial networks and providing spectrum partnerships to mobile operators, supporting the wireless networks that millions of Americans use every day. About Ligado Networks Making connections is Ligado's core mission. Our vision is to modernize American infrastructure by connecting the Industrial Internet of Things. With our current state-of-the-art satellite technology and plans to deploy Custom Private Networks for the businesses that keep this country running, we're paving the way for future innovations. SOURCE Ligado Networks The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has suddenly shut down its headquarters for two weeks after the death of Ibanga Bassey E... The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has suddenly shut down its headquarters for two weeks after the death of Ibanga Bassey Etang, the acting executive director of finance. There are fears that he might have contracted the coronavirus. Silas Anyawu, who signed the memo shutting down the office on behalf of the management, wrote: I am directed to inform all staff that management has approved that the commission be shut down for two weeks from today 28 May 2020. Consequently, all activities in the commission including ongoing matters are hereby shut down for the time being. Members of staff are to ensure that all electrical appliances in their offices are switched off before leaving the premises. The head security is by this memo directed to work out modalities to ensure the safety and security of the commission while director, the administration is requested to fumigate and decontaminate the entire offices and premises in the Headquarters during the period. Meanwhile staff are enjoined to go into self-isolation for two weeks as they await further directive from Management. The directors death is coming during the forensic audit of the commissions activities as ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari. In October 2019, the president that the commissions activities from 2001 to 2019 should be probed. On Wednesday, the senate set up an ad hoc committee to probe the interim management committee of the NDDC over alleged mismanagement of N40 billion. The pharmaceutical giants who produce Voltaren sports gel have been ordered by a Federal Court to pay $4.5 million in damages after they were ruled to have breached Australian Consumer Law. GlaxoSmithKlein and Novartis were taken to court over claims that Voltaren's Osteo Gel was more effective in treating pain than Voltaren Emulgel, while costing 33 per cent more. Voltaren Osteo Gel and Emulgel were found to contain the same ingredients. From January 2012 to March 2017, their Osteo Gel product was marketed as being specifically formulated and more effective than the cheaper Emulgel in treating osteoarthritis-related pain and inflammation, even though both had the same active ingredients. "It's really disappointing that post-Nurofen, there is still behaviour where we have products with the same active ingredients stating two different abilities and two different remedies," ACCC chairman Rod Sims said at the time. Over two months after the Centre suspended cross-border trade and movement of passengers through the Integrated Check Post (ICP), Attari, as a precautionary measure to check the spread of coronavirus, trade between India and Afghanistan resumed on Thursday. A truck of imported dry fruit from Afghanistan crossed over at the ICP, Attari, said Amritsar Customs commissioner Dipak Kumar Gupta. A senior official of Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) posted at the ICP said, As soon as the truck entered the ICP, its drivers thermal screening was conducted by a doctor that the Punjab health department had sent by maintaining social distance. Labourers have been provided with masks, gloves and sanitisers. LPAIs ICP in-charge Sukhdev Singh said they had spray-painted white circles for the labourers to keep a distance of six feet between them. He added the staff have also been provided with masks, gloves, sanitisers and personal protective equipment (PPEs). All advisories issued by the government are being issued, he added. The ICP witnesses an annual trade of over Rs 1,000 crore trade between India and Afghanistan. Federation of Karyana and Dry Fruit Association president Anil Mehra said, We have come to know that several Indian traders have placed their orders for importing various items from Afghanistan. So, trade will definitely pick up in the next few days. He added that trade with Pakistan, suspended in the wake of the Pulwama attack in February 2019, also needed to be resumed. An Accra Circuit Court has granted two persons a GH530,000.00 bail with two sureties each for allegedly causing damage to an eight bedroom storey building valued GH525,000.00. Prince Asiamah Mintah, banker and Nana Obeng Yeboah, trader denied conspiring to cause unlawful damage and they are to make their next appearance on June 16, 2020 for trial. Police Chief Inspector William K. Boateng told the Court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah that Pastor Paul Tetteh Nyewunu is the complainant in the case and resident at Mataheko near Tema while the accused also reside at Community 19, Tema. Chief Inspector Boateng said in December 2007, one Mr Alex Assenso, a witness in the case and the owner of the building bought a parcel of land situated at Community 18 also in Tema from one Worlumo Borketey Larweh of the Nungua Traditional Council. He said Mr Assenso then put up the eight bedroom storey building on the land and left it in the care of complainant, adding that Mr Assenso became alarmed when he started receiving ground rent letters from the Tema Development Corporation in the name of one Alexander Yaw Kudziku. Prosecution said Mr Assenso contacted Kudziku who agreed to resell the land to him of which negotiations could not materialize, since the land was sold to accused by one Kojo Danso whilst Mr Assensos building was under construction. He said on July 15, 2019, at about 0700 hours, the accused hired a bulldozer and razed down the entire uncompleted building in the presence of its occupants. Chief Inspector Boateng said a formal complaint was lodged with the Klagon Police which led to the arrest of the accused. During investigations, Assenta Property Consultants conducted a valuation on the property and gave the value as GH525,000.00. He said in their cautioned statement, they admitted causing damage to the building and claimed they were the rightful owners, however, they could not provide any documents as well as an order from the court to support their actions. After investigations, they were charged and put before court. 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 Deisy Buitrago CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela has reached a deal with the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) to destine part of its gold in Bank of England accounts to finance the purchase of food and medicine during the coronavirus pandemic, its central bank governor said on Wednesday. The deal comes after the central bank made a legal claim earlier this month to try to force the bank to hand over part of the 31 tonnes of gold in accounts belonging to the government of President Nicolas Maduro, who Britain does not recognize as Venezuelas legitimate leader due to allegations he rigged his 2018 re-election. Central bank governor Calixto Ortega told Reuters that under the arrangement, the UNDP would receive the funds directly, a move meant to assuage concerns about potential corruption in the management of the money. Its not my word, its not me saying that I am going to buy food, medicine and medical equipment, Ortega said in an interview in his downtown Caracas office. Its the United Nations who is saying that, and they are not going to be involved in anything dark that is not neutral and independent. Neither the UNDP nor the Bank of England immediately responded to requests for comment. Ortega said he was optimistic the legal case in Britain would be resolved in the coming weeks. Reporting by Deisy Buitrago; Additional reporting by Mayela Armas in Caracas; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Marguerita Choy Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette will soon reopen 12 stores, including one outlet, officials announced Wednesday. Most of the stores are in the Portland area. Goodwill said the following locations will open at 10 a.m. Thursday: Aloha: 775 SW 185th Ave. Beaverton: 12975 SW Westgate Dr. Hillsboro: 16157 NW Cornell Rd. Forest Grove: 2903 Pacific Ave. Gresham: 413 NE Burnside Rd. Milwaukie outlet: 1740 SE Ochoco St. Portland: 12250 NE Halsey St. Portland superstore: 1943 SE 6th Ave. Salem superstore: 3535 Lancaster Dr. NE Tigard: 13920 SW Pacific Hwy. Goodwill will also open its Corvallis store and its Crowley Avenue store in Salem on Friday. Goodwill has already reopened 12 other retail stores and outlets around the state. It has now hired back more than 500 of its 3,000 employees back, a press release said. In keeping with state safety guidelines, Goodwill said all of its stores will take precautions such as thoroughly sanitizing stores every day, temporarily prohibiting the use of dressing rooms and drinking fountains, requiring 6 feet of social distance between people in the store and requiring customers and workers to wear face coverings. Staff have also asked donors to separate items into six different categories: clothing/linens, shoes/accessories, electronics/appliances, housewares, books/media and miscellaneous. Read more: Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Last Saturday, a man attacked the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church in Galata, Istanbuls oldest Armenian Apostolic church. For an Armenian member of the Turkish parliament, attacks against Christian places of worship continue. Hate speech by those in power is normalising criminal behaviour. Earlier this month, the door of another Armenian church was set on fire. Istanbul (AsiaNews) Another church has been attacked amid growing hostility towards Christians in Turkey, which includes arrests, mysterious disappearances, unresolved deaths and a policy of rights violations. Last Saturday, an unknown man (pictured) ripped the cross from the gate of the Armenian Surp Krikor Lusarovic (Saint Gregory the Illuminator) Church in Kuzguncuk district, on the Asian side of Istanbul. The police opened a file against persons unknown, saying that they wanted to shed light on the incident, the Agos weekly reported. However, since then there have been no further developments despite the fact that the attacker was caught on camera. In the meantime, church officials have taken steps to repair the damage replacing the old cross with a new one. The latest attack against a Christian target reflects a growing climate of hostility and repression towards minority groups in Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Acts of violence and abuse fit with the presidents policy of nationalism and Islam, as evinced by the controversy over Hagia Sophia. Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkish parliament for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP)[*] tweeted that Attacks continue on our churches. The cross of our Surp Krikor Lusarovic Armenian Church was removed and thrown away. Hate speech by the ruling power normalizes hate crimes." The CCTV footage captured the attack. Around 7.20 pm, a man is seen looking at the security cameras for a while, perhaps in an act of defiance, and then remove the cross, noted Edvart Ayvazyan, head of the church foundation, speaking to Bianet, an independent Istanbul-based Turkish press agency. The local Security Bureau is working on the incident but without any result so far. Less than three weeks ago the Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Church was attacked. The church is located near the offices of the Armenian patriarchate of Constantinople, near the Bakrkoy district, on the European side of Istanbul. On 8 May, a man tried to set fire to the door of the building, but was arrested by police. [*] Halklarn Demokratik Partisi (HDP) in Turkish; Partiya Demokratik a Gelan (PDG) in Kurdish; also known in English as the Democratic Party of the Peoples. The CEO of a Vancouver fruit processor linked to 85 coronavirus cases said Wednesday that his company could have done more to protect employees. Firestone Pacific Foods CEO Josh Hinerfeld said that the company started implementing new safety policies and educating employees about the novel coronavirus in March, but that it struggled to implement and enforce physical distancing measures on the production line and in a break room at its facility. We could have done better, Hinerfeld said. Through this process, we learned that we didnt do enough. I sure hope through our experience, which obviously has been very painful for many, that others will learn from it. Firestone Pacific Foods said Wednesday that 70 of its employees and another 15 people identified as close contacts of those employees had tested positive for COVID-19. Those numbers were up from 65 cases on Sunday and just 10 on Friday. Firestone suspended production and closed its office on May 18 due to the outbreak. Washington state health officials also suspended Clark Countys application to move to Phase 2 of its reopening on Saturday night because of the Firestone outbreak. An investigator from Clark Countys public health department identified several areas of concern at the Firestone facility following the outbreak, including a lack of physical distancing on the production line and during breaks and the sharing of clock-in and clock-out paperwork. Hinerfeld said that the company implemented daily health screenings for employees starting on March 20 and required employees to wear masks on April 29. But, he said, some employees were still working in close proximity on the production line and it was difficult to enforce the mask rule when employees went on break and ensure physical distancing in a small break room. The company set up a canopy outside in May to give workers another place to go during breaks. I say with great humility, we thought we had a good plan in place here to keep people safe, Hinerfeld said. Since the outbreak, Clark Countys public health department and Washingtons Department of Labor and Industries have been working with Firestone to help the company develop measures to safely resume operations. Hinerfeld said the company now has a 50-point plan in place and has already implemented the vast majority of the measures. They hope to have addressed all 50 by the end of the week. As part of its safety plan, Firestone officials installed dividers between staff areas on the production line, rearranged furniture and put markings on the floor in the break room to ensure physical distancing. They also hired two medical technicians to screen employees before they begin work and implemented enhanced sanitization measures. The company also had its main building deep-cleaned immediately following the outbreak. Hinerfeld said that the companys cold storage facility, which is across the street from the main facility, was not deep-cleaned because no staff members from that facility have tested positive for the virus and there is little traffic between the two facilities. The cold storage facility reopened May 26, according to the company. Hinerfeld said that he planned to discuss the companys safety plan with Clark Countys public health department again Thursday. He said the company would work in collaboration with the county to determine when it could reopen, but was hopeful that the facility could resume operations as early as this week. The first thing is we want to make sure the staff and community is safe, we want to make sure when people come back to work that they feel safe and, gosh darn it, if we dont get up and running here pretty quickly, were going to have a lot of farmers who are going to be in trouble, Hinerfeld said. Thank goodness, we have another processor in the Willamette Valley that is processing fresh fruit on our behalf right now. Farmers are harvesting strawberries and blueberries in California. If that product doesnt get frozen right away, it has to get dumped. Agriculture Capital, which invests in cropland and food processing businesses, announced in September that it was investing in Firestone Pacific Foods to enable the family-owned company to expand its facilities. Agriculture Capitals Chief Marketing Officer sits on the Firestone board. A spokesman for Agriculture Capital said Wednesday that its operations were continuing to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and implementing additional protective measures. The spokesman said the company had full trust in the Firestone team to protect and support employees while preventing future infections and ensuring food safety. Agriculture Capital has seen coronavirus cases at two of its other operations in California, with 28 confirmed cases at Legacy Packing and Shipping in Dinuba, and one case at Griffith Farms in Exeter. Both facilities remain open. A spokesman for Clark Countys public health department said that the county will continue to work with Firestone and Labor and Industries to ensure the facility is adhering to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before production resumes. Hinerfeld said that the company will determine when to reopen in collaboration with the county, but said he wants the facility to be back up and running soon. We know there are a number of businesses that are continuing to operate and have continued to operate knowing they have COVID cases, Hinerfeld said. We have a great sense of urgency to reopen. Im going to be pretty insistent in my communication that, Hey, if weve done our part to make our employees safe when they come back to work that we would ask the county to work with us to see what we can do to start reopening in a measured manner. -- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. An MH-60R helicopter lands aboard the flight deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin as it sails near the Paracel Islands, May 28, 2020. The U.S. Navy on Thursday sailed a guided missile destroyer close to the Paracel Islands, its latest freedom of navigation operation in the disputed South China Sea, drawing a furious reaction from Beijing. The USS Mustin passed within 12 nautical miles of Woody Island and Pyramid Rock, which are both occupied by China, according to an unnamed U.S. Navy official cited by CNN. The operation took place at an extremely delicate time in U.S.-China relations after Washington declared that Hong Kong no longer qualifies for special status under U.S. law, after Beijing moved to impose national security legislation on Chinas freest city. It was also the second freedom of navigation operation, or FONOP, the U.S. has conducted near the Paracels in a month, and follows weeks of elevated tensions in the South China Sea as Beijing has moved to assert its sweeping territorial claims, drawing U.S. criticism and diplomatic protests from other claimants in Southeast Asia. Lt. j.g. Rachel Maul, a spokesperson for the 7th Fleet, said in a statement to RFA that the USS Mustin asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law. The exercise was not aimed at only China but also Vietnam and Taiwan, which also claim the Paracels, she said. " Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedom of navigation and overflight and the right of innocent passage of all ships, the spokesperson said. The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, which is responsible for Chinas military conduct in the South China Sea, called the U.S. operation a naked act of hegemony and claimed to have sent aircraft and warships to monitor the USS Mustins passage. The statement said the Mustin passed through the territorial waters of Chinas claimed features in the Paracels. Territorial waters typically refers to the 12 nautical mile limit around an island or coast. DESRON 15, the Destroyer Squadron that the USS Mustin belongs to, released two photos of its transit through the Paracels with an accompanying caption, stating the USS Mustin is underway conducting operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. DESRON 15 describes itself as U.S. 7th Fleets principal surface force, the 7th Fleet being the U.S. Navy force based at Yokosuka, Japan. The FONOP follows a bilateral exercise between the U.S. and Singaporean navies on Sunday and Monday, also in the South China Sea. The USS Gabrielle Giffords joined the RSS Steadfast for the first ever drill involving a U.S. littoral combat ship alongside the Singaporean navy. The USS Gabrielle Giffords is currently based at Singapores Changi Naval Base. In mid-April it patrolled the South China Sea near the site of a Chinese pressure campaign against a Malaysian-contracted drillship in Malaysian waters. That stand-off has since ended. Meeting our partners at sea gives our navies the opportunity to practice maritime proficiencies, and further strengthen the bond between both countries, said Capt. Ann McCann of the U.S. Navys DESRON 7 in a press release. Engaging with our network of partners in the region is essential to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. The last FONOP near the Paracels was on April 28. The maneuvers are meant to exercise the right to innocent passage even in disputed waters, and underline the U.S. position that Chinas sweeping maritime and territorial claims in the South China Sea are unlawful. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the area overlapping Chinas. On Tuesday, Philippine Defense Chief Delfin Lorenzana discussed the South China Sea with his counterpart in Japan, Defense Minister Taro Kono, the Philippine News Agency reported. That same day, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte spoke by phone with Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan, according to Vietnamese state media. Both leaders agreed to a peaceful resolution of the South China Sea issue and to continue the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Code of Conduct negotiations with China. UPDATED at 7:20 P.M. EDT on 2020-05-28 The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has tragically resulted in the deaths of 100,000 Americans, changed our day-to-day lives, hampered our economy, and forced us to reexamine how we live. As the country moves to reopening, after weeks of a shut down to avoid the spread of the virus, some have demanded that insurance companies pay for business interruption claims, even if the policies did not have coverage to include this type of situation. Members of Congress, state legislators, consumer advocates, businesses, and even the President, have made blanket statements that insurance companies should be required to pay for business interruption coverage because its fair. Fortunately, for insurers and their customers, policies do not say, well pay if we think its fair. Insurers make commitments to the policyholders through their insurance policy, which is a contract between the insurer and the policyholder. Those policies have certain terms outlining coverage and in return, the policyholder pays a premium to the insurer for the coverage outlined in the policy. Generally, the premium is based on the level of risk the insurer commits to cover in the policy. In short, each party makes certain promises to each other spelled out in the policy. Most business interruption policies have some form of language excluding coverage for virus, bacteria, and pandemic situations. According to those who are demanding insurance companies pay for business interruption claims due to COVID-19, we should ignore the language of the policy and instead rely upon the always appealing but vague notion of fairness. If legislators and courts follow this line of reasoning, we destroy the purpose of the business interruption insurance contract containing the exclusion referenced earlier, and instead substitute fairness for policy language. The result would mean insurers, instead of paying claims based on the policy and the companys commitment for coverage, would end up paying for coverage they never contemplated or included in their insurance policies. These extra benefits would not come from some hidden source of funds but instead would come from companies funds, which would otherwise be used to pay claims for auto, homes, and other business coverages. Ultimately, companies could face the risk of not having sufficient funding to pay other legitimate claims. If decision-makers want to be fair, then should only expect companies to honor the coverages outlined in policies. Admittedly, there may be disagreements over what certain policy language means, but that is when the legal system can help resolve those issues. Coverage cannot and should not be dictated through misguided attempts to remedy an unfortunate situation. These are difficult times, but that does not mean rewriting insurance contracts and forcing companies to pay for coverage not contemplated in their agreements with policyholders. Albert Betts Jr. is executive director of the Insurance Council of Texas. Topics Carriers Claims Telangana: 3 year old boy dies after falling into 120 ft open borewell India oi-Briti Roy Barman Hyderabad, May 28: A three-year-old child died in Medak district of Telangana after falling into a 120 feet deep borewell. The child fell into the newly dug borewell on Wednesday night. Authorities launched a massive rescue operation in the Podchanpalli area of the district to save the child's life but failed to do so as his body was recovered on Thursday morning. 5- year-old boy falls into borewell in Rajasthan's Sirohi Congress launches Speak Up India campaign to urge govt for direct relief to poor | Oneindia News The child, identified as Sai Vardhan, was found 17 feet deep inside the borewell. Collector of Medak, K Dharma Reddy said, "There were three borewells dug without permission. Necessary action will be taken." The tragic incident took place at around 5 pm in an agriculture field located in Papannapet Mandal of the district when the boy was walking with his grandfather and father, a police official told PTI. Telangana: Body of the 3-year-old boy Sai Vardhan, who fell into a borewell y'day in Medak, found 17 feet deep inside it. His body has been taken to a hospital. Collector, Medak, K Dharma Reddy says, "There were 3 borewells dug without permission. Necessary action will be taken." https://t.co/L8xb4nYPTv pic.twitter.com/Wvz3bFKD3L ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2020 The boy was supplied oxygen to the 120 feet open borewell by NDRF team which reached the spot to rescue the boy. The team also pressed earth excavation machines into service to dig around it. Initially, the family members tried to pull the child up with the help of a sari but failed. The family of the child dug three borewells on Tuesday night to find water for their fields. The borewell into which the child fell was among these three. But none of them yielded any water, police said. Actor Hugh Jackman and his wife, Deborra-lee Furness, went for a walk in New York City on Thursday. The couple were wearing face masks on their stroll around their neighbourhood while accompanied by their dogs. Hugh, 51, wore a light grey sweatshirt with 'East Hampton Gym' printed across the front, and charcoal trackpants. Stepping out: Actor Hugh Jackman and his wife, Deborra-lee Furness, went for a walk with their dogs in New York City on Thursday The Greatest Showman star appeared to be carrying a backpack as he walked their French bulldog, Dali. Meanwhile, Deborra-lee, 64, walked their other dog, a poodle mix named Allegra. She opted for a dark ensemble comprising a navy jumper with cropped leggings that drew attention to her toned calves. Out and about: Hugh wore a light grey sweatshirt and charcoal trackpants as he walked their French bulldog, Dali. Deborra-lee walked their other dog, a poodle mix named Allegra Keeping it casual: The producer styled her peroxide locks up in a ponytail and accessorised with a cross-body bag and a pair of sunglasses The producer styled her peroxide locks up in a ponytail and accessorised with a cross-body bag and a pair of sunglasses. Hugh's neighbourhood stroll comes after he revealed he had been hosting secret webinars for mental health organisation Gotcha4Life while in self-isolation. The Wolverine star, who has been a Gotcha4Life ambassador since 2017, told News.com.au: 'I've learned so much from being on the board and we are planning on more of those talks.' Doing his part: Hugh's neighbourhood stroll comes after he revealed he had been hosting secret webinars for mental health organisation Gotcha4Life while in self-isolation Gotcha4Life was founded in 2017 by Australian radio presenter Gus Worland, who is one of Hugh's best friends. 'Gus has been incredible [mental health] is something we really need to pay attention to in the world and Australia, a lot,' Hugh said. 'Our need to look after each other, not just financially and physically, but mentally is a priority. There's a lot of loneliness out there and this only adds to that,' he added. Irans president urged his Cabinet on Wednesday to speed up harsher laws in so-called honor killings, after a particularly disturbing slaying of a 14-year-old girl by her father shocked the nation. President Hassan Rouhani pushed for speedy adoption of relevant bills, some which have apparently shuttled for years among various decision-making bodies in Iran. The killing of teen Romina Ashrafi last week in the Iranian town of Talesh, some 320 kilometers (198 miles) northwest of the capital, Tehran, prompted a nationwide outcry. She was reportedly beheaded while sleeping by her father, Reza Ashrafi, who used a farming sickle to kill his daughter. The father, who is now in custody, was apparently enraged after she ran away with her 34-year-old boyfriend Bahamn Khavari in Talesh. In rural areas of Iran, its unheard of for teenage girls to run away from home to be with their boyfriends. After five days, Romina was found and taken to a police station, from where her father brought her back home. The girl reportedly told the police she feared a violent reaction from her father. Rouhani expressed regret over the tragic case. There is little data on honor killings in Iran, where local media occasionally report on such cases. Under the law, girls can marry after the age of 13, though the average age of marriage for Iranian women is 23. It is not known how many women and young girls are killed by family members or close relatives because of their actions, perceived as violating conservative Islamic norms on love and marriage. Irans judiciary said Rominas case will be tried in a special court. Under the current law, her father faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years. Irans vice-president in charge of family affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, expressed hope that a bill with harsher punishments will soon be in the final stages of approval. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON AKRON, Ohio -- The Akron Zoo announced Thursday that it has coronavirus-related safety measures in place and is prepared for when Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announces that accredited zoos in the state can reopen. The zoo, which remains closed, said in a news release its reopening plan has been approved by the Summit County Public Health department. The zoos plan includes enforcing social distancing, monitoring the number of guests in the zoo at once by issuing tickets at time-specific intervals, indicating one-way paths, regularly disinfecting, reducing the amount of high-touch areas, opening during special hours for high-risk guests and requiring employees to wear masks. See photos: Animals stay fed, healthy while the Akron Zoo is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic Doug Piekarz, president & CEO of the Akron Zoo, said about 85% of the zoos features will be available to guests under the reopening plan, but that all indoor facilities will remain closed. The Akron Zoo is an outdoor park in every sense of the word, but unlike other parks, which have been allowed to remain open, we have the ability to control admission through timed-ticketing," Piekarz said. We also employ veterinary medical professionals who are skilled at preventing disease transmission as part of their regular duties. With them, we have designed a zoo experience that provides greater measures of safety than are presently available in other park settings. The zoo will post updates about its reopening on website and social media. For more information, visit www.akronzoo.org or call 330-375-2550. Animal-lovers still have opportunities to see the zoos animals and learn more about them through the daily Lunch and Learns on the Akron Zoos Facebook page. Each day at 12 p.m., the zoo live-streams a program that showcases animals and answers the audiences questions. In April, the zoo donated about 1,400 N-95 masks to the Summit County Emergency Management Agency for medical workers combating the coronavirus crisis, and registered its two ventilators on Ohios registry. Governor Walz turned up at yesterdays COVID-19 briefing with Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington in tow to discuss to address the killing of George Floyd. (I got to know and respect John when he was St. Paul Chief of Police. I think he is a standup guy and ethical leader. He is out of place in this crowd.) I watched the briefing live and havent watched it again. You have to see it to believe it. In his own remarks, Governor Walz validate[d] [his] emotions. He brought in Flanagan to exploit her racial mania. Speaking remotely, Flanagan described herself as a light-skinned Native American or whatever. She is nuts. Contemplating the epidemic, the assembled leaders encouraged protesters to employ the recommended public health practices. They urged protesters to wear masks and maintain the appropriate social distance. Next stop: the Twilight Zone. The authorities attributed 33 new deaths to COVID-19, bringing the current total to 932. Twenty-seven of the 33 new decedents were residents of long-term care facilities, bringing that total to 752. Residents of long-term care facilities account for 81.4 percent of all deaths attributed to COVID-19. The age breakdown of the new decedents follows the usual pattern. Two were in their 100s, 9 were in their 90s, 11 were in their 80s, six were in their 70s, four were in their 60s, and one was in his 30s (with no known underlying condition). MN Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says moving recovered COVID-19 patients from hospitals to long-term care facilities has been an "affirmative" part of their plan for managing hospitalizations. She says they are "revisiting" that policy, but it is still happening. Tom Hauser (@thauserkstp) May 27, 2020 Health Commissioner Malcolm and Governor Walz took one question about the nursing home crisis some 50 minutes into the briefing. Why were hospitalized COVID-19 patients returned to nursing homes? Malcolm blathered for a while in response. Tom Hauser tweeted out part of Malcolms response (above). Malcolm also assured her audience that they are making careful decisions and will be revisiting the practice. Walz attributed responsibility to the CDC. This wasnt a mistake, he said. Governor Bill Lees Unified Command Group finalized plans on Thursday to establish an alternate care site at Metro Nashville General Hospital, 1818 Albion St., to increase hospital capacity in Middle Tennessee for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. We have put in place a critical resource to meet local, COVID-19 patient care needs if required, said Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP, Tennessee Department of Health. Our hope is we do not have to activate the Nashville alternate care site; however, Nashville General will keep the facility on standby until TDH and Metro Nashville officials determine the extra patient capacity is needed for the region. The Nashville General alternate care site is a unique hospital within a hospital model, designed to be able to activate and de-activate quickly if needed and to provide a more efficient approach to meet potential needs of the city. It occupies two hospital floors, totaling 26,292 square-feet, and provides an additional 67, individual bed spaces to treat COVID-19 patients if the region begins to exceed their existing hospital capacity. The Nashville General site is equipped with supplies to care for low acuity COVID-19 patients. Should the site be needed, Nashville General Hospital will provide wrap around services including biomedical, nutrition, security, internet access, janitorial, linen, medical oxygen, office supplies, pharmacy, and radiology. Under a Mission Assignment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, USACE coordinated and managed upgrades to the Nashville General sited, and the Governors Unified Command Group has secured the lease agreement with Nashville General, as well as the wrap-around services for the ongoing maintenance and operation of the facility. Nashville General will provide medical direction for the care of COVID-19 patients if the facility is occupied. The award of a Major Disaster Declaration to Tennessee on April 2, made funding assistance available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the State for costs associated with implementing COVID-19 emergency protective measures, such as establishing alternate care sites to increase hospital bed capacity. Governor Lee established the UCG on March 23, to streamline the COVIG-19 emergency response coordination between the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the Tennessee Department of Health, and the Tennessee Department of Military. SCHENECTADY A real estate development company that owns several residential properties in the Stockade wants to convert the once-thriving Stockade Inn boutique hotel and restaurant into apartments and professional office space, according to plans submitted to the citys development office. The application by Redburn Development Partners LLC on behalf of 1 North Church LP calls for the 18-guest-room establishment in the heart of the neighborhood to be transformed into an unspecified number of apartments and 1,100 square feet of office space. The document does not indicate how many apartments Redburn wants to build. Documents submitted for the project indicate the inn is located in or adjacent to an area "designated as sensitive for archaeological sites on the New York State Historic Preservation Office(SHPO) archaeological site inventory" and the area is home to bald eagles. Additionally, the paperwork mentions that the only exterior work to the place will be the masonry and repairs made to the cornice and that the proposal will require " a permit, approval or funding" from SHPO. The plan will likely need a use variance from the Schenectady Board of Zoning Appeals, a requirement before it would be considered by the Planning Commission, possibly as early as next month, for what would be a preliminary review. In January, the city issued an order to vacate on the structure at the corner of North Church and Union Streets after a blaze caused heavy damage to the kitchen. It took fire crews about an hour to get the blaze, which started in an area that features a kitchen and dining area, under control. The Stockade Inn did not reopen after the fire. Earlier: Fire damages Schenectady's historic Stockade Inn For years, the building was home to the Mohawk Club. The club dated from the mid-1800s and served meals to the citys well-heeled executives from General Electric and other businesses. Jack McDonald, a local engineer whose firm was located across the street, renovated the building and reopened it as an inn in 2003. It hosted guests as well as weddings and other events. A front parlor regularly featured local jazz performers and the dining rooms served high-end meals. For years, McDonald's son, Jeff, ran the Stockade Inn but the family sold the establishment in 2019. The Daily Gazette reported at the time that it was being purchased by a family that owned motels in Lake George. Property deals latest in Stockade evolution Redburn, which has an office in Schenectady, has steadily acquired and renovated homes and industrial buildings in the Stockade and other parts of the city. Last year, Redburn, which also handles property management and has a historical expert on staff, purchased 97 apartments scattered across 18 properties, all but one in the Stockade. Jeff Buell, one of Redburn's principals, did not return calls Thursday seeking comment. On the banks of the Mohawk River, the Stockade holds the distinction of being the first historic district in the state, and features dozens of pre-Revolutionary War homes and architectural styles, including Dutch Colonial, Georgian, Federal and Victorian, according to online Stockade-related organizations. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. On Thursday, Gloria Kishton, chairwoman of the Schenectady Heritage Foundation, said she would reserve judgement until she learned more details about the proposal. "Obviously the Stockade Inn is an extremely important historic building, and I don't think anybody would argue with the fact that we want to see it preserved. How to go about that is what's in question," said Kishton, a Stockade resident. "I think the community will be extremely disappointed to lose a public venue, I think that's safe to say." Stockade Association President Suzanne Unger did not Thursday return a call seeking comment. In the past, the Schenectady Heritage Foundation has recognized Buell for the renovation work on the Fitzgerald building in downtown Schenectady. Before that, Buell, while he was with his old firm Sequence Development of Troy, was also honored with the foundation's preservation award for restoring the Foster Building at the corner of State and Lafayette Streets, also in downtown Schenectady. In 2018, Redburn finished work and opened the Fitzgerald Building, which was a long-neglected historic building, that the company transformed into 12 luxury apartments with a retail incubator on the ground floor on Clinton Street. The company is in the midst of a major renovation of buildings in downtown Albany too. Downtown Albany to see $78M investment in 7 properties Sequence and Redburn merged in May 2018. Buell, along with Thomas Rossi and John Blackburn, both engineers, are listed on the company website as principals. Buell, a Troy Record reporter-turned-businessman, had his hands in several projects throughout the region, mostly concentrated though in Troy. He's also worked for former Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian. The euro was steady on Thursday as investors questioned whether a 750 billion euro European Union plan to prop up the bloc's coronavirus-hit economies would be delivered. Overnight implied volatility gauges inched up to hit a one-month high above 8%, suggesting investors were prepared for unexpected moves in the common currency. The EU executive unveiled a plan on Wednesday to support economies hammered by the pandemic, hoping to end months of squabbling over how to fund a recovery that exposed faultlines across the 27-nation bloc. Under the proposal, the EU Commission will disburse two-thirds of the funds in grants and the rest in loans to cushion the unprecedented slump expected this year. The 500 billion euros in grants reflects the wishes of the two biggest EU economies, France and Germany, which came up with a grants-only proposal last week. "In the event that we actually see the European Commission adopt a proposal in similar nature or stature of the France-Germany proposal, we do think that would be positive for the euro," said Parisha Saimbi, G10 FX strategist at BNP Paribas. "We would expect to see euro/dollar head higher, and in particularly euro/Swiss head higher especially given the long positioning in Swiss (franc) has built up quite significantly and as a result you could see an exacerbated move to the upside as positions are covered," she said. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told France 2 television on Thursday that he hoped the European Union could reach a deal on the package in the coming weeks. The euro was last flat at $1.1010, having risen earlier to a two-month high of $1.1035. The euro was up 0.1% versus the Swiss franc at 1.0670, though the day prior it rose to nearly a three-month high. Leveraged hedge funds held $1.14 billion in Swiss franc long positions in the week to May 19, CFTC data shows, a near four-year high. An index tracking the U.S. dollar against major currencies was stable at 98.93 as the greenback held its own in a crosscurrent between rising Sino-U.S. tensions and optimism over recovering global growth as economies re-open. The war of words between the world's two biggest economies escalated, with Hong Kong the newest flashpoint, with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying on Wednesday that China's plan to impose laws there was "only the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine" the former British colony's autonomy and freedoms. The United States is currently crafting a range of options to punish China over its tightening grip on Hong Kong, including sanctions, tariffs and restrictions on Chinese companies, according to people familiar with the discussions. The yuan was neutral at 7.1751 in the offshore market , though it remained close to the 7.1965 record low it sank to the day before. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie The Congress on Thursday stepped up its attack against the Centre on the migrant workers deepening crisis triggered due to the mishandling of lockdown restrictions that were imposed from end-March to contain the spread of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. Party chief Sonia Gandhi said the entire country, except the Union government, had heard the cries and felt the pain of migrant workers. In a video message posted as part of the Congresss nationwide online campaign, she also urged the Centre to unlock its coffers to help those affected by the Covid-19-induced lockdown. The day-long Speak Up India campaign was launched by the opposition party to put pressure on the Centre to accept its demands for providing immediate financial aid to farmers, migrant workers, daily wage earners, and small businesses hit by the pandemic. The online campaign included messages through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube accounts. Later, Congress leader Ajay Maken claimed that over 5.7 million party leaders and workers uploaded their messages on social media throughout the day. The campaign reached out to around 100 million people. It was a massive virtual rally. #SpeakUpIndia was also the top Twitter trend worldwide, he added. Gandhi said while the country is passing through a serious economic crisis because of the loss of livelihood of lakhs of people from all walks of life, the central government has not helped those affected the most by the pandemic. Its for the first time since the independence that such a spectre of pain and anguish has been witnessed, where lakhs of famished and thirsty labourers have been forced to walk hundreds of kilometres back home barefoot and without any access to medicines or transport, the Congress chief said. Everyone across the country except the government heard their cries of pain and trauma, she added. Instead of loans, Gandhi said the government should provide financial aid to small and medium businesses in a bid to save millions of jobs. Crores of livelihoods have been lost, lakhs of businesses and factories shut and farmers are running from pillar to post to sell their produce, she said. Gandhi urged the Centre to unlock its coffers and help the needy by transferring cash of Rs 7,500 per month to every family for the next six months, ensuring safe and free travel of workers back home besides increasing the number of workdays to 200 under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which was launched by the erstwhile Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government in 2005. The Congress had decided to open online fronts against the government because of the strict adherence to social distancing norms due to the pandemic. In a letter to state unit chiefs, the party general secretary KC Venugopal had asked them to mobilise around five million participants on all social media platforms to register their protest. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi stressed the need to take the voice of the poor, migrant workers, small and medium businesses to the government. India doesnt need debt, India needs money. Due to Covid-19, a storm has come in India and the poor have been hurt the most. Migrant workers have to walk hungry for hundreds of kilometres across the country and the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), which provide jobs to crores of people, are shutting down, he said. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra cited the heart-breaking example of a toddler in Bihar trying to wake her dead mother at a railway station to highlight the plight of migrants. Weve seen the visuals of a son pulling a cart carrying his parents, a daughter taking her father 1,200 km on a bicycle, many people dying in trains, a child dying in the lap of his father and another child trying to wake up his dead mother on a railway platform. These visuals can make anyone cry. The country is pained to see such devastating visuals, she said. The visuals of a toddler trying to wake her dead mother on a railway platform went viral on Wednesday. According to railway officials, the woman had a prior ailment. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit out at the Congress for the campaign. The Congress can neither rule nor play the role of a constructive opposition. What they did was a drama. The least their party chief could have done was taken a leaf out of BJP president JP Naddas book and instructed party workers to feed hungry people and provide whatever help was needed, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Press Release May 28, 2020 Bong Go appeals to business community to support post-COVID-19 economic recovery plans; assures gov't commitment to overcome pandemic During a virtual meeting with the officials and key members of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII), Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go appealed for support from the business community for the government's post-COVID-19 plans to accelerate the recovery of the country's economy. He also urged them to help fight corruption as businesses are slated to reopen soon. "Kayo po ang makakatulong, mga negosyante, to invest in the provinces. At ang gobyerno din po magbibigay ng incentives to encourage you to invest," Go said during his opening speech. The Senator also asked the private sector to aid the government in the fight against corruption. "Hinihiling ko din po na tulungan ninyo kami ni Pangulong Duterte na labanan ang korapsyon sa gobyerno," Go said. "Kung may lumalapit man sa inyo at ginigipit kayo o di kaya ay humihingi ng suhol, isumbong po ninyo sa amin. Huwag po ninyong hayaan, kunsintehin o itago. Asahan po ninyo na proprotektahan namin kayo pati na rin ang inyong negosyo," he added. He then detailed the plans the government has formulated to respond to the socio-economic effects brought by the pandemic. "First, the government will restart and accelerate its Build, Build, Build Program, subject to strict health standards to protect its workers," Go said, adding that the flagship infrastructure agenda will continue to accelerate the economy. "Unang binuksan ito sa ngayon kase ito ang pwedeng makapagbigay agad ng trabaho and pump up the economy," he added. To further intensify the government's fight against COVID-19, Go mentioned that the government will do mass hiring of contact tracers. "Ngayon, mahirap ang contact tracing. Ingat po tayo. Itong contact tracers, mabibigyan ng trabaho para hindi umasa lahat sa tulong ng gobyerno," he said. The Senator also explained the existing programs the government has done to combat the health emergency and assist Filipinos. "Binabalanse ng gobyerno ang lahat. Syempre inuuna po ang kalusugan ng bawat Pilipino. Pero ayaw din naman natin na pabayaan ang ekonomiya dahil kayo ang bumubuhay sa bansa," the Senator said, assuring the private sector that the government is on top of the situation regarding the virus. Go also detailed the various assistance provided by the government to help Filipino individuals and businesses get through the emergency such as the COVID-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises Program through the Department of Trade and Industry, COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program of the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Small Business Wage Subsidy Program through the Social Security System. The Senator further said that the government seeks to attract foreign investors to relocate from other countries to the Philippines by passing Package 2 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, which include flexible tax and non-tax incentives as proposed by the Department of Finance. As a lawmaker, Go said that he will study the passage of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Bill or CREATE Bill. "Kung maipasa bilang batas ang CREATE bill, maaaring makatulong ito sa ating mga negosyo," Go said. "The CREATE bill would require corporations to pay only 25% corporate income tax starting July 2020, instead of a gradual decrease of 1% per year from the current 30% corporate income tax rate, as provided in the CITIRA," he further explained. To further boost the economy, the government will stimulate consumer spending by reviving manufacturing of products that have strong, inelastic demand, especially food production and logistics, according to Go. "Sa panahon ng krisis, nakita ng buong bansa natin kung gaano kahalaga ang agrikultura at food sector," he stressed. "Kaya nararapat lang po na bigyan natin sila ng tamang halaga para mabawi natin ang daloy ng ating ekonomiya," Go added. To further help the country recover from the pandemic, Go shared the vision of the government's Balik Probinsya Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) Program, of which he is the main proponent. "Ang BP2, isa po ako sa main proponent nito. Kami po ni Pangulo, pareho rin pong probinsyano. Siya, ginawang President. Ako naman, naging Senador. Isa po ang Balik Probinsya sa mga paraan para maibalik namin ni Pangulong Duterte ang serbisyong para sa mga Pilipino," Go said. Through the program, Go said that the government hopes to achieve equitable development in all regions, not just in Metro Manila and other metropolitan areas. "Noon, wala pong may gustong mag-implement nito. Pero ngayon, may political will to implement. Ngayon, nandiyan si Pangulong Duterte, may political will to implement," he said. Go also explained that more and more Filipinos are willing to return to the provinces after their less successful experience in Metro Manila. Go added that education in the countryside is now at par with Metro Manila, reducing the need for students to study in the city. "Noon, walang gustong umuwi. Kaming probinsyano, fascinated sa Maynila dahil nandito lahat. Ngayon, marami nang nadala. Sa Bisaya, natagam. Meron mga na-stranded at hindi nakatanggap ng social amelioration," Go said. "Ngayon, 'yung education sa probinsya, at par na rin sa Metro Manila. Ngayon, hindi na sila kailangan pumunta lahat dito, pati estudyante at trabahante," he added. "We hope to address the multiple problems brought about by over-congestion. We want to give our people hope," he added. Ending his statement, the Senator assured them that the government is always open to listen to their concerns. "As a public servant, I give you my word: this government will listen to you and will not abandon you," said Go. "We will take this one step at a time so that we can slowly, but surely, emerge out of this crisis as a stronger and more prosperous nation," he ended. C yprus has promised to cover the holiday costs of tourists who fall ill with Covid-19 on the island. In the latest move to revive Europes stricken tourism industry, authorities have said they will pay for the accommodation, food and medicine used by patients and their families whenever a tourist tests positive for the virus. Holidaymakers would only be required to pay for their flight home and their transfer to the airport. The offer came as Cyprus prepares to open its borders to holidaymakers from safe destinations such as Germany and Greece from 9 June. A hospital will also be set aside for tourists who contract the virus, while several quarantine hotels will be earmarked for their families. Cyprus has largely escaped the worst of the virus with only 17 deaths and just under 1,000 confirmed infections, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US. Deputy tourism minister Savvas Perdios has reportedly suggested that British holidaymakers could be permitted into Cyprus from July. Elsewhere in Europe, Hollands prime minister Mark Rutte said his government hoped to say more next week about where its citizens will be allowed to holiday abroad this summer. Finland has seen no evidence of the coronavirus spreading faster since schools started to reopen in the middle of May, the countrys top health official Mika Salminen said today. Meanwhile, France is to launch a voluntary StopCovid track-and-trace app this weekend after legislators approved the move. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 03:43:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's health ministry on Wednesday recorded seven new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 256 in the country's provinces controlled by the government. During the past 24 hours, the pro-government health authorities officially detected three COVID-19 cases in the southwestern province of Taiz, three in the southeastern province of Shabwa and one in the southern province of Dhalea. According to a brief statement released by the country's supreme national emergency committee, four patients died from the coronavirus during the day, bringing the death toll in the government-controlled areas of the war-ravaged Arab country to 53. The pro-government health authorities said that the number of recoveries has increased to 10 since the outbreak of coronavirus on April 10. The Yemeni government has taken several measures to contain the outbreak of COVID-19, including imposing a partial overnight curfew in Aden and other major cities under its control. The government called on donors and relevant international humanitarian organizations to provide support to help contain the pandemic. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of capital Sanaa. Enditem A lottery trader was grievously injured after eight persons attacked him sharp-edged weapons following a verbal spat with one of them near an eatery in Ludhiana on Thursday. The accused have been identified as Saurav Kumar, a resident of Chhawni Mohalla, Garry of Rahon road and their accomplices, who are yet to be identified. The victim, Deepak Kumar, 30, is a resident Chhawani Mohalla. Kumar said on May 24, he was going to Christian Medical College and Hospital on a scooter to fetch medicine for his son when the accused intercepted him. He said they attacked him with sharp-edged weapons and iron rods and fled after assuming he was dead. Onlookers rushed him to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). Kumar said he got into a verbal spat with one of the accused while waiting outside an eatery for their turn. The accused nursed a grudge against him for this and attacked him, he alleged. Investigating officer in the case, assistant sub-inspector Kulwinder Singh, said a case was registered under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the Indian Penal Code against the accused, and a hunt was on for their arrest. ROME, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The friendship between Italy and China has grown stronger as the two countries have stood together in unity, helping each other overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this month, Wuji County in northern China's Hebei Province donated a batch of medical supplies to Arzignano in the province of Vicenza, including 20,000 medical masks, 200 protective suits and 200 isolation gowns. Gian Vittorio Campus, mayor of Sassari, located in western Sardinia, expressed gratitude to Ba'nan District in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality for its medical donations. "Your very kind action of friendship and the donation of materials to fight against the novel coronavirus disease, the 1,000 suits of medical disposable protective clothing and 5,280 KN95 masks, (are) really welcome and all of us warmly thank you," said the mayor in a letter. As the novel coronavirus hit the European country, China has spared no efforts to help it ride out the difficulty, returning the favor after Italy sent supplies to China at a crucial time in the latter's COVID-19 fight. On March 18, a charter flight carrying a 13-member Chinese aid team, along with tons of medical supplies, arrived at Milan's Malpensa Airport. One week later, another charter flight carrying a 14-member Chinese medical team and supplies, arrived at the same airport in Milan. "China has come to us in our hour of need," Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told Italian reporters when asked about the aid. Days after Conte announced a national lockdown on March 9, tons of medical supplies and equipment were sent from China to Italy, along with a team of medical experts. Chinese and Italian officials have been in communication since then, with experts from the central Chinese city of Wuhan sharing data and valuable experience with their Italian counterparts. On March 12, two days after Italy's national lockdown began, a charter flight carrying a nine-member Chinese aid team, along with some 30 tons of medical supplies, arrived at Rome's Fiumicino Airport, as part of China's efforts to help Italy contain the pandemic. Five of the nine experts in the team were from southwest China's Sichuan Province. Twelve years earlier, following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, a group of doctors and nurses from Italy were among the first group of foreign aid workers to dash in and help. Upon the Chinese team's arrival at their hotel, a note with pictures of both Italian and Chinese national flags were displayed in Chinese, English and Italian: "Italy, Rome and Trilussa Palace Hotel welcome you and thank you for your support. We stand together, we fight together, we win together." The good relations between Italy and China can be traced back earlier. Last year, Italy became the first Group of Seven member country to sign with China a memorandum of understanding to jointly advance the construction of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. In recent years, Chinese tourists have become an increasingly common sight in Italy. And Italian exports to China have grown for at least 10 consecutive years through 2019, according to data from Italy's National Statistics Institute. The Italian public opinion about China has grown even stronger during the two countries' joint fight against the pandemic, according to pollsters. "The percentage of Italians with a 'positive' or 'generally positive' opinion about China has grown steadily in recent months," Maria Rossi, co-director of the polling firm Opinioni, told Xinhua. Another poll done by the survey company SWG in April showed that 52 percent of Italians considered China a "friend," a dramatic improvement from just 10 percent a year earlier. According to Pietro Paganini, co-founder of Competere, a think tank, the aid of medical equipment and advisors "was needed and welcomed" in Italy, and the closer ties between the countries could ultimately be positive for both sides. Giorgio Cuscito, a China and Far East analyst and a board member with Limes, a geopolitical review monthly, said China's aid during the outbreak will ultimately help the country's 'soft power' in Italy, and Italy "needed all the help we could get during the darkest period of the crisis." Twitter Inc said on Tuesday it would take no action at this time on tweets from U.S. President Donald Trump about the 2001 death of a former congressional staff member for Joe Scarborough after her widower asked the company to remove them for further false claims. In a letter to Twitter's chief executive Jack Dorsey that was published by the New York Times, Timothy J. Klausutis asked that the company remove a tweet by the president "alluding to the repeatedly debunked falsehood that my wife was murdered by her boss, former U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough." Lori Klausutis, who had an undiagnosed heart condition, fell and hit her head on her desk at work. Her death was ruled an accident. Trump said he had seen the family's letter, but stood by his comments, telling White House reporters: "I'm sure that ultimately they want to get to the bottom of it ... It's a very suspicious thing." A Twitter spokeswoman said the tweets would remain. "We are deeply sorry about the pain these statements, and the attention they are drawing, are causing the family," the spokeswoman said in a statement when asked about the president's tweets on Scarborough, now an MSNBC television host with whom Trump has brawled. Last year, Twitter said it would start labeling tweets from prominent politicians and government officials that broke its rules but that it deemed were in the public interest. The spokeswoman declined to say why these tweets did not fall within that policy. Later in the day, Twitter for the first time prompted readers to check the facts in tweets sent by Trump, warning readers his claims about mail-in ballots were false and had been debunked by fact checkers. The blue exclamation mark notification prompted readers to "get the facts about mail-in ballots" and directed them to a page with news articles and information from fact-checkers about the claims. The best local coverage, unlimited Sign up for a digital subscription to The Press of Atlantic City now and take advantage of a great offer. The person who tested positive worked an eight-hour shift on Thursday, and was not in the space that was used for the makeshift House floor or a public viewing area, Basham wrote, adding that she is unaware of anyone else who was in Springfield for the session testing positive. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 03:32:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close An Iraqi boy wearing a face mask plays on a swing in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 27, 2020. Iraqi Health Ministry on Wednesday said that a total of 5,135 COVID-19 cases were confirmed since the outbreak of the disease in the country, of whom up to 175 have died. (Xinhua) BAGHDAD, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Health Ministry on Wednesday said that a total of 5,135 COVID-19 cases were confirmed since the outbreak of the disease in the country, of whom up to 175 have died. A statement by the ministry said that 287 new cases were recorded nationwide during the past 24 hours and 257 of them were in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Six of the infected people died during the day in Baghdad's hospitals, bringing the death toll in the country to 175, while 2,904 have recovered so far, the statement said. The new cases were recorded after 7,014 test kits were used across the country during the past 24 hours, and a total of 206,381 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the statement. The latest total COVID-19 cases of 5,135 and the daily increase of infections in the Iraqi capital pushed Baghdad provincial governor, Mohammed Jaber al-Atta, to warn that coronavirus could spread all over the city. "The cases of coronavirus pandemic are in all over Baghdad, as there is no specific area in the city that could be far from the risk of the disease," al-Atta said in a statement. Depite the repeated warnings, there are people still visiting each other and there is a lack of compliance by some citizens with the health restrictions, which advise them to avoid gatherings and keep social distancing, al-Atta added. Since the outbreak of the disease, Iraq has been taking measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, including a nationwide curfew. On April 26, a Chinese team of medical experts left Iraq after a 50-day stay to support Iraq in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. China has also donated batches of medical supplies to Iraq to help its battle against the coronavirus. Enditem The controversy over a flyover for Savarkar in a Bengaluru suburb refuses to die down, with a bunch of local residents of the Yelahanka suburb going ahead and naming the flyover after Veer Savarkar on Thursday, despite the government decision to postpone the inauguration of the project. Thursday morning saw some local residents having painted 'Swatantra Veer Savarkar Flyover' in Kannada at the mouth of both ends of the flyover that never got inaugurated. However, no case has been taken up about the arbitrary christening of the flyover which was executed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Incidentally, the local MLA SR Vishwanath was keen to inaugurate and name the flyover on Thursday as it was Savarkar's birth anniversary. The flyover was to be inaugurated by Chief Mnister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday morning but it was put off, considering prohibitory orders are still in place amid the lockdown. Though the BBMP, which has built the flyover, only talked of the flyover as the 'Yelahanka New Town flyover. Vishwanath, who is also political secretary to the CM, reiterated on Thursday that he would not back down on the name for the flyover; that it would be formally inaugurated as the 'Savarkar flyover' next month. The proposal of Savarakar's name has come into a lot of flak both from Opposition parties as well as Kannada-rights groups, who said that a Kannadiga hero or personality must be identified to name projects with- not someone from other States. "It is an insult to Karnataka's freedom fighters when you take a decision to name the Yelahanaka flyover after VD Savarkar. Pl withdraw this decision immediately. On one hand you seek the cooperation of Opposition parties, and then you take such anti-people decisions," tweeted Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah. Another Opposition leader HD Kumaraswamy said there are many heroes in Karnataka who deserve the honour. "There are many who have fought for the interests of Karnataka before independence and after. you could alwys name the flyover after one of them. do other states name their monuments after Karnataka's heroes?" he tweeted. The Congress also held a protest outside the BBMP office, saying the decision had not gone through the usual process of getting discussed and approved in the BBMP Council meeting, where corporators from all wards of the city are represented. Chief Minister BS Yediuyurappa was supposed to inaugurate the flyover today but hte programe was cancelled after the controversy, besides taking into account that a public gathering would not be prudent when there is a lockdown and prohibitory orders. Vishwanath was however, obstinate on the issue. "Let them hold whatever protest they want. If Kumaraswamy wishes, we can name projects after personalities in his family too in coming months. But let them not insult our freedom fighters like Savarkar. We will go ahead with this name because most of the people of Yelahanka are pro-Savarkar. Even if some protest, we will 200 per cent name this after Savarkar when we dedicate this project to the public next month," he told newspersons. The news comes directly from the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Nissan, Ashwani Gupta, during a press briefing earlier today about the company's revised midterm plan. Yes, you read that headline correctly. Nissan is looking to build its hot-selling frame-based models, the Terra SUV and Navara pick-up, right here in the Philippines. And they're not putting up a new factory; instead, they are asking Alliance partner Mitsubishi to do it at the Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) plant in Laguna. Our second biggest market in ASEAN is the Philippines where we enjoy great market share in frame-based vehicles, continued Nissan's COO. We are studying with Mitsubishi to utilize the plant in the Philippines for our frame-based vehicles. If those statements from Nissan's COO push through, that could mean Nissan's two best selling models in the country, the Navara and Terra could join the L300, Mirage, and Mirage G4 as locally-built models at the MMPC assembly lines in Santa Rosa, Laguna. The plan is very logical. Nissan is re-designating Thailand as the sole export hub in the region and plans to shutter their factories in Indonesia as they focus on their key markets like North America, China, and Japan. That means Thailand could be stretched to capacity if their factories there have to export to more markets. Mitsubishi, being the strongest Alliance member in South East Asia, will be taking the lead in the region for the group. That means shared facilities and other back-end costs. Actually, they're already doing it, as Nissan already has a joint training center with Mitsubishi at the Santa Rosa, Laguna factory. When we talk about prioritization and focus, ASEAN is a great market for us, said Gupta. When we look at our capability and capacity to cater to the demands in this region, we do believe we need a partner in this region. We look to strengthen our partnership with Mitsubishi. What we're unsure of is whether the planned Philippine production of Nissan's frame-based vehicles will be for the current generation Terra/Navara or for the next generation models. What Gupta also said is that they are pushing for better commonality between their model platforms with Mitsubishi. We are working very closely with Mitsubishi for common platforms for next Triton and next Navara, said Ashwani Gupta, Nissan COO. Nissan has been gaining traction in the Philippine market, particularly with the Terra and Navara; two models that are performing well in terms of sales and market share. Having two Nissan models with significant sales in the country be manufactured (complete with stamping) or even just assembled from CKD kits certainly makes plenty of business sense. We'll know more about this new development soon enough. Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden have shown resistance, asking for assurances as to how the money would be used The fund will be made up of grants and low-interest loans and must be agreed by all 27 member states The European Union will consider a 750 billion (670 billion) recovery fund to help its countries weather the painful recession triggered by the coronavirus, the Commission president said yesterday. Ursula von der Leyen said it is 'Europe's moment' to live up to the challenge posed by lockdowns and the collapse in trade and tourism as she unveiled the plan to EU lawmakers. The fund, dubbed Next Generation EU, would spare the balance sheets of already indebted EU members and would be mostly made up of grants and tied to the common budget of EU's 27 member nations. It must also be endorsed by every country, 'providing an ambitious answer', von der Leyen added as she urged European nations to set aside their divisions. But barely off the press, the EU's recovery proposal received mixed reviews, with Dutch officials notably cool on it. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiledy a massive coronavirus recovery plan worth 750 billion to help countries rebuild their ailing economies, but the bloc remains deeply divided over what conditions should be attached to the funds It comes as the world's biggest trading bloc enters its deepest-ever recession, weighed down by the impact of the virus pandemic. Virtually every country has broken the EUs deficit limit while spending to keep health care systems, businesses and jobs alive. 'Our unique model built over 70 years is being challenged like never before in our history,' said Commission President von der Leyen. 'This is Europe's moment. Our willingness to act must live up to the challenges we are all facing.' 'We either all go alone, leaving countries, regions and people behind, and accepting a Union of haves and have nots. Or we take that road together, we take that leap forward. For me, the choice is simple. I want us to take a new bold step together,' she added. To fund its move, the EU's executive arm proposed borrowing money on financial markets. The European Commission has a triple A credit rating, which would give it favourable loan terms. Repayments would not begin before 2028, with the full amount due after 30 years. The European Commission president unveiled the plans in a sparsely-attended European Parliament chamber in Brussels. The fund, dubbed Next Generation EU, would spare the balance sheets of already indebted EU members and would be mostly made up of grants and tied to the common budget of EU's 27 member nations The money raised will go into the EUs next long-term budget, which starts January 1 and runs until December 31, 2027. It will then be channeled into a series of programs beneficial to the member states' economies. Two-thirds of the fund - a half-trillion euros - would take the form of grants, while the rest would be made up of more conditions-based loans for which countries could apply. Italy and Spain would each be eligible for around 80 billion in grants. France and Poland would each have access to 38 billion, while Germany could get 28 billion. The grants will not just be handed over. Applying countries would have to outline their aims for the money and what reforms they intend to undertake to ensure their economies are more resilient in the future. The applications would have to be endorsed by the EU partners. Italy, Spain and Poland would also be eligible for tens of billions of euros in loans, and the conditions are even more onerous. French President Emmanuel Macron took to twitter yesterday, saying the proposal was an 'essential day for Europe'. 'We must go quickly and adopt an ambitious agreement with all our European partners,' he added. The proposal put forward Wednesday appears largely in line with a plan unveiled earlier this month by Germany and France, historically the main powers in the EU. They agreed on a one-time 500 billion fund, which was seen as a major political breakthrough due to Berlin's acceptance of shared debt between member countries. But Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden - a group of countries dubbed the 'Frugal Four' - are reluctant to give money away without strings attached, and their opposition to grants could hold up the project. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte indicated that positions among the 27 nations were far apart on a massive issue that requires unanimity. He said that finding a compromise in time for an EU leaders summit next month was far too ambitious. 'I think this will take a lot more time,' Rutte, who pointedly talked about loans but not grants, told reporters. Conservative Dutch EU lawmaker Esther de Lange insisted that the Frugal Four's concerns should be taken into account. 'This is Europe's moment. Our willingness to act must live up to the challenges we are all facing,' said Commission President von der Leyen 'We're all in the same boat and ... we need to work together. But if you propose making this a matter of 23 against four, we won't succeed. You will push those four countries into the arms of the extreme right,' de Lange said. 'We will have to do it together.' Other reviews were more favourable. Greece cheered the commission's plan as a 'bold proposal.' Spain said it 'evaluates positively' the proposal. Germany also seemed agreeable, as much of the contents matched Berlin's own thinking. The European aid, which would come on top of another half-trillion package and trillions of aid from individual EU countries, is part of a slew of programs that countries around the world are deploying to blunt the recession. The U.S. government has put up over $2 trillion in support for companies and workers. Japan on Wednesday approved a supplementary budget that brings its fiscal support to over 230 trillion yen ($2.1 trillion). The proposal put forward Wednesday appears largely in line with a plan unveiled earlier this month by Germany and France, historically the main powers in the EU Ultimately though, the EU simply does not have much time. A row over the spending package for the budget period that begins at the start of next year has already dragged on for two years. For the budget and recovery package to come into force, an agreement must be found before September. German Chancellor Angela said it's unlikely to be agreed on at the next EU leaders' summit in June. But she warned that 'the goal must be that we find enough time in the fall for national parliaments and for the European Parliament to debate the matter in such a way that everything can come into force on Jan. 1, 2021.' It's not the only EU effort to tackle the economic fallout of the pandemic. The fund comes on top of a 540 billion package agreed among EU finance ministers, which includes loans from the eurozone bailout fund that would have to be repaid. The European Central Bank also recently announced 750 billion in new bond purchases to help the economy. New York (USA), May 28, 2020 (SPS) - The South African permanent representative to the United Nations, Jerry Matjila, has warned the members of the Security Council about the serious situation of the Sahrawi civilian population in the occupied areas by the Moroccan regime, and insisting that it is not receiving the necessary and adequate attention. During the virtual conference of the members of the UN Security Council to address the situation of the civilian population in armed conflicts, the South African representative regretted the lack of international attention in the face of the difficult situation suffered by people from prolonged conflicts such as the decolonization process of Western Sahara or Palestine. Jerry Matjila recalled during the meeting that international humanitarian law obliges all parties to armed conflict, state and non-state actors, to assume their obligations and take the necessary measures to protect the civilian population. In line, he has stressed to his counterparts that United Nations peacekeeping operations are one of the indicated mechanisms to protect civilians. It has also insisted on the need to take into account the current circumstances and equip the contingents deployed around the world with resources. the South African ambassador has called for greater cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union to articulate action plans to ensure protection and support for civilians. It has also highlighted the potential of the African organization and its experience on the ground to create peaceful environments and organize return plans to volunteer for refugees and internally displaced persons. South Africa currently chairs the African Union and is a non-permanent member of the UN security council.SPS 125/090/TRA Researchers at the University of Southampton have shown that an extinction event 360 million years ago, that killed much of the Earth's plant and freshwater aquatic life, was caused by a brief breakdown of the ozone layer that shields the Earth from damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This is a newly discovered extinction mechanism with profound implications for our warming world today. There have been a number of mass extinction in the geological past. Only one was caused by an asteroid hitting the Earth, which was 66 million years ago when the dinosaurs became extinct. Three of the others, including the end Permian Great Dying, 252 million years ago, were caused by huge continental scale volcanic eruptions that destabilised the Earth's atmospheres and oceans. Now, scientists have found evidence showing it was high levels of UV radiation which collapsed forest ecosystems and killed off many species of fish and tetrapods (our four limbed ancestors) at the end of the Devonian geological period, 359 million years ago. This damaging burst of UV radiation occurred as part of one of the Earth's climate cycles, rather than being caused by a huge volcanic eruption. The ozone collapse occurred as the climate rapidly warmed following an intense ice age and the researchers suggest that the Earth today could reach comparable temperatures, possibly triggering a similar event. Their findings are published in the journal Science Advances. The team collected rock samples during expeditions to mountainous polar-regions in East Greenland, which once formed a huge ancient lake bed in the arid interior of the Old Red Sandstone Continent, made up of Europe and North America. This lake was situated in the Earth's southern hemisphere and would have been similar in nature to modern day Lake Chad on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Other rocks were collected from the Andean Mountains above Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. These South American samples were from the southern continent of Gondwana, which was closer to the Devonian South Pole. They held clues as to what was happening at the edge of the melting Devonian ice sheet, allowing a comparison between the extinction event close to the pole and close to the equator. advertisement Back in the lab, the rocks were dissolved in hydrofluoric acid, releasing microscopic plant spores (like pollen, but from fern like plants that didn't have seeds or flowers) which had lain preserved for hundreds of millions of years. On microscopic examination, the scientists found many of the spores had bizarrely formed spines on their surface -- a response to UV radiation damaging their DNA. Also, many spores had dark pigmented walls, thought to be a kind of protective 'tan', due to increased and damaging UV levels. The scientists concluded that, during a time of rapid global warming, the ozone layer collapsed for a short period, exposing life on Earth to harmful levels of UV radiation and triggering a mass extinction event on land and in shallow water at the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary. Following melting of the ice sheets, the climate was very warm, with the increased heat above continents pushing more naturally generated ozone destroying chemicals into the upper atmosphere. This let in high levels of UV-B radiation for several thousand years. Lead researcher Professor John Marshall, of the University of Southampton's School of Ocean and Earth Science, who is a National Geographic Explorer, comments: "Our ozone shield vanished for a short time in this ancient period, coinciding with a brief and quick warming of the Earth. Our ozone layer is naturally in a state of flux -- constantly being created and lost -- and we have shown this happened in the past too, without a catalyst such as a continental scale volcanic eruption." During the extinction, plants selectively survived, but were enormously disrupted as the forest ecosystem collapsed. The dominant group of armoured fish became extinct. Those that survived -- sharks and bony fish -- remain to this day the dominant fish in our ecosystems. These extinctions came at a key time for the evolution of our own ancestors, the tetrapods. These early tetrapods are fish that evolved to have limbs rather than fins, but still mostly lived in water. Their limbs possessed many fingers and toes. The extinction reset the direction of their evolution with the post-extinction survivors being terrestrial and with the number of fingers and toes reduced to five. Professor Marshall says his team's findings have startling implications for life on Earth today: "Current estimates suggest we will reach similar global temperatures to those of 360 million years ago, with the possibility that a similar collapse of the ozone layer could occur again, exposing surface and shallow sea life to deadly radiation. This would move us from the current state of climate change, to a climate emergency." The remote locations visited in East Greenland are very difficult to access, with travel involving light aircraft capable of landing directly on the tundra. Transport within the vast field area was by inflatable boats equipped with outboard motors, all of which had to fit in the small aircraft. All field logistics was organised by CASP, an independent charitable trust based in Cambridge specialising in remote geological fieldwork. Mike Curtis, Managing Director of CASP says: "We have a history of assisting research geologists such as John Marshall and colleagues to access remote field areas and we are particularly pleased that their research has proved to have such potentially profound implications." Hong Kong and Singapore will lift bans on transit passengers from the beginning of June as part of the Covid-19 restrictions that affected the economies of both countries and ravaged the aviation sectors. Hong Kong Airport to Resume Limited Transit Services From June 1 Hong Kong Airport is all set to reopen international transit from June 1, albeit in a calibrated manner, according to Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who said, that the coronavirus pandemic has eased and the city-state will be resuming its daily activities and economy step by step. Hong Kong suspended its transit services on March 24 and the city also implemented a ban on visitors as well. It must be noted that the Hong Kong Airport is currently the fourth-largest airport by passenger count and transit services play a significant role in airport traffic. To put things into perspective, Hong Kong's largest airline, Cathay Pacific a 99.6% drop in passenger numbers as it carried only 13,729 passengers in April, compared to over 4.3 million in April 2019. The airline also operated a skeleton schedule to just 14 destinations. Singapore To Lift Transit Bans From June 2 The Singapore government has said that the passenger transit will resume from June 2. It should be noted that Singapore acts as a major transit hub between Asia and Europe. Of late, only passengers on repatriation flights can only transit through Singapore organised by their governments. Singapore's transit ban was enforced on March 24, followed by the spike in the coronavirus infection. Moreover, the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, also enacted a ban on short-stay visitors to combat the deadly respiratory infections. The Singapore Civil Aviation Authority also asserted that opening the Changi Airport to transit passengers in designation facilities will be a significant step in re-opening the city but warned that everyone will have to follow to the safety guidelines and maintain social-distancing norms. Airport staff in Singapore will also have to wear personal protective equipment when interacting with passengers, while existing precautionary measures, such as safe distancing and temperature checks for passengers and staff, will remain in place. "Instead of browsing the duty-free shops or kicking back in the airline lounge, transit passengers will "remain in designated facilities in the transit area and not mix with other passengers whilst at Changi Airport," said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore in announcing the relaxed restrictions. The mayor of Minneapolis called Wednesday for criminal charges against the white police officer seen on video kneeling against the neck of a handcuffed black man who complained that he could not breathe and died in police custody. Based on the video, Mayor Jacob Frey said officer Derek Chauvin should be charged in the death of George Floyd. The footage by a bystander shows Chauvin with his knee on Floyds neck as Floyd gasps for breath on the ground with his face against the pavement. The officer does not move for at least eight minutes, even after Floyd stops speaking and moving. Ive wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail? said Frey, who is white. He later added: I saw no threat. I saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary. The day after Floyd died, Chauvin and three other officers were fired an act that did not stem the flood of anger that followed the widely seen video shot on Memorial Day outside a convenience store. Police officer in this picture can be seen pressing his knee to the head of George Floyd. He was fired but it didnt stem the outrage in the city. (@K9Falo/Twitter) Protesters marched more than 2 miles Tuesday to the police precinct in that part of the city, with some damaging property and skirmishing with officers in riot gear who fired tear gas. A smaller protest was underway Wednesday afternoon outside the same precinct, with roughly a dozen officers behind barriers and a couple hundred protesters occasionally yelling at them and throwing objects. Another demonstration unfolded on the street outside Chauvins suburban home. An officer told protesters that Chauvin was not there. Red cans of paint were earlier spilled on his driveway, and someone wrote murderer in chalk at the end of his driveway. No one answered when an Associated Press reporter knocked on the door. Many activists, citizens and celebrities called for criminal charges before Frey did. But Floyds family and the community may have to wait months, if not years, before investigations are complete. Floyd family attorney Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights lawyer, called for peaceful protests. We cannot sink to the level of our oppressors, and we must not endanger others during this pandemic, he said in a statement. We will demand and ultimately force lasting change by shining a light on treatment that is horrific and unacceptable and by winning justice. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, who rose to the top job after his predecessor was forced out following the 2017 shooting of an unarmed white woman by a black Minneapolis officer, urged protesters to be respectful. He said he was working to change the departments culture. One incident can significantly bring people to doubt that, he said. The chief defended the departments use of tear gas to break up Tuesday nights protests, saying officers used it only after some people broke into a secure area that gave them access to squad cars and weapons. Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesotas two top law enforcement officials Attorney General Keith Ellison and Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington, both black promised a thorough, transparent investigation. But Walz and Ellison didnt endorse the mayors call to immediately charge the officer, saying the legal process needs to play out. I understand the emotions are running high, and I think its important for the mayor to channel the emotion of the people who he represents. But I think it is critical that we adhere very closely to the facts and the law and the normal process, Ellison said. The Hennepin County Attorneys Office, which would prosecute any state charges, issued a statement saying that Floyds death had outraged us and people across the country and that the case deserves the best we can give. The FBI was investigating whether officers willfully deprived Floyd of his civil rights. Floyds death and that of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia have reopened the divide between minority communities and police that grew to a national uproar following the 2014 killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, the 2015 killing of Freddie Gray and others. Speaking to reporters at Cape Canaveral, Florida, President Donald Trump called the death in Minneapolis a very, very sad event and said his administration was going to look at it. Later, he tweeted that he had asked for the federal investigation be expedited. Democrat Joe Biden said Floyds death was part of an ingrained, systemic cycle of injustice that still exists in this country and cuts at the very heart of our sacred belief that all Americans are equal in rights. It also sends a very clear message to the black community and black lives that are under threat every single day, Biden added, saying he was glad the mayor and the police department fired the officers, but I dont think thats enough. A 2017 Pew Research Center study found that police think the public does not understand the risks they face. A more recent study from September showed police were considered more trustworthy than Congress, but only 33% of black adults and half of Hispanics say they believe officers treat racial and ethnic groups equally. Shocking videos of black men dying continue to emerge during the pandemic, which is hitting communities of color harder than white communities. Floyd himself had been laid off from his nightclub security job in the pandemic, a friend told the AP. Police say Floyd matched the description of someone who tried to pay with a counterfeit bill at the convenience store. It was unclear why Floyd was arrested in such a physical way for what would have been a low-level crime. Police in most large cities have backed away from certain arrests to guard against further spread of the virus. The officers in the video were not wearing masks. A Minneapolis Fire Department report shows that paramedics moved Floyd from the scene, and two fire crew members got into the ambulance to help. Medics were doing chest compressions and other lifesaving measures on an unresponsive, pulseless male, the report said. Floyd was pronounced dead at a hospital. An autopsy will be performed to determine if the neck compression led to his death. News accounts show Chauvin was one of six officers who fired their weapons in the 2006 death of Wayne Reyes, who police said pointed a sawed-off shotgun at officers after stabbing two people. Chauvin also shot and wounded a man in 2008 during a struggle after Chauvin and his partner responded to a reported domestic assault. Police did not immediately respond to a request for Chauvins service record. In calling for charges, the mayor contrasted Floyds death with others involving police that turned on split-second decisions by officers. We are not talking about a split-second decision that was made incorrectly, Frey said. Theres somewhere around 300 seconds in those five minutes every one of which that officer could have turned back, every second of which he could have removed his knee from George Floyds neck. ___ Long reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jeff Baenen and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin, and Kevin Freking in Cape Canaveral, Florida, contributed to this report. Pennsylvanias colleges and universities are faced with the same dilemma that has us all perplexed. Do we try to get back to normal as quickly as possible and throw open the school house doors? Or do we act more cautiously . . . and take little baby steps until we can see the path a bit more clearly? Two presidents of esteemed Pennsylvania institutions of higher learning are opting for different paths each carefully considering the scientific data, official recommendations and medical resources they hope will be available in the fall. Posted by Joyce M. Davis on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 Lebanon Valley College President Lewis Thayne is planning to reopen the college to students, including to those who will stay on campus, if his county is in the green phase come August. Harrisburg Area Community College President John Sygielski doesnt have the problem of whether to allow students to stay on campus, but he does have to worry about thousands of students coming in and going out each day, touching the same surfaces and leaving their droplets for others to inhale. Thayne and Sygielski joined PennLives Coronavirus Q & A on Facebook Live this week to talk about the impact of COVID-19 on higher education in Pennsylvania. Both presidents agreed, the impact will be both profound and long-lasting. And no one has a playbook for how to navigate the turbulent waters ahead. HACC, Central Pennsylvania's community college President John "Ski" Sygielski signs statewide articulation agreement with Southern New Hampshire University that offers incentives for Pennsylvania community colleges to enroll in that online degree-granting institution. In fact, HACC and LVC are taking somewhat divergent approaches in responding to the coronavirus. LVC is planning to reopen in the fall, but HACC is contemplating offering mostly online classes through the end of the year. HACC is concerned about the risk of having thousands of students spread COVID-19 throughout their communities. Its campuses are scattered throughout the area, and some may fall into the yellow zone, while other campuses may turn green. But whats clear to Sygielski is there will not be a vaccine to stop COVID-19 by August when the fall session begins, and it probably still wont be possible to tell who has the virus and who doesnt. Lewis E. Thayne (center) has announced that the coming academic year will be his final one as president of Lebanon Valley College While LVC is planning to reopen in the fall, Thayne, who has announced his retirement, said it is also reserving an entire dormitory as a quarantine site in the event some of their students contract the virus and need to be separated. All of this, along with the necessary staffing, cleaning, disinfecting and testing will bring significant costs to the college at a time when many parents are balking at rising tuition. Pennsylvanias colleges and universities, like those throughout the nation, are struggling to make sense of a new world order controlled by a virus that is unpredictable and potentially deadly. Either course of action re-opening or keeping campuses closed brings its own risks to health and safety or financial stability. The leaders of LVC and HACC are taking their best guesses in the coronavirus dark to do whats right for students as well as for faculty and staff who will be on the front lines each day. It would be wrong to second guess the decisions of either of them when even the doctors have more questions than answers. Quality local journalism has never been more important. You deserve the best. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. And please subscribe to Battleground PA to stay abreast of the issues in the 2020 elections! The ongoing migrant workers crisis has amplified the need for a universal and comprehensive social security regime for all workers in the informal sector While the Atma Nirbhar Bharat welfare measures for migrant workers are steps in the right direction, issues relating to the delivery of benefits remain unaddressed. Creation of a robust registration system, overcoming state level domicile restrictions and a larger policy framework that can address the social security needs of all informal workers are some of the major steps needed. Indias development story is deeply connected with migration. More than 455 million internal migrants work in sectors such as construction, hospitality and manufacturing around the country. Internal migration for work, especially from rural to urban areas, positively impacts low-income households, and benefits both the regions people migrate from and towards. However, as the COVID-19 crisis has shown in stark detail, internal migrants have been left out of Indias social security net. While there have been positive steps by the government to provide relief to migrant workers, including the decision to provide rations at site and to release funds under the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Act, the authors would like to emphasise that this is not enough. There are larger issues regarding the delivery architecture for welfare that are still unaddressed. These concerns have been amplified during the ongoing national lockdown. One rapid assessment survey conducted by Jan Sahas found that most migrant workers had limited or no access to ration and a high incidence of debt distress while lack of access to required documentation limited their access to welfare measures. India Migration Now and Dvara Research conducted a survey of migrant construction workers in Thane in April this year, and found that more than two-thirds were not able to access benefits under Building and Other Construction Workers Act 1996 (BOCW). The recent notification released by the Delhi Government has noted difficulty in identifying and delivering rations to non-PDS beneficiaries further highlights the need to reconsider the approach for delivering welfare. Two specific issues arise with respect to seasonal migrant workers in India. First, welfare schemes in India are based on the domicile of a household. Seasonal migrant workers are rarely able to access welfare measures in the destination states. The benefits of Central Government schemes are often relayed to citizens through state or local governments, which can make them available only to their permanent residents or domiciles. In such a situation, interstate migrant workers lose their entitlements when they cross the borders of their native states. Migrant workers are typically engaged as short-term wage workers in the informal sector. Second, the larger concern is that the informal sector accounts for three-quarters of the Indian workforce, but lacks any formal social protection from the state. Neither the Inter-State Migrant Workers (ISMW) Act, 1979, nor the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008, have any specific provisions on social security for migrant workers. Instead, social security is the subject matter of ad hoc schemes at the discretion of the government. This has been retained in the proposed Code on Social Security Bill, 2019. The current crisis has highlighted the need for setting in place a social security system for migrant workers. There are three ways to overcome this issue: firstly, destination states must implement enrolment protocols to include short term migrant workers into existing welfare mechanisms. One successful example of this is in Kerala, which has implemented migrant-specific labour welfare schemes, health provisions and child policies. Kerala has even issued alternative identity cards for education and welfare services to its guest workers". In fact, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour has recommended that the Labour Codes make special provisions for migrant labour, as has been done by the State Government of Kerala. The idea of registration of workers for targeted welfare delivery is not a new one. Indeed, this was one of the primary objectives of the ISMW Act. Inspired by Odishas Dadan Labour (Control and Regulation) Act , 1975, an act to protect and safeguard the interests of dadan or debt migrants in the state, the ISMW Act is the only central level legislation explicitly governing inter-state migrant workers in India. But a combination of poor/absent state level enforcement, lack of awareness and a poor incentive structure has resulted in widespread implementation failure. The ISMW Act is one of 13 laws being merged into the draft Labour Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2019. Unfortunately, the chapter on migrant workers retains the flawed registration structure of the ISMW Act. As migrant workers desperately struggle to register for returning home, solutions like a self-registration process and digital record keeping, as proposed by the Working Group on Migration in 2017, must be urgently explored in further detail. Secondly, there is a need for greater coordination between source and destination states to ensure portability of benefits on the lines of the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. These should be facilitated by the central government across all the migrant corridors. Another important step in this direction would be to make all welfare schemes interoperable. The One Nation, One Ration Card scheme is one such example of this. Finally, these are all short-term fixes. The idea of social security is to ensure access to a minimum floor of protection against the most critical risks that endanger the well-being of every household. The ongoing crisis has amplified the need for a universal and comprehensive social security regime for all workers, especially those employed in the informal sector and especially for migrant workers. While short-term measures to provide welfare for our informal workforce are important, it is also important to look ahead to devising a solution to ensure universal and comprehensive social security. The article first appeared on Dvara.com and has been reproduced with permission. Varun is the founder and lead at India Migration Now while Nishanth is the head of Dvara Researchs social protection initiative NUMBER OF SHARES AND VOTING RIGHTS COMPRISING ANTALIS SHARE CAPITAL AS AT 25 MAY 2020 The total number of voting rights and shares comprising Antalis share capital as of the publication date of the meeting notice of the General Shareholders' Meeting to be held on 30 June 2020 is the following: 25 May 2020 Total number of shares 71,000,000 25 May 2020 Total number of theoretical voting rights 129,492,689 25 May 2020 Total number of voting rights exercisable at General Meetings (1) 128,992,747 (1) Pursuant to Article L. 225-210 of the French commercial code, treasury shares (499,942 as at 25 May 2020) are deprived of voting rights. A double voting right is granted to each share that has been continuously held in registered form by the same shareholder for a minimum period of two years. ************ Euronext Paris C Segment ISIN Code: FR0013258589 Ticker symbol: ANTA ANTALIS 8 rue de Seine 92100 Boulogne Billancourt ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: lWqcZpqclGfHnmyaY5dnl5RonGeVx2TFbpadxGWcZ5iUm2llm2dnbpjHZm9km2xt - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-63677-number-shares-and-voting-rights-as-at-25-may-2020.pdf Make a difference: A small contribution from you can feed an entire family at Soda, Rajasthan India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, May 28: These are difficult times. The outbreak of the pandemic has given us enough challenges. Coupled with this is the heatwave and the locust attacks, which has left several parts of the country reeling. Rural India needs our support as the villagers have been hit the hardest. The problem is no different at the Soda village in Rajasthan. The former Sarpanch of the Soda village, Chavvi Rajawat has come up with an innovative idea through which we are accorded an opportunity to adopt one family in the village. Rajawat, with his innovative ideas was also the first sarpanch with a business management degree in the country. Under her leadership, Soda has undergone a transformation. She is now raising funds to ensure the survival of 900 households. OneIndia caught up with Chavvi to find out more. Given the current situation, I would say that rural India is not the best place to be in right now. As we know that there are limited resources in terms of income. The heat wave, the pandemic, water scarcity etc, all add up to the problem. How do the locals survive asks Rajawat. I am attached to the village always. My family has given me and inclusive upbringing and I never thought a village was different. Even, while growing up, I used to have my breakfast at my grandfather's house and step out into the village. I would return only by evening, she further adds. You can watch the interview with Chavvi Rajawat here: Adopt a family at Soda: Here is how you can do it: Go to https://pages.razorpay.com/pl_EcTy5sFbPHCoBc/view Enter the number of families you want to adopt It will cost you Rs 3,000 a month per family Enter email address and phone number Click on donate In case of any queries, you could send an email at villagesoda@gmail.com On the initiative to support 900 families, Chavvi says that the villagers of Soda are determined to move themselves out of poverty and build a better future for themselves. We realise that the heatwave is critical. Water is a basic resource for both human and animal survival. The situation in June and July becomes even more critical and COVID-19 has made it even more difficult. It is in this context that we decided to come up with this idea. We spoke to the villagers, who said that Rs 3,000 a month would be sufficient for their survival. It is with this thought that we decided that we will go ahead with this relief to ensure that their stress levels come down, Rajawat further adds. She also says that so far 140 families have been adopted. We are empathetic and happy about this. In order to make a donation one would need to visit villagesoda.org and click on donate. On the next page, you can make a donation. The organisation is registered under 80G and receipts will be emailed to the donors. Eventually the photographs of the aid being given to the beneficiary will be shared as well, Rajawat says. The campaign began on April 10 2020 and would end on July 30 2020. On how the 900 families have been identified, Rajawat says that there is a vast majority that does not own land. The medium and small farmers never make profits and they only manage to survive for the rest of the year. We have started with the landless and the poorest of the poor. These are the people who are normally left out. It is the weakest section of society, where we have started with. There are also the banjaras, who cannot move and they too need urgent help, Rajawat explains. Coupled with this there are emotional challenges as well. Individuals need emotional support. The people have come forward and been empathetic and tis itself is extremely helpful. This is the only step forward and when the villagers are happy when they know that there are people to look after them. The farmer has to feel comfortable and only if the are comforted, will we have raw material says Rajawat. It is not only the responsibility of the government. We have to recognise our responsibility as well towards are co-fellows. If we have to take our country forward, we need to go past the pettiness, Rajawat further adds. [May 28, 2020] HSBC Bank Partners With RateReset to Deliver Award-Winning Digital Mortgage Solution HSBC Bank USA, N.A., (HSBC), part of the HSBC Group, one of the world's largest banking and financial services organizations, today announced it has partnered with RateReset to license its award-winning platform, KNOCK KNOCK. The platform, branded "EasyReset" for HSBC, allows the bank to reset existing Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM (News - Alert)) loans with the click of a button. "EasyReset provides us with a digital solution that helps streamline the customer experience and allows the bank to retain and recapture loans," said Raman Muralidharan, Head of Mortgage for HSBC's Wealth and Personal Banking business. "For existing customers, it takes a complex and long refinance process and transforms it to a digital journey that is completed in minutes. This partnership demonstrates our commitment to innovation and efficiency for our clients and is an important part of building stronger long-term relationships." When a customer is eligible for a rate reset, an offer is automatically sent via email and can be reviewed, signed and accepted in less than 90 seconds. "As a lender that holds loans on our balance sheet rather than sells them to the secondary market, retaining our existing mortgage portfolio is a key component of our overall business strategy," said Arun Trpathi, Head of Mortgage Products at HSBC Bank USA. "Customers who have a mortgage with us tend to have lasting and deep relationships." Keith Kelly, Co-founder and CEO of RateReset, added, "We are pleased to provide our award-winning digital solutions to HSBC. We share a vision and commitment to innovation in the financial services industry. Together we are delivering a positive banking experience designed to meet the financial needs of today's consumers." HSBC Bank USA, National Association (HSBC Bank USA, N.A.) serves customers through retail banking and wealth management, commercial banking, private banking, and global banking and markets segments. It operates bank branches in: California; Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; Florida; Maryland; New Jersey; New York; Pennsylvania; Virginia; and Washington. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. is the principal subsidiary of HSBC USA Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC North America Holdings Inc. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. is a Member of FDIC. Investment and brokerage services are provided through HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., (Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC) and insurance products are provided through HSBC Insurance Agency (USA) Inc. HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 64 countries and territories in our geographical regions: Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,918bn at 31 March 2020, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organizations. RateReset offers award winning products that allow the customer to be in control of what have historically been routine administrative tasks that are time-consuming for both frontline and support staff. Both Reset Auto and Reset Mortgage, products successfully tested and adopted in the market, allow customers to reset the term of an existing auto loan, personal loan or mortgage based on the financial institutions criteria. The software promotes loan retention at a very low cost, and provides customers with a favorable view of the consumer advocacy of the financial institution. The Digital Pre-Approval Solutions make it simple and fast for a financial institution to acquire or recapture customer automobile loans, mortgage loans, personal loans and credit cards. For more information on RateReset, visit www.ratereset.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005482/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Indian Army rushed in additional troops and weaponry to eastern Ladakh as part of its strategy to fend off China's aggressive military behaviour with 'firmness', even as top Army commanders deliberated on the delicate situation in the region for the second consecutive day on Thursday, official sources said. Photograph: Photograph: Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters They said military reinforcements, including troops, vehicles and equipment, were sent to shore up Indian presence in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie. The Army commanders extensively deliberated on the situation in eastern Ladakh on the opening day of a three-day conference on Wednesday as well. The conference, which is being chaired by Army Chief General M M Naravane, also reviewed anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in certain areas in the North Eastern region, the sources said. The Indian Army will continue to maintain its aggressive posturing in all disputed areas in eastern Ladakh and will not back off till status quo is maintained, they said. The sources said the Indian Army has significantly bolstered its strength in eastern Ladakh and even brought in artillery guns. The commanders' conference was originally scheduled to be held from April 13-18, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The biannual army commanders conference is held in April and October every year. The second phase of the conference will take place in the last week of June. In the meantime, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India was engaged with China at military and diplomatic levels to resolve the border standoff in eastern Ladakh, but at the same time asserted that the country is 'firm' in its resolve to protect its sovereignty and national security. He said India is committed to the objective of maintenance of peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control and that Indian troops take a very responsible approach towards border management. 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. On the face-off in eastern Ladakh, India last week said that it has always taken a very responsible approach towards border management but the Chinese military was hindering normal patrolling by its troops. It is learnt that both India and China are looking at a solution to the issue through talks. On May 5, the Indian and the 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 suffered 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 suffered 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. If the number of coronavirus patients in the capital increases, city authorities may reconsider easing the quarantine and return to certain restrictions, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said. "We are gradually easing the restrictions. We are watching how the virus will spread in this situation. The main thing is that the easing does not lead to a new wave of disease. If the number of coronavirus patients increases, we have an algorithm. Kyiv has determined the conditions under which the city will return to quarantine," Klitschko said during an online press conference, answering a media question. The mayor said the commission on emergency situations in Kyiv approved conditions under which the capital can suspend already eased quarantine measures: - if the total number of new cases of COVID-19 in the last seven days will be more than 24 people per 100 thousand. population; - if the occupancy of beds in medical institutions designated for hospitalization of patients with confirmed coronavirus exceeds 75%. "The government has identified indicators. We have developed an algorithm according to which the city takes measures in the event of a deteriorating epidemiological situation. And can tighten restrictions to prevent the rapid spread of the virus," the mayor said. 442nd Regimental Combat Team Colorguard We can now share this important chapter of American history across the nation, inspiring new audiences with the veterans legacy of valor, honor and equality," said Mitchell Maki, President & CEO, Go For Broke National Education Center. Go For Broke National Education Center (GFBNEC) today announced its first national livestream event marking the 21st anniversary of the iconic Go For Broke Monument on Saturday, June 6, 2020 at 12 p.m. PST. The tribute, which will be accessible online free of charge, will honor Japanese American World War II veterans and their contributions to democracy. The event is presented, in part, by Presenting Sponsor Richard and Patricia Shinto. Mitchell T. Maki, GFBNECs President and Chief Executive Officer, and David Ono, ABC7 News Anchor and member of GFBNEC Board of Directors, will host the live presentation, which will be available via Facebook, YouTube and http://www.goforbroke.org. Kisa Ito, granddaughter of Lawson Iichiro Sakai, 442nd Regimental Combat Team veteran, will give the keynote address. The program will include interviews with veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd RCT and Military Intelligence Service as they reflect on their wartime experiences, the nature of patriotism, and the relevance of their experiences in todays society. We, of course, would rather gather in person for this important celebration, but to ensure the safety of our veterans, families and supporters during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will livestream our 21st anniversary event, Maki said. We can now share this important chapter of American history across the nation and worldwide, inspiring new audiences with the veterans legacy of valor, honor and equality. To provide much-needed support for its educational programming and initiatives, GFBNEC is offering several opportunities to support the veterans legacy: Honor a Veteran social media campaign: Supporters can create digital tributes to veteran family members and loved ones with photos to be displayed during the pre-show. Higher tiers will include additional posts of the veterans image via social media. Veteran Floral Tribute: In special tribute to our veterans, decorative potted plants, each with the name of the veteran and his donor patron, are placed around the Monument (date to be confirmed) Opportunity Drawing: Cash Prize drawing will take place on SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2020 during the livestream broadcast. Winners need not be present to win. Tickets must be received in the Go For Broke National Education Center office by 5 p.m. Friday, June 5, 2020. Monument Anniversary Tribute Sponsorships: All sponsors will receive recognition as a Monument 21st Anniversary Tribute Sponsor in the livestream program and on the GFBNEC website. During these economically challenging times, we rely on our supporters more than ever to help share the Nisei veterans story, which brought new strength to our multicultural society, Maki said. GFBNEC has eliminated all non-essential expenses and is seeking alternative sources of funding. However, continued and increased contributions are critical for our continued success and viability. For more information on GFBNECs educational initiatives, or for questions about the virtual event, please contact development@goforbroke.org or call (310) 328-0912. The Go For Broke Monument, located in Los Angeles historic Little Tokyo district, honors more than 30,000 Americans of Japanese descent who served the U.S. during WWII, including many who were drafted from incarceration camps on the mainland. First unveiled in 1999, the Monuments polished black panels are inscribed with the names of more than 16,000 men and women who served with distinction despite widespread suspicion and prejudice. Note to Media: Go For Broke was the motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated Army unit composed of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland. The term was Hawaiian slang for shooting the works, or risking everything for the big win in gamblingas the Nisei soldiers did while fighting in the field in WWII and facing prejudice at home in the U.S. About Go For Broke National Education Center Go For Broke National Education Center (GFBNEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that educates the public on the valor of Japanese American veterans of World War II and their contributions to democracy. Our goal is to inspire new generations to embody the Nisei veterans core values of courage, sacrifice, equality, humility and patriotism. Founded in 1989, GFBNEC maintains the Go For Broke Monument and the interactive GFBNECs Defining Courage Exhibition in downtown Los Angeles, as well as extensive oral histories and archives, education and training programs, and other initiatives. For more information, please visit http://www.goforbroke.org. Media Contact: Pauline Yoshihashi Strategic Communications For GFBNEC 323/683-8191 Direct pyoshihashi@earthlink.net SEOUL (Reuters) - Britain temporarily closed its embassy in North Korea and all diplomatic staff have left the country, the U.K. ambassador said on Thursday, the latest foreign delegation to leave amid strict coronavirus restrictions. "The British Embassy in Pyongyang closed temporarily on 27 May 2020 and all diplomatic staff have left the DPRK for the time being," ambassador Colin Crooks said in a post on Twitter, using the initials of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The decision was made because "restrictions on entry to the country have made it impossible to rotate our staff and sustain the operation of the Embassy," the U.K. Foreign Office said in a statement. The U.K. maintains diplomatic relations with North Korea and will seek to re-establish a presence in Pyongyang as soon as possible, the statement said. Citing unnamed sources, Seoul-based NK News, which monitors North Korea, reported that the diplomats crossed the border into China by land, as flights remain on hold. North Korea has not confirmed any cases of the coronavirus but banned almost all cross-border travel, and made foreigners spend weeks in quarantine. In March, several countries, including Germany and France, withdrew their representatives from North Korea and closed their missions there. Swedens ambassador to North Korea, Joachim Bergstrom, is among the foreign diplomats remaining in Pyongyang, tweeting on Thursday that "a new working day begins" in the city. (Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Michael Perry) A paratrooper in charge of the British Army's elite rapid reaction force has been suspended for allegedly hosting a 15-officer party during lockdown. Colonel Andrew Jackson, deputy commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, is accused of flouting a ban that he was meant to help enforce at Merville Barracks. The 51-year-old is now facing a Royal Military Police probe for flouting the lockdown he was supposed to enforce at the 12,000-strong Colchester base. Colonel Andrew Jackson, deputy commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, is accused of flouting a ban that he was meant to help enforce (pictured, during D-Day commemorations in 2019) Sources claim he secretly opened up a bar inside 2 Para's officers' mess last Thursday and was joined by up to 15 officers. According to The Sun, the officers are believed to have ranked from a lieutenant to a major who all thought they had slipped back into their quarters unnoticed. The lockdown flouters, who were barred from drinking together during the pandemic, are thought to have been reported by a civilian contractor. Yesterday, Brigadier John Clark, 16AAB's Commanding Officer, formally briefed senior staff at Colchester Garrison on Col Jackson's suspension. The 51-year-old is now facing a Royal Military Police probe for flouting the lockdown he was supposed to enforce at the 12,000-strong Merville Barracks An insider told The Sun: 'About ten to 15 of them - all senior, all leaders - had a big drink late into the night, while everyone else was sticking to rules. 'You can't enforce the rules if you're seen breaking them.' An Army spokesman said: 'We expect the highest standards from our Armed Forces and are proud of their work in response to coronavirus. This was a serious breach of social distancing guidance. A full investigation is now taking place.' 16 Air Assault Brigade, specially trained and equipped to deploy by parachute, helicopter and air-landing, help to maintain the Air Assault Task Force, a battlegroup held at high readiness to deploy for non-combatant missions and fighting. The Brigade's soldiers have recently deployed multiple times on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as supporting civilian authorities in Britain. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday formally declared that Hong Kong no longer had a high degree of autonomy from Chinaa step that opens the door for Washington to impose a raft of economic and trade sanctions that will potentially damage Hong Kong's position as a global financial hub. Pompeos decision is a further step in the Trump administrations anti-China campaign, which has rapidly accelerated in recent months, including the vicious scapegoating of Beijing for the global COVID-19 pandemic. The moves towards new sanctions over Hong Kong make clear that the targeting of Beijing is aimed not just at deflecting attention from the criminal responsibility of the White House for the huge US death toll, but is part of intensifying efforts to undermine China economically and strategically over the past decade and prepare for war. Le secretaire dEtat americain Mike Pompeo (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia) Pompeos statement came in response to last weeks announcement by China that its annual National Peoples Congress (NPC) will pass a new national security law covering subversion, terrorism and foreign influence in Hong Kong. The Chinese legislation, which is likely to be passed today, effectively overrides Hong Kongs legislature, which attempted but failed to pass such a law in 2003 in the face of mass demonstrations. Last November, following months of protests in Hong Kong against a proposed extradition law, the US Congress passed legislation which requires the US State Department to certify Hong Kongs autonomy from China. Pompeos declaration now allows the Trump administration to override US legislation passed prior to the British handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, which maintained pre-existing economic and trade relations with the former British colony. Its special economic status enabled Hong Kong to retain its position as a global financial hub for trade in and out of China, as well as hosting the regional headquarters of hundreds of US and other corporations operating within China. In 2018, the US had a $33 billion trade surplus with Hong Kong. Some 8 percent of mainland Chinas exports to the US, and 6 percent of Chinas imports, took place via Hong Kong. Hong Kong has benefitted from looser export controls than mainland China and agreements on technology transfers, academic exchanges, taxation, currency exchange and sanctions. All of these are now in question. Earlier this week, President Trump declared that the US would respond very powerfully if the NPC passed the national security legislation. US Assistant Secretary of State David Stilwell confirmed that discussions on punitive measures were taking place, declaring that the US was seeking to mitigate the impact globally, [and] on the Hong Kong people. However, any erosion of the Hong Kong economy will hit the working class the hardest, leading to rising unemployment and further cutbacks to the territorys limited social services. While Washington may be concerned about the impact of sanctions on US corporations in Hong Kong and China, it has no concern for the plight of working people there, much less their democratic rights. Further protests took place in Hong Kong yesterday both against the proposed national security legislation and also a law being considered in the Hong Kong legislature to outlaw any denigration of the Chinese anthem and flag. The limited size of the protests is a result not only of the COVID-19 restrictions and substantial police presence on the streets, but also the right-wing orientation of the protest leaders. What began last year as huge protests against the extradition legislation, expressing the legitimate concerns of the majority of the population over democratic rights, increasingly came to be dominated by the reactionary outlook of groups and parties hostile to the working class. These forces promoted anti-Chinese mainlander xenophobia and oriented to the major imperialist powers, particularly the US, to intervene on their behalf. The response of former student Joshua Wong, a leader of Demosisto, in support of Pompeos announcement is a graphic demonstration of the pro-imperialist orientation of these organisations. Our hope is that a drastic change of American policy will encourage them [China] to reverse course on Hong Kong, he declared. Wong has spoken recently to US Senator Josh Hawley, who last week introduced a resolution to condemn Chinas national security law. Last year, Wong, who was feted in Europe and the US as well as in the media as the face of the Hong Kong protesters, met with top political figures and addressed the US Congress. The statements of concern for the Hong Kong people by Pompeo and other Trump officials are utterly hypocritical. US imperialism is no more interested in human rights in Hong Kong or China than it was in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria or Libya, where the issue was exploited to justify its criminal wars. Whether it is Hong Kong, Taiwan or the Uyghur minority in western China, Washington uses human rights as a convenient tool for undermining the unity of China, which it regards as a dangerous barrier to reasserting US dominance internationally. Promoting the illusion that the US will defend democratic rights in Hong Kong or anywhere else plays straight into the hands of the Chinese regime and sows divisions in the Chinese working classthe only social force that is capable of challenging the police state regime in Beijing. The Trump administrations decision to confront Beijing over Hong Kong is just the latest front in its provocative campaign against China, which includes: new measures targeted against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei; restrictions on investment in Chinese stocks; threats to impose new taxes on American companies producing in China; confrontational US naval operations in the South China Sea. Trumps campaign has bipartisan backing as a continuation of the Obama administrations so-called pivot to Asia, involving an aggressive confrontation with China across the boarddiplomatically, economically and militarily. By the end of this year, the Pentagon will have stationed 60 percent of its naval and air assets in the Indo-Pacific region. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and accelerated the weakness and historic decline of US and global capitalism and greatly heightened geo-political tensions. The US ruling class is determined to bolster its global position against its rivals by all available measures, including military, even if that plunges humanity into a catastrophic nuclear war. BJP president JP Nadda will also address the party workers through Facebook Live on this occasion. New Delhi: The BJP is going to hold a month-long campaign staring from June to mark the first anniversary of the Modi 2.0 government and will hold digital rallies in all districts across the country, its general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said. Underlining that the party stood with the general public in the fight against COVID-19, Yadav said the party workers distributed 19 crore food packets and more than 4 crore packets of ration across the country. Addressing a press conference via video conference, he said, "Amid the corona crisis the BJP workers were on the ground. They were serving people in all 909 organisational districts across the country and providing them all necessary help." Besides food, the party workers also distributed more than 5 crore masks, made people aware Aarogya Setu app, motivated them to contribute in PM Cares fund. Talking about the first anniversary of the Modi 2.0 government, Yadav said, "The party will hold digital rallies across the country and its all seven wings will also hold 500 digital rallies in their respective fields." BJP president JP Nadda will also address the party workers through Facebook Live on this occasion, he said. The party will reach out to people with a letter written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi talking about self-reliant India, achievements of the government, and will distribute them in ten crore families, Yadav said. When asked about upcoming Bihar elections, Yadav, who is also party's in-charge for the state, said it is for the Election Commission to decide when and how polls should be held. "As far as the BJP is concerned, the party has been preparing for the elections and will use new technologies for campaigning and communicating with the people," he said. Despite his tensions with Beijing, US President Donald Trump has offered to "mediate or arbitrate" the border dispute between India and China as the situation heated up with threats from both Beijing and Islamabad. He tweeted on Wednesday: "We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute. Thank you!" The offer came as tensions between the US and China are rising with high-level diplomats of both countries exchanging Cold War-style rhetoric making Trump's offer political showmanship rather than a realistic one. Though China has been aggressive against India at the border in the eastern sector in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, its latest offensive at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector in Ladakh has resulted in Indian and Chinese soldiers locked in a face-off in Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie. Trump's diplomacy came a day after both China and Pakistan issued open threats of war on India's both fronts. The Pakistan Army also initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation with intense mortar-shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Balakote sector of Poonch district in Jammu & Kashmir early Tuesday. Posturing as an international statesman Trump has been keen to bring his style of diplomacy to India and has repeatedly offered to mediate between India and Pakistan. Last year he made the dubious claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to "mediate or arbitrate" between India and Pakistan. India has denied that such a request was ever made and pointed out that it holds that disputes between India and Pakistan are bilateral issues under the 1972 Simla Agreement between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and then Pakistan President, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Trump did not know that India and China shared a border, according to a book published earlier this year by two journalists from The Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The authors, Phillip Rucker and Carol Leonning, claimed in their book "A Very Stable Genius" that Trump told Modi, "It's not like you've got China on your border." "Modi's expression gradually shifted, from shock and concern to resignation," they wrote. On Tuesday, China's President Xi Jinping was quoted by state news agency Xinhua, as saying: "It is necessary to explore ways of training and preparing for war" and "to step up preparations for armed combat, to flexibly carry out actual combat military training, and to improve our military's ability to perform military missions." His statement was preceded by a decision to increase the budget for the Chinese military by 6.6 per cent. China's close ally, Pakistan expressed similar views threatening war. Pakistan's army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa during his second visit in a month, to the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Sunday, said "Kashmir is a disputed territory and any attempt to challenge disputed status, including any political-cum-military thought related to aggression will be responded with full national resolve and military might," threatening that "disturbing strategic stability matrix in South Asia can lead to dire consequences". "Pakistan Army is fully alive to the threat spectrum and will remain ever ready to perform its part in line with national aspirations," he warned.Both China and Pakistan which have occupied portions of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir have aggressively opposed India's bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories last year. Though China has already built heavy infrastructure on the occupied territory, it is now suddenly objecting to the infrastructure development work that India has been carrying out on its side of the LAC. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is serving five years in prison but denies the charges Her temporary release was further extended last week, pending the decision She was freed from Evin prison, Tehran on March 17 in Covid-19 measures The mother-of-one was due to hear if she was granted clemency on Wednesday Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's painful wait to hear if she will be pardoned is dragged on after the decision is further delayed, despite her family hoping they were on 'the cusp of potentially good news'. The decision on whether to grant the jailed British-Iranian mother-of-one clemency was supposed to come on Wednesday. But her lawyer was kept waiting for hours and sent home with no news, the Free Nazanin campaign said. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe (pictured) is still waiting to hear whether she will be pardoned as the decision is delayed, despite her family hoping they were on 'the cusp of potentially good news' The campaign said in a statement: 'Nazanin's lawyer went today to the Prosecutor's Office as requested for a decision on Nazanin's clemency. 'He was required to wait for a few hours. Eventually he was told that there was no news for him, but someone would call the family to update on the decision. 'Nazanin is required to call the Prosecutor's Office every Saturday, so we hope to get an update then if no call comes in the meantime.' Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was freed from Evin prison in Tehran on March 17 as part of the Iranian response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Her temporary release was further extended last week, pending the decision. On Tuesday, her husband Richard Ratcliffe said: 'We are on the cusp of potentially good news.' He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'On the weekend, the supreme leader of Iran announced there was going to be over 3,000 people being pardoned because of Eid at the end of Ramadan.' Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe (with her daughter Gabriella) is serving a five-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2016 of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government, which she vehemently denies Mr Ratcliffe said legally his wife should be on the list 'because she meets all the criteria', adding that the family is 'hopeful'. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a charity worker with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport while taking her young daughter Gabriella to see her parents in April 2016. She was sentenced to five years in prison, accused of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government, which she vehemently denies. She was later afforded diplomatic protection by the UK Government, which argues that she is innocent and that her treatment by Iran failed to meet obligations under international law. She has been used as a political pawn, according to Nobel Laureate and Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi, and civil rights groups like Amnesty International say her trial was unfair and she was jailed with no evidence. The clowning was over. The dirty street tactics past but not forgotten and the Country Party back where it belonged "in a corner". Happy and the cartoonists must be, too First published in The Age on June 1, 1970 Sir Henry Bolte, 62, had led his Liberal Party to its sixth successive State election victory. He was in a benevolent mood. "Now what would Tanner do without me around to draw?" he asked. "I had to think of the cartoonists. They really need me." He stopped smiling long enough to fire off another salvo at the educationists. "I don't have a doorstep low enough for them to sit on, if that's their latest idea." The teachers, according to Sir Henry, plus dissident factions of the nursing profession were purely Labor "front". 28.05.2020 LISTEN Peter Tabichi joined the TEACHERS OF THE WORLD UNITE! summit, where nine task forces were launched to give thousands of teachers from every corner of the world a voice at the top table for the first time New data released today by UNESCO's Teacher Task Force show that in sub-Saharan Africa nearly half (42% or 2.7 million) of all the 6.4 million primary and secondary teachers impacted by coronavirus school closures are untrained. This is only exacerbating the impact of the crisis as teachers are forced to adapt to remote learning. This data was unveiled for the first time at TEACHERS OF THE WORLD UNITE! a virtual summit held by the Varkey Foundation as a member of UNESCO's Global Education Coalition to give thousands of teachers across the world a voice at the top table for the first time. Globally, 9.1 million teachers across the world who have been impacted by coronavirus school closures (out of 63 million affected teachers in total) are untrained. Meanwhile, data released by UNESCO's Teacher Task Force, on the basis of data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the International Telecommunication Union, show 706 million of the world's 1.75 billion learners lack internet access. The data revealing the scale of the educational challenge posed by COVID-19 was discussed at the TEACHERS OF THE WORLD UNITE! summit on coronavirus and the future of education. The summit - which was opened by Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation and the Global Teacher Prize, and also addressed by Global Teacher Prize 2019 winner Peter Tabichi - saw the launch of nine teacher task forces on coronavirus and the future of education to be coordinated in collaboration with UNESCO's Teacher Task Force. These nine task forces will lend governments and international bodies the expertise and varied perspectives of teachers from every continent on key policies such as providing reliable internet access for all, solutions to keep children learning where there is no internet, and a safe environment for teachers and students to return to when schools reopen. UNESCO's Teacher Task Force also presented teachers at the summit a draft toolkit with practical tips and checklists for school leaders to ensure they are supported and protected as schools re-open. Participants were able to discuss the toolkit and provide feedback to help improve this important international tool before it is released. Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, said: It is vital that we put the teacher voice at the heart of our mission to champion inclusive learning opportunities for children and young people all over the world during this sudden and unprecedented disruption to global education. I welcome the nine new teacher task forces, established by the Varkey Foundation and coordinated in collaboration with UNESCO's Teacher Task Force, to help discuss the key educational issues of our time from teacher training to providing reliable internet access for all and solutions to keep students learning where internet access is unavailable. The combined knowledge and experience of these teachers in tackling a multitude of novel educational challenges from the front line will help the international community answer the crucial questions that will shape the future of education in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Peter Tabichi, Global Teacher Prize 2019 winner, said: The coronavirus pandemic is a serious challenge to education globally, especially in parts of the world like Africa where there is a large digital divide. We urgently need to expand internet access and find remote learning solutions where there is none. To do so it is vital that the voices of African teachers, who are shaping the future of the continent every day, are heard at the top table. A task force was announced to examine each of the following nine calls to action: 1. Reliable internet access for all: The crisis has forced schools across the world to rapidly move online with little preparation, but even in developed countries only 87% of households have internet access, while in developing countries only 47% have access, leaving many behind. We must ensure the world is ready for the next crisis and push for the roll out of reliable and stable internet connections across the world as swiftly as possible. 2. Solutions to keep children learning where there is no internet: Where internet is not available in the current crisis, governments should look to find solutions to help children continue their education at home. These should prioritise quality content focused on building basic literacy and numeracy, and using the mass media broadly used by the general population. 3. No education cuts: Once the crisis is over, much of the world will find itself in a deep recession with public funds drained in response to coronavirus. Governments will be looking to balance their budgets, but rebuilding the economy and tackling the enormous challenges ahead, not least avoiding destructive political upheaval, will require a well-educated population. Education budgets must be protected and governments across the world should ensure education remains a top priority. 4. A safe environment for teachers and pupils: When and where schools reopen, with input from teachers, governments should provide a safe working and learning environment for teachers and pupils. Governments should bring in social distancing and other protective measures within schools where necessary. 5. Lost school days should not turn into a lost generation: Over 1.5 billion learners and 63 million teachers have been affected by system-wide closures in 191 countries, according to monitoring by UNESCO. When schools reopen around the world, affected school children should have every opportunity and resource to recover their lost learning from the weeks and months of disruption. That means that governments should review the current curricula, pedagogical content, and standardised testing. As part of this, promoting community cohesion should be a priority to help bring societies back together after social distancing measures introduced as a result of the pandemic. 6. Training to teach online: Teachers in many schools where online learning is an option are rapidly having to learn to teach remotely. Comprehensive training should be provided to help these teachers adapt to teaching online including in both the use of technology and effective practices to keep students engaged in their learning. 7. Training to safeguard children online: Teachers are not just educators: they provide vital pastoral care and in normal circumstances can be crucial in identifying problems children may be experiencing at home. Lockdowns in many countries can exacerbate domestic problems young people face including violence and abuse. Schools should be given the resources to provide guidance and train their teachers on how to continue to support their students with pastoral care when they are not in school. Governments should also ensure robust support networks are put in place for children who need them. 8. Nutritious free meals: For many children from low income families, school is the only place they can rely on a nutritious meal. Funding for free school meals should be protected even where schools are not open and this should be channelled into food support for those children at home who relied on free meals at school. 9. Fasttrack EdTech strategies: Most governments lack a comprehensive strategy to ensure technology assists teachers effectively and improves learning outcomes. In consultation with teachers, they should put in place EdTech strategies as soon as possible to assist learning inside and outside the classroom. It is particularly important to address this before the next crisis hits. The Varkey Foundation believes every child deserves a vibrant, stimulating learning environment that awakens and supports their full potential. The foundation believes nothing is more important to achieving this than the passion and quality of teachers. They support global teaching capacity and seed excellence and innovation in the next generation of educators. They also founded the Global Teacher Prize to shine a spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the world. For further details: https://www.varkeyfoundation.org The Global Education Coalition was launched by UNESCO as a multi-sector partnership to provide appropriate distance education for all learners. It seeks to facilitate inclusive learning opportunities for children and youth during this period of sudden and unprecedented educational disruption. It believes that investment in remote learning should both mitigate the immediate disruption caused by COVID-19 and establish approaches to develop more open and flexible education systems for the future. https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/globalcoalition The European Commission said on Thursday it wanted to set up a permanent reserve of essential drugs and medical equipment to address shortages that have dogged the EU for years and worsened throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The stockpile would be funded from a new health budget worth 9.4 billion euros ($10.3 billion) which the EU executive commission proposed on Wednesday. The reserve would complement a 380-million-euro emergency stockpile created at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic after many countries in the 27-nation bloc faced acute shortages of face masks, testing kits, ventilators, intensive care drugs and other vital items. The EU is seeking to stockpile disinfectants, testing and diagnostic reagents, protective gear and essential medicines, according an EU document. The extra funding, which needs to be approved by EU governments and lawmakers, would also be used to acquire vaccines, which are often in short supply in the EU and are mostly manufactured outside the bloc. The Commission said it wanted to offer incentives to pharmaceutical companies to develop and produce vaccines in Europe, and relocate manufacturing capacity of medicines and their chemical ingredients which are now mostly imported from India and China. EU lawmakers urged subsidies to encourage relocation, but health commissioner Stella Kyriakides declined to comment on the matter on Thursday. She said incentives would be addressed in proposals for an EU pharmaceutical strategy due at the end of the year - a timetable that raised some eyebrows in the industry in view of the risks of a second wave of the epidemic in autumn. In a draft report, the Parliament also urged the creation of one or more "European nonprofit pharmaceutical undertakings" to manufacture priority medicines. The United States has also been looking to build up the ability to produce drugs and their raw materials at home after the pandemic exposed the industry's dependence on China and India. Search Keywords: Short link: [May 28, 2020] First Responder Technologies Commences Trading on the OTCQB Market in the United States VANCOUVER, May 28, 2020 /CNW/ - First Responder Technologies Inc. ("First Responder" or the "Company") (CSE: WPN | OTCQB: WPNNF | FWB: 3WK), a developer of WiFi-based technologies for detecting concealed weapons and for deterring mass shooting and terror attacks involving concealed weapons, is pleased to announce it has qualified for trading on the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States operated by the OTC Markets Group Inc. and the Company's common shares commenced trading today on the OTCQB under the symbol "WPNNF." The Company's common shares will continue to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "WPN". "The posting of our shares on the OTCQB, a well-known U.S. securities trading platform, should provide additional liquidity for First Responder by allowing US investors to more easily invest in our common stock," said Robert Delamar, CEO of First Responder. "As we continue to aggressively expand our presence within the US, the trading of our shares on the OTCQB platform is timely as we anticipate increasing interest in First Responder by US investors looking to align with a progressive growth company." First Responder is also in the process of applying for eligibility for book-entry delivery and depository services of the Depository Trust Company ("DTC"), to facilitate electronic settlement of transfers of its common shares in the United States. DTC eligibility will help enhance the Company's potential investor base and offer a more conveniet trading experience for current and future shareholders. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time quotes for the Company on www.otcmarkets.com. The Company's listing on the CSE and the trading of its shares on the OTCQB contribute to the genuine North American presence and affords investors preeminent access to trading. On behalf of the Board of Directors, "Robert F. Delamar" Robert F. Delamar, CEO First Responder Technologies Inc. 15 - 700 West Pender Street Vancouver, BC. V6C 1G8 [email protected] +1-604-227-9821 About First Responder Technologies Inc. First Responder Technologies Inc. (the "Company") is a technology development company that commercializes academic and internally developed intellectual property for use in the public safety market. The Company is developing a WiFi-based technology, based in part, on academic research licensed from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey ("Rutgers") that can be used to detect concealed weapons. The Company's threat detection technology line of business was created to capture a significant portion of the global weapons detection systems market, and in particular, the global perimeter security detection market. In the Company's view, WiFi-based threat detection technology may be utilized by a wide range of facilities, including schools, places of worship, shopping centres and theatres, to not only make their premises secure, but also reduce their cost of security, from the interior of a facility to the perimeter. For more information visit: www.firstrespondertech.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, changes to the Company's strategic growth plans, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation. SOURCE First Responder Technologies Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Cajun Roux Bar & Grill has opened in Hoover at Stadium Trace Village. The restaurant offering a taste of the bayou had its grand opening on May 26. Cajun Roux Bar & Grill is the new concept from Jeff Thompson, who opened the original location of Cajun Steamer Bar & Grill in Hoovers Patton Creek Shopping Center over a decade ago. Following the success of the Hoover restaurant, Thompson and his business partner opened a second Cajun Steamer in Trussville. There are currently four Cajun Steamer locations: three in Alabama and one in Tennessee. Thomson started his culinary ventures after he moved to Birmingham from Louisiana in the 1990s to work for a construction company. The company went bankrupt a year later, but Thompson had taken a liking to Birmingham and decided to stay in the city. The only drawback was the local food scene: there was no place for Thompson to get his beloved Cajun food, especially crawfish. Thompson set out to fill the void. He bought a trailer, set it up on U.S. 31 in Vestavia Hills, started selling mudbugs, and quickly gained a following of devoted customers. I was selling up to 2,200 pounds of crawfish, he told AL.com in 2008. Thompson would make enough money to start his own consulting and contracting company. Down the road, he opened his first Cajun restaurant, Cajun Steamer Bar & Grill. After opening more locations, Thomson stepped away from his culinary businesses in 2016 and moved back to Louisiana. But when an opportunity came to open up another restaurant in Hoover, Thompson returned to Alabama to pick up where he left off on his culinary journey and open Cajun Roux Bar & Grill. Its been an exciting ride for us," Thompson recalls in the Our Story section of the restaurants website. "I like to think the towns that have welcomed us so far have fallen in love with our food, our atmosphere and our genuine Cajun hospitality, Cajun Rouxs menu features oysters as well as a selection of appetizers and entrees. The starters include Cajun Bourre eggs Cajun deviled eggs topped with blackened shrimp and Royal Red Shrimp Scampi peeled royal red shrimp broiled in garlic butter. The restaurant offers Cajun traditions including crawfish etouffee, gumbo, and a selection of poboys. For larger fare, the entrees include Cajun smoked beef short ribs over cheese grits and sauteed spinach and catfish Plaquemine catfish fried and topped with crawfish etouffee served over dirty rice. Hoovers Stadium Trace, the $40 million, 44-acre development off Interstate 459, will see another restaurant opening next month. Big Whiskeys American Restaurant and Bar will open near Cajun Roux in July. Heres a look at the Cajun Roux Bar & Grill menu: (Courtesy, Cajun Roux Bar & Grill) Cajun Roux Bar & Grill Details: Cajun Roux Bar & Grill | 5220 Peridot Place Ste 132 | Hoover, AL 35244 | 205-985-7689 Twenty-six people arrested in France and Belgium over truck deaths Catholic believers light candles during a mass prayer for 39 Vietnamese people found dead in a truck near London last month, at a church in Nghe An province PARIS (Reuters) - The French prosecutor's office said on Wednesday that 26 people had been arrested in France and Belgium in connection with the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants found in the back of a truck near London last year. The dead, including two 15-year-old boys, were found on an industrial estate about 20 miles (32 km) east of London last October. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Hugh Lawson) [May 28, 2020] Keyboarding Without Tears Recognized by SIIA as Best Instructional Solution in Non-Core Area WASHINGTON, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Learning Without Tears, a leading preK-5 education company, announced that Keyboarding Without Tears, one of its many break-through product offerings, was named the Best Instructional Solution in Non-Core Area of 2020 as part of the annual SIIA CODiE Awards. The prestigious CODiE Awards recognize the companies producing the most innovative education technology products across the country and around the world. "The process for the CODiE Awards began before the pandemic and truly seems almost another lifetime ago," explained Terry Nealon, CEO, Learning Without Tears. "Now, in a time of widespread distance learning, it is clear that keyboarding fluency and computer-readiness are critical foundational skills. We're thrilled that Keyboarding Without Tears won this award and will continue to support families and educators with a truly innovative, effective, and fun way to ensure student success." "Congratulations to the 2020 Edtech CODiE Award winners," said SIIA President Jeff Joseph. "The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us of the importance of innovative Edtech products and services and this year's class takes a special place among the many amazing products recognized across the 35-year history of the CODiE Awards." The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries, announced the full slate of CODiE winners during an online winner annuncement on May 19, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. A SIIA CODiE Award win is a prestigious honor, following rigorous reviews by expert judges including educators and administrators whose evaluations determined the finalists. SIIA members then vote on the finalist products, and the scores from both rounds are tabulated to select the winners. More information about the Awards is available at http://www.siia.net/codie. Details about the winning products can be found at http://www.siia.net/codie/2020-Winners. About Learning Without Tears Learning Without Tears is an early education company offering a proven and unique approach to teaching and learning, from crucial readiness skills in Pre-K to foundational writing and typing skills, including handwriting, keyboarding and cursive. The elementary school-level programs benefit all learners with multisensory, developmentally appropriate, proven practices, and are used by millions of students around the world. About the CODiE Awards The SIIA CODiE Awards is the only peer-reviewed program to showcase business and education technology's finest products and services. Since 1986, thousands of products, services and solutions have been recognized for achieving excellence. For more information, visit siia.net/CODiE . View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/keyboarding-without-tears-recognized-by-siia-as-best-instructional-solution-in-non-core-area-301067152.html SOURCE Learning Without Tears [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] He was famously dragged online for his 'MISUNDERSTOOD' face tattoo. But Presley Gerber attempted to reclaim the word on Wednesday, when he head out in Malibu wearing a misunderstood sweatshirt in Malibu. The 20-year-old model was heading to work at his father's cafe when he was spotted wearing the statement clothing item. Taking it back! Presley Gerber attempted to reclaim the word 'misunderstood' on Wednesday, when he head out in Malibu wearing a misunderstood sweatshirt in Malibu The son of models Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber paired the garment with gray sweatpants and high top sneakers. He accessorized with a cap and sunglasses, and covered his face with a bandanna, per CDC recommendations for mitigating the risk of contracting or spreading the coronavirus. The only sign of Gerber's many inkings were his hands, which bore his latest tatts: some barb wire artwork. The look: The son of models Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber paired the garment with gray sweatpants and high top sneakers OK: The brother of Kaia Gerber got the word 'MISUNDERSTOOD' tattooed under his right eye in February The brother of Kaia Gerber got the word 'MISUNDERSTOOD' tattooed under his right eye in February. And it appears he's going through a 'super rebellious phase,' as the 20-year-old tries to define his identity with the new ink. An insider recently told Us Weekly: 'Presley is obviously going through a super rebellious phase right now. 'He is trying to get out of the shadow of his family and find his own way and create his own identity. He also likes the attention hes been getting, even if negative, from his tattoo and recent posts.' He subsequently got a tattoo of a gun on his hip and the area code 310 on his stomach. Six people were shot, one of whom was killed, in two violent incidents Wednesday night in Boston, authorities said. Officers responded around 11:55 p.m. to a radio call of several people shot outside of 5 Ames Way, Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said at a press briefing early Thursday morning. Police located five men who were shot, all of whom were taken to nearby hospitals, according to Gross. Its unfortunate, and God bless, one of the adult males was pronounced dead at the hospital, the commissioner said. Around the same time as the Ames Way shooting, police received a report of a person shot and another victim stabbed on Massachusetts Avenue, according to Gross. The two individuals went to the hospital. The six total victims who were not killed are believed to have suffered injuries that are not life-threatening, police told MassLive. So what we have here, folks, [are] two incidents. We dont know if theyre connected at this time, Gross said. Its an active investigation. Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins, who also spoke at Thursday mornings press briefing, told reporters that Wednesday night was not just violent for Boston, but for Suffolk County in general. A 17-year-old teen was brought to the hospital in critical condition after being stabbed in a fight on Revere Beach during the evening hours, Massachusetts State Police said. As the commissioner said, a man lost his life tonight, Rollins said of the Ames Way shooting, noting that screams were heard in the background of the briefing that may have come from family members of the victims. These things have rippling effects throughout communities. People with information about the violent incidents have been urged to call the Boston Police Departments anonymous tip line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or homicide detectives at (617) 343-4470. A Connecticut man wanted in connection with two homicides and led police on a multi-state hunt is in custody, Maryland authorities announced Wednesday. Peter Manfredonia, 23, was taken into custody by the Washington County Sheriffs Department and the U.S. Marshals just over the Maryland state line, while he was in the area of the Pilot truck stop on Halfway Boulevard, Hagerstown Police reported just before 10 p.m. Hagerstown Police had been alerted to Manfredonias possible presence after he was seen in Chambersburg, Franklin County Pa., on Tuesday. At the time police believed Manfredonia was headed toward Hagerstown in a Uber. Manfredonia began his crime spree in Connecticut over the weekend, and has been on the run for six days, police said. It was believed he was carrying a large duffle bag full of firearms he had stolen during a home invasion. Through the course of the hunt for Manfredonia, police have said he was armed and dangerous. Hagerstown Police reported that he was taken into custody without incident. **UPDATE**Suspect, Peter Manfredonia has been found & is in custody. CSP Eastern District Major Crime are on scene in Hagerstown, MD. No injuries to any law enforcement personnel or Manfredonia. More info will be provided on Thurs, May 28 @PAStatePolice @FBINewHaven @FBI @MDSP pic.twitter.com/QFnUDuOqn0 CT State Police (@CT_STATE_POLICE) May 28, 2020 Read more on PennLive: Dozens of Ontario medical and pharmacy students are helping a hospital system in Peel Region rapidly provide people with their COVID-19 test results as part of a massive effort to slow the viruss spread in the community. William Osler Health System, which includes Brampton Civic Hospital, believes its the first in Ontario to have student volunteers assist a public health unit on such a scale. Since launching four weeks ago, students have notified more than 950 people of their test results and offered medical guidance and public health advice for those who test positive. The goal is to reach people within 24 hours of a lab issuing results to ensure those who are positive continue to self-isolate and encourage them to alert close contacts of their exposure to the virus, said Dr. Brooks Fallis, a critical care doctor at Brampton Civic and the initiatives physician lead. Rapid results notification is one of the key things we need to battle the community transmission of the disease, he said. Our public health units are working as hard as they can to contain COVID-19 in their local areas, but they werent built to respond to the pandemic of the century. They dont have the human resources or the technology to complete contact tracing for hundreds of people every day. The hospital-led initiative bolsters efforts by public health officials scrambling to keep up with the outbreak in a region hit hard by the virus. Peel Region has emerged as one of the hot spots for COVID-19 in the province, according to comments made Monday by Premier Doug Ford. On Wednesday, at his weekly press briefing, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said he has asked public health officials to release neighbourhood data to show where the virus is spreading in the community. Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peels medical officer of health, told the Star that public health officials welcome the hospital-led support to help them keep pace with the virus. Early on, we identified that this is a disease with how easily it is spread and the number of cases that it has driven in our community that we would need significant amounts of contact tracing capacity, Loh said. We know the faster we can initiate contact tracing, the faster we can interrupt chain of transmission, he said. Osler partnered with Peel Public Health and Toronto Public Health to develop protocols and training for the 60 medical and pharmacy students volunteering with the initiative. Students provide test results to people who are assessed at Oslers two emergency departments and at its COVID-19 assessment centres at Etobicoke General Hospital and at the Peel Memorial site. Fallis said this kind of partnership can rapidly scale up the public health workforce and could help other regions stamp out hot spots where COVID-19 has gained hold in the community. In addition to medical and pharmacy students, retired physicians, teachers and university professors are among other professionals that could easily do test notification with little training, he said. If you had a group of 1,000 volunteers across the province you could direct them towards the areas where youre performing large-volume, targeted testing and give those people their test notification and contact tracing extremely rapidly, said Fallis, division head and medical director of critical care at Osler. Thats how you impact the disease. Though he is not an epidemiologist or expert in public health, Fallis said he knew early in the outbreak that more needed to be done to prevent people from getting sick with the virus so fewer people would end up in the ICU. My hope is that the impact of this initiative could be even larger than what I can do as an individual physician who treats people with the virus in the ICU. Unfortunately, once I see them, the virus carries a grim prognosis. In recent days, COVID-19 testing has ramped up in Ontario as the province expanded its testing criteria to include those experiencing mild symptoms. On Tuesday, 1,184 patients were swabbed at Oslers hospitals and assessment centres; its sites account for 25 per cent of the testing volumes in Ontario Healths Central Region. Dr. Frank Martino, Oslers interim executive vice-president of quality, medical and academic affairs, said hospital clinicians realized early in the pandemic that many patients and their families were waiting too long to find out if they had COVID-19. Close to 50 per cent were struggling to get their test results, he said, noting this information is typically relayed by public health or family physicians and can also be found on the provinces online portal. The majority were negative but some were positive and they werent being notified until two days and sometimes four days after the time they should have had their results. We thought we could help by involving medical students who could contact these individuals, answer some fundamental questions and provide their results. Students volunteering for the initiative are enrolled at McMaster University, the University of Toronto and the University of Ottawa. They call people from their own homes and use an online tool to help them communicate test results, as well as provide medical and public health advice, including when to seek urgent care, and how to tell close contacts theyve been exposed. Should they face a difficult patient or an unexpected interaction, a nurse and physician are on call for guidance, and public health officials follow up with any positive patient for official contact tracing. Kathy Huang, a first-year medical student at McMaster, found out about the initiative from Facebook and quickly signed up; she had been looking to help on the front lines after the pandemic interrupted her medical school training. She says the experience volunteers aims to call 40 to 60 patients a week has helped her communication skills, something she knows is a valuable asset as a doctor. Its training us to connect and build trust with patients using only our voice, Huang said, recalling the first time she relayed a negative test result to a patient. I was taken aback by her gratitude. It motivated me even more to do well at medical school. For Francis Lao, also a first-year medical student at McMaster, the experience has taught him about the value of public health, a perspective he said hell carry with him throughout his career. Medical students feel like they really want to help; its one of the drives to go to medical school. Providing (COVID-19) test results is a really important piece of helping to control this virus. Read more about: Health & Wellness By Ls Cohen Published: May 28 2020 Both counties reported a total of 91,859 positive cases. Numbers reported daily by Nassau and Suffolk counties show that there are a total of 91,859 positive cases on Long Island as of Wednesday night. Suffolk reported that there are 51,952 confirmed cases (including people who have tested positive for antibodies) at this time and Nassau reported 39,907 Total Covid-19 positives. We have been through some really trying times over the last over two months now, said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone during his daily press briefing on Wednesday. This has been a period unlike we have ever seen before. We werent expecting this. We had no playbook for it the impact has been devastating. Suffolk County has administered 163,435 Covid-19 tests, 24% of those tested were confirmed positive. Nassau County did not report on the total number of tests administered. Sadly, 3,964 people have died so far on Long Island from Covid-19. 1,861 deaths were in Suffolk County and 2,103 in Nassau County from Covid-19. Suffolk County also reported that there are 301 patients hospitalized. Of those, 92 are in the intensive care unit. That number is below 100 for the first time since March, according to Bellone. Bellone reported on Wednesday that hospital beds in the county are at 64% capacity and ICU beds are at 60% capacity. In Nassau, there were 410 people hospitalized and of those 127 are in the ICU. On Wednesday, Nassau County reached the 44th straight day of hospitalization declines according to County Executive Laura Curran. Its the longest streak of any region in New York, said Curran. ROZVADOV BORDER CROSSING Can you please, said the policeman at the Czech-German border, step out of the car? He and a colleague rummaged through the vehicle, muttering to each other about the possibility of a secret compartment. By the time they finished 11 minutes later, they had strewn the contents of my suitcase, backpack and medical bag across the passenger seats. I was now free to enter Germany, they said. It was only a mildly inconvenient episode, but nevertheless illustrative an encapsulation of how haphazard and disorientating life in Europe has become since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Three months ago, I could have driven from the Czech Republic into Germany without even noticing where exactly the border was, thanks to an agreement that allows free movement between most countries in the European Union. As many as 14 students of the Panjab Engineering College (PEC) who were interning in Germany and got stuck there due to international flights being suspended amid the Covid-19 pandemic, will be brought back to India in an Air India flight on Friday. PEC director Dheeraj Sanghi said, Some students had gone there to complete their sixth semester. They contacted me and said they want to come back fearing the present global scenario. Earlier, only students coming back to Chandigarh were being accepted into the flight as the evacuation is being done location-wise. After that, we wrote to the Indian Embassy and UT administration and asked if students can fill in PECs hostels as their addresses. Then, the students were accepted for evacuation, Sanghi said. Father of 20-year-old Gurpreet Singh, Bhag Singh Kairon, said his son went to KIT Germany in January to complete his sixth semester of industrial training. However, within two months, the situation across the globe deteriorated amid the Covid-19 pandemic and international flights were suspended, he said. The internship was supposed to end in July. However, we decided to ask our son to come back as soon as international flights resume. The university also co-operated and completed their training by May 25. On Wednesday, they were given all documentary proof and certification, Kairon said. The students will board the Air India flight from Germany to India on Friday. The flight will land in Delhi following which they will be given an option to quarantine in locations specified by the UT administration. Germany is one of the worst-hit countries by the pandemic with over 1.8 lakh cases reported so far. Viktor Shevchenko, co-owner of the ZAMMLER logistics group The world is beginning to transit to the post-quarantine period. Although everyone is eager to resume a normal existence, this is not a time for breathing a sigh of relief. Especially, for the business. As we have yet to experience the consequences of epidemic for the business processes by this autumn: when the enterprises that currently manage to keep a business running may face lacking in commercial activity and income. Reduction of all possible expenditures (marketing, corporate training programs, corporate social responsibility projects), transition from annual and quarterly budget planning to weekly budget planning, revision of all the conventional processes and their transformation to the extent possible in new surroundings the actions having been performed by our company. The specified and the other measures allowed us to meet a challenge and fulfill a plan for April and as a result to keep the jobs, do not put on enforced leave and pay salaries, premiums and bonuses in full. However, we cannot forecast the situation in the future. While in the other countries where the representative offices of our company are located (Poland, China) we may see operating mechanism of the State support for the business, in Ukraine we may still only dream of it. What about them? Poland is hardly a perfect example and the resolutions of the state authorities were met with a mixed reaction by the local business and gave rise to many complaints. Nevertheless, we, as representatives of the logistics industry, felt support from both public authorities and financial institutions. During the quarantine restrictions period, the work of consulates on issuing visas for drivers was established. Also we managed to agree on the suspension of lease payments. This is not directly related to public policy, but it demonstrates a willingness to meet the needs of business. Government of Poland as well undertook to pay a partial sum of the salary of the employees for three months provided, however, that the employer does not dismiss the employees and may prove the epidemic adverse effect on the business. Besides, during the epidemic the business may take an opportunity to defer payment of corporate tax and income tax. Also on May 11, 2020, the European Commission approved a business support program for Poland with a budget of 2 billion Polish zlotys (about 450 million euros). The program is partly funded by the EU Structural Funds. The funds will be allocated in the form of loans and government loan guarantees. These are not all but the key measures that if not retrieve a situation but allow to reduce the financial burden. As for the China, the enterprises carrying out activities there may be exempt from payment of a part of (or underpay) the social security contributions. The central authorities as well discount 50% of interest on loan actually obtained by the enterprise. Amount of medium-term and long-term loans shall be increased and affordable conditions of loan repayment for the enterprises that temporary suffered from the epidemic shall be provided. Besides, the enterprises are entitled to rent decrease and reduction of payment for water supply and electricity, while small and medium businesses leasing the state enterprises property may be released from rent payment for a particular period of time. What about us? The measures having been introduced by the Ukrainian authorities slightly improve the situation only for the individual entrepreneurs while large and medium enterprises are not supported by the State during the epidemic, although implementation of some developed measures may significantly assist in business recovery. Among them: reduction of tax burden. Firstly, for the enterprises belonging to the industries, most seriously affected by the quarantine measures (transport, tourism, hotel and restaurant business) as well as the enterprises having lost 25% of profit due to quarantine restrictions; implementation of tax reliefs for the investment companies (foreign, national); income tax holiday for the entrepreneurs (employees salaries); VAT rate reduction for logistics and courier companies ensuring delivery, storage of essential commodities during quarantine; arrangement of conditions for granting of the state/municipal guarantees under the simplified procedure for the business having attracted/attracting foreign investment capital for the projects implementation; simplification of construction permits and documents issue and approval as well as the other matters of procedure complicating and influencing on the investment projects implementation period; We understand clearly that upon overcoming the epidemic, the business and economy fail to recover in one day. It will be a difficult and time-consuming process influenced by many factors. Business in Ukraine get used not to wait for the state support and operate under a principle if only do not interfere. But currently the State has a chance to prove the contrary and move beyond pronouncement of partnership between the State and business to the actions. And the success is not long in coming. New Delhi, May 28 : Expressing its dissatisfaction over the current state of affairs, the Delhi High Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance regarding the backlog in disposing bodies of COVID-19 victims owing to non-functioning of CNG furnaces at the crematoriums in Delhi's Nigambodh Ghat and Punjabi Bagh, and said that the same is "violative of the rights of the dead". Expressing displeasure and anger while taking note of the situation, the court said, "We, as citizens of Delhi are pained at the aforesaid state of affairs and as judges find the situation as reported and if true, to be highly dissatisfactory and violative of the rights of the dead." Noting that inside the COVID-19 mortuary of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital in Delhi, there are 108 bodies; all 80 storage racks are full and there are 28 bodies on the floor, piled on top of each other, the court asked Delhi Government Standing Counsel Ramesh Singh and the legal counsels of various Municipal Corporations in the national capital to take instructions and present the facts before it. The court has now listed the matter for hearing on Friday. "A copy of this order be also forwarded to Mr Ramesh Singh Senior Standing Counsel Government of NCT of Delhi as well as to the Standing Counsels of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation and East Delhi Municipal Corporation, who are entrusted of various cremation and burial grounds in Delhi, to enable them to obtain instructions and present the facts before this court," a division bench of the court. The bench also noted that LNJP is the largest dedicated COVID-19 hospital in the city and its mortuary is the repository of bodies of those who died of the coronavirus disease or are suspected to have died of it and on Tuesday (May 26), eight bodies were returned from Nigambodh Ghat, CNG crematorium because the facility was not in a position to accept more bodies, as only two of the six furnaces were working. The court has observed that there is unrest at the Nigambodh Ghat and the staff and priests working there have stopped functioning. "Owing to the CNG furnaces not functioning, wood-based cremation, which earlier was not deemed safe, has been permitted; inspite of the same being permitted, the personnel operating the said crematoriums are refusing to take part in wood-based cremations," it noted. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Sam Johnson, whose almost 28-year tenure as a conservative Texas congressman was shaped by his earlier life as an Air Force pilot held captive for almost seven years during the Vietnam War, died May 27 at a hospital in Plano, Texas. He was 89. A former spokesman, Ray Sullivan, announced his death. He did not disclose the cause, except to note that it was not related to the coronavirus outbreak. Johnson, who represented a district near Dallas that included the growing city of Plano in Collin County. He was the oldest Republican member of Congress when he retired in 2019. He was considered one of the most conservative members of the House of Representatives and helped found the Conservative Action Team, a group that later became the influential Republican Study Committee. He was a member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee and a staunch supporter of the military. He helped pass the Military Family Tax Relief Act of 2003, which reduced taxes and increased death benefits for the families of service members. Although few major legislative initiatives bore his name, Johnson drew his political and moral authority from his experiences as a combat veteran of two wars and as a prisoner subjected to brutal treatment after being shot down over North Vietnam in 1966. By all accounts, Johnson was a superb fighter pilot who flew 62 missions during the Korean War, shooting down one enemy plane in aerial combat. He was a member of the elite Thunderbirds aerobatic team and later directed the Air Force Fighter Weapons School, where the so-called "Top Gun" pilots were trained. "I had spent hundreds of hours teaching and practicing the tactics of dogfighting," he wrote in a 1992 memoir, "Captive Warriors: A Vietnam POW's Story." "It was what I did best. I liked seeing the enemy - battling against another pilot eye to eye." In Vietnam, Johnson was flying his 25th mission when his F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber was shot down on April 16, 1966. His injuries included a broken arm, a broken back and a dislocated shoulder, none of which was properly treated during his imprisonment. He was taken to Hanoi's Hoa Lo, derisively known to U.S. prisoners as the Hanoi Hilton. He was alternately questioned and tortured from the beginning. When he asked to use the toilet, he wrote, "The guard scowled fiercely, walked out and returned in a moment with a paint can so rusted that it crumbled when my hand touched it. It was to be the only toilet facility I would have for the next five years." Johnson concealed notes to his fellow prisoners in the can and learned to communicate through a coded system of tapping on walls. He was one of several POWs, including Jeremiah Denton Jr., a future Republican senator from Alabama, singled out for particularly harsh treatment for defying their North Vietnamese captors. "They put me in the cell right next to him," Johnson recalled at Denton's funeral in 2014. "All I heard was this banging on the wall. He yelled, 'I'll teach you the tap code. Just pay attention.' " They were among a group of 11 prisoners moved to a remote facility they called Alcatraz. For 42 months, Johnson was held in solitary confinement, often locked in leg stocks, preventing him from moving. Guards twisted his broken right arm, then pulled on his dislocated left shoulder until both arms were together behind his back. "I could not believe a body could endure such excruciating pain and remain conscious," he wrote. He subsisted on meager rations of rice and pork fat - often with the pig's skin and bristly hair - and weeds. It took two years before his wife and children learned that he was alive and held as a prisoner of war. For the last 18 months of his captivity, Johnson shared a cell with John McCain, a Navy pilot who had been shot down in 1967. McCain, a long-serving senator from Arizona, was the Republican nominee for president in 2008. Johnson weighed 120 pounds when he was released Feb. 12, 1973. His right hand was permanently disabled, and he walked with a limp for the rest of his life. Samuel Robert Johnson was born Oct. 11, 1930, in San Antonio. His father worked for an insurance company, and his mother managed a Western Union telegraph office. The family lived in Georgia for a few years before settling in Dallas. Johnson, a 1951 graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, was a member of the Air Force ROTC and decided to make the military his career. He received a master's degree in industrial administration from George Washington University in 1974. His military decorations included two Silver Stars, two awards of the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal and two Purple Hearts. After retiring from the Air Force as a colonel in 1979, he settled in Plano and opened a home-building business. He was elected to the Texas state legislature in 1984, then won his congressional seat through a special election in 1991. He was reelected 13 times in a solidly Republican district, often with little or no Democratic opposition. He did not seek reelection in 2018 and retired when his term ended in 2019. Johnson was known for making strong and often controversial statements about patriotism. He likened President Bill Clinton to North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh because Clinton had visited the Soviet Union as a college student. In the 2000 Republican presidential campaign, he supported then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush, who did not serve in Vietnam, over McCain, his fellow POW. "I happened to be with McCain for the last year-and-a-half in a prison camp over there in Vietnam," Johnson said at a campaign rally for Bush in South Carolina. "I know him pretty well . . . and I can tell you, he cannot hold a candle to George Bush." He disagreed with McCain's drives to ban torture by U.S. interrogators, create more restrictive campaign-finance legislation and to normalize relations with Vietnam. Yet, in 2008, he endorsed McCain, saying that as a Republican, it was "time to get behind the front-runner." In 2004, Johnson became an outspoken critic of Democratic president nominee John Kerry, who had received many of the same combat honors - Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart - as Johnson had in Vietnam. Because Kerry turned against the war effort, Johnson labeled him "Hanoi John" and charged him with "nothing short of aiding and abetting the enemy." His wife of 65 years, the former Shirley Melton, died in 2015. A son, James Robert "Bob" Johnson, died in 2013. Survivors include two daughters, Gini Johnson Mulligan and Beverly Johnson Briney; and 10 grandchildren. Despite making contentious public statements, Johnson did not appear to hold grudges after Election Day. He was on friendly terms with Ann Richards, Texas's onetime Democratic governor, and even McCain. "I wasn't really as courageous as Sam Johnson," McCain told the Dallas Morning News in 2003. "I mean that. He suffered a lot more than I did." By Arshad Mohammed and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it will terminate sanctions waivers that had allowed Russian, Chinese and European companies to continue work aimed at making at Iranian nuclear sites less prone to be used to develop weapons. The waivers, which will expire after 60 days, had covered the conversion of Iran's Arak heavy water research reactor, the provision of enriched uranium for its Tehran Research Reactor and the transfer of spent and scrap reactor fuel abroad. In a statement, U.S By Arshad Mohammed and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it will terminate sanctions waivers that had allowed Russian, Chinese and European companies to continue work aimed at making at Iranian nuclear sites less prone to be used to develop weapons. The waivers, which will expire after 60 days, had covered the conversion of Iran's Arak heavy water research reactor, the provision of enriched uranium for its Tehran Research Reactor and the transfer of spent and scrap reactor fuel abroad. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not justify his decision, which will halt some work designed to make it more difficult for Iran to potentially develop fissile material for nuclear bombs. The decision seemed aimed at tightening the U.S. "maximum pressure" policy applied since Washington abandoned the 2015 Iran nuclear deal two years ago. That deal gave Tehran economic sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program. After the withdrawal and the revival of U.S. sanctions to cut Iran's oil exports, Tehran has boosted its nuclear work in what analysts see as an effort to change U.S. policy or to build up Tehran's leverage should they get into negotiations. "The Iranian regime has continued its nuclear brinkmanship by expanding proliferation sensitive activities," Pompeo said, saying this "will lead to increased pressure on Iran." However, Pompeo said the United States would extend for 90 days a waiver allowing foreign work at a nuclear power plant built by Russia at Bushehr "to ensure safety of operations." Alex Vatanka, an analyst at the Washington-based Middle East Institute think tank, said the United States may want to look tough to force Tehran to accept tighter nuclear restrictions or to make it harder for a new U.S. president to revive the 2015 deal. President Donald Trump is up for re-election on Nov. 3. (Reporting By Arshad Mohammed and Humeyra Pamuk, Editing by Franklin Paul, Marguerita Choy and Sonya Hepinstall) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. South Africa: To the moon, mars and beyond The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) has entered into a partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to host a Deep Space Ground Station. The station, which will be based in Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape, will support human spaceflight missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. It will be integrated into an existing network of three sites in the United States of America, Spain and Australia. As the fourth site, the station will complement the other three sites and provide improved coverage and redundancy for critical mission support. SANSA will operate, maintain and manage the station. Cabinet has approved the partnership, noting that the station will benefit South Africa in, amongst others, the development of scarce skills and the growth of the science, engineering, technology and innovation sector. It will also provide opportunities to feed the knowledge economy, and increase the national research output in space science and technology, Cabinet said in a statement on Thursday. Draft White Paper on Fire Services Cabinet has also approved the Draft White Paper on Fire Services, which outlines key policy proposals that will form the basis of the fire services legislation that will replace the current Fire Brigade Services Act, 1987 (Act 99 of 1987). The draft White Paper outlines the roles and responsibilities of both the national and provincial spheres of government in supporting municipalities. To ensure that this service is constantly aligned to the modern ways of managing fire disasters, it [White Paper] proposes research and data collection capacity. In general, it also seeks to align it with other legislations passed post 1994 and which relate to local government, Cabinet said. A wide consultation with all the relevant stakeholders and general public has been undertaken. Executive functions during Level 3 Meanwhile, Cabinet has approved that under Level 3, which starts from 1 June 2020, it would adopt a blended approach which includes both physical and virtual Cabinet meetings. Cabinet also approved the monitoring teams comprising Ministers and Deputy Ministers to monitor the measures that have been put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19. The Ministers and Deputy Ministers have been allocated to each of the 52 districts and metropolitans. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-05-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Washington: Five Indian peacekeepers, who sacrificed their lives last year while serving in UN peacekeeping operations, are to be awarded posthumously the UN Medal of Honor. Apart from the five Indian peacekeepers, 83 military, police and civilian personnel can also be honored this week. Know love story of China President Xi Jinping Major Ravi Inder Singh Sandhu and Serjeant Lal Manotra Tarasem, who served on the UN mission in South Sudan, Sergeant Ramesh Singh in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, P.N. Johnson Beck and Edward A. who served on the UN mission in Congo. Pinto may be posthumously awarded the 'Dag Hammarskjold Medal' on International United Nations Peacekeeping Day on 29 May. Not only this, the UN Secretary-General will pay floral tributes to all the peacekeepers who lost their lives after 1948. He will then preside over a ceremony in which 83 military, police and civilian peacekeepers who lost their lives while doing duty in 2019 will be posthumously awarded the prestigious medal. People should use this type of mask as precaution from corona More challenges this year: The United Nations said that this year the challenges and threats of peacekeepers are greater than before, because not only are they facing the Covid-19 global pandemic, but also their deployment are protecting the people of the countries. The Sangh said that despite the threat of Covid-19, they are carrying out their operations with full capacity and are supporting the governments and local population. People with such a finger are less likely to be infected with the virus Haiti - FLASH : More than 1,000 cases in the West Department The Ministry of Public Health informs that 146 new cases have been confirmed for a total of 1,320 cases in Haiti (37.9% women and 62.11% men) since the first case (March 19, 2020 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30319-haiti-health-origin-of-the-first-2-cases-of-covid-19-in-haiti.html). This is an increase of 12.44% in 24 hours and almost 500 cases in 4 days. 1 new death has been recorded in the North-West bringing the total to 34. The number of active cases (minus deaths and cures) is now 1.264 (+ 12.96%) + 145 cases in 24 hours https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30857-haiti-flash-958-confirmed-cases-and-3-115-suspected-cases.html Number of suspected cases followed : 3,643 (+ 6.8%) +168 cases (the day before: +147). People hospitalized: 306 people (+12) Home quarantine: 892 people +127 in 24 hours (the day before: -339). All the details in our daily report of 11:00 a.m. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30879-haiti-covid-19-daily-report-may-27-2020.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30873-haiti-flash-more-than-300-cases-in-3-days.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30319-haiti-health-origin-of-the-first-2-cases-of-covid-19-in-haiti.html S/ HaitiLibre With nearly 25,000 confirmed cases and more than 500 deaths, South Africa is the worst affected country on the continent. However, at a press conference on Wednesday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the country will move to level 3 from June 1, while identifying hot spots, which will remain at level 4. In these spots, including Johannesburg, health monitoring, testing and restrictions will be maintained. A district-level alert system will help monitor those who need to take extra precautions. Emerging hotspots should be vigilantly monitored. We need to focus on the emergence of new infections, the minister said. South Africa is one of the African countries that has imposed the strictest restrictions, including a ban on smoking and drinking. Former EastEnders star Riley Carter Millington has unveiled his dramatic weight loss transformation. The actor, who played Kyle Slater on the soap from 2015 to 2016, looked almost unrecognisable in the new snap as he flexed his muscles. Riley shared a side by side before and after shot and posted an inspirational message encouraging people to keep going with their own fitness journeys. Wow: Former EastEnders star Riley Carter Millington has unveiled his dramatic weight loss transformation He wrote: 'Don't say you can't change. Because you can. It can take time but you will get there. I'm still on my journey but loving me more each day.' The actor sported an array of arm tattoos in the snap while he now also has platinum blond hair. Riley was inundated with positive messages from his followers while some of his former EastEnders co-stars also praised him for his efforts. Lisa Hammond, who played Donna Yates on the soap, wrote: 'I think u r a marvellous human Riley I don't love u less or more in 'before or after' pic's u share (for me personally) tbh. Transformation: The actor, who played Kyle Slater on the soap from 2015 to 2016, looked almost unrecognisable in the new snap as he flexed his muscles 'I encourage whatever we all need to do to make ourselves feel good & powerful in a safe and healthy way. All strength to you my friend, loads of love xx'. Luisa-Bradshaw White, who plays Tina Carter wrote: 'HOT!!!!' while Hollyoaks actress Amanda Clapham wrote: 'You look great Riley!' When he joined EastEnders in 2015, Riley became the first transgender actor to play a regular transgender character in British soap history. Reaction: Riley was inundated with messages from people congratulating him, including some of his former EastEnders co-stars like Lisa Hammond and Luisa Bradshaw-White When he first joined the soap, the actor said in a statement: 'I am extremely excited to be joining EastEnders. 'I can honestly say that I have now fulfilled my two biggest dreams - to be living my life as a man and to be an actor. 'I cannot wait to really get stuck in with filming and I look forward to seeing what is in store for my character.' Big moment: When he joined EastEnders in 2015, Riley became the first transgender actor to play a regular transgender character in British soap history Riley left the show in 2016 after producers were said to have believed his character storyline had 'reached a natural end'. Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Riley said: 'When I landed a six-month contract at EastEnders it was a dream come true. For that to be extended to a year was something I never expected.' 'As the time comes for Kyle to depart Walford I am looking forward to taking on new roles and who knows, Kyle may find his way back to Walford one day.' China is the new Soviet Union. The economic policies led by the Communist Party of China (CCP) have lifted hundreds of millions of its people out of penury into the realm of the middle class. In doing so, it has projected a bright future for all its inhabitants. by Lionel Bopage and Michael Colin Cooke The Covid-19 pandemic has diverted attention away from many of the intractable problems around the world, exacerbated by the necessary limits on social gathering. This has taken the struggle for social justice from the streets to the internet. This can be seen an opportune time for authoritarian leaders to curb the rights of their citizens. President Xi Jinping of China has used this opportunity to try to extinguish the democratic impulse of the citizens of Hong Kong. This cynical political tactic is being met with strong opposition as witnessed by the immediate resistance from the various democratic formations. The new empire? This needless tragedy has been in play since March 2019 when the mainland proposed an extradition treaty with the Hong Kong. Images of resistance and the violence of the state were on our screens daily. The extradition bill was postponed but the demands of the citizens for an inquiry into the actions of the security forces have been ignored. Negotiations on the other key demands of the protesters and a commitment to the one nation and two systems have also been ignored. Instead the government of President Xi Jinping has ramped up its nationalist rhetoric and support base and is threatening to unleash its formidable military machine on the unarmed citizens of Hong Kong. One of the more disturbing sights was when the police in November last year laid siege on the protestors at the university. Images of the wanton use of tear gas, batons, terrified protestors and debris of their heavy-handed action was there for all to see. Did these repeated attacks dampen the democratic impulse of the people of Hong Kong? It did not as the local election held soon after delivered a landslide victory for the pro-democracy campaigners. Given all that has unfolded so far, now it is time for working out a negotiated solution that takes into consideration the democratic needs of the citizens of Hong Kong based on their historically different judicial and political formations and democratic wishes. It will pave the way for along-lasting solution both for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the people of Hong Kong. What follows are the reasons why. As outlined above, the people of Hong Kong cannot be bulliedinto submission. If the Chinese government and its paramount leader wants to have stability in the region, negotiating with the pro-democracy forces would offer a clear-cut solution anything else would be a recipe of more of the same. History is a hard task master and sober guide if the demise of the Soviet Union provides us any guide. The Soviet Union went through from being a democracy of workers, peasants and soldiers to an authoritarian state,under the paranoid eye of Stalin. It devouredits own leaders and principles. In doing so it stifled the rights of the working peoplewhile paradoxically extolling their virtues. At the same time the state issued political edicts, one after the other supporting the rights of countries and minorities to self-determination; yet in its own backyard, they crushed the democratic and progressive aspirations of the Polish, Hungarian and Czechoslovakian masses. Pro imperialist governments gleefully exploited the situation to tarnish the real achievements of the Soviet Union. These contradictions and lack of accountability and transparency coupled with the military incursion into Afghanistan weakened the regime and its moribund leadership. The Soviet Union despite its military might collapsed under its own contradictions leading to the triumphalism of neo-liberals everywhere. China is the new Soviet Union. The economic policies led by the Communist Party of China (CCP) have lifted hundreds of millions of its people out of penury into the realm of the middle class. In doing so, it has projected a bright future for all its inhabitants. In tandem it has increased its military and economic clout internally as well as around the world. It has done so with a toxic unitary nationalism that does not take account of the cultural, linguistic and religious rights of its diverse people. It has engaged in empire building and has created a totalitarian dictatorship on its own people. Any action by human rights activists and any critical political and cultural activity are deemed anti-Chinese and are brutally supressed. Its bullying action with its own neighbours, Taiwan and Hong Kong is worrying and provides factual political fodder for its opponents in the West.A major military build-up by both the Indian and Chinese armies is taking place simultaneously. President Xi Jinping has emphasised the importance of Chinas military standing, by stating that the countrys defence forces need to up their preparedness for armed combat. In this light Hong Kong can be seen as the Achilles heel of Chinas authoritarian political, security and economic apparatus. Like the anti-Soviet rhetoric of yester year the hysteria agenda against China is on full display on certain section of the media and the LNP government down under. A government that has developed a draconian refugee policy is now on the record, welcoming political refugees from China! Whilst one cannot dispute the rights of human rights and labour activists, the Uighur people, Falun Gong, Tibetan political activists from seeking asylum in Australia; the government should also allow genuine refugees fleeing persecution and wars from all parts of the globe and not just single out China because it suits the geo-political aspiration of the American Empire. This political decadent political praxis of the CCP is eerily reminiscent of the Soviet Union before it declined. The leadership of the Party is increasingly becoming authoritarian. The Chinese leader and the CCP need to learn from the experiences of the collapse in the nineties of the Soviet Union and the socialist camp. So, instead of demonising their critics and those forces in Hong Kong who want to preserve their democratic rights as anti-Chinese, the CCP and its leadership need to learn from history. History shows that any short-term success a military solution will be able to achieve in crushing dissent will, like in the last century in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, be futile in the long term. It will only hasten the demise of the CCP.The wisest political step will be to take cognisance of the democratic needs of its citizens and accept and respect their democratic rights. A negotiated settlement with the democratic forces in Hong Kong will serve the best interests of both China and Hong Kong. For at the end of the day an overwhelming military superiority cannot be sustained in the long term without the consent of the people, the party rules over. The CCP should not repeat the mistakes of the Soviet Union which self-immolated under the weight of its own political hubris. Brigadier General Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf who was elected as the Speaker of Iran's parliament (Majles) on Thursday May 28, has 40 years of experience in military, political, economic, policing and urban management. Nonetheless, he is best known for being implicated in major financial corruption cases. He was the first IRGC general who became the Mayor of Tehran. Now, he is the first general who serves as Majles Speaker, and the first IRGC commander who leads one of the three branches of government. With his rising to the position of Majles Speaker almost certainly none of the corruption cases against him, his family and perhaps even his friends will be taken any further, although even during the past 15 years no one followed up those cases and no one was summoned to court. The first major corruption case against Qalibaf dates back to 15 years ago and is about the relations between his campaign team in the 2005 presidential elections and a major gang of drug and fuel smugglers. It has been said that based on a deal, Qalibaf helped the release of the smugglers from jail against their financial assistance to his campaign. State officials kept the case under the wraps until the 2013 presidential campaign when Hassan Rouhani spoke about the case as a rival candidate. Rouhani said that the case was to be reviewed by the Supreme Council of National Security, but he prevented it from being made public. Former government speaker Abdollah Ramezanzadeh tried a few times to make the case public on social media. He even said that Qalibaf's brother was once arrested in connection with this case. But both the Judiciary and the media ignored his comments. Qalibaf was not summoned to court even when his deputy at the Tehran Municipality, Isa Sharifi was arrested. Sharifi has been in jail for three years now with no open trial. The public was effectively barred from a glance into the mayor's role in his deputy's case. In a third case against him and his colleagues involving giving "astronomically-priced properties," to Qalibaf's managers and friends, not only he was not summoned to court, but Yashar Soltani, a journalist who had revealed the case was arrested. In yet another case, major financial corruption was revealed in Bank Shahr [City Bank] and Bank Sarmayeh [Capital Bank] which operated under the aegis of the Tehran Municipality, but still no judiciary official questioned the mayor. It was later revealed that in a fifth case, Qalibaf had paid 600 billion rials ($20 million at the time) to his wife Zahra Moshir's charity, the Imam Reza Charity Institute. This was other than the case involving Qalibaf's son, Elias. Still the mayor was not summoned to court and the case remained inconclusive. It is a question for the public how Qalibaf could get away with all those accusations. However, there is very little doubt that it has to do with Qalibaf's powerful position in the network of IRGC commanders and his long-standing ties with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Like Khamenei, Qalibaf comes from Mashhad. It is known to Iranian media that it was Qalibaf who first came up with the spectacular forms of address Aqa [Sire] and Hazrat-e Aqa [His eminence] for Khamenei even during Khamenei's presidency in the 1980s. In return, Khamenei has shown his special favor to this fellow Mashhadi commander. During the past 30 years, Qalibaf got all of his military ranks and political positions with direct orders from Khamenei. He was a brigade commander during the 1980s war with Iraq and became a division commander thanks to Khamenei's endorsement. With the same blessing by Khamenei he became the deputy commander of Basij militia and then the commander of IRGC's financial conglomerate Khatamolanbia Headquarters where he served until 1997. Khamenei then appointed him as the commander of IRGC's air force. Two years later in 1999, when Iranian students took to the streets and called Khamenei "dictator," Qalibaf and 23 senior IRGC commanders wrote a letter to then President Mohammad Khatami and threatened him that he IRGC was prepared to suppress the students. Meanwhile, during the 2017 presidential election campaigns, President Hassan Rouhani disclosed that during the anniversary of the student uprising in 2003 Qalibaf had called for violence and "a pincer attack" against the protesting students. Khamenei had appointed Qalibaf as Police Chief in in 2000. In an audio released on social media he acknowledged that he and the IRGC Qods Force Commander General Qassem Soleimani wielded clubs on motorcycles in the streets to suppress the student protest. Ten years later, during the 2009 post-election unrest, Qalibaf as the Mayor of Tehran, put municipal facilities at the disposal of those who suppressed the protests. In 2005, he became the Mayor of Tehran, once again with direct support from Khamenei after his presidential bid failed. At the time, Qalibaf believed Khamenei's office supported his candidacy in the presidential elections but was surprised by the shift in Khamenei's support to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. There is evidence indicating that Khamenei's son seriously intervened in that election. President Ahmadinjad who was the mayor of Tehran before his presidency tried to appoint one of his aides as the mayor, but Qalibaf, as he says in an audio file released on social media, became the mayor thanks to Khamenei's office. He held the position for 12 years until 2017 when he took part in the presidential election for the third time. Eventually, he withdrew his candidacy in the last minute in favor of current Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi. With such a strong network in the IRGC and Khamenei's office, it is unlikely that anyone would follow up the corruption cases against Qalibaf. Some may call him "the most corrupt general," but now that he has taken over the Majles, he might still want to rise to the position of the President of the state. As the spring semester comes to a close, the Houston Independent School District announced that summer school will be conducted virtually for more than 40,000 students across the Houston area. Although the state of Texas appears to be reopening at a rapid pace, Texas largest school district will continue to educate students remotely to keep students academically engaged throughout the summer. CLASS OF 2020: Bellaire High School grads persevere amid chaotic semester Lasting from June 8 to July 2, students will attend the virtual summer school from Monday through Thursday with the hour length of each course determined by grade level. Our virtual summer school plan is a continuation of our commitment to ensure our students continue to be safely engaged academically and prepared for their grade level during the COVID-19 pandemic, HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said in a news release. HELP AMID PANDEMIC: Need help? Want to volunteer? Heres Houstons COVID-19 resource guide Summer school instructional packets are going to be mailed or made available for students in pre-k through the eighth grade which will include reading and math content. All Houston ISD students who were issued a laptop, except for seniors, will be able to keep them through July 2. High school students who did not receive course credit during the 2019-20 school year can take up to three credit recovery courses between June 8 and July 2. Students who need credit recovery courses will be automatically enrolled and will be contacted by school personnel. Tuition-based virtual summer school will be available for students who live outside of Houston ISD attendance boundaries or who do not attend an Houston ISD school. Seats for tuition-based classes are based on availability. For more information on Houston ISDs summer school, go to https://tinyurl.com/ybruks66. ryan.nickerson@hcnonline.com The states draft guidelines for reopening schools detail a costly and logistically challenging checklist that educators say will be nearly impossible to complete, given projected budget cuts. The Chronicle obtained a summary of the draft, with the governor expected to release a final version Friday, that will guide a return to school for Californias 6 million K-12 students. It is possible that students across the state would continue with 100% distance learning simply because their schools cannot afford to reopen safely, education officials said Thursday based on expected safety guidelines. The list includes installation of handwashing stations, 6 feet of separation at all times and staggered student arrival times, among other recommendations. The guidelines also call for schools to keep small groups of kids together and isolated from other students throughout the day. Meals would be served and eaten in classrooms. Classes would be confined to separate areas in the schoolyard for recess. Before entering school each morning, all students and staff would be screened for COVID-19 symptoms, potentially including temperature checks. Those who show symptoms would be isolated until they can leave school. Teachers would need to wear cloth masks at all times, and students encouraged to do so whenever social distancing isnt possible. Classrooms would be designed to space desks 6 feet apart, if possible, or stagger students to avoid face-to-face contact. The preliminary recommendations also include a protocol to address a positive case of coronavirus at a school. Education officials have indicated prior to the release that projected budget cuts of $1,230 per student will make it nearly impossible to reopen schools safely, said Claudia Briggs, spokeswoman for the California Teachers Association, who had not yet seen the draft. The budget proposal that the governor put forth in the May revision (of the state budget) completely contradicts and goes against everything that needs to be funded, she said. Manteca Unified School District The draft also included the need for extensive training on checking for coronavirus signs and symptoms; disinfecting and cleaning; the proper use of masks and other protective equipment; and how to implement social distancing inside and outside classrooms. State schools chief Tony Thurmond is expected to release a detailed guide in early June to help schools with the specifics on reopening, including examples of how to socially distance; how to screen and monitor students and staff for coronavirus symptoms; and how to create a hybrid model that combines in-person and remote learning. Jeff Freitas, president of the California Federation of Teachers, has been among the educators warning that if schools are forced to lay off employees, theyd be be hard-pressed to impose extra safety protocols, like reducing classroom sizes or more bus trips to carry fewer students per trip, steps they anticipate could be in the forthcoming guidelines. Freitas said that even before Newsoms budget, which amounts to a roughly 13% cut, schools were underfunded to the point that teachers used their own money to buy supplies like paper, pencils and tissues. Theres no way we could reopen with less money, Freitas said in an earlier interview. We cant do more with less. The California Education Coalition, composed of labor unions and representatives of administrators, school boards and parents, urged the governor and state legislators Thursday afternoon to reject budget cuts, which would prevent schools from opening up classrooms in the fall. The wave of costs associated with reopening will overwhelm districts, including increasing staffing to clean, screen and teach both online and in-person classes, said Troy Flint, spokesman for the California School Boards Association School board members are grappling with how we can resume schools in a safe and effective manner, he said. There is simply not enough money. State legislators, who must pass a budget, have also pushed back against the notion that schools could improve public health modifications amid steep cuts. 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. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle Those things just dont square, said Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland. Bonta and other progressive lawmakers have said the state should instead consider raising taxes, potentially on millionaires or deep-pocketed corporations, to avoid eroding social safety-net programs like education. I just dont think weve been talking about revenue enough, he said. The protocols for public health really scream out for additional investment and support. State Senate Democrats, meanwhile, released a draft budget plan Thursday that aims to prevent about $8.1 billion in proposed cuts to education, including delaying sending some funding to districts if the federal government doesnt provide more relief. Many schools are scheduled to reopen in mid-August, but at this point and given uncertainty about cuts, its not clear how that will happen, said Molly McGee Hewitt, executive director of the California Association of School Business Officials. In the past, budget cuts meant fewer resources, but health and safety werent at risk, Education Coalition officials said. Districts made classes larger and laid off librarians, but there was never a question they wouldnt open the doors. There are so many unknowns in what were doing, Hewitt said. Weve always had the show-must-go-on mentality. COVID is different. Jill Tucker and Dustin Gardiner are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker, @dustingardiner LOS ANGELESWhen Harry Sentoso got called back to work at an Amazon delivery centre in Irvine, Calif., in late March, he was excited. He had been working in Amazon warehouses on and off for two years, always hoping to get a full-time position but always laid off after seasonal demand died down. Just a few weeks earlier, at the beginning of March, his bosses had told him they didnt need him anymore. He had spent most of the month cooped up at home in Walnut, looking for other work. Sentoso saw the warehouse job as a last chance to earn some cash before settling down to retirement. A small business he had started with a friend a few years earlier selling forklift tires hadnt taken off, and he didnt want to touch his savings if he didnt have to. He had applied to dozens of jobs in recent years, but Amazon was the best the 63-year-old could find. Before dawn on March 29, he left home in his Honda Civic, radio tuned to classic rock, and made the drive down to Orange County to work the early morning shift hauling and sorting packages before they went out to customers homes. Two weeks later, in the early morning hours of April 12 his 27th wedding anniversary Harry Sentoso would be dead. Sentosos return to work was a part of a massive wave of hiring Amazon has undertaken in response to the coronavirus crisis. In mid-March, the company announced plans to hire 100,000 new workers to deal with a surge in online orders. In April, it began hiring 75,000 more to keep up with demand as it resumed shipping more non-essential items to customers. With that human wave came the virus. The same week that Sentoso was called back into work, new cases of COVID-19 were reported at six warehouses across Southern California. Until now, no cases at the Irvine facility, known as DLA9, have been made public, and Sentosos death had gone unreported. Across the country, Amazon workers have documented more than 1,000 cases among warehouse workers as of May 20, and 7 deaths. Sentoso is the eighth. Thousands of businesses have had to close and more than 38 million Americans have lost their jobs since the lockdowns began. But Amazon is hiring. The company has put new measures in place to make its warehouses safer for employees, but the number of cases at its facilities keeps rising. As consumers continue to minimize their own risk by shopping from their couches, workers have to decide: Is working for Amazon a lifeline, or a life-threatening risk? Harry Sentoso moved to Southern California in the 1970s, fleeing anti-leftist violence and persecution in his native Indonesia that targeted his family for their Chinese ancestry. His legal name was Sukoyo, but he chose to go by the short version of his middle name, Hariyadi, in his new home. After a few hard years scraping by in downtown L.A., he worked in sales for a doll company, then started his own small business, an import-export operation moving construction materials between California and Indonesia. Along the way, he earned a bachelors degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from Cal Poly Pomona, met his wife, Endang, and started a family. In his 40s, he landed a steady job as the warehouse supervisor at an oxygen sensor manufacturer, and worked there for over a decade. By the end of his career, he had socked away a healthy retirement fund, bought a house in Walnut, raised two sons, and taken up day trading as a hobby and a passion. He was devoted to his family, gracious and kind former coworkers recall his upbeat attitude and insistence on paying for lunch. He loved good food, dad jokes, and, according to his 20-year-old son Evan, Mini Coopers. In short, Harry Sentoso had lived the kind of life that can flourish for immigrants and refugees, if everything goes right, in Southern Californias sun-baked suburban soil. But things began to go wrong after Sentoso returned to work in late March. He worked from Sunday to Thursday, then started to feel a little under the weather on Friday, the first of his two days off. (The median incubation time for coronavirus infections is five days.) On Sunday, April 5, he went back to work, anxious not to miss a shift so soon after getting his job back and convinced he could shake what he thought was a cold, or maybe just bad indigestion. He liked to tell his sons, and the coworkers he befriended who were his sons age, that working at Amazon was great for his health long days on the warehouse floor meant he always got in all his steps. But on the same day, his wife started feeling sick. Sentoso worked four more days, hauling and sorting boxes for delivery to their final destination, but then started to feel worse: shortness of breath, cough, fever. His wife, a pharmacy technician who made sure he brought and wore a mask to work every day, got tested at her workplace on Wednesday. Her results came back positive, and the family doctor said it was safe to assume her husband was too. They both began to quarantine. Three days later, close to midnight on April 11, Sentoso was having trouble getting any oxygen at all. His wife and older son Dylan, 22, tried to get him to the car to take him to the hospital, but Harry fell unconscious on his driveway. She called an ambulance, and called her other son. Evan, a student at UCLA, borrowed a classmates car and raced across the empty freeways from Westwood to Walnut alone, hoping he might be able to see his dad before things got worse. But he was too late. The EMTs had managed to briefly raise a pulse on the way to the hospital, but it had disappeared again by the time they arrived. His father was gone. Hospital staff allowed Evan 10 minutes in the ICU, standing a few feet away from his fathers body, to cry and say his last goodbyes. In a statement, Lisa Levandowski, a spokesperson for Amazon, said: We are mourning the loss of an associate at our site in Irvine, California. His family and loved ones are in our thoughts, and we are supporting his fellow colleagues in the days ahead. Evan moved back in with his older brother and his mother after his fathers death. The family was forced to mourn behind masks in their own home, the two sons watching and waiting as their mother got sicker, their fathers ashes still in their urn. Evan started getting calls from Amazon HR. There was someone from the Leave of Absence team, asking where Harry Sentoso was. After Evan told them that his father had died from complications of the coronavirus, he got a call from the companys Employee Resource Center, asking to confirm that his father had died. Then someone from Amazons Global Security Operations called to confirm that his father had died. An Amazon employee called from Chile for the same reason. Finally, the local HR team finished up the phone chain. That same week, Amazon announced that it was going to expand shipments of non-essential items, and was hiring a second wave of 75,000 new workers to process the flood of orders (up until that point, they had been prioritizing orders that they deemed essential). Amazon also fired two tech workers who had publicly criticized safety and working conditions at the companys warehouses. His outrage growing, Evan called the local HR rep back to ask some questions. Why are you hiring people if youre shipping out non-essential goods? Evan asked. Someones life is not worth less than some persons board game. He wants to know why Amazon isnt being more transparent with its workers and the public. The companys official policy states that it informs all employees who have come in contact with an infected worker, but Amazon refuses to release official numbers of cases or deaths among its workforce. Reached for comment, Amazon said that it never received confirmation that Sentosos death was linked to COVID-19, so it did not send out a mass notification, and only informed his coworkers verbally of his passing. When Evan first spoke with multiple Amazon representatives, he and his family had not yet received the post-mortem test results from the hospital confirming that his father had been infected with the virus. But he told Amazon how his father died, that his mother had tested positive, and that a doctor had told the family to assume his father had the virus. Once the results, which have been reviewed by The Times, came in, Evan says he tried calling Amazon twice to inform the company, but was never called back. Soon after, Evans family retained a lawyer to file a workers compensation claim with the state, which listed coronavirus as his fathers cause of death. He wants to know why the company was planning to stop allowing workers to take unlimited unpaid time off if theyre afraid to go in to work, and why Amazon is ending its $2 pay bump for workers if the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. shows few signs of slowing down. On the call, Evan said, the company ran through the litany of safety procedures that it put in place since the virus began to spread. The week before Sentoso died, the company began requiring employees to wear masks on site, and started checking the temperature of workers before they could enter. It began requiring employees to stay six feet apart in late March, and staggered shifts and cancelled in-person meetings to make that easier. The company has increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting in warehouses as well, and began spraying down whole facilities with disinfectant fogs in mid-April. But Evan, and a contingent of Amazon workers across the country, dont think that those measures are enough. Hundreds of workers at Amazons facilities in Hawthorne and Eastvale, in Riverside County, have signed and submitted petitions asking the company to close the facilities for two weeks after infections for thorough cleaning and send workers home with quarantine pay. Following worker complaints compiled by the Warehouse Workers Resource Center, Cal OSHA has also launched investigations into both facilities. The call for a shutdown has been especially loud at warehouses in Pennsylvania and New York that have become coronavirus hot spots, with more than 60 reported cases at each before the company stopped updating the tally even to local employees. Other countries facing coronavirus outbreaks show how things could be different here. In India, factories where workers test positive are forced to shut down. In China, people who have come into contact with anyone who tests positive are required to undergo strictly enforced seven- or 14-day quarantines. Even after the number of new cases in the country dwindled to single digits in April, Chinese factory owners worried that a single infected worker could force the entire workforce into isolation. Foxconn, the million-employee company that builds the iPhone and many other electronic devices, created 20-person teams of workers and required them to work, travel, eat and sleep together in company dormitories to ensure that any infected workers could be quickly traced and quarantined. In France, a court ruled that Amazon had to restrict its activities to only shipping essential items or face serious fines. The company shut down all six of its large fulfilment centres in the country in response, but kept paying all workers their full salaries. Earlier this week, Amazon reached a deal with the court and the labour unions that brought the case in the first place: Starting June 2, the company will spread out shifts and run its warehouses at only half capacity, to increase social distancing, while continuing to pay the full salaries of the remaining workers left at home. In California, brick-and-mortar retailers of non-essential goods were required to shut their doors from March 19 until early May to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but delivery warehouses remained open. Amazon has been working to create its own infrastructure in order to test all workers regularly, but no state in the U.S. has the available capacity to test at the scale necessary to detect carriers of the virus across the workforce. Evan and his family are still reeling from his fathers death, but he says he draws on his fathers memory for strength. He wouldnt have wanted me to give up, say this isnt fair and cuss my life out, Evan said. And he hopes that in sharing it, he can save other families from his own grief. The last thing I want is for another family of another worker to go through what we have, he added. If theres anything I can do to prevent another illness, another death, thats my goal. Read more about: State Rep. Sheryl Delozier was stunned to receive more than $7,000 in unemployment compensation checks in her mailbox. Delozier, a Republican representing part of Cumberland County, never asked for the money. She received checks for two bogus claims at an address where she has never lived. The lawmaker posted about the experience on Twitter. She said that its especially irritating because many people are still waiting for unemployment assistance from the state. Im just frustrated," Delozier said Thursday. In a phone interview, Delozier said her experience isnt unique as shes heard of others getting unemployment checks they never requested. Her office has received some calls. Its a handful of people that have called our office," Delozier said. Some people are just taking care of it and mailing the checks back to (the treasury department). An estimated 53,000 to 58,000 people have been affected by this scam, Spotlight PA reported Thursday night. I was very surprised to rec over $7,000 in UC $. Cks made out to me, at an address I have never lived at for a claim I never filed. This fraud will be reported. My office is getting calls of similar cases, while there are valid cases still waiting 4 needed UC $ @PALaborIndustry Sheryl M. Delozier (@RepDelozier) May 28, 2020 Delozier said she has spoken with the state Department of Labor and Industry and the state Treasury Department. She said officials have told her that similar schemes have been seen in other states. An estimated 53,000 to 58,000 people have been affected by this scam, Spotlight PA reported Thursday night. Many newly unemployed residents have complained about problems trying to file claims or waiting for assistance as the state scrambles to serve all those who have lost jobs due to the coronavirus crisis. More than 2.3 million Pennsylvania residents have filed unemployment claims since March 15, according to the state labor department. Last week, Pennsylvanias unemployment rate was reported at 15.1 percent, the highest in more than 40 years. Delozier said she understands the labor department is facing a monumental task in facing such a surge of claims. While she said the labor department has made progress, there is still room for improvement. I think some of the issues need to be addressed in a more strident way, Delozier said. There are a number of cases where there were no errors and it was just a slow process. She said she continues to receive calls from constituents who have had problems getting unemployment assistance. Theyve lost jobs as many businesses have been ordered to shut down to stem the spread of the coronavirus. People are seeing everything theyve worked for going down the drain," Delozier said. "Weve had some very emotional conversations. Earlier this week, labor department officials said they have launched investigations into possible identity fraud involving residents who have not applied for unemployment compensation. Labor Secretary Jerry Oleksiak said this week scammers have been trying to use personal information from others to apply benefits. He said no labor department systems or data have been breached. We have been on very high alert since reports began surfacing recently of scammers targeting unemployment benefits programs across the country," Oleksiak said this week. We are working closely with other state and federal agencies, as well as law enforcement, to investigate these incidents. In an email Thursday night, the labor department said it will be sending additional information to all applicants for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance via the U.S. Postal Service. The department said it would ensure applicants were seeking assistance and confirm that their personal information has not been compromised. The labor department didnt offer an estimate on the number of people affected in the scam. Saying the issue is now being investigated by state and federal authorities, the department said it couldnt provide additional information. Since March 15, the labor department has paid out $10.8 billion in unemployment compensation, including $3.9 billion in federal aid tied to the pandemic. The labor department has also hired more staff to process the overwhelming number of claims. Other states have dealt with fraud tied to handling the spikes of claims for unemployment assistance. In Maine, officials said theyve canceled more than 2,000 fraudulent claims filed by scammers with stolen personal information, the Portland Press-Herald reported this week. This story has been updated. More from PennLive Be patient, dont send multiple emails and other tips from Pa. unemployment compensation official Second IRS stimulus payment: Calculate how much youd get; debit cards could come instead of checks Dealing with mail-in ballots emerges as major challenge for Pa. primary election Will students have to wear masks to school? Pa. superintendents face tough choices for fall Can you hear me? Finally, Gov. Tom Wolf will (literally) face the media again | John Baer Islamabad: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has condemned the attack and destruction of the houses of Christian and Hindu communities in the nation's Bahawalpur region. "HRCP is gravely concerned at reports that houses belonging to the Hindu and Christian communities of #Yazman in #Bahawalpur have been demolished, allegedly by local authorities with political influence," the Commission tweeted. HRCP is gravely concerned at reports that houses belonging to the Hindu and Christian communities of #Yazman in #Bahawalpur have been demolished, allegedly by local authorities with political influence. 1/2 Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) May 27, 2020 The violence was witnessed in Pakistan even at a time when the world is battling COVID-19 outbreak. The entire episode was caught on camera where houses belonging to the Hindu community were razed to the ground. What's even more shocking is, the demolition of walls and roofs over people's head were crushed under the watch of Tariq Bashir Cheema, the Housing Minister in the Imran Khan cabinet, who was accompanied by the country's Principal Information Officer Shahid Khokhar, reports ANI news agency. Bulldozers could be seen destroying the houses as children and women pleaded for mercy. Torture on minority have been reported from Pakistan even in these months of COVID-19 outbreak. Uncounted incidents are reported from Sindh province and other parts of Pakistan where Muslims have forcibly abducted and converted Hindu minor girls to Islam for marriage, reports ANI. By ANI SRINAGAR: Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) had the main role in planning the car bomb attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, which security forces thwarted on Thursday, said Kashmir police, adding that Hizbul Mujahideen assisted the JeM. "We had received information that a militant of Jaish-e-Mohammed is going to carry out the operation. So we suspect that Adil (occupant of the car carrying IED) - a Hizbul Mujahideen militant is also in touch with Jaish-e-Mohammed," said Vijay Kumar, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir. "He (Adil) intended to target vehicles of security forces. We are calling expert teams from the outside. We suspect that the vehicle was carrying 40-45 kg of explosives. Jaish-e-Mohammed has the main role in this. Hizbul Mujahideen assisted them," he added. On being asked if this attack was similar to February 2019 bombing attack on the CRPF convoy, Kumar said, "Definitely it would have targeted security force police's vehicle only." Kumar stated that Pulwama police was regularly receiving information that Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen were together planning this attack. They had placed IED in a Santro car. "Our forces gave a warning fire at the Naka following which the militant sped away from there. The next Naka party also gave a warning fire following which the militant managed to escape in the darkness. On searching our forces recovered the vehicle carrying IED, with the same number the police forces were suspecting. The explosive was defeated in a technical manner by CRPF and Army this morning and averted a major attack," said Kumar. The security forces on Thursday successfully prevented a massive 2019 Pulwama-like car bomb attack in Jammu and Kashmir after they stopped a vehicle carrying over 20 kg of an improvised explosive device (IED), enough to carry out a major attack in Pulwama. In February last year, 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a JeM-orchestrated terror attack in South Kashmir's Pulwama district. The incident took place when a CRPF convoy, consisting of around 2,500 personnel, was attacked by a suicide bomber who rammed a car laden with explosives into one of the buses on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. The closing meeting of third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- China is set to make Hong Kong national security laws as a related decision was adopted at the national legislature on Thursday. Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) attending the closing meeting of its third annual session voted overwhelmingly to approve the NPC Decision on Establishing and Improving the Legal System and Enforcement Mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to Safeguard National Security. The move came after prolonged social unrest and escalating street violence had plunged Hong Kong into the gravest situation since its return to the motherland in 1997. Presenting the draft to the national legislature last week, senior legislator Wang Chen said increasingly notable national security risks in Hong Kong have become a prominent problem. There are apparent "weak links" in Hong Kong's existing legal system and enforcement mechanisms in safeguarding national security, said Wang, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee. Considering Hong Kong's situation at present, efforts must be made at the state level to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security, he said. TEHRAN,Iran ,May.27 Trend: Expanding agricultural production in Iran's West Azerbaijan Province is the main target in this sector, the Governor of West Azerbaijan Province Mohammad Mehdi Shahriari told Trend. "Improving agricultural resources, increase of self-reliance, secure investments and try to reduce costs are the target plans for the province," he said. Other plans include development of greenhouses, using new irrigation techniques, increasing production from modified seeds, plants, using less water, developing livestock farms, boosting milk production and meat, he said. He also reminded that hot weather cause plenty of damage to Lake Urmia, along with irrational use of water resources and lack of proper management. Among other obstacles to developing agriculture sector in the province, Shahriari named weak processing industry and lack of marketing of agricultural products. "Agriculture, tourism , services and industrial sector in the province have suffered damage worth $640 million, thanks to the spread of COVID-19," he added. "Despite problems and sanctions, necessary precautions were made and we have confronted the virus properly," he said. "According to the World Health Organization Iran had a successful experience in combating the coronavirus, despite the negative foreign media propaganda," he added. Aligarh: A Hinduist leader has lodged a case under section 153A, 153B, Information Technology Amendment Act 66D in Atrauli police station on students of UP's Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), who are in love with Pakistan. Hinduist leader Deepak Sharma has lodged this case at Atrauli police station against both the students. The AMU students are accused of sharing posts on Facebook expressing love for Pakistan. A student who has been chatting on his Facebook page has shared a post like joining Kashmir in Pakistan. On the basis of these posts, the police have registered a case against two and started investigation. "Amar Akbar Anthony' is estimated to have made Rs 7.25 crore in those days", Big B tweeted There is an ID on Facebook named Shakib Rasool Bhatt. On this page, Shakib Rasool has described himself as a student of AMU to BALB. On this Facebook page, where he has shared a post showing love to Pakistan, another young man Sheikh Arafat has written things like joining Kashmir in Pakistan in a Facebook chat. On the basis of these posts, Hinduist leader Deepak Sharma Azad has lodged a complaint at Atrauli police station. "Kya The Aur Kya Bana Diya Ab", Big B shared picture Deepak Sharma said that the work of hurting the feelings of crores of Indians with the love of Pakistan flourishing within India is being done by people like AMU students Sheikh Arafat and Shakib Rasool Bhatt which is engaged in wiring India's identity. A case has been registered against the so-called Pakistan lovers living in India and the administration is demanding that such people should be put behind bars as soon as possible so that no other anti-nationals can talk. Arjun Kapoor pulled Virat Kohli's leg after watching his video NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that it is already ''engaged with China for amicable and peaceful resolution of the border dispute between the two countries.'' The MEA further stated that the Indian troops were strictly following procedures laid out in bilateral pacts with China to resolve the issue. ''Our troops have taken very responsible approach towards border management,'' the MEA said on the present stand-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh. The External Affairs Ministry maintained that ''we remain strong in our resolve to ensure India's sovereignty.'' The comments from the MEA came in response to the United States President Donald Trumps latest offer to media to resolve the border dispute between India and China. It may be recalled that Trump had on Wednesday (May 27) expressed his willingness to mediate between India and China to resolve their border dispute. He took to social media to convey this message. President Trump tweeted, "We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute. Thank you!" Previously also, President Trump had offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. However, the proposal was rejected by New Delhi as it maintained that there is no role for any third party in bilateral issues. Notably, several areas along the LAC in Ladakh and North Sikkim have recently witnessed military build-up by both the Indian and Chinese armies. The tension has escalated on both two sides after they were engaged in two separate face-offs. The Chinese side has been peeved with India laying a key road in the finger area of Pangong Tso Lake region besides another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley. The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were reportedly engaged in a violent face-off on May 5 evening that spilled over to the next day before the two sides agreed to "disengage" following a meeting at the level of local commanders. The incident took place as China strongly objected to the road being laid by India in the Finger area in Pangong Tso lake. The Pangong Tso incident was followed by a similar incident in North Sikkim on May 9. The nearly 3,500-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) is the de-facto border between India and China. However, China on Wednesday took an apparently conciliatory tone by stating that the situation at the border with India is "overall stable and controllable," and both the countries have proper mechanisms and communication channels to resolve the issues through dialogue and consultation. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that all Indian activities were carried out on its side of the border, asserting that India has always taken a very responsible approach towards border management. 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There are two ways to try to stop contaminants from getting to the lakebefore they reach the receiving water, or after, Huichun (Judy) Zhang said in a CWRU news release. Our efforts are focused on making an impact beforehand with the livestock manure, but after-the-fact with the agricultural runoff. Zhang received $500,000 over three years from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop new methods to test for and remove contaminants in livestock manure that stem from the use of antibiotics and growth hormones, especially in large factory farms. She also received $200,000 over two years from the Ohio Water Development Authority to remove excess nutrients from agriculture runoffs. The blue-green toxic algae is an annual problem in Lake Erie, from Toledo to the islands. The algae turns fresh water into pea soup, with thick mats of scum that can close beaches, wreck tourist fishing and contaminate drinking water, as it did in Toledo in 2014. Scientists predict the harmful algal bloom in western Lake Erie this summer will be smaller than last, with a severity between 3 and 5 on a 1-10 scale. Ohio has spent millions of dollars to address the annual scourge of toxic algae in Lake Erie. Family farmers have adopted new practices, to cut back on phosphorus from commercial fertilizers flowing into the Maumee River. Cities have added expensive technology to treat drinking water for toxins. Still, EPA research shows no decrease in phosphorus flowing into the lake. Zhang is working with phosphorus expert Chad Penn of the USDAs Agricultural Research Service in Indiana to keep fertilizer out. They plan to identify areas where the phosphorus output is the worst and install honeycomb-like structures designed to absorb the nutrients before they migrate to streams and the lake, according to CWRU. Workers could then empty the collected phosphorous from the structure and then re-use the chemical, making the structures semi-permanent and valuable to the user, as well. Zhang is also working to research antibiotics and growth harmones in the waste from animals at confined feeding operations. The manure includes hundreds of different compounds which may be dangerous to plants, animals and humans, she said About 70% of those compounds are released into the waste, not used by the animal, Zhang said. And since we dont know exactly how well the digesters work on the contaminants, it is likely that they end up in the groundwater or on the plants it is meant to fertilize. Zhangs team hopes to create a model that government agencies like the USDA could use to determine which contaminants should be removed before the waste goes into a digester or is sprayed onto a field. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, May 28, 2020 10:24 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bda994b1 1 National data-breach,hackers,Education-and-Culture-Ministry,civil-servants Free The data of up to 1.3 million civil servants at the Education and Culture Ministry have been reportedly breached by unknown hackers. Cybersecurity researcher and consultant Teguh Aprianto revealed the cyberattack on Wednesday through his Twitter account @secgron. Among the leaked data are full names, citizenship identification numbers (NIK), Family Card numbers, home addresses, mothers names, fathers names, marital status, birthplace and date and other personal information, Teguh wrote. Read also: Data security bill to set minimum standard Data leaks have been rising recently in the country as more companies and office workers shift to online platforms to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating the opportunity for hackers to breach into their networks. Last week, cybersecurity research collective Under the Breach revealed that the data of around 91 million users of e-commerce platform Tokopedia and 13 million Bukalapak users had been illegally sold, as well as the details of passports that belong to 35 million passengers of Lion Air Group airlines. The collective also reported that the data of the final voters list (DPT) in the 2014 presidential election had been stolen from the General Elections Commissions (KPU) website in 2013. (aly) [May 28, 2020] Thought Industries Customer Training Platform Selected by Ivanti to Support Renewed Focus on Customer Success BOSTON, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thought Industries , the world's leading B2B customer training platform provider, announced Ivanti, the company that unifies IT to better manage and secure the digital workplace, has selected its platform to further support its commitment to customer success in 2020 through efficient, flexible and more scalable learning experiences for its customers and partners. Under the direction of customer success industry veteran, Mary Trick as chief customer officer, Ivanti sought a customer training platform that could enable the company to enrich the product training experience for its various customers and partners throughout the buyer life cycle. "As we've transitioned from primarily instructor-led training delivery to more e-learning and blended learning engagements, the Thought Industries Platform will provide us with more efficient and flexible learning experiences for our customers and partners," said Matt Robinson, global director of customer enablement and training, Ivanti. The platform will bring an advanced leel of training engagement to connect with our customers and partners in new and compelling ways to drive additional value for our external audiences." The Thought Industries Platform will also enable a stronger partner ecosystem through certification training to validate the level of skill for sales, implementation, administration and consultation of Ivanti products. Additionally, the Thought Industries Platform will augment employee training through the Ivanti Advantage Learning program for employees to onboard more quickly and efficiently as they learn its unified endpoint management and enterprise service management products. "We look forward to supporting Ivanti and its mission to build a culture of customer closeness through a diversified, engaging and scalable customer training program," said Barry Kelly, CEO, Thought Industries. "The value of unified IT to provide consistent data across systems and IT departments is critical and we are excited to help Ivanti customers get the most out of their investment through continuous learning driven by our platform." About Thought Industries Thought Industries powers the business of learning by providing the world's leading B2B customer training platform. The company was founded in 2014 around the core belief that online learning experiences should be modern, intuitive, engaging, and scalable. Today, our growing team builds and maintains the only learning solution with completely native tools and integrations that drive higher engagement, learner proficiency, and retention rates for our customers. Headquartered in Boston, Thought Industries has offices across North America and Europe. For more information, visit www.thoughtindustries.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. About Ivanti Ivanti unifies IT and Security Operations to better manage and secure the digital workplace. From PCs to mobile devices, VDI, and the data center, Ivanti discovers IT assets on-premises and in the cloud, improves IT service delivery, and reduces risk with insights and automation. The company also helps organizations leverage modern technology in the warehouse and across the supply chain to improve delivery without modifying backend systems. Ivanti is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah and has offices all over the world. For more information, visit www.ivanti.com and follow @GoIvanti. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thought-industries-customer-training-platform-selected-by-ivanti-to-support-renewed-focus-on-customer-success-301066626.html SOURCE Thought Industries [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A Birmingham mum has felt the wrath of social media, after uploading a video of herself berating members of the public for being out in Blackpool... despite making the 125 mile journey herself to soak up sun on the beach. The woman could be heard accusing people of 'risking everything', amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as she filmed them on the streets of the seaside resort on Bank Holiday Monday. Astonishingly it is the second time the woman has been circulated on social media, following a recent trip to Barmouth beach in Wales amid the pandemic lockdown, during which she filmed a confrontation with police safety officers. Sounding audibly irate, the woman slammed a lack of social distancing on the promenade In the footage she exchanged heated words and demanded to know why herself and her young family were being escorted from the beach, which brought about instance criticism online. The video, which went viral when posted last week, the woman called locals a 'bunch of b******s' when police confront her and claims she 'didn't realise Wales wasn't in England.' This time around she made the 125-mile trip to Lancashire on Bank Holiday Monday - but returned home immediately believing it to be 'dangerous,' as report Birmingham Live. The mother captured the footage while sitting in the front passenger seat of a car, driving though the tourist hotspot and later posted the video to her Facebook page. She could be heard narrating: 'So today we've come to Blackpool, just thought we'd come and take the kids for a walk. 'Obviously I've had a video that's gone viral when we went to Wales in Barmouth, and they [people online] have had a go. The Birmingham mum captured the footage of crowded Blackpool streets while sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle, after making a 125 mile trip to take in the sun 'But then we've come here today, and I've had loads [of abuse] online for that video. Now I've come to Blackpool and look at all these people. 'Two metre distance? Where's the two metre distance? So coronavirus is really, really getting protected right now yeah? 'Everybody's on the beach, but I get slandered for my video when I went to Wales. I understand I was in the wrong. She added: 'There's too many people risking everything just because of the weather. 'We're going straight back home because this is dangerous. 'People are moaning over sending their kids to school because of the coronavirus, but then they're happy to bring them to a beach where there are thousands here. 'You can't two-metre distance on a beach. There's too many people all walking past each other.' Footage quickly went viral across social media, with many people re-sharing to condemn the ignorance of the mum in question. The 27-year-old, who did not want to be named, later told BirminghamLive: 'Blackpool was horrible as thousands were there. 'People weren't social distancing. We stayed five minutes and then left. 'There were new born babies in prams and people coughing walking past.' Connecticut university student Peter Manfredonia, suspected of two murders and abduction: AP An armed college student who allegedly killed two men in a crime spree was caught in Maryland, police said. Several police agencies and the FBI searched for the 23-year-old, Peter Manfredonia, over six-days after a spate of crimes were committed last week. He was found at a service station in Hagerstown, Maryland, on Wednesday. He was not injured and no officers were hurt during the arrest, Connecticut State Police said. The suspect will face justice and this will bring closure. This is what is important for the families of the victims, said Connecticut State Police spokeswoman Christine Jeltema. Mr Manfredonia was wanted in the machete killing of 62-year-old Ted DeMers and the wounding of another man in Willington, Connecticut, on Friday. Cyndi DeMers, the first victims wife, said afterwards that the Connecticut University senior was searching for a woman he knew, who lived next door. The student is then thought to have killed Mr DeMers with a machete after offering him a ride to his parked bicycle. The University of Connecticut senior is also thought to have shot Sandy Hook high school friend Nicholas Eisele, 23, at his home on Sunday, Police said he also stole guns and drove a truck about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest with Mr Eiseles girlfriend to Derby, Connecticut. She was later found safe. Authorities have not offered a possible motive for the crimes. A man matching descriptions of Mr Manfredonia was spotted on Tuesday night near Scranton, Pennsylvania, prompting another search there. Thank you to law enforcement members from the @CT_STATE_POLICE and local PD, as well as those from each of our neighboring states, for their dedicated commitment regarding this matter. We are appreciative of their unified approach to this disturbing situation. https://t.co/hYr3EhsuVz Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) May 28, 2020 Police later suspected Mr Manfredonia to be in the Hagerstown, Maryland, area, where a ride-hailing service dropped off someone matching his description Wednesday. Story continues A lawyer for the suspects family, Michael Dolan, said they were relieved the search had ended peacefully. This came as a total surprise to everybody based on Peters past, said Mr Dolan. Hes been a kind-hearted person who has no history of violence or any trouble with the law. Connecticut governor Ned Lamont offered thanks to police agencies including those in other states that were involved in the search. We are appreciative of their unified approach to this disturbing situation, Lamont said on Twitter. Read more One person shot dead amid George Floyd protests in Minneapolis Some over 8000 market women, motto riders, drivers, passengers and vendors in the Ketu South constituency have benefited from a distribution of nose masks exercise undertaken by the NDC parliamentary candidate for the area. Hon Abla Dzifa Gomashie begun the distribution exercise after a recent call on her by a delegation comprised of the National and Regional Youth of the Party, to discuss among other issues, the impact of the global pandemic, the COVID-19. The masks were distributed in collaboration with the constituency executives of the NDC to beneficiaries in Aflao, Denu, Tokor, Agbozume and its environs. Interacting with residents of these communities, the former Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts further explained the importance of wearing the masks and the need for all to adhere to all the protocols in preventing the spread of the Corona Virus. She was hopeful that with the continued use of the masks and practising social distancing, people will be out of danger of contracting the disease especially in border communities such as Aflao where there is usually heavy movement of persons. Mathias Alagbo, the Volta Regional Youth Organizer explained that the initiative to distribute masks started from Ho and then to Hohoe before it came to Ketu South. He also expressed great appreciation for the efforts made by Hon Dzifa Gomashie, with support from the current MP, Hon Fifi Kwetey and Mrs. Mawuena Dumor-Trebah, a former CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Center. Ruth Dela Seddoh, said the youth have been inspired by the leadership being demonstrated by the party Flagbearer, H.E. John Dramani Mahama and his several interventions since the outbreak of the COVID-19 in the country. So far, the youth wing of the Party has been in a number of districts across the country, undertaking similar projects. The MSBSHSE had also cancelled the papers for vocational subjects which are offered to Children with Special Needs and are conducted 2-3 days after the board exams. The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) will award average marks to all the students of SSC (Class 10) examinations 2020 for the Geography paper which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A report by Hindustan Times mentioned board officials saying that marks attained by students in the other five subjects would be considered to draw an average score for Geography. The committee which was constituted to take a decision on the issue has decided to allot average scores to students for the Geography paper, the daily quoted chairperson of the Maharashtra State Board Shakuntala Kale as saying. The Class 10 geography paper was scheduled to be conducted on 23 March. The exam was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Around 17 lakh students in the state were to take the examination. The MSBSHSE had also cancelled the papers for vocational subjects which are offered to Children with Special Needs and are conducted 2-3 days after the board exams. A report by the Times of India mentioned that the same rule of average score will be applied to the vocational papers that were cancelled. The board had on 13 April decided to cancel the pending Geography paper of SSC students. There is however no update on when MSBSHSE will declare the results of the SSC and HSC exams 2020. An official from the state education department said that they are likely to be announced by the second week of June, the Hindustan Times report said. CBSE, CISCE and state boards had postponed examinations due to the lockdown. Many of them have now come out with a revised schedule for the pending exams. Firefighters have rescued three people from a blaze at a block of flats in east London. Fire crews were called around 3.30am after the blaze broke out in the roof of a block of flats in Hadleigh Close, Bethnal Green, with 10 engines and some 80 firefighters attending. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said in a statement two people had been rescued from a fourth floor flat via a 13.5 metre ladder, while another person was rescued from the same floor via an internal staircase. A London Ambulance spokesperson confirmed one person was taken to hospital, with two others treated at the scene. Fire crews were called at 3:30am after a blaze broke out at a block of flats in Bethnal Green Three people were rescued after 80 firefighters had attended the scene in Hadleigh Close The building suffered extensive damage to its roof before the fire was brought under control A series of dramatic images show the flames tearing through the top of the building, and thick clouds of smoke can also be seen. Onlookers reportedly were able to smell smoke caused by the blaze from miles away. The LFB said soon before 6.00am that the fire had been brought under control. There were no reports of any injuries, though the building has suffered extensive damage to its roof. The cause of the fire is not yet known. Two people were rescued from a fourth floor flat via a 13.5 metre ladder, the LFB confirmed Another person was also rescued by crews from the fourth floor using an internal staircase The cause of the blaze, which was controlled by firefighters around 6am, is not yet known Juha Ristolainen, who lives in a nearby block, told the Mirror Online at 5:50am that he was disturbed in the early hours due to the incident. 'I woke up around 3.40am to the smell of smoke and checking in the flat and the corridor it wasn't our building saw the smoke outside the window,' he said. 'First the right hand side roof of the building was ablaze and fire brigade was putting it out, then the fire came through the roof of the middle part moving to the other end of the building. 'The fire brigade was putting it out from the ground and from ladders and now it seems to be almost out.' Brigade Control revealed that twenty-five 999 calls were sent in regarding the fire, with one caller even telling the operator that they were trapped inside. The fire is said to have been visible from Greenwich Park, several miles away from the incident. TSX: WPM NYSE: WPM VANCOUVER, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. ("Wheaton" or the "Company") is pleased to release its inaugural 2019 Sustainability Report, which highlights the Company's environmental, social and governance ("ESG") performance and achievements. In addition, Wheaton is providing an update on the Community Support and Response Fund ("CSR Fund") launched in April to help combat the impacts of COVID-19 on global communities. All amounts are in US dollars unless otherwise noted. Inaugural Sustainability Report "We are excited to release our inaugural Sustainability Report, which shares our approach towards environmental and social sustainability. Our commitment to promoting responsible mining practices and supporting local communities has been ingrained in our corporate culture since we founded Wheaton over 15 years ago," said Randy Smallwood, President & CEO of Wheaton. "We have been leaders in the metals streaming space in this regard, and we intend to continue to set a high standard for our peers. The long-term sustainability of the mining industry is dependent on our collective efforts to operate responsibly through strong ESG policies and processes, irrespective of whether we are the operator or a streaming and royalty company. It is the right thing to do." The topics and content covered in the 2019 Sustainability Report were determined through a detailed, multi-step materiality assessment. This resulted in a final list of topics deemed material to the Company and its stakeholders. Wheaton's inaugural report highlights the Company's ESG performance and achievements in 2019 as well as historical information. Wheaton first launched the Partner Corporate Social Responsibility Program in 2014 and was proudly the first streaming/royalty company to initiate support for the mining communities where the precious metals are produced. Details on these programs can be found in the report. The 2019 report also serves as Wheaton's first Communication on Progress as part of its commitment to the United Nations Global Compact. A copy of the report is available on the website at www.wheatonpm.com. Community Support & Response Fund Update In April 2020, Wheaton launched a $5 million CSR Fund to support the global efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on our communities. The CSR Fund is designed to address the immediate needs in the following areas of support: community healthcare, food security and socio-economic impacts. The funds have been used to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), test kits, portable ventilators, medical equipment, food and hygiene products, as well as supporting frontline non-profit organizations including food banks, shelters and hospitals. Eighty percent of the CSR Fund has been targeted to the communities that are directly influenced by the mines on which we have precious metals streaming agreements and the remainder has been allocated to local programs in Vancouver and Grand Cayman where our offices are located. Since launching the fund, Wheaton has committed $1.7 million to initiatives with our partners in mining communities. A few key programs funded to date are highlighted below: Constancia (Peru) : Funded the purchase of test kits, PPE, hygienic items as well as blankets and jackets for families in need. Funded the purchase of test kits, PPE, hygienic items as well as blankets and jackets for families in need. Salobo ( Brazil ): Funded an initiative to provide over 4,200 families with a monthly supply of food and hygiene products. Funded an initiative to provide over 4,200 families with a monthly supply of food and hygiene products. Sudbury and Voisey's Bay ( Canada ): Supported a number of charities in Sudbury and Goose Bay including the United Way, a regional hospital foundation and a women's shelter. Supported a number of charities in and Goose Bay including the United Way, a regional hospital foundation and a women's shelter. San Dimas ( Mexico ): Funded the purchase of medical equipment including portable ventilators, an X-ray machine and related supplies for the local community. "Hudbay is very grateful for Wheaton's continued commitment to support the communities surrounding the Constancia mine in Peru," said Carlos Castro Silvestre, Executive Director, Business Development and Corporate Affairs at Hudbay Peru S.A.C. "Wheaton's contribution of $500,000 will be used to support COVID-19 initiatives to ensure the health and safety of our workforce and the local communities during this difficult time." Locally, Wheaton has deployed 75% of the fund allocated to Vancouver and Grand Cayman. This includes donations to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Covenant House Vancouver, The Frontline Fund, The Salvation Army-BC Division, Union Gospel Mission, KidSafe Project Society, Act of Random Kindness, Kiwanis Club of Grand Cayman, among many others. "On behalf of our clients, staff and volunteers I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for the grant we recently received from Wheaton for CA$100,000," said Cynthia Boulter, Chief Operating Officer at the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. "This level of transformative gift provides us with so much security, and the confidence that we will continue to be able to provide healthy food to those in need in the months to come, as we are expecting the need in our communities to steadily increase." We will continue to work with our mining partners and non-profit organizations to identify where funds could make the greatest impact and alleviate pressures resulting from the pandemic. About Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. Wheaton is the world's premier precious metals streaming company with the highest-quality portfolio of long-life, low-cost assets. Its business model offers investors commodity price leverage and exploration upside but with a much lower risk profile than a traditional mining company. Wheaton delivers amongst the highest cash operating margins in the mining industry, allowing it to pay a competitive dividend and continue to grow through accretive acquisitions. As a result, Wheaton has consistently outperformed gold and silver, as well as other mining investments. Wheaton creates sustainable value through streaming. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING-STATEMENTS This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation concerning the business, operations and financial performance of Wheaton and, in some instances, the business, mining operations and performance of Wheaton's precious metals purchase agreement ("PMPA") counterparties. Forward-looking statements, which are all statements other than statements of historical fact, include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to timing or achievement of future goals, programs, and related disclosure with respect to our operations, development, sustainability, environmental, safety and diversity initiatives, the impact of epidemics (including the COVID-19 virus pandemic), the ability of Wheaton's PMPA counterparties to comply with the terms of a PMPA (including as a result of the business, mining operations and performance of Wheaton's PMPA counterparties) and the potential impacts of such on Wheaton and the ability of Wheaton's PMPA counterparties to comply with the terms of any other obligations under agreements with Wheaton. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Wheaton to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to risks associated with fluctuations in the price of commodities (including Wheaton's ability to sell its precious metals or cobalt production at acceptable prices or at all), risks of significant impacts on Wheaton or the Mining Operations as a result of an epidemic (including the COVID-19 virus pandemic), risks related to the Mining Operations (including fluctuations in the price of the primary or other commodities mined at such operations, regulatory, political and other risks of the jurisdictions in which the Mining Operations are located, actual results of mining, risks associated with the exploration, development, operating, expansion and improvement of the Mining Operations, environmental and economic risks of the Mining Operations, and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined), the ability of each party to satisfy their obligations in accordance with the terms of the PMPAs, and other risks discussed in the section entitled "Description of the Business Risk Factors" in Wheaton's Annual Information Form available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and in Wheaton's Form 40-F for the year ended December 31, 2019 and Form 6-K filed March 11, 2020, both on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., as well as the updates contained in Wheaton's managements' discussion and analysis for the period ended March 31, 2020 available on SEDAR and on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Disclosure"). Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management currently believes to be reasonable, including (without limitation): that neither Wheaton nor the Mining Operations will suffer significant impacts as a result of an epidemic (including the COVID-19 virus pandemic), that each party will satisfy their obligations in accordance with the PMPAs, Wheaton's ability to complete goal and initiatives in the areas of, among other things, sustainability, environment, safety and diversity, and such other assumptions and factors as set out in the Disclosure. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and even if events or results described in the forward-looking statements are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Wheaton. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and are cautioned that actual outcomes may vary. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, reflects Wheaton's management's current beliefs based on current information and will not be updated except in accordance with applicable securities laws. SOURCE Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. Related Links http://www.silverwheaton.com/ Domestic flight operations to and from West Bengal resumed from Thursday after a gap of two months due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The Kolkata airport tweeted that 122 passengers from Delhi arrived in the city after two months. Welcome Back Passengers! #KolkataAirport saw the arrival of 122 passengers from @DelhiAirport after two long months and 40 passengers departed to #Guwahati. Proper checks were followed and regular sanitization was carried out in terminal which was abuzz with passengers, the (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International) NSCBI airport posted on Twitter. Welcome Back Passengers!#KolkataAirport saw the arrival of 122 passengers from @DelhiAirport after two long months and 40 passengers departed to #Guwahati. Proper checks were followed and regular sanitization was carried out in terminal which was abuzz with passengers. pic.twitter.com/ZrqmPBxDSf Kolkata Airport (@aaikolairport) May 28, 2020 Though domestic flight operations across the country began on May 25, it could not be restarted in Bengal as the state machinery was involved in the relief and restoration work after Cyclone Amphan devastated many areas of the state. On Thursday, 10 flights will take off from Kolkata and an equal number will arrive in Kolkata, news agency PTI reported. Domestic flight operations will also resume at Bagdogra airport in north Bengal too. Passengers flying to and from the state have been asked by the West Bengal government to mandatorily submit filled up self-declaration form at the time of arrival to the state health officials. As per the revised guidelines issued by the state government for flyers, all passengers will have to undergo health screening at the point of departure and only asymptomatic passengers shall be allowed to board the plane. On arrival, health screening shall be done for all the passengers. The government further said in the guideline that all samples will be collected for coronavirus test from all symptomatic passengers. Those with moderate or severe symptoms will be admitted to the dedicated Covid-19 health facility and managed accordingly. Those with mild symptoms will be asked to go for home or institutional isolation. Adequate publicity for maintenance of social distancing norms and health hygiene protocol should be done at the airport. Observers caution against inaction due to the delay, with the UN warning that time is not on the planets side. Critical United Nations climate negotiations, at which nations were expected to ramp up plans to combat global warming, have been pushed back a full year to November 2021. The deferment has been done in light of the coronavirus pandemic and other concerns, British politician Alok Sharma, who is also the president of the talks, announced on Twitter on Thursday. Pleased to have agreed a new date for @COP26, wrote Sharma, the United Kingdoms Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. COP26 will now take place between 1 and 12 November 2021. While many climate observers consider the delay understandable given the circumstances, they warn that any postponement could risk further stalling time-sensitive actions needed by countries across the globe to slow global warming. The UK proposed the new dates for the Glasgow conference which had already been suspended in a letter to the UN climate forum, citing health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the need for more time to prepare for the 30,000-strong meeting. Pleased to have agreed a new date for @COP26 with our Italian partners and the @UNFCCC.#COP26 will now take place between 1 and 12 November 2021. The new date will also allow the UK and Italy to harness the #G7 and #G20 presidencies in driving climate ambition. Alok Sharma (@AlokSharma_RDG) May 28, 2020 The revised schedule was vetted and approved on Thursday night. However, possible drawbacks of the delay were laid out in a briefing note, obtained by the AFP news agency and drafted before the deliberations. They included the potential loss of momentum going into the forum. Concerns over delay One of the time-sensitive issues is a 2020 deadline in the original schedule for the submission of revised, and possibly more ambitious, nationally determined contributions of each countrys plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Current national pledges, submitted in an annex to the 2015 Paris Agreement, would allow the planets surface to warm at least three degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, far above the upper limit of well below two degrees Celsius or 1.5 degrees Celsius if feasible, agreed to in the landmark treaty. The UNs climate science advisory panel, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has made it clear that time is not the planets side, especially if global warming is to be capped at the safer level of a 1.5-degree Celsius rise. Carbon dioxide pouring into the atmosphere must be halved by 2030, and reach net zero by mid-century, if that more ambitious goal is to be met, the IPCC has said. While the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is projected to reduce global CO2 emissions this year by four to seven percent, it will have scant impact on global warmings long-term trajectory, according to a recent study in the journal Nature Climate Change. There can be no let-up Most observers endorsed the postponement, but cautioned against inaction. Shifting the date of COP26 is understandable, but there can be no let-up in tackling the climate crisis, said Andrew Steer, president and CEO of the World Resources Institute in Washington, DC, in the United States. Trillion-dollar recovery packages across Europe, North America and East Asia offer a once-in-a-generation moment to rebuild societies to be more sustainable, equitable, resilient and healthy, he said in a statement. Global warming continues to gather pace, other experts pointed out. The coronavirus pandemic has not placed the climate crisis on hold, as the continuing spate of extreme weather across the world makes clear, said Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, DC. Last week, South Asias first super cyclone in two decades ravaged eastern India, including Kolkata, while northern India was hit by searing heatwaves and locust swarms linked to climate change. Scientists in the US, meanwhile, warned of a more severe-than-usual Atlantic hurricane season. Other important environmental conferences have also been pushed back in response to the pandemic. The critical COP15 UN conference on biodiversity, originally slated for October this year, will almost certainly not happen before May, a source involved in its organisation told the AFP. A quadrennial meeting in Marseille of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which manages the Red List of endangered species, was postponed from June to January 2021. Two months after Kartarpur station house officer (SHO), Pushp Bali, was shifted to the police lines for thrashing locals for violation of curfew, he has been reinstated at the same post at the same police station. DGP Dinkar Gupta had ordered the transfer after three videos of him and his team thrashing people, out to buy essentials, went viral on social media. Amid widespread outrage at these cases, chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh had said, I have directed @DGPPunjabPolice to post the few policemen who were unreasonable with the people to police lines. They are overshadowing the good work being done by most. I will not tolerate these excesses. Bali was shifted a day after this statement. SSP Navjot Singh Mahal could not be reached for comments, but SP (organised crime and narcotics) Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu confirmed the reappointment. Local MLA and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Jalandhar rural president Gurpartap Wadala said, The Punjab Police contributed during the pandemic, but there were instances of brutality too, like in the case of the SHO. He deserved punishment after inquiry, but has been reappointed on political considerations, said MLA and SAD Jalandhar rural president. Another senior police officer said, on condition of anonymity, On social media, locals are mocking at this decision of the local police. The opposition has also alleged political interference in reappointing the officer at the same station. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The inside of an Amazon fulfillment center in Robbinsville, New Jersey on December 2, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo An Amazon worker named John Hopkins published a blog post claiming he was dismissed from the company after handing out union flyers. Hopkins said officially he was fired for violating social distancing protocol, but claimed this was an excuse. He said his experience chimes with criticisms made by former senior Amazon engineer Tim Bray, who resigned after reports that Amazon was dismissing workers who protested working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. Business Insider approached Amazon for comment. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Another Amazon employee has come out accusing the company of retaliating against dissent and union organizing. On Wednesday, California warehouse worker John Hopkins published a blog post saying he'd been suspended from his job at Amazon. "The officially given reason for my suspension is that I 'knowingly and repeatedly refused to follow social distancing protocol despite repeated directives from your managers,'" Hopkins wrote. He continued: "My perspective is that the real reason for my suspension is that my managers did not want to acknowledge and commit to providing a response to my email of April 26, which pointed out that non-Amazon flyers for external Delivery Service Providers were being allowed on the bulletin board while my union flyers were being removed." Hopkins previously told The Guardian about the pamphlets going missing. "No matter where I put them in the building they turn up missing shortly thereafter," he told The Guardian in early May. According to Hopkins the flyers he was bringing in kept routinely vanishing from his locker, and at one point the warehouse swapped lockers where workers brought their own locks to ones with keypads. On May 1 Hopkins joined a mass strike of Amazon and other retail workers. He clocked out and went to the lunch room to hand out his flyers. "I was there talking to a co-worker, just as lunch was about to end when the manager first came in to talk to me about the 'social distancing protocol,'" he writes. Hopkins was suspended the next day. He wrote that HR took a month to investigate him, during which he said Amazon routinely refused to put anything in writing. Story continues Business Insider has approached Amazon for comment. Amazon workers protesting the company's policies during the coronavirus pandemic on May 1 in Hawthorne, California. Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images Hopkins isn't the only worker to claim Amazon used social distancing policy as an excuse to fire him. Amazon also said the dismissal of union organizer Chris Smalls, who was fired after he led a protest over coronavirus safety at his New York warehouse, was because he violated social distancing rules. "Amazon would rather fire workers than face up to its total failure to do what it should to keep us, our families, and our communities safe. I am outraged and disappointed, but I'm not shocked," Smalls said at the time. Tim Bray "didn't take it far enough" Hopkins said his experience fits with a public critique of the company that was posted at the beginning of May by senior engineer Tim Bray, who resigned from the company for what he viewed as retaliation against whistleblowers. Bray's criticisms were met with resistance by Amazon VP Brad Porter, who called Bray's blogpost "deeply offensive to the core." Hopkins said the purpose of his blog was to "show how Brad's response to Tim's critique of Amazon missed the point in a manner that spoke volumes." Hopkins believes that Porter's response focused on worker safety rather than retaliation against whistleblowers, which was Bray's main contention. "Based on my experience, my perspective is that Tim's analysis is exactly correct although, I do feel compelled to make one criticism of it: he didn't take it far enough!" Bray tweeted a link to Hopkins' blog saying Hopkins "goes places I wouldn't," but adds that he enjoyed reading it. Read the original article on Business Insider The Rocketeer jets back to comics with new series and more The Rocketeer is back to celebrate his 40th birthday Afghanistans flagging peace process was on the verge of collapse following weeks of devastating militant attacks, mounting public anger, and the halt of a major prisoner swap. But a brief cease-fire between the government and the Taliban has breathed new life into efforts to negotiate an end to the nearly 19-year war. The May 24-26 truce, which coincided with the Eid al-Fitr Islamic holiday, largely held across the country. In what it said was a "goodwill" gesture, the government freed 1,000 Taliban prisoners -- 900 of them in a single day -- the largest group so far. The developments have raised prospects of an extended cessation of hostilities and the long-delayed launch of direct talks between the government and militants over a permanent cease-fire and a future power-sharing agreement. The negotiations are a key component of the U.S.-Taliban deal signed in February that called for the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in exchange for counterterrorism guarantees from the Taliban, which has agreed to open talks with the central government. But despite the renewed momentum, there are concerns that the governments unprecedented release of Taliban prisoners is a gamble that could weaken its future leverage in negotiations and give the Taliban an advantage on the battlefield. The government is taking a leap of faith, despite significant political and military risks, said Javid Ahmad, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council. Many of the Taliban fighters [being] released could pick up their guns again. 'Fewer Bargaining Chips' The U.S.-Taliban deal called for the Kabul government, which was not a signatory to the bilateral deal, to free up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners before the start of intra-Afghan talks that were originally slated for March 10. The Taliban committed to releasing 1,000 Afghan officials and security personnel. The government initially balked but grudgingly accepted, releasing around 1,000 Taliban inmates in separate groups before the truce. The staggered releases were criticized by the Taliban, which demanded that all of the prisoners be freed at once. In total, the government has released some 2,000 Taliban prisoners so far under the U.S.-Taliban deal. The Taliban says it has released 240 Afghan officials and security personnel. The Taliban prisoners reportedly signed written pledges not to return to the battlefield, although there is no guarantee they will not rejoin the fight. The government did not reveal the identities or ranks of the latest Taliban militants who were released. It said the first 1,000 were low-rank fighters who had served the majority of their prison terms. Afghanistans Independent Human Rights Commission has expressed concern about the prisoner releases and whether individual Taliban prisoners had been charged with violent crimes against civilian and military targets. It's a big gamble for Kabul to release so many prisoners before peace talks even start, said Michael Kugelman, South Asia senior associate at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. Those prisoners are, bar none, the Afghan state's main tool of leverage. If you free too many of them before talks start, then you'll have fewer bargaining chips once the talks do begin, he said. Kugelman added that if the Taliban agreed to a new reduction-in-violence agreement or a longer cease-fire, then Kabul might feel that freeing all those prisoners was worth the risk. At the end of the day, the Afghan state and the United States believe that it's so much more favorable to go into talks with your enemy when that enemy is scaling down its violence, he said. The Taliban has yet to respond to calls by the government to extend the three-day cease-fire. There are an estimated 10,000 Taliban prisoners being held in Afghanistan. But the militants have said that some of those detained were accused of being sympathizers or members of the group, often to settle old scores, and were never combatants. 'PR Move' The Talibans surprise cease-fire offer came after weeks of intensifying attacks on Afghan security forces and civilians. According to data from Afghan and Western sources seen by Reuters, the Taliban has mounted more than 4,500 attacks since signing the deal. On May 12, gunmen massacred 24 people, including two newborns, at a maternity clinic in the capital. Even in a country ravaged by war for more than 40 years, the attack on a maternity clinic targeting infants and mothers sparked international outrage and shocked many Afghans, who fear an endless war. The government blamed the Islamic State (IS) extremist group and the Taliban, which denied responsibility. President Ashraf Ghani ordered government forces on the offensive after being in a months-long defensive mode. His national-security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib, said the escalating attacks illustrated that the Taliban did not intend to pursue peace and there seems little point in continuing to engage the Taliban in peace talks.'" Kugelman said the Talibans announcement of a brief cease-fire was a public-relations move. The Taliban knows that it's been taking a lot of criticism, and rightly so, from other Afghans and from an international community that is disgusted by all the violence in the country in recent weeks, he said. The Taliban is a national insurgency and it worries about its image, both because of a desire to win hearts and minds and to be seen by international capitals as a legitimate and responsible player in peace talks, he added. He was forced to leave the Latvian set of his latest movie early last month, amid the coronavirus pandemic. But Mickey Rourke was back on familiar ground on Wednesday, when the 67-year-old actor was spotted leaving a Beverly Hills restaurant with his personal assistant. The Academy Award nominated thespian was - ironically - unmissable in a camouflage ensemble. Terra firma: Mickey Rourke was back on familiar ground on Wednesday, when the 67-year-old actor was spotted leaving a Beverly Hills restaurant with his personal assistant The star of The Wrestler also wore an army green zip-up hoodie so tight it began to ride up his body, exposing just some of Mickey's many tattoos. Covering his face was a colorful face mask, adorned with bright paw prints. Rourke's wavy blonde hair was worn loose and cascading down to his shoulders, and he shielded his eyes with clear framed sunglasses. Standing out: The Academy Award nominated thespian was - ironically - unmissable in a camouflage ensemble Rourke's upcoming film Warhunt has finished shooting after it refused to close down amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The film, which was shot in Latvia's capital of Riga, had to abide by local regulations, even as it ignored almost every Hollywood production's choice to shut down. 'I came to Riga to work and this thing (Covid-19) was so out of control, but everyone was so great,' Rourke, 67, told Variety. The look: The star of The Wrestler also wore an army green zip-up hoodie so tight it began to ride up his body, exposing just some of Mickey's many tattoos According to producer Yu-Fai Suen, who runs Londons Berkeley Media Group, the actors schedule had to be switched around so that he wouldn't be stuck in Latvia amid travel restrictions. 'We had to rearrange the schedule for Mickey Rourke as the country was closing its borders, and luckily he agreed to fly early to beat the closure, and we rescheduled his shoot days to accommodate this change.' In addition to the Angel Heart star, Warhunt features Twin Peaks: The Return's Robert Knepper and Twilight's Jackson Rathbone. The film concerns a squad of highly qualified soldiers who become trapped behind enemy lines in Germany's Black Forest while on a covert mission during the Second World War. The find it's not just Nazis they have to deal with, but also a coven of witches. This is the bizarre moment a pair of male giraffes got tangled together while squaring up for a fight. Angela Ferguson, 28, from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, posted the comic video which shows one giraffe scoop its neck under the other's leg, resulting in an awkwardly entwined stand-off. The smaller giraffe, a young adult, headbutts the larger animal's lower body, only to accidentally hook his neck on one of the giraffe's legs, lifting it up in the air as he stands up. Unable to get his leg any higher to lift it off the other giraffe's neck the now three-legged larger giraffe hobbles around in a circle to try to display his dominance. Conservation biologist Ms Ferguson said the unusual behavior was captured by a volunteer at the African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT) in Zambezi National Park, Zimbabwe in March. She said: 'The giraffes weren't going to have a full-blown fight and the sub-adult (young adult) appears to be rather submissive. 'His leg was just a freak event and caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. A smaller giraffe, a young adult, headbutts the larger animal's lower body, only to accidentally hook his neck on one of the giraffe's legs Unable to get his leg any higher to hitch it off the other smaller giraffe's neck the now three-legged larger giraffe hobbles around in a circle to display his dominance 'People have been very intrigued by the video which was taken by one of the volunteers at the African Lion and Environmental Research Trust. 'It is very unusual to see giraffe behaving like that and most people, even those in the wildlife sector, have never seen such a thing. Some people have likened it to yoga.' Male giraffes often take part in a neck swinging and headbutting battle with each other as part of a ritual to identify the alpha male in the tower (group of giraffes). Heavy weight: The small giraffe doesn't seem to enjoy having the other's leg weighing down his neck as he splays his legs out to stay balanced Act cool: The giraffes continue their display of dominance to each other as they walk in a circle while attached by the neck and leg However in this awkward exchange it seems the giraffes do not need much of a tussle to measure each other up, with the smaller giraffe clearly under the thumb. Scientists believe that giraffes with longer necks attract more females, as they are able to assert their dominance on smaller giraffes. Giraffes also use their long neck to feed on the leaves, shoots, and fruits of tall trees. They can grow up to 20ft tall and their necks can be over 6ft in length. Asia No Way Back: Indian Workers Shun City Jobs After Lockdown Ordeal Migrant workers and their families wait to get on a bus as they head for their homes in Uttar Pradesh state during an extended lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19 in New Delhi on Tuesday. / REUTERS MUMBAI/CHENNAIWhen power loom operator Lokanath Swain boarded a bus home after a 40-day wait in the Indian textile hub of Surat, he took a silent vowto never return to his workplace of two decades. Like millions of migrant workers left jobless by Indias strict coronavirus lockdown, Swain was left penniless and facing starvation and could only afford the 1,700 km trip back to eastern Odisha state after his family wired him money. Countless workers in India have walked thousands of kilometers home after losing their jobs, many dying in accidents along the way, and the ordeal has made them reluctant to return to work despite India easing restrictions to reboot industrial activity. Nobody was understanding our problems there. My employer did not lift the phone when I contacted him to ask for my 10 days wages pending with him. They are big people. What can we do? Swain, 45, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. I thought I would not survive until the time trains would resume. How long can a starving man survive? May be one or two days, Swain said from a quarantine facility where he is housed near his village in Ganjam district of Odisha state. Swain is among the often invisible army of about 100 million migrant workers in Indiaor 20 percent of the workforcewho leave their villages for jobs in cities, where their skills are needed in manufacturing, construction, or the hospitality industry. About 80 percent of these migrant workers are men who send their earnings back to their villages to support their families. Reports compiled by aid workers show that more than half of the stranded workers who contacted them in distress during the lockdown were out of food and money, with nearly four out of every five not paid by their employers. About 13 percent of 17,000 migrants in contact with the volunteers of Stranded Workers Action Network, a collective of relief workers, said they would seek work in their hometowns in the future. What is the point of returning now? My employer abandoned me. I would rather stay with my family even if I earn half of what I earned there, Swain said. Challenge In the melee of millions of homebound migrants are construction workers, gem polishers, masons and skilled artisans who deftly stitched sequins on garmentsspecific skills that made migrant workers essential to several key industries. Although informally employed, their skills oil supply chains feeding domestic and global markets and their earnings support rural communities, with economists warning their reluctance to return could mean labor shortages that hit the Indian economy. Aware of their dependence on migrant workers, many industries and state governments are now grappling to find ways to lure back workers or to train local residents in the often skilled work conducted by this traveling army of employees. Indias government, also aware of the magnitude of the problem, this month said it would spend 35 billion rupees (US$463.06 million, 650 billion kyats) on food for migrant workers and offer them jobs in their villages under a rural employment scheme. The government is concerned about migrant workers, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters. Trade union leaders and campaigners said delivery of aid and jobs will be patchy in the worlds second most populous country of 1.3 billion people, and industries would have to grapple with a labor shortage, at least for the next few months. The bitter experience they have had has left them traumatized and we know that most of them will not even think of coming back to work in the near future, said realtor Kishore Jain from Bengaluru, where trains were stopped to stall construction workers from leaving, triggering protests. Bringing them back is going to be our biggest challenge, said Jain, who is the Bengaluru chapter president of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India. Cursed to be a migrant Migrant worker Rakesh Kumar said he always earned his living in Bengaluru as an electrician, but the lockdown and halting the trains turned him into a beggar. He described standing in queues for food every day as a humiliation for a lifetime. The government did not give us anything and the food we got was from charities. Even to get that, we faced discrimination, with locals getting first preference, he said. Being a migrant became a curse. Migrants are an often invisible group in the population, never factored into urban planning nor included in the citys population, and rarely counted for either in their villages. There are estimates on their population but no official statistics, with no central registry of migrant workers despite legislation 40 years ago to establish such a database. In Surat, migrants form 58 percent of the population, the highest migrants-to-locals ratio in India and 70 percent of the citys waged workforce, a study by migrant rights non-profit Aajeevika Bureau shows. Yet 98 percent of migrants surveyed for the study, which was released this month, had never interacted with any official in a political party office or local administrative bodies. The lockdown made them visible to urban dwellers for the first time in recent history in India as they emerged from construction sites and sweatshops to go home. Unaccounted for in cities, they have poor access to state aid and healthcare offered to rural communities as they are rarely ever present in their villages. These workers have multiple identitiesthey work on construction sites and then go back home to work in agriculture, said Amita Bhide, dean of School of Habitat Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Migrant workers typically return home for festivals or during the harvest season. But this time around, many have returned home to stay. Once I get home, I will look for a job nearby. Why would I want to repeat this experience? construction worker Rakesh Kumar said. I will never come back. Road ahead Industries facing a potential labor shortage are planning various ways to navigate the crisis. The western state of Maharashtra has asked sons of the soil or local citizens to grab employment opportunities created by the exodus of migrants, while the real estate industry was planning on training local workers. The northern state of Uttar Pradeshthe home state of millions of migrantsthis week said it would set up a migration commission to connect those who have returned with jobs and to regulate their hiring by other states. Indias diamond polishing and cutting industry, which employs over 1.5 million peopleall migrantsplans to send batches of rough diamonds to local factories near villages of migrants once the global markets open and trade begins. The construction industry in southern Indian state of Karnakata is trying to retain workers who have not yet left and plans to skill new workers or mechanize certain jobs, said Jain from the real estate association. Apparel and textile associations said they were managing with available staff as they were not running at full capacity. About 30 percent of our workforce is on its way home. [But] when production increases and orders start coming in, we will feel the pinch, said A Sakthivel, chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council. The Apparel Export Promotion Council estimates the industry has incurred up to $35 million in losses due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Since most migrant workers leave their villages for factors ranging from drought to lack of jobs and poor farm wages, their desperation to learn skills makes their quality of work superior to that of locals, heads of industry bodies said. They believe if they learn this skill, they will escape the hardship of their village, said Dinesh Navadiya, president of Surat Diamond Association, adding that the industry now had no choice but to shift work to villages. Staying home India has announced a slew of measures to regularize employments of migrant workers, from offering universal minimum daily wages over 200 rupees to starting a process to get all inter-state migrant workers registered so they can get aid. Labor economists mapping the migrant workers journeys said workers will be reluctant to undertake long distance trips again despite industries and trade unions predicting that a lack of jobs back home would eventually force many to return. Migrants will be forced to evaluate what would happen if another coronavirus-like crisis hits. Long distance migrations may not work till the time they feel safe in the event of factories closing again, said labor economist KR Shyam Sundar, professor at the Xavier School of Management. Those who have reached home are evaluating their options. Electrician Imteyaz Alam, 37, who has spent his life in Mumbai, reached home in eastern Bihar state after over 50 days of the lockdown when train services resumed. I am praying to Allah to find work here. My heart does not feel like returning. If I have to die, I would rather be with my family. But if I see my family starving, I will have to forget the hardships, he said. Trade unions said the countrys rural job guarantee scheme will not be able to sustain the millions of migrant workers returning home, offering wages lower than they earned in cities. The nightmare for migrant workers will continue because the factors that made them leave villages to find employment outside have only worsened, said Tapan Sen, general secretary of the Center of Indian Trade Unions with 6 million members across India. Campaigners expected a lack of jobs in villages and a growing agrarian crisis, due to water scarcity, floods and fluctuating yields, to fuel migration again after a few months. There will be some work on farm lands for now because of the monsoon to keep migrants in their villages, said Liby Johnson, executive director at non-profit Gram Vikas, which works with rural communities in Odisha state. But the exodus will begin by end-November. Poor people cant afford to keep scars. You may also like these stories: Thailand Extends Virus Emergency Powers Amid Opposition Suspicion Death of Mr Big Stirs Memories of Singapores Gangland Past India Has Low COVID-19 Death Rate But Concerns Rise About Migrants on the Move One person was killed and another sustained various degree of injuries when an unregistered Haojin motorbike on which they were travelling, crashed into a stationary vehicle at Wassa Nkran in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality. The deceased was identified as Isaac Jesah, 33, a small scale miner. The injured, Korku Amekoufor, who is 29 year-old and a foreigner, was rushed to the Apinto Government Hospital for treatment. Chief Inspector George Kwabena Osei, a Detective at the Tarkwa Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD), who confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency, said the accident occurred at about 0730 hours on Monday May 25, this year. He said the Toyota Hilux pickup with registration number GR 9204-09 which they crashed into was being driven by one Samuel Nyame, who was driving from Daboase Benso road towards Wassa Nkran. Inspector Osei said when the Pickup driver arrived at Wassa Nkran community, he parked the vehicle on the shoulder of the road and visited some of his farm attendants who were working on his cocoa farm. He said the deceased and the pillion rider who were travelling from the same direction bumped into the stationary Pickup killing Jesah instantly. He said Jesah's body has since been deposited at the Apinto Government Hospital morgue for autopsy. The accident vehicle has been impounded at the Tarkwa police station and the driver is in custody to assist in investigations, Inspector Osei said. GNA Representative image The Supreme Court of India (SC), on May 27, sought to know why private hospitals - which had been given land free of cost or at a concessional rate - could not treat COVID-19 patients for free. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy asked the government to identify hospitals which could treat patients free or at a nominal cost. The bench sought the Centres reply for the same. This came while the top court was hearing a public interest litigation by lawyer Sachin Jain which sought cost-related regulations for treatment of COVID-19 patients at private or corporate hospitals. The petitioner referred to news reports which said that some private hospitals had issued inflated bills for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The petitioner added that this resulted in even insurance companies starting to reject claims by up to 50 percent. According to a report in The Indian Express, the bench observed that many private hospitals had been given land for free of cost or at a nominal rate and, hence, these charitable hospitals should treat them for free. 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 Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General of India (SG) Tushar Mehta said that the government would have to take a call on the matter as it involved a policy issue and that he would take instructions. The matter has been adjourned for a week. The court earlier sought the Centres view on a PIL that demanded a cap on what private hospitals could charge patients during the ongoing crisis. However, issuing notices to the Union Health Ministry, the court said that it would not take up the issue without hearing private entities. Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic The Gujarat High Court earlier asked the Gujarat government to take necessary steps to regulate the "exorbitant" fees charged by private hospitals authorised to treat COVID-19 patients. The High Court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about various issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, including high cost of treatment in private hospitals. In April, the top court ordered that testing for COVID-19 should be done free of cost in private laboratories. However, following pleas by private laboratories, the court modified its order. It clarified that the benefit will be available only to those covered under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) and to any other economically weaker sections. N ewsnight host Emily Maitlis has said she has been overwhelmed by support after she took the night off from presenting the show amid the Dominic Cummings monologue row . Ms Maitlis did not present the show on Wednesday evening , after the BBC ruled that her comments during a monologue on Tuesday evening breached impartiality rules. Her absence prompted a chorus of support from those who said the Corporation had been wrong to reprimand the journalist. On Thursday morning, she wrote on Twitter: Been overwhelmed by all the kindness, messages and support on here and Ive probably missed much of it. "A big thank you from us all at Newsnight. A few hours earlier, Ms Maitlis had written on Twitter that she "asked for the night off" from Newsnight amid speculation that she had been replaced by UK editor Katie Razzall as a result of the impartiality ruling. But Ms Maitlis added that she took the time off, knowing "that the programme would be in excellent hands." Newsnight editor Esme Wren had also clarified that Ms Maitlis had not been replaced. Ms Razzall said she "wouldn't have agreed to present the show" if her colleague had been asked to step back. However, the furore sparked an outpouring of support for Ms Maitlis, with some onlookers speculating that she had been temporarily removed for criticising the Government. LBC radio presenter and staunch Government critic James O'Brien said that Ms Maitlis "had been let down very badly by the BBC", while Guardian reporter Carole Cadwallader speculated that Ms Maitlis stepping down was "a punishment beating". Meanwhile TV presenter Stacey Dooley said: "Emily Maitlis has been reprimanded. And Dominic Cummings hasn't". Labour MP Barry Sheerman called for "every honest professional in the BBC" to "cease work for a day" to support Ms Maitlis. Ms Maitlis had said during the Newsnight introduction that the country was "shocked" at the actions of the prime ministerial aide . Ms Maitlis went on: "The prime minister knows all this. But despite the resignation of one minister, growing unease from his backbenchers, a dramatic early warning from the polls and a deep national disquiet, Boris Johnson has chosen to ignore it. "Tonight we consider what this blind loyalty tells us about the workings of Number 10." Some found that this did not present a balanced view of the situation, with economist Christopher Snowdon arguing that "we're being forced to pay for a left-wing version of Fox News." BBC executives decided that it wasn't clear that this speech was "a summary of the questions we would examine". They said in a statement: "The BBC must uphold the highest standards of due impartiality in its news output. "Weve reviewed the entirety of last nights Newsnight, including the opening section, and while we believe the programme contained fair, reasonable and rigorous journalism, we feel that we should have done more to make clear the introduction was a summary of the questions we would examine, with all the accompanying evidence, in the rest of the programme. "As it was, we believe the introduction we broadcast did not meet our standards of due impartiality. Our staff have been reminded of the guidelines." TODO: define component type apester It t comes after nearly a week of criticism levelled at Mr Cummings and the Government, after the Mirror and the Guardian reported that the adviser drove from London to to his parents' estate in Durham with his wife and young child during the lockdown. They later drove to local beauty spot Barnard Castle. Mr Cummings said the trip to Durham was because he was worried about childcare if he and his wife were incapacitated due to coronavirus. The roughly 25-mile Barnard Castle journey was to test his eyesight before the drive back to London, he added. Boris Johnson and the Government have defended Mr Cummings' actions . By Trend The government of Georgia has decided to subsidize mortgage loans to citizens, Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia said while delivering a report to the parliament, Trend reports citing Georgia media Gakharia noted that the process of subsidizing the mortgage loan will continue until the end of the year. "We have already developed a specific plan. Its not just the help for companies, but also for the citizens who have either decided to buy an apartment and improve their living conditions, or are already involved in the process, or have paid the down payment, or have started cooperation with a construction company and their apartment is under construction," he said. All such risks will be insured by the state, said the prime minister. Houston Restaurant Weeks founder Cleverley Stone has passed away following a battle with cancer, according to a Thursday release. The 68-year-old, affectionately called the Diva of Dining, established the annual fundraiser, benefiting the Houston Food Bank, in 2003. Houston Restaurant Weeks has raised more than $16.6 million for the local organization, enabling the distribution of over 44 million meals for food-insecure Houstonians. Stone was born in New York City, grew up in New Jersey, and attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She began her career as the bridal director and head buyer of fine China dinnerware, crystal and silver at B. Altman and Company, a Manhattan luxury department store. Stone moved to Houston in 1989 for a position at Foleys department store, where she served as a corporate bridal director. During that time, she wrote a weekly Sunday newspaper column for the Houston Post, eventually becoming the editor of the newspaper's wedding section. In 1995, she started a newsletter about Houston's emerging dining scene, which evolved into Stones three-hour weekly radio program, The Cleverley Food Talk Radio Show. Since 2008, Stone made regular appearances on Houstons Fox 26 Morning News, interviewing chefs and celebrities. Stones final wish was that Houston Restaurant Weeks continue in perpetuity in her name, especially with the industry hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The annual event is scheduled for August 1 to September 7, 2020. Stone is survived by her daughter Katie, son-in-law Joe and grandson Luca. A celebration of Stones life is being planned. Donations in her memory can be made to the Houston Food Bank, online or at the facility at 535 Portwall St. The retrial was decided on by Puerto Ricos appeals court based on a US Supreme Court decision last April that criminal trials require unanimous verdicts. According to the appeals court, going against the US Supreme Courts decision would mean that the people of Puerto Rico would enjoy fewer rights than their fellow American citizens residing in any state of the Union. Due to the new ruling, a court has to hold a bond hearing for Casellas before Friday, The Associated Press reported. In 2014, a jury found Casellas guilty on charges that included first-degree murder and destroying evidence in an 11-1 verdict. He was sentenced to serve 109 years in prison. Casellas had blamed the killing on an unidentified intruder, but the authorities accused him of falsely claiming he was kidnapped and reporting that the murder weapon was stolen. The former insurance brokers attorneys attempted to have the ruling revoked in 2015, arguing that the requirement of unanimous verdicts in US federal cases also applied in Puerto Rico. An appeals court granted Casellas a new trial, but the decision was overturned by Puerto Ricos Supreme Court. The Puerto Rico Supreme Court maintained that a local law allowed guilty verdicts by a majority of nine out of 12 jurors. A ship that was at the centre of 2018's live export controversy is one solution to take 56,000 sheep currently stranded in Baldivis to their Middle East destination, says the states agriculture minister. Footage of animals dying aboard the former Alwassi Express led that year to a West Australian exporter losing its licence, plus federal prohibitions on live exports leaving Australia between June and September to avoid subjecting animals to the heat and humidity of Middle Eastern summers while aboard ships. The Al Kuwait remains in Fremantle as its crew are taken into quarantine hotels. In Bunbury to launch a public works project brought forward in the states COVID-19 response, Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the same ship which was renamed later in 2018 might serve to take the sheep that could not board their intended ship, which arrived in Fremantle this week with COVID-19 infected crew. The sheep, which the farm cannot take back due to biosecurity regulations, were taken to Peel Feedlot and the pressure is on to resolve the situation while it still might be reasonable to gain an exemption to the June 1 travel cut-off. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Joe Jackson (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom Thu, May 28, 2020 09:30 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bda95cc3 2 World Britain,UK,England,coronavirus,COVID-19,coronavirus-testing,coronavirus-prevention,tracing-COVID-19,pandemic,health Free The British government said Wednesday it will launch its coronavirus "test and trace" service across England on Thursday, a key pillar in its strategy to ease a nationwide lockdown introduced in late March. The new service aims to allow anyone with virus symptoms to be tested, and those who have been in close contact with someone showing positive results to be traced and told to isolate for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms. The government has hired 25,000 dedicated staff and aims to be able to trace the contacts of 10,000 people a day, which it said could be scaled up if needed. It has also been ramping up the country's testing capability to 200,000 tests a day, through the establishment of 50 drive-through sites, more than 100 mobile testing units and three mega laboratories. Unveiling the new strategy at the daily Downing Street briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it meant "we can start to replace the national lockdown with individual isolation". "This will help us restore some of the basic freedoms that matter so much to people and doing some of the things that people are yearning to do... while controlling the virus and keeping people safe," he added. Europe's highest toll Britain has Europe's highest death toll from the pandemic, with more than 46,000 fatalities attributed to the virus by mid-May, according to official statistics. The government, whose separate tally of deaths confirmed by a positive test now stands at 37,460, has faced sustained criticism over its handling of the crisis. Some experts believe the government's decision to abandon a small-scale testing and tracing regime in March has hampered Britain's response to the virus. "Other countries implemented this early and have kept doing it since the start of the pandemic but the UK abandoned it at an early stage and is now playing catch up," said Linda Bauld, public health professor at Edinburgh University. Facing a grilling from senior lawmakers on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted the "brutal reality" was Britain did not learn the lessons of recent epidemics. "We didn't have a test operation ready to go on the scale that we needed," he said. Under pressure to chart a path out of the lockdown instituted on March 23, Johnson vowed last week to have the 25,000 virus tracing staff recruited by the end of May. He said at the time that the UK system would be "world-beating". On Wednesday, he cautioned the scheme would need time to improve. "It will be getting steadily better to become a truly world-beating test and trace operation in the course of the next days as we go through June," he added. App delayed The service was originally planned to operate alongside a smartphone tracing app developed by the National Health Service (NHS), but that is still undergoing testing. The app is now due to be launched "in the coming weeks", the health ministry said, following a "successful" rollout on the Isle of Wight off the southern English coast in recent weeks. Until then, tracers contacting people will ask them to share information about their recent interactions to identify those they have been in close contact with. New guidance means those who have been in close contact with someone who tests positive must isolate for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms, to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus. While the system will go live in England on Thursday, the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are adopting their own approaches. Belfast has already rolled out a tracing scheme, Edinburgh has announced its version will begin Thursday while local leaders in Cardiff are due to unveil their service early next month. Johnson eased some aspects of the social distancing regime in England earlier this month, but leaders in the other UK nations opted to keep the stringent stay-at-home rules in place. Greater use of community service or suspended sentences could reduce the rate of prisoners re-offending or returning to prison, research has found. A new report by Professor of Criminology, Ian ODonnell, at UCD, has examined factors that influence re-offending, or recidivism rates among prisoners. The research also looked at various approaches adopted by prison and probation services across Europe as part of a scoping exercise commissioned by the Department of Justice,. The findings published yesterday found that suspended sentences or community service and planned and structured early release from prison can reduce the potential for offenders relapsing and being rearrested, reconvicted, or reimprisoned. Prof ODonnell told the Irish Examiner that short-term prison sentences tend to be very disruptive but that community service can offer a more effective and less costly alternative to prison. Prison sentences of a few months, he said, can result in offenders losing their housing or seeing their children go into care and the duration of the sentence is not long enough to address the reasons that led to the offending behaviour. The evidence is very strong that for offences that attract short sentences a period of community service is more effective than a brief term of incarceration and it is less expensive to administrate, Prof ODonnell said, adding that reoffending rates were lower among individuals given community service compared to those serving prison sentences. The research also found that the age of first offence, previous convictions, substance abuse, and unemployment increased the risk of re-offending. Research in Norway found a strong relationship between employment and recidivism. It found that if people have a meaningful job that gives them structure to their day and a legitimate income the likelihood that they will re-offend is reduced, Prof ODonnell added. Treatment programmes in prison and in the community that teach problem-solving and coping skills have also been shown to be effective. How fairly prisoners feel they are treated also influences the likelihood that they might re-offend, Prof ODonnell said: Theres a good amount of research about how if you treat people fairly they will respond with good behaviour. Secretary General of the Department of Justice, Aidan ODriscoll, said: As this report points out, knowing the characteristics of recidivism prone individuals or situations will allow interventions to be targeted with greater precision and confidence. This is not only to the advantage of the individuals concerned and their families, but also to the wider community. According to the most recent figures from the Central Statistics Office, 46% of prisoners released in 2012 re-offended within three years of their release, while 43% of offenders managed by the Probation Service re-offended within three years. The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) welcomed the research findings and said that evidence-based policy to reduce re-offending was absolutely key to promoting community safety and public confidence in the criminal justice system. The human rights group said the findings on community services were particularly important given that community orders are underused. In Ireland, around three-quarters of all sentenced committals to prison in 2019 were for sentences of less than 12 months, while community service continues to be underused, IPRT executive director Fiona Ni Chinneide said. Further research is needed to understand why the courts persist in sending people to prison for less serious offences when both law and policy require that community-based sanctions are considered first. "The reasons may relate to other issues including mental health, addictions, and homelessness. The barriers need to be identified and then addressed, she added. Margaret Sealer Bowie of Waldorf, Maryland, formerly of Temple Hills, Maryland, passed away at the age of 99 years, on Sunday, May 24, 2020. Born March 27, 1921 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Henry Dunbar Strickler and Ida Mae Sealer Strickler. She was one of four children, including her two sisters, Mary Gosch and Ruth Cohen, and one brother George Strickler. She was raised in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Lebanon Senior High School in 1937 and then worked for the Pennsylvania State Highway Department in Harrisburg. At the outbreak of World War II she came to the aid of her country by working as a civilian at Fort Indian Town Gap for the U.S. Army. While at Fort Indian Town Gap, Mrs. Bowie met her future husband, Captain Edmund C. Bowie. They were married December 9, 1944. After the war the couple made their home in Washington, DC . While her husband pursued a career as a lawyer, Margaret went to work for the Federal government as a secretary for the U.S. Library of Congress. The Bowies' welcomed their first child, a son, Edmund C. Bowie Jr. in 1948 and their second child, a daughter, Ellen M. Bowie in 1954. They moved to Maryland, eventually settling in Temple Hills, Maryland. Over the years, Mrs. Bowie worked for the Prince George's County School System in several different schools as an administrative secretary and finally as a guidance counseling secretary. She retired in 1980. Mrs. Bowie was also a very devoted and loving wife and mother and loyal friend to many. She enjoyed being with her family and participating in her children's activities. She remained very close to her siblings and enjoyed annual trips with them to Ocean City, New Jersey. Her grandchildren were a great source of joy for her and she loved spending time with them. Her church was very important her and she served in many capacities supporting its work. She served as an officer of the Episcopal Women's Group, United Thank Offering chair, as a member of the Altar Guild, and enjoyed working at the many dinners and special events, eventually being named Woman of the Year. In memory of Margaret Bowie dontations may be made to the Marine Corps Heritage foundation at marineheritage.org Sonu Sood's Tweet Fans have reached out to the Dabangg star and thanked him for his active participation. One such tweet said that the actor's good deeds are going to make him the next Amitabh Bachchan. He has helped so many people that every time they visit Mumbai, they will come to Sonu Sood's house. The fan also asked Sonu to take Sundays off from shooting because people will line up outside his house to meet him. Sood's humble response to this impressed many fans. The actor wrote that he will be the one to visit everyone's home and eat a lot of Aloo Parathas and drink tea, as it is due on the migrants, whom he helped get home. Sonu Sood's Epic Response Along with fans, a few trolls have also reached out to Sonu asking for help. The actor, however, had a hilarious reply for them too. Earlier on Tuesday, a fan has asked Sonu's help in being reunited with his girlfriend in Bihar. "Bhaiya, girlfriend se hi milwa dijiye. Bihar hi jaana hai," the tweet said. To this, Sood had an epic reply, as he wrote, "Thode din door reh ke dekh le bhai, sache pyaar ki pareeksha bhi ho jayegi (Spend some time apart and see brother, it will also be a test of your true love). Sonu Sood To Collaborate With Akshay Kumar In Next Film On the work front, Sonu Sood will be seen in the upcoming periodic drama, Prithviraj alongside Manushi Chhillar and Akshay Kumar. The film's shooting is yet to be finished and it is scheduled to release on November 2020. PR-Inside.com: 2020-05-28 04:27:03 Black & Veatch reframes Asias energy transition opportunities as exclusive provider of BOLDs innovative transmission line design Advanced Power Transmission Technologies Increase Capacity, Expand Distribution Network in Asia Black & Veatch EMILY CHIA | +65 6761 3511 p | +65 9875 8907 m | ChiaLP@BV.com 24-HOUR MEDIA HOTLINE | +1 866 496 9149 Asia is upgrading its power grid progressively to meet increased energy demand and expand its distribution network. Core investment areas in the region include grid reliability and renewable energy integration. One strategy Asia is assessing to improve transmission capacity and grid reliability is advanced transmission technologies that promote efficient interconnection and sustainability. To enhance Asias energy transition, Black & Veatch is extending [..] to India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Black & Veatch is the exclusive design consultant of BOLDs innovative transmission line technology in Asia. Existing transmission corridors, or Right-of-Way (ROW), are crowded and restrict expansion possibilities. Asian utilities are finding it increasingly difficult to acquire new ROWs for transmission lines, especially within urban areas. The opportunity is in optimizing the use of ROWs to increase power capacity to meet consumer needs, while allowing for integration of renewable energy. Combining BOLDs advanced transmission line design with Black & Veatchs proven engineering and deployment expertise is one way to realize this opportunity, said Narsingh Chaudhary, Black & Veatch's Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Power Business. BOLD structures and specifications have the potential to provide higher power delivery capacity, allowing more power to be transmitted and delivered while mitigating community impacts through lowered structure heights and reduced footprint over traditional approaches. That means less land is needed to fulfill capacity needs. The BOLD proprietary design technology uses a single, arched cross-arm to hold two circuits, a compact circuit arrangement and a unique insulator assembly allow for a lower profile that can ease siting and land acquisition processes. The design can maximize existing ROWs by replacing old transmission lines with smaller-footprint, higher-capacity BOLD lines. BOLD structures can also reduce the total width required for a new corridor. A 150 ROW with BOLD structures can deliver almost 2000 megawatts (MW), while a typical configuration would require as much as 450 of ROW to carry a similar capacity of power. Relative to conventional 345-kilovolt (kV) power lines, BOLD can provide up to 60 percent greater power-carrying capacity, potentially lowers line losses by as much as 33 percent, and reduces structure height by up to 30 percent. The designs use of a compact delta phase bundle arrangement has demonstrated the capability to reduce ground-level magnetic fields by up to 50 percent. One BOLD 345kV double-circuit line can deliver the same power carrying capacity as three traditional 345kV single-circuit lines. BOLD technology also minimizes complexity and cost of compensation and brings new and replacement circuits into service more rapidly. Power transmission technologies are a core pillar of Asias integrated power infrastructure strategy, said Chaudhary. An integrated power infrastructure takes advantage of different generation, transmission and distribution technologies to help utilities overcome the pitfalls of aging infrastructure assets while meeting rising customer demand for energy that is renewable and reliable. A market leader in power transmission and distribution infrastructure, Black & Veatch offers a full range of service from consulting, engineering, to full Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) including monitoring and maintenance system, with the ability to integrate renewable energy solutions to meet clients needs in transmission and distribution network stability and reliability. Click here to download a supporting image. Editors Notes: Black & Veatch has been engaged in transmission and substation work since the 1940s. In 2019 alone, the company completed more than 1,900 substation and 500 transmission projects globally. The companys full EPC experience in Asia for Gas Insulated Substations (GIS) is supported by architectural, civil and structural and full transmission capabilities. Black & Veatch was part of a consortium that built a 500 kV GIS, [..] for the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand near Bangkok. In Singapore, the company provided conceptual and detailed engineering for the 230/66 kV GIS substation in the Singapore National Environment Agencys Integrated [..]. Black & Veatch was involved in Indonesia Perusahaan Listrik Negaras 150 kV Lontar Evacuation Substation project. Indonesias Jawa Satu Power appointed Black & Veatch as Owners Engineer for its 500 kV evacuation substations and transmission line between Chilamaya and Cibatu. The companys experience includes lattice-steel, tubular steel, concrete and wood structures with all possible configurations. Black & Veatch provides engineering and design in urban and rural areas with voltages ranging from 66kV to 765kV. Its interconnection and collector substation project experience include a wide variety of bus configurations and voltage levels through 765kV. About Black & Veatch Black & Veatch is an employee-owned engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people in over 100 countries by addressing the resilience and reliability of our world's most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2019 were US$3.7 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media. About BOLD BOLD is a compact transmission line design that combines the advantages of higher capacity, lower energy losses, and a lower-profile structure with less visual impact. BOLD was created to maximize the use of land for transmission line corridors (right-of-way) and avoid complex specialized equipment like series capacitors. The technology is currently deployed in multiple lines in the United States. Learn more at boldtransmission.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200527005 RACINE When Horlick High School senior class president and co-valedictorian Kinzie Reischl heard over the weekend about Racine Unifieds new plan for drive-through graduation ceremonies, she was shocked. The district had initially planned, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to hold virtual ceremonies for its five high schools on the original graduation dates, June 5-7 and then to host in-person events in early August. On Friday, ahead of the holiday weekend, Racine Unified Superintendent Eric Gallien sent a communication to families announcing that both the virtual and in-person ceremonies were canceled to be replaced with drive-through ceremonies July 9-11. He added that plans could continue to change between now and then. In Racine, we continue to see an increase in COVID-19 cases, Gallien said in an email to The Journal Times. While we would all prefer to hold a traditional in-person graduation ceremony, we must make the decision that best protects the health and safety of not only our students but our staff and families as well. Our high school staff have worked very hard to develop a plan to create a meaningful opportunity for students to drive up to their school, walk across a small stage, receive their diploma and take photos. When Reischl first heard about the ceremony changes, she thought the information she had received must be inaccurate. We know things have been bad, but they cant just cancel graduation, she said. Doesnt feel right Taylor Knaus, a senior at Case High School, was also upset when she heard about the change in plans and decided to try to do something about it. It feels very impersonal, Knaus said of the drive-through plan. It just doesnt feel right. Knaus was a vocal member of the girls swim team that protested to the Racine Unified School Board for a replacement pool when the more than 50-year-old pool at Case had to be closed in the summer of 2018. A $23 million aquatic center is now set to replace it, and to serve other schools. Knaus emailed Unified officials, expressing her dismay with the new graduation plan and providing suggestions for alternatives. She received an emailed response from Jody Bloyer, Unifieds deputy chief of secondary transformation. We have reviewed your ideas and suggestions, however, based on what we know right now and the many conversations we have had with our local health departments, we do not believe we can safely coordinate an in-person ceremony, Bloyer said. Bloyer went on to say that the district is working to make the drive-through event the best it can be, knowing that graduation is important to seniors and their families. Unified Families United Knaus, Reischl and a group of other students from Unified high schools who believe that the seniors deserve an in-person graduation ceremony have formed a group called Unified Families United to try to persuade Unified to change its plans. If the members cannot get the administration on board, it plans to coordinate its own ceremonies for the five high schools. Around 40 members of the group met via a Zoom call on Tuesday to discuss ideas and plans. Knaus hopes to have separate in-person ceremonies on Aug. 1 at Case High Schools Hammes Field, although group members suggested other locations such as parks as well. She and the members of UFU believe this would allow room for the graduates to be spaced six feet apart and would give them an opportunity to experience commencement with their classmates, listening to the speeches together as a group and to watch each other walk across the stage. Its not impossible for us to sit six feet apart and have our graduation, Reischl said. Both Knaus and Reischl agreed that safety was important and suggested that all graduates wear masks, having a barrier to separate those on the stage, to have family groups sit six feet apart and to disinfect the seats between ceremonies. Im just disappointed in RUSD that they couldnt do this for us, Knaus said. Reischl said she still wants to try to work with the Unified administration to create a plan that will be safe and special. I want them to know were not trying to go against them (Unified administration) in any way, were just trying to work with them together to create something that would be super meaningful for the seniors, Reischl said. Members of the group are looking for community support in coordinating graduation ceremonies and for seniors from Park High School, The REAL School and Walden III to join in. Those interested can find the Unified Families United group on Facebook. This article has been edited to reflect the correct cost of the Aquatic Center, $23 million. It feels very impersonal. It just doesnt feel right. Taylor Knaus, Case High School senior Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. by Biju Veticad On behalf of all Christian denominations, Card George Alencherry wrote to Keralas chief minister a few days ago, asking that worship resume in churches. But Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan refused fearing the spread of COVID-19. Thiruvananthapuram (AsiaNews) In Kerala, liquor sales are set to resume, high school exams will be held, but churches and all other places of worship will remain closed. The state government has authorised alcohol sales via the smartphone-based liquor purchase application BevQ. Higher Secondary School exams are planned with great attention to social distancing and health regulations. By contrast, churches, temples and mosques cannot reopen. In Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has refused to reopen places of worship because of the danger of spreading COVID-19. In Karnataka, another state in southern India, Chief Minister Bookanakere S Yediyurappa anticipates that not only temples, but also mosques and churches will reopen to the public on 1 June. In our country the law is the same for everyone, he said, but the central governments permission is required. We are waiting for it, and our efforts are on in this direction, he added. On behalf of all Christian denominations, Card George Alencherry wrote to Keralas Chief Minister Vijayan a few days ago, asking for permission to resume worship in churches. Mr Vijayan turned down the request fearing the spread of COVID-19. This has sparked opposition among bishops, priests and many worshippers who object to the fact that bars and liquor stores can open to sell alcohol whilst churches and temples cannot open even after taking the proper steps to ensure social distancing and protect against community spread. Alcohol consumption often becomes a social evil, as people become addicted, especially among daily labourers. Since this undermines peace in families, Keralas Catholic bishops have come out strongly against the governments alcohol policy. On the other hand, alcohol sales represent one of the biggest sources of revenue for Indian governments. At present, the sales tax on alcohol ranges from 202 per cent to 212 per cent. Meanwhile, despite all the strict measures taken during the lockdown, Grades 10 and 12 students are set to pass their annual exams in Kerala, which seems to be the only state to have taken every measure to ensure that students can complete their academic year, usually in March. The bill would also require the city to set health and safety requirements for such operations. Our hope is there may be areas where entire streets could be shut down for restaurant service, Mr. Rigie said. Other places you may be able to extend the sidewalk, while keeping a lane of cars and bike lanes. Other places, you may be able to use pedestrian plazas. We really need to be creative. Last week, 24 council members sent a public letter to Mr. De Blasio urging him to create more space for outdoor dining, citing similar efforts in Cincinnati, Tampa, Fla., and Lithuania. New York City faces urgent crises on many fronts but we must make sure that our bars and restaurants are able to survive and recover, they wrote. At the mayors daily briefing on Thursday, he noted that restaurants and bars were not among the businesses included in the state-permitted first phase of reopening, which the city hopes to enter in early June. When they do come online, though, Mr. de Blasio said, Im hopeful that the outdoors can be a big part of the solution. Just east of the city in Nassau County, the county executive, Laura Curran, said on Twitter on Thursday that she planned to close main streets to vehicles in towns across the county this summer for dining and shopping, creating a town square feeling with safe social distance. New Yorks Legislature passed a rent relief bill. After weeks of outcry from distressed New Yorkers demanding that housing payments be halted during the pandemic, the State Legislature passed a bill on Thursday that seeks to provide emergency rent relief for tenants. Unlike the UK Coronavirus Act, the US CARES Act or Singapore's COVID-19 Act, which provided some relief to businesses unable to pay rents on offices and shops in these countries due to lockdown, India has not enacted any such legislation to minimise the hardships of Indian business owners Since 25 March when India went on a nationwide lockdown, all offices and shops engaged in businesses (other than essential services) have not been permitted to remain open. While some organisations allowed their employees to work from home and managed to conduct their work online, a large number of businesses have come to a complete or partial standstill due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown. Whilst certain restrictions were eased each time the lockdown was extended, the embargo on opening of offices and shops continued. It is well known that a large number of businesses in India rent office spaces/shops. The slowdown faced in business has led to a situation where a lot of businesses are unable to pay the rent for their offices/shops. However, these businesses are bound by the terms of the lease or licence agreement which require rent to be paid in a timely manner. That being the case, an interesting question arises as to whether the occupants of such commercial premises can avail of either an exemption from or temporary suspension of payment of rent on account of the prevailing lockdown conditions. 'Not exempted unless contract provides it' The question of payment of rent in respect of commercial premises during the lockdown period came up for consideration recently before the Delhi High Court. In the case of Ramanand and Others versus Dr Girish Soni and Others, the Court was considering an application seeking either waiver or suspension or postponement of payment of rent during the lockdown period. The court noted that this question was bound to arise in thousands of cases across the country. The court held that the question of waiver, suspension or remission in rental payments would operate differently depending on the arrangement between the landlord and tenant. The court noted that where there is a contract between the parties, it would be necessary to see whether such contract contained a force majeure clause or any other clause that would permit waiver or suspension of the rent in as much as the waiver or suspension of such rent would be governed by the terms of the contract. Force majeure has been defined to mean an event or effect that can be neither anticipated nor controlled and includes both, acts of nature and people. The court further noted that in some cases, the force majeure clause, if worded appropriately, could be treated as a basis for the tenant to claim that the contract had become void and surrender the premises. In the absence of a contract between the landlord or tenant, or, if the contract does not contain any force majeure clause or other term exempting payment of rent, the court observed that the tenant may attempt to invoke the doctrine of frustration of contract which generally applies to situations where the performance of a contract has become impossible. After reviewing the law laid down by the Supreme Court in earlier cases, the court arrived at a conclusion that the doctrine of frustration of contracts would not apply in the cases of leases or other rental arrangements which are in the nature of executed contracts, ie, a concluded contract. The court also held that the temporary non-use of premises due to the lockdown cannot be construed to render a lease agreement void under Section 108(B)(1) of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882. To sum it up, the Delhi High Court has held that a tenant of a commercial space can avail of any suspension or postponement or remission of payment of rent only if the contract between the parties provides for the same. Despite the same, the court while exercising its equitable jurisdiction considered the tenants plea for suspension of rent and formulated certain factors to be considered while deciding such a plea. The factors to be considered are nature of the property, financial and social status of the parties, amount of rent payable, contractual conditions and other relevant factors, and, if the tenants are protected by any executive order. It is pertinent that one such executive order has been issued in India by the Ministry of Home Affairs which grants protection to some tenants such as students and labourers. In this case, the court, without deciding the legality of such an order passed in India, observed that the same does not apply to commercial premises. Measures taken by other countries Various countries have passed comprehensive legislations that envisage and extend various protections to its citizens and residents to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, including providing much-needed aid and relief in respect of the rent for commercial tenancies. The United Kingdom passed a comprehensive legislation, Coronavirus Act, 2020, on 25 March, 2020, which prescribes various emergency protocols, restrictions and limitations on a broad number of subjects. These include a temporary embargo on eviction of tenants of commercial properties for non-payment of rent during the period starting from 25 March, 2020, till 30 June, 2020, or such extended date as may be notified. A landlord cannot initiate any legal action to evict such a tenant during such period and no courts can pass an order dispossessing such tenants. Even orders passed before the UK Act came into force and requiring eviction during the period of lockdown, cannot be executed till such period expires. If any right to seek eviction accrued in favour of the landlord prior to the UK Act coming into force, the same can only be exercised after the lockdown period has expired. One important change brought about by the UK Act is that the tenants failure to pay rent during the lockdown has been disregarded as a ground for termination of tenancy. A couple of days after the United Kingdom passed the said Act, the United States passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act aka the CARES Act. The CARES Act has declared a 120-day moratorium during which a landlord may not initiate any legal action to recover the tenanted property due to non-payment of rent. In addition, the landlords are prohibited from charging any penalty for such non-payment. The CARES Act also provides for loans to small businesses to meet their rental obligations. A short while thereafter, Singapore passed the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, 2020. Under this Act, a landlord cannot terminate tenancy or exercise his right to evict a tenant for a period of up to six months from 20 April, 2020, due to the tenants inability to pay rent, during the lockdown period. The Singaporean Act also provides for remission of property taxes to the landlords. The landlords are, in turn, required to transfer this benefit of property tax remission to their tenants and/or off-set it towards rent. While other countries have also taken action in this regard, the aforesaid legislations are good examples of what steps can be taken to minimise hardships during the lockdown period. In India, however, no such legislation has been enacted yet. As observed by the Delhi High Court, unless the contract provides otherwise, the law in force in India today requires tenants to honour their obligation to pay rent during the lockdown period. Keeping that in mind, and the fact that businesses have suffered during this lockdown period, it is imperative that the government expeditiously takes steps by enacting appropriate legislation to protect both the tenants and the landlords interests. Consumer loan finance firm Home Credit India on Thursday said it has reduced its headcount by 1,800 employees due to slowdown caused by COVID-19 crisis. "The unprecedented coronavirus pandemic has affected every aspect of our life. It has impacted each one of us, our families, our customers, partners and businesses. These trying circumstances have compelled us to revisit and re calibrate our business strategy keeping sustainability and business continuity in mind," the company said in a statement. "Unfortunately, this includes reducing the size of our team to meet the demands of these exceptionally challenging times. After careful deliberations, we have taken the difficult decision to reduce our headcount by 1,800 employees in India," it said. It is a tough decision and as an organization and the company will try to help the impacted people in getting new opportunities, it said. For the next 12 months, it said, Home Credit India's talent acquisition team will actively support these employees. 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 are confident that we shall come through these unfavourable times to achieve our goals of driving credit penetration and financial inclusion through solutions that are simple, transparent, and accessible to all," it added. Earlier this month, many companies including Indiabulls Home Finance, HDB Financial Services, Uber, Ola and Swiggy have laid off employees as coronavirus pandemic hit the business. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here "This is great news for the aviation industry at a time when all of us need good news," said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. "The coronavirus pandemic led to decreases in passenger volumes by 90% or more virtually overnight and caused many to question whether recovery would come within years, much less months." "Air travelers are resilient by nature and Southwest's announcement is a bold and encouraging prediction that they will return to the skies sooner rather than later." Prior to the arrival of the global coronavirus pandemic, Southwest accounted for more than 50% of ONT's commercial flights and carried more than 200,000 passengers in a typical month. During the downturn in air travel since March, Thorpe noted that ONT has enhanced protocols to keep terminals clean and germ-free. High-touch surfaces are frequently cleaned with highly effective disinfectant. Security screening trays treated with powerful antimicrobial technology are used in both passenger terminals and additional hand sanitizing stations are located throughout the facility. Passengers are also reminded to wash hands with soap and water frequently and wear appropriate face coverings while in the airport and during flights. About Ontario International Airport Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which, before the coronavirus pandemic, offered nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico and Taiwan. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com. Follow @flyONT on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram About the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) The OIAA was formed in August 2012 by a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT for the benefit of the Southern California economy and the residents of the airport's four-county catchment area. OIAA Commissioners are Ontario City Council Member Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario City Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner). OIAA Media Contact: Steve Lambert, (909) 841-7527 [email protected] SOURCE Ontario International Airport Related Links www.flyontario.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Kingman Minerals Ltd. (KGS.V)(47A1.F) ("Kingman" or the "Company") is pleased to report that the Company is currently in the process of preparing a NI43-101 compliant technical report on the Mohave Project ("Mohave"). In 2020, Burgex Mining Consultants ("Burgex") were contracted to determine accessibility of the Rosebud Mine and complete two underground sampling programs. During the prior program, Burgex was able to use ropes and ladders to assess the safety and stability of the main production shaft and lower themselves down to the 100-foot level of the abandoned mine. Below the 100ft level the shaft was blocked by debris and garbage, which Burgex was able to successfully clear during this second program in order to gain access to the 200ft level. Additional debris was blocking the shaft below the 200ft level preventing them from accessing the 250ft level. A photo tour, videos and additional details of the first and second reconnaissance programs are available on Company website at https://kingmanminerals.com/projects/mohave-project/first-underground-program/ and https://kingmanminerals.com/projects/mohave-project/2nd-phase-underground-reconnaissance-sampling-program/ Figure 1 - Burgex examines and samples the interior of the 100ft drift level during the 1st of 2 underground programs. Figure 2 - Burgex examines and samples the interior of the 200ft drift level during the 2nd of 2 underground programs. Figure 3 - Longitudinal section of the Rosebud Mine (Mohave Project) with underground sampling results and locations from first and second Burgex reconnaissance programs. All values are presented in Au (g/t)/Ag (g/t). The samples that Burgex collected were sent to ALS Laboratories in Reno, Nevada and were analyzed using the ALS method ME-GRA21 for gold and silver. This method is a fire assay method for optimal precious metal recovery. The ME-GRA21 method is described as "Au and Ag by fire assay and gravimetric finish ". This is what ALS recommends for the type samples from Rosebud. Story continues QA/QC procedures used for this second round of underground sampling included the use of two different Au/Ag standards and one blank standard prepared by MEG, Inc. of Reno, Nevada. These standards and blank were inserted into the sample batch with the rest of the Burgex 2nd round samples. Analytical results of the standards and blank were within their respective acceptable ranges. The results of both programs will be implemented into the NI43-101 technical report. "The Company is incredibly proud of the acquisition of the Mohave Project and our progress to date. This project has immense potential and our team has really come together to make these efforts despite the obvious challenges posed by the recent COVID concerns. Kingman intends to continue to move forward undeterred and will announce its go forward plans once the information has been finalized" stated Sandy MacDougall, Chairman and Director. The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Bradley C. Peek, MSc. and Certified Professional Geologist who is a Qualified Person with respect to Kingman's Mohave Project as defined under National Instrument 43-101. About Kingman Kingman Minerals Ltd. is currently engaged in the business of precious metal mineral exploration for the purpose of acquiring and advancing non grass roots mineral properties located in mining friendly jurisdictions of North America. The Mohave Project (the "Project") is located in the Music Mountains in Mohave County, Arizona and is comprised of 20 lode claims which are inclusive of the past producing Rosebud Mine (the "Rosebud"). High grade gold and silver veins were discovered in the area in the 1880's and were mined mainly in the late 20's and 30's. Underground development on the Rosebud property included a 400-foot shaft and approximately 2,500 feet of drifts, raises and crosscuts. For further information please contact: Sandy MacDougall, Chairman & Director (604) 685-7720 sandyjmacdougall@gmail.com www.kingmanminerals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding, among other things, the completion transactions completed in the Agreement. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, regulatory approval processes. Although Kingman believes that the assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, including that all necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained in a timely manner, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Kingman disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE: Kingman Minerals Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/591691/Kingman-Prepares-NI-43-101-Technical-Report-on-the-Mohave-Project Comment Governments the world over have now realised the need to ease lockdowns and open up businesses to save their suffocating economies as it becomes more obvious that without an economy, there will be no resources to fight the coronavirus pandemic or save people from joblessness and starvation. Eswatini is among these, having adopted a partial lockdown that has been eased and extended. However,Cabinet has been pushed by parliament to speed up the process of opening up more sectors and rightly so, in the absence of a tangible relief programme that would ensure jobs are safe and businesses are sustained throughout the lockdown. The informal sector has been the hardest hit with no assistance in sight, making it imperative that they be saved by expediting the regulations demanded by Parliament. The rising number of layoffs is simply catastrophic for our small fragile economy. A quick rethink on our strategy is inevitable, which calls for a review of restricting the trading hours of businesses and bleeding the economy through the loss of sin tax, among others. Though undesirable, the liquor industry makes a highly significant impact on the livelihoods of many. We may not need to open the public drinking holes that cause people to gather in numbers, but liquor outlets ought to be opened with regulations that compel people to purchase and consume their beverages in their homes. That is more economical and better to manage than the health hazard being caused by the home-made brews and concoctions that have already claimed lives in neighbouring countries. This country needs to quickly adapt to life with COVID-19 because it will be with us for some time to come until a vaccine is made available. The rising number of recoveries, which now surpass active cases, is a reminder that COVID-19 is not a death sentence and that we can live through it as with all other pandemics. However, it must be avoided by all means as some people may not be so lucky to survive it especially those with compromised immune systems. Focus, therefore, should be directed towards inculcating responsible behaviour through the adoption of healthy eating habits and exercise, social distancing, hygiene practices and the wearing of masks. This can be done without throttling the economy. Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images The Houston chapter of Black Lives Matter will host a rally Friday at Discovery Green to protest police violence in the wake of George Floyds death. Floyd, 46, a former Houstonian who is black, died Monday night in Minneapolis police custody after a white police officer was seen on video kneeling on his neck, pinning him to the ground while he pleaded for help. Police officers were investigating a forgery complaint near a local grocery store, and all four officers who responded have been fired. They are also being investigated for possible criminal charges. Switch the Market flag Open the menu and switch the Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice. for targeted data from your country of choice. The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) trading indices on Thursday lost N29 billion or 0.22 per cent, with market capitalisation closing at N13.115 trillion compared with N13.144 posted on Wednesday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the long run of successive gains in previous trading were halted by profit-taking. Besides, the All-Share Index, which opened at 25,221.23 dipped by 55.22 points or 0.22 per cent to close at 25,166.01. Meanwhile, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria at the end of its one-day meeting voted to reduce the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) by 100 basis points to 12.50 per cent from 13.5 per cent. This was in a bid to salvage the economy from the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic. They, however, maintained the asymmetric corridor around the MPR at +200/-500bps, hold Cash Reserves Ratio (CRR) at 27.5 per cent and keep liquidity ratio at 30 per cent. The downturn of trading on NSE was due to losses recorded in medium and large-capitalised stocks, among others. READ ALSO: ETI led the losers chart in percentage terms by 9.92 per cent to close at N5.45 per share. Ikeja Hotel followed with 8.73 per cent to close at N1.15, while UBA shed 6.25 per cent to close at N6.75 per share. Oando dipped by 5.71 per cent to close at N2.64, while Fidelity Bank lost 5.50 per cent to close at N1.89 per share. Conversely, Cutix dominated the gainers chart in percentage terms by 9.94 per cent to close at N1.88 per share. May & Baker Nigeria followed with 9.71 per cent to close at N3.39, while Champion Breweries improved by 9.64 per cent to close at 91k per share. University Press grew by 9.62 per cent to close at N1.14, while Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals rose by 9.57 per cent to close at N1.03 per share. Analysts at Afrinvest Limited expected bargain hunting to support market performance in the next trading session. As a result of the losses, the total volume of shares traded decreased by 40.13 per cent as investors bought and sold 348.21 million shares, valued at N3.433 billion in 7,148 deals. This was against a total of 581.61 million shares worth N5.59 billion achieved in 7,759 deals on Wednesday. Transactions in the shares of FBN Holdings topped the activity chart with 47.39 million shares worth N261.94 million. Access Bank trailed with 36.87 million shares valued at N270.71 million, while Zenith Bank traded 27.42 million shares worth N478.13 million. UBA accounted for 25.02 million shares valued at N174.40 million, while Guaranty Trust Bank transacted 23.49 million shares worth N576.22 million. (NAN) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday accused a top Democrat of hackery over his public questioning of whether the chief U.S. diplomat had violated regulations governing American officials political activity. In a blistering written attack on Bob Menendez, Pompeo also revealed that hed been cleared by a federal watchdog of any rules violations. It was the second time in recent days that Pompeo has blamed the New Jersey senator for unflattering attention hes been receiving following his push to fire the State Departments inspector general. It underscores how poisonous Pompeos relationship with Democrats on the Hill has become since he took over as secretary of State two years ago. It is no surprise that you and I hold differing visions for Americas foreign policy mission, Pompeo told Menendez in a letter dated Thursday. But, for you and your staff to continue to address these different views by conducting character assassination attempts against me and my team is not honorable or worthy of the trust Americans have placed in you. Pompeo effectively demanded that Menendez stop implying that the Office of Special Counsel, a federal watchdog unit, was still looking into whether a handful of trips Pompeo had taken to Kansas violated the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act bars executive branch officials from conducting campaign work on the taxpayers dime. Pompeos disputed trips to Kansas were billed as official duties, even though he was known to be exploring a potential Senate run from the state. He has since ruled it out. Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had written to the OSC in October and December requesting a review of Pompeos trips. In recent days, Menendez is reported to have said that he never received a response from the OSC. Ranking Member Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., speaks during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the future of U.S. policy towards Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019 in Washington, on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The State Department on Thursday shared with reporters a letter to Pompeo from the OSC dated Jan. 21 in whichthe OSC tells Pompeo that it has no evidence to conclude that you violated the Hatch Act. Therefore, we are closing this matter without further action. The OSC letter noted that after the trips Pompeo had made it known that he would not run for the Senate. Story continues In his missive to Menendez, Pompeo complains that the senator, through omission and other acts, has failed to be honest about the fact that the OSC found no wrongdoing. The OSC response to your hackery makes clear your continued effort to politicize legitimate and important diplomatic and national security activity was without merit, Pompeo wrote. The scurrilous allegations you put forward had the additional effect one which you clearly intended when you publicized your letter to the OSC of generating a continuing series of media articles and reports with rumors, innuendo and flat untruths about me and the U.S. Department of State. In a statement, Menendez pledged to keep asking tough questions of Pompeo and his department. High level temper tantrums will not stop the committee from conducting our oversight responsibilities, he said. I would love to engage Secretary Pompeo on the merits of the Trump administrations foreign policy, and invite him yet again to come before our committee for a hearing on any number of important national security issues. Journalists who had reported on Menendezs letter and subsequent comments were copied on Pompeos letter to the senator. Pompeo and Menendez have had a number of bruising public exchanges over the years. Earlier this month, during a news conference in which he was pressed about his role in firing of the State Departments inspector general, Pompeo insisted hed acted appropriately and then vented over Menendez. In doing so, he alluded to the senators past legal troubles. This is all coming through the office of Senator Menendez, Pompeo said. I dont get my ethics guidance from a man who was criminally prosecuted case number 15-155 in New Jersey federal district court a man for whom his Senate colleagues, bipartisan, said basically that he was taking bribes. Thats a thats not someone who I look to for ethics guidance. The Department of Justice dropped the New Jersey senators case in 2018 after a trial resulted in a hung jury. Menendez has always maintained his innocence. Menendez is among Pompeos most vociferous critics on the Hill. And because he serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has played a role in slowing down the confirmation process for some of President Donald Trumps nominees for the State Department. Menendezs defenders, however, say Pompeo has been largely uncooperative when lawmakers have tried to probe potential wrongdoing at the State Department. During Trumps Ukraine-related impeachment trial, for instance, Pompeo ignored virtually all requests for documents and information from lawmakers. Critics of the secretary also note that when Pompeo was in Congress, he rarely held back in attacking the Democrats who hold his current position. He was particularly intense in his criticism of Hillary Clinton over the 2012 Benghazi attacks. At the end of his letter to Menendez, Pompeo stresses that the State Department has a domestic mission as well. He says hed be happy to arrange a briefing so that the senator and his staff can learn more about States many programs. There is much important work to do, Bob, Pompeo writes. Lets stay focused on it. Chicago is the city where prosecutors and judges routinely release dangerous, violent men from jail on little or no bond, or on electronic monitoring, to satisfy the politics of the social justice warriors. They show more concern for the jailed than for the communities that are preyed upon. The cops make arrests. Then watch as the arrested go free. Continued focus on 13 cities and five states worst hit by Covid-19, the monitoring of the situation in seven states that are seeing a return of many of their residents who were working outside, and stringent enforcement of containment zones, which could be smaller zones within municipalities and corporations could be the broad approach of Indias next phase of exit from the ongoing lockdown. All three issues were discussed at the meeting between union cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba and the states on Thursday, according to people familiar with the proceedings who asked not to be named. The meeting was attended by the chief secretaries of the states and union territories, and district magistrates and commissioners of the 13 worst-hit cities. Also Read: Covid-19: What you need to know today Internal discussions between home and health ministries and the Indian Council of Medical Research have started on the contours of the next phase of the exit from the lockdown. At the meeting, the Centre said that the focus remains on two categories of states, the people added: those which have seen large number of Covid cases in last two and half months and those which are receiving large number of migrant labourers. Click here for the latest updates from the coronavirus outbreak While Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Tamil Nadu fall in the previous category, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand fall in the second. Madhya Pradesh, whose most important commercial city Indore was an early hotspot of the coronavirus disease is also a borderline candidate to be included in the first category. While the former group of large states have seen large number of cases, shorter doubling period, and higher confirmation rates in tests, the second category is seeing a late rise due to the movement of migrants. The current phase of the lockdown, the fourth, is set to end on May 31. However, since May 3, when the second phase ended, there have been considerable relaxation in restrictions. Also Read: In Lockdown 5.0, states ask for curbs only in containment zones As India inches towards the next phase of exiting the lockdown, the Centre has told the states they can mark smaller areas within the municipalities as containment zones. The states have also been told to appropriately demarcate such zones and ensure strict enforcement. At the meeting it was decided that municipal corporations can demarcate residential colony, mohallas, municipal wards or police-station area, municipal zones, towns can be designated as containment zones, as appropriate, according to the people cited in the first instance. The meeting assumes significance as the centre has received reports about laxity in controlling the containment zones . Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic District Magistrates of 13 COVID-19 hit cities, chief secretaries of all states, UTs attended The meeting. These 13 cities are considered to be the worst Coronavirus affected locations and constitute about 70% of the positive cases in the country. Municipal commissioners of Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi/New Delhi, Ahmadabad, Thane, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata/Howrah, Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Jaipur, Jodhpur, Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu) and Thiruvallur (Tamil Nadu) attended the meeting. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent India trashes Pakistan's objection to commencement of construction of Ram temple India pti-PTI New Delhi, May 28: India on Thursday trashed Pakistan's criticism of commencement of the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying Islamabad has no locus standi over the issue. "We have seen an absurd statement by Pakistan on a matter on which it has no locus standi. Given its record, Pakistan should be embarrassed to even mention minorities," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. Ram Temple trust chief offers prayers at shrine after 28 years Pakistan Foreign Office on Wednesday said that while the world is grappling with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, "the RSS-BJP combine" was advancing the Hindutva agenda. Coronavirus: Karnataka bans transport from 5 states amid Coronavirus fears | Oneindia News The commencement of construction of a mandir at the site of the historic Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on May 26, 2020, is another step in this direction and the government and people of Pakistan condemn it in the strongest terms, it said. The Supreme Court, in a landmark verdict in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title case last year, paved way for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Objects of archaeological importance, ancient idols found near Ram Temple construction site "As for the judiciary, Pakistan must realise that theirs is thankfully not the norm. There are others elsewhere with credibility and integrity that Pakistan understandably finds difficult to recognise," Srivastava said. He was replying to a question on Pakistan's reaction on the matter. "India is a nation served by the rule of law and which guarantees equal rights to all faiths. Pakistan's Foreign Office may take time out and read their own constitution to realize the difference," the MEA spokesperson said. MISSOULA The University of Montana School of Journalism has named reporter and former attorney E. Tammy Kim the Distinguished T. Anthony Pollner Professor for fall 2020. Kim will be in residence at the School of Journalism this fall, teaching about the history and institutions of the American worker. Her course will focus on an overview of key labor issues while guiding student journalists to develop research, interviewing, writing and fact-checking skills. E. Tammy Kim Kim currently is a freelance magazine reporter and contributing opinion writer at The New York Times. She previously worked at The New Yorker and Al Jazeera America and has written for The New Yorker, The Nation, The New York Review of Books and Columbia Journalism Review, among other publications. She also is the co-author and co-editor of Punk Ethnography, a 2016 book about the politics of world music. Kim earned her Juris Doctor at the School of Law at New York University and completed her undergraduate degree in philosophy at Yale. She has earned prestigious awards for both her journalism and work in the legal profession and has taught courses in labor, immigration and human rights at Yale, the Cooper Union and the City University of New York. Kim is a second-generation Korean American and grew up in Tacoma, Washington. In addition to teaching a seminar, she will advise the Kaimin, the student newspaper at UM. The course Im planning for the fall, The American Worker, will introduce students to the basics of labor history and train them in reporting sensitively on the working class, Kim said. Im thrilled to have this opportunity, and appreciate the kind welcome of the University community. The Pollner professorship was created in 2001 by the family and friends of T. Anthony Pollner, a 1999 School of Journalism alumnus who died in a motorcycle accident. Dozens of renowned journalists have served as distinguished professors at the school since the programs inception. ### (Newser) More than two months after it was posted, an accusation by a Chinese government spokesman has received a "Get the facts" label from Twitterthe same caution that was added to a couple of President Trump's tweets this week. Zhao Lijian of the foreign ministry had tweeted, "It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan." The next day, the BBC reports, Zhao tweeted a link to an article saying the virus began in the US, which was retweeted thousands of times. Both tweets now carry the label below the posts. Clicking on it sends users to tweets about Reuters' coverage of where the coronavirus might have originated. A Twitter spokesperson said the tweets needed more context because they "contain potentially misleading content about COVID-19." story continues below The New York Post had pushed Twitter on why only Trump's tweets received warnings but not Zhao's, per Axios, saying it appeared to be a double standard. The company deferred, then later told the Post, "after further review, we've added labels to these two tweets." Twitter since has added the label to hundreds of tweets, per the New York Times, as Trump has increased pressure on social media companies. One label added Thursday called out a manipulated photo in a post about the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. CEO Jack Dorsey said Twitter won't bow to the pressure on its fact-checking. "We'll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information," he said. (Read more Twitter stories.) The Delhi high court has pulled up the probe agency, National Investigation Agency, for acting in 'unseemly haste' in taking away civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha, accused in Bhima Koregaon violence case, from the national capital to Mumbai even when his interim bail plea was pending in New Delhi. Justice Anup J Bhambhani, who conducted the hearing through video conferencing, said there was an evident haste shown by the NIA in moving pleas across Mumbai and Delhi over weekends and Gazetted holidays (Eid) and obtaining orders by e-mail, and 'whisking away' Navlakha to Mumbai, which has rendered these proceedings infructuous. While the order was passed on Wednesday, it was made available on court's website on Thursday. Navlakha, who had surrendered before the NIA (National Investigation Agency) on April 14 in pursuance to the Supreme Court's direction and was lodged in Tihar jail, was taken to Mumbai by train on May 26. "While ordinarily this court would not see too much cause for hurry in this case, in view of the inexplicable, frantic hurry shown by the NIA in moving the applicant from Delhi to Mumbai while this matter was pending and the NIA had itself sought time to file status report, this court does get a sense that all proceedings in this jurisdiction would be rendered utterly infructuous if an element of of urgency is not brought to bear on the present proceedings," the high court said. The high court noted that on the last date it had granted adequate time to the NIA to file its status report in response to the interim bail plea and the agency has filed an affidavit opposing the plea. "Prima facie it appears that while on the last date, this court had granted adequate time to the NIA to file its status report in response to the interim bail plea and while the NIA has filed an affidavit opposing that plea, the NIA has acted in unseemly haste to instead remove the applicant out of the very Jurisdiction of this court and, if the applicant is right, without even Informing the Special Judge (NIA), Mumbai or the Special Judge (NIA), Delhi of the pendency of the present proceedings," the high court said. The high court had earlier sought response of the NIA on a plea by 67-year-old Navlakha who said given his advanced age, he was vulnerable to catching coronavirus or other infections, especially in a crowded environment like prison. During the hearing, advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, appearing for Navlakha, told the court while the interim bail plea is pending, on May 23, NIA requested the special judge (NIA) Delhi to extend his judicial custody till June 22 and on May 24, a Sunday, an application was filed by the agency before Special Judge (NIA), Mumbai seeking his production warrants. She said warrants were issued for his production before the Special Judge (NIA), Mumbai and an application was also moved before concerned Jail Superintendent at Tihar Jail on May 25, being a Gazetted holiday for EID, seeking a transit order to shift Navlakha from Delhi to Mumbai. She said after the Special Judge (NIA), Delhi allowed this request, Navlakha was put on a train on May 26 and taken away to Mumbai where he is presently lodged in Taloja jail. The counsel said the NIA did not disclose before the Special Judge (NIA), Mumbai or the Special Judge (NIA), Delhi about the pendency of bail plea. She submitted that by moving the activist to Mumbai, which has suffered the highest number of infections and deaths due to COVID-19 virus, he has been exposed to even more serious health risk, while he was seeking interim bail to avoid that very risk. The high court noted that in the May 22 hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the NIA, had submitted that the agency was planning to transfer Navlakha to Mumbai sometime soon in view of opening-up of air travel after obtaining orders from the competent court. The high court, which conducted the hearing in two parts as the Investigating officer was not present in the first session, said it was necessary to call for his presence from NIA, Mumbai by video-conferencing to answer certain factual queries. The high court noted that in the second session of the hearing, instead of the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi has appeared for the NIA and Superintendent of Police Vikram Khalate, the IO, has also joined. While explaining the hurry for issuance of production warrants, the IO said he had moved an application before the principal district judge, Mumbai on May 23, which came for hearing the next day when the court issued the warrants, being unsure of the future course of events in relation to the lockdown. The high court directed the IO to file before it an affidavit on the lines of response given by him and a copy of the proceedings relating to production warrants by the Mumbai court. "The IO is also directed to place on record the report of the applicant's medical examination conducted once he reached Mumbai. Let the record of the application moved by the NIA before the Special Judge (NIA), Delhi seeking extension of the applicant's judicial remand be requisitioned from the concerned court," it said. Tihar Jail Superintendent was also directed to provide a copy of the last medical status report of Navlakha and listed the matter for June 3. In August 2018, Navlakha was arrested by the Pune Police from his Delhi residence following the violence at Koregaon Bhima village in Pune district on January 1, 2018. The transit remand order was, however, set aside by the Delhi high court. Anxiety over the outbreak of COVID-19 - the fear of catching the virus combined with depression caused by the collapse of businesses, has led to an upsurge of mental illness in Kumasi, Ghana's second largest city. The Psychiatry Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), a specialist mental facility for the middle belt and northern sectors, has been seeing more mental cases in the aftermath of the lifting of the partial lockdown, imposed in Greater Kumasi, and other parts of the country, by the government to contain and stop the spread of the virus. Dr. Ruth Owusu-Antwi, Head of the Unit, told journalists that daily reported cases had shot up from between 12 and 15, to 20 and 25. Follow up cases had also climbed to about 120 from the pre-lockdown figures of which ranged between 80 and 100 cases. The Unit, established in 1981, has not seen any expansion over the years, and the continued increase in admissions and Out-Patients Department (OPD) cases is putting intense pressure on it. It has been seeing about 15,000 patients, every year, but has space for only 11 beds, something that is making it difficult to deliver quality care. Dr. Owusu-Antwi said the inadequate space was forcing doctors and nurses to sit in the corridors to provide services to patients, adding that, this was bad for patient-doctor confidentiality. Doctors are often compelled to discharge patients, earlier than they should - before their full recovery. She made reference to a recent study conducted at the Accra, Pantang and KATH Psychiatry, which showed that the latter has the highest relapse rate and said this was attributable to the situation, where patients are made to go home when they are not fully recovered. She therefore appealed to the government, individuals and organizations to support the facility to complete an expansion project, it had started. Dr. Owusu-Antwi gave the other causes of psychiatric problems as post-partum psychosis, depression, anxiety disorder and substance dependency disorders. She underlined that the unswerving determination of the Unit to continue to provide quality professional psychiatric services to improve the mental health of the people despite the constraints. She asked that more clinical psychologists were employed by the government to assist in handling the rising cases of mental illness. GNA Advertisement Local Islamic teachers who habour Almajarai in their domain will have to look for other business as Kano state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on Wednesday abolished the traditional Almajiri system of education in the state. Ganduje declared that all Almajirai repatriated to Kano from other states will be enrolled into conventional education system. 247ureports.com reports that over 1000 Almajirai have so far been repatriated to Kano from various states across the North, while Kano has evacuated about 1172 Almajarai to neighboring northern states. According to the state Commissioner for Local Government Affairs who doubles as the Chairman of the Almajiri Evacuation Committee, Alhaji Murtala Sule Garo, 723 indigenous Almajarai have also been reunited to their families. Advertisement Sule Garo who spoke during the Kano State Government State Task Force on COVID-19, said about 28 Almajirai who tested positive to Corona Virus are already receiving treatment at the Isolation Centre. Governor Ganduje during his speech at the COVID-19 Press Conference, declared that as a matter of policy, every child in Kano state, including Almajarai must go to school. Ganduje who said the fight against COVID-19 in the state is yielding positive results said his government has concluded plans to incorporate the repatriated Almajarai into the state Free, Compulsory Primary and Basic Education policy. He, however, commended and congratulated Muslims in the state for observing a peaceful Sallah celebration, with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols. According to him, there is no doubt managing the Eid El Fitr under COVID-19 was not an easy task, but we have to appreciate that the Friday prayers and the Eid prayers on Sunday were conducted peacefully. The Imams ensured that people complied with he COVID-19 protocols during Friday prayers and the Eid prayers. I was impressed to have learnt that most Imams did not allow their who came without face masks to enter the Mosque Ganduje further stated that, we are witnessing a decline in the spread of the disease in Kano. People are gradually abiding by the COVID-19 protocols. People are also coming to terms with the realities of COVID-19. He, however, emphasized that community engagement remain cardinal in the fight against COVID-19. He noted that, community engagement is very necessary. I call on community leaders, Ulamas, women leaders and opinion leaders to engage the people on the need to comply with COVID-19 protocols. Ganduje also said plans have been concluded to establish Sample Collection Centres across the 44 Local Government Areas as part of measures to strengthen the fight against COVID-19. Gautam Buddh Nagar, May 28 : The Gautam Buddh Nagar district authorities on Thursday intensified monitoring of all the COVID-19 hotspots in its jurisdiction, a day after District Magistrate Suhas L.Y. underlined 'timely intervention' as the need of the hour in containing the pandemic. The District Magistrate has inspected the containment zones here and asked all the officials to pull out all the stops to curb the deadly virus spread. According to an official, "Efforts are being made to prevent the coronavirus infection. COVID-19 Nodal Officer Narendra Bhushan, Police Commissioner Alok Singh and District Magistrate Suhas L.Y. inspected the hotspot areas in Noida -- sector-15, sector-49 and sector-74." Giving strict instructions to the district officials and police, the inspecting officials said, "Action should be ensured in all the containment zones in accordance with the COVID-19 protocol." The District Magistrate said, "The officials concerned should ensure the supply of milk, fruit, vegetables, essential food items and medicines to all citizens residing in the hotspot areas is continued." "It should also be taken care of by the officers of the administration and police on duty that there is a complete ban on the movement of vehicles of any kind in the red zones except for essential services so that all citizens are protected from getting infected with coronavirus," he added. The coronavirus outbreak has been on the rise in the district. As many as 366 persons have been infected with the virus so far, of which 253 persons had recovered after treatment and were discharged from hospitals. Five persons have succumbed to the pandemic in the district. At present, 108 patients are being treated in four hospitals of the district. Labor lawyer William Carder, whose work for the United Farm Workers included a Christmas Eve 1970 court order that freed UFW leader Cesar Chavez from jail, died of natural causes in Oakland on May 21, the union reported. He was 78. Carder, a UC Berkeley law graduate in 1966, was an attorney with the National Labor Relations Board before the UFWs chief counsel, Jerry Cohen, his former law school classmate, recruited him to work in California for what the union described as subsistence wages. It was a time of turmoil in the fields, with Chavezs UFW organizing nationwide boycotts of crops from California and clashing with the Teamsters Union. In December 1970, a Monterey County judge found the union leader in contempt of court for refusing to call off a boycott of lettuce from growers that did not have contracts with the UFW. Boycott the hell out of them, Chavez called out to his followers as he was led off to jail. About 2,000 union members stood outside the Salinas courthouse, according to a New York Times report. After 20 days, Carder won a state Supreme Court order releasing Chavez. Two years later, Carder won another ruling from the states high court in a battle with Salinas Valley vegetable growers. After 27 growers signed exclusive five-year contracts with the Teamsters to represent their field workers, the UFW, which claimed to represent those workers, called a strike. The growers then went to court to halt the strike, saying California law gave the Teamsters the sole right to advocate for its members under their labor contracts. The court disagreed in a 6-1 ruling, saying no such right existed when employers were aware that a majority of their workers did not want the Teamsters to represent them. If the UFW had lost the case, Cohen said afterward, it probably would have been bankrupted by damages claimed by growers from the strikes. He said Carder later put together an antitrust suit, accusing the Teamsters and growers of illegal collusion, that became a major factor in the Teamsters 1977 agreement to stop competing with the UFW for representation of Central Valley farm workers. Carder was the best labor lawyer in the country, Cohen 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. Carder left the UFW in 1974 and joined a labor law firm in Oakland, now called Leonard Carder, whose main client was the International Longshore and Warehouse Workers union, representing West Coast dockworkers. He also represented San Francisco bicycle messengers in union organizing, and, while on leave, took part in a national campaign against President Ronald Reagans military aid to contra rebels in Nicaragua, aid that Congress had forbidden. Carder retired from the practice of law in 2004 but later volunteered legal help to the dockworkers union and to low-income and immigrant laborers in Berkeley, the UFW said. He is survived by his longtime partner, Sonia Lifshay; his daughter, Sara Carder; his son, Benjamin Carder, a brother and a grandchild. Editors note: This story was amended to clarify that William Carder is survived by one brother. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Junior Achievement of New York announced the top six teams of the 13th Annual Junior Achievement of New York Business Plan Competition (BPC). The format of the annual competition, which immerses teams of high school students into the world of entrepreneurship, was significantly altered this year due to the effects of COVID-19, but the lessons at the core of the program remained consistent. The competition began in February 2020 with business as usual: over 160 teams across 13 high schools submitted their original pitches for new businesses. The theme was to create a service with social impact for consumers in local communities. In mid-March, when New York's public schools closed due to the spread of the coronavirus, JA New York revamped the program to be compatible with our "physically distancing" way of life. Through remote meetings and online volunteer sessions, the student teams continued their collaborative processes to develop innovative and impressive business plans for a high stakes round of online judging. "We wanted to make sure that the message we gave our students was that despite the disruption of day to day life, there will always be a need for entrepreneurial thinking and planning for the future," Joseph Peri, JA New York President and CEO, says. "It's especially important to encourage young people right now to keep their goals and dreams alive, when things are confusing and uncertain." Members of the top three winning teams will be awarded equal prizes of $1,000 each, and members of the next three runner up teams, or "Honorable Mentions," will be awarded equal prizes of $100 each. Closing statements for the competition were broadcast on YouTube by the Founding Sponsor, Chris Andersen of G.C. Andersen Partners, LLC, and can be viewed here. JA New York is proud to announce the top three winning teams, in no particular order: FundDuo: An online marketplace where organizations can find business partners to conduct fundraisers with and transaction processing technology to enhance these fundraising events. Leonit Gjonbalaj , Arman Khwaja , Abishek Ravindran , Ankin Sayet W.T. Clarke High School , Long Island An online marketplace where organizations can find business partners to conduct fundraisers with and transaction processing technology to enhance these fundraising events. Toymine: A subscription service that allows parents to rent and return toys. Max Bratkovsky, Taylor Greenspan , David Khotylev Edward R. Murrow High School , Brooklyn A subscription service that allows parents to rent and return toys. Cargo: A mobile app that will restore consumer confidence among an industry that requires innovation, by providing a transparent, trustworthy, and trackable service, while also creating a professional experience for owner-operators and truck drivers by offering clear communication, and optimizing their routes while maximizing their vehicle loads. Russell Feldman , Michael Karasik , Michael Lilevman Edward R. Murrow High School , Brooklyn The Honorable Mentions, in no particular order, are: Giving Tree: An app that can track an individual's carbon footprint concerning their consumption of single-use plastic. The app includes a carbon footprint calculator, daily tips such as organic food alternatives, current local and global environmental news, and interactive games for the younger family members. Nell Cote , Abbie Julian Croton Harmon High School , Westchester An app that can track an individual's carbon footprint concerning their consumption of single-use plastic. The app includes a carbon footprint calculator, daily tips such as organic food alternatives, current local and global environmental news, and interactive games for the younger family members. Culture Share: A service that delivers the healthiest foods from four distinct cultures such as Peruvian, Italian, Thai, and Greek. They come in meal prep packaging to give the most convenient and time-relieving experience. Jorge Breibat, Frank Castellano , Cristian Tavara New Hyde Park Memorial High School, Long Island A service that delivers the healthiest foods from four distinct cultures such as Peruvian, Italian, Thai, and Greek. They come in meal prep packaging to give the most convenient and time-relieving experience. PostConnect: A simpler way for high schoolers to find internships and volunteer opportunities. Carl Liu , Leo Liu , Shi Hao Zhang Brooklyn Technical High School JA New York thanks Founding Sponsor, G.C. Andersen Partners, LLC; Presenting Sponsor, ICE NYSE Foundation; and Major Partner Sponsor, Delta Air Lines, for their generosity and dedication to inspiring the next generation of business leaders. ABOUT JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NEW YORK Junior Achievement of New York is the local affiliate of Junior Achievement USA, the nation's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. We recruit, train, and mobilize more than 7,600 corporate and community volunteers to provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA New York delivers more than 102,000 student experiences per year to more than 330 NYC, Long Island and Lower Hudson Valley public schools. Visit www.jany.org for more information. CONTACT: Stephanie Zlotnick Phone: 212-907-0050 ext. 146 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Junior Achievement of New York Related Links https://www.juniorachievement.org Groupe PSA will produce surgical masks from August 2020 on its Mulhouse site A production capacity of 10 million masks in France per month, to cover the equipment needs of Group employees and support organizations that fight against the virus and exclusion The training of teams dedicated to this project will be organized from June 2020 Regulatory News: "Since the start of this crisis, the Group's (Paris:UG) priority has been to protect its employees and we have decided to invest in this production, which will start this summer. This decision, shared with the trade unions, makes us collectively stronger to win against the Covid-19," indicates Xavier Chereau, Director of Human Resources and Transformation of Groupe PSA. The sanitary crisis has led the Group to deploy a protocol of reinforced health measures at each of its sites to protect its employees. This protocol provides in particular for the distribution of two to four masks per day per employee. To support the implementation of this protocol, the Group has decided to be autonomous by producing masks in France from August 2020. Machines are manufactured by a French company on the national territory. Production will be organized in two concomitant phases: From August 2020, an automated line will be implemented on the Mulhouse site and a dozen Group employees will be dedicated to the production of masks. In parallel, a second automated line will be put into operation at our French partner, which will produce masks for the Group and will continue this production for a year. From August 2021, this second line will be transferred to Mulhouse and the Group's teams will, in this scenario, ensure all of the production. Ultimately, 10 million masks could be produced monthly in Mulhouse, for the protection of Group employees and organizations fighting against the virus and exclusion. The Mulhouse site has all the sanitary characteristics necessary to manufacture this type of material. Employees dedicated to the production of masks will be trained by our partner from June. About Groupe PSA Groupe PSA designs unique automotive experiences and delivers mobility solutions to meet all customer expectations. The Group has five car brands, Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall and provides a wide array of mobility and smart services under the Free2Move brand. Its 'Push to Pass' strategic plan represents a first step towards the achievement of the Group's vision to be "a global carmaker with cutting-edge efficiency and a leading mobility provider sustaining lifetime customer relationships". An early innovator in the field of autonomous and connected cars, Groupe PSA is also involved in financing activities through Banque PSA Finance and in automotive equipment via Faurecia.. Media library: medialibrary.groupe-psa.com @GroupePSA_EN Communications Division www.groupe-psa.com/en +33 6 61 93 29 36- @GroupePSA View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005397/en/ Contacts: Media contacts: Karine Douet: +33 6 61 64 03 83 karine.douet@mpsa.com Valerie Gillot: +33 6 83 92 92 96 valerie.gillot@mpsa.com Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. That means that all of our sellers are very responsive, making for quick domain transfers. A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. They will manage the receipt of the domain into one of BrandBuckets secure registrar accounts and then complete the transfer to you. 1. 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Copying your work from Google Docs over to WordPress risks losing formatting and images, forcing you to recreate content a second time. Word Pigeon is the WordPress plug-in that was created to resolve that problem and to that we say, thank you. Official Turkish data show a significant drop in natural gas imports from its eastern neighbor, Iran, in the first quarter of 2020. Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority reported on Thursday, May 28, that the country received two billion cubic meters of natural gas from Iran in the first quarter of the year, down nearly fifteen percent from the same period last year. But since the beginning of the second quarter, a blown-up natural gas pipeline has reduced imports even further and Ankara has so far refused to repair it. A group linked with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for the attack. The pipeline used to carry around ten billion cubic meters of Iranian natural gas to Turkey annually and has frequently been attacked since it became operational in the early 2000s. Iran's Oil Minister, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh last Monday blamed Turkey for not showing interest in repairing the gas pipeline. "Iran offered to help repair the pipeline but the other side did not welcome it," Zanganeh said while maintaining that the repair work would not have taken more than a few days. Ankara has so far refused to respond to his remarks. Natural gas imports from Iran in March show a decrease of more than thirty percent, and Turkey will probably receive no more Iranian natural gas in the second quarter of this year. Meanwhile, it has also sharply reduced natural gas imports from Russia. In March, Russia, Ankara's largest natural gas supplier for years, exported only 390 million cubic meters of the product to Turkey, down 72 percent from March last year. The reason for the decrease in the purchase of natural gas from Iran and Russia is the significant drop in the price of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in the global market. As a result, Turkey has more than doubled its imports of LNG in March compared with March 2019, and for the first time, Turkey's liquefied natural gas imports have outpaced the purchase of natural gas through pipelines. In March, Turkey tripled its purchases of liquefied natural gas from the United States. Turkey's customs statistics show that it imported only $ 33 million worth of goods and gas from Iran in March 2020, down nineteen times from March last year because it has also stopped buying crude oil from Iran since the second half of last year. [May 28, 2020] Royal Philips Ranked Among Top 10 Largest Public Healthcare Companies in Forbes Annual Global 2000 Listing Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced that the company once again has earned a place on the Forbes "Global 2000: The World's Largest Public Companies" list, moving up 46 spots from 2019. In its new 2020 position, the company now also ranks as one of the top ten global public healthcare companies. The annual list, which has been released for the past 18 years, features a ranking of the biggest, most powerful and most valuable companies in the world. Philips (News - Alert) ranked 385 out of the 2,000 publicly traded companies on the full list. The Forbes Global 2000 list is a highly regarded authority on corporate rankings globally. Companies that are featured are chosen based on four metrics: sales, profit, assets and market value. This is the first year Philips holds one of the top ten spots in the healthcare category as it helps its customers address the quadruple aim of providing better health outcomes, improving patient and staff experiences and lowering the cost of care. "Our mission to improve people's lives by transforming how care is delivered and improving health care for the communitiesour partners serve has never been more important," said Vitor Rocha, Chief Market Leader for Philips North America. "This ranking is validation that our constant drive for innovation and ability to break down data and give clinicians access to the right information at the right time is making a difference." In addition to its placement on the Global 2000 list, Philips also earned a spot on Forbes' list of America's Best Employers for Diversity earlier this year. For more information and to view the full Global 2000 list, please visit https://www.forbes.com/global2000. About Royal Philips Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2019 sales of EUR 19.5 billion and employs approximately 81,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005098/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] As a teacher and a dad, thinking about the return to school in August makes my head spin. On the one hand, Im desperate to be back with my students and my own children miss their teachers and classmates. On the other, as I look at the guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I worry about how much Texas might need before schools can physically reopen. But there is one thing this country could do immediately to prepare for the next school year, regardless of where learning will take place: Ensure every student has home access to the internet. In the United States, 12 million children cant access the internet at home. Without the internet, students typically low-income students and students of color are unable to take part in remote learning while their school buildings are shut down. Our students already had the odds stacked against them, but if theyre forced to miss school for months on end, existing inequities will widen even further. I teach fifth-grade math at IDEA Carver Academy, a school on the East Side of San Antonio. As a charter school, were free, public and open to all students. About 86 percent of our students districtwide qualify for free or reduced-price meals. And when we surveyed our families when our schools shut during the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned that a quarter didnt have reliable access to the internet. So when school buildings closed in March, we worked quickly to make sure our students had access to the devices they need. Our district distributed 12,000 laptops, helped more than 4,000 families sign up for free internet packages and loaned 6,000 mobile hot spots to families. And were not alone. San Antonio Independent School District launched its largest tech distribution in district history, immediately lending out 17,000 laptops and purchasing 30,000 more for distribution in March. Harlandale ISD and others have created Wi-Fi hot spots for their students across the city. My colleagues and I have done our best as teachers to adapt to the challenge, offering live instruction to students who are able to join via videoconference and putting up videos for those who cant. Were also continuing to meet our students social and emotional needs and provide special education services via teletherapy and counseling. As teachers, were adapting to the current reality and we need the federal government to adapt, too. The Federal Communication Commissions E-rate program makes internet and other telecommunications services more affordable for classrooms. Unfortunately, E-rate rules prohibit the funds from being used for student connectivity in their current classrooms: their homes. A mobile hot spot costs a school about $25 per month per student, whereas with E-rate funds, that cost would drop by more than 70 percent. We cant let bureaucracy stand in the way of helping kids: The FCC should provide a temporary rules waiver so schools can use the existing $2 billion within the E-rate program to get our students connected at home. We also know next school year we will likely have periods when we have to engage in distance learning again. Its time to make smart investments now to prepare for that reality. With a $4 billion increase in E-rate funding, as a new bill by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., proposes, Congress could bring the internet to the millions of students currently disconnected. I urge all of the Texas congressional delegation from Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz to our members of the House of Representatives to support flexibility for E-rate funds and to include a $4 billion increase to E-rate in the newest federal stimulus bill, known as the HEROES Act. If our leaders make this investment in our kids, I know our kids will deliver in kind. This pandemic is going to be a challenge for all of us to overcome. Adults should be standing up for kids in this moment and doing everything we can to make sure the coming generation of leaders is supported through this crisis. We can start by ensuring every student has the opportunity to learn. Clint Rankin is a San Antonio native who teaches fifth-grade math at IDEA Public Schools in San Antonio. Thursday, May 28th, 2020 (12:01 am) - Score 1,567 The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has today published a new report that examines the issue of infrastructure resilience in the face of major disruption (floods, power cuts etc.), which among other things recommends that digital (mobile and broadband etc.) infrastructure may benefit from new standards and stress testing. At present the UK communications regulator, Ofcom, is responsible for setting General Conditions (GC) that require broadband ISPs and mobile operators to deliver various standards, such as requiring them to maintain uninterrupted access to the emergency services (e.g. Police, Ambulances etc.) to the greatest extent possible (this is strongly enforced and fines for failure are common here and here). On top of that the regulator has also set various Minimum Service Level (MSL / Quality of Service) targets for Openreach to meet in terms of repairs and new line provisions. However it should also be said that some of the regulators other rules, such as the Broadband Speed Code of Practice and Automatic Compensation, are semi-voluntary and as such tend to only be adopted by the largest and a few medium sized ISPs. Elsewhere local highway and planning authorities also hold some responsibility for ensuring that any new cables going into the ground, as well as mobile masts that get erected, are correctly delivered. But the involvement of such authorities is limited to the physical infrastructure delivery itself and doesnt extend to network testing etc. Nevertheless the NICs report Anticipate, React, Recover: Resilient Infrastructure Systems warns that the UKs generally robust historic resilience may be challenged in future by a range of factors that will not always be possible to foresee, alongside better understood challenges like climate change. In short, the NIC proposes to include digital, energy, water, road and rail infrastructure into a new framework that could help to ensure future resilience via clear standards, which would ensure systems are tested regularly and that operators take action to deliver resilience both now and in the future. Sir John Armitt, Chair of the NIC, said: The Commission pays tribute to all those who are helping to minimise the impact to infrastructure during this period, often at significant personal risk. While this report draws on evidence collected before the pandemic, this study can inform thinking about the recovery and help ensure that we can be resilient to future challenges. To safeguard the systems our communities rely on, everyone involved in running infrastructure needs to anticipate and prepare for potential future challenges. The framework proposed in our report offers the tools to face uncomfortable truths, value resilience properly, test for vulnerabilities and drive adaptation before it is too late. The report itself is typically quite general and doesnt really spend much time examining the particular challenges of digital infrastructure in any real detail, although it does provide some general recommendations that offer a useful overview of their proposed approach and time-scale. Recommendations Infrastructure Resilience Recommendation 1: Government should introduce a statutory requirement by 2022 for Secretaries of State to publish: clear, proportionate and realistic standards every five years for the resilience of energy, water, digital, road and rail services an assessment of how existing structures, powers and incentives enable operators to deliver these standards or where changes are needed. Regulators should introduce obligations on infrastructure operators to meet these resilience standards by 2023. Recommendation 2: Regulators should require a system of regular stress testing by 2024 for energy, water, digital, road and rail infrastructure operators, to ensure that infrastructure operators systems and decision-making can credibly meet resilience standards for infrastructure services. Regulators should introduce obligations by 2023 on infrastructure operators to require them to participate in stress tests and to require remedial action in case of failure of stress tests. Recommendation 3: Energy, water, digital, road and rail infrastructure operators should develop and maintain strategies to ensure infrastructure services can continue to meet resilience standards in the long term. To ensure this, regulators should: introduce obligations by 2023 on infrastructure operators to require them to develop and maintain long term resilience strategies (where there is no current requirement) set out, in future price reviews, how their determinations are consistent with meeting standards of resilience in both the short and long term. Requiring mobile and broadband operators to undertake regular stress testing is certainly possible, although at this stage were not entirely sure how the NIC sees this as being applied to digital infrastructure or what it is they would want to test (capacity, latency, stability, end-user speeds etc.). The stress tests would broadly be intended to assess the systems ability to resist, absorb, and recover from shocks and stresses, and identify vulnerabilities, which is quite broad. Such tests would be overseen by regulators, and infrastructure operators should demonstrate that their systems and decision-making can credibly meet resilience standards for infrastructure services against a wide range of shocks and stresses. The regulators would naturally also require infrastructure operators to address any vulnerabilities identified. A 55-year-old tribal man died late Wednesday night at his home in Odishas Mayurbhanj district where he was under quarantine after returning from Surat, officials said. Paresh Chandra Mahanta was found dead at his home in Bhalubasa village of Nahandashola panchayat of Mayurbhanj. While his cause of death is yet to be ascertained, fear has gripped the village with residents suspecting that he might have died of coronavirus given his travel history to one of the hotspots in the country. The local police said that the postmortem report will help reach a conclusion. Mahantas widow Sombari said her husband worked as a cook in Surat and had returned 10 days ago. He spent seven days at a quarantine centre set up at Adarsha Vidyalay in Garudabasa village before being allowed to go home for another round of quarantine. Villagers had stopped coming to my house over fears that my husband was infected with Covid-19. No one turned up after his death, said Sombari. On Wednesday, a two-month-old girl was found dead in a quarantine centre of Bargarh district a day after she arrived with her migrant worker parents and other family members from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, the family of a person from Khurda district, who died in a Covid-19 hospital, has accused the administration of intentionally delaying the issuance of his death certificate. The wife of the deceased alleged that the hospital is yet to declare the death of her husband as the authority concerned has not yet issued the death certificate of her husband. The person had returned to Odisha from Surat in an ambulance on May 15. However, he was denied entry to his village, Balugaon, as he was sick. He was then admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar and later shifted to SUM Covid hospital on May 16, where he died on May 26. He was declared Covid-19 positive in AIIMS. We were even not allowed to meet him because of his infection. We are yet to get any documents related to his death, said a relative of the deceased. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party lashed out at the Odisha government and warned of massive protests if it does not start swab testing at quarantine centres. State BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said that the State government is not following the standard operating procedure (SOP) for Covid-19 testing at the quarantine centres. Though there is a provision to conduct the test of quarantined people within five days but it is not happening in Odisha, Not conducting Covid-19 test of people seems like a conspiracy of the government to spread the virus in the rural areas, alleged Harichandan. A student who stalked a fellow student and attacked her friend with a hammer has been sentenced to seven years in prison, with the final two years suspended. The judge in the trial described 21 year-old Igor Lewandowski, from Monasterevin in Co Kildare, as "a dangerous young man who continues to pose a risk of serious harm to the public". His conduct has also been described as "sinister" by the probation service and his expressions of remorse "shallow" by medical experts. Lewandowski was a second-year electronic engineering student at NUI Galway when he became obsessed with 20-year-old Eve McDowell. He began stalking and harassing her incessantly over a 17-day period last May. He drastically changed his appearance - shaving off his hair, eyebrows and beard - when her friends pointed out to him that he was easily recognisable during one stalking episode. He was arrested shortly after breaking into her apartment and assaulting her flatmate with a hammer early one morning and has remained in custody ever since. Lewandowski pleaded guilty last November before Galway Circuit Criminal Court to harassing Ms McDowell at her student accommodation at Dun na Coiribe, Headford Road, Galway, and also at various other locations around Galway city on dates between May 10 and May 27, 2019. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated burglary by breaking into her apartment at Dun na Coiribe on May 27 last year, while in possession of a claw hammer which he used to assault her flatmate Alison Buicke, causing her harm. The accused, who moved from Poland to Monasterevin with his family ten years ago, was refused bail on six occasions since his incarceration last May. His sentence hearing took place today at Galway Circuit Criminal Court. The initial hearing last November heard evidence from Detective Bernard McLoughlin of how the accused had met Ms McDowell in a group setting through mutual friends. He began following her to and from NUIG to where she lived, between May 10 and 27 last year. He followed her to her place of part-time work, a clothing shop in Galway city centre, at weekends and evenings. He also stalked her when she met friends for lunch or went out at night. Ms McDowell and her friends did not take his behaviour seriously at first, but she immediately contacted Gardai when Lewandowski rang her doorbell early one morning. She could see, as he pressed his face to the glass, that he had shaved off his hair, eyebrows and beard. Gardai cautioned him to stay away from her, but a few days later he returned to her flat at 6.30am, climbed onto her balcony using a scaffolding pole from a nearby building and entered the apartment through an open door. He was carrying a claw hammer and used it to attack Ms Buicke as she slept on a couch in the sitting room, hitting her on the head and arms. She fended off the blows with her duvet and raised the alarm. Lewandowski fled, jumping from the balcony onto shrubbery below. Gardai later found a sharp knife, an empty packet of viagra and a scaffolding pole at that location. Forensic examinations failed to link him to the items and he denied all knowledge of them. Lewandowski sprained his ankle in the jump and, a short time later, was found by Gardai crawling along a busy road half a kilometre away. He was arrested and only admitted both offences during a third interview. Det. McLoughlin said there had been clear premeditation as Lewandowski admitted he didn't bring his mobile phone with him that morning because he knew Gardai would be able to trace his movements if he had done so. He claimed he was going to use the hammer to break the side window and gain entry through the front door to the apartment. He showed no remorse at the time. Lewandowski also admitted that he had calculated the best vantage points in the student accommodation complex from where he could simultaneously check Ms McDowell's movements along either of two paths leading to and from her apartment. The hidden vantage point also afforded him a clear view through her bedroom window and the front door leading to her apartment block. He claimed he had lent her 200 two months beforehand and that was why he had followed her for over two weeks and had gone to her apartment - to get the money back. He subsequently changed his story, telling Gardai he had gone to the apartment to speak to her about his conduct. In her victim impact statement read to the court last November, Ms McDowell said she feared for her life if Lewandowski was released from custody. She said the court process had been very long but she encouraged others who may be victims of stalking to come forward and make a complaint to Gardai. She expressed relief today that the process had come to an end and that her stalker had been sent to prison. Ms Buicke was diagnosed with PTSD following the attack and continues to be treated for her symptoms, the court heard. Two psychosocial reports and a probation report, handed into court at the time, concurred that the accused had displayed no empathy for either of his victims and that he posed a risk of using similar violence in the future. Passing sentence today, Judge Rory McCabe said the probation service had described Lewandowski's conduct as "sinister", and that it had crossed "a number of moral and social boundaries." "They note clear indicators of a continued risk of serious harm to the public," he said. The judge noted that Lewandowski was not suffering from any serious mental disorder, having been assessed by two psychologists and a forensic psychiatrist. They had agreed that the accused displayed a lack of genuine empathy for his victims. They added that his expression of remorse was shallow and self-serving as he was anxious about the sentence he would receive. Judge McCabe said the evidence showed that Lewandowski posed a risk of reoffending, which meant a significant custodial sentence was unavoidable. There was no evidence, he said, that the defendant had "any wish to engage in rehabilitation or accept the help that he obviously needs if he is not to pose an ongoing risk to the public." Judge McCabe added: "His conduct and attitude has shown him to be a dangerous young man." The judge said he was sorry for the accused who, at a young age, faced a significant custodial sentence. However, he said he was far more sympathetic towards the two young women "whose lives, hopes and dreams were turned upside down" by Lewandowski's conduct. "I contrast his reported insouciance and lack of empathy with the total upheaval of their lives, their education and career paths," he said. The judge said Lewandowski's true intent in breaking into the apartment armed with a weapon remains unknown. However, he added: "There are strands of evidence that suggest an intention to do more than talk or seek repayment of a fictitious loan. "There is also evidence, perhaps tenuous, that his preparations included possessing a sharp knife, an empty viagra packet and a form of scaffolding, all found at or near the locus. He denies ownership of any of these and there is no forensic evidence linking these to the defendant, other than their location. "Had such evidence been forthcoming, the gravity of these offences would be elevated to a much higher level," the judge observed. He sentenced Lewandowski to three and a half years for harassing Ms McDowell and imposed a concurrent seven-year sentence for the aggravated burglary. "In recognition of the public interest, rehabilitation and as an incentive and an active deterrent, I will suspend the final two years of the seven-year sentence, with 12-month post-release supervision," Judge McCabe said. Lewandowski, he added, was entitled to credit for time served and should be afforded medical treatment and counselling while in prison if he wished to avail of it. The accused was bound to keep the peace for five years on his release as part of the suspended sentence. Lewandowski remained expressionless during the lengthy hearing and did not react when sentence was passed. Healthcare workers testing people in Nairobi, Kenya during a mass testing exercise for Covid-19. Photo by SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images Whats missing What needs to be done From the start, the responses across many African countries have mirrored those of other countries where the pandemic has been more prevalent. These measures generally include the promotion of social distancing and personal hygiene, lockdown orders, and management of more severe cases in hospitals. Other responses, such as contact tracing, testing, and isolation of suspected cases, have been used less widely The implementation of lockdowns has created major challenges for governments and citizens alike. Local realities such as urban slums make the spread of the virus more likely and social distancing almost impossible. Lockdowns in these settings pose very high economic risks for the residents Given local conditions in many of Africas urban areas including high density slums and informal settlements lockdown strategies are proving to be unworkable.Part of the disconnect between the current responses and the current realities of many Africans stems from the limited engagement between policy decision-makers and African institutions generating contextual knowledge. Some examples are the lack of an adequate notice period before lockdowns and the limited consideration given to the situation of slum residents.The gaps in our current knowledge of the course of Covid-19 in Africa make things even more difficult.We dont know what accounts for the very low numbers of cases in most countries. Is it a reflection of very low testing capacity? Or rather, of Africas very young demographic profile? Or is it simply that we are in the early phase of the pandemic?Each of these possible explanations will demand different policy responses.Now more than ever, African governments need their scientists and their scientific institutions to provide insights and guidance. They are turning to these local institutions for help in managing their responses to the pandemic. Unfortunately, many years of neglect and limited investment have created capacity gaps . Where capacity does exist, it is being used, though it remains inadequate . The extent of this is being documented by a network of academics across the continent.African scientists are not able to deliver what Africa needs because governments have starved their institutions of crucial funds for many years. The result is that governments are importing wholesale what is being done elsewhere.Africas experiences in managing other recent and ongoing epidemics could be an advantage in responding to COVID-19 . These epidemics include cholera, measles and viral haemorrhagic diseases like Ebola virus disease, yellow fever, dengue, Lassa fever, and Rift Valley fever. The potential is there, but strong research institutions and systems are needed to activate this advantage to inform timely local, national and global responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. These, unfortunately, remain underdeveloped. The use being made of the resources that do exist only underlines the need for the science and research systems in Africa to be strengthened.For example, there has been a glaring lack of ongoing rigorous studies of the pandemic on the continent. Of the 2,032 clinical trials related to Covid-19 registered by 14 May this year, only 35 included study sites in Africa. Of these, 23 were in Egypt and only 12 included a site in a sub-Saharan African country. Seven of the 12 were internationally led multi-country studies. The remaining five were in Nigeria and South Africa.Additionally, the 12 clinical trials involving a country in sub-Saharan Africa are extremely limited as most are looking at hydroxychloroquine, while another is looking at traditional medicine.This pattern positions Africa to remain a consumer of knowledge and solutions produced elsewhere.And, during this period of a global pandemic with critical shortages of life-saving resources, Africa is losing because it lacks the capacity to produce what it needs and what others may need.What key actions need to be taken?The first lesson for Africa is that it cannot continue to depend on international and multinational agencies to determine the path it takes to development. We must reverse the limited investments in local and regional research institutions and universities. Countries must do more to attract their best minds, many of whom have been forced, over the years, to leave Africa.As we look towards a post-Covid-19 world, investments in strengthening local and regional knowledge-based institutions will be key to enhancing the continents global relevance and competitiveness.And we need to understand where we currently are in the course of the pandemic. This requires clarifying the drivers of current low levels of reported infections and deaths. Achieving this will require coordinated serological antibody surveys across countries with different epidemiological profiles of the pandemic. These surveys would be a game changer.At the moment countries are only doing antigen tests. These tests are positive if a person is currently sick with the virus. Once the person is better, the test will again be negative. Antibodies, however, last longer in people who have contracted a virus and will be positive in asymptomatic people as well (it is not yet known for how long). An antibody survey would involve selecting a sample of people who are representative of the entire population and testing them. This will show how widespread the infection has been in a given population.Such antibody surveys will show who has had the virus and therefore has built antibodies (some kind of immunity) to it. This will be key to formulating appropriate context specific responses to the pandemic. And it would help us understand where a countrys responses to the pandemic have been appropriate.These surveys could show us, for example, if the lockdown policies have been beneficial, or if there have been very widespread infections but with mild morbidity and very low mortality, perhaps due to the continents young age profile. This would mean the quarantines and lockdowns have come at a high price with less than anticipated benefits.Combining such surveys with community studies that include verbal autopsies interviewing people who were close to the person who died, and from this deciding the cause of death could show if the lockdown is leading to increased mortality within communities that are not being captured in our accounting of Covid-19-related deaths.Understanding the extent of the spread of Covid-19 within urban and rural Africa can also help with the adaptation of policy responses to a specific setting. This is urgently needed as many countries are in the middle of their rainy season when most villagers cultivate their farms. Disruptions in farming activities, coupled with the effects of climate change-related floods and an ongoing locust epidemic in East Africa, could spell an uncertain future for hundreds of millions of people as they begin to face massive food insecurity.Evidence from such studies can help countries calibrate their national responses to the pandemic.In the long term, we must be better prepared to deal with future pandemics, and that preparation needs to start with a re-assessment of how we invest in and support local research and service delivery institutions across Africa.This article draws on contributions to Drexel Universitys Webinar on The Global Impact of Pandemics; the African Development Banks Global Community of Practice Webinar on Enhancing Resilience in African Economies: Macro-Economic Policy Responses to Covid-19 Pandemic in Africa; and the Think-20 Engagement Group and Global Solutions Summit Panel on The Social and Economic Implications of Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond: Risks and Opportunities for the Global South.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Kisses from Italy Inc. (OTCQB:KITL), today announced it has engaged HIR Holdings (Hayden IR Holdings), a highly recognized, national investor relations firm, to raise its visibility and strengthen its relationships with the investment community. "Over the past year we have expanded our operations, gaining scale and brand recognition as we continue to position the company to drive future operating leverage in our business model and we want to ensure we capitalize on these important milestones, stated Kisses from Italy's co-founder, co-CEO and CIO, Claudio Ferri. We look forward to working with the team of professionals at HIR to help us target and expand our investor audience and ensure we are communicating effectively with Wall Street." With offices in New York, Phoenix, South Carolina and San Diego, HIR provides a comprehensive range of investor relations services to a growing list of clients. For more than two decades, HIR has been a recognized leader in driving market recognition and creating sustainable competitive advantages for more than 150 micro- and small-cap companies. HIR delivers expertise and professionalism in such areas as investor management, relationship building, awareness campaigns, online presence and corporate identity. About KISSES FROM ITALY Inc. KISSES FROM ITALY is a U.S. based is a restaurant chain operator, Franchisor and product distributor with locations in North America and Europe. The Company offers a quick service menu and a unique take on traditional Italian delicacies with an All-American flair. Kisses from Italy offerings include sandwiches, salads, Italian roasted coffee, coffee related beverage and an array of other products. The company currently operates four corporate owned stores. It successfully commenced operations in May 2015 with the opening of its flagship location in Ft. Lauderdale at 3146 NE 9th St. This was followed by three additional sites across the greater Ft. Lauderdale/Pompano Beach area. The Company recently opened its inaugural European location in Ceglie del Campo, Bari, Italy in October of 2019. In September of 2019, Kisses from Italy Inc. was given the approval by FINRA to trade its common stock and was approved for up-listing by the OTC Markets Group to the OTCQB in mid-October 2019 under the ticker symbol KITL. For more information, please visit www.kissesfromitaly.com Investor Contact Information: HIR: Cameron Donahue 651-707-3532 cameron@haydenir.com SOURCE: Kisses from Italy Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/591795/Kisses-from-Italy-Engages-HIR-Holdings-to-Launch-Comprehensive-Investor-Relations-Program China has recently enjoyed a run of good harvests, resulting in adequate grain supplies and reserves, and a stable grain marketall indicators of growing food security, according to deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Looking to the future, China has the conditions, capabilities and confidence to enhance food security through its own efforts, said the deputies and members. During the pneumonia outbreak, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture allocated a special fund of 80 million yuan to ensure stable production in key enterprises related to grain, oil and meat, putting 57,000 tons of grain and 4,200 tons of edible oil in reserves to guarantee supply, according to Luo Qiang, deputy to the NPC and governor of the autonomous prefecture. This move echoes the spirit of the 2020 government report, which underscored the system of provincial governors taking responsibility for the rice bag (grain supply) program and city mayors taking responsibility for the vegetable basket (non-grain food supply) program. To keep total crop acreage and grain output stable, as pointed out in the government work report, east China's Shandong province intends to strengthen the assessment of food stability and make sure that total crop acreage and grain output in 2020 are no less than that of the previous year, said Li Xixin, deputy to the NPC as well as head of the Shandong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Shandong province aims to plant 125.5 million mu (over 83,600 square kilometers) of grain this year, up by 0.8 million mu from 2019. In terms of preventing and controlling major diseases and pests, Shandong province has always issued emergency notices in response to extreme weather and will also provide stronger post-disaster technical guidance and facilitate claim settlements from insurance institutions in a timely manner. Li Yuncai, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC, agreed with the report on increasing the minimum purchase price of rice and giving greater rewards to major grain-producing counties. Li also suggested expanding the planting of double-season rice and oil crops and feed crops such as soybeans and corn to meet domestic demand and prepare for the uncertainties in the international market. To integrate technologies into agriculture, Yancheng, east China's Jiangsu province, has actively employed "Internet plus" platforms to provide information for farmers, according to Qin Guangwei, deputy to the NPC and deputy director of the Yancheng Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Through online platforms such as WeChat Group and QQ Group, the city has provided farmers with consultation, e-commerce and other services on over 2,300 occasions and launched 843 remote technical guidance sessions since spring. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: In a setback to Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, an amendment to include three Indian territories in a new political map of the neighbouring country hit a roadblock after the Nepali Congress said it could take a stand on the issue only after a decision by its Central Working Committee. Oli was pushing for the amendment to include Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura as Nepalese territories in Nepals new political map, which was released on Wednesday.Political observers see Olis move as an effort to entice nationalistic feelings among his people. But,they asserted, Olis efforts did not see the light of the day as many perceived his efforts to be directed for personal gains.Sources said that the Nepal situation is being closely monitored. We are carefully following developments in Nepal. Border issues are sensitive by nature and require trust and confidence to be resolved to mutual satisfaction. We note that there is a larger ongoing debate on this matter in Nepal. It underlines the seriousness of this issue. It also demonstrates the value being attached to relations between Nepal and India, a source said. The issue grabbed headlines after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on May 8 inaugurated a road in Lipulekh. Nepal protested saying that the territory was its own.The matter escalated after the Army chief suggested that the protests in Nepal were being orchestrated by someone else. HONG KONG, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / In an era when opportunities and challenges coexist, everyone needs to face a highly competitive society and complex and changeable challenges. Negative emotions, unclear self-awareness and inherent thinking patterns often make us fall into a vicious circle of failure, thus missing the chance of success. However, life is a creative process with infinite possibilities. Its key lies in how to break through the difficulties and limitations, empower yourself and create your own path of growth. This reporter specially interviewed --Marvin Lau, CEO of LEGACY, to discuss effective ways to broaden life and realize self-value, to help everyone face challenges in a changeable environment, to break through self-limitation, to fully stimulate their own potential, vitality and creativity, and to create valuable and outstanding wonderful life. Marvin Lau has been engaged in the field of potential development for more than 20 years and has rich experience in growth training. In 1995, Marvin joined ARC International Ltd, a large-scale international training workshop center, as a course instructor and trained in the United States and Hong Kong. In 2000, Marvin and other seven mentor teams set up the LEGACY in Hong Kong, leading the top trainers and senior training teams in the industry to promote Chinese self-awareness, potential stimulation and dream realization as the lifelong vision of the enterprise. As an all-round consulting center for experiential growth workshops, Marvin Lau said that "LEGACY is a people-oriented career based on love and develops a platform for sustained growth. It shoulders the mission of "arousing deep consciousness, improving life quality and creating a world full of happiness ". It focuses on transmitting dreams of dreamers, realizing outstanding life, helping people to understand their current state and broaden their thinking through experiential growth training. Broaden their thinking, clarify their directions of growth, and constantly renew themselves in terms of body, spirit, mind and social emotion, so as to enhance the value of their lives and realize the overall success." Due to strong market demand, LEGACY has opened four training centers in Hong Kong, Taipei, Shenzhen and Beijing respectively. These include the Taipei Training Center established in 2001, Shenzhen Training Center established in 2003, and Beijing Training Center established in 2007. In recent years, with the rapid development of the Internet, LEGACY has expanded the curriculum to the Internet, trying to drive more Chinese to break through the shackles of self, find a correct orientation in life and realize the value of life. "After many years of development, LEGACY's efficient training skills and outstanding training results have spread to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Shenzhen, Beijing and other places, successfully helping more than tens of thousands of participants to effectively improve their personal, self-awareness, team cooperation, organizational leadership and professional skills, and many of the industry's outstanding leaders are graduates of LEGACY. "Marvin Lau said. Regarding the competitive advantage of LEGACY in the field of growth training, Marvin Lau said, "The reason why LEGACY has achieved remarkable training results and is deeply trusted and supported by everyone is mainly because LEGACY has abundant teachers. Each of them is an outstanding student who has benefited from the success of LEGACY and has made achievements in society. They believe that LEGACY promotes self-improvement, achieves others and benefits society, and are willing to use their own experience to promote the growth of students. "Secondly, the courses of LEGACY are all tailor-made experiential learning. They are based on the needs of different aspects such as occupation, interpersonal relationship, finance, health, family, life goals and life direction. LEGACY Workshops have set up core ladder workshops and multi-dimensional workshops respectively, which are dedicated to helping students to have a clearer understanding of themselves through direct physical, emotional and spiritual learning, to change the habitual way of learning, to enhance comprehensive competitiveness, to find the best state of life, and to truly realize a full and successful life. In addition to pursuing the promotion of personal values, LEGACY also attaches great importance to the dedication of social values. In the process of healthy development, LEGACY continues to repay the society. Since its establishment in 2000, LEGACY has taken practical actions to practice the humanistic care of the enterprise and has actively devoted itself to social welfare. Every year, LEGACY contributes 5% of the profits to social welfare as charity donations, participating in charity activities in the fields of caring for the elderly, caring for children and helping the disadvantaged. At present, Marvin Lau is also cheering up the enterprises affected by the epidemic. He said, "I believe that we should always be optimistic about everything and we cannot solve our problems by being helpless. Since the epidemic already exists, keep calm and optimistic attitude to face it. "Fortunately, the epidemic prevention and control work has been effective. At present, the course of LEGACY in Taiwan has been progressing steadily. Students from Shenzhen and Beijing have already learned through online teaching. The Hong Kong Training Center is expected to resume work by the end of June. Previously, the LEGACY participants took an active part in the distribution of epidemic prevention materials as volunteers and made modest contributions in the field of social welfare. "Although the outbreak of the epidemic has temporarily suspended the development plans of LEGACY, LEGACY will actively consolidate the business and enhance the team's strength, and continue to make contributions in the charity field based on the long-term development of the enterprise. "Marvin Lau said. After the epidemic has passed, LEGACY will certainly help more people to enhance their self-worth and achieve outstanding growth in life. Media Contact: Company Name: Legacy Training Ltd Person: Ms.Su Wong Phone: +852 3525 0118 Email: Suwong@Legacyasia.net Wedsite: http://www.legacyasia.net SOURCE: LEGACY View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/591787/Interview-with-Marvin-Lau-Reach-LEGACY-Make-Outstanding-Life A private student landlord firm has finally offered refunds to college students who had to leave their accommodation during the Covid-19 crisis. Uninest, which manages some of the largest student complexes in the country, has also offered credit towards next years fees to those who dont take up the refund offer. One parent of a student renting at Uninest's Amnis House complex on Cork's Western Road said the refund is worth 930 to him. The company is offering a 200 credit incentive to encourage people to book accommodation at its new Lee House complex on the city's South Main St. And it has told tenants that it will accept payments in four instalments next year rather than two, with payment not required until seven days before term commences. While the refunds move has been welcomed, there is still some uncertainty about signing new leases for the next academic year. An EU-wide study has found that young women in Ireland are the loneliest in the region, as people across the continent struggle with the coronavirus lockdowns. The survey results show that people in the EU aged 18-34 were more likely to report feeling depressed, lonely, and anxious than those aged 35 and over, according to the group Eurofound, who conducted the study. Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming delivers a speech during 2020 Korea Times Forum at The Plaza Seoul hotel, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Chinese envoy projects Seoul, Beijing to lead Asian economy in post-pandemic world By Yi Whan-woo Cooperation is the only key to overcoming a global challenge like the COVID-19 pandemic, and Korea and China demonstrated how it can work successfully, Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming said, Thursday. Speaking at the 2020 Korea Times Forum in Seoul, he said the pandemic showed the lives and health of people all around the world are closely connected to each other. "Humankind, which has experienced various challenges and crises, needs more inclusive and universal development. Problems that arise from globalization can be resolved only through global development," Xing said during his speech delivered in Korean at the forum at The Plaza Seoul hotel. Xing was among the eight heads of diplomatic missions invited to the forum, with other envoys being from Honduras, Indonesia, Kuwait, Mexico, Qatar, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Researchers conducting a clinical trial to advance the treatment of multiple sclerosis successfully applied a new drug testing methodology which allows several treatment options to be trialled at once. Although none of the three drugs in the study proved effective in treating the disease, the investigation's findings were worth the effort. The groundbreaking results, published in Lancet Neurology and credited in part to UOC researchers, confirmed that the new multiarm approach is a viable option for testing neurological drugs and may streamline the search for new medicinal treatments for multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. Most areas of medicine currently test out new drugs one by one against a placebo. In other words, traditional clinical trials compare two patient groups: one group which receives the drug under investigation and a secondthe control groupwhich is given a substitute containing no active pharmacological substance. However, in oncology, an area in urgent need of new treatment options, researchers have begun to compare multiple drugs against common control groups within single studies. Not only does the new multiarm approach cut costs, it accelerates the entire process. Multiarm trials require an exceedingly large number of patients to prove worthwhile, which poses both logistical and financial challenges. Furthermore, this type of methodology had never previously been used on drugs for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Nonetheless, according to Ferran Prados, researcher at the Applied Data Science Lab (ADaS) at the UOC's Faculty of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunications, "Now that multiple sclerosis biomarkers have been improved, we're able to reduce the required sample size, making [the multiarm approach] a viable option." This led a team of researchers, coordinated by the UK's University College London (UCL), in collaboration with the UOC, to carry out a multiarm trial to study the potential effectiveness of three drugs against multiple sclerosis. This neurodegenerative disease, which in 2019 afflicted roughly 55,000 people in Spain and 2.5 million worldwide, causes severe disability and currently has no cure. In previous studies, the three compounds tested in the trialfluoxetine, amiloride and riluzolehad shown some effectiveness in curbing cerebral atrophy and the appearance of new brain lesions in patients suffering from the disease. Negative results that open the door to new, quicker trials With a sample of 445 volunteer patients, the trial aimed to determine whether the three drugs, each of which was administered to a different group, could prove effective against one of the most severe forms of the disease: secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Prados, who took part in analysing the data, said: "Sadly, the results came back negative. The disease continues to be more aggressive than any available treatment. We must trudge forward." Despite the negative results, the fact that the three drugs were trialled simultaneously signifies a momentous step forward. The UOC researcher had this to say: "[The multiarm approach] had never been tested on treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. It has created an entirely new paradigm in which lowered costs make trials more viable. We're witnessing the future of clinical testing." The study broke new ground in another way as well: using algorithms to computerize the analysis of medical images. Designed by Prados himself, the system helped to enhance the reliability of the results. The researcher said: "Computerization allows experts to focus their efforts on checking that analyses are going smoothly, a task which is less susceptible to human error, rather than analysing data themselves. This equates to saved time for researchers and more accurate results." Prados concluded: "Single trials carried out on multiple drugs coupled with fully computerized data processing will allow us to generate answers more quickly and see results in a shorter period of time. We're conducting more promising trials now and developing new markers based on medical images, all of which will help us to provide more accurate and sensitive analyses of patients' responses to different drugs, lest we overlook their true effectiveness." Explore further Clinical trial into two potential COVID-19 treatments commences More information: Jeremy Chataway et al. Efficacy of three neuroprotective drugs in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS-SMART): a phase 2b, multiarm, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial, The Lancet Neurology (2020). Journal information: Lancet Neurology Jeremy Chataway et al. Efficacy of three neuroprotective drugs in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS-SMART): a phase 2b, multiarm, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(19)30485-5 Provided by Universitat Oberta de Catalunya A man was arrested early Wednesday morning in San Diego after breaking into a Wells Fargo bank. He wasnt there to rob the bank; he just wanted to heat up his Hot Pockets. After an alarm went off, police arrived at the Chollas View bank at around 3:30 AM and found a broken window. According to 10News (San Diego ABC outlet), the alarm company told police that surveillance cameras inside the branch captured a man inside a break room and using the microwave. San Diego Police went into the bank to arrest the man. As he was brought outside to the police car, a 10News reporter asked him if the Hot Pockets were worth it (he apparently ate two). He responded, Hell yeah its worth it. Fuck yeah its worth it. A Hot Pocket? Hell yeah. [10News] Montgomery Countys official COVID-19 death toll increased by two on Wednesday to 26, according to health officials. The Montgomery County Public Health District confirmed the deaths of two Conroe women one in her 50s and the second in 60s. Both were hospitalized at the time of their death. According to information from MCPHD, the countys total cases has risen to 926, which is up 13 from Tuesday. Of those, 461 are active with 26 people still hospitalized and 435 in self-isolation. Today, 439 people have recovered. Active cases dropped by four from 465 on Tuesday. Testing options have increased across the county this month. Walmart has free drive-up testing locations in 22 states, including three in Montgomery County. The sites ask residents to self-swab nasal exams in their car, Walmart officials said in a statement. Montgomery County residents can go to the Conroe location at 18700 Hwy 105 W, Montgomery, travel to east county at 20310 Hwy. 59, New Caney or go near The Woodlands at 1025 Sawdust Road, Spring. An appointment is required. The news comes as Kroger sponsors a testing option in the county. Kroger hosted several sites in Magnolia for three days, and The Woodlands area for three days, capable of testing around 150 to 200 people a day. Later this month, from May 31 to June 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., testing will be available in the New Caney area at the former Sams Club Parking Lot at 11985 N, Texas 99. Registration is not required but encouraged. Those interested in registering and scheduling an appointment can do so at thelittleclinic.com. The countys voucher-based testing system is also ongoing. Vouchers can be obtained by calling 936-523-5040 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., vouchers, if unused, expire in five days and the testing site is solely responsible for notifying you of results. A voucher is required to receive a test. Residents could be directed to one of three sites after they acquire a voucher, including Woodlands Functional Family Medicine, which was added as an option on May 18. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic residents are able to get a test at Woodlands Functional Family Medicine if they acquire a voucher. Other options are America's ER's drive-thru site and the Lone Star Family Health Center in Conroe. Bobrisky whose real name is Okuneye Idris was arrested in the early hours of today by operatives of the Inspector General Police (IG) Monitoring Unit from Abuja. However, the reason for the arrest of the popular Nigerian crossdresser has now been revealed. Bobrisky was arrested because of N30 million deal between himself and a female client. The spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, DCP Frank Mba confirmed the arrest. He said a woman petitioned the police accusing Bobrisky of N30 million fraud. He told The Nation ; Yes, Bobrisky was arrested in the early hours of today following a petition by a Nigerian woman that the crossdresser collected N30m from her for sales but did not keep to the end of the deal. Frank Mba however revealed that the crossdresser has been granted bail. Bobrisky was granted bail but the case is still an active one. It is a case under investigation, Frank Mba stated by Paul Wang For the chief of police, Chris Tang, law enforcement officials "will drive out darkness from Hong Kong." Among the 360 arrested, there are also dozens of junior high boys and girls. Social criticism. Tensions in the Legco; a Democratic MP removed from the chamber. The "grey haired" want to organize a demonstration against the security law wanted by Beijing. For Mike Pompeo, Hong Kong is no longer "autonomous." Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - Hong Kong police chief Chris Tang congratulated his officers for their excellent work yesterday: over 3,000 policemen dissolved protests aimed at blocking the discussion on the national anthem law in parliament (Legco). Speaking on police radio yesterday evening, Tang (photo 3) said law enforcement officials "will drive out darkness from Hong Kong." Since yesterday afternoon, a law has been discussed at the Legco that imposes fines and prison terms of up to three years on anyone who offends or muddles the words of the Chinese national anthem. Many people in Hong Kong consider this law - together with that on security that Beijing wants to impose on the territory - to be harmful to civil rights. At least 360 people were arrested yesterday. These also include a few dozen junior high school boys and girls, aged 13-14 (photo 1). The association of journalists criticized the police, which also targeted reporters, driving them out or not allowing them to film situations in which violence was carried out against passers-by and young demonstrators. In social media, the police force mocked the arrests of teenagers in school uniforms (photo 2). Meanwhile, the tension continues. Today at the Legco, there were heated debates between supporters and opponents of the law, so much so that the session has been interrupted at least twice. Democratic representative Chu Hoi-dick was forcibly taken out of the chamber. A group of seniors, referred to as "grey haired" have forwarded a request to the police to hold a demonstration against the security law for June 6. The government banned all demonstrations until June 4, when hundreds of thousands of people in Hong Kong commemorate those killed in Tiananmen Square (June 4, 1989). The official reason is to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. A large percentage of the population of Hong Kong thinks that the new laws wanted by Beijing put an end to the "one country, two systems" principle, which until now had guaranteed a liberal style in the territory. Economic concerns also add to concerns about freedom. Last night, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (photo 4) said that the White House no longer considers Hong Kong an autonomous reality from popular China. This means that Hong Kong, as it is no longer a freer place than China, will not be able to enjoy preferential treatment in trade and finance, as has been the case so far with the tariff war, not applied in Hong Kong. Aerial view showing smoke billowing from a patch of forest being cleared with fire in the surroundings of Boca do Acre, a city in Amazonas State, in the Amazon basin in northwestern Brazil, on August 24, 2019. Forests across the world are transforming as the Earth heats up and as more frequent and severe droughts, wildfires and disease outbreaks destroy trees. In a new report published in Science magazine, researchers warn that climate change is accelerating the death of trees, stunting their growth and making forests across the world younger and shorter. "This trend is likely to continue with climate warming," said Nate McDowell, a scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and an author of the report. "A future planet with fewer large, old forests will be very different than what we have grown accustomed to," McDowell said. "Older forests often host much higher biodiversity than young forests and they store more carbon than young forests." Forests not only have less capacity to store carbon dioxide released by burning fossil fuels but are also unable to host certain species that normally reside there, the researcher said, which harms the role they play in mitigating global warming. Eighty percent of the world's land-based species live in forests, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Widespread tree mortality and deforestation has disrupted the habitats of now critically endangered animals like the Sumatran tiger and the orangutan. The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating around the world and the situation in the U.S. is still worrying. Statistics show that there are 1.64 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 90,000 deaths in the U.S. However, some American politicians are still obsessed with buck passing and political competition, which has caused inefficiency and disorder in COVID-19 response. This is regarded as a disastrous failure even by the American society. What shall be done during the pandemic, saving lives or pursuing economic performance? Which is more important, votes or the people? They are not hard choices. However, the jaw-dropping practices of the U.S. politicians have not only hurt the life and health of the Americans and led to the global spread of the virus, but also exposed the true colors of the American democracy. Instead of respecting the people and lives, they tried every means to seek selfish political gains, such as claiming that some manufacturing may return to the United States due to the pandemic, and downplaying the COVID-19 pandemic at home and fantasizing that the virus will disappear. These conducts have revealed the indifference and cold-bloodedness of the U.S. politicians, and ran completely against democracy. As COVID-19 cases grew, some U.S. senators sold off stocks and then downplayed the viruss risk to the public. This shows that in the face of the pandemic, some U.S. politicians put their own interests above peoples lives. How could it curb the spread of the virus and meet the expectations of the voters? The coronavirus is not a matter of ideology and to contain the virus calls for the respect for science. But the U.S. has put politics above science and selfish interests above human lives in dealing with the virus. U.S. epidemiologists were responding to the threats posed by the coronavirus from the very beginning, but their work was quickly politicized, noted Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman. Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, said the U.S. government is putting politics and cronyism ahead of science, after he was removed from that position. The Guidance for Implementing the Opening up America Again Framework written by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will never see the light of day because it is too detailed. A warning given by top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci about the dangers of reopening the economy and schools too quickly was described as not acceptable. A democratic system that worships selfish political gains more than scientific facts and peoples health is never worth being touted. May is traditionally the Older Americans Month. A report published on the website of the White House said that the government will recommit to doing what it can to support and care for seniors. However, data released this May indicated that more than 1/3 of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. were reported from nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Whats even worse, some American politicians even inhumanly recommended that old people sacrifice their lives for the sake of the economy. The U.S., which always labels itself as a role model of democracy and human rights, well explains the inconsistency of words and deeds and extreme hypocrisy by what it has done. The COVID-19 mortality rate among senior people, the poor and non-white people in the U.S. is higher than that in other groups, statistic showed. If you are a high-income person, you can get tests a lot of times. If youre low income, youre not likely to get tested at all, said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation during an interview with media. Its not hard to notice that the U.S. human rights are enjoyed only by the rich and democracy is a game of the rich. The deep-rooted problems of the American democracy have long existed, and the pandemic has made them more prominent. In April, Christi A. Grimm, the principal deputy inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services, released a report detailing medical supply shortages at hospitals. The document embarrassed Washington, which then announced to replace the official. Since the explosive spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., a number of officials have been fired for telling the truth or holding opinions different from that of Washington. The root cause for this is that the U.S. politics is driven by money and votes. Democracy is nowhere to be found in people who stick to the autocratic thinking that those who follow will prosper while those who dont will perish, who act arbitrarily and appoint favored people, and who are obsessed with political competition and ignore the interests of the people. Democracy is a value shared by all mankind. Though it varies in countries with different historical and cultural backgrounds, democracy should serve the fundamental interests of the people no matter in which country. Facts have evidenced that it is self-deceptive to claim democracy exists in a country where there are a complete set of mechanisms and eloquent words spoken by politicians, but no respect for the people. We advise certain American politicians to stop being arrogant and biased, and reflect on the weaknesses of the U.S. democracy and the real crises it is faced with, instead of pointing their fingers at others. This is for the good of both the world and the U.S. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. Two men have died after their bodies were pulled out of the River Avon in Bath today. Emergency services were called just after 4pm on Wednesday after it was reported that three people had fallen into the river near Bathampton Mill. The rescue mission was led by Avon and Somerset Police, with Avon Fire & Rescue Service and the South Western Ambulance Service also in attendance. Two men believed to be in their 20s have died after their bodies were pulled out of the River Avon near Bathampton Mill (pictured) on Wednesday afternoon According to reports, four people jumped in to help those who had fallen in the river but the two men were pronounced dead at the scene after they had been pulled out from the water According to ITV News, the two men were believed to be in their 20s and four people had jumped into the river in an attempt to save them. After an extensive search by the rescue team, two male bodies were pulled out of the water, with both men pronounced dead shortly afterwards. A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: 'We were called at 4.12pm by the ambulance service amid concern for people in the water near Toll Bridge Road in Bath. 'A rescue operation was subsequently led by Avon Fire and Rescue Service. 'Two adult casualties were rescued and given into the care of the ambulance service. However both males were pronounced dead at the scene. 'We are not treating the circumstances around the deaths as suspicious at this time. The deaths will be referred to the coroner.' Avon Fire & Rescue Service were called to the scene along with Avon and Somerset Police (pictured) and the South West Ambulance Service The two men were pronounced dead at the scene, while police are not treating the incident as suspicious at this time Reports that say 11 ambulances, including an air ambulance (pictured), were called to the scene on Wednesday afternoon According to Somerset Live, 11 ambulances - including an air ambulance - were called to the incident on Toll Bridge Road, located on the opposite side of the river to the Bathampton Mill. One social media user, who goes by the name of 'Ant', tweeted that the Toll Bridge Road had reopened just before 7pm on Wednesday following the incident. On May 19, 'Ant' also tweeted: 'Toll Bridge Road now increasingly dangerous for pedestrians. Cars going full speed even though people are on both sides of the road to maintain distance. Marked increase in traffic. Guy in car weaving between pedestrians like they were bollards.' A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: Prices of dwellings in housing companies 2021, November Published: 28 May 2020 Price development of old dwellings in housing companies unchanged as transactions plummeted in April According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, prices of old dwellings in housing companies rose compared to April 2019 by two per cent in Greater Helsinki and decreased as much in the rest of Finland. Compared to March, prices remained almost unchanged in Greater Helsinki and elsewhere in Finland. Development of prices of old dwellings in housing companies by month, index 2015=100 Based on transactions made through real estate agents, around 35 per cent fewer transactions of old dwellings were made in April compared with the corresponding period last year. According to preliminary data, in large towns prices rose most in Helsinki in Turku compared to the corresponding period last year. Prices went up slightly in Tampere, Espoo and Vantaa from April 2019. Development of prices of old dwellings in housing companies by month in large cities in 2015 to 2020M04 In April, the average price per square metre of an old dwelling in a block of flats was EUR 4,800 in Helsinki, EUR 2,069 in Turku and EUR 2,600 in Tampere. Prices per square metre of old dwellings in housing companies, April 2020 1) Area Price, EUR/m Index 2015=100 Monthly change, % Yearly change, % Whole country 2,155 103.7 0.1 -0.2 Greater Helsinki 3,846 113.0 0.6 1.9 Rest of the country (whole country - Greater Helsinki) 1,659 95.4 -0.4 -2.2 Satellite municipalities 2) 2,066 94.7 -0.9 -3.7 Helsinki 4,415 117.3 1.4 2.5 Espoo-Kauniainen 3,501 106.8 0.2 1.0 Vantaa 2,894 104.4 -2.3 0.8 Tampere 2,527 109.0 1.3 0.6 Turku 2,180 114.4 0.6 3.6 Oulu 1,848 99.1 -1.0 -3.8 1) Preliminary data2) Satellite municipalities = Hyvinkaa, Jarvenpaa, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Nurmijarvi, Riihimaki, Sipoo, Tuusula and Vihti When the monthly statistics on prices of dwellings in housing companies are published, they cover approximately 70 per cent of all transactions made in the latest statistical month. The monthly data become revised during the following months so that the final data for the year are published in the release concerning the first quarter of the following year. Further information about data revisions can be found in separate tables. Starting from March 2020, the data used in the statistics on prices of old dwellings in housing companies are the Tax Administration's data on dwellings (data on ownership of dwellings in housing companies). Data on dwellings should not be used to assess the activity of transactions in the latest period. The numbers of old dwellings in housing companies sold through real estate agents are based on the data from the price monitoring service of the Central Federation of Finnish Real Estate Agencies. Source: Prices of dwellings in housing companies, Statistics Finland Inquiries: Petri Kettunen 029 551 3558, Elina Vuorio 029 551 3385, asuminen.hinnat@stat.fi Director in charge: Mari Yla-Jarkko Publication in pdf-format (340.4 kB) Updated 28.5.2020 Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Prices of dwellings in housing companies [e-publication]. ISSN=2323-8801. April 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 21.1.2022]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ashi/2020/04/ashi_2020_04_2020-05-28_tie_001_en.html The tech giant Google is introducing a number of new updates focused on helping businesses to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic while continuing to serve their consumers across services such as Google Search and Google Maps. Since the coronavirus has started to spread across the globe, the company has made it possible for local businesses to connect to consumer things such as temporary closures, or revised working hours. Currently, Google is introducing and expanding a series of tools that will help businesses to support themselves, including those businesses that are focusing on fundraising, marketing their virtual services, or gift card sales.These Google My Business features will also help restaurants to point to those delivery partners who they prefer, so people will be able to select to place their order via the third-party the business suggests. Previously, it was hard for restaurants to swallow large commission fees charged by food delivery applications, and now these apps are making huge profits from the restaurant industrys collapse due to the coronavirus.Obviously, the updates introduced by Google will not allow these restaurants to avoid the commission fee charged by food delivery apps, restaurants will surely be able to suggest their preferred delivery app to consumers. Businesses will surely suggest those apps charging the lowest commission fees. Google has also expanded its delivery partners across Germany, Australia, Canada, and the US to allow Google Map users to order delivery from over 250,000 new restaurants.The company is also expanding a feature it recently released to allow businesses to sell gift cards to support themselves. Consumers can donate to their favorite business via Google Search in extra markets. The company initiated by letting merchants in the US, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, and Australia to include support links for gift cards and donations.Now, the feature will be expanded to over 18 extra countries. Google has also made another change focused to address the wider way the coronavirus is affecting in-person businesses. Businesses verified via Google My Business will be able to send an alert notification to their consumers that they are working in a new capacity, in the coming few weeks. The company is now expanding its Reserve with Google appointment-setting initiative to help businesses to provide convenient online appointment bookings to their consumers.The ability of Google to connect people with businesses has a huge impact and has surged traffic across Google Search and Google Maps. The search for interest such as takeout near me has increased by around 260% since Feb of this year. However, despite the fact Google is introducing updates at a rapid pace, the company has seen more temporary as well as permanent business closures during March and April of this year as compared to Google saw in all of the previous year.Other massive social platforms have also released new tools to help businesses sell their gift cards. Google is introducing updates in the coming weeks and months, it is more likely that businesses have found alternative ways to connect to their consumers and fundraise without the help of Google. Jen Fitzpatrick, SVP, Google Maps stated that around one in 3 businesses believe that their business may have closed without digital tools.Read next: YouTube Is Testing To Integrate Google Search Results With Video Search In Its Mobile App Stocks in Asia Pacific were mixed on Thursday as mounting U.S.-China tensions weighed on investor sentiment. Japanese stocks led gains among the major regional markets, with the Nikkei 225 rising 2.32% to close at 21,916.31 as shares of index heavyweight Fast Retailing jumped 3.7%. The Topix index also advanced 1.8% to finish its trading day at 1,577.34. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slipped 1.11%, as of its final hour of trading, with shares of Chinese tech giant Tencent dropping 2.95%. Mainland Chinese stocks were mixed on the day, with the Shanghai composite up 0.33% to about 2,846.22 while the Shenzhen component slipped 0.273% to around 10,653.49. Elsewhere, the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia jumped 1.32% to close at 5,851.10 after Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe told lawmakers that "it is possible that the economic downturn will not be severe as earlier thought." Meanwhile, South Korea's Kospi dipped 0.13% to end its trading day at 2,028.54. Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index was fractionally lower. New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Government is trying to reach out to trade union and bank employees, who have threatened to go on a nationwide strike on September 2 (Friday). In the wake of the strike, PM Modi held an emergency meeting on Monday evening with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya. Sources who attended the meeting said that the government will reach out to unions within 48 hours with an offer that could help avert the strike. Banks, government offices and factories will be closed on Friday across the country, the unions have warned. The central unions and the bank employee unions have been pushing for 12 major demands since September last year, including raising the minimum wage from Rs 9,000 to Rs 18,000 per month. A pay hike for bank employees is pending since November 2012. The unions are also opposed to the recent easing of rules by the government, for foreign investment, particularly in sectors like pharmaceutical and defence. As many as 10 central trade unions have called for a one-day, pan-India strike on September 2. Nearly five lakh bank union workers and officers are also set to join the strike called by trade unions. Last year too, the unions had gone on a strike on September 2 to oppose the amendments in labour laws by the Centre as well as the states, saying that their 12-point charter of demands had not been met. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Huawei Technologies Cos Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou lost a key battle in a Canadian court on May 27, to avoid extradition to the United States. Meng, who was detained by Canada in December 2018, is currently under house arrest in Vancouver and wanted by the United States on charges of bank fraud. Prosecutors accused her of misleading a bank in the US on Huaweis relationship with a company operating in Iran, putting it at risk of penalties for flouting US sanctions on Tehran. However, defence lawyers have argued that the case is about the US sanctions on Iran and not a bank fraud case, adding that Canada has repudiated the sanctions. British Columbias Superior Court judge Heather Holmes ruled that the legal standard of double criminality had been met. Holmes said that Mengs approach would seriously limit Canadas ability to fulfil its international obligations in the extradition context for fraud and other economic crimes. Read: Boris Johnson Plans To Scale Back Huawei Role In UK's 5G Network: Report China demands immediate release The Chinese embassy in Ottawa expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the courts decision and accused Canada of acting as an accomplice of the United States in bringing down Huawei and other Chinese companies. The embassy said in a statement that the US and Canada gravely violated the lawful rights and interests of Meng by abusing their bilateral extradition treaty. The whole case is entirely a grave political incident...We once again urge Canada to take China's solemn position and concerns seriously, immediately release Ms Meng Wanzhou to allow her to return safely to China, and not go further down the wrong path, the embassy added. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on May 26 the government does not need to apologise for the courts decision on Mengs extradition or explain it to China. In late 2018, diplomatic relations of Beijing and Ottawa soured after the Candian authorities arrested the Huawei Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on a US arrest warrant. China retaliated within days and detained two Canadians, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor. Read: 'Survival Is At Stake: Chinese Telecom Giant Huawei After US Tightens Noose On Exports The husband of Lori Klausutis, the deceased staffer of former Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-FL), has called on Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey to delete tweets posted by President Donald Trump that baselessly accuse Scarborough of murdering his dead wife, saying the president has perverted the memory of her for political gain. Over the past few weeks, the president has shamelessly taken to his Twitter account to peddle long-debunked conspiracy theories that Scarboroughnow the host of MSNBCs Morning Joekilled Klausutis while still a member of Congress in 2001. Trump, who previously tossed out the false accusation in 2017, has called on law enforcement to open the Cold Case and followers to use forensic geniuses to look into Klausutis death, despite the fact that authorities found no sign of foul play and her death was ruled an accident due to an abnormal heart rhythm. Trump has ramped up his conspiratorial tweets as Scarborough has continued to be highly critical of him on-air, largely over Trumps coronavirus pandemic response. In the letter sent to Dorsey, first obtained by New York Times columnist Kara Swisher, Timothy Klausutis pleaded with the Twitter chief to please delete those tweets, adding that his wife deserves better. Noting that Trumps tweets were followed by the presidents son amplifying the vicious lie, Mr. Klausutis observed that Trumps posts that his wife was murdered without any evidence and contrary to public evidence would appear to directly violate Twitters own terms of service. An ordinary user like me would be banished from the platform for such a tweet but I am only asking that these tweets be removed, he wrote. Im asking you to intervene in this instance because the President of the United States has taken something that does not belong to himthe memory of my dead wife and perverted it for perceived political gain, Mr. Klausutis continued. I would also ask that you consider Loris niece and two nephews who will eventually come across this filth in the future. They have never met their Aunt and it pains me to think they would ever have to learn about her this way. Story continues On Tuesday morning, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Beast that the social media giant would not, in fact, be taking any enforcement action on the tweets at this time. We are deeply sorry about the pain these statements, and the attention they are drawing, are causing the family, the spokesperson said. We've been working to expand existing product features and policies so we can more effectively address things like this going forward, and we hope to have those changes in place shortly. During Tuesdays broadcast of Morning Joe, Scarborough and the rest of the crewincluding wife and co-host Mika Brzezinski, who has already contacted Dorsey about Trumps tweetsdiscussed the letter and the presidents repeated attacks, pointing out how much Lori Klausutis family has suffered. The idea that T.J. now has to deal with this again, sit down and write this letter, is truly appalling, co-host Willie Geist said. Whatever humanity the president may have, I hope he would appeal to it and listen to Loris husband. Last week, as she was calling on Dorsey to take down the tweets, Brzezinski directly addressed the president on air, calling him a cruel, sick, disgusting person and that he should be ashamed of himself. Mika Brzezinski Blasts Trump for Again Accusing Husband Joe Scarborough of Murder: Youre a Sick Person! The president, however, seemed unfazed by Mr. Klausutis plea to stop using his dead wifes memory to take potshots at a critical cable news host. In a series of tweets Tuesday morning, Trump claimed he was just repeating others by bringing up the conspiracies. The opening of a Cold Case against Psycho Joe Scarborough was not a Donald Trump original thought, this has been going on for years, long before I joined the chorus, he tweeted. In 2016 when Joe & his wacky future ex-wife, Mika, would endlessly interview me, I would always be thinking about whether or not Joe could have done such a horrible thing? Trump added. Maybe or maybe not, but I find Joe to be a total Nut Job, and I knew him well, far better than most. So many unanswered & obvious questions, but I wont bring them up now! Law enforcement eventually will? 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. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has told the Supreme Court that the property investigation agency has seized Rs 187 crore of the multinational company JP Morgan involved in embezzlement of Amrapali Group home buyers. On the other hand, JP Morgan India refused to do anything wrong, saying that it is illegal for the ED to seize its property. Since it had no dealings with Amrapali group. This financial transaction is with JP Morgan Singapore and Mauritius. CM Chandrashekhar Rao said this about formation day of Telangana In its statement, a division bench of Justices Arun Mishra and UU Lalit has asked the Enforcement Directorate to give a brief reply to the concern raised by JP Morgan India. The bench has also reserved its decision on floor area ratio (FAR) which has assured Noida and Greater Noida Authority to provide financial assistance on such projects. Weather Updates: Possibility of rain in these places Lawyer of JP Morgan India, Mukul Rohatgi said during the hearing that on Tuesday, the ED has seized the assets of JP Morgan India as per the directions of the Supreme Court. Rohatgi said that it is wrong to confiscate the assets of JP Morgan India as it never had anything to do with this real estate company. The companies are from Singapore and Mauritius which invested in the Amrapali Group. The bench said that the court is worried about JP Morgan, whose branches are spread all over the world. When a company has branches all over the world, it has to keep a complete account. The court said that it would like to hear the ED's brief reply on the arguments of JP Morgan India on the next hearing. India shows such strength to beat Chinese army Ill. churches ask Supreme Court to stop states lockdown order limiting worship attendees Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Two Illinois churches have filed an emergency request for relief to the U.S. Supreme Court from a state order that limits in-person worship services to no more than 10 people. Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church and Logos Baptist Ministries filed the injunction request on Wednesday, asking for relief from the order by Sunday, which is the holy day of Pentecost. In their request for relief, the churches said Gov. Jay Pritzker's limitations on worship gatherings in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19 are arbitrary and discriminatory against houses of worship. Governor Pritzker has no plans to remove the 10-person limit on worship anytime soon, read the request. On May 5, 2020, Governor Pritzker released his 5-phase Restore Illinois plan, continuing to subject churches to the 10-person limit through Phases 1, 2, and 3, upping the limit to 50 under Phase 4, and eventually removing limits in Phase 5 no sooner than 12 to 18 months from now, and all subject to change, at any time. The churches stressed that they've been following social distancing guidelines, such as keeping attendees 6 feet apart, checking people's temperatures before entering their buildings, and regularly cleaning and disinfecting their properties. Concerns about being fined, arrested, hauled off to jail, or subjected to other punitive measures have interfered with and diminished its collective worship experience, to a much greater extent than COVID-19 and the resulting precautionary measures it has voluntarily employed, ever could, continued the churches' request. This diminishment of churches exercise of their sincerely held beliefs will continue as long as Governor Pritzkers orders disparately single out in-person religious services for more restrictive treatment. The request for relief came days after Pastor Cristian Ionescu of Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church received a letter from the Chicago Department of Public Health demanding that his church stop holding services that defy state orders. I appeal to you as a leader in your community and remain hopeful that you will work with me for the health, safety, and welfare of all Chicagoans, wrote Department Commissioner Allison Arwady. If you continue to operate in defiance of the Executive Order, the city will pursue all available legal remedies Any future gatherings conducted contrary to the order will be considered a failure to abate and the city will take steps necessary to abate, including Summary Abatement. Liberty Counsel founder and Chairman Mat Staver, whose law firm is representing the churches, said the health department's letter was un-American. To declare these churches to be a public nuisance for holding a service of more than 10 people is reminiscent of Communist Romania, and not America, Staver said Wednesday. Our Romanian pastors are familiar with these heavy-handed government tactics but never imagined they would experience the same in the Land of the Free. Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church and several other congregations in the Chicago area have held in-person worship services that defy state orders limiting the number of attendees to only 10. Supporters of the restrictions on worship attendance have argued that it's justified for health reasons amid concerns that infections can spread rapidly in larger gatherings, such as worship services. here in Chicago, we have lost three faith leaders to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and many more congregants who have been linked to churches with clusters outbreaks, wrote Arwady in the letter to Ionescu. In February 2020, the CDC reported that one COVID-19 positive individual experiencing mild respiratory symptoms, unknowingly spread COVID to 16 people, ages 5 to 86 years, after attending a church funeral and a birthday party, Arwady added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 13:10:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian experts' visit to the U.S.-financed Richard G. Lugar Center for Public Health Research in Georgia should not involve a third party, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said. "We assume that a visit should take place in a bilateral format without the involvement of representatives of other countries," the ministry said in a statement. Georgia on Wednesday voiced readiness to invite Russian experts to study the operations of the Lugar research facility, but they should be part of a wider delegation. Russia has been expressing concerns over the Pentagon's use of the center to research dangerous infectious diseases near the Russian border. The United States and Georgia have both dismissed such allegations. As the highest level of laboratory network in Georgia, the Lugar center based on the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health was opened in 2011 and became operational in 2013. Enditem Advertisement Kate Garraway wiped away tears as she took part in a nationwide applause in honour of the NHS key workers on Thursday night while her critically-ill husband Derek Draper continues to fight coronavirus in hospital. The Good Morning Britain presenter, 53, also took to Instagram to share an update about her spouse's COVID-19 battle and admitted she was emotional over the fact it could be the final clap for carers after the founder said it should be the last one. Kate lamented the fact the weekly salute was 'coming to an end before Derek's ordeal' and said that she was finding it hard to 'stay strong' for their two children Darcey, 14, and Billy, 10. Battle: Kate Garraway wiped away tears as she took part in a nationwide applause in honour of the NHS key workers on Thursday night while her critically-ill husband Derek Draper continues to fight coronavirus in hospital The star put on a brave face as she joined millions across the nation at 8pm for the 10th week in a row and went all out for the 'final' applause with a toy tambourine. Kate took to Instagram shortly afterwards to share a video of her two children joining in as they sat on their London home's brick wall and tapped on miniature drums. The GMB star emotionally penned: 'Hear this might be the last clap for carers so Billy thought we should get the drums out to go out in style!. Its been such a source of weekly comfort for them & me & I must admit I felt the tears come tonight to think it's coming to an end before Derek's ordeal with us. . 'But whether we clap or not next Thursday my eternal thanks to all in the #nhs goes on. They are keeping Derek alive & everyone of them is fighting as hard as Derek is to give us the chance to be reunited. Hope has to keep us all going doesn't it ? Emotional: The Good Morning Britain presenter, 53, also took to Instagram to share an update about her spouse's COVID-19 battle and admitted she was emotional over the fact it could be the final clap for carers after the founder said it should be the last one Challenging: Kate lamented the fact the weekly salute was 'coming to an end before Derek's ordeal' and said that she was finding it hard to 'stay strong' for their two children Darcey, 14, and Billy, 10 Critically-ill: Kate's supportive husband and former lobbyist, Derek, was taken into hospital on March 30 and is understood to be in an unresponsive condition as he remains in a critical care unit (pictured together in December) 'I am having to find new ways of staying strong everyday for Darcey & Billy , as I know Derek would want me to. It's not easy but when I think of how hard Derek is fighting & the bravery of all in the #nhs it helps. 'Thanks so much for all your messages & thanks for sharing on club Garraway.com . Standing together & learning from each other has to get us all through. #hope #love #clapthecarers #wherethereslifethereshope.' Kate's supportive husband and former lobbyist, Derek, was taken into hospital on March 30 and is understood to be in an unresponsive condition as he remains in a critical care unit. The star made sure she went all out for the 'final' clap for carers as she was seen cheering in the street with a toy tambourine. Upsetting: Kate was left emotional over the final clap for carers as her husband Derek continues to fight coronavirus in hospital Teary: Kate admitted in a heartfelt message on Instagram that she felt 'the tears come' over the fact that this could be the final clap for carers Brave face: The star put on a brave face as she joined millions across the nation at 8pm for the 10th week in a row and went all out for the 'final' applause with a toy tambourine The GMB star penned: 'Hear this might be the last clap for carers so Billy thought we should get the drums out to go out in style! Its been such a source of weekly comfort for them & me & I must admit I felt the tears come tonight to think it's coming to an end before Derek's ordeal with us.' Kate's two children sat on their home's brick wall as they made noise and played on two miniature drums each. The presenter put on a brave face as she cheered and filmed her neighbours' support during the nationwide applause on Thursday night. Understandably so, Kate was overcome with emotion over the clapping as she was seen wiping away tears during the emotional scenes. While the presenter went on to hug and kiss her two children, Darcey, 14, and Billy, 10, as the family supported each other during the challenging time. She added: 'But whether we clap or not next Thursday my eternal thanks to all in the #nhs goes on. They are keeping Derek alive & everyone of them is fighting as hard as Derek is to give us the chance to be reunited. Hope has to keep us all going doesn't it?' Support: Kate thanked everyone for their support as she concluded her message with: 'Thanks so much for all your messages & thanks for sharing on club Garraway.com . Standing together & learning from each other has to get us all through. #hope #love #clapthecarers #wherethereslifethereshope.' Comfort: The star was sweetly comforted by her daughter Darcey, 14, who wrapped her arms around her tearful mother Going all out: The star made sure she went all out for the 'final' clap for carers as she was seen cheering in the street with a toy tambourine Last week Kate shared another update about Derek in a heartfelt Instagram post, revealing that while her 'heart sinks everyday' her husband is 'still here' although his battle is 'far from over'. He remains in ICU. Her GMB colleague Piers Morgan revealed Kate has been given 'huge hope' as she hears stories from coronavirus survivors. The lead presenter, 55, spoke about his close friend after hearing from a woman called Jo Tillbrook who survived coronavirus after a long stint in hospital. He said: 'One of my colleagues, Kate Garraway, her husband has been very critically ill for a long period of time now. Lifting her spirits: The presenter put on a brave face as she cheered and filmed her neighbours' support during the nationwide applause on Thursday night Family: Kate's two children sat on their home's brick wall as they made noise and played on two miniature drums each Brave: Kate put on a brave face as she posed for a photo with Darcey as they filmed the 'final' clap for carers on Thursday night 'And these sort of stories, I have to say, think give Kate huge hope when she hears and sees them.' Jo's husband Clive had been told to 'prepare for the worst' by doctors, who were concerned that Jo wouldn't be able to recover - however she made a full recovery. Piers added: 'She was in the very same position that Clive was in, you can't see your loved one. You just have to muddle through, I guess.' The journalist also acknowledged that Kate is 'going through a living hell' as she is unable to visit her sick partner. Sweet: Kate shared a video of her two children clapping and playing on drums for their father during the weekly salute for NHS key workers Emotional: Understandably so, Kate was overcome with emotion over the clapping as she was seen wiping away tears during the emotional scenes Piers said: 'We haven't talked about it much because Kate Garraway is going through a living hell like many people. Her husband has been in a very serious condition for many many weeks. 'We can all just hope and pray he comes through it, but it's been very, very difficult for Kate and her family. 'We miss her here at the show, but obviously we stay in touch with her a lot. We send her and the kids all our love and we just wish Derek all the very best.' Susanna Reid added: 'We haven't said much, we leave it up to Kate, because she updates fans on Thursdays after the Clap for Carers and then Ben Shephard updates viewers the next day.' Before the pandemic, Kate revealed the couple were set to renew their vows later this year after 15 years of marriage. Weekly salute: Kate and her two children have been clapping each week to support the NHS amid Derek's coronavirus ordeal Supporting each other: While the presenter went on to hug and kiss her two children, Darcey, 14, and Billy, 10, as the family supported each other through the challenging time The broadcaster was stunned when Derek proposed to her for a second time following her appearance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!. Derek is best-known for his career as a former lobbyist. During his time as a political adviser he was embroiled in two political scandals - 1998's Lobbygate and in 2009 a scandal surrounding LabourList, the website he edited. He went on to write two books - Blair's 100 Days and Life Support - before retraining as a psychotherapist. Kate and Derek have been married for 14 years, with the former lobbyist cheering his wife on for the duration of her stint on I'm A Celebrity last year, he flew out to Australia with their two children to meet her. Marriage: Kate and Derek have been married for 14 years, with the former lobbyist cheering his wife on for the duration of her stint on I'm A Celebrity last year, he flew out to Australia with their two children to meet her (pictured in 2010 with their son Billy) Kate joined a slew of celebrities who took part with Katie Price, 42, also seen outside her new 4,250-a-month rented Surrey home on Thursday night as she took to her Instagram to share a video of herself clapping for carers. The mother-of-five, who is usually joined by her eldest child, Harvey, 18, each week, revealed that her son, who has autism, Prader-Willi Syndrome, is partially sighted and struggles with septo-optic dysplasia, was 'knackered' in bed after celebrating his birthday on Wednesday. The former glamour model, who wore a pink tracksuit and matching sunglasses, went on to perform some tricks with her beloved protection dog Blade as she commanded him to sit and bark for the carers. Clap: Kate joined a slew of celebrities who took part with Katie Price (pictured), 42, also seen outside her new 4,250-a-month rented Surrey home on Thursday night as she took to her Instagram to share a video of herself clapping for carers The last clap? Rochelle Humes, who is pregnant with her third child - a baby boy, shared a sweet video of her eldest child, daughter Alaia-Mai, seven, clapping in their sitting room Cute: The former glamour model, who wore a pink tracksuit and matching sunglasses, went on to perform some tricks with her beloved protection dog Blade as she commanded him to sit and bark for the carers Rochelle Humes, who is pregnant with her third child - a baby boy, shared a sweet video of her eldest child, daughter Alaia-Mai, seven, clapping in their sitting room. While Myleene Klass joined in with her three children - Ava, 12, Hero, nine, and Apollo, nine-months, outside her London home. However, Thursday's salute could be the last one, after the founder of the event called on Britons to concentrate on other ways to support the NHS. Sweet: Myleene Klass joined in with her three children - Ava, 12, Hero, nine, and Apollo, nine-months, outside her London home Cute! Aston Merrygold and his pregnant fiancee Sarah Lou also took part by sharing a fun dance video with their son Grayson Jax, two Annemarie Plas told Good Morning Britain that it's time to move on but praised people who'd taken part. Although she hopes neighbours will still come out onto their doorsteps to socialise at 8pm, the mother believes it's now time to concentrate on concrete steps to improve conditions for key workers. Ms Plas, a Dutch national living in South London, said she was 'overwhelmed' by the support for the weekly ritual, but said it was better to stop when it was at 'its peak'. As of Thursday there have been 269K confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 37,837 deaths in the UK alone. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Thursday allowed shifting of 955 foreign nationals, who had participated in the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz event, from institutional quarantine to an alternate place of accommodation. A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar, which conducted the hearing through video conferencing, disposed of two petitions filed by various foreign nationals and said all of them will be shifted from government's quarantine centers to nine designated places in the national capital as suggested by them. The high court's order came after the Centre, Delhi government and Delhi Police did not object to the suggestion of petitioners' counsel for shifting the foreigners to alternate accommodation and that the financial burden will be borne by the community, Tablighi Jamaat. The high court had earlier sought response of the authorities on a plea seeking release of 916 foreign nationals, who had participated in the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz event and are held in institutional quarantine since March 30 despite being tested negative for COVID-19. Later, another similar petition was filed by various other foreign nationals. The Revenue Department, in a status report filed through Delhi government standing counsel Rahul Mehra and advocate Chaitanya Gosain, gave its no objection for shifting the foreign nationals. Similarly, Delhi Police and Centre also verbally recorded their no objection for it. The high court was also informed that 47 charge sheets have been filed against the foreign nationals as of now in the trial court. Senior advocate Rebecca John and lawyer Ashima Mandla, appearing for the petitioners, had sought that all foreign nationals who have been tested negative for COVID-19 and are in quarantine be released and sent to alternate places of accommodation and submitted the list. The Delhi Police had earlier told the high court that it had neither arrested nor detained anyone in the case lodged against members of Tablighi Jamaat for participating in the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz event during the COVID-19 lockdown. The petitions had challenged a May 9 order of Delhi government's Department of Revenue which had directed for handing over of 567 foreign nationals, presently held in institutional quarantine, to the custody of Delhi Police after being tested negative for the virus. The petitioners had said the order is ultra vires to the right to equality before law and right to life and liberty. The plea said FIRs were lodged by the Delhi Police in relation to the Markaz congregation against unknown persons. It said the Delhi government's Revenue Department's order directing for handling over custody of 567 foreign nationals under institutional quarantine to the custody of the Delhi Police, upon being tested negative for Covid-19, is prima facie illegal and untenable in law. After being exposed to a large gathering in March amid the COVID-19 or coronavirus lockdown many members of Tablighi Jamaat from Markaz Hazrat Nizamuddin were taken out by the authorities and lodged in different quarantine centres in Delhi. Some of them were sent to the centres a few days later after being detained from various mosques. In April, COVID-19 cases in Delhi spiked after hundreds of many Tablighi Jamaat members, who had attended a large congregation in Nizamuddin, tested positive. The other members were directly taken to quarantine centres to contain the spread of COVID-19. FILE PHOTO: European Trade Commissioner-designate Phil Hogan attends his hearing before the European Parliament in Brussels BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe should have a candidate to become the next head of the World Trade Organization, EU trade chief Phil Hogan said on Thursday, describing the prospect of a future European head as "wonderful". Brazilian Director-General Roberto Azevedo will quit at the end of August, a year earlier than expected. "Of course we will look forward to having a European candidate," EU trade commissioner Hogan told the trade committee of the European Parliament. "It would be wonderful to have a European candidate elected to the director general of the WTO at a time when we need an organisation to be reformed, to be made more effective and efficient, to adapt the rules to the new realities of the 21st century," he continued. One name often cited by analysts is Spanish foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya, who was chief of staff for former WTO chief Pascal Lamy. She told Reuters on Thursday she had a "full plate" with her current job and was "100% devoted" to serving her country in difficult circumstances due to the coronavirus crisis. "It is a process that has barely started, a discussion that the EU has to have," she said. Nominations can be made from June 8 to July 8. With three of the previous six directors-general from Europe and the others from Thailand, Brazil and New Zealand, there is pressure to choose a leader from Africa. Finding a successor is unlikely to be easy at a time of global tensions exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including strained U.S-China relations and rising protectionism. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; additional reporting by Belen Carreno in Madrid; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) (CNN) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he certified to Congress Wednesday that Hong Kong no longer enjoys a high degree of autonomy from China -- a decision that could result in the loss of Hong Kong's special trading status with the US and threaten the autonomous region's standing as an international financial hub. "The State Department is required by the Hong Kong Policy Act to assess the autonomy of the territory from China. After careful study of developments over the reporting period, I certified to Congress today that Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as U.S. laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997," he said in a statement. "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground." His decision comes after Beijing introduced controversial national security legislation for Hong Kong -- legislation that Pompeo again denounced in Wednesday's statement as a "disastrous decision." Last week, the top US diplomat warned that the passage of the legislation would be a "death knell" for Hong Kong's autonomy. The proposed law has prompted protests in Hong Kong and has been denounced internationally, with observers warning it could curtail many of the fundamental political freedoms and civil liberties guaranteed in the agreement handing the city over from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Under the "One Country, Two Systems" policy, Hong Kong retains limited democracy and civil liberties despite being under Beijing's control. The autonomous region also holds a special trade status with the US, which grants it certain exemptions on trade that are not enjoyed by mainland China. Last year, Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in support of the region's pro-democracy protesters. Under that law, the US must annually verify to Congress that Hong Kong remains autonomous from China, or it risks losing its special status. Pompeo said the decision on Hong Kong's autonomy "gives (him) no pleasure," noting that "Hong Kong and its dynamic, enterprising, and free people have flourished for decades as a bastion of liberty." "But sound policy making requires a recognition of reality," he said. "While the United States once hoped that free and prosperous Hong Kong would provide a model for authoritarian China, it is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself." Pompeo said in past weeks that he had delayed the required report to Congress because they were "closely watching what's going on there." Trump will determine next steps A congressional aide told CNN that the certification does not automatically trigger action and the President will determine the next steps. The loss of its special status would have significant financial implications. The US Consulate General in Hong Kong says it represents more than 1,200 US companies doing business there -- more than 800 are either regional offices or headquarters. Hong Kong was the US' 21st largest goods trading partner in 2018, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative. According to the US Census Bureau, the US exported $6.36 billion in goods and imported $952 million in goods from Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2020. Bill Reinsch, the Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, predicted that a loss of status would result in "an exodus, and not just American companies going elsewhere." "It's bad news for Hong Kong as a financial center. Money goes where it's safe," he told CNN. "It will also be a signal for banks to be very, very careful about Hong Kong. They've worked very very hard to maintain the position they're in, which is very precarious." "Watch and see what London does, watch and see what Tokyo does. It's going to change and the victims will be the people of Hong Kong -- Xi Jinping doesn't suffer at all," he said. Stephen Orlins, president of the nonprofit National Committee on United States-China Relations, said ending the special status would be "catastrophic." "If we end Hong Kong's separate status we hurt the people of Hong Kong more than it hurts the people of mainland China. It will devastate them. So the people who you try to protect, you are shooting," he told CNN. Pompeo said the decision on Hong Kong's autonomy "gives (him) no pleasure," noting that "Hong Kong and its dynamic, enterprising, and free people have flourished for decades as a bastion of liberty." "But sound policy making requires a recognition of reality," he said. "While the United States once hoped that free and prosperous Hong Kong would provide a model for authoritarian China, it is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself." Rep. Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who chairs the China Task Force, said the decision was "regrettable, but the Chinese Communist Party left us no choice." Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and close ally of the President, called on the Senate to "act on bipartisan legislation sanctioning China for the destruction of Hong Kong's democracy and freedom." Adds to tensions over pandemic The decision comes as the rhetoric between Washington and Beijing has grown increasingly adversarial amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Trump administration has foisted blame on China for failing to be sufficiently transparent at the outset of the deadly virus. Orlins said that the administration's certification on Hong Kong fits in with the larger strategy of blaming China. "The Trump campaign had decided to deflect action from its bungling of the coronavirus pandemic to blaming China. So a finding that the mainland government violated the 'One Country, Two Systems' model and therefore Hong Kong is not to benefit anymore from the separate tariff entity system would be perceived as bashing China and would fit into his reelection plan, but it is so terrible to the people of Hong Kong," he told CNN. Under the 1997 handover agreement between the UK and China, Hong Kong's Basic Law was meant to ensure the territory's high degree of autonomy, with an independent executive, legislative and judicial system and control over its financial system, human rights and freedoms. Beijing also promised that Hong Kong citizens could elect their own local government by 2017. But in the last two decades, China has taken steady steps to infringe on Hong Kong's autonomy, culminating in the new proposed security law that bypasses the territory's legislature. Pompeo said in past weeks that he had delayed the required report to Congress on Hong Kong autonomy because the State Department was "closely watching what's going on there." He noted last week that "pro-democracy legislators were man-handled while trying to stop a procedural irregularity by pro-Beijing legislators. Leading Hong Kong activists like Martin Lee and Jimmy Lai were hauled into court. "Actions like these make it more difficult to assess that Hong Kong remains highly autonomous from mainland China," he said. The top US diplomat also repeatedly warned about the impact the national security legislation would have on the US assessment. China has tried to enforce legal and psychological obedience in Hong Kong, pushing from 2012 for education to instill "patriotism" in Hong Kong's children. In 2014, China issued a report asserting its authority over Hong Kong, sparking protests, and then moved to ban small pro-Hong Kong political parties and silence pro-independence voices. In 2015, Beijing began abducting independent booksellers who disappeared into China, sparking international outcry. In 2019, a proposed law allowing criminals to be extradited to China brought thousands of protestors into Hong Kong's streets, afraid that the territory's special status was being steadily corroded. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Pompeo certifies Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China, jeopardizing billions of dollars in trade" Australia's first Chinese-born MP has accused Beijing of undermining Hong Kong's autonomy as tough new national security laws designed to stamp out dissent sail through China's National People's Congress. In her first comments on Hong Kong since protests erupted over the new legislation this week, Liberal MP Gladys Liu hit out at the Chinese Communist Party for betraying a legally binding agreement that guaranteed its freedoms. "As someone who was born and raised in Hong Kong, I am saddened by the current violence and I am concerned about the proposed laws," Ms Liu told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Liberal MP Gladys Liu. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "Making such a law on Hong Kong's behalf, without the direct participation of its people, legislature or judiciary, would clearly undermine the principle of 'one country, two systems', under which Hong Kong is guaranteed a high degree of autonomy." L.A. County Renews $10,000 Reward in Unprovoked Westmont Fatal Shooting The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors renewed a $10,000 reward today for information leading to an arrest and conviction in an unprovoked attack in the unincorporated community of Westmont last summer that left a 42-year-old man dead. Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas recommended extending the reward, which was set to expire May 29 but will now be available for at least another 90 days. Investigators say Corey Devaughn Pickett was visiting a friend about 11:30 p.m. last July 12 in the 1000 block of West 94th Street, near Vermont Avenue and the border with Los Angeles, when his brother drove up in a new Maserati. When Pickett and his friend went out to the driveway to check out the luxury car, a four-door sedan coming from Budlong Avenue made an abrupt stop and two young men jumped out and fired about 20 rounds at the men. ADVERTISEMENT Pickett was struck by eight bullets and died at the scene. His friend took a bullet in the back, but the wound was not life-threatening, authorities said. The suspect vehicle was last seen heading east on 94th Street toward Vermont Avenue and out of view. None of the three men who were fired on had any gang affiliation, but investigators believe the gunmen were gang members, according to Ridley-Thomas. Pickett is survived by his mother, brother and adult daughter. Ridley-Thomas urged anyone with more information on the killing to call sheriffs homicide Detectives Esteban Soliz and Domenick Recchia at 323- 890-5500. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 800-222- TIPS (8477) or lacrimestoppers.org. A Hanoi court sentenced a Chinese man to six months in jail on Wednesday for stealing from a co-passenger on a flight last year. Wang Heping, 41, was on a Jetstar Pacific Airlines flight from HCMC to Hanoi on December 15 when he spotted a wallet in an open bag in the overhead bin section. He helped himself to over VND4 million ($172) from the wallet, his indictment in the Hanoi Peoples Court said. A woman passenger recorded his theft with her phone and informed the victim. Wang realized he had been caught in the act and disposed of the money on the plane, but airport authorities took him in. Theft on flights in Vietnam is not rare. Vietnam Airlines reported 20 cases in the first seven months of last year, and VietJet Air, 11, according to the Ministry of Transport. Many of the perpetrators were Chinese. Derry's Matalan store is expected to reopen soon. The company has confirmed it has started to unfurlough some of its staff this week to prepare to reopen the majority of its six stores in Northern Ireland, including the store at a business park in the Waterside. Homeware was included in the list of businesses permitted to remain open under the legal restrictions which came into law in Northern Ireland on March 28. The regulations in England were subsequently updated on May 1 to include homeware as an essential business, prompting Matalan to begin a phased reopening of its English outlets. The company initially furloughed 289 staff in the north, but it has now confirmed that it will reopen its stores in Northern Ireland. A Matalan spokesperson said: Following the change in government guidance to include Homeware as essential retail on May 1st, Matalan, as a Clothing and Homeware Retailer with a significant Homeware business, has been preparing carefully for a safe and phased re-opening stores, culminating in the successful re-opening of a select group of trial stores in England in recent weeks. "Our priority is to protect both our colleagues and our customers safety in every store and we have received very positive comments from both colleagues, customers and regulatory bodies on the new safety measures in place in our stores. Following this rigorous in-store testing and consultation, we are now preparing to reopen a number of our Northern Ireland stores and have started to unfurlough some of our staff to assist with the preparations. "Our new enhanced health and safety measures will ensure that every Matalan store which re-opens will be fully compliant with social distancing rules, with employees trained appropriately and provided with full PPE. We are confident that these safety measures are fully compliant with the guidance provided by the Northern Ireland Executive, UK Government and Department of Health. In line with the latest government guidance, we plan on initially re-opening our spacious stores with large Homeware departments and a Click and Collect service. These stores are all located on out of town retail parks, with parking outside, enabling us to effectively adhere to social distancing guidelines. High street stores, stores in shopping centres, our clearance stores and our stores in Scotland and Wales will remain closed for now. As we all start getting used to a new normal, we are really looking forward to gradually welcoming our customers back into stores, and our colleagues returning from furlough. We are extremely grateful to all of our colleagues for their dedicated efforts in caring for our customers and the business, and to our customers for their continued loyalty to Matalan. Lisa Kudrow has shared that her car was searched every night after filming Friends to ensure nothing from the set was making its way home with her. It came as the Phoebe Buffay actor appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live where she discussed how she ended up with the 'Cookie Time' clock seen in Monica (Courteney Cox) and Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) apartment throughout the series. Lisa Kudrow attends the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/WireImage) After improvising a line about the prop years prior to the show's ending, co-star Matthew Perry presented it as a gift to her when the show finished in 2004. Read more: Courteney Cox is binge-watching Friends Were shooting a scene, years before we were finished, and my line was, Oh! I better get going, like, Oh! Im late, I better get going'. Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay-Hannigan, David Schwimmer as Dr. Ross Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller-Bing (Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank) As the words were coming out, I went, Oh, good. Theres a clock, Kudrow went on. I gestured to that, and said, Oh! Look at the time. I gotta get going, and during shooting, Matthew [Perry] said, Did you look at the cookie jar and say look at the time? On receiving the gift, she commented: I think the first thing I asked was, This was so nice, did you get permission? I mean, my car used to get searched every night when I left." The long-anticipated Friends reunion announced earlier the year has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was due to arrive on new on-demand service HBO Max in May, however, it will now take place at an as-of-yet unspecified later date. Read more: Courteney Cox felt free playing fat Monica The one-off non-scripted special will see Kudrow, Perry, Cox, Aniston, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc reunited on screen for the first time in 16 years. PRESS RELEASE Nexans wins major subsea HVDC cable contract from Greeces Ariadne Interconnection S.P.S.A The new interconnection will enable Cretes renewable energy transition by providing a one gigawatt (GW) link between the island Crete and Greeces mainland network Nexans will design, manufacture and lay 335 kilometers of subsea HVDC cable at water depths down to 1,200 meters. Contract value exceeds 220m and is part of Nexans current 1.6bn order backlog for subsea cable projects Paris La Defense, May 27, 2020 Nexans has been awarded a major contract to design, manufacture and install a 335 km subsea high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable system for Ariadne Interconnection S.P.S.A, owned 100 percent by IPTO, Greeces state grid operator. The interconnection will link the electricity network on mainland Greece to Crete. The project will provide security of supply for the island and enables the transition from fossil fuel generation to renewable wind and solar energy resources. Crete is the largest of the Greek islands, with a population of around 700,000 people. It also attracts over 4 million visitors a year, mainly during the summer. The island currently relies mainly on out-dated fossil fuel generation. The new submarine cable interconnection will ensure that Crete has a reliable power supply essential for its future prosperity. The interconnection will also reduce emissions, making the island even more attractive to tourists, and also helping it to develop its own renewable energy resources by enabling excess generation to be exported back to the mainland. The cable will span a subsea distance of 335 km from the Attica region on the Greek mainland to the Herakleion area in Crete. Over a 35-month project, Nexans will provide one 500 megawatt (MW) HVDC subsea cable system to form half of the total 1000 MW bipole interconnection. The Nexans cable, rated at 500,000 Volt, is based on its well-proven mass impregnated non-draining (MIND) design for HVDC cable systems and will integrate fiber optic elements for sensor applications. The near-shore sections of the cable, to be installed at water depths down to 100 meters, will feature an aluminium conductor core with a cross-section of 1,800 mm2. The deeper sections of the cable, installed at depths down to 1200 meters, will feature a 1,500 mm2 cross-section aluminium conductor. The cable will be protected by trenching into the seabed using the Nexans Capjet water jetting system down to 600 meters water depth Story continues The HVDC cable will be manufactured in the Nexans plant in Halden, Norway and/or the plant in Futtsu, Japan. It will be installed by one of Nexans own dedicated cable vessels Nexans Skagerrak or new Nexans Aurora. The interconnection is scheduled to come on line in 2023. About Nexans Nexans is a key driver for the worlds transition to a more connected and sustainable energy future. For over 120 years, the Group has brought energy to life by providing customers with advanced cable technologies for power and data transmission. Today, Nexans goes beyond cables to offer customers a complete service that leverages digital technology to maximize the performance and efficiency of their critical assets. The Group designs solutions and services along the entire value chain in four main business areas: Building & Territories (including utilities and emobility), High Voltage & Projects (covering offshore wind farms, subsea interconnections, land high voltage), Telecom & Data (covering data transmission, telecom networks, hyperscale data centers, LAN), and Industry & Solutions (including renewables, transportation, oil and gas, automation, and others). Corporate Social Responsibility is a guiding principle of Nexans business activities and internal practices. In 2013 Nexans was the first cable provider to create a Foundation supporting sustainable initiatives bringing access to energy to disadvantaged communities worldwide. The Groups commitment to developing ethical, sustainable and high-quality cables also drives its active involvement within leading industry associations, including Europacable, the NEMA, ICF and CIGRE. Nexans employs nearly 26,000 people with an industrial footprint in 34 countries and commercial activities worldwide. In 2019, the Group generated 6.7 billion euros in sales. Nexans is listed on Euronext Paris, compartment A. For more information, please visit: www.nexans.com Contacts : Financial Communication Communications Aurelia Baudey-Vignaud Tel: +33 (0)1 78 15 03 94 e-mail : aurelia.baudey-vignaud@nexans.com Catherine Garipoglu Tel: + 33 (0) 6 08 68 83 68 e-mail: catherine.garipoglu@nexans.com Minaa El Baz e-mail: m inaa.el_baz @nexans.com Attachment [May 28, 2020] InUnison Launches "StaySafe" a COVID-19 Re-opening Health and Safety Service Comprehensive On-line Compliance System for Businesses across Canada CALGARY, May 28, 2020 /CNW/ - InUnison Technologies Corporation in partnership with the Alberta Hospitality Association and the Alberta Small Brewers Association announced, on May 20, 2020, the availability of a COVID-19 reopening Health and Safety Service positioned to assist Alberta hospitality industry in their COVID-19 re-opening efforts. Today, InUnison announced the immediate availability of StaySafe, an online health and safety solution that expands the hospitality offering across Canada to all businesses emerging from COVID-19 measures. The service ensures that returning workers have all the relevant and necessary information, policies, procedures, and processes to enable them to return to work safe. InUnison is rapidly extending the application of StaySafe to all industries within Canada in need of a COVID-19 re-opening solution. StaySafe leverages InUnison's existing Occupational Health and Safety Platform, a fully integrated safety management system. The InUnison Platform is a cloud-based service enabling rapid deployment and its accessibility on any device extends the procedures to individual employees even before they leave for the journey to their workplace, a critical element required to stop the spread of COVID-19. StaySafe is a stand-alone service module that operates independently from the existing health and safety system of the business. "As Health and Safety compliance experts, we developed StaySafe in conjunction with industry associations, based on guidance received from the Federal and Provincial Health Authorities," said Jeff Weaver, industry safety veteran and CEO of InUnison. "We're pleased to be able to leverage the robust InUnison platform for the sole purpose of meeting the needs of businesses reopening from COVID-19 measures." StaySafe provides a concise set of COVID-19 policies, procedures and processes that can be relied on by any organization to safely reopen their business. More importantly, StaySafe gives workers confidence that it is safe to return to work by providing immediate and clear procedures, including a fully integrated COVID-19 self-assessment. The health and safety of staff and patrons must be a top priority for any business as it re-engages. The ability of management to prove the existence and use of a robust COVID-19 re-entry system in compliance with health and safety regulations is critical. Gaining the confidence of patron is equally important at the same time. When entering an establishment that is utilizing StaySafe, patrons can take comfort that the business has the knowledge, processes, and ability to provide a safe experience. StaySafe, when utilized as intended: Enables businesses to rapidly reopen in a safe manner Simplifies the management and compliance of COVID-19 safety practices Increases worker confidence in their ability to return to work safely Provide the comfort and confidence patrons require as they return to establishments StaySafe is a unique service simultaneously incorporating the needs of businesses, workers, patrons, and other stakeholders providing the assurance necessary for a successful reopening of the economy. StaySafe is currently available to Canadian based businesses directly from their website inunison.io/covid-19 for $495/year and will be rolling the solution out to other industries in the near future. InUnison is currently partnering with industry associations across Canada to offer reduced pricing to their members and invites interested associations to contact them for further information. "As businesses work towards reopening, the health and safety of staff and guests are a top priority," said Brett Ireland, Board of Directors of Alberta Hospitality Association & Alberta Small Brewers Association, and CEO of Bearhill Brewing. "This initiative will offer members of the industry with the right resources to confidently reopen." "We, at e=mc2 events, have had the privilege of working with InUnison for well over 16 years in shaping the standards of health and safety in the live events industry and there is no one else we would choose to partner with to drive the solutions for COVID-19 and return to work for the hospitality and event industry across the country," said Jocelyn Flanagan, Founder and CEO, e=mc2 events. About InUnison InUnison is a Canadian Health and Safety corporation founded with the worker in mind. Based in Calgary, Alberta, InUnison uses advanced technology to make occupational health and safety more accessible, more affordable, and more effective for all. InUnison has one goal, "Making the world a safer place to work." InUnison has built Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) knowledge and know-how into the InUnison Platform optimizing relationships with various industry participants and leveraging decades of experience. The InUnison platform is: Current to OHS regulations and the new COVID-19 requirements Continuously maintained to ensure compliance with changing legislation and guidelines Deployable to the individual worker Highly scalable Enacted on a global, 24/7 platform Delivered through a Software as a Service (SaaS) model Compliant for all industries across Canada Hosted on Canadian servers To utilize this platform and receive help in navigating through your COVID-19 relaunch, go online to InUnison.io/covid-19/ and let's get started in building a safer workplace. SOURCE InUnison Technologies Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] It was one of those days (read: months) when my eyes felt trapped in my sockets. Neither coffee nor exercise could trick them into waking. They were trapped, scraping at a door hinge that just wouldnt open. And then, in big, bold letters, it came, like a splash of cold, cold water: U.S. deaths near 100,000, an incalculable loss, read the front page of Sundays New York Times. Inside, it lists the names and ages of 1,000 Americans who have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, accompanied by a few words from their obituaries. Memorial Day weekend drew out pictures of parks filled to the brim, and pool parties in Missouri and Houston. In that context, the cover was a plea to remember: This is still happening. It was an attempt to to shock us out of numbness, to take the steps toward grievance that precede righteous action, to make us feel the scope, the magnitude, the contours of lost life to feel it all, to mourn those we have dangerously under-mourned. There was Jermaine Ferro, who had little time to enjoy a new marriage. At 77, she was still searching, carving out her story, her life. Carl Redd, 62, squeezed in every moment he could with his only grandchild. The paper gives verve and the air of new beginnings interrupted to the lives of the elderly, whose deaths have been minimized. Patricia Frieson was a former nurse. Fred Walter Gray, 75, liked his bacon and hash browns crispy. What a life to have been a caricaturist and psychiatrist (Ricardo Castaneda, 64). What a life to lose. The richness of the text almost seduced me into believing that if I grazed my fingers over it, the screen would feel like a historic artifact, like a stone with edges that carry within them the proof of rich, unique, unpredictable lives. It is life-affirming, devastating, unsparing, leaving everything out on the floor. Four days later, the cover has nearly been forgotten a testament to the power and powerlessness of modern journalism, posing the question: Does mainstream political art still have utility? Story continues Was Sundays cover, the most comprehensive obituary of this moment, just another piece of content? Content that, by the way, some will never see. Whats print journalism in the face of YouTubes algorithm-fueled wormholes? Its heartbreaking to realize that, even though everybody could, not everyone will feel the enormity of this moment. Its heartbreaking because feelings have the power to sustain and unify us, to point us in the direction of our humanity. Its heartbreaking because in the face of a crisis we can each individually mitigate, avoidance could ruin us. Times Square on Thursday remains a more quiet place amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images) Readers, according to Simone Landon, assistant editor of The Times graphics desk, were tired of reading about data. The Times repackaged it. Near 100,000 deaths. Incalculable. We can know the numbers. We cant comprehend this much loss. But we can try. We can slow down and zoom in, to stop scrolling and feel, to let their names shock us like a defibrillator to the heart, to allow the enormity of the loss to rearrange our guts, to feel nauseous and hopeless and then, finally, human. Alive. Ready to fight. Grieving reminds us that data is a documentation of human life and human suffering. The cover reminded me of the 2,977 names listed inside the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York. The anger of those deaths drove America to war, yet 100,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus and we cant even sit tight. You could tweet that and get 50,000 likes. That tendency is also whats made us cynical in the face of harrowing facts: They are often leveraged by what we deem to be untrustworthy actors with what we suspect to be ulterior, self-serving motives. That makes the facts feel less important, but it shouldnt. Because seriously: America went to war over 2,977 deaths. Because the living were encouraged to mourn the dead vigorously, driving them to anger, to political mobilization. In 2004, the late author Susan Sontag wrote the essay Regarding the Torture of Others, about the leaked photos of American soldiers posing and smiling while torturing Iraqi prisoners. The photos made growing rumblings and reports of torture feel real, forcing the hand of the White House and its supporters, who turned to words to minimize the power of pictures. Sontag wrote: The prisoners had possibly been the objects of abuse, eventually of humiliation that was the most to be admitted. My impression is that what has been charged thus far is abuse, which I believe technically is different from torture,' Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said at a news conference. 'And therefore I'm not going to address the 'torture' word.' According to Sontag, a caller on radio host Rush Limbaughs show suggested the photos of naked men stacked together was akin to a college fraternity prank. Words alter, words add, words subtract, Sontag continued. Red-handed evidence devolved into a semantic debate on the line between torture and abuse. With little room for spin, the very nature of the truth itself was challenged, writing a new P.R. playbook for a landscape where self-documentation was about to become the norm. The pics-or-it-didnt-happen era has become the pics-and-it-still-might-not-have-happened era. What good are photos in an age of deep fakes and conspiracy theories about crisis actors? Scroll. Forget. Scroll. Forget. Dont feel anything. A tendency to compartmentalize violence and tragedy is the natural outcome of a world where two-thirds of Americans feel worn out by the amount of news they see. How can you shock peoples frayed nerves? Maybe you cant. Maybe you try something new. Maybe you try something old. Tom Bodkin, The Times chief creative officer, said he couldnt remember a front page without images in his 40 years there. This is certainly a first in modern times, he said. Weve come full circle: The Times decided a picture wasnt worth 1,000 names. Text demands us to stop in a way pictures dont. Words force us to pause, to consider, to feel. Text can also evoke history, reminding readers that the The New York Times of 2020 one paper in a fragmented world of media outlets and constant distractions was once the paper of record. For reasons you could write a book about, The Times is no longer monolithic. In a 2018 poll, 30 percent of respondents deemed the Times untrustworthy or very untrustworthy while 31 percent were indifferent. The cover was powerful, but could it pierce through the layers of suspicion, mediation and distraction to make people feel something they didnt want to feel? The signs that it wouldnt work came early. On March 12, a 27-year-old man named Jordan Haynes was found dead in a car crash in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The death was ruled a homicide. On Saturday, when Sundays paper was tweeted, Haynes name was the fifth to appear on the The Times list. The error was then corrected, alongside others. I registered it as a mistake, one that didnt change the covers impact. But if you dont trust The Times, where I saw a mistake, you might see a pattern confirming your suspicion that the whole enterprise is rotten, that maybe the conspiracy theories about the number of deaths being cooked are really true, and that, of course, the ol lying New York Times is in on it. In Haynes, you might see a reason not to pause, not to consider, not to feel. The victims of COVID-19 are disproportionately black, Hispanic, elderly, undocumented, incarcerated and impoverished. America has always mourned their deaths less. Inaction has only perpetuated their suffering. The best works of political art lay bare lifes disparities, forcing us to rip through the surface and feel empathy for people whose pain we historically havent related to. It succeeds when it catches us with our guard down. We rarely have our guard down anymore. There is no such thing as an uncompromised messenger, yet the need for messages persists. Normalizing loss at this scale, resigning ourselves to it, is a fast track to nihilism, to the cynical assumption that our actions dont make a difference when in reality, inaction makes a difference every day. The only antidote to this is to feel it all, to attempt to comprehend what we cant, to dare to fathom it. To keep scrolling, to stop looking away, to stop forgetting and start doing. If physical distancing is starting to feel tedious, feeling it all is how you can summon the discipline to stay home, the energy to help and the skepticism to wonder why one of the worlds most financially prosperous countries frames fighting the pandemic against saving the economy. People die for so many reasons. Feeling their loss the outrage, the pain, the righteous anger, the incredulity, the sense that their lives didnt have to end this way is why we have flu shots and seatbelts and health labels on cigarettes and calorie counts for burgers. Theres no equivalent to the triple-bypass surgery for the coronavirus. That doesnt mean there cant be. We can do amazing things in the face of grief. But we have to grieve. Mourning life reminds us that lives are worth saving. So do it. When youre done reading this, dont click the headline to your right or answer the text message in the corner of your eye or scroll down to the comments or click the next tab or check Instagram. You have a million reasons not to click here. Ignore them. Read their names. More from Yahoo Sports: Borders should be reopened for international students and the Victorian government should fund their 14-day hotel quarantine to help revive a higher education sector crippled by coronavirus, the state opposition says. Australian universities are expected to lose between $3 billion and $4.6 billion in revenue this year, according to Universities Australia, because of a sharp decline in international enrolments and students living on campus, fuelled largely by the federal government's COVID-19 travel bans. The education sector has been hit hard by the coronavirus border shutdowns. Credit:Louise Kennerley The Victorian opposition said it was critical the state government worked with the Commonwealth to help international students resume their studies as coronavirus restrictions were eased. "Rebuilding Victoria's international education sector is part of the Liberal-Nationals' 'back to work and back in business' plan," Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien said. CLEVELAND, Ohio Even as more people started overdosing and dying from opioids, pharmacies in Lake and Trumbull counties continued to fill patient orders for the powerful painkillers with little regard for whether too many pills were flooding the streets, attorneys argued in court filings unsealed Wednesday. The amended lawsuits filed by the Northeast Ohio counties, part of an ongoing series of lawsuits overseen by a judge in Cleveland, say some of the nations largest pharmacy chains failed to properly track large and diverted orders. While high numbers of oxycodone, hydrocodone and other pills were distributed throughout the country, the companies took few steps to let the Drug Enforcement Administration know if orders were too big or suspect, according to the suits. Defendants have not changed their ways or corrected their past misconduct but instead are continuing to fuel the crisis and perpetuate the public nuisance, the lawsuits state. The filings more than 200 pages each are the first glimpse of more trials the drug companies face in federal court in Ohio. They are part of an ever-growing group of cases that seek accountability for the nations opioid epidemic, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the past two decades. The counties are set to go to trial in May 2021. The pharmacies named in the lawsuit include Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and the Giant Eagle grocery store chain. The majority of the lawsuits more than 2,700 of them are being heard by U.S. District Judge Dan Polster of Cleveland, though some were filed in state court. Polster has also sent a handful of others to federal courts in other states for trial. Until recently, much of the focus of the litigation has been on manufacturers such as OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and distributors such as AmerisourceBergen, McKesson and the Ohio-based Cardinal Health. Polster was set to preside over a trial in October 2019 for claims Cuyahoga and Summit counties made against manufacturers and distributors, but it was scuttled after the parties reached more than $325 million worth of settlements. Of all the companies set to defend themselves at trial, Walgreens which was sued in its capacity as a distributor was the only holdout. Cuyahoga and Summit counties are scheduled to take their cases against several pharmacies to trial in November. However, the counties said they would not pursue the pharmacies for dispensing claims following a federal appeals courts ruling and would instead only pursue their cases as they pertained to the companies drug distribution practices. The new claims are designed to shine a light on the pharmacies dispensing practices, as well as what the counties say were a lack of safeguards to make sure the pills were being properly used. A spokesman for CVS pointed out that a pharmacists role is to fill prescriptions written by doctors for legitimate medical needs, something it and others have repeatedly noted throughout the litigation. It said the counties lawyers used small portions of decades-old documents without context and were misleading. Spokesmen for Walgreens and Giant Eagle declined comment on the new lawsuits, while spokespeople for Walmart and Rite Aid did not respond to requests for comments. The lawsuits say pharmacies in Lake and Trumbull counties, like other counties in Ohio, received tens of millions of pills between 2006 and 2014, right as the number of overdose deaths began to increase. The populations of both counties were more than 200,000 at the time but far less than Cuyahoga and Summit counties, and show that the epidemic hit rural and urban areas alike. In Painesville, for example, a single Rite Aid location bought more than 4.2 million oxycodone and hydrocodone doses in those eight years, a suit states. The city had a population of 19,524, and those doses were in addition to the more than 3.8 million that went to Walgreens and CVS locations that were each a half-mile away. CVS also did not have a policy to monitor suspicious orders until 2010, according to the lawsuits. It had only reported seven suspicious orders from its distribution centers and pharmacies across the country three years later, with none of them being in Ohio, the suits state. The lawsuit also says several of the big chains partnered in ways with manufacturers like Purdue Pharma to promote opioids and increase profits for all stakeholders. Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy last year as part of a plan to settle the lawsuits it faces nationwide. Workers at the hospital forced to close due to a Covid-19 outbreak were the first to be contacted by the government's Test and Trace programme today - as it emerged twice as many staff have the virus than patients. Medics and admin staff from Weston General Hospital were called by tracers this morning and asked where they had been recently and who they have had contact with. The hospital in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, is believed to have 135 members of staff infected compared to 64 patients. Those workers were among the 2,013 people who tested positive for the virus on Wednesday and who were contacted as part of the Test and Trace system rolled out across England and Scotland this morning. The scheme is designed to find anyone who has come into contact with an infected person so they can be told to isolate for 14-days even if they are not sick. Weston General shut its doors on Monday and is unlikely to admit any new patients for at least another week while it deals with the current outbreak. All members of staff are currently undergoing testing for Covid-19 which is set to be completed by the weekend. Medics and admin staff from Weston General Hospital were called by tracers this morning and asked where they had been recently and who they have had contact with In a YouTube address to staff this morning, Robert Woolley, chief executive of University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trusts said: 'If you are tested positive for Covid you will be sent home to self isolate. 'You will get a call from public health England. This is part of the new track and trace program that's going to be rolled out right across the country but because of our issues they are starting here in Weston-super-Mare. 'If you get a call at home don't be surprised by it. It's part of a national program. 'They are going to be asking you how you are but more importantly who you have had contact with over the previous days and who therefore might be at risk of further infection.' Speaking earlier to the BBC, Mr Woolley said an investigation was under way to find out the cause of the spike in staff infections. He said: 'The question is, have we had patients bringing the infection into hospital when they arrive and staff are getting infected that way? 'Or are staff coming in from the community infected and infecting themselves and possibly others? We just don't know. The hospital in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, is believed to have 135 members of staff infected compared to 64 patients 'It's very complex and we need help from other agencies to know what the position is in greater Weston.' A number of factors behind the spike are being considered, including claims that emerged today of hospital staff not being routinely informed by managers when their colleagues tested positive for the virus - even those who had previously shown no symptoms. Those workers were unable, therefore, to decide whether to get tested and so carried on their duties as normal, despite the possibility they too were infected. Weston General has a workforce of about 1,500, of which around 15 per cent are black or from an ethnic minority background who are more susceptible to the virus and it's effects. Despite this, BAME staff are not being given priority over testing. Infections in North Somerset, of which the run-down coastal town of Weston-super-Mare is the hub, are well above the regional average following a week in which thousands of day-trippers, many from Birmingham and the Midlands, flocked to local beaches and were seen flouting social distancing regulations. Voicing a number of concerns, union reps at UNISON today wrote to the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust calling for immediate action to improve communication between staff and management. UNISON South West regional secretary Joanne Kaye said: 'Urgent changes are needed to reassure both staff and patients about safety. 'The biggest concern is that staff aren't routinely being informed when their colleagues test positive for the virus. 'This means they're unable to make informed decisions about whether they need to be tested. The trust must make sure managers tell staff at the earliest possible opportunity. 'Many of those who work at the hospital only heard about the temporary closure through social media, which is a major communications failure. They must be told directly, not pick things up second hand through friends and family. WORKER AT HOSPITAL DIED OF COVID-19 IN APRIL An employee at Weston General Hospital, which has been closed to new patients due to a 'high number of Covid-19 patients', passed away on April 23. Amarante Dias died after testing positive for Covid-19. It is not clear what his job role is or when he had been working at the hospital. Dr William Oldfield, medical director at the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS trust, said: 'We are deeply saddened at losing Amarante Dias who was such a valued and much-loved colleague. 'On behalf of everyone at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, including our patients and the communities we serve, I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to his family. 'Amarante will be greatly missed and we are ensuring that staff have access to support to help them at this difficult time. 'We will not be commenting further and ask that everybody respects the privacy of the family at their request.' The Weston Super Mare Association of Malayalees posted a tribute on social media: 'Our deepest sympathy and prayers to you and your family, (Amarante Dias) will deeply be missed.' Advertisement 'UNISON is also concerned to hear that Black members of staff aren't being prioritised for testing. Given the higher rate of mortality for this group, the Trust must rectify this urgently.' The number of patients being treated for Covid-19 virus at Weston General has more than doubled from 30 last week to 64 now. According to claims yesterday, 40 per cent of the hospital's workforce had Coronavirus. However Mr Woolley said the number was 'taken out of context' and that it amounted to 40 per cent of 150 members of staff swabbed on Monday - 60 - who tested positive. In an interview with the BBC, he also admitted that at least five per cent of the hospital's staff - another 75 - are said to be asymptomatic, which are those who have the virus but have not shown any of the symptoms. Mr Woolley said: ' It was 40 per cent of the 10 per cent of the most high risk staff working in a covid infections ward. ' We are testing all the staff and we will understand once we get the results back how many staff have actually got the infection, how many of them are asymptomatic - this intriguing issue we are dealing with - and how we can reconfigure the hospital and reconfigure how staff work so that we can reopen when it's completely safe' Pressed on the percentage of staff who are asymptomatic, he added: 'We haven't got the results so we do not know but it will be in the order of 5 per cent - perhaps a little more, I imagine. 'That is speculation until we get these results. The key thing is that will understand what we are dealing with and how we can plan the segregation of patients and the zoning of staff in order to reopen a clean hospital.' Figures show that on May 13, there were 151 Covid cases per 100,000 people in North Somerset compared to 127.8 in the South West as a whole. As of May 27, however, there were 199.6 cases per 100,000 people in North Somerset compared to 135.3 in the South West. North Somerset Council's Leader, Don Davies, said: 'Throughout the pandemic our priority has been and continues to be to protect the health of our community. 'We are working tirelessly with our health partners to ensure that all possible measures are in place to reduce infection rates. 'Given the number of care homes locally, and the planned re-opening of schools on 1 June, we want to be confident that the cases identified at the hospital are contained and that measures are in place to mitigate any risk of spread to the wider community.' California and 22 other states sued the administration of President Donald Trump on Wednesday to challenge new, less strict standards for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. The petition for review was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The new rule finalized March 31 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation would require automakers to improve fuel economy by about 1.5 percent per year, reduced from a 5 percent improvement set by the administration of President Barack Obama. It would also roll back limits on greenhouse gas-producing carbon dioxide pollution from vehicle tailpipes for cars in model years 2021 through 2026. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra charged at a news conference that the rule "will increase costs to consumers and allow the emission of dangerous pollutants that directly threaten the health of our families." It will allow "hundreds of millions of metric tons of avoidable carbon emissions into our atmosphere over the next decade," he said. EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones said the agency could not comment on the lawsuit, but said the rule "provides a sensible, single national program that strikes the right regulatory balance, protects our environment and sets reasonable targets for the auto industry." The California Air Resources Board and the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, New York and Washington, D.C., also joined in the lawsuit. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said, "This rule is a threat to the environment and to our communities' health. The science is clear: vehicle emissions are a major cause of global warming." California and 16 other states previously filed a related lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., in 2018 to challenge the EPA's plan to begin reconsidering the stricter emissions standards set by the Obama Administration in 2012. Becerra said he did not know whether proceedings in the two lawsuits will be combined. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) A total of 7,904 persons were victims of violent killings by Boko Haram/Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and other armed groups in Nigeria between 2018 and now, with 1,416 killed in the first quarter of this year (2020) Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Mumbai: Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari has praised Bollywood star, Sonu Sood, for extending help to stranded migrant labourers, and ensuring safe travel for them. Amid the ongoing lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sonu has been arranging transport for stranded migrant labourers to ensure they can go to their native places. The governor complimented the actor on Twitter. "Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari called up actor, film star @SonuSood and complimented him for his dedicated work in facilitating the safe transportation of migrant people from various states to their home states," read a post on the official Twitter handle of the office of the Governor of Maharashtra. Sonu was humbled by the appreciation. He replied: "Thank you so much sir. Your words inspire me to work harder. Will continue working for the migrant brothers and sisters till we unite them with their families Honoured." Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh also lauded Sonu Sood, who was born and brought up in the state, for his charity amid the coronavirus pandemic. "It fills me with immense pride whenever I read about my fellow Punjabis going beyond their call of duty to help those in need and this time it is our Moga boy Sonu Sood who has been actively helping migrant workers by arranging for their food and transportation," the Chief Minister said in a tweet. "Good work Sonu!" he added. Last week, Chef Vikas Khanna prepared a special dish and named it Moga' after the town in Punjab where actor Sonu Sood was born, as a tribute to his efforts. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, May 28, 2020 18:45 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bdac253e 1 National Detik,doxing,intimidation,AJI,AJI-Jakarta,Press-Council,press-freedom,press-freedom-in-Indonesia Free The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has urged the police to investigate the alleged doxing (dissemination of personal information) and intimidation of a journalist working for popular news outlet Detik.com following his report on President Joko Jokowi Widodos plan to monitor new normal preparation measures in malls in Bekasi, West Java. We demand the police investigate the alleged crime of doxing and threats of violence and murder against the journalist until the perpetrators are brought to court, AJI Jakarta chairman Asnil Bambani and AJI Jakarta advocacy team head Erick Tanjung said in a joint statement on Thursday. The harassment was apparently inspired by an article titled Jokowi to lead the opening of several malls in Bekasi this afternoon amid pandemic published by Detik.com on Tuesday. Asnil said the journalist obtained all of the information from the Bekasi administrations head of external publication. Read also: Attacks on journalists increase in 2019 with rise in doxing, cyberattacks: LBH Pers The information was then corrected by a Bekasi administration spokesperson who said that the President had gone only to inspect public facilities in Bekasi as part of the countrys preparation for the implementation of the so-called new normal. A few hours after the first article was published, Detik.com published another article titled Bekasi administration clarifies Jokowis visit: To inspect new normal readiness. The journalists personal information has been spread through social media like Facebook and YouTube to be used in a campaign of harassment against him, Asnil said. According to the AJI, a social media account under the name Salman Faris published screenshots of the journalists work. He has been harassing the journalist about unrelated things, he added. In addition to online harassment, Asnil said, the journalist also received food deliveries that he did not order and a death threat from an unknown person through a WhatsApp message. In the written statement, the AJI asked the Press Council to become actively involved in addressing harassment cases against journalists. We call on society to be proactive in maintaining the freedom of the press. If there is any dispute regarding news articles, people can report them and ask for liability rights from the Press Council, Asnil said. According to the AJI, three doxing cases against journalists were reported in 2018. So far, no case of journalist doxing has been solved by the police or law enforcement, he added. Muscow is poised to relax its lockdown rules - Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters The Moscow City Hall on Wednesday promised to re-open parks and finally allow walks after nine weeks of coronavirus lockdown but the incredibly strict rules regulating outdoor activities have been met with universal derision. Sergei Sobyanin, the Moscow mayor, announced something that could be a cause for celebration on Wednesday, telling Vladimir Putin, the president, in a televised conference call that the Russian capital was poised to begin lifting some of the lockdown restrictions. The number of new Covid-19 cases recorded in Moscow on Thursday, was just over 2,000, the lowest in five weeks, and the number of hospitalisations dropped by 40 per cent in a fortnight, according to the mayor. Most of Moscows shops and parks will re-open on Monday, and walks and outdoor exercises will finally be allowed but with a caveat. The details of what the City Hall dubbed an experiment have angered even the mayors supporters who have credited him for stemming the outbreak. Each apartment building will be assigned three days a week when residents will be allowed to venture outside but only between 9 am and 9 pm, exercising will be permitted only before 9 am, and face masks will be mandatory. People have also been advised to carry IDs and documents proving their place of residence in case they get stopped by police. The regime of walks as the City Hall has described it has triggered a wave of anger and derision. Moscow, 2020: A schedule for walking out people in muzzles. Orwell is rolling in his grave from envy, political analyst Alexander Kynev wrote on Facebook. Formally no walks have been allowed in the city of 12 million, and authorities even introduced digital passes for those wanting to drive their car or take public transport. As the initial fear of infection died down and the spread of the disease began to decline, Moscow streets and boulevards got filled up with people who go out on runs and walks, mostly respecting social distancing. Story continues Mr Sobyanin on Wednesday did not scrap the digital passes despite calls from senior Russian officials who suggested that the permits have grown largely meaningless as car traffic has returned to about half of its usual levels. Its going to be tough to explain to kids that 1984 is a dystopian novel: a) there was no schedule for walks there; b) you didnt get fined if youre caught in the street without a permit, Andrei Konyaev, who publishes a science journal, tweeted. Mr Sobyanins Twitter feed has been flooded with hundreds of angry comments, accusing him of humiliating people. Social media was flooded with memes, comparing the new rules to a Gulag prison camp or life in the areas of the Soviet Union under Nazi occupation. One of the most popular memes with the title History repeats itself juxtaposed a black-and-white picture of a Russian peasant woman stopped by a Nazi soldier and a modern-day photo of a woman stopped by police officers in a Moscow street. As is often the case with Russian laws, there is little expectation that Muscovites will be following the rules which have been generally described as unenforceable. Sobyanin has confirmed that he wants to pretend that he is in control while we, in his opinion, should pretend that we are obeying him, Oleg Stepanov, an ally of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, wrote in his blog. [L-R] Brenda Njobe, Absa Local Branch Manager; Di Hornby, Director of Rhodes University Community Engagement; Tim Bull, Makana Revive Trust As part of Makhandas Day of Fasting taking place on 29 May 2020, Rhodes Universitys Community Engagement (RUCE) Division has received a generous donation from the Absa Foundation. RUCE has supported and been a part of the citys Covid-19 relief food groups through its fundraising and delivery efforts. The Division has also contributed to several other initiatives related to providing support to those most affected by the pandemic. The Absa Foundation has a strong connection to Rhodes University, and we have been lucky enough to benefit from their generosity for many, many years, explained Di Hornby, Director of RUCE. Some of the programmes the Absa Foundation has supported in the past include afterschool programmes and maths literacy programmes. So one can say they have been invested in not just Rhodes University, but Makhanda as a whole, said Hornby Makhandas Day of Fasting will see residents partaking in a fast to show concern for those less fortunate who regularly experience severe hunger. More than 50 leading figures of Makhanda have pledged to abstain from eating between 6am to 8pm on 29 May 2020. The aim is to spend a day contemplating the hardship others face and to make small donations, roughly the amount that each person would have spent on food during the fasting period. The Absa Foundations donation of 20 boxes of specially-formulated micronutrient meals will go towards food security for families in our community during this difficult time, Hornby concluded. Donations for Makhandas food drives can be paid into: Account name: MAKANA REVIVE TRUST Standard Bank Branch Code 050917 Account Number 28 315 4012 Reference: Covid-food Any donations from abroad should be directed to the makana-revive.org.za web site, where donors can use Payfast. Source: Communications Please help us to raise funds so that we can give all our students a chance to access online teaching and learning. Covid-19 has disrupted our students' education. Don't let the digital divide put their future at risk. Visit www.ru.ac.za/rucoronavirusgateway to donate Abel the bomb-sniffing dog will likely have to part ways Friday with Marine Corps veteran Richard Pickett-White. (Richard Pickett-White) A Marine Corps veteran is fighting to keep a bomb-sniffing dog he said he has spent almost every second with for the past year at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, as their deployment together comes to an end this week, even though it would be a breach of protocol. Defense contractor Constellis hired Richard Pickett-White through a subsidiary to help dogs like Abel, a herding dog known as a Belgian Malinois, pass a certification process proving he could sniff out deadly explosives. Pickett-White and Abel, who were paired together several months before heading overseas, were never intended to go home together. But the former Marine said he and the dog have developed a strong connection that hes not ready to break. Just having to let go, to end this bond, is hard. You cant just expect it to disconnect like a plug from a socket, Pickett-White said over a video call from his 85-square-foot room in Kabul. Abel, who resembles a German shepherd, sat by his side throughout most of the interview. Pickett-White first contacted the security firm about the possibility of purchasing Abel late last year, when their pairing was initially expected to end. Constellis officials said they communicated a negative response. In February, Pickett-White launched a GoFundMe to raise $25,000 to offer to the company a figure he said far exceeds Abels market value. He has raised nearly $30,000 to date. Top brass at Constellis say Abel like all of their dogs is simply not for sale. Hes an employee of ours. You dont sell employees, said Sharon Watts, chief administrative officer for Constellis. Theres nothing legally barring the sale of such a dog, but it would set a terrible precedent for us, said Gary Moore, the firms's chief legal officer. Its not industry standard. And it's not how these dogs work. Acknowledging the business and logistical concerns tied to his ask, Pickett-White said, There are some special cases, and I feel that were definitely one of them. Ive tried to convey the evidence that this isnt just a normal dude hes my dude. Story continues Abel and handler Richard Pickett-White. (From Richard Pickett-White) Barring unforeseen circumstances, Pickett-White and Abel will soon board a plane together and arrive in Washington, D.C. on Friday evening. Its there that they are slated to separate possibly forever. Under the terms of Pickett-Whites contract with Constellis, which runs until May of next year, he is set to go on a short leave and then return to Afghanistan to begin where he left off with a different dog, Constellis officials said. Due to a change in the way government contracts are handled, Abel is no longer eligible for the same service, according to Pickett-White. Without Abel, Pickett-White is no longer sure he wants to deploy again. Constellis officials declined to go into details about the contracting process, but said Abel could still do important work whether in the United States or abroad. They added that nothing had changed in their contract with Pickett-White as of Wednesday, and he had not communicated a desire to end his employment. Once Abel is set to retire from his specialized work which Constellis officials said depends both on the dogs age and personal desire to work he will be made available for adoption, according to company policy. His previous handlers, including Pickett-White, would be given the option of first refusal. Pickett-White estimates Abel, who just turned 3, won't retire for another four years. Its common for handlers and their dogs to develop a close relationship, but theres a business element inherent to the profession, according to Ohio-based police dog trainer Paul Shaughnessy, who was not familiar with Picket-Whites situation and spoke generally. Their dog becomes their confidant, they get this great bond, and it's a wonderful thing, Shaughnessy said. Its just that in this situation, that dog belongs to the company. He signed a contract. Zach Skow, owner of Marley Mutts Dog Rescue in California, shared Pickett-Whites campaign with the nonprofits 214,000 Instagram followers on Memorial Day to raise awareness. Despite the extenuating circumstances, Skow is not convinced it has to be so cut-and-dried. I think there's there's room to be more empathetic, especially when you're talking about veterans who fought in this country, said Skow, who runs programs that connect dogs with marginalized populations. Prosecution apologizes to ex-defendant in Moscow summer riots case RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov 10:42 28/05/2020 MOSCOW, May 28 (RAPSI) A prosecutors office has officialy apologized to a former defendant in a Moscow summer riots case Sergey Abanichev for unfounded prosecution, his attorney Svetlana Sidorkina has told RAPSI. Abanichev was arrested on August 5, 2019, on allegations of taking part in mass riots. In early September, five defendants in the 27 July mass riots case including Abanichev were withdrawn from criminal prosecution due to the lack of criminal elements they had been charged with. The decision was made based on the results of an objective legal evaluation of all examined materials including video records, according to the Investigative Committee. Unauthorized rallies in support of candidates seeking to become lawmakers of the Moscow State Duma but refused registration by the Election Commission were held on July 27 and August 3 in central Moscow. Over 1,000 people were arrested for various violations as a result. Following the 27 July rally, the Investigative Committee criminal cases were opened. Investigators believe that the protest action was held with the use of force against representatives of authority. Several activists have been already convicted and sentenced. Prosecution of five defendants has been dropped. Hilary Duff and Her Cheaper By the Dozen Co-Stars Just Recreated These Iconic Scenes Talk about a blast from the past! Hilary Duff and numerous members of the Cheaper By the Dozen cast are recreating iconic moments from their famous film for a good cause. While the entire group wasn't able to reunite, they did their best by each donning similar-looking outfits to that of their onscreen characters and striking a pose that matches one of their scenes. The result is a nostalgia-inducing video that was shared by Hilary, Bonnie Hunt, Alyson Stoner and more to their respective social media accounts. They each captioned the video, "Surprise! From the Baker family to yours. We are all in this together. #wearefamily." Fans of the franchise began to whisper about a potential reunion when Alyson Stoner, who played Sarah Baker, tweeted, "What if I told you the Bakers have something else cooking for you all next week....?!" This is the first time that the movie family has teamed up for a project since the sequel to Cheaper By the Dozen came out in 2005. Hilary Duff's Best Roles Since then, a few of the cast members have met up and reminisced of their days on the set. Morgan York and Kevin Schmidt, who played Kim and Henry respectively, reunited last September in New York City. Story continues Hilary Duff has been unable to reunite with some of the crew, but she's been busy with filming her Lizzie McGuire reboot. Though the coronavirus has put things on hold, she and her Disney family did a virtual table read of one of their most popular episodes, which is well worth watching. In addition, the star has a lot going on, what with being a mother-of-two. She and husband Matthew Koma welcomed daughter Banks in 2018, and got married in 2019. Nowadays, her hours are consumed by homeschooling and backyard hangouts, along with the occasional makeup session with her 8-year-old son Luca. But, as Hilary said in a Mother's Day post, "These kids make me utterly exhausted and I wouldn't want it any other way." To donate to #NoKidHungry, click here! Home Just In Nepal Army brings another consignment of medical supplies from China Kathmandu, May 28 The Nepal Army has brought another consignment of medical supplies for the countrys Covid-19 response on Wednesday. This is the third time that the medical supplies have arrived in Nepal from China, and the second time via air. The consignment weighing 14 tonnes includes 28,000 PCR kits, personal protective equipment sets, and 30 portable x-ray machines also. The army says the next consignment will arrive via a land route. After an agreement signed with a private company turned controversial in April, the government had assigned the Nepal Army to fetch the supplies from China under a government-to-government agreement. France is ready to support the adoption of a positive decision on Ukraine's obtaining the NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner status. This issue was discussed at a meeting between Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran and French Ambassador to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. "The ambassador of the French Republic stated unequivocal support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the readiness to take diplomatic measures to resolve the security situation in Ukraine, including within the Normandy format, and to provide military and political support for the adoption of a positive decision to grant Ukraine the status of a NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner," the report reads. Taran, in turn, noted that "Ukraine highly appreciates the support of the French Republic and seeks to develop cooperation in the defense sphere in order to develop bilateral relations between the states." "It is important to maintain a strategic dialogue between our states. Continuing constructive bilateral relations with the French Republic at the strategic level will strengthen the counteraction to current and potential threats on the European continent and in general," he said. The French ambassador noted the progress of defense reform, which is being successfully implemented in the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Particular attention was paid to the development of military and technical cooperation, taking into account the results of a meeting of the joint Ukrainian-French interstate commission in the field of armaments and military hardware. Taran said he was convinced that "already today there are a number of promising areas for cooperation both in the context of the implementation of defense reform tasks in Ukraine and in mutually beneficial military and technical cooperation." Emphasizing the importance of the military and political dialogue at the strategic level, the parties reaffirmed their interest in organizing a visit of the French armed forces minister to Ukraine in 2020 and holding an extended videoconference at the level of deputy defense ministers in July. Photo credit: Ukrainian Defense Ministry Brie Bella is coming clean about the struggles in her marriage to her husband of six years, Daniel Bryan. In a sneak peek of the upcoming episode of Total Bellas, Brie, 36, compared herself to a single parent as she revealed she had been growing further and further apart from Daniel. The WWE star was hanging out with her twin sister Nikki and mom Kathy when they began discussing the issue that had been tugging at her heart. 'We're like single parents': Brie Bella is coming clean about the struggles in her marriage to her husband of six years, Daniel Bryan Brie explained their busy schedules had been preventing them from spending quality time with each other, leading to the disconnect. 'Well he and I both obviously we don't have a lot of time together as a couple,' Brie explained. 'You guys do live very separate lives,' Nikki chimed in. 'We do. At times we're like single parents,' Brie added. 'When he comes back in town, I leave. We're kind of growing apart, like we're not growing together.' Concerned: Nikki attempted to help her sister unpack her feelings Girl talk: The sisters were joined by their mother Kathy Nikki asked her sister if she felt Daniel was meant to be in her life for the long-haul. 'When you guys look at like at how you live life and how everything is, do you think you and Brian are meant to be? You both are it for the long run?' Nikki asked. Brie paused, and before she could answer her daughter Birdie climbed into her arms. 'I just think the one thing we really lost is kind of like, when you just spend that time together like the quiet time,' Brie said. 'Do you think you and Brian are meant to be?': Nikki asked her sister if she felt Daniel was meant to be in her life for the long-haul 'I could have a better marriage': Brie admitted things could be better in her relationship with Daniel 'Well are you happy? Is he happy?' Nikki asked. Brie admitted things could be better in her relationship with Daniel. 'I mean I guess like I know I could be happier. I know I could have a better marriage,' Brie responded. 'He definitely loves you,' their mother insisted. Ouch: Brie said Daniel had been making comments about the way she used to be, and the seemingly 'little' remarks had been getting to her A mother knows: 'He definitely loves you,' Kathy insisted Brie said Daniel had been making comments about the way she used to be, and the seemingly 'little' remarks had been getting to her. 'He makes little comments though, here and there, like "You used to be more simple, you used to be this and that." Sometimes I'm like, "Why does he say that?" Sometimes I feel he wishes I was that girl he met eight years ago.' In a confessional, Brie explained, 'In the last eight years Brian and I have just wanted different things than what we wanted in the beginning. I feel like we really have to come up with some compromises, and I know that if I want my marriage to work, I have to go into Sedona so honest. I can't go back to Phoenix with any regrets.' No looking back: Brie is headed to Sedona to repair her marriage What's next? Fans can see how it all unfolds on the next episode of Total Bellas, airing tonight at 9PM ET/PT on E! Back at the cafe, Nikki asked Brie if they had any plans to actually work on their marriage. Brie revealed Brian had organized a trip to Sedona, Arizona to improve their relationship. 'Well so Brian really does want to work on stuff, so he planned a trip to Sedona.' Fans can see how it all unfolds on the next episode of Total Bellas, airing tonight at 9PM ET/PT on E!. Highs and lows: Bella opened up about the struggles she had been facing in her marriage to Bryan Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 02:00:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MAPUTO, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Cuban ambassador to Mozambique announced Thursday in Maputo that 60 doctors from Cuba will soon join local doctors to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Pavel Orencio Diaz Hernandez told Radio Mozambique in an interview that the move is a response to the request by Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi as the country's health system is threatened by the spread of the coronavirus. "We received a request from the government of Mozambique asking us to reinforce the contingent of Cuban doctors for the peak or the critical moment of the pandemic and Cuba responded with sending 60 doctors to help fight the pandemic," said the diplomat. The doctors will be staying until Mozambique has the pandemic under control, said the ambassador. Medicines that can help improve the human immune system are also reportedly being shipped from Cuba to Mozambique. Enditem Foreign secretary Dominic Raab and home secretary Priti Patel are exploring options to grant full citizenship to people in Hong Kong who have British National (Overseas) status as one of the responses to Beijing imposing a security law in the former British colony. The announcement came soon after a joint statement by the UK, US, Canada and Australia expressing deep concern over the new law that has prompted clashes in Hong Kong. The BNO status is not full British citizenship. The status is for people who were a British overseas territories citizen by connection with Hong Kong before the handover to China on July 1, 1997. Certain rights and freedoms were to be ensured under the handover agreement within the one country, two systems framework. Raab said: Currently they (BNO passport holders) only have the right to come to the UK for six months. If China continues down this path and implements this national security legislation we will change that status, and we will remove that six-month limit and allow those BNO passport holders to come to the UK and to apply to work and study for extendable periods of 12 months and that would itself provide a pathway to future citizenship. If they implement and apply this national security legislation in the terms that have been described, we will change the BNO passport holder status and the arrangements for them in the way that Ive just described, he added. Patel tweeted: Deeply concerned at Chinas proposals for legislation to national security in Hong Kong. If imposed, @DominicRaab & I will explore options for a path to citizenship for BNO passport holders. UK will continue to defend the rights & freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. The four-country joint statement by Raab, Australian foreign minister Marise Payne, Canadian foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, and US secretary of state Michael Pompeo said: Hong Kong has flourished as a bastion of freedom. The international community has a significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kongs prosperity and stability. Direct imposition of national security legislation on Hong Kong by the Beijing authorities, rather than through Hong Kongs own institutions as provided for under Article 23 of the Basic Law, would curtail the Hong Kong peoples liberties, and in doing so, dramatically erode Hong Kongs autonomy and the system that made it so prosperous. They added that Chinas decision to impose the new law on Hong Kong was in direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the legally-binding, UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration. The four foreign ministers said: The worlds focus on a global pandemic requires enhanced trust in governments and international cooperation. Beijings unprecedented move risks having the opposite effect. As Hong Kongs stability and prosperity are jeopardised by the new imposition, we call on the Government of China to work with the Hong Kong SAR Government and the people of Hong Kong to find a mutually acceptable accommodation that will honour Chinas international obligations under the UN-filed Sino-British Joint Declaration. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Twitter is paying tribute to the pioneering New York AIDS activist Larry Kramer, who died on Wednesday. He was 84. Kramers angry voice and pen raised consciousness about AIDS and roused thousands to action. His art was often as blunt as his anger, but his dedication was unwavering. He kicked the door open for so many, American-Canadian actor Bruce Dow tweeted. Having met Mr. Kramer only once in Hollywood at a development meeting, there are so many #LarryKramer stories left to tell, tweeted Benjamin DeLanty, a psychologist. Having met Mr. Kramer only once in Hollywood at a development meeting, there are so many #LarryKramer stories left to tell @Variety @THR @HarveyLevinTMZ https://t.co/WJeT3WuQnA Benjamin DeLanty (@bendeblahblah) May 28, 2020 Another Twitter user Gabby recalled Kramers famous quote. Some reporter called me the angriest gay man in the world or some such. Well, it stuck, but I realized it was very useful. Thank you Larry Kramer, for weaponizing your righteous anger and changing the world. We owe you so much, she posted on Twitter. "Some reporter called me 'the angriest gay man in the world' or some such. Well, it stuck, but I realized it was very useful." Thank you Larry Kramer, for weaponizing your righteous anger and changing the world. We owe you so much. pic.twitter.com/JwyqejPIPM Gabby (@_gibbly) May 28, 2020 Kramers early advocacy for a national response to AIDS as the disease first emerged in the 1980s. It helped raise awareness and shape healthcare policy into the 1990s. He co-founded the ACT UP movement that made AIDS a national issue in the United States. Kramer died of pneumonia after enduring illness for much of his life, including his own battle with AIDS, his close friend, Will Schwalbe, told news agency Reuters. Schwalbe, who was also Kramers literary executor, stressed that his friends death was not related to the Covid-19 pandemic. A critique of New Yorks fun-forward gay community, it was his 1978 novel Faggots, that established the man as a controversial, highly-opinionated figure and an occasional pariah. Kramers righteous anger became his calling card, causing him to be ostracised, and celebrated many years later. Kabul, May 28 : The Afghan government and the Taliban on Thursday resumed prisoner swap talks after weeks of deadly violence and an impasse that delayed the beginning of peace negotiations for nearly two months. Over the next few days, they will discuss technicalities on the release of the remaining 6,000 prisoners to be released by both sides. "A five-member technical delegation was sent to Kabul for registration and verification of the prisoners (to be released). The team will help to solve the technical problems (in the prisoner swap)," Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesperson at its political office in Qatar, told Efe news. The Afghan National Security Council (NSC) that is responsible for the prisoner swap process also confirmed the resumption of the talks. "A delegation of the Taliban has arrived in Kabul to work with the technical team of the government of Afghanistan on the prisoner release process," Javid Faisal, an NSC spokesperson, told Efe news. Faisal said it was "only a technical team to hold talks on the prisoner release process" and not mandated for parleys on other issues. This is the second time in the past two months that the Taliban team visited Kabul for prisoner swap negotiations. Their first delegation visited Kabul on March 31. However, after nearly a week-long negotiations, the team withdrew from the process, blaming the US and the Afghan government for making excuses in the release of prisoners. Even as the talks broke down, the two sides unilaterally released prisoners from their captivity at slower than expected pace and without coordinating with each other that was mandatory for peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban. The government in the past nearly two months released only 2,000 of 5,000 Taliban prisoners as was committed under an agreement with the US. Some 1,000 of them were released on Monday and Tuesday as part of the goodwill gesture from the government in response to the Taliban's declaration of a three-day Eid ceasefire. The Taliban also released a few hundreds of the 1,000 inmates under its captivity and promised to release more prisoners soon. One of the main concerns of the Afghan government in the prisoner release process was the lack of guarantees that the released Taliban leader may back return to combat operations. However, the Taliban seem to have assured that it won't be the case. Ammar Yasir, a Taliban official in the Qatar office, tweeted that according to new guidelines, all the released inmates were "instructed to live a peaceful life with their families, those who are sick to seek treatment and if someone's education remained incomplete should begin to complete their education". The GSEB earlier said that evaluation of Class 10, 12 answer sheets would begin from 16 April. It said that the evaluation process would take take at least a month. GSEB Class 10 result | The Gujarat Board Class 10 result is expected to be declared in June. However, there is no clarity on the date from the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSEB). The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam in the state was held from 5 to 17 March. The GSEB SSC result will be announced on the official website of the board http://www.gseb.org/. According to The Indian Express, around 11.02 lakh appeared for the GSEB SSC exam this year. The board earlier said that evaluation of Class 10, 12 answer sheets would begin from 16 April. It said that the evaluation process would take take at least a month. The GSEB declared the Class 12 result for Science stream on 17 May. According to The Times of India, around 71 percent students passed Gujarat Board HSC (Science) examination, out of about 1.6 lakh students who took the exam. The declaration of the Class 10 and Class 12 (general stream) results has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Following the declaration of Class 12 (Science) result, some unscrupulous people circulated a fake notice on social media informing that result for HSC Arts and Commerce streams would be announced on 19 May. The false circular had been created using the official notification released for Science Stream. GSEB cautioned students not to pay attention to fake notifications. The boards chairman said that the fake notice had been put out by some people to confuse. The board advised students to visit the official website at regular intervals for any update. Ties between Canada and China could be headed towards further trouble as a judge in Vancouver cleared the way for continuing extradition proceedings against a senior executive of Huawei. A plea by the lawyers representing Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the telecommunications company, said that she be freed since the charges that lead to her detention were not valid in Canada. However, a judge of the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver dismissed her plea. Meng was arrested by Canadian authorities in December 2018, and proceedings to have her extradited to the United States are in progress. She faces charges of misleading a bank in an effort to sidestep American sanctions on the Iranian regime. Her legal teams argument that these charges were void in Canada were rejected by associate chief justice Heather Holmes, who deemed that Canadian law with regards to fraud looks beyond international boundaries. In a 23-page judgment, she argued that if she were to accept the defence argument, it would seriously limit Canadas ability to fulfil its international obligations in the extradition context for fraud and other economic crimes. This judgment, paving the way as it does for the extradition process to continue, may well result in deepening of tensions between China and Canada particularly since there were expectations that Meng would be set free on Wednesday on the double criminality technicality. When she was first arrested, China soon took into custody two Canadians, including a former diplomat, on alleged spying charges. That action was largely seen as retaliation by Beijing for what was perceived an affront as Canada had detained a member of the Chinese power elite, since Meng is also the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei. The two Canadians remain in Chinese prisons more than 500 days after they were arrested. The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa has already reacted to the court ruling by demanding that Canada immediately release Meng and allow her to return safely to China, and not to go further down the wrong path. In a statement, the Embassy accused the Canadian government of acting an as accomplice of Washington and described the case as a grave political incident. Canadas foreign affairs minister Francois-Philippe Champagne also issued a statement pointing out the countrys judiciary operates independently. He added that Canadas top priority is and remains securing the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been arbitrarily detained for over 500 days. We will continue to advocate for their immediate release and seek clemency for Canadians facing the death penalty in China, including Robert Schellenberg. Brandonites took to their cars and sounded their horns Wednesday evening to protest provincial layoffs and cuts to services. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/5/2020 (602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Wayne Chacun speaks during the livestreamed portion of the event, while parked. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun) Brandonites took to their cars and sounded their horns Wednesday evening to protest provincial layoffs and cuts to services. The "honk-a-thon" rally, organized under the Communities Not Cuts banner, assembled near the Manitoba Hydro building on Victoria Avenue East at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. They drove down Victoria toward the Brandon Regional Health Centre, honking their horns to show support for provincial workers. The approximately 20 ralliers draped their 12-car procession with signs bearing slogans such as "community not cuts," "stop the cuts" and "people over profit." The event was a way for people to express their frustration with cuts while still maintaining social distancing guidelines, said Brandon and District Labour Council president Kirk Carr. The council helped organize the event. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a stop to regular rallies and protests, but being in cars let people maintain a two-metre distance from each other. "It shows that we can still have a creative way to show that there is an impact, still do a rally and so bring people together without having them shoulder to shoulder," he said. The procession of 12 cars parked at Manitoba Hyrdro before heading off toward the Brandon Regional Health Centre. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun) The event was to protest the austerity measures triggered by the pandemic, including layoffs at Manitoba Hydro and in school divisions, but also what Carr said is a lack of provincial investment under the Progressive Conservative government. For Carr personally, he said his wife just had a baby, and it was difficult to access some public health supports. Premier Brian Pallister said earlier in May that the province will have to borrow billions-of-dollars this year to respond to the pandemic. He forecasted a $5-billion deficit this year: $2 billion in increased spending and $3 billion revenue shortfall caused directly by the pandemic. Manitoba is already greatly indebted, and he said the province is trying to reallocate resources to fight the pandemic. A rallier tapes a homemade sign to her care before setting off. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun) In response, his provincial government proposed a plan for 6,250 civil servants to take five days of unpaid leave in the next year. Some provincially funded organizations have also had their funding reduced, including the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation and post-secondary institutions. Despite the Wednesday evening event, Carr said he is looking forward to expressing his concerns at a more normal rally when it becomes possible. "Its hard when you have the people there, the bigger visual is there and this one its more you hear it with the cars honking. I think it works for these times and it turns a lot of heads, but Id still much rather have us out there when things reopen up," he said. Brandon and District Labour Council president Kirk Carr, in the passenger seat, holds a flag as the Communities Not Cuts rally leaves the Manitoba Hydro building in Brandon's east end. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun) While the province has announced supports for businesses and $200 payments to seniors and people with a disability, Brandon and District Labour Council secretary Lonnie Patterson said provincial aid should have been more targeted to the people who need it most during the pandemic. "The other side is about what theyre taking away; organizations on pins and needles, post-secondary institutions have been coming up with plans on different levels to cut, then they find out its totally different from what they were planning on and everything is confusing," she said. "We hear about people being laid off, we hear about community organizations losing funding, and so this is just a real opportunity for people who are concerned about that to come out and show their concern visibly." Even in the pandemic, Patterson said it is still important for people to speak up and let their voices be heard on issues that concern them. "Its important to speak up, its important for government to hear how their choices are impacting our community," she said. The event was also broadcast live on Facebook to allow people self-isolating to also take part. Wednesdays event followed similar rallies outside the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg. dmay@brandonsun.com Twitter: @DrewMay_ He's a fan favourite on MasterChef: Back to Win. And during Thursday night's episode, Reece Hignell, 28, made a style statement as he watched his co-stars compete in an immunity challenge. The chef sent viewers into a frenzy as he flaunted a grey T-shirt which had the words 'Pug Life' written across the front. 'I love it!' On Thursday, MasterChef: Back to Win fans went wild over Reece Hignell's (pictured) 'Pug Life' T-shirt Fans flocked to Twitter to compliment Reece on his style, with one writing: 'I love your shirt!' 'Reece! Where did you get the Pug Life shirt from?' another person questioned. 'Omg Reece's shirt! Get out of here,' a third viewer tweeted. 'Reece and I have the same Pug Life shirt,' shared another. Style: Fans flocked to Twitter to compliment the 28-year-old on his style, with one writing: 'I love your shirt!' Reese replied to his many fans on Twitter, confessing he's had it for some time. 'I got it off ASOS about 8 years ago, its vintage,' he wrote. This comes after his MasterChef co-star, Brendan Pang, said Reece was one of the first people he came out to as gay. Reese replied to his many fans on Twitter, confessing he's had it for some time: 'I got it off ASOS about 8 years ago, its vintage,' he wrote Speaking to News.com.au, Brendan explained how he turned to Reece for advice, when they both starred in season 10 of the franchise back in 2018. 'I'd always kind of looked up to Reece as a role model. When I was eliminated we spent a bit of time together before I left to come home, and I just opened up to him,' Brendan told the publication. 'He was surprised but he was happy. It was a really special moment and he's like a brother to me now,' the Perth-based contestant added. Candid: This comes after his MasterChef co-star, Brendan Pang, said Reece was one of the first people he came out to as gay Brendan came out as gay in an emotional Facebook post last year. 'My name is Brendan Pang and I'm 26 years old... but, for as long as I can remember and up until the age of 24 I struggled with my sense of identity,' he wrote. 'As a gay male, I had feelings of being "different" very early on, and as I navigated the bumpy road into adulthood, I went through some pretty dark times from feeling pressured to change who I was, to experiencing high levels of social anxiety. 'Thankfully, with the help of a strong and supportive network (my family and friends), I was able to not only survive the complexity of mental health, but thrive and become a stronger, happier, comfortable and proud ME.' MasterChef continues Sunday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten A new study involving a scientific analysis of the prevalence of "LOL" in students' text messages demonstrates important potential applications for classroom learning. The study, "Linguistics in General Education: Expanding Linguistics Course Offerings through Core Competency Alignment," will be published in the June 2020 issue of the scholarly journal Language. The study's authors, Katie Welch and Marco Shappeck, highlight how their work with students conducting linguistics research at the University of North Texas at Dallas aligns with an emerging trend in higher education -- one that is altering the ways in which universities determine what courses are part of the traditional canon sometimes referred to as the core curriculum." Welch and Shappeck detail how their course, The Language of Now, became adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as a qualifying course for the state's core curriculum. The study provides a practical framework for how linguistic research can be effectively incorporated into courses that satisfy basic educational requirements for students to graduate. After surveying the list of approved core courses at the 170 institutions in Texas during Fall 2018, Welch and Shappeck report that linguistics comprised less than 0.1% of the offerings, eve in categories where linguistics clearly fit the criteria. While these numbers are quite low, they indicate that opportunities do exist for linguistics concepts and courses to become more mainstream in higher education. The authors' work builds on the current trend for reform of the core curriculum: while students still select their courses from broad discipline-based categories, the key difference is that now every course within a category must have the same learning objectives. Regardless of which course a student may select to fulfill the requirements of a given area, they will develop the same skillset. The common learning objectives are selected with career readiness in mind, as they are aligned with skills that employers list as desirable in job candidates -- competencies like critical thinking, teamwork, data analysis and interpersonal communication. The authors demonstrate how a key assignment from their The Language of Now course met the common learning objectives for the "Language, Philosophy, and Culture" component area of the Texas core curriculum. This research assignment asked students to evaluate their own usage of the popular texting phrase LOL, using it as a data set that they can then analyze. After going through a series of research activities designed to help them deepen their understanding of the history and current meaning of LOL, students then made predictions about the future of this word. While this assignment content is decidedly linguistic in nature, Welch and Shappeck argue that by working through the assigned project, students also gain the highly transferrable competencies of critical thinking, inquiry, analysis, and information literacy. The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) publishes the peer-reviewed journal, Language, four times per year. The LSA is the largest national professional society representing the field of linguistics. Its mission is to advance the scientific study of language. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: The three-year-old boy, Sai Vardhan, who fell into an abandoned borewell on Wednesday evening, was found dead on Thursday early morning at around 4:30 AM after almost 12 hours. His body was discovered at a depth of about 20-25 feet after a long rescue operation, participated by around 25 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from Hyderabad and Guntur. The incident happened at Podchanpally village of Papannapet Mandal of Medak district. Around 5 pm on Wednesday, the boy fell into the borewell which was dug to a depth of 120 feet. The district authorities had pressed earthmovers and personnel into rescue operation to bring out the boy and started digging a parallel hole. NDRF personnel from Hyderabad had reached the spot at around 8:30pm and aided in the operation and were in the wee hours joined by NDRF personnel from Guntur too. At about 3:50 am they could trace the boy's hand and at around 4:30am they were able to pull out his body. The boy was immediately rushed in an ambulance to Medak area hospital for postmortem examination and was declared dead. The boy is said to have died due to suffocation. The district authorities have siad that they will register a case against the boy's grandfather, Mangali Bhikshapathy, in whose agricultural field the borewell was dug, and the bore well operator. Three bore wells were dug but all three had failed to yield groundwater. One of the wells, which was dug in the morning on Wednesday was not closed after the effort turned out to be a failure. It was in this well that Bhikshapathy's grandson, Sai Vardhan fell into. Sai Vardhan was the third child of Bhikshapathy's daughter Naveena and her husband Goverdhan. The district authorities ordered that all unused bore wells must be dismantled to avoid such incidents and action will be taken against anyone who does not follow the orders. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to hold up federal funds for two election battleground states that are trying to make it easier and safer to vote during the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Trump backed away from that threat but stuck with his unsupported claim that widespread voting by mail promotes a lot of illegality. The president targeted Michigan with a false tweet on its voting plans and also went after Nevada in the latest and most confused episode in his campaign against voting by mail. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends postal voting as a safe option during the pandemic. Mr Trump has said repeatedly, without evidence, that mailed ballots allow widespread fraud and has worried publicly that wide availability could lead so many people to vote that Republicans would lose in November. GOP allies have fought changes to voting in court and opposed funding to expand mail-in voting in Congress. Wednesday marked the first time Mr Trump has tried to use federal aid money to beat it back. President Trump has repeatedly claimed postal voting invites illegality, without specifying details (Evan Vucci/PA) The president began by targeting Michigan, mis-stating Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Bensons announcement that she would send applications for absentee ballots to every voter in the state. Though Republican secretaries of state have taken this step elsewhere, Mr Trump pounced on the move in a state key to his reelection hopes. Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election, Mr Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning. That brought strong criticism from Democrats in Michigan and elsewhere, pointing out that the state was sending applications, not actual ballots, an error the president corrected in a subsequent tweet six hours later. He stuck with the rest of his tweet: This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path! Story continues Michigan sends absentee ballot applications to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2020 Mr Trump later tweeted a similar threat to pull back funds from Nevada, which has sent ballots to voters for its June 9 state primary. A federal judge recently cleared Nevadas decision to mail ballots, which were sent by the Republican secretary of state. It was not clear exactly what funds Mr Trump was referencing, but the states are paying for the voting changes with federal aid intended to support elections during the pandemic. By Wednesday evening, Mr Trump told reporters he had spoken with Democratic Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and did not think funding would have to be cut. I dont think its going to be necessary, he said at the White House, adding he stood by his opposition to mail voting. Voting is an honour. It shouldnt be something where they send you a pile of stuff and you send it back. If people mail in ballots, theres a lot of illegality. Mr Trump himself has requested an absentee ballot to vote in Florida. Mr Trump did not threaten Republican-dominated states that are doing the same thing as Michigan. West Virginia governor Jim Justice, an ally of the president, said hes not concerned about Mr Trumps threats even though his administration approved mailing absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in the state. I cant imagine that the president is going to withhold funding in any way to West Virginia; thats not going to happen, Mr Justice told reporters. The treasury hall of King Tutankhamun at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir is the new virtual tour launched today by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities social Media platforms. The hall shows several of the golden king treasures collection uncovered inside his tomb at Luxors Valley of the Kings. Among the most significant objects on display are the Gold Mask, the innermost coffin, made of solid gold, the middle coffin an the gold coffinettes for his internal organs. On the 4th of November 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter made the most spectacular discovery in the history of archaeology, the tomb of the boy-king Tutankhamun. Painstakingly excavated over the course of almost ten years, its four small rock-cut chambers hidden beneath the sands of the Valley of the Kings yielded over 5,000 incredible objects, bearing witness to the life and death of this king. Most likely the son of the heretic king Akhenaten, Tutankhamun ascended the throne at around the age of nine, in the aftermath of the great religious upheaval of the Amarna Period. He was married to Ankhsenamun, third daughter of Akhenaten and his chief queen, Nefertiti. Early in his reign, the golden pharaoh restored wealth and power to the great god Amun-Re, whose worship Akhenaten had suppressed. Although a recent CT scan of Tutankhamuns mummy has revealed interesting new information about the techniques in his mummification, and has confirmed that he was about 10 when he died, the cause of his death is still uncertain. Most of the objects discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun on display here were actually used during his lifetime. Others, in contrast, were made specifically to be buried with him. What both types of objects have in common, however, is that they all stand as testimonies to their makers mastery of their craft, and to the great wealth that the royal treasury had accrued through the empire that the kings of the New Kingdom had built. Search Keywords: Short link: A soldier stationed in Kansas saved 'countless lives' on Wednesday morning when he hit a wannabe mass shooter with his car as the man was firing randomly at people on a bridge near an Army base, a police chief said. One person was injured by the shooter, according to Leavenworth police Chief Patrick Kitchens. That person, also a soldier, was a random victim, Kitchens said. Officers initially believed they were responding to a road rage incident on the Centennial Bridge that connects Kansas and Missouri, not far from Fort Leavenworth, the police chief said. Instead, they discovered that a man had been using multiple weapons to fire randomly at vehicles. The suspect was trapped under a car, Kitchens said. Authorities gather on Centennial Bridge after a shooting Wednesday, May 27, near Leavenworth, Kansas. A Fort Leavenworth soldier is being credited with saving lives after he stopped a person who was randomly shooting on the bridge that connects Kansas and Missouri The 34-year-old soldier who ran over the gunman had been waiting in traffic when he saw what was happening, according to Kitchens. 'The soldier intervened by striking the shooter with his vehicle, causing him to be critically injured, but ending the encounter with the active shooter and likely saving countless lives,' the police chief said. 'There doesn't appear to be a target,' he added. 'The person was simply, randomly firing at vehicles as they passed by.' The shooter, described as a 37-year-old resident of Platte County, Missouri, drove to the bridge at around 11 a.m., parked his car, and started to shoot at random cars crossing the bridge, according to a news report by KMBC news. Aerial footage from Kake news showed police officers on the bridge, which had been closed, investigating the scene The suspect had a semi-automatic rifle and a handgun, shooting three different vehicles during his attempted attack, with at least seven bullets flying through the window of a Ford Taurus. Aerial footage of the bridge after the incident showed vehicles involved in the attack and police officers and their vehicles working on the bridge, which had been closed and taped off to the public. April Steinke, who had been at the nearby Nextcare Urgent Care when the incident happened, said: 'Me and another patient just heard some sirens and I was like, "Wow. That's awful close,'' adding that she was impressed with the soldier's quick thinking. 'That's a hero to me,' she said of the soldier. Both the shooting victim and the suspect were in serious but stable conditions in a nearby Kansas City hospitals, police said. Pictured: Leavenworth police Chief Patrick Kitchens speaks during a press briefing following the incident. Kitchens said that it didn't appear the the suspect had a target and was shooting indiscriminately before the soldier hit him with his car Kitchens said no motive for the shooting has been determined, but investigators are looking into the suspects history. The suspect is from Platte County, Missouri. The guns are reportedly being traced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to check whether they had been purchased legally. Centennial Bridge bridge crosses the Missouri river and connects Leavenworth, Kansas, and Platte County, Missouri, and is 2,500 feet long. One lane on the bridge was reportedly already closed for road work before the shooting occurred, and was closed for five hours by police officers as they investigated the scene. WASHINGTON The House gave sweeping bipartisan approval Thursday to legislation to modify a new paycheck protection program for businesses that have suffered COVID-related losses, giving them more flexibility to use federal subsidies for other costs and extending the lifespan of the program as the economy continues to struggle. The compromise measure passed by a 417-1 vote and now heads to the Senate, where leaders face a choice between sending the House measure directly to President Donald Trump or trying to pass a companion measure that could be more difficult to advance. Trump is expected to sign the paycheck protection bill into law, though talks remain stalled on a much bigger measure to inject more than $3 trillion into the tumbling economy. A spokesman for Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he supports the House measure and will seek a Senate vote next week, but top GOP sponsor Sen. Marco Rubio said the House measure contains technical errors that could make it more difficult for businesses to get their operating loans forgiven. The changes to the program come as many smaller businesses such as restaurants struggle to survive coronavirus -related ruptures to the economy as states permit shuttered businesses to reopen. As enacted in late March, the Paycheck Protection Program required businesses to spend their loan money within an eight-week window to get the loans forgiven. It also required that three-fourths of the money be spent on payroll as a means of keeping workers linked to their jobs. But small businesses say there are several fixes needed to the program. For instance, the eight-week window created a dilemma for businesses, in particular restaurants that under the law were required to rehire all their laid-off workers even though they were either closed or limited to takeout and delivery. Many business owners feared that they would use up their loan money before being allowed to reopen, and then have to lay off employees again because their business wouldnt bring in enough revenue to keep paying everyone. The new measure gives business owners 24 weeks to spend the federal aid instead of eight as originally designed and extends the program through the end of the year while also lengthening the the maturity date and deferral period of the loans. I think we can all agree the economic crisis brought on by COVID-19 has proven more severe and drawn out than many anticipated, said Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y. We need to give borrowers more than eight weeks to use the funds in order to qualify for loan forgiveness. The legislation has the backing of GOP-friendly business groups like the National Federation of Independent Business, which was critical of delays by Democrats of legislation earlier this month to replenish the programs funding. Congress has provided about $660 billion to the program roughly the size of the annual defense budget helping 4.4 million businesses so far. Together, these changes will allow more businesses to receive PPP loan forgiveness and have liquidity after the PPP ends, said NFIB Vice President Kevin Kuhlman in a letter to lawmakers. Thursdays vote followed negotiations over the past week and should pave the way for the Senate to pass the measure next week and deliver it to Trump. Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie was the sole nay vote. We also wanted to pass something that wouldnt just pass this chamber but also the Senate and find, perhaps, a signature in the White House, said freshman Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who played a role in talks on the measure. Many companies that have reopened are indeed seeing sharply reduced revenue. The continuation of social distancing requirements in states and cities across the country has limited the number of customers and diners that restaurants and other businesses can serve. And many consumers are uneasy about going into stores, reducing retailers revenue. Business owners say they need more time to give them flexibility in the number of staffers they can bring back. House lawmakers arent expected to return to Washington next week. The Senate is returning to process additional Trump administration nominations and perhaps turn to a bipartisan lands bill. But the summertime agenda is in flux. There were no formal talks between congressional leaders on the next phase of the federal coronavirus response. Democrats have pushed a $3 trillion-plus measure through the House, but negotiations with the GOP-controlled Senate and White House have yet to begin. Congress is at a crossroads on the next virus relief bill. Democrats tout their 1,800-page bill as an opening salvo in negotiations, but Senate Republicans are wary of another round of negotiations where Democrats and the White House call the shots. Republicans are also split on how much aid to provide state and local governments, as well as other parts of the Democrats proposal. Also Thursday, the House defeated a bill to require the Small Business Administration, which runs the payroll program, to disclose the businesses receiving aid through it. The measure won a strong majority in the Democratic-controlled chamber but was defeated because it did not receive the two-thirds margin required to pass under fast-track rules. ___ Associated Press writer Joyce Rosenberg in New York contributed to this report. The Near East was a crossroad for the ancient world's greatest civilizations, and invasions over centuries caused enormous changes in cultures, religions and languages. However, a new study of the DNA of ancient skeletons spanning 4,000 years has revealed that most of these changes had no lasting effect on the genetics of the local population of Beirut. Whilst the invasions and conquests may have been revolutionary for the elite rulers, researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Birmingham, French Institute of the Near East in Lebanon and their collaborators found only three time periods that had any impact on the long-term genetics of the ordinary people. These were the beginning of the Iron Age, the arrival of Alexander the Great, and the domination of the Ottoman Empire. Reported today (28 May) in the American Journal of Human Genetics, the study shows the value of using genetics alongside archaeology to help understand what could be happening in the lives of ordinary people throughout history. Over the centuries, the Levant has had many different rulers, including the Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Arabs, and Ottomans. Most of these had permanent cultural effects on the local population, including changes to religion and even languages, as shown by the historical records and archaeological findings. However, despite this, previous research showed that present-day local people in Lebanon were mainly descended from local people in the Bronze Age (2100-1500 BCE)*, with 90 per cent of their genetic make-up coming from around 4,000 years ago, and very few lasting traces of even the Crusaders invasion around the 11th-13th Century**. To understand this potential contradiction and build a picture of the genetic history of ordinary people in the region, the researchers studied the DNA of ancient skeletons through 4,000 years. The team sequenced the genomes of 19 ancient people who lived in Lebanon between 800BCE and 200CE, and by combining with previous ancient and modern data, created an 8-point time line across the millennia. Scientists detected lasting genetic changes in the local people from just three time periods - during the beginning of the Iron Age (about 1,000 BCE), the arrival of Alexander the Great (beginning 330 BCE), and the domination of the Ottoman Empire (1516 CE) - but not from the other times. Dr Marc Haber, first author from the University of Birmingham and previously from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: "We revealed a genetic history of the area across 4,000 years, with a time-point approximately every 500 years. This showed us that despite the huge cultural changes that were occurring during this period, there were only a few times that the genetics of the general population changed enough to affect the ordinary people." The study revealed that some people did mix and form families with people from other cultures. One burial site was found to contain the remains of an Egyptian mother, and her son whose father had Egyptian and Lebanese ancestry. However, this cosmopolitan mixing did not seem to be widespread. Historical evidence is based on archaeological findings and written records, but these are biased towards the elite rulers and people with money and influence, as they have far more resources and write the history. It can be difficult to understand the lives of the ordinary people. Dr Joyce Nassar, an author on the paper and archaeologist from the French Institute of the Near East, Lebanon, said: "This study is really exciting, as the genetic evidence is helping us to interpret what we find. Some people might think that when a land was invaded, that the population would change. But this study shows it isn't that simple, and reveals there was only limited biological mixing, despite the cultural and political influence of the invasions." The skeletons came from four archaeological excavation sites in Beirut, which were discovered during building projects in the Lebanese capital city and rescued by the Directorate General of Antiquities***. The archaeologists and researchers then worked together to transfer the bones to a laboratory in Estonia dedicated to ancient DNA, where the surviving ancient DNA was extracted from the temporal bone in the skulls. The DNA was then sequenced and analysed at the Sanger Institute. Recent advances in DNA extraction and sequencing technology made studying the ancient and damaged DNA possible. Dr Chris Tyler Smith, senior author on the paper and previously from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: "We see that people like the Egyptians and the Crusaders came to Lebanon, lived, raised families and died there. Their DNA sequences reveal this, but a little while later, there may be no trace of their genetics in the local population. Our study shows the power of ancient DNA to give new information about the human past, that complements the available historical records, and reveals the benefits of archaeologists and geneticists working together to understand historical events." ### Notes to editors: * https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news/view/present-day-lebanese-descend-biblical-canaanites-genetic-study-suggests **https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news/view/crusaders-made-love-and-war-genetic-study-finds ***Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) at the Ministry of Culture is the authority responsible for the Lebanese heritage, including all the excavations led on the Lebanese territories, museums and historical buildings and cities. The DGA gave the permission to conduct DNA analysis on the material and to publish it. Selected websites: About the University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world's top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries. http://www.birmingham.ac.uk The French Institute of Near East, Lebanon / Institut Francais du Proche-Orient (IFPO) The French Institute of Near East, a research centre of international renown, is organized into 3 scientific departments: Archaeology and History of Antiquity (DAHA), Arabic, Medieval and Modern Studies (DEAMM) and Contemporary Studies (DEC). From Beirut, where its headquarters are located, IFPO has regional competence over 5 countries with branches in Jordan (Amman), the Palestinian territories, Iraq (Erbil), and Syria (Damascus and Aleppo). The research carried out at IFPO concerns many disciplines in Human and Social Sciences, carried out through a multidisciplinary and cross-period approach aiming to understand the societies of the Near East from prehistory to the present days. For more information, visit http://www.ifporient.org [ifporient.org] or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. The Wellcome Sanger Institute The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast - we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth. Find out more at http://www.sanger.ac.uk or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on our Blog. About Wellcome Wellcome exists to improve health by helping great ideas to thrive. We support researchers, we take on big health challenges, we campaign for better science, and we help everyone get involved with science and health research. We are a politically and financially independent foundation. https://wellcome.ac.uk/ Schools in some provinces are still waiting for personal protective equipment (PPEs) to be delivered and remain unprepared for the return of Grade 7 and 12 learners on 1 June. This is according to South African Teachers Union (SAOU) operational director Johan Kruger, who told MyBroadband it is aware of issues in both the North West and Mpumalanga. Unfortunately, the information that the minister communicates to the media doesnt correspond with the information that we receive from the schools, said Kruger. The feedback that we get sketches a bleak picture. Kruger said the majority of schools in provinces including Limpopo, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal have not been disinfected, and many are still waiting for PPEs to be delivered. For this reason, Kruger said he cant see schools in these provinces being ready to receive learners on 1 June. Kruger provided the example of the North West, where senior management teams (SMTs) and educators were told to report for duty on 25 May. However, on 21 May, unions received feedback from the North West Department of Education (NWDE) which made it clear to the unions that the NWDE was not ready to send educators back to school. The unions warned the NWDE that educators will not report for duty if the non-negotiables (PPEs) were not in place, said Kruger. As of 24 May, it was communicated to educators and unions in the province that SMTs should only return to school on 27 May, and educators on 28 May. The next day, this was further amended so that SMTs returned on 27 May, but educators would be told when to return at a later date. This is a clear indication that the department is overwhelmed regarding the whole situation, said Kruger. The schools in North West I phoned informed me that they did not get any assistance from the NWDE, said Kruger. They sanitized their own schools and procured their own PPEs. The schools that did receive PPEs said they were inadequate. North West responds The NWDE confirmed that the original return date for SMTs and teachers of 25 May was delayed. It said this was because other schools were not ready, a spokesperson said. It confirmed that SMTs returned on 27 May, and said that teachers will report to work on 29 May. When asked if North West schools are ready for the return of SMTs and teachers following the claim by the SAOU that not all schools had been catered to properly the spokesperson said the NWDE is aiming for all the necessary deliveries and preparations to have been made by 1 June. PPEs are being continually delivered to different schools and we are hopeful that on the 1 June we shall have addressed all shortages, said the spokesperson. They also confirmed that if schools are not ready by 1 June, they will not be allowed to open. We are really hopeful that all schools shall be covered [by 1 June], however a school may not open if all the COVID-19 non-negotiables are not covered, the spokesperson said. Now read: Schools expect few student withdrawals during lockdown Brazil's coronavirus death toll surpassed 25,000 on Wednesday, as the country emerges as the latest epicentre in the global pandemic. The health ministry said it had confirmed 1,086 new deaths in the past 24 hours. It was the fifth time the number exceeded 1,000 since the crisis accelerated in Brazil a week ago. That pushed the nationwide death toll to 25,598, the sixth-highest in the world. The country of 210 million people now has 411,821 confirmed cases of the virus, second only to the United States. The death toll in Brazil is now 20,599, a rise of 1,086 in the past 24 hours. It means Brazil has the sixth-highest death toll in the world Mass graves has been pictured at cemeteries across Brazil to house some of the country's victims. Pictured: Recently dug graves lay empty at the Vila Formosa cemetery Experts say under-testing means the real figures are probably much higher. President Jair Bolsonaro is facing mounting criticism over his response to the health crisis. The far-right leader has downplayed the seriousness of the virus and railed against stay-at-home measures, arguing the economic fallout risks causing more damage than the virus itself. 'The so-called second wave is coming: recession. It will affect everyone, without exception,' he wrote on Facebook. But most state governments have stuck to the World Health Organization's guidance and closed non-essential businesses. Sao Paulo, the country's industrial hub and hardest-hit state, has extended its stay-at-home order Wednesday until June 15, though Governor Joao Doria announced a gradual reopening of 'some activities' would be allowed from June 1. Bolsonaro has meanwhile pinned his hopes on the medication hydroxychloroquine, which - like US President Donald Trump - he has touted as a potential wonder drug against Covid-19. The country's number of confirmed cases climbed by 20,599 in the past 24 hours to 411,821 Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has been widely criticised for his handling of the outbreak and is at the centre of a deepening political crisis Brazil's health ministry recommends doctors in the public health system prescribe hydroxychloroquine or a related drug, chloroquine, from the onset of symptoms. On Monday it said it stood by that guideline, despite the WHO ending clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine over concerns about its safety and effectiveness against the coronavirus. Brazil is facing the crisis with an interim health minister, army general Eduardo Pazuello - the third person to hold the post in a month. His predecessor reportedly quit because he disagreed with Bolsonaro on hydroxychloroquine. And the president fired the previous health minister, also after clashing over how to respond to the pandemic. Meanwhile, hospitals are dangerously close to the breaking point in the hardest-hit areas, and the outbreak is not expected to peak in Brazil until next month. 'We are particularly concerned that the number of new cases reported last week in Brazil was the highest for a seven-day period since the outbreak began,' Carissa Etienne, director of the Washington-based Pan American Health Organization, said Tuesday. One of the country's best-known doctors, the neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis, called it 'the worst war Brazil has ever faced.' 'We never had an event like this. We never lost 25,000 people in a span of three months,' Nicolelis, who is coordinating the virus response in the impoverished and hard-hit northeast, said. 'We never got invaded in our history, but I'm referring to this virus as an invasion. It came like an invading army, and it's invading the whole of the country.' COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Meristem Crop Performance Group, LLC ( www.meristemag.com ) and AgPlanIt (www.agplanit.net/meristem-main) today announced a new strategic supply agreement to serve American farmers. The Meristem Crop Performance product line will now become a key component of AgPlanIt's offering of crop inputs and grower solutions. "Ty Fickenscher and Kylen Hunt have a track record of helping growers become more profitable," says Mitch Eviston, Meristem managing director, in announcing the agreement. With their background in precision agriculture and dedication to helping farmers improve their ROI, Eviston says working with the AgPlanIt founders makes perfect sense. "AgPlanIt has one core objective," explains Ty Fickenscher, co-founder from Axtell, Neb. "We want to equip producers with efficiency improvements and products that increase profits." Fickenscher has a proven history of bringing ROI solutions to Nebraska farmers with agronomic and precision ag services. He and co-founder Kylen Hunt, Elkhorn, Neb., say the agreement with Meristem is a great fit for AgPlanIt. "The Meristem team is working hard to help farmers cut costs and improve yields and we are proud to be able to work with them," says Hunt. He says AgPlanIt is out to boost the ability of American farmers to compete successfully in a global market, a mission that fits well with Meristem's vision of "Driving Farm Business Success." AgPlanIt will now offer Meristem's initial product portfolio, including seed treatments under the brand RACEREADY, REVLINE plant growth regulators, TRUTRACK drift control, AQUADRAFT water conditioners and surfactants and HOMESTRETCH nitrogen stabilizers, micronutrients, and foliar nutritionals. BLUE DEF diesel exhaust fluid rounds out the current offering. Both Fickenscher and Hunt say they are looking forward to connecting with farmers all across The Plains with this message and the benefits these products will bring. "If only 80 percent of your input costs are enhancing your ROI, that means you aren't making the most of the other 20 percent," explains Hunt. "Farmers need a higher ROI for every input dollar if they are to compete globally." "We've set up Meristem to be the lean provider of high-quality crop input additives to help these global players cut costs and increase yields," says Meristem's Eviston. "Now, with AgPlanIt's help, we'll be able to connect with more of the farmers who can benefit." Meristem Crop Performance Group, LLC ( http://www.meristemag.com ) is a joint venture between Old World Specialty Products and a group of talented agriculturalists with extraordinary backgrounds in agronomy and global agribusiness. Meristem works with farm businesses to drive out cost of production, increase productivity, diversify income, and increase access to new technologies. Meristem is keenly focused on providing products that can save farmers up to 30% compared to traditional market prices. AgPlanIt, LLC (www.agplanit.net/meristem-main) is an agronomic consulting and farm supply business assembled to bring outstanding insight, service and quality products to farm businesses seeking to enhancing yield while lowering input costs. Based in Axtell, Neb., the business offers crop consulting, crop inputs and other services to farm businesses. Contact: K. Elliott Nowels Phone: 833-637-4783 ext. 703 SOURCE Meristem Crop Performance Group, LLC Related Links https://meristemag.com Two autistic brothers found locked in a filthy room and a four-year-old girl allegedly left to die in her cot were reportedly known to Queensland authorities. The boys, aged 17 and 19, were discovered starving and naked in a house in Stafford in Brisbane's north on Wednesday morning, after their father was found dead in the next room. Pictured wearing only nappies, the teens are now receiving specialist care in hospital after being found severely malnourished. The grim discovery came just days after four-year-old Willow Dunn's body was found decomposing in her bed at her home in Cannon Hill, also in Brisbane, on Monday. Her father, Mark James Dunn, 43, was charged with murder after he allegedly found the toddler dead on Saturday and didn't call emergency services. The boys were aged 15 and 18 in this photograph, taken by a concerned neighbour, but look significantly younger as they sat in their back yard in nappies (pictured) Willow Dunn's (left) body was found decomposing in her bed at her home in Cannon Hill, also in Brisbane, on Monday. Her father, Mark James Dunn (right), 43, was charged with murder after he allegedly found the toddler dead on Saturday and didn't call emergency services The teenage boys, who are understood to be non-verbal, were only found after police discovered their 49-year-old father's dead body. The Courier-Mail reported the boys were known to the Department of Child Safety (DOCS) officers, but the investigation had been closed. There were visits to the property but it was allegedly determined there were no threat to the boys. The teenager's living conditions were described as 'sordid and gravely distressing' by a neighbour. 'I tried to reach out to police and the Department of Child Safety, but nothing was ever done,' she told The Courier-Mail. 'They wouldn't be wearing clothes, only just loaded diapers if they were lucky.' Flowers and stuffed animals are seen outside the home where Willow's body was found Forensic police on the scene at Cannon Hill in Brisbane after a four-year-old girl's body was found A neighbour told the ABC she was so horrified by what she saw that she called DOCS in February - but claimed they did nothing to help the boys. 'This man used to speak to these children like they were the scum on his shoes,' she said. 'He would tell them to ''shut the f*** up''. Deputy Premier Steven Miles said there would be an investigation into the case. 'Obviously just based on what I've seen in the media reports this is particularly tragic, heart-wrenching and no doubt will be investigated in detail, both the Child Safety response as well as what's happened here and I'll let those processes play out,' he said. A spokeswoman for the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women would not comment on the case and said there are strict provisions which make it illegal to disclose publicly whether an individual or family is known or not known to the department. The boys were locked in this room (pictured) in the rented home when they were found by police after their father's death One of the boys, who has autism, is seen sitting on a mattress in a nappy in 2018 (pictured) in a photo taken by a concerned neighbour Willow was allegedly found in a back bedroom inside the rented home on Bent Street in Cannon Hill, where she lived with her father, stepmother and stepsister. Willow's stepmother and stepsister are not facing charges and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on their parts. The four-year-old's father Mark allegedly left the helpless little girl lying in her bed, starving to death, long enough for her to have infected sores on her hips down to the bone. A relative allegedly sought medical treatment for Willow in 2018, The Courier-Mail reported. It is understood the relative allegedly took the little girl to hospital after claiming she looked unwell. The publication believes concerns about Willow's welfare had been reported on more than one occasion. State Child Safety Minister Di Farmer refused to confirm if Willow was known to authorities. Pictured: Forensic police on the scene in Cannon Hill after Willow Dunn's body was found A single goggle can be worn at least six times as a component of a personal protective equipment (PPE) kit by a healthcare worker, according to the latest guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) on the rational use of the special glasses while attending to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients or related swab samples. Goggles may be issued to each healthcare worker, who will decontaminate them after every use. Goggles to be disinfected by users and reused at least five times each, whereby one pair of goggles will suffice for six days. They may use them rationally till their transparency decreases, or they get damaged. The ratio of issue of goggles to coverall is recommended at 1:6, the advisory said. Goggles are key to a PPE kit, whose components after their use are discarded as bio-medical waste as per the standard operating procedure (SOP). However, the goggles that conform to the prescribed quality specifications of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) can be reused after proper disinfection, the ministry said. The purpose of this document is to enable individuals to reuse goggles used by them and allowing an extended use without running the risk of contracting infection, the advisory said. The ministry has been issuing advisories at regular intervals to guide healthcare workers on how to rationally use their protective gear after the country faced an acute shortage of PPE kits during the initial stages of the viral outbreak, leading to widespread panic and a public outcry. We dont face any shortage anymore but a rational use of the protective gear is still advisable. One must not waste the resources just because the requirement is being met. The ministry has been consulting experts and issuing appropriate guidelines on a regular basis, as it is an evolving situation, said a senior government official, requesting anonymity. The Centre has provided 1.14 and 9 million N-95 masks and PPE kits, respectively, to the states and other central institutions to date. Weve identified over 100 domestic manufacturers and in about two months have developed a robust industry indigenously, which has a capacity of manufacturing close to 3 lakh masks and PPE kits each daily. Its a remarkable feat. Besides, the country is not dependent on the import of these items anymore, the official added. The Union Ministry of Textiles has identified eight laboratories to run a quality control test of the PPE kits manufactured indigenously. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An avid fish lover, Sumoy Chatterjee (57), never missed a day without visiting Muchibazar market, near Bidhannagar Railway Station in Kolkata, to get his best bargained Ilish (Hilsa), Topse (Mango Fish) and Desi Parshey (Mullet). But this Thursday is a special day with Bengalis celebrating Jamai Shashti, which marks the cordial relationship of a man with his in-laws. However, despite markets being open (while maintaining social distancing norms), the favourite fishes of Bengali households to pamper the son-in-law with like Ilish, Bhetki (Asian Sea Bass), Pabda (Ompok Pabda), Desi Parshey, Bagda Chingri (Tiger Prawn), Gaulda Chingri (Jumbo Prawn), Koi (Amur Carp), Mourola (Indian Carplet), Rui (Rohu) and Katla (Catla) were missing from the platter because of non-availability of stock. Even if stocks were available in some places, the prices were beyond the reach of common man. Chatterjee and several others like him who could not go to their local markets for weeks due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown were happy when West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee decided to ease the restrictions from May 15. But the skyrocketing prices upset buyers like them. This year Jamai Shashti was eclipsed by Covid-19 pandemic and Cyclone Amphan. I went to Muchibazar today to buy Ilish, Topse and Desi Parshey, but unfortunately I got only 'desi' Parshey and that too the one which came from Paradwip in Odisha. We have invited our son-in-law for Jamai Shashti but, unfortunately, we will not be able to treat him with his favourite Ilish. We have decided to strike a few fish dishes off the menu and will compensate with mutton or chicken, said Chatterjee. In most of the big retail and wholesale markets like Muchibazar, Manicktala, Howrah, Sealdahs Koley Market, Ultadanga, Patipukur, Baguihati, etc, the situation is grim as there are few buyers due to the high prices of limited stock of fishes. Adhir Biswas, general secretary of Sealdah Wholesale Matasya Byabsayee Samity (Sealdah Wholesale Fish Traders Association), said, There is a huge crisis of fish in the market due to Covid-19 lockdown and Cyclone Amphan. Since the supply of fish is less, the prices are marginally higher. I hope in the coming days, things will become normal. In retail fish markets, since there is no small Bhetki, the big ones weighing around 2-2.5 kg are priced close to Rs 750-800 per kg. Pabda (large) prices are hovering around Rs 600-650/kg. Parshey (per piece weighing around 80-100 grams) is close to Rs 550-600/kg. Other delicacies like Ilish and Chingri are selling at exorbitant rates. While the prices of Ilish are hovering around Rs 900 to Rs 1,800/kg (depending on size), the prawns range between Rs 600 to Rs 750 per kg. Shrimps are selling at Rs 400-450/kg. The prices of fish have increased by 15 to 30 per cent in all the retail and wholesale markets due to lockdown and coronavirus pandemic. From mid-April till today, the fishermen were not allowed to go into deep sea. Over the weeks, there was an acute shortage of fish stocks and the fishes we are receiving from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are not enough to meet the demand. This is the reason behind the skyrocketing price of fishes in the market, said Bapi Das, a fish wholesaler at Sealdah Market. Due to Covid-19 lockdown and Cyclone Amphan, local produce including vegetables and fishes were badly affected. Only fishes from other states are available and this has led to the soaring prices in the market, he added. Syed Anawar Maqsood, secretary of West Bengal Fish Importers Association, said, The demand for Hilsa is less this time because of economic uncertainty among the buyers owing to Covid-19 lockdown." Business is badly affected and Cyclone Amphan has impacted it further, traders said. Since fishing was banned here due to the lockdown, nearly 1,000 tonnes of Hilsa has been imported from Myanmar. It is lying at the wholesale markets. It is not that there is no demand for Hilsa but buyers are reluctant due to its high price and economic uncertainty. We are all are concerned about what will be the shape of the business and earnings in future. We are hopeful that things will normalise in coming weeks, Maqsood said. The situation is similar for the prices of vegetables that have witnessed a 20-25 per cent rise. Vegetables like potol or parwal (pointed gourd) are being sold at Rs 30-40/kg, okra (bhindi) is around Rs 50-55 per kg, jhinge (ridge gourd) is selling at Rs 45-55/kg, onion is around Rs 25-30/kg, chandramukhi potato is close to Rs 30 per kg. A Pennsylvania state representative went on a profanity-laced tirade Wednesday against Republican House members who had tested positive for COVID-19 or came in contact with someone who had, and yet remained silent. State Rep. Brian Sims, a Democrat from Philadelphia, released a near-12-minute Facebook video calling out GOP members who have been pushing to reopen the state and accusing them of undermining the seriousness of the novel coronavirus. "Every single day of this crisis, this State Government Committee in Pennsylvania has met so that their members could line up one after one after one and explain that it was safe to go back to work," Sims said in the video. "During that time period, they were testing positive. They were notifying one another. And they didnt notify us." This week, coronavirus deaths exceeded 100,000 nationwide and 5,200 in Pennsylvania. Coronavirus updates: Pa. has more than 750 new cases Wednesday; statewide total nears 70K In the video, Sims said Democratic leaders became aware of at least one Republican member of the state House of Representatives who tested positive for COVID-19 and remained working in the Pennsylvania Capitol for at least one week. Sims criticized state Rep. Russ Diamond of Lebanon County for self-quarantining for weeks without telling Democratic colleagues. Diamond has been a leading advocate for reopening the state. Thousands gather outside the Capitol building for a ReOpen PA rally in Harrisburg, Pa., on May 15. "Of course, he didn't explain that to any of us when he was in committee talking with us, walking up and down the aisle, bumping into us or letting us hold the door for him, " Sims said. Diamond took to Twitter to respond to Sims, citing guidelines for quarantine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lefties whine because I self-quarantined but didn't get tested after possible COVID "contact." Confirmed by my doc: No reason for testing, even if I could get tested without symptoms. I feel like a million bucks! Well, $500k after lefties tax me. Russ Diamond (@russdiamond) May 27, 2020 In his Facebook Live video, Sims said, "Of course he didn't explain that to any of us when he was in committee talking with us, walking up and down the aisle, bumping into us or letting us hold the door for him, " Sims said. Story continues "I'm in a building surrounded by members who cannot go back to their families," Sims said. "I need to know if it is safe for us to be back in this building." On Wednesday, May 27, state Rep. Kevin J. Boyle, a Democrat from Philadelphia and Democratic Chair for the House State Government Committee, cited that he and his colleagues had discovered that fellow committee member Rep. Andrew Lewis, a Dauphin County Republican, tested positive for COVID-19. In a Facebook video Rep. Lewis shared his experience with COVID-19 noting he began filling ill on Saturday, May 16. He tested positive on Wednesday, May 20 and was last at the Capitol on May 14, he said. "In my mind the people that were exposed deserved a little bit of time because I have not have a public schedule and only had interactions with a few people. And I think those people deserved a little window of time to get tested and do their isolation," he said in the video. "I want to assure you throughout this whole thing I followed the isolation procedures, notified anyone I was in contact with and was in contact with the Department of Health on a daily basis." In a letter to Attorney General Shapiro, Boyle called for a formal investigation into the incident in which several Republican leadership members including Lewis, state House Speaker Mike Turazi and House Majority Leader Brian Cutler failed to notify fellow committee and House members. In the video, Sims also calls for the state attorney general's office to launch an investigation on GOP members who tested positive and participated self-quarantining without notifying their Democratic colleagues. Neil Strebig is a journalist for the York Daily Record. He can be reached at nstrebig@ydr.com and on Twitter: @neilStrebig. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Coronavirus: Pennsylvania lawmaker says Republicans hid positive cases 20 Christians killed, others injured or missing in Fulani attacks that displaced 20,000 Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Armed Fulani herdsmen attacks on farming villages in the Kaduna state of Nigeria have continued as reports suggest that at least 20 people were killed in a series of attacks last week. The National President of the Adara Development Association, Awema Maisamari, announced last Friday that four days of attacks from May 18 to May 22 targeting several villages in the Kajuru local government area have led to the deaths of at least 20 people. There were daily attacks and destruction from Monday to Thursday in the remote settlements of Magunguna, Idazo, Ungwan Galadima, Ungwan Guza, Etissi, Ungwan Maaji, Ungwan Dantata, Ungwan Araha 1 & 2, Ungwan Goshi, Ungwan Shaban, Ungwan Jibo, Ungwan Maijamaa, Ungwan Sako, Ungwan Maidoki and Ungwan Masaba, Maisamari said in a statement, according to The Punch newspaper. The Adara, a majority Christian people group, is one of the largest ethnic groups in southern Kaduna. As of [last Friday afternoon] 20 persons have been killed, several others are either injured or missing," the Adara Development Association head added. Maisamari said the traumatized community members are reeling in pain and wondering why this contrived anarchy is still being condoned by the powers that be. Since January, killings, maiming, burning, looting and kidnapping have continued unabated from village to village, he said. There have been 63 terrorist attacks and kidnapping incidents, more than 107 people killed, about 49 persons injured, more than 66 men, women and girls abducted for ransoms, more than 111 houses burned. Thirty-two villages were destroyed and 20,000 persons displaced, especially in the last two weeks. Kajuru resident Alheri Magaji, who leads the nonprofit Resilient Aid and Dialogue Initiative and is the daughter of the current leader of the Adara Chiefdom, told The Christian Post on Tuesday that she has heard of at least five people who were killed in the latest round of attacks in Kajuru. She said that as many as 4,000 people are internally displaced in the Kallah district in Kajuru following the last spate of attacks. They are literally ones with nothing to eat tomorrow, she said. Ive been trying to make a few calls to see what we can raise for them. According to data that was shared with her by a source on the ground in those districts, as many as 78 people were injured in attacks carried out between May 19 and May 24 in which over 600 houses were burned. While there have been five deaths that her sources know of, she said, there could be many more deaths that are not yet known because the continued presence of Fulani radicals in some villages has prevented community members from going back to count the dead. According to the data provided to Magaji, there are at least 51 people missing in Kajuru as a result of the last round of attacks. Right now, we cant assess the damages because Fulanis havent left their villages yet, she said. I have pictures of three dead bodies but they havent been able to retrieve [all] the dead bodies because they havent been able to go back into the villages. These are just the dead bodies we found. There are a group of people I met today [from Kaduna town] that told me that two of their peoples were killed two days ago, she added. One of them was crying and said her cousin was one of two people killed two days ago while fleeing. There was a roadblock by Fulani people and two people were shot dead. Similar figures that match up with the data provided to Magaji were reported by SaharaReporters.com. In a report, the website stated that five people were killed and at least 78 people were injured when suspected Fulani radicals attacked the villages of Idazau, Etissi, Bakin Kogi, Dutsen Gora, Ungwan Gora, Pushu Kallah and Magunguna during the five-day stretch. The news outlet further reports that a Catholic church and two evangelical churches were said to have been destroyed as a result of the attacks. The attacks follow a series of earlier massacres said to have been carried out by Fulani radicals in the Kajuru local government area earlier this month that killed over 20 other people. In an overnight attack carried out on the Gonan Rogo village on May 11 and May 12, no fewer than 17 people were said to have been killed. Attacks launched by Fulani radicals against farming communities in Kaduna are nothing new. Last year, dozens of people, if not hundreds, were killed and many displaced when suspected Fulani herders attacked in the Kaduna state. The attacks led some in the Adara community to travel to Washington, D.C., last year to spread awareness of their story. We came to the United States last year to talk about how these attacks are happening. And they havent really stopped, Magaji told CP. After the attacks against Kaduna villages last year, Magaji said that as many as 12,000 people were displaced from their homes. But now, she says there are over 30,000 displaced people in Kujuru. She said most of them are living with friends or family members but some have been forced to sleep under trees or in uncompleted buildings. Some, she said, have returned back to their villages. Across the farming-rich Middle Belt of Nigeria, attacks by radicals from the predominantly nomadic and predominantly Muslim Fulani herding communities have targetted predominantly Christian farming villages in recent years. As a result, thousands of people have been pushed out of their houses and off their farms. Estimates from the nongovernmental organization International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law suggests that Fulani radicals are responsible for killing as many as 470 people in the first four-and-a-half months of 2020 and thousands of people in recent years. Some international human rights groups have warned of the genocidal conditions facing Christians in Nigeria. The U.S. State Department listed Nigeria in December on its special watch list of countries that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom due to the lack of effective government response and the lack of judicial cases being brought forward in that country. Open Doors USA ranks Nigeria as the 12th worst country in the world on its 2020 World Watch List that tracks incidents of Christian persecution. As thousands are displaced, Magaji told CP that the local government in Kajuru has banned anybody from forming a camp" since last year. Normally, when attacks happen, the people normally go to government-owned places so the government feeds them at least, she said. But the government shut all the camps down. Even the IDPs that gathered in a primary school in Kajuru, the chairman of the ward said that they should leave the place and anybody caught there would be arrested because the government has displaced people. It is ridiculous because right now we have thousands of people displaced who are being fed by kind-hearted people, Magaji continued. There is literally a humanitarian crisis. Magaji said the local government chairman recently accused her and other Adara advocates of lying about the attacks that happened in Gonan Rogo earlier this month. She accused the government of trying to change figures to make it look like what has developed in Kujuru in recent years is a continuation of a decades-long Fulani-herder conflict. She said a contact who works for a Nigerian security agency told her that they are trying to reduce the number of attacks they put into the [database] so that it looks like there is an equal number of fatalities and injuries and all that. They are underreporting the attacks on Adara, she claimed. The scale of the IDPs and attacks is so huge. You cant support the [government] argument with figures on the ground. But that is not going to work because there are people on the ground taking pictures. They are really just making fools of themselves. Overnight fame hasn't been smooth sailing for Melissa Leong, who debuted as the first female judge on MasterChef Australia last month. The 38-year-old food critic revealed on Thursday that there had been some 'less savoury sides' to her new prime time TV role. She told the Shameless podcast: 'There is this incredible scrutiny women are put under when they dare to stick their head out above what is considered "acceptable".' Ups and downs: Overnight fame hasn't been smooth sailing for Melissa Leong (pictured), who debuted as the first female judge on MasterChef Australia last month Melissa also learned that mainstream fame has its advantages and disadvantages, pointing out that some of the coverage of MasterChef has been unfair. 'You have detractors. Rather disappointingly, [there are] women's tabloid magazines that just want to look for some salacious angle to sell their publications with,' she said. 'Peddling lies and dragging women down is so utterly disappointing.' 'Peddling lies and dragging women down': The 38-year-old food critic revealed on Thursday that there had been some 'less savoury sides' to her new prime time TV role Despite what is written about her by some media outlets, Melissa said she would always be an 'outspoken woman and a supporter of other women'. She added that she had been having 'a really tough day' recently, and a Facebook post pointing out her accomplishments raised her spirits. 'Feeling very put upon and feeling like lies were being perpetuated about your truth, that can feel like it robs your identity and [the post] helped me feel seen in that moment,' she said. Hitting out: Speaking on the Shameless podcast, she blasted 'women's tabloid magazines that just want to look for some salacious angle to sell their publications with' Melissa also said that people were still trying to 'compare and contrast' the new judges (her, Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen) with the original trio (Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan), but insisted she was here to stay. 'Those three judges created lightening in a bottle, so for that I will always be grateful,' she added, diplomatically. MasterChef Australia continues Thursday at 7.30pm on Channel 10 HONG KONG (AP) A national security law proposed by China could imperil Hong Kongs status as one of the worlds best places to do business. The law, approved Thursday in Beijing, led Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to say Washington will no longer treat Hong Kong, already reeling from anti-government protests and the pandemic, as autonomous from Beijing. The Chinese government has not given details of the law, which is aimed at suppressing secessionist and subversive activity in the former British colony. After 11 months of protests, Chinese leaders say it's needed to combat unspecified threats in the semi-autonomous region of 7 million people. But business groups, lawyers and financial analysts say potential repercussions range from loss of business for Hong Kongs financial markets and law firms to a loss of professional talent in the city. Hong Kong is highly regarded for its skilled workforce, business-friendly legal system, Western-style free speech and ease of movement. But global companies already were shifting some operations out of Hong Kong due to rising costs and uncertainty after prolonged, sometimes violent clashes between police and pro-democracy protesters. Scott Salandy-Defour, founder of clean-tech startup Liquidstar, has been considering moving out of Hong Kong, and the security bill is the last straw," he said. I dont see how it gets any better from here." When we say were a Hong Kong-based company when talking to investors, its just not as attractive as it was as a year ago," said Salandy-Defour, whose company provides sustainable battery rental and charging services for developing countries. Were potentially cutting ourselves off from a lot of different funding avenues, like grants from the U.S. government, he said. Hong Kongs leader Carrie Lam has tried to reassure companies and the public that its civil liberties wont be affected. But the law shows Chinese President Xi Jinping is determined to tighten control. Story continues Hong Kong is riskier than it used to be, said Tara Joseph, president of AmCham Hong Kong. There is a big worry that there are two buses careening towards each other, and thats the U.S. and China, and that this could have a profound impact in Hong Kong, Joseph said. Critics say the law undermines the high degree of autonomy promised when Britain handed control to China in 1997. That autonomy meant Washington and other governments have treated the city as a separate territory for trade, travel and other affairs. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday those changes are significant enough that Washington will no longer treat Hong Kong as autonomous. Washington could revoke its promise to exchange Hong Kong dollars for U.S. dollars, potentially disrupting the city's financial system, Deutsche Bank economist Michael Spencer said in a report. The financial sector would take a big hit if companies such as MSCI reclassify Hong Kong as an emerging market like Shenzhen and Shanghai instead of a developed market, Spencer said. A very large share of capital invested in the Hong Kong market will have to leave, he said. Hong Kong's uncertain future is putting it at a disadvantage with other Asian destinations that are competing to attract foreign investment, such as Singapore and Tokyo. Over time, people get nervous, and think that this place may not be, my money may not be, as safe as it once was, and Im going to think about going somewhere else, said William Reinsch, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It sends a signal that Hong Kong is no longer a safe and reliable place to put your money or to do business. The national security law has added to worries that Hong Kong's legal system is losing its independence. The Hong Kong Bar Association says the method for enacting it is a threat: China is circumventing the territorys legislature by changing its mini-constitution, the Basic Law, to require its government and courts to enforce security measures, regardless of what local lawmakers decide. Beijing has shown little regard for such considerations, said Reinsch. China is not a rule-of-law state, its a state where the party makes decisions about whats going to happen, those are arbitrary decisions, and if thats whats going to happen in Hong Kong, it doesnt bode well for the economy or for the people, he said. Bob Broadfoot, managing director of Hong Kong-based research firm Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, said companies might shift legal work to Singapore or other countries. Singapores going to get more business as a dispute resolution center, said Broadfoot. Its legal system, which is a bigger earner, will benefit from Hong Kongs problems. Hong Kongs troubles and broader global economic uncertainty due to the pandemic also may make it harder for businesses there to attract and retain talent. Still, some experts believe the concerns over a possible loss of Hong Kongs special status are overblown. Many big companies have sizable operations in both the mainland and Hong Kong, and most of Hong Kong's manufacturing base shifted to China years ago, said Nicholas Lardy, a fellow at the think tank Peterson Institute for International Economics. The real economic consequences are fairly limited," Lardy said. Hong Kong is still an attractive base for many companies, said Andrew Bishop, a partner with Signum Global Advisors, a risk advisory firm. Last year's protests gave businesses time to think, he said. At this point, continuing operations in Hong Kong has become a matter of careful calculation rather than a gut reaction to a surprise shock." - McDonald reported from Beijing. Associated Press business writers Cathy Bussewitz and David Koenig contributed to this story. This story has been corrected to remove an inaccurate mention that Hong Kong identity card holders can travel to U.S. without applying for a visa in advance. Additional reporting by Padraig Hoare A loss of smell and taste will now officially be added to the symptoms of Covid-19, allowing for those with no other discernible symptoms to seek a test from their GP. Chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, told the daily Department of Health briefing that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is expected to add the conditions, known as anosmia and ageusia, to the list and that the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has agreed in principle to follow. Mr Holohan also said that allowing some counties with lower rates of infection, such as Waterford, to open up faster than others from lockdown measures could lead to several unintended consequences such as people crossing borders seeking to go to a pub in another county. Professor Philip Nolan of NPHET said trends in Ireland such as admission to ICU and hospitals, as well as daily cases and deaths, are "astonishingly stable", and are a very good sign overall. Meanwhile, a private hospital in Limerick which the Minister for Health said is 30% full, in fact, has no inpatients whatsoever. The Bon Secours Limerick, one of the 19 private hospitals taken over by the HSE at end-March in order to extend the public health systems capacity, has had no inpatients since that deal was signed. The hospital, which has a bed capacity of 50, had just one inpatient discharged between March 30 and May 25, the Department of Health said. On Wednesday, Minister Simon Harris told the Dail that updated figures I have today show 30% of inpatient beds now being used in the Bon Secours Hospital Limerick. However, no further inpatients have been received in the intervening days, according to sources at the hospital. The Department of Health deferred questioning on the occupancy of the private hospitals to the HSE, from whom it said the figures have emanated. The HSE had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication. At Thursdays weekly HSE briefing Anne OConnor, the HSEs chief operating officer, confirmed that day cases and inpatients in the private hospitals are measured differently, with the bed occupancy stemming from the latter calculated by overnight stays. The under-utilisation of the private hospitals has become a persistent criticism of the deal signed by the State to take them over at a cost of 115m per month. The HSE has said that occupancy within the hospitals stands at close to 50%. However, internal hospital sources across facilities suggest the figure is closer to 35%, from a low of 15% in mid-April. The crux of the deal signed between the State and the private hospitals was that all essential non-Covid-19 diagnostics and procedures were to happen within that additional capacity. However, in at least one institution, St Vincents Hospital in south Dublin, the activity of the public hospital has moved fully to its private counterpart due in part to renovations of the formers operating theatres commencing after the beginning of the coronavirus crisis. Since the entering of the agreement between the HSE and private hospitals during the pandemic all public patients being treated for non-Covid procedures have been admitted to St Vincents Private Hospital, a spokesperson said. A swarm of locusts that was supposed to hit Delhi have been diverted due to a change in wind direction. However, the threat still looms as new swarms continue to throng India from across the Pakistan border. The tropical grasshoppers are headed towards Madhya Pradesh, according to a senior official from India's Locust Control Organisation (LCO). The official added that the LCO along with state agriculture department officials and farming communities are trying to ascertain the locusts' movement for the next day. As several states in North-India grapple to keep large swarms at bay, the government has deployed advanced sprayers, drones, and tractors to prevent acres of crop fields from getting damaged due to the locust attack. Also Read: Locust attack in India: Swarms of locusts enter Maharashtra; damage orange orchards, vegetables The locusts first attacked Rajasthan, from where they bypassed Delhi and are likely to hit Madhya Pradesh and are expected to affect Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra as well. The Locust Warning Office (LWO) has also issued high alerts for the states of Haryana and Punjab where the swarm is likely to enter. The Centre has joined hands with Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and other states to check the locust menace. The LCO has been fighting the locust challenge for over two weeks now as India is facing the locust movement of such magnitude after nearly 3 decades. Also Read: India faces worst locust swarm attack in decades: What does it mean for agri economy? The LCO official said that this usually happens around July but this time it is a month early and luckily there are no standing crops as all of them have been harvested already. The trigger for such a large locust movement is due to the large-scale breeding of these tropical grasshoppers in areas like Pakistan, Iran and Baluchistan. Locusts can move over 150 kms in a day in the direction of the wind, but during the day time, depending on the wind speed. Once they settle down on nearby vegetation by sunset, they can eat every green shoot or crop in their vicinity. Also Read: Locusts spare Delhi for now, but threat continues The upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 SoC will come with ARM's latest Cortex-X1 and Cortex-A78 cores. The chip's configuration will likely consist of a single Cortex-X1 core coupled with three Cortex-A78 cores and four Cortex A-55 cores. The Snapdragon 875 will be unveiled sometime in Q4 2020, and will reportedly make its debut on a Xiaomi phone. Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here We're about halfway through the year, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 has already begun to spring leaks. An earlier report shed some light on its GPU prowess, emphasizing little on what CPU cores it would feature. It just so happens that ARM unveiled two new CPU cores today, and both of them will debut on the Snapdragon 875. MyDrivers stumbled upon CPU-centric information about Qualcomm's 2020 flagship. It will reportedly come with the Cortex-X1 'super' core and other high-power and efficiency cores in a 1+3+4 configuration. We're probably looking at a configuration that goes something like 1xCortex-X1 + 3xCortex-A78 + 4X Cortex-A55. MyDrivers also adds that the Cortex-X1 core will appear on Samsung's 2021 Exynos 1000 chip. That, combined with an AMD RDNA GPU, should make it a force to be reckoned with. The Cortex-X1 'super' core is up to 30% faster than last year's Cortex-A77. Furthermore, the new Cortex-A78 cores also offer up to 20% improved performance over its predecessor. Both of these combined should give the Snapdragon 875 a much-needed performance boost to take on Apple's A-series chips. Lastly, the chip is expected to make its debut on a Xiaomi device. It is a bit of a surprise because Qualcomm flagships usually make their debut on Samsung Galaxy S phones. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 is also rumored to be the company's first 5nm offering. It will come with the company's X60 5G modem that is compatible with both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G networks. If Qualcomm keeps up with its annual release schedule, we can expect to see the Snapdragon 875 sometime in December. Optus boss Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has pinned the telco's poor fourth-quarter results on negative consumer sentiment and freight delivery provider Toll Group's cyber security woes, saying the telco's core mobile business remains in good nick. The telco, owned by Singaporean company Singtel, posted an 84 per cent slide in net profit for the quarter (year-on-year), from $228 million to $37 million. Ms Bayer Rosmarin, who formally began her role as chief executive last month, acknowledged that the latest numbers were poor. "Obviously we'd love the numbers to be a lot better and the pandemic is not fully reflected in the quarter four numbers either because our quarter ends in March," she said. "The sentiment we had after the bushfires, the floods, the COVID-19 pandemic ... there's not a great sentiment for consumers and you can see across the whole country that mobile phone sales have fallen from what they were last year. India has recorded 1,58,333 cases of the novel coronavirus and 4,531 deaths, according to the Union Health Ministry's latest update. Of these, 86,110 are active cases while 67,692 have been cured or discharged. The data was updated at 8.00 am on May 28 on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's website. Here are all the latest updates: >> Supreme Court on May 28 directed the central government to not charge train, bus fares from migrant workers and also told state governments to provide food to migrants until they are transported back to their states. 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 >> Karnataka clarified that it has not banned the arrival of flights, trains and vehicles from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, MP and Rajasthan into the state, but only sought a reduction in the number of flights to contain air traffic. >> The government said that there are nearly 23 lakh people in quarantine across India. >> The Centre said there are about a total of 30 groups in India, big industry to individual academics, who are trying to develop vaccines. Of them, around 20 are keeping a good pace. >> IIT Alumni Council announced the setting up of a mega lab in Mumbai to conduct one crore COVID-19 tests a month. >> Railways Food Vending Association said that they are not ready to open food stalls on railway platforms yet and urged officials not to pressure it. >> Coronavirus death toll in the US crossed one lakh on May 28. >> Twenty two police personnel in Maharashtra have died of COVID-19 so far, officials said. A student gets his temperature measured when returning to school in Seoul on May 27, 2020. Lee Sang-ho/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/ via Getty Images South Korea is shutting parks, museums, and art galleries around Seoul for two weeks from Friday and is urging people to socially distance after recording a new spike in coronavirus cases. The country started easing its restrictions on May 6, and businesses and schools have been cautiously reopening. But it recorded 79 new cases on Thursday, its highest since it saw 81 new cases on April 5. The health minister warned more steps would need to be taken if the new outbreak isn't brought under control, saying: "We will have to return to social distancing if we fail." South Korea, which relied on mass testing and tracing, has been hailed as a model for controlling the virus as it has reported only 269 deaths even though it was one of the first-hit countries. What happens as it eases restrictions offer lessons to other countries as they reopen. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. South Korea is closing all its parks, museums, and art galleries across Seoul, and warned it may have to reimpose more sweeping restrictions after seeing its largest single-day jump in coronavirus cases in over 50 days. The country, which has been gradually reopening since May 6, recorded 79 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. That is its highest daily new cases since it reported 81 new infections on April 5. Park Neung-hoo, South Korea's health minister, said the closures would start on Friday and run for two weeks. He also warned that more steps would need to be taken if the country records more than 50 new cases a day for seven days in a row, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. "The next two weeks are crucial to prevent the spread of the infection in the metropolitan area," he said. "We will have to return to social distancing if we fail." Park said that companies should try to introduce flexible working again to try and stop the spread, and that people have been urged to socially distance and avoid crowded places or stores. Story continues People wearing face masks walk on a street in central Seoul, South Korea April 22, 2020. HEO RAN/REUTERS Most of the new cases reported on Thursday had spread locally, rather than from someone who entered the country from abroad, and most were recorded in the Seoul area. Many of the cases also stem from a logistics warehouse west of the capital city, and the country's deputy health minister said more cases are expected to come from the workers and visitors, who are in self-isolation, AFP reported. The Korean Centers for Disease Control said Thursday: "In light of the recent rise in local transmissions related to places of business, religious facilities, bars, restaurants and others, KCDC urged people to refrain from social gathering or visiting any enclosed/confined/crowded spaces that are frequented by many people." It also urged people who need to go to busy areas to stay two meters apart, wear a face mask, and take steps like washing their hands. Park also said: "We have decided to strengthen all quarantine measures in the metropolitan area for two weeks from tomorrow to June 14." South Korean soldiers wearing protective gear walk on a street in front of Daegu's city hall after the rapid rise in confirmed cases of the coronavirus on March 2, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon Any failure to stop the spread in South Korea has lessons for the rest of the world who are easing or looking to ease restrictions without causing a spike in infections. The country's response to the coronavirus has been hailed internationally as an example of best practice. Instead of a full-scale lockdown it relied on mass testing, tracking technology, and tracing those who had come into contact with people who tested positive. The country was one of the first outside of China to record a case, in mid-February. Now, months later, it has only recorded 269 deaths and just over 11,300 cases. It even said it managed to avoid recording any new cases when 29 million people who voted in a parliamentary election in April. Voters were made to wear masks and gloves. Employees in a Seoul factory cafeteria sit behind protective screens as they eat to avoid the spread of the coronavirus in April 2020. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images While the country has largely relied on urging people to socially distance, it also introduced measures like closing schools and urging companies to give employees flexible time off. Bars and nightclubs in Seoul were ordered to close earlier in May when new cases were connected to them. But people's increased movements as restrictions are lifted have made it harder to track how the virus is spreading, warned Jeong Eun-kyeong, the director of the KCDC, The Guardian reported. Read the original article on Business Insider The head of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, Eoghan O'Mara Walsh, says the sector will suffer as a result of the 14-day quarantine requirement. Currently, people arriving from abroad in Ireland are required to self-isolate for two weeks. Mr O'Mara-Walsh says: "75% of the tourism economy is international visitation. So the domestic market is important and that's a given and please god the domestic market will support the Irish tourism industry this summer as the restrictions are lifted. "But the bulk of the tourism economy is made up of international visitation and we need to see a return to that obviously subject to public health concerns." Covid-19 passenger locator forms will be used to make sure people who travel here are staying where they said they would. From today, anyone arriving from overseas must provide details of where they will be self-isolating and their contact information. Failure to do so could lead to a fine of up to 2,500 or a jail term of up to six months. Chief medical officer Tony Holohan says airlines and airports will help ensure forms are filled out. He says: "We expect to have not only the airlines but the airport authorities helping us in the implementation of those regulations provided for by legislation." CLEVELAND, Ohio - Graduates might not be walking across stages to "Pomp and Circumstance" because of coronavirus concerns, but at least they can receive a coffee and doughnut: Dunkin is offering a free medium hot or iced coffee and a free doughnut to all Cleveland high school and college graduates. The offer is for local graduates in the Cleveland area only on Friday, May 29. The grads must visit Dunkin sporting their cap and gown or class of 2020 gear. The deal is not good on mobile orders or for Cold Brew and Nitro Cold Brew, and there's a limit of one per guest. The Massachusetts-based company has more than 13,100 restaurants in 41 countries. Related coverage: A look at the next generation Dunkin' I am on cleveland.coms life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, heres a directory on cleveland.com. Romina Ashrafi Romina Ashraf - Ben Jones The killing of an Iranian teen by her father after she eloped with an older man sparked outrage on Wednesday, with local media denouncing "institutionalised violence" in "patriarchal" Iran. Iranian media covered the apparent "honour" crime extensively, with Ebtekar newspaper leading its front page with the headline "Unsafe father's house". According to local media, Romina Ashrafi was killed in her sleep on May 21 by her father, who decapitated her in the family home in Talesh in northern Gilan province. The reports said her father had refused her permission to marry a man fifteen years her senior, spurring her to run away, but she was returned home after her father reported her. The legal marriage age in Iran is 13 for women. Iranian media reported that after authorities detained the teenager, she told a judge she feared for her life if she was returned to home. But what most outraged public opinion was the lenient punishment the father is likely to face, Ebtekar wrote. The newspaper notes that Iran's normal "eye for an eye" retributive justice does not apply to fathers who kill their children. Accordingly, he is likely to face three to 10 years in prison, a sentence that could be reduced further, the newspaper wrote, denouncing the "institutionalised violence" of Iran's "patriarchal culture". With the farsi hashtag #Romina_Ashrafi focusing outrage on Twitter, President Hassan Rouhani "expressed his regrets" in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, pleading for the speedy passing of several anti-violence bills, his office said. On Twitter, Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, said a bill on the protection of young people was in the "final phase" of validation by Iran's Guardian Council. The council, which vets legislation to ensure compliance with Iran's constitution and Islamic sharia law, has thrice previously called for changes to the law after it was passed by lawmakers, Ebtekar newspaper wrote. The publication fears that if the council sends back the bill, it will be buried by Iran's new parliament, which held its first session Wednesday and is dominated by conservatives and hardliners opposed to Rouhani. About 400 people have escaped from a coronavirus quarantine centre in Malawis second-largest city, Blantyre, after complaining about the poor state of the facility. Local media has reported that the escapees were quarantined on arrival from South Africa and were yet to be tested for coronavirus. They had complained that the stadium, which was turned into a quarantine centre, lacked water, toilets, and food. The government has not commented on the escape. Photos of the deserted and littered stadium were shared on Twitter. The incident comes a day after local media reported that eight people who tested positive for the virus on arrival from South Africa had escaped from Kameza isolation centre in Blantyre. Malawi has so far confirmed 101 coronavirus cases including four deaths. ---BBC Michael Bear Carson, who killed at least three people with his wife Suzan in the 1980s, has been denied parole. The killer, now 69, will remain in Mule Creek State Prison after Wednesday's decision. Born James Clifford Carson, he took the name "Michael Bear" before moving with Suzan to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury in 1980. There, a three-year murder spree began. Their first victim was their 23-year-old roommate Karen Barnes. The young woman was found stabbed to death and wrapped in a blanket in March 1981; although police strongly suspected the Carsons were involved in her murder, the pair had already fled by the time the body was discovered. In 1982, they resurfaced at a marijuana farm in Humboldt County; that year, police say Michael Carson shot fellow farm worker Clark Stephens. Stephens' burned remains were found in a rural area. But the Carsons were gone again. When detectives searched through their belongings, they found a manifesto that proclaimed President Ronald Reagan and late-night host Johnny Carson were among their next targets. Their final, chaotic murder scene was their undoing. In January 1983, the Carsons were spotted hitchhiking near Bakersfield by Jon Hellyar. Wanting to help, he let them in his car. While driving up 101 in Sonoma County, a fight broke out in the car. Hellyar managed to pull over, but he was overwhelmed by the couple. In full view of passing traffic, Suzan stabbed Hellyar until Michael shot him to death. A witness called police, who apprehended the couple trying to escape in Hellyar's car. What came next was a media circus. In a rambling jailhouse press conference, the Carsons confessed to the three murders, declaring themselves "vegetarian Muslim warriors" who had been given a spiritual mission to kill all witches. Their nickname in the press became the "San Francisco Witch Killers." The pair later retracted their confession, but the evidence was overwhelming. They were both given sentences of 75 years to life. They've each come up for parole in recent years, and both remain remorseless over the killings. In 2015, Michael Carson wrote the parole board that he was canceling his hearing. "No one is going to parole me because I will not and have not renounced my beliefs," he wrote. Wednesday's hearing was prompted by California's Elder Parole Program, which puts over-60 inmates who have served more than 25 years in jail up for parole. "I spoke out about against my fathers parole because I believed he would kill again if released," Carson's daughter Jenn told the O.C. Register. "We may never know how many people were killed by my father, or where they are buried. But today there was justice for the three known victims, Karen Barnes, Clark Stephens and Jon Hellyar and future violence was prevented." It will be another 10 years before either Carson is eligible again for parole. Katie Dowd is a senior digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: katie.dowd@sfgate.com. Vietnam will be a guest at the 2020 RIMPAC Exercise, joining more than 20 other countries in the international maritime event. The Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise held every two years, will come back from August 17 to 31 in Hawaii, according to American military newspaper Stars and Stripes. Hosted by the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the exercise will be at sea only and no social events will be held ashore over Covid-19 pandemic concerns, the paper said. It said the event welcomes back all 25 countries from the 2018 event: Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom and Vietnam. But Brazil has dropped out while the Jerusalem Post said Israel will not participate this year due to Covid-19. China has not been invited to the exercise. The Asian giant was invited for the 2018 event but the U.S. withdrew the invitation later. The exercise will include multinational anti-submarine warfare, maritime intercept operations, live-fire training event, and other cooperative training opportunities. "RIMPAC is an incredibly important joint exercise between us and our allies that is absolutely necessary to our countrys national defense in the region," U.S. Rep Ed Case of Hawaii told Stars and Stripes, expressing disagreement to those calling for canceling the event amid the pandemic. Vietnam was invited to RIMPAC for the first time in 2018, when it sent eight naval officers. Vietnams involvement in the exercise marked a major thaw in ties between former foes as also a significant step forward in Vietnam and the U.S. military relations, experts said. RIMPAC, which was first held in 1971, is aimed at promoting naval cooperation among countries, thereby fostering stability in the region. Defense relations between Vietnam and the U.S. have strengthened since 2016, when President Obama decided to lift the ban on the sale of assault weapons to Vietnam. The Trump administration has identified Vietnam as a "cooperative maritime partner." The USS Theodore Roosevelt arrived in Da Nang last March, the second U.S. aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam since the Vietnam War. The USS Carl Vinson had visited Da Nang for five days in March 2018. Actor cum politician, John Dumelo has punched holes into the NPPs much-touted Free SHS policy by suggesting its a scam because nothing shows its free. In his opinion, the government cleverly increased taxes in the country astronomically so that parents instead of paying school fees used those monies to pay their taxes; an indication that Senior High School Education is not free as being touted by the NDC. Free SHS is not really free as they claim because we pay indirectly through different sources, there is nothing like Free SHS, he said. The aspiring MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency said, in any case, the government could have waited and built more schools, expanded the infrastructure of the various Senior High Schools across the country, train and equip existing current teachers and also employ more teachers before implementing the policy because currently, people have lost trust in Secondary school education in Ghana. Lots of Ghanaians have lost trust in the Free Senior High School Education because the government has exchanged quality for quantity, the system is about enrolling the masses and not the quality of education provided, he told Accra-based Adom FM in an interview. Source: Ghanaweb 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 Tennessee Beef Promotion Board has contributed $50,000 to the exhibit that tells the story of farming innovation in the past, presentand especiallyfuture in a fun and interactive way. Visitors of all ages will gain an understanding of how food and fiber get from the farm to the family and the role technological, scientific and genetic innovation in agriculture plays in society and culture around the world. "Those of us who work every day in the agriculture industry are always looking for fun ways to educate the public on where their food comes from," said Valerie Bass, executive director of the board. "The board and I believe an exhibit with facts about innovation in all areas of agriculture is going to fill that need in a unique way." Guests to Discovery Park have seen a completely refurbished 1914 Case steam engine on display in front of the Simmons Bank Ag Center. When the new exhibit opens, that example of innovation of the past will be on display next to a modern tractor of today loaded with new technology thanks to H&R Agri-Power and Case IH. "We're excited about this opportunity to help educate the public on the latest and greatest advancements in farm equipment," said Wayne Hunt, president of a 17-store Case IH dealership with stores in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi and Alabama. "I'm certain visitors to this exhibit are going to be surprised at how modern tools are allowing farmers to maximize both their time and their resources," said Hunt. H&R Agri-Power and Case IH are also making a $50,000 contribution to the exhibit. The Dairy Alliance, a nonprofit funded by dairy farm families of the Southeast, is contributing $15,000 to the project. "On behalf of dairy farm families, we work to educate the public with facts about dairy foods and the innovation taking place in dairy that allows farmers to do more with less," said Denise Jones, manager for farm relations for Kentucky and Tennessee. "We believe a fun exhibit like this one is a great way to help people learn more about this important aspect of agriculture." While the exhibit design team has been working with these new partners and many others to develop this one-of-a-kind exhibit, they've also been working with sponsor Nutrien Ag Solutions to begin turning the area in front of the Simmons Bank Ag Center into a working display of crops frequently grown throughout the region. Row crops like corn, cotton and soybeans will eventually be seen growing on what is now a lush, green lawn. Plans also include space for flowering plants that will offer nectar and pollen throughout the growing season to attract and support a variety of pollinators. This section will also connect to Discovery Park's existing vineyard. More information about the exhibit can be found at DiscoveryParkofAmerica.com/agriculture. About Discovery Park of America The mission of Discovery Park of America, a premier world-class museum and 50-acre heritage park located in Union City, Tennessee, is to inspire children and adults to see beyond. Included is a 100,000-square-foot museum featuring 9 interactive exhibit galleries with additional space for temporary exhibits from around the world and a 50-acre heritage park. Discovery Park of America is a 501(c)(3) public charity funded by generous individuals, corporations and foundations including its principal funder, the Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation. For more information, visit DiscoveryParkofAmerica.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact: Katie Jarvis 731-885-5455 [email protected] SOURCE Discovery Park of America Related Links http://www.discoveryparkofamerica.com The economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic could push as many as 86 million more children into poverty by the end of 2020, a joint study by Save the Children and UNICEF showed Wednesday. That would bring the total number of children affected by poverty worldwide to 672 million, an increase of 15 percent over last year, the two aid agencies said in a statement. Nearly two-thirds of those children overall live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. But the pandemic-driven increase is expected to occur mainly in Europe and Central Asia, according to the study, which is based on World Bank and International Monetary Fund projections and population data from some 100 countries. "The scale and depth of financial hardship among families threatens to roll back years of progress in reducing child poverty and to leave children deprived of essential services," UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore is quoted as saying in the statement. With immediate and decisive action, "we can prevent and contain the pandemic threat facing the poorest countries and some of the most vulnerable children," added Save the Children head Inger Ashing. They are "highly vulnerable to even short periods of hunger and malnutrition -- potentially affecting them for their whole life," she warns in the statement. The two organizations call on governments to rapidly expand their social security systems and school feeding to limit the effects of the pandemic. A child is seen in Karachi, Pakistan -- the majority of children at risk of poverty live in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, but the coronavirus pandemic will see a surge in Europe and Central Asia, a study shows A motorcyclist who died after crashing into the side of a city bus Tuesday evening was identified by Colorado Springs police Wednesday. Police said Johnny Semak, 32, died after hitting a city bus that was turning onto Chambers Street from North Nevada Avenue. There were no passengers on the bus and the bus driver was uninjured, police said. Semak was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, authorities said. His death is the ninth traffic fatality in Colorado Springs this year, and the fourth consecutive motorcyclist death. At this time last year, there were 16 traffic-related deaths, and only one motorcyclist death. RELATED: Ruby Rose shared a message of thanks to everyone involved in her Batwoman series in an Instagram video posted on Wednesday. The 34-year-old model and actress also cryptically addressed her departure from the series, though she preferred to keep her reasoning for leaving to herself. Reports last week suggested the former Orange Is The New Black actress had trouble adapting to the long hours required of her lead performance on the CW series. Saying goodbye: Ruby Rose, 34, shared a fan-made video on Wednesday to mark her departure from Batwoman. She cryptically addressed her reasons for leaving the series Ruby's shared a fan-made clip and was mainly a compilation of her smiling, set to Reece's Last Time. 'Thank you everyone for coming on this journey. If I mentioned everyone it would be 1000 tags.. but Thank you to the cast, crew, producers and studio,' she wrote in her caption. 'It wasnt an easy decision but those who know, know.. I didnt want to not acknowledge everyone involved and how big this was for TV and for our community.' Giving thanks: 'Thank you everyone for coming on this journey. If I mentioned everyone it would be 1000 tags.. but Thank you to the cast, crew, producers and studio,' she wrote in her caption Mum's the word: 'It wasnt an easy decision but those who know, know. I have stayed silent because thats my choice for now but know I adore you all,' she added The Meg actress briefly touched upon her departure from the show, but only to say she didn't care to talk about the reasons behind it. 'I have stayed silent because thats my choice for now but know I adore you all. Im sure next season will be amazing also. Xxx *hangs up cowl and cape,' she concluded TV Line reported Thursday that Rose's departure from the series wasn't all her decision, though there was an amicable parting of ways. ''It wasnt 100 percent her decision. It was a breakup,' an insider said. Mutual: TV Line reported Thursday that Rose's departure from the series 'wasnt 100 percent her decision' and was due to her difficulty working long hours; shown in August 'She wasnt happy working on the show, and did that make her fun to work with? No. So everyone decided it would be in the best interests of the show, and for all concerned, if they parted ways. It just wasnt a good fit.' A key factor in her decision to leave was the long hours she had to work as the star of Batwoman. Prior to the series, Rose had mostly played smaller supporting roles in films and television requiring more modest time commitments. She also wasn't a fan of living in Vancouver, where the series is filmed. Despite Rose's departure, the CW is still moving ahead with a second season and plans to recast the role, according to Deadline. The series won't return until January 2021, giving the network plenty of time to find its new Batwoman. Glum weather: Ruby also wasn't a fan of living in Vancouver, where the series is filmed Though neither she nor the producers comments on her reasons for leaving, all parties made it clear that Rose' exit wasn't related to a serious injury she suffered during filming. The John Wick: Chapter 2 actress had to undergo emergency surgery to repair to herniated discs from the injury, which could have paralyzed her. Executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter confirmed that they would bring in a member of the LGBTQ community for the role. Rose identifies as a lesbian and is genderfluid. Police officers removing barricades set by protesters outside the 3rd Police Precinct on Wednesday in Minneapolis during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd. KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images Protests continued in Minneapolis on Wednesday over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in a hospital after a police officer kneeled on his neck for roughly eight minutes. "Please, Minneapolis, we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy," Mayor Jacob Frey said Wednesday night. "The area along Lake has become unsafe. We are asking for your help in keeping the peace tonight." Some businesses including a Target store were looted, and an AutoZone was on fire. Some protesters threw bottles and rocks at police officers who responded with rubber bullets, flash bombs, and tear gas, according to local outlets. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis asked people to go home after a second night of protests over George Floyd's death escalated from the events of the night before. "Please, Minneapolis, we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy," Frey said in a tweet Wednesday night. "The area along Lake has become unsafe. We are asking for your help in keeping the peace tonight." The Star Tribune described stores being looted and establishments on fire. "We appreciate those that protested peacefully, but now is the time to go home," he said, according to the Star Tribune reporter Liz Navratil. "Obviously, we have both instances of violence and fires. There are institutions, grocery stores and markets around Lake, that our community relies on ... especially in times of a pandemic." According to KSTP, protesters threw bottles and rocks at police officers, who responded with rubber bullets, flash-bangs, and tear gas. The Star Tribune said "most of the violence stemmed from a large crowd that gathered outside Minneapolis' 3rd Precinct police headquarters." A Target, an AutoZone, a tobacco store, a liquor store, a Cub Foods, and a Dollar Tree in the area were looted, KSTP reported. Videos online showed the AutoZone, which is across the street from the precinct, set ablaze. Story continues The Star Tribune reported that while some protesters tried to extinguish the flames, others "danced gleefully in front of the flames and smoke, snapping selfies." Gov. Tim Walz also responded to the violence and said in a tweet that the area "has evolved into an extremely dangerous situation." State troopers were sent to the area to back up the local police. Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) May 28, 2020 KSTP reported that the Minneapolis Police Department said it was "aware of what is happening in the area" and was "working on the matter." Ricardo Lopez, a local reporter who was on the scene, tweeted that smoke was also "billowing out of the Cub Food store." A barricade by a construction site was also set on fire, according to reports. One man was fatally shot in the Lake Street neighborhood around the time of the protest, though it's unclear the circumstances of the shooting. According to the Star Tribune, the police had "little information about the circumstances of that death." Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins condemned the violence, according to the Star Tribune. "I understand the frustration of my community members, but I'm really disappointed that people feel like the only way to express anger is through destroying our own community," Jenkins said, according to the outlet. "I mean, tomorrow, where are these moms going to be able to get food and diapers for their children? We're in a pandemic. Stores aren't even open." George Floyd's death sparks outrage Thousands of people began protesting Tuesday over Floyd's death after a video circulated online showing a white police officer in Minneapolis kneeling on the neck of Floyd, a black man, for nearly eight minutes. "Please, please, please, I can't breathe," Floyd said in the video. "Don't kill me." Floyd became unresponsive about halfway through the video. A police statement on Tuesday said he had been experiencing "medical distress" and later died that evening. Four police officers who were involved in the arrest were fired, Frey said on Tuesday. According to Fox News, protesters want charges filed against the four officers. Earlier Wednesday, about 50 protesters gathered in front of Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman's office demanding that the officer who was seen in the video with his knee on Floyd's neck be charged with murder, the Star Tribune reported. "They need to go to jail, all four cops," Erica Chick, who drove up from Charles City, Iowa, to attend more peaceful protests on Wednesday afternoon, told the Star Tribune. Read the original article on Insider After three months, The Wharf in Swatara Township is eager to welcome diners back, even if its for alfresco dining only. Were excited to reopen for some on-premise dining," said Wayne Pecht, co-owner. Following guidance issued Wednesday by Gov. Tom Wolf, limited outdoor dining will be allowed at restaurants in Pennsylvania counties operating in the states yellow and green reopening phases. Starting June 5, bars, restaurants, and retail food service operations located in counties in the yellow phase can begin offering the limited outdoor service. Restaurants doing business in the green phase can start limited indoor and outdoor dining on May 29. There is a tremendous pent-up demand for people to socialize, Pecht said. Our society is used to being able to interact with each other, and for the past 10 weeks that has been eliminated. The Wharfs patio will operate under social distancing guidelines established by the state with tables spaced to ensure diners sit six feet apart, he said. In addition, sanitizing practices will be enforced, condiments dispersed in packet form-only and disposable menus passed out. Under the states guidelines, indoor areas must be closed except for through-traffic, diners cant sit at outdoor bars and self-serve food and drink is not permitted. Recommendations call for disposable menus and no condiments such as salt and pepper shakers on tables. While the relaxed guidelines are welcome news for restaurants and taverns hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, some in the industry say implementing them is confusing, and outdoor dining alone isnt going to save their business. Meanwhile, some say the alfresco dining model doesnt lend itself to every establishment and creates an uneven playing field. READ MORE Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, said some taverns and bars in the state have questions about implementing the guidelines. Specifically, he said some owners are trying to figure out rules about capacity limits. The regulations say restaurants can gauge capacity at 50% of their stated fire capacity or 12 people per 1,000 square feet. When no fire code number is available for outdoor dining, the 12 people per 1,000 square feet number should be applied. Restaurants also can arrange seating so customers sitting at a table are not within six feet of any customers sitting at another table in any direction. Under those metrics, Moran said said some smaller establishments, mostly neighborhood bars and taverns, would open with three or four tables. They have to ask if its really worth opening for dine-in service and bringing back staff, he added. Those establishments without outdoor decks or patios stand less of a chance of reopening in the yellow phase. "Our analysis is if you are a big restaurant, this is a starting point but if youre a smaller tavern or [liquor] licensed restaurant, this might not get you to the starting line, Moran said. Many owners also have questions pertaining to liquor licenses and how it relates to setting up alfresco dining, Moran said. Its not as easy as erecting a tent in a parking lot and setting up chairs and tables or closing down a street. Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board spokesman Shawn Kelly said guidance set forth by the governor does not supersede normal liquor license permitting. Establishments have to apply with the LCB for a liquor license extension, in order to add outdoor seating. Even so, theres no guarantee. Neighbors can protest the extension, leading to a hearing and possibility of not receiving approval, Kelly said. One way restaurants are getting around it is by closing streets to make way for dining in the age of social distancing. Cities like Tampa, Florida have closed streets so restaurants can expand seating while other cities such as Cincinnati, Ohio are evaluating similar programs. In downtown Harrisburg, a proposal would close a portion of a city street for outdoor dining open to all restaurants, most likely on Second Street, said Todd Vander Woude, executive director of the Downtown Improvement District. The premise being that patrons order and pay online and take a seat at a table where a server delivers the meal. The plan is designed to increase restaurant capacity by spilling customers out onto sidewalks and streets, probably on Saturday evenings, he said. The proposal has to be approved by the City of Harrisburg. Were trying to see whats really best for everyone as things start to open up a little bit more, Vander Woude said. Across the Harrisburg area, many owners are ready to welcome back customers, but have reservations over the guidelines. Its going to help a little bit but its not going to change much, said Matt Flinchbaugh, owner of Flinchys in Lower Allen Township. This plan is not putting anybody back to work and its certainly not going to make us any money. Flinchys Train Wreck Deck will open June 5 with tables spaced out and safety precautions including required masks for employees, Flinchbaugh said. One additional employee will return, joining the staff in place since the restaurant turned to takeout and delivery. In addition, Flinchbaugh said time limits will be set for tables. Customers will have about 1 1/2 hours to eat. READ MORE: He said some customers will want to sit for hours and drink beer. We are about to go out of business. I dont want another loan or assistance from the government, Flinchbaugh said. At nearby Dukes Riverside in Wormleysburg, owner Don Carter Jr. said the guidelines are complicated and add to LCB and state Department of Agriculture rules restaurants already have to follow. Carter plans to open all five of his restaurants, including Dockside Willies and Rock Bass Grill in Worlmeysburg, as well as Dukes West in Hampden Township and Dukes in Hershey, for outdoor service on June 5. But he has several concerns. For one, Carter said its not fair all establishments cant open. I feel bad about those who dont have outdoor seating. Im not happy about that at all because it probably could almost be unconstitutional. How can you tell one guy to be open? Thats not right, he said. Further, Carter said hes not sure how to control the number of diners who patronize the restrooms. Hes also worried about the impact weather will have on business. Outdoor dining is not an easy thing, Carter said. If your dining area is full and a storm comes down the river, you better have a game plan. Where are you going to put all those people? In the end, he said the equity behind the rules is not fair. The thing is, I hope I never experience this whole thing again in my life. You want to do the right thing. You want to open up and do the right stuff, but its so complicated," Carter said. 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. Close Trump threatens to deploy 'heavily armed' US military to crush George Floyd protests George Floyd's family is still expecting and waiting for the three other former police officers present during the death, while the Minneapolis Police Department is coming under scrutiny with a civil rights investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. It comes as Donald Trump received widespread backlash "law and order" speech that led to riot police clearing out protesters before he posed for photos at St John's Church, which Washington clergy called "baffling and reprehensible". Attorney General William Barr was said to have ordered the area cleared for the president, which prompted House Democrats to call the Secret Service to brief congress about the violent dispersal. Follow live updates Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load (@FahadShabbir) DUSHANBE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2020) Tajikistan received on Thursday 4.6 tons of medicines to fight the coronavirus pandemic, which were sent at the initiative of the Indian government on a special Air India flight, the Indian embassy in Dushanbe said. "Indian Ambassador [to Tajikistan] Viraj Singh handed over a batch of humanitarian aid of 4.6 tons of medicines for combating the coronavirus right at the plane's ramp to Tajik First Deputy Health Minister Umarzoda Saida Ghayrat," the embassy said in a statement. Via the same special flight, a Tajik citizen, who studied in India and was unable to return due to the coronavirus pandemic, returned home, the embassy noted. Earlier this week, the Indian government organized a special flight to repatriate Tajik citizens who were stuck in India and Indians who were in Tajikistan. Air India's flight has already repatriated 45 Tajik citizens, who studied at various courses sponsored by the Indian government and were unable to return home due to the pandemic, the diplomatic mission added. Tajikistan has confirmed so far more than 3,400 cases of the disease, including 47 fatalities. After hitting a record high daily increase last week, the number of cases per day has since been decreasing. China seems to have begun consolidating its territorial claims on its periphery and the first victim will be an autonomous Hong Kong. The mainlands National Peoples Congress has passed a new sweeping security law that will criminalise most forms of political dissent, undermine other individual freedoms and put a tight lid on foreigner activity in the city-state. The rubber-stamp Hong Kong authority has signalled its intention to pass the law, effectively ending the one country, two systems principle that was the basis of the handover of the British colony. The United States (US) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo quickly warned these actions meant Hong Kong no longer enjoyed autonomy from China, clearing the path for Washington to revoke the special economic status the city-state enjoys with the US. The US is likely to roll back elements of this status, encompassing visas, tariffs and financial regulations, lock step with the regression of Hong Kongs rights. With reports of capital flight and financial firms already seeking alternative homes, the future of Hong Kong as an international financial centre looks bleak. This will make US-China relations, already fragile, even worse. Beijing has also accompanied this by officially dropping the first word in its traditional espousal of peaceful reunification with Taiwan. India should watch Chinas aggression closely, for it could directly impinge on its own security interests. At least nine migrants have died in recent days, exposing the suffering of migrant workers due to coronavirus lockdown. A viral video clip shared on social media showing a toddler trying to wake his dead mother lying on a railway platform in the eastern city of Muzaffarpur has shocked Indians. According to local media reports, the family of Arbina Khatoon said she died of hunger and dehydration, highlighting the suffering migrant workers have endured due to the coronavirus lockdown. Local police, however, said that she died of illness. The 35-year-old is among at least nine migrant workers who have died on trains in recent days while travelling back to their homes, officials and media reported on Wednesday. Local media aired footage of the two-year-old boy pulling at a cloth covering his dead mother at Muzaffarpur railway station in the northeastern state of Bihar. Local police said Khatoon died of illness, with Indian Railways sharing a letter from relatives attesting to her poor health. But those who travelled with her claimed she died from a shortage of food and water during a long train journey from western Gujarat state some 1,800km (1,118 miles) away. The nine deaths highlight the plight of Indian migrants in the pandemic, during which millions lost their jobs and are struggling to return home under the countrys lockdown. More than 100 million Indians have been rendered jobless due to the strict lockdown imposed on March 25 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi [Yakant Solanki/EPA] Lost trains The deaths occurred on special trains organised by the Indian government to help transport stranded workers home. Critics say the special trains have been delayed, leaving migrants waiting or in trains in scorching hot weather for days, and that there had been a shortage of food and water on the journeys, charges that Indian Railways and the government deny. Dozens of trains did not arrive, according to local media reports, but railway officials said the trains had to be diverted to ease traffic. A four-year-old boy was also reported dead before reaching the same Muzaffarpur station. His father said that he died due to poor facilities in special trains for migrant workers. Local police told AFP news agency the child died on the train due to illness. The bodies of two other migrant workers who took a 1,480km (920-mile) train journey from Mumbai to Varanasi in the nations north were pulled from carriages on Wednesday. Police said the men, aged 30 and 63, suffered from existing ailments. The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported another five migrant workers had died on train journeys between Monday and Wednesday. Indian Railways said on Twitter that no such deaths due to hunger have been reported. In most of these cases, it is found that those who died are old, sick people and patients with chronic diseases, who had actually gone to big cities for medical treatment, an Indian Railways spokesperson told local PTI news agency. Millions of Indias poor, including migrant workers, have suffered from the strict lockdown [Channi Anand/AP Photo] Apathy towards migrants The Railway Ministry has also faced criticism for charging migrants for tickets. The opposition Congress party, which accused the government of apathy towards migrants, had offered to pay for tickets and also provided buses to ferry migrants stuck in cities across the country. Millions of Indias poor, including migrant workers, have suffered from the strict lockdown, with many in cities losing their jobs, going hungry and struggling to return to their home villages. More than 100 million Indians have been rendered jobless due to the strict lockdown imposed on March 25 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to check the spread of the virus. Critics have accused the Modi government of imposing the lockdown without much planning that has caused havoc on the economy and created the worst migrant crisis since the country achieved independence in 1947. Some have walked or cycled hundreds of kilometres home in the harsh summer heat, with dozens dying from exhaustion or in accidents. Earlier this month at least 16 migrant workers sleeping on railway tracks were run over by a train. Faced with mounting criticism, the government announced to provide free food grain to millions of migrant workers as well as offer employment under a rural jobs programme. The government will spend 35 billion rupees ($463m) on food for nearly 80 million migrant workers over the next two months, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said earlier this month. Boscovs plans to open five more stores in Pennsylvania this week. The Boscovs store at the Colonial Park Mall will reopen on Saturday at 4600 Jonestown Road in Lower Paxton Township. The store will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. A dedicated hour for seniors will be held at 11 a.m. on Mondays In addition to the Harrisburg-area store, Boscovs plans to reopen stores in the Hazleton, Lebanon, Pottsville and Wilkes Barre areas on Saturday. The Boscovs store reopened in Camp Hill this past Saturday. The openings come with some changes, including: extra cleaning on frequently touched items and areas like shopping carts and door handles; plexiglass shields installed at each register; and a limit on the amount of people in the store. All employees will have health screenings and both employees and customers are required to wear face masks. The play areas in the toy departments have been eliminated. Returns will stay off the sales floor for five days. The five stores have been closed since March when Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all non-essential stores to close due to COVID-19. Dauphin County will move into the yellow phase on Friday along with seven other counties in Pennsylvania and retail will be permitted to open. However, enclosed malls like the Colonial Park Mall must remain closed. But stores at the mall with outside entrances are permitted to reopen if they choose to do so. Shoe Carnival will also reopen at the mall. --Business Buzz --Sign up for PennLives newsletters Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Steven Zeidman is a professor of law at CUNY School of Law and a former public defender. He is on Twitter @SteveZeidman. By Steven Zeidman | Special to Syracuse.com The number of staff and people in New York prisons testing positive for Covid-19 is rising daily. As of May 26, 1,762 staff and incarcerated people have tested positive and 20 have died. It should come as no surprise. Given the number of people confined in crowded and antiquated conditions, it is impossible to be safe from the viruss reach. The reported numbers hide the actual presence of the virus behind bars. There are approximately 43,000 people in prison, yet as of this writing the Department of Corrections daily update reflects only 74 people are waiting for test results. This minuscule ratio reveals that prison administrators only test people who are suffering from full-blown symptoms, and that the number of incarcerated people afflicted with the virus is woefully undercounted. This abnegation of care for people in state custody is cruel and callous, especially given Gov. Andrew Cuomos daily plea for more testing of the general public. Nationally, an array of epidemiologists and public health experts sound the alarm that once the virus enters a prison it spreads much faster than on the outside, and that there is a correlation between prison rates and mortality rates inside. Their call makes clear that the need to dramatically reduce the prison population is a matter of life and death. The governor can address this public health crisis tomorrow. There is no need for legislative action or regulatory changes. The governors virtually unfettered power to grant clemency to commute someones sentence is firmly rooted in the state constitution. All that is needed is political will. And yet, while the governor has borne the brunt of the criticism over the states failure to act regarding the crisis of Covid-19 in prison, there is plenty of blame to go around. Focusing only on the governors inaction absolves too many responsible players. New York did not accidentally become a place where 43,000 people, disproportionately people of color, are behind bars. Nor did the reality of approximately 9,000 people serving life or virtual life sentences, with well over 9,000 incarcerated people over 50 years old, develop spontaneously. The reality of mass incarceration too many people serving too many years is a larger statement about power and racism. Yet on a micro level it is possible to identify many institutional enablers who implemented the policies that fueled mass incarceration. Those same sources and not merely Cuomo refuse to do anything to redress the harm they caused, even in the face of a pandemic. Prosecutors wield enormous power and played an outsized role in the crisis of mass incarceration. As more prosecutors adopt the mantel of progressive, are they now supporting, let alone advocating for, the thousands of people seeking clemency, in particular the people serving unconscionably long sentences that their offices had urged the judge to impose? Close to 4,000 people in New York prisons have served their minimum sentence and are eligible for parole. Thousands more will become eligible within a year. While release rates have ticked up in the past month, the Parole Board has miles to go to rectify its punitive history of repeatedly denying parole to deserving people. It is well past time and increasingly imperative for older, ill, and transformed people to be granted parole. Advocates are increasingly looking to the courts to protect lives by filing mass writs seeking release for those most at-risk from Covid-19. They argue that incarceration with the looming threat of the virus is cruel and unusual punishment since the prisons are unable to keep people inside safe. To date, judges across the state have given these writs short shrift by summarily denying relief even as public health experts refer to prisons as Covid-19 petri dishes. In contrast to the timidity and cavalier attitude displayed by New York state judges, earlier this month federal judges in Connecticut and Colorado found that prison conditions violated the Eighth Amendments prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. Where is the states chief law enforcement officer, the Attorney General? When she was campaigning for office, Letitia James promised that reforming the criminal justice system will be one of my top priorities and that we must change the system. While the AG is charged with defending the state in lawsuits, there is ample room to set priorities, pursue reform legislation, and use the bully pulpit afforded by the office to advocate on behalf of the marginalized. Indeed, when the Attorney General launched her campaign, she noted that in law school she was taught that the law should be an instrument of change and that the law must be used as a vehicle to right wrongs. But rather than stake out a place supporting, let alone urging, a steady and critical depopulation of the prisons during an unprecedented health crisis, her office vigorously defends the Parole Board when people appeal denial of their parole, and similarly has opposed every one of the aforementioned writs filed on behalf of incarcerated people who are elderly and ill. And so, life threatening wrongs continue unabated. A pandemic mandates bold steps by those in power and yet no one with the authority to stem the tide of Covid-19 in New Yorks 52 state prisons has been willing to act to avert an ongoing tragedy. Rather, powerful institutional actors and elected officials prosecutors, parole boards, judges, the Attorney General as well as the governor turn a blind eye to the many who suffer from their willful blindness. If a society is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable, New York state has earned a failing grade. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Phase two could begin as soon as Friday in CNY: What will you be able to do? Coronavirus in NY: New deaths fall to lowest level in over 2 months Onondaga Co. coronavirus: 8 deaths, now 123 total; testing hits 30,000 as infections dip Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com President William Howard Taft, all 335 pounds of him, personally welcomed the Abernathy brothers to Washington D.C. on May 27, 1910 and gave the famous travelers a guided tour of the White House. At only ten and six years of age, Louie and Temple Abernathy already were big-time celebrities with thousands of unchaperoned miles under their tiny belts. In less than two years, the youngsters had made the lonely round trip to New Mexico from their home in Oklahoma and rode to New York City all on horseback. The brothers came by their precocious spunk naturally. Having made his own way in the adult world at the tender age of seven, Jack Abernathy saw nothing unusual in his sons daring deeds. A veteran cowhand before he could shave, the Bosque County native migrated to the Texas Panhandle where he became an expert broncobuster while barely in his teens. The elder Abernathy discovered by accident the trick that earned him frontier fame. Attacked by a huge wolf, he thrust his hand into the animals mouth, grabbed its lower jaw and held on for dear life. To his amazement, the hold quickly subdued the powerful creature. Practice made perfect, and Abernathy was soon known far and wide as a world-class wolf wrestler. He performed the spectacular stunt on countless occasions and sold the captured wolves to zoos and carnivals. To placate his worried new wife, Abernathy tried a tamer line of work. He was peddling pianos in Fort Worth when their first child Louie came along in 1899, but by the time Temple was born five years later he was toting a badge in the rowdy region north of the Red River. Cattleman Burke Burnett hosted a wolf hunt for President Teddy Roosevelt in 1904. The star attraction was, of course, lawman Abernathy, who manhandled several wolves for the amusement of the guest of honor. The exhibition so impressed the outdoorsman that Roosevelt upon his return to Washington appointed Abernathy U.S. Marshal for the Oklahoma Territory. With their mother dead and their father always away on law-and-order business, Louie and Temple learned how to take care of themselves. They were only nine and five, when their dad gave them permission for their first solo ride from their hometown of Guthrie, Oklahoma to Santa Fe, New Mexico and back again. In the spring of 1910, Abernathy made plans to welcome his old pal Teddy Roosevelt back from an African safari when his ship docked at New York. The boys wanted to be on hand too to greet the former president and with their fathers blessing set out on a nine-state journey. Making memories that would last them a lifetime, the popular brothers attracted large crowds and local dignitaries at every stop along the way. They met Wilbur Wright only months before the pioneer aviators tragic death from typhoid fever, and a hotel proprietor in West Virginia dragged them out of bed in the middle of the night to see Halleys Comet. When Roosevelt returned in June 1910 from his big-game hunt, the three Abernathys accompanied him on a ticker-tape parade through mid-town Manhattan. For the trip back to Oklahoma, Jack Abernathy bought two automobiles and the family went home in style. Louie drove a brand-new Brush followed by his father in a Maxwell. For two boys with a combined age of 18, the cross-country trek was a feat of epic proportions. Their 3,500-mile trip ended on Oct. 2, 1911, when they arrived no worse for wear in San Francisco. Sadly their odyssey had taken 62 days, and the pint-sized adventurers missed out on the five-figure prize. Louie and Temple Abernathy returned to Oklahoma and the carefree life of boys their own age. As adults they settled in Texas, where both led surprisingly normal and uneventful lives. The brothers stayed close to home having seen all the sights before they were even in their teens. Bartee welcomes your comments and questions at barteehaile@gmail.com or P.O. Box 130011, Spring, TX 77393. WASHINGTON The U.S. State Department has OKd a trio of packages to update Kuwaits Patriot missile defense systems, with a combined potential price tag of $1.425 billion. The three packages, announced on the website of the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Thursday, include $425 million for sustainment and technical assistance, $200 million for a repair and return program, and $800 million for 84 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missile segment enhancements. DSCA notifications are not final sales; if cleared by Congress, Kuwait will then enter negotiations over the package, during which quantities and costs can shift. The potential sales will supplement and improve Kuwaits capability to meet current and future threats and provide greater security for its critical oil and natural gas infrastructure, according to the DSCA. Kuwait will use the enhanced capability to strengthen its homeland defense. Kuwait will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and services into its armed forces. The repair and return program involves shipping items that cant be serviced on the ground back to the U.S. military for refurbishment, and then inducted into the militarys regular repair cycle. When the repairs are complete, the parts are shipped back to the country that owns them, which is then billed for the repairs. Work will be performed at a number of locations, primarily the Huntsville, Alabama, locations of Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Leido and KBR. In addition, work on the PAC-3 missile segments will be done at Lockheeds Dallas, Texas, office. Kuwait has been a reliable customer for American military goods. Excluding Thursdays announcements, the country has been cleared for 13 Foreign Military Sales cases since the start of fiscal 2017, with an estimated price tag of $13.9 billion. The locust threat, that has been gripping one state after the other in India, has been exceptionally worrisome for the uninitiated. In states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, when swarms of locusts were seen destroying crops and vegetation, the local administration was left bewildered. New to such attacks, they have been adopting bizarre and unconventional ways to try and ward off the pests. The district administration of Madhya Pradeshs Panna, for instance, started blaring sirens hoping the loud noise would scare the large buzzing insects away. #WATCH Madhya Pradesh: Swarms of locusts being scared away by the district administration in Panna, using police sirens yesterday. pic.twitter.com/rEcXXsMXq1 ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2020 In a video shared by news agency ANI, on can see police vans and fire trucks patrolling the town with sirens on in a bid to keep the locust swarms at bay. An agriculture officer informed that locusts have already feasted on wild plants and trees in Panna Tiger Reserve, reported India Today. However, that has helped save the agricultural crops from being devoured. The official went on to say the way to prevent the locusts from damaging crops is to create loud noises or to spray insecticides. Meanwhile, state Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel has said the government may declare the locust attacks as a natural disaster after an assessment of the damage is done. If it gets declared as a natural disaster, farmers will be able to seek compensation for the losses incurred due to the attacks. Locusts have already ravaged crops in north Indian states such as Rajasthan and Gujarat, and the government has stepped up operations to prevent further losses. The dreaded pests entered Rajasthan via Pakistan earlier in May and then swept over other parts of western India gradually. While attacks of swarming desert locusts are not uncommon in India, there has been an unprecedented rise in their numbers, making it one of the worst locust attacks India has seen in the past 27 years. The brainchild of Mr Miller and News Corp Australias chief operating officer Damian Eales, the APN News & Media acquisition was seen as a way for News to become a one-stop shop for advertisers in regional Queensland. But behind closed doors his tune is probably different. Because the deal - which caused a fierce divide among News Corps top executives and ultimately cost the company $36 million - was problematic from the very start. "No, not at all," Mr Miller told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Thursday after he announced plans to stop printing more than 100 regional and suburban newspapers and axe hundreds of jobs. News Corp boss Michael Miller insists he has no regrets about his acquisition of regional and local newspaper business APN News and Media almost four years ago. It was a pitch strong enough to enthuse Lachlan Murdoch, a friend of Mr Miller who at 22 was named general manager of the Queensland newspapers and had a long affiliation with the market. But the idea was detested by others, including co-head of News Corp at the time, Peter Tonagh, and global chief financial officer Susan Panuccio, who rejected it on the basis that it would lose the company a lot of money. This weeks restructuring was predictable. It was foreshadowed by this masthead in April when it reported News Corp had hired Deloitte to work on a restructure. Back in 2012, when former News Corp CEO Kim Williams attempted to centralise the company's operations with the help of consultants, he was removed from his job. How things have changed. Within two years of the APN acquisition the value of the newspapers it acquired had been written down substantially. Subsequently, Mr Miller and key executives have invested time and money into developing a strategy for the titles to make them less reliant on print advertising revenue. Eales in 2018 told trade press website Mumbrella that it was working people in regional and local communities who had previously received newspapers for free were increasingly willing to pay for a subscription. Local content is unique because you cant get it from anywhere else no-one else is dedicating resources to reporting on local crime, council, transport or lifestyle at a grassroots level in the way local titles do, he said at the time. With a bit of assistance from her children and grandchildren, Cole, 83, and the co-author of the 1972 childrens classic I SAW A PURPLE COW and 100 Other Recipes for Learning recently launched a website www.purplecowathome.com with hopes that her collection of kid-friendly activities can provide a ray of sunshine to families struggling during these dark days. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 13:17:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday said it delivered essential medicines to western Libyan cities to benefit 20,000 people including women and children. UNICEF tweeted that "20,000 persons including women and children will benefit from lifesaving and essential medicines that have been dispatched" to the municipalities of Surman, Sabratha, Alzawya and Zwara. "The supplies that include vaccines carriers, obstetric kits and cold boxes are essential to ensure that quality primary health and lifesaving Maternal, new-born and child health care are strengthened to avoid preventable morbidity and mortality among vulnerable populations," it said. UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) recently said that more than 250,000 children in war-torn Libya face the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. Western Libya saw more than a year of violent fightings between the eastern-based army and the UN-backed government, in which hundreds of civilians were killed and injured, and more than 150,000 others displaced. Amid escalating violence and unrest, hospitals and medical centers in Libya have been struggling to provide proper medical care to the Libyan people. Enditem Boeing is cutting more than 12,000 U.S. jobs through layoffs and buyouts as the coronavirus pandemic seizes the travel industry. And the aircraft maker says more cuts are coming. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/5/2020 (603 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this April 7, 2020, file photo, U.S. Air Force KC-46 tankers being built by Boeing sit parked at the Paine Field airport in Everett, Wash. Federal safety regulators are outlining planned changes in how they approve new passenger airplanes after two crashes involving a Boeing model. But key lawmakers say they plan to push ahead with legislation to change the current system that lets aircraft makers including Boeing play a key role in certifying their own planes. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) Boeing is cutting more than 12,000 U.S. jobs through layoffs and buyouts as the coronavirus pandemic seizes the travel industry. And the aircraft maker says more cuts are coming. Shortly after disclosing the job cuts, Boeing announced Wednesday that it has resumed production of the grounded 737 Max jetliner. Two deadly crashes of Max jets pushed Boeing into a financial crisis months before the coronavirus squeezed global air travel to a trickle. Boeing, one of the nation's biggest manufacturers, said it will lay off 6,770 U.S. employees this week, and another 5,520 workers are taking buyout offers to leave voluntarily in the coming weeks. The company had said it would cut 10% of a workforce that numbered about 160,000. A Boeing spokesperson said Wednesday's actions represent the largest number of job cuts, but several thousand additional jobs will be eliminated in the next few months. Nearly 10,000 of the layoffs and buyouts are concentrated in the Seattle area, home to Boeings commercial-airplanes business. The company previously announced more than 600 jobs cuts in Canada and Australia. FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2020, file photo a Boeing 777X airplane takes off on its first flight with the Olympic Mountains in the background at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. Boeing on Wednesday, May 27, is cutting more than 12,000 jobs through layoffs and buyouts as the coronavirus pandemic seizes the travel industry. And the aircraft maker says more cuts are coming. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File). Chicago-based Boeing has reduced production rates on several airplane models in response to falling demand. The companys defence and space division has remained relatively stable, helping offset the decline in air travel and demand for passenger jets. Air travel within the U.S. tumbled 96% by mid-April, to fewer than 100,000 people on some days. It has recovered slightly. The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 264,843 people at airports on Tuesday, a drop of 89% compared with the same Tuesday a year ago. "The COVID-19 pandemics devastating impact on the airline industry means a deep cut in the number of commercial jets and services our customers will need over the next few years, which in turn means fewer jobs on our lines and in our offices," CEO David Calhoun said Wednesday in a memo to employees. Calhoun said the company faces the challenges of keeping employees safe and working with suppliers and airlines "to assure the travelling public that it can fly safe from infection." Calhoun warned that Boeing will have to adjust business plans constantly because the pandemic makes it hard to predict the impact on the company's business. Union representatives said they were still seeking details of the layoffs. About 1,300 members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, which represents Boeing engineers, had been approved for severance packages, including one week of pay for every year of employment, up to 26, according to the union. "This is an extremely tough time for anyone working in aerospace, and certainly at Boeing," said Bill Dugovich, a union spokesman. The union has been running webinars to explain Boeing's severance program and how to apply for unemployment, he said. Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Boeings crisis began with two crashes of its 737 Max, which killed 346 people and led regulators around the world to ground the jetliner in March 2019. Company engineers have been working for more than a year and a half to fix flight-control software that played a role in the crashes, pushing the planes' noses down repeatedly. Federal regulators have not yet approved Boeing's fixes, but on Wednesday, the company said workers at a factory in Renton, Washington, started assembling Max jets "at a low rate" under procedures designed to prevent spreading coronavirus. Boeing executives expect to resume deliveries of the plane before October, which will give the company some much-needed cash. The companys problems have deepened with the coronavirus, which has cut global air traffic by up to 90% and caused airlines to postpone or cancel orders and deliveries for new planes. Boeing is a leading U.S. exporter whose importance to the U.S. economy has been highlighted by President Donald Trump. For many years, Boeing was the largest private employer in Washington state even after the corporate headquarters moved from Seattle to Chicago in 2001 and it continues to have an outsized impact on the states economy. Washington state was one of the first COVID-19 hot spots in the U.S. and has suffered more than 1,000 deaths from the disease, according to numbers from Johns Hopkins University. Boeing temporarily shuttered jet-assembly plants in March after dozens of workers contracted the virus. Boeing Co. suppliers such as Spirit AeroSystems have already cut thousands of jobs. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 13:56:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SRINAGAR, India-controlled Kashmir, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Police in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir Thursday said government forces averted a car bomb attack by defusing an improvised explosive device (IED) placed inside the vehicle. The vehicle was found abandoned at village Avigund Rajpora in Pulwama district, about 35 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. "A major incident of car bomb blast was averted today by the timely action of police, paramilitary and army," a police official said. Reports said a team of India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrived at the spot to investigate the plan. According to officials, police found explosives in a drum on the rear seat of the car. "After spotting the vehicle, a bomb disposal squad was called in to defuse the IED," the police official said. Last year on Feb. 14, a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into a bus ferrying India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in the district, killing 40 of them. The attack was carried out on highly secured Jammu-Srinagar highway at Lethpora. The suicide attack brought India and Pakistan on the brink of war as New Delhi entered into Pakistan's territory and conducted airstrikes. India lost a MiG-21 Bison fighter plane while engaging with Pakistani jets and an Indian air force pilot was also captured by Pakistan. India's action inside Pakistan evoked a strong response heightening tension in the subcontinent. Militant groups opposing New Delhi's rule are engaged in a guerilla war with Indian troops in the region since 1989. Gunfights between the two sides take place intermittently. Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. Enditem SACRAMENTO The coronavirus pandemic and state budget woes are pushing California toward its first prison closures in nearly two decades. In a revised budget plan unveiled this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed shuttering two state prisons within the next three years, ultimately saving the state about $400 million annually. Thats a much faster timeline than the governor envisioned just a few months ago. His original budget in January proposed closing one prison in the next five years, if the inmate population continued its decade-long decline. Now the state is facing a projected $54 billion deficit through the next fiscal year, and tens of billions more in years to come, because of the pandemic-induced economic recession. Funding for schools, universities and health care programs is likely to suffer. Newsom is looking everywhere for solutions, including changes that could allow thousands of inmates to earn a quicker release, positioning California to close a prison for the first time since 2003. Its my intention to shut down a state prison to continue to invest more and more in education, Newsom said during a news conference May 14. Its a core value. But political obstacles loom, from negotiations with influential labor unions to fears that freeing inmates would lead to a spike in crime. Scott Kernan, a former corrections secretary under Gov. Jerry Brown, said that while he understood the budget pressure, it would be counterproductive to send more prisoners home when programs to help them transition back to society are under their own financial strains. Its a completely terrible idea to reduce all services available to inmates coming out of prison and then accelerate the release of inmates, he said. Todd Trumbull Californias prison population, which peaked at more than twice what state lockups were built to handle, has been gradually dropping since a federal court ordered officials in 2009 to reduce the number of inmates to 137.5% of capacity. Michael Short / Special to The Chronicle A realignment plan diverted tens of thousands of lower-level offenders to county jails instead of state prisons, while tens of thousands more inmates were sent to privately run facilities. Voters also passed a series of initiatives to reduce prison crowding. Despite that, spending on the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which oversees the prison system, has increased dramatically. Newsoms latest budget plan proposes $13.4 billion for the department, compared with $10 billion five years ago. Brandon Martin, a research analyst at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, said growing labor costs have kept the corrections budget high. On the margins, population declines dont equal a decline in labor force, Martin said. You need to close an actual facility to see some savings. The Legislative Analysts Office, the nonpartisan fiscal and policy adviser for the Legislature, has recommended that the state prioritize closures by ranking its 34 prisons based on several criteria, including how much money could be saved per inmate and whether their specialized services could be provided elsewhere. A dozen of the oldest prisons, all built before 1970, face billions of dollars in needed repairs. But Newsom has evaded questions about which prisons he is eyeing for closure. It becomes very difficult, if you do make that determination and make it public, to recruit and retain personnel at that site, he said at his budget briefing. Lawmakers pushed for details at hearings last week, saying they didnt want to spend money on long-term upgrades at prisons that the state may close. State finance officials declined to provide more information. After a building spree in the 1980s and 1990s, when 21 new prisons were opened, the state shut down a facility for the first and only time in 2003 a womens prison in Stockton. Kernan said Newsom will face resistance to closing any prison from guards whose jobs are on the line and from the community where it is located, for whom the prison may be an economic lifeline. For all the negatives that prisons get, they are good neighbors, he said. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association, the union representing prison guards, declined to discuss potential closures, but said it would talk with the governor to help find solutions to help balance the state budget. Closing state prisons is not just a fiscal issue for Newsom, who has been trying to burnish his liberal credentials on criminal justice. Although he has not made it a centerpiece of his agenda as Brown did, Newsom has continued his predecessors emphasis on rehabilitation and reversing the impact of the states past tough-on-crime policies. During his first year in office, Newsom granted a reprieve to Death Row inmates, pardoned immigrants to shield them from deportation and signed a bill to ban the use of private prisons. Jay Jordan, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice, which advocates for reducing the inmate population, said coronavirus outbreaks at state prisons have forced people to rethink who really needs to be locked up. Four prisons in Riverside, San Bernardino and Kings counties between them have hundreds of infected inmates, and nine prisoners have died at the California Institution for Men in Chino (San Bernardino County). Jordan said Newsom has an opportunity to take bold steps to close even more prisons, such as releasing thousands of people over age 55 who pose little risk to public safety, and redirect the money to rehabilitative services for inmates and other programs facing cuts. When you have all your money tied up in a failed system, you cant invest in the things that work, Jordan said. Eric Risberg / Associated Press Before it can close any prisons, however, California will need to release many more inmates. In his budget proposal, Newsom said he wants to phase out three contracts with outside facilities that house about 1,600 state inmates over the next two years. Shutting down two prisons on top of that would eliminate 5,000 to 6,000 more spots from the overflowing system. The coronavirus pandemic prompted the state to release some inmates early and put a hold on accepting new ones, reducing the prison population to just over 108,000 a drop of nearly 6,000 that brought the system to 127% of capacity. As prisons begin to take in new inmates again starting this week, experts said its too soon to know whether the population will eventually climb back to pre-pandemic levels or whether it has permanently fallen. Several policies are in the works to further reduce the number of inmates. Prison reception centers were cleared out during the pause on accepting new prisoners, meaning future inmates will enter the general population sooner and start rehabilitative programs that can shave time off their sentences. Newsom has also proposed expanding the good-conduct credits that inmates can earn. The corrections department estimates those changes would reduce the population by 11,000 by 2024, potentially enough to close more than two prisons. The plan alarms some who worry it would put dangerous people on the streets. Assemblyman Jim Cooper, a Democrat from Elk Grove (Sacramento County) and a former sheriffs captain, said a decade of realignment and other efforts to reduce Californias overcrowded prisons have already cleared out the lowest-level offenders. He is behind a November initiative that would reclassify 15 offenses as violent including human trafficking of a child, rape of an unconscious person and assaulting a police officer so that inmates convicted of those crimes could not earn parole faster under a 2016 law. Whos left in those jails and prisons? Cooper asked. Its those bad people. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff I dont want to imagine there is a world where there isnt journalism, said Blake Fontenay, who was laid off from his job as editorial pages-editor at The Pueblo Chieftain. I dont want to imagine there is a world where there isnt journalism, said Blake Fontenay, who was laid off from his job as editorial pages-editor at The Pueblo Chieftain. Jamey Stillings for The New York Times In late April, Jim Richerson, the chief executive officer of the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center in Pueblo, Colo., emailed Blake Fontenay, the editorial-pages editor at the towns newspaper, The Pueblo Chieftain. Richerson and Fontenay occasionally discussed happenings at the Arts Center, which had temporarily closed and laid off most of its staff because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Richerson hoped Fontenay, a 54-year-old newspaper veteran from Tennessee, might be interested in a story about the centers virtual dance classes. Since the paper the oldest daily in the state had laid off its business editor the previous spring, Fontenay had written a local business column. His editorial voice was often optimistic, counseling positivity during a recent spate of layoffs in town. But when Fontenay replied, he said he could not produce the story; he had been laid off himself. His last Chieftain column, titled A Journalists Final Whistle? invoked his father and grandfather, both of whom had been journalists, and reminisced about the paper he started himself in elementary school. I guess I could be bitter, he wrote, but thats just the way life is in the newspaper business these days. Pueblo is a city of about 112,000 on the Arkansas River, just east of where the Rocky Mountains drop into the vastness of the Great Plains. The Chieftain first published in 1868, shortly before the founding of Colorado Fuel and Iron, the company that gave Pueblo the nickname Steel City. Immigrants poured in to work in CF&Is coal mines and the steel mill in Pueblo, forging the rails that wiped out the buffalo, violently displaced tribal societies and begot the modern American West. There were about 20 foreign-language newspapers in Pueblo during the early 20th century. Most did not last, but The Chieftain endured. It covered the 1914 Ludlow Massacre, in which National Guardsmen killed striking coal miners; the mills midcentury glory, when the company employed more than 22,000; and the brutal 1980s, when the steel industry crashed. CF&I eventually went bankrupt and was sold to Oregon Steel Mills, which was later acquired by the Russian conglomerate Evraz. Around the time of Fontenays departure, The Chieftain covered the temporary layoffs of more than 200 workers at the Evraz mill. The story was written by Tracy Harmon, a reporter who has worked at The Chieftain for three decades. She wondered if she might find herself in a similar plight. I feel like were in a battlefield, she said, and were watching our colleagues drop one by one right next to us. Between March 15 and May 16, 476,613 people in Colorado applied for unemployment benefits nearly as many as applied in all of 2009 and 2010, according to the state Department of Labor and Employment. The unemployment rate in Pueblo County jumped to 11.7 percent in April from 7.6 percent in March. (Some tourism-reliant communities had rates above 20 percent.) Nick Gradisar, Pueblos mayor, expressed concern given the towns pre-Covid-19 poverty rate of 24 percent. It is The Chieftains misfortune to be navigating these local conditions at the same time that a pandemic-driven collapse in advertising rates has further gutted the media, old and new alike. Conde Nast, the publisher of glossy legacy publications, announced nearly 100 layoffs; the digital-first Quartz is cutting about 80. In The Chieftains own neighborhood, the hedge-fund-owned Denver Post has laid off 13 employees; the family-owned Santa Fe New Mexican reported 19 cuts. The Chieftains newsroom is a one-story brick building near the river. On the floor is a well-seasoned carpet. The best part about the carpet, says Anthony Mestas, a reporter who grew up in Pueblo, would be to look up. But, he says, it shows you the past. Mestas, 44, delivered The Chieftain as a paperboy in high school. When I asked him which writers he grew up admiring, he named only Chieftain bylines: Harmon, Peter Roper, Steve Henson (The Chieftains current editor), Peter Strescino and Larry Lopez. Thats what I did, he said. I read The Chieftain. The Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, Colo., photographed on Thursday, May 14, 2020. Jamey Stillings for The New York Times The paper was owned by the same family for nearly a century. Then in 2017, its chairman, Robert Rawlings, died, and shortly thereafter, The Chieftain was bought by GateHouse Media, a company that has been accused of gutting local newspapers. Mike Reed, the companys chief executive officer, once called that characterization garbage. But in Pueblo, some leaving staffers went unreplaced. Last June, layoffs led to a protest outside the newsroom. In the fall, GateHouses owner, New Media Investment Group, acquired Gannett, forming the nations largest newspaper chain. Following the Covid-19 outbreak, the company announced furloughs of one week per month for those making more than $38,000 a year, according to The Chieftains union representative, Austin White, a 24-year-old sports reporter. Then came more layoffs, which Gannett attributed to restructuring following the merger. Fontenay and five others were let go. An editor resigned and was not replaced. The newsroom now had a staff of 11, down from about 30 at the time of GateHouses purchase, according to staff members. (Henson, the editor, declined to comment. A representative for Gannett said, in a statement, The moves, while imperative, are tough.) When the new owners took over, they said, Dont worry, nothings really going to change, Fontenay said. And in the end, everything changed. The full measure of the economic devastation in Colorado is not yet understood. Eric Ludwig, the president of a local steelworkers union, insisted that none of the workers he represents were surprised by the mills layoffs, as it produces pipe for the volatile oil industry. Just business as usual, he said though he did allow, This one I thinks going to take a little longer to come out of. Gradisar and other leaders suggested that Pueblo is well situated for a post-Covid-19 recovery especially should the nation focus on onshoring manufacturing. In 2010, after the last economic catastrophe, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas opened a large tower factory in town. An Idaho company will soon open a factory to build affordable housing units, and a $250 million solar array is slated to power an expansion of the steel mills facilities. Those projects are still moving forward, according to Xcel Energy, which will buy power from the solar project, Evraz, and Jeff Shaw, president of the nonprofit Pueblo Economic Development Corporation. Shaw argued that Pueblo could come out of the Covid crisis, in the long term, stronger than had it not happened. Its the job of the local press to assess such bold predictions and provide a sober record. But multiple reporters at the paper acknowledged it cant currently produce the sort of journalism it once did. Gradisar, the mayor, told me that, since The Chieftains sale, The quality has just gone straight downhill. When it came to holding those in power like himself to account, the mayor said, Theres not a lot of that going on. Ludwig told me that The Chieftain sold out from being a local company. I dont want to imagine there is a world where there isnt journalism, Fontenay told me. He had applied for jobs elsewhere, and was fortunate to receive an offer from The Boulder Daily Camera. He was planning for the move north, to Colorados far economic pole. His former colleagues, meanwhile, picked up the slack. Harmon described her mood as demoralized, and at the same time sort of panicked. The staff had been forbidden to report during furloughs. Before the layoffs began, White started a GoFundMe page to support his furloughed colleagues. It raised $775. Still, Harmon and Mestas looked for signs of optimism. Harmon wrote a story about a woman who played bells at a church to lift spirits. Mestas wrote about a young woman with cancer whom the community had honored with a motorcade. The things were writing, he told me, are recorded for people to look back and see how Pueblo dealt with this pandemic. He was responsible for the proverbial first draft of history. He would write it once his furlough ended. Abe Streep is a contributing writer for The California Sunday Magazine and a contributing editor for Outside. Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the villages of Novotroyitske, Shyrokyne, Starohnativka, Luhanske, Krymske, and Novoluhanske. Russia's hybrid military forces on May 27 mounted seven attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. "The Russian Federation's armed formations violated the ceasefire seven times in the past day," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in a Facebook update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on May 28, 2020. Russia-led forces opened fire, employing proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, and rifles. Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the villages of Novotroyitske, Shyrokyne, Starohnativka, Luhanske, Krymske, and Novoluhanske. Read alsoDonbas warlord's official residence address in Russia revealed media Joint Forces returned fire to each enemy shelling. Ukrainian defenders spotted an enemy UAV near the town of Maryinka. Using non-proscribed weapons, the Ukrainian military brought it down. The enemy did not attack Ukrainian positions from 00:00 to 07:00 Kyiv time on May 28. No casualties were reported among Ukrainian troops over the period under review. (Newser) Larry Kramer was an expert at getting attention. But his 1988 open letter to Dr. Anthony Fauci, in which he accused the "idiot" director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of failures in the AIDS epidemic, got him much more: a friend of more than three decades. "How did I meet Larry? He called me a murderer and an incompetent idiot on the front page of the San Francisco Examiner magazine," Fauci tells the New York Times, noting he later reached out to the activist, who died Wednesday at 84. "We realized we had things in common," says Fauci. "I was the one out there trying to warn the public, and he was, too." story continues below He adds Kramer apologized for his critique, saying it was a means of getting things done. The two grew close over the years, though they often appeared as rivals on TV. "I'd say, 'Larry, you just trashed me in front of 10 million people.' And he'd say, 'Oh, I was just trying to get some attention,'" says Fauci. But "we loved each other," he adds, noting he helped arrange a liver transplant for Kramer, which added years to the activist's life, after becoming his doctor in 2001. "It was an extraordinary 33-year relationship," says Fauci. "He was making some very important points that we in the 'establishment' needed to listen to," the doctor tells PBS NewsHour. "He had extraordinary courage to speak out and challenge the system." (Read more Larry Kramer stories.) London, May 28 : Thousands of contact tracers were making their first phone calls to track down people who will be told to self-isolate under new test and trace schemes which began in England and Scotland on Thursday. Tracers will text, email or call people who test positive with coronavirus and ask who they have had contact with, reports the BBC. Any of those contacts deemed at risk of infection will be told to isolate for 14 days, even if they are not sick. Those who have already had the virus will also be asked to self-isolate. The aim of the system is to lift blanket lockdown restrictions and move towards more localised, targeted measures. The 25,000 tracers working for England's NHS Test and Trace team will start by contacting the 2,013 people who tested positive for the virus. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was confident that the "vast majority of people" would participate in the voluntary system. "In this war on the virus, ultimately we are all on the same side and we've all got a part that we can play," the BBC quoted Hancock as saying. The launch of Scotland's new Test and Protect system comes as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was expected to announce an easing of its lockdown later in the day. Northern Ireland has its own version of the test and trace programme already and Wales' scheme is due to start in early June. An app to automatically alert people they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive is still being trialled on the Isle of Wight but the government hopes to have that system up-and-running in England by next month. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plans to ease lockdown measures - including to begin a phased reopening of schools from next week - will be confirmed in an official review later. Rene Saucedo had to quickly adjust to the tough times that were ahead as business at his restaurant in Mexico started to slow down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now everyone is looking forward to getting a bite of the 'coronaburger' for the price of $4. Saucedo told DailyMail.com in a telephone interview Thursday that it took him just one day to come up with the idea that has captivated his customer base, including the frontline workers who are battling the deadly disease. The 39-year-old owner of Hot Dogs Zhunckos had recently laid off one of his two workers at his three-year-old business and was surfing the internet looking for a way to keep his restaurant afloat at a time when an infinite number of businesses across the world have been forced to shut down their doors because of the current economic crisis. The coronaburger sold out of a restaurant in Torreon, Mexico, contains beef; bacon; gouda, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses; red onions; spinach; tomato; bourbon sauce; and avocado dressing on a brioche bun. It's the brainchild of Rene Saucedo as a result of slow sales caused by the COVID-19 pandemic Rene Saucedo said he came up with designing a green bun with fluffy spikes that playfully mimics a coronavirus molecule after he came across photos of cakes that were designed with a COVID-19 theme Rene Saucedo said most of his customers who have ordered the coronaburger are health care workers who are on the frontline battling the spread of the deadly bug 'What happened was that I was thinking and here where I live you start to get exposure from many people who are making cakes in the form of the coronavirus or with the theme of the coronavirus,' Saucedo said. 'And what occurred to me was, why not make a bread like this with the COVID theme? So we suggested to the person who makes the bread that it could be done and she, from one day to the next, had the bread for us.' The coronaburger is centered around a hamburger green brioche bun contains several fluffy spikes that mimics coronavirus molecules. The burger itself contains beef, three types of cheeses - gouda, cheddar and mozzarella - cooked red onions, fresh spinach, tomato, bourbon sauce and avocado dressing. At least five coronaburgers are sold each day and more are expected to be sold as news of the novelty idea spread throughout Torreon, a city in the northern Mexico state of Coahuila The coronaburger can be ordered at Rene Saucedo's Hot Dogs Zhunckos, located in Torreon, Mexico The coronaburger is consists of beef; bacon; gouda, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses; red onions; spinach; tomato; bourbon sauce; and avocado dressing on a brioche bun. Rene Saucedo, creator of the coronaburger Saucedo said he normally sells about five coronaburgers on average, most of his orders being placed curious customers as well as nurses and doctors who have been drawn by and applauded this novelty. 'People look at it with humor to try to take the good out of this that is happening' Saucedo said. 'Here we greatly admire the work of the medical service in general because they are the ones who are facing COVID.' The married father of two children expects sales to gradually improve as the word continues to spread out while he continues to look at other way to keep Hot Dogs Zhunckos from going under. 'We have to look for comfort in and believe that something good has to come out of all the critical situations. We ran with the luck of having created this burger and our sales went up a little,' Saucedo said. 'I believe that my best advice is not to give up and go all in on everything you do. There is no other way because that is how life life.' An international survey of Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE) membership found that the majority of members--health professions schools and programs, including medical, nursing, and public health--offer learning opportunities related to the health impacts of climate change, yet many also encountered challenges in instituting or developing curricula. The results of the survey provide a baseline assessment of the state of climate-health education internationally among health professions institutions. Results of the survey by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health researchers appear in the journal JAMA Network Open. The survey suggests there exist a range of educational offerings on climate-health, including sessions, courses, programs, or post-doctoral positions. Some schools have offered climate-health education for several years, some are just now adding content, and others do not include any content on the subject. While many schools are discussing adding climate-health educational offerings, there are still considerable gaps in offerings at many institutions as well as challenges that extend beyond the institutional level, such as political and funding priorities that might lead to lack of staff time and materials to support the training. Conducted in 2017 and 2018, the survey was completed by 84 health professions institutions internationally. Among respondents, 63% offer climate-health education, most commonly as part of a required core course (76%). Sixty-one of 82 respondents (74%) reported additional climate-health offerings are under discussion, 42 of 59 (71%) encountered some challenges trying to institute the curriculum, and most have received a positive response to adding content mainly from students (39 of 58 (67%)), faculty (35 of 58 (60%)), and administration (23 of 58 (40%)). The article's authors write that opportunities exist to facilitate the integration of climate-health curricula, such as working with students, faculty, and members of administration that are interested in this topic. In order to facilitate this integration, institutions can look to online resources, groups, and networks to provide guidance and information to develop curricula. "We suggest that health professions schools include this content in their curricula and that awareness as well as financial support, resources, and expertise increase to help in its uptake," write study authors Brittany Shea, MA, Kim Knowlton, DrPH, and Jeffrey Shaman, PhD. "Climate change may be affecting health in a variety of ways with increasing consequences. Health professionals, including those in public health, nursing, and medical services, should be educated on how to prevent, mitigate, and respond to factors associated with climate change that may be associated with health in a negative way." Brittany Shea is project director for GCCHE. Kim Knowlton is assistant professor of environmental health sciences and senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Jeffrey Shaman directs GCCHE and the Columbia Mailman School Climate and Health Program; he is a professor of environmental health sciences. ### The study was made possible with financial support from The Rockefeller Foundation and ClimateWorks Foundation. Jeffrey Shaman and Columbia University disclosed partial ownership of SK Analytics. Shaman also disclosed providing paid consultant services for Merck and Business Network International. About the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education The Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE) was launched in 2017 by faculty at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health with the vision that all health professionals throughout the world will be trained to prevent, mitigate, and respond to the health impacts of climate change and other planetary changes that impact human health and well-being. To advance progress toward this goal, the GCCHE created a virtual town square across all health professions by bringing together member institutions to share best scientific and educational practices; develop global standards for knowledge and practice on the health impacts of climate change that all graduates of health professions schools should possess, as well as share resources that member institutions can use for this purpose; build a pipeline of health professionals who focus their work on the health impacts of climate change; and support the development of global academic partnerships to foster mutual learning, particularly in under-resourced countries. GCCHE currently includes over 200 member institutions in over 30 countries on six continents, representing institutions with over an estimated 150,000 students. The GCCHE has received financial support from several foundations, including The Rockefeller Foundation and ClimateWorks Foundation. Representatives of health professions schools are invited to join the GCCHE here. Dear Readers: Sometimes a readers response reflects more personal attitude, than the original letter-writers story. FEEDBACK Regarding the man keeping plans with his partner secret from his adult daughter (May 5): Reader: The guy is using her until someone else comes along. Hell string her along saying whatever she needs to hear to keep her engaged. If she has any respect for herself shed walk away now as you cant make someone respect you. I wouldve walked away already. If he truly loved her hed move heaven and earth for her. Hes putting his daughter first because his daughter is a keeper. The woman is just there passing the time, needy, feeling that bad attention is better than no attention, that saying my boyfriend is better than saying Im single. I recently heard a woman who feels inadequate and says My husband because somehow (with that), she feels superior, not alone. If youre comfortable in your own skin without a Boyfriend/Husband, they make you complete. Why encourage this behaviour, which is stuck in the dark ages, that a woman isnt a person without a man? Hes using her for sex, thats all. Theyre co-dependent. A: The letter-writer has been in her relationship for 16 months, the couple both express love, and have plans for a future together. But youre certain that hes just using her. He IS avoiding telling his adult daughter about plans for his long-distance partner to eventually move in with them, each travelling to the other and staying a while. His sensitivity (or fear) of her reaction isnt unusual among some divorced parents, especially when shes his only child. Meanwhile, his girlfriend is hurt. But you see it differently: To you, shes needy, has no self-respect, feels incomplete without a man. Youre quick to judge. And that IS from the Dark Ages people who believe their opinions apply to all of a certain category: women, the poor, the other nationality, religion, etc. This woman is increasingly aware that the man she loves is delaying their plan to eventually live together. Shell reach her own conclusions in time. She doesnt need finger-wagging, labels and disrespect from a total stranger. Readers Commentary Regarding children being sent away and its differing effects: As a sickly child, I was whisked away almost annually, to spend one-to-two weeks in a childrens hospital four hours away from my family. This was 70 years ago, pre-TV, no hospital-run childrens programs, no visitors including family, and I was too young to read. I shared a ward with 11 other children all confined to our beds by staff. No exercise. I feel that it contributed to my shortcomings: 1) Im in constant need of approval, even now at 76. I was told that if Im a good girl, Ill be allowed to go home sooner. It turned me into a people pleaser. 2) Relating to friends/spouse/children in a meaningful way has been a lifelong problem having been forced to live in my own head for weeks when young. I took good care of my children but probably couldnt love them the way I shouldve. I was afraid to hope too much, suffering what would now amount to child abuse in the way we were treated. I think about how those abrupt separations shaped me but they also damaged me. Ellie: Youve shone a light on how even necessary childhood separation requires thoughtful handling and frequent assurances of family love. Ellies tip of the day Following your own principles should be satisfying enough without judging others. NORTHBROOK, Ill., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Global has engaged with leaders from across the automotive aftermarket industry to issue a detailed perspective on the evolution and current course of ecommerce sales, and the impact of the present pandemic period will shape both buying behavior and the competitive landscape moving forward. Online Sales Momentum Foretells Further Challenges for Automotive Aftermarket Industry in Post-Pandemic Environment, authored by Keith Spacapan, Vice President of Hilco's Automotive Practice, examines the ecommerce transformation that has been taking hold in the automotive aftermarket industry, driven in large part by players including Amazon. In response to the entry of these third-party fulfillment companies, traditional aftermarket retailers have stepped-up efforts to develop their own robust online presence complete with product catalogues, streamlined ordering, and integrated customer service. The efforts have been substantial and ecommerce is now one of their fastest growing segments, yet it still accounts for only a relatively small percentage of these retailers' total sales. "Based on the significant investment that traditional aftermarket retailers have made to-date, and the momentum we're seeing as a result, the pandemic may be the catalyst needed to drive their ecommerce sales to the next level," says Spacapan. "It should be noted, however, that while there are numerous barriers to entry in this space for third-parties, companies such as Amazon have proven quite adept at overcoming those obstacles and disrupting a host of other consumer categories in recent years." To obtain a copy of the report or schedule an interview with Keith Spacapan, contact Gary Epstein- Chief Marketing Officer, Hilco Global at [email protected]. About Hilco Global : Hilco Global (www.hilcoglobal.com) is a privately held diversified financial services company and the world's preeminent authority on maximizing the value of assets for both healthy and distressed companies. Hilco Global operates as a holding company comprised of over twenty specialized business units that work to help companies understand the value of their assets and then monetize that value. Hilco Global has a 30-year track record of acting as an advisor, agent, investor and/or principal in any transaction. Hilco Global works to deliver the best possible result by aligning interests with clients and providing them strategic insight, advice, and, in many instances, the capital required to complete the deal. Hilco Global is based in Northbrook, Illinois and has 600 professionals operating on five continents. SOURCE Hilco Global Related Links www.hilcoglobal.com Despite several flights under the Vande Bharat Mission, hundreds of people from Maharashtra residing in different cities and districts including Mumbai and Pune are stuck in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. While many flights were arranged under Vande Bharat Mission to India from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), several who are still there complain that no flights from UAE are being flown to any airports in Maharashtra except for the flights to Mumbai Airport via Hyderabad flown recently. The majority of flights that have been planned from UAE are for Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Only a few were planned for Maharashtra, those wanting to return home said. Many have lost their jobs due to the lockdown and are finding it difficult to survive there. Amay Shirke, a resident of Badlapur who works in Dubai, said, I was working a technician with a private company, but due to a medical emergency I have to be back to India with my parents. There are no flights since the past two months for Mumbai or to any other airports in Maharashtra. I hardly have any money with me now. Shrike added, There are flights to Kerala, Telangana and other states, but no flights for going to Maharashtra. I am compelled to take financial help from my family instead of providing them with financial assistance to extended stay here. There could be close to 1,000 here from Maharashtra. I request the government to arrange special flights for us. Kripa Shah, another Mumbaiite who works in Dubai, said, I came to UAE on March 16 as I got a job near Dubai. I have a medical emergency and I need to be back to India for the treatment. An email sent to the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi remained unanswered till the time of going to the press. However, the Embassy in reply to a tweet by those stuck in UAE from Maharashtra said, We have already taken up the matter regarding special flights to Mumbai and are awaiting approvals. Sunita Yadav, another resident of Mumbai, said, I have lost my job almost three months ago, and have no money to survive. I also have an infection on my tooth for which I require treatment, but the treatment here is costly compared to Mumbai, and I cannot afford the same. Meanwhile, Spruha Gaikar said, I am 32 weeks pregnant, and want to go to Mumbai for my delivery considering the hospitalisation is very costly here. In Mumbai, so far, over 2,000 passengers have arrived from international destinations under the mission. The decision does not entail the automatic extradition of the Huawei manager. Meng is accused by Washington of violating international sanctions against Iran. The case could drag on for years. Chinese Embassy in Ottawa: Canadians complicit with USA. Vancouver (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A Canadian court yesterday ruled that Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou can be tried in the United States. The decision of the British Columbia Supreme Court does not entail Meng's automatic extradition to the US, where she stands accused of violating international sanctions against Iran. Meng is the daughter of Ren Zhengfei, founder of the Chinese telecommunications giant. She was arrested in December 2018 in Canada; Washington's request for extradition immediately followed. In his decision, the Canadian judge concluded that the violations that Meng is accused of in the United States may also constitute a crime in Canada. The extradition process against the Chinese manager can now proceed. A second hearing is due to take place next month to determine whether Canadian police have complied with the law in the arrest procedures. However, the final decision for extradition rests with the Federal Minister of Justice. The case has provoked a tough political and diplomatic confrontation between China and Canada. Immediately after Meng's arrest, Beijing arrested two Canadian citizens. Ottawa condemned the fact, accusing the Chinese government of using "hostage diplomacy" as a form of pressure. Commenting on the ruling, the Beijing embassy in Canada said that the Canadian government is Washington's accomplice in a political process that aims to bring down Huawei. The United States and China are fighting a real technological war. The Trump administration has banned Huawei and other Chinese hi-tech companies. The US has also asked allies and partners to give up Huawei's 5G technology: the Americans suspect that the Chinese giant's ultra-fast internet networks could be exploited by Beijing for espionage. By offering Utilitec customers a wider choice of communication fulfillment options, we can help improve time to market and reduce overall risk by ensuring the delivery of critical customer communications, regardless of geography or business interruption -- Doxim CEO Michael Rogalski Utilitec, a Doxim Company (http://www.utilitec.net), the premiere utility-exclusive Customer Communications Management (CCM) software and services provider, today announces the expansion of its fulfillment operations as it moves from one fulfillment center to four state-of-the-art print facilities across North America. In 2019, Utilitec was acquired by Doxim (http://www.doxim.com), the leading customer communications and engagement technology provider serving financial and regulated markets. As a result, Utilitec has extended its geographical reach and business continuity capabilities. Utility customers can now be further assured of speed of service, as the organization can now offer print fulfillment from any of its new four state-of-the-art print facilities, located in: Vancouver (BC), Las Vegas (NV), Detroit (MI) and Indianapolis (IN). Utilitec has consistently met same-day mail service level agreements for clients across the United States since its origination, and has continued to do so throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But, as CEO Michael Rogalski notes, this expansion triples capacity, increases speed of -delivery, and reduces risk for utility customers. We are excited about this expansion of the Utilitec business, said Doxim CEO Michael Rogalski. By offering Utilitec customers a wider choice of communication fulfillment options, we can help improve time to market and reduce overall risk by ensuring the delivery of critical customer communications, regardless of geography or business interruption. Especially during situations such as COVID-19, having a CCM partner that has multiple fulfillment facilities and can provide a business continuity solution will be key for our customers seamless business operations and scalability. Utilitec products and solutions are built around the unique needs of the utility industry, providing critical visibility into utility billing data. From east coast to west coast, Utilitecs full-color expertise, flexible document design, CIS expertise and exceptional customer service make Utilitec the perfect partner for the specific requirements of the Utilities industry. The company invites interested parties to explore its suite of utility-specific customer communications solutions, or book a personal demo. About Utilitec, a Doxim Company From data management to distribution, Utilitec empowers utility clients to deliver the right message to the right customer at the right time. Utilitecs products and solutions are built around the unique needs of the utility industry, providing critical visibility into your billing data. From east coast to west coast and everywhere in between, flexible document design, CIS expertise, payment processing and exceptional customer service make Utilitec the perfect partner for the business needs of the utility clients. Learn more at http://www.utilitec.net. About Doxim Doxim is the customer communications and engagement technology leader serving financial and regulated markets, providing omnichannel document solutions and transforming experiences to strengthen engagement throughout the entire lifecycle. The Doxim Customer Engagement Platform helps clients communicate reliably and effectively, improve cross-sell and upsell opportunities, and drive increased loyalty and wallet share through personalized communications. The platform addresses key digitization, operational efficiency, and customer experience challenges through our suite of plug-and-play, integrated, SaaS software and document technology solutions. Learn more at http://www.doxim.com. WASHINGTON, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pie Insurance, one of the fastest-growing insurtechs in the country, today announced the closing of $127 million in new financing and capital commitments. Gallatin Point Capital joined Pie's current investors in the capital raise, including Greycroft, SVB Capital, Aspect Ventures, Elefund, and Sirius International Insurance Group, Ltd. The new financing includes $27 million to support the continued growth and expansion of Pie Insurance's offering to small business owners. The additional $100 million equity capital commitment will support Pie's strategic initiative to form and purchase licensed insurance companies. Pie was founded in 2017 to provide workers' compensation insurance to small businesses, both directly through its website and also through thousands of independent insurance agents. Over the past twelve months, Pie has grown its written premium 150% to nearly $19 million in Q1 of 2020. Tens of thousands of small businesses have received quotes using the company's simple online experience, driven in part by Pie's recent national television advertising campaign. Pie has also expanded its availability through independent insurance agents, adding hundreds of additional agencies this year. Pie offers workers' comp coverage in 34 states and the District of Columbia and will continue to expand across the nation to serve more small businesses, either directly or through their agents. "Pie continues to demonstrate significant momentum, even in the current economic climate," said Ian Sigalow, Co-Founder and Partner at Greycroft. "We're pleased to help fuel the company's next stage of growth as they transform the market for small business insurance." This next stage of Pie's growth includes the formation of a new affiliated company, Pie Carrier Holdingsin which Gallatin Point Capital is the lead investorto create and purchase licensed insurance companies. Pie Carrier Holdings will own the licensed insurance companies that Pie will use to issue a portion of its insurance policies. Sirius Group is also investing directly in Pie Carrier Holdings and will continue to issue insurance policies offered by Pie. "We're impressed with the results Pie has achieved in such a short time period," said Matt Botein, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Gallatin Point Capital. "We welcomed the chance to contribute to their expansion strategy in a meaningful way." "We're incredibly excited to partner with Matt and his team on this innovative approach toward solving one of the biggest challenges facing a growing insurtech companybuilding a capital structure that supports both our rapid growth and balance sheet needs," said John Swigart, Pie's Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "This financing enables Pie to continue our expansion, even during these uncertain times, while also forming the foundation for our future." About Pie Insurance Pie Insurance provides workers' compensation insurance directly to small businesses and also partners with local, regional, and national insurance agencies to provide coverage to their clients. Headquartered in Washington, D.C. and Denver, the company began offering policies in 2018 with a goal of helping small businesses experience true savings and an unmatched level of service. Pie operates as a managing general agency for Sirius America Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Sirius Group, offering A.M. Best "A-" (Excellent) rated workers' compensation insurance. Pie's investors include SVB Capital, Gallatin Point Capital, Greycroft, Aspect Ventures, Sirius Group, Moxley Holdings, and Elefund. SOURCE Pie Insurance Related Links pieinsurance.com High-end property has been developing rapidly, and developers also want to increase supply in low- to mid-end segments, Photo: Le Toan According to the Ministry of Construction (MoC), the proposal to limit high-end residences is based on the difficulties the real estate market is facing, both from the low liquidity resulting from COVID-19 and the oversupply of high- and mid-end properties, coupled with the shortage in the affordable segment. The demand for housing in the mid- and high-end segment with prices above VND25 million ($1,000) per square metre only accounts for 20-30 per cent of the total, while the affordable segment accounts for 70-80 per cent of market demand. There are more than 4,400 new residential and urban development projects nationwide with the total investment capital of VND4.8 quadrillion ($208.7 billion). Of this, the value of properties in inventory is VND104 trillion ($4.5 billion) by the end of March. Aidan Wee, co-founder and executive director of PropNex Realty Vietnam, believed the proposal is a step in the right direction and will help redirect financial resources in the real estate sector and put the development capabilities of developers to better use. This would encourage the supply of affordable housing to cater to the real demand of the urban population which is key to the sustainable development of the real estate market, Wee told VIR. Andy Han Suk Jung, CEO of SonKim Land also said that it is good that the government is making an effort to increase the supply in the low- to mid-end segments as the supply has been far below demand in the vast majority of the market. He believed the price must be set by supply and demand, especially in the mid- and high-end markets, in the affordable segment the government has an important role to play by incentivising developers and by facilitating the approval process so that development cycle can be shortened. There are many pieces of land that are under government control. If those can be allocated for affordable and mid-end apartments, the supply can be increased in rather short order, Jung said. However, according to Wee, while it is a step in the right direction, the proposal will not be effective by itself. A more comprehensive legal framework must be developed by the MoC to support mass housing. The ministry could also introduce policies to curb speculation in the affordable housing segment and issue new incentives for developers to encourage them to roll out more projects in the segment, he said. Well-meaning as it may be, limiting the premium and luxury housing segments to force developers to focus on the affordable and mid-end segments might not be entirely reasonable because there is still demand for high-end housing with better amenities and living environment. Purposely limiting supply to these segments will cause a supply and demand imbalance to greatly widen prices across different segments and put premium and luxury products out of reach for the more affluent people, Wee added. Jung from SonKim Land also explained that limiting mid- to high-end products would not help the market as Vietnams middle-income population is growing rapidly who can afford better projects, while there is also steady demand by foreign buyers who are here to work or to invest in real estate. At a while many people may be concerned that a restriction will only drive prices in the affected segments higher as demand will keep going up while supply is frozen. I think it would be advisable to adopt a hands-off approach and let supply and demand set the prices, and help to intervene in the affordable segment to give incentives to developers and shorten lengthy procedures to encourage developers to do more and more, said Han. Stephen Wyatt, country head for JLL Vietnam, said that over the past few years the residential sector has been developing and there has been a considerable amount of new mid- and high-end apartments entering the market in both major cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Key factors to consider, according to Wyatt, are that the total supply of residential apartments is coming off a very low base, especially when compared to other Southeast Asian cities and the ratio of apartments to the population is still low. At the same time, it has become incredibly difficult to find land within close proximity to the city centre. This has pushed land values to artificially high levels, which in turn has increased the prices of residential apartments. Moreover, the market needs to shift focus to more affordable housing, catering for the end user. However, this can only be achieved when there is more available land and land values are cheaper. Wyatt added that the market needs to re-calibrate and focus on real demand and a balance of all sectors. Meanwhile Damian Sung, sales director of Asia Bankers Club, told VIR that with the optimistic results of the fight against the pandemic in Vietnam, the real estate market should be largely unchanged. However, investors seeking distressed assets prove that this is not the case. For those that have invested earlier, they will likely see the value of their properties go up as high-end supply is limited, with heightened interest in current inventories or new projects being launched this year. This will also boost the secondary market for foreign quotas as there are limited supplies of good development in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. However, the bad part is that there will not be newer projects for the time being, said Sung. Instead of limiting the high-end segment, experts suggested the Vietnamese government to issue more incentives to encourage developers to invest in mid-end and affordable housing. On April 4, Professor Anil V. Vaidya, Head, Information Management, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's SP Jain Institute of Management Research, Mumbai, delivered an entire machine learning session online. "Students were sent reading material, including short videos, and during the online class, we could actually get down to modelling the entire data set already shared with students," he says. At the end of the class, students were actually able to do predictions, be it around customer churn, consumer demand or supply chain. The session was part of a course for an executive management programme, but according to Vaidya, similar exercises were taking place across the institute. Elements of the new education delivery model, he says, will have to be a mix of online sessions backed by short videos explaining concepts and webinars and assessing lecture absorption by students based on chat and voice responses. Even examinations will get redesigned. In fact, Vaidya even devised a new evaluation method - students were asked to submit a video presentation of the project and a URL for project evaluation instead of the usual paper presentation. In the process, they managed to exhibit their tech skills as well, since the project required video-streaming services and even artificial intelligence (AI) to create subtitles. The Big Picture Educational institutions, mainly those into higher education, are gearing up for fundamental changes. India has 800 universities and about 40,000 colleges. Given that the gross enrolment ratio (GER) into colleges is 26.3 per cent (about 36 million students) and considering the average cost per student at Rs 50,000 per annum, it works out to close to a Rs 2-lakh crore market, or about 1 per cent of GDP. Now, Vijay Govindarajan, Coxe Distinguished Professor, Tuck at Darmouth, argues that if India's GER is to get to 70 per cent, as in many advanced countries, this could mean doubling or tripling the number of colleges. This means inadequate qualified faculty. The online medium could, therefore, open up a potential to bridge this "huge educational gap". It is still early days, but the IIMs and IITs are clearly seeing a shift towards online delivery of content, though the degree and the ways in which it will be offered is still being discussed. Some of the IIMs have set up training groups to help faculty members migrate to newer forms of delivery. Others are experimenting with a hybrid model where an instructor-led class is held along with a Coursera course. Some are even redesigning class activities and assessing students differently. IIT Madras, for instance, is getting its faculty to use the time now to connect with students online and develop content for online delivery. The transition is also throwing up challenges. For instance, how can B-schools make their case-study method of teaching more susceptible to online delivery? Or, how can institutions handle hardware such as laboratories and machineries remotely? There are also concerns regarding the availability of hardware, bandwidth and even power at the student's end. So, for the moment, though physical classroom sessions have been postponed and online lectures and content delivery have taken off, they are still getting finetuned along the way. New Models, New Deliveries Vijay Govindarajan, who has looked at the subject closely, says: "I do not believe universities can go back to normal. There will be a new normal in the post-Covid world. People say universities will get disrupted and become obsolete. I do not believe that, but higher education will be transformed." He thinks institutions will gain if they start working now and create task forces to debate models that are likely to emerge, and zero in on one. To him, there are three broad triggers for change - Firstly, the cost of college education has skyrocketed; secondly, digital technologies have matured; and thirdly, psychological barriers to change have come down. Govindarajan feels every institution must set up two taskforces. One that looks at the firefighting triggered by current developments, including budget cuts (lower alumni contributions, lower student intake, especially international students), students seeking lower fees in the medium term (since the mode of instruction will be online), and challenges of reopening campuses and hostels while keeping social distancing intact. The other task force, he feels, should to be focused on strategy, and should debate three broad models that are currently emerging - first, a residential programme where institutions could retain their form and give students the advantages of digital technologies, like, for example, a quick file sharing to leverage the polling options on the Zoom platform. The second could be a hybrid model where institutes look at redesigning the four-year residential programme - two-year residential and two-year online course, and then take digital the online-amenable topics. In the process, they could reduce the fees and increase the number of students. And finally, the third could be a 100 per cent online model, where leading brands would offer courses and certificates for programmes, accessed by a larger pool of students. G. Raghuram, Director, IIM Bangalore (IIM-B), told Business Today: "The focus now will be a mix of both asynchronous and synchronous engagement with students. (The asynchronous model being one where the faculty need not be present when the student is going through the MOOC - Massive Open Online Course - for instance, against a live online delivery, which is the synchronous mode). To do that, we will need to keep in mind key elements that have traditionally been best delivered in the in-class mode such as the case method, and other topics where participants need to challenge one another for critical thinking, and see how that can be made amenable for the online delivery mode." "The faculty may want to change the material, the sequence of sessions or even certain sessions. We need to use hardware equipment and software platforms that have learning-friendly features," he adds. Some are already tweaking the delivery model. IIM Uda-ipur, for instance, is offering sessions combining instructor-led online teaching with a self-learning programme on online learning platform Coursera. On its part, Raghuram says: "We at IIM-B have set up an in-house Digital Learning Committee to train the faculty and support staff for the transition. Students also need to be oriented to engage in this mode. The faculty is sharing experiences and discussing finer points that we need to be conscious of during delivery for maximising the learning experience. It may take a little longer getting used to the mode and optimising the learning effectiveness." The institute has started the process. "We offer many degree-granting programmes. Two of them are starting in May. One (a one-year programme) is targeted at students with experience, while the other (a two-year weekend programme) is targeted at working professionals. Being executives and expectedly familiar with information technology, we are starting with online synchronous delivery," he adds. The 100 per cent online programme model has already kicked off in India. Santanu Paul, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, TalentSprint - an education technology firm, says: "It is a B-to-C model today. About 80 per cent of all seats are sold to individuals, who are banking on a bunch of new financing companies that are willing to provide upskilling financing," He cites the examples of finance firms, including Eduvanz, Propelld and Bajaj Finserv. In the past three years, TalentSprint has worked with leading institutions across the country such as IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad, International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad and IIM Calcutta to develop disruptive programmes aimed at working professionals and students in areas, including new automobile technologies, digital health, AI and machine learning. Addressing Accessibility Issues According to Balaraman Ravindran, Professor, Computer Science, IIT Madras, though institutions had little time to switch to the online delivery model, it is still possible today since there are softwares, tracking mechanisms and online proctoring tools available to conduct foolproof sessions. "One of my students has left his laptop charger behind in the hostel and there is no one in his village who has a charger, so he is unable to access the online lectures. Then there are students who are in areas that do not have high-speed Internet," he says. Other than the bandwidth, the challenge will also be in terms of hardware such as laboratories and machineries, and operating them remotely, he adds. At the national level, the proposed New Education Policy could provide the much-needed push. One of the elements of the policy document is the creation of a National Educational Technology Forum, an autonomous body. K Kasturirangan, space scientist, who led the panel that drafted the report, told Business Today: "In today's context, when there will be substantial increase in the quantum of online content delivery activity and the use of various tools and technologies, a body like the technology forum will make sure that the best practices involving technology for education are properly identified, evaluated and adopted and in the process also attend to the elements of quality and affordability." No one is likely to disagree. So, educators and institutions are innovating ways to continue with their curriculum, as India looks to pivot its education system to a digital-friendly experience in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. As schools and colleges remain shut and lockdown continues, education's switch to the online model is here to stay. @EKumarSharma The worlds first CBD cocktail bitters launch in Selfridges The CBD brand OTO has just released the worlds first CBD cocktail bitters. Launching in Selfridges this May, the 2500mg CBD Cocktail Bitters can be used either to enhance cocktails or simply as a functional, flavourful alternative to alcohol. The product is launching alongside their trio of 50mg CBD shots - which are the strongest CBD drinks in the UK. CBD is renowned for its stress- and anxiety-relieving properties; Gemma Colao, one half of the husband and wife team who set up OTO, did so after having discovered the power of CBD to treat her own anxiety. Gemma, together with husband James Bagley, set up Californias first legal online dispensary before founding OTO. Upon returning to the UK, they teamed up with a group of friends, including world-leading scientists and designers, to create the UK brand. Three large dashes of OTOs CBD Cocktail Bitters deliver 25mg of water-soluble CBD and each bottle contains over 100 servings. The bitters are versatile and can also be added to fresh juice, tonics and mixers. The flavour profile is herbaceous, citrusy and floral. Each all-natural shot contains just 10 calories and is vegan, sugar-free and made in the UK. OTOs collection of optimum strength CBD drinks are available to buy now from the Selfridges Foodhall and online in three flavours Focus Spice, Amplify Zest, and Balance Bloom. For more information, visit OTO's website or Instagram. You can also get some CBD cocktail inspiration with recipes created by Cami Vidal of La Maison Wellness and Sunday Brunch, by clicking here. 28 May 2020 - ACG Silicon Valley, a chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, today announced it has named business development expert Yvonne Schwab as CEO, effective April 20. Schwab succeeds Drue Freeman, who has served as ACG Silicon Valleys CEO since 2018. A native German, Yvonne started her career in Europe and has lived and worked in New York and California for the past 18 years. Her global experience leading key growth initiatives within startup, nonprofit, and industry-established organizations along with the expertise of our dedicated board will allow ACGSV to grow and deepen the relationships with Silicon Valleys most innovative companies, said Hayley Tabor, ACG Silicon Valley Chairperson. We are looking forward to her leadership and contributions. With over 20 years of experience providing strategic growth management to Valley businesses, Schwab has a keen focus on business development, account management, event planning, and marketing. Prior to joining ACG Silicon Valley, she was the business development director for the German American Business Association (GABA) NorCal, where she expanded opportunities for companies seeking visibility in the German-American business community of the Bay Area. Schwab also served as the marketing and event director at Santa Clara incubator TechLab Innovation Center. During her time there, she prepared and organized technology events and advised early-stage startups. She earned a bachelors degree in business management/small business and entrepreneurship from Colorado State University. ACG Silicon Valley has been a cornerstone of world-class networking and thought leadership for CEOs and senior executives in the Bay Area for over 36 years, said Schwab. It speaks volumes for an association to be around this many years, offering consistent value for its members and sponsors, as ACGSV has done over and over again. As its CEO, Drue continued the tradition of excellent management over the past two years. Now, I am honored to pick up the torch and, together with our supporters, bring ACGSV to the next level. Added Freeman: I am very proud of how ACGSV has evolved over the last few years. It has been an honor to serve as the leader of this community of outstanding executives bringing thoughtful, inspiring content to our stakeholders and helping decision makers understand the implications of the technological changes being driven out of Silicon Valley. Ultimately, business is about people and I have met so many wonderful people along the way. Looking ahead, I am confident that Yvonne is the right leader to take the ACGSV community to an even brighter future. As the Valleys premier business organization, ACG Silicon Valley is dedicated to providing business professionals with direct and referral access to key business leaders, transformational thought leadership, and practical experiences for career growth and business development. For more information about the organization, please visit: http://www.acgsv.org. About ACG The Association for Corporate Growth (http://www.acg.org) is a global learning and networking organization specifically for executives driving their company's growth strategy. Active global membership exceeds 14,500 executives from corporations, private equity, finance, and professional service firms representing Fortune 500, Fortune 1000, FTSE 100, and mid-market companies in 59 chapters in North America, Europe and Asia. About ACG Silicon Valley ACG Silicon Valley (ACGSV) is a unique community with a purpose; where CEOs and senior executive leaders connect to conduct business, build new careers, and link together to lead the future of Silicon Valley. The 36-year-old chapter strives to provide an environment where members, over 80 percent of whom are CEOs, gain access to key insight, knowledge, and connections. ACGSV is a forum beyond networking and has earned its credible reputation by consistently providing one of the strongest possible thought leadership platforms available to corporate leaders and executive teams. Contact For ACG Silicon Valley Carol Rellamas, Director of Operations 408.674.9816 Carol.Rellamas@acgsv.org Ryanair has written to every airport on its route network including Dublin and Cork looking to put the squeeze on them to lower landing and usage charges in return for more business. Ryanairs group chief executive Michael OLeary said earlier this month that the airline wants once in a lifetime airport discounts. Since then, Ryanair has written to all of its route network airports saying it will prioritise those agreeing to demands when it returns to flying in July. It also requested a 100% waiver on airport fees until October and significant discounts for next year. Other low-cost European airlines including EasyJet and Wizz Air - have sent airports similar demands in return for more levels of returning passenger traffic. Goodbody analyst Mark Simpson said low-cost airlines will likely get better deals at airports as they are the carriers that will provide growth quicker than their long-haul rivals - as European air travel begins to return. EasyJet invited airports to make Apprentice-style pitches during 20-minute Skype sessions held recently to discuss how you can and will support EasyJet to restart operations. We request that you present to us your best offer, which will strongly influence how we deploy capacity, it said, adding that bids should include short-term restart incentives and winter rebates. EasyJet, whose recovery plans are less ambitious than Ryanairs, also said it will cut up to 4,500 jobs and shrink its fleet of aircraft to adjust to the smaller travel market. However, airports are struggling themselves with many facing failure without a meaningful recovery in summer passenger numbers. They also have bigger immediate cash flow concerns than airlines. The impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic is having a hugely negative impact on all businesses in the aviation sector. "The whole aviation industry wants to begin to rebuild its business, and in that context, it would be preferable if all players worked together, rather than having one part of the industry attempting to force further revenue reductions onto another part of the sector, said a spokesman for Dublin Airport, adding that Dublin ranks as the best value large airport in Europe with lowering airline costs already by a country mile. Under new pricing charges for this year, any Ryanair passenger flights that operate during the 2020 summer season, which lasts until the end of October, will have airport charges which are 23% lower than the already low charges that applied in 2019, he said. Olivier Jankovec, head of airport representative group ACI Europe added that "Europes airports are on their knees." "They have lost more than 315 million passengers since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak and they will exceed half a billion passengers lost before the end of May. All their revenue sources have essentially dried up, most of their staff furloughed and investments stopped - yet cash is still flowing out in running costs as most have remained at least partially open, he said. Meanwhile, Norwegian Air has reported a widening in losses days after its creditors took control of it as part of a financial rescue. - additional reporting Reuters (Natural News) Even as China experiences a second wave of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) infections, reports are coming in that authorities are still suppressing information about the pandemic. A new report states that Chinese authorities hid information about medical staff who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in the northeastern province of Jilin from the public. In the provincial capital of Jilin City, which is also the current epicenter of the outbreak, authorities made no mention of any medical staff who have been infected with COVID-19. However, according to internal government documents obtained by The Epoch Times, at least two hospitals in the city have infected employees. Chinese authorities reporting of coronavirus data has been opaque at best; no cumulative infection figures have been released, with local governments only reporting new infections daily. In addition, asymptomatic carriers are counted separately from confirmed diagnoses, while little to no background information is given about diagnosed cases. This is on top of officials simply underreporting cases. (Related: RIGGED: China changes the definition of infected to ignore coronavirus patients who test positive but show no symptoms.) Coronavirus cases reported from hospital workers One of the hospital staff identified to have caught the virus is a 22-year old woman named Hu, who works as a surgical nurse at the Beihua University Affiliated Hospital in Jilin. According to internal documents, the Jilin Center for Disease Control (Jilin CDC) reported to the national authorities on May 15 that Hu had been diagnosed with the disease earlier that day. In previous announcements made by the Jilin provincial health commission, authorities had mentioned a case that matched Hus profile. However, no background information on the case was provided. In the internal Jilin CDC report, Hu was identified as the daughter of another COVID-19 patient, a woman identified as Gao. The 45-year old Gao had been previously identified as a close contact of yet another COVID-19 patient on May 12, before herself being diagnosed with the disease on May 14. After her mother had been identified as a close contact, Hu herself took a nucleic acid test at her workplace, but her results came out as negative for the coronavirus. It was only after her mother had been diagnosed with COVID-19 did Hu take another test, which came back positive this time. Hu was initially isolated at the Chuanying No. 2 Hospital at Jilins Chuanying District, before eventually being transferred to the Jilin City Infectious Disease Hospital. The same internal documents also listed close contacts of Hu. These included 55 medical staff at her workplace, 34 patients and their relatives who Hu came into contact with, as well as her grandmother and aunt. According to The Epoch Timess sources, the Beihua University Affiliated Hospital, which is not designated to treat COVID-19 patients, has stopped taking in new patients since May 15. In addition, there are at least two more cases of hospital workers testing positive for the coronavirus in the region. Both cases are from the Shulan Peoples Hospital. One of these cases was Li, a 49-year old cashier at the hospital who was traced as a close contact of a diagnosed patient. Li and her husband were diagnosed with COVID-19 on May 9. The second unreported case is that of Xiao, a doctor at the cardiopulmonary department at Shulan Peoples Hospital. Xiao had previously treated a patient who turned out to be positive for the coronavirus resulting in Xiao having to be isolated. Under-reporting continues throughout China Despite the internal documents listing at least three cases among hospital workers, neither the National Health Commission of the Peoples Republic of China nor Jilins local health commission has disclosed the fact that medical staff have caught the coronavirus. The failure to mention these cases, combined with previous instances of underreporting, casts doubt on Chinas claims of having successfully fought off the viruss second wave. China reported that it saw no new cases of the coronavirus at the end of Friday. This would make it the first time that the country did not see a daily increase in the number of coronavirus cases, since authorities started reporting data in January. Even as authorities made this statement, reports were coming in, which showed that cases in northeastern China were underreported. This is further complicated by other sources that revealed that health authorities were also downplaying the actual number of cases in other cities, even those outside northeastern China. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com 1 The EpochTimes.com 2 DailyMail.co.uk Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 02:00:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, May 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. forces airdropped in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour on Thursday, arresting four Islamic State (IS) members, a war monitor reported. The airdrop took place in the village of Jadid Okeidat in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour after midnight as the U.S. forces besieged an area in the village with the help of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The forces used speakers to tell the people to remain indoors before they captured four IS members believed to be Iraqis, the UK-based watchdog group added. The airdrop is the fourth to take place in Deir al-Zour in May. The U.S. forces control areas in Deir al-Zour with the Kurdish-led SDF and they usually carry out airdrops to roundup suspected IS members. Enditem By PTI NEW DELHI: Two global health experts on Wednesday said novel coronavirus infection is here to stay for more than a year and called for aggressive testing to prevent its spread. While US health expert Professor Ashish Jha exuded confidence that a vaccine for the highly infectious disease will be available in a year's time, Professor Johan Giesecke from Sweden said India should adopt a 'soft' lockdown as a severe one will ruin its economy. In an interaction with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the experts talked extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the series being aired on Congress social media channels. "When the economy is opened up post lockdown, you (India) have to create confidence among people," Prof Jha told Gandhi. Jha is a professor of Global Health at the TH Chan School of Public Health and Director, Harvard Global Health institute. He said coronavirus is a '12-18 months' problem and the world will not be free of this till 2021. The expert also called for the need for aggressive testing strategy for high-risk areas to arrest the spread of the disease. Rahul Gandhi, while interacting with the experts, noted that life is going to change post COVID-19. "People say 9/11 was a new chapter. This (COVID-19) is a new book," he remarked. Prof Giesecke, former chief scientist at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said, "The situation that India is in, I think, you should have a soft lockdown, as soft as possible. " He said the disease is spreading across the globe like a wildfire and almost everyone in the world will be infected. The Swedish health expert said relaxing the lockdown has to be step-wise. "You wait 2-3 weeks and see what happens. Do we see more spread of the disease? If yes, we take one step back and try another restriction. So I think it will take months to really ease out the lockdown completely. But you must bring one restriction at a time and see what happens," he opined. Prof Jha commented that the world is entering an "age of pandemics". "I am confident that this is not the last large global pandemic you and I are going to see in the next 20 years," he said. "This virus has existed in bats but there was a small change probably in the genome and all of a sudden it became suitable for human hosts. I think climate change is going to make many of these things all the more worse and then of course, the other things that has happened with economic growth is that people are eating lot more meat. So that also means more interactions between humans and animals," he said. Jha noted that in the last 100 years one had seen an increasing frequency of these kinds of outbreaks and this one is the worst in a 100 years. "But I am confident that we are going to have more global pandemics in the upcoming years and decades. And so as we get through this one, we have to ask ourselves, how we are going to better prepare for the next one," he said. The expert also emphasised on the need for an aggressive testing strategy to combat the COVID-19 menace. He said testing everybody is difficult, but there are strategies that one can use to augment testing like pool testing. Jha said the country should go for "vigorous testing, tracing and isolation". "But if you cannot do that, then you have to lock everything down. But of course, it has very substantial economic repercussions," he said. The Harvard Global Health institute director also noted that life will be very different when the lockdown ends. "So now when you reopen the economy, you have to create a certain level of confidence. Because the economy resides on confidence. If people are scared, they will not engage in economic activity. "It is a complicated thing. I have not seen any country in the world do it brilliantly. But everybody is kind of making their way through this," he observed. On the testing strategy, Prof Jha said, anybody who gets admitted to a hospital for almost any reason in an area with any kind of outbreak should be tested. "You need an aggressive testing strategy in high-risk areas or in homes for elderly people. And then if you can, you want to be doing more community level surveillance. Just to make sure that you are not missing undetected cases," the US health expert asserted. He said India has many advantages and one of them is a very advanced and vibrant technology. On the chances of finding a vaccine for COVID-19, Jha said one can see some promise in two-three vaccines, including the ones in the United States and China. "All three look promising to me," he said, wondering which one will work. "Maybe, all of them or maybe one vaccine will come. . . but I am confident that a vaccine somewhere will come out by next year that will work and then India has to have a plan on how much it needs," he said. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi said large urban centers will get hurt badly. He hoped the disease will bring people together and make them realise that you cannot fight this disease as different religions, communities, castes or genders. "I think in some ways there is a potential opportunity here. There is an opportunity that in fighting this disease, we are able to start a conversation and understand that everybody is required to fight this disease together," he said. Some of the Ghanaians who returned from Kuwait at the weekend have tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Badu Sarkodie has revealed. At a press briefing on the disease Thursday, Dr Sarkodie did not give out the number of people who have tested positive. "The people that came from Kuwait, we are following up, they have finished with the tests of all the people that they took samples. There are indications that some of them are positive, we will pick the update and when we have it, we will share these reports accordingly." more to follow... Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The information contained in this release was correct as at 30 April 2020. Information on the Company's up to date net asset values can be found on the London Stock Exchange Website at https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-home.html. BLACKROCK SMALLER COMPANIES TRUST PLC (LEI: 549300MS535KC2WH4082) All information is at 30 April 2020 and unaudited. Performance at month end is calculated on a capital only basis One month % Three months % One year % Three years % Five years % Net asset value* 13.4 -24.5 -13.9 -3.6 33.0 Share price* 17.0 -23.7 -10.2 14.2 57.1 Numis ex Inv Companies + AIM Index 12.9 -22.5 -18.6 -20.7 -5.3 *performance calculations based on a capital only NAV with debt at par, without income reinvested. Share price performance calculations exclude income reinvestment. Sources: BlackRock and Datastream At month end Net asset value Capital only (debt at par value): 1,297.94p Net asset value Capital only (debt at fair value): 1,276.62p Net asset value incl. Income (debt at par value)1: 1,322.52p Net asset value incl. Income (debt at fair value)1: 1,301.20p Share price 1,310.00p Discount to Cum Income NAV (debt at par value): 0.9% Discount to Cum Income NAV (debt at fair value): -0.7% Net yield2: 2.4% Gross assets3: 715.3m Gearing range as a % of net assets: 0-15% Net gearing including income (debt at par): 6.6% 2019 Ongoing charges ratio4: 0.7% Ordinary shares in issue5: 48,829,792 includes net revenue of 24.58p. Yield calculations are based on dividends announced in the last 12 months as at the date of release of this announcement, and comprise of the final dividend of 19.20 pence per share, (announced on 03 May 2019, ex-dividend on 16 May 2019) and the interim dividend of 12.8 pence per share (announced on 5 November 2019, ex-dividend on 14 November 2019). includes current year revenue. As reported in the Annual Financial Report for the year ended 28 February 2019 the Ongoing Charges Ratio (OCR) was 0.7%. The OCR is calculated as a percentage of net assets and using operating expenses, excluding performance fees, finance costs and taxation. excludes 1,163,731 shares held in treasury. Sector Weightings % of portfolio Industrials 31.6 Financials 21.4 Consumer Services 16.9 Consumer Goods 10.7 Technology 6.6 Health Care 6.0 Basic Materials 3.5 Oil & Gas 1.9 Telecommunications 0.9 Materials 0.5 ----- Total 100.0 ===== Ten Largest Equity Investments Company % of portfolio YouGov 2.3 Avon Rubber 2.1 IntegraFin 2.0 Breedon 1.9 Games Workshop 1.7 Stocks Spirits Group 1.6 Impax Asset Management 1.6 IG Design Group 1.5 Treatt 1.5 4imprint Group 1.5 Commenting on the markets, Roland Arnold, representing the Investment Manager noted: During April the Company's NAV per share rose by 13.4%1 to 1,297.94p, outperforming our benchmark index, Numis ex Inv Companies + AIM Index, which returned 12.9%1; for comparison the FTSE 100 Index rose by 4.0%1 (all calculations are on a capital only basis). Markets globally rebounded during April, despite the significant contraction in global economic activity and sharp rise in unemployment as a result of the lockdowns around the world. Rather than the inevitable economic slowdown, investor sentiment was driven more by a focus on the appearance of a flattening curve of new cases, with many countries beginning to announce measures to remove restrictions. Meanwhile governments around the world continued to announce monetary stimulus packages aimed at supporting their economies during such a marked slowdown in activity. Performance in absolute terms during the month benefitted from the reversal in many shares that had been impacted during the market falls in the first quarter. However, in relative terms the portfolio benefitted from the outperformance of many companies that are best placed to navigate through these challenging times. The largest contributor to performance was Games Workshop, the creator of the Warhammer miniatures game. The shares rose in response to a positive trading update where the company confirmed that online orders would recommence in May following assessments to ensure health and safety for staff. Robert Walters rallied during the month, recouping some of the recent falls. In a trading update covering the first quarter of 2020, the company highlighted the challenges facing the business for the second quarter, with all markets except mainland China in varying forms of lockdown. However, balance sheet strength and the inherent operational gearing within the business provides confidence that the business will be well positioned to capitalise on opportunities as restrictions begin to ease. Within financials, Impax Asset Management and Tatton Asset Management were strong contributors to performance, with the former reporting net inflows during the first quarter and Tatton confirming another year of growth in revenues and profits ahead of its final results due to be released in June. The largest detractor to performance was defence business, QinetiQ, which warned that global restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 would negatively impact revenues and announced the decision to suspend the full year dividend. Other detractors were in many cases shares that simply failed to keep pace with the market rebound, for example 4imprint and IG Design Group. However, on the last day of the month IG did warn that exceptional costs related to COVID-19 would impact full year results. While the market appears to be bouncing between taking the positives from signs of countries beginning to lift lockdown restrictions, and negatives from fears of the extent of a recession, it still goes without saying that the outlook for the global economy has never been more uncertain. There is no historical parallel to current events. Even the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 was, at its heart a banking crisis, something investors had seen before. Our immediate outlook is therefore that volatility remains high as COVID-19 continues to dominate global events. While we are beginning to see lockdowns lifting, shops reopening and children returning to school, no one knows what the ultimate duration of the pandemic will be, the duration of restrictive public health measures, nor the lasting damage that both will do to the economy as a whole. We certainly don't pretend to have the answers and therefore we have not materially changed positioning. The impact of COVID-19 is unpredictable, unavoidable and unprecedented. But it will get better. And this provides us with confidence in our strategy on a medium-term view. Market volatility presents us with a fantastic investment opportunity. The Company's investment strategy is focussed on quality growth investment opportunities in smaller companies, a style that has demonstrably worked for the long-term, and historically periods of sudden underperformance, such as this, have proven to be excellent investment opportunities. 1Source: BlackRock as at 30 April 2020 28 May 2020 ENDS Latest information is available by typing www.blackrock.co.uk/brsc on the internet, "BLRKINDEX" on Reuters, "BLRK" on Bloomberg or "8800" on Topic 3 (ICV terminal). Neither the contents of the Manager's website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Manager's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement. Only 5% of Ryanair customers said they received a refund within the legal limit of seven days. (John Keeble/Getty Images) Many Ryanair (RYA.L) passengers who requested a refund after their flight was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic are still waiting to get their money back, according to a survey by consumer group Which?. Some 84% of those surveyed said they had not had their money returned and only 5% said they received a refund within the legal limit of seven days. Which? surveyed 1,632 UK adults who had accepted or applied for a refund after having a flight cancelled between mid March and early May. Which? said Ryanair has made it difficult for customers to claim refunds by introducing hurdles such as directing customers to online refund forms that didnt work and repeatedly changing the time frame for refunds. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel magazine, said: Some airlines are doing much better than others at refunding their customers, proving that while these are indeed difficult times for the industry, withholding customers money from them is simply inexcusable. The regulator and government cannot sit on their hands any longer. A spokesperson for Ryanair told Press Association in a statement that the company is giving customers the option to change the date of their flight, or be refunded in the form of vouchers. However, if they choose to be refunded in cash, this is likely to take much longer as it is having to process 10,000 times the usual volume of cancellations with reduced staff. READ MORE: Devastation for airlines as UK confirms 14-day quarantine post-travel Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said earlier this month it will take up to six months to refund passengers. Airlines and the travel sector have taken a massive hit because of the pandemic. Ryanair is planning to cut 3,000 jobs and reduce staff pay by up to a fifth. EasyJet (EZJ.L) customers have also found it difficult to get their money back, with just 14% receiving a refund within seven days, according to Which? British Airways (IAG.L) customers have fared better, with 39% receiving a refund within seven days. Some 29% of Jet2 (DTG.L) customers also got their money back within a week. Story continues Earlier this month, the Civil Aviation Authority launched an investigation into airlines handling of refunds. Chief executive Richard Moriarty told the UK Commons Transport Select Committee last week that it needs more powers to crack down on carriers. READ MORE: Hotels warn 14-day quarantine will hit UK visitor numbers Meanwhile in the US, the Department of Transportation has said it has received thousands more complaints over airline refunds than usual during the pandemic and has urged carriers to ensure they are as flexible and considerate as possible to the needs of passengers who face financial hardship during this time. How to claim a Ryanair refund The Ryanair website states that those wishing to get their money back for a cancelled flight must log into their MyRyanair account and follow the steps for a refund. The website still states that refunds will be processed within seven working days. According to MoneySavingExpert, talking to a customer services agent on the websites live chat tool or making a claim under Section 75 of the UKs Consumer Credit Act might be the best way to see results. A promising molecular pair has offered hope that could lead to the development of a new treatment to slow down Parkinson's disease, a study by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Harvard University has found. Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease, affecting 7 to 10 million people worldwide. Patients with the illness have reduced levels of dopamine in the brain, causing them to have difficulty controlling motor movements, with symptoms such as tremor and rigidity of muscles in hands, arms, and legs. They can also develop some non-motor symptoms, like sleep disturbance, depression, and loss of smell. Through laboratory investigations and in vivo experiments, the team led by Professor Yoon Ho Sup from the NTU School of Biological Sciences and Professor Kwang-Soo Kim from McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the United States found that the 'molecular pair', Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) - a type of hormone - and Prostaglandin A1 (PGA1), can be the key to boosting dopamine levels and slowing Parkinson's disease. PGE1 and PGA1 do so by binding to Nurr1, a class of proteins crucial to the development and maintenance of dopamine in the brain. Their binding causes Nurr1 to be activated, resulting in a marked increase in dopamine production while preventing dopamine-producing brain cells from dying. After activating Nurr1, the mice with Parkinson's disease showed significant improvements in their motor functions. Although much research still needs to be done, these findings could provide a new avenue for the creation of Nurr1-activating drugs to combat Parkinson's disease - an illness with no cure currently. While there are already treatment methods like dopamine-raising medication or deep brain stimulation using electric currents, these treatments have side-effects and can only address the patient's symptoms, not slow down, or halt the disease. Considering the essential function of Nurr1, we have been searching for its activating molecules in the body. Finally, we have successfully identified that PGE1/PGA1 is the molecular pair that acts specifically on Nurr1 and can lead to neuroprotective effects on the brain. Given that all candidate Parkinson's drugs have failed to show neuroprotective abilities in clinical trials, our findings may offer an opportunity to design mechanism-based disease-modifying therapeutics to treat Parkinson's disease with little side effect." Professor Yoon Ho Sup, NTU School of Biological Sciences The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Chemical Biology in May 2020, and were made by researchers from Singapore, the United States, and South Korea. Prostaglandins (PGE1/PGA1) - the key to combating Parkinson's disease One of a number of hormone-like substances in the body, Prostaglandins are responsible for a wide range of body functions such as the contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle, the dilation and constriction of blood vessels, control of blood pressure, and modulation of inflammation. Their regulatory roles in activating the dopamine function of Nurr1 have not been studied until now. To identify and characterise how PGE1/PGA1 activates Nurr1, the team of researchers used nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray crystallography to decipher the structures of the molecules involved, successfully unveiling details of how PGA1 binding leads to the activation of Nurr1 for the first time. These findings from experiments on cells were then supported by in vivo experiments with experimentally induced Parkinson's disease, which showed significant improvements in their motor functions when PGE1 and PGA1 were administered. Prof Kim said, "By uncovering the molecular interactions, we gain insights into the biological function and regulation of Nurr1 in health and disease such as Parkinson's disease. Our findings in this study are adding to what we know about how dopamine neurons function and point towards the development of novel therapeutics of Parkinson's disease." Highlighting the significance of the findings, co-author Professor Lim Kah Leong, Vice Dean (Research) of NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine said, "PGA1 is not a new kid on the block, but a molecule known to exhibit anti-inflammation and anti-tumour properties. Prostaglandins like PGE1 are available for clinical use, for example in obstetrics cases. This means that the compound can potentially be re-positioned to treat Parkinson's patients, which can accelerate the time needed to take an experimental drug to the clinic." The scientists are now looking to design a synthetic form of PGE1/PGA1 and to validate it as a potential new drug that can target Nurr1, thereby halting or reversing the onset of Parkinson's disease. By PTI WASHINGTON: The US will end the last remaining sanctions waiver that allowed countries like China to cooperate with Iran on civil nuclear projects under the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced. European nations and other parties to the nuclear deal, including Russia and China, have continued to work with Iran within the framework of the 2015 pact, which eased economic sanctions on Tehran in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme. The waivers allowed companies from these countries to work with Iran on civil nuclear projects. The waivers were last renewed at the end of March and are due to expire at the end of the week. Pompeo announced on Wednesday that the waivers will end following a 60-day wind-down period that is meant to allow businesses to cease operations. "Today, I am announcing the end of the sanctions waiver covering all remaining JCPOA-originating nuclear projects in Iran, the Arak reactor conversion, the provision of enriched uranium for the Tehran Research Reactor, and the export of Iran's spent and scrap research reactor fuel," Pompeo said. The announcement virtually ends the Iranian nuclear deal, which was a key foreign policy accomplishment of the previous Obama Administration. President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and has steadily reimposed US sanctions on Iran that had been eased or lifted under its terms. Pompeo alleged that the Iranian regime has continued its nuclear brinkmanship by expanding proliferation sensitive activities. "These escalatory actions are unacceptable and I cannot justify renewing the waiver for these JCPOA-related activities as a result," he said, adding that the regime's nuclear extortion will lead to increased pressure on Iran and further isolate the regime from the international community. "Moreover, Iran's nuclear personnel need to make a choice, work for Iranian proliferation organisations and risk being sanctioned or put their skills to work for the Iranian people in pursuits outside of the proliferation realm," he said. As the waiver covering JCPOA-related activities comes to an end, the United States is providing a 90-day extension for the waiver covering ongoing international support to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 to ensure safety of operations. "We will continue to closely monitor all developments in Iran's nuclear programme and can modify this waiver at any time," he said. Pompeo also announced the designation of Majid Agha'i and Amjad Sazgar for engaging or attempting to engage in activities that have materially contributed to, or pose a risk of materially contributing to, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Sazgar is the Managing Director of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran entity responsible for the industrial-scale production of uranium enrichment gas centrifuge machines. In 2019, Sazgar managed and supervised the installation of centrifuges at Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment plant. Through these activities, Sazgar has contributed to Iran's continued provocative and destabilising expansion of its nuclear capabilities. Agha'i has also been centrally involved in Iran's uranium enrichment centrifuge operations, and is a manager in the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran subsidiary responsible for research and development of advanced centrifuges. Later Special US Representative on Iran, Brian Hook said that the US is taking these actions now because the regime continues to use its nuclear programme to extort the international community. "The Iranian regime's threats are designed to intimidate nations into accepting Iran's usual violent behaviour for fear of something worse. We refuse to play by Iran's rules," he told reporters in a conference call. President Donald Trump's maximum pressure campaign has constrained and countered Iran in unprecedented ways. "We have deprived the clerical rulers of vast amounts of revenue. We have disrupted their financial networks and their sectarian networks. "Because of our pressure, Iran's leaders are facing a decision: either negotiate with us or manage economic collapse," he said. Hook said that Iran's economy is especially grim because the autocratic rule of the ayatollahs has proven to be an economic catastrophe for the Iranian people. Exports are down, the economy is in deep contraction, the budge, the government budget is facing unprecedented pressures it cannot fix, and access to foreign reserves is minimal. The United States will continue its successful strategy of maximum economic pressure and diplomatic isolation, he asserted. The US, he said, will deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon. WILLIAMSPORT A federal judge for the second time has dismissed the civil rights suit of two former Bloomsburg University professors who claimed the decision not to renew their contacts in part was based on their race, national origin (natives of India) and religion (Hindu). U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann on Wednesday, as he had done in May 2018, granted summary judgment to the defendants that included the university and the State System of Higher Education. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 3rd Court of Appeals last July vacated Branns ruling saying he failed to adequately analyze the claims of Harisadhan Patra and Petula Vaz, who are married and represented themselves. Both joined the Bloomsburg audiology and speech pathology department faculty on Aug. 28, 2010, he as an assistant professor and she as an associate professor. Their contracts were not renewed at the end of the spring semester in 2014 following an evaluation committees negative fourth-year performance evaluations of both. In granting summary judgment a second time, Brann found the couple failed to show the non-renewals were retaliation for their commentary on graduation rates or based on their race, religion or national origin. Their suit also claimed their contracts were not renewed in retaliation for speaking out about Bloomsburgs alleged practice of falsifying student progress and graduation data. In May 2013 they sent an email regarding graduation statistics to fellow faculty members in the audiology and speech pathology department and the university president. Brann found their commentary on graduation rates was not a substantial motivating factor in decisions to issue negative performance evaluations and not renew their contracts. He also rejected hostile work environment and civil conspiracy allegations and ruled the defendants had immunity on claims brought under Pennsylvania law. The other defendants in the suit were the Bloomsburg president and State System chancellor in 2014 and five university administrators or professors. 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. -- Recent John Beauge stories published on PennLive: Man facing state prison term after admitting to driving drunk in crash with Amish buggy, injuring 6 Judge expresses concerns while reducing bail for Lycoming teen murder-for-hire defendant Susquehanna University revises fall calendar, plans to have students on campus Snyder, Union counties to use schools buildings for jury selection due to COVID-19 pandemic Pa. shortline sued for $2.5 million; accused of breaching contract, unjust enrichment What arent we passing to go green? Lycoming commissioner wants answer from Wolf Open Educational Resources Grants Fund 6 OER Projects at U Wyoming The University of Wyoming Libraries recently funded six faculty proposals to develop alternatives to traditional textbooks. Most of the projects receiving an Alt-Textbook grant will result in open educational resources (OER) that mix text with other kinds of content. All will be ready in time for fall classes. By going with OER, students in those courses will save an estimated $24,200 each semester. The grants themselves ranged from $1,000 to $3,000. Since the launch of the OER program in fall 2017 students have saved an estimated $141,233, according to the Libraries. Meredith Minear, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology, is creating, testing and sharing the use of 3D brain models in her course, "Biological Psychology." Brain models will include virtual reality editions and 3D-printed versions. Minear also plans to develop a phone-based augmented reality app that can be integrated with 3D-printed brain slices or physical pieces cut out of foamboard using a downloadable pattern. She'll post the models, animations and open source programs into a public repository, along with written and video tutorials. Tiger Robison, an assistant professor in the Department of Music, is producing an open textbook that features original melodies and aural drills, for his class, "Aural Theory I." Wyoming community colleges that teach the course will be able to use the textbook as well. Simone Runyon, an assistant professor in the Department of Geology & Geophysics, is developing OER that includes 3D models of rock samples and paired scanned thin sections with descriptions of the textures, mineralogy, locality of collection and rock names. Students in "Introduction to Petrology" will be able to use the material to do homework and lab assignments and study for exams without access to original materials. Chengyi "Charlie" Zhang, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, is making OER content that will include short answer, test, quiz and discussion questions; a test bank and in-class and homework activities; and supplementary materials such as videos, short films, presentations and readings for his course, "Construction Documents." Corrie Knapp, an assistant professor in the Haub School of Environment & Natural Resources, is producing a series of videos featuring interviews with researchers and stakeholders, to complement other OER readings. She intends to use the materials in a "flipped" classroom format for her course, "Theory and Practice of Transdisciplinarity and Co-Production." A sixth recipient, Kym Codallos, an associate lecturer in the Division of Social Work, is adopting an existing OER textbook, "Intercultural Learning: Critical preparation for international student travel." Codallos teaches "Immigration, Social Justice and Social Work," a study-abroad course that take students to the Texas-Mexico border where they will study institutions "that promote, support and inhibit immigration and social justice." "With the Alt-Textbook Grant Program, [UW] Libraries not only hopes to encourage the creativity and innovation that we have seen in past applicants but also, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide an affordable and accessible alternative to a traditional textbook as students continue to rely on online resources," said Hilary Baribeau, digital scholarship librarian, in a statement. "By creating open textbooks and course materials, alt-textbook grant recipients help to meet student needs during this stressful time." UW Libraries will award another round of grants for the next academic year; proposals for that round are due Oct. 14, 2020. Additional information and access to existing OER is openly available on the UW Libraries website. NEW HAVEN Carter Winstanleys proposed $100 million life science and biotech laboratory building, which also would feature training programs to benefit students and residents of surrounding neighborhoods, easily gained approval from an aldermanic committee. The Community Development Committee of the Board of Alders heard testimony from scientists and developers on the need for incubator space, as well as options for more mature companies that need the specialized build-out Winstanley has supplied in multiple projects in the city for almost 20 years. The 10-story structure at 101 College St., which he hopes to start constructing this summer, will be the second major lab building on reclaimed land that was the Route 34 connector, where the goal is to keep research companies here and attract more to create a critical mass in this growing sector. The committees public hearing Wednesday night was conducted over Zoom. Dawn Hocevar, president and CEO of BioCt, said there are five factors needed to attract biotech companies: infrastructure, investors, skilled workers and talent, stellar academic centers, and entrepreneurs. New Haven has all of those with the exception of infrastructure, which the Winstanley building would provide, she said. She was answering questions from Alder Kim Edwards, D-19, who wanted to know whether new companies would be coming to the city or it all would be transfers from other spaces within New Haven. Hocevar said the bioscience mecca is Cambridge and Boston on one end of the Interstate 95 corridor with New York on the other. New Haven is in a perfect position to have that whole 95 corridor built out with bioscience and biotech and the investors love that idea, as well, she said. This is going to do tremendous things, she said of the proposed construction. This is going to be a real win-win for everybody in New Haven, she said Hocevar said there are some 30 companies coming out of Yale research that now have no place to go and would be candidates for the kind of space Winstanley can provide. A total of 75 companies have emerged in the last 15 years from research at Yale, with 50 in the New Haven area. Kevin Rocco, CEO of biomedical device company BioRes, which is currently in the District on James Street, also testified in favor of the proposed project. He called it an historic opportunity for the city. He said prior to finding a home in the District, he had the problem this building is intended to solve, as he described his long search for appropriate medical lab space that is not already owned by Yale. Rocco said a number of companies that start here end up leaving because of the lack of space, and BioRes almost did. He said he believes New Haven is the epicenter within Connecticut, of not only bioscience, but it is the cultural capital of Connecticut and that is very important for attracting and retaining the talent required to grow a company like this. Rocco said the fledgling ecosystem that companies like his share is critical for this economy. David Salinas, one of the founders of the highly successful District co-working business center, echoed Hocevar on the markets interest in New Haven. It is real what is happening the shift (from New York.) We have people coming from other cities and other towns in Connecticut because they realize that New Haven really is the greatest city in Connecticut, Salinas said. There was a big emphasis by the committee members on opportunities for residents in the Hill, downtown and Dwight neighborhoods that surround the proposed building and it unanimously adopted an amended community benefit package that underscores that. Winstanley is donating $400,000 to a community fund under the Together We Grow agenda that will provide access to jobs, through construction and permanent workforce ladders, local supply chain development and environmental sustainability. Under the revised community benefit agreement, New Haven Works will designate a committee to oversee distribution of the $400,000 with $200,000 put into scholarships to Gateway Community College and Southern Connecticut State University for programs implemented as part of the Innovation Workforce Pipeline. All students in these neighborhoods who meet the minimum qualification can get into a construction mentoring program, while Career High School will be the feeder school for the Southern BioPath program. Teachers at Career will also be trained to prepare students for the BioPath track at SCSU. There will be a classroom at the 101 College St. building for use by New Haven public school students for the next 20 years, according to the agreement. The proposed changes were presented by Alder Ron Hill, D-3, who said this project sheds some hope and light in the Hill. Hocevar said some people will say bioscience will only attract doctoral level jobs and college bachelor jobs and while it does that, 47 percent of all jobs in labs require an associate degree. There are a lot of opportunities for students coming out of high school that get into the BioPath programs and other science-type programs to graduate with an associate degree and get into these labs, Hocevar said. She said the salaries range from about $65,000 to $109,000 a year. It will certainly help with the economy in New Haven itself. The land the project is being built on is owned by the state, which is transferring it to the city for a $1, which in turn will quick claim it to Winstanley for economic development purposes. Edwards asked how much space in the building would be used by Yale University and asked whether they would try to buy it. Winstanley said it will be a tax-producing entity for the next 30 years, regardless of whether it is sold in the future. Winstanley said he plans to be around for next three decades. I would be hesitant to give that building to anyone, he said. / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo The developer has made multiple presentations of the project to the Community Management Teams, as well as the City Plan Commission where the architecture and the privately owned public space plaza feature were discussed. There is a large public infrastructure component on the site, including service tunnels and public streetscape that will be designed by the developer, approved by the city and then built by Winstanley using some federal and state funds. The project is expected to create between 700 and 1,000 permanent jobs at all skill levels supporting some 3,000 jobs in the regional economy and generating more than $250 million in wages, according to one study. There are commitments to hire minorities and women, a city rule that applies to all property it sells.. The city is currently in construction on Phase 2 of the Downtown Crossing,which extends Orange Street across Route 34, while Phase 3 will extend Temple Street to Congress Avenue in the the Hill, connecting it to downtown. The city will be working in tandem with Winstanley on the Phase 3 portion, a section the city is looking for additional funds to complete. Phase 2 is expected to be completed in summer 2021, while Phase 3 will start at the end of 2020 and take two years to complete. An update to the BD3 zone, which impacts sustainability features at the Winstanley building, as well as the public plaza, was to be discussed in a public hearing by the Legislation Committee of the alders Thursday night on Zoom. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577 The grants are part of Blue Shield's ongoing BlueSky initiative, a multi-year effort to enhance awareness, advocacy and access to mental health support for middle and high school students in California. The initiative was launched last fall and provides behavioral health counseling services for students in Alameda and San Diego counties. "Building on the success of our BlueSky program, we are adding additional support to reach youth who are unable to participate in school-based mental health services due to COVID-19," said Kimberley Goode, senior vice president of External Affairs for Blue Shield. "We want to support as many nonprofit groups as we can to help them use innovative ways to increase youth resilience. This funding will help these organizations provide programming for more teens who are struggling with everyday stressors." The $300,000 will be divided into 18 different grants nine each in Alameda and San Diego counties. These organizations were chosen because of their range of health interventions that include arts, sports, advocacy, music, leadership, multi-lingual/cultural, sexual and gender identity, and mental health tele-counseling. (See below for a list of all the grantees) ALAMEDA COUNTY La Clinica de la Raza, Inc. East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC) Youth Uprising ROOTS Community Health Clinic Dream Youth Clinic Asian Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership (AYPAL) Beats Rhymes and Life, Inc Refugee and Immigrant Transitions Oakland LGBTQ Community Center Youth Development Program Bridges from School to Work SAN DIEGO COUNTY Harmonium Union of Pan Asian Communities The San Diego LGBT Community Center North County Lifeline Casa Familiar A Reason to Survive (ARTS) The Aja Project MANA de San Diego Blue Star Families "We applaud Blue Shield of California for their generosity, especially in these uncertain times," said Rebecca Brown, Ph.D., senior director of Development and Data at Oakland-based Youth Uprising. "We are preparing to roll out provision of hot meals to those who we serve and are also continuously working to connect young people to peer counselors. This funding will go a long way towards making those program improvements happen." "When the pandemic struck, we had to fully transform our operations in a few days' time to accommodate the influx of need in the community," said Cara Dessert, Esq, chief executive officer of the San Diego LGBT Community Center. "We immediately shifted individual therapy sessions so they could safely and effectively be done via Zoom and opened an emergency help phone line to ensure people could get resources and referrals. Because of Blue Shield's altruism, we will be able to continue with that good work and ultimately assist more people." BlueSky is a multi-year commitment by Blue Shield to support mental health for middle- and high school students in California by providing additional clinicians in schools, training teachers on the signs of mental health issues, and empowering students with in-person and online mental health support resources. Since last fall, the BlueSky initiative has provided more than 3,000 counseling sessions in 19 schools in Alameda and San Diego counties. In addition, students across the nation have shared nearly 60,000 stress-reducing tips and suggestions for their peers as part of The New State of Mind campaign that began in April in collaboration with DoSomething.org, the largest organization for young people and social change in the nation. About Blue Shield of California Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of our family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association with over 4 million members, 6,800 employees and more than $20 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $500 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation since 2002 to have an impact on California communities. For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. CONTACT: Mark Seelig Blue Shield of California 510-607-2359 [email protected] SOURCE Blue Shield of California The City of Laredo on Wednesday received $2.8 million from the Texas Department of Emergency Management to help pay for emergency expenses during the COVID-19 crisis, a small apportionment of the $11.2 billion the state received and is meant to disburse from Congress CARES Act. Webb County has received far less, $37,000, to recoup emergency expenses. Meanwhile, larger nearby entities such as Hidalgo County received $151 million and the City of San Antonio received $270 million. LARGER RELIEF: Harris County to distribute $30 million to residents in need of help This is due to a provision in the CARES Act, which Congress passed in March, that distributes coronavirus relief funding directly to cities and counties only if their population is 500,000 or greater. In Texas, the state took 55% of the $11.2 billion they received. And six of these larger cities and 12 counties received a combined $3.2 billion directly from the U.S. Treasury. This left $1.85 billion to be distributed among the remaining cities and 242 counties. This means smaller cities and counties such as Laredo and Webb are receiving only $55 per capita, whereas the more populous areas are receiving about three times that. Whats more, the state is only giving 20% of this funding to these smaller cities and counties upfront, withholding the rest until these entities submit invoices of emergency expenses to be reimbursed. The problem with that is the cities and counties need the money now. We did not say, Portion out the money and give them 20%. This is something that the state is doing, and I disagree with the state, Rep. Henry Cuellar told reporters via conference call Wednesday. Municipalities and counties with more than 500,000 residents received their significantly larger aid packages in whole. Laredo and Webb County leaders have taken offense and expressed indignation at this unequal distribution of relief funds. Laredo City Council on Tuesday voted to gather a coalition of leaders from fellow cities and counties that have been shorted in this funding in order to lobby Congress and Gov. Greg Abbott to amend the distribution calculation. Councilman Marte Martinez likened it to a grassroots effort. We have to unite to put pressure on the government, he said. The Laredo International Airport received $18 million in CARES funding, and El Metro received $10 million. However, these are industry-affected components of city government that Congress is injecting money into across the country, City Manager Robert Eads explained. Separately, the city could receive up to about $15 million. NEWCOMERS: What new-to-Houston transplants should know about the city The City of Laredo has been monitoring its emergency expenditures since the pandemic began in order to be partially reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as would be the case in any other disaster. However this aid will reimburse only up to 75% of emergency expenses, whereas the CARES funding would reimburse 100%, noted Deputy City Manager Rosario Cabello. As of Tuesday, the city has spent $6.2 million on fighting COVID-19. Of that amount, about $1.3 million was spent on personal protective equipment and almost $4.9 million on personnel expenses from police and fire department special units, according to Cabello. They are applying first to be reimbursed for these expenses through CARES funding since it can cover more of their costs. For any emergency expenditures that are not covered by CARES, the city will apply with FEMA, Cabello said. However this will not account for all of the revenue the city has lost this year due to the virus. Bridge revenues are down over $5 million, but there is no federal or state funding that would recuperate that loss, she noted. City Council on Monday will discuss how this CARES funding should be prioritized and used. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com Adopting a Peoples Budget: Los Angeles Needs Services, Not Police On April 15, 2020, just as the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 crisis and accompanying economic fallout on Black people was coming to light, a set of immediate and long-term demands was issued by a whos who of Black Los Angeles leaders and organizations more than 50 in total. The demands were forwarded to nearly every elected official, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who never issued as much as an acknowledgment, let alone scheduling the meeting that leaders requested of him. Five days later, he issued a City budget proposal that stood in direct opposition to the priorities outlined by Black leaders. Garcettis budget allocates 54% of the Citys general fund to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), at a time when crime has plummeted and Black communities, especially, are in dire need of essential services and resources. If a budget is a statement of priorities, then Mayor Garcettis are clear: continue Los Angeles descent into a police state where huge numbers of Black people are deprived of services, even in a city with unimaginable wealth. ADVERTISEMENT Garcettis proposed budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year makes cuts to nearly every department, reducing vital services and resources, like housing, libraries, and parks, and imposing furloughs on nearly 16,000 City workers. LAPD, however, gets an even greater share of taxpayer dollars and officers are getting a raise. All told, the mayor is proposing to spend $3.15 billion on LAPD. Compare the meager $163 million proposed for Housing and Community Investment, which is roughly just one-twentieth of the money going to the police. Proposition HHH, which was branded as a historic effort to build homes for unhoused residents, totals just $1.2 billion over 10 yearsversus LAPDs $3.15 billion for just one year. In a city and county with the second highest number of people experiencing homelessness in the nation, this is not acceptable. More money for the police means less money for the kind of human-centered programs prioritized by Black Los Angeles leaders. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, A nation that continues year-after-year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift, is approaching spiritual death. The same could certainly be said about a city that pours money into the police rather than the social programs that are sorely needed to recover from moments of crisis. Funneling ever more money to the LAPD is an outrage, especially because violent crime in our city is already low. These are better crime statistics than weve seen in decades, Mayor Garcetti said in January. LAPD Chief Michel Moore agreed: [Today is] one of the safest times in Los Angeles. Under the pandemic, crime is falling even more rapidly. Nonetheless, LAPD has ramped up its race-based targeting, surveillance, criminalization, and abuse. One need only think about the May 16 incident in Jesse Owens Park, where six Black Angelenos were profiled and arrested three for resisting arrest. Last week, #AJWebers family home was raided by 20 LAPD officers for the second time in just a few months. Police claimed they were looking for a gunman in the neighborhood and thought he might be hiding in the Weber home, maybe even holding them hostage. No gunman was found. None of the officers wore masked as they forced elderly and disabled residents out onto the sidewalk, ransacked the home and breathed in the face of AJs 81-year-old grandmother, who was confined to her hospice care bed. We also know that the police dont make our communities safer, as evidenced by the more than 600 people who have been killed by law enforcement or while in custody in Los Angeles County since 2012. The LAPD has been involved in scandalous behavior, including recruiting potential officers on Breitbart, an alt-right, White-supremacist news outlet; adding the names of innocent Black and Latinx people to the gang database; continuing to stop-and-frisk Black people at five times our population share, searching Black motorists at a rate four times that of White people (even though Black people are less likely to carry contraband items or commit a crime); and using abhorrent violence against the disproportionately Black unhoused community. The City should not reward the LAPD with a boost in their budget for these behaviors. When deciding how to allocate resources, the question becomes who and what do we value most. Is it investing in our children and providing shelter, food, and medical care? Is it helping our city withstand a global pandemic? Or is it spending on a police state that wont make our communities any safer and will actually bring harm? Los Angeles needs a budget that values and prioritizes services over policea peoples budget. In response to the mayors budget proposal, members of the Black Los Angeles Demands coalition have been at the center of building #PeoplesBudgetLA. The Peoples Budget is an alternative process and proposal that asks community members to weigh in on their priorities through advocacy and participatory budgeting. City Council has been addressed through direct civic engagement, social media, and public pressure to reject the mayors proposal. Last week, the people convinced Council to scrap plans to fast-track the mayors budget. On Sunday, May 24, nearly 4000 Angelenos participated in a Peoples Budgeting Session, 1500 completed an accompanying survey built around current Los Angeles spending areas, as well as priorities from Black LA Demands. Almost all of participants prioritized human services over police. Their responses are the basis of the Peoples Budget Proposal, which will be forwarded to City Council and the mayor. There is still the opportunity to adopt the Peoples Budget. The City Council can adopt it. Mayor Garcetti can adopt it; its simply a matter of political will. During this unprecedented moment we must be clear in our priorities and visionary in our approach. The Peoples Budget does just that. ADVERTISEMENT Melina Abdullah, Ph.D. is Professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State LA and co-founder of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles. Reverend Edward L. Anderson serves the historic McCarty Memorial Christian Church located in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles. Revelers celebrate Memorial Day weekend at Osage Beach of the Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., on May 23, 2020. (Twitter/Lawler50/Reuters) Lake of the Ozarks Business Owner Defends Actions OFALLON, Mo.The owner of a business that hosted crowded pool parties over the Memorial Day weekend at Missouris Lake of the Ozarks says no laws were broken and safety measures were in place to protect against the spread of the CCP virus. Social media postings over the weekend showed large crowds of mostly young people without masks and not adhering to social distancing guidelines at pools along the central Missouri lake that is a popular weekend getaway for people in the state and the surrounding region. Many of the photos and videos showed people in an area of the lake nicknamed Party Cove. Political leaders in St. Louis, St. Louis County, and Kansas City, along with Kansas health secretary, encouraged 14-day self-quarantines for anyone involved in the parties. Some labeled the gatherings reckless and worried that revelers would return home after becoming unwittingly exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 and potentially spread it to others. Read More Missouri Officials Advise Self-Quarantine After Social Distancing Rules Flouted St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, a Democrat, and a medical doctor, noted studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. Those people can then spread the virus to older adults and people with existing health problems who are more vulnerable to more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The pictures that emerged from Lake of the Ozarks over the weekend were an international example of bad behavior, Page said Wednesday. Backwater Jacks, a bar and restaurant that has a pool, was among the places with big crowds. Owner Gary Prewitt said in a statement that no laws were broken, though the images appeared to show people violating Republican Gov. Mike Parsons state order requiring social distancing. Prewitts statement said temperatures were checked at the pool entrance by medical staff hired for the event and free bottles of hand sanitizer were distributed. Staff members were given the option not to work. The statement noted that the business is seasonal and about one-third of its busy season has already been lost due to CCP virus-related closures. We stand by our decision to move forward with Memorial Day Weekend plans, Prewitts statement said. Although Missouris social distancing order gives enforcement authority to both the state and local health departments, Parson has said enforcement responsibility lies with local health departments. Mike Parson listens to a media question during a press conference in Jefferson City, Mo., on May 29, 2019. (Jacob Moscovitch/Getty Images) The health director in one lake-area county, Morgan, said he had no enforcement authority. The health director in Camden County, where Backwater Jacks is located, did not respond to email messages seeking comment. Parson allowed businesses and attractions to reopen May 4, but the state order requires 6-foot social distancing through at least the end of May. St. Louis and St. Louis County are just now phasing in reopening because COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, was so devastating there. More than half of Missouris confirmed cases have occurred in those locations, along with more than two-thirds of the states deaths. The state health department on Wednesday reported 201 new cases, bringing the total to 12,492, and 10 more deaths, reaching 696. Parson, asked during his afternoon news conference if the state would make layoffs due to the economic fallout of the shutdown, said its too early to know but didnt rule it out. Everythings going to be on the table right now to make the budget balance, Parson said. By Jim Salter and Summer Ballentine, Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. Help India! By Sarfaraz Nasir For more than two months into the Coronavirus epidemic, India has consistently recorded the highest reported case and highest death rate among the SAARC countries. It is important to note that the coronavirus death toll is even higher than official figures because people are dying from other illnesses like heart disease, cancer, and strokes. These precious lives would, otherwise, have been treated had there been no harshest lockdown in the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic. Some researchers and experts claim that spread would have been lesser and many lives would have been saved if the government had introduced the lockdown a few weeks earlier. But Prime Minister Modi was high on pride with his very successful execution of Donald Trumps India visit in the last week of February. Well, only time will confirm whether the Namaste Trump event became the super spreader of Coronavirus in Ahmadabad or not, Gujarat is now paying the heavy price for satisfying personal goals and roadshow of the greatest showman India ever have produced. Support TwoCircles If we had a definite functioning mainstream media, it would be holding this disgraceful government to account, suitably and systematically. Unfortunately, it did not happen. Therefore, relying on the corporate media, including DD News, to provide a reliable account of the plights of migrants is factually a matter of life or death, on many levels. Facts supporting the agenda of a master are pushed to the forefront of the mainstream media while inconvenient facts are buried. This is a defining trait of the propaganda system of which Indian media has got mastery on doing it with ease, with indisputable loyalty to the master. A prime example is the shameful media silence in response to devastating visuals of the migrants on the long march for months. Hence, the freedom of the press in India, then, is a cruel joke. In reality, the sold-out media (notoriously called godi media) has paved the way for an unprecedented attack on the rights of the people, freedom of expression and access to information. It is going on and on. However, addressing the newspapers Editors Conference on 4th May 1950, Nehru said whatever we may think of the virtues and failings of the Press it is obvious that it plays a very important part in our lives; it moulds peoples minds and thoughts and this affects the policies of the government, if not always directly. Therefore, when we have to deal with any major problem, the Press must- if I say so with all humility- give it the right lead. Learn from the old age wisdom Long before the modern and progressive ideas and ideals of equality and egalitarianism got currency, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) is what Indias epic Upanishad advocated centuries ago for an equitable and inclusive society. But any notion that the present government actually considers that its primary responsibility is to protect the health and security of the countrys population has been demolished in pieces seen everywhere day in and day out. The appalling death toll that continues to mount during the coronavirus pandemic is largely rooted, not merely in government incompetence, but in criminal dereliction of its core duties in a supposed worlds largest democracy. Based on the ideals of human rights for all, inclusive society is all about striving for the ultimate goal of respecting the dignity and worth of every person. An inclusive society, like Sarvadharma Samabhavi teaches us, stands for empowering the marginalised, and promoting the deprived. Social inclusion is not just about giving voting rights and participating in the festival of democracy during elections time. An inclusive society is about social and economic security, and political participation of all citizens breaking the barriers of gender, age, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, or another status. Why India, despite a signatory of all major UN organisations, failed miserably to stand by the poor migrants for an inclusive society leaving no one behind as the United Nations has committedso is India to leaving no one behind to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030? Like any other country, India, with a rich diversity of culture, religions and languages, has many contradictions when it comes to the participation of migrants, indigenous people, and minorities in the mainstream. These deprived groups confront barriers at various levels that prevent them from participating in the nations political, social and economic life resulting in marginalisation. There could be many reasons which exclude these vulnerable groups. It may be because of stereotyping, stigmas, and superstitions. It may be discrimination based on caste, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, and disability status. Such practices deprive them of dignity, security, and the opportunity to lead a better life. This pandemic has brought all of us in the age of social distancing. Is this enforced social distancing going to further erode the deep-rooted culture of tolerance and mutual coexistence Nehru stood for? The Modi government must have the moral imperatives to immediately address the already existing social exclusion. If left unaddressed, exclusion of disadvantaged groups may prove costly resulting in poor health, loneliness, isolation, and poor self-esteem. For a Sashakt (Strong) and Samriddh (Prosper) Bharat, what the government needs to do is to develop a society that embraces diversity and pluralism in the face of the many deep wounds of structural inequities. That is the only way Bharat can be a strong nation. Celebrated American author Napoleon Hill once said: Every adversity contains, at the same time, a seed of equivalent opportunity. With a brute majority in Parliament, the Prime Minister must take the lead in utilising this opportunity by strengthening inclusive India which has broadly two goals ending extreme poverty and increasing shared prosperity. To reach these goals, there are ways and means to overcome exclusion. Firstly, begin with research and knowledge generation on how to build a robust inclusive society and develop direct engagement with stakeholders. Secondly, strengthen the inclusion of migrants, refugees and women. Thirdly, protect human rights and promote the rights to participate to empower individuals. These are a few sure ways of strengthening Nehrus idea of India and fulfilling the Modi governments cherished dream of Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas. Sarfaraz Nasir is a research scholar at Jamia Millia Islamia. He can be reached at [email protected]. A state regulator has barred contractor Eco Technology from offering PACE loans that fund water and energy efficient home improvements like low-flush toilets and solar panels. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) The California Department of Business Oversight has barred an Encino contractor from offering PACE home improvement loans, alleging the company fraudulently signed homeowners up for financing that if unpaid can lead to foreclosure. The action against Eco Technology Inc., which through its attorneys denied the allegations, marks the first such move the department has taken since a 2017 law gave it oversight over PACE, a unique type of financing that funds energy- and water-efficient home improvements. Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE programs, are set up by government authorities, and most have partnered with private lenders to offer the loans, which are repaid through a homeowners property tax bill. The private lenders, in turn, have relied on home improvement contractors to market the loans and sign people up. Some homeowners have alleged those contractors misled them into taking out loans they neither understood nor could afford. In a desist and refrain order issued Wednesday, the Department of Business Oversight alleged Eco Technology workers falsely told homeowners they were signing up for a "free government program" and wouldn't have to pay for their home improvements. To make the loans go through, the department alleged Eco Technology forged the signatures of homeowners on electronic loan documents and impersonated homeowners on calls with PACE lenders. The order said that in at least one case, it appears that a "fraudulent IRS Form 1099 was submitted in the financing package in order to increase the income level of the homeowners in order to meet 'ability to pay' requirements." Ability to pay requirements, along with mandated phone calls with lenders, were both part of a 2017 state legislation package that sought to ensure homeowners understood what they were getting into and could afford it. In addition to allegations of forgeries, the department said Eco Technology "sold the products it offered at inflated prices three to five times the usual industry rate and used high-pressure tactics to prey on mostly elderly homeowners and those who did not speak English as their primary language." Story continues Attorneys representing Eco Technology said the company denies all the allegations, including that it forged documents or impersonated homeowners. Nick Brunner of law firm Plumtree and Associates called the department's investigation "brief" and said PACE lenders bear the responsibility to make sure homeowners understand the financing. Maria Plumtree, of Plumtree and Associates, said prices for the home improvements were also set by the lenders and Eco Technology had stopped offering PACE before the order, because homeowners complained after they realized they'd have to pay interest something Plumtree said Eco Technology wasn't aware of. The order did not name the PACE lenders Eco Technology worked with, but Brunner identified one as PACE Funding Group. In the past, major lenders have said most consumers have a positive experience with PACE and that they've instituted reforms and taken action against contractors found to misrepresent financing. Ryan Griffin, chief compliance officer with PACE Funding Group, said Eco Technology did not stop working with the lender voluntarily over a "pricing dispute," but was "terminated for cause due to violations of their agreement and complaints about them from homeowners." Griffin said PACE Funding Group does not set prices for home improvement items, but works to ensure the agreed price between homeowner and contractor does not exceed "consumer protection price caps where applicable." Griffin said all contractors it works with also go through a training program to understand how PACE works. "In these cases, homeowners have said they were lied to by Eco Technology about the work being free as part of a free government program," he said in an email. [Eco Technology] certainly would know that it was not a free government program and that the consumer protection measures such as [phone calls to confirm financing] are supposed to be conducted with the homeowner directly." Mark Leyes, a spokesman with the Department of Business Oversight, said though Eco Technology no longer works with PACE lenders, the department took its action to stop the company from working with PACE lenders in the future. Citing the difficulty of contractor oversight as one justification, Los Angeles County recently ended its PACE program. Despite that action, homeowners in the county can still access PACE financing through statewide programs if their cities have allowed it. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 28, 2020) - UGE International Ltd. (TSXV: UGE) (OTCQB: UGEIF) (the "Company" or "UGE"), a leader in commercial and community solar energy solutions, reported its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2020. UGE reports in US dollars. In the first quarter of 2020, UGE continued to make progress in executing on its updated business plan that sees it concentrate on developing, building, and financing most of its projects going forward. Management believes that by concentrating on projects where it plays all three roles, the Company will achieve superior results. Highlights from the quarter were as follows: The first quarter of 2020 set all-time records for the Company in securing new projects, as backlog grew from $30.3 million on December 31, 2019 to $72.4 million on March 31, 2020. Growth in backlog was driven by growth in the US market, including the Company's expansion into New England. Continuing the trend set in 2019, gross margins continued to out-perform expectations at 27% in the quarter. Revenue in the Company's US and Philippines markets grew 212% versus the comparable quarter; the two regions represent UGE's two project development markets which are expected to drive growth going forward. Overall, revenue fell in the quarter, due to the discontinuation of the Company's "EPC" (engineering, procurement, construction) business. In early March 2020, restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic began to impede construction activities; by late May, the Company had restarted construction in most regions in which it operates. Full financial results and Management's Discussion and Analysis are posted to SEDAR (www.sedar.com) as well as on the Company's website. UGE's CEO, Nick Blitterswyk, and CFO, Paul Kania, will be hosting a webinar to provide further analysis of the financial results and to answer your questions following the presentation. You can register for the webinar, below: Date: Monday, June 1, 2020 Time: 2:00pm EDT Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1635295255074346252 Granting of Options UGE also announces it has granted a total of 200,000 options to its independent board members. The strike price is yesterday's closing price of $0.24 per share and the options vest on June 30, 2020, with a term of five-years. About UGE UGE delivers immediate savings to businesses through the low cost of solar energy. We help commercial and industrial clients become more competitive by providing low cost distributed renewable energy solutions at no upfront cost and maximum long-term benefit. With over 400MW of global experience, we work daily to power a more sustainable world. Visit us at www.ugei.com. Contact: investors@ugei.com 917-720-5685 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/56800 The COVID-19 outbreak has put public health at center stage during this year's "two sessions," the annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee. During the weeklong sessions, legislators and political advisors across China convened in Beijing to discuss the country's political and legislative affairs. One particular topic of discussion and debate among NPC deputies is the capacity to protect public health at the grassroots level in the country's hospital system. According to a tally in March, 95% of China's 100,900 medical institutions belong to the grassroots category, which are located throughout urban communities and rural areas. Mao Zongfu, a deputy to the 13th NPC and director of Wuhan University Global Health Institute, said the role of grassroots medical institutions is vital. "Community-based health governance model is an important foundation for Wuhan's victory of the COVID-19 battle," Mao said. According to Mao, grassroots medical institutions in the city have shouldered a lot of responsibilities since the outbreak. Their jobs included screening and treating COVID-19 patients, visiting people who had close contact with the patients, disinfecting their homes, and epidemiological investigation and data collection. Meanwhile, grassroots medical institutions faced challenges beyond helping the public, as they struggled to secure sufficient equipment and supply to protect themselves. Ma Wenfang, a deputy to the 13th NPC and a veteran rural doctor in Henan province, saw firsthand the shortage of emergency supply during the initial outbreak. As he visited fellow villagers, especially those who had been traveling and could have been infect, Ma said he had only thin masks and a white gown to wear. "It was quite scary," he said. Aside from the basic face masks, rubbing alcohol was the only type of medical supply the village could get from his rural clinic. During the two sessions, Ma called on the country to invest more in rural medical infrastructure. "Only when it is well prepared in normal times, grassroots medical institutions can join in the fight once an outbreak occurs," he said. Community medical institutions in the cities also faced similar problems. Gu Jin, a deputy to the 13th NPC and president of Peking University Shougang Hospital, said that tertiary hospitals -- the country's top-level hospitals -- should have closer ties with community medical institutions. "Tertiary hospitals are usually under the municipal authority while community medical institutions are under district authority, thus information cannot be shared smoothly, nor personnel redistributed according to needs," Gu said. In Gu's case, four community health service centers and five service stations are affiliated with Shougang Hospital. This had allowed the hospital to assist the affiliated community health facilities when they were lacking medical supplies. He suggested breaking the institutional barriers between the higher-level hospitals and community medical facilities, which would unify staffing management and information sharing systems. Some deputies to the 13th NPC have seen the potential of cutting-edge technology in addressing the country's public health problems. Liu Qingfeng, a deputy to the 13th NPC and president of artificial intelligence company iFLYTEK, suggested that grassroots medical capacities could be improved through artificial intelligence. According to Liu, a type of AI-assisted diagnostic technology has been in use in Anhui province since 2018 at 14,000 grassroots medical institutions, benefitting more than 40 million people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, AI-assisted automated calling were used to reach 59 million people across China, finding 36,000 people with fever and 47,000 people diagnosed positive with the virus. Liu suggested expanding the use of the automated calling system country-wide in order to raise the efficiency of grassroots public health services. Elizabeth Fischer uses an electron microscope to capture images of the coronavirus, which is about 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. I like to get images out there to try to convey that this is an entity, to try to demystify it, so this is something more tangible for people, Fischer says. (Courtesy of Elizabeth Fischer) Read more From her laboratory in the far western reaches of Montana, Elizabeth Fischer is trying to help people see what theyre up against in COVID-19. Over the last three decades, Fischer, 58, and her team at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories, part of the National Institutes of Healths National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have captured and created some of the more dramatic images of the worlds most dangerous pathogens. I like to get images out there to try to convey that this is an entity, to try to demystify it, so this is something more tangible for people, said Fischer, one of the countrys leading electron microscopists. Now, as her renderings of the coronavirus flash across screens worldwide, she said: You often hear people call it the invisible enemy. Its trying to put that face out there. Working in one of the nations 13 Biosafety Level 4 labs those equipped to safely handle the most dangerous pathogens Fischer and her team visualize the worlds deadliest plagues from Ebola to HIV, salmonella to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The breathtaking images allow people to see a virus as elaborate biological structures with weaknesses that can be exploited, yielding clues for researchers about how to develop treatments and vaccines. If there is a disease, we have seen it, she said. Originally from Evergreen, Colo., Fischer completed a degree in biology at the University of Colorado-Boulder and contemplated going to medical school, before deciding instead to join the Peace Corps. She taught math and science for two years in Liberia, and then took time to travel through East Africa and Asia, including a trek into the Himalayas. Returning to Colorado, she immersed herself in the outdoor world she loved. She worked as a rafting guide on the Arkansas River for several summers, and as a childrens ski instructor at the Monarch Mountain ski resort during the winters. She later enrolled in graduate school, thinking she might teach biology. But when she took courses in electron microscopy, she was hooked. It appealed to her sense of exotic adventure. Youre looking at a world that most people dont get to see, she said. She switched gears and completed a masters degree in biology. Upon graduation, she sent her resume to a national microscopy job placement office and soon received a call from Rocky Mountain Laboratories. In 1994, she moved with her family to Hamilton, a city of fewer than 5,000 people about 50 miles south of Missoula, then worked her way up to become chief of the labs microscopy unit. Some of the more stunning images of the coronavirus about 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair have come from Fischers microscope. One is Fischers photograph of viral particles being released from a dying cell infected with the virus. As NIH director Francis Collins recently highlighted in his blog, the photo shows the orange-brown folds and protrusion on the surface of a primates kidney cell infected with SARS-CoV-2. The dozens of small, blue spheres emerging from the surface are the virus particles themselves. (The images produced by the electron microscopes are black-and-white, so Fischer hands them over to visual artists who colorize the image to help identify different parts of the cell and to distinguish the virus from its host.) This image gives us a window into how devastatingly effective SARS-CoV-2 appears to be at co-opting a hosts cellular machinery, Collins wrote. Just one infected cell is capable of releasing thousands of new virus particles that can, in turn, be transmitted to others. Scientists such as Fischer have used electron microscopes to uncover the unseen world of viruses and bacteria dating to the 1930s. In the last two decades, however, new technologies have unleashed a resolution revolution, allowing researchers to see down to the near-atomic level. Microscopists have come up with better ways to prepare samples for viewing and have written sophisticated software programs to sharpen images. Through her lab, Fischer receives samples from all over the world, and was sent viral material in early February from one of the first U.S. patients to be infected with the novel coronavirus. Often, her samples come from vials that have been stored in a freezer for decades, or from cultures routinely grown in a lab. Its very sobering when you know it came from a human patient. For example, in 2014, a sister lab in Mali sent over an Ebola sample from a 2-year-old girl who had lived in Guinea when her mother died of the disease. Her grandmother traveled from Mali to attend the funeral, which involved touching and bathing the body, and to take the girl home with her. Both got infected and brought the virus back with them as they returned to Mali by public transportation. They both died. This one particular cell, it looked like the continent of Africa, Fischer recalled. It was a very powerful moment. You see that virus growing in there, it takes you back around to not only the lab work we do, but that theres an impact on human health. FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered. Despite the deadly nature of the viruses, she still appreciates the beautiful symmetry in many of them, she said: Theyre very elegant, and theyre not malicious in and of themselves. Theyre just doing what they do. Kaiser Health News is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) speaks at the start of a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the government's response to the CCP virus outbreak in Washington on March 5, 2020. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Senate Panel to Vote on Subpoena Power in Investigation of Russia Probe A Senate committee will vote next week on whether to give Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) authority to issue subpoenas for records and testimony relating to Crossfire Hurricane, the FBIs probe of 2016 Russian election interference and the Trump campaign. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs members will vote June 4 in Washington, according to a newly released agenda. If authorized, Johnson, the committees chairman, also will be able to issue subpoenas for information or appearances of individuals relating to the unmasking, or revealing of identities, of U.S. citizens affiliated with Trumps campaign, his transition teams, and the presidents administration. Johnson and ranking member Gary Peters (D-Mich.) didnt immediately respond to requests by The Epoch Times for comment. Johnson hasnt said which officials he wants to call to testify. The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote at the same time on the same date on authorizing subpoenas for records on the Crossfire Hurricane probe. Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced that vote earlier this month. He said he wants to subpoena former Obama administration officials, including James Comey, the former FBI director, and James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper in a file photograph. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Because Republicans control the Senate, they control and hold majorities on each committee. Chairs cant issue subpoenas without consent of the ranking member or by a committee vote. The votes will come one day after Rod Rosenstein, a former deputy attorney general who appointed special counsel Robert Mueller, appears before Grahams committee to answer questions from lawmakers. If subpoena power is authorized, Johnson and Graham can issue subpoenas for witnesses, documents, or other materials. According to the Senate Judiciary Committee, subpoena authorization votes arent common. Graham is seeking documents referenced in Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitzs report into Crossfire Hurricane, which found a series of errors in the FBIs spy applications against Trump campaign associate Carter Page, including mismanagement of informants. Graham named a slew of officials he wants to hear from or obtain communications or documents from, including FBI agent E.W. Bill Priestap, Attorney General William Barr, and Susan Rice, the former national security adviser. He added a caveat during an interview on The Hugh Hewitt Show this week, saying: I cant get in the way of a Durham investigation. So, he has first dibs on any witness. U.S. Attorney John Durham is conducting a criminal probe into the origins of the TrumpRussia investigation. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in the Senate subway area of the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Johnson teamed with Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in requesting, and obtaining, a declassified list of Obama administration officials who requested to unmask a U.S. citizen that turned out to be Michael Flynn. At the time the requests were made, in late 2016 or early 2017, Flynn was Trumps incoming national security adviser. Ive always felt that there has been a concerted effort to sabotage this administration and it began the day after the election when, according to these folks, the wrong person won, Johnson said during an appearance on Fox News Americas Newsroom. Despite the FBI knowing there wasnt evidence of collusion between Trumps campaign and Russia, Johnson added, Comey engineered the appointment of a special counsel and put this country through this constitutional crisis over the last two or three years and, unfortunately, hampered this administration to a great extent. Johnson also pushed for, and got, the declassification of a block of text from an email Rice sent to herself on the same day Trump was sworn into office. Johnson and Grassley asked the director of national intelligence and Barr last week for information on the unmasking of Americans linked to Trumps campaign dating back as far as January 2016. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 02:23:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TUNIS, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Defense Minister Imed Hazgui received on Wednesday British Ambassador to Tunisia Louise De Sousa at the ministry's headquarters in the capital Tunis, reported Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP). The meeting focused on ways to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries as well as developments on the regional scene. The Tunisian minister stressed the need to promote military cooperation and to diversify its components in an atmosphere of mutual trust. Hazgui reiterated Tunisia's position which calls for a rapid and comprehensive solution to the crisis in Libya via national dialogue and within the framework of respect for international legitimacy. "The solution to the Libyan crisis should be based on the agreement of all its factions away from any foreign interference," TAP quoted the minister as saying. For her part, the British diplomat hailed Tunisia's success in confronting the coronavirus pandemic. She affirmed her country's readiness to strengthen the capacities of the Tunisian army in all areas and to promote cooperation between the two countries. Enditem [May 28, 2020] MDxHealth Announces Results of Annual and Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meetings Press release Regulated information 28 May 2020, 11:00 p.m. CEST IRVINE, CA, and HERSTAL, BELGIUM 28 May 2020 MDxHealth SA (Euronext Brussels: MDXH) (the "Company" or "MDxHealth"), a commercial-stage innovative molecular diagnostics company, today held its annual general shareholders' meeting ("AGM") and an extraordinary general shareholders' meeting ("EGM"). The items on the agenda of the AGM included the approval of a number of resolutions relating to the financial year ended on 31 December 2019. There was no attendance quorum for the AGM, and the proposed resolutions that were submitted to meeting were all duly passed. As the required attendance quorum for the EGM was not met, a new EGM will be held on 30 July 2020 (unless decided otherwise by the Company). There will be no attendance quorum for this second EGM. Exceptionally, and in accordance with the Belgian Royal Decree no. 4 of 9 April 2020 on miscellaneous provisions relating to co-ownership and corporate and association law in the context of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the AGM and EGM were held behind closed doors without the physical presence of the holders of securities of the Company and their representatives. The minutes of the AGM and documents that were submitted to the meetings can be accessed via the Companys website. About MDxHealth MDxHealth is a multinational healthcare company that provides actionable molecular diagnostic information to personalize the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Company's tests are based on proprietary genetic, epigenetic (methylation) and other molecular technologies and assist physicians with the diagnosis of urologic cancers, prognosis of recurrence risk, and prediction of response to a specifictherapy. The Company's European headquarters are in Herstal, Belgium, with laboratory operations in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and US headquarters and laboratory operations based in Irvine, California. For more information, visit mdxhealth.com and follow us on social media at: twitter.com/mdxhealth, facebook.com/mdxhealth and linkedin.com/company/mdxhealth. For more information: MDxHealth [email protected] Important information The MDxHealth logo, MDxHealth, ConfirmMDx and SelectMDx are trademarks or registered trademarks of MDxHealth SA. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. This press release contains forward-looking statements and estimates with respect to the anticipated future performance of MDxHealth and the market in which it operates. Such statements and estimates are based on assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which were deemed reasonable but may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict, may depend upon factors that are beyond the Company's control, and may turn out to be materially different. MDxHealth expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this release to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based unless required by law or regulation. Attachment Click here for pdf [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] China's assumption of control over Hong Kong and loss of its autonomy may result in sanctions for the former British colony. According to the Trump administration that has made the decision through the US Congress on Wednesday, it determined that Hong Kong is lost due to Chinese actions. Determining at this point, if Hong Kong still gets the economic and trade status from the US, SCMP reports. Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, said that the events in Hong Kong are an indication of the loss of autonomy because of Beijing. The reality is here but policymaking needs to be grounded. Whatever is the judgment of the state department on the status of Hong Kong will not lead to the next stage. The next decision will fall on the US President who will now consider how severe the sanctions will be on the former colony. Other policies will also be given as a result of China's action. The CNBC reports that Pompeo expressed regret over the developments in Hong Kong and was hoping that the former colony would be the templated for the CCP to emulate, but China is making all territories under its thumb like itself. With the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act passed by the US legislature last November, it demands an annual review if Hong Kong is separate from China. This will be the measure if Hong Kong deserves the special status accorded by the United States. Also read: Deployment of Chinese Aircraft Carriers Close to Taiwan Could Trigger US Naval Confrontation Depending on the ways and means that the Trump Administration makes its decision, it is largely on how Beijing will react to US actions. For example, if China puts higher tariffs, investment rules, frozen assets and also visa rules as well. Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said that the US will most likely sanction individuals and entities who are attacking the autonomy of Hong Kong. Next will be the sanctions on banks who deal with those violating Hong Kong's autonomy, Yahoo reports. According to Nicholas Lardy, stating the warning to the change of the former British colonies status will affect most companies that are based there. Another is the effect it has on the economy of Hong Kong that will be affected negatively, while mainland China prospers more. China's reaction China's foreign ministry office in Hong Kong issued a statement saying that Washington's move was uncalled for on May 28. They called the US as barbaric for making a decision that was anti-Hong Kong. According to the Chinese, the law allowed to pass in US legislature for the continuance of Hong Kong's pro-democracy sector, and the US must certify if Hong Kong will be the recipient of what was promised to Britain when it reverted to Chinese hands, reported by ChannelNewsAsia. With the US administrations pulling back of these privileges, Hong Kong will be paying more for US trade. Related article: Beijing Pointing Fingers: China Accuses US of Starting a New 'Cold War' @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. She has been quarantining with her family in Santa Monica. And Alessandra Ambrosio found a novel way to have fun during the coronavirus pandemic as she posted a funny Instagram video with her children, Anja, 11, and Noah, eight, on Wednesday evening. The former Victoria's Secret Angel, 39, uploaded an adorable Q&A to her profile which featured her dunking her kids' faces into cream pies depending on her answers. Lockdown fun: Alessandra Ambrosio found a novel way to have fun during the pandemic as she posted a funny video with her children, Anja, 11, and Noah, eight, on Wednesday The Brazilian model - wearing green $119 Smash + Tess 'Romperalls' - stood behind her two children as they sat in front of two whipped cream pies laid on a table. In the background, another woman asked questions such as: 'Who's the naughtiest?' In response, Alessandra pushed Noah's head into the pie in front of him. After the next question, 'Who steals Mom's clothes?', Alessandra tipped Anja's head into her pie. Cheeky! The former Victoria's Secret Angel, 39, uploaded an adorable Q&A to her profile which featured her dunking her kids' faces into cream pies depending on her answers Next up is: 'Who brings the most animals home without asking?' Alessandra didn't even have to think as she immediately pushed Noah's head back into his pie. The next question, 'Who's the most spoilt?', also resulted in Noah's head going straight into the pie. For the next question, 'Who slams the most doors?, Alessandra firmly put both of her children's faces into the whipped cream as they laughed along. When asked, 'Who will have kids first?', Alessandra had to think for a moment before deciding her daughter Anja would be going face down into the pie again. Naughty! The Brazilian model - wearing green $119 Smash + Tess 'Romperalls' - stood behind her two children as they sat in front of two whipped cream pies laid on a table The next question, 'Who has the messiest room?', saw Anja being dunked into the creamy pie again. But for the next, 'Who has better taste in music?, neither of the children was pushed into the pie while Alessandra shook her head and pointed at herself - implying she has the best music taste. Up next was, 'Who eats the healthiest?', which saw Anja going straight into the pie. For the last question, 'Who's the smartest?', Alessandra decided she couldn't choose so put both of her children's faces into the creamy topping. Anja then protested and said: 'No! I'm smarter!' It's me! When asked, 'Who has better taste in music?, neither of the children were pushed into the pie while Alessandra shook her head and pointed at herself Alessandra posted the video for her 10.3million Instagram followers alongside the caption: 'Torta na cara !!! (pie in the face) 'So much fun doing this game with my babies !!' Alessandra shares Anja and Noah with her former fiance, businessman Jamie Mazur, 39. The former couple were together for 10 years until they split in early 2018. Alessandra has since moved on with Italian fashion mogul Nicolo Oddi, who she has been dating since mid 2018. Hyderabad, May 28 : BJP's Andhra Pradesh state president Kanna Lakshmi Narayana's daughter-in-law died under suspicious circumstances here on Thursday, police said. Suharika, wife of Kanna Lakshmi Narayana's younger son Phaneendra, collapsed and died after a party at her friend's place. The incident occurred in Meenakshi Towers under Raidurg police station. Suharika is said to have participated in a party with relatives and friends and enjoyed dancing for more than an hour. After the party, she suddenly collapsed and died. She was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. The hospital informed the police, which registered a case of death under suspicious circumstances and took up investigations. Raidurg police inspector S. Ravinder said they recorded the statements of Suharika's mother, husband and other friends and relatives. The official said the circumstantial evidence and the statements by the family members do not give any hint of suicide or homicide. The autopsy would be conducted on the body at Osmania Hospital on Friday. UVA Health's Karen Rheuban, MD, and stroke expert Andrew Southerland, MD, demonstrate telehealth in an image taken beforo the pandemic. Credit: Jackson Smith /UVA Health Top stroke experts have issued new guidance to ensure stroke patients receive safe, timely care while preventing the transmission of COVID-19. The guidelines urge the use of telemedicine to speed treatment and advise EMS crews how to determine the best facility to treat the patient's needs. The recommendations, from the American Heart Association's Stroke Council, come amid increasing concerns that stroke patients are delaying seeking care because of fear of COVID-19. Such delays can have catastrophic consequences, including death. "Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients should continue to seek immediate care for life-threatening and emergency conditions, and call 911 for any new signs or symptoms of stroke," said UVA Health stroke expert Andrew Southerland, MD, one of the guidelines' authors. "As the only certified Comprehensive Stroke Center in Charlottesville and Central Virginia, UVA has the necessary resources to ensure both patient safety and provide the highest level of care for stroke patients. Seeking emergency care for a stroke can help save lives and reduce the risk of long-term neurologic injury and resulting disability." The Importance of Speedy Stroke Care With stroke, every minute counts, and speedy care can be the difference in life and death. It can also prevent lifelong disability. For that reason, Southerland and other telemedicine experts at UVA have worked with local EMS personnel to pioneer the use of the technology for pre-hospital care. They've placed tablets inside ambulances to connect first responders with UVA stroke experts, allowing stroke care to begin even before the patient arrives at the hospital. The new guidelines suggest this approach should be used widely. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, adds an extra layer of complexity for first responders. In addition to the need for appropriate personal protective equipment, EMS crews must assess whether each patient has the coronavirus, the new guidelines note. When possible, EMS workers should screen patients using free tools available online, the guidelines recommend. Responders should have a protocol in place in case the screening is positive or if the patient is incapacitated and can't be screened. The receiving hospital should be notified as well. Stroke patients with COVID-19 are more likely to require a ventilator and intensive care, so emergency crews should consider taking patients to a hospital with the capacity to provide that level of care, the guidelines note. Emergency crews also may need to consider hospital capacity based on the number of cases in their region. And they may want to bypass emergency rooms to lessen exposure risk. "During the COVID-19 pandemic," the guidelines state, "it is more important than ever to ensure that the patient is transferred to the right hospital the first time around." In all of this, communication between emergency crews and the receiving hospitals is key, the guide's authors say. "Now more than ever, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to work collaboratively and support our emergency medical services providers working day and night on the front lines for our community," Southerland said. "To achieve this, we must optimize communication and prehospital care for patients. Nowhere is this more important than in rural networks like surrounding areas in Central Virginia." Explore further Interim guidance issued on stroke care during COVID-19 pandemic More information: Mayank Goyal et al, Prehospital Triage of Acute Stroke Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Stroke (2020). Journal information: Stroke Mayank Goyal et al, Prehospital Triage of Acute Stroke Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic,(2020). DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.030340 Provided by University of Virginia Health System Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (19) Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion has called for the suspension of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations following disruptions to the education sector in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. While addressing the press at the Kenya Human Rights Commission offices in Lavington on Wednesday, Sossion said the exams should be postponed to next year. He urged the government to prioritize flattening the Covid-19 infection curve before shifting attention to the national exams. Sossion stated that the lives of teachers and learners should be considered in the decision-making process, adding that resumption of schools must be a negotiable effort, not a dictatorship. We would rather have all our children staying at home, safe and alive and repeating a year rather than sending them to school to die. The world will not come to an end if we suspend certain matters, said Sossion. The national exams, KCPE and KCSE, are not a ticket to heaven. They can be postponed to a suitable time when the syllabus shall have been covered and when the curve shall have been flattened. He also argued that a majority of the countrys teachers are above 50 years of age hence have a higher risk of contracting Covid-19 if exposed. Nobody in this country should gamble with the lives of learners and teachers. For now, open bars and test social distancing. KCPE and KCSE are not a ticket to heaven, said Sossion. The union boss further said the syllabus should be resumed once schools open because online learning is not sufficient since many learners cannot access e-learning services and the few that do are unable to effectively interact with their teachers. Weve heard of people talking about Form 4 and Class 8 reopening. These are human beings; the world will not come to an end. Children can repeat a class, better save lives first. Even if the exams are pushed to November 2021, if we can evade death, lets do so. On teachers salaries, Sossion stated: Salaries of teachers must be protected. No one, whether government or private entities, should use Covid-19 to hold the salaries of teachers. A five-member Taliban team was in Kabul on Thursday to follow up on this week's prisoner release by the Afghan government that saw hundreds of insurgents freed. It was the single largest such release since a U.S.-Taliban deal earlier this year spelling an exchange of detainees between the warring sides. Javid Faisal, an Afghan national security spokesman, and Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen both confirmed that a Taliban team was in the Afghan capital, without providing details. Earlier this week, Shaheen had said from Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office, that the insurgents planned to free ``a remarkable number'' of Afghan officials and others they hold captive. Later on Thursday, Shaheen tweeted that the Taliban released another 80 Afghan soldiers and government officials from their jails in northern Baghlan and Kunduz provinces, bringing to 347 the number of captives freed so far by the Taliban. With the release of hundreds of Taliban on Tuesday, the government has freed 2,000 insurgents. The prisoner release is part of a deal signed by the United States and the Taliban in late February, designed to bring peace to Afghanistan and allow American soldiers to return home, ending America's longest military engagement. The deal calls for the government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners and for the militant group to free 1,000 Afghan government personnel and others. The prisoner releases would pave the way for the second, critical phase of the deal _ negotiations between the Taliban and Kabul on a road map for post-war Afghanistan. The U.S. has already started withdrawing about 13,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, a pullout that is expected to take place over 14 months and that depends on the Taliban abiding by their promise not to allow attacks on the U.S. and its allies. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump again called for a quick return of American soldiers and urged Afghan forces to step up in the defense of their country. He tweeted: ``Bring our soldiers back home but closely watch what is going on and strike with a thunder like never before, if necessary!'' Trump has often complained about the enormous cost of the war and made bringing U.S. troops home key in his 2016 presidential campaign. Washington also spends $4 billion a year to sustain Afghanistan's military and police forces. In its latest quarterly report, the U.S. watchdog on American spending in Afghanistan said that Washington has spent more than $35 billion on governance and economic development, even as the Afghan government is seen as deeply corrupt. Transparency International last year rated Afghanistan among the world's top 10 most corrupt countries. Poverty levels have also risen sharply, with nearly 55% percent of Afghans living on $1.90 a day, compared to 34% in 2012. Separately, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents have not carried out any new attacks since the prisoner release. The Taliban however, have not said they would agree to an extension of a recent cease-fire for the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of Ramadan. Despite Mujahid's statement, government officials say a number of security outposts have been attacked. The government also carried out an airstrike in southern Zabul province on Wednesday. The Taliban claimed civilians were killed in the air assault while the authorities said the Taliban were the target. The remoteness of the area makes it impossible to independently verify details of the attack. Search Keywords: Short link: You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Rampaging hippos have killed at least 10 people in five months and maimed other victims in Kenya as rising water levels increased the threat from wildlife attacking locals. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the counties surrounding Lake Victoria in the east African nation have suffered from heavy rain in recent weeks, displacing people from their homes and causing rising water levels, property damage and flooding. Across the counties of Kisumu, Homa Bay, Siaya and Migori, backflow from Lake Victoria back-flow has resulted in increased cases of human-wildlife conflict Animals including hippos and crocodiles have been driven closer to the shores and are foraging close to people's homes in search of food, after their usual grazing land became flooded with water. Rampaging hippos have killed at least 10 people in five months and maimed other victims in Kenya as rising water levels increased the threat from wildlife attacking locals. Above, a hippo pictured in the waters of Lake Victoria In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the counties surrounding Lake Victoria in the east African nation have suffered from heavy rain in recent weeks. Above, flood waters near the Sigiri bridge, after River Nzoia burst its banks and due to heavy rainfall and the backflow from Lake Victoria, on May 3 Pictured, residents gather with their belongings after their homes were flooded, as River Nzoia burst its banks due to heavy rainfall and the backflow from Lake Victoria, in Budalangi A 16-year-old boy from Kamser Nyagowa village in Homa Bay, Lake Victoria, was seriously injured after entering the waters near his home in the latest attack. High school student Joshua Odongo had his genitals maimed and his buttocks gauged by a crocodile in the incident. 'The boy was lucky to have survived but is undergoing treatment at Homa Bay County hospital after a hippo gouged his buttocks and badly severed his private part,' local police chief Michael Odie said. Last week, an 18-year-old woman was attacked and killed by a hippo at Nyandiwa beach in Suba Sub-County. The victim had been collecting water from the banks of the lake. Earlier this month, a 13-year-old boy was fatally attacked by a hippo as he went to fetch water at Nyakoda beach, Lake Victoria, in Kisumu county. The heavy rain has displaced people from their homes. Above, residents carry their belongings as they evacuate from their home after River Nzoia burst its banks and due to the backflow from Lake Victoria on May 2 Humphrey Joshua, a Class Six pupil at Nyamanyinga Primary School, was attacked on Thursday, May 14, at around 12pm, according to Nyakach subcounty police commander Jonathan Koech. According to witnesses, the boy had been in the water along with four companions on the shores of Lake Victoria when the incident happened. 'The hippo attacked and drag him into the deep waters. He had been sent by his mother Jonna Achieng,' Nyakach subcounty police commander Jonathan Koech told local outlet The Star. According to Officer Koech, the hippo and its calf had been spotted in the area following a rise in water levels due to recent rainfall. Authorities confirmed the boy's body was recovered two days later. Fishermen have fallen victim to hippos at Lake Naivasha in Nakuru County, with three deaths reported in a week, last week. Animals including hippos and crocodiles have been driven closer to the shores and are foraging close to people's homes in search of food, as their usual grazing land becomes flooded with water. Above, residents wade through the waters after their home was flooded after the River Nzoia burst its banks and due to heavy rainfall and the backflow from Lake Victoria on May 3 One man fishing near Kihoto was attacked by a hippo and pronounced dead on arrival at Naivasha subcounty hospital, while two more suffered a similar same fate at Kasarani and Karagita beaches the same week. According to Chairman of Friends of Lake Naivasha, Francis Muthui, at least three deaths are reported in the area every month and six attacks occurred in the last month alone. Most of those killed are fishermen who have no other form of income and wade into the water on foot, Muthui said. Residents of five counties bordering Lake Victoria have been affected by the flooding. Deputy Governor of Kisumu County Mathews Owili said over 7,196 households had so far been displaced to various camps and 1,579 more integrated with communities. Most of those killed are fishermen who have no other form of income and wade into the water on foot, Muthui said. Above, three hippos at Lake Naivasha, Kenya Owili said the flooding had been the worst since 1963. 'We're advising the displaced people to stay safe and abide by the government regulations to avoid contracting Covid-19 disease,' he said. In nearby Suba North, about 70,000 people have been displaced by floods, while at least 143 families are affected in Suba South and 550 families in Karachuonyo, The Star reported. TOM REEL, STAFF / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS In a Facebook post on Thursday, Morgan's Wonderland announced that it will remain closed for the rest of the year. The interactive park, which is designed for those with special needs, temporarily closed in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Under normal circumstances, the park would be hosting special events throughout the year to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The state health department requires testing of all nursing home residents and healthcare workers. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) California's health department has issued new instructions to all skilled nursing facilities to test everybody in their facilities in hopes of slowing the spread of the coronavirus, a move that overrules a more lax testing policy allowed by Los Angeles County. Nursing homes have become ground zero for the COVID-19 pandemic because elderly people with underlying health conditions living in close quarters provide an almost perfect breeding ground for the lethal new virus. A Times data analysis earlier this month found that about half of all coronavirus deaths in California occurred in skilled nursing or assisted living facilities. California's new testing guidelines for skilled nursing facilities come as health officials in states across the country, including New York, New Jersey, Florida and Texas, have concluded that the best way to get a handle on the unfolding tragedy is to test both residents and staff in nursing homes and isolate anyone who is positive, especially asymptomatic employees who sometimes work at multiple homes and can easily spread the virus from facility to facility. But the devil has been in the details: finding enough test kits, determining how frequently to test and deciding who will pay for it all. State health officials sent a letter to all skilled nursing facilities in California instructing them to test all residents and staff at least once. If a home shows no cases, it must continue to test 25% of residents and healthcare workers on a weekly basis and ensure that all staff members are tested once per month. That goes much further than guidance from L.A. County, which, as the Times reported last week, had instructed homes with no cases that they could skip testing staff and test only 10% of residents weekly. "Nursing home residents, and the healthcare personnel who care for them, are among our most vulnerable for COVID-19 infections," said California's health and human services secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, after the state issued the new instructions. "Mandatory testing will provide the knowledge we all need to make informed care decisions." Story continues The testing directive comes as officials are demanding health agencies do more to reduce the crisis in nursing homes. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to appoint an independent inspector general to look into the county's oversight of nursing homes, including the county health department's slow testing. "Whats been most frustrating for me is that time and time again, when we listen to the death count that this horrible virus has caused, all roads lead back to our skilled nursing facilities," said Supervisor Kathryn Barger before the vote. Tens of thousands of residents in elder care homes have died of the disease in the United States. Nearly a thousand have died in LA County alone, accounting for about half of the COVID-19 deaths in the county. As nursing homes in the United States first began to grapple with the coronavirus in early February, most were testing only residents who showed symptoms. If they found someone was positive, the homes quarantined them from other residents and also banned visits from friends and family. As outbreaks multiplied, it became clear that at least some were being sparked by staff who could pick up the virus at home, on the bus, or at one of the other nursing homes where they worked. So facilities started testing symptomatic employees as well. Then, in late April, as the COVID-19 death toll approached 300 in L.A. County nursing homes a relatively modest toll compared to where it stands now Los Angeles County health director Barbara Ferrer announced an aggressive new plan to test everyone inside nursing homes in an effort to turn the grim tide. The move was necessary because it had become clear the virus was spread by people who had no symptoms, Ferrer said. So last week, advocates for the elderly were shocked when The Times reported that L.A. County health officials were still far behind in their pledge to test everyone in nursing homes, having completed the process in only about a third of the facilities in the county. They were also surprised to learn county officials had sent a letter advising homes with no confirmed cases to test only a small sample of residents not staff on a weekly basis. Ferrer defended the policy change as a "wise move" that allowed the county to focus efforts on facilities with the worst outbreaks, but many critics were unimpressed. "There are undoubtedly more people who have died because of that inaction," said Dr. Michael Wasserman, president of the California Assn. of Long Term Care Medicine, which represents doctors, nurses and others working in long-term care facilities. Its disgraceful that the county would take a step backward on testing at a time when dozens of nursing home residents are dying from the coronavirus almost every day, said Michael Connors, a spokesman for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. At her daily briefing on Wednesday, Ferrer said the county would comply with the new guidance from the state. She also noted that of the 30 healthcare workers who have died of COVID-19 in L.A. County, 22 were employees at skilled nursing facilities by far the highest toll among healthcare professionals. Ferrer came under fire this week from local political leaders for her department's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said the high death rate in nursing homes is "directly a result" of inattention and a lack of appropriate oversight of nursing homes that predates the pandemic. "The suffering, the misery, the low quality of care" in nursing homes all should have been addressed before the crisis began, he said. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev visited a monument to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in the Istiglaliyyat Street in Baku today on the occasion of the Republic Day, the presidential press service reported. Ilham Aliyev laid flowers at the monument. Petoskey officials at odds over best process for housing reforms While discussing a possible change to the zoning ordinance, some council members said it doesn't do enough to encourage more housing. Shakti Gupta, left, and Baldev Singh Sahota, right, have been jailed over one of Britain's biggest drugs busts. (Metropolitan Police) Two men have been jailed for over 30 years between them over what police describe as one of Britains biggest ever drugs busts, which saw 20m worth of cocaine seized. Police seized 168kg of the Class A drug hidden amongst pallets of frozen chicken when they pulled over a van on the A45 in December. The driver, 54-year-old Baldev Singh Sahota, was arrested, and a second man, 34-year-old Shakti Gupta, was apprehended later at an address in Birmingham, where a further 4kg of cocaine and MDMA was discovered. The drugs haul was worth over 20m, according to Met Police. (SWNS) Both men were charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and they pleaded guilty to the offence in January at Birmingham Crown Court. Sahota was jailed for 16 years and Gupta for 18 years at the same court on Wednesday, Metropolitan Police said in a statement. MORE: Emily Maitlis replaced on Newsnight following criticism of Dominic Cummings "This operation has resulted in one of the largest land seizures of cocaine within the UK, ever," said Detective Superintendent Neil Ballard, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command. MORE: Boris Johnson says people could be fined if they break new self-isolation rules "It is an extremely significant amount of Class A drugs that indicates the scale of this organised drug supply, which the Met has successfully dismantled. Baldev Singh Sahota and Shakti Gupta pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at Birmingham Crown Court. (Geograph) He added: This sentencing result is due to the hard work and commitment from those involved in dismantling drugs networks that are intrinsically linked to the violence that we have seen playing out on our streets throughout the country. This result should serve as a stark warning to anyone involved in the supply of drugs in London and the rest of the UK that we will do everything we legitimately can to bring you to justice. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK NAIROBI, Kenya - In mid-May, attackers with machine guns stormed a remote cluster of villages in South Sudan, killing hundreds, according to aid agencies working in the area. In February and March, the same side that suffered so many deaths had been the perpetrator, and so the most recent bloodshed seemed like yet another massacre in a cycle of retribution between two competing cattle-herding communities that has claimed thousands of lives in South Sudan's Jonglei region over the past decade. The violence, however, comes on the heels of the formation of a new government in South Sudan, one intended to bring an end to a civil war that began in 2013 and has cost more than 400,000 lives. The two main belligerents, President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar, declared "a new dawn" and that "peace has come to stay," but many other militant leaders who were jockeying for power were left out of the deal, which was signed in late February. "The deal could have been the start of South Sudan piecing itself together, but I think the amount of violence that still exists, and that ongoing fighting with groups that didn't sign it shows how far we have to go," said Alan Boswell, an expert on South Sudan at the International Crisis Group. "Even if the peace deal holds between Kiir and Machar, you still have violence that can kill hundreds and displace thousands. It exposes the myopia of the peace deal." As part of the peace deal, Machar's rebel army, made up mostly of the Nuer ethnic group, is being integrated into the national army, mostly made up of Dinkas. But militias tied to smaller groups such as the Murle have been excluded from national power long before the peace deal. The Murle and a sub-tribe of the Nuer have fought over disputed land in Jonglei for decades, each accusing the other of cattle raiding, mass abductions of women and children, and attempts at ethnic cleansing. A statement released by leaders from the Lou Nuer community last week called for peace but ended with a warning: "Should the Murle not be prepared to live in peace with their neighbors, particularly the aggrieved Lou community, then Lou youth will have no other option but to face the menace of the Murle in the most appropriate way." Two ministers in Kiir's government, including the government's spokesman, declined to comment on the violence. The humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders said one of its medics was killed in the attack, and the United Nations said two other aid workers were also killed. The U.N.'s top official in the country said a major driver of the violence is that new governors have not been appointed despite the formation of a new government, creating regional power struggles. "Appointments need to be made urgently. We strongly urge the government and other parties to compromise and agree on these critical positions so the states can take measures to prevent conflict, build peace, and assist with the covid-19 response," said David Shearer, the U.N. special representative to South Sudan. The arrival of the coronavirus in South Sudan has added "substantial, significant, real-time barriers" to providing medical care in instances of violent conflict, said Steve MacKay, Doctors Without Borders' deputy head of mission. Machar, who was the head of South Sudan's coronavirus task force, tested positive for the virus along with his wife, several aides and all the 14 other members of the committee, which was regrouped on Wednesday. Later that day, the new chairman also tested positive. The country has confirmed more than 800 cases but has almost no treatment capacity owing to a near total lack of health care infrastructure throughout most of the country. "Medical organizations, to some degree, are being swayed toward focusing myopically on this one thing, but malaria hasn't gone away, violence hasn't gone away," MacKay said. "How do we balance all that?" South Sudan has immense humanitarian needs. Millions live in displacement camps, and millions more live in refugee camps in neighboring Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya. More than half its population is facing severe food shortages. A new generation of locust swarms plaguing much of East Africa has now added to the looming chance of famine including in Jonglei and Central Equatoria, another region that has experienced a recent bout of violence. Central Equatoria's archbishop, Paul Yugusuk, posted a series of videos this month decrying a 10-day confrontation between the national army and a militia led by Thomas Cirillo, a former deputy chief of staff to Kiir. Yugusuk said five had been killed, at least 11 villages burned to the ground, and an entire ethnic community, the Pojulu, displaced. With the coronavirus confirmed to be spreading in other displacement camps, he said he feared for the newly homeless. "Our people are going to be killed by this deadly virus simply because they have been displaced from their homes," he said. "God help us." World Dugong Day 2020: Marine mammal fighting for survival in Indian waters by Ashis Senapati May 28,2020 | Source: Down to Earth The dugong, commonly known as the sea cow, is fighting for its survival in Indian waters and unless conserved, could one day become extinct, experts have said on the eve of World Dugong Day on May 28, 2020. Dugongs are an endangered marine species like sea turtles, seahorses, sea cucumbers and others. They are protected in India under Schedule I of the Wild (Life) Protection Act, 1972. There were just 250 dugongs in the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat according to the 2013 survey report of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). The survey was conducted under the leadership of then ZSI director K Venkataraman, Basudev Tripathy deputy director of ZSI, Kolkata, told this reporter. In 2010, we had counted 250 dugongs in the Gulf of Mannar, the Andamans and Gulf of Kutch through a boat survey, K Sivakumar, a senior scientist of the department of Endangered Species Management at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, said. This year, we will count the dugongs with the help of underwater drone cameras, he added. There is no doubt that dugongs are an important part of the marine ecosystem and their depletion will have effects all the way up the food chain, Sivakumar noted. Threats to dugongs Dugongs are mammals, which means they give birth to live young and then produce milk and nurse them. Once the female is pregnant, she will carry the unborn baby, called a foetus for 12-14 months before giving birth. Female dugongs give birth underwater to a single calf at three to seven-year intervals. Dugongs graze on seagrass, especially young shoots and roots in shallow coastal waters. They can consume up to 40 kilograms of seagrass in a day. Human activities such as the destruction and modification of habitat, pollution, rampant illegal fishing activities, vessel strikes, unsustainable hunting or poaching and unplanned tourism are the main threats to dugongs. The loss of seagrass beds due to ocean floor trawling was the most important factor behind dwindling dugong populations in many parts of the world, Sivakumar said. Hundreds of dugongs inhabited waters off the Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh coasts two centuries back. But they are extinct in these areas now, he added. Seagrass in Odishas Chilika lake is a proper habitat for dugongs. However, there is not extant population in Chilika, Sivakumar said. He talked about how a decade back, fishermen used to sell dugong meat at Rs 1,000 per kilogram in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Andaman. Many gullible people used to consume the meat under the wrong impression that it would cool their body temperature. The killings have stopped though, ever since, the WII began awareness drives among people. We often organise dugong protection awareness camps among local fishermen and others in the seaside villages of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and the Andamans, Sivakumar said. The 13th Conference of Parties (CoP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, was hosted by India from February 17-22, 2020 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The Government of India is a signatory to the CMS since 1983. India has signed non-legally binding Memorandums of Understanding with CMS on the conservation and management of Siberian Cranes (1998), Marine Turtles (2007), Dugongs (2008) and Raptors (2016), Sivakumar added. Proper conservation is the only way to save dugongs from extinction. Conservation in other places like Australia has seen their population crossing 85,000, Tripathy said. Shoppers explore a mostly empty mall on May 12, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. Matthew Hatcherr/Getty Images Business owners who got a forgivable federal loan may see a difficult choice ahead: getting a loan discharged or allowing workers to collect enhanced unemployment benefits. But there's a way entrepreneurs can get the best of both worlds: staying debt-free and keeping workers happy. Specifically, work-sharing programs offer a way for business owners to recall employees to satisfy Paycheck Protection Program rules without jeopardizing expanded unemployment benefits, according to labor experts. Some workers even stand to get higher pay. "There's a lot of federal money floating around," said Betsey Stevenson, professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan. "And a savvy business can make them and their workers better off." Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Unemployment benefits, small business loans The $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief law enacted in March, known as the CARES Act, expanded unemployment benefits for out-of-work Americans and created a forgivable loan program for small businesses. The funds issued from the Paycheck Protection Program may only be fully forgiven by the federal government if used in a specific way. For example, the relief law requires business owners to resume paychecks that had been halted for furloughed or laid-off workers. Total loan forgiveness would be reduced if employers cut workers' salaries and wages by more than 25% from pre-pandemic levels. (This applies to those making more than $100,000 annually.) More from Personal Finance: This is the average coronavirus stimulus payment in your state College-bound students to miss out on billions in financial aid Here are the top 10 cities for summer staycations Breaching these conditions, among others, would mean a business owner would ultimately need to pay back some of the loan. However, some business owners have reported tension with the unemployment system. The CARES Act increased pay for jobless Americans by $600 a week through July 31. Some workers, especially lower-paid ones, can now make more from unemployment benefits than returning to work. Some entrepreneurs believe this creates a tough choice: Recalling workers from unemployment could foster ill will among workers who may make less money on the job; not doing so may tamper with loan forgiveness. Work-sharing programs Work-sharing programs also known as short-time compensation programs let entrepreneurs avoid those tradeoffs. Business owners can hire back workers, thereby keeping loan forgiveness intact, and allow them to continue getting unemployment benefits in addition to their paychecks. It's a huge wage subsidy. Betsey Stevenson professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan The Small Business Administration approved $511 billion in PPP loans to 4.4 million borrowers as of May 23. Nearly 41 million jobless claims have now been filed since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. A work-sharing program is a layoff-aversion system offered by half of U.S. states. It leverages a state's unemployment insurance system. Instead of laying off workers to save money, business owners can reduce hours for a group of workers. The work-sharing program continues paying unemployment benefits at a proportionally reduced rate. For example, a business owner who received a PPP loan and wants full loan forgiveness may opt to rehire workers at 75% of their former hours. Workers would see a corresponding 75% reduction in their state unemployment benefit but would keep receiving their $600-a-week unemployment supplement, which is funded by the federal government. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards 'Huge wage subsidy' Stevenson, former chief economist at the Labor Department during the Obama administration, offered this example of a full-time worker in Michigan on a 75% work schedule making $20 an hour. This worker is likely making $962 a week on unemployment (Michigan's maximum weekly $362 payment plus the $600 supplement). That's more than the worker's $800 a week from a typical, 40-hour paycheck. A short-time compensation program, however, would yield this worker more money than both those scenarios: about $1,291 a week (a $600 paycheck, $600 unemployment supplement, and $91 state unemployment benefit). And the employee would only be working 75% of their typical work schedule. "It's a huge wage subsidy," Stevenson said. These programs offer a way for business owners to give financial incentives to reluctant employees to return to work, she said. Employers must opt into their state program, and states must approve their plans. Under it, businesses are generally allowed to reduce employee hours by roughly 10% to 60%. And while Michigan is one example of a state permitting businesses to use the Paycheck Protection Program and state work-sharing program in tandem, that might not necessarily be the case for all states, experts said. The CARES Act also offers a financial incentive for states to establish work-sharing programs: There's 100% federal funding of payments in a state with a short-time compensation program through December, whether that program is new or preexisting. The Treasury Department deferred a request for comment to the Department of Labor. A DOL spokeswoman didn't confirm whether a business can use PPP loans and work-sharing programs simultaneously in the 25 states that have implemented these programs. Caveats WASHINGTONNorth Korean and Chinese citizens are operating a multibillion-dollar money laundering scheme to help fund the Norths nuclear weapons program, the Justice Department said in an indictment unsealed Thursday. The case underscores the Trump administrations inability to halt Pyongyangs nuclear weapons program through diplomacy. The department charged 28 North Koreans and five Chinese citizens of using a web of more than 250 shell companies to launder over $2.5 billion (U.S.) in assets through the international banking system, according to court documents filed in February by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington. The government claimed that the money flowed back to North Koreas primary, state-operated foreign exchange bank, the Foreign Trade Bank of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. The North used the funds to support its weapons of mass destruction program. Through this indictment, the United States has signalled its commitment to hampering North Koreas ability to illegally access the U.S. financial system and limit its ability to use proceeds from illicit actions to enhance its illegal WMD and ballistic missile programs, Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney in Washington, said in a statement. The charges are also a tacit acknowledgment that the United States has been unable to stop North Korea from building nuclear weapons by imposing economic sanctions or through President Donald Trumps attempts to broker an agreement with North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Un. After Trumps most recent talks with Kim failed last year, North Korea accused the United States of maintaining a hostile stance and hinted that it could resume missile or nuclear weapons testing this year. Trump said this year that he did not want to meet with Kim before the presidential election in November, and the Trump administration has been reluctant to provide any reminders of its failed attempts to rein in Pyongyang. But North Koreas ambitions have not waned. Last month, the administration accused the North of using cyberattacks to steal and launder money and use digital currencies to generate revenue for its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. North Korea has conducted no significant tests this year. But Kim met this week with his nations top military-governing body and discussed new policies for further increasing North Koreas nuclear capabilities. Kim had recently gone three weeks without making any public appearances, prompting speculation that he had been ill. The West has placed strict economic sanctions on North Korea in a bid to cut off funding for its nuclear weapons program, and the United States has gone after companies that it believes illegally sent money to the North. In the indictment unsealed Thursday, the Justice Department identified the defendants as employees and four executives of the Foreign Trade Bank, including two of its former presidents, Ko Chol Man and Kim Song Ui. Another co-conspirator was identified as a member of North Koreas primary intelligence agency. They were charged with conspiracy, bank fraud, money laundering and operating a criminal enterprise. While the United States has little chance of apprehending the defendants, the Justice Department sometimes brings charges against foreigners in an effort to deter adversarial governments. The defendants are accused of illegally laundering money back to the Foreign Trade Bank dating to 2013, when the bank was placed on the Treasury Departments sanctions list for helping to fund North Koreas weapons programs. The department designated the entire North Korean financial system a money laundering risk in 2016. Some of the banks employees were North Korean and Chinese citizens who worked for front companies that hid a covert branch of the bank in Shenyang, China, the indictment said. Federal prosecutors had accused one of the companies, Mingzheng International, in 2017 of serving as a front for the North Korean bank. Other defendants were accused of moving overseas to set up hundreds of shell companies in China, Austria, Libya, Kuwait, Thailand and Russia. They closed companies when governments or banks detected their ties to North Korea and created more, according to court papers. The companies funneled U.S. dollars back to North Korea and bought hundreds of thousands of dollars in goods from companies prohibited under sanctions from doing business with the North, according to the charges. The suspects allegedly routed their transactions through banks in China, the United States and Europe and falsely denied any illicit purchases or ties to North Korea when banks flagged some of those transactions. The government has over the past five years recovered $63.5 million in assets that banks froze. The North has found new ways to use cybercrime to blunt some of the effects of U.S. sanctions since Trump threatened fire and fury like the world has never seen against the country in 2017, a recent study found. While the indictment did not mention digital currencies, it said that several defendants had been sent abroad to study fast-developing financial technologies. The Wests understanding of its ability to bring North Korea to heel through international pressure could fast become obsolete, national security analysts have said. Trump has said that he would use his warm relationship with Kim to deter the country from building more weapons, and the two met in Singapore in June 2018 and in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019. But those meetings failed to produce any agreement on how to end North Koreas nuclear weapons programs or how to ease sanctions against North Korea that the United Nations had imposed. The United States and North Korea agreed that the talks had failed, with the meeting in Hanoi ending abruptly with no resolution. But they disagreed about why they came to no agreement. Sometimes you have to walk, Trump said in Hanoi after the talks had broken down. He said that Kims offer to dismantle a nuclear complex in exchange for sanctions relief was a deal breaker. This spring, Trump expressed in a letter to Kim a desire to improve relations between the two countries, underscoring the unusually friendly relationship that the president has forged with one of the worlds most isolated dictators. Kim has overseen four underground nuclear tests and has pushed for North Korea to build more nuclear weapons and missile programs. The country under his rule also flight-tested three intercontinental ballistic missile tests in 2017 and recently tested two short-range ballistic missiles. The indictment was filed under Timothy Shea, who led the U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington until he stepped down last week to run the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was one of the last large indictments that the office secured before the coronavirus pandemic closed courts and halted most grand jury proceedings. Read more about: Nigeria has recorded more deaths from hospitals refusal to attend to patients with other illnesses than from COVID-19 virus, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, has said. Mr Mustapha while speaking at the daily Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing on Thursday said there have been reports of refusal by some medical institutions to treat patients for fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus. Mr Mustapha, who is also the chairman of the task force, said the action portrayed by these medical institutions is unacceptable. The PTF has received rather sadly, reports of continued refusal by medical institutions to receive and treat patients for fear COVID-19. READ ALSO: This has resulted in several unfortunate and avoidable fatalities and statistics has shown that there is a drastic drop in the percentage of attention being paid to other ailments not related to COVID-19. Truth be told, we are having more deaths from non-attendance to other diseases than even COVID 19, he said. Nigeria has recorded 254 deaths from its over 8,000 coronavirus cases as of Thursday afternoon. Mr Mustapha also said, Federal tertiary institutions have been mentioned among those rejecting patients for fear of COVID-19. The Nigerian government has repeatedly warned medical facilities to stop rejecting patients, especially in emergency cases. Despite this warning, many people are reported to have lost their lives due to rejection by health workers when seeking medical attention. Workers at risk Healthcare workers are at risk of exposure to COVID-19 virus as they are the first responders to patients. As of April 30, not less than 113 health workers tested positive for COVID-19. Aliyu Yakubu, a medical doctor aged 60, also died of the virus on April 4. The fear of contraction of COVID-19 is what has deterred many health workers from attending to patients who have other illnesses, some with similar symptoms as COVID-19. Way forward Mr Mustapha said the ministry of health has directed heads of medical institutions to continue providing regular medical services. This, he said, will prevent more avoidable deaths in the country. The Minister of Health has reached out to all medical directors directing them to continue providing regular medical services so that we do not end up with avoidable deaths. The reason for the greater emphasis on COVID-19 is because it is a pandemic and if not curtailed has a capacity of wiping out large segments of our population, he said. He urged all government and private-owned health institutions to follow guidelines on dealing with patients presenting COVID-19 like symptoms. Of course, the guidelines for dealing with patients presenting COVID-19 like symptoms are available. And if these are applied by our medical service providers, there would be lesser risks of exposure to the virus, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 16:44:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VIENNA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' (OPEC) daily basket price stood at 29.03 U.S. dollars a barrel on Wednesday, compared with 29.75 dollars on Tuesday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations released on Thursday. Also known as the OPEC reference basket of crude oil, the OPEC basket, a weighted average of oil prices from different OPEC members around the world, is used as an important benchmark for crude oil prices. Enditem Everything has been different this year. Instead of the pomp and circumstance usually involved in Cheshires celebration of the holiday the only one for which Cheshire holds a parade Memorial Day passed with no floats slowly traveling down Route 10; no marching bands happily playing patriotic tunes while cheering residents enjoyed a sunny afternoon watching the festivities pass by. If there was any celebrating to be done, it was confined to our own homes and yards. It as done with an eye towards social distancing and keeping people at arms length. It was done in the midst of a pandemic that is still evolving, forcing us to not only reflect on whats transpired in the past, but also on what our future long and short term may look like. It may be easy to forget now, but our country has passed many a Memorial Day in the midst of a crisis. This was not the first time weve reached the last Monday in May unsure of exactly how the next day, month or year would look. And while this year may have been different as no parade was held, and no gatherings allowed, it certainly wasnt the only time weve faced the fear of the unknown. In fact, Memorial Day has its roots in a time when America was at its most important crossroads. Though it would not become an official national holiday until 1971, the first commemorations of Americas fallen soldiers began shortly after the end of the Civil War. The country had been devastated by a conflict that had killed between 620,000 and 750,000 people, and there was no guarantee a reunited union would survive. Would any American, whether they lived in the north or south, have predicted that, more than 150 years later, the nation would still be one? The symbol of Memorial Day is now recognized as a red poppy, which was popularized by the poem In Flanders Field by John McCrae, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Canadian army who served in World War I. The somber poem memorialized the dead from that terrible conflict, which also happened to conclude right at the moment when the world was facing the Spanish Flu. That pandemic would cost millions of lives across the globe and more than 600,000 Americans are reported to have succumb to the illness between 1918 and 1919. And then there was Memorial Day 2002. In May of that year, the country was eight months removed from 9/11. We had already invaded Afghanistan to take on the elements of Al Qaeda known to have planned the terrorist attacks, and our forces had also invaded Iraq in what would turn out to be the most controversial military conflict since the Vietnam War. Intelligence experts continued to warn that terrorist organizations were planning more attacks on U.S. soil. Signs were emerging that the struggle to establish some sort of peace in the Middle East would prove a significantly more difficult and more deadly affair than had been the taking of Baghdad and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. And the country was watching as young men and women were deployed to war zones thousands of miles away from home, with many returning in coffins. It was one of the reasons why the mood around Memorial Day 2002 felt different than it had in decades, as The Cheshire Heralds May 23 editorial explained: Many communities have abandoned their Memorial Day observances years ago. The quaint festivities apparently cut into the long holiday weekend too much so interest was lost. Also, any threat to the country was a thing of the past, many of us thought. So, the day set aside to remember the sacrifice many have made to provide us that blanket of security was easy to forget. Unfortunately, thats not to be the case any longer. Given whats happened to the country since last fall, its likely there will be a revival of patriotic observances and many more towns will see observances on their Main Streets this weekend. The editorial went on to commend Cheshire for having set aside Memorial Day as the one holiday per year for which the community held a parade, and suggested that the recognitions would take on new meaning given what was happening in the country: Sadly, weve put more names to that list (of fallen soldiers) over the past few months and still more are likely to be added. When youre watching the parade, listening to the patriotic music and paying attention to the speakers this Memorial Day, remember them. For parade organizers, the hope was that a renewed sense of patriotism would encourage people to not only attend the parade, but also the many other Memorial Day events planned around the main attraction, as a the May 23, 2002 story in The Herald explained: John White of the Veterans Council of Cheshire said the parade usually attracts between 200 and 400 spectators. He hopes the resurgence of patriotism after September 11 will bring the biggest audience ever. White said Cheshires veterans are making a heightened call for participation from neighborhood groups, businesses and civic organizations. The fourth annual Memorial Day Concert will include the premiere for the general public of the song Stand Tall, America, written by Jane Bate and performed by students from Doolittle and Norton Schools. Included in that weeks edition was the poem In Flanders Fields, along with a lengthy biography of the author and how the poem came to be. It served as a somber reminder of the sacrifices made by generations past as well as those in the present. Its unknown whether a record number of individuals turned out for the parade as organizers had hoped The Herald did not provide an estimate as to the size of the crowd in its coverage of the event the following week. However, participation was reported to have been as good or better than all previous years, and more participants from Cheshire groups and those based in neighboring communities came out to march in the parade than ever before. Looking back, its easy to forget just how frightening and unsafe the world looked at that time. Thousands had died in the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, war was now raging in different parts of the world, and no one knew how much bloodier it would all get. When Cheshire residents lined the streets to cheer the Memorial Day Parade, they did so believing that more names would be added to the list of fallen heroes, and more families would be without a loved one come Memorial Day 2003. And yet, the country survived. Life went on. Yes, the world looks different today than it did on September 10, 2001, before the Towers fell. Yes, there are certain inconveniences with which we live today that we didnt have to before. But life returned to normal. Our world was not unalterably changed. We went on living, day by day, with a little less fear of the unknown. Thats what will happen in 2020. We will adapt. Certain changes will take root and become a part of our lives. But this will not always be the state of things. This will not always be how the world looks. Its hard to see that reality when in the midst of a crisis. Thats why, looking back on another time of uncertainty helps to show us the path forward. Next year, we will celebrate Memorial Day with parades and concerts, even if there are a few more masks than normal in the audience. Shortly after the security forces destroyed a vehicle fitted with an IED in Pulwama, the Centre has issued its first response lauding the security forces of the nation. MoS G Kishan Reddy hailed the security forces stating that the Pulwama-like attack could be averted because of the 'timely action by the J&K police, CRPF and the army.' Averting what could have been a major terrorist attack on Thursday, the Pulwama police, the CRPF, and the Indian Army detected and destroyed a vehicle fitted with an IED after receiving timely input and taking proper action. Read: Fake Number Plate On Terrorists' Pulwama IED Car Came From BSF Jawan's Scooter: Sources A major incident of a vehicle borne #IED blast was averted in #Pulwama, J&K today due to timely action by the joint team of @JmuKmrPolice, @crpfindia and Army. The whole nation is proud of our security forces. Office of G. Kishan Reddy (@KishanReddyOfc) May 28, 2020 As per sources, on Wednesday evening, a vehicle skipped a signal between 8:30 to 9:30 pm at Aayangund Rajpora, Pulwama, after which forces fired a few aerial rounds, and followed the vehicle. Sources said that the persons in the vehicle managed to escape but left the car - a white Hyundai Santro - on road 200 meters from the naka. After checking, it was found that the vehicle was fitted with an IED later. Sources confirmed that the IED was destroyed in a controlled detonation on Thursday morning by BDDS Team, with the purported modus-operandi bearing a striking similarity to the February 14, 2019, Pulwama terror attack - the worst ever on Indian security personnel, perpetrated by Pakistan-based terrorist groups. Sources further informed that the case will be handed over to NIA and team has reached the spot. They said that the car was driven by Hizbul Mujhauddin terrorist, however official confirmation is awaited. Sources added that the car also bore a fake number plate. Read: EXCLUSIVE Details Of Pulwama Terror Attack Accessed: Here's How Forces Foiled IED-car Plot In a move that will see 51 hours of its programming come to the region, in the region, A+E Networks International has inked a deal with De Vijver Medias SBS Belgium for the first five seasons of first response factual series Live PD: Police Patrol and Nightwatch. The most watched series on television for fiscal year 2020 to-date, airing on the companys domestic channel A&E, Live PD: Police Patrol (pictured) is a non-fiction series giving viewers an unfiltered look at law enforcement officers in action across America. Every episode highlights the daily life-and-death situations faced by Sheriffs Departments, Highway Patrols and local Police Departments in a diverse range of jurisdictions from Connecticut to Arizona. From drugs busts to prostitution, high speed pursuits to domestic disputes, car theft to gang violence, or just minor traffic violations, Live PD: Police Patrol offers a transparent look at the daily encounters between police and civilians.Nightwatch came to A&E Networks from executive producer Dick Wolf and his Wolf Reality along with 44 Blue Productions. The series follows multiple sets of partners in the New Orleans Emergency Medical Services unit who cover the intense and unpredictable period from 8 PM to 4 AM as they battle time and circumstance to save lives. SBS had already found an audience for A+Es TV movies and other scripted fare prior to the deal, but rarely picked up factual content before approaching A+E to help build a strong line-up on its ZES channel for Spring 2020. A+E International is thrilled that SBS will introduce a new audience to our unparalleled catalogue of live, factual programming, said Sarah Hussain, manager of international content sales for A+E Networks, commenting on the deal. Series like Live PD: Police Patrol and Nightwatch resonate with global audiences because their stories of everyday heroism are universal. Thursday, May 28, 2020 at 7:59AM Canadian-U.S. roaming service Roam Mobility will be closing its doors on June 30, 2020. The company said in a recent email, "We apologize to everyone who has relied on our service for US travel. Our mission has always been to help travellers stay connected and productive without the burden of expensive roaming fees or contracts." While the COVID-19 pandemic might not have helped its cause, the roaming service's usage took a downturn. Most major Canadian carriers and some of its flanker brands could use their mobile data allotment in the US (and sometimes in other countries) for a fee. All Roam SIM sales and activations were suspended on May 21, with the top-up feature to be stopped on June 15. When June 30 rolls around, those with unused data will be refunded to customers with existing active plans. Those numbers associated with Roam SIM cards will be permanently deactivated. Customers who bought a SIM but haven't activated it can fill out a request form before August 31 to get a refund. Or you can request store credit reimbursement as well. Source: MobileSyrup For the first time in the history of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the annual conference 'Mahanadu' was held online on Wednesday. In this conference organized through the zoom video conference, party chief N Chandrababu Naidu addressed 14 thousand participants. During this, he attacked the YS Jaganmohan Reddy government of Andhra Pradesh, alleging misrule. It is believed that the TDP is the first party in the country to organize such a large scale virtual conference. Cases of coronavirus increasing rapidly in Pakistan Due to the epidemic corona infection, Techsevi Naidu organized a two-day conference at the party headquarters Mangalagiri through video conferencing. The party also broadcast it live on Facebook and YouTube. The annual conference of TDP is held on May 28 every year on the occasion of the birthday of party founder NT Rama Rao. PM Modi talks Srilankan Prime Minister over telephone In his statement, Naidu said that democracy is in danger due to chaotic governance in the state. Whether TDP remains in power or in opposition, it always works in the public interest. The TDP chief also targeted the Jagan government over the arrest and torture of Dr Sudhakar, who questioned the PPE kit, and Ranganayakamma, who surrounded the government in the gas leak incident. Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy's YSR Congress Party chief Chandrababu Naidu was accused of violating the Coronavirus lockdown. Naidu returned to Telangana to Andhra Pradesh on Monday by road, while domestic flights have been resumed in the country. As Chandrababu reached Amravati from Hyderabad after two months, a large crowd of supporters welcomed the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister. The way the huge crowd of supporters welcomed him, it had increased the concern about social distancing. Uttar Pradesh: BJP made a new plan to show the specialty of the government Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 03:28:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PRAGUE, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Czech government will lend energy company CEZ a hefty sum of money for the expansion of its nuclear power plant in Dukovany, according to a press release by the Government Office on Thursday. "We more or less agreed that the state will provide CEZ with a loan on very favorable terms for the state and CEZ," said Prime Minister Andrej Babis. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade and Transport Karel Havlicek said a new nuclear power source is necessary to ensure the energy self-sufficiency of the Czech Republic and ensure a stable and affordable source of electricity. He noted that two of the three agreements between the Czech state and the company could be signed by the end of June. The government has been in talks with the company about expanding its nuclear power operation and replacing older units, but high costs had been a matter of concern for officials. A new unit for the power plant would cost an estimated 162 billion crowns (6.6 billion U.S. dollars), local media quotes CEZ CEO Daniel Benes as saying. Enditem Attack could have been 800 times more destructive than the cyberattack that brought down parts of the Internet on the US's East Coast in 2016 In October 2016, a cyberattack temporarily took down Amazon, Reddit, Spotify and Slack for users along the U.S.'s East Coast. "Mirai," a botnet of hacked security cameras and Internet routers, aimed a flood of junk traffic at the servers of Dyn, a company that provides the global directory (or phonebook) for the web known as the Domain Name System or DNS. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University and the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) of Herzliya say that a weakness in the DNS could have brought about an attack of a much larger scale. In their new study, which will be presented at the USENIX Security Conference in August 2020, the research group, co-led by Prof. Yehuda Afek of TAU's Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center and the Checkpoint Institute and Prof. Anat Bremler-Barr, Vice Dean of IDC's Efi Arazi School of Computer Science, together with TAU doctoral student Lior Shafir, provide new details of a technique that could have allowed a relatively small number of computers to carry out DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks on a massive scale, overwhelming targets with false requests for information until they were thrown offline. As early as February, the researchers alerted a broad collection of companies responsible for the Internet's infrastructure to their findings. The researchers say those firms, including Google, Microsoft, Cloudflare, Amazon, Dyn (now owned by Oracle), Verisign, and Quad9, have all updated their software to address the problem, as have several makers of the DNS software those companies use. Through joint research projects, Prof. Afek and Prof. Bremler-Barr have already stopped hundreds of thousands of DDoS cyberattacks over the last two decades, starting with the design of the first DDoS attacks scrubber server at Riverhead Networks, a company they co-founded with Dr. Dan Touitou in 2001. "The DNS is the essential Internet directory," explains Prof. Bremler-Barr. "In fact, without the DNS, the Internet cannot function. As part of a study of various aspects of the DNS, we discovered to our surprise a very serious breach that could attack the DNS and disable large portions of the network." The new threatening DDoS technique, which the researchers dubbed "NXNSAttack" (Non Existent Name Server Attack) takes advantage of vulnerabilities in common DNS software. DNS converts the domain names you click or type into the address bar of your browser into IP addresses. But the NXNSAttack can cause an unwitting DNS server to perform hundreds of thousands of requests in response to just one hacker's request. "The attack in 2016 used over 1M IoT devices, whereas here we see the same impact with only a few hundred," adds Prof. Afek. "We are talking about a major amplification, a major cyberattack that could disable critical parts of the internet." The way it works is that when a client machine tries to reach a certain resource on the Internet, it issues a request with the name of the resource to a resolver type DNS server, which is in charge of translating the requested name into an IP address. In order to find the required IP address, the resolver goes into an exchange of messages with several DNS servers of another type, called "authoritative." The authoritative servers redirect the resolver from one to the other, essentially telling it to "go and ask that one" until the resolver reaches an authoritative server that knows the final answer -- the requested IP address. "To mount the NXNSattack," continues Prof. Afek, "an attacker either acquires for a negligible price or simply penetrates an authoritative server, which would redirect the resolver to send an enormous number of requests to the authoritative servers. This happens while the resolver is trying to answer the particular request that the attacker has crafted. "The attacker sends such a request multiple times over a long period of time, which generates a tsunami of requests between the DNS servers, which are subsequently overwhelmed and unable to respond to the legitimate requests of actual legitimate users." Mr. Shafir explains further: "A hacker that discovered this vulnerability would have used it to generate an attack targeting either a resolver or an authoritative DNS server in particular locations in the DNS system. In either case, the attack server would be incapacitated and its services blocked, unable to function due to the overwhelming number of requests it got. It would prevent legitimate users from reaching the resources on the Internet they sought." The research for the study formed part of Mr. Shafir's PhD work; he built a set up with an authoritative server, on which he simulated an attack on the servers, generating a tsunami of requests between the servers, incapacitating them as a result. "Our discovery has prevented major potential damage to web services used by millions of users worldwide," concludes Prof. Yehuda Afek. "The 2016 cyberattack, which is considered the greatest in history, knocked down much of the Internet in the U.S. But an attack like the one we now prevented could have been more than 800 times more powerful." ### American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's most influential, comprehensive and sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). TAU is recognized and celebrated internationally for creating an innovative, entrepreneurial culture on campus that generates inventions, startups and economic development in Israel. TAU is ranked ninth in the world, and first in Israel, for producing start-up founders of billion-dollar companies, an achievement that surpassed several Ivy League universities. To date, 2,500 US patents have been filed by Tel Aviv University researchers -- ranking TAU #1 in Israel, #10 outside of the US and #66 in the world. Minister says planes engines touched ground three times on the first attempt at landing before it crashed, killing 97. The captain of a Pakistani airliner that crashed last week, killing 97 people onboard, approached Karachi airport without announcing he could not open his landing gear and hit the runway three times, a government minister has said. Search teams recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the wreckage of the Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 that crashed into a residential neighbourhood of Karachi last Friday, a spokesman for the airline said. Two people onboard survived. Flight PK8303, from the eastern city of Lahore, came down less than a mile short of the runway as it was making a second attempt to land. The flight data recorder has already been found. Pakistans Minister for Civil Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan told reporters on Thursday the planes engines touched the ground three times on the first attempt at landing. The pilot never announced his landing gear wasnt opening. He haphazardly touched the engines thrice with the ground, Khan said. All marks are present [on the runway]. He was not at the proper height Control tower informed him you arent at the required height, lower your altitude, he said, adding that the pilot replied, I will manage. According to communications posted on liveatc.net, an aviation radio monitoring website, the pilot told the controllers we are comfortable now during the approach, but the reason for the remark has left most experts puzzled. Shortly after the engines scraped along the runway in the aborted first landing attempt, the pilot reported problems in maintaining altitude, then said both engines had failed. Investigators are expected to examine whether the engines shut down because of their collision with the runway, following what appeared to be a steeper and faster approach than normal. The lower part of the engine housing contains key components including an accessory gearbox and hydraulic pumps. All sorts of things can happen to an engine if you bounce it down the runway, a person familiar with its design said. The engines were made by CFM International, a French-American venture co-owned by Safran and General Electric, and are among the most widely used in the industry with a strong overall record of reliability. The recorders will be read in France by the BEA air accident agency, which is part of the Pakistan-led probe. Safety experts caution it is too early to say what caused the crash and stress that most accidents result from a cocktail of factors. For many people who've survived COVID-19, the experience with the virus creates long-lasting trauma, even though they're the fortunate ones. Contracting the coronavirus can lead to social stigma, and symptoms can persist for weeks to months. For many people living through this, sharing their story is the only way they feel validated as they wait for researchers to wade through the unknowns. Here's what 11 survivors of COVID-19 want you to know about their experience. It's hard to grasp the severity of what you're going through. Stephen Lopez, a 69-year-old from Pleasantville, New York, needed at-home oxygen even after he was discharged but is now recovering well. Stephen Lopez didn't think he needed to be admitted to the hospital, but he's glad his family convinced him otherwise. (Courtesy of Stephen Lopez) "When I first got symptoms it was primarily a cough. A week later ... it suddenly took a turn for the worse. My temperature spiked to 104, and I became somewhat delirious," he told TODAY via email. "My wife shepherded me into an emergency room which, after initially being declined from, admitted me the next day. If I did not have family around I may have simply stayed home until it was too late to do anything." "I had no idea how sick I was and dont remember much from the several days before and after being admitted," he said. The coronavirus shouldn't be about politics. Two months ago, Jody Ross, 50, became one of the first 400 people in Minnesota to be diagnosed with COVID-19. Ross, who lives in Minneapolis, told TODAY via email that she still has chest pain and only recently became strong enough to exercise again. "Because I am so focused on healing, I have chosen to limit my consumption of media. COVID-19 isnt political for me; it is my lived experience," she wrote. "I am doing my best to be part of the solution ... I would not wish it on anyone." Don't let your guard down yet. Diana Berrent, 45, founder of Survivor Corps, an organization that virtually unites people who've had COVID-19, told TODAY that her symptoms began in early March. Story continues "Act as if you are already infected and every single person you could infect is either your best friend or your grandmother," Berrent, who lives in Port Washington, New York, advised. "This is not a time to let your guard down." She also stressed the importance of doing your own contact-tracing if you think you're sick: "Make sure everybody you know that you could've inadvertently exposed is tested and quarantined. It should be every persons goal to be the end line of that infection." Related: Take the pandemic seriously before it hurts you or a loved one. Mom of two Lisa Markarian, 60, of Lake Bluff, Illinois, told TODAY that she, her husband and daughter were sick at the same time. Two of her close friends died from COVID-19. "Do people have to have something happen to them to get this?" she said. "I'd hope that even if I was a person who didn't experience the loss that I have and the illness ... I'd take it very, very seriously just for everybody's health ... so we can all get on with our lives, so we can all be well." It's much worse than the flu. Lisa Markarian's daughter, 25-year-old Nuvair Markarian, told TODAY via email her symptoms were "so much worse than a common flu," and that she's been struck by how scared people are of her now. "I started getting questioned after getting it," she wrote. "People in my life asking all of the places Ive been, last time I was out, specific dates of feeling sick and my symptoms. It didnt feel like it was coming from a place of concern ... No conversation, just questions. Even though I hadnt seen them already for a while, it felt like they thought just knowing me meant they would get it." We need to keep our humanity. Yvette Paz, 30, who lives in Huntington Beach, California, became a viral star after she posted a Facebook video from the hospital, which got 27,000 views overnight, she told TODAY. She received a lot of support, but the negative responses, including online hate groups, stuck with her. Yvette Paz is giving back to her community after her coronavirus diagnosis by donating plasma and participating in food drives. (Courtesy of Yvette Paz) "The mental drain of that has been just as tough, if not more so, than the virus itself," she said. "The overall message to the entire world is not to lose our humanity ... Weve lost our ability to empathize and care for one another." There's a lot of suffering that isn't in the news. A 46-year-old from Oregon City, Oregon, Jennifer English, stressed that "theres thousands upon thousands of people isolated at home trying to fight this virus on their own ... People understand that people are dying because they see it on the news, but they dont see us in the middle ground who are struggling so much. " When Jennifer English went to the emergency room for her COVID-19 symptoms, she was treated Her own experience, she told TODAY, involved being treated poorly by medical professionals, which made her feel so much worse. "The first time I experienced (the stigma) was talking to my doctors," she said. "They made me feel like a pariah Its like people almost think that its our fault that we got sick." If you get sick, advocate for yourself. Abby Steiner, 35, a psychiatric nurse from Omaha, Nebraska, told TODAY that her medical background altered the way she was treated. "I cant imagine people going through this and not knowing what I know," she recalled. "Nothing against the doctor, but they didnt really know what to do or say ... Find a way to advocate for yourself, and explain whats going on and not let up on it." You can get sick even if you take precautions. Mark Kauzlarich, a 29-year-old in Brooklyn, New York, believes he was one of the first photojournalists to be infected with the coronavirus, and he worried that people he worked with would "hold it against" him and "say I took risks or couldn't be trusted," he told TODAY via email. "So I wanted to say it loud and clear, (I did) all the things ... that I was supposed to do, and I still got sick," he said. "I wish people would make a conscious effort to remember that there's a human behind every mask, story, illness and death." Researchers and doctors are trying their best to find answers. Dr. Anna Marie Chang, 38, an emergency medicine physician in Philadelphia, knows what it's like to be hospitalized for COVID-19 and work on the front lines. She stressed to TODAY that the research coming out, even if it seems contradictory, isn't "misinformation." "This is the fastest, in some ways, that I've seen science move," she said. "As we get more studies and results, things are going to change. It's important for people to realize nobody is trying to hurt or trick anybody else. We're learning information as quickly as the public is." Be grateful. For Lukus Estok, 36, his perspective on COVID-19 is defined by living in New York, New York. Almost two weeks ago, Lukus Estok "From my perspective, there are two types of places in America: places who have been hit hard by the virus and places that should be grateful that they havent been," he told TODAY via email. "I want the general public to know how extraordinarily fortunate most of them are, not to have lived in the heart of the COVID-19 epicenter. The deaths. I really dont know what to say." BRASILIA, May 28 (Reuters) - Brazil's government is in talks with Congress about extending the emergency program to provide informal workers hit by the coronavirus crisis with three monthly payments of 600 reais ($112), but at a reduced level, Treasury Secretary Mansueto Almeida said on Thursday. Not only will any future payments likely be lower, those eligible for them should be the poorest and lowest-paid people, Almeida said in an interview with GloboNews. The program in its current guise will cost the Treasury 151.5 billion reais ($28.2 billion), according to the latest projections from government officials, up from 98.2 billion reais originally, then a revised 123.9 billion reais. That is due to there being more claims than forecast, with the unfolding health and economic crises likely to trigger the biggest annual downturn in gross domestic product since records began over a century ago. Deputy Economy Minister Marcelo Guaranys said on Tuesday that extending the emergency payments for informal workers at the current rate of 600 reais a month, or making them permanent, could bankrupt the country. Figures on Thursday showed that the government registered its biggest monthly budget deficit in history in April, with Almeida and his colleagues again warning that Brazil does not have room for much more fiscal stimulus and that the public finances must be fixed soon. ($1 = 5.35 reais) (Reporting by Marcela Ayres Writing by Jamie McGeever Editing by Alistair Bell) Advertisement A number of US states including Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee are inching closer to normality with the level of visits to restaurants and shopping malls nearing pre-pandemic levels, according to cellphone data. Data compiled by Google shows that more Americans are venturing out to restaurants, cafes and shopping malls in a number of states as COVID-19 restrictions continue to be lifted across the country. According to the most recent data released on Wednesday, visits to those places are currently only down one percent in Mississippi and Oklahoma. The data compares to a baseline level, which is based off average visits from a five week period in January and February before coronavirus took hold. The retail and recreation data accounts for restaurants, cafes, shopping centers, theme parks, museums, libraries and movie theaters. The data shows that visits to those venues are down two percent in Idaho and Arkansas, five percent in Alabama and six percent in Tennessee. According to the most recent Google data released on Wednesday, visits to restaurants and shopping malls are currently only down one percent in Mississippi and Oklahoma The data shows that visits to those venues are down two percent in Idaho and Arkansas The data shows that visits to those venues are down two percent in Idaho and Arkansas, five percent in Alabama and six percent in Tennessee. Pictured above is a pub in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 11 Missouri and South Carolina are only down seven percent, while Indiana, New Hampshire and Utah's visits to restaurants and retail venues are down eight percent. Wyoming, Alaska and Montana, which have among the lowest case and death counts in the country, are all down at least three percent. Separate GPS data compiled by SafeGraph, which is specific to foot traffic, also shows that visits are bars, shopping malls and sit down restaurants are continuing to increase as states gradually restart their economies by letting businesses reopen. It compares to the steep decline in mid-March when stay-at-home orders went into effect across 95 percent of the US and businesses were forced to temporarily close. Foot traffic to sit down bar, restaurants, shopping malls and coffee and snack bars appears to have increased the most since mid-April. The data, however, shows that Americans are still steering clear of movie theaters and airports. It shows the impact on commercial activity compared to the same period from previous years to share insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the economy and disrupted daily life. According to the foot traffic data, Mississippi, Wyoming, South Carolina, South Dakota and Montana are the states where levels are closest to being normal again. Visits to restaurants and retail venues are down five and six percent in Alabama and Tennessee respectively Missouri and South Carolina are only down seven percent, according to the Google data Indiana and New Hampshire's visits to restaurants and retail venues are down eight percent Visits are down eight percent in Utah and nine percent in West Virginia SOUTH CAROLINA: In South Carolina, visits to restaurants are down seven percent, according to the Google data. Restaurants in South Carolina were allowed to reopen from May 4 with outdoor seating only and strict social distancing. No formal restrictions were in place after May 11 Meanwhile, data from OpenTable's booking software shows that the average reservations and walk-ins at restaurant across the country are also showing signs of life. While all 50 states have at least partially reopened, not all have allowed restaurants to reopen. In the states where restaurants are allowed to offer dine-in service, the data shows a decline in bookings is now starting to slow. The latest data from Monday shows that Alabama's reservations are increasing the most. Reservations are now down just over 50 percent in the state compared to May 7 when they were still down 100 percent. Alabama allowed restaurants and bars to reopen on May 11 with 50 percent capacity. In Indiana, reservations are now down 54 percent compared to May 9 when they were down 100 percent. Restaurants in Indiana were allowed to reopen at 50 percent reduced capacity from May 11. Bookings in Indiana dropped off considerably in mid-March when the state's stay-at-home order was introduced. Rhode Island's reservations, which are currently down 58 percent, have jumped considerably in less than two weeks. That data shows that reservations were down 100 percent on May 15. Separate GPS data compiled by SafeGraph , which is specific to foot traffic, also shows that visits are bars, shopping malls and sit down restaurants are continuing to increase. The data, however, shows that Americans are still steering clear of movie theaters and airports Visits to sit down restaurants declined considerably in late March when stay-at-home measures were introduced in most states. Pictured above is the foot traffic visits this year compared to last year Visits to shopping malls also declined rapidly in late March when the majority were forced to close to stop the spread of COVID-19. Pictured above is the foot traffic visits this year compared to last year Foot traffic to sit down bar, restaurants, shopping malls and coffee and snack bars appears to have increased the most since mid-April In South Carolina, reservations are now down 56 percent compared to May 3 when they were down 100 percent. Restaurants in South Carolina were allowed to reopen from May 4 with outdoor seating only and strict social distancing. Indoor dining was permitted from May 8 with a suggested 50 percent reduced capacity. No formal restrictions were in place after May 11. Tennessee's reservations are now down 68 percent compared to April 29 when they were still down 100 percent. The state's restaurants were allowed to reopen with a limited 50 percent capacity from April 27. Reservations started to drop off in mid-March after President Trump's national address and travel ban advisory. The state's stay-at-home order wasn't initiated until April 1. While reservations in Oklahoma are still down 69 percent, they have been slowly increasing since April 30 when they were still down 100 percent. Restaurants in Oklahoma were allowed to start offering dine-in services from May 1 if they adhered to strict social distancing and sanitation protocols. In Texas, reservations are down 60 percent compared to April 29 when they were still down 100 percent. Restaurants in Texas were allowed to reopen at a 25 percent reduced capacity from May 1. Bookings slowly started dropping off in early March prior to the state's stay-at-home order being put in place on April 1. Data from OpenTable 's booking software shows that the average reservations and walk-ins at restaurant across the US is still down 86 percent but has gradually been increasing. It compares to the entire month of April where reservations were down 100 percent when lockdowns were in full effect In the states where restaurants are allowed to offer dine-in service, the data shows a decline in bookings is now starting to slow. Pictured above is the top 10 states where restaurant bookings are slowly rebounding Arizona's reservations are now down 61 percent compared to May 10 when they were still down 100 percent. The state allowed restaurants and coffee shops to reopen for dine-in services on May 11 if they limit occupancy and ensure social distancing for customers. Reservations are still down 62 percent in Connecticut and 64 percent in Kentucky but have slowly been increasing since May 12 when bookings were down 100 percent in both states. The data from OpenTable, which has about 60,000 restaurants on its platform, tracks walk-ins and online and phone reservations throughout the pandemic. Takeout figures are not included in the data. It used a sample size of about 20,000 restaurants in various states that typically account for the majority of its online reservations. Restaurants in most states started seeing a huge decline in the number of reservations in mid-March when COVID-19 infections started spiking across the country. The state-wide lockdown put in place across much of the country by late March saw reservations decline by 100 percent as restaurants were forced to close or switch to takeout only. The data shows a slight increase in reservations again at the end of April when several states started lifting their restrictions in a bid to kickstart their economies again. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Former teacher and convicted child molester Gary Gregor is facing yet another lawsuit filed on behalf of one of his former students. Last month, attorney Cammie Nichols filed suit on behalf of Jane Doe against Gregor, Espanola Public Schools and Ruby Montoya, who was principal at Fairview Elementary School during the 2008-2009 school year when the crimes described in the latest lawsuit are alleged to have occurred. I think its well known that sex abuse survivors who were abused by someone they were supposed to trust have a difficult time coming forward, and a lot of them never do, Nichols said of her client, who is now in her 20s. She is the 10th person Nichols has represented in cases involving Gregor, who also faced accusations of inappropriate contact with female students while a teacher with Santa Fe Public Schools. Gregor, 63, is serving a 108-year sentence at the Otero County prison for child molestation convictions involving three former Espanola elementary school students. Hes also facing trial in two other criminal cases charging him with sexually assaulting students in Santa Fe. The plaintiff in the latest lawsuit was a fourth grade classmate of two of Gregors victims, and many of the details outlined in the lawsuit were previously brought out at trial. Gregor favored girls over boys, and girls always served as class officers, who would assist him with grading papers and other tasks. Sometimes he would have the girls stay in the classroom during recess or at lunchtime and molest them, according to court documents. The latest lawsuit says that Gregors inappropriate touching of the girl began with his rubbing his hand on the her knee and thigh. Soon, Defendant Gregor started moving up her leg and gradually moved all the way to the top of the thigh. Then the touching got worse, the lawsuit says. Gregor would touch her private part, and this happened many times, causing the girl to stop wearing dresses, according to the lawsuit. It goes on to say that the girl saw a TV novella about a girl who had been sexually molested and later committed suicide. The show left a powerful impression on Jane Doe, and, having seen it, she knew that she didnt want to tell anyone what Defendant Gregor did to her, states the lawsuit. To this day, Jane Doe struggles with feelings of shame, depression, and worthlessness as a result of her sexual abuse by Defendant Gregor, and has a history of cutting herself to try to numb these feelings. Despite complaints from staff members, Montoya whose teacher husband was accused of molesting multiple girls at another school, resulting in $890,000 in settlements, and is a friend of Gregors failed to do much to curb his behavior, according to court documents. Neither she nor the school district notified the police or the Children, Youth and Families Department of the allegations against the teacher. It was a parent of one of Gregors other victims who first contacted police. The lawsuit calls for a jury trial and seeks for the plaintiff to be awarded an unspecified amount of actual and punitive damages. Lawsuits against Gregor have rendered more than $20 million in payments to victims. U.S. Attorney General William Barr. Alex Wong/Getty Images Attorney General William Barr has tapped an outside prosecutor to review "unmasking" issues related to the FBI's Russia investigation, a Justice Department spokesperson announced. Barr has asked US attorney John Bash to look into the matter as part of an investigation into the origins of the Russia probe being conducted by US attorney John Durham. Bash will be tasked with looking at instances of unmasking that occurred before and after the 2016 presidential election, the frequency, and who made the unmasking requests, DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec said. The inquiry "can shed light on and give us a better understanding of what happened with respect to President Trump, his campaign," and "what happened after he was elected as well," Kupec added. Barr's decision comes after President Trump and his allies have doubled down on allegations that Obama administration officials illegally "unmasked" the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn in intelligence reports. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Attorney General William Barr has tapped an outside prosecutor to review "unmasking" issues related to the FBI's Russia investigation, Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec announced Wednesday. "Unmasking" refers to the practice of revealing the identity of a US person whose name is incidentally collected in intelligence reports monitoring the communications of foreign agents. Barr has asked John Bash, the US attorney for the Western District of Texas, to look into the matter as part of an investigation into the origins of the Russia probe being conducted by John Durham, the US attorney for the District of Connecticut. Bash will be tasked with looking at instances of unmasking that occurred before and after the 2016 presidential election, the frequency, and who made the unmasking requests, Kupec said. The inquiry "can shed light on and give us a better understanding of what happened with respect to President Trump, his campaign," and "what happened after he was elected as well." Story continues The US intelligence community 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. But President Donald Trump and his allies have accused Obama administration officials of illegally unmasking former national security adviser Michael Flynn's name in intelligence reports in 2016 and 2017 monitoring the communications of Sergey Kislyak, then Russia's ambassador to the US. The conspiracy theory picked up steam this month when Richard Grenell, then 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. Former Vice President Joe 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 unmasked the former national security adviser's identity. But a Washington Post report last week 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 former national security adviser pleaded guilty in December 2017 to one count of lying to the FBI about his communications with Kislyak. But the Justice Department abruptly dropped its case against Flynn this month, arguing that it doesn't believe it can legally prosecute Flynn, even though he pleaded guilty and a federal judge ruled the plea to be admissible. 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. Last week, the bureau announced that FBI Director Christopher Wray has ordered an internal review of the Flynn investigation. 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, the bureau said in a statement. "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. Read the original article on Business Insider Take a number: Michigan retail stores and shopping malls are opening their doors this week to customers who make an appointment and adhere to social distancing requirements. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer authorized stores across the state to serve up to 10 customers at one time starting Tuesday, bringing back non-essential retailers who spent the better part of three months barred from doing normal business due to the coronavirus pandemic. The situation inside stores wont look like business as usual; masks and social distancing are required, many retailers expect to operate with reduced hours and staff and some prefer to promote online shopping or curbside pickup instead of seeing customers in person. In March, The Michigan Retailers Association reported the lowest hiring and sales figures ever recorded in 26 years of monthly business surveys. Nearly 90% of respondents to its March survey reported sales declines from the previous month. The April report is not yet available but is expected to be much worse. Stores missed out on reliably strong sales days during the Memorial Day weekend, but Michigan Retailers Association president Bill Hallan said the reopening is just in time for busy summer months. However, Hallan said not every business is ready to open their doors to the public. Some have had trouble procuring necessary PPE, some may have a family member that is immunocompromised and they just want to take a safe and measured approach, Hallan said. Were telling them, if youre not ready to open thats OK. Many retailers have been preparing and theyve been doing so for several weeks ... If they are ready, they should be able to open, and were glad that day has finally come. Like many other aspects of public life transformed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which killed 5,266 Michigan residents as of Tuesday, a return to normalcy is being weighed against the health of customers and employees. Annabelles Couture, a womens fashion boutique in Berkley, opened Wednesday for customers who schedule appointments online or over the phone. Owner Patti Brock is a one-woman operation -- she stayed afloat throughout the shutdown by delivering online orders herself. Im so excited about it and yet very tenuous about it because I dont know whats going to happen, Brock said. I dont know how this is gonna go until were in it, just like this whole thing has sort of progressed. Less than five miles away, Boston Tea Room owner Heatherleigh Navarre is choosing to keep her eclectic Ferndale business closed. Navarre is concerned about the safety of her employees -- she said many workers fit demographics hit hardest by COVID-19 -- but also needs more time to train staff on new best practices, rearrange her sales floor and acquire personal protective equipment. We cant just get a note from the governor that says OK you can reopen and then be ready to do that within days, Navarre said. If youve been sheltering in place for 10 weeks or so, the idea of all of a sudden showing up at work and opening your door to 10 strangers at a time can be frankly kind of traumatizing. Navarre plans to open her doors to in-person shopping on June 15, the Monday after Whitmers broader safer-at-home order expires. I know that if I opened my doors there would be customers, but it just doesnt feel like the right thing to do at this particular time, she said. Several malls in metro Detroit announced plans to reopen this week with reduced hours and new safety measures. Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills and Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi will reopen by appointment Thursday, while Somerset Collection in Troy announced plans to open Friday. Twelve Oaks Mall anticipates its tenants to come back slowly, a spokesperson said. Less than half of the businesses in the mall chose to reopen this week. Twelve Oaks is implementing a more robust cleaning regimen prioritizing on high traffic areas and offering tenants an online tool to schedule shopping appointments. Great Lakes Crossing Outlets is removing furniture from seating areas and food courts and closing childrens play areas as part of its enhanced safety practices. Several businesses are choosing to keep curbside pickup operations instead of allowing customers inside their stores. Dancing Eye Gallery, a prominent curated gift shop in downtown Northville, reopened Tuesday. Owner Theresa Schierloh said window shoppers were previously able to purchase handmade items by staying outside, but its not the preferred experience. People really love to come into the store and just kind of wander around and discover things for themselves, Schierloh said. Grocery stores, pharmacies and hardware retailers were among a small class of businesses deemed essential and allowed to remain open throughout the viral outbreak. Hallan said many of the hygiene practices implemented in those stores can be easily adopted in smaller outlets. Making changes can require an expensive investment. Navarre said she spent $1,000 on touchless hand sanitizer pumps and $2,000 on plexiglass shields to keep cashiers protected from airborne droplets that can spread the virus from person to person. Its just not as easy as just unlocking the door and saying hey come on in,' theres really a lot of physical work thats going to go into getting it ready to reopen, she said. Navarre said several of her supply orders will take weeks to arrive, likely due to the increased demand for personal protective equipment nationwide. She expects to drop more cash on face coverings and signage that explains social distancing guidelines to customers. Meanwhile, sales at the Boston Tea Room have dropped 87% during the last 10 weeks. Navarre is fortunate to have several months of operating revenue saved up for an emergency, but some of that went toward a massive remodeling last fall. There are a lot of (retailers) in survival mode, so I consider myself very lucky, Navarre said. Schierlohs business was able to access a federal loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration, which helped offset some of her revenue losses. Im not planning on going anywhere, Schierloh said. It is hard but you just make it work however, you can make it work. Its not an ideal situation. I know people hate the expression, but it is what it is right now. Enforcing social distancing requirements is another concern expressed by business owners. Several viral videos recorded across the country in recent weeks show retail workers engaged in heated interactions with customers who refuse to wear masks or follow social distancing rules. A 43-year-old man was killed trying to convince a customer to wear at a Flint Family Dollar. Navarre said retail workers cant always count on shoppers to do the right thing. Am I going to put a 23-year-old employee at my front door to be the enforcer for wearing masks? Absolutely not, Navarre said. Hallan is asking customers to show some patience with retailers trying to adapt to the new way of doing business and advising retailers to call police if customers refuse to comply with social distancing requirements. Whitmers order allows people who are medically unable to wear a face mask to avoid doing so. Our retailers arent trained in de-escalation tactics, and quite frankly its dangerous and it could be a liability if they do get involved, Hallan said. Whitmer allowed retailers to reopen three days after she reopened all restaurants and shops in the Upper Peninsula and in several counties in the northern portion of the Lower Peninsula. Hallan expressed disappointment that all stores werent able to open before the Memorial Day holiday weekend, and has been vocal in pushing the governor to lift restrictions on occupancy. The problem is, if you keep these standards on for too long, were not sure how many retailers are going to be able to come back, Hallan said. Hallan said businesses have had a difficult time navigating the changes required by Whitmers numerous executive orders, some of which created confusion among retailers. The governors latest order doesnt clearly define how retailers should arrange appointments, for one example. Occupancy standards also created some uncertainty, Hallan said. Stores with less than 50,000 square feet of customer floor space must limit the number of people in the store to 25% of whats allowed under the fire code. Larger stores must limit the number of customers to four people per 1,000 square feet. Weve had to do a lot of communication with our members to say okay, youre located here, this is your type of business and this is your store size, so this is the standard that applies to you today, Hallan said. But that could change tomorrow. The COVID-19 shutdown has caused serious financial difficulties for larger retailers that were having issues before the pandemic. Several retailers, many based in malls, are shutting down businesses across the country, including Pier 1 Imports and JCPenny. Hallan said the reopening in Michigan is vital to helping businesses large and small weather the economic impacts of COVID-19. People have been quarantined for a long time and I think, honestly, theyre getting ready to get out into the world again and start spending their hard earned dollars, Hallan said. If we can get business going again, hopefully, itll be a very strong summer. 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. More on MLive: Michigan extends food assistance program during coronavirus pandemic Lt. Gov. says Trump is preparing to question Michigans 2020 election results if he loses Gyms sue Gov. Whitmer in bid to reopen, overturn stay-at-home order Tuesday, May 26: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan BUDAPEST Hungarys far-right government under Prime Minister Viktor Orban has for a decade demonized his long list of perceived enemies, including Muslim migrants, George Soros, Brussels, civil society, homeless people, foreign universities, Roma families and an independent press. Yet with migration fading as a potent issue, and with the world struggling to manage the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Orbans government has shifted its focus to another perceived threat: transgender people. In a law that legal observers believe is the first of its kind in Europe, Hungary will now tie an individuals gender to the persons sex and chromosomes at birth, restricting later modifications on official documents. The bill was signed into law this week by President Janos Ader. This law is unparalleled in Europe, said Bea Bodrogi, a Hungarian lawyer representing 23 transgender applicants to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of the Transvanilla Transgender Association, an advocacy group. This goes against all international and national human rights standards: right to privacy, right to self-determination, right to human dignity. According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 62,334 health care workers in the United States have been infected with COVID-19 and at least 291 have died. Just six weeks ago, on April 17, the CDC said infections among health care workers totaled 9,282, with 27 fatalities. The CDC admits that these numbers are likely an underestimation because only 21 percent of those who are infected identify their profession. In addition, there are low testing rates among health care providers, with the National Nurses United reporting that only 16 percent of nurses surveyed in a recent nationwide study had been tested. Amidst climbing infection rates, banners hailing health care heroes drape parking garages, lawn signs and water bottles are passed out for national nurses week, and saccharine messages from hospital CEOs clog work email inboxes. Les infirmieres du Minnesota ont proteste le 20 mai au capitole de lEtat pour exiger des EPI et la fin des licenciements de represailles But the widespread employer and governmental neglect of hospital worker safety cannot be disguised. Respiratory therapists, physicians, residents, medical scribes, nurses, lab technicians, nurse assistants, social workers, physical therapists and occupational therapists are in and out of patients rooms on an hourly basis. Without the proper protection or protocol, each exam, lab draw, bed linen change, medication pass or nebulizer treatment is a potential moment of exposure putting workers and patients at significant risk. Health care personnel who work with patients with known COVID-19 infections as well as workers maintaining other medical services throughout the pandemic are facing unsafe conditions. In some areas, these conditions are worsening as states reopen, elective surgeries are restarted and hospital infection control policies and procedures are relaxed amidst the blaring and false proclamation that the pandemic is virtually over. The National Nurses United study collected data from 23,000 nurses across the country, with results spanning April 15 to May 10 and questions focused on dangerous health care conditions. Eighty-seven percent of nurses report reusing single-use respirators or surgical masks. Before COVID-19, this practice was unheard of. Masks were disposed of after each patient encounter and removed with evidence-based techniques that reduce chances of contamination. Now, nurses place their surgical masks in their scrub pockets during lunch breaks or reuse an N95 for up to a week, placing it in a brown bag at the end of the shift. Additionally, the fit of N95 masks, which must be sized correctly for each individuala process called fit testing that health care workers go through annuallyis compromised after multiple uses and can fail to protect the wearer after multiple days of use. Twenty-eight percent of respondents reported being forced to reuse decontaminated N95 respirators while working with confirmed COVID-19 patients, a process that has not yet been scientifically deemed safe or effective. It is well known that inadequate PPE puts hospital workers at an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19. After known exposure, there are certain steps that must be taken to mitigate further spread. While policies and procedures vary hospital to hospital, the CDC recommends that any health care worker exposed to a known COVID-19 case without PPE should self-quarantine for 14 days, seeking testing only if symptomatic. If wearing proper PPE, health care workers resume work as normal, seeking testing or self-quarantining only if symptoms arise. These recommendations are truly just recommendations, with no legal implications for hospitals that do not follow these specific policies. The recommendations are also inadequate and do not account for the well known fact that the virus can be transmitted pre-symptomatically and asymptomatically. Workers are often unaware of exposure. Most hospitals do not have a system to retroactively alert workers who had close contact with a patient who tested positive days later on a different unit or once returned home. Hospitals that do have such a system are overloaded with cases and often unable to reach workers by phone for several days to a week, a time during which that worker has interacted with tens or hundreds of patients or coworkers. Under the pretense that the worst of the pandemic has passed, policies that once benefited a lucky fewproviding paid time off or hazard pay for infected or exposed workershave been withdrawn. The conditions facing health care workers during the pandemic are the product of a decades-long social counterrevolution in which the health care infrastructure has been pushed to the brink in the interests of enriching a tiny oligarchy. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, rural hospitals hemorrhaged funding; nursing shortages and unsafe staffing ratios pushed nurses across the country to protest; and deep cuts to Medicaid created provider shortages and spiraling health care costs. Since the onset of the pandemic, hospital workers have protested lack of PPE and unsafe conditions. As Latin America becomes the new epicenter of the virus, protests by medical workers have spread across Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Honduras in recent weeks, raising the same basic concerns, including the lack of adequate personal protective equipment, medicines, respirators, testing and personnel. Monica Norberg (a gauche), infirmiere de lunite COVID, licenciee lors du rassemblement de Saint-Paul, Minnesota In the US, health care workers across the country have reported being reprimanded or fired for speaking out against conditions in their hospitals that put their lives and their patients lives at risk. While unions have organized a number of the protests, they have predictably worked to channel anger back behind the Democratic Party, which has long worked with the giant hospital chains, insurance companies and other health care corporations to slash costs, reduce staff and increase the exploitation of health care workers. Whatever their tactical differences with Trump, the Democrats are equally committed to the reckless reopening of the economy and lifting of social distancing measures, even as a new surge of patients overwhelms intensive care units in Mississippi and other states. The class interests the Democrats serve were on display this week when New York Governor Andrew Cuomowho recently signed a budget bill that provided legal protections to nursing home operatorsrang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. With the national death toll continuing to rise and the need for health care workers greater than ever, nearly 1.5 million health care workers lost their jobs in March and April. While a majority of those laid off worked at dental practices and smaller outpatient practices, some mass layoffs occurred at hospitals overrun with COVID-19 patients. At the same time, as part of the bipartisan CARES Act, the Department of Health and Human Services has granted $72 billion (with plans to disperse an additional $100 billion) to hospital groups, largely favoring some of the wealthiest institutions. A Kaiser Family Foundation study recently found that hospitals with a higher share of private insurance revenue received roughly twice as much CARES Act funding as poorer hospitals serving primarily Medicaid patients. As large sections of the working class, including the health care heroes, have been forced to put their lives and their families lives at risk, the political establishment has come together to give a limitless amount of funds to the largest corporations. In response, health care workers should form rank-and-file safety committees to oversee health and safety conditions in their workplaces and fight to implement those measures necessary to protect health care workers and patients, regardless of the cost to the corporations bottom line. The fight to defend the day-to-day interests of workers must be fused with the development of a powerful political movement of the working class to fight for socialism, including the replacement of for-profit medicine and with a system of socialized health care. Port Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Henceforth, hospitalised patients with COVID-19 will be informed as regards the risks and secondary effects of hydroxychloroquine and will be administered the medication only with their written consent The event marked an important milestone in the construction process of The Marq, only a year after the completion of the foundation and basements, the project has quickly completed the structural construction works, preparing to enter the finishing stage. Located in the heart of District 1, The Marq attracts savvy local and foreign investors not only by its prime location, luxurious interior finishes, and resort-style amenities but also by its committed construction progress and guaranteed quality. To create a high-class living space right at the heart of the city, Hongkong Land and An Khang have gathered a team of excellence, including Coteccons, a leading brand in Vietnam to act as the main contractor of the project since May 2019. The topping-out ceremony of The Marq marked Coteccons' completion of the building carcase With more than 15 years of expertise and impressive construction capacity, Coteccons has affirmed its leading position in the field of construction, from commercial buildings to high-end residential projects. For The Marq, Coteccons shows not only its dedication, enthusiasm, professionalism, and innovative ideas to complete The Marq with top quality, but also its pride in working with Hongkong Land, a reputable regional developer, to create one of the most desirable living spaces with quality comparable to luxury projects in Bangkok, Jakarta, Singapore, Manila, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Within 130 years of experience and a track record of high-quality developments across Asia, Hongkong Land, in cooporation with local developer An Khang, is confident to make The Marq a unique project of the highest quality, which is consistent with their trademark quality provided across the Vietnamese property market. Once completed, The Marq will welcome 515 discerning homeowners to an inspiring living space of unparalleled elegance and style in the heart of one of Southeast Asia's busiest and most dynamic cities. The quality of the interior at The Marq is comparable to Hongkong Lands luxury projects in Bangkok, Jakarta, Singapore, Manila, Shanghai, and Hong Kong (China) The Marq utilizes high-class materials such as marble floors in the dining and living rooms, marble walls and floors in the bathrooms, marble kitchen countertops; branded kitchen appliances from Kuppersbusch; as well as sanitary wares and fittings from Axor and Duravit. Meanwhile, select four-bedroom units are designed with impressively high ceilings in the living room with separate service aisles, imported kitchen cabinetry, and private elevator landing. Compared to the standard 2.7m ceiling design in the market, the interior heights of of 3.2m and even 6.9m in the living area of select four-bedroom units at The Marq is bringing a new experience to owners. It is hard to express in words the breathtaking views of the city, which residents can admire from the open living room. In celebrating the topping-out achievement, The Marq is holding a special sales promotion to its customers. The project is expected to be handed-over by February 2022. WASHINGTON House Democrats slammed federal health officials Wednesday, calling a report on the racial breakdown of cases and deaths from the coronavirus "pitiful" and saying it hurts efforts to target resources to communities of color. We deserve to know the facts and have quality analysis, said U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, a Democrat from Illinois and chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. Once again, they are showing us they just dont care. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is required under the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act to submit a report to Congress with racial data related to COVID-19, including cases, deaths and hospitalizations. But Kelly and other lawmakers complained that the recently released four-page report doesnt provide much new information and doesnt do enough to show the national impact of disparities in communities of color. 'People are really suffering': Black and Latino communities help their own amid coronavirus crisis This report is not only completely unacceptable, it is a joke, said Rep. Judy Chu, noting that testing is not broken down by race or ethnic group. Chu, chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said there is information about the hospitalization rates for whites, blacks and Hispanics, but not other groups, including Native Americans and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Rep. Judy Chu, chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, called a recent CDC report on the racial breakdown of coronavirus cases and deaths a "joke." In the middle of this crisis, time is of the essence, said Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. For months, members of congressional caucuses representing communities of color, along with community activists, have called for federal health officials to track and release racial data of people testing positive for the coronavirus and those who died from it. President Donald Trump vowed earlier this year that the CDC would do just that, but so far only a few states have released racial information. Story continues Early data released by those states and counties show communities of color, including African Americans, Native Americans and Latinos, are dying at a disproportionately higher rate compared with whites. The outbreak has put a magnifying glass on disparities in Indian Country, said Rep. Deb Haaland, co-chair of the Native American Caucus. You cant get resources to where theyre needed most if you dont have correct data, said the Democrat from New Mexico. The other COVID-19 risk factors: How race, income, ZIP code can influence life and death Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said while there has been anecdotal data about the disparity, it's important to have the actual racial breakdown and at the national level. This is about saving lives, said Pressley, a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. When we have a congressional mandate and they provide us with an insulting cut-and-paste hyperlink report, with antiquated hyperlinks at that, its infuriating. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat from Massachusetts, attended a March 11, 2020 hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on the government response to the coronavirus. Pressley has called on federal health officials to track and compile racial data of coronavirus cases and deaths. CDC officials said earlier some of data had not been complete and some had not been submitted by states. They said Wednesday the agency is "leveraging all our available surveillance systems to monitor COVID-19 and protect vulnerable communities." The agency also said it's working to improve that data, including hospitalizations and mortality. But Rep. Karen Bass, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said the CDC could demand more reliable information from states. It is a question of political will and its a question of leadership from the top, said Bass, a Democrat from California. Follow Deborah Berry on Twitter @dberrygannett This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Democrats rip CDC's 'pitiful' report on racial disparity Credit: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington After weeks of keeping people home to "flatten the curve," restrictions on U.S. businesses are loosening and the coronavirus pandemic response is moving into a new phase. Two things will be critical to keep COVID-19 cases from flaring up again: widespread testing to quickly identify anyone who gets the virus, and contact tracing to find everyone those individuals might have passed it to. It's a daunting task, but states are working hard to take the necessary steps to reopen safely. When Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, explained that task to the U.S. Senate recently, he pointed to South Carolina as a model for the country, one that he would "almost like to clone." So, what is South Carolina getting right? Part of it has to do with contact tracing. Since early March, when South Carolina's first coronavirus case surfaced, investigators have reached out to every person who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the state, and all of the people they came into close contact with. To help prevent the virus from spreading farther, they hired 1,800 additional workers who will follow up with those contacts each day for 14 days to make sure they haven't become ill. Fauci's compliment didn't surprise me. I spent the first nine years of my career as a public health microbiologist in South Carolina at the Department of Health and Environmental Control's State Public Health Laboratory. South Carolina already had disease reporting requirements in place and the cutting-edge laboratory technology needed for testing. Together with skilled epidemiologists, these laid the groundwork for an effective response to a pandemic that, nationwide, has now claimed more than 100,000 U.S. lives. Knowing where to look The first step was scaling up testingfast. To find and contain the virus, officials need to know where to look. South Carolina is poised to conduct 220,000 tests in May and June, close to the total for the previous three months combined, with a goal of testing 2% of the population. That's still a low percentage, but it's only an initial goal in the push to test more people. According to the Safra Center at Harvard University, testing between 2% and 6% of the population, coupled with effective contact tracing afterward, will be required to control the pandemic. Partnering with private entities is an important part of how South Carolina has been able to ramp up testing and process those tests quickly. Prisma Health, the state's largest health care system, and the Medical University of South Carolina have facilitated a large portion of the state's testing, including providing the resources to collect thousands of samples at pop-up testing sites. These community testing sites are initially focused on providing free screening and testing to underserved and rural communities across the state. The state is also working with partners across the state to provide testing for every nursing home resident by the end of May. Coronavirus contact tracing in action What happens after the diagnosis is crucial for changing the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once a positive case is identified, testing labs are required by law to report that patient's contact information to the state health department. Case investigators then interview every person who tests positive for SARS-CoV-2, as they have been doing since the outbreak began. Data released May 27, 2020. Credit: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington These interviews can be lengthy, and they require staff with excellent interpersonal communication skills and training. The interviewers help patients recall their activities in the previous days and identify people they came in close contact with starting 48 hours before the onset of symptoms. Sometimes patients can't recall specifics, or know only that they've been to a certain restaurant or event. In these cases, the investigation can take much longer as the health department tracks down event participants or alerts restaurant patrons that they may have been exposed when visiting during a particular time period. The investigators also help patients understand what self-isolation means and what they'll need to do to self-isolate for 10 days from the start of their symptoms. The contacts who are identified during the case interview then go into a work queue for follow-up by contact tracers. Contact tracers want to reach these contacts before they spread the virus farther. There isn't much time. The respiratory symptoms of coronavirus take, on average, five to six days to appear, but they can take as long as 14 days, and a person can be shedding the virus during that time and getting more people sick. Finding those people quickly and isolating them is critical. One study found undocumented infections caused about 80% of China's documented cases. Following up every day with a 'virtual handshake' Tracers next alert these contacts that they may have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and advise them to self-quarantine for 14 days. This includes limiting their activities by staying home as much as possible and wearing a mask if they must go out. Once fully staffed and adequately trained, contact tracers will follow up even more often, performing a "virtual handshake" with each identified contact every day for 14 days to ensure that those individuals are monitoring symptoms and taking precautions not to spread the illness. This could be a phone call or a quick text to check on symptoms. In the future, contact tracing and follow-up could be performed digitally via cellphone apps like those being used in other countries. South Carolina was one of three states to announce on May 20 that they were partnering with Google and Apple to develop ways to use new smartphone technology designed to quickly notify people when they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus. The technology has drawbacks, but it could provide quick notifications if people widely adopt it. No matter the method, daily communication is key so state health officials know if that person becomes ill during the 14-day window. Testing can then be arranged and, if positive, the case investigators start the process again with a detailed interview to locate the next ring of contacts. How many contact tracers are enough? Contact tracing is an important piece of the puzzle to reopening the economy without triggering a spike in coronavirus cases and overwhelming the medical system. The CDC and George Washington University recommend states have 30 tracers for every 100,000 residents. South Carolina's 1,800 contact tracers meet that target. These tracers are a combination of newly hired Department of Health and Environmental Control staff and staff retained through private staffing companies. Members of the public have also expressed an interested in helping with contact tracing, and may be used if future need arises. Will this workforce, coupled with an increase in test availability, be robust enough to contain a rebound in cases? This answer will depend on the responsiveness of public health authorities and the willingness of the citizens of the state to self-isolate and quarantine. Swift action by both will be needed to save lives. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A member of the NDC Communication team in the Bono Region, Eric Adjei has said his party cannot support an Electoral body which has proved they act per decisions taken by government. He said the current Electoral Commission (EC) under President Akufo-Addo has made it clear that it takes decisions in consonace with the party that brought its Head into power. "We won't support decisions by the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, because her actions are like a child being sent by her father to buy a particular item, therefore, she refuses all other suggestions from third parties," he said. According to him, no decision since the Appointment of the new EC boss has conformed to the electoral laws of the country or the office she occupies. "It has gone to the extent that the EC boss talks and no other stakeholder can talk back at her. They (EC) now choose the number of persons from a political party to represent its group for their meetings, which was not formerly done. We won't waste our time to attend their meetings since they have refused to be truthful," he said on UTV's 'Adekye Nsroma' programme. He reitirated that the Electoral Commission is not in a position to let the NDC disobey the COVID-19 precautionary measures announced by the President and the Ghana Health Service. Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi, [email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The U.S. Capitol is reflected in the Capitol Reflecting Pool shortly after midnight in Washington on Feb. 5, 2020. (Daniel Pierce Wright/Getty Images) President Trump Is Right: Dont Renew FISA Commentary President Donald Trump took to Twitter on May 26 to express his growing concern about the coming vote in Congress to renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) program. I hope all Republican House Members vote NO on FISA until such time as our Country is able to determine how and why the greatest political, criminal, and subversive scandal in USA history took place! The president is right. There have been two major developments in the past six months that call the entire idea of such surveillance powers into serious question. A damning report from Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz released on Dec. 9, 2019, revealed how FBI officials bluffed their way to a FISA warrant to spy on the Trump campaign, even while not having evidence to support such surveillance. These same FBI officials then had that fraudulent warrant renewed three times, based on the same flawed information. In theory, the standard for getting a surveillance warrant to spy on an American citizen should be very high. Thats one of the chief reasons the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was created in the first place in 1978, at the height of the Cold War. It was understood there needed to be a delicate balance between spotting and surveilling foreign spies and agents operating on U.S. soil, while at the same time protecting the civil liberties and rights of American citizens. But it has become clear that there is recent abuse of the FISA system; this has been documented by both former NSA Director Adm. Mike Rogers and Horowitz. Disturbed by the behavior of the FBI officials in the case of Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, Horowitz announced immediately after the release of his report on Dec. 9 that his office was going to go back and review other FISA cases to ensure DOJ and FBI procedures were properly followed. Horowitz subsequently released another damning report in late March that clearly illustrated just how badly the FISA system was abused. In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray that prefaces the new report, Horowitz said: As an initial step in our audit, over the past 2 months, we visited 8 FBI field offices of varying sizes and reviewed a judgmentally selected sample of 29 applications relating to U.S. Persons and involving both counterintelligence and counterterrorism investigations. This sample was selected from a dataset provided by the FBI that contained more than 700 applications relating to U.S. Persons submitted by those 8 field offices over a 5-year period. The inspector general discovered, much to his horror, that there were violations of procedure in every one of the 29 FISA warrants it investigated as part of this review. Four of the surveillance cases of U.S. citizens reviewed by the OIG didnt even have the required-by-law Woods File, which is the file the case agents create to compile all the evidence supporting the claims made against the target. Heres how Horowitz broke the bad news to Wray in his summary letter: As a result of our audit work to date and as described below, we do not have confidence that the FBI has executed its Woods Procedures in compliance with FBI policy Our lack of confidence that the Woods Procedures are working as intended stems primarily from the fact that: (1) we could not review original Woods Files for 4 of the 29 selected FISA applications because the FBI has not been able to locate them and, in 3 of these instances, did not know if they ever existed; (2) our testing of FISA applications to the associated Woods Files identified apparent errors or inadequately supported facts in all of the 25 applications we reviewed, and interviews to date with available agents or supervisors in field offices generally have confirmed the issues we identified. That means besides the Page case, there are at least four other surveillance cases that were blatantly illegal. Who were the U.S. citizens in those cases, and what was the FBI claiming to the FISA Court about them without even bothering to try to verify any of the supporting evidence in the legally required Woods File? Instead of the FISA Court functioning as the intended sober safeguard against surveillance abuses, mounting evidence has revealed it to be a mere rubber stamp, giving federal officials filling out these shoddy warrants pretty much everything they asked for without any real oversight or pushback. And whats becoming all too apparent is that bad actors inside federal agencies took full advantage. And now, due to documentary evidence being declassified, people such as Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) have been vindicated, and some of his former critics are now joining him in raising the alarm about this massive scandal. The sheer weight of the emerging evidence has demonstrated that what should have been impossible did indeed happen. Every single safeguard, every one of the barriers to prevent politically motivated spying was successfully subverted. And this could only have been done from inside the system. FISA is now up for renewal, and after what Horowitz uncovered in these two explosive reports, theres no way a responsible government can move forward to continue to allow the FISA system to operate without very real and serious reforms. Brian Cates is a writer based in South Texas and author of Nobody Asked For My Opinion But Here It Is Anyway! He can be reached on Twitter @drawandstrike. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Chinese president Xi Jinping and premier Li Keqiang, right, singing the national anthem at the opening of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People on May 22, 2020 in Beijing, China. BEIJING Chinese Premier Li Keqiang used a key meeting Thursday to highlight the opportunities China offers to foreign businesses, in the wake of the coronavirus shock to the global economy. His comments come as tensions between the U.S. and China continue to escalate. "We believe that all members of the global community should pull together in a sense of partnership to prevail over the current difficulty," Li said after China's annual parliamentary meeting concluded, according to an official English translation of his Mandarin-language remarks. He reiterated would China would open its markets further to foreign businesses, and how Beijing and Washington should continue to find ways to work together, despite differences that have arisen. "We have all along rejected the 'cold war' mentality and decoupling among two major economies will do neither side no good and it is also harmful for the whole world," Li said. "I believe economic cooperation and trade between our two countries should continue to follow business rules," he said. "We should leave the decision to the market and to business leaders." The highlights for the roughly week-long National People's Congress meeting included discussions on economic priorities and stimulus, and the passing of a new legislation on Hong Kong. The high-level annual meeting comes as China faces the new challenges brought on by the coronavirus epidemic. Li, the country's second-in-command, spoke with reporters following the closing ceremony of the NPC, which typically takes place in March. This year, however, the meeting was postponed due to the virus outbreak. A 13-year-old boy from California City College graduates with four associate degrees making him the youngest to graduate in Fullerton College, according to a recently published article. Difference between Associate Degree and Bachelor's Degree It takes years of hard work and perseverance before a person can earn an associate's degree. Traditionally, this is a two-year program that is offered to selected students to help them prepare for taking a bachelor's degree. On the other hand, a Bachelor's Degree is usually a four-year degree cour that offers a more advanced study. This is usually offered by colleges and universities both in private and government-controlled schools. It is also worthy to take an Associate's Degree because you only need to spend two years finishing the program, unlike the Bachelor's Degree on which you need to spend four years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people who have the Associate's Degree have more chance of getting a job than a person who has not yet finished his or her Bachelor's Degree. 13-Year-Old Boy Graduates with Four Associates Degree Jack Rico is just 13 years old and now he has earned four Associate Degrees from Fullerton College in California. So far, he is the youngest to graduate in the community college with four Associate Degrees. A very historical event in his life and the school. Additionally, he started schooling in the community college at the age of 11 years old. He spent just two years in getting the four Associate Degrees. That could be academically stressful but the boy proves that age does not matter in education. There is always a way if there are a will and determination. However, Rico cannot celebrate his historical success like the traditional graduation ceremonies because the mass gathering is not allowed due to the global pandemic COVID-19. But, to make Rico feel his milestone achievement, his parents decided to hold a special drive-by celebration on Wednesday. What is the Next Plan of Rico? Jack Rico is still young and there are more opportunities that are waiting for him. He could get high-paying jobs in the future as his age qualifies for it. Meantime, he also has the chance to improve more his knowledge and skills. In a recently published article, Rico said: "I'm 13, so I don't want to rush everything. I'm still trying to figure it out, but I just want to focus on learning right now. That's what I love to do," It is amusing to know that a 13-year-old boy wants to focus on learning instead of playing mobile games and the likes. Meanwhile, he also shared that he might continue and get a bachelor's degree in the fall at the University of Nevada which has given him a full scholarship. even if he will not continue, the future of the child is very clear. Amid the global pandemic, it is very important to hear some good news. Every day, everyone hears about the negative impact of COVID-19 but there are more things to celebrate in life. Rico's success is an emblem that there are still joys to celebrate in the middle of a pandemic. Read related articles: Georgia Kousoulou has showered her boyfriend Tommy Mallet with gifts and organised a lavish balloon display as they celebrate his 28th birthday in lockdown. The TOWIE star, 28, admitted that while they should have been spending the day in Ibiza, she promised to make the day 'fun' after Covid-19 halted their original plans. Georgia shared a snap of her beau sat in front of the decorative display, which included a selection of blue and silver balloons covered in snaps of the couple. Love: Georgia Kousoulou has showered her boyfriend Tommy Mallet with gifts and organised a lavish balloon display as they celebrate his 28th birthday in lockdown Tommy appeared happy with his surprise as he smiled for the camera, wearing a grey zip-up jacket with a pair of matching shorts and black sliders. Georgia wrote alongside the image: 'Happy birthday to my @tommy_mallet !! I know we would normally of celebrated in Ibiza but I promise to make today fun. 'Thank you for everything you do for me and monkey .. we love you so much!!! You are the best !!!!' Happy birthday! The TOWIE star, 28, admitted that while they should have been spending the day in Ibiza, she promised to make the day 'fun' after Covid-19 halted their original plans Georgia also thanked the company who delivered the display, and said: 'Thank you so much @bestdayeventsco for bringing my vision to life !! You are so helpful & so professional .. thank you for contactless delivery too.' The reality star shared a further look at the display, as she shared a clip on her Instagram Story, showing the table littered with wrapped gifts. Tommy documented the day by sharing an image that simply said 'Chapter 28' on his Instagram page, as he welcomed another year. His pals including co-star Chloe Simms commented on the post to wish him a happy birthday. Georgia and Tommy first got together in 2014 after meeting while both starring on ITV reality show The Only Way Is Essex. New chapter! Tommy documented the day by sharing an image that simply said 'Chapter 28' on his Instagram page, as he welcomed another year Wow! The reality star shared a further look at the display, as she shared a clip on her Instagram Story, showing the table littered with wrapped gifts The couple now live together in their swanky Essex pad, after Georgia moved out of her parent's mansion to live with her longterm beau. Georgia was among the first of James Argent's pals to congratulate him after he spoke candidly about his drug addiction on Wednesday's episode of This Morning. After sharing his story, Arg was immediately flooded with congratulatory messages from his fellow TOWIE stars, with the likes of Georgia, Ferne McCann and Megan McKenna quick to praise him. Romance: Georgia and Tommy first got together in 2014 after meeting while both starring on ITV reality show The Only Way Is Essex You got this! Georgia was among the first of James Argent's pals to congratulate him after he spoke candidly about his drug addiction on Wednesday's episode of This Morning Arg confessed that he is finding recovery hard during lockdown, but has been contacting friends and family to help him through it. Appearing on the magazine show, the reality star admitted he 'hated' girlfriend Gemma Collins during the height of his addiction battle, as she refused to cover up for him. Realising now that she was doing the best for him, Arg reflected on his 'horrific' battle with drug and drink addiction. He confessed that he is finding recovery hard during lockdown, but has been contacting friends and family to help him through it. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 23:58:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait Airways will lay off 1,500 expatriate employees amid the ongoing travel downturn caused by COVID-19 and revenues at the airline in sharp decline, the company said on Thursday. In response to the coronavirus situation and its negative impact on its commercial operation, the company decided to lay off approximately 1,500 non-Kuwaiti employees, the company said in a statement, adding that the layoff plan involves employees across all departments. The company stressed that this difficult decision comes due to the current situation the company is facing in particular and the global aviation sector in general, where the impact of the coronavirus on the aviation industry is expected to continue. 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. Kuwait and China have been supporting each other and cooperated closely in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Kuwait donated medical supplies worth 3 million U.S. dollars to China at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, while China has been facilitating the procurement of medical supplies by Kuwait. On April 27, a team of Chinese medical experts visited Kuwait to assist the Arab country's anti-coronavirus fight, through sharing with Kuwaiti counterparts their experiences and expertise in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Enditem It could be years before North Sydney Council, led by mayor Jilly Gibson, manages to get a $60 million redevelopment of its local pool off the ground after a hamfisted planning process. Inside Georges River Council. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: But the mighty Georges River Council, which is nestled in the bosom of Scott Morrisons electorate of Cook, is close to bettering North Sydney in the pool controversy stakes. The council, led by former Labor racing minister Kevin Greene, was in an enviable position last year with ScoMo offering a $5 million federal government grant to rebuild the beloved Kogarah War Memorial Pool in Carss Park which was in danger of being closed down. It would have been a great vote winner with more than 10,000 locals signing a petition to save the swimming hole. The problem is, a council decision signed off this week means they're unlikely to be able to tap into the cash. The old pool, which was forced to close last July due to leaks, was one of four sites under consideration for a new aquatic centre. The bad news is that it lost out this week to nearby Todd Park. Slate is making its essential coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. On Monday, the Washington Post reported that cases of coronavirus infections among front-line workers in the food processing industry continue to surge. As the Post noted, the number of workers who have died from COVID-19 across the country has at least tripled, while the number who have been infected at three of the countrys largest meat processing companiesTyson Foods, Smithfield Foods, and JBSin the past month has increased from 3,000 to more than 11,000. As undocumented immigrants, many of these front-line workers faced the threat of both detention and deportation long before the pandemic began. And though the coronavirus did not create the dangerous plight of the immigrant essential worker, it certainly augmented it, adding the risk of infection to the immigration enforcement process. The story of Maria Domingo Garcia, an undocumented mother arrested in a raid and deported to Mexico, shines a spotlight on the suffering of many undocumented essential workers, forcing us to examine what it takes to put meat on American tablesand whom we are willing to sacrifice to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last August, Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the largest coordinated immigration raid in our countrys history, arresting 680 undocumented immigrants across seven food processing plants in central Mississippi. For Domingo Garcia, that morning in August was the last time that she saw her three children in person and that she was able to nurse her then 4-month-old daughter. After the raid, Domingo Garcia was taken 180 miles away from her family, where she was detained in LaSalle Detention Center in Jena, Louisiana. In December, she was deported to Mexico. When her plane touched down in Mexicothe country where she was born and maintains citizenshipDomingo Garcia planned to apply for the paperwork needed to return to Guatemala, where she lived from age 9 to 18, and where her mother was born. Her husband, a Guatemalan citizen who also has a deportation case pending in the U.S., planned to send their two youngest children to Guatemala so that they could reunite with their mother. Advertisement Advertisement But Domingo Garcia is now trapped in Mexico, where coronavirus-related regulations and delays make it impossible for her to see her children at any point in the near future. And with the current state of travel restrictions, bureaucratic processing, and endless unknowns, Domingo Garcias reunion with her family continues to be unclear. Advertisement When Domingo Garcia was working on the chicken disassembly line in August, no one could have imagined the impact that the novel coronavirus would have on every aspect of our daily lives. And we had yet to see how the virus would sweep through environments packed with people working in concentrated areas with inadequate sanitation and protection measuresplaces like the poultry plant at which Domingo Garcia worked, or the detention facilities in which she would be held. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before she was deported, every morning at 4 a.m., Domingo Garcia woke up to get ready for work. She left her home at 5:30 a.m., drove to the chicken plant, punched her timecard, fastened her white robe and apron, and donned iron gloves. She then spent the next eight hours wielding her knife to separate wings and legs from chicken bodies. Sometimes, she says, she had to process one chicken per minute. Other times, it would slow to one chicken per 10 minutes. With a median salary of $13.23 per hour, this type of work in poultry processing provided a better wage for Domingo Garcia than she was likely to have in Guatemala. The history of meatpacking plants shows a push and pull between laborersincluding immigrants and the many black workers, often women, who work alongside themand corporate interests. What has ultimately resulted is a large system of food processing plants throughout the U.S. that tend to thrive on the labor of people of color. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For undocumented workers, its not only the threat of joblessness and poverty that allows for their exploitation in these settings, but the perpetual and looming threat of deportation. Food processing plants have been the site of some of the largest immigration raids in U.S. history. The second largest immigration raid in the country took place at a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, in 2008, with media and reporters documenting the fallout that extended out into the decade. The Obama administration ceased these large-scale work raids in favor of more surreptitious methods of enforcement, but the Trump administration has returned to brutal large-scale work site raids, conducting multiple in 2019, including at a meatpacking plant in Bean Station, Tennessee, and another in Salem, Ohio. Advertisement Meanwhile, the job has become more dangerous in the era of COVID-19. Poultry processingin the disassembly line form that makes it so efficientminimizes spaces between employees and bathroom breaks and usually provides crowded spaces in which to eat and socialize. These markers for meatpacking efficiency are precisely what have made these spaces ideal for the transmission of the coronavirus. Scott Countywhere Domingo Garcia was employed and the site of last years most devastating ICE raidshad the highest per capita infection rate in Mississippi, according to a Reuters analysis. Reuters also found that about one-third of the cases in the county are among employees of chicken-processing plants. Across the United States, meanwhile, the New York Times reported that as of Wednesday, of the top 50 sites with the largest clusters of coronavirus infection, 13 of them are food processing plants. Of the remaining 37 sites, 32 of them are prisons, jails, and correctional facilities. While only 2,700 of the nations 146,000 prisoners in federal facilities have been tested, 70 percent of those tested were positive for COVID-19. Detention facilities mirror prison systems in multiple ways, including an incredible lack of testing (only 5 percent) and more detainees (51 percent) testing positive than negative for COVID-19. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indeed, COVID-19 has spread rapidly in facilities like the one in which Domingo Garcia was detained, LaSalle ICE Processing Center. In LaSalle, according to Domingo Garcia, she stayed in a room of 75 people, sleeping on bunk beds, and shared six bathrooms among those detained with her. As rates of coronavirus infection in Louisiana climbed, fear spread inside LaSalle. Multiple women, at least one of whom was detained at the same time as Domingo Garcia, were pepper-sprayed by guards after opposing the facilities lax regard for spacing and hygiene. This was not the only instance of guards using pepper spray on detainees in ICE facilities demonstrating against unsafe conditions that left them potentially exposed to the coronavirus. In Otay Mesa Center in California, detainees engaged in a hunger strike to protest their conditions. Advertisement Domingo Garcia, of course, was not in LaSalle to see her once-fellow detainees get pepper-sprayed. Instead, she was taken out of detention in December, one week before the emergence of a mysterious disease in Wuhan, China. Now months into the pandemic, the U.S. has failed to respond on the most basic level, placing the lives of many undocumented essential workers at risk and breaking apart families, all in the name of profit and policy. Advertisement Advertisement When Maria Domingo Garcia first found out about the coronavirus, she said that she wasnt worried about it. She had far more pressing things on her mind, like when and how she would see her family again. Now, reflecting from Mexico on the climbing rates of infection in her home state, Mississippi, she says: I worry for my kids and my husband, who are still there. And Im not there to care for my kids. If she were still there, she says, shed be able to make sure her children wash their hands. If children are not constantly reminded to wash their hands, she says, they forget. Hyderabad, May 28 : Covid-19 cases continued to soar in Telangana as the dreaded virus claimed four more lives and infected 117 more people on Thursday. There was no let up either in the number of deaths or new cases. The fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 67. According to the director of public health and family welfare, 49 more deportees from Saudi Arabia were among the people tested positive. As many as 66 locals and two migrants also tested positive. The overall tally of Covid-19 cases in the state mounted to 2,256. The authorities on Wednesday had announced that 94 deportees from Saudi Arabia had tested positive. Thursday's numbers pushed the figure to 143, making them the third biggest category after local cases and migrants. The Centre has airlifted 458 deportees from Saudi Arabia. These deportees have been quarantined in government centres in the state, the Health Department said. As many as 175 migrants have also tested positive for Covid-19. They all had returned to Telangana from various states following easing of lockdown norms. Thirty foreign evacuees have also been tested positive so far. There were no cases in this category for the last two days. The state continued to maintain a good recovery rate of 60 per cent. As many as 1,345 patients have recovered. The mortality rate stands at 3 per cent. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) RENO, Nev., May 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nevada Exploration Inc. (NGE or the Company) (TSX-V: NGE; OTCQB: NVDEF) is pleased to report that the recently-completed reverse-circulation (RC) drilling program at its South Grass Valley Project has focused the Companys search for new Carlin-type gold deposits (CTGDs) to a mineralized corridor, which the Company believes is the potential common fluid source for three of the four target areas that the program was designed to advance. Having used RC drilling to cost-effectively increase its data coverage at the project, and thus its confidence in its geologic model, NGE is now preparing to return to core drilling to complete a carefully-targeted deeper drilling program to test this corridor, which NGE has named East Golden Gorge, for Carlin-type gold mineralization. Discussing how the latest drilling program has advanced the project, Wade Hodges, NGEs CEO: The objective of our preliminary, 2018-2019 core-drilling program at South Grass Valley, which consisted of 10 core holes spread along nearly four kilometers north-south, was to test for the presence of a Carlin-type mineral system large enough to support one or more multi-million-ounce Carlin-type gold deposits, at what is a completely-covered project that we identified as part of our hydrogeochemistry-led exploration program. Achieving this objective was a big milestone for the project and NGE, though it is important to point out that at the end of this initial program, while we believed we had successfully discovered a large new Carlin-type mineral system, our geologic model was made up of only a couple handfuls of drill holes across an area comparable in size to the entire northern Carlin Trend, in a part of Nevada where geologic features important for mineralization can change quickly, over short distances. To continue to advance and de-risk this still early-stage project, the goal for our second round of drilling at South Grass Valley was to establish the major geologic controls for mineralization in order to guide our search for potentially economic deposits, and for this we needed to improve the resolution of our geologic model, which required many more drill holes. To maximize the number of pierce points we could complete, for this second round of drilling we changed to less-expensive RC drilling; and to guide the distribution of these drill holes across the project, we chose to cluster the holes in four discrete target areas, each of which represented places within the district that already showed promise in terms of their specific geologic settings, and that also were supported by elevated gold and Carlin-type pathfinder geochemistry in multiple sample mediums. Story continues As we shared in our monthly drilling updates, challenging drilling conditions across much of the project - largely the result of a combination of swelling clay plus highly-fractured and intensely-silicified bedrock, proved difficult for the medium-sized RC drill rigs we were using; and a significant number of the RC drill holes did not reach target depth. As a result, we only completed 17 of the approximately 23 planned holes, and in several cases were forced to stop these holes shallower than we had expected. Despite the challenges, with the addition of these 17 new drill holes, we are looking at an almost three-fold increase to our total number of drill holes at South Grass Valley, which has considerably sharpened our understanding of the geology across the project. We believe strongly that geology is what is going to drive any discovery at South Grass Valley, and as weve shared, our goal at this stage of the project was essentially to establish what controlled the hydrothermal fluid flow responsible for the mineralization. The combined results of our two drilling programs have now given us multiple lines of evidence that at two of the four target areas, Freddie and Golden Gorge, the mineralized hydrothermal fluid flow was focused along a specific stratigraphic bedrock unit we call the Clm Unit, and that the direction of fluid flow at these targets appears to have come from a common source area, which we have named East Golden Gorge, located immediately west of a major structural corridor. Our third target area, Water Canyon, is located parallel to this same structural corridor and similarly up dip of the projected southern extension of East Golden Gorge, and while weve only completed two drill holes here so far, the results have provided some early geochemistry support that the geologic features responsible for East Golden Gorge could extend considerably further to the south. At our fourth target area, Waterfall, the results of the RC drilling helped to improve our overall geologic model, but do not support continued work in this target area. In summary, despite completing a smaller program than planned, with our 2020 RC drilling: we meaningfully advanced two of the four target areas (Freddie and Golden Gorge), which are resolving into a single deeper target in the East Golden Gorge area; we collected initial drill samples in a third target area (Water Canyon) along the projected extension of East Golden Gorge; and we effectively killed the fourth target area (Waterfall), which helps us to now narrow our focus to East Golden Gorge, which we believe represents the shared source of the shallower expressions were seeing at the remaining targets areas. Having established the likely dominant geologic controls for mineralization, and where these features are most likely to have focused hydrothermal fluids and concentrated their gold budgets to create potentially economic grades, were now narrowing our focus for the next phase of exploration at East Golden Gorge. This remains a district-scale target, with the potential for multiple discoveries, and as we begin to shift scales and zoom in to this specific geologic setting, we are going to continue with our systematic approach to exploration. Over the coming weeks, well be sharing the details of our next-stage program, which we expect will be a return to core drilling to complete a series of deeper holes, generally oriented north-south, to test an approximately 3.5 km length of the East Golden Gorge target area for increasing grades of Carlin-type gold mineralization. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2c6c9769-0f8d-4155-9a38-1790eeb7484f TECHNICAL SUMMARIES BY TARGET AREA Freddie Freddie is centred northeast of Goodwin Butte, where initial core drilling defined large zones of sulphide-bearing, silicified breccias within silty carbonate units that showed evidence of low-angle thrust faulting. These favourable host units sit below a shale cap rock at the intersection of major structural features along an antiformal fold hinge, which together represent a characteristic combination of host rocks and mineral controls for CTGD mineralization. The target is supported by elevated gold and related pathfinders within the silicified breccias, as well as by strong overlying geochemistry anomalies in soils and groundwater. NGEs objectives for the RC drilling program were to determine the extent and controls of the alteration features seen in the core drill holes, and to test their shallower, up-plunge, extension towards the west and north for increasing gold and Carlin-type pathfinders. NGE completed five RC drill holes in and around the Freddie target area for a total of 1,960 metres. With these RC drill holes, NGE was specifically aiming to collect samples of a Cambrian-aged limey mudstone containing sedimentary debris flows and turbidite breccia units (the Clm Unit) that sits immediately below a less-permeable and less-chemically-reactive laminar shale and calcareous siltstone unit. Based on the intensity of silicic alteration and Carlin-type pathfinders, the results of the earlier core drilling suggested the Clm Unit had seen the most hydrothermal fluid flow. Four of the five RC drill holes encountered at least the top of the Clm Unit (all except SGVR017), and two of the holes tested all or most of the full thickness of the unit (SGVR002 and SGVR003). Collectively, the results of the RC drill holes have confirmed that the Carlin-type alteration features seen in the initial core drilling extend another kilometre to the WNW, which provides additional evidence of the massive scale of the mineral system at the project. The results of the RC drilling also further confirm that the intensity of both the alteration and Carlin-type pathfinder geochemistry is strongly related to the Clm Unit, consistent with what was seen in the earlier core holes. In terms of testing the up-plunge (westward) extension of the alteration features, the zonation and decreasing intensity of the alteration seen in the RC drill holes, as well as the decrease in the relative concentrations of Carlin-type pathfinders, provide multiple vectors, all of which point to a source direction for the mineralized fluids back towards the east, having most likely followed the Clm Unit upwards, along dip from the direction of a major structural feature that NGE refers to as the Water Canyon structural corridor, which as detailed below, defines the eastern boundary of Companys East Golden Gorge target area In summary, based on the combined evidence from the core and RC drill holes, NGE believes that the mineralized hydrothermal fluid flow at Freddie was predominantly stratigraphically controlled within the Clm Unit, and that the source direction for this lateral flow was from the east, down dip, from the direction of East Golden Gorge. Having established these likely important controls for mineralization, with NGEs next drilling program, the Company expects to use deeper core drill holes to follow the projection of the Clm unit down dip, eastwards, closer to what the Company believes is the likely source of the mineralized hydrothermal fluid flow. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ab9e5f98-bd77-4aac-9cb2-52a6efd0e160 Waterfall Waterfall is located within lower-plate bedrock, now known to be sitting directly on top of the Grass Valley Stock, at the projected intersection of high-angle NW and NE-trending faults. The target was supported by early evidence that a component of the high concentration of gold in groundwater centred over Golden Gorge could potentially have originated upstream from the Waterfall area, as well as by moderately elevated arsenic in soil across the western part of the target. The target concept to test at Waterfall was that of fracture-controlled mineralization within hornfelsed lower-plate. NGEs objectives for the RC program were to define the interface between the lower-plate and the Grass Valley Stock in this area, and to test this geologic setting for evidence of mineralization. NGE completed a NE-SW fence of three RC drill holes (SGVR004, SGVR009, and SGVR010) along the northwestern edge of the target, for a total of 966 metres. The three holes encountered a thick section of the projected favourable carbonate host rocks, including the Clm Unit, above large areas of the Grass Valley Stock, which confirms their up-dip projection to the west. While the holes did encounter anomalous CTGD pathfinder geochemistry, the concentrations at Waterfall are considerably lower and less consistent than those seen at Freddie and Golden Gorge to the east, and are associated with much weaker alteration features. Furthermore, the results of the more-detailed 3D groundwater sampling provided by the RC drilling also show that the high concentrations of gold in groundwater seen in the Golden Gorge area do not continue this far west to Waterfall. Altogether, the gold and Carlin-type pathfinders in the bedrock and groundwater samples from the RC drilling at Waterfall show significantly lower concentrations compared to those seen to the east. With the improved understanding of the geology at Waterfall it appears that the favourable lower-plate host units at Waterfall were likely separated from hydrothermal fluid flow from the east. In summary, the RC drilling results do not support additional work in this area. Rather, the results at Waterfall, notably the major contrast in terms of gold and pathfinder concentrations between Waterfall and Golden Gorge, further emphasize the importance of establishing the edge of the intrusive, which marks the boundary between the two target areas, in understanding the controls for mineralization across the project. In this case, the intrusive appears to have blocked the lateral flow of mineralized fluids from reaching the Waterfall target area. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e1ca2706-83bc-4c53-8e08-9480339cca27 Golden Gorge Golden Gorge is located to the east of the Grass Valley Stock, where NGEs earlier core drilling confirmed the presence of anomalous gold and CTGD pathfinders within silicified and marbled breccias along the intrusive margin. The target is supported by the coincident alignment of the highest gold-in-groundwater concentrations seen at the Project, which closely map the interface between the lower-plate bedrock units and the intrusive. NGEs objectives for the RC drilling program were to establish the extent of and test for mineralization within the hornfels aureole on the east flank of the intrusive, as well as to test the western, up-dip extension of favourable alteration and geochemistry features seen in the earlier drilling. NGE completed seven RC drill holes at the Freddie target area for a total of 1,470 metres. With these holes, NGE was specifically aiming to accurately establish the edge of the intrusive, and then to sample the lower-plate bedrock units along its margin. Additionally, with an improved understanding of importance of the Clm Unit based on the drilling results at Freddie, the Company was also aiming to complete the RC drill holes at Golden Gorge deep enough to sample this unit. NGE began drilling at the western edge of the target, moving eastward. Four of the westernmost holes proved to be located on top of the granite. The other three drill holes (SGVR006, SGVR015, and SGVR016) successfully entered and sampled lower-plate bedrock along the intrusive, with SGVR006 and SGVR015 exhibiting significant hornfelsization. In terms of testing for mineralization within the hornfels aureole, while the shallower-than-expected drill holes only sampled a portion of this vertical zone, they encountered significant silicification associated with highly-anomalous Carlin-type pathfinder geochemistry, which most notably included a 52-metre interval in SGVR015 averaging 200 ppm arsenic and 145 ppm antimony. The location and relative intensity of the alteration and pathfinders seen in the drill holes at Golden Gorge suggest the presence of localized vertical fluid flow along the intrusive margin, which could represent an important setting for mineralization, consistent with the Companys original target concept, though at depths below where the RC drill holes could test. Beyond the hornfels aureole, the general intensity of alteration and geochemistry seen in the Golden Gorge drill holes increases at depth and towards the east, as also seen to the north at Freddie, consistent with mineralized hydrothermal fluids being sourced from the Water Canyon structural corridor. In summary, compared to Freddie, Golden Gorge is located closer to the Water Canyon structural corridor to the east, and bounded to the west by the Grass Valley Stock. Together, NGE believes these features focused the mineralized hydrothermal fluid flow to a narrower volume of bedrock in this area of the project, which is often favourable for depositing gold. Like at Freddie, NGE believes the source direction of the lateral flow of mineralized fluids at Golden Gorge was down dip to the east, from the East Golden Gorge area, and that the dominant control for fluid flow was likely the Clm Unit. Accordingly, in this area of the project, just as at Freddie to the north, NGE expects its next drilling will test the down-dip projection of the Clm Unit, closer to the likely source of the mineralized hydrothermal fluid flow. Also, based on the evidence for a vertical component to the fluid flow within the hornfelsed lower-plate along the margins of the Grass Valley Stock, NGE expects to continue to include this area in its next phase of work, particularly where the fluid-controlling Clm Unit intersects the intrusive. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e6f89b01-abcd-47d7-b003-163603b873ac https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8b59b583-7593-4974-ac0e-0afe54f0f7b1 Water Canyon The Water Canyon target area is located at the south end of the project, west of the Water Canyon structural corridor, at the projected intersection of multiple structural features, east of an historic adit and trench workings exposed in outcrop. The target is supported by elevated Carlin-type pathfinders in soil and groundwater. The planned RC drilling program represented a large, two-kilometre step out southward from the initial core holes, along the projection of the favourable geologic features that run parallel to the Water Canyon structural corridor. The program also provided an opportunity to sample Roberts Mountains Formation units, a lower plate unit that sits higher in the stratigraphy than the majority of the lower-plate units seen further to the north. NGEs objectives for the program were to test for evidence of hydrothermal fluid flow in Roberts Mountains Formation units, as well as for gold and related pathfinders within hornfelsed lower plate close to the Grass Valley Stock. NGE completed two RC drill holes (SGVR013 and SGVR014) in the Water Canyon target area for a total of 590 metres. SGVR013 entered Roberts Mountains Formation under shallow gravel cover, right up against the Grass Valley Stock, and proceeded to alternate in and out of lower plate and granite. Compared to SGV013, in addition to deeper cover, SGVR014 encountered a mudflow unit sitting on top of the lower-plate Roberts Mountains Formation units, which continued until the bottom of the hole. In terms of testing for hornfels-related mineralization close to the intrusive, SGVR013 encountered narrow intervals of elevated pathfinder geochemistry (e.g. 4.5 metres averaging 299 ppm arsenic) that confirmed there were likely structurally-controlled zones of mineralized fluid flow in this area, but did not encounter much thicker intervals indicative of the scale of fluid flow seen in the hornfels at Golden Gorge. In terms of sampling the Roberts Mountains units, SGVR014 intersected fracture-controlled silicification and anomalous pathfinders that confirm some mineralized fluids reached these upper units, but the alteration and geochemistry were not comparable to the those in the deeper units further to the north. Beyond testing the lower-plate, the drill holes sampled the alluvium and bedrock above the lower-plate, including the mudflow unit that sits on top of the lower-plate. Of particular note, the mudflow in SGVR014 contained what appear to be mineralized boulders similar to those seen in the mudflow unit further to the north in the initial core holes, which contained anomalous gold and pathfinders. One 4.5-metre mudflow interval in SGVR014 averaged 101 ppb gold. As each assay represents an average concentration over a sample interval, the Company expects that the mineralized boulders may contain higher concentrations. Based on NGEs modelling of the Paleozoic surface, the Company believes the boulders are representative of lower-plate bedrock that was exposed at the surface at the time the mudflow was deposited, and that the source direction for the mudflow was from the south, which suggests that the mineralized boulder material originated even further south than the Water Canyon target area, and importantly, that parts of the mineralization, only seen at depth to date, were exposed at surface at some point. In summary, the two shallow drill holes provided limited support for mineralization in the Roberts Mountains formation and an incomplete test of the intrusive margin. What the narrow intervals of alteration and elevated pathfinders have provided, however, is early evidence that the fluid flow responsible for the East Golden Gorge target could extend this far to the south in which case, the shallower units tested at Water Canyon were likely peripheral to the main fluid flow, suggesting any mineralization in this area is likely deeper or closer to Water Canyon structural corridor, in the direction of where East Golden Gorge projects towards the south. Separately, the mineralized boulders in the mudflow provide a second line of evidence that supports the possibility that the mineralization associated with East Golden Gorge extends further to the south, and possibly shallower. Work at this southern end of this district-scale project remains very early stage, and NGE expects that improved geologic information from next-stage drilling at East Golden Gorge will help guide any additional work in this area. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f1b2983d-2742-46ab-af06-7a17f9b928ee East Golden Gorge By integrating the results of its drilling with the results of its air magnetic and gravity geophysics surveys, working with Mira Geoscience, NGE has built a constrained inversion model to refine its understanding of the likely features responsible for a NNW lineament seen in both the gravity and air magnetics. To answer these questions, the modelling specifically focused on: (1) mapping the top of the lower-plate bedrock; (2) refining the geometry of the Grass Valley Stock; and (3) defining the extent of a magnetic mudflow unit encountered in the drilling above the lower plate. As shared in the Companys drilling update news release dated March 2, 2020, the results of the inversion modeling show a linear, canyon-like topographic feature in the lower-plate surface that NGE believes marks a regional-scale, high-angle fault system that the Company has named the Water Canyon structural corridor. The modelling also shows that the extent of the magnetic mudflow unit is largely controlled by this canyon-like feature, consistent with how a mudflow would likely behave when constrained by this type of topography, which provides secondary support for the presence of the structural corridor. These types of major structural features represent critical, deep-seated, primary fluid pathways at Nevadas major CTGD camps, such as the Post-Gen fault that cuts through the northern Carlin trend. NGE believes that establishing the presence and location of the Water Canyon structural corridor is a critical step in understanding the source of mineralized hydrothermal fluids and their subsequent secondary flow across the district. Based on the combined results of the core and RC drilling programs, the zonation and intensity of the alteration and pathfinder concentrations, particularly as seen at Freddie and Golden Gorge, provide multiple lines of evidence that the source direction for hydrothermal fluid flow was from the east at depth, consistent with the Water Canyon structural corridor providing a primary source of mineralized fluids for the district. The combined drilling results also show that within the sequence of potentially-favourable lower-plate host units that dip eastward toward the Water Canyon structural corridor, the alteration and their associated increase in Carlin pathfinders are most concentrated within the Clm Unit, which NGE believes represented a dominant, stratigraphic, secondary control for the hydrothermal fluid flow. With this improved understanding of the potential controls for mineralization across the district, NGE believes that the alteration features seen at Freddie, Golden Gorge, and potentially Water Canyon, are the shallower expressions of the hydrothermal fluid flow that followed the Clm Unit westwards and upwards from the Water Canyon structural corridor. NGE expects that following the Clm Unit down dip towards the Water Canyon structural corridor will form the dominant theme for the next phase of exploration. NGE has named this common deeper target area, which is bounded to the east by, and runs parallel to, the Water Canyon structural corridor, East Golden Gorge. The target concept at East Golden Gorge is that of stratigraphically-controlled mineralization within the Clm Unit. The Company is now designing a next-staged drilling program to test East Golden Gorge for increasing grades of CTGD mineralization, and looks forward to sharing its plans with its stakeholders over the coming weeks. As NGE continues to advance the Project, per NI 43-101, 2.3(2), the Company must remind its stakeholders that the Project remains an exploration target for which the potential quantity and grade of any mineral resource is still conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. About Nevada Exploration Inc. With mature, exposed search spaces seeing falling discovery rates, NGE believes the future of exploration is under cover. The Company has spent 15 years developing and integrating new hydrogeochemistry (groundwater chemistry) and low-cost drilling technology to build an industry-leading, geochemistry-focused, under-cover toolkit specifically to explore for large new Carlin-type gold deposits (CTGDs) in the more than 50% of Nevada where the bedrock is hidden beneath post-mineral cover. Nevadas exposed terrains have produced more than 200 Moz of gold, and experts agree there is likely another +200 Moz waiting to be discovered under cover in Nevada. NGE has completed the worlds largest hydrogeochemistry exploration program, focused on north-central Nevada, and is now advancing a portfolio of three district-scale projects in the heart of the Cortez (Battle Mountain-Eureka) Trend. NGEs most advanced project is South Grass Valley, located south of Nevada Gold Mines Cortez Complex. Based on the Companys work to date at the project, NGE believes it has discovered a mineral system at South Grass Valley with the architecture and scale to support multiple Carlin-type gold deposits (CTGDs), and the potential to host an entire new district. NGE believes South Grass Valley is one of the most exciting new district-scale, Carlin-type projects in Nevada. For more information, the Companys latest videos are available at: https://www.nevadaexploration.com/investors/media/ For further information, please contact: Nevada Exploration Inc. Email: info@nevadaexploration.com Telephone: +1 (604) 601 2006 Website: www.nevadaexploration.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Wade A. Hodges, CEO & Director, Nevada Exploration Inc., is the Qualified Person, as defined in National Instrument 43-101, and has prepared the technical and scientific information contained in this News Release. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, without limitation, expectations, beliefs, plans, and objectives regarding projects, potential transactions, and ventures discussed in this release. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made numerous assumptions, regarding, among other things, the assumption the Company will continue as a going concern and will continue to be able to access the capital required to advance its projects and continue operations. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are the risks inherent in mineral exploration, the need to obtain additional financing, environmental permits, the availability of needed personnel and equipment for exploration and development, fluctuations in the price of minerals, and general economic conditions. A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company is disclosed in the Companys continuous disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law. After weeks of worry that she would not get an in-person graduation ceremony, Clear Lake High School senior Caroline Behr finally will walk across the stage to get her diploma Friday albeit with some major changes to the proceedings. Her fellow Class of 2020 members will sit in chairs spread six feet apart, stretching from end zone to end zone on the Challenger Columbia Stadium field. Graduates will wear masks emblazoned with the schools Falcons mascot. Behr will have only four family members in attendance, about a third the number that cheered on her older sisters Class of 2017. Ultimately, Im just really thankful that I actually get to have a graduation, said Behr, who plans to attend Siena College in upstate New York this fall. I know there are still a lot of schools that wont get to have one. It will be a crazy experience to remember. For many of Greater Houstons 85,000-plus seniors, the annual rite of passage commences Friday under open skies and extensive public health guidelines, with local campuses hosting the regions first in-person, outdoor graduation events. The celebrations will mark some of the largest face-to-face gatherings since widespread restrictions on businesses, schools and large-scale events took hold in mid-March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Several school districts kick off their commencement season over the next few days, including Cy-Fair, Fort Bend, Conroe, Clear Creek and Spring Branch ISDs. Our hope is that the experience is the same, although we are in a different time, said Elaina Polsen, Clear Creek ISDs chief communications officer. Nothing in the second semester has been normal for our Class of 2020, and this was something we felt was an opportunity to move forward and do it for them. Gov. Greg Abbott approved in-person, outdoor graduations in early May, though indoor ceremonies remain banned. Under guidelines issued by the Texas Education Agency, each event carries numerous new restrictions and recommendations, prompting significant tweaks to the pomp and circumstance. To start, schools must cap the number of attendees to ensure social distancing rules can be followed when people enter and exit venues. For many districts, that means no more than four guests per graduate. Schools also must ask students and family members whether they have experienced any COVID-19 symptoms, screening out those considered at risk of exposing others. At the event, families must remain separated by an appropriate distance in the stands, as should graduates sitting among their peers. The distancing requirements mean nixing several traditions: seniors entering the ceremony in a processional line, administrators delivering diplomas by hand, graduates tossing their caps into the air. CLASS OF 2020: Houston seniors look to the future after derailed rites of passage Nevertheless, the chance to gather one last time as the Class of 2020 has lifted seniors spirits after weeks of canceled classes, proms and year-end celebrations. Clear Lake High School senior Tommy Geremia looked forward to the possibility of formally saying goodbye to classmates and snapping pictures in his cap and gown. I think all the precautions are fair, and if people have a problem with it, they just have to realize were in the middle of this pandemic and its not just going to go away, he said. For many districts, the safety requirements have prompted numerous logistical challenges. At Sealy High School, located west of Katy in Austin County, district officials struggled to ensure proper social distancing ahead of their May 22 graduation ceremony, Principal Megan Oliver said. Unlike districts in metro Houston, which could not hold events until Friday, Sealy ISD received approval for an earlier graduation date from local and state officials due to the low spread of COVID-19 in the area. Ultimately, Oliver found a solution: color coding. Students were assigned numbers and given a maximum of 6 tickets that were one of six colors. Families parked in the lots that corresponded with their colors, walked through six separate gates, and sat in boxes marked by tape around sections of the stands and track. Rather than gather in one place and walk into the stadium, graduates walked onto the field seats by themselves. Seniors were not allowed to hug and take photos after the ceremony, but graduate Madeline Goad said seeing her friends was a blessing. That was my big thing: I wanted to see my class and be together knowing it was my last time, knowing it was like a happy ending, Goad said. It was as close to normal as we could get. In Angleton ISD, administrators plan to use 75 workers about three times more than normal to ensure an orderly ceremony Friday for the districts lone graduation event. Staff and police will not require the use of face masks, which are not mandated under state guidelines. Were making a lot of suggestions and were doing a lot of things when people come in the stadium to help them get to their seats, Angleton ISD Superintendent Phil Edwards said. Were also asking for the public and the students to help us with safety and social distancing. ALL DRESSED UP: With proms all-but-canceled, high school seniors lament missed memories While many Houston-area schools plan to host in-person graduation events between late May and the end of July, several districts have not committed to outdoor events. To the frustration of some seniors and families, Houston ISD plans to host virtual graduation ceremonies for all 45 of its high schools starting on June 14, and participate in a citywide, students-only event on June 5. Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said district officials were very concerned about enforcing safety protocols, while also noting districts with in-person events are much smaller than we are. Other districts, including Katy, Aldine and Klein ISDs, still have indoor graduation events on the books for the summer months, with no outdoor backup plans announced. For Behr, the opportunity to walk across the stage delivers a dose of normalcy in the most abnormal and memorable year of her life. I honestly know its going to be completely different from any other graduation, Behr said. And Im just going in with a positive mindset, hoping everything will go well. jacob.carpenter@chron.com shelby.webb@chron.com Columbia-Greene Media has recently teamed up with the US Postal Service to provide same-day delivery of your local newspaper with your mail. Our expanded daily delivery of your local news reaches into the following areas: We have no institutions to conduct tracking polls on the mental state of our citizens. by Mass L. Usuf Condemned to poverty by birth and condemned to death by destiny. This is the long and short tale of the three women who fell victim to a human stampede. They were part of the sudden surge of people who rushed to receive the give-away by a charity minded person. Their quest was not for self-aggrandisement or extravagance but to seek temporary relief from damned poverty. Several others also had been injured in this incident which was reported to have taken place on 21st May 2020, in Maligawatte, a locality with a high population density, in the District of Colombo. In the end, nothing but humanity is the matter The timing and the manner in which this charity hand out had been organized is a matter for the law enforcement authorities to pursue. This column is aimed only at examining the causal background for this disaster. The stampede being the proximate cause. Forcible Confinement In political philosophy, there is this hypothesis called, the social contract. Historically, a compact between the ruled and their ruler, defining the rights and duties of each in todays terms the government and the citizens. The latter voluntarily trading obedience and, to some extent their freedom, in return for being taken care by the State. The social contract idea has jurisprudential implications wherein the concept of rights and the limitations that may be legitimately placed on them assume relevance. An interesting analysis can be made in this context vis a vis the continuing state of lockdown. The confinement of a people against their wishes and the consequential fallout socially, economically, mentally and the general wellbeing. Of course, no one discounts the fact that it is of utmost importance to take appropriate measures to wipe out the pandemic. Successive Government Failure Apparently, an evaluation of the micro-economic resilience of the people when under lockdown has not taken place especially, of those who are self-employed, daily wage earners etc. The action plan of the Authorities should have considered the economic vulnerability of such people and, those bordering on destitution? Proper planning would have addressed the issue of how they were going to cope, self-organise and adapt to this new situation? As is seen in many other countries, we too have a State system which is welfare based. Therefore, as a responsible government it should ensure proper health, education, employment and most importantly, the social security of its citizens. Special focus has to be given to the citizenry who are unable to avail themselves of the minimal provision for a decent life. Again, an opportunity for a critical analysis of the impact of the lockdown on the meaningful functioning of a welfare state. What is Social security? One description is "any government system that provides monetary assistance to people with an inadequate or no income". If adequate monetary assistance had been provided during the lockdown, people would not have suffered financial constraints. Moreover, they would not have gone to receive the tuppence that was given as charity? Sri Lanka embraced the welfare state concept way before independence providing food subsidies, free rice, free education, and free healthcare to all. Due to inefficiency and persistent corrupt practices an effective system failed to take root. This systemic failure is not the responsibility of this government alone but of all previous governments too. Truth About Maligawatte To properly understand the Maligawatte incident it has to be seen in this background. It will be an understatement of the truth and an undermining of intelligence to superficially examine this event from an ethnic angle or only as violation of curfew laws or as irresponsible behaviour at a time of pandemic. The problem of not providing the citizens their basic necessities for a reasonable living knocks hard on the door of this failure. Lets defer for the moment the other areas of health, education, transport, infrastructure etc. for which it is responsible. The public is reasonable in asking, to what extent has the responsibility of the State been discharged? Moral Conflict Which reigns supreme, necessity or the law? Consider the priority of a person whose stomach is burning in hunger or the grief-stricken mother who gives the teat instead of food to satisfy hunger of her crying baby because there is no baby food. Would not they say, damn the exalted law? Where does one strike the equilibrium in this moral conflict? Consider the humanitarian issues faced by the people who are deprived of their living under locked down. Unable to venture out for work to earn their daily bread to feed themselves and their families. This condition has been continuing for nearly two months. They ask, what do you expect us to do? Are we to die at home along with the family or look for whatever possibilities that will satisfy our hunger? How will the mother whose breasts are dried of milk because of lack of food, breastfeed the crying infant? What does one expect from that mother other than finding some means to feed herself and the infant? If Covid 19 may kill, hunger certainly kills. Of what concern is the law for those in this predicament. How reasonable is it to stringently enforce the laws on such people without adequately providing for them? To hell with social contract and welfare state, the sufferers would say. Financial Pressure The local grocer has ceased giving groceries because the outstanding had not been settled for over a month. The loan shark is demanding his interest for the loan taken for consumption. The landlord is abusing the tenant for non-payment of the house rent. The sick is struggling to buy his compulsory medications. The fear of the accumulated water and electricity bills. What does one expect these people to do? Studies have found that financial-related stress can increase anxiety, depression and physical issues such as headaches, backaches, ulcers, increased blood pressure and more. Is it not reasonable for a person who is shackled by poverty, burdened by responsibilities and deprived of livelihood because of the lockdown to rush at anything that will relieve him? It would be like seeing a flicker of light when in absolute darkness. The public questions if the responsibility of this calamity falls squarely on the government for its failure to holistically address the issues attendant to a lockdown. Mental Stress In the United States, the Washington Post screams with the headline, Coronavirus is harming the mental health of tens of millions of people in U.S., (02.04.2020). In May, the tracking poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, reported that more than 56% of Americans say the pandemic has affected their mental health. The report states of negative mental health effect including trouble with eating or sleeping, drinking alcohol, headaches or stomach aches, shorter tempers, etc. We have no such institutions to conduct tracking polls on the mental state of our citizens. The Americans live a decent life compared to the quality of life of the Maligawatte residents. The latter live in heavily congested surroundings, large families in confined spaces, with no proper access to water, sanitation, etc. Add to this the impact of the lockdown and consider what their mental state must be. Cosmopolitan Maligawatte This issue relates not only to Muslims of Maligawatte but, also, to all others who have been deprived of livelihood. If someone wants to see co-existence and tolerance in practise, here is the place. There is a mixture of Sinhalese, Muslims, Tamils, Malays etc. in this locality. There are the inevitable occasional neighbourhood quarrels but, in general, they live in harmony. Maligawatte is a cosmopolitan area. It is necessary to create the proper environment for people to live in, before expecting them to be civic-minded citizens. Riot police take part in a crowd dispersal operation in the Central district of Hong Kong on May 27, 2020. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images) US, UK Lambast Beijing for Approving Hong Kong Law, Promise to Defend Bastion of Freedom The Chinese regime fueled further international outcry after its rubber-stamp legislature officially endorsed a national security law on May 28 aimed at quashing dissent in Hong Kong. Proclaiming Hong Kong a bastion of freedom, the United States and its major alliesUK, Australia, and Canadaissued a joint statement reprimanding Beijings move, warning that the law could jeopardize the citys status as an international hub known for its rule of law and civil liberties. The countries said the proposal, which bypassed Hong Kongs legislature to directly ban any acts of secession, subversion, and terrorism activities, lies in direct conflict with its [Chinas] international obligations and risks exacerbating existing conflicts in the city, where protests recently reignited. Warnings At a London press conference following the news from China, U.K. foreign secretary Dominic Raab urged the Chinese regime to step back from the brink and live up to its responsibilities as a leading member of the international community. If China continues down this path, the U.K. will grant greater visa rights for Hong Kong citizens who hold a BNO (British national overseas) passport by revoking their six-month visit limit, paving the way for them to resettle in the country, Raab said. As many as 300,000 Hongkongers born before the former British colony reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 have such passports, according to the U.K. government. A woman and a young child walk past riot police standing guard on a street in the Mongkok district of Hong Kong on May 27, 2020. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images) Meanwhile, U.S. officials vowed to punish Beijing for violating Hong Kongs freedoms. The US must hold China to account. The CCPs decision today will have consequences for generations to come, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) tweeted, referring to the Chinese Communist Party, hours after Beijing passed the controversial law. Today we are all Hong Kongers, she added. Much of the laws specifics will be unveiled in the coming months, but critics have warned that its implications will extend far beyond the citys territorial limits. Two big lessons from what the Communist Party is doing to HongKong, according to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), is that the regime can sign virtually any deal because if/when it suits them they will break any commitments they have made; and [w]hat they are doing today to HK is what they have in mind for Taiwan down the road, he wrote on Twitter. A pro-democracy demonstrator raises his hands up as a symbol of the Five demands, not one less during a protest against Beijings plans to impose national security legislation in Hong Kong, on May 28, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) Special Status at Risk A day earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, citing facts on the ground, certified that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous from mainland China, and will not continue to warrant special treatment under U.S. law. These privileges, covering the areas of trade, investment, and immigration, have shielded Hong Kong from current U.S. tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods. It remains unclear if the Trump administration will proceed to revoke Hong Kongs special privileges, which requires an executive order by the president. While the United States once hoped that free and prosperous Hong Kong would provide a model for authoritarian China, it is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself, Pompeo said in a statement. Under the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act passed last year, the State Department is required to annually assess whether Hong Kong has sufficient political independence to retain its status as a separate entity from mainland China. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, David Stilwell, said on Wednesday the United States could execute a very long list of things to make Beijing reverse course. The PRC [Peoples Republic of China] I think has tried to paint this as, they would respect the economic freedom in Hong Kong without feeling obligated to respect political freedom. You cant have one without the other, he told reporters in a telephone briefing. The U.S. measures could be across the spectrum, including barring entry to responsible Chinese officials and imposing economic sanctions, he said, noting that he would not forecast or limit what it could be. Hong Kongs stocks fell by 0.7 percent at closing, underperforming most of Asia shares. President Donald Trump is set to hold a press conference on China Friday. Earlier in the week, Trump said he would take action against Beijing should the law move forward, but declined to provide details. In a show of support for the city, around 630 lawmakers from around the world have signed a joint letter decrying Beijings unilateral introduction of the national security law. The death of democracy in Hong Kong should be of grave concern to us all, said Benedict Rogers, co-founder of U.K.-based advocacy group Hong Kong Watch in the letter. We hope that this international statement from policymakers across the political and geographic divide will send a clear message to Beijing that the world will not meekly consent to the dismantling of the One Country, Two Systems Model overnight, he said, referring to the framework which Beijing promised to rule Hong Kong while preserving its autonomy. U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, on May 28, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday said she was disappointed with the Trump administrations conclusion about Hong Kongs status, but that theres no other conclusion to come to. We should all be speaking out against that security act, not just the United States people around the world should be speaking out against it, she said at a press conference. Its a brazen move on the part of the Chinese government. Beijing has been unusually quiet following the U.S. de-certification of Hong Kong and has not yet made public statements. During a Thursday press conference after the ceremonial vote, Chinas Premier Li Keqiang spared only 45 seconds to talk about the law and looked down at his papers three times. A previous version of this article misstated Li Keqiangs official title. The Epoch Times regrets the error. (Natural News) Over 10 million people in India will migrate back to their hometowns as the worlds largest coronavirus lockdown starts scaling back. This may be one of the worlds largest migration events in this century, and many experts are concerned that it will trigger a new wave of coronavirus cases in Indias poorest and least prepared areas. At the beginning of the lockdown in late March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to appeal to the countrys businesses to keep paying their workers. However, this did not happen and many people were left with little money and food, forcing them to abandon their city jobs and make the trek out to their homes. The #coronavirus lockdown in India has left this 15-year-old girl and her injured father without a way to make a living. So she rode almost 1,200 km with him on the back of her bicycle to get back to their hometown. pic.twitter.com/dNMiZG5mWM DW News (@dwnews) May 28, 2020 Around 7.5 million migrant workers have already returned to their homes. In the first wave of reverse-migration, around four million Indians crammed themselves into buses and other forms of public transport to get home. Some even walked hundreds of miles away from their places of work. In the second wave, around 3.5 million departed on over 2,600 trains that the Indian government began operating in early May to accommodate for the exodus. Just last weekend, Indian Railways, the countrys state-owned railway organization, said that they would try to transport another 3.6 million workers home on another 2,600 emergency trains over a 10-day period. By the end of May, experts believe this could be the largest mass movement of people on the Indian subcontinent ever since the Partition of India at the end of World War II, which sent around 15 million people packing to either Pakistan or India. "Some are walking 1000km to get home". Indian migrant workers are hit hardest by the #Coronavirus. Fr. Noel Madichett, director of Bosconet, Don Bosco Network South Asia tells @ColmFlynn1 about the hardship being faced by poor migrant workers as #COVID19 cases surge in India. pic.twitter.com/TIlX9ULPFz EWTN News (@EWTNews) May 23, 2020 Concerns raised over health of local communities Indian health officials have been struggling to contain the countrys many outbreaks in the densely packed slums of large cities such as Mumbai, a major center for internal migrant labor, where more than a third of the countrys coronavirus cases have been recorded. In the past few weeks, the government has been facilitating travel for migrant workers who want to return to their homes. Local authorities in migrant-packed cities are supposed to be screening them for COVID-19 before they leave, and the states and villages where they will be arriving are supposed to be prepared to receive these returning laborers with both coronavirus tests and facilities where they can safely quarantine for the next two weeks. However, despite great effort, state, urban and local officials have said that the task has been very overwhelming due to the immense number of workers still stuck in the countrys urban centers. According to both migrants and government officials, pre-departure screening has been spotty, and post-departure confinement facilities are not secure enough. Furthermore, only people exhibiting flu-like symptoms are being tested for COVID-19, which can still be infectious while people remain asymptomatic. Many arriving migrants are not even tested. (Related: South Asia grapples with the coronavirus outbreak: India cracks down and Pakistan leaves patients in appalling conditions.) Listen to this special episode of the Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger explains how the coronavirus lockdowns have been weaponized against humanity and why they must end immediately. Workers: There is no way back after lockdown Millions of migrant workers were left jobless because of Indias lockdown. Countless workers have died from hunger or in accidents as they traveled home. This ordeal has made many reluctant to return to work despite the fact that parts of the country are easing lockdown restrictions, allowing some non-essential businesses to reopen and industrial activity to restart. Around 20 percent of the Indian workforce or around 100 million people is made up of migrant laborers who leave their home villages in other parts of the country for jobs in one of Indias heavily congested cities. According to reports from aid workers, more than half of the workers who contacted them during the lockdown were out of food and money, and nearly four out of every five were not paid by their employees. Furthermore, the Stranded Workers Action Network, a collective of relief volunteers, said that around 13 percent of the 17,000 migrant workers who contacted them would not go back to the cities and will instead seek work in their home towns. Nobody was understanding our problems there. My employer did not lift the phone when I contacted him to ask for my 10 days wages pending with him. They are big people. What can we do? said Lokanath Swain over the phone to the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Swain is a power loom operator in the Indian textile hub of Surat, a city with over four million people. What is the point of returning now? My employer abandoned me. I would rather stay with my family even if I earn half of what I earned there, Swain added. The fact that many migrant workers are hesitant to return to their old jobs has alarmed many industries. Some sectors of the Indian economy are bracing themselves for a possible labor shortage for the next few months. The Indian government, aware of the magnitude of the problem, said that it would spend 35 billion rupees (approximately $462.137 million) on food and rural employment for migrant workers. Some Indian states are taking matters into their own hands. Some states that are dependent on migrant workers, such as Maharashtra, are setting up programs to train locals to take their place. Some states that are home to millions of migrants, such as Uttar Pradesh, are setting up commissions to help regulate and connect unemployed migrants to their jobs in other states. More than 60 percent of Indias active cases have been recorded in just five cities, including the metropolises of Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad. If the countrys coronavirus pandemic gets worse, it seems unlikely that migrant workers will want to return to those densely populated cities despite any incentives. Sources include: WSJ.com BBC.com 1 Reuters.com FT.com BBC.com 2 Republic TV's Senior Consulting Editor - Strategic Affairs Major Gaurav Arya (retd.) on Thursday congratulated the Indian security forces for preventing a major 'Pulwama-like' terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Major Arya said that India has to keep its "foot on the accelerator" as "desperate" Pakistan will try anything to disrupt the peace in the Valley to catch the eye of the global community. 'Time to keep our eyes and ears open' Major Gaurav Arya said, "It's wrong to say that it is a positive fallout but lessons have been learnt from Pulwama to clearly state that we have been on the lookout for such terror activities. The intelligence people who are on the job 24/7 to figure out what is going on, have been on the spot this time. First of all, many many congratulations, a major tragedy has been avoided but at the same time, I would like to caution the forces and say that you have to keep your foot on the accelerator." "There is no going easy because Pakistan is globally isolated and it will do everything that it can to make sure that a tragedy occurs in Kashmir so that it can have the cameras of the world to focus on Kashmir and tell the world, 'Look we told you something is going wrong in Kashmir' so I think its the time to keep our eyes and ears open. I would like to congratulate the forces again. Very well done!" he added. READ | IED-fitted car destroyed in Pulwama as forces avert major Feb 2019-like terror attack READ | IED-fitted car with 50-60 kg bomb drum like Pulwama terror attack; JeM & LeT role: JK DGP The Pulwama police, the CRPF, and the Indian Army detected and destroyed a vehicle fitted with an IED after receiving timely input and taking proper action. Joining Republic TV live on Thursday, DGP Dilbagh Singh revealed that the police had received a credible tip-off about an IED-laden vehicle moving from one location to another and that the vehicle - a white Santro - was intercepted later after a couple of rounds were fired. The DGP also revealed that the modus operandi was similar to that of the heinous February 2019 Pulwama terror attack, pointing out that once again it was a car that was used, with a fake registration number. Further, a big barrel with 50-60 kg IED materials was found inside the vehicle. Further, the J&K DGP said that Pakistan-based Lakshar and Jaish were involved in this incident and that further investigation was underway. The terrorists managed to flee the spot after abandoning the car, and a manhunt is in progress in this regard. This happened on Wednesday evening, after a vehicle skipped a signal between 8:30 to 9:30 pm at Aayangund Rajpora, Pulwama. The forces fired rounds in the air, and then followed the vehicles, forcing those inside it to scarper. A team of the National Investigative Agency (NIA) is set to arrive at the location to investigate the matter. READ | Pulwama IED-attack foiled: Drone video shows terrorists' car being detonated by bomb squad READ | Uttarakhand Police to register FIR against people spreading fake news about forest fires Shanghai (Gasgoo)- SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) plans to kick off the presale of the Victory, the first vehicle bearing Wulings silver global badge, at the 2020 Chengdu Motor Show, which will be held between July 24 and August 2, and officially put the new model onto the market in Sept. or Oct., according to a local media outlet. (The "Victory", photo source: SGMW's WeChat account) The significant model was first seen by the public on May 25. The new logo at the center of the front was unveiled at the same time. The general body shape revealed that this is an MPV model, one of the facilities for Wuling, while the design details have still been veiled under the thick camouflage. Developed for family use, the MPV code-named Victory is likely to adopt a six-seater layout. It will feature all-new design language and the electroplated rim with five spokes, according to the local report, citing SGMW. (Photo source: SGMW's WeChat account) Additionally, Wuling is ready to roll out a compact SUV and small-sized SUV using its new silver badge in March 2021, and a real-wheel-drive sedan will come afterwards. According to SGMW, the automaker will operate two product lineups tagged with the global silver logo and the classic red badge, which are based on different manufacturing platforms, in a bid to meet the demands of overseas and domestic consumers respectively. The Hongguang MINI EV, a fire new all-electric four-seater mini car for daily commuting, is to be available for presale from May 28, and hits the market in June. The new EV still adopts the iconic red logo and targets Chinese local consumers. THESE truly are strange times in business when the quarterly figures in a multi-billion euro business mean so little for the future outcome of the venture. The latest quarterly numbers from bakery goods-maker Aryzta kind of fell into that category. Activist shareholders representing more than 17pc of the stock have called for an EGM to remove nearly half of the board, including the chairman Gary McGann. Aryzta's trading performance in its third quarter to the end of April was a predictable train-wreck when it was published on Tuesday. Revenues were down 24pc which dragged nine-month revenues down more than 10pc. That isn't management's fault. The company, like so many others, couldn't sell its product through food outlets that were closed or while millions of workers in Europe and the US were working from home because of the pandemic. CEO Kevin Toland took some positives from the outcome and was able to look forward a little to the possible upside of economies opening up. He painted a picture of a business that was on target for turnaround until this pandemic got in the way of a good recovery story. "We were on track with five out of six of our key components of that strategy. North America was a work in progress and still had some way to go," he said. North America is a big part of Aryzta's operational mix. Shareholders had already looked at the pre-pandemic performance and balance sheet and didn't like what they saw. Aryzta shares were trading at CHF 83c at the end of February before this crisis, giving the company a market capitalisation of just CHF 828m (777m) some 14 months after it raised 790m in fresh equity at CHF 1 per share. The North American business had too big a climb to make out of its problems. Organic revenues continued to fall while volume sales fell by 6pc in the first half of the financial year in the American business. Management has been determined to battle on, given that North America accounts for 42pc of revenues. And then coronavirus hit. Aryzta circled the wagons, cut costs, furloughed workers and temporarily closed plants, just like any other large business. But unlike other large businesses, it realised the need to hire consultants Rothschild & Co to conduct a strategic review of the group. Everything appears to be on the table in a review that is due to be completed by the end of July, including more aggressive asset disposal, putting itself up for sale or looking at fresh financial acrobatics, like converting CHF 1bn of hybrid debt treated as equity, into something else. By mid-May the shares had tanked to CHF 33c - a fall of 98pc in five years. This gave the group a market capitalisation of just CHF 329m after raising more than double that amount less than two years earlier. Expand Close Shareholders also want to remove chairman Gary McGann / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shareholders also want to remove chairman Gary McGann Management had a real problem. The obvious thing to do should have been to sell off the US business before now but how could that make sense in the middle of a pandemic? Some unhappy investors decided enough was enough. Cobas and Veraison tabled an EGM motion to clear out the chairman and non-executive directors Dan Flinter, Annette Flynn and Rolf Watter from the board. A third shareholder, J O Hambro, has indicated its intention to vote with the others thereby creating a potential bloc of 23pc. They also want Mr Toland to step down from the board but remain in the CEO role. It is worth noting that the five board members these shareholders want gone are the longest serving. McGann's appointment was announced in September 2016 when the shares were trading at around CHF 9.15. Annette Flynn was appointed in December 2014, Dan Flinter in December 2015 and Rolf Watter in December 2016. Mr Toland only joined as CEO and a board member in December 2017. The others have had quite a run at it. It is also hard to envisage so many board members surviving a 90pc share-price plummet. Aryzta said during the week it will hold the EGM by mid-August. This gives the board time to marshal the troops, present the best defence it can of its performance and back up whatever new plan it comes up with, by citing the advice of Rothschild and Co. It wouldn't be unusual for only 60pc to 70pc of shareholders to vote at an EGM like this, which puts the activists towards half of what they might need with 23pc. The group needs to get smaller, more focused, rebuild and then hope to grow again further down the road. Patrick Coveney pulled out of the US with Greencore and retreated back to the UK. Shareholders backed him because he got a good price on the way out the door of North America. That doesn't look likely right now for Aryzta. It could be an oven-baked hot summer for the Swiss\Irish group. This is clearly improper use of technique and procedure, do not do this, said Nathan Garrett, a Kansas City Police Commissioner who had previously served as board president. This is what happens when you deploy, utilize bad technique in improper ways, this is the outcome. Do not do this. Violence Begets Violence George Floyd protests in Minneapolis turn deadly as city mayor urges calm Minneapolis woke up Thursday morning to fires still burning and smoke hanging in the air after a second night of violent protests over the death of a black man in police custody turned deadly overnight. A man was found dead Wednesday night on a sidewalk. Family Speaks Out George Floyd's family says four officers involved in his death should be charged with murder The family of George Floyd -- who died after pleading that he couldn't breathe while a police officer held him down with a knee on his neck -- say they want the four Minneapolis officers involved charged with murder. Celebrity Activism Erupts Beyonce, Taylor Swift and more celebrities react to the death of George Floyd: 'We must act' Celebrities are joining the chorus of thousands of protesters demanding justice for George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died in police custody Mondayafter a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck. The horrifying bystander video of Floyd's death spread quickly on social media earlier in the day, showing the officer driving his knee into Floyd's neck as the handcuffed man repeatedly says he can't breathe. Deadly Riots Ensue Night Of Chaos: 1 Man Dead Amid Fires, Looting In Minneapolis MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) - Fires burned and looters struck overnight after violent protests over the death of a black man in police custody rocked Minneapolis for a second straight night, with damage stretching for miles across the city. Amid the violence, a man was found fatally shot Wednesday night near a pawn shop. Conservatives Decry Property Damage And Unhelpful Chaos We're Going to Hear a Lot of Bad Arguments about Rioting and George Floyd | National Review In 2016, another Minnesota cop killed an African-American man and generated national headlines about police brutality and racism in police forces. Officer Jeronimo Yanez shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop, while Castile was following a police officer's instructions. Tag Before Trial Derek Chauvin, cop who pinned George Floyd, has 'murderer' scrawled outside home Protesters descended on the home of the cop filmed pinning George Floyd down by his neck before his death - scrawling "murderer" in large letters at the end of his driveway. Dozens of protesters met Wednesday outside the suburban Minnesota home of Derek Chauvin, the 44-year-old police veteran fired after pressing his knee into Floyd's neck for several minutes as he sobbed, "I can't breathe." Target Lady Confronts Attack Amid Internets Keyboard War A woman in a wheelchair accused of trying to stab Minneapolis Target looters was recorded being sprayed with a fire extinguisher. Now, she's become an internet flash point. A divisive Twitter star emerged from the scene of a Minneapolis Target that was looted during protests over the killing of George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck. POLICE KILLING SPARKS WIDESPREAD AMERICAN CIVIL UNREST!!! George Floyd case: Protests erupt across the country after Minnesota man's death Multiple cities across the U.S. exploded into outcry on Wednesday night, just days after Minneapolis resident George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died while in police custody. In contrast to the peaceful protests that spawned the Minneapolis streets on Tuesday, the demonstrations Wednesday descended into chaos soon after the sun fell. A worthwhileas law enforcement leaders around the nation distance themselves from this controversial police killing that has sparked worsening American civil unrest . . .Further reading:Developing . . . Two months ago, Russia said no to Saudi Arabia's proposal for deeper oil production cuts. It was enough to start a price war that, coinciding with the Covid-19 pandemic, wiped out billions in oil revenues for both Russia and Saudi Arabia while forcing them to enact even deeper cuts than previously discussed. Some say the price war was never about Saudi Arabia and Russia. They say it was about U.S. shale. If that is accurate, what happens when the U.S. shale patch regains enough strength to start ramping up production again? It might sound premature to talk about production ramp-ups with West Texas Intermediate still below $40 a barrel and likely to stay below this crucial mark for a while. But eventually, prices will hit the mark: shale producers have cut a solid chink of their output, demand is improving, and not least, bankruptcies are already underway with more to come. In fact, as many as 250 U.S. shale companies could go under, according to Rystad Energy, unless prices improve markedly and quickly. Gulf-focused business journalist Frank Kane wrote for the Arab News that the next price war is just a few dollars per barrel away. These few dollars would motivate producers to start increasing their production. "It would make no sense at all for Saudi Arabia to continue with its market-changing cuts, which are exacting a big price in terms of lost revenue, if the U.S. was swamping the world with oil again," Kane wrote, adding that, "The battle for market share with the Kingdom turning the pumps full throttle again would be back on." Related: Will U.S. Shale Survive If Oil Hits $40? Saudi Arabia recorded a budget deficit of $9 billion for the first quarter of the year, with revenues down 22 percent during the period on the back of the oil price slump. Aramco's profit for the quarter fell by 25 percent. The Kingdom started issuing bonds on the international market to stabilize its finances as it bled foreign reserves at the fastest rate in 20 years, according to Reuters, as it fought the double blow of low oil prices, weak demand, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Russia reported a budget surplus for the first quarter, albeit a modest one, at 0.5 percent. It maintained the surplus in April as well, but now it seems that the pandemic has started to take a toll, with Finance Minister Anton Siluanov telling local media that the government planned to increase borrowing and delay some national-scale projects until the economy recovers. The minister forecast a 5-percent GDP decline for the year thanks to oil price developments and the pandemic. Economically speaking, the immediate outlook for the U.S. economy is grimmer than that for Saudi Arabia or Russia, with the second-quarter GDP seen by some as posting a double-digit decline, and a hefty one at that, at up to 40 percent. The U.S. oil industry is not such a big part of the United States' GDP as it is for Russia or Saudi Arabia, but unlike Russia or Saudi Arabia, the U.S. oil industry can hardly rely on government aid. In fact, the American Petroleum Institute has spoken against such aid. So, let's say a couple of hundred U.S. shale drillers go bust because of the prolonged price depression. This will coincide with gradual demand improvement as lockdowns go away, and barring a second wave of Covid-19 infections, this demand improvement will push prices up. As this happens, the surviving shale drillers, most of them debt-laden, will have no choice but to start pumping more. Related: Oil Slides As Russia Plans To Raise Production What will Russia and the Saudis do then? Russia has said it could live on cheap Brent for years as long as "cheap" means no less than $40 a barrel. Saudi Arabia needs twice that to break even. But does it need to break even? There are many countries living in comfort with budget deficits, and the United States isor was prior to the pandemicby far the best example. Saudi Arabia's Finance Minister recently said the economy of the Kingdom was solid enough to withstand the effects of low oil prices. If this is true, then it would probably be solid enough to endure another round of maximum production, which would be the only response to rising U.S. production that would make sense for Saudi Arabia. Of course, there is an optimistic scenario: demand improves so fast that everyone is happy with prices. Indeed, according to Russia's Energy Minister, supply and demand could rebalance within two months now that production cuts have reached as much as 15 million bpd. This, Alexander Novak said, means that the current supply surplus has shrunk to 7-12 million bpd. Now, all we need is to wait and see how quickly demand recovers, because there are doubts, including within the oil industry, that it might never recover to pre-crisis levels. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: (Natural News) A new study suggests that most Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) patients are no longer infectious 11 days after they develop symptoms of the disease. The study, jointly conducted by Singapores National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and the Academy of Medicine, Singapore (AMS), claims that around 80 percent of COVID-19 patients can be discharged after this time period. Currently, Singapore requires patients to test negative twice for the virus before being discharged, similar to what is being done in the United States. If more evidence can come out to corroborate the findings of this study, it can be used to shape Singapores healthcare policies and those of other countries with regards to hospitalizations due to coronavirus. Safely reducing the time coronavirus patients spend in hospitals and other health care facilities can help free up much-needed healthcare resources. This comes as doubt has been cast on test kits, mostly sourced from China, which can produce false positives, prolonging the time patients remain in hospital. Listen to the Health Ranger Report from Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how these Chinese coronavirus tests have bad accuracy and produce high numbers of false positives. Researchers confident in their findings despite the studys small size The research papers findings are based on a study of 73 patients being treated in Singapore. They measured the viral load of the patients, or how much of the coronavirus was still in their systems, to measure whether or not the virus was still viable and infectious. Based on the accumulated data since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the infectious period of [the coronavirus] in symptomatic individuals may begin around two days before the onset of symptoms, and persist for about seven to 10 days after the onset of symptoms, stated the researchers. Leo Yee Sin, executive director of the NCID, said that they were confident that there was enough evidence to prove that COVID-19 patients are no longer infectious after 11 days. The only exceptions to this would be people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients who received chemotherapy or people on immunosuppressive drugs, as the coronavirus might be viable in them for longer periods. Other studies also apparently support Leo and her teams conclusions. One small and important study of nine patients from Germany, for example, found that viral shedding from the throat and lungs was extremely high in the first week of infection but that the shedding ceased after eight days. When asked about the discrepancy with the German study, Leo said that her researchers were very conservative and kept on counting until the very last drop of the virus was out of the patients systems. Another study, conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), found that patients who recovered from COVID-19 but later tested positive for it did not pass the virus on to others. This came after the KCDC identified, through contact tracing, 790 people who came into contact with nearly 300 patients who recovered from the coronavirus. They found that not a single person became infected after coming into contact with a patient who recovered but later tested positive. (Related: Second wave of coronavirus reaches Singapore majority of cases come from migrant worker communities.) Study may help shape Singapores healthcare policies Singapore currently has the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia, with 31,960 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of press time, but only 23 deaths. They have a case fatality rate of less than 0.1 percent. This disparity between cases and deaths is attributed to the city-states mass testing program and robust contract tracing practices, as well as the fact that many of those infected are very young and presumably still have strong immune systems. Furthermore, the country is putting a lot of effort into making sure its healthcare system does not get overwhelmed by patients needing critical care. They not only provide medical assistance but also focus on the amount of nutrition and level of physical activity that patients receive. The Singaporean Ministry of Health (MOH) has been informed of the study, and it will be up to them to decide whether or not the country updates its discharge protocols. When asked about Leos research, the MOH said that they will study and evaluate the papers position statement and figure out if any of their ideas can be incorporated into the countrys patient management programs. They further added that the way Singapore manages its COVID-19 patients is guided by the latest clinical and scientific evidence. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com StraitsTimes.com NYPost.com WHO.int [PDF] Vox.com SCMP.com At least seven policemen were killed and three others wounded in a Taliban attack in Afghanistans western Farah province on Wednesday night, the first major attack after a brief ceasefire ended, the local police confirmed on Thursday. The clashes erupted after militants stormed a security checkpoint in the village of Rigi on the outskirts of provincial capital Farah city. The militants also sustained casualties based on the bloodstains on the clash site, provincial police spokesman, Muhibullah Muhib, told Xinhua. The injured police officers were presumably captured by the militants in the province that has been the scene of heavy clashes between security forces and Taliban militants for years. The clash came one day after a three-day ceasefire between Taliban militants and government security forces was ended on Tuesday night. The Taliban did not extend the ceasefire which was declared during the three-day Muslims Eid al-Fitri festival despite the national and international call for extension of the brief truce. (Xinhua/NAN) College Student Wanted in 2 Connecticut Slayings Is Captured HARTFORD, Conn.A college student sought by police as a suspect in a crime spree including two slayings in Connecticut has been captured in Maryland, police said Wednesday night. Peter Manfredonia, 23, had been the subject of a six-day search involving several police agencies and the FBI. He was found in the area of a truck stop in Hagerstown, Maryland. He was not injured and no officers were hurt during the arrest, Connecticut State Police said. The suspect will face justice and this will bring closure. This is what is important for the families of the victims, said Trooper First Class Christine Jeltema, a spokeswoman for Connecticut State Police. Manfredonia was wanted in the machete killing of 62-year-old Ted DeMers and the wounding of another man in Willington, Connecticut, on Friday. Cyndi DeMers, the victims wife, has said Manfredonia was looking for a female acquaintance when he came walking down the road in front of their home wearing a motorcycle helmet and her husband offered him a ride to his motorcycle. The University of Connecticut senior also went to another mans home, held him hostage, stole his guns and truck, and drove about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest to Derby, Connecticut, state police said. In Derby, police found Manfredonias high school friend, Nicholas Eisele, 23, shot to death in his home on Sunday. Authorities believe Manfredonia then forced Eiseles girlfriend into her car and fled the state. The girlfriend was found unharmed with her car at a rest stop near near Columbia, New Jersey. A gun that police believe was used in the slaying of Eisele was recovered near where Manfredonia was taken into custody, Jeltema said. Authorities have not offered a possible motive for the crimes. Investigators tracked Manfredonia to Pennsylvania, where police said he took an Uber to a Walmart in East Stroudsburg, not far from the New Jersey border. Police discovered through interviews with the driver and from security camera footage that Manfredonia walked behind the store and onto railroad tracks, authorities said. A man fitting his description was spotted Tuesday night near Scranton, Pennsylvania, prompting another search there. And police later suspected Manfredonia to be in the Hagerstown, Maryland, area, where a ride-hailing service dropped off someone matching his description Wednesday. A lawyer for the suspects family, Michael Dolan, said they were relieved the search had ended peacefully. Dolan said Manfredonia, a Newtown native, was an honors engineering student at UConn who had a history of depression and anxiety but had not shown signs of violence. This came as a total surprise to everybody based on Peters past, he said. Hes been a kind-hearted person who has no history of violence or any trouble with the law. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont offered thanks to police agencies including those in other states that were involved in the search. We are appreciative of their unified approach to this disturbing situation, Lamont said on Twitter. By Pat Eaton-Robb Sandra Lee knows what it's like to face food insecurity. As a child, Lee, 53, says she lived in a "food-challenged" environment, an upbringing that has made her passionate about ensuring other women, children and families aren't without food. "I knew where I could go and get food for our family," Lee, who has been open about her family's dependence on food stamps and the welfare system during her youth, told TODAY, "but can you imagine being in an environment where there is nowhere to go? The despair you'd feel as a mother? As a child? It's unfathomable to me that people this day and age are in this situation." As a special nutrition emissary for UNICEF, Sandra Lee led a team to Haiti on an immunization and nutrition mission in 2015. (Ed Ouellette) It's that disbelief, coupled with a fierce desire to enact change, which led the former Food Network star to accept a position on the World Food Program USA board of directors. The Washington, D.C.-based WFP is an affiliate of the United Nations World Food Programme, and works to generate financial and in-kind donations to feed families in need around the world, as well as develop policies necessary to alleviate global hunger. Lee has worked with several charitable organizations for years, including serving as a spokesperson for No Kid Hungry for more than a decade. In 2000, she founded a Los Angeles-based chapter of UNICEF. Five years ago, she was given UNICEFs Special Appointment of Nutrition Emissary, raising awareness about the nutritional needs of children affected by hunger. She has also worked with organizations like the Elton John AIDS Foundation and God's Love We Deliver, a New York City-based organization that helps put food in the hands of people who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves. Lee said when the WFP USA called her about the opportunity to accept a board position, it was a no-brainer. "I'm not really a 'sit in the green room' kind of girl," Lee said of her decision. "I'm not really a 'When is our next mani pedi?' girl. I want to get the work done and I want to see a change made. When I saw the numbers and heard the reports, I had to act." Story continues Lee joins former Senator Tom Daschle, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, Jodi Benson, the chief innovation, technology and quality officer for General Mills, and many others currently serving on the WFP USA board of directors. In her new role, Lee will primarily be working on initiatives to get young people involved in solving the issues of world hunger and food insecurity, a task that makes her hopeful for the future. "One of my initiatives will be to launch a next generation board of directors," Lee explained. "What's beautiful about the next generation is they're so philanthropically driven already that I think with a little bit of insight, knowledge and ability to make a difference, they will go so far in helping us create the food that is so desperately needed in the world." Lee will also help create a public service announcement, featuring celebrities, chefs and various influencers, to help raise awareness and funding for the WFP's mission. While she can't yet share details about who exactly will be involved, Lee added that "several big names" have expressed excitement about participating. "Once people start understanding what is actually going on in the world, there is no way anyone is going to be able to say no," she continued. "Because if it was your sister or your daughter or niece (experiencing food insecurity), you would make it happen, and that is what I know America is all about." Related: A "Seeds and Sheep" project in Utah is one of many innovative programs seeking to help Native communities become more food sovereign and self-reliant. In 2019, the WFP helped feed about 100 million people facing severe food insecurity every day. The program estimates that there are 821 million food insecure people on the planet, 135 million of which are acutely or severely hungry. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect communities around the world, the WFP estimates that an additional 130 million people may be driven into severe hunger if conditions continue to deteriorate, bringing the total number of people who are suffering from extreme hunger due to the virus to 265 million this year. Lee hopes her work will help reverse this troubling statistic. "When we say 'food insecurity' in the U.S., that is such a soft way to say that without the WFP, these people would starve and these people would die," said Lee. "That is the truth many people in this world want to put a lens over that so it's not as extreme or seemingly as desperate but the bottom line is, it is extreme. It is desperate." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ngurah Swajaya (The Jakarta Post) Singapore Thu, May 28, 2020 08:44 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bda8f9d0 3 Opinion diplomacy,diplomat,international-relations,foreign-affairs,new-normal,COVID-19 Free The world as we know it will never be the same. A new normal, in many circumstances, will become a reality, unless a vaccine becomes available for all. For now, we have to live with health protocols. As the pandemic extends throughout the world, healthcare workers, as the first responders, have become essential; so too are the scientists that are collaborating to find solutions, including a potential vaccine. The disruptions resulting from border closures and travel restrictions, which were the immediate responses to the virus, continue to be addressed. In this context, diplomacy plays an essential role. For example, the evacuation of Indonesian nationals, including students, from the locked down city of Wuhan in Hubei province, China was a delicate process that was well coordinated through diplomatic channels at high and low levels. Likewise, facilitating the safe return of Chinese tourists visiting different countries, including Indonesia, has also been well undertaken. Worldwide, diplomats have effectively facilitated the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of people from many countries. Thus, despite border closures and restrictions, diplomats have managed to maintain effective channels of communication to coordinate with other nations, negotiate repatriation, amend shortages of essential medical supplies, maintain the flow of supply chains and facilitate cooperation on medication and vaccines. Diplomats have been preparing and organizing emergency meetings, including at the summit level, and have attempted, as much as possible, to marshal international cooperation for a global coordinated response. Virtual meetings are a significant departure from normal physical meetings. All coordination undertakings, negotiations, preparatory meetings and even courtesy calls are now being conducted in this manner. The Special Summit of the Group of 20, the summits of ASEAN, ASEAN Plus One and ASEAN Plus Three, the Non-Aligned Summit and many other meetings at the regional and global levels have been organized virtually. As these meetings have produced many agreements on emergency responses, efforts to address the virus significant economic impacts have also taken place. The G20, for example, has agreed on a one-year debt standstill for the worlds poorest nations as they struggle to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. G20 members have also pledged to deploy all available policy tools to deal with the health and economic crisis. The ASEAN and ASEAN+3 summits also agreed on various collaborations, such as developing the Reserve of Essential Medical Supplies, which includes a warehouse managed by the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Center), developing the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, strengthening an early warning system and many other initiatives. Virtual meetings and summits have very effectively contributed to quick decision-making and implementation. Virtual seminars have been effective at raising awareness, as well as providing education and training during the pandemic. While virtual diplomacy has become an effective new reality, is this going to be the new normal? Will virtual meetings or the use of digital technology be sufficient in dealing with diplomacys many concerns, including its most sensitive ones? First, we have seen effective results in emergency responses despite border restrictions and physical distancing. Meetings at the highest level can be organized to make breakthrough decisions for collective global responses. Different time zones and distances have not hindered international coordination. Problems have been largely limited to secure communication and technological gaps. In addition to having successfully brought home thousands of Indonesians from many countries despite restrictions, Indonesian diplomacy has managed to provide emergency supplies to its citizens in different countries, to facilitate more than 100 forms of support and cooperation from governments, international organizations and the private sector, especially in making essential medical supplies available to Indonesia. Indonesian diplomats have also started to facilitate discussions to prepare for economic recovery. Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiation between nations, as the MerriamWebster Dictionary defines it. It is an instrument of foreign policy set out by political leaders. Therefore, depending on the gravity or sensitivity of the issues, diplomacy still requires face-to-face meetings because of many factors and considerations. Trust, confidence-building, developing personal friendships and even body language are key for a negotiation to succeed. Despite the absence of concrete outcomes, a negotiation can be considered successful when chief negotiators and their teams manage to develop mutual trust and confidence to continue their meetings. Interpersonal dynamics in a negotiation are also critical, and negotiators cannot grasp these as accurately online as in physical meetings. Virtual meetings can, indeed, be very effective to address emergency responses. They can also be effective for preliminary discussions and agenda setting. However, the actual negotiations still require both parties to meet in person, especially when involving very sensitive issues. Virtual meetings can help expedite negotiations and streamline meetings, but physical meetings remain essential and should be continued in the new normal, with strict health protocols in place. The third and final point: to address a disaster of this unprecedented proportion, the ideal response needs strong global leadership and unified strategy. Unfortunately, the pandemic has been exacerbated by the divisive global atmosphere that has been building up over the past years. Geopolitical rivalries caused by trust deficits, coupled with accusations and rhetorical exchanges, have made the situation worse. Some have said that the pandemic could last even longer, not solely because of the virus itself, but because of lack of global leadership and unity. It may not be as effectively addressed in as solid and as unified a manner as the previous global financial crisis. The more complicated current situation requires even more intensive and extensive engagements and coordination through diplomatic channels. Physical meetings may have to resume to address devastating economic impacts, including global security threats. Diplomacy must continue to support the great work of healthcare workers, scientists and all front liners to salvage humanity. Lastly, putting humanity and livelihoods at the center of global undertakings is most crucial to overcoming the spread of COVID-19. As we all share one planet Earth, continuous work toward peace and security is essential, whatever the new normal in diplomacy will be. Some have said that the pandemic could last even longer, not solely because of the virus itself, but because of lack of global leadership and unity. *** Indonesian diplomat. The views expressed are personal. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. The airline industry has been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in social distancing and disrupted air travel. The trend seems to be reversing lately with easing of restrictions, reopening of the economy and new safety measures that have led to the resumption of flights in many countries. This is especially true as U.S. Global Jets ETF JETS, the one ETF dedicated to the airline industry, was the best performer over the past week, having gained nearly 17%. Here are some insights into the solid performance (read: Does Warren Buffett's Latest Move Spell Doom for Airline ETF?). Memorial Day Travel Ticks Up Air travel bumped up over the Memorial Day weekend to levels not seen since plummeting in March when stay-home orders took effect across most of the United States. More than 1.5 million passengers passed through airport security checkpoints during the Memorial Day weekend. Though this is just a fraction of 12.2 million people who flew during the same period in 2019, it is the strongest number since late March and indicates a solid revival in airline business from the lows seen in mid-April. In particular, the Memorial Day weekend was the busiest travel period for American Airlines AAL since Mar 21. The carrier said that the traffic was 320% better during May 22 through May 25 than April 10-13, when it saw the worst of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines LUV is expecting improved business in May and June. European Comeback Some European countries are easing travel restrictions. Italy plans to allow travel between select European countries starting Jun 3. Germany and Greece plan to resume flights on Jun 15, while Spain will lift the mandatory two-week quarantine for overseas travelers starting Jul 1. Summer Travel Optimism Airlines in many parts of the world are planning to resume flights starting next month. Air China is expected to operate 24 international routes between Jun 1 and Jul 1 while Air France is planning to increase its flight schedules during June. Alitalia has announced plans to ramp up services next month, including the resumption of its nonstop Rome-New York routes from Jun 2. It will operate 30 routes to 25 airports (15 in Italy and 10 abroad), offering around 36% more flights than in May (read: Post-Lockdown Travel Plans to Impact These ETFs). Philippine Airlines plans to fly a reduced number of weekly flights on most domestic routes and selected international routes starting Jun 1. Korean Air is planning to resume flights to 19 international routes on Jun 1, including Washington, D.C., Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Frankfurt, Singapore, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur. Qatar Airways plans a summer schedule to more than 80 destinations worldwide by June. Emirates has announced its plan to operate scheduled flight services from May 21 to nine destinations: London Heathrow Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne (subject to government approval). Ryanair is planning to reinstate some 40% of its flights over the course of summer, beginning in June. Delta Airlines DAL has added about 100 daily flights in June. Easyjet is planning to resume some services in June. United Airlines UAL is planning to resume four flights to Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai next month. Additionally, Southwest Airlines announced summer travel sale by launching a month-long fare sale with one-way fares from $49 to $99. It will also offer double frequent flyer points to travelers who buy tickets during the sale, which covers travel between May 26 and Aug 31. JETS in Focus This fund provides exposure to the global airline industry, including airline operators and manufacturers from all over the world, by tracking the U.S. Global Jets Index. In total, the product holds 34 securities and charges investors 60 bps in annual fees. The fund has gathered $951.1 million in its asset base while sees solid trading volume of nearly 1.6 million shares a day. It has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 (Hold) with a High risk outlook (see: all the Industrial ETFs here). From a year-to-date look, the ETF is down 49.2%. However, given the resumption of a higher number of flights ahead of the peak summer travel season, airline stocks and ETF are set to rebound strongly. Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox? Zacks free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) : Free Stock Analysis Report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report U.S. Global Jets ETF (JETS): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report (Getty Images) North American stock markets have largely bounced back since the coronavirus pandemic first brought an end to the longest bull market in history, but bargain hunters can still find beaten-down companies if they look hard enough. The rising tide for stocks hasnt lifted all boats. Technology stocks have been doing most of the heavy lifting that has pushed Canadian and U.S. benchmarks higher. The Canadian tech sector has risen more than 40% so far this year, propelling the sector to 9% of the S&P/TSX Composite Index (^GSPTSE) from just 2% five years ago, Kurt Reiman, Chief Investment Strategist for Canada at BlackRock, told Yahoo Finance Canada. Unlike some traditional sectors of the stock market seeing earnings and revenue impairment from the pandemic, technology is experiencing something of an accelerant. Reiman says first quarter earnings that beat estimates, and only slight downward revisions in the second quarter, have made tech stocks an attractive investment. The TSX versus the iShares S&P/TSX Capped Information Technology Index ETF (XIT) over the last year Slower-than-anticipated reopenings and earnings recovery could derail the rally, but Reiman says he expects global and domestic policy to limit losses. We therefore take an up-in-quality stance within equities at a time of high macro uncertainty, specifically focusing on more defensive style factors, such as minimum volatility and quality, which tend to outperform during periods of slow economic activity and elevated market volatility, he said. The shift away from traditional offices during the pandemic has helped fuel a rise in a newly dubbed group of companies called stay-at-home stocks. I believe we could see more relative outperformance from this area as it becomes a clear disruptive investment theme longer-term. Microsoft, Facebook, Alphabet, Costco and Citrix Systems are names in my portfolio that immediately come to mind, Stan Wong, portfolio manager at Scotia Wealth Management, told Yahoo Finance Canada. Canadian banks, which are in the middle of earnings season, have lagged behind tech stocks and are trading well below all-time highs, but Wong says he likes them for conservative investors looking for value. Story continues Canadian banks are paying very attractive dividends with the big five banks yielding between 5% and 7% dividends, he said As a group, the banks are trading at a 1.1x price-to-book valuation well below its 10-year average of 1.8x price-to-book. Travel and leisure stocks have been battered. As confidence in the industry returns, Wong says the sector looks interesting for aggressive growth investors who are patience and can handle volatility. He says Royal Caribbean Cruises, Booking Holdings and Wynn Resorts are examples of companies that could offer outsized, long-term returns. Benj Gallander, president of Contra The Heard Investment Letter, looks for beaten down companies with big upside potential. He thinks the oil and gas sector, another laggard, offers brave investors big dividends and strong capital gains. I own North European Oil Royalty Trust and Permian Basin Royalty Trust, he told Yahoo Finance Canada. Another that I own in this space is Vaalco Energy, which has been hard hit but has an excellent chance of a strong recovery as output grows over the next couple of years. Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. (Newser) Jerry Falwell Jr. says that since Virginia's governor has ordered people to wear masks, the only one he's going to wear will have a picture of Gov. Ralph Northam on itin blackface. The Liberty University president tweeted a photo of the mask Wednesday, which features the controversial photo from the Democratic governor's 1984 medical school yearbook, Newsweek reports. Falwell said he was "adamantly opposed" to the mask mandate until he decided to design his own. "If I am ordered to wear a mask, I will reluctantly comply, but only if this picture of Governor Blackface himself is on it!" story continues below In an earlier tweet, Falwell accused Northam of bringing in the mask order because he was afraid COVID-19 numbers were improving, and "his ilk needs fear and crisis as an excuse to bolster their power and limit individual freedom." Under the order Northam issued this week, Virginia residents over 10 years old will be required to wear masks in indoor public spaces, starting Friday. "Everything we do affects someone else. I'm asking us all to remember the golden rule: that we should treat each other the way that we want people to treat us," Northam said Tuesday, per the Hill. (Read more Jerry Falwell Jr. stories.) VANCOUVER, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP ("AHIP", "the Company") (TSX: HOT.UN, TSX: HOT.U, TSX: HOT.DB.U) announces today that it will host its 2020 Annual and Special Meeting of Unitholders (the "Meeting") in a hybrid (teleconference and limited in-person) format on June 17, 2020 at 9:00 am (Pacific Time). In consideration of the health and safety of AHIP's unitholders, colleagues, stakeholders and the broader community, AHIP is requesting that unitholders attend the hybrid Meeting by live teleconference due to the current serious health impact of COVID-19. In order to be permitted to participate and ask questions as a noted unitholder via the live teleconference, registered unitholders and duly appointed proxy holders must pre-register for the teleconference using the link below prior to the proxy cut-off time at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) on Monday, June 15, 2020. Registered unitholders and duly appointed proxy holders that complete such registration will receive a unique dial-in and passcode for the teleconference. http://services.choruscall.ca/DiamondPassRegistration/register?confirmationNumber=10009633&linkSecurityString=88d990116 Beneficial unitholders and other interested stakeholders are also invited to attend the Meeting via teleconference, in a listen only mode, using the dial-in below. 1-800-319-4610 (Toll-free North America ) ) 1-604-638-5340 (International or local Vancouver ) ) Please ask to join the "Annual and Special Meeting of Unitholders of American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP" To avoid any delays in joining the call, please dial in to the call at least five minutes prior to the call start time using the appropriate method noted above. There will be no voting via the live teleconference. Accordingly, in order to ensure their units are voted at the Meeting, all unitholders are strongly encouraged to submit their proxies or voting instructions, as applicable, well in advance of the Meeting. The deadline for the submission of proxies is 9:00 am (Pacific Time) on June 15, 2020. Beneficial unitholders should carefully follow the instructions of their intermediary/broker, including those on how and when voting instructions are to be provided, in order to have their units voted at the Meeting. AHIP's Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement (the "LP Agreement") requires AHIP to hold an "in person" meeting. Accordingly, a limited and predetermined number of executives, board members and legal representatives will be attending the Meeting in person, at AHIP's legal counsel's office, for the purposes of establishing quorum and voting the valid proxies received. The Meeting will be conducted so as to abide by British Columbia's guidelines regarding physical distancing practices. Full details of the Meeting, including matters on which unitholders will be asked to vote (including certain proposed amendments to AHIP's LP Agreement), are set out in AHIP's Notice of Meeting and Information Circular dated May 15, 2020, copies of which are available on the governance page of AHIP's website at www.ahipreit.com and under AHIP's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. In addition, a draft copy of AHIP's LP Agreement, as proposed to be further amended and restated has been posted to the governance page of AHIP's website at https://www.ahipreit.com/investor-relations/corporate-governance/governance-overview/default.aspx. AHIP looks forward to welcoming unitholders in person at future annual meetings. ABOUT AMERICAN HOTEL INCOME PROPERTIES REIT LP: American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP (TSX: HOT.UN, TSX: HOT.U, TSX: HOT.DB.U), or AHIP, is a limited partnership formed to invest in hotel real estate properties across the United States. AHIP's portfolio of 79 premium branded, select-service hotels are located in secondary metropolitan markets that benefit from diverse and stable demand. AHIP hotels operate under brands affiliated with Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Wyndham and Choice Hotels through license agreements. The Company's long-term objectives are to build on its proven track record of successful investment, deliver monthly U.S. dollar denominated distributions to unitholders, and generate value through the continued growth of its diversified hotel portfolio. More information is available at www.ahipreit.com. SOURCE American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP Related Links www.ahipreit.com Co Kildare fire services are back again battling a forest fire near Hortland, which first began last Sunday. Due to the remoteness of the area, fire services can't access hydrants so are relying on other methods users beaters. Maynooth and Naas Fire Services are at the scene of the ongoing fire at Hortlands, while several farmers are there too. Derek Whelan, Senior Assistant Chief Fire Officer for Co Kildare says that concerns are being raised nationally about low water supplies. He said: "We did not have a significant number of call outs to forest fires last year, but these fires could continue on for the summer with this dry weather." He cites 1995 as being a similar year for a large amount of call outs to forest fires. Mr Whelan said: "There is no rainfall, anywhere where there is a high level of growth, there could be a lot of bog fires over the summer. This could be for the foreseeable future, we will be there going forward." Coillte forestry is understood to be on fire. Mr Whelan says that no cause can be attributed to these fires. He said:"I have no idea what is causing them, it could be absolutely anything but it is not unusual with this very dry weather." Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi wrote on his Twitter and Facebook accounts on Thursday asking the Egyptian people to maintain their solidarity and to stand together at this important moment to face the coronavirus pandemic. As the efforts of the Egyptian state, the government and the people continue to face this pandemic, implement the development plans, and preserve the economic stability during the hardest circumstances, the enemies of the nation try to question the states achievements and efforts. I reassert my confidence in the Egyptian people who always demonstrate their strength in facing those campaigns; God bless Egypt and Egyptians, El-Sisi wrote. Egypt has until Wednesday recorded 19,666 coronavirus cases, including 5,205 fully recovered patients and 816 fatalities. Search Keywords: Short link: Over the last few days, anyone walking along Clanbrassil Street and Church Street in Dundalk's town centre couldn't help but have noticed a fantastic new addition to the public realm there. Heart Space, a new sculpture at the piazza created opposite St Nicholas' Church depicts two abstract swan figures, which, according to local artist and creator Breda Marron, "from a distance seem to dance as one, yet when you come closer you realise, they are separate individuals, simply in rhythm with each other." Talking about the genesis and idea behind the new installation, Breda says, given the current global situation, it makes more sense now. "It seems serendipitous that the inspiration for the piece in 2018, came from the concept of two beings, showing true love, by holding space for each other, without touching." The sculpture was commissioned as part of the European funded, Town Rejuvenation Project for Dundalk Town Centre. Breda says the essence of the sculpture also links back to the Celtic concept of an Anam Cara, the Irish phrase for a Soul Friend. "One who sees and accepts you for who you are and acts like a reflective mirror, reflecting the best of your inner light back to you," she adds. The local artist goes on to explain that St. Nicholass Quarter has a strong link to Scotlands National Poet, Robert Burns, as his sister Agnes is buried in St. Nicholass Church of Ireland and her home is now part of the nature park at Stephenstown pond, close to Dundalk. "This connection to the Scottish bard led me to explore the heritage of the Celtic bards and druids of ancient Ireland. "In ancient Ireland, the bards would wear a special ceremonial cloak, made of songbird and swan feathers. They believed this cloak connected them to the transformational power of the swan acted as a source of inspiration and creativity, a connection to a deeper awareness." She continues: "Heart Space captures the essence of a cloak of wisdom being wrapped around two birds of pure love and light. An inner section of polished gold captures the sunlight and links to the concept of 'a heart of gold' and the positive energy shared between the two swans. "It's always amazing to see an idea transform from a vision into a public sculpture but this sculpture has brought that to a whole new level. "Its been fascinating to step back and watch the response from local people as they pass by and see the sculpture for the first time. "It has been an honour and privilege to have been chosen by Louth County Council, to create this sculpture for Dundalk. I hope it finds a place in the hearts of the local community and visitors to the area." Tensions between the U.S. and China have been frosty for a long time. But things have strained even further this year, as a result of the pandemic and Chinas announcement of a new security law that threatens Hong Kongs autonomous status. The frustrations between the countries are now reaching new heights. Could the worlds two foremost superpowers be on the cusp of a new cold war? If so, how will that play out with so much at stake? Advertisement On Thursdays episode of What Next, I spoke with Joshua Keating, a senior editor at Slate who covers international affairs, about how the coronavirus has thrown already-strained relations with China into a deep freeze, and whether any sort of conflict could be next. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mary Harris: Im hoping you can explain this tweet from Pompeo: Today, I reported to Congress that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China, given facts on the ground. The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong. Joshua Keating: The U.S. considers Hong Kong a separate political entity from the rest of China. This means things like the tariffs that the U.S. placed on Chinese exports during the recent trade war dont apply to Hong Kong. It means there are different visa rules for travelers from Hong Kong. And when Chinese companies want to expand internationally, they often start by listing themselves on the Hong Kong stock market. Advertisement Advertisement So what does it mean that Pompeo pulled this special status? A bill that was passed by Congress last year during the Hong Kong protests basically requires the secretary of state to certify every year that Hong Kong is still sufficiently autonomous to be granted this special status. Both China and the U.S. didnt really think the other would act on Hong Kong because its such a major escalation. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce was strongly opposed to this. Generally, the U.S. business community and the businesses that have their offices in Hong Kong were very opposed to pulling its autonomy. So its a controversial step. Advertisement Why now? Trump is really spoiling for a fight with China, both because hes been blaming China for the coronavirus and because hes heading into an election year where hes going to try to portray the Democrats as being soft on China and himself as being the guy who stood up to Beijing. I think right now were witnessing maybe the worst crisis in U.S.-China relations since Tiananmen Square in 1989. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Figuring out how the U.S. and China reached this new low point means understanding all the different ways the two countries challenge each otherand the way this coronavirus has magnified those friction points. Hong Kong is just one of many points of conflict, but whats happened there shows how the coronavirus has given a sudden shock to U.S.-China diplomacy. Last year, when protesters flooded Hong Kongs streets, demanding a say in the way the city runs, it seemed like the United States might be able to use the situation to its advantage. But the coronavirus changed all that. Those protests have kind of dissipated, largely because of social distancing requirements. So its been a good moment for China to press its advantage when its harder to protest and when the attention of the international community is focused elsewhere. Thats involved arresting a number of activists who were involved in the protests last year. And the biggest escalation last week was when Beijing announced that it was going to pass a new security law that would ban what it calls seditious activities or foreign interference but can basically be used to criminalize any kind of dissent or what it sees as anti-China behavior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And this law that affects Hong Kong skips the usual process of going through Hong Kongs government. Exactly. This is being inserted by the Chinese government into whats effectively Hong Kongs constitution. Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong fear its going to be used to criminalize basically any kind of dissent or any kind of anti-China organizing in Hong Kong. A number of prominent pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong said this is basically the end of one country, two systemsthe end of Hong Kongs political independence. Advertisement This is why Pompeo has suddenly declared that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China. This new security law was set to go to a vote this week. Pompeos tweet was a clear message. Advertisement This announcement Pompeo made does not actually involve policy changes. This is a recommendation the State Department is making. Its up to Trump how he wants to interpret it. If he wants to actually change the U.S. relationship with Hong Kong, hed do it through an executive order. It seems unlikely he wouldnt do anything, especially given all the buildup to this. I think were going to see a lot of ferocious lobbying. The business community will want a softer response. The more business- and trade-oriented voices within the administration, like Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, are going to want to water this down a bit. Advertisement How would you characterize the U.S.-China relationship now? Advertisement There have always been two sides to the U.S. engagement with China. Theres the pragmatic side that looks at the economic, business, trade, and security benefits. On the other side, youve had conservative hawks, who dont trust Chinas international intentions, and activists, who dont think we should be engaged with a country with such atrocious human rights practices. There was this idea that the U.S. could have it both ways: that by engaging China, we would encourage it to act the way that we want it to. President Bill Clinton would say things like, By bringing China to the world, we bring the worlds values and democracy to China. The idea that by opening up its economy, we would also open up its political system. That was always a dubious proposition. But I think it allowed several U.S. administrations to defend the idea of engagement with China against criticism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I wonder when you think the relationship between China and United States began to shift. I think it was Xi Jinping. After he took power in 2012, there was some hope that he would be a more pragmatic leader. It hasnt happened that way at all. Hes effectively made himself a president for life. Chinas clamped down even harder on Hong Kong, which resulted in the protests we saw last year. Its overall become more repressive internally and more assertive internationally. So I think that, under Xi, the engagement narrative that a more open China would become a more democratic or cooperative China has kind of collapsed. Advertisement Advertisement With the United States leading the world in COVID-19 deaths, China is looking to present itself as the superpower thats been able to rein in the pandemic. But theres ample evidence Chinas leaders struggled to quash the coronavirus early enough. Advertisement This looks really bad for China. This whole idea that its the new responsible superpower takes a hit if its actions made the virus worse. So China engaged in what was called mask diplomacy, shipping medical equipment to countries that were hurt really hard, especially in Europe. And it spread its expertise as well as this message that it got the virus under control. It seems like were drifting into a period of hostility, and there dont seem to be strong voices on either side who want to keep the relationship on track. Joshua Keating A lot of the equipment turned out to be faulty. But early on, people appreciated the effort that China was making, and it got a lot of praise in Europe. I think that started to backfire because China pressed its advantage a little too hard. What do you mean by that? There are these stories that came out that China was demanding that officials in places like Germany, Canada, and the U.S. praise them publicly for the help. You saw Chinese sock puppets online disseminating the message that the virus had originated in Europe. There were doctored clips of Italians playing the Chinese national anthem in gratitude. China could have looked like the responsible country, especially as the U.S. totally bungled its response. But by being so aggressive and unwilling to countenance any sort of criticism, and instead actually actively spreading disinformation, Chinas come off looking just as irresponsible and bellicose as the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was reporting in the Times that said Chinese national television was spouting a lot of anti-American coverage and negative reports about Pompeo. It reminded me of the Cold War: a ton of propaganda about how bad this other place is. There are a lot of parallels. Harvard professor Graham Allison has this theory called the Thucydides Trap: Whenever theres a rising power that challenges a declining power, theyre usually destined for military conflict. You can poke holes in that theory. But last time I was in China, a lot of officials were talking about that idea of inevitable conflict, whether its in an active shooting war or even a kind of long cold war. Thats really taken hold, I think, in both Washington and Beijing. I would point out one key difference, which is that, I think, unlike in the Cold War, neither the U.S. nor China is coming into this with a whole lot of credibility. Advertisement But its going to be tough for the rest of the world because of the economic and military importance of both the U.S. and China. Countries cant just ignore them. You cant have an effective climate deal that excludes the two largest CO 2 emitters in the world. You cant have a meaningful security alliance that excludes the two largest militaries. But I think an unexpected consequence of this may be more multilateralism and economic and political cooperation among countries in Europe and Asia. Advertisement Advertisement What happens when you fight a cold war and nobody shows up? How does an escalation like this end? It seems like both sides right now see it as in their interest to escalate the crisis. Even after Tiananmen Square, there were back channels maintained between the first Bush administration and Beijing. Right now, it doesnt seem like theres the same level of communication, partly because of the Trump administrations distrust of diplomacy. I think that right now youre hearing more support in Washington and in the business community for this idea of decoupling: separating the U.S. and Chinese economies because of how intertwined supply lines are between them. Thats probably not possible to do entirely. I do think it seems like were drifting into a period of hostility, and there dont seem to be strong voices on either side who want to keep the relationship on track. On the other hand, I dont think this means we are necessarily destined for military conflict. If you look at the history of the Cold War, even during the worst periods, it was possible to make progress on arms control. There are definitely multilateral issues that the U.S. and China have common interests in, like climate change. There are still ways the U.S. and China can keep lines of communication open and act responsibly in areas where they have common interests while being clear-eyed that there are a lot of areas where, for the foreseeable future at least, theyre not going to see eye to eye. Listen to the full episode using the player below, or subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Since the beginning of lockdown in India, analysts and experts have been flagging signs of distress in the macroeconomic scale of the country. While most sectors have experienced the heat of disruption caused by COVID-19, experts have repeatedly highlighted the acute pain inflicted on the country's financial space. If we talk about the stock market, most financial stocks are trading with deep cuts in comparison to their respective 52-week highs. However, data from AceEquity shows that the Nifty Bank and Financial indices have not suffered losses in the period of lockdown and in fact, have gained decently. Since March 24- which was the day when the lockdown was announced - Nifty Bank and Nifty Financial Services have jumped over 9 percent each till May 27. The benchmark Nifty has gained over 19 percent in the same period. The financial stocks that rose during this period include names such as ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company, Edelweiss Financial Services, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank. Among the losers, Bajaj Finance stands tall, along with Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services, State Bank Of India, Cholamandalam Investment & Finance Company and Bajaj Finserv. The rise in financial stocks during the lockdown period is not convincing the experts and many find it as occasional trading bounces. "These are trading bounces and Nifty Bank was at lowest a couple of daya ago. Since yesterday, short-covering is spiking up," said Sameer Kalra, Founder, Target Investing. The road ahead for financial stocks is full of challenges. The extention of the moratorium and prolonged lockdown are not good signs for the health of banks. Banks are expected to face a tough time given the nationwide lockdown and the extension in the moratorium, Umesh Mehta, Head of Research, Samco Securities, said in an interview with Moneycontrol. "The extension of the moratorium will bring about a fresh bout of NPA cycle if not from this quarter then sometime down the line. This will affect the banks balance sheets and in turn, their profitability. Hence, even though the RBI took a calibrated approach to save the economy, it did not favour the banks which led to the negative impact. The negative growth rate just added to the woes," Mehta said. The RBIs decision to extend the moratorium to August 31 could turn out to be a major negative for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), Emkay Global has said in a note. We read this as major negative for all NBFCs (including the ones with strong liability franchises), as this would further delay the overall collection and recovery procedure, and stretch the total liquidity cycle for all. In addition, this would further damage financial discipline, especially for small-ticket borrowers and MFIs, the note added. The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul-Malik Kweku Baako has revealed that June 26, 2020, has been set by the Accra High Court for pronouncement of judgment in a case filed against MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong. . . I have a case against Kennedy Agyapong for a year and a half now. The judgement would have ended much earlier . . . but now the judgement is slated for June 26, Kweku Baako told host of Good Morning Ghana, Randy Abbey. The case which has been in and out of court for over a year, according to Mr Baako has had quite interesting twists in the process, including the fact that the the lawyer for the defendant (Kennedy Agyapong) did a lot of injustice to their witness. Kweku Baako also indicated that in the course of the legal process, the defendants called for an out of court settlement which he agreed to but no tangible consensus could be reached during that period thus, his decision to reject and continue court proceedings. Kennedy Agyapong will be expected to cough up a whopping amount of GHC25 million as demands by Mr Baako as damages for defamation if he is found on the wrong side of the law. In a panel discussion on 'Good Morning Ghana', the veteran journalist said he could have engaged in a radio and TV banter with Kennedy Agyapong but the issue would not have been resolved because thats his turf. Mr Kennedy Agyapong openly accused me of engaging in galamsey. He also said Anas and I conspired to blackmail the president and so when Anas went to the president for the Number 12 thing it was only I, Anas and the president, only the three of us and I had a secret camera which I used to film the president . . . , Kweku Baako explained. According to Mr Baako, the viciousness of the character assignation propelled by the Assin Central lawmaker caused him to test the provisions of the law. In his opinion, partisan personalities who are fond of brutally defaming people must be taken through the full rigours of the law, henceforth. All these guys around who make too much noise, attack people . . . assassinate characters, we must subject them to that drill, we have no other choice. Some of them anticipate that you engage them on that radio and television, thats endless . . . yes, thats their turf. They have their fanatics behind them, you also have your fanatics behind you so its your word against my word. Radio and television debates nobody solves any matter there . . . , he said. Assin Central lawmaker in 2018, during the heat of the Number 12 expose and illegal mining debates defamed Kweku Baako on two separate occasions on radio and television. Mr Baako, therefore, prayed the court to direct Mr Agyapong to publish on three consecutive occasions on the same platform that he published the defamatory words, an unqualified retraction and an apology, with the same prominence as given to the issuance of the defamatory words. Other costs including legal fees and any others as this honourable court may deem fit. Source: Ghanaweb 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 SAN FRANCISCO and SINGAPORE, May 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VANTIQ announced today that it was enrolled by Singapores Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to join a select group of innovative technology companies helping local government agencies and enterprises develop transformative digital tools. VANTIQ provides a platform that lets customers build next-generation applications that combine real-world data and real-time events. VANTIQ powers a broad array of applications for smart cities, smart buildings, oil and gas, telecom, healthcare and other industries. VANTIQ is now a participant in the nations SG:D Spark Programme , which was launched in 2018 to help promising Singapore-based ICM start-ups address key challenges through selected government tools and support from leading industry partners. IMDA selects the companies through a rigorous evaluation process, looking for companies with innovative and unique technology to help build a vibrant ICM community and network to drive the growth of the Singapore ICM ecosystem. VANTIQs enrollment in the program will give it access to a broad array of leading industry partners, government tools, and priority processing of grants by IMDA. VANTIQ is delighted to be chosen for the SG:D Spark program, and we look forward to supporting the digital transformation of businesses in Singapore, said Steve Goh, vice president of APAC for VANTIQ. As Singapore strives to realize its digital economy vision, we look forward to working with local partners to spur the process of digital transformation. About VANTIQ VANTIQ enables customers to build next-generation applications that combine real-world data and real-time events. Our agile development environment allows complex applications to be created in weeks with minimal coding, taking full advantage of artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing. VANTIQ powers a broad array of applications for smart cities, smart buildings, oil and gas, telecom, healthcare and other industries. VANTIQ was founded in 2015 by technology veterans Marty Sprinzen and Paul Butterworth, co-founders of Forte Software. Learn more at www.vantiq.com . Media Contacts: A three-year old boy who accidentally fell into an open borewell on Wednesday evening died due to asphyxiation in Telanganas Medak district, the police said on Thursday. The body of Sanjay Sai Vardhan, who belonged to Patancheru in Sangareddy district on the outskirts of Hyderabad, was retrieved by National Disaster Response Force teams in the early hours of Thursday, after nearly 12 hours of intense rescue operations. The incident took place in the boys maternal grandfather Mangali Bhikshapathis agricultural fields in Podichanpally village of Papannapet block. Sai Vardhan, along with his parents -- Goverdhan, a photographer by profession and Naveena, a homemaker -- and two elder brothers came to the village a few days ago. The police said Bhikshapathi had abandoned the borewell as he did not get any water even after digging 120 feet deep. On Wednesday morning, he got another borewell drilled but it also did not yield any water. As he was getting the borewells filled one after the other, Goverdhan came there along with his wife and children. While his grandfather was inspecting the closure of one of the borewells, Sai Vardhan accidentally slipped into the adjacent open borewell, the police said. Soon after the boy fell into the borewell, police rushed to the spot along with revenue officials of Medak district to begin the rescue operations. A 108-emergency vehicle also arrived at the spot to supply oxygen into the borewell, after locating the boy about 25 feet deep in the borewell. Medak collector K Dharma Reddy, superintendent of police Chandana Deepthi, revenue divisional officer Sai Ram and local MLA Padma Devender Reddy also visited the village to supervise rescue operations. The district authorities summoned teams of NDRF, which along with the revenue authorities, started digging a parallel well by roping in excavators to reach out to the boy. Despite our best efforts, we could not save the boy, who apparently died of asphyxiation. His body was retrieved from under the debris that fell on him at around 25 ft, a police official involved in the rescue operations said. The body of Sai Vardhan has been shifted to a government hospital in Medak for post mortem. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Intelligent virtual assistant market is anticipated to reach $21.52 Billion by 2026 according to a new study published by Polaris Market Research. In 2019, the BFSI segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period. The growing need to improve customer service, streamline enterprise communication, and increase productivity has boosted the adoption of intelligent virtual assistants. The rising penetration of mobile devices, and integration of virtual assistants with smart home appliances further support the growth of this market. Additionally, the increasing demand of intelligent virtual assistants from small and medium enterprises has supported market growth over the years. Increasing investments by vendors in technological advancements coupled with growing need to improve customer experience would accelerate the adoption of intelligent virtual assistants. However, lack of awareness is expected to hinder market growth. Growing demand from emerging economies is expected to provide numerous growth opportunities in the coming years. Get sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/intelligent-virtual-assistant-market/request-for-sample The use of digital assistants and bots is expected to increase in the coming years. Computer programs in the form of bots simulate conversation with users through chat windows and voice calls. They have the ability to perform a number of different automated tasks such as scheduling meetings, managing finances, and others. They also assist in successful use of unified communication tools. These bots could be used as an automated attendant monitoring the interactions and offering instructions to users. Intelligent virtual assistants are gradually replacing traditional interactive voice response systems. Use of intelligent virtual assistants is proving effective by enhancing customer and brand experience, and providing a consumer-friendly environment. The virtual assistants also offer a platform for convenient communication within businesses through voice, text, and other channels. North America generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The presence of established telecom and cloud infrastructure in this region, and growing trend of BYOD drive the market growth in the region. The growing demand of mobile devices, and technological advancements further support market growth in the region. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to growing demand of virtual assistant technologies in the developing countries of the region. Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/intelligent-virtual-assistant-market The end-users in intelligent virtual assistant market include healthcare, education, retail, BFSI, government, and others. In 2017, the BFSI segment accounted for the highest market share owing to increasing need to offer enhanced customer services, and improve productivity. The demand for intelligent virtual assistants has increased from organizations operating in this sector to improve workforce collaboration, client interaction, and reduce costs. The well-known companies profiled in the report include Apple Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Google, Nuance Communications, IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, [24]7.ai., Speaktoit Inc., CodeBaby Corporation, Next IT Corporation, Intel Corporation, and Clara Labs among others. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers. Intelligent Virtual Assistants Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Technology Text-based Speech Recognition Text-To-Speech-Based Others Intelligent Virtual Assistants Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Type Rule-based Conversational Ai-Based Intelligent Virtual Assistants Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Service Customer service Marketing assistant Intelligent Virtual Assistants Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by End-User Healthcare Education Retail BFSI Government IT & Telecom Others Intelligent Virtual Assistants Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Region North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe Germany UK France Italy Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific China India Japan Rest of Asia-Pacific Latin America Brazil Middle East & Africa Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/intelligent-virtual-assistant-market/request-for-discount-pricing About Polaris Market Research Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Contact us- Polaris Market Research Phone: 1-646-568-9980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com The tourism industry in Europe is at risk of being eclipsed by other global destinations as governments put in place different measures to reopen in time for the summer season, experts have told CNBC. Tourism represents 10% of the European economy and creates 27 million jobs directly and indirectly across the region. However, the sector has been on pause since March with many countries imposing lockdowns and strict travel restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19. European governments have announced strategies to reopen the sector for the summer, but there are concerns that their lack of coordination will benefit other destinations. "What I fear is the lack of standardization, the lack of harmonization," Eduardo Santander, the head of the European Travel Commission, a group of tourism associations across Europe, told CNBC. The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, unveiled last week guidelines on how tourist destinations in the region should reopen. These included ideas such as a booking system for meals and swimming pools. However, decisions are ultimately down to the individual governments across the 27 member nations. This has meant that the various capitals have announced different measures on how to receive new guests. "You are planning to go to Italy and the protocols there are much more sophisticated and complicated compared to Greece or to Spain maybe it will create a competitive advantage, or a competitive disadvantage, if some governments are very relaxed or some governments are very strict," Santander told CNBC, suggesting that how governments act may have an impact on consumer demand. In a report, out earlier this month, most European destinations said they expect arrivals to be lower by between 30% and 40% in 2020, compared to 2019. Sixty more Fine Wine & Good Spirit stores across Pa. will open this Friday for limited in-person retail sales. Fourteen of the locations are in Dauphin County which, along with Franklin, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, and Schuylkill, moves into the yellow phase of Gov. Tom Wolfs coronavirus reopening plan at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, May 29. According to a news release from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, all store locations will be open for in-person sales in Lebanon County, as well, and a total of 349 will be statewide across 56 counties. Most that are not are still offering curbside pickup, and the Fine Wine & Good Spirits website is open, as well. Click here to see which stores are now open for limited in-person sales in your county. Customers can expect a different experience from what they found the last time they visited one of the states liquor stores, as the following mitigation efforts will be in place, according to a PLCB news release: "Stores will limit the number of customers in a store at any time, allowing no more than 25 people (employees and customers) in any location and further restricting numbers of customers in smaller stores. The first hour each store is open each day will be reserved for customers at high risk for COVID-19, including those 65 years of age and older. Voluntary compliance from all customers is encouraged in the interest of protecting the health and safety of our most vulnerable community members. Customers and employees will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing, guided by signage throughout the stores. Signage will also direct customers to follow one-way patterns to avoid cross-traffic and encourage them to refrain from touching products unless they intend to buy them. Store employees will perform enhanced and frequent cleaning and disinfecting, and store hours will be modified to ensure appropriate time for cleaning and restocking. All sales are final, and no returns will be accepted until further notice." Plexiglass barriers have been installed at registers, as well, and each location was sanitized before reopening. "According to preliminary, unaudited figures, e-commerce sales from April 1 through May 28 total more than 204,000 orders for $19.6 million, excluding sales tax," the PLCB said. In fiscal year 2018-19, e-commerce sales between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019, totaled 39,000 orders for $5 million. More coronavirus coverage: PLANO, Texas, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- VitalTech, a recognized leader of integrated digital health solutions across the care continuum, announced it is offering 90 days of free telehealth services to Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council (DFWHC) members in an effort to help fight the spread of COVID-19. The "DFW Hospital CouncilVitalTech Give-Back" program provides 90 days of access to VitalTech's virtual care platform free to all DFW Hospital Council members, thereby helping healthcare providers better serve patient populations in our local DFW communities. Physicians are able to connect online with patients through a HIPAA-secure platform to video chat or message each other. Additionally, physicians are able to remotely triage care and monitor patients' vital signs, nutrition and medication intake. "We are grateful to VitalTech for partnering with the DFW Hospital Council to offer all members free access to their platform through our 'Give Back' initiative. This program allows our healthcare providers to better serve their patient populations in our local DFW communities," says Steve Love, chief executive officer of DFWHC. "The technology available with the VitalCare platform helps increase the safety of patients and care teams by decreasing the risk of exposure for high-risk populations." Additionally, VitalTech will co-host a 'Virtual Hospital Today' on June 4, 2020 with the DFW Hospital Council. All are welcome to attend this virtual event to learn more about VitalTech's revolutionary platform. VitalTech's Virtual Hospital of the Future extends the capabilities of the hospital and its heath care teams especially in this time of health crisis and social distancing. VitalTech provides biometric wearables, medical devices and a comprehensive virtual care platform allowing hospitals to transition services to the virtual realm. Through VitalTech's comprehensive solution, for example, hospitals can take advantage of virtual rehab and hospital at home opportunities. "VitalTech is singularly focused on arming health systems with a virtual care platform that enables them to serve the patient at the best possible point of care. We provide real time actionable data empowering care teams to provide proactive care across the entire care continuum," says Ernie Ianace, EVP/Co-founder of VitalTech. VitalTech's offering provides staff management tools including Key Performance Indicators, Revenue Cycle Management and Care Pathways, to name a few. Together, these technologies will enable local hospitals to deliver virtual care wherever the patient is located. VitalTech future-proofs any hospital's virtual care strategy while providing proactive, value-based services. "As a provider of virtual care innovation, we feel it's incumbent upon our company to contribute as best we can wherever we can especially alongside the DFW Hospital Council community," says James Hamilton, CEO of Plano-based VitalTech. "With our Virtual Hospital offering, we are decreasing the distance between patients and their care providers, allowing data to flow in real-time, giving providers a more accurate picture of every patient's health." To register for the 'Virtual Hospital Today' webinar on June 4, 2020, please visit https://dfwhc.org/event/dfwhc-vitaltech-webinar-virtual-hospital-today. For more information about VitalTech's services and solutions, please visit www.vitaltech.com. About VitalTech VitalTech is a rapidly growing provider of fully integrated digital health solutions and smart biomedical wearables that provide real-time remote patient monitoring. Our proprietary Connected Care platform enables health systems, skilled nursing facilities, home health providers, physicians and senior living facilities to streamline workflows while improving health outcomes, increasing patient safety and lowering the cost of care. Media Contacts Zoe Wood [email protected] (972) 544-7077 ext. 116 SOURCE VitalTech Related Links https://www.vitaltech.com/ By Dick Polman Timothy Klausutis, an innocent American who was despicably victimized on social media this month by Donald Trump, has written an extraordinary letter to the CEO of Twitter. This excerpt will bring you up to speed: "Nearly 19 years ago, my wife, who had an undiagnosed heart condition, fell and hit her head on her desk at work. She was found dead the next morning President Trump on Tuesday (May 12) tweeted to his 80 million followers, alluding to the repeatedly debunked falsehood that my wife was murdered by her boss, former U.S. Rep Joseph Scarborough the president of the United States has taken something that does not belong to him the memory of my dead wife and perverted it for perceived political gain." Trump, as part of his ongoing war against the MSNBC host, has baselessly tweeted twice that Scarborough is a criminal on the loose. Yes, it's just another day at the office for the pandemic president, dragging an innocent family through the mud is his way of making America great again. This dilemma isn't new two years ago, there was a hue and cry over his all-caps tweet threatening Iran with nuclear annihilation ("CONSEQUENCES THE LIKE OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE"). Last fall, Sen. Kamala Harris said Trump should be thrown off Twitter for trying to intimidate witnesses in the impeachment probe. But soiling an innocent dead woman's memory, and reigniting her family's grief, would seem to (finally) be a bridge too far. Timothy Klausitus, in his letter to Twitter boss Jack Dorsey, merely requested that Trump's tweets about his family be deleted. He didn't demand that Twitter kick Trump off the platform but other critics certainly have. Eric Boehlert, a media and political commentator, wrote the other day: "Trump should be banned. Period. Dumping Trump from Twitter would rob Trump of a critical communications platform. It would also go a long way to restoring some dignity to our public dialogue." That seems (at first glance) like a great feel-good solution. Twitter, in its broad terms of service, threatens to cancel the accounts of anyone who threatens other people. Klausitus points out, in his letter to Dorsey, that "an ordinary user like me would be banished from the platform" for concocting a murder charge and traumatizing an innocent family. But Twitter indulges Trump's serial smears and lies because, according to the terms of service, presidents are basically allowed to say whatever they want. Here's the policy: "Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial tweets would hide important information people should be able to see." A leader's tweets, by definition, have a "clear public interest value." Hang onDoes lying about Lori Klausitus' death, and causing her husband renewed pain and suffering, have "public interest value"? Does spreading a conspiracy theory about Scarborough qualify as "important information"? Perhaps that buttresses the case for throwing Trump off Twitter. This is not a freedom of speech issue, Boehlert says, because Twitter is a privately held, and "private companies are well within their rights to deny service to customers who chronically fail to follow the rules of conduct." I wish I could agree. But, philosophically, I tend to believe that the more information we have as citizens, the better off we are even if the guy in charge happens to be the most subhuman specimen to ever hold office. My other concern about an outright ban is purely pragmatic. If Dorsey were to boot Trump from the platform, the aggrieved demagogue would exploit it to the max and confirm the MAGA cult's worst paranoia about a Big Tech censorship conspiracy. Trump would merely amp the issue on other social media platforms and use it to gin up his base for the November election. Perhaps the best solution, admittedly unsatisfying, is for Twitter to establish standards by which it can police the most detestable Trump tweets. Granted, the company would require an army of fact-checkers, but surely, at minimum, there must be a way to flag the tweets that victimize innocent bystanders like the Klausitus family. As Timothy said in his letter to Dorsey, "I would also ask that you consider Lori's niece and two nephews who will eventually come across this filth in the future. They have never met their Aunt and it pains me to think they would ever have to 'learn' about her this way. My wife deserves better." As do we. Dick Polman (dickpolman7@gmail.com), a veteran national political columnist based in Philadelphia and a writer in residence at the University of Pennsylvania, writes at DickPolman.net. His article was distributed by Cagle Cartoons Inc. President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate and the House of Representatives, seeking approval for a fresh loan of $5.513 billion. In a letter read by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the plenary on Thursday, the president said the loan was to finance the 2020 budget deficit, financing of critical projects, and supporting some states of the federation. A similar letter was read by Senate President Ahmad Lawan during the Senate plenary, on Thursday. Breakdown: For the proposed external loan to finance the revised budget, the president listed four lenders. They include: -International Monetary Fund $3,400,000,000 -World Bank $1,500,000,000 -African Development Bank $500,000,000 -Islamic Development Bank $113,000,000 For the priority projects for the federal government, the lenders are: -African Development Bank $125 million to strengthen the healthcare system to improve response to COVID-19 and $23 million for financing smallholder farmers to mitigate food security impact of COVID-19. -Islamic Development Bank $600 million for support of Nigerias response to challenges posed by COVID-19. -African Export-Import Bank $500 million for provision of critical Medical supplies to combat COVID-19. -Export-Import Bank of Brazil 995 million for Green imperative to enhance mechanisation of agriculture and agro-processing in Nigeria. The lenders for projects to support various projects for state governments are the World Bank, African Export-Import Bank and Export-Import Bank of Brazil. The president also presented a revised 2020 Appropriation Bill and the 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper to both chambers of the National Assembly. He said it has become necessary to pass the 2020-2022 MTEF/FSP and amend the appropriation act 2020 in view of the sharp decline in crude oil prices and the cut in Nigerias crude oil production quota occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. In effect, the assumptions underlying the 2020 appropriation act are no longer sustainable. It is also imperative to adjust expected revenues disruptions and economic activities as well as international trade and transportation due to the measures implemented across the world to curtail the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, it is necessary to reallocate resources in the appropriation act 2020 to ensure implementation of required emergency measures and other actions necessary to mitigate socio-economic effects of COVID-19 pandemic, part of the letter read. The presidents loan request comes weeks after the National Assembly approved a loan of N850bn for the Federal Government and the Senate approved another $22.79bn loan which is currently pending before the House. However, the N850 billion loan, according to the Debt Management Office, was not new but a conversion of a planned external loan to domestic borrowing. TOKYO, May 28 (Reuters) - Japan's government gave a bleaker view on exports in a monthly report in May as the world's third-largest economy grapples with the fallout of the global coronavirus pandemic. While it left its overall assessment that the economy is in an "extremely severe situation" unchanged, the government also lowered its view on the labour market and corporate investment, the report released on Thursday showed. The assessment comes as Japan's export-reliant economy has fallen into recession for the first time in 4-1/2 years. The government this week lifted a nationwide state of emergency as it tries to reopen the economy. The government said exports are decreasing "rapidly", changing its previous assessment of just "decreasing", due to the pandemic with shipments to the United States and Europe especially hard hit. Data last week showed Japan's exports fell the most since the 2009 financial crisis in April as global demand for goods such as cars and industrial materials dropped. Analysts worry the economy could fall deeper into recession - two consecutive quarters of contraction - as the state of emergency in April kept citizens at home and restaurants and shops closed. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet on Wednesday approved a new $1.1 trillion stimulus package that includes significant fiscal spending in an effort to cushion the economic blow. The government kept its view that private consumption was decreasing rapidly. Consumption was weak during the month apart from somewhat good sales of home electronics during the Golden Week holidays, a government official said. It said weakness in the employment situation "is increasing" due to the impact of the coronavirus, having previously just said "weak movements can be seen". The government also made a bleaker assessment of business investment saying it was "of a weak tone recently" having previously described it as being "largely flat". (Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa) Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 04:24:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Wednesday condemned the reported use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by forces retreating from Tripoli, said a UN spokesman. "We are deeply concerned and condemn the reported use by retreating forces of improvised explosive devices in residential areas of Tripoli, resulting in civilians being killed and injured," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters. The UN political mission in Libya has called on civilians in Tripoli to seek information and heed security advice to stay away from areas that have not been declared safe by authorities, he said. The United Nations is also greatly concerned over the military buildup by both sides in Libya, said the spokesman. "We are following with great concern recent reports about a massive influx of weaponry, equipment and mercenaries in support of both sides in the Libyan conflict, which would constitute a flagrant violation of the arms embargo." "Libya doesn't need more soldiers. It doesn't need more drones. It doesn't need more planes. What it needs is peace, and that's what the Libyan people are crying out for," said Dujarric. Reports of violations have increased significantly in the past few weeks, with reported near-daily transfers by air, land and sea. This increase in the violations of the arms embargo will only lead to the intensification of the fighting, which will result in devastating consequences for the Libyan people, the spokesman said. "We call on all members of the international community to respect the UN arms embargo and support its full implementation." The east-based Libyan National Army, under Gen. Khalifa Haftar, until recently has been staging an assault on Tripoli, the seat of the internationally recognized Libyan government. While the UN Security Council approved an arms embargo in an attempt to deny weaponry to both sides of the conflict, it has not authorized any peacekeepers, keeping the UN Support Mission in Libya a political entity with instructions to engage both sides in discussions to end the fighting. Enditem Photo credit: Courtesy From Harper's BAZAAR Each week, we look into an exciting and innovative label that is taking the fashion world by storm in our regular feature #TheBrand. This time were turning the spotlight on celebrity-approved footwear designer Andrea Wazen, who just won a coveted award and high praise from some of the most prestigious names in the business. When Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber and Sienna Miller are among the many famous names to be seen wearing a new designer, youd be justified in thinking that it might just be the next It label. This is probably the case then for Andrea Wazen, the Beirut-based designer whose eponymous footwear brand is finding itself in the spotlight for all the right reasons. After studying in Paris and London and later working under some of the best-known footwear designers in the world, including Christian Louboutin and Rupert Sanderson, Wazen returned to her native Lebanon in 2013 where she launched her namesake brand in the hope of expressing what modern footwear should be like and finding that perfect line between glamour and comfort. There is a love story between a woman and her shoes, Wazen says of the magic that goes into her work. A great pair is not just one that you wear, its one that makes you hold yourself differently and gives you confidence, a sense of power. Photo credit: Courtesy Wazens collections are filled with striking and instantly recognisable designs from the neon-hued, strappy heels that have found themselves on the feet of many an A-lister to party-ready, ruffled slingbacks and more toned-down leather boots and elegant court shoes. Her unique vision for footwear has caught the eye of some prestigious figures in the industry, including the likes of Alber Elbaz, Giambattista Valli, Diane von Furstenberg and Christian Louboutin, who recently awarded Wazen with Best Accessory Designer at the Fashion Trust Arabia Awards, an initiative that provides support and recognition to up-and-coming designers from the Middle East and North Africa. Story continues Photo credit: Neil Mockford - Getty Images Having the recognition of these judges that I have looked up to my whole life is hard to describe some of them are the reason that I am doing what I do today, Wazen says. I really cannot find the words to express the joy that I am feeling I have worked so hard to get to where I am so seeing that pay off feels really gratifying. Photo credit: Courtesy Perhaps much of the reason for Wazens success, as is the case with so many well-known fashion brands, is her unique point of view, which translates so clearly into her designs. For her, it is all about where she comes from and bringing that culture into her work. I wanted to create a brand that is properly Beirut based and that embodies the citys life and culture today this has definitely had a major impact on my designs and the vision of my label. It is such a diverse city, not just in terms of people but also as way of life: you have the amazing nights out, the long laidback dinners, the Sunday family lunches in the mountains outside the city and the beach life right on your doorstep. The footwear I design is inspired by this lifestyle and what I imagine a person wearing during all of these different parts of their daily life in Beirut. Photo credit: Courtesy The inspiration for her customer comes from this diverse lifestyle, but Wazen explains that it is also the national way of thinking and push for entrepreneurship that has inspired her. Photo credit: Amanda Edwards - Getty Images We have a very independent way of looking at fashion I think there are key differences that are down to our history, local traditions and culture, but there is also a strong ethos of doing things ourselves, Wazen explains. We are a society of entrepreneurs in Lebanon, so when it comes to fashion, there are a lot of people setting up their own brand or opening up an atelier. Becoming a fashion designer is actually a very common dream among the younger generations here. However, setting up a business away from one of the main fashion capitals of course comes with some difficulties, most notably, sourcing the right materials. Photo credit: Courtesy There are quite a few fashion designers in the city meaning we have many fabric shops with beautiful textiles, but we are not as spoilt for choice when it comes to leather or raw materials for shoes. I decided to challenge myself by sourcing a mix of the materials in Beirut and working with the skilled local craftspeople and artisans to see what we could come up with. The result is that we offer shoes that are comfortable and have a soft feel, while still looking glamorous. Photo credit: Courtesy Photo credit: Jamie McCarthy - Getty Images Overcoming such a challenge is not easy is such a competitive industry, but finding a solution has helped to make Wazen dream big and stay driven with her business, something which is necessary in the very difficult situation designers are finding themselves in as a result of the global pandemic and the long-running environmental issues that brands are being forced to contend with. The challenges we are facing give me so much drive, as weird as that might sound. I think there is a new world that is taking shape at the moment and it is leading to all these changes adapting to them and finding my way is very exciting. Fashion has always been about glamour, but today there are added challenges of offering a great product that has a strong design, authenticity and credibility from a sustainability point of view. With her next big vision to launch one-off handbags made from upcycled leather offcuts from her brand's shoes, Wazen clearly has a strong vision for how to adapt and think big in a dramatically evolving industry and she has certainly started well. Photo credit: Courtesy In need of some at-home inspiration? Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for skincare and self-care, the latest cultural hits to read and download, and the little luxuries that make staying in so much more satisfying. SIGN UP Plus, sign up here to get Harpers Bazaar magazine delivered straight to your door. SIGN UP You Might Also Like In March, Amazon announced it would hire more than 175,000 temporary full- and part-time roles across its North American operations network to help provide for communities relying on Amazons service and keep as many people working as possible during the coronavirus pandemic. This included more than 3,500 new employees hired in Tennessee. Like other companies, Amazon brought those individuals on in seasonal roles to meet a surge in demand and, for many, there was the hope of returning back to their previous companies once states began to re-open. As the long-term picture becomes clearer, Amazon announced on Thursday that it will be providing the opportunity for 125,000 of those who joined in a seasonal role to stay with the company and transition into a permanent, full-time role beginning in June. While some seasonal employees may choose to return back to their pre-COVID job and others may choose to stay at Amazon in seasonal roles or part-time roles, for those who wish to stay and grow with Amazon, more than 2,000 of these seasonal-to-permanent, fulltime roles will be offered in Tennessee. These roles are specifically for customer fulfillment and last mile delivery. Amazon expects to offer more fulltime roles in the coming days. These new employees will continue to fill a range of roles, including picking, packing, and shipping customer orders and delivering packages from delivery stations, and will join the more than 6,500 fulltime employees already working in Amazon facilities across the state in 2020. Permanent roles at Amazon come with a minimum wage of at least $15 an hour (and up), comprehensive benefits package starting on day one, including full medical, vision and dental insurance as well as a 401(k) with 50 percent match. Additionally, all associates have access to innovative training and continuing education programs like the companys Career Choice program, which creates a springboard for employees into a career at Amazon or other companies. The company also offers up to 20 weeks of maternal and parental paid leave and benefits such as Leave Share and Ramp Back, which give new parents flexibility with their growing families. The U.S. has seen record unemployment numbers over the past several weeks and Amazons hope is that the option for so many people to stay on long-term at Amazon will help alleviate some of the ongoing burden of unemployment in communities across the U.S. At Amazon, employees and partners in its operations network are among the many heroes during the COVID-19 crisis, and the company is investing nearly $4 billion to keep them safe and helping them deliver for people across communities, said officials. An air of menace suffuses Circumstantial Pleasures, the latest from the cinematic collagist Lewis Klahr. An archivist par excellence and excavator of the collective unconscious, Klahr creates striking, deeply personal assemblages using found images and objects, with jolts of sound and music. His materials vary but are inevitably frayed around the edges, bringing to mind the odds and ends gleaned from flea markets and junk drawers: old ticket stubs, bottle caps, blister packs, medical illustrations and comic books. With alchemical invention, he takes this cultural detritus to make work that hovers tentatively, teasingly on the very precipice of narrative. One of the most consistently inventive figures in noncommercial American cinema, Klahr has been making films for decades. Theyre often shown in museums, galleries and off-mainstream spaces, and Circumstantial Pleasures had its premiere in New York at Light Industry in February. With theaters now closed, Klahr and the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio, have joined forces to present the movie online for free at wexarts.org. It will be available to stream, Friday through June 18; on June 5, the Wexner will host a live conversation with Klahr you should tune in. Klahrs movies are meant to be seen on larger-than-life screens and thats how Ive watched them. But Circumstantial Pleasures scales down just fine on a television. (You can watch it on your computer, too, though bigger is better.) In a movie theater, these assemblages achieve a kind of monumentality and can seem pleasurably, at times alarmingly, overwhelming. On a TV, the intimacy of the artists touch is foregrounded, as is the intentionally dog-eared quality of much of his source material: You more readily see the abraded edges, the creases and dings. The experience is closer to peering at a collage hanging in a gallery than watching a cinematic spectacle. Several images showing devastating forest fires have flooded social media, especially Twitter, that seem to suggest that large parts of Uttarakhands forests have been destroyed in fires this year. Many officials of the state from departments concerned, however, have refuted such claims of massive fires this year and asked people not to spread fake news. Uttarakhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Jai Raj told ANI that the images shared on social media are false. Raj also added that the massive forest fires shown in the images usually dont take place in India but in countries like the USA, Canada, and Australia. He added that police complaints will be filled against those spreading fake news. Such fires don't occur in Uttarakhand. Here forest fires remain confined to ground, affecting grass&bushes. In monsoon,everything goes back to normal. So far,fire has affected 111 hectares,causing loss of Rs 3 Lakhs. We'll file Police complaint against such rumours: Jai Raj(27.5) https://t.co/MC0MOBXedV ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2020 This Twitter user shared four images and claimed that they are from Uttarakhand. Several others also shared the same set of images together or individually, with the same claim. 2020 is the worst year ever. So many innocent life is in danger. #Uttarakhand#PrayForUttarakhand pic.twitter.com/71jssKe6eF Chandni Agrawal (@chandnia941) May 27, 2020 Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat took to Twitter to share a post by Uttarakhand Forest Department. The post calls out the same set of images which are now being shared by many. The departments tweet details that after verification of such images it has been found that these images are fake. That Uttarakhand is a Devbhumi is an established fact and hence it is good to see people #PrayForUttarakhand ; pray we must, but not because of some fake campaign around forest fires. Let us all pray for well being & prosperity of every Indian instead. https://t.co/zYKnmmInXN Trivendra Singh Rawat (@tsrawatbjp) May 27, 2020 Ashok Kumar, DG Law & Order, Uttarakhand also took to Twitter to share a video. He clarified that the images which are being shared with the claim that they are from Uttarakhand are mostly from other countries. Though some of them are from Uttarakhand, theyre old and from 2016 or 2017. Kumar also cautioned that some are maliciously using the images to con people out of their money. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India tells France, have the political will, ability to counter misadventure by China The dragon and elephant dancing together is the right choice says Chinese ambassador India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, May 28: China's ambassador to India, Sun Weidong conveyed a conciliatory message and said that India and China did not pose a threat to each other. Both countries should never allow their differences to shadow bi-lateral cooperation, he also said. Both countries are opportunities to each other and need to see each other's development. Donald Trump offers to 'mediate or arbitrate' between India and China border dispute Steps also should be taken to enhance strategic mutual trust. The statements come a day after the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing described the overall situation at the border as stable and controllable. Both India and China are capable of resolving the issue through dialogue, the ministry had also said. Congress launches Speak Up India campaign to urge govt for direct relief to poor | Oneindia News We should gradually seek understanding through communication and constantly resolve our differences. China and India should be good neighbours and commit to harmonious co-existence. We need to be good partners and move forward Weidong also said. India and China should adhere to basic judgment that they are each other's opportunities. Both countries pose no threat to each other. The realisation of the dragon and the elephant dancing together is the only right choice for India and China, Sun also said. Nobody can stare down Modi's India: BJP on border standoff with China China and India should strengthen practical cooperation and expand the cake of common interests, Sun said at a webinar, in which students and some journalists took part. As tens of thousands of U.S. businesses struggle with returning to a post-COVID new normal, Peppercomm, a leading strategic communications and marketing firm, has launched a new Employee Communications Reboarding Playbook to help them succeed. The guide offers a five-point roadmap for internal communications and human resources leaders in organizations of all types to engage employees at every level during this critical transition phase. According to a recent survey Peppercomm conducted with the Institute for Public Relations, 80% of corporate executives had not started or did not know about return-to-work planning. Only 10% had done extensive preparation for reboarding employees. Determining when to allow at least some of your workforce back on site is challenging: Conditions shift almost daily, and employee sentiment shifts accordingly, said Ann Barlow, Senior Partner and President, Peppercomm West Coast. As leadership teams navigate logistical, physical and emotional considerations, we wanted to simplify at least some aspects of the process through this playbook. Peppercomms Employee Communications Reboarding Playbook is designed to be a continual work in progress, so the team is encouraging outside organizations to share their ideas and experiences. Peppercomm will recognize others input, update the Playbook and share the latest thinking. Along with more information the Playbook is available for free download at peppercomm.com/reboarding. The guide also features best practices, the latest industry insights, useful tools, and templates. Peppercomm has found that a key to success is creating reboarding plans that are inherently agile and flexible. Employees emotions can be volatile, health and safety guidelines often change and vary across geographic regions, and COVID-19 outbreaks will continue. An effective approach will account for continuous employee feedback and external factors that can disrupt operations. Other components of a robust reboarding plan include processes and tools to gather employee sentiment and recommendations; training and resources for frontline managers to communicate seamlessly with staff; and in-depth scenario planning to identify where the plan is weakest and how to optimize it. Employees will remember the first day they step into their physical space again, and how you made them feel that day and in the weeks to follow. Theyll also remember how you responded if work is interrupted again, said Courtney Ellul, SVP & Partner, Peppercomm London. For all organizations, money, reputation and physical and mental health are on the line during reboarding. They cant afford to get this wrong. The playbook is based on Peppercomms 26 years of experience in internal communications and employee engagement, including corporate crisis and post-crisis strategies. Peppercomm has worked with internal communications professionals, as well as CHROs and HR directors, to develop data-driven communications programs that help attract and retain talent, ensure employees are informed and engaged, and create workplaces with genuine two-way dialogue. With data and insights underpinning every decision, Peppercomm leverages proprietary measurement solutions to track and evaluate program success. To learn more, visit Peppercomm.com or follow @Peppercomm. About Peppercomm Peppercomm is an award-winning strategic, integrated communications and marketing agency headquartered in New York City with offices in San Francisco and London. The firm combines 25 award-winning years of expertise serving blue chip and breakout clients with forward-thinking new service offerings and the freshness of a start-up. This unique mix of experience and energy enables the firm to attract and empower teams with a creative edge, drive, and passion for promoting, protecting and connecting clients in a fast-changing marketplace. Founded in 1995, Peppercomm has received numerous prestigious industry accolades including the PRNews Social Media Awards, the PRSA Big Apple Awards. PRNews Top Places to Work in PR, Platinum PR Awards Midsized Agency of the Year, The Holmes Reports North American Corporate/B2B Agency of the Year and Bulldog Reporters Midsized Agency of the Year. The agency has been listed as one of Fortunes 10 Best Workplaces in Advertising and Marketing, 100 Best Workplaces for Women, 50 Best Small and Medium Workplaces and 50 Best Workplaces for New College Grads. Media Contact Paul Merchan Peppercomm pmerchan@peppercomm.com 212-931-6172 By now, most everyone save Donald Trump and his staunchest followers have grudgingly accepted that the new normal after the coronavirus assault will change our everyday routines significantly with a broad range of restrictions. But beyond the ceaseless new reports of infection rates, hospitalization trends and death counts, companies from around the world are seeking billions in government and private-sector contracts to impose far more intrusive changes on our lives than wearing masks or maintaining distance. As the worlds greatest scientific minds race to create COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, a separate group of brilliant techno-geeks is rushing to perfect surveillance tools ready to leap from the realms of Sci-Fi into reality. AI Artificial Intelligence will use facial modeling to identify people beneath masks. Smart phone pings will track our every movement, with governments, police forces and health agencies sharing real-time geolocation logs. Facial-recognition systems will produce images to be matched with drivers license photos. Credit card issuers, banks, internet providers and cell phone companies will feed massive databases to track the routes of quarantine violators. Healthcare Smart public buses and trains will measure passengers temperatures through remote biometric sensors. Millions of new-generation video cameras will be installed to watch where we go and how many friends or co-workers we gather with, whether at our jobs, on the street or in parks. Pandemic drones will glide overhead to detect elevated body temperatures and record people coughing. When the dust settles, we will almost certainly find ourselves under multiple layers of surveillance that will make the post-9/11 monitoring systems seem like amateur hour. Long before the pandemic, Google and other search engines had faced criticism for commercializing our online journeys, angering people who got pop-up ads and solicitation emails tied to their internet searches. Now, as America starts to open up in its current chaotic, patchwork fashion, far deeper privacy raids will enter the real world. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said the need for increased surveillance is being driven by the evolving evidence that there are many more coronavirus carriers than previously believed, the majority of them asymptomatic. Many people are giving the disease to others without having any symptoms at all, he told CNN. So how could you possibly trust the person next to you unless theyre a family member or somebody you know very well? In a bitter twist of irony, at least until a vaccine and universal testing become available, the kind of ubiquitous, invisible surveillance that previously inspired so much suspicion is now being offered as a panacea for a new type of technological trust. However, with some Americans already viewing lockdowns as intrusions on their liberty, Schmidt believes that the tracking systems newly employed in countries such as China and South Korea will spark still more controversy in the United States. In America, its unlikely that were going to be willing to adopt the extreme measures that Asian countries have been doing, which have suppressed the virus, he said. And testing without contact tracing is not very useful. Israel has been a coronavirus success story. It has had just 2.93 deaths from the virus per 100,000 people, scarcely one-tenth the mortality rate of the United States at 25.17 deaths per 100,000 people. Among the worlds most technologically advanced countries, Israel has honed a cutting-edge surveillance system over decades of conflict with its Arab neighbors and internal strife with Palestinians. Now the government is turning the advanced monitoring inward to its own Jewish citizens, a change that has startled even those Israelis who understand the need to track coronavirus carriers. Shin Bet, the FBI-equivalent in Israel as its chief internal security agency, is using counter-terrorism technology to hunt down people exposed to COVID-19. Shin Bet has sent texts to 79,000 people, telling them they were near an infected person, and ordering them to self-quarantine for 14 days. The agency claims it has identified 4,000 people who later tested positive, almost a quarter of all COVID-19 cases in the country. But the aggressive approach has sparked court challenges and legislative pushback. Noah Harari, a prominent Israeli historian, said Trump has made it more difficult for the U.S. government to track COVID-19 by casting doubt on official reports about the virus spread, and by castigating fake news about his response to the pandemic. Only 38 percent of Americans believe what Trump says about coronavirus, according to recent polls. His most avid followers, meanwhile, heed his calls to liberate states and ignore lockdown orders. If people dont believe the information they receive and they dont do it out of trust, they can be compelled to do it by an omnipresent regime of surveillance, Harari said. This is the dangerous path. I hope we dont go in that direction. James Rosen is a former Washington Bureau reporter for McClatchy Newspapers. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. A judge in Washington State on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit against Fox News that attempted to quash the First Amendment to the Constitution and get the court to enforce prior oversight and restraint on the channel's future reporting. The suit was filed in the Superior Court of Washington on April 2 in response to some of Fox News hosts' commentary on COVID-19 in early March. I first reported on this case in an article at American Thinker on April 15. The plaintiff is a previously obscure 501(c)(3) public interest watchdog group called WASHLITE (Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics), whose acronym usually is spelled in all caps. WASHLITE's lawsuit called for the state court to issue an injunction that would keep Fox News from "publishing [alleged] further and false and deceptive content" about the coronavirus pandemic. In particular, WASHLITE objected to comments that it said were broadcast on March 9 by Fox News prime-time host Sean Hannity and Fox Business Network host Trish Regan, who has since left the channel. A peculiar and dangerous argument by WASHLITE was that cable news broadcasters do not enjoy the right of free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment. In his eight-page order yesterday to grant Fox News's motion to dismiss the case, King County Superior Court judge Brian McDonald wrote: This Court concludes that WASHLITE's [Consumer Protection Act] claim against Fox is barred under the First Amendment. Fox's motion to dismiss is GRANTED. In response, Fox News, whose lawyers in recent weeks had submitted dozens of pages of legal documents in the case, issued a statement that was provided to this writer by email: Using a false portrayal of FOX News Channel's commentary, WASHLITE attempted to silence a national news organization to settle a partisan grievance. This was not only wrong, but contemptuous of the foundation of free speech and we are both pleased the court dismissed this frivolous case and grateful to the First Amendment community that rallied to our side. The judge's ruling did appear to offer some lukewarm support for WASHLITE's objectives in filing its suit against Fox News: WASHLITE's professed goal in this lawsuit to ensure that the public receives accurate information about the coronavirus and COVID-19 is laudable. Washington Superior Court judge Brian McDonald presides over Zoom hearing on Fox News's motion to dismiss WASHLITE's lawsuit, May 21, 2020. Still frame of YouTube video. On May 19, in an indication of the gravity of the case, the Internet & Television Association (with support from its members that include Fox News competitors CNN, HLN, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, ABC News, CBS News, and BBC America) and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed an amici curiae brief in support of FNC's position in the case. On May 21, Judge McDonald presided over a live hearing with the principals from around the country participating via Zoom video conferencing. The hour-long hearing was also live-streamed on YouTube (the video is archived here). In another salvo of support for Fox News, the Washington Post's acerbic media critic Erik Wemple weighed in. Wemple is not a fan of Fox News in a column on March 30, for example, he called for Fox News's most popular host Sean Hannity to be fired. Nevertheless, Wemple wrote a lengthy opinion column of support for the channel, "Fox News has never been so right," published on May 23: Here are just four facts about the case that merit consideration: * Washlite has requested that the court issue an order "enjoining Fox to cease and desist televising any misinformation regarding COVID-19." * Washlite has requested that the court direct Fox "to issue specific retractions of each and every false and/or misleading statement televised through its cable television stations relating to COVID-19." * Washlite argues that cable programmers don't enjoy the level of First Amendment protections conferred upon newspapers. * Washlite argues that statements on Fox News soft-pedaling coronavirus contradicted pronouncements by the U.S. government. Wemple added: So raw are these arguments that their stench carries from one Washington to the other Washington. The readership of the Erik Wemple Blog is sophisticated enough to spot the infirmities of any invitation to a court to serve as an editorial chaperone for a news network, or even a propaganda network. Do taxpayers in Washington state really want Judge McDonald to get into the intricacies of managing retractions? Undeterred by Judge McDonald's motion to dismiss, WASHLITE board member and spokesman Arthur West, according to an article yesterday at TimesofSanDiego dot com, said his group plans to file a notice of appeal in a three-judge state appellate court to reinstate the suit against Fox News. What is surprising, if not alarming, to this observer is that it took almost two months for this lawsuit to be thrown out of court and not before Fox had to spend what one assumes is a lot of money on high-profile attorneys to defend its First Amendment claims. Legal experts quoted by TimesofSanDiego dot com, which has reported on this case in detail since the beginning, commented that Judge McDonald's May 27 decision stood on sound legal and constitutional grounds. However, one can never predict what an appellate court will do especially one located on the left side of the people's republic of the state of Washington. So it would not be surprising if we have not yet heard the last of this story. Peter Barry Chowka is a veteran journalist who writes about politics, media, popular culture, and health care for American Thinker and other publications. He also appears in the media, including recently as a guest analyst on BBC World News. Peter's website is http://peter.media. For updates on his work, follow Peter on Twitter at @pchowka. YAKA GHUND, Pakistan -- A lockdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic has destroyed most of this years honey crop in Pakistan while hitting beekeepers and traders with millions of dollars in losses. Azamt Ali, an elderly beekeeper in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, says he is devastated. He invested hundreds of dollars in moving his colony of more than 100 honeybee boxes from Karak, an arid district in the southern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to Mohmand district, some 200 kilometers away in the north, so his bees could make honey from the peach flowers. But soon after he arrived in the region in the middle of March, the government imposed a lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. I was unable to move my bees, feed them properly, or do anything to protect them from pests, he told Radio Mashaal. The beekeeper association in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa says its members have lost hundreds of bee colonies, which will result in the region losing more than 60 percent of its honey crop this year. Our losses run into tens of millions of dollars, Naeem Qasimi, the leader of the association, told Radio Mashaal. Many beekeepers lost all their colonies. Some were unable to collect honey while others remained trapped in remote regions during the flowering season [because of the coronavirus lockdown]. This years devastation follows years of climate change and deforestation that had already strained Pakistans beekeeping industry, most of which is concentrated in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, which abuts Afghanistan. The regions alpine pine forests, sidr, and acacia trees in the plains, abundant fruit orchards, and various corps such as mustard offered yearround opportunities for bees to produce honey from a variety of flowers. Gul Bacha, another leader of the beekeeper association, says beekeeping represents a livelihood for tens of thousands of farmers who are now faced with losing more than half of their crops. Last year, Pakistans agriculture minister said the country produces more than 12,000 tons of honey annually. A large part is exported, which creates jobs for traders and exporters. Nooroz Khan, the head of the honey exporter association in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, says the coronavirus pandemic has wrecked the entire industry. Khan says the province exported more than 7,000 tons of honey mostly to the Middle Eastern countries where the regions beri honey, extracted from organic sidr tree flowers, is popular. Most traders purchased crops in anticipation of exporting, but the lockdown prevented them from doing so, he said. Similarly, many beekeepers saw their colonies affected because they were unable to move or remained trapped in the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and [parts of Pakistan-administered] Kashmir. Muhammad Younas Khan, a senior researcher at the Agricultural Research Institute in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, says beekeeping used to provide a sustainable livelihood with an investment of a few hundred dollars and a few skills to look after the colonies. He told Radio Mashaal that modern beekeeping in Pakistan emerged from an Australian project that donated 1,000 bee boxes among Afghan refugees in the early 1980s. From there the industry charted its own path, providing livelihood to many. Jamil Afridi, a beekeeper in Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Khyber district, says beekeeping has provided him with a steady livelihood since 1985. With some 200 boxes, he typically employees up to three people to help move and manage his colonies. But after 35 years in the industry, he has no idea what awaits him once the pandemic is over. Nursing homes are increasingly hiring housekeepers, waitresses, and residents' own relatives as temporary nurse's aides after they learn how to feed, bathe and care for elderly and disabled residents in a free eight-hour "crash course" online. The course has attracted thousands of applicants since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services waived the minimum 75-hour training requirements for nurse's aides in March to address "potential staffing shortages" in nursing homes, and it is generating new debate over safety in the homes that have been the coronavirus' most vulnerable targets. Approximately 38,000 people have earned online certificates as "temporary nurse's aides" through the new course offered by the American Health Care Association, which represents the bulk of the nation's15,000-plus nursing homes. The course, one of several online, is permitted as a means of acquiring temporary nurse's aide certification in at least eight states, including hard-hit New York and New Jersey, while several other states are pairing the course with additional requirements. The recruiting effort is unfolding as unemployment claims are soaring to highs unseen since the Great Depression and the Trump administration is preparing to direct nearly $5 billion into nursing homes battered by the virus, partly to shore up their staff. Watchdogs warn that having inexperienced staffers care for the 1.4 million residents could be a recipe for harm. But nursing homes say they are desperate for help as covid-19 has sidelined and even killed staffers and created an urgent need for reinforcements. "The training program came about because we saw an immediate need early on in this crisis to allow an influx of staff, should staff become ill from this virus," Holly Harmon, AHCA's vice president of quality, regulatory and clinical services. "Obviously we're under an unprecedented time with this pandemic." CMS, which regulates the nation's nursing homes, does not have statistics on covid-relatedstaffing shortages and infections in the facilities, partly because it began collecting the data last week. Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that nursing homes and other long-term care facilities account for more than 35,000 of the 100,000 covid-19 related deaths. Nurse's aides typically handle the most intimate and labor-intensive tasks in nursing homes that housepeople with conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, and broken hips. Federal regulations require at least 75 hours of classroom and hands-on training for certified nursing aides. Many states require more. A CMS official said the agency waived the minimum training hours to provide "maximum flexibility" to the nursing-home industry during the pandemic, and emphasized that the homes are still responsible for hiring capable aides with clean backgrounds who can "demonstrate competency." Supervisors must observe their performance on the job. "In other words, while some facilities may choose to hire aides that have completed the 8 hour training class . . . the facility is still required to ensure residents' needs are met, and are accountable for ensuring their health and safety," the agency said in a statement. "This includes adhering to the effective infection prevention and control standards to prevent the spread of COVID-19." Elder advocates fear the abbreviated training regimen could endanger nursing-home residents. A mistake while feeding or moving a frail resident can prove fatal, and the close contact inside the facilities can spread the virus. "This is a total joke," said Brian Lee, executive director of Families for Better Care and a former state ombudsman for long-term care facilities in Florida. "People will die because of this." Nursing home leaders say the online classes are a reasonable short-term fix for an extreme situation. Covid-19 has sickened and killed thousands of residents and some staff, leaving some nursing homes with skeleton crews. And more staffers are needed for the coronavirus' new precautions. Workers deliver meals to residents in their rooms to avoid spreading the virus in dining halls. They check vital signs several times a day, and they help increasingly isolated residents chat with their loved ones online. Many homes say they hope to beef up their staff in case another outbreak sidelines them. "The fact of the matter is, this is not a normal virus," said Robyn Stone, senior vice president at LeadingAge, which represents nonprofit nursing homes and other providers, and unveiled its own free nine-hour online training class in mid-May. "This is not a normal infection control effort. This is a much more intensive effort that requires a lot more staff." The American Health Care Association offers a "compacted" version of a typical training that "prioritizes those care areas that are most critical right now," Harmon said. Using videos and written materials, the online class covers a nurse's aide's typical duties, such as feeding and bathing residents, cleaning dentures, shaving and clipping nails, dressing and undressing, infection control and prevention, moving residents from the bed to a chair or other locations, taking them to the bathroom, and caring for the dying. The course also teaches aides to properly wash their hands to prevent infections, and address emergencies such as choking. Applicants must answer 40 of 50 questions correctly to pass the final assessment, a score of 80 percent. "You're getting basically a crash course in all the classroom training, and then the burden falls on the RN to really follow up with the competencies," said Jan Siegal, the director of quality, clinical and regulatory services at the Health Care Association of New Jersey. AHCA says on its website that the course is "permitted under special waivers, exceptions, or flexibilities" in Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia. The course is also being used in Washington D.C., Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, but the association said additional training may be required. Oklahoma offers a 16-hour course for temporary aides. In New Jersey, where approximately half of the covid-19 deaths are associated with long-term care facilities, a state health-care association estimated that a third of the facility staffhave so farmissed work during the pandemic. The Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center had 17 bodies pile up one weekend in April, and CMS later fined the facility $220,000 for multiple violations. St. Joseph's Senior Home in Woodbridge, New Jersey, had to evacuate residents when the Catholic nuns who ran the facility were overwhelmed. "There are some nurses and RNs who have not had a day off," said Siegal. Iowa, Indiana and New Jersey confirmed that they sanctioned the association's eight-hour class after nursing homes reported staff shortages. The states also require background checks, but Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals spokeswoman Stefanie Bond said some facilities may hire aides before the background check is complete. Other states such as New York and Maryland said they did not sanction the online classes but understood that the federal waiver simply granted nursing homes more discretion to hire workers. "We were looking for all kinds of methods to increase the number of ways that people could work," said Cheryl Heiks, the executive director of the Delaware Health Care Facilities Association, adding that she has gone on the radio to spread the word that the nurse's aide position is a "recession-proof job." State health officials in Delaware, West Virginia and Nebraska did not respond to inquiries about the online class. AHCA officials did not know how many people who passed the course have since found jobs inside nursing homes. But state affiliates said many have gotten hired, and their duties can vary by state and facility. Zach Cattell, president of the Indiana Health Care Association, said a temporary nurse aide's job duties could include anything listed on AHCA's website. But in Delaware, Heiks said temporary aides are only performing basic tasks, such as clearing lunch trays, and"definitely not administering medication." Rhonda Flanigan, chief people officer for Vetter Health Services, a nonprofit that owns 33 facilities in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Wyoming, said they have hired a number of temporary aides to shore up staffing. So far they have had only a few covid infections, but she said, "One of the things we stressed to our facilities is, 'You need to be ready.'" Once hired, she said, the temporary nurse's aides receive additional on-the-job training in skills such as hand-washing and infection control. Supervisors monitor them closely, and most are helping with basic tasks, such as using the television remote control, Face-timing with their families, reading the Bible or taking meals. "We're not leaving them alone," she said. "We're not allowing them to do things you would have to have additional training to do." Nursing home watchdogs worry that the waiver is another step toward relaxing oversight of an industry that has thrived on low-wage workers - a typical nurse's assistant earns less than $15 an hour - and often violates federal rules. A government watchdog report last week found that most nursing homes had infection-control deficiencies in recent years. Yet some states have already granted nursing homes immunity from lawsuits, and Congress is considering a similar move. It is unclear what the temporary nurse's aides are paid. "I'm afraid they're just taking advantage of the emergency to do the eight hours of training when they know they should have much more training than they do," said Charlene Harrington, a registered nurse and professor emerita in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California San Francisco. "They don't want to invest in the workers." Advocates for the elderly say granting greater flexibility to the industry rewards homes that often failed to prepare for the pandemic. The Life Care Center of Kirkland, home to the nation's first outbreak, pleaded for help after the coronavirus ravaged the Washington state facility, killing more than 40 people. But later federal inspectors fined the center $611,000 for failing to report the outbreak. Two longtime certified nursing assistants told inspectors they had not been trained to properly sanitize items with bleach wipes. Industry leaders say some nursing homes receive bad marks, but they believe most are trying their best to confront a deadly and mysterious virus. For months, nursing home workers heroically went to work as the virus killed thousands of residents and some staff, often without the chance to say goodbye to their families. "It's terrible and it should not have happened," Stone said. "Because the truth is, if they had done good testing from the very beginning from at least a month ago or two months ago, we would have mitigated a lot of these deaths and a lot of this horrible stuff that has happened to staff. That is the real tragedy in all of this." She said the online classes seek to "set up a flexible system where you still hold people as accountable as possible," she said. "But it's very, very difficult to do that in this kind of a situation." "It's an absolute nightmare," she said. FCTA continues to give free rides to those affected by the tornado The performance of the country's exports is expected to be better in May and June as compared to the steep fall recorded in April, when the shipments contracted to an all-time high of 60.28 percent, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday New Delhi: The performance of the country's exports is expected to be better in May and June as compared to the steep fall recorded in April, when the shipments contracted to an all-time high of 60.28 percent, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. He said that while April was quite a "washout with 60 percent fall, my sense is that in May, it will grow significantly and the reduction will be around 30-35 percent. We have to wait for the numbers," Goyal said while addressing CII's Export Summit organised through video-conferencing. In June, he said, exports will either be at par with June 2019 or at most 10 percent down. Going forward, the three factors that would drive the economy would be the revival of manufacturing, diversification of export basket and focussing on newer and "more accepting" markets, Goyal said. Goyal added that three main things -- reviving manufacturing, diversifying export basket, focusing on newer and accepting markets -- will drive the economy going forward. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak Further, he said Indian industries, entrepreneurs and start-ups should see what new markets have opened up domestically for them and work on those. "Our agriculture export potential is huge. Rice, including Basmati, animal husbandry products and organic products, among many others, we have an opportunity to work together as partners and expand India's footprint," he said adding that diversification along with consolidation will help grow product basket and expan India's presence horizontally across the world. He said building upon the domestic demands, with surplus going to export, will push India to newer heights. The minister emphasised that the diversification of exports, in addition to consolidating current areas of strength, is necessary for the Indian economy to grow. The ministry, he said, is working on identifying several sectors that holds potential for the domestic industry. He added that the sectors include auto components, furniture, air conditioners (ACs), set-top boxes, pharma, organic products, agri-chemicals, textiles, toys and lithium-ion batteries. "Why we should be importing auto components. That needs to be changed. Why we should import $2 billion worth of furniture. Why we are importing ACs and components like compressors... We are looking at promoting APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) in India," Goyal said. The ministry has asked Nasscom to look at the strategy for $500-billion IT services exports in the next five years, he said. Contracting for the second straight month, India's exports shrank by a record 60.28 percent in April to $10.36 billion, mainly on account of the coronavirus lockdown. Imports also plunged by 58.65 percent to $17.12 billion in April, leaving a trade deficit of $6.76 billion as against $15.33 billion in April 2019. Earlier, Director General of Foreign Trade Amit Yadav said exports to China have grown and imports have reduced in May. He also said there is a need to address hidden cost associated with exports and ensure that no taxes are added to outbound shipments. "We have misaligned our export priorities, where 70 percent of India's exports are in raw materials that is only 30 percent of global product demand. Only 30 percent of our exports are in electronics which make 70 percent of global demand. India's share in this is 0.7 percent," he said. P Harish, additional secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, said that the Indian industry should focus on areas like standards and quality of products. Moderna has signed a contract with CordenPharma to supply the increased volume of lipids used in the production of the experimental vaccine from COVID-19, to increase capacity to produce enough doses to meet expected global demand. Neither a vaccine nor a cure for COVID-19 exists, and experts believe that before a safe and effective vaccine appears, it will take from one to one and a half years from the start of development, Voice of America reported. World leaders believe that the vaccine is the only real way to restart the economy after months of downtime due to restrictive measures aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus. However, there are fears that some countries, including the US, may try to accumulate vaccine stocks since it is unlikely that they will be able to satisfy demand around the world at the initial stage of production. Moderna said last week that its potential vaccine - the first to be tested in the US - has developed protective antibodies in a small group of healthy volunteers, which gives hope for its effectiveness. This contract will increase the supply of lipids used to manufacture our products with mRNA, said Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer, Juan Andres. If the vaccine is successful, Moderna plans to deliver millions of doses per month in 2020 and tens of millions in 2021. The company signed a 10-year deal with the Swiss manufacturer Lonza to speed up the vaccine production process and reach a billion doses per year. Moderna shares rose by 2 percent on Thursday. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd has told the justice committee there is no legislation and not a lot of guidance over policing funerals during the coronavirus pandemic (PA) (PSNI/PA) Police have no specific guidelines for carrying out enforcement action at funerals, a senior officer has told Stormonts justice committee. There has been criticism of police on social media following the emergence of pictures showing large crowds attending some funerals. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said policing at funerals is difficult due to a lack of specific instructions in the coronavirus regulations. Expand Close PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd. (NI Assembly/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd. (NI Assembly/PA) He told MLAs: Funerals are a hugely emotive and emotionally sensitive time for everybody involved. Theres been a lot of public discourse from a whole lot of angles about funerals. Whats permissible or not, what is guidance or not is a matter for the legislators and the Executive. Police are generally operating in a space where there is no legislation, not a lot of guidance and trying to apply some common sense to bring about a successful outcome. Mr Todd said he is not sure anyone would think that police taking a hands on approach to enforcement at a funeral would be a good idea. He said officers seek assurance from families, clergy and funeral directors for an acceptable outcome in the spirit of the health protection regulations. He added: There have been occasions when people have given those assurances only to make other arrangements not known to the funeral director, sometimes not known to the family and certainly not known to the church. Mr Todd said he has not issued guidelines to officers around funerals, because there are no guidelines issued from the people who laid the regulations. He added: Theyre not committing any offence under regulation six, but they shouldnt have been travelling under regulation five. You can see the difficulties and trying to make some decisions around that. Mr Todd also defended police from criticism over the weekend after some motorists were turned away from Portstewart, saying the town had been full to the brim. He described some as being quite belligerent with officers at the roadside. But in the current environment, it is quite indicative of the changing public mindset, about people saying, we were happy to play with the rules, and now were not, he said. Mr Todd was asked by Green Party MLA Rachel Woods whether the reported actions of the Prime Ministers top aide Dominic Cummings have had an impact on the ground in Northern Ireland. I leave it for others to judge how other events have played into that space, but my officers are certainly getting that experience on the ground, he added. The PA news agency revealed earlier this week that the number of fines issued by the PSNI over coronavirus regulations had dropped from almost 400 in April to 30 in May. As legislators loosen legislation and loosen requirements, there will be less policing of it PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd Mr Todd said as time has gone on, both police and the public have become more comfortable with the regulations and the number of enforcements has tailed off. He added: As legislators loosen legislation and loosen requirements, there will be less policing of it. Weve gone to the first phases of stage one of the Executives recovery plan which allows people to do more things, more places, more of the time. He said regulation five on the restriction on movement now has so many exceptions, it is not a good use of either time or public confidence. He added: Legislation has eased that to a point where it has to be trust-mode and not an enforcement on compliance mode. He said officers have no powers to enforce social distancing to ensure people remain two metres apart, however he said enforcement action will continue to be taken when large groups of over six people gather in public. Meanwhile, Mr Todd described crime levels as rising from 35-40% of pre-lockdown levels to 20% by last week. The focus for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has now shifted to delivering policing from crisis management to policing in a Covid environment, he added. This includes officers returning to neighbourhood teams. Hours after the personnel of the bomb disposal squad successfully defused an improvised explosive device (IED) planted inside a Santro car in Jammu Kashmir's Pulwama, Vijay Kumar, IG Police Jammu and Kashmir said that the occupant of the car identified as Adil is a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist, who is also in touch with another terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed. Addressing a press conference, IG Kumar said, "We had received information that a militant of Jaish-e-Mohammed is going to carry out the operation. So we suspect that Adil (occupant of the car carrying IED) - a Hizbul Mujahideen militant is also in touch with Jaish-e-Mohammed." IG Kumar added that Adil planned to target vehicles of security forces. He said that expert teams from outside Jammu and Kashmir have been called to probe the matter. It is suspected that 40-45 kg of explosives was present in the car. The IED was recovered from a white-coloured Santro car with a fake number plate in Ayengund area of Rajpora in Pulwama district on Thursday. Adil managed to escape from the spot after the security forces stopped the car. Pulwama Police received credible information on Wednesday that a terrorist was moving with an explosive laden car ready to attack at some location. The security forces swung into action and various teams were formed to cover all possible routes. The terrorists got alarmed by the beefed up security and escaped after abandoning the car. After investigation it was found that the vehicle was carrying heavy explosives in a drum on the rear seat. The security forces kept the car under watch for the night and evacuated the people in nearby houses before calling in the Bomb Disposal Squad to defuse the bomb. The general in charge of Army modernization said Wednesday he is confident that a key effort to transform Stryker combat vehicles into mobile air-defense systems will remain on track, despite suffering recent testing delays. Social-distancing restrictions related to the novel coronavirus pandemic and software glitches have interrupted testing of the Army's Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense System (IM-SHORAD), one of the service's top short-term modernization programs. Read Next: Army IDs 34-Year-Old Reservist Who Died from COVID-19 "It was a combination of software challenges and adjusting to the COVID-19 environment," Gen. John "Mike" Murray, commander of Army Futures Command, told reporters Wednesday in a telephone brief. It took time to get the right protective equipment for testers, since "it's almost impossible to maintain the six feet of social distancing" during test procedures, Murray said. IM-SHORAD is a Stryker-based capability that will include sophisticated tracking technology and Stinger missiles to defend combat formations against low-altitude fixed-wing and rotary-wing threats, as well as unmanned aerial systems and incoming rocket, artillery and mortar threats, according to Army officials. The service intends to outfit four IM-SHORAD battalions by fiscal 2023, with an initial goal of equipping the first and second battalions with 36 systems by fiscal 2021. Along with the COVID-19 delays, the program has also experienced software problems that have slowed progress, said Murray, who added that he did not have an exact timeline for the delay. "We slipped a few months to the right ... and we are jumping on that," he said. "The delivery of IM-SHORAD, in terms of first unit equipped, remains on track." Other modernization efforts have also experienced small delays created by the challenges of operating in the COVID-19 environment. The Army had to delay the third soldier touch point evaluation of its Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS, from summer to fall. IVAS is a key soldier lethality effort, based on Microsoft's HoloLens technology, that Army senior leaders hope will give close-combat forces greater tactical effectiveness than ever. Despite the shift in testing, Murray said he's confident that IVAS will be fielded as planned in fiscal 2021. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Related: Army Modernization Programs Will Be Fielded on Time Despite COVID-19 Delays: General Vietnam still bars entry to foreigners despite the government issuing a resolution to permit citizens from 80 countries to get an e-visa from July 1, an official from the Vietnam Immigration Department told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday. The 79/NQ-CP resolution was signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday to detail the implementation of amendments to the Law on Foreigners Entry Into, Exit From, Transit Through and Residence in Vietnam, the official said. The resolution will take effect on July 1. Citizens from 80 countries, including Austria, Poland, Belgium, Portugal, the UAE, Germany, India, South Korea, the U.S., Italy, Finland, France, China, Brazil, Canada, Russia, the UK, Japan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway, and more, will be able to apply for an e-visa from that date onward. The resolution also specifies eight airports, 16 land border gates, and 13 sea border gates where foreigners will be permitted to enter and exit Vietnam with an e-visa. Many people have misunderstood the new fiat as the opening of Vietnamese borders to foreigners, the official said. Vietnam is still sealing its borders to foreigners in order to prevent COVID-19 transmission. Any flight carrying passengers to Vietnam has to be approved by the central government, at a time when all commercial flights between the Southeast Asian country and other nations remain suspended. Vietnam had tested the issuance of e-visas to foreign citizens before, the official from the Vietnam Immigration Department said, adding that it has become law after having proven effective. The old 17/2019 government decree merely allowed nationals from 35 countries to apply for an e-visa, the official elaborated. An e-visa is issued to foreigners via electronic system, the Vietnam Immigration Department said on its website, specifying it is single entry and valid for a maximum of 30 days. Outside Vietnam, foreigners who want to enter the country can personally apply for an e-visa or through inviting/guaranteeing agencies and organizations. Prime Minister Phuc already signed a decision to deny entry into Vietnam to all foreigners from March 22 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. People of Vietnamese origin and their kin who all hold visa exemption certificates are also banned from entering Vietnam. But the government still considers granting visas to those entering Vietnam for diplomatic, official, and special purposes. Such cases will be subject to screening, mandatory health status declaration, and appropriate quarantine upon arrival. Vietnam has arranged for flights to bring back Vietnamese citizens stranded in foreign countries. They will be all isolated as they land, as per regulations. A list of 80 countries whose citizens will be able to apply for a Vietnamese e-visa is as follows: Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal California-based Nanosys Inc. will apply its manufacturing capabilities to help Los Alamos startup UbiQD Inc. ramp up production of its quantum dot-based film for greenhouses. Nanosys operates the worlds largest quantum dot factory in the Silicon Valley, where it produces film coverings for the global display industry, such as ultra-high definition TVs. UbiQD, or Ubiquitous Quantum Dots, has developed a window film for greenhouses that accelerates plant growth and increases crop yields by bending sunshine to emit red light, which plants crave for optimal growth. Thats a completely new application for quantum dots, which are tiny, three dimensional structures that manipulate light in unique ways. Theyre currently used in everything from transistors and sunscreen to LCD televisions, tablets and smart phones. Nanosys already dominates that industry. But now, through a new partnership announced May 20, the company will open its manufacturing operations to mass produce quantum dots for UbiGrow, the new greenhouse film that UbiQD began marketing in 2018, said UbiQD founder and CEO Hunter McDaniel. This partnership makes a lot of sense for both companies, McDaniel told the Journal. Nanosys is the global leader in quantum dot manufacturing for the display industry, and were a small, early-stage company with a new type of product. We can rapidly scale up by leveraging Nanosys production capability, while offering them new markets for quantum dots. Since Nanosys launched in 2001, the consumer electronics industry has used its quantum dots in some 20 million electronic devices, according to the company. But the greenhouse market offers an even larger outlet for the technology, with potential worldwide demand for about 50 billion square feet of UbiGrow, said Nanosys CEO Jason Hartlove. Greenhouses represent a massive opportunity for the unique benefits of quantum dot technology, Hartlove said in a statement. We look forward to working with UbiQD to bring UbiGro to market with our industry-leading scale, cost-effectiveness and highest quality manufacturing standards. UbiQD launched in 2014 with a new, low-cost, nontoxic process for making quantum dots that it licensed from Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The company began by developing a quantum-dot-based window coating that captures sunlight and then channels the photons to photovoltaic cells on window frames, potentially turning everyday windows into solar electric generators. But while exploring window coating generation for greenhouses, the company realized it could help growers improve plant productivity and quality by placing quantum-dot film above plants to shift sunshine into a red-light emitting spectrum that mimics late-summer sun. Thats considered the most potent time of year for plants, because they sense winter coming and grow faster. UbiGro increases yields by between 5% and 20% depending on the crop being grown, McDaniel said. 28.05.2020 LISTEN The Commercial Division of the Accra High Court has ordered the Attorney-Generals (A-Gs) Department to serve former Managing Director of UT Bank, Prince Kofi Amoabeng, and four others who are standing trial for the collapse of UT Bank with all the documents it intends to rely on for their trial. Justice Philip Bright Mensah , a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as a High Court judge, gave the A-G up to June 22, to file the disclosures and serve same on the defence team. In court on Thursday, Chief State Attorney, Frances Mullen Ansah, indicated to the court that the initial return date of the case was June 23, 2020, but they had a notice that the time had been abridged to today. She, however, told the court that they were working to have the trial documents filed and served on the accused persons with the June 23 date in mind. The court, after listening to the prosecution, ordered the AGs Department to file all the necessary trial documents it would rely on in this trial by June 22 and serve same on the defence lawyers. The case has been adjourned to June 25, 2020. Background Five persons have been hauled before the court for the collapse of UT Bank. They are Dr Johnson Paundit Asiama, a Deputy BoG Governor, Prince Kofi Amoabeng, the Founder of UT Bank; Raymond Amanfu, a former Head of the Banking Supervision Department (BSD) of the BoG, and two others Catherine Johnson, Head of Treasury, and Robert Kwesi Armah, the General Manager of Corporate Banking, both of UT Bank. UT Holdings, the parent company of UT Bank, which is said to be controlled by Amoabeng, was also charged with the collapse of the bank. It is the case of the A-G that Amoabeng dishonestly appropriated more than GH100 million of depositors funds that were invested in the defunct UT Bank. The A-G has accused Dr Asiama and Amanfu of also acting unlawfully and causing financial loss to the state. The two have been charged with wilfully causing financial loss to the state for allegedly approving GH460 million in liquidity support, without following prescribed mandatory conditions. No payment was made for liquid support by the BoG, the A-G stated in the facts accompanying the charge sheet. The accused persons in that case have also pleaded not guilty to all the charges. ---starrfmonline DOJ: Investigation Into George Floyds Death a Top Priority The Justice Department (DOJ) said May 28 that its conducting a robust criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of George Floyd and has made the probe a top priority. The department had also assigned experienced prosecutors and FBI criminal investigators to determine whether former Minneapolis Police Department officers involved in Floyds death had violated federal law, U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald and FBI Special Agent in Charge Rainer Drolshagen said in a joint statement. The statement comes after President Donald Trump said he had ordered the DOJ and FBI to expedite their investigation into the death of Floyd and subsequent violent protests, which were accompanied by looting and vandalism, in Minneapolis that were reportedly sparked by anger over Floyds death. Floyd, 46, a father of two, was pronounced dead May 25 after he was taken into custody by police in Minneapolis. A widely circulated video showed Floyd lying down, handcuffed, and gasping for air as a white police officer was seen kneeling on the black mans neck. He was heard repeatedly saying, I cant breathe, before becoming motionless. According to a Minneapolis Fire Department report (pdf), Floyd was unresponsive and pulseless when being transported into an ambulance by paramedics from the site of his arrest to the hospital. Minneapolis police said in a statement on May 26 that officers were responding to a report of forgery when the man resisted. According to the statement, Floyd died after suffering medical distress. The video prompted Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to call for the arrest of the police officer who was seen kneeling on Floyds neck. That officer and three others involved in the arrest have since been fired. The DOJ and the FBI said they are currently compiling information and evaluating evidence and are seeking witnesses who believe they have relevant information. Upon conclusion of the FBIs investigation, the U.S. Attorneys Office will determine whether federal criminal charges are supported by the evidence. If it is determined that there has been a violation of federal law, criminal charges will be sought, the statement said. The probe will be conducted by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Minnesota, the DOJs Civil Rights Division, and the FBIs Minneapolis Field Office. On May 28, Frey requested that the governor deploy the Minnesota National Guard to help with protests that have erupted across the state in response to Floyds death. In a social media post, he called for an end to the violence as protests escalated. Please, Minneapolis, we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy, the area along Lake has become unsafe. We are asking for your help in keeping the peace tonight, he wrote. Isabel Van Brugen and Katabella Roberts contributed to this report. [May 28, 2020] Healthy Boost Inc. Launches Live Shopper Program - Shoppers Pick Groceries with Real-Time Interaction Via Video Conference NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Juice bar and smoothie startup Healthy Boost Inc. ( https://healthyboost.life/personal-shoppers/ ) recently launched its Live Shopper program to help stay-at-home health-food customers. With live video chats, a customer can interact with personalized shoppers, while actually seeing the groceries that are being handpicked, purchased and delivered right to the customer's door. Healthy Boost will also connect customers with a certified Nutritionist and/or Herbalist upon request, to discuss health and nutrition-based topics related to individual shoppers' needs. Healthy Boost is an authority on healthy foods and supplements, maintaining a thriving Juice Bar Kiosk business among other expanding services. Healthy Boost: "See Your Groceries; Speak to Your Shopper; Get Your Delivery" The Live Shopper program virtually connects customers with Healthy Boost shoppers, allowing those customers to shop in real-time, while staying safe and comfortable at home. Customers actually schedule specific shopping dates, then follow their shopper around chosen stores via video conferencing. Customers can pay for the groceries in two ways: Debit/Credit Card: The charge includes the grocery balance, plus the Healthy Boost service charge, which is paid before the shopper reaches the checkout line. Shoppers wil not be able to checkout without payment. The total itemized receipt is available for customer review. SNAP Benefits Card: Those paying via SNAP Benefits offer payment when the groceries are delivered. The delivery person will allow customers to swipe their card at the door, though the Healthy Boost service charge must be paid via debit/credit card or cash. Healthy Boost cannot receive service payments through a SNAP Benefits card. $10 for every $50 spent, with a minimum $50 orders. Delivery of groceries is free. For the latest products, services and Healthy Boost news, follow them on social media: Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , LinkedIn , Pinterest . About Healthy Boost Inc. Healthy Boost is a smoothie/juice bar and vitamin supplement business based in New York City. Covering a diverse range of domestic and corporate clients, Healthy Boost offers organic, healthy products created by a team of food nutritionists for an ever-growing menu of nutritious and energizing foods and supplements. Offering delicious, healthy and unique flavor combinations that rejuvenate as well as sustain, Healthy Boost is committed to sustainability and accountability meeting the highest ethical standards in the industry. Healthy Boost also offers a Live Shopper program for stay-at-home customers. Learn more at: www.HealthyBoost.life . Media Contact: Alisa fields 646-224-6945 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/healthy-boost-inc-launches-live-shopper-program--shoppers-pick-groceries-with-real-time-interaction-via-video-conference-301066460.html SOURCE Healthy Boost Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Apollo Tyres Ltd is quoting at Rs 97.2, up 2.48% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 49.94% in last one year as compared to a 20.36% fall in NIFTY and a 26.61% fall in the Nifty Auto index. Apollo Tyres Ltd rose for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 97.2, up 2.48% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 1.41% on the day, quoting at 9446.15. The Sensex is at 32063.77, up 1.45%. Apollo Tyres Ltd has added around 1.62% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Apollo Tyres Ltd is a constituent, has added around 9.63% in last one month and is currently quoting at 5896.95, up 3.07% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 69.76 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 100.3 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark May futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 97, up 2.11% on the day. Apollo Tyres Ltd is down 49.94% in last one year as compared to a 20.36% fall in NIFTY and a 26.61% fall in the Nifty Auto index. The PE of the stock is 10.66 based on TTM earnings ending March 20. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON Top infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that he wears a mask as a "symbol" of what "you should be doing" during the coronavirus pandemic. "I want to protect myself and protect others, and also because I want to make it be a symbol for people to see that that's the kind of thing you should be doing," Fauci told CNN. When asked by host Jim Sciutto if his wearing of a mask encouraged their use, Fauci acknowledged masks aren't "100% effective" but are a "valuable safeguard" and part of "respect for another person." Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he walked around his Washington neighborhood and saw it was "very clear" that many people were wearing masks. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday that the city would start its phased reopening of businesses as early as Friday, though face coverings would still be required in public. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says most people in his neighborhood wear protective masks. More: Masks spark public judgment, ridicule among customers as businesses reopen Fact check: Anthony Fauci hasn't served on the board of the Clinton or Gates foundations Fauci noted Washington "still has a considerable number of cases." President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden have sparred over the wearing of masks. More: Joe Biden strikes back at President Trump for being 'critical' about face masks Trump called a reporter "politically correct" for wearing a mask during a news conference in the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday and shared a post on his Twitter feed mocking Biden for wearing a face mask when he observed Memorial Day. Biden called Trump a "fool." Wearing a mask "projects leadership. Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely masculine," Biden said on CNN. Contributing: Savannah Behrmann This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Fauci says he wears a mask as a 'symbol' of what to do DALLAS, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Care Continuity Inc., a leader of health care patient navigation across the health care continuum, today announced a partnership with the Mississippi Hospital Association (MHA) to provide a statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE). The goal of the partnership is to serve as a catalyst for Mississippi hospitals and affiliated physicians as they transition from fee-for-service to value-based care, where service payments are linked to patient health outcomes. Care Continuity will deliver its proprietary navigation technology and patient advocacy solutions to health systems throughout Mississippi. "Providing the data infrastructure to enable health systems to track patients through their individual journey will ensure patients are receiving quality care in a timely manner," said Andrew Thorby, CEO, Care Continuity. "All of us at Care Continuity are excited about this partnership with MHA and are particularly impressed by the vision of MHA to be a catalyst for better patient navigation and outcomes." Two of the largest health systems in Mississippi and three regional hospitals have committed to launch the new HIE in May of 2020 with several additional hospitals joining this summer. The initial phase includes notifications of key patient events such as inpatient admissions, emergency department visits and post-acute care transitions. At launch, physicians, office managers, clinics and other professionals involved in patient care will have the ability, at patients' and providers' discretion, to receive customizable text and/or email admission notifications for all connected entities across Mississippi. "Our partnership with Care Continuity allows all Mississippi providers to deliver care to their patients fully aware of key events impacting them, such as a visit to an emergency department, while also ensuring that all members of the patient care team are working from the same set of information. This will help our hospitals address one of the greatest challenges in health care delivering the right care at the right time," said Timothy H. Moore, president and CEO, Mississippi Hospital Association. As the Care Continuity platform rolls out, participants will have the option to subscribe to advanced capabilities such as: secure clinical document exchange provider-to-provider referral management support for collaboration within patient-centered care teams and payers Additionally, the new Health Information Exchange will help hospitals meet the new interoperability and patient access notification requirements recently announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. For more information about Care Continuity Inc., please visit carecontinuity.com. About Care Continuity Inc. Care Continuity Inc., as a leader of patient navigation and network integration solutions creates a system of communication that connects delivery networks and payers while placing patients and their care teams at the center. The patient is rewarded with a seamless journey across the care continuum while clinicians can be confident that their efforts will be reinforced by a supportive system that facilitates integrated patient care. About MHA The Mississippi Hospital Association (MHA) is the state organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities. Over 100 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and their over 50,000 employees come together to form MHA. Through their representation and advocacy activities, MHA ensures that members' perspectives and needs are heard and addressed in national and state health policy development, legislative and regulatory debates and judicial matters. MHA's advocacy efforts include the legislative and executive branches and include the legislative and regulatory arenas. SOURCE Care Continuity, Inc. Related Links https://www.carecontinuity.com Bobcat Bonnies, a locally owned restaurant group located in the Detroit area, is headed north to deliver hot meals to the Midland area that has recently been hit by severe flooding. On Friday May 29, Bobcat Bonnies psychedelic catering van will be cruising through communities in Midland, Wixom Lake and Sanford, passing out burgers and more to residents in the area as they try to recover. We caught up with the very busy owner and operator of Bobcat Bonnies, Matthew Buskard to learn more about this free food giveaway, why its very personal, and whats been happening at his 5 restaurants during this time. Check out our interview with him below. The giveaway is very personal for Buskard, as his partners parents live in the area, and were personally affected by the flooding. My in-laws, and lots of personal friends, live in Midland," Buskard said. "On top of everything thats going on, you know, in the world right now, imagine dealing with flooding, and the loss of your home, your memorabilia, your kids paintings from 6th grade, photographs that were passed down. Theyre dealing with the whole struggle of your whole life being upended during a pandemic and then this too. In response, Buskard and his team decided they just had to find time to bring some food up to the area. Along with support from fellow businesses, Gordon Food Service and Griffin Claw Brewing Company, theyll be driving up a load of meals, treats and hand sanitizer to local residents. That fancy catering van, which was designed and painted by Buskards partner, artist Joey Salamon, will be cruising around the neighborhoods starting at lunch time. Theyll be serving burgers, chicken sandwiches, Impossible burgers along with sides, chips, toy bags for kids, sodas and Hudsonville ice cream all for free. The van will be circling Wixom and Sanford lakes, and will make a few stops in the area as well. Buskard was inspired by another group of volunteers who drove 19 hours from Louisiana to serve gumbo to the area. Salamon had been helping his partners clean his parents destroyed basement, and shared how overwhelming it all was. My partner said that you are taking on such a huge task, you forget to eat," Buskard said. "All of a sudden these people come up, and its such a relief, as you are dealing with something so emotional, and so physically draining. As busy as hes been working on reopening his restaurants for take-out, he just knew they had to find a way to step up. We sprung into action, Buskard said. If you are in the area, watch for their bright, crazy catering van, wave them down, and theyll stop and serve you. Theyll also have a few spots set up during the day, and will also be somewhere stationary at dinner. They are still awaiting confirmation on that, so to find out exactly where they will be, please check their Facebook page for up to the minute details. Were just trying to, in our small way, to bring a little love to people who are dealing with a tremendous amount of feelings, and emotions and stress, Buskard said. A hot meal, hand delivered, might be a bright spot in the hard hit communities near Midland. Pictured are "Totchos" on the left, and the "Kimchi" fries on the right from Bobcat Bonnie's in Corktown. We named them some of Michigan's Best. Currently, only a few Bobcats are open for take-out. Clinton Township and Ferndale are ready and waiting for you. Bobcat Bonnies 1800 Michigan Ave Detroit, MI 48216 (313) 962-1383 118 Sycamore St Wyandotte, MI 48192 (734) 556-3258 17330 Hall Rd Clinton Township, Michigan 48038 (586) 221-4313 240 W. 9 Mile Rd Ferndale, Michigan 48220 (248) 677-0158 200 W. Michigan Ave Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197 (734) 879-0663 The interior of Bobcat Bonnie's in Corktown, their flagship location. Heres what we had to say about Bobcat Bonnies after our trip on our search for Michigans Best French Fries. We named them #6 in the state. Bobcat Bonnies opened in the Detroit Corktown neighborhood in 2015 and opened a second location, with the same menu, in Wyandotte this past February. Owner Matthew Buskard recently brought on Chef Emmele Herrold to tighten up the kitchen, and shes rocking it. As a chef, you can literally put anything on a French fry, which is fun, she told us. Bobcats uses Idaho Russet potatoes and follows a strict process of cutting, soaking, blanching, chilling and then frying to order to create their fantastically good fries. Seasoned with just salt and pepper, these fries are the standard side with burgers and sandwiches served here. Or order them up as your main course, topped with all sorts of craziness. Totchos come loaded with spicy chorizo, housemade queso, pico di gallo, chipotle aioli and a heavy dusting of crushed Doritos. The Kimchi Fries were the best we had, with a huge punch of acidity from the fermented cabbage, balanced by the sweet soy of the super tender bulgogi on top. Added bonus: all the fry dishes can be made with tater tots instead, if you like. The crew at Hamburger Mikey's is back in business, and ready to serve you what may be Michigan's Best Burger for take-out.Courtesy Photo, used with permission. The Powering Positivity campaign by MLive Media Group highlights how Michiganders are supporting one another during the coronavirus pandemic. It is sponsored by The MediLodge Group. More Powering Positivity stories from around Michigan: How to watch every episode of Come Together, a Pure Michigan relief effort to help Michigan hospitality workers Delicious deliveries: see how Feeding the Frontlines spread cheer across Michigan Michigan comes together to support hospitality workers during week long event. Fredi the Pizzaman continues to support autism through pandemic. That Guys BBQ brings meals, hope to Bay City. Pink-haired dynamo chef makes a difference in West Michigan. See a full list of great helper stories here. Dublin listed venture capital firm Draper Esprit has a made a provision for a 99m (111m) adjustment across its portfolio due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the value of businesses. This is in respect of the pre-coronavirus estimates from the company. This is equivalent to a 21pc adjustment across 53pc of its portfolio, according to an update from the group. Pre-Covid-19 the company had targeted 20pc portfolio growth. Only around one third of the adjustments related to the companys 18 core portfolio assets, which it said reflected the strong performance and positions of these businesses even when viewed through a more stringent valuation lens. The long-term potential of the portfolio remains positive, it said, adding that it expects the value of the portfolio to grow post Covid-19 particularly in light of the accelerated transition to digital. Martin Davis, CEO of Draper Esprit, said: "Over the medium term, we believe the recovery from the pandemic will sharply accelerate the trends which Draper Esprit's portfolio businesses focus on." "Draper Esprit's position as one of Europe's most active VCs, and our long and deep understanding of the needs of this community, put us in an excellent position to play a leading role in helping innovative businesses of all sizes emerge stronger from this crisis." The executive directors in Draper Esprit have decided to defer 20pc of their salaries for three months and will use these deferred balances when paid to buy shares in the company. Draper Esprit said none of its staff have been furloughed or made redundant and it has not applied for any of the Government funding schemes. Meanwhile, ahead of its results for year ended 31 March 2020, the companys gross portfolio value is expected to be not less than 695m, up from 594 the prior year. The net asset value per share is predicted to be not less than 550p, an increase on 524pc at 31 March 2019. Draper Esprits investments since September last year amount to 48m, bringing the total for the year to 90m. In July this year Simon Cook, the former CEO of Draper Esprit, will step down from the board. Mr Cook will remain with the company, with his focus on generating new deals for the group. His new title will be founding partner. Ford Police Interceptor Utility. Ford Ford has added a technology to its Police Interceptor Utility that can increase the interior temperature beyond 133 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes to kill the novel coronavirus. That's about as hot as one of the hottest places on Earth: Death Valley, California. Ford worked with Ohio State and police departments to develop the technology. Ford has a longstanding relationship with law enforcement as a supplier of vehicles. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. If you've ever lived in a hot climate, you know what it can be like to enter a car that's been parked for a while in the sun, and find that the steering wheel is smoldering to the touch and the cabin feels like a blast furnace. Unpleasant, but it turns out that intense heat has a plus when it comes to some vehicles: police cars. Or more accurately, police SUVs. After consulting with law enforcement and first-responders, Ford has added a feature to its 2013-19 model-year Police Interceptor Utilities that can drastically increase the interior temperature to kill off the novel coronavirus. As hot as the desert A Ford police utility being disinfected. Ford "Using Police Interceptor Utility's own powertrain and climate control systems, this software solution enables vehicles to elevate passenger compartment temperatures beyond 133 degrees Fahrenheit , hotter than Death Valley on its hottest day, for 15 minutes long enough to help disinfect vehicle touchpoints," Ford said in a statement. "Once activated, the vehicle's powertrain and climate control systems work together automatically to elevate passenger compartment temperatures. The software warms up the engine to an elevated level, and both heat and fan settings operate on high. The software automatically monitors interior temperatures until the entire passenger compartment hits the optimal level, then that temperature is maintained for 15 minutes." Ford has a long history of supplying vehicles for law enforcement. Its Interceptor cars and SUVs are something of a gold standard. Story continues But Ford, along with the rest of the US auto industry, has also been focused on devising ways to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. The company has been making ventilators, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, since the carmaker shut down it manufacturing facilities in March. They re-opened about a week ago, but prior to that, a former Ford factory has been repurposed to make ventilators and protective medical gear, with an all-volunteer, United Auto Workers-represented workforce. Working with Ohio State The system can heat the vehicle's interior beyond 133 degrees. Ford Ford cooperated with Ohio State University to figure out how hot a vehicle's needed to be, in order order to disable the COVID-19-causing virus. "Our studies with Ford Motor Company indicate that exposing coronaviruses to temperatures of 56 degrees Celsius, or 132.8 degrees Fahrenheit, for 15 minutes reduces the viral concentration by greater than 99 percent on interior surfaces and materials used inside Police Interceptor Utility vehicles," Jeff Jahnes and Jesse Kwiek, microbiology laboratory supervisors at Ohio State, said in a statement. The technology kicked off in March, when Ford engineers received feedback from the New York City Police Department. "Law enforcement officers are being dispatched as emergency responders in some cases where ambulances may not be available," Stephen Tyler, Ford's police brand marketing manager, said in a statement. "During one trip, officers may be transporting a coronavirus patient to a hospital, while another trip may involve an occupant who may be asymptomatic." The superheating system acts as a supplement to existing cleaning procedures and offers the advantage of disinfecting areas that are difficult to reach inside vehicles. The software upgrade is available immediately, and Ford said that large law-enforcement departments with properly-equipped operations could add thee capability themselves, while smaller departments could work with Ford dealers. Read the original article on Business Insider Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York: Amid the current market turmoil, this is our regular report on hedge funds and alternative asset managers who are bucking the trend. Short currencies outperform Systematic Alpha Management's flagship Systematic Alpha FX Program advanced +1.84% in April, bringing its year-to-date return to +5.45%, according to a performance note sent to investors and reviewed by Opalesque. The fund has an annualized return of +22.20%. The strategy is a medium-term trading program that uses 80% contrarian and 20% momentum models. The fund focuses on the most liquid FX futures using a proprietary trading system that has been developed in-house over the past eight years and traded live in a managed account for three years. The fund is managed by Peter Kambolin, who was previously at Commonwealth Associates before launching Systemic Alpha Management. Systemic Alpha's short positions paid off in the first quarter of this year. "Volatility in the currency markets subsided in April compared to March levels, similar to volatility in the equity markets, and the short USD positions against major world currencies which we accumulated in March continued to perform well," the firm said in their April investor letter. "We made some minor adjustments during the month, but for the most part, risk was kept at the same levels." Peter Kambolin will be a presenter in the upcoming Corona Fighters webinar on June 23. Market neutral credit San Francisco-based DCI is a veteran firm in the market neutral credit space. The firm's DCI Market Neutral Credit Fund was up 0.9% in April and is up 2.3% year to date. The long/short strategy aims to generate absolute returns via idiosyncratic credit selection creating a basket of liquid single-name corporate CDS. The portfolio is designed to be beta neutral and aims to take no rate risk while limiting exposure to other credit risk factors. Credit funds broadly had uneven performance in the first quarter of this year. During the worst part of the drawdown there were no obvious havens on the credit side. Markets have stabilized following intervention from the US Federal Reserve. Performance of credit hedge funds rebounded in April with that return to relative normalcy. *** Last issue of The Corona Fighters Report: Report 34. Opalesque's Corona Fighters reports are open articles. To see all past reports, type Corona Fighters in our search engine: www.opalesque.com/index.php *** Disclaimer: This is not investment advice. Opalesque has not verified this information and gives no warranty of accuracy or completeness. Past performance is not indicative of future results. See our Terms & Conditions for more information. *** WEBINARS: Meet 10 fund managers and learn how and why their strategies delivered positive returns and/or protected capital during the Corona led market meltdown! Each webinar lasts one hour and features five managers. "A well-chosen topic of discussion and a great set of speakers to hear and learn from." "I enjoyed the webinar and found the introduction to the strategies to be diverse and insightful. "Very resourceful and insightful." VIDEO REPLAY of CORONA FIGHTERS - Episode 1 webinar: www.opalesque.com/webinar/#pw4 VIDEO REPLAY of CORONA FIGHTERS - Episode 2 webinar: www.opalesque.com/webinar/#pw5 Video replays of Opalesque's past webinars can be found here: www.opalesque.com/webinar/#pastwebinar Don't miss our new webinars! How quants achieve material improvements in ESG investment performance Time: Thursday, June 18th, 10:00 am EST Details and registration: www.opalesque.com/webinar/ESG/ Corona Fighters Episode 3 Meet more asset managers who delivered during the melt down Time: Tuesday, June 23rd, 10:00 am EST Details and registration: www.opalesque.com/webinar/ Opalesque's upcoming webinars: www.opalesque.com/webinar/ Many residents and staff members of Windsor Vallejo Care Center in Vallejo, Calif., have tested positive for COVID-19. (Ben Margot / Associated Press) Nearly a quarter of all COVID-19 cases in one Bay Area county can be linked to a single location, a skilled nursing home in Vallejo where more than 100 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus and 16 have died. Now relatives are demanding that the facility be shut down. Some things were intentional and negligent, said Shawnie Bennett, whose brother, William Bennett III, moved into Windsor Vallejo Care Center in Solano County after suffering a stroke last year. William died from complications of the coronavirus on May 13. He was 31. He tested negative, and then they moved someone into his room who was coughing, his sister said. They didnt give that person a mask, and they didnt provide my brother with a mask. My brother was really scared. She is one of more than 1,700 people who have signed a petition calling for Windsor Vallejos closure. They allege that negligence at the facility helped pave the way for the COVID-19 outbreak and that complaints about poor practices went largely unanswered for years. Nursing homes nationwide have been prime breeding grounds for the novel coronavirus, spreading rampantly through highly vulnerable communities. In California, roughly half of all COVID-19 deaths have been in nursing homes or other eldercare facilities. Administrators at Windsor Vallejo did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but Josh Sable, general counsel for Windsor, said in a statement that the company stands by its protocols and staff. Please be assured that the facility is adhering to all recommendations of federal and state agencies, Sable said. Families are adamant that more could have been done. It didnt have to get the way it is, said Maria Grimaldo, who started the petition after her grandmother contracted COVID-19 while at Windsor. Its preventable with proper training, proper management, proper overhead. Grimaldo and Shawnie Bennett were working to transfer their relatives out of Windsor when the pandemic struck. Now, they say, theyre seeking justice for those who have died and for those left inside. Story continues Were trying to give a voice to the patients that cant speak, said Grimaldo, who added her grandmother still resides in Windsor's COVID-19 wing. Their protests come as more than 28,000 people have died of COVID-19 in care facilities nationwide. As of May 22, 102 residents and 34 staff members at Windsor had tested positive for the virus, making it one of the 10 most infected nursing homes in the state. The facility has 166 beds. Unfortunately, when a communicable disease gets introduced into that type of environment, its easy for it to spread, said Solano County Public Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas, who called Windsors efforts to control the spread of the virus genuine and diligent. More than 150 complaints about conditions at the Windsor Vallejo facility have been lodged with the California Department of Public Health since 2017, including two substantiated claims about improper infection control. A Medicare inspection report last year listed 23 citations for violations such as lost clothing items, soiled toilets and failure to provide patients with recourse for their concerns. (The average number of annual citations per nursing home in California is 13.) The facility received one out of five stars, or much below average, on its 2019 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services health inspection, leaving several families to wonder why it was allowed to keep operating at all. Pulitzer Center grant logo William and others were not attended to properly and in a timely manner, said Bennetts aunt, Annette Bennett, who alleged that her nephew was not given proper nutrition and was regularly left in soiled diapers for so long that hed call his aunt, who would have to drive over to ensure that someone changed him. That happened more often than not, she said. Anne Mendoza, whose aunt, Carol Murphy, died on May 10 after contracting COVID-19 while at Windsor, said she thought her aunts case was mishandled from the start. They said they were isolating [COVID patients] in a separate wing, she said. Having visited there, I dont know how thats possible. Despite mounting concerns about the facility, the California Department of Public Health responded to questions about Windsor Vallejo by noting that it is not in its Special Focus Facility program for nursing homes that are in need of health and safety improvements. That program, however, is limited to a maximum of 30 nursing homes per state, and new homes are added only when others are moved off the list. Windsor operates more than 35 nursing home facilities across California, 11 of which have reported cases of COVID-19 to the Department of Public Health. Solano County is releasing statistics from the Vallejo location on a regular basis. Matyas described the 16 deaths at Windsor as a "low fatality rate" compared with other reported nursing home outbreaks. Grimaldo is now planning her fourth protest against Windsor Vallejo in as many weeks. Each one has drawn between 10 and 20 people who don masks and wave signs that read Justice for William, Be Their Voice and Windsor Gave Our Grandma COVID-19, among other messages. She said she plans to continue protesting the facility every week for the foreseeable future. They dont seem to be big fans of the attention the place is getting, she said.But if you dont want the attention, then run it correctly. For the record: 4:33 PM, May. 28, 2020: An earlier version of this article said William Bennetts aunt described having to change his diapers. She says she made sure that a staff member did so. India's export and import growth plunged to historical lows in April with year-on-year (y-o-y) export contraction of 60.3 per cent compared to a decline of 34.6 per cent in March. The country was hit the hardest among 22 countries as it grappled with disruptions in both domestic and global demand and lockdown-induced logistics challenges. This has put India in an awkward predicament as many other emerging nations were not hit as hard. Data sourced from CEIC website showed that India saw the steepest fall in exports in April compared to a group of 20-22 countries, whose April numbers were available -- most of which belonged to the Asia & Oceanic region. "The 60 per cent contraction in the country exports in April is alarming and is the direct consequence of the COVID-19 led lockdown not just in India but also in the partner countries that has hampered the movement of goods. The global economic slowdown has dented demand and to add to that the large-scale logistical disruptions and labour shortages in the country have been significant contributing factors that have impacted exports," said Kavita Chacko, Senior Economist, CARE Ratings. India's next-door neighbour Nepal quietly took the second spot with almost 55 per cent y-o-y de-growth while the other neighbour, Pakistan settled with nearly 47 per cent exports de-growth in April. Japan, where the coronavirus impact was delayed compared to other South East Asian economies, saw its exports crashed by 22.3 per cent in April compared to 11.7 per cent fall in March. China, the initial epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak saw exports growth turning significantly positive in April after three months of sharp decline. It was the only other country after Thailand to record a growth in its exports during the month. April, the month of global lockdown, saw world economic activity coming to a standstill and witnessed major indices of manufacturing and services across countries declining to record lows due to supply-side disruptions. The demand shock, thus, weighed heavily on commodity exporter countries as their currencies depreciated relatively more sharply. Exports from goods and services currently contribute to almost 20 per cent of the country's GDP and Chacko believes that the extent of impact of exports on the country's economic growth would be contingent on the pick-up in global economic activity. India's imports fell to 58.6 per cent in April versus a 28.7 per cent fall a month earlier. Thus, the overall trade deficit narrowed to $6.8 billion from $9.8 billion over the last two months. The pick-up in exports is expected to be slow and gradual and would be linked to the containment of the global spread of the pandemic and the revival in global demand. "Exports from the country are likely to be pressured for the rest of FY21. Demand would be subdued given the sharp global economic slowdown. The financial stress of the domestic exporters, many of who are MSMEs, coupled with the labour shortages would pressure the country's exports. Although with the easing of the lockdown there could be an improvement," she added. However, lower oil prices, at the same time, will save resources for domestic absorption for oil-importing countries like India. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Christian Cooper, the birdwatcher who was the victim of a racist act in New York Citys Central Park on Monday, said he is uncomfortable with the consequences the woman has faced since the incident went viral earlier this week. In the video, Amy Cooper, who is white and not related to the man, calls the cops on him after he asked her to leash her dog as required by the park and started video taping her. Im going to tell them theres an African-American man threatening my life, she tells him while dragging her dog by the collar. She then falsely tells the dispatcher on the phone multiple times that an African-American man is threatening her and the dog. He thanks her and stops recording after she leashes the dog. All three were gone by the time police arrived. The video was posted by Melody Cooper, Mr. Coopers sister, on social media, where many accused Amy Cooper of purposefully and recklessly putting his life in danger. In the days since, she has surrendered the dog, been fired from her job and received death threats. Central Park birdwatcher Christian Cooper tells us even though the viral incident was a racist act, hes uncomfortable with defining someone by a couple of seconds of what theyve done and condemns the death threats made against her. https://t.co/6kPvPIdBL9 pic.twitter.com/vkrajmTHrn The View (@TheView) May 28, 2020 Appearing on The View Thursday, Mr. Cooper called the death threats against her abhorrent. If you think what she did was wrong -- that she was trying to bring death by cop down on my head -- then there is absolutely no way you can justify then turning around and putting a death threat on her head. So thats got to stop. Thats not acceptable, he said. Everything else thats happened to her, Im uncomfortable with defining someone by a couple of seconds of what theyve done, he added. It was a stressful situation, she had a moment of very poor judgement. No excusing that it was a racist act because it was a racist act, he said. But does that define her entire life? I dont know. Only she can tell us if that defines her entire life by what she does going forward and what shes done in the past. Ms. Cooper issued a public apology a day after the incident, saying she reacted emotionally and made false assumptions about his intentions. I hope that a few mortifying seconds in a lifetime of forty years will not define me in his eyes and that he will accept my sincere apology, she wrote. I do accept her apology, he said on The View. Its not really about her and her poor judgement in a snap second. Its about the underlying current of racism and racial perceptions that has been going on for centuries and that permeates this city and this country that she tapped into. Thats what we really have to address." CLEVELAND, Ohio Victory Cruise Lines, the biggest player in Great Lakes cruising, has canceled its 2020 sailing season, leaving the nascent port of Cleveland without cruise passengers this summer. Victory, which typically sails two ships in the Great Lakes during a six-month season, was scheduled to resume its itineraries in early July. Instead, the company announced this week that it wouldnt sail this summer at all. The decision to suspend service for 2020 was a difficult and disappointing choice but necessary in response to uncertainties of Canadian travel in the coming months, said John Waggoner, CEO of American Queen Steamboat Co., parent company of Victory. The Canadian government last week extended a ban on non-essential travel between the United States and Canada until at least June 21 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Victory itineraries typically include numerous stops at both Canadian and U.S. ports, including Cleveland, Chicago, Toronto, Niagara Falls and Mackinac Island. Earlier this year, the Victory canceled all 2020 sailings for one of its ships, the Victory II, and delayed the launch of the Victory I until July 5. The sister ships typically spend the summer sailing through the five Great Lakes, stopping in Cleveland and numerous other ports. The company initially had 42 stops planned for Cleveland in 2020, with as many as 8,500 passengers disembarking for the day. Those passengers typically spend time touring the Rock Hall, West Side Market, Cleveland Museum of Art or exploring on their own. While the Port is disappointed, we certainly understand their decision, said Dave Gutheil, chief maritime officer for the Port of Cleveland. In the meantime, we will continue to prepare for the 2021 cruise season and take all necessary precautions to insure safe processing of visitors that arrive via the Port of Cleveland. The port last year invested $600,000 in a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility to process cruise passengers upon their arrival in Cleveland. Previously, that screening had been conducted in waterfront tents. Despite this years cancellations, officials in Cleveland remain optimistic about Great Lakes cruising and the growing popularity of Cleveland as a port of call. Waggoner said Victory now will focus on the 2021 season, which will include the debut of the 200-passenger Ocean Victory in Alaska and new itineraries on the Great Lakes. For information: victorycruiselines.com. Read more: Great Lakes cruising, ship calls in Cleveland will be way down in 2020, as Victory cuts back Destination Cleveland spearheads new Undefeated campaign to boost restaurants, hospitality industry Ohio tourism industry losing patience with Gov. Mike DeWine, lack of timetable for reopening zoos, museums, amusement parks It was difficult to be buoyed by the prospect of a return to pre-pandemic life when new case numbers ticked up last week just as more businesses were allowed to reopen. Doubly so when throngs of people gathered in Torontos Trinity-Bellwoods Park on the weekend, seemingly nonplussed by the social distancing rule to stay two metres apart from anyone not in your household. Thats hard to take for the families who have the heaviest weight to carry while we make a collective effort at flattening the curve. Families are impacted by the pandemic 24-7 in every aspect of family life from forming relationships to fertility to parenting, caregiving, death and dying, food prep, navigating homeschooling, said Nora Spinks, CEO of the Vanier Institute of the Family, a charitable organization and research institute dedicated to understanding the diversity and complexity of family life in Canada. Theres not one element of family life thats not touched by pandemic. Yet, even as we face the prospect of a daycare and campless summer while steps are taken to gradually return to business as normal, parents are among the most ill-at-ease at the prospect. Research conducted by the Vanier Institute, Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies found that parents are more anxious than other adults about the virus affecting someone in their household. Among people living with children 18 years and under, 30 per cent describe themselves as very afraid that someone in their immediate family will contract COVID-19, compared to 22 per cent of people not living with children. The Canada-wide survey was conducted prior to the Ontario governments announcement May 19 that schools would remain closed until September. And although homeschooling has put enormous strain on families along with the closures of most child care centres two-thirds (66 per cent) of parents said they would prefer for their children to return to school in September and not attend summer school. Chantal Saville lives in a three-generation household that includes her 11-year-old daughter, Nikki, and her 78-year-old mother. The Kingston mom says shes terrified her daughter will contract the virus once schools are open. Every day, well worry that she will bring it home to her grandmother, says Saville. In addition, Nikki has asthma, which Saville fears could make her more vulnerable to the viral illness. Anyone who has ever watched kids play or been in a classroom can see that youngsters are not naturally inclined to keeping a careful distance from one another. When Nikki was having a driveway visit with two friends from down the street recently, Saville found herself putting an end to the fun. Within 10 minutes I was sending them home because they were playing Star Wars with sticks [as] lightsabers very close together. Until new cases numbers are consistently dropping, itll be hard to convince parents that putting kids back in classrooms in the same numbers is a good idea. A vaccine, or at least a viable treatment, would make parents like Saville more comfortable with the prospect of in-person classes reconvening. Gail Powell teaches part time at a college and visits her students at several schools in Peel and Halton. I also supply as an educational assistant the rest of the year at a variety of schools in Halton. Her daughter goes to a high school in Peel and her son to a different high school in Halton, plus her husband takes the GO train to work every day. I never used to worry about all the touch points and the variety of school settings our family encounters each day, however, I must admit, since Covid, I am a little worried about what the fall might look like for all of us. Powells not alone in her wariness about public transit either. The Vanier Institute study found that more than 60 per cent of parents said they would not be comfortable riding public transit, even when COVID-19 restrictions start being relaxed. Between fear of catching the illness on public transit to needing to care for kids at home, its no surprise then that the research also found that adults living with children were more likely to say they would prefer to commute to work only when needed (39 per cent) than people without children (27 per cent). The degree to which issues such as access to child care and reliance on public transit affect households varies by circumstances, of course, as with almost all aspects of COVID-19. Some families who have nannies have not had a disruption to childcare at least not for as long. Likewise, parents in lower-paying jobs have been disproportionately affected by loss of income because of the pandemic. The best analogy Ive heard is that were all in the same storm, but were not in the same boat. Some of us are in decent dry conditions, some are in yachts, some are in little dinghies bailing to stay afloat, and some are already sunk, says Spinks. That said, the crisis provides an opportunity to think about how we can find a more equitable way forward, she says. When we start planning the reopening of the economy, we need to think carefully about not just potential second waves, but how we are going to work. And not just gloves and plastic shields, but how are we going to treat each other? How are we going to grow and prosper together? says Spinks. But we do know that we will come out of this. And we know that some will benefit and thrive and some will suffer and struggle. But the sun will keep coming up. We just have to figure out what to do with this opportunity thats been presented to us to rethink how we live. The Rittenhouse Square location of La Colombe has been outfitted to comply with new health standards. Acrylic glass shields frame the counter. Read more Coffee shops and cafes, largely shut down for walk-in business since mid-March, are beginning to reopen as restrictions on takeout food ease. La Colombe, the Philadelphia-based coffee giant, is taking pages out of the airport and pharmacy handbooks in retrofitting 30 of its cafes in six cities for safety. The first location to reopen this week is at 130 S. 19th St., just north of Rittenhouse Square, where the company began 26 years ago. Others will follow in coming weeks, including the flagship store in Fishtown. The four airport locations will have to wait. Inside seating is still prohibited by law. Customers line up outside, where a greeter takes orders at the door to keep fingers off of touchscreens, said Todd Carmichael, who founded La Colombe with J.P. Iberti. Once inside, patrons, who must wear masks, move through a line. Rather than use the ribbon tape that creates a maze at an airport check-in, La Colombe has installed acrylic panels to frame the lines. Customers must wait six feet apart, and may add food from the grab-and-go case while waiting in line. By the time patrons get to the bar, he said, the order is ready. Protecting his staff members behind a glassed-in counter is easy, he said. There, were stealing a page out of what pharmacies do," he said. Carmichael said a 10% gratuity, to be passed directly to staff, is automatically added to checks. Carmichael declined to disclose the budget for the retrofitting. When building for safety, my thinking is, do it right, no matter the price, he said. I gave the team a blank check, my ideas, and said, Go. When we get the 30th cafe done and open, well do the accounting then." As the blame-game continues over the 884 Covid-related deaths in nursing homes since the pandemic was declared, Im thinking a lot about my mothers last two years, writes Victoria White They were awful. There she was, a difficult but very intelligent woman in her eighties, confined to one small room in a private nursing home and having her meals served up to her on a timetable. Decent conversation at the table was nil because most had dementia. One of her daily companions said nothing but Ship, ahoy! She fought back in various ways. I provided her with books and she read one a day. A miracle happened when she recognised a lady down the hall as someone shed known in the distant past. These two bright, urbane women used to meet for surreptitious drinks in each others rooms. When her friend died my mothers comment was, She wont mind at all. My mother was bored to death and assumed her friend was too. I have been constantly asking myself if I committed a crime against my mothers humanity by putting her in that nursing home. Confinement in a congregated setting is defined as such under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I can see it isnt natural to lump a whole lot of vulnerable people together like that. It has been their congregated vulnerability which has killed so many since the pandemic began, exactly as their congregated vulnerability killed so many small babies and children in Mother and Baby homes until the 1940s. There are no easy answers to the question of eldercare, however. I did ask my mother to come and live with us after she fell out of bed and broke her osteoporotic hip but thankfully, she declined and opted for a nursing home. I say thankfully because I had four small kids, no medical training and we didnt get on. I am mindful of a friend who insisted on caring for her father at home, only to drop him catastrophically while trying to help him. A charitable and Christian friend stunned me by validating our decision with the blunt statement, Its true that old people used to sit by the fire in the kitchen in Ireland but they fell into the fire by the time they were 65. Now we often have two or three decades left after the age of 65. The statistics are glaring: as the Sage advocacy group told the Oireachtas committee on Tuesday by 2041, there will possibly be between 1.3 million and 1.4 million people over 65 living in Ireland; the numbers of people over 80 are expected to treble, to 440,000. In the blink of an eye, I will be one of them. While only 5 percent of over-65s require nursing or home care, one in three women - and one in four men - will spend time in a nursing home before they die. This usually takes about two years, mostly, of course, because they go in there sick or disabled. Nursing homes must extend some lives and some really enjoy it. I cant help thinking that some die of boredom and despair, however. Its a lobster pot, a consultant told my friends mother. She died a month ago in the open water of her childs home. Writing in The Irish Times, Ann Campbell of the Validity disability rights charity calls for flexible working regimes so that family members can care for elderly relatives. But we are forgetting something here: most dont want to. People, particularly women, have lots of opportunities now to pursue their own happiness and for most that does not include long hours of care for a relation who is ill, frail or has dementia. The report of the Forum on Long Term Care, published by Sage in 2016, showed 56 percent of carers experiencing mistreatment by the care recipient in the previous three months, while a third reported that they themselves had engaged in behaviour which could have harmed their charges. We must accept the outsourcing of much eldercare but we must radically change the model of care. My mothers only option should not have been that private nursing home. At 87 she was too frail to live independently but she was not demented and initially, she was not sick. She should have had access to a supported living facility in the heart of her own community. Mc Auley Place in Naas, Co. Kildare, is one such facility, housed in the grounds of a former Mercy convent. My mothers home in Blackrock, Co. Dublin was surrounded by former religious institutions, at least one of which should now be housing women like my Mum along with elderly nuns and priests. Instead we have a hotel and a rake of luxury housing schemes. The State has totally failed to plan for the future of age. Its abdication of responsibility for eldercare is without doubt the greatest scandal uncovered by the Covid Crisis. While in 2008 public provision accounted for 29 percent of nursing home beds by 2013 that proportion had reduced to 23.1 percent, with the voluntary sector accounting for 10 percent and the private sector, for 66.8 percent. The State has promoted the proliferation of private nursing homes by designating them industrial buildings, eligible for tax breaks against construction and refurbishment, and by giving them a further tax break in 2016 under the Employment and Investment Incentive Scheme. The State mostly funds the care of the elderly in these homes through the Fair Deal scheme. Private nursing homes cost Fair Deal on average E915 per week as opposed to the E1,615 paid on average to public homes. The HSE says the State homes cost more because their costs are higher. This means that as a State we knowingly collude in the provision of less-than-optimal care to two-thirds of nursing home residents. While the HSE administers the Fair Deal scheme, the contract is between the older person and the home and while HIQUA inspects it does not investigate complaints. No-one really knows where the buck stops on the provision of medical care to residents of private homes and this is why nursing home managers found themselves bidding against the HSE for vital PPE at the start of the crisis. The efforts of Fine Gael Deputy Fergus ODowd this week to blame these nursing homes because the State has shamefully out-sourced its responsibility to older people must fail. The issue is not so much the homes themselves as the fact that our State doesnt offer anything else: there is no statutory right to home-based care and no Fair Deal to support it. There is no plan to integrate supported living spaces into communities and there is little specialised dementia care. The Taoiseach has called for a rethink of ageing in this country. The next Government must smash the current model, not only to stop older people dying before their time of infectious diseases but also to stop them dying of boredom. The Lincoln Project, a super PAC launched by veteran Republican operatives seeking to oust President Donald Trump from office, has now trained its sights on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accusing him in a new ad of neglecting his home state. The 60-second spot accuses McConnell of enriching himself during his long tenure in Washington, dubbing him "Rich Mitch," while noting Kentucky's low rankings among states in job opportunity, education and health care. The Lincoln Project has a much smaller war chest than other independent groups going after Trump. But it is aiming to make the most of its unique position by directly antagonizing the president, who appears particularly piqued by the involvement of lawyer George T. Conway, who is married to White House counselor Kellyanne Conway. While the group's primary focus is Trump, it has also sought to needle other Republicans it accuses of enabling Trump's presidency. In a statement, George Conway cited McConnell's moves to limit the scope of Trump's impeachment trial, focused on the president's conduct toward Ukraine, as among the motivations for targeting him. "When he fixed the impeachment trial by blocking evidence of Trump's high crimes and misdemeanors, McConnell violated and abased the solemn oaths he took as a United States Senator," Conway said. "Add in the fact that, as our ad shows, he's managed to do much better for himself than for the people of Kentucky, and it becomes a no-brainer: McConnell has to go." McConnell's campaign was quick to dismiss the impact of the ad, citing a limited initial buy on television. "No scam PAC of grifters has ever been less relevant and no group of DC consultants will be forgotten faster than these thieves who bet everything on three days of dishonest ads in Kentucky," the campaign said in a statement. Polls have shown McConnell facing a more robust than expected challenge for reelection this year from the likely Democratic Senate nominee, Amy McGrath, a well-funded retired Marine lieutenant colonel and combat pilot. But McConnell's seat has not been high on the list of potential Democratic pickups tracked by the parties. McGrath first faces a Democratic primary that has been moved back to June 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Lincoln Project's ads targeting Trump have included several critical of his handling of the pandemic, including one released early this month that provided a dark twist on President Ronald Reagan's celebrated 1984 "Morning in America" campaign spot. The Lincoln Project ad focuses on the skyrocketing unemployment rate and covid-19 death toll. "If we have another four years like this, will there even be an America?" asks the narrator. Hours after it aired on a Fox News show, Trump angrily attacked the super PAC and its leaders on Twitter, calling them "LOSERS" and a "disgrace." After his criticism, the spot went viral. Besides Conway, others involved in the super PAC include longtime GOP strategists Steve Schmidt, John Weaver and Rick Wilson. - - - The Washington Post's Michelle Ye Hee Lee contributed to this report. Advertisement A fresh makeover wasn't the only change when Apple's Sydney flagship store opened its doors for the first time since the coronavirus crisis. The tech giant reopened its George Street retail store on Thursday, four months after the store temporarily closed due to renovations in January before the pandemic hit Australia's shores. The flagship premises was the last of Apple's 22 Australian stores to reopen under strict new health and safety protocols and social distancing measures. Apple celebrated the grand reopening of its Sydney CBD flagship store where everyone mus wear masks Security kept a close eye to ensure every customer entering Apple's reopened store was wearing a mask Customers hoping to get a look at the store's makeover underwent mandatory temperature checks and put on face masks before entering, which all Apple staff also wore. Manned by security guards, the store is open for limited hours each day, where everyone must abide by a two metre social distancing rule. There are stricter rules at the barricaded entrance of Nespresso's flagship boutique nearby on George Street, where staff wearing face shields as well as masks greeted customers. The coffee brand reopened its boutique stores across Australia for the first time since early April this week as lockdown restrictions eased. New safety measures being enforced include social distancing rules, capped numbers of people in-store, personal protective equipment for staff and additional hygiene procedures. 'Boutiques begin to reopen and we welcome you back, your health and safety remains our priority,' Nespresso stated on its website this week. Nearby in Sydney's George Street, Nespresso also reopened its boutique store this week. Pictured is a staff member donning a face mask and face shield greeting customers at the store entrance Apple reopened its flagship George Street store on Thursday, with capped numbers of people in-store at any one time Apple staff at the Sydney CBD store were back to work on Thursday, four months after the store closed for renovations Apple's flagship Sydney store was the first of the tech giant's Australian store to be opened in 2008. Its famous glass frontages remain in tact but has been given a major facelift in-store. Stanchion barriers have been assembled outside the store to help manage queues to restrict the number of people in-store. Customers are urged to book an appointment prior to arrival to avoid a lengthy wait. Store cleaning procedures have also been significantly enhanced. 'We are excited to reopen Apple Sydney and welcome back the customers we've so missed during the renovation,' Apple senior vice president of retail and people Deirdre O'Brien said. She told Seven News: 'The landscape we open in today is very different than when we closed in January.' The Sydney grand reopening coincided on the same day Apple reopened 100 stores in the US. Nespresso staff wear face shields and masks to protect themselves from coronavirus as lockdown eases Nespresso customers must abide by strict new conditions when visiting retailer's boutique store in Sydney Ottawa, May 28 (IANS) A Canadian judge has declined to invalidate a request from the USStates for the extradition of the Chief Financial Officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, is being sought by Washington on charges that she committed bank fraud and violated US sanctions on Iran by misleading banks about the business her company allegedly conducted in that country through a subsidiary called Skycom, reports Efe news. Attorneys for Meng argued that because Canada is not a party to the US sanctions, the charges against her do not constitute a crime under Canadian law. But in the ruling issued on Wednesday, Heather Holmes, associate chief justice of the provincial Supreme Court in British Columbia, said that Meng's interpretation of "the double criminality analysis would seriously limit Canada's ability to fulfil its international obligations in the extradition context for fraud and other economic crimes". "Canada's law of fraud looks beyond international boundaries to encompass all the relevant details that make up the factual matrix, including foreign laws that may give meaning to some of the facts," Holmes wrote. Meng was arrested by Canada at the request of the US on December 1, 2018, in Vancouver, where she was making a stopover on a trip from Hong Kong to Mexico City. In an indictment unsealed in January 2019, the US Department of Justice said the charges against Huawei and Meng "relate to a long-running scheme by Huawei, its CFO, and other employees to deceive numerous global financial institutions and the US government regarding Huawei's business activities in Iran". Meng was released on bail 10 days after her arrest and now resides with her family in one of two mansions she owns in Vancouver. She is required to wear a GPS ankle bracelet and pay for her own 24/7 surveillance. After Meng's arrest, China froze diplomatic and trade relations with Canada and accused Ottawa of violating the human rights of one of its citizens. Beijing also detained two Canadian citizens - former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor - and continues to hold them on charges of endangering China's national security. --IANS ksk/ For the last eight years, the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) Consortium (and its predecessor, the Exome Aggregation Consortium, or ExAC), has been working with geneticists around the world to compile and study more than 125,000 exomes and 15,000 whole genomes from populations around the world. Now, in seven papers published in Nature, Nature Communications, and Nature Medicine, gnomAD Consortium scientists describe their first set of discoveries from the database, showing the power of this vast collection of data. Together the studies: 1. present a more complete catalog and understanding of a class of rare genetic variation called loss-of-function (LoF) variants, which are thought to disrupt genes' encoded proteins; 2. introduce the largest comprehensive reference map of an understudied yet important class of genetic variation called structural variants; 3. show how tools that account for unique forms of variation and variants' biological context can help clinical geneticists when trying to diagnose patients with rare genetic disease; and 4. illustrate how population-scale datasets like gnomAD can help evaluate proposed drug targets. Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) served as co-first or co-senior authors on all of the studies, with scientists from Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, the direct-to-consumer genetics company 23andMe, and other institutions contributing to individual papers. More than 100 scientists and groups internationally have provided data and/or analytical effort to the consortium. advertisement "These studies represent the first significant wave of discovery to come out of the gnomAD Consortium," said Daniel MacArthur, scientific lead of the gnomAD project, a senior author on six of the studies, an institute member in the Program in Medical and Population Genetics at Broad Institute, and now director of Centre for Population Genomics at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Australia. "The power of this database comes from its sheer size and population diversity, which we were able to reach thanks to the generosity of the investigators who contributed data to it, and of the research participants in those contributing studies." "In a sense, gnomAD is the product of a consortium of consortia, in that the underlying data represents the work and contributions of many groups who have been collecting exome and genome sequences as a way of understanding human biology," said Konrad Karczewski, first author on the collection's flagship paper in Nature and a computational biologist at Broad and MGH's Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit. "Each of these papers represents someone bringing a new angle to the dataset, saying, 'I have an idea on how we can put all of this to work,' and creating a new resource for the genetics community. It was amazing to see it unfold." GNOMAD LOOKBACK MacArthur and his colleagues at Broad and MGH built ExAC and then gnomAD to expand on the work of the 1000 Genomes Project, the first large-scale international effort to catalog human genetic variation, and other projects. "In 2012, my lab was sequencing the genomes of patients with rare disease, and found that existing catalogs of normal variation weren't large or diverse enough to help us interpret the genetic changes we were seeing," MacArthur recalled. "At the same time, our colleagues around the world had sequenced tens of thousands of people for studies of common, complex disorders. So we set about bringing these datasets together to create a reference dataset for rare disease research." The ExAC consortium released its first collection of whole exome data in October 2014. It then started gathering whole genome data, evolving into the gnomAD Consortium and releasing gnomAD v1.0 in February 2017. advertisement Subsequent gnomAD releases focused on increasing the numbers of exomes and genomes, the volume of variants highlighted in the data, and the diversity of the dataset. The new papers are based on the gnomAD v2.1.1 dataset, which includes genomes and exomes from more than 25,000 people of East and South Asian descent, nearly 18,000 of Latino descent, and 12,000 of African or African-American descent. COMPREHENSIVE CATALOG Two of the seven papers show how large genomic datasets can help researchers learn more about rare or understudied types of genetic variants. The flagship study, led by Karczewski and MacArthur and published in Nature, describes gnomAD and maps loss-of-function (LoF) variants: genetic changes that are thought to completely disrupt the function of protein-coding genes. The authors identified more than 443,000 LoF variants in the gnomAD dataset, dramatically exceeding all previous catalogs. By comparing the number of these rare variants in each gene with the predictions of a new model of the human genome's mutation rate, the authors were also able to classify all protein-coding genes according to how tolerant they are to disruptive mutations -- that is, how likely genes are to cause significant disease when disrupted by genetic changes. This new classification scheme pinpoints genes that are more likely to be involved in severe diseases such as intellectual disability. "The gnomAD catalog gives us our best look so far at the spectrum of genes' sensitivity to variation, and provides a resource to support gene discovery in common and rare disease," Karczewski explained. While Karczewski and MacArthur's study focused on small variants (point mutations, small insertions or deletions, etc.), graduate student Ryan Collins, Broad associated scientist Harrison Brand, institute member Michael Talkowski, and colleagues used gnomAD to explore structural variants. This class of genomic variation includes duplications, deletions, inversions, and other changes involving larger DNA segments (generally greater than 50-100 bases long). Their study, also published in Nature, presents gnomAD-SV, a catalog of more than 433,000 structural variants identified within nearly 15,000 of the gnomAD genomes. The variants in gnomAD-SV represent most of the major known classes of structural variation and collectively form the largest map of structural variation to date. "Structural variants are notoriously challenging to identify within whole genome data, and have not previously been surveyed at this scale," noted Talkowski, who is also a faculty member in the Center for Genomic Medicine at MGH. "But they alter more individual bases in the genome than any other form of variation, and are well established drivers of human evolution and disease." Several surprising findings came out of their survey. For instance, the authors found that at least 25 percent of all rare LoF variants in the average individual genome are actually structural variants, and that many people carry what should be deleterious or harmful structural alterations, but without the phenotypes or clinical outcomes that would be expected. They also noted that many genes were just as sensitive to duplication as to deletion; that is, from an evolutionary perspective, gaining one or more copies of a gene can be just as undesirable as losing one. "We learned a great deal by building this catalog in gnomAD, but we've clearly only scratched the surface of understanding the influence of genome structure on biology and disease," Talkowski said. TOOLS FOR BETTER DIAGNOSIS Three of the papers reveal how gnomAD's deep catalogs of different types of genetic variation and the cellular context in which variants arise can help clinical geneticists more accurately determine whether a given variant might be protective, neutral, or harmful in patients. In a Nature paper, Beryl Cummings, a former Broad/MGH graduate student now at Maze Therapeutics, MacArthur, and colleagues found that tissue-based differences in how segments of a given gene are expressed can change the downstream effects of variants within those segments on biology and disease risk. The team combined data from gnomAD and the Genotype Tissue Expression (GTEx) project to develop a method that uses these differences to assess the clinical significance of variants. In Nature Communications, MacArthur, graduate student Qingbo Wang, and collaborators surveyed multinucleotide variants -- ones consisting of two or more nearby base pair changes that are inherited together. Such variants can have complex effects, and this study represents the first attempt to systematically catalog these variants, examine their distribution throughout the genome, and predict their effects on gene structure and function. And in a separate Nature Communications study, MacArthur, Nicola Whiffin and James Ware of Imperial College London, and colleagues explored the impact of DNA variants arising in the 5-prime untranslated regions of genes, which are located just ahead of where the cell's transcriptional machinery starts reading a gene's protein code. Variants in these regions can trick a cell to start reading a gene in the wrong place, but haven't previously been well-documented. "Clinical laboratories use gnomAD every day," said Heidi Rehm, a clinical geneticist; an institute member in Broad's MPG and medical director of the Clinical Research Sequencing Platform at Broad; chief genomics officer in the MGH Department of Medicine; and co-chair with Broad institute member Mark Daly of the gnomAD steering committee. "The methods in these studies are already helping us better interpret a patient's genetic test results." GUIDING DRUG DEVELOPMENT The remaining two gnomAD studies describe how diverse, population-scale genetic data can help researchers assess and pick the best drug targets. In 2018, Broad associated scientist Eric Minikel mused on his research blog about whether genes with naturally-occuring predicted LoF variants could be used to assess the safety of targeting those genes with drugs. He wrote that if a gene that's naturally inactivated doesn't seem to have harmful effects, perhaps that gene could be safely inhibited with a drug. That blog post became the basis of a Nature paper in which Minikel, MacArthur, and colleagues applied the gnomAD dataset to probe this question. They suggest ways to incorporate insights about LoF variants into the drug development process. Leveraging the expertise at Broad, The Michael J. Fox Foundation initiated a collaboration between Imperial College's Whiffin, MacArthur, Broad postdoctoral fellow Irina Armean, 23andMe's Aaron Kleinman and Paul Cannon, and others to use LoF variants cataloged in gnomAD, UK Biobank, and 23andMe to study the potential safety liabilities of reducing the expression of a gene called LRRK2, which is associated with risk of Parkinson's disease. In Nature Medicine, they use these data to predict that drugs that reduce LRRK2 protein levels or partially block the gene's activity are unlikely to have severe side effects. "We've cataloged large amounts of gene-disrupting variation in gnomAD," MacArthur said. "And with these two studies we've shown how you can then leverage those variants to illuminate and assess potential drug targets." GROWING IMPACT Public sharing of all data has been a core principle of the gnomAD project from its inception. The data behind these seven papers were publicly released via the gnomAD browser without usage or publication restrictions in 2016. "The wide-ranging impact this resource has already had on medical research and clinical practice is a testament to the incredible value of genomic data sharing and aggregation," MacArthur said. "More than 350 independent studies have already made use of gnomAD for research on cancer predisposition, cardiovascular disease, rare genetic disorders, and more since we made the data available. "But we are very far from saturating discoveries or solving variant interpretation," he added. "The next steps for the consortium will be focused on increasing the size and population diversity of these resources, and linking the resulting massive-scale genetic data sets with clinical information." Authored by Vishwanath Kini, VP - Growth and Strategy, AdMavin. The Coronavirus pandemic has put the whole world on a pause mode. What is going to happen once the enforced restrictions are relaxed? What now is the real scope for OOH, especially post lockdown? While at this point, no one knows for certain when the spread will come fully under control in India, or if some cities will open up earlier than the rest, or which industries can restart full-fledged operations, we still need to prepare for what comes next. In unprecedented times like these and the economic crisis, a lot of parameters and rationales will change. In such budget crunch situations marketers will look at value-based media that can deliver performance driven campaigns and help measure ROI. Advertisement measurement matrix will become the buzzword. Road side traditional OOH formats like billboard, unipole gantry, bus shelters, FOB, cantilever, VMS, wallwraps, pole kiosk, police booth, metro pillars, mupi, public utilities etc etc which account major SOV and SOE will be the first to rebound and are ones to readily serve the purpose of brand messages owing to their proximity along the roadways with in city as well as outside city along with highways. The captive and transit marketing vistas like malls, multiplexes, airports, corporate hubs, railway and bus stations will take more time to go back to the normal. Will they ever become the old normal or will get reset in a new normal depends on multiple factors. Lockdown is altering several habits of people across nations including the way they used to travel before COVID. Cabs and autorickshaws will look at restricting the number of passengers they ply on each trip. Buses may ease the load of passengers per trip. This will increase the wait time for procuring a mode of transport. According to a report by CARS24, an auto-tech start-up, a considerable share of the commuters will now look forward to using private cars in the post COVID world to essentially maintain social distancing. The report disclosed that while 42% of respondents feel that they now need to buy a car for the family, 53% of the consumers think of buying one within the next 6 months. 46% of respondents said that they have decreased their budget due to the global pandemic, out of which, 50% said that they will be purchasing pre-owned cars once the lockdown is over. The analysis showed that 55% of the consumers who were using cabs as their primary mode to commute before COVID would now like to shift to private cars; while 15% said that they will switch to two-wheelers. Understanding that social distancing will stay in our lives for a little longer period in the post COVID world, people are more inclined towards owning a private vehicle to commute in the future. The increase in ownership of automobile will result in on road traffic and traditional media are rightly and readily poised to attract the eyeballs of target audience. Point to be noted is that local travel within city never completely stopped, especially in suburbs / out growth areas in metros and areas that dont rely on public transportation. Many still make trips to the grocery store, gas station and for attending other essential businesses. A lot of marketing budgets are going to shift to the roadside OOH in the post COVID-19 era. While the planet will be in a state of rebooting itself, back to basics will be the new normal. OOH being the oldest medium of communication on this planet, traditional OOH medium will be the new most sought after media vehicle for advertisers. As India begins to slowly open up and consumers crawl away from their self-quarantines, advertisers will respond. And as they do, the traditional OOH medium may become more valuable than ever. Each ad-dollar spent today also needs its legitimate share of justified outcome, will become the guiding new mantra of advertisers when it comes to OOH advertising. The key to unlock the potential of traditional media will be a measurement matrix which will put method to the madness and the client will have faith in investing more in this media. With availability of tech-based system tools these measurement systems would only add to the efficiency and acceptability of the traditional outdoor medium more than ever before. Government, through the Scholarship Secretariat, has released GH6.85 million to pay the tuition fees of 918 resident doctors, dentists and other medical specialists undergoing training at the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS). The amount constituted more than half of the GH11 million required by the College towards funding its activities for the 2019/2020 Academic Year. The funding is in line with the terms and conditions of service agreement signed between Government and the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) towards the training of resident doctors and other medical specialists, starting from 2018/2019 academic year. At the launch of the Scholarships for Postgraduate Training for Residents of the GCPS at the Jubilee House, in Accra, on Thursday, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia said, Government is committed to providing funding for training of health professionals to ensure equitable distribution of health workers across the country. Dr Bawumia said the training of health professionals is critical if any health system would survive overtime and underlined the need for enhanced collaboration between education and health sectors to ensure an adequate number of health workers. The Vice President said government's funding for the postgraduate training is in fulfillment of a promise made by Nana Akufo-Addo in the run-up to the 2016 Elections. He reaffirmed government's resolve towards providing healthcare infrastructure and human capital development to close the gap in the country's healthcare delivery. Government would leverage on e-health as a good architecture for telemedicine to leapfrog development, Dr Bawumia said, adding that the country's ratio of 1:8000 (a doctor per population) was woefully below the World Health Organization's ratio of 1:1,320. Barring any unforseen circumstances, Dr Bawumia said, in the next two months, government would commence construction work on the 88 district hospitals, seven regional hospitals and three Infectious Disease Centres in each of the three ecological zones. This, he said, would ensure affordable and accessible healthcare services to all Ghanaians in accordance with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to ensure universal health coverage. Dr Bawumia said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the shortfalls of the country's health system and the Akufo-Addo-led government is determined to right the wrongs by investing heavily in physical health infrastructure and manpower development to enable the nation handle future medical catastrophes. Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Health Minister, said the funding for postgraduate training would ensure equitable distribution of health professionals. He said the nation required about 4,000 additional doctors to beef up the workforce of the health sector following government's plans to build 88 new district hospitals and seven regional hospitals, as well as three infectious disease centres in each of the ecological zones. A minute silence was observed to honour the memory of Professor Jacob Plange-Rhule, the immediate past Rector of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons and other frontline health workers who succumbed to the novel coronavirus. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The NFU has backed calls made by an influential group of MPs for the government to give British farmers access to gene-editing technology. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) said the proposed Agriculture Bill amendment would pave the way for the UK to ditch 'damaging' EU rules. Current regulations block access to precision breeding tools, such as CRISPR-Cas9. But this cutting-edge technique is seen as vital to UK farming groups for agricultural improvement at both home and overseas. The group, chaired by York Outer MP Julian Sturdy, has written to Defra Secretary George Eustice urging the government to introduce an enabling amendment during the Lords stages of the Bill. The proposed amendment would provide new powers for ministers to consult on and make changes to the UK Environmental Protection Act. This would give Britains scientists, farmers and breeders the same access to new gene editing technologies as their counterparts around the world. NFU vice president Tom Bradshaw said the amendment was an opportunity for the UK farming industry, one that 'simply cannot be missed'. "Delivery of the prime ministers wish to 'liberate the bioscience sector' requires a regulatory system that is fit for purpose," he said. The cost of not taking this opportunity is the UK being unable to make use of a set of breeding tools that are already being shown to offer solutions to intractable problems." He listed such problems as the need to protect plants and animals from disease and to use fewer resources while maintaining or increasing quality and yield. "And the need to produce more nutritious and more sustainable food for both domestic and export markets," Mr Bradshaw added. An elderly woman in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district tested positive for COVID-19 two days after her demise. She had returned from Mumbai along with her relatives and had not undergone any screening ever since. She had been staying in a town near her native village after being denied entry by villagers over doubts of coronavirus. Those in touch with her have been sent into quarantine. Its also alleged that the administration took no action against the womans relative who is a clerk with Manpur Janpad Office. Two days after returning, she passed away on the night of May 22. The deceased was reportedly taken to a local crematorium by the administration. A staffer of Manpur Community Health Centre who had taken the samples of the woman also reportedly tested positive later on. Locals claimed that the deceased and her relatives did not inform administration of their arrival. The womans 9-year-old granddaughter was also tested positive in Katni on Thursday. Manpur Thana in Charge ML Verma, when contacted by News18, said details of the case were in his colleagues mobile phone. The officer did not get back till report was filed. Dr Rajesh Shrivastava, the Chief Medical and Health Officer of Umaria, speaking to News18 on phone claimed that a total nine people including the house owner where the woman was kept were sent into quarantine. Another girl who accompanied the woman also has tested positive in Katni, he affirmed. Asked why these persons werent screened on their arrival in Umaria, the senior physician claimed that they did not inform them and they are helpless as large numbers of migrants are coming back and they screen these persons as soon as they receive information of their arrival which was the case with the woman. He did affirm that a portion of area in Manpur and entire Kusmaha village is put under vigilance. The Umaria collector Sanjeev Shrivastava who assumed office on Wednesday could not be reached for comments. Superintendent of Police Sachin Sharma however shared a different tale. The woman had left for Mumbai for kidney treatment on May 15 with others. They returned to Umaria on May 18 and were kept in quarantine since then, said the officer adding as these people returned from a red zone, womans samples were taken and the positive report was received after her death caused by kidney failure. There might be confusion over hurried cremation but COVID-19 guidelines require the dead body to be cremated with safety as soon as possible which we did after womans demise, said the SP. Over 800 persons have returned from outside so mostly we are sending them into home quarantine due to limited space available, he added. skynews-county-lines-drug-dealer_4442718.jpg Cash and drugs worth 3 million have been seized by police in the biggest operation against county lines gangs backed by a dedicated Government fund. The campaign - by four forces - saw police make more than 650 arrests, close nearly 140 deal lines supplying drugs from cities to suburban and rural towns and seize more than 100 weapons including guns and knives. Some 140 children being exploited by the gangs were also safeguarded in the raids conducted over five months from November to March this year. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, said: I am determined to roll up county lines drugs gangs and stop them from terrorising our towns and exploiting our children. I have seen first-hand the important work the police are doing to tackle county lines, and these impressive results show just how much of an impact our investment is having. The surge operations - British Transport Police, the Metropolitan Police, Merseyside Police and West Midlands Police -were funded by 5 million from the Governments 25 million package to tackle county lines. The Met and Merseyside forces closed 131 lines, while the British Transport police made the most arrests at 276 as drug couriers were caught on their way to and from the county drug dealerships. Merseyside seized 1.5 million class A drugs, thought to be predominantly cocaine. Andy Cooke, Merseyside Police Chief Constable, said: It is vital that we keep up this relentless level of activity targeting criminals and protecting the young and vulnerable who they groom to do their dirty work. "Those responsible for these County Lines bring misery to our local communities through their drug dealing. Met deputy assistant commissioner Graham McNulty, national lead for county lines, said: This issue is not being tackled in isolation. Dedicated teams in forces across the nation are identifying lines, locating those running them and dismantling their operation entirely. This work will not cease it will increase and intensify over the coming months. New Delhi, May 28 : In what could alter the Indian telecom scenario, Google is reportedly exploring to buy a 5 per cent stake in financially-stressed Vodafone Idea, a move that would not only pit Sundar Pichai-led tech giant against Facebook which has poured in Rs 43,574 crore for 9.99 per cent stake in Reliance-led Jio Platforms but also help struggling Vodafone stand up in the world's fastest growing mobile market. According to a report in the Financial Times on Thursday, people familiar with the matter said Google is exploring an investment in Vodafone's struggling India business. "One of the people said Google was considering buying a stake of about 5 per cent in Vodafone Idea, a partnership between the UK telecom company and India's Aditya Birla Group that has been under severe financial strain. Another said the process was at a very early stage," the report claimed. Both Google and Vodafone did not comment on the report. According to the report, Google's parent company Alphabet was also in the race to acquire a slice of Jio Platforms but lagged behind. "Pursuing Vodafone Idea instead would potentially pit Google against Facebook and an increasingly dominant Jio but the company could also make multiple investments in India," the FT report mentioned. According to Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, Google is interested in buying a 5 per cent stake in Vodafone Idea to give impetus to its India push. "India is the fastest growing mobile-first nation, with significant digital transformation at its core. Also, the move may be to take on the Facebook-backed Jio behemoth," Ram said in a statement. Late last month, the Supreme Court gave partial relief to Vodafone Idea by allowing for a tax refund of Rs 733 crore to the telecom operator. Vodafone Idea had sought a refund of Rs 4,700 crore. The company has over Rs 53,000 crore in Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR)-related dues, according to an estimate by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). In a big relief for telecom operators, the DoT in March moved the Supreme Court seeking its approval for a 20-year window for payment of around Rs 1.47 lakh crore AGR dues, as adverse functioning of the telecom firms could have a negative impact on the economy and consumers across the country. In a regulatory filing, Vodafone Idea earlier paid a sum of Rs 2,500 crore on February 17, 2020 and a further sum of Rs 1,000 crore on February 20 towards the AGR liability. "The company has paid a further amount of Rs 3,354 crore to the DoT, being the balance part of the principal amount towards AGR liability. Thus the company has paid the full principal amount of Rs 6,854 crore towards the AGR dues," it had said. According to Vodafone Idea's own assessment, its AGR dues stand at Rs 21,533 crore and the principal amount out of the total dues is Rs 6,854 crore. However, according to the DoT's estimate, the company's overall dues stand at Rs 53,000 crore. On the other hand, the behemoth Jio Platforms has an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Over the last month, leading technology investors such as Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista, General Atlantic and KKR have announced aggregate investments of Rs 78,562 crore into Jio Platforms. Rep. Sue Helm, whos represented the 104th state House district since 2006, will face off against maintenance supervisor Travis Stauffer in next weeks GOP primary. The winner of the June 2 primary will go on to face Democrat Patty Smith, who left her job at the state Department of General Services to challenge Helm for a second time. In 2018, Smith lost to incumbent Helm by 9 percentage points. Stauffer, a 40-year-old self-described born-again evangelical Christian" who works at bible school in Grantville, said he agrees with Helm on most issues but believes he would be a stronger conservative advocate, particularly on the issue of eliminating property taxes. I dont want to stand on the sidelines, he said. Its [the] job of a legislator to try to make it happen. Helm herself has been a vocal proponent of House Bill 76 and other proposals that would eliminate property taxes, shifting the funding mechanism toward personal income and other taxes. Opponents, including Smith, say such a move would disproportionately affect low- and middle-income families who cant shoulder the added burden. After a near-miss in 2013, HB76 has repeatedly failed to make it out of the Legislature despite the support of Helm and others. Theres enough opposition within the Republican party to derail those efforts despite a continued majority in the chamber. Aside from COVID, property tax elimination is always my No. 1 issue, said Helm, a 76-year-old resident of Susquehanna Township who runs a real estate company in Cumberland County. Its not supported across the state, unfortunately. READ MORE: Warehouse workers say their safety concerns are being ignored. Heres their cautionary tale for reopening. On most issues, the difference between Helm and Stauffer is one of degree. Both Republicans oppose abortion but while Helm supports certain exceptions, such as when the life of the mother is at stake, Stauffer believes in none. Smith said she would never vote against a womans right to choose but does support expanding social programs that would reduce the number of abortions by expanding access to adoption or better support women in their choice to keep a baby. Stauffer believes Gov. Tom Wolf erred in closing businesses as long as he did for COVID-19 and would like to find a way to strip the governor of his authority to issue executive orders. Earlier this month, Stauffer posted a video to his campaigns Facebook page from the reopening rally at the state Capitol in which he didnt wear a mask, as ordered by the governor. I dont have a problem if the stay-at-home order went through the Legislature, Stauffer said. Helm also criticized Wolfs gradual reopening but she believes the governor was responsive to pressure from the House GOP to begin, for example, allowing more construction workers to return to work. I like the governor as a person, she said. Im criticizing him but by the same token nobody was totally prepared for this. I think we shouldve been shut down for a while but we cant stay shut down forever. While she hesitated to criticize her opponents participation in the reopening rally, Helm said she didnt participate because it seemed unwise given the health risks. Obviously, in America you have the right to protest but it should be done in a safe way, she said, and they shouldve been wearing masks. One of my biggest fears: I would never want to give this to anyone. READ MORE: Coronavirus testing still lags, creating a possible impediment for Pa. reopening efforts Smith, who will face the winner of the GOP primary in November, supports increased education funding, avoiding tax increases for residents by enacting a Marcellus Shale tax and protecting 2nd amendment gun rights, albeit with stricter background checks and the closure of the gun show loophole. The 51-year-old from Susquehanna Township also places special emphasis on ethics and government reform. In her past as a municipal employee, she saw the little ways people can try to leverage personal or political connections for personal gain and, from the outside, how certain policies get derailed by special interests in Harrisburg. That doesnt sit well with me, she said. I refused to do favors when I worked in government. It never went across well but I believe everyone should be treated the same. She also criticized Helm for not being easily accessible to her constituents via town hall events. Patty Smith, 51, of Susquehanna Township, will face the eventual winner of the GOP primary for the 104th state House district currently represented by Sue Helm. Helm said that criticism doesnt reflect reality. Prior to the coronavirus epidemic, she said she made an effort to appear at community events across the district and, since the stay at home order, shes held several telephone town halls. The incumbent also said she continues to put her constituents over special interests, although she notes that she mightve been a more successful fundraiser if she did. Since her first election in 2006, Helms campaigns have raised an average of about $75,000 per election cycle. I think lobbyists can inform you, Helm said, but she never lets them influence her vote. I dont vote that way and I dont have any repercussions for it. The 104th state House district has been held by a Republican since 1969, when the state switched from apportioning representation by county. Smith lost to Helm by 9 points in 2018. The closest any Democrat came winning the seat in recent elections came in 2010, when activist Gene Stilp lost to Helm by just over 1 percentage point. Currently, the 104th encompasses much of northern Dauphin County and a small piece of Lebanon County. One sliver of the sailboat-shaped district dips down into the Harrisburg suburbs of Susquehanna, Swatara and Upper Paxton townships. Another piece includes East Hanover and North Annville townships. State legislators earn $88,610 per year. Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook. Read the The hunt for Ray Gricar. 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. Virtual ceremonies do have upsides: With no travel required, even the most far-flung, busy or financially disadvantaged family members can attend. The enormous downside, however, is the totally isolating nature of these events. For most of us, even the best-executed online graduation cant measure up to the thrill of in-person hugs or the iconic moment of everyone tossing their caps and tassels into the air. Because of this, some graduates are ditching the virtual ceremonies and finding other ways to celebrate. Aiden Strawhun, a recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, told me their friends played hooky on their virtual graduation day and hosted a separate online party instead. I hosted a livestream of some of my friends and I graduating in Animal Crossing, they said in an email, referencing the video game that has become a hit in this quarantine era, where you build a society on an animated isle of paradise. I spent a whole month making a stage and party area in-game and getting us all little outfits too! That was much more healing for me. Efforts like Aidens arent just fun; theyre truly heartwarming. But its impossible not to recognize the bittersweetness of all these contingency plans. Since Vassar moved online, Ive gone on weekly FaceTime dates with friends and, like many, attended a Zoom birthday party. I still did Dollar Beer Night, a Thursday night Vassar tradition that went virtual this spring, as we tried to hold on to a sense of community and normalcy. Still, while its always nice to see my friends faces, I cant help fixating on the awkwardness of screens or the anxieties these almost-normal interactions can induce. And as the public health effort to flatten the curve has transitioned to mostly staying at home until a vaccine arrives, Ive begun to wonder: Is this what hanging out with friends will be like forever now? I couldnt bring myself to be excited about graduation, which usually marks the start of a promising future. Instead, were beginning adult life in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression by some measures. As an aspiring journalist, for me it has been particularly frightening graduating as about 36,000 journalists have been fired or furloughed, or had their pay reduced because of the coronavirus crisis, many of them seasoned veterans. It seems every time I log onto Twitter another writer I admire has been laid off. My plans to move out after graduation have been put on hold indefinitely. Ive moved back in with my mother instead. And many of my friends have lost jobs or fellowships in the past few months and are struggling to find remote work. Commencement felt like the last moment of calm before being pushed out into an unpredictable and uncontrollable storm. Sometimes I wonder whether the class of 2020 was star-crossed from the start, starting college with President Trumps election and graduating into the twin crises of a public health emergency and profound economic despair. After Trump threw a tantrum over Twitter doing the bare-minimum to fact-check his deliberately misleading tweets, Trump announced plans to sign an Executive Order that forces social media to "protect" "free speech." Because government-approved top-down authoritarian control of private companies is apparently now a central tenet of the Republican Party. Content Moderation expert Kate Klonick shared a draft of the order. Section 230 doesn't protect editorial conduct Twitters labels on tweets regarding falsity = editorial conduct Therefore, this EO places such platforms outside scope of Sec. 230 protection 2/ Kate Klonick (@Klonick) May 28, 2020 This is all in the name of the commitment and concern for free and diverse speech online. "So say we all." (that last bit was me) 4/4 Kate Klonick (@Klonick) May 28, 2020 You can read the full document here, which hinges on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (as well as the continued wolf-crying fantasy of "conservative censorship"). If you want the sparknotes, Vice has a pretty comprehensive breakdown: As far as legislation goes, the first subsection of 230 is concise and powerful: "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." In the order, Trump also makes the argument that social media companies' actions should not "infringe on protected speech," which would be a massive change from Section 230 as it's currently worded, which makes an explicit carve-out for restricting protected speech. This will, unequivocally, change the internet as a whole and make it worse. Straight-up neo-Nazi propaganda might be constitutionally protected speech, for example, but social media companies currently regularly remove such content. Right now, those people simply congregate on the platforms that do choose to leave such content up, and they do exist. If all protected speech was allowed on all platforms, it would get very ugly very quickly. Essentially, the current state of Section 230 asserts that social media companies are not personally liable for user-created content. People can post what they want, and the private company has no responsibility for it; at the same time, they can use their discretion to moderate the content being shared through their platform, depending on internal policies, or legal requests. And to be fair, a lot of social media companies are already bad at this. But having them act as full-time intermediary arbiters of the voice of the government is even worse. Trump's Executive Order Could Ruin the Internet Over a Twitter Beef [Jordan Pearson and Jason Koebler / Vice] Trump Prepares Order to Limit Social Media Companies' Protections [Maggie Haberman and Kate Conger / The New York Times] Image: Ruperto Miller / Flickr (Public Domain) Masterchef Australia fans were thrilled to see an 'all Asian-Australian cook-off' on Back To Win. Contestants Reynold Poernomo, Jess Liemantara, Poh Ling Yeow, Khanh Ong and Brendan Pang - who all have Asian heritage - competed for immunity on Thursday night. 'Tonight's #MasterChefAU is hugely significant for Asian-Australian representation. Yes, it matters,' one fan wrote on Twitter. 'This is my fairytale being an Asian kid': MasterChef fans shared their excitement for an 'all Asian-Australian cook-off' on Thursday. Pictured Poh Ling Yeow Another added: 'Not gonna lie, I've been waiting for this kind of Asian-Australian visibility on a prime television channel (that's not Border Security) for my whole life.' 'This is my fairytale being an Asian kid,' one Twitter user revealed. 'The Asian excellence on display tonight [is] staggering but wait for next week's Microwaved Meals with Mayonnaise challenge... the mediocre caucasians will rise,' a fourth joked. 'The Asian excellence on display tonight [is] staggering': Contestants Reynold Poernomo, Jess Liemantara, Poh Ling Yeow, Khanh Ong and Brendan Pang - who all have Asian heritage - competed for immunity on Thursday night But some fans were surprised to see the contestants were cooking dishes based on European fairytales. 'Five amazing Asian-Australian cooks tonight have to cook dishes inspired by five white European fairy tales. There are so many great Asian fables to also use,' one fan said. Another asked: 'Five Asian-Australian cooks doing German fairytales. Okay. Aren't there some Asian fairytales?' Thrilled: 'Not gonna lie, I've been waiting for this kind of Asian-Australian visibility on a prime television channel (that's not Border Security) for my whole life,' one fan said. Pictured Brendan Pang It comes after Melissa Leong has praised the cooking show for being diverse and inclusive. The judge, 38, shared a photo of the contestants competing in the challenge to Instagram on Thursday, and celebrated the 'multiculturalism' represented on the program. 'This image is ground breaking. Not only did these tremendous humans create the five best dishes yesterday (we judge dishes, not people), but I could never conceive of witnessing a moment like this on prime time television in my lifetime,' she wrote. 'We judge dishes, not people': MasterChef's Melissa Leong (pictured) praised the show for its 'diversity' on Thursday 'Diversity and representation does not come at the detriment of others, it is to the inclusivity of us all,' she continued. Melissa went on to say that she is proud to be Australian and to be 'part of a nation whose identity is indigenous and multicultural'. 'To every person who never felt seen, this is for you, may it give you hope. To every person who is yet to feel seen, you are valued and your moment is on its way. We rise together,' she said. Montgomery County commissioners approved a program Tuesday that will make $2.4 million in federal funds available to residents facing eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, the Montgomery County Community Development department learned it would receive the funds as part of the Community Development Block Grant-CV program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. COVID-19: Kingwood gets its first coronavirus testing site The funding is separate from the $105 million the county received in April to cover costs the county has and will incur between March 1 and Dec. 30, which were necessary expenditures due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Director of Community Development Joanne Ducharme said the funds are specifically to assist residents who were unemployed or furloughed because of the crisis. According to the guidelines for the funds, 70% of the funds must go to people at or below 80% of the areas median income. For individuals that would be a person earning $44,150 or less and for a family of four it would be earning $63,050 or less. This is going to hit an awful lot of people in the county, including teachers and others you might not expect, she said. Additionally, funds will go to the homelessness prevention portion of the program to help with rent and utilities for residents at or below 50% of area median income. For an individual that would be for those earning $27,600 or less and a family of four earning $39,400 or less Those are people really struggling, (like) salon workers and many servers in restaurants, she said. Ducharme said in anticipation of the funding, her office surveyed 150 local nonprofits on what and where the greatest needs were in the county. The most need, she added, was in Precinct 4, followed by Precinct 2, Precinct 1 and Precinct 3, outside The Woodlands. Topping the list of greatest needs for residents in those areas was rent and utilities. As part of the program Ducharme explained, residents can receive financial help to cover rent for two months, utilities for two months and assistance with prescription medications. Each household is capped at $2,500, she noted. The funds will be administered by several nonprofits in each precinct. Those include Crisis Assistance Center, $422,988; Mission Northeast, $422,988; Society of Samaritans, $265,000; Interfaith of The Woodlands, $265,000; and Society of St. Vincent de Paul, $265,000. RISING TOLL: U.S. coronavirus deaths surpass 100,000 Crisis Assistance Center, Ducharme said, will receive an additional $775,483 as part of the homelessness prevention portion of the funding. Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack asked why the funds were not being used to help with mortgages, adding the need is just as great for homeowners. We would help far fewer people if we are doing mortgage assistance, she said adding mortgage companies have a slower process regarding foreclosures and many will work with homeowners to avoid foreclosures. While there are several rounds to the program, Ducharme said she expects the county to get additional funds in round two, the county likely would not get funds in round three and four. On the heels of approving the plan for renters, Noack announced Wednesday that he will look to his fellow court members for approval of a plan that would put more than $65 million back into the hands of taxpayers. We need a boost in the local economy to assist our families, which in turn will help our small businesses, Noack said. The plan, funded by the roughly $105 million CARES Act funds, would send each homesteaded property owner throughout the county, who completes the application process, a $500 stimulus check. There are currently 130,749 homesteaded properties in Montgomery County. The approximately $40 million remaining from the CARES Act funds can be used for direct COVID cost both current and future. Qualifications include owning a homesteaded property in Montgomery County as of January 1, applying for the stimulus between July 1-August 15 and be current on property taxes. Putting this money back into the hands of the taxpayers is a must, Noack said. We will inject this money back into the local economy in order to help revive local business and get our county back to being the best county in the state of Texas. Commissioner Noack is working with the Montgomery County Attorneys office on the final details of the application process and timelines. The court will discuss Noacks plan at its next regular meeting June 9 cdominguez@hcnonline.com Hyderabad, May 28 : Authorities in Telangana on Thursday sounded an alert in the districts bordering Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh to prevent entry of locust swarms into the state. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao directed the officials to take all the precautions to avert entry of locust swarms as he reviewed the situation at a meeting with ministers and senior officials here. The government said all the District Collectors, and police officials on the borders with Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh were alerted, and fire engines, jetting machines, and pesticides were put in place. It also constituted a five-member committee to keep a tab on the movement of locust swarms and to monitor measures to prevent them from entering the state. The Chief Minister also discussed with officials the steps to be taken if locusts enter the state. He enquired from the experts on the direction the locusts may take in the days to come. He was informed that the locusts group that entered the country through Rajasthan are heading to Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh from Maharashtra, via Bhandara and Gondia. The experts estimate that there are more chances of their travelling from Madhya Pradesh to north India, and then towards Punjab. Since the locust swarms travel along with direction of the wind, if the winds blow towards the south, they may travel via Chhattisgarh to Telangana. Though the chances are less that the locusts would enter Telangana, the Chief Minister decided to take all the precautions. "To kill the swarms of locusts, in our neighbouring Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh states, major attempts are being put in the Gondia area. There the locusts were killed in crores. But yet, some of the surviving locusts groups may travel to Punjab via Madhya Pradesh. If the wind changes its direction, they may enter our state via Chhattisgarh. So measures should be taken so that the locusts do not enter our state. Areas bordering Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh should be on high alert. If they enter, they should be killed on the borders by spraying the pesticides," the Chief Minister said. To estimate the travel method of the locusts from time to time and to monitor the measures to avert the entry of locusts, the government has appointed a five-member committee. CIPM Plant Protection Officer R. Sunitha, Agriculture University Principal Scientist Dr S.J. Rehman, Warangal Conservator of Forests Akbar, Ramagundam Police Commissioner Satyanarayana, and Mancherial Collector Bharathi are members of the Committee. This committee will stay in Ramagundam for four days from Friday. They will monitor the situation from Adilabad to Bhadrachalam alongside river Godavari by helicopters. They will also monitor the killing of the locusts if they enter. The District Collectors of Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhoopalpally, Mancherial, Asifabad, Adilabad, Pedapalli and police officers concerned were alerted. They were asked to monitor the locust movement and implement the government orders. Officials were asked to keep 15,000 litres of pesticides like Malathion, Chloropyrifos, Lambda Cyhalothrin ready on the Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh borders. They were also directed to keep 12 fire engines, and 12 jetting machines ready. The Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police, the Disaster Management Secretary, the Principal Secretary, Agriculture, and the Agriculture University Vice Chancellor will monitor the situation from Hyderabad on a regular basis. They will have consultations with Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh governments and based on this, issue directions to the district officers concerned. Patralekha Chatterjee focuses on development issues in India and emerging economies. She can be reached at patralekha.chatterjee@gmail.com Kolkatas devastation feels personal because it is, but its not the only place that has been hit hard A scooterist tries to pass under an uprooted tree lying across a road, in the aftermath of the extremely severe cyclone Amphan, in Kolkata (PTI) Cyclone Amphan slammed into Kolkata, the city where I was born and grew up, leaving behind a trail of misery and huge losses. So many landmarks of my childhood are gone. The images of devastation are hard to forget. As is the fear and anguish for many of us who live far away and who have near and dear ones in the city. My 80-year-old mother who lives alone in Kolkata took shelter in her bedroom. Even in her second-floor flat, water had seeped into other rooms. In the middle of Lockdown 4, with no way to reach Kolkata in a jiffy, I panicked. Dont worry. The Kolkata police and others should attend to those in much greater distress. I can look after myself. I have enough cooked and uncooked food. The words had a calming effect. As I write this, her phones work only intermittently, and the anxiety returns. Kolkatas devastation feels personal because it is. But its not the only place that has been hit hard. The sights and sounds out of the Amphan-ravaged Sunderbans also brings back memories. I met Ganesh Das last year while visiting Sagar Island, Sunderbans, as part of a group of journalists. Ganesh, who works with Sabuj Sangha, a grassroots NGO, took us around. We met dozens of families who were used to having their homes washed away not once, but many times. This week, I managed to speak to Ganesh over a creaky phone line. Cyclone Amphan had blown away his asbestos roof. He and his family were in a tent with a tarpaulin sheet as cover. There was no electricity. He was charging his mobile, his window to the outside world, through a diesel generator. The fury of wind and rain destroyed all mud houses in Sagar Island, on the mouth of the Hooghly. Islanders squeezed into cyclone shelters. Cleaning work had begun but fallen trees and carcasses of dead animals posed a huge health hazard. Saline water contaminated the ponds. Betel leaf or paan, the areas major cash crop, was ruined. The future looked grim even to those who had grown used to loss and a cascade of crises. Sunderbans is home to millions of the most vulnerable and impoverished people on earth. But to billions of people here and abroad, its an exotic home of tigers, barely registering in our consciousness. Sunderbans shows telling effects of rising sea levels. But unlike residents of the Pacific islands, who have managed to garner global attention, the lives of the Sunderbans people typically remain invisible at international climate negotiations and in the policy discourse inside India. That is why the core makes the kind of mistake that leads Ganesh to ask: What is the point of rebuilding with asbestos and tin roofs? This is what is used in all houses built under various government schemes. But they dont last. Why cant we be given pucca houses like the ones the decision-makers in cities have? The past few months have forced us to confront a cascade of crises. Apart from Covid-19, these are hitting people and places that are peripheral to the national discourse. Before locusts threatened Delhi, how many of us knew they ravage Rajasthan every year, that they are ravaging parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana right now? Those on the margins of the national discourse jump onto headlines only when a disaster strikes. But what if disasters become the new normal? Can we continue with the practice of parachuting into this terrain of pain and misery without having followed everything that led to them? What if the periphery forces itself into the core? Nilanjan Ghosh, director of the Observer Research Foundations Kolkata chaper, is convinced that at least one-third of the Sunderbans is now uninhabitable due to climate change, and the authorities should seriously consider a managed and strategic retreat. There are both supporters and opponents of such a course of action that will affect the lives of around 1.5 million people. This is a debate that must move to the national stage, and that isnt happening because these issues are still seen as peripheral by policymakers, both in New Delhi and in state capitals. Such a mindset cant be sustained because multiple disasters are forcing the periphery into the core. And this isnt just about the Sunderbans. All along Indias coastline, especially the east coast, there are communities in a similar situation. Cyclone Amphan led to deaths and destruction in Odisha as well as Bangladesh. At Uppada near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, the authorities moved residents half a km inland to safeguard them from a rising sea. A passing blow from Amphan destroyed newly-built huts. More lasting solutions are needed. And it does help when the core takes interest. As Mr Ghosh says, two things helped minimise deaths from Cyclone Amphan the dramatic improvement in the India Meteorological Departments early warning system, and the quick evacuation of around 500,000 coastal residents once IMD forecast the cyclone track but you cant evacuate your farm and livestock, and the losses suffered will need more attention from the core than the money the Centre has given so far Rs 1,000 crores to West Bengal and Rs 500 crores to Odisha. Samirul Islam, president of Bangla Sanskriti Mancha, says farmers in cyclone-hit areas had postponed harvesting due to the nationwide lockdown and severe movement restrictions. Now their crops are ruined. This will have a serious effect on the rural population and also migrant workers who are coming back home penniless. Aditi Mukherji of the International Water Management Institute points out the risks of disease after Cyclone Amphan. With the health system already bursting at its seams due to Covid-19, we cant afford a breakout of diarrhoeal diseases now. Ms Mukherjee says opening up roads, providing clean drinking water and restoring electricity should be the top priorities. And for the Sunderbans, there should be more focus on maintaining mangroves. It is widely known mangroves are the best defence against storm surges, but they continue to be cut down all along Indias coast to build more ports and factories. When these decisions are taken, saving mangroves are seen as an irritant that only pesky environmentalists talk about. But now that more and more of the coast is getting ruined, the core clearly cannot continue business as usual. The periphery is not peripheral any longer. Residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota have been up in arms since the video of the killing of George Floyd, an African American man, by four white police officers went viral. Floyd, a 46-year-old Houston resident was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a police officer on Monday. The cop pushed down on his neck with his knee and held him to the ground for several minutes despite the victim telling them he couldn't breathe. "I can't breathe...please stop," Floyd told the officers who nevertheless continued to choke him until he went limp. While the four police officers involved in the incident have been fired and an FBI investigation initiated into the incident, Floyd's killing has brought back memories of 2014 killing of Eric Garner by policemen in New York. Garner had been tackled by cops while walking down a street in Staten Island and held in a chokehold until he died. New York Police Department officer Daniel Pantaleo held Garner, who was under suspicion for alleged illegal cigarette sales, in a chokehold despite the latter saying he couldn't breathe. Garner's mother Gwen Carr told NBC that watching the video of Floyd's killing was like deja vu for her as it reminded her of her own son's death at 27. She was not the only one. Much like Floyd, Garner's last words were also "I can't breathe" and much like Floyd's death, the 2014 killing had also caused massive outrage and raised serious questions about the use of excessive force by police departments as well as the systemic problem of racism and racial profiling among white cops. Pantaleo, who was put on desk duty after the incident and faced charges, was never indicted by court. As per a tally kept by Washington Post, 1,004 people were killed by cops in 2019, many of who were African American men. As per an analysis conducted by The Guardian in 2015, of the 1093 people killed in police shootings that year, 15 percent were African-American males aged 15-32. The report also noted that black men were nine times more likely to be killed by police than other Americans. The illegal killing and arrests of African Americans have previously caused outrage such as in 2016 when the shooting of Alton Sterling by two white cops led to widespread protests and arrests as well a string of crimes against African Americans as well as police officers. In 2017, charges against the two police officers were dropped due to a lack of sufficient evidence. Now, as tales of grievance and condolences pour out in memory of Floyd, many can't help but feel a sense of deja vu, especially with regard to Garner's death as police brutalities against African Americans continue unabated. The dead ma's name was George Floyd. Police say "...he suffered a medical episode." You know - like Eric Garner. It's amazing how often black men suffer "medical episodes" while white cops are choking them.#MinneapolisPolice #DerekChauvin - is the cop's name. Udey Johnson (@UdeyJohnson) May 26, 2020 Dylan Roof: Shoots up a black Churchill, calmly arrested. Patrick Crusius: kills 23 at Walmart, calmly arrested. Eric Garner: allegedly selling cigarettes illegally, chocked to death by police. George Floyd: allegedly wrote a bad check, chocked to death by police. pic.twitter.com/KLD7pUN4Pz Julia Martins Simons (@SimonsMartins) May 27, 2020 six years after Eric Garners death, another black man was murdered by a police officer with his last words being the same I cant breathe. history repeats itself. wake tf up sasha (@s_roberts13) May 26, 2020 The death of black people in the hands of police is honestly traumatising. George Floyd and Eric Garners pleas were ignorant in this world but it will not in the hereafter. Rahma Jamal (@RahmaHJamal) May 26, 2020 Due to the atrocity of the Eric Garner case, a bad precedent was set, and now we have no accountability when officers don't follow proper procedures, which in turn, put lives at risk. pic.twitter.com/ayoIaKo27H Ian Gerald (@IanGerald5) May 26, 2020 They most likely wont be charged for this. If they lost their jobs, theyll just be hired at another police station in a different state/town. The cops who murdered Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Aiyana Jones, Oscar Grant, etc. were acquitted of their charges. black lives matter (@baek_delights) May 26, 2020 On Wednesday, the four police officers in the Floyd video were identified by Minnesota police department as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng. A civil rights investigation has been initiated into the matte by the FBI. Meanwhile, reports of clashes with police, tear gas shellings and arson have been reported from Minnesota where protesters have been demonstrating since Tuesday to protest against the illegal killing. Christian Today recently introduced the story of a woman who miraculously survived coronavirus after a near-death experience in the ICU. She testified it was by the power of God and prayers from Church congregants that she defeated the virus. According to Christian Today, the 38 year old Jayoung Lee was infected with coronavirus while at her late stages of pregnancy. She gave birth to her second son on March 9. Soon after birth, the baby was quickly isolated from her for fear of cross-infection. Her condition abruptly began to worsen as her immune system failed due to delivering her child. She was unconscious as they placed her on a ventilator in the intensive care unit. Medical staff told her husband to prepare for the worst to come as her lungs failed to operate. Her condition didn't show signs of recovery even after a week on a ventilator. Jayoung's lungs suffered from severe respiratory failure. To receive further treatment, she was transferred to the Charite hospital in Berlin. To give her lungs a rest, she was immediately placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a treatment that uses a pump to circulate blood through an artificial lung back into the bloodstream. Even when the situation appeared to be very unlikely for her recovery, her church congregation didn't give up. Every day, members continuously prayed for her and fasted as she was in a coma. They believed in the power of God, that nothing is impossible through Him. On April 14, she miraculously opened her eyes, but she couldn't converse and had to continue to rely on ECMO because she couldn't breathe on her own. On May 12, she was finally detached from ECMO, and she gradually trained to breathe on her own again with oxygen support. On May 22, Lee was finally reunited with her newborn baby and was able to hold him for the first time in 75 days. Below are Lee's testimonies Christian Today published, reported by Jennifer Lee. "I am so thankful to the medical staff at Charite hospital for looking after me with utmost care and love. I told the doctors that my friends prayed for my recovery and for the doctors treating me, and they testified that the prayers were successful," said Lee. "I feel I was in a dark and deep valley but finally came out of there by the power of God through your prayer," Lee said in a statement to her church parishioners. "I was shocked when I found out so many church members and even people I do not know prayed for me. I cried because I felt with my whole heart that I'm alive by your prayers." Her outlook of everything in life has changed, as she reflected: "Just to be able to breathe.. I did not realize how thankful I should be just for that alone. Now I feel indebted, and I have a second chance to live. My life is not my own anymore, it belongs to Christ." Lee suffered immense physical pain through her ordeal, but in particular she recalls when the drainage tube for her lungs that had been inserted through the side of her ribs became blocked. During that period of intense pain she was reminded of Jesus who had suffered the immeasurable physical pain of the cross, and she found comfort. She said, "I was able to reflect deeply about the suffering of Jesus as he was crucified and hung on the cross for our sins. So even though I was in immense pain, I found myself being even more thankful to Christ for what He has done for me." She continued: "Today I'm here by the grace of our Lord and I feel I'm built again newly not by myself but by others' love and prayers. Thank you very much for your prayers. Your prayers worked for me. Please continue to pray for my full recovery." Hong Kong students and Taiwanese protest against Beijing's national security legislation in Taipei, Taiwan. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Stocks in Europe rose on Thursday despite growing tensions between the US and China and the approval of a controversial Hong Kong national security law. The ascent came in the wake of the announcement on Wednesday of the European Commissions 750bn (657bn) recovery plan, which will see countries in the bloc jointly issue debt on financial markets for the first time. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (^STOXX) rose by around 0.8%. Londons FTSE 100 (^FTSE) climbed by around 0.7%. Germanys DAX (^GDAXI) was up by around 0.6%, while Frances CAC 40 (^FCHI) was 0.7% in the green. READ MORE: EU unveils 750bn recovery plan to tackle 'immense challenge' While markets have reacted as if this is a significant moment for Europe, the sums involved are tiny in the overall scheme of things, given the scale of the economic shock, particularly since none of the money will be available immediately, said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. There is also the prospect that the stated sums will probably get watered down, and even if it is delivered will probably be so small as to be completely insignificant. The gains in Europe followed a mixed trading session in Asia. Chinas legislature on Thursday approved the introduction of a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, bringing the semi-autonomous territory further under Beijings control. The move came after US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous from China, meaning that the US will rescind Hong Kongs special trade status, which currently sees it receive more favourable tariffs than China. Chinas SSE Composite Index (^SSEC) rose by more than 0.3% on Thursday, while the Hang Seng (^HSI) was down by 0.9% in Hong Kong at market close. READ MORE: EasyJet slashes up to 4,500 staff in 'knee-jerk' job cuts Japans Nikkei (^N225) closed 2.3% in the green, while the KOSPI Composite Index (^KOSPI) in South Korea was down by around 0.1%. Australias ASX 200 (^AXJO) climbed by around 1.3%. Story continues Rising tensions between the US and China could let some of the air out of the current optimism, Hewson said. Futures were pointing to a mixed open for US stocks on Thursday. Investors have been weighing signs of a stabilising US economy, along with hopes of a vaccine or treatment and the Chinese tensions. S&P 500 futures (ES=F) rose by 0.3% after the index on Wednesday saw its highest close since early March. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) climbed by more than 0.6%. Nasdaq futures (NQ=F), meanwhile, were down by more than 0.1%. Theres a 150-year relationship between Marshall Fields and movies and I dont think that many Chicagoans know that, so Ive been doing a lot of research and digging back into old fan magazines and newspapers. There are several films that have shot inside and outside the flagship store, from National Lampoons Christmas Vacation to My Best Friends Wedding, but thats not my focus. My focus is movie history from 1887 or however far back I can reach into Marshall Fields history to see just how interested he was in using motion pictures. Tennessee will get the first crack at a trial against Clark Perry Baldwin, the man accused of killing two unidentified women in Wyoming. We decided that since Tennessee has a known victim, and known victims family, that he will be tried there first, Sweetwater County Attorney Dan Erramouspe said. After that he will come to Wyoming to face charges. Baldwin faces two counts of first-degree murder in Tennessee in the 1991 death of Pamela McCall and her unborn child. Erramouspe said this would also mean Baldwin would serve a potential Wyoming sentence after a potential Tennessee... By Naomi Tajitsu TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co <7201.T> outlined a new plan on Thursday to become a smaller, more efficient carmaker after the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated a slide in profitability that culminated in its first annual loss in 11 years. Under a new four-year plan, the Japanese manufacturer will slash its production capacity and model range by about a fifth to help cut 300 billion yen off its fixed costs. It will shut plants in Spain and Indonesia, leave the South Korean market and pull its Datsun brand from Russia as part of a strategy unveiled on Wednesday to share production globally with its partners Renault and Mitsubishi Motors <7211.T>. "I will make every effort to return Nissan to a growth path," Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida said, adding that the company had learned from its past mistakes of chasing global market share at all costs. "We must admit failures and take corrective actions," he said, adding that starting with top-level managers, the company had to break its inward-looking culture which has stymied efforts to deepen cooperation with France's Renault. Uchida said improving cash flow was Nissan's biggest challenge, though the company expects to have positive free cash flow in the second half of its financial year, compared with a negative 641 billion yen in the year to March 31. With 1.1 trillion yen in net cash in its automotive business, untapped credit lines of up to 1.3 trillion yen and about 700 billion yen in new funding since April, the automaker said it had ample cash to cushion the blow from the coronavirus. However, Uchida and Chief Financial Officer Stephen Ma acknowledged that more funding might be needed if the pandemic continues to weigh on sales in the coming months. "We have plenty of liquidity at least for these few months," Ma told reporters. "As things progress we will look at all the possible options, and we are open to pursue other avenues." Story continues Nissan declined to give any forecasts for its current financial year which started in April due to the uncertainty created by the pandemic. It also declined to give details on how many jobs it was cutting as part of its recovery plan. Nissan's rivals, such as the world's biggest carmakers Toyota <7203.T> and Volkswagen , will not give it much breathing room as use their stronger balance sheets and products to strengthen their positions in China and Europe. In the United States, consumers are shifting to sports- utility vehicles and large pickups that are speciality of the Detroit automakers, as well as Tesla's high-tech electric vehicles. For an interactive graphic of Nissan's goals, click on: https://tmsnrt.rs/3gwfvMw PROFIT SLUMP In what is Nissan's second recovery plan in less than a year, Uchida, who took over as chief executive in December, pledged a return to profitability with a core operating profit margin above 5% and a sustainable global market share of 6%. Nissan posted an annual operating loss of 40.5 billion yen for the year to March 31, its worst performance since 2008/09 and the fourth straight year its profit has fallen. It sold 4.9 million vehicles last year, down 11% from last year. For an interactive graphic on Nissan's performance, click on: https://reut.rs/2USzcFy Sales in its key North American market fell 15% as Nissan struggles to recover in the United States, where aggressive discounting has clobbered margins and tarnished its brand image. "I don't want my brand, I don't want Nissan, to be considered cheap," Uchida told Reuters in an interview, adding that he would push to restore the quality of sales, particularly in the United States. He also said that he was "not giving up" on Infiniti, Nissan's luxury brand whose sales have plummeted in recent years as development and manufacturing costs ballooned. Rebuilding both the Nissan and Infiniti brands could take time, he said, as the coronavirus situation in the United States was taking "a bit more time than we thought" to improve. Even before the spread of the novel coronavirus, Nissan's slumping profits had forced it to row back on an aggressive expansion plan pursued by ousted leader Carlos Ghosn. The pandemic has only piled on the urgency to downsize. Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors said on Wednesday they would work more closely on developing and producing cars to reduce costs and ensure their alliance's continued existence. Renault is due to announce its own restructuring plans on Friday which are expected to include job cuts despite resistance from the French government. Spain said on Thursday that the closure of Nissan's plant in Barcelona could cost the company as much as 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) and that investing in the factory would be a cheaper alternative. Protesting workers burned tyres and blocked the entrance to the Barcelona factory following the announcement. (Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by David Clarke) Protesters are seen outside an AutoZone that was set on fire Wednesday amid a second night of protests in response toGeorge Floyd's death in Minneapolis. Jordon Strowder/Anadolu Agency via Getty A man was shot outside a pawn shop on the second night of protests in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A police spokesman told an early Thursday morning press conference that the pawn shop owner fired the shots and that a person is in custody. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. The second night of protests against the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis turned deadly on Wednesday night, with one man fatally shot outside a pawn shop amid widespread looting. The incident happened just before 9:30 p.m. at the Cadillac Pawn and Jewelry, at the intersection of East Lake Street and Bloomington, the New York Post reported early Thursday morning, citing police spokesman John Elder. Police responded to the scene after receiving a report of a possible stabbing, and found a man in grave condition, suffering from a gunshot wound. The man was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center where he later died. The fatal shooting happened outside the Cadillac Pawn and Jewelry. Google Street View Police said that the shots were fired by the pawn shop's owner, and one person is in custody, the Star Tribune reported. Elder said police are still investigating the motive and circumstances of the shooting, but told reporters that the force is exploring the idea that the man was shot while trying to loot the store. "That is one of the theories that we're working into," Elder said. A view outside a Target store in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 27, 2020. Businesses near the Third Police Precinct were looted and damaged during protests over Floyd's death. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Wednesday marked the second night of protests in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes while taking him into custody on Monday for allegedly trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill. Images from Wednesday night's protests shows an AutoZone store set on fire and people looting a nearby Target. Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis appealed to protesters on Wednesday night, saying: "Please, Minneapolis, we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy." Story continues Meanwhile, a video showed protesters in Los Angeles surrounded a police car and shattered its rear window, causing the police officer to drive off and one protester to fall off the moving vehicle and hit his head on the pavement. Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing Floyd's family, called for peaceful protests in a Wednesday statement. "We cannot sink to the level of our oppressors, and we must not endanger others during this pandemic," the statement said, according to CNN. "We will demand and ultimately force lasting change by shining a light on treatment that is horrific and unacceptable and by winning justice." A portrait of Floyd at a memorial for him in Minneapolis on May 27, 2020. AP Photo/Jim Mone The four officers involved in Floyd's arrest have been fired, but no charges have been filed against them so far. That will ultimately be up to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, whose office said in a statement that they continuing to investigate the deadly incident. "We are working with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner to expeditiously gather and review all of the evidence in the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd," the statement read. "The videotaped death of Mr. Floyd, which has outraged us and people across the country, deserves the best we can give and that is what this office will do." Read the original article on Insider Hibernia Reit, one of the country's biggest commercial property developers, has said building costs will not rise dramatically as a result of Covid-19. Kevin Nowlan, the chief executive of stock market- listed landlord and developer Hibernia Reit, said yesterday that it was not budgeting any additional costs for the major project it has under way - a massive office redevelopment at Cumberland Place in Dublin. "We're not expecting additional costs, beyond our contingency," he said. The need for social distancing may mean construction sites working shifts - potentially three a day - to allow safe distancing, said Mr Nowlan. That should not add to costs, but will require permanent changes to planning rules that restrict work to business hours, he said. Outdoor construction, including foundations and steel, will suffer relatively little affects from social distancing but mechanical and electrical engineering work will, he said. Earlier this month, Tom Parlon of the Construction Industry Federation said costs could rise as much as 40pc on schemes including the National Children's Hospital because of increased costs resulting from social distancing and other safety considerations on sites. Mr Parlon later said that estimate had been too high. Mr Nowlan said his own company "remains confident" in the long-term prospects of central Dublin's office and residential market, despite enforced working from home during the Covid-19 crisis. "We believe the current crisis is underlining the importance of city centre offices as places for employees to work together and exchange information and ideas. We remain confident in the long-term prospects of the central Dublin office market and the Dublin residential market and will continue to manage the business accordingly," he said. "The full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on market rents and property values is yet to be felt but we are well positioned to withstand it," he said. This month, 97pc of residential rent due to Hibernia Reit has been paid, in prior months rent collection rates were 99pc or above. Private landlord Ires Reit has said its occupancy and rent collection levels have remained "strong", although it cannot currently predict what impact the coronavirus will have on the firm. Lets Talk Poultry Teagasc and Alltech launch webinar series to tackle poultry industry issues Irelands poultry industry will gain industry insights over a four-part webinar series beginning Wednesday, 3 June, at 2pm. Hosted by Teagasc, with support from animal nutrition company, Alltech; prominent topics such as avian influenza, gut health and layer management will be examined. From gut health to management, poultry experts offer advice and insights in a new, four-part webinar series kicking off June 3 The 45-minute webinars will go live every fortnight, starting on Wednesday, 3 June at 2pm with a discussion on Avian Influenza and Biosecurity with James Greaves, on-farm advisor, Shannon Vale Foods and Joe OFlaherty, Veterinary Public Health, Pig and Poultry Health, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Weve listened to the industry and the topics for this webinar series reflect their current concerns. Through these four webinars we will touch on the most pressing issues facing poultry farmers and integrators at the moment, explained Rebecca Tierney, poultry advisor, Teagasc. The second webinar will explore the role of Chick Start and will be hosted by Professor Steve Collett, clinical associate professor at the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, University of Georgia. Padraig McKenna, flock supervisor at Whitakers Hatcheries and Martin Humphrey sales director, Humphrey Feeds & Pullets will look at Layer Rearing and Management and best practices as part of the third webinar. The Lets Talk Poultry series will finish with an industry overview and outlook from Peter Duggan, Meat Division at Bord Bia and Rory Mannion, Quality Assurance administrator, Bord Bia. The Lets Talk Poultry webinar series is aimed at providing timely information and support for the industry. Teagasc has sourced leading experts in biosecurity, layer management and nutrition, with the bonus of an industry overview at the end. This is a must watch webinar series for anyone looking to gain inside industry information, said Niall Brennan, Alltech Ireland poultry coordinator. The webinar series will be hosted on Zoom and is free to join. The first in the series starts on Wednesday, June 3 at 2 p.m. Participants will have the chance to pose their questions to speakers at the end of each webinar. To register, log on to www.teagasc.ie/letstalkpoultry Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni says, the government has injected 1 trillion shillings (about US$270 million) into the Uganda Development Bank (UDB) to boost industrialization. Museveni, according to a State House statement issued here, said the US$270 million is part of the US$491.5 million that Uganda borrowed from the International Monetary Fund early this month to address the "urgent balance of payments and fiscal needs" arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The president said the money injected into the UDB will be used to support the manufacturing sector as the best way of balancing payments. "We have the capacity to produce many things here because most of the raw materials are here," Museveni said, while commissioning two production lines at a Chinese factory that has started manufacturing face masks. "I appeal to local businessmen to use this opportunity to borrow this money from UDB and set up more plants to produce more here. This money is yours," he said, adding that, the government would protect local producers by imposing a heavy tax levy on similar products that are imported into the Ugandan market. Minister of State for Investment and Privatization Evelyn Anite said that many business people were heeding the government's call to borrow from the UDB. "Right now if you go to UDB, you will see very long queues of Ugandan businessmen borrowing money," Anite said. Economists have predicted the country's economy to grow at 3 percent this year on account of the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the economy was projected to grow at 6 percent. 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 Muhr Family Once the pandemic broke out, we immediately looked at where we could best be of service, says Hallstein CEO Alexander Muhr. Austrian water purveyor Hallstein Water, has donated 1000 5-gallon bottles (19,000 Liters) and 16 dispensers in support of front line health care workers and patients at Spains Hospital Clinica Benidorm. Hydration - and particularly high alkaline water - is a necessary wellness regime, but in this time of COVID-19, it is even more critical in the pursuit of boosting immune systems. Hallsteins unique natural balance of high 8.3 pH alkalinity with low 0.15mg/l sodium makes it exceptionally rare sourcing from Dachstein Mountain at the base of the Austrian Alps, and therefore is available by subscription only. When we learned of the potential of receiving the donation of Hallstein Water we were both elated and deeply grateful, says Ana Vasbinder, Hospital Clinica Benidorms Director of International Relations. Here in HCB, especially in this difficult and stressful time, we really appreciate the possibility to improve the lives of our patients and employees. The donation was facilitated by Spains preeminent wellness clinic SHA. We have a long relationship with the Muhr family, says Fernando Rojo, General Manager. When they contacted us asking where they could achieve the greatest possible impact, we immediately thought of our friends at Clinica Benidorm and their fight against COVID-19. Dedicated to being responsible stewards of the environment, Hallsteins founding Muhr family first ensured their aquifer was self-sustaining and did not impact other water sources, then took steps to attain over 57 permits to protect the surrounding geological terrain. The water is captured directly at the source in BPA-free Tritan bottles and completely uncompromised. Once the pandemic broke out, we immediately looked at where we could best be of service, says Hallstein CEO Alexander Muhr. As Spain became one of the most severely impacted regions, we knew we could make a difference at least in one small way. And are humbled to be in a position to do so. About Hallstein Water: In the spring of 1999, Austrian-born co-founders Elisabeth and Karlheinz Muhr decided their three children, Alexander, Phillip and Stephanie would no longer be drinking beverages with high sugar content like juices and sodas; they set out to discover what the ideal water would look like. And then find it. After working with a team of scientists and water experts over the course of several years, they tested - and drank - every commercially available water and discovered that almost every one had been engineered in some way. This launched a global search with the help of hydrogeologists to identify the precise terrain that would produce naturally pure water that met their eight factors for perfection. Six years later, it was discovered in their own backyard, the Austrian Alps, and is now available by subscription only. Untreated, Unfiltered, Uncompromised. Learn more about Hallstein Water, visit http://www.hallsteinwater.com About Hospital Clinica Benidorm: Hospital Clinica Benidorm was founded in 1986 and became the first and leading clinic in the region to provide medical services to foreign guests of the Costa Blanca. HCB is a multidisciplinary medical center with a number of branches in the most important tourist destinations in between Alicante and Valencia, in southern Spain. With over 40 medical services integrated into the same center for hospitalization, emergency attention and polyclinic, HCB has services grouped by nationality composed of medical, health and administrative staff and multilingual interpreters. This model for international patients allows patients to feel comfortable and to always be accompanied and supported by people who speak their own language, which makes totally personalized attention possible. To learn more about Hospital Clinica Benidorm, visit http://www.clinicabenidorm.com About SHA Wellness Clinic: SHA is a worldwide pioneering medical and wellness clinic that is dedicated to significantly improving and prolonging the health and well-being of people by using an integrative and comprehensive approach that merges the most proven and effective natural therapies with the latest scientific medicine techniques, giving special emphasis to a healing but delicious nutrition. Based in Spain, SHA is located in front of the Mediterranean Sea, next to a Natural Park. SHA does not simply consider health as the absence of illness; rather, it is an optimum state of complete physical and mental well-being, with an ideal weight and vitality. During its existence, since 2008, SHA has transformed the lives of over 60,000 people, including a long list of world personalities. Learn more about SHA Wellness Clinic at http://www.shawellnessclinic.com For more information or hi-res images, contact: Dawn Moore dawn@mooreabout.com D onald Trump has ordered the FBI and the Department of Justice to expedite the investigation into the death of a black man who died after being pinned down by police. George Floyd died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck, despite him saying he could not breathe, in the US state of Minnesota. It comes as the mayor of Minneapolis, the city in which the incident happened, called for criminal charges against the officer. The US President said on Wednesday the Justice Department and FBI were probing the case, and are already well into their investigation. "At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd," Mr Trump said on Twitter. George Floyd Protests - In pictures 1 /150 George Floyd Protests - In pictures Quincy Mason Floyd (c), son of George Floyd, and attorney Ben Crump (left) kneel at the site where Floyd was killed on June 3, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Crump and Floyd spoke at a press conference after, calling for the arrest and prosecution of all four officers involved in George Floyd's death Getty Images Hundreds of surfers gather in support of Black Lives Matter, following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, as they spell "UNITY" with their boards before participating in a paddle out for unity at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, California via Reuters A demonstrator protests as police forces hold a line near Lafayette Park and the White House Getty Images People visit a memorial at the site where George Floyd was killed Getty Images Demonstrators lay down on Pennsylvania Avenue during a peaceful protest against police brutality and the death of George Floyd Getty Images Twenty-nine-year old DC resident, George (letf), slaps hands with three-year-old Mikaela (right) in front of a police barricade on a street leading to the front of the White House during protests over the death of George Floyd AFP via Getty Images Protesters cross Morrison Bridge while rallying against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Portland, Oregon Reuters An aerial view shows people gathering to pay tribute at a makeshift memorial in honour of George Floyd AFP via Getty Images People visit a memorial at the site where George Floyd was killed Getty Images John Boyega speaks at Hyde Park during a Black Lives Matter protest PA People wearing face masks hold banners in Hyde Park during a Black Lives Matter Reuters Protesters wearing face masks hold up signs during a Black Lives Matter protest in Hyde Park Getty Images Atlanta police clash with a demonstrator during a protest, AP Marchers lay down on the Burnside Bridge for nine minutes symbolising the amount of time a Minneapolis police officer knelt on George Floyd's neck AP Protesters wearing face masks hold up signs during a Black Lives Matter protest in Hyde Park Getty Images A woman with a message painted on her face, "I Can't Breathe" is seen in Hyde Park during a "Black Lives Matter" protest REUTERS Law enforcement officers stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as demonstrators protest against police brutality and the death of George Floyd Getty Images Protesters burn trash bins, shared scooters and bicycles AFP via Getty Images People raise their hands and kneel down as they protest at the makeshift memorial in honour of George Floyd in Minneapolis AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators embrace during a march in response to George Floyd's death in Los Angeles Getty Images Law enforcement officials and Georgia Army National Guard soldiers fire tear gas and advance on protesters on Centennial Olympic Park Drive outside the CNN Center in Atlanta AP A protester throws a smoke device at police AP Protesters march west on Broad Street as protests continue following the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd in Columbus, Ohio AP People marching to protest the death of George Floyd get arrested on Gratiot near Outer Drive in Detroit AP Protesters throw a burning object at advancing law enforcement officials on Centennial Olympic Park Drive at Olympic Park in Atlanta AP Los Angeles Commander Cory Palka, right reaches out and offers a handshake to a "Black Lives Matter" protester outside Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti's house in Los Angeles AP Police officers hold a perimeter near the White House AFP via Getty Images Orlando police deploy tear gas during a demonstration outside Orlando City Hall AP Women ride atop a car and carry a sign in support of a "Black Lives Matter" protest outside Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti's house in Los Angeles AP People kneel in front of a line of California Highway Patrol officers in Redwood City AP Demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd in Washington AP A protester hugs a member of the Army National Guard during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Los Angeles AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators march along Hollywood Boulevard AP Protesters head through downtown into midtown during demonstrations in Atlanta AP A protester holds up a skateboard during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Hollywood, California AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators greet members of the National Guard as they march along Hollywood Boulevard AP Demonstrators pause to kneel as they march to protest the death of George Floyd in Washington AP A demonstrator faces law enforcement officers during a rally near the White House against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd Reuters Roxie Washington, the mother of George Floyd's 6-year-old daughter Gianna Floyd (left), cries after addressing the press, alongside their lawyers at Minneapolis City Hall Reuters People march from Discovery Green to City Hall in downtown Houston AP Protesters rally on the Las Vegas Strip Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Las Vegas, over the death of George Floyd AP Demonstrators kneel in front of a line of police officers near the White House in Washington during a protest for the death of George Floyd AP US President Donald Trump holds up a Bible outside of St John's Episcopal church across Lafayette Park in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images Fireworks go off in front of police, who with protesters in front of police headquarters in St. Louis AP Protestors are tear gassed as the police disperse them near the White House AFP via Getty Images Children show placard during a protest outside the residence of governor of Minnesota Tim Walz, over the death of George Floyd AFP via Getty Images A demonstrator try to pass between a police line wearing riot gear as they push back demonstrators outside of the White House AFP via Getty Images Protesters throw a tear gas canister back toward Stafford County deputies on the Falmouth Bridge in Fredericksburg, Va AP Chief of Department of the New York City Police, Terence Monahan, hugs an activist as protesters paused while walking in New York AP Armed National Guard soldiers patrol on Hollywood Blvd AFP via Getty Images In a show of peace and solidarity, law enforcement officials with riot shields kneel in front of protesters during a fourth day of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis AP Protesters rally at the White House Reuters A protester carries the carries a U.S. flag upside, a sign of distress, next to a burning building AP Protestors are tear gassed as the police disperse them near the White House AFP via Getty Images Police officers clash with protestors near the White House AFP via Getty Images In a show of peace and solidarity, law enforcement officials with riot shields kneel in front of protesters during a fourth day of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis AP Police begin to clear demonstrators in Washington AP Demonstrators vandalize a car near the White House in Washington as they protest the death of George Floyd AP A single officer takes a knee in solidarity with protesters during nationwide unrest following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, outside the Oklahoma City Police Department Reuters Protesters throw a US flag into a fire during a demonstration outside the White House AFP via Getty Images Police form a line on Fifth Avenue outside Trump Towe AP Protesters are detained by police officers during a rally against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd Reuters Protesters hold up a sign in Long Beach, California as they demonstrate during nationwide unrest following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd REUTERS People rally against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, REUTERS Protesters lie on the ground during a Black Lives Matter rally AP A young boy raises his fist for a photo by a family friend during a demonstration in Atlanta, Georgia Getty Images Police officers try to disperse people during a protest downtown Lansing, Michigan AP A protester has milk poured on his face after being exposed to tear gas AP Demonstrators block Interstate 244 in Tulsa AP Authorities stand guard in the area around the Georgia state Capitol as protests continued for a third day in Atlanta AP A demonstrator is arressted during a protest against police brutality and the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota Getty Images People demonstrate in Atlanta, Georgia Getty Images Tear gas rises above as protesters face off with police during a demonstration outside the White House over the death of George Floyd AFP via Getty Images Sheriff's deputies arrest people in Minneapolis, Minnesota AFP via Getty Images Police officers advance after firing tear gas during a demonstration in Atlanta, Georgia Getty Images A protester becomes emotional while taking part in a conversation with a police officer during a demonstration in Atlanta, Georgia Getty Images A man vandalizes a vehicle as another car is set on fire during a protest near the White House Getty Images Protesters march down a street during a solidarity rally for George Floyd, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York AP PA Protesters gather around after setting fire to the entrance of a police station as demonstrations continue Reuters Protesters gather in front of the burning 3rd Precinct building of the Minneapolis Police Department AP A protester moves around the 3rd Precinct building of the Minneapolis Police Department AP Protesters are seen from the roof of the Minneapolis police 3rd Precinct building AP Protesters stand in front of the 3rd precinct police building as it burns during a protest Getty Images People stand outside the Minneapolis police 3rd Precinct building after fires were set at the building AP A man walks past a liquor store in flames near the 3rd Police Precinct AFP via Getty Images A woman holds a sign as protestors gather outside the St. Louis Police Department Headquarters Getty Images A car burns in a Target parking lot AP Tony L. Clark holds a photo of George Floyd AP Denver Police Department officers clear a man who fell to the street after they used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a protest outside the State Capitol over the death of George Floyd AP Denver police officers fire canisters to disperse a protest outside the State Capitol AP Protesters throw objects onto a burning car outside a Target store near the 3rd Police Precinct AFP via Getty Images Firefighters battle flames at a business along University Avenue as riot officers police the street AP Police spray mace at protestors to break up a gathering near the Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct Reuters Protesters react after the entrance of a police station is set on fire during the demonstrations Reuters A man wearing a face mask holds a sign near a burning vehicle at the parking lot of a Target store during protests Reuters A protester vandalizes an O'Reilly's near the Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct Reuters Police spray protesters with pepper spray during a demonstration over the killing of George Floyd by a policeman outside the 3rd Police Precinct AFP via Getty Images A man poses for photos in front of a fire at an AutoZone store, while protesters hold a rally for George Floyd in Minneapolis AP Police remove barricades set by protesters during a demonstration over the killing of George Floyd AFP via Getty Images Shawanda Hill (right), the girlfriend of George Floyd reacts near the spot where he died while in custody of the Minneapolis Police AFP via Getty Images Protesters gather under the rain near the spot where George Floyd died while in custody of the Minneapolis Police, AFP via Getty Images An injured woman is carried by other protesters during clashes with police at a demonstration over the killing of George Floyd AFP via Getty Images Protesters clash with police during a demonstration over the killing of George Floyd AFP via Getty Images This aerial image provided by KABC-TV shows protesters attacking a California Highway Patrol cruiser during a Black Lives Matter protest on a freeway in downtown Los Angeles AP Protesters clash with police during a demonstration over the killing of George Floyd AFP via Getty Images A man throws a rock at the Minneapolis police 3rd Precinct during a protest AP Dajanae McKinney holds a painting of George Floyd during a protest AP People face police as protests continue calling for justice for George Floyd AP Protesters and police face each other during a rally for George Floyd AP People hold up their fists after protesting near the spot where George Floyd died while in custody of the Minneapolis Police AFP via Getty Images Protesters gather calling for justice for George Floyd AP A memorial left for George Floyd AFP via Getty Images "I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement," he said. "My heart goes out to Georges family and friends. Justice will be served!" Footage of the of the death shared on social media showed Mr Floyd, 46, saying "I can't breathe" and "don't kill me" as a policeman kneeled on his neck. Protesters demonstrate against the death of George Floyd outside the 3rd Precinct Police Precinct in Minneapolis, Minnesota / Getty Images Four police officers were fired, with the mayor saying that being black "should not be a death sentence. Based on the video, mayor Jacob Frey said the officer should be charged. "I've wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?" mayor Frey. He later added: "I saw no threat. I saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary. The incident echoed the case of Eric Garner, who died after being placed in a police chokehold in New York in 2014. His death became a rallying call against police brutality and a driving force for the Black Lives Matter movement. Thousands of people flooded the streets to demand justice over Mr Floyds death. Hours after the officers dismissals were announced, thousands of protesters filled the streets close to the scene where the incident took place on Monday. You and your spouse have made the decision to get a divorce after a lengthy marriage. Whatever your age, divorce can cause a great deal of emotional and financial upheaval. But a gray divorce may present a unique set of financial challenges compared with those of your younger counterparts. You have likely accumulated more assets and, likely, more complicated assets to divide and have less time to recover financially before retirement. In fact, you or your spouse may have even retired already. As a couple, you have created goals together, but after this major life transition, individual goals will emerge and evolve. You need to be sure to take the time to try to rediscover what those priorities are for yourself. One spouse may want to heal by traveling the world for a few years, while the other wants to find renewed purpose by creating a foundation or making a bigger impact within the community. Whatever your desires are, maintaining financial stability is crucial to living the life you want after the divorce. Arming yourself with a well-informed plan for each stage of the divorce may ease your transition to single life and help protect your financial future. Prepare Yourself in Advance Planning how you might divide your assets can help the divorce process go more smoothly. Start by gathering an inventory of all separate and jointly owned assets, including bank accounts, investments, retirement plans and pensions, insurance policies and real estate. Make a list of all outstanding debts as well. This may include mortgages, home equity lines of credit, loans and credit card debt. As part of the information-gathering process, you will also want to have relevant documents accessible, such as prenuptial agreements, tax returns, wills, trusts and powers of attorney. Finally, obtain appraisals of tangible assets, such as antiques, cars, art and ne jewelry. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has given her strongest indication yet of when regular trans-Tasman travel may resume, listing September as a realistic timeframe Jacinda Ardern has given her strongest indication yet of when regular trans-Tasman travel could resume, listing September as a realistic timeframe. Her comments echo those of an expert working group set up to lay the groundwork for the resumption of business-as-usual flights. However, the prime minister's deputy Winston Peters believes flights should be taking off from New Zealand to lesser-impacted regions of Australia - such as Tasmania and the Northern Territory - immediately. Ms Ardern has pushed back against growing expectations of a 'trans-Tasman bubble', arguing her country's border controls have been a key plank in the government's efforts to eliminate the virus. On Thursday, New Zealand health officials announced a sixth consecutive day without a new case of COVID-19, but a 22nd death from the virus. New Zealand could soon reopen its borders to Australian holidaymakers as part of a 'trans-Tasman bubble' (Pictured: Tourists in Queenstown, NZ) Tourism is New Zealand's biggest export industry, contributing $16.2 billion to the nation's GDP (Pictured: Supermodel Georgia Fowler poses for a photo in Piha, New Zealand) New Zealand has just eight active cases of the virus, and none requiring hospital-level care. Asked about the Trans-Tasman Safe Border Group's plan, to be presented to both governments in early June, Ms Ardern agreed with its quoted goal of September. 'September is realistic, but I haven't given specifics around what date precisely,' Ms Ardern said at the reopening of the country's national museum and art gallery, Te Papa, on Thursday. 'Needless to say, Prime Minister Morrison and I have been very, very keen to see us moving towards an opening up about borders as soon as it's safe to do so. 'We are just giving ourselves the space to make sure that we are ready to go, that we are safe, and that we're not going to export risk to one another.' Across town at parliament, Mr Peters took a different view. Both countries closed their borders to travellers in March as the coronavirus crisis escalated (pictured: Lake Pukaki, New Zealand) The move would give the tourism industry a much-needed boost as international tourism is likely to remain banned for many months As leader of coalition partner New Zealand First, Mr Peters has agitated to move faster than Ms Ardern's Labour party in re-opening the economy after tough lockdown conditions. Mr Peters suggested moving faster than the advice received by the recommendations compiled by health and government officials, airports, airlines in the Trans-Tasman Safe Border Group's plan. 'You can have experts and you can have advisory groups and then you have people who take the responsibility. And that's where government comes in,' he said. 'Advice is one thing. But we have to make decisions about something else, the absolute crisis we've got now in our economy and the faster we turn that around the better.' Aussies could be hitting the slopes in New Zealand soon, despite Queensland refusing to budge on its border rules Australians could be escaping to New Zealand for a winter holiday instead of Queensland this year (pictured: A woman at Onsen Hot Pools in Queenstown) Asked whether flights could be taking place to Australia today, Mr Peters said "yes". 'The premier of Tasmania said so,' he said. 'He said he wanted to revive the 1990 flights ... (and) look at Queensland's results. Look at the Northern Territory results. They also exceed ours. 'We've got to take all the expert advice into consideration, but be sure of this, all that medical advice is only so sound whilst we can pay for the outcome of this.' Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Carol Bush requested an absentee ballot nearly three weeks ago and says she never got it. One of her sons, Gary, requested his more than a week ago and hopes it arrives Thursday. They are among the New Mexicans increasingly worried about receiving or returning their ballots or both in time to participate in the June 2 primary election. I was expecting mine today, and I have not received it, Gary Bush, a teaching laboratory supervisor at the University of New Mexicos chemistry department, said Wednesday. Were getting to crunch time. Election officials throughout the state say theyve heard similar complaints and fears as thousands of new voters turn to absentee balloting as a way to vote safely from home and avoid the risk of COVID-19. In Bernalillo County alone, nearly 42,000 people have voted absentee four times as many as in the 2016 primary election. And those are just the ballots that have been returned. The County Clerks Office has mailed out well over 110,000 absentee ballots. Under state law, the ballots must be returned to election officials by 7 p.m. Tuesday to count. Bernalillo County Clerk Linda Stover said she understands the worries of some voters that their ballots wont make it back in time. We have the same anxiety, Stover said Wednesday. I think its the sheer volume of whats happened. I dont think people realized that there would be such a response to the opportunity to vote absentee. Election officials throughout New Mexico have been pushing for voters to cast absentee ballots this year a process intended to promote safety by limiting the transmission of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus. But the effort has put an extra burden on the mail system. In addition to the ballots themselves, absentee applications are also moving through the mail. Voters must first apply for a ballot verifying their address before election officials mail a ballot to them. After a legal clash over election procedures, the state Supreme Court earlier this year ordered New Mexico county clerks to mail applications to eligible voters. Needless to say, this is a historically challenging moment for clerks offices, the vendors that support us, and our regional USPS system, Dona Ana Countys chief deputy clerk, Lindsey Bachman, said Wednesday. Many voters, she said, are just now sending in their applications. Stover put it this way: There are thousands of these ballots going out and coming back. No flexibility under law U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, a Democratic candidate for the Senate, said hes heard not only of delays but also of ballots that are missing altogether. In a written statement, he asked Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver to accept ballots as long as theyre postmarked by June 2. A spokesman for Toulouse Oliver said state law doesnt offer that flexibility. Ballots must be returned by 7 p.m. election night to count. As for missing ballots, Santa Fe County Clerk Geraldine Salazar said election officials discovered a discrepancy in a database connection between a vendor that mails out ballots and the states voter registration system, which initially kept residents of a retirement community from getting their ballots. But her staff is following up with the voters, she said, and most have since received their ballots. About 50 people were initially affected in one precinct, Salazar said. Other options available Voters worried about the mail have some options. People who have filled out their absentee ballot but not yet mailed it can deliver it in person to any early voting location or the Clerks Office. They can also take it to a polling place on Election Day. An immediate family member or caregiver of the voter can also deliver the ballot. People who requested a ballot but didnt receive one have the option of voting in person. They can get a replacement ballot and vote at a polling location. Election officials say there are protections to prohibit voting twice. Poll workers have access to a database showing whether someone has already returned an absentee ballot. In some cases, voters might be asked to use a provisional ballot in person, meaning it wont be counted until election workers determine they didnt already vote. Still, there are fears about ballots ending up lost in the mail. Daniel Ivey-Soto, a Democratic state senator and lawyer who works for county clerks, said New Mexicos mail is often routed through El Paso or Lubbock, Texas, even if its sent from one in-state address to another. Clerks, Ivey-Soto said, have repeatedly raised concerns about delivery delays this year. But every year, Ivey-Soto said, theres the occasional ballot that isnt counted because it arrives after Election Day. Its a reality, Ivey-Soto said. There will be more this year. A spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service said Wednesday that the agency is committed to delivering Election Mail in a timely manner. Bush, the absentee voter from Albuquerque, said he and his mom are hoping to receive their ballots Thursday. Election workers at the Clerks Office, he said, have been in touch and sent his mother a new ballot. But Bush said he still expects to rely on the U.S. mail getting the ballot back to the clerk in time. His mom whos 84 doesnt drive, he said, and hes not sure he will have time to hand-deliver a ballot. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: Alarmed at the rapidly increasing number of Covid 19 positive cases, the state government in Bihar directed the health department to increase the health infrastructure in COVID-19 dedicated hospitals on war footing. He has asked to amp up the capacity of COVID hospitals to test 10,000 samples per day, and to increase the number of beds and isolation wards to meet the growing demand for virus treatment. Reviewing the preparedness to meet the emerging situation of growing count of COVID-19 cases, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Wednesday directed the officials to take necessary measures on an emergent basis in time-bound manner. The total count of COVID-19 cases reached 3,010 on Wednesday of which 918 recovered whereas 15 people have died. According to official sources, the chief minister asked the officials to convert the newly built government buildings that are not in use now, into isolation wards. Kumar also directed the health department to increase the number of beds in almost all the COVID-19 dedicated hospitals in addition to increase the testing of samples to upto 10,000 per day. According to official sources, the state government has dedicated NMCH, PMCH, IGIMS, AIIMS in Patna, ANMCH in Gaya, JLNMCH in Bhgalapur and SKMCH in Muzaffarpur to handle COVID-19 cases. In total, all these dedicated hospitals can handle up to 25,000 patients at a time. Meanwhile, the state health minister Mangal Pandey told the media that two state-of-the-art cobas testing machines have been received from the ICMR for RMRI and the IGIMS. "Each of these two machines has a capacity to test 1,000 samples per day giving a rise of additional 2000 testing of samples. The current testing capacity of around 3500 samples per day would increase to 5500 with the functioning of two cobas machines," Pandey said, adding that state will achieve the target of testing 10,000 samples per day in the next few weeks. Official sources said that 2,072 migrant labourers who have returned from other states have been tested positive so far from May 3 to May 27. The highest number of 486 migrant labourers returned from Maharashtra have been tested positive with infection of Covid-19 followed by 462 from Delhi, 361 from Gujarat, 187 from Haryana, 107 from Rajasthan and other states. Till date, more than 16 lakh migrant workers and other citizens have returned from other states by the Sharmik special trains and more than 4 to 5 lakh migrant labourers are expected to return in next few weeks by trains. Even so, the plan is bound to be watered down in the weeks and months ahead. The proposal requires unanimous backing by member states, and a handful of the richer and less affected ones, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, consider joint borrowing and grant distribution to be unfair. We need to take everyones interests into account and there are very different interest groups: the southern countries, who fundamentally always want more; the East Europeans, who have an interest in preventing everything from flowing south; and, of course, those who have to pay for it all, the net payers, Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian chancellor, who opposes parts of the commissions proposal, told Politico on Wednesday. But the countries hardest hit by the virus, namely Italy and Spain, are also too big and too central to the European Unions ambitions to let fail. For now the plan not only suggested large-scale joint borrowing, but also that most of the money raised be distributed in the form of grants, or free cash. The 750 billion raised would be split in two pots, the commission said. One would include 500 billion to be distributed as grants to all countries based on their recovery needs, with Italy getting the biggest slice and Spain the second biggest. This means the money would be free, with no repayment demanded and no strings attached, and would not count toward national debt levels. Another pot of 250 billion would be made available in the form of loans to countries that apply for them, coming with more scrutiny and conditions, and would be added to a countrys debt load. At the heart of the commissions plan is the idea of using some of its own budget to issue bonds, a move its made only a handful of times for smaller amounts in the past. The institution, which has a Triple-A rating, the best possible, from ratings agencies, said it could levy its own taxes to repay those bonds, which will have a maximum 30-year maturity. Treasury yields rose slightly on Thursday after a fresh batch of economic data showed the pandemic's damage to the U.S. economy. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note edged up 2 basis points to 0.689% and the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was up 3 basis points at 1.45%. Yields move inversely to prices. Another 2.123 million Americans filed first-time jobless claims last week, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones were expecting 2.05 million new filings. Since the pandemic was declared in mid-March, more than 40 million have filed claims. Meanwhile, the U.S economy shrank 5% in the first quarter, versus a preliminary reading of a 4.8% decline, according to a revision from the Commerce Department. This also marked the first negative GDP reading since in the first quarter of 2014. Investor focus also remains attuned to escalating tensions between the U.S. and China over new security laws for Hong Kong. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Congress on Wednesday that Hong Kong risks losing its special status with the U.S. over concerns that the laws will diminish its independence from Beijing. Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed legislation calling for sanctions against Chinese officials over the detention and torture of Uighur Muslims in the country's western region of Xinjiang. Auctions will be held Thursday for $80 billion of 4-week Treasury bills, $70 billion of 8-week bills, $40 billion of 154-day bills and $38 billion of 7-year notes. There were five arrests for sex crimes in Fort Bend County from May 17-23. Listed below are the names of the suspects and the currently known details of their alleged crimes. All defendants on this list are innocent until proven guilty. Michael Ray Bailey, age 40, from Missouri City, was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of sexual assault. He was also charged with three counts of assaulting a family member or member of his household, including one count of impeding breathing. The briefing comes one day after Trump announced that he had ordered an expedited inquiry to be conducted by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On Wednesday, Trump said the agencies were "already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd." President Donald Trump was briefed Thursday by Attorney General William Barr on the status of a federal investigation into the death of a black man in Minnesota whose violent arrest at the hands of a white officer has sparked calls for criminal charges, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. U.S. President Donald Trump, with Attorney General William Barr, speaks in the Oval Office before signing an executive order related to regulating social media on May 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. Floyd's death in police custody in Minneapolis on Monday has so far led to the firing of the four police officers who were involved in his arrest and prompted a wave of protests in the city, the state's largest. Tape of the arrest shows Floyd handcuffed and crying out that he cannot breathe as a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneels on his neck. McEnany told reporters at a press briefing on Thursday that Trump watched the video and was "very upset by it." "It was egregious. Appalling. Tragic," McEnany said. "And it prompted him to pick up the phone, or the chief of staff to pick up the phone, and say, 'We need to expedite' what was already an FBI investigation." David Bowdich, deputy director of the FBI, also participated in the briefing, McEnany said. The Justice Department and the FBI put out a joint statement earlier in the day announcing that the investigation was a "top priority." "The federal investigation will determine whether the actions by the involved former Minneapolis Police Department officers violated federal law," the statement said. "It is a violation of federal law for an individual acting under color of law to willfully deprive another person of any right protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States." Anger over the arrest spawned a wave of protests in Minneapolis this week that has led to at least one death, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, a local outlet. Dozens of businesses were looted or torched, the newspaper reported. Mayor Jacob Frey called in the National Guard to help manage the situation. Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing Floyd's family, has urged activists to protest peacefully. "We cannot sink to the level of our oppressors and endanger each other as we respond to the necessary urge to raise our voices in unison and in outrage," Crump wrote in a post Thursday on Twitter. "Looting and violence distract from strength of our collective voice." Crump tweet Two anti-corruption experts have said the recent order by an Accra High Court for the seizure of assets of persons convicted in the NCA case is a significant deterring anti-corruption measure. Overall, they view Justice Eric Kyei Baffours judgement as the clearest indication yet of the application of laws to combat corruption. Regarding Justice Kyei Baffours order for the seizure and forfeiture to the Republic of any asset of the convicted persons to the tune of US$3 million, Korieh Duodu, a Senior Partner at Egality Law, said Putting someone in jail over this type of allegation is really only a part of the deterrent effect. Now, if you can also take steps to recover the losses to the state, there are a number of benefits to doing thatyou strike fear to the hearts of those who are involved in stealing from the state and dispersing those funds; profiting from those funds, said the legal practitioner and anti-corruption expert. Mrs Linda Ofori-Kwafo, Executive Director, Ghana Integrity Initiative on the other hand asks of what relevance and importance [would it be] if you are only able to send people to jail and not be able to recover the monies that were wrongly applied? She said If you use state resources wrongfully and then you are investigated and found culpable and then there is a judgement that says take the assets and actually the assets are recoveredit will serve as a warning and a deterrence to other people that the benefit of corruption is actually lower than the cost it brings to the perpetrators. Watch their full comments in the first episode of the Corruption Watch webcast series released today in Accra. The webcast series, which is available on-demand on YouTube channel (Corruption Watch Ghana) will complement the traditional Corruption Watch Radio Programme that airs on two platforms of the Multimedia Group Joy FMs Super Morning Show (SMS) and Adom FMs Badwam. In this first episode of the webcast series, our guests discuss asset recovery. Our case study is the May 12, 2020 judgement by an Accra High Court presided over by Justice Kyei Baffour, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court Judge. In that judgment, Justice Kyei Baffour sentenced three of the five persons accused of corruption in the clandestine purchase of supposed cybersecurity equipment for the National Communications Authority (NCA) to a collective 16 years imprisonment. In his judgement, Justice Kyei Baffour gave an order for the seizure of any asset of the convicted persons to the tune of Three Million US dollars. The seized assets are to be forfeited to the State (Ghana). Justice Kyei Baffour also ordered the Attorney-General to take steps to enforce this order of the court. Egality Laws Duodu assessed that this is a reasoned and solid judgementwith important ramifications in Ghanas fight against corruption because it has a number of powerful features to it which should stand Ghana in good stead in recovering stolen funds in future. Mrs Ofori-Kwafo further stated that the judgement is a boost and reassurance that there is hope and that if we continue to do the right things we are likely to get the results that we are looking for. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A rollover accident on Interstate 35 during the Memorial Day weekend has claimed another life. A 7-year-old girl died Tuesday from her injuries, and two other passengers, Destiny Bridges, 24, and Sean Thompson, 31, both of San Antonio, died Saturday. Investigators said a 2002 Ford Explorer was carrying 10 people when a tire blew and the SUV veered off Interstate 35 and rolled over several times about 7:30 p.m. Saturday in San Marcos. The SUV came to rest on the east access road. Everyone but the driver were ejected from the SUV. Police identified Tamera Tychelle Gordley as the driver. It was Gordleys 7-year-old daughter who died Tuesday, according to Bridges family members. Gordleys husband, Thompson, also was killed. Reached Wednesday evening, Gordley was making funeral arrangements and was unable to speak at length. San Marcos police said five adults and five children were inside the vehicle. They suspect only Gordley was wearing a seat belt. Bridges died at the scene, and Thompson died later that night, officials said. All of the adults were taken to Ascension Seton Hospital in Kyle with multiple injuries. The girl was taken to Dell Childrens Medical Center in Austin, where she died. Two other children were also taken there and are in stable condition, authorities said. Police said two boys, ages 8 and 10, did not require hospital care and now are with relatives. The Ford Explorer was suited for only five passengers, police said. According to the companys website, the model is equipped with front-impact airbags for the driver and passenger. Bridges adoptive mother, Mary Sinaka, 61, said the group was heading to a crawfish boil in Austin. She said Gordley had picked up Bridges on Saturday afternoon when she finished her shift at the Texas Thrift Store, at 7500 Interstate 35 North. Gordley and Bridges met while working at the thrift store and became close friends over the past year and a half, Sinaka said. Family members described Bridges as a caring person who loved fashion design. After she graduated from Wagner High School in San Antonio in 2014, she went to Ogle School for cosmetology. She wore her hair different colors, she was all into it, Sinaka said. Bridges and Gordley shared an interest in fashion design, and the two recently had been planning a business together. Bridges was always calling to check in on her sisters, aunts and other relatives, asking if they had taken their medicine for the day or if theyve eaten, family members said. She was just caring, Sinaka said. There was not a negative bone in her body. Her oldest sister, Devin Leath, 39, said Destiny always asked to talk to the children first. She would call me and say Wheres my babies? Leath recalled. She was even preparing to start school this year to be a nurses aide. She was the most positive one, Sinaka said. She lifted everybody up. Jacob Beltran is a reporter covering San Antonio and Bexar County. To read more from Jacob, become a subscriber. jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA Irina Shayk showcased her gorgeous gams in a skintight scarlet minidress on Wednesday, one day after visiting her ex Bradley Cooper's NYC home. As she put her long legs on full display, the 34-year-old supermodel accessorized her fiery look with a cropped houndstooth jacket, which featured the Rolling Stones' legendary lips and tongue logo. While storming the streets of West Village with catwalk elegance, Shayk made fashionable strides in a pair of lace-up Dr. Martens combat boots. Stylish: Irina Shayk showcased her gorgeous gams in a skintight scarlet minidress on Wednesday, one day after visiting her ex Bradley Cooper's NYC home The back of her eye-catching short-waisted blazer featured the brand's name, Chrome Hearts, largely in red and gold lettering. The Russian native was all about the details, as she layered three delicate chains against her sun-kissed skin. Shayk had her hands full, as she carried onto a micro crocodile purse and phone. Leggy display: As she put her stunning stems on full display, the 34-year-old supermodel accessorized her fiery look with a cropped houndstooth jacket, which featured the Rolling Stones' legendary lips and tongue logo She made an amicable visit to see her ex-partner, who is the father of her three-year-old daughter Lea on Tuesday. Shayk and the eight-time Oscar nominee spent nearly four hours together, as she stayed long enough to join him for a meal delivered via food delivery. While Cooper and their little girl were not seen during the meet up, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover girl was spotted accepting a small takeout order from a deliveryman. Co-parenting: She made an amicable visit to see her ex-partner, who is the father of her three-year-old daughter Lea on Tuesday The Intimissimi model and Grammy winner have been working on their friendship since their split in June 2019. Their longtime relationship came to an end after months of speculation that he was having a tryst with his A Star is Born co-star Lady Gaga. However, both Cooper and Gaga long denied that there was anything romantic between them off-screen. Moving on: She recently sparked dating rumors with art dealer Vito Schnabel, 33, at the end of March, as they broke social distancing rules to hang out Her and Cooper's solid co-parenting arrangement is largely due to their commitment to living in the same city. 'You have to be really truly yourself for your kids, otherwise you're living in a lie,' the model told Harper's Bazaar after her and Cooper parted ways. The pair share legal and physical custody of Lea, who is named after Shayk's paternal grandmother. 'Two great people dont have to make a good couple. I think we've been very lucky to experience what we had with each other,' she told British Vogue earlier this year; pictured in 2018 After their breakup, People confirmed the cover girl's 'number one priority' was their daughter and reiterated she is a 'hands-on mom.' She recently sparked dating rumors with art dealer Vito Schnabel, 33, at the end of March, as they broke social distancing rules to hang out. Shayk and the Brooklyn-born entrepreneur's date first turned heads, as it marked the first she had been pictured with a potential new boyfriend since her and Cooper parted ways. In surviving two hurricanes, Paul Bailey has weathered the worst Mother Nature could offer in his 36-plus years of owning and operating Sudies Catfish House. At least thats what he believed until 2020 arrived. Bailey says unequivocally that he has never encountered a foe quite like the novel coronavirus pandemic. Sudies, a seafood staple in the Pasadena community, is fighting to stay afloat in unprecedented times. Even though Bailey never closed the restaurant during the pandemic, it is a daily struggle. I really cant say if well make it I think its anybodys guess, Bailey said. I want to stay in business to get to the other side, as they call it, and see what happens. I just dont know, and I dont think anybody else knows. I keep data on it every day when we get day-end reports, he said. Now, were right about 60 percent dine-in and 40 percent to-go orders. We commonly have an 80-20 split, and I think that shows that theres still a lot of people afraid to come back. Weve done some stuff like online ordering, which has added about 5 percent on to the gross. A bad first half Bailey said the pandemic couldnt have struck at a more crucial time for his business. The big thing for us is were at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo every year, he said. Weve been there 20 years. Weve grown accustomed to the rodeo and Lent - because were a seafood establishment. We rely heavily on the first half of the year for the majority of our income. It drops off the second half, and now it put us in a bind to make it. One in every three restaurants arent going to make it, and you dont want to be that one. Weve been around too long. Bailey has seen, first-hand, the effects of the pandemic. One of our competitors up the street looks like its closed, he said. I dont know if its permanent or temporary. Ive driven by it a few times and theres no one there. Continuing to offer full menu Bailey is doing his best to keep his chin up. One thing I was proud of that other restaurants werent able to do is that we were able to provide a full menu through all of this, he said. We didnt go to a partial menu like a lot of them did. We had the core guys in the kitchen that could pull it off and they did. Bailey said his team has become more aggressive in trying to secure external business. We put three of our employees we brought back doing cold calls to businesses in Houston to attract business for our catering, he said. Weve done a number of social distancing caterings where we cook on site. We cook it there, box it and put it in these XL containers. Then we put them on a table away from where we make it and let them pick it up. In November, Bailey hopes to celebrate 37 years of serving customers in Pasadena. I really dont know how its going to turn out, he said. When you see these chain guys shutting down a lot of restaurants or getting out of the business, and then you see mom-and-pops struggling like us, its anybodys guess. Giving it our best shot Were giving it our best shot by fixing up the place and just doing the best we can in every area. We didnt shut down. When this started, we went straight to-go orders and never closed our doors. The customers really want to see us make it, and boy, I sure appreciate them. On the busiest day we have, which is Good Friday, we had all to-go orders. No dine-in this year. At one time, Bailey opened a second location, but his business sense benefited him in that regard. He sold the League City restaurant shortly before Hurricane Harvey hit in August 2017. That site flooded, and the building remains vacant. The Bailey family has been operating its Pasadena restaurant at its current location since 1983, specializing in Mississippi farm-raised catfish. Other old-fashioned recipes include hand-butterflied and hand-breaded shrimp along with signature items such as fried green tomatoes, fried dill pickles and in-season hot boiled crawfish. Son Clay Bailey has assumed many of the day-to-day operations from his father. The elder Bailey wishes he had a crystal ball. Doing to-go orders you cant meet what you do on dine-ins, he said. Particularly after July and August, well see what its going to be like. At the rodeo, wed go out there and build a booth that looks like an old house next to our trailer in the parking lot. Wed serve a bunch of people the entire run of the rodeo. Ive never seen anything like this. Our two biggest revenue months are lost, Bailey said. For us, you couldnt have picked a worse time for this to happen. tdunnam@hcnonline.com As Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." blared from speakers, protesters supporting the Second Amendment and opposing coronavirus restrictions strung a stuffed effigy of Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear from a tree outside the governor's mansion on Sunday. Republicans and Democrats alike quickly denounced the scene, with Beshear calling it a "celebration of assassination on our capitol grounds." But on Tuesday, Beshear also laid some blame for the violent imagery on Republican lawmakers in his state, whom he accused of contributing to the increasingly tense atmosphere at anti-lockdown protests. "You cannot fan the flames and condemn the fire," Beshear said Tuesday. As President Donald Trump and his close allies have turned pandemic restrictions into a partisan battle, pitting ideological loyalties against public health advice, Democratic governors overseeing hard-hit states have faced increasingly heated protests from people frustrated with the stay-at-home orders and business closures that started in March. Beshear is the second governor to face an implied threat of assassination by way of an effigy. On May 14, protesters tussled over a brunette doll hanging from a noose on the steps of the Michigan Capitol, just days after local reports had surfaced Facebook posts making threats against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Whitmer also accused the GOP of inciting the violent protests. The governor told "Axios on HBO" on Monday that Republicans in the Michigan legislature had been encouraging protesters in her state. She added that she had asked the Trump administration to dial back the president's provocative rhetoric on Twitter, where he has called to "LIBERATE" Michigan and voiced support for armed protesters there. "The heat is ratcheting up," she told Axios. In Kentucky on Sunday, protesters hung a sign around the dummy's neck that said "sic semper tyrannis," a Latin phrase meaning "thus always to tyrants" that John Wilkes Booth claimed he shouted after assassinating President Abraham Lincoln. The violent symbol marked the crescendo of a protest attended on Sunday by the Kentucky Three Percenters, a chapter of a far-right militia group affiliated with the Patriot movement. "Let's start by calling it what it was and what it is, actions aimed at creating fear and terror," Beshear said, describing the protesters' actions. Beshear said they had "chanted and heckled" on the other side of a window where his children often play. His children, ages 10 and 9, were not home during the protest, he added. "I will not be afraid, I will not be bullied and I will not back down," Beshear said on Tuesday. Beshear pointed to recent rhetoric from GOP legislators as a source of the extreme hostility displayed at Sunday's protest. A couple of Republican state legislators had attended a similar protest in early May and gave speeches that bashed Beshear in dramatic terms, he said. "Standing in front of a radical militia group, these elected officials claimed that people including me aren't Christian, and even told them that people wanted babies to be murdered," Beshear added. "What do you think was gonna happen after throwing out those type of claims to this group? Shouldn't they have known what was going to happen?" State Rep. Savannah Maddox, one of the Republican lawmakers Beshear criticized, said she wasn't at Sunday's rally and stands with her caucus "in condemning all acts of hatred in the context of political discourse." But she also fired back at the governor and her political opponents who criticized her for taking a photo with the man who hung the effigy at a past event. "His remarks are part of a greater initiative that he has unveiled in conjunction with the Kentucky Democratic Party to deflect responsibility for the economic turmoil his actions have created," she said in a statement. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Many other high-profile Republicans in Kentucky denounced the effigy quickly and forcefully. Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne said he and his fellow Republicans were "outraged" by the violent imagery displayed on the capitol grounds. "The party of Lincoln will not condone this," he said, invoking a direct contrast to the phrase protesters attached to the hanging dummy. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the protesters went too far by hanging the effigy. "As a strong defender of the First Amendment, I believe Americans have the right to peacefully protest," he said in a statement. "However, today's action toward Governor Beshear is unacceptable. There is no place for hate in Kentucky." Daniel Cameron, the state's Republican attorney general, called the imagery "sickening." "We have to learn to disagree without threats of violence," he tweeted Sunday. The swift backlash brought consequences on at least one of the men who strung up the effigy. Neil Huffman Automotive Group, which runs several car dealerships in Kentucky, said on Tuesday the company had fired an employee involved in the incident after an internal investigation. "There is no place for hate or intolerance in any of our dealerships," the company said in a statement. In an attempt to reassure the Democratic Party establishment, the Biden campaign, and the corporate bosses they represent that she is a team player, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a former Biden rival, ended any pretense last week of championing reform to the US health care system should she become vice president in a Joe Biden administration. During a May 19 Zoom meeting hosted by the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, Warren fielded softball questions from students and the host for nearly an hour. Responding to a query regarding the receptivity of a universal or hybrid health care system posed by David Axelrod, a longtime Democratic Party consultant and former senior adviser to Barack Obama, Warren replied, I think right now people want to see improvements in our health care system, and that means strengthening the Affordable Care Act. In dropping any mention of her signature campaign proposal known as Medicare for All, Warren is demonstrating that there is no pushing the Democratic party, the oldest capitalist party in the world, to the left, nor is there a constituency in the ruling class for any reforms that might impact the profits of insurance companies or drug manufacturers. Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren at a debate in 2019 (AP Photo/John Minchillo) Warrens campaign pledge, which was a copy of the legislation she had previously cosponsored with Bernie Sanders, had already been dialed back by the senator last year in the face of open hostility from corporate America. Within three weeks after the release of her bold plan during the fall primary, Warren released a backup plan that still preserved the private insurance market, while offering the option of Medicare for people under 65. In dropping her (by now largely rhetorical) support for universal health care coverage, Warren showed impeccable timing, since nearly 40 million workers have applied for unemployment benefits in the US as a result of coronavirus-related layoffs, and millions of those have lost, or are on the verge of losing, their employer-based health care coverage. The objective necessity for a universal health care system could not be posed more clearly, yet according to Warren, people arent yet comfortable with that. The opposition to providing health care to all as a basic right is not, of course, the reluctance of the people to embrace such a plan, as Warren suggests. It is the ferocious, last-ditch opposition of the insurance companies, drug monopolies and for-profit hospital and health care corporations, which would lose billions, and the overall opposition of Wall Street, which reviles all forms of social spending as a deduction from profit. Warren went on to articulate the kind of proposal one can expect from a self-proclaimed capitalist to the bone. Remarking that the pandemic had revealed who is essential in society, Warren floated legislation for an essential workers bill of rights, so limited that it would guarantee hand sanitizer and if they get sick, full health care coverage. This is an insult to workers and their families that would do nothing to protect them from COVID-19. What good is hand sanitizer to a meatpacker forced to work with a contaminated mask or without personal protective equipment? Warren declined to elaborate what full health care coverage entailed, or what workers would be expected to pay for it but, given her full-throated endorsement of the Affordable Care Act, one can expect that the cost for workers will not be cheap. Expressing her class orientation, Warren did not cite any actual workers as to what they might want in an essential workers bill of rights, such as a guaranteed job, income if one falls ill or, even more important, regular effective testing at worksites to prevent such illness. That such measures are not even considered, much less mentioned as over 100,000 people have died due to COVID-19 in the last three months, is a damning indictment of the progressive movement of upper middle-class lawyers and well-paid tenured academics for whom Warren was the standard-bearer. Since dropping out of the race and endorsing Biden, Warren and her team have been working closely with the Democratic establishment to bolster the former vice presidents credibility among younger and left-leaning voters who previously supported either Sanders or Warren but have been less than enthused with the prospect of being told to vote for the reactionary Biden. Seeking to ingratiate herself further into the Biden campaign, and abandoning another central tenet of her own campaign, Warren will host a high-dollar fundraiser for the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 15. Warren refused to hold such fundraisers during the presidential primary contest, although she had attended and hosted several such events during her 2018 reelection campaign in Massachusetts. She made this a campaign issue, repeatedly criticized other candidates who were unable to finance their campaigns through small-dollar contributions over the internet, as Sanders and Warren did. One such event in her Massachusetts reelection campaign, as reported by the New York Times, was an intimate fundraiser at the Barclay Prime steakhouse in Philadelphia hosted by the former governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell. Rendell and several of his friends cut $4,000 checks for Warren over plates of Wagyu ribeye, foie gras, truffle cheese whiz and champagne. This allowed Warren to begin her presidential campaign with over $10.4 million left over from her Senate run and forgo such events during the primary, painting herself as a tribune of the people who could be trusted to take on the moneyed interests. In taking her place once again at the corporate troughin support of Biden, and, if he chooses her as a running mate, for her own benefit as wellWarren is demonstrating that her populist pretensions were nothing more than a marketing tool, to be discarded as soon as they become inconvenient. The Jigawa State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), on Thursday, said 29 health workers who tested positive for coronavirus in the state have recovered and have been discharged from the treatment centres. The NMA chairperson, Nura Basirka, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES in Dutse, the state capital, said the health workers had been infected while discharging their duties at various facilities in the state. According to Mr Basirka, they include 12 doctors and 17 other health workers. Mr Basirka said the doctors got infected while trying to save the lives of patients, especially those brought to Jigawa from neighbouring states where they had been denied care over the fear of coronavirus. He, however, said no death was recorded among the health personnel as all of them recovered and have been discharged. No Hazard Allowance The official said doctors in Jigawa are yet to be paid the new hazard allowance promised by the state government. The old payment of N5,000 as hazard allowance is still maintained in Jigawa, we hope that the government will review this and implement the new package on hazard allowance, the NMA chairman said. READ ALSO: The government provided the personal protective equipment (PPEs) on Wednesday. That was our major obstacle, with this development, I can assure that our members are now adequately provided with the protective materials, he added. We appreciate your efforts Governor Earlier on Wednesday while presenting the PPEs, Governor Muhammad Badaru expressed the gratitude of the state to health workers, describing them as heroes. The health workers are working tirelessly to ensure our safety, also your safety (health workers) is our concern. We are happy to note that all the 29 infected health workers have recovered and been discharged. I urge all of you to utilise your training, use the protective gears provided to you and deploy your personal conviction to individually protect yourselves otherwise more will get infected and this will once again put us in a state of worry, anxiety and uncertainty, Mr Badaru said. T witter founder Jack Dorsey has hit back at comments made by Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg in a row over fact-checking. It came after Mr Zuckerberg said his influential platform, which reportedly has 2.5 billion global users, shouldnt be the arbiter of truth in fact-checking everything people say online. The row followed an incident where Twitter marked one of the president's tweets making unsubstantiated claims about widespread fraud in absentee postal voting, known as mail-in ballots in the US as misleading for the first time. His since-deleted post also repeating his often made "rigged election" allegations was tagged with a Twitter alert label telling other users to Get the facts about mail-in ballots. But Mr Zuckerberg has suggested social media platforms had no business policing "everything that people say online". Mr Zuckerberg said Facebook should not be an "arbiter of the truth" / AP He told Fox News: "We have a different policy, I think, than Twitter on this. "I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn't be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online. Mr Zuckerberg added: In general, private companies probably shouldn't be, especially these platform companies, shouldn't be in the position of doing that. Now Mr Dorsey, whose microblogging site has some 330 million users, has said the fact-check label was added to give more transparency. Writing on Twitter, he said: Fact check: there is someone ultimately accountable for our actions as a company, and thats me. Please leave our employees out of this. "Well continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make. This does not make us an arbiter of truth. "Our intention is to connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves. More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions." Studies have not shown evidence backing the presidents claims of large absentee voting fraud, with CNN reporting that one law professor found just 31 such instances between 2000 and 2014. Postal voting is expected to increase dramatically in the November presidential elections, with Trump seeking a second term, due to concerns about in-person voting amid the coronavirus pandemic. Now the White House has said President Trump, a prolific Twitter user with more than 80 million followers on his personal account, has said he will sign an executive order a diktat not requiring congressional approval targeting social media firms. The order is expected to establish a mechanism allowing Americans to report political censorship or bias, and review of laws protecting social media firms from the material posted by users. In the early hours today, he again tweeted accusations that Big Tech was trying to silence conservative opinion. Facebook also funds a fact-checking programme, but when Mr Trump posted the same comments there about postal votes it was not labelled or removed. The social network said the post had not broken its rules due to its belief that people should be able to have a robust debate about the electoral process. NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday lifted the restrictions imposed on the export of Paracetamol a medicine which is used in treatment of COVID-19 infection and treating fever. According to reports, Paracetamol has now been moved to free category from restricted one. The restriction on the export of Paracetamol was imposed on March 3 to ensure its availability in the local market GSK is the biggest producer of Paracetamol. Earlier on April 17, the government had lifted the ban imposed on the export of formulations made from Paracetamol amid COVID-19 outbreak. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification that the formulations made from Paracetamol including fixed-dose combinations will be made available for export with immediate effect. However, the DGFT notification stated that the restrictions imposed on the export of Paracetamol active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) will continue to be in place. Paracetamol, also known by the name of acetaminophen, was first made in 1877. The other trade names for paracetamol include Tylenol and Panadol. The drug is mainly used to treat fever and provide mild to moderate pain relief. Paracetamol is also sold in combinations with other medicines. It is also used to cure severe pain, such as pain felt after surgery and cancer pain. Paracetamol is available in India in many formulations including liquid suspension, tablets, drops, injection and rectal suppositories with varied concentrations. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) The Department of Education says it will respect whatever decision parents will reach regarding the enrollment of their children in light of the coronavirus pandemic. "Nasa parents na yun kung ano ang desisyon nila at rerespetuhin namin yung kanilang desisyon kung papag-aralin nila o hindi ang kanilang mga anak sa ibang mga paraan na hindi ma-expose to danger ang kabataan," said Education Secretary Leonor Briones in a Laging Handa virtual briefing on Friday. [Translation: It's up to the parents to decide and we will respect their decision on whether they will make their children study or not using other ways that will not expose them to danger.] Enrollment for this school year, which will run starting this August 24 to April 30, 2021, shall be held for the entire month of June, said Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla in the briefing. "Ang una nating gustong mangyari ay remote ang mangyayari na enrollment. Ibig sabihin, yung pong mga estudyante natin na Grade 1 to Grade 12, sila po ay kokontakin ng kanilang mga advisers, mga previous advisers nila," she explained. [Translation: What we want to happen first is remote enrollment. This means students from Grade 1 to Grade 12 will be contacted by their previous advisers (about enrollment).] The agency shall also distribute survey forms with the assistance of local governments to those unable to enroll remotely that shall assess their current conditions, Sevilla said. "[D]ito po, mad-design na po natin yung sinasabi nating Learning Continuity Plan kung saan hindi po pupwede ang face-to-face (learning) ay gagawin natin kung ano po yung iba pa na kaya gawin ng Department of Education na pamamaraan. Ito po yung learning delivery modalities kagaya ng online learning, distance learning, blended learning or even po yung pagbigay ng mga modules papunta sa kanilang mga bahay," she explained. [Translation: Here we can design the Learning Continuity Plan that we've mentioned, wherein face-to-face (learning) is not allowed so we proceed with other ways the Department of Education is able to do. These are learning delivery modalities such as online learning, distance learning, blended learning, or even the delivery of modules to their homes.] RELATED: DepEd: Tuition fees steady due to alternative learning expenses The Education chief also clarified that the agency's stand on school classes is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte's take on the issue. "I would like to emphasize there is no conflict, there is no disagreement, there is no debate between the pronouncement of the President and that of the department because they're exactly the same," said Briones, adding that the department will not allow face-to-face, physical learning wherein students are right beside each other. Earlier this week, Duterte spoke against classes opening while there is still no COVID-19 vaccine. Local officials propose postponement of school opening Meanwhile, some local government officials are calling for the postponement of the opening of classes in August. Quirino Governor Dakila Cua recommended delaying it by six months to a year to ensure the safety of children. He also expressed worry over children not listening to their teachers and following minimum health standards. "Kung sabihin ng teacher keep quiet, mahirap patuparin yun sa elementary," Cua said. "Can we expect that to happen for children to know walang tapikan, walang hawakan ng kamay, walang playtime? Napakahirap irregulate. Baka dapat maging mas practical tayo." [Translation: If the teacher says keep quiet, it's hard to enforce that in elementary (school). Can we expect children to know there shall be no tapping, holding of hands, and playtime? That's very hard to regulate. Perhaps we should be more practical.] Cua, who is also president of Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, added that local officials believe DepEd must be given maximum flexibility to adjust policies amid the pandemic. Marinduque Governor Presby Velasco, concurrently president of League of Provinces of the Philippines, proposed postponing the opening of schools until January next year. "Rainy season na yun, eh," said Velasco, referrring to the August start of classes. "Kung talagang rainy po na lugar, baka bandang November, Decemberpwede na po January. Kung merong required number of days, baka pwede habulin na lang sa bakasyon. Ang tingin ko po diyan, we shouldnt start classes until the LGUs are sure na yung kanilang lugar po ay halos COVID-19-free." [Translation: (August) is already (under the) rainy season. If the area is really rainy, maybe (it can be postponed to) November, December perhaps January. If there's a required number of days, it can be offset during vacation. What I think is we shouldn't start classes until the LGUs are sure their areas are almost COVID-19 free.- He noted that the number of coronavirus cases may rise again as more and more workers, both local and overseas, are returning to their home provinces. Question: Do you find yourself actively avoiding news (base: total sample wave 1 = 2823, sample wave 2 = 2291, sample wave 3 =1973.). Credit: Reuters Institute/University of Oxford, Author provided When the coronavirus pandemic really started to take hold in the UK in March, news consumption increased, as in many other countries. But, since then, our research shows that an increasing share of the UK population is switching off from the news. The proportion of people who say they often or always avoid news increased from 15% in mid-April 2020 to 22% in mid-May. If we include those who say they sometimes actively avoid news, then the share reaches 59%. The vast majority of these who often or always avoid news, told us that they actively avoid news about coronavirus (87%). When asked about the main reasons behind news avoidance, the majority of those who always or often avoid news (66%) told us that they do so because of the negative effect it has on their mood. One respondent told us: "The news currently makes me feel incredibly stressed", while another said: "I am bombarded with negative news". Other prominent reasons people gave for avoiding news were a sense of overload (33%), or a lack of trust in news (32%). Only 5% said they avoid news because they are not interested in it. What the survey tells us The findings are based on a panel survey designed by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. The survey of 1,973 respondents was conducted by YouGov and is representative of the UK population. The purpose of the wider project is to collect survey data over ten waves on how people navigate news and information during the coronavirus pandemic. More details about the project and its methodology can be found on the project's website. Do you find yourself actively trying to avoid news these days (Q1, 2017: base: male = 960, female 1013). Credit: Reuters Institute/University of Oxford, Author provided While we did not find differences in news avoidance between groups with different levels of education, income or political orientation, we find that women are more likely to actively avoid news than men (26% to 18%). As a previous study has suggested, part of the reason for women being more likely to avoid news is due to the unequal distribution of caretaking responsibilities. During the pandemic where caretaking and homeschooling responsibilities have increased, the existing inequalities in household responsibilities have likely increased as well, adding another burden in existing gender inequalities in news consumption. Why it matters An effective communication strategy is not only reliant on the quality of the messages but also on the wide reach of the message. Active news avoidance could limit the effectiveness of COVID-19 communication strategies. As the lockdown gradually eases, the knowledge ofand adherence todetailed guidelines on how to visit indoor public spaces or to how safely meet with high-risk individuals will be essential when it comes to keeping the number of new infections low. The new guidelines are more detailed than the lockdown guidelines and as a result they demand higher attention from the public. Apart from the effectiveness of COVID-19 communication strategies, news avoidance is important from a democratic perspective. During this deep health, economic and social crisis, it is crucial for the public to follow news and developments to be able to attribute credit or blame to policymakers. News avoidance is further important for the future of independent news organisations. The COVID-19 pandemic means that the news media industry, which was already experiencing a large disruptive crisis, faces even deeper problems. While we are in the middle of a recession, the advertising market is shrinking, while print circulation is decreasing. Reasons given by people who said they often/always avoid news (base=364). Credit: Reuters Institute/University of Oxford, Author provided Is this new for the UK? The increase in news avoidance follows a Brexit-related increase in avoidance the UK that we reported last year. In a survey fielded in early 2017, around half of the sample (48%) said they never avoid news, placing the UK as one of the countries with the lowest levels of news avoidance across 36 countries. When we repeated this question in early 2019, the share of those who never actively avoided news was 36%, placing the UK above average in our survey sample of 38 countries. UK respondents cited the Brexit negotiation as their main reason behind their avoidance. As one respondent said then: "Although I do watch the political news avidly, I made a new resolution to stop as it has a negative effect on my mood as I feel powerless to change anything." Now in our latest survey, only 20% of the population in the UK say they never avoid news. This highlights a steady increase in news avoidance over the years partly due to core developments such as the Brexit negotiations and COVID-19 that negatively affected the mood of parts of the audience. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: A junior assistant at the office of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has tested positive for COVID-19, prompting authorities to conduct coronavirus tests on around 40 staff members, PTI reported. Auto refresh feeds Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said the state Cabinet stressed the need for strict quarantine of people coming from outside. The Assam government Tuesday decided that home-quarantine will not be allowed to people coming from outside and they will be sent for institutional-quarantine, in view of the spike in the number of positive cases in the state. The total reached 682 after 123 more individuals tested positive. Out of 11 flights, four will operate from Chicago, two each from San Francisco, Washington DC and New York and one from Newark. According to the Embassy, 11 flights will operate in the ongoing second phase of operations from 28 May to 15 June to evacuate Indians from various parts of the US. India has decided to operate additional Air India non-scheduled commercial flights in the ongoing second phase of Vande Bharat Mission, from the United States to various cities in India, the Indian Embassy here said. With this the total confirmed cases in the state climbed to 682, of which there are 613 active cases. Till now, the state reported four COVID-19 deaths. Sixteen new COVID-19 cases were reported in Assam as of 11.55 pm on Tuesday, said health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Of the new cases, six were reported in Hojai and Golaghat each, two in Darrang while one each in Kamrup Metro and Kamrup. Of the total 682 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Assam, as many as 62 people were cured of the novel coronavirus, said health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday will discuss the COVID-19 crisis with two global health - professor Ashish Jha from Harvard University and professor Johan Giesecke from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. The Glenmark study will examine whether early administration of a combination of Favipiravir and Umifenovir enhances antiviral efficacy on COVID-19 patients, it added. The two antiviral drugs, Favipiravir and Umifenovir, have different mechanism of action, and their combination may demonstrate improved treatment efficacy by effectively tackling high viral loads in patients in early stages of COVID-19, the drugmaker said. Drugmaker Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. will undertake a new study to test the combined efficacy of two antiviral drugs as potential COVID-19 treatment regimen. The COVID-19 toll was at 4,337 across the nation after 170 more patients succumbed to the viral infection. India reported 6,387 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus to 1,51,767 on Wednesday, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. India's COVID-19 recovery rate was at 42.45 percent after 64,425 patients were cured of the disease. Of the total 1,51,767 confirmed COVID-19 cases, there are 83,004 active cases, according to the latest data released by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. The total number of confirmed cases in the state climbed to 964 as of Wednesday. Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) and vocational higher secondary education (VHSE) examinations resumed in Kerala on Tuesday. The exams will continue till 30 May amid coronavirus-induced lockdown. Dr Sandip Sengupta, Head of Gynecology Department at NBMC&H told ANI, "A coronavirus positive woman gave birth to a female child. As of now, the newborn is healthy." A COVID-19 positive woman on Tuesday gave birth to a healthy female child at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMC&H) in Siliguri. In a letter to the state chief secretaries on Monday, ICMR Director General (D-G) Dr Balram Bhargava said the COVID-19 diagnostic supplies are stabilising because of the indigenous production of the kits. The Indian Council of Medical Research has removed the price cap of Rs 4,500 for the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test used to detect COVID-19, asking states and UTs to negotiate with private labs to fix "mutually agreeable" rates for the test. Eighteen COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Jharkhand on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases to 426, said the state health department. Of the total 426, there are as many as 247 active cases across the state. Claiming that a severe lockdown may disrupt the economic growth, Giesecke on Wednesday said, "India has to ease restrictions one by one, it may however take months to completely come out of lockdown." Professor Johan Giesecke of the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, speaking to Congress' Rahul Gandhi on COVID-19 crisis in India said the country needed a graded exit plan from the lockdown to protect the economy. Of the total, there are 617 active cases, Sarma said. With four more individuals testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Assam, the total confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state climbed to 686 on Wednesday, said health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. "We are entering the age of large pandemics. Coronavirus is not the last pandemic we are seeing," said Health expert Ashish Jha to Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday while discussing the COVID-19 situation in India. Till now, four lives were claimed by the viral infection across the state. Nearly 62 COVID-19 patients in Assam have been cured of the novel coronavirus, said state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday. With this, the state registered a COVID-19 recovery rate of 9.04 percent. The Health Department informed that out of 1,593 positive cases, 853 are active. While 733 people have recovered after treatment, seven deaths have been reported in the state so far. Seventy-six more COVID-19 cases were reported in Odisha, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 1,593 on Wednesday, said the state Health Department. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi discussed with Harvard health expert Ashish Jha about the COVID-19 crisis in India on Wednesday. The expert said, "When economy is opened post-lockdown, you have to create confidence. Need aggressive testing strategy for high-risk areas." Rajasthan reported 109 new coronavirus positive cases and two deaths till 9 am on Wednesday. The total number of confirmed cases in the state climbed to 7645, according to the Rajasthan Health Department. Cargo ship MV Nancowry left for Chennai from Port Blair on Tuesday with 163 stranded passengers. Special permit was issued to passengers for smooth inter state travel. The ship is expected to reach Chennai by 29 May. "There is a good chance that postponement of World T20 will be decided during Thursday's board meeting. Whether there will be a formal announcement or not is the question," an ICC board member told PTI on conditions of anonymity. The decision, if it is formalised, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic will give members a chance to chalk out their bilateral blue-print in the coming months. The postponement of this year's T20 World Cup in Australia to 2022, which might open up a window for the lucrative Indian Premier League in October, is expected to be formalised when the International Cricket Council's all-powerful board holds a tele-conference on Thursday. The ministry also said that mother and newborn should be nursed together as far as possible and breastfeeding must be initiated within 1 hour of delivery, irrespective of COVID-19 status. However, the mother should put on a face mask and practice hand hygiene before feeding the child. Essential services related to reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health should be continued in a restricted manner in areas defined as containment and buffer zones, the Union Health Ministry said, underlining that COVID-19 testing is not mandatory for providing such services. In the randomised, controlled trial, clinicians enrolled adults hospitalised with COVID-19 who showed infection in the lower respiratory tract and suffered from moderate to severe disease. The analysis, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is based on data from the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT), sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the US. Remdesivir, the antiviral under clinical trials for treatment against novel coronavirus infection, is superior to the standard of care given to COVID-19 patients, according to a new study. "Whether it is a BJP government or that of the Congress, the continued harassment and neglect faced by medical workers and migrant labourers, who have suffered the most because of the coronavirus epidemic and the long lockdown, are neither fair nor in the interests of the country. The government should pay attention immediately," Mayawati said in another tweet "Due to the dispute between the Centre and the Maharashtra government, lakhs of migrant labourers are still suffering badly, which is sad and unfortunate. It is important to stop levelling of charges and pay attention to these helpless people so that their lives can be saved from being completely ruined," she said in a tweet in Hindi. BSP president Mayawati on Wednesday termed as most unfortunate the continued sufferings of the migrants amid an ongoing dispute between the Centre and the Maharashtra government. The number of passengers would depend on the bus size, health and safety norms, it said. The buses, including air-conditioned ones, would run on various routes across the city as well as in the suburbs and districts from 7 am to 7 pm, a notification issued by the managing director of WBTC said. The West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) has decided to run buses on 40 routes from Wednesday, as more government and private offices start functioning amid the coronavirus lockdown, an official said. In the last 24 hours, 75 police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. This takes the total number of positive cases in Maharashtra Police to 1,964 with the toll at 20. A total of 849 personnel have recovered while 1,095 are active cases. The total number of COVID-19 cases in Jharkhand is now at 437, including 258 active cases, 175 recovered/discharged and 4 deaths, according to the latest health bulletin by the state health department, reports ANI. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said that 32,42,160 samples were tested for COVID-19 in the country till 9.00 am today. Of these, 1,16,041 were tested in the last 24 hours. The trains were arranged from various stations in Maharashtra from Tuesday evening for taking the migrant workers and other stranded people to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other states, a Government Railway Police (GRP) official said. As many as 93 Shramik Special trains carrying over 1.35 lakh migrant labourers left from Maharashtra to ferry them to their native states, an official said on Wednesday. Of the fresh cases reported in the past 24 hours ending 9 am on Wednesday, nine were linked to the Koyambedu market in Chennai, the bulletin said. The number of active patients are now at 816. One person died of the deadly coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh taking the toll to 58, while 134 more tested positive for the disease, pushing the tally in the state to 3,117, a government bulletin said on Wednesday. The lone death was reported in East Godavari District. He even highlighted how Maharashtra and Punjab were the first ones to extend the lockdown till 31 May, even before the meeting of chief ministers with the Prime Minister. Prasad said, "Rahul Gandhi ji, you say lockdown is not the solution, then don't you explain this to your chief ministers? Or don't they listen to you, or they don't give your opinions any weightage?" Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday for his comments that alleged the lockdown has failed in India. He noted that the first state to announce a lockdown was Punjab followed by Rajasthan, both state which are led by the Congress party. The topic is on the agenda for ICC Board meeting on Thursday. ICC has not taken a decision to postpone the T20 World Cup and preparations are ongoing for the event in Australia in 2020, as per plan, clarified ICC spokesperson on Wednesday. The Union Territory has so far reported 303 deaths, bringing the COVID-19 mortality rate to 1.9 percent. A total of 792 COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Delhi in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the National Capital to 15,257 on Wednesday. In the past 24 hours, 310 COVID-19 patients were cured of the viral infection in Delhi, said the health department on Wednesday. So far, 7,264 patients of the total 15,257 confirmed cases have been cured. Deshmukh strongly denied the messages which went viral on social media on Army deployment and appealed the people not to believe in it. He added that Maharashtra cyber cell has initiated action against those spreading the rumour. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday dismissed the rumours of Mumbai and Pune going under military lockdown for 10 days. He clarified that that there was no proposal for Army deployment in the two cities. Of the 17 other COVID-19 cases, 14 were reported in Golaghat alone, two in Karbi Anglong while one in Lakhimpur. Eighteen more individuals, including one passenger who landed in Guwahati from Ahmedabad, tested positive in Assam, tweeted health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday. So far, the state has reported 635 active coronavirus cases, 62 recoveries and four COVID-19 deaths, tweeted Sarma. After 18 more individuals tested positive for COVID-19 in Assam, the total confirmed cases in the state climbed to 704, said health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday. This is the second defence PSU where CISF has reported coronavirus infection among its personnel after its unit deployed to provide counter-terrorist cover to warship building facility, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSEL), in Kolkata. The Central Industrial Security Force reported 22 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, with the maximum 13 coming from its unit that guards the warship building Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai. Baroda house, northern railways headquarters in Delhi, remained shut from Wednesday after an employee tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to media reports. Similarly, the doubling rate of COVID-19 cases was at 21 days in Madhya Pradesh, while the average in the country was 15.4 days, the Chief Minister said in the meeting. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said the doubling rate of COVID-19 cases in the state was at 21 days. Speaking at a review meeting on Tuesday, Chouhan had said that the state's COVID-19 recovery rate has gone up to 53 percent, while the national average was 41.8 percent, the official said. Owing to the impact of the coronavirus-induced lockdown, prices of onion fall in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. An onion trader said, "Before lockdown the prices were between Rs 20 to Rs 24 per kg but now it ranges between Rs 4 to Rs 7 per kg". Social distancing guidelines were violated during Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar's visit to Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. The minister had gone to attend an event at Nishad Raj Bhavan in which healthworkers were facilitated for their contribution in the COVID-19 pandemic. The move comes amid the state losing its green zone tag recently when people from neighbouring Maharashtra entered the border and tested positive for the disease. "The 14-day home quarantine option will be no longer available. Either you bring the negative certificate or have to take the test," said the chief minister. The Goa Cabinet decided to make COVID-19 test compulsory for every person entering the state if they are unable to produce a 'COVID negative' certificate, said chief minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday "Class 10 and 12 students who have to appear in pending board exams but have moved to different state or district during the lockdown when schools were closed, will be able to appear for exams at their present place only. They will not be required to travel back. The CBSE will issue a notification in this regard and modalities for registration of such requests," he said. Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said that students of class 10 and 12 who have moved to a different state or district in view of the coronavirus lockdown, can appear for pending board exams in the state they are. A junior assistant at the office of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has tested positive for COVID-19, prompting authorities to conduct coronavirus tests on around 40 staff members, PTI reported. The Manipur government said that five new positive cases of COVID-19 were reported in the state on Wednesday. Total number of positive cases rise to 44 in the state, including 40 active cases. "I appeal to the prime minister and home minister to take care of the situation. I want PM to intervene, this is no time for politics. There is a spike in cases in Bihar and other BJP-ruled states.This is one country. The virus has to be stopped from spreading." West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said, "I told Amit Shah, if you think West Bengal can't manage on its own then you come and handle. Amit Shah had then said "chune huye Sarkar ko hum kaise tod sakte hai". I thank him for saying this." Vijay Dev, Chief Secretary of Delhi Government has directed all concerned authorities 'to ensure that foreign returnees who were quarantined in hotels and paid advance of 14 days, shall be refunded their balance amount without any delay'. The Indore district administration said that 78 more people have tested positive for coronavirus in the Madhya Pradesh district, taking the total number of positive cases in the district to 3,260. We have situation in which you see that type of crowding with no mask and people interacting. Thats not prudent and thats inviting a situation that could get out of control, he said during an interview Wednesday on CNN. Dont start leapfrogging some of the recommendations in the guidelines because thats really tempting fate and asking for trouble. The stark reality comes as only half of Americans said they would be willing to get vaccinated if scientists are successful in developing a vaccine, according to a new poll released Wednesday from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The United States was on the cusp of marking at least 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus, a once-unthinkable toll that now appears to be just the beginning of untold misery in the months ahead as Las Vegas casinos and Walt Disney World make plans to reopen, crowds of unmasked Americans swarm beaches and public health officials predict a resurgence by fall. . It is observed that above copies of notifications are in circulation in social media. The State Govt clarifies that these notifications are not issued by the Govt of #Maharashtra . pic.twitter.com/OqpA4VBtw4 It is observed that above copies of notifications are in circulation in social media. The State Govt clarifies that these notifications are not issued by the Maharashtra government, the statement said. Telangana CMO said, "Government has decided to open all shops except the malls in Hyderabad from Thursday. People were crowding shops since the permission was given to open shops on an alternate basis, hence it has been decided to allow all shops to open." Belgium's medicine agency warned against using the drug to treat the virus any more except within ongoing clinical registered trials. It said trials aiming to evaluate the drug should also take potential risks into consideration. France on Wednesday cancelled a decree allowing hospital doctors to dispense the medicine, while the Italian Medicine Agency (AIFA) suspended authorization to use hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19 outside clinical trials. France, Italy and Belgium acted to halt the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat patients suffering from the novel coronavirus infection amid questions about the safety of the generic anti-malaria drug. Earlier in the day, four patients were discharged from the AIIMS Raipur following their recovery, he said. At present, the state has 286 COVID-19 activecases as 83 patients have recovered so far, the official said. Chhattisgarh's COVID-19 figures are as follows: positive cases: 369, new cases: eight, deaths: zero, discharged: 83, active cases: 286, people tested so far: 59,230. Bastar district recorded its first case of coronavirus after a 24-year-old student, who recently travelled from Delhi to Jagdalpur, tested positive for the infection, he said. The student was studying in Rajasthan, he said. The other new patients were migrant workers, who recently returned to their native villages from different states of the country and were staying in quarantine centres, he said. Eight more people, seven of them migrant workers, tested coronavirus positive in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, taking the state's tally of patients to 369, a health official said. Of the new cases, five were reported from Jashpur district, while one case each came from Bilaspur, Balodabazar and Bastar districts, he said. Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates: A junior assistant at the office of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has tested positive for COVID-19, prompting authorities to conduct coronavirus tests on around 40 staff members, PTI reported. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday issued revised testing guidelines for COVID-19. The statement said, "COVID-19 test not mandatory for emergency surgery, pregnant women (even asymptomatic) who are likely to deliver in next five days to be tested, and COVID-19 test not mandatory for treating Hemodialysis patients." Two migrants were found dead in a special shramik train at a Varanasi railway station on Wednesday morning. North Eastern Railway spokesperson Ashok Kumar said the train had arrived at the Manduadih station of Varanasi from Mumbai''s Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at 8.21 am. They were found dead by the Government Railway Police, he added. He said during a medical examination, it was found that both suffered from serious health issues. One of them, identified as Dashrath Prajapati (30), was a resident of UP''s Jaunpur. He was differently abled and getting treatment for a kidney-related problem in Mumbai. The other victim was identified as Ram Ratan (63), a resident of Azamgarh district. A relative of Dashrath, who was travelling with him, said he had complained of some health problem when they reached Allahabad and then slept. He did not wake up when they reached Varanasi. The Tamil Nadu governemnt said that 817 people tested positive for coronavirus in the state on Wednesday, and six deaths were also reported. Additionally, 567 people have been discharged on Wednesday. The total number of cases in the state stands at 18,545, including 133 deaths and 9,909 discharged. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that 40 new coronavirus cases reported in the state on Wednesday. Of these, nine returned from abroad, 16 returned from Maharashtra, five from Tamil Nadu and three from Delhi. The total number of cases in the state are 1,004, of which 445 are active cases. He added that till Tuesday, 173 Keralites have died due to COVID-19 in various countries. "With people returning to the state, Kerala has entered the next phase of COVID-19 prevention and containment. There is a spike in the number of cases," he said. 792 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Delhi in the last 24 hours, which is the highest single-day spike in infections in the National Capital so far, The Indian Express reported. The total number of coronavirus cases rose to 15,257 on Wednesday. "The toll in the city rose to 303 after 15 more casualties were updated by the state health department after examining the death summaries shared by the hospitals," the report said. Addressing a joint press conference of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, Congress leader and state minister Balasaheb Thorat said that the government was working to alleviate the problems being faced by migrant workers in the state. He said, "It has been two months since lockdown. We are all working together under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray. We are a major industrial hub. The number of our migrant labourers is also high. Each day, we are giving 7 lakh meals." He also said that the coronavirus in Mumbai "continues to be a concern". "Mumbai continues to be a matter of concern but the chief minister is making sure, nobody is inconvenienced. We had expected cooperation from the Opposition but they have opened new avenues to destabilise us. But we will not let them succeed," he added. Kerala excise minister TP Ramakrishnan on Tuesday said that 576 bar hotels, 291 beer parlours and 301 government outlets will be allowed to sell liquor from Thursday. He was quoted by India Today as saying, "We have decided to create a mobile application for crowd management at liquor shops. This is not for home delivery, but to book tokens. Our plan is to create a virtual queue management system. Only five people will be allowed at an outlet at a time." One person can make a booking once in 4 days, the report said. Amid escalating tensions between India and China over a border dispute, Sun Weidong, Chinese envoy to India said that the two countries were fighting coronavirus pandemic "together". "China and India are fighting together against COVID-19 and we have an important task to consolidate relations. Our youth should realise the relation between China and India, the two countries are opportunities for each other and pose no threat. "We should never let differences overshadow our relations. We should resolve differences through communication." West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that the state government had not been informed about 36 trains that are set to arrive in the state from Mumbai. "Without our knowledge, 36 trains are coming from Mumbai. I spoke with Maharashtra, they also got the information late. Railways is planning it on their own," she said. This came a day after Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan also said that two trains from Mumbai and Delhi had arrived in Kerala without the state government being informed. The Goa Cabinet decided to make COVID-19 test compulsory for every person entering the state if they are unable to produce a 'COVID negative' certificate, said chief minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday. "The 14-day home quarantine option will be no longer available. Either you bring the negative certificate or have to take the test," said the chief minister. The move comes amid the state losing its green zone tag recently when people from neighbouring Maharashtra entered the border and tested positive for the disease. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said the doubling rate of COVID-19 cases in the state was at 21 days. Speaking at a review meeting on Tuesday, Chouhan had said that the state's COVID-19 recovery rate has gone up to 53 percent, while the national average was 41.8 percent, the official said. Similarly, the doubling rate of COVID-19 cases was at 21 days in Madhya Pradesh, while the average in the country was 15.4 days, the Chief Minister said in the meeting. Eighteen more individuals, including one passenger who landed in Guwahati from Ahmedabad, tested positive in Assam, tweeted health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday. Of the 17 other COVID-19 cases, 14 were reported in Golaghat alone, two in Karbi Anglong while one in Lakhimpur. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday dismissed the rumours of Mumbai and Pune going under military lockdown for 10 days. He clarified that that there was no proposal for Army deployment in the two cities. Deshmukh strongly denied the messages which went viral on social media on Army deployment and appealed the people not to believe in it. He added that Maharashtra cyber cell has initiated action against those spreading the rumour. A total of 792 COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Delhi in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the National Capital to 15,257 on Wednesday. The Union Territory has so far reported 303 deaths, bringing the COVID-19 mortality rate to 1.9 percent. Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: In the past 24 hours, 75 Maharashtra Police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. This takes the total number of positive cases in the force to 1,964 with the toll at 20. A total of 849 personnel have recovered while 1,095 are active cases. Essential services related to reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health should be continued in a restricted manner in areas defined as containment and buffer zones, the Union Health Ministry said, underlining that COVID-19 testing is not mandatory for providing such services. BSP president Mayawati on Wednesday termed as most unfortunate the continued sufferings of the migrants amid an ongoing dispute between the Centre and the Maharashtra government. 'It is important to stop levelling of charges and pay attention to these helpless people so that their lives can be saved from being completely ruined,' she said in a tweet in Hindi. With four more individuals testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Assam, the total confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state climbed to 686 on Wednesday, said health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Of the total, there are 617 active cases, Sarma said. Professor Johan Giesecke of the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, speaking to Congress' Rahul Gandhi on COVID-19 crisis in India said the country needed a graded exit plan from the lockdown to protect the economy. Claiming that a severe lockdown may disrupt the economic growth, Giesecke on Wednesday said, "India has to ease restrictions one by one, it may however take months to completely come out of lockdown." The Indian Council of Medical Research has removed the price cap of Rs 4,500 for the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test used to detect COVID-19, asking states and UTs to negotiate with private labs to fix "mutually agreeable" rates for the test. In a letter to the state chief secretaries on Monday, ICMR Director General (D-G) Dr Balram Bhargava said the COVID-19 diagnostic supplies are stabilising because of the indigenous production of the kits. Of the total 1,51,767 confirmed COVID-19 cases, there are 83,004 active cases, according to the latest data released by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. India's COVID-19 recovery rate was at 42.45 percent after 64,425 patients were cured of the disease. India reported 6,387 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus to 1,51,767 on Wednesday, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The COVID-19 toll was at 4,337 across the nation after 170 more patients succumbed to the viral infection. Sixteen new COVID-19 cases were reported in Assam as of 11.55 pm on Tuesday, said health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Of the new cases, six were reported in Hojai and Golaghat each, two in Darrang while one each in Kamrup Metro and Kamrup. India reported 6,535 coronavirus cases and 146 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 1,45,380 and the total fatalities to 4,167. The number of active COVID-19 cases climbed to 80,722. As many as 60,490 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the Union health ministry said. This came on a day that the Supreme Court took note of the plight of migrants stranded due to the lockdown and issued notices to the Centre and all state governments. State-wise numbers Of the 146 deaths reported since Monday morning, 60 were in Maharashtra, 30 in Gujarat, 15 in Delhi, 10 in Madhya Pradesh, seven in Tamil Nadu, six in West Bengal, four each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, three in Telangana, two each in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka and one in Kerala. Of the total 4,167 fatalities, Maharashtra tops the tally with 1,695 deaths followed by Gujarat with 888 deaths, Madhya Pradesh with 300, West Bengal with 278, Delhi with 276, Rajasthan with 167, Uttar Pradesh with 165, Tamil Nadu with 118 and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with 56 deaths each. The death toll reached 44 in Karnataka and 40 in Punjab. Jammu and Kashmir has reported 23 fatalities due to the disease, Haryana has 16 deaths, while Bihar has registered 13 and Odisha has seven deaths. Kerala and Himachal Pradesh have reported five deaths each so far, while Jharkhand and Assam have recorded four deaths each so far. Chandigarh and Uttarakhand each have recorded three COVID-19 fatalities each, while Meghalaya has reported one fatality so far, data showed. More than 70 percent of the deaths are due to comorbidities, authorities said. According to the ministry data updated in the morning, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 52,667 followed by Tamil Nadu at 17,082, Gujarat at 14,460, Delhi at 14,053, Rajasthan at 7,300, Madhya Pradesh at 6,859 and Uttar Pradesh at 6,532. The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 3,816 in West Bengal, 3,110 in Andhra Pradesh and 2,730 in Bihar. It has risen to 2,182 in Karnataka, 2,060 in Punjab, 1,920 in Telangana, 1,668 in Jammu and Kashmir and 1,438 in Odisha. Haryana has reported 1,184 coronavirus infection cases so far, while Kerala has 896 cases. A total of 526 people have been infected with the virus in Assam and 377 in Jharkhand. Uttarakhand has 349 cases, Chhattisgarh has 291, Chandigarh has reported 238 cases, Himachal Pradesh has 223, Tripura has 194 and Goa has registered 67 cases so far. Ladakh has reported 52 COVID-19 cases, Puducherry has 41 instances of the infection, Manipur has 39 while Andaman and Nicobar Islands has registered 33 infections Meghalaya has registered 14 cases. Nagaland has reported three cases of the infection, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Arunachal Pradesh have reported two cases of the virus each, while Mizoram and Sikkim have reported a case each till how "2,970 cases are being reassigned to states," the ministry said on its website, adding, "Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR." State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it said. SC takes suo motu cognisance of migrant crisis The Supreme Court said there have been inadequacies and certain lapses by the Centre and the states, and asked them to provide transport, food and shelter immediately free of cost. Referring to various media reports showing the unfortunate and miserable conditions of migrant labourers walking on foot and cycling long distances after the lockdown, the top court issued notices to the Centre, the states and Union territories and sought their replies by 28 May. Although the Centre and the states have taken measures to provide relief to the migrants, the court said there have been inadequacies and certain lapses. Effective concentrated efforts are now required to redeem the situation, it added. The adequate transport arrangement, food and shelters are immediately to be provided by the Centre and State Governments free of cost, said the court which took the suo motu (on its own) cognizance of the situation. The order by the court came amid criticism by activists and lawyers that the judiciary was not doing enough in tackling the migrants crisis after the coronavirus lockdown and in making the executive accountable. The national lockdown was imposed on 25 March leading to job losses and forcing lakhs of migrant workers to head to their faraway native states. The apex court on 15 May observed that it is impossible for the courts to monitor or stop the movement of migrant workers across the country and it is for the government to take necessary action in this regard. We take suo motu cognizance of problems and miseries of migrant labourers who had been stranded in different parts of the country. The newspaper reports and the media reports have been continuously showing the unfortunate and miserable conditions of migrant labourers walking on-foot and cycles from long distances, said a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MR Shah. The top court added that in the present situation of lockdown in the entire country, this section of the society (migrant labourers) needs succour and help by the concerned governments especially steps need to be taken by the Government of India, State Governments/ Union Territories in this difficult situation to extend helping hand to these migrant labourers. 'COVID-19 fatality rate in India among lowest in the world' The COVID-19 fatality rate in India is among the lowest in the world at 2.87 percent, the Union government said, attributing the timely lockdown, early detection and management of coronavirus infection cases as the main reasons for the low death toll. From 3.38 percent in April, the fatality rate in the country has come down to 2.87 percent as against 6.4 percent globally. The toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,167 and the number of cases climbed to 1,45,380 in the country registering an increase of 146 deaths and 6,535 cases in a 24-hour span till Tuesday 8 am, according to the Union health ministry. Responding to a question at a press briefing on why the country's death rate is one of the lowest in the word, ICMR DG Balram Bhargava said there is no substantiative factor behind it. "We have surprisingly found a low fatality rate in India and which is a very good thing. Ultimately, we are interested in a patient surviving whether he gets COVID-19 or not. "There are several hypothesis such as we are living in bad hygiene, have higher immunity and have been given certain vaccines like BCG and those for tuberculosis, but these all are hypothesis and we cannot say anything clearly on any factor. So long as the fatality rate is low it a good thing and I hope it continues," he said. Joint secretary Lav Agarwal, however, said that the country's graded response to COVID-19 and timely identification of cases along with their clinical management played a major role in keeping the death rate low. One of the main components of an infectious diseases is early identification, he said. "We had started screening of passengers and activated our healthcare workers even 13 days before the WHO declared it a public health emergency of international concern. If cases are detected on time they do not turn serious and to the extent automatically the fatality rate will be low," he said. France has a fatality rate of 19.9 percent followed by Belgium at 16.3, Italy at 14.3, UK at 14.2, Spain 12.2, Sweden 11.9, Canada 7.6, Brazil 6.3, the US at 6.0, China 5.5 and Germany at 4.6 percent. With inputs from PTI Rheumatologists at the University of Alberta are flagging similarities between the deaths of some COVID-19 patients and those with rheumatic illnesses, and are testing proven rheumatic treatments to see whether they help against the pandemic virus. A substantial proportion of COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care die of pneumonia due to a cytokine storm, where the body attacks itself rather than fighting off the illness, said Jan Willem Cohen Tervaert, director of rheumatology in the Department of Medicine. In a new paper published in Autoimmunity Reviews, Cohen Tervaert and his colleagues note that such storms, whether in patients with COVID-19 or rheumatic diseases, are caused by dysfunctional "natural killer" (NK) immune cells. They say that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, might attack NK cells directly by binding to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), a receptor on the cells that COVID-19 researchers believe attracts and opens the door to the virus. "This virus is so smart, it kills the cells that are supposed to kill it," Cohen Tervaert said. Worldwide clinical trials are being carried out to test treatments typically used to treat cytokine storm in patients with juvenile arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. These include intravenous immunoglobulin, a blood transfusion product prepared from the serum of thousands of healthy or previously infected patients, and rheumatic drugs such as tocilizumab and anakinra. Some researchers in China are even attempting to transplant healthy NK cells. Cohen Tervaert said the U of A team is collaborating with researchers at the University of Calgary to further study the role of NK cells in COVID-19 patients. There are more COVID-19 patients in southern Alberta than in the Edmonton area. In a healthy person, natural killer cells are responsible for both turning on and turning off the immune response when a body is attacked by disease, including viruses and even cancer. Unlike other immune cells (T and B cells), natural killer cells don't need to be trained or primed to fight infection. "They are not thinkers," Cohen Tervaert said. "They immediately do their work without being exposed previously to a virus. As soon as a virus affects the cell and the cell wall changes, NK cells can attack that cell." After the NK cells kill the virus-infected cells, the T and B immune cells come along and produce cytokines, making the immune reaction stronger and stronger. "But at a certain time the immune reaction has to end," he said. "Natural killer cells play an important role in finishing that huge attack. "If they don't work, the cytokine storm goes on and on, and the patient will die." For those who have not been infected with the virus, Cohen Tervaert recommends regular mild to moderate exercise to boost their NK cells. His own daily routine includes step climbing, walking and weightlifting. "If you sit the whole day in your room because you have to be isolated, your NK cell activity goes down," he said. "That's the big warning about the isolation of elderly people who are not allowed to go outside of their rooms. Over time they are more and more at risk to die from COVID-19." ### Launches Ascott Cares to raise standards of cleanliness to continue to provide safe homes for guests (TRAVPR.COM) Singapore, 28 May 2020 CapitaLands wholly owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), will review the design of its lodging products and services to ensure they are future-ready for continued growth in a post COVID-19 landscape. Leveraging the existing design strengths of Ascotts serviced residences, it will redefine the guest experience to take advantage of emerging trends such as the increased popularity of working-from-home, deeper health and safety concerns, and a rapidly digitising world. Mr Kevin Goh, Chief Executive Officer, Lodging, CapitaLand Group and Chief Executive Officer, The Ascott Limited, said: Ascotts serviced residences have remained resilient amid COVID-19. We continue to be the accommodation of choice by providing a safe haven for our guests who have placed their trust in Ascott. To cement Ascotts position as a dominant lodging player and deliver more value for our guests and business partners, we are taking steps to ready Ascott for a post COVID-19 landscape. Ascotts strong base of long-stay and corporate guests who appreciate the comfort, privacy and security of our spacious serviced residences remain the cornerstone of our business. We are working to double-down on this competitive advantage. Ascott is reviewing every touchpoint within the living and workspaces of our apartments to tap on the work-from-home trend. We are also improving our digital solutions and looking at leveraging smarter technologies to provide value and safety to our guests. As global and domestic travel restrictions ease, we have also launched Ascott Cares to reassure our guests and staff that we have stringent cleanliness and hygiene measures in place as we welcome new and returning guests home, added Mr Goh. Redesigning Ascotts serviced residences to tap on new trends Currently, Ascotts spacious serviced apartments are already well-suited for guests who choose to stay indoors for extended periods of time. The separate living, working and dining areas offer ample space for guests to unwind, exercise, work or have their meals within the apartment. Guests can also make use of the fully equipped kitchen and refrigerator within the apartment if they do not want to order meal delivery. With high-speed Wi-Fi, guests can stay in touch with their loved ones or attend and host online meetings with their colleagues. To tap on the work-from-home trend, Ascott is looking at upgrading its design to create a more productive workspace within the serviced apartment. Improvements to the overall ergonomics of the workspace may include better task lighting, better use of space and appropriate wall features suited for videoconferencing or webcasting. Digital solutions and technologies may also be further deployed to provide convenience, value and safety to guests. The use of sensors at Ascott properties can offer better safety through thermal scanning or to track footfall and crowds to facilitate better safe distancing measures, as well as smarter room energy and water management. Ascott will increase adoption of mobile technology including the launch of a new mobile app later this year. A one-stop service, the app will offer guests contactless services such as contactless entry to their apartments, payments, check-in and check-out. It can also provide seamless in-room service and smart controls, management of Ascott Star Rewards loyalty points or redemption of special flash deals. Ascott Cares A commitment to cleanliness to reassure guests and staff Ascott will deliver stringent hygiene and cleanliness standards as well as safe distancing through its newly launched Ascott Cares commitment, to continue providing safe homes for its guests, and a safe working environment for its staff. Ascott Cares covers nine commitments to enhance Ascotts existing cleanliness protocols: 1. Our Staffs Work Environment 2. Guest Safety 3. Physical Distancing 4. Housekeeping 5. Apartments & Rooms 6. Food & Beverage 7. Shared Facilities 8. Contactless & Paperless 9. Our Vendors The comprehensive protocols that are in compliance with the World Health Organization standards and local regulations will be rolled out progressively to its properties globally from June 2020. For more information on Ascott Cares, please refer to the Annex or visit www.the-ascott.com/ascottcares. Mr Alfred Ong, Head, Global Operations, The Ascott Limited, said: Ascott has always placed the safety and well-being of our guests and staff as our top priority. Ascott Cares reaffirms our commitment to deliver high standards of cleanliness. Safe distancing in shared spaces and increased santisation will be part of the new normal. A health and hygiene champion will also be appointed in each property to uphold these standards and act as an official liaison with local health authorities to ensure compliance with the latest regulatory health measures. With Ascott Cares, our valued guests will have greater peace of mind and full confidence in our commitment to their well-being. In Singapore, Ascott properties that have achieved the National Environment Agencys SG Clean certification include Ascott Raffles Place Singapore, Citadines Rochor Singapore and lyf Funan Singapore. Ascott Orchard Singapore is expected to receive its certification in June 2020. In the United Kingdom, Ascott is recently recognised by the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers for being an International Serviced Accommodation Accreditation Process (ISAAP) Quality Accredited and Compliance Assured Provider. To achieve the award, Ascott had to satisfy more than 250 rigorous ISAAP quality considerations in addition to prescribed regulations and best practice standards of safety, security and a duty of care. About The Ascott Limited The Ascott Limited is a Singapore company that has grown to be one of the leading international lodging owner-operators. Ascott's portfolio spans more than 180 cities across over 30 countries in Asia Pacific, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the USA. Ascott has about 70,000 operating units and over 43,000 units under development, making a total of about 113,000 units in over 700 properties. The companys serviced residence and hotel brands include Ascott The Residence, The Crest Collection, Somerset, Quest, Citadines, lyf, Preference, Vertu, Harris, Citadines Connect, Fox, Yello and POP!. Ascott, a wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Limited, pioneered Asia Pacifics first international-class serviced residence with the opening of The Ascott Singapore in 1984. Today, the company boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning brands that enjoy recognition worldwide. Ascotts achievements have been recognised internationally. Recent awards include DestinAsian Readers' Choice Awards 2020 for 'Best Serviced Residence Brand'; World Travel Awards 2019 for Leading Serviced Apartment Brand in Asia, Europe and the Middle East; Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards 2019 for 'Best Serviced Residence Brand'; Business Traveller China Awards 2019 for 'Best Luxury Serviced Residence Brand'; and TTG China Travel Awards 2019 for Best Serviced Residence Operator in China. For a full list of awards, please visit https://www.the-ascott.com/ascottlimited/awards.html. About CapitaLand Limited CapitaLand Limited (CapitaLand) is one of Asias largest diversified real estate groups. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, it owns and manages a global portfolio worth S$131.9 billion as at 31 December 2019. CapitaLands portfolio spans across diversified real estate classes which includes commercial, retail; business park, industrial and logistics; integrated development, urban development; as well as lodging and residential. With a presence across more than 200 cities in over 30 countries, the Group focuses on Singapore and China as its core markets, while it continues to expand in markets such as India, Vietnam, Australia, Europe and the USA. CapitaLand has one of the largest real estate investment management businesses globally. It manages seven listed real estate investment trusts (REITs) and business trusts as well as over 20 private funds. Since it pioneered REITs in Singapore with the listing of CapitaLand Mall Trust in 2002, CapitaLands REITs and business trusts have expanded to include Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust, CapitaLand Commercial Trust, Ascott Residence Trust, CapitaLand Retail China Trust, Ascendas India Trust and CapitaLand Malaysia Mall Trust. Visit www.capitaland.com for more information. Issued by: The Ascott Limited Website: www.the-ascott.com 168 Robinson Road, #30-01 Capital Tower, Singapore 068912 For more information, please contact: Joan Tan, Vice President, Group Communications Tel: (65) 6713 2864 Mobile: (65) 9743 9503 Email: joan.tanzm@capitaland.com Ngeow Shang Lin, Manager, Group Communications Tel: (65) 6713 2860 Mobile: (65) 9877 6305 Email: ngeow.shanglin@capitaland.com Kim Quek, Manager, Group Communications Tel: (65) 6713 3097 Mobile: (65) 9339 4231 Email: kim.quek@capitaland.com Annex The nine commitments of Ascott Cares Ascott will deliver stringent hygiene and cleanliness standards as well as safe distancing through its newly launched Ascott Cares commitment, to continue providing safe homes for its guests, and a safe working environment for its staff. Ascott Cares covers nine commitments in compliance with the World Health Organization standards and local regulations to reassure Ascotts staff, guests and partners. 1. Our Staffs Work Environment Personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves and hand sanitisers will be provided to staff. Protective screens to be deployed at selected customer service touchpoints. Workspaces will be regularly sanitised and staff to undergo regular temperature screening. 2. Guest Safety Guests will continue to have ready access to masks and hand sanitisers at the property upon request, and at elevator entrances, reception and facilities. Guests are to provide health and travel declarations and undergo temperature checks where applicable and required by local authorities. Ascott is also partnering with local medical facilities and telemedicine operators to offer efficient medical services. 3. Physical Distancing The number of guests will be limited in enclosed space. Floor markings will be used as a guide, while furniture at the waiting areas of the reception desks and other interaction points will be reconfigured where necessary to allow safe distancing, comfort and facilitate a smoother flow of traffic. The number of guests in lifts will be minimised through safe distancing measures, passenger traffic management and appropriate lift programming. 4. Enhanced Housekeeping Increased disinfection and cleaning frequencies with stricter audits by in-house and independent agencies. Explore the further adoption of innovative disinfection technologies such as the use of robots. Disinfection and cleaning frequencies of lifts and their destination control panels will be increased. Antimicrobial coatings and effective disinfection technology will be applied in the lifts where possible to enhance safety. 5. Apartments & Rooms Elevated cleaning protocols with increased sanitisation of high-touch areas such as door handles, kitchen cabinet, wardrobe, TV remote controls and light switches. Masks and hand sanitisers will be available in the units for guests use. Maximum unit capacity to be strictly enforced. 6. Food & Beverage Improved queue and capacity management to ensure safe distancing. Use of digital menus for contactless food ordering is being explored. Enhanced food-safety standards and protocols for areas such as food handling, buffet and table service and in-room dining. As part of Ascotts commitment to sustainability and to reduce single-use plastic bottles, many of our properties have water dispensers in easily accessible areas where the guests can refill their own bottles safely and with minimal interaction. 7. Shared Facilities Higher frequencies of deep cleaning at shared facilities such as the swimming pool, fitness centre and residents lounge. Stricter guidelines such as compulsory use of towels. 8. Contactless & Paperless Leverage digital technologies to minimise contact such as through the use of contactless check-in and check-out options; cashless and contactless payment methods; sensor-enabled dispensers; digital locks; and service delivery robots, where applicable. Further reduction of paper products such as providing digital manuals to operate kitchen appliances as well as digital newspapers and magazines. 9. Our Vendors More stringent requirements to ensure Ascotts vendors and suppliers provide products and services that meet accredited hygiene standards. Temperature checks for delivery personnel and quicker and efficient deliveries within property premises. For more information on Ascott Cares, please visit: www.the-ascott.com/ascottcares. ### The United Nations has urged restraint from both India and China amid the tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Reacting to US President Donald Trumps offer, the UN Secretary Generals spokesperson also said that it is for the parties involved to decide who they want to mediate. It would be for parties involved to decide who they would want to mediate, not for us to opine. Were looking at the situation and we urge parties to avoid any action that would make the situation even more tense, the spokesperson said on Thursday. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday waded into the tense border stand-off between India and China, saying he was ready, willing and able to mediate between the two Asian neighbours, a statement that could irk Beijing more than New Delhi. Shortly before Trump made his offer through a tweet, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press conference in Beijing that the situation on the China-India border was generally stable and controllable. The sides were communicating through both their front-line military units and their respective embassies to properly resolve relevant issues through dialogue and consultation, Zhao said. Both India and China have increased presence along the LAC in Ladakh region. China was the first to adopt the aggressive posture as it moved 6,000 troops of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) to the border area. The troops have been moved to four locations in eastern Ladakh - three in the Galwan Valley and one near Pangong Lake. Sources in the government said that China wants to stop the infrastucture projects launched by India in the Ladakh sector. At the centre of the stand-off is a bridge, which once complete, would give soldiers easy access to Daulat Beg Oldie, the last military post south of the Karakoram Pass. People aware of the development said that roads and other infrastructure projects will give Indian Army soldiers posted in the border area an advantage, and cut short the time needed to for the supplies and weaponry to reach them. Many security experts and top government sources said that India should not back down from the stand it has taken, and should not bring back its troops. India has matched the China armys deployment in terms of troops, capacity and resources. The move was approved after a high-level security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently. The meeting was attended by National Securoty Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Choef of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and foreign minister S Jaishankar. This is the same team that had led Indias response during the 73-day Doklam stand-off in 2017. Koreans' card spending overseas continued to decline in the second quarter of the year, mainly because fewer can afford to travel abroad. Total spending overseas on credit and debit cards amounted to US$4.67 billion during the April-June period, according to the Bank of Korea on Thursday, down 0.1 percent from $4.68 billion in the first quarter, when it also fell 3.3 percent from the previous quarter. In the first quarter of last year, Koreans spent a record $5.07 billion abroad. The central bank blamed a shrinking number of travelers. A total of 7.14 million people traveled overseas in the second quarter, down 9.2 percent on-quarter, according to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. Card spending overseas also includes online shopping on websites based abroad. And while the spending amount dwindled, the amount of cards used grew 1.9 percent to 17.38 million. Daniel Hutchinson From The Hutch Theres a song from a guy called Afroman that I think would be the perfect theme for this years election. Yes, there is a massive health crisis facing the world. Borders are shut, people are dying by the thousands every day. World economies are bracing for a financial fallout of nuclear proportions. In New Zealand, Government debt is forecast to pass $100 billion, if not $200 billion in four years. But thats alright - as Afroman sings because I got high, because I got high, because I got high. In addition to making the most important political decision for several generations, in typical Kiwi fashion we are also voting on whether we should get high or not, in the cannabis referendum. When the smoke clears on this election it may not matter if your party wins, or loses, or if we all tumble into poverty it will all be cool man. If it really turns to custard, we can just build a teepee in the backyard and disappear in there until its all over. Its all relative What I love about our country is that it doesnt really matter how comfortable or successful we are, it only matters how well we are doing in comparison to everyone else. I must admit, that in the absence of sport I have been following the COVID-19 stat's from all the main players and comparing it with our own. Like the Olympics we are right up the medal table in terms of population versus rates of disease. There does seem to be an overwhelming sense of optimism that because we have been nominated for the Oscar award for Best Country in a Pandemic that will somehow translate into ongoing economic success. Thousands of wealthy business owners will pack their bags, stuff their corporations into shipping containers and flee their countries in search of the legendary Land of the Long White Cloud. This will certainly be true if there is a really deadly pandemic stalking Earth but Im not sure this one is quite going to have that effect. I think well just get the ones who like a bit of a puff on the green stuff. Therefore, we are stuck with ourselves for now. Fortunately we are a clever bunch and there should be some pretty epic ideas coming out of those teepee sessions. These can be piped straight to the Provincial Growth Fund for consideration. Housing One such idea that has clearly come from a session is the plan to build 100,000 houses over 10 years. On average there has been 19 houses built each month since the KiwiBuild project began two years ago, which means that it will take 436 years, at that rate, to complete the project. The target has since been revised from 100,000 to a significant number. My journalism tutor would have been appalled at the use of the word significant because what it actually means is nothing much. Return of sport The single weirdest thing to happen to me out of this whole COVID-19 thing, occurred when I sat down on the couch last Friday. Out of the blue Mrs Hutch says You know, Im actually missing sport on TV. I looked at her for a bit to see if she was taking the proverbial out of me, but she didnt flinch. No twitching of the corner of the mouth. She was quite serious. A dyed-in-the-wool Cantabrian, Mrs Hutch likes the fact that the Crusaders win all the time and it brings back a lot of fond memories for her of family gathered around the TV or going to matches. But she never deliberately watches a game - its just a familiar part of life and one that everybody is looking forward to getting back in their lives. I suppose Ive never switched over to Coronation St, but I still know all the plots and characters. I notice that is still going. Get lost Now hats off to the pair of trampers who literally went the extra mile to distance themselves from everyone else in the Kahurangi National Park over the last few weeks. Having spent years covering every tragedy interesting enough to make the national papers in the top of the South Island, I still get a little emotional when someone beats the odds. Sometimes it is just totally unexpected. Most of the time people just dont survive those things. Lets hope that this is a good omen for the country because I personally believe that it isnt so much which politicians win or lose this September, it is the will, determination and positivity of Kiwis that will need to prevail one way or another. So put that in your pipe and smoke it! daniel@thesun.co.nz One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 100% Visibility of High-Risk Cocoa Supply Chain by 2025 Expansion of Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System across entire direct cocoa supply Achieved 100% certified and sustainable cocoa in January 100% Satellite Mapping of West African supply chain At Hershey, we are driven by our purpose of making more moments of goodness, whether thats eating Smores over the campfire or sharing Hersheys Kisses with a friend. Its a passion weve had for more than 125 years, and we want everyone who enjoys our great-tasting chocolate to feel good about those special moments. Its our job to ensure that we use only the best ingredients in our products and that those ingredients are sourced ethically and sustainably. At the top of that list is cocoa and how we use the principles of fair and ethical trade in our practices. Thats why we are proud to announce that were committing to increase our Cocoa For Good direct sourcing program to 100% coverage of our high-risk areas of Cote dIvoire and Ghana by 2025. This significantly increases our direct investment in those areas and will give us clear line of sight into where all of our cocoa was grown and how it was produced a level of transparency weve never had before. We will provide more holistic intervention support to farmers, and scale-up programs to help end instances of child labor. We are also expanding our Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation Systems, to cover 100% of our high risk sourcing in Cote dIvoire and Ghana. This means we will be assessing more than 125,000 children, a 350% increase. CLMRS is the leading child labor monitoring and remediation system that leverages both supply chain personnel and community members to identify potential cases of child labor. Once identified, these cases are remediated often through simple education to the farmer on what work is acceptable for children to do as part of the farming family. Other times, we need to provide assistance to the farmer, such as providing a birth certificate so their child can stay in school. Hershey is fully committed to ending instances of child labor within our supply chain. Were working with farmers to educate them on what is acceptable child work and what is considered child labor. It is important to understand the distinction between the two as defined by the ILO, as we know appropriate child work occurs on family farms all over the world as long as they are attending school and doing work that is appropriate for their age. Were pleased that this CLMRS work to date has found zero instances of forced labor. But know there is more work to do to have zero instances of all forms of child labor which is our ultimate goal. We believe our focused efforts to improve our Hershey cocoa ecosystem are important and we are pleased to also announce that we have achieved our commitment to only source 100% certified and sustainable cocoa by 2020, a milestone we successfully hit earlier this year in January. Certified and sustainable cocoa directly supports higher incomes for farmers and improved labor and environmental standards. We also recognize that certification alone will not solve all of the challenges within the cocoa supply. Were also working to improve farmer incomes. To help increase farmers income from cocoa, we are paying the West African Living Income Differential; a premium paid to the government that should help support farmer income. This is on top of the premium we already pay farmers for our certified cocoa. We will continue providing training and resources to farmers to diversify their income, which will increase their resilience against market shocks. We do this by providing training and resources on growing alternate crops and supporting income-generating activities for womens group in the local community. These efforts are all part of our Cocoa For Good strategy we launched in 2018, a $500 million investment to further expand holistic interventions within cocoa farming communities. To date, we have worked with 54,000 cocoa-growing families. While weve made good progress, we need to move faster and expand our programs further. We believe children can reach their full potential in the classroom only when they have proper nutrition to focus on their studies. We are expanding our proven ViVi school feeding program with our partners Project Peanut Butter and the Ivorian National Nutrition Council, to open a second ViVi nutritional supplement factory in Cote dIvoire and begin distributing the food to 25,000 Ivorian school children this year. ViVi is made from locally grown peanuts and has been proven in Ghana to reduce anemia and improve educational performance, and were optimistic for a similar result in Cote dIvoire. We are also partnering with Hellen Keller International to bring training to new mothers to enhance their knowledge and skills regarding newborn nutrition and early childhood development. The growing threat of climate change is critically important to cocoa ecosystems, and Hershey is committed to doing its part to protect the environment. Were strengthening our zero-deforestation commitment as part of the Cocoa and Forest Initiative. We are increasing the coverage of our satellite monitoring systems and mapping 100% of the West African cocoa farms in our supply chain, ensuring we have real-time and accurate monitoring. We are also supporting new solutions for farmers to obtain affordable land titles to promote farm rehabilitation and increase shade tree planting. In 2018 we distributed almost 2.7 million cocoa and shade tree saplings. Building and announcing sustainability plans is easy; executing them is hard. We must work in partnership with farmers and communities, our suppliers, and interact with wider industry actors and governments to move forward. And this takes time. But were committed to making substantive and systemic change. And we will be transparent and continue to publish our progress in our yearly Sustainability Report. Were confident that together with all stakeholders in the cocoa supply chain, we can make positive change to ensure we will make more moments of goodness for everyone. The government has issued a notification with retrospective effect enabling the treatment of contributions made by companies to the Prime Ministers Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund, formed in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease pandemic, as corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending. Requests by some states, including West Bengal, to allow contributions made to the Chief Ministers Relief Fund to be treated as CSR expenditure were declined, two officials aware of the matter said on condition of anonymity. It is because this will restrict the use of the bulk of CSR funds in only 6-7 industrialised states where most of the companies are located, one of the officials said. Also Read: Rahul Gandhi reiterates demand for audit of PM-Cares fund The notification to include PM CARES in Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013, related to CSR, along with the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund, was issued on Tuesday. This notification shall be deemed to have come into force on 28th March 2020, it said. HT has seen a copy of the notification. PM CARES Fund was set up on March 27 to deal with the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. It announced its first allotment of Rs 3,100 crore on May 13 for ventilators, the welfare of migrant workers, and supporting a programme to develop a vaccine against Covid-19. The official quoted above cited past instances wherein two industrial states--one in the north and another in south India--had tried to arm-twist companies located in their regions to spend their entire CSR money locally. Such tendencies need to be curbed for equitable distribution of CSR funds across the country. Also Read: Indian Covid-19 vaccine development to be backed by PM-CARES Fund HT on April 17 reported that West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra wrote to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman urging the Centre to include the CMs Relief Fund in Schedule VII of the Companies Act. The Companies Act requires firms with a net worth of Rs 500 crore or more, or turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or more, or net profit of Rs 5 crore or more in the immediately preceding financial year, to mandatorily spend 2% of average net profit of the preceding three years on CSR. Money earmarked for spending on CSR activities is about Rs 15,000 crore a year. According to an industry estimate, about Rs 50,000 crore has been spent on CSR since 2014-15 and around Rs 30,000 crore remains unspent. A companys board is empowered to plan, decide, execute, and monitor the activities under CSR on the recommendations of a committee. The government has specified broad areas of spending in Schedule VII. Approved activities under CSR include eradicating extreme hunger, poverty, promotion of education, promoting gender equality and womens empowerment as well as reducing the child mortality, improving maternal health and combating diseases. Ensuring environmental sustainability and prompting employment enhancing vocational skills are other activities approved under CSR. The Massachusetts Division of Insurance has notified all property and casualty insurance carriers in the state that they are expected to take steps to preserve insurance coverage for businesses ordered to shut down due to the coronavirus crisis. Insurance coverage plays a critical role in the stability of the Commonwealths economy and the protection of its residents, Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Gary Anderson said in a bulletin issued May 18. COVID-19 may impose unique risks to our insurance market that Massachusetts has not faced for at least a generation. Many businesses in Massachusetts were not considered essential businesses and were ordered to shut down due to the COVID-19 virus, resulting in those properties being unoccupied for an extended period of time. As many commercial insurance policies may include provisions that limit coverage if a property is vacant for a certain number of days, the bulletin urged carriers in Massachusetts to be flexible in counting days of vacancy to provide coverage for business owners whose operations have been disrupted by the pandemic. The bulletin outlined that carriers in the state are expected to exclude days that a property is vacant due to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Bakers Emergency Orders when counting days that a property has been vacant, given that the property is properly secured according to the terms of coverage on those days. the public health and societal consequences resulting from the spread of COVID-19 has dramatically impacted the Commonwealth, Anderson explained in the bulletin. It has been essential that government and business leaders take all appropriate steps to safeguard the general public and well-being of the Commonwealths citizens. Topics Carriers Massachusetts Property Two men have been jailed over a 20 million drugs bust - one of the biggest in British history. Police seized 168 kilograms (370 pounds) of cocaine hidden amongst pallets of frozen food when they pulled over a van on the A45 in the Midlands in December. The driver, 54-year-old Baldev Singh Sahota, was arrested, and a second man, 34-year-old Shakti Gupta, was apprehended later at an industrial unit in Birmingham, where a further four kilograms of cocaine and MDMA and a kilogram of cutting agent was discovered. Baldev Singh Sahota, pictured left, was jailed for 16 years and Shakti Gupta, pictured right, for 18 years after one of the biggest drugs busts in British history Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at Birmingham Crown Court, where Sahota was jailed for 16 years and Gupta for 18 years. Judge Peter Carr described it as an operation to supply 'high-purity cocaine on a truly industrial scale', according to the Birmingham Mail. Lawyers for Gupta said he'd trained as a gas engineer and stored plumbing equipment at the unit, but when his business got into difficulties last year, he agreed to allow it to be used for drugs, the site reports. Representatives for Sahota said his only contact with customers was making deliveries and insisted he was 'not into this to make himself rich', it added. Police seized 168 kilograms (370 pounds) of cocaine hidden amongst pallets of frozen food when they pulled over a van on the A45 in the Midlands in December A further four kilograms of cocaine and MDMA and a kilogram of cutting agent was discovered at an industrial unit in Birmingham Detective Superintendent Neil Ballard, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: 'This operation has resulted in one of the largest land seizures of cocaine within the UK, ever. 'It is an extremely significant amount of Class A drugs that indicates the scale of this organised drug supply, which the Met has successfully dismantled. 'This sentencing result is due to the hard work and commitment from those involved in dismantling drugs networks that are intrinsically linked to the violence that we have seen playing out on our streets throughout the country. 'This result should serve as a stark warning to anyone involved in the supply of drugs in London and the rest of the UK that we will do everything we legitimately can to bring you to justice. 'The Met will continue to work with, and assist, our colleagues in other Forces around the country, who are all dedicated to removing the drugs from our streets and reducing the serious violence associated with drugs supply, to protect the public.' Married At First Sight Australia just premiered in America, and it's already receiving criticism for one very specific reason. While the show has previously been slammed for being contrived and trashy, it's now facing a backlash for its lack of racial diversity. Season seven of Married At First Sight featured no participants of colour, with the exception of a couple of mixed-race brides. 'None of these shows have a diverse cast': Americans have slammed Married At First Sight for its lack of racial diversity as the show premieres on the U.S. network Lifetime In a thread on Reddit, one American MAFS fan pointed out the general lack of diversity on Australian screens. 'I got into a few Australian reality shows a few years back when I watched the Bachelor AU and decided to dive into other Australian shows as well, like MAFS and Love Island AU,' they wrote. 'I've noticed none of these shows has a diverse cast. Maybe there is a random Asian thrown in, but it's mostly white. Is this an issue in Australia amongst viewers?' Where's the diversity? Season seven of Married At First Sight featured no participants of colour, with the exception of a couple of mixed-race brides The topic received a variety of responses, with some MAFS viewers saying that Australian reality TV casts too many 'bogans' on shows. 'Yeah, not just white Aussies but specifically bogan Aussies,' one commented. 'The Bachelor AU is even worse. Throw in a random African or Indian or Asian person who is out by the second to fifth episode.' 'Not just white Aussies but specifically bogan Aussies!' Some MAFS viewers said that Australian reality TV casts too many 'bogans'. Pictured: David Cannon and Hayley Vernon Another added: 'I agree with you. There's a stunning lack of diversity. Everybody on that show is a bats**t crazy, camera-seeking wannabe Instagram star. Where are the normal people?' One Australian-based American shared an interesting theory about the lack of diversity, pointing out that Australia's population is much different to America's. 'As an American who now lives in Australia... you cannot look at this country through the lens of America. The country has a completely different history and a very different climate,' they wrote. Early exits: Another U.S. viewer said The Bachelor Australia was 'even worse' because the few contestants of colour 'are all out by the second episode'. Pictured: The Bachelor season two cast 'Australia is its own country and MAFS reflects, statistically, the population. Why shoehorn something in just to make viewers in another country feel better?' This isn't the first time the lack of diversity on Australian reality TV has been an issue. Both The Bachelor and Love Island Australia have been criticised for years over their lack of representation. Backlash: In 2018, Muslim activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied slammed Love Island Australia's advertisements for featuring an all-white cast In 2018, Muslim activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied slammed the show's advertisements for featuring an all-white cast. 'The advert kinda demonstrates why I grew up in Australia never thinking a person with a darker shade of skin or different features (like myself) was even remotely attractive,' she tweeted at the time. While Married At First Sight Australia lacks racial diversity, the series has made strides for featuring the first-ever lesbian couple in MAFS history. 'The advert kinda demonstrates why I grew up in Australia never thinking a person with a darker shade of skin or different features (like myself) was even remotely attractive,' Yassmin tweeted at the time However, the same-sex casting has been slammed by many Americans on social media, who have now threatened to boycott the franchise. 'OMG so disgusting, so sinful and so unnatural,' one religious viewer wrote after seeing a trailer for the wedding of Amanda Micallef and Tash Herz. Another added: 'Man and woman is the way God intended'. A diary dating back to 1943 containing handwritten poetry, photos of loved ones and a pilot's memories of serving in the air force during World War Two has been handed in to a police station. The 77-year-old diary was found at a Woolworths in Gordon, in Sydney's Upper North Shore, and was handed in to police on May 20. Officers believe the treasured item may have been been missing from its rightful owner since March 1. A diary dating back to 1943 containing handwritten poetry, photos of loved ones and a pilot's memories of serving in the air force during World War Two has been handed in to police 'The beautifully written poems reflect a time gone by, 77 years ago, saying goodbye to a friend Rusty and memories of life with the 10 EFTS (Elementary Flying Training School) at Temora, a country town in NSW,' police wrote on social media. '10 EFTS was set up by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in May 1941. Throughout WWII more than 10,000 personnel were involved at the school with upwards of 2,400 pilots being trained.' 10 EFTS was the largest flying school established by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during WWII and remained open up until March 12, 1946. Sydney businessman David Lowy AM established the Temora Aviation Museum to preserve memories of the school when it was shut down in 1946. The museum was dedicated to all the men and women who defended Australia and showcases aircrafts and treasured items. Police are desperate to return the memento to Margo Cooper, who they believe is the owner and writer of the diary. Anyone who knows Ms Cooper is asked to contact Hornsby Police Station on (02) 9476 9799 and ask for Crime Prevention Officer Senior constable Colin Mitchell. WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday a draft blueprint on safely starting travel between New Zealand and Australia will be presented to both governments in early June. The neighbours have been discussing the possibility of a travel bubble between them as both have slowed the spread of the novel coronavirus to levels well below those in United States, Britain and some other European countries. Ardern said she spoke to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday and there was enthusiasm for travel to resume on both sides. "We are working to move on this as quickly as we can. We are both very keen on it ... across both sides of the ditch," Ardern said at a news conference. "It won't be too long before we are ready," she said. Over the past two weeks, experts from both countries, including government and airport officials, airlines and health specialists have been working on the plan to re-open their borders with each other. "Our aim is to put forward a detailed set of recommendations that safely manage any health risks, while also allowing Kiwis and Australians to travel to each country without the need for a 14-day quarantine, Scott Tasker, co-chair of the Trans-Tasman Safe Border Group, which is developing the plans, said in a statement. New Zealand is the most popular outbound travel destination for Australians, with 1.5 million of them arriving from across the Tasman Sea in 2019. Likewise, Australia is the most popular outbound travel destination for New Zealanders. Ardern has been criticised in recent days for being too cautious. Her deputy, Winston Peters, said New Zealanders should be allowed to travel to Australia now. Ardern brushed off the criticism as a difference of opinion and said her coalition government had a consensus on all its decisions. (Reporting by Praveen Menon) Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Dec. 20, 2018. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Good Time for Senior Judges to Step Aside to Ensure Conservative Lean in Judiciary: Graham Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday encouraged judges in their mid-to-late 60s to consider taking senior status in order to allow Republicans to fill up the vacancies before the November election. Graham made the comments during a radio interview on the Hugh Hewitt show where he discussed a series of topics including George Floyd, sanctions against the Chinese Communist Party over Hong Kong, and federal judiciary vacancies. This is an historic opportunity, Graham told Hewitt. Weve put over 200 federal judges on the bench. I think one in five federal judges are Trump appointees. If you can get four more years, I mean, it would change the judiciary for several generations. So if youre a circuit judge in your mid-60s, late 60s, you can take senior status, now would be a good time to do that if you want to make sure the judiciary is right of center. This is a good time to do it, he added. Graham was then asked to provide an assurance that the judges successors would be confirmed prior to the 2020 presidential election, to which he replied, if you wait, you know, November the 1st, no. Federal judges who are at least 65 years old and have served at least 15 years on the bench are eligible to take senior status, a form of semi-retirement. Senior status allows judges to choose to take on a reduced caseload and creates a vacancy on the court. President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans have made significant efforts to change the composition of the judiciary, by nominating and confirming younger conservative judges, in order to shape the long-term direction of the country. This move has drawn criticism from progressives in the country. Since taking office, the Senate has confirmed 196 federal judges nominated by Trump, including 51 appellate judges, and two Supreme Court justices. Trumps judge confirmation pace is the second-fastest for all U.S. presidents, according to the Article III project, a conservative group that works to confirm Trumps judicial picks. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said last month that the senates priority after returning from recess would be on judicial nominations. He told the same radio host, Hewitt, that his motto for the year is leave no vacancy behind. And as soon as we get back in session, well start confirming judges again. We need to have hearings, and we need to confirm judges, McConnell said. The pandemic will not prevent us from achieving that goal. This also comes amid accusations against McConnell that he had pressured Judge Thomas Griffith to leave the bench, in order to make way for a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for Judge Justin Walker. The chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Sri Srinivasan urged Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts earlier this month to launch an investigation into the complaint (pdf) from progressive judicial watchdog group Demand Justice, which alleges that the Washington, D.C. judge, 65, was improperly pressured to retire from the bench and challenges whether his decision was made as a result of inappropriate incentives. Isabel Van Brugen contributed to this report. Famous beauty vlogger Nabela Noor on Wednesday revealed that she has tested positive for COVID-19. Documenting her ordeal, the YouTuber posted a selfie with a long note on her Instagram account. Nabela wrote that she had been staying inside for 75 days, self quarantining as many people across the world have. She had stepped out only five times during the period and that too by following every precautionary measure. "The 5 times I left the house I took every precaution including masks, social distancing and hand washing," she mentioned in the post. She wrote how she had done "everything by the book" yet was taken over by the disease. It was four days of suffering from the symptoms of the viral infection; after which she got the tests done. The Bangladeshi-American YouTuber thanked her husband Seth Martin for supporting her thoroughly during the tough stage. She also said that she would be documenting her daily life fighting against the disease and post regular updates for people to closely understand the toll COVID-19 takes on a person. Nabela also informed her Twitters followers after which many well-wishers praised her for staying indoors thereby minimising the spread of the deadly infection. But your actions may have saved lives by reducing the spread. Rick M (@RickFloridaE) May 27, 2020 Love Im so sorry. Stay strong and drink lots of water and tea. Also vitamin C and zinc. Me and my fiance have been fighting this for almost a month and we retested again and still came out positive. Ill kee you in my prayers and whatever you do stay calm. We love you Elaine (@MsElaine89) May 27, 2020 Love Im so sorry. Stay strong and drink lots of water and tea. Also vitamin C and zinc. Me and my fiance have been fighting this for almost a month and we retested again and still came out positive. Ill kee you in my prayers and whatever you do stay calm. We love you Elaine (@MsElaine89) May 27, 2020 Writing about her health complications in another post, she informed fans that she has been "struggling to breathe" and "experiencing a variety of symptoms". Nabela shared that despite having felt "whirlwind of emotions", she was going to choose "hope" at the end of the day. The -delayed proton emission of 11Be. The neutron halo ground state of 11Be undergoes beta decay to an excited state of 10B, which lies just above the proton-decay threshold. This state subsequently decays to 10Be by emitting a proton. Credit: IFJ PAN Polish scientists working in Poland, France and the USA explained the mysterious -delayed proton decay of the neutron halo ground state of 11Be. Studies within the SMEC model suggest the existence of collective resonance, carrying many characteristics of a nearby proton-decay channel, which explains this puzzling decay. It was argued that the appearance of such near-threshold resonant states is a generic phenomenon in any open quantum system, in which bound and unbound states strongly mix. Nuclear clustering is one of the most puzzling phenomena in subatomic physics. Numerous examples of such structures include the ground state of the 11Li nucleus with a halo of two neutrons or the famous Hoyle resonance at 12C, which plays a vital role in the synthesis of heavier elements in stars. Narrow resonances near the threshold are fundamental in astrophysical conditions, in which most reactions occur at very low energies. For these states, particle emission channels can effectively compete with other types of decay, such as photon emissions. The widespread presence of narrow resonances near the particle emission threshold suggests that this is a universal phenomenon in open quantum systems in which bound and unbound states strongly mix, resulting in the appearance of a collective state with the features of a nearby decay channel. In a recently published paper inPhysical Review Letters, physicists from the IFJ PAN in Krakow (Poland), GANIL in Caen (France) and FRIB Facility (USA) provided an explanation for proton emission delayed by - decay from the weakly bound ground state of the 11Be nucleus. In the first stage of this enigmatic, two-stage process, the neutron in the ground state of 11Be with the halo structure decays into electron, anti-neutrino and proton, causing the transformation of 11Be ground state into the resonance in 11B. In the second stage, a proton is emitted from this resonance (see attached diagram) to the 10Be state. The possibility of such a halo decay process in 11Be has been explained by the existence of resonance in 11B with 1/2+ total angular momentum and parity, which resembles many features of a nearby proton emission channel. The proximity of proton and tritium emission thresholds in 11B suggests that this resonance may also contain an admixture of the tritium cluster configuration. "The study was carried out based on the shell model embedded in the continuum (SMEC). The measure of state collectivization near the threshold for particle emissions (nucleon, deuteron, particle, etc.) is the correlation energy, which is calculated for each eigenstate of the SMEC. Competing effects determines the excitation energy at maximum collectivization: coupling to decay channels and the Coulomb and centrifugal barriers. For higher angular momentum values (L>1) and/or for coupling to the charged particle emission channel, the correlation energy extremum is above the threshold energy of this channel," explains Prof. Jacek Okolowicz from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In the latest experimental work of the group at Michigan State University, proton emission was observed in 11B from a state with a total angular momentum of 1/2+ or 3/2+, the energy of 11.425(20) MeV and a width of 12(5) keV, which is populated in the - decay of 11Be ground state. The resonance at 11B proposed in this experiment is 197(20) keV above the threshold for proton emission and 29(20) keV below the threshold for neutron emission. Theoretical studies using the SMEC model include the effective nucleon-nucleon interaction in discrete states of the shell model, and the Wigner-Bartlett interaction describing the coupling between nucleons in discrete bound states and continuum states. The calculations were made for the J = 1/2+ and 3/2+ states in 11B to determine the most likely angular momentum of the proposed resonance. The shell model states are mixed via coupling with a proton and neutron reaction channels. Collectivization of the wave function was found only for the third excited 1/2+ state, for which the maximum correlation energy lies 142 keV above the proton emission threshold. Hence, it was concluded that the resonance in 11B, mediating in the decay of the ground state of 11Be, must have a total angular momentum and parity J = 1/2+. The narrow 5/2+ resonance at 11.600(20) MeV, which lies slightly above the neutron emission threshold and breaks down by the emission of the neutron or particle, has a significant effect on the value of the 10B neutron capture cross-section. This huge cross-section suggests that the 5/2+ resonance wave function is strongly modified by coupling to a nearby neutron emission channel. Indeed, in the SMEC model calculations, there is a sixth 5/2+ state near the neutron emission threshold, which strongly couples in the L=2 partial wave to the channel [10B(3+) + n]5/2+. The theoretically determined maximal collectivization for this state is 113 keV above the neutron emission threshold and close to the experimental energy of the 5/2+ state. "We investigated the puzzling case of -p+ decay of 11Be with a neutron halo. Analysis carried out within the SMEC model confirms the existence of collective resonance in 11B near the proton emission threshold and favors assignment of J = 1/2+ quantum numbers. The wave function of this resonance resembles a nearby proton emission channel. It means that in this process - decay can be interpreted as quasi-free decay of a neutron from the 11Be halo to resonance in 11B, in which a single proton is coupled with the 10Be core. The similarity of J = 1/2+ resonance to the channel [10Be + p] also explains the large spectroscopic factor for proton decay and the very small partial width of the decay of this state. However, the properties of the nearby J = 3/2+ state, which mainly decays by the emission of the particle, can be explained by the fourth 3/2+ state of the SMEC model. This state poorly couples to the emission channels of one neutron or proton. Above the neutron emission threshold [10B + n] is a 5/2+ resonance, which is crucial for 10B neutron capture. The wave function of the sixth 5/2+ state of the SMEC model shows very strong collectivization near the threshold of neutron emission, which is the explanation of the huge observed cross-section for neutron capture by 10B," says Prof. Okolowicz. The reason for the emergence of a collective proton (neutron) resonance around the proton (neutron) emission threshold is the L=0 (L=2) coupling with the proton (neutron) scattering state space. In this regard, the 11B case follows other splendid examples of threshold states in 12C, 11Li, or 15F. In the future, experimental studies of the 10Be(p,p)10Be reaction will be needed to understand the nature of proton resonance at 11.425 MeV. To better figure out the nature of the neutron reaction channel and neighboring neutron resonances, 10B(d,p)11Be reactions need to be examined. Besides, an extensive experimental and theoretical analysis will be required to determine the branching ratio for the -p+ channel, as the currently suggested experimental value is greater by a factor of 2 than the predictions of the SMEC model. Future theoretical studies should also explain the effect of L=0 virtual neutron state on the reaction channel [10B + n]. Explore further Researchers observe exotic radioactive decay process More information: J. Okoowicz et al, Convenient Location of a Near-Threshold Proton-Emitting Resonance in B11, Physical Review Letters (2020). Journal information: Physical Review Letters J. Okoowicz et al, Convenient Location of a Near-Threshold Proton-Emitting Resonance in B11,(2020). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.042502 Provided by The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences Gov. Phil Murphy is cutting about $335 million in proposed aid to New Jersey school districts as the state grapples with the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Even with the reduction, about a 3.7% decrease from what Murphy proposed in February, the state would still spend as much on K-12 schools as it did in the 2019-20 school year. But that may be little solace for districts now forced to cut costs because they already built 2020-21 budgets based on the governors proposed funding increase. The challenge absolutely is now to cut out of the budget the extra money they anticipated getting, said Susan Young, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials. The reduced state aid comes at a time when districts are also expecting potentially huge expenses related to reopening schools with added health and social distancing protocols, Young said. Its like you got laid off or furloughed and your furnace goes, Young said. Murphy proposed increasing direct support to schools by about $336 million during his February budget address, just weeks before New Jerseys first reported case of the coronavirus. Though the states finances have taken a major hit since then, school districts had a May deadline to finalize their budgets and many used the information they had at the time. About 375 districts would now get less than they anticipated when they passed their budgets. Newark Public Schools, the states largest district, would see the biggest dollar reduction $36.4 million, or about 4.2% less than it would receive in Murphys original plan. About 200 other districts those that already saw their aid cut in Murphys original budget proposal were not hit with a further reduction in state funding. The new funding figures for schools are contingent on legislative approval. Our ability to meet many of our core obligations for the upcoming fiscal year will be contingent upon a number of factors, including securing additional federal funding and the ability to borrow," Jennifer Sciortino, spokeswoman for the state Treasury Department. Use the tool below to see what the plan means for your district. Cant see the tool? Click this link. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Valak malware has rapidly changed over the past six months, it was initially designed as a loader, but now it implemented infostealer capabilities. The Valak malware completely changed over the past six months, it was first developed to act as a loader, but now it implements also infostealer capabilities. The malicious code fist appeared in the threat landscape in late 2019, over the past six months experts observed more than 20 versions that finally changing the malware from a loader to an infostealer used in attacks against individuals and enterprise. The Valak Malware is a sophisticated malware previously classified as a malware loader. Though it was first observed in late 2019, the Cybereason Nocturnus team has investigated a series of dramatic changes, an evolution of over 30 different versions in less than six months. reads the analysis published by Cybereason. This research shows that Valak is more than just a loader for other malware, and can also be used independently as an information stealer to target individuals and enterprises. The malicious code was employed in attacks mainly aimed at entities in the US and Germany, in which it was previously bundled with Ursnif and IcedID threats. The attack chain starts with phishing messages using a weaponized Microsoft Word documents containing malicious macros. Upon enabling the macros, a .DLL file named U.tmp is downloaded and saved to a temporary folder. When the DLL is executed it drops and launches using a WinExec API call. Valak malware uses a malicious JavaScript file with a random name that changes each time it is executed. The JavaScript code establishes the connections to command-and-control (C2) servers. The scripts also download additional files, decode them using Base64 and an XOR cipher, and then deploy the main payload. In the first stage, Valak laid the foundation for the attack. In the second stage, it downloads additional modules for reconnaissance activity and to steal sensitive information. continues the post. Valak uses two main payloads, project.aspx and a.aspx, the former ( the second stage JS) manages registry keys, task scheduling for malicious activities, and persistence, whereas the latter, named PluginHost.exe, named PluginHost.exe, is an executable file used to manage additional components. The Valaks Program class contains the main function of the file main(), which executes the function GetPluginBytes() to download the module components with type ManagedPlugin. These components will be loaded reflectively to the executables memory and allow the malware to add plugin capabilities. PluginHost.exe implements multiple functions by loading the specific modules, below a list of modules observed by the experts: Systeminfo : responsible for extensive reconnaissance;targets local and domain admins : responsible for extensive reconnaissance;targets local and domain admins Exchgrabber: aims to steal Microsoft Exchange data and infiltrates the enterprises mail system aims to steal Microsoft Exchange data and infiltrates the enterprises mail system IPGeo: verifies the geolocation of the target verifies the geolocation of the target Procinfo: collects information about the infected machines running processes Netrecon: perform performs network reconnaissance performs network reconnaissance Screencap: captures screenshots from the infected machine The Systeminfo module contains several reconnaissance functions that allow gathering information about the user, the machine, and existing AV products. Recent Valak variants have been employed in attacks against Microsoft Exchange servers, likely as part of attacks against enterprises. More recent versions of Valak target Microsoft Exchange servers to steal enterprise mailing information and passwords along with the enterprise certificate. This has the potential to access critical enterprise accounts, causing damage to organizations, brand degradation, and ultimately a loss of consumer trust. concludes the post. The extended malware capabilities suggest that Valak can be used independently with or without teaming up with other malware. That being said, it seems as though the threat actor behind Valak is collaborating with other threat actors across the E-Crime ecosystem to create an even more dangerous piece of malware. Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs Valak, malware) Share this... Linkedin Share this: Twitter Print LinkedIn Facebook More Tumblr Pocket Share On A Georgia middle school teacher has been left paralyzed from the chest down after she suffered a devastating injury while playing on an inflatable waterslide with children during Memorial Day weekend. Valerie Feske, a mother of two, attended a small neighborhood event in Richmond Hill where there was a waterslide for the kids. 'The kids were playing and Val being Valerie, being the life of the party, decided that she was going to play with the kids and all of the adults were being boring,' her husband Brent said to WTOC11. 'She was up there playing and what happened was one of the kids ended up colliding with her just in the absolute wrong way,' he added. She injured her spinal cord and was left paralyzed from the chest down. Now Feske is recovering in the intensive care unit at Memorial Health University Physicians hospital in Richmond Hill. Georgia middle school teacher Valerie Feske has been left paralyzed from the chest down following an accident on an inflatable waterslide at a Memorial Day weekend gathering on Saturday. Pictured in the hospital with a neck brace She has already had at least one surgery and has regained some movement in her arms, her family said. 'Shes moving her arms a little bit, and we werent even sure if she could do that, and thats 24 hours after surgery. Shes already showing improvement, and that, to me is such a great sign, and Im just so excited,' her husband Brent said She was playing with kids on the waterslide during a Memorial Day neighborhood gathering Saturday when she collided with a child and got hurt. Pictured above with husband Brent and their two kids Kenzie and Derek She has already had at least one surgery and has regained some movement in her arms, her family said. 'Shes moving her arms a little bit, and we werent even sure if she could do that, and thats 24 hours after surgery. Shes already showing improvement, and that, to me is such a great sign, and Im just so excited,' her husband Brent said. Feske teaches at Richmond Hill Middle School near Savannah and has two young kids, Kenzie and Derek. Friends at the incident said the accident happened 'in a split second'. 'She was super happy, laughing, having a great time, and everything changed,' Jennifer Price said. Still, Brent is hopeful for his wifes recovery. 'I am on some rush of positivity, and I dont know where its coming from, Ill be honest. Its devastating, you know, to think that a fun Memorial Day weekend waterslide could be a life-changing event like this,' he said. Feske teaches at Richmond Hill Middle School near Savannah. Pictured left and right with husband Brent Friends at the incident said the accident happened 'in a split second'. 'She was super happy, laughing, having a great time, and everything changed,' Jennifer Price said. Valerie pictured with her family on vacation Brent posted an update on Valeries health on Wednesday saying shes eating well and swelling is going down, but shes still in pain in her neck but is slowly regaining feeling in her chest Brent posted an update on Valeries health on Wednesday saying shes eating well and swelling is going down, but shes still in pain in her neck but is slowly regaining feeling in her chest. A GoFundMe page has been made to help with Feskes medical costs and has raised over 34,000 of its $250,000 goal. 'While enjoying some fun in the sun, Val being the adventurous person she is, had a catastrophic collision on an inflatable water slide. Her collision has resulted in an ASIA A C7 spinal cord injury. As you can imagine, the medical bills and family needs are already enormous and will continue to mount as Valerie continues her road to recovery,' the page says. A GoFundMe page has been made to help with Feskes medical costs and has raised over 34,000 of its $250,000 goal Feske teaches at Richmond Hill Middle School near Savannah Her friends and family have also created a Facebook page entitled 'Vals Village' to keep people updated on her recovery process. Neighbor and friend Shanna Lafontaine says that Valerie is being well cared for at the hospital. 'The doctors and nurses have been amazing, they braided her hair and painted her nails, just trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible,' Lafontaine said to WSAV. MADRID (Reuters) - Alcoa said on Thursday it is considering laying off up to 534 workers from its San Ciprian aluminum plant in the Spanish region of Galicia, though a final decision has not yet been made. High energy costs and low aluminum prices led to persistent losses and left the plant unable to compete internationally, the company said in an emailed statement. Alcoa's announcement comes shortly after Japanese auto giant Nissan Motor Co said it would shut its Barcelona plant from December, putting thousands of jobs in jeopardy. Together, they are a major blow to the country's morale as unemployment skyrockets and a steep recession looms in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Workers representatives will meet with Alcoa's management for three weeks of talks to discuss what challenges the plant faces and the options available. "No decision will be taken until this consultation period has finished," Alcoa said. Union representative Jose Antonio Zan blasted the company's actions as "shameful" in an interview on state broadcaster TVE, and attacked the government for failing to support the highly energy-intensive industry. "We have been asking for a stable energy price for a long time, we have been saying that electro-intensive industries must be supported, as they are in the rest of Europe," he said. Including contractors and employees, San Ciprian's workforce numbers around 2,000 people, he added. Francisco Conde, the Galicia region's economy councilor, echoed his criticism of the government's inaction. "The decision made by Alcoa is a response to the lack of initiative and response from the government of Spain to establish a price of electricity that would be competitive enough to produce primary aluminum," he said in an audio statement. (Reporting by Nathan Allen, Emma Pinedo and Inti Landauro, editing by Andrei Khalip) Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 06:15:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MAPUTO, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi announced on Thursday that the state of emergency enacted since April 1 to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic will be extended for the second time for another 30 days, starting on June 1. It is essential to continue with the state of emergency and relevant restrictions as the number of confirmed cases doubled in the past two weeks, said the president in a televised address to the nation. According to the president, bus stops and means of transport remain crowded, and some establishments of services are still not observing social distancing rules. "We note with sadness that the measures taken are not being complied with by everyone, which has contributed a lot to the spread of the pandemic," said the president. Nyusi said that the measures are not aimed at ending the pandemic, but at controlling its spread and avoiding the level-4 measures of "lockdown." The president called for the utmost seriousness and responsibility from all citizens to observe the preventive measures, which is "for the good of all of us" and "decisive for the success in the fight against this faceless enemy." Inspections will be strengthened at markets, streets and borders, and the reopening of borders or resumption of activities in sport and culture sectors will be studied in light of the trend of the pandemic, said the president. Enditem Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on May 5, 2020. (Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images) US Lawmakers Propose Bill to Deny Entry to Chinese Graduate Students in Science, Technology Republican lawmakers have proposed legislation that would bar Chinese nationals from receiving visas for graduate or post-graduate study in science and technology in the United States. Sens. Tom Cotton (Ark.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), and Rep. David Kustoff (Tenn.) unveiled the bill on May 27, saying the measure was a response to Chinese state-sanctioned academic espionage and intellectual property (IP) theft on U.S. college campuses. Beijing exploits student and research visas to steal science, technology, engineering and manufacturing secrets from U.S. academic and research institutions, Blackburn said in a statement. Weve fed Chinas innovation drought with American ingenuity and taxpayer dollars for too long; its time to secure the U.S. research enterprise against the CCPs [Chinese Communist Party] economic espionage. The legislation would also block participants of the Chinese regimes foreign talent recruitment programs from receiving or working on federal research grants in science and technology. The regimes recruitment initiatives, including the Thousand Talents Plan, which aims to attract foreign experts to work in China, have been criticized for facilitating the transfer of U.S. IP to China. Earlier this month, three researchers, in three separate cases, were arrested and charged for failing to disclose their participation in the Thousand Talents Plan. Chinese nationals who belong to religious or ethnic groups suppressed by the CCP would be exempted from these measures, as well as applicants from Hong Kong and Taiwan. There are approximately 370,000 Chinese students studying in the United States, according to statistics compiled by the nonprofit Institute of International Education and the U.S. State Department. The bill comes as the Trump administration is set to cancel the visas of thousands of Chinese graduate students who have ties to universities affiliated to the Chinese military, according to The New York Times and Reuters, citing anonymous U.S. officials. In January, federal prosecutors charged an exchange student at Boston University, Ye Yanqing, for visa fraud. The justice department said Ye was a lieutenant in the Peoples Liberation Army but failed to disclose her military service when applying for her visa. Cotton told Fox News in April that it was a scandal that the United States has trained some Chinese nationals to go back to China to compete for our jobs, to take our business, and ultimately to steal our property and design weapons and other devices that can be used against the American people. If Chinese students want to come here and study Shakespeare and the Federalist Papers, thats what they need to learn from America, Cotton said. They dont need to learn quantum computing and artificial intelligence from America. Some critics, however, say that targeting all students from China would be racist and excessive. U.S. security officials have repeatedly warned of the threat of Chinese economic espionage at U.S. academic and research facilities. In December 2019, a Chinese researcher at Harvard Universitys Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center was arrested at the airport before he was to board a Beijing-bound flight with 21 vials of biological materials stolen from the Harvard lab, according to the justice department. Charles Lieber, Harvards chemistry department chair, was arrested in January and charged with lying about funding he received from the Thousand Talents Plan. When taking advanced-level courses at Princeton University, Canadian Nicholas Johnson says he was often one of the only Black students in the classroom. It was a strange feeling, Johnson says, one thats familiar to many people of colour working to overcome systemic barriers at elite academic institutions. The Montreal-raised student says he was fortunate to find mentors who pushed him to pursue his studies in operations research and financial engineering. As the first Black valedictorian in Princetons 274-year history, Johnson says he hopes he can similarly serve as an example for other students of colour in white-dominated environments. I hope this achievement is able to serve as an inspiration, Johnson, 22, said in a phone interview ahead of Sundaysvirtual commencement. Its a very significant event, particularly given Princetons historical ties to slavery. Founded as the College of New Jersey in 1746, Princetons first nine presidents all owned slaves, and enslaved people lived at the Presidents House until at least 1822, according to the schools Princeton and Slavery Project. After receiving word that he would be this years valedictorian, Johnson said school officials pored through the archives to confirm the honours historical significance. They actually only told me while they were interviewing me for a podcast, so they really put me on the spot, Johnson recalled with a laugh. After the initial shock, I felt very empowered. As media outlets covered the milestone earlier this month, former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama was among the well-wishers congratulating Johnson on his accomplishments. This Princeton alum is so proud of you, Nick! Obama tweeted. I have a feeling this is just the beginning for you, and I cannot wait to see everything you continue to achieve. A graduate of Selwyn House School in Westmount, Que., Johnson has built quite the resume during his time at Princeton. As he racked up academic accolades, Johnson spent his spare time serving as president of an engineering honour society, volunteering with Engineers Without Borders, editing a journal of writing pedagogy and helping fellow students as residential college adviser. Beyond the Princeton, N.J., campus, Johnson studied on exchange in Hong Kong and had internships at Oxford University and the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms. He also worked as a software engineer at Googles California headquarters. While his success has taken him across the globe, Johnson says his heart still lies in Canada. Thats why he spent his senior thesis developing algorithms to solve an optimization problem in Canadas preventative-health interventions aimed at curbing the prevalence of obesity. He said the project could have interesting applications for the COVID-19 pandemic. This particular type of health intervention that I was looking at was designed to change behaviours that are socially learned, said Johnson. An individuals adherence to social distancing is something that is very much impacted by how much other people that they interact with themselves adhere to social distancing. Rather than delivering a speech before a sea of students in caps and gowns, Johnson said hes recorded a condensed valedictory address that will be shown as part of Princetons virtual commencement. While he hopes to reunite with his classmates at a planned in-person commencement next year, Johnson recognizes that an uncertain future awaits many of his fellow graduates. However, Johnson remains optimistic that this pandemic will pass, and the class of 2020 has an important role to play in fighting it. I do think that graduates will come out of this experience on the other side wiser and more resilient and even more committed to playing their part in bettering the world. Johnson is set to spend his summer interning at the D. E. Shaw Group, a global investment and technology development firm, before embarking on his doctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall. After that, Johnson cant predict where his path may lead, but he hopes it eventually brings him back to his home country. Over my years studying in the United States thus far, I have gained an even greater appreciation for Canadian society and for the Canadian way of life, he said. I think that is very much a way of life that I would want. New Delhi, May 28 : The Parliamentary Standing Committee will be meeting on June 3 on the issue of nationwide lockdown. Sources said the Union Home Secretary will be briefing the committee on the ongoing lockdown and its impact on the country. This would be the first meeting of the committee after the announcement of the countrywide lockdown and will be held in the Parliament complex at 11 a.m. The Congress Deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, who is the Chairman of the committee and has called the meeting, declined to comment on it. But, sources said, the members of the committee have been conveyed information about the meeting. Sources also said that the officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) may face tough questions regarding the lockdown and the method adopted by the government to implement in it. The duration of the fourth lockdown is ending on May 31. The government has not announced the next move till now. Earlier, a move to have a virtual meeting of the same was stalled by the Rajya Sabha secretariat on the ground that the Standing Committee procedures can't be held virtually because of secrecy. The principal opposition party Congress has been demanding a parliamentary scrutiny on the government functioning during the lockdown and the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text US President Donald Trump intends to sign an executive decree about social media, Washington Post reported. According to its sources, this decree is designed to push federal regulators to rethink section 230 of the communications ethics law. This law significantly exempts technology companies from liability for comments, videos, and other content left by users. On Wednesday, Trump publicly threatened to move to tougher regulation of social networks in the US if they continue to stifle conservative voices His remarks came after one of his tweets has been tagged with a fact-checking warning. Thus, the social network responded to the presidents statements that the Democrats, by mailing some residents with voting ballots at the upcoming presidential elections in November, are trying to create conditions for fraud. According to The Washington Post sources, the draft decree suggests that complaints about the political bias of social networks will be addressed by the Federal Trade Commission. This body will be instructed to study the rules of conduct established by companies for their neutrality. In addition, the decree will contain a provision on the need for federal agencies to review the cost of advertising on social networks. On May 23, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is exploring the possibility of forming a commission that will identify cases of unjustified blocking of stuff in support of traditional values on social networks. According to its sources, this is due to the fact that the White House is concerned about the left bias of technology companies. BookExpo held its first Adult Book and Author Dinner, in lieu of a breakfast, on Wednesday night, showcasing five of the big books of the year via Zoom. The event, moderated in part by BookExpo event director Jenny Martin and by Zerlina Maxwell, the MSNBC political analyst, senior director of progressive programming for SiriusXM, and cohost of the Sirius show Signal Boost, highlighted a wide range of books expected to make big splashes. All of the books featured were written by women of color: U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, authors Carmen Maria Machado and Rebecca Roanhorse, and U.S. Representative for Minnesota Ilhan Omar, who was unable to make the dinner. Zerlina's own nonfiction book, The End of White Politics: How to Heal Our Liberal Divide (Hachette Book Group, July 7), tackles a prescient topic: the future of politics in a diversifying America. Whats the end of white politics? Maxwell asked. Politics. Politics is what white politics is. The end of white politics is putting an end to the central and solitary focus on white voters. Zerlina noted that Pew Research projects that white voters will be in a minority by 2045. So why wait until then to start moving and organizing and voting like were the minority? In her book, Maxwell said, she argues that lived experiences matter, and that people who look like me, a black woman, will better be able to represent her interests, and the interests of those who have not benefited from white politics and white political poweran urgently needed change. Democratic political successes in the future, she argued, will be defined by voters of color. We need to start looking at the reality staring us right in the face: the future of politics is not going to be only about what white voters want and think. Harjo's book, When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry (to be published August 25), which she edited with with Leanne Howe, Jennifer Foerster, and another 13 poets serving as consulting editors, is the first anthology of Native American poetry published by Norton. It was finally time, Harjo said. All the contributing editors are native poets, which is kind of a first. We started off with a lot of challenges. First of all, some people in America dont even know that were alive. They think John Wayne killed all of us. Then some people think were alive, butpoets? Harjo said she and her editors put the book together with the help of a team of students from the University of Tennessee, who would meet with the editors over Skype or Zoom. The roots of poetry in this country, usually people look to Europe, but they come from everywhereand there are indigenous poetic roots that have affected all of American culture in one way or the other, she said. It was important to do this collection to highlight that. They ran into challenges assembling it, she said: How do you fit the literature of 527 federally recognized tribes, and there are others beyond that, into 350 pages, and still manage to cover all of the mainland U.S. to Alaska, Hawaii, and some of the Pacific islands? The strategy, Harjo said, was to separate the book into five geographical areas, and to order them from the oldest poems, from "time immemorial," including an origin chant in Hawai'ian, to works by the youngest poets, including Jake Skeets, born in 1991. She said the anthology could have been four or five times as long, but they ended up with nearly 170 poets. Poetry is a living art, Harjo said. Even if its printed, its made of our breath. We always turn to poetry in times of transformation because it carries, as our breath does, our wishes and feelings and hopes and dreams. Machado, the author of Her Body and Other Parties and In the Dream House, makes the move from literary publishing to comics in her latest, The Low, Low Woods, illustrated by Dani (DC Comics, Sept. 29). She said DC approached her to write the work for Hill House, the imprint at the publisher run by novelist and comics writer Joe Hill, and while she has always loved comics, it had never occurred to her that writing them was something she could do. So she found notes for an old horror story she had sketched out but shelved, set in a fictional town called Shudder to Think, Pennsylvania, in the 1990s, and adapted it. She said she was a little hesitant to move to comics from prose, but the folks at DC helped, including suggesting that she put moments of surprise on even-numbered pages, so as to leave the surprise for the turn of a page, and not to have readers spoil the moment with scanning eyes. The story, Machado said, is of two queer dirtbag teens, she said, who wake up in a movie theater with mud on their shoes and no recollection of how they got there, and are forced into unraveling an increasingly supernatural mystery. It was important to Machado that the protagonists were queer young women of color, and that one of them was fat. The conflicts in their life are both deeply relatable and deeply weird, Machado said: Octavia is in love with her classmate, Jessica, whose mother is a sinkhole, while Elle is trying to figure out if college is good for her, and also why there is a plague of amnesia in their town. The inspiration for the story came from a dream I had, Machado said, but the inspiration for the setting came from her own adolescence in Eastern Pennsylvania and is based on the abandoned, and haunted, town of Centralia. It was a right of passage for the cool kids growing up in Eastern Pa. at the time to go to Centralia and take moody B&W photographs, Machado added. I think Pennsylvania is a strange and beautiful place, and I think it deserves the literary attention that other states have gotten in spades. Rebecca Roanhorse, who has won the Nebula, Hugo, Locus, and Campbell awards for her speculative fiction, called her forthcoming novel, Black Sun (Saga Press, Oct. 13), which is the first in a trilogy, the book where Im allowed to thrive. Its the book of my heart. Growing up, she said, I really didnt know that I could be published. I hadnt discovered folks like Butler and N.K. Jemison yet, and there certainly were no native authors writing in the genre. This book is her big swing, an epic fantasy not inspired by a Western European or pseudo-European history but by the history of the indigenous Americans, pre-conquest. All these cultures were sophisticated and complex, she said. You have architecture to rival their contemporaries in Asia and Africa and Europe. You had great astronomer-priests who mapped the solstice and equinox and cities so beautiful that even the invading Spanish noted in awe their beauty, right before they destroyed them. But Black Sun, she hastens to add, is not a history book. This is a place where I let my imagination run: spear-warriors on the back of giant corvids and god-touched prophecies. But Black Sun is also just about people, as the best stories are, four people in particular, whose lives will collide on the solstice under a rare solar eclipse. The heroes, Roanhorse said, unlike those in Western stories, who must adventure out into the world on a hero's journey to find their place in it, starts with the heroes already out in the world, needing to find their way back to home. In the comments section of the Facebook stream, the excitement for the book was palpable. Omar's book, This Is What America Looks Like, will be released by Dey Street Books on May 26. Although the world is starting open up, many of us are still limiting trips to grocery stores. And that means a bit more reliance on basic meals. Really basic. As in ones based on less perishable items such as Kraft Dinner, dried pasta with jarred sauce, and cans of baked beans. But a glass of the right wine can really kick these meals up a notch. So keeping certain bottles on hand for when groceries are low means youre never far away from a properly delicious meal. Lets start with the 2018 Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay from South Africa (Vintages Essential 367698 $15.95). This crisp, steely white with a touch of toasty praline actually goes quite well with Kraft Dinner. And Id score the wine itself a solid 90. Kraft Dinner is one of those things you may not normally rely on as a side or main. But I bet you have a box of it somewhere in your pantry during this pandemic. Or if youre really fancy, youve probably got a box of Annies organic mac and cheese instead. This smart South African Chardonnay elevates either. Or if you prefer red wine, the 2018 M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut from the Cotes du Roussillon-Villages in the South of France (Vintages Essential $15.95) works well too with boxed macaroni and cheese. This is a quietly sophisticated blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan with sheer flavours of red and black berries, dry earth and crumbled herbs. Each swirl, sniff and sip add depth and finesse to the meal. Score: 91 To ensure youre never 15 minutes away from a good Italian meal, keep a bottle of the 2018 Santa Cristina Rosso Toscana IGT from Italy (LCBO 76521 $14.90) handy. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Syrah and Merlot by respected producer Marchesi Antinori makes any pasta with tomato sauce betterfrom handmade tagliatelle with slow-cooked bolognaise to pantry penne with Ragu from a jar. It also works well with frozen lasagna if thats your staple. 2018 Santa Cristina Rosso exudes black forest fruits underpinned with dried herbs on the nose. The palate is poised yet robust. And the flood of ripe but not overripe fruit unfurls with considerable complexity for the moneyblackcurrant and cherries, tobacco leaf and coffee, baking spices and more. Honest value. Score: 92 Baked beans from a can makes a surprisingly satisfying meal served with 2018 Featherstone Canadian Oak Chardonnay, VQA Niagara Peninsula (Vintages 149302 $21.95). The wine is bone dry but delivers compelling aromas and flavours of baked apple with butter and brown sugar. Silky, rich, and well-balanced, each sip seasons the palate perfectly for the next forkful of beans. Toast or wieners optional. Score: 93 Fans of fish and chips probably keep battered or breaded filets in the freezer, along with a bag of McCain Superfries. And maybe some frozen peas to steam, butter and serve alongside. If thats you, heres a tip. The 2018 Matteo Terre di Chieti Bianco IGT, Italy (LCBO 14949 $9.95) hits shelves June 5 and is a brilliant buy sure to sell through fast. And it goes very well with this particular ready meal. Each sip of the 2018 Matteo Terre di Chieti Bianco IGT offers a bright wash of easy vinousity that tastes clean, crisp, and understated with allusions of lemon zest, ripe pear and crushed stone. Then, it leaves a twist of grapefruit zest and almond on the finish. Stellar white for the money. Score: 94 If tacos, beans and rice, or Asian noodle dishes are your go-to pantry mealwith or without hot saucegrab a bottle of the off-dry 2017 Sandbanks Beach Riesling, VQA Ontario (LCBO 139022 $14.95) for the door of your fridge. Each sip of this light-bodied, easy-drinking white tastes immediately cooling and quenching with a swift lick of mouthwatering citrus zeallemon-lime mostly. Its uncomplicated pleasure that complements these dishes in the same way a squirt of fresh lime would. Score: 89 And no list of pantry meals would be complete without chili. Its dead easy, dirt cheap and nutritious. And it goes very well the 2018 Sandbanks Sleeping Giant Foch Baco Noir, VQA Ontario. (LCBO 164087 $19.95). This wine delivers a crush of wild blueberries laced with toasted tobacco leaf, campfire and freshly turned black earth on the nose and palate. The texture is silky smooth, lifted and lush. And its well-made and well-balanced. If you like richer styles of red wine, reach for this reasonably-priced Ontario offering. Solid buy. Score 93 The 2018 Sandbanks Sleeping Giant Foch-Baco Noir also goes well with homemade burgers, frozen pizza, and beef stew such as Campbells Chunky from a can. Heres to elevating even the most humble pantry meals with great tasting wines. Please log in to keep reading. Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. The New Delhi Municipal Councils (NDMC) headquarters Palika Kendra, located near Connaught Place was on Thursday sealed for 48 hours after six people in the building tested positive for Covid-19 in 24 hours. All the staff have been asked to work from home for two days until the building is completely sanitised. According to NDMC official, as many as six employees including a joint director-level official have tested Covid-19 positive in the last 24 hours. The administration has ordered a sanitisation drive in the building three times a day and contact tracing of all patients. On Wednesday, the sixth floor of the building was sealed after three employees tested Covid-19 positive. Later that day, three more staffers tested positive, prompting the decision to seal the headquarter building for 48 hours so that it could be sanitised properly, a district administration official said. The official said that those who were in close contact with the infected employees have been directed to home quarantine. The sampling can only be done after they start showing symptoms of Covid. The employees, for now, have been instructed to report to district administration officials in case they show any symptoms, the administration official said. In the last two months, as many as nine officials and employees of NDMC have tested Covid-19 positive. Last week, the civic body had shut its Palika dispensary located in the NDMC headquarters after a doctor working there had tested positive for the virus According to NDMC officials, the 21-floor Palika Kendra building houses around 24 departments of the municipality. As many as 3,000 NDMC staff work in the buildingincluding the NDMC chairman and secretary s. Alternate arrangement has been made to operate the control and command centre from some other place for 48 hours. Security offices and server rooms will be opened on Saturday, while the building will be completely reopened again only on Monday, an NDMC official said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON TAFE NSW has been swamped with 100,000 enrolments for its free short courses as teachers raise concerns about their quality. The Premier Gladys Berejiklian said medical administration was among the most popular of the 21 free online short TAFE courses, which would usually cost $1000 each. Regional students accounted for more than half the 100,000 course enrolments. "Encouragingly, the majority of the people who did the courses hadn't studied at TAFE, so they were new TAFE students, whereas just under half had been in a TAFE course before," she said. Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee and Premier Gladys Berejiklian announce the success of TAFE NSW free courses. Credit:Janie Barrett The release of the enrolment details follows Prime Minister Scott Morrison's earlier criticism that an "unresponsive" training system was failing workers and employers, especially in the drive to kickstart a post pandemic recovery. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has described the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting under the current Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission (EC) as "useless". To him, IPAC is now irrelevant and has lost its essence, thanks to two personalities; the EC Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson, Dr Eric Bossman Asare. Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, General Mosquito as popularly called justified the NDC's decision not to partake in any IPAC meeting, since the forum has turned into an event to pass on information to political parties. We did not attend the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting; there was no need for us to attend that meeting. The purpose for setting up the IPAC has changed under the new Electoral Commission (EC) and so it has become useless to attend its meetings. IPAC was designed for us to meet to discuss issues relating to elections; thus, if it is about a law, we will all meet the Electoral Commission to deliberate on it and come up with one voice about the law so that all the stakeholders will be satisfied with the electoral process. Since Bossman and Jean Mensa took over the leadership of the Electoral Commission (EC), they have made changes at IPAC meetings and they now call meetings just to pass information to us and not to discuss issues; and so our opinions and experience do not matter to them, he bemoaned. Buttressing his point, the NDC Chief Scribe pointed out despite their failure to be present at the meeting, the opposition party has been appraised of every detailed information the EC made known to the political parties. After all, whatever decision taken at the meeting is in the public and those of us who did not attend are aware of it. So, if we had something to do yesterday and it was just information the EC was passing to us, we still have heard what decision taken by the EC as we did not attend the meeting. . . Nothing shows that when the EC brought up the issues, any of the political parties opinions was accepted by the EC. So, whether you are present or not, the IPAC meeting is not important and that is the reason why we did not attend," he justified. Watch Video Below Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) have tapped digital financial services leader PayMaya to provide additional livelihood opportunities to drivers as well as access to cashless payment options to drivers and operators of public utility vehicles (PUVs) as quarantine restrictions begin to ease in some parts of the country. PayMaya is offering various taxi and transport operators and their drivers QR scan-to-pay capabilities via its mobile app, which will also give them access to a digital financial account that they can use for everyday transactions such as bills payments, airtime load reloading and sending money to friends and family. As transportation services resume in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ), the LTFRB recently issued guidelines mandating taxis and transport network vehicle services (TNVS) to adopt cashless payments such as PayMaya as a measure to help curb the further spread of Covid-19. Cashless payments particularly in taxis and TNVS vehicles is part of our new norm, and we are glad that our drivers and operators have easy and convenient options such as PayMaya so that they can quickly implement this solution for the safety and benefit of their riders, added LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra III. Soon, drivers and transport operators may also receive contactless payments through credit, debit and prepaid cards via tap-to-pay technology through the other digital payment solutions of PayMaya. Operators may also utilize PayMayas PayOut disbursement solution to easily distribute salaries and other incentives through their drivers PayMaya accounts. In the past, PayMaya has also partnered with bus and taxi companies in Metro Manila and also in other areas such as Baguio and Cebu, such as in enabling transportation facilities such as the Araneta Bus Port in helping them accept cashless payments through credit and debit cards as well as via PayMaya QR. Story continues Alternative livelihood opportunities for faster recovery On top of helping drivers accept cashless payments, PayMaya will also soon enable them with additional livelihood options such as offering airtime load purchases, bills payment and even remittances if they also operate a sari-sari store or any physical store, through other upcoming products and services. In the new normal, we must help everyone adapt to new and safer ways to lead our lives, and that includes the transportation industry. PayMaya is proud to support the government and transport operators not just in helping them accept contactless payments, but to chart the path toward their full recovery as well, said PayMaya founder and chief operating officer Orlando Vea. As the entire country conforms to the changes caused by the Covid-19 crisis across various sectors aside from transportation, digital and contactless payments will become not just a must but a strategic advantage for businesses in order to quickly recover. To know more about PayMaya's products and services for businesses and merchants, visit http://enterprise.paymaya.com. PayMaya is the only end-to-end digital payments ecosystem enabler in the Philippines with platforms and services that cut across consumers, merchants and government. Aside from providing payments acceptance for the largest e-Commerce, food, retail and gas merchants in the Philippines, PayMaya is enabling national and social services agencies as well as local government units with digital payments and disbursement services. Through its PayMaya app and wallet, it is providing millions of Filipinos with the fastest way to own a financial account with over 40,000 Add Money touchpoints nationwide, more than double the total number of traditional bank branches in the Philippines combined. Its Smart Padala by PayMaya network of over 30,000 partner agents nationwide serves as last mile digital financial hubs in communities, providing the unbanked and underserved with access to services. (Sponsored Content) A leading researcher believes the coronavirus lockdown could provide the 'window of opportunity' needed to eradicate head lice in Australia. Months of social distancing measures imposed during the lockdown have restricted the movement of the critters from head to head among schoolchildren. Melbourne University Professor of Dermatology Rodley Sinclair says parents will be able to help get rid of the pests for good. The best form of treatment for head lice is using a finetooth comb to physically go over the hair with conditioner and check for insects Mr Sinclair told the Sydney Morning Herald if everyone plays a part before physical distancing measures are eased it will go a long way. Melbourne University Professor of Dermatology Rodley Sinclair believes the coronavirus lockdown could provide the 'window of opportunity' needed to eradicate head lice in Australia 'If everybody did it together, it might just peter out,' he said. 'If we find the carriers and treat them all before we go back, we could stop this whole issue.' The closure of schools as a result of COVID-19 has meant the opportunity for the pests' spread has greatly diminished. While temporary new measures around physical distancing with the reopening of schools including a ban on close contact play will also slow any potential movement. Mother-of-two Candice Van Schellen told Nine News while her daughters have only suffered through head lice once, it wasn't a pleasant experience. Head lice were detected on her daughter Maddison which meant both daughters were imposed to a full on treatment. 'We found a live one in her so we got it early but Mia had to have the full treatment- teating the hair, combing the hair picking it out, Mother-of-two Candice Van Schellen (pictured) said while her daughters have only suffered through head lice once, it wasn't a pleasant experience Head lice were detected on her daughter Maddison which meant both daughters were imposed to a full on treatment She checked both her daughters' hair before their first day back on Tuesday and will check again after the first week. Ms Van Schellen believes this is one of the potential positives to come out of the physical distancing measures. 'A lot of parents will probably be rejoicing the fact and probably hadn't thought about it until now,' she said. The best form of treatment for head lice is using a finetooth comb to physically go over the hair with conditioner and check for insects. But an infection can also be treated with prescription medication 'ivermectin' which involves taking two tablets a day for seven days, and another two at the end of the week. The same drug is being investigated by researchers as a possible treatment for COVID-19 but testing is still in its early days. An infection can also be treated with prescription medication 'ivermectin' (pictured) which involves taking two tablets a day for seven days, and another two at the end of the week A Vancouver judge on Wednesday allowed Canadian officials to continue the U.S. extradition of Huawei CFO. Meng Wanzhou, 48, hence lost her first real line of defense against the Trump administrations DOJ. The daughter of Huawei founder, Ren Zhengfei, has been under house arrest at her Vancouver estate since late 2018. Authorities apprehended her at the behest of Washington prosecutors while she was changing flights on her way from Hong Kong to Mexico. The charges against her include financial fraud, racketeering, and a conspiracy to violate U.S. trade sanctions. Mengs legal team tried to have the U.S. extradition request dismissed from day one. The controversial arrest sparked a complex diplomatic incident, as well as countless threats from Beijing. Advertisement Nonetheless, the extradition proceedings have now been given a judicial all-clear from the British Columbia Supreme Court. Huaweis top executive originally argued the very concept of her potential U.S. extradition is illegal. That would be because the stateside fraud allegations constitute no violation any Canadian law. Yet Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes rejected that defense as baseless, stating a fraud damaging to an American bank could indeed be prosecuted in Canada. The ruling puts a checkmark on the double criminality principle of the case, allowing the U.S. extradition process of Huaweis CFO to continue. Huawei CFO faces U.S. extradition as Trump levies new Hong Kong threat Mengs now left with no choice but to attempt defending herself against the extradition demands directly. Both Huawei and Chinas ruling party labeled the arrest as yet another example of baseless theatrics from President Trump. Advertisement However, the DOJ said its been building the case against Meng since the early days of President Obamas second term, three years prior to the inauguration of the incumbent U.S. head. While the charges against Meng are numerous, Washingtons main accusation is that Meng personally defrauded American banks. She allegedly did so to help Huawei circumvent stateside trade sanctions placed on Iran and North Korea via undisclosed subsidiaries. Advertisement Huawei CFOs fight against U.S. extradition will continue next month with more hearings. Meng is facing decades in federal prison if she ends up in the grasp of American prosecutors. The timing of her latest legal defeat coincided with the Trump administrations renewed anti-China push. Namely, the White House on Wendesday urged Congress to strip Hong Kong of its special trade status. Such a move would deliver another major blow to the Chinese economy whose Western exports largely depend on Hong Kongs privileged position which itself is entirely dependent on the citys political autonomy. Ukrainian delegation on the beginning of the meeting of Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) (Ukraine, Russia, OSCE) for settling the situation in Donbas in a videoconference format on May 27 stressed the necessity to establish termless, unconditional and steady ceasefire. "In addition, Ukraine insisted on the need for the Russian side to ensure unconditional and unhindered access by the OSCE SMM, in particular, to register possible violations of the ceasefire, to ensure the movement of humanitarian missions. OSCE SMM representatives reported that their patrols recorded traces of heavy equipment on territory of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine," a President's Press Office reported on Thursday. The President's Press Office said that a common understanding between Ukraine and the OSCE of security issues had been reached, which foresees unconditional and full implementation of the mandate of OSCE SMM by all means. The Ukrainian delegation also noted that during an extraordinary meeting of the TCG on May 22, OSCE representatives have not confirmed the facts of shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Within the framework of the working group on security issues, discussion continued on the issue of new sites for the disengagement of forces and weapons. People with cancer sickened by COVID-19 have a crude death rate of 13%, according to the largest series of data released thus far from a multinational perspective. The data on more than 900 patients, published May 28 in The Lancet, also revealed cancer-specific factors associated with increased mortality. The information is the first report from an ongoing international initiative by the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) to track outcomes within this vulnerable population. The CCC19 registry was built and is maintained as an electronic REDCap database housed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "People with cancer face a great deal of uncertainty in the era of COVID-19, including whether the balance of risks and benefits in the treatment of cancer has shifted in some fundamental way," said Jeremy Warner, MD, MS, associate professor of Medicine and Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University, the study's corresponding author. "The death rate for this group of patients as a whole was 13%, more than twice that reported for all patients with COVID-19 (by the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering). Certain subgroups, such as patients with active (measurable) cancer and those with an impaired performance status, fared much, much worse." The data in this first report from CCC19 was gathered from 928 patients in Spain, Canada and the United States. "CCC19 has been a massive effort to accumulate clinically-relevant data on a large number of patients with COVID-19 infection," said Brian Rini, MD, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and Chief of Clinical Trials at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, one of the study's three senior authors. "This initial report defines some of the major risk factors and outcomes for certain patient subsets, and several other CCC19 projects are ongoing to further expand this knowledge with the goal to inform cancer patients and providers." The other senior authors are Warner and Gary H. Lyman, MD, MPH, professor of Medicine-Oncology at the University of Washington. These early data showed no statistical association between 30-day mortality and cancer treatments, suggesting that surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and maintenance chemotherapy could continue during the pandemic with "extreme caution." "While older patients and those with major comorbid conditions are at substantially increased risk of dying from COVID-19, our early findings are encouraging news for patients without major medical conditions who receive their cancer therapy within four weeks of their infection. However, more data are needed to reliably assess individual higher risk therapies," said Nicole Kuderer, MD, with the Advanced Cancer Research Group in Seattle, one of the study's lead authors. The cancer-specific factors associated with increased mortality included having an ECOG performance status of two or worse. ECOG is a grading scale for measuring how cancer impacts a patient's daily living abilities. A score of two designates a patient who is capable of selfcare but unable to work and who is up and about more than 50% during waking hours. Another factor associated with increased mortality was an active cancer status, particularly progressive cancer. The mortality risk also increased with the number of comorbidities, such as hypertension or diabetes, particularly with two or more comorbidities. As is the case with the non-cancer population, mortality increased with age. Mortality was 6% for cancer patients younger than 65, 11% for those 65-74 and 25% for those older than 75. Males also had a higher death rate than females, 17% compared to 9%. ### The study's other lead authors are Toni Choueiri, MD, the Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Chair and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Lank Center for GU Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dimpy Shah, PhD, MBBS, MSPH, assistant professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson and Yu Shyr, PhD, the Harold L. Moses Chair in Cancer Research and chair of the Department of Biostatistics at Vanderbilt. CCC19 was formed to rapidly collect data as part of an effort to understand the unique effects the coronavirus has on people with cancer. Participants include members of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), institutions that are National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Centers, researchers from several nations as well as community-based oncologists within the United States. More than 100 institutions have signed up in the United States and Canada. ESMO is coordinating efforts in Europe through ESMO-CoCare registry. MONTREAL Former Parti Quebecois leader Andre Boisclair is facing charges that he used a weapon to commit a sexual assault six years ago. An arrest warrant signed by a Quebec court judge and dated May 27 says the alleged assault took place in Montreal on Jan. 8, 2014, and that a second person participated. Under the terms of the warrant, Boisclair needs to present himself at a police station before appearing in court to be formally charged. The 54-year-old is facing two charges related to a single, unidentified victim. If convicted, the charges carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Boisclair served as the leader of the PQ from November 2005 until his resignation in May 2007. He served as Quebecs delegate general in New York from 2012 to 2013, and since June 2016, he has been president of the Urban Development Institute of Quebec. The institute confirmed Thursday that he has submitted his resignation. Boisclair was elected for the first time in the Montreal riding of Gouin in 1989, when we was just 23. Read more about: A protester walks by a restaurant open for take-out business as fellow protesters gather outside the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg. Read more TL;DR: Democratic lawmakers in Pennsylvania are voicing outrage after the revelation that one of their Republican colleagues had tested positive for the coronavirus, even while party leaders advocated for the state to reopen. Elsewhere in Harrisburg, some lawmakers are asking why the state hasnt yet tapped billions in federal relief money. Allison Steele (@AESteele, health@inquirer.com) What you need to know: Philadelphia officials said they will not set firm metrics that the city must meet in order to move into the first phase of reopening. Mayor Jim Kenney said Philly restaurants should not expect to start opening for outdoor dining next week. New Jersey critical care patient numbers have dropped more than 60% since the virus peaked, Gov. Phil Murphy said. Pennsylvania state park beaches and some state park pools will reopen next week at reduced capacity. Since the pandemic began, 1.9 million Pennsylvania workers have submitted jobless claims, or 29% of the workforce. In New Jersey, 1.1 million workers have sought unemployment benefits, 24% of the states workforce. Local coronavirus cases The coronavirus has swept across the Philadelphia region and cases continue to mount. The Inquirer and Spotlight PA are compiling geographic data on tests conducted, cases confirmed, and deaths caused by the virus. Track the spread here. The revelation that state Rep. Andrew Lewis (R., Dauphin) tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month has led to accusations of a cover-up, calls for House Speaker Mike Turzai to resign, and even a request for a criminal investigation. The furor raises the stakes on a heated partisan split over how to legislate during the pandemic. While some Republican lawmakers said they were told of their potential exposure, Democrats say they only learned of it from a reporter, despite working in close proximity to Lewis. In a video statement, Rep. Brian Sims said, Im in a building right now surrounded by members that cant go see their kids... because one of my colleagues tested positive but he was protecting his family but not protecting mine." Pennsylvania hasnt yet spent a dime of $3.9 billion in discretionary federal stimulus dollars intended to aid in coronavirus relief efforts. The state House and Senate have proposed separate plans to tap the money for hard-hit nursing homes and other long-term-care facilities across the state, while some federal lawmakers want the money spent on lost revenue. What happens to the money might depend on whether states get direct cash assistance from a future possible stimulus package. Helpful resources You got this: What to expect when voting Between fewer polling places, more face masks, and a massive surge in voting by mail, voting during this pandemic doesnt look like anything weve seen before. From preparing for long lines to tracking your ballot, heres what you need to know to prepare for Tuesdays primary election. Voting by mail? Heres how to find your closest ballot box. Asking forgiveness from the dead: Why Jewish volunteers are washing bodies in a pandemic. We all know to stand six feet apart from each other. But what does six feet really look like? A course at the Barnes Foundation is helping medical students learn to pause, listen, and reflect with seriously ill patients. Have a social distancing tip or question to share? Let us know at health@inquirer.com and your input might be featured in a future edition of this newsletter. What were paying attention to New Yorks mayor, governor, and the CDC tell Bloomberg why they believe the Empire State suffered while other cities were spared. White House officials will not release economic projections this summer, according to the Washington Post . Such projections would almost certainly indicate that the pandemic has caused a severe economic downturn. Many more people are using the bike and running paths on Martin Luther King Drive now that its closed to traffic, according to a survey by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Enjoy getting our journalism through email? You can also sign up for The Inquirer Morning Newsletter to get the latest news, features, investigations and more sent straight to your inbox each morning Sunday-Friday. Sign up here. (GETTY) Whether its climate activist Greta Thunberg roasting Albertas energy minister on Twitter, or Norways US$1-trillion sovereign wealth fund blacklisting major oil and gas firms, Canadas energy patch is being hit with a fresh round of foreign jabs as weak oil prices batter the sector. Joe Biden upped the stakes earlier this month when he vowed to cancel the permit allowing operation of the Keystone XL pipeline. The leading U.S. Democratic presidential candidate derided the planned 1,947 kilometre project as carrying tarsands we dont need under his promised transition to cleaner energy. For Biden, the move, if elected, would establish clear continuity from his tenure as vice president. The Obama administration cancelled the much-delayed Keystone XL project in 2015 after being pressed by environmental groups, only to see the decision reversed by President Donald Trump in early 2017. Canadian energy observers predict a return to the Obama-era ruling under a Biden presidency would invite billions of dollars in lawsuits against Washington. The projects owner, Calgary-based TC Energy (TRP.TO)(TRP), has thus-far ignored Bidens campaign trail comments. The U.S. presidential permit for Keystone XL grants the White House sweeping powers over the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of the cross-border project. It can be revoked at any time, and could even require TC Energy to remove the multi-billion dollar heavy oil line, that once completed would transport 830,000 barrels of crude from Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries. The permittee shall have no claim for damages caused by any such possession, removal, or other action, the permit reads. Much of the risk for Keystone XL depends on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November. Even then, it remains to be seen what actions a Biden administration would take against the project in anticipation of opposition from Ottawa and a protracted legal skirmish. Story continues Whats more clear is Canadas de facto export market for crude oil could suddenly become less friendly, risking the future of the cross-border pipelines essential to the industry. Its increasingly looking like our number one consumer for well over 90 per cent of our crude increasingly doesnt want it, Rory Johnston, managing director at Price Street and a former commodities analyst at Scotiabank, told Yahoo Finance Canada. Thats far more concerning than any one pipeline. Johnston has spent years analyzing the politically-sensitive Keystone XL project. For many, he said it has become a loaded environmental signal divorced from context and scale, a sort of yes/no vote on the ethical virtues of Canadas oil sands in an increasingly climate-sensitive North American political arena. Johnston estimates Keystone XL will allow about 20 per cent more Canadian heavy crude to flow to refineries in the the United States, helping to relieve the persistent glut trapped in Western Canada due to a lack of egress options. He said opponents objecting on the basis of keep it in the ground are ignoring other transport options, such as crude-by-rail. But given Canadas exposure to shifts in U.S. politics driven by those looking to win office by capitalizing on rising concerns about the environment, he worries the reputational baggage of high-emissions oil sands production will be an ongoing challenge. It does seem in this regard that the Canadian industry is completely at the mercy of the White House, Johnston said of the rules governing cross-border pipelines. I dont think we can continue to rely on the U.S.-Canada border as a reliable, secure avenue for our oil. Its not just Keystone, its Line 3, and any time you need to repair or refurbish a mainline. I think these things are going to come to the fore. Christopher Sands, director of the Canada Institute at the D.C.-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, also worries that Keystone XL has taken on a symbolic status for environmental advocates. The situation underscores the need for Canada to export oil internationally from refineries and terminals within its own borders, rather than through the U.S., he said. Sands viewed the Obama administrations move to cancel Keystone XL as a consolation prize to environmentalists whose hopes were dashed after the United States failed to embrace resolutions from the Paris and Copenhagen climate summits. The smart money in the U.S. is starting to think that there is not much hope of getting back on that Paris bandwagon, even under President Biden. Thats another worrisome signal, he told Yahoo Finance Canada, suggesting a revival of the Keystone XL consolation prize could be in the cards. Keystone XL Goes Viral Construction on Keystone XL started in late March, just as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in North America, following financial commitments by the Alberta government. The project has already crossed the Montana border on its way to its endpoint in Nebraska. Sands is betting construction will continue unimpeded as a result of economic pain in the wake of the virus, which he believes will shift public attention away from the warming plant and towards job creation in a recession. TC Energy said the project amounts to an US$8 billion investment in the North American economy. COVID is going to have such a dramatic effect on the economy in the short term that we cant afford the luxury of saying no to an oil pipeline, Sands said. We've been seeing a lot of progress on our pipelines ,in part because nobody can get out to protest. A similar comment by Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage on a podcast last week about now being a great time to be building a pipeline as social distancing rules hamper protests drew widely-publicized backlash from 17-year-old Swedish climate activist Thunberg. Sands likens the expected shift in public focus amid a COVID-driven economic downturn to U.S. media fascination with shark attacks in the summer of 2001, weeks prior to the horrific terror attacks on the United States. Suddenly we didnt care about sharks anymore, he said. Climate in general is at risk of being crowded out by the urgency of some of the other problems we are facing. Jeff Lagerquist is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jefflagerquist. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Lugano, Switzerland, 22 May 2020 - Two novel biomarkers have been found to correlate with improved outcomes with immunotherapy in metastatic breast cancer and may help to identify the patients most likely to benefit from this treatment, according to exploratory studies reported at the ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Meeting 2020 (1,2). The biomarkers are an increase in the number of programmed death ligand-1 (PDL1/CD274) genes measured by copy number alteration (CNA) and the PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS), which assesses PD-L1 expression on both tumour and immune cells. "Metastatic breast cancer remains incurable, with many unmet needs and challenges. Triple negative breast cancer has the poorest prognosis among breast cancer subtypes and limited treatment options, mainly involving chemotherapy," said Prof. Sherene Loi, Medical Oncologist and Head of Translational Breast Cancer Genomics and Therapeutics at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia, commenting on the relevance of the new studies. "Immunotherapy has resulted in long durations of disease control and even cures with improved quality of life compared with chemotherapy in other cancers. We are hoping this might also be applicable for some breast cancer patients". "Previous studies show that not all patients with metastatic breast cancer benefit from immunotherapy. Pre-existing immunity, which can be detected by PD-L1 expression, is required for response to PD-1 or PD-L1 targeting immunotherapy agents. The key question is whether we can identify further patients with metastatic breast cancer that respond to immunotherapy using biomarkers other than just PD-L1 expression." To explore new potential biomarkers for immunotherapy in advanced breast cancer, researchers assessed the predictive value of copy number alteration (CNA) for the PDL1 gene, which measures whether the gene number has decreased, remained the same (2 copies, one on each chromosome) or increased. (1) They measured CNA values in tumour tissue collected from 126 patients with metastatic breast cancer taking part in the SAFIR-IMMUNO study, the first randomised trial comparing immunotherapy with durvalumab to maintenance chemotherapy in this setting. "The main predictive markers of immunotherapy efficacy in metastatic breast cancer to date are the absence of hormone receptors and PD-L1 positivity on immune cells," said lead author Prof. Thomas Bachelot, Director of the Breast Cancer Unit, Leon Berard Centre, Lyon, France. But he warned, "Immunohistochemistry analysis of PDL1 expression is not standardised and a more robust predictor of response to immunotherapy is needed." Results showed that nearly one in four (23.8%) of the patients had copy gain (3 or 4 copies) or amplification (> 4 copies) of the PDL1 gene. Improvement of overall survival with durvalumab was limited to this group, with a median overall survival of 9 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 4-18) in the chemotherapy arm and not reached in the durvalumab arm (hazard ratio 0.17, 95% CI 0.05-0.55). "This exploratory translational analysis suggested a higher efficacy of durvalumab as maintenance treatment for patients with PDL1 copy gain or amplification," said Bachelot. He suggested: "PDL1 copy number alteration could be an important predictive marker for PD-L1 inhibitor efficacy. If confirmed in larger series, this could have important implications for the development of immunotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer, enabling us to better identify patients that are sensitive to PD-L1 inhibitors than current testing for PD-L1 positivity on immune cells." "At the moment patients with ER-positive breast cancer are not treated with immunotherapy because results of trials were poor. But maybe if we can select the subpopulation that will benefit - the 10% of patients with CNA abnormalities - and show immunotherapy is beneficial for them too, then this would be important," he explained. Commenting on the potential relevance of the data, Loi said, "The study suggests that PD-L1 amplification may be a predictor for benefit to durvalumab monotherapy, interestingly in all subtypes as well as in triple negative breast cancer." But she cautioned, "It was an unplanned, retrospective analysis so requires further validation in larger studies. There was no analysis presented of whether PD-L1 amplification was associated with overexpression at the protein level, which would be important to understand the underlying biological mechanism of this observation." Improved health-related quality of life A second study looked at health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer randomised to the PD-L1 inhibitor pembrolizumab or chemotherapy in the KEYNOTE-119 trial. (2) Efficacy results for the trial showed no significant difference in overall survival (3) but this analysis described patient reported outcomes for patients by their PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS). CPS is a novel biomarker that assesses PD-L1 expression on both tumour cells and immune cells in contrast to PD-L1 tumour proportion score (TPS), which has been used as a biomarker for immunotherapy in other cancers but fails to take account of immune cell PD-L1 expression. (4) "The benefit of pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy was observed in nearly all prespecified patient reported outcome endpoints," said lead author Prof. Peter Schmid, Lead of the Centre for Experimental Medicine at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, UK. "Importantly, time to deterioration score for global health status/QoL scale was longer for patients treated with pembrolizumab compared to those treated with chemotherapy," he reported. The median time to deterioration was 4.3 months for pembrolizumab versus 1.7 months with chemotherapy (hazard ratio 0.70, 95% CI 0.46, 1.05). Scores for symptom scales for fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain, dyspnoea and loss of appetite all increased with chemotherapy but remained stable or improved slightly with immunotherapy. "In this CPS-enriched population of patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer receiving second- and third-line treatments, health-related quality of life was better for patients receiving pembrolizumab than those receiving chemotherapy," said Schmid. He added: "We are still learning a lot about immunotherapy in metastatic breast cancer. Trials for single agent immunotherapy in the first-line setting have not been positive. But these results clearly show there is a group of patients who do at least as well with single agent immunotherapy as chemotherapy in terms of survival and probably better in terms of quality of life." Loi commented: "Patients who expressed high levels of PD-L1 protein according to their CPS score had better overall survival with pembrolizumab compared with chemotherapy, and pembrolizumab was far better tolerated than chemotherapy according to HRQOL measures. This underscores the importance of PD-L1 testing in the advanced setting as well as identifying other biomarkers that can help identify those who do best with pembrolizumab monotherapy given its favourable HRQOL impact." ### Notes to Editors Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Meeting 2020 Official Congress Hashtag: #ESMOBreast20 Disclaimer This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstracts and reflects the content of these abstracts. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct. References 1 Abstract 128O 'PDL1/CD274 gain/amplification as a predictive marker of checkpoint blockade inhibitor efficacy in metastatic breast cancer: exploratory analysis of the SAFIR02-IMMUNO randomized phase II trial.' will be presented by Thomas Bachelot during the Best Abstracts session on Sunday 24 May 2020 12:45 to 14:15 (CET) on Channel 1. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31, Supplement 2, May 2020 2 The poster of abstract 141P 'Impact of Pembrolizumab Versus Chemotherapy on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer' by Peter Schmid will be on display in the e-Poster section of the Virtual Meeting Platform throughout the Congress days. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31, Supplement 2, May 2020 3 Cortes J, Lipatov O, Im S-A et al. KEYNOTE-119: Phase III study of pembrolizumab (pembro) versus single-agent chemotherapy (chemo) for metatastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC). ESMO 2019. Abstract LBA21. Annals of Oncology 2019 doi:10.1093/annonc/mdz394 4 Kulangara K, Zhang N, Corigliano E et al. Clinical utility of the combined positive score for programmed death ligand-1 expression and the approval of pembrolizumab for treatment of gastric cancer. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2019; 143: 330-337 About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 25,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 160 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide. Visit http://www.esmo.org 128O - PDL1/CD274 gain/amplification as a predictive marker of checkpoint blockade inhibitor efficacy in metastatic breast cancer: exploratory analysis of the SAFIR02-IMMUNO randomized phase II trial T. Bachelot1, T. Filleron2, F. Dalenc3, I. Bieche4, I. Gaberis5, E. Rouleau6, A. Tran-Dien5, J. Adam7, A. Lusque8, M. Jimenez9, A. Jacquet9, F. Andre;10 1Centre Leon Berard, Lyon, France, 2Biostatistics, Centre Claudius-Regaud, Toulouse, CEDEX 3, France, 3Centre Claudius-Regaud, Centre Claudius-Regaud, Toulouse, CEDEX 3, France, 4Institut Curie, Institut Curie, Paris, France, 5Gustave Roussy, Gustave Roussy - Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France, 6Gustave ROUSSY, Gustave Roussy - Cancer Campus, Villejuif, CEDEX 5, France, 7Pathology, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, 8Biostatistics, Centre Claudius-Regaud, Toulouse, France, 9R&D, UNICANCER, Paris, France, 10Breast Cancer Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Gustave Roussy - Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France Background: PD(L)1 inhibitor have shown efficacy for limited sub population of patients (pts) with HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The main predictive marker of efficacy to date are the absence of ER and PR receptor, and pdl1 positivity by IHC. We investigated copy number alteration (CNA) of the PDL1 gene (also named CD274) located at 9p24.1 in the SAFIR02 BREAST IMMUNO randomized phase II trial (NCT02299999). Methods: SAFIR02 BREAST IMMUNO randomized 199 pts presenting a MBC without actionable genomic alterations, responding to 6 months standard chemotherapy, either on durvalumab (10 Mg/kg every two weeks) or on maintenance chemotherapy with a 2:1 ratio. Eighty-two (43%) pts had a triple negative (TN) MBC. Using metastatic tumor samples, PDL1 CNA were characterized from array CGH analysis (Affymetrix CytoscanHD or Oncoscan). A gain of copy number was defined as 3-4 copies and an amplification ? 5 copies. Treatment effect was estimated in each subgroup using a cox proportional hazard model. Results: for PDL1 CNA were available for 153 pts (101 immuno, 52 chemotherapy). PDL1 copy loss, neutral, or copy gain/amplification were reported on 30 (20%), 93 (61%) and 30 (20%) of pts, respectively. Pts with TN MBC had a higher proportion of gain/amplification (23/65 pts, 35% for TN tumors; vs 7/82, 8.5% for non-TN). Improvement of OS with durvalumab was limited to the PDL1 CNA gain/amplification subgroup (HR = 0.17, 95% CI 0.05-0.55) with a median OS of 9 months (95%CI 4-18) in maintenance arm and not reached in durvalumab arm. Among pts with TN tumors, durvalumab was associated to a better OS in the gain/amplification subgroup (HR 0.18, 95%CI 0.05-0.71 ), compared to the neutral/loss subgroup (HR 1.1, 95%CI 0.47-2.6 ). Conclusions: This exploratory subgroups analysis of the first randomized trial comparing a PDL1 inhibitor to chemotherapy in the maintenance setting shows that PDL1 CNA could be an important predictive marker for PD(L)1 inhibitors efficacy. If confirmed on larger series, it could have an important implication on the development of immunotherapy for MBC pts, in particular for subgroups with low immunogenicity such as the luminal subtype. Clinical trial identification: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02299999 NEudraCT : 2013-001652-36 Editorial acknowledgement: This research was conducted with support from an "Investigator Sponsored StudyProgramme by AstraZeneca". This research was conducted with support from Fondation ARC. Legal entity responsible for the study: UNICANCER Funding: FONDATION ARC, ASTRAZENECA Disclosure: T. Bachelot: Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: ROCHE; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: NOVARTIS; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: PFIZER; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: SEATTLE GENETIC; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: LILLY; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: ASTRA ZENECA. F. Dalenc: Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: ROCHE; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: NOVARTIS; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: LILLY; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: PFIZER; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: EISAI; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: MSD; Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: ASTRAZENECA. F. Andre: Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: ROCHE; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: NOVARTIS; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: LILLY; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: PFIZER; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: ASTRAZENECA; Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Research grant/Funding (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: DAIICHI SANKYO; Leadership role, FOUNDER: PEGACSY.All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest. 141P- Impact of Pembrolizumab Versus Chemotherapy on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer P. Schmid1, A. Haiderali2, J. Mejia3, Z. Guo4, X. Zhou4, A. Martin-Nguyen2, J. Corts5, E. Winer6 1Centre of Experimental Cancer Medicine, Barts Cancer Institute-Queen Mary University of London, London, UK, 2Center for Observation and Real-World Evidence, MSD-Merck Sharp & Dohme, Kenilworth, USA, 3Clinical Research, MSD-Merck Sharp & Dohme, Kenilworth, USA, 4Biostatistics and Research Decision Science, MSD-Merck Sharp & Dohme, Kenilworth, USA, 5IOB Institute of Oncology, Quironsalud Group, Madrid & Barcelona, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Barcelona, Spain, 6Breast Oncology Center, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA Background: KEYNOTE-119 (NCT02555657), an open-label, randomized, phase 3 trial for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC), evaluated IV Pembrolizumab (P) 200?mg Q3W for up to 2 years vs investigator's choice of chemotherapy (CT) as second-line or third-line treatment. In the primary analysis populations (all-comers, PD-L1 CPS?1, PD-L1 CPS?10), OS was not significantly different between P and CT. We present results of prespecified health-related quality of life (HRQoL) analyses in this study. Methods: The EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 were completed at baseline, various time points during treatment cycles up to 2 years or until end of treatment, and 30-day safety follow-up visit. Data were analyzed from patients receiving ?1 dose of study treatment and completing ?1 HRQoL assessment. Least-squares mean (LSM) change from baseline, 95% CIs, and nominal P values were calculated. Time to deterioration (TTD; ?10-point worsening from baseline) was assessed by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model. No formal hypothesis testing was performed. Results: The HRQoL population included all-comers (P, n?=?306; CT, n?=?288), subjects with PD-L1 positive CPS?1 tumors (P, n?=?188; CT, n?=?183), and subjects with PD-L1 positive CPS?10 tumors (P, n?=?86; CT, n?=?91). Compliance for QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 at week 6 was ?90% in both arms for all patient populations. The benefit of P vs CT was observed in nearly all pre-specified PRO endpoints, particularly in CPS?10 population. In this CPS-enriched population, the difference in LSM between arms in pre-specified systemic therapy side effects scale (-9.14; 95%CI, -13.16, -5.11; p<0.0001) and the nausea and vomiting scale (-6.19; 95%CI, -11.29, -1.09; p=0.0177) favored the P arm. There were differences between arms in the CPS?10 population that favored P for the pre-specified LSM change from baseline in global health status (GHS)/QoL (4.21 (95% CI: -1.38, 9.80). Importantly, TTD in the GHS/QoL scale was longer for P compared to CT (4.3 months vs 1.7 months; HR 0.70; 95%CI; 0.46, 1.05) in the CPS-enriched population. Conclusions: In this CPS-enriched population of patients with mTNBC receiving second and third-line treatments, HRQoL was better for patients receiving P than those receiving CT. Clinical trial identification: NCT02555657 EudraCT : 2015-00100-27 Legal entity responsible for the study: MSD-Merck, Sharp and Dohme Funding: MSD-Merck, Sharp and Dohme Disclosure: P. Schmid: Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (institution), Spouse/Financial dependant: Roche; Honoraria (self), Research grant/Funding (self): AstraZeneca; Research grant/Funding (self): Oncogenex; Honoraria (institution), Research grant/Funding (self): Novartis; Research grant/Funding (self): Astellas; Honoraria (self): Merck; Honoraria (self): Pfizer; Honoraria (self): Eisai; Honoraria (self): Bayer. A. Haiderali: Full/Part-time employment: MSD-Merck Sharp & Dohme. J. Mejia: Full/Part-time employment: MSD-Merck Sharp & Dohme. Z. Guo: Full/Part-time employment: MSD-Merck Sharp & Dohme. X. Zhou: Full/Part-time employment: MSD-Merck Sharp & Dohme. A. Martin-Nguyen: Full/Part-time employment: MSD-Merck Sharp & Dohme. J. Cortes: Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy, Research grant/Funding (self): Roche; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Merck; Honoraria (self): Eisai; Honoraria (self): Pfizer; Advisory/Consultancy: Samsung; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Celgene; Advisory/Consultancy: AstraZeneca; Shareholder/Stockholder/Stock options, Licensing/Royalties: MedSIR. E. Winer: Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Genenteche/Roche; Honoraria (institution), Advisory/Consultancy: Carrick Therapeutics; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Merck; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Genomic Health; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: GlaxoSmithKline; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Jounce; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Leap; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Lilly; Honoraria (self), Advisory/Consultancy: Seattle Genetics. PRINCE ALBERT, SASK.Police in central Saskatchewan say a 21-year-old man is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his three-year-old half-sister. They say Emily McCallum-Daniels was the victim of a homicide in Prince Albert, Sask., in early April. Fabian Morin made his first court appearance by video link Wednesday morning and has been remanded in custody until his next court date, which is June 5. Police say that officers were called to a home around 8 p.m. on April 8 for a report of someone in cardiac arrest. They say a girl was found unresponsive and was taken by ambulance staff to Victoria Hospital. She was later transferred to the Jim Pattison Childrens Hospital in Saskatoon, where she died the next day. U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (May 26, 2020) The U.S. Virgin Islands will reopen its doors to leisure travelers on Monday, June 1, 2020. Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte declared that the Territory is finalizing public health and tourism protocols for the return of visitors to Americas paradise in less than a weeks time. Commissioner Boschulte reported that as new protocols, developed with input from the Office of the Governor, tourism and health authorities, and the private sector, are rolled out, a state of emergency due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will remain in effect through July 11, 2020. Over the past several weeks, we have been building COVID-19 mitigation and response capacity, and preparing protocols to protect the health and safety of residents and visitors alike, said Commissioner Boschulte, who explained that the decision to reopen has not been made lightly. We did not want to rush to reopen in reaction to what other destinations are doing. Instead, we have engaged in data-driven, risk-based analysis, in conjunction with the Virgin Islands Department of Health and federal guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other stakeholders. In preparation for the reopening of the Territory, the Department of Tourism has prepared Health and Safety Guidelines for the USVI Tourism Industry, a comprehensive master document that provides specific guidance to all tourism stakeholders. The response and collaboration of various departments and agencies are to be commended, Commissioner Boschulte said, noting that the document will be frequently updated to reflect anticipated guidance updates. The Commissioner asserted that the reopening is a partnership that requires everyone to have both a personal and professional responsibility to reduce the spread of the new virus. We are very pleased with the across-the-board approach so that key tourism subsectors now have specific guidelines, he added. He stated that the new health and safety protocols, along with the commitment of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands, would assure visitors that the Territorys decision to open its doors next week is the right one. Guidance includes procedures for operating reception and concierge facilities; cleaning and housekeeping; managing dining rooms; and providing technical and maintenance services. There is also specific subsector guidance for taxi, van, safari and limo services, restaurants and bars, and accommodations. Commissioner Boschulte stated that interest in travel to the destination was very strong: Throughout the pandemic, we were greatly encouraged by the outpouring of support and expressions of desire from friends around the world to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Even though COVID-19 caused us to temporarily close our doors, our hearts remained open. We now look forward to welcoming travelers back to their home away from home. For further information, visit www.usviupdate.com or www.visitusvi.com. The UN's labor agency says worldwide, an average of more than one in six young workers have stopped working during the pandemic, and no region has been hit harder than the Americas. At a briefing Wednesday in Geneva, the International Labor Organization (ILO), issued the fourth edition of its report on the impact of the pandemic on jobs. ILO General Director Guy Ryder said the world lost the equivalent of 305 million fulltime jobs due to the COVID-19 crisis. He said greatest job losses are being experienced in the Americas, which according to the World Health Organization (WHO), also currently is the epicenter of the pandemic. Ryder said the report shows young workers, especially women, between the ages of 15 and 28 are being hit the hardest by the pandemic. He warned if governments do not take "significant and immediate action to improve their situation" -- such as education or job training -- the economic impact of the pandemic will be "with us for decades." The ILO said policymakers can take steps to ease the fallout, such as by providing guarantees that protect employment, and by rolling out COVID-19 testing and tracing measures. The group says all of these measures can help improve workplace safety and get people back to work faster and more safely. KITCHENER The fourth person charged after a man was found critically injured inside a stolen pickup truck made a brief court appearance on Thursday. Sean Coke, 23, was charged on Wednesday with attempted murder and forcible confinement. The Cambridge man appeared in Kitchener court by video. He was ordered detained and returns to court on Monday. The charges date back to Feb. 20 when a 21-year-old Cambridge man with serious head injuries was found inside a Ford F-250 pickup truck on Three Bridges Road, near Henry Street, close to St. Jacobs. He remains in hospital in critical condition. Matthew Daferner, 25, and Alexis Bendek, 18, both of Cambridge, and Michael MacKay, 18, of Kitchener, were initially charged with aggravated assault, forcible confinement and possession of stolen property. They are now also charged with attempted murder. Waterloo Regional Police said they are not looking for any other suspects. Ten migrant workers from Samastipur are on cloud nine after their first flight from Delhi to Patna on Thursday because it was something they thought was virtually impossible. The man who made it possible for them to fly home is their employer - Pappan Singh Gahlot, a mushroom farmer of Tigipur village in Delhi, where the migrants used to work on a three-acre mushroom field. The 10 migrant workers from Shreepur Gahar village of Khanpur block in Samastipur district were stuck in Delhi during the lockdown, as they stayed back to complete some unfinished work in the fields. Forty of their co-workers had left for home before Holi. Gahlot who turned out to be a good Samaritan, arranged for their stay and food in Delhi during the lockdown. He even sent money to their families in Samastipur. That was not all. When the lockdown curbs were eased, he initially refused to allow them to go home by bus and then by Shramik Special trains but went on to buy them flight tickets worth Rs 68,000 as soon as the government announced resumption of domestic commercial flights. My concern was that the migrant workers should not go home walking. The heavy rush in trains and buses dissuaded me to allow them to take the bus or train lest they contract coronavirus, said Gahlot on phone from Delhi. On Thursday, the entire group of workmen Naveen Ram, Mahesh Ram, Arjun Ram, Lakhendra Ram, Praveen Ram, Chandrashekhar Ram, Amarjeet Ram, Jeevath Ram, Dinesh Ram and Jitendra Ram could not stop praising Gehlot enough. For them, he has become a demi-god. Maalik (referring to Gahlot) came to see us off at the airport today and even handed each of us Rs 3,000 so that we can comfortably go home from Patna to Samastipur by road, said Naveen. We are going to go back to work for him in August, said Mahesh, who was visibly elated after deplaning at the Patna airport on Thursday. Their families have been working for us since 1993 when I took to mushroom farming. I never wanted to highlight the matter, but the media got a whiff of it when the workers were getting themselves checked for coronavirus at a hospital, days before taking the flight, Gahlot added. The farmers landed at Patna by an IndiGo flight and promptly called Gahlot to express their gratitude. Over 19 lakh migrant workers have returned to Bihar from different parts of India by Shramik Special trains since May 3. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON We were the first to report that the movie business is going to be completely changed for another year due to the coronavirus. No distributor will go for NRA deals henceforth. Now, its happening. Tollywoods leading distributor and producer Dil Raju has decided not to buy any new movie for at least one year. He will continue to distribute films but on a profit-sharing basis. He will not buy new movies. It is a moratorium on buying the distribution rights! Dil Rajus money has been stuck in various projects. Nani and Sudheer Babu starrer V was to release on March 25 but since then it is waiting for theaters to reopen. He planned Pawan Kalyans comeback movie Vakeel Saab as a quickie. Dil Raju agreed to pay Rs 1.5 Crore daily to Pawan Kalyan as his remuneration with the plan to wrap the entire shoot by April and release it on May 15. Now, hes not sure when this film would hit the screens. Getting a big profit on this project has been ruled out. Dil Raju is also producing Jersey in Hindi with Shahid Kapoor. But his maiden Bollywood production is also hit by the current crisis Dil Raju has paid a whopping advance amount to buy the distribution rights of Rajamoulis RRR for the Nizam region. So, money has been stuck. He needs at least a years time to get out of all these problems and streamline the money flow. Dil Raju has informed his staff not to look for the distribution rights of new movies henceforth. This is a big blow to the industry. He is Tollywoods leading producer and distributor. When Dil Raju himself hesitates to buy films, other distributors would not come forward to quote big prices. May 28 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. THE GLOBE AND MAIL ** The Alberta government tabled legislation on Wednesday which, if passed, will allow cabinet to set limits on how long the province's independent energy regulator has to review and make decisions about applications for oil and gas projects. https://tgam.ca/2AjrcFD ** Ontario's government is taking control of five long-term care homes, including four that Canada's military says neglected and abused residents, while the Auditor General launches a review into the province's handling of the pandemic. https://tgam.ca/3ceB9kZ NATIONAL POST ** Construction on new housing will be slashed by at least half this year as prices and sales on existing homes plunge due to the economic shock from the coronavirus pandemic, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said in its housing market outlook released on Wednesday. https://bit.ly/2M80Lpm (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom) Press Release May 28, 2020 Gatchalian: mobilize parent-teacher associations in Learning Continuity Plan roll-out Senator Win Gatchalian is urging the Department of Education (DepEd) to have dialogues with parent-teacher associations (PTAs) to address lingering concerns in the roll-out of the Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) for SY 2020-2021. Gatchalian emphasized that dialogues should adhere to practices that protect oneself and the others from coronavirus, such as social distancing measures. The senator said that PTAs should be mobilized as partners in enrollment campaigns to reduce the potential number of dropouts as some parents would opt not to enroll their children amid fears of COVID-19. PTAs, however, must fully understand how minimum health standards in the LCP will ensure the safety of learners when classes reopen. Gatchalian added that collaborating with PTAs can enhance the readiness of both teachers and parents in using alternative modes of learning delivery such as online distance learning, modular distance learning, and through television and radio. Gatchalian warned that parents, teachers, and guardians may experience high stress levels if they are not prepared to take on their new roles in rolling out the LCP, which will worsen learners' academic outcomes. According to the United Nations Children's Fund's (UNICEF) Back-To-School Guide, which identifies strategies for education resumption after crises and emergencies, PTAs should be empowered to monitor vulnerable groups' access to education. PTAs can serve as support groups for data collection, filing of data gaps, and identifying issues on children's attendance and retention in schools. In Iraq, for instance, back-to-school campaigns activate PTAs to focus on community participation and identify inclusion and retention issues among children. Aside from the prevention of dropouts, UNICEF's Back-To-School Guide also recommends that PTAs be capacitated in developing school improvement plans, emergency preparedness, and the implementation of hygiene and sanitation measures. In working with PTAs, Gatchalian said the DepEd should also capacitate parents in providing psychosocial support to learners, noting that parents and guardians have the responsibility to create a safe and productive learning environment in their homes. "Nakasasalay sa ating mga magulang at mga guro ang mabisang pagpapatuloy ng edukasyon sa kabila ng patuloy na banta ng COVID-19. Bago pa muling buksan ang mga klase, dapat ngayon pa lang ay makipag-ugnayan na ang DepEd sa PTA upang mabigyang linaw ang anumang tanong o pangamba ng ating mga magulang at mga guro," said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture. ### Gatchalian hinimok ang DepEd na gawing katuwang ang PTA sa 'Learning Continuity Plan' Hinimok ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang Department of Education o DepEd na makipag diyalogo sa mga parent-teachers associations o PTA para sa mas malinaw na pagpapatupad ng Learning Continuity Plan o LCP sa darating na pasukan. Ayon sa mambabatas, ang pakikipag-ugnayang ito ay dapat base sa mga health protocol para makaiwas sa COVID-19, halimbawa ang pagpapatupad ng social distancing. Ani Gatchalian dapat klaro sa mga magulang at mga guro ang minimum health standards at iba pang hakbang upang pananatilihing ligtas ang pagbubukas ng klase mula sa banta ng COVID-19. Mungkahi ni Gatchalian, ang asosasyon ng mga guro at magulang ay dapat maging katuwang sa panahon ng enrollment upang maiwasan ang pag-akyat ng bilang ng mga drop-out. May ilang mga magulang kasi na piniling huwag na lamang papasukin ang kanilang mga anak sa susunod na school year dahil sa takot sa COVID-19. Dagdag ni Gatchalian, makatutulong din ang mga PTA sa paghahanda ng mga guro at mga magulang sa paggamit ng mga alternatibong paaraan ng pagtuturo kabilang ang online distance learning at paggamit ng radyo at telebisyon. Babala ni Gatchalian, maaaring makaranas ng stress ang mga magulang, mga guardian, at mga guro kung hindi sila handa sa mga pagbabago sa pagbubukas ng klase. Sa bandang huli, ang pagkakatuto ng mga mag-aaral ang lubos na maaapektuhan, ayon sa mambabatas. Batay sa Back-To-School Guide ng United Nations Children's Fund o UNICEF, maaaring makatulong ang mga PTA sa pagkalap ng datos at pagsigurong ang mga nangangailangang mag-aaral ay patuloy na makakapag-aral. Sa Iraq, halimbawa, mahalaga ang papel ng mga PTA upang matukoy at matugunan ang mga sagabal sa pagbabalik-eskwela ng mga bata. Iminungkahi din ng UNICEF na patatagin ang kahandaan ng mga PTA sa panahon ng mga sakuna, pati na rin sa pagpapatupad ng mga programang pang-kalinisan at pang-kalusugan. Dagdag ni Gatchalian, ang mga PTA ay maaari ding maging katuwang sa pagsasanay ng mga magulang sa pagbibigay ng psychosocial support sa mga mag-aaral. "Nakasalalay sa ating mga magulang at mga guro ang mabisang pagpapatuloy ng edukasyon sa kabila ng patuloy na banta ng COVID-19. Bago pa muling buksan ang mga klase, dapat ngayon pa lang ay makipag-ugnayan na ang DepEd sa PTA upang mabigyang linaw ang anumang tanong o pangamba ng ating mga magulang at mga guro," ani Gatchalian, Chairman ng Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture. ### (Newser) One of the perks of using an office space via WeWork in Minneapolis' MoZaic East complex is that you get to take advantage of the site's amenities, including its gym. But, per the Hill, a group of black entrepreneurs who've owned a business in the building for a year and a half didn't exactly get a neighborly vibe from one of the other tenants. The men who own Top Figure, a social media and branding agency, posted a video on Instagram Tuesday that showed what happened when they ran into Tom Austin, a white venture capitalist who's the CEO of the F2 Group, earlier that evening in the private shared gym. In the video, Austin starts recording the five men with his phone and asks if they're tenants of the building. The men tell him they are but won't give in to his demands that they ID which office space. Austin then says he's going to call 911. story continues below Austin tells the Star Tribune a maintenance worker came and settled things. "We are sick and tired of tolerating this type of behavior on a day to day basis," the men write. Austin says that he got suspicious because he saw one of the men let the others in, and that they got "aggressive" when confronted. The building's owner has since terminated Austin's lease. "My heart hurts," Stuart Ackerberg, CEO of the Ackerberg Group, says. "This is not how we do business." BringMeTheNews.com notes Austin recently led a group that kept the name for Lake Calhoun from getting changed to its original Lakota name. The city's parks and rec department had wanted the change because John C. Calhoun, for whom the lake was named, was a slavery proponent. "Should have handled it differently," Austin says of the gym incident. Still, he says his actions weren't racist. (Read more viral video stories.) BBVA USA said it has funded 10 years worth of small business loans in less than two months as part of a federal program to manage the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic. The bank said this week it has processed and approved more than 22,000 applications to the Small Business Administrations Paycheck Protection Program loan, facilitating about $3.3 billion in small business loans over 60 days time. And the program is still open and taking applications. By constrast, in all of last year, BBVA worked on 259 loans totaling $270.7 million, which was good for a ranking of 14th nationally in dollar volume for SBA loans. The mammoth PPP loan initiative, part of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, is a federal initiative to support small businesses paralyzed by the lockdown measures of the coronavirus pandemic. The initial $349 billion round of loans was exhausted in less than two weeks, prompting Congress to infuse another $320 billion into the program. There is still about $100 billion yet to be lent, according to the latest figures from SBA. The program allows businesses with fewer than 500 employees to borrow money from government guaranteed lenders to fund up to 2.5 times their monthly payroll and other expenses, including health insurance and retirement coverage. If all employees are retained throughout the designated time period, businesses may be eligible to have their loan balances forgiven. In addition, BBVA USA said the average loan size was $149,000, with loans going out as early as April 6, just three days after applications opened. Loans touched businesses from medical providers to restaurants to manufacturing plants, the company said. Weve heard from clients across our footprint whose livelihoods have been saved by this funding, BBVA USA Executive Director of Business Banking Elizabeth Dobers said. Washington, May 28 : The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that calls for the imposition of sanctions on China for its alleged abuse of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region. On Wednesday, the Democrat-controlled House approved the bill with 431 votes in favour and one against, so the legislation promoted by the Republican-majority Senate two weeks ago will now go to President Donald Trump for it to be signed, reports Efe news. Trump has not said whether it will be enacted into law. The text of the bill urges the White House to impose sanctions against Chinese officials found to be responsible for the alleged abuses of the Uyghurs, over 1 million of which have been forcibly detained in internment camps. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that through the bill's approval, "we are sending a message to the persecuted that they are not forgotten". "We're saying to the President of China, you may tell these people that they are forgotten, but they are not," she added. Wednesday's voting was the first exercise of its kind under the new rule that allows members to cast proxy votes as introduced as part of the 45-day "remote proceedings" period due the COVID-19 pandemic. The approval of the bill further complicates the already tense diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing and comes on the same day that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Congress that Hong Kong can no longer be considered autonomous from China. The US on Wednesday also requested a UN Security Council meeting to address the proposed Chinese national security law for Hong Kong, but this was rejected by Beijing, which said that the matter was an internal one that does not concern the world body. Formula 1 is preparing to publish an eight-race calendar that it hopes will restart the 2020 season amid the corona crisis. It comes just as the FIA confirmed that a $145 million budget cap, and a range of other measures including "linear" aero development restrictions for the better performing teams, are definitely coming in for 2021. "It would be better to have it now, but unfortunately the virus didn't wait for the budget cap," Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul said. As F1 factories began to reopen this week after a long shutdown period, McLaren supremo Zak Brown said the measures ratified on Wednesday was a "crucially important moment for our sport". McLaren is one of the hardest hit by the crisis, ousting 75 staff working for the Woking team and even looking to mortgage its famous collection of historic F1 cars. "F1 has been financially unsustainable for some time, and inaction would have risked the future of F1 and its participants, who are to be commended for resolving this issue collectively and determinedly," Brown added. At the same time, F1 is ready to reveal a calendar of an initial eight European 'ghost races', starting in Austria and moving on to Hungary by mid-July. According to several media sources including Spain's Marca and German-language Speed Week, it is believed the schedule will be officially published on June 1. After Austria, the plan is for back-to-back races at Silverstone in early August, with Britain's sanctioning body Motorsport UK now giving the green light for the resumption of racing in the country. "We always said that when the conditions were right, we would take a responsible decision to resume motorsport in order to sustain the sport, jobs and the economy," said Motorsport UK boss David Richards. Barcelona, Spa and Monza will round out the eight-race calendar by September, with Hockenheim reportedly on standby should any of the races falter. Alex Wurz, head of the F1 drivers' union GPDA, said the drivers are supportive of the re-start plan. "Nobody in motorsport is a fan of ghost races," he said. "But it is a way of getting us back on the track earlier than if we waited for races with spectators. "I am in constant contact with all the drivers and all of them accept it," Wurz added. (GMM) BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Early exposure to anesthetics may make adolescents more susceptible to developing alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. David Werner, associate professor of psychology, and Linda Spear, distinguished professor of psychology, led a team of Binghamton University researchers in examining whether exposure to anesthetics during adolescence could affect a person's response to alcohol in adulthood, especially the development of AUD. Anesthetics are commonly used drugs in the healthcare field and are often administered to children to induce unconsciousness and immobility during surgeries. Researchers discovered that anesthetic exposure during adolescence may be an environmental risk factor that leads to an increased susceptibility to developing AUD later in life. Although not all adolescents who drink alcohol develop AUDs, Werner said it's important to identify risk factors that contribute to an increased susceptibility to alcohol abuse. "This is highly concerning," Werner said. "Given that although the age of initiation and subsequent binging during adolescence are linked to alcoholism later in life, apart from stress, it was not clear what other environmental factors may play a role. This study now highlights a previously overlooked contributor." To test this, researchers exposed early-adolescent male rats to isoflurane, a general anesthetic, in short durations and tested them on various alcohol-induced behaviors later in adolescence or adulthood. The team found that exposure to anesthetics in adolescence had extremely similar behavioral and neural effects as adolescent chornic alcohol exposure. During their study, the adolescent rats exposed to isoflurane had a decreased sensitivity to the negative effects of alcohol, such as its aversive, sedative and socially suppressive effects. These rats also showed an increase in voluntary alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment, and certain behaviors continued into adulthood after their initial anesthetic exposure. These results further suggest that exposure to anesthetics during adolescence, while in some cases is necessary, may have unintended consequences that incubate over time. "Apart from infancy to early childhood, adolescence can be considered the most critical developmental stage following birth," Werner said. "Given that adolescence is a time-period that most often coincides with initial exposure to drugs of abuse, primarily alcohol, we initially performed a retrospective analysis of alcohol responding to our previous data with regard to adolescents that had experienced a surgical event. Noting a potential difference, we then wanted to empirically test whether or not the relationship between adolescent anesthetic exposure and behaviors linked to alcohol use disorder susceptibility." Although the use of anesthetics is vital for certain surgeries and can't be avoided, Werner said it's important to know the drug's potential effects. "Above all, anesthetics are necessary - which obviously is why they are rightfully included in the essential medicines by the World Health Organization," Werner said. "In the event that the health condition of children and adolescents necessitates an operative procedure, then these should absolutely be used. That being said, we hope that this work can be used to inform people, especially younger individuals considering elective procedures that could be delayed into adulthood such as plastic surgery or weight loss procedures, as well as potentially leading to additional screening diagnostics to help identify individuals who may have greater drug use disorder susceptibility." Werner plans to continue research on this topic and hopes to examine whether the effects from anesthetics are similar to other substances, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms in the brain and individual differences. ### The paper, "General Anesthetic Exposure During Early Adolescence Persistently Alters Ethanol Responses," was published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. How risky is the packaging? Good news: Packaging has a low risk. Although the C.D.C. says surfaces contaminated with droplets of the virus can infect people, the agency notes that is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. Even if an infected person did touch a package, the risk of transmission is slim, said John Williams, the chief of pediatric diseases at UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh. That person would have to contaminate their own hands (for example, wiping their nose), touch and contaminate the package, and then we would have to touch the package in the same place and then rub our nose or eyes, Dr. Williams wrote in an email. The virus would have to live on the packaging as it was transported from the restaurant to your home. The risk of it making it there is astonishingly low, said Paula Cannon, a professor of immunology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. People want me to say: Yes, if you bring the takeout food in your house, place it on a wooden floor, decontaminate it with 10 percent bleach, leave it for 40 minutes, she said. Instead, she suggested that people save their wipes and bleach in case a family member falls ill. Still, if youre nervous, wipe down the packages with a disinfectant and recycle the bags. Wash your hands, then transfer the food to a plate. What about utensils? A lot of takeout food comes with disposable utensils. But you probably dont need them if youre eating in your own home. Christ Church crafters create a Quilt of Kindness Christ Church crafters create a Quilt of Kindness A creative womens group at Christ Church in Eaton has come together to make a Quilt of Kindness to help people reflect on the kindness being displayed during lockdown. The two leaders met for about one-and-a-half hours late Monday evening, Raut said while dismissing speculations about the Thackeray-led government's stability. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting with NCP president Sharad Pawar, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Tuesday while asserting that the state government is "strong". The two leaders met for about one-and-a-half hours late Monday evening, Raut said while dismissing speculations about the Thackeray-led government's stability. The Sena Rajya Sabha MP, however, did not reveal what transpired between the two leaders. The meeting between Thackeray and Pawar took place after the NCP chief met state Governor BS Koshyari on Monday morning. via GIPHY "NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had a meeting for one-and-a-half hours. Those doubting about the stability of this government are doing so out of their own grudge. This government is strong," Raut tweeted in Marathi. Earlier, Pawar met Koshyari on Monday morning, following which the NCP claimed the meeting took place on the invitation of the governor and no political issues came up for discussion. However, the timing of the meeting is significant as it took place against the backdrop of strained relations between the Shiv Sena, which heads the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, and the Raj Bhavan. The NCP is one of the key constituents of MVA. Pawar was one of the key leaders from Maharashtra who had openly complained about Koshyari's "intervention" in the functioning of the state administration. Recently, senior BJP leader and former state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis complained to the governor about the "failure" of the Thackeray government in handling the COVID-19 crisis. Detectives have released the names of two people found dead after a murder-suicide at a Southeast Albuquerque apartment complex earlier this month. Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said on May 16 Samuel Simons, 68, killed Alexandria Chavez, 36, before turning the gun on himself. Officers found the bodies after responding to a suspicious persons call at the Pearl at Spring Creek apartments near Gibson and San Pedro SE. 103-year-old Jennie Stejna, a huge Boston Red Sox fan, tested positive for COVID-19 three weeks ago in her Massachusetts nursing home. Stejna became very ill, and her family members even called to say their final goodbyes. Via USA Today: Stejna didnt really grasp or understand COVID-19, Gunn said, but did know she was very ill. Gunn said there was always a staff member by her side. As Stejnas condition worsened, Gunn said they called to say what they thought were their final goodbyes. She thanked Stejna for everything she had done for her. When Shelleys husband, Adam Gunn, asked whether Stejna was ready to go to heaven, she replied, Hell yes. But on May 13, Stejna learned that she recovered from COVID-19. The nursing staff rewarded Stejna with a Bud Light, and she chugged the celebratory beer. Via TMZ: A well-deserved brewski for Stejna, and an awesome story we all could all use in these difficult times. The federal government says in the event of overflow of hospitals, hotels and schools will be used for isolating COVID-19 patients. ... The federal government says in the event of overflow of hospitals, hotels and schools will be used for isolating COVID-19 patients. Speaking at the briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19 on Thursday, Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, asked schools and hotels to be prepared. Nigeria has confirmed a total of 8,733 COVID-19 patients and there have been complaints of inadequate bed spaces, especially in Lagos which has 4,012 patients, the highest in Nigeria. Ehanire expressed optimism that the situation in Nigeria would not experience horrific scenes of bed space shortages seen in some European hospitals. We are, not surprisingly, worried about the increasing number of covid-19 confirmed cases; first because every life matters, but also because of the capacity of our health system to cope, he said. Nigeria presently has over 112 treatment and isolation centres in the 35 states and FCT with over 5,000 beds, but not all States have made it up to at least 300 beds prescribed for isolation and treatment. I had the privilege of commissioning one such center yesterday, a re-purposed hospital in Benin City, Edo State, with 300 beds, including ICU and an Edo State owned PCR testing laboratory. We need to continue increasing bed capacity to match the probable number of patients, so that we do not experience horrific scenes of bed space shortages seen in some European hospitals. In event of overflow, we can require hotels and school dormitories to be prepared for level 1 (Quarantine) and level 2 Isolation (of COVID-19 positive with zero or mild symptoms), to free hospital beds to be dedicated to level 3, (moderate to severe cases) and level 4, (high dependency and Intensive care unit). I therefore call on activists and philanthropists to work with State governments in concerted steps to scale up non-pharmaceutical measures and beef up infrastrucural assets for isolation and treatment in their states. Though we are in the community transmission phase of response, easing social restrictions is desirable, but only if we can meet up with expectations that will not allow a spike in infection rates. This is what has led certain countries to reintroduce lockdowns. We are reviewing health sector specific advisories on re-opening the economy. In event of overflow, we can require hotels and school dormitories to be prepared for level 1 (Quarantine) and level 2 Isolation (of COVID-19 positive with zero or mild symptoms), to free hospital beds to be dedicated to level 3, (moderate to severe cases) and level 4, (high dependency and Intensive care unit). Ray Dalio Suggests USA Is Entering A Period Of Economic Decline And New World Order We find it interesting how researchers attempt to compare history, sometimes ancient history, to the applicable functions of todays world and to attempt to translate the decline of empires in the past to what is happening in todays world. Ray Dalio appears to be suggesting the rise of the Chinese economy and economic capabilities is going to threaten to unseat the US as a world super-power. Within Ray Dalios article, he suggests the following which seems to sum up his cycle theory: In brief, after the creation of a new set of rules establishes the new world order, there is typically a peaceful and prosperous period. As people get used to this they increasingly bet on the prosperity continuing, and they increasingly borrow money to do that, which eventually leads to a bubble. As the prosperity increases the wealth gap grows. Eventually the debt bubble bursts, which leads to the printing of money and credit and increased internal conflict, which leads to some sort of wealth redistribution revolution that can be peaceful or violent. Typically at that time late in the cycle the leading empire that won the last economic and geopolitical war is less powerful relative to rival powers that prospered during the prosperous period, and with the bad economic conditions and the disagreements between powers there is typically some kind of war. Out of these debt, economic, domestic, and world-order breakdowns that take the forms of revolutions and wars come new winners and losers. Then the winners get together to create the new domestic and world orders. Our own research team has completed quite a bit of research into cycles and super-cycles and, although we agree with Mr. Dalio that past Empires have collapsed and been replaced with more efficient and emerging soon to be a new world leader. Yet, in every instance in the past, the world has been transitioning from a rather disconnected economic structure where ancient empires, or rather the last gasps of ancient empires and wealth, have become threatened, gone to war, and declined. WWI initiated with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. Nearly a month later, the great powers of Europe were aligned into two coalitions: the Triple Entente consisting of France, Russia, and Britain and the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. Thus, the lines were drawn between ancient European empires that led to the beginning of a new structure of world empires. Throughout history, the biggest world empires are structured, grow into superpowers, and begin to decline. Most of these last well over 200 to 250+ years. The Ottoman Empire started in the early 1300s and ended in the early 1600s because of a war with Persia more than 300 years. The Arab Empire, Mohammed, started in 632 and ended in 1258 more than 600 years. The Roman Empire began in 753 BC and ended in 23BC over 700 years. Chinese Qing Dynasty started in 1644 and ended in 1911 over 250 years. Chinese Ming Dynasty started in 1368 and ended in 1644 almost 300 years. Americas strength as a nation started to build in the late 1800s/early 1900s. Our rise to a world power came at a great expense in the 1930s and 1940s fighting Hitler and the Japanese while saving most of Europe and SE Asia in the process. Then, we managed to rebuild most of these areas over a very short period of time. Additionally, the idea that the current world would allow a nation like China to become a world-power threatening world-order, capitalism, democracy, and current global geopolitical order seem alien to our researchers. There is one thing Mr. Dalio seems to ignore in his theories the world has a choice in the matter just like we did when Adolf Hitler threatened western Europe and with Hideki Tojo threatened the US and most of SE Asia. We have a choice in how we address the rise of China and how we protect our freedoms, rights, and futures from any threat China may present. Currently, the world is moving away from a China-friendly relationship after the COVID-19 virus event has wreaked havoc across the globe. Chinas rise over the past 25+ years has mostly been on the success of selling China as a cheap manufacturing center for the US and other stronger economies. The process of growing China has been to take advantage of the relationships theyve built with foreign business/banking. This is all starting to come to a sudden halt which may put extreme pressures on Chinas banking and credit systems over the next 20+ years. Before we continue, be sure to opt-in to our free-market trend signals before closing this page, so you dont miss our next special report! Our research team put together this chart to highlight the past 100+ years of cycle/super-cycle trends. When you review this chart, pay attention to the deep collapse of the heavy blue line from 1923 through 1939 the span of the Great Depression. Weve highlighted the area of the Great Depression in BLUE. Weve also highlighted recessions in RED and MAGENTA. Red areas being recessions in cycle areas where the cycles are trending lower and Magenta are where recessions happened in upward trending cycles. Near the end, weve highlighted an area in YELLOW where we believe a new recession will emerge. Now, as we align these cycle trends with price, we start to see a bigger picture emerge. This SPY Weekly Log chart illustrates how our cycle analysis aligns with price trends quite well over the past 45+ years. Our cycle research goes forward over 600 years and we can identify where and when price trends will likely set up, breakdown, or breakout as a result of our extensive cycle research. Mr. Dalios comments, while somewhat valid in general scope, dont necessarily translate into real-world processes. With the amount of wealth and new global alliances, inter-connected economies and the recent push attempt to right the many wrongs of the past 30+ years, the world appears to be much more aligned towards restoring some proper order and developing a real future where nations are held accountable and central banks may be forced to adopt a more conservative capital process in the near future. Without giving away too many details, our cycles are point to a very important cycle event that will take place in the near future. Many people are completely unaware of when and how this event will take place. In fact, many analysts are simply guessing as to what may happen over the next 20+ years whereas weve actually mapped out 500+ years of detailed price cycles for the global markets. If you want to gain insight into the markets next big move or learn how our researchers attempt to stay ahead of the biggest market trends, then you owe it to yourself to visit www.TheTechnicalInvestor.com to learn how we help our members create success and find great opportunities. We can promise you one thing right now the global markets are going to continue to be very interesting for technical traders over the next 10 to 20+ years. You dont want to miss the opportunities that are setting up in the global markets and we strongly believe everything you are reading about cycles from others is superficial in structure and content. As a technical analyst and trader since 1997, I have been through a few bull/bear market cycles in stocks and commodities. I believe I have a good pulse on the market and timing key turning points for investing and short-term swing traders. 2020 is going to be an incredible year for skilled traders. Dont miss all the incredible moves and trade setups. I hope you found this informative, and if you would like to get a pre-market video every day before the opening bell, along with my trade alerts. These simple to follow ETF swing trades have our trading accounts sitting at new high water marks yet again this week, not many traders can say that this year. Visit my Active ETF Trading Newsletter. If you have any type of retirement account and are looking for signals when to own equities, bonds, or cash, be sure to become a member of my Long-Term Investing Signals which we issued a new signal for subscribers. Ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own during the next financial crisis. Chris Vermeulen www.TheTechnicalTraders.com Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better. His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility. He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Chandigarh, May 28 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday praised Bollywood actor Sonu Sood, who was born and brought up in the state, for his charity amid the coronavirus pandemic. "It fills me with immense pride whenever I read about my fellow Punjabis going beyond their call of duty to help those in need and this time it is our Moga boy Sonu Sood who has been actively helping migrant workers by arranging for their food and transportation," the Chief Minister said in a tweet. "Good work Sonu!" he added. Last week, Chef Vikas Khanna prepared a special dish and named it 'Moga' after the town in Punjab where actor Sonu Sood was born. This is because Khanna is impressed with Sonu's charity work amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Khanna shared a photo of the special dish with a tweet message: "Dear @SonuSood everyday you are inspiring us. Can't cook for you right now in appreciation of your work. So sending you a dish. Im going to name "MOGA" after your birthplace. #Respect #RealHero." Sonu was overjoyed naturally, and he called Khanna the "world's best chef". New-to-Houston residents will want to take some notes from longtime Houstonians, who have some tips and tricks for navigating the city's roads, culture, history and more. Among several of these suggestions are some fair warnings to brace for this town's infamous traffic woes. GETAWAYS: Travel startup Getaway debuts Houston-area outpost Others will point you toward local personalities you need to get to know. And for foodies: sample everything in this diverse dining scene. Especially the breakfast tacos. Look through the list below and let us know what needs to be added. Mumbai, May 28 : Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari has praised Bollywood star Sonu Sood for extending help to stranded migrant labourers, and ensuring safe travel for them. Amid the ongoing lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sonu has been arranging transport for stranded migrant labourers to ensure they can go to their native places. The governor complimented the actor on Twitter. "Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari called up actor, film star @SonuSood and complimented him for his dedicated work in facilitating the safe transportation of migrant people from various states to their home states," read a post on the official Twitter handle of the office of the Governor of Maharashtra. Sonu was humbled by the appreciation. He replied: "Thank you so much sir. Your words inspire me to work harder. Will continue working for the migrant brothers and sisters till we unite them with their families... Honoured." Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also lauded Sonu Sood, who was born and brought up in the state, for his charity amid the coronavirus pandemic. "It fills me with immense pride whenever I read about my fellow Punjabis going beyond their call of duty to help those in need and this time it is our Moga boy Sonu Sood who has been actively helping migrant workers by arranging for their food and transportation," the Chief Minister said in a tweet. "Good work Sonu!" he added. Last week, Chef Vikas Khanna prepared a special dish and named it 'Moga' after the town in Punjab where actor Sonu Sood was born, as a tribute to his efforts. A lone hiker walks the Kaibab Trail on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. (Jeremy Wade Shockley/Getty Images/Aurora Open) Grand Canyon National Park, which reopened for Memorial Day and then closed, will reopen Friday through next Thursday as rangers put plans for the summer in place. The park's hotels will soon follow. The move comes amid many business and public-land re-openings in the West, despite pandemic cases and deaths. The park, which was busy over Memorial Day, closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Beginning Friday, the park's popular South Rim's south entrance will be open from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, officials said in a statement. Beginning June 5, that entrance will be open daily, all hours, and the South Rim's Mather campground will be open for campers with reservations. The park's remote North Rim opens June 5 for day use. Its campground is expected to open July 1. Beginning June 14, the park will phase in commercial and noncommercial Colorado River trips. Xanterra, one of the park's concessionaires, said Thursday that it would reopen Grand Canyon lodgings in steps: First, Maswik Lodge on June 5. Then, El Tovar Hotel and Kachina Lodge on June 10. Bright Angel Lodge and Thunderbird Lodge will follow on June 15. Many park features will remain closed, including the east entrance on the South Rim, Desert View Watchtower area and Desert View campground. Rangers have compiled a list of openings and closures on the park's website. "We've been open for two four-day weekends and the idea was to assess how the weekends worked and what our operations will be going forward," said park spokeswoman Lily Daniels. The park closed April 1 as pandemic measures forced shuttering of businesses nationwide. In a statement Tuesday, officials said the park has had two confirmed coronavirus cases, reported April 24. Besides consulting with local and state health authorities, park officials said they are "coordinating with neighboring tribes and communities" on how to gradually reopen while minimizing risk to the approximately 2,500 park residents. The phased reopening began May 15. Story continues The neighboring Navajo Nation, which has reported one of the highest pandemic infection rates in the U.S., had counted 4,689 cases of COVID-19, including 157 deaths, as of May 26. Navajo leaders have been imposing weekend "lockdowns," closing all businesses to fight the spread of the virus on the reservation, which includes parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. Arizona does not require face coverings. In the national park, Daniels said, "we highly recommend them, but we do not require them." On Navajo land, however, leaders require face coverings in public facilities and in places of business. U.S. Highway 89, often used by visitors to the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff, Ariz., runs through the Navajo Reservation. Meanwhile across the West, other parks continue to gear up for more visitors and sometime struggle with crowds. In Arizona, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area continues to increase access to Lake Powell. In Northern California, Lassen Volcanic National Park will boost recreational access beginning Friday. Utah's Zion National Park was open for the holiday weekend but had to shut down Zion Canyon Scenic Drive on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday because of parking shortages. An appeals court is supporting the decision to sentence a Pike County sex offender to consecutive natural-life sentences. John A. Pope, 49, of Pearl was charged in January 2017 with several sexual assault charges and in December 2017 with additional related charges. Pope was convicted April 18, 2018, of five counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, two counts of indecent solicitation of a child and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. A Pike County jury returned a verdict of not guilty on four additional counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. Judge Diane M. Lagoski on Oct. 22, 2018, sentenced Pope to two consecutive natural-life sentences. Among the arguments in Popes appeal were claims the court improperly applied the rape shield statute, erred by allowing juvenile victims to testify in chambers with others present, and gave improper deadline instructions to jurors, which he said caused them to return a rushed verdict. In addition, Pope maintained he was given ineffective assistance of counsel and was prejudiced by cumulative error. In a 19-page opinion authored by Presiding Justice Robert J. Steigmann, the Fourth District Court of Appeal rejected each of Popes arguments. This is a win for our community, Pike County States Attorney Zack Boren said after the appeal decision. Those who commit reprehensible sex offenses against children deserve the strictest punishment available under Illinois law. He said the trial was a team effort. Boren and Assistant States Attorney Leecia Carnes represented the state during the trial, with Quincy attorney Anthony Cameron representing Pope. On appeal, the office of the Illinois States Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor represented the state and attorney Gary Wangler of Belleville represented Pope. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 00:20:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOGADISHU, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Somali Health Ministry on Thursday recorded 97 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 1,828. Health Minister Fawziya Abikar said 45 patients recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of people who have been discharged from hospitals to 310. The minister said five patients succumbed to the disease, bringing the total number of fatalities to 72. According to the UN, the cases are surging at a time when Somalia is struggling to contain floods that have affected nearly a million people and desert locusts that are devouring crops and pasture. The UN refugee agency expressed concern that the virus may spread to internally displaced person (IDP) settlements and among health workers. According to UNHCR, one IDP and one refugee tested positive for COVID-19 as of May 17. The IDP is quarantined at home in an IDP camp and the refugee has been admitted to a hospital, it said. The Horn of African nation has instituted measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, including closing schools, banning large gatherings and suspending international and domestic passenger flights. Enditem Burundis Catholic Bishops have deplored the many irregularities witnessed during the recent 20 May general elections in which, General Evariste Ndayishimiye, the ruling partys candidate, was declared winner. English Africa Service Vatican City From the observations made, we recognise that the elections generally took place in a calm atmosphere. However, we deplore the many irregularities with regard to the freedom and transparency of the electoral process along with the lack of fairness in the treatment of certain candidates and voters, said the Bishops of Burundi in a joint pastoral statement they all signed. Churchs observers were placed at strategic locations The Bishops said they had deployed 2 716 of their own observers to various polling stations in the small landlocked country of the Great Lakes region. Though they were not able to cover all polling stations, the Bishops say they were strategic in the deployment assigning observers to key polling points. The damning assessment of the Bishops is based on initial reports filed by the observers. A much more detailed report will probably be issued eventually. A catalogue of irregularities In the statement, the Bishops listed a catalogue of irregularities. Among irregularities, we particularly deplore (are the following): The pressure exerted on individual proxies to sign in advance papers of the contents of the ballot boxes; the stuffing of some ballot boxes; voting in place of deceased persons and refugees; multiple therefore invalid proxies; the fact that in some polling stations, there were voters who voted more than once; the exclusion of officers and observers from places where the votes were being counted; intimidation and constraints exerted on voters by certain administrators who accompanied them to the voting booths; the intrusion of unauthorised persons into the places where the votes are counted; the lack of privacy for those voting not being guaranteed everywhere; and the confiscation of accreditation and telephones of certain observers. Faced with all these irregularities and many others, we wonder how these wont prejudice the definitive results to be proclaimed by the Constitutional Court on 4 June, said the Bishops. Bishops urge citizens to remain calm Notwithstanding their reservations, the Bishops urged calm and for people not resort to violence. They encouraged losers to seek redress from the courts. Burundis electoral commission has since declared General Evariste Ndayishimiye, of the ruling party winner of the presidential election with 68% of the votes. Agathon Rwasa of the opposition National Council for Liberty (CNL) had 24% Ndayishimiye will be sworn-in as president in August for a seven-year term, renewable once Relations between Church and state have been tense since 2015 Relations between the Church and state have been tense ever since the outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza, plunged the country into a major constitutional crisis in 2015 by running for an unconstitutional third term. According to a new Burundian law, had he wished, Nkurunziza could have potentially stayed on as leader of this country of 11 million up to 2034. The Catholic Church leadership in the country and rights groups have frequently denounced political violence and intolerance. More than 1 200 people have died in the aftermath of the 2015 crisis while about 400,000 Burundians have fled the country. Retired President Nkurunzizas Presidential spokesperson, Willy Nyamitwe once said that some Burundian Bishops needed to be defrocked for preaching what he termed as hatred. A research collaboration between the Technische Universitat Dresden (TU Dresden), the University of Birmingham and Rock Rail is underway looking at innovative battery technology as a green alternative in traction technology for the railway sector The Technische Universitat Dresden and the University of Birmingham have come together and started a research project focused on battery-powered traction technology for railways. Rail developer, investor and asset management company, Rock Rail, is a key player in rolling stock leasing and initiated the project to support its activties in Germany to provide innovative rail funding solutions that deliver sustainable traction technology including electrical and battery-driven propulsion. Currently, this research project is one of four international projects that are being consolidated in the Saxony railway innovation cluster SET4FUTURE. The TU Dresden is one of the key cluster partners in the innovation cluster SET4FUTURE. Battery vs. diesel - How the railway industry can become even more eco-friendly Rail is already one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable transport modes in the world. However, there is always room for improvement to its carbon footprint and traction represents a significant portion of the energy needed to run a railway. Electrification using overhead wires is already an efficient and potentially emission-free way to propel trains: currently 60% of Germany's federal rail networks are electrified (source: Allianz pro Schiene) adducing 90 percent of the total transport performance. But full electrification of all German rail networks is not economically viable due to the high cost of electrification infrastructure. However, a solution can be found by replacing diesel technlogy with low-carbon alternatives for propulsion. The collaborative research project between the Technische Universitat Dresden and the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education at the University of Birmingham looks to explore these. For more than 10 years we have been conducting research on alternative electric propulsion for modern rail vehicles. Now this topic has reached the public market and requires a swift assessment of the various operating options. We can achieve this with the conjoint support of our colleagues in Birmingham in the best manner. Railways are an European transport vehicle and therefore require solutions on a European level." - Prof. Dr.-Ing. Arnd Stephan, Chair for Eletric railways at TU Dresden. The 3-month project will look at the extent to which battery technologies are able to substitute for traditional diesel traction on the German network. "We are really pleased to be working with our industry partner Rock Rail and our friends at the Technische Universitat Dresden on this relevant research assessing battery technology for trains. Rail decarbonisation is the big challenge facing the global rail industry and our two universities are at the forefront of research and development work in this field. As leaders in the field of railway traction power and energy systems, our research is hugely important in developing the future solutions that will deliver a decarbonised railway." - Alex Burrows, CEO oft he Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education and Rail-Alliance Cluster manager Concentrated reseach power for an eco-friendly railway industry Rock Rail is keen to support the German railway market in the introduction of vehicles powered by eco-friendly battery technology. For Rock Rail the university-based cooperation means the combined support of two of the leading research facilities in energy systems and propulsion technology. "Supporting the development of greener, more sustainable rail travel is a key focus for Rock Rail and we are committed to helping achieve this in Germany. This collaboration is supporting the work we are doing in developing funding solutions to bring cleaner, state-of-the-art trains to the German market, helping encourage a shift towards rail travel and supporting decarbonisation of the rail network." - Nick Watson, Commercial Director of Rock Rail. European cooperation facilitates successful projects Demonstrating the value of multinational cooperation, the project partners met at a technology workshop in March 2020. The Saxon-British technology workshop was funded by the Free State of Saxony and organised by STE4FUTURE in partnership with the UK's Rail Alliance and Saxony's BTS Rail Saxony. Both organisations are local clusters supporting their communities of rail supply companies and have been working closely together for 10 years as part of the wider European Railway Clusters Initiative (ERCI). I am very happy about the dynamic development of the European Railway Clusters Initiative, ERCI. Such research projects result from a regular and intensive international exchange and the mutual trust that has been growing over many years. Not least they are an important driver to fulfill our mission and strenghten the railway industry in Europe." - Dirk-Ulrich Kruger, BTS-Cluster manager and ERCI-spokesperson. ### About SET4FUTURE SET4FUTURE is one of four selected clusters, that have been funded by the Free State of Saxony since July 2018 and will continue to be funded for another 10 years after the successful interim assessment. SET4FUTURE is aimed at improving the efficiency, profitability and attractiveness of the rail transport through technological innovations, especially in the regional and local public transport sector. The Technische Universitat Dresden and A.S.T. - Angewandte System Technik GmbH, a company of the A.S.T. Group located in Dresden, are key cluster partners of the innovation cluster. SET4FUTURE is being co-financed up to 50 percent by tax revenues und the public budget introduced by the Parliament of the Free State of Saxony. About BTS Rail Saxony BTS Rail Saxony is the largest railway cluster in Central Germany represented by industrial association BTS Bahntechnik Sachsen e.V. with around 70 members in industry and research. Both associations focus on strenghtening the railway industry in Saxony and Central Germany as well as supplier and service provision in the regional railway industry. As a broad contact and cooperation network BTS connects its members in cooperation projects, conjoint sales promotion and a coordinated access to international markets. BTS is relying on an international network of around 1.000 contacts in industry, research and science as well as in the political landscape. Furthermore, BTS is charter member and spokesperson of the European Railway Clusters Initiative ERCI. Currently 15 railway clusters are organised in this initiative covering 17 European countries and over 2.500 companies and institutions in Europe. Further information are provided at http://www.bts-sachsen.de and http://www.eurailclusters.com About Technische Universitat Dresden Technische Universitat Dresden (TU Dresden) is one of the top universities in Germany and Europe. Strong in research and considered excellent with respect to the range and the quality of degree programmes it offers, it is also closely interconnected with culture, business and society. As a modern university with a broad array of disciplines and with its five Schools it has a diverse scientific spectrum that only few other German universities are able to match. TU Dresden is Saxony's largest university with approximately 32,000 students and 8,300 employees - among them 600 professors. Since 2012, TU Dresden has been one of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany. It was able to successfully defend this title on 19th July 2019. About Birmingham Centre of Railway Research and Education Birmingham, is Europe's largest academic-based group delivering railway science and education. With over 145 academics, researchers and professional support staff, BCRRE provides world class research and thought leadership within railways, and offers an expanding portfolio of high-quality education programmes, including Rail and Rail Systems Level 6 and 7 degree apprenticeships. In 2018 BCRRE became lead partner in the 92m UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN) and in 2019 it absorbed the activities of the Rail Alliance into its offering, increasing its breadth of support for innovation and growth in the rail industry. Contact: BCRRE, railway@contacts.bham.ac.uk (0)121 414 2995. About Rock Rail Rock Rail was established in 2014 to focus on the development of large scale, strategically important rail infrastructure in partnership with public sector bodies and private sector investors. Rock Rail is a developer, owner and asset manager of rolling stock and other rail infrastructure, leading the development of innovative financing solutions for core rail infrastructure as well as providing asset management services for the same. Rock Rail invests directly and on behalf of institutional investors. As an asset manager it provides a complete range of specialist rail services, managing residual value and protecting the long-term interests of its institutional investors. Since 2016 Rock Rail has secured 3 billion of new passenger fleets for operation on 5 UK rail franchises, (Great Northern routes, East Anglia, South Western, East Midlands and West Coast Partnership). Rock Rail was also part of a consortium of equity investors to take a 45% stake in the Intercity Express Programme West, one of the UK's most significant rail programmes of recent years. As well as continuing to work on other core fleet opportunities in the UK, Rock Rail has extended its focus to other UK rail infrastructure sectors including digital signalling, depots and electrification and other rolling stock geographies including Australia, France, Germany and other mainland European markets. For more information, please visit: http://www.rockinfrastructure.com Studio 10 panelist Narelda Jacobs fought back tears on Thursday as she shared her late father's experience of being part of the Stolen Generations. The 44-year-old journalist spoke about her family history to commemorate Reconciliation Week and Sorry Day - a national remembrance and celebration of Australia's Indigenous peoples. She said that her father, Cedric, had been taken from his home when he was nine years old, along with his three brothers, and never saw his parents again. 'They were put into cars and driven away': Studio 10 panelist Narelda Jacobs fought back tears on Thursday as she shared her late father's experience of being part of the Stolen Generations 'The story that he told to us was that his parents were picking grapes, they were seasonal workers. The kids were playing in the vineyard and he told the story of cars pulling up,' Narelda began. She continued: 'They were put into the cars. They were driven away. No permission given from the parents at all. 'The last thing my dad remembered of his mum was her screaming voice outside the courtroom, as she battled to stop them being taken away. And she never saw her three youngest children again.' Painful memories: She said that her father, Cedric (pictured), had been taken from his home when he was nine years old, along with his three brothers, and never saw his parents again Narelda's father and uncles were taken by police enforcing government policy and relocated to the Mogumber Mission in Western Australia. She added that her 'heart bled' for her grandmother, who never saw her three youngest children again. 'My grandmother had five births after the three youngest children were taken away - four of them were stillbirths and the youngest child died after two months - and my old aunties would say that [my father's] mum died of a broken heart,' she said. Stolen: Narelda's father and uncles were taken by police enforcing government policy and relocated to the Mogumber Mission in Western Australia. Pictured: Cedric Jacobs as a child Narelda said that despite her father's traumatic childhood, he went on to become a Methodist reverend and marry a woman named Margaret. Incredibly, he was able to raise her and her sisters 'free from [the] bitterness' engendered by the Stolen Generations. Studio 10 also aired a tribute to Cedric, who was the founder of the minor Australian political party One Australia Movement that was active from 1986 to 1992. Emotional: Studio 10 aired a tribute to Cedric, who was the founder of the minor Australian political party One Australia Movement that was active from 1986 to 1992. Afterwards, Narelda held back her tears and proudly said, 'That's my beautiful dad' Afterwards, Narelda held back tears and proudly said, 'That's my beautiful dad.' It comes after she shared a heartfelt tribute to her father on Tuesday. 'While my dad went on to live a wonderful life full of achievement, he never forgot the agony of being stolen,' she wrote on Instagram. 'You're in my thoughts every day, dad, and I thank you for being a loving, nurturing and encouraging father. Sorry Day is a time to reflect on the past to create a better future for all Australians.' NEW CANAAN Two bears were reported around the same time on Thursday, May 21, following a long list of other evidence of a bear roaming the town over the course of the past six weeks. There have also been coyotes, fox and a few unconfirmed mountain lion sightings. Traditionally they [bears] start to show up around here this time in spring, Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm said on Tuesday, May 26. She recommends residents start looking at their security cameras to see if their properties are being visited by any of the larger animals. On Thursday, May 21, a bear was reported seen at 90 Parade Hill at 7:20 a.m; then one was seen at the New Canaan Nature Center, 144 Oenoke Ridge at 9:35 a.m., and one was observed at Pequot Lane at 9:32 a.m. Although, Parade Hill Road and the Nature Center are close to the center of town Pequot is so close to (the) New York border, it could have just wandered into the state briefly, she said. I believe it was two bears, Halm added. It is not likely for a bear to travel so quickly in two minutes. Halm assumes the bears that are seen this time of year, are young males that have been kicked out by their mothers to start their own homes, she said. Evidence of bears started coming to Halms attention this year on April 13, when a bird feeder was bent in half on Turtle Back Road. No one actually saw the animal, but Halm assumed it was the work of a bear. There was more evidence on April 30, of a bear wandering the town. People love to send me pictures of scat, Halm, said. Someone sent her a photo of a pile of poop that I would have definitely identified as belonging to a bear, she said. No location was given at that time, she added. Other sightings were consistent, in that you could almost see the path its taking, she said. On May 17, there were bear sightings on Woodridge Circle, then later that day, someone called on Valley Road in the evening before dark, and another on South Bald Hill Road, which was around the same time as Valley Road, so that bear was moving, hopefully to Wilton, she added. That time, it appeared it was the same animal traveling west to east, she said. Not far from there a few days later, a bear was seen on May 20 on Benedict Hill Road at 5:50 p.m., then a short distance from there on Laurel Road at 6:45 p.m..and near the Grupes reservoir dam on Mill Road at 8:13 p.m. Around that time, a bear was also reported walking up to Wellseley Drive to the Watson-Symington New Canaan Land Trust property. Hopefully the bear will continue to stay out of trouble, Halm said. It is always exciting to see them come through, but the DEEP, (the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection), has to get involved when one of them gets into trouble, by doing such things as attacking a dog. If it is serious enough the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection would send an officer down, she said. We would, if needed, take lethal action if the bear was attacking or doing property damage, but, we try to avoid that at all costs, she said. She recommends people use air horns, belt bells and whistles to scare bears away. A bell on the wearers belt warns them that you are coming. Bears dont want to mess with us either, she said. Different animals require different scare tactics. In the case of a bear, a hiker should make noise and a slow withdrawal is recommended. Dont run away, she said. When a coyote is sighted, a person should move toward the animal making noise and they will scamper away, Halm said. Try something loud and aggressive toward a coyote, she added. Coyote pups Coyote sightings have picked up considerably, Halm said. I believe that is because they are feeding their pups right now. Coyotes are part of the landscape now, people are very used to it, she added. There is a family of seven, five pups with the parents that mate for life, on Carter Street, she said. Some neighbors kind of enjoy watching pups and the parents from a distance, Halm said. In New Canaan, we have ton of fox, she added. None of these predators are nocturnal, instead they are diurnal and are seen at both dusk and dawn, she explained. Therefore, people shouldnt be surprised, when they see them, she added. There was a mountain lion sighting by an 11-year old girl, on April 29, according to a woman who called Halm and indicated that her daughter saw it outside in the Pastures Lane area. Apparently, that same week another woman reported on the Facebook page, New Canaan Moms, that she saw a mountain lion on Ponus Ridge near West School. That was never directly reported to this office, Halm said. We seem to get annual sightings [of mountain lions] at different times of year, but we are yet to have proof, Halm said. Officials at the DEEP do not believe mountain lions are residing here, possibly passing through, but not actually living here, Halm said. The Merritt Parkway is a corridor commonly used by our large predators, she added. The parkway cuts through the state with green ways on both sides that they can use uninhibitedly, she said. The company has gathered data about the success of the working from home model, which was being piloted for some smaller teams before the pandemic struck, with regular pulse surveys and check-ins through care and connect calls to staff. What we have noticed in our most recent survey ... was that a much higher percentage of staff were actually really content and happy working from home and felt that their productivity had either remained the same or had actually increased, Mrs Pearce said. I hope we dont rush back to the way it was before. P&N Bank general manager Anna Pearce I expected there to be a greater momentum around the desire to come back to head office, it wasnt to the extent that I expected and it's certainly a mixed bag, some people have loved it and other people cant wait to get back. And we need to adapt to that and that information and results. Those who have particularly benefited, anecdotally, were the fathers who were enjoying a newfound connection with their families and young families. But the other group that we have in our workforce are those who are caring for elderly parents and I think that its been really helpful for them to be able to find that extra time in their day if they need to be across whats happening in the broader family network and just that lack of commute time really makes quite a difference for their own health and wellness, Mrs Pearce said. P&N Bank processing officer Emily Brown at home with her dog Tilly. One of the banks processing officers, Emily Brown, is instantly recognisable after her dog, Tilly, jumped up mid-way through the ad in an unplanned moment. The cameraman actually clapped his hands and made a loud sort of noise and it actually startled her, so thats why she came running up and jumped on me, Ms Brown said. Shes actually sitting right next to me at the moment, I mean thats one of the best things about working from home is to be able to keep them company and be around them during the day. I definitely want to keep working from home in some capacity. Emily Brown, P&N Bank worker Ms Brown agreed working from home had changed the perception around the modern working woman and the need to present a professional-only exterior. When I first started working from home I did still get quite ready for work, I was still doing my hair, still getting changed into semi-corporate wear but then as the time has progressed I have relaxed a little bit, she said. When I have meetings with my colleagues by video chat were all dressed the same, were all relaxed and I feel like its because its something that were all doing then everyone is going to feel less pressure. She has also incorporated walking Tilly as part of her lunch break as a good time-saver and way of getting a break from her desk, not to mention her productivity improving due to the lack of a 40-minute commute each way. Loading I definitely want to keep working from home in some capacity, she said. I think a four-and-one, three-and-two basis would work best for me. I still do like going into the office and have that interaction and have a bit of a change, though I do prefer working from home and I feel more motivated, more focused. Ive realised how I can work independently and it has forced me into some situations that Ive had to fix myself without someone there to guide me through it. So I think its made me more confident. Return to work Mrs Pearce has just released the companys return-to-work action plan in which only a fifth of the 250 P&N Limited workers will initially return to the head office at Kings Square on Wellington Street on June 8. She said it would take a three-stage approach, with team leaders deciding who should return to work and how to stagger them across a three-month period since teams would have to rotate between home and work. I think it will be a long time before we will see and maybe never we will see 100 per cent of that staff complement always being in head office all the time, Mrs Pearce said. So we imagine that the working-from-home program has really been fast-tracked and well find that most of our staff will enjoy some level of working from home, depending on the role that they play in their own personal circumstances. New working environment: P&N Bank's headquarters in Kings Square 1 building in Perth. P&N Limited also manages 15 WA bank branches and BCU credit union branches in regional New South Wales and Queensland. Sydney senior civil lawyer Erin Kidd said there were many reasons staff were justified to continue working from home, including fear of contracting COVID-19 in the office or a lack of childcare. Others might be reluctant to get back on public transport. She said refusal to return to the office could also be considered reasonable if the employee was in a high-risk category for COVID-19. A spokeswoman for Safe Work Australia said the risks arising from exposure to COVID-19 was a foreseeable risk in all workplaces. "Employers have a duty to eliminate or minimise so far as is reasonably practicable, the risks arising from exposure to COVID-19," she said. "Physical distancing in combination with good hygiene and cleaning practices are effective ways to reduce the likelihood of exposure to COVID-19." P&N Bank's headquarters in Kings Square 1 building in Perth. The logistics of bringing P&N staff up the 19-storey building, of which they only took up three levels since it was also shared with government departments, not to mention the need for dedicated, safely distanced desks that could be shared but not in their previous hot-desking arrangement was problematic. It will involve lots of experience to see how it goes and we will need to continue to adapt, she said. So we will be looking to have staggered start times, quite strict rules around where desks are located and making sure that were not using common areas, management of lifts within the building and working with the building management to ensure that were sticking to all of the right protocols and government regulations. Weve also implemented a lot of health and safety measures around PPE, increased cleaning and were also encouraging our staff, as we do transition back into the office, we will continue to use video conferencing and phone access to meetings to avoid large groups of congregated staff members in meeting rooms. For any business in a large building, its quite an operation to move through this process." For Ms Brown, it will be something new again to adapt to. No more congregating: Only a percentage of P&N's 250-strong workforce will return due to social distancing restrictions. Because I have been working from home for so long, Ive been doing it full-time since about February, it will take a bit for me to get used to because when youre in your own home safe, you do things how you want to do them than I guess when youre going into the office and working with other people, she said. Mrs Pearce said the workplace had changed forever, and for the better. 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. After being chased by Boston police on his scooter Tuesday afternoon, a 20-year-old man was found with several packages of fentanyl and other drugs in his vehicle, authorities said. While on patrol, officers saw a scooter with no registration sticker. Police approached the driver, who is accused of accelerating and traveling toward a driveway at 143 Standard St. in Mattapan, the Boston Police Department said in a statement. Officers continued asking the male to stop, but he refused, the statement said. Officers were able to apprehend the male and safely removed him from the scooter, placing him under arrest for refusal to submit to a police officer. Inside the scooters front compartment, police found a large plastic bag of 19 bags of a tan, powdery substance, believed to be fentanyl, the department said. Law enforcement also recovered two small plastic bags of 13 rock-like substances, believed to be crack cocaine, as well as three packages of marijuana and small oxycodone pills, according to police. Dariel Guzman-Reyes was arrested for violating auto laws and later charged with trafficking Class A drugs, distributing Class B drugs and possession with intent to distribute Class D drugs, police said. The Hyde Park resident was expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court, according to authorities. BEIJING, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from China Daily: This year is crucial for China's anti-poverty campaign as the country aims to eradicate absolute poverty. How will the nation pool its wisdom on achieving this goal? Let's have a look. Villagers of Atuleer in Sichuan province's Zhaojue county were excited on May 12 because they were moving to new apartments. Their village is atop a 1,400-meter cliff. The only link to the outside world was an 800-meter network of rattan ladders with no railings. The villagers are among the 9.6 million people who have been relocated to resettlement areas as part of China's anti-poverty campaign. Besides relocation, the country has also issued favorable policies to support poverty alleviation work. Special programs were launched to create more jobs for the poor and improve education and healthcare in poverty-stricken areas. China has set 2020 as the year to eliminate absolute poverty and that goal is nearing success. The number of those living in poverty declined from 98.99 million in 2012 to 5.51 million by the end of last year. The poverty rate has dropped from 10.2% to 0.6%. The annual per capita net income of registered impoverished people has increased to 9,808 yuan in 2019 from 3,416 in 2015. On March 6, President Xi Jinping chaired a symposium on poverty alleviation, the largest of its kind in years. Xi has said lifting all rural residents out of poverty by 2020 is a solemn promise made by the CPC Central Committee. Xi has also said epidemics or disasters can affect poverty reduction work and China must take effective measures to minimize the impact of the epidemic. Poverty alleviation is top of the agenda during the ongoing two sessions. Legislators and political advisors will pool their wisdom on how to finally eradicate absolute poverty and keep those lifted out of poverty from falling back in. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1173830/A_resident_Aluleer_village.jpg Editor's Note: With so much market volatility, stay on top of daily news! Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news and expert opinions. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Gold and silver prices are trading moderately higher in early U.S. trading Thursday, as safe-haven demand has returned to the metals after a brief absence. Souring China-U.S. relations are back on the front burner of the market place. August gold futures were last up $10.70 an ounce at $1,737.50. July Comex silver prices were last up $0.108 at $17.86 an ounce. Global stock markets were mixed in overnight trading, with European shares mostly higher and Asian shares mostly lower. U.S. stock indexes are also pointed toward mixed openings when the New York day session begins. There is a bit more risk aversion in the marketplace Thursday, as Chinas government has ratified what is calls a national security law that ostensibly tightens mainland Chinas grip on Hong Kong. The move has further angered the U.S. as relations between the two largest economies in the world continue to deteriorate. The U.S. Secretary of State on Wednesday said Hong Kong was no longer autonomous from China, implying the U.S. may revoke Hong Kongs favorable trade status. Such would have big implications for the many major U.S. companies doing business in Hong Kong. The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday passed a bill that would sanction China for its oppression of minority groups. The important outside markets see the U.S. dollar index weaker early today. Nymex crude oil prices are lower and trading around $32.15 a barrel. The yield on the benchmark U.S. Treasury 10-year note is currently around 0.7%. U.S. economic data due for release Thursday includes the weekly jobless claims report, expected to show a new claims of around 2 million; the second estimate of first-quarter GDP, durable goods orders, the weekly DOE liquid energy stocks report, the Kansas City Fed manufacturing survey, and pending home sales. Technically, the gold bulls have the firm overall near-term technical advantage but a price uptrend on the daily bar chart is still in some jeopardy and the bulls need to show more power soon to keep it alive. Bulls next upside price objective is to produce a close in August futures above solid resistance at the April high of $1,789.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,668.40. First resistance is seen at the overnight high of $1,741.90 and then at this weeks high of $1,755.60. First support is seen at the overnight low of $1,720.00 and then at this weeks low of $1,701.60. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 7.0 July silver futures bulls have the firm overall near-term technical advantage. A bull flag has formed on the daily bar chart. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at the February high of $19.07 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $16.50. First resistance is seen at $18.00 and then at the May high of $18.165. Next support is seen at $17.50 and then at this weeks low of $17.225. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 7.0. In this book, readers will find interesting places and fascinating people all throughout the Route. Terry Spradlins book, An Oklahoma Devotion , Save Route 66 ($23.99, paperback, 9781630509422; $9.99, e-book, 9781630509439), is available for purchase. An Oklahoma Devotional Save Route 66 is a handbook to help readers who are ready to get a vacation started. There are so many things to see and do on Route 66. Route 66 is one of the top road trips in the world. In this book, readers will find interesting places and fascinating people all throughout the Route. An Oklahoma Devotional Save Route 66 contains contact information and websites to browse and some encouraging devotions and a little Oklahoma history. Terry Spradlin has traveled all over the world, and now can add Route 66 to that list of fun places. Spradlin enjoys reading the Bible, spending time with family & friends, and telling stories & writing. She and her husband had heard of Route 66, but they had never traveled the road. They embarked on their adventure and Spradlin decided to share some of their stories. SOCIAL MEDIA (Website) https://www.abundantrain.net/hiddentreasures/ (Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/terry.spradlin (Twitter) https://twitter.com/SpradlinTerry (Tumblr) https://spradlinterry.tumblr.com/ (Instagram) https://www.instagram.com/terryspradlin12/ (Pinterest) https://www.pinterest.com/SpradlinTerry/ (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_zxJtxk4XjPmG7y3u7f8Q?view_as=subscriber (Blogger) https://hiddentreasures.terrynantzspradlin.com/ (SnapChat) SpradlinT1 Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 12,000 titles published to date Save Route 66: An Oklahoma Devotional is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com. Fearing a revolt by university workers, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has abandoned a proposed national COVID-19 pay-slashing deal. But the union will intensify its collaboration with individual managements to try and impose deep cuts to jobs, wages and conditions. The hostility of academics and other university staff members to the NTEUs national framework partnership with the employers has thrown the union into a crisis. Two months of backroom talks, in which the union volunteered wage cuts of up to 15 percent, produced shock and outrage, and numerous membership votes to reject the agreement. As the WSWS warned from the outset, the deal was designed to make university staff pay the price for the pandemic and the budget shortfalls$19 billion over the next three years aloneexpected as a result of the federal governments refusal to bail out the universities. Just days before the NTEU had planned to put its heads of agreement to a countrywide postal ballot, it suddenly announced on Tuesday night that the deal was no longer viable because 17 of the countrys 39 public universities had walked away from it. In reality, the ballot was likely to result in an historic defeat for the union, given the level of rank-and-file opposition. Not only did the agreement offer outright pay cuts, it permitted the destruction of at least 18,000 of the 30,000 jobs that employers are scrapping. Despite its debacle, the NTEUs drive to assist the employers is far from over. The union said it will proceed with ballots to seek to enforce the agreement at any university whose management signs up to it. At other universities, the NTEU and its branch officials will step up their efforts to deliver whatever demands each management makes. NTEU branches have pledged to continue cooperating with their managements to slash budgets. For years, they have struck enterprise bargaining agreements (EBAs) with these employers that have helped transformed universities into highly-casualised business empires serving the needs of the financial elite. The NTEU vowed to vigorously oppose any non-union ballot to vary Enterprise Agreements. That reveals the unions main preoccupation. It is to retain its policing role over university workers via its own variations to the already regressive EBAs it has imposed over the past two years. As also warned by the WSWS, the employers are already exploiting the role of the union in stifling resistance for the past two months, as thousands of casuals jobs were eliminated and increased workloads were imposed. The managements have gone on the offensive, unveiling hundreds of job cuts, including at the Australian National University, Central Queensland University, Sydney, Wollongong and Deakin. In a media release, NTEU national president Alison Barnes complained: The NTEU approached negotiations with the Australian Higher Education Industry Association (AHEIA) in good faith. While the NTEU had good faith with the employers, it entered the talks without any authorisation, let alone votes, by its members. AHEIA executive director Stuart Andrews made a revealing comment. He told the media that some managements were concerned that the opposition shown by NTEU members will result in the deal being defeated at staff votes. In other words, the employers too were afraid that the union faced a rebellion. Desperate to repair the NTEUs shattered credibility with workers, Barnes declared in her media release: NTEU will now escalate to what will be historically high levels of industrial disputation and campaigning to fight for every job. This could have been avoided. That is an utter fraud. The NTEU will intensify its attempts to suppress the revolt it tried so hard to avoid. Its national framework was not an aberration. It took to a new level decades of collaboration with governments and employers, especially since the Accords and enterprise bargaining regime imposed by the unions under the Hawke and Keating Labor governments in the 1980s and 1990s. Moreover, the NTEU will do everything it can to enforce the tripartite compact entered into this week by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) with the Liberal-National government and the employers. Together, they are urging workers to lay down their weaponsthat is, submit to the further pro-business restructuring of workplace relations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Barnes herself spearheaded the ACTU and NTEUs ever-closer partnership with the employers when she headed the NTEU branch at Sydneys Macquarie University, where the union adopted interest-based bargaining. That doctrine, based on the proposition that employers and their employees have common, rather than opposed, interests in driving up profits, was imposed to push through a sellout EBA deal at Macquarie in 2018. Equally fraudulently, the unions media release stated: NTEU members will now continue to ramp up their campaign against the federal government and the Vice Chancellors who have abandoned their workforce. There has been no genuine campaign. The union has blocked any mobilisation of university workers against the government and the employers. The unions pleas for its members to urge Education Minister Dan Tehan to do his job by saving the tertiary education industry proved a complete dead-end. Far from acceding to the NTEUs entreaties, Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government has escalated its attack on the public universities. After repeatedly changing the rules of its JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme to exclude university workers, the government this week permitted four private universitiesNotre Dame, Bond, Torrens and the University of Divinityto access it, offering them hundreds of millions more dollars. Now, the union proposes a protest delegation to Canberra, plus a public campaign in the upcoming federal by-election in Eden Monaro. As the NTEU has done for years, such activities seek to keep university workers trapped within the framework of the corporate-controlled parliamentary order, essentially backing the return of another pro-business Labor-Greens government. The last such government, under Julia Gillard, began the slashing of billions of dollars from universities. These bitter experiences show the necessity for a political break from the NTEU and all the pro-capitalist trade unions, and the building of completely independent rank-and-file committees. These are essential to (1) organise a nationwide, unified struggle to defend all jobs and basic rights, (2) protect university staff from unsafe COVID-19 conditions and (3) link up with workers internationally who are facing similar critical struggles against the impact of the worsening global crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic is not simply the product of a coronavirus. The response of governments, from Trump to Morrisontheir cuts to medical research, lack of pandemic preparation and indifference to the lives of working peopleflows from the subordination of human needs to capitalist profits and the accumulation of personal wealth. Therefore, what is required is an alternative, socialist perspective, based on the complete reorganisation of society in the interests of all, instead of the financial elite. All those who want to take forward this fight should contact the Committee For Public Education, established by the Socialist Equality Party. Email cfpe.aus@gmail.com CFPE Facebook Twitter account @CFPE_Australia Philadelphia Family Court, 1501 Arch St, Philadelphia on Tuesday morning May 26, 2020. A small group of three linger outside the Arch St. entrance, which is locked, before walking away. Read more The morning of the hearing on her request for a permanent protection-from-abuse order, Erica Bryant, 31, tried the door of Philadelphia Family Court and found it locked. She stood there, squinting at the various signs and court orders taped to the glass door, until a deputy sheriff ambled over and informed Bryant, in a muffled shout, that the courthouse was closed. Its now a question mark, as to when is my hearing, said Bryant, who had taken the day off from her job at a health-insurance call center, a risky move since shes still in her 90-day probationary period, and driven into Center City from West Philadelphia. What do I do in the meantime, because I misplaced my paperwork? And when will my case resume? Bryant was one of a steady trickle of people showing up for matters related to protection from abuse, custody, and child support who said theyd received no notice from the court that hearings were canceled. She had tried calling, but the courts outgoing voice message made no mention of closures. She figured something as important as PFA hearings would be essential. "People are fearful for their lives, she said. On May 15, Family Court outlined its plan for resuming operations, but even some lawyers are still confused. So, advocates say, there will be even greater challenges for the vast majority of people who navigate the system with no legal counsel. Im very concerned about the access-to-justice issue, both in the 2 months when weve had no access, and then the lack of clarity as to what happens next, said Sarah Katz, who heads Temple Universitys Family Law Legal Clinic. How are litigants going to know the ways they can file? Whats the plan to get the word out to the public? READ MORE: Courts around the Philly region are inching toward a busier and more digital new normal Court will resume some operations June 1, but many hearings that were already scheduled through Dec. 31 are canceled. The court building will remain closed, so in-person filing wont be possible nor will access to the help center where self-represented people used to be able to obtain basic information and filing forms. Although Family Court leadership has outlined a system for email filing, there is not the type of electronic filing system seen in every other court in the county. A court spokesperson, Martin ORourke, said it has been well-publicized that court was closed. Every media outlet covered it, he said. Everyone knew that the city was closed. He said notice of canceled and rescheduled hearings are currently being sent by mail, and outreach is being conducted by phone or text. New dates will be issued in the order in which they were originally scheduled. And, some types of hearings, including those related to PFA orders will resume in June, he said. The court system is also working to replace its case-management system, bringing electronic filing to Family Court for the first time. For now, Randi Rubin, who is chair of the family law section of the Philadelphia Bar Association and a partner at Klehr Harrison, praised the court for being as nimble and responsive as a massive institution can be in the face of a pandemic. Email filing, she said, is working for now. And some cases are being resolved by telephone conference in a matter of weeks, far more quickly than a hearing would have ever been conducted giving her hope that the post-pandemic courthouse will actually be a more efficient place. Were starting to get to a place where we can provide information to our clients about whats going to happen in the coming months, she said. For those without representation, though, reopening court without a physical courthouse will pose significant challenges, Katz said. For instance, scheduling a video hearing, she said, "assumes peoples consistent access to technology computers and phones. I know my clients dont always have consistent access to those things. To address some of the gaps, including the closure of the courthouse help center, the nonprofit Philadelphia VIP is working with Philadelphia Legal Assistance and the Philadelphia Bar Association to launch a new attorney consultation program. "Clients without any legal counsel are having a hard time finding out what they should do after the court reopens, VIP attorney Todd Nothstein said. This is meant to mitigate some of that confusion. In addition to all the cases that were in the queue before the pandemic, there are new, COVID-19-induced crises to address, he said. Some parents are withholding custody because of disagreements about whats safe social-distancing behavior. Another parent lost work in the pandemic and could no longer afford her rent. But her co-parent objected to her relocating. That would normally be decided in court, Nothstein said, but the shutdown left her with not much to do." The court closure has also meant that temporary PFA orders have been left to stand without full hearings, for months in some cases, with varying effects. Alan Richardson, 58, of North Philadelphia arrived at court holding a copy of his temporary order against an alleged abuser, who still lives in his home, with a number jotted on the back. That, he said, was the incident number from when he had called the police over an alleged violation of the order. The police told him to bring that to court so he could argue for her eviction. But there is no court, Richardson said, unsure what his next steps would be. ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters. Despite recent orders outlined by the court, even those who do have lawyers have little clarity on how or when their cases will advance. Megan Watson, of the firm Berner, Klaw & Watson, said her cases in New Jersey continued more or less uninterrupted, including hearings via Zoom and communicating via email. In Philadelphia, here we are [in late May], and no one knows what the hell is going on. In-person parental visits remain suspended for all of the more than 5,000 kids in placements in the child-welfare system, even though federal authorities have warned of the harms of such blanket bans. About 120 families previously had supervised visits inside the courthouse, and ORourke said there is currently no plan to resume those visits, given the public-health challenges. One of Watsons clients went from frequent visits with her child to Zoom meetings only during the pandemic. Theres no recourse, Watson said. And its not just my client. Its every single person in that system. Similarly, for those hoping to get access to the court to regain custody or visitation with their children, the delays have been painful. Shawn Williams, 46, of West Philadelphia can attest to the pain of that separation. He showed up for court one morning in May. He said he hasnt seen his 12-year-old daughter for more than a year because of a custody battle thats been stalled in the pandemic. Through the locked courthouse door, he pleaded for help. I cant get anyone on the phone. I cant get any information, he said. We have major infrastructure projects in New York that are ready to go, that are desperately needed, that were desperately needed 30 years ago, Mr. Cuomo said on Wednesday. Build them now. Supercharge the reopening. Grow the economy. The governor said that all of the projects that were discussed would require some level of federal funding or approval, and he urged Mr. Trump to help get the bureaucracy to move faster so work could begin. Mr. Cuomo also reported 74 additional deaths from the virus in New York, about the same as the day before. [Get the latest news and updates on the coronavirus in the New York region.] Megabus will resume some service in N.Y.C. The budget bus service Megabus announced on Wednesday that it would resume service in and out of New York City next week, ending a two-month suspension because of the pandemic. Beginning on June 1, the company will provide what a spokesman called a limited schedule of trips between New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, although New York City remains on a state-mandated pause that has kept nonessential businesses closed and many people inside their homes. The spokesman, Sean Hughes, said that starting next week, the company will offer two round trips per day. By comparison, he said, Megabus ran more than 20 round trips during the same period in 2019. In a statement, Mr. Hughes said the safety of passengers and employees was a top priority. The company said on its website that passengers would be required to wear face coverings while boarding, exiting and moving around the bus, and would also be encouraged to do so while seated. ATHENS, Ohio (May 28, 2020) - An Ohio University physicist is leading a new $3.7 million, mul-ti-institution effort to develop software that can create more accurate models of scientific phe-nomena -- such as what happened in the microseconds after the Big Bang or how long a radio-active nucleus will live before it decays. Daniel Phillips, a professor of physics and astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences, is the lead investigator on a new National Science Foundation-funded project with statisticians, computer scientists and nuclear physicists at The Ohio State University, Michigan State Univer-sity and Northwestern University. The researchers are developing the Bayesian Analysis of Nu-clear Dynamics (BAND) framework to provide a publicly available set of computational tools for physicists seeking to solve a wide variety of nuclear-physics research questions. The project is focused on creating better predictive models of scientific phenomena that nuclear physicists seek to understand. Because current models can yield very different forecasts, scientists hope the project will improve what they call the "Uncertainty Quantification" for a range of nuclear processes. BAND's predictions for those processes will be phrased in terms of the percent probability of different outcomes happening -- somewhat like the National Weather Service's rain forecast, Phillips explained. "One of the goals is for BAND is to be accessible to people planning nuclear physics experi-ments and allow them to design in such a way that cuts down the uncertainty as much as pos-sible," Phillips said. "The U.S. invests hundreds of millions of dollars in nuclear physics experi-ments -- optimal allocation of those resources is important." The five-year grant from the National Science Foundation's Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation will support regular software releases, with functionality growing annual-ly, Phillips said. In addition, the award will fund workshops that allow Phillips and colleagues to train other scientists on how to use the computational tools. The four universities have been developing the concept for BAND since 2016, during a think tank about how nuclear physicists can incorporate Bayesian analysis in their work. Bayesian models are used commonly in astrophysics and other mathematical and scientific fields. Phil-lips, a theoretical physicist, had been publishing academic articles about its potential applica-tions to nuclear physics for more than 10 years. The BAND team features: Richard Furnstahl and Ulrich Heinz, professors in the Department of Physics at The Ohio State University, and Matthew T. Pratola, an associate professor in the Department of Statistics at OSU. Frederi Viens, chair and professor, and Professor Taps Maiti, both in the Department of Statistics and Probability at Michigan State University, Witold Nazarewicz, John A. Han-nah Distinguished Professor of Physics and FRIB Chief Scientist, and Professors Filomena Nunes and Scott Pratt from the MSU Physics Department. Stefan Wild, computational mathematician and deputy division director of the Mathe-matics and Computer Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory and a senior fel-low in the Northwestern Argonne Institute for Science and Engineering at Northwestern University, and Matt Plumlee, an assistant professor of industrial engineering and man-agement sciences. Phillips has worked closely with physicists on experimental design for the 20 years he's been a member of Ohio University's Institute for Nuclear and Particle Physics. He has served as director of the institute, which oversees the John E. Edwards Accelerator Laboratory, since 2014. "Ohio University scientists working in these areas frequently wind up leading multi-institutional grants because of our strong reputation," he said. "We have people working in many nuclear-physics subfields that are leaders in their areas." ### CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa -- Japanese police have identified two people suspected of robbing nearly $65,000 from a currency exchange shop at knifepoint earlier this month as the case now heads to prosecutors. Okinawa police referred charges Tuesday against Army Pvt. Demetrius Moton Jr., 21, and Hassan Smith, 34, to the Naha District Public Prosecutor's Office, a police spokesman said Wednesday. Both men live and work at Kadena Air Base. Smith is a civilian employee. Police hope prosecutors accept their recommendations to charge the men with robbery and invasion of a building. "We gathered enough evidence to believe that those two suspects committed the crime," the spokesman said. "It is now up to the prosecutor's office to decide to indict or not." Some government officials in Japan customarily speak to the media on condition of anonymity. The referrals are the culmination of a joint U.S.-Japanese effort to apprehend those responsible for the May 12 robbery, the spokesman said. Both men remain in U.S. military custody. According to police, two mask-wearing perpetrators entered the currency exchange shop, not far from Camp Foster's front gate, at about 4 p.m. One or both went inside the counter area of the shop and one or both brandished a knife, threatening an employee and demanding money. The pair then ran out with $64,700 in Japanese and U.S. currency, police have said. No one was injured. U.S. service members or American base employees were immediately suspected because both men reportedly spoke English and the shop is located near a U.S. military installation, police have said. On May 15, local media photographed a uniformed soldier being escorted into the police station by military police. The 18th Wing at Kadena issued a statement saying a soldier and a civilian employee of the base were suspects. A spokesman from the Naha District Public Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday that it was just starting its investigation into the charges. "We cannot comment on when these two suspects will be indicted or not," the spokesman said. The spokesman declined to say whether they would request custody from the U.S. military. A conviction of robbery with threat or assault carries between five to 20 years imprisonment under Japanese criminal law, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Officials from the 18th Wing referred all questions about the men and the case Wednesday to Okinawa Police. "The U.S. military has been cooperating with Okinawa police since the start of this investigation and will continue to cooperate as long as local police request our assistance," 18th Wing officials said in an email to Stars and Stripes on Wednesday. "We take these matters very seriously and will ensure members are held accountable if they are found to be involved in criminal activities." Kenya has recorded a "staggering" number of new cases of coronavirus, Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe has said. Announcing the latest figures, he said that the number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus has risen by 123 to 1,471. It was the largest single jump in positive cases, but has been attributed in part to the increase in testing capacity. The minister noted that some of the new cases had come from the slum areas of the capital, Nairobi. "There is a raging number of infections in these areas," AFP news agency quotes him as saying. There is a night-time curfew in place as well as restricted movement around some parts of the country to help curb the spread of the virus. 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 Roadmap for memristive neuromorphic and neurohybrid systems Credit: Lobachevsky University Lobachevsky University scientists in collaboration with their colleagues from Russia, Italy, China and the United States have proposed the concept of a memristive neurohybrid chip to be used in compact biosensors and neuroprostheses. The concept is based on existing and forward-looking solutions at the junction of neural cellular and microfluidic technologies that make it possible to grow a spatially ordered living neural network. In combination with CMOS-compatible technologies for creating microelectrode matrices and arrays of memristive devices, this integrated approach will be used for registering, processing and stimulation of bioelectrical activity in real time. According to Alexey Mikhaylov, head of the laboratory at the Lobachevsky University's Research Institute for Physics and Technology, the interaction of different subsystems is organized on a single crystal (chip) and is controlled by built-in analog-to-digital circuits. "The implementation of a biocompatible microelectronic system, along with the development of cellular technology, will provide a breakthrough in neuroprosthetics by offering an important competitive advantage: a miniature bioelectrical sensor based on micro- and nanostructures with an option to store and process signals in multiple manners, including feed-forward approach and feedback loops, may serve as an active neural interface for intelligent control and management of neuronal structures. This potential (unattainable with the use of traditional neural interface architectures) can be extended to other types of bioelectric signals for registering signals of brain, heart and musular activity, as well as the state of the skin using portable signal processing and diagnostics systems," says Mikhaylov. To develop and fabricate bidirectional neurointerfaces, scientists currently apply complex electronic circuits realizing special mathematical models and neuromorphic principles of information processing. Such electronic systems use traditional components and cannot meet the requirements of energy efficiency and compactness for safe interaction with living cultures or tissues on the same chip. "Memristors created by scientists from Russia and Italy have the unique property of nonlinear resistive memory and are promising elements for analog information processing systems, including those with a neuron-like structure. They can also serve as electrophysiological activity sensors performing at the same time the function of accumulation and non-volatile storage of information," Mikhaylov notes. A schematic representation of the proposed neurohybrid system demonstrates several functional layers combined in one CMOS-integrated chip. The top layer is a part of the neuronal system represented here by a culture of dissociated hippocampal cells grown on a multielectrode array and functionally ordered by a special layout of microfluidic channels. The microelectrode layer serves for extracellular registration and stimulation of neurons in vitro. It is implemented on the top metallization layers of the CMOS layer together with an array of memristive devices. Memristive neurohybrid chip. Credit: Lobachevsky University "The simplest task performed by memristive devices is the direct processing of spiking activity of the biological network; however, self-learning neural network architectures based on fully connected cross-bar memristive arrays can be designed for adaptive decoding of spatiotemporal characteristics of bioelectric activity. The output of this artificial network can be used to control the cellular network via gradual modulation of extracellular stimulation according to the given protocol. Analog and digital circuits for accessing and controlling the multielectrode array and memristive devices, amplifying, generating, and transmitting signals between layers should be implemented in the main CMOS layer," Alexey Mikhaylov explains. To create a neurohybrid chip, collaborative design and optimization of all these elements at the levels of materials, devices, architectures, and systems will be required. Of course, this work must be in pace with the development of bio- and neurotechnologies to address a number of problems related primarily to biocompatibility, mechanical effects, geometry, location and miniaturization of microelectrodes and probes, and also to deal with the reaction of living culture/tissue on the interface with an artificial electronic subsystem. In the words of Alexey Mikhaylov, the concept reveals the idea of creating a brain-on-chip system belonging to a more general class of memristive neurohybrid systems for next-generation robotics, artificial intelligence and personalized medicine. To illustrate the proposed approaches and related products on a foreseeable time scale, a roadmap of memristive neuromorphic and neurohybrid systems has been proposed . The key focus in the roadmap will be on the development and commecialization of specialized hardware using the architecture and principles of biological neural networks to support the development and mass introduction of artificial intelligence, machine learning, neuroprosthetics and neural interface technologies. "We assume the roadmap had its starting point in 2008, just as the current wave of interest in memristors was getting underway, and this roadmap includes ongoing research and development in broad areas of neurobiology and neurophysiology," comments Alexey Mikhaylov. The following product niches are envisaged by researchers in the roadmap at different stages of the work in this direction: neuromorphic computing devices; non-invasive neural interfaces; neuroimplants, neuroprostheses and invasive neural interfaces, etc. "The unique properties of memristive devices determine their critical importance in the development of applied neuromorphic and neurohybrid systems for neurocomputing devices, brain-computer interfaces and neuroprosthetics. These areas will take a significant share of the world high technologies market worth trillions of dollars by 2030, given the speed of development and implementation of artificial intelligence technologies, the Internet of Things, "big data" and "smart city" technologies, robotics, andin the near futureneuroprosthetics and instrumental correction/support/enhancement of human cognitive abilities," says Mikhaylov in conclusion. Explore further An optimized structure of memristive device for neuromorphic computing systems More information: Alexey Mikhaylov et al, Neurohybrid Memristive CMOS-Integrated Systems for Biosensors and Neuroprosthetics, Frontiers in Neuroscience (2020). Journal information: Frontiers in Neuroscience Alexey Mikhaylov et al, Neurohybrid Memristive CMOS-Integrated Systems for Biosensors and Neuroprosthetics,(2020). DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00358 PRESS RELEASE - 28 MAY 2020, 06:00 PM CEST REGULATED INFORMATION Ghent, BELGIUM - 28 May 2020 - Sequana Medical NV (Euronext Brussels: SEQUA, the "Company" or "Sequana Medical"), an innovator in the management of fluid overload in liver disease, malignant ascites and heart failure, announces that all proposed resolutions submitted to the Annual and Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders were approved at the meetings held today at 09:00 am CEST. The items on the agendas of the shareholders' meetings included a number of resolutions relating to the financial year ended on 31 December 2019, as well as the adoption of an amended and restated version of the articles of associations, in accordance with the provisions of the new Belgian Companies and Associations Code and reflecting some technical changes. All resolutions and the minutes of the shareholders' meetings, as well as the revised versions of the Company's articles of association, can be accessed on the Company's website . Exceptionally, and in accordance with the Belgian Royal Decree no. 4 of 9 April 2020 on miscellaneous provisions relating to co-ownership and corporate and association law in the context of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the shareholders' meetings were held behind closed doors without the physical presence of the holders of securities of the Company and their representatives. For more information, please contact: Sequana Medical Lies Vanneste, Director IR Tel: +32 498 05 35 79 Email: IR@sequanamedical.com Consilium Strategic Communications Amber Fennell, Sukaina Virji, Melissa Gardiner Tel: +44 203 709 5000 Email: sequanamedical@consilium-comms.com LifeSci Advisors Chris Maggos Tel: +41 79 367 6254 Email: chris@lifesciadvisors.com About Sequana Medical Sequana Medical is a commercial stage medical device company developing the alfapump platform for the management of fluid overload in liver disease, malignant ascites and heart failure. Fluid overload is a fast growing complication of advanced liver disease driven by NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) related cirrhosis and a common complication in heart failure. The U.S. market for the alfapump resulting from NASH-related cirrhosis is forecast to exceed 3 billion annually within the next 10-20 years. The heart failure market for the alfapump DSR (Direct Sodium Removal) is estimated to be over 5 billion annually in the U.S. and EU5 by 2026. Both indications leverage Sequana Medical's alfapump, a unique, fully implanted wireless device that automatically pumps fluid from the abdomen into the bladder, where it is naturally eliminated through urination. In the U.S., the company's key growth market, the alfapump has been granted breakthrough device designation by the FDA. The North American pivotal study (POSEIDON) in recurrent and refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis is currently underway, and is intended to support approval of the alfapump in the U.S. and Canada. In Europe, the alfapump is CE-marked for the management of refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis and malignant ascites and is included in key clinical practice guidelines. Over 750 alfapump systems have been implanted to date. Building on its proven alfapump platform, Sequana Medical is developing alfapump DSR, a breakthrough, proprietary approach to fluid overload due to heart failure. Clinical proof-of-concept was achieved in a first-in-human single dose DSR study and a repeated dose alfapump DSR study (RED DESERT) in heart failure patients is currently underway. Sequana Medical is headquartered in Ghent, Belgium. For further information, please visit www.sequanamedical.com . Important Regulatory Disclaimers The alfapump has not yet received regulatory approval in the U.S. and Canada. Any statement in this press release about safety and efficacy of the alfapump does not apply to the U.S. and Canada because the device is currently undergoing clinical investigation in these territories. DSR therapy and alfapump DSR are still in development and it should be noted that any statements in this press release regarding safety and efficacy arise from pre-clinical studies and ongoing clinical investigations which have yet to be completed. There is no link between DSR therapy, alfapump DSR and ongoing investigations with the alfapump system in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. Forward-looking statements This press release may contain predictions, estimates or other information that might be considered forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements represent the current judgment of Sequana Medical on what the future holds, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Sequana Medical expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release, except if specifically required to do so by law or regulation. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of Sequana Medical only as of the date of this press release. Irish Businesses Seek Tax Support To Bounce Back From COVID-19 by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London 28 May 2020 Irish business association Ibec has called for the establishment of a Commission on Taxation, as part of a package of measures to "reboot" the economy after the coronavirus pandemic. Ibec said that the Commission should be established immediately to address both the immediate revenue challenges of the crisis and a range of other long-term issues, such as environmental taxes and the sustainability of the wider tax base. Ibec said that the Commission should "help plan a taxation system which is fit for purpose in the post-crisis world." Among the other tax-related measures advocated by Ibec were: Eight people, not six as initially believed, entered South Korea earlier this month after arriving on the west coast in a small motorboat from China, a probe found Thursday. The apparent Chinese nationals landed in the coastal city of Taean, South Chungcheong Province, aboard the boat in the morning of May 21. Six people disembarked from the six-seat boat and immediately left the beach area in a van that had been waiting for them, CCTV footage showed. The local coast guard arrested a 43-year-old man in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, on Tuesday, who said eight people arrived in Taean together. The boat left Weihai, a port city in the easternmost Chinese province of Shandong, about 8 p.m. on May 20 and crossed the Yellow Sea to reach South Korea. The suspect was quoted as saying that they came to South Korea for jobs. Seven others are still on the run. The incident rekindled public worries about border security. The coast guard has apprehended a Chinese national, 45, who had been illegally staying in South Korea, on charges of assisting them. (Yonhap) A private medical practitioner Dr Henry Berchie has proposed the use of steam inhalation as a treatment for coronavirus cases in the country. In a statement issued in the Eastern Region, Dr Henry Berchie argued that human coronavirus which is known at the laboratory and has similar characteristics like CODVID-19, is destroyed at a temperature of 56 degree celsius, hence steam inhalation could also help to kill or deactivate coronavirus. He said locally, steam inhalation was widely use in the treatment of severe cold, sneezing and cough therefore its adaptation could help reduce cough, sneezing and cold in infected victims of coronavirus and help reduce the spread of the virus. Dr Berchie said steam inhalation was less expensive when compared to other recommended treatment for the coronavirus cases. Dr Berchie said all that was required was for one to boil hot water, pored the hot water into a bucket, seat beside the bucket with a blanket or thick towel covering the fellow and the bucket of hot water for six to seven minutes to create the environment for the fellow to inhale the steam from the hot water. He said already there were reported cases from Germany and other countries indicating that people were inhaling steam from boiled Neem tree leaves and in some cases boiled water with ginger or pineapple peels. Dr Berchie however did not recommend the use of steam inhalation for treatment of children infected with the COVID-19 to help avoid burns through accidents. He said there are a lot of reading materials that supported the effectiveness of steam inhalation in the treatment many diseases including human virus. ---GNA Iranian teen beheaded by father in 'honor killing' sparks international outrage Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The beheading of a 14-year-old Iranian girl who was killed by her father after she ran away with an older man who groomed her has sparked international outrage. According to reports, Romina Ashrafi was murdered last Thursday by her father, Reza Ashrafi, who used a farming tool to cut off her head while she was asleep. Citing local media, the BBC reports that Romina ran away from her home in Irans Gilan province with the 34-year-old man, Bahamn Khavari, after her father objected to their marriage. The couple was found by police five days later. Although Romina reportedly warned police that her life would be in danger if she returned home, they escorted her back to her family. According to Gilkhabar.ir, Ashrafi was brutally dismembered with a sickle, a tool with a curved blade that is generally used to harvest crops. Following the crime, the girl's father confessed to the crime "with the sickle in his hand outside of the house. Rana Dashti, the mother of #RominaAshrafi, the 13-year-old girl decapitated by her father in Iran, said Romina's father initially bought rat poison and tried to convince Romina to kill herself. Then her husband asked her to teach Romina how to hang herself. #HonorKillingpic.twitter.com/b63OcNOS5Z Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) May 27, 2020 On Wednesday, Romina's story was featured on the front pages of many national newspapers. On social media, the hashtag #RominaAshrafi has been fueled by posts from users worldwide who are demanding justice. The Associated Press reports that Reza Ashrafi is now in police custody and is likely to be tried in a special court where he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. Hovigh District Gov. Kazem Razmi told Iranian news agency IRNA, which is controlled by the Iranian regime, that an investigation into the killing is underway and results will be made public. Many have described Romina's murder as an honor killing, an act prevalent in some hardline Muslim societies in which relatives kill family members who they believe have disgraced the family in some way. On Wednesday, Iran President Hassan Rouhani called on his cabinet to swiftly enact stricter laws on honor killings. Masoumeh Ebtekar, Irans vice president of family affairs, told the AP that he hopes a bill creating harsher punishments for honor killings will make it through its final stages of approval. The U.N.'s Children's Fund issued a statement Thursday condemning the murder. We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Romina Ashrafi, a 14-year-old Iranian girl, at the hands of her father, the statement reads. At a time when families all over the world are staying home to protect themselves from COVID-19, its particularly devastating that a child loses her life in such a brutal act of violence. UNICEF stressed that nothing justifies violence against children. All children in Iran every girl and every boy should be protected at all times against all forms of violence, the UNICEF statement concluded. UNICEF confirms its support to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to put an end to all forms of violence against children in the country so that all children grow up protected and safe. Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad wrote on Twitter that Ashrafi isnt the first and wont be the last victim of honor killings in Iran if laws arent changed. Years ago, Atefeh Navidi, a young girl from Iran, had her head chopped off by her father as well because she had a boyfriend. As you can hear from the interview I had with the mom, she's hesitant to defend her daughter, Alinejad wrote. For as long as the current laws discriminating against girls and empowering abusive parents exist, unfortunately the cycle of violence will continue. Iran will see more Ruminas and Atefehs tragically killed by their fathers. This cycle of violence needs to end. The group Amnesty International criticized Iranian authorities for returning Ashrafi to her father despite her pleas for safety. We're appalled that the Iranian authorities repeatedly ignored Romina's pleas for protection from her violent and abusive father, Amnesty Iran tweeted. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now. As the economy has cratered, California politicians are increasingly concerned that corporate landlords could swoop in and buy up single-family housing -- in a repeat of the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The alarm has been raised by Governor Gavin Newsom, whose budget includes pledges about "guarding against private sector actors buying up distressed assets," and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who told LAist "many communities were ravaged by what happened back in 2008." They're raising the issue as the CEO of a Starwood, a large real estate investor, told shareholders, "when it's really ugly, it's a good time to invest." So why are politicians concerned, and what do they want to do? And who, exactly, are "corporate landlords"? THE RISE OF CORPORATE LANDLORDS The emergence of corporate landlords is a modern phenomenon. The term generally refers to Wall Street and private equity-backed investors that snapped up single-family housing in the years after the Great Recession. They're not your traditional "mom and pop" owners -- instead these entities own and operate rental housing on a massive scale. Companies like Invitation Homes and American Homes 4 Rent have amassed tens of thousands of homes across the country, including portfolios in Southern California. The companies bought homes at fire-sale prices after 2008, including many that had recently been foreclosed on. The federal government sold thousands of homes to large investors, and in local markets well-financed corporations could outmuscle aspiring homebuyers by paying cash. At the same time, advances in technology made managing these growing, scattered portfolios simpler and more efficient. icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy But being a tenant in one of these homes can be challenging. Recent reporting has documented how large landlords juice profits by pushing costs onto renters: retaining security deposits, deferring repairs, assessing fees and hiking rents. "These firms are fairly aggressive and finding different ways to increase revenue," said Elora Raymond, assistant professor of city and regional planning at Georgia Tech, who has studied the rise of corporate landlords. Her research shows how Atlanta-area landlords backed by "institutional investors" filed for eviction at much higher rates on tenants. Corporate ownership hasn't been evenly spread out -- investors have targeted areas with housing shortages, and in L.A. County "most impacted neighborhoods are middle-income communities of color," according to research by Maya Abood at MIT. Her analysis showed corporate ownership was "dramatically higher" in areas of L.A. County with more black residents, and that corporate landlords were active in areas with punishing commutes. "When houses are sold to cash-carrying investors for conversion into rentals, prospective homeowners and 'mom and pop' landlords are crowded out of the market, and communities suffer -- particularly communities of color," Abood wrote in a 2018 report. For their part, the single-family rental industry says the criticisms are off base. David Howard is director of the National Rental Housing Council, a D.C.-based trade group representing the industry. The tenant complaints about fees? "There's nothing egregious about the fees that our members charge. All the fees that are charged are spelled out in the lease agreements," he said. As for the idea that corporate ownership has harmed neighborhoods, Howard said, "you saw a lot of neighborhoods and communities suffering because there were vacant homes," adding that landlords invested tens of thousands of dollars into homes to fix them up. He took particular umbrage to comments made by L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis at a recent meeting that "speculators ... will worsen and create a market that will be unbearable for many of our residents." "The implication that institutional investors are somehow buying up homes en masse and making conditions unbearable is so far from the reality of this industry," Howard said. CALIFORNIA POLITICIANS WANT TO ACT. BUT HOW? (Chava Sanchez/LAist) Solis' comments came as she was introducing a measure that would create a "right to purchase program" allowing property owners, before defaulting, to sell to existing renters, non-profits, community land trusts or other mission-driven groups. The goal is to serve "as a tool to stabilize existing communities and counter speculative or large-scale corporate purchase of residential properties," the motion says. It passed 4-1 earlier this month; County staff will report back on specifics to board in June. In an interview with LAist, Solis called the effort "a backup so that those homes aren't sold to Wall Street investors, but stay in the hands of local communities." It attracted fire from local landlords almost immediately. "The County is now seeking to compel the sale of these private properties to renters or other entities chosen by the County as property owners go broke," Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles director Daniel Yukelson wrote in an email. He equated the measure to the theft of private property. Increasing consolidation in single-family rentals isn't a foregone conclusion. David Howard said some National Rental Housing Council members had put acquisitions on hold. But a recession of any length could favor it. Broker David Schechtman, recently told the Wall Street Journal that "real-estate investors -- when you take the emotion out of it -- many of them have been waiting for this for a decade." That was the concern expressed in Gov. Gavin Newsom's recent budget. State and local efforts to preserve affordable units will be critical, said Russ Heimerich of the state's Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. "What we don't want to have happen is what happened during the Great Recession, namely, that affordable housing that is financially distressed gets bought up by investors who view units only as commodities," he said. Congressman Mark Takano has also raised alarms about corporate landlords in recent years. Takano's district includes Riverside, which was devastated by the housing crash. "I fear that structurally, it will get even more onerous for ordinary people to ever think about homeownership," Rep. Takano said in an interview. He said he was considering a bill to cap the size of real estate investment trusts, or REITs, a common vehicle for large landlords. "At what point is a REIT that's made up of single family homes too big?" he asked. His answer: maybe 200 homes. A bill keeping REITs small would face an uphill battle in D.C. Key players in the rise of corporate landlords, including Colony Capital's Tom Barrack and Blackstone's Steve Schwarzman, are close allies of President Donald Trump. And in spite of the fears expressed by California politicians, there's no clear-cut path to bolstering homeownership. "We're groping for a solution," Takano said. The factors that have fueled the growth of corporate landlords are unlikely to disappear, according to Raymond, at Georgia Tech. "Who's going to become the new landlord, you know? It's going to be someone with money," she said. "And I think we know who that is." WE LOVE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS The Federal Government has said it was yet to receive the ventilators promised by U.S President, Donald Trump. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed assured Nigerians that once the government receives the promised equipment, it will be made public. He said this Thursday while responding to a question on the issue during the Presidential Taskforce on covid-19 daily briefing. The minister had earlier spoken about the efforts of the ministry to increase sensitization of the populace on the effect of the pandemic which has devastated the entire globe. Already close to 6 million people have been infected with over 350,000 fatalities across 251 countries including Nigeria who has recorded 254 deaths in close 9,000 cases. The U.S President had on 28th April, 2020 promised to send some ventilators to the country during his telephone conversation with President Muhammad Buhari But a month down the lane, the Minister of Information and Culture said the lifesaving equipment was yet to be received by Nigeria. He said, To when the ventilators promised by President Trump will arrive. To the best of my knowledge, they have not arrived. When they do arrive it will be made known to the public. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The Ashanti regional health directorates fight against the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) has received a major boost. Mining equipment and technology services provider, Sandvik Mining & Construction (Ghana) Ltd has donated personal protective equipment to the directorate. The 150,000 cedis equipment are to augment government supplies and help the region with the second largest number of infections, deal with the virus. According to the Ghana Health Service, the Ashanti Region as of Saturday, May 15, 2020 had recorded 798 confirmed cases, second only to the Greater Accra region with 4,248 confirmed cases. The Human Resources Manager of Sandvik mining Ghana, Mr Samuel Brewu, said the donation was in sync with the companys history of supporting communities where it operates. It is obvious that government alone cannot provide for the needs of our front-liners; no government anywhere in the world has been able to do so. This is what has necessitated the contribution we just made. The items donated included 20,000 pieces of nose masks, 4,300 bottles of hand sanitisers (500ml) and 10,000 pairs of gloves. Mr Brewu said even though the business environment had been hit badly, we recognize that if we dont join the fight against this virus, we may not have a business to return to when all of this is over. The Ashanti Regional Health Director, Dr Emmanuel Tenkorang, received the items. He said as the case count in the region in particular and the country generally keeps increasing, the need for protective equipment has become even more urgent. Dr Tenkorang expressed delight that corporate institutions such as Sandvik Mining had found it necessary to help in the fight against the virus. Like Oliver Twist, he said more support was needed from corproaate organisations and individuals as health professionals brave the odds to face a virus that has paralysed the world for months. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Gold prices rose on Thursday as intensifying U.S.-China tensions compounded fears of a slow economic recovery. Fresh fiscal stimulus proposals from the European Union and Japan also increased demand for the precious metal. Spot gold climbed 0.8 percent to $1,722.52 per ounce, while U.S. gold futures were up 0.6 percent at $1,721.80. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday that Hong Kong no longer merits special treatment under U.S. law, following Beijing's plan to impose a controversial new security law on the territory. The declaration could have major implications for Hong Kong's status as a global financial and trading hub. A punitive U.S. response to China on the issue of Hong Kong may prompt Beijing to take some proportionate countermeasures, further straining ties between the world's two largest economies. On the stimulus front, the European Union proposed Wednesday a 750 billion stimulus program to help limit the damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic. The Japanese Cabinet approved a 31.91 trillion yen ($296 billion) second supplementary budget for the fiscal year through next March to reduce the social and economic impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. SAN FRANCISCO, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Shift, the San Francisco based technology company redefining career change for military talent, has been tentatively selected as one of the first companies to receive the US Air Force's Strategic Fund Increase (STRATFI) award. The award will allow Shift to open its industry immersion program, called the AFVentures Fellowship, to over 1,000 Department of Defense personnel over the next four years as well as expand to new industry verticals, extend to new technology hubs beyond Silicon Valley, and integrate emerging business and technology focus areas like venture capital, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and logistics. Last year, Shift was awarded a contract to develop the Fellowship through the Air Force's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The Fellowship is designed to provide Air Force personnel with valuable upskilling experiences through short-term immersive fellowships at leading technology and venture capital firms. Currently, Air Force personnel are competitively selected for the Fellowship and then matched with venture capital and startup organizations for an immersive experience using Shift's proprietary algorithms and technology. "The Air Force recognizes that in order to be a leader in research and development, it has to have a technologically proficient workforce," said Mike Slagh, the Navy veteran CEO and founder of Shift. "The AFVentures Fellowship was designed to develop and retain the top talent the Air Force needs to achieve its mission, as well as develop meaningful, personal relationships across industry. The STRATFI expansion will allow us to extend this opportunity across the Department of Defense." Dr. William Roper, the Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, announced the awards in March, saying the 21 companies who had been selected for the STRATFI award represented the Air Force's "big bets" on startups who can "catalyze the commercial market." "I'm here today to tell you that launching AFVentures and making this successful is the most important thing we're going to do," said Roper. "If we're not working with the best innovators in the world, then we will lose the technology advantage that we have. Getting this right is not just innovation, it is imperative." The Air Force's SBIR program awards about $1 Billion per year to small businesses to fund critical "dual use" technologies (commercial technology with military applications) for the warfighter, with the STRATFI awards comprising about $550M of that amount. The most recent cohort of AFVentures Fellows concluded in March and were hosted by leading venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Lux Capital, technology startups like Terminal and Expanse, venture studios like Atomic and Expa, and investors including Emerson Collective and Dave Morin. Fellows produced incredible value through prospective government go-to-market strategies for portfolio companies, research on specific emerging technologies, and diligence for newly-proposed initiatives or projects being incubated by their host organizations. About Shift.org Shift prepares military talent to thrive in modern companies. For the past three years, Shift has been helping the nation's veterans navigate career change as they transition to civilian life. Shift's technology platform uses proprietary algorithms to analyze military skills and experiences and match them with companies who are looking for comparative skills and abilities in the private sector. Shift is a veteran owned technology company backed by world-class investors like Andreessen Horowitz and was recognized as one of Fast Company's "Most Innovative Companies" in 2019. For more information, visit https://www.shift.org SOURCE Shift.org, Inc Related Links www.shift.org Photo: Marcin Wichary/Flickr Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Sacramento. Car narrowly misses tree, hits South Sacramento home after collision on 47th Avenue Read the full story on CBS13 CBS Sacramento. 2 injured in fire at Sacramento board and care home Read the full story on KCRA. Sacramento code enforcement investigating complaints of restaurants not following health orders Read the full story on ABC Sacramento, KXTV. Diocese of Stockton resuming public mass in June Read the full story on CBS Sacramento. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. One person has been taken to the hospital after a crash in South Sacramento sent a car barreling into a house. Two people were sent to the hospital Wednesday morning after a fire at a residential board and care home in south Sacramento. Code enforcement officers spent Memorial Day weekend inspecting 75 restaurants as they reopened to the public. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited a monument to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in the Istiglaliyyat Street in Baku on the occasion of the Republic Day celebrated on May 28. The head of state laid flowers at the monument. Earlier, the president made a Facebook post about the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Azerbaijanis founded Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) on May 28, 1918 becoming the first Muslim nation to build a democratic republic. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic existed only 23 months. On April 28, 1920 the Bolshevik 11th Red Army occupied Azerbaijan and the republic collapsed. The bill, passed by Chinas parliament on Thursday, signals the end of Hong Kongs autonomy. Chinas National Peoples Congress (NPC) has approved the decision to move forward with the National Security Law on Hong Kong in a move critics say will fundamentally undermine the freedoms that were enshrined in the territorys laws when it was returned to Chinese rule in 1997. News of the plan, ahead of the parliament vote on Thursday, gave renewed momentum to Hong Kongs pro-democracy protests, and fuelled condemnation from governments around the world. US President Donald Trump has hinted the law could mean the end of Hong Kongs special trading status with the United States with a decision to be announced by the end of the week. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday notified Congress that the administration no longer believes Hong Kong is autonomous from mainland China. The new national security law will deal the most severe blow to the rights of people in Hong Kong since the territorys transfer to China in 1997, Human Rights Watch China director Sophie Richardson said in a statement. Hong Kong people will now have to consider arrests and harsh sentences for protesting, speaking out, running for office, and other freedoms they have long enjoyed and struggled peacefully to defend. How is Hong Kong governed? The British took control of Hong Kong in 1842 at the end of the first Opium War, and secured a 99-year lease for the island and its surrounding territories in 1898. It was then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who signed the agreement to return Hong Kong in 1984, with future governance to be based on the framework of one country, two systems. At the time, the territory was a vital economic centre to a vastly poorer China, and the mini-constitution that was agreed known as the Basic Law afforded Hong Kong considerable autonomy, and its people rights and freedoms unknown on the mainland. It is supposed to remain in force until 2047. Then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang, centre-right, exchange signed copies of the Hong Kong handover agreement in Beijing in December 1984; the handover took place in 1997 with China promising Hong Kong rights and freedoms unknown in mainland China [File: Neal Ulevich/AP Photo] Article 27, for instance, provides for freedom of speech, the press and demonstration. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is also written into the Basic Law. Article 45 says the ultimate aim in selecting chief executive should be universal suffrage. Article 68 says the same for the Legislative Council (Legco), Hong Kongs 70-member parliament. Both continue to be elected under rules that help ensure the domination of pro-Beijing voices. In Legco, only half the seats are chosen by direct election, while the chief executive is appointed by a small committee with Beijing having final approval. The Basic Law also says the Hong Kong government is supposed to enact on its own legislation to replace colonial-era laws that prohibit acts such as treason, secession or subversion in other words national security laws. The administration of the first chief executive, former shipping tycoon Tung Chee-hwa, tried to do so in 2003, but abandoned the plan in the face of mass demonstrations. Tung resigned a few months later and none of his successors has appeared willing to take up the challenge. The Basic Law does allow the government in Beijing to bring in laws but only under certain circumstances on issues that relate to foreign affairs, defence and other matters outside the limits of the autonomy of the Hong Kong SAR as specified by the Basic Law. What is China proposing with the National Security Law? The legislation itself has yet to be drafted, but the draft decision that was shared by the NPC indicates the legislation will cover the following areas: Acts of secession Subverting state power Organising and carrying out terrorist activities and other behaviour that endangers national security Activities that interfere with the internal affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and involve foreign or external powers. It also raises the spectre of mainland intelligence agencies, relevant national security organs, setting up shop in the territory, which the Hong Kong Bar Association has said is in contravention of the Basic Law. Additional details leaked to local Hong Kong media on Wednesday suggested the law would apply not only to individuals but also to organisations, which could leave human rights and other groups that are critical of China at risk. Why now? Hong Kong has been roiled by almost a year of protests that began when the Hong Kong government tried to push through legislation that would have allowed suspects to be sent to the mainland for trial. The extradition bill brought a million people onto the streets on June 9 and almost double that a week later. In between, the Legco chamber was vandalised as protesters broke through police barricades. Even with the bill suspended, the demonstrations continued with increasing intensity over the summer as protesters and police clashed on the streets in clouds of tear gas and volleys of bricks, rubber bullets and petrol bombs that culminated in a violent siege of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in November. Thousands have been arrested, including a number of children and teenagers, and the protesters have accused the police of using excessive violence, a charge the force denies. Hong Kong is also facing flashpoints over a number of other issues. Riot police were deployed to thwart protests on Wednesday when the second reading of the controversial National Anthem bill, which would make it a criminal offence to disrespect Chinas national anthem, was slated for its second reading in Legco. Some 200 people were arrested in what the police said was an illegal assembly. Riot police guard a young protester who was detained in Hong Kongs central business and financial district as people tried to show their opposition to a controversial national anthem law [Kin Cheung/AP Photo] Even before the extradition bill ignited peoples anger, tensions had long been simmering. There was Occupy Hong Kong which brought the central business district to a standstill for weeks in 2014, the disappearance of a number of booksellers who published salacious works critical of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinas disqualification of democratically-elected candidates to Legco after they deliberately misread their oaths. Next week marks the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre when people in Hong Kong usually hold a vigil to remember those who died in a crackdown China has all but erased, while elections for Legco are due in September. At district elections last November, democratic candidates won by a landslide. What has been the response? The announcement a week ago sparked immediate protests with more overt calls for Hong Kong independence than ever before, but it also triggered a drop of more than 4.6 percent in share prices on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. China, and Hong Kong officials insist there is nothing to worry about. Secretary for Security John Lee told Legco on Wednesday it was crystal clear the legislation was all about protecting the overwhelming majority of the public who are law-abiding. However, opponents disagree. They look to Chinas interpretation of its own national security laws on the mainland and worry that the Hong Kong version will expose critics to detention and arrest. There are also concerns about the impact on Hong Kongs much cherished judicial independence, which has helped underpin investment and business and made the city an international financial centre. Its a blow to the autonomy Hong Kong is meant to enjoy, Ben Bland, a research fellow at Australias Lowy Institute and author of Generation HK: Seeking Identity in Chinas Shadow. Its a sign of times to come that Beijing is going to be playing a much more direct role in managing the city. The US has been the most vociferous critic of the proposed legislation, with Pompeos declaration on the eve of the NPCs vote on the legislation that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous from China. The last colonial governor, Chris Patten, is also among 233 parliamentarians from 26 countries who have signed an open letter condemning the Chinese move. This is a comprehensive assault on the citys autonomy, rule of law, and fundamental freedoms, it said. The integrity of one country, two systems hangs by a thread. It is the genuine grievances of ordinary Hong Kongers that are driving protests. Draconian laws will only escalate the situation further, jeopardising Hong Kongs future as an open Chinese international city. Johannes Chan, a constitutional expert and professor of law at Hong Kong University, says Hong Kong is now in a pretty bad situation. Chinas idea of one country, two systems is one country, two economic systems and dont bother about civil society or democracy, he told Al Jazeera. What happens next? Once the law is passed at the NPC, the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress (NPCSC) will start drafting the text. It will then be added to Annex III of the Basic Law, bypassing the Legco and any public consultation and becoming law by the chief executive issuing a legal notice in the Government Gazette. The whole process could be completed in less than three months. Chan says Hong Kong courts would have no jurisdiction to challenge the legislation. Opponents of the legislation say international pressure and the threat of sanctions targeted at key officials are perhaps the only option. Trump has promised action by the end of this week, but has not elaborated on the kind of action. In the meantime, protests are expected to continue. Still people are coming to the streets, said Patrick Poon, an independent human rights researcher based in Hong Kong. I dont think they will stop because public anger is so high. People have been pushed to extremes. The story of Slovakias castles with a map, dozens of pictures and a list of top 10 castles. Font size: A - | A + This article was prepared for an edition of the Spectacular Slovakia travel guide and was published in the travel guide Slovakia. Today Slovakia is recognised as the world leader in car production per capita. What is less well known is that this country also has the highest number of castles per person. Theoretically, the country could be comprised of 180 small kingdoms of 30,000 people, each with its own castle or chateau. Unfortunately, because of a lack of maintenance, there are just 120 castles with visible remains, and even most of those are largely in ruins. Luckily for visitors, there are still dozens of castles to tour, replete with their former majesty and cold beauty. As a mountainous country, Slovakia is naturally predisposed to castles that use the high ground and stone as construction material. Starting in the Middle Ages and up to the 18th century, the aristocracy of the Kingdom of Hungary preferred to build their castles in Slovakias easy-to-defend territory, said art historian Peter Kresanek. Most of those constructions fell into disrepair as their military importance decreased and landowners sought out more comfortable residences. For a long time, few had a passion for castles, and what was not destroyed over the years became construction material for nearby homes. After the fall of the communist regime in 1989, more and more people have shown an interest in these magnificent constructions, and volunteer groups have formed to preserve and renovate castles. In the beginning The story of Slovakias castles begins in the 9th century when Slavs began building wooden fortresses in present-day Slovakia, with about a dozen stone castles replacing them in the 11th century including in Bratislava, Nitra and Trencin. The best example of one of these constructions is perhaps the most well-known of Slovak castles Bratislava Castle. Its first mention dates to the 10th century, but the castle hill was also inhabited in the Celtic and the Great-Moravian era. Despite turbulent times, fires and a lack of money for its maintenance, Bratislava Castle still stands on its hill above the Danube River. In recent years it has undergone major renovation, and Slovaks voted to make it one of the three symbols representing the country on their new euro coins, introduced in January 2009. Mongol invaders in the 13th century brought about a period of consolidation in the Kingdom of Hungarys defensive strategy, and by the end of the century, around 150 castles had been built or fortified to protect the area from further raids. Later, many castles became administrative centres or living quarters for Hungarian nobles. This period gave birth to Orava Castle, which is one of the most-visited castles in Slovakia. It became part of cinema history in 1922 when German director F. W. Murnau shot the vampire movie Nosferatu inside its walls. Slovakia's castles: Going big TOP 10 CASTLES IN SLOVAKIA (listed alphabetically) Bojnice Castle, www.bojnicecastle.sk Bratislava Castle, www.snm.sk Cerveny Kamen Castle, www.hradcervenykamen.sk Devin Castle, www.muzeum.bratislava.sk Nitra City Castle, www.nitrianskyhrad.sk Orava Castle, www.oravskemuzeum.sk Spis Castle, www.spisskyhrad.sk Stara Lubovna Castle, www.hradlubovna.sk Strecno Castle, www.pmza.sk Trencin Castle, www.muzeumtn.sk Krasna Horka Castle, www.snm.sk is another interesting castle but due to a fire in 2012, it is currently being reconstructed. Source: Spectacular Slovakia travel guide (www.spectacular slovakia.sk) More new castles were built and fortified during the 15th-century Hussite wars, this time taking into account firearms. In this era, Trencin, Devin and Spis Castles became three of the biggest in Europe. Of all Slovakias castles, the grand and gloomy Spis Castle is probably the most celebrated. It is reputed to be the largest castle ruin in central Europe, and in its stony decay it seems to erupt out of the hill on which it is perched, as if the earth itself were trying to resurrect a lost Gothic past. Perhaps that is why the castle was used in the American movie Dragonheart as a castle by the sea, while in reality it is more than 600 kilometres from the nearest shoreline. One of the best preserved castles built in this era is Kezmarok Castle, constructed in the mid-15th century. Today it is used as a museum that tells the history of both Kezmarok and the castle itself. Ottoman invaders lead to renovations Another round of castle building took place after the Ottomans conquered lower Hungary in the 16th century. By order of the ruler, castle walls like those at Viglas, Filakovo and Krasna Horka were significantly extended. Also the fortress at Komarno was rebuilt according to Italian military engineering designs, becoming the strongest fortified construction of the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1594 the fortress resisted a month-long siege by an Ottoman army of 100,000 soldiers and later became a symbol of European military architecture. But it is not only castles that were used in the fight against the Ottomans - even some monasteries were fortified and absorbed into the defence system. Hronsky Benadik is an example. The abbey was first established in 1075, and the local monks were instrumental for centuries in spreading Christianity before the whole complex was fortified to face the Ottoman raids. The monastery was declared a national cultural monument in 1945. Elizabeth Bathory (Source: SME) During the Ottoman wars in the 16th and 17th centuries, Slovak castles played a considerable role in the defence of the whole region, which had become a geopolitically important crossroads. Many travel books and publications written in those times describe Slovak castles, according to Kresanek. However, the stories were not only about heroic battles. For instance, one famous legend recounts the exploits of Elizabeth Bathory. Otherwise known as the Blood Countess, this Hungarian aristocrat became notorious in the early 17th century as a serial killer who tortured and killed scores of young women possibly up to 650 victims in her residence, Cachtice Castle in Trencin Region. Related article Related article Trencin region travel guide: Traipse through a region tangled in tales of romance, torture and prestige Read more Many myths and legends have surfaced surrounding Bathorys crimes, most notably the claims that she bathed in her victims blood in a bid to retain her youth. Whatever the truth, she has been the grisly inspiration for writers, playwrights, filmmakers, and artists from across the world. The list includes a song by the American thrash metal band Slayer and a 2008 English-language fantasy film which was an international co-production between Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the United Kingdom. It comes as no surprise that much of the small municipal museum in Cachtice focuses on Bathory. Twilight of Slovak castles Most of Slovakias castles were destroyed after a series of anti-Habsburg uprisings in the 17th century which ended in 1711. Because the castles were considered to be centres of rebellion, rulers decided to render them useless. The emperors army systematically deprived them of their defensive capabilities by destroying important parts of their walls, embrasures and other tactical structures. After that the castles were used as watchtowers and continued to decay. Some saw their prospects partially revived with new lives as more pleasant and luxurious chateaux, family residences or museums during the romantic period toward the end of the 18th century. For example, after the Thurzo family took over Bojnice Castle in the 16th century, they promptly remade the heavily fortified defence structure into a Renaissance-style chateau. Later, Janos Palffy, a wealthy heir and castle-makeover enthusiast, gave the castle a late-Tyrolean Gothic look. video //www.youtube.com/embed/sRmQLJAwOYA Our Spectacular Slovakia travel guides are available in our online shop. Mimicking the romantic chateaux of Frances Loire Valley, Bojnice Castle has become a wonderful destination for travellers with children. Rumours that the castle is haunted have led to the whimsical International Festival of Spirits and Ghosts, held annually in late April and early May. The Palffy family also reconstructed Cerveny Kamen Castle in an early Baroque style. It now serves as a museum chronicling the development of the housing culture of the nobility and bourgeoisie in Slovakia. Polish crown jewels were hidden at Stara Lubovna Castle. (Source: Jana Liptakova) However, most Slovak castles have not enjoyed such a happy fate. Many of them burned down. Two castles outside Bratislava Devin and Pajstun were burned down intentionally by Napoleons forces, after he had signed a peace treaty in 1805. Two more were lost in World War II, and another two were destroyed by earthquakes. The latest to be hit by fire was Krasna Horka, one of the most cherished and best-preserved castles in Slovakia. Most of the castle was destroyed in March 2012. It is currently being reconstructed. Other castles simply fell apart because of neglect. In the past, castles had no historical value to locals, who left the structures to crumble. Tragically, many destroyed the castles by using their walls as construction material for their own homes. Art historian Kresanek mentioned Bzovik Fortress as one which was partially looted by locals for its materials. Foundation materials of the whole village of Bzovik have their origin in Romanesque-Gothic parts of the monastery, Kresanek said. Bzovik is a former monastery rebuilt into a fortress. (Source: SME) Saving Slovakia's national treasures In the beginning of the 20th century castles drew the focus of various tourism clubs and later the state. Many now serve as museums (Bratislava Castle, Cerveny Kamen Castle, Orava Castle, Bojnice Castle), some have galleries (Zvolen Castle), and Ilava Castle was turned into a prison. Plenty of the castles remain a dominant feature of the towns and cities they are in, as in Bratislava, Trencin, Nitra, Zvolen, Kezmarok and Banska Bystrica. Moreover, dozens of chateaux were restored and are commercially used as restaurants or hotels. As time passes even ordinary people try to preserve or reconstruct damaged castles. Thanks to municipalities and volunteers from civic associations, several buildings have started to be renovated. Since 2011, there is even a programme subsidised by the state which enables the long-term unemployed to work on renovations of castles. For volunteers reconstruction has become a sort of leisure-time activity which can also be enjoyed even by foreigners staying in Slovakia. While the particular motivation for people who try to save castles varies, most agree that they cannot watch as a historical treasure vanishes. I do care about people who do not know their history, which is richer than it appears, Rastislav Rybansky from the civic association renewing Topolcany Castle said. I do care for sure about history decaying in front of my eyes. (Source: Spectacular Slovakia) Castles in Slovakia Castles, city castles & fortresses B Bratislava Castle, www.snm.sk B Pezinok Castle, www.nsvsr.sk B Cerveny Kamen Castle, www.hradcervenykamen.sk W Smolenice Castle, www.kcsmolenice.sav.sk W Trencin Castle, www.muzeumtn.sk W Bojnice Castle, www.bojnicecastle.sk W Nitra City Castle, www.nitrianskyhrad.sk W Komarno Fortress, www.pevnost-komarno.eu C Banska Bystrica Town Castle, www.banskabystrica.sk C Hronsky Benadik monastery, www.benadik-klastor.sk C Banska Stiavnica Old Castle, www.muzeumbs.sk C Banska Stiavnica New Castle, www.muzeumbs.sk C Zvolen Castle, www.sng.sk C Viglas Castle, www.zamokviglas.com C Slovenska Lupca Castle, www.hradlupca.sk C Kremnica Town Castle, www.muzeumkremnica.sk C Hronsek Castle, www.spectator.sk C Repiste Castle, www.hradmarcus.sk N Cerveny Klastor Monastery, www.muzeumcervenyklastor.sk N Stara Lubovna Castle, www.hradlubovna.sk N Kezmarok Castle, www.kezmarok.com N Orava Castle, www.oravskemuzeum.sk N Bytca Castle, www.pmza.sk N Budatin Castle, www.pmza.sk E Krasna Horka Castle, www.snm.sk Ruins with exhibit B Devin Castle, www.muzeum.bratislava.sk W Cachtice Castle, www.cachtice.sk W Beckov Castle, www.hrad-beckov.sk W Levice Castle, www.slovakia.travel C Klastorna pevnost Bzovik (Bzovik fortress), www.muzeum.sk C Modry Kamen Castle, www.snm.sk C Filakovo Castle, www.hradfilakovo.sk N Spis Castle, www.spisskyhrad.sk N Liptovsky Hradok Castle, www.grandcastle.sk N Likava Castle, www.liptovskemuzeum.sk N Strecno Castle, www.pmza.sk Manor Houses with exhibit W Dolna Krupa, www.snm.sk W Oponice, www.chateauappony.sk W Topolcianky, www.zamok-topolcianky.sk C Svaty Anton, www.msa.sk N Strazky, www.sng.skhttp://http://www.sng.sk/en/uvod/vysunute-pracoviska/strazky N Markusovce, www.muzeumspisa.com E Betliar, www.snm.sk E Trebisov, www.muzeumtv.sk E Humenne, www.muzeumhumenne.sk Castles and monuments where foreigners are welcomed to help with reconstructions N Sedliacka Dubova, www.dubovacolonorum.sk N Lietava Castle, www.hradlietava.sk N Sklabina Castle, www.hradsklabina-donjon.sk C Banska Stiavnica, www.en.kalvaria.org E Saris Castle, www.hrad.wbl.sk This article was prepared for an edition of the Spectacular Slovakia travel guide and was published in the travel guide Slovakia. He paid through the nose to return to his native village in Bihar from Mumbai, among the cities worst-hit by COVID-19, but back home the future looks bleak for 20-year-old Vishal Kumar, who happens to be the sole breadwinner of his family. IMAGE: Migrants travel in a truck to reach their destination in Patna. Photograph: PTI Photo Out of job and with little savings left, Kumar said he might have to go back to the western metropolis if he is unable to find a job in Arwal, his home district. After failed attempts to find a berth in a 'Shramik Special' train, Kumar had bought a plane ticket with almost all the money he had saved to reach Bihar, but the government, shortly after, shelved its plan to resume flight operations in mid-May. Left with no choice, he coughed up Rs 8,500 to book a seat in a private bus, which was ferrying migrants to Daltonganj in Jharkhand. "I used to get a monthly salary of Rs 16,000 working for an eyewear wholesaler in Mumbai. I barely managed to save money after meeting all expenses. Now, I have little money left, and my future hangs in a balance with no job opportunity in sight amid the lockdown," Kumar said. After an exasperating bus journey for five days, he reached Daltonganj on May 20, and returned to his native place at Chulhan Bigha in Arwal district with help from his relatives. He is currently undergoing 14-day quarantine at an isolation centre near his place. Along with him, over 50 other fellow migrants, many of them Surat returnees, are lodged at a quarantine centre in Pirawa panchayat area of the district. Vijay Kumar, a middle-aged daily wager who lost his job at a private concern in Surat, said, "I had no money left to pay rent. I thought it was best to return home." Vijay, who earned Rs 500 per day, said he was lucky to have got a berth in a Shramik Special train. "The factory owner gave around 500 of us eight kilogramme of foodgrains and vegetables, before shutting down the unit on May 22," he said. "Big cities extend hospitality only till you work there. Once out of work, it is difficult to arrange two meals a day. Cashless and hungry, hundreds of us returned to our native places in Bihar," Vijay added. Narrating his travel woes, Vishal Kumar said 35 of them travelled in a bus, which made stops at dhabas where they had 'dal-roti' in a hurry. For nature calls, too, they had to patiently wait for the bus to stop at remote locations, he said. The two, however, were all praise for the arrangements made by the state government for housing migrants at the quarantine centres. "We got 'Balti kit' (bucket, towel, soap among other things) and comfortable beds set up in the classrooms of a middle school, which has been converted into a quarantine centre," Vishal said. He, was, however, sceptical about his job prospects in this eastern state. "As soon as I step out of the quarantine centre, I will start looking for a job. My maalik (employer) said I could return to work once the situation improves... But amid the COVID-19 crisis, I don't want to return anytime soon. If I don't find anything here, I may have to catch a train to Mumbai," he noted. Lakhs of migrants who have hurried back home in Bihar, walking, peddling bicycles and hitchhiking their way to their native places, are no longer sure if they would be able to live by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mantra of Jaan Bhi Jahaan Bhi (life as well as livelihood). The Bihar government has promised to make livelihood arrangements for the returnees after mapping their skills, but with so many having returned to the state from metropolises, it remains to be seen if they would stay put to dig earth or lay bricks under the MGNREGA scheme. Colorful sample sheets of hanji are currently on display at the Hanji Culture and Industry Center in Seoul, May 20. Various kinds of hanji are categorized by production region, use and type. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk HCIC aims to save struggling hanji industry By Kwak Yeon-soo The Hanji Culture and Industry Center (HCIC) has opened in Seoul on May 20 in a bid to promote hanji and revitalize the slumping industry of traditional Korean paper. With over 1,000 years of history, hanji is made from the bark of paper mulberry trees and comes in different types depending on the ratio of ingredients, techniques used in screening the fiber and thickness of the paper. Due to its strength and durability, the bark of paper mulberry was not only used for making paper but also for making shelter and items of clothing. During the Joseon Kingdom, hanji was considered fine quality paper and was exported to China where it was sold at high prices. In the wake of modernization and the introduction of mass produced pulp paper, however, hanji fell out of favor. As a result, there are only 19 traditional hanji workshops remaining nationwide. "Hanji has a long history. Despite its excellence, the hanji industry is shrinking as a number of hanji workshops were pushed out of business following economic trouble," Vice Culture Minister Oh Young-woo said at an event celebrating the opening of the HCIC. "Through this center, we hope to promote hanji not only in Korea but across the globe." An artwork made with hanji is on display at the Hanji Culture and Industry Center. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk The Korea Craft and Design Foundation, which runs the HCIC, plans to host regular workshops and seminars to offer a wide range of exchanges among those involved in the industry, including hanji producers, designers, craftsmen and local governments. "We will form a network to boost the traditional hanji market," KCDF President Kim Tae-hoon said. "The center aims to function as a cultural platform where Korean traditional paper can ride the hallyu wave and increase its presence overseas." On the first floor, visitors can discover various kinds of hanji displayed by production region, use and type. Some 400 different handcrafted local hanji products from 18 traditional hanji workshops are currently on display. The center offers samples from the 14 sunji (plain hanji) workshops and four colored hanji workshops, and visitors are allowed to examine and compare the distinct textures of hanji made in different parts of the country. The production technique does not vary that much, but water and climate, such as wind, humidity and temperature, lead to differences in the texture of the paper made in each region. "Although we don't sell hanji at the center, we provide visitors with detailed information on the weight, size, production and price of hanji, as well as relevant sales outlets," HCIC official said. "That is to support purposes ranging from conservation of cultural properties to printing handicrafts and interior applications." Handicrafts made with hanji are on display at the Hanji Culture and Industry Center where visitors can discover new uses or art forms of Korean traditional paper. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk On one side of the room, handicrafts made with hanji are on display where visitors can discover new uses or art forms of Korean traditional paper. On the basement floor, there is a space where both specialists and the general public can hold forums, workshops and seminars on hanji. There is also a small lab where visitors can study modern applications of hanji. Hanji makers from different regions gathered at the hanji center on the opening date to discuss the current state and future prospects of the hanji industry. Kim Bo-kyung, CEO of Fides International, pointed out that hanji is a latecomer compared with paper from Japan and Southeast Asian countries. Fides International is a company that exports handmade hanji products to the U.S. and European markets. "Hanji is of high quality, but due to lack of promotion, it has failed to appeal to global buyers. We need to aggressively participate in international craft trade fairs and exhibitions in order to familiarize potential customers with hanji," she said. According to Kim, the Library of Congress in the U.S. started using hanji to preserve its cultural assets in 2003. Leading restorers of Italy and France have also praised hanji for how suited it is for use in restoring cultural assets. Kim added that it can also be used for restoration projects in Korea. "One way to protect and preserve hanji is to increase its usage in restoring our own cultural properties such as palaces and temples," she said. Meanwhile, hanji makers expressed concerns about the shortage of apprentices and the lack of interest of the younger generation. "Hanji makers are growing old, and many of them have no one to pass on their skills to. Over the last 25 years, the number of workshops fell from more than 100 to around 20," Jang Seong-woo, CEO of Jangjibang hanji workshop located in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. "I expect that within the next 10 years, less than 10 hanji workshops will survive." A hanji archive where visitors can get access to detailed information about different types of hanji and the raw materials used for its production is situated in the basement of the Hanji Culture and Industry Center. Courtesy of HCIC MEDIA Stacks of mail bins filled with envelopes sat on shelves Wednesday in the middle of whats normally the Delaware County Council Meeting Room. It has been transformed into a full-on ballot stuffing campaign consisting of dozens of staff and volunteers giving their all so that county voters will have the chance to exercise their right to vote on June 2. They have been here 16 to 18 hours a day, working for weeks, Delaware County Councilwoman Christine Reuther said of the shifts of people rallying to get the mail-in ballots out. At any given time, weve got like 20 volunteers and probably 15 to 20 temps plus the full Election Bureau staff plus people pulled in from other departments in the county For 12 hours a day, its between 60 and 75 of them. We had people working on Memorial Day. They worked all weekend and Memorial Day and were talking 12-hour days on Saturday and Sunday. Delaware County, as many others in Pennsylvania, has come up against almost a perfect storm with regards to the primary election. First, last year, Act 77 expanded mail-in ballot options, allowing for basically anyone to vote by mailed ballot as long as they applied for one. In addition, Pennsylvania counties were facing the first test of their new voting machines that have a paper record as required by the new law in the primary election. Then, COVID-19 hit, causing not only stay-at-home orders and business shutdowns but the move of the primary election from April 28 to June 2, as well as a concerted effort to encourage mail-in voting. Much of that was due to the vulnerability of poll workers themselves; many are in the older age brackets and more susceptible to contracting the virus. That concern caused county officials to consolidate polling places from 428 to 190. And, then, because of the methods in which the virus spreads, officials decided to delay using the scanners for the new Hart Verity 2.3.4 voting machines, making voting possible by good old-fashioned paper either at the polling place or by mail-in ballot. The deadline to apply for mail-in ballots was Tuesday and, by then, Delaware County had received 85,436 applications. Of those, 77,626 had been approved and there were 7,810 in the process of being approved Wednesday. Out of the 7,810 still being processed, the 5,000-plus received online were anticipated to be approved Wednesday night. The 2,000 received by paper are expected to take a bit longer. In contrast, Reuther said of Delaware Countys Election Bureau, The most theyve ever had in mail-in ballots was 24,000 in the 2008 general election. Even as the mail-in ballot applications were being approved, Delaware County had to wait for a final ballot before officials could mail anything out. Obtaining that was challenged by courts being limited due to coronavirus mitigations and the ballot was not finalized until April 28. Then, the ballots needed to be printed, meaning it wasnt until May 4 that the first batch went in the mail. Knowing extra personnel would be needed, county officials reached out to AFSCME, the union with many county employees, to see if any temporarily laid-off employees were interested in returning at their regular pay rate. Out of 260 calls, they got three takers, Reuther said, adding that employees were concerned about computer skills or being older and at risk were uncomfortable being around people. Then, efforts focused on poll workers, but the existing databases only had physical addresses for them, not telephone numbers or email addresses, Reuther explained. So, they tried to reach as many of those as they could. Next, the county turned to hiring consultant Stacey Heisey-Terrell to farm a team of temps to help pinch hit this World Series-sized effort. Two weeks ago, we started getting volunteers, Reuther said. Its run the gamut. Its been poll workers. The League of Women Voters has sent people in. Weve just gotten a lot of different people. That included people like Carl Balis of Glenolden. In between stuffing ballots for the 4th Ward, 2nd Precinct in Radnor in the council meeting room, he shared why he answered the call a week ago. They needed help, Balis said. I realized it was going to be a monstrous effort because theres just so many and its a new thing and I thought, Let me do what I can.' Nearby, Ron Grace, husband of Delaware County Chief Administrative Officer Marianne Grace, dutifully plugged away as he and his wife did all weekend long. Asked what it was like to be there over the holiday weekend, he smiled and gently shrugged his shoulders, Had to get done. Downstairs in the Government Centers first-floor offices, Abby MacPherson was busy coordinating volunteers, teaching them how to match the ballots and labels and envelopes, how to fold them and put it all together. The Strath Haven graduate heeded the call via social media and a friend. As such, the Northeastern University neuroscience student has spent the last 10 days of her break helping with the scores of others to help the primary election go off. I actually want to be a doctor, MacPherson said. Its nothing like being a doctor right now but I still feel good helping, doing what I can instead of sitting at home. Crystal Winterbottom, office manager of the Delaware County Voter Registration Office, said she gathered her troops and has directed them to help with the mail-in ballots. The last 17 years Ive been here, this has to be the most craziest crunch time I ever remember, she said. But everybody helping makes me feel better Its enjoyable because theyre like family. Elections are twice a year and every election, were here during that crunch time after hours, we dont even see our family as much as we see each other. Its one awesome crew, Ill tell you that. With the timing, there have been delays. Because the final ballot certification and the ballot printing coupled with the postal delays, some ballots that were sent out on May 16 havent even been received yet, Reuther said. I just want to assure anybody whos upset about not having received the ballot, I share their frustration, she said. I apologize to the extent the problem is a problem at the county. I can assure them there will not be the same kind of obstacles in the fall. We are going to revamp things. To address this, additions have been made so that voters can be confident their ballot will be counted. They must be received by 8 p.m. at the courthouse on June 2 to be counted. Ballots can be received at the Delaware County Courthouse from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, as well as 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, June 2, itself. There is a drop off box located in the lobby of the courthouse entrance off 201 W. Front St. in Media. Voters need to enter the front of the courthouse but the box is located right before the metal detectors, right at the buildings entrance. Also on Election Day, voters can take their ballots to any polling places, where there will be drop boxes. Those who applied for a mail-in ballot and did not receive it can go to polling places on June 2 and request provisional ballots. Reuther warned that those trying to play the system by voting with mail-in ballots and provisional ballots, however, may be subject to review by the Delaware County District Attorneys office if the intent is malicious. There also will be a van driving around to retirement communities on Election Day to serve as a mobile drop box to collect mail-in ballots. There is no vast conspiracy on either side of the political divide to disrupt this election, Reuther said. Were trying to do everything we can. She also asked voters visiting polling places on Election Day to wear a mask. Many poll workers, who are older and more vulnerable to COVID-19, are concerned about contracting the virus from voters. Reuther asked that voters wear the mask while in a polling place to protect them. In the meantime, she expressed thanks for the many working tirelessly to make sure Delaware County voters can exercise their right to vote June 2. Im really in awe of their commitment, Reuther said. I dont for a second doubt their commitment to the election process. I also want them to know, certainly the people who are full-time employees of our election staff, I have their backs because I know how hard theyve been working. The Federal Ministry of Justice on Thursday opened technical bids for Consultancy Service to monitor the implementation of Abacha loot III. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Consultancy Service is to undertake the monitoring of the implementation of the tripartite agreement on the Sharing, Transfer, Disposition, Repatriation and Management of the Abacha Forfeited Assets. The Head of Asset Recovery and Management Unit at the Ministry of Justice, Ladidi Mohammed, declared open the bidding process. Mrs Mohammed said the process is in tandem with the Asset Return Agreement of February 3 by the Nigeria government, the United States and the Bailiwick of Jersey. `This Agreement is based on international law and cooperation measures that set out the procedures for the repatriation, transfer, disposition and management of the assets. The government is committed to supporting and assisting in expediting the construction of the three major infrastructure projects across Nigeria in the agreement. The projects are the Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Abuja Kano Road, and the Second Niger Bridge, she explained. She said the aim of the bid is to select a Civil Society Organisation Monitoring Team to oversee the implementation of the projects and report regularly on progress made to the public. This is to ensure transparent management of the returned assets. NAN reports that the process for the engagement of the monitoring team commenced with adverts published in some media. These include two Nigerian newspapers Daily Trust and the Punch of March 4, and a Notice of Extension on April 17, the Federal Tenders Journal of March 9 and 23, and the Economist of March 14. The adverts were also on the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice www.justice.gov.ng. A representative of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Nasiru Bello, while opening the bids noted that 17 organisations submitted entries for the technical bid. He added that the bids will be handed over to the Evaluation Committee to ensure that due process followed all through. The Due Process Mechanism is to establish and sustain an open, transparent and competitive procurement system that is integrity-driven. NAN reports that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, had on May 4, confirmed the receipt of 311,797,866.11 million dollars of the Abacha assets repatriated from the U.S. and the Bailiwick of Jersey. Mr Malami said, The amount increased from over 308 million US dollars mentioned in the press release issued in February to 311,797,866.11 million dollars following the accrued interest from Feb. 3 to April 28 when the funds were transferred to the Central Bank of Nigeria. These recoveries are transparently and judiciously deployed in supporting indigent Nigerians as specified in the agreement signed with Switzerland and the World Bank. In line with the 2020 Asset Return Agreement, the fund has been transferred to a Central Bank of Nigeria Asset Recovery designated account and would be paid to the National Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) within the next fourteen days. The NSIA is responsible for the management and execution of the projects to which the funds will be applied. NAN reports that the recovered funds were allegedly laundered through the U.S. banking system and then held in some bank accounts in the Bailiwick of Jersey. (NAN) Edo Mapelli Mozzi's ex fiance Dara Huang has shared a glimpse at her life in lockdown in West London. The American architect, 37, who shares a two-year-old son Christopher 'Woolfie' Woolf with Princess Beatrice's fiance Edo, has revealed her experience isolating in London for the past two months is 'very different' from her transatlantic lifestyle - which sees her travel between London, New York and Hong Kong. Multi-millionaire property tycoon Edo, 34, proposed to Beatrice, 31, in September 2019, and their engagement means that Beatrice will be the first among the young generation of royals to take on a stepchild. Edoardo was previously engaged for three-and-a-half years to the mother of his child, Chinese-American Dara Huang, a highly-successful architect with her own design company whom he split from in 2018. Edo Mapelli Mozzi's ex fiance Dara Huang has shared a glimpse at her life in lockdown in West London. Sharing a picture as she sunbathed in a field in the city this week, she joked: The mother-of-one shared a glimpse at her kitchen, joking that you 'wouldn't usually find her there', as she takes Zoom calls in the wood-themed diner complete with island Another picture, taken in front of her plush lift area, reveals she has started biking around London to pick up groceries, writing: 'Wish me luck, I just finished assembling it myself (basket is for groceries)' The American architect, 37, who shares a two-year-old son Christopher 'Woolfie' Woolf with Princess Beatrice's fiance Edo (both seen in 2018) and the pair were engaged for three years And despite spending much of the year travelling the world for her business, Dara has spent the past two months isolating in West London. The mother-of-one shared a glimpse at her kitchen, joking that you 'wouldn't usually find her there', as she takes Zoom calls in the wood-themed diner complete with island. Ensuring she stays fit, Dara has been jogging around Knightsbridge, sharing a snap a she took part in the 5k challenge in front of Harrods. Meanwhile another picture, taken in front of her plush lift area, reveals she has started biking around London to pick up groceries, writing: 'Wish me luck, I just finished assembling it myself (basket is for groceries)'. Dara is seen working from her bright and airy living room, which boasts a bright white oval sofa, chic paintings and a futuristic lamp, along with large multi-aspect windows Despite spending much of the year travelling the world for her business, Dara has spent the past two months isolating in West London Dara is also seen giving a talk from her stylish study in another snap, dressed in an oversized white shirt and shorts Elsewhere, she is seen working from her bright and airy living room, which boasts a bright white oval sofa, chic paintings and a futuristic lamp, along with large multi-aspect windows. Dara is also seen giving a talk from her stylish study in another snap, dressed in an oversized white shirt and shorts. And admitting she misses going out in another snap, Dara is pictured wearing a slinky black jumpsuit and golden heels embellished with a butterfly, writing: 'Can't remember the last time I put on a pair of heels. 'But Saturday night I changed the shoes but not the yoga clothes for a home party in style with my best friend and shoe designer power entrepreneur.. Ensuring she stays fit, Dara has been jogging around Knightsbridge, sharing a snap a she took part in the 5k challenge in front of Harrods And admitting she misses going out in another snap, Dara is pictured wearing a slinky black jumpsuit and golden heels embellished with a butterfly, writing: 'Can't remember the last time I put on a pair of heels' Edo Mapelli Mozzi's ex fiance Dara Huang has shared a glimpse at her life in lockdown in West London as she works from home In September Princess Beatrice announced her engagement to property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, via a Buckingham Palace statement. The royal started dating the Italian property developer in 2018. Beatrice and Mr Mapelli Mozzi said of their 11-month whirlwind romance in a statement: 'We are extremely happy to be able to share the news of our recent engagement. 'We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and can't wait to actually be married. 'We share so many similar interests and values, and we know that this will stand us in great stead for the years ahead, full of love and happiness.' Engagement photos, taken by sister Princess Eugenie in the grounds of Windsor Great Park, showed Beatrice wearing a green floral 595 Zimmerman dress and showing off her 3.5 carat engagement ring by Shaun Leane, estimated to have cost 100,000, along with a 2,730 Cartier love bracelet. Beatrice would be the first among the young generation of royals to take on a stepchild, as Edoardo was previously engaged for three-and-a-half years to the mother of his child, Dara Huang, (seen) whom he split from last year Alessandra Ambrosio looked radiant, as she took a leisurely beachside stroll in Malibu, California. The 39-year-old barefoot beauty sported a preppy casual look, as she held onto a multi-colored pair of Nike sneakers with a brown sweater draped over her shoulders. While enjoying a close-up view of the ocean, the Victoria's Secret vet flashed a bright smile with a crossbody phone case over her beige sweatshirt. By the water: Alessandra Ambrosio looked radiant, as she took a leisurely beachside stroll in Malibu, California The Brazilian supermodel appeared in high spirits, as she showed off her radiant complexion without a face mask or any protective gear. She showed off her trim legs and sun-kissed skin on her sunset excursion, after a weekend lounging by the pool at her home in Santa Monica. In a sizzling snap, the mother-of-two, who shares daughter Anja, 11, and eight-year-old son Noah with ex Jamie Mazur, arched her back in a royal blue two-piece bikini. Beauty: The 39-year-old barefoot beauty sported a preppy casual look, as she held onto a multi-colored pair of Nike sneakers with a brown sweater draped over her shoulders Barefoot beauty: While enjoying a close-up view of the ocean, the Victoria's Secret vet flashed a bright smile with a crossbody phone case over her beige sweatshirt On Monday, the Vogue cover girl shared an additional snap of herself cuddled up in her boyfriend Nicolo Oddi's arms. She appeared completely at peace, while leaning on his chiseled torso, as her man kissed her cheek. After Alessandra and Jamie amicably ended their decade-long engagement in 2018, she started dating Oddi, who founded the knitwear brand Alanui. Happy: Alessandra rose to international fame as a Victoria's Secret Angel, announcing that she was giving up the title at the end of 2017 The pair have been isolating with her two children during the coronavirus lockdowns. Alessandra rose to international fame as a Victoria's Secret Angel, announcing that she was giving up the title at the end of 2017. She has collaborated with Aline and a pal called Gisele Coria to launch a new swimwear line called Gal Floripa, which debuted last March. Midland County added one new coronavirus case Thursday, bringing its total to 81 cases and eight deaths, according to the afternoon state report. Bay and Isabella counties both added two news cases, bringing their totals to 296 cases and 22 deaths and 76 cases and seven deaths, respectively. Saginaw County added 11 more cases and one death, bringing its total to 1,013 cases and 108 deaths. Gladwin County remained at 18 cases and one death. The state on Thursday added 406 cases and 38 deaths; 14 of them from reviews of death records. Overall, Michigan is at 56,014 cases and 5,372 deaths. We cannot stress enough how important it is for our community to be diligent in their community mitigation efforts," said Fred Yanoski, Midland County Public Health director/health officer. "We know that COVID-19 is in our community, and our residents can make a huge impact on slowing the spread of disease by following the recommended precautions." Yanoski also addressed Midland County residents who may have had their wells flooded. Yanoski said there is potential risk of contamination for people who have well water and if their wells were submerged by flood waters. Water should be tested before consumed. With that, he said hes heard through the grapevine that some wells were going dry; however, no one has formally contacted the Midland County Health Department about having a dry well. He said sometimes older or shallow wells that might not have been constructed properly might have some issues, but that any legally drilled wells are unlikely to have been affected in this way. If someone does have an issue with their well, they should contact the health department to have it looked at to determine the problem, Yankoski said. In addition, he said there has been some community support as it relates to providing people with clean water to drink in Edenville. We like to think to think the community did a great job responding to the need for drinking water and I think theres readily available amounts out in the community, he said. Also on Thursday, Bike Midland, a bike share program in Midland that offers seven stations with five bikes each predominantly spaced along the Pere Marquette Rail Trail, has been canceled, according to Bike Midland's Facebook page. The program is offered through the Zagster app. "Like many businesses, Zagster has been drastically impacted by COVID-19," the Bike Midland Facebook post read. "Beyond the pandemic's impact on Zagster's business, we were provided no additional information on the cancellation. Station removal will begin today and is expected to be completed by 6/12." Manhunts have begun after hundreds of people, some with the coronavirus, fled quarantine centers in Zimbabwe and Malawi while authorities worry they will spread COVID-19 in countries whose health systems can be rapidly overwhelmed. In Malawi, more than 400 people recently repatriated from South Africa and elsewhere fled a center at a stadium in Blantyre, jumping over a fence or strolling out the gate while police and health workers watched. Police and health workers told reporters they were unable to stop them as they lacked adequate protective gear. At least 46 escapees had tested positive for the virus. Some of those who fled told reporters they had bribed police. And in Zimbabwe, police spokesman Paul Nyathi said officers were hunting down more than 100 people who escaped from centers where a 21-day quarantine is mandatory for those returning from abroad. They escape and sneak into the villages We are warning people to stop sheltering them. These escapees are becoming a serious danger to communities, Nyathi said. Nearly all of Zimbabwes 75 new cases this week came from the centers that hold hundreds of people who have returned, sometimes involuntarily, from neighboring South Africa and Botswana. The quarantine centers have become our source of danger, Health Minister Obadiah Moyo told a special parliamentary committee this week. Both Zimbabwe and Malawi have fewer than 200 confirmed cases but regional power South Africa, where many in both countries go to seek work, has more than 25,000. Zimbabwe's information minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, on Wednesday told reporters that the government is increasing security at the schools, colleges and hotels used as quarantine centers. Government spokesman Nick Mangwana suggested that security officers guarding centers with high walls and razor wire might be receiving bribes to allow people to leave early. Zimbabwes government is also worried about people crossing porous borders and failing to report at quarantine centers. The information ministry has begun sharing a hotline number and asking people to stop harboring border jumpers and those who abscond from quarantine. Malawi saw another mass escape earlier this week when 26 people left the Mwanza border post while waiting for test results. People arriving in the country face a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The Blantyre district director of health and social services, Gift Kawalazira, said they were overwhelmed when more than 2,000 people turned up at the border post in Mwanza over the weekend. Holding some in the stadium was a last-minute resort after plans to use education facilities failed for lack of funds, he said. They will be moving around while trying to elude authorities, he said of the escapees, including a smaller group that slipped away from a Blantyre center on Monday. Eight had tested positive for the virus. People need to understand that it is not punishment but we are only doing this to protect the general public, Kawalazira said. Few prevention measures could be seen at the stadium, with people leaving freely to buy food from nearby vendors. They told reporters they had received no food from authorities since Monday. Relatives of some of the returnees entered the stadium to visit, giving loved ones hugs. Lindsay Perry was 30 weeks pregnant and on bedrest when her husband Justin was accused of unemployment fraud and fined $10,000 after losing his job as a chef in 2014. The couple, who disputed the charges, tried calling the state unemployment agency, sending messages online, and even repeatedly showing up in person, but nothing worked. There was the panic of, oh my gosh, the governments coming after us, what did we do wrong? says Lindsay Perry, now 39. It didnt take long for the couples financial life to collapse. Their tax returns were seized for three years in a row, their van was repossessed, and in 2017, they filed for bankruptcy. Michigan reversed the charges in 2017 and reimbursed the couple $6,000, but the damage was already done. That money went to pay for bankruptcy lawyers, and three years later, Lindsay Perry says that, because of their bankruptcy, they cant get a mortgage, lease a car, or rent an apartment on their own for themselves and their three children. Im almost 40 years old and they want a co-signer, she says. It just makes you feel like a lesser person. Perrys husband was one of around 40,000 people across Michigan who were wrongly accused of unemployment insurance fraud between 2013 and 2015 as a result of a privately-built, error-prone software system operated by the state with minimal government oversight. The state has since been working to clean up the programs mess, in part by refunding those who were falsely accused. Yet for Michiganders like the Perry family, the nightmare of trying to rebuild their lives goes on. And as cash-strapped states and cities around the country turn to similar systems to save money and streamline operations, more Americans could get wrapped up in a similar bureaucratic nightmare. Michigans unemployment system has since been reined in, but years later, advocates are still working to get restitution for those the computer program falsely charged. I view it as personal, says Tony Paris, lead attorney at Sugar Law Center, a Detroit-based non-profit that has fought about 500 fraud cases related to system, winning nine in 10. At the groups headquarters, housed on the second floor of a Unitarian church, his desk is piled with documents concerning dozens of cases. Its 8 p.m., and hes drinking black coffee. It really changed Sugar Law, he says of the states unemployment scandal. It really changed my life. Story continues The story of that debacle goes back decades. Even before the Great Recession, Michigan was in financial trouble. Unemployment was hovering over six percent in the years leading up to 2008, while incomes were stagnating compared to the rest of the country. When the recession struck, government revenues fell sharply, leading the state to cut more than $3 billion in spending between 2009 and 2011. The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) was in particularly bad shape. By late 2010, it owed $3.8 billion to the federal government, and in 2011, Michigans auditor general found that the agency may have failed to rectify tens of millions of dollars in overpayments and recover hundreds of millions in fraud penalties between 2007 and 2010. Job seekers wait in a line at a job fair in Southfield, Michigan on June 15, 2011. | Paul SancyaAP In an effort to modernize the UIA, Michigan contracted with a group of private tech vendors to create and operate a $47 million system, known collectively as the Michigan Integrated Data Automated System, or MiDAS. Intent on improving efficiency, MiDAS designers programmed it to determine unemployment eligibility, track case files and even intercept income tax refunds for those automatically selected by the system, according to a 2013 Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Department memo. If MiDAS sole purpose was to generate new fraud cases, it worked beautifully. In 2014, with the help of the new system, the UIA opened an unprecedented 26,882 such cases, more than five times the typical number. Many of those accused had their appeals repeatedly denied, and some turned to legal assistance groups for help. Lawyers working on these cases soon discovered a disturbing trend: the state was frequently unable to provide evidence to support MiDAS fraud accusations. Through administrative hearings, advocates soon came to believe that MiDAS was behind the swell of unfounded cases. Yet the state kept the system in place through 2015. Over the course of nearly two years, MiDAS sent accusations to tens of thousands of Michigan residents and seized millions of dollars in their wages and tax returns. Michigan civil rights lawyers like Paris have since gone beyond fighting MiDAS cases one-by-one. Before speaking to TIME, Paris had just returned from a downtown Detroit courthouse, where he was arguing in Cahoo v. SAS Analytics, a federal lawsuit over MiDAS. The defendants include technology vendors Fast Enterprises and SAS Institute, management consultant CSG Government Solutions, and several Michigan officials, all of whom were involved building or operating MiDAS or one of its components, or were in UIA leadership. Among the plaintiffs claims is that those contractors had been entrusted with government duties, and are therefore responsible for constitutional violations brought on by MiDAS wrongful allegations. Michigans state government declined to comment on the suit, citing pending litigation. In 2017, the state legislature passed a law requiring the agency to make fraud determinations manually, while a federal court settlement that year required the states unemployment agency to review MiDAS fraud determinations made between October 2013 and August 2015. To date, Michiganders affected by MiDAS have received more than $20 million in refunds, though some advocates say thats well below what the state actually owes its citizens. CSG Government Solutions did not respond to multiple requests for comment. An SAS Institute spokesperson says there is no basis for the lawsuit against the company, and that its own software, implemented in 2015, was separate from MiDAS and only provided leads rather than carrying out the functions of the agency. (Paris alleges SAS software contributed to improper fraud findings well into 2016.) James Harrison, a partner at Fast Enterprises, says its software was working the way the state intended, and that its not an IT vendors responsibility to interpret the law. Had [the system] been wrong it would have been fixed right away, says Harrison. I think thats pretty good evidence it was never wrong, because it was well known what was happening and it was still decided to keep doing it. It was only when it got to be a big enough issue in the papers that people came to us and said, I guess maybe you should turn it off now. A woman holds an employment guide standing in line while attending a job fair in Livonia, Michigan, on Nov. 4, 2009. | Paul SancyaAP For those affected by MiDAS, battling for legal redress has been a years-long slog. A related case currently seeking class-action status, Bauserman v. Unemployment Insurance Agency, has been making its way through Michigan state courts since 2015. Following years of pre-trial legal wrangling, a state court of appeals permitted the case to proceed in December 2019. But state attorneys appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court in January. The clients are frustrated and theyre discouraged, and they cant fathom why this is taking so long, says Jennifer Lord, a civil rights and employment attorney working on Bauserman. A lot of times these people do feel forgotten. Automated systems like MiDAS are being deployed around the country, as states, cities and towns under budget pressure look to cut costs a trend thats likely to continue as the coronavirus outbreak batters local economies. Among other imperatives, governments need to find ways to cut spending and benefits to balance the budget sheet, says Rashida Richardson, director of policy research at tech accountability non-profit AI Now. Those different needs necessitate the use of these types of technologies, even if theyre flawed in application, she says. Such software has been common for years; one might be hard pressed to find a state government that has not automated a significant amount of its bureaucracy. In just the last two years, FAST Enterprises, which worked on the MiDAS system, has completed new projects in South Carolina, New Mexico, Illinois and Tennessee. Other algorithmic systems have been deployed across a range of government programs, from matching homeless people with housing in Los Angeles, to disciplining teachers in Houston, to monitoring child welfare in Illinois. But while many such systems function as intended, a number are rife with problems, inviting public outcry and years-long lawsuits over issues like discrimination, civil liberties violations, and even endangering peoples lives. After Rhode Island deployed a $364 million automated system intended to streamline federal and state benefits programs in 2014, residents dependent on state aid reported their benefits went missing. The state was left with a backlog of 15,000 applicants, two federal class action lawsuits, and eventually a public apology from Deloitte, which built the system. (The state says the benefits system has been stable since late 2018, with incidents now at an all-time low and payments meeting industry timeliness standards.) In Arkansas, advocates filed a lawsuit in 2016 over an algorithmic tool that cut benefits for around 4,000 elderly or disabled people who receive in-home services through a Medicaid waiver program. The suit alleged that residents were not properly notified about the new system, and werent able to contest its findings. Through the case, it was revealed that cerebral palsy conditions were incorrectly coded in the system, and the software employed an algorithm that didnt account for diabetes conditions. (The state says it has made adjustments where appropriate, including changes related to cerebral palsy and diabetes, and subsequently began using a different method to determine care hours in 2019.) Idahos branch of the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in 2012 after the state instituted a new algorithm to determine Medicaid care budgets for developmentally disabled people, which subsequently cut funding for thousands of recipients. Legal proceedings showed the states formula relied on unverified information, and advocates say that when humans reviewed the algorithmically-generated budgets, they often found the tool had set amounts too low. While a 2017 settlement mandated the state implement a new system this year, Idaho in April asked the court for an extension until 2024. In a statement provided to TIME, Matt Wimmer, division of medicaid administrator at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, said that the program is working collaboratively with adults with developmental disabilities and their families to develop a new resource allocation model, and is pursuing an outreach effort in the meantime. Those efforts are sincere and ongoing but require intensive effort and time to build a program that will meet the needs of our beneficiaries with disabilities in the best way possible, Wimmer wrote. The Idaho case in particular shows that, even when bureaucratic software is known to be malfunctioning, it can be nearly impossible for those affected to fight its decisions. In part, thats because these systems are often a black box protected by trade secrecy laws, meaning the public isnt informed about how they work in the first place. Not only was the automated decision-making tool a problem, but then the department was refusing to tell people how it came up with their [Medicaid] budgets, says attorney Molly Kafka, who worked on the Idaho case. How could you challenge something if you dont know how its being decided? Justin and Lindsay Perry with their children Salem and Riley in Traverse City, Michigan, on May 17, 2020. | Brittany Greeson for TIME Yet Americans live and die by the output of such systems. Christie Mathwig, a 61-year-old plaintiff on the ongoing Idaho case who suffers from muscular dystrophy and other issues, had her care budget nearly halved by the algorithm before her determination was reversed by a statewide injunction. Mathwig, who needs help in all aspects of caring for herself including using the bathroom or rolling over in bed says that if the software had reduced her payments, she would be absolutely dead by now. Some technology advocates say that, when implemented responsibly, algorithmic tools hold tremendous potential to help governments do more for their citizens. You want to use the value that technology brings to the table to take the burden off people, says Jennifer Pahlka, founder and former executive director of Code for America, which helps policymakers better understand civic technology. And governments around the world are working to find ways to hold their algorithms more accountable for their decisions. In 2019, Canada required that new automated systems that make determinations about people be subject to an algorithmic impact assessment. The same year, a New York City task force recommended the creation of formal channels to report on algorithmic systems. And in January, the University of Pittsburgh convened a task force to examine government algorithms in Allegheny County for potential bias. But problems still plague bureaucratic software. For one, theres the move fast and break things mentality of software design, which may work well when youre building a social media network, but can lead to disaster when designing systems entrusted with state powers. Were seeing software that throws people in jail and takes all their money away, so maybe it should have a development culture thats more of a fit with the consequences, says Christian Sandvig, a professor of digital media at the University of Michigan. Governments should also do more to vet software before issuing a contract, says Richardson. We only find out about the consequences or even potential problems of these technologies after theyre already in use, she says. Some go so far as to argue that automation eats away at a governments legitimacy. Throwing away expertise and nimbleness in favor of software and automation, at some point it begins to undermine the very justification of the administrative state, says Ryan Calo, a professor at the University of Washington Law School. When problems with bureaucratic software arise, as they did in Michigan, officials have tended to blame the unknowable nature of the algorithms themselves, rather than take responsibility for their output. That creates what some legal scholars call an accountability gap, in which neither the designer nor the state takes responsibility for an algorithms decisions. If everything becomes computerized in these ways without thinking through accountability and transparency, what you end up with is a society where nothing is explainable, says Sandvig. That appears to be happening in Michigan. Even those whose lives were derailed by the system say they found it difficult to connect elected officials with the system they ostensibly were meant to oversee. As sad as it sounds, I didnt put much of the blame of what happened on [the governor] or the administration, says Brian Russell, who declared bankruptcy after MiDAS wrongly accused him of fraud in 2015. I saw this more as a machine issue. People like Russell and the thousands of other Michiganders who say they were wrongly accused by MiDAS do not know when or even if theyll receive restitution for the toll the claims have taken on their lives. Two lawsuits involving MiDAS are ongoing. Barring a settlement, results are still expected to be months or years away. For the Perry family, theres little faith that a system that let them down once will ever make up for what they went through. Yes, a computer may have finally made the decision, but people should have been paying attention to what the computer was doing, says Justin. There were just so many people that could have helped that didnt even bother to raise a finger. Three more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Himachals Solan, taking the states tally to 276. With this, the active cases have gone up to 201 said special secretary Nipun Jindal. One of the patients, a 30-year-old woman lives in a rented accommodation at Baddi. Solan deputy commissioner KC Chaman said she had travelled to Shamli in UP earlier this month. She was tested at random. A mother-son duo, residents of Ramshehar in Nalagarh sub-division, have also tested positive for the virus. They had travelled from Delhi on May 22 and were in institutional quarantine. Himachal witnessed a spurt in Covid-19 cases after May 4 with 236 people testing positive for the virus. As many as 184 cases have been reported over the week. So far, 276 cases have been reported in the state, including five fatalities. Three men and two women are among the dead. Hamirpur is the worst-hit district with 93 cases followed by Kangra with 65 cases. A total of 32 cases have been reported in Una, 23 in Solan, 20 in Chamba, 18 in Bilaspur, 11 in Mandi, nine in Shimla, four in Sirmaur, and one in Kullu. As many as 66 people have recovered so far. A DANGEROUS GOOF UP District authorities in Hamirpur have launched a probe after 15 people who had tested positive on Wednesday were erroneously sent home. Around 40 people from Hamirpur arrived in a special train from Mumbai on May 18 and were put under institutional quarantine. Their samples were sent for testing the next day. The first batch of reports came out negative on May 21. However, their samples were for testing again two days later. On May 26, district health authorities received reports of seven people who had tested positive. However, authorities without waiting for reports of the remaining people declared them negative and sent them home. However, late on Wednesday, reports of 15 more people came out positive, after which teams of health and district administration rushed to shift the patients to Covid-care centre and put their co-travellers under home quarantine again. The contact tracing of patients is being done. The Hamirpur deputy commissioner said an inquiry had been launched. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A previously unidentified victim of the unsolved Gilgo Beach murders in Long Island was named Thursday, nearly two decades after her partial remains were first found, police said. Valerie Mack was identified as the victim previously known as "Manorville Jane Doe" or "Jane Doe #6," the Suffolk County Police Department announced. Mack was identified through genetic genealogy technology. Mack went missing in 2000 when she was 24 and working as an escort in Philadelphia, according to police. Her partial remains were found that same year in a wooded area off Halsey-Manor Road in Manorville. In 2011, her dismembered remains were found along Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach. PHOTO: Valerie Mack was identified as the victim who had been previously known as Jane Doe #6. (Suffolk County Police Department) The murders have never been solved, and, until Mack's identification, half the victims had not yet been identified. MORE: What we know and don't about Long Island's suspected serial killer case In 2010 and 2011, the remains of 10 people were discovered in Gilgo Beach in weedy sections of Ocean Parkway near Jones Beach. Police have said most of the victims were sex workers. Four victims remain unidentified. No suspects have been detained, but police previously told ABC News they're working under the assumption a serial killer is to blame in some, if not all, of the killings. Police made the grisly discovery while searching for a missing sex worker, Shannan Gilbert. Her body eventually was found in December 2011 in nearby Oak Beach, which is also along Ocean Parkway. Police don't believe her death is tied to the others because she "doesn't match the pattern of the Gilgo Beach homicides," but they've also said her death is part of the active investigation into the Gilgo Beach murders. PHOTO: In this April 15, 2011, file photo, the area near Gilgo Beach and Ocean Parkway on Long Island is shown where police conducted a search after finding ten sets of human remains in Wantagh, NY. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images, FILE) In January, police released what they called a "significant piece of evidence" involving the murders. The evidence was a photograph of a black leather belt embossed with the letters "WH" or "HM," depending on how it's held. Story continues MORE: Previously unidentified victim of Gilgo Beach murders to be identified Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said at a press conference she believed a suspect in the murders "handled" the belt, but would not elaborate. Hart on Thursday said she hopes the identification of Mack will bring some sense of closure and peace to her family. It is believed to be the first time a law enforcement agency in New York state has used genetic genealogy to identify an individual as part of a police investigation, authorities said. Police had announced last week that they made the identification, but did not immediately name Mack. Hart said that Mack was last seen by her adopted family in the spring or summer of 2000 in the area of Port Republic, New Jersey, where she was living with a boyfriend. Her family never reported her missing, according to Hart. Authorities identified her after she was matched to an aunt in New Jersey through a public genealogy site. The aunt was one of seven sisters, and investigators eventually found Macks mother, which led them to her adopted family. "They had 20 years of not knowing" and "were very thankful" when family members were told of her identification, Hart said. "That was very meaningful to the investigators." Mack had no apparent ties to Long Island. She was from a town near Atlantic City, and Suffolk police are in contact with Atlantic City police, but there is no known connection to the 2006 deaths of four prostitutes in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. The so-called "Eastbound Strangler" has not been caught. There is no familial relationship between Mack and Jessica Taylor, another Gilgo Beach victim, despite her Melissa Taylor pseudonym, according to Hart. 6th victim of Long Island murders identified through genetic genealogy originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Britons should get an individual Covid-19 risk score on a scale from one to five to allow healthy youngsters out of lockdown, scientists say. Top experts have floated the idea of 'stratified shielding' to kickstart the economy again and end the lockdown, which they claim is 'damaging'. It would involve rating each person's chances of getting infected and dying from infection based on a number of clear risk factors. These include age, ethnicity and underlying health conditions, obesity and possibly postcode, considering some locations have suffered worse outbreaks than others. It could free millions of Britain from a universal lockdown, while protecting the most vulnerable members of society. But experts who suggested the scheme admitted it would be difficult to implement because the public may find it unacceptable. People's Covid-19 risk should be scored on a scale from one to five to allow healthy youngsters out of 'damaging' lockdown, scientists say. Pictured: People in London Fields, May 26 Professor George Davey Smith, of the University of Bristol, wrote his thoughts about stratified shielding in an editorial in the British Medical Journal. He and Sir David Spiegelhalter, of the University of Cambridge, wrote: 'Lockdown is seriously damaging many aspects of peoples lives, harming most those with the least resources. 'As constant vigilance will be required over the coming months and perhaps years, serious consideration should be given to implementing locally informed and implemented strategies to stratify shielding according to risk.' Several studies have modelled 'stratify and shield' strategies, with age being the most viable way to categorise people, the professors said. A starting point for scoring would be to look at a person's risk depending on their age, gender, ethnicity, underlying health problems, medication use and obesity. Postcodes may also be useful to consider. Statistics show people who live in areas with high poverty are more likely to die and hotspots have emerged in the UK over time. WHO NEEDS TO 'SHIELD' UNDER GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES? Some groups of people are considered to be at extremely high risk of severe illness with coronavirus and should strictly follow shielding measures. According to NHS Inform, this 'extremely clinically vulnerable' group includes people who: have had solid organ transplants have cancer and are receiving active chemotherapy have lung cancer and are either receiving or previously received radical radiotherapy have cancers of the blood or bone marrow are receiving immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer are receiving other targeted cancer treatments, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs have severe chest conditions such as cystic fibrosis or severe asthma and severe COPD have rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections are receiving immunosuppression therapies There has been confusion over whether over 70s should be shielding, which means not leaving the house even to do food shopping. According to Government guidance, over 70s are deemed 'clinically vulnerable', regardless of their health condition. This group also includes anyone who is under 70 but has health conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, or chronic heart, kidney or liver disease. These people 'should take particular care to minimise contact with others outside your household' but don't need to shield. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has previously said in March, however, that over-70s would be asked to 'shield' themselves by self-isolating for several months. He then caused further confusion on May 2, saying there was no 'blanket ban' for over 70s and that message is 'wrong and deeply misleading'. He incorrectly said that over 70s are not 'clinically vulnerable' which they are. Advertisement 'A risk score for getting infected and then dying from the infection could be constructed from these factors,' the editorial said. 'For communication purposes... People could be assigned to one of five categories - for example, from very low to very high risk. 'Appropriate guidance would be provided for each category, but individuals could opt for a lower or higher category depending on their risk appetite, since legal enforcement would be neither beneficial nor practicable.' The pair said such a method would not be to 'frighten' but allow people to make their own decisions about how to live their lives, rather than everyone being forced to stay at home. And lifting lockdown for the majority who are low risk would not overwhelm hospitals because it is unlikely those people would get severely sick, they said. Looking at age alone, one shielding model suggested shielding everyone between age 45 and 75 years old, projected to produce 'the largest reduction in mortality'. But this, and other discriminatory lockdowns, are somewhat implausible, Mr Smith and Professor Spiegelhalter said. It would also be difficult to know when shielding should end, and if it would lead to a sudden wave of deaths. Ideally shielding of high risk people would end when so many people in the population have had the infection that widespread immunity is achieved - called 'herd immunity'. This would force the virus to fizzle out, but only if people who have had the virus previously are definitely protected from getting it again - which is not proven. The only other way to gain herd immunity is with a vaccine, which is potentially years away. Experts have warned it's possible a vaccine will never be found because they often fail in experiments. Dr Smith said: 'The virus is unlikely to disappear in the foreseeable future.' There are millions of people who have been told to shield in the UK because they are 'extremely clinically vulnerable'. This group includes people who have specific cancers, severe respiratory conditions or rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections, for example. There is also a 'clinically vulnerable' group, which includes over 70s, regardless of their health, and anyone who is under 70 but has health conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, or chronic heart, kidney or liver disease. The government doesnt actually recommend that clinically vulnerable people follow any rules that differ from the universal social distancing guidance. But these people are being told to follow that guidance carefully, and to take particular care to minimise contact with others outside of their household. There has previously been confusion over whether over 70s should be shielding, after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in March that over-70s would be asked to 'shield' themselves by self-isolating for several months. The daughter of a coal miner, Gaffney was one of the thousands of young women who flocked to Washington from across the country to help keep the government running during World War II, her family said. With men in short supply, Gaffney was a part of what Good Housekeeping called a new army on the Potomac. Hartford, CT. The U.S. surpassed a jarring milestone Wednesday in the coronavirus pandemic: 100,000 deaths. That number is the best estimate and most assuredly an undercount. But it represents the stark reality that more Americans have died from the virus than from the Vietnam and Korean wars combined. "It's a striking reminder of how dangerous this virus can be," said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington. The once-unthinkable toll appears to be just the beginning of untold misery in the months ahead as Las Vegas casinos and Walt Disney World make plans to reopen, crowds of unmasked Americans swarm beaches and public health officials predict a resurgence by fall. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, issued a stern warning after watching video of Memorial Day crowds gathered at a pool party in Missouri. "We have a situation in which you see that type of crowding with no mask and people interacting. That's not prudent, and that's inviting a situation that could get out of control," he said during an interview Wednesday on CNN. "Don't start leapfrogging some of the recommendations in the guidelines because that's really tempting fate and asking for trouble." Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 5.6 million people and killed more than 350,000, with the U.S. having the most confirmed cases and deaths by far, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Europe has recorded about 170,000 deaths, while the U.S. reached more than 100,000 in less than four months. The true death toll from the virus, which emerged in China late last year and was first reported in the U.S. in January, is widely believed to be significantly higher, with experts saying many victims died of COVID-19 without ever being tested for it. Early on, President Donald Trump downplayed the severity of the coronavirus, likening it to the flu, and predicted the U.S. wouldn't reach 100,000 deaths. "I think we'll be substantially under that number," Trump said on April 10. Ten days later, he said, "We're going toward 50- or 60,000 people." Ten days after that: "We're probably heading to 60,000, 70,000." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Critics have said deaths spiked because Trump was slow to respond, but he has contended on Twitter that it could have been 20 times higher without his actions. He has urged states to reopen their economies after months of stay-at-home restrictions. Las Vegas casinos can welcome tourists again on June 4. SeaWorld and Walt Disney World plan to reopen to limited numbers of tourists in Orlando, Florida, in June and July. The virus exacted an especially vicious toll on Trump's hometown of New York City and its surrounding suburbs, killing more than 21,000. At the peak, hundreds of people were dying per day in New York City, and hospitals, ambulances and first responders were inundated with patients. President Akufo-Addo, on Thursday 28th May presented presidential charters to the Pentecost University College, Accra, and All Nations University College, Koforidua, at a ceremony at Jubilee House. According to President Akufo-Addo, the presentation of the charters means that the two universities are going to transition into autonomous Universities, with the capacity, now, to award their own degrees and diplomas. Delivering the remarks at the event, the President indicated that the country's tertiary education system, like that of other nations, is composed of both public and private institutions, with the public universities established by Acts of Parliament, with presidential assents to award their own degrees and diplomas. On the other hand, private university colleges go through a period of academic mentorship and supervision by a mentoring, public institution for the award of degrees and diplomas. After ten (10) years, and having demonstrated sufficient capacity in governance, finances, academic matters, and infrastructural development, private university colleges can then apply to the National Accreditation Board for a Presidential Charter to enable them award their own degrees and diplomas, he added. After going through a rigorous accreditation and quality assurance processes of the National Accreditation Board, and based on a satisfactory recommendation by the National Accreditation Board, he stated that I am pleased to announce that Pentecost University College and All Nations University College have fulfilled these requirements, and are considered to be in a good position to manage their own affairs as fully-fledged tertiary education institutions. Additionally, the two universities have been able to establish structures, which will enable their respective institutions to forge ahead with minimum supervision in the management of their academic programmes. Having applauded Pentecost University College and All Nations University College for the solid work done over the last decade, President Akufo-Addo drew their attention to the fact that a Charter may be suspended or revoked by the President on the recommendation of the Board; and the grant of a Charter does not relieve an institution of the obligation to operate only in facilities approved by the Board or to run only accredited programmes or courses. The President urged the Universities to bear in mind that they will be closely monitored, especially in areas of concern outlined by the National Accreditation Board. As chartered institutions, I urge them to continue to improve, and introduce more innovative programmes and courses that will equip their students with the requisite skills and competencies needed to develop our country and transform progressively the economy. Continue to carve niche areas for yourselves, so as to help you differentiate yourselves from other tertiary education institutions, he said. President Akufo-Addo added, It is my expectation, and that of all Ghanaians, that, in the years ahead, other private university colleges will be able to meet the requirements of autonomy, and, thereby, contribute towards the growth and development of the country. Government, the National Council for Tertiary Education, the National Accreditation Board and public universities will continue to provide the necessary support and guidance in this direction. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 12:28:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BRASILIA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has faced more criticisms after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a travel ban on non-U.S. citizens from the South American country, as the COVID-19 epidemic is getting worse in Brazil. The U.S. move has provided Bolsonaro's foes with new arsenals to satirize the Brazilian leader. "Even the US - whose president's boots he licks - has banned the entry of Brazilians." Valmir Assuncao, a congressman from the left-wing Workers party, tweeted. "Is Bolsonaro going to keep marching around with the American flag now?" Alice Portugal, a Communist party lawmaker, tweeted. The local newspaper Estado de Minas put the headline "The US to Brazil: Stay at your own home" on its front page, alongside an image of Bolsonaro's supporters holding a U.S. flag. The United States announced the travel ban on Sunday as the number of recorded COVID-19 cases in Brazil rose to more than 363,000 and the death toll neared 23,000. Bolsonaro used to tout his close relationship with Trump as a proof that he was leading Brazil in the right direction, and his supporters frequently wave the U.S. flag at rallies as well. Enditem Victoria Police issued more fines for coronavirus lockdown breaches than any other state or territory partly because so many people dobbed others in, according to the force's chief. Almost 6000 Victorians received fines for breaching the COVID-19 restrictions, about three times more than Queenslanders and four times more than in NSW, The Age revealed on Thursday. An infringement notice issued by Victoria Police for breaching coronavirus restrictions. Credit:Heidi Murphy/3AW In comparison, police in London, a city of almost 9 million people, handed out just 906 fines, according to a BBC report. Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the numbers were higher because of the volume of calls from the public reporting breaches. BEIJING, May 27 (Xinhua) -- It will probably take two to three months for scientists to calculate and release the exact height of Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak, said China's Ministry of Natural Resources on Wednesday. An eight-member Chinese survey team reached the summit of the mountain on Wednesday morning, erecting a survey marker and installing a GNSS antenna on the snow-covered peak. This marked the completion of the measurement field work. With the measurement data, scientists will use multiple traditional and modern measurement techniques to perform comprehensive calculations. After data analysis and processing, they will further carry out theoretical studies and repeated verifications to determine the accurate height, the ministry sources said. Complex calculations are needed to eliminate errors caused by factors such as temperature, air pressure and the refractive environment. At the summit, the team members conducted a GNSS survey, snow depth measurement and gravity survey. The GNSS survey was assisted by China's home-grown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. The high-altitude gravity survey set a new world record as the highest of its kind. WASHINGTONFriday afternoon, President Donald Trump announced that in the middle of a global pandemic, he is terminating the U.S. relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO), making permanent a suspension of funding he announced last month. Why? Because of China, he said. The world is now suffering as a result of the malfeasance of the Chinese government. Chinas coverup of the Wuhan virus allowed the disease to spread all over the world, Trump said, saying it was a coverup the WHO participated in under pressure from China. The U.S. calls for significant reform to the organization have not been met, he said. China has total control over the World Health Organization. However, experts have warned that a WHO without American participation and funding would give China more influence and control over both the organization and global health efforts around the world. What would an international organization be like without the United States? Robert Bothwell, an international relations expert at the University of Torontos Munk School said to me recently. Obviously, it would start performing in ways that simply ignored American views. Thats exactly the scenario laid out this week by Amanda Glassman and Brin Datema of the Center for Global Development, who wrote that without the involvement of the United States, and with correspondingly increased involvement and funding from other countries including specifically China, the WHO would likely pay less attention to U.S. public health goals and areas of strategic importance. The United States created the WHO and the United Nations system. If there is a problem, the United States should name it and fix it, rather than giving up its seat at the table, they wrote. Similarly, Oxford University Global Health Researcher Luke Allen (who has consulted for both the WHO and U.S. government) wrote in The Conversation late last month that withdrawing U.S. funding and involvement only serves to weaken the Americas disproportionate influence on global policy and strengthen Chinas. Withdrawing from the international stage also leaves a superpower-sized leadership hole that only China can fill. If Trump wants the WHO to be more effective and less China-centric, then surely the remedy is more U.S. engagement, not less. Trumps halting of funding to the WHO last month was greeted with widespread condemnation by experts in global health who said both that the organization was not to blame for the slow U.S. response, and that withdrawing funding for the organization in the middle of a deadly pandemic was irresponsible. Robert Redfield who head the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Trumps administration then said he continued to have a productive public health relationship with them. At his Friday press conference, Trump made the WHO announcement alongside several other changes in China policy, including ending special recognition of Hong Kong as a separate entity in trade and travel matters. He also announced new measures to curtail Chinese access to American university intellectual property and to the U.S. finance industry. Our actions will be strong. Our actions will be meaningful, Trump said. The question, in the case of the WHO, is if the actions are more likely to backfire. Immediately after Trumps announcement, Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the CDC, tweeted, Turning our back on WHO makes us and the world less safe. Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 17:20:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The naval forces of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Thursday received 112 missile-launching speedboats to boost the offensive power in the country's southern territorial waters, Press TV reported. During a ceremony attended by Iran's senior military officials, the new-generation of homemade speedboats were delivered to the naval forces of the IRGC. The speedboats feature hydrodynamic function, low radar cross-section and high level of offensive power, according to the report. "Defense is our logic in war but not in the sense of passivity against the enemy," Hossein Salami, chief commander of the IRGC, said at the ceremony. Enditem A man who was told he might just have months to live due to a lung condition caused by mould has revealed how he is still alive two years later thanks to a last-ditch attempt drug and a 'miraculous' recovery. When Janine and Stewart Armstrong, of Ramsgate, Kent, made their vows to love each other in sickness and in health, they weren't expecting long together as husband and wife. Just weeks before their 2018 nuptials, doctors warned Stuart, 40, that his chronic lung condition had taken a turn for the worse. But a last-ditch medication called Posaconazole helped him make an unexpected recovery - which left doctors stunned. When Janine and Stewart Armstrong, of Ramsgate, Kent, pictured, made their vows to love each other in sickness and in health, they weren't expecting long together as husband and wife Stewart told FEMAIL: 'When I was diagnosed in 2015, my first goal was to live long enough to watch the new Star Wars film which was out at the end of that year! 'Now Janine and I are making plans for 10, 15, 20 years into the future - there was a time when we never thought that would be possible. I've gone from having check-ups weekly to six monthly.' Janine, 33, and Stewart met in 2010 when they worked together - and a few months later, he began to feel breathless and was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, an auto-immune problem. 'He was otherwise a healthy man with bags of energy and enthusiasm, who went on to start his own business,' Janine recalled. Janine, 33, and Stewart met in 2010 when they worked together - and a few months later, he began to feel breathless and was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, an auto-immune problem 'However, as time went by, he became more short of breath, and started getting pains in his chest. Eventually he began coughing up blood. 'Finally, in March 2015, he was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis - neither of us had ever even heard of it before.' The condition is caused by inhaling tiny bits of mould. In Stewart's case, these then grew in cavities in his lungs caused by his existing lung problem. Stewart recalled: 'By the time I was diagnosed I was so poorly; I was breathless after walking up one flight of stairs, felt constantly tired and couldn't work full-time. The couple, pictured, who run an events company together, had always intended to marry one day - they'd just never got around to it 'Once doctors understood the problem, my symptoms were kept stable by a daily cocktail of medication. But even so, Janine had to quit her job to help me run the business.' The couple, who run an events company together, had always intended to marry one day - they'd just never got around to it. But in 2018, Stewart's health suddenly worsened dramatically. He became so poorly he could walk only a few steps at a time, was coughing up blood and and his oxygen saturation levels were in the seventies in healthy adults these should be around 100 per cent - meaning he needed an oxygen mask most of the time. 'We were told he had only a 50 per cent of living to the end of the year and his life expectancy might be three years. It was an awful shock and very scary,' Janine said. Janine and Stewart, pictured before his diagnosis, decided to make a last minute plan to get married when his health took a turn for the worst A scan of Stewart's lungs (pictured) show the damage caused by the rare condition aspergilllosis 'Tests revealed that Stewart's existing medication had stopped working. Doctors said there had been a rapid decline in his lung function. 'Soon afterwards he was in bed at home, very unwell, when he proposed and I accepted. But he told me, "I don't want to walk down the aisle in an oxygen mask". 'We knew if we wanted to marry, we should do it very soon. So we found a venue who squeezed us in for a ceremony, in six weeks' time. I bought a dress online and we organised the ceremony in a huge rush. 'It was all very intense. At the time, things weren't looking good. We thought time was running out for us, and that if we had to wait, Stewart mightn't make it.' The couple married on September 20, 2018. They had a small wedding with half a dozen guests, followed by a honeymoon in Scotland. The couple married on September 20, 2018. They had a small wedding with half a dozen guests, followed by a honeymoon in Scotland But after their ceremony, last-ditch medical treatment brought about a recovery that left medics stunned. Doctors began treating Stewart with the sole remaining drug in their armoury - Posaconazole, prescribed to prevent fungal infections in patients with weak immune systems. Stewart said: 'Thankfully, that last-chance medication worked for me. My symptoms began to improve. 'When I saw the respiratory nurse, she told me the only word she could think of to describe the transformation was miraculous. 'But I wasn't out of the woods I still had only a 50 per cent chance of surviving three to five years.' Doctors started treating Stewart with the sole remaining drug in their armoury - Posaconazole, prescribed to prevent fungal infections in patients with weak immune systems - and his condition began to improve. Pictured in hospital While Stewart worked hard at the gym to improve his strength and stamina, and wean himself off oxygen, the couple also spent 2,000 on air filters for their home. Janine explained: 'We became extremely careful about Stewart's health, avoiding germs and any activities or locations that may expose him to mould or dust. 'If we were out anywhere and someone began coughing, we left. He no longer shook hands with anyone. 'I used essential oils around the house as they're supposed to get rid of fungal spores. We also started eating organic food to boost Stewart's health as much as possible. 'He joked that I'd become like a sniffer dog my nose became so sensitive to the smell of mould, if we were out and I got a whiff of it, I would literally usher him from the room!' While Stewart worked hard at the gym to improve his strength and stamina, and wean himself off oxygen, the couple also spent 2,000 on air filters for their home. Pictured on a walk Today, five years on from his initial diagnosis and two years on from the health crisis that led them to marry, Stewart's medication is still working and he's feeling well. His fitness has improved so much that before the Covid-19 lockdown, the couple enjoyed regular five mile walks together. What is aspergillosis and who is most at risk? Aspergillosis is a condition usually caused by inhaling tiny bits of mould. The mould triggering the illnesses, called aspergillus, is found everywhere indoors and outdoors. Most people are unaffected by the mould and don't get ill from breathing it in. But people with existing lung conditions or weakened immune systems (including people who've had organ transplants of chemotherapy) are at risk. In some patients, the spores trigger allergic reactions. Others develop mild to serious lung infections. The most serious form of aspergillosis invasive aspergillosis occurs when the infection spreads to blood vessels and beyond. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing, or coughing up blood. Medication cannot eradicate the fungus, but can slow down the progression and keep symptoms at bay. Depending on the type of Aspergillosis, treatment may involve observation, steroids and antifungal medications or, in rare cases, surgery. For help and support visit the Aspergillosis Trust at aspergillosistrust.org Advertisement They put that down to the excellent NHS medical care he receives at the National Aspergillosis Centre at Manchester Hospital, and his local hospital Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital at Margate. Stewart is among the millions of Britons currently told to stay 'shielded' indoors for 12 weeks during the coronavirus lockdown. Janine said: 'Stewart has regular X-rays, which always show that his lungs are in bad shape. That's to be expected, as aspergillosis can't be cured. Yet apart from that, his oxygen readings are in the nineties something that was impossible when he was at his worst - and he feels well. 'That means the two of us can think about living and enjoying life, rather than fearing approaching death.' However, Stewart must constantly make adjustments to his life to maintain this period of good health - and shutting himself away from the world during lockdown has had a detrimental effect. 'Once I began shielding, I went from doing at 15,000 steps a day to around 200 steps a day,' he said. 'That had a knock-on effect on my lungs. I noticed myself becoming increasingly breathless. I had to return to exercise, for the sake of my health. 'So now I get up at 5am to go for a long walk when the streets are empty, and maximise the health of my lungs while having minimal contact with others.' The couple want to raise awareness of aspergillosis because many strangers, hearing that it's a fungal infection, mistakenly dismiss it as a minor ailment like a nail infection. Stewart explained: 'If I had cancer, people would know how to react, but there's no road map for this life-threatening illness. For me, that's frustrating. 'Before getting ill, I managed six sales and marketing departments in London. I was always solving problems. Now this is a problem I can't solve. Stewart, pictured with Janine, is among the millions of Britons currently told to stay 'shielded' indoors for 12 weeks during the coronavirus lockdown due to his underlying health conditions 'Reading up about aspergilllosis and understanding the disease is one way I can get some control back. 'When I was diagnosed I just wanted to find someone who had survived, so I hope my story can help others. It can be very lonely and scary when you're diagnosed with a disease that's so unusual.' Stewart is happy to help others diagnosed with aspergillosis you can contact him via email at stewartjohnarmstrong@hotmail.com. Scientists working on a vaccine for COVID-19 in Keele, England. Carl Recine/Reuters One in five Americans surveyed in a new AP-NORC poll said they'd refuse a coronavirus vaccine, and only about half said they would get such a vaccination, which scientists around the world are racing to create. The results were published Wednesday, the same day when the US reached a grim milestone of 100,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus. "There's still a large amount of uncertainty around taking the vaccine," Caitlin Oppenheimer, the senior vice president of Public Health at NORC, told the Associated Press. "There is a lot of opportunity to communicate with Americans about the value and the safety of a vaccine." About seven in 10 of those who said they would get a coronavirus vaccine said they believed life would not return to normal without one. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A new poll published Wednesday found that about one in five Americans said they'd refuse a COVID-19 vaccine should one become available. Only about half of respondents to the poll, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, said they would get such a vaccine, while 31% said they were not yet sure whether they would get one. The poll surveyed 1,056 adults and was conducted May 14-18. The results were released on the same day when the US reached a grim milestone of 100,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus, which causes the illness known as COVID-19. "There's still a large amount of uncertainty around taking the vaccine," Caitlin Oppenheimer, the senior vice president of Public Health at NORC, told the AP. "There is a lot of opportunity to communicate with Americans about the value and the safety of a vaccine." Experts have touted a COVID-19 vaccine as the solution to allowing the world to return to something resembling normality. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes vaccinations as "one of the best ways to put an end to the serious effects of certain diseases." Story continues Respondents' uncertainty in this case, however, could have to do with the unprecedented circumstances surrounding COVID-19, which has prompted a worldwide race to condense a development process that normally takes several years into what scientists hope could be 12 to 18 months. Melanie Dries, 56, from Colorado, told the AP she was not an anti-vaxxer but was concerned about getting a COVID-19 vaccine in the near feature, saying it "causes me to fear that it won't be widely tested as to side effects." Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, told the AP in a previous interview that he "would not want people to think that we're cutting corners because that would be a big mistake." "I think this is an effort to try to achieve efficiencies, but not to sacrifice rigor," he said, adding that "definitely the worst thing that could happen is if we rush through a vaccine that turns out to have significant side effects." The Trump administration announced a vaccine-distribution program, dubbed Operation Warp Speed, meant to have 300 million doses in stock by January. The Department of Health and Human Services also promised earlier this week to provide "up to $1.2 billion" in funds to a laboratory at Oxford University working to develop a vaccine, The New York Times reported. "It's always better to underpromise and overdeliver," Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious-disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told the AP. "The unexpected looms large, and that's why I think for any of these vaccines, we're going to need a large safety database to provide the reassurance." The AP-NORC poll found that 20% of Americans believed a coronavirus vaccine would be available to the public this year, with a majority saying it was more likely that a vaccine would be available next year. About seven in 10 of those who said they would get the coronavirus vaccine said they believed life would not return to normal without one, with other top reasons for getting vaccinated including protecting themselves, their families, and the community. "I'm definitely going to get it," Brandon Grimes, 35, from Austin, Texas, told the AP. "As a father who takes care of his family, I think ... it's important for me to get vaccinated as soon as it's available to better protect my family." Read the original article on Business Insider Today Armenia celebrates the national holiday - the First Republic Day. On May 28, 1918, Armenia achieved independence, seceding from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, which formed after the collapse of the Russian Empire. The First Republic existed only for two years. On December 2, 1920, the government led by Prime Minister Simon Vratsyan signed an agreement with the RSFSR, and the Armenian SSR was formed. It existed until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Since 1992, May 28 is formally celebrated in Armenia as Republic Day, and it is a non-working day. Despite the fact that the Republic of Armenia existed in that status for a relatively short period, May 28th remains an important date for the countrys residents. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) Landline and internet service provider PLDT's Twitter account was hacked Thursday afternoon, with hackers demanding better internet services. A group which identified itself as the Legion hackers claimed control over the telecommunications giant's customer services account @PLDT_Cares, renaming it as "PLDT Doesn't Care" at 12:34 p.m. It was a verified account maintained by the company. The group used the iconic Guy Fawkes mask borrowed from the movie "V for Vendetta," the logo which online hackers who also call themselves the Anonymous collective often use to break into online accounts and websites of big brands and even government institutions. "As the pandemic arises, Filipinos need fast internet to communicate with their loved ones. Do your job. The corrupt fear us, the honest support us, the heroic join us. We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us," the tweet read, which has been retweeted for over 44,000 times as of 2 p.m. The statement came as strict stay-at-home rules are being observed in parts of the Philippines as the government's measure to control the spread of COVID-19. Students and workers have had to resort to virtual lectures and meetings as part of life under the "new normal." The tweet was taken down at 2:30 p.m., and the account's display name has been reverted to "PLDT Cares." In a statement, the network said it has recovered the account and assured customers that the security breach "did not affect PLDT's network and services." The internet provider countered the group's demand for better connectivity, saying that it has provided subscribers with speed boosts and higher data allocations for Fibr customers and Smart subscribers. "As a result, our customers have been using more extensively a wide range of data and digital services that have helped them cope with life under lockdown," PLDT said in a statement, noting that they invest heavily in their fiber and LTE networks. The hackers also earlier threatened that PLDT's rival, Globe Telecom, will be next on their agenda. This tweet has been deleted. The Executive is set to lift several lockdown restrictions in Northern Ireland from next month, including small weddings, advance hotel bookings and outdoor retail. Speaking at the daily Executive briefing during week 10 of lockdown, the First and deputy First Ministers Arlene Foster and Michelle ONeill said the new measures would only come into effect on June 8 if the rate of infection did not increase. The Executive will decide on June 4 if the restrictions will be eased. It comes as a further two deaths from Covid-19 in Northern Ireland were announced by the Department of Health, bringing the total to 518. Read More In the UK there have been a further 412 deaths confirmed, increasing the total to 37,460. The Irish Republic confirmed 17 more deaths, with a total figure of 1,631. The latest lifting of measures will allow: Small marriages and civil ceremonies to be held outside attended by no more than 10 people. People will also be allowed to attend to the needs of animals, allowing for horse training and visits to dog groomers. Hotels could start taking advance bookings, but this would be at risk as no date for them to reopen safely has been agreed. Outdoor retail, such as sales for cars and farm machinery can also reopen Shops with a lower footfall such as those selling electronics or household furnishing should be able to reopen with social distancing in place. But only where those outlets have direct street access or direct access within a retail park. The Economy Minister Diane Dodds is set to announce further information for businesses from next week. Restrictions on meeting people from other households indoors, however, will remain in place but will be reconsidered on June 18. We know people will be disappointed by that, but Im very grateful that we have such beautiful weather as people can see each other outside. Because we know that outside the virus does not stay around as long as inside, Mrs Foster said. By making sacrifices the Northern Ireland public have enabled us to regain certain basic freedoms. Mrs Foster said it was necessary to give businesses notice to prepare, but that the new measures on June 8 could only take place if the R rating number used to determine the spread of the virus remains below one. Read More A contact tracing programme in Northern Ireland is already in place, and Mrs Foster said 99 Health and social care staff had been redeployed to the task. She said 212 cases of Covid-19 have already been contact traced over seven days up to May 25, the equivalent of around 30 a day. Further staff including nurses and environmental health officers will be recruited over a period of two years with health consultants responsible for the most complex work. Expand Close Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press E / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill Ms ONeill called again for patience and said the balanced approach to lifting restrictions was working. The R rate is only just on the right side of one today, however we are making progress and we are going in the right direction. She warned that the recent easing of restrictions had already resulted in a considerable shift in behaviour and that is was up to the public to prevent a rise in Covid-19 cases. An anonymous call was received last night informing that a bomb had been planted at Armenia's Zvartnots International Airport. A large number of rescuers, police and National Security Service officers, paramedics, as well as sappers and cynologists have arrived at the scene. Traffic police officers were on high alert on the spot, shamshyan.com reported. The rescuers, together with the police officers, evacuated four employees of the airport. But no bomb was found during the search. The Houston Police Department has asked the FBI to take a closer look at last month's fatal shooting of Nicolas Chavez, video of whose death showed him on his knees. During a news conference Wednesday, police chief Art Acevedo said he called on federal investigators to review the April 21 shooting. The last time Acevedo said he also flagged the FBI was following last years botched Harding Street narcotics raid that left two people dead and criminal charges for some of the officers involved. "I called them myself," Acevedo said. Theyve been given everything theyve asked for." Video of last months shooting appeared to show Chavez on his knees when at least four officers opened fire following a 14-minute confrontation in Denver Harbor. The officers asserted that he charged at them with a pointy object, later identified to be a piece of rebar, according to authorities. The shooting followed 911 calls of a man jumping fences and threatening bystanders, police said. Officers confronted him and shot him with Taser rounds and bean bag projectiles. According to police, Chavez at one point picked up an officers used Taser and pointed it at the officers. The cell phone footage appears to show Chavez on his knees and then rising to his feet, before stumbling back to his knees when lethal rounds are fired. Last month, the chief called the video of Chavezs death difficult to watch. He said the shooting was captured on about 70 cameras, including those worn by the officers. Acevedo anticipates that their internal investigation into Chavezs death will wrap up by June 10 at the latest. The Harris County District Attorneys Office is also investigating the shooting and any criminal charges the police officers could face are pending the results of a grand jury. Acevedo said the FBI routinely monitors whenever an officer-involved shooting happens in his jurisdiction. That oversight applies to all police departments in the country, officials said. NEWS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up for breaking news email alerts from HoustonChronicle.com here Brian Grehoski, supervisory special agent for the FBI's Houston division, said the agency assesses some cases in light of a possible civil rights violation. Some police agencies request the assessment but investigators will sometimes initiate the review on their own. Not every assessment results in an investigation, he continued. Their assessments will determine whether an officer abused their authority, such as excessive force, and if federal prosecution can proceed. "The real challenge under civil rights investigations, we have to prove that the officer knew what they were doing was wrong and chose to do it anyway," said Grehoski, who has led civil rights classes at the Houston Police Academy. "That's an incredibly high bar." In the case of the Harding Street raid, the FBI assessment turned into an investigation that resulted in former Houston police officer Gerald Goines being federally charged with civil rights violations, falsifying records and lying about the use of confidential informants. nicole.hensley@chron.com Nov. 15, 1930 May 26, 2020 CAMBRIDGE Doris Emily Hunt, 89, of Cambridge, passed away Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at the Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation at Hoosick Falls. Born November 15, 1930 in White Creek, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Mary (Blake) Ruggles. Doris attended a one room school house in White Creek. Doris was a union member of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union which was one of the first U.S. unions to have a primarily female membership. Doris worked at Reis Mills in Cambridge and finished her working career at Thompsons in Bennington, Vermont, retiring in 1994. Doris enjoyed camping at Deer Run in Mechanicville and also in Crown Point with her late husband Robert and her extended family. She loved visiting Hampton Beach with her sister Ruth and brotherin-law, William. She enjoyed watching the birds, especially cardinals. Most recently she had three cardinals visit her bird feeder outside her window; she commented she had a visit from her late husband Bobby, her sister Ruth, and good friend Harold Watkins. Doris also treasured her time driving around in her PT Cruiser. Her most enjoyment was spending time with her family. She was quick witted and always on top of family events. If you needed an answer about the family tree she knew the answer. Her Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings at the Cold Springs Lane homestead in Cambridge were magical to behold with every offering you could imagine. As a child they were the holidays that you dreamed about or saw on television. In addition to her parents, Doris was predeceased by her husband, Robert G. Hunt; two brothers, Donald Ruggles and Frank Ruggles, Jr; and one sister, Ruth J. Allen. A nephew; James Hunt. Doris is survived by her nieces, Barbara Sausville of Hoosick Falls, Dorothy (Harold) Bowen of East Hoosick, and Shirley Cameron of Westwood, California; nephews, Donald (Carol) Ruggles, Jr., of Rochester, and Martin (Shirley) Hunt Sr. of Cambridge. Grieving family includes a cherished niece, Tina (Harry) Ungeheuer of Saratoga Springs. Additionally, survived by many, many nieces and nephews, who showered her with love and for whom she created special memories. She is also survived by several half-brothers and half-sisters. The family will have a private service with interment at Woodlands Cemetery in Cambridge. To offer condolences to the family, please visit www.gariepyfuneralhomes.com. The Ackley, Ross & Gariepy Funeral Home in Cambridge is assisting the family. To retain the migrants who have returned to the state during the lockdown, Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Thursday inaugurated the Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana. Rawat instructed the officials that information about this scheme should be conveyed to every village so that the youth can avail of this scheme. This scheme should be widely publicised through public representatives and district level officers so that the maximum number of villagers can take advantage of it. Under this scheme, the district magistrate should coordinate with the bankers so that the beneficiaries do not have any problem in taking loan, said Rawat. The migrants who apply under this programme will get quick approval from the authorities concerned and their applications will be forwarded to banks with immediate subsidy which will be 25% in the hill districts and 15% in the plain districts. The project aims at giving self-employment opportunities to youth and a boost to reverse migration, especially entrepreneurs returning to Uttarakhand and encourage skilled and unskilled artisans, handicrafts and unemployed youths to start their own business. The scheme will offer credit facility through nationalised banks, scheduled commercial banks and cooperative banks. Under the Yojana, the margin money will be provided as a grant by the MSME department. According to the MSME policy, the maximum limit for margin money in classified category A will be 25% of the total project cost, 20% in category B and 15% for projects of the total project cost in C and D category. Margin money will be adjusted as a grant after the successful operation of the enterprise for minimum two years. A person needs to be at least 18 years of age to be able to apply under the scheme. The applicant or his family member will be benefited only once under the scheme. Experts have termed this initiative as a game-changer especially in the hilly areas, while cautioning that much will depend on its implementation. Over one lakh migrant workers have returned to the state with more coming every day. SS Negi, vice chairman of state rural development and migration commission, which has been working on plans to curb migration from hilly areas, has suggested various measures to the government for the people. He termed it is a game-changer. We have been suggesting to the government to start a similar programme in the hilly areas since last one year. And now when they have finally done it, we believe it will really fly off, said Negi. The official said the commission has conducted a study in the hilly area in which they found that many people are already running their venture availing the benefits of PMEGP. People there are running their own gymnasiums, beauty parlours, dhabas, mobile repairing shops and others. Now when there is another similar programme by the state, people will definitely avail this also, said Negi. He said the initiative has come at the right time as the migrants who have returned have brought valuable experience with them. The migrants who have returned are experienced in their work which they used to do in other states. If they go for the programme then they wont have to do much because they already have the skills and experience. It will prove to be a force multiplier as after starting their ventures, they will employ other people of their respective areas, said Negi. AN EXTREME forest fire risk is deemed to exist in all areas where hazardous fuels such as dead grasses, heather and gorse exist. The red forest fire warning - the most extreme warning level - has been issued by the Department of Agriculture. It is effective until midnight on Monday, June 1 "An anticyclone of 1038hPa centred over the North Sea will track steadily eastwards and generate light to moderate easterly airflows over Ireland during the next 24 hours, consistent with a Type A fire weather pattern. "This type of pattern has previously been associated with extreme fire behaviour under Irish conditions," said a spokesperson. All indications are for high fire spread potential, they said. "Overall forest fire risk is likely to be compounded by ignitions risks associated with expected high levels of public activity in fire prone areas during the Bank Holiday Weekend," said the spokesperson. Under extreme fire risk conditions any ignition source in upland vegetation will give rise to rapid and unpredictable wildfire development and spread. "Fires can be expected to cover extensive areas and pose extreme difficulties to suppression efforts and may potentially give rise to major emergency scenarios. The issue of condition red extreme fire risk warnings is a comparatively rare event and implies that recipients should take immediate action to protect resources and property. Such action may involve the mobilisation, assembly and prepositioning of resources such as water tankers, machinery, personnel and contract aviation support to high risk areas," said the spokesperson. They urge people who may see a fire, "Do not delay, report it to the fire and emergency services straight away. Do not wait for somebody else to make the call. Dial 999 or 112." File Photo New Delhi: Global aircraft maker Boeing is set to lay off more than 12,000 workers. The aviation industry has been hit hard by travel bans due to the Covid-19 crisis. The company may lay off more people in the coming days. PhotoAmerica's largest shipbuilder will lay off 6,770 employees this week. In addition, 5,520 employees have opted for voluntary retirement. Boeing had announced a 10 per cent cut in its workforce. Advertisement The company has a total of 160,000 employees. Businesses have been affected by the corona virus epidemic and its lockdown. Since then, companies have started laying off their employees. PhotoBangalore-based startup LivSpace has laid off 15 per cent of its employees, or 450 people. The company made the decision last week. Rico Auto Industries, an auto parts maker, sacked 119 employees of Dharuhera in Haryana on May 22. Rolls-Royce, an aerospace engine maker, has cut nearly 9,000 jobs worldwide due to a sharp drop in air travel due to the corona virus epidemic. The company has a total of 52,000 employees and it is not clear where the cuts will be made. The chief executive officer of the company said that difficult decisions would have to be taken to manage the company in this difficult time. Global medical technology company Getinge has introduced a new range of consumables for sterile reprocessing. Getinge Assured Superfast 20 Biological Indicator speeds up the ability of the Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD) to release loads safely, ensuring that the sterile instruments can be in the right place, at the right time. Every sterile reprocessing department must achieve throughput, accuracy, and validated credibility to support both the hospital processes and ensure patient safety. With the new Getinge Assured Superfast 20 Biological Indicators, accurate and consistent results allow the CSSD staff to proceed with confidence in the shortest possible time frame. Patient safety starts in the CSSD, as it is crucial for any hospital that sterile instruments are received by the end user in a safe and timeous manner. With our new indicators, it takes only 20 minutes to ensure a crucial element of patient safety in steam and hydrogen peroxide processes. The fast, clear and accurate results prove that the correct process parameters for the in-activation of microorganisms were present in the steriliser chamber, said Cindy Graham, Senior Director Consumables at Getinge. The speed of incubation allows sterile reprocessing departments to increase hospital workflows, improve productivity and assure the supply of sterilised instruments. When testing can be done this quick and the results are easy to interpret, it provides the CSSD with effective and clear evidence that each load is safe and sterile. In this way our Superfast 20 Biological Indicators help minimize the impact of hospital acquired infections due to cross-contamination, said Graham. The Getinge Assured Express Incubator has eight wells that can be used to process indicators for both steam and hydrogen peroxide processes at the same time. In addition, it has a QR code scanner that helps minimize errors in the incubation setup, and a convenient connection port at the back keeping wires out of the way. The touch screen on the Getinge Assured Express Incubator indicates the status of each incubation well and visual alarms signal if an error should occur. There is also a cover to protect the incubation wells from dust and debris when the incubator is not in use. The new Superfast 20 indicators are compatible with most brands of steam and hydrogen peroxide processes sterilizers and comply with ISO 11138. They are available globally with the exception of North America and pending local registration and certification requirements. - TradeArabia News Service Washington, May 28 : NASA and SpaceX postponed historic launch of two astronauts to space from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday due to bad weather. "Due to the weather conditions, the launch is scrubbing," NASA tweeted, Xinhua reported. The crewed mission will be the first time since 2011 that American astronauts launch on an American rocket from American soil to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX said the launch was delayed due to unfavorable weather in the flight path. The next launch opportunity is scheduled on Saturday, May 30 at 15:22 Eastern Time. "No launch for today - safety for our crew members is our top priority," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted. The countdown was halted less than 17 minutes before the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was due to lift off from historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Later the propellant has been offloaded from the rocket, the launch escape system has been disarmed, and the two astronauts safely exited the vehicle, according to NASA. "As the egress team assists astronauts out of the capsule, we are looking at a 50 percent chance of favorable weather for Saturday's launch," NASA tweeted. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry the Crew Dragon spacecraft and veteran NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to orbit. The spacecraft is scheduled to dock to the ISS about 24 hours after launch. After successfully docking, Behnken and Hurley will be welcomed aboard station and will become members of the Expedition 63 crew. They will perform tests on Crew Dragon in addition to conducting research and other tasks with the space station crew. This is SpaceX's final test flight for NASA's Commercial Crew Program and will provide critical data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft, and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, and landing operations. The test flight also will provide valuable data toward certification of SpaceX's crew transportation system for regular flights carrying astronauts to and from the space station. WASHINGTON, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Treasury Department, announced that it is setting aside $10 billion of Round 2 funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to be lent exclusively by Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). CDFIs work to expand economic opportunity in low-income communities by providing access to financial products and services for local residents and businesses. These dedicated funds will further ensure that the PPP reaches all communities in need of relief during the COVID-19 pandemic a key priority for President Trump. "The forgivable loan program, PPP, is dedicated to providing emergency capital to sustain our nation's small businesses, the drivers of our economy, and retain their employees," said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. "CDFIs provide critically important capital and technical assistance to small businesses from rural, minority and other underserved communities, especially during this economically challenging time." "The PPP has helped over 50 million American workers stay connected to their jobs and over 4 million small businesses get much-needed relief," said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. "We have received bipartisan support for dedicating these funds for CDFIs to ensure that traditionally underserved communities have every opportunity to emerge from the pandemic stronger than before." As of May 23, 2020, CDFIs have approved more than $7 billion ($3.2 billion in Round 2) in PPP loans. The additional $6.8 billion will ensure that entrepreneurs and small business owners in all communities have easy access to the financial system, and that they receive much-needed capital to maintain their workforces. The Paycheck Protection Program was created by the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and provides forgivable loans to small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to keep their employees on the payroll. To date, more than 4.4 million loans have been approved for over $510 billion for small businesses across America. The SBA and the Treasury Department remain committed to ensuring eligible small businesses have the resources they need to get through this time. About the U.S. Small Business Administration The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov. Contact: [email protected], (202) 205-7036 Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Blogs & Instagram Release Number: 20-42 SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration Related Links http://www.sba.gov Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/28/2020 -- The Latest research study released by HTF MI "Nebulization Masks Market" with 100+ pages of analysis on business Strategy taken up by key and emerging industry players and delivers know how of the current market development, landscape, technologies, drivers, opportunities, market viewpoint and status. Understanding the segments helps in identifying the importance of different factors that aid the market growth. Some of the Major Companies covered in this Research are Besmed Health Business, BLS Systems, DeVilbiss Healthcare, For Care Enterprise, Hsiner, KOO Industries, ME.BER, Pari, Salter Labs, SAN UP, Vadi Medical & Yilkal Medikal etc. Click here for free sample + related graphs of the report @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/2636461-nebulization-masks-market-research-1 Browse market information, tables and figures extent in-depth TOC on "Nebulization Masks Market by Application (Nebulization & Oxygen), by Product Type (, Half Face & Full Face), Business scope, Manufacturing and Outlook Estimate to 2025". The global impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have significantly affecting the Infrastructure in overall market in 2020. The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought effects on many aspects, like flight cancellations; travel bans and quarantines; restaurants closed; all indoor events restricted; over forty countries state of emergency declared; massive slowing of the supply chain; stock market volatility; falling business confidence, growing panic among the population, and uncertainty about future. Know more with latest edition of Nebulization Masks Market Study; Early buyers will receive 20% customization free on report for more information or any query mail at sales@htfmarketreport.com At last, all parts of the Nebulization Masks Market are quantitatively also subjectively valued to think about the Global just as regional market equally. This market study presents basic data and true figures about the market giving a deep analysis of this market based on market trends, market drivers, constraints and its future prospects. The report supplies the worldwide monetary challenge with the help of Porter's Five Forces Analysis and SWOT Analysis. If you have any Enquiry please click here @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/2636461-nebulization-masks-market-research-1 Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per your needs for added data up to 3 businesses or countries or 40 analyst hours. On the basis of report- titled segments and sub-segment of the market are highlighted below: Nebulization Masks Market By Application/End-User (Value and Volume from 2019 to 2025) : Nebulization & Oxygen Market By Type (Value and Volume from 2019 to 2025) : , Half Face & Full Face Nebulization Masks Market by Key Players: Besmed Health Business, BLS Systems, DeVilbiss Healthcare, For Care Enterprise, Hsiner, KOO Industries, ME.BER, Pari, Salter Labs, SAN UP, Vadi Medical & Yilkal Medikal Geographically, this report is segmented into some key Regions, with manufacture, depletion, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Nebulization Masks in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering China, USA, Europe, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia & South America and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2019 to 2025. Informational Takeaways from the Market Study: The report Nebulization Masks matches the completely examined and evaluated data of the noticeable companies and their situation in the market considering impact of Coronavirus. The measured tools including SWOT analysis, Porter's five powers analysis, and assumption return debt were utilized while separating the improvement of the key players performing in the market. Key Development's in the Market: This segment of the Nebulization Masks report fuses the major developments of the market that contains confirmations, composed endeavors, R&D, new thing dispatch, joint endeavours, and relationship of driving members working in the market. To get this report buy full copy @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=2636461 Some of the important question for stakeholders and business professional for expanding their position in the Nebulization Masks Market : Q 1. Which Region offers the most rewarding open doors for the market Ahead of 2020? Q 2. What are the business threats and Impact of COVID scenario Over the market Growth and Estimation? Q 3. What are probably the most encouraging, high-development scenarios for Nebulization Masks movement showcase by applications, types and regions? Q 4.What segments grab most noteworthy attention in Nebulization Masks Market in 2019 and beyond? Q 5. Who are the significant players confronting and developing in Nebulization Masks Market? For More Information Read Table of Content @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/2636461-nebulization-masks-market-research-1 Key poles of the TOC: Chapter 1 Nebulization Masks Market Business Overview Chapter 2 Major Breakdown by Type [, Half Face & Full Face] Chapter 3 Major Application Wise Breakdown (Revenue & Volume) Chapter 4 Manufacture Market Breakdown Chapter 5 Sales & Estimates Market Study Chapter 6 Key Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Breakdown .. Chapter 8 Manufacturers, Deals and Closings Market Evaluation & Aggressiveness Chapter 9 Key Companies Breakdown by Overall Market Size & Revenue by Type .. Chapter 11 Business / Industry Chain (Value & Supply Chain Analysis) Chapter 12 Conclusions & Appendix Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia. About HTF Market Report HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the "Accurate Forecast" in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their "Goals & Objectives". Contact US : Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager) HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited Unit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJ New Jersey USA 08837 Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218 sales@htfmarketreport.com Government officials have tried peace negotiations and disarmament campaigns to try to ease the violence (AFP Photo/Kola Sulaimon) Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Armed criminals on motorcycles killed dozens of people in a string of attacks on villages in the restive northwest of Nigeria, medics and residents said. Dozens of gunmen -- described locally as "bandits -- raided five villages close to the border with Niger in Sokoto state late Wednesday, the sources told AFP. Lawal Kakale, a local traditional leader in Sabon Birni district, said the death toll had risen to 74 from an earlier figure of 60 as more bodies were recovered in the villages. "We recovered 25 corpses in Garki, 13 in Dan Aduwa, 25 in Kuzari, seven in Katuma and four in Masawa," he told AFP. "People fled in all directions and were pursued by the attackers. So, the corpses were scattered." Medics at the nearby hospital said they initially received 60 corpses with gunshot wounds in the wake of the assaults. "All the bodies had bullet wounds, most of them were shot in the head," a medic said on condition of anonymity. There was no immediate official comment from police but security sources said there would be a press conference later Thursday. Regional governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said the attack came as a "rude shock" as security officials had recently visited the area to try to calm tensions. Northwestern Nigeria has been wracked by years of violence involving clashes between rival communities over land, attacks by heavily-armed criminal gangs and reprisal killings by vigilante groups. Cattle rustling and kidnapping for ransom have flourished in the security vacuum. Sabon Birni district, 175 kilometres (110 miles) from the state capital Sokoto, has in recent times been repeatedly attacked by armed gangs. On Monday 18 people were killed when gunmen raided five other villages in Sabon Birni district, local officials said. Nigeria's armed forces last week launched bombing raids against camps in neighbouring areas of the northwest as part of the latest efforts to curb attacks. Story continues The army said the bombing campaign had killed hundreds of "bandits" but there has been no independent confirmation of the death tolls. Authorities have previously launched repeated military operations and local peace talks to try to end the violence. But so far neither strategy has succeeded in halting unrest that has killed an estimated 8,000 people since 2011 and displaced 200,000. The International Crisis Group warned last week that jihadist groups waging a decade-long insurgency in northeast Nigeria are gaining influence in the northwest of the country. The Brussels-based researchers said the region risked becoming a "land bridge" to Islamist fighters across the Sahel. The group said there needed to be closer cooperation between the security forces in Nigeria and Niger to stop the flow of arms across their porous border. Local leaders in Sokoto have said residents increasingly look to soldiers from Niger for protection and accuse the Nigerian army of failing to respond to attacks. You'll be asked to leave this Texas bar if you do wear a mask. The owners of Liberty Tree Tavern in Elgin have decided to do the opposite of the many bars and restaurants across the country recommending or requiring patrons to wear masks as they reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. Kevin Smith, co-owner of Liberty Tree Tavern in Elgin, Texas, says customers are not allowed to wear masks in his bar. (TODAY) "Due to our concern for our customers, if they FEEL (not think) that they need to wear a mask, they should stay at home until they FEEL that its safe to be in public without one," a sign on the front window of the bar reads. "Sorry, No Mask Allowed." Download the TODAY app for the latest coverage on the coronavirus outbreak. Liberty Tree Tavern co-owner Kevin Smith told NBC affiliate KXAN that he feels he's already taking enough precautions with social distancing and occupancy limits that he doesn't want customers wearing masks. "It's more of a push back the snitches and the contact tracers out there,'' Smith said. "This is still a rural county." Liberty Tree Tavern has a sign in front that says, The city of about 10,000 people has 53 recorded coronavirus cases and one death, according the Austin American-Statesman, a Texas newspaper. Charles Chamberlain, a regular patron at the bar, told the outlet that he's fine with the no-mask policy, even as a stage 4 cancer and H1N1 virus survivor, which puts him at high risk for severe complications from the coronavirus. "You should have a choice of what you want to do," he said. "If I get it, I get it. If I do, Ill deal with that. You cant live forever." Liberty Tree Tavern's decision to ban masks comes as restaurant and bar owners across the country work to determine what changes they will institute to prevent the spread of the virus while also making patrons feel comfortable. Country star John Rich, owner of Redneck Riviera bar and restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, is requiring employees to wear masks, but not customers. "I think that personal responsibility is a big thing right now," Rich told Craig Melvin on TODAY earlier this month. "Ive seen certain governments around our country, I think, overreach with people. I think you got to treat us like adults." "Were all very well aware that this virus is deadly," he continued. "This virus is nasty and that you dont want to transmit it, and so a lot of our customers are actually wearing masks when they come in. We also have masks on hand if they dont have one and offer them one." A man was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries after a shooting near Ted Reeve Community Arena in the Danforth Village. Police said they received reports of the sound of multiple gunshots in the area of Main Street and Gerrard Street E., shortly after 5 p.m on Wednesday. Police found a man suffering from multiple gunshot injuries. Toronto paramedics transported him to hospital. Raneem Alozzi is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @r_alozzi The formation and retrieval of memories in the brain is a process which has long baffled scientists, due to the complexity of the human mind. However, scientists now think they know how humans learn and store these moments in their memory bank. According to a team of researchers from the University of Birmingham, it is due to a specific form of brainwave, known as a theta wave. These are produced by the hippocampus which is involved in the regulation of motivation, emotion and memory and pulsate at three times a second. Scientists found that oscillation of these low-frequency brainwaves is directly correlated with when people remember something, or when the penny drops. Scroll down for video According to a team of researchers from the University of Birmingham, memory recall and formation occurs due to the a specific brainwave, called theta waves. They are produced by the hippocampus (pictured) which is involved in the regulation of motivation, emotion and memory and pulsate at three times a second A new study involved epilepsy patients who have electrodes implanted in their brain as part of their ongoing treatment. Scientists from the University of Birmingham asked them to take part in some experiments, and gathered data via the electrodes. Patients were shown a series of pictures and words, all of which were unrelated. The participants were told that one word was linked to a specific image. They were asked to learn these links and, later, were asked to recall them. What the researchers saw was that theta waves were produced during the initial learning phase only when a person later gave the correct answer upon testing. This, they say, shows that theta waves are only produced when a person is learning efficiently and the fact theta waves were only found in instances of successful learning indicates they are necessary for forging memories. The formation and retrieval of memories in the brain is a phenomenon which is scarcely understood, principally due to the complexity of the human mind. However, scientists now think they know how humans learn and store these moments via theta waves made by the hippocampus (pictured) Next, the researchers performed a similar task with people who did not have electrodes implanted in their brain. They were tasked with learning similar associations between unrelated words and images. Then, they were given a button to press and one of the images popped up on the screen. When they remembered the word, they pressed the button. By analysing the data from hundreds of individual tests, the researchers found that for the correct answers there was a pattern as to when people clicked the button. Stress lives in the hippocampus region of the human brain Scientists have identified where stress resides in the human brain for the first time. Brain-scanning was used to track the source of psychological stress induced by a series of evocative images shown to 30 volunteers. It found the origin of stress came from a region called the hippocampus, which is heavily involved in the regulation of motivation, emotion and memory. Participants were forced to look at troubling images, such as a snarling dog, mutilated faces or filthy toilets, to illicit an innate reaction. These images were interspersed with calming photos, such as natural scenes. For each image, the participant graded the level of stress triggered by the photo. Functional MRI (fMRI) scanning saw, in real time, how this psychological strain was processed in the brain. It revealed that neural connections started in the hippocampus, deep in the brain, and emanated throughout the organ. Advertisement There are three points every second where most people recalled the information. These clusters were not seen when a person said the wrong answer. Dr Maria Wimber told New Scientist: 'You can see an oscillation. Memories were more likely to pop into mind at regular intervals after the reminder, and not in between.' The reliable rhythm observed is believed to be from the theta waves, reverberating around the hippocampus and extracting the correct memory implanted there earlier when other theta waves helped a person learn the link between a word and a picture. For example, previous unrelated research has found retention of information of a film is improved when the sound and screen pulsate in harmony several times a second. It is hoped that the knowledge of this regular pulsing used by the brain to form and recall memories could help people suffering from cognitive diseases that cause memory loss, such as Alzheimer's. This may be down to synchronising with the theta waves and therefore improving the formation of memories. Researchers hope that the same method could be used to help Alzheimer's patients learn the name of a new carer. Some preliminary success has been seen in a lab setting, but it remains uncertain how well this will translate to the real world. The research was presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society meeting held online this month. By David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Canadian court ruling that could permit the extradition of a senior Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] executive to the United States leaves Canada vulnerable to further retaliation from Beijing, analysts said. Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on Wednesday lost a challenge to a U.S. bid to extradite her to face bank fraud charges, a decision the Chinese embassy in Ottawa strongly denounced. For Canada, the stakes are high. After Meng's arrest in Vancouver in December 2018, China detained two Canadian citizens on state security charges and blocked imports of some canola seed. This month, China's CanSino Biologics Inc began working with the country's National Research Council to "pave the way" for future COVID-19 vaccine trials in Canada. China has been supplying the country with personal protection equipment during the outbreak. "If China decides to cut us off from those kinds of things, people will die," said Stephanie Carvin, an assistant professor and security expert at Ottawa's Carleton University. "My very strong concern is that cooperation goes away very quickly, and it leaves us in a very bad position," she added. Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, forecast Beijing would announce a trial date for the two Canadian citizens it is holding, as well as taking more punitive trade measures. Chinese President "Xi Jinping will want to appear strong and will want to be seen as acting against Canada," Saint-Jacques told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Asked on Thursday if he feared Chinese backlash, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not answer. Instead, he noted that Canada's judiciary system is independent, and renewed his call for immediate release of citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. "We will continue to defend our interests and our values," Trudeau added. "There are a lot of issues in play," said Roland Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to Trudeau and professor of international affairs at University of Ottawa. Story continues Managing relations with China is like "walking the razor's edge," he said. "Our approach to China is one that is not naive and... we're not afraid to take a strong line and a firm line when we need to," said a government source in Ottawa, requesting anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation. University of British Columbia professor Paul Evans predicted the two detainees would remain behind bars for some time. The ruling "isn't going to make life easier for the two Michaels," he said. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Steve Scherer, Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio) Biotechnology, online retail, fintech, and green real estate are expected to prosper during the post-COVID period. Biotechnology and AI In early February, when coronavirus began spreading rapidly in Wuhan City, China, early detection of infection cases put into quarantine was a big challenge for medical workers. To solve the problem, Alibaba joined forces with Damo Academy to develop an AI-based patient identification system. The equipment just needed 20 seconds to discover coronavirus infected patients with the high accuracy of 96 percent. Analysts believe that the post-Covid-19 period will witness an investment capital flow into biotechnology and AI. Harvard Business Review reported that AI analyzed biological structure more accurately and has high data processing speed. The combination of AI and biotechnology promises to control and prevent the spread of similar epidemics in the future. Covid-19 has changed consumers habits. A survey by Nielsen Vietnam found that urban habits of going shopping at supermarkets and traditional markets have dropped by 50 percent, while the number of online shopping transactions increased by 25 percent. Online retail and fast delivery Covid-19 has changed consumers habits. A survey by Nielsen Vietnam found that urban habits of going shopping at supermarkets and traditional markets have dropped by 50 percent, while the number of online shopping transactions increased by 25 percent. The number of transactions via e-commerce sites has soared. Tiki, Lazada and Shopee reported twofold to fourfold increases in numbers of orders they receive daily. Co-op Mart reported that its online orders increased by 4-5 times. Realizing the online shopping boom, Grab, an e-hailing app has launched GrabMart service, while The Gioi Di Dong has introduced shopping service for clients. The online retail market has been growing well in recent years, by 39 percent over the last five years, higher than the 10per cent growth rate of the traditional retail market. However Covid-19 could serve as a catalyst that helps accelerate the development of the online market. Fintech boom In an effort to restrict the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the government recommended people make non-cash payments for goods and services. This explains the sharp rise in the number and value of online transactions via internet banking and e-wallets. The non-cash payment wave is expected to become even stronger in the future when people have confidence in service quality, speed and efficiency. JP Morgan reported that 19 percent of e-commerce transaction value in Vietnam is carried out via e-wallets. The figure is equal to cash payment, but lower than card payment (34 percent) and bank transfer (22 percent). Green real estate on the rise The epidemic reflected the polluting living environment. Environment quality, green utilities, green building materials and environment-friendly technologies will be of great concern. The awareness of living green and healthy will also bring opportunities to the second home market, helping the market recover and even explode in some localities. Mai Lan Vietnamese businesses ready to be connected with avenue EVFTA Economic cooperation between Vietnam and the European Union (EU) is about to turn a new page in history as the Vietnamese National Assembly is moving very close to ratifying the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). 43 Shares Share I often turn to my children when facing lifes vexing moments. So I did just that recently. Kiddos, what do you think coronavirus is here to teach us? My 11 year old spoke first, To be thankful for our health. Gratitude, huh? I step back from this moment and wonder if she is on to something. Working as a physician and educator, and having spent the better part of the last days thinking about the implications of COVID-19 for our New Mexico population down to the level of patients and students, I am thankful for this moment. If you will allow, I would like to infuse some coronavirus-induced gratitude into the moment in which we find ourselves. A time to see more clearly the importance of the people and communities that sustain us. Reflect on this when your workplace huddles together to discuss COVID-19 precautions and procedures. It is so easy to work around great people and, distracted by the work to be done, forget to appreciate those doing the work. Reflect on it, but dont stop there: Tell the beautiful people around you how much you value them. I cant leave this topic without thinking of the epidemic of loneliness that afflicts our society that claims to be so technologically connected: Take a moment to notice the neighbor, classmate, work colleague who does not have community and invite them into yours. In a world eternally on fast forward, truncated to 140 character messages, coronavirus gives us a moment to pause, breathe deep, slow down, dig deeper. Self-care increase the dose! Storytime with your children increase the dose! Prayer, exercise, and other ways that you connect with yourself and things larger than you increase the dose! Start today with the birds and trees outside your house and office that greet you only to have you rush past without a nod or smile. Continue with the food you eat take a moment to slow down and be mindful of how this food got to your plate. Consume accordingly. Consider this next few weeks an extended snow day, an invitation to slow down to a healthier speed of living than our usual. And since angst and anxiety are among us, spreading like the virus itself, your work to slow down and breathe deep will be good medicine. A very simple ask of myself and all of us, returning to my daughters advice: gratitude. Make a point today to express gratitude. If necessary, use words. Make your living something the poets and prophets speak of, gratitude in your heart and hands (washed frequently, of course). In the 100,000 heartbeats, 20,000 breaths, and the 86,400 seconds that make today, take a few heartbeats, breaths, and seconds to give thanks. Increase dose steadily. The test question for my students would be simple: Coronavirus: curse or blessing? You get to decide today what answer to choose. Anthony Fleg is a family physician who blogs at Writing to Heal. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Pro-democracy supporters scuffle with riot police during a detention at a rally in the Causeway Bay district in Hong Kong, on May 27, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Canada Joins Allies in Condemning China on Hong Kong National Security Law Beijing's retaliation against Canada for May 27 Meng decision looms OTTAWACanada joined with its major allies Thursday in condemning China for imposing a new national security law on Hong Kong, one day after a contentious B.C. court ruling in the Meng Wanzhou affair. The statement of deep concern with the United States, Australia, and Britain comes as experts are warning that two Canadians imprisoned in China could face retaliation because Wednesdays court ruling in the Meng case didnt go the way the Peoples Republic would have liked. The Chinese embassy in Ottawa angrily denounced the decision by B.C. Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes in the extradition case of the Huawei executive, who is wanted on fraud charges in the U.S., as it once more called for her immediate release. The Meng disputewhich has plunged SinoCanadian relations to an alltime lowdid not dissuade Canada from signing on to a new statement that criticizes China for imposing a national security law on Hong Kong. The Chinese territory is supposed to have autonomy under a one country-two systems agreement. Hong Kong has flourished as a bastion of freedom. The international community has a significant and longstanding stake in Hong Kongs prosperity and stability. Direct imposition of national security legislation on Hong Kong by the Beijing authorities, rather than through Hong Kongs own institutions as provided for under Article 23 of the Basic Law, would curtail the Hong Kong peoples liberties, and in doing so, dramatically erode the autonomy and the system that made it so prosperous, said the joint statement. Chinas proposals for a new national security law for Hong Kong lies in direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the legally-binding, UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration. Britain handed over its administration of Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997 under the agreement. The sharp criticism comes as the Trudeau government has been dealing with its own China crisis since December 2018. Michael Kovrig, an ex-diplomat working for the International Crisis Group, and Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur who did business in North Korea, have been in Chinese prisons with no access to lawyers or their families since they were arrested nine days after Mengs arrest by the RCMP on Dec. 1, 2018. They are accused of violating Chinas national security interests, and they have been denied even the regular monthly visits by Canadian diplomats since January because of COVID-19 restrictions on Chinese prisons. Some analysts say their treatment could get a lot worse, especially based on recent Chinese government statements leading up to the ruling. The PRC authorities statement of consequences of continuous harm to Canada if Ms. Meng is not returned to China forthwith suggests that there will be further retaliation, said Charles Burton, a China expert with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, who has served as a diplomat in Beijing. I am concerned that Kovrig and Spavor may be forced to make false confessions on Chinese TV followed by a sham secret trial and possible sentences of death, usually suspended for two years before commutation to life imprisonment. David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China between 2009 and 2012, said China is furious over the unresolved Meng case. Unfortunately, two innocent Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, will bear the brunt of that anger. It is likely that the detentions will be extended until China has some clarity as to Ms. Mengs eventual fate. Unfortunately, that could take some time, said Mulroney. China will also seek to lash out at Canada. By Mike Blanchfield India on Thursday rejected Pakistans condemnation of the start of construction of the Ram Mandir Ayodhya, saying the neighbouring country had no locus standi on the issue. Pakistan had on Wednesday condemned the start of work on the Ram Mandir amid the Covid-19 pandemic, describing it as part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) efforts to advance a Hindutva agenda. It also contended the Indian Supreme Courts ruling on the Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir issue last year was controversial and failed to uphold the demands of justice. Responding to Pakistans statement, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, We have seen an absurd statement by Pakistan on a matter on which it has no locus standi. He added, India is a nation served by the rule of law and which guarantees equal rights to all faiths. Pakistans Foreign Office may take time out and read their own constitution to realise the difference. Pakistan had also said the Indian Supreme Courts verdict shredded the veneer of so-called secularism and made it clear minorities are not safe in India. But Srivastava said: Given its record, Pakistan should be embarrassed to even mention minorities. After all, numbers dont lie even if they do. As for the judiciary, Pakistan must realise that theirs is thankfully not the norm. There are others elsewhere with credibility and integrity that Pakistan understandably finds difficult to recognise. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly targeted India in recent weeks for its handling of the Kashmir issue and the treatment of the countrys minorities. India has rebuffed such criticism and said Pakistan should focus on ending terrorism emanating from its soil and the harassment of its minorities. Ending a decades-old dispute, the Supreme Court had in November last year paved the way for building a Ram Mandir by a trust at the site in Ayodhya. 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 To put an end to coronavirus pandemic, priest beheads a man in Odisha India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P Bhubaneswar, May 28: In a shocking incident, the police have arrested a 70-year-old priest in Odisha for allegedly beheading a man, believing that the killing would end the novel coronavirus pandemic. According to police, a 55-year-old was beheaded in the premises of the temple on Wednesday night. The police also identified the accused as Sansari Ojha, a priest at Goddess Brahmani temple in Bandhahuda, Cuttack. It is reportedly said that Ojha was ordered to carry out the beheading by the goddess in order to bring an end to the pandemic. On Wednesday night, as the victim Saroj Kumar Pradhan visited the temple and began to offer his prayers to the goddess, Ojha came up from behind and chopped Pradhan's neck off with a scythe. Coronavirus outbreak: India records another spike in number of positive cases; Death toll over 4,500 Congress launches Speak Up India campaign to urge govt for direct relief to poor | Oneindia News Alok Ranjan Ray, Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Athagarh, said that the accused later surrendered to the police and confessed to committing the crime. "During interrogation, the priest admitted to the murder claiming it was ordered by the goddess," Ray said. However, the police, said that the priest had a long-standing dispute with the deceased over a mango orchard on the outskirts of the village. Coronavirus crisis: 84 per cent of Maharashtra returnees account for new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka Presently, Odisha has reported as many as 67 new cases of COVID-19 cases on Thursday, with the state's tally now standing at 1,660. Among the new cases, about 65 people recently returned to the state from various parts of the country and were in different quarantine centres across districts, while two others were detected with the infection as a result of the contact-tracing exercise, the health department said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 12:49:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close FARAH, Afghanistan, May 28 (Xinhua) -- At least seven policemen were killed and three others wounded in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan's western Farah province Wednesday night, the first major attack after a brief nationwide ceasefire ended, local police confirmed Thursday. Enditem UPDATE: Woman and 9-year-old girl were killed, man also dead of gunshot wound, coroner says Authorities say three people were found dead in an eastern Pennsylvania home, but there was no immediate word on the cause of the deaths. The Carbon County Coroners Office confirmed Wednesday that three people were found dead Tuesday afternoon in the Lansford residence. WBRE-TV reported that the deceased were an adult male and female and a female child, and two male children also in the home were taken for medical treatment before being released to family members. Chief Jack Soberick of the borough police departmentsaid the investigation was continuing but emphasized that the situation was isolated to that home and there was no risk to the community. Coroner Robert Miller said autopsies on the bodies are slated for Friday. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. The extraordinary story of a British First World War captain who became an unlikely cult hero as he fought the communist Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War has come to light after his medals and photographs sold for 7,500. Captain William Richardson was flung into the conflict along with other Allied war veterans after troops were sent to Russia in support of the Imperial White Army in their civil war against the Bolsheviks in 1919. Many British forces, as well as troops from France, U.S and Japan, had been sent to join the fight against the Red Army in 1918 in a bid to re-establish the Eastern Front. The collection of images and medals belonging to Captain William Richardson, pictured in traditional Russian clothing, told the story of his involvement in the Russian Civil War, fighting alongside the White Army against the communist Bolsheviks before his death in 1920, aged 37 Richardson was 31 when the war broke out, serving for two years in Borneo and Hong Kong before joining the fight in Russia in 1918 after Allied forces were forced to intervene in a bid to prevent the spread of communism The incredible collection of photographs documenting the Birmingham-born soldier's time in the conflict show him adopting the Russian military lifestyle wearing a traditional Russian hat and a large fur coat. Captain Richardson was lauded by the anti-communist Cossacks, who sometimes fought independently and sometimes as a faction of the White Army, and decorated him for his outstanding service to their cause. The war hero served in southern Russia and earned the respect of the locals for helping to train and equip their soldiers. When he died suddenly of pneumonia aged 37 in 1920 his death was mourned by the Cossacks and the residents of the area of the Black Sea port of Novo Rossisk he helped defend. His archive, which includes the Russian Imperial Order of St Anne and five photo albums containing images from his travels across the globe, sold at auction in London. Captain William Richardson gained many accolades for his services, including Russian Order of St Anne Civil Division (left), Order of St Anne Military Division (centre) and Order of St Stanislas medal (right) The collection includes a Russian officer's epaulettes (left) and Captain William's Memorial Plaque and British War and Victory medals (right) The British First World War hero was lauded by the anti-Communist Cossacks who decorated him for his service to their cause Why did Allied forces intervene in the Russian Civil War? In November 1917 the Russian Civil War broke out as several factions fought for the power to determine the country's political future. The socialist Bolshevik party, led by Vladimir Lenin, had overthrown the provisional government as different groups battled for control. The two largest groups involved in the fighting were the communist Red Army, and the White Army, which favoured capitalism and monarchism. The White Army was a union of anti-Bolshevik groups, including peasant militias, the Black Army (Ukrainian anarchists) and other groups fighting for their state's independence from the Russian Empire, led by Tsarist officers. The war continued until June 1923 with 13 foreign nations joining the fight against the Red Army. Troops from Russia's former allies in the First World War, including U.K, U.S, France and Japan, intervened. The countries were forced to get involved after the Bolsheviks pulled out of the world war in March 1918, signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk which saw them giving over territory to Germany. In the peace deal, Ukraine, Georgia and Finland were granted independence from Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were handed over to Germany and Austria-Hungary and Kars, Ardahan and Batum were given to Turkey. The loss of territory weakened the Allied forces and they were forced to intervene in order to re-establish the Eastern Front. The peace deal also left pro-Allied Czechoslovak Region stuck in Russia and opened up the opportunity for Germany to make use of Russian equipment. As well as sending forces, the countries provided parts of the White Army with financial support in a bid to stop the spread of communism across Europe. A year after entering the fight, the French withdrew their troops in March and April 1919, closely followed by British soldiers leaving the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk areas in the autumn of that year. and South Russia in 1920. In 1919 the Red Army had defeated the White Army in Ukraine. Fighting continued in pockets for two years afterwards, including a battle in Crimea which saw the Civil War draw to a close in November 1920. The war was eventually ended when the Bolsheviks assured communist control of the new Soviet Union in 1923. Advertisement The images include photos of Hong Kong during the First World War, where he served, and a huge crocodile he shot while he was stationed in Borneo in 1918. A spokesman for auctioneers Spink and Son said: 'The awards of Captain Richardson soared above their estimate of 2,800. 'His remarkable photographic archive gave a unique insight into the final days of the Russian Empire and his career previous to that was action packed.' The decorated veteran was aged 31 when the First World War broke out and joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment before he was commissioned as an officer and transferred to the Middlesex Regiment. Among the images is a shot of a crocodile Captain Richardson shot while stationed in Borneo in 1918 The war veteran took pictures of his travels which feature in the collection that sold for 7,500, including images of Hong Kong during the First World War After the Allied intervention in Russia his battalion arrived at the city of Vladivostock in August 1918. He was wounded in 1919 and died the following year aged 37. A letter sent to Capt Richardson's widow also formed part of the archive that sold. It was sent by Captain G. N. Wood of the 1st Battalion, Dorset Regiment who worked alongside Capt Richardson. He wrote: 'As a friend of Captain Richardson, I feel that I must write to you to express my very deepest sympathy in your great sorrow. 'I first met Captain Richardson on the journey to Russia, and though our acquaintance was short, a very real friendship existed between us. 'As I was the only other Englishman with him at the time of his illness, I can give you some particulars which you might be glad to know. 'Your husband and I had been working together for a fortnight in the mountains, north of Novo Rossisk on the preparation of a line of defences. 'The weather was extremely cold, and was probably the cause of his sudden illness. The Cossacks were most kind to him and did everything possible for him. Before he was stationed in Russia to fight alongside the White Army, he was stationed in Hong Kong and Borneo for two years His photo archive was sold for thousands at an auction in London held by Spink and Son, including this image taken in Hong Kong 'All the Russians with whom we were working, and the villagers, were most distressed at Capt. Richardson's illness and I had many enquiries and expressions of sympathy from them.' Before heading to Russia, Richardson had served for two years on the Western Front in the First World War. In February 1917 he survived the sinking of a troopship bound for Hong Kong after it struck a German mine off South Africa. The incident is best remembered for the stoicism of the 1,000 troops and 30 officers who waited patiently to be evacuated from the SS Tyndareus as it began sinking in heavy seas. Before being rescued the men lined up for a roll call and sang 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary' while they waited for help to arrive. Every single man was saved and the rescue received praise from King George V. After the Tyndareus incident, Capt Richardson was appointed provost-marshal of the detention barracks in Hong Kong. These new sites will utilize self-swab tests and deliver on the company's commitment to establish 1,000 locations across the country by the end of May, as originally announced on April 27 . These new test sites will help enable the company's goal of processing up to 1.5 million tests per month, subject to availability of supplies and lab capacity. "CVS Health has been at the forefront of helping our nation scale-up COVID-19 testing capabilities, and we're proud to meet our goal of establishing 1,000 testing sites in communities across the country," said Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO, CVS Health. "Opening access to testing to more locations using our drive-thru window represents an important milestone in our response to the pandemic. We remain grateful for the daily efforts and sacrifices of our front-line colleagues who make the continued expansion of our testing possible." More than half of the company's 1,000 test sites will serve communities with the greatest need for support, as measured by the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index. The index tracks a variety of census variables including poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded housing that may weaken a community's ability to prepare for and recover from hazardous events like natural disasters and disease outbreaks. Self-swab tests will be available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, in addition to state and age guidelines. Patients must register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday, May 29 to schedule an appointment. Patients will be required to stay in their cars and will be directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions, and a CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly. Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and the results will be available in approximately three days. Testing will not take place inside any retail locations, and CVS Pharmacy, HealthHUB and MinuteClinic will continue to serve customers and patients. The additional new testing sites in Arizona include: CVS Pharmacy, 765 South Lindsay Road, Gilbert, AZ 85234 85234 CVS Pharmacy, 2428 South Val Vista Drive, Gilbert, AZ 85295 85295 CVS Pharmacy, 4890 North Litchfield Road, Litchfield Park, AZ 85340 85340 CVS Pharmacy, 10727 West Olive Avenue, Peoria, AZ 85345 85345 CVS Pharmacy, 9172 West Union Hills Drive, Peoria, AZ 85382 85382 CVS Pharmacy, 1855 West Thunderbird Road, Phoenix, AZ 85023 85023 CVS Pharmacy, 4323 East Bell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032 85032 CVS Pharmacy, 6021 South Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85042 85042 CVS Pharmacy, 3303 South Rural Street, Tempe, AZ 85281 A complete list of CVS Pharmacy drive-thru test sites can be found here. More information on steps CVS Health has taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including support for health care providers and clinicians facing financial and administrative strain, is available at the company's frequently updated COVID-19 resource center . For downloadable COVID-19 testing media assets, including photos, video and interviews with CVS Health executives, please visit the Media Resource Center. About CVS Health CVS Health employees are united around a common goal of becoming the most consumer-centric health company in the world. We're evolving based on changing consumer needs and meeting people where they are, whether that's in the community at one of our nearly 10,000 local touchpoints, in the home, or in the palm of their hand. Our newest offerings from HealthHUB locations that are redefining what a pharmacy can be, to innovative programs that help manage chronic conditions are designed to create a higher-quality, simpler and more affordable experience. Learn more about how we're transforming health at https://www.cvshealth.com. Media Contact Monica Prinzing, (831) 241-8294 [email protected] SOURCE CVS Health Related Links https://www.cvshealth.com Southeast Asia is considered a great potential market for online payments, of which, Vietnam is forecast to be the third largest internet economy in the region, after Indonesia and Thailand. The application of financial technology (fintech) has grown and Vietnam is going through a period of rapid development in the area. In just four years, the number of fintech companies in the country has increased from 40 to more than 150. Notably, the COVID-19 epidemic, though causing severe damage to the whole world, on the other hand has created a great opportunity for some new emerging trends, typically fintech. Online transactions increasing sharply Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the fear of the disease spreading through social contact and when dealing with cash is one of the reasons why more Vietnamese people are using fintech. According to some major retailers, the number of online transactions during the outbreak increased by 3-5 times. Sales Director in charge of the Vietnam Payment Solution Company (VNPAY) Ngo Anh Tuan said that compared to the previous year, the number of people paying using non-cash payment methods has increased significantly. The growth rate of payment transactions via the payment gateway VNPAY - QR increased by 600% in February, Tuan revealed. Vice Chairman and Co-founder of MoMo Nguyen Ba Diep also shared that payments through the e-wallet have doubled since the Lunar New Year holiday. ZaloPay has also witnessed a sudden growth in recent years with an estimated growth rate of 36%. "It is predicted that, after the COVID-19 epidemic, e-payments will grow strongly and replace traditional payment methods in the near future," said ZaloPay Director Truong Cam Thanh. Assessing opportunities for Vietnamese fintech enterprises in this period, Managing Director of Fiin Financial Technology Innovation Joint Stock Company (FIIN) Tran Viet Vinh said that this period offers an opportunity for businesses operating in the field of payment and digital finance in Vietnam. When there is a need for shopping, a requirement to limit contact with sellers and shippers, as well as a cash use restriction, people will choose e-payment applications instead. When the COVID-19 pandemic is over, it may be time for the public to adapt to the emerging trends, including those of the digital economy and digital payments. This is also an opportunity for businesses, including fintech companies, to rethink and reform themselves. According to the relevant statistics, among more than 150 fintech operating in the Vietnamese market, the activity that attracts the most attention is offering payment intermediary service, such as an e-wallet. Data from the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) shows that, as of April 20, there were 33 non-bank organisations licensed to provide payment intermediary services, mostly e-wallets and payment gateways. According to experts, cashless payments in Vietnam have many advantages, such as the young population structure combined with the fast growing economy and middle class. Therefore, this market will see strong developments in the future. Competition among fintech companies will be fiercer, but on the other hand there is expected to bring more benefits and value to users. Developing a fintech ecosystem According to forecasts from the SBV, by 2025, personal credit will account for about 24% of the domestic fintech market. Demand for personal credit in Vietnam is expected to continue to grow in the near future. This shows that Vietnam has many favourable platforms to accelerate the formation of a fintech ecosystem with the finance - banking sector taking the lead. However, in order to do that, it is necessary to have more support, a nudge from mechanisms and policies to bring new fintech applications into play in the near future. According to economists, although online payments have increased sharply over recent times, they have still not completely replaced cash transactions, which have existed for a long time in Vietnams social system. Specifically, statistics show that, although there has been significant growth, the proportion of the Vietnamese population with a bank account is still low and concentrated mainly in urban areas. In rural areas, where 70% of the population is found, the proportion of people having a bank account is very low. Meanwhile, according to current regulations, e-wallet account owners who want to activate the service must link to a bank account. As a result, online payment transactions have only increased locally in urban areas. In addition, despite the outstanding development, compared with other countries in the region such as Malaysia, China or Singapore, fintech companies in Vietnam still face limitations both in their number, scope of operation and human resources. In terms of numbers, the number of fintech companies participating in the Vietnamese market is still quite modest compared to Singapore (over 1,150 companies), Indonesia (510) and Malaysia (370). Regarding human resources, Vietnam also has no human resource training facilities due to the lack of training cooperation between the IT and finance sector and banking experts. Therefore, the quality of human resources is also an issue that fintech companies should pay attention to when expanding their business operations. MoMo is one among a number of popular e-wallets with a large number of customers in Vietnam. (Photo: Ngoc Duong) Despite strong growth, fintech companies in Vietnam are still very young when compared to the level of development of fintech in the world. In fact, fintech in Vietnam is still at a small scale with a limited financial capacity. They also limit their activities to the field of payment, so although it has established a certain position in the market, its level of influence still quite modest, said Dr. Can Van Luc, Chief Economist of the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV). At present, although there is high demand to use fintech applications in payment operations, to completely change peoples behaviour from using cash to e-payments will be a long and difficult journey for fintech businesses. Fintech experts say that it will be a gradual transition, and one important thing that can make this process go more smoothly is the need to build a complete ecosystem for the fintech market, in which, the key is to complete the legal corridor for enterprises operating in this field soon. Soon improving the legal corridor Following a wave of global investment, in Vietnam, fintech is still identified as a potential investment area, attracting the capital of many sharks. So far, the Vietnamese fintech market has about 27 e-wallets, and more than 90% of the market share belongs to five large enterprises, including MoMo, ViettelPay, Moca, AirPay and ZaloPay, and all these five e-wallets have ownership rates in foreign countries ranging from 30 to 90%. This fact requires a policy of managing fintech to prevent foreign investors from manipulating the payment field, thereby affecting national monetary policy and data security. In a recent Asian development prospect report published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Country Manager for Vietnam Eric Sidgwick pointed out that Vietnam has seen good growth in the global innovation index, but there are still some factors that inhibit development, including the current legal framework which does not keep up with the development of fintech products and services. Therefore, ADB recommends that a favourable legal framework that allows the incubating and nurturing of the application of fintech is essential to helping Vietnam develop fintech in a comprehensive manner. Economists also agree that an incomplete legal framework is a barrier to the ability to expand the operations of fintech enterprises. At the same time, it also causes risks for investors and businesses. Under guidance from the Government to honour the commitment to develop a favourable business environment for the development of fintech, the SBV is currently formulating and collecting opinions to finalise a draft decree on non-cash payments which is scheduled to be submitted to the Government in June, as well as studying adjustments to other documents that hinder fintech development. Notably, the SBV is also developing a pilot mechanism for peer-to-peer lending and a mobile money pilot project, in addition to finalising a proposal on a pilot management mechanism for fintech activities (regulatory sandbox) to be submitted to the Government. Sharing his international experience, Dr. Can Van Luc also proposed to soon complete the legal corridor to manage fintech activities in an open direction in order to support fintech enterprises in taking advantage of development opportunities, while issuing a sandbox pilot regulation for financial products associated with technology in order to better utilise technological achievements, but still control risks and increase people and businesses access to financial services. The sandbox legal framework must have a clearly defined space and time because testing can fail. The Government may allow the application of a sandbox mechanism akin to the Singapore model with the aim of supporting businesses to test new technologies and new business models, such as sharing economy, to support and promote the development of technological start-ups in Vietnam. At the same time, the Government also needs to study and build special technology zones and creative special zones to test specific mechanisms for the technology enterprises under the model in some foreign countries like Switzerland, Russia, the Philippines and China, Dr. Luc proposed. Economist Vo Tri Thanh, former Deputy Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, also said that it is necessary to have a flexible risk management mechanism for fintech to make quick adjustments when there is fluctuation in technology and the market. Regarding sandbox, as it is a testing mechanism, there will not be a common policy for all because each business has different technology, thinking and models, so it can be applied in specific cases to both support development but still manage the risk, Thanh suggested. Also regarding the sandbox, up until now, more than 100 fintech businesses have registered to participate in the testing mechanism. The SBV has stated that it would create favourable conditions for new fintech to develop, so that the policy adjustment could catch up with the innovation practice. In this mechanism, fintech enterprises and banks will be able to participate in testing new products and services with appropriate risk monitoring and control measures from regulatory agencies, such as methods of remote identification for e-customers (e-KYC), application of block-chain technology in banking operations and open data sharing connection applications between banks and fintech. All of these pilot studies and regulatory adjustments are geared towards creating a complete ecosystem, thus enabling fintech to develop safely, healthily and smoothly. Three young farmers at Tumu in the Sissala East Municipality of the Upper West Region have been rewarded by three organisations for adopting agriculture as a business. The three, Mr Nagali Adams, 28, Mr Dajan Adams, 37, and Ms Sakina Kasim, 26, all university graduates, are into maize farming. As part of their reward, each of the three young farmers has been presented with 1.5 metric tonnes of fertiliser to support the establishment of an acre model farm, certificates and beverages. This forms part of a sponsorship package from the three organisations who have adopted these three farmers with the intention of supporting them to be successful and also serve as role models for young people in farming. Partners support The three organisations, Nestle Ghana Limited, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and Sahel Grains, under a strategic partnership, will provide the necessary training and support to enable the three farmers to become role models who will build the capacity of other young farmers to improve their skills and knowledge for an enhanced livelihood. The strategic partnerships, formed by the three organisations in July 2019, is dubbed "Youth Agri-preneurship Development Programme (YADIS ). Under the partnership, Nestle is providing technical assistance to improve the quality of grains produced for the production of Cerelac products, AGRA provides financial and technical support while Sahel Grains implements the YADIS programme and buys the grains produced by the farmers for further cleaning and aggregation. Transforming agriculture At a ceremony to present the items to the farmers, the Head of Agriculture Services in charge of Nestle in Central and West Africa, Mr Faith Ermis, said so far the partnership had trained 226 young farmers, including 72 females, in good agronomic practices to eliminate post-harvest losses among others. Mr Ermis explained that the partnership by the three organisations was to enhance the skills of the youth in modern techniques of agriculture for them to see it as a form of business to improve their lot and reduce the rural-urban migration, adding that their aim was for the youth to achieve a minimum income of $2,400 per annum. The Country Director of AGRA, Mr Kofi Biney, said the partnership would assist in the transformation of agriculture from peasantry into a commercial venture, with produce which met the demands of multinational companies such as Nestle Ghana Ltd. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) on Wednesday warned commercial drivers against aiding foreigners to enter the country. The Service said such drivers when arrested, would be prosecution. Drivers, the Service noted, must rather support it to clamp down on foreigners who used unapproved routes to enter the country, to stem the spread of the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19). Chief Superintendent Henry Duku Ackah, the Deputy Bono Regional Commander of the GIS, made the appeal when LGG Construction Company Limited based in Accra, presented two 43 inches flat screen television sets to the Service in Sunyani. Chief Supt. Ackah emphasized that Ghanas borders were still closed, as part of measures introduced by the government to control the spread of the pandemic, saying drivers who would assist foreigners into the country unlawfully would be prosecuted. He expressed regret that despite intensified public education and the restrictions in place, some commercial drivers aided foreigners through unapproved routes to come to the country. This situation, Chief Supt. Ackah said were thwarting governments efforts in ensuring that no COVID-19 case was imported into the country, adding that, the GIS had also heightened surveillance and any driver who would be caught would not be spared. Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Yaw Bediako, the Bono Regional Commander of the GIS, thanked the company for the patriotic gesture and advised the populace to adhere to the COVID-19 directives, restrictions and protocols to prevent its spread. Mr. Jnad Louay, the Director of the LGG Construction, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) the presentation was in line with the Companys social responsibility to give back to society. 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 COLUMBIA, SC -- Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Ramy Harik has been recognized as one of the 20 most influential professors in the field of smart manufacturing. The distinction, announced May 13 by the nonprofit manufacturing organization SME, highlights Harik's strides in establishing the University of South Carolina -- and, by extension, the state -- as a leader in the field. Harik works in advanced composites and industries of the future at the UofSC College of Engineering and Computing. He is a leader within the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering and will co-chair CAMX - the US's largest composites conference - in September. "Ramy is building on the impressive base of manufacturing that has appeared in South Carolina over the past couple of decades," says Hossein Haj-Hariri, dean of the College of Engineering and Computing. "He is elevating the state to a position of leadership in smart manufacturing, which Gov. McMaster has often referred to, saying that we want to be the smart manufacturing state. Ramy is leading that charge." SME's recognition specifically highlights Harik's Future Factories laboratory, which focuses on enabling the sharing and analysis of data between different robots and companies amid different stages of manufacturing. "The whole world wants robots to work together with drones, they want data to come and flow from different equipment, they want to be able to interpret data, they want to be able to make sense of the data. Nobody knows how to do it at large industrial scale so that they are meaningful," Harik says. "What we are trying to do in our Future Factories is dig deep into the convergence of multiple aspects of the research fundamentally needed to understand how to do this and enable future manufacturing." Harik's work has led to funded partnerships with manufacturing leaders, including NASA, Siemens, Boeing, Nephron Pharmaceuticals and Toray. It has also put him at the forefront of South Carolina's emerging manufacturing economy. In the next five years, Harik plans to grow his Future Factories platform to promote learning across all age groups. He has seven initiatives that will introduce robotics to middle schoolers, create a new undergraduate industrial manufacturing systems-based program at South Carolina, and allow retired people to share their aged knowledge with future generations. "It's no surprise that Ramy earned this recognition from SME," says UofSC President Bob Caslen. "His Future Factories platform at UofSC continues to redefine manufacturing and encourages collaboration among industry leaders, researchers and students. Ramy is leading South Carolina toward new and innovative possibilities in manufacturing that will transform our state, nation and world for years to come." SME is a nonprofit association consisting of professionals, educators and students in the field of manufacturing. ### About the University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina is a globally recognized, high-impact research university committed to a superior student experience and dedicated to innovation in learning, research and community engagement. Founded in 1801, the university offers more than 350 degree programs and is the state's only top-tier Carnegie Foundation research institution. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of 20 locations throughout the state, including the research campus in Columbia. With 56 nationally ranked academic programs including top-ranked programs in international business, the nation's best honors college and distinguished programs in engineering, law, medicine, public health and the arts, the university is helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and around the world. Welcome, all ISB class of 2022 hopefuls. Let's use this platform to know each other, exchange ideas, discuss app strategies? Who all are applying? Let us know by commenting below. ISB Deadlines Round Application Due Interview timeline Decisions Released Round 1 Sep 20, 2020 Oct 1, 2020 to Nov 10, 2020 Mid of Nov 2020 Round 2 Jan 10, 2021 Jan 20, 2021 to Mar 10, 2021 April 10 Round 3 Mar 07, 2021 March 2021 to April 2021 April 25, 2021 Essay 1: Describe with examples the most important personal quality that you possess that significantly enhances your prospects of being successful as a leader? (400 words max) Essay 2: What are your short term and long term career goals? How will Post Graduate Program at ISB assist you in achieving your goals? (400 words max) ISBeacon Analysis of ISB Essay By: GyanOne Click here to access the Official ISB Information Click here to access the ISB Application Starter Kit ISB in MBA Spotlight Click here for Additional ISB Videos Click here for ISB Interview Debriefs Photo credit: BBC From Prima A House Through Time is back on BBC2 for series 3, with historian David Olusoga chronicling the fascinating history of the inhabitants of a house in Bristol built on the fortunes made from the slave trade. The first episode which aired last night (Tuesday, 26 May) on BBC Two was teeming with intrigue as it documented mutiny and pirates ruling the high seas, a political satirist being punished in stocks and pillory, and the sad fate of an abandoned baby left on the doorstep of the house. What is series 3 about? The house in series 3 is the oldest yet Number 10 on Guinea Street in Redcliffe, Bristol built by Captain Edmund Saunders in 1718. Photo credit: BBC In episode 1, David linked Saunders to over 40 voyages carrying 12,000 people enforced into slavery from their homes in Africa to the Americas. Saunders rented his house to Captain Joseph Smith, who also profited from the slave trade, and whose ship was captured during his exploits not once, but twice by pirates who eventually set his boat and cargo on fire. Somehow, Smith managed to make the 5,000 mile trip safely back home to Bristol. Photo credit: BBC The next resident was John Shebbeare, a political satirist who was punished for his anti-royalist stance, with Private Eye's Ian Hislop sharing his insights into the divisive political figure. Following Shebbeare were the Holbrooks, who made their money who made their fortunes from slave-run sugar plantations. They kept a black slave called Thomas, and offered "a handsome reward" in a notice in the newspaper for intelligence about his whereabouts after he managed to escape. Photo credit: BBC Episode 2 traces the house's fortunes from the late 18th to the mid-19th century, discovering tales of scandal, domestic violence and the asylum. Series 1 of a House Through Time investigated the history of 62 Falkner Street, Canning, Liverpool, while series 2 detailed the past lives of residents of 5 Ravensworth Terrace in Newcastle, near where David grew up in Tyne and Wear. Story continues Who is David Olusoga? OBE historian David is a British-Nigerian historian, broadcaster and film-maker. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, David studied history and journalism before joining the BBC. He is also co-author of The Kaisers Holocaust: Germanys Forgotten Genocide and The Colonial Roots of Nazism, author of The World's War and a contributor to The Oxford Companion to Black British History. Photo credit: BBC David has spoken about the racism his family were subjected to during his childhood. He grew up in a council estate in Gateshead, Newcastle, where the National Front attacked his home repeatedly (via Radio Times). His family were given police protection but were eventually forced out of their home due to the onslaught of racial abuse. "I got into history because I wanted to make sense of the forces that have affected my life," David explained. "I'm from that generation who would look at Trevor McDonald on television his gravitas and authority and see hope and potential." David returned to Tyneside for series 2: "This series, as far as Im concerned, is a love letter to the North East. "I hope viewers are reminded of all we have been through in the past, what the generations before us achieved and all they went through to build the region we have today. Fans love David's tranquil and calm manner of presenting and how he recounts historical facts in a digestible way, making history fun and accessible for everyone. Just catching up with #AHouseThroughTime These are such great series' for a non-historian to learn about history. David Olusoga is a very warm & sympathetic presenter. Can't recommend highly enough. folkmusicilike (@folkmusicilike) May 26, 2020 Great to see #AHouseThroughTime back for a new series. David Olusoga has to be one of the best documentary presenters on TV: deeply knowledgeable, authoritative, & empathetic. Mathew Lyons (@MathewJLyons) May 26, 2020 Where can I watch old series? Only the first episode of the latest series is available to watch on iPlayer. Will there be a series 4? The BBC has yet to confirm a fourth series, but following the critical acclaim this series has received after episode 1, we're keeping everything crossed. Watch series 3 episode 1 of a House Through Time on BBC iPlayer now. Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. SIGN UP You Might Also Like SOFIA, Bulgaria - An Australian man released after serving 11 years in a Bulgarian prison over a fatal stabbing is free to return home following a decision by the countrys highest court, which refused to send him back to prison. The Supreme Court of Cassation on Thursday rejected a petition by the countrys chief prosecutor to revoke the parole a lower court granted to 33-year old Jock Palfreeman. Thursdays decision cannot be appealed. The request for reopening of the case is inadmissible and should be dismissed and the proceedings terminated, the court said in a statement. Palfreeman was convicted of fatally stabbing a Bulgarian student during a 2007 brawl. Last September, a three-judge Court of Appeals panel unexpectedly ordered him freed 11 years into his 20-year prison sentence. Chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov who has since retired petitioned the Supreme Court of Cassation to suspend Palfreemans parole and review the panels ruling, saying that two of the judges faced a conflict of interest. Safety and distancing protocols implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to remain in place throughout 2021 at CKF Inc., the Nova Scotia food packaging manufacturer best known for producing Royal Chinet paper plates. The company implemented the measures at its five production facilities across Canada including at the flagship operation in Hantsport, N.S. Brad Dennis, vice-president of sales and marketing, says the changes are the new normal and likely to stay. "[Personal protective equipment] in particular over the medium term," Dennis said. "Separation for our employees, ensuring that we have appropriate distance not only as they enter the building, not only as they work in their workplace but also for breaks. "We really had to make some changes. Hygiene is another one that is absolutely critical. All this of course is pending discovery of a vaccine." CBC Dennis said the measures will likely be in place for the remainder of 2020 and 2021. The company was founded 87 years ago by Nova Scotia industrialist Roy Jodrey. The Scotia Investments Limited subsidiary also makes meat trays, egg cartons and other food packaging. It has been designated an essential service during the public health crisis. The pandemic has altered the business with sales dropping for products associated with gatherings like paper plates. "All of the food consumption has moved from all channels to essentially the grocery channel, which suggests that we've been quite busy," Dennis said. CKF was one of five companies from across Canada featured in a virtual media conference by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters on Wednesday. CBC The lobby group called on the federal government to maintain and extend subsidies to support businesses given an overall drop in demand and higher costs associated with social distancing and upgrading facilities. Upgrading for CKF has also included hiring 30 new employees and retooling production lines at its Delta, B.C., plant to produce 400,000 face shields. Story continues In April, the company received the medical device establishment licence from the federal government in just two weeks, but CKF Inc. has not yet landed a contract with the federal government or a province. "They're in distribution in Canada right now servicing the other types of frontline workers," Dennis said. It's too early to say if faceshield sales will contribute to the viability of the company. The company has a couple of COVID-19 cases at its Rexdale,Ont.,facility. There have been no cases in Nova Scotia. Dennis praised the courage of the company's 800-strong workforce across the country. "I think we should be, in the rest of Canada, looking at essential manufacturing companies and applauding them for keeping the production going and in our particular case providing platforms for food that they're eating," Dennis said. MORE TOP STORIES President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs Washington for travel to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on May 27, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Trumps Order Pushes Social Media to Cease Unfair Speech Restrictions President Donald Trump signed an executive order on May 28 directing federal agencies to develop regulations under an existing law that protects social media companies from being sued for user content. The regulations aim to protect users from unfair or deceptive content restriction practices employed by these companies. The order may force social media giants such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to relax their content restrictions, especially on political speech, lest they risk losing significant liability protections. Days ago, Twitter added a new fact-checking label on two of Trumps tweets, to which he responded by accusing the company of election interference. The choices that Twitter makes when it chooses to suppress, edit, blacklist, shadowban are editorial decisions, pure and simple, the president said. In those moments, Twitter ceases to be a neutral public platform and [becomes] an editor with a viewpoint, and I think we can say that about others also. Trump accused Twitter of selectively applying its fact-check labeling, noting that they have the power to choose what to fact-check and what to ignore or promote. He said it was nothing more than political activism. I think you all see it yourselves, this censorship and bias is a threat to freedom itself, he said. Imagine if your phone company silenced or edited your conversation. Trump called for new regulations under section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act to make it that social media companies that engage in censoring or political conduct will not be able to keep their liability shield. Section 230 largely exempts online platforms from liability for content posted by their users, although they can be held liable for content that violates anti-sex trafficking or intellectual property laws. The law was meant to protect a fledgling industry, said Attorney General William Barr during Trumps announcement of the executive order, adding that it has since been stretched way beyond its original intention, and people feel that on both sides of the aisle. The law allows companies to restrict or remove content in good faith if they consider it obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable. The protections, however, werent intended to apply to services that act more as publishers than platforms, Barr indicated. When they put on their own content, like fact check content, onto other peoples content, and when they curate their collection and when they start censoring particular content, including in many cases at the direction of foreign governments, like communist China, they become publishers, he said. Trumps order directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to develop regulations for what is and isnt good faith on the part of online platforms. The regulations should spell out when content restrictions are deceptive, pretextual, or inconsistent with a providers terms of service; or taken after failing to provide adequate notice, reasoned explanation, or a meaningful opportunity to be heard. The order may force tech companies to always provide a reason, a way to appeal, and some time to respond before the company takes a restrictive measure against content posted by the user. The companies may also have to defend themselves from accusations that the provided reason wasnt the actual one. Users will be able to voice their grievances directly with the White House through a Tech Bias Reporting website that Trump already ran for several months last year. During that time, it collected over 16,000 complaints of online censorship. The website will be reestablished and the complaints it receives will be sent directly to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which will summarize them in a public report. Trump will order the FTC to consider taking action against online platforms for engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices if they restrict speech in ways that do not align with those entities public representations about those practices, the order says. The FCC will also be directed to propose regulations that it concludes may be appropriate to advance the policy set forth in the order. Communication through these channels has become important for meaningful participation in American democracy, including to petition elected leaders, the order says. These sites are providing an important forum to the public for others to engage in free expression and debate. It mentions the 1980 Supreme Court case of Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins, which established that states are free to pass laws that allow free expression on private property. That suggests that the White House would support states that grant their residents additional rights when browsing the internetsuch as the right to free speech. Online platforms would then be forced to respect those rights when providing services in such states. Barr accused the tech giants of using their influence to sway public discussion. Theres a bit of a bait and switch thats occurred in our society. These companies grew because they held themselves out as free public forums where a variety of diverse voices could come on and be heard. Thats how they grew. Thats how they attracted the eyeballs. Thats why people joined them, he said. CLEVELAND, Ohio Federal law-enforcement officials believe a suspect connected to the fatal shooting of a man in Erie, Pennsylvania, is in the Cleveland area. Marshawn Williams, 22, is wanted on a homicide charge, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Police say Williams shot and killed Devin Way, 26, on Jan. 19 in Erie. Investigators tell goerie.com that a group of people, three males and a female, met with Way to purchase drugs. Way reportedly was shot while in a vehicle with the group. Three suspects are in custody and have been charged in connection with the shooting, goerie.com reports. Williams is about 5-feet, 7 inches tall and about 160 pounds. He is considered armed and dangerous and its believed he could be in the Cleveland area. Anyone with information can contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED. A cash reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information which directly leads to his arrest. Callers can remain anonymous. More crime-related content on cleveland.com: Man shot outside Portland-Outhwaite Rec Center in Cleveland, police say DNA links man to beating death of woman found stuffed in Cleveland church stairwell in 2018, court records say Man shot to death at East Cleveland gas station, report says Man charged in deadly home invasion shooting of man visiting his son in Cleveland Family of man who died in Cuyahoga County Jail sues county, ex-jail employees criminally charged in death The Delhi government issued an advisory on the preventive measures that need to be taken in order to prepare for a possible locust attack in the national capital. The government called for awareness programmes and spraying of insecticides and pesticides to prevent a locust attack. Delhi Labour Minister Gopal Rai called for a meeting at his residence on Thursday to discuss the menace of locust attack. The government asked all concerned authorities to organise awareness programmes for the public and farmers to prevent and control the probable attack of swarm of locusts in Delhi. It said that the locust swarm usually flies during the day and rests at night and hence the "locusts should not be allowed to rest specially during the night". The Development Commissioner of Delhi also asked the concerned authorities to spray Melathion 50% EC, Melathion 25% WP, Chloropyriphos 20% EC or Chloropyriphos 50% EC during the night as per need. Meanwhile, the Centre has also said it would help the states regarding the locust attack to prevent damages to agriculture fields. It said that measures to control locust attacks have been stepped up. Locust swarms attacked Rajasthan and spread to Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Maharashtra government has issued a 'locust warning alert' for 11 districts in Vidarbha and four districts in North Maharashtra. The swarm moves with the wind and in favourable conditions can travel long distances in a day. Also read: Is locust swarm invading Delhi? Here's the latest update Also read: Locusts spare Delhi for now, but threat continues The Federal Ministry of Water Resources has declared seven local government areas in Katsina and Benue states Open-Defecation-Free (ODF), having met the requirement slated in the ODF protocol for hygiene promotion. Emmanuel Awe, Director, Water Quality Supply and Sanitation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, declared the areas ODF on Thursday after it met the stipulated requirement. The areas include: Bakori, Musawa, Matazu, Safana and Sandamu LGAs in Katsina while Oju and Konshisha LGAs in Benue respectively. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that before attaining the ODF status, communities would have eliminated open defecation and imbibed total sanitation practices, which include personal, environmental and domestic hygiene. The communities would have also had 100 per cent toilet use and increased ownership and sustainability of hygiene and sanitation services. According to him, these achievement earns the country a total of 27 LGAs as at May 28, 2020. The states had also recommended that the National Task Group on Sanitation to validate their status, and we have considered the report of the committee who went on validation. These seven LGAs have now changed their status from Open defecation to ODF, thereby increasing the total number of LGAs that are ODF to 27 in the country. I urge all stakeholders to continue with these accomplishments and aspire to end open defecation practice in the country. Mr Awe said the benefits of access to improved WASH, especially of living in an open defecation free environments, impacts on education, health, security and socioeconomic wellbeing of the people. While commending efforts of development partners in scaling up access to improved hygiene, the director, urged the members of ODF community to remain steadfast to promote sustainable development. He said it was unfortunate that Nigeria found herself on the top of the ladder of countries with the highest number of people practicing open defecation, second behind India and the first in Africa. (NAN) Zoilo Patino was just one of more than 19,000 elderly people to die of coronavirus in Spain's nursing homes but he has come to symbolize a system of caring for the country's most vulnerable that critics say is desperately broken. When the Alzheimer's-stricken 84-year-old succumbed in March on the same day 200 others died across Madrid, funeral homes were too overwhelmed to take his body and he was instead left locked in the same room, in the same bed, where he died. Spanish army disinfecting teams going through the Usera Center for the Elderly more than 24 hours later were stunned to come across Patino's body and it made headlines around the world, with the country's Defense Minister Margarita Robles describing ``elderly abandoned, if not dead, on their beds.'' ``It wasn't ideal to have a possibly infectious body there,'' says Jose Manuel Martin, a staff member who took the soldiers through the home. ``But what else could we have done? We didn't even have protective gear to be able to put the body in a bag.'' The grim find triggered soul-searching over Spain's nursing homes, which have had more deaths than those in any other country in Europe. Much of the scrutiny has focused on the lower end of the market, government-owned homes like the Usera center, where day-to-day operations have been contracted to companies often controlled by multinational private-equity firms that seek to turn profits quickly by cutting staff, expenses _and some say care _ to the bone. An Associated Press investigation into the 160-bed nursing home where Patino and 41 others died revealed widespread cost-cutting for years leading up to the pandemic and a series of questionable decisions at the height of the crisis. That included the facility's top doctor admonishing workers for weeks not to wear masks, and allowing six crucial days to pass before complying with a government order to separate the sick from the well. Dozens of interviews with workers, relatives and residents themselves, along with publicly available documents, painted a picture of a stripped-down, ``fast-food'' version of elder care. They described broken equipment, missed medications and nurse's assistants responsible for caring for 10 or more residents at a time, with meals often cut short and some residents told to wear diapers to reduce trips to the bathroom. The private company that operates Usera disputed AP's reporting of poor care and declined to comment on calls by elder care watchdogs and others to reform a system that puts private-equity profit incentives on public nursing homes. ``This model is not working.'' Alberto Reyero, the top Madrid regional government official in charge of elder care, warned in February, barely a month before the new virus spread like wildfire through the capital's nursing homes. ``We have to find another way.'' A cacophony of coughing echoed through the Usera center on the morning of March 12, with dozens of residents falling ill to fevers and other flu-like symptoms. But an existing protocol in the home to deal with infectious outbreaks had yet to be implemented. Masks, gloves and other protective gear weren't mandated, and testing for COVID-19 was something employees had only seen on TV. That morning, wearing a mask she bought herself, an auxiliary nurse set out for the top floor of the four-story, red-brick center where the sickest residents were staying. Halfway up the stairs, she ran into the facility's doctor. ``'Take off that crap, it's useless,''' the nurse, who asked that her name not be used for fear of reprisal, says she was ordered. ``He said all I was doing was scaring the residents.'' On March 16, after Patino woke up with a fever, difficulty breathing and no appetite, the Usera center's physician convened a meeting to inform workers that a first suspected coronavirus case had been detected on the premises. Those in attendance say they were reminded again that the policy was still to avoid using masks, with the doctor playing a recording of somebody he presented as an expert saying they were useless and would only spread panic. Four days later, Patino became one of the first residents to die at Usera, and then the deaths began coming in twos and threes a day. On March 21, the Spanish government ordered an immediate separation of nursing home residents into four groups: those infected, which was something nearly impossible to confirm given that no testing kits were available; those with symptoms; those suspected of having had contact with a positive case; and those who appeared healthy. The order was meant to be carried out in 24 hours. But by then at least 30 workers were ill, and according to internal documents reviewed by AP, the separation didn't begin until March 27, six days after the order was issued. By the end of March, 18 people had died. And twice as many would die in the following days. The auxiliary nurse who had first been told to scrap her mask described the situation inside the facility as ``unsustainable.'' She also began feeling dizzy with difficulty breathing before she tested positive for the virus herself, among about half of the Usera center's staff of 131 who would eventually fall ill to COVID-19. ``When they should have been protecting all of us workers and residents, they basically left us exposed, abandoned.'' Nursing homes have become a flashpoint in the global pandemic, with more than a third of the U.S.'s 100,00 deaths in such facilities, and higher proportions reported in such countries as Canada, Ireland and France. Spain's more than 19,000 nursing home deaths is out of an official overall death toll of about 27,000, but that is likely an undercount because it includes only those who tested positive. Some estimates put the actual toll as high as 43,000. Spain's 4.5 billion-euro ($4.9 billion) eldercare industry has 373,000 elderly people in more than 5,400 nursing homes, and it has increasingly become profit-driven, with 7 out of 10 beds privately run. Nearly 45% of the remaining public ones, around 45,000 beds, are additionally offered to be managed by private companies, the vast majority of which are backed by domestic and foreign private-equity firms eager to get a return on typically short-term investments. Whether these public homes, like the Usera center, were hit harder than privately owned ones in the coronavirus pandemic is not clear, since the Spanish government has yet to break down death and infection numbers by specific homes. But some of the biggest outbreaks that have been publicized are in homes that are government-owned and privately operated. In the Madrid area alone, another facility managed by the same company as Usera saw at least 46 deaths, and two nursing homes managed by a competitor recorded 96 and 27 deaths, respectively. Joseba Zalakain, director of SIIS, a research center focused on social issues, says that Spain's public nursing homes managed by these multinationals are, as a rule, ``centers with few resources that are very badly equipped, squeezing the idea of the low-cost so much that they are crippled to react to something like a pandemic.'' But private operators point fingers at the underfunding of nursing homes by the government, and the fact that coordination with the national health system is poor. Jose Ramon Repullo, an economist at Spain's top health institute, Carlos III, says the blame is shared. ``If the state is awful at managing these facilities, it's even worse at supervising them,'' he says. At the Usera center, a publicly-owned facility in a working-class section of Madrid, the first changes came in 2012 after Quavitae, a growing player in Spanish elder care backed by a British private-equity fund, won the contract to operate the home with the lowest bid. It came in 2 million euros ($2.2 million) below the 11.5 million euros ($12.6 million) that officials calculated that running the facility for four years would cost. Maria Mendoza, who has worked at Usera for 12 years as an auxiliary nurse, said the new owners imposed staff cuts almost immediately and ``everything went downhill from there.'' They decided a doctor during the night shift was no longer needed, and that they could get by with fewer nurses. Mendoza says the facility's maintenance also was kept to a minimum. A toilet or an elevator would break and go unrepaired for weeks. There were leaks. And cranes used to lift residents from their beds would break and not be fixed. ``The place started to fall apart,'' Mendoza says. By the end of 2016, Usera's management changed hands when Quavitae sold its nursing home operations to DomusVi, which was founded by one of France's richest businessmen, Yves Journel. It has since become Spain's leading private operator of nursing homes, with more than 20,000 beds in over 150 facilities. DomusVi's majority stake was held at the time by the French private equity firm, PAI Partners, which sold out just months later to the London-based private-equity firm, ICG. Soon after, ICG applied to refinance 1 billion euros in debt. All that churn meant further cuts at Usera at a time when studies showed that the elderly moving into such facilities were increasingly dependent on additional help. Auxiliary nurses who do most of the hands-on patient work were the biggest cutback since the private equity-backed firms took control at Usera, dropping from 43 to 32 overall, with no more than 17 on at any one shift. ``The ratio became pretty much one auxiliary nurse for every 10 elders,'' says Florencia Yacovano, who has been a receptionist at the Usera center for more than a decade. ``Imagine rushing to get 10 of them out of bed, showering them and dressing them in just over one hour, in time for breakfast. It's literally impossible.'' Beatriz Cano, a 70-year-old who has lived in the home for more than a decade with a chronic illness, says staffing constraints caused residents to be showered every other day rather than daily; they were told to limit toilet use and wear diapers in off hours; and there was little patience for those needing extra help to eat. ``If someone needs half an hour to be fed slowly . it's just easier to give up after two spoonfuls and write down that the resident has no appetite today,'' she says. Esther Navarro says her 97-year-old mother was given sleeping pills in the morning, rather than at night, without justification, and staff would leave the woman in bed, sometimes until the afternoon. More than once she found her mother's pills on the floor. ``The feeling of my siblings and myself, when leaving the residence, was always the same _ they are cheating us, they are laughing at us.'' Navarro added. ``We always felt frustration and helplessness.'' The complaints finally caught the regional government's attention. DomusVi was fined 83,400 euros ($91,800) last year for not meeting the technical requirements of its contract and specifically for the lack of maintenance of the facilities. Years earlier, they had been fined for having insufficient personnel and for failing to make agreed-upon improvements. AP learned that on Feb. 26, three DomusVi executives were called to the regional government offices and informed that their contract would be taken away for their latest offense, outsourcing the employment of nurses. They were told it would be a matter of paperwork over a few weeks before it was settled. Then the coronavirus struck. Mendoza, the auxiliary nurse, says there seemed to be a shift after it became clear DomusVi was about to be permanently replaced. ``Because this company already had one foot outside,`` she says, ``they didn't give a damn about us.`` In an email, DomusVi rejected all claims made to AP by workers, relatives and residents at the Usera nursing home, saying it took measures to face the coronavirus ``since the end of February,'' handled Patino's body properly and separated residents according to their symptoms ``in the stipulated time.'' DomusVi refused to comment on the government's decision to strip its Usera contract and the broader criticism of public-private partnerships. It said nursing homes have been ``unfairly'' criticized during the pandemic when many coronavirus deaths happened in hospitals, adding ``it is the health system that has to cure residents.'' ICG _ the private-equity firm that has lent to or invested in hundreds of companies, including a British software firm, an Italian drug maker and a French supplier of fasteners _ defended DomusVi as a ``high-quality business.'' ICG added it is ``doing everything we can to support the businesses that we invest in.`` Last month, over 1,000 academics and civil society leaders signed a manifesto calling for an ``urgent revision'' of the long-term care model and its ``corresponding scenario of public funding.'' Responding to part of the criticism, the Madrid government told the AP that the pandemic ``has shown that a new model is necessary'' that guarantees appropriate health care in nursing homes. ``A model that focuses on the needs of the people, who now have a longer life expectancy and live their last years with a higher level of dependency.'' This month, dozens of relatives of those who died in 15 Madrid nursing homes, sued the regional government and individual home directors, accusing them of reckless homicide, degrading treatment, abuse of power and denial of help. Several plaintiffs were families who had loved-ones in Usera, including Elena Valero, whose father died of COVID-19 and whose mother recovered from it. If any good can come out of the crisis, she says, it would be an overhaul of the elder care system in Spain. ``What we want is that the model goes from being hostels where they are fed and given a bed, run on the cheap, to residences with proper health and social care, with dignity.'' Search Keywords: Short link: HELSINKI, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A series of measures and policies proposed at the ongoing annual gatherings of China's national legislature and political advisory body, known as the "two sessions," will boost confidence in China's economic and social development, an expert has said. Carl Fey, professor of international business at Finland's Aalto University School of Business, told Xinhua that China's decision not to set a specific economic growth target for 2020, as is unveiled in the government work report, is bold and sensible and will give the government more flexibility in its future work at a time when it is difficult to predict economic development amid uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the work report, China will give priority to stabilizing employment and living standards this year, with an aim to keep urban unemployment at around 6 percent -- a wise move, said Fey, also the former dean of Nottingham University Business School China. Measures mentioned at the "two sessions," including tax reduction for enterprises, job creation, and increasing investment in "new infrastructure," will be effective tools to promote employment, he added. Describing China's plan to augment investment in "new infrastructure" projects as another wise move, Fey said that the strategy will not merely help create additional jobs but also facilitate structural reforms of the Chinese economy. "China is investing in the world's most advanced new infrastructure, and 5G networks are a good example of this," said Fey, adding that China's speed in pulling off plans is a competitive advantage, citing the fast response of some Chinese cities and regions to the "new infrastructure" plan as an example. The plan to further cut taxes and fees for enterprises also caught Fey's attention, who believes this move will benefit China's economic development both in the short and long term and help cope with risks. Additionally, as the work report indicates, China plans to set its fiscal deficit above 3.6 percent of GDP this year. "Some people think this is quite high. In fact, it is very moderate and reasonable by international comparison," Fey said, noting that the International Monetary Fund has predicted the world average deficit-to-GDP ratio will rise to 9.9 percent in 2020 from 3.7 percent in 2019. As most of the world is still fighting against the pandemic, China has placed high priority on finding a cure for COVID-19, and promised that once a vaccine is successfully developed, it will be shared globally. Fey was deeply encouraged by this, saying "indeed, helping to find a cure is the most important thing that any country can do to help get not only its own economy but also the world economy back on track. China is working hard in this regard." "There is no question that how to stimulate the economy to recovery is a complex problem with no easy answer, and the Chinese economy seems to be doing pretty well and recovering rather quickly compared to most," Fey said. "The COVID-19 crisis has created a difficult time for all countries. However, how a country responds to the crisis can make a large difference in its future fortunes. So far, I am quite impressed with how the Chinese government has dealt with the economic impact from the crisis overall," he added. (Photo : Emily Elconin on Reuters ) COVID-19 Update: U.S. 2nd Wave May Happen in Fall and Winter; Here's How to Stop it, Says Fauci (Photo : Carlos Barria on Reuters ) COVID-19 Update: U.S. 2nd Wave May Happen in Fall and Winter; Here's How to Stop it, Says Fauci America is now on its deadliest Coronavirus status after reaching more than 100,000 deaths in under four months. Sadly, this may not be the worst outcome yet. Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said that there are possibilities that the second wave of the virus may happen around fall and winter. There is some good news, though: it can be stopped. Coronavirus will be worst in fall and winter, warns Fauci Dr. Fauci is one of the experts leading the White House in understanding the novel coronavirus and is also part of President Donald Trump's task force. According to CNN and Newsweek, Fauci stated that the second wave of the coronavirus in the United States might happen soon--specifically in fall and winter. "We will have coronavirus in the fall," Fauci said in April. "I am convinced of that." As the country slowly reopens to the "new normal," he believes that it "could happen" but is "not inevitable." However, Fauci believes that there are still ways for the US to stop the second wave outbreak from coming. And it depends on reopening businesses "correctly." "Don't start leapfrogging over the recommendations of some of the guidelines because that's really tempting fate and asking for trouble," said Fauci to officials. He believes that the fate of stopping the second wave from occurring depends on the actions of Americans themselves. He also warns that the virus won't be able to get away from the planet, although figures show the slow movement of the virus in most affected countries. "It's in our hands. We can prevent a second wave if we respond to the inevitable infections we'll see in the fall and winter," said Fauci. "There's no doubt that this virus is not going to disappear from the planet by the time we get to the fall and the winter, because there's considerable activity right now in the United States, even though some cities and states are going down [in virus cases] from looking at the charts." US coronavirus status Many states are now slowly reopening businesses, workplaces, and even schools. However, it would be harder now to commit to this reopening after the country recorded over 100,000 deaths in just under four months. As reported by the BBC, the US is now the world's deadliest COVID-19 outbreak country. The report states that the number of deaths is already almost the same as the American soldiers and civilians killed in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan over 44 years of wars. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The United Kingdom has the highest rate of mortality from the coronavirus disease since March 20 out of 19 countries for which there is sufficient data, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Thursday, adding that the UK was second only to the United States in the number of excess deaths MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) The United Kingdom has the highest rate of mortality from the coronavirus disease since March 20 out of 19 countries for which there is sufficient data, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Thursday, adding that the UK was second only to the United States in the number of excess deaths. The newspaper conducted the study by analyzing data published by the national statistical bodies of 19 countries. According to the data, the UK has a higher rate of excess deaths per million people than Italy, Spain, and the United States, all of which have been considered to be epicenters of the coronavirus disease outbreak. Death rates in other European countries, such as Italy and Spain, are unlikely to overtake the UK unless they are hit by a second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, the newspaper stated. Only the United States, with a much larger population, has a higher number of excess deaths since March 20, according to the newspaper. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the UK Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed a total of 37,460 deaths related to the disease. According to the country's Office of National Statistics, 42,173 people have died as a result of the disease as of May 15. The Birmingham City Council will vote Friday morning on a measure that will extend the deadline on the citys mask ordinance to June 12. Birmingham remains the only city in Alabama that requires people cover their nose and mouth when in public. The ordinance was first approved by the council on April 28 and went into effect May 1. Its set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Friday. Daily case counts have increased in the last week, according to data from the Alabama Department of Public Health. Jefferson County added twenty more cases in todays report from ADPH. See coronavirus case counts here. Council President William Parker said more testing is needed throughout the city and says wearing masks can help to combat community spread of COVID-19. When you wear a face covering while you are out in public, that is an intentional act of kindness because youre helping to protect those around you, Parker said. We cant legislate morality, we just want our citizens to understand the importance of covering their face when they are in a public space. Were all in this fight together. So please, lets help keep each other safe while we are out there supporting our local businesses that are beginning to reopen their doors to the community. The ordinance defines a mask as a device to cover the nose and mouth of a person to impede the spread of saliva or other fluids during speaking, coughing, sneezing or other intentional or involuntary action. It doesnt require the masks be medical-grade, just that they cover the wearers nose and mouth. RELATED: Do I have to wear a mask in Birmingham? Click here to read AL.coms full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. In late 2017, when podcasts were just beginning to cement a foothold in the daily media rotation for consumers around the world, Michael Tatarski and his team at Saigoneer were dipping their toe into the format one of the first English-language attempts at podcasting to a Vietnam-based audience. Saigoneer, an online publication which covers life in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam at large, was founded in 2012, primarily as a means of keeping Saigons English-speaking residents updated on the citys events, cultural happenings, and popular street food haunts. The obvious evolutionary move for the online publication was to launch a podcast. With so much competition to capture readers attention with new, unique content, Tatarski and his team, at the very least, had to give it a shot and see what'll happen. Now, two years later, it is obvious that "shot proved to be nothing short of a slam dunk. We have tons of readers in Vietnam, but a lot of our readers live overseas, so that's where I assumed we would find our initial listeners, he told Tuoi Tre News. Now I'm pleased to see that the majority of our listeners come from within Vietnam, so theres an obvious appetite for podcasts in the local market. Potential for growth The term podcast was first coined by British Journalist Ben Hammersly in a 2004 column written for The Guardian in reference to recorded broadcast audio content meant to be downloaded and listened to on portable devices, such as an iPod. A few months later, the New Oxford American Dictionary declared podcast its Word of the Year. Since then, it has been full steam ahead for the podcast boom, with giants such as Apple, Google, and Spotify muscling their way into the market with apps and features for users to stream and download new and archived episodes of their favorite podcasts. As of April this year, there were more than one million podcast shows with a combined 30 million episodes globally, according to the Infinite Dial 2020 report by Edison Research. Despite the global boom, the podcast scene in Vietnam remains modest, Tatarski said, remarking it is otherwise fairly diverse in terms of what gets discussed." Given the huge popularity of podcasts in the U.S. and Europe, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they grow here." Vietnamese-language podcasts are listed among a sea of English shows on the Spotify Podcast Charts in this screen grab. According to a report released in January by local PR agency EloQ Communications, awareness of podcasts is rising in Vietnam and the Southeast Asian country is a viable market for the format to thrive. Waves, a startup which aims to develop a podcast ecosystem for the Vietnamese, is also optimistic that the market for audio-based content in Vietnam will grow, thanks to the rapid proliferation of smartphones and high Internet connectivity. There are some 50 million Vietnamese who consume digital content on social media for an average of 2.5 hours a day, Sang Do, Waves' head of partnerships, told Tuoi Tre News. Most importantly, Vietnamese people have an established habit of listening to the radio and also spend a healthy amount of time on YouTube. A bright outlook Several organizations involved in the industry share a common sentiment of a positive forecast for podcast growth in Vietnam. Podcasts will likely become a more popular medium for consuming aural content for those who travel by public transportation as the market begins to mature, said Tran Binh, deputy head of the digital content division under the news and current affairs department of Voice of Vietnam (VOV) radio. VietnamPlus, the official English-language online publication of the Vietnam News Agency, is convinced that the popularity of podcast platforms, smart speakers, and hi-tech audio systems for cars in Vietnam will result in a dramatic increase in podcast listeners throughout the country. Joining podcast forums and online communities in Vietnam has opened the eyes of Nguyen Hoang Nhat, deputy editor-in-chief of VietnamPlus, to how big the number of podcast listeners is. Vietnamese who listen to such popular podcasts as BBC News and Ted Talk as a way to improve their English listening skills may also want to try out programs hosted in their mother tongue, but they simply dont have access to the same massive selection that is available in English, Nhat said, adding that VietnamPlus podcasts are meant to narrow this gap. As much as these experts are upbeat about the potential of Vietnams podcasting industry, they do acknowledge that podcasts will not be a moneymaker anytime soon. I can't really see this medium turning into a moneymaker for individual shows here anytime soon, said Tatarski. Potential advertisers [here], for example, aren't yet familiar with [podcasts]. Similarly, Nhat explained that VietnamPlus podcasts are meant solely to spread information, rather than earn money. Once podcasts gain enough traction in Vietnam, we will start to think about monetization. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) Authorities shut down an illegal medical facility and arrested two Chinese nationals in Angeles City, Pampanga on Thursday for selling unregistered medical products. A police report detailed that officials from the National Bureau of Investigation and the Food and Drugs Administration led an entrapment operation with the police for an underground facility in Riverside Subdivision, Barangay Anunas. The operation resulted in the arrest of Dr. Chen Zhen Zhong, 66, and Tan Hei, 35 who were brought to the regional NBI headquarters. The report did not mention how many products were seized but said they were not registered with the FDA. The city's official Facebook page also showed photos of Mayor Carmelo Lazatin, Jr. inspecting the facility with members of the raiding team.https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/5/20/Fontana-Leisure-Park-COVID-19-Chinese-patients-medical-facility-raid.html?fbclid=IwAR3-T7ILK4TMYu_DcretYod7CLF8tX81mCMNcj9KWKj8AEX_63PZwvZrwe0 This comes over a week after police busted another illegal makeshift medical facility also operated by Chinese nationals in Clark, Pampanga. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has since urged to revoke the lease of the park though it denied involvement. tech2 News Staff Nokia had debuted in the smart TV segment last year and now the company is all set to launch another 43-inch screen model in India soon. A report by Gadgets 360, HMD Global has confirmed that it will unveil its 43-inch smart TV on 4 June in India. The report also revealed that smart TV might be exclusively available on Flipkart. As for the specifications, reportedly, the TV will likely be priced between Rs 31,000- Rs 34,000 in India. It is expected to come with JBL Audio and Dolby Vision support. The Nokia smart TV will reportedly run on Android 9.0 operating system. On the design front, the upcoming 43-inch model is expected to the same as its previous model and might come with the same thin bezels and V-shaped stand. The 55-inch model that was launched in India last year was priced at Rs 41,999. It also runs on Android 9 Pie and is powered by a PureX quad-core chipset. It offers up to 2.25 GB RAM with 16 GB internal storage. Since the 55-inch model came with support for Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ Hotstar, and Prime Video, the same is expected for the upcoming model as well. The smart TV is also expected to come with Chromecast built-in and support for Bluetooth v5.0. Bamako, Mali (PANA) - In a statement issued on Thursday, the Malian government said it had noted with indignation that for some time now, the Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA) has arrogated to itself the status of a State in Kidal, in the far north of Mali, in flagrant violation of the terms of the Agreement for Peace and National Reconciliation resulting from the Algiers Process, of which it is one of the signatories HONOLULU, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawaiian Electric, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HE), today revised its pending rate request and will now seek no increase in its rates on O'ahu. In its August 2019 application to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the company had requested a 4.1 percent increase in revenues, or $77.5 million. The increase was sought to help pay for operating and capital costs, including upgrades to strengthen the grid and integrate more renewable energy. The zero rate increase is described in a settlement between the company and the state Division of Consumer Advocacy filed with the PUC. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval. By cutting its rate request to zero even as it continues to invest in and maintain the electric system, the company is committing to reduce costs and work more efficiently to blunt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on customers and on Hawai'i's economy. With falling oil prices and no change to base rates, lower bills for residential and business customers could aid the state's economic recovery. Hawaiian Electric has begun a comprehensive, 3-year cost reduction program that uses technology and resources shared across five islands to work more efficiently while improving service to customers. The company has committed to reduce costs by at least $25 million a year by the end of 2022. Since 2013, Hawaiian Electric has spent more than $1 billion replacing and upgrading equipment to improve the efficiency and resilience of the O'ahu power grid. Even without the rate increase, that work will continue, with many grid improvements aimed at accelerating the switch from fossil fuel generation to a portfolio of renewable energy resources. "The decision to hold the line on rates doesn't change the commitment to achieve our renewable energy goals and to build on our strong customer satisfaction levels," said Scott Seu, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric. "We'll live within our means and make it work. This is the right thing to do as communities reopen and business activities pick up." The last rate review for O'ahu was filed in 2016 and resulted in a decrease to customer rates overall, largely due to the pass-through of savings from federal tax law changes. The full settlement agreement between Hawaiian Electric and the Division of Consumer Advocacy is available on the Hawaiian Electric Industries website at http://www.hei.com/CustomPage/Index?KeyGenPage=1073751924 or on the PUC's website at https://dms.puc.hawaii.gov/dms/index.jsp under Docket No. 2019-0085. CONTACT: Jim Kelly 808.341.8926 [email protected] SOURCE Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. Related Links http://www.hei.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 00:10:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's vegetable and flower exports have recovered to about 80 percent of the volumes before the COVID-19 outbreak, an apex industry organization, Fresh Produce of Kenya, confirmed on Thursday. Okisegere Ojepat, chief executive officer of the organization, said that initial panic resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak in March that disrupted exports had corrected itself gradually. "Our vegetable export has recovered up to 89 percent of volumes exported before the pandemic hit Kenya while flower export has recovered to 80 percent. In March, when the panic set in, our exports dropped from 100 percent to 30 percent," said Ojepat during a webinar organized by Strathmore University in Nairobi. "What we are lacking now are enough supplies. This is because many farmers were disrupted leading to stoppage of production," he said. Ojepat said cargo movement to Middle East, Europe and the United States from Nairobi has enabled Kenyan farmers to resume exports, and the market is becoming bigger. Horticulture is Kenya's third foreign exchange earner after remittances and tea exports. Enditem Samsung has introduced Samsung Money by SoFi, a mobile-first money management service that comes with a virtual and physical Mastercard debit card, as well as a cash management account. It is integrated with the companys mobile payment and digital wallet service, Samsung Pay, expanding Samsungs mobile payments ecosystem. Customers will be managing the new service via Samsung Pay, which lets users check their account balance, view past statements, and search for transactions. Users can also conduct security processes such as flagging fraudulent activities, freeze or unfreeze their cards, and change their PIN number on the app without having to physically meet anyone. Additionally, there is no account fee, and customers who deposit money into the Samsung Money by SoFi cash management account will also earn interest. Samsung Pay is also where users will initially set up Samsung Money by SoFi. Once the registration has been approved, users will get a virtual debit card instantly in the Samsung Pay app, while the physical card will be mailed, which is then activated using the app. The Samsung Money by SoFi service also offers several other perks for users. For instance, purchases made with the Samsung Money by SoFi debit card will earn points via the Samsung Rewards programme. These points can be redeemed for cash, which will be deposited into the Samsung Money by SoFi account similar to the Boost e-wallet here in Malaysia. Another benefit includes being able to access 55,000 ATMs for free via the Allpoint network in the US. Samsung Money by SoFi accounts are also FDIC-insured (the US equivalent of PIDM) for up to $1.5 million six times that of a normal bank account. Security, too, is a top priority for Samsung Money by SoFi, thanks to protection from Samsung Knox, Samsungs defence-grade mobile security platform used by the tech giant in its latest devices. The physical debit card is also designed with security in mind: the card number, expiration date, and CVC are all not displayed on the card. Instead, they can be found in the Samsung Pay app (just like the GrabPay Card and the Apple Card), and are further protected with biometric or PIN authentication. Samsung Money by SoFi is our biggest move yet to help users do more with their money. Samsung Pay is already the most rewarding shopping and payments experience driven by numerous innovations over the years. Now, users can access mobile-first financial services and earn exclusive Samsung benefits, said the vice president and general manager of Samsung Pay (North America), Sang Ahn. Samsung is yet another tech company making further inroads into financial technology, and follows companies like Google and Apple into expanding their existing mobile payments solutions (Google Pay & Apple Pay respectively) into fully-integrated money management tools that do not need the services of a bank. Huawei, too, recently entered the frame with the announcement of its Huawei Card, although these are both credit cards. The Samsung Money by SoFi service will be available to Samsung smartphone users in the US in the coming months, with no word yet on international availability. (Source: Samsung) 2.5 6 votes Article Rating SHARE PALO ALTO, California, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and European Distribution System Operators (E.DSO) convened more than 250 European, U.S., and other international electric grid company leaders in panel-led discussions of experiences related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and long-term recovery strategies during a joint webcast on May 27. Discussions focused on lessons learned and mitigations implemented, and potential system investments and research to enable a smarter, safer, and cleaner electric grid as a critical component of a more sustainable society. Panel members were Joao Torres, CEO of EDP Distribuicao; Okko Ziegler, Head of Market Studies, Global Infrastructure and Networks, ENEL Group; Chris Kelly, COO of National Grid U.S. Electric; and Terry Donnelly, President and COO of Commonwealth Edison. "The electric industry has reliably met customers' energy needs at a time of unprecedented global challenges, due in large part to its commitment to share best practices and to open collaboration," said EPRI Vice President of Integrated Grid and Energy Systems Daniel Brooks. "This webcast connected industry leaders across continents to learn about how others are addressing shared challenges during the pandemic, and together prepare for the future." "The global storyline of DSO has changed during this emergency. They have proven, especially in Europe, to be highly reliable, with excellent common security and safety standards, granting everybody active sockets and burning lamps. Still, the system has to be kept that way and further improved - anyway," said Christian Buchel, E.DSO Chairman and Enedis Director Clients, Territories and Europe. This panel discussion builds on a previous E.DSO webinar outlining approaches for dealing with COVID-19 and addressing opportunities in the green recovery. For more information about EPRI's COVID-19 response and research, please visit its COVID-19 information page. About E.DSO E.DSO, the European Distribution System Operators' Association, is the key-interface between Europe's DSOs and the European institutions, and promotes the development and large-scale testing of smart grid technologies in real-life situations, new market designs and regulation. E.DSO gathers 41 leading electricity distribution system operators (DSOs) in 24 countries, including 2 national associations, cooperating to ensure the reliability of Europe's electricity supply for consumers and enabling their active participation in our energy system. How? By shaping smarter grids for your future. About EPRI The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI, www.epri.com) is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization, that conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public, on a non-discriminatory basis. An independent organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, health, safety and the environment. EPRI's members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States, and international participation extends to nearly 40 countries. EPRI's principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Dublin, Ireland; and Lenox, Mass. Contact info Donald Cutler EPRI dcutler@epri.com 650.847.8077 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1138615/EPRI_Logo.jpg New Delhi: The coronavirus pandemic has thrown open a new challenge for India as several migrants lose homes and jobs. This indeed has forced the government to refine the phrase "migrant workers" after 41 years as the Centre plans to register then to enable access to social security and health benefits under the Employees State Insurance Corporation. According to a report in Times of India, the central government is planning to enact a law on this by the end of the year. The report states that labour minister Santosh Gangwar has confirmed the legal framework was being strengthened and some of the provisions in the proposed Code, cleared by the standing committee of Parliament headed by BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, may undergo further changes. The redefinition of the term has been proposed under an updated Code on Social Security which the labour ministry will shortly take to the Union Cabinet. The report states that the steps are seen to be crucial as the current legal framework is inadequate, something that was exposed by the exodus of migrants, with absence of any kind of record of employment which prompted a serious rethink in the government. The Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 applies to establishments with five or more inter-state migrant workers and to contractors involved in their hiring. "This will mean that most migrant workers today will be outside the law's ambit," an official was quoted as saying. The proposed legal framework will apply to individual migrant workers who earn up to a specified amount with even domestic helps included in its framework, the TOI report said. While the ceiling wage will be defined through an executive order, the law will provide for it. These workers will enjoy benefit of portability of benefits across the country and be entitled to be given the fare to go home once every year, TOI quoted its sources as saying. MINNEAPOLIS Protesters angered by the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died while in police custody, gained access to a Minneapolis police precinct on Thursday, the third straight night of violent protests spreading beyond the city. Livestream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set. Police appeared to have left the building located in the neighborhood not far from where Floyd died Monday. A spokesman didnt immediately respond to messages left by The Associated Press. In footage recorded by a bystander, Floyd can be seen pleading that he cant breathe as Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, kneels on his neck. As minutes pass, Floyd slowly stops talking and moving. Dozens of businesses across the Twin Cities were boarding up their windows and doors Thursday in an effort to prevent looting, with the Minneapolis-based Target announcing it was temporarily closing two dozen area stores. Minneapolis shut down nearly its entire light-rail system and all bus service through Sunday out of safety concerns. In St. Paul, clouds of smoke hung in the air as police armed with batons and wearing gas masks and body armor kept a watchful eye on protesters along one of the citys main commercial corridors, where firefighters also sprayed water onto a series of small fires. At one point, officers stood in line in front of a Target, trying to keep out looters, who were also smashing windows of other businesses. Hundreds of demonstrators returned Thursday to the Minneapolis neighborhood at the center of the violence, where the nighttime scene veered between an angry protest and a street party. At one point, a band playing in a parking lot across from the polices 3rd Precinct, the focus of the protests, broke into a punk version of Bob Marleys Redemption Song. Nearby, demonstrators carried clothing mannequins from a looted Target and threw them onto a burning car. Later, a building fire erupted nearby. Story continues But elsewhere in Minneapolis, thousands of peaceful demonstrators marched through the streets calling for justice. Earlier Thursday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called in the National Guard to try to stem the violence. Floyds death has deeply shaken Minneapolis and sparked protests in cities across the U.S. Local leaders have repeatedly urged demonstrators to avoid violence. Please stay home. Please do not come here to protest. Please keep the focus on George Floyd, on advancing our movement and on preventing this from ever happening again, tweeted St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, who is black. Erika Atson, 20, was among thousands of people who gathered outside government offices in downtown Minneapolis, where organizers had called a peaceful protest. Many protesters wore masks because of the coronavirus pandemic, but there were few attempts at social distancing. Atson, who is black, described seeing her 14- and 11-year-old brothers tackled by Minneapolis police years ago because officers mistakenly presumed the boys had guns. She said she had been at every single protest since Floyds death and worried about raising children who could be vulnerable in police encounters. We dont want to be here fighting against anyone. We dont want anyone to be hurt. We dont want to cause any damages, she said. We just want the police officer to be held accountable. Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson said the rally had been peaceful and there had been no arrests by late evening. The governors order did not say how many Guard members were mobilized or whether they would be in service Thursday night. After calling in the Guard, Walz urged widespread changes in the wake of Floyds death. It is time to rebuild. Rebuild the city, rebuild our justice system and rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and those theyre charged to protect, Walz said. Much of the Minneapolis violence occurred in the Longfellow neighborhood, where protesters converged on the precinct station of the police who arrested Floyd. In a strip mall across the street from the 3rd Precinct station, the windows in nearly every business had been smashed, from the large Target department store at one end to the Planet Fitness gym at the other. Only the 24-hour laundromat appeared to have escaped unscathed. WHY US? demanded a large expanse of red graffiti scrawled on the wall of the Target. A Wendys restaurant across the street was charred almost beyond recognition. Among the casualties of the overnight fires: a six-story building under construction that was to provide nearly 200 apartments of affordable housing. Were burning our own neighborhood, said a distraught Deona Brown, a 24-year-old woman standing with a friend outside the precinct station, where a small group of protesters were shouting at a dozen or so stone-faced police officers in riot gear. This is where we live, where we shop, and they destroyed it. No officers could be seen beyond the station. What that cop did was wrong, but Im scared now, Brown said. Others in the crowd saw something different in the wreckage. Protesters destroyed property because the system is broken, said a young man who identified himself only by his nickname, Cash, and who said he had been in the streets during the violence. He dismissed the idea that the destruction would hurt residents of the largely black neighborhood. Theyre making money off of us, he said angrily of the owners of the destroyed stores. He laughed when asked if he had joined in the looting or violence. I didnt break anything. The protests that began Wednesday night and extended into Thursday were more violent than Tuesdays, which included skirmishes between offices and protesters but no widespread property damage. Mayor Jacob Frey appealed for calm but the citys response to the protests was quickly questioned as things started spiraling into violence. If the strategy was to keep residents safe it failed, City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, who is black, tweeted. Prevent property damage it failed. On Thursday, he urged police to leave the scene of the overnight violence, saying their presence brings people into the streets. But Eric Kowalczyk, a police captain in Baltimore during the Freddie Gray riots in 2015, generally supported the Minneapolis police strategy to avoid confrontations with protesters when possible, saying heavy-handed police responses are only met with more violence. Nobody wants to see their city on fire, but at the same time, you dont want to see citizens injured by the very police department they are protesting, he said. Protests have also spread to other U.S. cities. In New York City, protesters defied New Yorks coronavirus prohibition on public gatherings Thursday, clashing with police, while demonstrators blocked traffic in downtown Denver. A day earlier, demonstrators had taken to the streets in Los Angeles and Memphis. Amid the violence in Minneapolis, a man was found fatally shot Wednesday night near a pawn shop, possibly by the owner, authorities said. Fire crews responded to about 30 intentionally set blazes, and multiple fire trucks were damaged by rocks and other projectiles, the fire department said. No one was hurt by the blazes. The city on Thursday released a transcript of the 911 call that brought police to the grocery store where Floyd was arrested. The caller described someone paying with a counterfeit bill, with workers rushing outside to find the man sitting on a van. The caller described the man as awfully drunk and hes not in control of himself. Asked by the 911 operator whether the man was under the influence of something, the caller said: Something like that, yes. He is not acting right. Police said Floyd matched the callers description of the suspect. The U.S. Attorneys Office and the FBI in Minneapolis said Thursday they were conducting a robust criminal investigation into the death. President Donald Trump has said he had asked an investigation to be expedited. The FBI is also investigating whether Floyds civil rights were violated. Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on Floyds neck, was fired Tuesday with three other officers involved in the arrest. The next day, the mayor called for Chauvin to be criminally charged. He also appealed for the activation of the National Guard. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) Metro Manila will transition to a more relaxed general community quarantine or GCQ from June 1, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday. Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) to downgrade the quarantine restrictions over the country's capital region which is now deemed as a "high-to-moderate-risk area." "We are not happy to put you in this place, but after review, maybe we can," Duterte said in an address to the nation aired Thursday night. This is also in line with the recommendation of all 17 mayors of the National Capital Region to shift from modified enhanced community quarantine to a more relaxed GCQ to allow more nonessential businesses to reopen in the hopes of restarting the economy and helping workers amid the COVID-19 crisis. With more lax quarantine measures in place, barangays deemed to be "high risk" due to the alarming number of COVID-19 cases will be subject to "zoning," which will be implemented by the National Task Force on COVID-19. Starting June 1, buses will be allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity in Metro Manila, but modern jeepneys are still not allowed to operate for three more weeks. Trains and buses plying train service routes will be allowed to run immediately, along with shuttles of private companies, transport network vehicle services such as GrabCar, taxis, tricycles, and point-to-point buses. Residents in GCQ areas will be allowed to head out, except for those aged under 21, as well as those 60 and older, to limit infections. There is also some leeway to socialize in GCQ areas, but religious gatherings remain prohibited. The following areas will also be under GCQ for 15 days: Entire Region 2 (Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Santiago City) Entire Region 3 (Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac) Entire Region 4-A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Lucena City) Albay Pangasinan Davao City Meanwhile, the rest of the country will be placed under modified general community quarantine. As of Thursday, the country reported 15,588 confirmed COVID-19. Recoveries have reached 3,598, while 921 have died of the disease. Health Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire on Thursday said the doubling time of coronavirus cases in the country has slowed to seven days a vast improvement from the 2-3 days before the start of ECQ in March. A pharmaceutical company, Top-Up Pharmacy Limited, has donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Tema General Hospital to support the work of frontline healthcare staff of the facility in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The items, estimated at GH30,000 included boxes of infrared thermometer guns, packs of disposable nose masks, face shields and hand sanitisers. Top-Up Pharmacy presented the supplies to the hospital in fulfilment of the companys commitment to improve healthcare delivery in the country. Presentation Presenting the items, the Chief Executive Officer of Top-Up Pharmacy and Lena House Clinic, Mr Richard K. Odor, said the donation formed part of the companys corporate social responsibility (CSR) in communities the company operated. Mr Odor acknowledged that fighting COVID-19 was a collective effort, noting that the hospital staff were exposed to a lot of dangers in the discharge of their duties, hence the assistance. The Tema General Hospital is a COVID-19 centre as well as a referral centre and treats a lot of patients, hence they need the assistance of companies close to it like us. With about 10 outlets in various parts of the country, we always identify the needs of communities in which we operate and provide the necessary assistance that we can. In the coming weeks, we will also be assisting the Accra Psychiatric Hospital with items to help in their operations, he said. Mr Odor was accompanied by Mrs Olena Odor, the Executive Director of Top-Up Pharmacy; Mr Emmanuel Fiadzorgbe, a senior superintendent pharmacist; and Mr Daniel Sarpong, the General Manager of Top-Up Pharmacy. Appreciation The Medical Director of the Tema General Hospital, Dr Richard Anthony, who received the items on behalf of the facility, expressed appreciation for the donation. He said he was particularly grateful to the management of the hospital for responding promptly to calls made to it for support. I am really happy that you have responded to our call on time. These items also came in handy and will do us a lot of good. We hope to receive a lot of support from you, he said. Dr Anthony also commended the efforts of other individuals and organisations helping in diverse ways to curtail the spread of the virus and thereby protect fellow citizens. Few days ago, we received a vehicle from the COVID-19 Trust Fund, all through the donations of benevolent Ghanaians. We remain grateful to everyone, he added. Disease may linger Dr Anthony also emphasised that the virus might linger on for a long while and called on Ghanaians to observe all the safety protocols to help contain the spread. It is the responsibility of everyone to observe these protocols to be able to defeat the virus, he stated. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Bigg Boss 13 contestant Devoleena Bhattacharjee has donated money to help those affected by flood in her home state of Assam. I have donated Rs 73,000 to Assam CM relief fund, and I feel that more people should come out and support the government in fighting this difficult time. My mother always taught me that the way I look after her, similarly I should care for my Assam, my India as they too are like mother, she said. I just wish I could share the pain and suffering of my people who are suffering because of a natural calamity. I can just do this much for now. I hope it helps them, she added. Also read | Sara Khan calls her lip filler a disaster: I didnt like my look at that time At least three people died and over 2,50,000 people in more than 350 villages were affected due to floods and landslides in three northeastern states -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, officials said on Tuesday. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Naomi Tajitsu (Reuters) Tokyo, Japan Thu, May 28, 2020 11:19 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bda9cb92 2 Business Nissan,loss,car-sales,COVID-19 Free Nissan Motor Co will unveil its plan to become a smaller, more cost-efficient automaker on Thursday as it looks to recover from four years of tumbling profits which are set to culminate in its first annual operating loss in 11 years. The Japanese carmakers second recovery plan in less than a year will outline how it will slash fixed costs, streamline its products and shore up cash as it reels from a plunge in sales as the coronavirus pandemic hits demand for cars. Nissan said in April that it expected to post an annual operating loss of up to 45 billion yen (US$417 million) when it announces its results for the year to March 31 at 08.00 a.m. on Thursday, which would be its worst performance since 2008/09. The automaker sold 4.8 million vehicles in its latest financial year, the second decline in a row and a fall of 13 percent from last year, knocking it off its perch as Japans second biggest automaker to trail Toyota and Honda. The plan will follow a new strategy announced by Nissan and its partners Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp on Wednesday to work more closely on developing and producing cars to reduce costs and ensure the groups survival. Even before the spread of the coronavirus, Nissans sales and profits had been slumping, forcing it to row back on an aggressive expansion plan pursued by ousted leader Carlos Ghosn. The pandemic has only piled on the urgency and pressure to renew its efforts to downsize. Nissans operating profit has tumbled for four consecutive years as its pursuit of market share, particularly in the United States, led to overcapacity at its car plants, steep discounting and a cheapened brand. The three-year strategy will lay out a path to sustainable profitability and is the vision of Chief Executive Makoto Uchida and Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta, who took over after months of internal turmoil following Ghosns arrest in 2018. Under the plan, Nissan will curb its ambitions for sales growth to target annual sales of about 5 million units, Reuters reported in April, a cut from a previous goal of 6 million cars outlined in July by then-CEO Hiroto Saikawa. Another top priority will be the preservation of cash. As of December, Nissans automotive operations had negative free cash flow of 670.9 billion yen, a more than six-fold increase from a year ago. The Bachelor Australia is set to air in the U.S. But only a few seasons of the franchise, and its spin offs, will be available for American audiences to watch on streaming service HBO Max, from May 27, according to Deadline. Among the Australian seasons of The Bachelor that will air include season two, featuring Blake Garvey - who proposed to Sam Frost, but famously dumped her just two weeks before the finale aired. Ready for America? The Bachelor Australia is set to air in the U.S. on HBO Max, including season two with Blake Garvey (pictured) It was later revealed that Blake, who was dubbed 'Australia's most hated man' by fans on social media at the time, had decided to pursue a relationship with second runner-up Louise Pillidge. They broke up after 18 months together. Audiences will be introduced to controversial characters such as Laurina Fleure, who became famous for her 'dirty street pie' one-liner. Interestingly, the network is choosing not to broadcast season five featuring Nick 'Honey Badger' Cummins - who was similarly dubbed by fans on social media as 'Australia's most hated man'. Infamous: Blake proposed to Sam Frost (pictured together left), but famously dumped her just two weeks before the finale aired. It was later revealed that he had decided to pursue a relationship second runner-up Louise Pillidge (pictured right) Just as disastrous: Interestingly, the network is choosing not to broadcast season five featuring former rugby star Nick 'Honey Badger' Cummins - who was similarly dubbed by fans on social media as 'Australia's most hated man' The Honey Badger, who is also known for his bizarre take on Australian slang, famously failed to find love in the finale with Brittany Hockley and Sophie Tieman. But American audiences will be treated to Matthew 'Matty J' Johnson's fairytale season as he found love with Laura Byrne. Matty J and Laura are now engaged and are proud parents of an 11-month-old daughter Marlie Mae. Happy ending: American audiences will be treated to Matthew 'Matty J' Johnson's fairytale season as he found love with Laura Byrne. Matty J and Laura are now engaged and are proud parents of an 11-month-old daughter Marlie Mae (pictured together) Search for love: HBO Max audiences will also be introduced to former pop star and season three Bachelorette Sophie Monk HBO Max audiences will also be introduced to former pop star and season three Bachelorette Sophie Monk. Meanwhile, only the first season of Bachelor in Paradise will be broadcast on the service. The streaming service will also air select seasons of the dating show from New Zealand, UK and Canada. Huawei has announced the worldwide launch of the OceanStor Pacific Series mass storage system to deliver efficient, cost-effective and reliable services for AI, HPC, video and other mass data storage scenarios. OceanStor Pacific breaks architectural, service and performance boundaries by leveraging uncompromised multi-protocol interworking, next-generation elastic EC algorithms and a series of dedicated hardware modules. The new series marks a new standard for future-oriented mass data storage, helping enterprises fully unleash data power in the intelligent age. The fourth industrial revolution has made digital production the currency of modern business models. Digital production turns data into opportunities, then these opportunities into services, and finally into profits. With this new production factor, enterprises must find a way of cost-effectively collecting and storing different types of data such as structured data from core services and mass unstructured data from 5G, IoT, and UHD. Enterprises use AI technologies to analyze and process the massive amounts of data to convert data into knowledge and services, improving production efficiency. Speaking at the launch in Shenzhen, Peter Zhou, President of Huawei Data Storage and Intelligent Vision Product Line said, "Mass data will play an increasingly important role in enterprise digital transformation. Today, only 2% of global data is stored, and only 10% of the data is being mined for further value. Enterprises are facing insufficient capacity, data silos, and complex management when dealing with mass data. Our OceanStor Pacific Series is designed to answer these pain points, setting a new benchmark for efficient, economical, everlasting mass data storage, and helping us become the trusted choice for mass data." During the launch, Shang Haifeng, President of Huawei Mass Storage Domain, elaborated on Huawei's three strategic directions for mass data scenarios: Leading technologies: Huawei builds a series of dedicated hardware and leverages software innovations such as multi-protocol interworking, efficient reduction algorithms, and multi-level reliability to meet scenario-specific needs. Business innovations: Huawei leverages industry-leading data redundancy protection and reduction technologies to be the first industry player to promote the business model for available capacity. This model enables users to know exactly what they are getting from the start, helping lower procurement costs, TCO, and the usage threshold of mass storage. Industry expertise: Driven by industry-specific requirements, Huawei constantly innovates its products, accelerates the digital transformation of enterprises, and unleashes data power. Efficient, Economical, and Everlasting: The Trusted Choice for Mass Data Huawei released its first generation of file storage in 2009 and has continuously invested in mass data storage ever since, ranking No.1 in market share in China for four consecutive years. The OceanStor Pacific Series aims to become the trusted choice for mass data by fully utilizing years of know-how in software and hardware, and making groundbreaking innovations in efficiency, cost, and reliability. Efficient: This series breaks the service boundary to implement uncompromised interworking of file, HDFS, and object protocols, addressing performance and semantic loss issues caused by traditional gateways. In autonomous driving R&D, one Huawei storage system streamlines data processing across different phases. Data does not need to be migrated between multiple storage systems, improving service processing efficiency by 25% and reducing space by 20%. By breaking the performance boundary, the next-generation file system supports bandwidth- and OPS-intensive applications, adapting to increasingly complex HPC loads. This series breaks the service boundary to implement uncompromised interworking of file, HDFS, and object protocols, addressing performance and semantic loss issues caused by traditional gateways. In autonomous driving R&D, one Huawei storage system streamlines data processing across different phases. Data does not need to be migrated between multiple storage systems, improving service processing efficiency by 25% and reducing space by 20%. By breaking the performance boundary, the next-generation file system supports bandwidth- and OPS-intensive applications, adapting to increasingly complex HPC loads. Economical: This series breaks the architectural boundary with the innovative, high-reliability vNode mode along with the next-generation elastic EC technology. It yields a disk utilization of up to 93%, over 40% higher than the industry average, without compromising performance and reliability. Its brand-new node with high density and large capacity supports 120 disks in just a 5 U space with 2.67x density than general-purpose storage servers and 62.5% space reduction. Hot, warm, and cold data is automatically tiered onto SSDs, HDDs, and Blu-ray disks on demand, meaning that data can flow freely without intervention. This series breaks the architectural boundary with the innovative, high-reliability vNode mode along with the next-generation elastic EC technology. It yields a disk utilization of up to 93%, over 40% higher than the industry average, without compromising performance and reliability. Its brand-new node with high density and large capacity supports 120 disks in just a 5 U space with 2.67x density than general-purpose storage servers and 62.5% space reduction. Hot, warm, and cold data is automatically tiered onto SSDs, HDDs, and Blu-ray disks on demand, meaning that data can flow freely without intervention. Everlasting: The series provides a four-level mechanism for data, devices, systems, and solutions to ensure high reliability. Its comprehensive sub-health detection and pre-processing identify fault risks before they occur. The OceanStor Pacific Series uses cross-cluster active-active and three-site multi-active DR mechanisms for cross-region DR, ensuring 24/7 online services of banking images, online videos, and other production applications. Huawei OceanStor storage has been deployed in more than 150 countries for more than 12,000 customers in a variety of sectors, including carriers, finance, government, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation. Huawei OceanStor storage is the ideal choice for worldwide customers looking to store and process their service data. Article sponsored by Huawei Though its outbreak has slowed, New Jersey has now lost at least 11,401 lives in 12 weeks to the coronavirus pandemic as officials Thursday announced the states total number of cases rose to 157,815, while the number of patients being treated for the illness in hospitals increased slightly for the second straight day. Officials reported 66 new deaths and 1,261 new positive tests in the Garden State in the last 24 hours. The announcement comes a day after the death toll from the virus in the U.S. surpassed 100,000. New Jersey, a densely populated state of 9 million residents, has the second-most deaths and cases among American states, after New York. Gov. Phil Murphy said this week New Jersey is well past the peak of cases and he stresses that continued downward trends in deaths, positive tests, and hospitalizations are good signs efforts to promote social distancing including more than two months of near-lockdown orders have worked to diminish the outbreak. The state hit a one-day high in deaths, 460, on April 30 and a one-day high in cases, 4,391, on April 16. NEW: Weve received 1,261 new positive #COVID19 test results, bringing our statewide total to 157,815. The spot positivity rate for tests from May 24th was 6 percent. pic.twitter.com/r6r4LGcW2N Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) May 28, 2020 Still, as of 10 p.m. Wednesday, there were 2,797 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases at New Jerseys 71 hospitals. Thats a 36-patient increase from Tuesday, though the overall number is down 65% since peaking at 8,084 on April 14. We have expected this increase in new hospitalizations given the holiday weekend, but we are going to watch these numbers closely over the coming days to see if there may be a deeper meaning to them, Murphy said during his daily coronavirus briefing in Trenton. He also cautioned that the numbers show the state shouldnt rush to reopen. For everybody who says, Open the thing up tomorrow, lets turn all the lights on, lets get back to normal,' we had 365 folks going into the hospital yesterday, the governor said. Weve got to make sure we are watching this like a hawk. ... Were still digging out of this." Of those hospitalized Wednesday, 740 were in critical or intensive care and 564 were on ventilators or about 18% of the states ventilator capacity. Both of those numbers are down from Tuesday. Because confirming new deaths and cases depends on lab results, officials say hospitalizations are the best real-time indicators of how the state is managing the outbreak. There were 365 new COVID-19 patients hospitalized and 287 discharged from hospitals Wednesday. LOOK: The key metrics were tracking continue to move in the right directions. Key metrics continue to be far down from the peak. pic.twitter.com/8BQO7sXT27 Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) May 28, 2020 Murphy also noted New Jersey ranks first in the U.S. in new hospitalized COVID-19 patients, second in new deaths, and 10th in new cases per 100,000 residents. LOOK: In comparison to our peers, we continue to lead where we dont want to. Were not out of the woods. We must continue to practice our social distancing. pic.twitter.com/WSkUse3dmB Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) May 28, 2020 But the governor said Thursday he may announce more steps in gradually easing his near-lockdown restrictions in the coming days. Murphy hinted that may include guidance for youth sports, outdoor dining, and small businesses, though he didnt reveal any specifics. Theres a lot of comfort were seeing in the data, he said. But weve got to make sure things are in fact going in the direction we want to go." NUMBERS BY COUNTY The county-by-county number of cases and deaths include: Hudson County: 18,226 with 1,161 deaths Bergen County: 18,158 with 1,553 deaths Essex County: 17,450 with 1,628 deaths Passaic County: 15,959 with 903 deaths Middlesex County: 15,633 with 968 deaths Union County: 15,475 with 1047 deaths Ocean County: 8,577 with 711 deaths Monmouth County: 8,012 with 578 deaths Mercer County: 6,670 with 462 deaths Morris County: 6,354 with 605 deaths Camden County: 6,292 with 318 deaths Somerset County: 4,522 with 410 deaths Burlington County: 4,476 with 277 deaths Gloucester County: 2,165 with 143 deaths Cumberland County: 2,146 with 65 deaths Atlantic County: 2,120 with 156 deaths Warren County: 1,146 with 129 deaths Sussex County: 1,104 with 147 deaths Hunterdon County: 974 with 58 deaths Cape May County: 602 with 48 deaths Salem County: 592 with 34 deaths Another 1,162 cases are under investigation to determine where the person resides. LONGTERM CARE CASES There have now been 31,312 coronavirus cases across 537 of the states longterm care facilities, such as nursing and veterans homes. That includes 21,058 residents and 10,254 staff members. The total includes 4,949 lab-confirmed deaths attributed to the virus at those facilities or about 43% of the total deaths officials are reporting in the state. The deaths at longterm care facilities increase to 5,885 when fatalities suspected to be linked to COVID-19 are included. Of those, 5,751 were residents and 104 were staff members. EXPLAINING THE TOTAL CASES The total number of coronavirus cases in New Jersey is cumulative and does not reflect the likely thousands of residents who have recovered. Though it tracks daily hospitalizations, the state have not given an official total for how many people have recovered. There may also be infected residents who have yet to be tested. Its been difficult to get a complete picture of how much the virus has spread because state-run sites had tested only symptomatic residents until recently and results have sometimes lagged for days. Officials also say increases in new deaths and positive tests may vary from one day to the next as the state further investigates and re-evaluates cases. More than 685,000 COVID-19 tests have been administered in the state so far. EASING RESTRICTIONS As the metrics have improved, Murphy has been gradually peeling back the near-lockdown restrictions he ordered in late March. The focus has largely been on outdoor activities and services resuming, such as parks and beaches. Nonessential businesses remain limited to curbside service, restaurants remain limited to takeout or delivery, and residents are still ordered to stay home as much as possible. Outdoor gatherings are now capped at 25 people and indoor gatherings are still limited to 10. Murphy has said New Jersey is getting closer to Stage 2 of its multi-stage reopening plan, though he has not provided hard dates or specific benchmarks the state has to hit. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage New Jerseys economy has been decimated by the pandemic. More than 1.1 million residents have filed for unemployment since mid-March, causing the states unemployment rate to surge to 15.3%, though the number of claims has fallen in recent weeks. Many say theyve been waiting for weeks to get paid and have struggled with the states busy phone and online systems. Murphys administration announced Friday it plans to cut $1.3 billion in state government spending thanks to plummeting tax revenue. The governor has warned of massive public-worker layoffs if the federal government doesnt provide more direct aid to states. As of Thursday morning, there were more than 5.7 million positive COVID-19 tests across the globe, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. Of those, more than 356,000 people have died and more than 2.3 million have recovered. More than 100,000 deaths about 28% of the worldwide death toll have occurred in the United States. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. It isnt often when something that happens in Minneapolis is the lead story in the Daily Mail, but we achieved that dubious distinction yesterday with another controversial police killing. To be fair, though, it isnt actually controversialthe four Minneapolis police officers who were on the scene have already been fired, without any sort of hearing, and they have been universally denounced. If you have missed the story so far, an African-American man named George Floyd was apprehended for allegedly trying to pass a counterfeit bill. For reasons that are not clearthe officers say he resisted arrest, but that has not been confirmedhe wound up on the ground with an officer kneeling on or near his throat for some minutes. The officers had recognized a medical problem of some kind and had called an ambulance, but there is no apparent reason why they kept him on the ground, kneeling on him, for some time while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. The video is, on its face, damning: Other security camera videos are beginning to emerge, which so far dont seem to lend the police officers any support. Experience has taught me to wait until the facts are in before drawing conclusions. In this case, there is not yet an autopsy report. It may be that Floyd died, e.g., of a drug overdose, and was not asphyxiated by the Minneapolis police officer. But the officers actions look very bad in any event, and local politicians have not hesitated to pile on. But there is one point no one seems to be making. The City of Minneapolis has been governed exclusively by liberals for decades. The current mayor, Jacob Frey, who was quick to denounce his own police department, is a left-wing Democrat. The Minneapolis City Council consists of Democrats and Green Party members who think the Democrats are not radical enough. Under left-wing leadership, Minneapolis has been governed abysmally for a long time. Its police department is but one part of an incompetently governed city. The issue isnt actually one of race. The last Minneapolis Police Department killing that made international news was the shooting of Justine Damond (white) by Mohamed Noor (African-American) for no apparent reason. The MPD has long been troubled, and its current Chief is African-American. The issue isnt racism, it is incompetence. A rational person might ask: given that Minneapolis has been governed by liberal Democrats for decades, and is now a mess in a multitude of ways, including the fact that its police department has been involved in one fiasco after another, why dont we try something different? Why dont we go back to electing Republicans, as we did decades ago? When Republicans governed Minneapolis, it was generally regarded as a model cityprosperous, progressive and remarkably crime-free. Isnt it time to draw the curtain on decades of failed leadership, exemplified by underqualified leftists like the current Boy Mayor, Jacob Frey? Those are good questions. But at the moment, no one is asking them. Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on the nomination of Judge Justin Walker to be a U.S. Circuit Court judge for the District of Columbia Circuit on May 6, 2020. Read more WASHINGTON Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is publicly urging federal judges in their mid-60s or older to step aside so President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans can fill the vacancies with conservative jurists. Grahams comments, in an interview Thursday with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, come as Republicans fret they may lose the Senate majority in the November elections amid the economic shutdown resulting from the coronavirus and Trumps stumbles in addressing the crisis. Democrats have increasing hopes of gaining the minimum three seats theyll need to capture a Senate majority, while Republicans who once banked on a robust economy and rising Trump approval ratings are showing signs of nervousness. This is an historic opportunity, Graham said. Weve put (nearly) 200 federal judges on the bench. ... If you can get four more years, I mean, it would change the judiciary for several generations. So if youre a circuit judge in your mid-60s, late 60s, you can take senior status. Now would be a good time to do that, if you want to make sure the judiciary is right of center. Graham's committee is set to vote next week on Judge Justin Walker, a 37-year-old protege of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who has been nominated to the nations second-most powerful court. If confirmed, Walker would take an appeals court seat being vacated by Judge Thomas Griffith, who intends to retire in September. The Judiciary Committee also is considering 49-year-old Cory Wilson, a Mississippi judge who has been nominated to a seat on the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Asked by Hewitt if he can assure veteran judges that their successor will indeed be confirmed before the election, Graham said, "Well, if you wait, you know, (until) November the 1st, no. So do it now.'' Hewitt replied: Do it now. Loud and clear. The interview with Graham was not the first time the issue of Republicans seeking judicial retirements has been raised publicly. Earlier this month, Chief Justice John Roberts turned down a request from the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to allow an ethics inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Griffith's retirement. A legal adviser to Roberts said the request from Judge Sri Srinivasan, the circuits chief judge, did not meet the standards for transferring the inquiry to another judicial circuit to pursue. Demand Justice, a progressive advocacy group, filed a complaint in March asking the appeals court to determine whether McConnell or any other lawmaker had inappropriately played a role in Griffith's decision to retire. The vacancy creates an election-year slot on the influential appeals court, where four of the nine current Supreme Court justices served, including Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh. Griffith issued a statement earlier this month saying no political pressure was put on him to leave the bench. A woman (C) speaks on her phone on a bus before being taken to a quarantine facility after arriving from Mumbai. (AFP) Mancherial: Workers returning from other states to their native villages in undivided Adilabad district to be with their families are being humiliated and stigmatised, especially if they are known to have come from Mumbai or Maharashtra, where the number of Covid cases is the highest in the country. The villagers are scared that they will spread the virus, especially after some returning workers have been found to have contracted the disease. Some 31 guest workers who returned their villages from Mumbai have tested positive for the virus. Two of them returned to Kagaznagar town in Kumarambheem Asifabad district and 27 arrived in Mancherial district. In Nirmal district, two guest workers returning from Mumbai tested positive for Covid-19. All returning villagers are not being tested for Covid-19 but are just being told to stay in home quarantine. Those showing symptoms of the disease are being sent to government isolation centres. The attitude of the villagers towards the returning workers is so inhuman that the latter say it would have been better if they had died in Mumbai and not undertaken the arduous journey to return to their homes. The returning workers in Mancherial district are natives of Hajipur, Luxettipet, Jannaram and Dandepalli mandals and they belong to the fishing community and worked in the harbour in Mumbai. Nineteen other suspected cases have been sent to a government isolation centre in Bellampalli and are awaiting the test results. They are family members and contacts of persons who tested positive for Covid-19. Villagers of Bommena in Jannaram mandal obstructed the entry of guest workers from Hyderabad and officials had to intervene and put the guest workers in home quarantine. The same thing happened to workers who arrived in Rotiguda in Jannaram mandal from Mumbai. A guest worker who returned to Rotiguda from Mumbai and was in home quarantine told this reporter: I regret coming to my native village. It would have been much better staying back in Mumbai and dying there of corona instead of facing humiliation at the hands of my own villagers. 2020 Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards open for entries The 2020 Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards are now officially open for entries. The deadline for entries is 15 July and judging will take place from 27 July to 3 August, with the virtual awards ceremony tentatively scheduled for 15 October. This year's judging panel includes Dinesh Balliah, Tyrone August, Liesl Louw-Vaundrum, Neo Ntsoma, Maud Motanyane, Themba Hadebe, Gus Silber, Thabo Leshilo, and new Convener Judge, Lizeka Mda. Freelance journalists are invited to enter in any of the 14 awards categories at no charge, while Publisher Support Services (PSS) members will have to pay a discounted entry fee of R80. A bursary for mid-career journalists awarded will be introduced to empower mid-career journalists and editorial executives with at least five years' experience who are determined to become future newsroom leaders. All the awards winners will receive R15,000 prize money, a trophy and a certificate. [May 28, 2020] Exabeam Unveils Enhanced Partner Program for MSSPs and MDR Providers Exabeam, the Smarter SIEM company, today announced updates to the Exabeam Partner Program, including the rollout of a formalized practice for managed security service providers (MSSPs) and managed detection and response (MDR) providers, both key segments of its partner ecosystem. The program will provide structure and support for multiple MSSP and MDR provider business models for its managed service practice, which contributed to 12% of the company's overall business revenue in 2019. The enhanced program includes custom, flexible pricing models, training and accreditation, dedicated account and technical management teams, customized go-to-market and support. Coupled with the Exabeam Security Management Platform (SMP), the program will empower managed service partners to expand their offerings whether they resell, manage or host Exabeam deployments for their customers. "The Exabeam Partner Program supports a rich diversity of security-focused partners, including solution providers, professional services firms and managed service providers," said Ted Plumis, vice president of channels, business and corporate development, Exabeam. "We've seen strong growth in recent years from our service provider partners who are leveraging Exabeam in multiple deployment models to serve our joint customers. We are excited to make this sizable investment and offer dedicated resources to this important partnership segment, further demonstrating our commitment to being a 100% partner-focused software company." MSSP and MDR partners can utilize the Exabeam SMP to help customers lower operational costs and increase the productivity of SOC analysts associated with providing detection and response capabilities. Offered in the cloud or on-premises, the Exabeam SMP provides a data lake, behavioral analytics, case management, security orchestration and incident response automation, which drastically reduces time to investigate and contain threats by 51 percent. In addition, its analytics feature uses data science to identify employees' behavioral patterns and abnormalities that may be indicative of security threats, in contrast to outdated signature-based detection methods. These providers can also leverage the Exabeam SaaS Cloud platform, which reduces SIEM deployment, maintenance and operational overhead by delivering the Exabeam SMP as a hosted cloud service, for their entire customer base, from small and mid-sized companies to the largest enterprises. Exabeam's next-generation SIEM approach has brought more than 30 MSSPs to its longstanding partner program since its founding in 2013, spanning 17 countries in North America, Latin America, EMEA, Asia Pacific and Australia. MSSP partners around the world are strong supporters of the Exabeam program: "Many of our customers use Exabeam Data Lake or Exabeam Advanced Analytics, which gives our analysts a comprehensive view of the timeline of an attack, helping us scope security incidents more quickly, as well as providing more streamlined access to a customer's security signals," said Justin Bajko, co-founder and vice president of strategy and business development at Expel. "We're supportive of Exabeam's efforts to provide its partners -- and our joint customers -- with greater customization opportunities, more flexibility and enhanced access to training programs." "As a leading European MSSP, our customers leave nothing to chance by choosing a fully integrated managed security solution from our team," said Garath Lauder, director at Cyberseer. "The Exabeam SMP Integrated into the Cyberseer ASPECT automation platform optimizes the protection we provide our customers while giving our SOC analysts the visibility they rely on to resolve acute security problems immediately." "At CyZen, we pride ourselves on delivering thoughtful and practical guidance that brings our customers peace of mind when it comes to securing their organization from cyberthreats," said Jake Lehmann, managing director at CyZen. "By partnering with Exabeam and leveraging the Exabeam SaaS Cloud Essential offering, we are able to deliver on our mission while providing a cost effective solution for our customers." "We conducted an exhaustive review of solutions in the marketplace, and we're excited to help Exabeam's launch in the Latin America market," said Carlos Alanis, CEO at Banyax. "We found the flexibility we required in the Exabeam product and discovered pricing models that have allowed us to achieve success across our customer segments, from small to mid-size businesses up to larger organizations with thousands of users," added Jorge Melendez, CFO at Banyax. To learn more about the Exabeam Partner Program and the exciting opportunities for channel, professional services, MSSP and MDR provider partners, visit https://www.exabeam.com/partners/services-partners/. About Exabeam Exabeam is the Smarter SIEM company. We help security operations and insider threat teams work smarter, allowing them to detect, investigate and respond to cyberattacks in 51 percent less time. Security organizations no longer have to live with excessive logging fees, missed distributed attacks and unknown threats, or manual investigations and remediation. With the modular Exabeam Security Management Platform, analysts can collect unlimited log data, use behavioral analytics to detect attacks, and automate incident response, both on-premise or in the cloud. Exabeam Smart Timelines, sequences of user and device behavior created using machine learning, further reduce the time and specialization required to detect attacker tactics, techniques and procedures. For more information, visit: https://www.exabeam.com Exabeam, the Exabeam logo, Threat Hunter, Smarter SIEM, Smart Timelines and Security Management Platform are service marks, trademarks or registered marks of Exabeam, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective owners. 2020 Exabeam, Inc. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005133/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] On Wednesday afternoon, Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania quietly made some history. Acting on behalf of Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Boyle was the first member ever to cast a proxy vote for a colleague on the House floor. Boyle joked that he had to thank the alphabet for this one because the chamber was voting in alphabetical order, but he also insisted that the move would be praised by the Constitutions drafters. Our Founding Fathers were some of the most forward-thinking people of their time, Boyle said in an interview. I have no doubt that if James Madison were here now, he would be embracing us for being able to use the technology of today so that we can carry out the will of the people. But his action and the rule change that allowed it has quickly become another bitter partisan flashpoint as Congress struggles with how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. And President Donald Trump may soon be forced to weigh in. The bill that Boyle cast his proxy vote on for Lofgren is a hugely popular measure calling for the United States to sanction Chinese officials and entities over the detention and torture of Uyghur Muslims in that countrys Xinjiang region. If Trump signs the measure which passed the House by an overwhelming 413-1 margin after being approved by the Senate on a voice vote it means the president has indirectly endorsed a procedure that Republicans claim is unconstitutional. Trump hasnt said whether he will sign the bill once it reaches his desk, and the Chinese government is already threatening to retaliate if sanctions are enacted. Under pressure from their own members to allow for more remote work during the pandemic, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) pushed through the proxy vote rules change earlier this month. House impeachment manager Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., walks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, after the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump concluded for the day. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) The move, which came on a party line vote, was vehemently opposed by House Republicans, who charge it violates the constitutional requirement for a majority to be present to hold a House vote. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other top Republicans have already said theyll sue in federal court to overturn the rule, but that didnt stop the Democrats from going ahead with the procedure Wednesday. Story continues In California alone, your largest [Democratic] delegation, more than half the Democrats stayed home, McCarthy complained on the floor before the vote on the Uyghur bill. Ill guarantee you that they all cashed their check this month. Added Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), We got through yellow fever, we got through world wars, we got through the Spanish flu, we got through a Civil War, and we managed to figure out how to do our job. Seventy members all of them Democrats filed public letters with the House clerks office stating that they would not be physically present due to the ongoing public health emergency and had assigned their proxy to a colleague. These members had to inform that colleague how they wanted to vote on every amendment, bill or procedural question. Many of those who filed proxy votes were from the Western United States and have travel challenges getting to Capitol Hill. Twenty-six Californians filed such notices, for instance. Others have been suffering from major health problems and are more vulnerable to the coronavirus; Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), have been undergoing cancer treatments, while Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) was hospitalized for pneumonia. Some were some freshmen from battleground districts, while some committee chairs, such as Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), decided to use the procedure as well. But all Democrats strongly rejected the GOP claim that the process was unconstitutional or a violation of their duties as a lawmaker. I have zero discretion and I have zero judgment. I am like a letter carrier delivering a letter to the House of Representatives, said Rep. Jamie Raskin who was accused by McCarthy of having voted seven times on legislation because the Maryland Democrat cast six proxy votes in addition to his own. Ive been listening carefully to the debate all day, added Raskin, a constitutional lawyer. Ive not heard a single argument about how this disadvantages the minority and advantages the majority. Forty-one Democrats served as proxies on Wednesday, representing nearly every swath of the country. Two local lawmakers Raskin and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) cast the most proxy votes, doing so on behalf of roughly a half-dozen colleagues apiece. One Democrat showed a reporter a proxy list that included a GOP colleague who had asked him to cast a vote, but the Republican later backed out, apparently out of concern that the move could undermine the looming legal action or disrupt party unity. The Republican didnt show up for Wednesdays House votes. Many members tapped a colleague who shared the same ideological tilt to cast their proxy votes: progressives chose progressives, Blue Dogs chose Blue Dogs. Others chose within their state delegation, or picked their D.C. roommates, who are usually some of their closest friends in Congress. The list includes lawmakers across the political spectrum, from Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), a senior conservative Democrat, to Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), a firebrand progressive. It allowed Democrats like Reps. Ted Lieu of California and Jose Serrano of New York who have been sidelined from the U.S. Capitol for health reasons to record their vote for the first time in weeks. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) was able to vote while quarantining herself after potential exposure to the virus. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) cast proxy votes on the floor for five of his colleagues, including two of his roommates in a D.C. townhouse: Reps. Mike Levin and Jared Huffman, both of California. Kildee said all four Democrats emailed him with specific instructions, and then he called them to confirm even for a noncontroversial suspension vote for which all but one House member voted the same way. Weve got to do it right, Kildee said. I think its unfortunate the way some have characterized all this. This is just us proving that just like the rest of the world, we can figure out how to adapt. Rep. Ann Kuster of New Hampshire said she is on a group text chain with several other Democrats some of whom also live in the same apartment near the Capitol and volunteered to serve as a proxy for anybody who needed one. She eventually voted for four other Democrats. I just offered, Kuster said. They have various reasons regarding their health, or their family members. Each member voting on behalf of their colleague was required to take several additional steps on the floor reading aloud each colleagues position, then waiting for the clerk to repeat it for the record. For each proxy vote, Democrats lined up behind each other in the aisle as they waited to approach the mic. Several members filed for proxy votes but then showed up anyway. Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Cedric Richmond (D-La.) both did so, for instance. The question was about not whether I was coming but whether I could get in in time for the first vote, Richmond said. Its better to be safe than sorry. In the end, Democrats seemed comfortable with their rule change and how the process played out on the first day, despite Republican complaints. I find Leader McCarthys position to just be irresponsible. I also see it as obstructionist, said Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.). The Supreme Court would be awfully hypocritical to intervene based on some very strange reading of the Constitution. The Ministry of Information holds a press briefing at its Press Centre, Accra, to provide updates on Ghanas Coronavirus case count and management. Although it has been a regular session, the crux of todays interaction is expected to be a confirmation or denial of reports that two (2) members of parliament and thirteen (13) parliamentary staff have tested positive for the virus. After Head of Public Affairs Department of Parliament, Kate Addo, refuted media reports that two parliamentarians and 13 staff had tested positive for the virus, Minority Chief Whip, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka corroborated the reports. He mentioned that the infected persons were informed of their status after Speaker of Parliament directed mass testing of all members and staff of the house last week. Speaker Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, in a response, Wednesday, said nobody can unilaterally disclose the health status of another except the individual voluntarily does so. You cannot unilaterally put into the public realm that a person is positive. Let everybody know this, let every lady and gentleman, every person know this in this Republic, and it has been well-stated in this honourable house. You cannot unilaterally put in the public realm that a person is positive. It is only for an individual to voluntarily, put it in the public realm and we are all learning from this as decent and honourable people and this honourable house will follow that line of example, that is our public duty," the Speaker stated on the floor of the house. Meanwhile Ghanas coronavirus case count as announced earlier has moved from 7,117 to 7,303 after 186 infections were recorded. 2,412 persons have so far recovered while 34 have passed on, leaving the country with 4,857 active cases. Source: Ghanaweb 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 Cineworld is planning to reopen all of its cinemas in July when lockdown restrictions are eased with social distancing measures in place. Bosses said that its cinemas up and down the country would open when restrictions are lifted. 'Cineworld currently anticipates that Government restrictions related to cinemas will be lifted in each of its territories by July. Cineworld is planning to reopen all of its cinemas in July when lockdown restrictions are eased with social distancing measures in place (file photo) 'Subject to this and confirmation of the schedule for film releases, Cineworld anticipates the reopening of all of its cinemas in July,' the cinema giant said in a statement to investors on Thursday. 'Cineworld has put in place procedures to ensure a safe and enjoyable cinema experience for its employees and customers.' It promised to be 'the best place to watch a movie' even as social distancing measures are likely to hugely change the experience of going to the cinema. Bosses at the cinema chain said: 'Cineworld is excited by the great movie line-up to follow the reopening of cinemas, starting with the highly anticipated new Chris Nolan movie Tenet and immediately after that with Mulan, a new Disney adventure movie. 'Cineworld, as always, greatly believes in the theatrical experience and is fully committed to be the best place to watch a movie.' Bosses also said they had managed to secure another 110 million US dollars (90 million) through increasing the amount it is able to borrow from its banks. It has also been approved for an additional potential 45 million dollars (37 million) in Government-backed coronavirus large business interruption loans. The new funding gives the company enough headroom to support the chain even if cinemas have to stay closed until the end of the year, managers said. The company's shares rose by 25% after the news. Both theaters have also cordoned seating areas inside their theaters to ensure groups are sitting six feet apart Ahead of Britain's cinemas reopening, theatres across the US and Europe have been opening their doors. In Texas, some seats were taped off with caution tape and airport-style security checks have been introduced. In Berlin, one theatre has ripped out many of its seats to ensure distance between members of the audience. Others have installed plastic screens between seats. In Australia, cinema chain HOYTS said they will initiate a number of new protocols once they reopen. Cinema chain Hoyts Australia excited movie-goers on Monday with a social media post claiming they were 'reopening soon' (stock image) The post said the chain was reopening in the 'coming weeks' to bring people the latest films A statement on social media said: 'These measures will include additional staff training, temperature checks for staff, additional cleaning protocols, in cinema seat separation (chequerboard style), encouragement for online bookings and social distancing.' And Tim Richards, who owns Vue Cinemas, said earlier this month that his group was taking time to rethink how they can adapt to changing times. He said: 'We can actually control how many people go into our cinema at any given time. We have the ability to schedule our films separately and we have the ability to control entrances and exits for customers. 'We have operating systems in place today which allow social distancing and cocooning within the cinema for couples, individuals or families who want to watch a movie.' The conjoined twins A taxi driver in Owerri, identified as Anayochukwu Njoku, from Umuakagu, Agbahara Nsu in Ehime Mbano council area took to his heels and abandoned his wife when he realised that she gave birth to conjoined twins, Daily Trust reports. Njokus wife, Chidinma, was said to have given birth to the conjoined twins on March 11, 2020, but their sight was not something that Njoku could behold. Unfortunately, the conjoined twins, Goodluck and Rejoice Njoku were said to have lost their mother three hours after their delivery. The plight of the infants was subsequently brought to the attention of Imo Foundation, the humanitarian organ of the Imo State government, where efforts are being intensified to separate them. Director General of the Foundation, Mrs. Beulah Chukwuma, who spoke to newsmen while highlighting the plight of the children, said that after the burial of their late mother, the conjoined twins were brought to them. Chukwuma said apart from the efforts made by the state government towards the survival of the twins, the foundation has made representations to various organisations to support their separation. Chukwuma said, Presently, we have a family with conjoined twins. Their mother, Mrs. Chidinma Njoku died on 11th March, 2020 three hours after giving birth to them in a maternity in Umuokoto Nekede in Owerri West Local Government Area. Their father, Mr. Anayochukwu Njoku, was helping his late wife in her tailoring shop to earn a living to support their poor family of six before the arrival of the conjoined twins, after he lost his job two years ago as a driver. By the special grace of God, as soon as the case got to the desk of Governor Hope Uzodimma, he gave an urgent directive for the twins to be brought to the Foundation for their adequate welfare and survival. So currently, we are reaching out to quickly get their surgery done so that they can begin to live a better life. Chukwuma said that in spite of the assistance from the state government, there was the need to go beyond government. We need to reach out to organisations, individuals that are public spirited to come to our aid in addition to what the government is doing for us. Burma Singapore Agency to Help Myanmar Find Partners for Key Infrastructure Projects Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attends the Invest Myanmar Summit in Naypyitaw in January 2019. / Invest Myanmar Summit 2019 YANGONUnder an agreement with Myanmars Ministry of Planning, Finance and Industry (MOPFI), Singapores Infrastructure Asia (IA) will help identify suitable investors, including by inviting international-standard tenders, for infrastructure projects listed in Myanmars Project Bank, an online database of priority projects aligned with the countrys sustainable development plan. According to the Singapore Embassy, under the agreement, which was signed on Wednesday, IA will share best practices and knowledge in order to structure and improve the bankability of the projects, as well as identify and connect authorities with suitable investors and other partners. IA will also work with MOPFI to appoint advisers to carry out procurement, provide technical support and invite international-standard tenders for the projects. IA is an initiative established by Enterprise Singapore and the Monetary Authority of Singapore to play a mediation role to connect Asian governments with the relevant experts, developers, professional services, technical and financing solutions, and building capabilities, as well as provide advisory services including conceptual structuring, to improve the viability and success of projects. In a statement, the Singapore Embassy said, Amid economic uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, infrastructure in areas such as supply chains, information and communications technology, public health and clean energy can help rebuild and stimulate economies. It said the agreement aims to provide and promote growth in both Myanmar and Singapore. Myanmars recently launched COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan (CERP) comprises new measures and response plans to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic. The measures include steps to expedite the solicitation of strategic infrastructure projects and to approve and disclose large investments by reputable international firms that may be currently experiencing delays, through fast-track procedures. U Khine Win, executive director of the Sandhi Governance Institute, told The Irrawaddy the move would help Myanmar make decisions on financing and commercial viability as it seeks to implement mega-infrastructure projects with best practices, as these are areas in which IA has experience. Currently, China is pushing Myanmar to move forward with Beijings ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) backbone infrastructure projects in this country, including the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in western Rakhine State, the New Yangon City project in Myanmars commercial capital and the Cross-Border Economic Cooperation Zones in Shan and Kachin states. According to the Myanmar Ministry of Information, a virtual signing ceremony for the agreement was witnessed by Union Minister for Planning, Finance and Industry U Soe Win; deputy ministers U Set Aung and Dr. Min Ye Paing Hein; ministry permanent secretaries and departmental heads; officials from the Prime Ministers Office of Singapore; Singapores ambassador to Myanmar; and representatives of IA. Launched as an online platform in February, Project Bank aims to establish a predictable and transparent system and provide key data such as project descriptions and status, total project cost, financing plans and timelines. It also notes the implementing government agency, project contact details and how each project aligns with the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (MSDP). Launched in 2018, the MSDP aims to align the countrys policies and institutions to achieve inclusive economic growth. The Myanmar government said the Project Bank would help identify, screen, appraise and prioritize investment projects based on social, environmental, economic and risk indicators. The online platform will help increase public-private partnerships and opportunities for the private sector to invest in national development objectives. Some projects listed may still call for additional financing. A total of 58 projects are currently listed in the Project Bank, having been screened by the National Economic Coordination Committee to ensure they align with the goals of the MSDP. You may also like these stories: No Local COVID-19 Transmissions Reported in Myanmar for 10 Days Timeline: Myanmars Government Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic Myanmar to Borrow $200 Million From World Bank to Assist Farmers Fianna Fails justice spokesperson Jim OCallaghan has called on the government to take "a calculated risk" and to start easing some of the Covid-19 restrictions. Mr O'Callaghan told RTE radios Morning Ireland, that he was not criticising the advice being given by the Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan. It was Dr Holohans job to advise the government, but the government must take other factors into account when making decisions. "No matter what we do, there will be risks, he said, pointing out that the Italian Prime Minister had said that calculated risks have to be made, we have to take a calculated risk. We have to take other factors into account. It was never the intention of lockdown to stop people getting sick or catching the virus, it was so hospitals and ICUs would not be overwhelmed, added Mr OCallaghan. We're being exceptionally cautious. The government needed to take other factors into consideration, he said, such as the impact of the lockdown on children, the elderly, mental health, domestic violence and the economy - which is not just about money, he added, it was about putting protections in place so we can look after people. Mr OCallaghan said he fully respected the advice that Dr Holohan had given to the government, but the government had to take other factors into consideration. Ireland's planned phases go through until August 10, he said, while Spain is going to reopen in June. Everyone understood that there cannot be large congregated crowds for some time, but there is a need to expedite the lifting of some restrictions, he said. Mars may once have been a habitable planet in its early history, instead of the cold, barren world that it is today. That may be because Mars' atmosphere has been leaking into space throughout the billions of years. To understand why Mars lost its atmosphere, scientists set out to map electrical currents of Mars in the Martian atmosphere that might be responsible for letting the gas slip away. Using NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, a team of researchers mapped the electrical current systems in the atmosphere of Mars. The outcome resulted in some psychedelic visualizations that helped scientists determine what drives the atmosphere to escape into space. ALSO READ: Mars Rock Samples Could Bring Alien Viruses to Earth, Warns Expert Blame the solar wind The findings are detailed in a study published Monday, May 25 in the journal Nature Astronomy. The research suggests that the main driving force behind Red Planet's atmospheric escape is a solar wind, which continually flows from the Sun. "These currents play a fundamental role in the atmospheric loss that transformed Mars from a world that could have supported life into an inhospitable desert," Robin Ramstad, an experimental physicist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and lead author of the new study, said in a statement. Earth has a magnetic field, while Mars does not have one. Rather, charged particles released from the Sun's upper atmosphere, known as the solar wind, interact with the atmosphere of Mars and create an induced magnetosphere, or the area of space surrounding a planet. ALSO READ: Tug of War Caused North Magnetic Pole to Move From Canada to Siberia, Experts Claim The solar wind continually flows from the Sun at a speed of about one million miles per hour. Scientists are aware of the magnetosphere of Mars. They have yet to understand how it influences its atmosphere and how much energy is transferred from the solar wind, which would drive atmospheric escape. The data shows the solar wind and magnetic field surrounding Mars, almost like throwing a handful of spaghetti noodles on someone's face. Scientists used MAVEN's data to map the electrical currents around Mars in a second visualization. The image shows the electric currents that cupped the Red Planet's dayside and flowed into its night-side. Such electric-current loops link the upper atmosphere of Mars and its induced magnetosphere with the solar wind. As the solar wind ions and electrons smash into the induced magnetic field of Mars, they are forced to flow apart because of their opposite electric charge. In contrast, some electrons flow in the other. This leads to the drape-like formation of the electrical currents around Mars from the dayside to the planet's night side. Mars acts like a metal sphere Meanwhile, the x-rays and ultraviolet radiation released by the Sun are continually ionizing regions of the upper atmosphere of Mars, rendering it capable of electrical conduction. "Mars' atmosphere behaves a bit like a metal sphere closing an electric circuit," Ramstad said. That process is mainly responsible for the atmospheric escape of Mars. The induced currents in the solar wind transform the solar wind 's energy into magnetic and electric fields that accelerate the charged particles of Mars' atmosphere. That causes the planet's atmosphere to leak into space. Mars lost its atmosphere for billions of years without a magnetic field and transformed from a wet, warm, habitable world into a cold, dry desert. In November 2013, MAVEN was launched to research the atmosphere, climate, and past habitability of the Red Planet. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. "We have met the moment and we have prevailed. Americans do whatever it takes to find solutions, pioneer breakthroughs, and harness the energies we need to achieve a total victory." - President Donald Trump, at a news conference, May 11, 2020 The Trump administration's mishandling of key moments in the novel coronavirus outbreak has been well documented. Early travel restrictions from China and Europe were meant to buy time, but inaction or poor planning squandered much of the benefit. Delays in testing allowed the virus to spread across the country largely undetected. A shortage of personal protective equipment while cases surged overwhelmed hospitals and health-care workers. The president promoted unproven, and sometimes dangerous, medical approaches to fighting the disease, in some cases with potentially deadly consequences. He misrepresented how quickly a vaccine will be available. But the president and his campaign's Twitter and Facebook feeds tell a different story. From the announcement of the first confirmed case on American soil, their narratives have illustrated and amplified a successful - if often inaccurate - picture of the response. The seeming omnipresence of these narratives is by design. The campaign has spent $32.6 million on Facebook ads since January 2019, more than double the Facebook ad spending of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. And campaign officials spent the past four years rigorously building a digital infrastructure to connect with voters not only through on social media, but with online polls, email lists and rally registration forms. In other words, when the 2020 election went online only, the Trump team was ready. Trump and the White House often say they turn to social media because a hostile, left-leaning news media does not depict Trump's achievements accurately. The Fact Checker video team analyzed thousands of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube posts and ads from Trump, his campaign and a long list of surrogates. The data revealed the backbone of a five-point strategy to tell their version of the coronavirus story: rewriting mistakes, highlighting achievements, deflecting blame, declaring victory and creating distraction. Spin is to be expected from any political campaign. So how has the Trump campaign leveraged its massive digital infrastructure during the national crisis? And just what is the coronavirus narrative that it is portraying? Let's dig in. - - - The Facts - Nothing to see here In the first phase of the outbreak, Trump and his allies consistently played down the threat of the virus. Trump held eight campaign rallies between Jan. 21 (when covid-19 was confirmed in the United States) and March 2. His speeches focused on just about everything else - at one point referring to concerns about the coronavirus as the Democrats' "new hoax," akin to the Russia investigation and the Ukraine-related impeachment probe. The Fact Checker collected data of social media posts from Brandwatch, a digital consumer intelligence company, Crowdtangle, a social media analytics tool owned by Facebook, and Nick Monaco at the Digital Intelligence Lab. The data shows that Trump's conversation about the coronavirus online was minimal in late January and February, even though Trump in late January announced that he would impose some travel restrictions on non-U. S. citizens traveling from China. His campaign and surrogates echoed the same trend. Instead, analysis from Brandwatch revealed that Trump's most talked about topics online included his impeachment trial, Nancy Pelosi, the Second Amendment, and 2020 Democratic primary candidates at the time such as former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg; Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Biden. "When he was getting the intelligence on this back in . . . January, (if he) took the same level of seriousness about it that other nations were starting to do, had utilized the Defense Production Act fully, which still has not to this day been fully implemented relative to the things that we need and that the businesses in particular could do and have offered to do," said Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee. "If all of those early pieces had been put in place, you'd have a very different narrative today." - We're doing a great job In early March, as covid-19 cases and deaths started to increase in the United States, Trump's tone on the virus changed. He started holding regular news briefings with his coronavirus task force and took more tangible steps to fight the spread of the disease. The refocus on coronavirus was reflected in the Trump campaign's online rhetoric, too. However, the ways in which he and his campaign talked about covid-19 online were often not based in facts or misrepresented the reality of the situation. For instance his most talked about topics at this time included the terms "Chinese virus" and "Fake News." The campaign apparatus promoted videos online that tried to rewrite the narrative. For example, a video, which bashed the media's response, skipped over February, trying to erase a period of slow intervention by the administration. (Trump in February also kept saying that the virus would soon go away and praised China for its handling of the crisis.) The campaign also shared cherry-picked video clips on social media, highlighting Trump's comments at news conferences that were inaccurate. Other videos clipped politicians and governor's statements or used the wrong context for their quotes. The ads inaccurately made it sound as if these people were praising Trump's response. Lastly, video ads deflected blame to China and used this talking point to attack political rivals such as Biden, Trump's likely opponent in this year's presidential contest. "One of my biggest concerns about the way that the pandemic is already shifting and will continue to shift online political campaigning is that it will drive the discourse to be even more uncivil, to be even more provocative, to be ultimately potentially hateful," said Rebekah Tromble, professor of media, politics, digital research and ethics at George Washington University. - We've won In mid-April and early May, Trump and his team appeared to all but claim victory over the virus. Fearing economic downfall, they have called for the country to reopen, even while health experts warn of consequences from loosening shutdown restrictions too soon. "If some areas, cities, states or what have you, jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely open up without having the capability of being able to respond effectively and efficiently, my concern is that we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks," said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "I have been very clear in my message - to try, to the best extent possible, to go by the guidelines, which have been very well thought out and very well delineated." Despite these concerns, Trump's incentives to reinvigorate the economy only continue to grow. His presidency and candidacy have centered on economic growth, which will become an even greater focal point in the upcoming election. "He's the businessman. He's the person there to lead the economy," Tromble said. "We're now in a situation where we're looking at Great Depression levels of unemployment, and we can't deny that the economy is in a free fall. And so that particular message is lost unless the Trump administration reshifts to trying to reopen the economy. And that's very clearly what they're doing now." In addition to the economy, Trump and his team have moved on to discussing new topics online. Their posts and ads have often focused on controversial and inflammatory topics, such as charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn and attacks directed at the news media or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. The campaign has also launched ads targeting Biden that include age-related attacks and conspiracy theories about his ties to China. The White House and Trump campaign declined to comment. - - - The Bottom Line It remains to be seen whether this messaging is effective with voters and will affect the way in which Americans remember the pandemic. A Washington Post-Ipsos poll from April 27 to May 4 showed 43% of Americans approved of Trump's handling of the outbreak. While Trump pushes to reopen, some Republican governors are facing pushback for moving into that phase too quickly. "We expect our presidents to be optimistic about the future," Steele said. "But there's also a level of realism in that optimism. Because we know real, we see that and we still see people getting sick and dying around us. And so I think perspective is really what people are looking for." All presidential campaigns try to portray their candidate in the best possible light, but what is notable about the Trump campaign is that its social media reach allows the campaign to rewrite even the most recent history. - - - The Fact Checker is a verified signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network code of principles The Washington Post Fact Checker is working with the CoronaVirusFacts/DatosCoronaVirus Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 fact-checkers who are fighting misinformation related to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Learn more about the alliance here. Caroline M. Hoxby is the Scott and Donya Bommer Professor of Economics at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. Her research spans the field of education economics, including K-12 as well as college. She has been an NBER affiliate since 1994. New Delhi: The National Weather Forecasting Centre of the India Meteorological Department on Thursday (May 28) forecasted that heatwave to severe heatwave conditions prevailing over plains of Northwest and Central India is likely to subside from the 29th May 2020. The conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon during next 48 hours, said the IMD. Cloudy weather and sporadic rain today gave the national capital much-needed relief from the heatwave. The mercury dropped several notches during the day and further in the evening as strong winds swept across the city and many areas witnessed light rain. The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded a maximum of 40.3 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year. On Tuesday, the observatory recorded a high of 46 degrees Celsius -- equalling an 18-year-old record for May. The Palam Observatory, however, recorded the maximum temperature at 41.8 degrees Celsius, down from 47.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. The weather stations at Lodhi Road and Ayanagar recorded their respective maximum at 38.4 degrees Celsius and 40.4 degrees Celsius, said the IMD. The National Weather Forecasting Centre of the IMD made following observations given below: A Western disturbance as a cyclonic circulation lies over east Afghanistan and adjoining Pakistan in mid-tropospheric levels. A cyclonic circulation lies over northeast Rajasthan and neighborhood and an east-west trough runs across northern planes in lower tropospheric levels. Under its influence, scattered to fairly widespread rain/thunderstorm are very likely over Western Himalaya Region (Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, GilgitBaltistan and Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) and adjoining plains of northwest India during 28th to 31st May 2020 and isolated to scattered rain/thundershowers likely over Madhya Pradesh during the same period. Isolated thunderstorm along with lightning, hail, squall/gusty winds likely over Western Himalayan Region, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi during 28th-31st May and duststorm/thunderstorm/squally winds very likely over Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan during 28th to 30th May. The other observations/inferences made by the IMD are as follows: The Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into some parts of Maldives-Comorin area, some more parts of south Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Andaman Sea and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands. Conditions are becoming favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of the Maldives-Comorin area during the next 48 hours. - In view of likely formation of a Low-Pressure Area over southeast & adjoining the east-central Arabian Sea around 31st May, conditions are likely to become favourable for the onset of Southwest Monsoon over Kerala around 1st June 2020. - The low-pressure area over the Westcentral Arabian Sea and associated cyclonic circulation extending up to mid-tropospheric level persists. It is very likely to concentrate into a depression over the same region during the next 48 hours. It is likely to move northwestwards towards south Oman & east Yemen coast during the next 72 hours. - The Western Disturbance as a cyclonic circulation over east Afghanistan & adjoining Pakistan between 5.8 & 7.6 km above mean sea level persists. - The cyclonic circulation over northeast Rajasthan and neighbourhood extending up to 0.9 km above mean sea level persists. - The trough extending up to 1.5 km above mean sea level from Vidarbha to interior Tamil Nadu across Telangana and Rayalseema persists. - The cyclonic circulation over southwest Bay of Bengal & adjoining south Sri Lanka coast between 3.1 & 4.5 km above mean sea level persists. - The EastWest trough from Punjab to north Chhattisgarh across Haryana, northeast Rajasthan and north Madhya Pradesh extending upto 1.5 km above mean sea level persists. - The cyclonic circulation over south Assam and neighbourhood extending up to 3.1 km above mean sea level persists. - The cyclonic circulation at 5.8 km above mean sea level over the southeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Maldives area persists. Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (28) An enormous coronavirus study proposed by Oregon Health & Science University has hit an unexpected obstacle, causing an indefinite delay of in-home testing while officials work to secure a federally approved vendor. Gov. Kate Brown announced the initiative May 1 as a game changer but four weeks later OHSU is still sorting out key details. The project is supposed to collect daily information from up to 100,000 Oregonians who volunteer to monitor and report coronavirus symptoms. People with symptoms are supposed to be provided in-home testing kits. And officials planned to regularly provide tests to up to 10,000 Oregonians without symptoms to look for undetected spread. But project leaders on Thursday said they have not yet secured tests because the intended manufacturer is not eligible under U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules announced in May after OHSU announced the study. OHSU is now working to secure approved tests elsewhere, with a goal to sign a contract as soon as possible, said Dr. David Bangsberg, founding dean of the School of Public Health for OHSU and Portland State University. Days to weeks is a reasonable estimate," he said. "I hope its days. Its unclear how long it would take to receive tests after a contract is signed. Officials would not hazard a guess when asked if it could be mid-June or early July before in-home testing is available, although they said it should be soon after" the contract is signed. The setback should not affect the studys longterm viability, OHSU officials said, noting that they were fortunate to pivot away from the intended manufacturer before testing began. Officials in the Seattle area began a similar study in March but halted it this month because of federal guidance about in-home testing. The FDA has authorized some in-home collection tests and transportation kits but OHSU declined to identify the vendors now under consideration. OHSUs study is supposed to provide public health officials with an important look at the spread of coronavirus statewide, with weekly meetings planned to share data with the Oregon Health Authority. Project managers said a study of this magnitude would typically take a year to plan but they did it in just months, amid ever-shifting testing guidance and knowledge about the novel virus, hoping to help Oregon make important public health decisions during the pandemic. OHSU began mailing postcards to 150,000 households on May 11 notifying them they would be invited to participate in the yearlong study. OHSU then sent out some 75,000 letters with official registration information beginning last Friday, with more letters to additional households to follow. So far 2,566 people have enrolled, which officials consider a strong initial showing after so few days. Study participants will begin monitoring and reporting symptoms online the week of June 8. But instead of being offered a test by OHSU, as initially planned, participants with coronavirus symptoms for now will be told theyre eligible for testing and encouraged to contact a doctor. OHSU also will provide participants with access to a hotline to help them find a testing location. The lack of tests also means OHSU wont be able to begin providing tests to people without symptoms, a key component of the study. Once OHSU gets its tests, officials will send them to anyone who qualifies with symptoms and asks for a screening and will move forward with plans to test the group without symptoms. OHSU epidemiologist Jackie Shannon, one of the lead investigators, said the lack of testing at the outset should not make a major difference across the full study. The intent is to provide state officials with useful data on symptoms and spread, not to serve as a primary testing service for sick Oregonians. This is not replacement for clinical care, she said, noting that anyone with symptoms who is participating always would have the ability to seek testing through a doctor. To date, about 4,000 Oregonians have tested positive for the coronavirus out of nearly 120,000 residents tested, giving Oregon one of the lowest infection rates nationwide. Bangsberg said he hopes the study will help identify potential hotspots and prevent a second wave of infections that has the potential to be larger than the first. And he said the study, built to represent geographic and racial and ethnic diversity, will help capture an accurate picture of coronavirus statewide that traditional testing has missed. This sets a standard, level playing field, he said, across the state. -- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt The Irish costume designer who instigated a huge national project to sew scrubs for hospital staff, has thanked Laois volunteers for coming on board to help. Sinead Lawlor from Dublin normally is supervising glamorous costume designs for operas, dance and stage performances. She decided to try and address the shortage of hospital uniforms nationally after she found herself out of work in March due to the impact of Covid-19. Sinead launched a Gofundme account in March called Sew Scrubs for Ireland, which has raised over 12,000 towards the cost of materials and postage. She enlisted volunteer costume makers and tailors to create packs of material and a leaflet, and contacted the ICA to in turn enlist branches in every county to get local sewers making up the scrubs for local hospitals. I approached the ICA with the idea as it is a great organisation with many skilled sewers, she said. Laois ICA were among the federations who in turn got enlisting local sewers, and the first fruits of their labour, 43 sets of top quality washable scrubs were delivered to Portlaoise hospitals recently, with Laois Civil Defence providing the vital transport links (image below). It is so great to start with an idea, and know that so many people have taken it on board, Sinead said. I personally packed the kits for Laois sewers in my front room and Laois Civil Defence kindly collected them from me, she said. Sinead has her own link to Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise. My cousin is the Director of Midwifery, Maureen Revilles, she said. There are scrubs now made up in almost every county in Ireland thanks to her initiative. It has reached from Kerry to Donegal, and its all down to volunteers. The ICA were amazingly supportive. There are between 500 and 600 made and donated already. Another 1,400 to 1,500 have been cut ready to make up. There may be more as more people take on projects and fundraising themselves locally, she said. The hospital quality scrubs can be machine washed at up to 60 degrees. The gofundme page is here. Two men driving in separate vehicles have each been charged with homicide by vehicle for their involvement in a Friday crash that killed an 18-year-old graduating senior at Theodore High School. Logan Woodruff, 22, and Yaderik J. Morales Madera, 21, were both taken to Mobile Metro Jail as an investigation continues into the death of Devinee Rooney of Mobile. Madera was also charged with first degree possession of marijuana. Rooney was killed around 5:40 p.m. Friday when the car she was driving on southbound Schillinger Road was hit by a northbound car driven by Madera. According to authorities, Rooney was wearing a seat belt. Earlier tonight (Friday night), our THS 71 classmate and dear friend Beth Stewart Rooney and her family lost their... Posted by Becky Barnett Yarbrough on Saturday, May 23, 2020 Also involved in the crash was David Odom, 41, of Saraland. Woodruff and Madera were transported Friday to University Hospital for treatment. No information was provided on Odom. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is declining to provide further information as Troopers continue to investigate the cause of the crash. Rooney was a senior at Theodore High School who was expected to receive her diploma on Tuesday night. Her sister accepted the diploma on Rooneys behalf during an emotional recognition at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. < Market revenue to hit $5.5 billion in 2025 with increasing investment in 5G infrastructure, finds Frost & Sullivan SANTA CLARA, California, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, Global DC Power Systems Market, Forecast to 2025, predicts the increasing implementation of 4G and 5G networks across the world will lead to steady growth in demand for data center (DC) power systems. While market revenue is expected to drop in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will likely rebound to pre-pandemic levels as early as 2021 and rise at a CAGR of 4.6% to $5.5 billion by 2025. Unit shipments are also expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.7% between 2019 and 2025, increasing from 895,000 units to 1.04 million. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1173469/Power_grid.jpg For further information on this analysis, please visit: http://frost.ly/44g "The increased power and processing requirements of 5G infrastructure creates the need for highly efficient and reliable power systems that can tolerate heavy loads. This can be fulfilled by DC power systems, which are modular and extremely efficient," said Manoj Shankar, Senior Research Analyst, Energy and Power Systems Practice at Frost & Sullivan. "Telecom base stations in off-grid areas or in areas that lack proper power supply also present a large market opportunity for DC power systems, which can be coupled with renewable energy sources." Shankar added: "The deployment of 5G networks across the globe is expected to be slow initially as most telecom companies have invested heavily in 4G technologies. The expansion is most likely to gather pace in the US, China, and Europe from 2021. The Asia-Pacific and North American markets will see strong growth as companies in these regions lead investments in the telecom sector. China and the US will vie for global leadership in the 5G space, which will lead to the increased demand for DC power systems from these two countries in the future." For further revenue opportunities, power system manufacturers should: Focus on markets in both developed and developing countries where 5G, 4G, and LTE networks are being deployed. networks are being deployed. Make their products more modular and efficient at a lower cost , which will drive wider acceptance once the 5G networks rollout. , which will drive wider acceptance once the 5G networks rollout. Set up manufacturing houses for better lead times and complement them with regional servicing hubs that can easily reach out to customers. for better lead times and complement them with regional servicing hubs that can easily reach out to customers. Forge relationships with engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) participants to design new and innovative solutions to implement the network. Global DC Power Systems Market, Forecast to 2025 is part of Frost & Sullivan's global Energy and Power Systems Growth Partnership Service program. About Frost & Sullivan For over five decades, Frost & Sullivan has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion. Global DC Power Systems Market, Forecast to 2025 K46F-14 Contact: Srihari Daivanayagam Corporate Communications M: +91 9742676194; P: +91 44 6681 4412 E: srihari.daivanayagam@frost.com http://ww2.frost.com Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) The cash aid for poor families topped government spending of funds earmarked to address the public health crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Budget Department. Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado, in an online Malacanang briefing, said a total of 353.86 billion was released to concerned departments and agencies but there is no data yet on actual disbursement. Of the amount the first tranche of the Social Amelioration Program, aimed at giving 5,000 to 8,000 in financial aid to 18 million low-income families, had the lions share at 100 billion. Another P96 billion was released for the second tranche, which the Department of Social and Welfare Development has yet to implement. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the list of the five million additional beneficiaries is still up for verification. There are a total of 17 million beneficiaries for the next subsidy. The Department of Labor and Employment also got a total of 2.5 billion to help displaced Filipino workers here and abroad. The Department of Finance received 51 billion to assist workers employed by small businesses which have been forced to close due to the lockdown. The Bayanihan Grant for cities and municipalities totaled 30.8 billion, equivalent to one month of their Internal Revenue Allotment. Provincial governments got an additional budget of 6.197 billion. Meanwhile, 8.5 billion was also released to the Department or Agriculture for its Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat Kontra COVID-19 program to address food security. An initial 1.9 billion was given to the Department of Health for the purchase of RT-PCR or reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction test kits, which are considered the "gold standard" in detecting COVID-19. According to the DOH, a total of 289,732 individuals have been tested, with 22,083 of them testing positive for coronavirus infection. The total confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide is at 15,588, with the DOH still validating its data. READ: COVID-19 testing centers working round the clock to clear their backlogs The DOH also received a supplemental budget of 45.7 billion for its COVID-19 response. Other budget allotments include the 150 million and 93 million funding to the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police, respectively, for the operations of temporary treatment and quarantine facilities. The Philippine General Hospital also got 400 million to augment operations, Avisado said. The remaining 10.6 billion of the total 353.86 billion budget was released for additional allotments of various government agencies, a breakdown of which can be found at the DBM's website. Avisado said total expenses for the COVID-19 response would be bigger since the different departments and agencies also realigned their own funds to addresse the health crisis, but not at the expense of projects. "Hindi rin kami nagcancel ng projects dahil nasa GAA (General Appropriations Act) 'yan e. Parang hiniram muna yung pera," he said. [Translation: We did not cancel projects because those are in the GAA. We just borrwed th money for now.] READ: Gov't wants 5 big-ticket projects done this year despite COVID-19 slowdown Avisado said the agencies are required to submit a report on budget utilization. The Budget department will, in turn, report to the Office of the President and Congress. He also encouraged regions to upload a disbursement report on their websites for transparency. Amid the rising cases of COVID-19 nationwide, the budget chief said there is no basis to seek a supplemental budget from Congress. "Sa ngayon po hindi natin pwedeng gawin yan dahil ang requirement ng supplemental budget ay merong tayong new source of revenues or taxes and pangalawa kung merong excess sa collection natin. In both cases, wala po," he explained. [Translation: As of now, we can't do that because the requirement for supplemental budget is we have new source of revenues and taxes and second, we have excess in collection. In both cases, we do not have any.] The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the policy-making body for the COVID-19 crisis, has recommended the easing of quarantine restrictions in the country as officials cite the need to open the economy, particularly in Metro Manila. The capital region has been under strict quarantine measures since March, resulting in the shutdown of businesses and job losses. More people will be allowed to leave their homes once President Rodrigo Duterte approves the IATF's recommendation to place most of the country under a more relaxed general community quarantine. His decision is expected late Thursday, as the country reported 539 new COVID-19 cases, breaking its record for the largest single-day increase in infections. A four-year-old with cerebral palsy who moved Britain's Got Talent viewers with his singing 'didn't take his first breath for 24 minutes' and was told he would never be able to speak, it was revealed today. Jade Kilduff, 18, from Heywood, Greater Manchester, became an internet sensation after sharing videos of herself and her brother, Christian, who has cerebral palsy, signing along to pop songs on her 'Sign Along With Us' YouTube channel. After starting a choir made up of 37 children and 28 adults, she and Christian appeared on Britain's Got Talent and thrilled the judges so much that David Walliams pressed his golden buzzer for the act, the very first one of the series. A touching moment at the start of the performance revealed how she taught her brother sign language, after doctors warned he wouldn't be able to communicate, and appearing on Good Morning Britain today, Jade told how doctors originally thought Christian was stillborn. Jade Kilduff (pictured) , 18, from Heywood, Greater Manchester, became an internet sensation after sharing videos of herself and her four-year-old brother, Christian who has cerebral palsy (pictured) Choir Sign Along With Us came out on top as they left Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon in tears with their heart-rending rendition of This Is Me from The Greatest Dancer Speaking on the morning show today, she revealed: 'Christian came to us as my foster brother because my parents were foster careers. 'He was actually stillborn and he didnt take his first breath for 24 minutes, which led to him having a brain injury. 'He's got cerebral palsy, he's registered blind he has a big long list of medical conditions. But we just saw the potential this amazing little boy had'. She added: 'We were told he would never be able to talk and would be in a wheelchair for life. We didnt want to accept this and I started doing sign language with him - it literally unlocked his life and now he's the amazing little boy he is today.' The choir thrilled the judges so much that David Walliams pressed his golden buzzer for the act, the very first one of the series Jade went on to say she's 'speechless' when she thinks about the reality show and she'll carry the moment David pressed the golden buzzer 'with her for the rest of her life'. She said: 'It was just something that Ill carry with me for the rest of my life, we just look back to that moment. For David Williams to do that it leaves me speechless every time.' This week the group took to the stage donning a colourful array of T-shirts printed with 'This Is Me', with each member's face painted with a rainbow and belted out the number from The Greatest Showman moving the judges to tears. Also in the choir is 12-year-old Ella who previously met Simon Cowell when he presented her with a Child of Courage award at the 2019 Pride of Britain awards who appeared with mum Karen Speaking of their next performance, Jade told host Ben Shephard (pictured) : 'We're changing the song, but this is me has such an important meaning for us and everyone out there' Speaking of their next performance, Jade said: 'We're changing the song, but this is me has such an important meaning for us and everyone out there. 'The main thing has been the message and the meaning behind it, we just want to spread positivity and self confidence.' Also in the choir is 12-year-old Ella, who previously met Simon Cowell when he presented her with a Child of Courage award at the 2019 Pride of Britain awards, with the youngster saying it was 'amazing' to discover David had pressed the button. She said: 'We didnt realise we had the golden buzzer and then when David Williams pressed it, I thought oh my god this is amazing, I love it!' Viewers were moved by the children and quickly took to Twitter to praise them, with one writing: 'Watching Sign Along With Us choir brings the happy tears again Viewers were moved by the children and quickly took to Twitter to praise them, with one writing: 'Watching Sign Along With Us choir brings the happy tears again. 'Im so excited for all of those involved and cant wait to see what they do next! Thank you for sharing the love.' Another said: 'What lovely happy children on this morning talking about their choir- their parents must be so proud.' A third said: 'Watching Sign Along With Us choir brings the happy tears again.... Im so excited for all of those involved and cant wait to see what they do next! Thank you for sharing the love.' Australia spent $7.1 billion to process asylum seekers in Nauru and Papua New Guinea in a program that was largely managed well but failed to achieve value for money in relation to PNG, the Auditor-General has found. In a report examining procurement practices for garrison and welfare services on Nauru and Manus Island, Auditor-General Grant Hehir found the Department of Home Affairs encountered more problems with its PNG-related contracts. Detainees inside the Manus Island centre in 2013. Credit:Kate Geraghty "The department did not demonstrate the achievement of value for money for the PNG procurements. Although the department had limited options for comparing tenderer costs, most of the benchmarks it used were not appropriate," the report found. Mr Hehir said monitoring of the performance of contractors such as Paladin was "partly adequate", with no reporting or monitoring occurring for more than eight months when contractors were operating under letters of intent. The Khanna police have arrested a history-sheeter and his accomplices for possessing two illegal pistols on Thursday. The accused have been identified as Bhagwant Singh alias Lali of Shehzad village in Ludhiana and Amanpreet Singh alias Ricky of Nashik, Maharashtra. Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harpreet Singh said the accused were arrested near Alaour village during checking. The trio was coming from Mandi Gobindgarh side in a Hyundai i-20 car. The SSP added that Amanpreet tried to escape, but the cops nabbed him. The police recovered a .25 bore pistol and five bullets from Bhagwant, who was driving the car. With the information provided by him, the police seized another.30 bore pistol from his house. The accused told the cops that he had not renewed the licence of his .30 bore gun since 2016. Bhagwant is already facing trial in five cases including murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, trespassing and assault, the SSP informed. Amanpreet lives in a rented accommodation in Dugri, while Bhagwant stays at a rented room in New Ashpuri of Ludhiana. More important information has been expected from the accused during questioning, the SSP said. A case under Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered against the accused at police station City-2 in Khanna. Ole "wizowizo" Schemion won his fourth SCOOP title in style by shipping the star-studded SCOOP-102-H: $10,300 NLHE [8-Max, High Roller], $1M Gtd for $258,639 at PokerStars. The tournament was a huge success with 118 entries including 38 re-entries generating a $1,180,000 to eclipse the $1 million guarantee. This also marks the second SCOOP title for Schemion this year after previously winning the title in the SCOOP-16-H: $2,100 PLO 6-Max, $400K Gtd for $111,853. 2020 SCOOP-102-H: $10,300 NLHE [8-Max, High Roller], $1M Gtd Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Ole "wizowizo" Schemion Austria $258,639 2 megaliciou$$$ Romania $200,291 3 Wiktor "limitless" Malinowski Macau $155,261 4 Steve "Mr. Tim Caum" O'Dwyer Ireland $120,295 5 Sergi "srxakgirona" Reixach United Kingdom $93,204 6 Daniel "Oxota" Dvoress Canada $72,213 7 osw666 Finland $55,950 8 Sylvain "caIcuIer_" Loosli United Kingdom $43,350 9 Pieter "XMorphineX" Aerts Belgium $34,349 Final Day Action The day began with 15 hopefuls each guaranteed a min-cash of $21,566. Daniel "Oxota" Dvoress began the day with a big chip lead of more than double his nearest opponent in Finland's "osw666", who appeared to qualify into the event starting with a $53 feeder satellite. The final day took just 3 hours and 45 minutes to play out with a final table getting reached within the first hours after the quick eliminations of Michael "Imluckbox" Addamo, Alexander "Alexgirs" Girs, Laurynas "LaurisL91" Levinskas, Adrian "Amadi_017" Mateos, Fedor "CrownUpGuy" Holz, and Simon "Igorkarkarof" Ronnow Pedersen. Dvoress still had the chip lead with Wiktor "limitless" Malinowski, Schemion, and "megaliciou$$$" closest on his tail. Pieter "XMorphineX" Aerts was the first to go at the final table in ninth place for $34,349 after he unsuccessfully jammed his short stack with ace-ten suited into the ace-queen held by Steve "Mr. Tim Caum" O'Dwyer. Sylvain "caIcuIer_" Loosli was next to go in eighth place for $43,350 after his top pair on the flop with ace-ten couldn't hold after "megaliciou$$$" improved to a flush on the turn with five-three suited. "osw666" began the day second in chips but was short when they got their ace-four suited against the Malinowski's king-queen. "osw666" flopped top pair but two kings were on the board after the turn and this player was ousted in seventh place for $55,950. Dvoress had the chip lead the entire day before things began to unravel. The lead first went to "megaliciou$$$" and then O'Dwyer during six-handed play. The lead went back to Dvoress and back again to "megaliciou$$$" before O'Dwyer regained the lead to build his lead to nearly triple of the closest stack. Shortly after, Dvoress jammed a ten-high board on the turn with ace-ten and ran into Malinowski's jacks to hit the rail in sixth place for $72,213. Sergi "srxakgirona" Reixach then hit the rail in fifth place for $93,204 after he jammed his short stack with queen-four into the ace-nine held by "megaliciou$$$". O'Dwyer then hit a patch of bad luck. It was looking like the eventual champion Schemion would bow out in fourth place when he jammed his nines into O'Dwyer's aces but a nine hit the board and Schemion doubled instead of hitting the showers. A similar pattern emerged a short while later when "megaliciou$$$" got a kind board with ace-ten against O'Dwyer's tens. "megaliciou$$$" soon after took the lead before temporarily giving it back to O'Dwyer. Soon later, Malinowski became the king of the hill for the first time of the day. O'Dwyer's day was then over with him going out in fourth place for $120,295 after he unsuccessfully three-bet jammed his fours into Schemion's eights. "megaliciou$$$" had the lead to start three-handed play. Schemion temporarily grabbed it before "megaliciou$$$" was able to amass more than half the chips in play. Schemion then eliminated Malinowski in third place for $155,261. Malinowski jammed for 21 big blinds with treys and didn't get there against Schemion's sixes. The stacks were fairly even to start heads-up play with "megaliciou$$$" holding a small lead over Schemion. The lead went to Schemion back to "megaliciou$$$" and back one final time to Schemion before the final hand took place. A big pot brewed on the turn where "megaliciou$$$" committed all their chips with nine-eight for two pair on the board only to be drawing to two outs with Schemion holding a better two pair with ace-eight. A blank hit the river and "megaliciou$$$" was eliminated in second place for $200,291. Meanwhile, congrats are in order for Ole "wizowizo" Schemion for winning his second SCOOP title this festival and fourth overall along with a healthy top prize of $258,639. Final Hand of the 2020 SCOOP-102-H: $10,300 High Roller. This concludes our coverage of the SCOOP-102-H: $10,300 NLHE High Roller. Stay tuned as we cover other major poker events throughout the year. UPDATE: Authorities have located family members for Arthur Dinkins and Marcus Sanders. Family is still sought for Madye Ridgeway. EARLIER: Authorities are searching for family members of three people who died in Birmingham earlier this month. The deaths of Arthur Dinkins Jr., Madye Ridgeway and Marcus Lewis Sanders do not involve foul play, but their bodies are ready to be released for burial and the Jefferson County Coroners Office has not been able to locate or notify the next of kin. Dinkins was a 77-year black male who lived at 1250 Jeff Germany Parkway where he was a tenant at Cherry Hill Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. He died about 10:50 a.m. on May 9 of natural causes. He had lived in the Roebuck area prior to being admitted to the nursing home. There are no known family members or emergency contacts. Ridgeway, an 81-year-old black female, died May 15 at 7:20 a.m., also of natural causes. She was a resident at Community One Boarding Home in Norwood. Sanders, a 52-year-old black male, died May 21 at UAB Hospital after being found unresponsive outside an apartment complex in the 1700 block of 32nd Place North. He lived at 1125 34th Street North. Authorities believe he has family living in the Norwood area, however they have not been able to locate them. Anyone with information on family members of Dinkins, Ridgeway or Sanders is asked to call the coroners office at 205-930-3603. Gaping holes in online security measures have resulted in more than 726 million cyber-attacks launched from online resources this year. As 375,000 new types of malwares are detected daily, experts are warning that darker, more extreme attacks could be on the way if firms dont take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their devices properly. Thats according to new research from cyber security experts Kaspersky, who warned that the COVID-19 outbreak could lead to the destabilising of the online world. With the pandemic meaning that millions of employees and students are now following government advice to work from home (with 46% of people never having done so before), the research has revealed a world that is woefully under prepared when it comes to protecting devices from the threat of cyber hackers. The results of the study showed huge gaping holes in security measures, with half of employees working from home on personal devices and not having or knowing what their security policy is to ward against potential attacks. Whats more three-quarters of workers (75%) say that they have had zero IT security awareness training since they switched from office working to remote working overnight. As a result of these lax measures, its perhaps unsurprising that one in four workers (27%) say they received malicious emails related to COVID-19 while working from home. The potential for the spread of such attacks could be catastrophic. Loss of data and loss of intelligence could have huge implications for businesses and ultimately threaten their whole ecosystem. And with hackers becoming increasingly savvier, security experts are working around the clock to mitigate these attacks. As such, businesses encouraging staff to work remotely are being urged to check their corporate network. Businesses are being warned that the surge of users relying on online resources and virtual private network (VPN) connections creates extra pressure on networks, detracts focus of IT teams from security and allows cybercriminals the perfect opportunity to exploit insecure connections and intercept important data from users and the institutions they work for. Many of us take for granted the systems and security our workplaces, schools or colleges have in place to protect us and our colleagues from cybercrime but how many of us know what steps we can take as individuals to ensure were safe from hackers while working from home? Spokespeople from Kaspersky are available to talk about the best approach to protect yourself and your data while remote working, and to provide top tips to work safely. -- Tradearabia News Service Gulf of Mexico Drilling Ban Would Kill 200,000 Jobs, Study Finds Plans to cut drilling permits could kill industry, cost billions in tax revenue A study released Tuesday by the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) found that banning offshore drilling for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico would mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in tax revenue. Compiled for the NOIA by specialist consulting firm Energy & Industrial Advisory Partners (EIAP), the studyThe Economic Impacts of the Gulf of Mexico Oil and Natural Gas Industry (PDF)outlines the importance of oil and gas exploration, development and production for the economy of the Gulf states and beyond. The report indicates that in 2019, drilling in the Gulf of Mexico produced 2.3 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) each day, with production forecast to rise to 2.5 million BOE by 2040. According to the report, this economic activity supported 345,000 jobs and had a GDP impact of $28.6 billion in 2019with $5.4 billion in government revenues. Indeed, some 54,000 of the jobs supported are based outside of the four Gulf states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. In 2019, the industry also provided $353 million in Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act funding, which is used for conservation and restoration projects, hurricane defense systems, and coastal management programs along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Alabama. Offshore oil and gas also provided about $1 billion to the U.S. Land and Water Conservation Fund program. The offshore oil and gas industry funds virtually the entire Land & Water Conservation Fund. ($1 billion disbursed in 2019!) The continued success of the Gulf of Mexico = the continued success of our parks and recreational areas. #gulfimpact2020 Read more: https://t.co/eyp84la3wV pic.twitter.com/YJP8tYUS65 National Ocean Industries Association (@oceanindustries) May 26, 2020 However, opponents of offshore drillingsuch as the Sierra Club and the Healthy Gulf networkinsist that the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico is compromised by the oil and gas industry. In a March 2020 civil action (PDF) against the Department of the Interior and others, the groups stated that Millions of people who live in the states along the Gulf Coast depend on this productive marine environment to support coastal fisheries, tourism, and recreation, the backbones of the Gulf States economies. Environmental groups point to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster as an example of the risks involved in deep-sea drilling. The Deepwater blowout resulted in the deaths of 11 people and contaminated tens of thousands of square miles of the Gulf with over 100 million gallons of crude oil, according to the groups civil action. Prominent Opposition to Offshore Drilling The NOIA also points out that presidential candidate and former Vice-President Joe Biden said in a televised debate on March 15 that as president, he would redouble his efforts to combat climate change. Biden said that if he were elected, there would be No more drilling, including offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill, period. On the Biden for President website, the former vice president has promised voters that if elected to the White House, he will introduce a Biden Plan for a clean energy revolution and environmental justice. The plan is designed to Ensure the U.S. achieves a 100 percent clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050. On day one, Biden will sign a series of new executive orders with unprecedented reach that go well beyond the Obama-Biden Administration platform and put us on the right track. Biden has insisted that a move to renewable energyand away from fossil fuelswill provide good-paying jobs while combating climate change. Study Shows Effect of Drilling Ban The NOIA study illustrates the economic impact of curtailing offshore drilling in the Gulf by analyzing two proposed scenarios. The first scenario is one where no new leases are issued, while the second assumes that no new drilling permits are issued after 2022. The no-new-leases scenario would see production, the number of jobs, and government revenue more than halved by 2040. However, the more severe no-new-drilling-permits scenario would see the industry decimated by 2040, with less than a fifth of 2019 production remaining, 80 percent of jobs lost, and government revenue a mere sixth of 2019 levels. In an interview on the study with Reuters, NOIA President Erik Milito said that Its important for the public and policymakers to understand the ramifications, which are severe. According to the study, Continued energy production in the Gulf of Mexico is vital for all Americans but it is at risk. The study authors write that in analyzing the impacts of bans on leases and drilling permits on offshore oil and natural gas, It is clear from the numbers: shutting down energy production in the Gulf of Mexico would devastate the economy, destroy small businesses and high-paying jobs and weaken our national security. The NOIA holds that drilling bans would be counterproductive, and would ultimately have a negative effect on the environment. The [Gulf of Mexico] is a highly regulated area. We do not flare huge volumes of gas like many onshore areas. We have one of the lowest carbon footprints for oil and gas extraction in the world. If we dont allow production in the [Gulf of Mexico] we will be forced to import oil from areas with lax environmental regulations which would defeat the objectives of those who seek to ban offshore activity. Geopolitical Significance of Production In an April 21 article by U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, he stressed the importance of American oil and gas productionnot just in terms of jobs or federal tax income, but for the geopolitical leverage the United States status as an energy producer affords the nation. Whereas in the past we were at the mercy of energy-producing nations, today we can put pressure on OPEC and work with its members to bring stability to oil markets, setting the table for a return to prosperity, wrote Brouillette. American energy independence will allow this president and future U.S. presidents to keep negotiating from a position of strength and to project Americas power for good in the world. It is important to support domestic producers today, so that energy prices dont spike tomorrow and undermine a strong economic rebound. Reuters contributed to this report. U.S. business to Trump: Go slowly on Hong Kong response Anti-government demonstrators take part in a protest during a lunch time in Hong Kong By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Business groups are urging U.S. President Donald Trump to go slowly in responding to Beijing's planned imposition of new national security laws on Hong Kong, warning revoking the city's special U.S. privileges will hurt the territory and its people. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests/pompeo-says-hong-kong-no-longer-warrants-pre-1997-treatment-idUSKBN233053 on Wednesday China's actions had voided Hong Kong's autonomy. That cleared the way for White House steps ranging from imposing sanctions on some senior Chinese officials to fully ending the 22-year U.S. practice of treating Hong Kong separately from China on trade, visas, investments and export controls. Hong Kong's special status has helped keep the former British colony of 7.5 million - which hosts operations of 1,300 U.S. companies and some 85,000 American residents - one of the world's premier financial hubs since reverting to Chinese rule in 1997. Details of the new Chinese legislation, which could see mainland security agencies to set up operations in Hong Kong, are being deliberated this week by China's parliament. "The text of the law in China has not yet been released. Words matter," said Craig Allen, the president of the U.S.-China Business Council. The group would like to see all sides "de-escalate and maintain the 'one-country two systems' model for Hong Kong, which has served everyone so well for so many years," he said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday stressed https://www.uschamber.com/press-release/us-chamber-of-commerce-urges-chinese-government-preserve-hong-kong-s-one-country-two jeopardizing Hong Kong's special status would be a "serious mistake." Pompeo's declaration leaves room to move slowly, and acting quickly could inflict pain on Hong Kong and waste U.S. leverage over Beijing, said Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser and China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Story continues The U.S. declaration has "opened the door to massive changes but they have not walked through it yet," Kennedy said. "It may rattle markets and have executive suites examining Plan Bs and Plan Cs but not necessarily immediately moving." Pressure in the U.S.-China relationship is mounting over issues including trade, technology restrictions and the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives backed legislation calling on Trump to impose sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for oppression of China's Uighur Muslim minority. DRIP BY DRIP Some international financial firms have halted Hong Kong expansion plans and shifted staff to other Asian centers after protests in the city last year. A major change in Hong Kong's legal status could accelerate that trend, risk managers and consultants say. "I do think that the drip-by-drip process of companies leaving had already begun. The promulgation of a national security law really throws fuel on that fire," said Todd Mariano, director of Eurasia Group's U.S. practice in Washington. Dane Chamorro, a partner in Control Risk Group's Asia Pacific practice, said a larger exodus would depend on whether the security law preserves Hong Kong's business law framework and the free movement of capital. "You will have people concerned about it for sure, but they're not going to leave as long as those two things are there," Chamorro said, adding many international companies operate in countries with onerous security regimes. What's more important is preserving the sanctity of contracts, consistent labor rules and predictable regulation, Chamorro said. Peter Humphrey, a former corporate fraud investigator who was imprisoned by China for nearly two years, said few companies are prepared for a "sudden event" where Chinese security forces seize control. "Hong Kong is now under much greater threat of intervention than it has been before, that's how I see it," said Humphrey, now an external research associate with Harvard University's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. Foreign companies in Hong Kong, especially those dealing with confidential information, need plans "to switch off their operations instantly", he said. (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Heather Timmons and Lincoln Feast.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and congratulated him on completing 50 years of Sri Lankan parliamentary innings. The two leaders discussed the prevention measures of the corona epidemic as well as its impact on the health and economic sector. Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again assured Rajapaksa that India is ready to give all possible help to Sri Lanka in this challenging time. For your information, let us tell you that Prime Minister Modi also had a telephone conversation with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. In the talks, the Prime Minister had discussed about the health and economic impacts due to Corona epidemic and assured that India will continue to give all possible help to Sri Lanka. At that time, President Rajapaksa had also informed about his steps to start economic activities in Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also wished for the well being and healthy life of the people of Sri Lanka. Apart from this, PM Modi expressed condolences on the sudden death of Arumugan Thondaman, a prominent leader of Indian origin of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Also recalled the role of Thondaman in furthering the development partnership between India and Sri Lanka. It is worth mentioning that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is discussing the Corona crisis and its effects from world leaders from time to time. Presently, India is providing medicines and doctors services to all the countries of the world. So far more than 1,319 cases have been reported due to corona infection in Sri Lanka, while 10 people have died. Also Read: Cases of coronavirus increasing rapidly in Pakistan Uttar Pradesh: BJP made a new plan to show the specialty of the government Death rate decreases in China, more than 1 lakh deaths in America Five Indian soldiers will receive UN's prestigious medal this week The family of a black woman who fell from her 24th-floor balcony have accused Toronto police of shoving her to her death, prompting an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit. The Toronto Police Service were called to an apartment complex on High Park Avenue about 5.15pm on Wednesday after reports of a domestic incident, according to a release from the SIU. 'While officers were inside an apartment unit on the 24th floor, they observed a woman on the balcony,' the release states. 'A short time later, the woman fell from the balcony to the ground below.' The woman - identified by family as 29-year-old Regis Korchinski-Paquet - was pronounced dead at the scene. Scroll down for video The Toronto Police Service responded to an apartment complex on High Park Avenue at approximately 5.15pm on Wednesday for a domestic incident. They said that the woman then fell off the balcony from the 24th floor SIU Ontario said it was investigating the woman's death The woman - identified by family as 29-year-old Regis Korchinski-Paquet - was pronounced dead at the scene Toronto Police Services refused to comment on the incident, referring Dailymail.com to the SIU. The agency released an updated statement that read: 'The SIU is aware of allegations made by certain family members of the deceased and will be looking to speak to anyone with information about these allegations. As the investigation is in the early stages, it would be inappropriate for the SIU to make any further comment at this time with respect to what transpired.' A man who identified himself as the woman's cousin - who goes by Rocawrld on Instagram - claimed that police threw Korchinski-Paquet off the building. In his video, the local artist repeatedly shows the scene of the incident. In the background, a body can be seen with an orange covering over it. 'We are done protesting they threw my cousin off the building,' he continued in the clip. The incident took place at 100 High Park Avenue in Toronto and the apartment was on the 24th floor A man who identified himself as the woman's cousin - who goes by Rocawrld on Instagram - claimed that police threw Korchinski-Paquet off the building. 'The police can't arrest a female properly, they throw her off the building. A black female,' he added Korchinski-Paquet's mother - Claudette Clayton - can also be heard in the background sharing extra details about her daughter's death. She said that the police shoved her off Korchinski-Paquet's mother - Claudette Clayton - can also be heard in the background sharing extra details about her daughter's death. The rapper continues showing the scene and looks distraught as he addresses the camera. 'The police can't arrest a female properly, they throw her off the building. A black female,' he added. 'This is what the police are doing worldwide... Bunch of Nazis.' A later clip from the rapper shows Clayton explaining what happened in her apartment. 'The police killed my daughter, came in my apartment and shoved her off the balcony and told CP24 that it was a suicide,' Clayton declared in the clip. 'But the police killed her' People in Toronto have called for protests over the killing of the 29-year-old 'The police killed my daughter, came in my apartment and shoved her off the balcony and told CP24 that it was a suicide,' Clayton declared in the clip. 'But the police killed her.' The duo also expressed their disappointment at the lack of news coverage on the scene, sharing the woman's body had been out on the ground for more than an hour before any media arrived. SIU has assigned two investigators and two forensic investigators to the case and is asking anyone to come forward with any information they may have. Their 'arm's length agency' investigate reports 'involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.' 'Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate or close the file without any charges being laid report the results of any investigations to the Attorney General,' the release states. At the Shops of Merrick Park, times have changed for the weekly Sunday farmers market vendors, but they are still finding a way to share their artisan goods and specialty foods. Starting May 24, they were back in booths 6 feet apart with masks on at all times. They wear gloves, and there are requirements for constant hand washing at sanitizer stations for vendors use and for customers. Vendors like Skinny Luly, Albert, the Bread Man, Handmade by Dinah Alvarez and many more are making it work in the age of coronavirus social distancing. Overall, it has been especially difficult for small, local business, especially artisan and market vendors, who for the most part have had nowhere to go with their goods, said Iris Casanova, founder and owner of Florida Fresh Market. For the most part, farmers and artisans markets have been closed, leaving customers wanting for these specialty locally produced items, while also affecting these vendors livelihoods, most of whom depend solely on this for income. The group hosts drive-thru pickups all over Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach county locations. The newest will be Tuesday, June 2, at Dadeland Mall, from 4-9 p.m., when Florida Fresh Market starts up a pre-ordered drive-thru farmers market with many local vendors selling produce, local honey, acai bowls, juices and smoothies and prepared foods. It makes a huge difference, especially when it comes to small/local business, Casanova said of her 10-year-old business that runs over two dozen farmers markets and artisans markets in the tri-county area. One new vendor at Merrick Park is Eclat Soy Candles, also a favorite seller on Etsy. The co-owner of the Miami brand is a jeweler, and the hand-poured soy candles actually include a natural diamond inside. Joel and Tere Ceballos, owners of Eclat Soy Candles, created a new way for customers to smell their candle scents at the reopened Sunday Farmers Market at Shops of Merrick Park. To make do with scent-testing, they created a scent bar so instead of touching the candles shoppers can request a smell and be provided with a personal test strip, much like testing out a perfume. Story continues During these unprecedented times the most challenging thing of all has been losing human contact, Tere Garcia, co-owner of Eclat Soy Candles, said. In the past months, things have shifted and most of our sales have relied heavily on e-commerce, but the joy of being part of and interacting with our community is what keeps us going. Our product has a face, and the face is us. Joel, my husband and co-owner, and I share the love for the product we created with our customers. Miami is a resilient community, and all we can ask is for people to come out to the farmers market and support local makers. There is no better feeling than knowing how your product was made. Learn more about all the vendors, ordering, and farmers market locations at https://www.facebook.com/FloridaFreshMarket/ If you go The Shops at Merrick Park Farmers Market is open Sundays, 11 a.m. 5 p.m., 358 San Lorenzo Ave., Coral Gables. Gurugram, May 28 : Gurugram is turning out to be a breeding ground for coronavirus these days. On Thursday, the district reported 68 new cases, the highest in a single, taking Gurugrams Covid-19 tally to 405, including 209 active cases. The district has so far reported the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Haryana, far ahead of Faridabad (276) and Sonipat (180), placed second and third on the list, respectively. Gurugram has reported as many as 121 cases in the last three days. Officials said that the number of cases have swelled after restrictions on the borders connecting Delhi were lifted following an order by the Delhi High Court. Also, the relaxations granted under Lockdown 4.0 have also added to the worries of the district administration. Keeping in view the alarming situation, Haryana Chief Secretary (Home) Keshni Anand Arora visited Gurugram and Faridabad on Thursday to take stock of the situation and ordered to monitor every zone in the two districts. She also asked the district administration for arrange for 100 ventilators and 500 additional beds. Meanwhile, the Gurugram district administration has served show-cause notice to two private hospitals for refusing to admit Covid-19 infected patients. Gurugram District Magistrate Amit Khatri has asked Paras Hospital and Park Hospital to submit their replies within a day. "We had given strict directions to the private hospitals on May 25 to not to refuse any Covid-19 infected patient, else they would be liable to face legal action under the Pandemic Act, 1897. Despite that, violations have been made by few of them," Khatri said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Stem cell biotech Mesoblast believes it will know how effective its potential COVID-19 treatment is in the next four months and while it is pinning its hopes on a positive result, investors have been warned there are uncertainties. The boss of the $2 billion biotech Silviu Itescu told investors on a quarterly earnings call on Thursday that the business must prepare its manufacturing capabilities for the possibility of success, and this was a key driver of the company's most recent $138 million capital raising. "That is a major rationale we have to be able to invest in capacity," Dr Itescu said. Mesoblast CEO Silviu Itescu said the company had to prepare its manufacturing capability for expansion of its stem cell product uses. Credit:Josh Robenstone News of the coronavirus research has seen the company's share price rocket close to 250 per cent since the ASX's widespread selloff in late March. Mesoblast shares jumped 4 per cent again early on Thursday morning as the local market followed Wall Street gains, yet lost momentum after the quarterly update and traded down 3.4 per cent at $3.71 by 3pm. ~Paree announces a landmark Period Leave policy for its women workforce~ May 28 2020, Bangalore: Paree, a young Indian homegrown sanitary napkin brand has been championing the cause of menstrual hygiene by positioning sanitary pads as essential and to make them accessible to as many women as possible especially those who need it the most. Through its #SheFirst #PadsAreEssential campaign, Paree started a dialogue around how women are the backbone of our society yet their needs tend to take a backseat. It encouraged women to put their needs and hygiene First. The Company strongly believes that it is time that every woman starts prioritizing her needs and begins to focus on her menstrual health and hygiene, without guilt, without shame Taking this conversation further and in keeping with the brands commitment towards #SheFirst, on the occasion of World Menstrual Hygiene Day, Paree, in a first-ever Human Resource landmark, announces Period Leave for all its female employees. Parees #SheFirst #PadsAreEssential campaign was about her home while this leg extends to the workplace. Office is where she spends most of her time. With this announcement, Paree addresses the issue of emotional and physical discomfort that often accompanies menstruation. The brand has always been vocal about real issues that women face during their periods, be it Heavy Flow and now Cramps and PMS with this. Almost 40% of Paree employees are women with women making 80% of the corporate staff and will benefit from this policy, as this one day of Period Leave per month will allow women to take it a little easy if they are having a rough period, and only if they choose to do so. This is not a mandatory leave and the choice to avail it or not is completely upto the employee. Moreover, this policy is not just limited to corporate office staff but is also extended to female staff working in all other verticals & units. The managerial and corporate staff can avail work from home whereas it is a paid leave for factory and on ground sales staff. To make the announcement of period leave come alive, Paree created a video titled Keep It Real #PareePeriodLeave capturing different reactions of their employees. This move is also a progressive step towards keeping it real when it comes to period related issues like the physical or emotional discomfort that a woman might experience during her periods and how the corporate sector can band together to make-workplaces more conducive for their women employees. Interventions like period leaves, sanitary pad dispensers and menstrual hygiene medical kits at the workplace are steps in the right direction. Menstrual discomfort and hygiene are real issues and it is time that we start acknowledging it. Sahil Dharia - CEO & Founder, Paree, proudly spoke, I advocate Period Leave for our female workforce, those who want to avail of it, that is. It is a choice that we as an organization will accord to our women employees. Women are the nucleus of our socio-economic environment - and their mental and physical health should be an absolute priority. The Period Leave is a call to action for Paree, as an organization, in order to initiate a change in thinking across industries and sectors. We want to platform the larger, unspoken issue of menstrual health and hygiene of women at work and how we as a society need to start taking cognizance of it and start adopting measures to help our women workforce navigate it with ease. Paree is a women-centric brand. The brands overall workforce comprises 40% women with 80% women as Corporate office staff, the CEOs direct management team includes 64% of women. The brand is committed to raise and address the larger social issue of menstrual health and hygiene which impacts women at work. About #SheFirst #PadsAreEssential Advocacy campaign Paree launched the campaign #SheFirst #PadsAreEssential (#yehbhijaroorihai) which focused on menstrual hygiene and the importance of hygiene products to maintain menstrual health in a dignified manner, as women are more susceptible to infections during the time of a pandemic. Paree took up the cause to reach out to women and distributed close to 2,00,000 sanitary pads across cities in India. Over the last two months, Paree has devoted itself to advocating this cause by associating with various government and private organizations like CII-IWN, Rasoi-On-Wheels, Punjab Police, Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights- the Govt of NCT and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, and has resiliently distributed sanitary pads to indigent women across states Delhi, Gurugram, Punjab, Rajasthan, MP, and others. About Paree Paree is a women-centric brand, of the women, by the women and for the women. It believes in highlighting the importance around menstrual issues which will help in ensuring menstrual hygiene for all as an essential right while at the same time, breaking taboos around menstruation in our society. Pub baron Justin Hemmes has announced several of his establishments will reopen as coronavirus restrictions ease. Merivale owns venues such as Coogee Pavillion, The Allawah and The Beresford Hotel. Many were forced to close or provide takeaway only options amid the coronavirus restrictions preventing non-essential gatherings. However, as of June 1, venues such as Establishment Main Bar, Vic on the Park and Wynyard Hotel will all reopen. Pub baron Justin Hemmes has announced several of his establishments would reopen as coronavirus restrictions ease. Pictured: El Loco Owner Justin Hemmes called it 'the best news' the business has heard in months 'This is the best news we've had in months, and marks the real beginning to hospitality's road to recovery. I would like to commend the government who not only acted swiftly to protect our country, but who are now also doing everything they can to help us safely reopen doors and rebuild the industry,' Justin Hemmes, CEO of Merivale, said. 'Whilst we are still a little while away from operating all our venues at full capacity, the increase to 50 customers is a huge leap forward and one that will result in an exponential increase in employment 'Thank you, as always, to our incredible staff and loyal guests for their patience, support and unwavering optimism that things would get better. They finally have'. During the peak of the pandemic the company launched Merivale at Home, which delivered drinks and food from venues to your door. Last year it was alleged the company had underpaid staff. A class action lawsuit filed in the Federal Court in December 2019 claims the booze empire owned by Justin Hemmes underpaid up to 8,200 workers. Canberra law firm Adero alleges Merivale used a workplace agreement slashing wages and penalty rates that was never validly approved by regulators. It is alleged staff should have been paid the industry award and are owed backpay for the past six years - the longest a claim can be made under the Fair Work Act. The Newport (pictured) will be the last venue to reopen next week The lawsuit further claims that even if the agreement was valid, salaried chefs were owed overtime for regularly working 55-hour week. One pastry chef at Merivale's French restaurant Felix cited in the lawsuit was allegedly paid $48,000 a year for a 38-hour week but rostered on for about 55 hours. Merivale's alleged underpayment issues first came to light last year when it was revealed it paid 3,000 staff under the 2007 agreement that paid 20 per cent below award. Mr Hemmes, who owns 70 pubs, bars, and restaurants across Australia, cancelled the agreement in January 2019 and now pays all staff award rates. However, Adero claims the Workplace Authority wrongly let the agreement stand 10 years ago and it was never valid in the first place. During the peak of the pandemic the company launched Merivale at Home, which delivered drinks and food from venues to your door. Pictured: Bert's Credit: CC0 Public Domain A research group led by Professor Patrick Chun Man Wong, Stanley Ho Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience of the Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, recruited more than 400 native speakers of Cantonese for a study. The results show that participants with a specific genotype of the ASPM gene are better at perceiving lexical tone in Cantonese, and those without it may improve their abilities through musical training. The research offers clear evidence for the hypothesis that subtle differences in genetic makeup may form the basis of languages people speak in different regions of the world. In this case, because most Chinese people have an ASPM genotype that favors lexical tone processing, they adopted lexical tone in their language. The findings were recently published in the journal Science Advances. More than 7,000 languages are currently spoken around the world. These languages can be divided into two types according to how pitch is used; one type that uses pitch to mark word meaning, such as Cantonese, Putonghua and Yoruba; and the other that does not, such as English. For example, in Cantonese, /si/ spoken in a high and a low falling pitch pattern means "teacher" ( [si1]) or "time" ([si4]) respectively. This type of language is called a "tone language." Back in 2007, a large-scale statistical research study by Dan Dediu and D. Robert Ladd, linguists at the University of Edinburgh at the time, found that individuals with specific genotypes of the ASPM and MCPH genes are more likely to speak a tone language. These genes are related to brain growth, and certain genotypes are more likely to be found in populations in sub-Saharan Africa and East and Southeast Asia. Interestingly, languages in these regions are more likely to be tone languages. The findings generated what is now called the Genetic-Biasing Hypothesis of Language Evolution. However, the study itself did not provide direct evidence of the association between those brain-growth-related genes and tone perception. Professor Wong's sought to obtain direct evidence for the hypothesized association between these genes and the perception of lexical tone in Cantonese speakers. Since 2015, more than 400 native speakers of Cantonese in Hong Kong have been given listening tests encompassing Cantonese tone, memory, musical pitch and rhythms. Saliva samples from the participants were collected for genetic testing conducted by Professor Richard Kwong Wai Choy, associate professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, and deputy director of the Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis Centre at CUHK. The results showed that about 70% of participants carry a pair of the T alleles representing the TT genotype of the ASPM gene, and intriguingly, these individuals also have higher tone perception ability in Cantonese. About 30% of the participants who have another genotype encountered greater difficulties with Cantonese tones. The study suggests the reason why Chinese people adopted lexical tone in their language could be because most of them have the TT genotype. As such, the lexical tone feature of Chinese is favored and retained during language evolution. This TT genotype was not associated with behaviors tested other than Cantonese tones. Other genes related to brain growth and language were also studied, but they were not associated with Cantonese tones. Previous research by Professor Wong's team has demonstrated that tone perception was highly associated with musical training. In the current study, musical experience seems to improve tone perception ability of those who do not have the TT genotype of the ASPM gene and are at genetic risk. Those who have the TT genotype performed almost equally well on the tone perception task regardless of their previous musical training. "This gene x music interaction is important, because it suggests that those who might be at genetic risk could still improve their performance if they receive the right kind of intervention. But more research is needed to understand this interaction effect," said Professor Wong. The study also has important clinical implications. Tone perception is an important marker for communication disorders in Chinese speakers. For example, Chinese speakers with developmental language disorder and autism spectrum disorder often have tone perception deficits. If supported by further research, screening for ASPM could be an avenue for early detection of communication disorders as well as a clinical marker for early intervention. This research represents a cross-disciplinary effort between linguistics and genetics, and the question also concerns anthropology and evolutionary science. Professor Wong said that it was one example of "how the study of genetics could offer a potential explanatory mechanism to address longstanding questions in linguistics. The central question is that of linguistics, and our study attempts to identify an answer that hopefully begins to meet the standard of explanatory adequacy." To obtain additional evidence for the genetic-biasing hypothesis, further study could examine native speakers of Putonghua and other tone languages. Explore further Mandarin Chinese could help us understand how infants learn English More information: Patrick C. M. Wong et al. ASPM-lexical tone association in speakers of a tone language: Direct evidence for the genetic-biasing hypothesis of language evolution, Science Advances (2020). Journal information: Science Advances Patrick C. M. Wong et al. ASPM-lexical tone association in speakers of a tone language: Direct evidence for the genetic-biasing hypothesis of language evolution,(2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba5090 Provided by Chinese University of Hong Kong TOTOWA, N.J., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Confidence in the meticulous safety measures The Senior Company takes is fueling a surge of interest in its home care services for seniors. The company has been receiving more requests for its services since the onset of the pandemic. This is due in part to the ideal breeding ground that long-term care facilities provide for viruses and the vulnerability of the senior population. The stringent safety protocols followed by the company's highly experienced caregivers have furthered interest. The Senior Company mandated proactive measures to ensure that seniors remain healthy and safe. These practices include screening all caregivers before they enter patients' homes. Additionally, if a live-in home health aide takes time off, they are required to get screened before they return to their charge's home. The Senior Company also gives personal protective equipment (PPE) to patients and their families. Some other home care companies require families to obtain the PPE themselves. The company even provides families with digital thermometers, germicidal wipes, hand sanitizer and more. As states lift or ease stay-at-home orders, the spike in cases anticipated by some states poses a threat to seniors who live at long-term care facilities. Home care serves two important purposes: it keeps seniors safe and minimizes the risk of spread in the local community. Assigning dedicated home health aides to each patient, reduces the number of people seniors encounter face-to-face. The benefits of home care do not end there. The Senior Company ensures that its patients get a world-class level of care from fully-licensed nurses who demonstrate compassion, kindness and respect. They are also qualified to deliver a wide range of services, assisting seniors with medical care and daily tasks. Since the company employs nurses, they can monitor vital signs, as well as provide feeding tube support, catheter support, hospice care support and dementia support. Seniors who do not require medical services can still get assistance with bathing, dressing and grooming. Caregivers will also run errands, do housekeeping, assist them with meals and manage medications on a weekly basis. The Senior Company can adhere to any schedule, whether seniors need care on a part-time basis or full-time basis. Care is available around the clock for patients who require it. Families can also opt for temporary care or permanent care. Every single senior gets a care plan customized according to their unique needs. These plans are reviewed carefully to ensure they have a comfortable transition into the company's services. "We have always adapted our private home health services to each patient's needs. This situation is no different. The Senior Company continues to make the health and safety of its valued seniors our top priority. The safety measures we take and the processes we follow allow seniors to feel comfortable and more open to getting the help they need," said Steve Romano, CEO at The Senior Company About The Senior Company The Senior Company is a trusted New Jersey home health care agency that provides 24/7 home care services for the elderly. As a full-service New Jersey Home Health Care Agency, The Senior Company specializes in providing support for seniors who may need full-time home care assistance, live-in home care assistance or part-time home care assistance at home or in a facility after transitioning from the Hospital or Skilled Nursing Facility in their local area. The Senior Company is a Dual Licensed, Dual Accredited, Bonded & Insured Certified Home Health Care & Certified Help Firm practicing in the North New Jersey area. The Senior Company provides Personal Care, as well as Skilled Nursing Care services, that are available to help seniors and families who are in need of assistance with activities of daily living. Some of these "ADLs" include bathing, toileting, dressing, light housekeeping, meal preparation, errands, hospice care and other personalized hourly or live-in home care services. The Senior Company is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Home Care for meeting the industry's highest recognized standards of care in The State of New Jersey. Contact: The Senior Company Totowa: 973-355-6336 Hackensack: 201-355-5209 Related Images image1.png SOURCE The Senior Company Is Queen Elizabeth playing favorites here? Is the Palace clearly favoring Kate Middleton over Meghan Markle? Why is it so quick to denounce damaging reports about Kate Middleton but not Meghan Markle? Could Markle's alleged ranting about Kate true after all? According to an analyst, Kensington Palace showed record-breaking speed in making a statement against a news report concerning Kate Middleton. The Tatler report has branded Kate Middleton as a whiner, and the Palace was quick to say these allegations were all false. A royal expert even emerged to say that Kate Middleton simply has become more visible and accessible. The Tatler article made several claims about the Duchess of Cambridge and mother of 3, saying she has been fuming about the massive workload she has to take on because the other duchess, the Duchess of Sussex, decided to move to LA. The Tatler added that Middleton is reportedly angry because she and Prince William truly wanted to be hands-on parents to their three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. However, because Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to leave their senior positions behind, she and her husband have to step up. They felt as if the circumstances had them throwing "their three children under a bus." Elle reported that a Kensington Palace spokesperson has rapidly released a statement to counter these claims. The Palace had it that the story is full of inaccuracies and false misinterpretations. Kensington Palace was also not consulted before the publication of the damning report. While the reaction seems logical, especially if the accusations are damaging or untrue, it did raise a few eyebrows because it is quite rare for palace spokespeople to respond to rumors or allegations such as this. But it did now, and quite fast too. It's funny how this event with what Meghan Markle allegedly told her friends, as reported by Daily Mail. According to this earlier report, Meghan Markle allegedly grouched to her friends that if the press ever criticized Kate Middleton, the royal family would have stepped in and even change the media policies. Markle reportedly told her friends that no one in the Palace would put up with it, and those outlets who dared to ruin Kate Middleton's name would be "shunned." This report emerged after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wrote four UK tabloids that they would no longer engage with them in any way. The said decision was not something the Palace approved. It did not even know that this would happen. Meghan allegedly told her friend that what irritated her, and her husband as well the most was if the press bashed Kate in a level and frequency they did Markle, they would have told the royal media outlets off and have new policies put into place. However, in Meghan's case, the Palace did not care. Prince Harry even repeatedly told Prince Charles, and Queen Elizabeth about the bullying Markle was experiencing at the hands of the media but the two decided to ignore what was happening. They would not change the protocol regardless if Prince Harry was already in great pain for what was happening to his wife. READ MORE: Kate Middleton Heartbreak: Prince William FAILED Her Massively on This! Ecuador is the latest addition to the list of countries releasing or allocating extra spectrum to its operators to cope with growing data demand during the coronavirus pandemic. The countrys Ministry of Telecommunications & Information Society (Mintel) has targeted what are described as underserved parishes. There are some 369 such parishes in total, for which Mintel has announced several measures intended to improve internet access. Among the resolutions Mintel has announced are plans to temporarily allocate mobile spectrum to "improve service capacity and quality". This follows a 40 percent increase in data traffic since the start of the health crisis. The temporary spectrum will be available for a year. The country's telecommunications regulator ARCOTEL will be tasked with ensuring that operators accessing these additional frequencies do actually improve service coverage. But these are not the only measures in place or planned. Other measures include simplifying procedures for granting licences to small ISPs, implementing cheaper tariffs, enabling the installation of shared infrastructure on government property, and steps to facilitate the importation and approval of telecoms equipment. An interesting further measure will be the provision of additional free Wi-Fi hotspots powered by the networks of universities, government offices and other public sector institutions. This impressive Ecuadorian response to the ongoing capacity crunch is not the only one on which we have reported recently. In South Africa MTN Group, Vodacom, Telkom, Liquid Telecom and Rain Networks have all been granted temporary additional spectrum. Zimbabwe has also announced plans to free up spectrum for emergency use. The Ghanaian telecommunications regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA,) has temporarily granted Vodafone and MTN Ghana additional spectrum. And Perus National Fibre Optic Backbone will be used to carry data traffic from public institutions to relieve congestion on other networks. A Delhi court on Thursday sent two women associated with Pinjra Tod' group, a collective of women students and alumni of colleges from across Delhi, to judicial custody for 14 days in a case related to communal violence in north east Delhi. Pinjra Tod (Break the Cage) was founded in 2015 with an aim to make hostels and paying guest accommodations less restrictive for women students. In 2015, Jamia Millia Islamia University had issued a notice restricting female students to stay out after 8 pm. When the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) questioned the Jamia administration on it, a group of women students decided to protest against the restrictions not only in Jamia but other universities in Delhi. Later named as Pinjra Tod, the group mobilised people around several issues faced by female residents of hostels and PGs. JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, associated with Pinjra Tod, were sent to judicial custody by Metropolitan Magistrate Kapil Kumar after the police said their further custody was not required for the investigation. They are currently lodged in Mandoli jail here. Police had earlier told the court that their custodial interrogation was required to unearth the conspiracy behind the case and identify other accused in the case. Advocate Adit S Pujari, appearing for the women, had told the court that the women were arrested in the case with a "malafide" intent. They were arrested last Saturday in connection with a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Jaffrabad area in February. On Sunday, they were granted bail by the court in the case. Moments after the judge passed the order, the Crime Branch of the Delhi police had moved an application seeking to interrogate them and formally arrested them in a separate case related to the violence. They had sought 14 days custody of the accused. The court had sent them to police custody for two days saying the investigation was at its initial stage. 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. The case in which they were arrested on Sunday was registered under section 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 IPC, relevant sections of the Arms Act and 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. A man has been shot in the legs in Belfast. Police said the incident bore the "hallmarks of a paramilitary-style attack" and was "planned, vicious and brutal". The victim - aged in his 20s - was shot a number of times in both his legs in an alleyway near shops on the Monagh Road area in the west of the city in the early hours of Thursday. Following the incident the victim was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries which are not believed to be life threatening. Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan condemned the shooting. The West Belfast MLA said: This brutal attack is wrong. Those responsible have shown a callous disregard for our community, particularly at a time when we are battling a public health emergency. There is no place for this type of activity in our society and I would urge anyone with information to bring it forward to the PSNI. Detective Sergeant Eric Fairfield said: "This has all the hallmarks of a paramilitary-style shooting. It was a planned, vicious and brutal attack, which is completely unacceptable in todays society. I am appealing to anyone with information that could assist our investigation to contact detectives at Musgrave on 101, quoting reference number 28 28/05/20. Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime. Press Release May 28, 2020 De Lima deplores Duterte's reactive, weak governance Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has deplored the reactive and weak leadership of Mr. Duterte which resulted to the government's failure to take the critical steps towards managing the COVID-19 pandemic. De Lima said the problems that the country is facing, including schools openings, reported overpriced Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and the OFW crisis, could have been avoided with a systematic mass testing plan. "How can we win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic with such a reactive governance?" she asked in her Dispatch from Crame No. 803 "In his latest address, Mr. Duterte just reacted to the issues. They explained why the PPEs are so expensive. He ordered the forced return of OFWs to their hometown. Then he guaranteed that schools will not open without COVID-19 vaccine," she said. For one, De Lima said the problem with the overpriced PPEs could have been avoided if the Department of Health was transparent with the specification and the negotiations in the first place. De Lima likewise pointed out that the problems with schools opening and the OFW crisis could have been avoided with a systematic mass testing plan, which the government failed to prioritize. "The fears surrounding these issues are borne of uncertainty. Dahil wala tayong maayos na mass testing program, hindi alam ng mga LGU kung sino ang ligtas na puwedeng tanggapin. Hindi rin alam ng mga magulang kung anong mga paaralan ang ligtas para sa kanilang anak," she said. "If the administration prioritized the mass testing program, we could have contained the COVID-19 earlier and the fears would have been less founded," she added. Duterte recently announced that he would not allow students to go back to school until a vaccine for COVID-19 becomes available, which was later contradicted by his spokesman Harry Roque confirming that the school year opening will push through in August. Duterte also ordered labor officials to rush the release of COVID-19 test results of over 24,000 returning OFWs languishing in quarantine facilities for almost two months. The lady Senator from Bicol said the issue with the OFWs is unforgivable negligence in the part of the government because those who were quarantined for a long period of time may have suffered depression and other ailments due to government neglect. "This is absolutely unacceptable. Must we let our people suffer before we do anything?! Enough of this slow, reactive, and weak leadership. Nasaan na ang tapang at malasakit? Nasaan ang sinasabing pagbabago?" she asked. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Non-Ionic Surfactants Market Overview Non-Ionic Surfactants are surface active wetting agents that helps to reduce water surface tension. These surfactants offer superior wetting & detergency, emulsification, rinseability, low toxicity, and good handling properties. Some of the most commonly used non-ionic surfactants includes ethoxylated alcohol & alky-phenols, fatty acid esters, and glycerol esters among others. The product finds application in cleaning, food additives, cosmetics & personal care products, coatings, and pharmaceuticals among others. The global non-ionic surfactants market is driven by rising demand for detergents form industries and households. The product is being increasingly used for hand dish washing, laundry, and hard surface cleaners owing to good wetting and detergency properties. Surging demand for cosmetics & personal care products across the regions is augmenting the market growth. Asia Pacific accounted for the largest market share in the non-ionic surfactants market in 2017 and is expected to grow at significant rate during the review period. Growing industrialization and urbanization coupled with changing lifestyles and rising disposable income is another important factor driving the market growth in this region. Furthermore, rapidly growing cosmetics & personal care industry as a result of increasing demand for the cosmetics from the working population for personal grooming and appearance is fuelling the demand. Furthermore, in the developed nations, the product consumption is growing in pharmaceutical industry owing to rising geriatric population coupled with high per capita income. Increasing R&D investment in pharmaceutical industry is stimulating the product demand in these regions further. Segmentation: The Global Covid-19 Analysis Non-Ionic Surfactants Market is segmented on the basis of type, application, end users, and region. Based on the type, the market is segmented into alcohol ethoxylates, fatty alkanolamides, amine derivatives, glycerol derivatives, and others. Based on application, market is segmented into cleaners, emulsion, additives, and others. On the other hand, based on end user, the market is segmented into food & beverages, paint & coatings, oilfield, textiles, personal care, household, and others. Based on region, this market is segmented into APAC, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Non-Ionic Surfactants Market- Competitive Landscape The global Non-Ionic Surfactants is at nascent stage and is expected to witness considerable growth owing to rapidly expanding industrial base in the Asia Pacific region during the review period. Some of the growing trends notices among the market players includes new product invention, capacity expansion and acquisitions. For instance, BASF SE will expand its alkyl polyglucosides (APG) production capacity at sites in China, U.S., Ohio, and JInshan. This will help the company to meet the customer demands for surfactants with different specifications in the Asia Pacific region. Industry/ Innovation/ Related News: Feb 9, 2018- BASF SE will expand its alkyl polyglucosides (APG) production capacity along with two production improvement projects at sites in China, US, Ohio, and JInshan. The capacity expansion at Jinshan site has been started in order to meet the need for surfactants in personal and home care applications in the Asia Pacific region. July 31, 2017- Croda International Plc, a specialty chemical company acquired Enza Biotech having technology for making non-ionic sugar-based surfactants from carbohydrates. March 24, 2017- Evonik launched next generation Grind Aid non-ionic surfactant under the brand name Carbowet GA-200 with low-zero volatile organic compounds (VOC). This product will help to comply with the regulations set by the environmental protection agency to reduce VOC emissions. December 08, 2015 - Croda International Inc, announced nearly USD 140 million investment in North America to produce 100% sustainable non-ionic surfactants form bio-ethanol. View Full Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/non-ionic-surfactants-market-3837 COVID-19 Impact Analysis on Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Market COVID-19 Impact on 3D Printing Materials Market COVID-19 Outbreak Impact on Carbon black Market NOTE: Our team of researchers are studying Covid19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required we will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of markets and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details. CYNTHIA CHANDRAN By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Indias first smart Artificial Intelligence-enabled temperature screening airport gate is coming up at Kannur. It will be implemented by next week by Parliamentarians with Innovators for India (PII), a social organisation working to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The 70-member core team of PII got in touch with a UK-based innovative company ten days ago to procure various components for the AI-enabled temperature screening airport gate. Anil K Antony, who is the national coordinator of PII, told The New Indian Express that the capacity of the latest AI-enabled temperature screening airport gate is larger and its accuracy matchless. This is the first of its kind in India which is a good first-level scanning facility at the entry gate of the Kannur airport. It is a low-cost AI equipment coming up for Rs 13 lakh as our primary aim is to work with CSR partners who are attached to PII. Our overall focus is on cost-effective equipment, said Antony who has already come up with a slew of projects to combat COVID-19 under the banner of PII across the country, including his home state. Though Kannur MP K Sudhakaran is not a member of PII, he is also associated with the setting up of the AI-enabled temperature screening airport gate at the airport. V Thulasidas, managing director of KIAL, confirmed to The New Indian Express that all gates at Kannur airport will be having the temperature screening facilities from next week. Already three devices have arrived and two more are expected by Monday. Within the next week, all the gates of Kannur airport will have the temperature screening facilities. What we need when a flight arrives is to check the temperature of all the passengers without waiting for a long time, said Thulasidas. He also informed that the latest facility will be used for checking the temperature of staff as well. The PII was behind the setting up of a 20-bed recovery centre at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Development Studies (RGIDS) at Thiruvananthapuram which was handed over to the district collector by Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala. This was implemented with the joint support of Anant National University, Gujarat and Miniya Chatterji, CEO of Sustain Labs, Paris, who is one of the mentors of PII. A plug and play, highly localised and scalable model for COVID-19 recovery facilities for moderate and mild cases is effective and takes less than a week to set up. It has incurred only one-tenth the cost of traditional recovery facilities. Already the PII has come out with a 100-bed quarantine centre in Mumbai under the aegis of Milind Deora, former Union telecom and IT minister. Early this month, Thiruvananthapuram airport had got its first thermal and optical imaging camera with AI-powered face detection technology to screen people for fever by ensuring social distancing. Shashi Tharoor, MP, purchased the thermal camera using his MPLADS fund after it had quite a tumultuous journey from Amsterdam via Cologne, Paris, Leipzig, Brussels, Bahrain, Dubai, Bengaluru and finally Thiruvananthapuram. Outgoing Minister for Training and Skills John Halligan has said that if there were to be another general election this year Fine Gael could win up to 10 extra seats. If I was Fine Gael I'd go back to the country - they're high in the opinion polls, I think Leo Varadkar is doing exceptionally well, and I think Simon Coveney is probably the best Minister for Foreign Affairs we ever had, Paschal Donohoe, Heather Humphreys and so on ... They lost a number of seats by less than 1%, I'm convinced Leo Vardakar is doing a good job, I'm not here promoting Fine Gael, Fianna Fail or the Greens, I think if Fine Gael went back to the country they would at least gain another seven or eight seats, maybe 10, he told RTE radios Today with Sarah McInerney show. If you want my honest opinion, I'll be devoured for saying this, I regularly speak to people from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and so on, Fianna Fail can't stand Fine Gael essentially and Fine Gael can't stand Fianna Fail essentially, none of them can stand the Green Party so what's this all about? They're going to form a government that nobody wants. The people of Ireland didn't want Fine Gael and to be fair to Fine Gael and the Taoiseach and Paschal Donohoe, they wanted to go into opposition, this is not what they wanted. Somebody has to form a government, he added. Mr Halligan said one Cabinet Minister has agreed with him when he expressed this opinion, but he did not think it was top of the agenda. It should be, they're trying to get out of this lockdown, they're trying to get back to work, they're stressed, they're under severe pressure, it's not a huge big issue. If I was in Fine Gael I would try to get to the end of August, see how we're going with the lockdown, can we get out of this some way reasonably well and they would have been in government doing this and I think I'd go to the country. Mr Halligan also said that the system where he was still a Minister even though he had not stood in the last election was wrong. I'm still a Minister of the new government, not by choice. I had hoped to retire and go. I still have a job to do as Minister, I would prefer not to be. I wasn't aware when I decided not to stand again, that you would have to stay on. I was of the view that senior Ministers would have to stay on and I was told by the Department that as I am a junior minister I still have to deal with research and development - with what is associated with my position. My view would be that if you don't stand and you're not elected then you should go and be done with it, I'm not in a position to do that, because I'm still being paid as a Minister. I have to do what I'm being asked to do. We certainly need a government in situ, before you form another government, but I think it should be made up of the senior Ministers, the civil servants, the Taoiseach and maybe the main ministers - Health, Education, Foreign Affairs, Finance. An Accra high court has thrown out an application in which Bishop Daniel Obinim, the Head Pastor of International Godsway Church is challenging the decision of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) requiring him to settle a tax liability of GH1,591,797.50 to the state. Pastor Obinim, the applicant wanted the court to declare that the issuance and service on him to clear his tax liability is null and void. In his application to invoke the judicial review jurisdiction of the High Court, the international pastor denied any tax obligation by virtue of the fact that he had fully paid all his tax liabilities. The head pastor subsequently initiated the action pursuant to Section 42 of the Revenue Administration Act, 2016, Act 915 and joined the GRA and Ecobank Ghana Limited, a third party debtor as respondents. But in its judgement delivered on May 13, 2020, Justice Doreen G. Boakye-Agyei, presiding, held that the GRA followed procedure in determining and notifying the applicant of his tax liability. She said the applicant, not having followed the laid-down procedure to make his objections to be given a hearing as required by law, in the considered opinion of this court is just setting up his own wilful failure and default as grounds for seeking judicial review. Justice Boakye-Agyei stated that the applicant, having admitted that he was served with notice of his tax liability should have followed the prescribed rules to have his grievances addressed. He cannot use his failure as a ground to seek judicial review. This instant case is not a proper and appropriate case for the court to exercise its powers of judicial review, Justice Boakye-Agyei stated. On November 15, 2018, the GRA served the applicant with a Notice of Tax Due requiring him to settle a tax liability of GH1,591,797.50 and followed with a final demand notice on June 17, 2019 requiring him to settle his tax obligation by June 28, 2019. Dissatisfied with the decision of the GRA, the applicant filed a Notice of Tax Objection which was served on GRA on July 30, 2019. The applicant's reasons for his objections were inter alia, that he is the Head Pastor of the International Godsway Church, the church fully takes care of his expenses and he does not receive any remuneration from the church. Pastor Obinim stated that his only source of income is from his shops which he has paid all tax liabilities for. On February 13, 2020, the GRA proceeded to issue and serve on Ecobank, a third party Debtor Notice demanding Ecobank to pay GH1,591,797.50 deemed to be the applicant's tax liability. The applicant submitted that until and unless a decision is made and served on him personally, the GRA is estopped under the law to proceed to enforcement as far as the recoveries of the purported sum is concerned. Pastor Obinim argued that the decision of the GRA to issue a third party Debtor Notice against the applicant was arbitrary, capricious and lawless and that justice would be best served if the applicant is given a fair hearing as far as the Notice of Objection dated July 29, 2019 is concerned. China had undermined Hong Kongs autonomy so fundamentally, Mike Pompeo said, that he could not support its recertification for its special pre-1997 trading status. Washington/Hong Kong: US secretary of state Mike Pompeo told Congress on Wednesday that Hong Kong no longer qualifies for its special status under US law, potentially dealing a crushing blow to its status as a major financial hub. China had undermined Hong Kongs autonomy so fundamentally, Pompeo said, that he could not support its recertification for its special pre-1997 trading status. Chinas plan for new security legislation triggered protests in the territory, and it now falls to President Donald Trump to decide to end some, all or none of the US economic privileges the territory enjoys. While Pompeo made no recommendations in his statement, Trump has a long list of possible responses, including visa and economic sanctions, David Stilwell, the state departments assistant secretary for East Asia, told reporters. People familiar with the matter told Reuters the Trump administration was considering suspending Hong Kongs preferential tariff rates for exports to the United States as part of its response to Chinas plan. Trump could also opt for targeted sanctions against Chinese officials, government entities and businesses involved in enforcing the new legislation, according one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Trump, already at odds with Beijing over trade and the coronavirus pandemic, had said on Tuesday Washington was working on a strong response that would be announced before the end of the week. Chinas security proposal, unveiled last week, sparked the first large street demonstrations in Hong Kong for months. Firing tear gas, water cannon and pepper pellets, Hong Kong police made 360 arrests on Wednesday as thousands of people protested against the bill. Late into the evening, protesters were still cramming sidewalks, chanting for full democracy and for Hong Kong to seek independence from China, saying this is now the only way out. Pompeo said Chinas plan to impose the new legislation was only the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine Hong Kongs autonomy and freedoms. No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground, he said. He said he certified to Congress that Hong Kong no longer warrants treatment under US laws in the same manner as US laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997, when Britain ended its administration of the territory and returned it to China. It is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself, Pompeo said. The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act approved by Trump last year requires the state department to certify at least annually that Hong Kong retains enough autonomy to justify the favorable US trading terms that have helped it remain a world financial center. The United States, the European Union, Britain and others have expressed concern about the legislation, widely seen as a possible turning point for Chinas freest city. 'No threat to Hong Kong autonomy' Specifics of Hong Kongs security bill remain unclear and will not be enacted until later. It is meant to tackle secession, subversion and terrorism after major unrest last year and could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in Hong Kong. Asked to comment on Pompeos statement, Chinas embassy in Washington repeated past statements from Beijing and Hong Kongs Beijing-backed government that the security law is no threat to the citys high degree of autonomy and will be tightly focused. As for foreign meddling in Hong Kong affairs, we will take necessary countermeasures in response, it said, echoing previous Chinese statements. A heavy police presence around Hong Kongs Legislative Council on Wednesday deterred protesters from disrupting debate of a bill that would criminalise disrespect of the Chinese national anthem. That is expected to become law next month. SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Welcome Technologies announced today the launch of a bank account in partnership with Green Dot Corporation (NYSE: GDOT). The account and Visa card, PODERcard , aim to help close the banking gap for immigrants and will be offered first to U.S. Hispanic consumers. According to the most recent FDIC National Survey , less than 50% of U.S. Hispanic households are "fully banked". Aiming to change that statistic for the better, PODERcard offers affordable financial services and an experience geared toward making it possible for this community to enter the financial system and access banking services tailored to them. Branded under SABEResPODER Welcome Technologies' flagship digital platform serving nearly 2 million active members the PODERcard bank account and card offers a unique set of features: Easy to navigate bilingual interface (Spanish/English) A transparent and simple enrollment experience A free Visa debit card and access to a free ATM network with over 19,000 locations 1 No monthly fees, no required minimums, and no hidden fine print 2 Banking security standards to protect member's personal and financial information A library of content to improve financial wellness Banking products are generally designed to cater to the wealthy - monthly maintenance and overdraft fees, as well as minimum deposit requirements disproportionately affect individuals on a tight budget or who are newer to banking. A recent Welcome Tech survey of 10,000 immigrants found that; A mere 44% of participants stated they used credit cards and 54% savings accounts. When they chose to borrow money, only 31% borrowed from banks, showing a persistent distrust in traditional financial institutions. These are the challenges that Welcome Technologies is trying to address. Their unique approach is driven by data gathered from proprietary technology that analyzes tens of thousands of daily member interactions. Armed with this data the team has been able to convert unique user insights into custom financial services that are affordable and fair. "The PODERcard is more than just a debit card or mobile bank account -- it's one of the first of many steps our users will take to secure a more financially stable future for themselves and their families," said Amir Hemmat, CEO of Welcome Technologies. "We are challenging the status quo to ensure immigrant communities get fair and secure financial options." Green Dot Bank's "Banking as a Service" platform empowers some of the largest consumer brands to create best-in-class banking products. By combining Welcome Technologies' wealth of data and technology with Green Dot's banking features and solutions, they are able to provide users with a trustworthy, world-class banking experience. "We are excited to partner with Welcome Technologies to reach this important and underserved community," said Seth Ross, Chief of Enterprise Partnerships at Green Dot. "Many families who are new to the United States have trouble accessing basic banking services, and we're looking forward to helping those families enter the mainstream financial system." ABOUT WELCOME TECHNOLOGIES Welcome Technologies, a For Benefit corporation, is the world's first platform dedicated to connecting the 250 million global immigrant community with the information, products, and services they need to thrive in a new country. For more information about Welcome Tech, please visit www.welcome.tech or follow us on Linkedin and Twitter. ABOUT GREEN DOT Green Dot Corporation, [NYSE: GDOT], is a financial technology leader and bank holding company with a mission to power the banking industry's branchless future. Enabled by proprietary technology and Green Dot's wholly-owned commercial bank charter, Green Dot's "Banking as a Service" platform is used by America's most prominent consumer and technology companies to design and deploy their own bespoke banking solutions; while Green Dot uses that same integrated technology and banking platform to design and deploy its own banking and financial services. Green Dot Corporation is headquartered in Pasadena, California, with additional facilities throughout the United States and in Shanghai, China. 1 Out of network fees apply see www.podercard.com for more details 2 Other fees apply see www.podercard.com for more details Contact: William Leborgne Email: [email protected] SOURCE Welcome Technologies Related Links http://www.welcome.tech - Patience Nyarko has made yet another controversial comment about gospel music in Ghana - She claimed she still has the biggest gospel song in the country currently - According to Patience Nyarko, her Obi Nnyane Me song has been the biggest gospel song in Ghana for the past three years Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Gospel musician Patience Nyarko says she still has the biggest gospel song in the country currently. In an interview on Plus FM and monitored by YEN.com.gh, Patience Nyarko stated that her Obi Nnyane Me song has been the biggest gospel song in Ghana for the past three years. She added that no one will disagree with that fact. READ ALSO: Akua GMB steps out with confidence for the 1st time after being sacked from Angel TV Patience Nyarko was quick to add that she does not want to be seen as the Number One gospel musician in Ghana currently. READ ALSO: Adjetey Anang flaunts his all-grown-up son who looks just like him Patience Nyarko was in the news recently discrediting Joe Mettle as the only Ghanaian gospel artiste who has an international appeal. She tagged him as someone known for sampling songs from Methodist and Pentecost church hymns READ ALSO: Obofour's wife reacts to husband's beef with Kennedy Agyapong for the 1st time YEN.com.gh earlier reported that award-winning Ghanaian comedian, Clement Ashiyete, popularly known as Clemento Suarez, had been adjudged the Best Comedian in Ghana by social media users. READ ALSO: Nakeeyat stuns in her Eid attire looking all grown up in new photo Clemento Suarez beat the likes of Lawyer Nti, DKB and OB Amponsah among others to win the enviable position. This was contained in a poll conducted by MTN Ghana on Twitter to find out who Ghana's favourite comedian is. Bawumia fires Mahama - Stop embarrassing yourself; always check the data before you talk | #Yencomgh Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! Source: YEN.com.gh Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would prevent any state official from changing the time, place or manner of the election. Senate President Larry Obhof said the language, inserted as an amendment to an unrelated bill on Wednesday, is meant to assert that Ohio will offer in-person voting this November. But if it becomes law, it would prevent a repeat of what happened earlier this year, when Republican Gov. Mike DeWines administration ordered polls closed 24 hours before Ohios scheduled March 17 primary Election Day, citing the then-new coronavirus pandemic. State lawmakers ended up extending a vote-by-mail period through April 28, with only very limited offerings for in-person voting. Legislators have been mixed in their assessments of whether DeWine did the right thing given the circumstances, but have said they want to have a plan in place to prevent something similar from happening in the future. I dont think the intent of this paragraph is meant to stop us from considering other elections changes over the next few months, but I think it was important that we protect having an in-person election date this fall, said Obhof, a Medina Republican. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, has called for other elections changes, including allowing for Ohioans to apply for a mail-in ballot online instead of having to submit a paper form. The bill the Senate passed Wednesday includes only one exception for an existing law that allows Ohios governor to postpone an election due to an enemy attack. The Senate on Wednesday also approved an amendment that would bar any public official from ordering a statewide closure of places of worship, or ordering closed in a geographic area. Ohio churches never have been ordered closed, having been exempted from Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Actons coronavirus closure orders. But other states, including Kentucky, did close churches during the coronavirus pandemic. Obhof said he wants to prevent future Ohio governors from doing the same. The changes were added to House Bill 272, which deals with granting standing to individual Ohioans to challenge state laws on constitutional grounds. The House would have to sign off on the changes for the bill to be sent to DeWines desk. Abidjan (AFP) - The president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, hit back on Wednesday at accusations of corruption and vowed to continue working. In a press statement, Adesina slammed "unprecedented attempts by some to tarnish my reputation" and declared "I will... continue to work with each and every one of our shareholders." The United States is pressing for an independent probe into charges by whistleblowers -- declared as unfounded by an internal inquiry -- of alleged embezzlement and favouritism under Adesina, who is bidding for a second five-year term at the helm. "I maintain my innocence with regard to trumped up allegations that unjustly seek to impugn my honour and integrity, as well as the reputation of the African Development Bank," Adesina said. He cited "my heroes, Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan, whose lives have shown that through pain we grow." "I am confident that fair, transparent and just processes that respect the rules, procedures and governance systems of the Bank, and rule of law, will ultimately prove that I have not violated the Code of Ethics of this extraordinary institution," he said. Adesina is the first Nigerian to be in charge of the AfDB, one of the world's five largest multilateral development banks. The former Nigerian agriculture minister is known for his bow ties and flamboyant manner, but also for a managerial style that critics say is authoritarian. - 'Blatantly false' - The bank was shaken by a string of high-level departures soon after his arrival. The 60-year-old is the only candidate in an election which was set for late May but which has been postponed until August because of the coronavirus pandemic. His bid has received the backing of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). On May 22, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sent the bank's board a letter expressing "deep reservations" about the outcome of an internal inquiry clearing Adesina, and urged the appointment of "an independent outside investigator of high professional standing." Story continues "We fear that wholesale dismissal of all allegations without appropriate investigation will tarnish the reputation of this institution as one that does not uphold high standards of ethics and governance," he wrote. The bank's ethics committee had totally exonerated Adesina, saying the whistleblowers' 15-page complaint "rested on no objective, solid facts". Adesina himself has previously dismissed the allegations as "spurious and unfounded" and "blatantly false." In October 2019, the AfDB raised $115 billion (105 billion euros) in fresh capital, an operation deemed a personal success for Adesina. The bank has 80 state shareholders, 54 of which are African. The others are from the Americas, Asia and Europe. The biggest shareholder is Nigeria, with nine percent. "What we propose to do in the meantime, as the infection rate reaches less than 1, is to restart some activities with the necessary and verified care to generate sources of work required by the entire population, but that implies a gradual process," he stated The Peruvian leader remarked that the gradual restart of economic activities in May was misunderstood by the population, who assumed it was going to begin during the first week of this month, which explains the large number of people on the street. Stages The top official indicated that, in this first stage of the coronavirus pandemic, the efforts of the population and institutions are aimed at containing its spread. This is not a one-month or three-month disease. This is the stage when the epidemic spreads, while institutions and the population work to contain it. In this sense, he noted that the worst thing that Peruvians can do is to be overconfident. Therefore, everyone must act responsibly in order to avoid a new outbreak of the epidemic. El presidente @MartinVizcarraC informa sobre la situacion del Estado de Emergencia en el #Dia51 y las acciones que realiza el Gobierno para contener la propagacion del COVID-19. En vivo: https://t.co/e695JTqi5b https://t.co/94uMo538CX Two SpiceJet passengers, who were travelling from Ahmedabad to Guwahati via Delhi on May 25, have tested positive for coronavirus. The passengers had travelled on SG-8194 (Ahmedabad-Delhi) and SG-8152 (Delhi-Guwahati) flights, the airline said. SpiceJet added that COVID-19 tests of the aforementioned passengers were conducted at Guwahati on landing. Now, both of them have been quarantined. Besides, SpiceJet's operating crew has also been kept under quarantine. The airline said it was coordinating with government agencies in notifying other passengers who had travelled with them. On Tuesday, an IndiGo passenger, travelling on 6E 381 from Chennai to Coimbatore, was also tested positive for COVID-19. This person also took the flight on May 25 when flights services resumed in the country. In addition to this, Air India said a passenger who was onboard an Alliance Air flight from the national capital to Ludhiana on May 25 also tested positive for coronavirus. The airline added that a total of 41 people, including five crew members, have been quarantined for now. All scheduled commercial flights were suspended in India from March 25 to May 24 to curb the spread of coronavirus. Also read: Coronavirus update: Air India staff on board Delhi-Ludhiana flight tests positive Also read: IndiGo grounds crew on Chennai-Coimbatore flight as passenger tests positive for coronavirus London, May 28 : For every ten adults in the world, four suffer from functional gastrointestinal disorders of varying severity, say researchers, adding that people think it's embarrassing to talk about stomach and bowel symptoms. Functional gastrointestinal disorders, FGIDs, is a collective term for chronic disorders in the gastrointestinal tract. The symptoms may arise throughout the gastrointestinal tract. From the upper part, the esophagus and stomach, they can include heartburn, acid reflux and indigestion (dyspepsia).For the lower parts (the intestines), chronic constipation, abdominal distension or bloating, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are among the complaints. The current study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, gives an overall picture of the global prevalence of FGIDs. Data of more than 73,000 people in 33 countries were collected by means of web-based questionnaires and face-to-face (household) interviews. "It's striking how similar the findings are between countries. We can see some variations but, in general, these disorders are equally common whatever the country or continent," said study author Magnus Simren from University of Gothenburg in Sweden.Web-based questionnaires were used in most of the countries in the study. In some countries, instead, the respondents were asked to reply to the questions when an interviewer read them aloud.The questions posed to the respondents were based on the diagnostic criteria for IBS and other FGIDs. Particulars of other diseases and symptoms, living conditions, quality of life, healthcare consumption, etc. were also requested. The findings showed that the prevalence of FGIDs was higher in women than in men, and clearly associated with lower quality of life. According to the questionnaire responses, 49 per cent of the women and 37 per cent of the men met the diagnostic criteria for at least one FGID. The severity of the disorders varied, from mild discomfort to symptoms that adversely affected the quality of life to a high degree. The prevalence of FGIDs was also strongly associated with high consumption of healthcare, such as visits to the doctor and use of medication, but also surgery, the study said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text President Donald Trump's name is seen on a stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, in San Antonio, Texas, on April 23, 2020. (Eric Gay/AP Photo) IRS Alerts Millions of Americans to Check Their Mail for Stimulus Debit Cards The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that people need to check their mail this week for stimulus payments, saying that prepaid debit cards are being mailed out in plain envelopes. Check your mail. Millions of people are getting Economic Impact Payments by prepaid debit card mailed in plain envelopes from Money Network Cardholder Services, the agency wrote in a statement on May 27. In a separate news release, the IRS alerted eligible recipients that the cards are being mailed in [a] plain envelope from Money Network Cardholder Services. Nearly 4 million people are being sent their Economic Impact Payment by prepaid debit card, instead of paper check. The determination of which taxpayers received a debit card was made by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, a part of the Treasury Department that works with the IRS to handle distribution of the payments, according to the IRS, which said that people who receive the prepaid debit cards can make purchases online with them, get cash from ATMs, transfer money to their bank accounts, or check the available balance. Some people told local news outlets that they were confused by the IRSs choice to send prepaid debit cards, as they appear similar to pre-approved credit cards contained in junk mail. My husband looked at it, briefly read it and he said, Do you want this? And I said, I dont need another fake card, so he cut it up in little pieces, Bonnie Moore of Florida told WINK. The next thing you see is I am in the garbage can trying to pull out all of the pieces together, which did not work. The card also didnt include any federal insignia and had a return address from Omaha, Nebraska, according to their neighbor, who was not identified. Doesnt sound like the federal government to me, he told the station. Meanwhile, the Nassau County District Attorneys office in New York and the police department in Belmont, Massachusetts, wrote that the cards are not a scam. The Iowa attorney generals office stated that it received dozens of calls about the stimulus cards last week. People were very confused wondering what these were, a spokeswoman told a local NBC affiliate. They were throwing these in the garbage. The IRS and the Treasury Department have not responded to a request for comment. According to a FAQ section on the IRS website, the cards can be replaced for a fee of $7.50. For those who are still waiting for a payment, go to the IRSs Get My Payment website or app to find out the projected date when a deposit has been scheduled. The IRS and Treasury Department have sent out more than 100 million stimulus payments as of May, including payments of up to $1,200 for individuals. That was included in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in Congress and signed into law in March. NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vehicle Leasing Market In Europe 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the vehicle leasing market in Europe and it is poised to grow by $ 56.58 bn during 2020-2024 progressing at a CAGR of 3% during the forecast period. Our reports on vehicle leasing market in Europe provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05136844/?utm_source=PRN The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current Europe market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven cost-effective way of obtaining a vehicle, growing demand for vehicle leasing from SMEs, and rising technological obsolescence of older vehicles. In addition, Cost-effective way of obtaining a vehicle is anticipated to boost the growth of the market as well. The vehicle leasing market in Europe market analysis include type segment and geographic landscapes The vehicle leasing market in Europe is segmented as below: By Type Passenger cars Commercial vehicles By Geographic Landscapes UK Germany France Rest of Europe This study identifies use of telematics in leased vehicles as one of the prime reasons driving the vehicle leasing market in Europe growth during the next few years. Also, car subscription model of car leasing, and rising demand for EV leasing due to the need for optimum performance and reduction of emissions will lead to sizable demand in the market. "The analyst presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters. Our vehicle leasing market in Europe covers the following areas: Vehicle leasing market in Europe sizing Vehicle leasing market in Europe forecast Vehicle leasing market in Europe industry analysis" Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05136844/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com Slate's Who Counts? series is made possible by the support of Slate Plus members and readers like you. On Wednesday, the Texas Supreme Court issued a ruling that makes a Lone Starsize mess of the states law on absentee balloting and the question of whether voters who lack immunity to COVID-19 have a valid excuse to vote by mail in the upcoming elections. In a nutshell, the court has said that the statute does not allow voters who lack immunity and who fear contracting the virus to vote by mail because the statute only allows voting by mail for those with physical conditions preventing them from voting. But it further says that election officials wont check the validity of excuses and it will be up to each voter, acting in good faith, to determine whether they have the ability to safely vote by mail. This dont ask, dont tell policy is a recipe for disaster in a state in which Attorney General Ken Paxton has already threatened with criminal prosecution those who advise voters who lack immunity and fear the disease to vote by mail. And it cries out for federal court relief. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This issue got before the Texas Supreme Court because the state is an outlier. In about two-thirds of the states, voters can vote by mail without an excuse (this includes five states with virtually all-mail elections). In a number of the remaining states that require proof of an excuse, state officials have determined that lack of immunity for COVID-19 and the concomitant fear of contracting a potentially deadly virus is excuse enough to be able to vote by mail. Texas law has limited vote by mail and only allows such voting if a voter fits into a number of excuses including disability. As Chad Flanders and Kristen Spina explained in Slate, The election law in question says a person can only vote by mail if the would-be voter has a sickness or physical condition that prevents the voter from appearing at the polling place on Election Day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring the voters health. Flanders, Spina, and I have argued that on a close question of statutory interpretation like this one, courts should apply a thumb on the scale favoring voter enfranchisement (a theory of interpretation known as the Democracy Canon). Paxton disagrees, and while cases were pending in state and federal court over the question, he sought immediate review, or mandamus, before Texas Supreme Court, which has the ultimate authority to explain the meaning of Texas statutes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Texas court on Wednesday issued four separate opinions, technically rejecting the states request for review as unnecessary but interpreting the statute in line with Paxtons view that voters lacking immunity who fear contracting the disease cannot raise disability as an excuse to vote by mail. (Only one justice came close to embracing the broader definition in concurrence, but even she rejected it.) The majority opinion by Justice Nathan Hecht, though, tried to split the baby. The court wrote that: Advertisement Advertisement The elected officials have placed in the hands of the voter the determination of whether in-person voting will cause a likelihood of injury due to a physical condition. The [officials] do not have a ministerial duty, reviewable by mandamus, to look beyond the application to vote by mail. Advertisement In other words, the Texas Supreme Court has told voters that they cannot vote by mail if they lack immunity and fear the disease. But if a voter states that she has a disability for whatever reason, the clerks will look the other way and let the voter vote by mail. Again, this is a recipe for disaster. It will lead Paxton to publicize the argument that lack of immunity and fear of getting the disease is not a valid excuse to vote by mail, and that anyone who advises someone else to claim disability to vote by mail is engaged in a criminal conspiracy to commit voter fraud. Some voters may get in trouble because they could be accused of voting by mail while understanding that it is illegal. Only the ignorant can vote by mail without fear of prosecution, assuming they can later prove their ignorance. Meanwhile, if a voter has a serious underlying condition or comorbidity that increases the risk of serious complicationsor deathfrom COVID-19, the ruling fails to give guidance on whether she is allowed to cite the condition in lawfully voting by mail in order to avoid the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus. This would seem to leave open the possibility for Paxton to frighten possibly qualifying voters into not voting, or to go after those who do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With this official interpretation of the vote-by-mail regulation now in place, it is up to the federal courts to step in. A federal district court already issued an order saying that such an interpretation is unconstitutional, but the opinion is written in an over-the-top manner by a liberal judge that is almost certain to be reversed by a conservative panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. In light of todays state Supreme Court order, the federal appeals court is likely to send the case back to the district court for another go-round. One can only hope the district court will lay out a more careful case next time for the unconstitutionality of a system that threatens voters with criminal punishment if they try to protect both their health and franchise by voting by mail in the midst of a pandemic. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 16:57:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- An Australian-first study has warned that aged care residents are particularly vulnerable to superbugs as a result of "overexposure" to antibiotics. The study, published by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and University of South Australia (UniSA) on Thursday, was the first national study analyzing antibiotic prescriptions in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). It revealed a sustained escalation in antibiotic prescriptions for elderly people living in RACFs, potentially boosting their antibiotic resistance. "Overexposure to antibiotics can cause the bacteria we're trying to eliminate to become resistant to our treatments," lead author Janet Sluggett said in a media release. "Across the health system, we need to be really discerning about antibiotic use as much as possible to guard against antibiotic resistance, as well as unnecessary side-effects for individuals." A survey published by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) earlier in May revealed a low level of superbug knowledge among Australians. Experts have previously warned that superbugs -- strains of bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi that have developed a resistance to antibiotics -- could kill 10 million people by 2050. The South Australian researchers examined 5.6 million antibiotic prescriptions for more than half a million people aged 65 and over from more than 3,000 RACFs across Australia between July 2005 and June 2016. They found that the number of standard daily antibiotic doses per 1,000 residents increased 39 percent from 67.6 to 93.8. "This nationwide study showed substantial increases in both the percentage of people who received an antibiotic and the total number of antibiotic doses supplied," Sluggett said. "In the first year of the study, almost 64 percent of residents received an antibiotic at least once. By the final year that figure climbed to more than 70 percent, at an annual rate of increase of 0.8 percent." Enditem ZURICH, May 27 (Reuters) - The Swiss National Bank is satisfied with the level of its gold reserves, Chairman Thomas Jordan said on Wednesday, despite the potential losses caused by the bank's huge balance sheet and current market turbulence. "We have no intention to buy or sell gold, but that can change over time," Jordan told an virtual event in Zurich. With 1,040 tonnes of gold the SNB is one of biggest holders of gold in the world. The central bank was addressing risks in its holdings by diversifying it assets in different currencies and classes like assets and bonds, Jordan said. (Reporting by John Revill; editing by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi) Messaging: john.revill.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Parvathy Thiruvothu is unarguably one of the finest acting talents of the contemporary Malayalam cinema. In some of her recent interviews, Parvathy had hinted that she is passionate about filmmaking and intends to turn a director someday. As per the latest reports, the Uyare actress has already begun the preparations for her directorial debut. In the recent interview given to First Post, Parvathy Thiruvothu revealed that she is busy with the scripting and pre-production of her directorial debut amidst the lockdown. Interestingly, the talented actress is also planning to join hands with a close friend of hers for another project, which is also under the pre-production stage right now. According to Parvathy, she has opted out from three committed projects in which she was supposed to play the central character, to concentrate on her filmmaking career. The actress is planning to take a short break from her acting career to concentrate on her directorial debut, and will not be signing new projects until its release. Parvathy Thiruvothu also revealed that she has finalised two themes for her directorial ventures, in the interview. While one of them is set in a political backdrop, the second one is a psychological thriller that revolves around two lead characters. The actress stated that both subjects need a lot of research, and she has been busy with the same from the past few months. An official announcement on both projects is expected to be made very soon. When it comes to her acting career, Parvathy will be next seen in the upcoming Sidhartha Siva directorial Varthamanam. She has recently wrapped up the shooting of the Venu-directed segment Rachiyamma from the upcoming untitled anthology project. Parvathy will be seen in a cameo appearance in the Zakariya Mohammed project Halal Love Story. She is also returning to Tamil cinema with the upcoming anthology movie Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum. Also Read: Minnal Murali: Kerala Police Arrest Accused Who Vandalised Tovino Thomas' Film Set London: Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the civil service is too busy dealing with the coronavirus pandemic to investigate whether his chief adviser should be punished for breaching Britain's lockdown laws. Urging the country to "move on", Johnson told MPs he "totally understands the public indignation" over the scandal but insisted top aide Dominic Cummings would not be sacked or face an independent investigation by the Cabinet Office. "I am not certain right now an inquiry into that matter is a very good use of official time," Johnson said during his virtual interrogation by a special parliamentary committee. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to a parliamentary committee by videolink. Credit: "I think actually it would not be doing my job if I were now to shuffle this problem off to the hands of officials, who believe me are working flat out to deal with coronavirus." Pandemic isolation has compounded mental health challenges for many young people while simultaneously bringing some surprising new benefits, an about-to-be-released study has found. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health study, currently under peer review, shows an overall deterioration of mental health among young people with growing concerns about depression and anxiety. But the impacts of sudden self-isolation are nuanced, with many respondents reporting reduced substance abuse and deeper connections with family. Its part of an emerging portrait of mixed youth mental health reactions to a global pandemic. The CAMH survey, conducted from April 10 to 24, asked people aged 14 to 27 to answer questions about their mental health. They reported statistically significant deterioration of mental health from pre-pandemic times to the point of data collection, the study reads. Of the 622 respondents, about half had previously sought mental health services while the other half had not. Mental health declines were evident in both groups overall, but pandemic stressors were more impactful on those with pre-existing mental health challenges, the study found. More than two-thirds of respondents who previously sought mental health support 68 per cent and 40 per cent of those who had not previously sought support were experiencing problems consistent with depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges, the study reports. They are doing worse because they started off with difficulties, said senior study lead Dr. Joanna Henderson, a clinician scientist and director of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health at CAMH. Those who havent been experiencing mental health difficulties are experiencing them now and that means were going to be having new people coming to our doors. Overall, 18 per cent of respondents said they thought about suicide in the previous month before completing the survey (during the early stages of the pandemic). But there was a clear split among the two groups of respondents. Thirty per cent of those who had previously sought mental health care referenced suicide versus eight per cent of those who had not previously sought help. Population level data from Statistics Canada suggest six per cent of Canadians aged 15 to 24 had thoughts of suicide in the past year. I am concerned about the number of young people across both groups experiencing thoughts of suicide and it signals to us we must find ways as a system to offer ongoing services that meet the needs of these youth, Henderson said. Among the added concerns triggered by COVID-19 isolation are disruptions in education and career plans, economic concerns triggered by loss of employment and worries about the virus infecting themselves or loved ones. Like many of the youth in this survey, Ive seen a huge impact on my education and the way its being delivered and what was expected versus what Im getting, said Em Hayes, who is currently enrolled in a Masters of education program at the University of Toronto and works part-time as a youth facilitator at CAMH. The amount of digital fatigue is a thing when school is delivered online so intensely. I, and my classmates, have been overwhelmed. At a time when mental health services are most needed, half of respondents with pre-existing mental health challenges said their access to mental health care ranging from therapy to someone to talk to has been disrupted. But theres ambivalence in the message respondents conveyed. When asked about positive changes resulting from COVID, nearly half with previous mental health challenges and 40 per cent of those without treatment history identified pandemic lifestyle benefits, including improved self-reflection and self-care, the study found. Examples listed by respondents included more time with family, less stress from work and school, and more engagement in activities such as hobbies, and rest and relaxation that assist with mental health. Even people who are experiencing significant mental health problems can feel a bit improved because the pressure may be off of them in these important domains, said Henderson. Substance use also declined during the pandemic, the survey found. Many have moved back into the family home, so the opportunities (for substance abuse) may be fewer, said Henderson. If youre under the legal age limit, your access to alcohol or cannabis and other substances may be diminished. Mardi Daley, 26, said the deep breath brought on by the pandemic revealed to her just how stressed young people are during normal times. As a young person in Toronto who lives alone, it made me realize how much it takes to keep a roof over my head, work every day and stay on task because in this market you cant slip, said Daley, who has several part-time jobs including as a youth facilitator at CAMH. My stress level has taken a dramatic decrease. She points to social media-induced pressures as a key generational stressor. Its a constant bombardment of advertising, messages and having to keep up with everything socially, educationally and with familyA lot of people are making money off of our stress. Its markedly different from previous generations. Another recent Canadian survey The Social Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadian Youth detected a similar mixed emotional response to outbreak-induced isolation. The survey, released earlier this week and conducted by the Association for Canadian Studies in partnership with Experiences Canada and the Vanier Institute of the Family, asked nearly 1,200 young people aged 12 to 17 about their pandemic state of mind. While 72 per cent of girls reported feeling sad often or sometimes since the outbreak, the figure for boys was 55 per cent. The older group of respondents aged 15 to 17 also showed higher levels of outbreak-related sadness with 72 per cent reporting sadness often or sometimes versus 59 per cent of those aged 12 to 14. At the same time, a large majority of respondents reported feelings of happiness often or sometimes since the outbreak began 89 per cent for 12- to 14-year-olds and 84 per cent for 15- to 17-year-olds. Kids are having high levels of anxiety, theres a lot of uncertainty about the future and for the first time ever, theyve been asked to stay home and figure out online learning, said Ashley Manuel, managing director of the non-profit research organization Association for Canadian Studies. But its also interesting to see that kids are having more meaningful conversations at home with their family. It is a strange time when theyve been asked to stay at home but they are also connecting with their parents, and the dynamic in the home and family is very important, too. Eric Windeler, who in 2010 founded the national youth mental health charity Jack.org with his wife Sandra Hanington following the suicide of their son Jack, has been tracking the mix of youth responses to the pandemic. Those who are best prepared to cope will manage okay and possibly even well. But were getting a lot of anecdotal feedback that those who are struggling already will be even more impacted, especially, in terms of education and opportunities, he said. We were already facing a mental health crisis with over 20 per cent of youth deaths being via suicide. Then comes COVID-19 and the increased mental health challenges for many, especially for those who were already struggling. Statistics Canada has also been tracking the issue in its surveys. In April, the agency reported the percentage of Canadians aged 15 and over reporting excellent or very good mental health had fallen during the COVID-19 outbreak to 54 per cent from 68 per cent in 2018. And the mental health decline between 2018 and 2020 was particularly striking among those aged 15 to 24. Forty-two per cent reported excellent or very good mental health during the pandemic compared to 62 per cent in 2018. A separate Statistics Canada survey released May 15 found 87 per cent of youth aged 15 to 30 are very or extremely concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on the health of vulnerable people and about 21 per cent are very or extremely concerned about their own health. The CAMH study recommends a number of supports to address youth mental health during the crisis including better access to online or phone counselling for youth, financial support aimed at young people and high-quality, positively framed information online. Swiftly growing mental health demands have inspired new approaches in many places. The outbreak triggered an immediate pivot to virtual counselling services at a national network of youth mental health centres called ACCESS Open Minds (AOM), which serves urban, rural and Indigenous communities from Nova Scotia to the Northwest Territories. I am grateful that they offered (telephone) services during this time, wrote a 24-year-old client at the networks Eskasoni First Nation centre in Cape Breton. It relieves a lot of the stress and worry because you know you have someone 24/7. Beginning early on in the pandemic, young clients were reporting worries about meeting basic needs such as income, stable housing, isolation, caring for younger siblings and the new demands of online course loads and exams, according to an AOM summary report on pandemic response provided to the Star. At the same time, however, some communities reported the pandemic has brought families together. Perhaps a silver lining of the pandemic is that it brought mental health services into the 21st century and created innovation at lightning speed, the report reads. The networks sites report that some young people, who were reluctant earlier to seek services due to anxiety, seem to be more comfortable sharing concerns and attending groups over the phone or online. The Maersk Line container ship Maersk Sentosa is helped by tugs as it navigates the River Mersey in Liverpool COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The coronavirus lockdown has accelerated a digitalisation drive in a global shipping and logistics sector that still routinely delivers many documents by bike messenger in some countries, according to industry leaders. Ports operator DP World said on Thursday it would join shipping company Maersk and other peers in a blockchain platform aimed at limiting the sector's costly paper trail. "The situation around the coronavirus is a very good catalyst for making sure everyone in the supply chain can communicate with each other digitally," Mike Bhaskaran, DP World's chief operating officer for logistics and technology, told Reuters. The Dubai-based company, one of the world's biggest port operators, plans to connect its entire business, including its 82 container terminals, using the blockchain technology. The participation of key companies in the TradeLens platform, launched in 2018 by Maersk and IBM , is seen as crucial for cutting costs in an industry that has seen little innovation since the container was invented in the 1950s. "The current circumstances have shown that digitalisation of the logistic supply chain is picking up pace," Vincent Clerc, Maersk's chief commercial officer, said in an interview. However, despite more than 200 ports, shipping lines, freight forwarders, port authorities and customs authorities having signed up, the platform has yet to reach a "critical mass" to make a significant impact, Clerc said. In many African countries, Maersk relies on fleets of motorcycles known as 'boda bodas' to deliver documents between ports and shipping agents. "The physical flow of documents with courier and local deliveries on bicycles, all of that will eventually go away," Clerc said. It currently takes an average of 228 hours to get the necessary documents and stamps ready for shipping a container with citrus fruits out of South Africa. (Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Pravin Char) Flash Some U.S. officials' attempts to sue China for causing the COVID-19 pandemic are outright violations of international law, according to an article carried by Wednesday's People's Daily. According to media reports, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against China in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, demanding that the Chinese government take responsibility and make compensations for the global pandemic. It was a gross violation of China's national sovereignty and the principle of sovereign equality which is widely acknowledged by the international community and the UN Charter, according to the article under the byline of Huang Jin, president of the Chinese Society of International Law. Huang criticized the move as an illegal act which is totally against international law. China's coronavirus response is a kind of sovereign or public action instead of a commercial action and should be protected by sovereign immunity, according to Huang. The lawsuit was based on groundless ideas that China should be held accountable for the pandemic and that the Chinese government was hiding the outbreak, Huang said. "These accusations have no factual or legal basis in international law," he said. The origin of the coronavirus is a matter for scientists to study and answer and shall not be politicized, said Huang, noting that according to international law, the question on the virus' origin has nothing to do with state responsibility. Huang pointed out that the Chinese government's efforts in releasing information and epidemic prevention and control have complied with the International Health Regulations. The coronavirus damages in the United States were caused by the missteps of the country itself and have no causal relationship with China's COVID-19 response, Huang stressed. China itself is a victim of the virus, Huang stressed. "We strongly oppose any attempt to politicize the pandemic and stage a farce of illegal accountability." David Sarasohn Sarasohn served as an associate editor of The Oregonian from 1985 until 2015 and continued as a columnist until 2018. He lives in Portland. When it all started, Susannah Morgan stuck on her office wall a quote from Mark Twain: Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. She thought it would be useful, because what she was feeling was terror. As soon as COVID-19 began shutting down the economy, the head of the Oregon Food Bank knew that her organization would have to feed many more than the 860,000 Northwesterners it fed in 2019. That number was hard enough: This year, Morgan said, the state hunger situation went from crisis level to unimaginable. The food bank would have to do it with handicaps not even clear at the time: Food pantry volunteers, largely elderly, would be urged to stay home to prevent possible exposure to the coronavirus. The food banks revolving 100 volunteers at its headquarters would be reduced to 15 at a time for social distancing reasons. Two of its sizable sources of food contributions restaurants and grocery markets ran thinner; restaurants because they were closed and markets because they were sold out. And national news would soon be full of clips of mile-long lines of cars outside food banks elsewhere in the country. All at a time when, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported, the states applications for food stamps had multiplied by 40. Morgan knew what was coming when schools closed. Schools are, of course, vital centers for spreading information on earth sciences, long division and whos got plans for Saturday night. But from the perspective of the Oregon Food Bank and several hundred thousand Oregon families theyre a place where kids can get breakfast and lunch even if their home refrigerator holds mostly fast-food ketchup packets. It was clear pretty early, recalls Morgan, that we would be needed as never before. And she knew one other thing: We cant fail. Two months in, the Oregon Food Bank hasnt, which is another way of saying Oregon hasnt. The states food pantries, 1300 of them, remain open and functioning, and Morgan can recall only one time when one of them ran out of food. There are no lines of cars stretching into the next zip code. The feds are supplying more food, although being the feds, there are some bumps. Oregons farmers and growers, with the restaurant market shut down, are contributing sizably. Still, the food bank is now spending a million dollars a week on food. Eight million dollars from the state has helped; so have considerable contributions from Oregonians, who seem to have the same objections to each other being hungry that they had before the lockdown. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our state, says Morgan. Our community has stepped up. The response has produced not only more money for food, but also enabled the food bank to hire more food truck drivers useful in a state where hunger can strike deeply in places a long way from OFBs Northeast Portland headquarters. The support goes beyond money and food. As traditional food pantry volunteers became scarcer, the need only intensified. Pantries are adapting, people are finding ways to have less contact, which requires a lot more volunteer time, explains Johnnie Shaver, the food banks client engagement director. Theres been a shift in volunteers, more and more young people who are now out of school. At a time when Americans have shifted their adoration from shortstops to essential workers, it turns out that some essential workers arent even workers: Theyre volunteers. And whats being done has to be done differently. The Clackamas Service Center, out on Southeast 82nd, used to have an open market area where clients would come select their food, and a hot lunch one day a week. Now the markets closed, and the center delivers 10 days worth of food to 30 families a day, and the meals it serves are packaged to go and come with bags of groceries. There is another difference. There are just so many new people, says executive director Deborah Mason. There are so many who never needed these services before. This coronavirus shutdown is a hard time, with no vaccine and no reliable drug treatment, no certainty about what our condition is at any given moment. But there is one bit of dependable good news: There is an absolutely reliable treatment for hunger. Learn more about helping the food bank at oregonfoodbank.com/give/donate-food/ Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. RT-LAMP is a rapid, accurate and cost-effective test and can be done with indigenous components and set up with minimal expertise and instrumentation As part of COVID-19 mitigation mission of Country, CSIR has strategized its R&D to develop, integrate, scale-up, and deploy necessary technological interventions for combating Coronavirus pandemic in the country. Considering the multifarious problems created by coronavirus, which require interventions, the CSIR under the guidance of its Director General, Dr. Shekhar Mande has formed five verticals to coordinate various research activities into Digital and Molecular Surveillance, Drugs & Vaccines, Rapid and Economical Diagnostics, Hospital Assistive Devices & PPEs, and Supply Chain and Logistics. Since testing is vital component in COIVD-19 mitigation, CSIR-IIIM, Jammu a constituent laboratory of CSIR has partnered with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) to develop and scale-up a new Reverse Transcriptase-Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) based COVID-19 diagnostic kit for which a formal MOU has also been signed between CSIR-IIIM, Jammu and RIL. COVID-19 RT-LAMP test is a nucleic acid based test carried out from nasal/throat swab sample from patients. The test recipe has been developed and successfully demonstrated using synthetic templates. It is rapid (45-60 min), cost effective and accurate test. It has been tested with a small number of patients samples and validating the kit on more number of patient samples is planned and will be done together with RIL. The advantage of this test is that the RT-LAMP based COVID-19 kit components are easily available and these can be completely manufactured in India. While the, the current COVID-19 testing is done by real-time PCR their components are mostly imported. Further these tests are expensive; require highly trained manpower, costly instruments and a relatively high-end lab and cannot be deployed at remote locations in quarantine centers, airports and railway stations, etc. On the other hand, the RT-LAMP test can be done in a single tube with minimal expertise in a very basic lab setup like mobile units / kiosks for testing at Airports, Railway Stations, Bus Stands and other public places. The end detection of the test is a simple colored reaction, which is easily visible in UV light, and now is being modified such that it can be detected in regular light. After testing the accuracy of the kit, on a much larger number of patients, CSIR-IIIM and RIL will jointly approach ICMR for approval. RIL plans to rapidly scale up the tests for the larger population and use it for easy, rapid and widespread diagnosis for COVID-19 detection for the larger interest of society. With the formal launch of the RT-LAMP based diagnostic test, the COVID-19 testing will not only be more rapid, cheap, easy and accessible but also would go a long way quickly isolating the infected individuals and mitigating the spread of virus. Dr. Ram Vishwakarma, Director and Dr. Sumit Gandhi, Principal Scientist from CSIR-IIIM and Dr. Santanu Dasgupta, Senior Vice President, R&D and Dr. Manish Shukla, General Manager R&D from RIL side are monitoring this project. The Supreme Court of India has expressed concern over difficulties faced by migrant workers. The court said that the workers will not be charged for bus or train travels, and that food and water must be provided by the states where they are stranded in. Meanwhile, as the overall number of cases in the country rises, Kerala is witnessing a wave of new infections. This is despite the state's efforts to flatten the curve. A Stormont minister has acknowledged the public is restless and want answers ahead of the latest review of lockdown regulations. Ministers will meet in Belfast on Thursday to review the current scientific and medical advice ahead of deciding whether Northern Ireland can take further steps out of lockdown. Infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon said two further coronavirus deaths on Wednesday served as poignant reminder of the risk still posed by Covid 19. On Tuesday, the region announced zero deaths for the first time since the outbreak took hold in March. Executive Daily Update: Initiatives to deal with Coronavirus (27 May 2020)https://t.co/xCgBWEiINQ NI Executive (@niexecutive) May 27, 2020 We must stick to the rules to keep each other safe, said Ms Mallon. But I know communities are restless and you want answers. That is why it is vitally important that as your executive, you have clear communication from us. The minister said the executive needed to be honest with the public. There is still a lot to do and a long road ahead, she said. The two further deaths brought the total death toll among those who have tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland to 516. The Department of Health also reported a further 26 cases of confirmed Covid-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of positive cases in Northern Ireland to 4,663. In other developments, Ulster University announced that lectures will be delivered online during the first term of the new academic year. It is expected to be at least Christmas before physical classes resume amid the coronavirus pandemic. New police figures have revealed the number of fines issued by police in Northern Ireland for breaches of lockdown rules dropped from nearly 400 to 30 in the last month. Meanwhile, a senior Stormont official said coronavirus had diverted attention away from preparations for Brexit. The Executive Offices Director General of International Relations Andrew McCormick said Brexit preparations had to be dealt with urgently with only seven months until the end of the transition period. SODERTALJE, Sweden, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Scania unanimously has decided to withdraw the dividend proposal to the annual shareholder meeting. There is still great uncertainty about the full effect of the spread of the Coronavirus and its consequences for global demand. Therefore and as additional financial precaution in the ongoing crisis, the Board of Directors is proposing that the annual shareholder meeting withholds the payment of dividend for 2019. Scania's annual shareholder meeting will be held on June 25. For further information, please contact: Karin Hallstan Head of Corporate Communication & PR Tel: +46-76-842-81-04 E-mail: [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/scania/r/board-of-directors-withdraws-dividend-proposal,c3122001 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/209/3122001/1255052.pdf Board of Directors withdraws dividend proposal https://news.cision.com/scania/i/17269-164-16-9,c2789853 17269-164 16-9 SOURCE Scania Image: Reuters After almost nine years of astronauts hitching rides off the planet, Americans are finally traveling on their own rockets again with this weeks NASA-SpaceX launch of crew to the International Space Station. And with Perseverance, another NASA rover vehicle, headed to Mars this summer, 2020 is shaping up to be a busy year on the final frontier. If you find yourself with a new (or renewed) interest in Americas space program or general astronomy, youre in luck the web is full of free and inexpensive learning resources to feed your mind. You can even find a few science projects to keep the family busy. Heres a guide. Tour NASA.gov The main NASA website is a great place to discover the past, present and future of the countrys role in cosmic exploration. Along with history articles and multimedia, the live NASA TV video stream is on the site, as are links to the agencys expansive presence across social-media channels (including Giphy, SoundCloud and Twitch). Visit the downloads section of the site for links to NASAs mobile apps or free e-books including the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook. Theres also an audio library with clips you can use as ringtones or computer alerts, like the foreboding Houston, weve had a problem warning from the nationally nerve-racking Apollo 13 mission in 1970. Image: Handout via The New York Times NASA maintains many other websites, as does its Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, which hosts sites for the Mars projects, for solar-system exploration and even the old 1970s Voyager interstellar probes. Image: Handout via The New York Times Mark Your Calendar Want to know when to look up for a meteor shower or the next photo-worthy supermoon? Bookmark or subscribe to an astronomy calendar. For example, TimesandDate.com hosts a Calendar of Cosmic Events that notes eclipses, equinoxes, solstices and more. To get major astronomical events to appear automatically on your online calendar, search for a subscription option, like the Moon Phase & Astronomy Calendar. And the Science desk of The New York Times maintains its own astronomy and space calendar that works with Google Calendar and the iOS Calendar app. See the Stars When youre ready to explore the cosmos on your own, use your smartphone; just search for astronomy in your app store. Many popular apps combine augmented reality, 3-D models and your location information to provide a customized guided tour of the sky. The $3 Star Walk 2 for Android and iOS is beautifully designed, and the apps news section alerts you to upcoming astronomical events. The $2 Star Rover for Android and iOS also provides a pocket planetarium experience, as does the free SkyView Lite for Android and iOS. Image: Handout via The New York Times SkySafari has apps for Android and iOS on several enthusiast levels (paid versions range from about $3 to $40), and the more expensive editions include mobile control for compatible home telescopes. And if you dont have your own telescope, peek at the images by the Hubble Space Telescope on its official website. Virtually Visit a Museum Although many institutions have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, their online exhibits are up. For example, the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum website has several displays to browse as well as other content in the free Google Arts & Culture app for Android and iOS. Googles app also lets you take a tour of Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, and the complexs own site hosts virtual learning events. And if your apartment is feeling cramped, the site for the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History has a free educational version of its Digital Universe 3-D atlas as a hefty download for desktop systems. Find Family Learning Activities Colorful planets and rolling rovers have a certain appeal for children and can help foster an early interest in science, technology engineering and mathematics. Chicagos Museum of Science and Industry offers a Science at Home collection of hands-on projects for children, like designing a parachute or building a stomp rocket. The California Science Center has several projects as part of its Stuck at Home Science activity series that teaches material using household supplies. NASAs website has a huge area devoted to STEM education projects and resources for students of all ages to use or download like free bookmarks with biographies of Katherine Johnson and the math wizards of Hidden Figures fame. Lessons start at the kindergarten level to teach fundamental concepts in physics and engineering, like a pasta project that has students use uncooked spaghetti to build the tallest free-standing structure that will support a marshmallow for at least 15 seconds. And if that project leads to culinary questions, search the NASA site for its Eating in Space videos. c.2020 The New York Times Company As part of its liberalisation of Ethiopias telecoms market, the countrys government will sell a 40% stake in state operator Ethio Telecom to private overseas investors. In addition, Ethiopias State Minister of Finance Eyob Tekalign Tolina stated that 5% of Ethio Telecoms shares would be made available for public purchase. The government will retain a 60% majority holding in the operator. The news comes swiftly after the countrys regulator called for operators to register their interest in the two new operating licences being sold at auction. The government anticipates that the 15-year permits could generate as much as $1 billion in revenue. Ethiopia has the second highest population in Africa, and several major continental operating groups appear to be enticed by the prospect of entering the market. Helios Towers, MTN Group, Orange SA and Vodacom Group have all indicated interest in a bid. Iran's Rohani Calls For Stricter Laws On 'Honor Killings' After Beheading Of 13-Year-Old Girl 05/28/20 Source: RFE/RL Iranian President Hassan Rohani has called for harsher laws to tackle so-called "honor killings" after the particularly shocking slaying of a teenage girl, allegedly by her father, prompted a nationwide outcry. Rohani on May 27 pushed for the speedy adoption of relevant bills, some which have apparently circulated for years among various Iranian decision-making bodies without any tangible results. The call comes after 13-year-old Romina Ashrafi was killed last week in Hovigh, some 320 kilometers northwest of Tehran. The tragedy of Romina Ashrafi (artwork by Bozorgmehr Hosseinpur) Local media reported that the teenager was beheaded while she slept by her father, who used a farming sickle. The father, Reza Ashrafi, was said to be enraged after Romina fled the family home to marry a 35-year-old man she loved. Both of their families complained to the authorities, and security forces detained Romina and her boyfriend, Bahamn Khavari, following a five-day hunt. Although Romina reportedly told police she would be in danger at home and feared for her life, the girl was handed over to her father as required by Iranian laws. After the killing, the father allegedly turned himself in to police and confessed to the crime. Hovigh district Governor Kazem Razmi said the man was in custody, charged with murder. He said the investigation into the case was still under way. Meanwhile, the vice president for women's affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, was quoted as announcing a "special order" from Rohani to investigate the killing. Under current law, her father faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years if convicted. According to the Islamic Penal Code, he was Romina's "guardian," so he is exempt from "retaliation in kind," meaning the death penalty in this case. Iranian media occasionally report on cases related to honor killings carried out by relatives, usually male family members, when the actions of women and girls are perceived as violating conservative traditions on love, marriage, and public behavior. It is not known how many women and girls die from such killings. In 2014, a Tehran police official reported that 20 percent of all murders in the country were "honor" killings. Romina's boyfriend apparently faces no penalty since under Iran's laws, girls can marry after the age of 13, though the average age of marriage for Iranian women is 23. With reporting by AP and IRNA In this article CVS The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus passed 100,000 late Wednesday, far exceeding reported deaths in every other country. Black Americans made up a disproportionately large share of the deaths, according to an analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At China's annual parliamentary meeting, its Premier Li Keqiang said that China would open its markets even further to foreign businesses, in the aftermath of the coronavirus impact to the global economy. San Francisco issued new guidelines for reopening some businesses in the city while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said businesses in New York state are allowed to deny entry to those who do not wear masks or face coverings. The coverage on this live blog has ended but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's U.S. team. Global cases: More than 5.81 million Global deaths: At least 360,437 U.S. cases: More than 1.72 million U.S. deaths: At least 101,617 The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Italy's economy shrank 5.4% year-over-year in the first quarter 4:33 p.m. (Singapore time) The Italian economy contracted 5.4% from a year ago in the first three months of 2020 worse than the official flash estimate of a 4.8% contraction, reported Reuters. On a quarterly basis, Italy's 5.3% economic contraction is also worse than its flash estimate of a 4.7% fall in gross domestic product, according to the report, citing national statistics bureau ISTAT. Italy's coronavirus outbreak is one of the most severe in Europe, leading authorities to impose a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the virus. Yen Nee Lee Pandemic could cause economic data to be less accurate, says IMF 4:21 p.m. (Singapore time) The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the gathering of data for key economic indicators widely watched by policymakers and investors, according to the International Monetary Fund. In a blog post this week, the IMF said lockdown measures in many countries have hindered physical visits by staff of national statistical offices, as they could not physically go to stores to survey retail prices. Businesses that have to temporarily shut also may not have the resources to respond to questionnaires about production and investment plans, said the fund. "Without reliable data, policymakers cannot assess how badly the pandemic is hurting people and the economy, nor can they properly monitor the recovery," the blog post read. Yen Nee Lee China highlights business opportunities as American protectionism ramps up 12:20 p.m. (Singapore time) At China's annual parliamentary meeting on Thursday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that China would open its markets even further to foreign businesses, in the aftermath of the coronavirus impact to the global economy. He added that Beijing and Washington should continue seeking ways to work together, despite their differences that have arisen. "We have all along rejected the 'cold war' mentality and decoupling among two major economies will do neither side no good and it is also harmful for the whole world," Li said. "I believe economic cooperation and trade between our two countries should continue to follow business rules," he said. Evelyn Cheng Costco's samples will make a comeback, but will look different than before 8:30 p.m. ET Costco shoppers have grown used to snacking on samples as they browse aisles with family members and fill their basket with bulk items. Those popular food samples along with food court seating and more leisurely shopping trips have vanished during the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this month, the membership warehouse club began requiring all customers to wear a mask or face covering in stores. But on an earnings call Thursday, Costco's Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti said sampling will return. He said the company will slowly roll it back out at stores, starting in mid-June. Don't expect it to look the same though, he said. "I can't tell you any more, but it's needless to say, not going to be where you go and just pick up an open sample with your fingers," he said. Melissa Repko United to offer voluntary separations to flight attendants, thousands of other employees 8 p.m. ET United Airlines is preparing to offer voluntary separation packages to thousands of employees including flight attendants, fleet and customer service workers, the latest measure from an airline to try to reduce its headcount as the coronavirus continues to roil the industry. The United offers, which don't include pilots, could be released as early as Thursday evening, according to people familiar with the matter. American and Delta in the past day have extended buyout and early retirement packages for thousands of employees. American, for its part, told its management and administrative employees that it aims to reduce those jobs by 30%, or by around 5,000 people. Airlines are prohibited from laying off or cutting the pay rates of employees through Sept. 30 under the conditions of a $25 billion federal aid package. But executives have said that they expect to need to shrink to match demand that has been devastated by the pandemic, travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders. Travel demand has ticked higher in recent weeks but is still down 80% from a year ago, according to federal data. Airlines have warned employees that involuntary measures are possible if demand doesn't recover and if voluntary packages don't attract enough volunteers. Leslie Josephs U.S. auto sales recovering but remain down 7:30 p.m. Auto research firms forecast new vehicle sales to be slightly less than 1.1 million vehicles in May, down about 32% to 33% compared with May 2019. That would be a roughly 50% increase from their historic collapse in April. Many consumers remain under stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders, but big discounts including Memorial Day specials and 0% financing offers for up to 84 months are driving some to purchase new vehicles. Edmunds, Cox Automotive and ALG, a subsidiary of TrueCar, expect sales of between about 1.05 million and 1.08 million this month. May is historically a critical month for the industry as it kicks off the summer sales season a time when automakers push to clear out current model-year vehicles to make way for newer cars and trucks. It the past five years, it has on average raked the third best month of the year for sales, according to Edmunds. Mike Wayland Nordstrom sales fall 40%, but there are bright spots in its earnings report The Nordstrom sign is seen on the front of the company's flagship store in Seattle. The luxury retailer is expected to report its first quarter earnings soon. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the company's locations are closed. Toby Scott | Barcroft Media | Getty Images 7 p.m. ET Nordstrom's net sales fell 40% during its fiscal first quarter, the company reported, but the department store chain also told analysts is has "sufficient liquidity" to work through the coronavirus pandemic and the rest of 2020. The company said about 40% of its department stores are now back open for business, after they were forced closed due to the Covid-19 crisis. And Nordstrom said it expects all locations will be open again by the end of June. Another bright spot: Nordstrom ended the first quarter with a gross profit, as a percentage of net sales, of 11%, down from 34% a year ago. The company said inventories were down 26%, due to "aggressive actions to reduce receipts and clear excess inventory through increased marketing and promotional activities." Shares were recently down less than 1% in after-hours trading, after jumping more than 3%. Lauren Thomas Texas clears the way for fans at outdoor pro sporting events 6:51 p.m. ET Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a new order that will allow a limited number of fans at outdoor pro sporting events, the Associated Press reported. Outdoor stadiums will only be able to host 25% of their normal capacity and fans are still barred from indoor events, according to the AP. Leagues must apply to the state health department to get clearance for having fans in attendance. The new order from Abbott updated an earlier decision to let pro sports host events without fans starting in June, the AP reported. Chris Eudaily Williams-Sonoma shares jump 10% as e-commerce sales drive earnings surprise Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images 5:45 pm ET Williams-Sonoma shares jump 10% in extended trading after earnings showed surprising strength. All of its 616 stores were closed for more than half the quarter, but the company was still able to grow same-store sales 2.6%. It's online business kicked into overdrive, with revenue up more than 30%. The retailer said it was to tap into "a newfound appreciation for the home" among consumers. Nearly all of its brands showed growth, with Pottery Barn Kids same-store sales up 8.5%, Williams-Sonoma up 5.4% and West Elm up 3.3%. CEO Laura Alber says the company has "even more confidence in the growth trajectory" of its e-commerce business longer term as it was able to win new customers and still sees its sales accelerating in the current quarter. Christina Cheddar Berk Another round of stimulus checks may be coming. Here's how to prepare 5:06 p.m. All eyes are on Capitol Hill lawmakers when it comes to whether or not there will be a second round of stimulus checks. But there is something you can do if you're anticipating more money: File your federal tax return, if you haven't done so already. The deadline for filing with the IRS has been extended to July 15. The information in that paperwork will likely be used to determine your stimulus payment, which is based on your adjusted gross income and the number of dependents you claim. The returns you file now will be from tax year 2019. So if your income went down or you added a child to your family that year, that could lead to a bigger stimulus payment. Getting in your paperwork now also means you may get a refund, which could be a bigger sum than your stimulus check. In the meantime, Washington lawmakers must agree on the terms for a second set of checks to go through. For more on what is being considered and what to consider when filing your taxes, click here to read the full article. Lorie Konish San Francisco releases reopening timeline Crowds - drawn by the sunny, warm weather - socially distance at Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco, Calif. to enjoy Memorial Day weekend, on Sunday, May 24, 2020. Scott Strazzante | The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images 4:52 p.m. ET San Francisco Mayor London Breed released a detailed timeline of what the city's reopening will look like this summer, but did not provide an end date for its stay-at-home order. "We're entering a new phase of this crisis and we feel comfortable that we're at a place that we can begin reopening parts of our economy, but that is not to say that this virus doesn't continue to threaten our city," Breed said in a statement. San Francisco is currently in Phase 2A of its reopening, which allows curbside pickup at most retailers. More restrictions will be lifted on June 1, when child care services, botanical gardens and outdoor museums can reopen under certain guidelines. On June 15, the city plans to enter Phase 2B, which will allow most indoor retail, outdoor dining and summer camps to reopen. Professional sports games without spectators and religious services can also resume. The city expects to lift additional restrictions in July and mid-August, but reopening dates have not yet been named for businesses like concert venues and nightclubs.Hannah Miller House passes changes to small business loan program 4:47 p.m. ET The House has passed a bill to give recipients of small business loans during the coronavirus pandemic more leeway in how they spend their money.The changes to the Paycheck Protection Program, which is designed to keep employees on small company payrolls during the coronavirus pandemic, passed in a nearly unanimous vote. The Senate, which has floated a similar plan, will decide whether to take up the legislation when it returns next week.The bill would reduce the share of aid money businesses have to spend on payroll in order to get loan forgiveness from 75% to 60%. It would extend the time companies have to spend the funds, and push back the June 30 deadline to rehire workers, among other provisions. The House easily passed the legislation at a time when Democrats and Republicans struggled to agree on how to provide further relief to a U.S. economy wrecked by the pandemic. Jacob Pramuk Quest releases new test with at-home sample collection 3:42 p.m. ET The Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for Quest Diagnostic's new coronavirus test with at-home sample collection, the company announced. With the test kit, people can swab their nostrils at home and send the sample in to a lab for analysis. Results are provided via an online portal. The company said it expects to make more than 500,000 of the kits available by the end of next month. Test manufacturers like Quest are still trying to ramp up the U.S.'s capacity to test throughout the population for Covid-19. The U.S. conducted an average of about 173,000 tests per day through April, according to data compiled by the Covid Tracking Project. Capacity has doubled since and the U.S. has so far conducted an average of 330,000 tests per day in May. Will Feuer Boston Marathon canceled amid pandemic Runners cross the finish line on Boylston Street during the 123rd Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts on April 15, 2019. Christopher Evans | MediaNews Group | Boston Herald via Getty Images 3:31 p.m. ET The Boston Marathon has been canceled as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to an announcement from race organizers at the Boston Athletic Association. The event had originally been postponed until September. "Our top priority continues to be safeguarding the health of the community, as well as our staff, participants, volunteers, spectators, and supporters," said Tom Grilk, CEO of the BAA. Considered to be one of the world's most prestigious marathons, the race typically draws more than 30,000 runners from around the globe, according to Reuters. This is the first time the event has been canceled in its 124-year history. However, the BAA is offering a "virtual alternative," in which participants can run the 26.2 mile distance on their own between September 7 and September 14, and provide proof of timing. Hannah Miller Students can return safely to campus this fall, says University of Miami president 3:10 p.m. ET Dr. Julio Frenk, an ex-World Health Organization official who is now president of the University of Miami, told CNBC he believes students can return safely to campus this fall. Frenk said because college students are younger, and have a lower risk of severe illness from Covid-19, universities can implement protocols to hold in-person classes. For the University of Miami, that includes robust testing and contact tracing, as well as changes to dorms and classrooms to provide more space between students. Additionally, wearing masks on UM's three campuses will be a "very strong social norm," said Frenk, a trained physician who formerly served as Mexico's health minister. Kevin Stankiewicz Home Depot CEO says pandemic is creating new demand 3:00 p.m. ET Customers have turned to Home Depot to buy cleaning supplies and jump start DIY projects. But the home improvement retailer's CEO Craig Menear said the pandemic continues to create new demand. Menear, who spoke at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Virtual Conference, said the company is adding high-powered cleaning tools to its assortment, including hydrostatic sprayers that can sanitize an area quickly. He said businesses have come to Home Depot to buy products that make their environments touchless. And he said new customers have shopped at its stores and website and discovered its wide variety of items. "There are some categories of opportunity going forward that will just change as a result of this crisis," he said. And, he added, cleaning standards will "change forever." Melissa Repko Bucks co-owner says NBA could decide on resuming games by next week Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket against Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena on March 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. Michael Reaves | Getty Images 2:43 p.m. ET The National Basketball Association could reach a decision about resuming its suspended season by next week, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry told CNBC. The billionaire co-founder of Avenue Capital made his weekly appearance on CNBC's "Halftime Report" and hinted that NBA commissioner Adam Silver will present "different options" about reopening at the league's board of governors meeting Friday. He added board members use the weekend to consider the proposal. Lasry said the board could meet again "early next week" and officials would vote on restarting games. The NBA plans to hold a call with team presidents and general managers later Thursday, Lasry said. The NBA became the first league pro sports league in the U.S. to suspend games on March 11 due to Covid-19. Jabari Young UK further eases restrictions on schools, businesses and gatherings 2:38 p.m. ET U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said primary schools will be able to reopen to more children starting June 1 and secondary schools can resume some face-to-face contact beginning June 15. He also announced that outdoor markets, car dealerships and nonessential shops can begin reopening in June, CNBC's Ryan Browne reports. The prime minister also eased regulations on private gatherings. Starting June 1, groups of six can meet outdoors while following social-distancing guidelines. Hannah Miller Kudlow says there are "glimmers of hope" for economy White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters 2:21 p.m. ET Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, said on "The Exchange" that there are encouraging economic signs in states that have reopened businesses and that the Trump administration expects a strong rebound. "We're seeing the economy gradually, in phases, reopen in May and June. These are the transition months," Kudlow said. "We're actually seeing some glimmers of hope amidst all the hardship and heartbreak." He pointed to the high percentage of unemployed workers in April who described their layoff as "temporary" as a reason to expect the economy to recover quickly. "If that is true, or if that is nearly true, then we may see folks coming back to work faster than we might have thought, let's say, a month or six weeks ago," Kudlow said. Jesse Pound Cyprus to cover costs for tourists who catch virus on vacation 2:01 p.m. ET Tourists who contract the coronavirus in Cyprus won't have to worry about mounting travel costs. The country will foot the bill for meals, accommodations and medications for vacationers who fall ill while visiting there, CNBC's Vicky McKeever reports. Cyprus has also established a "Covid-19 hospital" exclusively for foreign visitors that houses 100 beds. The island nation has 939 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 17 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Hannah Miller New York Gov. Cuomo authorizes businesses to deny entry to people not wearing a face covering A pedestrian wearing a protective mask passes in front of a Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) store temporarily closed in the Times Square area of New York, U.S., on Tuesday, May 12, 2020. Demetrius Freeman | Bloomberg | Getty Images 1:48 p.m. ET Businesses in New York state are allowed to deny entry to those who do not wear masks or face coverings, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during his daily news briefing. The governor emphasized the importance of wearing masks in public and said he is signing the executive order to give store owners the right to say, "If you're not wearing a mask, you can't come in." Cuomo first ordered New York residents to wear face coverings while in public on April 15. The order took effect on April 17 and said any individual over age two is required to cover their nose and mouth when in a public space and unable to maintain social distance. However, the original announcement did not clarify whether private businesses are allowed to deny entry based on face coverings. Jasmine Kim Dubai lifts major lockdown restrictions Women wearing masks for protection against the coronavirus, walk in the Mall of Dubai on April 28, 2020, after the shopping center was reopened as part of moves in the Gulf emirate to ease lockdown restrictions imposed last month. Karim Sahib | AFP | Getty Images 1:34 p.m. ET After instituting some of the strictest lockdown measures in the world, Dubai announced that it was lifting certain restrictions. The commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates is allowing gyms, movie theaters, leisure venues, child learning centers and all retail establishments to reopen at limited capacities, CNBC's Natasha Turak reports. Dubai endured two months of lockdown that included a three-week period in April when residents were required to apply for a police permit to leave their homes. Hannah Miller Walmart's tech team will keep working remotely, even as pandemic subsides The Walmart application is displayed on a smartphone in an arranged photograph taken in Arlington, Virginia, May 19, 2020. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg via Getty Images 1:19 p.m. ET Walmart is the latest company to announce that some employees who have been working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic don't have to return to the office anytime soon or potentially, ever. The big-box retailer has a team of about 10,000 software engineers, data scientists and other tech workers that build tools that power its stores and e-commerce business. Many of them work in Silicon Valley. In an email, Walmart's Global Chief Technology Officer Suresh Kumar told the tech team that "working virtually will be the new normal, at least for most of the work we lead." Instead of having employees come to the office each day, he said office space "will be used primarily for collaboration, to sync up and strengthen camaraderie." Melissa Repko Rise of remote working set to hit oil demand, analysts warn 1:00 p.m. ET Some companies have already announced that work-from-home policies will become permanent after the pandemic abates, and if that trend continues the impact on oil demand could be significant. "The biggest threat to oil demand is the rise of remote working," Bernstein said in a recent note to clients. Business air travel could also take a hit as employees become accustomed to holding meetings over Zoom and other video-conferencing platforms. "Right now you're challenging that notion that business travel is the cost of doing business," said Dan Klein, head of scenario planning at S&P Global Platts. The firm is forecasting between 1 million barrels per day and 1.5 million bpd of demand loss from fewer commuters, and between 1.5 million bpd and 2 million bpd of demand loss from a slowdown in business air travel. The International Energy Agency expects global oil demand to drop by 8.6 million bpd this year to 91.2 million bpd. Pippa Stevens English Premier League to return June 17 Fans wear disposable face masks prior to the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor on March 07, 2020 in Burnley, United Kingdom. Michael Regan | Getty Images 12:43 p.m. ET As more professional sports organizations move towards reopening, England's Premier League will resume its season on June 17, according to a BBC report. The soccer league was suspended on March 13 because of the pandemic, but teams were able to hold small group training starting last week. The first games to be played are Aston Villa v Sheffield United and Manchester City v Arsenal. They will not include spectators. Hannah Miller Sen. Tim Kaine says he has tested positive for antibodies 11:32 a.m. ET Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he and his wife have tested positive for antibodies to the coronavirus. "We each tested positive for coronavirus antibodies this month," Kaine said in a statement. "While those antibodies could make us less likely to be re-infected or infect others, there is still too much uncertainty over what protection antibodies may actually provide. So we will keep following CDC guidelines hand washing, mask-wearing, social distancing. We encourage others to do so as well. It shows those around you that you care about them." Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the first senator to announce that he had tested positive for the coronavirus in late March, just days before the Senate passed the first round of stimulus relief. Kaine was among the senators who voted in person to pass the relief package in the Senate, according to congressional records. Yelena Dzhanova NYC reports lowest daily positive testing rate since outbreak began A screen grab of Mayor Bill de Blasio holding a copy of the New York Post during a coronavirus press conference. 11:13 a.m. ET New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said 6% of residents tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, the lowest daily rate the city has reported since the beginning of the outbreak in March. De Blasio said the city aims to remain below 15% daily positive Covid-19 tests. "This is a very good day, 6% positive, and we're doing more and more testing," de Blasio said Thursday. "The more New Yorkers we're reaching, the better picture we're getting at what's happening in this city, the fewer people we're finding test positive as a percentage. That's a great sign for the future of this city." De Blasio said the city will likely begin its phase one reopening in the coming weeks, which will allow for various retail businesses, like those that sell clothing, electronics, furniture, sporting goods and office supplies, to reopen for curbside or in-store pickup. He said the city estimates that 200,000 to 400,000 residents will return to work in the first phase of reopening. Those businesses will be required to implement various modifications, such as enforced social distancing practices and increased use of personal protective equipment, he said. Noah Higgins-Dunn Delta offers employees buyouts, early retirement in race to cut costs 10:41 a.m. ET Delta Air Lines has started offering thousands of employees buyout or early retirement packages, an effort to slash costs. The Atlanta-based carrier, the least unionized of the major U.S. airlines, had around 91,000 employees as of the end of last year. A package for its more than 13,000 unionized pilots is forthcoming, CEO Ed Bastian told employees in a memo. Devastated by the coronavirus crisis, airlines are scrambling to reduce their headcount as they face paltry demand during what is normally the busiest time of year. U.S. airlines are prohibited from laying off employees through Sept. 30 under the conditions of $25 billion in federal aid, but executives at several carriers are warning employees of potentially deep cuts by October if there aren't enough volunteers. American Airlines told employees on Wednesday night it wants to reduce its management and administrative ranks by 30%, a cut of around 5,000 jobs. Delta didn't provide a target for how many jobs it wants to lose under the voluntary measures. Leslie Josephs Popeyes' U.S. same-store sales soar more than 40% despite pandemic Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Source: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen 10:38 a.m. ET As the restaurant industry struggles to stay afloat, Popeyes Lousiana Kitchen is bucking the trend. The fried chicken chain reported domestic same-store sales growth of more than 40%, as of the third full week of May. Popeyes' U.S. same-store sales were flat in the second half of March, a time when many other restaurant companies were reporting double-digit declines. Ever since Popeyes launched its popular chicken sandwich in August, the chain's same-store sales growth has far outpaced that of its competition. Restaurant Brands International's two other chains, Tim Hortons and Burger King, also have seen sales improve in May, although their domestic same-store sales continue to decline year to year. Amelia Lucas Casinos could be risky as Las Vegas prepares to reopen, Dr. Scott Gottlieb says 10:02 a.m. ET Some of Las Vegas' largest casinos are set to reopen next Thursday, but Dr. Scott Gottlieb said that is a risky move. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said the state's outbreak has seen a "consistent and sustainable downward trajectory," but reopening casinos threatens to bring travelers who could be carrying the virus. The announcement to reopen casinos and other businesses in the state comes as state and local officials across the country try to restart the economy in a bid to avoid economic devastation while also controlling the spread of the virus. "You look at Las Vegas reopening its casinos," Gottlieb said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "Those are the kinds of settings where I think you have more risk, where you have a lot of people crowding together, coming and going in indoor settings for sustained periods of time." William Feuer Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer and biotech company Illumina. Cineworld expects to reopen movie theaters in July, boosts liquidity Source: Anthony22 | WIkimedia Commons 9:54 a.m. ET The owner of U.S.-based Regal Cinemas, which is aiming to reopen its doors in July, has received a waiver from its lenders on a debt covenant and has raised additional liquidity that will allow it to operate until the end of the year. Cineworld's new funding includes $110 million of liquidity through an increase of its revolving credit facility and $45 million through the U.K.'s Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme. The company is seeking an additional $25 million through the U.S. government's Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Cineworld has a $3.5 billion debt pile and all of its nearly 800 locations in 10 countries have been shuttered during the coronavirus pandemic. It suspended its dividend payments last month. The additional liquidity "will provide it with sufficient headroom to support the Group even in the unlikely event cinemas remain closed until the end of the year," Cineworld said. Sarah Whitten Dow climbs for a third day as jobless claims signal economy may be bottoming 9:38 a.m. ET The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose for a third day as the latest unemployment data signaled the worst of the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic may be over. The 30-stock Dow traded 114 points higher, or 0.4%. The S&P 500 gained 0.2%. The Nasdaq Composite lagged, with a 0.2% drop. The Labor Department said 2.1 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. Continuing claims, which represent a better unemployment picture, plunged by nearly 4 million in their first decline since the coronavirus outbreak. Read updates on stock market activity from CNBC's Fred Imbert and Thomas Franck. Melodie Warner Abercrombie & Fitch first-quarter sales fall 34% as coronavirus hampers business Pedestrians are reflected in the window of an Abercrombie & Fitch store in New York. Craig Warga | Bloomberg | Getty Images 9:29 a.m. ET Abercrombie & Fitch's sales tanked 34% during the first quarter because of forced store closures during the coronavirus pandemic. The company joins other apparel and mall-based retailers such as Macy's and L Brands struggling to entice consumers to shop during the Covid-19 crisis. Sales at the company's namesake Abercrombie brand were down 30% and its Hollister sales were down 36%. About 50% of Abercrombie's stores globally are reopened, the company said. As Abercrombie's stores turn the lights back on, productivity is returning to about 80% in the U.S. and 60% in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, according to CEO Fran Horowitz. The company is not offering a second-quarter or full-year outlook. Lauren Thomas JC Penney reopens 150 additional stores during coronavirus pandemic, after bankruptcy filing 9:09 a.m. ET J.C. Penney said it has reopened 150 more stores in 27 states, bringing the total number of locations it has reopened during the Covid-19 crisis to 304. It said five locations are doing curbside pickup only. The company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 15, said in a press release that feedback from consumers has been "overwhelmingly positive" as it reopens for business. It says nearly 500 shops should be reopened by June 3. The company is set to permanently shut about 240 locations as part of its bankruptcy restructuring. Lauren Thomas 2.1 million file jobless claims, but total unemployed shrinks Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards 8:54 a.m. ET Another 2.1 million Americans filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week, the lowest total since the coronavirus crisis began. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for 2.05 million. Continuing claims, or those who have been collecting for at least two weeks, numbered 21.05 million. That number dropped by 3.86 million from the previous week. The insured unemployment rate, which is a basic calculation of those collecting benefits vs. the total labor force, fell sharply to 14.5% from 17.1% the previous week. Since the pandemic was declared in mid-March, more than 40 million have filed claims. Read the full report on weekly jobless claims from CNBC's Jeff Cox. Melodie Warner CVS Health to have 1,000 Covid-19 test sites at end of week 8:30 a.m. ET CVS Health said it will reach its goal of having 1,000 Covid-19 test sites in the U.S. this week. The company said it will open the additional locations on Friday, bringing its total to 1,000 sites across 30 states and Washington, D.C. The pharmacy chain announced the expansion in late April as retail leaders, including CVS CEO Larry Merlo, visited the White House and met with President Donald Trump. CVS is offering self-swab tests at some stores' drive-thru pharmacy windows. To get a test, people must meet criteria set out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and states, and register in advance on CVS' website. Tests are sent to a third-party lab to be processed. Melissa Repko Virus will continue to circulate even with a vaccine, Dr. Scott Gottlieb says 7:50 a.m. ET Even once a vaccine is discovered, the coronavirus will probably continue to circulate, becoming a "second flu," former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said. "Even if we get through this, we get a vaccine, this is probably going to continue to circulate," he said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "It might be sort of a second flu, if you will, and from a productivity standpoint, if we have two flu seasons that's not really sustainable, so we're going to need to figure out a way to reduce the morbidity not just from coronavirus in the long-run, but also flu as well." There are currently no treatments for Covid-19 approved by the FDA, though several have been granted emergency use authorization, which allows physicians to prescribe the treatment in life-threatening situations and for research purposes. Will Feuer Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer and biotech company Illumina. EU needs to agree on more stimulus soon, top official insists 7:10 a.m. ET The European Union needs to agree on additional coronavirus-related stimulus in coming months, a top EU official told CNBC. The comment by Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice president of the European Commission, comes after the bloc proposed a ground-breaking plan to help the region Wednesday. The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, proposed to raise 750 billion euros ($826 billion) in public markets and distribute that money in the form of grants and loans to the 27 members of the EU. However, some countries are reluctant to approve the idea as it would mark the first time the EU tapped financial markets together on such a large scale. The proposal requires the agreement of EU members before it can be implemented. In the meantime, there are other short-term measures available across Europe. The European Central Bank is buying government bonds as part of its 750 billion euro program and there are 540 billion euros available in unemployment schemes, business investments and loans to governments. Silvia Amaro Global tourism expected to slump most since 1950s A general view of almost deserted Pantheon square during Italy's lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic. Andrea Staccioli | Getty Images 7:04 a.m. ET International tourism is expected to fall as much as 70% this year, United Nations World Tourism Organization Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili told newspaper Handelsblatt. He said this would be the biggest drop since records for the metric began in the 1950s. The drop in business could put 110 million jobs around the world at risk, he said. He added that there could be a boom in travel to rural areas while tourism in typically desirable, and densely packed, destinations drops. The estimated 70% drop is based on the assumption that countries will begin to open their borders in August. While most European countries appear to be on track to reopen to international travel at the beginning of the summer, countries in other areas, including the Americas, are still grappling with uncontrolled outbreaks and the borders remain closed. Will Feuer A father-of-two charged with murdering a woman he met through a dating app had 'lost his way' in recent years, according to former friends. Dennis James Pietrobon, 51, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with the murder of Nicole Cartwright, 32, almost two years after her body was found near a children's playground in Sydney. Police allege Ms Cartwright was killed on October 1, 2018 - her 32nd birthday - but it wasn't until two days later that Pietrobon dumped her body at Buffalo Creek Reserve. Pietrobon was arrested at Parramatta Police Station and was due to face Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday, but will remain in custody until July 20. A former friend of Pietrobon's said he had struggled in recent years following the breakdown of his marriage and the loss of his job with Transport NSW. Scroll down for video Dennis Pietrobon, the man charged with murdering Nicole Cartwright (pictured), did not face Parramatta Local Court on Thursday morning. Friends said he had 'lost his way' after the breakdown of his marriage and the loss of his job at Transport NSW Ms Cartwright, 32, was found dumped in a park at Hunters Hill (pictured), on Sydney's lower north shore, in the early hours of October 3, 2018. Pietrobon was charged with her murder on Wednesday In addition to being estranged and unemployed, the alleged murderer had also been homeless and was known to sleep rough in the Leichhardt area in Sydney's inner west. 'He worked for Sydney Trains but after he lost his job he ended up sleeping in his car and showering at his local gym,' the friend said. 'In the last two or three years something happened and he went weird. After his split he had another girlfriend but that ended badly too. 'This is a massive shock, though. I never thought he was a bad person, just someone who had really lost their way.' Despite being out of work in recent years, Daily Mail Australia understands Pietrobon was known to drive a black Mercedes Benz sedan. The 'solidly built' Pietrobon was a regular at his gym and well known to other members. A similar-looking car was among 12 vehicles pictured in the area around Buffalo Creek Reserve on the morning Ms Cartwright's body was allegedly dumped. In a public appeal for information last year, police revealed they hoped the drivers of those vehicles may have information about her death, although it is unknown if one of those cars was Pietrobons. The alleged killer has two teenage children with his ex-wife, who it is understood has not had contact with him for some time. NSW Police Homicide Squad boss Danny Doherty said Pietrobon allegedly dumped Ms Cartwright's body 'like some piece of unwanted refuge'. Speaking after the arrest, he described Ms Cartwright's death as a 'heinous act'. Police will allege Pietrobon, 51, murdered Ms Cartwright (pictured) on October 1 - her 32nd birthday - but did not dump her body at Buffalo Creek Reserve until 48 hours later The gruesome discovery was made by a council worker at Buffalo Creek Reserve on Sydney's lower north shore at about 7.30am on October 3, 2018 'Police will allege that Nicole and this 51-year-old man had met through dating sites that Nicole was known to be using,' Det Supt Doherty said. 'There's (allegedly) links between this man and Nicole, and to the crime scene. 'Police will allege that she was murdered somewhere else (other than the park). 'The state of Nicole's body was such that there was some decomposition. She was found on October 3, police will allege that she was murdered on October 1.' The poor state of Ms Cartwright's decomposing body caused 'difficulties' in the post-mortem, he explained. NSW Police launched Strike Force Winkurra to investigate the young womans death and in particular her interactions with men through dating apps and fetish websites. Det Supt Doherty also urged people not to 'judge' the 'personal choices' of using such dating sites. 'While some people may judge these acts as salacious lets not forget there was a young woman who was [allegedly] brutalised and murdered and then dumped in a park in a callous act,' he said. Daily Mail Australia previously revealed homicide detectives had narrowed their hunt to a group of men who were all sexually involved with Ms Cartwright in the days prior to her death. Detectives arrested Pietrobon at Parramatta Police Station at about 12.45pm on Wednesday Detectives were understood to have identified a prime suspect after obtaining DNA evidence linking the man to moving her bruised and battered body. She was last seen on CCTV at Museum train station in the Sydney CBD at 9.14pm on September 30. Between September 27 and September 30 she travelled across the city, visiting Bondi Junction in the east and St Marys in the west. Her body was discovered about 7.30am by a council worker who had arrived to open the park gates. In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, Ms Cartwright's brother Ben said it was difficult for him and his parents to comprehend the fact that she would never be coming home. 'Its hard to express in words what our family has been through since Nicoles death,' Ben said. 'Nicole was very much loved as a sister and daughter; a cherished member of our family. 'We grieve daily for Nicole and the life she never got to live, and we are still struggling to comprehend that she will never be coming home. Ms Cartwright (pictured) was found wrapped in a sheet in a Sydney park, allegedly two days after she was killed A community vigil was held for Ms Cartwright at Buffalo Creek Reserve in the days after she was killed (pictured) 'On behalf of our family, we want to thank the community for sharing our appeals for information, and also thank those who provided information to the police. 'Thank you also to the NSW Police Force detectives, who have supported our family during this time and worked tirelessly to help bring justice for Nicole.' Ms Cartwright's parents Terry and Brenda only reported her missing after seeing news reports on the day her body was found. Just 24 hours later they were told the devastating news. There was an outpouring of emotion in the aftermath of Ms Cartwright's death, with several community vigils held at the park where her body was found. In her 1999 book, When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down, the cultural critic Joan Morgan describes eloquently the ways in which racism often makes it difficult for black women to call out sexism within their own communities. I needed a feminism that would allow us to continue loving ourselves and the brothers who hurt us without letting race loyalty buy us early tombstones, she wrote. She reiterates that sentiment in On the Record, a wrenching new documentary by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, streaming on HBO Max. The film details the allegations of sexual assault against the music mogul Russell Simmons, but its scope is much wider: It explores the particular (and often overlooked) struggles of black women in the #MeToo movement. At its center is Drew Dixon, 48, who says Simmons raped her in 1995 while she was a rising A&R executive at his pioneering company, Def Jam Records. Dixon didnt speak publicly about the incident for more than two decades, fearing that challenging the godfather of hip-hop would amount to a betrayal of her community. I didnt want to let the culture down, she says poignantly. I love the culture. I loved Russell, too. On the Record closely follows Dixon before, during and after her decision to go public with her accusations in a December 2017 article in The New York Times. It also weaves in the testimonies of seven other women who say they were raped by Simmons including the writer Jenny Lumet, the former assistant and model Sil Lai Abrams and the hip-hop artist Sherri Hines. (Simmons has denied all accusations of nonconsensual sex and described his life as devoid of violence in a written response to the filmmakers.) Swarms of locusts are expected to reach as far as Bihar and Odisha in July but thef migratory pests are unlikely to reach south India, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). In the past few days, there have been movements of adult groups of locusts in India, Oman, the UAE, and Uganda. Swarms are forming in the spring breeding areas and migrating east to the Indo-Pakistan border ahead of the monsoon rains, it said. In its latest update, the FAO said locust swarms have moved into northern India. Spring-bred immature adult groups of locust and swarms that arrived in ... The World Health Organization recently reported that the coronavirus COVID-19 is circulating undetected in Yemen. Unchartered territory, an invisible virus and a laissez-faire approach will most certainly increase the likelihood of a devastating outbreak among already severely malnourished people. There is no doubt that the already shattered health system and limited testing capacity will quickly be overwhelmed. There are 38 COVID-19 hospitals across the country, all of which have fully occupied beds, yet Yemen reported only 237 confirmed cases and 45 deaths at the end of May. This is likely a gross underestimation of the numbers. Due to cost, fear, lack of space in hospitals and a shortage of healthcare workers, Yemenis are dying at home, undetected, undocumented, and possibly having spread the virus to their loved ones. COVID-19 is a crisis on top of the existing crises of war, famine, and other rampant communicable diseases such as cholera, malaria, and dengue fever. The country, having already endured so much, is yet again facing another heart-breaking situation. Pre-existing conditions Before COVID-19, with more than half the hospitals defunct, Yemen was battling a degraded and fragile healthcare system that had collapsed after a protracted and devastating five-year war. Authorities were already struggling to address existing issues, and now it is impossible for them to properly respond to the outbreak. There is no money to pay hospital and support staff, very little personal protective equipment, and scant numbers of tests, making it impossible for anyone to know the real number of positive cases. The virus will further ravage Yemens already fragile livelihoods and food security. With the difficulty of physical distancing in Yemen, authorities may be forced to choose between saving people from COVID-19 or saving their livelihoods. If they choose to demand physical distancing, saving them now, people will not be able to work to buy food and they will likely die from hunger later. More than half of Yemenis are food insecure as income has plummeted and food imports have increased to 90 percent. Food and other essential commodity prices continue to be high due to currency depreciation and COVID-19 movement restrictions. Remittances play a major role in the economy, with billions flowing into the country annually. But due to COVID-19, this has been drastically reduced and other income is expected to further decline due to business disruptions and reduced purchasing power among employers. The bottom line is that food is unaffordable and may soon be unavailable to the average Yemeni; it is likely millions will go hungry. An urgent and effective response is needed Without an urgent and effective socio-economic response, Yemen will continue to suffer, and Yemeni lives and livelihoods will be threatened for generations to come. We have seen how devastating the interruption of social services and economic breakdown can be during the West African Ebola outbreak, where more died from this than the virus itself. We cannot let this happen again in Yemen; we must connect health and socio-economic needs. Despite COVID-19 beginning to wreak havoc on Yemen, UNDP is continuing to deliver at capacity in programmes that address socio-economic issues such as cash-for-work, public work schemes. and engaging small and medium businesses. In the fight against the viruss spread, we are continuing to make a difference in Yemen and are uniquely positioned to lead Yemens COVID-19 national socio-economic impact response, in coordination with the UN system. Globally we have five interactive pillars based upon our previous experiences in communicable outbreaks; the same approach will be followed in Yemen. When combined, they will likely prove effective in helping to preserve and rebuild the country. 1. Health first: Ensuring essential health services are available and protecting health systems. 2. Protecting people: Helping people cope with adversity through social protection and basic services. 3. Economic response: Protecting jobs, supporting small and medium businesses, and informal sector workers through economic response and recovery programmes. 4. Macro-economic response: Guiding fiscal and financial stimuli to make macroeconomic policies work for the most vulnerable and strengthening multilateral and regional responses. 5. Social cohesion: Promoting social cohesion and investing in community-led resilience and response. More than a health crisis We must recognize that it is more than a health crisis; the pandemic will fundamentally affect Yemens society and economy. Poverty and inequality will increase worldwide, and the virus has great potential to further devastate the worlds worst humanitarian and development crisis. Decisions that are made today will affect Yemen tomorrow. Unfortunately, 2020 humanitarian assistance funding has plummeted and much-needed funding for COVID-19 is being diverted from existing programmes. This is causing the majority of the UN Yemens programmes to either shut down, or rework their existing outreach. We must continue to ensure that we do not forsake Yemenis as they face the worst time in their history. South Africa: COVID-19 cases rise to 25 937, while WC records highest deaths COVID-19 cases have increased by 1 673 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 25 937 in the country. Meanwhile, the national death toll has risen to 552 after 28 more people succumbed to COVID-19 related illness, the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said in a statement on Wednesday. We wish to express our condolences to the loved ones of the deceased and thank the health workers who treated these patients, he said. The Western Cape remains the epicentre, with 391 deaths, followed by the Eastern with 70, KwaZulu-Natal 49 and Gauteng 31. The Free States has six deaths, Limpopo has three, while North West and Northern Cape each have one. Mpumalanga is the only province that reported zero deaths. The recoveries to date are 13 451, which translates to a recovery rate of 52%, Mkhize said. Answering questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Mkhize said the peak of the infection is expected in mid-July in the pessimistic scenario and mid-August in the optimistic scenario, according to the South African Modelling Consortium. These models should be considered dynamic and dependent on new data that comes in. It should only be used as a guide for what may be possible, Mkhize said. He said estimations show that the number of deaths could range between 34 000 and 50 000. All of these figures have also been challenged by other academics They are open for debate by those who are specialists in this area We do believe that the models will improve as time goes and more raw data is fed into their assumptions. As the places of worship are among the facilities that will be allowed to open on 1 June under strict regulations, Mkhize said they salute the religious leaders who have embraced the decision to lockdown the country. There will be a number of restrictions that we in our normal daily lives will have to put in place. We take the church and the faith-based community as partners in the fight against COVID-19, particularly to ensure social behavioural change, Mkhize said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-05-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. An arrest affidavit filed in court Thursday outlines a frightening series of events in which police said the man entered a courtyard at the Benning Courts apartments, and then paced and looked around with a blank stare before he allegedly swooped up the girl by her arm as she rode past him on the small scooter. Following years of rumors that Nissans next Z model could be a crossover, the Japanese company has finally confirmed that the successor to the 370Z will also be a sports coupe. In a presentation outlining its future product strategy, Nissan showcased a new Z car that looks a lot like the outgoing 370Z. Theres no official name for this car yet, but all rumors point toward the 400Z name. The Nissan 400Z continues the design legacy of its predecessors The video shows a sporty coupe being driven in the shadows, and most details are hidden from sight, but we can clearly see the shape of the car. And its very similar to the 370Z and its historical predecessors, the 300ZX and the 240Z. The 400Z actually borrows from both, as the front end appears to be just as sharp as the 240Z, while the rear fascia is as flat as the 300ZX. The roof retains the shape of the 370Z, with a heavily slated rear section. The headlamps sport a more modern design with LED lights, while the front hood appears to form a V toward the nose. The Nissan 400Z will share underpinnings with existing Nissan models Because the Japanese company is looking to cut costs under its new Nissan Next banner, the 400Z wont feature a unique platform. A likely candidate here is the Nissan FM platform that currently underpins the Infiniti Q50 sedan and the Q60 coupe. The 370Z rides on similar underpinnings, but Nissan will introduce major upgrades for the 400Z. In terms of powertrain, the 400Z will probably also share the twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter V-6 engine with the Infiniti Q60. This mill cranks out 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, which is below the outgoing 370Z, but the Q60 Red Sport comes with a more powerful variant. The beefed-up V-6 cranks out 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of twist and tops out any existing version of the 370Z. While the regular model delivers 332 horses and 269 pound-feet, the 370Z Nismo comes with 350 horsepower and 276 pound-feet of twist on tap. The Nissan 400Z continues a legacy that goes back to 1969 The Nissan Z is one of the most iconic nameplates from the Japanese automaker, and it's also one of the oldest, going back all the way to 1969. The first Z car was introduced in 1969 as the 240Z and remained in production until 1978 when it was followed by the 280ZX. Its successor, the 300ZX, followed in 1983 and was redesigned in 1989. In 2000, Nissan replaced the 300ZX with the 350Z, a direct predecessor to the 370Z we know today. The latter arrived in 2008, and as of 2020, its the oldest vehicle in Nissans current lineup. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says it is not yet confirmed but there are indications that some of the 230 Ghanaians who were deported from Kuwait have tested positive for COVID-19. Giving updates during a press briefing on Thursday morning, the Director of Public Health at Ghana Health Service, Dr. Badu Sarkodie, said: We haven't finished with the testing of all the people that we took samples from. There are indications that some of them are positive [for COVID-19]. We will follow up on this and when we have the full report, we will share this report appropriately, Dr. Sarkodie added. An initial test conducted by Kuwaiti health officials concluded that none of the 230 deportees had contracted the virus , according to the Government of Ghana. The returnees arrived in Ghana on May 23 via a chartered flight made available by the Kuwaiti Government. ---citinewsroom At a time when the automobile industry is facing a crisis the world over, electric vehicle startup Lucid Motors has managed to keep up with the establishment of its upcoming production centre. Based in the Arizona desert, the plant is expected to be roll out its first produce by this years end. The 720,000-square-foot EV factory is meant to produce Lucid Motors luxury EV sedan - Lucid Air. The plan for the factory is not new, as the company has had to struggle with the required capital for years. Having initiated the setup back in 2019, the company now claims that it is well on its timeline to set up the production facility despite holdups due to the Coronavirus induced lockdowns. The company acknowledges the luck it has had behind the progress. A recent interview of Peter Hochholdinger, Lucids vice president of manufacturing, points out the logistical maneuvers, help from parts suppliers and a bit of good fortune that helped with the advancement. It was luck. I must say that, Hochholdinger was quoted as saying in the interview. Lucid Air To date, the facility has seen the installation of critical assembly-line equipment, including robotic arms and precision tools like stamping presses and jigs. Another factor that worked in the companys favour was the continuation of construction work despite the Coronavirus spread in the state of Arizona. Once the facility was set up, Lucids decision to source equipment from Asia based manufacturers also enabled a timely progress. A minimal delay was caused by its paint-shop equipment supplier Durr Systems. While it was initially planned to complete its work for the facility at a manufacturing site in China, the company shifted bases to other countries citing lockdowns, eventually reverting back to China for the task, which had by then lifted lockdown restrictions. Other resources were diverted to Lucid Motors as most other projects were paused during the lockdown. Lucid Air (Image: Lucid Motors) That, however, did not make it easy for the company to set up a factory amid the pandemic. Lucid Motors says that it had to follow the enhanced safety protocols with strict social-distancing and sanitation. Workers in the factory have to wear face masks and goggles at all times as well as undergo multiple temperature checks. If any inconsistency is found, the worker is asked to leave the site. These mandates, however, are in no way a snag as big as what other EV OEMs have faced during the pandemic. In fact, the timely setup of the production facility will enable Lucid Motors to start the deliveries of its Lucid Air by as early as next year. Once it does, the luxury electric sedan will compete directly with the likes of the Tesla Model S. With a targeted production capacity of a maximum of 380,000 vehicles in the facility a year, Lucid Motors just might be on its way to be the next big shot in the US EV market. The group will test the premise of whether there are really any persuadable voters left in a deeply tribal moment in American politics, in which views of Mr. Trump, both positive and negative, have only been hardened over the past four years. What was missing in 2016 was a real concerted effort to take the voices of real people who have deep reservations about Trump, but who identify as Republicans, and allow them to be the messengers, said Sarah Longwell, a lifelong conservative and a prominent Never Trump Republican. The new initiative is the brainchild of Ms. Longwell; Bill Kristol, the conservative writer; and Tim Miller, a former top aide to former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. Together, Ms. Longwell and Mr. Kristol have also worked on an initiative called Republicans for the Rule of Law, which has begun its own ad blitz against Mr. Trump. After almost three years of conducting focus groups and intensive research on messages that would work with persuadable voters, the founders have created a cache of 100 testimonial videos, most shot on smartphones, with voters explaining why they are making the sometimes painful choice to break with their political party. Some of the videos are hardly rousing endorsements for Mr. Biden. In one testimonial, Wayne from Dallas says to the camera, I could not bring myself to vote for Hillary, so I voted for President Trump. But he said he believed the president had gotten worse and that everything hes done has been to enrich himself. With a note of resignation, he says: I will not be voting for him here in 2020. I suppose Ill be voting for Biden. NORTHAMPTON Police are seeking the publics help as they investigate a rash of graffiti sprayed downtown. Police Lt. Craig Kirouac told The Daily Hampshire Gazette a police officer saw the graffiti tags, 10 at different addresses on Pleasant Street and two on Main Street, about midnight on Monday. Each tag was sprayed in red and white paint, seemingly by the same suspect or suspects. Kirouac said police are not sure when the vandalism occurred. Those with information are asked to call 423-587-1100. She welcomed her first daughter Isla Rose to the world alongside husband David O'Mahony 11 weeks ago. And Ali Bastian was feeling nostalgic on Thursday as she posted an adorable throwback of her baby girl as a newborn shortly after arriving on March 12 at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. The former Hollyoaks actress, 38, revealed she and David decided to store Isla's umbilical cord stem cells in case she needs them in the future for medical purposes. Memories: Ali Bastian was feeling nostalgic on Thursday as she posted a throwback of her baby as a newborn after arriving on March 12 at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Stem cells are most commonly used to treat conditions such as cancer, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders. In the adorable picture, Ali beamed to the camera while cradling a tiny Isla just after she was delivered by caesarian section. Isla's tiny hand clutched on to the finger of her father, West End actor David O'Mahony, 38. Ali uploaded the snap for her 29,000 followers alongside the caption: 'This photo was taken just moments after I was out of surgery with Isla.... Her little hand holding David's. 'We wanted to do the best for our baby': The former Hollyoaks actress, 38, revealed she and David decided to store Isla's umbilical cord stem cells in case she needs them in the future 'What a ride the last 11 weeks have been! What a time for Isla to make her grand entrance and for us to become parents. 'I won't lie the anxiety at times has been riding high. Doing everything I can think of to keep our little family safe. 'The health and wellbeing of our families for all of us has always been important but never more so than in current times. 'When I was pregnant, David and I knew we wanted to do the best for our baby in every way possible. Happy: Ali and David have been living in a little 'bubble' since the birth of Isla Rose 'We heard about the possibility of collecting and storing our baby's umbilical cord stem cells. 'We didn't know much about it at the time but wanted to know more so we did some research and found out that these stem cells could be used in the future should they be needed for a number of illnesses and diseases. 'The stem cells found in the baby's umbilical cord are very unique and if collected at birth they can then be stored for 25 years for future use. 'We decided to use @smartcellsofficial to store our baby's stem cells. The process was really simple, Smart Cells organised everything. 'All David had to do was make a quick phone call on the big day (I had my mind on other things!) 'This is a once in a lifetime opportunity as the umbilical cord stem cells can only be collected at birth and we are so grateful we were able to do this. Candid shot: Ali delivered baby Isla via a caesarian section back in March and credits her husband David with supporting her throughout the process 'We hope that we never need to use them but knowing that they are there should we need to is really reassuring.' Ali and David have been married since February 2019, when the couple tied the knot in front of friends and family at Old Marylebone Town Hall in central London, just 18 months after they got together. The couple recently admitted they hadn't been able to introduce little Isla to their relatives because of coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Ali said in an interview with HELLO! magazine: 'We haven't had any family come to meet Isla yet - and they can't wait to meet her. 'It's like we've been in our own bubble, but we've been FaceTiming our family every day.' David added: 'We would have loved to have our family and friends around to support us. But it's been a very bonding experience for us as a family of three.' BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 28 Trend: King of Morocco Mohammed VI has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the Republic Day. Excellency, my dear brother, as the Republic of Azerbaijan celebrates its National Day, it gives me great pleasure to send Your Excellency my warmest congratulations and my best wishes for good health and happiness, the letter said. I also wish your people further progress and prosperity. Given the close, brotherly bonds and mutual esteem between our peoples, I look forward to continuing to work with you to consolidate and expand our fruitful cooperation, the letter said. This should help us serve our peoples interests and promote solidarity and synergy among the countries of the Muslim Ummah. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 01:55:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned the EU extension of the sanctions against the Syrian government, according to the state news agency SANA. In a statement, the ministry said the EU's renewal of the sanction on the Syrian government for another year comes again to underscore the EU support of "terrorist groups" in Syria. It said the "unjust" sanctions directly affect the Syrian people and their livelihoods as well as the medical capability of the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier on Thursday, EU foreign ministers decided to extend sanctions for one more year against the government of President Bashar al-Assad and its supporters. The restrictive EU measures have been in place since 2011. On May 18, Syrian Health Minister Nizar Yazigi urged the lift of the Western sanctions on Syria for the country to protect its health security amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Yazigi said the medical teams in Syria are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic "with bravery in exceptional circumstances" as the country has suffered from more than a nine-year-long war amid sanctions imposed by the United States and its Western allies. The sanctions are "inhuman" and prevent the medical sector in Syria from responding to the pandemic and securing the necessary needs and tools for protection and diagnosis, he added. The minister made the remarks as Washington is close to implementing the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, a U.S. law that sanctions the Syrian government including President al-Assad for its alleged war crimes against the Syrian people. The Caesar Act, expected to be implemented in June, also includes sanctions on any side that might aid the Syrian government. Enditem A voter submits her mail ballot using the ballot drop box at the south portal of City Hall in Philadelphia on May 28, 2020. Read more Philadelphia voters who dont have time to send back their mail ballots for Tuesdays primary can instead drop them off at multiple locations across the city. On Tuesday, there will be 11 drop boxes for voters to hand-deliver their ballots up until the 8 p.m. deadline, when polls close. Drop boxes are new for Philadelphia and largely foreign to Pennsylvania because state election law used to restrict absentee ballots so much that only about 5% of votes in any election were cast by mail. READ MORE: Live coverage of what's happening Tuesday, Pennsylvanias primary day But a new election law now allows any voter to vote by mail, and that combined with the coronavirus pandemic has led to a massive surge in mail ballot requests, with 1.9 million Pennsylvania voters requesting them for todays election. Philadelphia alone has 225,000 requests this year many more than the 107,000 absentee requests in the entire state in the 2016 primary. At the same time, county elections officials have warned, the pandemic has slowed down every step in the process of voting by mail. Thousands of Pennsylvania voters could receive their ballots too late to return them by mail. In response, Gov. Wolf on Monday said ballots postmarked on Tuesday and received by next Tuesday, June 9, would be counted in Philadelphia and Delaware, Montgomery, Allegheny, Dauphin, and Erie Counties. READ MORE: Wolf extends mail ballot deadlines for Philadelphia and five other counties State law says voters have to turn in their own ballots, so friends or family members cant deliver them. The city commissioners, working with Philadelphia City Council, have arranged 11 drop-off locations in different neighborhoods while polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Reza Ashrafi killed 14-year-old Romina in her sleep. Previously the girl had run away with a 34-year-old man. For critics, it is an example of "institutionalized violence" in a country linked to a "patriarchal" idea of the family and society. The murderer faces three to 10 years in prison. Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The brutal murder of a 14-year-old girl at the hands of her father, because she was "guilty" of having fled previously with a man she had fallen in love with, has raised indignation and protests in Iranian civil society. President Hassan Rouhani and the vice president delegated to Women and the family have also intervened on the matter promising the approval of a harsher law against "honor killing"; however, opposition from the conservative and religious radial wing risks burying the draft norm. Commenting on the episode, news agencies in the Islamic Republic close to the reformist and moderate faction speak of "institutionalized violence" in a country still too tied to a "patriarchal" idea of the family and society. The Ebtekar newspaper opened with the news on the front page, underlining the climate of violence and "insecurity" within the family. On social media, the hashtag #RominaAshrafi has gone viral in these hours, with the vast majority of Internet users firm in condemning the murder. The author of the "honor killing" Reza Ashrafi, currently in pre-trial detention in prison, killed his 14-year-old daughter Romina in her sleep on May 21, slaughtering her with a sickle. The father wanted to punish his daughter for running away from home for a few days with Bahamn Khavari, 34, with whom she was in love. The story happened in Talesh, a town located 320 km north-west of Tehran. According to initial reports Reza had forbidden his daughter to marry a man 15 years older than her. Romina fled leaving the family home for a few days, then was discovered and taken to a police station. The judge, despite the petitions of the girl who feared being killed, ordered that she be returned to her father. In Iran, the legal age for marriage is 13 years for women. Furthermore, in similar events, most of the time the fault lies with the young girl, even if a minor, who runs away and not on the man - often older than her - who kidnaps her. However, what raises more indignation in public opinion is the "slight" punishment that threatens the father, from three to a maximum of 10 years in prison, with the possibility of further reductions. For this reason, several reformist newspapers and members of civil society speak of "institutionalized violence" in a nation where a "patriarchal culture" still exists today. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed "profound displeasure" over the murder during a government meeting held yesterday. He also called for the short-term approval of a norm against domestic violence. Vice-President Masoumeh Ebtekar then added that a law for the protection of minors is in the "final phase" of evaluation by the Council of Guardians of the Constitution. The body evaluates the rules based on compliance with the Constitution and sharia law. Previously it had been rejected three times and sent back to Parliament because it was considered contrary to the inspiring principles of the Islamic Republic. Shahnaz Sajjadi, close collaborator of the vice-president, calls for a change in the "common thought that the home is a safe place for children and women" and that there are no major differences between "crimes against women in society" and those that occur within the home. In spite of the brutal murder, many fear that once again the norm will be dismissed by the conservatives. The family of a young Irishman who fell to his death while trying to escape from three armed men in Australia have asked for candles to be lit for him. Cian English (19), originally from Carlow town but who was living with his family in Brisbane, suffered fatal injuries when he fell from a balcony at the View Pacific resort in Surfers Paradise at around 3.15am last Saturday. Three men have been charged with his murder, along with two charges of armed robbery and two counts of deprivation of liberty. Jason Ryan Knowles (22), Hayden Paul Kratzmann (20) and Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas (18) have been remanded in custody but were not required to appear in court. Their cases have been adjourned until August 4. In a statement issued on behalf of the teenager's family by Brisbane police, they said they were deeply appreciative of all the support they had received. "Join us in lighting a candle on Thursday night in loving memory of our hero Cian and feel free to share your messages of support and love," they said. "Our family are deeply touched by the outpouring of support and we deeply appreciate all the many kind messages from friends and family around the world. "Our sincere thanks also go to the Queensland Police Service for their tireless efforts and everyone who has respected our family's wish for privacy at this time. "With current restrictions in place, many people have not been able to travel to pay their respects to Cian, so we invite people to light a candle this Thursday night in memory of our hero, so we can all be stronger together." Comforted The family have asked those who light a candle to share their tribute online using the hashtags #candleforcian and #bestrongertogether. Cian's parents, Vinnie and Siobhan, who are both from Carlow town, and his older brother Dylan (26) are being comforted by family and friends. They left Ireland 15 years ago, first to travel to the Caribbean, where Mr English worked for Digicel, and then to settle in Brisbane in 2011. A post-mortem has been carried out on Cian's body. Once his remains are released by the police, a funeral for the teenager, who has been described as a "gentle soul", will be organised. The charged men charged, who allegedly used drugs together, are believed to have invited Cian and a friend to an apartment in the same accommodation block they were staying in. The party turned violent, and the three allegedly threatened Cian and his male friend at knifepoint, demanding their mobile phones, clothing and footwear. Police have said a girl who tagged along with the men is believed to have filmed the alleged assault. Detectives are investigating if the alleged murder is linked to break-ins at Gold Coast chemists' premises. A man and woman have been killed in a horror head-on crash during peak hour traffic in Sydney's south. Emergency services were called to an intersection on Thursday at Alfords Point Road and New Illawarra Road, in Menai, at 4:40pm. The male driver and female passenger, both 23, died when their Nissan Tida hatchback collided with a Toyota Hilux ute. Police said the 46-year-old ute driver was taken to hospital with a fractured wrist and rib injuries. Police are seen at the crash site on Thursday night (pictured) after two people died in a head-on collision Emergency services were called to the intersection at Alfords Point Road and New Illawarra Road, in Menai at 4.40pm after a hatchback collided with a ute Multiple ambulance crews, including two specialist medical teams, arrived on the scene to offer assistance. Shortly after, officers from Sutherland Shire Police Area Command established a crime scene. The tragic incident caused major traffic disruption in the area. Alfords Point Road was closed in both direction for an extended period overnight. The road has now reopened on Friday morning. However police said investigations will continue as they prepare a report for the Coroner. The Ministry of Transport has told the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) to consider reopening some international air routes to meet travel demand and resume trade activities. browser not support iframe. The authority was asked to submit a report on the resumption of some international air services to the ministry prior to June 10, Thanh Nien newspaper reported. Most domestic air services have been resumed so far, while international air routes remain closed due to the development of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, in many countries. Local airlines have only operated a few flights to repatriate Vietnamese nationals stranded abroad. A report by Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) showed that since early May, the aviation market has gradually rebounded. The number of flights is rising, with the daily frequency of flights reaching 644. On May 10, as many as 765 flights were in operation. The number of domestic flights is expected to match 60% of the pre-Covid-19 frequency this month. ACV stated that the coronavirus pandemic has been brought under control in Vietnam, so socioeconomic activities are returning to normal. Also, on domestic flights, the social distancing order and some other relevant regulations have been lifted since May 7. Data from the CAAV indicated that in May, a mere 2.88 million passengers traveled through local airports, plunging by 70% year-on-year. However, compared with the April figure of 188,000 travelers, this month has seen a significant increase in the number of passengers passing though local airports, supported by the efficiency of Covid-19 infection prevention and control efforts. Tan Son Nhat airport runway to be closed for repairs One of Tan Son Nhat International Airports runways will be closed for six months for repairs to ensure safety, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. According to a plan to renovate the airport, which Cuu Long Corporation for Investment Development and Project Management of Infrastructure submitted to the Ministry of Transport, the company will close the airports 25R/07L runway from late June for six months. The company noted that the 25R/07L runway has deteriorated. Although it has been repaired several times, it could not be completely fixed, posing a hazard for aviation activities at the airport. Other components of the renovation project, including building four new taxiways, repairing the water drainage system and upgrading the signal lights system, are scheduled for completion in 14 months. The project, which is expected to help raise the airports capacity to 50 million passengers per year, costs over VND2 trillion. Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC, which is the countrys busiest airport, has a capacity of 36-38 million passengers per year. However, it served 41.2 million passengers last year. Being overburdened and utilizing deteriorating facilities has affected the airports service quality and safety. Therefore, it is in urgent need of renovation. SGT/VNA Amaravati, May 28 : Despite intensive containment measures, fresh COVID-19 cases continue to surface in Andhra Pradesh with unfailing regularity. On Thursday the state reported 54 positive cases, which includes four persons that had travel histories to the Koyambedu market in Chennai. With the addition of 54 new cases over the past 24 hours, the state's tally jumped to 2,841, the state nodal officer reported at 10 a.m., on Thursday. While there has been a decrease in the proportion of cases with a Koyambedu connection, the number of cases related to returnees from other states are continuing to some extent. On Thursday, only 4 of the 54 positive cases were found to have a Koyambedu connection. While Nellore district reported two cases, 1 case was reported from Chittoor and Guntur districts respectively. The Koyambedu market which has since been closed, was identified as one of the biggest spreaders of COVID-19 cases in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, where positive cases tally has long crossed the 18,000-mark. Andhra Pradesh reported on Thursday that there are 111 cumulative cases among the returnees from foreign countries. This figure has remained unchanged since Wednesday. With flights touching down in Andhra Pradesh over the past few days, a few hundred foreign returnees have arrived in the state. Some of the foreign returnees have tested positive for COVID-19. With 45 persons discharged, the cumulative tally of cured persons in Andhra Pradesh was 1,958 on Thursday. The number of active cases is currently 824. The state nodal officer reported that 9,858 samples were tested during the past 24 hours as against 9,664 samples that were tested during the preceding testing cycle. The state's average in terms of tests conducted per million population stands at 6,409, below Delhi's 9,454, and Jammu and Kashmir's 10,753. However, in terms of tests conducted, Andhra Pradesh with 34,22,236 tests conducted till date, lags behind Rajasthan with 3,46,427 tests, Maharashtra with 4,05,020 tests, and Tamil Nadu's 4,42,320. Till date, 33,62,136 tests have been conducted across India as a whole. With one death reported from Kurnool district, the death toll in the state touched 59 on Thursday morning. In terms of mortality rate, Andhra Pradesh's 1.82 per cent ranks 12th among the states of India. Meanwhile the cumulative tally of COVID-19 cases among returnees from other states climbed to 293 from 219. The tally of active cases fell to 126, as 23 were discharged. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 28 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Turkmenistan and OSCE discussed measures to counter terrorism financing, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. International adviser Svetlana Poddubskaya held an online consultation on the First Draft Technical Report on the compliance of the national system of Turkmenistan with the standards for countering money laundering and the financing of terrorism hosted by Ministry of Finance and Economics of Turkmenistan on May 27, 2020. The consultations were held within the framework of the national preparations to the Mutual Assessment by Eurasian Group for the Development of Financial Measures against Money Laundering (EAG). The Turkmen side was represented by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Economics, Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, the State Statistics Committee, the State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange, the State Customs Service, the Central Bank and a number of commercial banks and postal organizations providing money transfer services, as well as staff members of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat. During the consultations, the parties considered the process of mutual assessment according to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) methodology, including the compliance of the country's legislation with the FATF standards. Parties also discussed issues related to international cooperation in combating money laundering and financing terrorism, targeted financial sanctions, as well as supervision in the sector of established non-financial enterprises and professions. The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat works on security issues, including arms control; border management; the fight against terrorism; trafficking in human beings, arms and drugs; economic and environmental topics; human rights, good governance, and rule of law issues; and elections and media freedom. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva Naird is not a science person, Malkovich said. He doesnt trust scientists because sometimes they say carbs are good for you and sometimes they say theyre bad. Id say about 70% of the world agrees with him. Science suffers from a lot of blah blah and speculation. New Delhi, May 28 : Referring to the activists spreading negativity on the measures taken by Centre to provide relief to migrant workers during lockdown, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court that there are a handful of people -- "prophets of doom" -- who are always skeptical about everything. Mehta submitted before a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, S.K. Kaul and M.R. Shah that these people have been squabbling on social media, have been giving interviews, and writing articles against every institution and have not even acknowledged the humongous efforts made by the government. Mehta said this has become a trend and the court, as an institution, has to prevent its spread. He added that the trend is that a handful of people give "certificates" to judges of neutrality only if judges abuse the Executive. He submitted that none of these "prophets of doom" have shown any courtesy to the nation during the pandemic. "The government and ministers are working overnight to see that there is minimum spread of the virus. All these "armchair intellectuals" and so-called "public spirited" people have done nothing to contribute", Mehta told the Supreme Court. Mehta cited the incident, where Pulitzer Prize winner photojournalist Kevin Carter had gone to Sudan in 1993, while the country was undergoing a serious famine. Carter took a picture of a vulture behind 3-year-old famine-stricken child, who was facing death due to starvation. He pointed out the vulture was waiting for the child to die. Mehta stressed that the photographer may have committed suicide because he was not an "activist", and was not running an "NGO" and perhaps was man with conscience. He used this metaphor citing many interveners in the migrant workers' crisis before the court. Attacking the interveners, Mehta said all those who have come before the Supreme Court in this suo moto petition by filing interventions, impleadment applications or petitions, must establish their credentials as to what their contribution is. He stated that real spirited people are out on the streets, helping/feeding the needy. He also pointed that there are thousands of NGOs working tirelessly along with the government officers. On May 26, the apex court had taken cognizance of the plight of migrant workers and asked the Centre and states to provide them transport, food and shelter immediately free-of-cost. Syracuse, N.Y. In just more than 12 hours, Central New York will likely be allowed to start the second phase of an economic restart. But local officials and business owners have been frustrated by the lack of information on what, exactly, that means. New York state has still not released guidance for specific industries that can reopen in phase two, which will start at midnight tonight in Central New York. In his daily briefings, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has discussed the states restart, but has not talked about phase two in any detail. Thats a change from two weeks ago, when he trotted out details about phase one each day leading up to it. The last specific mention Cuomo made of phase two was a response to a question last week about whether salons will be allowed to reopen (they will, he said). But business owners are looking for more specifics on whats required of them. Some have been reaching out to local officials (and reporters) looking for guidance. Shawne Shorney, a salon owner in DeWitt, emailed syracuse.com Wednesday asking for answers. I was hoping to get some clarity on when the guidelines are coming out for salons. I was hoping we would be able to open on Friday 5/29 (2 DAYS AWAY!!!), Shorney wrote. Please help us salon owners in getting this information, we are so eager to get back to work. We just need a date! Cuomo has said the restart will be handled on the local level, and he appointed regional groups to guide decisions. But those groups appear to be advisory, recommending decisions to state officials. The state, meanwhile, has maintained a tight grip on the process. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said Wednesday that New York needs to release more decision-making power to the local and regional authorities. The states sluggish release of information for businesses has created frustration among owners seeking answers on whether they can reopen and what new rules theyll face. If were not going to give more time for the business community to prepare, then I think we need to let the locals make more of these decisions, McMahon said. Because we eventually do all the work related to it anyways. When phase one began May 15, officials faced similar confusion, though there was more detailed information offered then. Four days before the onset of phase one, the state released a detailed list of which industries would be allowed to reopen. It was an expansion of the general list released early on. Later that week, the state offered guidance for specific industries on how to reopen. Cuomo visited each region eligible to start phase one and gave them the green light. No similar guidance has been given yet for phase two, which still includes just four broad categories: Professional services, retail, administrative support and real estate / rental & leasing. Some business owners arent sure if they fit into one of those categories. Others are simply saying they do and are planning to reopen. Business owners can look up their industry on the states website to see if theyre eligible to reopen, but further guidelines arent available yet. Wednesday, McMahon said he expected the state would release guidance for phase two businesses that night or Thursday morning. He said he and other local leaders have pushed the state to release guidance sooner, or to hand over more authority to the local leaders. I cant tell you how many emails Ive gotten from various groups asking where they fall, and I dont have the answer for them because I dont make the answer," he said. "You cant micromanage a restart. We know what the right thing is to do. If its gray, you cant ask every time. If you keep on asking and dont get an answer, thats an answer to me. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources These restaurants in Central New York have closed. How many more will there be? Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Less than 1% of tests returned positive overnight; 4 more deaths Phase two could begin as soon as Friday in CNY: What will you be able to do? Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Even people with mild symptoms of the coronavirus develop antibodies, according to a study that raises hopes that survivors do get immunity. Researchers analysed the blood of 160 medics who all had a mild form of Covid-19 and had not needed hospital care. They found 99.4 per cent of the group had antibodies to the virus 13 days after their symptoms, which signals they have some form of protection against it. The antibodies had the ability to 'neutralise' - or kill - the virus in tests, and appeared to grow stronger in the weeks after infection. The study did not look at blood samples any later than 40 days after symptoms, so it was not established how long antibodies last for. Antibodies are a sign a person was infected by the coronavirus. But whether or not this protects a survivor from being re-infected has yet to be proven. Several countries, including the UK, have hung their hopes on tests that identify coronavirus antibodies to decide who is immune and can go back to work with so-called 'immunity passports'. But the unsolved question regarding immunity has halted this idea and become one of the most contested issues during the pandemic. The French study comes after previous research revealed that mild Covid-19 patients have such low levels of antibodies they are barely detectable, which could mean they are often missed by antibody tests, or that person has weak immunity. A French study has shown even people with mild symptoms of the coronavirus develop antibodies, raising hope of immunity. Pictured: Women shopping in face masks in Paris The latest study was conducted at the Pasteur Institute, in Paris, where researchers screened the blood of 160 medics who had confirmed Covid-19 The latest study was conducted at the Pasteur Institute, in Paris. The findings, which have yet to be peer-reviewed, have been published on MedRxiv. Blood samples were taken from more than 160 staff at two hospitals in Strasbourg, eastern France, who became infected with Covid-19 early in March. The cluster emerged after a 'super-propagation' event linked to a five-day prayer and fasting gathering of the evangelical Christian Open Door church in Mulhouse, 70 miles (114km) from Strasbourg. Participants - doctors, nurses, dentists and other medics - were 32 years old on average, and anyone who was severely sick with the disease had been removed from the study. The researchers wanted to focus on patients with mild disease because there is little known about their immunity even though they make up to 80 per cent of cases, according to the World Health Organisation. Two separate antibody tests were used to look for antibodies. The first test was a commercially available one, which generally are less accurate. The second test had been developed by the institute to identify antibodies, and the ability of those antibodies to neutralise the virus. EVERY RECOVERED COVID-19 PATIENTS DEVELOPS ANTIBODIES - BUT THEY MAY NOT BLOCK THE INFECTION AGAIN Most people who recover from the novel coronavirus generate at least some antibodies capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2, the first round of results from a new study suggest. While many antibodies grab hold of the virus, only a few counteract the pathogen and prevent it from entering our cells. Researchers from Rockefeller University in New York City looked at 149 recovered patients and determined that the majority had a weak antibody response. However, they found that every patient's immune system seemed to be capable of generating the types of antibodies that neutralize the virus, just not particularly enough of them. 'This suggests just about everybody can do this, which is very good news for vaccines,' Dr Michel C Nussenzweig, head of the Laboratory of Molecular Immunology at Rockefeller, said in a statement. 'It means if you were able to create a vaccine that elicits these particular antibodies, then the vaccine is likely to be effective and work for a lot of people.' For the study, published on pre-peer review site bioRxiv.org, the team looked at 149 people who donated plasma at The Rockefeller Hospital in New York City over the course of five weeks. Convalescent plasma is the liquid portion of blood is taken from a recovered coronavirus patient, which contains antibodies and immune B-cells. Participants had symptoms of the virus for about 12 days while infected, and their first symptoms occurred about 39 days before they donated plasma. Researchers then mixed the plasma with a pseudo coronavirus and measured if or how well the virus would infect human cells in a petri dish. Most samples did not do very well at neutralizing the virus. In fact, the neutralizing effect was undetectable in 33 per cent of donors. The investigators say this may be because their immune systems cleared the infection before antibodies could be produced. They found that the effect was very high among one percent of patients, so-called 'elite donors.' The team identified 40 antibodies that neutralized the virus, and focused on three that did so even at low levels. These antibodies bound to at least three sites on the spike protein found on the surface of the coronavirus that it uses to enter our cells. Researchers now plan to clone these antibodies in hopes it will help patients with severe or life-threatening cases of the virus. 'We now know what an effective antibody looks like and we have found similar ones in more than one person,' Robbiani said. Advertisement The first test, a rapid immunodiagnostic test, detected antibodies in 153 (95.6 per cent) of the samples. The more robust test found antibodies in 159 (99.4 per cent) volunteers. It failed to detect antibodies in a 58-year-old man. When looking at the antibodies' ability to neutralise the virus, they appeared to grow stronger over time. Neutralizing antibodies - which bind to the virus and inactivate it, rather than 'tag' it for other immune cells - were found in 79 per cent of samples 13-20 days after symptoms started. This rose to 98 per cent after 28-41 days. 'It is a fair assumption that the majority of individuals with mild Covid-19 generate neutralising antibodies within a month after onset of symptoms,' Olivier Schwartz, one of the leading researchers, told the French newspaper Le Monde. 'The neutralising activity is present much later than the appearance of antibodies and this is encouraging. 'Although not yet demonstrated, several lines of evidence suggest that the presence of neutralising antibodies may be associated with protective immunity for Sars-CoV-2 infection.' Survivors of SARS, a coronavirus related to this one that died out in early 2000, have been found to have antibodies that are protective for two years. The evidence that mild Covid-19 patients elicit the production of antibodies has not always been positive. Some research has shown only patients with really severe disease develop antibodies, which may mean those who had mild forms are still vulnerable to infection again. A study of a similar size at Rockefeller University in New York City, published this week, also found that every patient's immune system seemed to be capable of generating the types of antibodies that neutralize the virus - but sometimes in very weak amounts. For the study, published on pre-peer review site bioRxiv.org, the team looked at 149 people who donated blood plasma - which would contain antibodies. Researchers then mixed the plasma with the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 - which coats the virus - and measured if or how well the virus would infect human cells in a petri dish. Most samples, which were collected 39 days after symptoms on average, did not do very well at neutralizing the virus. In fact, the neutralizing effect was undetectable in 33 per cent of donors. The investigators say this may be because their immune systems cleared the infection before antibodies could be produced. Antibodies are only one part of the picture - there are other parts of the immune system which are triggered by the virus, including T cells. Health officials in several countries, including the UK, have hung their hopes on tests that identify coronavirus antibodies to decide who is immune and can go back to work. But getting the ball rolling on antibody testing has been a fiasco, not only because the science on immunity is full of holes, but because there have been obstacles in finding a test with enough reliability. Most antibody tests are fraught with inaccuracies, giving an incorrect result, which can be dangerous. Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control found antibody tests for Covid-19 may be wrong up to half of the time, and warned testing is not accurate enough for it to be used for any policy-making decisions. NHS workers in the UK were confirmed to be getting antibody testing this week after a deal to buy 10million tests from manufacturers Roche and Abbott. These were planned to be rolled out to the public soon after - but there are concerns this will not go ahead. Health officials have banned people from buying the same tests online because they fear the results are too unreliable. The ban affects Superdrug and Lloyds, which were just two companies offering the tests to people for a fee of 69 or more using the same equipment that are now being used for NHS staff. The equipment is being used wrongly, officials say, because it takes blood from a finger prick sample - not someone's veins, as been approved by the Government. There has been no rapid home testing kit - which someone reads results on like a pregnancy stick - approved for use in the UK by health chiefs, despite promises back in March. ANOTHER testing shambles: Health chiefs ban public from buying the same antibody test they are rolling out for NHS workers Sam Blanchard, Senior Health Reporter for MailOnline Health officials have banned people from buying at-home coronavirus antibody tests that use finger-prick blood samples because they fear the results are so unreliable. The ban affects Superdrug, which is offering to test people for past infection with Covid-19 using the same equipment that are now being used for NHS staff. The equipment is being used wrongly, officials say, because it only has Government approval when used with blood taken directly from someone's veins, not their finger. Using the wrong type of blood sample makes it less reliable. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which polices medicines and medical devices in the UK told firms and labs offering to test blood samples people take themselves to 'temporarily stop providing this service', warning they would take 'enforcement action' if businesses failed to abide by the rule. But health chiefs were today accused of 'making the rules up as they go', with critics calling the decision another failure in Britain's testing fiasco, which has seen months of delays and wasted money in the bid to find near-perfect tests. Public Health England officials last week approved the first two antibody tests, made by pharmaceutical giants Abbott and Roche, which both claim their machines and procedure are almost 100 per cent accurate when used with blood from a vein. The NHS scheme which began on Monday and is reserved for frontline workers uses samples of blood taken by a needle in the vein collected by a nurse or a doctor, which are sent to a lab for testing and close to 100 per cent accurate. Private firms jumped on PHE's approval of those testing processes earlier this month to start selling their own tests, such as Superdrug - which quickly sold out of their 69 tests when they went on sale on Wednesday. Confusingly, the lab-based equipment used to process the now-banned tests is the same as for the national scheme, but must be used in a certain way. The decision by the MHRA - a branch of the Department of Health - only concerns tests which rely on people taking their own blood from their finger, not ones which use professional samples of vein blood. It is unclear how many of these have been sold already but it is understood to affect thousands of people. Superdrug admitted only that it had received 'strong demand' for its tests. Sources say officials only became aware of the antibody tests being used this way in the past few days - even though private firms across Britain have been selling blood kits for weeks online, some for more than 100 a time. Antibody tests involve taking blood and looking for signs of past infection, which is indicated by the presence of antibodies from the immune system. Scientists have yet to prove this confers any form of immunity. Abbott, the manufacturer of the test being used by Superdrug, is furious that its tests are being used with self-sampled blood, which was not its intended use. It has sold 800,000 of the tests to the NHS already. It is not believed to be linked to a report issued yesterday by the US's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which suggested that even highly accurate antibody tests may be wrong up to 50 per cent of the time when used for an uncommon virus. Abbott, one of the manufacturers of a Government validated test which is being used by Superdrug, is furious that its tests are being used with self-sampled blood, which was not its intended use. It has sold 800,000 of the tests to the NHS already The highest performing antibody tests use high-tech machinery to try to produce a reaction between a blood sample and a part of the virus to see whether the person's immune system contains the substances needed to fight off the virus. Pictured: The Architect laboratory instrument that Abbott uses for its coronavirus test Superdrug has said it will offer refunds to customers who bought its at-home tests. The high street retailer launched its service only a week ago - it had to stop selling them early because of overwhelming demand but has now been stopped in its tracks. A Superdrug spokesperson told MailOnline this evening: 'We have contacted all our Covid-19 antibody testing service customers today to provide further information about the quality and safety of our Covid-19 antibody laboratory-based testing service. 'Our doctors continue to support our customers with interpreting and understanding their results. If a customer requests a refund then we will organise it for them.' The MHRA has confirmed that it has the power to force companies to stop using the test - which it described as 'non-compliance' - if it needs to. It said in a statement: 'When we find instances of non-compliance, in the first instance, we act swiftly to ensure voluntary cooperation. 'In this case, service providers have voluntarily paused their services following discussions with the MHRA. We would only move to formal enforcement action where voluntary compliance was not successful.' Dr Simon Clarke, a cellular microbiology expert at the University of Reading, said taking the decision to block the testing this late in the day was really odd. At least half a dozen companies have already bought antibody tests and are selling them en masse to members of the public, many of whom are now unable to get results despite having paid for a private service. Dr Clarke said the Government was probably panicking that people receiving positive antibody results might believe they were immune to Covid-19 and get brave about breaking lockdown rules. He told MailOnline: 'This is really odd. At least one of the tests validated by the Government is commercially available. 'Why theyre telling people not to use them; they dont want people to be assuming that theyve had the virus and are immune. BRITAIN'S COVID-19 TESTING SHAMBLES: A TIMELINE March 12: Professor Chris Whitty announced that widespread coronavirus testing of members of the public would come to an end. The outbreak was too large, officials have since admitted, and only hospital patients could be tested within capacity. March 19: Boris Johnson promised to get antibody tests 'as simple as a pregnancy test' available for people to use at home - this is still nowhere near a reality. March 25: Public Health England's Sharon Peacock said the UK had bought 3.5million antibody tests and was evaluating them with a view to getting them available 'within days' - they were all deemed useless and were never made available to the public. April 2: Health Secretary Matt Hancock sets ambitious aim of carrying out 100,000 coronavirus tests every day by the end of the month. On April 1 the Government had done 10,412. April 3: Universities and private labs caused uproar in the 'little ships' fiasco when they revealed the Government had turned down their offers to help with swab testing, to check who had the disease at the time. April 16: The New York Times reported that Britain had spent 16.5million on antibody tests that it no longer wanted to use. May 1: Health Secretary Matt Hancock claimed the Government hit its 100,000-a-day test target, but it emerged that it had just mailed out 39,000 of them on that day and many of those may never have been returned or analysed. Advertisement 'Them not wanting to think that way is probably right but this should have been put to bed earlier.' He said that taking the decision now shows 'a lack of foresight that getting it wrong could cause problems'. At least two laboratories are known to have stopped processing as a result of the 'guidance' from the MHRA. Professor Karol Sikora, a former World Health Organization cancer chief, took antibody testing into his own hands at the Rutherford Cancer Centres where he is medical director. He told this website: 'In Britain the testing is appalling. There seems to be no strategy and it changes by the day. They're making it up as they go... 'It's another failure. We shouldn't have got to this point in the pandemic and not had a properly worked out testing strategy both for the virus and antibodies. It should have been sorted out at the beginning.' The finger-prick tests have never been approved by the Government because they use a different type of blood to that which official tests have been validated on. In the lab the tests use blood taken directly from a patient's veins, while the home tests may use blood from capillaries, which are tiny vessels carrying oxygenated blood through the skin. This blood, because it comes through a wound in the skin, is more likely to be contaminated by the time it reaches the test. Tissue fluid from parts of the body surrounding the blood vessels, or substances on the skin, may mix with the tiny amount of blood and make it more difficult for the test to filter it accurately. Taking the blood properly is key - for example, the first drop of blood should not be used for the above reason - and unqualified people might be less likely to get a clean sample if doing it by themselves. ARE TESTS LESS RELIABLE WHEN FINGER BLOOD IS USED? In the lab the tests use blood taken directly from a patient's veins, while the home tests may use blood from capillaries, which are tiny vessels carrying oxygenated blood through the skin. This blood, because it comes through a wound in the skin, is more likely to be contaminated by the time it reaches the test. Tissue fluid from parts of the body surrounding the blood vessels, or substances on the skin, may mix with the tiny amount of blood and make it more difficult for the test to filter it accurately. Taking the blood properly is key - for example, the first drop of blood should not be used for the above reason - and unqualified people might be less likely to get a clean sample if doing it by themselves. Professor Sikora added: 'The real problem is, if you've got this in the post and never done it before, the chances of you screwing it up are high - it's just the way these things are designed. 'And people are nervous about pricking their fingers anyway. So there's a lot of inconsistency.' The finger-prick samples also only use a tiny amount of blood - usually just one or two drops - meaning there is more chance of the antibodies being missed. Testing of Covid-19 patients has in the past revealed that some of them with the mildest illnesses have levels of antibodies in the blood that are so low they are barely detectable. Using a pure, larger blood sample from a deeper vein could increase the ability to detect these. Advertisement Professor Sikora added: 'The real problem is, if you've got this in the post and never done it before, the chances of you screwing it up are high - it's just the way these things are designed. 'And people are nervous about pricking their fingers anyway. So there's a lot of inconsistency.' The finger-prick samples also only use a tiny amount of blood - usually just one or two drops - meaning there is more chance of the antibodies being missed. Testing of Covid-19 patients has in the past revealed that some of them with the mildest illnesses have levels of antibodies in the blood that are so low they are barely detectable. Using a pure, larger blood sample from a deeper vein could increase the ability to detect these. After noticing rising numbers of pharmacies offering the home finger-prick tests the MHRA is now cracking down on these firms by urging them to stop. The tests remain legal and it is not clear whether the Government has any legal powers to stop the companies doing the testing anyway, but officials fear the results could be unreliable. People who bought the tests complained on Twitter that companies should not have been selling them in the first place if they weren't approved. One user, Maneesh Juneja, tweeted: 'I wonder if consumers like me who paid 69 for a covid-19 antibody test where they have already got a result back, will refund consumers now that the tests with finger prick blood sample method have to be validated by the MHRA?' Another, Helen Ashby, said she had ordered a test and tweeted at online pharmacy Thriva: 'Really shouldn't have taken my order then!' Ben Read said: 'Stop selling coronavirus antibody kits until you are approved to sell them. Been given the run around for a test I purchased last week, supposedly blocked by MHRA guidance from April. Pretty deceitful.' People who have bought tests have shown on Twitter that they were unhappy to be sold something not approved by the Government The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) told MailOnline last night: 'Patient safety and public health are our main priorities and it is in the interests of everyone for antibody tests to be as reliable and meaningful as they can be. 'There are several UK providers of testing services who offer Covid-19 antibody testing using a fingerprick sample of capillary blood collected in a small container. 'We are asking all providers of laboratory-based Covid-19 antibody testing services using capillary blood collected by a fingerprick to temporarily stop providing this service until home collection of this sample type has been properly validated for use with these laboratory tests. CDC WARNS ANTIBODY TESTS ARE WRONG UP TO HALF THE TIME Antibody tests for Covid-19 may be wrong up to half of the time, according to updated information from the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC now warns antibody testing is not accurate enough for it to be used for any policy-making decisions, as even with high test specificity, 'less than half of those testing positive will truly have antibodies'. It urges caution with the test results as many false positives could lead people to believe they have an immunity to coronavirus and act accordingly. Health care providers may need to test patients at least twice to give a more accurate reading, the new guidance posted to the CDC website adds. Antibody studies, also known as seroprevalence research, are considered critical to understanding where an outbreak is spreading and can help guide decisions on restrictions needed to contain it. There is currently a high level of inaccuracy in the testing, however, caused by how uncommon the virus is within the population. If the infection has affected only a small number of people tested, it will have a magnified margin of error, the CDC explains. It means that even a test with more than 90 per cent accuracy can still miss half the cases if only five percent of the population has been infected. Advertisement 'Use of unvalidated sample types may lead to unreliable results and as such we are working closely with the service providers, laboratories and test manufacturers to resolve the regulatory and patient safety issues. 'People who have purchased one of these sampling kits, and received an antibody test result, should not consider the result to be reliable and should not take any action on it. 'This does not affect rapid point of care tests or laboratory tests performed using venous blood.' The way antibody tests work is that a blood sample is taken from a patient, either by medical professional or by themselves, and that is posted off to a lab. There, qualified technicians analyse the blood to look for antibodies for the coronavirus, which are immune system substances created when someone is infected with the virus. People then receive a result in which the presence of antibodies - a positive result - indicates they have already had the virus, or the absence that they have not. The lab analysis stage is now being blocked by the MHRA because the tests are being used with blood taken by the patient themselves. The best-known company providing antibody tests, Superdrug, voluntarily stopped issuing its tests last week because of immense demand, so it could get through all the ordered samples. It did not confirm whether the MHRA rule had affected its service. A spokesperson said: 'We have been contacted by the MHRA and are in ongoing discussions with them about Covid-19 laboratory-based testing services and the updated guidance provided by Abbott. 'We are also contacting all our Covid-19 antibody testing service customers today to provide further information about the quality and safety of our Covid-19 antibody laboratory-based testing service. We are updating them on our current position together with inviting them to contact us directly if theyd like further information or if they have any questions or concerns. HOW CAN ACCURATE TESTS BE INACCURATE? Antibody tests with what could be considered a high level of accuracy can still produce large margins of error if only a small proportion of a population has been infected. A 95% specific test, for example, will always produce five false positive results from a group of 100 people. Even if it is sensitive enough to detect all the people who have genuinely had the disease, it will still return five false positives, and the effect this has on the results of a survey can be large if the number of true positives is low. If the prevalence of antibodies is low - for example, only 5% of people in the group have had the illness - the results could end up half wrong. The 95% test, in that situation, would be expected to return 10 positives - five of them right, five of them wrong. This means the functional accuracy of the test, known as its true predictive value, is only around 50%. The effect of these false positives is magnified if the prevalence of the virus in the population is low, and less noticeable if the prevalence is high. For example, if 30% of the population have been infected, those five false positive results would be counter-balanced by 30 true positives, making the test more like 85 per cent accurate. A more specific test can reduce this effect; by comparison a 99.9% specific test would return one wrong result per thousand - 100 per million. Advertisement Lloyds Pharmacy is also believed to have been affected by the decision but did not confirm this. Andy Sloman, a managing director at the company, said: 'We are working closely with our partners and regulators and have taken the decision to temporarily pause the LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor COVID-19 antibody testing service pending further guidance. 'The health and safety of customers is our top priority, particularly during such a difficult and uncertain time. 'We are following the developing advice and guidance on COVID-19 antibody tests from the government and medical professionals closely.' Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at Reading university, said: 'In general I am in favour of freedom of choice as long as there is full information given on the reliability of the test performed. 'After all, you can buy any number of totally useless products sold under the vitamin or "immune health" type banner and the Government does nothing. 'Its worth noting that part of Germanys success in dealing with the epidemic was because of a commercial testing drive, in that case for active infections. 'The problem with centralisation is that it cannot cope with the numbers and that any teething troubles affect all samples. 'A disseminated system at least avoids this. It seems to me the issue is lack of accurate information about which kits are acceptable and which providers are offering them. Then people can choose.' A Department of Health spokesperson said: 'The Government is working to develop scalable solutions for at home antibody testing. Our experts are clear that an unreliable test is worse than no test. 'We strongly discourage organisations and individuals purchasing their own unvalidated antibody tests.' An affluent Atlanta neighborhood has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases after several prep school students tested positive following a graduation drive-through ceremony and party. The Lovett School in Atlanta informed parents last week that several graduating seniors had tested positive for coronavirus following a drive-through ceremony on May 17. One student, who DailyMail.com understands is the son of an Atlanta doctor, later hosted a graduation party for students and traveled interstate with a group of friends. Since the school informed parents on May 22 that several students had become infected, new cases have exploded in the upscale Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead. It is believed that more than 30 teenagers have tested positive but it is not clear exactly how many students who attended the party or drive-through ceremony became infected. The Lovett School in Atlanta informed parents last week that several graduating seniors had tested positive for coronavirus following a drive-through ceremony on May 17. Since then, more than 100 new cases were report in just five days More than 100 new cases have been reported in just five days, according to local health department data that breaks down cases by zip code. Cases increased by more than 20 percent in less than a week in three of the five zip codes associated with the Buckhead neighborhood More than 100 new cases have been reported in just five days, according to local health department data that breaks down cases by zip code. Cases increased by more than 20 percent in less than a week in three of the five zip codes associated with the Buckhead neighborhood. According to the health department data, Fulton County - which encompasses the city of Atlanta and surrounding areas - has just over 4,300 cases. Infections in Buckhead now account for 653 of those county cases. One concerned parent told DailyMail.com he fears this cluster will now escalate and become a 'huge issue' as schools start reopening and seniors go off to college. 'They clearly disregarded social distancing. Not only did they get it, they gave it to their parents and their neighborhoods,' he said. 'It's not going to be isolated. The kids were together for 48 hours. Kids cross populate. It's a very interconnected neighborhood.' More than 100 new cases in Buckhead have been reported in just five days, according to local health department data that breaks down cases by zip code. The heat chart above shows a cluster of cases (in red) around the neighborhood Infections in Buckhead now account for 653 of the 4,300 cases in Fulton County The private school, where annual tuition is about $30,000, has been closed since March 15. The parent, who didn't want to be named, isn't blaming the school for the outbreak but, instead, says other parents are acting 'irresponsibly'. 'The school technically did everything right,' the parent said. 'As you can see in this case, children believe they're not going to get and their parents aren't holding them accountable. 'These are healthy children. If they can get it, anyone can get. 'As these kids get it they will take it to college campuses. There's no way the math won't perpetuate this worse. I think we've set ourselves up for real failure.' The parent said this specific cluster has made it apparent that the state of Georgia should not have reopened so early. Georgia, which currently has more than 45,000 infections and 1,900 deaths, was among the first few states to start reopening in late April. 'Georgia made the stand that its a sense of liberty - its putting us all in jeopardy,' the parent said. The Lovett School in Atlanta informed parents last week that several graduating seniors had tested positive for coronavirus following a drive-through ceremony on May 17 According to the health department data, Fulton County - which encompasses the city of Atlanta and surrounding areas - has just over 4,300 cases Hundreds of jobs at Australia's largest newspaper publisher News Corp Australia will be axed as the company shuts down suburban and regional titles across the nation in a long-foreshadowed switch from print to digital. Struggling with declining sales and plummeting advertising dollars, exacerbated by the coronovirus lockdowns, News Corp Australia on Thursday broke the news to its employees that many of them were likely to get the chop. Ironically, devastated staff were already aware their jobs were in peril after news of the newspaper cull was leaked and published on rival digital news sites on Wednesday evening. Staff at the Herald Sun in Melbourne learnt about changes to the business from online news reports on Wednesday A Herald Sun newspaper is seen on a news stand in Melbourne on Thursday. While it is business as usual at the publication, change is coming quickly News Corp Australia's Holt Street headquarters in Sydney where reporters learnt big changes were coming The move by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp Australia follows massive drops in advertising as readership has moved online to news sources such as the ABC and Daily Mail Australia, which last month recorded 11.6million unique readers and employs 100 journalists. News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller said in a statement on Thursday that from June 29 the bulk of its community and regional titles would go digital only. Mr Miller said more than 375 journalists would cover regional and community news. There were previously more than 1000. 'Today's announcements ... will mean some job roles will change and regretfully, will lead to job losses,' he told staff. News Corp's major dailies, including the Herald Sun and The Daily Telegraph, will become more state focused, drawing content from regional and community journalists. Larger regional papers, which includes the Hobart Mercury, Townsville Bulletin and NT News, will continue to be published. News Corp Australia has been giving away newspapers across the country for years and is now turning to a digital model News Corp Australia's office in Adelaide where Rupert Murdoch made his name in the newspaper business News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller announced the bad news to staff a day after they read about it online at a rival digital news site The Wentworth Courier, Mosman Daily and North Shore Times, which Mr Miller says serve Sydney's 'most affluent suburbs', will also still be printed. The demise of the print editions will see a 1400km stretch of Queensland without access to a local daily newspaper, including the Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton and Mackay. Mr Miller blamed COVID-19 for much of the company's woes. 'COVID-19 has impacted the sustainability of community and regional publishing,' he wrote. Mr Miller said there would have to be a 'fundamental shift in the way the company operated', including hiring digital only journalists and focusing on online advertising. The move followed talks about a potential sale of the regional and community portfolio to Australian Community Media, which is owned by Antony Catalano and Alex Waislitz. News Corp insiders have told Daily Mail Australia while they are disappointed in the developments, they felt they were being set up for a fall for some time. Staff across the country had been told to get rid of their annual leave and long-service leave and had their working week reduced by a day a fortnight. Rupert Murdoch (left) and wife Jerry Hall last year. Mr Murdoch has taken a huge pay cut and is now cutting staff across Australia The Australian is a beloved newspaper of Rupert Murdoch. Its future has long been debated among News Corp employees 'Well become a bureau eventually,' a Melbourne staffer said. 'It just has to go that way.' Earlier this month, News Corp Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch announced he would forgo his cash bonus for the year after the media company posted a $1 billion quarterly loss due to a write-down in the value of its Australian pay TV unit and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its businesses. The Wall Street Journal owner said it incurred an impairment charge of $1.1 billion in the third quarter ended March 31, primarily related to a write-down at its struggling Australian pay television unit, Foxtel. News Corp also reported an 8% drop in revenue to $2.27 billion, hurt by a weaker Australian dollar and lower subscription at Foxtel. While the newspaper business is reeling from the latest developments, social media is awash with people celebrating the mass cull of Murdoch journalists. 'No-one under the age of 40 outside the industry sees the problem with there not being any newspapers around,' one person noted. Media companies across the country are making massive cuts or shutting shop completely during the coronavirus pandemic, with the latest victims including Buzzfeed Australia and 10daily. Eric Emeraux, head of the Gendarmerie's Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity, Genocides and War Crimes, poses in Paris KIGALI (Reuters) - A Rwandan court on Thursday handed a life sentence to a former politician found guilty of orchestrating the killing of tens of thousands of people during the 1994 genocide, a court spokesman said. Ladislas Ntaganzwa, head of the commune of Nyakizu in southern Rwanda, was indicted in 1996 by the Arusha, Tanzania-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on charges of direct and public incitement to commit genocide, murder and rape. The tribunal closed five years ago and was replaced by a successor body, International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, with offices in Arusha and the Hague, Netherlands. About 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutus were killed during the genocide. The tribunal's indictment accused Ntaganzwa of plotting to exterminate Rwanda's Tutsi population and personally ordering the massacre of more than 200,000 Tutsi civilians in one parish in April 1994. It passed the case to a Rwandan government court. Ladislas Ntaganzwa was today sentenced to life imprisonment over genocide crimes committed during the genocide against Tutsi in 1994, the court spokesman, Harrison Mutabazi, said. Alexis Musonera, Ntaganzwas lawyer, said he planned to appeal the ruling. We plan to appeal because evidence in the hearing was based on witnesses' testimony but that was not enough as some witnesses were contradicting themselves. We are not happy about this lengthy life jail term, Musonera told Reuters. The judgement was announced by video conference while Musonera used Skype to follow it with Ntaganzwa at Mpanga prison in the southern province. Ntaganzwa was arrested in December 2015 in Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda took him into custody in March 2016. The United States had offered up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest. Felicien Kabuga, the top-most fugitive from the genocide, was arrested in France last week. The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals said it concluded that former defence minister Augustin Bizimana, another key suspect, had died. (Reporting by George Obulutsa; editing by Philippa Fletcher) Harris County residents hit hardest by the economic fallout from COVID-19 will have two ways to receive a portion of $30 million in relief funds. The money will help provide essentials like housing, food, childcare and more. The county will partner with community organizations already helping families with emergency needs. Residents can apply to these organizations to receive the funds, with the first round of grants expected in June. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 03:00:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KHARTOUM, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese medical team on Thursday arrived in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to support Sudan's efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Sudan's Health Minister Akram Ali Al-Tom, who received the Chinese team upon arrival at the airport, commended China for its strong support to Sudan. "We, at Sudan's health ministry and the health sector, highly appreciate all the efforts and great support which the sisterly People's Republic of China keeps on providing to Sudan," Al-Tom told reporters at the airport. "Because of the difficult economic circumstance, we are faced with scarcity in resources, including life-saving medicines, and we highly appreciate the visit of our brothers from China at this particular time during which we need the accumulative experience of China," the minister added. Chinese Ambassador to Sudan Ma Xinmin, for his part, told reporters that the Chinese medical team is sent by the Chinese government "to contribute China's good practice and experience" to Sudan's battle against the novel coronavirus "This action, which takes on a significant meaning, not only reflects our commitment and determination to fight over the virus, but also demonstrates the closer relationship between our two countries and deep friendship between our two peoples," Ma added. Meanwhile, Sudan's Health Ministry on Thursday announced a record 200 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 4,346 and the death toll to 195. China has already offered help to Sudan in its fight against COVID-19, as the Chinese Embassy in Sudan donated over 400,000 surgical masks to the Sudanese government in March. On April 23, Chinese medical experts held a video conference with Sudanese counterparts to share China's experiences in prevention and treatment of the coronavirus. Enditem A giant snowman erected on the bank of Songhua River in Harbin, the capital of Northeast Chinas Heilongjiang province, has drawn much attention online. Around 2,000 cubic meters of snow was used to create the 18.5-meter-tall figure dressed in a red hat and scarf. Since December, ice and snow sculptures featuring Winter Olympics and Lunar New Year elements have popped up across the city famed for its ice festivals, drawing many visitors Jan 20, 2022 06:19 PM ORANGE, Calif., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning June 1, Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train service will be partially restored to San Luis Obispo, with one train in each direction extending up to San Luis Obispo daily. An additional train will also be extended from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara/Goleta. Supplemental bus service will continue to provide additional options north of Santa Barbara. Pacific Surfliner Train Service Will Be Partially Restored Along 100 Miles of the Rail Corridor Starting June 1 The Los Angeles San Diego San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees the Pacific Surfliner service, has been working closely with Amtrak to respond to changes in demand and public health conditions amidst the current global pandemic. Trains and bus connections continue to operate as an essential service, providing options for those who must travel. The June 1 adjustments are the first step to restoring Pacific Surfliner service, and will bring back service along 100 miles of the 351-mile coastal rail corridor. This is especially important for the San Luis Obispo region, since a portion of airline service to and from the area has been suspended. "We will continue to take necessary actions in the best interest of the communities we serve, while also protecting the safety of our passengers and crews," said Donna DeMartino, Managing Director of the LOSSAN Agency. "We are excited to restore service to this large portion of our rail corridor, and we remain dedicated to returning to the robust service we've provided in the past." "It's great to have a reliable partner like the LOSSAN Agency, who made reinstating this important connection possible," said LOSSAN Director Fred Strong, who is also a Paso Robles Councilmember. "We look forward to our continued work with LOSSAN in providing passenger rail service to all the people that work, live, and play in our region." Effective June 1, the following adjustments will be made: Southbound Train 774 will depart San Luis Obispo at 6:55 a.m. and arrive in San Diego at 3:28 p.m. , serving stations in between. at and arrive in at , serving stations in between. Two southbound buses will provide connections from San Luis Obispo to Trains 768 and 796, which originate in Goleta / Santa Barbara . to Trains 768 and 796, which originate in / . Northbound Train 777 will depart San Diego at 12:05 p.m. and arrive in San Luis Obispo at 8:36 p.m. , serving stations in between. at and arrive in at , serving stations in between. Northbound train 785 will depart San Diego at 3:58 p.m. and arrive in Goleta at 10:04 p.m. , serving stations in between. at and arrive in at , serving stations in between. Two northbound buses will provide connections to San Luis Obispo from trains 763 and 785, which terminate in Santa Barbara / Goleta . Additional measures remain in place for the safety of passengers and crews. Amtrak has increased the frequency of cleaning service on all trains and at stations. Passengers are required to wear facial coverings at stations and onboard trains. Travelers should check and adhere to local public health orders in effect for the areas in which they start and end their trip. Visit PacificSurfliner.com/Advisory for more information. SOURCE Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Related Links https://www.pacificsurfliner.com A Canadian judge ruled Wednesday the U.S. extradition case against a senior Huawei executive can continue to the next stage, a decision that is expected to further harm relations between China and Canada. Canada arrested China's Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huaweis founder and chief financial officer of the company, at Vancouvers airport in late 2018. The U.S. wants her extradited to face fraud charges. Her arrest infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent Chinas rise. Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes said in her decision the allegations against Meng could constitute a crime in Canada and the extradition could therefore proceed. The U.S. accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. It says Meng, 48, committed fraud by misleading the HSBC bank about the companys business dealings in Iran. Mengs lawyers argued during a hearing in January that the case is really about U.S. sanctions against Iran, not a fraud case. They maintain that since Canada does not have similar sanctions against Iran, no fraud occurred under its laws. Holmes said Canada did not have economic sanctions against Iran at the time but noted the sanctions used by the U.S. were not fundamentally contrary to Canadian values." Her legal team is scheduled to be back in court on June 15 and will argue that Canada Border Services, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI violated Mengs rights while collecting evidence before she was actually arrested. Extradition cases typically take years in Canada. In apparent retaliation for Mengs arrest, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor. China has also placed restrictions on various Canadian exports to China, including canola oil seed. China also handed a death sentence to a convicted Canadian drug smuggler in a sudden retrial. Huawei is the biggest global supplier of network gear for phone and internet companies and some analysts say Chinese companies have flouted international rules and norms amid allegations of technology theft. The company represents Chinas progress in becoming a technological power and has been a subject of U.S. security concerns. Canada's Justice Department said in a statement that a judge at further hearings will determine whether or not Meng's alleged conduct provides sufficient evidence of fraud to meet the test for extradition. (Representative Image)(Image Credit Pixabay) As the legal battle roars on over whether to expand voting-by-mail in Texas, the number of requests for mail-in ballots is rising slowly in two of the states largest counties. On Wednesday, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that lack of immunity to COVID-19 alone does not qualify a voter to vote by mail. But the justices put the onus on the voter to decide whether he or she meets the definition of having a disability based on aspects of his health and his health history that are physical conditions. The ruling came as two cases launched by the Texas Democratic Party in state and federal court that seek to open up mail-in voting continue to wind through the courts. The matter, which is enveloped in a nationwide partisan debate, is poised to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. The legal status of mail-in voting for virus-related reasons has gone back and forth earlier this month, one court gave the green light only to be overturned by another court less than 24 hours later. Nevertheless, a considerable number of voters have turned in early requests for mail ballots, a Hearst Newspapers analysis shows. In Harris County, the number of accepted mail-in ballot requests has risen from about 2.4 percent of registered voters in 2016, or 51,451 voters, to 3.2 percent of voters, or 76,267 voters, so far this year. Most were annual applications and were not limited to a single election. Requests from Harris County voters age 65 or older, who are guaranteed a mail-in ballot in Texas, continue to represent the vast majority of applications more than 90 percent. Requests for ballots on the basis of a disability totaled 1,429 0.06 percent of registered voters, compared to 0.04 percent in 2016. Bexar County has similarly seen a slight increase in mail-in ballot requests compared with 2016. Theyve risen from about 1.6 percent to 2.2 percent of registered voters, or 24,477 total. Voters 65 or older accounted for most of the increase. Texas primary runoff is scheduled for July 14. The deadline to apply to vote by mail is July 2, some five weeks away. (Applications must be received by that date, not simply postmarked.) Bob Stein, a Rice University political science professor who studies elections, said the initial numbers point to a significant shift toward mail balloting. Its historically high, Stein said. For the fall, the data tells me that if the conditions today remain unchanged or worsen the consequence is that more people will try to vote by mail, try to avoid contracting the virus by voting in person early or they wont vote at all. But theres no doubt in my mind that the share of the vote cast by mail will go up, and it will go up dramatically. Depending on how the courts rule, Stein said the number of mail-in ballots cast in Texas could increase anywhere from 15 to 100 percent or more in the Nov. 3 general election. In Texas, voters 65 or older can automatically vote by mail. The only other voters who can do so are those who have a disability, who will be out of the county during the election or who are in jail but otherwise eligible. Q-AND-A: Rice University political expert on coronavirus voting: Democracy is at issue here. Mail-in voting has historically been little-used. In 2018, for example, fewer than 7 percent of Texas voters cast ballots that way. Recent polling has shown that may be changing, especially in light of the pandemic. A Rice University survey that Stein helped conduct showed that 70 percent of Harris County voters said theyd be likely to vote if they could do so by mail. National polls have shown similar results, including a May 12 Gallup survey that found 64 percent of Americans want their state to allow all voters to cast ballots by mail. Were in the middle of this pandemic, so people are wondering about ballot by mail, said Michael Winn, director of elections for Harris County. There seems to be an interest. PREPARING FOR AN INFLUX: Harris County OKs up to $12M for mail ballots amid coronavirus concerns Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen said the lawsuits over mail-in voting dont appear to have had much effect in the county. Many voters apply for mail-in ballots after political parties and candidates send them applications as a way to boost turnout. Primary runoffs such as the one scheduled for July 14 generally draw very low turnout, but most voters have the November election on their minds, she said. We have not seen a big push, Callanen said. In Tarrant County in North Texas, the number of requests for mail-in ballots has remained flat at about 2 percent since 2016. The county has received slightly more applications from voters in the 65-and-older category 22,929 compared to 19,178 in 2016 and in the disability category 328 compared to 207 in 2016. RELATED: Survey: Harris County poll workers willing to show up amid pandemic, voters reaction mixed Lawyers for the Democratic Party and some Texas counties say the increases are another reason to expand mail-in voting. The VBM requests are already well underway for the July 14 run-off, and voters are already trending toward requesting VBM under the disability category, Susan Hays, an attorney representing Harris County wrote in a May 11 brief. Thus, the status quo of existing law and voter behavior encompasses the trial courts order. What will happen to those virus-related mail-in ballot requests already received by counties if the courts strike down an expansion? They will likely still count. The Texas Supreme Court in its ruling Wednesday said election clerks are not responsible for investigating disability claims, and during oral arguments justices highlighted the fact that most applications do not provide space for voters to explain their disability. Lawyers for the state acknowledged that only applications that happened to include extra information indicating the virus was the only reason for claiming a disability can realistically be rejected. Although some may view voting by mail as more convenient, Stein said the method has a major downside: First-time mail-in voters are more likely to make mistakes that cause ballots to be disqualified, he said. The debate over mail-in voting has developed largely along partisan lines. President Donald Trump as well as top Republican leaders in Texas have pushed back against the method, claiming it would allow for more voter fraud, although studies have shown its extremely rare. In the Harris County survey, about 82 percent of Democrats said they were likely or very likely to vote by mail compared to 54 percent of Republicans. Yet voters 65 and older make up a large percentage of the Republican electorate, many of whom vote by mail. Stein said that suggests the messaging by conservative leadership is having an effect. Explain to me why the Republican Party is against vote-by-mail, Stein said. Theyre not against vote-by-mail theyre just against vote-by-mail by anyone who doesnt vote Republican. And that would be true if the Democrats were in the same position, I suspect. Studies have shown that the method does not tend to benefit any one party. A working paper by the Institute for Economic Policy Research at Stanford University found that voting by mail modestly increased turnout but benefited both parties equally. In any case, a major broadening of mail-voting in Texas, if allowed by the courts, would be extremely costly and require counties to obtain more staff and equipment, Stein said. It would take a herculean effort to institute mass mail-in voting in time for the November election, he said. Some counties have already started preparing. Callanen said Bexar County plans to use federal coronavirus relief money to supplement its budget for mail-in ballot processing in November. The Harris County Commissioners Court has approved up to $12 million for increased staff, equipment and postage. In a first for the county, Winn said, commissioners also recommended the clerks office automatically send vote-by-mail applications to all the countys registered voters age 65 and older. Theres always that uncertainty that leaves you wondering how this is going to end up, Winn said. But I think being proactive, like we are, is going to put us in a better position to deal with it. Olorunnimbe Mamora, minister of state for health, says the World Health Organisation cannot dictate to Nigeria on the steps to take in... Olorunnimbe Mamora, minister of state for health, says the World Health Organisation cannot dictate to Nigeria on the steps to take in the fight against COVID-19. On Monday, WHO had announced the suspension of the solidarity trial which featured the use of hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 patients. Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, had said the global health body decided to halt the trial due to safety concerns. But one day later, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said Nigeria would continue the trial which it said had been effective in treating COVID-19 patients, especially those at the mild stage of infection. But speaking at the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday, Mamora said WHO only provides guidelines which countries can adapt according to their peculiarities. We are still working on drugs. Dont forget that even the hydroxychloroquine is still being worked on as we speak. Its important for us to make it clear that the WHO does not dictate to countries as to what to do, Mamora said. They only provide guidance and guidelines, not dictate, because the reality is that each country is expected to look at those realities on ground and leave room for innovation, flexibility and adaptation as dictated by the realities on ground in each country. So were still looking at the issues of drugs; we are still looking at the issues of vaccine as well, also in the areas of research. He said the federal government is working based on science, evidence and research in containing the spread of the virus. One of the researches that has come out of our own situation is establishing that what we have here is the same strain in Wuhan, he said. US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on social media companies on Thursday, White House officials said after Trump threatened to shut down the platform he accused of stifling conservative voices. The officials, who spoke to reporters traveling with Trump to Washington from Florida aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, gave no further details. Before leaving for Florida earlier in the day to observe a space launch that was postponed because of bad weather, Trump again accused Twitter Inc and other social media of bias without offering evidence. It was unclear how ... FP Trending A Switzerland-based team has reportedly said that they have become the first to have launched a product for coronavirus contact-tracing, based on a tech provided by Apple and Google. Switzerlands app based on the Apple-Google API (application programming interface) has been dubbed SwissCovid. The API that was rolled out on 20 May and can be used to create public health apps that track the spread of Covid-19 via Bluetooth signals. Developed by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and ETC Zurich, the app relies on a decentralised approach and is the first one based on the Apple-Google framework to be actually launched. As of today, employees at @EPFL, @ETH_en, @vbs_ddps and some hospitals and cantonal administrations can download the digital proximity tracing application #SwissCovid. This large-scale pilot paves the way for public availability by mid-June. https://t.co/E9hl43g8Ca #COVID19 #DP3T pic.twitter.com/Yqrags7zMg EPFL (@EPFL_en) May 25, 2020 As per a report by BBC, members of the Swiss army, hospital workers and civil servants can now install the SwissCovid app ahead of a wider rollout. According to the report, automated contact tracing uses smartphones to detect the risk of coronavirus contagion, when two people are close to each other for a considerable time. It is aimed at warning one person, if the other is diagnosed with having the COVID-19 disease later. According to a report in Engadget, 22 public health agencies have requested the API. On the other hand countries like Australia already have their own apps, while UK has said it will test an app of its own. However, switching to the Apple-Google framework remains a possibility for UK. As per Swissinfo.ch, the Google version of the app was accidentally leaked to the public before the access was restricted. The report adds that the Swiss Parliament will debate on the legality of the app in June, and if approved, should be made available to the public at-large. (Newser) When the fifth season of Mad Men aired in 2012, Canadian man Elliot Berinstein decided to try out the Don Draper look and ordered some hair cream online. It arrived three weeks ago. Berinstein says he was surprised when a package from online retailer Well.ca turned up on his doorstep May 6. "I was very confused because I hadn't ordered anything from Well.ca in awhile," he tells the CBC. "And then I remembered one time about eight years ago I ordered something from them." He says he decided against using the Brylcreem after he opened the tube. "It was bright yellow," he said. "When I Googled it, it was supposed to be pretty white, so I didn't try it out." story continues below Berinstein, a doctor, says the package never turned up at his Ottawa address after the 2012 order. After moving to Toronto, he contacted the company and asked them to send it to his new addressand when it didn't turn up there, he decided to quit chasing the $5 order. Canada Post says it will look into the late delivery. "This is certainly a unique situation and we can only speculate at this point as to what may have happened," a spokesperson tells CTV. Berinstein says he's moved on from wanting to copy the Mad Men lookbut jokes that with barbers in Ontario closed, perhaps he should try it out. (Read more Canada stories.) The Executive has agreed further easing of the coronavirus lockdown measures. Measures will come into place from June 8 - depending on the rate of infection the week before - which will see marriage ceremonies of small groups of up to 10 people, outdoor retailers allowed to open and hotels to resume taking bookings although they have not been given a date for reopening for guests. Car showrooms, furniture shops, agricultural machinery, phone/ IT shops and dog grooming parlours were among those given the green light. A decision on allowing people to meet up indoors was again deferred given the risk of infection was too great. Read More First Minister Arlene Foster said they were providing notice of the easing of restrictions to allow preparations to be made. She said it was essential social distancing was followed and warned against disregarding the restrictions that remain in place in order to prevent the disease spreading further. Read More Michelle O'Neill said the R value was only just on the right side of one and the new easing of restrictions would only be enacted if it remains below one. The Executive will make a final decision on June 4. "This moves us forward and I hope it eases some of the burden," deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said. She stressed the public held the power to keep the rate of infection down which would further help lift more restrictions if it went down. She said they recognised the personal sacrifices many were making. "The advice from the scientists remains it is still not safe for us to introduce rapid or comprehensive relaxations to the measures that remain in place," she added. "The actions of every individual are crucial." The Prime Minister spoke with Mrs Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill on the phone on Tuesday afternoon as part of his engagement with the devolved regions. Read More There were two further deaths reported in NI on Thursday, which both occurred in the previous 24 hours and brings the toll to 518. A further 16 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infections to 4,663. Six patients who have tested positive for the virus are in an intensive care bed. There are currently 69 confirmed Covid-19 outbreaks at care homes, with 34 suspected outbreaks and 52 closed cases. Here's how Thursday unfolded: McKinstry launches service to help buildings safely reopen Journal Staff Reporter By LYNN PORTER Journal Staff Reporter [enlarge] The new service is modeled after safe construction site practices and includes an evaluation of indoor air quality, ventilation, temperature, humidity, mechanical systems and water quality. Seattle-based McKinstry has launched a service it said is designed to help owners and operators ensure their buildings are ready to safely reopen after shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With its new Return with Confidence service, McKinstry said it will provide a free phone consultation. For a fee, it will then provide an assessment and detailed action plan for reopening based on each buildings needs. The national engineering, construction and energy services firm has seen robust interest in the service, said Ash Awad, its chief market officer. Everybodys going to need a plan to figure out how to bring people back to buildings, he said. During the pandemic, many buildings have sat empty or operated at limited capacity. Reopening requires procedures to ensure the health and safety of occupants, McKinstry said. Even buildings that have remained operational need to be assessed, re-tuned and reprogrammed to minimize the spread of illnesses like COVID-19, it said. For instance, Awad said in unoccupied buildings, water can stagnate in the conveyance systems, which could cause disease. McKinstry will evaluate indoor air quality, ventilation, temperature, humidity, mechanical systems and water quality following the guidance of regulatory and industry groups. That will provide the basis for a plan for building staff to follow to maximize occupant health and safety, it said. Or McKinstry can perform the work. The plan may also include measures to reassure occupants on steps taken to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria, from building signage to dashboards that remind them to follow proper social distancing and handwashing protocol and to wear proper protective equipment. For instance, hospitals, clinics and doctors offices are seeing significant loss of revenue as people delay elective procedures and visits as they are afraid they will come out sick, Awad said. Medical facilities want to be able to advertise that they have done everything they can, he said. In Spokane, McKinstry evaluated the zero energy, zero carbon building, called Catalyst, that it is developing in partnership with Avista Utilities. The 159,000-square foot building is slated to open in September, and Eastern Washington University is leasing 100,000 square feet for the computer science, electrical engineering and visual communication design programs, which will bring about 1,000 students to the building. McKinstry said the evaluation included a plan to ensure the ventilation systems are operating with 100% fresh air, with no recirculation, while keeping the building energy efficient; to create the right amount of seating in classrooms; to repurpose some conference rooms for small group discussions; to add wayfinding for proper people movement; and to use existing building technology to monitor the people count. Its very disconcerting to imagine bringing all these students back without a plan, said Awad. He said the new service is modeled after safe construction site practices McKinstry uses and is employing to reopen its own offices, especially in Seattle. He said tech companies use a phrase, eat your own dog food, which means before you send something into the marketplace make sure you test it on yourself, and thats what his firm did. Awad said the U.S. has 88 billion square feet of non-residential space, including, schools, offices, retail, industrial, government and hospitality. However, some of those buildings dont have the most contemporary electronics, controls or systems needed for proper air handling and measuring the quality of air entering and circulating especially in light of COVID-19 to help prevent contaminated droplets from floating in the air and to help pull out contaminants. There are going to be some building owners who really struggle with what to do here, he said. In other buildings McKinstry can change the controls on mechanical systems to let more fresh air in. However, owners need to ensure those changes dont increase energy costs too much. We dont want to change the operation of a building so dramatically that we have unintended consequences, he said. McKinstry expects the immediate market for it new service will be offices, K-12 schools, colleges and hospitals buildings needed to get America running again Awad said. However, he said it is important to understand that his firm will not be attesting that operational changes it makes in buildings will rid them of a virus or completely eliminate the virus. Were not offering a cure. The firm said people can schedule the consultation at https://tinyurl.com/ybl97ckg or by calling (855) 936-2554. Lynn Porter can be reached by email or by phone at (206) 622-8272. TANZANIA, Tanzania - The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross said it has recorded 208 COVID-19-related attacks against health workers and installations in 13 countries since March, a striking contrast to the cheers and clapping in gratitude for their work in many nations. Peter Maurer said Wednesday that health workers are being attacked and abused and health systems are being targeted at a time when they are most needed. The COVID-19 crisis is fast threatening to become a protection crisis, he told the U.N. Security Council. Maurer told reporters the ICRC compiled data from 13 countries in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, the Americas and Africa where it operates, and its likely the actual numbers are much higher than what we calculated. He said the incidents range from verbal threats to burning down facilities reportedly housing COVID-19 patients. Maurer said 23% of incidents included physical assaults, 20% were discriminatory-related attacks on health workers, and the rest included the deliberate failure to provide or deny assistance, verbal assaults and threats, and a disregard for health personnel protective measures. Maurer said he was struck by the discrepancy with the outpouring of support for health personnel, while in reality what we see is that it remains an extremely delicate and sensitive issue within which attacks, ... violence, the whole panoply of adverse attitudes are visible or detectable, which demand our response. The ICRC and a dozen other global organizations representing millions of doctors, nurses and health care professionals issued a declaration Wednesday calling the recent displays of public support for COVID-19 responders heart-warming. But they said unfortunately, the sad reality is that health workers have for a long time been subject to many shocking forms of violence. The organizations pointed to harassment, stigmatization, physical violence and the killing of some health care professionals and the people they were caring for, as well as the 208 incidents reported by the ICRC since the beginning of the pandemic. We urge governments, communities and weapon bearers to respect and protect health care at all times, and to contribute to creating a protective environment in which health care can be provided safely, the groups including the International Council of Nurses, the International Hospital Federation, and Physicians for Human Rights said. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also spoke at the council meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, saying that as the pandemic rages on, causing enormous human suffering and additional stress to health systems, people already weakened by years of fighting are particularly vulnerable. He lamented that support for his March 23 call for a global cease-fire to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic has not been translated into concrete action. In some cases, the pandemic may even create incentives for warring parties to press their advantage, or to strike hard while international attention is focused elsewhere, he said. Both scenarios could lead to increases in violence. And civilians always pay the price. He pointed to conflict-torn Libya where the U.N. mission documented at least 58 civilians killed and 190 injured between April 1 and May 18. With access to services and safety being curtailed, Guterres also said some leaders are exploiting the pandemic to adopt repressive measures and it has become even more difficult to protect the most vulnerable and this is particularly true in conflict zones, where civilians were already exposed to significant risks. (CNN) The family of George Floyd who died after pleading that he couldn't breathe while a police officer held him down with a knee on his neck say they want the four Minneapolis officers involved charged with murder. "They were supposed to be there to serve and to protect and I didn't see a single one of them lift a finger to do anything to help while he was begging for his life. Not one of them tried to do anything to help him," Tera Brown, Floyd's cousin, told CNN's Don Lemon. In an emotional interview Tuesday night, Brown and Floyd's two brothers held up his picture and spoke of a man who "didn't hurt anybody" and who they described as a "gentle giant." "Knowing my brother is to love my brother," Philonise Floyd said. "They could have tased him; they could have maced him. Instead, they put their knee in his neck and just sat on him and then carried on." "They treated him worse than they treat animals," he said. Four officers involved were fired Tuesday, the police department said, and state and federal authorities are investigating the case. That includes Officer Derek Chauvin, the man seen on video restraining Floyd with his knee, Chauvin's attorney Tom Kelly said. Kelly said he wouldn't yet release a statement on Chauvin's behalf. No charges have been filed. The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis said in a statement the officers were cooperating in the investigation and urged "now is not the time to rush to (judgment)" while the officers' actions are examined. Minneapolis police said officers were responding to an alleged forgery Monday evening and were told a person later described as the suspect was sitting on a car. They found Floyd, who at that point was inside a car and police said he "physically resisted" after he got out. Officers handcuffed Floyd, who police said "appeared to be suffering medical distress." He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Video captured by bystanders at the scene of the arrest shows an officer with his knee pressed against the neck of the 46-year-old, who was handcuffed on the pavement, complaining that his body hurt and he couldn't breathe. Two officers handled the man on the ground while another stood nearby with his eyes on the bystanders as traffic passed. Surveillance video obtained from a nearby restaurant showed the first point of contact police had with the man. An officer escorts a handcuffed Floyd out of a car and Floyd sits on the sidewalk. Moments later, the officer and another escort Floyd away, still with his hands behind his back. George's brother Rodney Floyd told CBS that he didn't believe George was resisting arrest. "You have eyes. I have eyes. You can see what you saw," Rodney Floyd said in an interview that "CBS This Morning" aired Wednesday. "And I saw, and the nation saw ... and every black person saw, the same thing, because it don't happen to nobody else." "They need to be charged with murder because what they did was murder," Brown told CNN. "And almost the whole world has witnessed that because somebody was gracious enough to record it." George Floyd's sister Bridgett Floyd told ABC on Wednesday that she also wants the officers arrested. The officers' firings are "definitely not enough justice for me and my family," she told "Good Morning America." I feel those guys need to be put in jail. They murdered my brother." A day after Floyd's death, hundreds gathered at the same intersection where he was pinned to the ground and they later marched to a police precinct to protest. The protesters chanted "No justice, no peace," and "I can't breathe." Some demonstrators wheeled a shopping cart full of rocks just outside the precinct and dumped it on the ground for people to throw, a CNN team there reported. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd after some people turned unruly, a spokesman for the police department said. 'I can't breathe' The video of Floyd's encounter with police that has circulated on social media shows one police officer with his knee on Floyd to keep him on the ground. "Please, I can't breathe," the man says, protesting for several minutes before he becomes silent. Bystanders urge the officer to release the man from his hold. The technique is against department regulations, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Tuesday, and the officer had no reasons to employ it. "The technique that was used is not permitted; is not a technique that our officers get trained in on," he said. "And our chief has been very clear on that piece. There is no reason to apply that kind of pressure with a knee to someone's neck." In the video, the police officer's leg remains on Floyd for several minutes, even as the man is pleading for help. "My stomach hurts," Floyd can be heard telling the officer. "My neck hurts. Everything hurts." At one point the Floyd says, "Give me some water or something. Please. Please." By the end of the video, he is seen motionless, with his eyes shut, lying on the pavement. The incident recalls the 2014 death of Eric Garner, who also uttered the words "I can't breathe" while in a New York officer's chokehold. Since Garner's death, the phrase has become a rallying cry throughout the Black Lives Matter movement. That officer never faced charges. He was fired in 2019 after being found guilty in a disciplinary trial of using a chokehold on Garner and later sued the city over his termination. Garner's mother told CNN that Floyd's death feels like deja vu. Findings on the cause and manner of Floyd's death remain pending and it is being investigated by local, state and federal law enforcement, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office said in a statement. Mayor Frey offered his condolences to Floyd's family Tuesday, adding that what the video shows was "utterly messed up." "For five minutes, we watched as a white officer pressed his knee to the neck of a black man," Frey said in a news conference. "When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense," he said. "Being black in America," he added, should not be "a death sentence." FBI is investigating The Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation into Floyd's death, which will focus on whether the Minneapolis Police Department officers involved "willfully deprived (Floyd) of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States," according to a statement from the FBI Minneapolis Division. The FBI said it will present its findings to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota for consideration of possible federal charges. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is conducting its own investigation into possible violations of Minnesota statutes, the FBI said. This story was first published on CNN.com "George Floyd's family says four officers involved in his death should be charged with murder" Twitter and Facebook are taking steps to stop the spread of misinformation about Oregons elections system, after Republican Secretary of State Bev Clarnos administration alerted the social media companies to what she said were falsehoods being shared on their platforms. Oregon election officials, from county clerks to the secretary of state, hear complaints from voters during every primary election, because some people who receive nonpartisan ballots believed they registered as Democrats or Republicans. This year, those frustrations were amplified when a Facebook group called My party was changed Oregon and the Oregon Republican Party launched an effort to gather first-hand accounts from voters who say their party affiliation was changed without their consent. They shared some of those accounts with the re-election campaign of President Donald Trump, who has attacked vote-by-mail in recent weeks and on Tuesday received his first Twitter fact-check warning in response to his remarks on voting. Starting in April, some voters who said they are lifelong Democrats contacted The Oregonian/OregonLive to say they were upset to receive non-partisan ballots. Most of them turned out to be infrequent voters who had been registered as non-partisan voters for years and had not voted in recent primaries, public records showed. Then on May 18, the website Gateway Pundit which Facebook says is known for publishing falsehoods and spreading hoaxes published an unverified claim that Oregon officials changed hundreds of Republicans ballots to nonpartisan. After Clarnos administration contacted the social media companies, Facebook tagged the post as partly false and began referring people to fact checks on it by the websites PolitiFact, run by the journalism nonprofit Poynter Institute, and Lead Stories, which is a project of the nonpartisan Rand Corporation think tank. Twitter suspended the My party changed account on Friday. In the wake of last weeks primary, Elections officials highlighted social media activity that was occurring on their platform that was false, wrote Andrea Chiapella, legislative and communications director for the secretary of state, in an email. They looked into it and their third-party fact checkers deemed it partly false. That has not deterred people involved with the Oregon group. Nicole Chaisson, founder of the Facebook group My party was changed Oregon, announced online Tuesday that she was preparing to launch paid Facebook ads to solicit more such stories. In an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive on Wednesday, Chaisson said she stopped the process and deleted the ads while they were still going through Facebooks review process because she wants to re-work the ads to make them clearer. Chaisson would not say who was going to pay for the ads, describing them only as people affected themselves by party registration changes. Chaisson, who lives outside The Dalles, said she started the Facebook group in early May after a friend who wanted to vote in the 2nd Congressional District primary found out she could not do so because she was registered as a nonaffiliated voter. Chaisson, a registered Republican, was not personally affected. We started a Twitter page because we started seeing we were getting fact checked on Facebook, Chaisson said. And it got suspended within a couple days We rely on social media to tell our story. She announced Friday afternoon on Facebook that someone from the Trump campaign tasked with elections security reached out to her group, although Chaisson told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the campaign staffer said Trump is more worried about the general (election). Oregon is one of nine states with closed primaries, which means voters must be registered with a party to participate in its primary. Since Oregons automatic voter registration law took effect in 2016, the number of unaffiliated voters has skyrocketed because people who were not previously registered are automatically signed up as non-affiliated when they get or renew a drivers license or state ID card. Elections officials send out postcards asking those voters if they want to pick a party. All voters see the nominees from both major parties during the November general election. So those who dont vote in primaries can think they are registered with the party they in fact identify with. In addition to taking to social media, Chaisson is sending voters reports to Rep. Mike Nearman, a Republican from Independence who said he will look into the issue. Ironically, the situation has pitted Chaisson and national conservative websites against the only Republican to currently occupy a statewide office in Oregon. Clarno is serving the remainder of Dennis Richardsons term as secretary of state, and voters will decide in November between Republican Sen. Kim Thatcher of Keizer or Democratic Sen. Shemia Fagan of the Portland area. Chaisson said it bothers her that Clarnos administration has described voters complaints, in Chaissons words, as something that happens every two years and these people are just misinformed. She claimed that the secretary of states office paid the fact checkers that Facebook and Twitter referenced, then explained shed inferred that from a statement by a member of Clarnos administration that the secretary of state was working with fact-checkers. Chiapella, the communications director, explained on Wednesday that was simply a reference to the secretary of states staff responding to questions from fact checkers. We didnt pay anyone to discredit this group or anyone else for that matter, Chiapella wrote in an email. The fact checker reached out to me and asked me questions about the situation, much like you or any other reporter has done. -- Hillary Borrud: hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Twitter has 'fact-checked' two tweets by China after it caused a political storm in the US by flagging two of Donald Trump's tweets for accuracy - sparking fury from the president and accusations of bias. The social media giant added exclamation point warnings to tweets by China's Foreign Ministry spokesman accusing the US of starting the coronavirus pandemic. The timing of the fact checks coincided with the political fall-out in America from Twitter's decision to add accuracy warnings on two of President Trump's tweets claiming mail-in election ballots were substantially fraudulent. The decision to single out two of the president's tweets for 'fact checking' led to furious accusations of anti-conservative bias in the US. Trump is now threatening to sign an executive order today which could expose Google, Facebook and Twitter to government investigations into allegations of bias and more lawsuits But amid the row, Twitter singled out tweets by China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao accusing the US Army of starting the coronavirus pandemic. He said: 'It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan.' The tweet from China's Foreign Ministry spokesman calls on the US to 'Be transparent!' and suggests it might have been the US army who brought coronavirus to Wuhan The warnings have been added to tweets that are more than two months old and it comes just hours after Twitter added warnings to tweets by Trump which claimed mail-in ballots were substantially fraudulent Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian speaks during a daily media briefing in Beijing, China, earlier this month President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump return to the White House on Thursday as he went to war on Twitter The tweets are now marked 'Get the facts about COVID-19' and a link redirects users to a page which describes how the WHO had found in April that there was no evidence COVID-19 originated in a lab, instead they said it had come from animals in late last year. On March 12, the deputy director of the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman tweeted a link to a spurious article from Global Research - well known for its conspiracy theories and spouting of Russian propaganda. Zhao said: 'This article is very much important to each and every one of us. Please read and retweet it. COVID-19: Further Evidence that the Virus Originated in the US.' According to The New York Post, Twitter only marked up the Chinese spokesman's tweets after their reporters pressured the tech giant over its 'double standards' compared to Trump. A Twitter spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the Post's claim, but said Zhao's tweets 'contain potentially misleading content about Covid-19' and they had added the warnings to 'provide additional context.' Twitter - which has previously suspended users and deleted tweets - has now added a nuance to its vetting of tweets which could present it with further complications. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey yesterday lashed out Trump and asked critics to 'leave our employees out of this.' It comes after it was unearthed that in tweets from 2017, Twitter's head of site integrity (fact-checking) Yoel Roth had said the Trump administration was run by 'Nazis' and likened White House aide Kellyanne Conway to 'Joseph Goebbels.' Donald Trump warned Wednesday morning that his administration will begin regulating and shutting down social media sites, claiming tech giants try to 'totally silence conservative voices' The claim came after Twitter, one of his favorite mediums for communicating with the American people, labeled two of his tweets about mail-in ballots as 'misleading' Dorsey tweeted: 'Fact check: there is someone ultimately accountable for our actions as a company, and that's me. Please leave our employees out of this. We'll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make,' he wrote. Biased head of Twitter's 'Site Integrity' has previously called the President 'a racist tangerine' Yoel Roth, whose official title at Twitter is head of Site Integrity, faced backlash on Wednesday after his history of anti-Trump tweets emerged less than 24 hours after the social media giant put a fact-checking warning on two of the president's tweets. Yoel Roth, whose official title at Twitter is head of Site Integrity In a January 2017 tweet, Roth referred to the Trump administration as 'actual Nazis in the White House' and tweeted in November 2016 that fly over states were racist. He also compared Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway to Nazi Joseph Goebbels saying: ''Today on Meet The Press, we're speaking with Joseph Goebbels about the first 100 days...' - What I hear whenever Kellyanne is on a news show.' The majority of Roth's tweets criticizing Trump and his administration were posted around 2017. Roth started working at Twitter in 2015 as a product trust partner, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has been in his current role as head of site integrity for almost two years. Conway, who is a counselor to Trump, lashed out at Roth in an interview with Fox & Friends on Wednesday and went as far as giving out his Twitter handle on live television. 'This guy is constantly attacking Trump voters, Trump, Mitch McConnell, you name it. He's the head of integrity at Twitter,' Conway said. 'It's horrible the way he looks at people who should otherwise have a free and clear platform on Twitter.' Advertisement 'Per our Civic Integrity policy, the tweets yesterday may mislead people into thinking they don't need to register to get a ballot (only registered voters receive ballots),' he added. 'We're updating the link on @RealDonaldTrump's tweet to make this more clear.' Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg has sought to distance his own social media firm from Dorsey's and criticized his rival for fact-checking Trump's tweets. In an interview with Fox, Zuckerberg said that it was not the place of the company to act as an 'arbiter of truth'. 'We have a different policy than, I think, Twitter on this,' he said. 'I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn't be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online,' he added. 'Private companies probably shouldn't be, especially these platform companies, shouldn't be in the position of doing that.' Trump is expected to sign an executive order later today which will set up a mechanism allowing Americans to report alleged political censorship or bias by the social media giants which will be investigated by the Federal Trade Commission. Trump tweeted earlier: 'This will be a Big Day for Social Media and FAIRNESS!' The draft order states it will require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to propose and clarify regulations under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law largely exempting online platforms from legal liability for users' posts. It also requires the agency to look at whether a social media platform uses deceptive policies to moderate content and if its policies are inconsistent with its terms of service. The White House tech bias reporting tool will collect complaints of online censorship and submit them to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC will then be required to 'consider taking action', examine whether complaints violate the law, draw up a report describing such complaints and make the report publicly available. The White House launched a similar tool last year but it is now closed. It is unclear what happened to the responses people sent it. The draft order also requires the attorney general to establish a working group including state attorneys general that will examine the enforcement of state laws that prohibit online platforms from engaging in unfair and deceptive acts. Section 230 of the 1996 law is a shield against social media networks being sued for what people post on their platforms. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg goes after Twitter for its fact-checking of Trump Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg criticized competitor Twitter on Thursday after it 'fact-checked' tweets from Donald Trump. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey immediately fired back saying that the site would continue to call out 'incorrect or disputed information' about elections shared by users. In his interview with Fox, Facebook's Zuckerberg said that it was not the place of the company to act as an 'arbiter of truth'. 'We have a different policy than, I think, Twitter on this,' he said. 'I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn't be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online,' he added. 'Private companies probably shouldn't be, especially these platform companies, shouldn't be in the position of doing that.' Dorsey tweeted: 'Fact check: there is someone ultimately accountable for our actions as a company, and that's me. Please leave our employees out of this. We'll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make,' he wrote. 'Per our Civic Integrity policy, the tweets yesterday may mislead people into thinking they don't need to register to get a ballot (only registered voters receive ballots),' he added. 'We're updating the link on @RealDonaldTrump's tweet to make this more clear.' Advertisement It says: 'No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.' It also says that: 'No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be held liable on account of any action voluntarily taken in good faith to restrict access to or availability of material that the provider or user considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected.' A publisher or speaker can normally be sued for defamation for the contents of their speech but by not being categorized as those, any attempt to sue social media giants for what is written on them falls at the first hurdle. The 1996 statute has allowed Silicon Valley to make billions of dollars from their users' posts, photos and videos, with minimal legal liability, while giving them freedom to remove anything they see as 'objectionable.' When it was written social media did not exist. Since its explosive growth, platforms including Twitter and Facebook have changed repeatedly. Their algorithms decide the order in which users see new posts, and can be used to make particular content more or less visible. That has led critics to say that they are behaving as publishers - deciding what people read or see - and not simply as forums. The rest of the act gives forums powers to set standards for content, which social media platforms have used as a basis for moderating content and to justify the existence of algorithms. Conservatives - and many others outside mainstream thought on matters like history, climate change and even the coronavirus - have criticized the use of Section 230 claiming big tech has censored content without being subject to scrutiny. Federal regulators tentatively have approved Alaska Airlines request to pull out of San Antonio International Airport, potentially ending the only direct service to the Pacific Northwest. An Alaska spokeswoman said the airline has no immediate plans to end its Seattle-to-San Antonio route. However, she added, taking advantage of new federal rules tied to the governments bailout of the airline industry gives us the flexibility to adjust our scheduled service if we need to later in the year. Alaska reported a loss of more than $230 million for the first quarter, which ended March 31. Like other airlines, its seeing a steep decline in passengers from a year earlier, and burning through millions in cash as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the travel industry. The U.S. Transportation Departments tentative order, issued May 22, allows the Seattle-based carrier to cut all flights to five cities: San Antonio; New Orleans; El Paso; Columbus, Ohio; and Charleston, S.C. The Transportation Department is expected to finalize its decision within a matter of days, after a Thursday deadline for interested parties to weigh in on the order. Its unclear if San Antonio Aviation Director Jesus Saenz has filed an objection to Alaskas request. A condition of the nearly $1 billion in federal stimulus grants that Alaska Airlines has received is to keep flying to cities in its existing route network until at least Sept. 30. But in mid-May the Transportation Department announced that U.S. airlines, which are receiving up to $25 billion in stimulus money, could apply to regulators to drop some routes an effort to help carriers trim some of their most money-losing flights. Airlines can cut up to 5 percent of their routes or service to five cities, whichever is greater. In its tentative order, the Transportation Department gave permission to more than a dozen airlines to cut service to 60-plus destinations. Allegiant Air is the only other airline that asked to end service to San Antonio. The budget carrier previously had offered direct flights from San Antonio to Las Vegas and the Orlando, Fla., area. An Allegiant spokesperson didnt return phone calls seeking comment. All airlines at San Antonio International have slashed service as passenger demand has plummeted due to the novel coronavirus. Southwest Airlines, the largest carrier at the airport, has gone from nearly 50 flights a day to about 13 per day on average. Seth Miller, an aviation consultant at PaxEx.Aero, a firm that monitors the industry, said Alaska and other airlines are flying blind. They dont know where passenger demand is headed over the next few months. However, Miller said, Alaska wouldnt have put the San Antonio-to-Seattle route on the chopping block unless it was seriously considering ending the service. I will take Alaska at their word, that they dont plan to cut the San Antonio service today, but tomorrow could be another day, he said. Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Cailee Olson said the carrier sought to cut San Antonio and the other cities because of low customer demand, distance from our West Coast hubs and other airlines already serving these markets. Again, we do not plan to suspend service right now, but we couldnt pass up the opportunity for additional flexibility during these uncertain times, she said. Alaska was the only airline servicing Seattle with a direct route from San Antonio. . The airline started service here in 2012. Citing heavy customer demand, it added a second nonstop to Seattle in 2019. More recently, as Seattle became a center of the COVID-19 outbreak and stay-at-home orders grounded most travelers, Alaska reduced daily frequency between San Antonio and Seattle to once a day. And it added a stop in Albuquerque, N.M., on the way to Seattle, creating a so-called milk run with one plane serving all three cities. Alaskas request to cancel its San Antonio-to-Seattle flight is only a back-up plan for the carrier, said Brain Pratte, chief air service development officer for the San Antonio aviation department. They have assured us they fully plan to operate daily in June, assuming demand remains, he said. At more than four hours in the air in planes carrying few passengers the flight to Seattle is costly for Alaska. Its likely if they eliminate the flight that they can reduce a lot of cash burn, New York-based airline consultant Robert Mann said. Randy Diamond covers aviation, energy and manufacturing in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Randy, become a subscriber. randy.diamond@express-news.net The tentative opening date for the outdoor aquatics center has been pushed back to July 1. The Plainview City Council voted 4-2 Tuesday night to approve the operations/management agreement between the City of Plainview and the Plainview YMCA for the outdoor aquatic center at M.B. Hood Park at 3300 W. 16th St. Councilmembers Larry Williams and Eric Hastey voted against approving the agreement. Councilwoman Teressa King filed a conflict of interest and did not vote. She owns Royal Splash Texas and recently voiced concerns about the aquatic center directly competing with her business. Councilman Evan Weiss had an excused absence for the meeting. The $3,800,000 is part of a bond package approved by Plainview voters in 2018. The agreement provides in-depth details of operation costs, security and general operation tasks. The contract has been a hot top of discussion among the Council for the last two meetings. The city leaders have dissected the operation costs, admission costs, staffing and what will be expected from the YMCA. City Manager Jeffrey Snyder told the Council on Tuesday that the pool will be filled year-round and the YMCA will be tasked with maintaining it, even through the off-season. He also detailed the updated visitor and operation projections with the pushed back start date. This season is anticipated to include 60 days of operation over an eight-week period with an estimated 125 visitors per day. Snyder noted that the updated agreement now projects operation costs incorporating the later start date. This years operation costs are proposed to be about $92,027, which is down from the $172,962 proposed with the originally planned June 1 opening date. The total operating revenue projected for this year is also anticipated to be about $71,400. The projected NET income for the year is anticipated to be $3,663. City officials will monitor the costs for a better feel of what to expect financially in the future from this facility, though this isnt expected to be a traditional season as operations under some kind of COVID-19 restrictions are anticipated to last through at least the rest of the year. This might look different come next year, Snyder said. The pools operation for this season has been expected to be a financial loss as a result of COVID-19 restrictions and construction delays. It has been a point of concern among the City Council that prompted an initial adjustment of the gate fees to what they are now: $5 for kids 11 years old and younger and $7 for everyone 12 years old and older. Admission for infants is free. During discussions on Tuesday, Councilman Larry Williams proposed adding an amendment to the agreement to raise gate fees again by $1. He said he proposed it to test the waters with the Council noting that hes concerned about the immediate debt projected for the pool In response, Councilwoman Susan Blackerby, who voted against raising the gate fees, said My concern is that we are already charging the taxpayers with the bond. This is an amenity to build quality of life opportunity for members of our community. Its not a for-profit-type thing. Its not a money (maker). I realize were having to pay more for the Y to run the pool, but theres a lot more to run than they had before. Its going to also be able to have more visitors per day than it did before. Councilwoman Nelda VanHoose also noted that raising costs could get financially steep for families with multiple children. Snyder mentioned that the city surveyed other community pools and found their gate fees to range between $2 and $5. He also noted that Big Spring charges $5 and has one of the larger pool facilities with similar features as the one currently under construction on 16th St. The amendment to raise gate fees failed with a 2-4 vote. Councilmembers Williams and Hastey voted against and King did not vote. By Trend Georgian Airways will launch charter flights to Amsterdam and Tel Aviv from June 2020, Trend reports with reference to Georgian Civil Aviation Agency (GCAA). Flights will be carried out by Boeing B737 and Embraer ERJ190 in full compliance with the protocol agreed with the health authorities. We will resume our regular flights starting from July 1. All passengers holding tickets for May and June are eligible to rebook their trips to an alternative date for free, Georgian Airways said earlier. In accordance with the Georgian government's anti-crisis plan to reopen tourism sector, the opening of air traffic is scheduled for July 1. The air traffic will be restored gradually. Before that, the aviation authorities and airports will have to carry out certain work. More specifically, it is necessary and mandatory to introduce safety standards, both at border checkpoints and at the airports. An official from the Palace Museum presented a proposal to this year's annual session of China's top political advisory body, focusing on strengthening the management, protection and utilization of religious buildings according to the law. Song Jirong is a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and head of the cultural objects hospital at the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City. Back in April 2019, she joined a research and survey tour of temples and churches in Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces in east China. What she saw made her upset. Speaking to China.org.cn, she explained coming across the damaged interior of a 300-year-old temple hall building at Fayu Temple located on Mount Putuo in Zhejiang province. The temple management asked local authorities to help repair the structure in 2016, and even offered to fund the restoration itself. Two years later, however, they still had not received a response. The local culture heritage department later replied to them that repair work could not be conducted temporarily because their application was not approved by the national culture heritage department. "The law on the protection of cultural relics includes stipulations and provisions on the conservation of cultural relics. But when it comes to the actual management work, where responsibility lies is often unclear and the mechanism is less than perfect. This results in a lack of protection for cultural relics, Song explained. Whenever an incident happens, the authorities are often evasive or make excuses about the approval process higher up being incomplete, thereby delaying the conservation of national-level cultural relics." Another instance that struck Song concerned an ancient Tang Dynasty pagoda at Nengren Temple in Jiangxi province. The temple did not have the funds to make the necessary repairs, but the pagoda was under its direct management, rather than that of the local cultural relics administration department. "This example shows us that some cultural relics under national-level protection are supervised by local cultural relics authorities. Most, however, are managed by temples or churches," she said, pointing out that it is often unclear which entity is responsible for protecting cultural relics, and that many have been in a state of disrepair for years. As such, the situation for cultural relics in many places remains grim. Song also discovered that many temples and churches are facing financial difficulties. They are unable to protect and repair even the highest national-level relics, not to mention those under provincial and municipal-level protection. The unclear responsibility arrangements for the protection of cultural relics has also led to many problems. In her proposal to the CPPCC National Committee this year, Song suggested that China needs to train and educate personnel working in temples and churches on the country's Cultural Relics Protection Law, and that regions should formulate a system to protect these sites according to their local conditions. She urged the central authorities to clarify regulations and outline the main responsibilities of venues and various levels of government. Every cultural relic should have a designated person in charge, and cultural protection should be made an indicator for evaluating the government's work. In addition, a new model for cultural relic protection should be created one which is led by the government, coordinated by relevant departments and participated in by society. As the head of cultural objects and former vice-director of the Palace Museum, Song Jirong also promoted fiscal reform and the allocation of responsibilities for central and local governments in terms of cultural relics protection, and asked the state and local regions to establish special funds to help conserve key cultural relics. "Society can also participate in the efforts," she continued. "The Palace Museum has created a cultural protection foundation and raised several hundred million yuan specifically for the conservation and repair of cultural heritage." "Cultural relics are carriers of civilization and culture, and are irreplaceable treasures of mankind. Protecting them is of both practical and far-reaching historical significance for studying history, passing on culture, and enriching people's lives," Song stressed. Potatoes are offered for sale at an outdoor market in Myanmar, May 2020. Farmers in Myanmars Shan state have complained that their businesses are being undercut by cheaper potatoes smuggled in from nearby China, causing them serious financial losses. Potatoes are prohibited from regular border trade under measures to protect local growers, but Chinese traders are still able to export them illegally into Myanmar, prompting farmers to urge authorities to take measures to stop the activity. Potato farmers want the government to shut down the illegal Chinese potato imports to Myanmar, said Aung Chan Aye, a potato trader at Yangons Bayint Naung Wholesale Centre. Many Burmese say they prefer Chinese potatoes because they are better quality and about 10 percent less expensive than those grown in Myanmar. Half of the more than 90,000 acres under potato cultivation in Myanmar are in 21 townships in southern Shan state, and especially in Naungtayar, Kalaw, Nyaungshwe, Langhko, and Taunggyi townships. Farmers in Shan State say Myanmar authorities must enforce regulations prohibiting the illegal entry of potatoes from China because they cannot compete and will face greater financial strife and a possible loss of livelihood. The current price of potatoes is 600-650 kyats (U.S. 42-46 cents) per viss, a unit of measurement equal to 3.6 pounds, which yields a profit of only 100 kyats (U.S. 7 cents) for growers, said Khun San Oo, a potato farmer in Naungtayar township. But illegally imported China potatoes sell for about 500-550 kyats per viss. This is only about a 50-kyat difference, but for thousands of viss, the difference is huge, he told RFA. If Chinese potatoes continue to enter Myanmar, we will be in grave trouble. Myanmar farmers also say they cannot compete with Chinese technology which allows Chinese growers produce better potatoes more efficiently than their counterparts. Chinese potatoes are different from those grown in Myanmar, said potato seller Aung Chan Aye. Chinese [potatoes] are more beautiful in color and larger in size. Customers prefer them, he said, adding that Chinese traders also dont have to pay Myanmar tax on their shipments since they are exporting illegally. RFA could not reach the Myanmars Ministry of Commerce for comment. Soe Nyunt Lwin, Shan states minister for finance and planning, said that the list of items permitted for border trade does not contain potatoes from China. Chinese potatoes are not officially allowed into Myanmars market, he said. We will see to that. Farmers in southern Shan state have complained to state officials in the past about the illegal potato imports in border trade areas undercutting their business and requested that they control the inflow. Although state authorities pledged to control the sale of potatoes imported illegally into Myanmar as well as provide loans to farmers so they can buy agricultural machines and produce higher quality potatoes, the problem has continued. Reported by Kyaw Lwin Oo for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Maung Maung Nyo. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Good Morning, Nigeria, Welcome To Naija News Roundup Of Top Newspaper Headlines In Nigeria For Today Thursday, 28th May 2020 The Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended the further evacuation of stranded Nigerians overseas. Naija News reports that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who made this known on Wednesday, said the development is to allow take-off of a new policy on the evacuation of Nigerians. The Federal High Court in Abuja has readjourned the 18-count corruption charges suit filed against the former Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita to July 8, 2020. The hearing date was adjourned by Justice Taiwo Taiwo following the absence of a prosecuting counsel from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC). The political drama In Edo State has gotten more intense as the race for the governorship ticket of the All Progressive Congress (APC) might be streamlined between Godwin Obaseki and Osagie Ize-Iyamu. Naija News recalls that the party presently has two factions, one faction loyal to the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. and Other loyal to the Governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has fined three broadcast station for inappropriate report on coronavirus (COVID-19). Speaking to newsmen on the amendment to the broadcast code, the Acting Director-General of the NBC, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba said 25 stations were also sanctioned and fined for other various offences in the first quarter of 2020. Nigerias Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige has justified the decision of the federal government to continue with its school feeding programme while students remain at home and schools remain shut. It will be recalled that schools at all levels all over the country have been shut down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the recent political activities and development in Edo State, Godwin Obaseki has expressed optimism and confidence in retaining his seat as the Governor of the state. Naija News understands that Obaseki made the remarks as his main opposition in the contest for the governorship seat, Pastor Ize-Iyanmu was given the expression of interest and nomination forms for the governorship ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The presidency has described the recent claims that President Muhammadu Buhari has cancelled 150 memos authorized by his late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari as fake news. Naija News recalls some reports had it that the President was investigating some of the memos and appointments made by his former chief of staff. The Kano State Government has been given a 14-day ultimatum by the Joint Labour Union to immediately pay back the money that was deducted from May 2020 salaries of workers in the state or they will go on strike. The union released a statement where it stated that the state Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje has violated the agreement of 2019 and should be quickly reversed. People living in the Dapchi community of Yobe State have appealed to the federal government to urgently redeploy soldiers back to their community. The residents lamented that soldiers have left their area after an attack by Boko Haram that resulted in the burning of their camp. The United States President, Donald Trump, has threatened to shut down all social media platforms after a fall out with micro-blogging site, Twitter. Naija News reports that Twitter had labelled two of Trumps tweets unsubstantiated. Thats the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow. Share this post with your Friends on Advertisement Ira Latrell Toles (pictured) described how Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin nearly killed him while responding to a domestic violence call in 2008 The Minneapolis cop who killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck during an arrest almost killed another black man during a domestic violence call 12 years ago. Alarming details about Officer Derek Chauvin's long history of use-of-force incidents have surfaced in the wake of George Floyd's death on Monday night. A viral video captured the moment Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck while the handcuffed suspect repeatedly cried out that he couldn't breathe and ultimately suffocated. Now Ira Latrell Toles has come forward with his story about how Chauvin barged into his home and beat him up in a bathroom before shooting him twice at close range while responding to a domestic violence call in 2008. Toles, 33, told the Daily Beast he didn't immediately recognize Chauvin in the video from the Floyd confrontation, but made the connection later Tuesday night when news outlets identified him as one of four officers involved. 'The officer that killed that guy might be the one that shot me,' Toles texted his sister on Tuesday night. 'They said his last name and I think it was him.' 'It's him,' his sister replied instantly. Scroll down for video A viral video captured the moment Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck while the handcuffed suspect repeatedly cried out that he couldn't breathe and ultimately suffocated Floyd's death sparked violent protests and riots in the Minneapolis and fevered calls for Chauvin to be charged with murder. Protesters are seen outside the ex-officer's home Protesters threw red pain and scrawled the word 'MURDERER' in Chauvin's driveway Floyd's death sparked violent protests and riots in the Minneapolis and fevered calls for Chauvin to be arrested and charged with murder. 'Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail? If you had done it, or I had done it, we would be behind bars right now,' Mayor Jacob Frey said in a news conference. Toles believes that Floyd's horrific death wouldn't have happened if Chauvin was properly punished for his violent arrest more than a decade ago. He said Chauvin received a mere slap on the wrist for the incident, which left Toles, then 21, with a permanent bullet hole in his stomach and led to him pleading guilty to a mere misdemeanor charge. 'If he was reprimanded when he shot me, George Floyd would still be alive,' Toles told the Daily Beast. Toles said he believes Floyd (pictured) would still be alive if Chauvin had been properly punished following his violent arrest in 2008 Officers responded to the domestic violence call at Toles' apartment just before 2am on May 24, 2008, according to authorities and local media reports at the time. The 911 operator who fielded the call could hear a woman shouting for somebody to stop hitting her. Toles admitted that the mother of his child had called the cops on him that night, but said he was surprised when several officers arrived without announcing themselves. 'When I saw that [Chauvin] breached the front door, I ran in the bathroom,' Toles said. 'Then [Chauvin] starts kicking in that door. I was in the bathroom with a cigarette and no lighter.' Toles described how Chauvin broke into the bathroom and started to beat him without warning. He said he returned blows to the officer because 'my natural reaction to someone hitting me is to stop them from hitting me'. 'All I could do is assume it was the police because they didn't announce themselves or ever give me a command,' he said. 'I didn't know what to think when he started hitting me. I swear he was hitting me with the gun.' Local media reported that Chauvin shot Toles after he allegedly reached for the officer's gun. The morning after Floyd protests erupted in violence and fires in Minneapolis, protesters assembled outside Chauvin's home At least a dozen protesters gathered at the former officer's home with signs demanding that he face justice for Floyd's killing A demonstrator holding a sign jumps up and down so police officers behind the front lines at Chauvin's home could see it Toles said he doesn't remember being shot but recalled officers walking him out of the apartment 'until I collapsed in the main entrance where I was left to bleed until the paramedics came'. He was taken to the hospital, where he learned that Chauvin had shot him at such close range that one of the bullets went through his groin and out the other side, landing in the bathroom wall. That wound never fully healed and is so large that Toles can still stick a finger inside it. Toles is pictured in an undated Facebook photo. He said he is considering suing the Minneapolis Police Department over the 2008 incident After he was released from the hospital Toles was taken directly to court, where he was charged with two felony counts of obstructing legal process or arrest and a misdemeanor count of domestic assault. He maintains that the felony counts should have never happened. 'I would assume my reaction would be to try to stop him from hitting me. If his first reaction was hitting me in the face that means I can't see and I'm too disoriented to first locate his gun and then try to take it from him and for what?' Toles said. 'To turn a misdemeanor disorderly situation into a felony situation that could have resulted in me dying? He tried to kill me in that bathroom.' Toles spent a couple days in jail, without pain pills, before he was released. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge under a deal with prosecutors three months later. Chauvin and the other officers involved in Toles' arrest were placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation but were later put back in the field. 'I knew he would do something again,' Toles said. 'I wish we had smartphones back then.' Toles said he is hopeful that Floyd's death and the ensuing outrage will finally bring change and reform to the Minneapolis Police Department. 'We've all reached our tipping point. Water boils at 212 degrees,' he said. 'We're at 600.' He also said that he is looking into filing a lawsuit against the department for the 2008 incident. Scores of people were seen in the streets as fires raged around them amid conflicts with police over Floyd's death Aerial shots taken Thursday show a trail of destruction in the wake of protests Wednesday evening The fire department said Thursday they were called out to around 30 fires along Lake Street the previous evening, with rocks thrown damaging their equipment. At least 16 fires involved damage to buildings, they said An aerial photo made with a drone shows firefighters battling fires set near the Minneapolis police 3rd Precinct, during a third day of protests over the arrest of George Floyd Two officers in George Floyd's killing had a history of using excessive force Chauvin and three other officers - Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao - were fired by the Minneapolis Police Department in response to Floyd's death. It has since emerged that both Chauvin and Thao had previously been accused of using excessive force. Chauvin, who joined the force in 2001, was the subject of 10 prior complaints but only ever received two verbal reprimands. Tou Thao (pictured) was one of the four officers fired over Floyd's killing In 2006, Chauvin was one of six officers involved in the in the fatal shooting of 42-year-old Wayne Reyes, who allegedly stabbed two people before turning a gun on police. That same year he named in a lawsuit filed by an inmate at the Minnesota Correctional Facility. The case was dismissed in 2007. In 2011, Chauvin was one of five officers placed on a standard three-day leave after the non-fatal shooting of a Native American man. The department ultimately determined that the officers acted 'appropriately' and allowed them to return to work. Thao was sued for using excessive force in 2017 after he was accused of punching and kicking a handcuffed suspect 'until his teeth broke'. That case concluded with a $25,000 out of court settlement, according to documents obtained by DailyMail.com. The remaining two officers fired over the Floyd confrontation - Lane and Kueng - were both rookie cops who were still in their probationary periods, according to the StarTribune. Chinas rubber-stamp parliament has voted overwhelmingly to approve a controversial new national security law that will be imposed upon Hong Kong, a move which critics say undermines the citys autonomy. The new law, details of which are yet to be finalised, will make it a criminal offence in Hong Kong to undermine Beijings authority through any act of treason, secession, sedition or subversion, and will allow Chinas national intelligence agencies to set up bureaux in the city. Delegates to the Chinese National Peoples Congress (NPC) passed the proposal with 2,878 votes in favour. One delegate voted against, and six abstained. The proposal voted for on Thursday afternoon was not a new law in itself, but rather a draft decision in support of a law. Communist Party officials will now draft the new legislation and it could be in force before the end of the summer. But the decision to impose such a law upon Hong Kong, rather than let the citys own devolved legislature come up with one itself, has led to a major backlash both domestically and internationally. Activist Joshua Wong said the decision was a direct assault on the will of Hong Kongers and could kill democratic movements. On Wednesday afternoon, the US said it no longer considered Hong Kong to be autonomous from mainland China, and that Beijing had violated the rights granted to Hong Kong citizens under the handover agreement that saw the city returned to China by Britain in 1997. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, said it was now clear that China is modelling Hong Kong after itself. The Trump administrations announcement has major ramifications, because it could spell the end of Hong Kongs special trading status with the US a designation that has, until now, underpinned the citys role as a global financial powerhouse. Mr Pompeo said the new security law was only the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine Hong Kongs autonomy and freedoms. No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground, he said in a statement. In Hong Kong itself, police detained hundreds of people on Wednesday amid violent clashes over attempts to pass another new law, one that would ban displays of disrespect towards the Chinese national anthem and flag. Riot police were out in force again on Thursday afternoon and some demonstrators gathered in a shopping mall to chant anti-Beijing slogans, but there were no major disturbances of the kind seen the day before. Three pro-democracy politicians were ejected from Hong Kongs parliament, the Legislative Council (LegCo), on Thursday morning for disrupting the debate on the new anthem and flag law. The legislatures president, Andrew Leung, suspended the meeting minutes after it began and ejected Eddie Chu for holding up a sarcastic sign about a pro-Beijing politician that read Best Chairperson, Starry Lee. A second pro-democracy MP was ejected for yelling after the meeting resumed, and then a third after rushing forward with a large plastic bottle in a cloth bag that spilled its brownish contents on the floor in front of the presidents raised dais. We have wanted to use any method to stop this national anthem law getting passed by this legislature, which is basically controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, because the law is just another way of putting pressure on Hong Kong people, Chu said outside the chamber. Additional reporting by agencies Containers falling off the APL England, 73 km south east of Sydney on 25 May, 2020. (Australian Maritime Safety Authority 2019) Ship Clean-Up Continues Along NSW Coast Fifteen of the 40 shipping containers lost overboard from the APL England cargo ship have been accounted for but clean-up efforts continue along the NSW coast. The clean-up mission continues along NSWs coastline with less than half of the 40 shipping containers which fell off the APL England on the weekend accounted for. The cargo ship lost the containers south of Sydney during rough seas on Sunday night. Fifteen of the 40 containers have now been accounted for, NSW Maritime says, with efforts under way to remove them from beaches along the coastline. A tug boat was deployed from Newcastle on Thursday to retrieve five containers that washed ashore at Bateau Bay on the Central Coast. The containers were moved by tides from the beach at Bateau Bay around 1.30pm and broke up on the rocks, spilling their contents and increasing the level of complexity for the operation, a NSW Maritime spokeswoman said in a statement. These were the same containers sighted floating off Terrigal on Wednesday. A second tug boat left Botany Bay to retrieve a single container located off Port Kembla, in the Illawarra region, while a third left Sydney to collect four near Norah Head on the Central Coast. Contractors have begun to remove and dispose of five containers at Birdie Beach on the NSW Central Coast, NSW Maritime added. Randwick City Council in Sydneys east has reopened its beaches after they were closed for cleaning on Wednesday. A council spokesman told AAP the beaches reopened on Thursday morning but future closures were possible if more debris washed ashore. We will be taking direction and advice from NSW Maritime to determine the risk of debris on our beaches, the spokesman said. NSW Maritime acting executive director Alex Barrell said 21 of the containers lost at sea were empty while the ships manifest indicated the remainder held no dangerous or hazardous goods. The cargo includes bar stools, food dehydrators, medical face masks, shields and goggles, furniture, range hoods, gazebos and cat furniture. By Ashlea Witoslawski [May 28, 2020] ID.me Helps Shoes.com Step Up to Support Frontline Workers During COVID-19 MCLEAN, Va., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ID.me is honored to announce that Shoes.com has selected its group verification service to enable exclusive discounts to frontline workers supporting the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses, doctors, first responders and other healthcare workers can receive 35% off eligible styles on their order at Shoes.com after verifying their eligibility for the promotion this month and beyond. Shoes.com makes it easier than ever to find the perfect pair of shoes at unmatched value, with thousands of expert-curated styles from top brands. ID.me's group verification service enables consumers to demonstrate proof of occupation in professions such as healthcare and emergency services fields. The verification process takes just a few minutes and once completed enables nurses, doctors, EMTs and paramedics to access exclusive promotions, offers, and VIP experiences available from brands such as Shoes.com. "As the US enters its third month battling COVID-19, first responders and healthcare workers continue to soldier tremendous burdens and personal risks as they fight day-to-day on the frontlines of the pandemic," said Blake Hall, CEO and Founder of ID.me. "We are honored to play a role in the Step Up program and proudly support Shoes.com's efforts to recognize these national heroes." The online discount for frontline workers is just one part of the Step Up Project from Shoes.com. The company is also donating 2,000 pairs of shoes to local Massachusetts not-for-profit orgaizations in need. Additionally, customers can enter into a sweepstakes to nominate a frontline worker to win $150 from Shoes.com or a free pair of shoes from participating brands. To verify eligibility for the Step Up program on Shoes.com, consumers need an ID.me account. New members can join the network for free at https://ID.me/individuals . Nurses, doctors, first responders and healthcare workers will need to provide identification and proof of service in one of the designated professions to be eligible for offers. Once enrolled, ID.me members can use their digital wallet to access discounts on hundreds of different online storefronts as well as log in to hundreds of government and business websites partnered with ID.me. About ID.me ID.me simplifies how individuals prove and share their identity online. Its next-generation identity platform provides identity proofing, authentication, and group affiliation verification for organizations across sectors. ID.me's technology meets the highest federal standards for online identity proofing, authentication, KYC and AML requirements and is approved as a NIST 800-63-3 IAL2 / AAL2 conformant credential service provider by the Kantara Initiative. More than 20 million users and over 400 organizations use ID.me to verify identity, including healthcare organizations, federal and state government agencies, financial institutions, retailers and nonprofits. To learn more about ID.me and its secure identity verification platform, visit https://www.ID.me/ and follow on Twitter @IDme. About Shoes.com Shoes.com's mission is to help every person find the best shoes for their journey through easy, accessible, expert-guided shopping. Shoes.com is headquartered in the greatest shoe city in the world - Boston, Massachusetts, the birthplace of American shoe manufacturing. In 1999, we founded the first online shoe shopping destination. Over the past two decades, we've served millions of shoe-adoring customers of all shapes, sizes and tastes. We are obsessed with helping our customers find that perfect pair. And each day we are one step closer to delivering smarter, personalized shoe-shopping, at great value. To learn more visit https://www.shoes.com/ or follow @shoesdotcom on Instagram. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/idme-helps-shoescom-step-up-to-support-frontline-workers-during-covid-19-301066634.html SOURCE ID.me [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Saudi Arabia and several other members of OPEC are discussing the possibility of extending the current level of OPEC+ production cuts to the end of the year to support the market, but Russia could be the stumbling block again, Reuters reported on Thursday, citin8ug sources at OPEC+ and i9Russias oil industry. The OPEC+ group pledged in April production restrictions of 9.7 million bpd in May and June, before easing the cuts to 7.7 million bpd for July through December. According to Reuters sources, Saudi Arabia would like to see the deeper 9.7-million-bpd cut extended through the end of 2020 to rebalance the market. OPEC and the OPEC+ group are expected to meet via teleconference on June 9 and 10 to discuss the market fundamentals and possible tweaks to the deal they forged in April to cut nearly 10 percent of global oil production to support the market while demand is weak during the pandemic. The Saudis see that the market still needs support and want to roll over the same cuts until end of the year. The Russians also want the same but the problem again is with the oil companies, a source at OPEC+ told Reuters. Russia, in its typical wait-and-see approach, is non-committal and reportedly prefers to wait to see how much oil demand will recover. Earlier this week, Russias Energy Minister Alexander Novak discussed with oil executives the possible extension of the current oil production cuts beyond June. Related: U.S. Hydropower Disaster Causes $1 Billion In Damages According to a source familiar with the details of the meeting who spoke to Reuters, Russias oil companies failed to reach any agreement at the Tuesday meeting, as half of the firms supported the extension of the current cutswhich means Russia cutting production from around 11 million bpd to 8.5 million bpdwhile the other half of the oil executives were against extending the deep cuts and calling for the easing of the cuts, as per the OPEC+ agreement. Russia plans to stick to the OPEC+ deal reached in April and ease the cuts after June 30, Russian officials and industry sources told Bloomberg on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Russias President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday, during which Both sides noted the importance of the joint efforts to reach the OPEC+ agreements on reducing oil production in April. They agreed to continue close coordination on this issue between the energy ministries, the Kremlin said. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Three more persons charged over Nazi photos on Immortal Regiment website AGN Moskva 18:18 28/05/2020 MOSCOW, May 28 (RAPSI) Charges have been brought against three more persons as part of cases over publishing of photos Nazi criminals on the website of the Immortal Regiment movement, the Russian Investigative Committees press service reports. According to the statement, the men, Vyacheslav Kruglov, Andrey Shabanov and Daniil Simanov have been charged with rehabilitation of Nazism. Kruglov and Simanov have pleaded guilty while Shabanov has denied guilt. Investigators claim that on May 4, Kruglov living in Ulyanovsk published a photo of Adolf Hitler on the website of the Immortal Regiment movement. Similar actions were committed by Shabanov residing in Samara. The third defendant Simanov published a photo of betrayer of the nation Andrey Vlasov on the website on May 9. Last week, a resident of Volgograd Denis Vorontsov, who had allegedly published a photo of chief of Hitler's Gestapo Heinrich Muller on the website of the Immortal Regiment movement, was also charged with rehabilitation of Nazism. In mid-May, investigative authorities opened criminal cases after finding out that photographs of Nazi criminals were published on websites of the Immortal Regiment movement. The photos were published in the framework of a virtual event aimed at preservation and perpetuating of the memory of the generation fighting against Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. According to investigators, on or before May 3 and on or before May 10 unidentified persons published on a freely accessible website a photograph of Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler and that of Adolf Hitler respectively; they were falsely designated as participants of the war against the Nazis. The probe into the cases is underway; investigators take all necessary measures to apprehend the identified suspects, according to the document. [May 28, 2020] Focusing On Underserved 65+ Market, Because Grows Through Strategic Acquisitions And Product Innovation REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Long before "senior hours" became the norm at stores in response to COVID-19, online retailer Because helped older adults purchase everyday personal care items and have them discreetly delivered to their doorsteps. Built from the ground up with a mission to improve the lives of the aging population, Because has grown through key acquisitions, product innovations and by introducing new products like natural CBD oils specially formulated for people 65+, which put the startup on a path to take the lead in the fast-growing but underserved Senior Care market. "We are so proud to offer a better way for older adults to get essential personal care products, a need which has been clearly validated during these last few months of stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic," said Alexi Suvacioglu, CEO and Co-Founder. "Because is dedicated to the often-overlooked senior market and the often-not-talked-about-topics associated with this age group. Baby Boomers spend more than twice as much as millennials online but are targeted by just 510 percent of the marketing. We think there is huge potential here." Seventy percent of disposable income in the U.S. is controlled by the more than 74 million Baby Boomersand they are increasingly making their purchases online. Because started by tackling incontinence, an $8 billion market, and one of the leading issues affecting this aging population (more than 25 million in the U.S. alone), and developed a full suite of proprietary products including protective underwear, pads, cleansers, sanitizing wipes and creams. In Fall 2019, Because acquired competitor Willow , whose revolutionary protective underwear product is the slimmest on the market, completely disappearing under clothes while offering more leak protection than most options available in the grocery store. "We are thrilled to offer Willow's state-of-the-art product design and performance to our customers as we continue to build out a best-in-class, curated assortment of incontinence solutions at Because," added Suvacioglu. This month, Because launched a slate of CBD topicals, gummies, tinctures, and sprays aimed at helping seniors relieve pain and anxiety, as well as sleep better. Other products including oral care, vitamins and supplements are on the horizon. Fueled by passion and personal experience in this area as well as vast tech and startup experienceSuvacioglu and co-founder Luca Gualco are Silicon Valley vets (eBay, Uber, WeWork, RetailMeNot) and both have aging family members for whom they've had to buy personal care productsBecause has grown rapidly, selling over 70 million products to hundreds of thousands of customers. The reviews on its website often express gratitude for the company's diligent customer service team including the founders, who often read and respond to customer inquiries themselves. Because has attracted more than $35 million in funding to date from big names including Index Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Bow Capital and Exor. The company aims to offer a thoughtful selection of products curated especially for seniors. Following the suggestions of its vocal customer base, Because recently redesigned its website to better serve its users and how they are buying and using Because products. A convenient subscription service is available for everyday products and all products arrive in discreet, easy-to-handle packages. For more information or to purchase Because products, visit www.becausemarket.com . ABOUT BECAUSE Because is an online destination for personal care products dedicated to the often-overlooked senior market. The site is a curated, convenient one-stop-shop designed to educate customers and direct them to the right products that allow them to live vibrant, independent lives. Because offers the highest quality, scientifically formulated personal care products to address conditions that often accompany aging including incontinence, personal hygiene, skincare, oral care, and pain and anxiety. Sold direct-to-consumer, Because products include adult protective underwear, pads, cleansers, creams, denture adhesive, mouthwash, vitamins, supplements, CBD products, and more. All products are discreetly shipped directly to a customer's home in easy-to-handle soft packages with large fonts that are easy to read. For more information, visit www.becausemarket.com . Pam Schlichter [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/focusing-on-underserved-65-market-because-grows-through-strategic-acquisitions-and-product-innovation-301066692.html SOURCE Because Market [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will officially present the recovery plan to the European Parliament on Wednesday afternoon. (Aris Oikonomou/AFP via Getty Images) The European Commission is planning to unveil a 750bn (670bn, $826bn) stimulus plan on Wednesday afternoon to help the bloc jumpstart its economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. According to Spiegel and the German Press Agency (DPA), the package earmarks 500bn as non-repayable grants, and 250bn as loans. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will officially present the recovery plan to the European Parliament in the afternoon. She will also put forward a proposal for the EUs next budget covering 2021-2027, reportedly of around 1tn. European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde said in Frankfurt on Wednesday that the eurozone GDP is likely to fall by between 8% and 12% in 2020. The matter of issuing grants to EU countries struggling from the COVID-19 outbreak is a contentious one, as it pits member states against each other. Last week, German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron made a similar proposal, including that the Commission should be authorised to borrow on the financial markets for the grants. It marks the first time Germany has supported the idea of any form of joint debt responsibility across the bloc. READ MORE: Merkel and Macron propose 500bn EU recovery fund The ambitious, targeted and temporary 500bn recovery fund, as Merkel described it, would finance the relaunch of the EU economy. Merkel was quick to underline that the German-Franco proposal would be a temporary solution. However four northern nations are strongly opposed. Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden the so-called Frugal Four say they will only support an emergency fund made up of loans, not grants. By Conor Humphries DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ryanair expects Britain to join other European nations in dropping COVID-19 quarantine plans in the coming weeks, its CEO told Reuters on Wednesday, as he reported a "big surge" in holiday bookings from the country. Last week, Britain announced a 14-day quarantine from June 8 for all air passenger arrivals, including its own citizens, even as countries such as Italy and Spain move to ease equivalent restrictions. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said many Britons had not been deterred by the move, with booking rates in recent days indicating the 1,000 daily flights it plans to fly in July - 40% of normal capacity - were likely to be 50% to 60% full. "The UK and Ireland will either quietly drop them (quarantine plans) or drop them as another easing measure in the next week or two. I am confident of that," he said in an interview. "We have seen a big surge in bookings on our flights out of Ireland and the UK to Spain, Portugal and Italy over the weekend, and that seems to be continuing this week." Ryanair, Europe's biggest budget airline, hopes a busy holiday season will boost confidence for a return of business travel. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's top adviser Dominic Cummings, who provoked outrage by making a 400 km (250 mile) road trip during the lockdown, has "completely undermined the UK government's credibility" on the quarantine issue, O'Leary said. The CEO repeated his prediction that Ryanair's passenger numbers would return to 2019 levels by summer 2021 and said that if unions across Europe agreed to pay cuts the airline might be able to make fewer redundancies than the current plan of 3,000. "I would be hopeful that the 3,000 figure would be significantly lower because of the progress that we are making on reasonable pay cuts across Europe," he said, saying 25-30% of crew had agreed to cuts so far. Story continues In bases where pay cuts are refused, up to half of pilots and cabin crew could be laid off this year, he said, citing Ryanair's home base of Dublin as a possible target. O'Leary said he had rejected an offer by Irish union Forsa to avoid job and pay cuts by shifting crew to part time as it did not deliver unit cost savings. Forsa has said the insistence on a 5-year pay cut is unreasonable as management forecasts traffic and fare levels may recover in two years. (Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.) (Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Mark Potter) LOOK CLOSELY!!! MISSOURI SENATOR HAWLEY'S PROPOSED CRACKDOWN COULD ALSO LIMIT COMMENTS ON TKC AND FORUMS ACROSS THE INTERNETS FROM EVERY POLITICAL SPECTRUM!!! Most of this is simply political posturing with no real policy aim and simply a top level show of support for the brash style of the Prez Trump has once again captivated the entire nation. Show-Me Senator Hawley Sending Message To Big Tech Hawley on Twitter fact-checking Trump: 'Big Tech' is subsidized by taxpayers and censors Americans 'Big Tech' is subsidized by taxpayers and censors conservative speech, Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley said Wednesday. In an interview on "Fox & Friends" with hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade, Hawley said that Americans deserve answers from these companies. Clipping Twitters Wings??? Republicans working on legislation to strip Twitter of federal liability protections Sen. (R-Mo.) and Rep. (R-Fla.) on Wednesday separately announced they were both working on legislation to strip Twitter of federal protections that ensure the company is not held liable for what is posted on its platform. Question Over Tags GOP Sen. Josh Hawley asks Twitter if fact checks are meant to target Trump for 'political reasons' A Republican senator asked Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Wednesday whether the social media giant's decision to fact-check President Donald Trump's tweets on mail-in voting was politically motivated. The move by the president's favorite social media platform to slap warning labels on his tweets "raises serious questions about whether Twitter targeted the President for political reasons," Sen. Accordingly . . . Missouri's most strident supporter of Prez Trump is pushing back against big tech and shaking his fist at Silicon Valley in a manner that has implications throughout the Internets.However . . .The first hint of the legislation is sloppy and what he really opposes is the monopoly that Twitter has over the political conversation . . . This is easily solved withStill, the GOP launching a very big government crackdown on Internets discourse offer just a hint that both sides of the aisle aren't as different as partisan hacks might believe . . .Nevertheless . . .Take a look:This move doesn't really scare TKC because we can always turn comments off and find new and exciting ways to chat with denizens of the discourse. However, we're more anxious to see if our Conservative readers want to crack down on Twitter and thereby limit many online platforms in the process . . .You decide . . . Because of the coronavirus, Saudi Arabia finds itself fighting a war on two fronts. In addition to the battle against the pandemic itself, the kingdom is wrestling with the devastation befalling the petroleum industry. Demand for fossil fuels has cratered with shutdowns and travel bans, and the oil reserves on which Saudi Arabia depends have lost much of their value, forcing the kingdom to the brink of a financial crisis. All the while, another self-imposed conflict continues: Saudi Arabias ill-fated intervention in the Yemeni Civil War. Saudi Arabia first intervened in the civil war in 2015 a year after the Houthis, a band of Iranian-backed rebels, captured the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has become the nations supreme leader in all but name since his father ascended the throne five years ago, feared that Iran would use Yemen as a springboard to establish an anti-Saudi sphere of influence on the Arabian Peninsula. Imbalances: Saudi Arabia expected intervention in Yemen to last weeks, not years (Source: Data, World Bank and Global Firepower; map, Al Jazeera) The crown princes campaign began with grand ambitions, foremost among them ousting the Houthis from Sanaa and reinstalling Yemens beleaguered, Saudi-dependent government. Supported by Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other influential allies in the Persian Gulf, Saudi-backed forces achieved key victories in their first year, recapturing Aden, Zinjibar and a crucial airport. The Royal Saudi Air Force and the UAE Air Force complemented the foot soldiers with a brutal demonstration of aerial warfare, carpet-bombing Yemen and killing hundreds of civilians. The conflict caused more than 100,000 deaths by 2019. Despite initial victories, the interventions momentum faded fast. The Houthis proved more resilient foes than bin Salman had expected, blunting most Saudi offensives and holding Sanaa. Disputes between the Organization of the Petroleum-Exporting Countries, or OPEC, which Saudi Arabia more or less leads, and Russia one of the most important players in the oil industry outside OPEC provided an additional distraction. If Saudi Arabia failed to maintain control over the petroleum industry, bin Salman would lose the means to finance his war. Other difficulties within Yemen emerged. An alliance of secessionists aligned with the Saudi campaign often undermined the message of territorial integrity coming from Yemeni officials, and militants massacred Houthis, Saudis and civilians alike. To the international community, several of the Saudi-led coalitions most persistent challenges looked self-inflicted. Emirati and Saudi generals all-encompassing focus on the Houthis enabled the Islamic State and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, to flourish in Yemen. In the early years of the intervention, a lack of oversight led Saudi Arabia and the UAE to finance AQAP-aligned militias that happened to be fighting the Houthis. The 2016 move by Saudi Araba and UAE to boycott Qatar, one of the coalition's strongest member states, also compelled that peninsular monarchy to withdraw its troops from the coalition. Though Saudi Arabias campaign in Yemen has stalled for some time, the coronavirus has given new impetus to the kingdoms efforts to extricate itself from the Yemeni quagmire. Saudi Arabia initiated a two-week unilateral ceasefire on April 9, hoping to showcase the seriousness with which the kingdom greeted the pandemic. The Houthis, whom Saudi Arabia accused of violating the truce 241 times in 48 hours, express less enthusiasm. Even so, Saudi Arabia extended the ceasefire on April 24 as the Houthis rejected the measure. While Saudi Arabia navigates a battlefield shaped by the coronavirus, the kingdom must negotiate with opponents over whom it has surrendered most of its leverage. Fast losing allies, Saudi officials have had to confront this challenge alone. The UAE withdrew most of its troops from Yemen last year, and Emirati forces have come into conflict with Yemenis allied with Saudi Arabia. An expanding number of American politicians also voice criticism of the operation. American-built planes with American bombs were used by the Saudis to bomb a funeral procession in Yemen, US Senator Rand Paul said. We have an unfortunate habit of arming foreign nations, only to discover that these supposed allies may be creating more enemies for America than they are killing. The vast reserves of financial firepower on which Saudi Arabia has often relied to mitigate other quagmires is dwindling. The database Global Firepower ranks the kingdom as third in terms of military expenditure after the United States and China but 17th in strength. As the price of oil has slumped because of another conflict between OPEC and Russia, Saudi officials have had to burn through their foreign-exchange reserves to replace the sudden shortfall in income. Analysts predict that Saudi Arabias budget deficit could be more than $60 billion this year, restricting the kingdoms ability to prosecute its brutal campaign in Yemen and compelling Saudi officials to abandon the operation, which has seen Saudi Arabia spend billions on weapons. While the coronavirus has slowed Saudi activity in Yemen, the pandemic may have less of an effect on the conflict itself, which only grows more complicated. The Southern Transitional Council, an umbrella organization of Yemeni separatists that played a critical role in the Saudi war effort and received support from the UAE in particular, declared self-rule in late April. The announcement undermined the legitimacy of Yemens fragile, Saudi-backed government. Yemeni officials have vowed to fight the separatists, who remain close to the UAE. Now, bin Salman has a war within a war on his hands. Saudi Arabia has called on the separatists to renounce their ambitious declaration of secession, but the kingdom, overwhelmed and under-resourced, has little leverage. UN officials, who have so far failed to ink a peace treaty between the Houthis and their Saudi opponents, have no hope of uniting the Saudi-reliant Yemeni government and its erstwhile secessionist allies. The United States, among the few countries with the diplomatic prowess to end the war, seems more preoccupied with fighting AQAP. Related: How A Pandemic Made Americans Better Workers As allies become enemies in Yemen, the coronavirus continues to spread. Yemeni officials have described Aden, their provisional capital, as infested. For its part, the World Health Organization has suspended operations in Yemen. Iran and Saudi Arabia, regional powers most active in Yemen, encounter their own difficulties with the coronavirus, but their proxies show little sign of stopping the war. The Houthis look as committed to their path as ever. The insurgents launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at the kingdom in March, firing another pair within Yemen in early May. As Saudi Arabia struggles with the fallout of a financial crisis, a pandemic and misadventure in Yemen, the Houthis likely recognize that the tide has turned in their favor. To escape the Yemeni Civil War, bin Salman must pick from a short list of troubling options. His diplomats might scrap together a hasty peace treaty with the Houthis as the United States did during the Vietnam War, tying a diplomatic ribbon on a war that Saudi Arabia has in all likelihood lost. He might withdraw his troops altogether as the Soviet Union did at the end of the Soviet-Afghan War, hoping that his Yemeni proxies can hold their own against a tenacious enemy. The more troublesome the Yemeni Civil War becomes, the more bin Salman might turn his ambitions inward. He has launched a variety of reforms to modernize Saudi Arabia and placate constituents. As the Saudi economy plummets, managing the kingdoms internal affairs has gained that much more importance. The coronavirus has clarified the reality: The faster Saudi Arabia gets out of Yemen, the better for the crown prince and his flagging reputation at home and abroad. By Austin Bodetti via Yale Global Online More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: An after-school care service lost two three-year-old boys, including one who escaped through a hole in the fence, in less than a week. Childcare provider OSHClub was ordered to pay the Department of Communities $18,000 for the incidents at its Bicton site, in Perth, on February 8 and 13, 2019. The State Administrative Tribunal judgement said the first three-year-old boy enrolled at the service was 'inadequately supervised by OSHClub for approximately 10 minutes'. The child was found in front of his classroom alone and unsupervised by his kindergarten teacher on February 8 last year. An after-school care service lost two three-year-old boys, including one who escaped through a hole in the fence, in less than a week (stock image) The digital tagging system and the coordinator had to check whether children were in their classrooms or not. The incident was not reported by the coordinator but the child's parents learnt about it through an older child of theirs who also attended the service. Five days later a second child, also three years old, was left unsupervised in OSHClub's care. The child, along with 24 other children, was being supervised by four educators in the outside play area. Three of the four carers were casual employees and it was either their first or second day at the childcare service. There was a gap in the fence which separates the outside play area from the school teachers' carpark. The hole was not known to OSHClub staff at the time. The child escaped through the hole and into the carpark sometime between 3.45pm and 4.15pm. His mother found him in the carpark after she arrived at about 4.15pm. Childcare provider OSHClub was ordered to pay the Department of Communities $18,000 for the incidents at its Bicton site, in Perth, on February 8 and 13, 2019 (stock image) The coordinator responsible for the first missing child was stood down following an investigation. The incidents occurred during the same week a four-year-old child was found unsupervised while in the care of OSHClub in Treendale, near Bunbury. He was found 'unaccompanied and upset' by another parent on the side of the road. He told his carer his mum said he could 'come home if he did not like it'. They were also fined $18,000. Brad Jolly from the Department of Communities said the action against OSHClub should come as a warning to providers in the child care industry. 'Being approved to operate a child care service in Western Australia carries with it significant responsibilities and obligations to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children enrolled at the child care service,' he said. 'A child being able to leave a child care service unsupervised is completely unacceptable. 'Having one operator being disciplined by the State Administrative Tribunal for three similar breaches of the National Law within a relatively short period is of great concern to the Department of Communities as the regulator, as I am sure it would be to parents with children attending the service.' Mr Jolly said inadequate supervision was cited by the Department of Communities in all these cases. 'Where the Department identifies repeated non-compliance, it monitors those providers more closely to ensure they have implemented appropriate corrective measures to protect the safety and wellbeing of the children in their care,' he said. 'Department of Communities officers continue to undertake targeted inspections of services, including unannounced and announced visits, and investigate all reported instances of non-compliance.' OSHClub chief executive Craig Napier said they 'absolutely' deliver a safe environment for children when asked by the publication. Mr Napier said they take full responsibility for the incidents and the penalty. Daily Mail Australia has contacted OSHClub for comment. Two of Europes largest insurers are gearing up to sell billions of euros in life assets a niche corner of dealmaking keeping bankers busy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Allianz SE is planning to divest as much as 9 billion euros ($9.9 billion) of life insurance assets in countries including Italy, according to people familiar with the matter. The German firm has been working with Morgan Stanley to review the portfolio, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. The potential sale, which comes after a review by Allianz of its European life business outside its home market, may fetch about 500 million euros [US$549.2 million], the people said. Any divestment could help Allianz free up regulatory capital amid the coronavirus crisis. Italys Assicurazioni Generali SpA has decided to move ahead with the disposal of a French life insurance portfolio, in whats set to be a landmark deal for the industry in France, the people said. It has picked financial services specialist Fenchurch Advisory to help with the potential sale, which could involve between 1 billion and 2 billion euros [US$1.1 billion and US$2.2 billion] of assets, according to the people. Dealmaking Drop Generali has been considering selling a so-called back-book portfolio linked to savings products in its life insurance unit and had earlier asked banks to pitch for a role on the deal, Bloomberg News reported in January. The consolidation of closed-life books will be a driver of M&A activity in western Europes insurance sector this year, including France and the Netherlands, PwC said in its 2020 industry outlook. Dealmaking in the sector has proved resilient against the impact of COVID-19 at a time when overall mergers and acquisitions volumes are down 23% in the region, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The market for back books has been growing in recent years. Heritage assets which sit on companies or insurers balance sheets rose by 40 billion pounds ($49 billion) to 580 billion pounds [US$712.5 billion] between 2016 and 2018 in the key markets of U.K., Germany and Ireland, according to a presentation last year by Phoenix Group Holdings Plc, one of the biggest closed-life consolidators. The Allianz and Generali divestments could attract interest from specialist consolidators, the people said. No final decisions have been made, and theres no certainty the deliberations will lead to a transaction, according to the people. Representatives for Allianz, Generali, Morgan Stanley and Fenchurch declined to comment. Big insurers including AXA SA have been pivoting away from the capital-intensive business of writing life policies. Thats led them to sell packages of old policies to companies like Phoenix, Apollo Global Managements Athora Holding Ltd. and Cinven-controlled Eurovita SpA. Those consolidators focus on buying assets that are less profitable for insurers in the low-interest-rate environment. Phoenix agreed in December to acquire Swiss Re AGs U.K. unit ReAssure Group Plc in last years biggest European insurance transaction of last year. In 2018, Generali agreed to sell a majority of its German life-insurance portfolio Generali Leben to Cinven-backed Viridium Group GmbH. With assistance from Aaron Kirchfeld, Dinesh Nair, Nishant Kumar and Chris Bourke. Photograph: The Allianz SE logo hangs on an Allianz branch in Quedlinburg, Germany. Photographer: Adam Berry of Bloomberg. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics USA Europe Allianz Germany Generali Life Assurance (Thailand) Plc. RiskIQ creates complimentary COVID-19 Internet Intelligence Gateway to fight pandemic of cybercrime London, UK ? May 28, 2020 ? RiskIQ, the global leader in attack surface management, announced the launch of the COVID-19 Internet Intelligence Gateway, a free, one-stop cybersecurity resource centre. With thousands of newly created COVID-19-related websites launching daily, the gateway accepts submissions of suspicious URLs or emails, providing a lookup service that taps into RiskIQ\-\-s massive global crawling infrastructure to analyse and compile malicious URLs related to COVID-19. Security practitioners can lookup any suspicious COVID-19 URL via the Gateway. Submissions are crawled and analysed by RiskIQ\-\-s systems and the results sent back. Because each malicious URL is added to RiskIQ blacklists through community participation, the site will become an authoritative source of intelligence that practitioners can use to block and investigate COVID-19 scams as they increase on an unprecedented scale. \Our goal with the Gateway is to help the security community work together in our response to the influx of criminal activity,\ said RiskIQ CEO Lou Manousos. \The COVID-19 Internet Intelligence Gateway will be a powerful resource for keeping organisations safe during this crisis.\ FBI cybercrime reports have quadrupled, and phishing attacks surged 350% after the pandemic started. Currently, Google blocks 18 million COVID-19 scam emails daily, and RiskIQ noted 317k new websites related to COVID-19 over just two weeks. The Gateway compiles and improves upon the catalogue of complimentary resources RiskIQ released in the early days of the pandemic to empower the cybersecurity community, which is battling a massive spike in cyber threats related to COVID-19. Users who sign up for the COVID-19 Internet Intelligence Gateway will also have access to RiskIQ\-\-s other complimentary offerings: COVID-19 Daily Intelligence reports compiled by RiskIQ\-\-s agency-trained analysts. This intelligence helps improve situational awareness and inform security teams, which face new requirements during these times Lists of new infrastructure related to COVID-19 observed by RiskIQ\-\-s global crawling network, updated daily. Security teams can download newly observed hosts and URL intelligence to aid in investigations and improve their organisation\-\-s security posture Email Intelligence, including top subject lines to help educate users on COVID-19 scams and malware. RiskIQ analyses thousands of emails to provide crucial insights security teams can leverage toward protecting employees and customers Free Digital Footprint Snapshot, a quick and easy way to understand digital assets that belong to your organisation outside the firewall so you can secure them from a spike in COVID-19-related cybercrime A 30-day PassiveTotal query boost enables analysts to ramp-up their investigations of COVID-19 threats with RiskIQ\-\-s unique data sets Updated COVID-19 Blacklists compiled by RiskIQ. Security teams can block these blacklists of known bad infrastructure to immediately to protect their organisation from new campaigns leveraging the COVID-19 crisis Sign up for the RiskIQ COVID-19 Internet Intelligence Gateway here: https://www.riskiq.com/covid19-cybersecurity/sign-up/. Also, be sure to download the RiskIQ COVID-19 Chrome Extension, which allows users to submit suspect URLs, hostnames, or domains to RiskIQ for crawling purposes. Results from the crawl will show up under the submissions tab from the pop-up menu and link to a detailed report. Reports will include detailed information from the crawl, including referenced pages, screenshots, and classification of content. "We need border security. However, few would agree that will be satisfied primarily by building the 21st century equivalent of the Great Wall of China or Hadrians Wall in Britain," says our latest local contributor. LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Oxford Biomedica plc (OXB.L), a gene and cell therapy group, said Thursday it has signed a one-year clinical & commercial supply agreement with AstraZeneca UK Ltd. (AZN, AZN.L). The agreement relates to the GMP manufacture of the adenovirus vector based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222, which recently entered clinical trials at multiple sites in the UK. Oxford Biomedica said it is working alongside AstraZeneca and other manufacturing organisations to provide large scale manufacturing capacity for this vaccine candidate As part of the deal, AstraZeneca will have access to Oxford Biomedica's new 7,800 square meter commercial manufacturing centre Oxbox, located in Oxford, UK. In April, Oxford Biomedica said it had joined a consortium including the Jenner Institute in relation to the potential for large scale manufacture of AZD1222. AstraZeneca and Oxford University subsequently announced an agreement to enable global development, manufacturing and distribution of the vaccine. Oxford Biomedica noted that the initial agreement requires it to provide AstraZeneca with multiple batches of vaccine, the majority of which are expected to be produced throughout 2020. The production will be from one of the Group's recently approved GMP suites in Oxbox. The commercial supply agreement may be extended further depending on the progression of the program. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The unemployment rate in the Syracuse metropolitan area reached 16.3% in April, according to numbers released today by the New York State Department of Labor. It is the first release of unemployment rates by region during a full month of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered non-essential businesses to shut down in mid-March. Aprils unemployment rate is the highest in the modern era. Unemployment reached about 25% during the Great Depression. The Syracuse area, which includes Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties, fared worse than the statewide average, which was 15% in April. The U.S. rate is 14.4%. Within the Syracuse area, the county of Oswego had the highest rate, at 17.1%. The Buffalo-Niagara Falls region had the highest rate of unemployment, at 19.2%. Thursdays release also shows for the first time the change in the number of jobs by industry. Overall, the number of people working in the region dropped from 290,700 in April 2019 to 251,800 in April 2020. About 49,000 people were out of work in three counties. The leisure and hospitality industry suffered the biggest drop over one year. In April 2019, there were 29,600 jobs in that industry. In April 2020, there were only 11,300. Thats a 62% drop. The rates rely, in part, on results of a survey of 3,100 households in New York. In April 2019, the unemployment rate in the Syracuse metropolitan area was 3.8%. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources These restaurants in Central New York have closed. How many more will there be? Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Less than 1% of tests returned positive overnight; 4 more deaths Phase two could begin as soon as Friday in CNY: What will you be able to do? Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Contact Michelle Breidenbach | mbreidenbach@syracuse.com | 315-470-3186. The Infrastructure Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are negotiating with other countries on the issue of resuming scheduled passenger flights, according to Infrastructure Minister Vladyslav Kryklii. In a post on his Facebook page, Kryklii wrote: The work is underway so that our citizens can soon travel and fly safely in Ukraine and abroad. Together with the Foreign Ministry, we are negotiating with various countries to resume regular passenger air transport services. According to the official, Ukrainian airports are preparing to open new runways. Earlier, Kryklii stated that Ukraine planned to launch domestic and international air transport service from June 15. The so-called adaptive quarantine will last in Ukraine until June 22. iy President Donald Trump, angered by Twitters decision to add a fact-check label to a pair of tweets on mail-in voting this week, plans to sign an executive order Thursday targeting tech companies. The unprecedented measure, according to an early draft obtained by The Washington Post, would allow federal regulators to hold Twitter, Facebook and Google liable for what they let appear on their sites and for moderation decisions. In a country that has long cherished the freedom of expression, we cannot allow a limited number of online platforms to handpick the speech that Americans may access and convey online, according to a draft version, The Post reported. This will be a Big Day for Social Media and FAIRNESS! Trump tweeted Thursday. But several free speech and tech advocates told The Post it was the presidents potential order not the constitutionally-protected content decisions of private tech firms threatening free speech. Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democratic Federal Communications commissioner, told The Post an executive order would turn the FCC into the presidents speech police. Such an order is not the answer," she said, to social media that can be frustrating. The move by the president comes as Trump, a prolific tweeter with 80 million followers, and many conservatives allege they are being censored on social media. But earlier this week, Twitter chose not to take down several of the presidents tweets alleging a murder conspiracy involving MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. Instead, Twitter flagged a pair of Trump tweets on mail-in voting with a Get the facts" label linking to a host of stories highlighting that Trump had alleged voter fraud without hard evidence. It was the first time the company took action against any of the presidents tweets. Twitter has largely let world leaders posts remain online even if they violate the companys own community rules. Trump falsely claimed that California will send mail-in ballots to anyone living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there.' In fact, only registered voters will receive ballots, according to the fact check link. Though Trump targeted California, mail-in ballots are already used in some states, including Oregon, Utah and Nebraska. A Twitter spokesperson said the presidents tweets Tuesday contain potentially misleading information about voting processes and have been labeled to provide additional context around mail-in ballots. Twitter is now interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election, Trump posted after Twitter added the labels. Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen! Trump asked for a mail ballot for Floridas Republican primary last month and has used absentee ballots in the past. But the president, his re-election campaign and his allies have argued against statewide issuance of mail-in ballots. A pair of studies by Arizona State University in 2012 and 2016 found negligible rates of impersonation fraud," according to the The Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. The studies showed just 10 cases of voter impersonation fraud from 2000 to 2012, and zero prosecutions of such fraud in a handful of states where politicians claimed it was a serious issue. The election fraud database at The Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank, shows about 200 cases of fraudulent use of absentee ballots over the last 29 years, Roll Call reported last month. In the five states with all-mail voting, Hawaii and Utah reported zero, Oregon reported two, Colorado reported five and Washington six. Related Content: Satoru Eguchi, MD, PhD, FAHA, Professor of Physiology and Professor in the Cardiovascular Research Center, Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center, and Center for Metabolic Disease Research at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Credit: Temple University Health System The main thoroughfare that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the abdomen is known as the abdominal aorta. Strong and thick-walled, this main highway is built to withstand a lifetime of use. But just like expressways traveled by cars and trucks, too much force on its surfaces and exposure to certain environmental factors can cause the vessel to wear and weaken over timeweakening that can lead to abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), a bulge in the aorta wall that has a high risk of rupturing. Risk of AAA is high in smokers, particularly men over age 50, and there is no cure. Long-term survival is poor, especially for patients with large aneurysms and for those who are not able to undergo surgery to prevent eventual rupture. But now, new research by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) suggests that AAA can be prevented therapeutically. In work published online May 28 in the journal Cardiovascular Research, they show for the first time in animals that blocking a molecule known as dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) can stop AAA from developing. "While the molecular mechanism of AAA has been unknown, we suspected a connection with mitochondria, which supply cells with energy," explained Satoru Eguchi, MD, Ph.D., FAHA, Professor of Physiology and Professor in the Cardiovascular Research Center, Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center, and Center for Metabolic Disease Research at LKSOM. "We were interested especially in how processes called mitochondrial fission and fusion impact AAA." Fission and fusion are normal processes by which mitochondria divide and recombine to maintain their function. But blood vessel inflammation, which can be caused by smoking, aging, and other factors, causes mitochondria to shift toward fission. This harmful fragmentation process, which is regulated by Drp1, severely compromises the integrity of the aortic thoroughfarelike the subsurface of an expressway crumbling. Dr. Eguchi and colleagues, including Hannah A. Cooper, an MD, Ph.D. student in Dr. Eguchi's laboratory at the Cardiovascular Research Center and lead author on the new paper, and collaborators at Okayama University in Japan, observed elevated Drp1 levels in the abdominal aortas of human patients with AAA. They also observed similar Drp1 increases in AAA tissues from mice engineered to develop the condition. To investigate the significance of elevated Drp1, the researchers treated AAA mice with a compound called mdivi1, which acts as a Drp1 inhibitor. Mdivi1 turned out to attenuate AAA development, based on measurement of the diameter of the abdominal aorta and on molecular study of vascular smooth muscle cells. While treated mice still had high blood pressure associated with their condition, mdivi1 completely protected them against aortic rupture. Drp1 inhibition was further associated with reduced stress responses in vascular cells. These responses included reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells and decreased senescence, which is characterized by aging-related cellular deterioration. Dr. Eguchi thinks senescence may be a driving factor behind AAA. Mitochondrial fragmentation accompanied by decreased mitochondrial function and accelerated vascular aging set the stage for increased premature senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), an aging-related chronic inflammatory condition. "Human patients and animals with AAA appear young on the outside, but their vascular systems typically show significant aging," Dr. Eguchi said. "Maintaining the mitochondrial fission-fusion balance appears to be fundamental to attenuating senescence and having healthy cardiovascular function. A Drp1 inhibitor may be the therapeutic answer to achieving this goal for persons at risk of AAA." In future work, Dr. Eguchi and colleagues plan to more deeply explore the mechanisms involved in Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission and fusion and how they tie into AAA and other cardiovascular diseases. Explore further Team finds link between blood vessel inflammation, malfunctioning cellular powerhouses More information: Hannah A Cooper et al, Targeting Mitochondrial Fission as a Potential Therapeutic for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Cardiovascular Research (2020). Journal information: Cardiovascular Research Hannah A Cooper et al, Targeting Mitochondrial Fission as a Potential Therapeutic for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm,(2020). DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvaa133 Like millions of other children around the world, Prince George and Princess Charlottes school year was interrupted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We know Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge took on homeschooling duties but royal fans are wondering what else the children have been doing to stay entertained during the lockdown. Well on her last royal tour, Kate revealed what new hobbies her little ones have picked up. Prince George, Kate Middleton, and Princess Charlotte | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images RELATED: This is What Princess Charlottes Friends Call Her on the Playground Princess Charlotte does gymnastics In early March, before the lockdowns went into effect in the U.K., William and Kate visited Galway, Ireland on the final day of their royal tour. Hello! Magazine reported that after watching performers on a tightrope and balance beam, the duchess told them that gymnastics is Charlottes favorite new hobby. Charlotte is really into gymnastics, shes doing cartwheels, handstands, everything, Kate revealed, adding, Its so good for their basic skills of balance and coordination. William chimed in, Their flexibility, its really good for their long-term health, isnt it? We went to watch the Cirque du Soleil recently, it was amazing. The young princess and her sibling attend Thomass Battersea where their curriculum includes everything from computing to art/design to technology to dramatics to specialist-taught gym. Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte | Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince George just started playing an instrument The publication also noted that the royal parents were treated to a concert by the group NOV during their visit and thats when Kate mentioned that George is playing a musical instrument now. I wish we could have brought George and Charlotte along, they would have loved it and George is starting to learn the guitar, she said. Charlotte and George also enjoy cooking and dancing Will and Kate previously spoke about some of the other hobbies their kiddos enjoy and those include cooking and dancing. When she was younger, Princess Charlotte would reportedly set up shop next to Kate and the housekeeper while they prepared meals and use her own toy set to imitate them. But today she and her big brother lend their mom some helping hands. Prince George and Princess Charlotte | Samir Hussein/WireImage The Duchess of Cambridge told Matthew Kleiner-Mann, chief executive of the Ivy Learning Trust, that George and Charlotte make cheesy pasta. Kleiner-Mann relayed the conversation he had with Kate at the Lavender Primary School in London. She was telling us how much her children love cooking and how they cook for her. They made cheesy pasta the other day. One stirs the flour, one puts the milk and butter in. And they make salads and stuff, he said according to AOL. Another activity the young royals enjoy is dancing and putting on little shows for the duke and duchess which isnt too surprising considering they have ballet classes at school. Prince William said that George really took to the classes after he began taking them in Year 1. RELATED: What Will Princess Charlottes Title Be When Prince William Becomes King? Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday held his first in-person news conference with reporters in more than two months. More are scheduled going forward, including tomorrow, Wednesday and Friday. This ends unnecessary and frustrating limits on media access to the governor during a critical period of the state's response to the COVID-19 crisis. We have seen that YouTube has been constantly testing and releasing out new features and tools for its Android app. Now, YouTube for Android is testing another feature that will integrate Google results with video search.The new feature was first spotted by a Reddit user . According to a screenshot shared by TheMrIggs, the company is testing a new feature to bring Google Search results into the video search of YouTube for Android. Currently, searching for videos on YouTube on Android devices is simple and sleek. The mobile app only displays search results for the video content itself.Sometimes, the app may also display an information panel related to a specific topic or regarding any sensitive subject. For instance, when you search for a sensitive subject such as coronavirus, on YouTube, the app displays fact-checked data. The information panel is displayed at the top of the search results page and provides links to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.If you search for a specific channel on YouTube, it will display you different search results as well as a special view for that specific channels videos and playlists, and you will also see other related search results. However, with this new feature, YouTube's Android app is including something else to the search results for you. It is adding relevant search results from the web pulled from Google. According to the test of this feature spotted on Reddit, TheMrIggs performed a search for open beer with a knife. YouTube displayed video search results related to the query. Along with the video search results, the app also displayed Google Search results related to the same query. Particularly, YouTube displays a snippet from a publisher related to the same topic.The new feature will be very useful and users will not have to perform a search on some browser to achieve broad search results. The app will display both - video and Google Search results on the same page. While using the new feature, you will see some videos related to your query on top of the page, and YouTube will display search results from Google in the middle of video search results.However, it does not seem that the latest test is very widespread among users. We can say that this development is probably another A/B test. The company is gathering insights from its users via this latest test. However, if YouTube rolls out the new feature, it will be a great addition and we will let you know.Read next: YouTube Introduces A New Bedtime Reminder Tool To Help Users Set Specific Time To Log Off A developer has proposed demolishing the 332-unit Penasquitos Village apartment complex and building 564 high-end units in its place, potentially displacing hundreds of subsidized renters. Anxiety over the plan is likely a preview of what could be an increasingly common issue throughout the region for years as a lack of construction lags demand, and builders run out of land. While roughly 200 Section 8 recipients, low-income renters who get federal rental assistance, might have to move, the proposal creates more housing than what is on the site now something real estate experts say is desperately needed to keep costs down, in theory, for everyone. The Pacific Village proposal calls for 99 large single-family homes, 105 triplex homes, 120 townhomes and 240 apartments. Right now the outline includes no subsidized housing plan. Advertisement Some community members have launched a petition to stop the development, even though it has yet to be approved by the city. The 38-year-old complex is one of the few places in the area for subsidized renters, many of whom are on very low fixed incomes. Atlantic-Pacific Companies owns the property and the project is being developed by Lennar Homes. Both declined to comment for this article. So far, Lennar has paid $28,800 in processing fees to the San Diego Development Services Department. There are 147 units in Penasquitos Village apartment where renters are using Section 8 funds, the San Diego Housing Commission said, but there are usually two or more people living in each apartment. Because the complex has not seen any major improvements in decades, rent has stayed low there in comparison to the rest of the area. Its practically 100 percent low-income housing, said Melinda Vasquez, a board member of the nonprofit Rancho Penasquitos Town Council. San Diego planners have received a proposal to demolish the Penasquitos Village apartment complex and turn it into 99 large single-family homes, 105 triplex homes, 120 townhomes and 240 apartments. (Phillip Molnar) If the developers decline to provide subsidized housing, they will be forced to pay fees, called inclusionary housing in-lieu fees. In an April letter to Latitude 33, a planning and engineering firm hired by developers, city Development Project Manager Firouzeh Tirandazi said affordable housing was a key issue with the proposal and needed to be addressed in future submissions to the city. He also said there are six to 12 month tenant noticing requirements for properties that will no longer be affordable housing. Penasquitos Village, at 10955 Carmel Mountain Road, has 92 one-bedroom units and 240 two-bedroom units with an average rent of $1,370, according to CoStar. It has a vacancy rate of less than 2 percent. Most residents found out about the proposed redevelopment on April 1 when a building manager taped a letter to their doors. It said the earliest they would need to leave is January 2018 and that it was not expected the new community would accept Section 8 vouchers. Tania Mansilla, 40, has lived in a one-bedroom with her husband, 11-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter for two years. Her children attend a school across from the complex, but she doubts they can stay in the area if Penasquitos Village closes. For us to move out, youll need $5,000, she said of an expected security deposit. We dont have that. Tanny Garcia, 85, moved to the complex with his wife in 2002. He said they rely on Social Security and a small pension fund to pay rent. Even though they dont have a car, they are close to public transportation. The place is nice, quiet, Garcia said. Plus, the bus is right in front of my house. The proposal comes at a time when housing advocates are pushing for more housing, and increased density, to meet demand. Some groups are actively working to preserve current low-income units. Nonprofit developer Community HousingWorks has bought aging complexes, such as Cypress Cove in Escondido, before they can be turned into upscale housing. Anne Wilson, HousingWorks senior vice president, said the Pacific Village plan is complicated for housing advocates. Some of these developments are really low density and we need more housing. Its a good thing to encourage more housing, she said. But, there should be some affordable housing in every one. Thats how we get integrated neighborhoods. Wilson said getting money for low-income projects does not always mean it is a done deal because the county is running out of buildable land. We have to compete with Lennar, others, for land. Getting a piece of land is really tough, she said. Richard Gentry, the president of the San Diego Housing Commission, said current Section 8 recipients can take their vouchers to other complexes but that the city needs an additional 38,680 units by 2020, according to estimates from the San Diego Association of Governments. San Diego planners have received a proposal to demolish the Penasquitos Village apartment complex and turn it into 99 large single-family homes, 105 triplex homes, 120 townhomes and 240 apartments. (Phillip Molnar) While the property owner has the legal right to redevelop their site within the parameters of Citys regulations, he wrote in an email, there is an added burden to replace this much needed affordable housing for our low-income residents when we lose an affordable housing resource due to market place dynamics. However, he said 567 new subsidized housing units are expected to come online in the future from developers throughout northern San Diego city, including Shea Homes, Pardee, Chelsea Investment Corp, the Olson Company, Standard Pacific and others. But many Penasquitos Village residents do not want to leave the homes theyve lived in for years and fear what will happen next. Jose Zara, 86, has begun a letter-writing campaign, using a typewriter, to city officials, as well as to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. To be just relocated to an undetermined and unknown place when we have been renting here for 12 years is very cumbersome, he wrote to Clinton, especially for the sickly elders and disabled like us. Zara had a stroke in April, which he said has severely limited his movement. He gets some pension money but essentially lives on his monthly Social Security. With housing assistance he and his wife, Rosita, also disabled, pay $393 a month in rent. We cant pay if it goes up, Zara said of renting somewhere else. The issue will be discussed at a public meeting of the Rancho Penasquitos Land Use Committee on July 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Doubletree Resort at 14455 Penasquitos Drive. However, some community members are trying to organize an informational meeting before that. phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Report Highlights The global fintech payments market should reach $10.1 trillion by 2024 from $4.8 trillion in 2019 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.9% for the period of 2019 to 2024. The global supply chain analytics market should reach $9.2 billion by 2024 from $4.4 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 15.8% for the period of 2019 to 2024. The global consumer identity and access management (CIAM) market should reach $35.3 billion by 2024 from $16.3 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 16.7% for the period of 2019 to 2024. Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/12612 Report Scope: In consumer and finance sectors, technology of Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to have the potential to be among one of the most developed technologies. AI is increasing innovation in every sector, but it has major applications in the sectors of consumer goods, retail and finance, where organizations deal with high volume of consumer and business-related data. AI technology basically simulates human-like behavior in machines for analysis of algorithms and statistical techniques to improve the performance of the computer system and carry out profitable output. In recent years, the need to improvise the efficiency of the supply chain has become vital for retailers to compete with big retailers such as Amazon. This is because the majority of the population purchasing online and returning online is increasing as the customers expect to browse merchandise on their laptop or phone in order to save time. The retailers need to improve their supply chain visibility to meet the demands of the customer, and this is increasing the adoption of technologies like RFID and barcodes. The RFID provides the retailers with the ability to track pallets wherever they go. They can also track items being sold on the floor: this technology offers efficient management of inventory and improves loss prevention efforts on the sales floor. Thus, technologies have become most integral parts of business process in consumer industry. Request for Report Discount: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/12612 Also, in finance industry, technologies like AI, mobile wallets, payment gateways and security solutions are gaining momentum with massive deployment of web-based applications. Due to development and modernization in every stream, financial institutions are also racing to achieve a prominent role by introducing a new mode of banking and payment procedures by launching the mobile wallet, which offers faster transactions and a highly secured mode of payment, as well as giving consumers a better experience and a secure mode of mobile transaction. To gain market competitiveness, mobile wallet app vendors are launching new platforms by establishing partnerships with financial institutes in the global market. For instance, in December 2018, Apple Pay launched in Belgium and Kazakhstan with partnership of BNP Paribas Fortis, along with its subsidiaries Hello Bank and Fintro, for both Mastercard and Visa-based card users. It includes excerpts from the following reports: 'These frequent political visits to the governor's residence show the state and the office of the governor in bad light.' IMAGE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray receives Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, December 1, 2019. Photograph: Mitesh Bhuvade/PTI Photo "The governor must put an end to political infighting in the state," Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Nana Patole tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com about the ongoing political drama in the state where the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party are engaged in battle. Keep aside your political differences The politicians in the state must understand that not just Maharashtra but the entire country is facing a serious situation. In these circumstances, it is not proper for the state leaders to indulge in political mud-slinging. The politics of visiting the governor and asking him to impose President's rule is not the right thing to do in this hour of crisis. This is the time to showcase the true spirit of Maharashtra. The politics happening in the corridors of governor's bungalow is very disappointing and tarnishes the image of the state. This is the time to come together, keeping aside their political differences and motives and fight the pandemic. This is not the time to criticise the government for political benefits; constructive criticism is always welcome and the Opposition must do that without hampering the state government's efforts in dealing with the health crisis. I request all the political parties that this is not the time to play politics. Come together and show to the people of Maharashtra that you all can together win this battle against COVID-19. Help people overcome their fears This is not the time to play the blame game. And that's what decency and love of the nation demands. But still if they want to exploit the pandemic for their political benefit, nobody can stop them. I still request everybody to come together and fight the common enemy, which is COVID-19. As the speaker this would be my humble request to all the parties in the state. We have all been playing politics all these years, but now is the time to keep your political differences aside and come together. This is the time to save the people; help them overcome their insecurities about their jobs and future and the lockdown; help them fight their fears. IMAGE: Congress MLA Nana Patole leaves the Maharashtra assembly after being elected speaker. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo Focus your energies on the deadly virus As the speaker of Maharashtra's legislative assembly, it is my duty to ensure that all the honourable members' rights are protected and help the people of Maharashtra get justice and help in this hour of crisis. I do not belong to any political party, but I would like to aver that whatever (the politics) is happening in Maharashtra doesn't bring glory to the state. We often invoke leaders like Chhatrapati (Shivaji Maharaj), Mahatma Phule, Shahu Maharaj, Babasaheb Ambedkar to espouse our political causes but forget their magnanimity, their grace and the vision they envisioned for the progress and well-being of Maharashtra. The true meaning of progressive Maharashtra is rooted in justice for all. And if politics is played in the state at this time of pandemic, then this is extremely bad. Everybody needs to focus right now on how the people can be made to feel safe and secure and tackle the number of rising cases and deaths in the state. Whatever scenes the state witnessed in the last couple of days doesn't bring glory to the state. This is not the fight to unseat somebody from power and anoint oneself as the ruler; this is the fight against a worldwide pandemic. Focus your energies on how you can rid the state of the deadly virus. Is there a state of emergency in Maharashtra? As the governor of the state, Bhagat Singh Koshyari enjoys certain rights and privileges and every politician in the state is making a beeline to his residence. Is there a state of emergency in Maharashtra? These frequent political visits to the governor's residence show the state and the office of the governor in bad light. The governor of the state enjoys a Constitutional position, but the dramas happening there is not a good sign. The governor must call a meeting of leaders of all political parties and suggest measures that the state must adopt, and the roles everyone must play, to defeat the disease. He must instill a sense of confidence in the people of the state and ensure that the government remains stable or ensure that nobody tries to topple it. The governor must also play his role to ensure that the people of Maharashtra get justice and put an end to political one-upmanship and infighting in the state. The former girlfriend of Babes in the Wood murderer Russell Bishop has appeared in court charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice. Jenny Johnson, 54, who had a child with Bishop and lived with him in Hollingdean, Brighton at the time of the murders, appeared before magistrates today. Bishop was originally arrested in 1986 for the murders of nine-year-olds, Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway, but was acquitted after a bungled police and forensic operation. Jenny Johnson, pictured left on the steps of Brighton Magistrates' Court today, appeared in court having been charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice Karen Hadaway, left, and Nicola Fellows, right, were murdered by Russell Bishop in October 1986. He was acquitted of the murders the following year but was found guilty in October 2018 after new DNA evidence was discovered linking him to the crime He was later jailed after he throttled and sexually molested a seven-year-old girl in Brighton. Bishop was rearrested in 2016 for the Babes in the Wood murders and faced a second trial in 2018 for the sexually motivated murders of the girls who were strangled to death in Wild Park, Brighton. The families of the two girls cheered as he was found guilty at the Old Bailey on the anniversary of his original acquittal. He was sentenced to 36 years behind bars. Now, almost 34 years after the murders, Johnson has appeared at Brighton Magistrates today to answer the charges. In the first count she was charged with perjury in that she wilfully made 'a false statement in judicial proceedings' in that during the first trial in 1987 she claimed her entire statement to police was untrue. Russell Bishop, pictured, was jailed for 36 years after he was eventually convicted of the girls' murders In the 1987 trial she told the court she had not seen a blue Pinto Sweatshirt October 31 1986, that it was not Russell Bishop's sweatshirt and that she had never seen it before, the statement being material in the judicial proceedings. In the second count she was charged with perverting the course of public justice in that she made two false statements to Russell Bishop's solicitor claiming he had never owned a blue sweatshirt with a 'Pinto' motif and that you had never seen him wearing one. In the original trial Mr Justice Schiemann directed jurors to acquit Bishop if they were unsure of any one of three statements - that the girls were dead by 18:30; that Bishop had worn a Pinto sweatshirt on the night they went missing; and that the Pinto sweatshirt was worn by the murderer. Wearing a black top and blue jeans and a face mask, Johnson, from Brighton appeared in the dock charged with the two offences. She was supported in court by two family members and spoke only to confirm her name and address. The case was committed to Lewes Crown Court next month and she was released on bail. Huawei phones won't have YouTube, but instead, you'll find Dailymotion on them. But why is that the case? It has to do with the United States Commerce Department. Why Is Dailymotion On Huawei Phones Anyway? Huawei has no access to the United States supply chain due to the United States Commerce Department placing the company on its Entity List. Being on the Entity List means that Huawei can't license Google's mobile services and can't install Google's core apps on their phones. The prohibition includes being banned from installing apps such as the Google Play Store, Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Drive. The Google apps that users can't have on Huawei phones won't matter much in China since the government banned most apps by Google. But this might affect the people's demand for the phones that Huawei sells around the world. Huawei has been using an open-source version of the mobile operating system Android. They recently debuted their Huawei Mobile Services alongside the P40 series release. Huawei Mobile Services has its app storefront known as AppGallery, which is where you can find the app called Petal Search. Petal Search brings with it a neat feature where you can look for an app you want. If the desired app isn't on AppGallery itself, it will look for the particular app on third-party app stores, and it'll provide a link where you can install the app. You can also find apps that companies from the United States developed, which offers people with Huawei phones a way around the Commerce Department ban. Read Also: Can YouTube Replace TikTok With Their Upcoming 'Shorts' To Launch At The End of 2020? Huawei Says Hello To Dailymotion A popular app that Google developed is YouTube, and it is also disallowed from being installed onto a phone manufactured by Huawei. YouTube, the video-sharing platform, was bought by Google in 2006 for almost two billion US dollars in Google stocks. The numerous banned apps led Huawei to find a replacement that the United States Commerce Department couldn't reach. Dailymotion, a video-sharing platform based in France, made a deal with Huawei Video. Thanks to this partnership, the Huawei Video app has had Dailymotion's technology for playing videos integrated into it. For those who don't know what Dailymotion is at all, it is behind YouTube in being the largest video-sharing platform in second place. Dailymotion stated that those with Huawei phones could explore videos that can be monetized, which means they have ads with the video. The video creators on Dailymotion are the ones who decide if their videos are monetized. The content you find on Dailymotion won't be the same as what you'd find on YouTube. But if you explore Dailymotion, you'll see many different European videos that you might find interesting to watch. The unique content from anywhere in the world you discover in Dailymotion will significantly broaden the Huawei Video app. The United States has Huawei pinned as a threat to national security because of the ties that they are perceived to have to the Chinese communist government. Officials in the administration have reason to believe that the gear from Huawei has backdoors that collect consumers' and corporations' data, sending it back to Beijing. Huawei has repeatedly denied the allegations. Read Also: 4 Best Ways to Secure Your Smartphone - Two KDF officers and a police officer exchanged gunfire on the morning of Thursday, May 28 - The officers sustained serious injuries and were rushed to Bura East sub-county hospital where two of them succumbed - Their bodies were later flown to Chiromo and Force Memorial mortuaries awaiting postmortem examination A Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer and a police officer in Garissa county who exchanged fire mistakenly have succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment. Constable Emmanuel Ngao of the National Police Service and KDF Senior Private David Mbugua were taken to Bura East sub-county hospital where they died on the evening of Thursday, May 28. READ ALSO: Rambi rambi za bintiye mwanamuziki Jimmy Wayuni zawashangaza wengi KDF soldier in their line of duty during a pst operation. Photo: KDF Source: UGC READ ALSO: More woes for Ruto as 3 MPs ditch Tanga Tanga, pledge loyalty to Uhuru Another KDF soldier, Senior Private Jeremy Malusi, who was involved in the gun fight is currently under treatment at the facility, Daily Nation reported. Bodies of a police officer and KDF soldier who succumbed to injuries were flown to Chiromo and Force Memorial mortuaries awaiting autopsy, read a police report. As earlier reported by TUKO.co.ke, Fafi sub-county police boss George Sangalo said the KDF soldiers had challenged the police officer but he mistook them for terrorists and a fierce exchange of gunfire ensued. KDF officers carrying their injured colleague during a past operation. Photo: KDF Source: Twitter READ ALSO: TV anchor Ben Kitili says Edgar Obare using exposes to break homes, maybe make money Constable Emmanuel Ngao was challenged by KDF soldiers, Senior Private Jeremy Malusi and David Mbugua. He mistook the officers to be militants, he shot and seriously injured them, police said. A similar bizarre incident took place in 2017 when two police officers shot at each other in Karen, Nairobi after an argument gone wrong. One officer, a sergeant, engaged in an argument with his junior and when the verbal exchange spilled over, both used their guns against each other. As a result of the melee, one officer was badly injured on the arm. 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 But each day is bringing more grim tallies. Through May 20, there had been just one day when the world learned of at least 100,000 new cases. Since then, six-figure case increases have been reported four times, a signal of the viruss still-devastating reach even as more of the worlds most powerful economies sputter into reopenings. The increases in some countries can be attributed to improved testing programs. In others, though, it appears that the virus has only now arrived with wide scope and fatal force. Outbreaks have accelerated especially sharply in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, with caseloads doubling in some countries about every two weeks. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization said it considered the Americas to be the new epicenter of the pandemic. And although much of the Middle East seemed to avert early catastrophe even as the virus ravaged Iran, case counts have lately been swelling in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Many of the worlds wealthiest countries have slowed their outbreaks, if only marginally in some instances. In the United States, which has recorded more than 100,000 deaths, more than any other country, the growth rate has stabilized. But experts believe that its cases are still being undercounted, despite there being at least 1.7 million known infections, and fear that premature reopenings in some states could lead to new outbreaks. A major attack was averted when the police in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama intercepted a vehicle moving about with 30 kg explosives in it on Wednesday night. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team is at the spot. The police got tipped off last night about a terrorist moving around with an explosives laden car ready to blast at some location. It then sent out search parties in search of the vehicle. ANI photo The suspected vehicle, a Santro car, came and a few rounds were fired. Soon after, the owners of the vehicle abandoned it and escaped. The officials claim that the vehicle was to be used to target either a camp or forces. ANI photo On inspection, the police found explosives in a drum on the rear seat of the vehicle. It suspected more explosives could possibly be fitted elsewhere in the vehicle. The car was then kept under watch overnight and the people in the nearby houses were evacuated. The bomb disposal squads were called in and the vehicle was exploded in situ by them as moving the vehicle would have involved a serious threat . #WATCH J&K: In-situ explosion of the vehicle, which was carrying IED, by Police in Pulwama. Major incident of vehicle-borne IED explosion was averted by Police, CRPF & Army after Pulwama Police got credible info last night that a terrorist was moving with an explosive-laden car pic.twitter.com/UnUHSYB07C ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2020 The car reportedly had a number plate of a scooter registered somewhere in the Kathua district of Jammu zone. The incident is a chilling reminder of February 2019 Pulwama attack when a Maruti Eeco smashed into the CRPF convoy by suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar, killing 40 troopers. David Kushner demonstrates how he would wash the deceased if he were performing a tahara at a mikveh at the Levine Funeral Home in Trevose. Read more It used to be that David Kushner would receive a call to report to one of the areas Jewish funeral homes once every few weeks. In the pandemic, his phone has buzzed every single day, sometimes more than once. Then, Kushner, 40, must rally the other members of the Chevra Kadisha Bnei Moshe. This all-volunteer group, which is not affiliated with any one synagogue or denomination, is the largest of the handful of chevra kadishas, or burial societies, that operate in the region. Driven by faith and reverence for tradition, its members gather to carry out the ritual cleaning and dressing of bodies before burial. For devout Jews (or even lapsed ones), these are their final respects. This work has always been emotionally taxing. Now, it poses a degree of physical danger. Kushner and the other men suit up in full-body hazmat suits, from face shields, goggles, and masks, down to disposable booties. Working in groups of four, they have condensed the ceremony, normally about an hour, into a brisk 30 minutes, or 15 minutes if the deceased is COVID-19-positive. That includes reciting prayers, rinsing the deceased with fresh water, dressing him in a clean linen shroud, and placing him into a wooden casket atop earth from Israel. (Female chevra kadisha members attend to the bodies of women.) During the pandemic, a lot of families werent able to sit with their loved ones in the hospital to say goodbye, said Kushner, who has performed the ritual cleaning, known as tahara, on hundreds of strangers, and many of his own friends and loved ones, including, last November, his father-in-law. To know that their final physical moments in this world were done ... the same way that was done to their parents and their grandparents for generations, going back thousands of years, is really a rock-solid source of comfort." Yet, whether to continue this work during the pandemic has been a source of debate and disagreement. Chevra Kadisha Bnei Moshe consulted rabbis, epidemiologists, and infectious-disease specialists before forging ahead. They asked members older than 60 to step back, reducing their rolls from about 50 volunteers to a core group of 15. Another local group, the Reconstructionist Hevra Kadisha, decided to suspend operations. We love the ritual, because it really honors the person who died, said Rabbi Linda Holtzman, a professor at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote and a founder of that group. But they could not see a way to continue without violating social-distancing guidelines. There is no Jewish ritual that is so important that one should do it if it could possibly kill you," she said. READ MORE: 175 bodies in 2 days: Deluged with coronavirus victims, a Philadelphia cemetery aims to preserve the dignity of the dead Patricia Quigley, a funeral director at West Laurel Hill Cemetery and a member of the Reconstructionist Hevra Kadisha, said its just one of many mourning rituals that have been disrupted there, from the Jewish tradition of graveside services, in which families help shovel soil into a grave, to the Sikh funerals that bring large crowds into the crematorium. Although the groups work is on hold for now, Quigley does her best to carry out the tahara alone when its desired: humming the melody of the prayers where her Hebrew fails her, dressing the body in a linen shroud, placing the soil. Another Jewish funeral home, Goldsteins Rosenbergs Raphael-Sacks, has allowed the chevra kadishas to return only within the last month. Carl Goldstein said he was concerned about the safety of his staff, already overwhelmed by more than twice as many funerals as in a normal spring. Now, theyve adapted: Sending those who die of COVID-19 to Goldsteins Broad Street location, while aiming to keep the Southampton chapel coronavirus-free. The chevra kadisha is permitted to go only to Southampton and only in the evening, after most staff have left for the day. For those who are COVID-19-positive, Goldstein gently tells the family a tahara cant be done. "They get very upset, he said. In those cases, a part-time employee whos also a chevra kadisha member has performed an abbreviated tahara, chanting prayers while placing the folded shroud and prayer shawl and soil atop the sealed, double body bag. READ MORE: Farewell from a distance: How this black-owned Philadelphia funeral home handles a communitys coronavirus losses Thats Avi Barr, 70, a retired schoolteacher who first volunteered for the job 34 years ago, and presses on, though his wife and his son worry hes putting himself in danger. Once I did it for a young kid. He was 15 years old. He got killed in a car accident. That really hits you hard. But its the respect, its the final respect I can give somebody." Though taharas are offered to Jewish people of all denominations, they have declined in popularity, said Brian Levine, of Levines Funeral Home in Trevose. Fewer than half of funerals there include a tahara. Some people dislike the ritual, or want to be buried in a suit and tie instead of a linen shroud, he said. For others, its a sacred tradition. Some chevra kadisha members come from a long line of practitioners, going back generations. Kushner, whose day job is government liaison for a nonprofit, said he became a last responder for the same reason he volunteers as a first responder, an EMT and a police chaplain. "I just cant say no. From death until burial, the Jewish faith holds that the soul hovers close to the body, in a state of limbo. Kushner has a sense of that presence as he performs the tahara. After its complete, he said, we ask forgiveness from the deceased. Its tradition, to apologize for any error or inadvertent disrespect. During the pandemic, that work has been intense, the apologies frequent. One day in April he was called to a chapel in New York where there were 30 taharas in a single day. Lately, those numbers have been declining, to Kushners relief. To Levine, its a point of pride that they were able to keep the tradition alive through the pandemic. Its considered a great honor and a mitzvah. Its a good deed that cannot be repaid. Trump Orders DOJ, FBI to Expedite Probe into George Floyds Death: Justice Will Be Served President Donald Trump said on May 27 he has ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI to expedite an investigation into the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed African-American man who told police he could not breathe and later died in custody. At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd, Trump said on Twitter. I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement, he said. My heart goes out to Georges family and friends. Justice will be served! .I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement. My heart goes out to Georges family and friends. Justice will be served! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020 News of the investigation comes after the mayor of Minneapolis called for the arrest of a police officer involved in Floyds death. The officerwho has since been identified as 44-year-old Derek Chuavinwas seen kneeling on Floyds neck, according to video footage published of the incident, which drew violent protests in Minneapolis. The footage spread quickly on social media. Floyd, 46, a father-of-two, was pronounced dead Monday night after he was taken into custody by authorities in Minneapolis. According to a Minneapolis Fire Department report published on Twitter from KARE 11, Floyd was unresponsive and pulseless when being transported into an ambulance by paramedics from the site of his arrest to the hospital. here is screenshot of narrative from Mpls fire. pic.twitter.com/2QG6Rs5AyT Lou Raguse (@LouRaguse) May 27, 2020 I cannot breathe! I cannot breathe! Floyd yelled as witnesses gathered. He added, Dont kill me! My stomach hurts, my neck hurts, everything hurts I cant breathe, Floyd said while under the officers restraint. Hes talking, so hes breathing, an officer said, before Floyd gradually became motionless. The Minneapolis Fire Department was called to the scene. As [Engine] 17s attempted to locate the patient, the crew overheard and was told by several people that the police had killed the man, said the department in a statement. Minneapolis police said in a statement on Tuesday that officers were responding to a report of forgery when the man resisted. According to the statement, Floyd died after suffering medical distress. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a news conference that he saw no threat, adding that he saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary. We cannot turn a blind eye, it is on us as leaders to see this for what it is and call it what it is, the mayor said. George Floyd deserves justice, his family deserves justice, the black community deserves justice, and our city deserves justice. Floyds death is also under investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Meanwhile, the Hennepin County Attorneys Office said it will announce [their] decision on prosecution in the future. We promise a thorough, expedited review consistent with our on-going commitment to justice. Every person is entitled to fairness; no person stands above the law, a statement from the office said. The president earlier, during a trip to Florida, described Floyds death as a very, very sad situation, when asked by reporters whether the officers involved in the incident should be prosecuted. Were going to look at it and were going to get a report tomorrow when we get back, Trump said. Were going to get a very full report but a very sad day. All four officers involved in Floyds arrestDerek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kuenghave been fired from the Minneapolis Police Department, according to a news release issued by the Minneapolis Department of Public Safety. This is the right call, Frey said of the decision on Twitter. Being Black in America should not be a death sentence. For five minutes, we watched a white officer press his knee into a Black mans neck. Five minutes. When you hear someone calling for help, youre supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic, human sense, the mayor wrote in Facebook post Tuesday. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Libyas crude oil exports have shrunk by 92 percent and the National Oil Corporation has lost some $5 billion since the start of the oil blockade early this year, the Libyan state energy company said in a statement cited by local media and Reuters. A group of paramilitary formations affiliated with General Khalifa Haftars Libyan National Army occupied Libyas oil export terminals in January along with pipelines and fields. The blockade came amid continued fighting between the LNA, which is loyal to the eastern Libyan government and the forces loyal to the Government of National Accord, which is recognized by the United Nations. Soon after the blockade, NOC declared force majeure on oil exports, with the companys chairman Mustafa Sanalla warning that the blockade could end up costing Libya $55 million daily. At the time, the losses in production were estimated at between 500,000 bpd and 800,000 bpd. As of late January, Libyas production was around 300,000 bpd but Sanalla said it could go as low as 72,000 bpd. As of early April, production was down below 100,000 bpd. Thats down from over 1.2 million bpd before the blockade. Fuel and other oil product output has meanwhile fallen to zero because refineries had to be shut down because of the blockade, too. The first quarter of 2020 was a huge decrease in revenues for Libya, as a direct result of the illegal blockade of numerous oil and gas facilities. This is only part of the picture, as the corrosion in pipes caused by still oil and salt water is resulting in physical damage that will cost millions to fix when the crisis is over, Sanalla said now. Libyan people across the whole country are the ones who will feel the cost of this illegal blockade. The low revenue will simply delay further any government investment in public services, the national economy, and the foundations of future prosperity for Libya, he added. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration no longer views Hong Kong as independent from China, a move that could cause it to lose special trading status with Washington as Donald Trump threatens to punish Beijing over coronavirus. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters she had talked to Donald Trump about the matter on Tuesday. Here's what she said the president told her: "It's hard to see how Hong Kong can remain a financial hub if China takes over." A day later, his top diplomat told Congress Beijing has done just that. "The State Department is required by the Hong Kong Policy Act to assess the autonomy of the territory from China. After careful study of developments over the reporting period, I certified to Congress today that Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as U.S. laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997," Mr Pompeo said in a statement. "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground," the secretary of state added. Hong Kong has been essentially an autonomous city-state since a pact that turned it over from British to Chinese rule in 1997, but it has had limited democracy and civil liberties. For months, however, protesters have revolted against a proposed Chinese law that would end many of those freedoms inside Hong Kong. The Trump administration continues to say it stands with the residents of Hong Kong, but the White House has yet to announce any steps Mr Trump might order to punish Beijing for the proposed law which has been condemned by the West. Mr Trump also said on Tuesday afternoon he soon will talk more about ways Washington might seek retribution against China for what he says was government action there to cover up the coronavirus outbreak in its Wuhan region and what he calls Beijing's decision to allow people to leave its soil and travel to the United States and across the globe, potentially while carrying the sometimes-deadly virus. "We're doing something now. I think you'll find it very interesting, but I won't be talking about it today," Mr Trump said. "I'll be talking about it over the next couple of days." Collectively, the Hong Kong decision and Mr Trump's coming announcement about a possible coronavirus punishment as well as him saying China's recent actions apparently not living up to terms of a partial trade deal have made him sour on the pact are an escalation of tensions between the two economic giants. As Mr Trump and some of his top aides have referred to the disease as the "Chinese virus" and the "Wuhan virus," after the province it reportedly went public in, Americans' views of the Asian power have further dipped. A recent Pew Research Center survey found 66 per cent of Americans now have a negative view of China, including 72 per cent of Republicans (and 62 per cent of Democrats). Pew found "Republicans tending to be more negative than Democrats," adding in a summary of the poll: "Still, both partisan groups for the second year in a row have recorded their most negative assessments of China since the Center began asking this question in 2005." And while Mr Trump has long called Chinese President Xi Jinping a "friend," Americans have another image of him. "As ratings for China have declined, so too has confidence in ... Xi Jinping," according to Pew. "Roughly seven-in-ten Americans (71 per cent) say they do not have confidence in Xi to do the right thing when it comes to world affairs a high since the center first asked the question." TOKYO - It is one of the many mysteries of the coronavirus pandemic: Why has the death toll from covid-19 apparently been lower in Asia than in Western Europe and North America? Even allowing for different testing policies and counting methods, and questions over full disclosure of cases, stark differences in mortality across the world have caught the attention of researchers trying to crack the coronavirus code. Parts of Asia reacted quickly to the threat and largely started social distancing earlier on. But researchers are also examining other factors, including differences in genetics and immune system responses, separate virus strains and regional contrasts in obesity levels and general health. - What are the numbers? China, where the virus emerged late last year in Wuhan, has recorded fewer than 5,000 deaths, which translates to three deaths per million inhabitants. Japan has around seven per million, Pakistan six, South Korea and Indonesia five, India three and Thailand fewer than one per million. Vietnam, Cambodia and Mongolia say they have recorded zero covid-19-related deaths. Compare that with about 100 deaths per million in Germany, about 180 in Canada, nearly 300 in the United States and more than 500 in Britain, Italy and Spain. Scientists at Japan's Chiba University plotted the trajectory of the virus across the world and said they noticed stark regional disparities. "That means we need to take into consideration regional differences first, before analyzing what policies and other factors are affecting the spread of infection in any given country," said Akihiro Hisaka of the university's Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. - The conventional wisdom: The baseline assumption, at the moment, is that the virus - officially SARS-CoV-2 - mutates the way all viruses do and is just as innately contagious and lethal in one part of the world as in another. "We are all facing the same bug with the same general arsenal of immune responses," said Jeffrey Shaman, an epidemiologist at Columbia University. "There are differences in testing, reporting, control from country to country. And there are differences in rates of hypertension, chronic lung disease, et cetera, on a country-by-country basis." Part of the reason for the high number of deaths in the United States and Western Europe may lie in an initial reluctance to react to an epidemic that seemed distant and unthreatening. In Asia, meanwhile, previous experience with the SARS and MERS epidemics enabled much faster responses to the new threat. Taiwan, for example, has been widely praised for its speedy response to the epidemic, including early screening of air passengers from Wuhan. South Korea built a massive program of testing, tracing and isolating patients. But in Japan and India, two very different countries, the relatively low death toll has baffled many scientists. Similar mysteries have emerged from Pakistan to the Philippines. - Weather and culture a reason? Hot and humid weather could be a factor in places such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Singapore. Several studies have suggested that heat and humidity can slow, although not stop, the spread of the virus, just as is seen with influenza and with coronaviruses that cause common colds. But some equatorial countries, including Ecuador and Brazil, have seen many cases and deaths linked to covid-19. Demographics also play a role in regional disparities. Africa's generally younger population may have been more resistant than northern Italy's older communities, for example. In Japan, which has the world's oldest population, different reasons are being explored. There is a widespread belief in Japan that good hygiene and habits, like wearing masks and avoiding handshakes, helped slow the spread of the virus, while universal health care and the country's emphasis on protecting the elderly may have lowered the death toll. - What about different strains? Research by a team at Cambridge University showed how the virus mutated as it left East Asia and traveled to Europe, noting the possibility that the initial strain may have been "immunologically or environmentally adapted to a large section of the East Asian population" and needed to mutate to overcome resistance outside that region. Peter Forster, the geneticist who led that study, said there is "very limited clinical data" on how the various virus strains interacted with different populations. He noted, however, that the question "should be followed up" on whether different strains explained contrasting mortality rates. A team of scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory also argued that a more highly contagious strain of the virus has taken hold in Europe and spread in the United States - but other experts have said the significance of emergent strains remains unclear. "It could just be an accident that whoever had that mutant went to the most rock festivals and nightclubs and transmitted to the most people," said Jeremy Luban, a virologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. "But the other possibility is that that strain is more transmissible." - Genes and immune systems: Nobel laureate Tasuku Honjo, a Japanese physician-scientist and immunologist, said people with Asian and European ancestry have enormous differences in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotype, genes that control the immune system's response to a virus. That might help explain lower Asian death rates, he said, but is unlikely to be the only reason. Scientists at Chiba University said a whole range of possible genetic factors might condition the body's response to the virus and deserved further study - even while stressing that there is no evidence yet to back up the idea. Different immune responses could also play a role. Tatsuhiko Kodama of the University of Tokyo said preliminary studies show that Japanese people's immune systems tend to react to the novel coronavirus as though they had previous exposure, and notes that there are centuries of history of coronaviruses emerging from East Asia. "The enigma of lower death rates in East Asia can be explained by the presence of immunity," he said. Other studies have suggested that rates of Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination might have played a role, because the anti-tuberculosis shot can potentially cause immune-boosting response at the cell level. "Our hypothesis is that BCG, plus infection or exposure to TB, would be protective," said Tsuyoshi Miyakawa of Fujita Health University. But Japan has a record of BCG vaccination similar to that of France - albeit with a different strain of the vaccine - and yet a very different covid-19 mortality rate. Experts are divided, but clinical trials are underway. Megan Murray, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, said another factor worth exploring is differences in microbiomes - the trillions of bacteria that reside in a person's gut and play a huge role in immune response. "Microbiomes are very different in different places. People eat very different food," she said. - Obesity under study. But don't discount random chance. There's something else that many Asian countries have in common - much lower rates of obesity than in the West. Obesity is a leading risk factor for serious covid-19 illness. Just over 4% of Japanese people are classified as obese, and less than 5% of South Koreans. That compares with 20% or more in Western Europe, and 36% of people in the United States, according to the World Health Organization. But random chance is also at play. Russia, for example, looked remarkably unscathed by the virus for a couple of months, and now it's a hot spot. Cases are now rising in India after a relatively flat curve. All the epidemiological research on the virus suffers from incomplete data, and any conclusions drawn from the initial numbers may melt away as new data emerges. It is still early in the pandemic, experts say, and the hard-science questions take time. In any case, it doesn't change the need for every country to remain on high alert. "All of the strains that are circulating on the planet," said UMass professor Luban, "seem to be capable of killing people." - - - Achenbach reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Akiko Kashiwagi in Tokyo and Chris Mooney in Washington contributed to this report. WASHINGTON, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SpiderOak is pleased to announce and welcome Andrew J. Friedrich as Vice President of Marketing, working remotely in both the Boston and DC Metro Area. In this role, Friedrich will focus on establishing the SpiderOak and SpiderOak Mission Systems brands across both public sector and commercial marketspaces. Prior to joining SpiderOak, Friedrich founded the CyberComm Communications Corporation in 2017, acting as Managing Director/Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, Friedrich provided strategic marketing services to clients focused on selling cyber, infosec and cloud security software offerings to Federal markets. Friedrich spent over a decade at IBM, joining Big Blue in 2005 following the acquisition of the In-Q-tel start-up Systems Research & Development (SRD) where he was the Director of Product Marketing. As an IBMer Friedrich held numerous leadership positions and led the development of the company's highly successful Threat & Fraud Intelligence solutions practice. Recruited to IBM's Public Sector IMT in 2010, Friedrich led the Federal Analytics go-to market strategy for Big Data, Cyber Analytics and Cloud solution offerings. Prior to IBM he held a variety of senior leadership roles with Acxiom, Arkidata and XDB Systems. "Andrew is a proven marketing leader and we welcome his strategic expertise to strengthen SpiderOak's industry position and revenue growth," said Dave Pearah, CEO at SpiderOak. "His experience will be invaluable as we strive to make our Distributed Ledger/Blockchain and No-Knowledge Encryption based solutions the standard for secure communication and collaboration in insecure and contested environments." "SpiderOak's security value proposition could not be more relevant to the federal marketplace than it is right now," Friedrich said. "The pandemic has forced many organizations to rapidly expand their use of remote telework and collaboration products beyond their original use case, straining these systems and exposing vulnerabilities. The results have been obvious; high profile security incidents and PR damage control with software providers hurriedly retrofitting existing offerings with the security capabilities they should have had in the first place." Friedrich continued, "To meet the communication and collaboration requirements of the federal mission space, systems must be secure by design, able to protect data confidentiality, integrity and availability even in the most insecure and hostile environments; this is where SpiderOak really shines!" Friedrich earned a B.A. in Political Science from UMass Dartmouth, and holds professional certifications including the ISC2 CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and a Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK). He is also a member of the Cybersecurity Advisory Board at the Pace University Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. "Managing authority and trust around data and processes is a challenge to all industries but failing to do so in classified environments can be catastrophic," added Pearah. "SpiderOak's application of Distributed Ledger/Blockchain technology eliminates entire categories of cyber-attacks, drastically limiting the number of things attackers can take advantage of to breach your defenses. Andrew's experience and expertise brings us one step closer to fulfilling our mission." About SpiderOak, Inc.: SpiderOak, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary SpiderOak Mission Systems offer tools to Commercial and Government communities which enable the creation of secure virtual enclaves. Designed to offer strict need-to-know assurances; we believe you deserve the easy, efficient deployment of SaaS solutions without compromising the security of the mission, sensitive information, or team members themselves. Built on distributed ledger (blockchain) technology. Cryptographically secure, zero-trust, compartmentalized data protection with mission-level controls, even over arbitrary networks. Enterprise controls for distributed systems is the future of security. Also, join SpiderOak Mission Systems and CarahSoft on June 10 for our joint webinar "Secure Communications in an Insecure and Contested World." For inquiries, please call Dave Pearah, (866) 432-9888 ext. 6 or write [email protected] SOURCE SpiderOak Inc. Related Links www.spideroak.com NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken wave as they walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on their way to Pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday. AP/John Raoux CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The launch of a SpaceX rocket ship with two NASA astronauts on a history-making flight into orbit was called off with less than 17 minutes to go in the countdown Wednesday because of thunderclouds and the danger of lightning. Liftoff was rescheduled for Saturday afternoon. The spacecraft designed, built and owned by SpaceX was set to blast off in the afternoon for the International Space Station, opening a new era in commercial spaceflight. It would have also marked the first time in nearly a decade that the U.S. launched astronauts into orbit from American soil. But thunderstorms for much of the day threatened to force a postponement, and the word finally came down that the atmosphere was so electrically charged that the spacecraft with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken aboard was in danger of getting hit by a bolt of lightning. No launch for today safety for our crew members @Astro_Doug and @AstroBehnken is our top priority, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted, using a lightning emoji. The two men were scheduled to ride aboard the SpaceXs sleek, bullet-shaped Dragon capsule on top of a Falcon 9 rocket, taking off from the same launch pad used during the Apollo moon missions a half-century ago. Both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had arrived to watch. Trump, who before the flight postponement marveled at themagnificent sight of the rocket on the pad, later tweeted that he will return for the next attempt. Thank you to @NASA and @SpaceX for their hard work and leadership. Look forward to being back with you on Saturday! he said. The flight the long-held dream of SpaceX founder Elon Musk would have marked the first time a private company sent humans into orbit. Story continues It would have also ended a launch drought for NASA. Ever since space shuttle was retired in 2011, NASA has relied on Russian spaceships launched from Kazakhstan to take U.S. astronauts to and from the space station. During the day, the rumble of thunder could be heard as the astronauts made their way to the pad at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, and a tornado warning was issued moments after they climbed into their capsule. We could see some raindrops on the windows and just figured that whatever it was, was too close to the launch pad at the time we needed it not to be, Hurley, the spacecraft commander, said after the flight was scrubbed. Understand that everybodys probably a little bit bummed out. Thats just part of the deal. ... Well do it again, I think, on Saturday. Appreciate your resilience sitting there in the vehicle, a controller replied. Behnken responded: Nothing better than being prime crew on a new spaceship. The astronauts had to remain strapped in their seats until all the fuel in their rocket was unloaded and the emergency escape system was disarmed. The launch preparations took place in the shadow of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed an estimated 100,000 Americans. With this mission, everybody can look up and say, Look, the future is so much brighter than the present. And I really hope that this is an inspiration to the world, Bridenstine said. The flight would put Musk and SpaceX in the same league as only three spacefaring countries Russia, the U.S. and China, all of which have sent astronauts into orbit.What today is about is reigniting the dream of space and getting people fired up about the future, Musk said in a NASA interview before the postponement. A solemn-sounding Musk said he felt his responsibilities most heavily when he saw the astronauts wives and young sons just before the launch attempt. He said he told them: Weve done everything we can to make sure your dads come back OK. NASA pushed ahead with the preparations despite the viral outbreak but kept the guest list at Kennedy extremely limited and asked spectators to stay at home. Still, cars and RVs lined the roads around Cape Canaveral, with people staking out viewing spots. The space agency also estimated 1.7 million people were watching the launch preparations online. Among the spectators was Erin Gatz, who came prepared for both rain and pandemic. Accompanied by her 14-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son, she brought face masks and a small tent. She said the children had faint memories of watching in person one of the last shuttle launches almost a decade ago when they were preschoolers. I wanted them to see the flip side and get to see the next era of space travel, said Gatz, who lives in Deltona, Florida. Its exciting and hopeful. NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to design and build spaceships to carry astronauts to the space station in a new kind of public-private partnership aimed at bringing down costs and spurring innovation. Boeings capsule, Starliner, is not expected to fly astronauts into space until early 2021. Ultimately, NASA hopes to send astronauts back to the moon in the next few years, and then travel on to Mars in the 2030s. Were doing it differently than weve ever done it before, Bridenstine said. Were transforming how we do spaceflight in the future. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. New Delhi, May 28 : India's East Mojo and Minnambalam are among 5,300 small and medium local newsrooms around the world that will receive emergency funding from Google ranging from $5,000-$30,000 (approximately Rs 3.7 lakh-Rs 22.7 lakh), the search engine giant said on Thursday. East Mojo, a digital-only news organisation, said it plans to use the fund to allow journalists to go to remote parts of Northern India to shed light on the impact of Covid-19 once the country's lockdown is lifted. Minnambalam (India), a Tamil language publication from Chennai, said the funding gave them the confidence and financial support needed to carry on with their work. Covid-19 has upended the news industry, hitting local news particularly hard with job losses, furloughs, cutbacks and even closure. To provide some help, the Google News Initiative last month launched the Journalism Emergency Relief Fund. "Applications covering a number of publications under one organization will be capped at $85,000," Ludovic Blecher, Head of Google News Initiative Innovation, wrote in a blog post. "As we await a final funding tally, we expect to spend tens of millions of dollars through the Journalism Emergency Relief Fund," Blecher said. Google said in just two weeks it received more than 12,000 applications from 140 eligible countries, with 90 per cent of those applications from newsrooms of less than 26 journalists. "We reviewed each application against a set of criteria: publications operating locally, serving a specific geographic community and using the money to continue doing so," Blecher said. The Patna High Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of the death of a woman on board a train carrying migrants from Gujarat to Bihar, after a video clip of her little son fiddling with the shroud placed on her body while it lay at a railway station went viral and provoked outrage. Meanwhile, two more deaths were reported on board 'Shramik Special' trains in Khagaria district carrying migrant workers back home from different parts of the country amid the lockdown. A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sanjay Kumar took up the matter soon after the latter brought to the notice of the court a newspaper report about the incident that took place on Monday last but came to light two days later. The court directed Additional Advocate General S D Yadav to return with details in the post-lunch session. In the afternoon, Yadav submitted that the deceased was mentally unstable and had died a natural death" during the course of her journey from Surat which was a fact" reported by her companions--her sister and brother-in-law. Yadav also informed the court that no post-mortem was conducted nor was any FIR registered and the body was allowed to be taken home after recording the statements of the family members by railway authorities at Muzaffarpur station. The district administration facilitated their onward travel by arranging for an ambulance up to their destination. The Additional Advocate General also said that the woman, hailing from Katihar, had been living with her sister and brother-in-law after being deserted by her husband and that the orphaned child is in safe custody in the guardianship of the sister of the deceased. Yadav added he will, nonetheless, personally pursue the matter with the authorities (concerned) who would again reach out to the family, enquiring about any need of assistance. The court took note of Yadavs contention that the Advocate General had spoken to the states Standing Counsel in the Supreme Court and the Solicitor General of India for ascertaining information of overlapping of issues though the same had not been received by the time of hearing. The court posted the matter for further hearing on June 03, noting that in view of the submissions made, it would prudently refrain from issuing any further directions, more so when the child is in safe custody. However, let what is so stated by Shri Yadav, as also complete facts be known to the court, on the personal affidavit of the concerned principal secretaries, before the next date, the bench said. Bihar has received close to 20 lakh migrants since these special trains began running and there have been quite a few incidents of people dying on way to their homes. Two such deaths were reported on Thursday in Bihar's Khagaria district. A woman died on a Katihar-bound train from Gujarat, while a man travelling by another Shramik Special from Rewari in Haryana also breathed his last aboard. On Monday, Muzaffarpur railway station was witness to another death. Besides the woman, a boy aged about five years died in his mothers lap while his father made a desperate hunt for some milk to feed the hungry child upon alighting from the train they had boarded from Delhi. Meanwhile, leader of the opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Yadav interacted with the womans bereaved parents via video conferencing, offered his condolences and got an amount of Rs five lakh handed over to them by the Katihar district unit chief of his Rashtriya Janata Dal. He also expressed dismay at complaints of lack of facilities like food and water on 'Shramik Special' trains and mismanagement in their running, often causing inordinate delay in their arrival. A UK hairdressing group has said that salons across the nation are ready to reopen their establishments in June. Earlier this month, the prime minister announced plans for lockdown restrictions to be gradually eased across England. The governments guidelines state that some shops will be able to resume operations from 1 June. However, first secretary Dominic Raab added that hairdressers will not be open until 4 July at the very earliest. The Hair and Barber Council, an organisation that encourages hairdressers to join the UK Register of Qualified Hairdressers, represents approximately 11,000 salons across the UK. Keith Conniford, CEO of the Hair and Barber Council, said that many salon owners would like to reopen their businesses on 15 June, at the same time as various other shops in England. Speaking to Radio 1 Newsbeat, Mr Conniford said he had discussed the matter with several people from within the industry. I have spoken to a number of practitioners I know within barbering and hairdressing and resoundingly they said yes [to opening in June], he said. Mr Conniford added that while hairdressing salons are currently scheduled to reopen in England in July, if any government in the UK gave salons two weeks notice, they would be ready to open. Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent Show all 19 1 /19 Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent Two elderly people chat on a street in Valencia, Spain on 4 May EPA Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent People look at the city from Villa Borghese park in Rome during the first day of Italy's next phase in its coronavirus lockdown Getty Images Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent An elderly couple who has not been outside for nearly two months enjoys the weather as they sit on a bench in a park in Athens on 4 May AFP via Getty Images Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent Henri de Chassey, wearing a protective face mask, kisses his partner Margaux Rebois, who is returning to Paris after spending two months in Brussels on 4 May REUTERS Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent A commuter in protective mask wears gloves at an underground station in Brussels as some companies are allowed to bring workers back to the office EPA/STEPHANIE LECOCQ Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent Paralympic swimmer Inigo Llopis prepares to swim in San Sebastian, Spain, for the first time since the lockdown began Getty Images Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent A worker wearing personal protective equipment disinfects a school in Athens as Greece relaxes its nationwide lockdown REUTERS Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent A Spanish National Police officer distributes protective masks in Melilla, Spain, on 4 May EPA Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent An employee poses in front of halfway-cured hams in a factory in Guijuelo, Salamanca, Spain, on 4 May EPA Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent Workers in protective suits disinfect a high school in Athens as Greece moves to reopen schools for final-year students on 11 May EPA Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent A worker disinfects a bus as transport vehicles are disinfected several times a day as part of Belgium's lockdown exit strategy Belga/AFP via Getty Images Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent A worker from Textilia haberdashery in Brussels holds a fabric that can be used to make customised protective face masks as Belgium relaxes its lockdown measures REUTERS/Yves Herman Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent A bride tries on a wedding dress at a bridal shop in Madrid on the first day that some small businesses are allowed to open during Spain's lockdown REUTERS Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent People walk across the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping mall in central Milan as Italy eases its lockdown AFP/Getty Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent A couple kiss in the Duomo Square in Catania as Italy starts moving out of its lockdown Reuters Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent Mirel Chetan organises the books of the Antonio Machado bookstore in Madrid after 51 days of closure Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent A couple kiss in front of the sea in Catania as Italy begins a staged end to a nationwide lockdown due to the spread of the coronavirus disease ANTONIO PARRINELLO/ REUTERS Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent A waiter at Caffe Cracco handles takeaway coffee in Milan on 4 May as Italy starts to ease its lockdown Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images Europe emerges from lockdowns across the continent A woman holds a yoga posture as she exercises by the Colosseum monument in Rome on the first day of Italy relaxing its lockdown measures VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images Baz Rifat, a salon owner in north London, explained the lengths she has gone to to ensure her establishment is safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ms Rifat told Newsbeat that she has spent thousands of pounds conducting measures such as creating booths, knocking down walls and introducing a text system with customers to confirm they are symptom-free. She will also eliminate her salons waiting area and ensure fewer staff members make contact with customers. A spokesperson for the Department for Business said the government has set up taskforces to work with industry representatives to develop safe ways for businesses such as hairdressers to open at the earliest point at which it is safe to do so. On the governments website, it states that shop workers should practise social distancing wherever possible in their work environment. However, if social distancing guidelines cannot always be stringently followed, there are certain actions businesses are advised to take. These include increasing the frequency of hand washing and surface cleaning, keeping activity time as short as possible, using screens or barriers to separate workers, using back-to-back or side-to-side working and reducing the number of people workers have to make contact with. Efforts must be made to significantly increase the number of uniformed women personnel in the UN peacekeeping missions, an Indian woman commander stationed in Congo has said, underlining that they serve as role models for girls and women everywhere. Women represent only four per cent of the total UN military peacekeepers, Captain Preeti Sharma, Commander of the Indian Female Engagement Team (FET) with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), told PTI in a video interview from Sake town. Currently, there are very less female peacekeepers in the UN. If you have to address 50 per cent of the worlds population, then it is very important that the number of women uniformed peacekeepers is increased to enable UN peacekeeping missions to effectively address challenges faced by women and girls, she said. A bird cannot fly with a single wing. If women are not empowered and uplifted, it is not possible for any society to progress, Sharma said. The FET from India comprises 22 women peacekeepers and it began its deployment with MONUSCO, considered one of the most challenging peacekeeping missions under the UN flag, in June last year. Sharma said this is the first time that a woman engagement team from India was sent to a UN mission. The FET "is not a police unit but an attachment with the Army. We are doing the same job which the Army performs in remote areas, she said. India is the fifth largest contributor of uniformed personnel to the UN Peacekeeping. It currently contributes more than 5,400 military and police personnel to peacekeeping operations in Abyei, Cyprus, the DRC, Lebanon, the Middle East, Sudan, South Sudan and Western Sahara as well as one expert to the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia. India has the distinction of providing the first-ever Female Formed Police Unit for the UN in Liberia, beginning in 2007. The Indian women peacekeepers in Liberia were hailed by the UN for their leadership for being an inspiration for the Liberian women to join the police force. Sharma, who is due to finish her tenure with MONUSCO next month, said that a nation cannot progress and develop if half of its population is left behind and not empowered. Increasing the participation of women in the UN peacekeeping is crucial in addressing challenges faced by women and girls such as security concerns, medical and educational issues in nations where the missions are serving. It will also help address and remove the leadership crunch. When women lead from the front, young girls and children view them as role models and take inspiration from them to achieve their own dreams and aspirations, she said, ahead of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, observed every year on May 29. Indias deployment of the FET is in line with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres priority and initiative to ensure increased participation of women peacekeepers in the UN. Sharma and her contingent are from the Sashastra Seema Bal, one of India's Central Armed Police Forces. Their duties and responsibilities with MONUSCO entail area domination patrols, quick reaction force, escort missions and long-range patrolling. Sharma said the FET works alongside the male contingent and performs every task that the male peacekeepers do. The team also goes to remote areas and outskirts of the towns and villages for patrolling and provides on-ground assistance as well as medical services, she said, adding that they specially take note of problems being faced by women and children and report those to the concerned authorities. Sharma said that her team has undertaken several initiatives such as self-defence programs, language training, skill development, computer programs to help the local communities, especially the woman population. As she began her deployment last year, Sharma realised that security concerns curtailed movement of women and girls. The women and girls were not able to fulfil their aspirations and dreams due to security issues. We started a self-defence program for local females in schools and villages and it was very enthusiastically received. When I lead, girls and women get inspired. Seeing women in uniform motivates them. They come up and ask how they too can join the police and military and serve their nation, Sharma said, adding that seeing women in leadership roles inspires young girls to dream big and fulfil their aspirations. If women and girls are able to uplift themselves with the help of our motivation, it will be a great contribution by us to this society, she said, emphasising that women bring a unique value and perspective to the peacekeeping operations. As Sharma readies to head back to India after the completion of her tenure, she said that she has gained tremendously from the experience. "It is said that people should strive to be better today than what they were yesterday. This experience has made me a better person today from what I was yesterday, she said, adding that her message to the local community is that women should come forward and lead for the tremendous benefit of the country and the world. Sharma said that being a uniformed officer has given her the opportunity to serve not just her nation but humanity. "There are challenges everywhere, these are the challenges that take you to the next attribute which is courage, whether it is moral courage or physical courage, she added. Bronwyn Smith and her husband Dennis would love nothing more than to sit in their reserved seats and cheer on the Melbourne Storm on Saturday night. But as the club returns to AAMI Park, after the NRL suspended play for two months due to COVID-19, the Riddells Creek couple will be in a home-made "corporate box" at their daughter's house, watching the broadcast on pay television. Melbourne Storm fan Bronwyn Smith with her son-in-law Warren Hall prepare to watch the team from home on Saturday night. Credit:Eddie Jim Public gathering restrictions mean fans won't be allowed back at games anytime soon and, when that happens, capacity will likely be reduced to allow for social distancing. This week the Smiths paid up their memberships for the rest of the season despite being unlikely to attend games until it's "100 per cent safe" as Mr Smith has battled cancer although he's been clear for 12 months. For the Smiths, supporting the club they love matters most. "We just go along win, lose or draw," Mrs Smith said. Loading "To have our reserved seats, we are in amongst a whole heap of Storm members. They made us feel so welcome from when we first got them. Blow me down there was a family from Sunbury in the same row as us. "We knew their son from when he used to serve us at Hungry Jacks. "It's like a family. I messaged the people beside us and behind us to say we won't be going to games, even if they come back, as we don't want to run any risk of Dennis getting anything. "I hope that makes it easier for them to go as they will at least know they have some room." Mrs Smith first followed to the Storm after her AFL club Fitzroy merged with the Brisbane Bears. "I wasn't going to barrack for the Brisbane Bears," Mrs Smith said. Read the full story here. KAMPALA Uganda has registered 28 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday May 27bringing the overall number of infections to 281. The confirmed cases came from 2004 tested on Wednesday as more seven Ugandans who came into contact with truck drivers tested positive. The Ministry of Health said they were all under quarantine at the time of test. The Ministry of Health also says 21 new cases are truck drivers who arrived from South Sudan via Elegu while 7 cases are contacts to previously confirmed truck drivers. The country also denied entry to seven truck drivers (4 Tanzanians,1 Eritrean,1 Congolese and 1 Burundian) who tested positive at the border. Previously, truck drivers were allowed to enter the country before getting their results and would be tracked if their tests returned positive. However, the truck driver now have to wait for their results. If they test positive, foreign drivers are denied entry while Ugandan drivers are immediately taken for treatment. Since March 21 when the first case was confirmed in the country, Dr Mwebesa said they have registered 69 recoveries. Uganda revised its tally downwards following President Musevenis directive to block foreign truck drivers who test positive for the virus. The president said any foreign trucker who tests positive for the virus at border point should be handed over to their country of origin as one of the ways to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus to the community Related The embassies of Canada and the United Kingdom and the offices of the World Bank and the European Union raised rainbow LGBTQ flags in Baghdad to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17. Though welcomed by liberals, the gesture prompted an online backlash, strenuous objections by Islamic parties and PMU militias and spurred fear among Iraqs LGBTQ community. The fierce online commentary from conservatives forced the embassies to delete tweets that showed the colorful flag fluttering alongside the flags of the European Union, Canada and Iraq. The hashtag #No_to_LGBT_flag_in_Iraq trended on Twitter, particularly among supporters of controversial Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Many users shared a photograph of a rainbow flag being burned, warned its hoisting would have consequences, called to bring back the death squads that used to kill gay men with concrete blocks and religious posts condemning homosexuality. Others took the opportunity to accuse the anti-government protests that began in October 2019 of being funded by foreign embassies, sharing a photo of protesters in Baghdad with their fingers painted in rainbows. Some even called to expel the diplomatic delegations altogether. On Sunday, Iraq's Foreign Ministry issued a statement denouncing the flags as against "the noble moral principles of all divine religions" and adding, "We remind all the missions operating in Iraq to adhere to the laws of the country and to follow diplomatic norms." Adel Albdeewy, a political scientist at Baghdad University and the head of Baghdad-based Governance Center for Public Policies, thinks that the flags' use did violate diplomatic protocols. The 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations Article 20 states that the mission has the right to use the sending states flag and emblem on the missions premises and means of transport, said Albdeewy. The 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations Article 29 also states the sending states right to use its national flag [but] most importantly to exercise this right in accordance with the receiving states laws, regulations and usages. Albdeewy thinks that foreign delegations are not permitted to raise flags not recognized by the host country. They have to respect the local values and regulations and avoid triggering the local community, especially in Ramadan, a month revered by the countrys Muslim majority, he added. Khairuldeen Makhzoomi, a Washington-based Iraqi-American analyst and graduate of Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, thinks the basic functions of any diplomatic mission are to promote friendly relations between the host country and the home country. They lost much of the local support by this unlearned step, he said. Ironically, the incident coincided with the publication of a sixth-grade Islamic educational text by Iraqs Ministry of Education with a rainbow on the cover. The ministry rapidly announced that it had changed the cover in response to criticism. Sadr's Sairoon bloc said the gesture was "unacceptable," condemning any behavior that contradicts Iraqs culture and religion. The cleric later posted a series of tweets in which he took aim at the LGBTQ community saying its members were "mentally ill and in need of recovery and guidance." The words contradict Sadrs statement in 2016 urging an end to violence against gay and gender-nonconforming people. At the time, Human Rights Watch welcomed the statement, hoping it might end the atrocities, kidnappings, execution and torture by militia groups, including Sadrs Mahdi Army and League of the Righteous, of gay men and men perceived to be gay between 2009 and 2015. The killings began in Baghdads neighborhood of Sadr City, a Mahdi Army stronghold. In March, Sadr blamed LGBT+ people for the COVID-19 outbreak, claiming that same-sex marriage was among the causes of the global pandemic. Observers expressed fears of a possible violent backlash. Sadrs supporters threatened to kill gays online. A day later, a person was shot dead with a silencer in Sadr City. The body was left with a letter in his hand telling Iraqi families to warn their sons against homosexual activities, said Noor al-Qaisi, a Sweden-based Iraqi activist and blogger. In her work on this issue in 2011, al-Qaisi found that some of the men had been killed over their effeminate appearance. Some of the victims were not gay. A handsome man was killed by a militiaman out of jealousy when the killers beloved woman expressed admiration for the victim, she said. In Iraq, people misunderstand the concepts of homosexuality, gender identity disorder and pedophilia. All non-heterosexual practices are considered homosexuality. Al-Qaisi thinks the situation is getting worse. The society is against effeminate people in particular, she said. Those who even rape children are not despised or rejected. It is about masculinity. Amir Ashour, executive director of the US-based IraQueer, Iraqs first LGBT rights organization, blames political leaders for branding homosexuality as alien to Iraq. Diversity exists everywhere. LGBT+ Iraqis are not calling for the erasure of the Iraqi identity or the importation of Western values, Ashour wrote. We are calling for recognition that the Iraqi identity is larger than what figures like Sadr aim to portray. We are calling for the protection of human lives. These are universal human rights, not Western values. While Iraqs Penal Code does not directly criminalize same-sex intimacy, Article 394 criminalizes extra-marital sexual relations. In March 2019, IraQueer submitted a report on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Iraq to the UN Human Rights Council. The report indicates that from 2015 to 2018, the Islamic State was responsible for 10% of crimes against LGBT people, while the government's forces and affiliated armed groups were responsible for 53%. The step was not wise, especially in Ramadan, a holy month for religious Muslims, said Ahmed Menawer, a 26-year-old student at Mosul University. They considered it a challenge to them. The EU deleted the post in an offense to European values, too. They should support the LGBT with laws and pressure on politicians who want to kill the community members. Such timid support is not useful. US-based Iraqi journalist Riyadh Mohammed criticized the gestures timing. The ambassadors' behavior was fully consistent with other Eurocentric Orientalist practices that never fully understand other cultures, especially the Islamic, said Mohammed. Many experts have always tried to explain that any process of changing a culture especially for a major old one that dominates more than a billion of people must originate from within. Any attempt to ridicule it with the aim of changing it only strengthens the hardest forces in the culture concerned. While the act moved stagnant water, if that was the goal, it will most likely lead to persecution of Iraqs homosexuals and justify accusing them of espionage and working for the West, he added. Mohammed thinks the act lacked political intelligence and will adversely affect Iraqs protests in the name of human rights principles for all Iraqis. The youth are facing a corrupt and criminal ruling political class using religiosity to perpetuate its thefts and crimes, he said. This behavior is only in the interest of this corrupt class, which has been accusing protesters of espionage and dissolution. Makhzoomi, the Washington-based analyst, agrees that such a move will only benefit the militias. Are these diplomatic missions willing to protect Iraqs LGBTQ community? Or was it just an act of sympathy? asked Makhzoomi. Will they be able to secure a visa and refugee status for those who cant talk openly about their sexuality, fearing for their lives? If not, then what was the purpose of such action? Dozens of civilians have been killed in eastern DR Congo in the latest of a string of massacres by the notorious ADF militia, a UN source and a local NGO told AFP on Wednesday. The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have killed hundreds in the region since late 2019, in apparent retaliation for a military offensive against their bases. The UN source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least 22 people were killed in two attacks on Monday and Tuesday in the south of Ituri province, near the border with North Kivu province. At least 16 others were killed last Friday and on Sunday, the source said. A local NGO called Cepadho said in a statement that "at least 40 civilians (were) massacred" on Monday and Tuesday in the territory of Irumu in southern Ituri. A separate source, a monitoring group called the Kivu Security Tracker (KST), said the bodies of 17 civilians had been found in Makutano, in Irumu, on Monday and Tuesday. KST said the number of massacres in eastern DRC was "increasing sharply." The group said that since May 7 it had recorded the deaths of 50 civilians, attributed to the ADF, in the North Kivu area of Beni alone. Deaths attributed to the ADF in April totalled 30, the KST said. Ruthless group The ADF is a mainly Muslim movement that originated in neighbouring Uganda in the 1990s, opposed to the rule of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. In 1995 it moved into the DRC, which became its base of operations, although it has not carried out attacks inside Uganda for years. DR Congo's armed forces have reported a series of what they describe as successful operations, including the destruction of "all the ADF strongholds" in the forest and jungle around Beni. By Alexis Huguet (AFP/File) A report to the UN Security Council in January said that the ADF has the characteristics of both an armed group and a criminal organisation, while its members appeared to uphold a radical Islamist ideology. Information is insufficient to prove that the ADF has any ties with international Islamic extremist movements, the report said. DR Congo's armed forces launched an offensive against the ADF in October 2019. Since then, they have reported a series of what they describe as successful operations, including the destruction of "all the ADF strongholds" in the forest and jungle around Beni, and having killed five out of six known rebel leaders. Nobel laureate's appeal Some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) distant from the capital Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo's east is one of Africa's flashpoints. It was the theatre of two major wars, which ran from 1996-1997 and from 1998-2003, the second of which eventually involved nine countries and two dozen armed groups. Millions died from the fighting, disease or malnutrition. Violence and volatility remain acute, and North Kivu in particular has suffered at the hands of militia groups. Medical staff treat a man with serious head injuries after an attack by unknown assailants in the village of Oicha in North Kivu Province, in a photo taken in January. By ALEXIS HUGUET (AFP/File) Ethnic violence in Ituri, meanwhile, has claimed nearly 300 lives since March, and around 200,000 people have fled their homes. The authorities blame the crisis on a political-religious sect called the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO), mainly drawn from the Lendu ethnic group. On May 19, Nobel peace laureate Denis Mukwege urged the country not to ignore the problems in the east as it focused on the coronavirus pandemic. "The COVID-19 crisis must not make us forget the atrocities which are taking place," said Mukwege. Mukwege is a gynaecologist hailed for his work with women raped by armed rebels in South Kivu and coordinates the coronavirus fight in the eastern regions. MUSC is among the hospital systems hard hit financially by the COVID-19 crisis. Any forthcoming federal relief package should include funding to help hospitals recover from the blow. File/Provided Canadian city Calgary bans 'conversion therapy' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, passed a new bylaw barring counseling services for people seeking help with unwanted sexual attractions and gender confusion, often derisively referred to as "conversion therapy." According to GlobalNews.ca, earlier this month a committee recommended to the city council that a new bylaw be implemented to prohibit such counseling as a business, and forbid the advertising of the counseling with potential penalties that include a year in prison or a $10,000 fine. The measure passed after a day of debate in a 14-1 vote. The lone vote against the bylaw, Councillor Joe Magliocca, originally supported it but voted against the final version following the rejection of a proposed amendment to word the measure with language that more closely mirrored a proposed federal ban. With this, the City of Calgary initiates new regulations to protect Calgarians, regardless of gender and sexual orientation, to continue to be a city that is welcoming for all, committed to supporting equality and human rights, the city said in a statement following the bylaw's passage. During the day of debate, proponents of the ban used the Restored Hope Network's Hope 2019 conference in one of their documentaries in order to push the ban. The Restored Hope Network is a U.S.-based Christian ministry serving those with unwanted same-sex attraction and gender confusion. Anne Paulk, who heads RHN, told The Christian Post Wednesday that the term "conversion therapy" is consistently used to obfuscate the issue and that the measure is unfair to those who are seeking help. "It is not loving to ban belief and compassionate care for those who have unwanted same-sex attraction or unwanted gender dysphoria. Those who seek support should be able to find it. And yet, banning belief and compassionate care is exactly what recently happened in Calgary, Canada," Paulk said. "The government does not seem to care that some want to be gay or trans and others do not. The others be condemned." Paulk continued that she has encountered comments from those who say the new bylaw will not impact anyone's ability to speak with their pastor on these matters. But that is only as long as the pastor toes the new government-approved line on sexual ethics, she maintained. "The State is determining what is acceptable practice for the Church in Canada and wielding dangerous power at this time. As Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in 'Letter from Birmingham Jail,' 'The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.' "'There is only one right way to think,' say the cultural relativists. The rest of you have no right to any other view. Irony is missed completely in their heady move of power against any who disagree. Religion must change to conform to their particular view of culture as well. LGBT ideology has become the state religion." This year's RHN annual conference is being held virtually in June due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the United States, similar prohibitions in cities and states have been adopted in recent years. But some say the majority decision in the 2018 Supreme Court ruling in NIFLA v. Becerra a dispute centering around the free speech rights of crisis pregnancy center operators in California and a contested state law called the Reproductive FACT Act arguably undercut such bans in that it referenced earlier cases where the speech of professional counselors who offered therapeutic options for unwanted sexual attractions and gender confusion was litigated. The NIFLA ruling held that the speech of pregnancy center staff ought not to be constricted by law, likening their speech to that of counselors who should also not be legally hampered simply because their speech is classified as "conduct" and uttered by professionals. In an apparent response to the high court's ruling, New York City moved to scrap its ban on counseling services on same-sex attraction, believing that it would not withstand constitutional scrutiny if challenged in court given the changing composition of the federal judiciary. Similarly, a Tampa city ordinance banning voluntary counseling for minors with unwanted same-sex attraction and gender confusion was overturned in federal court in the fall of 2019. The court held that the city government does not have the standing to attempt to interfere with confidential conversations that occur in therapy sessions. Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Badu Sarkodie has announced that the Bono East Region, one of the new regions carved out of the Brong Ahafo region has recorded its first coronavirus case. Though there isnt much information about the new case, Dr Badu Sarkodie said the Ghana Health Service is yet to provide all necessary details about the new case and other related cases. Speaking at the Ministers' press briefing Thursday, May 28, 2020, Dr Badu Sarkodie said Information reaching us just some few minutes ago is that Bono East Region has recorded a case. The details will be brought up based on information that we further pick from the region and then the affected district. Prior to this announcement, however, the Bono East Region together with one other Ahafo Region - had no recorded cases. On the other hand, North East Region, Savannah Region and Bono are the regions with the least recorded cases yet as their case count stands at 2,1,1, respectively. So far the country has recorded a total of 7,303 positive cases with a positivity test rate of 3.55% and 2,412 recoveries Dr Badu Sarkodie also reports that 14 cases are severe but not on ventilators while three cases are considered as critically ill. Find below the regional breakdown: Greater Accra Region 5,148 Ashanti Region 1,099 Central Region 360 Western Region 344 Eastern Region 117 Western North Region 62 Volta Region 59 Northern Region 36 Oti Region 26 Upper East Region 26 Upper West Region 22 North East Region 2 Savannah Region 1 Bono Region 1 Ahafo Region 0 Bono East Region 0 Source: ghanaweb 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 Police clear a road around a fire that was lit during a pro-democracy protest in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong on May 27, 2020. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images) US Says China Blocking Urgent UN Security Council Meeting on Hong Kongs Status The United States said on May 27 that China is blocking its calls for an urgent meeting at the United Nations Security Council on the Chinese regimes move to impose the communist partys so-called national security legislation on Hong Kong. In a statement Wednesday, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations said that it had scheduled a virtual meeting of the 15-member Security Council to discuss the issue, which it described as a matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security. Beijings national security legislation, which was passed by Chinas rubber-stamp legislature in the afternoon on May 28, will threaten Hong Kongs democratic institutions and civil liberties, the U.S. Mission said. The law, which was designed to allow Beijing to bypass Hong Kongs own legislature, bans acts of secession, subversion, and terrorism activities against Chinas ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and has attracted condemnation both inside and outside Hong Kong. It reignited mass protests in the city, with tens of thousands of Hong Kongers voicing their opposition to Beijings law in protests on May 24. Further protests have been planned for the coming weeks. Many fear that the law would be used by Beijing to suppress and persecute dissenting voices. Local anti-CCP advocates, human rights advocates, and pro-democracy advocates and lawmakers note that the national security laws are frequently used to prosecute and jail dissidents in the mainland. A pro-democracy demonstrator burns a letter next to pictures of missing staff members of a publishing house and a bookstore, including Gui Minhai, a China-born Swedish national who is the owner of Mighty Current, Cheung Jiping, the business manager of the publishing house and Causeway Bay Books shareholder Lee Bo (L-R), during a protest to call for an investigation behind their disappearance, outside the Chinese liaison office in Hong Kong, China, on Jan. 3, 2016. (Tyrone Siu/File Photo/Reuters) The law also opens up the possibility of Beijings security agencies setting up operations in Hong Kong. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. Mission said, the CCP has blocked the meeting from proceeding in the Security Council. This is another example of the Chinese Communist Partys fear of transparency and international accountability for its actions, and belief that it can exploit the current global health pandemic to distract the world from its intended assault on Hong Kong and abrogation of its own commitments to the Hong Kong people, the statement reads. China, in response, accused the United States of being the trouble maker of the world. In a Twitter post, Chinas U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun said that China categorically rejects the baseless request because the national security law for Hong Kong was an internal matter and has nothing to do with the mandate of the Security Council. Legislation on national security for Hong Kong is purely Chinas internal affairs, he wrote. The U.S. Mission had argued that the meeting at the U.N. was necessary as the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration is a legally binding treaty registered with the UN. It said that Chinas refusal to allow a Security Council meeting on the matter to proceed, coupled with its gross cover-up and mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis, its constant violations of its international human rights commitments, and its unlawful behavior in the South China Sea, should make obvious to all that Beijing is not behaving as a responsible U.N. member state. We call on the PRC to immediately reverse course and honor its promises under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the statement concluded. Zhang also accused the United States of violating its commitments under the international law. China urges the U.S. to immediately stop its power politics and bullying practices, he said. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday declared that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous following the CCPs recent move to tighten its grip over the city. The declaration puts Hong Kongs special trading status with the United States in jeopardy. Today, I reported to Congress that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China, given facts on the ground. The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong. Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) May 27, 2020 Today, I reported to Congress that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China, given facts on the ground, Pompeo said in a tweet. The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong. President Donald Trump on Tuesday promised a very interesting response from his administration before the end of the week after seeing that the regime was likely to go ahead with the law. It is still unclear whether Trump will opt for what has been called the nuclear optionstripping Hong Kong of its special economic status that the United States has conferred on it since the end of British rule more than two decades ago. The state department has yet to respond to a query from The Epoch Times. Eva Fu and Reuters contributed to this report. NEW HAVEN A city police officer working an extra duty job at a local store Wednesday night suffered a possible knee injury in a struggle with a suspect accused of trying to steal more than $500 worth of merchandise, a summary of the incident indicated. Around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, New Haven Police Officer Paul Vitale was working extra duty at Walmart at 315 Foxon Blvd. He was at the exit door with Asset Protection Manager Fanny Chan when a man, later identified as Richard Smith, tried to walk out of the store with a cart with a grill, two air conditions and a grill cover, Vitales report said. Chan asked Smith, 29, of New Haven , to see his receipt, but Smith couldnt provide one, the report said. Smith, according to the report, made a comment about problems with his employee discount. Vitale said he called Asset Protection Officer Kenny Kuczynski to the door because Smiths voice was rising, and he began displaying belligerent behavior toward Chan. Smith allegedly made claims that he worked at a Walmart in North Haven. For the record, Vitale said in his report, there is no Walmart in North Haven. Vitale said Smiths behavior was becoming a threat to people in the checkout lines and Chan, so he asked him to walk away and leave the items behind. This video contains offensive language: Based on Richard Smiths erratic behavior, I told him this because I believed he was going to escalate a conflict and I wanted him away from other civilians in order to prevent them from potentially being injured, Vitale said. I took out my Mace because I believed Richard Smith was going to start fighting. Vitale said Smith was shouting at Chan, calling his behavior aggressive in the report. Vitale said he called for backup units multiple times. The officer said he repeatedly told Smith he needed to identify him because of the disturbance he caused in Walmart. It is common for Walmart to ban aggressive offenders from the store. Vitale said Smith tried to walk by him and he grabbed Smiths arm, prompting Smith to allegedly pull away from the officer and try to run. At that point, Vitale said, I discharged my department-issue Mace. Smith was treated by firefighters. A sergeant and four other New Haven police officers arrived on scene and helped Vitale secured Smith in handcuffs. Vitale said as the officers tried to put Smith into a squad car, he continued to resist. New Haven Police Chief Otoniel Reyes said in a statement later Thursday night that Vitales actions, including the use of force, were appropriate given the circumstances. The arresting officers body camera footage clearly shows the officer attempting to detain an individual, later identified as Richard E. Smith, Jr., who is suspected of trying to walk out the store without paying for a shopping cart of merchandise, Reyes said. The officer is injured as he and responding officers attempt to detain the man. The chief said the officer used the amount of force necessary to overcome Smiths resistance. Vitales report said the officers found Smith in possession 15 folds of heroin, an eight of crack and nine small bags of crack cocaine. The cost of the items that Smith tried to steal were totaled at $598.97, Vitale said. During the struggle, Vitale said he suffered a possible knee injury. Vitale had a previous encounter with Smith in a one-vehicle collision where he was issued a citation. He said he was later contacted by Orrin Smith, who has no relation to Richard Smith, for the rental vehicle that Richard Smith crash. Vitale said Orrin Smith told him Richard Smith had insurance problems and used a Walmart discount code when renting the vehicle. A check confirmed Richard Smith was never an employee at any Walmart location. Walmart does not want Richard Smith on any of their premises after this incident, Vitale said. Smith was charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, interfering with a police officer, fifth-degree larceny and assault on a police officer. By Krisztina Fenyo and Balazs Kaufmann GYONGYOSPATA, Hungary (Reuters) - Hungarian minority Roma said on Wednesday they felt vindicated by a court ruling that a school had unlawfully segregated Roma children for years and the award of $310,000 in compensation, but they feared renewed tension. Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, at odds with the European Union for his perceived erosion of the rule of law, sparked protests when he hinted in January that the state should disobey any court order to pay restitution to the Roma and provide training instead. The Kuria (Supreme Court) case involved an elementary school in Gyongyospata, an eastern town that has been a flashpoint of ethnic tensions which have hit other schools. "It's important that we too can be right at last," said Niki Csemer, 20, who was a student at the time the school operated separate classes for Roma and majority white students between 2003 and 2017. According to a 2011 report by minority rights ombudsman Erno Kallai, the school kept classes for Roma on the ground floor and white classes on the upper floors. "Gypsy classes were placed in clusters, away from the other classes," Kallai wrote in his report, demanding that the school end the practice. Csemer, whose attended the school, said she felt vindicated. "For once we are not oppressed and the courts, even the Supreme Court, is on our side," she told Reuters. Csemer's husband, David Berki, 22, went to the same school. He expects ethnic tension to rise because majority whites will not accept the payments to the Roma, working out at around $5,000 per child. "They will pick us apart, but we'll take it in stride," he said. "There will be no kind of peace here." Roma believe their education has been sub-standard. "If you count it, each kid will get about 1.5 million forints ($5,000)," said Geza Csemer, Niki's uncle and the chair of the local Roma government. "Would you give up your education for that? Knowledge is forever, and these kids were denied that." Story continues Roma in Hungary live in disproportionate poverty, suffer from prejudice in schools and workplaces and have been subject to intimidation and occasionally deadly violence by the far right, rights activists say. Ilona, a retiree who declined to give her last name, said her grandchildren went to the Gyongyospata school and the classes were separated based on academic performance, not race. "What kind of a court is this, slapping this village with that amount of fine?" she asked. "This is not fair." ($1 = 325.5400 forints) (Writing by Marton Dunai; editing by Nick Macfie) Here are some of todays biggest headlines in the world. Twitter labeled Trump tweets with a fact check for the first time For the first time, Twitter has labeled a tweet from President Donald Trump as misleading. Trump takes his war on masks to new heights The simple act of wearing a mask to protect others during a pandemic is now a political and cultural flashpoint, underscoring the polarization afflicting every corner of American life. He asked Twitter to remove Trumps false tweets about his dead wife. Twitter refused Six times this month, in a vile attempt to punish a political rival, President Trump has tweeted about a decades-old conspiracy theory about MSNBCs Joe Scarborough. Fact check: Trump falsely claims California is sending mail-in ballots to undocumented immigrants Twice on Tuesday, President Donald Trump attacked Californias Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and his executive order expanding vote-by-mail in the state. Specifically, Trump claimed that Newsoms order would send ballots to everyone in California, including nonresidents and undocumented immigrants. Australia angered China by calling for a coronavirus investigation. Now Beijing is targeting its exports With ministerial ties fraying and anti-Australian rhetoric rising in Chinese state media, experts say deep cracks are emerging in relations between the two countries. Jimmy Fallon apologizes for appearing in blackface in 2000 SNL sketch Jimmy Fallon is addressing his impersonation of Chris Rock in a Saturday Night Live sketch from 20 years ago in which he appeared in blackface. Scientists didnt detect a parallel universe in Antarctica. But they are learning more about mysterious, ghostly neutrinos Strange data captured by an instrument in Antarctica didnt provide proof of a parallel universe, the instruments principal investigator says. The quest to understand neutrinos, strange particles that are prevalent in the universe, is ongoing. Iconic celebrity portraits to be auctioned for Covid relief US photographer Mark Seliger is to auction off portraits of famous names such as Brad Pitt and Amy Schumer to raise money for the fight against coronavirus. Seliger is known for his portraits of celebrities, politicians and musicians for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair magazines, and soon these pictures will be made available in aid of fundraising and advocacy campaign RADArt4Aid, according to a press release. People are buying lots of booze, but global alcohol sales are still tanking People are buying a lot of booze. But with bars and restaurants closed and live events canceled because of coronavirus, the global alcohol industry is getting hit hard and may take several years to recover. Twitter tags Trump post with fact-checking warning A post by US President Donald Trump has been given a fact-check label by Twitter for the first time. President Trump tweeted: There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent. Twitter placed a warning label under that message and a subsequent tweet. The Auschwitz doctor who couldnt do no harm On 15 April 1945, Dr Gisella Perl delivered a crying, screaming baby. As for all of her other deliveries in the last year, the Hungarian gynaecologist had no tools, no anaesthetics and no assistance. The mother, a young Polish woman named Marusa, was feverish and weak. Nasa SpaceX set for historic launch from Florida BBC News Welcome to the BBCs live coverage of the first space launch with astronauts from US soil in nine years. At 16:33 EDT (20:33 GMT; 21:33 BST). Nasa crew members Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will lift off from Floridas Kennedy Space Center atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Death of US black man in custody sparks clashes There have been violent clashes between police and protesters in the US city of Minneapolis following the death of an unarmed black man in police custody. Police fired tear gas and protesters threw rocks and sprayed graffiti on police cars. Video of the death shows George Floyd, 46, groaning I cant breathe as a policeman kneels on his neck. Can Lady Gaga become the worlds biggest pop star once more? Lady Gagas sixth album Chromatica arrives this Friday following a slight delay it was originally scheduled for 10 April until the coronavirus intervened but this hasnt stopped the pop star from talking a good game in her usual vague but visionary way. J.K. Rowlings new childrens story will be online for free J.K. Rowling will finally publish The Ickabog, a stand-alone fairy tale and her first childrens story since Harry Potter online, for free. New chapters will go live on the Ickabog website at 3 p.m. GMT daily between now and July, starting with the first two on Tuesday. New Facebook app aims to bring back the phone call The people whose calls you dodge are sure to love this new app from Facebook. On May 26, Facebooks New Product Experimentation (NPE) Team announced the launch of an app thats basically Houseparty for phone calls (not video calls). Twitter just fact-checked Donald Trump Donald Trump lied today on Twitter. And, unlike every other day, Twitter finally called him out on it. In a series of Tuesday morning tweets, the president claimed falsely that providing mail-in ballots to the residents of California would automatically result in a Rigged Election. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer responded to criticisms from Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey about her husbands remark to a docking company Thursday, saying she considered his comments inaccurate and inappropriate. On the Senate floor Wednesday, Shirkey said in a Senate floor speech the governor lied to his office over Memorial Day weekend after Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, posted on social media criticizing a remark from Whitmers husband, Marc Mallory, to a Northern Michigan docking company. Shirkey said the governors office denied the story even after it was determined the source was credible. How can we trust the governor? How can the citizens of Michigan trust the governor?" he said. What else is she willing to lie about if she lied about putting a boat into water? Asked during a Thursday news briefing about how she might repair her relationship with Shirkey, Whitmer said she was very distressed to hear Shirkeys comments: He has my phone number and could have called me if he had a question. Invoking former First Lady Michelle Obamas remark When they go low, we go high, Whitmer said she doesnt want to keep fighting Shirkey allegation for allegation. He called me names earlier, and you know what I did? I sent him a cake, Whitmer says, referencing a comment Shirkey made to a group of college students last year that she was on the batshit crazy spectrum. Thats what going high looks like." "Im going to keep doing that in hopes that eventually, his emotions will stop getting the better of him and hell come back to the table and start to work with me to really make sure that weve got a great agenda that supports the economic rebound that we all want to see, she continued. In a now-deleted Facebook post, Tad Dowker, owner of NorthShore Dock LLC, said a man called the company a few days before Memorial Day weekend asking if he could put his boat in the water. According to Dowkers post, when office staff said the company started working three weeks late so that was not going to happen, staff told him the caller said, I am the husband to the governor, will this make a difference? The post said they were moved to the back of the waiting list. Whitmer said earlier this week the remark was a failed attempt at humor from her husband. The fallout over the controversial comment is the latest turn in a rocky relationship between Whitmer and the Republican-led legislature. Lawmakers are currently engaged in a court battle with the governor over the extent of her executive authority and her ability to declare a state of emergency unilaterally. And after a difficult first budget cycle that dragged on for months, Whitmer and her legislative counterparts are being asked to fill a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall for both the current fiscal year and the next. Related coverage: Whitmer says husbands boat launch request was failed attempt at humor Michigan Republicans claim Whitmer tried to cover up husbands boat launch remark, Democrats cry foul Gov. Whitmers relationship with Republican leaders is at an all-time low. Now they need to solve a $3.2B problem together. Coronavirus prompts projected $3.2B drop in Michigan tax revenue, more losses expected PHILIPSBURG:--- The TelEm Group's main building on Pond Island will be closed for two days (Thursday, May 28, and Friday, May 29, 2020) to allow for professional fumigation of offices and all public areas. The closure is out of an abundance of caution in the event an employee in the building may have come into contact with a suspected Coronavirus patient. In a Communique to employees, Wednesday, CEO, Mr. Kendall Dupersoy, said the professional cleaning is only being taken as a precautionary measure in keeping with the companys safety protocols. Employees will be working remotely from home during the two-day closure and regular business hours will resume, Monday, June 1, 2020. TelEm Groups Simpson Bay Branch will remain open while the main building is closed. The company apologizes for any inconvenience caused. DALLAS, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the Plaintiffs Steering Committee in the Texas Opioid MDL are lauding a landmark agreement announced by the Texas Attorney General's office today that outlines how future legal settlements will be structured to assure that funds are fairly apportioned between the State of Texas and local governments impacted by the opioid addiction epidemic. "In the aftermath of the Big Tobacco settlement there was a general sense among the individual cities and counties that the funds were not allocated equitably that not enough money got to the right places. This agreement will help prevent that from happening with respect to opioid-related settlement monies," said Jeffrey Simon of Simon Greenstone Panatier, P.C., the Chairman of the Plaintiffs Steering Committee and a member of the Negotiating Committee. Also serving on the committee are former District Judge Dan Downey and attorneys Dara Hegar of The Lanier Law Firm, and Shelly Sanford and Mikal Watts of Watts Guerra. "This agreement is the culmination of more than eight months of intense talks between the state, counties, and the counties' outside counsel," said Mr. Simon. "Having an allocation plan in place allows us to now focus squarely on the common goal of holding opioid manufacturers and distributors accountable for their misconduct in creating and fueling this scourge that has cost so many lives and too much taxpayer money throughout Texas." Under the agreement, all negotiations with opioid drug manufacturers and supply chain corporations must include state and county representatives. In the event of a settlement, the agreement also outlines an allocation formula that guarantees that local governments will receive a 15 percent share of funding, equal to that promised to the state. The remaining 70 percent will be administrated by the Texas Opioid Council to be allocated to the state's 20 health care regional partnerships for treatment programs. The Council will be comprised of health care professionals. Attorney fees will be paid from a separate account, funded primarily by opioid drug companies. "The composition of the Council protects against there being appointments made for political, rather than health-related motivations, and will safeguard the funds against improper access. Money earmarked for the prevention and treatment of opioid-related harms needs to be used for those purposes and this agreement will help ensure that happens," said Mr. Simon. Simon Greenstone Panatier, P.C., is a nationally recognized trial law firm with a reputation for creative and aggressive representation of clients in a wide variety of mass torts and catastrophic personal injury matters nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.sgptrial.com/. Media Contact: Rhonda Reddick 800-559-4534 [email protected] SOURCE Simon Greenstone Panatier, P.C. Related Links http://www.sgptrial.com/ The University of Cincinnati won a national grant to develop reusable facemasks that are sterilized with heat Engineers at the University of Cincinnati are using a National Science Foundation grant to develop a face mask that can be sterilized with heat for re-use. "Currently, there is a significant shortage of personal protective equipment, particularly face masks, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Statistics show that one COVID-19 patient consumes on average 17 face masks per day worn by medical personnel," said the principal investigators of the study, Vesselin Shanov, professor of chemical engineering, and Soryong "Ryan" Chae, assistant professor of environmental engineering. With face masks in high demand - and an expectation that the widespread need for masks will continue as the virus persists - Shanov and Chae saw an opportunity to make an impact. The research team is working on a design and prototype of the face mask that could kill viruses caught on the mask surface. The team plans to use thin, breathable film constructed of engineered carbon nanomaterials as a heatable filter that can be retrofitted onto the outer surface of a commercial face mask to prevent buildup of infectious pathogens. This heatable filter will be powered by a portable battery or a cell phone and is thermally insulated from facial skin. The mask can be energized when worn by the user or in storage to disinfect it. Faculty members and students with a variety of backgrounds will be involved in the project, which is just getting underway. Yanbo Fang, a doctoral student in materials science, and Hung Nguyen, an undergraduate chemical engineering student, have been instrumental in the creation of an initial prototype that will be optimized and tested for breathability and virus inactivation. Preliminary data resulted from previous research support from University of Cincinnati, Ohio Water Resources Center and NSF. ### Throughout Pride month, Truly will share 16 stories, one for each of its 16 flavors, to enhance visibility for its LGBTQ+ family, offer new perspectives, celebrate the beauty and bravery of the LGBTQ+ community and most importantly, drive action and change for an important issue. Currently, more than half of U.S. states allow employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Truly believes the world and the workplace should be colorful and inclusive of all genders, sexual orientations, races, beliefs and interests, and that there's room for everyone. Truly Proud and the 16 influencers will champion equal rights in the workplace and inspire people to join the fight by supporting GLAAD and its culture-changing work to create a world where everyone is treated equally. To bring Pride celebrations front and center in the heart of NYC and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the NYC Pride March, Truly will take over the Times Square billboard [email protected] to highlight those celebrating Pride safely at home, 200 feet up in the air, for everyone to see. Drinkers are invited to share their photos with @Truly on social with #TrulyPride for the chance to be featured on the billboard throughout June. "For Truly to be an active champion for the LGBTQ+ community and make a meaningful impact, partnering with a well-respected, change-driving organization like GLAAD is necessary," says Lesya Lysyj, CMO of the Boston Beer Company. "We want to authentically live our brand values and not only show support for the LGBTQ+ community, but also shed a light on important issues and inspire meaningful change. Partnering with GLAAD to achieve those goals was a no-brainer. This community is full of so many different flavors, perspectives and stories, and Truly wants to celebrate that." "Although Pride will look different this year, Truly is showcasing its support for the LGBTQ community by bringing awareness to a pressing issue affecting LGBTQ people: workplace discrimination," said John McCourt, GLAAD Senior Director. "Through its Pride campaign and story series, Truly has created an impactful way to spotlight the voices of LGBTQ people, demonstrating the brand's ongoing commitment to supporting the fight for full equality and acceptance for LGBTQ people." Truly is also deepening its commitment to the LGBTQ+ community by supporting the GLAAD Media Institute (GMI), which will serve as a resource to ensure Truly and the entire Boston Beer Company can successfully address LGBTQ+ topics both internally and externally. About Truly Hard Seltzer First released in 2016, category leader Truly Hard Seltzer is a clean, crisp and refreshing hard seltzer with a hint of fruit and just 100 calories, 1g sugar and 5% ALC/VOL. Truly Hard Seltzer is crafted with simple, naturally gluten-free ingredients and contains alcohol made from cane sugar. It is available in 12 delicious styles and now in four styles of Truly Lemonade. To learn more about Truly Hard Seltzer, visit www.trulyhardseltzer.com SOURCE Truly Hard Seltzer Peacekeeping may be entering a period of major change. Over the past four years, there has been a steady decline in the number of peacekeepers deployed worldwide. And two of the largest peacekeeping missions in history are beginning to draw down. These two developments hint at the fact that UN peacekeeping may appear poised to shrink further. There are a number of factors driving this. They include budgetary pressures and a contested track record. Added to this have been the more recent financial and practical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, COVID-19 has also created conditions that suggest the demand for peace operations may be even greater in the medium-term. This is because the economic, security and social effects of COVID-19 are likely to cause greater instability in conflict-prone countries. This could lead to new internal conflicts at a time when UN member states are consumed with their own internal affairs. This greater need for peacekeeping efforts offers an opportunity for the UN to explore a real spectrum of peace operations beyond the large multidimensional model. Future missions could be more orientated towards deeper socio-economic drivers of today's conflicts. The end of an era? At its height in 2015, UN peacekeeping deployed nearly 100,000 troops and operated with a budget of over $8 billion. Among the deployments were the big five missions in Mali, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Darfur, and South Sudan. The big five may be headed towards the not-so-big three. The peacekeeping mission in Darfur has drawn down from 20,000 to 4,000 and is set to be replaced by a more politically-focused follow-on presence. After 20 years in the DRC, the UN's biggest and most expensive mission is also moving towards the off ramp, already drawing down its 16,000 troops and over 1,000 police. No major new missions have been authorised since 2014. It may, therefore, appear that this era of peacekeeping is in decline. What we stand to lose There will be very real costs to the closure of large peacekeeping operations. Unlike recent closures in Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire where missions ended following successful peace processes those in Darfur and Congo will be leaving with far greater risks of relapse into large-scale violence. In Darfur, the nascent government will struggle with a peace process that is far from complete . Three million people remain displaced and vulnerable. In DRC, an extremely fragile government faces armed group activity still threatening large swathes of the east of the country. There are also more than three million internally displaced people. Both countries could quickly fall back into large-scale fighting. The UN may not have succeeded in fully addressing these risks, but there is evidence that the presence of peacekeepers has helped to protect civilians with the broad effect of reducing violence . Moreover, peacekeepers are the eyes and ears of the international community, reporting on human rights violations, helping to constrain some belligerents, and providing a factual basis for the world's response. When these missions disappear, there is a possibility that greater violence could grow unchecked. It is our belief that the demand for peacekeeping may be set to return. One reason is that COVID-19 is hurting fragile economies and threatens to lead to suffering on a grand scale . This could quickly trigger large-scale discontent and broader conflict. In places like Burkina Faso, Cameroon and northern Nigeria, widespread violence was already causing significant instability before COVID-19. A sharp economic shock could easily trigger a much more serious decline, potentially spilling into the region. Consumed with their own domestic woes, major powers may well outsource new conflict management to the UN, particularly in areas without strong geostrategic interest. Transforming peacekeeping The UN should treat the current COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to transform its approach to peace operations. It should use the economic impact of the pandemic to focus on the social and economic drivers of conflict while setting more realistic expectations when it comes to the use of force. Today's conflicts have a number of drivers that are different to those of even a decade ago. They often involve a range of non-state actors, there are inevitably transnational flows of people and goods, climate change is playing a role, and there are a range of social and economic drivers. In addition, the role of new technologies in modern conflict is creating a largely hidden world of conflict actors. Large multi-dimensional peacekeeping operations aren't well-suited to managing this complex array of challenges. Despite cases where the UN has succeeded in protecting civilians in high-risk settings , it has struggled to deliver on ambitious protection of civilians mandates. Given these trends, the UN should consider peace operations along a spectrum , where a large military footprint is only one option among many. Small missions could accomplish a great deal through partnerships with the private sector, civilian-led protection, human rights monitoring (including via social media), developing better intelligence capacities, and helping to build consensus around political processes. Models without a military component exist, including the peacebuilding mission in Guinea-Bissau, the new political mission in Haiti, the regional prevention work of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, and a range of successful conflict prevention initiatives by the UN in non-mission settings. Other models could include missions where unarmed police perform key policing functions, or where armed formed police units play the central role (such as Haiti's earlier mission ). In some cases, the setting will require the kind of security guarantee that a large military component might bring. But we should learn from Darfur about the limitations of militarised peacekeeping, when the protagonists are not willing to put down arms. The exigencies of the time demand that the UN is more flexible and responsive to rapidly changing dynamics. As the UN reflects on 72 years of peacekeeping , it should not be consumed with how to draw down its big operations or how to survive with its current models. It should be transforming peace operations into a tool that meets tomorrow's conflicts. Dr Charles T. Hunt is also a non-resident fellow at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR). He receives funding from the Australian Research Council for two projects on the protection of civilians in UN peace operations - one focused on the use of force (DP160102429) and the other on the changing roles of UN police (DE170100138). Adam Day is the Head of Programmes at United Nations University's Centre for Policy Research. By Charles T. Hunt, Senior Lecturer in Global Studies / ARC DECRA Fellow, RMIT University And Adam Day, Head of Programmes, Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), United Nations University President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk across the South Lawn upon return to the White House in Washington on May 27, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) Trump to Sign Executive Order Targeting Twitter, Big Tech Companies President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at major social media companies after Twitter applied a warning label on one of the presidents Twitter posts. Spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said on Air Force One, traveling with Trump to Washington from Florida, that Trump will be signing an executive order pertaining to social media. She did not provide more details. The White House pool later confirmed the executive order will be signed on Thursday. The president posted to Twitter late Wednesday denouncing alleged censorship efforts of Big Tech ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election. Big Tech is doing everything in their very considerable power to CENSOR in advance of the 2020 Election. If that happens, we no longer have our freedom, Trump wrote. I will never let it happen! They tried hard in 2016, and lost, he added. Now they are going absolutely CRAZY. Stay Tuned!!! Big Tech is doing everything in their very considerable power to CENSOR in advance of the 2020 Election. If that happens, we no longer have our freedom. I will never let it happen! They tried hard in 2016, and lost. Now they are going absolutely CRAZY. Stay Tuned!!! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2020 The announcement of the potential executive order comes a day after Twitter applied a warning label on the presidents Twitter post where he had expressed concerns over mail-in voting. Two Republican lawmakers, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), announced on Wednesday that they are working on legislation that would remove federal protections for companies like Twitter that release the company from being held liable for what is posted on its platform. Publishers can be held liable for any content they post, while social media platforms are protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which states that no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider. Read More Republican Senators Want Twitter to Stop Editorializing Comments or Lose Immunity I will introduce legislation to end these special government giveaways, Hawley wrote on Twitter. If [Twitter] wants to editorialize & comment on users posts, it should be divested of its special status under federal law (Section 230) & forced to play by same rules as all other publishers. Fair is fair. .@jack a few questions for you below. Bottom line: Why should @twitter continue to get special treatment from government as a mere distributor of other peoples content if you are going to editorialize and comment like a publisher? Shouldnt you be treated like publisher? pic.twitter.com/JwDKc3gSyN Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 27, 2020 Hawley also shared a letter he sent to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey demanding a response by June 15 to provide the sources on which Twitter relied to decide to editorialize regarding the Presidents political speech. The senator also asked Dorsey to explain why you think that companies that act like publishers should not be treated like publishers. I will introduce legislation to end these special government giveaways. If @Twitter wants to editorialize & comment on users posts, it should be divested of its special status under federal law (Section 230) & forced to play by same rules as all other publishers. Fair is fair Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 27, 2020 It makes little sense to treat companies that publish their editorial comments about others content as if they are mere distributors. Companies that act like publishers should be treated like publishers. Section 230 should not treat Twitter and neutral internet service providers in the same way when they function so differently, Hawley wrote. Gaetz announced on Wednesday that he was working on legislation to revise Section 230 so we dont have election interference from companies like Twitter. #BREAKING: Im working on legislation to revise Section 230 so we dont have election interference from companies like Twitter. LISTEN for more details and my hot takes on Big Tech: https://t.co/MF4D4HYcJv Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) May 27, 2020 Bowen Xiao contributed to this report. Read More Online Speech Threatened by Social Media Censorship, Experts Say The number of fines issued by police in Northern Ireland over social distancing rules dropped from nearly 400 to 30 in a month, it can be revealed. (PSNI/PA) The number of fines issued by police in Northern Ireland over social distancing rules dropped from nearly 400 to 30 in a month, it can be revealed. Assembly regulations announced on March 28 stated no person may leave the place where they live without reasonable excuse, in an attempt to stem the spread of coronavirus. The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) Regulations NI 2020 also banned gatherings of more than two people. It gave the PSNI powers to issue fines of up to 960 for those who repeatedly disregard officers' requests to disperse. On April 24, Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said police had issued 374 fines and 615 community resolution notices. He said the approach of police was engaging with people, explaining the regulations and encouraging them to follow them, before turning to enforcement as a "last resort". The initial high number of fines reportedly led Mr Todd to instruct officers to seek approval of a senior colleague before issuing penalties. In an email to officers, reported by The Impartial Reporter, he described the measure as a "short-term quality assurance and reporting measure". The number of fines issued by police dropped dramatically in May, according to PSNI figures released to the PA news agency. Between May 1-26, 30 fines and 92 community resolution notices were issued by officers. Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie said the legislation had not been "as clear as it should have been" for police officers to enact. He added: "But it's the devil they do, the devil they don't for police. They were criticised when giving out fines, they would be criticised if they stopped." SDLP MLA Sinead Bradley said: "There has been a marked increase in the number of people out and about and concerns have been raised about the extent to which lockdown rules are being followed. "It's important, however, that the Covid-19 powers afforded to police are used proportionately and responsibly. People have made immense sacrifices to stick by the rules and it's important that we continue to do that." Dr Jonny Byrne, a criminologist and senior lecturer at Ulster University, said that while there was change of approach in administering fines, the health message was also very strong. "It will remain a mechanism if people are causing a risk, there needs to be something there to deter," he added. New Delhi, May 28 : The National Investigation agency (NIA) on Thursday said that it has filed a supplementary chargesheet against narco-terrorist Amit Gambhir a.k.a. Bobby in connection with its probe into the narcotics smuggled into India along with rock salt imported from Pakistan. An NIA spokesperson said that the anti-terror agency filed the chargesheet against Gambhir, a resident of Punjab's Amritsar in a Special NIA court in Mohali under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Prevention Activities Act and the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The case relates to the seizure of 532 kg of heroin and 52 kg of mixed narcotics from the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari international border last year in June. The first chargesheet in the case was submitted by the NIA last year on December 27 in a special court at Mohali against 15 accused and business entities namely -- Tariq Ahmed Lone, Jasbir Singh, Nirbhail Singh, Sandeep Kaur, Ajay Gupta, Ranjeet Singh, Iqbal Singh, Farookh Lone, Sahil, Sohaib Noor, Amir Noor, Kanishk Enterprises Pvt Ltd, Gupta Fast Forwarders, Global Vision Impex and Aimex General Trading Company. The official said that the investigation revealed the involvement of an international drug racket based in Pakistan as well as in Afghanistan. The official further said that during investigation it was also found that generation of funds through sale of narcotics smuggled from across the international border was used for funding terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The chargesheet has been filed almost 20 days after the NIA busted a major terror-financing module of the banned terror group Hizbul Mujahideen after the prime accused Ranjit Singh was arrested from Haryana's Sirsa by the NIA. According to official sources, on the basis of specific intelligence by NIA, Ranjit Singh (also known as Rana or Cheeta) was arrested along with his father Harbhajan Singh and brother Gagandeep Singh in a joint operation by NIA, Punjab Police and Haryana Police. Ranjit, according to official sources, was involved in the Hizbul terror-financing module run by Hilal Ahmad Wagay, a resident of Nowgam, Awantipora in south Kashmir. Wagay, who carried Rs 29 lakh reward for terror activities, was arrested in Amritsar on April 25. During the subsequent investigation, Bikram Singh (alias Vicky) from Guru Amardas Avenue, Amritsar, was identified as the person who delivered the money to Hilal. Bikram was arrested along with his brother Maninder Singh (Mani) on May 5. Another NIA official said that the investigation established that the seized consignment was part of five consignments of drugs, out of which four have been successfully smuggled into India. "This was done through an elaborate network of importers, customs house agents, transporters and the operation is financed through illegal channels like hawala," the official said. The involvement of Pakistan and Afghanistan based entities in this case gave an indication that the entire operation is to generate finance for terror networks operating in and out of Af-Pak region, he said. The governor of Minnesota has activated the National Guard following a night of violent riots over the death of George Floyd while in police custody. It comes after Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey made the official request on Thursday following riots that left 16 structures ablaze and grocery stores and pharmacies looted across the city. Governor Tim Walz said in a statement that it was time to rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and those they're charged to protect as he activated the Minnesota National Guard to help keep the peace. "George Floyd's death should lead to justice and systemic change, not more death and destruction. As George Floyd's family has said, 'Floyd would not want people to get hurt. He lived his life protecting people.' Let's come together to rebuild, remember, and seek justice for George Floyd," he said. George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Show all 30 1 /30 George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Police spray mace at protestors to break up a gathering near the Minneapolis Police third precinct after a white police officer was caught on a bystander's video pressing his knee into the neck of African-American man George Floyd, who later died at a hospital, in Minneapolis Reuters George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A protester holds a sign with an image of George Floyd AP George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Protesters demonstrate against the death of George Floyd AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A protester throws a piece of wood on a fire in the street just north of the 3rd Police Precinct Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets People in other US cities also protested the murder, like Los Angeles AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets AP George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Reuters George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A police officer lobs a canister to break up crowds Reuters George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A protester is treated after inhaling tear gas Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Two police officers stand on the roof of the Third Police Precinct during a face off with a group of protesters Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Protesters outside a Minneapolis police precinct two days after George Floyd died EPA George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Protesters run from tear gas Reuters George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets AP George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Demonstrators gather to protest in Los Angeles AP George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Police remove barricades set by protesters AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A fire burns inside of an Auto Zone store near the Third Police Precinct Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Flowers, signs and balloons are left near a makeshift memorial to George Floyd near the spot where he died AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A policeman faces a protester holding a placard in downtown Los Angeles AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A couple poses with a sign in Los Angeles AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 27: A man is tended to after sustaining an injury from a projectile shot by police outside the 3rd Police Precinct building on May 27, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Four Minneapolis police officers have been fired after a video taken by a bystander was posted on social media showing Floyd's neck being pinned to the ground by an officer as he repeatedly said, "I cant breathe". Floyd was later pronounced dead while in police custody after being transported to Hennepin County Medical Center. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Stephen Maturen Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A protester reacts after inhaling tear gas Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Getty Images George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Protesters use shopping carts as a barricade Getty Images George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Protesters clash with the police as they demonstrate against the death of George Floyd AFP via Getty Images The National Guard Adjutant General will work with local government to provide personnel, equipment and facilities to respond to the emergency. Minnesota State Patrol, meanwhile, will also assist in efforts to maintain the peace over the next several days with about 200 troopers working alongside state, county and local law enforcement. State Patrol helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft will also be made available to work with personnel on the ground. Mr Walz said he would always defend the right to protest, but to do so peacefully. "It is how we express pain, process tragedy, and create change. That is why I am answering our local leaders' request for Minnesota National Guard assistance to protect peaceful demonstrators, neighbours, and small businesses in Minnesota." Minnesota National Guard Major General Jon Jensen said they were in the process of assigning and preparing units to respond. "We are ready and prepared to answer the Governor's request," Mr Jensen said. The Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan, said the anger and grief of the moment are unbearable and people deserved to be seen, heard and safe in response. "While many Minnesotans are taking extensive safety precautions while exercising their right to protest, the demonstration last night became incredibly unsafe for all involved," she said. "The purpose of the National Guard is to protect people, to protect people safely demonstrating, and to protect small business owners." While Wednesday night's protests began peacefully, the "tenor" changed according to Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo. "There was a core group of people who had really been focused on causing destruction," Mr Arradondo said at a press conference on Thursday morning. "We were certainly prepared in terms of (the 3rd Precinct) to provide for safety, but the crowds got larger and they became more mobile." Holding back tears at the press conference, the mayor said he requested the National Guard after the widespread damage across Lake Street and into St Paul. "If you're feeling that sadness, that anger, it's not only understandable, it's right. It's a reflection of the truth that our black community has lived," Mr Frey said. "We must believe that we can be better than we have been." CLEVELAND, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of sudden school closures due to COVID-19, millions of students have been left without access to classroom essentials especially reading materials. As a result, ebooks and audiobooks have become a critical tool for effective at-home learning. This has led to a record number of schools and districts turning to a collection of ebooks and audiobooks donated by OverDrive Education with support from several publishing partners for use on the Sora K-12 student reading app. More than 10,000 schools have adopted the award-winning app since the national emergency was declared on March 13, bringing the total to over 26,000 schools worldwide. "We remain steadfast in our commitment to building capacity in school libraries while students are learning from home," said Eleanor Friedman, Supervisor of School Library System at Southern Westchester BOCES in New York. "Our partnership with OverDrive Education has allowed our school libraries to continue providing service and access to materials for our students, which is our utmost priority." Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, OverDrive Education with support from its publishing partners has donated more than 6 million ebooks and audiobooks to schools, helping millions of students beat the "summer slide." This no-cost ebooks and audiobooks collection of 260+ titles for each school includes favorites like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and curricular essentials like Call of the Wild to provide students and educators of all grade levels with the digital content they need to succeed remotely. For many schools, the no-cost titles supplement the school's customized collection of ebook and audiobook titles. "Since transitioning to distance learning, Sora enabled our teachers to assign digital novels they had previously taught in print, but no longer had access to," said Shawn J. Maas, Media Specialist at Cypress Bay High School in Florida. Teachers can use Sora to assign titles to students and monitor their reading progress, while students can earn achievement badges for reaching reading milestones. The app also expands access to reading beyond curricular assignments, as students can use Sora to borrow leisure reading materials from both their school and local public library. Challenges with distance learning have raised concerns about an early summer slide, as news reports reveal variable results from online instruction. In addition to the special no-cost collection mentioned above, OverDrive Education has extended its free summer reading program, Sora Sweet Reads. For the next two months, students can enjoy popular juvenile and young adult ebooks like Big Nate From the Top, Black Panther (available through June 15) and Ms. Marvel (available June 15-July 31). Audiobook titles include Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus and Akata Witch. For additional free audiobooks, students and educators can register for the SYNC Audiobooks for Teens program, sponsored by AudioFile Magazine and powered by Sora. Targeted at teens aged 13 and older, SYNC provides access to two free audiobooks per week in Sora over 13 weeks to keep older students engaged and reading all summer long. To learn more about adding free ebooks and Sora to your school, visit DiscoverSora.com. About OverDrive Education a division of OverDrive OverDrive Education is the leading digital reading platform for K-12 schools, offering the industry's largest catalog of ebooks, audiobooks and streaming video. As a 100% digital company serving over 26,000 schools worldwide, OverDrive combines technology with content to support learning and reading in the K-12 classroom, library and home on all major devices. Sora, the student reading app, was named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2019. Founded in 1986, OverDrive the leading digital reading platform for libraries and schools worldwide and OverDrive Education are based in Cleveland, Ohio USA. overdrive.com/schools Contact: David Burleigh Director of Brand Marketing & Communications [email protected] SOURCE OverDrive Education Related Links http://www.overdrive.com Kyle Sandilands went to war with News Corp on Wednesday after a columnist called for him to be sacked from KIIS FM for making 'dangerous' statements about his mental health issues on air. Now, Kyle's manager, Bruno Bouchet, has defended his client and longtime friend, describing the News.com.au article as 'damaging' and 'disingenuous'. 'What [the journalist] is doing is very disingenuous to any discussions about mental health to say that if you are suffering mental health you must be taken off air, you cannot make your living, you cannot have your livelihood because you're dealing with mental issues,' Bruno said on the Ben, Rob & Robbo Show. 'Disingenuous': Kyle Sandilands' (right) manager, Bruno Bouchet (left), has blasted News Corp after a columnist called for the radio host to be sacked from KIIS FM for making 'dangerous' statements about his mental health issues on air News Corp had published the article in response to Kyle's on-air revelation on Monday that he was battling profound loneliness and depression. The radio host had confessed he felt 'very sad' and 'let down' by those he once considered friends. Referring to Sunday night's 60 Minutes interview - in which he'd cried over a mystery health condition that later turned out to be a joke - he said: 'The truth as to why I was so able to cry, like all that breakdown stuff so easy, was because inside I'm very sad.' Secret struggle: 'Inside my person, I'm very sad,' Kyle said on Monday, adding that he had been 'let down' by those he once considered friends. Pictured with Jackie 'O' Henderson (right) A day later, Kyle joked that he regretted disclosing his mental illness because he was sick of being bombarded with messages of support from friends. The News Corp journalist subsequently reported that Kyle's actions had 'trivialised mental health and pilloried those who had reached out to offer him support in the wake of his vulnerability.' Bruno, a former KIIS FM radio producer, argued that the article actually did a great disservice to the way mental illness is discussed in the Australian media. 'You couldn't have found a more supportive person': Bruno also revealed how Kyle had helped him during a mental health crisis which saw him admitted to a psychiatric ward for eight week 'I think having a go at how someone genuinely is dealing with their own mental illness, I think that's equally damaging,' he said. Bruno also spoke about his own struggles with mental health, revealing that he had once been admitted to a psychiatric facility for eight weeks. Revealing how Kyle had supported him during that difficult time, he added: 'You couldn't have found a more supportive person than Kyle, whom I spoke to every day and who dealt with me in his normal approach.' In his corner: Bruno has known Kyle for more than a decade, and was previously the executive producer of The Kyle and Jackie O Show Bruno has known Kyle for more than a decade, having previously served as executive producer of The Kyle and Jackie O Show. He now works as the shock jock's publicist, and is also the managing director of his company King Kyle Pty Ltd. Fellow media personality Meshel Laurie has also publicly defended Kyle in the wake of News Corp's controversial article. Hitting out: Fellow media personality Meshel Laurie (pictured) has also publicly defended Kyle in the wake of News Corp's controversial article She described the story as 'grotesque', and said Kyle had been unfairly attacked by the journalist for simply showing his emotional vulnerability. 'Calling for Kyle to be sacked for speaking publicly, in his own emotionally stunted way, further stigmatises speaking out, and above all, admitting to work colleagues and employers that we're struggling,' she said. On Wednesday, Kyle sensationally blasted News Corp over the article, launching into a 19-minute spray in which he branded the company 'disgraceful' for suggesting that he should be 'pulled off air for a psychological assessment'. 'You make me sick': On Wednesday, Kyle sensationally blasted News Corp over the article, launching into a 19-minute spray in which he branded the company 'disgraceful' for suggesting that he should be 'pulled off air for a psychological assessment' Refusing to pull any punches, Kyle accused News Corp of 'gross misconduct'. 'I know that News Corp owns 15 per cent of this company, and I wish that I could buy your 15 per cent back, because working for you makes me sick,' he said. 'You are a disgraceful company and you know that people's health, mental health and life is at stake and you just decided to run your little scandalous articles anyway. 'It's just a gross misconduct of journalistic privilege.' Los Angeles, May 28 : Oscar-nominated screenwriter Larry Kramer, who also courted fame as a playwright, author, and gay rights and AIDS activist, has died. He was 84. Kramer, best known for penning the play "The Normal Heart", passed away on Wednesday from pneumonia. After the news of his demise, celebrities including Julia Roberts and Lin-Manuel Miranda took to social media to pay tribute and express their grief, reports variety.com. "He was ferocious and tireless in his beliefs. A true hero that so many people owe their lives to today. I was honoured to spend time in his orbit," said Roberts, who starred alongside Mark Ruffalo in the movie adaptation of "The Normal Heart". Ruffalo took to social media to offer condolences, sharing: "Rest in Power, King!" "Dear Larry Kramer, It was the greatest honour getting to work with you and spend time learning about organising and activism. We lost a wonderful man and artist today. I will miss you. The world will miss you," Ruffalo wrote in another post. Miranda also shared a photograph of Kramer, saying: "Don't know a soul who saw or read 'The Normal Heart' and came away unmoved, unchanged. What an extraordinary writer, what a life. Thank you, Larry Kramer." Actor-filmmaker Rob Reiner recalled performing in the play "8" with Kramer. Remembering Kramer as "a fierce advocate for gay rights", Reiner said "his passionate voice will be missed". Kramer is also remembered as one of the founders of organizations Gay Men's Health Crisis and ACT UP, which advocate for AIDS research and gay rights. Screenwriter Ryan Murphy, who adapted Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart", remembered the late writer and AIDS activist as one of his heroes. Murphy paid tribute to Kramer on social media. He wrote: "I first met Larry Kramer in 2012. The film rights to his groundbreaking play 'The Normal Heart'' had become available, and I wanted them. We had a wonderful first meeting, he was kind and excited about my casting ideas -- Mark Ruffalo and Julia Roberts (who would both go on to do the HBO film with us). From there we got into negotiations, and he said he wanted one million dollars for the rights. 'Larry!' I said, 'that's a lot of money for a low-budget film!' "He paused and said 'it's what I'm worth' I paid it. And I'm so glad I did. Larry knew the value of his work, his life, all gay people's lives -- and his fundamental stubborn belief in equality for all made him perhaps the single greatest and most important gay activist of all time. His fight against government, discrimination, prejudice and big Pharma helped save millions of lives. His fight changed the healthcare system as we know it." Murphy continued: "I admired him above all others. He deserved the Medal of Freedom. I loved working with him, his passion. I eventually even came to love our fights. I won a Golden Globe one year, and the first call I got the next morning was from Larry. 'I'm glad you won, but I hated seeing you there,' he sniffed. 'Larry, you should be happy for me!' I said. 'Well, I'm not,' he replied. 'Because you should have been at home working on our project.' He was terrified after 30 years of development hell it wouldn't be made, that his tale of AIDS and rage and beauty would never be seen widely by young people. But we got it made. He cried when he saw the first cut. 'All my friends, all my generation, gone...and it's fucking unfair it didn't need to happen' he said. Up until the end, we were still plotting. I recently bought the stage rights to do 'The Normal Heart' and 'The Destiny of Me' in rep on Broadway. He was so passionate and so vital I never imagined he would pass. I thought he'd outlive us all. His work and his spirit will." Kramer also wrote the screenplays for "Women In Love", for which he earned an Oscar nomination in 1969; 1973's "Lost Horizon" and 2014's film version of "The Normal Heart", which was directed by Murphy and starred Julia Roberts. Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, and Jim Parsons. Apart from "The Normal Heart", Kramer also wrote the plays "Sissies' Scrapbook", "A Minor Dark Age", "Just Say No", "A Play About A Farce", "The Furniture Of Home" and "The Destiny Of Me". As a novelist, Kramer wrote fiction books such as "Faggots", "The American People Volume 1", "Search For My Heart" and "The American People: Volume 2" and "The Brutality Of Fact". By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday pulled up National Investigating Agency (NIA) for hurriedly transferring Gautam Navlakha to Mumbai while his plea for interim bail in the Bhima Koregaon case was still pending before it. Justice Anup J Bhambani who was hearing the interim bail plea of Navlakha in his order said, While ordinarily this court would not see too much cause for hurry in this case, in view of the inexplicable, frantic hurry shown by the NIA in moving the applicant from Delhi to Mumbai while this matter was pending and the National Investigating Agency had itself sought time to file status report, this Court does get a sense that all proceedings in this jurisdiction would be rendered utterly infructuous if an element of urgency is not brought to bear on the present proceedings. When the matter was taken up yesterday, counsel for Navlakha stated that although Navlakhas judicial custody was extended by a Delhi Court till June 22, on May 24, which was a Sunday, an application was moved by the National Investigating Agency before a Mumbai Court seeking a production warrant in Navlakhas name. However, counsel for Navlakha argued that the only purpose for which the NIA acted in such a haste was to render the present proceedings infructuous. Explaining the urgency, National Investigating Agency submitted that agency had moved an application for issuance of production warrants on May 23 in view of the opening of inter-state travel and the uncertainity of the future course of events in relation to the lockdown. The court directed National Investigating Agency to file an affidavit with this regard and also sought a copy of Navlakhas last medical status report in the national capital and Mumbai and slated the hearing for June 3. MINNEAPOLIS Cheering protesters torched a Minneapolis police station Thursday that the department was forced to abandon as three days of violent protests spread to nearby St. Paul and angry demonstrations flared across the U.S over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck. A police spokesman confirmed late Thursday that staff had evacuated the 3rd Precinct station, the focus of many of the protests, in the interest of the safety of our personnel shortly after 10 p.m. Livestream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set. Protesters could be seen setting fire to a Minneapolis Police Department jacket and cheering. Late Thursday, President Donald Trump blasted the total lack of leadership in Minneapolis. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts, he said on Twitter. Protests first erupted Tuesday, a day after Floyds death in a confrontation with police captured on widely seen citizen video. On the video, Floyd can be seen pleading as Officer Derek Chauvin presses his knee against him. As minutes pass, Floyd slowly stops talking and moving. The 3rd Precinct covers the portion of south Minneapolis where Floyd was arrested. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz earlier Thursday activated the National Guard at the Minneapolis mayors request, but it wasnt immediately clear when and where the Guard was being deployed, and none could be seen during protests in Minneapolis or St. Paul. The Guard tweeted minutes after the precinct burned that it had activated more than 500 soldiers across the metro area. The Guard said a key objective was to make sure fire departments could respond to calls, and said in a follow-up tweet it was here with the Minneapolis Fire Department to assist. But no move was made to put out the 3rd Precinct fire. Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner said fire crews could not safely respond to fires at the precinct station and some surrounding buildings. Earlier Thursday, dozens of businesses across the Twin Cities boarded up their windows and doors in an effort to prevent looting, with Minneapolis-based Target announcing it was temporarily closing two dozen area stores. Minneapolis shut down nearly its entire light-rail system and all bus service through Sunday out of safety concerns. In St. Paul, clouds of smoke hung in the air as police armed with batons and wearing gas masks and body armor kept a watchful eye on protesters along one of the citys main commercial corridors, where firefighters also sprayed water onto a series of small fires. At one point, officers stood in line in front of a Target, trying to keep out looters, who were also smashing windows of other businesses. Hundreds of demonstrators returned Thursday to the Minneapolis neighborhood at the center of the violence, where the nighttime scene veered between an angry protest and a street party. At one point, a band playing in a parking lot across from the 3rd Precinct broke into a punk version of Bob Marleys Redemption Song. Nearby, demonstrators carried clothing mannequins from a looted Target and threw them onto a burning car. Later, a building fire erupted nearby. But elsewhere in Minneapolis, thousands of peaceful demonstrators marched through the streets calling for justice. Floyds death has deeply shaken Minneapolis and sparked protests in cities across the U.S. Local leaders have repeatedly urged demonstrators to avoid violence. Please stay home. Please do not come here to protest. Please keep the focus on George Floyd, on advancing our movement and on preventing this from ever happening again, tweeted St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, who is black. Erika Atson, 20, was among thousands of people who gathered outside government offices in downtown Minneapolis, where organizers had called a peaceful protest. Many protesters wore masks because of the coronavirus pandemic, but there were few attempts at social distancing. Atson, who is black, described seeing her 14- and 11-year-old brothers tackled by Minneapolis police years ago because officers mistakenly presumed the boys had guns. She said she had been at every single protest since Floyds death and worried about raising children who could be vulnerable in police encounters. We dont want to be here fighting against anyone. We dont want anyone to be hurt. We dont want to cause any damages, she said. We just want the police officer to be held accountable. The group marched peacefully for three hours before another confrontation with police broke out, though details were scarce. After calling in the Guard, Walz urged widespread changes in the wake of Floyds death. It is time to rebuild. Rebuild the city, rebuild our justice system and rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and those theyre charged to protect, Walz said. Much of the Minneapolis violence occurred in the Longfellow neighborhood, where protesters converged on the precinct station of the police who arrested Floyd. In a strip mall across the street from the 3rd Precinct station, the windows in nearly every business had been smashed, from the large Target department store at one end to the Planet Fitness gym at the other. Only the 24-hour laundromat appeared to have escaped unscathed. WHY US? demanded a large expanse of red graffiti scrawled on the wall of the Target. A Wendys restaurant across the street was charred almost beyond recognition. Among the casualties of the overnight fires: a six-story building under construction that was to provide nearly 200 apartments of affordable housing. Were burning our own neighborhood, said a distraught Deona Brown, a 24-year-old woman standing with a friend outside the precinct station, where a small group of protesters were shouting at a dozen or so stone-faced police officers in riot gear. This is where we live, where we shop, and they destroyed it. No officers could be seen beyond the station. What that cop did was wrong, but Im scared now, Brown said. Others in the crowd saw something different in the wreckage. Protesters destroyed property because the system is broken, said a young man who identified himself only by his nickname, Cash, and who said he had been in the streets during the violence. He dismissed the idea that the destruction would hurt residents of the largely black neighborhood. Theyre making money off of us, he said angrily of the owners of the destroyed stores. He laughed when asked if he had joined in the looting or violence. I didnt break anything. The protests that began Wednesday night and extended into Thursday were more violent than Tuesdays, which included skirmishes between offices and protesters but no widespread property damage. Mayor Jacob Frey appealed for calm but the citys response to the protests was quickly questioned as things started spiraling into violence. If the strategy was to keep residents safe it failed, City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, who is black, tweeted. Prevent property damage it failed. On Thursday, he urged police to leave the scene of the overnight violence, saying their presence brings people into the streets. Protests have also spread to other U.S. cities. In New York City, protesters defied New Yorks coronavirus prohibition on public gatherings Thursday, clashing with police, while demonstrators blocked traffic in downtown Denver. A day earlier, demonstrators had taken to the streets in Los Angeles and Memphis. In Louisville, Kentucky, police confirmed that at least seven people had been shot Thursday night as protesters demanded justice for Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was fatally shot by police in her home in March. Amid the violence in Minneapolis, a man was found fatally shot Wednesday night near a pawn shop, possibly by the owner, authorities said. Fire crews responded to about 30 intentionally set blazes, and multiple fire trucks were damaged by rocks and other projectiles, the fire department said. No one was hurt by the blazes. The city on Thursday released a transcript of the 911 call that brought police to the grocery store where Floyd was arrested. The caller described someone paying with a counterfeit bill, with workers rushing outside to find the man sitting on a van. The caller described the man as awfully drunk and hes not in control of himself. Asked by the 911 operator whether the man was under the influence of something, the caller said: Something like that, yes. He is not acting right. Police said Floyd matched the callers description of the suspect. The U.S. Attorneys Office and the FBI in Minneapolis said Thursday they were conducting a robust criminal investigation into the death. President Donald Trump has said he had asked an investigation to be expedited. The FBI is also investigating whether Floyds civil rights were violated. Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on Floyds neck, was fired Tuesday with three other officers involved in the arrest. The next day, the mayor called for Chauvin to be criminally charged. He also appealed for the activation of the National Guard. ___ Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski, Jeff Baenen and Doug Glass in Minneapolis, and Gretchen Ehlke in Milwaukee contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 23:02:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian (L) and Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun attend the handover ceremony at Lebanon's Defense Ministry in Beirut, Lebanon, May 28, 2020. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Thursday donated surgical face masks, goggles, protective clothing and other medical supplies to the Lebanese army to help combat COVID-19. (Photo by Bilal Jawich/Xinhua) BEIRUT, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Thursday donated surgical face masks, goggles, protective clothing and other medical supplies to the Lebanese army to help combat COVID-19. Speaking at the handover ceremony held here at Lebanon's Defense Ministry, Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian said that when China was in the middle of its anti-epidemic fight, the Lebanese leader and people from all walks of life expressed their support for China. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the two countries have maintained close cooperation on exchanging expertise and information on epidemic prevention and control as well as the treatment of patients, said Wang, adding that China has actively coordinated resources and offered several batches of medical supplies to Lebanon. "The PLA is offering today equipment to the defense ministry in Lebanon, which reflects the great friendship between the two countries, armies and peoples," Wang said. China is willing to tide over the difficulties together with the Lebanese people and army, Wang added. Expressing appreciation for the donation, Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, who also attended the ceremony, said that it is not the first time that China supports Lebanon during difficult circumstances. This donation, which marks a milestone in the friendly cooperation between the two countries, "will have a great impact on the efforts exerted by the (Lebanese) army to protect its members from COVID-19," Aoun said. "We are keen to continue cooperating with China in a way that serves the interests of both countries," he added. Lebanon reported its first COVID-19 case in Feb. 21. As of Wednesday, the country had registered a total of 1,161 cases, with 26 deaths. Enditem Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, the global medical tourism market was one of the biggest industries anywhere in the world. To this end, it was expected to achieve a total market size of $207.9 billion by the year 2027, with an estimated CAGR of 21% forecast for this period. However, we've now seen more than 5.7 million coronavirus cases reported across the globe, and it would be naive to believe that this won't impact on both the short and near-term portents for this highly lucrative and quick-growing market. Of course, Asia was one of the regions hardest hit by coronavirus, while the continent also provides a huge number of medical tourists each and every year. But what will be the legacy for the medical tourism sector, and how will it look to recover over time? What is Medical Tourism - The Facts and Figures In simple terms, medical tourism involves travelling to different countries to secure various health services and treatments more affordably. This industry has thrived in the age of globalisation, while the variable nature of health systems across the globe creates significant competition in the minds of patients. At the most recent count, China has an estimated one million outbound medical tourists each year (although roughly the same amount flows into China as medical tourists during the same period). Overall, the three top destinations for medical tourists are South Korea, Japan and North America, with the former receiving approximately 350,000 medical tourists each year on average. Interestingly, one-in-three of South Korea's medical tourists come from China, with this betraying the former's mixed economy and advanced healthcare system. As we can see, southeast Asia contributes heavily to both the supply and demand of medical tourists, but the market is also flourishing elsewhere. Aside from the states (where medical tourism generates $3.5 billion for the national economy), Iran also receives an estimated 350,000 medical tourists each year, with 90% of these being derived from neighbouring Gulf countries. This reflects the relative superiority of the healthcare system in Iran, particularly in terms of pricing and accessibility. What Should we Expect in the Future? Of course, the coronavirus pandemic has devastated air travel across the globe, and this has put a total curb on medical tourism throughout 2020 so far. While most Asian nations have since reopened their borders as the outbreak has begun to subside, the market is likely to remain relatively stagnant for the remainder of the year. Another key consideration is the state of each individual nation's healthcare provision, with frontline workers having been put under significant strain over the course of the last six months. Similarly, the cost of treatments and increased PPE consumption will linger well beyond 2020, forcing some nations to restrict aspects of their healthcare service and non-essential treatments. This means that the medical tourism sector may not return to full health until 2021, with the most economically stable players in this space the most likely to lead this drive. Nations with strong currencies and increased purchasing power will also fare particularly well in the near-term, creating a significant opportunity for Asian players such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Emerging players in the medical tourism space may also make up ground in the next 18 months, with Turkey offering a relevant case in point. After all, Turkey's advanced and well-structured healthcare system underpinned a 62% increase in medical tourism in 2018, and the recent investment that the government has made in this space will serve them well as international borders continue to reopen. PEOPLE who want to have picnics in parks or beaches have been told to "go somewhere else" if their chosen location is crowded. Senior government official Liz Canavan - who previously discouraged people from having picnics in public amenities - said the public should "use common sense" ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend. She urged people to follow the public health guidelines when they're out and about in the expected good weather and also to consider road safety amid a rise in the number of fatalities this year. Last week Department of the Taoiseach assistant secretary general Ms Canavan, told the public: "If you're visiting a public amenity try not to stay too long at the site or have picnics. Expand Close Relaxing: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar enjoys the sunshine in Phoenix Park, Dublin. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Relaxing: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar enjoys the sunshine in Phoenix Park, Dublin. "Please do your exercise and then go home." Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was pictured eating with friends in the Phoenix Park days later. Mr Varadkar's spokesman later insisted the Taoiseach broke no laws, breached no regulations and observed public health guidance. Read More Ms Canavan was asked today what the advice is for people who may wish to have a picnic in the Phoenix Park this weekend. She said people should "try to avoid spending too long in crowded places where social distancing is likely to become an issue." Ms Canavan said the message on popular amenities is "if it's crowded and popular, you shouldn't spend too much time there... So that's the message really - keep moving through." She said some places are more popular than others and if its "really busy maybe go somewhere else." Asked if her remarks that people should do their exercise and go home still stand she said: "we have to be realistic". "What were saying is use your common sense. If its getting too crowded and you're not going to be able to do social distancing... you should really think about moving on". She also said: "I think most people understand the common sense approach. "To just trying to keep moving through popular amenities. I dont think thats confusing to be honest." Ms Canavan said social distancing must be maintained at all times including when meeting family or friends from other households. People are advised to keep washing their hands regularly and use cough and sneeze etiquette. New research has revealed the evolution of colour vision in elapid snakes following their transition from terrestrial to fully marine environments, and for the first time, provided evidence of where, when and how frequently the species have adapted their ability to see in colour. Published in the journal Current Biology, the study is an international collaboration between the University of Adelaide, the University of Plymouth, University of Bristol and The Natural History Museum, London, and others, involving scientists from the UK, Australia, Denmark, Bangladesh and Canada. The research suggests sea snakes vision has been modifying genetically over millions of generations, enabling them to adapt to new environments and meaning they can continue to see prey and predators deep below the sea surface. Study lead author Dr Bruno Simoes, Adjunct Lecturer in the University of Adelaide and Lecturer in Animal Biology at the University of Plymouth, developed part of the work when he was a Marie Skodowska-Curie Fellow at the University of Bristols School of Earth Sciences. He said: Sea snakes first entered the marine environment 15 million years ago and have been evolving ever since to survive in its changing light conditions. All snakes are descended from highly visual lizards, but advanced colour vision was lost in the early ancestors of snakes probably because they inhabited dim-light environments. We used sequencing of vision genes and spectrophotometry to reveal that sea snakes have undergone rapid changes in their visual pigments compared to their relatives on land. Gene losses during snake evolution have left living snakes with only two types of cone opsin, which are the pigments responsible for detecting bright light. In most terrestrial snakes, the short wavelength sensitive cone opsin (SWS1) has peak sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) light. But in sea snakes this pigment has undergone repeated shifts into the visible spectrum, which would be beneficial for vision underwater, where longer wavelengths dominate. Many living things have pairs of chromosomes (inherited from each parent) and consequently have two different copies of the same gene (alleles). The researchers were surprised to find that some sea snakes possessed two genetic alleles of the SWS1 gene, one with peak sensitivity to UV light and the other to visible (blue) light. Because these alleles appear to have been retained across species during millions of years of sea snake evolution, they concluded that this spectral polymorphism was maintained by natural selection because it may confer expanded colour sensitivities. In the retinae of sea snakes that possess both alleles, if some photoreceptors express the UV-sensitive allele and other photoreceptors express the blue light-sensitive allele, or these are activated in different light conditions, this could compensate for the ancestral loss of opsins in snakes. Senior scientist on the report, Dr Kate Sanders, Associate Professor at the University of Adelaide, says their research also suggests that diving sea snakes actually share their adaptive properties not with other snakes or marine mammals, but with some fruit-eating primates. Like sea snakes, marine mammals such as whales and seals are descended from terrestrial ancestors. Where sea snakes have evolved new visual abilities not seen in their closest terrestrial relatives, the visual systems of whales have degenerated since their separation from land mammals. An interesting comparison can also be made between sea snakes and primates; some fruit eating primates have expanded colour sensitivities attributed to the retention of different alleles of their long wavelength sensitive opsin. Our study suggests an intriguing parallel in diving sea snakes, but we have a lot to learn about the ecological and genetic mechanisms at play in sea snake visual evolution. Paper Spectral diversification and trans-species allelic polymorphism during the land to sea transition in snakes by B. Simoes, D. Gower, A. Rasmussen, B. Chang, D. Pisani and K. Sanders in Current Biology British Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City Ian Gibbons has sent a letter to the Ho Chi Minh City leadership and medical staff, expressing his gratitude for the citys support for and treatment of British citizens ill with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to the municipal Department of External Relations. I am writing to express my gratitude for the support extended by the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee, External Relations Office, Department of Health, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitals and quarantine camps to our British nationals over the past 12 weeks," Gibbons said in his letter dated May 21 and addressed to city chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong. He noted that despite being in a complex situation of public health emergency, the citys designated agencies have dealt with a number of enquiries from the British Consulate General and other consulates with patience and professionalism. The diplomat said the British Consulate General has received useful and informative guidance, enabling it to seek support from hospitals and quarantine centers for British nationals. We are deeply grateful to the doctors, nurses, and medical teams at Cu Chi Field Hospital and Can Gio Hospital for taking care of our nationals, Gibbons wrote. He especially extended his sincere thanks to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Cho Ray Hospital for having taken such excellent care of a British man known as Vietnams COVID-19 patient No. 91. They have worked tirelessly and spared no efforts in helping him during the time he has been critically ill in hospital. [] We could not have asked for better treatment. The Briton, a Vietnam Airlines pilot, is the most severe COVID-19 case in Vietnam. The 43-year-old man was diagnosed with COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City in mid-March. He was transferred to Cho Ray Hospital from the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Disease last week, awaiting a lung transplant believed to be the only viable way to save his life. He is now able to perform simple movements on command after doctors took him off sedation. Twenty UK citizens have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Vietnam to date, of whom 18 have been declared recovered from the disease, according to a tally kept by Vietnams Ministry of Health and counted by Tuoi Tre News. The only two British nationals in treatment are patients No. 91 and patient No. 271, an expert working for state-run Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, or PetroVietnam, who entered the country on April 28 on a charter flight and was quarantined upon arrival. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! As of 12 p.m. May 28, 2020, the Pa. Department of Health reports that there are 70,042 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. There are at least 5,373 reported deaths from the virus. The state estimates that at least 64%, or 44,827 people, have recovered from the virus. Click the image to see a data page including an interactive map for the state. (Please click the link in the previous sentence if you cant see the image) Click here for a ZIP code breakdown of cases provided by the Pa. Department of Health. Out of the probable cases, 1,938 are pending based on definition and high-risk exposure. There are 595 cases pending by serology test and either symptoms or high-risk exposure. There are 15,158 cases are among residents in 600 of the states nursing and personal care homes. At least 3,501 of those residents have died from the virus. A database showing these cases is below. The state is also providing detailed hospital and respirator data here for desktop users and here for mobile users. Below is a map of the current reopening status of Pennsylvania counties. Please click here if you cannot see that map. Adams County 240 positive cases and 2,974 negative results with 7 deaths. Allegheny County 1,851 positive cases and 28,956 negative results with 161 deaths. Armstrong County 62 positive cases and 1,210 negative results with 4 deaths. Beaver County 579 positive cases and 3,533 negative results with 72 deaths. Bedford County 38 positive cases and 717 negative results with 2 deaths. Berks County 3,973 positive cases and 11,160 negative results with 308 deaths. Blair County 49 positive cases and 2,634 negative results with 1 death. Bradford County 46 positive cases and 1,506 negative results with 3 deaths. Bucks County 4,966 positive cases and 18,448 negative results with 486 deaths. Butler County 226 positive cases and 3,608 negative results with 12 deaths. Cambria County 57 positive cases and 3,602 negative results with 2 deaths. Cameron County 2 positive cases and 124 negative results. Carbon County 232 positive cases and 2,234 negative results with 22 deaths. Centre County 150 positive cases and 2,016 negative results with 6 deaths. Chester County 2,555 positive cases and 11,712 negative results with 270 deaths. Clarion County 25 positive cases and 667 negative results with 2 deaths. Clearfield County 37 positive cases and 1,046 negative results. Clinton County 55 positive cases and 561 negative results with 2 deaths. Columbia County 346 positive cases and 1,283 negative results with 31 deaths. Crawford County 23 positive cases and 1,041 negative results. Cumberland County 618 positive cases and 4,780 negative results with 47 deaths. Dauphin County 1,212 positive cases and 9,734 negative results with 71 deaths. Delaware County 6,337 positive cases and 19,627 negative results with 544 deaths. Elk County 6 positive cases and 309 negative results. Erie County 242 positive cases and 4,468 negative results with 4 deaths. Fayette County 95 positive cases and 3,152 negative results with 4 deaths. Forest County 7 positive cases and 76 negative results. Franklin County 759 positive cases and 5,036 negative results with 31 deaths. Fulton County 15 positive cases and 220 negative results with 1 death. Greene County 27 positive cases and 750 negative results. Huntingdon County 228 positive cases and 826 negative results with 2 deaths. Indiana County 90 positive cases and 1,346 negative results with 5 deaths. Jefferson County 7 positive cases and 495 negative results. Juniata County 95 positive cases and 325 negative results with 4 deaths. Lackawanna County 1,516 positive cases and 5,979 negative results with 163 deaths. Lancaster County 3,056 positive cases and 15,319 negative results with 286 deaths. Lawrence County 74 positive cases and 1,267 negative results with 8 deaths. Lebanon County 944 positive cases and 4,461 negative results with 33 deaths. Lehigh County 3,719 positive cases and 13,561 negative results with 218 deaths. Luzerne County 2,689 positive cases and 10,361 negative results with 139 deaths. Lycoming County 162 positive cases and 2,102 negative results with 16 deaths. McKean County 12 positive cases and 545 negative results with 1 death. Mercer County 106 positive cases and 1,501 negative results with 4 deaths. Mifflin County 58 positive cases and 1,195 negative results with 1 death. Monroe County 1,311 positive cases and 5,610 negative results with 101 deaths. Montgomery County 6,811 positive cases and 32,804 negative results with 656 deaths. Montour County 50 positive cases and 3,193 negative results. Northampton County 3,022 positive cases and 12,705 negative results with 206 deaths. Northumberland County 186 positive cases and 1,356 negative results with 3 deaths. Perry County 54 positive cases and 709 negative results with 2 deaths. Philadelphia County 17,972 positive cases and 55,152 negative results with 1,282 deaths. Pike County 476 positive cases and 1,953 negative results with 18 deaths. Potter County 4 positive cases and 140 negative results. Schuylkill County 606 positive cases and 4,693 negative results with 31 deaths. Snyder County 39 positive cases and 385 negative results with 1 death. Somerset County 37 positive cases and 1,688 negative results. Sullivan County 2 positive cases and 93 negative results. Susquehanna County 99 positive cases and 735 negative results with 15 deaths. Tioga County 16 positive cases and 544 negative results with 2 deaths. Union County 56 positive cases and 1,073 negative results with 1 death. Venango County 8 positive cases and 496 negative results. Warren County 3 positive cases and 359 negative results. Washington County 139 positive cases and 4,123 negative results with 5 deaths. Wayne County 118 positive cases and 941 negative results with 7 deaths. Westmoreland County 443 positive cases and 8,899 negative results with 38 deaths. Wyoming County 34 positive cases and 459 negative results with 7 deaths. York County 970 positive cases and 13,227 negative results with 25 deaths. Several counties have released their own data maps. Information reported at the county level may not be consistent with the state numbers. Those counties include: Some medical systems have begun releasing discharge data. Those medical systems include: 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. The HSE needs to urgently address Covid-19 restrictions as it is unacceptable a woman in this country can now go buy paint in Woodies but is unable to get a potentially life saving smear test, according to to a father of two who lost his young wife to cervical cancer. Stephen Teap of Carrigaline, Co Cork whose wife Irene died arising out of deficiencies in Cervical Check, has said health screenings need to be reinstated as soon as is safely possible. Irene died in July 2017 when their children Oscar and Noah were just four and two. She was diagnosed with Stage two cancer in 2015, following two false negative smear tests in 2010 and 2013. Mr Teap says that a proper road map needs to be put in place for reopening screening because cancer does not pause in the midst of a pandemic. "Nobody is questioning why they were paused given what was going on but it was paused without any plan on how it was going to reopen. "You can go in to Woodies and B&Q to get a tin of paint but the screening services are still not being re opened or there is no plan being produced as to how it is going to be done. "There has to be a plan in place or something transparent being worked on. Obviously a screening programme will have to be operated differently with Covid 19 given the restrictions that are in place and with PPE and everything. "It is the HSE voice I want to hear. Are they working on a plan?" Since the death of Irene Stephen has fought for accountability and improvements within the system in Ireland. He says that screening cannot be put on the long finger leading to delayed diagnoses and treatment for impacted persons. "There has been a lot of positive work within the screening services so the last thing we need is a backlog. The longer we go without the screening services the bigger the backlog is going to be. Then you have people who might not be showing physical symptoms but have early indicators which a screening programme may pick up." Meanwhile, Irish journalist Peter Cluskey who in 2018 lost his wife Adrienne Cullen (58) to cancer as a result of medical negligence at a Dutch Hospital says there is a delicate balance to be achieved in terms of health screenings and dealing with Covid-19. He believes every effort has to be made to row out services in a timely manner. "Of course, everything possible has to be done to prevent any new flare-up of Covid-19. On the other hand, screening for other conditions, including cervical cancer, has to resume as quickly as possible to ensure that lives are not lost because the tests are not being carried out. "Governments are telling cancer patients and people with other illnesses that national health services are open for business other than Covid-19. Having cancer is a frightening experience. Having cancer in an environment where corconavirus is the medical priority and is swallowing all resources must be terrifying. The fear of being forgotten by the system that should be there to support you in your hour of need - something Adrienne experienced here in the Netherlands - that's the loneliest and most frightening experience of all." Ms Cullen, who lived in the Netherlands with her husband, successfully sued her hospital, UMC Utrecht, for medical negligence after it lost test results in 2011 that showed she had cervical cancer. The hospital reportedly found the results two years later in 2013, by which time her cancer was terminal. A memorial lecture is held at the hospital in her memory every year. The Limerick woman was a journalist, author and English language editor. Prior to her death she said that people like her are always told that their cases are "once off events." "These are the lies beind medical error. In reality, across the EU each year, almost 100,000 people die as a result of an avoidable mistake made during medical treatment." The HSE indicated at their weekly Covid 19 briefing this morning that it could not give a set date for the resumption of cervical, breast, bowel and retinopathy screening programmes. Screening for such services stopped on March 27th. Chief Clinical Officer Colm Henry says there is different plans looking at volume, the type of screening test and focusing on high priority groups. Any model of screening will have to factor in social distancing measures. HSE CEO Paul Reid says a plan on how to restart all non essential procedures including screening services will be finalised in the coming weeks. "It will be phased and it will be clinically prioritised and guided by the public health measures that we monitor." A man has been charged with stealing a diamond worth more than half a million pounds from a home in central London. Justinas Ivaskivicius 34, of Fallowfield, Cambridge, is accused of taking the rock worth 515,000 from a house in Westminster at some point between December 12 and 15, 2017. He also faces two counts of possessing criminal property after being found with a quantity of cash, Scotland Yard said. Detectives from Met Polices Flying Squad arrested Ivaskivicius at an address in Chesterton, Cambridge on Wednesday. He will appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday via video link to face the charges. A Connecticut man wanted in connection with two homicides is in custody after leading police on a multi-state hunt, Maryland authorities announced Wednesday. Peter Manfredonia, 23, was taken into custody by the Washington County Sheriffs Department and the U.S. Marshals just over the Maryland state line, while he was in the area of the Pilot truck stop on Halfway Boulevard, Hagerstown police reported just before 10 p.m. Hagerstown police had been alerted to Manfredonias possible presence after he was seen in Chambersburg, Franklin County Pa., on Tuesday. At the time police believed Manfredonia was headed toward Hagerstown in a Uber. Manfredonia began his crime spree in Connecticut over the weekend, and has been on the run for six days, police said. It was believed he was carrying a large duffle bag full of firearms he had stolen during a home invasion. Through the course of the hunt for Manfredonia, police have said he was armed and dangerous. Hagerstown police reported that he was taken into custody without incident. **UPDATE**Suspect, Peter Manfredonia has been found & is in custody. CSP Eastern District Major Crime are on scene in Hagerstown, MD. No injuries to any law enforcement personnel or Manfredonia. More info will be provided on Thurs, May 28 @PAStatePolice @FBINewHaven @FBI @MDSP pic.twitter.com/QFnUDuOqn0 CT State Police (@CT_STATE_POLICE) May 28, 2020 Read more on PennLive: Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) Two lawmakers from both chambers of Congress have filed a bill extending the validity of the "Bayanihan" law until September 30. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri filed Senate Bill 1546 which revises Republic Act 11469, known as the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, a law giving President Rodrigo Duterte additional powers until June 24 to manage the COVID-9 pandemic. Zubiri filed his bill on Tuesday. It provides for a three-month extension of RA 11469, which was passed in March. It allows Duterte to continue to exercise power to realign "items in the national budget and provide emergency support for vulnerable groups and individuals, expand medical resources, and finance emergency initiatives to keep the economy afloat" during this public health crisis, according to the explanatory note. In the House of Representatives, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez had filed a similar bill on May 26. "There are still new COVID-19 positive cases being reported every day and the country is not yet fully operating," Rodriguez said in the explanatory note of House Bill 6811. Both houses of Congress have only until June 5 to pass the proposed law as they adjourn sine die on that date. Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque said in a television interview on Wednesday that extending the law until September would be "ideal" to sustain the government's efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, especially since there is still no vaccine or cure for the deadly virus. He also cited a proposal of the National Economic and Development Authority to extend Duterte's special powers until the end of the year to help the battered economy recover from losses placed at about 2 trillion. The Senate assured in April that it will continue to perform checks and balances to ensure that the law is free from any abuses. More than 15,000 people in the country have been infected by COVID-19 so far. Over 3,500 have recovered but more than 904 have died. Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, many annual Pride festivities across the world have been canceled. However, there is still room to celebrate in your own special way. Why not do it in style? Every year, loads of beauty and fashion brands band together to create Pride-inspired products and also support organizations that uplift and empower LGBTQIA+ communities. This year is no different, and lots of companies have continued to release items that will make you smile. From Converse's exhilarating collection inspired by Lena Waithe's iconic Met Gala moment to Reebok's inclusive "All Types of Love" and "Proud Notes" campaigns, there is truly something for everyone. Ahead, check out 15 brands that will help you celebrate wherever you are in style. Happy Socks x The Phluid Project PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Happy Socks) Happy Socks and The Phluid Project have teamed up for the second year in a row for a special Pride-themed collection featuring six new designs that include everything from tie-dye to fringe. Ten percent of net sales will be donated to The Trevor Project. Marc Jacobs Beauty PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Marc Jacobs) The designer makeup brand has launched an Enamored (With Pride) Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick that will be available in five festive shades packed in vibrant special-edition packaging. The beauty brand will also continue to support the LGBTQ+ community by donating $10,000 each to two charitable organizations (SAGE & Fondation Le Refuge), providing vital services and assistance. Nike PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Nike) As a part of Nike's BeTrue collection, the brand has released a variety of footwear picks inspired by the Pride flag. There have also been black and brown colors added to the designs to recognize people of color in the LGBTQIA+ community. For 2020, Nike is supporting more than 20 organizations advancing the LGBTQIA+ community. MORE: Ulta Beauty Gorgeous Hair Event sale: Style your hair at home and save big on top products Converse PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Converse) For the fifth year in a row, Converse is launching a unique Pride collection that includes an inspiring mashup of classic Chuck Taylors, trendy accessories and more that feature the "More Color, More Pride" flag, and additional black and brown hues to represent people of color within the community. Story continues Following the ethos of the product design, Converse tapped a group of individuals from around the world, including allies, to share their stories in this year's campaign, which is centered on representation. ASOS x GLAAD PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (ASOS) ASOS and GLAAD are teaming up for the fourth year in a row with a full collection of stylish apparel featuring sizes XS to 4XL and 100% of net sales will be donated directly back to GLAAD. Dr. Martens PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Dr. Marten) Step into Pride season with the brand's 1460 boot. In addition to the return of the Pride boot, the brand is making a $25,000 donation to The Trevor Project. Bliss x The Trevor Project PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Bliss) The beloved skin and body care brand is releasing limited-edition Pride Makeup Melt Wipes on June 1, exclusively available at Blissworld.com. The brand will be donating 100% of net proceeds (up to $40,000) from the collection of all Makeup Melt Wipes. Reebok PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Reebok) Reebok is celebrating Pride Month with two new captivating campaigns: "All Types of Love" and "Proud Notes." In addition, the company has launched Pride-inspired products that span performance and lifestyle sneaker silhouettes, including classics from Reebok such as Classic Leather, Club C, Instapump Fury, NANO, X Floatride Energy and Zig Kinetica. There is also a full range of apparel and accessories. Ruthie Davis PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Ruthie Davis) The designer shoe label has released everything from rainbow-toned pumps to wedge sneakers in extended gender-fluid size ranges. Twenty percent of sales will be donated to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York City. (MORE: Shopping post-pandemic: Sephora, Nike, Gap and more reveal store reopening plans) Sterling Forever PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Sterling Silver ) Show your pride by rocking a pair of vibrant hoops from Sterling Forever. Also, enjoy 25% off with coupon code PRIDE25. Additionally, 20% of all proceeds of the pride collection will benefit It Gets Better. Temptu PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Temptu) Spritz on your Pride with this limited-edition metallic rainbow version of TEMPTU Air that allows you to airbrush color seamlessly onto your skin. For every purchase of the new Metallic Rainbow Air, $10 will be donated to The Trevor Project. OGX PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (OGX) The popular hair brand is supporting the LGBTQIA+ community with special edition 2020 Pride bottle packaging featured around the brands' bestselling scents, including Argan Oil of Morocco, Liquid Pearl, Teatree Mint and Coconut Miracle Oil. The brand is also supporting the Johnson & Johnson CARE WITH PRIDE initiative, which has raised over $1 million for LGBTQIA+ nonprofits, including Family Equality, PFLAG, The Trevor Project and more. NYX Professional Makeup PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (NYX) NYX has launched a gorgeous #ProudAlliesForAll collection of makeup that will expand past Pride Month and serve as a yearlong celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. The campaign is celebrating within the community and stresses the importance of allies for all. Additionally, the brand is collaborating with the L.A. LGBT Center to create and validate all Pride messaging and has donated more than $50,000 to global LGBTQIA+ organizations. Out of Print Clothing PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Out of Print Clothing) The literary lifestyle brand has launched a special Pride collection featuring T-shirts, totes, pins and more. Starting in June, a portion of all sales will be donated to Lambda Literary, which nurtures and advocates for LGBTQ writers. Banana Republic PHOTO: Check out all the best Pride-inspired products to help you celebrate in style this year. (Banana Republic) Banana Republic has launched a colorful limited-edition capsule Pride collection including apparel and accessories. The retailer has also pledged to donate $60,000 to the United Nations Free & Equal campaign, which is an unprecedented global U.N. public information campaign aimed at promoting equal rights and fair treatment of LGBTI people. 15 Pride-inspired beauty and fashion picks to help you celebrate in style originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com Stay-at-home orders have been in place since mid-March. New Mexico is home to world-class trails and hiking areas. As the weather is getting warmer and the eventual easing of said stay-at-home orders, the United States Department of Agriculture announced new fire restrictions last week for Carson, Cibola and Santa Fe National Forests last week. The move is to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfire based on current and forecasted conditions, including very low fuel moisture levels and severe fire weather conditions. According to a release, the restrictions will also help protect the health and safety of firefighters and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The restrictions will be implemented forest-wide on the Carson and Santa Fe National Forests and on the Mount Taylor, Magdalena, Mountainair and Sandia Ranger Districts of the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands. New Mexico State Forestry implemented restrictions on campfires, open fires, smoking and fireworks on non-federal, non-municipal and non-tribal lands statewide on May 13, based on warmer temperatures, lower humidity, high winds and an abundance of dry, fine fuels, the release said. Stage 2 fire restrictions prohibit: Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire. Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is cleared of vegetation and flammable material. Welding or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame. Driving off designated roads. Visitors may park in areas cleared of vegetation within 10 feet of the roadway, or in designated parking areas. Fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices are always prohibited on national forests. While all three national forests are still welcoming visitors, fire indices are spiking and forest managers are concerned about this years fire season with the added layer of complexity from COVID-19, the release said. Also helping outdoor lovers is New Mexico Wild, which launched an online hiking guide last week. The online resource features descriptions of over 100 trails at least one in each wilderness area in the state. The past few months have been difficult on all of us. Using this online hiking guide to find new wild places to explore once it is safe to do so will help us all recover mentally, said Tisha Broska, deputy director at New Mexico Wild. We are happy to offer a resource at this time that will allow New Mexicans to learn more about our spectacular wilderness areas and find a new favorite hiking trail. Now is a great time to check out the New Mexico Wild hiking guide and start planning ahead for a future adventure. According to Broska, the online guide is searchable by distance, route type, difficulty, water, natural features, activities and solitude. Once a trail is found, there is a list of information to view before heading out. The New Mexico Wild hiking guide provides a detailed description of each hiking trail, including driving instructions, the types of ecosystems present and an overview of the wilderness area containing the trail. Users may also create a profile to share trail conditions and upload photos of their hikes to improve the accuracy of descriptions. Each trail features a downloadable PDF trail map and the ability to share trails on Facebook and Twitter. Broska said users of the online hiking guide should heed the advice of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and public health officials when planning their next hiking trip. These guidelines include limiting long distance travel and practicing physical distancing when on a hiking trail until the states stay-at-home order has been fully lifted, Broska said. The online Hiking Guide can be accessed at hike.nmwild.org. The Most Reverend Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana, says the ecumenical bodies will not rush the government to lift the ban on in-person church services. The leadership, he said, would always reserve that prerogative for the government, and wait patiently for the States directive to reconvene for communal services. The ecumenical bodies are the Christian Council of Ghana, Ghana Catholic Bishops, Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, Ghana National Association of Charismatic and Christian Churches and other faith-based organisations. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, in an interview in Accra, Rev. Dr Boafo, who is also the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, stated: ....We agree with the government that the sanctity of life is a priority, and so if the number of COVID-19 cases keep on rising and we have not plateaued or seen a steady decline, we will say that let us keep to the ban until we see that the situation can be safely handled. We need to contain these things else, people might even fear going to church and get exposed to the virus if they think the situation is not manageable. The interview was to seek the position of the ecumenical bodies on the matter as opinions are divided among the clergy and some Christians on when and how to lift the ban, imposed by the Government on Monday, March 16, to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus. Some argue that the speedy return to in-person services would strengthen Christians in their faith and prayers to overcome the virus. Others also say the churches funds were drying up, making it difficult to pay church workers. However, others argue that the services would expose members to the virus and defeat the Churches mission of saving lives; therefore, the virtual services should continue until it was very safe. President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called for a stakeholder and citizens engagement towards recommending measures to relax some of the restrictions for living with the virus. Rev. Dr Boafo told the GNA that the Christian leaders decided to fully support the Governments restrictions on social gatherings and the temporary closure of the churches because they found it imperative for the country to contain the spread of COVID-19. It is important to note that addressing COVID-19 requires the whole of governments and the whole-of-societys response - and the Church, being a major stakeholder, is indispensable in the States overall COVID-19 response. Since the restrictions were imposed, he said, the Government from time to time met with the ecumenical bodies to deliberate the issues. He disclosed that during their last meeting with the President, the leaders were asked to recommend preventive and containment measures towards the reopening of the churches in due course. Subsequently, the guidelines had been presented to the President. The Rev. Dr Boafo said since faith and science worked in tandem, the church leaders and the ecumenical councils consulted their health personnel in the Christian Health Association of Ghana to advise them. Following the consultation, the guidelines were drafted and sent to the President on May 7. The proposed strategies cover strict hygienic and hand washing protocols, properly-spaced sitting arrangements, wearing of facemasks, no handshakes, and no waving of handkerchiefs. There could also be measures to take the temperatures of members before being allowed to enter church premises, while families could be made to sit together at church observing social distancing. It also advised that Communion services, a Christian sacrament of sharing of wine and bread, should be done in a manner that prevented hand-to-hand transmission of the virus, while individual cups should be used to serve the communion. Offerings and tithes could be paid via mobile money platforms or on site by dropping them in stationary bowls or baskets with wide openings. The guidelines also proposed the intensive education of the congregation by selected trained members of the church. Additionally, church services should be done in sessions to reduce the number of people that congregate at a time for worship. "These are protocols that will help our wellbeing and so we encourage everybody to embrace them when the time comes," Rev Dr Boafo admonished. Meanwhile, the ban on public gatherings, as set out in Executive Instrument number 64, remains in force until May 31. It forbids the holding of conferences, workshops, parties, night clubs, drinking spots, festivals, political rallies, religious activities, sporting events, funerals among others. Additionally, all educational facilities private and public and mosques remain closed. Ghana Covid-19 cases count stands at 7, 303, with 34 deaths as of May 26, the Ghana Health Service reported, on Thursday. There are 2,412 recoveries. Only one, the Bono Region, out of the 16, has no confirmed case. 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 An application for a privately funded $75 million Omokoroa Town Centre has been submitted to the Western Bay of Plenty District Council for resource consent. The submission for 404 Omokoroa Road, by local business JACE Investments Limited, is to be considered by Council as part of its Omokoroa Structure Plan for the long-term development of land between the peninsulas railway line and State Highway 2. The proposal features staged development of a multipurpose retail, commercial and social community hub. Shops, cafes, offices and a civic centre are included along with a possible cinema and multiple green spaces that could accommodate the likes of a farmers market. Company Director Craig Lemon says the vision for the town centre design, aesthetics and ambience have been carefully considered to reflect the lifestyle, character and environment of Omokoroa. Extensive planning and reviews have been undertaken including architectural and urban design concepts, transport, geotechnical, economic, cultural and archaeological assessments. The 7.9 hectare site includes 5.3 hectares already commercially zoned. The remainder is categorised as Future Urban. Located next to the proposed future school, within walking distance of new residential developments and linked with a pre-existing network of walkways and cycleways, the town centre would be easily accessible for locals and surrounding rural communities. Fully serviced by waste and stormwater infrastructure, Lemon says their proposal is less exposed to lengthy regulatory, land procurement and town planning processes of other options being considered by Council. In a post-COVID environment, our plans are potentially shovel-ready and can help stimulate significant local economic activity and jobs, says Craig. Our understanding of local government procedures indicates that other state highway orientated options under consideration by Council could take two to three years to progress to the point we are already at. If approved, the JACE Investments proposal would see an unprecedented level of private sector investment in Omokoroa backed by a financially stable and reputable local company. We believe that with further consultation, our fit-for-purpose model can meet the needs of the growing Omokoroa community over the next 30 to 40 years without the need for further public investment or an impact on ratepayers. "We think that many residents would favour our proposal as the preferred alternative to universally designed highway-based stopover concepts." Currently operated as an orchard, 404 Omokoroa Road is owned by JACE Investments subsidiary company, Kiwi Green Limited. The JACE Group portfolio includes horticulture companies and property developments - MPAC (Mount Pack and Cool Limited), Gro Plus, Southern Orchards Limited, APAC (Auckland Pack and Cool Limited) and Kiwi Green New Zealand Limited. The company has been based in the Bay of Plenty since 2003 and annually employs over 700 in the region. Not fully vaccinated? No entry to malls, restaurants in Haryana from Jan 1: See Covid-19 guidelines Lockdown in Haryana 2022: Know Time, Districts List, Guidelines, Rules, What Is Allowed & What Is Not Allowed Haryana seals borders with Delhi, essential services allowed India pti-Madhuri Adnal Chandigarh, May 28: Citing a sharp increase in coronavirus cases during the past one week in Haryana districts adjoining Delhi, states Home Minister Anil Vij issued fresh orders for sealing borders with the national capital. The order is likely to make the movement of people travelling across the borders without valid permission tougher. Delhi govt gears up for probable locust attack; Issues advisory I have again issued orders today that in the districts adjoining Delhi, no leniency should be shown. Eighty per cent of our coronavirus cases are from the districts adjoining Delhi. Therefore, we are maintaining strictness on our borders with the national capital and keeping these sealed. He, however, in an order said barring the categories exempted by the Delhi High Court and the Centre, the state borders for others will remain completely sealed. Coronavirus: Karnataka bans transport from 5 states amid Coronavirus fears | Oneindia News "The districts bordering Delhi are witnessing a sharp increase in the number of cases, which is a matter of concern," Vij, who is also the state health minister, told reporters in Ambala. He cited the movement of people into the districts bordering the national capital as the reason behind the surge in cases. Mushroom farmer in Delhi buys 10 plane tickets; Allows migrant workers fly back home in Bihar Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar are the four worst-hit districts accounting for a majority of 1,504 infection cases in the state. Faridabad has reported the maximum seven fatalities in the state followed by three in Gurgaon and one in Sonipat, according to a state health bulletin. On Thursday, Gurgaon reported 68 fresh cases followed by 18 in Faridabad and four in Sonipat. The total cases in Gurgaon are 405, Faridabad 276, Sonipat 180 and Jhajjar 97, as per the bulletin. Seaport ambitions fail to hold water Nguyen Canh Tinh, CEO of Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC), told VIR that VIMC is one of the logistics companies that have been hit the hardest by the ongoing health crisis. Our seaports, logistics, and shipping business lines suffered in the first quarter of 2020, including our joint venture (JV) seaports due to interruptions in global trade links. Total container throughput shipped via Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) reached 414,000 twenty-foot equivalent units between January and March, leading to a total revenue of VND281 billion ($12 million) and a loss of VND1.4 billion ($61,000). The seaport, a JV between VIMC and Denmarks APM Terminals in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, saw its overall financial performance drop by 1 per cent on-year. Similarly, the Cai Lan International Container Terminal (CICT), a JV between US-based Carrix and VIMC, saw an on-year fall of 85 per cent in container throughput during the same period, thus incurring a loss of around VND110 billion ($4.75 million). Targets reachable? With these drastic losses, CICT is VIMCs worst-performing JV seaport. After reporting small improvements in 2018, the port witnessed a 47 per cent on-year drop in container throughput in 2019, resulting in 17 per cent less profit. The seaport is even forecast to face more difficulties in the coming months when more terminals are being put into operation at Lach Huyen International Seaport in the northern port city of Haiphong. Meanwhile, this years first quarter was not rosy for SP-PSA, a joint venture between VIMC and Singapore-based PSA in the Cai Mep-Thi Vai area, which lost about VND50 billion ($2.15 million). SP-PSA reported no container throughput, while its volume of goods in bulk fell 15 per cent on-year to around 710,00 tonnes. As a result, this JV recorded a revenue of VND36.3 billion ($1.6 million), equal to a mere 88 per cent of the same period last year. Despite these losses, JV seaports somewhat improved during the first quarter of 2020. These improvements, however, are not ample enough to help them cover the huge losses incurred in the past and during the ongoing pandemic. As shown in VIMC statistics, CMITs container throughput rose 8 per cent, while revenue went up 2 per cent. Also, CICT reported a 66 per cent on-year rise in the volume of goods in bulk and 66 per cent in its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA). With these figures, CMIT remains the most profitable JV for VMIC. Meanwhile, SSIT another JV between VIMC and SSA Marine in the Cai Mep-Thi Vai area saw its volume of goods in bulk climb by 1 per cent on-year, while its revenue soared 49 per cent on-year. In 2019, VIMCs total volume of goods shipped via its seaports reached over 106 million tonnes, up nearly 7 per cent on-year. This year, we aim to increase the figure to around 108 million tonnes. However, if the pandemic continues to spread, we will have to readjust our target, Tinh of VIMC noted. Promising divestment Although CICT performed better this period, it had trouble attracting cargo for the following years. Therefore, VIMC still wants to offload its share in this JV. With mounting competition from Lach Huyen International Seaport, in the long term, CICT will be less competitive in both container throughput and goods in bulk. Possibly, we plan to divest our controlling stake, Tinh elaborated. This is good news for Carrix, SSA Marine, and other domestic and international investors who are eager to expand to and in Vietnam, where seaports attract the most foreign direct investment in the transport sector, thanks to the ability to control revenue sources, and favourable links to global supply chains. Carrix, SSA Marine, and other players once showed their strong interest in buying stakes in the JV seaports when VIMC several years ago planned to divest state stakes in CICT and SSIT. Singapore-invested SP-PSA also wanted to raise stakes in VIMC while SSA Marine offered to buy VIMCs entire stake in CICT. Their interest was damaged as the state-owned giant stopped the plan. Industry insiders said that VIMC, which has stakes in 14 port companies and operates over 13,000 metres of piers with a total capacity of 75 million tonnes a year, is a springboard for international groups to venture further into the lucrative market amid growing trade. Le Duc Khanh, director of market strategy department at PetroVietnam Securities, told VIR, VIMCs state stake divestment will be attractive to foreign partners, especially to those that are partnering in JV seaports. This is possibly successful as mergers and acquisitions are increasingly more attractive. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, such deals among foreign-invested enterprises rose 33 per cent in the first four months of 2020. Remarkably, the number of related deals among the US and EU partners grew significantly during the period, with those from the US climbing by nine times. Consultancy firms forecast that the trend will continue further, and seaports will benefit on the back of bilateral trade driven by the landmark EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. The following editorial appeared in Thursday's Japan News-Yomiuri: - - - Although the declaration of a state of emergency has been lifted, the economy will remain in a difficult situation for a while. Strategic measures must be implemented to normalize economic activities while strengthening the safety net. The government approved at a Cabinet meeting a second supplementary budget that includes additional economic measures. These efforts, which include loans from financial institutions and money to be paid by local governments, total about 117 trillion yen, and reach about 234 trillion yen when combined with the first supplementary budget. The first supplementary budget focused on supporting small and midsize companies and household budgets that have been hit hard by the spread of the new coronavirus. The second one attaches importance to rescuing people and companies that could not be covered by past measures. It is appropriate to extend strong support to people and companies in need. A new system will be created to enable people who cannot receive on-leave allowances from companies to directly seek benefits from the central government. The benefits will be 80% of their monthly wage. Some companies have not been applying for employment adjustment subsidies, which are provided to firms that put workers on leave instead of firing them, because of the complicated procedures involved. Even in that case, the employees will be able to receive benefits. Freelancers will be eligible for a system, which did not previously cover them, to provide benefits for small and midsize companies and one-person businesses whose profits have sharply declined. Start-ups that have just been launched and do not meet the requirement of a year-on-year decline in revenues will also be included. The problem is the slow response. The payment of cash benefits of 100,000 yen per person is notably stagnant. It is necessary to devise measures to ensure prompt payment. With the patchwork of support measures, the system for those measures has become even more complex. Further efforts are needed to make people widely aware of the system. It is vital to examine whether there are wasteful projects and whether the system is being used effectively. In the Tokyo metropolitan area, a growing number of commercial facilities, restaurants and others have resumed operations. It is important to create an environment in which people can go out and engage in consumption with peace of mind. In the second supplementary budget, the government significantly increased the amount of subsidies that local governments can use to strengthen their medical systems, compared with the first supplementary budget. The subsidies will be used mainly to support the management of medical institutions, and provide medical staffers and others with special remuneration for their services to help secure human resources. Measures to help the medical field are extremely important. They are also essential in terms of preparing for a second wave of infections. The government should thoroughly examine whether these support measures are sufficient and consider additional measures if necessary. In addition to expanding the safety net, it is also important to take steps to put the economy on a recovery track while coexisting with the coronavirus. The government plans to gradually ease its request that people refrain from going out. In the first supplementary budget, the government has already incorporated measures to stimulate demand in the tourist and restaurant industries, with the aim of implementing them in July. It is also hoped that every possible measure will be prepared to revitalize consumption. Haiti - News : Zapping... 3 BNC branches temporarily closed Following employees with symptoms similar to Covid-19 and pending the results of the tests, 3 branches of the National Bank of Haiti (BNC) have temporarily closed their doors. These are the branches of Delmas 52, Turgeau (Port-au-Prince) and Arcachon (Carrefour). See also : Unibank branches closed : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30880-haiti-news-zapping.html Jovenel invited by the UN to participate... At the invitation of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres Jovenel Moise will participate, by Thursday, May 28, 2020, by videoconference, in a summit on financing for Development in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic. This summit is an initiative of Canada, Jamaica and the United Nations. Guito Edouard, DG of DINEPA healed of Covid-19 Tested positive for Coronavirus in mid-May https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30806-haiti-news-zapping.html , Guito Edouard Director General of the National Directorate for Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) is now healed. The information was confirmed by the person concerned who said that he had left the hospital on Wednesday where he was being treated. Haiti cannot test everyone Faced with thousands of phone calls from people claiming to have Covid-19 symptoms, Dr. Jacques Boncy, Director General of the National Laboratory of Public Health (LNSP), said that the Haitian State will not be able to test everyone. Covid-19 and Human Rights Ministers and Senior Officials of the Haitian Government met with officials of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to broaden the dialogue on measures taken by the Government to deal with the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly with regard to the protection of human rights in the country. Representatives of the Prime Minister's Office, the ministries of health, justice, and education, among others intervened to present the measures taken by their respective institutions. HL/ HaitiLibre [May 28, 2020] Lockdown Fuels Interest in Learning Among Remote Workers Questionmark, the online assessment provider, is encouraging employers to reignite investment in learning and development programs. The call comes as research reveals a wave of enthusiasm among remote workers for online learning to improve their professional and personal skills. Online learning providers have reported a dramatic increase in usage since lockdown measures were rolled out around the world.1 According to one provider, among the most popular subjects were lessons in time management and Microsoft (News - Alert) Excel.2 Employers should capitalize on the current enthusiasm by reinvigorating learning and development programs, with remote assessments. Some employers may have been reluctant to deliver such programs remotely in the past. However, the workforce has become increasingly familiar with collaboration technology and has developed a 'work from home' culture. Previous obstacles to delivering and assessing such training can be easily overcome. Lars Pedersen, CEO of Questionmark said, "When the world went into lockdown, some business leaders may have felt that learning and development programs would be impossible to deliver. In reality, we need them more than ever. "Good decisions around continued professional development can upskill the workforce. They can boost productivity and drive engagement. They build confidence with customers and increase staff retention. To make good decisions around learning and development, employers must ensure that regular testing and assessment sit at the heart of training. This is especially true when we are all working remotely." Testing and assessment are essential aids to learning. Memory expert Professor Roddy Roediger says learners are far more likely to remember information once called upon to reconstruct it.3 Regular assessment enables managers to measure the effectiveness of training. It is through incorporating tests into learning and development programs that leades gain the fair, valid and defensible information they need to make good decisions. The Questionmark Platform can assess an unlimited number of test-sitters, from anywhere in the world. The platform provides a range of assessment formats. Tests are automatically marked. Results are instantly compiled. Trends and patterns are easy and quick to spot. To book a demo, click here. www.questionmark.com About Questionmark Questionmark provides a secure enterprise-grade assessment platform and professional services to leading organizations around the world, delivered with care and unequalled expertise. Its full-service online assessment tool and professional services help customers to improve their performance and meet their compliance requirements. Questionmark enables organizations to unlock their potential by delivering assessments which are valid, reliable, fair and defensible. Questionmark offers secure powerful integration with other LMS, LRS and proctoring services making it easy to bring everything together in one place. Questionmark's cloud-based assessment management platform offers rapid deployment, scalability for high-volume test delivery, 24/7 support, and the peace-of-mind of secure, audited U.S., Australian and European-based data centers. 1 https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/19/online-learning-how-to-acquire-new-skills-during-lockdown 2 https://www.thehrdirector.com/business-news/learning-and-development/lockdown-workers-across-europe-turning-to-learning/ 3 https://www.questionmark.com/professor-roddy-roediger-on-applying-the-retrieval-practice-effect-to-creating-and-administering-assessments/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005525/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Ameya Dalvi (Disclaimer: This copy is being repubbed because Realme smart TV is going on its first sale today in India.) Realme announced its foray into the budget Smart TV segment in India earlier this week with the launch of its 32-inch and 43-inch Smart TV models. While their pricing is attractive and features look par for the course, this is a highly competitive segment, and theres some stiff competition looking to welcome the TVs. Lets look at eight such TVs (four 32-inch models and four 43-inch models) that can give the two Realme TVs a run for their money. Realme TV 32-inch competitors in India The 32-inch HD-ready variant of the Realme TV has a VA panel with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. It is a certified Android TV (v9.0) and comes with a voice-enabled Bluetooth remote. It has 3x HDMI ports and 2x USB ports, among other connectivity options. It is priced at Rs 12,999 in India. Now lets look at what the competition has to offer. Sanyo Kaizen XT32A170H (Price: Rs 10,999) While a similar sized Xiaomi TV is what one would have expected to see here first up, theres something better and at an even lower price point. A certified Android TV from the old Japanese brand, Sanyo (now owned by Panasonic), boasts of an IPS panel in this segment and offers excellent picture quality at a price thats a good Rs 2,000 lower than that of the Realme. You get 2x HDMI ports, 2x USB ports and other standard connectivity options along with 20 W RMS sound output. The Realme TV does a tad better here with the extra HDMI port and a bit more oomph in sound. The Sanyo Kaizen XT32A170H too has a voice enabled remote and Chromecast built-in. At its current selling price, this TV has most of the bases covered and may pose a serious threat to the new entrant. Onida 32-inch Fire TV Edition (Price: Rs 12,999) The Onida Fire TV Edition televisions run Amazons Fire OS, the one that you get on their Fire TV Sticks. Simply put, you get a TV with an integrated Fire TV Stick under 13k, and thats a neat deal. This TV too has an IPS panel and comes with 3x HDMI ports and 1x USB port, but isnt all that great with sound quality, which I am hoping the Realme would score better on. You get a voice enabled remote with Alexa. The TV also offers you a wide variety of picture and sound adjustments along with a robust OS and very good apps support. Fire OS is a great alternative to Android TV. The price of this Onida TV is exactly the same as Realmes and will make an interesting opponent. Brand name still has a great value here, and thats where the next two options hold their sway despite not having as impressive a specifications sheet. LG 32LM560BPTC (Price: Rs 14,999) Incidentally, we have another 32-inch TV with an IPS panel in the list. This is not an Android TV and instead, runs Web OS that has apps for most of the major online streaming services including Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar. Connectivity options are modest with a couple of HDMI ports and a solitary USB port to plug in more devices, and 10 W RMS sound output. Samsung Series 4 UA32N4305ARXXL (Price: Rs 13,999) With LG plying its trade in this category, Samsung doesnt want to be left behind either. And you have this Series 4 offering based on Tizen OS that again supports all major streaming services, and has a decent repository of apps. The TV also comes with Microsoft Office 365 that lets you do a bit of work on it (Why, though?). Just like the LG, you get a couple of HDMI ports, one USB port and 10 W RMS sound output. The Onida, LG and Samsung TVs above do not have a built-in Chromecast that all certified Android TVs have. Now lets move on to the 43-inch model. Realme TV 43-inch competitors in India The 43-inch variant of the Realme TV has a VA panel too, but with a Full HD screen resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. It has a Mediatek quad core processor with 1 GB RAM and 8 GB internal storage. The rest of the specifications are identical to its 32-inch sibling. It is priced at Rs 21,999 in India. Its now time to meet the competition. Mi TV 4A Pro 43 (Price: Rs 21,999) As expected, we have its evenly matched Xiaomi counterpart. The Mi TV 4A Pro 43 is also a certified Android TV that sells for exactly the same price as the 43-inch Realme. You get a Full HD panel with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Unlike older Xiaomi TVs, there is support for all major streaming services, including Netflix and Prime Video, right out of the box. Like all certified Android TVs, this too has Chromecast built-in. It has 3x HDMI and 3x USB ports and 20 W RMS sound output. For some reason, Xiaomi doesnt like to have a mute button on the remote, and you will have to bear with it. Thankfully, those who buy the Realme TV wont have to deal with this weird deficiency. And you also get buttons for Settings and Input selection that are missing on the Xiaomi remote. iFFALCON (TCL) 43K31 (Price: Rs 20,999) While the Realme and Xiaomi TVs are evenly matched, the former will face its toughest competition from this iFFALCON TV. This feature-rich certified Android Smart TV from the TCL sub-brand can be bought for a thousand Rupees less than Realmes 43-incher. For that price, you get a 43-inch TV with a 4K panel (resolution of 3840x2160 pixels) and support for 1.07 billion colours. It is powered by a quad-core processor with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB internal storage which is double that of the Realme TV. You also get a voice enabled remote control, 3x HDMI, 2x USB ports along with other popular audio/video ports and support for all major streaming services. It also supports AI picture adjustment, micro dimming, and theres Chromecast too. Realme better watch out for this one. Ill let you know how their sound and picture quality compare once we are done with the review. Onida 43-inch Fire TV Edition (Rs 21,999) Just like the Realme TV, the Onida Fire TV (Review) listed above also has a 43-inch variant with an IPS screen and a Full HD resolution. The rest of the features are pretty much the same as its 32-inch model with the Fire TV OS at its crux, along with 3x HDMI ports and a USB port for connectivity among others. We were impressed with its UI and picture quality, and believe it has enough spunk to go toe to toe with its Realme counterpart, if not better. VU Ultra Android 43GA / Vu Premium 43US (Price: Rs 20,499) Both these TVs are pretty much the same models with different model names, one selling on Amazon and the other on Flipkart. If you are looking for an inexpensive 43-inch official Android TV, this Vu TV is a good option. Despite the word Ultra or Premium in the name, this is essentially a budget TV with a Full HD panel, 1 GB RAM, and 8 GB of internal storage. But the picture quality is quite impressive for the price with natural colours and good contrast. (Also read: Vu 43GA Ultra Android smart TV review: Impressive budget TV that gets the basics right) Add to that, you get fast boot times, quick resume from standby, and apps for all major streaming services. It also has Chromecast built-in along with a couple of HDMI and USB ports each. This TV, too, delivers 24 W RMS sound output thats actually pretty good for this segment. But, you will have to make do with an IR remote instead of a voice enabled Bluetooth option like the one you get with Realme and other 43-inch TVs above. That is pretty much the competition the new TVs have currently. Ill soon publish an in-depth review of the Realme TV once I am done testing it enough, and will let you know how it actually performs on multiple fronts and if its worth a spot in your living room. It is illegal for anyone to harbour returnees who have not gone through the proper repatriation procedures and screening for Covid-19, a Cabinet Minister has said. Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa told journalists at State House in Harare after the ad hoc Inter-ministerial Taskforce on Covid-19 meeting on Tuesday that Government would continue receiving returning residents and legal residents coming home. We continue to receive returning and legal residents who had been domiciled outside Zimbabwe. As our citizens come home, they are required to adhere to the laid down regulations that includes screening, testing and quarantining. These measures are there to protect their loved ones here at home. We cannot run away from the fact that a greater number of our positive cases are from returnees. It is illegal for anyone to harbour any returnees who have not gone through the proper repatriation procedures and health screening. Let me take this opportunity to urge each and every one of us to do the right thing where preventative and protective measures are concerned, said Minister Mutsvangwa. She reaffirmed that traditional leaders play a critical role in the dissemination of information in rural communities. This information dissemination role has been key in raising awareness on Covid-19 and ensuring adherence to the protective and preventative measures in these communities, she said. Traditional leaders, she said, would be mobilising their communities in the apprehension of those returnees who abscond from quarantine centres and those who returned home through illegal crossing points. She called for collective responsibility as a nation to practise good hygiene, and wear masks properly in public spaces. Government is monitoring illegal returnees coming from South Africa using undesignated entries to evade being quarantined for the pandemic and those who are escaping from quarantine centres. Recently, many returnees have escaped from various quarantine centres where they were confined as part of mandatory measures to control the spread of Covid-19. Four Indian pharma companies have just signed a partnership agreement with US-based Gilead for supply of its experimental coronavirus drug Remdesivir. Satish Reddy, President, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (which represents 24 leading pharma firms) and Chairman of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, speaks to Business Today's Joe C. Mathew about how home-grown firms are serving India and the world during the Covid-19 crisis. Edited excerpts. What has been the impact of lockdown on the Indian pharmaceutical industry? The industry is not at pre-pandemic levels of capacity utilisation. On an average, we are at the 60-70 per cent mark at the moment. We continue to maintain adequate inventory, despite the challenges in import and export due to delays at airports and ports across the country. Did IPA member companies see a surge in business? How has the industry tackled lockdown-linked disruptions? There has been increased demand for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and sales in a few markets such as the US, Europe and Russia have been good. Demand in India has dropped a bit due to the lockdown. Several companies have innovated to tide over the crisis - one example is the readiness kit we have deployed for sales representatives. The industry is also leveraging virtual platforms to facilitate healthcare access. Our company has a dedicated helpline for both doctors and patients to make medicines available wherever needed. We have a plan and have adapted our strategy to the new way of doing business. I do not foresee shortage of medicines or supply disruptions. What are the lessons learnt? With every crisis comes a learning opportunity. Covid-19 has been no exception. One major takeaway has been the power of collaboration. We saw companies that usually compete in the market come together and collaborate. Examples of this were seen across functions. Collaboration was also evident in our work with the government. Indian pharma firms have, throughout the crisis, worked in an integrated manner with the government to ensure safe and continuous supply of medicines. The Central and state governments have also been responsive to the needs of critical industries. While many Indian pharma companies were already investing significantly in automation and digitisation, the pandemic has demonstrated the true potential of technology. What was more exploratory in the past is now a lifeline for industries. I see technology and digitisation playing a greater role in the near future. The pandemic has shown India's dependence on imports for raw materials. The prime minister talks of self-reliance. How does one achieve it? Yes, there is a need to become more self-sufficient with regards to pharma. This is economically significant and essential for the health security of the country. Covid-19 has helped us expedite our efforts towards self-sufficiency. Government support is essential to achieve this objective. We are still awaiting details about the recently launched API policy and the investment push of Rs 10,000 crore. It is a significant step towards self-sufficiency. The IPA is working closely with the government towards this objective. Will the industry come together to develop generics if the government wants to supply them to the world? The IPA believes in a balance between public health and intellectual property rights. Both are extremely important. Indian pharma is already the largest supplier of generics globally. Of course, we would be happy to work together with the government. Is the pandemic impacting global growth plans of domestic pharma companies? In the middle of this global crisis, Indian pharma has proven to be consistent and reliable. While this pandemic has thrown up several challenges, it has also created an immense opportunity for the industry. Countries across the globe are now looking at alternative suppliers - Indian pharma can tap this and reclaim the ground it had lost to countries such as China. We have also seen the power of collaboration. I am hoping this will result in greater collaboration in the future. As governments across the world take measures to bolster economies, it will compel them to curtail expenditure across categories, including healthcare. I foresee a greater inclination towards more cost-effective drugs and generics, and therein lies another immense opportunity for us, since we have gained a reputation of being a supplier of high quality and cost-effective drugs to the world. Will it open up new markets and more opportunities in existing ones? Will it mean more local production in key export markets? Opportunities in the API segment are visible with more companies wanting to de-risk their over-reliance on China. While most countries may want to increase local production, it would take some time for any trend to be visible due to the large lead time. We would work according to the local needs of the country and ensure we meet our commitment of serving patients. What should the government do to strengthen the Indian pharmaceutical industry? In the immediate and short term, there is need to support and streamline pharma manufacturing. Consistent implementation of policies such as movement of manufacturing personnel and streamlining logistics and support to ancillary suppliers is the need of the hour. And these need to be done across states. Our industry is research-based, we owe our success and world dominance to our R&D efforts. The government needs to recognise both the need as well as the inherent risk of innovation in this industry. Innovation should be given a boost through tax incentives, greater access to capital and industry-academia collaboration. The government also needs to look at liberalising drug prices. Easing these restrictions will incentivise the industry to scale up production of essential drugs. We appreciate the government's move to promote domestic manufacturing of key starting materials and APIs. In this regard, accelerating planned investments in infrastructure for bulk drug parks from five years to within two years will go a long way in achieving self-sufficiency. Financial incentives such as soft loans or loans with longer moratorium could incentivise investments. We need to achieve self-sufficiency, as well as capitalise on the shift-away from countries such as China. The time for that is now. @joecmathew Colombo, May 28 : The Sri Lankan Health Ministry has issued a comprehensive set of guidelines focused on the "new normal" with timelines on when most activities can resume in the island nation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, the Health Ministry said that the 'Advocacy Brief on resumption of public activities during gradual exit from existing restrictions for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka' is to support the process to occur in a manageable and feasible manner, reports the Daily Mirror newspaper. This is to enable resumption of economic, administrative and social activities, while keeping in mind public health principles, in order to prevent spread of the disease. The document notes that bars/taverns, nightclubs, zoos and museums will remain closed until further notice. The guidelines also propose more online use, including at work and for purchases. Restrictions on social gatherings have also been mentioned including no more than 10 people at most social events. The document also said that the resumption of pre-schools will be postponed until further notice. COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka have surged to 1,469 after the country witnessed highest single-day rise on Wednesday of 27 infections. The death toll stands at 10. Raph Graybill is the right person to serve as Montanas next attorney general. Ive known that for a long time, which is why I endorsed him early. Now, as part of a team managing the complexities of a pandemic in my community, Ive seen the work Graybills doing with Governor Bullock to help Montanans thrive through COVID-19 and I couldnt be more enthusiastic about the opportunity to vote for him on June 2. As the governors chief legal counsel, Bullock trusts Graybill to design and implement the directives that are the backbone of Montanas successful response to COVID-19. The changes to make our elections safer, relief funds for renters, the suspension of evictions and foreclosures, and the core public health orders all of these progressive, forward-looking responses to keep Montana safe have Graybills mark on them. So while other candidates have been confined to the sidelines, Graybill has been busy doing the daily work of making Montana as safe as it can be. And hes done that work without drama or grandstanding, maintaining his commitment to serve the public because its the right thing to do, which is simply his style. His dedication to fighting for Montana long predates the current crisis, when he fought against dark money in campaigns, protected net neutrality and public lands, defended our constitution, and defeated big tobacco. Just this last year, Bullock asked Graybill to represent Montanas public schools and defend our state Constitution before the United States Supreme Court. Graybill led a case against the Trump administration and the IRS over a plan to let dark money groups spend in secret to influence our elections. Graybill took them to federal court in Montana and won. And while politicians like to talk about public lands, Graybill has actually gone to court to protect them and won, defeating our current attorney general. No other candidate for this office can say that. And its exactly that kind of record we need in our next attorney general. Graybill also has a vision for this office and how it can stand up for Montanans in places people dont expect. Case in point: health care. One of the biggest threats to our health care is a lawsuit by Republican attorneys general to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. That would mean Montanans with pre-existing conditions could be denied health care coverage. Its wrong, and thats why Graybill has made it a personal priority to stand up to this lawsuit and to fight for Montanans with pre-existing conditions. Hes also announced a plan to stand up to big pharmaceutical corporations. Hell take them to court to end illegal price-fixing practices that force Montanans to pay more. Unlike any candidate for this office Ive seen, Graybill has a detailed knowledge about how drug companies use the legal system to prolong financial and physical suffering. Hes got a real, actionable plan to stand up to these companies. And hes the only candidate in this race with the experience designing, implementing and winning these cases for the benefit of Montanans. The attorney general is the peoples lawyer. I care about hiring a lawyer who I know has my back, who is unafraid to take on the biggest fights and who has a proven record of winning for Montanans in court. When Governor Bullock needed a fighter for the people of Montana, he turned to Graybill. Now we have the opportunity to hire him to be our advocate as attorney general. The choice is clear: Raph Graybill has what it takes not only to win, and be a transformational attorney general who will make all Montanans proud. John Engen is mayor of Missoula. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 In the run-up to the end of the fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba held a video conference with municipal commissioners and district magistrates of 13 Covid-19 hit cities that have contributed to more than 70% of the cases in the country. Central government officials said that in the meeting, the Cabinet Secretary reiterated the need to seal the containment zones where number of cases are the highest, and took suggestions from states to decide the strategy from June 1. The cities were advised that the area (containment area) should be appropriately defined by the district administration and local urban body with technical inputs from the local level," government officials said. News18 had reported on Wednesday that lockdown may be extended by another two weeks after May 31, but with considerable more relaxations. A senior government functionary told CNN-News18 that the Centre is willing to give more freedom to states to decide their lockdown norms post May 31. Going by the demands of the states and the condition of economy, the Centre had given relaxations the last time it announced a two-week extension of the lockdown on May 17. In lockdown 5.0, the government may also allow places of worship and gyms to reopen. Goa and Karnataka governments have also expressed interest to open up the hotel and hospitality sector. Officials said schools, colleges, malls and cinemas are likely to remain shut for another two weeks, but all other sectors, state governments may be given freedom to decide. The governments concern on containment zones comes after reports said these areas were not being strictly demarcated and restrictions were not being enforced properly by some states. In the fourth phase of the lockdown, the government had done away with the colour-coded zones and only kept most restrictions for containment areas. Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla had a week ago written to states that Centres guidelines must be followed. "It has been brought to the notice of this ministry, that there are violations of MHA guidelines. Proper delineation of containment zones and effective implementation of containment measures within the zones is key to preventing spread of covid19," the May 22 letter read. The 13 municipal commissioners who participated in the video conferencing were from Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmadabad, Thane, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata/Howrah, Indore, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur. Chief secretaries and principal secretaries (health) of all states and UTs also attended the video conference. Officials said that in the video conference, states shared the measures that have been taken by the district administration and municipal corporations of the affected areas for the management of Covid-19 cases. "The Cabinet Secretary will review and take suggestions from the state and then these will be discussed with other stakeholders like ministry of health, home ministry and Prime Minister's Office before a final decision is taken," a union government officer told CNN-News18. The central government has already issued guidelines on the management of COVID-19 in urban settlements. These include work on high risk factors, indices such as confirmation rate, fatality rate, doubling rate, tests per million people, among others. The Centre has stressed that containment zones are to be geographically defined based on factors like mapping of cases and contacts and their geographical dispersion. This would enable in demarcating a well-defined perimeter and enforcing the strict protocol of lockdown. Municipal corporations can decide if residential colonies, mohallas, municipal wards or police-station areas, municipal zones, towns can be designated as containment zones, as required. The cities were advised that the area should be appropriately defined by the district administration and local urban body with technical inputs from local level. D etectives have released a CCTV image of a person they want to speak to after a man exposed himself to a schoolgirl on a London Underground train. The victim, 11, was travelling on the Bakerloo Line from Baker Street shortly after 4pm on February 4 when the incident took place. As the carriage emptied a man sat opposite her, exposing himself, before getting off the Tube at Queens Park station, police said. Officers believe the man in the CCTV image may have information which could help their investigation. Detective Inspector Dan Holmes of the British Transport Police said: This is clearly an incredibly concerning incident and we are keen to identify this individual as soon as possible. The victim was understandably distressed by what happened, and her and her family are being supported by specially trained officers. We take reports like this very seriously and Id urge anyone who recognises this man to get in touch with us as soon as they can by texting 61016 and quoting reference 276 of 02/03/20. Alternatively, anyone with information can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Katy Easton, CEO of the DBA, said in the press release, In these tough and uncertain times, we are more than thankful for the continued support the Billings community has shown for our downtown events. Easton continued, We are closely monitoring and adhering to the COVID-19 directives and recommendations from Montana State Officials and the Yellowstone County Health Department. Community comes first for downtown Billings, its what makes up the soul of downtown and we hope to get us all back together as a community again soon. By PTI THE HJAGUE: As many as 276 Indians stranded in the Netherland due to the coronavirus-induced global travel restrictions have returned home on board a special KLM flight as part of the 'Vande Bharat Mission', an official said on Wednesday. Of the total passengers, who reached Mumbai on Tuesday, 107 of them were flown to the Netherlands from other countries such as 52 from Mexico, 47 from Peru and eight from Portugal, the official said in a statement. Around 276 Indian nationals stranded in the Netherlands were successfully evacuated on Tuesday by a special KLM flight, the Indian Embassy here said in a statement. India's Ambassador to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony personally saw off the passengers as they boarded the aircraft at Amsterdam Schiphol airport. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the flag carrier of the Netherlands. "There were tears of joy and heartfelt gratitude as the individuals profusely thanked the Indian Embassy for coming to their aid in their time of distress," the Indian mission said in the statement. Earlier in March, the embassy played a major role in the evacuation of 117 Indian nationals stranded at Schiphol airport when the travel ban on international commercial passenger flights came into force. "Since then the embassy has assisted the remaining stranded Indians by providing accommodation and meals during the course of the extended travel ban and has also guided those with a medical condition to healthcare support," the statement said. There are around 1,000 Indians who are to be repatriated in the ensuing weeks. On June 8, another batch of stranded Indians will be sent home by a special Air India flight from Amsterdam to New Delhi as part of the second leg of the 'Vande Bharat Mission', it said. The Netherlands has the second largest population of people of Indian-origin in Europe after the UK. It is home to about 2,40,000 members of the Indian diaspora including approximately two lakh members of and Hindustani-Surinami community wholly integrated into the Dutch society. "Although their forebears left India nearly 150 years ago, the Hindustani-Surinami community has deep cultural links with India and is active in promoting cultural cooperation through well-established institutions," the statement said. The Indian community has played a significant role in contributing to the cultural traditions of both the countries in a mutually harmonious and beneficial manner while also helping in expanding and creating a favourable climate for further improvement of bilateral business relations. "The Indian community is the fastest growing group of expatriates in metropolitan Amsterdam and has in its own way contributed to the enrichment of cultural ethos as well as the commercial success of the city," it added. The Indian government launched the 'Vande Bharat Mission' on May 7 to bring back Indians stranded in various countries due to coronavirus-related restrictions. Under Phase I of the mission, the government evacuated a total of 6,527 Indians from the Gulf region and from countries like the US, the UK, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Maldives. WASHINGTON In the grand scheme of worldwide upheaval, what happened Wednesday at the Capitol just could be another indicator of how much the coronavirus pandemic has upset normal life. But for a city and institution that thrives on formality and following precedent, it was a stunning moment in congressional history when members of the U.S. House voted on behalf of colleagues in order to mitigate the spread of the virus. Six dozen or so Democrats including Texas representatives opted to designate colleagues to vote on their behalf on a surveillance bill, with some wondering why such a system didnt already exist. Republicans, however, fought the rule change tooth and nail, arguing such a move upends the Constitution as they promised a protracted legal fight. I support proxy voting because it is the most responsible and safe voting option during the present COVID-19 pandemic, said the dean of the Texas delegation, U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a D-Dallas, who designated a New York colleague to vote on her behalf. About two weeks ago, House members voted for the change amid great unease about members of Congress congregating at the Capitol for votes and then dispersing back across the country. Much of the threat was to themselves, as many of them are older and more vulnerable to the sometimes fatal complications of the virus. But also, theres concern for their constituents and family members, as some members come here from coronavirus hot spots and others are from communities with comparatively less severe outbreaks. As a result, the House in recent weeks has met far less frequently than scheduled, passed sweeping legislation by voice vote and delegated dealmaking among the very top levels of the government: Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. When the full chamber did congregate, members voted in small groups rather than in aggregate, and absences were higher than normal. So, on May 15, the House voted on a rule change that will allow for remote voting by proxy for a 45-day period. Members who werent comfortable voting in person sent letters to the House clerk designating colleagues to cast their votes for them in Washington. Six Texans went this route, with some members appointing colleagues in the delegation, friends from other states, or members who represent districts within driving distance to the Capitol. In normal times, voting at the Capitol is no small chore. Members schedule their entire day around the usually twice-a-day ritual. Missing votes is a frowned-upon practice and a potential political liability during campaign season. A spotty voting record is a tried-and-true attack method in television advertising. Members who find themselves stuck in traffic en route to the Capitol frequently are seen sprinting through the Capitol halls yelling one more! in order to make the roll call. Since the pandemic took hold, members from all over the country put on their masks and gloves every few weeks and made their way to Washington through airports and train stations. Most are encouraged with how they often have their own rows on planes. However, Rep. Filemon Vela of Brownsville found himself unnerved on a recent trip. On the last leg of his Washington commute on a flight from Dallas to South Texas the plane was full, and people around him were coughing. Once home, these members perform self-imposed quarantines so as not to infect their communities, should they be asymptomatic carriers who picked up the virus in their travels. Vela and other members had not yet finished their quarantine from the last vote when they were called to Washington for a new round of voting. In some ways, it breaks the monotony, to be able to go and come back, Vela said. But my wife has had two heart surgeries, and when you factor in the potential risks, its a matter of mitigating the risk. So Vela is staying home as Congress addresses more fallout from the pandemic and considers a surveillance bill. The last time he was in Washington for votes, he turned to a friend, Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, to be his proxy. Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Austin and Marc Veasey of Fort Worth selected two members of Congress who represent suburban Washington. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen asked Rep. Henry Cuellar, who represents an adjacent South Texas district. I chose one of my neighbors, Gonzalez said. Our staffs know each other well. Rep. Veronica Escobar of El Paso opted for fellow freshman Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Houston. Garcia, a former state senator, found amusement in voting for Escobar, as she frequently voted by proxy in the Texas Legislature on behalf of another El Paso official, state Sen. Jose Rodriguez. Garcia was eager to help. Most members of the delegation must first fly to Dallas or Houston and catch a connection to Washington. I have the luxury of having a major international airport in my area and to get on a flight (and be in Washington) in less than three hours, she said. Many of my colleagues do not have that luxury. Its a sense of duty, for a lack of better word, and if I can assist anyone in being their proxy, Id be more than happy to, she said. Johnson, the Dallas Democrat, designated New Yorks Rep. Hakeem Jeffries a potential future speaker as her proxy, writing in a statement that hes responsible and trustworthy. Both the House sergeant at arms and the office of attending physician have released guidelines on general safety and voting procedures that also support maximum teleworking for all congressional offices, Johnson said. As chair of the House Science Committee, I believe in science. That comment is a veiled nod to the commentary from the other side of the aisle. Republicans, including those from Texas, are furious about the change. Not one Republican voted for the rule change. At the forefront of the fight against it is Rep. Chip Roy of Austin, who aligned with House leadership to launch a lawsuit against the practice. We did not allow proxy voting while the nation was engulfed in the Civil War. We didnt allow it while the Capitol building was on fire during the War of 1812. We didnt allow it through World Wars and the Spanish Flu, he said in a statement. We didnt allow proxy voting after 9/11. Why are we doing it now? He later added, Because the damage to the institution would be so significant and immediate, it demands we resolve this question quickly to protect the Constitution and true representation in our great Republic. In the lead-up to the rule change vote, Republican U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Tyler shouted in his speech of opposition. He, Roy and other Republicans argue the rule change is in violation of a section of the Constitution that states Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum . Now were going to amend the Constitution with a House rule? Thats ridiculous, Gohmert said on the House floor. If youre gonna destroy 40 million lives and livelihoods, at least have the courage to come here and do it in person. Other Texas Republicans lined up with criticism. U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth called it a scheme, and U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, an Arlington Republican, went so far as to call the change a clear violation of minority rights. The logic from the Democratic-led House Rules Committee on the quorum is this: Members who designate colleagues for a vote by proxy count toward a quorum. The House GOP arm is going after vulnerable Democratic members on the matter whether or not they engage in the practice by calling it a staycation. In this argument, the original sin was voting for the rule change. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Bob Salera sent out news releases targeting the two Texas Democrats in competitive districts. The Deadbeat Democrats in the House started their staycation today, with a number of Nancy Pelosis minions already taking advantage of their proxy voting scheme to avoid showing up for work this week, he wrote. These Democrats officially turned over their vote to another member of Congress, depriving their districts of representation during a global pandemic. And they do so while frontline workers across the country continue to risk their lives to keep our country moving. Colin Allred has been silent as to his plans since voting in favor of Pelosis proxy voting plan, he added. Will he vow to continue showing up for work? Or is Allred just waiting for the right time to kick back on the couch and relax? He issued an identical release directed toward U.S. Rep. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher of Houston. Both Allred and Fletcher were present at Wednesdays votes. Gonzalez brushed off the arguments. You have the liberty to be just as gross as you want to be if you want, he said. But Im going to follow the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] rules, and Im going to follow the rules that our physicians tell us to follow. For now, the proxy system will hold. Whether Republicans will be successful in fighting it is unclear, as is whether the idea could become permanent. Its 2020, and they need to get with the times, Vela said. In about a month, the rule change will expire. Even some Democrats worry a system in which members do not need to be present to vote could further corrode the social fabric of Washington. Rounds of voting in both chambers are a social affair, with members milling about, interacting with each other and seeing one another as human beings. Garcia suggested a permanent proxy vote could be merited in the future in the event of a similar national disaster or a disaster in a members district. Vela and Gonzalez support future proxy voting, even without a pandemic. Gonzalez advocated for a rule in which members could vote for a limited number of times each term from afar. Vela said he didnt think the system is going to lose anything with this new practice. This is a good precedent that were setting, Vela said. I think we need to take this idea of remote voting even further when you consider todays technology but I am mindful I think there is a value in being in Washington and interacting with colleagues of both sides of the aisle, so Im not saying we should always vote remotely, but I think theres a fine balance. Even amid the back-and-forth, Vela had a bit of levity about the situation. Referring to his proxy, Gallego of Arizona, Vela laughed. Now, Im trying to make sure he doesnt blow it, he said. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. After a severe drought gripped the Prairie Pothole Region of the U.S. and Canada in the 1980s, populations of almost all dabbling duck species that breed there have recovered. But not northern pintails. Now, a new study by a team of researchers suggests why -- they have been caught in an ecological trap. The Prairie Pothole region straddles the U.S.-Canada border and sprawls from central Iowa in the south to Alberta in the north, covering a large swath of Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Manitoba and Saskatchewan in between. "With increasing cropland cover in the region, pintails have been selecting for cropland over scarce alternative nesting habitat, probably because it is similar to the native mixed-grass prairie they evolved to nest in," said lead researcher Frances Buderman, Penn State. "That behavior results in fewer pintails the following year due to nest failures from predation and agricultural practices." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's North American Waterfowl Management Plan calls for more than 4 million pintails, but recent estimates are only half of that. The reason pintails are not thriving like other dabbling ducks, according to Buderman, assistant professor of quantitative wildlife ecology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, is that they are being "misled" by modern cropping methods and climate change into choosing risky nesting habitat. Also called puddle ducks, dabbling ducks frequent shallow waters such as flooded fields and marshes. They feed by tipping up rather than diving. There are 38 species of dabbling ducks -- they float high in the water and are swift fliers. By their very nature, pintails may be vulnerable to the ecological trap, Buderman explained. Despite being an early-spring nester -- a quality that typically would allow for reproductive "plasticity" to climatic conditions -- pintails have demonstrated inflexible breeding behavior, such as being unwilling or unable to delay nest initiation and being less likely to renest than most other waterfowl. "Inflexible breeding behavior may result in greater vulnerability to unpredictable weather events and changes in climactic conditions," she said. And given their preference for nesting among landscapes of grass-like, low-lying cover, pintails readily nest in fields of stubble in untilled agricultural fields. "Unlike other ducks that generally avoid nesting in stubble, pintails in the Prairie Pothole Region commonly select crop stubble nest sites and often select it over remnant patches of grass and other cover." Pintails often initiate nests before remaining stubble fields are worked by farmers in the spring, making nests vulnerable to mechanical spring tilling and planting of remaining standing stubble, Buderman explained. That can destroy a large percentage of initial nests. Exacerbating the effect of pintail selections over time, the amount of land in the Prairie Pothole Region annually tilled for spring-seeded crops has increased by approximately 34% since 1959. Dabbling duck incoming Another factor that is contributing to pintails' decline, researchers contend, is a trend in some areas of the Prairie Pothole Region to manipulate drainage to consolidate surface water into larger and deeper wetlands that dry out less frequently and have more surface-water connections to other wetlands. Those drainage practices make mowing around ponds easier for farmers, and most waterfowl species have coped thus far, but it hasn't been good for pintails. Wildlife scientists suspect the birds need the smaller, shallower, ephemeral ponds with which they evolved. For reasons not clearly understood, pintails appear to be particularly sensitive to changes in the number of productive, small wetlands that have occurred across the Prairie Pothole Region. Buderman pointed out that funding partner Delta Waterfowl is working hard to restore these valuable seasonal wetlands on the U.S. side of the region by establishing a Working Wetlands program in the U.S. Department of Agriculture via the federal farm bill. To reach their conclusions, researchers used more than 60 years of data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service, which have monitored spring population sizes for North American waterfowl since 1955. They published their results in the Journal of Animal Ecology, That information is organized into regions that reflect both habitat differences and political boundaries. For many decades, waterfowl have been counted on both sides of the border by aerial crews flying fixed-wing aircraft along established transect lines at low altitude, while simultaneously, ground counts are conducted at ponds on a subset of air-surveyed areas. To analyze population dynamics, researchers developed a complex model to deal with a huge dataset that took days to run on a powerful computer, which calculated a "breeding pintail count" for the survey period. The model -- which also took into account precipitation, climatic conditions during the breeding season and pond dynamics -- allowed researchers to identify the relative influence of long-term changes in climate and land use on both the selection and quality of habitat for pintails in the Prairie Pothole Region. ### Also involved in the research were Jim Devries, Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research, Ducks Unlimited Canada, and David Koons, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University. Delta Waterfowl, California Department of Water Resources and the James C. Kennedy Endowment for Wetland and Waterfowl Conservation at Colorado State University funded this research. On June 2's election ballot, Farmington School District voters will be choosing among four candidates to fill three seats. Angela Hahn is seeking reelection for a sixth term as board member. A Farmington native, Hahn retired from teaching in the Hazelwood School District in St. Louis County. She returned to her hometown to begin a second career as a mental health professional, working for BJC Behavioral Health as a licensed clinical social worker. She is currently in private practice providing psychotherapy and mental health assessment. Hahn obtained a bachelor's degree in education from Southeast Missouri State University; master's degree in communication from SIU-E and a master of social work degree from Washington University in St. Louis. I am passionate about education, she said. As a graduate, I am grateful to the Farmington School District for their investment in me and I serve on the school board to demonstrate my gratitude and to ensure that all of our students have opportunities to enrich their lives. A member of the Farmington Educational Foundation and P.E.O., an organization providing educational opportunities for women worldwide, Hahn also volunteers with Helping Hands at SMMHC. Hahn is proud of the accomplishments the district has made since she was first elected in 2000. Five bond issues have been passed, enabling building improvements and enhancements including the recent renovation of historic Truman Auditorium and the construction of the much-needed new gymnasium. The district has saved $9.8 million of taxpayers money by refunding and pre-payment of bonds. Countless innovative programs have been initiated for staff and students. I want to continue serving Farmington R-VII, she said. In these uncertain and challenging times it is vitally important that the school board has experienced members who are educated to the needs of students and knowledgeable about district management. Howard Hoehn currently serves as board president and is seeking his fourth term on the board. Hoehn, 64, is married to Debra and has two sons, Josh and Dustin. He has an associate degree from Mineral Area College and has his bachelor's, master's and specialist degrees from Southeast Missouri State University. A retired instructor from the Farmington School District, Hoehn is a member of the Farmington Elks Lodge and Missouri Elk Farmers Association. I am very proud of our academic success and the bond issues that have helped upgrade our facilities, he said. I would like to see us get through the COVID-19 and get the schools back to what it was for our students. I worked in the Farmington School District for many years. This is just a way of giving back. Jerry Freeman is seeking reelection for his second term as board member. Currently serving as board treasurer, Freeman and his wife, Donna, have two children, Josh Freeman and Lindsay Detring, and five grandchildren. A Bismarck native, he graduated from East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) with a degree in business administration. He is a member of the Farmington Hall of Fame Committee, ETBU Alumni Club and attends New Heights Church. I feel that anything I have accomplished is part of a total school board team accomplishment, he said. Our past bond issuewhich we thank our patrons of the districthas allowed us to keep up the continuing upgrade of facilities, safety, technology and to provide our students of the district with the best possible education we can provide for them. We have an amazing teaching staff and they are a great asset to our district. I am running as I have truly enjoyed being a board member and would like to be a member for another term to continue the administration, teaching staff and support staff goal of providing a quality education for our students of Farmington R-7 School District. Dylan Nicholson is seeking his first term for the Farmington School Board. Nicholson, 27, graduated in 2011 from Farmington High School and is a partner in Nicholson Mechanical Contractors. He and his wife, Jennifer, have one daughter, Nora. A Farmington native, Nicholson currently serves as an ambassador for the Farmington Regional Chamber of Commerce. I am running for school board not only to give back to this amazing community that I have lived in my whole life, but also want to make a difference in the lives of our students and to ensure our district is the best it can be for my daughter and future generations, he said. Mark Marberry is a reporter for the Farmington Press and Daily Journal. He can be reached at 573-518-3629, or at mmarberry@farmingtonpressonline.com Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The husband of a rail worker who died from Covid-19 after being spat on says he does not hold much hope for a prosecution due to her employer not calling police to the scene. Lusamba Katalay said wife Belly Mujinga, 47, asked bosses to report the attack by a passenger who said he had the virus. But the incident on March 22 was not reported until May 11 - more than a month after her death on April 5. Lusamba Katalay (right) said wife Belly Mujinga (left), 47, asked bosses to report the attack by a passenger who said he had the virus British Transport Police have quizzed a man aged 57 over the incident at Victoria Station in central London. Mr Katalay said: 'In all honesty, we don't expect a prosecution to happen because it will be too difficult to prove where Belly contracted coronavirus. 'The British Transport Police are investigating and that is welcome, of course, but we haven't pursued a prosecution. A petition calling for justice for Mrs Mujinga and for her employer Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to be held to account for failing to protect her despite knowing of her underlying condition has reached almost 250,000 signatures. British Transport Police have quizzed a man aged 57 over the incident at Victoria Station Writing to thank their supporters, her widow wrote: 'It was terrible what happened to Belly. She was scared by what happened to her at work and then she was so terribly ill with the virus. 'Some days I wake up and I forget she's not with us, and then we start grieving all over again. And we are just one family out of thousands in that place.' A GTR spokesperson said: 'We have been working closely with the British Transport Police to support its investigation and cannot comment any further while this continues.' The Samsung debit card will be called Samsung Money by SoFi and will be integrated with Samsung Pay Samsung had recently announced that the company has been working on a physical card to go with Samsung Pay, much like Apple Pay and its associated card. Now, they have revealed some more information about the service via a blog post. The new service, thats coming to the US later this summer, is called Samsung Money by SoFi and is integrated into the existing Samsung Pay. The Samsung Money card will let users open private or shared accounts and once they have the physical debit card, that can be activated with NFC. Once activated, that can be used to manage all finances etc - pretty much everything you need to do with a debit card/banking service without having to call or visit the bank. Also Read: Samsung Pay debit card with cash management account coming this year You can also use the card to withdraw money from Allpoint ATMs across the US, however, that will cost you a small fee. Samsung will be reimbursing the fee though. With the card, you also get access to the Samsung Rewards program so you earn points with every purchase you make with the card. (Samsung) With the card, you also get access to the Samsung Rewards program so you earn points with every purchase you make with the card. Once you hit a 1,000 points you can redeem them for cash rewards. Also, saving money in your Samsung Money account earns you more interest fees. A very interesting feature of the card is that it does not have its number of CVV on it and that information is only accessible through the Samsung Pay app - major points for security here. The service has not launched yet so if you are in the US you can join the wait list. You will be notified when it launches. If you are interested, you can check out all details of Samsung Money here. A storefront displays "For Rent" signs in the window in the Red Hook neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York, Tuesday, May 12, 2020. Some small businesses are closing for good due to the economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) Canadas Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) says that the Ottawas emergency commercial rent assistance will cost the government approximately $520 million this year. In a costing note released Wednesday, budget officer Yves Giroux noted that the estimate (relies) heavily on judgement as there is a lack of historical precedent for the program. The Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program opened up to commercial landlords on Monday. The rent relief program, which was initially unveiled in April, will see the government provide forgivable loans covering 50 per cent of rent to property owners if they reduce rent by at least 75 per cent in April, May and June. Landlords and tenants will be on the hook for 25 per cent of the rent each. Laura Jones, executive vice president at the Canadian Federation of Business, said it is unclear how many landlords will sign up for the program, leaving many small business owners concerned about paying rent in June. I think the assumption was that this would be a no-brainer for landlords. And that assumption was clearly proven to not be correct, Jones said in an interview. In a recent survey of CFIB members, approximately one third of landlords said they were not sure if they will apply for the CECRA program. I still think ($520 million) is probably an over-estimate, Jones said. According to the CFIBs most recent survey of its members, half of small businesses will not be able to pay rent in June without additional help from the government. More than half of the survey respondents said that rent relief could make the difference when it comes to ensuring the business survives through the COVID-19 pandemic. The CFIB, which represents 110,000 members with small and medium-sized businesses across Canada, has been pushing the government to allow tenants to access the CECRA program in situations where landlords choose not to apply. They also recommend the government expand the Canada Emergency Business Account program, which currently provides $40,000 interest-free loans to qualifying businesses, part of which is forgivable. Story continues The simplest fix is to make CEBA more generous so people can get that money quickly, Jones said. Its a beyond desperate situation for some business owners now. They cant hold on much longer, so its critical that the government do something fast. Jones said that approximately 12 per cent of CFIBs members are currently considering filing for bankruptcy or winding down their business entirely as a result of the pandemic. Is CECRA better than nothing? Absolutely. Its going to help some landlords and its going to help some tenants survive this, Jones said. The problem is there are too many gaps for too many people who need help. According to the Canadian Press, the total value of benefits paid by the government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic now stands at $7.9 billion. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nuevo Laredo continue to increase at an alarming rate, according to Mayor Enrique Rivas Cuellar. In the last 20 days, officials have recorded 103 positive cases. If cases continue to rise, the economic reactivation scheduled for June 1 will be difficult, officials said. State officials are analyzing the possibility of each municipality having the power to apply sanctions to citizens who do not comply with preventive measures in the face of the pandemic. During a virtual meeting of the Municipal Health Committee with directors of public and private hospitals, Oscar Gonzalez, chief of the sanitary jurisdiction, presented a graph showing the rise in positive cases that occurred after the festivities of May 10, or Mothers Day. The number continues to grow at an alarming rate, and it is not good. Here, the health system has not collapsed, but if we dont pay attention and do not comply with the preventive measures, this will not stop and it will be difficult to reactivate the (economy), Rivas Cuellar said. Rivas Cuellar said that each municipality is exploring the possibility to pass a phase of sanctioning citizens who do not comply with the measures. Those who do not comply with the use of facemasks, do not respect the (Hoy no circula traffic restrictions) or who travel with more than three people in the same vehicle could receive a sanction for not respecting the measures that the Ministry of Health has issued by various means, Rivas Cuellar said. The mayor added that Nuevo Laredo has 159 positive cases of COVID-19, which is 96 men and 63 women. There are 139 suspected cases, 42 recovered and 16 deaths. Recent confirmed cases included four men ages 33, 30, 26, 22, and a 5-year-old boy. Authorities urged the community to maintain social distance, use facemasks and wash hands. Readers who long imagined themselves in Harry Potter's world have a chance to immerse themselves in another fictional universe created by J.K. Rowling. The author said Tuesday that she would release "The Ickabog," a new story for young readers, for free online. "The Ickabog" will be published in 34 installments starting Tuesday, with one installment released every weekday until July 10. It will be targeted to readers ages 7 to 9 and published as a book in November. In an announcement on her website, Rowling said she had started working on the book more than a decade ago, while she was still writing Harry Potter, and originally intended to publish it after she finished the last book in the beloved series. But she ended up keeping "The Ickabog," which isn't related to Harry Potter or any of Rowling's other work, in her family, reading it to her young children and then putting it away in her attic until recently. She decided to release "The Ickabog" now, she wrote on Twitter, "so children on lockdown, or even those back at school during these strange, unsettling times, can read it or have it read to them." Rowling said she would donate her royalties for the book to causes related to the coronavirus pandemic. Readers will have a chance to participate in the process. Rowling's publishers around the world will hold an illustration competition, encouraging children to submit drawings using the hashtag .TheIckabog to accompany the story. The best submissions will end up in the book's final edition when it is published in the fall. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Her children, now teenagers, are "touchingly ecstatic" about the publication of their childhood bedtime story, Rowling wrote on her site. She started reading chapters to them again recently, which she said was "one of the most extraordinary experiences of my writing life." "'The Ickabog's first two readers told me what they remember from when they were tiny, and demanded the reinstatement of bits they'd particularly liked (I obeyed)," she wrote. The publisher described the book as "a fairy tale, set in an imaginary land." Her management team said she was not available for an interview. Singapore will host next edition of event World's largest integrated exhibition and conference supporting the gas, LNG and energy value chain to be held in Singapore LONDON, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- dmg events and the Gastech Governing body, in consultation with Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board, has collectively taken the decision to postpone Gastech, the world's largest integrated exhibition and conference supporting the gas, LNG and energy industries, to September 13 to 16, 2021. The Gastech 2020 conference's will now take place virtually in September, with strategic and technical content streamed online, enabling the gas, LNG and energy industries the opportunity to engage, as it adapts and responds to the collective challenges and opportunities the industry faces. In a statement announcing the postponement, organisers dmg events said the collective decision had been based on concerns around the global pandemic, accessibility and for the wellbeing of speakers, delegates, exhibitors and visitors. Gastech 2020 had been due to take place in Singapore this September. Nick Ornstien, Vice President Energy for dmg events, said: "The postponement of Gastech 2020 gives the gas, LNG and wider energy industries greater scope to assess the impact of COVID-19 on energy demand and identify market growth opportunities, as the world moves towards a carbon neutral energy landscape." "Gastech has a proven power to convene energy policy makers and industry leaders, which will be crucial as economies recover and demand for gas increases, post COVID-19. Gastech 2021 will help shape a roadmap for collective and individual actions and provide opportunities to identify future solutions and strategies. "We are confident, with the support of our partners in Singapore, our sponsors, and the industry, we will overcome this latest challenge, enabling the gas, LNG and energy industries to set the lower carbon energy agenda for the next decade and continue to play key roles in people's lives and global economic prosperity," Ornstien added. In addition to September's virtual conference and to ensure Gastech continues to play a crucial role at the heart of the global gas industry, Gastech will produce a series of webinars, industry newsletters and unique networking opportunities to deliver insightful and relevant content to connect the industry with the challenges and opportunities shaping the carbon neutral agenda, in the run up to Gastech 2021. The choice of Singapore to host Gastech 2021 reflects the shifts Asian economies are making towards natural gas and LNG to meet their energy needs. While global LNG demand is forecast to double to 700 million tonnes by 2040, South and South-east Asia will generate more than half of the increased demand. China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have all seen increased investment in gas infrastructure for commercial and domestic use. Satvinder Singh, Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Singapore said: "We look forward to the reconvening of Gastech in September 2021 - a more opportune time for markets' recovery and growth of new demand in Asia Pacific. "The LNG sector continues to be resilient, even in this challenging period, with more LNG trading, or business development companies establishing a presence in Singapore this year, compared to last year. Safety, nonetheless, comes first and we look forward to bringing together the LNG fraternity, at Gastech 2021, a global platform for the energy industry." Andrew Phua, Executive Director of Exhibitions and Conferences, Singapore Tourism Board said: "We understand the decision to postpone Gastech, in light of the COVID-19 situation, and are committed to working closely with them to support the continued success of Gastech 2021. We remain confident in Singapore's strong reputation as a preferred MICE destination and we look forward to welcoming Gastech delegates to Singapore next year." Taking place in Singapore, from September 13-16, Gastech 2021 will be attended by more than 35,000 attendees, including senior decision-makers and energy industry thought leaders, and over 700 exhibiting companies, who will set the agenda for the global gas, LNG and energy industries for decades to come. While there are plenty of people complaining about the lack of hair salons due to the Covid-19 restrictions, but several south Longford men are planning to put their long hairstyles to good use - by shaving their heads for charity. After several weeks of growing their hair, the lads are planning to shave it all off in an effort to raise funds for the community to build a new boat to bring groups of up to eight people with disabilities together on the blueway on the River Shannon this summer. All going to plan, for the first time ever, all eight will be able to independently travel onto the new vessel when the bow is lowered, to go fishing or sightseeing with two other guests or carers and a professionally trained crew on board. This will be the first P2 passenger vessel of its kind ever built in Ireland or the UK and it will be built here in Longford. To make it happen, ten volunteers will shave all of their hair off on Monday, June 1, including Alan The Yacht Farrell, Philip Flash Gordon, RTE news reporter Ciaran Mullooly, Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council Gerard Farrell, Jonathan Strokestown Cassidy, and many more to be confirmed. All will be supporting the Lough Ree access for all initiative. The organisers are looking for more volunteers to shave their heads and are collaborating with Waterways Ireland, the Irish Wheelchair Association andInland Fisheries Ireland with active engagement of Roscommon County Council and the Department of Community & Rural Affairs. If youd like to get involved, hone 0433327691 or e mail: loughreeaccessforall@ gmail.com for more details. There is also a GoFundMe page called Shave it all for Access for all, which has already raised over 4,400. Donations are welcome. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 00:04:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIGA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- As the Latvian government prepares to lift the coronavirus-triggered state of emergency, new measures are being planned to support the businesses and individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state of emergency is due to end in Latvia on June 30, and after that the government plans to subsidize jobs in certain enterprises, as well as offer a major retraining program for people who will have lost their jobs irreversibly due to the crisis, Finance Minister Janis Reirs said at a news conference on Thursday. The Finance Ministry has drafted a new bill enabling the government to continue providing support to crisis-stricken businesses and individuals until the end of this year. Meanwhile, special benefits that are being paid to the employees of companies that have been forced to suspend their operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be scrapped after June 30. The benefits currently paid to idled workers will be replaced by other support instruments, such as wage subsidies to high value-added enterprises, the minister said without elaborating on this plan. Another support instrument would involve a "major retraining program" for those employees who will not be rehired after June 30. The retraining program will be implemented in collaboration with Latvia's universities and colleges, with tuition grants also being considered for participants in these programs. Enditem The ruling added: I reiterate that the applicant does not seek to have funds disbursed to it at this stage, such that there was no need to have even opposed the relief sought as the funds would still remain in the first respondents coffers until the court finally decides the dispute. [May 28, 2020] Sony Innovation Fund Makes Investment in MagicCube's new category of Software Defined Trust (SDT) SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MagicCube, the creator of the world's only Software Trusted Execution Environment platform, today announced that Sony Innovation Fund (SIF), Sony's corporate venture fund, has made a strategic investment in MagicCube. Late last year, MagicCube was awarded the first certification of a software-based Trusted Execution Environment issued by EMVCo, the consortium owned by American Express, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, UnionPay, and Visa Inc. "Many believe that MagicCube's hardware-free software platform has ushered in a new era in security by making it safe and easy for merchants to use any mobile or IoT device to conduct payments," said Gen Tsuchikawa, Chief Investment Officer, Sony Innovation Fund. "They took an innovative and scalable approach, thereby enabling merchants throughout the world to benefit from best-in-class payment acceptance while offering a much more seamless experience for their customers. This is Sony Innovation Fund's first FinTech investment outside of Japan and we could not be more excited to join forces with this team as they set out to democratize the way payments change hands." Sony Innovation Fund joins a group of investors, which includes Azure Capital, Bold Capital, Epic Ventures, NTT Data, and Visa Inc., as the investment validates the 'game-changing approach' that MagicCube has brought to the payments security space. Despite being deemed nearly impossible by the industry, the company's software TEE-based platform is making big waves across several verticals currently dominated by major hardware security vedors. MagicCube's first addressable market is disrupting the 48 billion dollar-per-year legacy payment terminal market. Merchants and banks can now forgo buying and subsidizing expensive, single-function card-acceptance devices, and instead, use apps secured by MagicCube for accepting payments at the point of sale. "We have been hard at work for the past two years developing this entirely new category in an industry where standards have been dominated by hardware," MagicCube Co-founders Nancy Zayed and Sam Shawki said. "We are delighted to see an industry giant like Sony supporting the new paradigm of mobile and IoT device security that we call Software Defined Trust (SDT). As always, when software replaces hardware, everything becomes downloadable and upgradable, allowing the market to grow exponentially." MagicCube is positioned to lead the SDT category, disrupting the current dominance of hardware-based security. Network World recently named MagicCube as one of "10 Hot IoT Startups to Watch." The company was also awarded the title of Cool Vendor in Security and Risk Management by Gartner, and recently partnered with the PCI Security Standards Council. About MagicCube MagicCube is leading the Software Defined Trust (SDT) category with its software TEE-based platform. The technology enables large-scale deployment and management of IoT and mobile-secure solutions to consumers. For more information, visit www.magiccube.co or follow us on Twitter @Magic3inc. EMVCo facilitates worldwide secure interoperability and acceptance of payment and digital transactions. * EMV is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries and an unregistered trademark elsewhere. The EMV trademark is owned by EMVCo, LLC. * This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to present or future trends or factors that are subject to risks and uncertainties. The COVID-19 global pandemic in particular has introduced significant economic uncertainty to MagicCube's business, the market for its products and the economy generally. About Sony Innovation Fund Established in July 2016 by Sony Corporation, Sony Innovation Fund engages with pioneering startups to help fuel the development of disruptive technologies and launch new businesses. In addition to investment, Sony Innovation Fund closely collaborates with the startups in which it invests, connecting them with businesses throughout Sony and its worldwide network of partners, providing guidance and advice, and collaborating with them to help achieve common success. Learn more at: www.sonyinnovationfund.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-innovation-fund-makes-investment-in-magiccubes-new-category-of-software-defined-trust-sdt-301066690.html SOURCE Sony Innovation Fund [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Another city in Webb County has confirmed a COVID-19 case with city officials in Rio Bravo reporting their first positive case Wednesday morning. READ MORE: Webb County receives only $37K in coronavirus relief funds from state government The conformation means all three cities located in the county Laredo, El Cenizo and Rio Bravo now have confirmed cases of the virus. The City of Laredo Health Department has issued one positive case of COVID-19 in the City of Rio Bravo as of May 26, 2020 at approximately 8 p.m., said City of Rio Bravo Mayor Gilbert Aguilar Jr. in a press release. The confirmation comes a few days after El Cenizo confirmed its own rash of cases, and its a day after the City of Rio Bravo Commissioner Amanda Perez Aguero had said there were no cases as of yet in the community reported. No details were provided on the individual infected. City officials continue to promote hygiene as the key to avoiding more infections. Safety precautions such as washing our hands and practicing social distancing as well as using a facemask is recommended, Aguilar Jr. said. Many people in both Rio Bravo and El Cenizo are alarmed at the situation as they never expected for the virus to reach their area. I think that many of these people became infected with the virus once things started opening up, and a lot of people still got together to celebrate Mothers Day, which I think is good but not smart, Jesus Lopez said. Lopez believes more cases will come forward as more tests are offered in the area. Rio Bravo was a testing site a few days ago for some people in the area. READ MORE: Laredo, Webb Co. officials confirm 3 coronavirus cases, 524 total Anyone interested in finding out more about getting a test in El Cenizo or Rio Bravo can call (956) 795-4954 and register by calling (512) 88-2400 or visiting txcovidtest.org. Test sites will be available in Rio Bravo on May 29 and in El Cenizo on May 30. They will also be available at the Webb County Fairgrounds on May 31. Terrence Horton, a 53-year-old Trenton resident, died last Thursday, May 21, from gunshot wounds he suffered during an April shooting at the Kingsbury Towers apartments in the city. He was known as Chipper or Chip" and had a daughter, according to posts on his Facebook page. His death occurred in the middle of another violent week in the Capital City, when five more would die in shootings, pushing the citys homicide total to 13 in 2020. This coming Saturday, May 30, itll be 10 weeks since Gov. Phil Murphy issued the statewide stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. And in that time, 11 Trenton residents have been killed in outdoor shootings, many in daylight hours. They include the killing, allegedly by a 14-year-old, of a man in the courtyard of an apartment complex on March 23, two days after Murphys order, a man shot two days later across town, and five killings over seven days starting two weekends ago. In between, the city has had numerous, non-fatal shootings, and this past weekend, a Trenton man was killed during a hotel party across the river in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Trenton police look for evidence at a shooting scene off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in North Trenton Sunday April 5, 2020.(Photo by Brian McCarthy) Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora knows the number, and following a vicious night in early April in which seven people were shot, three fatally, he used his own executive power to implement a citywide curfew, requiring residents to be indoors after 8 p.m. (It has since been relaxed to 9 p.m. for residents.) And for weeks it worked, with violent crime, and crime after the curfew hour, statistically going in the right direction - down. But the past two weeks, daylight murders have again dominated the headlines in the Capital City. He acknowledged Wednesday that the past 10 weeks have been extremely troubling. Trenton is not immune to the issues other cities have had during the pandemic, like Philadelphia and New York, with rising crime rates in some categories even though people should be mostly staying inside, Gusciora said Wednesday. He said the proliferation of guns, lack of opportunity and an already-depressed economic situation in the city was worsened by the economic byproduct of the shutdown restrictions. And well continue to have those challenges," Gusciora said. But the indiscriminate and retaliatory way people solve drug turf and personal sleights with each other, and the wanton ways younger shooters are using guns, the mayor said, makes it tragically difficult to prevent some of the shootings. If someone wants to kill somebody, its hard to prevent, he said. In his nearly two years in office, Gusciora said any strides the city made -- from a major drop in transitional aid from the state, to a police department still catching up from major layoffs in 2011 -- makes it feel at times that the coronavirus threw some progress out the window. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. House Pulls Vote on FISA Reauthorization Bill After Trump Threatens Veto The House of Representatives canceled its plans on Wednesday to vote on the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) after President Donald Trump threatened to veto the bill, and Republican leaders and top liberal Democrats said they would oppose it. House Democratic leaders abruptly adjourned Wednesday evening, saying that a vote on the bill would not take place as expected, hours after saying there would be a vote. It is unclear whether or when a vote on the bill might be rescheduled, or if the House would skip a vote and try to negotiate with the Senate on a final compromise. The House will be in session on Thursday and the legislation is listed for possible consideration, reported The Hill. Trump threatened to veto the bill on early Wednesday, writing on Twitter, If the FISA Bill is passed tonight on the House floor, I will quickly VETO it. Our Country has just suffered through the greatest political crime in its history, he added. The massive abuse of FISA was a big part of it! If the FISA Bill is passed tonight on the House floor, I will quickly VETO it. Our Country has just suffered through the greatest political crime in its history. The massive abuse of FISA was a big part of it! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020 Trump had also pushed back on the bill on Tuesday night, when in a Twitter post he urged Republican House lawmakers to vote against the FISA reform bill. The FISA Act is a measure that sets up a separate legal means for the federal government to obtain permission to surveil individuals who could be agents of foreign governments. The FISA court is made up of 11 judges who sign off on warrants related to national security and intelligence gathering. It entertains applications submitted by the United States government for approval of electronic surveillance, physical search, and other investigative actions for foreign intelligence purposes, according to a description on the courts website. FISA warrants were approved by the FISA court to surveil Carter Page, a former Trump campaign aide. Officials have called for reforming the FISA process after the Justice Departments inspector general, Michael Horowitz, last year found 17 significant errors and omissions during the process. Another report found that the FBIs violations of FISA rules went beyond the scope of its investigation into whether Trumps campaign colluded with Russia in 2016. President Trump has recently expressed his opposition on the FISA reauthorization bill, and has posted on Twitter that former Democratic President Barack Obamas administration improperly used FISA for surveillance of Trumps campaign aides in 2016. Opposition to Bill No House Republicans backed a procedural measure related to the bill on Wednesday; there were 183 Republican no votes. Fourteen Republicans did not vote on the procedural measure, and there were no yes votes from Republicans. Leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) also said they would oppose the Senates version of the legislation, saying it lacked reforms on online surveillance without warrants. The CPC has about 70 Democratic House members. The CPC had also previously opposed the FISA reauthorization bill that was considered by the House in March. We have grave concerns that this legislation does not protect people in the United States from warrantless surveillance, especially their online activity including web browsing and internet searches, CPC Co-Chairs Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said in a statement. Despite some positive reforms, the legislation is far too narrow in scope and would still leave the public vulnerable to invasive online spying and data collection. The Senate earlier this month fell short by one vote of adding a separate amendment to the legislation, sponsored by Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.), that would prevent federal law enforcement from obtaining internet browsing information or search history without seeking a warrant. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday that Democrats had agreed on a similar, but tweaked, amendment that they would offer to the House bill. The amendment is supported by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio). But that amendment faced opposition from the Justice Department and from Wyden. Wyden said in a statement on Tuesday that the House version would not enact true protections for Americans rights against dragnet collection of online activity. He continues to urge the House to vote on the original Wyden-Daines amendment. Democrats later dropped the amendment, and said they instead would hold the vote on the Senate version with no amendments offered. That means the legislation would go straight to the presidents desk if passed by the House. FISA Reauthorization Bill The FISA reauthorization bill, known officially as The USA Freedom Act of 2020, first passed the House in March in a 278-136 vote. The Senate in early May then approved the bill in a bipartisan vote, and proposed several amendments. The Justice Department on Wednesday took a stance against the bill, which had since been amended by the Senate in May. A statement from the Justice Department by Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd had recommended that Trump veto the bill. Boyd wrote that the department opposes the Senates version of the bill. Although that legislation was approved with a large, bipartisan House majority, the Senate thereafter made significant changes that the Department opposed because they would unacceptably impair our ability to pursue terrorists and spies, Boyd wrote. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) speaks to the press as he arrives for a vote on the USA Freedom Reauthorization Act (FISA) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 14, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Soon after the Justice Departments opposition, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said it was time to take a pause on the legislation. The Houses pulling of the vote on the bill raises the potential for three key surveillance provisions to remain expired indefinitely. The three key surveillance provisions, or tools, expired in March after the House did not act on a Senate extension on the bill. The bill would reauthorize the three provisions until December 2023. The surveillance provisions, which need to be periodically renewed, are designed to help law enforcement officials track suspected terrorists and spies. The three provisions include the business records provision, which allows the FBI to obtain a court order to secretly obtain business records of individuals in national security investigations; the roving wiretap provision, which allows investigators to continue eavesdropping on a subject who has switched phone numbers or providers to thwart detection; and the lone wolf provision, which allows the FBI to conduct surveillance on a subject without establishing that theyre acting on behalf of an international terrorism organization. The bill would also require the Attorney General to sign off on any surveillance requests involving any candidate for federal office or an incumbent officeholder. The Senate earlier in May had ultimately approved just one amendment to the bill. The amendment would broaden third-party oversight of the FISA process, by requiring FISA court judges to appoint a third-party observer in any case involving a sensitive investigative matter, as long as the court does not deem it inappropriate. Janita Kan, Jack Phillips, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Maharashtra on Thursday inched closer to the 60,000 Covid-19 cases mark as 2,598 fresh infections took the state tally to 59,546. With 85 more fatalities recorded, Maharashtra is also within touching distance of the bleak 2,000 mark for deaths due to the disease. The state has so far seen 1,982 deaths. There are 38,939 active cases in the state. Of the new cases on Thursday, Mumbai recorded 1,467 new infections, while Pune recorded 282 cases and Thane 439. Of the fatalities recorded on Thursday, 38 were in Mumbai, four each in Vasai-Virar and Thane, 10 in Pune, nine in Satara, seven in Solapur, five in Akola, three in Aurangabad, and one each in Raigad, Jalgaon and Nanded. However, the state health department said that of the total deaths reported on Thursday, 37 occurred in the past two days and the remaining 48 deaths are between May 15 and May 25. Out of the 48 deaths, 22 were recorded in Mumbai, five in Solapur, four in Akola, three each in Aurangabad, Satara, Thane and Vasai-Virar, one each in Jalgaon, Nanded, Navi Mumbai, Pune and Raigad. The state government is expecting a surge in the number of cases in the state in the next 10 to 15 days due to the allowances for the movement of people given in the last week. State government officials said the numbers would peak by mid-June. Officials said the reason for the increase would be further lockdown relaxations that would happen after May 31 and with the movement of people in the state, along with those coming into the state. State health minister Rajesh Tope said that the movement of people from red-zone areas into other districts has led to an increase in Covid-19 cases elsewhere in the state. He added that the numbers are expected to surge in the next few days, but expressed confidence in the machinery and measures adopted to keep the spread under control. [Overall] It is expected that the cases would increase, primarily, due to the movement of people. How long can we keep things under lockdown? With people from Mumbai going into other districts, the number of cases has gone up. For instance, Jalna had a handful of cases [earlier this month]. Today, it has increased to 110. Therefore, in all districts, the testing of people has gone up. We have already strengthened the health infrastructure and other things in these areas. We will have to increase the containment zones in these districts. We are confident that it will be brought under control, said Tope. Maharashtra has been clocking over 2,000 cases for 11 days straight. After clocking over 3,000 cases on May 24, the cases recorded on May 26 and May 27 were relatively lower at 2,091 and 2,190, respectively. However, state health commissioner Anup Kumar Yadav said, We do not want to read the data [of last few days]. It may be a temporary decrease. We should not be excited if the numbers go up or go down for two days. The lockdown is opening up. There is movement of people, so there could be an increase in the number of cases. The state government has started a review and planning for further relaxations on curbs from June 1. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday had already hinted restrictions will be eased on a trial basis. Senior bureaucrats said that the guidelines for the lifting of curbs are expected by May 30. A senior bureaucrat said that the government is preparing infrastructure to support the increase in cases once restrictions are further relaxed. He said that the government is going to lift lockdown restrictions after May 31 in a gradual and calibrated manner, but Covid-19 cases are bound to go up as this happens. It is obvious that once further relaxation is provided to people, cases would go up. Our top consideration is to look at the extent and acceleration of the spread in the state, he said. The state government has also made requests to the Centre to start Mumbai suburban train services to ferry essential services staffers in the civic body. If approved by the Centre, the access points of train stations will be manned and only essential services staff will be allowed to travel in locals that will run in the morning and evening. Meanwhile, 698 people recovered on Thursday, taking the tally of recovered patients to 18,616. The recovery rate in the state is 31.26%, while the mortality rate is at 3.32%. Currently, 6,12,745 people are under home quarantine and 35,122 people are in institutional quarantine, the state health department said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The mother of Eric Garner has joined an effort seeking justice in the death of 46-year-old George Floyd in Minneapolis, after an officer was seen forcing his knee into the mans neck on the pavement as the man pleaded, I cant breathe... Dont kill me." Garners mother, Gwen Carr, told NY1 recently that watching the video and hearing Floyds pleas was like my son yelling out from the grave. The mayor of Minneapolis is calling for the arrest of the white police officer, Derek Chauvin, who over the course of his 19 years on the force was the subject of a dozen police conduct complaints that resulted in no disciplinary action, according to NBC News. Additional video that surfaced Wednesday showed Floyd apparently did not resist officers, while Chauvin and three other cops who responded Monday have been fired from the department, according to an ABC World News report. They reportedly were responding Monday to a report of forgery. In New York City, the police commissioner fired Officer Daniel Pantaleo five-years after Garners death, after an NYPD judge deemed Pantaleo used a prohibited chokehold to arrest Garner. Prior to the firing, a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo, and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to file civil right charges, resulting in several heated protests across the city. Saudi Arabia is gearing up to resume domestic flights, beginning on May 31, as it eases coronavirus lockdown measures, said a report. Resumption of domestic flights will be in a phased manner and will include all domestic destinations within two weeks, Saudi Gazette reported citing a statement from the kingdoms General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The GACA added that it completed its operational preparations to gradually lift the suspension of domestic flights, to ensure a safe travel journey for travelers through Saudi airports, while taking all necessary precautions and health measures in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and relevant government agencies. Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) will operate 60 domestic flights as part of its first phase operation, the report said. In the first phase, national airlines will resume operations at Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah, Qassim, Abha, Tabuk, Jazan, Hail, Al-Baha and Najran airports, it said. In the world of uncertainty, you don't need to be worried if it will take time to travel once again. Imagine and create memories while watching K-dramas with their breathtaking sceneries. Korean dramas can be romantic and suspenseful, and at the same time, can bring you to places you have never been to. As more countries are planning again to open their borders, and as people think of places to go, K-dramas can help you check out beautiful places you'll wish to pop into. 1. Crash Landing On You - paragliding Switzerland Reminisce as Son Ye Jin goes paragliding and "crash landing," which ends up meeting the love of her life, Captain Ri. The scenery and the adventure in the hit romantic-comedy (and tearjerking!) series went viral because of its cinematic moments, such as Se-ri contemplating on a boat in the beautiful lake of Isetwald, the panorama bridge of Sigriswil, and taking photos of herself with the Swiss Alps in the background. There are just so many good memories of bringing us a place we can dream of. 2. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin) - maple trees of Canada Many fans take pictures of the places actors Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun filmed with in the hit drama. Canada will surely be one of the places to go and explore. The Korean series' film locations include Quebec, and they also shot parts of Chateau Frontenac, and strolled through Parc du Bastion-de-la-Reine (the goblin's family cemetery). The red door at Petit Champlain is also part of the list, as well as the onscreen couple's picnic with a view of the Fontaine de Tourny. 3. Encounter - Havana salsa in Cuba Two individuals meet by chance in the drama "Encounter." Hence, the title. It was a life-changing experience for the characters of Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum that made a good story as the first Korean series to film in Cuba. The cast and crew used locations with deep histories, like Havana's Malecon beach and the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Cuba is popular with its lovely views and nostalgic buildings. 4. Vagabond - exciting cities of Morocco Actors Lee Seung Gi and Bae Suzy did not explore more of the tourist spots in Morocco. The story tackles more suspense and brawls through espionage. The drama filmed in several locations like Portugal, Morocco, and Korea. Two of its episodes took place in a North African country. Suzy took a photo of herself in one of the alleys in Tangier, where most of the scenes were taken. 5. Winter Sonata and more Korean dramas explore the beauty of South Korea The hit Korean series starring Choi Ji Woo and Bae Yong Joon made a lot of people curious about what South Korea offers. And since then, fans have been visiting Korea to witness the "Land of Morning Calm" tourist spot. Many would fly to Korea to check out the places where their favorite actors' filming locations took place for their dramas, and that eventually, they've come to love. This is one of the reasons why Nami Island became one of South Korea's most popular tourist attractions. There are a lot of places to wander and put in your bucket list: The future of wall-size video interactive systems has arrived BANGALORE, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Prysm Inc., a leading display and visual collaboration solutions provider is creating a new category in the display market by unveiling its World's largest seamless interactive display - the Prysm Laser Phosphor Display (LPD) 6KSeries, 225" which is 20ft wide and 5ft high. The Prysm LPD 6K Series are interactive large-format displays that offer a panoramic image uninterrupted by seams or bezels. Very few technologies can deliver top-notch experiences across vastly different use cases, which the LPD 6K Series masters exquisitely. The flexible, impact-resistant surface offers smooth touch interaction and can be viewed at any distance, up close or far away, and at any angle without eye fatigue. The latest LPD is an extremely energy-efficient interactive touch display that is shatter-resistant, flexible and offers rollability for transport. The LPD 6K Series is uniquely optimized for the following markets: Executive briefing centers, command and control centers, training rooms, collaboration and innovation centers - coupled with Prysm's visual collaboration platform, the LPD 6K Series makes meetings, presentations and analysis more engaging and immersive, ultimately resulting in better, faster decisions Series makes meetings, presentations and analysis more engaging and immersive, ultimately resulting in better, faster decisions Business process dashboards and monitoring end-to-end - coupled with Prysm's visual collaboration platform, Prysm LPD 6K 225" is ideal for central monitoring of business processes and workflows across the entire organisation. The display screen is 216 in x 59 in x 224 in - W H Diagonal with an immersive, bezel-free viewing experience, featuring a high fill factor and an exceptional contrast ratio, resulting in striking picture quality and built-in interactivity with more than 32 simultaneous touchpoints. The new modular design helps speed display integration and permits installation in a variety of locations. The durable front screen - made of a specially coated polycarbonate layer - is rolled into a cylinder for easy transport. Thanks to this feature, integrators can negotiate tight corners and enter through standard doors and passenger elevators during set-up - something that is nearly impossible for traditional large-format displays. The LPD 6K Series 225" is currently in general availability and shipping to partners and customers. The new solution is helping to define a new category of interactive large-format single panel displays, with bezel-free viewing. "We are excited to launch our largest LPD seamless interactive display, the LPD 6K 225". Prysm has been constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries of technology," said Amit Jain, President and CEO of Prysm. "In today's challenging business environment, where organizations are looking for interactivity, seamless integration, connectivity and collaboration, we allow teams to work together from any part of the world, saving countless travel hours and resources. We support seamless collaboration for our clients, whether in a single room or across the globe, to open minds to innovation and ultimately better decisions." "Virtual life-like experiences will become so much more important in the new age of reducing travel and commuting to prevent undue health exposures while helping the environment. The LPD 6K 225" adds to the existing product line; the LPD 6K 190" and the LPD 6K 135". The new 225" form factor allows displaying two large 125" 16:9 content side-by-side with uncompromised scaling. Simultaneous data and visual feeds can be broadcasted to and from mobile or standalone displays with high cloud security. Prysm is committed to continuously improve the telepresence experience with life-size displays and smart SW applications," said Dr Roger Hajjar, Founder and CTO, Prysm. This large-format display comes optionally bundled with the Prysm Application Suite, a digital workplace platform that brings people, content, and ideas together to create a smart and efficient collaboration environment. The platform displays streaming video, web applications, documents, presentations, and images as well as input from laptops and mobile devices with a simple tap. Prysm has been deployed by Fortune 500 brands across the globe, spanning markets such as automotive, retail, finance, pharmaceuticals, education, technology and many more. Additional information on the LPD 6K Series can be found . About Prysm: Prysm is a leading provider of large-format Laser Phosphor Displays (LPD), known as the LPD 6K Series, and Prysm Application Suite, a cloud-based, visual collaboration solution. Prysm solutions enable individuals and teams to see and interact with all their data, content, and applications on displays of all sizes. By providing these always-on digital canvases, Prysm engages audiences, ignites innovative thinking, drives decisions, and transforms content into experiences. Customers using the LPD 6K Series benefit from interactive large-format single panel displays that offer a panoramic image uninterrupted by seams or bezels. Customers using the Prysm Application Suite software benefit from an open, enterprise-grade collaboration solution that integrates with existing tools and scales to hundreds or thousands of users. Prysm was founded in 2005 in the Silicon Valley and has offices worldwide. Learn more at prysm.com. Logo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1173897/PRYSM_Logo.jpg Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1173898/Prysm_display.jpg The ~20 lakh crore package announced by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on May 12 will help energise the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. If the Centre and states would give them priority status, they can become viable, produce goods and create employment. The money provided by the government to revive industrial and business activity could generate a modest multiplier effect. But this does not mean that India can stave off a deep economic recession. Whether and to what extent the governments efforts will succeed in attracting foreign companies exiting China to invest here remains to be seen. In the Shenzen cluster of Chinas Special Economic Zones (SEZs), companies were provided road, water and electricity infrastructure free of cost, and quick access to ports. The government also built accommodations close to work sites for labour brought in from remote areas. Single-window clearances for projects were in 30 days or less. The duty on exports was a flat 15%. Perhaps we could learn from Hanois success in attracting companies exiting China, but now, United States (US) President Donald Trump has thrown a spanner in the works by saying that exiting American companies must return to the US or face punishment. The key to pulling the economy out of deep recession is to increase the multiplier effect the speed at which money moves. The government must immediately initiate a huge programme involving new construction. The construction sector uses a lot of labour and is a hub multiplier for other industries such as steel, cement and paints. It will increase the demand for goods and services, a primary factor in driving economic growth. The infusion of money through massive public works that helped end the recession of the 1930s is the only real parallel to the current crisis. The government building a new Parliament house, a large secretariat building and houses for the vice-president and the prime minister would be a good beginning to a new construction programme. Add to this, a centre of Indian arts and an iconic building to house a new national library on the lines of the American Congressional Library. The construction of a large modern port each on the eastern and western coasts will fill an important need. The ongoing road-building programme could be expanded to include link-roads to nearby villages. Haryana should have a new capital: Chandigarh was built for Punjab. It is also time to begin work on some aspects of the river-linking plan. The government must consider creating a dozen or more clusters of research and development (R&D) universities and specialist institutions to promote science and technology in different regions. Each cluster should comprise an advanced information technology institute, a telecommunication centre tasked to develop Indian 5G, a medical complex for research and development in pharmaceuticals, a skills training and upgrading institute, a business centre for demand promotion and a design R&D centre. Roughly two-thirds of global trade was being conducted by multinational corporations (MNCs) via their own supply chains for resources and components, plus for direct final product entry into foreign markets. In the post-Covid-19 global market, some of the western-based MNCs will shift their supply chains from China to other countries, or they may opt for development of resources and components in their own or neighbouring countries. A major example of such a policy has been the European Union Common Market Food Programme. The global market is becoming increasingly competitive as more countries participate in producing and supplying goods and services. Clearly, India has to develop global dominance in certain niche sectors in which our footprint is sustainable. Indias exports are too diverse and lack a sustainable competitive advantage, and we must focus on developing clusters of excellence to support exports. Lead countries have firms with a sustainable competitive advantage acquired through developing products suited to their culture and knowledge. For example, Germany and cars, France and perfume and wine, Italy and leather shoes. We have to encourage the development of industries that can be upgraded for global markets such as gems/jewellery, pharmaceuticals and certain value-added agricultural products. We should make an effort to regain, with improved design and quality, at least a part of the textiles market. Some small and medium-sized companies are born globals (BGs) ie, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in western countries that grow globally at over 20% per year. They are founded by entrepreneurs with the vision to go global. Some have become sizeable enterprises relatively rapidly such as Austrias Red Bull and Finlands Angry Birds. Many battleship MNCs are looking for such companies to use in their networks. Promising Indian startups should be advised and encouraged to learn from BGs. Many Indian SMEs have a low price strategy. This is fundamentally unsound in the long-term as it tends to commoditise its offerings. Advanced countries build brand equity for its country and firms. They treat brands as valuable assets. The consequent benefits of customer loyalty and rising profits strengthen their firms. With overproduction and international competition, a distinguishing factor is design. Customers are searching for better-designed products and are willing to pay more for them. Witness the success of brands such as Armani, Polo, and Scandinavian/Danish wood furniture. India should set up a training programme for BGs which combines design, technology, commercialisation and internship. The government should allocate 2% of the GDP for this (in addition to the 10% committed). This will set us on the path for the economy to emerge from a deep recession. MK Rasgotra is a former foreign secretary and Vishnu Kirpalani is a distinguished professor emeritus, marketing and international business, John Molson School of Business, Montreal The views expressed are personal Brussels, May 28 : The European Commission has proposed a 750 billion euro ($826 billion) recovery fund to help the world's largest trading bloc recover from a recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The money is proposed to be borrowed from the financial market and channelled to member states through the European Union (EU) programs and repaid over a long period of time throughout future EU budgets, reports Xinhua news agency. The proposal which is deemed by European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni as "a European turning point to face an unprecedented crisis", follows an earlier initiative by France and Germany that asked for the EU's executive arm to borrow 500 billion euros from the financial market before distributing them as grants to members. The European Commission's proposal echoed that initiative and added another 250 billion euros of further borrowing, which is intended to be loans to member states. Whether the proposal from Brussels will be heeded by member states remains to be seen. The French-German initiative faced push back from the so-called frugal four -- Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden -- which called for loans, rather than grants, to member states. On Wednesday, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa welcomed the proposal as "ambitious", saying it's "up to the challenge that Europe faces", and "opens the door to the reunion of the European project with the Europeans". According to the latest COVID-19 situation dashboard from the World Health Organization European Region, a total of 2,064,675 confirmed COVID-19 cases has been reported in the bloc, with 176,279 deaths. While the devastating human losses would be grieved long and hard, countries in Europe were already faced with the imminent economic losses wrecked by the coronavirus pandemic. The European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday that the 19-member euro area economy is likely to contract between 8 per cent and 12 per cent this year, more than the previous estimate of a 5 per cent decline for a "mild scenario". The International Labour Organization said in a report on Wednesday that more than one in six young people have stopped working since the onset of the pandemic while those who remain employed have seen their working hours cut by 23 per cent. Senior Government minister Penny Mordaunt has joined the Tory backlash against Dominic Cummings over his lockdown trip to Durham after Sajid Javid also hit out at the PM's top aide. Boris Johnson yesterday ruled out an inquiry into the 260 mile journey as he urged the country to 'move on'. But pressure continues to grow on Mr Johnson over his decision to defend the Vote Leave maverick. Ms Mordaunt, who currently serves as Paymaster General, said there are 'inconsistencies' in Mr Cummings' account and that the row had 'undermined key public health messages'. Meanwhile, former chancellor Mr Javid said in a letter to constituents that he did not believe Mr Cummings' trip to Durham to self-isolate with his family was 'necessary or justified'. Though stopping short of calling for the aide's resignation as many of his Tory colleagues have done, Mr Javid did call on him to apologise for the controversial journey. It came as the Tory MP for Darlington, Peter Gibson, admitted he had travelled back to the North East from London by train in March after developing coronavirus symptoms while in Westminster. Mr Gibson said he had first got a cough on March 11, before lockdown was imposed, and had been advised to return to his Darlington home to self-isolate because he did not have anywhere he could stay safely in the capital. Penny Mordaunt, the Paymaster General, said in an email to a constituent that the row over Dominic Cummings' trip to Durham had 'undermined key public health messages'. Former Chancellor Sajid Javid has called on Mr Cummings to apologise for allegedly breaching lockdown regulations Mr Javid quit as chancellor earlier this year following an escalation in tensions with Mr Cummings, who fired one of his aides without telling him. The aide is pictured arriving in Downing Street this morning Mr Johnson flatly dismissed calls for an official inquiry into Mr Cummings yesterday as he told the Liaison Committee he believed it was just a 'political ding dong'. The PM said he 'totally understood public indignation' about the situation, but insisted some of the allegations about his chief aide were 'not correct' and that the matter should now be left in the past. Many senior ministers have publicly backed Mr Cummings either with comments to the media or through messages on social media. But it has emerged that Ms Mordaunt was critical of the aide in an email sent to a constituent. However, she also did not go so far as calling for Mr Cummings to be sacked, insisting it is a 'matter for the Prime Minister who he has as his adviser'. 'Despite Mr Cummings' statement yesterday (on Monday) I am personally still not clear of the facts,' the minister wrote. 'There are some inconsistencies in his account of events and the reasons behind it. 'I am not clear about when he would have been symptomatic and on what dates he should have been in isolation. Or whether it was appropriate he drove home at the time he did. 'There is no doubt he took risks - refuelling at a petrol station is a risk to oneself and to others, which presumably he did. 'What is clear is that the scenes of the last few days will have undermined key public health messages. I deeply regret this and am very sorry for it.' Mr Javid quit as chancellor in February this year during a Cabinet reshuffle following an escalation in tensions with Mr Cummings, who had fired one of his aides without telling him. He was told by Mr Johnson that to stay in post he would have to accept losing all of his special advisers with Number 10 then hand-picking their replacements. Mr Javid said he therefore had no choice but to resign, saying in the immediate aftermath: 'I don't believe any self-respecting minister would accept those conditions.' The former Chancellor has now resurfaced to take aim at Mr Cummings over his alleged lockdown breach. Mr Javid wrote in the letter to constituents: 'Mr Cummings has argued he acted within the letter of the law. 'As a father myself, I also appreciate the fear and uncertainty one can feel when the safety of your child is potentially at stake. 'That being said I do not believe Mr Cummings' journey to County Durham to isolate on his family's estate was necessary or justified. I remain unconvinced his visit to Barnard Castle could be considered reasonable. 'I was also deeply concerned by his decision to return to Downing Street directly after coming into contact with a family member who was ill, potentially with coronavirus.' Tory MP Peter Gibson has admitted travelling from London to the North East by train after developing coronavirus symptoms Boris Johnson yesterday flatly dismissed calls for an official inquiry into Mr Cummings as he appeared in front of the Liaison Committee The ongoing row over Mr Cummings' trip came as Mr Gibson revealed he had travelled approximately 250 miles by train to get home after developing Covid-19 symptoms. Mr Gibson, who was elected for the first time in 2019, told the Northern Echo that he had contacted the MPs' coronavirus hotline after developing a cough and was told to self-isolate for seven days. But he said he did not have accommodation in London because he was 'staying in the spare room of a friend's flat'. 'I was advised if my normal mode of transport was the train I should use that but should isolate and keep myself to myself, which is what I did,' he told the newspaper. He added: 'Some people will say I should have stayed in London but where was I supposed to stay?' More than 40 Conservative MPs have called on Mr Cummings to quit his role because of the lockdown journey row. However, the Prime Minister has so far resisted all requests to punish his aide. Pushed on whether the Cabinet Secretary should carry out a formal investigation, Mr Johnson said there had been plenty of 'autobiography' from Mr Cummings and it would not be a 'good use of official time' as everyone was working 'flat out' on the coronavirus response. In one particularly bruising exchange at the Liaison Committee yesterday afternoon, Labour's Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Yvette Cooper jibed: 'Forty-thousand people are dead. We need you to get this right now.' The clashes came with the row over Mr Cummings' 260-mile trip to Durham during lockdown still threatening to tear the Conservative Party apart. The party's poll lead has been slashed by nine points in a week - thought to be the biggest drop in a decade. And despite the desperate plea for the focus to shift on to other subjects, nearly two-thirds of people say the story remains important. Conservative MP Danny Kruger complained that 'one wing' of the party was 'going bonkers' by comparing the alleged lockdown breach to 'the invasion of Suez'. But in a sign of the depth of anger within the party, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has insisted Mr Cummings 'clearly' did break the rules. A private conference call with government whips and the new intake of Conservative MPs yesterday appeared to have smoothed over matters somewhat. But last night even one of the whips came out with criticism of Mr Cummings. Mike Freer, MP for Finchley and Golders Green in North London, told the Evening Standard it was 'entirely reasonable for people to vehemently disagree with his (Mr Cummings) view of events'. Liaison Committee chair Bernard Jenkin (left) oversaw the fiery exchanges with the PM, including Yvette Cooper (right) demanding to know what the advice to parents was about travelling for childcare The PM has seen his party's ratings tumble by four points in a week amid the Dominic Cummings row, while support for Labour has gone up five points, according to a YouGov survey for the Times The PM's personal ratings have also been plummeting amid the row over his chief adviser's lockdown activities He added: 'I do not believe it is the conclusion many of my constituents, or myself, would have reached.' Three more Tories, George Freeman, Giles Watling and Pauline Latham, have called on Mr Cummings to resign. Former transport minister Mr Freeman tweeted: 'After 48hrs & c1000 emails from constituents expressing outage at the PM's Chief of Staff breaking the lockdown & not apologising, it's clear that public anger at the betrayal of their trust & compliance now risks a collapse of respect for HMG public health advice. DC has to go.' Boris Johnson reveals coronavirus tracing scheme will launch later today The UK's coronavirus contact tracing programme will launch later day without its centrepiece NHS app as experts warned it will not be a 'silver bullet' which kills off the disease. The NHS Test and Trace system for England will see anyone who develops symptoms urged to self-isolate for seven days and told to order a test online or by phone. Anyone who then tests positive will be asked to provide phone numbers and email addresses to the NHS for people they have recently come into close contact with. Those contacts will then be tracked down and told to self-isolate for 14 days - even if they do not have symptoms. Boris Johnson announced the launch of the scheme during an appearance in front of the Liaison Committee on Wednesday afternoon as he admitted the UK's testing capability was underpowered at the start of the outbreak. He said the 'brutal reality' was that the UK did not 'learn the lessons' of previous pandemics and therefore testing was not where it needed to be early on in the current crisis. He said self-isolation resulting from the test and trace programme would be an imposition for a 'tiny minority' but that the benefits would be worth it. The PM said: 'I would just say to everybody that it's worth it because that is the tool that other countries have used to unlock the prison. 'That captivity for a tiny minority for a short time will allow us gradually to release 66 million people from the current situation.' The Government is pinning its hopes of ending the nationwide lockdown on the success of the scheme. But it will go live tomorrow, earlier than the June 1 launch date which had been anticipated, without the NHSX coronavirus app which digitally records close contacts and will massively speed up the contact tracing process. Advertisement Amid fierce questioning from MPs at the committee hearing yesterday, Mr Johnson was asked whether the Government's 'moral authority' had been compromised by the row. 'This has really been going on for several days now - in the media at least,' he said. 'I, of course, am deeply sorry for all the hurt and pain and anxiety that people have been going through throughout this period - this country has been going through a frankly most difficult time. 'We are asking people to do quite exceptionally tough things, separating them from their families.' Mr Johnson said he would not be adding to his previous comments on Mr Cummings and said the public wanted politicians to focus on 'uniting our message' and 'focusing on their needs'. Northern Ireland committee chair Simon Hoare - one of around 40 Tory MPs baying for Mr Cummings' resignation - warned the PM the nation will be 'far less energetic' about obeying future restrictions as 'a direct result of the activities of your senior adviser'. Mr Hoare asked what MPs should tell constituents who ask 'if other people don't abide by it why on earth should we' because 'we know what your views are, frankly Prime Minister, I don't think anybody understands why you hold those views'. Mr Johnson replied: 'I don't think that's true about how the British people will respond to the next phases, to how to work the test and trace system, I don't think that's how they responded at all throughout the crisis. 'If, just suppose for a second that you were right, which I don't accept, all the more reason now for us to be consistent and clear in our message driving those key messages.' Mr Johnson said he had seen evidence to prove that some of the allegations made against Mr Cummings were false. But asked by Labour MP Meg Hillier whether the Cabinet Secretary should also see that evidence, the PM said: 'I think actually that it would not be doing my job if I were now to shuffle this problem into the hands of officials who, believe me, Meg, are - as I think the public would want - working flat out to deal with coronavirus... 'I totally understand public indignation, I totally understand that, but I do think that as I understand things, and I've said what I've said about the whole business, I think it would be much better if we could now move on and focus on the next steps.' Under fire from Ms Cooper, Mr Johnson said people could travel to get childcare during lockdown if there were 'exceptional' circumstances. But Ms Cooper demanded on the advice: 'What is it? Because it is not clear to me.' Mr Johnson shot back: 'The clear advice is to stay at home unless you absolutely have to go to work to do your job. Boris Johnson (right) is facing 90 minutes of scrutiny today, but questions on coronavirus and Dominic Cummings (left) will be restricted to 20 minutes 55% of Tory voters say Dominic Cummings should resign over his 'lockdown breach' journeys A majority of Conservative supporters believe that Dominic Cummings should be fired for breaking coronvirus rules, according to a new poll. Research by JL Partners for the Daily Mail found 66 per cent of people think Mr Cummings should leave his post amid the row, including 55 per cent of all Conservative voters. A further 63 per cent believe Boris Johnson should sack his right hand man, including 53 per cent of Tory supporters. Perhaps even more damning is the statistic that 80 per cent of people and almost three quarters of Conservative supporters agree that Mr Cummings broke the rules he played a key role in drawing up. In further bleak news for the Prime Minister, the research suggests that former Labour voters in the 'Red Wall' in the North and Midlands have reacted particularly badly to the row. At 72 per cent, working class 'C1/C2' voters are more likely to think the government is behaving as though 'it is one rule for them and another rule for everyone else', while 69 per cent are more likely to say Mr Cummings is not telling the truth than voters overall. Advertisement 'If you have exceptional problems with childcare then that may cause you to vary your arrangements.' Mr Johnson went on to describe the row over Mr Cummings as a 'political ding dong', and said: 'A lot of the allegations that were made about that adviser were simply not correct.' Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick was clearly frustrated yesterday morning as he was forced to defend the adviser during a tetchy interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Mr Jenrick said people were entitled to 'do as Dominic Cummings chose to do' if they could not find childcare. 'If there are no other options, if you don't have ready access to childcare, you can do as Dominic Cummings chose to do,' he said. 'The guidelines say you must do your best, but they appreciate that family life poses particular challenges and in order to protect you children you are allowed to exercise degree of personal judgement.' Mr Jenrick also confirmed that a review into fines imposed on people travelling during lockdown for childcare reasons would not be going ahead less than 24 hours after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he would consider it. Dozens of Mr Johnson's own MPs have now joined opposition politicians to demand that Mr Cummings is sacked, but the premier has flatly dismissed the calls. And Mr Kruger upped the ante by telling Newsnight that 'one wing of our party is going collectively bonkers by comparing a four year old's toilet break to the invasion of Suez'. 'Appreciate the inbox and press are horrific but the PM is signalling (as he did with the sacking of 21 MPs last year which appalled the same people in the parly party) that he's serious.' Mr Kruger said that Mr Johnson and Mr Cummings together were 'why we won the 2019 election'. 'An arguable minor infraction of lockdown rules is totally secondary to that,' he said. 'Also, No10 won't budge, so calling for (Mr Cummings) to go is basically declaring no confidence in PM.' Senior ministers have publicly expressed public support for the defiant adviser but a number of Cabinet members are unhappy at the situation. In other developments: Four-fifths of parents would not have travelled for childcare, survey suggests More than 80 per cent of parents did not and would not have travelled for emergency childcare during the lockdown, a survey suggests. Almost a quarter of people said they had been in similar circumstances to the Prime Minister's chief adviser Dominic Cummings and had chosen to stay put, according to a survey of 965 Mumsnet users with at least one child. A total of 81 per cent of respondents said they either did not or would not have travelled for emergency childcare, with 23 per cent saying that they had found themselves in a situation where one parent was ill and the other suspected they may become ill too, whilst both were caring for a young child and did not travel for emergency back-up. Of those surveyed, 90 per cent said that in their view Mr Cummings and his family broke the rules of lockdown. A third of respondents said that knowing the actions he took, they are more likely to break lockdown rules as they now stand - with three quarters those saying they would most likely do so to visit family or friends. Advertisement A YouGov poll is the latest to demonstrate the scale of public anger about the lockdown issue. A poll from JL Partners for the Daily Mail revealed that 66 per cent of people think Cummings should leave his post amid the row, including 55 per cent of all Conservative voters. A further 63 per cent believe Boris Johnson should sack his right hand man, including 53 per cent of Tory supporters. Perhaps even more damning is the statistic that 80 per cent of people and almost three quarters of Conservative supporters agree that Cummings broke the rules he played a key role in drawing up. In further bleak news for the Prime Minister, the research suggests that former Labour voters in the 'Red Wall' in the North and Midlands have reacted particularly badly to the row. At 72 per cent, working class 'C1/C2' voters are more likely to think the government is behaving as though 'it is one rule for them and another rule for everyone else', while 69 per cent are more likely to say Cummings is not telling the truth than voters overall. More research by YouGov found some 71 per cent believe Mr Cummings broke the strict rules, including 56 per cent of Tory voters and 63 per cent of his fellow Brexiteers. Almost six in 10 voters believe he should resign, including almost half (46 per cent) of Tories and 52 per cent of Leavers. The Prime Minister's refusal to sack him has also had an impact on his own image. Mr Johnson had a net approval rating of 19 per cent on Friday before the news of his chief aide's 260-mile journey to Durham. But a poll by Savanta ComRes yesterday put Mr Johnson on -1 per cent after he and senior ministers leapt to Mr Cummings' defence - the lowest of the pandemic. The Prime Minister now has an approval rating below that of opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer, and the ratings of other senior ministers including Dominic Raab and Mr Hancock have similarly tumbled. The row appears to have taken its toll on the Government as a whole, with a Friday approval rating of 20 per cent falling to -2 per cent. The Liaison Committee includes William Wragg, who has said it was 'humiliating and degrading' to see ministers put out agreed lines in defence of Mr Cummings, and Caroline Nokes, who has informed her party whips there could not be 'wriggle room' for some people when it comes to lockdown rules. PM's sister says Dominic Cummings should apologise Rachel Johnson believes Dominic Cummings should apologise and admit he 'messed up' over a series of 'bad decisions' relating to his lockdown trip to Durham. Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Boris Johnson's younger sister said Brits were 'unutterably furious,' with Mr Cummings decision to drive to Durham in March, along with his trip to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight in April. Ms Johnson told presenter Ben Shepherd: 'I think that if I had been Cummings, I'd have admitted I'd messed up.' She added: 'I'd have got on the front foot and said, 'I apologise for all of those who followed my messages, I took bad decisions at the time and I understand how angry it's made a whole country feel, and please let's move on because we have bigger fish to fry'.' Advertisement Mr Cummings said he had driven to Durham to isolate in a property on his father's farm because of concerns over care for his four-year-old son if both he and his wife were incapacitated by Covid-19. But a growing number of Conservative MPs have voiced their frustration over Mr Cummings after he expressed 'no regrets' about his trip. Scotland Office minister Douglas Ross quit the Government over the row, saying he could not 'in good faith' defend Mr Cummings' actions. Tory grandee Sir Roger Gale said the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee should make it clear to the PM his adviser should go. 'The time I think has come for Mr Cummings to resign or for the PM to dispense of his services,' the North Thanet MP said. 'There are people on the 1922 executive who are courageous, and that's their job. 'They are elected to tell the PM what he needs to hear, not what he wants to hear.' Tory voters agree that Mr Cummings broke lockdown rules, according to separate YouGov polling from yesterday There is broad support for Mr Cummings quitting across Leave and Tory voters, according to a poll yesterday Tory MPs who have called for Dominic Cummings to be sacked The number of Tory MPs who have now called for Mr Cummings to be sacked after his press conference stands at at least 30. They are believed to be: Douglas Ross - Scotland minister who has quit Harriett Baldwin - former Treasury minister Sir Roger Gale - Tory veteran, MP since 1983 Martin Vickers - Eurosceptic MP for Cleethorpes Peter Bone - leading Brexit campaigner in 2016 Craig Whittaker - former Tory whip Robert Goodwill - former environment minister Paul Maynard - ex-transport minister Mark Pawsey - MP for Rugby for 10 years Sir Robert Syms - MP for Poole since 1997 Tim Loughton - former children's minister Jason McCartney - former RAF officer Peter Aldous - MP for Waveney since 2010 John Stevenson - solicitor and MP for Carlisle Caroline Nokes - ex-immigration minister Damian Collins - chair of DCMS select committee Philip Davies - outspoken backbench MP Julian Sturdy - farmer and MP for York Outer Alec Shelbrooke - backed Jeremy Hunt for leadership Mark Harper - former chief whip Stephen Hammond - arch Remainer MP for Wimbledon Simon Hoare - Only an MP since 2015 Andrew Percy - ex-Northern Powerhouse minister David Warburton - MP for Froome since 2015 Steve Baker - Former ERG chairman and Brexiteer Andrew Jones - North Yorkshire MP since 2010 Jeremy Wright - Former Attorney General and DCMS Secretary Bob Neill - Justice Select Committee chair James Gray - MP for North Wiltshire for 23 years George Freeman - Former transport minister Mark Garnier - Wyre Forest MP since 2010 Jackie Doyle-Price - Thurrock MP and former civil servant Stephen Metcalfe - Father-of-two with wife Angela Elliot Colburn - Carshalton and Wallington MP since December Bob Stewart - Former British Army officer Advertisement Boris Johnson's crunch appearance in front of the Liaison Committee: PM dismisses calls for official inquiry into Dominic Cummings, says he wants to reduce 2m social distancing rule and admits 'not everybody' will return to school from day one By David Wilcock, Whitehall Correspondent for MailOnline The Prime Minister today faced a long-awaited grilling by senior MPs on the House of Commons Liaison Committee. The 90 minute hearing focused on coronavirus. Here are the key points from Mr Johnson's responses. Dominic Cummings row The Prime Minister flatly dismissed the calls for an official inquiry into Dominic Cummings today as he was grilled by senior MPs, saying the outcry was just a 'political ding dong'. The row over Mr Cummings' 260-mile trip to Durham during lockdown in March and the PM's refusal to sack him is still threatening to tear the Tories to pieces. The party's poll lead has been slashed by nine points in a week - thought to be the biggest drop in a decade. The PM said he 'totally understood public indignation' about the situation, but insisted some of the allegations about his chief aide were 'not correct' and urged people to 'move on'. Pushed on whether the Cabinet Secretary should carry out a formal investigation, Mr Johnson said there had been plenty of 'autobiography' from Mr Cummings and it would not be a 'good use of official time' as everyone was working 'flat out' on the coronavirus response. The row over Mr Cummings' 260-mile trip to Durham during lockdown in March and the PM's refusal to sack him is still threatening to tear the Tories to pieces Easing social distancing Mr Johnson revealed he has asked top Government scientists to review the two-metre social distancing rule in the 'hope' that it can be reduced to help pubs and shops reopen. The UK has one of the strictest contact gap rules in the world to counter coronavirus transmission, double the one metre gap recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Schools and shop in the UK are due to open in the next few weeks with strict measures already being planned to keep children and shoppers two metres from each other as much as possible in both settings. Mr Johnson was asked about the two metre rule by Science Committee chairman Greg Clark. The PM replied that the Science Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) advice was that there was a 'considerable reduction' in risk at that distance, compared to a smaller gap. 'My own hope is that as we make progress in getting the virus down ... we will be able to reduce that distance which I think will be particularly valuable on (public) transport and in the hospitality sector,' he added. The Government's women problem Mr Johnson said he would have liked to have had more female representation at the daily Downing Street press conferences. Priti Patel is the only woman minister to have led one of the set pieces since they started in March. In response to questions from Tory MP Caroline Nokes, chairwoman of the Women and Equalities Committee, the PM said: 'It's certainly true that I would have liked to have had more female representation at the press conferences so far.' Mr Johnson also acknowledged that female workers have been 'harder hit' by the pandemic, because 'very often they will have jobs, particularly lower paid jobs, that make it more difficult for them to work from home'. The Prime Minister said having women in the room when decisions are made has a 'huge difference' to the nature of the decisions taken. Asked how many women is 'enough' representation, Mr Johnson appeared to laugh - before the committee chairman Bernard Jenkin said: 'It's not a joking matter though, is it?' The PM said: 'It's not, and all I say, Caroline (Nokes), is that it's incredibly important to us.' Back to school Mr Johnson said he expects 'not everybody will go back' on day one of the phased reopening of schools next week, but insisted it is 'safe provided everybody remembers the guidelines we've set out', including social distancing and hand washing. On whether the plan is for the remaining primary school pupils to return a month before the summer holidays, Mr Johnson said: 'We will keep that under review, we'd like to do it if we can, it depends on our national success in keeping the disease under control.' Pressed on introducing a catch-up premium and summer schools to help disadvantaged pupils, the PM told the Liaison Committee: 'I want to support any measures we can to level up.' He added: 'There's no doubt a huge social injustice is taking place at the moment because some kids are going to have better access to tutoring and schooling at home, and other kids aren't going to get nearly as much, and that's not fair. 'That's one of the reasons we need to get schools back.' He said the catch-up fund was a 'good idea', before highlighting support in place, adding: 'There's a lot more that needs to be done.' A tribute to United Nations Peace Keepers and the Women of Peace in Myanmar A traditional ruler has asked the government not to yield to pressure to reopen schools in the midst of rising cases of covid-19 in the country. Nana Saase Ayeboafo II, Chief of Mamponteng in the Kwabre East Municipality, says government needed to exercise extreme precaution in any decision to reopen schools now. Speaking to newsmen at Mamponteng after sponsoring the disinfection and fumigation of basic schools in the town, he said government should not rush to take decisions that could further worsen the country's covid-19 situation. Nana Ayeboafo pointed out that, pupils in basic schools were not enlightened enough to observe the preventive and restrictive protocols to protect themselves against the virus. He said the fumigation was to support what the government had done in senior high schools to provide healthy environment for children to study when schools reopened. Nana Ayeboafo, called on the people in the area to adhere to all the preventive protocols in order to stay safe. Mrs Stella Ofori, Kwabre East Municipal Director of Education thanked the chief for taken such initiative and said GES would work to ensure that appropriate measures were put in place before schools were reopened. She asked parents to take good care of their children while they were with them in the house to prevent them from contracting the virus. GNA The National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay has described the stance of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on the compilation of a new voter register as an act of hypocrisy that demonstrates inconsistencies. Ahead of the General Election slated for later this year in December, the Electoral Commission (EC) has decided to compile a new voter register. Having decided to start the process in June, the citizenry will be required to use the Ghana Card and Passport to register [primary requirements]. As the NDC opposes the whole exercise, they have argued that the exclusion of the national ID Card and the birth certificate from the required document will disenfranchise thousands of Ghanaians. In addition, the main opposition party has accused the NPP government of prioritizing winning an election to protecting the lives of the Ghanaian people in the midst of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis. In a statement issued by Freddie Blay today, he has indicated that the argument by the NDC is just a demonstration of their hypocrisy. The opposition's attempt to keep shifting the opposing goalpost from the cost of procuring a new voter register to the cost of lives for going through a progressive electoral process clearly demonstrates their inconsistencies and hypocrisy. Those vehemently opposing to the compilation of a new voters' register, weaving their arguments around the potential exponential COVID deaths and infections are in pursuit of their parochial and self-serving interests, the NPP National Chairman said. On attacks from the NDC on the Electoral Commission, Freddie Blay insists it is needless and an attempt to subject the EC to the direction or control of any person or authority is unconstitutional and totally misguided. Read the full statement from Freddie Blay below: Ignore the provocation and empty threats of the NDC Discussions on the Electoral Commission's planned compilation of a new voter register began since the last quarter of 2019. The NPP has clearly stated its position on this subject, hence our reluctance to dignify and engage in debate on the subject anymore. The opposition NDC has embarked on a relay race with this unproductive debate, passing the baton from its Presidential Candidate, to its National Chairman, General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary, Director of Elections and numerous communicators on FM stations and social media. We obviously cannot as a people continue wasting precious time on staged debates by the opposition about whether or not the Electoral Commission should go ahead with the compilation of an advanced biometric voters' register. The EC in is its wisdom and justifiably so, has made its decision. The attacks on the EC is absolutely needless and an attempt to subject the EC to the direction or control of any person or authority is unconstitutional and totally misguided. The 1992 Constitution clearly states out the functions of the Electoral Commission which includes compiling the register of voters and revise same at such periods as may be determined by law; and to undertake programs for the expansion of the registration of voters. Thankfully, our electoral system has since 1992 progressed steadily, despite the many different peculiar challenges faced. From the period when we used opaque ballot boxes through to the most recent 2016 biometric register, there has always been debates about our electoral system, sometimes resulting in boycotts and the activation of our judicial processes. Notwithstanding, we have over time built a progressive, strong and enviable democracy on the African continent. I call on the good people of Ghana to continue cherishing and protecting what we have taken close to three decades to build, becoming a beacon of democracy in the African Region. The opposition's attempt to keep shifting the opposing goalpost from the cost of procuring a new voter register to the cost of lives for going through a progressive electoral process, clearly demonstrates their inconsistencies and hypocrisy. Those vehemently opposing to the compilation of a new voters' register, weaving their arguments around the potential exponential COVID deaths and infections are in pursuit of their parochial and self-serving interests. They seem to forget that the December 7 elections would not be any different, because Ghanaians would be expected to queue in lines to cast their votes and also witness the votes counted and recorded as prescribed in the 1992 constitution. Therefore, the CSO Alliance and Inter-Party Resistance Against the New Voters Register should spare Ghanaians the provocative and empty threats of chaos, confusion, bloodshed, and death in the name of protecting the constitution. In any case, all Ghanaians must strive to protect the constitution of Ghana, though I doubt the credentials of the NDC in doing so, especially when they tout themselves as owning the monopoly of violence. However, the plant of democracy is watered with the blood of martyrs, so if any of them so desire to be one of such as a result of our progressive democracy, so be it! The NPP is confident that irrespective of the protocols and restrictions brought about by COVID 19, the nation would always rise to the occasion of protecting and exercising constitutional rights, including going through a new electoral process. The challenges of COVID 19 offers us a great opportunity to work together on our attitudes towards collectively building a disciplined and prosperous nation. If we all recognize as a people that in one way or the other there are potentials for an exponential spread of COVID 19 when we undertake our constitutional mandate of voting or registering for voter identification, then we must begin to prepare now for the containment of a potential explosion in 6 months. The earlier we as Ghanaians think about developing a registration and voting system that should be better perfected by December 7 through the EC's advanced biometric voters' registration process, the better for our constitutional democratic development. Political parties and civil society groups can begin to have discussions on what a safe voter registration center should look like with standardized hygienic conditions, self-protective gears, and queuing lines arrangements that conform to the social distancing protocols. There are lessons we can learn from how the banking sector uses technology to allocate tally numbers and apply a similar improved mechanism that can inform our planning of ensuring human safety at polling stations. A 90 days' continuous registration across the 16 regions of the country can be enough time to register 18 million eligible voters at a maximum of 60 persons registering each day per polling station. The new biometric voters' registration process offers a unique opportunity to the EC to practically and quickly begin to mainstream the COVID 19 protocols into how they will conduct Ghana's electoral processes up until the December 2020 general election. The efforts by Nay Sayers and warmongers just like Major Boakye-Djan, Asiedu Nketia and Elvis Ankrah to suppress the citizenry with fear are to say the least, wicked, opportunistic and unfortunate. They appear to have embarked on a very long sleep similar to that of Rip Van Winkle and have missed out on Ghana's progress since the revolutionary days. There is absolutely no need to give value to the currency of their arguments that Ghana cannot compile a new register due to COVID 19, because it is as bad as an opinion that suggests we cannot hold an election this year, and for that matter it is sterile. Ghanaians can see how being in opposition for less than four years is already taking a frustrating toll on the psychological health of the opposition NDC leadership, triggering irresponsible utterances. I call on the media to also be measured and circumspect in how they give oxygen and dignity to such fruitless debates. Any responsible political party leadership would at this point in time be cooperating with the institutions of state-mandated to supervise and manage general election in Ghana, making constructive criticisms that would keep such institutions focused on delivering a credible and safe election. The Nana Addo NPP-led Government remains committed to protecting lives, providing the funding and necessary support including maintaining law and order that should enable the EC to prepare towards conducting fair and transparent elections come December 2020. I, therefore, urge Ghanaians to continue rallying behind the President, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and his government who have demonstrated courageous and decisive leadership over the period, particularly in these times of war against our common enemy COVID 19. Signed: Hon. Freddie Blay National Chairman, NPP Canberra, May 28 : Australian authorities were scrambling on Thursday to find the source of a COVID-19 infection which killed a 30-year-old man in the remote mining town of Blackwater in Queensland state. The man on Tuesday became the youngest person to die in Australia from COVID-19, with authorities dispatching a rapid response team to locate the source of his infection, reports Xinhua news agency. However, despite conducting testing on roughly 20 people who had been in contact with the man, as of Thursday morning health officials were unable to positively identify any other cases. The man's partner, who displayed symptoms of the virus and was placed in isolation, also tested negative. Health officials established a testing clinic in the town, which is roughly 198 km from the capital of Brisbane and has a population of under 5,000, urging all of the town's residents to get tested. "Central Queensland's rapid response team has been mobilized and we're isolating and testing close contacts of the deceased. Contact tracing is ongoing," the state's Health Minister Steven Miles said. While health officials believed the man had not left Blackwater since February, according to media reports an infected nurse had travelled to the region in mid-May from the nearby city of Rockhampton. However, without ruling out the connection all together, Miles said the timeline of the nurse's visit didn't match up, since the man reportedly began displaying symptoms earlier in the month. "Those dates don't really line up with when he got sick. It is a bit of a mystery and it could just be a coincidence," Miles said. "It's possible that there is some kind of connection there, or it could just be a coincidence. That's what our investigators are working on." Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New moderate income housing program could be on the way to Long Beach He recently served as Brazil's Deputy Economy Minister and Special Secretary for Foreign Trade and International Affairs and represented the Brazilian Government on the boards of multilateral development institutions. Mr. Troyjo was also Chairman of Brazil's Commission on External Financing and its National Investment Committee. He co-founded and served as Director of the BRICLab at Columbia University, where he taught international and public affairs, and lectured extensively at universities and research centers around the world. Mr. Troyjo is a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Future Council on International Trade and Investment. He was Director of the Intelligent Tech & Trade Initiative (ITTI). An economist, political scientist and diplomat, he holds a Master's degree and a PhD in sociology of international relations from the University of Sao Paulo and pursued postdoctoral studies at Columbia University. He is an alumnus of the Rio Branco Institute, the diplomatic academy of Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Troyjo has authored books on development, technology and global affairs. According to the Articles of Agreement of the New Development Bank, the NDB Board of Governors elects a President from one of the founding member countries on a rotational basis. The President is the chief of the operating staff of the Bank, conducting, under the direction of the Directors, the ordinary business of the NDB. The Board of Governors of the New Development Bank also appointed Mr. Anil Kishora as Vice President of the NDB. Mr. Anil Kishora worked in India's largest bank, the State Bank of India (SBI) for about 38 years. During his long career, Mr. Anil Kishora had exposure to all areas of SBI operations. Before joining the NDB, he worked as Deputy Managing Director & CRO of SBI, being responsible for managing SBI Group's operational, market, credit, cyber, information security and other risks. Prior to that, Mr. Anil Kishora served as Deputy Managing Director/ Chief General Manager, SBI Local Head Office, Chandigarh, India and CEO of SBI in Singapore. Mr. Anil Kishora completed a number of executive development programmes and trainings, including Risk Management in Banking Programme (INSEAD), School of Bank Risk Management (EUROMONEY Learning, Geneva), Advanced Management Programme (NUS Business School, Singapore) and Certification Programme in IT & Cyber Security for CXOs (Institute for Development & Research in Banking Technology, Hyderabad, India). He also participated in Oxford Private Equity Programme. Mr. Anil Kishora is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Banking & Finance. He holds B.A. (Honours) in English. Mr. Paulo Guedes, Minister of Economy of Brazil, Mr. Anton Siluanov, Minister of Finance of Russia, Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance of India, Mme. Jiayi Zou, Vice Minister of Finance of China and Mr. Tito Titus Mboweni, Minister of Finance of South Africa participated in the BoG Special Meeting held in virtual format. ### Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1173872/Marcos_Troyjo.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1173871/Anil_Kishora.jpg SOURCE NDB Oil and gas group CNOOC has decided not to buy half of Tullow Oils assets in Uganda. In April Tullow concluded a years-long process to sell its Uganda assets to French group Total, in a step towards reducing its debt. The Irish explorer agreed to sell its entire interest in the Lake Albert development project for $575m (523m). Ugandan group CNOOC had the right to purchase 50pc of these assets on the same terms and conditions as Total. However, the company has informed Tullow and Total that it will not exercise its pre-emption rights. Accordingly, there are no changes to the previously announced deal or timeline for the transaction to be concluded. Tullow continues to expect the transaction to complete in the second half of this year. The sale remains subject to a number of conditions, including approval by Tullows shareholders, government and other approvals, as well as the execution of a binding tax agreement with the Government of Uganda and the Uganda Revenue Authority. Tullow, which earlier this year appointed Rahul Dhir as its new CEO, has been working to reduce its pile of net debt, which was $2.8bn at the end of 2019. Additional reporting Bloomberg By PTI AHMEDABAD: The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat crossed the 15,000-mark and rose to 15,205 on Wednesday after 376 new infections were reported, while the toll increased to 938 with the death of 23 more patients, 19 of them in Ahmedabad, the state health department said. Gujarat, one of the states worst hit by coronavirus, has seen significant improvement in the case doubling rate over the last two weeks, it said. Ahmedabad alone reported 256 new coronavirus cases, Surat 34 and Vadodara 29, out of a total of 19 districts that reported new cases on Wednesday, it said. Out of the 26 COVID-19 fatalities, 19 were reported from Ahmedabad, two from Surat and one each from Vadodara and Mahisagar, the health department said. As many as 410 patients were discharged in the state, taking the number of recoveries to 7,547, it said. Of these, 327 patients were discharged from Ahmedabad alone, while 30 were dischargedfrom Surat and 11 from Vadodara, it said. With this, there are a total 6,720 active cases in the state, of which 98 are on ventilator, the department said. The case doubling rate in the state increased to 24.84 days as compared to 16 days two weeks ago, it said. As against this, the national case doubling rate is 13.97. The number to cases in Ahmedabad has risen to 11,097, while in Surat and Vadodara, the tally stood at 1,421 and 914, respectively. A majority of the deaths were also reported in these three districts. While 764 patients have died so far in Ahmedabad, 65 have succumbed in Surat and 36 in Vadodara, the department said. Gujarat COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases: 15,205, new cases: 376, deaths: 938, discharged: 7,547, active cases: 6,720; people tested so far: 1,93,863. More than 1,900 residents of Gujarat stranded abroad due to worldwide travel curbs have been brought home so far in special flights started under the central government's 'Vande Bharat' mission. Between May 12 and 27, as many as 1,958 natives of Gujarat, who were stranded overseas due to the coronavirus- induced lockdown, were brought back from 11 countries under the Vande Bharat mission, said a state government release on Wednesday. On May 12, the first batch of 135 Gujaratis were brought back in a special flight from the UAE. It was followed by flights from the US, Singapore, Canada and the Philippines, among other countries, it said. In the second phase of the mega mission, another 1,869 people from Gujarat will be brought back between May 29 and June 9, the release said. These stranded people will be brought back mainly from the UK, the USA and some Gulf countries, the release added. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 28, 2020) -Radial Research Corp. (CSE: RAD) ("Radial" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has acquired Zoompages, an e-commerce sales funnel content management system. With many simplifications of previously cumbersome development options built in, ZoomPages is a platform intended to allow marketing teams to focus on marketing, building and optimizing new sales funnel experiences for their brands, instead of spending excessive time dealing with developers, computer coding and complicated page editors. Radial purchased Zoompages, including all associated intellectual property and goodwill, pursuant to an asset purchase agreement dated as of May 28, 2020 between Radial, as purchaser, and Jason Argall and Jia-Yun Liu, as vendors. Under the agreement, Radial issued an aggregate of 4,000,000 Radial common shares to the vendors at a deemed price of $0.05 per share, representing aggregate consideration of $200,000. The shares are subject to a four month hold period pursuant to applicable securities laws. Mr. Argall and Ms. Liu are each arm's length to Radial. In connection with Radial's acquisition of Zoompages, Jason Argall has joined Radial's board of directors. Mr. Argall has over two decades of experience with digital marketing, building e-commerce brands in the USA and Canada, and scaling them to international markets. He got his start with digital marketing in 1999, managing search engine marketing campaigns for one of the first online furniture stores on the GoTo.com PPC platform, a year before Google Adwords was launched. Since then, he's founded several private companies specializing in direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales. These D2C brands span categories such as Health & Wellness, Beauty, Travel, and Finance. Mr. Argall has also used his e-commerce know-how to manage development teams building software for e-commerce, including ZoomPages and Chatvertiser SMS live chat software. "We've been searching for e-commerce related opportunities and we believe we have found an excellent, advanced e-commerce product, as well as an excellent new Board member in Jason Argall, one of the founders of Zoompages," said Peter Smith, Radial's CEO. "Given the recent global focus on e-commerce solutions across virtually all product lines, we feel that this acquisition is extremely timely," continued Smith. About the Company Radial Research Corp. is a technology company that develops online and download technologies and services, including software, websites and smartphone applications. The Company has focused recent efforts on e-commerce related technologies, and has acquired Zoompages, an e-commerce platform which we believe greatly simplifies the sales funnel construction process. The Company is also seeking other opportunities in e-commerce, internet and smartphone-based technologies. For further information, please refer to the Company's disclosure record on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or contact the Company by telephone at 778.999.7030. ### This news release contains "forward-looking information" that is based on the Company's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. This forward-looking information includes, among other things, the Company's business, plans, outlook and business strategy. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "likely", "expect," "anticipate," "intend", "estimate", "plan", "forecast", "project" and "believe" or other similar words and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in costs; litigation; legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; and technological or operational difficulties. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect our forward-looking information. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/56789 Beijing, May 28 : The National Peoples Congress (NPC), Chinas top legislature, on Thursday endorsed a resolution authorising its Standing Committee to tailor-make a national security law for Hong Kong. Thursday afternoon's vote took place just before the closing of the annual session of the NPC, which started on May 22, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported. The resolution, officially known as the "draft decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to safeguard national security", was approved with 2,878 deputies from around the country voting in favour and one voting against, while six abstained. The vote means the NPC Standing Committee is now authorised to propose a law prohibiting acts of secession, subversion, terrorism or conspiring with foreign influences in Hong Kong. Under the law, the Hong Kong government will also be required to set up new institutions to safeguard sovereignty, while allowing mainland agencies to operate in the city as needed. In an unexpected move, the proposed resolution was amended on Tuesday, expanding its scope to prohibit activities that would "seriously endanger national security". The Standing Committee, which last met in April, convenes every two months and is expected to hold its next meeting as early as June. That would be the earliest date at which the legislation could be advanced, said the South China Morning Post newspaper report. It came hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a potentially huge blow to Hong Kong, told the Congress the city was no longer suitably autonomous from China. Pompeo, and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, spoke on Wednesday and shared their concerns over Beijing's proposed security legislation. (Natural News) Moncef Slaoui, the so-called coronavirus vaccine czar who President Trump recently appointed to head up the next phase of the plandemic, has decided not to accept a massive financial windfall from stock options he owns in Moderna, the company manufacturing a new vaccine. Some $3.4 million in fresh profits that came on the heels of Slaouis new position at the White House sparked massive controversy, resulting in a company announcement that Slaoui has now divested all of his equity interest at Moderna. After earlier stating that his financial ties to Moderna in no way represent a conflict of interest with regard to his new appointment, Slaoui has since backtracked and is now trying to lay low to avoid any further negative exposure. Dr. Slaoui is divesting all of his equity interest in Moderna so that there is no conflict of interest with Dr. Slaoui in his new role, the company said in a statement that directly conflicts with Slaouis earlier claims. And as for the $3.4 million that Slaoui has already received, Moderna claims that the vaccine czar is planning to donate all of it to an unnamed cancer charity. Up until his recent appointment at the White House, Slaoui sat on the board of directors of Moderna, which in and of itself represents a serious conflict of interest. He also used to work for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the same drug giant that was found guilty of committing crimes against humanity. Listen below to The Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses how many mainstream conservatives who used to believe in vaccines are now becoming vaccine skeptics as they watch all of this corruption unfold: Trump remains surrounded by Big Pharma swamp creatures To put it simply, Slaoui is a Big Pharma swamp creature. His wealth came off the backs of innocent people everywhere who have been duped into taking expensive and ineffective drugs and vaccines produced by the various corporations he has worked for over the years. Slaoui currently holds a whopping 156,000 stock options in Moderna, which no matter how he tries to spin it is a major conflict of interest in that Moderna is developing a vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) that Slaoui will be tasked with deciding whether or not to approve. Since Slaoui and his buddies stand to personally benefit from him choosing Modernas vaccine over any other rival vaccine when that time comes, you can almost be certain that Modernas is the vaccine that gullible Americans will be lining up to get in the not-too-distant future. While it might seem easy to chalk it all up to more Big Pharma corruption, the real perpetrator in all of this is Trump. Trump paved the way for Slaoui to slither his way into this top position in a classic display of corporate-government fascism, and he deserves all of the blame for once again lying to the American public about draining the swamp. This latest move by Trump illustrates that this populist politician is not yet reforming the system like he initially hoped. Instead, Trump remains surrounded by swamp creatures from Big Pharma and other industries. You could hurt or kill millions of people, warns Peter Maybarduk of Public Citizen, a watchdog group that sees serious problems with Trumps pick of Slaoui for this top White House position. A better vaccine might not be created or it might not be distributed to the widest number of people. 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: NYDailyNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com As paramedics loaded Alexis Saborit into an ambulance Monday night, the man accused of fleeing from a Harris County Sheriffs Office deputy and then crashing into a bicyclist and another driver, killing both, told authorities he had a parole warrant for his arrest. The crash, however, was not Saborits first encounter with law enforcement since the warrant for his arrest was issued in December 2018, almost a year after he had been paroled on a fraud conviction. That encounter, when he was arrested as a suspected car burglar in July 2019, should have returned him to prison, but an oversight at the Harris County Jail allowed for his release. The crashes in north Houston killed 63-year-old Jarvis Taylor and 57-year-old Roosevelt McClendon. Their deaths, said crime victims advocate Andy Kahan, were utterly preventable. If he had been (held on the parole warrant in July 2019), one can easily speculate Mr. Taylor and Mr. McClendon would be alive today, said Kahan, who is with Houston Crime Stoppers. Our system let them down. Saborit was speeding in his Mercedes-Benz along Veterans Memorial Drive near West Road around 9 p.m. Monday when a deputy tried to stop him, authorities said. The parolee instead fled, crossed over into wrong side of the road and then struck Taylor, who was on a bike, and then McClendon, who was driving a Buick LaCrosse. Saborit, who suffered serious injuries in the crash with McClendon, was also hospitalized. As medics treated him, he admitted to investigators with the HCSO Vehicular Crimes Division that he had an active parole warrant for his arrest. Paroled Records show Saborit was handed a six-year prison sentence in 2015 for participating in a massive identity theft ring in Harris County, having amassed more than 50 Social Security numbers, credit cards numbers and other forms of identification from unsuspecting victims. He was granted parole in January 2018, but it was revoked in December 2018 when he caught a misdemeanor marijuana charge from police in Tarrant County, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesperson Jeremy Desel. State authorities filed a parole warrant, often called a blue warrant, for his arrest that same month, Desel said. It was immediately entered into statewide and nationwide databases used by law enforcement, Desel said. On July 26, 2019, police officers in Friendswood nabbed Saborit as a suspect in a car break-in, according to Friendswood Police Department officer Lisa Price. The parole warrant showed up when they ran his name through one of the databases, Price said. The officers took him to the Harris County Jail to answer the parole warrant in lieu of filing a burglary of a motor vehicle charge for the break-in, Price said. In jail, his parole warrant was somehow lost a paperwork shuffle, and Harris County Sheriffs Office authorities are investigating how that happened, according to Jason Spencer, spokesperson for the agency. There was an oversight somewhere, Spencer said, but we dont know where it is. When a person is booked into jail, their information passes through several hands, Spencer said. In Saborits case, paperwork on his parole warrant was misplaced before it got into the hands of staffers tasked with reviewing bond paperwork before releasing inmates. Those staffers did find he had warrants for a December 2018 marijuana charge from Tarrant County, as well as an unrelated burglary of a motor vehicle charge from the same county. Jailers released him July 31 after he paid a total of $8,500 on two bonds for the North Texas charges. That whole system still relies on humans, Spencer said. Sometimes throughout that complicated process, sometimes a box isnt check or a piece of paper isnt stapled to the right form. Deputies again had the chance - and failed - to capture Saborit in January 2020 when he walked into the jail lobby to a pay a bond, court records show. When Saborit handed over his driver's license, the parole warrant showed up for jail staff, according to court documents. As deputies tried to arrest him in the lobby, Saborit managed to escape and run to the nearby parking lot where his car was parked, court records show. Deputies announced themselves and told him he was under arrest as he fled. In the parking lot, a deputy had Saborit at gunpoint, but he sped away narrowly hitting a few deputies as he left. Detectives filed felony evading charges against Saborit later that day. Deputies made no attempt to track down Saborit after the evading warrant was filed, Spencer said. Because evading in a motor vehicle is not classified as a violent offense, it was given a lower priority by the sheriffs office division that handles warrants, Spencer said. Felony murder charges Saborit is now in jail on two felony murder charges. He is held with no bond, records show. In Texas, anyone who is accused of committing certain felonies while doing something "clearly dangerous to human life" can be charged with felony murder if someone dies during the commission of the underlying crime, according to state law. Sgt. Simon Cheng, who helped investigate the crash Monday, said the underlying crime was when Saborit allegedly fled from the deputy. The big picture issue here is that this gentleman made it clear he was not going back to state prison willfully, Spencer said. On that night when one of our deputies tried to pull him over for speeding, he knew he had warrants. He made the decision to endanger other peoples lives and kill two innocent people. Hes ultimately responsible for that. If convicted on either of the murder charges, Saborit is facing a sentence between five and 99 years in prison, or a possible life sentence. A likely new Pennsylvania record for flathead catfish a monster weighing 56.3 pounds was pulled from the Schuylkill River in the Philadelphia area on Sunday night. Jonathan Pierce, a 34-year-old father of four from Roxborough, connected with the fish while casting trout heads as bait. He regularly uses parts of trout he has caught as bait for flatheads. When certified by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pierces flathead will top the existing record by almost 6 pounds. That 50-pound 7-ounce fish was caught in the Susquehanna River, near the Muddy Creek public access in York County, on April 6, 2019, by Jeff Bonawitz, of East Lampeter Township. Pierce has been pursuing flatheads in the Schuylkill River with a passion for nearly a decade, with several in the 30-pound class and a topper of 37 pounds in September 2016, but he knew immediately on Sunday that he had connected with something much bigger. Jonathan Pierce and family with the 56.3-pound flathead catfish he caught in the Schuylkill River. Arriving at one of his favorite spots at about 8:30 p.m. a very rocky, very snaggy area the riverbank fisherman saw the line stripping off his baitcaster reel within seconds of making his first cast out 200 feet or so into the river. He set the drag on his reel and laid into the monster that had sucked in the trout head he was using for bait. At that point, the fish did something that he hadnt seen any of his previous flatheads do. It broke the surface of the water with a violent splash of its tail. And then it torpedoed away from me, he recalled. Even with the heavy tension of the drag from his reel, the fish continued to strip line off the reel. I had my drag tight, and it was still pulling line. I knew it was something massive, Pierce noted. It ran until it ran into a rocky snag. I thought I was going to lose the fish. I couldnt budge it. The flathead held fast at the snag for 2 or 3 minutes, among the longest 2 or 3 minutes of his life. I knew there was a huge fish that I didnt want to lose. Then I let the drag off, trying to trick the fish into thinking it had freed itself, and it swam away from the snag. He reset the drag and began the fight anew. About 8 minutes later, Pierces girlfriend Angelina Wilson, of East Falls, netted the fish. The expected Pennsylvania state record flathead catfish is weighed at Blue Marsh Outdoors in Berks County. At that point he knew they had something even larger on their hands. Securing the 50-inch fish with a rope and putting it back in the water to recover, they turned to their phones for information on how to make the catch official. That search continued the next morning, while the catfish occupied a 45-gallon plastic tote with an aerator in the backyard. Pierce intended to release the monster back into the river from the moment he set the hook, as he does with all his flatheads, including more than 10 this years, several weighing more than 20 pounds. I wanted to release this fish alive in the worst way, he explained, noting that he and Wilson hauled three 45-gallon totes of water along with the fish as they left the river. That extra water came in handy as they first transferred the fish from their vehicle to the backyard and then back into the vehicle for transport to Blue Marsh Outdoors in Berks County, where it was officially weighed at 56.3 pounds on Monday afternoon. While making the various tranfers, even a kiddie wading pool was called into service. After the official weigh-in, Pierce returned the new state record to an undisclosed location in the Schuylkill River. Jonathan Pierce releases the Pennsylvania state record flathead catfish back into the Schuylkill River. He said he expects his state record will be broken by a flathead in the Susquehanna River, where he sees a larger base of forage fish able to support more growth in the top-end predators. Even there, he thinks Pennsylvania will probably top out in the low to mid-60-pound range because too much of the year here is just too cold to support much more growth. He plans to continue his search for monster flathead catfish, for which he admits a certain passion because no other fish in the Philadelphia area compares to the horsepower they throw at you. Its the adrenaline rush of fighting a fish that big. Pierces flathead also tops the largest flathead ever recorded anywhere near Pennsylvania: A fisheries survey crew from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources on August 30, 2018, pulled a 56.5-pound, 44-inch flathead catfish from a hoop net in the Susquehanna River less than a mile downriver of the Pennsylvania-Maryland state line. And, its probably the largest fish of any species on record with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission: a muskellunge weighing 54 pounds 3 ounces caught in 1924 in Conneaut Lake in Crawford County by Lewis Walker Jr., of Meadville. Jeff Bonawitz, of East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, and his nephew, Dylan, release the then-state-record flathead catfish back into the Susquehanna River. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. By Sumeet Chatterjee HONG KONG, May 28 (Reuters) - Rich Chinese are expected to park fewer funds in Hong Kong on worries that Beijing's proposed national security law for the city could allow mainland authorities to track and seize their wealth, bankers and other industry sources said. More than half of Hong Kong's estimated private wealth of over $1 trillion is from mainland individuals who have parked money there, according to bankers. The city has benefited from its proximity to China and separate legal system, as well as its dollar-pegged currency, but there are now worries about it losing its edge as a global financial centre due to capital and talent flight. Interviews with half a dozen bankers and headhunters have revealed that some Chinese clients are looking for other hubs as their main offshore wealth base with Singapore, Switzerland and London high on the list. One Chinese client who had been scouting investments in Hong Kong instead bought five apartments this week in Singapore via a newly set up family office, said the person's adviser with a European wealth manager. "Singapore has been on their radar for a while now, but Hong Kong has been the default booking centre for them," said the Singapore-based banker, who, like his industry colleagues, declined to be identified due to sensitivity of the matter. He said his bank had begun receiving inquiries from Chinese high net worth individuals (HNIs) about opening accounts outside Hong Kong. "Chinese HNIs like the law from the perspective of their love for the Chinese flag, but not from their asset protection perspective." In another example, the founder of a Hong Kong-based boutique wealth manager focused on helping Chinese clients set up family offices said his firm was in partnership talks with two Dubai-based banks after receiving inquiries about setting up investment vehicles there. The expected shift has led some wealth managers to tap corporate recruiters to help hire Mandarin-speaking client advisers in other locations including Singapore and Switzerland, said the sources. Story continues SECOND IN WEALTH Globally, Hong Kong ranked second in wealth per adult after Switzerland in mid-2019, and 10th in the number of people with more than $50 million in assets, according to a Credit Suisse report. The city competes with Singapore to be considered Asia's premier financial centre. Global private banks including Credit Suisse, Julius Baer and UBS, as well as Asian wealth managers have operations in both hubs. A planned law last year that would have allowed extradition to China from Hong Kong was shelved after months of increasingly violent protests, but it sent shivers through the city's wealthy who feared Beijing could have used it to freeze assets. Some went so far as to move funds. Now the proposed security law is triggering concerns about the semi-autonomous city's freedoms and particularly, the legal protections it offers. The specifics of the new bill remain unclear. It is meant to tackle secession, subversion and terrorism and it could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in Hong Kong. China has previously targeted mainland citizens in Hong Kong, mostly as part of corruption investigations, but there hasn't been a large public seizure of assets in the city. "Now, it may just be that there will be more of a process around these things (after the imposition of the law)," said a wealth manager, whose firm manages over $200 billion in assets. Two medical workers transport an elderly man from the Cobble Hill nursing home in Brooklyn to a nearby hospital amid the coronavirus crisis on April 24, 2020. Braulio Jatar / Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's controversial March 25 order that required nursing homes to admit COVID-19 patients was deleted from the state of New York's website, Fox News reported. On May 10, Cuomo released new guidance that prohibited hospitals from sending people who tested positive for COVID-19 back to nursing homes, though his administration said the new guidance added to but did not replace the original order. At least 5,800 people have died in New York nursing homes and adult care facilities. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's March 25 order that required nursing homes to admit patients who were suspected to have or had tested positive for COVID-19 has been deleted from the state of New York's website, Fox News reported Tuesday. On Wednesday, the state of New York's website displayed an error message, stating the "page that you are looking for is not found," in place of a link to the original document. The March 25 order is only accessible through an archived version of the webpage, posted by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Before Cuomo released new guidance on May 10, mandating that hospitals could not send COVID-19 positive patients back to nursing homes until they tested negative for the virus, the controversial order stated that "no resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the [nursing home] solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19." The order also said nursing homes and adult facilities were "prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission." Cuomo's office told Fox News that the state Department of Health regularly updates its website to avoid confusion, though his office insisted the May 10 order was not a backtrack of its previous order, according to Fox News. It is unclear if Cuomo's office or the state's health department had a role in the removal of the March document. Story continues Peter Ajemian, Cuomo's senior communications director, told Fox News that the May 10 guidance did not replace the March 25 order. "DOH posted updated guidance that builds on the original March 25 guidance which barred nursing homes from discriminating against COVID patients," Ajemian said. "As we said at the time, the updated guidance didn't supersede the March 25th guidance rather, it added a new requirement that says hospitals cannot discharge patients to nursing homes until they test negative." He added: "Then and now, nursing homes cannot discriminate against COVID patients and they cannot accept patients if they aren't able to provide adequate care, including staff screenings, PPE, and infection control measures like cohorting." The March 25 order has been criticized for its role in increasing deaths and infections in New York nursing homes, which house populations at high risk of the most serious symptoms and side effects of COVID-19. "It was the single dumbest decision anyone could make if they wanted to kill people," Daniel Arbeeny, whose 88-year-old father died of COVID-19 after he removed him from a Brooklyn nursing facility, told the Associated Press. As the AP reported, Cuomo reportedly ordered over 4,300 recovering COVID-19 patients to be sent to nursing homes. At least 5,800 people have died of COVID-19 in New York State nursing homes or adult care facilities. Cuomo has defended his March order and said he was just following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a previous Business Insider report. "New York followed the president's agencies' guidance," Cuomo said during a press conference on Saturday. "What New York did was follow what the Republican Administration said to do. That's not my attempt to politicize it. It's my attempt to depoliticize it. So don't criticize the state for following the president's policy." The office of Gov. Cuomo and New York Department of Health did not immediately return Busines Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider AFP via Getty Images Donald Trump has threatened big action against Twitter after suggesting he could shut down social networks that fact check him. Twitter has now shown that everything we have been saying about them (and their other compatriots) is correct. Big action to follow! the president tweeted. Mr Trumps latest threat came after he suggested that social networks would be regulated or shut down before they were able to totally silence conservatives voices. On Twitter, the president continued: We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. Twitter has now shown that everything we have been saying about them (and their other compatriots) is correct. Big action to follow! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020 The threat follows Twitter adding in a label underneath previous tweets from the president fact-checking his claims about mail-in ballots. Mr Trump tweeted: Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed under a mail-in voting system and claimed that it would result in a rigged election. The social media company added a blue link underneath that tweet which read Get the facts about mail-in ballots. Tapping the link would take users to a Twitter-curated moment which included articles from publications such as CNN and the Washington Post, as well as a series of tweets from journalists debunking the claim. In a statement on the decision to add an unprecedented fact-checking label to Mr Trumps tweets, Twitter said: These Tweets (here and here) contain potentially misleading information about voting processes and have been labelled to provide additional context around mail-in ballots. This decision is in line with the approach we shared earlier this month. Story continues While voter fraud is slightly more common via postal voting than voting in-person, actual cases of voter fraud are very rare. Nevertheless, Mr Trump has often used the platform to spread false information about the US voting system, such as thousands of people being transported into states in order to vote for Hillary Clinton, Mr Trumps election rival, in 2016. Ms Clinton won 2.8 million more votes than Donald Trump, yet did not win the electoral college and so did not become president. Just like we cant let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!! Mr Trump tweeted. ....happen again. Just like we cant let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020 The notion that right-wing voices are censored on social media is one that Republicans and Conservatives have often pushed. In 2018, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey did say that employees might have their own biases which could be more left-leaning but that such political views did not impact the companys policy when it comes to content on its platform. Such criticisms are currently being questioned as Mr Trump shared the same message on Facebook, where it received 170,000 reactions and was shared 17,000 times. Facebooks has a policy of removing content which misrepresents ways of voting or voter registration, but the company said it would not take action. In a statement, it said: We believe that people should be able to have a robust debate about the electoral process, which is why we have crafted our policies to focus on misrepresentations that would interfere with the vote. Mr Trump also continues to tweet unverified information to his audience of 80 million followers. This includes Twitters refusal to delete tweets from the president that suggest an MSNBC host was responsible for the death of an employee. Lori Klausutis, an employee of former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough, died following an accident, but Mr Trump has tweeted multiple messages suggesting otherwise. ....about whether or not Joe could have done such a horrible thing? Maybe or maybe not, but I find Joe to be a total Nut Job, and I knew him well, far better than most. So many unanswered & obvious questions, but I wont bring them up now! Law enforcement eventually will? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020 Timothy Klausutis, the widower of the late Ms Klausutis, sent a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey asking for the company to remove the tweets. The company did not, instead saying that it was deeply sorry about the pain these statements, and the attention they are drawing, are causing the family. Moreover, the Trump campaign team infamously benefited from their presence on social media in the light of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, when it was revealed that Facebook had staff who worked alongside Mr Trumps campaign team to increase the number of donations to the campaign and the reach their posts received. While the Clinton campaign team also worked with Facebook, the social media site had less influence over how the Democratic campaign team approached digital marketing than the Republican one. Since then, Mr Trump has attacked social media platforms repeatedly, including Google and Facebook. In 2018, he accused them of trying to silence right-wing voices. Both Facebook and Google have denied this. The following year, the White House announced it was launching a service where Americans could share stories of political bias from companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter. This news follows a recent report from the Wall Street Journal, which suggests that Facebook shelved research that would make its platform less politically polarising because the proposed changes would have disproportionately affected conservative users and publishers. Read more Trump threatens Twitter and Facebook over illegal situation Social media is failing miserably at battling coronavirus fake news This is the most honest Trump has ever been with the American people Trump asks if he should be using insulin, a drug for diabetics Kano State Government said it will enrol the over 1,000 repatriated Quranic education pupils, generally known as almajiri into formal schools in line with its free and compulsory education policy. Every child in Kano State, including almajirai must go to school, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje said on Wednesday during media briefing by the State Task Force on COVID-19, held at the Government House, Kano. According to him, the government had concluded plans to incorporate the children into conventional schools to chart a better future for them. Mr Ganduje warned that the government would not allow Almajiri schools to operate in any part of the state unless they meet some criteria and guidelines. If an Almajiri system will be allowed in Kano, there are guidelines which if followed they will allow for it to continue. These include, having a curriculum that tallies with a formal school system; there must be provision for the Almajiri in terms of their full shelter, food, clothing and all other necessary livelihoods. There must be qualified teachers who will be certified by the government through test and examinations. If these guidelines are strictly followed and abide by, then we will allow the system to fully operate in Kano, he assured. On COVID-19, the governor said that the fight against the virus was yielding positive results in the state. Earlier, the Commissioner, Local Government Affairs, Murtala Garo, said 723 Almajiri school students repatriated from other states had been reunited with their families. Mr Garo, who chairs the state Almajiri Evacuation Committee, said the 28 almajiri school students who tested positive for coronavirus were receiving treatment in the state. (NAN) File photo Barely two weeks after a female on-air personality (OAP) with Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), (Pacesetters FM), Umuahia, Abia State was abducted; the assistant manager News and Current Affairs of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Channel 6 Aba, Mrs. Chinyere Okoye has been kidnapped, NAN reports. Mrs. Okoye was said to have been kidnapped on Wednesday night after close of work. It was gathered that the victim had closed for work after supervising the 7pm News bulletin and was heading for home. On getting in front of her compound near Obikabia junction and was waiting for her people to open the gate of the house, the hoodlums who appeared to have laid in wait, picked her up to an unknown destination. The kidnappers were said to have driven her away in her own car. The womans husband was said to have on the same Wednesday night put a call across to his wifes line, but the call was answered by one of the kidnappers who told him they would call him back later. The abductors however reportedly called their victims husband yesterdays morning and demanded an undisclosed amount as ransom. General Manager NTA Aba, Nwadi Elobuike who confirmed the incident to journalists expressed shock over the development. She narrated how she left the station after the 7pm news, about the same time with Chinyere only to be alerted of the development as she was about to enter her house. The victim is said to be a staff of the Enugu NTA Zonal Office before she was recently transferred to Aba. Police authorities in the state could not be reached for comment on the incident, but a senior army officer with the 14 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Ohafia, who wouldnt want his name in print confirmed the womans abduction and said efforts are on top gear for her rescue. With over 60 cases being reported from the hilly district of Tehri Garhwal in a week, Uttarakhand is now changing the focus of testing to its mountainous regions. Amit Singh Negi, Uttarakhands health secretary on Thursday asked officials to increase testing in the hilly districts, especially for those returning from red zones. Testing should be increased in the hill districts as much as possible. Booth facilities can also be developed for this and cooperation of private hospitals should be sought for this, said Negi. He asked officials to hire outsourced personnel to increase manpower in the health department and ensure that all possible facilities are provided to those being quarantined. At a meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in the state, the health secretary said that there is no shortage of funds in the state and all necessary facilities and arrangements should be ensured in the quarantine facilities. According to the health departments bulletin, there are 19,939 people in quarantine centres in the state. The people at the quarantine facilities should be made to feel comfortable. Cleanliness should also be taken care of. Covid-19 Care Centers are very important and officials should try to have more space available there, Negi said. The health department reported 24 cases on Thursday. Six of the cases were from Dehradun, eight from Haridwar and 10 from Tehri. The new cases have taken Uttarakhands tally to 493. Most of these patients had a travel history from Maharashtra. Three of those reported from Dehradun district were vendors from Niranjanpur Mandi, one of the biggest vegetable markets in Uttarakhand. The rate of doubling stands at 3.99 days in Uttarakhand for the last seven days, while the rate of infection stands at 2.49%. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Vaccines make animals disease-immune for a particular disease. In biological terms, vaccination against a particular pathogen aims to mimic the development of naturally acquired immunity by inoculation of non-pathogenic but immunogenic components of that pathogen. Animal vaccines market is dominated by production animals due to increasing global consumption of meat and milk products. The animal vaccines market can be segmented into seven categories based on animal type namely livestock, companion animals, poultry, equine, aquaculture, and other animal vaccines. Some of the key segments are further categorized based on the application of these animals. The livestock vaccines can be segmented into bovine vaccines and small ruminant vaccines, whereas the companion animal vaccines include canine vaccines and feline vaccines. To Get Free Sample Request Visit @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3310 Based on technology, animal vaccines market are categorized under seven key segments namely live attenuated vaccines, inactivated vaccines, subunit vaccines, toxoid vaccines, conjugate vaccines, recombinant vaccines and DNA vaccines.DNA vaccines is growing at the fastest rate among the segments by technology due to cost effectiveness, convenient production and added thermo-stability as compared with traditional vaccines. The animal vaccines market is also increasing due to the increasing animal bites which may be fatal for human if the animal is not vaccinated against diseases. According to King County (a county in the U.S.), out of the total animal bites in the U.S. every year, approximately two-thirds are dog bites, which is high among children of age group 5-9 years. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2012 more than 27,000 people underwent reconstructive surgery as a result of dog bite. The Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that dog attack victims suffer losses of around one-two billion every year over treatment in the U.S. According to the European Pet Food Industry Federation, there were 271.1 million pet animals in the European Union in 2012 including 75.3 million pet dogs and 89.8 million pet cats. France, Italy, the U.K., Ukraine and Germany were in the list of top ten countries with the largest cat population, while France and Romania had the largest dog population in Europe. Leptospirosis is one of the key bacterial diseases which occur in 60% of U.K. dairy herds. The most common preventive measure for this disease is vaccination. Asia Pacific is witnessing high growth rate in production animals vaccines due to its increasing consumption and trade of meat. Chinas increasing demand for meat is making it one of the largest markets for animal healthcare products for production animals. In 2012, production animals accounted for 98% of the animal healthcare market in the country. According to USDA, with the consumption of 71.2 million tons, China consumed almost one quarter of the total meat produced globally in 2012. It is also the largest swine meat consumer globally. For More Details and Order Copy of this Report Visit @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/3310 The global animal vaccines market is dominated by North America followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. Asia is expected to witness fastest growth during 2014-2020 on account of increasing per capita income which is increasing the expenditure of people on meat and milk products. The major companies in the animal vaccines market include Zoetis, Merck, Sanofi-Aventis, Bayer Healthcare Novartis and Virbac. LOS ANGELES, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stackin' , a text message based financial platform, today announced it has raised a $12.6 million Series B funding round led by Octopus Ventures, along with participation from new and existing investors including Experian Ventures, Cherry Tree Investments, Dig Ventures, Mucker Capital, Unlock Venture Partners, TechStars and Wavemaker Partners. Marieke Christmann, Principal at Octopus Ventures, will join the company's board of directors. Stackin's mission is to empower a generation of younger consumers with a simple and personalized way to reach their financial goals. Through text message, Stackin' provides the necessary tools to build healthy financial habits over time in a fun, entertaining, judgement-free relationship all from one's phone. Powered by a custom messaging platform, Stackin's personalized messages provide subscribers various ways to save money, reduce debt and start investing. With over 100 million text messages sent to over one million subscribers, Stackin' offers education, tips, guidance and access to pre-selected products featured within the company's marketplace. Stackin' will use the financing to deepen the relationship with subscribers through enhanced personalization, simplified financial product on-boarding and broaden its marketplace of financial products and services. The company also plans to expand to the UK later this year. "For those of us living in big cities, exposed to lots of advertising, it's easy to forget that large parts of the population are unaware of the range of financial services available to them, often those with better service and superior value. Stackin's mission is all about increasing access to financial products and it's clear that this has resonated with millions in the US across a broad demographic," said Marieke Christmann, Principal at Octopus Ventures. "With its deep fintech expertise and array of direct to consumer offerings, the opportunity for expansion in the UK is just as exciting, and we look forward to helping Scott and the team make this a reality." "This funding allows us to provide our current users a more personalized and connected experience, expand and enhance our partnerships and continue our rapid growth," said Scott Grimes, CEO and co-founder of Stackin'. "We're thrilled to partner with Octopus Ventures to support our vision to create an entirely new type of financial relationship with the next generation of consumers." With this funding, Stackin' aims to become the main financial connection point to its subscribers. By creating the simplest entry point into finance, Stackin' utilizes machine learning, data and predictive analytics to more efficiently place users into helpful financial products. In conjunction, Stackin' will expand its marketplace which currently offers deposit, checking and investing products to include credit cards, loans and insurance. The marketplace will continue to be curated around products and services that are most beneficial to the Stackin' subscriber. Stackin' will also introduce deeper personalization of its messaging service based on the subscriber's interests, data, engagements, and aspirations. This customization will better educate and empower users around their financial goals. In addition to the funding, the company recently announced a collaboration with Twilio and Google, to be among the first companies using Verified SMS to strengthen relationships with their customers. The Verified SMS technology enables select partners to send branded and authenticated SMS to build trust, maintain the integrity of their brands, and boost engagement with their customers. About Stackin' Stackin' is the simplest entry point into finance with over one million subscribers and a mission to empower people to improve their financial lives via text message. Stackin' provides the necessary tools & curated products for a younger generation of consumers to build healthy financial habits over time in a fun, entertaining, judgement-free relationship. Powered by a custom messaging platform, data, machine learning and human touch, their personalized messages educate subscribers on how to save money, reduce debt and start investing. The company is backed by leading venture and strategic investors such as Octopus Ventures, Experian Ventures, Social Leverage, Dig Ventures, Clocktower Ventures, Unlock and Mucker Capital. Stackin' was launched in 2017 by consumer technology veterans, Scott Grimes and Kyle Arbaugh. For more information visit www.startstackin.com . About Octopus Ventures: Octopus Ventures helps pioneers change the world. The pioneers we back dare to reimagine the future of health, money and deep tech. With 1.2 billion under management, Octopus Ventures is one of the largest VCs in Europe. Our typical investment is from 1 million for Seed to 10 million for Series B and we can follow our investment from a few hundred thousand right up to 25 million. Our team is based in London and New York with Venture Partners in San Francisco, Singapore and China. The companies we back become a part of this network, with access to a formidable resource of experience and expertise. Octopus Ventures has backed the founding teams of nearly 100 companies including Zoopla, Secret Escapes, Elvie, Depop, Sofar Sounds and Cazoo. Some of our portfolio companies have gone on to join forces with the world's largest businesses including Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Twitter. SOURCE Stackin' Related Links http://www.startstackin.com Wall Street stocks stumbled in late afternoon trading Thursday on rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, after European bourses advanced as more of the continent took steps to end coronavirus shutdowns. US stocks had been in positive territory most of the day despite poor economic data, but finally pulled back after US President Donald Trump announced he would hold a press conference on China on Friday. The announcement follows strong US criticism of a security law allowing China to tighten its grip on Hong Kong. Trump has also blamed Beijing for the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 100,000 Americans and added new uncertainty to his re-election prospects. The twin developments have investors fearing the return of a revived US-China trade war. "At the moment, it's just talk, primarily, but you can't ignore it completely because, as we've seen in the past with this kind of thing, once it escalates, it escalates very quickly," said JJ Kinahan, chief market strategist at TD Ameritrade. Labor Department data showed another 2.12 million people filed for unemployment in the United States last week, pushing total layoffs since the start of the coronavirus crisis to more than 40 million. New orders for US manufactured goods also plunged 17.2 percent in April after a similar steep decline in March, the Commerce Department reported. Though terrible, the data was not significantly worse than expected and investors shrugged it off for most of the day. - Paris cafes to reopen - Earlier, major European bourses gained more than one percent as Italy set June 20 as the date for the Serie A football league to resume, while France announced the long-awaited nationwide reopening of bars, restaurants and cafes from June 2, albeit with restrictions. "Equity markets in Europe are set to finish the day in positive territory as traders are hoping that governments will continue to loosen their lockdown restrictions," said CMC Markets analyst David Madden. "The reopening of economies has been a common theme across the markets in recent weeks, and it's the reason why stocks have been bullish lately." Europe's bourses had vaulted higher on Wednesday after EU leaders unveiled a vast 750 billion euro ($825-billion) proposal to the European Parliament and member states. If passed, the deal -- which aims to help the worst-affected countries with a mix of grants and loans -- would be the biggest EU stimulus package ever. In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei jumped 2.3 percent, ending at a three-month high on optimism over the gradual reopening of virus-hit economies worldwide, even as investors kept a close eye on the acrimony between Beijing and Washington. Hong Kong stocks shed 0.7 percent after China's parliament pushed ahead with the new security law. - Key figures around 2050 GMT - New York - Dow: DOWN 0.6 percent at 25,400.64 (close) New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,029.73 (close) New York - Nasdaq: DOWN 0.5 percent at 9,368.99 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 1.2 percent at 6,218.79 (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 1.1 percent at 11,781.13 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.8 percent at 4,771.39 (close) EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.4 percent at 3,094.47 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 2.3 percent at 21,916.31 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 0.7 percent at 23,132.76 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 2,846.22 (close) Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.6 percent at $35.29 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 2.7 percent at $33.71 per barrel Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1077 from $1.1006 at 2100 GMT Dollar/yen: DOWN at 107.59 yen from 107.72 Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2319 from $1.2261 Euro/pound: UP at 89.92 pence from 89.77 pence burs-jmb/cs The law would punish secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and acts that endanger national security. The national legislature has endorsed a decision to enact a national security law in Hong Kong at the closing session of its annual meeting today in Beijing in an overwhelming vote. The decision was greeted with applause. Chinese PM Li, mapping the next political landscape Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, told the third session of the 13th National People's Congress, the committee would formulate relevant laws to safeguard national security and long-term prosperity of Hong Kong, in line with China's Constitution and the Basic Law. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, told the third session of the 13th National People's Congress, the committee would formulate relevant laws to safeguard national security and long-term prosperity of Hong Kong, in line with China's Constitution and the Basic Law. At the concluding session, 2,878 delegates voted in favor of a decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for Hong Kong, reflecting collective will to fix loopholes in its legal system. One voting against, while six abstained. The law would punish secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and acts that endanger national security. Meanwhile, National security legislation will ensure the implementation of the 'One Country, Two Systems,' state policy for the city's long-term stability and prosperity, Premier Li Keqiang said in Beijing today. He was referring to the National People's Congress decision at its concluding session on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for Hong Kong to safeguard national security. The decision was adopted in an overwhelming vote by legislators. Li made the remarks when responding to a question by a reporter of a Chinese TV network on whether 'One Country, Two Systems" had been abandoned. He insisted it was state policy. Meanwhile, The Chief Executive Carrie Lam welcomed the passage of the decision by the National People's Congress on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for Hong Kong to safeguard national security "The HKSAR is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China. Safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is the constitutional duty of the HKSAR and concerns every Hong Kong citizen.'' "Given the difficulty of the executive and legislative authorities of the HKSAR to complete on their own legislation to safeguard national security in the foreseeable future, there is the need and the urgency for the passage of the decision by the NPC to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for Hong Kong to safeguard national security at the state level,'' Lam said in a statement. "It also shows the care of the country towards the HKSAR. "Nevertheless, we understand that the HKSAR still has the legal responsibility to enact legislation in accordance with Article 23 of the Basic Law and should complete the legislation to safeguard national security as soon as possible.'' She said government will fully co-operate with the Standing Committee of the NPC to complete the relevant work on legislation as soon as possible and proactively reflect the detailed situation in Hong Kong during the process. "We will also proactively explain the objective and the importance of the legislation to various sectors. As required by the decision, the government will enhance enforcement and public education in relation to safeguarding national security, and report regularly to the Central People's Government. "The legislation to be enacted for the HKSAR to safeguard national security aims to prevent, curb and sanction an extremely small minority of criminals who threaten national security, safeguarding the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and maintaining "One Country, Two Systems,'" she said. "It will not affect the legitimate rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents. "One Country, Two Systems" has been Hong Kong's top advantage, and a stable and safe society will provide a favorable business and investment environment. This will help better Hong Kong's development down the road. "I strongly believe that various sectors of society will lend their full support for the legislation.'' A Thai man with a foot fetish was arrested after stealing more than 100 pairs of thongs and getting intimate with them. Locals in Nonthaburi, central Thailand, reported having their thongs stolen before officers detained Theerapat Klaiya, 24, a short time later. Police were able to identify Klaiya using CCTV footage from one of his victim's homes. Thai man Theerapat Klaiya, 24, (pictured sitting) has confessed to stealing more than 100 pairs of thongs which he would rub on his body and have 'sex' with them Thailand police caught Klaiya using CCTV at one of his victim's homes and arrested him a short time later where he had confessed to using the thongs (pictured) as intimate objects Klaiya told police he had stolen 126 pairs of thongs over the course of two years as a part of his foot fetish, Perth Now reported. He said he would wear the thongs because it turned him on and then he would rub them over his body before having 'sex' with them. After officers ran a police check on Klaiya they discovered he had been caught for stealing thongs before. Police Major Colonel Ekkaphop Prasitwattanachai said officers arrested Klaiya in a different district of Thailand in 2019 for stealing the footwear. 'He fully admitted stealing the sandals for lewd purposes,' he said. 'So (he) will be detained at the station until a court appearance for prosecutors to decide on the next part of the legal process for him.' He was charged with night time theft and snatching, possessing a digital transceiver without permission, and violating the coronavirus curfew. Notes the resignation of Emmanuel Babeau as of May 22, 2020 Coopts Gilles Schnepp for the remainder of Emmanuel Babeau's term of office PARIS - May 22, 2020 - At its meeting held on May 22, 2020, the Board of Directors duly noted the resignation of Emmanuel Babeau and decided, after consultation of the Appointments and Governance Committee, to coopt Gilles Schnepp as Independent Director for the remainder of Emmanuel Babeau's term of office (expiring at the end of the Annual Shareholders' Meeting held in 2022 to approve the financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021). The cooptation of Gilles Schnepp will be subject to ratification by the next Shareholders' Meeting of Sanofi, on April 28, 2021. Gilles Schnepp has also been appointed as a member of the Audit Committee. A graduate of HEC in 1981, Gilles Schnepp began his career at Merrill Lynch in 1983 before joining Legrand in 1989 where he held several positions before becoming Deputy Chief Executive Officer in 2001, Chief Executive Officer in 2004 and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2006. Since 2018, he has been Chairman of the Board of Directors Gilles Schnepp has also been a member of the Board of Directors of Saint Gobain since 2009 and Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board of PSA since 2019. Gilles Schnepp thus brings to the Board his skills in financial matters and his experience in managing international groups. The entire Board of Directors thanked Emmanuel Babeau for his very substantial and active participation in the meetings of the Board and of the Audit Committee of which he was a member. The Board of Directors has 16 members, including 11 who are deemed independent and two Directors representing employees. About Sanofi Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions. With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe. Sanofi, Empowering Life Media Relations Contact Quentin Vivant Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 77 46 46 mr@sanofi.com (mailto:mr@sanofi.com) Investor Relations Contact Felix Lauscher Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 77 45 45 ir@sanofi.com (mailto:ir@sanofi.com) About Sanofi Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare Attachment The new law stipulating that sex at birth cannot be changed in legal documents has ignited a debate between two sides which speak mutually exclusive languages. An omnibus bill introducing, among others, the concept of sex at birth rather than sex, was passed by the dominant Fidesz majority in Parliament on Tuesday. The difference is that sex at birth, by definition, cannot be changed except in extreme cases where it is proven to be biologically mistaken. So far, transitions from one gender to another, have been tolerated by the authorities and birth certificates could be changed accordingly. This was possible despite the absence of explicit legislation which recognised the possibility of a transition from one sex to another. Over the past three years such procedures have been halted by the government. The new law puts an end to the ambiguity which transsexual people had found acceptable, although not satisfactory. There is no official record of the number of officially recognized gender transitions, but experts believe it must be in the hundreds. On Wmn.hu a progressive lifestyle web magazine, Noe Horvath, a man who was a female called Noemi at birth, believes thousands of transgender people will now be left with no choice but emigration. He estimates that there might be as many as 50 thousand transgender people in Hungary. The new legislation, he suggests, will cause huge difficulties in their everyday lives, unless they have already had their transition officially recognised those people, he explains, will find themselves in impossible situations facing even the most banal ID checks, e.g. when crossing borders, using their credit cards or applying for jobs. On Mandiner, constitutional lawyer and university lecturer Zsolt Szabo agrees with the new legislation. To substantiate his position, he recalls the example of a 69-year-old Dutchman who applied for a new birth certificate proposing a much later birth date, as he felt much younger than his official age. His request was of course rejected, but if sexual transitions can be recorded retroactively in birth certificates, Szabo asks, then why not allow people to change their birth dates as well? This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online. Click here to Share Your Story UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak is rolling out Project Birch, the governments second major pandemic bailout for big business. Project Birch follows on from the handing over of nearly a trillion pounds in the form of quantitative easing of 645 billion and 330 billion in business loans. If required, the Treasury is planning to take shareholdings in struggling corporations, as it did with some banks it bailed out after the 2008/09 financial crash. Sunak will save strategically important companies. Any private conglomerate will be propped up whose failure would supposedly disproportionately harm the economy. The Financial Times commented, Under Project Birch Sunak has increased the capacity of the Treasury to handle bespoke bailouts of viable companies which have exhausted all options, including government loan schemes. As well as handing out billions in bespoke bailouts, speculation is mounting that Sunak will take state equity into companies drowning in debt. The FT cited the chancellors allies, who said the Treasury would not initially look to take equity stakes in struggling companies, some of which do not have investment-grade credit ratings and cannot access a Bank of England commercial loan scheme. The preferred option would be to extend loans to corporations and Other bespoke rescue schemes being examined could see state loans advanced which convert to equity. How advanced talks are over creating a body for the purpose of the government purchasing stakes in firms was revealed by the FTs report. It stated, Jim ONeill, former Treasury minister and ex-chief economist at Goldman Sachs, has discussed with government officials the creation of a public-sector-owned funding bodyperhaps with an initial investment capacity of 25bnto take stakes in inherently stable businesses. You convert into preferred equity on the assumption that some of these companies have a good future, then flog thema la Margaret Thatcherover time, he said. Corporations are queuing up for the additional handouts, including Virgin Atlantic owned by multi-billionaire Sir Richard Branson. Branson has been seeking around 500 million in funding from the Johnson government. This provoked widespread outrage, as Branson is a notorious super-rich tax exile. In March, all Virgin Atlantic staff were told to take eight weeks unpaid leave over the next three months, with the cost spread over six months salary, to drastically reduce costs without job losses. Virgin announced it was grateful to have the support of BALPA and UNITE [trade unions] in agreeing to support unpaid leave, alongside other extensive measures. The firm announced a one-time voluntary severance package to all employees, Deferring annual pay increases until review in January 2021 and Reducing employer pension contribution for a period of one year. Having pushed through the pay cuts, this month Virgin still announced plans to axe 3,150 jobs from its UK operation and end operations at Gatwick Airport. Along with Virgin Atlantic, the FT notes, Loganair are already in talks with the government, while Tata Steel has also said it is discussing what support might be available. According to reports, Tata Steel, the UKs largest steel producer, is seeking a financial injection from the UK and Welsh governments worth around 500 million. The Guardians report on Project Birch noted, Jaguar Land Rover is in talks with the government over potential state aid of as much as 1bn, while Aston Martin has said that it is looking at options for further government funding. Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is discussing extra government support through existing research funding programmes. These bailouts are on top of the massive subvention to big business via the furlough scheme, under which the government is paying 80 percent of the wages of around 8 million workers. At least a quarter of the FTSE 250 index corporations are receiving these funds, with at least 20 billionaires benefitting. This largesse is costing the taxpayer 15 billion a month. Ending the furlough scheme is central to the governments agenda of returning millions to work under unsafe conditions. Sunak is set to announce major restrictions ahead of its effective ending in August. According to the Financial Times, Sunak will ban any new employees from entering the scheme from the end of July. Reports suggest Sunak will tell employers that from August 1 they must fund 20-25 percent of furloughed workers wages. Though the scheme supposedly runs until November, few companies will meet the additional costs from July 31. The majority of firms have already refused to pay the additional 20 percent to make wages whole under the present arrangements. Sunak is also considering ending the state finance paid to two million self-employed people. Payments are due to expire in just a few days. Three quarters of self-employed people are reliant on the scheme and ending it would leave around 1.5 million workers without any income. The Labour Party and trade union bureaucracy immediately endorsed the latest bailout proposals. Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds declared, We have been calling for some time for the Government to take a more strategic approach and ensure it supports critical UK industries. Steve Turner, assistant general secretary for Unite, said, Its very welcome news that a rescue plan for UK plc is finally taking shape. There is no more time to lose if we are to prevent a tsunami of job losses from sweeping through communities this summer. The claim that shovelling further billions at the corporations will stem a further jobs cull should be treated with contempt. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the major corporations have not only taken advantage of an unprecedented crisis to slash workers terms and conditions, but have also announced tens of thousands of job losses. First among these are firms now seeking additional bailouts, including Rolls-Royce (9,000 jobs), Virgin Atlantic (3,150), British Airways (12,000). Others are Anglo-German TUI (8,000), the worlds largest tour operator, P&O Ferries (1,100), Britains second-largest energy supplier OVO Energy and heavy construction maker JCB (950). On Thursday, EasyJet announced it would shed up to up to 30 percent of its 15,000 strong workforce. This would reflect "the reduced fleet, the optimisation of our network and bases, improved productivity as well as the promotion of more efficient ways of working." The support of the unions for further bailouts was guaranteed by their pro-capitalist agenda and integral role in advocating a mass return to work. The unions played a critical role in Sunaks original bailout out programme. Trades Union Congress leader Frances OGrady hailed Sunaks 350 billion loan guarantee scheme as real leadership and boasted that she was glad hes listened to the unions. The UKs ongoing bailout takes place in the context of a developing trade war among the major global powers. In recent days, Germanys flagship airline Lufthansa has been handed a 9 billion bailout, with the government taking a 20 percent share in the company and given a veto in the event of a hostile takeover bid. Berlin has established a 100 billion fund to take stakes in ailing but strategically important corporations. On Wednesday, the European Commission announced it will hand over a further 1.85 trillion to corporations across the continent. The plan will be central to the EUs long-term budget (2021-27) and a special recovery fund titled Next Generation EU. Three new Chinese owned trawlers have docked at Tema Port, registered under the Ghanaian flag awaiting licensing by the Fisheries Commission to operate on the Ghanaian waters, the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), an international Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) working to protect the environment, has revealed. This, it said was against the 2012 moratorium on new industrial trawlers entering Ghanaian waters, which was enacted as a measure to check severe depletion of fish stocks. According to the EJF, the new vessels, Yu Feng 1, 3 and 4 were all built in China in 2016 and were all flying the Chinese flag before arriving in Ghana. It said the Fisheries Management Plan of Ghana which was under review states that 48 trawlers were the most that the Ghanaian waters could sustain, yet 76 trawlers were licensed at the end of 2019. The EJF in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Cape Coast, explained that the Fisheries Amendment Regulation (LI 2217) of 2015 provided guidelines for registering new vessels. According to Section 24 (A) of the 2015 Fisheries Amendment Regulations, (LI 2217), applications to register a fishing vessel as a Ghanaian fishing vessel must be submitted to the Fisheries Commission. The application must include information such as the names, addresses and details of the beneficial owners and operators of the vessel (Section 24A(2)(e)). The Commission is required to verify the information provided (Section 24C) and, where satisfied that the vessel fulfills the requirements of the Regulations, shall recommend to the Ghana Maritime Authority that the vessel be registered as a Ghanaian fishing vessel (Section 24D), it stated. It said to protect Ghanas food security and local livelihoods especially in these worrying times of COVID-19, the government must ensure that the industrial fleet was of a sustainable size. In a related development, the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC) in an open letter to the Fisheries Commission, strongly opposed the decision to grant these vessels licenses to fish in Ghanas waters. According to them, not only was there a government moratorium on fishing licenses for new or replacement trawl vessels, but overfishing and the destructive illegal practices of many trawlers were having a devastating impact on fish population in Ghana and livelihoods of coastal communities. The country is already confronted with major challenges in controlling the existing licensed vessels in Ghana. We continue to see large quantities of fish landed by saiko canoes at Elmina fishing harbor, even after government and industry committed to end the practice last November, the GNCFC said in its letter. The EJF in 2018 revealed that foreign companies, overwhelmingly Chinese, operate through Ghanaian front companies, using opaque corporate structures to import their vessels and register and obtain a license. Mr Steve Trent, Executive Director, EJF, said: ensuring that all fishing is legal, ethical and sustainable has never been more important as the world reels from the impacts of Covid-19, communities will need these resources more than ever. The Fisheries Commission has the chance to do the right thing: heed scientific advice, refuse these trawlers a license and protect Ghanas fisheries and its people, he added. In 2017, industrial trawlers caught almost the same amount of fish as the entire artisanal sector, when illegal and unreported catches were taken into account. That is 76 trawlers catching approximately the same amount of fish as over 11,000 canoes or 100,000 fishers, research had revealed. 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 OTTAWAMeng Wanzhous victory dance photo-op on the steps of a Vancouver courthouse last weekend was premature. Her legal troubles are not over. Nor are the personal, political and diplomatic risks for Canadians jailed in China or the federal Liberal government struggling to navigate Chinas rage over detention of the Huawei executive. Not by a long shot. B.C. Judge Heather Holmes decision to allow the U.S. effort to extradite Meng to proceed means Meng remains in Canada as the case drags on, in her luxury Vancouver home, while two Canadians remain behind bars in China. Her defence took a big hit Wednesday when Holmes rejected a narrow technical reading of what constitutes fraud. The ruling could have ended the saga had she been freed. Instead, it deepened the peril for the Canadians jailed abroad and put pressure on Trudeau to find a political solution for the longer term. The U.S. charges that Meng, the chief financial officer of Huawei, deceived a multinational financial institution, HSBC, which has operations in the U.S., about Huaweis ties to another company, Skycom, to bypass U.S. prohibitions on doing business in Iran. The ruling said she secured billions of dollars in loans along the way, though the charges of bank fraud remain unproven. The B.C. judge said Canada did not have the same sanctions against Iran as the U.S. is relying on. But she said the elements of fraud in both countries are similar, and fighting fraud is part of Canadas international obligations to curb economic crime. If there is anything unjust and oppressive about the American prosecution, the judge said, Canadas minister of justice ultimately has the power to refuse to surrender Meng. That choice, one that is as much legal as political, only comes much later. It changes nothing for Meng right now. Nor, more disturbingly, for Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor who are stuck in a Chinese prison, with no access to lawyers or consular officials in the pandemic. Theyve endured more than 500 days of what Canada again called arbitrary and unjust detention on vague charges of violating state security. Dont expect any show of leniency now. Chinas Foreign Ministry warned Canada Tuesday to immediately release Ms. Meng and ensure her safe return to China so as to avoid any continuous harm to China-Canada relations. Its as bald a threat as any. After Mengs arrest, China limited Canadian exports, arrested Kovrig, a diplomat on leave, and the businessman Spavor, while putting other jailed Canadians at threat of the death penalty. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Beijing doesnt seem to get an independent justice system. On Wednesday, his government downplayed the ruling as a significant moment. Thats the problem in the eyes of many of the governments critics. Conservative Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer accuses Trudeaus government of following a policy of appeasement toward China. Others are more nuanced, yet still sharply critical of Trudeaus failure to stand up to China. Shuvaloy Majumdar, of the Macdonald Laurier Institute, said in an interview Trudeau needs to figure out and fast where he stands on China, and what decisions and coalitions he wants to build from a long-term strategic perspective. I could give you laundry list of (decisions to take): banning Huawei, of ending the Canada-China legislative association, of entering into a strategic partnership around Hong Kong with India, Japan and a variety of others, of advocating for Taiwan in multilateral organizations, of reviewing any Chinese and Chinese-linked investment whether it is energy, or digital or pharmaceutical through the Investment Canada Act in the national security light. I can come up with dozens of things that need to be considered, said Majumdar, a former policy adviser in Stephen Harpers government. The overriding imperative is to understand what decisions to take for maximum advantage around Canadian interests in the world and around the protection of these two Michaels, he continued. But that requires a backbone. It requires the main decision to be made by Prime Minister Trudeau around whether he considers China to be a partner of the West or playing with the West. In my mind I think he is misguided to think China is a partner of the West. Lynette Ong, a professor of political science at the University of Torontos Munk School of Global Affairs and the Asian Institute, says, One could call it appeasement, but one could also call it a pragmatic approach. Ong says theres little doubt that Beijing will show its displeasure at the ruling sooner than later. And thats a concern because Canada relies on China for export of personal protective equipment and the raw materials even to make some supplies domestically. But Ong says everyone else does too. She believes that Canada is in a stronger position because of that, and because a lot of countries are now pushing back. I think Beijings power, and its standing in the international community compared to six months ago has actually declined because of the pandemic, because of the way in which it has handled the crisis. It has sparked this almost global outrage, this global alliance. Over 100 countries have come together and pressed for an independent inquiry into Chinas actions, she said. I think Canada has more room to manoeuvre now than six months ago because six months ago it was Canada fighting China. Now theres actually a bunch of countries coming together fighting China, over slightly different issues, but its all to do with the authoritarian nature of the system that it bullies countries. And the rest of the world has now seen that if we dont resist its going to affect each and every one of us. The pressure on Trudeau to take tougher actions is coming from friendly quarters too. It may soon prove hard to resist. Irwin Cotler, a former Liberal justice minister, and founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Right, said the plight of the two Michaels, and its arrest of doctors, journalists and dissidents throughout the pandemic, show China doesnt give a damn. Its worse than retaliatory hostage diplomacy, its hostage imprisonment, he said. Cotler says Canada should invoke sanctions under the so-called Magnitsky law against individuals in Xi Jinpings regime who are human rights violators. And it should act with other allies to call out China for economic rules violations at the World Trade Organization, and breaches of international health obligations at the World Health Organization. They (China) dont give a damn about humanitarian considerations, they dont give a damn about the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary or bilateral extradition treaties, Cotler said in an interview. They simply dont give a damn for all that and so they feel their authoritarian system is superior to democratic systems for which they not only dont give a damn but have contempt and they seek to bully. Therefore you need an alliance of democracies to hold them to account. Read more about: BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks rose on Thursday to extend recent gains on optimism that economic activity will gather steam in the wake of fresh fiscal stimulus proposals from the European Union and Japan. The European Union proposed Wednesday a 750 billion stimulus program to help limit the damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic. The Japanese Cabinet approved a 31.91 trillion yen ($296 billion) second supplementary budget for the fiscal year through next March to reduce the social and economic impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. The benchmark DAX rose by 77 points, or 0.66 percent, to 11,736 after rallying 1.3 percent in the previous session. 1&1 Drillisch AG shares advanced 1.4 percent. The telecommunication service provider said that the draft expert, which reviewed a price increase implemented by Telefonica, now intends to declare that the price increase is entirely unjustified. Fresenius SE & Co rose over 1 percent after its Kabi unit and German pharmaceutical company medac entered into a marketing agreement for treatments of rheumatic illnesses. Industrial design services company Bertrandt Group rallied nearly 2 percent despite reporting a fall in first-half profit. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. DETROIT - Ulysses S. Grant once lived in Detroit with his wife. Final preparations are now being made to move his historic home to a new location in the city. The home of the 18th President of the United States and Commanding General of the U.S. Army in the Civil War currently sits at the Michigan State Fairgrounds at Woodward and 8 Mile. It will soon move to the corner of Orleans and Wilkins at Eastern Market. Grant and his wife, who were newlyweds at the time, lived in this home for just over a year when he was stationed in Detroit in 1849. While living there, the couples first son, Frederick, was born. The Michigan History Center says the necessary permits have been secured allowing for the moving of the home. The permits were actually approved in late March, but work could not begin until this month because of the coronavirus pandemic and the states Stay Safe order. The state fairgrounds site has been used as a COVID-19 testing site. Proper safety and security protocols for contractors also needed to be implemented before work could begin. FUTURE PLANS FOR THE HOME Plans are for the home to become a new resource for residents, schoolchildren and visitors. This will not be a traditional house museum, Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan History Center said. Our hope is to make it a place to explore Grants life and the impact he made on Detroit while living here and in his later actions as a Civil War General and U.S. president. The Grant family home was originally located at 253 Fort St. between Rivard and Russell. The homes original location would have been along the south side of todays Navarre Place in southern Lafayette Park. The new location of the Grant House is exciting, as it is closer to its original location, Dan Carmody, president of the Eastern Market Partnership added. We are happy to have the home and the stories it can tell about Detroit in the mid-19th century become a part of the fabric of Eastern Market. DELICATELY MOVING THE HOME Contractors began work to prepare moving the house earlier this month. The move will involve dividing the house in two. The second floor will be removed and placed onto one moving truck. Then, the first story will be placed on a second moving truck. Last fall, contractors installed the steel beams that will be used to lift the second story. Last week, crews began the delicate work of cutting the house in two. To prepare for the cutting, several wooden supports were installed internally to minimize sway. The house house has also been lifted off its foundation. Contractors will begin constructing a new foundation and preparing utilities at the homes new location in Eastern Market next month. The plan is to complete preparations for the move by the end of next month. In total, the home must move 15 miles to its new location. This will require relocating traffic signals and utility lines, as well as temporarily closing streets. A final move date has not been made yet. The Michigan History Foundation is raising private funds for the move, the prep work and the final restoration of the home. You can donate here. MORE RECENT MLIVE HEADLINES: 1929 Michigan mansion has 2-story library with Sistine Chapel-like painted mural ceiling, $4.75M Chick-fil-A finally reveals grand opening date of its Novi Twelve Oaks location Faygo brings back high-ranking flavor not available in Michigan for 15 years Why Aquaman,' Jason Momoa, was in Ferndale in Metro Detroit of all places this weekend First of its kind Van Gogh exhibition, coming only to Michigan, delayed 2 years Oklahoma pipeline operator Williams plans to add solar power to natural gas processing plants and other facilities in nine states. Williams announced Thursday that solar farms producing between 1 to 40 megawatts of power will be installed on company-owned land next to 48 sites in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Taking advantage of federal and state tax credits, the company views natural gas and solar as complimentary technologies with financial and environmental benefits. Natural gas is key to our countrys ability to add more renewable energy to the power grid in large volumes it is a clean, affordable fuel that can quickly provide power when renewable energy sources are producing less due to the variability of sunlight and wind," Williams CEO Alan Armstrong said. Midstream: Williams lands Gulf of Mexico pipeline deal The solar farms are expected to be placed into service starting in late 2021. Williams currently buys more than 400 megawatts of electricity for the facilities where the solar farms will be installed. The on-site farms will produce a combined 350 megawatts of electricity with the potential at some locations to sell any excess power generated back to the grid. Given the current market structures and tax incentives, we are able to make these attractive incremental investments while continuing to enjoy the reliability that the grid provides via natural gas fired power generation, Armstrong said. Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox Live Webcast Login Information NANTES, France, May 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OSE Immunotherapeutics (ISIN: FR0012127173; Mnemo: OSE) announces the procedures for participating in the Combined General Meeting, to be held on June 16, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. CET. As indicated in the press release dated May 11, 2020, the Combined General Meeting of June 16, 2020, will be held by live webcast, without the physical presence of shareholders or other persons usually eligible to attend pursuant to the provisions of the ordinances dated March 25, 2020. The prior notice of the General Meeting including the agenda, the resolutions submitted for approval and the main methods of participation and voting, and also serving as notice of the meeting, was published on May 8, 2020 in the French bulletin of mandatory legal announcements (BALO). Login information The General Meeting will be webcast live (in French) via a web conferencing system and shareholders of OSE Immunotherapeutics are invited to login through the link: https://channel.royalcast.com/webcast/oseimmunotherapeutics/20200616_1/ This link allows shareholders to register for the General Meeting as of today (and until June 16 at 2 p.m. CET) by entering their email address. Registrants will receive a registration confirmation in addition to the ability to add the event to their calendar. On June 16, 2020, shareholders will be able to connect via this same link starting at 2 p.m. CET. The General Meeting will start at 2.30 p.m. and attendees will be able to follow the presentation by OSE Immunotherapeutics management on their screens. Due to the closed session, it will not be possible for shareholders to amend resolutions or to propose new resolutions during the General Meeting. The shareholders retain their right to request the inclusion of items or draft resolutions on the agenda and to ask written questions before the General Meeting, in accordance with the regulations in force. Shareholders are invited to send their questions from today and at any time during the presentation to the email address: ag2020@ose-immuno.com. They will be answered during the General Meeting's Q&A session. Story continues Appointment of scrutineers In accordance with Decree No. 2020-418, the Companys Board of Directors has decided to appoint the following shareholders as scrutineers: - Mrs. Maryvonne Hiance, shareholder and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors; - Mr. Alexis Peyroles, shareholder and CEO of the Company. The General Meeting will be chaired by Mrs. Dominique Costantini, President of the Board of Directors. The Bureau thus constituted will be responsible for ensuring the proper performance of the General Meeting. It will be accompanied by CIC Market Solutions (middle office service of the issuer) which will collect and count the votes of shareholders in registered form or having voted by proxy. Reminder of voting procedures To be taken into account, the duly completed and signed forms must be received no later than the fourth day preceding the date of the Meeting, i.e. no later than June 12, 2020. For registered shareholders: they must return the voting form which will be sent to them with the convening notice either by post to CIC Market Solutions (Service Assemblees - 6 Avenue de Provence - 75452 Paris Cedex 09 - France), or by email to the address: serviceproxy@cic.fr. For bearer shareholders: they can request this voting form from the bank or financial intermediary that manages their securities, from the date of notice of meeting. Once completed and signed by the shareholder, the form will be returned to the account-keeping establishment; the latter will send it, along with a certificate of participation, either by post to OSE Immunotherapeutics (22 Boulevard Benoni Goullin 44200 Nantes - France), or by email to the address: ag2020@ose-immuno.com. Shareholders are invited to regularly consult the section dedicated to the General Meeting on the Company's website: http://ose-immuno.com/documentation/assemblee-generale/ where they will find preparatory documents, including the voting form. ABOUT OSE Immunotherapeutics OSE Immunotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and partnering therapies to control the immune system for immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases. The company has several scientific and technological platforms including neoepitopes and agonist or antagonist monoclonal antibodies, all ideally positioned to fight cancer and autoimmune diseases. Its first-in-class clinical and preclinical portfolio has a diversified risk profile: Tedopi (innovative combination of neoepitopes): the companys most advanced product; positive results for Step-1 of the Phase 3 trial (Atalante 1) in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer post checkpoint inhibitor failure; due to Covid-19, voluntary definitive suspension of new patient accrual in the Step-2 initially planned in the trial. In Phase 2 in pancreatic cancer (TEDOPaM, sponsor GERCOR) in combination with checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo . BI 765063 (OSE-172, anti-SIRP monoclonal antibody): developed in partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim ; myeloid checkpoint inhibitor in Phase 1 in advanced solid tumors . FR104 (anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody): positive Phase 1 results ; Phase 2-ready asset in autoimmune diseases or in transplantation . OSE-127 (humanized monoclonal antibody targeting IL-7 receptor): developed in partnership with Servier ; positive Phase 1 results ; two independent Phase 2 planned in ulcerative colitis (OSE sponsor) and in Sjogrens syndrome (Servier sponsor) to start in 2020. BiCKI : bispecific fusion protein platform built on the key backbone component anti-PD-1 (OSE-279) combined with new immunotherapy targets; 2 nd generation of PD-(L)1 inhibitors to increase antitumor efficacity . Additional innovative research programs . CoVepiT: a prophylactic vaccine against COVID-19, developed using SARS-CoV-2 optimized neo-epitopes. First preclinical results expected start of H2 2020, possible clinical trial by year end. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, accrual of new patients in the clinical trial TEDOPaM is temporarily suspended and initiation timelines for both Phase 2 trials of OSE-127 could be impacted during the coming months. For more information: https://ose-immuno.com/en/ Click and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn https://twitter.com/OSEIMMUNO https://www.linkedin.com/company/10929673 Contacts OSE Immunotherapeutics Sylvie Detry Sylvie.detry@ose-immuno.com +33 153 198 757 U.S. Media: LifeSci Communications Darren Opland, Ph.D. darren@lifescicomms.com +1 646 627 8387 French Media: FP2COM Florence Portejoie fportejoie@fp2com.fr +33 607 768 283 U.S. and European Investors Chris Maggos chris@lifesciadvisors.com +41 79 367 6254 Forward-looking statements This press release contains express or implied information and statements that might be deemed forward-looking information and statements in respect of OSE Immunotherapeutics. They do not constitute historical facts. These information and statements include financial projections that are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by OSE Immunotherapeutics management in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. These forward-looking statements include statements typically using conditional and containing verbs such as expect, anticipate, believe, target, plan, or estimate, their declensions and conjugations and words of similar import. Although the OSE Immunotherapeutics management believes that the forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, the OSE Immunotherapeutics shareholders and other investors are cautioned that the completion of such expectations is by nature subject to various risks, known or not, and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of OSE Immunotherapeutics. These risks could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in or implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. These risks include those discussed or identified in the public filings made by OSE Immunotherapeutics with the AMF. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. This press release includes only summary information and should be read with the OSE Immunotherapeutics Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 15 April 2020, including the annual financial report for the fiscal year 2019, available on the OSE Immunotherapeutics website. Other than as required by applicable law, OSE Immunotherapeutics issues this press release at the date hereof and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information or statements. Drydocks World, a major service provider to the marine, offshore, oil, gas and renewable energy sectors, held a steel-cutting ceremony to commence production on a high voltage alternating current transformer (HVAC) station topside, named Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) Beta. The HVAC platform will form part of a renewable energy wind farm, located in the HKZ grid connection in Netherlands sector of the North Sea. The Topside will weigh approximately 3,700T and will have a connection capacity of 700MW. This is the third Topside that Drydocks World will be constructing for Petrofac and end-client TenneT, and the second project for the HKZ windfarm, said the company in a statement. The scope of work for Drydocks World includes production engineering, construction and mechanical completion. Pre-commissioning, commissioning assistance, load-out, sea fastening and HVAC (EPC) engineering procurement construction commissioning for the Topside, will also be delivered. Drydocks World CEO Captain Rado Antolovic said: "We are pleased to support and contribute to the sustainable electricity generation system in Europe. Developing solutions to ensure supply meets future demand, is crucial to maintaining electrical service continuity to power homes and businesses." "Our yard has a strong track record in delivering renewable energy projects and specifically offshore wind infrastructurem," stated Antolovic. "The initial stages of work for HKZ platform Alpha are well underway, and we are pleased to begin work on the second HKZ platform Beta. We are committed to providing safe and efficient delivery of both platforms, and thank Petrofac for this opportunity," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Givaudan to acquire Alderys Strengthening our expertise in sustainable disruptive biotechnology processes 28 May 2020 As part of its long term strategy to expand its capabilities in bio-engineering technologies, Givaudan today announced that it is to acquire Alderys. Founded in 2009, Alderys is an innovative French biotechnology company headquartered in Orsay, France, employing 30 people. Alderys develops innovative approaches to the biological engineering of valuable compounds from renewable feedstock. The projects developed by Alderys are aimed at the chemical and cosmetic industry sectors as well as nutrition. They are recognised for offering innovative technological industrial solutions with high sustainability standards. Maurizio Volpi, President of Givaudan's Fragrance Division said: "The acquisition of Alderys aligns with our long term strategy for Active Beauty and more specifically, their expertise in biotechnology is fully complementary to our Fragrance and Active Beauty businesses. It will allow us to expand our portfolio of natural and biosourced products, thanks to their strong research and development bio-engineering platform. It will be an additional tool to drive our future development and innovation in the active cosmetic ingredients space and beyond. It will also reinforce Givaudan's capabilities to support our customers in developing sustainable, performant and safe products." Dominique Thomas, CEO of Alderys added: "We are very proud to join Givaudan and to bring in the bio-engineering platform we have developed with success for ten years. We strongly believe this is a great opportunity to expand our scientific expertise to the service of the beauty, fragrance and flavour industry, whilst we will continue to serve our other historical and future partners." Laurent Bourdeau, Head of Givaudan's Active Beauty Business said: "Alderys has a strong track record in designing innovative biological pathways to produce environmentally-friendly raw materials, which is essential to the way we develop our cosmetic ingredients. With specific scientific programmes dedicated to Active Beauty, we are very excited by the capabilities of Alderys to support us in enriching our offer to our customers." While terms of the deal have not been disclosed, Alderys' business would have represented EUR 3 million of incremental revenues to Givaudan's results in 2019 on a proforma basis. Givaudan plans to fund the transaction from existing resources. The planned acquisition remains subject to formal approvals from the relevant regulatory authorities and the transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020. About Givaudan Givaudan is the global leader in the creation of flavours and fragrances. In close collaboration with food, beverage, consumer product and fragrance partners, Givaudan develops tastes and scents that delight consumers the world over. With a passion to understand consumers' preferences and a relentless drive to innovate, Givaudan is at the forefront of creating flavours and fragrances that 'engage your senses'. The Company achieved sales of CHF 6.2 billion in 2019. Headquartered in Switzerland with local presence in over 180 locations, the Company has over 14,900 employees worldwide. Givaudan invites you to discover more at www.givaudan.com About Givaudan Fragrances Givaudan is passionate about perfumery and is dedicated to combining creativity and innovation to design beautiful fragrances. With the industry's largest perfumery team, Givaudan contributes to making life delightful and memorable through unique scent experiences for customers around the world. Currently present in all major markets, Givaudan strives to deliver fragrances for personal, home and laundry care, as well as prestige perfumes. Our customers benefit from Givaudan's expertise in three business areas: Fine Fragrances, Consumer Products, and Fragrance and Cosmetics Ingredients. We invite you to 'engage your senses' and learn more about Fragrances at www.givaudan.com/fragrances About Givaudan Active Beauty Givaudan Active Beauty offers an extensive portfolio of innovative active cosmetic ingredients designed to bring beauty to the world. Inspired by the beauty needs of consumers worldwide, Active Beauty offers award-winning products for an expanded range of benefits including anti-ageing, self-tanning, soothing, hydrating, cooling, and more. Our cutting-edge technologies draw on science and nature to create high-performing molecules and functional agents, including customised carrier systems. Part of the Fragrance Division, Active Beauty leads the market in crafting innovative products supported by our strong expertise in advanced and applied sciences. We invite you to 'engage your senses' and learn more about Active Beauty at www.givaudan.com/activebeauty About Alderys Alderys develops innovative approaches to the micro-organic biological engineering of valuable compounds from renewable plant resources. Committed to imaginative, robust scientific practice, they improve yeast cells to transform them into veritable micro production units. Alderys offers innovative technological industrial solutions for the fabrication of products that are indispensable for the growing world and which respect the environment. The projects developed by Alderys are aimed at the chemical, cosmetics and nutrition sectors. Thanks to their technological quality and innovation, Alderys has signed a number of partnership agreements with industry leaders in various fields. Alderys was founded in 2009 by Dominique Thomas in Orsay, France. It employs 30 people. www.alderys.fr/en/ For further information please contact Pierre Benaich, Givaudan Media and Investor Relations T +41 22 780 9053 Epierre.benaich@givaudan.com Marie Laure Andre, Fragrance Communications T +33 1 3998 4477 Emarie-laure.andre@givaudan.com Pauline Martin, Active Beauty Communications T +33 3 2688 8417 Epauline.martin.pm1@givaudan.com [May 28, 2020] Cincom's Claire Oancea Joins IAMCP, Women in Tech Boards CINCINNATI, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cincom Systems, Inc., a global supplier of enterprise software solutions and a Microsoft Dynamics partner, announces that as part of a push to work more closely with communities that make up the tech industry, Claire Oancea, Cincom Channel Manager, has joined the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners (IAMCP) and Dynamic Communities' Women in Tech boards. Susan Fine, Cincom Director of Channels and North American Sales, says, "Claire manages Channel Development for Cincom and understands the power we have to reimagine the way we can do business. Her experience is invaluable to our partners and customers, and we know it will be helpful to IAMCP and Dynamic Communities in this new digital business environment." As part of the Women in Tech board, Oancea will help plan the yearly Community Summit, the top training and networking event across the globe for Microsoft Business Applications. This year the U.S. event will be held in Nashville, from October 6-9. According to Tonya Anderson, Global Partner Program Manager for Dynamic Communities, "Our Women in Technology session for Community Summit will have some new and exciting ideas this year. We are happy that Claire Oancea is joining our Programming Committee and we are thrilled to have her insight and domain knowledge as part of this year's ideas." Laura Peters, MBA, President IAMCP Virtual Chapter, says "Claire is our IAMCP Virtual Chapter Secretary and her role is critical to our success. We are pleased that she is on our team!" "I am happy to serve on both of these boards," says Oancea. "It is through relationships such as these that we develop a greater understanding of partner and customer needs and empathy for the challenges they face. This, in turn, helps our customers and partners both receive more value from Cincom software and services." About Cincom Cincom is a global software company with a legacy of innovation dating back to its founding in 1968. The company's solutions help clients improve their most critical business processes and operating results. For more information about Cincom, visit https://www.cincom.com/cpqsync. Media Contact: Carla McQueen, (513) 612-2113 [email protected] Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Cincom is a registered trademark of Cincom Systems, Inc. All other trademarks belong to their respective companies. 2020 Cincom Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved| View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cincoms-claire-oancea-joins-iamcp-women-in-tech-boards-301066804.html SOURCE Cincom [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Playwright and author Larry Kramer, who was known for his AIDS activism from early on in the epidemic, has died aged 84. Kramer, who co-founded the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) in the early 1980s and later the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power - or ACT UP movement - died in a New York hospital with pneumonia on Wednesday, his close friend and literary executor Will Schwalbe said. His death was not said to be related to the coronavirus pandemic. The award-winning writer was known for his 1985 play The Normal Heart, depicting a writer's battle with society to raise awareness of AIDS - the immunodeficiency disease from the HIV virus that Kramer had himself. Described as an "angry but compelling indictment of a society as well as a subculture for failing to respond adequately to the tragedy," by AP drama critic Michael Kuchwara, the revival of the play in 2011 earned it several Tony awards. A TV movie adaptation in 2014 starring Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons and Julia Roberts, won an Emmy Award for best movie. Kramer was also nominated for an Academy Award for writing the screen adaptation of DH Lawrence's novel, Women in Love, for which actress Glenda Jackson won her first Oscar. The 84-year-old was perhaps best known for his lifetime of advocacy work as a fierce activist for LGBTQ rights and securing medical treatment for those with AIDS. Journalist Randy Shilts described an article Kramer had written for gay newspapers in the 1980s as "inarguably one of the most influential works of advocacy journalism of the decade" and credited it with "crystallizing the epidemic into a political movement for the gay community". In the 1983 article, Kramer had written about the epidemic: "Our continued existence as gay men upon the face of this earth is at stake...Unless we fight for our lives, we shall die." Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in June 1935, Laurence David Kramer went on to study at Yale University and served in the army. Story continues He later worked at the William Morris Agency and for Columbia Pictures. In 2001, he had a liver transplant due to hepatitis B. Kramer married his long-time partner, architect David Webster, in 2013, with the couple making their vows while Kramer was recovering from a bowel obstruction surgery in an intensive care unit at hospital. They had planned the wedding before he was forced to have surgery, but they didn't let the health emergency stop them. PR-Inside.com: 2020-05-28 14:30:17 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 853 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Silver Range Resources Ltd. (TSXV:SNG) ("Silver Range") announces the closing of the second tranche of the private placement announced February 11, 2020. The second tranche consisted of the issuance of 5,225,000 units at a price of $0.08 per unit, for gross proceeds of $418,000. Each unit consisted of one common share and one share purchase warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one additional common share at a price of $0.16 until May 26, 2022, provided that in the event the closing price of Silver Range's shares is $0.20 or greater for a period of ten consecutive trading days subsequent to the expiry of the statutory hold period, Silver Range will have the right to provide all warrant holders with notice that the expiry date for the warrants has been shortened to thirty calendar days from the giving of such notice.All of the securities issued as part of this second tranche will be subject to a hold period in Canada expiring on September 27, 2020. No finder's fees were paid and an insider, Strategic Metals Ltd., purchased 2,000,000 units for proceeds of $160,000.Exploration updateIn late April, Silver Range conducted a brief sampling program at the Tree River Project. At Tree River, Archean conglomerate hosts gold together with sulphides and carbonaceous material in a setting analogous to that found in the Witwatersrand of South Africa and the Pilbara district in Australia. Sampling by Silver Range at the Main Zone, originally explored by BHP Billiton and Strongbow Exploration returned grab samples up to 114 g/t Au and a chip sample returned 0.20 m @ 540 g/t Au. This zone is exposed intermittently over a strike length of 650 m, is strongly silicified and contains visible gold at the highest-grade exposure. The West Zone is 3.6 km along strike and returned grab samples up to 14.05 g/t Au. The April 2020 sampling consisted of collecting one metre by one metre sawn panel samples in excess of 40 kilograms to obtain a more representative indication of the bulk concentration of gold in bedrock. Samples were collected at the Main and West Zones. Results are pending.Silver Range has resumed operations in Nevada. Geophysical surveys and trenching are planned at the Loner Property where surface mineralization exposed in old workings returned 1.83 m @ 25.7 g/t Au from the brow of an adit and grab samples up to 16.60 g/t Au. At the East Gold Point Property, geochemical and geophysical surveys together with mapping and sampling are planned to investigate the inferred eastern extension of mineralization mined beneath the town of Gold Point. Reconnaissance work will also be conducted on several new targets.Interim Financial StatementsSilver Range also announces that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has experienced delays associated with the limited availability of its internal accountants in connection with the preparation of its interim financial statements and related Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD &A") for the period ended March 31, 2020. In response to similar issues experienced by other businesses, the Canadian Securities Administrators have granted blanket relief for all market participants, providing up to a 45-day extension for periodic filings normally required to be made on or before May 30, 2020.In accordance with the blanket relief, Silver Range will delay the filing of its interim financial statements for the period ended March 31, 2020, the MD & A for the corresponding period and related management certifications of interim filings. Silver Range intends to file these documents prior to mid-June under the terms of the 45-day extension announced by the British Columbia Securities Commission under BCI 51-515, dated March 23, 2020. Until such time as the filings are made, Silver Range's management and other insiders are subject to a trading blackout that reflects the principles contained in Section 9 of National Policy 11-207 - Failure to File Cease Trade Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions.Other than as disclosed in Silver Range's press releases, there have not been any material business developments since the date on which it filed its annual financial statements and related MD & A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.About Silver Range Resources Ltd.Silver Range is a precious metals prospect generator working in Nevada and Northern Canada. It has assembled a portfolio of 45 properties, 8 of which are currently under option to others. Silver Range is actively seeking other joint venture partners to explore the high precious metal targets in its portfolio.ON BEHALF OF SILVER RANGE RESOURCES LTD."Michael A. Power"President and Chief Executive OfficerFor further information concerning Silver Range or its exploration projects please contact:Investor InquiriesRichard DrechslerVice-President, CommunicationsTel: (604) 687-2522NA Toll-Free: (888) 688-2522rdrechsler@ silverrangeresources.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.This news release may contain forward looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results that may prove to be inaccurate as a result of exploration and other risk factors beyond its control, and actual results may differ materially from the expected results.SOURCE: Silver Range Resources Ltd. ALBANY Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Thursday said New York City has not met the thresholds needed to begin the first phase of reopening, even as regions of upstate are moving toward the second phase of restarting their economies after being shut down more than two months ago. "There are no different rules. ... I want to be able to say to every New Yorker, 'I believe it is safe to reopen ... for my kids, I believe it is safe for your kids,'" the governor said. "We don't change what is safe from one place to another." Long Island, another hard-hit region of the state, also has not met the minimum standards to begin the first phase of reopening, the governor said. The governor, delivering his daily coronavirus task force briefing at a Boys and Girls Club in Brooklyn, said he will sign an executive order Thursday allowing private businesses to "deny entrance to people who do not wear a mask or a face covering." Masks "are amazingly effective and we've made them mandatory in public settings," Cuomo said. "But when we're talking about reopening stores and places of business, we're giving the store owners the right to say, 'If you're not wearing a mask you can't come in.' ... You don't have a right to expose the store owner to a virus; you don't have that constitutional right." The metrics that require each of the state's 10 economic regions to reopen include reducing COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates, and having enough testing and tracing capacity. "If you look at the curve right now, you see our numbers are going down," Cuomo said. But he cautioned that New York City will be held to the same standards as the upstate regions that are nearly all in their second week of reopening. "I'm not going to open any region that I don't believe is safe, and we have different standards across the nation," Cuomo said. "You could argue about whether or not we should have different standards of safety in this nation." Cuomo invited actress Rosie Perez and comedian Chris Rock to the briefing. The stars both urged New Yorkers and others to be tested and wear masks. "Everybody, please, spread love the Brooklyn way get tested, wear a mask," Perez said. "Our governor is a rock star and he makes me proud to be from New York." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "You guys are the rock stars; I'm just a fan," Cuomo responded. Rock, noting he hasn't been behind a microphone since the pandemic began, said he watches Cuomo daily. "You bring me calm; you bring me joy ... 'cause I don't know what's going on," Rock said, adding he had been tested for coronavirus before attending the news conference. "I got a 65. Just passed. Rock added, "If you love your grandmother ... you should get tested. ... Everybody that can get tested should get tested as soon as possible." Chinas relations with Canada, already in their worst state in decades, took another blow with a Vancouver judges decision to continue extradition proceedings against a top Huawei Technologies Co. executive. A British Columbia judge ruled Wednesday that the case against Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the state-championed telecommunications firm, meets a key test of Canadian law known as double criminality. Chinas reaction could be severe. In the weeks that followed Mengs arrest in 2018, officials there locked up two Canadians on national security grounds, put two more on death row and halted billions of dollars in agricultural imports. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who came to power with plans to forge closer ties with the Asian powerhouse, must now walk an even finer line on issues such as the status of Hong Kong and Huaweis access to Canadas next-generation wireless networks. What were seeing is the complete destruction of the grand bargain struck with China that encouraged us to consider China as normal, said David Mulroney, who served as Canadas ambassador in Beijing from 2009 to 2012. Detainees and 5G Top of mind for Trudeau is the fate of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor, who have spent more than 500 days in detention in China and are accused of spying. Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said securing their release is his top priority, adding that Wednesdays ruling was made by an independent judiciary. We will continue to pursue principled engagement with China to address our bilateral differences, he said in a statement. But China does not differentiate between the political and legal system in Canada and has said it doesnt see the judges decisions as independent. A statement Wednesday issued by the Chinese embassy in Ottawa called the case entirely a grave political incident. Retaliation is likely. The question is, in what form? Now China will have to make a decision to launch the trial of Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor, said Guy Saint-Jacques, who succeeded Mulroney as Canadas ambassador in Beijing. The problem is that there is no quid pro quo that has been negotiated by the Canadian government with the Chinese government whereby the two Canadians would be put on a plane and returned. While diplomatic relations grow colder, Trudeau has been stalling Canadas decision on whether to ban Huawei from its 5G wireless networks. British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons attempt to find a middle path between security concerns and the costs associated with a ban offered a potential template for Trudeau. But fresh U.S. sanctions against the tech firm have threatened to scuttle it. Trade trouble Relations between the countries had been souring even before Mengs arrest. Muslim detention camps in Xinjiang are one sore point; so is Chinas curbing of Hong Kongs autonomy. Hong Kong is home to 300,000 Canadian citizens, the countrys largest diaspora outside the U.S. After coming to power in 2015, Trudeau toyed with the idea of a free trade agreement with China pledging to double two-way trade in a decade. A personal visit in late 2017 aimed at spurring trade talks fell flat over demands for labour, gender and environmental guarantees. In 2018 Trudeaus government shot down a $1.2 billion ($872 million U.S.) bid by a Chinese construction firm for Aecon Group Inc., citing advice from national security agencies. The Meng situation is doing plenty of harm to Canadas second-largest trading relationship. Total merchandise shipments from Canada to China dropped from $29 billion in 2018 to about $25 billion last year as China blocked shipments of canola and pork. Its a price the Canadian public seems willing to pay. Polling by the Angus Reid Institute found that support for closer relations with China has plummeted to just 14 per cent. Fifteen years ago, 58 per cent were in favour. The trend were seeing since the Meng arrest is really an absolute cratering of Canadian opinion towards the Beijing regime, said Shachi Kurl, the institutes CEO. There is little prospect of a better relationship while the Meng case hangs over everything. The hearings are set to continue at least to the end of the year before a decision is made on whether to extradite her. Appeals could extend the process that much longer. Defendants with the financial resources have been known to battle in Canadas legal system for years. Karlheinz Schreiber, a wealthy German-Canadian arms lobbyist, fought extradition for 10 years before finally being sent to Germany, where he was later convicted of tax evasion. If the judge ultimately decides there is evidence supporting the allegations of fraud, Meng would be committed for extradition at which point the decision on whether to go ahead would be passed to Trudeaus justice minister. The fate of the two Canadians in detention in China will have to be front and centre in that decision, said Scott Hutchison, founding partner at Henein Hutchison LLP, a Toronto law firm. But so will Canadas international obligations. Canada benefits significantly from its extradition treaty with the U.S. and its part of a matrix of other international relationships that Canada has, Hutchison said. Read more about: Hon Abla Dzifa Gomashie has expressed great shock upon learning about the killing of a 32-year-old Wisdom Ofoli Lanyo at Denu. Wisdom is believed to have been murdered by a certain Prosper Setordzi, a suspicion the Chief Fisherman of Denu, Moses Lanyo shared with the NDC parliamentary candidate when she paid a visit to the home of the deceased. Hon Dzifa Gomashie expressed great hope that the police will ensure a smooth and quick process that would ensure that justice is duly served. According to Moses Lanyo, who is an uncle of the late Wisdom Lanyo, the deceased went missing on May 5, this year, after leaving his matrimonial home. His body was later found washed ashore at a beach at Lome, the capital of the Republic of Togo. A statement from the police said the body was concealed in a blue maxi sack with deep cut on the head. Upon preliminary investigations, suspects Prosper Setordzi and two others: Daniel Akpalu, a fetish priest and his wife, Xorlali Bedie, were picked up. However, the Dzodze District Court ruled that the prosecutors did not have enough evidence to prosecute Akpalu and his wife. Updates from the police indicate that Prosper Setordzi was arrested on May 16 where he confessed to committing the crime on the night of May 5, 2020. He told the Police that he acted alone in killing Wisdom after a little misunderstanding between them but a later statement from him alsonstated that he got help from some friends in disposing off the body. Pascal Mifetu, Moses Abolo and Kojo Akpoxorlo were named as acquaintances in helping to wrap the body after which they threw it into the sea, in an attempt to avoid detection and prosecution. The police has however changed the plea against the other suspects after Prosper further gave a statement that he lied about his friends, blaming it on having been under duress when he made the statements. According to the police statement, notwithstanding the contradictory statement, Prosper has been cautioned for the offence of murder while two others, Moses Abolo and Kojo Akpoxorlo have been put before court for abetment of crime. The Ghana Police is in contact with Togolese authorities to ensure the release of the body of the deceased to undertake autopsy and aid in investigations. (Newser) Star Wars actor John Boyega honored George Floyd, the black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis after a white officer knelt on his neck, on Twitter on Wednesday, adding, "I really f---ing hate racists." As Vulture reports, "that should be a really acceptable opinion for a public figure to have." But while the tweet has received 1.4 million likes, it's also generated a lot of negative responses. One Nigerian user noted he'd broken up with his girlfriend because she was racist against white people. "I am talking about WHITE on BLACK racism. The kind that has ruined the world not caused a lil break up with your girlfriend," Boyega replied. He further defended his stanceand refused to apologizein an Instagram Live video, some of which was captured by journalist Keith Boykin. story continues below "Of course there's other forms of racism. But a black man was just murdered in cold blood in the streets stateside, again, while saying that he can't breathe," Boyega said. "That's a continuous cycle going on. Although I don't live in the states, I'm black. F--- that," he continued. "So I say it again: F--- you, racist white people." "I mean it, and you lot can't rattle me," added Boyega, who vowed to block racists, per the New York Daily News. He received support from actors including Amber Riley of Glee, Yvette Nicole Brown of Community, and Dylan O'Brien of the Maze Runner series, per the BBC. "Reading through the comments @JohnBoyega received on his tweet should make your blood boil," wrote O'Brien. "It's 2020, and the ubiquity of white on black racism is horrifying. We have a long way to go." (Read more John Boyega stories.) SEOUL, May 28 (Reuters) - Britain temporarily closed its embassy in North Korea and all diplomatic staff have left the country, the U.K. ambassador said on Thursday, the latest foreign delegation to leave amid strict coronavirus restrictions. "The British Embassy in Pyongyang closed temporarily on 27 May 2020 and all diplomatic staff have left the DPRK for the time being," ambassador Colin Crooks said in a post on Twitter, using the initials of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The decision was made because "restrictions on entry to the country have made it impossible to rotate our staff and sustain the operation of the Embassy," the U.K. Foreign Office said in a statement. The U.K. maintains diplomatic relations with North Korea and will seek to re-establish a presence in Pyongyang as soon as possible, the statement said. Citing unnamed sources, Seoul-based NK News, which monitors North Korea, reported that the diplomats crossed the border into China by land, as flights remain on hold. North Korea has not confirmed any cases of the coronavirus but banned almost all cross-border travel, and made foreigners spend weeks in quarantine. In March, several countries, including Germany and France, withdrew their representatives from North Korea and closed their missions there. Swedens ambassador to North Korea, Joachim Bergstrom, is among the foreign diplomats remaining in Pyongyang, tweeting on Thursday that "a new working day begins" in the city. (Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Michael Perry) Acclaimed Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, hosting a special radio show from home, painted a brighter side of the world with his favourite music, and said the fight against the coronavirus is a challenge in figuring out ways to help and care for each other. The 71-year-old, known for bestsellers such as A Wild Sheep Chase and Wind-up Bird Chronicle, said Friday he hoped the show would blow away some of the corona-related blues. Murakami opened the two-hour, late-night show Murakami Radio Stay Home Special with Look for the Silver Lining by the Modern Folk Quartet, followed by 18 other songs, selected from classical to jazz, pop and rock. Their common thread: smile, sunshine, rainbow, birthday memories and other happy sides of life. Murakami said comparing the fight against the coronavirus to a war, as politicians often do, is inappropriate. Its a challenge for us to figure out how we can share our wisdom to cooperate, help each other and keep balance. Its not a war to kill each other but a fight of wisdom to let us all live, he said. We dont need enmity and hatred here. Music serves as an important motif in Murakamis stories. An avid listener and collector of music, he has also written books on the topic and has a library of records in his study, where Fridays program was prerecorded. Murakami has hosted his Murakami Radio every two months since August 2018 on Tokyo FM. The station said Fridays show was Murakamis idea to cheer up those who are under stress, living under a coronavirus state of emergency still in place in parts of Japan, including Tokyo. Murakami began writing while running a jazz bar in Tokyo after graduating from university. Following his 1979 debut novel Hear the Wind Sing, the 1987 romance Norwegian Wood became his first bestseller, establishing him as a young literary star. Recent hits include 1Q84 and Killing Commendatore. A perennial contender for the Nobel Prize in literature and a social recluse, Murakami said he has worked from home for years and the lifestyle has little changed, though the corona situation did affect him in many ways, possibly an inspiration for his future work. Murakami has written stories inspired by events that have violently shaken the society, including the 1995 Tokyo subway gassing by an apocalyptic cult and the deadly quake in Kobe, where he grew up. Rather than documenting an event as it develops, Murakami said that as a novelist he is more interested in transforming it into a story in a different form, though he doesnt know when or how. The world may be experiencing a large-scale social experiment whose results could slowly spread across the entire society, for better or worse, he said. Murakami said he worries the post-corona world may be a more closed and selfish place even if it has better protection. If love and compassion are lacking, the world after the corona will surely be an edgy and insipid place even if masks and vaccines are abundantly distributed, he said. Love is important. ___ Other songs on the playlist: Waiting on a Sunny Day by Bruce Springsteen; Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head by Isley Meets Bacharach; Here Comes the Sun by Nina Simone; Youve Got A Friend by Carole King; Over the Rainbow by Ella Fitzgerald; Sun Is Shining by Bob Marley & The Wailers: What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong; Happy Birthday Sweet Darling by Kate Taylor; Smile by Eric Clapton; My Favorite Things Featuring Kathleen Battle by Al Jarreau; She Wore a Yellow Ribbon by Lisa Ono; Happy Talk by Nancy Wilson; They Cant Take That Away from Me by Brian Wilson; Put on a Happy Face by Tony Bennett; Over the Rainbow by Fred Lowery; Well Meet Again by Peggy Lee with Benny Goodman; Mon coeur souvre a ta voix by Sigrid Onegin; What the World Needs Now Is Love by Wei Wei Wuu. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. ) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter The U.S. has fumbled its own response to the pandemic at the same time that its greedy and selfish behavior about vaccines alienates the rest of the world. by Prabir Purkayastha Donald Trump launched a new vaccine war in May, but not against the virus. It was against the world. The United States and the UK were the only two holdouts in the World Health Assembly from the declaration that vaccines and medicines for COVID-19 should be available as public goods, and not under exclusive patent rights. The United States explicitly disassociated itself from the patent pool call, talking instead of the critical role that intellectual property playsin other words, patents for vaccines and medicines. Having badly botched his COVID-19 response, Trump is trying to redeem his electoral fortunes in the November elections this year by promising an early vaccine. The 2020 version of Trumps Make America Great Again slogan is shaping up to be, essentially, vaccines for usbut the rest of the world will have to queue up and pay what big pharma asks, as they will hold the patents. How are we going to end? In contrast, all other countries agreed with the Costa Rican proposal in the World Health Assembly that there should be a patent pool for all COVID-19 vaccines and medicines. President Xi said that Chinese vaccines would be available as a public good, a view also shared by European Union leaders. Among the 10 candidate vaccines in Phase 1 and 2 of clinical trials, the Chinese have five, the United States has three, and the UK and Germany have one each. Trump has given an ultimatum to the World Health Organization (WHO) with a permanent withdrawal of funds if it does not mend its ways in 30 days. In sharp contrast, in the World Health Assembly (the highest decision-making body of the WHO), almost all countries, including close allies of the United States, rallied behind the WHO. The failure of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) against COVID-19, with nearly four times the annual budget of the WHO, is visible to the world. The CDC failed to provide a successful test for SARS-CoV-2 in the critical months of February and March, while ignoring the WHOs successful test kits that were distributed to 120 countries. Trump has yet to hold his administration and the CDC responsible for this criminal bungling. This, more than any other failure, is the reason that the U.S. numbers for COVID-19 are now more than 1.5 million and about a third of all global infections. Contrast this with China, the first to face an unknown epidemic, stopping it at 82,000 infections, and the amazing results that countries such as Vietnam and South Korea have produced. One issue is now looming large over the COVID-19 pandemic. If we do not address the intellectual property rights issue in this pandemic, we are likely to see a repeat of the AIDS tragedy. People died for 10 years (1994-2004) as patented AIDS medicine was priced at $10,000 to $15,000 for a years supply, far beyond their reach. Finally, patent laws in India allowed people to get AIDS medicine at less than a dollar a day, or $350 for a years supply. Today, 80 percent of the worlds AIDS medicine comes from India. For big pharma, profits trumped lives, and they will continue to do so, COVID or no COVID, unless we change the world. Most countries have compulsory licensing provisions that will allow them to break patents in case of epidemics or health emergencies. Even the WTO, after a bitter fight, accepted in its Doha Declaration (2001) that countries, in a health emergency, have the right to allow any company to manufacture a patented drug without the patent holders permission, and even import it from other countries. Why is it, then, that countries are unable to break patents, even if there are provisions in their laws and in the TRIPS Agreement? The answer is their fear of U.S. sanctions against them. Every year, the U.S. Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issues a Special 301 Report that it has used to threaten trade sanctions against any country that tries to compulsorily license any patented product. India figures prominently in this report year after year, for daring to issue a compulsory license in 2012 to Natco for nexavar, a cancer drug Bayer was selling for more than $65,000 a year. Marijn Dekkers, the CEO of Bayer, was quoted widely that this was theft, and We did not develop this medicine for Indians We developed it for Western patients who can afford it. This leaves unanswered how many people even in the affluent West can afford a $65,000 bill for an illness. But there is no question that a bill of this magnitude is a death sentence for anybody but the super-rich in countries like India. Though a number of other drugs were under also consideration for compulsory licensing at that time, India has not exercised this provision again after receiving U.S. threats. It is the fear that countries can break patents using their compulsory licensing powers that led to proposals for patent pooling. The argument was that since many of these diseases do not affect rich countries, big pharma should either let go of their patents to such patent pools, or philanthropic capital should fund the development of new drugs for this pool. Facing the pandemic of COVID-19, it is this idea of patent pooling that emerged in the recent World Health Assembly, WHA-73. All countries supported this proposal, barring the United States and its loyal camp follower, the UK. The United States also entered its disagreement on the final WHA resolution, being the lone objector to patent pooling of COVID-19 medicines and vaccines, noting the critical role that intellectual property plays in incentivizing the development of new and improved health products. While patent pooling is welcome if no other measure is available, it also makes it appear as if countries have no other recourse apart from the charity of big capital. What this hides, as charity always does, is that people and countries have legitimate rights even under TRIPS to break patents under conditions of an epidemic or a health emergency. The United States, which screams murder if a compulsory license is issued by any country, has no such compunction when its own interests are threatened. During the anthrax scare in 2001, the U.S. Secretary of Health issued a threat to Bayer under eminent domain for patents for licensing the anthrax-treatment drug ciprofloxacin to other manufacturers. Bayer folded, and agreed to supply the quantity at a price that the U.S. government had set. And without a whimper. Yes, this is the same Bayer that considers India as a thief for issuing a compulsory license! The vaccination for COVID-19 might need to be repeated each year, as we still do not know the duration of its protection. It is unlikely that a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 will provide a lifetime immunity like the smallpox vaccine. Unlike AIDS, where the patient numbers were smaller and were unfortunately stigmatized in different ways, COVID-19 is a visible threat for everyone. Any attempt to hold people and governments to ransom on COVID-19 vaccines or medicines could see the collapse of the entire patent edifice of TRIPS that big pharma backed by the United States and major EU countries have built. That is why the more clever in the capitalist world have moved toward a voluntary patent pool for potential COVID-19 medicines and vaccines. A voluntary patent pool means that companies or institutions holding patents on medicinessuch as remdesiviror vaccines would voluntarily hand them over to such a pool. The terms and conditions of such a handover, meaning at concessional rates, or for only for certain regions, are still not clearleading to criticism that a voluntary patent pool is not a substitute for declaring that all such medicines and vaccines should be declared global public goods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike clever capital, Trumps response to the COVID-19 vaccine is to thuggishly bully his way through. He believes that with the unlimited money that the United States is now willing to put into the vaccine efforts, it will either beat everybody else to the winning post, or buy the company that is successful. If this strategy succeeds, he can then use his COVID-19 vaccine as a new instrument of global power. It is the United States that will then decide which countries get the vaccine (and for how much), and which ones dont. Trump does not believe in a rule-based global order, even if the rules are biased in favor of the rich. He is walking out of various arms control agreements and has crippled the WTO. He believes that the United States, as the biggest economy and the most powerful military power, should have the untrammeled right to dictate to all countries. Threats of bombing and invasions can be combined with illegal unilateral sanctions; and the latest weapon in his imaginary arsenal is withholding vaccines. Trumps little problem is that the days of the United States being a sole global hegemon passed decades ago. The United States has shown itself as a fumbling giant and its epidemic response shambolic. It has been unable to provide virus tests to its people in time, and failed to stop the epidemic through containment/mitigation measures, which a number of other countries have done. China and the EU have already agreed that any vaccine developed by them will be regarded as a public good. Even without that, once a medicine or a vaccine is known to be successful, any country with a reasonable scientific infrastructure can replicate the medicine or the vaccine, and manufacture it locally. India in particular has one of the largest generic drug and vaccine manufacturing capacities in the world. What prevents India, or any country for that matter, from manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines or drugs once they are developedonly the empty threat of a failed hegemon on breaking patents? This article was produced in partnership by Newsclick and Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Prabir Purkayastha is the founding editor of Newsclick.in, a digital media platform. He is an activist for science and the Free Software movement. Chinese lawmakers deliberating a draft decision on national security legislation for Hong Kong agreed that it is a major move that will help safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. The draft decision of the National People's Congress (NPC) on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security is being deliberated at the third session of the 13th NPC. Lawmakers pledged to demonstrate the Chinese people's resolve and determination through their deliberations and voting on the draft decision. Meng Qinghai, deputy head of China Association for Science and Technology, said it is imperative and pressing to establish and improve such a system and enforcement mechanisms. Long Zhuangwei, vice chairman of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee of the NPC, said the decision, to be followed by the legislation of the NPC Standing Committee, aims to plug Hong Kong's legal loopholes concerning national security. Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the legislative move is completely reasonable and legitimate as it conforms with China's Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, and will help consolidate the legal, social and political foundations for "one country, two systems." "It will certainly win the support of all Chinese people," Bai said. Yu Xiaoming, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial People's Congress, said the move safeguards the HKSAR's constitutional order set by China's Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR. Jia Yu, procurator-general of the Zhejiang Provincial People's Procuratorate, said strengthened national security will provide a solid foundation for Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. Cally Kwong Mei-wan, an NPC deputy from Hong Kong, said after the adoption of the decision, Hong Kong still has to complete the national security legislation requirement stipulated by Article 23 of the Basic Law of the HKSAR at an early date. She said after returning to Hong Kong, she will actively communicate the decision's legislative purpose to the Hong Kong public and spare no effort to safeguard national security and development interests. Han Xiaowu, vice chairman of the Supervisory and Judicial Affairs Committee of the NPC, proposed fast-tracking the national security legislation after the adoption of the decision. No law enforcement officers were injured when they apprehended Mr. Manfredonia, 23, who had been considered armed and dangerous, the authorities said. Trooper Jeltema said that a firearm that had been used in the second homicide was found near where Mr. Manfredonia was taken into custody. Image Peter Manfredonia had been wanted in a sequence of violent events that included a home invasion and kidnapping. Credit... Connecticut State Police, via Associated Press She said his capture was the result of detectives using social media technology along with old-fashioned police work. We want to thank the public for providing leads, she said. Mr. Manfredonia could face state and federal charges, according to Trooper Jeltema, who said that he was being processed at a Maryland State Police barracks. The state police said they would release further details about his capture on Thursday. Investigators said this week that they had recovered a stolen black Volkswagen Jetta, which had been driven by Mr. Manfredonia, in New Jersey near the Pennsylvania border. He was later spotted on foot in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania. The U.S. Marshals Service and the Washington County Sheriffs Office took Mr. Manfredonia into custody without incident near a Pilot truck stop, the Hagerstown Police Department said. Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey in 2019. (Francois Mori / Associated Press) This week in weird but inevitable showdowns: The sphinx Jack Dorsey vs. the vulgarian Donald Trump. Two events prompted the showdown. First, on May 21, Dorsey was contacted by a widower, Timothy Klausutis, whose life had been turned upside down by Trumps tweets. Klausutis asked the co-founder and CEO of Twitter to delete two of the presidents tweets, the ones peddling falsehoods, half-truths, innuendo and conspiracy theories about the death of Klausutis wife, Lori, in 2001. Trump's actions in this case are almost too obscene to review. In short, the president, whose unraveled brain will clearly never re-ravel, has been wantonly insinuating on Twitter that Joe Scarborough, once a Republican House member from Florida, now a Trump critic and MSNBC host, killed Lori. In fact, Lori Klausutis, then a 28-year-old staffer in Scarboroughs home district office, died in a well-documented accident. She fainted and hit her head. No mystery, no lingering doubts, no need for further investigation, according to the coroner. On Wednesday, at Twitters annual meeting, a shareholder asked Dorsey whether the platform would remove Trumps offensive tweets. Dorsey refused in what looked to many like heartlessness. Instead, Twitter released a corporate statement, at once banal and portentous, offering condolences to Klausutis, adding: Weve been working to expand existing product features and policies so we can more effectively address things like this going forward, and we hope to have those changes in place shortly." The second reason for the Dorsey-Trump confrontation is that, one day before he refused Klausutis' request, Dorsey had taken a completely different tack with Trump. Known as a spiritual seeker, Dorsey may be a guy for whom an apparent inconsistency is an expression of freedom and imagination. In an unprecedented move, Dorsey affixed an editorial note to a pair of Trumps tweets. Get the facts, it said, linking to a bulleted list of statements that dismantled the presidents latest conspiracy claims about mail-in ballots. Story continues Dorsey later explained the links by citing Twitters new civic integrity policy: Twitter's services can't be used "for the purpose of manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes. Though some malcontents called Dorseys move too little, too late and too ambiguous, it was a shock to the social media system. Twitter, not merely individual tweeters, had called the president of the United States a liar. In rolled Trump, on cue, hopping mad. First, he labeled the fact-checking sources fake news, then he claimed Twitter was stifling freedom of speech. On Thursday, the White House issued a bonkers executive order supposedly designed to smack down social media using a Federal Communications Commission cudgel. A lot of legal analysts, including Robert McDowell, a former Republican commissioner at the FCC, scoffed at it. On Twitter, of course, he wrote: "This is #unconstitutional." Most Republican officeholders, however, stood silent, as usual, even in the face of Trumps violation of their central piety: that government should stay out of private enterprise. A president saying hell shut down some of the biggest tech companies in America? Ronald Reagan must be rolling in his Never mind. No grave rolling is going to matter to gonzo Trumpites now. Elsewhere this week, two of Trumps blondest surrogates advisor Kellyanne Conway and White House Press Secretary Kaleigh McEnany bobbed and weaved on the Twitter matter. Conway on Fox TV Wednesday directed trolls to a Twitter exec, carefully spelling out his Twitter handle to viewers and warning hed wake up to thousands of new followers. McEnany from her perch in the briefing room went one step further actually, what is further for these people? ignoring facts with flight-attendant cheer and a train load of snitty whataboutisms. She claimed Scarborough had laughed on the radio about Loris death he did not as a way to shift blame to Morning Joe for the widower's pain. She would not address Timothy Klausutis' request that the presidents conspiracy-mongering stop so his family could have some peace. The vulgarity and cruelty could make a person choke. Meanwhile, the sphinx didnt choke. Maybe his attention is elsewhere. Dorsey is a bit of a mystic. He once likened social networks to colonies of aspen trees (if one of them dies, they all suffer). He fasts rigorously and attends meditation retreats. In early April, he set up a fund to fight COVID-19, seeded with $1 billion, just over a quarter of his fortune. On Tuesday, he gave another $10 million to needy families touched by the pandemic. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, who was recently exposed in the Wall Street Journal as indifferent to his company's role in civic life, criticized Dorseys move to brand some of Trumps tweets as deceptive. He spouted the shopworn stuff about how he didnt want to be an arbiter of truth. The sphinx still didnt choke. Instead, Wednesday night he tweeted that offering facts alongside Trumps tweets is hardly truth arbitration; its transparency squarely in the public interest: "Our intention is to connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves. On a retreat in Myanmar in 2018, Dorsey sat meditating on concrete for 17 hours while mosquitoes gnawed on his legs. My guess is hell have no trouble riding out the bites of White House mosquitoes. The dog barks; the caravan passes. The vulgarian yapped, the sphinx won this round. @page88 Taoiseach Leo Varadkar highlighted comments by Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary as he warned against calls to unlock coronavirus restrictions before it's safe to do so. Mr Varadkar urged the public to "hold firm" on the current coronavirus restrictions until they're due to be assessed in the first week of June. Mr O'Leary told RTE that the 14-day quarantine regulation for passengers coming to Ireland has "no basis in health measures and no basis in science". He also said people can fly "in perfect safety" and this was "fully supported" by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Safety Agency (ESA). Restrictions Mr Varadkar raised his remarks in the Dail without naming the airline boss directly, when he expressed concern about the public engaging in anticipatory behaviour before restrictions ease. Expand Close Ryanair boss Michael OLeary / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ryanair boss Michael OLeary He said a form of this is people "looking for us to unlock things in some cases perhaps before we're sure it's safe to do so. I heard a call from a prominent person this morning saying that flying was entirely safe, for example." "I think we have to continue to base our decisions on evidence." Last night, Ryanair said that if Mr Varadkar and others who raised concerns over Mr O'Leary's comments are looking for "expert evidence that it is safe to return to flying" in the EU "all they need do is read the guidelines published on May 20 by ESA and the ECDC which recommend face masks and other measures to assure the safety of air travel". A statement added that the guidelines "make no mention of ineffective quarantines as mistakenly introduced by the Irish Government last weekend while the rest of Europe was abolishing quarantine". Ryanair said it is returning to flying from July 1, with more than 1,000 daily flights from Ireland to European destinations. Separately, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has criticised coronavirus limits on how far people can travel from their home. He raised claims that decisions on easing restrictions are being delayed, rather than taken as soon as they're justified. At present there's a 5km limit on how far people are allowed to travel for exercise. Mr Martin said that there's no remaining "serious justification" for this. "The public health concern is how people behave around others - not how far they are from their home," he said. He said research shows it may be forcing people in urban areas into more crowded situations. Travel is to be allowed up to 20km from an individual's home in phase two of the Government's roadmap due to begin on June 8. Mr Martin said he doesn't see any logic or scientific basis for this either. LOWELL, MI -- About 15 million gallons of stormwater and likely untreated wastewater were discharged into the Grand River last week to prevent those waters from backing up into Lowell residents basements. Lowell discharged about 15,164,000 gallons of floodwater and sanitary sewer water in total amid flooding last week, according to city officials. City Manager Mike Burns said the city does not have estimates on what portion of the discharge was sewage water, as opposed to stormwater. Burns said the sewage water that was discharged likely hadnt received any treatment but was, by nature of the system, diluted. The discharge began Wednesday, May 20, as a result of heavy rains and persistent flooding and continued through Sunday, May 24, to keep the city's Wastewater Treatment Plant from being overwhelmed. The reason we do this, quite frankly, is the sanitary sewer systems at the Wastewater Treatment Plant can only handle so much water, Burns said, adding that not discharging the waters couldve resulted in system-wide sewer backups. The city does not, and is not required to, sample E. coli levels in the river. It does sample for E. coli in bodies of water in the city where people swim. During the flood event last week, the Grand River on May 21 crested at 17.23 feet -- the eighth highest flood crest to impact Lowell in more than 80 years of recordkeeping, according to the city. Similar discharges took place during flooding in 2013 and 2018. About 19.1 million gallons of wastewater and stormwater were discharged during the 2018 flood event, according to the city. Per state environmental regulations, the city notified the The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Kent County Health Department of the discharge. Read more: From telemedicine to waiting-room protocols, coronavirus crisis is changing health-care delivery Social zones to expand outdoor bar, restaurant service in Grand Rapids 7 more tribal casinos plan reopening as soon as Friday Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump leave the White House to travel to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida: EPA Donald Trump has signed an executive order on Thursday targeting social media companies following his threats to strongly regulate or close down platforms after Twitter fact-checked a pair of his tweets making false statements about the extent of voter fraud in the US. The president was incandescent with fury on Wednesday after Twitter moved to cast doubt on his spurious claims by directing readers to a topic page where they could get the facts on the issue, wildly accusing the company of stifling FREE SPEECH in a tweet whose very existence undermined his argument, despite social media platforms making similar efforts to combat campaign misinformation ahead of US elections. His pursuit of a personal grievance came as the US hit the grim milestone of 100,000 coronavirus deaths, a moment unacknowledged by the president until the following day and which saw Democratic challenger Joe Biden commiserate with Americans, saying that this nation grieves with you. By contrast, the presidents son Eric Trump pronounced it a GREAT DAY for the DOW. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany meanwhile refused to say whether the president should ever be fact-checked, instead saying that the president's "intent is always to give truthful information to the American people", despite countless false claims and other misleading statements made on- and offline. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president's order is merely a "a distraction" to obscure the fact that the "administration has been a failure in terms of testing, treating and isolating people" from coronavirus, she said. "Anything he does is a distraction from the problem at hand," she continued. "People are dying. Rome is burning and all people wanna talk about is what he said next about this. That's a success for him. I will not go there." Follow live coverage as it happened Please allow a moment for our live blog to load Read more Jay Inslee says Trump should be removed from office for coronavirus Trump signs order for federal officials to target social media giants Trump press secretary says president always tries to be truthful Republican group that infuriated Trump takes aim at Mitch McConnell Trump assails 'warrantless surveillance' that he himself reauthorised (TNS) Even as California surpassed 100,000 confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, many communities continued to push forward with reopening the economy with the hope that social distancing and other safety measures would prevent new outbreaks.From barber shops to shopping malls to restaurants, many businesses shuttered for months began to come back to life this week as government officials rapidly lifted stay-at-home orders that helped slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that a decision on reopening gyms and fitness centers could be coming soon, another milestone. In San Diego, Seaworld, Legoland and other tourist attractions began talking with local officials about a potential July 1 reopening.In Los Angeles, the signs of rebirth were both big and small.The Los Angeles Archdiocese plans to begin gradually reopening churches, with measures to prevent crowding and physical contact, as soon as next week. The wildly popular and photographed Runyon Canyon Park has reopened, with additional measures in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Park officials have reduced how many people can enter at one time, installed cameras and electric counters to monitor crowds, added additional staff and converted the trail into a one-way loop.But the question remains about how quickly people will feel comfortable returning to any park, church or business. And health officials stressed that without masks, social distancing and crowd control, the reopened economy could result in new infections."There is a lot at stake as we reopen," Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. "More people being around one another can result in more transmission of COVID-19, which is ... likely more hospitalizations and deaths. This is why it couldn't be more important for us to take care of each other when we're out of our homes."California is the fourth state to surpass 100,000 confirmed cases. New York leads with more than 300,000 cases. California has recorded more than 3,800 deaths, far fewer than New York, which has 29,000; New Jersey, which has 11,000; and Massachusetts, which has recorded 6,400.The rising case numbers don't necessarily mean outbreaks are spreading. California has dramatically increased testing, which some officials credit for the rise in confirmed cases.The state recorded 3,215 new coronavirus infections Tuesday the most reported in a single day since the onset of the pandemic, and a spike that officials attribute to a lag in reporting over the holiday weekend.About 57 percent of those new cases were reported in Los Angeles County, which has struggled as the setting for an outsized number of infections and deaths statewide. L.A. County health officials also reached a new daily record Tuesday, reporting 1,852 new cases of COVID-19.On Wednesday, L.A. County health officials reported 933 new cases of COVID-19, pushing the region's total number of infections to 48,700. The county also reported 53 new virus-related fatalities, bringing its death toll to 2,195.Ferrer said the decline in COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations as well as the county's rate of infection per 100,000 people signal to her that the region is ready to move ahead with reopening, albeit with regulations.Newsom on Wednesday said his administration will release guidelines "in a week or so" for allowing gyms, yoga studios and other fitness facilities to reopen, though stringent safeguards will need to be adopted to protect customers.Newsom cautioned that the state directives will be tailored to the unique characteristics of each business, from large fitness chains to small studios, and will rely heavily on the advice of public health officials in each county.The governor made the comments during an online roundtable with fitness professionals and business owners Wednesday morning, saying he hopes to allow them to be back in business as soon as possible."We also recognize your sector is multifaceted and we don't want to be naive and just put out something that's bland and that doesn't meet your unique criteria and your unique considerations," Newsom said.He said that 47 of California's 58 counties had met the state's regional standards to ease his stay-at-home order, which include preparations to increase hospital capacity, testing and supplies of personal protective equipment. That has allowed retailers in most of the state to open, as well as hair salons and barbershops.The governor's chief of staff, Ann O'Leary, said that the draft guidelines to reopen the fitness industry are being reviewed by state public health officials and that she expects those directives to be released within a week.Adam Attia, owner of Fitness Rangers in Sacramento, told the governor that the closure, put in place in March to stem the spread of the coronavirus, has been financially and personally devastating. He told Newsom that he needs to reopen soon within a week or so if he hopes to stay in business."We're desperate. We want to go back into the gym. We're doing everything we can to keep our members engaged," Attia told Newsom during the meeting, which streamed on YouTube. "We're at a point where I'm going to have to lay everyone off. I may have to close my doors permanently if we can't reopen soon. We really need your support."Francesca Schuler, chief executive of In-Shape Health Clubs, also emphasized how essential the fitness industry is to Californians."We're one of the only industries that's really in preventive healthcare of the community so impacted by COVID-19. Many of them are individuals who struggle with chronic illnesses, usually, diabetes, high blood pressure," Schuler told the governor. Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation MNR recently shelled out $12.9 million for the acquisition of an industrial property in the Salt Lake City, UT, MSA. The company purchased a new 69,734-square-foot LEED-certified industrial building on 7.52 acres at 985 W. Kershaw Street, Ogden, UT. The fourth high-quality acquisition so far in fiscal 2020 is a strategic fit for the company, with the property being net-leased for 15 years to Federal Express Corporation. According to Michael P. Landy, president and CEO, the business-friendly state of Utah is a new territory for Monmouth, and the company and is seeking to grow its presence there. Only last week, the company announced the purchase of a new 286,281-square-foot industrial building on 39.3 acres at 6538 Judge Adams Road, Whitsett, NC, for $47.6 million. This industrial property in the Greensboro, NC, MSA, is net-leased for 15 years to FedEx Ground Packaging System, Inc. Logistics companies are playing a key role in keeping supply chains moving and delivery of critically-needed goods across the globe amid the coronavirus crisis. In a rising e-commerce market, the industrial real estate asset category has grabbed headlines and continues to play a pivotal role, transforming the way how consumers shop and receive their goods. Companies are making efforts to improve supply-chain efficiencies, spurring demand for logistics infrastructure and enabling industrial landlords to enjoy a favorable market environment. Further, warehouse operations have become more essential with higher number of e-commerce customers, in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Over the long term, apart from the fast adoption of e-commerce, the logistics real estate is anticipated to benefit from a likely increase in inventory levels post crisis. Amid these, with focus on single-tenant, net-leased industrial properties on long-term leases, to investment-grade tenants, Monmouth Real Estate seems well poised to grow. In sync with business strategy, the latest acquisitions have all been brand new built-to-suit properties leased to high-quality tenants. The companys portfolio consists of 118 properties, geographically diversified across 31 states and containing 23.4 million rentable square feet of area in total. Its tenant roster includes names like Anheuser-Busch, Beam Suntory, Cardinal Health CAH, Coca-Cola KO, FedEx FDX, and several others. Nevertheless, recovery in the industrial market has continued for long and market rents are expected to remain flat for the rest of 2020. Moreover, though industrial real estate fundamentals seem more resilient than other asset categories, are not immune. As such, the pandemics adverse impact on the economy will likely hinder demand for space in the near term. Shares of Monmouth Real Estate have depreciated 10.1%, narrower than the 15.3% decline of its industry in the year-to-date period. Story continues Currently, the stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2021. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) : Free Stock Analysis Report FedEx Corporation (FDX) : Free Stock Analysis Report CocaCola Company The (KO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation (MNR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. WASHINGTON, May 28 (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden described reported discussions by the Trump administration over whether to conduct a nuclear weapons test as reckless on Thursday, saying it could spur other countries to follow a dangerous U.S. lead. Republican President Donald Trump's administration considered whether to conduct its first nuclear test explosion since 1992, The Washington Post reported late on Friday, citing a senior official and two former officials familiar with the talks. The meeting did not conclude with any agreement to conduct a nuclear test, and a decision was ultimately made to take other measures in response to threats posed by Russia and China, the report said. "The possibility that the Trump administration may resume nuclear explosive weapons testing in Nevada is as reckless as it is dangerous. We have not tested a device since 1992; we dont need to do so now," Biden said in a statement. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The United States has been concerned that Russia and China have been conducting tests. The State Department said in April China may have secretly set off low-level underground nuclear test explosions despite claiming to observe an international pact banning such blasts. The former vice president said the possible resumption of such tests by the United States would not bring Moscow or Beijing to the negotiating table on a new arms control agreement "This is delusional," he said. "A resumption of testing is more likely to prompt other countries to resume militarily significant nuclear testing, and undermine our nuclear nonproliferation goals," including those aimed at North Korea and Iran. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Bernadette Baum) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) United Nations, United States Thu, May 28, 2020 10:50 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bda9b768 2 World US,China,Security-Council,meeting,Hong-Kong,Hong-Kong-national-security-law,Hong-Kong-protests,anthem-bill Free Washington on Wednesday requested an emergency UN meeting over a controversial security law China has proposed for Hong Kong, but Beijing refused to allow it to proceed, according to US diplomats. The US spelled out its desire for the Security Council session, saying it was "deeply concerned" by Beijing's move, which would ban "sedition" and other perceived offenses in the international finance hub. Hong Kong activists say that the proposed law effectively abolishes the basic freedoms enjoyed in the city since it was returned to China by the British in 1997. It will "fundamentally undermine Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and freedoms as guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, which was registered with the UN as a legally binding treaty," Washington's UN mission said in a statement. "This is a matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security," the statement continued. But, it said, China has "has refused to allow this virtual meeting to proceed." Thanks to new coronavirus-era procedures, Security Council videoconferences must be agreed upon by all 15 members, though normally a meeting can only be contested if a member convinces eight others to join the protest in a procedural vote. "This is another example of the Chinese Communist Party's fear of transparency and international accountability for its actions," the US statement said. China's ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun responded in a tweet Wednesday evening, saying the US's request was "baseless." "Legislation on national security for Hong Kong is purely China's internal affairs," he said. "It has nothing to do with the mandate of the Security Council." The Beijing legislature is expected on Thursday to move forward on the law, bypassing Hong Kong's own lawmaking body. The US had already announced earlier Wednesday that Hong Kong would no longer enjoy the autonomy promised by China under US law, opening the door to potential trade retaliation. [May 28, 2020] Cyberinc Browser Isolation Platform Protects Remote Workers from Phishing, Ransomware and Malware, Helping Organizations Maintain Business Continuity SAN RAMON, Calif., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyberinc, a pioneer in isolation-based cybersecurity solutions, is helping companies address remote work-related security issues with its flagship Isla Isolation Platform, which offers robust protection against ransomware, phishing and other Internet-based threats. Cyberinc Isla is particularly useful in safeguarding companies and their employees working from home, and enables businesses to maximize employee productivity while reducing operational overhead and business risk from prominent cyber threats. The Isla platform enables businesses to provide security for remote employees against prominent threats like malvertising, phishing, credential theft and ransomware, and maintain business continuity without negatively impacting the employee experience. Traditional technologies, such as VPNs, were originally intended for providing secure remote access to on-premise data centers but provide minimal value with growing cloud adoption and emerging remote workforce models. Using a Zero Trust model, Isla eliminates a wide variety of threats and covers both unmanaged and managed endpoints through agentless deployment with standard browsers. To help organizations quickly benefit from the Isla Isolation Platform in addressing the new work-from-home model, Cyberinc is offering free use of the platform to companies and teams with up to 50 users, from now until August 31, 2020. For more information and to sign up for Cyberinc's free offer of the Isla platform, visit http://isla.cyberinc.com/promo-lp.html. "Record numbers of employees are now working from home and connecting to their company's cloud systems, oftentimes using unmanaged devices or bypassing the VPN due to scalability and productivity constraints. This puts organizations and their critical assets at tremendous risk," said Samir Shah, CEO of Cyberinc. "VPNs were designed to support a small percentage of the workforce and they are limited in the security they provide, as they don't protect against some of the most prominent threats to businesses today such as ransomware and phishing. Browser isolation provides simple, safe and easy access to all employees, with robust protection against more than 90% of threats whether employees use managed or unmanaged devices," Shah said. Browser Isolation: The New Backbone of Secure Business Communications In a newly published SANS report "All Roads Lead to the Browser: A SANS Buyer's Guide to Browser Isolation," SANS Analyst Matt Bromiley says, "With browser isolation, you are focusing on one of the most prolific applications in your enterprise. By adding a layer of controlled security between the user and the browserone that remains completely unknown to the useryou lower the attack surface through which the organization can be compromised. We're not changing the concept of endpoint security; we're changing what the endpoint is Browser isolation should be an extension of your current security capabilities." To read the full press release go to https://www.cyberinc.com/news/WFHPR View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cyberinc-browser-isolation-platform-protects-remote-workers-from-phishing-ransomware-and-malware-helping-organizations-maintain-business-continuity-301066717.html SOURCE Cyberinc [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A one-and-a-half-year-old daughter of a migrant labourer and a pregnant woman died at coronavirus quarantine centres in two districts of Chhattisgarh, officials said on Thursday. While the pregnant woman died in Gariaband district on Thursday morning, the death of the child was reported from Gaurela-Penrda-Marwahi district on Wednesday, they said. Bhagwati Yadav (27), a migrant worker, died in the quarantine centre set up by Dharnighoda village panchayat. She had returned with her parents from Telangana on May 14. She was shifted to the district hospital in Raipur for treatment but brought back to the quarantine centre on May 21, a local official said. "She was under observation but this morning she died. The body was sent for postmortem to Mainpur and the report is awaited," he said. A one-and-a-half-year-old girl died at the quarantine centre at Tikarkala village under Gaurela police station area, a local police official said. Her father had returned to Bilaspur on May 17 from Bhopal by a Shramik special train. He was shifted to a quarantine centre in Pendra from where he escaped on May 18 to his native village, he said. When residents of his village complained about it to local officials, Singh was shifted to the quarantine centre in Tikarakala with his wife and the infant daughter, the police official said. On Wednesday, after breastfeeding the child, the mother went for taking a bath leaving the child behind. When she returned, she found the child was hiccuping and having problem breathing, he said. The girl was rushed to a local Community Health Centre where doctors declared her brought dead, the official said. Her swab sample was sent for coronavirus test. "Prima facie it seems the child choked to death due to air blockage after milk entered her nose. But the exact cause of death will be known after post-mortem report comes," said Dr Abhimanyu Singh, Nodal Officer (COVID-19) of the district. The Bharatiya Janata Party will hold a month-long campaign staring from June to mark the first anniversary of the Modi 2.0 government and will hold digital rallies in all districts across the country, its general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said. Underlining that the party stood with the general public in the fight against COVID-19, Yadav said the party workers distributed 19 crore food packets and more than four crore packets of ration across the country. Addressing a press conference via video, he said, "Amid the corona crisis the BJP workers were on the ground. They were serving people in all 909 organisational districts across the country and providing them all necessary help. Besides food, the party workers also distributed more than five crore masks, made people aware Aarogya Setu app, motivated them to contribute in PM Cares fund. Talking about the first anniversary of the Modi 2.0 government, Yadav said, "The party will hold digital rallies across the country and its all seven wings will also hold 500 digital rallies in their respective fields. BJP president JP Nadda will also address the party workers through Facebook Live on this occasion. The party will reach out to people with a letter written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi talking about self-reliant India, achievements of the government, and will distribute them in 10 crore families, Yadav said. It will be a month-long campaign starting from June, he said. When asked about upcoming Bihar elections, Yadav, who is also the party's in-charge for the state, said it is for the Election Commission to decide when and how polls should be held. "As far as the BJP is concerned, the party has been preparing for the elections and will use new technologies for campaigning and communicating with the people," he said. Businesses across the country are starting to reopen, but the economy could still face a bumpy road. The economy could take years to rebound as it faces longer-term challenges from the sharpest downturn in history, according to Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi. "The damage to the economy already has been too significant, there's going to be too many business failures," Zandi told CNBC. "Even as businesses reopen, a lot won't, and so many of the people who've lost their jobs won't be able to get back to work." All 50 states have reopened their economies to some degree following widespread lockdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Investors have been optimistic the economy will bounce back quickly despite record job losses, with the S&P 500 trading near its highest level since March. Zandi warned that Wall Street is too optimistic about a V-shaped economic recovery because companies face declining earnings, delinquencies and bankruptcies. He said the unemployment rate, which surged to 14.7% in April, will spike again in May, then settle near 10% in the following months. "We're going to stay there until we get some kind of medical solution to the virus, and whenever that is, we'll start to see more jobs and lower unemployment in a consistent way," he said. In a note Wednesday, Goldman Sachs economists warned that high unemployment could linger in part because of policies that discourage workers from returning to their jobs. Congress is weighing additional stimulus measures to help contain the economic fallout of the pandemic. Zandi said policymakers should enact more stimulus, especially aid to state and local governments. In the long term, he warned, the biggest risk to the economy from the pandemic is a retreat from globalization. "This is doing a lot of long-term damage to our fiscal health, to the process of globalization," he said. "I don't think we get back to anything we consider normal until perhaps mid-decade at earliest." BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 28 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The export of ready-made clothes from Turkey to Kazakhstan from January through April 2020 increased by 2.64 percent compared to the same period of 2019 and amounted to $47.9 million, the Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend. At the same time, the export of ready-made clothes from Turkey to Kazakhstan in April 2020 decreased by 88.09 percent compared to April 2019 and amounted to $1.2 million. The export of ready-made clothes from Turkey to the world markets decreased by 20.1 percent from January through April 2020 compared to the same period of last year and reached $4.8 billion. This figure reached 9.3 percent of the country's total export volume from January through April 2020. Turkey exported ready-made clothing worth $575.8 million to the world markets in April 2020, which is 61.7 percent less than in the same month of 2019. The export of ready-made clothes from Turkey in April 2020 amounted to 6.4 percent of the country's total export volume. Turkey exported ready-made clothing worth $16.5 billion over the past 12 months (from April 2019 through April 2020). --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) The House Defeat COVID-19 Committee has approved a bill which seeks to expand testing among vulnerable members of society, alongside four other measures seeking to address the government's response to the virus. The House panel on Thursday approved House Bill 6707 or the "Crush COVID-19 Act", which encourages a baseline polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 testing among certain individuals to contain the transmission of the virus. The "vulnerable sector" covers asymptomatic persons returning to work with co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, pregnancy, and old age. Health care workers, sales personnel, food handlers, factory workers, construction workers and bank and transfer fund facilities personnel will be prioritized. Persons entering the country from abroad, including foreign nationals, are also included in the measure as the government gradually eases quarantine restrictions in various areas. The panel also approved House Bill 6709 or the COVID-19 Unemployment Reduction Economic Stimulus Act, a 1.5-trillion infrastructure spending measure covering projects under the areas of health, education, agriculture, local roads and livelihood, to lay the groundwork for the implementation of urban decongestion policies as part of the national government's "Balik Probinsya" program. House Bill 6623 or the "Better Normal for the Workplace, Communities, and Public Spaces Act of 2020" was also approved by the committee. The measure establishes safety measures such as the mandatory wearing of masks and observance of physical distancing in public and workplaces. It also imposes mandatory temperature checks, contact-tracing systems, establishment of government-operated quarantine facilities, and other existing measures to help monitor individuals who are at risk or have contracted COVID-19. The committee has also adopted two resolutions seeking to cushion the impact of the pandemic. It approved the substitute measure to House Resolution 807, which urges the national government to fast track the disbursement of the second tranche of the social amelioration program by giving barangays the authority to identify the beneficiaries and disburse the allocation. The resolution also seeks to increase the penalty into three folds against erring barangay captains and treasurers who are involved in any irregularities surrounding the disbursement of the cash aid. The House panel likewise approved a substitute measure to House Resolution 821, expressing the commitment of the lower chamber to work with the Department of Agriculture to pass the proposed supplemental budget of the agency and support its programs in the areas of food security and price stability. The three bills and two resolutions are now up for plenary deliberations before Congress adjourns sine die on June 5. House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said during the hearing that the lower chamber will hold an extended session until Thursday next week to ensure the passage of various important measures on time. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez also told CNN Philippines' Balitaan that they will finalize on Thursday afternoon the 1.3-trillion economic stimulus package intended for those affected by the pandemic. More than 15,000 people in the country have been infected by COVID-19 so far. Over 3,500 have recovered but more than 904 have died. New Delhi, May 29 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has nominated 15 MPs from Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur as Associate Members to assist the Delimitation Commission in re-drawing the Lok Sabha as well as assembly constituencies of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern states. Two Union Ministers have also been nominated as Associate Members. Also, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has been nominated as an Associate Member. The Delimitation Commission was constituted on March 7 under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. Some of the notable names among the 15 Associate Members nominated by the Lok Sabha Speaker are -- Union Minister of State Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh, and former J&K chief minister Abdullah. Besides, Baramulla MP Mohammad Akbar Lone, Anantnag MP Hasnain Masoodi and Jammu-Poonch parliamentary seat MP Jugal Kishore Sharma have also been nominated by Birla. Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, the Delimitation Commission will delimit the constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir. Union Minister Rijiju will represent Arunachal Pradesh. However, the time-limit for delimitation has not been fixed yet. According to sources, the task towards this direction will be completed in a year. There are a total of 114 assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir out of which 24 assembly seats are reserved for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Till now, elections have been held in 90 assembly seats. There is a possibility of increasing seats following delimitation. For delivery man Sisay Alebachew, the difference between a good and bad day depends on Ethio Telecom, Ethiopia's monopoly telecoms provider. When the internet is down or too slow to use, customers struggle to place orders on the website of Deliver Addis, Sisay's e-commerce employer, meaning he has little to do. Other times, when the phone network is jammed, Sisay can't reach customers to complete deliveries -- he wastes precious time standing outside their homes, dialling in vain. Sisay is thrilled, then, that after years of build-up, change finally seems to be coming to Ethiopia's stunted telecoms sector, one of the last closed markets in the world. Last week the government regulator invited firms to submit "expressions of interest" for two new telecoms licences that would break up Ethio Telecom's monopoly. Officials also plan to sell a 40-percent stake in Ethio Telecom, a move they hope will make the firm more efficient. "For a business like ours, telecoms is crucial, and it's the most difficult challenge we face," Sisay told AFP during a break from his rounds one recent afternoon. "I've heard that many countries have a better connection compared to us. I'm hoping ours will improve when other companies join the market." The shake-up of the telecoms sector is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's economic reform agenda, although there are several big unknowns. These include how much money outside firms will need to fork up to enter the market and what, exactly, the revamped sector will look like. Nevertheless it's "an exciting time", said Deliver Addis founder Feleg Tsegaye. "I think everyone in the tech scene has at one point or another been wondering, 'When is this going to happen?'" - 'New growth area' - The Ethiopian Communications Authority, the regulator, has given firms until June 22 to submit expressions of interest for licences. Potential bidders include France's Orange, Kenya's Safaricom and South Africa's MTN. The value of licences could well exceed $1 billion each, and firms will also need to finance improvements to telecoms infrastructure held back by years of underinvestment. Analysts point out that many firms see the cost as a bargain, given Ethiopia's population of 110 million -- plus the fact that Ethio Telecom currently has only around 44 million subscribers. "Ethiopia obviously represents this new growth area, and any operator would want to get in on the ground floor," said Chiti Mbizule, analyst at Fitch Solutions. "But despite the significant potential that we maintain Ethiopia has, for any player entering this market, it's not going to be cheap." - Mobile money, shutdowns - There are some concerns that outside firms' operations will be limited. A central bank directive issued last month allows non-financial firms to provide mobile financial services, but only if they're locally owned. That could be a problem for companies like Safaricom and Orange which place mobile money at the centre of their business models. Additionally, Ethiopia has developed a reputation for extended internet shutdowns during periods of social unrest and more innocuous events like national exams. One of the most important things going forward will be for the government to assure outside firms they'll be operating on a "level playing field" with Ethio Telecom, said Zemedeneh Negatu, chairman of the US-based Fairfax Africa Fund. "It's the biggest untapped market left in the world, so all the serious players are pretty excited about the Ethiopian market," Zemedeneh said. "But on the Ethiopian side, we have to make sure to monetise that." - 'No mandate'? - Perhaps inevitably, the telecoms reforms face political headwinds as Ethiopia gears up for national elections that, before the coronavirus pandemic, were planned for August. Some critics accuse Abiy, who was appointed prime minister in 2018, of overstepping his mandate by selling off part of Ethio Telecom, a profitable state-owned firm. "If you were elected democratically on the agenda that you're going to be selling strategic assets, then you don't have to wait for elections," said Alemayehu Geda, an economist at Addis Ababa University. "But this government didn't come via an election with an agenda of selling." The worst outcome would be if the government were to simply "cash in" on reforms without guaranteeing service gets better, said German Ambassador Brita Wagener, though she stressed that so far officials seem committed to doing "a thorough job". "The IT sector needs a lot of improvement in the country. The internet has a lot of problems," Wagener said. "We see that particularly now with all the virtual meetings we are having." Abiy's team, for its part, seems determined to push forward with telecoms reforms even amid a state of emergency prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. That's welcome news at Galani Coffee, an upscale cafe in Addis Ababa where customers routinely park themselves for hours to work on their laptops. "Whenever there is an internet outage they get frustrated," cafe supervisor Meheret Eyob told AFP before closing one recent evening, as the last tables settled their bills. "Most of them complain, and some of them don't ever come here again because of this." Mobile problems: Ethiopia's phone system is struggling to cope with demand Mehret Eyob says customers at Galani Coffee where she works are frequently frustrated by internet outages For Sisay Alebachew, a food delivery driver in Addis, poor telecoms can wreck a day's work A horse has been quarantined at its home in India today amid fears it has caught coronavirus. Authorities in the remote Himalayan region of Kashmir put the animal's rider, 21, into quarantine after he came into contact with an infected patient. 'We strictly advised the family to isolate the horse and not go close to it unless wearing proper protective equipment,' local official Sher Singh said. The horse will have to stay in isolation, even from other animals, until its male rider's is cleared of coronavirus. Animals have been a cause for concern amid the rapid global spread of coronavirus. There have been 356,000 deaths worldwide since the outbreak began. Last month a study found cattle, cats and sheep could become ill with the deadly disease. Authorities in the remote Himalayan region of Kashmir, India, put the horse's rider, 21, into quarantine today. Pictured, a man wearing a face mask stands next to the quarantined animal A scientific report, submitted to a journal run by the world-renowned Pasteur Institute, in Paris, was seen by the Daily Mail prior to publication. Researchers at the University of Hunan had studied the lung structures of 251 different animals to determine which could be infected with Covid-19 through contact with either bats or humans. Findings suggested the virus had developed to infect at least ten creatures other than bats, pangolins and humans. Among those on the list were goats, pigs, buffalo and pigeons. It raised the concern the virus might mutate further to become more lethal and start jumping from animals back into humans again. Cows are on the danger list after the virus evolved the ability to infect animals (file picture) Xing-Yi Ge, a virologist who previously worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology's Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, led the study's team. The virologists' report is due to be published in the journal Microbes And Infection. It warns that 'interspecies transmission is believed to be a major cause of coronavirus epidemic'. The report adds that this happened in the 2003 Sars epidemic, when the virus moved from bats into humans via infected civet cats and raccoons. The new research indicates that dogs, unlike cats, should not be susceptible to Covid-19 because they do not have the same vulnerable entry point in cells. Covid-19 originated in horseshoe bats, but the new study says bats are unlikely to have passed it to humans through direct contact because that is so rare. One victim of the coronavirus has been a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York. Pictured are the zoo's tiger twins Nadia (front) and Azul (rear). Nadia, who is four, has contracted the virus Covid-19 originated in horseshoe bats (file picture), but the new study says bats are unlikely to have passed it to humans through direct contact because that is so rare There are two main theories to explain how Covid-19 entered humans: that it was passed on via an intermediary animal, such as a pangolin sold at Wuhan's food market, or that a sample of the horseshoe bat virus escaped from one of two laboratories in Wuhan that were studying the creatures. The ability of Covid-19 to infect animals that share space with people may create a real, long-lasting threat. Another study confirmed cats are capable of transmitting the coronavirus, days after a Belgium woman passed the disease on to her pet. The study, undertaken by researches at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in China, concluded cats are highly vulnerable to the virus. The lab discovered that the animals can transmit the disease to other cats through respiratory droplets after it undertook experiments on a small number of them. Cats are capable of transmitting the coronavirus between themselves, a study in China has found. Picture: A cat relaxes outside Moscow apartments being disinfected The news,announced last month, came a week after a case in which a Belgium woman was found to have passed on the coronavirus to her pet cat. Vets found the infection on her pet a week after the woman had come down with the illness. At the time, Belgium virologist Steven van Gucht said it was an 'isolated incident', showing how quickly scientists are developing their knowledge of the new strain of coronavirus that was only discovered in Wuhan, China in December. The study is yet to be peer-reviewed, the process in which studies are evaluated to determine their credibility, although experts have said the findings are legitimate and credible. The study was done by infecting a small number of cats, and then placing them close to uninfected cats, which then got the virus (stock image) The study was done by administering a few cats with a high dosage of the disease. Cats which weren't infected were then placed in adjacent cages to those which were. They weren't able to touch, but were close enough that they also caught the disease, leading to the conclusion that it can spread between the animals through repository droplets. This process was repeated with another group. The findings did not prove that the disease can be spread from cats to humans, virologists and infectious disease experts told The Guardian but they did warn that people with cats should be extra cautious, and remember the importance of washing their hands. 'Surveillance for Sars-CoV-2 in cats should be considered as an adjunct to elimination of of Covid-19 in humans,' the study concluded. Prof Eric Fevre, chair of veterinary infectious diseases at the University of Liverpool, said: 'People should take usual precautions of hand washing when handling their pets, and avoid overly intimate contact, especially if sick with Covid. 'It is important to add that this says nothing about how the virus coming out of a cat may or may not be infectious to humans.' While there is no proof that cats can spread the disease back to humans, pet owners have been advised to take extra precautions when petting their furry friends, and taking extra care when washing their hands (stock image) Yvonne Chow Hau Yee, pictured, was the owner of a dog who died after contracting coronavirus in Hong Kong Before that, the first reported case of a cat catching the coronavirus was found when a woman, from the Belgium city of Liege in the French speaking part of the country, passed the disease on to her pet. At the time, public statements coming out of Belgium from health officials were saying that this was an unusual incident. 'The cat lived with her owner, who started showing symptoms of the virus a week before the cat did,' van Gucht said. 'We want to stress that this is an isolated case. Additionally, in this case, we are talking about a human-to-animal transmission, not the other way around. 'There are no indications that this is common. The risk of animal-to-human transmission, is very small.' Before the cat in Belgium, two dogs in Hong Kong were reportedly found to have caught the virus, however the study in china found that dogs, chickens, pigs and ducks were less likely than cats to catch the infection. Yesterday, the global confirmed cases of the coronavirus reached 5.69million, up 84,342 from the day before. 358 Shares Share Many people looking in on the world of research have perceptions of brilliant minds at work, rapidly putting forth groundbreaking ideas. While theyre not entirely wrong, I discovered that this arena of fascinating new discoveries is not always so rapid and not glamorous at all. As a clinical trials research associate, I learned that research is hard. I found that testing and implementing theories and postulations takes time and dedication. I realized that behind the brilliant minds of the amazing physicians and their colleagues, are data managers, statisticians, regulatory associates, assistants, and the like, that all play a vital role in the progression of research projects. My colleagues and I, put in long hours, were often understaffed and hard-pressed to meet crucial deadlines for the research to be able to continue and reach completion. Working with cancer patients has motivated me to work hard. I admire these brave individuals who have volunteered their lives by enrolling in research studies, knowing that their participation is not guaranteed to help them personally, but is mostly for the purpose of improving therapies for future patients. As I went on to pursue a career in medicine, I strived to participate in research every step along the way and what a rewarding process it has been. Now, as an aspiring pediatric hematology-oncology physician, I hope to continue improving the world around me through taking care of this specialty of patients. The research universe is an exciting place that I have come to admire and deeply respect. It requires the utmost devotion and perseverance that can lead to the most exciting discoveries. The immeasurable importance of research and discovery has been repeatedly impressed upon me in the current state of our world. People are filled with uncertainty and feelings of anxious hopefulness that our scientists and health care leaders will offer sound guidance and answers to what the future holds. This objective requires time. Time to ensure the most evidence-based data is attained. There are so many avenues of knowledge to be gained, awareness to be spread, and medical advancements to uncover. I know that staying cognizant of the importance of hard work, patience, and never forgetting the significance of all members on a research team is necessary for a sustainable career in medicine and research. Keeping the patients as the central inspiration for my efforts as a physician and researcher, I know it will only lead me down a path full of fulfillment and success. Sara-Jane Onyeama is a pediatric hematology-oncology physician. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Join Ethics In Technology Big Tech, Big Troubles & Big Laughs Comedy night!j We welcome everyone to attend our upcoming events on June 18th, which will be virtual and focused on what the world might look like after the Covid-19 pandemic. Well talk about how using surveillance unwisely can put civil liberties at risk and how weapon technologies can harm humanity! Ethics in Technology was founded in 2013 by Vahid Razavi, technology entrepreneur and lifelong human rights and peace activist. Brett Wilkins, the founder of Moral Low Ground and editor-at-large for US news at Digital Journal, and Cristina Deptula, communications professional and human rights activist are on the board of the organization. The group advocates for corporate social responsibility from big technology companies and for a world where technology serves humanity and the planet, rather than the other way around. We truly value the diversity that our advisors and our board of directors reflect. We intentionally decided to bring various stakeholders together from the nonprofit and community activist sectors as well as business and not simply be another tech-driven initiative. This is a human initiative and a community initiative that hopes to be inclusive of all stakeholders. Our diversity of personal beliefs, backgrounds and life experiences gives our organization more insight on today's tech world and its impact on our communities. We welcome everyone to attend our upcoming events on June 18th and Aug 6th, which will be virtual and focused on what the world might look like after the Covid-19 pandemic. Well talk about how using surveillance unwisely can put civil liberties at risk and how weapon technologies can harm humanity, said Vahid Razavi, Ethics In Techs founder. The group welcomed ten advisors this spring, from a wide variety of backgrounds. They are: Doctor Dorsey Blake, pastor of San Franciscos Church of the Fellowship of All Peoples, who currently serves as Faculty Associate, Leadership and Social Transformation at the Pacific School of Religion. Reverend Martin Todd Allen, associate minister of the Church of the Fellowship of All Peoples and board member of The Human Agenda. Debi Durst, improvisational theater artist and accomplished actress who produces San Franciscos Comedy Celebration Day. Will Durst, renowned political satirist and comedian, five-time Emmy nominee who has 800+ major network television appearances under his belt. Mike Rufo, Bay Area sustainable energy consultant and songwriter who regularly performs at social justice events. Tara Dawn Guillot Abrams has worked with large tech firms for many years and currently researches the tech worlds progress towards ecological sustainability. Liosbel (Lio) Guillot Ramon is a DP (Director of Photography), Videographer, and Producer, signed by Urban Latin Records while attending medical school. Wakako Uritani is the managing partner at the San Francisco office of Lorber, Greenfield & Polito, LLP. Reza Kazemipour is a seasoned senior health-tech executive with over 20 years of global experience, has deep understanding and experience working on business strategy ranging from startup, investments to the boardroom. Janet Weil is a longtime peace and environmental activist. After a career teaching English to immigrants, Janet served on CodePinks national staff for several years and co-founded the 99% Coalition. To learn about our upcoming events visit our website. Twitter: @EthicsInTech Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Femke Colborne (Agence France-Presse) Montreal, Canada Thu, May 28, 2020 10:09 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bda98a5e 2 Art & Culture Cirque-du-Soleil,Canada,coronavirus,COVID-19,circus Free The Quebec government on Tuesday offered a conditional loan of US$200 million to Cirque du Soleil, the world's most famous circus troupe, which is struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic. "I am announcing today that the executive council has granted financial assistance of up to $200 million for the revival of the circus," said Quebec's economy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon. He noted that an agreement in principle between the province and Cirque's current shareholders -- American investment group TPG Capital and China's Fosun Group, as well as the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) -- had been reached. Under the agreement, Cirque du Soleil's headquarters will stay in Montreal, and Quebec can potentially buy out the participating shares from the Chinese and American groups. Cirque du Soleil has been hit hard by the pandemic, which forced it to cancel 44 shows around the world and furlough 4,679 employees, or 95 percent of its staff. Founder Guy Laliberte announced Sunday he intends to try to buy back the troupe. Laliberte, a former stilt-walker-turned-millionaire who co-founded the troupe in 1984, sold his last remaining stake in Cirque in February. He announced his intention during the popular Radio Canada show "Tout le monde en parle" ("Everybody's talking about it"). "We have a good plan. We think we'll be able to bring back the sacred fire," he said. On Monday, he noted that "it goes without saying, this relaunch will have to be done at the right price... Not at any price." The circus is heavily handicapped by an estimated debt of $900 million. Laliberte, who sold most of his shares to Fosun and TPG Capital in a $1.5 billion deal in 2015, declined to give details on his eventual offer or his partners, saying only he was well-supported. In 2015, TPG Capital acquired a 60 percent majority stake in the troupe, and China's Fosun Group bought a 20 percent stake. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ), an institutional investment company, bought a 10 percent stake. CDPQ then bought Laliberte's remaining 10 percent stake in February, bringing its total stake to 20 percent. Several groups, including Quebec-based Quebecor, have expressed an interest in an eventual buyout of Cirque du Soleil. Rangers from Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa, conducting cool season burning on Martu Country. Credit: Tony Jupp,The Nature Conservancy Since last summer's bushfire crisis, there's been a quantum shift in public awareness of Aboriginal fire management. It's now more widely understood that Aboriginal people used landscape burning to sustain biodiversity and suppress large bushfires. The Morrison government's bushfire royal commission, which began hearings this week, recognises the potential of incorporating Aboriginal knowledge into mainstream fire management. Its terms of reference seek to understand ways "the traditional land and fire management practices of Indigenous Australians could improve Australia's resilience to natural disasters". Incorporating Aboriginal knowledge is essential to tackling future bushfire crises. But it risks perpetuating historical injustices, by appropriating Aboriginal knowledge without recognition or compensation. So while the bushfire threat demands urgent action, we must also take care. Accommodating traditional fire knowledge is a long-overdue accompaniment to recent advances in land rights and native title. It is an essential part of the unfinished business of post-colonial Australia. A living record Before 1788, Aboriginal cultures across Australia used fire to deliberately and skilfully manage the bush. Broadly, it involved numerous, frequent fires that created fine-scale mosaics of burnt and unburnt patches. Developed over thousands of years, such burning made intense bushfires uncommon and made plant and animal foods more abundant. This benefited wildlife and sustained a biodiversity of animals and plants. Following European settlement, Aboriginal people were dispossessed of their land and the opportunity to manage it with fire. Since then, the Australian bush has seen dramatic biodiversity declines, tree invasion of grasslands and more frequent and destructive bushfires. In many parts of Australia, particularly densely settled areas, cultural burning practices have been severely disrupted. But in some regions, such as clan estates in Arnhem Land, unbroken traditions of fire management date back to the mid to late Pleistocene some 50,000 years ago. Not all nations can draw on these living records of traditional fire management. Grant Stewart, a ranger from Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa. The benefits of Indigenous fire practices are becoming well-known. Credit: Louie Davis Indigenous people around the world, including in western Europe, used fire to manage flammable landscapes. But industrialisation, intensive agriculture and colonisation led to these practices being lost. In most cases, historical records are the only way to learn about them. Rising from the ashes In Australia, many Aboriginal people are rekindling cultural practices, sometimes in collaboration with non-indigenous land managers. They are drawing on retained community knowledge of past fire practicesand in some cases, embracing practices from other regions. Burning programs can be adapted to the challenges of a rapidly changing world. These include the need to protect assets, and new threats such as weeds, climate change, forest disturbances from logging and fire, and feral animals. This process is outlined well in Victor Steffensen's recent book Fire Country: How Indigenous Fire Management Could Help Save Australia. Steffensen describes how, as an Aboriginal man born into two cultures, he made a journey of self-discoverylearning about fire management while being guided and mentored by two Aboriginal elders. Together, they reintroduced fire into traditional lands on Cape York. These practices had been prohibited after European-based systems of land tenure and management were imposed. Steffensen extended his experience to cultural renewal and ecological restoration across Australia, arguing this was critical to addressing the bushfire crisis: "The bottom line for me is that we need to work towards a whole other division of fire managers on the land [] A skilled team of indigenous and non-indigenous people that works in with the entire community, agencies and emergency services to deliver an effective and educational strategy into the future. One that is culturally based and connects to all the benefits for the community." Making it happen So how do we realise this ideal? Explicit affirmative action policies, funded by state and federal governments, are a practical way to protect and extend Aboriginal burning cultures. Aborigines Using Fire to Hunt Kangaroos, by Joseph Lycett. Indigenous people have used cultural fire practices for thousands of years. Credit: National Library of Australia Specifically, such programs should provide ways for Aboriginal people and communities to: develop their fire management knowledge and capacity maintain and renew traditional cultural practices enter mainstream fire management, including in leadership roles enter a broad cross section of agencies, and community groups involved in fire management. This will require rapidly building capacity to train and employ Aboriginal fire practitioners. In some instances, where the impact of colonisation has been most intense, action is needed to support Aboriginal communities to re-establish relationships with forested areas, following generations of forced removal from their Country. Importantly, this empowerment will enable Aboriginal communities to re-establish their own cultural priorities and practices in caring for Country. Where these differ from the Eurocentric values of mainstream Australia, we must understand and respect the wisdom of those who have been custodians of this flammable landscape for millennia. Non-indigenous Australians should also pay for these ancient skills. Funding schemes could include training, and ensuring affirmative action programs are implemented and achieve their goals. Involving Aboriginal people and communities in the development of fire management will ensure cultural knowledge is shared on culturally agreed terms. Fire people, fire country In many ways, last summer's fire season is a reminder of the brutal acquisition of land in Australia and its ongoing consequences for all Australians. The challenges involved in helping to right this wrong, by enabling Aboriginal people to use their fire management practices, are complex. They span social justice, funding, legal liability, cultural rights, fire management and science. Fundamentally, we must recognise that Aborigines are "fire people" who live on "fire country". It's time to embrace this ancient fact. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The move is certain to ignite public debate. Officials acknowledged there was no direct evidence that pointed to wrongdoing by the students who are about to lose their visas. Instead, suspicions by American officials center on the Chinese universities at which the students trained as undergraduates. In China, much more of society is government-controlled or government-affiliated, said Frank Wu, a law professor who is the incoming president of Queens College. You cant function there or have partners from there if you arent comfortable with how the system is set up. Targeting only some potential professors, scholars, students and visitors from China is a lower level of stereotyping than banning all, he added. But it is still selective, based on national origin. The State Department and the National Security Council both declined to comment. American officials who defend the visa cancellation said the ties to the Chinese military at those schools go far deeper than mere campus recruiting. Instead, in many cases, the Chinese government plays a role in selecting which students from the schools with ties to the military can study abroad, one official said. In some cases, students who are allowed to go overseas are expected to collect information as a condition of having their tuition paid, the official said, declining to reveal specific intelligence on the matter. Officials did not provide the list of affected schools, but the Peoples Liberation Army has ties to military institutions and defense research schools, as well as to seven more traditional universities, many of them prestigious colleges in China with well-funded science and technology programs. The F.B.I. and the Justice Department have long viewed the military-affiliated schools as a particular problem, believing military officials train some of the graduates in basic espionage techniques and compel them to gather and transmit information to Chinese officers. While some government officials emphasize the intelligence threat posed by students from military-affiliated universities, others see those Chinese citizens as potential recruits for American spy agencies. Preventing the students from coming to the United States may make it more difficult for the agencies to recruit assets inside the Chinese military. Bengaluru: Two tribal women from Jharkhand were kept as bonded labour at a factory near Bengaluru for seven months and one of them was gang-raped twice, allegedly at the orders of her superiors. When they finally managed to escape from the factory, the man who offered them shelter during the nationwide lockdown in March also tried to sexually exploit them. Unable to get any help as they could not find anyone who spoke their language, they also had to live in a forest for an entire month. Their plight finally came to light when on May 5, they went to a police station to apply for a train ticket to return home. There they met Nicholas Murmo, another Santhali migrant worker, who was trying to register application for migrants wanting to travel back to their rural homes. Murmo said he heard the women speaking in Santhali and approached them to offer help with the procedure to go back home. It was then that he learnt about the ordeal they had been through at the Bharat Chemical Products Factory in Bengaluru and helped them file police complaints with the help of an NGO. Murmo said the two women, looking for work, were allegedly sold by a man named Dumru Mohali to agents in Delhi. From there, these women and their two children were sent to Bengaluru in September last year. Promised a salary of Rs 9,000 per month, they were made to work in an incense stick factory at Kengeri Hobli, in the outskirts of Bengaluru, where they were harassed, made to work long hours and were also not paid their due wages for months. "They were promised 9,000 per month but were only given Rs 200 per week and were made to work from morning 6am till 10pm or sometimes till midnight. Then in the second week of January, one of the women was allegedly gang-raped by her superiors at the factory, he told News18. That incident left the two of them scarred and they tried to escape. They attempted to go to the railway station, but were intercepted by factory supervisor Sanjeev and taken back against their wishes and were locked up. "Two other men in the factory - Sanjay and Kiran - under tacit sanctions from Sanjeev, took turns to rape one of the two women in the days that followed. I believe that the owner (Devendran) was in the know of what was happening but he has gone scot-free," Murmo said. In the FIR registered for the rape, two persons have been named as accused. Nur Islam Ansari (Sanjay) and Suresh Gour (Kiran) have been charged under IPC section 376D (gang-rape) and also under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The two have been taken into custody. However, no action has been taken against the factory owner or the supervisor for the sexual assaults or the use of bonded labour. The company has not responded to the allegations. The women, in their police complaints, said they had finally managed to escape from the factory in mid-February, and started living in a forest between Ramanagara district and Bengaluru with their children. During the day, they would go around begging for food and money in the villages nearby, and at night they would sleep in the forest. They lived like this for one whole month. Then in March, just before the lockdown was announced, these women chanced upon a man named Asghar Ali, a building contractor, who offered to help them. He told them that we would give them food and shelter and also offered to employee them. He had no intentions of employing them. He provided them food and shelter but wanted sexual favours in return," Murmo said. "After meeting these women at the police station, a few days later I got a call from them asking me to urgently meet them at Kengeri (near Bengaluru). I went there and I was surprised to see this man openly threaten one of the woman with dire consequences if she didn't meet his sexual needs." As these women can speak only Santhali, it was difficult for them to register their FIR. The Kengeri police station has filed their complaint and booked Ashghar Ali under IPC section 354-A (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty). The two women and their children are still hopeful of going back to Dumka in Jharkhand. Since the matter came to light, Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN) and Migrant Workers Helpline of Karnataka have offered to help these women, and the social welfare department has also paid them some compensation. When asked if he'd want to go home and not get entangled in the legal battle that will follow, Murmo said he'd rather fight for tribal rights than stay silent. He also questioned the labour departments inefficiency in helping migrants like them, who are left at the mercy of owners and contractors. "The labour department needs to investigate companies/factories properly. They need to look into the conditions we are made to work in. All we want is to come here, earn a living and go back home happily," he said. A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Starbucks (SBUX). Shares have added about 2.3% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Starbucks due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Starbucks Q2 Earnings Top, Coronavirus to Hurt Future Results Starbucks reported second-quarter fiscal 2020 results, wherein both earnings and revenues surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. While the bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second straight quarter, the top line beat the same after missing in the preceding quarter. However, both the metrics declined sharply year over year owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Comparable store sales were down 50% in China on account of store closures and reduced working hours. Notably, comparable sales from China declined in the quarter after witnessing robust growth in the trailing six quarters. The company anticipates the impact of coronavirus to intensify in third-quarter fiscal 2020 only to moderate in fourth-quarter fiscal 2020. In the quarter under review, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the companys performance between two to three weeks. However, it anticipates an impact of 13 weeks in third-quarter fiscal 2020. The impact of the deadly virus is expected lessen in the month of May and June after wreaking havoc in April. Discussion on Earnings, Revenues & Comps In the quarter under review, adjusted earnings of 32 cents per share surpassed the consensus mark by a penny. However, the bottom line declined 47% on a year-over-year basis. Total revenues came in at $5,995.7 million, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5,736.5 million. However, the top line fell 4.9% from the year-ago level. The downside can be attributed to dismal global retail sales and comparable sales and decline in store traffic. Story continues Global comparable store sales declined 10% against an improvement of 5% in first-quarter fiscal 2020. Global comps declined due to 13% decrease comparable transactions, marginally offset by 4% increase in average ticket. Starbucks opened 225 net new stores worldwide in the fiscal second quarter, bringing the total store count to 32,050. Global store growth came in at 6%, based on a year-over-year comparison. Overall Margin Contracts in Q2 On a non-GAAP basis, operating margin contracted 660 basis points year over year to 9.2%. The downtrend can primarily be attributed to sales deleverage and rise in costs due to the coronavirus pandemic, mostly catastrophe wages, and heightened pay programs and additional benefits in support of retail store partners, inventory write-offs and store safety items. Segmental Performance Notably, in fourth-quarter fiscal 2019, the company realigned its operating segments. Specifically, the China/Asia Pacific segment and Europe, Middle East and Africa segment have been combined into one International segment. Results of Siren Retail which is a non-reportable operating segment consisting of Starbucks Reserve TM Roastery & Tasting Rooms, Starbucks Reserve brand and Princi operations were previously included within Corporate and Other. It now reports within Americas and International segments based on the geographical location of operations. Americas: Net revenues at this flagship segment came in at $4,330 million, almost flat year over year. Although the segment revenues in the quarter benefited from 552 net new store opening in a years time, it was offset by 3% comparable store sales decline primarily due to the coronavirus outbreak. In the first ten weeks of the quarter, the company sustained strong comparable store sales momentum and improved 8%. However, in the final three weeks of the quarter, comparable sales declined sharply owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the outbreak, Americas second-quarter revenues were impacted by nearly $450 million. Moreover, the segments non-GAAP operating income was roughly impacted by $420 million. Adjusted operating margin in the Americas segment contracted 590 bps to 14.4% due to sales deleverage and increase in costs on account of the coronavirus-induced crisis. International: Net revenues declined 26% year over year to $1,134.6 million at this segment owing to decrease of 31% in comparable store sales due to the pandemic. Moreover, the decline can be attributed to 4% revenue-dilutive effect of transforming certain retail businesses to fully licensed markets. However, the downside was partially offset by 1,314 net new store openings in a years time. Moreover, adjusted operating margin in the segment declined to 3.9% from 19.3% in the year-ago quarter owing to sales deleverage. Although stores in most of the markets were closed or operating under modified models, the company had to bear partner wages and benefits and occupancy costs. Margin decline can also be attributable to higher-than-normal sales mix of delivery transactions as customers shifted to off-premise consumption. Comps in China declined 50%, including 53% transaction decrease owing to store closures and reduced traffic. The company announced that 98% of its stores in China have commenced operations and anticipates continued improvement in traffic. It stopped new store openings in the second quarter but restarted development activities toward the end of the quarter. The company is on track to open at least 500 net new stores in fiscal 2020, which is over 80% of its original target. Channel Development: Net revenues at this segment jumped 16% from the prior-year quarter to $519.1 million. The upside was due to robust performance of the Global Coffee Alliance, which includes additional product sales to Nestle to transition Foodservice order fulfillment, and benefits associated to the transfer of certain single-serve product activities to Nestle on a go-forward basis. Moreover, operating margin expanded 320 bps to 36.5%. Fiscal 2020 Guidance The company announced that due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company had closed nearly 50% of its company-operated stores in the United States, and above 75% in Canada, Japan and the U.K. Although 98% stores are open in China, these are operating under modified schedules and enhanced safety-related protocols, which includes limited cafe seating. The company is unable to provide full financial impact the coronavirus as it is unable to ascertain the duration and impact of the outbreak. China comparable store sales, which declined 50% in the second quarter, are expected to decrease in the range of 25% to 30%. This suggests an improvement from the prior quarter. In fourth-quarter fiscal 2020, it will further improve to a decline of 10% to flat year over year. The company anticipates Channel Development GAAP revenue decline in the range of 6% to 8%. For fiscal 2020, the company expects capital expenditure to be nearly $1.5 billion. Other Financial Updates The company ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $2,572.3 million, compared with $2,686.6 million at the end of Sep 29, 2019. As of Mar 29, 2020, long-term debt stands at $11,658.7 million, compared with $11,167 million as of Sep 29, 2019. Moreover, the companys declared a cash dividend of 41 cents per share, payable on May 22, 2020, to shareholders of record as of May 8, 2020. How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then? In the past month, investors have witnessed a downward trend in fresh estimates. The consensus estimate has shifted -292.77% due to these changes. VGM Scores At this time, Starbucks has a subpar Growth Score of D, however its Momentum Score is doing a lot better with an A. However, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Outlook Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. It's no surprise Starbucks has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We expect a below average return from the stock in the next few months. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. A robot that is able to take throat swabs from coronavirus patients using a 3D printed arm was developed by a team of researchers from Denmark in just four weeks. The University of Southern Denmark says the world's first fully automated throat swab robot will be be able to test the first COVID-19 patients by late June. Using disposable 3D printed parts, the robot holds a swab and hits the exact spot in the throat where a sample needs to be collected every time. It puts the swab in a glass and screws the lid on to seal the sample without human input - reducing the risk of exposing healthcare workers to the deadly virus. A robot that is able to take throat swabs from coronavirus patients was developed by a team of researchers from Denmark in just four weeks Using disposable 3D printed parts, the robot holds a swab and hits the exact spot in the throat where a sample needs to be collected every time A team of ten researchers for the Industry 4.0 Lab at the University of Southern Denmark worked around the clock to produce the prototype of the robot. They said the goal was to create something that would reduce the risk of infection for healthcare staff when carrying out throat swabs. Professor Thiusius Rajeeth Savarimuthu of SDU Robotics, developed the robot after talking to healthcare workers - it was his first project after COVID-19 appeared. He was also the first person to test the robot, saying 'It went really well. Im still sitting here'. 'I was surprised at how softly the robot managed to land the swab at the spot in the throat where it was supposed to hit, so it was a huge success,' he added. Savarimuthu said he hopes the robot will be able to take over the throat swabbing work both in relation to COVID-19, but also in all future viruses. The team worked with researchers from Odense University Hospital in developing the robot to ensure it hit the right spot in the back of the throat of patients. OUH Director, Kim Brixen said the throat swab robot presents a great advantage over medical staff as it won't get sick, tired or bored of the monotonous work. 'Currently, healthcare professionals are carrying out throat swabs for Covid-19; but working conditions can be a challenge,' Brixen said. 'The task entails long working days of monotonous work. 'At the same time, the employees are in great demand in other functions.' Large scale testing is a major part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic and in allowing communities to re-open from lockdown measures. 'The robot has great potential for mass screening for Covid-19 in the healthcare sector, but also in connection with border control or at airports,' said Brixen. Large scale testing is a major part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic and in allowing communities to re-open from lockdown measures A team of ten researchers for the Industry 4.0 Lab at the university worked around the clock to produce the prototype of the robot 'At the same time, we see that regular flu seems to have decreased during the lockdown. This may imply that we may need to rethink our strategy against the flu.' The challenge for the team now is to scale up the development and find investors that will allow them to have it ready for any second wave of the virus. They are starting to find people to make it a reality and the university says that if everything goes according to plan, 'the robot will be swabbing the first patients throat in a month'. 'The Covid-19 pandemic abounds. The ambition is, therefore, that we must get on the market as soon as possible,' said Sren Stig, director of Lifeline robotics, the company working on a public release of the device. 'The plan is that we have a prototype that swabs patients by the end of June, and that the robot is completed and ready for the market this fall when the second Covid-19 wave hits,' said Stig 'Everyone on the team is working incredibly hard. If our plan holds, we will have achieved in 3-4 months what usually takes three years.' US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo has congratulated Azerbaijani people on the Republic Day, celebrated on May 28. The United States and Azerbaijan have enjoyed an important partnership for nearly 30 years. We engage on important issues such as security, energy and economic development, and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Whether serving shoulder-to-shoulder to help establish peace in Afghanistan or working together to strengthen European energy security through the Southern Gas Corridor, our two countries continue to collaborate on some of the worlds most pressing challenges, said Pompeo. He pointed out that the United States remains strongly committed, as a Minsk Group co-chair country, to the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world unique challenges this year, I am confident the people of Azerbaijan will face up to them with courage and determination. The United States stands with you and supports the sovereignty and independence of Azerbaijan, said Pompeo. Haryana government has decided to take strict action against those who step out without masks in public places. According to Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij, people who will not wear face masks in public places will be fined Rs 500. Besides, the offender will have to pay the cash to the authority at the spot. The state government has introduced the same rules for people spitting in public places. "People who are found not wearing masks, spitting in public places will be fined Rs 500," Haryana Home Minister said on Wednesday. Block development and panchayat officers, tehsildar, and naib tehsildar in rural areas will have the power to impose the fine on violators. Besides, police officers and medical officers, as designated by civil surgeons, on hospitals, community health centre, and primary health centre premises will also have the power to impose the fine. Non-payment of fine by the violator will attract proceedings under Section 188 of IPC (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), according to the official notification by the state government. Earlier, Telangana government has issued orders imposing Rs 1,000 as fine for those not wearing masks in public places. In Kerala, the penalty is Rs 200. However, if the offender repeats the act, then he or she would be fined an amount of Rs 5,000. In Bengaluru, spitting, littering, and not wearing face masks in public will attract a fine of Rs 1,000. The Delhi, Maharashtra, Odish, and Uttar Pradesh governments have also made it compulsory for people to wear face masks when stepping outdoors but have not issued any penalty till now. According to the Union Health Ministry data, Haryana's case tally of COVID-19 patients has surged to 1,381. Over 1,300 positive cases have been reported from four districts adjoining Delhi. They are Sonipat, Faridabad, Gurugram, and Jhajjar. Also read: Lockdown 5.0 guidelines: Select cities may have restrictions; is yours on the list? Also read: Coronavirus rise in India: 100 cases in 45 days, 50,000 in 8 days a href=https://tvtonight.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2020-06-09-at-1.jpg> Seminal writer / producer Jock Blair who produced classic Australian dramas Homicide and The Sullivans has died. He began as a personal assistant to Graham Kennedy at GTV9, including writing occasional gags for the TV king, to scripting for Homicide, Division 4 and The Box. Hector Crawford made him a producer on Homicide, but writing took its toll and he decided to invite writers to assist in plotting each story. Blair conceived and produced mega-hit The Sullivans and co-created Bluey, Skyways, and produced The Bluestone Boys, The Shiralee, Sara Dane, Golden Fiddles, Shadows of the Heart, Under Capricorn, Snowy River: The McGregor Saga, Grim Pickings, Paradise Beach, Tribe, The Violent Earth plus the films Robbery Under Arms and Playing Beatie Bow. In addition to Crawford Productions he worked with the South Australian Film Corporation and PFTC / Screen Queensland, where he became the longest-serving staff member. Producer Roger Simpson told TV Tonight, We were both in our twenties in 1972 when Jock and I co-wrote The Rape of Lennie Walker a two hour special episode of Division 4. Hows that for a trusting producer? Hector Crawford was a true pioneer who luxuriated in risk and gave Jock and me our starts. Nearly 50 years on, the only thing that stopped Jock writing was that ultimate critic who scripts our final notice. Jock leaves a mountain of credits and enduring friendships and loved every moment on this wild bucking bull they call the industry. Rest well my friend. With all my love to Joy and Molly. You will be remembered. Rick Maier, Head of Drama and Executive Production at 10 said, You could hear Jock way before you ever saw him. It was the loudest most infectious laugh in television. An incredible influence on so many writers, directors and producers. A huge loss. Fremantle Head of Scripted Jo Porter said, As a writer himself Jock Blair was a true creative producer, an incredible and generous mentor to so many and I feel very lucky to have worked with him early in my career. Jock was a wonderful story teller with a wicked self-deprecating humour his favourite stories often involved the loves of his life his wife Joy and their children and maybe the odd glass of red. Screenwriter Bevan Lee said, Another one of the greats from the Crawfords trained stable of television creatives is gone. Jock was not only a skilled practitioner, he was a true gentleman. I still remember him with the respect and fondness he earned in our time of working together. TV historian Andrew Mercado said, My first job in television was on Paradise Beach working for Jock Blair and what a lovely experience that was. Jock was approachable, easygoing and loved to wander around the sets and backlot armed with a cheeky smile and a Marlboro cigarette. It was clear he loved making television and would throw open the doors of his own home for crew parties. Am thinking of his wife Joy and family at this very sad time. Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner said, Jock gave a lot to the industry. He was an accomplished writer and producer. His first love was always writing and working with writers. He devoted a lot of his time to helping young writers master the craft of writing for television. The fire service to investigate the cause of the blaze that swept through Dhaka hospital, killing at least five people. Authorities in Bangladesh have launched an investigation after a fire swept through a makeshift coronavirus isolation unit in the capital, Dhaka, killing at least five people, according to local media. The Fire Service and Civil Defence on Thursday formed a four-member committee to investigate the blaze at the isolation unit in the United Hospital located in the posh Gulshan area of the capital. Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam told the Daily Star newspaper that eight of 11 fire extinguishers at the hospital were past their expiry date. The blaze comes as the country faces a rising number of coronavirus cases. Fire service official Kamrul Hasan told AFP news agency the fire began when an air conditioner exploded in a shed belonging to the United Hospital. Fire service teams have controlled the fire in around an hour. Five people have died of suffocation due to the fire, Hasan earlier said. The blaze quickly raced through the unit due to the presence of flammable items such as sanitiser, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Sudip Kumar Chakraborty told AFP. Three of those who have died are COVID-19 patients and the rest two were COVID-19 negatives, he said. Police said the fire started at 9:48pm Bangladesh time (15:48 GMT) and soon engulfed the isolation unit, which was built adjacent to the hospital in recent weeks to treat suspected coronavirus patients. A doctor at the hospital told AFP that panic gripped patients as the fire spread. We are already very stressed out at work and the fire only added to our headache, he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Thank God they controlled the fire before it reached the main hospital. Otherwise, it would have been a catastrophe, he added. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened in Bangladesh in recent weeks, with the death toll hitting 544 and nearly 40,000 people infected. The government this week ordered most of its state-run hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients. Previously, only a handful of public and private hospitals were treating the virus. Health experts say the number of actual cases and fatalities in Bangladesh is likely much higher, and that the government figures are limited due to low testing levels. In a significant development, atronomers have succeeded in solving a decades-old mystery of "missing matter" by using mysterious fast radio bursts. It is to be noted that this 'missing matter' has been long predicted to exist in the universe, but was not detected by astronomers so far. According to the researchers, all of the unaccounted normal matter exists in the vast space between stars and galaxies. The findings of the study are published in the journal Nature. Lead author Associate Professor Jean-Pierre Macquart, from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) said a team of astronomers have been searching for the missing matter for around three decades "We know from measurements of the Big Bang how much matter there was in the beginning of the universe. But when we looked out into the present universe, we couldn't find half of what should be there. It was a bit of an embarrassment. Intergalactic space is very sparse. The missing matter was equivalent to only one or two atoms in a room the size of an average office. So it was very hard to detect this matter using traditional techniques and telescopes," he was quoted as saying by Phys.org. The astronomers managed to directly detect the missing matter using the phenomenon of fast radio bursts, said Associate Professor Macquart. He added that the fast radio bursts were used as "cosmic weigh stations." "The radiation from fast radio bursts gets spread out by the missing matter in the same way that you see the colours of sunlight being separated in a prism. We've now been able to measure the distances to enough fast radio bursts to determine the density of the universe. We only needed six to find this missing matter," he added. The missing matter in this case is baryonic, or 'normal' matterlike the protons and neutrons that make up stars, planets and humans. Co-author Professor J. Xavier Prochaska, from UC Santa Cruz, said, "The discovery of fast radio bursts and their localisation to distant galaxies were the key breakthroughs needed to solve this mystery." [May 28, 2020] Optical Interconnect Market Worth $17.1 Billion by 2025 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets CHICAGO, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Optical Interconnect Market by Product Category (Cable Assemblies, Connectors, Optical Transceivers), Interconnect Level, Fiber Mode, Data Rate, Distance, Application (Data Communication, Telecommunication), Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Optical Interconnect Market is projected to grow from USD 9.0 billion in 2020 to USD 17.1 billion by 2025; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.7% from 2020 to 2025. Key factors fueling the growth of this market include the rise in the global deployment of datacenters and the surge in the global adoption of cloud computing, big data analytics, and IoT. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=89222473 "The single mode fiber segment held a larger share of the optical interconnect market than the multimode fiber segment in 2019." The single mode fiber segment is projected to account for a larger size of the optical interconnect market from 2020 to 2025 than the multimode fiber segment. The major factor contributing to the growth of this segment of the market is the high adoption of optical interconnects for long-distance data transmission applications. Optical interconnects with single mode fibers offer high data transfer rates for long-distance transmissions with only one type of signal. The optical interconnects have replaced the traditional copper-based electric optical interconnects for inter-datacenter interconnections, and metro and long-haul level interconnections, as they relatively offer high data transfer rate with low attenuation. "The chip- and board-level optical interconnect segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period." The chip- and board-level optical interconnect segment of the market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The major factor contributing to the growth of this segment is the increasing requirement of fast processors with low power consumption and high data transmission rates. The increased popularity of parallel computing and the arrival of multicore processors and 3D chips are creating an increased demand for chip- and board-level optical interconnects. They are becoming crucial to cope up with the high-computing speed requirements of various applications. "The cable assemblies segment held the largest share of the optical interconnect market in 2019." In 2019, the cable assemblies segment held the largest share of the optical interconnect market. The growth of this segment can be attributed to the increased deployment of fiber optics in datacenters and telecommunication applications across the world. These cable assemblies offer high data rates and low attenuation required by high bandwidth connectivity applications. Moreover, they have lower power consumption than the traditional copper-based electric cable assemblies, which make them suitable for datacenters and high-perormance computing applications. "The data communication application segment led the optical interconnect market in 2019." Based on application, the optical interconnect market has been segmented into data communication and telecommunication. The data communication is projected to lead the optical interconnect market during the forecast period. The growth of this segment can be attributed to the increased adoption of optical interconnects in datacenters and high-performance computing (HPC) applications owing to their high data transmission rates. The rising number of datacenters across the world is expected to drive the growth of this segment of the market. Optical interconnects offer a wide range of data rates for both intra- and inter-datacenter interconnection purposes. Hence, leading datacenter companies such as Google, Alibaba, Microsoft, Facebook, and Apple use optical interconnects in their datacenters. Browse in-depth TOC on "Optical Interconnect Market" 109 Tables 65 Figures 182 Pages Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=89222473 "North America held the largest share of the optical interconnect market in 2019." North America is projected to account for the largest share of the optical interconnect market in 2025. The growth of this segment of the market can be attributed to the initiatives undertaken by telecommunication companies such as AT&T (US) and T-Mobile (Germany) to start 5G services in the US. These companies are focusing on the development of 5G network infrastructures in the US to start the country-wide 5G services by the end of 2020. This, in turn, is expected to drive the market growth in North America during the forecast period. Moreover, the presence of some of the key datacenter companies such as Google (US), Amazon (US), Microsoft (US), and Apple (US) in the region has also contributed significantly to the growth of the optical interconnect market in North America. Key players in the optical interconnect market include companies operating at different stages of the value chain. II-VI Incorporated (US); Lumentum Operations LLC (US); Molex, LLC (US); InnoLight Technology (Suzhou) Ltd. (China); NVIDIA Corporation (US); Fujitsu Ltd. (Japan); Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (Japan); Broadcom Inc. (US); TE Connectivity (Switzerland); Amphenol Corporation (US); Accelink Technology Co. Ltd. (China); Juniper Networks, Inc. (US); Infinera Corporation (US); Acacia Communications, Inc. (US); NeoPhotonics Corporation (US); Optoscribe Ltd. (UK); Smiths Interconnect (UK); Cailabs (France); Fiberplex Technologies, LLC (US); and Cleerline Technology Group (US) are the leading players operating in this market. These companies focus on adopting both organic and inorganic growth strategies, such as new product launches and developments, acquisitions, collaborations, contracts, and expansions, for strengthening their position in the market. Related Reports: Optical Transceiver Market by Form Factor (SFF, SFP, SFP+, QSFP, QSFP+, QSFP28), Data Rate, Distance, Fiber Type (Single-Mode, Multimode), Connector, Wavelength, Application (Telecom, Data Center, and Enterprise), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025 Optical Communication and Networking Equipment Market by Component (Fiber, Transceiver, and Switch), Technology, Application (Telecom, Data Center, and Enterprise), Data Rate, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight : https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/optical-interconnect-market.asp Content Source : https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/optical-interconnect.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Xiaodong Qian has been the CEO of China Everbright Greentech Limited (HKG:1257) since 2016. This report will, first, examine the CEO compensation levels in comparison to CEO compensation at companies of similar size. Then we'll look at a snap shot of the business growth. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels. View our latest analysis for China Everbright Greentech How Does Xiaodong Qian's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies? Our data indicates that China Everbright Greentech Limited is worth HK$5.7b, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as HK$5.4m for the year to December 2019. That's a modest increase of 7.7% on the prior year year. While we always look at total compensation first, we note that the salary component is less, at HK$2.0m. We note that more than half of the total compensation is not the salary; and performance requirements may apply to this non-salary portion. We looked at a group of companies with market capitalizations from HK$3.1b to HK$12b, and the median CEO total compensation was HK$3.9m. Now let's take a look at the pay mix on an industry and company level to gain a better understanding of where China Everbright Greentech stands. Speaking on an industry level, we can see that nearly 41% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 59% is other remuneration. Our data reveals that China Everbright Greentech allocates salary in line with the wider market. As you can see, Xiaodong Qian is paid more than the median CEO pay at companies of a similar size, in the same market. However, this does not necessarily mean China Everbright Greentech Limited is paying too much. We can get a better idea of how generous the pay is by looking at the performance of the underlying business. The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at China Everbright Greentech has changed from year to year. Story continues SEHK:1257 CEO Compensation May 28th 2020 Is China Everbright Greentech Limited Growing? Over the last three years China Everbright Greentech Limited has seen earnings per share (EPS) move in a positive direction by an average of 20% per year (using a line of best fit). Its revenue is up 33% over last year. Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. It's great to see that revenue growth is strong, too. These metrics suggest the business is growing strongly. Shareholders might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts. Has China Everbright Greentech Limited Been A Good Investment? With a three year total loss of 47%, China Everbright Greentech Limited would certainly have some dissatisfied shareholders. So shareholders would probably think the company shouldn't be too generous with CEO compensation. In Summary... We compared total CEO remuneration at China Everbright Greentech Limited with the amount paid at companies with a similar market capitalization. We found that it pays well over the median amount paid in the benchmark group. However we must not forget that the EPS growth has been very strong over three years. Having said that, shareholders may be disappointed with the weak returns over the last three years. While EPS is moving in the right direction, we'd say shareholders would want better returns before the CEO is paid much more. On another note, China Everbright Greentech has 4 warning signs (and 2 which are a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. 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. The pandemic could wipe out millions of jobs, primarily in tourism (2.5 million out of 3.9). Also, at risk are manufacturing (25 per cent) and the services sector (43 per cent). Only the food and electronics sectors are spared. Koh Lan island is set to reopen for tourism on 1 June. Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies) At least 8.4 million people in Thailand could lose their job because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Tourism is one of the hardest hit sectors of Thailands economy, but the emergency triggered by COVID-19 and the measures taken by the authorities to counter it have affected the entire economy. The National Economic and Social Development Council today reported that the fall in foreign and domestic tourists could wipe out 2.5 million jobs, or 64 per cent of a total of 3.9 million workers employed in the tourist industry. The jobs of at least 1.5 million people are at risk in manufacturing, 25 per cent of the total of 5.9 million people. In this case, the pandemic is compounding the effects of ongoing trade wars, especially between China and the United States, which are deeply shaking markets and creating uncertainty. In recent days, Thailand saw its flagship carrier, Thai Airways International, file for bankruptcy, the first airline to do so in Asia Outside of tourism, 4.4 million jobs, or 43 per cent of 10.3 million, could also disappear in the services sector. Following the governments recent decision to ease the lockdown measures, many are betting on a partial recovery. Still, Thailands jobless rate could hit 4 per cent this year, up from 1 per cent, similar to the level seen during the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. Southeast Asias second largest economy is expected to shrink by up to 6 per cent. The only sectors that might not to be affected by the pandemic are food and beverage, as well as products deemed necessary, like electronics. Meanwhile, Koh Lan Island (Pattaya), a popular tourist resort closed two months ago at the start of the pandemic, is set to reopen next Monday, 1 June, for tourists. On 1 May, restrictions were eased, allowing residents, but not tourists, to come and go. The Enhanced Partnership, signed on 17 May 2019, provides the framework for cooperation across the four main areas of trade, defence and security, science and technology, and people-to-people ties. The two leaders discussed the range of initiatives achieved since the signing of the agreement, including ratifying the New Zealand-Singapore Closer Economic Partnership (ANZSCEP) upgrade, and concluding a ground-breaking Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), alongside Chile. Both Leaders acknowledged the close cooperation and success on a number of initiatives to enhance mutual prosperity. Our complementary economies and open outlook have helped us build a strong bilateral relationship over the years, which underpins the numerous agreements between us, says Ardern. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular has highlighted both the importance and relevance of our long and enduring relationship. She says New Zealand and Singapore have worked tirelessly over the past few months to ensure critical supplies continue to reach our people and that our trade links remain open. Through the world-leading Declaration on Trade in Essential Goods for Combating the COVID-19 Pandemic, (signed on 15 April 2020), we took concrete steps together to remove obstacles affecting the trade of vital goods, such as medicines and food, in the face of COVID-19. The Prime Ministers agreed to continue implementation of the Enhanced Partnership, with a focus on priority initiatives that are meaningful and valued by both countries in the context of COVID-19. We will continue to strive to protect an open and inclusive rules-based order, and seek opportunities to work collectively for the common peace, stability and prosperity of our countries, and the Asia-Pacific region, Ardern says. Singapore became New Zealands second free trade partner after Australia following the signing of the Closer Economic Partnership in 2000. The country is now New Zealands most significant trading partner in South East Asia - and our 7th largest trading partner worldwide - with NZ$5.76 billion worth of two-way trade in 2019. It also serves as an important transport hub for New Zealands goods heading to markets across the globe. Many New Zealand businesses operating in South-East and East Asia use Singapore as a regional base. Police arrest 26 in France, Belgium over Vietnamese migrants lorry tragedy Police in Belgium and France have arrested 26 suspected people smugglers over the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in a refrigerated truck in Britain last year. An October 2019 photo shows a police forensic tent in front of a lorry which contained the bodies of the dead migrants.PHOTO: AFP The migrants - 31 men and eight women - were found dead in the truck in an industrial zone east of London in October, sparking an international outcry. The driver of the lorry has already admitted manslaughter over the deaths, but Tuesday's arrests targeted the ring of smugglers suspected of organising the migrants' journey. Police swooped in a series of raids around Brussels and Paris as part of a probe also involving British and Irish investigators. In Belgium - where some of the victims stayed before their fateful journey - police held 13 people, including 11 Vietnamese nationals. "The network set up by the smugglers is suspected of having likely transported up to several dozen people every day for several months," Belgian federal prosecutors said in a statement on Wednesday (May 27). "The organisation focused on transporting refugees from Asia, particularly from Vietnam." Prosecutors suspect the gang organised the transport of the Vietnamese migrants in the container where they died. Most of those arrested in France are also Vietnamese, according to an investigation source. The probe has discovered that the migrants who died were loaded onto the truck in northern France, and that the network continued its operations even after the tragedy, charging 15,000 to 20,000 euros to cross from France to Britain. Even the coronavirus lockdown did not stop the gang's smuggling activities, the source said. The tragedy shone a spotlight on the extraordinary dangers migrants are willing to risk to reach Britain, with some paying smugglers up to US$40,000 (S$56,000) for the perilous journey. Post-mortem tests found the victims died from lack of oxygen and overheating, and one sent a poignant text message to her family in Vietnam as she lay dying in the truck. The victims came from impoverished and remote corners of central Vietnam, a hotspot for people willing to embark on dangerous journeys in the hope of striking it rich abroad. Many are smuggled illegally through Russia or China, often left owing huge sums to their traffickers and ending up working on cannabis farms or in nail salons. The driver of the lorry, Maurice Robinson of Northern Ireland, last month pleaded guilty to manslaughter over the 39 deaths. Four other men are on trial in London over the tragedy, while another man, Ronan Hughes, is facing extradition from Ireland to Britain on 39 counts of manslaughter and one of conspiracy to commit unlawful immigration. Hughes is accused of organising and controlling the drivers in the trafficking operation. West Bengal on Thursday recorded its highest single-day spike in Covid-19 cases with 344 cases to take the states tally to 4,536, the health department said. The previous highest was 208 cases reported on Sunday. According to a senior official of the state health department, the majority of these cases are from rural areas in different districts where migrant workers recently returned from other states. More than 250 of these 344 new cases are migrant workers who recently returned from the states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Delhi and Tamil Nadu, said a health department official. Over the past one week, the number of migrant workers testing positive for Covid-19 has crossed 600. The districts of Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Hooghly, Howrah and Uttar Dinajpur have been the worst affected as most of the states migrant workers hail from these districts. Out of Bengals 23 districts, only two in north Bengal presently remain unaffected by Covid-19. Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Birbhum and Bankura had been among the districts unaffected by Covid-19 till two weeks ago. However, over the past one week, Malda has recorded 79 new cases, Uttar Dinajpur 77 new cases and Murshidabad 60 new cases, while Hooghly and Howrah have recorded 87 and 153 cases, respectively, from the rural areas of these districts. While Bankura has recorded 19 cases, and Nadia 34 cases, East Burdwan has recorded 37 new cases. Most of those who tested positive for Covid-19 in the past week, except for those in Kolkata, were migrant workers. We anticipate the numbers to go up as more results are awaited, said a senior state government official who did not want to be identified. On Wednesday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the Centre for forcing the state to accept more migrant workers than its intake capacity, given the precautions needed to be maintained. Centres unplanned transport of migrant workers is turning rural Bengal red. It will also turn rural India red, Banerjee said. The state government has decided to requisition more schools to turn them into institutional quarantine centres for returning migrant workers. Those returning from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi will be sent to institutional quarantine centres, the administration has decided. Banerjees statement, however, has created a political controversy. Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, It is utterly insensitive for the chief minister to blame migrant workers for the spread of Covid-19. Migrant workers have been one of the biggest victims of this lockdown. We should sympathize with them and create proper infrastructure and management, Chowdhury said. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit president Dilip Ghosh also attacked Banerjee. The CM is treating the migrant workers unfairly. It is because of the states inability to create jobs that they went to other states in search of jobs. Its the states responsibility to look after their wellbeing, said Ghosh. By PTI MUMBAI: NCP chief Sharad Pawar has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the real estate sector is in a state of "complete breakdown" amid the lockdown and Modi should look into the issue personally. In the letter dated May 27, Pawar demanded that the prime minister undertake measures to revive the sector which has been hit hard. "Amidst unprecedented pandemic Covid-19 and consequent nationwide lockdown, the Real Estate Sector is in a state of complete breakdown," Pawar said in the letter, which he shared on Twitter on Thursday. The massive "outflux" of labourers, stoppage of work and sales for almost three months, stagnant demand and impaired economic activities have taken a toll on this industry "which contributes substantially to the national GDP", he said. The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) too has written an open letter to Modi about the crisis and requested his immediate intervention, the former Union minister noted. CREDAI has made a few recommendations such as one-time (loan) restructuring, additional institutional funding, waiver of penal interest, policy innovations for triggering consumer demand, controlling cartelisation of raw material, changing criterion of affordability for GST applicability and operationalisation of SWAMIH fund to help the sector, he said. The Special Window for Completion of Construction of Affordable and Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH) fund was created by the government with contributions from financial institutions such as LIC and SBI to complete over 1,600 stalled projects with 4.5 lakh housing units. "I shall be grateful if you personally look into the matter and initiate necessary measures for revival of one of the most important sectors of economy i.e. the Real Estate Sector," Pawar said in the letter. American Airlines will cut 30 per cent of its management and support staff in its latest belt-tightening move during the prolonged covid-19 downturn, the company disclosed Thursday. The big US carrier outlined a series of measures to reduce headcount throughout its operations in an email to staff that was released in a securities filing Thursday. American currently has a team of 17,000 people in management and support, meaning the actions planned will cut about 5,100 jobs. American Airlines became the latest big US carrier to signal deep job cuts due to sinking air travel demand from coronavirus shutdowns American Airlines share price dropped sharply on the news announced on Thursday morning The move follows statements from United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and other carriers that have signaled deep job cuts due to sinking air travel demand from coronavirus shutdowns. The top three U.S. airlines, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, are rolling out fresh programs to induce tens of thousands of employees to accept voluntary leave or early retirement in the hope of avoiding widespread furloughs in the fall, company memos show. American has established a voluntary departure program for this staff, but 'will have to take the difficult step of involuntary separations' if there are not enough volunteers, said Elise Eberwein, executive vice president at American Airlines, in the memo. Affected staff will remain on payroll through the end of September. As part of a federal bailout under the CARES Act, major U.S. carriers agreed to not undertake involuntary employee layoffs or furloughs through September 30, 2020. American Airlines has already trimmed down somewhat, with almost 39,000 staff members taking voluntary leave or early retirement. The company also plans to open a new voluntary downsizing program in June for in-flight crews. 'As we have previously stated, our preferred outcome is to properly size our frontline team for the future without having to implement involuntary furloughs,' Eberwein said. 'This is a goal, though, not a commitment, and a stretch goal at that. We will be working with our unions in the weeks and months ahead in hopes of developing programs to facilitate that goal.' But Doug Parker, the chief executive, denied rumors that the airline could go bankrupt. 'Bankruptcy is failure. We're not going to do that,' Parker told a conference on Tuesday, adding: 'I don't think you'll see any airline go by the wayside as a result of this crisis.' Shares in American rose 5.5 per cent in late trading on Wednesday. American's decision comes as the global aviation industry struggles to cope with the fallout from covid-19. TSA updated security procedures Under new TSA rules, passengers must: Keep possession of their boarding passes. Instead of handing their boarding pass to a TSA officer at the travel document podium, travelers should now place their boarding pass (paper or electronic) on the boarding pass reader themselves. After scanning, travelers should hold their boarding pass toward the TSA officer to allow the officer to visually inspect it. Separate food for X-ray screening. Passengers should place their carry-on food items into a clear plastic bag and place that bag into a bin. TSA Precheck members do not need to remove items from their bags. Put belts, wallets, keys inside carry-on, put electronics and liquids in trays. If a bag is found to contain a prohibited item, passengers may be directed to return to the divestiture table outside of security with their carry-on bags to remove the item and dispose of the item. The passenger may also be directed back outside of security to remove, items and resubmit their property for X-ray screening. Practice social distancing in accordance with new floor markers. Noticeable adjustments leading up to the security checkpoint include, increasing the distance between individuals as they enter the security checkpoint, placing visual reminders of appropriate spacing on checkpoint floors and staggering the use of lanes where feasible. Wear facial protection. TSA officers at checkpoints are now using facial protection. Travelers are encouraged to wear face protection to the checkpoint as well but may need to adjust it during the screening process. Advertisement Around 100,000 employees of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have already accepted offers for temporary or permanent leaves, memos show. But airlines must continue reducing their workforces to match their businesses to a sharp downfall in air travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Delta, with around 91,000 employees, is to announce on Thursday details of an enhanced retirement package for long-term employees and a separate voluntary opt-out package. Both include cash severance, full healthcare coverage and travel benefits, a memo dated May 27 showed. 'Every voluntary departure helps to protect the jobs of those who most need them,' said Delta CEO Ed Bastian, in the memo to employees. He added: 'I can't emphasize enough how challenging the environment is, and will be for the foreseeable future.' Air travel within the U.S. tumbled 96 per by mid-April, to fewer than 100,000 people on some days. It has recovered slightly. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 264,843 people at airports on Tuesday, a drop of 89 per cent compared with the same Tuesday a year ago. Drop in demand for air travel is having a dramatic effect on aerospace manufacturing. Boeing, one of America's largest manufacturers as well as its number one exporter, is cutting more than 12,000 U.S. jobs. 'The covid-19 pandemic's devastating impact on the airline industry means a deep cut in the number of commercial jets and services our customers will need over the next few years, which in turn means fewer jobs on our lines and in our offices,' said David Calhoun, CEO and president of Boeing, on Wednesday in a memo to employees. The Chicago-based company said it will lay off 6,770 U.S. employees this week, and another 5,520 workers are taking buyout offers to leave voluntarily in the coming weeks. The company had said it would cut 10 per cent of a workforce that numbered about 160,000. Hours later, however, Boeing offered some positive news and announced it was resuming production of the ill-fated 737 Max. Boeing Max 737 planes sit idle in Seattle in July, after the worldwide grounding of the aircraft in March. On Wednesday Boeing announced it was restarting limited production of the plane Two deadly Max jet crashes pushed Boeing into a financial crisis months before the coronavirus squeezed global air travel to a trickle. The crisis began in October 2018, when Lion Air Flight 610, from Jakarta, Indonesia, to the island of Sumatra, crashed into the Java Sea moments after takeoff, killing all 189 people on board. In March 2019 a second Max 737 - this one owned by Ethiopian Airlines - crashed six minutes after takeoff from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board. The plane was soon grounded worldwide, leading to a huge slump in Boeing's profits. Company engineers have been working for more than a year and a half to fix flight-control software that played a role in the crashes, pushing the planes' noses down repeatedly. Federal regulators have not yet approved Boeing's fixes, but on Wednesday, the company said workers at a factory in Renton, Washington, started assembling Max jets 'at a low rate' under procedures designed to prevent spreading coronavirus. Boeing executives expect to resume deliveries of the plane before October, which will give the company some much-needed cash. Boeing failed to sell a single commercial airplane in April, but saw orders for 108 planes canceled. It marked the second month this year in which Boeing received no orders - a fate that would have seemed impossible not long ago. Announcements by Boeing and American Airlines come on top of a miserable week for the industry. On Wednesday, shortly before Boeing made their announcement, engine maker Rolls-Royce said it plans to cut some 9,000 jobs globally. Rolls-Royce warned earlier this month that flying hours for its engines dived by 90 per cent in April. 'This is not a crisis of our making. But it is the crisis that we face and we must deal with it,' said Warren East, CEO of the British-based company. 'Our airline customers and air-frame partners are having to adapt and so must we.' On Tuesday Latam Airlines, South America's biggest carrier, sought U.S. bankruptcy protection, under Chapter 11. Passenger and cargo flights will continue to operate during the reorganization, and employees will still be paid, the Santiago, Chile-based airline said. Travelers with existing tickets and vouchers can still use them. Airlines worldwide are hoping that the gradual loosening of travel restrictions will see more people taking again to the skies. American Airlines jets pictured on March 31 in Pittsburgh, sitting idle due to lack of demand In Tulsa, Oklahoma, American parked their unused jets on the runway on March 23 They are suggesting ways of restoring confidence, including having fewer seats on planes and enforcing the wearing of masks. However, the measures are bringing little comfort to those forced to travel now. Passengers are complaining about overcrowded flights, as airlines cut their services in an attempt to fly full aircraft. On May 9 a cardiologist flying with United from Newark, NJ to San Francisco tweeted a photo which went viral showing every seat on the plane taken. Ethan Weiss, a cardiologist, went viral with a photo complaining about overcrowding on flights United then announced they would alert passengers if their flight was going to be full. 'We'll allow customers on flights that are expected to be closer to full capacity to choose to rebook on a different flight or receive a travel credit,' United said in a statement. 'We'll do our best to contact them about 24 hours before their departure time so they can decide whether to adjust their plans before they arrive at the airport and we'll provide this option at the gate, if more than 70 per cent of customers have checked in.' Several U.S. carriers have placed hard caps on the number of passengers that can be booked onto flights. United has not done this, but said it is trying to keep people who are not flying together spaced apart on flights. BEIJING China officially has the broad power to quash unrest in Hong Kong, as the countrys legislature on Thursday nearly unanimously approved a plan to suppress subversion, secession, terrorism and seemingly any acts that might threaten national security in the semiautonomous city. As Beijing hashes out the specifics of the national security legislation in the coming weeks, the final rules will help determine the fate of Hong Kong, including how much of the citys autonomy will be preserved or how much Beijing will tighten its grip. Early signals from the Chinese authorities point to a crackdown once the law takes effect, which is expected by September. File Photo For the past few days, people sitting in different parts of the country have been facing the intensive heat. Meanwhile, Churu in Rajasthan recorded a low of 50 degrees Celsius. In Delhi, the temperature rose to 47.5 degrees Celsius. The meteorological department said the weather could be worse in the coming days. Advertisement Heat conditions The heat-stricken people in the country are waiting for the rains. The meteorological department has issued a weather warning for the next five days. The IMD said heavy rains are likely in Assam-Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram-Tripura. The heat wave continues in Punjab too. The maximum temperature recorded in Patiala city of the state was 44.2 degrees Celsius. Amritsar and Ludhiana had a low of 43.5 degrees Celsius and 44.2 degrees Celsius respectively. Advertisement Rain The capital Chandigarh recorded a low of 42.9 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal. It may be recalled that Bathinda was the hottest city in the state. The meteorological department has now warned of strong winds of 30 to 40 kmph on May 28 and 31 and strong winds of 40 to 50 kms per km in Punjab on May 29 and 30. On May 26, Israel sent an airplane to Sudan with officials, a medical team and equipment in an attempt to save the life of a local diplomat infected with the novel coronavirus. Unfortunately, 24 hours after the arrival of the plane, Sudanese Najwa Gadaheldam died. Officially, the two countries have no diplomatic relations and are even considered enemies, though several contacts at the highest levels have been registered over the past few months. Information about the unusual flight was first revealed on flight tracking sites, which signaled the arrival of a private Hawker 800 mid-size plane to Khartoums international airport. No information was noted on its origin or the identity of its passengers. In the following hours, rumors spread on social networks about the mysterious aircraft. Sources in Sudan said that the Hawker came from Turkey carrying medical equipment, a credible explanation on the backdrop of the recent evacuation by Ankara of coronavirus-infected nationals. Still, recent reports claim otherwise. According to Israeli Channel 13, Jerusalem decided to send medical staff and equipment to Khartoum after learning that senior Sudanese official Gadaheldam was seriously ill with the virus. Israels relations with Sudan underwent major changes in the past few years. According to some reports, when Sudan severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016, Israel sent feelers through the United States to examine the possibility of establishing contact. But it was the toppling of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 that really opened the doors to change. On Feb. 2, 2020, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Uganda with the head of Sudans Sovereign Council, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Both leaders reportedly agreed to advance normalization of bilateral ties. On Feb. 16, Netanyahu announced that a first Israeli plane had been allowed to cross Sudanese airspace. Gadaheldam, a former official at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and a close adviser to Sudan's al-Burhan, was apparently instrumental in fostering these new relations between Jerusalem and Khartoum. Netanyahus office did not confirm the story about the aircraft, but the prime minister did reveal at the May 24 opening of the new cabinets weekly meetings that he had spoken with the leaders of both Chad and Sudan ahead of Eid al-Fitr. "Over the past two days I have also spoken with the leaders of Sudan and Chad. On your behalf, I extended to them Eid al-Fitr greetings and also wished for the continued strengthening of relations between us. More Muslim countries are on the way, he said. Relations with Africa in general, and Muslim countries in particular, have become a personal project for Netanyahu. Chadian President Idriss Deby visited Jerusalem and met with Netanyahu in November 2018. Netanyahu has now in his new government a proactive, energetic and smart foreign minister with many contacts in the international security community. Gabi Ashkenazi was quick to call many of his counterparts across the globe on May 19, the day after he took office. Still, these recent developments might suggest that the prime minister will continue steering Israeli diplomacy, at least in Africa. The Nigerian Senate has received the revised 2020 budget of N10.52 trillion. Senate President Ahmad Lawan confirmed this development during plenary on Thursday. Lawan read a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari informing the lawmakers of the revised budget on the floor of the upper legislative chamber. Also Read: 2020 Budget: Buhari Seeks Senate Approval For Fresh N850bn Loan President Muhammadu Buhari had assented to N10.59 trillion as the budget for 2020 in December. Advertisement The dwindling oil prices due to the Coronavirus outbreak led the 2020 budget to be reviewed downwards to N10.276 trillion. However, the federal executive council (FEC) increased the budget to N10.52 trillion by N318 billion after oil prices appreciated. Odisha achieved an important benchmark on Thursday in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic with the number of fully recovered patients exceeding the number of active cases. The state which recorded its first case on March 15, had seen its numbers spike in the last fortnight before scripting a turnaround of sorts. More than half of those affected with Covid-19 have been cured and have returned to their homes. Our death rates are among the lowest in the world. This is a big achievement for a state like Odisha and we the people of Odisha. Powerful nations of the world and big states of India, rich states have not been this successful in the war with corona. This is an extraordinary achievement for the Odia people, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said in a pre-recorded video message aired on local TV channels. On Thursday, 75 Covid-19 patients in the state recovered taking the total number of recoveries to 887 while the number of active Covid-19 cases was 776 after 67 new cases were detected. The states Covid-19 tally is now 1,660. Additional chief secretary of health department, Pradipta Kishore Mohapatra said Odishas recovery rate is now around 49 per cent compared to the national average of 41 per cent. As per ICMR guideline, Odisha is discharging Covid-19 positive cases with very mild symptoms after 10 days of detection with a caveat that they should not have fever for three days consecutive days. Health authorities have also discontinued the practice of conducting two back-to-back tests on such patients before discharge. The recovery rate will go up in the coming days as we are seeing more and more asymptomatic cases, said Mohapatra. On social media however, Patnaiks claims of Odishas lowest death rates came under fire with some pointing out that a state like Chhattisgarh has had no deaths. Renowned epidemiologist Jayprakash Mulyil also said this is not the time to boast about the lowest death rate. We are still in the middle of a pandemic and it would be better to take stock after it is over, he said. Meanwhile, chief minister Patnaik has urged the people to sing Odishas state song Bande Utkal Janani at 5.30 pm on May 30 to motivate corona warriors. Bande Utkal Janani was the original song of Utkal Sammilani during the movement for the formation of a separate province of Odisha. Now, it will inspire us to strengthen our commitment to the fight against coronavirus. It will provide us the strength to face the challenges ahead, he said. - The National Super Alliance ejected Aisha Jumwa fro PSC and replaced her with Likoni MP Mishi Mboko - Deputy minority whip Chris Wamalwa was ousted and replaced with Tongaren MP Eseli Simiyu - Nine MPs from the coalition were also de-whipped from House committees for the next six months The National Super Alliance (NASA) has heaped more misery on Deputy President William Ruto after kicking out his allies from key positions in the National Assembly. The Raila Odinga-led coalition kicked out vocal Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa from the Parliamentary Service Commission and replaced her with Likoni MP Mishi Mboko. READ ALSO: Coronavirus update: COVID-19 cases jump to 1,618 as 147 more test positive ODM rebel and Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa was ejected from the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC). Photo: Daily Nation Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Millicent Omanga goes farming hours after facing Jubilee's disciplinary committee In a Thursday, May 28, letter written by minority whip Junet Mohammed, Kimini MP Chris Wamalwa was ejected from the deputy minority whip position and replaced by Tongaren MP Eseli Simiyu (Ford Kenya). Sylvanus Osoro of South Mugirango was removed from the Agriculture Committee and Committee on Implementation of the Constitution for the next six months. Bungoma Woman Rep Catherine Wambilianga was also suspended from the Labour Committee, Education Committee and Committee on Selection. Turkana Central MP Nakala Lodepe was suspended from the Defence and Foreign Relations Committee while Vincent Kemosi (West Mugirango) was ousted from the Transport and the Powers and Privileges Committees. Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa was also ousted from the deputy minority leader position. Photo: The Star Source: UGC READ ALSO: Mwandani wa karibu wa DP Ruto afanya mkutano na Musalia Mudavadi, kulikoni? Other MPs who were suspended from committee memberships include Ugenyas David Ochieng (Health) and Buteres Tindi Mwale (Energy and Delegated Legislation Committees). Kaloleni's Paul Kahindi was also suspended from the Public Investments Committee and Jomvu MP Bady Twalib was also de-whipped from the Budget and Appropriations Committee. Junet said the MPs will remain outside committees for at least six months but a decision may be reached to have them remain out for the remainder of their term. As the whip, Ive done loyalty tests and the results are negative. All those affected will be quarantined for at least six months. The time is up for the excess baggage in our midst, noted Junet. South Mugirango MP Sylvanus Osoro was suspended from the House committees. Photo: William Ruto Source: Facebook READ ALSO: More woes for Ruto as 3 MPs ditch Tanga Tanga, pledge loyalty to Uhuru The purge comes in the wake of a similar crackdown in the ruling Jubilee coalition that has seen key leaders allied to Ruto ousted from influential positions in the Senate, with a similar cleanup in the National Assembly looming. In a move that points to how interweaved the purges in NASA and Jubilee are, the minority whip revealed that they will work closely with the ruling coalition in electing chairpersons of various committees. It is on this premise that Rarieda MP Otiendo Amollo is lined up to take up the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee chairmanship to replace Baringo North MP William Cheptumo, a Ruto ally. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Source: TUKO.co.ke Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 21:07:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAY PYI TAW, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's Ministry of Commerce is striving to implement a guideline for the better e-commerce system in the country, a government official told E-commerce Virtual Conference on Thursday. "It is a good time to carry out the process for further development of e-commerce system as the mobile penetration is over 100 percent now in the country," said U Aung Htoo, Deputy Minister of Commerce. The move comes as the Commerce Ministry has been tasked with facilitating trade, stabilizing prices and providing emergency food under the country's COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan (CERP). Currently, most of the e-commerce businesses are operating informally and the main goal of the ministry is to establish a secure and regulated trading system on the internet in the country, he said. "The growth of e-commerce business in Myanmar will help to boost the communications between traders and customers and also to connect businesses both locally and internationally," he added. It is also learnt that the Commerce Ministry supported the establishment of Digital Economy Association and E-commerce Association so as to develop e-commerce system in the country. Enditem She's the dance instructor who found fame as an intruder bride on Married At First Sight this year. And it seems KC Osborne, 31, is on her way to becoming a fashion industry doyenne, thanks to the release of her new collection with Sydney brand Amy Taylor. KC, who is currently dating fellow cast member Michael Goonan, has modelled the sassy collection in a new editorial photo shoot, in which she is seen posing up a storm at an abandoned skatepark. Hot wheels! Married At First Sight's KC Osborne, 31, showed off her pert derriere as she modelled her new Amy Taylor collaboration fashion collection at a skatepark The former Pussycat Dolls dancer proved she knows her way around a camera as she struck a number of dramatic poses with ease. In one photo, KC showed off her pert derriere as she posed in black leggings that featured racy ruching around the posterior. She paired the bottoms with a skimpy white singlet top that revealed a glimpse at her toned torso. Owning it! The former Pussycat Dolls dancer proved she knows her way around a camera as she struck a number of dramatic poses with ease Who wears short shorts? Another shot showed KC modelling a perilously short pair of bike shorts, featuring the same ruched backside detailing as the leggings Another shot showed KC modelling a perilously short pair of bike shorts, featuring the same ruched backside detailing as the leggings. Posing with her backside facing the camera, KC completed the outfit with a sheer white long-sleeved crop top. The glamazon also modelled a matching white tracksuit top and bottoms. Primped: KC wore her newly-dyed auburn locks out in loose curls, and enhanced her complexion with blush, pink lipstick and false eyelashes. White on the mark! The glamazon also modelled a matching white tracksuit top and bottoms In some photos, KC used a skateboard as a prop, while in others she posed sitting down on the edge of the skate ramp. KC wore her newly-dyed auburn locks out in loose curls, and enhanced her complexion with blush, pink lipstick and false eyelashes. Promoting the new collection on Instagram this Thursday, KC wrote: ' I am SO blessed to work with brands that I love! I love working with brands that send a positive message.' 'In a world where people tear each other down I surround myself with people that empower one another,' she added. (CNN) -- China's legislature has approved a proposal to impose a highly contentious national security law in Hong Kong, in an unprecedented move that critics say threatens fundamental political freedoms and civil liberties in the semi-autonomous territory. China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress, passed the resolution Thursday to enact the sweeping security legislation, which bans sedition, secession and subversion of the central government and allows mainland China's state security agencies to operate in the city. Now approved, the NPC's standing committee will draft the law, which will be implemented upon promulgation by the Hong Kong government, bypassing the city's legislature via a rarely-enacted constitutional backdoor. The law has sparked widespread protests in Hong Kong and has been denounced internationally, with opponents warning it could curtail many of the rights and freedoms promised to the city when it was handed from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Following the protests, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that his country would no longer consider the global financial hub as autonomous from China for trade and economic purposes. In a statement, Pompeo denounced the law as a "disastrous decision" and "the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms." "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground," said Pompeo. Under the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act passed last year in support of Hong Kong's months-long pro-democracy protests, the US government must annually verify to Congress that the city remains autonomous from China, or risks losing its special status with the US. Hong Kong's special trade and economic status with the US exempts it from the tariffs and export controls imposed by Washington on mainland China. It is not immediately clear what repercussions Pompeo's announcement will bring. Hong Kong has long served as a regional hub for many international businesses, as well as a springboard for Chinese companies to expand internationally. The US Consulate General in Hong Kong says it represents more than 1,200 US companies doing business there -- more than 800 are either regional offices or headquarters. A congressional aide told CNN that the certification does not automatically trigger action and the next steps will be determined by US President Donald Trump. David Stilwell, the top US diplomat in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said officials were looking at options "across the spectrum," including visa or economic sanctions. US experts say the fallout could potentially be much wider, such as bringing an end to the extradition treaty between US and Hong Kong. Infuriating Beijing The US announcement is likely to infuriate Beijing and further strain relations between the two sides, following disputes over the coronavirus pandemic and a prolonged trade war. The Chinese government has yet to respond to Pompeo's statement, which was released after midnight Beijing time. But the country's foreign ministry earlier vowed to hit back at any "external intervention." "The legislation on upholding national security in Hong Kong is purely China's internal affair that allows no foreign interference," ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday when asked about a possible strong response from Washington to the law. "In response to the erroneous practices of external intervention, we will take necessary countermeasures," Zhao said. The chief editor of the Global Times, a government-controlled nationalist tabloid, lashed out at Washington on Thursday, accusing it of being "too narcissistic" in thinking that it could "grasp Hong Kong's fate in its hand." "The only card in American hands is Hong Kong's special tariff status, and it has been thoroughly studied by the Chinese. If Washington wants to play this card, let it play it...Hong Kong is the source of the largest US trade surplus, with 85,000 US citizens living there. Let's see how the US will swallow the bitter fruit of canceling Hong Kong's special tariff status," Hu Xijin wrote in a defiant post on Weibo. According to the Hong Kong government, the US had a surplus of US$31.1 billion in merchandise trade over Hong Kong in 2018, the single economy with which the US has the highest trade surplus. "The biggest pillar for Hong Kong to remain an international financial center is its special relations with the huge economy of the Chinese mainland...China's strength dictates that there must be an international finance center on our coastline, and it will be where the Chinese people want it to be," Hu said in the Weibo post. Sparking protests in Hong Kong The security law, unveiled last week, has reignited anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Last year's pro-democracy demonstrations had lost momentum in recent months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but large crowds returned to the streets on Sunday, followed by sporadic protests on Wednesday. The protests were met with a massive police presence and zero tolerance approach, with pepper spray, tear gas and searches used to quickly contain any potential unrest. Police have arrested more than 500 people since Sunday. The Hong Kong government and pro-establishment figures have repeatedly sought to allay fears at home and overseas that the national security law could deal a huge blow to the city's autonomy, independent judiciary, freedoms of speech, the press and assembly. In an exclusive interview with CNN on Wednesday, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung, Hong Kong's second highest ranking official, said sought to reassure international business circles, investors and residents that the new security law would not change the governance of the former British colony. "99.99% of the Hong Kong population will not be affected, they'll go about their lives, they continue their investment in Hong Kong," Cheung said, adding that only terrorists and separatists would be targeted by the law. But when Cheung was pressed to say more, he was unable to provide specific information about the legislation, calling into question how much say Hong Kong's officials have over it. He had no answers for whether someone arrested under the law could be taken to mainland China for prosecution, or could the law apply retroactively for prosecutions, citing a lack of details before the drafting starts. Cheung told CNN that any sanctions imposed on Hong Kong by the Trump administration would stand to hurt the US more, as it enjoys a large trade surplus with Hong Kong. "It's a double-edged sword," he said. "Any sanctions do nobody any good at all. It would hurt Hong Kong but it would doubly hurt the United States." This story was first published on CNN.com, "China approves controversial national security law for Hong Kong" Albany, N.Y. A group of international experts will review data on the first phase of New Yorks reopening plan and will have to sign off before phase two starts, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today. Cuomo spoke briefly this afternoon about phase two in an interview with Alan Chartock of public radio station WAMC. Cuomo gave no details on when the review will occur or how long it will take. He said only that experts will get data on phase one from the state once it ends and then analyze it. If they approve, eligible regions of the state will move to phase two, Cuomo said. Let them analyze it and if they say we should move forward, we move forward, he said. RELATED: Phased and confused: What we know right now about the sloppy march toward phase 2 Cuomo was giving his radio interview at the same time Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon was speaking at his daily coronavirus briefing. McMahon said phase two will start tomorrow and added no one from the state has suggested otherwise. He said the rules on the restart were established weeks ago and havent been changed. When told about Cuomos comments after his briefing, McMahon laughed and said he hadnt heard anything about the data review. Its unclear how the review will affect phase twos launch, but many business owners in the phase have already made plans to reopen tomorrow. Nonessential businesses first closed in New York in March to help slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Several regions, including Central New York, met reopening requirements set by the state and began a phased restart of their economies two weeks ago, as of tomorrow. The first phase included businesses in construction and manufacturing, among others. Cuomo and other officials said previously that regions would pause for two weeks after the initial reopening to see how the virus responded to the increased activity. Assuming the pandemic didnt worsen considerably, the idea was to move to phase two after that. That timeline would put Central New York in a position to start the second phase tomorrow, Friday. Phase two includes all office-based businesses, in-store shopping at retailers and limited service at barbers and hair salons. The local numbers support the move to phase two in CNY, McMahon said today. But the state has yet to issue any guidance for phase two businesses or a more detailed breakdown of what companies will be allowed to reopen, as it did for phase one. The situation has caused confusion and frustration for many business owners. McMahon said he feels horrible for them. The next call between state leaders and the regional group overseeing Central New Yorks reopening is scheduled for 7 p.m. Cuomo aide Rich Azzopardi confirmed in a tweet that the experts Cuomo was referring to include Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, and Samir Bhatt, senior lecturer at Imperial College London. Cuomo announced a partnership with both earlier in May. He said at the time they would give the state technical advice and analyze data on reopening. He did not say said at that point that they would have to sign off on regions entering future phases of the restart. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources McMahon: Central New York to begin biggest phase two reopening Friday, despite states silence Wording on phase 2 of NY reopening tweaked: All office jobs now included Syracuse AD John Wildhack anticipating reduced Carrier Dome capacity during football season Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 Economic restrictions have been imposed over Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The EU sanction policy toward Russia must be preserved, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, speaking at the event organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. At the same time, she added that new impulses must be provided to the dialogue between the European Union and Moscow, ZN.ua reports. "Russia has repeatedly violated this canon of rules and values, Russia created a number of unresolved conflicts in our immediate neighborhood, annexed the Crimean peninsula in violation of international law. It supports puppet regimes in parts of eastern Ukraine and meddles in Western democracies using hybrid instruments," Merkel said. Violations of the fundamental rules of international law must be named by their actual names, the German chancellor stressed. Read alsoGermany ex-chancellor's insult of Ukrainian envoy "despicable" deputy foreign minister Therefore, the policy of sanctions will be maintained until progress is seen in settling the conflict in Ukraine's Donbas. "If there is no progress in the Minsk process, we will need to keep the sanctions. On the other hand, the EU presidency gives us the opportunity to provide new impetus to our relations," said Merkel. As UNIAN reported earlier, the U.S. is mulling new sanctions against Nord Stream-2, while the outgoing ambassador suggested that Germany should "stop feeding the beast". The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council meeting got off to a stormy start on Thursday with the ruling party coming under fire over the release of nearly Rs 20 crore to several organisations by bypassing the transparency rules. The members of the opposition raising posters protested against the BBMPs handling of the poor and migrant labourers issues during the lockdown. Leader of Opposition Abdul Wajid raised several questions regarding the move to release the money to state corporations and private companies by bypassing the rules of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act. The Akshaya Patra Foundation has claimed to have distributed ration kits to the migrant labourers free of cost. Then why has the BBMP paid it more than Rs 5 crore? Wajid asked. Similarly, payments have been made to Metro Cash and Carry, Sri Shiva Shakti Traders and others, he said. Replying to this, Commissioner B H Anil Kumar said the corporation had released funds to several organisations after realising that the Palike or the state government alone could not meet the urgent need for rations by lakhs of labourers. The total number of migrant labourers registered in Bengaluru was about 66,000. However, after three rounds of assessment, we identified 3.94 lakh migrant workers and other persons in need of ration kits. As a single agency could not supply the kits in such short notice, many players were roped in for the same, Kumar said. However, Wajids question as to why Rs 11.81 crore was taken out of Lake Department to pay for the ration kits went unanswered. DH tried to reach the commissioner as well as mayor M Goutam Kumar for clarity but the calls were not answered. Ruling party leader K A Munindra Kumar said though the funds were released from the Lake Department, they were meant for Covid-19 relief and not lake development. Earlier, the BBMP paid tributes to Nityotsava poet K S Nissar Ahmed, who passed away on May 3. The council decided to set aside Rs 10 lakh for the K S Nissar Ahmed Foundation being set up by the government. Naming flyover after Savarkar postponed Hours before the BBMP council meeting, opposition members staged a protest against the decision to name the new flyover near Yelahanka New Town after Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar. Holding placards that described the move as an insult to the freedom fighters in state, they said the flyover should be named after one of the persons of high eminence from Karnataka who has contributed for the country. Panels to take up COVID-19 relief work Corporators, including some from the ruling party, alleged that the BBMP ration kits have failed to reach the needy in their wards even as rigid rules were preventing them from accessing Rs 20 lakh reserved in each ward for COVID-19 relief works. Abdul Wajid and Manjunath Reddy from Congress said the office order issued from the BBMP on spending the Rs 20 lakh fund from ward development works requires the generation of job codes which is difficult to take up during the lockdown. Later in the evening, BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar amended the order later, allowing the disaster management committees at ward level to decide on the works needed to be taken up to provide relief during the pandemic. Rain-related deaths: BBMP faces flak The Urban Development Department has told BBMP that deaths caused due to rain-related incidents can not be tolerated. In a letter to BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary of Urban Development Department Rakesh Singh has said preventive steps could have saved the life of two people, who died in the recent rains. The department had already advised on taking steps to prevent such incidents during the rains. We had also suggested cutting the tree branches. Despite this, the BBMP has failed to take action, he said. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 28, 2020) - Red Light Holland Corp. (CSE: TRIP) ("Red Light Holland" or the "Company"), an Ontario-based corporation positioning itself to engage in the production, growth and sale of a premium brand of magic truffles to the legal, recreational market within the Netherlands, is pleased to announce that it has engaged global comedy superstar, Mr. Russell Peters (4 million Twitter followers, 1.1 million Facebook likes, and 399,000 Instagram followers), as an independent consultant to the Company in the capacity of Chef Creative Officer. In his role as CCO, Mr. Peters will work closely with the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Todd Shapiro, to among other things, develop and implement the creative vision of the Company and direct the Company's marketing, advertising, social media and other creative efforts. Mr. Peters' engagement magnifies the Company's commitment to assembling the group of skilled leaders necessary to build its business and brand recognition in the early stage of this emerging industry. "I am extremely pleased to appoint Russell Peters as Chief Creative Officer. As one of the most popular entertainers across the world, Russell brings a creative mind like no other to Red Light Holland. We will lean on his savvy business skills, joyful quick wit, and his extraordinary ability to appeal to and connect with millions of people, to connect with end consumers, build strong brand recognition, and drive Red Light Holland forward towards its goal of becoming the most recognizable premium magic truffles brand on the planet," said Todd Shapiro, the CEO, Chairman, and Co-Founder of Red Light Holland. "I've enjoyed watching my buddy Theodore Shapiro's evolution from a fearless radio show host to a family man, and now, the CEO of Red Light Holland, a publicly-traded company, in let's face it - a kick ass sector! I'm elated to be a part of this team. Seriously, I'm very happy even if it means I have to start calling Todd by his real name now," added Russell Peters. In consideration for his services as Chief Creative Officer, the Company has agreed to issue to Mr. Peters 3,000,000 common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share"), at a deemed price of $0.06 per Common Share. In addition, the Company authorized the grant of 9,450,000 incentive stock options to Mr. Peters and certain other third parties. Each such option entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share for periods between 3 to 5 years, at an exercise price of $0.06 per share, vesting over a 12 month period. Furthermore, the Company authorized the issuance of 8,650,000 warrants with an exercise price of $0.06 per Common Share for issuance to various arm's length third parties as incentive-based compensation for services. All securities issued remain subject to compliance with all applicable laws (including the rules and policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange), including being subject to a hold period of four months plus one day from the date of issuance. About Red Light Holland Corp. The Company is an Ontario-based corporation positioning itself to engage in the production, growth and sale (through existing Smart Shops operators and an advanced e-commerce platform) of a premium brand of magic truffles to the legal, recreational market within the Netherlands, in accordance with the highest standards, in compliance with all applicable laws. For additional information on the Company: Todd Shapiro Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Director Tel: 647-204-7129 Email: todd@redlighttruffles.com Website: https://redlighttruffles.com/ Forward-Looking Statements Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/56741 The reopening of America is a story of businesses adapting to a new normal, one where customers are at least 6 feet apart, and everyone is wearing masks. Its a story of car dealerships launching virtual showrooms and real estate agents conducting more home tours and other services via video. Its a story of restaurants adding more space between tables, expanding outdoor seating and increasing their cleaning protocols to begin opening their doors with limited capacity. And its the story of how our schools, our favorite downtown shops and the countrys largest retailers are preparing for an economic reawakening that is spreading across the nation as restrictions are being lifted. Its a story that can only be uniquely told by the USA TODAY Networks more than 260 local newsrooms across the nation and our flagship USA TODAY. The story is different depending on where you live and what stage of reopening your state is currently in. This story is part of the Rebuilding America project But in many ways, the story is the same: As each community works to rebuild its economy, it will mean changes, challenges and opportunities to chart a new course post-pandemic. Today, we introduce Rebuilding America, a bold and ambitious project that chronicles the countrys reopening through a dozen key economic drivers from real estate and the auto industry to higher education, travel and tourism. For this project, journalists across the country examined both the national landscape of how these industries are navigating this uncertainty to how local businesses are reopening their doors safely. In conjunction with that strong independent reporting, our sales staff worked closely with more than 2,700 advertisers to help them craft their messages. We have a deep commitment to telling our communities stories and to supporting local businesses. In March, we launched Support Local, a platform designed to aid local businesses during this challenging time through gift card purchases and other measures. We recently added Volunteer Match to the site to connect willing volunteers to aid communities impacted by COVID-19. Story continues We know this is not a story that will be told in one day. Weve been here since before this pandemic started, and well be here long after it is over. We hope youll join in the journey of Rebuilding America as we all work together to build toward a new future. Please keep reading. Keep supporting local businesses. And know that we are in this together. Maribel Perez Wadsworth, president of news for the USA TODAY Network and publisher of USA TODAY Kevin Gentzel, chief revenue officer for the USA TODAY Network/Gannett This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus in US: Rebuilding America project chronicles reopening By Joy Umoru The African Development Bank (AfDB) is currently gearing up for another leadership election. The current President, Mr. Akinwumi Adesina, is already dealing with setbacks and a coup hell bent on removing him from office. This isnt unexpected, considering the fact that Adesina is running for a second term in office as an unopposed candidate at an annual general meeting scheduled to hold later in August. A few months ago, an undercover Group of Concerned Staff Members, said to have been hurriedly coupled together by some non-African shareholders filed a report against the banks president, demanding an investigation into his governance, human resources, deals and management. The purported sins of Adesina, Nigerias former agriculture minister, are unusual. He is being accused of Nigerianisation of the bank, specifically handing contracts to acquaintance and appointing relatives to strategic positions at the Abidjan-based lender; also, by easily granting lines of credit to Nigerian companies; an allegation that was debunked by facts on the banks website, which showed that Senegal, Cameroon, Tanzania, Rwanda, Namibia and others are key beneficiaries of about 75 projects worth $64.5billion. But a recent letter dated May 22 and addressed to Niale Kaba, chairwoman of the banks board of governors from the US Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, rejected plans by the African Development Banks board to end Adesinas investigation and called for an independent probe into allegations against him. Also, the ethics committee had found no evidence to support allegations of favouritism by Adesina. He was duly exonerated completely and the case was dismissed because none of the charges was substantiated by the whistle-blowers, of which some were patently ridiculous. But Mnuchin said the US Treasury, which happens to be AfDBs biggest non-African shareholder, disagrees with the ethics committee findings that totally exonerated the president. Recall that on March 13, a break-away group from the rank of petitioners registered a complaint against a key non-African executive director for allegedly misleading and manipulating the members of the group against Adesina. The group further alleged that there were more serious and repeated violations of the code of conduct by this said executive director, which includes breaching the confidentiality requirements of the rules and regulations of the ethics committee. This he did, by sharing exhaustive reports of all discussions to third parties and also aligning with other whistle-blowers plotting against Mr. Adesina. Who exactly is this anonymous non-African executive is, though? He goes by the name, J. Steven Dowd, an American businessman who currently serves as the US Director in the bank. Confirmed sources revealed that he was appointed by David Malpass, the current World Bank president. Interestingly, they both happen to be bosom childhood friends and were best men at each others weddings. Since his arrival at the bank in September 2017, he has done everything possible to tear down the reputation and integrity of not just Mr Adesina, but the whole institution, for reasons unbeknownst to many. While certain outlets have been quick to link Adesinas travails to President Trumps reported dislike of the continent, and his recent criticism of Tedros Adhanom, the African Director-General of the World Health Organisation, reliable sources in the Oval Office have, however, affirmed that Mr. Adesina is in the Presidents good books and is unaware of any plans to stop his re-election bid. It is more of an orchestrated campaign aimed at tainting his legacy and commendable work so far. It is important to state that in four and a half years as AfDB President, Adesinas achievements are legion and his bold reforms have helped repositioned the banks global influence and other high impact project, thus accelerating development across the continent. It is, however, surprising that any individual or group would oppose his quest for continued leadership, up to the point of hastily cooking up allegations that question his integrity. Even more suspicious is the timing of these frivolous tussle, when it is almost inevitable that the banks president will reassume office for another tenure. The unproven allegations nonetheless, leading figures such as Arunma Oteh, who once served as Vice President in charge of the treasury at the World Bank and has years of work experience at the African Development Bank, have voiced support for Adesinas candidacy. Writing on her Twitter handle on Monday, she described Adesina as a man of integrity and a great leader. He remains the best man to lead Africas great institution for the next five years, she tweeted. Unfortunately, the current situation is an attempt by some key players in the U.S Administration outside of the White House, to bully other nation states into accepting its position on this issue. Any right-thinking believer in the rule of law would take exception to the U.S. Treasury Secretarys position. It is hoped that the institution will resist the bully tactic and protect the institution from unnecessary and potentially destructive corporate governance crisis. Africa needs AfDB. The AfDB needs Adesina too. Some angry residents of Ofankor, in Accra, have set ablaze the two-bedroom apartment of the landlord who shot and killed his tenant on Sunday, May 24, 2020. Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The landlord, Victor Stephen Nana Kankam allegedly murdered the musician tenant over a woman, according to police investigations. A police extract revealed that the landlord, Stephen Kankam shot the budding musician, Spark Benjamine multiple times. READ ALSO: The houses I have gifted to women are more than Obinims 30 houses - Ken Agyapong brags The incident led the youth in the area to set the two-bedroom property on fire. In an interview with Ghanaweb, some of the youth said they are pained by the death of Spark Benjamine. They also described the deceased as a calm and nice person. They, however, described the landlord as a violent womanizer. The suspect has been detained to assist the police in their investigations. The body was deposited at the police hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy. READ ALSO: Election 2020: EC to compile new voters' register June Meanwhile, it has emerged that the gun used by the landlord was legally acquired and registered. According to the Ghana Police Service, the weapon was registered in 2007, clearing earlier concerns raised by a section of the public about his eligibility to acquire the weapon. Police investigations have disclosed that the weapon used in committing the crime was legally acquired and registered through due process in 2007, a statement from the police noted. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the Ghana Health Service (GHS) data available indicates that two more persons have died from COVID-19 bringing the death toll to 34. The update posted on the GHS website on Tuesday, May 26, also indicates that some 220 more persons have recovered from the disease. The recoveries now stand at 2,317. Bawumia fires Mahama - Stop embarrassing yourself; always check the data before you talk | #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 15:50:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Most Myanmar migrant workers, who have returned home from Thailand, have been found unlikely to come back for jobs in this country, a senior government official said on Thursday. According to Suphaphimit Paorik, a deputy governor of Tak province, 75 per cent of over 1,800 Myanmar nationals, who have crossed the Thai-Myanmar border from Mae Sot district of the western Thai province to Myawaddy township in the neighboring country since earlier this month, responded to an inquiry posed by Thai immigration officials only to say it would be unlikely for them to come back for jobs in Thailand again. The homecoming Myanmar nationals, who have undergone anti-pandemic measures at the Mae Sot border checkpoint near the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, were quoted as saying they would have difficulties finding jobs in Thailand in the foreseeable future due to the pandemic and economic slumps if they came back and sought the types of job for which they used to be hired in this country. Given experiences at work in Thailand, those Myanmar nationals said they would find some jobs in their home country after they have returned sooner or later, said the deputy provincial governor, adding many more are expected to leave this country for home via Mae Sot. Enditem The Ludhiana Rural police claim to have solved the murder of a 17-year-old boy, who was found dead in a field in Jagraons Punjabi Bagh area on May 25, with the arrest of a Patiala man. With the arrest of the accused, Mohammad Abdul, police have also solved another blind murder case from 2017. Police claimed that the accused sodomised the 17-year-old before strangling him to death with a rope, a portion of which was found near the body. The deceased, who hailed from Sundar Nagar, Odisha, was found dead in a farmers field, where he was employed as a labourer. Following the discovery, a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against the unidentified assailant. A team of CIA Jagraon and Jagraon City SHO carried out the investigation and arrested the accused. The police have recovered a rope, a plier and keys of the tubewell room, where the deceased lived, from the possession of the accused, said Vivek Sheel Soni, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Ludhiana Rural, adding that the boys clothes that Abdul had hidden in the nearby bushes were also found. Stating that they were tracing his past record, the SSP said Abdul had confessed to sodomising the boy before strangling him to death. According to police, he killed the boy to settle a score with the father of the farmer for whom the deceased worked. He killed the boy in the farmers field and left him there to defame the family. MURDERED ANOTHER YOUTH Soni said Abdul had confessed to killing another youth in February 2017. The deceaseds naked body was found in Gulabi Bagh, Jagraon, following which a case under Sections 302, 34 (acts done in furtherance of common intention and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) of the IPC was registered against the unidentified accused. Abdul has confessed to strangling this youth as well. He is being questioned further, the SSP said. CONCEALING IDENTITY Soni said while the accused belonged to a Jatt Sikh family, he was concealing his real identity. He has rarely been out of the headlines in recent months, thanks to his messy divorce from Phoebe Hooke and rumoured 'fling' with an American cocktail waitress. And retired NRL star Sam Burgess raised eyebrows again on Thursday after his very racy interview with The Kyle and Jackie O Show. During the chat, Sam was asked whether he was as well endowed as his brothers George and Thomas, both of whom have had their nude photos leaked online. 'You've got to work with what you've got': Ex-NRL star Sam Burgess (pictured) raised eyebrows on Thursday after he spoke about the size of his manhood on The Kyle and Jackie O Show 'Unfortunately, those genes don't run in the family,' joked Sam, 31, suggesting he was not as genetically blessed as the 28-year-old twins. 'Yeah, it's devastating. But you've got to work with what you've got,' he added. He then began flirting with radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson, 45, who couldn't help but laugh at Sam's self-deprecating gag. 'Those genes don't run in the family': During the chat, Sam was asked whether he was as well endowed as his brothers George and Tom, both of whom have had their nude photos leaked 'What are you laughing about, Jackie O? Are you laughing away there or something?' he asked playfully. 'I'm laughing! I always thought that if you're brothers, you've pretty much got the same size. But I've never been with brothers before to know,' she said. 'Oh, really?' the father-of-two replied. 'What are you laughing about?' He then began flirting with host Jackie 'O' Henderson (right) who couldn't help but laugh at Sam's self-deprecating gag. Pictured with Kyle Sandilands (left) Sam then joked that George and Thomas' bodies were comically 'out of proportion' thanks to their impressive anatomy. 'They say the twins are out of proportion, but if they were in proportion they'd be eight foot tall!' he laughed. George's nude selfies first surfaced on the Internet in 2013. A year later, naked photos of Thomas getting his genitals waxed also went viral. Leaked: George's nude selfies first surfaced on the Internet in 2013. A year later, naked photos of Thomas getting his genitals waxed also went viral. The twins are pictured together The photos of Thomas had been taken in 2010 as part of a charity campaign for prostate cancer awareness. During the interview, Sam made no mention of his split from ex-wife Phoebe Hooke, with whom he shares two children, Poppy, three, and Billy, one. The Burgesses had ended their marriage last October and their divorce was finalised in April, with Phoebe reportedly getting '70 per cent' of the pair's marital wealth. She also kept her $100,000 Range Rover and Sam's F45 gym franchise in Bowral, which she recently sold for a $250,000 profit. Silence: During the interview, Sam made no mention of his split from ex-wife Phoebe Hooke (right), with whom he shares two children, Poppy, three, and Billy, one The still unsolved disappearance of Kyron Horman , the Portland boy who was 7 years old when he was reported missing on June 4, 2010, is examined again in a new special airing on the Investigation Discovery channel on Friday, May 29 at 9 p.m. Little Boy Lost: An ID Mystery, tells the story of Kyron, who was last seen at Northwest Portlands Skyline School, and the investigation that followed. You can watch the Kyron Horman ID Mystery episode live for FREE with fuboTV (free trial). Kyron was dropped off at the school by his stepmother, Terri Moulton Horman, on the morning of June 4, 2010. But what happened after that remains a mystery. Kyrons stepmother left the school, and later that afternoon, she and her then-husband, Kyrons father, Kaine Horman, went to meet the school bus to pick up Kyron. When it became clear that Kyron was missing, an investigation began, leading to what authorities described as the largest search-and-rescue operation in Oregon history. But in the nearly 10 years since Kyron disappeared, there have been no arrests, no charges filed, and the case remains officially open. The Investigation Discovery special comes as a book about the case, Boy Missing: The Search for Kyron Horman, has been published. The author of the book, the Seattle-based Rebecca Morris, is among those interviewed in Little Boy Lost," as are Desiree Young, Kyrons mother; Youngs husband, Tony Young, a law enforcement professional in Medford; and journalists including former Oregonian reporter Lynne Terry and Dan Tilkin, now a KOIN-TV news anchor. Little Boy Lost goes into the complicated story of Kyrons disappearance, with a strong focus on suspicions that Terri Moulton Horman was involved. Moulton Horman has denied that she had anything to do with Kyrons disappearance. Authorities have not named her as a person of interest or as a suspect in the case. Moulton Horman isnt interviewed in Little Boy Lost, and neither is her ex-husband, Kaine Horman, though he recently was interviewed on KGW-TV, and talked about living with his daughter in Northwest Portland, and the efforts they make to keep Kyrons memory alive. As Little Boy Lost ends, Young again talks about the pain of not knowing what happened to Kyron, and emphasizes her commitment to trying to find answers. I will never give up, Young says. I will fight every single day. What: Little Boy Lost: An ID Mystery (Kyron Horman) When: Friday, May 29 at 9 p.m. TV channel: Investigation Discovery Watch live stream online: You can watch the show live for FREE with fuboTV (free trial), or you can watch it live at a discount with Sling TV (promotional offer). If you are out of free trials or promotional offers, you can also watch the show on Hulu ($5.99/month) or sign up for Hulu Live if you prefer that streaming service. Channel finder / more streaming services and ways to watch: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast / Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish. -- Kristi Turnquist kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. It was flying over the positions of Joint Forces in the Mariinka area Yesterday, on May 27, the Ukrainian military shot down an enemy drone flying over positions in the Mariinka area (Donetsk region). This is stated in the daily report of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, published on its website. "In addition, in the morning, Ukrainian defenders shot down an enemy Quadcopter UAV, which was flying over positions in the Mariinka area," the statement said. On May 22, a militant drone dropped a fragmentation grenade on the position of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Starohnativka village. As a result of the explosion, one Ukrainian serviceman received a shrapnel wound. As we reported earlier, the agreement was reached on the discussion of the forming lists for prisoners exchange at the session of the Trilateral Contact Group. The parties continued discussions on the opening of new checkpoints on the demarcation line, particularly, in Zolote. They also discussed the issue of ensuring the unimpeded crossing of the checkpoints by entrants in the framework of the admission campaign, defining it as a humanitarian need, the message said. Scarlett Johansson was seen making a solo grocery run in the upscale Long Island, New York enclave of the Hamptons on Thursday. The star - who had to postpone her wedding due to COVID-19, was not with her fiance Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live fame. The 35-year-old actress was seen dressed in an all-blue ensemble complete with face mask for the outing, as she carried a paper bag and looked deep in thought behind her sunshades. Deep in thought: Scarlett Johansson was seen making a solo grocery run in the upscale Long Island, New York enclave of the Hamptons on Thursday The Ghost In The Shell actress wore a blue denim short-legged romper which showed off her legs, a field blue jacket, and bright blue surgical face mask. A hint of a white tank top or bra was visible under Scarlett's romper. The recent two-time Oscar nominee donned matching espadrilles. Johansson pulled her blond hair back into an easy, casual bun for the shopping excursion. On her way: The actress, 35, was seen dressed in an all-blue ensemble complete with face mask for the outing, as she carried a paper bag A case of the blues: The Ghost In The Shell actress wore a blue denim short-legged romper which showed off her legs, a field blue jacket, and bright blue surgical mask The Lost In Translation star's highly anticipated nuptials to Jost, 37, aren't the only thing in her life that's been delayed. Black Widow, ScarJo's latest entry as super-assassin Natasha Romanoff for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, did not make its release date scheduled this month, due to the pandemic. Instead, the spy thrilled will hit theaters on November 6 assuming that the worldwide health crisis has abated enough at that time. Plans gone awry: The Lost In Translation star's highly anticipated nuptials to SNL's Colin Jost aren't the only thing in her life that's been delayed; seen together in February Patience, Natasha: Black Widow, ScarJo's latest entry as super-assassin Natasha Romanoff for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been pushed from this month to November The prequel film, which also stars Florence Pugh of Little Women and David Harbour of Stranger Things, takes place between other MCU movies in which Johansson appears Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. And the star, who's been in the Hollywood limelight ever since her attention-getting roles as a child actor in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World, is coming off a banner year in her career. Not only was Scarlett nominated for both of her roles in Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit, the films themselves were also each up for Best Motion Picture of the Year (they lost to Parasite). Up next, ScarJo is rumored to be portraying Audrey, the damsel in distress in the upcoming reboot of the classic musical Little Shop Of Horrors. By Express News Service KOCHI: In a historical and rare event, Joseph Thermadom, from the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese, has made his First Religious Profession at Holy Cross Novitiate, Yercaud (TN), becoming the first Indian from the hearing and speech impaired community to take religious vows. Joseph, the first Holy Cross recruit from the hearing and speech impaired community, was born deaf to his hearing and speech impaired parents Thomas and Rosy Thermadom of Ernakulam. Along with his brother who is also hearing impaired, Joseph received school education in Mumbai. Joseph felt his calling to become a priest rather early, but could not proceed due to various circumstances. He went on receiving a religious formation under Dominican Missionaries for the Deaf Apostolate, USA. Having completed his studies he returned to India. Joseph came in contact with the Holy Cross Fathers through their Ministry for the Deaf. Having expressed his desire to join their ministry, he was received at Aymanam Holy Cross community in 2017 as a come-and-see member. After completing a year of Novitiate at Yercaud, Joseph made his first religious vows on 25th May, it said. President Trump speaks in the Oval Office before signing an executive order on social media companies. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) President Trump signed an executive order Thursday targeting social media companies such as Twitter, accusing them of having "unchecked power" and escalating his feud with the popular digital platforms he relies on as a political bullhorn as he runs for reelection. Trump's order aims to limit the companies' legal immunity for how they moderate content posted by users, a goal that legal experts said exceeds the president's authority unless he persuades Congress to change the law. But the move could increase political and financial pressure on Twitter, Facebook, Google and other Silicon Valley giants by opening the door to lawsuits and regulatory reviews. Trump, who has a history of ordering executive actions that have little direct impact, acknowledged that his latest order is all but certain to face court challenges. Legal experts said it is unlikely to pass judicial muster. The president acted two days after Twitter, for the first time, added a disclaimer to two of his tweets that falsely said mail-in ballots led to widespread voter fraud. The move infuriated Trump, who often tweets or retweets dozens of times a day. The order may fire up Trump's supporters, who have repeatedly accused high-tech platforms of censoring conservative viewpoints, and become a new rallying cry in the 2020 presidential race. "Were fed up with it," Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office. "And it's unfair, and it's been very unfair." But Trump's actions also could backfire. If the companies face new legal threats over user-generated content, they may try to limit their liability by blocking incendiary and baseless messages the same kind that the president routinely posts or shares. Before signing his executive order, Trump shared a video of a supporter saying "the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat." The supporter said he meant the phrase in a political sense, not a physical one, but the statement quickly generated outrage online. Story continues Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, pictured here testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2018, has angered President Trump by appending a disclaimer to his tweets about voter fraud. (Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press) While Trump mostly sticks to Twitter, where he has 80 million followers, his reelection campaign relies on an array of social media, especially Facebook, to aggressively target voters for the November election. Trump highlighted his latest feud as new labor figures showed 40 million Americans had filed for unemployment in the last 100 days and as the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 exceeded 100,000. Critics said he is seeking to divert voters' attention from the ravages of the coronavirus crisis and was trying to intimidate Twitter and other Silicon Valley companies from curtailing his spread of falsehoods and disinformation in an election year. This is really just a naked power grab and an attempt at retaliation based on platforms making decisions that the president of the United States doesnt like," said Aaron Mackey, staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital civil liberties nonprofit group. Trump's executive order complains specifically about Twitter's decision Tuesday to add fact-check disclaimers to his baseless claims about voter fraud, which research shows is extremely rare. "Twitter now selectively decides to place a warning label on certain tweets in a manner that clearly reflects political bias," Trump's order said. Jack Dorsey, Twitter's chief executive, defended the company's actions in a tweet Wednesday. "Well continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally," he said. Twitter responded to Trump's executive order by describing it as "a reactionary and politicized approach to a landmark law," arguing that "attempts to unilaterally erode it threaten the future of online speech and internet freedoms." Facebook said in a statement that limiting the companies' legal immunity "would restrict more speech online, not less." Social media companies have faced increasing scrutiny from politicians across the ideological spectrum, but there's little agreement besides a shared sentiment that the platforms have grown too powerful and unaccountable. Conservatives complain that their voices are not heard, and liberals demand greater efforts to flag deliberate falsehoods and disinformation. Trump said his executive order would "defend free speech from one of the greatest dangers it has faced in American history." "There's no precedent in American history for so small a number of corporations to control so large a sphere of human interaction," he said. Legal experts said Trump was misinterpreting constitutional protections. Under the 1st Amendment, the government cannot ban or censor speech. But Twitter is not the government, and Section 230 of a 1996 federal law called the Communications Decency Act specifically protects internet companies from lawsuits or other liability for moderating content posted by users, or for the content itself. Atty. Gen. William Barr will play a key role in implementing President Trump's executive order on social media. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) In his executive order, Trump aims to modify the scope of Section 230. If a company inappropriately restricts content apart from removing posts that are violent, obscene or harassing "it is engaged in editorial conduct" and "should properly lose the limited liability shield" under the law, the order states. It directs Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to request new regulations from the Federal Communications Commission to determine whether a social media company is acting "in good faith" to moderate content. In theory, that could open the door to users suing social media platforms if they believe their posts are restricted inappropriately. But it could also make companies more likely to take down false or misleading content, the opposite of what Trump wants. "That's the irony of all this," said Nathaniel Persily, a Stanford University law professor who studies technology and democracy. "The platforms will be much more aggressive in their automated filtering to go after content that could raise their legal liability." He called Trump's order an effort to work the refs as the presidential race heats up and political attacks are traded on social media. Youll have folks encouraging them to take down content, he said, and folks encouraging them to leave it up. Daphne Keller, an expert on the regulation of technology platforms at Stanford's Cyber Policy Center, said Trumps order "reads like a stream-of-consciousness tweet storm." "The underlying issues it raises are really important, of course," she said. "We need an informed public debate about the power of platforms over public discourse. But thats not what the [executive order] is." U.S. Atty. Gen. William Barr, who stood beside Trump in the Oval Office as he signed the order, will play a key role in implementing it. Barr will work with Ross on proposed regulations and collaborating with state attorneys general to examine whether social media companies are violating any laws at the state level. The Justice Department, along with the Federal Trade Commission, would also review complaints about unfair censorship collected by the White House. The order also directs Barr to work on legislation involving social media. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and an ally of the president, said Congress should tell companies if you are going to opine as to the truth or falsity of that which is put on your platform for the sake of its viewers, you do not get the protections of Section 230. Some Democrats have also argued for changes to the law. Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has called for revoking Section 230 entirely. He told the New York Times editorial board that Facebook and other social media companies were "propagating falsehoods they know to be false" and "it's totally irresponsible." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat, said social media companies business model is to make money at the expense of the truth and the facts. She has been the target of doctored videos Trump circulated at least two of them that Facebook has refused to take down. She suggested that Trump and companies like Twitter were alike even though they're currently feuding. "Theyve all exploited the truth," she said. "Some have made money off of it, and some have made political capital off of their misrepresentations." Times staff writers Sam Dean in Los Angeles and Jennifer Haberkorn in Washington contributed to this report. WASHINGTON, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business Administration announced today the launching of two Maryland Women's Business Centers hosted by Morgan State University in Baltimore and Maryland Capital Enterprises in Salisbury. These new centers will carry out the mission of helping women-owned small businesses start, grow, and expand their businesses and reflects the agency's priority to increase access for women entrepreneurs to resources in socially and economically disadvantaged communities. "The SBA's funding of these nonprofit organizations will assist in the recovery and the empowerment of women entrepreneurs in Maryland, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new Women's Business Centers will provide the entrepreneurs with greater access to the training and technical assistance services they need to sustain and grow businesses, as well as create and retain jobs," said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. "The new centers are a key part of the SBA's expansion of service to foster stronger local economies for women entrepreneurs whose small businesses generate new employment opportunities." The SBA's Women's Business Centers are a national network of more than 100 centers that offer one-on-one counseling, training, networking, workshops, technical assistance, and mentoring to women entrepreneurs on numerous business development topics, including business startup, financial management, marketing, and procurement. "As an ongoing effort to continue building stronger partnerships with HBCUs across the country, SBA is proud that Morgan State University is a top selection to open a new Maryland Women's Business Centers to serve the Baltimore area, along with Maryland Capital Enterprises adding to the services for entrepreneurs in the Eastern Shore region. We support Women's Business Centers throughout the nation that have helped more than two million business owners start, grow and expand their companies since the program's start in 1988," said SBA Associate Administrator for the Office of Entrepreneurial Development Allen Gutierrez. "This expansion in Maryland will enable Women's Business Centers to help more women entrepreneurs not just stay afloat but be poised to expand." To learn more about SBA's programs and services for women entrepreneurs, visit online at www.sba.gov/women, and to find other WBC locations and SBA resources, visit www.sba.gov/tools/local-assistance. About the U.S. Small Business Administration The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov. Contact: [email protected] (202) 401-3059 Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & Instagram Release Number: 20-43 SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration Related Links https://www.sba.gov The world of work has changed since the coronavirus pandemic with work from home the new norm. (Getty) The coronavirus pandemic has enforced a global work-from-home experiment. While the current way of working wont last forever, executives from Siemens (SIE.DE), Just Eat (JET.L), and Verizon Media (VZ) said that the crisis has actually turbo-charged some positives changes and presented opportunities to make the world of work a better place. Gathering for a DIAL Global Digital Summit, where Verizon Media is a strategic partner, executives at the worlds largest organisations discussed how companies can lead and win through inclusion and how organisations can craft better inclusion strategies for a competitive edge. In the second session, entitled embracing the power of diversity, inclusion, belonging and leadership in the pandemic era, the executives shared their recent experiences, challenges and key learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic and and how theyre looking to a more inclusive future from a less than inclusive past. READ MORE: DIAL Global Virtual Summit: Google, Amazon, Unilever execs talk about diversity and inclusion Panellists were: Valerie Todd CBE, human resources director, Siemens, Mira Magecha, chief people officer, Just Eat, and Ramcess Jean-Louis, global head of diversity & inclusion, Verizon Media (VZ), parent company for Yahoo Finance. Through their discussion, there were key points made about how many of the areas for evolving the workplace has been expedited because of the crisis and this could be a turning point on keeping some positive elements forever. As humans we are so interconnected, and the crisis has shown that humanity is an ecosystem and what affects us [in another country] will affect us sitting elsewhere. We can also learn from it, said Todd, who also sits as a non-executive director on the board for the British army. We are not just a society of individuals, we are a society of communities both local and global. From an employers perspective, [it has shown] leaders need to be adaptable and inclusive, and find new ways to engage with people. Story continues The world of work is going to change irreversibly and we need to look at how to embrace that. Leaders dont need to change, they need to evolve and be adaptive [to maintain] more inclusive working patterns and expectations. READ MORE: Coronavirus: How diversity and inclusion during COVID-19 has flipped a key element of advertising Acknowledging the difference in how we are all experiencing the crisis, is also something that could make the world of work a more inclusive place. The stress people are under right now is going to change how they view work, said Todd. And D&I is at the heart of the agenda this crisis has not affected us all equally. There is a big step change to lead in a different way. Echoing that sentiment was Verizon Medias Ramcess Jean-Louis who pointed out that we are all in this together but we are experiencing this differently. Its for this reason that there is an opportunity for a sea-change in how we look at diversity and inclusion. DIAL Global Digital Summit: (L-R) Campbell Fitch, advisory board member, DIAL Global, Leila McKenzie Delis, CEO, DIAL Global, Ramcess Jean-Louis, global head, Diversity & Inclusion, Verizon Media, Valerie Todd CBE, human resources director, Siemens, and Mira Magecha, chief people officer, Just Eat. Jean-Louis highlighted how his experience in the D&I space has taken some time to evolve from multi-cultural marketing to diversity to diversity and inclusion to diversity and inclusion and belonging. He said that the crisis has expedited a number of areas of D&I efforts. For example, just being able to understand that this crisis has meant that everyones experience is different has pushed leaders and individuals to embrace, more fully, the practice of platinum rule. We are moving away from the golden rule of treat people the way you want to be treated, to the platinum rule treat people how they want to be treated, said Jean-Louis. Mira Magecha, chief people officer, Just Eat pointed out that the crisis has a presented an opportunity for understanding new ways of working practice. She said that 20 years ago, she had worked on a project elsewhere regarding how we should look differently about what employment looks like and two decades later it hadnt really changed. However, amid this crisis, we could open a whole new raft of diversity by understanding fundamental items, such as do people genuinely need to travel into work or do workers need to have certain educations in order to do their job. Verizon Medias Jean-Louis supported that notion by pointing out that the crisis expedited some huge changes in working practices. He said that at Verizon Media, 90% of employees are currently working from home and if the company had tried to move towards this way of working pre-coronavirus, it wouldve taken years of planning. However, the crisis proved that it could be done and quickly, and especially with the companys bosses always maintaining the number one mission is the safety and wellbeing of staff, it has created a platform for more conscious inclusion of all staff. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 23:00:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature Thursday voted to adopt the country's long-expected Civil Code, a milestone legislation that will better protect people's rights and offer strong legal support for the country's development. The Civil Code passed at the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) will take effect on Jan. 1, 2021. The compilation of the Civil Code is an important component of the plans of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core for developing the rule of law, Wang Chen, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, told the session. In addition to general and supplementary provisions, the Civil Code, the world's latest modern-day civil law, includes six parts on real rights, contracts, personality rights, marriage and family, inheritance, and tort liabilities. The personal rights, property rights and other lawful rights and interests of the parties to civil legal relations shall be protected by law and shall not be infringed upon by any organization or individual, reads the Civil Code in its opening chapter. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese have long yearned for a civil code of their own, said Wang. China's earlier four attempts to draft a civil code since the 1950s did not succeed due to various reasons. The legislative process started in June 2016 after the decision to draft the Civil Code was announced at a plenary session of the CPC Central Committee in October 2014. The General Provisions of the Civil Law was adopted in 2017. Beginning August 2018, the six individual draft parts were reviewed in different NPC Standing Committee sessions. In December 2019, a complete draft civil code was unveiled. "Looking back in history, you'll find that a civil code was usually born at a time of social stability and economic prosperity, and a civil code always ushered in a time of rapid economic and social development," said Professor Yu Fei of China University of Political Science and Law. "We also have such expectations from China's Civil Code." PROTECTING PEOPLE'S DIGNITY Dubbed an "encyclopedia on social life," the Civil Code will protect Chinese citizens' rights from cradle to grave, experts say. According to the code, even unborn children have the rights to inheritance and gifts. A major innovation of China's Civil Code, jurists say, is embodied in the part on personality rights. While some countries have personality rights legal provisions, few have a specific law book in civil code dedicated to protecting personality rights. The part on personality rights includes provisions on a civil subject's rights to life, body, health, name, portrait, reputation and privacy, among others. The part features stipulations on regulating studies related to human genes or embryos, strengthening privacy protection, banning sexual harassment, and other prominent issues of public concern. The personality rights book shows that China has reached new heights in protecting people's dignity, said Chen Jingying, a national lawmaker and vice president of East China University of Political Science and Law. ADAPTING TO NEW REALITIES While preparing the draft, the legislature sought public opinions on 10 occasions, receiving over 1 million online comments and suggestions. Lawmakers say drafting the code is not about formulating a new civil law but rather systematically incorporating existing civil laws and regulations, modifying and improving them to adapt to new situations while maintaining their consistency. Data and online virtual assets are also legally protected, according to the Civil Code. It has clearly defined people's privacy. Protected information has been expanded to include email addresses and location data. The Civil Code has also fine-tuned several provisions to better protect people's rights in case of emergencies such as the COVID-19 epidemic. For example, if the guardian of a child is unable to perform his or her duties due to emergencies like being put under medical isolation, primary-level Party committees or civil affairs authorities must take over the guardianship, according to the code. The Civil Code is a milestone in developing the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, and will boost the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance, said Wang Yi, dean of the law school at Renmin University of China. Enditem A "disturbing" military report into conditions at a long-term care home east of Toronto has given families of loved ones who died of COVID-19 there hope that police will investigate. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/5/2020 (602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A home-care worker is shown outside Orchard Villa long-term care home in Pickering, Ont., on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn A "disturbing" military report into conditions at a long-term care home east of Toronto has given families of loved ones who died of COVID-19 there hope that police will investigate. Some families said they had given up on the provincial government, so they've asked Durham regional police to investigate Orchard Villa in Pickering, Ont. "The government could have done more, but it's too late," said Fred Cramer, whose mother, Ruth Cramer, died of COVID-19 at the home on April 19. "Now it's time for the police to investigate." There have been 78 deaths due to COVID-19 at the home and retirement centre, according to the Durham Region Health Department. Last week, more than 50 families sent a letter to Chief Paul Martin alleging criminal negligence and failure to provide the necessaries of life during the pandemic. In a written response, Martin said he has assigned the force's Investigative Services Branch to look into the issue. "Our team will review the material as it relates to the Criminal Code and will also reach out to other agencies with pre-existing mandates of oversight into the matters identified," the chief wrote, adding a senior inspector has taken carriage of the file. In their letter, the families detailed a litany of problems at the home: malnourishment and dehydration of residents; inadequate personal protective equipment for staff and patients; mingling between COVID-19-positive residents and those not infected; and inadequate staffing levels, among other issues. "Our own observations and what contact we could manage with our loved ones demonstrates that they were malnourished, dehydrated, and not receiving basic care for days, and in some cases weeks, that they deteriorated badly, and over 70 people died," the families wrote. The administrator of Orchard Villa did not respond to a request for comment. Cramer said his mother was eating in the dining room with other residents after the COVID outbreak began. "Why was that happening? It doesn't make sense," he said. He last saw his mother on March 13, just before the provincial lockdown, but communication became difficult due to her dementia. Calls to the home felt worthless, he said. "They just kept saying 'She's eating, she's drinking and she's happy.' It really felt like a script because that's all they said every time I called," he said. On April 15, Cramer got a call saying his mother had tested positive for COVID-19. He didn't even know she had symptoms, but knew the novel coronavirus had made its way inside the home by then. She had a low-grade fever and lethargy, he was told by the home. In a video call the next day, he said his mother "looked awful" and had tears in her eyes. "Hi mama," Cramer told her, "I love you." On April 19, his mother was dead. Premier Doug Ford called in the Canadian Armed Forces last month to help five hard-hit long-term care homes, including Orchard Villa. In a report released earlier this week, the military said it found cockroaches and rotting food lying around the home, along with used personal protective gear. Patients were left in soiled diapers and some patients were fed lying down, which may have contributed to the choking death of one person. "That disturbing military report confirmed my suspicions about the care in the home," Cramer said. June Morrison's father, George William Morrison, died of COVID-19 three weeks ago in hospital after contracting it at Orchard Villa. Morrison said her father lived in a room with three others, who all tested positive for the disease, and wasn't moved to a new room until days later. She alleges her father was malnourished. "We believe there are criminal acts, we believe the home is responsible for the staff and patients getting sick, so the police have to investigate," she said. "I promised my dad I'd right the wrongs for him and that's what I'm doing and why we've gone to police." Morrison said a detective called her this week and told her he was pulling her father's file from various provincial ministries. A spokesman for the Durham force declined to provide details, other than to say they are "reviewing" the complaint. Simon Nisbet was able to get his mother, who tested positive for COVID-19, out of Orchard Villa and into the local hospital, and believes he saved her life by doing so. He said his mother's kidneys have been damaged due to "extreme dehydration" and she is now slowly recovering at Lakeridge Health hospital. "It's neglect and it's not just the families saying it anymore so is the military," Nisbet said. "The police need to start a criminal investigation." This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 28, 2020. OTTAWAThe Team Canada spirit that has prevailed among first ministers during the COVID-19 crisis will be put to the test today as Justin Trudeau broaches with premiers two topics that fall squarely within provincial jurisdiction: the operation of long-term care homes and paid sick leave for workers. The prime minister has promised federal support in both areas but his offer has been met with a mixed reaction from provincial and territorial leaders. He has also promised to raise the issues Thursday night, when he conducts his eleventh first ministers conference call. So far, those calls have been notable for their collegial, collaborative spirit as prime minister and premiers all work as one to cushion the impact of the deadly pandemic on Canadians health and the countrys economy. But there are signs that team spirit may be starting to give way to the usual regional tensions and jurisdictional spats that have historically bedevilled federal-provincial relations in Canada. Quebec Premier Francois Legault, whose province has always guarded its jurisdiction against perceived federal intrusions, is lukewarm about Trudeaus promise to ensure 10 days of paid sick leave for workers who fall ill with COVID-19 or are required to go into quarantine after exposure. I told Justin Trudeau this morning first, regarding sick leave, that there was a very negative reaction from the corporate side, he said Wednesday. Well, obviously, there is a question there that isnt clear: Who will pay? On long-term care homes, Legault came close to suggesting the feds should butt out, apart from sending the provinces more money for health care in general which they could then spend as they see fit. Were not happy about the fact the federal government used to finance 50 per cent of the health-care expenses of the provinces. They now are (funding) between 20 and 25 per cent, he said, raising an age-old provincial complaint. Were telling Mr. Trudeau if you really want to help us in long-term care facilities, please increase your transfers in health to all provinces. Then well be able to hire, pay better and have more staff in our long-term care facilities. At the outset of the pandemic, the federal government did increase those transfers by $500 million. Legaults somewhat dismissive response to the offer of federal help comes even as his province has called in the military to help restore some semblance of care in 25 Quebec facilities and wants the federal government to extend the Forces deployment until September. The military issued this week damning reports on neglect, abuse and unsanitary conditions it found while helping out in long-term care homes in Quebec and Ontario. In contrast to Legault, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, has been effusive in his thanks for the offer of federal help. The prime minister offered his full support and I am grateful for the prime ministers commitment to working with us to solve this problem because we need their help if were going to fix this broken system, he said Tuesday. Ford too is calling for more federal funding but hes gone beyond that. As far as hes concerned, everything is on the table, including integrating long-term care homes into the public health system, which is delivered by the provinces but under the national principles of the Canada Health Act. And hes calling for national standards for such facilities. We need a system standard, as I say, SOP is a standard operating procedure that applies right across the country, no matter if its in Quebec or Ontario or B.C. We need a system that everyone goes by and we have to put (in place) standard operating procedures and, you know, trust but verify. Trudeau was careful Wednesday not to wade into the debate over national standards or bringing long-term care homes under the auspices of the Canada Health Act. He repeatedly stressed that the federal government will respect provincial jurisdiction as it embarks on discussion with the premiers. Im not going to short-circuit that conversation by putting forward aggressive proposals right now, he said. But what I will say is the federal government is there to support, to work with provinces to ensure that in areas of their jurisdiction they are able to give Canadians the care that they and their families expect. Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos later expanded on that, saying that the federal government imposing national standards would be aggressive and do more harm than good. Standards must be developed in collaboration and in full support of the work of the provinces and territories, he said. Otherwise we would engage in jurisdictional fights and that would be completely counterproductive. Trudeau must also deal with the fact that not all provinces have been as hard hit by the pandemic as Ontario and Quebec and are consequently less keen to have the feds rush in with help. For instance, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moes office said his province wants further clarification on the federal governments rationale behind the sick leave promise and whether any federal funding for such a proposal would be provided. Spokesperson Jim Billington noted that Saskatchewan has already instituted its own program to ensure individuals do not have to choose between self-isolation or work. And he said it would not be supportive of a proposal that imposes further fixed costs on employers, including mandatory paid sick leave covered by employers who are trying to get their businesses back on their feet after three months of lockdown. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister echoed that sentiment but nevertheless welcomed a national program to encourage any worker who feels ill to stay home. Id like to see us arrive at some type of program nationally that would cover everybody in that event, he said Wednesday. This is a program government should fund federally, in partnership potentially with the provinces to some degree. Trudeau has credited British Columbia Premier John Horgan with first raising the idea of a sick leave program. And Horgan appeared optimistic Wednesday that agreement can be reached among first ministers to put one in place. Thats at the formative stages (now), of course, but we were persistent week after week raising the issue, building a consensus around the premiers table, building the ask for the federal government to get involved and weve now made some progress, he said. Shahrukh Khan New Delhi: In the midst of the Corona crisis, the country had to face the devastation of Hurricane Amphan a few days ago. This dangerous cyclonic storm wreaked havoc from Bengal to Odisha and many people lost their lives in the storm. Shahrukh khanIn such a time of crisis, Bengal needs help. The government has already announced an economic package, now Bollywood's King Khan is also coming forward to help. Advertisement Shah Rukh Khan's IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders has offered help in this difficult time. Kolkata Knight Riders have tweeted that they are going to help Bengal on many levels. "People from Kolkata and West Bengal have given a lot of love to our team over the years," the tweet said. PhotoIn that case, we want to help them in times of this crisis. It may be mentioned that the team will provide financial assistance to the West Bengal Relief Fund and rations will be distributed. At the same time, in view of the Corona crisis, it has been made clear that full attention will be paid to social distance when providing assistance. Advertisement This is not the first time that Shah Rukh Khan has helped someone like this. Khan has also helped people in various ways in the ongoing battle with the corona virus. He donated PPE kits, donated his office to a quarantine centre, distributed rations to the poor and donated money to the PM Relief Fund. As extreme heat, hunger and dehydration add to the woes of returning migrant workers, nine passengers have been found dead in 'Shramik Special' trains since Monday and they included a woman whose toddler son was seen trying to wake her up in a heart wrenching scene at a railway platform in Bihar. While a few deaths on board the non-air conditioned trains were also reported earlier after they were launched on May 1 to ferry migrant labourers to their home states, the Railways on Wednesday said most of the deceased had pre-existing health conditions. The nine deaths on different trains heading to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar occurred since Monday but were reported by the Railways and civil authorities in the two states on Wednesday. A video about the toddler son tweeted by Sanjay Yadav, an aide to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and which has gone viral, shows the child walking unsteadily up to his mother's body, tugging at the blanket placed over her, and when failing to wake her up, covering his own head with it. As the mother, who was identified as Uresh Khatoon(35), still lay motionless, he wobbles away from her, announcements continuing in the background about the arrival and departure of trains at Muzaffarpur that would bring in tens of thousands of jobless migrant workers hit by coronavirus lockdown to Bihar. "This small child doesn't know that the bedsheet with which he is playing is the shroud of his mother who has gone into eternal sleep. This mother died of hunger and thirst after being on a train for four days. Who is responsible for these deaths on trains? Shouldn't the opposition ask uncomfortable questions?" tweeted Yadav. However, police had a different version. Ramakant Upadhyay, the Dy SP of the Government Railway Police(GRP) in Muzaffarpur, said the incident occurred on May 25 when the migrant woman was on her way to Muzaffarpur from Ahmedabad by a Shramik Special train. He told reporters the woman, who was accompanied by her sister and brother-in-law, had died on the Madhubani-bound train. "My sister-in-law died suddenly on the train. We did not face any problem getting food or water," the officer said, quoting the deceased's brother-in-law who he did not name. The Railways attributed her death to a pre-existing heart condition for which she underwent a recent surgery, also reportedly corroborated by her son. Another death reported from Muzaffarpur was that of a four-and-a-half-year-old son of a migrant from Bihar based in Delhi. The boy died at the railway station at Muzaffarpur while his father desperately hunted for some milk he believed would have saved his child. While his father Maqsood Alam alias Mohd Pintu said his son died of heat, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Railways, Ramakant Upadhyay, claimed the boy was ailing for some time and had died before the train that originated from Delhi reached the station. In Bihar's Danapur, the body of 70-year-old Basisth Mahato, a heart patient, was taken out of the Mumbai-Darbhanga train. Mahato was returning with his family after treatment in Mumbai and died between Maihar and Satna, the Railways said. Two migrants were found dead in a train at a Varanasi railway station on Wednesday morning. North Eastern Railway spokesperson Ashok Kumar said the train had arrived at the Manduadih station of Varanasi from Mumbai's Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at 8.21 am. They were found dead by GRP personnel, he added. He said during a medical examination, it was found that both suffered from serious health issues. One of them, identified as Dashrath Prajapati (30), was a resident of UP's Jaunpur. He was differently abled and was getting treatment for a kidney-related problem in Mumbai. The other victim was identified as Ram Ratan (63), a resident of Azamgarh district in UP. A relative of Dashrath, who was travelling with him, said he had complained of some health problem when they reached Allahabad and then slept. Dashrath did not wake up when they reached Varanasi, the relative said. A 58-year-old migrant was found dead in the Surat-Hajipur train on Tuesday evening in Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, Superintendent of Police, Devendra Nath, said. He has been identified as Bhushan Singh of Saran district in Bihar. In Kanpur, two middle-aged migrants on a Jhansi-Gorakhpur train were found dead, while they were on their way to their home districts, officials said. One was identified as Ram Awadh Chauhan (45), while the identity of the other victim hasn't been established so far. GRP's Station House Officer (Kanpur Central), Ram Mohan Rai, said that Chauhan, a resident of Makraunda in Jahanaganj in Azamgarh, was going from Mumbai to his home town. Chauhan had reached Jhansi from Mumbai by a Shramik train. He boarded another train going to Gorakhpur from Jhansi and he died on the way. "He was suffering from diabetes," Rai said, adding, he complained having difficulty in breathing and vomited in the train that terrified co-passengers. A middle aged migrant was also found dead in another train, he said. However, details about him were not immediately available. The body of Sheikh Salim, 45, a resident of Bahraich (UP), was found on the Vapi-Deen Dayal Upadhayay Junction train when it reached Sagar station in Madhya Pradesh. "Few deaths have been reported in Shramik Special trains. In most of these cases, it is found that those who died are old, sick people and patients with chronic diseases, who had actually gone to big cities for medical treatment and could come back only after the Railways started these trains," said a Railways spokesperson in Delhi. Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: COVID-19 cases past 1.5 lakh; Delhi sees record 792 cases in 24 hours Also read: Coronavirus lockdown: Brought back over 5 lakh migrant workers, says MP govt official China to enhance coordination with France to back WHO, moblize global resources in COVID-19 fight: FM BEIJING, May 27 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to enhance coordination with France to increase political support and funding for the World Health Organization (WHO), jointly mobilize global resources and win the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday. In a telephone conversation with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron, Wang said that Hong Kong affairs fall within China's domestic affairs and China appreciates France's cautious attitude toward Hong Kong-related affairs, hoping that France will adhere to an objective and impartial position. Wang said that China and France have maintained close communication in the joint fight against the pandemic, which has demonstrated high-level strategic coordination. Both as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and responsible major countries, he said, the two countries should play a more active role in the uncertain international situation. Recalling that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Macron recently attended the opening of the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) via video link, Wang said China and France have made contributions to the success of the assembly. China stands ready to work with all parties to implement the Debt Service Suspension Initiative for the poorest countries adopted at a recent Group of 20 meeting, Wang said, calling for multilateral creditors and commercial creditors to participate in the initiative. China is willing to work with France to actively carry out trilateral cooperation with Africa and help African countries fight the pandemic, he added. China supports France's initiative to hold a leaders' summit of the five permanent members of the UNSC via video, and the five countries have responsibility to send a positive signal of strengthening international anti-epidemic cooperation, said Wang, expressing hopes that France will continue to play its role in reaching a consensus on this regard among the five countries. In accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the National People's Congress's move to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security at the national level is a necessary choice to ensure Hong Kong's lasting peace and stability, which is reasonable, lawful and perfectly legitimate, Wang said. No country or region can be unguarded in its security, he said. China's move is aimed at filling a loophole in Hong Kong's national security legislation, which will not undermine Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, but rather is conducive to promoting a steady and sustained development of the "one country, two systems" principle, improving Hong Kong's legal system, and better protecting the interests of investors of various countries. For his part, Bonne congratulated China on holding the "two sessions" after making important progress in the fight against the pandemic. As the international community has been gripped by tensions and misunderstanding due to the pandemic, France is willing to strengthen strategic communication with China, boost mutual trust and conduct multilateral coordination, he said. The remarks by Xi and Macron at the WHA were highly consistent with each other, Bonne said, adding that France is ready to strengthen coordination with China to materialize the spirit of the remarks of the two heads of state and jointly promote international anti-epidemic cooperation. France is ready to work with China to push the implementation of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative for the poorest countries and jointly help Africa fight the pandemic, he said. France thanks China for its support in holding the video conference of the five permanent member states of the UNSC, Bonne said, adding that under the current complicated international situation, it is crucial for the five countries to demonstrate solidarity and France is ready to stay in communication with all parties in this regard. The French side respects China's national sovereignty and understands the sensitivity of Hong Kong-related affairs, he said. France has no intention to intervene in Hong Kong affairs, Bonne said, expressing the hope that relevant issues can be resolved properly under the "one country, two systems" framework. Flash China is willing to enhance coordination with France to increase political support and funding for the World Health Organization (WHO), jointly mobilize global resources and win the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday. In a telephone conversation with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron, Wang said that Hong Kong affairs fall within China's domestic affairs and China appreciates France's cautious attitude toward Hong Kong-related affairs, hoping that France will adhere to an objective and impartial position. Wang said that China and France have maintained close communication in the joint fight against the pandemic, which has demonstrated high-level strategic coordination. Both as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and responsible major countries, he said, the two countries should play a more active role in the uncertain international situation. Recalling that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Macron recently attended the opening of the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) via video link, Wang said China and France have made contributions to the success of the assembly. China stands ready to work with all parties to implement the Debt Service Suspension Initiative for the poorest countries adopted at a recent Group of 20 meeting, Wang said, calling for multilateral creditors and commercial creditors to participate in the initiative. China is willing to work with France to actively carry out trilateral cooperation with Africa and help African countries fight the pandemic, he added. China supports France's initiative to hold a leaders' summit of the five permanent members of the UNSC via video, and the five countries have responsibility to send a positive signal of strengthening international anti-epidemic cooperation, said Wang, expressing hopes that France will continue to play its role in reaching a consensus on this regard among the five countries. In accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the National People's Congress's move to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security at the national level is a necessary choice to ensure Hong Kong's lasting peace and stability, which is reasonable, lawful and perfectly legitimate, Wang said. No country or region can be unguarded in its security, he said. China's move is aimed at filling a loophole in Hong Kong's national security legislation, which will not undermine Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, but rather is conducive to promoting a steady and sustained development of the "one country, two systems" principle, improving Hong Kong's legal system, and better protecting the interests of investors of various countries. For his part, Bonne congratulated China on holding the "two sessions" after making important progress in the fight against the pandemic. As the international community has been gripped by tensions and misunderstanding due to the pandemic, France is willing to strengthen strategic communication with China, boost mutual trust and conduct multilateral coordination, he said. The remarks by Xi and Macron at the WHA were highly consistent with each other, Bonne said, adding that France is ready to strengthen coordination with China to materialize the spirit of the remarks of the two heads of state and jointly promote international anti-epidemic cooperation. France is ready to work with China to push the implementation of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative for the poorest countries and jointly help Africa fight the pandemic, he said. France thanks China for its support in holding the video conference of the five permanent member states of the UNSC, Bonne said, adding that under the current complicated international situation, it is crucial for the five countries to demonstrate solidarity and France is ready to stay in communication with all parties in this regard. The French side respects China's national sovereignty and understands the sensitivity of Hong Kong-related affairs, he said. France has no intention to intervene in Hong Kong affairs, Bonne said, expressing the hope that relevant issues can be resolved properly under the "one country, two systems" framework. Press Release May 28, 2020 Bong Go highlights need to continue boosting country's healthcare system amid COVID-19 pandemic; sponsors bills to capacitate and improve government hospitals Recognizing the need to improve government hospitals especially in times of crisis, Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go sponsored several local hospital bills to further improve the delivery of medical and healthcare services to the public. In a virtual Senate health committee session on Wednesday, May 27, Senator Go pushed for the passage of five bills to establish the Bicol Women's and Children's Hospital, and further capacitate Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Western Visayas Medical Center, Siargao District Hospital and Malita District Hospital. "I have the honor to sponsor today several local hospital bills which are aimed towards the improvement of some of our government hospitals," Go said, adding that it is crucial to take these measures during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Senator Go also said that these legislative measures will boost the capacity of hospitals, especially in the provinces. Go added that this will complement the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) Program, citing that most modern hospitals are located in Metro Manila where people migrate in order to be treated. "We aim to capacitate our government hospitals, especially in the provinces. This is also in line with the Balik Probinsiya initiative of the government," Go said. "Improving health capacity and upgrading capability of hospitals in the provinces would help enhance the health and overall well-being among the entire Philippine population," he added. During the said session, Senator Go seeks the establishment of the Bicol Women's and Children's Hospital in Camarines Sur. The Senator said that the bed to population ratio in the province is at 1:1,260. This ratio which is more than the Department of Health national standard of 1:1,000. "Ako sa kakaikot ko rin po sa buong bansa, napakadaming pong hospital. Minsan nakahilera nalang diyan sa tabi sa corridor ang dalawang pasyente sa isang kama. Kaya lalo na sa panahon ngayon, nagkakahawaan na dahil sa kakulangan ng ating health facilities," Go said. Go also seeks to increase the capacity of the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City from 500 to 1,000 beds, citing the overcapacity of the health facility in previous years. "QMMC has an average bed occupancy rate of 268% from 2015 to 2017. This means it operates more than twice its capacity. Hence, the urgent need for an upgrade," Go said. Senator Go also included Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City to increase its bed capacity from 425 beds to 700 beds. The Senator also seeks to make WVMC an apex hospital in the Western Visayas region that will consist of various healthcare facilities. "The Universal Health Care Act requires the establishment of province-wide health systems, which consist of accredited health facilities and functional referral systems. In line with this, the Department of Health envisions WVMC to be an apex hospital in Western Visayas," Go said. For Mindanao, Senator Go moved to upgrade Siargao District Hospital in Surigao del Norte into a Level 2 general hospital to be known as the Siargao Island Medical Center, citing that the island only has five district hospitals which have limited capabilities. Go also emphasized the need to improve health facilities in the island, saying that he himself was a witness to how people would flock from Siargao to farther areas just to be treated. "Witness po ako diyan. Marami pong lumalapit sa amin doon sa Davao humihingi ng tulong noong nasa city hall palang si Presidente. Thus, we seek to upgrade the Siargao District Hospital." Lastly, Senator Go seeks to upgrade the Malita District Hospital in Davao Occidental to the Malita Women's and Children's Wellness Center. The Senator said that the upgraded health facility will provide healthcare services on prenatal, postnatal, and neonatal care, lactation programs, children's immunization, other women and pediatric care. The Senate will be tackling next week two more local bills that aim to increase the bed capacity of the Cagayan Valley Medical Center and the Las Pinas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center. Ending his sponsorship speech, Go urged his colleagues to support the passage of the measures, saying that such initiatives will enhance the capabilities of government hospitals across the country to look after the wellbeing of the people. "It is our duty as legislators to enact measures that would help address the lack of appropriate facilities and equipment in our government hospitals, most especially in these crucial times," Go said. "It is for these reasons that I am seeking...support for the immediate passage of these measures," he added. Scrolling for summer dresses isnt the same as scouring the racks for that perfect ice cream outfit, but new shopping protocols may help those wary of the in-store experience. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/5/2020 (602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Scrolling for summer dresses isnt the same as scouring the racks for that perfect ice cream outfit, but new shopping protocols may help those wary of the in-store experience. Since the government announced the provinces economic reopening plan, retailers big and small have come up with myriad ways to keep their doors open while keeping customers safe. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Beck says customers preferred a reopening with restrictions over private shopping. Measures like waiting in line to enter a store, sanitizing hands, pointing to products, following markers on the ground, and even quarantining items after they have been touched or tried on are just some of the measures retailers are taking to maintain safety. But despite best efforts, experts say there is still a risk of contracting COVID-19 while shopping. "If many people are touching the items and that will be the case then yes, it could be a concern," said Satinder Kaur Brar, an expert in environmental biotechnology and decontamination at York University. However, information on virus transmission is limited, leaving experts room to debate retailers best practices. ON CLOTHING Most Canadian stores are quarantining their touched products for 24 to 72 hours. For clothing items, Brar said this is effective because viruses have a harder time surviving on soft materials, but it is not yet known what the virus lifespan is on different materials. For example, the virus may perish sooner on a natural fabric like cotton but could survive on synthetic materials for a longer time period, calling into question how long items should be quarantined. "I presume one working week would be enough five days," said Brar. University of Toronto epidemiologist Colin Furness says shopping for clothing can be categorized as "two types of touching." There is casual browsing when flipping through hangers, and concentrated contact when trying clothes on. Furness stands by a shorter quarantine period, saying a "one-day delay" after an article of clothing is tried on could reduce the risk of transmission. ON STEAMING Steaming clothing has been adopted by many stores and Brar says viruses dislike humidity which could allow for the steaming to be effective. However, Furness said it isnt known what temperature the steam needs to be or the duration of steam a garment requires to be deemed free of viruses. ON GLOVES While governments and medical professionals alike have discussed the use of personal protective equipment, the experts agree gloves are more harmful than helpful when shopping because of their inability to be sanitized properly. "So youre wearing something that you cant clean, that youre going to continue to touch and collect stuff on, and that youre going to possibly continue to touch your face with," said Furness. "I would much rather see people with hand sanitizer sanitize their hands periodically." ON DISPLAY UNITS Some retailers have removed their high-touch glass cases and opted to move jewelry behind the counter, showing customers items upon request and sanitizing them if not purchased. Furness said removing high-touch installations is a good idea, so long as the products customers try on are sanitized afterwards. ON LOCAL SHOPS While it may be easier for retail conglomerates to pivot their protocols, some small business owners have decided to reach out to their customers to see how they prefer to shop within the governments guidelines. Kelsey Beck, owner of Margot + Maude on Academy Road, said she polled her 14,000 followers on Instagram to help piece together her brick and mortar stores reopening strategy. Eighty-nine per cent of respondents said people would prefer having the store open to the public with restrictions rather than private shopping. Respondents also voted against employees wearing masks at 56 per cent. Beck said the responses left her feeling a bit surprised. 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. "I thought people would want us to first open with a shopping by appointment model and then well talk about opening to the public, so I feel like people were just ready to get out there again," said Beck. Margot + Maude reopened to shoppers on May 26 with public health protocols in place. Beck said they will have a limited number of people in the store at a time, hand sanitizer at the door. They would also sanitize fitting rooms and disinfect products with cleaning supplies and a steamer. With the provinces decision to begin Phase Two, retailers may once again have to review their protocols for the sake of customer experience. with files from The Canadian Press nadya.pankiw@freepress.mb.ca The fight between Hon. Kennedy Agyapong and the head pastor of the International God's Way Church, Bishop Daniel Obinim has no time ending soon. The hottest program on NET2 TV dedicated to bringing down Bishop Daniel Obinim because of his alleged fake deeds keeps on revealing secrets surrounding Obinim. With the help of a former pastor named Manasseh who at a point aided these so-called pastors in killing innocent beings and Assin Central Member of Parliament Kennedy Agyapong, the ears of Ghanaians have been fed with the shocking news that most of our well-respected men of God do. On Wednesday, May 27, 2020, the program dubbed 'The Seat' aired hot audio of Obinim trying to persuade a wife of one of his junior pastors to have sexual intimacy with her before he can help her. Kennedy Agyapong had earlier revealed that before a junior pastor marries in Obinm's church, he (Obinim) must chop the said lady first before handing her over to the junior pastor. With this audio, Kennedy Agyapong noted that the husband of the lady didn't aver the norm hence moved on to marry her wife without Obinim having a taste of her honey pot. Failure to aver the norm within the church has, however, created a grudge between Obinim and the couples. In the audio, Obinim was heard saying that he would have helped the lady if she had given herself to him some time past. The desperate lady who is also in need of help agreed to sleep with Obinim in other to help her avert any difficulties surrounding their marriage. Obinim, However, posited that if in case anything happens, he shouldn't be blamed since it is a planned and agreed action. Listen to the audio below... A British pilot with severe lung damage due to novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has shown cognitive improvement and is able to perform simple movements after doctors in Ho Chi Minh City took him off sedation. The patients blood oxygen level and renal function have improved over the past two days. As the Briton is no longer sedated, he is now able to move his extremities, although his diaphragm remains paralyzed and his limbs are still weak. He previously underwent dialysis for 24 hours but is currently treated with medicine. Despite the slight improvement, the patient still requires life support in the form of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Doctors will continue to focus on treating his lung infection and gradually lower his ECMO settings. A chest CT scan is expected to be performed on the patient on Thursday to check whether his lungs have further healed. Results last week showed that he had regained 30 percent of his lung capacity, up from 10 percent reported the week earlier, while the rest of his lungs had consolidated. Doctors at Cho Ray will convene a meeting with experts from the Ministry of Health on Friday to further discuss his treatment plan. The 43-year-old Briton, who works as a pilot for Vietnam Airlines, was diagnosed with COVID-19 in mid-March. He had been treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City until last week, when he was transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in the southern metropolis after testing negative for the novel coronavirus six times. Doctors are currently treating his lung infection and making necessary preparations for a possible lung transplant. The number of COVID-19 patients in Vietnam stands at 327, with 278 having recovered, according to the health ministrys statistics. No deaths from the disease have been reported. No new infections in the community have been documented in the Southeast Asian country for over 40 days. The National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) confirmed on Wednesday it had completed temporary guidance on the collection of plasma from people who have beaten COVID-19. The plasma will be used in research on the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases. Eligible donors are those who have recovered from the disease for at least 28 days, according to the NIHBT. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has expressed concerns over the current situation of the real estate sector and has sought the intervention of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi. In a recent letter to the PM, Pawar requested Modi to consider the demands made by the sector for its revival. Amidst the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic and consequent nationwide lockdown, the real estate sector is in complete breakdown. Massive outflux of labourers, halted work and sales for almost three months, stagnant consumer demand, and impaired economic activities have taken a toll on this industry which contributes substantially to the national gross domestic product (GDP), stated the letter written on May 27, which Pawar shared on Twitter. Pawar said that the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of Indian (CREDAI), in an open letter on May 24, had made recommendations such as one-time restructuring, additional institutional funding, waiver of penal interest, policy innovations to trigger consumer demand, controlling cartelisation of raw material, changing criterion of affordability for GST applicability and operationalisation of SWAMIH (Special Window for Completion of Construction of Affordable and Mid-Income Housing) fund. The detailed presentation is self-explanatory. I shall be grateful if you personally look into the matter and initiate necessary measures for revival of one of the most important sectors of the economy, the NCP chief wrote. Yesenia Villasenors new Zoom backdrop features a rack full of clothes and a dress form draped in dreamy white fabric: a reminder of her latest work, and also the weirdest semester finale ever. In March, the California College of the Arts fashion student began creating her capstone collection in St Helena, where her parents live and own a restaurant. We were taking turns helping out with takeout and working at school, and whenever we had time Id grab one of my two sisters and fit things on her, Villasenor says. Last week she presented the collection, a series of frayed, draped and layered female garments, to jurors over Zoom. For the Class of 2020, graduation has been something of a letdown, a commencement into an uncertain future, notable only for its lack of graduation rites. The disruptions have been especially painful for San Franciscos fashion design hopefuls. The main casualty: The graduate fashion show, with its runways, cramped dressing rooms, fabrics swishing, the pure energy and adrenaline. Its a dazzling hour, one students begin fantasizing about as soon as they enroll. But with loss came the need to pivot, innovate and reinvent the process. With scrappiness, fabric scraps, and healthy doses of DIY and family support, some students say they found a new sense of freedom while sheltering in place. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle The mad dash to finish graduate collections began soon after the shelter-in-place order came down in March, forcing the citys design schools to move their classes online. For Academy of Art University and College of the Arts students, who are used to working on graduate collections at their schools studios accompanied by peers and instructors, working remotely might have seemed impossible at first. What about the dress forms, the printing and cutting equipment, the extra sets of knowing eyes and hands to call out a crooked stitch or point out nuances of fabric movement and draping? What about space to host piles upon piles of fabric? But the students found ways to make do. Makayla Godden, finishing a bachelor of fine arts degree in textile design at Academy of Art, set up a screen printing studio, including screens she constructed herself in her parents backyard in the Central Valley. College of the Arts fashion design graduate Noah Dubin, who's sheltering with his wife and 5-month old baby, journeyed to San Jose from San Franciscos Mission District Muni, BART, Caltrain to borrow a 20-pound leather sewing machine, and then lugged it back up. Academy of Art textile design graduate Donovan Smith turned one of the bathrooms in his dorm room into a fabric dyeing station. It got smelly and messy pretty quickly, he says. (Smiths dormmates went home due to COVID-19.) Courtesy Yesenia Villasenior Some academy students moved operations to their dorm room entirely. Some, like Yesenia, went back to their parents homes, surprising their families with fabric swatches and creative chaos. It wasnt normal but it certainly wasnt mundane. Tough decisions were made, collections were altered. For her collection, academy senior Aishwarya Gajare used crochet to create asymmetrical, voluminous and highly textured garments that transcend gender or occasion. Before the pandemic, Gajare had experimented with some of the knitwear machines at school, but she moved on to crochet so I found it easier to work from home. Aptly, her mission statement has to do with examining the fashion industrys reliance on heavy machinery and mass-production. For most of the time, she had to work on the floor of the two-bedroom SoMa apartment she shares with her brother; some pieces, when laid out, took up the entire bedroom. Ive had to go the abstract route, she laughs. Her brother has never seen so much of her at home or been so surprised: He hadnt been aware of his sisters crafting skills. Many students collections became family matters. While Gajare bonded with her brother over the design progress (Hes an architect, and I guess we have similarities in our construction process, she says), Villasenor turned to her siblings for modeling services, for the lack of actual fitting sessions. Unusual models were certainly a trend this year, as students fit the clothes on themselves, dressed their boyfriends in female garments, and met with the occasional classmate on the street to do a quick fitting Gajare had met with Smith, her neighbor and friend, under his dorm, bringing two garments at a time. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Villasenors project was, in hindsight, perfectly suitable for at-home production. Her collection, conceived as a protest against fast garment production and textile waste, used scrap fabric collaged together. With its interesting textures, the collection would have been better viewed live, not through the flat screen, Villasenor says. It could have been interesting to see it on the runway, too, she sighs. 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. Instead, theres the online showcase. College of the Arts built a special website for the 2020 graduates, displaying their work as well as inspirations. At Academy of Art, the annual online showcase has been expanded and supplemented with video and student-conducted photo shoots. Theres also a hint at a special presentation thats yet to come, perhaps in a virtual format. Simon Ungless, executive director at the academys School of Fashion, believes that this way, the students collections will be exposed to even more eyeballs. I dont believe in fashion shows anymore; there are too many shows and theyre not realistic, Ungless says. People want to see things digitally. We can work in a traditional way through modern technology. The traditional in-person collection reviews, taking place on Zoom this time, were also ripe with opportunity, Ungless says. At College of the Arts, students collections were viewed by people who wouldnt have been able to attend otherwise, such as Sara Kozlowski, director of education and professional development at Council of Fashion Designers of America. At Academy of Art, the legendary writer Suzy Menkes joined remotely. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Ungless believes that all the adaptations and innovations have sped up the learning process: It might sound really crazy, but in the process of self-learning and editing, students have gone from a student to a designer in a maturing curve that was accelerated, he says. Finding a job and surviving in the fashion world is notoriously tough, and the pandemic wont make it any easier. But whatever comes next, the Class of 2020 may be better prepared than any of their alumni were. After carrying borrowed dress forms for blocks, hauling machinery on public transport, cutting patterns on the floor and screen-printing in their parents backyard, one imagines or hopes that they will be ready for almost anything. Flora Tsapovsky is a freelance writer. Email culture@sfchronicle.com By Mayela Armas and Mircely Guanipa CARACAS/MARACAY, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday pledged to begin charging citizens for gasoline, as the fourth cargo of a five-tanker flotilla bringing fuel from Iran approached the South American nation's exclusive economic zone. Iran is providing the country with up to 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and components to help it ease an acute scarcity that has forced Venezuelans to wait in hours-long lines at service stations or pay steep prices on the black market. With the arrival of the gasoline, Maduro said he would end the policy of providing fuel effectively for free after more than two decades of frozen pump prices. He provided no details. "Gasoline must be paid for," Maduro said in a state television address, saying that the price increase would be part of a "normalization and regularization plan." "I have Venezuela's support and understanding," Maduro said, blaming the shortages on the United States, which sanctioned state oil company PDVSA last year as part of a push to oust Maduro, whom the U.S. accuses of having rigged elections in 2018. Service stations have begun testing new payment systems, three people with knowledge of the matter said. In recent weeks, more than 100 service stations across the country have received new equipment that would allow them to charge for gasoline and ration retail sales, though their operators have not yet received clear instructions from the government or PDVSA, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Maduro in 2018 had pledged to increase prices at the pump, but never went through with the plan. Ending fuel subsidies is seen as politically risky in Venezuela, where a 1989 effort to raise gasoline and transportation prices contributed to a deadly wave of riots and looting. "PARIAH STATES" While applauded by the Venezuelan government, the Iranian supply has been criticized by U.S. authorities as both OPEC-member countries are under sanctions. The vessels have so far navigated undisturbed to their destinations. Story continues The fourth tanker, the Faxon, was passing north of Venezuela's neighboring dual-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago as of Wednesday afternoon, the Eikon data showed. The third, the Petunia, was approaching the El Palito refinery, while the first two were discharging at ports. David Schenker, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, said on Wednesday that Washington was "not pleased" with the shipments and was looking at "options" for a response. "These are two pariah states," Schenker said during a webinar organized by the Beirut Institute. "One could imagine them sending other things, I mean weapons, who knows." Maduro added that Venezuela had paid for the shipments with dollars, after U.S. officials said the government had likely paid Iran using part of its gold reserves. (Reporting by Mircely Guanipa in Maracay and Deisy Buitrago in Caracas; Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai, Mayela Armas in Caracas, Ghaida Ghantous in Dubai, Luc Cohen in New York and Marianna Parraga in Mexico City; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Leslie Adler) Los Angeles County recently announced that they are providing free COVID-19 test services to those who want to get tested for the deadly virus, according to an article. It means that residents of the country whether they are showcasing symptoms of the illness or not showing any symptoms at all can get free COVID-19 tests upon request. However, in an article, residents from the country are first encouraged to seek tests from their primary care provider or health care center. Those who are not able to get tests will be given free COVID-19 tests by the county. Furthermore, the article reveals that there will be certain criteria for those who will be prioritized for free coronavirus testing services. Who Are Prioritized For The Services? Those who are showing symptoms to COVID-19 such as fevers, coughs, sore throat, diarrhea, nausea, muscle pain, and chills will be prioritized for the free COVID-19 testing in Los Angeles County. Also, those who were not showing symptoms to the deadly illness who are at least 65 years old and people with pre-existing health conditions, regardless of their age, will be prioritized for the free testing services for the county. Moreover, those who work for essential businesses such as those who are handling food, providing security services, offering health care, cleaning and sanitizing facilities, and working for the government will also be receiving free COVID-19 tests from Los Angeles. Who Needs To Be Tested for The Novel Coronavirus? According to the CDC, the criteria for people who need to get tested for the novel coronavirus will vary from every state in the country. However, the CDC had released guidelines on who should get the test. The guidelines provided by the CDC include the classification of high priority COVID-19 positive prospects and those who are classified as a priority. How Long Will It Take To Get Results? According to an article, those who took the COVID-19 test in Los Angeles will have to wait more or less three to four days before the results of the test are provided. Those who will test positive from the COVID-19 test will know the news through a phone call while those who are negative to the COVID-19 test will receive the news from an email. You can get the list of where to get COVID-19 tests in the country here. However, you should take note that you need to get an appointment first before getting the test. It means that you cannot get the test without an appointment in those COVID-19 testing locations. Check these out: How Are COVID-19 Tests Conducted? Based on an article, there is a variety of COVID-19 tests being administered across the United States. According to an article, one way of administering a COVID-19 test is by getting swab samples from a person. The article reveals that a swab measuring six inches is used to collect a sample from a person by using it for the nose and the mouth. After collecting samples, the article reveals that the swabs will be placed inside a tightly sealed container before delivery to a laboratory. Jerry Lara / Staff Photographer The Bexar County Sheriffs Office will host a virtual memorial Thursday morning to pay tribute to deputies who died in the line of duty. The "Fallen Deputy Memorial," held at the county courthouse, will be closed to the public amid the coronavirus pandemic. Recently, Nolan commented on a scene, briefly glimpsed at the end of the trailer, in which a 747 crashes into a hanger and explodes. According to Nolan, they were going to shoot the scene using a combination of miniatures, and set-piece builds, instead of CGI, which he tries to avoid. But while scouting locations in Victorville, California, like drunken teens who accidentally stumbled into Harrison Ford's backyard, his team "discovered a massive array of old planes." Continue Reading Below Advertisement So Nolan opted to buy a real airplane instead of a mock-up because it would actually be "more efficient." And, probably because deep down he wanted to blow the shit out of a wonder of modern aerospace technology since, as Rotten Tomatoes pointed out, clearly Christopher Nolan fucking hates planes enough to for sure be on a government watchlist. This isn't all that surprising; the necessity of hard work and sacrifice to achieve convincing practical effects is exactly what Nolan's The Prestige is all about. We have no doubt it will all be in the service of a breathtaking scene that we absolutely can't wait to watch on our vertically-tilted phones. You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter! And check out the podcast Rewatchability It would take about 5 months for the US, 22 months for the UK and about a year for Italy to develop herd immunity without burdening the ICUs. COVID-19 started to spread late in December 2019. Since it is a new disease, no part of the human population was immune to it. In the presence of a susceptible population, the virus spread quickly leading to a pandemic. Experts around the world have been suggesting various ways to mitigate the spread of the disease and put an end to the pandemic. One of the suggested approaches is locking down cities and countries to break the chain of transmission and treat all the cases that show up - the strategy that most countries employed. Another suggested and much-debated approach is to avoid lockdowns and let the populations gradually develop herd immunity against the infection. Herd immunity refers to a situation in which a major part of a population (somewhere around 60 - 90%) develops some form of the disease and, therefore, become resistant to it. However, with that many cases, the health systems are bound to get overloaded. Some severe cases of COVID-19 require to be admitted into the ICU (intensive care units) - which there are only so many of. The result could lead to more preventable deaths - a scenario that nobody wants to create. Herd immunity without burdened ICUs? In research done in Belgium, scientists analysed the feasibility of developing herd immunity in a population without burdening the ICUs. The researchers used an online tool from about-the-curve.net and the SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) model for the spread of disease to estimate that without burdening the ICUs, it would take about 5 months for the US, 22 months for the UK and about a year for Italy to develop herd immunity. About-the-curve.net is run by Yves Moreau group, part of STADIUS at KU Leuven University in Belgium. The group works on AI, bioinformatics, human genetics and machine learning. Yves Moreau is a professor of engineering at the University of Leuven. He also teaches bioinformatics, especially focusing on probabilistic methods in computational biology. The UK had proposed the concept of herd immunity at the beginning of the outbreak but a lockdown was put in place once the number of cases increased in the country. The research is still in the preprint phase and is yet to be peer-reviewed. The study As per the study, herd immunity against a disease is achieved in a population when a fraction of the people become immune to it. In a classical SIR model, the number of people can be obtained by the formula: 1-1/R0. The number of people infected at the epidemic peak could be calculated by the formula: 1-1/R0 - ln(R0)/R0. R0 pronounced R naught here is the basic reproduction number which determines how many people a single person will infect during their infectious period. So say if the R0 in a place is 2.2, at least 55% of the population has to be immune against the disease for herd immunity to develop. ICMRs study from before the lockdown estimated the R0 of the coronavirus disease in India to be 4. Since then, experts say that the R0 of India has decreased and that last week it was 1.22. As per this, at least 18% of the population in the country will have to be infected and immune for herd immunity to develop. With a population of more than 1.38 billion, even 18% is a huge number - approximately 250 million. The risk of deaths is higher in the elderly and those with comorbidities and pregnant women. According to a report by the Center for Disease Dynamics Economics and Policy (CDDEP), India has about 94,961 ICU beds and government sources have previously stated that about 3.1% of all infected people require ICU beds. Now adding Indias population - (1,380,004,385) in it and an R0 between 1.22 to 1.27 (the R0 reported on May 8), India might need 1119 days (roughly 3 years) to reach herd immunity right now. The concerns As per the study, even though the math shows the approximate time required to achieve herd immunity through the controlled spread of the disease, right now there are two major concerns in achieving it. One, we dont know for how long a recovered person gets immunity for. So say a person is immune for less than the time needed to achieve herd immunity, the whole process would have been for nothing. Also, it is best to not try for herd immunity, if this time taken to achieve herd immunity is more than whats needed for a vaccine to develop (which, as per most experts, is between 12-18 months). To keep the ICU requirements stable, the R0 has to be maintained at 1 (on an average) and this might need frequent changes of non-pharmacological interventions (like social distancing in the population). For more information, read our article on What is herd immunity and can it stop COVID-19 Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health. - Pierre Frank Laporte, the World Bank Country Director in Ghana, has dismissed reports that a package has been confirmed for the hospitality industry - He explained that discussions are still ongoing and an agreement would be reached soon - His comments follow reports that $14 million has been set aside to revamp the tourism sector Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The Country Director of the World Bank, Pierre Frank Laporte, has reacted to reports of a $14 million package to revamp the tourism sector. According to him, even though there are plans to support the industry, discussions are yet to be finalized. He added that there would be a meeting with officials at the Ministry of Finance in a weeks time to finalise discussions. Pierre Frank Laporte, World Bank Country Director Source: 3news.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: COVID-19: Top Kempinski official opens up about $5 million loss Per a 3news.com report, his comments follow reports of a package set aside for the tourism industry in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus. He indicated that though discussions are ongoing, no final figures have been arrived at. YEN.com.gh understands that the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, earlier told Parliament that the hospitality industry has been affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. He stated that the cancellation of flights, closure of borders, and the need to maintain social distancing, including the ban on public gatherings, are having negative impacts on the economic fortunes of the industry. Information available shows that hotel occupancy rates are down from 70% to below 30% and staff are being sent home. It was also reported that even before the impact of the lockdown, restaurants were already experiencing an average drop in patronage. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that about 9,000 employees of hotels and guest houses in Ghana have laid-off workers. According to the Ghana Progressive Hoteliers Association (GPHA), the workers were sacked due to a lack of patronage of services offered. A number of facilities, it has been gathered, have either completely shut down or now operate at a minimal capacity. READ ALSO: COVID-19: Kempinski Hotel lays off about 85% of workers Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Ghanaian female accounting graduate and mushroom farmer recounts her experience | #Yencomgh Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our Facebook page or on Instagram with your stories, photos or videos Source: YEN.com.gh An under-the-radar businessman has been busted by detectives investigating the drugs- trafficking network of crimelord George 'The Penguin' Mitchell. The 53-year-old remained in Garda custody last night after officers seized 300,000 in cash in his posh home in the Whitehall area of the capital's northside on Tuesday night. "This man is not well known to gardai but is suspected of being involved for years in the Penguin's money-laundering schemes - moving tens of millions of euro on that organisation's behalf," a senior source said. "On the outside seems to be a completely respectable businessman but the truth is very different and he had been under surveillance for a number of months." Gardai yesterday announced details of their latest major operation against international crime gangs, intercepting a vehicle on Collins Avenue in Dublin 9 and seizing cash of around 400,000. Two men aged 53 and 29 were arrested and are currently detained at Raheny and Clontarf garda stations, pursuant to organised crime-related legislation. "Additional searches were undertaken at premises in Dublin and Meath with assistance by the Garda dog unit resulting in another seizure of cash, believed to be in the region of 300,000," a spokesman said. "A quantity of what is believed to be controlled drugs, including cocaine and MDMA tablets, with an estimated street value of 30,000 was also seized. "A male, aged 22 years, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of involvement in drug trafficking-related offences and is currently detained at Ballymun garda station, pursuant to drug trafficking-related legislation." The funeral of Charles Jackson Jr. on April 15 is seen through a window at the Angelus Funeral Home in Los Angeles. Jackson attended the Black Summit of the National Brotherhood of Skiers in late February and early March. He fell ill after returning home and died of COVID-19 complications. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) They were musicians, engineers and teachers. And cancer survivors, firefighters, lawyers and doctors. Others were grandfathers, mothers and retirees. And some were just beginning their careers. More than 100,000 Americans across the nation have died just four months after officials announced the nation's first known coronavirus case, with COVID-19 killing both the old and young in cities large and small. Its a distressing milestone in the pandemic that the United States reached this week. President Trump, acknowledging for the first time Thursday that the number of deaths climbed past five figures after facing criticism for failing to do so, finally offered his condolences: "We have just reached a very sad milestone with the coronavirus pandemic deaths reaching 100,000. To all of the families & friends of those who have passed, I want to extend my heartfelt sympathy & love for everything that these great people stood for & represent. God be with you!" Trump wrote on Twitter. The virus has not only changed the way people live but also how they mourn. The sick overwhelmingly have died alone, and loved ones have had to say their goodbyes over the phone or on video chat. And despite the United State's wealth of information, power and leadership on the world stage, the death toll from the virus is more than double the number of reported deaths of any other nation. But what that number doesnt reflect are the memories that those people leave behind and the impact on the lives of friends, families, co-workers and communities. According to a recent survey conducted by Ipsos, 14% of Americans know someone who has died of COVID-19. As the nation reopens and COVID-19 continues to spread, with these images we look at how some lives have been affected. A nurse places a blanket over a patient in the emergency room at San Jose's Regional Medical Center on May 21, 2020. Santa Clara County, where this hospital is located, had the earliest known COVID-19-related deaths in the United States. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) A funeral home overwhelmed by the coronavirus crisis in New York City's Elmhurst neighborhood stores bodies in its chapel on May 11, 2020, before sending them to crematoriums and cemeteries. (Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis) Mourners attend the funeral of veteran Mary Foley on April 8, 2020, in Malden, Mass. Foley, who died at 93, served in the Air Force during World War II. Because of the coronavirus crisis, she cannot be given a formal military funeral. (Elise Amendola / Associated Press) Activists from Indivisible Brooklyn and Rise and Resist carry body bags symbolizing COVID-19 victims as they head to Trump International Hotel & Tower in New York on May 24. (Gabriele Holtermann / Pacific Press/LightRocket) In West Liberty, Iowa, on April 25, 2020, Omar Martinez holds a cellphone showing a photo of his parents' wedding. Martinez's family had been living the American dream after immigrating from Mexico in the 1990s and settling in this small town in eastern Iowa, but their lives fell apart after coronavirus infections spread from his mother to his sister and his father. Now, he is planning his father's funeral while hoping his sister recovers in an intensive care unit. He is grateful his mother is better and appreciates the community's support. (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press) Ten policy points can make a big difference in controlling excessive force by law officers, national analyst Sam Sinyangwe said Wednesday during a teleconference with the annual John Hope Franklin symposium. The points range from ending arrests for some low-level offenses to curtailing whats become the militarization of particular departments, but Sinyangwe concentrated on two: use of force policies and accountability structures. Citing actual policy manuals, Sinyangwe demonstrated the wide range in use of force standards among American law enforcement agencies. Some, he said, had almost no restraints on officers while others barred choke holds and similar tactics while requiring de-escalation techniques. Based on data from the 100 largest metropolitan police forces, Sinyangwe and his colleagues have concluded that the latter policies not only reduce police-involved deaths but are safer for the officers themselves. The narrative we tend to hear goes something like this, he said. When you implement these types of policies it handcuffs officers and prevents them from using all the tools available to them to defend themselves and others from harm. ... There is not one piece of research that says this is true. Taking a break now and again is crucial to avoid burnout. (Getty) Going on an exotic trip abroad may be the last thing on most peoples minds at the moment and its looking very unlikely Brits will be able to go on a sunny break any time soon. Holidays are currently banned, despite coronavirus restrictions being eased. The UK government has announced a 14-day quarantine period for all travellers arriving in Britain, while the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) continues to advise against all non-essential travel abroad. Taking a week off work may seem unimportant during a global pandemic, particularly for key workers and people who are worried about the security of their jobs and incomes. Its also harder for self-employed people and those working on zero-hours contracts to take time off, especially if finances are tight. The prospect of a break also seems less appealing when youre unable to travel anywhere. If youre able to work from home during the lockdown, it may be tempting just to carry on if you have nowhere better to be. But even without the option of going on a beach holiday or city break abroad, its still essential to take time off if you can. READ MORE: Why its normal to feel irritable when working from home under lockdown We know that taking time off is important its good for our overall wellbeing and for many of us, its a chance to spend time with loved ones, says Ellie Green, jobs expert at Totaljobs. With lockdown still in place and key workers across the UK on the frontline tackling the coronavirus pandemic, thinking about taking a few weeks off probably isnt a top priority. This understandably means businesses and employees are wondering where this leaves them in terms of holiday allowance. Clearly, 2020 is not a normal year and the thought of taking time off while staying at home may seem odd. However, these are exceptional times and were all dealing with new stresses that come with this, Green says. More than ever, taking care of your mental wellbeing matters. If that means using up some of your holiday allowance and doing what you can to relax or do something you enjoy at home you can. Story continues It may be tempting to work as much as you can, either to earn more, to fill the time or as a distraction. But taking a break now and again even if its one day off or a long weekend is crucial. Were already living through a period of heightened anxiety and stress, which can take its toll without people realising. Even when youre working from home, burnout is a real risk and research shows that we are actually spending more time at our desks when working remotely during the current crisis. So what is the situation regarding taking annual leave during the coronavirus outbreak? In most situations, staff should use their paid holiday or annual leave in their current leave year, according to employment advice organisation Acas. However, employers and workers should be as flexible as they can about holiday during the coronavirus pandemic. Furloughed workers who are temporarily not working can request and take their holiday in the usual way, if their employer agrees, which includes bank holidays. READ MORE: How COVID-19 will change the way we work in the long-run The government recently announced they would be relaxing the rules on statutory annual leave for businesses and staff affected by COVID-19, meaning more flexibility for both, Green says. For key workers, in particular, this means they wont miss out when the time comes for some well-earned time off, as the government has announced holiday can be carried over into the next two years. Past Totaljobs research found that nearly a quarter of workers struggle to book time off, with half having to take holiday at specific times in the year and that was before the outbreak of COVID-19, Green adds. Annually, the majority of workers are entitled to around 28 days leave including bank holidays, but most of this cant be carried over to the next year. This means workers lose their holiday if they dont take it. With this, employers are obligated to make sure staff take their statutory leave in any one year otherwise, they could see a financial penalty. There are two things that are obviously and demonstrably true and have been for some time. The first is that there are very few documented examples of voter fraud and no examples of widespread, systematic fraud in recent American elections. The second is that President Donald Trump's frequent insistence that such fraud exists is false, a snowflake in the avalanche of falsehoods that Trump has offered during his presidency. Yet, on Thursday afternoon, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany insisted that neither of the preceding assertions was true, relying on cherry-picked counterexamples that, particularly in the case of voter fraud, didn't even bolster the point she was trying to make. CNN's Jim Acosta pressed McEnany on Trump's assertions that Twitter's low-energy fact-checking of his untrue claims about mail-in voting were somehow beyond the pale. "If you're going to get into the fact-checking business, there's no one that should be fact-checked more than the mainstream media that has been continually wrong about a number of things," McEnany said. She listed several examples of news outlets getting stories wrong or issuing corrections for stories related to the Trump administration. One example she cited was from The Washington Post, taking issue with a March 4 story about the health system not being ready for the coronavirus pandemic. "We were ready," McEnany insisted, one day after the pandemic death toll passed 100,000. Acosta noted that news outlets do make mistakes but offer corrections in such instances - unlike Trump. "Are you saying that the president of the United States has never lied to the public before?" Acosta asked. "I'm around the president," McEnany replied. "His intent is always to give truthful information to the American people." From a philosophical standpoint, this question of intent is important when assessing whether someone is lying. From a practical standpoint, much less a political one, there's no question that Trump is broadly indifferent to sharing accurate information with the public, as even a quick perusal of our database of his untrue statements will make clear. If you're interested in always providing truthful information to the public, you don't repeat the same debunked claims hundreds of times over. As ridiculous as it was for McEnany to use half a dozen later-corrected or not-wrong stories as evidence that it was the media that had the problem with accuracy, her effort to defend Trump's comments about mail-in voting were even worse. ABC News' Jonathan Karl noted that Trump's tweets about California's effort to expand voting in light of the pandemic were immediately and obviously false, something that McEnany waved away. But she used the moment to make a slew of claims about voting by mail that were either irrelevant or untrue, complete with prefabricated slides. "There was a Pew study done that shows there's plenty of reason to believe that mass - in the mass mail-in system that there is fraud," she said. "They estimated that approximately 24 million - one out of every eight voters registered in the U.S. - are no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate. . . . More than 1.8 million have been deceased, they estimated." This assertion is literally older than my two children. Who are not twins. In October 2016, we walked through the Pew Center on the States report that does, in fact, articulate the extent to which voter rolls are clogged with old registrations, including those of dead people. Mind you, the report is more than eight years old, but it nonetheless exists. What the study doesn't do is suggest that this somehow correlates to fraud. When Trump elevated this argument four years ago, the report's author denied that the study suggested that fraud was rampant, noting that "every study that has looked at this has found only an infinitesimally small number of illegal votes nationwide." The point of the study was that voter rolls were inefficient and full of errors, not that these inefficiencies and errors actually led to fraud. But, in the absence of evidence of widespread fraud, Trump and his allies insist that these errors could lead to fraud - ignoring that there are checks in place to evaluate the accuracy of submitted ballots. All of McEnany's subsequent claims about why Trump was right suffer from the same initial flaw: There is no evidence that the problems she cites actually lead to fraud. Yes, ballots have turned up in places they shouldn't as they are sent to people who have moved or died. But this isn't fifth grade, where you simply stick a ballot in a box and it gets counted. McEnany and Trump have never explained their theory for how an evildoer could, say, match a dead voter's signature with the one on file. Much less why someone would risk prison to cast an additional 20 votes in a statewide race. Part of McEnany's defense of Trump's tweets about California was her claim that voter registration in Los Angeles County was "112%" of the county's eligible population. Nope. We've debunked this one before, too, more than a year ago. Then, it was in response to notorious nonsense-peddler Charlie Kirk, who made the same claim about Los Angeles' registrations. It's just completely wrong. More amazingly, Los Angeles has been touted by Trump and his allies as a place where "voter fraud" problems were actually addressed. The pro-Trump group Judicial Watch sued the county to get dead voters off the rolls, and won. Trump's used that lawsuit to argue that a million people in the county were voting illegally, which, as above, they weren't. But the point is that this was "fixed," by Trump's own standard - yet McEnany still hypes it. She also again pointed to a bipartisan report from 2005 noting that there was a greater risk of fraud from mail-in ballots than from in-person voting - an actually accurate statement. The problem, of course, is that "greater risk" doesn't mean "great risk." You have a greater risk of being killed by an asteroid if you're standing outside than if you're in your house, but that doesn't mean you're about to go the way of the dinosaurs. McEnany likes to point out that former president Jimmy Carter was part of the group that reached that determination. Earlier this month, given the pandemic, Carter publicly called for expanded access to mail-in ballots. Given the point I made at the outset, that what McEnany is tasked with defending doesn't actually lend itself to viable defense, she worked with what she had. It just wasn't much. But it's not like she was uncomfortable in that position. McEnany cut her teeth in jousting with the media as a Trump defender on CNN. During the 2016 election, she appeared on his least-favorite network on most weeknights, always prepared with talking points and always willing to offer cherry-picked rejoinders to try to win inches of turf in the great trench war that is a cable news panel. It's this approach that she brings to the briefing room - a cable-news talking head eager to put points on the board for her team - rather than recognizing that her role is to convey accurate information on behalf of the administration. And, of course, that approach is why Trump thinks she's doing such a good job. Wellington: Two New Zealanders lost in a remote South Island national park say they survived the last 13 days without food before a "miraculous" rescue. Dion Reynolds and Jessica O'Connor, both 23, were discovered 19 days after starting a bushwalk in Kahurangi National Park then hunkering down after becoming disorientated. Dozens of volunteers, a police dog squad, helicopters and drones were used in a massive search operation. The crew of the Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopter involved in the successful search for Jessica O'Connor and Dion Reynolds in the Kahurangi National Park. Credit:RNZAF/AAP They were finally found and winched to safety on Wednesday, after two days of wild storms, when a search helicopter spotted smoke from a fire they had lit. The University of Connecticut student wanted for two homicides, kidnapping and others crimes was apprehended without incident Wednesday night near a Maryland truck stop, police said. Police said Peter Manfredonia was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals and Marylands Washington County Sheriffs Office near the Pilot Travel Center, a truck stop on Halfway Boulevard in Hagerstown, Md. His family is relieved that Peter has brought this to a peaceful conclusion, said Michael Dolan, attorney for Manfredonias family. In a press conference late Wednesday night, Connecticut State Police Trooper First Class Christine Jeltema said officers found a gun in the area where Manfredonia was arrested that appeared to be the same weapon used to kill his former Newtown High School classmate last weekend in Derby. Jeltema said it has not yet been determined whether Manfredonia will face state or federal charges. The Connecticut state police said the agencys Eastern District Major Crime Squad was on the scene in Maryland Wednesday night, adding that there were no injuries to any law enforcement personnel or Manfredonia. Thank you to law enforcement members from the Connecticut state police and local police departments, as well as those from each of our neighboring states, for their dedicated commitment regarding this matter, Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement Wednesday night. We are appreciative of their unified approach to this disturbing situation. The search for Manfredonia extended into Maryland on Wednesday when a vehicle he was accused of stealing in the Poconos earlier this week was recovered in southern Pennsylvania and video surveillance revealed he had taken an Uber over the state line into Hagerstown on Tuesday morning, police said. Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Anthony Petroski released images of Manfredonia that were taken around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday inside a convenience store in Chambersburg, Pa. A Hyundai Santa Fe, which was reported stolen Monday night near where Manfredonia was seen in East Stroudsburg, was recovered nearby, Petroski said. Petroski said Manfredonia was then seen on video getting into an Uber, which drove him about 25 miles into Maryland, where he was last seen in Hagerstown. It was the second time police said Manfredonia used an Uber to cross state lines. Police said he also called for one Sunday afternoon to cross into eastern Pennsylvania after leaving a woman he kidnapped and her car at a New Jersey rest stop. The Federal Bureau of Investigations joined the state police agencies to assist with the case. Agent Charles Grady with the Connecticut FBI office said Manfredonia could face federal charges for allegedly taking the woman across state lines. There are a plethora of crimes involved, Grady told Hearst Connecticut Media on Wednesday. The federal nexus is the kidnapping. Manfredonia is accused of killing two people over the weekend in Connecticut, including shooting his former Newtown High School classmate in the head, according to the states chief medical examiner. The search for Manfredonia began Friday morning after police say he attacked two men with a type of machete in the northeast Connecticut town of Willington. A source close to the investigation said Manfredonia was on his way to meet a former girlfriend when his motorcycle broke down. Theodore DeMers offered Manfredonia a ride on his four-wheeler when police say the 62-year-old man was fatally attacked with an edged weapon. John Franco, 80, was critically injured in the attack when he came to help his neighbor. Alice Franco told Hearst Connecticut Media on Wednesday that her husband, who grew up in Trumbull and is a U.S. Navy vet, is now in stable condition. A Willington man was left unharmed Sunday after police say Manfredonia stole his guns, food, supplies and his truck during a home invasion. A few hours later, police recovered the stolen truck in Derby, setting off an extensive search that led authorities to a Roosevelt Drive home about a mile away. Police said video surveillance showed Manfredonia walking directly toward Nicholas Eiseles home between 5 and 6 a.m. Sunday. Eisele, who was described by police as an acquaintance of Manfredonia, was killed after being shot several times in the head, the states medical examiner said. By the time police arrived, Manfredonia had fled and kidnapped Eiseles girlfriend in her 2016 Volkswagen Jetta. The woman and the car were recovered later Sunday in New Jersey. Police said the woman was unharmed and returned to Connecticut where she was interviewed by investigators. It was not immediately known what sparked the alleged crime spree, which surprised some who knew Manfredonia, who was described by his landlord as a normal guy who kept to himself. Xiomara Ruiz said Connecticut State Police notified her Saturday evening after they broke open the door to Peter Manfredonias off-campus apartment in Storrs. The woman said state police did not provide any information, only alerting her to the door that needed to be repaired. For the past four months, Ruiz said Manfredonia had been renting a place at Renwood Apartments, a complex consisting of ranch-style buildings offering small one- and two-bedroom apartments that are each about 1,000 square feet and cost about $1,000 a month, according to online listings. Ruiz said she always saw Manfredonia alone and there were no other names on the lease. He always paid on time, Ruiz said. He was a normal guy, a normal, young guy. A total of 235 Indian nationals, who were stranded in Bangladesh for over two months, due to the nationwide ongoing lockdown restrictions, which were imposed on March 25 to control the spread of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, returned to the country on Thursday via three land border posts in the north-east region. The repatriation was part of the Centres ongoing Vande Bharat mission the biggest evacuation exercise since the invasion of Kuwait by the then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 1990. A bulk of those returned home included students and workers from Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur. A total of 129 people from Tripura returned through the Agartala-Akhaura border, where the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Riva Ganguly Das, was present to oversee their departure. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of Parliament (MP) from West Tripura constituency Protima Bhoumik was present at the Agartala-Akhaura border to welcome the Tripura residents back home. The MP gifted face masks and hand sanitisers to the Indian High Commission team. Around 100 of the returnees from Assam came back through the Sutarkandi-Sheola border post and a few others from Meghalaya and Manipur returned via the Dawki-Tamabil frontier post in Meghalaya. Noni Gopal Dutta, a Tripura resident, was one of those Indian nationals, who returned home on Thursday. He had gone to Bangladesh as a tourist on March 11 and his visa was to expire on March 26. When Dutta reached the border post on March 23 to return to India, he was sent back, as the international border had been sealed because of the lockdown restrictions. I immediately contacted the Indian Embassy officials, who took good care of me for the past two months. I had lost touch with my family for the past two months, as my mobile phone had got stolen. Im excited to return home, Dutta said in a video shared by the Indian High Commission authorities in Bangladesh. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON WATERLOO REGION Catholic board trustee Greg Reitzel is responding to backlash over comments he made during a Waterloo Catholic District School Board meeting Monday. At the meeting trustees were told a flag had been chosen by the administration to acknowledge Pride month. On the flag there is an illustration of Jesus with his arms outstretched, standing in front of a colourful crowd of people with the words, We are all wonderfully made we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). Trustee Reitzel said at the meeting that he supported the flag choice. I think this shows that we care about everybody, everybody is made in the image of God, we are to love everybody, he said. He also said if the Pride flag was flown at schools, he would have had to resign. He said his belief is that Pride is the deadliest of the deadly sins. I could not support a decision to actually fly a Pride flag, he said. In a statement released through the board on Thursday, Reitzel responded to backlash to his comments, saying he supports the boards flag and believes it is truly inclusive of all. I am deeply saddened that people have been hurt by words that I said but hope that they will understand that they were taken out of the context of the meeting as a whole. In his statement, he added he has always been an advocate for inclusion in schools and, for as long as he is a trustee, he will insist that everyone is to be treated with dignity and respect. On Thursday, board trustee and chairperson Bill Conway also weighed in, offering clarification to Reitzels Monday comments, which he said were made in the context of faith and in no way made in reference to the LGBTQ2+ community. Pride is one of the Catholic faiths Seven Deadly Sins. Trustee Reitzel does not believe a person identifying as LGBTQ2+ is a sin, and deeply apologies to anyone that may have interpreted his comments that way, Conway said in a statement. When the flag was presented to the board on Monday, there was mixed reception from trustees. They were told by director of education Loretta Notten that the flag was in production and will fly in front of schools during the month of June. Trustee Melanie Van Alphen called the decision insulting and disrespectful to the LGBTQ2+ community. She also criticized the administration for not consulting with the community, students, staff members, and others, in making a flag decision. People will not recognize this to represent Pride because its not the Pride flag, she told the board. Some trustees agreed with Van Alphen while others said they were pleased with the flag choice. In the days following the meeting, there was criticism of both the boards flag choice and Reitzels comments. Owsten Holderness, who helped create a student petition at Resurrection Catholic Secondary School last year asking the Pride flag fly in front of schools for Pride month, said the boards flag decision erases all the history and struggles associated with the rainbow Pride flag. Holderness graduated last year and said he isnt against the new flag, but is against it being flown as a replacement for the Pride flag during Pride month. Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic wrote on social media that, as a Catholic and a graduate of the Catholic board, he was very disappointed to learn of the decision not to fly the Pride flag. Our schools need to be welcoming spaces for all (including) our LGBTQ2+ community. Members of Tri-Pride, the regions LGBTQ2+ community festival, also expressed disappointment. We the board of directors for Tri-Pride, are disappointed in the WDCSB decision to attempt to create their own version of a symbol that already exists, the board said in a statement. We as a board unanimously agreed that this is an insult, and an attempt to make a happy medium, on a topic that especially in this day and age is not one to be compromised. KW Counselling Services, which offers specialized support of LGBTQ2+ youth, sent a letter to the Catholic board Thursday regarding the issue. The Waterloo Catholic District School Board has a huge role to play in the well-being of these young people and so we respectfully ask you to reflect upon your equity and inclusion policies and practices and fly the Pride flag, the organization said. Carly Pettinger, a Kitchener resident and member of the LGBTQ2+ community, took to Twitter following Mondays board meeting to call for Reitzels resignation, calling his remarks hateful and unacceptable and not worthy of someone holding public office in Waterloo region or anywhere. She was also critical of his Thursday statement. I feel that its a nonapology, she said. My question is, is he saddened or is he sorry for what he said? Channel Seven's long-running drama Home and Away resumed filming on Monday after it was temporarily shut down in March. And on Thursday, the show's longest serving cast member Ray Meagher said that he's excited to finally be able to return to work after two months in isolation. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the 75-year-old who plays Alf Stewart, said: 'It is so fabulous to be back on set and to get out of the house.' 'It is so fabulous to be back!' Home and Away's Ray Meagher (pictured) returned to the set of the long-running soap this week... after it was shut down over coronavirus fears 'It's wonderful to be here. We just need to keep our wits about us and make sure we all do the right things,' he added. Ray went on to say that management are taking precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus on set. 'When you first arrive, it's a temperature test, and once you've passed that then you wash your hands... in fact my hands are cleaner than they've ever been I reckon I could perform open-heart surgery,' he said. 'When you first arrive, it's a temperature test': Ray went on to say that management are taking precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus on set This comes after Ray's co-star Sam Frost, 31, shared a Polaroid photo of herself in her character of Jasmine Delaney to her Instagram story post and wrote: 'I'm finally back at work tomorrow. 'I'm actually not sure if I'll remember how to be a normal human being,' she added, referring to her extended time away from the show. The actress mused: 'It'll be like when I'm cruising along in my car, and spotting a police driving behind me. I immediately forget how to behave like a normal human, and start panicking about whether or not I paid that speeding fine in 2014. 'Then when I finally turn off, I'm like "phew, that was close" even though I wasn't doing anything wrong,' she concluded. Ray and Sam's return to Summer Bay comes as the soap resumed filming earlier this week on May 25, after it was forced to shut down over coronavirus fears. 'I'm finally back at work tomorrow': This comes after Ray's co-star Sam Frost shared a Polaroid photo of herself in her character of Jasmine Delaney to her Instagram story post It now has strict measures in place to ensure the safety of their cast and crew, The Daily Telegraph reported. This includes temperature checks, regular cleaning schedules and social distancing. A Channel Seven spokesperson told the paper: 'A range of measures will be in place to minimise risk for the cast and crew, to be overseen by dedicated safety officers. The measures include temperature check on arrival, increased hygiene practices and rigorous cleaning schedules.' Actors will also be able to socially distance on set thanks to some clever rewrites, the spokesperson continued. 'Scripts will also be reworked to reduce closer contact, in constant consultation with the cast and crew to ensure the health and safety of all,' the statement said. Syracuse, N.Y. After weeks of doom and gloom, Wednesdays coronavirus numbers look almost too good to be true: only 14 newly confirmed infections the lowest daily total in more than a month. When asked, County Executive Ryan McMahon tried not to get too excited. "We dont want to get too ahead of ourselves, McMahon said. But well celebrate for the day, at least. It wasnt all good news: four more deaths were reported overnight three in nursing homes tempering the awesome data regarding new infections. And more than half of the infections are now among people without symptoms the troubling and mysterious asymptomatic cases. McMahon was careful not to suggest that people could change their daily habits. And he promised continued enforcement of social distancing as the region pivots toward phase two of reopening on Friday. In addition to addressing the low numbers of infections, McMahon on Wednesday also tackled anxiety over which businesses can restart when. Turning a corner on Covid? Wednesdays low number of new infections gets even better when you look deeper into the data. Not only is it the lowest number of confirmed infections since April 20 (when nine were reported) but it comes at a time when theres more testing than ever. There were 1,908 test results returned in the past 24 hours. That means only 0.7% of tests came back positive in the past day. By comparison, the countys infection rate among those tested is 6.1% overall. And on April 20 the last time there had been a lower number of daily infections there were only 160 tests returned. Wednesdays numbers were so good that they alone dropped the countys overall infection rate among those tested during the pandemic from 6.6% to 6.1%. That rate had been at 8% or more for weeks, before dropping recently. Of the 14 new cases, two were from people living with someone with a known infection, nine were from nursing homes and senior living facilities and three were from the community at large. Thats good news in two ways. First, the community spread number is seen as the greatest indicator of whether the virus is spreading out of control. Only three new cases suggests that its getting better not worse even as society begins to reopen. McMahon called that number awesome, noting its as good or better than before the restart began. Second, the nine new cases in nursing homes and senior living facilities is actually lower than it has been in previous days. And McMahon said Wednesday that some of those cases are now workers testing positive without symptoms. Its the trend in senior living facilities that might be the best news when it comes to deaths from the virus, McMahon said. By now, nearly all senior living facilities with Covid-19 cases have been tested, either by the state or county, McMahon said. And theres been a lot of tragedy as deaths have mounted from spread within those closed facilities. The real good news, to me, is the trend were seeing related to positive cases in senior-related facilities, McMahon said. Theres a direct correlation to these cases and hospitalizations, which is a direct correlation to the ICU. So the fact were talking about nine cases, and cases under 20 for the last seven-day average, I think maybe were turning the corner here on this, in the most serious part of this fight, which has been keeping our most vulnerable safe, and trying to prevent unnecessary loss of life. Cant micromanage a restart McMahon took several questions Wednesday regarding businesses pushing the envelope in restarting before their identified phase. A Carrier Circle restaurant set up tables on its lawn to provide outdoor seating for customers getting takeout. Sky Armory is looking at reopening for some group functions. Churches and other religious institutions remain caught in limbo between state and federal rules. The county executive said hes getting flooded with specific questions about what can and cant be done by various businesses. And like the phase one restart, the state is waiting until the last minute to provide its guidance. Even when that comes in the next day or so, it wont answer many of the specific questions people have, McMahon said. On some issues, McMahon said, hell provide guidance if higher governments cant decide or offer conflicting rules. He stopped short of calling it the Wild West of restarts, but allowed that maybe things were headed West. There are also lots of small decisions that need to be made that really cant or shouldnt wait for a higher government response, he added. At the local level, sometimes we need to just make some decisions, McMahon said. "Nobody wrote the rules for this, and some of those small things, through common sense and experience, we know how to make decisions and move forward. You cant micromanage a restart. Nobodys ever done this before, so its very hard, but ... me and my colleagues (at the local level) know what the right thing is to do. If its gray, you cant ask every time, because if you keep on asking and you dont get an answer, thats an answer to me, and you just gotta lead and make the decision. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Phase two could begin as soon as Friday in CNY: What will you be able to do? Coronavirus in NY: New deaths fall to lowest level in over 2 months Onondaga Co. coronavirus: 8 deaths, now 123 total; testing hits 30,000 as infections dip Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 470-6070. Mr. Trumps first tort is called intentional infliction of emotional distress, which the courts developed precisely to condemn wanton cruelty to another person who suffers emotionally as a result. This tort, which is sometimes called outrage, readily applies to Mr. Trumps tweets about Ms. Klausutis. They were intentional and reckless, and were extreme and outrageous without a scintilla of evidence to support them. And they caused severe emotional distress the protracted, daily-felt grief described in Mr. Klausutiss letter to Mr. Dorsey. Although the tweets targeted Mr. Scarborough, his own infliction of emotional distress claim may be weaker than Mr. Klausutiss. By shrugging off the tweet as simply political gamesmanship on the presidents part, Mr. Scarborough may not have suffered the severe emotional distress required for an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim. Even so, Mr. Scarborough might succeed in a defamation suit against Mr. Trump for reputational harm. After all, the presidents innuendo that Mr. Scarborough may have murdered Lori Klausutis presumably credible to the many Trump Twitter followers who subscribe to conspiracy theories may seriously harm Mr. Scarboroughs reputation with them and others. Mr. Trump, moreover, often aims his tweets to lead multiple news cycles affecting well beyond his Twitter followers. The president will surely argue that he has not actually accused anyone of murder and was merely raising questions. But courts have held that such calculated innuendo can constitute defamation, depending on the facts. This would be for a jury to decide. Mr. Scarborough, as a public figure in his own right, must satisfy the Supreme Courts demanding test for defamation liability in its landmark New York Times v. Sullivan decision. Under this test designed to free public debate from being unduly constrained by fear of legal liability Mr. Scarborough must prove that Mr. Trump made his defamatory comment either with actual knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard for whether it was true or false. But the presidents tweets about the Klausutis case probably satisfy this test. After all, he has not cited any evidence to support his calumny either before the tweets or in response to the backlash since then. If the jury found for Mr. Scarborough, it could require Mr. Trump to pay substantial punitive damages in addition to compensation for his reputational harm. Cash-strapped Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. has got a major relief as the Union government has done away with washed coal condition for power plants. With this, the PSPCL will save at least 400 crore per annum, besides it gets a breather in a contempt petition filed by private thermal plants, seeking 2,800-crore coal washing charges from the corporation. It will bring down the power-generation cost in Punjab. Till now, it was mandatory for plants to use washed coal to reduce the ash content. It was a cumbersome process and private plants were demanding washing charges from the PSPCL. Private power plants and PSPCL were caught in a legal battle over coal washing charges. After losing the case in the Supreme Court, the PSPCL were to bear 1,790 crore against coal washing charges for the period between 2012 and 2019 (October), along with the future annual burden of 400 crore. However, private thermal plants were demanding 2,800 crore. To make for the additional burden of 1,790 crore, the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) in first week of January this year allowed a surcharge on power consumers, making power costlier by 35 paise per unit in the state. The Supreme Court had directed the PSPCL to pay 2,800 crore to Larsen & Toubro (L&T) to compensate it for coal washing and transportation cost. L&T runs Nabha Power Limited (NPL), Rajpura, and Talwandi Sabo Power Plant under a power purchase agreement it had signed with the power corporation. The overall impact of the judgment would have been 8,000 crore in next 20 years, the remaining time period of PSPCLs power purchase agreement with L&T, which the PSPCL will now save. When contacted, PSPCL CMD Baldev Singh Sran said the Union environment ministrys step is welcome as it will prove most beneficial for Punjab. Doing away with coal washing will help us save 400 crore per year. It will ultimately reduce power production cost and benefit consumers accordingly, said Sran, adding now the legal battle over coal washing charges has become infructuous. Its a major relief for PSPCL. WHAT IS COAL WASHING CHARGES AND LEGAL TROUBLE FOR PSPCL The issue pertains to washing charges and measuring calorific value of coal at the mine while loading. The PSPCL had rejected the L&T claim to get coal washing charges, saying that as per the PPA and ministry of environment norms, the L&T has to use only washed coal for power generation in Punjab. The L&T contested the PSPCL claim in the Supreme Court saying the PPA mentions using only washed coal, but the washing charges, which comes around 500 crore annually for both thermal plants, have to borne by the power distributor. The power regulator and appellate tribunal for electricity had passed orders in favour of the PSPCL, but the apex court overturned it. As the PSPCL didnt implement the earlier judgment in toto, L&T filed a contempt petition in 2019, in which apex court again reiterated that the point of measuring the calorific value of coal for power plants would be at the project site. And the cost of washing coal could be added to the tariff. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As it turns out, the Rockford Diocese is going about this tepid reopening the only way possible in our current Illinois plan asking parishioners to make reservations on their churchs website, first come; first served. And its no surprise all multiple Sunday Masses are filling up the quickest, with the twice-daily Masses more likely to have openings. Plus, to allow for more participation, those with reservations are encouraged to let other individuals or families get a chance to sign up, unless, 24 hours beforehand, there are still openings available. Videos of 'locust swarms' in Mumbai went viral on social media on Thursday, prompting authorities to clarify that no such activity took place in the city. IMAGE: Locust swarms invade farmlands in Ujjain on Thursday . Photograph: ANI Photo The videos claimed swarms of locusts flying over northern India had entered Mumbai, which is already battling the coronavirus pandemic that has led to 35,273 COVID-19 cases and 1,135 deaths in the city. One such video shot from a building showed a 'locust swarm' with a skyline that appeared to be of Mumbai. 'The locusts have landed! Welcome to Mumbai, locustji. Feel free to mingle with our political pests...,' columnist Shobhaa De tweeted. Actress Neeetu Chandra informed in a tweet that her aunt staying in Colaba area had sent her a video of a swarm of locusts in the south Mumbai area. Others on social media asked people not to take an alarmist approach of the arrival of locusts in the city. 'My sister says Locust travel to Mumbai every year around end of May. They attack our plants in the terrace and ruin them. She is saying we are very used to it,' one user said. Maharashtra state disaster management officials said no locust swarm was spotted in Mumbai. "The viral images and videos have been wrongly attributed as being from Mumbai," an official said. The locust swarms came to Vidarbha region from Madhya Pradesh, said D B Undirwade, head of the department of entomology of Panjabrao Deshmukh Agricultural University in Akola. "I have seen a locust swarm in the state for the first time in last 20 years. I recall people saying that in 1993, a similar locust attack was reported in the state," he told PTI. The state agriculture department on Thursday claimed that 66,000 farmers were alerted and asked to report if they saw a locust attack. "Our SMS alerts helped the ministry as we got calls from farmers in various villages and could trace the locust swarms. We have been spraying chemicals (on crops) for the last three days and have succeeded in putting a check on the locust attack," a senior official said. "We have noticed that the locust swarms have moved towards Gondia and may enter Chhattisgarh. We are keeping an eye on their movement," he said. Swarms of crop eating locusts have spread across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The insects have destroyed crops on thousands of hectares of farmland in the country's worst locust crisis in three decades. The locust swarm that entered Maharashtra earlier this week made its way to Bhandara on Wednesday, making it the fourth district in the state to be affected. The swarm had invaded farmlands and fruit orchards across two talukas in Amravati, one in Wardha, and four in Nagpur till Wednesday. The state agriculture department had issued a locust warning alert for all 11 districts in Vidarbha and four districts in north Maharashtra Nandurbar, Dhule, Nashik and Jalgaon to keep a lookout for locusts near farmlands, take preventive measures, and inform state authorities, an official said. Its a bird, its a plane, its Actually, it was a bird. Superman showed up later. On Wednesday afternoon officer Jay Janofski of the Shepherd Police Department played the role of Superman as he helped save the life of a bald eagle that got into a crash on US 127. According to the Shepherd Police Departments Facebook page a bald eagle slammed into the side of a semi-truck on US 127 and then landed on the highway. Witnesses who witnessed the accident called it in to the Shepherd Police Department and waited for its arrival. Officer Janofski arrived on the scene, picked up the bird en route to saving its day. He took the bird to the Wildlife Rehab Center in Midland where it is currently recovering. On Wednesday, two-time Daytime Emmy winner Cady McClain revealed the real reason her All My Children character Dixie Cooney Martin was poisoned in 2007 - a vengeful writer on the show. In the two-part arc, Dixie devoured 'banana pancakes with extra peanut butter' meant for Arabella 'Babe' Carey, which were somehow poisoned by the Satin Slayer (Ronald Guttman). 'I'll never live those pancakes down! It was a very strange way to go out,' the 50-year-old former soap star said during an EW Cast Reunion on PeopleTV.com. Setting the record straight: On Wednesday, two-time Daytime Emmy winner Cady McClain revealed the real reason her All My Children character Dixie Cooney Martin was poisoned in 2007 - a vengeful writer on the show 'I'll never live those pancakes down!' Dixie (R) devoured 'banana pancakes with extra peanut butter' meant for Arabella 'Babe' Carey (L), which were somehow poisoned by the Satin Slayer 'It was a dig at me by one of the writers that very much wanted to put me in my place. I had stepped out of line and they wanted to put me back in line, and I was going to eat those pancakes and I was going to learn my lesson, and I certainly did.' Cady (born Katie) added: 'My revenge I guess was that I really love pancakes, and they were absolutely delicious so I enjoyed every bite. I was like, "This doesn't bother me because I'm gonna eat them all."' McClain's 'non-negotiable' death outraged fans prompting producers to bring her ghost back for episodes in 2008, 2010, and 2011. 'The show has just gotten under so many peoples' skin. It got under my skin, like family,' the ninth generation Californian noted. '[I had] the joy of reconnecting and seeing all of your faces and just being so grateful for the time that we had together.' The 50-year-old former soap star said during an EW Cast Reunion: 'It was a dig at me by one of the writers that very much wanted to put me in my place. I had stepped out of line and they wanted to put me back in line' Cady (born Katie) added: 'My revenge I guess was that I really love pancakes, and they were absolutely delicious so I enjoyed every bite. I was like, "This doesn't bother me because I'm gonna eat them all"' Or is she really dead? McClain's 'non-negotiable' death outraged fans prompting producers to bring her ghost back for episodes in 2008, 2010, and 2011 Gang's all here: The ninth generation Californian was joined on the virtual reunion benefiting Feeding America by fellow AMC alums Josh Duhamel, Michael E. Knight, Jennifer Bassey, Jill Larson, and Darnell Williams Cady was joined on the virtual reunion benefiting Feeding America by fellow AMC alums Josh Duhamel, Michael E. Knight, Jennifer Bassey, Jill Larson, and Darnell Williams. McClain is now behind the camera having directed a documentary feature titled Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct, which had a limited US release on December 1. 'Why directing? It's not so you can be "the boss,"' the Switch actor-producer explained on Instagram in December. 'It's to guide a vision forward. It's to collaborate with a team. It's to create with care for the whole and not just one part. It's a wonderful, exhausting, thrilling, fulfilling, joyous job! And my goal is to help more women step into these shoes and feel this joy!' At the helm! Cady is now behind the camera having directed a documentary feature titled Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct, which had a limited US release on December 1 [May 28, 2020] COVID and Your Money: Ric Edelman's New Public Television Special to Air on June 1st on WETA PBS The shocking speed and sudden impact of COVID-19 has upended every aspect of American life. In just six weeks, the U.S. economy went from being the strongest on record to having the worst unemployment rate since the Great Depression - and it's not over yet. To help Americans protect their savings and investments during these challenging times, acclaimed financial advisor Ric Edelman's (News - Alert) new television special, COVID and Your Money: Ric Edelman Explains, will premiere on June 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET on WETA PBS. Mr. Edelman is the founder of Edelman Financial Engines, America's largest independent financial planning and investment advisor. Presented by WETA, Washington D.C., this entertaining and highly informative program focuses on the investment strategies you need right now to get you through this crisis and provides seven steps you can quickly take to improve your personal finances. "Suddenly, Americans are facing financial challenges they couldn't have imagined just a few months ago," said Mr. Edelman. "You know how to protect your health, but what about your money? During this special, I will provide the information and advice you need for your investments, cash reserves, mortgage, auto insurance, estate planning, college strategy and retirement income. It's the information you need right now." WETA has created select pledge thank-you gifts for viewers of COVID and Your Money: Ric Edelman Explains, which include a 30-minute phone conversation with an Edelman Financial Engines financial planner; a Portfolio Review with valuable information for savings and investments during the current pandemic and beyond; and a complete, personalized Financial Plan to help you achieve all your financial goals. Mr. Edelman was named three times as the #1 Independent Financial Advisor in the country by Barron's1. He's also a #1 New York Times bestselling author and the award-winning host of a national radio show on personal finance, engaging his audiences with vital information and his trademark delivery style that's both funny and edgy. For more information about Mr. Edelman or Edelman Financial Engines, visit EdelmanFnancialEngines.com. About Edelman Financial Engines Since 1986, Edelman Financial Engines has been committed to always acting in the best interest of our clients. We were founded on the belief that all American investors - not just the wealthy - deserve access to personalized, comprehensive financial planning and investment advice. Today, we are America's top independent financial planning and investment advisor, recognized by both InvestmentNews2 and Barron's3 with 168 planner offices across the country and entrusted by more than 1.2 million clients to manage more than $192 billion in assets4. Our unique approach to serving clients combines our advanced methodology and proprietary technology with the attention of a dedicated personal financial planner. Every client's situation and goals are unique, and the powerful fusion of high-tech and high-touch allows Edelman Financial Engines to deliver the personal plan and financial confidence that everyone deserves. About WETA WETA is the leading public broadcasting company in the nation's capital, serving Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia with educational initiatives and with high-quality programming on public television stations nationwide, WETA Television and Classical WETA 90.9 FM. Classical WETA 90.9 FM brings classical music, concerts and specials to Greater Washington. As the largest PBS station serving Greater Washington, WETA Television broadcasts on WETA PBS, WETA UK and WETA PBS Kids. Local programming created by WETA Television includes WETA Arts, WETA Around Town, and documentaries such as Washington in the 2000s, Bygone DC, and Neighborhood Eats. National programs include PBS NewsHour and Washington Week, documentary films by Ken Burns and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and performance specials from renowned venues. WETA also serves the community with digital content that highlights WETA programming and the rich history of our region; creates leading public service websites such as www.ReadingRockets.org, www.LDOnline.org, www.ColorinColorado.org, www.AdLit.org, and www.Brainline.org; and develops community outreach programs to engage people of all ages in the joy of lifelong learning. More information at weta.org. [1] Rankings for 2009, 2010 and 2012. Barron's ranking has three major components: assets managed, revenue produced and quality of the advisor's practice. Does not assess investment returns. Quality-of-practice component includes advisor regulatory record. Rankings based on universe of applications submitted through self-nomination to Barron's. [2] Ranking and status for 2018. For independence methodology and ranking, see InvestmentNews Center (http://data.investmentnews.com/ria/). [3] The 2019 Top 50 Independent Advisory Firm Ranking issued by Barron's is qualitative and quantitative, including assets managed, the size and experience of teams, and the regulatory records of the advisers and firms. Firms elect to participate, but do not pay to be included in the ranking. Investor returns/experience are not considered. [4] As of March 31, 2020. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005569/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] OTTAWA - An Ontario centre that helps women and girls who have been victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation has to shut one of its key support programs next month due to a federal fund that has expired, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/5/2020 (602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Green Party MP Jenica Atwin (left) and NDP Critic for Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, Women and Gender Equality Lindsay Mathyssen look on as Conservative Women and Gender Quality critic Karen Vecchio speaks during a news conference Thursday May 28, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - An Ontario centre that helps women and girls who have been victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation has to shut one of its key support programs next month due to a federal fund that has expired, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Megan Walker, executive director of the London Abused Women's Centre, says she is devastated at the prospect of closing this program and fears for the safety of those it serves. "To have to go and speak with these women and girls and let them know they may no longer be able to come here for service leads them back to only one person, and that's their trafficker," Walker said. "If we turn our backs on these women and girls now, they will be hopeless. They have already reported that if they can't be served, they'll be suicidal and they may be killed." The London centre is one of 13 organizations across Canada whose federal funding ended on March 31 due to end of a five-year federal program set up by the former Conservative government alongside efforts to reform Canada's prostitution laws. The Measures to Address Prostitution Initiatives (MAPI) program is being replaced by a new national strategy to combat human trafficking. But even though the Liberals announced $75 million in funding for this strategy in September 2019, none of this money has materialized. This has left a gap in funding for some of the organizations that operated under the previous program, with no clear idea of when new money will be made available. Community members rallied to raise funds to keep the London centre operating fully until the end of June, but Walker says she doesn't know what will happen after that. "We're in a pretty desperate situation at the moment." On Thursday, members of Parliament from every opposition party joined together to call on the Liberal government to reverse its decision to allow the former funding to expire. Conservative MP Karen Vecchio, Bloc Quebecois MP Andreanne Larouche, Lindsay Mathyssen from the NDP and Green MP Jenica Atwin sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other ministers responsible for this file, calling on them to restore funding to these groups and enable them to continue their work. The letter was also signed by every opposition member of the Commons status of women committee and the MPs with organizations in their ridings affected by the funding change. "These programs are vital, these programs save lives, these programs give people a second chance and these programs are working to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation," Vecchio said. Mathyssen said the situation highlights concerns that women's organizations have repeatedly raised about the vulnerability that exists when groups are reliant on project-based funding. "Organizations are left to scramble and scrape together the funding to deliver programs that they know are essential," Mathyssen said. "The federal government needs to get back to providing core, stable, reliable funding to women's organizations so they can deliver these needed services, especially when there's an emergency or something unexpected that comes up that they need to deal with. They can move funding to best fit what is needed by their community." Mary-Liz Power, spokeswoman for Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, says money will flow from the new national strategy soon, although no timelines were offered. "Backed by $75 million in additional investments, the national strategy to combat human trafficking will increase Canada's ability to fight this abhorrent attack on basic human rights and dignity," Power said in a statement. She pointed to other funding commitments the Liberal government has made to help women's organizations and reduce gender-based violence. Four of the 13 organizations that received funding under the MAPI program in the previous fiscal year are now receiving funds through another stream of the Justice Department's victims' fund, according to Justice Minister David Lametti's press secretary, Rachel Rappaport. Walker expressed frustration at ongoing promises from government officials who say they're working on finding a solution. "If your government truly has a feminist agenda that prioritizes the most vulnerable women and girls in society, what are you working at? Why don't they just say, 'Yes this was an error and here's the money?' It's very, very confusing for us." This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2020. WASHINGTON - The House overwhelmingly passed a bill Thursday that would make it easier for small businesses to utilize funds under the new Paycheck Protection Program, Congress's latest response to the coronavirus pandemic's roiling economic fallout. But the measure's future remains uncertain because Senate leaders have not yet signaled support. The House legislation, strongly supported by business groups that lobbied hard for changes to the existing program, would give businesses more time to have the loans forgiven and paid off by the U.S. government. The vote came as the Labor Department reported that an additional 2.1 million Americans filed jobless claims last week, bringing the 10-week total to more than 40 million applications. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has emerged as one of the most visible elements of the $2 trillion Cares Act, which passed Congress in March and was meant to blunt the economic fallout from the pandemic. As of Saturday, more than 4.4 million loans had been issued under the program, with a total valuation of more than $500 billion. Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is supporting a different bill and made clear Thursday he does not back the House approach. There are similarities between the two pieces of legislation, though, and the White House also supports making changes to the PPP, so a compromise could emerge. The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act passed 417 to 1 on the House's second day of a new proxy voting system developed in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The lone opposition vote came from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. Proxy voting allows lawmakers to cast votes on behalf of members not present, and scores of Democrats cast their votes by proxy in favor of the small-business bill. Republicans, who are challenging the constitutionality of the proxy voting system in court, showed up in person to vote despite some absences. The legislation, introduced by Reps. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, makes a number of changes to the $660 billion Paycheck Protection Program. The program allows companies to take out loans of up to $10 million from banks and other lenders, and the loans can be paid off by the federal government if most of the money is spent on payroll within a certain time period. With many businesses forced to close their doors starting in March as the pandemic swept through, the PPP was overwhelmed by demand in the weeks following its creation. Congress added more money to it as scandals emerged over entities such as the Los Angeles Lakers confirming participation in the program. But as the coronavirus crisis dragged on longer than originally foreseen, businesses began to complain about the requirements for having the loans forgiven, prompting lawmakers in the House and Senate to propose changes. Under the House bill, the original eight-week timeline for businesses to spend their loan money on payroll for it to be forgiven would be increased to 24 weeks. A June 30 rehiring deadline would be extended to Dec. 31. A requirement that 75% of loan money be spent on payroll would be reduced to 60%. And employers would be given more leeway on loan forgiveness if they can show they were unable to rehire people or reopen to business in a way that complies with safety standards. "Small businesses continue to have a tough road ahead and they need flexibility in how they use the emergency capital, and this provision gives them that," said Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., who chairs the House Small Business Committee. "That will help ensure businesses have more room to breathe even in places where reopening the economy happens more slowly." The National Federation of Independent Business announced support for the legislation, saying in a letter to lawmakers that a majority of small-business owners have reported difficulty understanding the terms of the Paycheck Protection Program. "Together, these changes will allow more businesses to receive PPP loan forgiveness and have liquidity after the PPP ends," the NFIB letter said. The bill Rubio is pushing in the Senate extends the rehiring deadline for 16 weeks instead of 24. His office highlighted several objections to the House bill, including the provision that would make it easier for businesses to get loan forgiveness even without rehiring workers. Rubio had hoped to pass his legislation last week in the Senate, and it is unclear what the timeline might be for reaching a compromise. The House bill attempts to strike a balance between the demands of organized labor and the business community. An earlier version of the bill had entirely eliminated the requirement for a portion of the loan to be used on payroll, but Phillips told reporters Thursday that labor groups had objected. "Labor was concerned that it would reduce the amount of money that would go to employees. And we also wanted to pass something that wouldn't just pass this chamber but also the Senate and find, perhaps, a signature in the White House," Phillips said. "We felt based on conversations that this was a reasonable solution." The House defeated a separate bill by Phillips on Thursday that would have demanded more transparency in the PPP, with the legislation failing to clear the two-thirds requirement needed for passage. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., agreed to bring Phillips's bills up for a vote as she sought his support for a sweeping $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill that passed the House earlier this month over GOP objections but is going nowhere in the Senate. The Treasury Department and Small Business Administration have refused to disclose the names of entities that have obtained PPP loans. The Washington Post is one of several news organizations that has sued the SBA asking for access to those records. NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HSBC Holdings plc (the "Company," "we" or "us") has announced the anticipated launch of five separate offers to purchase for cash any and all of the outstanding series of notes listed in the table below. The launch of the Offers (as defined below) is expected to be at or around 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on May 28, 2020 (the "Launch Date"). The Offer Documents will be available from 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the Launch Date at the following link: https://www.gbsc-usa.com/hsbc/ . We refer to the outstanding notes listed in the table below collectively as the "Notes" and separately as a "series" of Notes. We refer to each offer to purchase a series of Notes as an "Offer", and collectively as the "Offers". The Offers are made upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase dated May 28, 2020 relating to the Notes (the "Offer to Purchase") and the related notice of guaranteed delivery (the "Notice of Guaranteed Delivery," and together with the Offer to Purchase, the "Offer Documents"). As of the date of the Offer to Purchase, the aggregate outstanding principal amount of Notes subject to the Offers is $10,000,000,000. Acceptance Priority Level(1) Title of Notes(2) CUSIP Maturity Date Principal Amount Outstanding Reference Security Fixed Spread Fixed Price(3) 1 3.400% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 404280AV1 March 8, 2021 $3,000,000,000 UST 1.125% due 28 February 2021 (US912828P873) +25 basis points ("bps") N/A 2 5.100% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 404280AK5 April 5, 2021 $2,500,000,000 UST 1.250% due 31 March 2021 (US912828Q376) +25 bps N/A 3 2.950% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 404280AY5 May 25, 2021 $2,500,000,000 UST 2.625% due 15 May 2021 (US9128284P22) +30 bps N/A 4 Floating Rate Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 404280AX7 March 8, 2021 $1,000,000,000 N/A N/A $1,013.93 5 Floating Rate Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 404280AZ2 May 25, 2021 $1,000,000,000 N/A N/A $1,012.29 (1) We will accept Notes in the order of their respective Acceptance Priority Level specified in the table above, subject to the satisfaction of the Financing Condition (as defined within the Offer to Purchase). It is possible that the Financing Condition might not be met with respect to any series of Notes with any Acceptance Priority Level, and such series of Notes will not be accepted for purchase, even if one or more series of Notes with a lower Acceptance Priority Level is accepted for purchase. (2) The 3.400% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021, the 5.100% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 and the 2.950% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 are collectively referred to as the "Fixed Rate Notes." The Floating Rate Senior Unsecured Notes due March 2021 and the Floating Rate Senior Unsecured Notes due May 2021 are collectively refered to as the "Floating Rate Notes" (3) Per $1,000 principal amount. The purpose of the Offers is to improve HSBC's liabilities structure, as the Notes have ceased to qualify as eligible liabilities items under CRR as they have a residual maturity of less than 12 months. "CRR" refers to regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 26, 2013 on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms and amending regulation (EU) No 648/2012, as amended, supplemented or replaced from time to time, and (where relevant) any applicable successor EU or UK legislation. Each Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on June 4, 2020, unless extended or earlier terminated by the Company in its sole discretion (such date and time with respect to an Offer, as the same may be extended, the "Expiration Time"). Notes tendered for purchase may be validly withdrawn at any time at or prior to 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on June 4, 2020 (such date and time with respect to an Offer, as the same may be extended, the "Withdrawal Date"), but not thereafter, unless extended or earlier terminated with respect to an Offer by the Company in its sole discretion. We expect the Settlement Date to occur on the third business day after the Expiration Time, or June 9, 2020, unless extended or earlier terminated in respect of an Offer by the Company in its sole discretion (such date with respect to an Offer, as the same may be extended, the "Settlement Date"). Each Offer is independent of the other Offers, and we may terminate, modify or waive the conditions of any Offer without terminating, modifying or waiving the conditions of any other Offer. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer Documents, holders who (i) validly tender Notes at or prior to the Expiration Time or (ii) validly tender Notes at or prior to the Guaranteed Delivery Date pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery Procedures (each as defined in the Offer to Purchase), and whose Notes are accepted for purchase by us, will receive consideration for each $1,000 principal amount of each series of Notes, which will be payable in cash on the Settlement Date as described below (the "Consideration"). The Consideration applicable to each series of Floating Rate Notes validly tendered and accepted by us pursuant to the Offers will be the Fixed Price specified in the table above for such series of Notes. The Consideration applicable to each series of Fixed Rate Notes validly tendered and accepted by us pursuant to the Offers will be calculated at or around 11:00 a.m. (New York City Time) on June 4, 2020 (such date and time with respect to an Offer, as the same may be extended by the Company in its sole discretion, the "Price Determination Date"), in accordance with the formula set forth in the Offer to Purchase and with standard market practice, using the applicable "Offer Yield," which will be equal to the sum of: a) the applicable "Reference Yield," as determined by the Dealer Manager, that corresponds to the bid-side yield of the Reference Security specified in the table above for such series of Fixed Rate Notes appearing on the Price Determination Date, such yield being directly quoted on the Bloomberg Reference Page (as defined below) and being rounded to the nearest 0.001 per cent. (with 0.0005 per cent. being rounded up), plus b) the Fixed Spread specified in the table above for such series of Notes. Accordingly, the Consideration payable by us for each $1,000 principal amount of each series of Fixed Rate Notes accepted by us will equal: (i) the present value on the Settlement Date of $1,000 principal amount of such Fixed Rate Notes due on the maturity date of such Fixed Rate Notes and all scheduled interest payments on such $1,000 principal amount of such Fixed Rate Notes to be made from (but excluding) the Settlement Date up to and including such maturity date, discounted to the Settlement Date at a discount rate equal to the applicable Offer Yield, minus (ii) the Accrued Interest per $1,000 principal amount of such Fixed Rate Notes; such total amount being rounded to the nearest cent per $1,000 principal amount of such Notes, and the above calculation being made in accordance with standard market practice as described by the formula set forth in the Offer to Purchase. The "Bloomberg Reference Page" means the page on Bloomberg from which the Dealer Manager will observe the bid-side yield of the Reference Security for each series of Fixed Rate Notes, which is expected to be PX3 (or any other recognized quotation source selected by us in consultation with the Dealer Manager if such quotation source is not available or manifestly erroneous). As soon as reasonably practicable after the Price Determination Date, the Company will issue a press release specifying the Consideration for each series of Fixed Rate Notes validly tendered and accepted. In addition to the Consideration, holders whose Notes of a given series are accepted for purchase will also be paid a cash amount equal to accrued and unpaid interest on such Notes from, and including, the last interest payment date for such Notes to, but not including, the Settlement Date, rounded to the nearest cent (such amount in respect of a series of Notes, "Accrued Interest"). Accrued Interest will be payable on the Settlement Date. For the avoidance of doubt, interest will cease to accrue on the Settlement Date for all Notes accepted in the Offers. Under no circumstances will any interest be payable to holders because of any delay on the part of Global Bondholder Services Corporation, as depositary, The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") or any other party in the transmission of funds to holders. For the avoidance of doubt, Accrued Interest in the case of the Floating Rate Notes due March 8, 2021 will not include any interest paid in the ordinary course on the June 8, 2020 payment date for such Notes. On the date of the Offer to Purchase, the Company launched a proposed new issuance (the "Proposed Issuance") of senior unsecured debt securities (the "New Notes") which are not subject to the Offers. It is expected that the Offers will be financed with the net cash proceeds from the issuance of such New Notes, along with cash on hand, if necessary. No assurance can be given that the Proposed Issuance will be completed. The Offers are subject to the terms and conditions described in the Offer Documents. In particular, the Company's obligation to complete an Offer with respect to a particular series of Notes is conditioned on satisfaction of the "Financing Condition", meaning (1) the Proposed Issuance has been successfully completed on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Company in its sole discretion and (2) the aggregate principal amount of the Proposed Issuance, as set forth in an announcement at or around 10:00 a.m. (New York City Time) on May 29, 2020 (the "Total Available Amount"), is sufficient to fund the sum of (a) the Consideration (excluding Accrued Interest) for all validly tendered and not validly withdrawn Notes of such series plus (b) the aggregate Consideration (excluding Accrued Interest) for all validly tendered and not validly withdrawn Notes of each series having a higher "Acceptance Priority Level" (as specified in the above table, with 1 being the highest Acceptance Priority Level and 5 being the lowest Acceptance Priority Level), other than Excluded Notes (as defined below). Notwithstanding any other provision in the Offer to Purchase to the contrary, if the Financing Condition is not satisfied for a particular series of Notes, at any time at or prior to the Expiration Time, then (1) we will not be obligated to accept for purchase such series of Notes and will terminate the Offer with respect to such series of Notes (such series of Notes, "Excluded Notes"), and (2) if there is any series of Notes having a lower Acceptance Priority Level for which the Financing Condition is satisfied, meaning the Total Available Amount is equal to or greater than the sum of: a) the Consideration necessary to purchase all validly tendered and not validly withdrawn Notes of such series (excluding Accrued Interest), plus b) the aggregate Consideration necessary to purchase all validly tendered and not validly withdrawn Notes of all series having a higher Acceptance Priority Level than such series of Notes, other than the Excluded Notes (in each case, excluding Accrued Interest), then all Notes of such series having a lower Acceptance Priority Level will be accepted for purchase, and the Financing Condition will be applied at each subsequent Acceptance Priority Level until there is no series of Notes with a lower Acceptance Priority Level to be considered for purchase for which the Financing Condition is met. It is possible that any series of Notes with any Acceptance Priority Level will fail to meet the Financing Condition and therefore will not be accepted for purchase even if one or more series with a lower Acceptance Priority Level is accepted for purchase. If any series of Notes is accepted for purchase under the Offers, all Notes of that series that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn will be accepted for purchase. As a result, no series of Notes accepted for purchase will be prorated. The Company reserves the right to amend or waive any of the conditions of the Offers, in whole or in part, at any time or from time to time, in our sole discretion, subject to applicable law. If any of the conditions are not satisfied at the Expiration Time with respect to an Offer, we may, in our sole discretion and without giving any notice, subject to applicable law, (a) terminate such Offer, (b) extend such Offer, on the same or amended terms, and thereby delay acceptance of any validly tendered Notes, or (c) continue to accept tenders. We will, in connection with the allocation of the New Notes in the Proposed Issuance, consider among other factors whether or not the relevant investor seeking an allocation of the New Notes has, prior to such allocation, validly tendered or given a firm intention to us or the Dealer Manager that they intend to tender their Notes pursuant to the Offers and, if so, the aggregate principal amount of Notes tendered or intended to be tendered by such investor. Therefore, a holder who wishes to subscribe for New Notes in addition to tendering its Notes for purchase pursuant to the Offers may be eligible to receive, at the sole and absolute discretion of the Company, priority in the allocation of the New Notes, subject to the issue of the New Notes and such holder also making a separate application for the purchase of such New Notes to the managing bookrunner of the issue of the New Notes in accordance with the standard new issue procedures of such bookrunner. However, we are not obliged to allocate the New Notes to a holder who has validly tendered or indicated a firm intention to tender Notes pursuant to the Offers and, if New Notes are allocated, the principal amount thereof may be less or more than the principal amount of Notes tendered by such holder and accepted by us pursuant to the Offers. All Notes accepted in the Offers will be cancelled and retired, and will no longer remain outstanding obligations of the Company. Holders of Notes are advised to read carefully the Offer to Purchase for full details of and information on the procedures for participating in the Offers. The Company has retained HSBC Bank plc as Dealer Manager for the Offers (the "Dealer Manager"). Questions and requests for assistance related to the Offers may be directed to the Dealer Manager at UK: +44 (0)20 7992 6237, US: +1 (212) 525-5552 (Collect) or +1 (888) HSBC-4LM (Toll Free), or by email at [email protected]. Global Bondholder Services Corporation will act as the information agent (the "Information Agent"). Questions or requests for assistance related to the Offers or for additional copies of the Offer Documents may be directed to the Information Agent at (866) 470-4300 (toll free) or (212) 430-3774 (banks and brokers). You may also contact your broker, dealer, custodian bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the Offers. If the Company terminates an Offer, all Notes tendered pursuant to such Offer will be returned promptly to the tendering holders thereof. Holders of Notes are advised to check with any bank, securities broker or other intermediary through which they hold Notes as to when such intermediary would need to receive instructions from a beneficial owner in order for that beneficial owner to be able to participate in, or withdraw their instruction to participate in, an Offer before the deadlines specified herein and in the Offer to Purchase. The deadlines set by any such intermediary and DTC for the submission and withdrawal of tender instructions will also be earlier than the relevant deadlines specified herein and in the Offer to Purchase. ..... This announcement is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or sell, any security. No offer, solicitation, or sale will be made in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. The Offers are only being made pursuant to the Offer to Purchase. Holders of the Notes are urged to carefully read the Offer to Purchase before making any decision with respect to the Offers. United Kingdom. This communication and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers are not being made and such documents and/or materials have not been approved by an authorized person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Accordingly, this communication and such documents and/or materials are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, persons in the United Kingdom other than (i) to those persons in the United Kingdom falling within the definition of investment professionals (as defined in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Financial Promotion Order")), (ii) to those persons who are within Article 43(2) of the Financial Promotion Order, including existing members and creditors of HSBC Holdings, (iii) to those persons who are outside the United Kingdom, or (iv) to any other persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be made under the Financial Promotion Order (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons") and the transactions contemplated by the Offer to Purchase will be available only to, and engaged in only with, Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act on or rely on this communication or any of its contents. Belgium. Neither this communication nor any other documents or materials relating to the Offers have been submitted to or will be submitted for approval or recognition to the Financial Services and Markets Authority ("Autorite des services et marches financiers / Autoriteit financiele diensten en markten") and, accordingly, the Offers may not be made in Belgium by way of a public offering, as defined in Articles 3 and 6 of the Belgian Law of 1 April 2007 on public takeover bids (the "Belgian Takeover Law") as amended or replaced from time to time. Accordingly, the Offers may not be advertised and the Offers will not be extended, and neither this communication nor any other documents or materials relating to the Offers (including any memorandum, information circular, brochure or any similar documents) has been or shall be distributed or made available, directly or indirectly, to any person in Belgium other than (i) to "qualified investors" in the sense of Article 10 of the Belgian Law of 16 June 2006 on the public offer of placement instruments and the admission to trading of placement instruments on regulated markets, acting on their own account or (ii) in any circumstances set out in Article 6, 4 of the Belgian Takeover Law. This communication has been issued only for the personal use of the above qualified investors and exclusively for the purpose of the Offers. Accordingly, the information contained in this communication may not be used for any other purpose or disclosed to any other person in Belgium. Italy. None of the Offers, this communication or any other document or materials relating to the Offers have been or will be submitted to the clearance procedures of the Commissione Nazionale per le Societa e la Borsa ("CONSOB") pursuant to Italian laws and regulations. The Offers are being carried out in the Republic of Italy as exempted offers pursuant to article 101-bis, paragraph 3-bis of the Legislative Decree No. 58 of 24 February 1998, as amended (the "Financial Services Act") and article 35-bis, paragraph 4 of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of 14 May 1999, as amended. Holders or beneficial owners of the Notes that are located in Italy can tender the Notes for purchase in the Offers through authorized persons (such as investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in the Republic of Italy in accordance with the Financial Services Act, CONSOB Regulation No. 20307 of 15 February 2018, as amended from time to time, and Legislative Decree No. 385 of 1 September 1993, as amended) and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations or with requirements imposed by CONSOB or any other Italian authority. Each intermediary must comply with the applicable laws and regulations concerning information duties vis-a-vis its clients in connection with the Notes and/or the Offers. Hong Kong. This communication and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers and/or the debt securities is not being made in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) (the "CWUMPO"), or (ii) to "professional investors" as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) (the "SFO") and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a "prospectus" as defined in the CWUMPO. No invitation, advertisement or document relating to the Offers and/or the Notes has been or will be issued, or has been or will be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to the Offers and/or the Notes which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to "professional investors" as defined in the SFO and any rules made thereunder. Canada. Any offer or solicitation in Canada must be made through a dealer that is appropriately registered under the laws of the applicable province or territory of Canada, or pursuant to an exemption from that requirement. Where the Dealer Manager or any affiliate thereof is a registered dealer or able to rely on an exemption from the requirement to be registered in such jurisdiction, the Offers shall be deemed to be made by such Dealer Manager, or such affiliate, on behalf of the relevant company in that jurisdiction. ..... Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements In this communication the Company has made forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of terms such as "believes," "expects," "estimate," "may," "intends," "plan," "will," "should," "potential," "reasonably possible" or "anticipates" or the negative thereof or similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy. We have based the forward-looking statements on current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, as described under "Risk Factors" in our Offer to Purchase. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed herein might not occur. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. Investor enquiries to: Greg Case +44 (0) 20 7992 3825 [email protected] Media enquiries to: Ankit Patel +44 (0) 20 7991 9813 [email protected] Note to editors: HSBC Holdings plc HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 64 countries and territories in our geographical regions: Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,918bn at 31 March 2020, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations. SOURCE HSBC Holdings plc By Liz Navratil and Libor Jany, Star Tribune MINNEAPOLIS Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday called for an arrest and charges against the now-fired Minneapolis police officer who knelt on the neck of George Floyd as he pleaded to breathe shortly before his death, in an incident caught on video that drew international outrage. There are precedents and protocols sitting in the reserves of institutions just like this one that would give you about a thousand reasons not to do something, not to speak out, not to act so quickly. And Ive wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail? Frey said. If you had done it, or I had done it, we would be behind bars right now. And I cannot come up with a good answer to that question. The city identified the officers involved as Derek Chauvin, who was captured on video kneeling on Floyds neck; Thomas Lane; Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng. Chief Medaria Arradondo fired all four Tuesday. Chauvin, 44, is a 19-year department veteran. Thao joined the department in 2009, was laid off for two years and returned in 2012. Lane and Kueng were both rookie cops, who had only recently completed field training and were still in their probationary periods. Frey said he is calling upon Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to seek charges involved with the Monday incident. In a statement, Freemans office said it was aware of Mayor Freys comments. We are working with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner to expeditiously gather and review all of the evidence in the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd, the statement said. The videotaped death of Mr. Floyd, which has outraged us and people across the country, deserves the best we can give and that is what this office will do. Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said the BCA investigation, which he oversees as commissioner, has already begun. We will do an expeditious investigation. We will ensure that this is not an investigation that lags, he said, adding that they wont cut corners in moving quickly to complete their work. Chauvin is represented by attorney Tom Kelly; Thao is represented by Robert Paule, Kueng is represented by Thomas Plunkett, and Lane is represented by Earl Gray. All declined to comment. The former officers could face state criminal charges and federal civil rights charges. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that he was shocked and horrified by the video of George Floyds death. On Wednesday, President Donld Trump briefly weighed in on the incident, calling it a very, very sad event and added that he expected to receive a full report when he returns to the nations capital from the postponed SpaceX launch in Florida. Frey said he made the decision to call for charges after watching video that circulated widely and publicly. He said he has not spoken to the officers involved or seen the footage captured by their body cameras. Frey said the restraint technique used against Floyd is not authorized by the Minneapolis Police Department, is not something officers were trained in and should not be used, period. We watched for five whole excruciating minutes as a white officer firmly pressed his knee into the neck of an unarmed handcuffed black man. I saw no threat. I saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary, Frey said. He noted that in many other cases, officers decisions are made in four or five or six seconds. We are not talking about a split-second decision that was made incorrectly, Frey said. Theres somewhere around 300 seconds in those five minutes, every one of which the officer could have turned back, every second of which he could have removed his knee from George Floyds neck. Every one of which he could have listened to community around him clearly saying that he needed to stop. Every one of which you heard George Floyd himself articulating the pain he was feeling, his inability to breathe, I cant see coming to a different answer there and I think its incumbent on all of us to say that. On Wednesday, the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board said Chauvins actions do not reflect any training officers receive. The video is troubling and disturbing and it is the Boards position that sanctity of life must be the guiding principle for all law enforcement officers, the statement said. We will work tirelessly to ensure that all Police Officers in Minnesota have the tools they need to prevent this type of tragedy in the future. Eric Hageman, a local attorney who has successfully sued police officers in brutality cases, said that use of force must be objectively reasonable from the officers perspective at the time it was used, a standard established in the landmark 1989 Supreme Court case, Graham v. Connor. Among the factors a court might consider in such a case are the severity of the underlying crime, whether the suspect was actively resisting arrest and whether his or her behavior presented a threat to the safety of the officer or anyone else. The video would appear that he was using force solely for the purpose of inflicting harm, which is unconstitutional, he said. Its a helpless person, whos unnecessarily suffocated. The incident has also renewed calls for overhauling the departments culture, although most critics have stopped short of calling for the chiefs resignation. Elizer Darris, an organizer with the American Civil Liberties Union, said he sees a need to first root out a departmental culture that prioritizes covering for one another. This blue code of silence continued even after Arradondo issued an order saying that officers who allowed their colleagues to behave badly would also be held responsible. Even if thats your blue brother, the preservation of life should be paramount to everything else, he said, adding that the ACLU intends to ask Walz to appoint a special prosecutor to handle the case. Frey stopped short of detailing which specific charges he would like Chauvin to face, saying that, If we want to see that charge, it would not be wise for me to provide the specifics of the form. The FBI is also assisting with the investigation, and while Frey said he believes the charging authority lies with Freeman, he added that to the extent federal authorities have jurisdiction as well, Yeah, Im calling on that too. The mayor said he had not seen any evidence that Floyd resisted arrest. He said he wanted the body camera footage to be released as soon as possible, while not compromising the investigation but, more importantly, the charge that I hope will come forward. Minneapolis Police Federation president Lt. Bob Kroll did not respond to multiple voicemails and text messages requesting comment. When a reporter visited his office, he declined to take questions. Chao Xiong, Paul Walsh, Rochelle Olson, Andy Mannix and Briana Bierschbach of the Star Tribune contributed to this report. DELAVAN The Harold Johnson Delavan Food Pantry would like to thank the people in Delavan and surrounding communities for their support of the food pantry during this unprecedented time. In keeping with social distancing recommendations, the pantry is operating with just a handful of amazing and devoted volunteers. Since mid-March, we have been offering curbside pickup of prepacked bags of non-perishable foods, produce, dairy items, and meat varieties, to individuals and families that need assistance. We are all grateful for the opportunity to serve, and are especially appreciative of donations that have helped us serve additional families that are new to the food pantry at this time. The outpouring of love with monetary donations from many of you is so appreciated. Your generosity has made it possible to fill bags with meals for our friends and neighbors to enjoy. I cant thank you enough for giving to the food pantry. Statewide, food pantries were given instructions from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to not accept food donations for fear of contamination. For the health and safety of our clients, as well as our volunteers, we chose to follow their direction. To those individuals and groups that were so thoughtful and wanted to donate food, I hope you understand why you had to be turned away. If you have been able to store the non-perishable food items in the meantime, we will begin accepting food donations as of Monday, June 1, 2020. You may call the food pantry 262-374-3503 to arrange a drop-off time. The Harold Johnson Delavan Food Pantry has sufficient food to assist anyone in need. Clients are welcome to the pantry two times each month to pick up groceries. Non-contact (curbside) pickup will continue through the month of June, at which time the procedure of how we distribute food to our clients will be reevaluated. Curbside pickup is at the end of the alley off 7th Street behind St. Andrew Church. New clients are asked to bring an ID and a piece of legal mail showing their current address. We distribute food every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Thank you again to so many who have sent checks, those holding non-perishable foods for donation, and the many phone calls from people wanting to volunteer at the pantry. We couldnt stay strong and continue to operate without the support of the wonderful people in Delavan and the surrounding communities of Walworth County. Terry Bailey is director of the Harold Johnson Delavan Food Pantry, www.delavanfoodpantry.org. By PTI KANPUR: Two persons were killed and one was injured in an exchange of fire between two rival groups in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur on Thursday, police said. Five people have been arrested in connection with the incident, they said. Superintendent of Police, Kanpur Dehat, Anurag Vats said Manoj Chauhan and Saida Khan had together taken sand mines on lease but later fell apart due to monetary and mining area dispute. During the exchange of fire, one Gyanendra Singh Chauhan (40), who was shot thrice on the face and neck, died on the spot. One Gulrez (45), who was also shot several times, was taken to the district hospital where he was declared dead, he said. The injured has been identified as Deepak Singh, the police said. Efforts are being made to make arrest all those whose names have surfaced during the preliminary probe, ASP Anup Kumar said. Inspector General (Kanpur range) Mohit Agarwal inspected the crime scene and issued necessary directives to the district police officials. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is a big name in the healthcare industry that has produced stable and consistent returns for investors over the years. It also pays a growing dividend yield. But on the flip side, the company's run into a series of problems over time relating to some of its products. While J&J's been able to handle the adversity thus far, the inevitable question that comes up is whether these problems could get worse and ultimately have a more adverse effect on the company's financials. As good of an investment as J&J has been over the years, investors may be wondering if it's still worth the risk. Let's have a closer look and assess whether the stock belongs in your portfolio today. Lawsuits have been manageable -- for now In each of the past 10 quarters, J&J's recorded revenue of at least $20 billion. During that time, only twice has its profit margin been less than 14%. The healthcare giant's been a great model of consistency in recent years. But as impressive as that is, it's the company's legal woes that have been making the headlines. J&J's faced lawsuits relating to its role in the opioid crisis, vaginal mesh implants, its Risperdal drug, and its talc baby powder products. As problematic as those issues have been and although they've dragged the company through the mud, their effect on J&J's financials hasn't been significant thus far. In the company's first-quarter results of 2020 that it released on April 14, J&J reported litigation expenses of just $0.1 billion, and that's down from $0.4 billion in the prior-year period. For the full year of 2019, J&J incurred $5.1 billion worth of litigation expenses, which is about 6.2% of the $82.1 billion that the company recorded in revenue that year. This was primarily a result of opioid litigation, which cost $4 billion. In 2018, the company's litigation expenses totaled $2 billion and were a more modest 2.5% of revenue. The risk for J&J is that the larger these lawsuits get, the more of a material effect there may be on its financials. And with Washington state announcing early in January that it would be suing J&J as a result of its own opioid crisis, it's clear that these problems aren't going away anytime soon. So far the costs to J&J haven't been enough to deter investors, but that could change the more the company gets entangled in these lawsuits. J&J's been a good buy despite the adversity There's no doubt there's a dark cloud that's been hanging over J&J in recent years due to the threat of litigation. But the drug manufacturer's stock is still up around 45% over the past five years. That's better than the S&P 500, which rose close to 40% over the same period. And that's without factoring in the New Jersey-based company's dividend, which today yields around 2.7% annually -- which is also above the 2% that investors can typically earn from an average S&P 500 stock. When the company hiked its payouts earlier this year by 6.3%, it was the 58th straight year that J&J has done so. As a Dividend King, J&J's been one of the most consistent dividend stocks to own. Is the stock still worth the risk today? There isn't a compelling reason today to suggest J&J is a bad buy today -- only that it might be at some point in the future. And that's because as long as litigation expenses remain manageable, so too will the risk. Even when a judge slapped the company with an intimidating $8 billion fine relating to its Risperdal drug last year, the financial penalty was eventually lowered to a much more manageable cost of just $6.8 million. The danger is that the day may come, whether it's related to opioids, talc baby powder products, or something else entirely, when the hammer gets dropped on J&J and it gets saddled with a much more material expense on its books. And with many other good healthcare stocks to invest in that pay dividends, J&J's not a stock that I'd risk putting in my portfolio given the company's uncertain future. Investors who want to buy shares of J&J should pay close attention to the company's legal problems, because if the cases continue to grow and get larger in scale, that could be a sign to get out before a high-profile case leads to a significant increase in J&J's litigation expenses. J&J's a good dividend stock, but it isn't an investment that you can just buy and forget about. Dan Osborne reportedly 'begged' wife Jacqueline Jossa to return to their marital home after she moved out amid their marriage issues. The soap star, 27, revealed she had moved back into their abode part-time on Thursday amid claims they had been 'fighting non-stop'. It has now been reported that Dan 'begged' Jacqueline to come home and she is adamant they can 'make it work' as they make a 'good team'. 'Begged': Dan Osborne reportedly 'begged' wife Jacqueline Jossa to return to their marital home after she moved out amid their marriage issues The actress is said to have missed her husband and wants to take things 'really slowly' now she has returned part-time. She will split her time between their marital home and her parents' house. A source told The Sun: 'Dan begged her to come home and shes admitted she missed him. 'They had been fighting non-stop but together they make a good team. It wont be easy but Jacquelines sure they can make it work. She wants to take it really slowly.' MailOnline has contacted both Jacqueline and Dan's representatives for comment. Moved back: The soap star, 27, revealed she had moved back into their abode part-time on Thursday amid claims they had been 'fighting non-stop' The reports come after Jacqueline asserted that she is still the head of her household on Thursday night as she wore a statement top. Posing on the table in the dining room she shares with husband Dan, the actress showed off a purple lounge-wear ensemble with the slogan 'Wife, Mum, Boss' splashed across the chest. The snap was shared on InTheStyle's Instagram - the clothing brand Jacqueline has collaborated with. 'Good team': It has now been reported that Dan 'begged' Jacqueline to come home and she is adamant they can 'make it work' as they make a 'good team' It comes after she revealed she had returned to her marital home from her parents' house amid her issues with Dan. The EastEnders star announced that she had come back to be with her kids and husband - yet will split her time between the two. She admitted that she 'has some stuff going on', in the wake of news that her three-year marriage to the former TOWIE star, 28, has been called into question amid claims of increasing domestic tension during the coronavirus lockdown. Jacqueline said: 'Not that it's got anything to do with you, but was going to let you guys know I am back at home. I'm gonna be doing the pix at my mum and dad's new place because there's loads of new empty rooms.' 'Wife, mum, boss': The reports come after Jacqueline asserted that she is still the head of her household on Thursday night as she wore a statement top Sweet: Jacqueline revealed she has returned to her marital home from her parents' house amid her marital woes with Dan Then discussing her own house, she went on: 'The place is a mess because I haven't been here in a while. I am back home but I'll be coming home because I've got stuff going on at the moment.' The previous day, Jacqueline insisted her decision to move away from her husband in the midst of a global pandemic bore no reflection on the state of their relationship as she took to Instagram with a lengthy post. She was seen enjoying a day out with Dan and their two children - Ella, five, and Mia, 23 months - and things seemed to be looking up. Working it out: Then discussing her own house, she went on: 'The place is a mess because I haven't been here in a while. I am back home but I'll be coming home because I've got stuff going on at the moment' Taking to Instagram, she wrote: 'Morning all. This is a message for all of the amazing supporters who always show me so much love... 'I've been honest about my situation at the moment, and yes Ive been staying at another house - a house my parents will eventually be moving into. 'I had really been struggling (havent we all?) lately and as I said the other day, Ive just needed some time and breathing space.' She added: 'I'm going to enjoy the sunshine with my kids. Thanks to everyone who always stands by us, and to all the hard working parents trying to get through this crazy time and for those who just dont get it, just Be Kind... 'I will not be commenting any further.' Reaching out: Taking to Instagram, she wrote: Morning all. This is a message for all of the amazing supporters who always show me so much love' The message was promptly reposted by Dan, who remained at the family home he formerly shared with Jacqueline and their daughters, Ella, five and Mia, 23-months. Rumours have been swirling over what prompted Jacqueline to move out, with The Sun reporting that he had been caught messaging other women. However, a source claimed this wasn't the case. It had also been claimed that Jacqueline had moved out without telling Dan, but a spokesperson for the actress told MailOnline: 'Any suggestion of a secret move out or similar is completely and utterly untrue.' It's thought both the kids have moved out with Jacqueline while Dan has been spending time with son Teddy, six, his child from a former relationship. Old times: The couple are parents to daughters, Ella, five and Mia, 23-months, while Dan is also a father to son Teddy, six, his child from a former relationship (pictured together in happier times) The couple's relationship has been plagued with cheating allegations and tensions between the pair have reportedly been taking their toll. But Jacqueline recently took to Instagram to clear up the rumours, stating: 'I need some time. There is no split. No divorce. We are working together not against each other.' It has been suggested that Jacqueline and Dan will 'reassess' their relationship once the lockdown period is over and normality resumes. Open and honest: It has been suggested that Jacqueline and Dan will 'reassess' their relationship once the lockdown period is over and normality resumes They also believed it was unhealthy for the children to see them arguing while all holed up in their 1 million home together. Jacqueline and Dan married on 24 June 2017 at Cheshire Manor House with many of her EastEnders co-stars in attendance. The couple met and started dating in 2013, and got engaged two years later four months after the birth of their first child. Earlier this week, Jacqueline revealed she would be taking a break from social media, as she told her followers she needed to 'take some time.' Credit where credit is due: Jacqueline and Dan married on 24 June 2017 at Cheshire Manor House with many of her EastEnders co-stars in attendance The couple were thought to be giving their romance a fresh start after Dan apologised for doing things he wasn't proud of in the relationship. Dan lamented his past behaviour, which he did not specify, in a candid post reflecting on the last decade and seemingly referencing his recent cheating scandal. He was rocked by cheating claims after it was alleged he engaged in a threesome with his Celebrity Big Brother co-stars Natalie Nunn and Chloe Ayling last year, which he strongly denied. Back when I could socialise freely, I was once at a dinner-party and among the small-talk introductions I casually asked a French couple how long they had been together, for me it seemed like a normal exchange of information, but according to their facial expression the question had caught them off-guard. At the epicentre of Europe, many Luxembourg expats will have had the chance to work with a plethora of nationalities, and so navigating cross cultural norms is all part of the average working day. Les Anglo-Saxons is a generally used blanket term for much of the English speaking world including the UK, Ireland,United States, Canada, Australia etc. despite not being factually correct, but thats by the by for now. Many of these countries have a reputation for oversharing too much, too soon - compared to some of their continental European colleagues and acquaintances. My first role in Luxembourg was at a quintessentially French company, and so this was naturally reflected in the office culture. Then Les Anglos arrived - the Americans, the Irish, the English and the Australians - before we knew it a little English speaking circle emerged which could rival our Francophone colleagues. English was becoming the lingua franca (so to speak), much to the chagrin of some - a subtle cultural tug of war ensued. Tidal shifts occurred depending on who left and joined. We would wait with bated breath to find out the nationality of newcomers, the Anglos and the Frenchies both secretly hoping it was one of their own so as to tip the balance in their favour for what language the lunchtime conversations would be in. But it wasnt only about the language, it was also the content. In typical fashion, myself and the Australian became known as the oversharers, what was standard office banter for us was at times considered too much information for others. I looked into it to see if there was anything of worth in the link between culture and the dreaded overshare, and indeed there was a school of thought based on fruit. Yes you read correctly..fruit. You may remember the 2002 hit movie My Big Fat Greek wedding whilst not an oft-cited film in literary circles, there was one tidbit of wisdom that stayed with me. If you can recall, the plot centered on Toula, a Greek American woman - not yet married much to the disappointment of her large extended Greek family. Toula meets a non-Greek man, (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) who goes by potentially the WASPIEST name of all-time, Ian Miller. After many cross-cultural ups and downs, they finally celebrate their big fat wedding.T oulas father Gus, my personal favourite character, sums it up in his wedding speech rather eloquently, You know, the root of the word Miller is a Greek word. Miller comes from the Greek word, milo, which is mean apple, so there you go. As many of you know, our name, Portokalos, is come from the Greek word portokali, which mean orange. So, okay? Here tonight, we have apple and orange. We all different, but in the end, we all fruit. We all fruit indeed. You may wonder where Im going with this? The worlds cultures can actually be divided into peaches and coconuts, not according to me but someone with much greater intellectual authority, Kurt Lewin a German-American psychologist who was interested in the boundaries of life spaces. In a coconut culture, people make clear differences between their neighbours, colleagues, and acquaintances on the outside and their family and friends on the inside.The culture map of coconuts also includes Russia, Poland, and Germany. Anglo-Saxons tend to more often belong to a peach culture, they typically share a lot of information from the outset and behave in a relaxed, friendly manner towards a wide range of people. Typically a peach would smile at strangers on the street and enjoy engaging in small talk. They may often treat a stranger as a potential friend, speaking quite openly as if they have known them a longer time. The inner space of a peach is much smaller, normally just for immediate family, possibly the only people they will maintain a life-long close relationship with. Peaches may be particularly close to several people for a while then drift away. Anglo-Saxons, particularly Americans typically may be seen as soft and fuzzy on the outside but deemed insincere by some European cultures, a typical example would be saying Lets go for a coffee sometime or You need to come for dinner sometime which is not always meant literally in a peach culture. Perhaps a French or German person (a coconut culture) would be waiting for an invitation to follow but it may never arrive. Dutch organisational theorist Fons Trompenaars, brought the peach/coconut theory back into modern thought, believes that it explains all sorts of animosities that bedevil cross-cultural friendships, business dealings and diplomacy. Any type of a relationship in a multicultural setting is complex, and of course there are many exceptions to these very broad generalisatons. Erin Meyer, an American professor at INSEAD Paris, recounted some of her own experiences in her book The Culture Map. She recounts the story of a Russian colleague who sat next to a stranger on his first flight to the United States, the American asked him quite personal questions on whether it was his first trip, his family etc. and also shared equally personal information. At the end of the 9 hour flight and many conversations later the Russian was shocked at the end of the flight when he went to write his email address down on a piece of paper the American man simply waved and said Have a great trip! The Guardian sums it up nicely with how the two fruit groups see each other Coconuts view peaches as insincere, because their surface effusiveness doesn't signify deep friendship; peaches see coconuts as rude, refusing to oil the wheels of life with a few pleasantries. It's all relative: the British are coconuts in California but peaches in Paris. Both fruits have their own merits, the peaches among us saunter through life chatting about the quirks of life with whomever they encounter, some may turn into real lasting friendships - but most wont. Coconuts will have their work life and their personal life very separate, unlike me they wont be asking their colleague for a personal timeline of their dating history, family tree and what they had for dinner last night. Rather they will save those discussions about life for the people they know best and their inner circle. Now tell us - are you a peach or a coconut? Several regional authorities in Spain have sent the central government their requests to move to a new phase of the coronavirus deescalation plan. Currently in Spain, 53% of the population is in Phase 1, which allows social gatherings of up to 10 people, and 47% is in Phase 2, where there are no restrictions on outdoor activities. Here is an overview of what each region has so far requested. Andalusia: The regional government in Andalusia has asked that the provinces of Malaga and Granada move to Phase 2 on Monday as only four coronavirus cases have been detected in both provinces since last week. According to regional authorities, Granada tested 88% of suspected coronavirus cases this week, a significant rise from the 52% recorded by the Health Ministry two weeks ago. Malaga has also increased its testing capacity from 32% to 83%, according to regional authorities. Aragon: The regional government in Aragon will ask for some of the measures allowed in Phase 3 to be applied to rural areas. It has not yet provided more details about this proposal. Asturias: Authorities in the small northern region have not yet indicated what they will request from the central government. Asturias is currently in Phase 2 of the deescalation plan. Balearic Islands: The regional Balearic government has asked that the islands of Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera move to Phase 3 on Monday. The first three islands have only been in Phase 2 for one week, meaning they would advance ahead of the two-week time frame set out for each stage. Regional premier Francina Armengol has requested that the four islands deescalate at the same rate and for movement to be allowed between the archipelago. Currently, travel between the islands is only allowed for work reasons or instances of force majeure. Constitucio and Riera Blanca streets, the border between Barcelona and L'Hospitalet, the second-most populous city in Catalonia. Massimiliano Minocri Basque Country: The region will not request any changes and will remain in Phase 2 for another week. Canary Islands: The regional government has requested that the islands of La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa, which were the first in Spain to enter Phase 1, move to Phase 3. The remaining five islands would remain in Phase 2, which they entered on Monday. Cantabria: Under the coronavirus deescalation plan, each stage must be in place for at least two weeks. Regional authorities in Cantabria have expressed their support for this measure, meaning that it is unlikely they will request to move to Phase 3 until next week. Castilla-La Mancha: Regional authorities in Castilla-La Mancha have asked that the provinces of Ciudad Real, Albacete and Toledo move to Phase 2. The provinces of Guadalajara and Cuenca transitioned to this stage on Monday. Castilla y Leon: The regional health authorities will only request that the healthcare area of El Bierzo move to Phase 2. The entire region only entered Phase 1 on Monday. Catalonia: The regional government has announced that it will ask the central government to consider the healthcare areas of Barcelona city and its northern and southern metropolitan areas as a single healthcare area. The choice to use healthcare areas by the regional government currently means that Barcelona residents cannot leave the city limits, while inhabitants of neighboring cities cannot enter either, as they normally would on a daily basis. Regional authorities will also ask for the healthcare areas in Girona and Catalunya Central, as well as Garraf and Alt Penedes, to move to Phase 2. Lleida will remain in Phase 1, due to an outbreak of coronavirus cases that was recently detected there. Extremadura: This region will remain in Phase 2 for another week. Galicia: The premier of Galicia, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, will not ask for the region to move to Phase 3 until June 8. It will, however, ask the central government to allow freedom of movement between the regions four provinces. This request was made last week, but was denied. Currently, travel between the provinces is only allowed in justified cases. Feijoo will also ask that people from areas in a worst epidemiological situation than Galicia be restricted from traveling to the region. Madrid: The Madrid region moved to Phase 1 on Monday, after the central government twice rejected its request to transition to this stage. Regional authorities have said that they want to deescalate the confinement measures as quickly as possible, but it is unlikely they will request to move to Phase 2 before the two-week period for each stage. In the meantime, the region has asked the Health Ministry to allow some activities that are only permitted in Phase 2, such as allowing students who are preparing for their university entrance exams to return to school. The premier of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso has also called for an end to the time slots allocated for outdoor activities on weekends. Murcia: For now, the region has ruled out requesting to move to a new stage of the deescalation plan. The entire region entered Phase 2 on Monday, with the exception of the municipality of Totana, which had detected a spike in coronavirus cases. Navarre: The region will remain in Phase 2 until the two-week period comes to an end. Regional authorities want to move to Phase 3 on June 8. La Rioja: Regional authorities have not provided any information on whether they will ask to move to a new stage of the deescalation plan. It is currently in Phase 2. Valencia: Regional authorities asked on Monday for the entire region to move to Phase 2 on June 1. The comarca of Rincon de Ademuz, which is located between the provinces of Teruel and Cuenca, was given permission to move to this phase on Wednesday. Residents in the comarca will be able to move freely to Cuenca. With reporting by Pablo Linde, Silvia R. Pontevedra, Javier Martin-Arroyo, Noor Mahtani, Juan Navarro, Pedro Gorospe, Juan Carlos Espinosa, Jessica Mouzo, Mikel Ormazabal, Virginia Vadillo, Cristina Vazquez, Victoria Torres and Lucia Bohorquez. English version by Melissa Kitson. The government on May 28 slammed activists and called them "prophets of doom" who are spreading "disinformation and negativity" during a Supreme Court hearing on the issue of migrants stranded at places far from their homes. "There are prophets of doom who keep spreading disinformation, not showing courtesy to the nation. All these people writing on social media, giving interviews don't even acknowledge what is being done," said Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, adding that "armchair intellectuals" to not "recognise the nation's efforts". The government began running trains and buses to help the migrants get home after criticism of its inaction escalated and tales of hardship were beamed daily by television channels and other media outlets. At the hearing, Mehta asked whether all those who were criticising had "stepped out of their air-conditioned office". "The Supreme Court should not be allowed to turn into a political platform. From safai karmacharis to the Prime Minister, everyone is working tirelessly," Mehta said. Mehta drew an analogy with Kevin Carter, the late photographer who captured the famous 'Vulture and the little girl' image. "Photographer Kevin Carter went to Sudan in 1993 during a famine, photographed a vulture waiting for the child to die, (and) he won the Pulitzer, but committed suicide on being asked what happened to the child," Mehta said, according to a CNBC-TV18 report. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show "... a journalist had asked him what happened to the child? He said I dont know, I had to return home. Then the reporter asked him how many vultures were there? He said one. The reporter said - no. There were two. One was holding the camera...." Live Law reported Mehta as saying. In his suicide note, Carter, who died in 1994, said he was "depressed" and was facing financial problems. The story of Carter is being circulated on WhatsApp, by people sympathetic to the efforts of the government to tackle the migrant issue. The Supreme Court on May 26 took suo motu cognisance of the "problems and miseries of migrant labourers" stranded across different parts of the country amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The apex court had issued a notice to the Centre and governments of states and Union Territories (UTs), seeking their response in the matter. It has asked for a list of all the steps taken till date by the Centre in this regard. The phrase human capital stock is a dry bit of academic jargon that economists have leaned on for decades, usually without generating a lot of controversy. Its trusty shorthand, used to describe the overall level of education and skills across a countrys workforce. But thanks to an awkward TV flub by White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett, the term unexpectedly became the subject of an online uproar this week, during which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed that it was racialized and had its roots in slavery. Advertisement It doesnt, really. There are lots of legitimate reasons to complain about the concept of human capital, or at least the way it is sometimes deployed by economists. But a deep and meaningful historical connection to chattel slavery is not one of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This whole linguistic fracas began on Monday, when Hassett appeared for an interview on CNN and tried to explain why he thought the economy was poised to bounce back quickly from the coronavirus crisis. Our human capital stock is ready to get back to work, he declared, sounding a bit like an A.I. that had yet to learn idiomatic English. So there are lots of reasons to believe that we can get back to work way faster than we have in previous crises. Advertisement White House adviser Kevin Hassett: "Our human capital stock is ready to go back to work." #HumanCapitalStock pic.twitter.com/Yl9KwJf6KP Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 25, 2020 Hassett was quickly and roundly mocked for accidentally describing Americans as a dehumanized mass of economic inputs, when he could have simply said that, you know, people are ready to work. The careless lapse into econo-speak made him sound a bit like a callous dork, urging people back to the job in the middle of a plague so they could tack a few basis points onto the countrys GDP in time for election season. Even his fellow economists, who understood exactly what Hassett was attempting to communicate, had words: Advertisement Advertisement Totally normal way for an economist to refer to people: https://t.co/vDCyLCwccj Gray 'serial millennial myth debunker' Kimbrough (@graykimbrough) May 25, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement When you dont think of them as people, youre probably also doing the economics wrong. https://t.co/wmAlCV6rxj Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) May 26, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Things might have ended with some light Twitter ribbing. But then, in a pair of tweets Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez suggested that human capital stock was not just a clunky, robotic, verbal fumble, but also kind of racist. Human Capital Stock. An ugly term w ugly history, but for many powerful ppl its their most honest view of workers: human stock. By their logic, the moment a person stops being useful to profit motive (retirement, health, etc) they are a liability. Thats the system we live in. https://t.co/ZihhtaI00W Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 26, 2020 Advertisement Lets also not ignore the racial history of this terminology, which has roots in slavery. &Its not just the terminology thats racialized. Even today, the folks deemed as human capital stock(aka essential workers) are disproportionately Black, Brown, & low income White folks. pic.twitter.com/VO0lpCN1nP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 26, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement Its not clear what roots Ocasio-Cortez is referring to (I asked her press secretary, but was told the office would not be able to comment before my deadline). But her claim is a stretch at best. Advertisement When economists talk about human capital, theyre typically referring to the professional skills people learn by going to school, getting trained on the job, or studying a trade. The idea is that talent is actually a form of wealth, just like a factory or shares in a company, and that education should be seen as a type of investment in human potential that pays a return over time, both for individuals and for entire countries. (As for adding the word stock to the phrase, again thats just a way of saying the overall amount of human capital across the workforce. Economists like to talk about supplies of things as stock, even if it makes people sound like the flour thats currently crowding your cupboard. It is what it is.) Advertisement This line of thinking dates back to the earliest days of economics. Adam Smith, for instance, famously suggested that the fixed capital of society includes the talents and skill which certain members of the community have acquired by time and expense. But the modern concept didnt really take off until the 1950s and 60s, when it was popularized by University of Chicago economists Theodore Schultz and Gary Becker, who argued that viewing the world in terms of human capital could help explain everything from differences in economic development to income inequality. Advertisement Advertisement At the time, the Chicago Schoolers realized that the phrase human capital might make some people uncomfortable because of its unfortunate historical echoes. The mere thought of investment in human beings is offensive to some among us, Schultz wrote in 1961. Our values and beliefs inhibit us from looking upon human beings as capital goods, except in slavery, and this we abhor. We are not unaffected by the long struggle to rid society of indentured service and bondage. But Schultz argued treating skills as a form of wealth didnt actually diminish human beings; rather, he suggested, it should be seen as liberating. By investing in themselves, people can enlarge the range of choice available to them. It is one way free men can enhance their welfare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its true that if you reach back far enough into the early, premodern development of human capital theory, you can turn up some connections to slavery. There were thinkers who used the price of slaves as a reference point when calculating the financial value of human lives (see the 17th century economist Sir William Petty) or cited slaves as proof that human skills were, in fact, a kind of wealth (thank you to the distinguished Mr. William Nassau). Irving Fisher, who in 1897 became the first economist to use the phrase human capital in a major economics journal, turned out to have a fondness for eugenics (sadly not uncommon at the time). There may be some literary links as well: In his poem The Age of Bronze, Lord Byron describes a horde of Russian serfs as a human capital / a live estate. Advertisement Advertisement But for the most part, the thread between human capital as we understand it today and legal servitude is attenuated at best. When writers wanted to actually talk about the financial aspects of slavery, they had a specific term for that: slave capital, use of which seems to have first peaked around the Civil War, and then again in the 1970s. These days, meanwhile, the idea of education as an investment in human capital has become so deeply embedded in the way Americans talk about economics and the value of college that most of the icky associations Schultz worried about have melted away. Even AOC herself seemed comfy using the phrase a year ago. If we cared half as much about the wealth we could generate by investing in human capital as much as we cared about real estate speculation, wed have tuition-free college by now. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 21, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (Update, May 28, 9:35 PM: After this article was published, a spokeswoman for the Congresswoman emailed me to emphasize that the Congresswomans previous statement referred to human capital not human capital stock.) With all of that said, there are plenty of good reasons to take issue with the language of human capital. The biggieat least in my viewis that, as the cantankerous City University of New York economist Branko Milanovic has written, it obfuscates the crucial difference between labor and capital by terminologically conflating the two. Or, to put it another way, it totally obliterates the distinction between workers and the suits who own their company. In fact, thats what its designed to do. As Schultz wrote back in the day: Laborers have become capitalists not from a diffusion of the ownership of corporation stocks, as folklore would have it, but from the acquisition of knowledge and skill that have economic value. Its an idea that asks us to believe that a Facebook engineers ability to write Python scripts is more or less the same thing as the stock that Mark Zuckerberg owns in the corporation. I think most people would find that self-evidently absurd (you cant make money off of your coding skills without actually going to work), especially at a time of yawning inequality when were literally waiting for the worlds first trillionaire. Human capital theory has sometimes been treated as an all-purpose excuse to minimize concerns about income inequality, since, hey, people are just reaping the rewards of their educations (though that happens less often now, since the value of a college degree doesnt do a good job of explaining the existence of billionaires). And finally, thinking about skills as literal wealth can also lead people to some strange conclusions that simply dont match lived experience in any meaningful way; I cant tell you how many hours of my life I have personally wasted arguing with people about whether millennials are in fact richer than their net worths imply because they are highly educated (now try selling that degree on eBay). Advertisement Advertisement For these reasons (and others), the past few years have seen a little rebellion against the idea of human capital from the left. Thomas Piketty pointedly refused to include human capital in his measurement of wealth in his book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, a decision for which he actually took some flak from certain fellow economists. Milanovic has suggested giving the whole phrase the chop and just referring to skills as, well, skills. That probably isnt going to happen, since human capital is so thoroughly baked into the economics literature at this point that someone like Hassett will default to it, even when it makes them sound like a ghoul. But if were going to hate on this unlovely bit of econ terminology, we ought to at least do so for the right reasons. For more of Slates news coverage, listen to What Next. Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media BRIDGEPORT One person was in serious condition and two others had non-life-threatening injuries after a shooting on Norman Street Wednesday night, according to police officials. Capt. Brian Fitzgerald said officers responded to a ShotSpotter activation shortly after 8 p.m. in the area of 56 Norman St. Hagens Berman: Brandeis University Sued in Class-Action Lawsuit Seeking Reimbursement for Spring 2020 Semester Amid Coronavirus Shutdown A class-action lawsuit filed today against Brandeis University by a student seeks repayment for tuition and other costs amid the outbreak of COVID-19 and related campus closure, which the suit says ushered in an inferior experience for students, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman. "While Plaintiff could have obtained his degree online, Plaintiff enrolled at Brandeis University (News - Alert) to obtain the full experience of live, in-person courses and direct interactions with instructors and students, facilitated by small class sizes," the lawsuit states. "So while students enrolled and paid Defendant for a comprehensive academic experience, Defendant instead offers Plaintiff and the Class Members something far less: a limited online experience presented by Google (News - Alert) or Zoom, void of face-to-face faculty and peer interaction, separated from program resources, and barred from facilities vital to study. Plaintiff and the Class Members did not bargain for such an experience." The law firm representing the Brandeis University student has also brought similar lawsuits against Boston University, Brown University, Duke University, Emory University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Rutgers University, the University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University and Washington University in St. Louis, and is investigating others. If you are paying for college tuition, and/or room and board at any U.S. college or university closed due to COVID-19, find out more about the lawsuit and your rights. Lawsuit: Brandeis Online Transition "Disruptive and Ineffective" The class action filed May 28, 2020, in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts accuses the university of breach of contract, unjust enrichment and conversion for "continuing to reap the financial benefit of millions of dollars from students" despite sending students home and closing campus due to the outbrea of the novel coronavirus, and seeks to represent anyone who paid those costs at Brandeis for the spring 2020 semester. The lawsuit against Brandeis says the suit's plaintiff, a resident of Massachusetts, experienced the university's transition to online class as "disruptive and ineffective," stating that one professor cancelled a week of classes to learn how to use online platforms and did not reschedule. Another professor did not conduct any online lectures and only provided Powerpoint slides. Other professors continuously revised the syllabus making it difficult for students to understand expectations and do their best work, according to the lawsuit. According to the complaint, on a per course basis, Brandeis charged undergraduate students at $6,918 ($1,729 per credit, per term) for the spring 2020 semester. "What Brandeis students are reporting amid the campus closure and transition to online courses pales in comparison to the education they paid for," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman and attorney for students in the class action. "Students did not enroll at Brandeis to click through PowerPoint slides and waste their student loans on cancelled classes and absentee coursework." The suit highlights the lack of resources to students amid the closure, including barred access to the writing center, academic offices, advisors, libraries, and art studios. "Defendant effectively cancelled Plaintiff's art course after Defendant decided to revoke access to the art studio, providing students no opportunity to retrieve their work. Plaintiff could not complete the artwork he started and Defendant did not provide a feasible way for students to complete the course online. Defendant has yet to provide access for Plaintiff to collect his work from the studio," the lawsuit states. The suit also calls out that Brandeis is a residential university where 78 percent of students live on campus all four years, and touts the benefits of its "experiential learning." According to the lawsuit, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, Brandeis' endowment had an approximate value of $1.074 billion. For the spring 2020 term, undergraduate students enrolled at Brandeis paid $28,690 for undergraduate tuition and $956 in undergraduate fees. Total charges for a standard residence hall room (double-occupancy) and a 12-meal per week board contract for the 2019-2020 academic year cost students $7,945. Other Affected Universities Hagens Berman is investigating the rights of those who are currently paying for room and board, and/or tuition at all U.S. colleges and universities that have been forced to close due to the outbreak of COVID-19. This may include parents, guardians or college students who are paying for their own costs of college. Despite orders from colleges and universities sending home students and closing campuses, these institutions of higher learning continue to charge for tuition and room and board. Collectively, these institutions are continuing to receive millions from students despite their inability to continue school as normal, or occupy campus buildings and dorms. Find out more about the class-action lawsuit against colleges and universities for tuition, room and board and other costs incurred during the outbreak of COVID-19. About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is a consumer-rights class-action law firm with nine offices across the country. The firm's tenacious drive for plaintiffs' rights has earned it numerous national accolades, awards and titles of "Most Feared Plaintiff's Firm," and MVPs and Trailblazers of class-action law. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005848/en/ Security experts at Alphabet Inc's Google sent 1,755 warnings in April to users whose accounts were targets of government-backed attackers, following a resurgence in hacking and phishing attempts related to the coronavirus outbreak. Google said on Wednesday its Threat Analysis Group saw new activity from "hack-for-hire" firms, many based in India, that have been creating Gmail accounts spoofing the World Health Organization (WHO). These accounts largely targeted business leaders in financial services, consulting and healthcare corporations in numerous countries including the United States, Slovenia, Canada, India, Bahrain, Cyprus and UK, the company said in a blog post. Google said it continued to see attacks from hackers on medical and healthcare professionals, including WHO employees. WHO and other organizations, at the center of a global effort to contain the coronavirus, have come under a sustained digital bombardment by hackers seeking information about the outbreak. "Since March, we've removed more than a thousand YouTube channels that we believe to be part of a large campaign and that were behaving in a coordinated manner", the blog post added. Also read: Coronavirus pandemic: Red Cross calls for end to cyber attacks on healthcare sector Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Rajasthan records 131 new COVID-19 cases, state's tally at 7,947 Coronavirus news in the DC, Virginia and Maryland area FAQ: D.C. | Maryland | Virginia What you need to know: Symptoms guide | Delta variant | Other variants | How mental disorders elevate covid risk | Booster shots in D.C., Maryland and Virginia Mapping the spread: Known deaths and cases in the region | Nationwide cases Vaccine: Breakdown | State tracker | Mapping the vaccination divide | D.C. employees required to get vaccine | Md., Va. state workers need to show proof of vaccination Masks: Masks FAQ | Masks and vaccines in D.C. area schools | DC requires masks during high covid transmission | Prince Georges requires masks for children | Montgomery considering lifting mask mandate Get the latest local news: Morning newsletter | Afternoon newsletter Have a question about the delta variant? Ask The Posts science reporters. "We're pleased Computertalk has announced availability of ice for Microsoft Teams with Direct Routing, and that they are among the first group of partners to begin certification for their solution." Computer Talk Technology Inc. (ComputerTalk) today announces that Direct Routing for ice Contact Center with Microsoft Teams is generally available in our North American cloud sites. This new capability gives customers an alternative to Teams federation. Direct Routing enables calls to be routed to Teams-based agents using a managed SBC network. With faster call setup times than federation, ice allows agents to handle all interactions directly in the Teams client of their choice. Direct routing improves on the federation model by reducing the connection time for agent calls. Under federation, calls would take 15 seconds or more to connect to agents. Direct routing reduces this to milliseconds, drastically improving the agent experience for mission critical voice services. Chris Bardon, Chief Software Architect at ComputerTalk said, We are excited to continue to build new contact center solutions on the ice platform in collaboration with Microsoft that use the full potential of Microsoft Teams. The new Microsoft contact center certification program will give customers the confidence that ice and Teams work well together. Unlike previous certification programs, this program includes a unified support model and ongoing data sharing between ComputerTalk and Microsoft. This means that support cases can be smoothly transitioned between Microsoft and ComputerTalk, and increases the visibility of ice in the Microsoft 365 support organization. Our mutual customers will have a smooth support experience across the two organizations. Mike Ammerlaan, Director of Microsoft 365 Ecosystem marketing at Microsoft Corp. said, "We're pleased ComputerTalk has announced availability of ice for Microsoft Teams with Direct Routing, and that they are among the first group of partners to begin certification for their solution. We look forward to the benefits of Teams in contact center environments and building upon Microsoft 365 to transform and optimize customer experience." ice Contact Center provides an extensible interface to create contact center applications. Using ice, organizations can use Microsoft Dynamics 365 data, skills, and speech, to route, record, and report on voice, email, IM, web chat, SMS, and social media in a UC contact center. Organizations in all industry verticals can use ice to integrate their business applications into their contact center and transform the way they interact with customers, their own employees, and partners. ice brings together information silos, improving contact center productivity to knowledge-based workers. Founded in 1987, ComputerTalk, is headquartered in Markham, Canada. ComputerTalk is a global provider of enterprise-class Microsoft Teams and PBX-agnostic contact center products, cloud hosting services and custom application development. ComputerTalk is a Microsoft Gold Application Development, Gold Communications, and Gold Windows and Devices partner. For more information, please visit: http://www.computer-talk.com/teams WASHINGTON -- The amount of scarring in damaged kidneys as a result of diabetes or acute injury, is a key factor in determining treatment. But it has not been possible, using traditional techniques, to quickly and accurately assess how widespread this kind of wounding extends within the organ. Now, however, a physicist and chemist at Georgetown University Medical Center has shown that a microscope he began developing with colleagues at University of California-Irvine can provide an immediate answer. His findings, published in the journal Kidney International, suggest that, given further successful testing of this device, it could be adopted in an operating suite using biopsies, usually taken with a needle, from a patient's kidney. These biopsies, which don't need to be stained, will score the degree of tubulointerstitial fibrosis -- progressive scarring due to a failed wound-healing process of kidney tissue after chronic, sustained injury. This score can then be combined with results from traditional pathology to help physicians assess long-term prognosis. While this kind of approach was developed for cancer prognosis, this study represents "to our knowledge, the first expansion of this type of test to understand human kidney disease and to specifically to characterize disease states," says the study's lead investigator, Suman Ranjit, PhD, assistant professor in Georgetown's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology. The advanced microscope, called DIVER, uses phasor approach to fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM). Simply said, the devices work together to examine the type of molecules that are in an image of the tissue sample captured by the microscope. It uses endogenous fluorescence emitted naturally by the biomolecules, measuring the time it takes for different molecules to stay in the excited state (fluorescence lifetime). The results are pseudo-color mapped, with each color representing specific types and degrees of molecular content that reveal changes in structure and biology of the organ that link to disease severity. "Using this method, numerous biopsies from a kidney can be examined quickly. The process is automated, eliminating operator bias," says Ranjit. In contrast, traditional biopsies often an hours-long process of staining and pathological examination happens outside of an operating room. This study examined frozen human kidney biopsy tissues from patients with diabetes, obtained from the University of Chicago. Researchers found that the new method closely replicated findings obtained by pathology analyses. Ranjit started to work on this clinical project using what he calls his "home built" device while a postdoctoral scholar at UC Irvine's Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics, but completed it at Georgetown. He now has applied for federal grants that will help him "shrink" this idea into a small handheld device that could be used in operating rooms, and to further improve automation and imaging speed. When the device is perfected, Ranjit says it may be possible to use it for assessing disease state in many organs, a process that now depend on cumbersome pathological analysis. "When widely used this imaging technique will enable physicians to detect early fibrosis, or scarring, in tissues as well as determine the health of kidney, liver and other tissues that are being considered for transplantation," says co-author Moshe Levi, MD, Interim Dean for Research at GUMC and professor of biochemistry and molecular & cellular biology. ### In addition to Ranjit and Levi, co-authors include Kammi Henriksen, MD, PhD (co-lead author), University of Chicago; Alexander Dvornikov, PhD, University of Califorina-Irvine; Marco Delsante, MD, University of Parma, Italy; Avi Rosenberg, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University; and Enrico Gratton, PhD, UC Irvine. Gratton holds a patent related to the microscope described. No other competing financial interests are reported. Funding for this research was provide by National Institutes of Health grants (P50 GM076516, P41GM103540, 1R01DK098336) and Veterans Affairs Medical Research (1I01BX001954). About Georgetown University Medical Center As a top academic health and science center, Georgetown University Medical Center provides, in a synergistic fashion, excellence in education -- training physicians, nurses and other health care professionals, as well as biomedical scientists -- and cutting-edge interdisciplinary research collaboration, enhancing our basic science and translational biomedical research capacity in order to improve human health. Patient care and clinical research is conducted with our clinical partner, MedStar Health. GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on social justice and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." GUMC comprises the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing & Health Studies, Biomedical Graduate Education, and Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a "very high research activity university," Georgetown is home to a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health, and a Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. Connect with GUMC on Facebook (Facebook.com/GUMCUpdate) and on Twitter (@gumedcenter). Switzerland is the first country to develop a contact-tracing app based on Apple-Google's API. Called SwissCovid, the app uses a decentralised approach to contact tracing. The app only relies on Bluetooth and does not collect location information. Amidst the many roles big tech is expected to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, contact-tracing using smartphones is perceived to be one of the most important in containing the Novel Coronavirus and flattening the curve. To help public health agencies across countries develop such apps for their citizens, Apple and Google worked together on an Exposure Notifications System API (for iOS) and a Google Play Services update (for Android) for several weeks. It was finally unveiled on May 20. Now, Switzerland will be the first country to develop an app using the API developed by the tech giants. The app is called SwissCovid and is developed by Swiss University EPFL. The app is presently in pilot testing and will be used by the EPFL employees, ETH Zurich, the Army and some hospitals and government agencies. The Swiss parliament also has to amend a law on epidemics to allow the existence of such an app for the general public. The country plans to roll out the app en masse by mid-June. How SwissCovid works? The SwissCovid contact tracing app works using Bluetooth. When two people meet in close proximity (less than two meters) for more than 15 minutes, phones with the app installed will exchange key codes. If one person is infected by COVID-19 and updates the status of the app, the other person will be notified of the same and asked to be tested. The app relies on the API developed by Apple and Google, and as such, the app should work on iPhones running iOS 13.5 and above while Android phones running on versions as old as Android 6.0 are supported. Using a decentralised approach to contact-tracing The fundamental difference between SwissCovids approach and Indias own Aarogya Setu app is the way it stores the information. The Apple-Google model focuses on combating the virus while protecting user privacy. Relying on the API developed jointly by the company relies heavily on user consent. The app will ask for user consent before using the API and before a positive result is shared to other users. Users can also turn off exposure notifications manually. Furthermore, the apps cannot request location data and the data collected cannot be used for targeted ads. The Apple-Google model also uses a decentralised protocol called DP3T, short for Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing where most of the work is carried out in users phones, and not in centralised databases. How is it different from Aarogya Setu app? The Aarogya Setu app was developed and rolled out before the Apple-Google contact tracing API went live, uses a centralised approach to contact tracing. The app, according to NITI Aayog, has been downloaded 114 million times and reached out to 9 lakh contacts, giving it a larger scope than all other contact tracing apps in other countries combined. Yet, despite the raging popularity (happened primarily due to enforced installs), gaps in the apps privacy protection, data usage and public perception of how the data is used and processed have been a concern for many. The app was proven to be vulnerable to third-party access, and thats primarily because data from users is uploaded in a centralised database. Furthermore, the Aarogya Setu apps also collects the real-time location of people infected by COVID-19. Theres also no way to turn off exposure notifications. As a result, the app made for Indians to contact-trace COVID-19 infections cannot use the API developed by Apple and Google, keeping user privacy in mind. A good respite is the fact that Aarogya Setu is now open-source. The source code of the app is now available on a public GitHub repository. For now, only the Android apps source code is available. Source code for iOS (for iPhones) and KaiOS (for JioPhones) will be released in the next few weeks. NITI Aayog also promised the back-end code for the servers will also be made open-source in the future. This came as an effort to assuage users of privacy concerns by providing transparency to how the app works. 5G conspiracy theorists are selling a 300 USB stick called the 5GBioShield which claims to use a wearable holographic nano-layer catalyser to protect people from disturbing frequencies. As the BBC reports, this product has been recommended by Glastonbury Town Council's 5G Advisory Committee, an organisation that has called for an inquiry into 5G due to its beliefs that 5G is harmful. Experts have repeatedly stated that those beliefs are mistaken. Myths about 5G have been circulating since January in the UK and have spread both through social media which companies such as Facebook have tried to combat as phone mast are vandalised. Toby Hall, one of the nine external members of the Town Council's 5G Advisory Committee recommended the device saying they we use this device and find it helpful. The website for the USB stick says the device provides protection for your home and family, thanks to the wearable holographic nano-layer catalyser, which can be worn or placed near to a smartphone or any other electrical, radiation or EMF emitting device. EMF stands for Electromagnetic Field, produced by moving electric charges. These are harmless and are produced by a number of sources both natural and man-made such as the planets magnetic field, radio stations, or power sockets. Through a process of quantum oscillation, the 5GBioShield USB key balances and re-harmonises the disturbing frequencies arising from the electric fog induced by devices, such as laptops, cordless phones, wi-fi [and] tablets the website continues. "The 5GBioShield USB Key restores the coherence of the geometry of the atoms, which allows a perfect induction for life forces, by (re-) creating a cardiac coherence, via plasmic support and interactivity." David Tennant mocks Eamonn Holmes for 5G conspiracy theory comments The BBC reports that, having dismantled the USB key, all that was found inside was an LED light on a circuit board which is present inside every other USB key. When asked about the so-called protective properties of the 5GBioShield Anna Grochowalska, one of two directors of BioShield Distribution Ltd which owns the copyright for the website selling the USB key, said: We are in possession of a great deal of technical information, with plenty of back-up historical research. As you can understand, we are not authorised to fully disclose all this sensitive information to third parties, for obvious reasons. BioShield Distribution Ltd's was first registered on 20 January 2020 and its registered office on Company House appears to be a newsagent corner shop in Stoke Newington. It is estimated that the manufacturing price of the USB, which has 128MB of storage, is approximately 5, according to Ken Munro from Pen Test Partners, a company which dismantles consumer electronics to detect security vulnerabilities. The keys sell for 283 on the website. The only difference appears to be a circular sticker attached to the device. "We're not 5G quantum experts but said sticker looks remarkably like one available in sheets from stationery suppliers for less than a penny each," Munro told the BBC. Grochowalska said In regard to the costs analysis your research has produced, I believe that the lack of in-depth information will not drive you to the exact computation of our expenses and production costs, including the cost of IP [intellectual property rights], and so on. She also questioned whether the BBC had properly researched the background facts. During the coronavirus pandemic, 5G conspiracy theories have become interlinked with fake news about COVID-19. Many countries without 5G connectivity such as Iran are suffering from the coronavirus, and 5G signals in both the UK and China operate on a part of the radio wave spectrum between existing 4G networks and the 5GHz Wi-Fi range that many people use in their homes. If 5G did have harmful consequences, there is no reason why these would not have been detected already since the signal exists within these bands. Moreover, articles about the potential harm of 3G and 4G signals which the UK has since surpassed were discussed at least as long ago as 2014 and subsequently dismissed. Contact tracing to begin widely across Wales next week you could be asked to isolate by tracer teams This article is old - Published: Thursday, May 28th, 2020 Tracing the contacts of those who have recently tested positive for coronavirus is set to begin in Wales next week. Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said today that the Test, Trace, Protect strategy will be crucial to ensuring we understand the spread of the virus. The system, which will come into play on June 1st, means that anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus will be asked to isolate. The scheme will be delivered regionally with Local Health Boards and local authorities working in partnership along with other public services to deploy contact tracing teams. Last week we asked the First Minister about the staffing of the system, with it understood there could be 20 such teams across North Wales with 3-4 in the Wrexham area alone. Pilot schemes have been taking in the Betsi Cadwaladr Hywel Dda, Powys and Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board areas since 18 May with the Welsh Government saying that each pilot has been designed and delivered by local authorities working in partnerships with health boards. Contact tracing initially took place across the United Kingdom at the start of the coronavirus pandemic however was stopped when case numbers began to increase. In a statement, Mr Gething said: This week, the First Minister will confirm what, if any, easements to lockdown rules and social distancing will take place in Wales. Welsh Government decisions will continue to be based on scientific evidence and advice. Whenever easements are made and whatever form they take, implementing our Test, Trace, Protect strategy will be a key enabler. We have made further progress in developing our testing capacity and making sure that we will be ready for contact tracing. Future relaxations of lockdown measures will be dependent on everyone following advice set out in our Test, Trace, Protect strategy, including self-isolating when required. The scale of testing capacity needed in Wales and indeed across the UK to support these purposes and in particular Test, Trace, Protect is unprecedented. We have significantly increased testing capacity in recent weeks with current laboratory capacity of over 9000 tests a day, and we expect to have capacity for 10,000 tests a day in the near future. Critical workers and the public can access home testing kits via the UK government website and we will shortly open up public access the testing sites currently being used by our critical workers across Wales. These are important preparations for the launch of population contact tracing on 1 June. Having appropriate testing arrangements in place will be crucial to ensuring we understand the spread of the virus. In his statement Mr Gething has also urged people to willingly play their part in the scheme and continue to protect others. He said: I am very aware of the sacrifices that people have made during lockdown. I recognise that we will continue to ask people to play a significant role in controlling the spread of the disease, by self-isolating with their households when they have symptoms and getting themselves tested. Testing is a key part to this national effort, as it will allow people who are symptomatic, but not positive, to come out of self-isolation as soon as possible. In recognising the potential scale of contact tracing, and the contribution it will need from each and every one of us, we will implement contact tracing on a phased basis developing and learning as we go. From 1 June, we will implement population contact tracing on receipt of a positive test result. Given the nature of coronavirus symptoms, the vast majority of people who think they are symptomatic and seek a test return a negative result. At present on average only 12% of tests are returning a positive result. Consequently contact tracing initiated by contact with a symptomatic individual (i.e. someone who has sought a test) could result in many people being asked to isolate when there is no positive case. The consensus view of our Technical Advisory Cell (TAC) is that the case definition used to identify possible COVID-19 is important as if it is too specific it will miss cases, and if it is too sensitive it may produce an unmanageable number of potential cases which may erode public confidence. The recent addition of anosmia to potential symptoms may have increased the sensitivity of the case definition. We will consider the impact of this change in case definition carefully as we move forward. The people of Wales are our greatest asset in the fight against COVID-19, we must retain their support and their trust. We need people to play their part and follow the advice to isolate when asked. We will need to develop an approach to contact tracing which maintains the continued and widespread public support and adherence to public health messages. It remains the case that anyone who is symptomatic must self-isolate along with their immediate household. New Delhi, May 28 : Actress Shefali Jariwala along with her husband Parag Tyagi flew to Delhi from Mumbai on May 26 after the demise of her father-in-law. "My father-in-law was unwell for sometime. He was in the hospital for dialysis as his kidneys were giving him a lot of trouble, and just before the dialysis began he had a massive heart attack. He was admitted to hospital last month," Shefali told IANS. Domestic air travel resumed in India on Monday post two months of coronavirus lockdown, and Shefali considers herself fortunate that she could board the flight and be with her family in time. "Fortunately, flight operations had just begun, so we managed to reach there on time. We took a flight to Delhi and luckily our flight did not get cancelled as a lot of cancellations were happening that day," she added. Shefali also spoke about the safety precautions she followed while travelling from one state to the other via air. "We were properly covered. We had a mask, face shield. We wore hoodies, socks and shoes while travelling. We did our web check-in before reaching to the airport as it was mandatory. Staff checked our temperature before allowing us to enter the airport. We even had to bring our own baggage tags. It was more like a self check-in. I have never seen Bombay airport like this in my life. It was deserted. People were wearing masks, PPE suits and maintaining social distancing. There were hand sanitisers at every corner of the airport. There was sadness in the air. It felt different. I guess it's the new normal," she said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-27 23:51:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A medical worker disinfects a box containing COVID-19 samples for nucleic acid test at the center for disease control and prevention in Fengman District of Jilin City, northeast China's Jilin Province, May 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun) The origin of the coronavirus is a matter for scientists to study and answer and shall not be politicized. BEIJING, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Some U.S. officials' attempts to sue China for causing the COVID-19 pandemic are outright violations of international law, according to an article carried by Wednesday's People's Daily. According to media reports, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against China in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, demanding that the Chinese government take responsibility and make compensations for the global pandemic. It was a gross violation of China's national sovereignty and the principle of sovereign equality which is widely acknowledged by the international community and the UN Charter, according to the article under the byline of Huang Jin, president of the Chinese Society of International Law. Huang criticized the move as an illegal act which is totally against international law. China's coronavirus response is a kind of sovereign or public action instead of a commercial action and should be protected by sovereign immunity, according to Huang. The lawsuit was based on groundless ideas that China should be held accountable for the pandemic and that the Chinese government was hiding the outbreak, Huang said. "These accusations have no factual or legal basis in international law," he said. The origin of the coronavirus is a matter for scientists to study and answer and shall not be politicized, said Huang, noting that according to international law, the question on the virus' origin has nothing to do with state responsibility. Huang pointed out that the Chinese government's efforts in releasing information and epidemic prevention and control have complied with the International Health Regulations. The coronavirus damages in the United States were caused by the missteps of the country itself and have no causal relationship with China's COVID-19 response, Huang stressed. China itself is a victim of the virus, Huang stressed. "We strongly oppose any attempt to politicize the pandemic and stage a farce of illegal accountability." Spiritual Messages from Samuel Smiles: Tips for Self-Help in the Modern Age is a new book written by World Teacher and Founder of Happy Science Group, Ryuho Okawa, that presents an archetypal dialogue with one of the original sources of the self-help movement. The term self-help itself originates in the book of the same name, first published in 1859 by Scottish author Samuel Smiles. Throughout the book, Ryuho Okawa mediates a communication from Samuel Smiles, in order that his original self-help principles could be explored in the context of contemporary life. Much has changed in the world since 1859. Perhaps most notably is that human technologies have taken on an exponential growth in development. Technological developments have allowed human affairs to be conducted with greater ease and simplicity in many regards, particularly in their capacity to streamline otherwise tedious acts. However, Samuel Smiles, as is indicated in this work, indicates that there are certain factors which humanity should be mindful of in the midst of its perpetually increasing technological integration. It is notable that while technologies in of themselves are with their merits, they are also with the tendency to develop in humanity a sense of reliance and dependency. An example given in the book is how, with the widespread usage of motor vehicles, humans do not experience the necessary physical exercise that they once did, and accordingly must determine a method of compensating for this or else enter an unhealthy state. It is not suggested in the book that humans cease from employing technologies, but rather that humans strive nonetheless to adapt alongside new technologies so as to maintain the capacity to help themselves by their own volition. Without adequate adaptation, humanity runs the risk of losing many of its own natural capabilities and entering into a state of total dependence upon external objects. Happy Science is described within this work as being a unique religion; whereas most religions instruct their adherents to become entirely dependent upon their God, Happy Science teaches self-reliance and self-help. The earliest Buddhist teachings likewise emphasized what may be described as self-help, as all efforts toward enlightenment must be accomplished by the individual striving toward it. There is no reliance upon a higher being to save you in either Happy Science or Buddhism, and instead the efforts toward greater well-being must arise by willpower and self-discipline. An important message in this work is the emphasis upon perpetual self-development. Just as technologies are always developing further, humanity should likewise always strive toward greater aspirations. Such is applicable to the individual, but also to entire nations; an independent individual or nation that strives always toward self-improvement is a free and liberated individual or nation. It is easy to become comfortable and complacent when the first signs of success appear in ones life, be it in ones career, spiritual development, or any other area of life. The key, as is explained in this book, is to never be completely satisfied with ones development, and to always strive forward and onto greater things. Sometimes, as was the case with Shakyamuni Buddha and Jesus, others will not understand the path that one takes. Ones path may differ from what is expected by others, but this can be a wonderful indication of striving towards something that is able to impact the world on a grand scale. An example given in the book is that Jesus Christ likely trained as a carpenter under Joseph, but inevitably would have gone on to spend time in meditation and listening to the lectures of the spiritual teachers of his time, all with a spiritual mission that those around him would have never suspected. As is stated in the book, there are many hidden bodhisattvas and angels throughout the world, and such are the people who will often take a path that is not expected of them for the betterment of the world. For those whom these ideas and principles sound appealing, the Spiritual Messages from Samuel Smiles provide a wealth of advice for both spiritual and material development in the modern age. Spiritual Messages from Samuel Smiles is available at all major bookstores nationwide, including Barnes & Noble and Amazon. IRH Press USA She's best known for her toned physique and sun-kissed complexion. But Elyse Knowles exposed one of her biggest cosmetic 'vulnerabilities' on Thursday, sharing a makeup-free selfie that revealed her freckles. The Myer ambassador, 27, admitted she felt 'a little blah' when she wasn't wearing foundation or using fake tanner in a candid Instagram post. Revealing: Australian model Elyse Knowles (pictured) explained on Thursday that she feels 'vulnerable' going makeup free and showing her freckles 'Photo one is me feeling a little vulnerable about the friends on my face,' Elyse explained, sharing a stunning photo which highlighted her natural beauty. She continued: 'Here I feel pale and a little blah to be honest as I stand very open to opinionated people.' In the following photos, Elyse used a self-tanner to give herself a 'sunless' glow. 'Here I feel pale and a little blah to be honest as I stand very open to opinionated people': Elyse Knowles exposed one of her biggest cosmetic 'vulnerabilities', sharing a makeup-free selfie that revealed her pale skin and freckles 'Photo two is me feeling more confident and far more motivated to take on the day with the attitude of, "I won't be taken down by the negative things people might choose to say about me." Because after all, #thisisme,' she said. Elyse explained using a self tanner helped a 'hint of extra confidence we all sometimes crave a top up of'. It comes after Elyse was slammed for calling the deadly COVID-19 pandemic a 'gift' to the planet last month in an interview with A Conscious Collection for Earth Day. 'Photo two is me feeling more confident and far more motivated to take on the day with the attitude of, "I won't be taken down by the negative things people might choose to say about me." Because after all, #thisisme,' she said 'This is me': Elyse explained using a self tanner helped a 'hint of extra confidence we all sometimes crave a top up of' 'While the spread of coronavirus has been devastating in countless ways, if we look for a silver-lining we'll find the gift it's given our planet,' she said. The Myer ambassador went on to list the benefits including cleaner air, 'glistening' beaches and rivers and wildlife enjoying 'a safer home' as people stay home to practise social distancing. Another person wrote: 'So from Brunswick to Byron and now you're an expert? Yes things have changed but at what cost? Clearly the human cost means nothing to you.' Not a popular opinion: It comes after Elyse was slammed for calling the deadly COVID-19 pandemic a 'gift' to the planet last month in an interview with A Conscious Collection for Earth Day But there were some people who agreed with Elyse and rushed to support the model by voicing their opinions online. 'Probably not the context but she's right. Extremely sad and unfortunate that deaths are occurring but the facts speak for themselves globally with drops in pollution and consumption, higher air quality and clear water channels,' one person wrote. 'Humans are the plague of the earth and in lock down the world is starting to slowly heal itself before we start destroying it again,' another person agreed. The Yellowstone County jail inmate who tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday spent two and a half weeks in a unit with 33 other women before she was taken to the hospital and discovered to have the disease. The unit that the woman was held in has been locked down, meaning no new inmates will be admitted and no inmates already in the unit and exposed to the positive case will be moved out, Sheriff Mike Linder said. The inmates who have been exposed, along with any staff members who had contact with the woman, will be tested beginning on Friday, according to RiverStone Health spokeswoman Barbara Schneeman. The woman who tested positive is being cared for at a hospital. The county health department believes she became infected while at the jail. The incubation period for COVID-19 is two weeks, and she was booked in on April 28, according to Captain Roger Bodine, the jail commander. Got some scoop for our reporters or editors? Click on the link below to send us your information. Send your news India on Thursday said it had reached out to Pakistan to convene a meeting of officials to deal with the locust menace plaguing the two countries. Indian foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said India had asked Pakistan to hold a meeting of the concerned officials so that the two countries could jointly tackle the menace. We are yet to receive a response from them," Srivastava said. India had previously suggested to Pakistan that the two countries could coordinate locust control operations along their border and New Delhi could facilitate the supply of the pesticide Malathion to Islamabad, a person familiar with the development said adding that Pakistan was yet to respond to this too. In recent weeks, many swarms of locusts had arrived in India from Pakistan moved into Madhya Pradesh and other parts of the country from Rajasthan. These were among those breeding and maturing in Iran, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation. Iran which is also plagued by the locust invasion had however responded to Indias gesture and New Delhi was supplying Malathion to control the locust populations there, Srivastava 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 The American Red Cross has an urgent need for blood donations to prevent another blood shortage as hospitals resume surgical procedures and patient treatments that were temporarily paused earlier this spring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthy individuals who are feeling well are asked to make an appointment to donate in the weeks and months ahead by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. In recent weeks, hospital demand for blood products has grown by 30% after sharply declining in early April amid this rapidly changing and complex public health crisis. At the same time, blood drives continue to be canceled as many businesses and community organizations remain closed. Donors are needed to make and keep scheduled appointments to help meet the current need. All those who come to give through May 31 will receive a special Red Cross T-shirt by mail, while supplies last. And thanks to Amazon, all those who come to give June 1-30 will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email; restrictions apply. Additional information and details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Together. Blood donors have played a vital role in the lives of patients who have needed lifesaving transfusions during this pandemic, and patients continue to depend on donors each and every day, said Paul Sullivan, senior vice president, Red Cross Blood Services. The Red Cross appreciates the support of those who rolled up a sleeve to give in recent months, but the need doesnt stop. We need the publics help to avoid another blood shortage this summer. Its important to remember that red blood cells must be transfused within 42 days of donation and platelets within just five days. So, they must constantly be replenished. There is no known end date in this fight against coronavirus, and the Red Cross urgently needs the help of donors and blood drive hosts to ensure blood products are readily available for patients. Blood drive safety precautions Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions - including temperature checks, social distancing and face coverings for donors and staff - have been implemented to ensure the health of all those in attendance. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive and are required to wear a face covering or mask while at the drive, in alignment with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public guidance. About blood donation All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App. About the American Red Cross The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nations blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross. With 32 million monthly users and 5 billion downloads to date, Freepik offers over 10 million high-quality and curated graphic resources, including icons, vectors, photos, and templates Freepik's underlying market is supported by favorable secular megatrends, such as the increasing shift to digital advertising, the global democratization of content production through social media and the surge in mobile media and online gaming EQT will, together with Freepik's founders, support the Company's accelerated growth and further penetration of existing markets, by leveraging EQT's strong digital and sector expertise, its global platform and extensive advisory network STOCKHOLM, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The EQT Mid Market Europe fund ("EQT" or "EQT Mid Market") has entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake of Freepik Company ("Freepik" or "the Company") from its founders and management team, who will remain as minority owners. Freepik's management team, including the Co-Founders, Alejandro and Pablo Blanes and Joaquin Cuenca, will continue to lead the Company, building on its strong track record of growth and product innovation. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Malaga, Spain, Freepik supports 32 million monthly visitors in over 200 markets through a high-quality and curated library of over 10 million graphic resources, including icons, vectors, photos, and templates. Freepik transformed the visual content and online graphic design market, thanks to its innovative freemium business model, yielding a superior price-to-quality value proposition. The business model is based on a unique, data-driven approach to content sourcing and creation, leveraging consumer demand insights from 5 billion downloads to date. The Company, which operates under the Freepik, Flaticon and SlidesGo brands, is today the global leader in its space and is the largest freemium provider of digital visual content in the world. Freepik's growth is evidenced by a rapidly expanding community of 20 million registered users who are supported by a network of over 450 in-house freelancer graphical designers and a strong external contributor base. Freepik's underlying market is supported by fast-growing, digital-first industries, including game design, social media and digital advertising. These segments have proven to be resilient, through downturns and recessions and are backed by favorable secular megatrends, such as the increasing shift to digital advertising, the global democratization of content production through social media and the surge in mobile media and online gaming. EQT will support Freepik's accelerated growth and continued pursuit of commercial excellence by investing in the Company's proprietary content library, and its UX and tech platform, including AI and tool integration capabilities. Moreover, by leveraging EQT's digital expertise and global presence, Freepik plans to further penetrate existing markets, such as US and Asia, ultimately, aiming to become the market leading and go-to platform for online content creators and functional users around the world. Victor Englesson, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market, said: "We are impressed by Freepik's achievements and EQT is proud to partner with its Co-Founders to help achieve its full potential. Freepik is supported by numerous positive secular megatrends and represents a truly thematic investment, which fits strongly with EQT's focus on growth investments and partnerships with world class management teams." Joaquin Cuenca, Co-Founder of Freepik, said: "We are very excited to partner with EQT and look forward to working together. EQT's digital and sector expertise, global platform, combined with local presence across Europe, the US and Asia, as well as its extensive network of advisors will be key to our future success and of great value for the strengthening of our management team." Carlos Santana, Managing Director at EQT Partners and Head of EQT Private Equity in Spain, concluded: "Freepik is the leading freemium player and go-to platform for online creators and functional users. EQT looks forward to supporting Freepik's continued growth trajectory and its plans to further cement the Company's global leading market position. The acquisition of Freepik demonstrates EQT's long-term commitment to Spain, even in tougher times, and the ambition to support local businesses in becoming global." Alejandro Blanes, Co-Founder of Freepik, said: "We couldn't be more thrilled at the prospect of partnering with EQT. They have a proven track record of helping founder led and tech companies, like ours, successfully take the next step of their journey. We have always had the ambition of leaving a positive mark in the creative industry; we are now better placed than ever to deliver on that." In line with the commitment to invest in sustainable businesses, EQT will accelerate Freepik's growth as its supports local and industry technological innovation by underpinning the democratization of digital content. By enabling independent freelancers to monetize their creative work and customers to shift from offline to online digital innovation using its library of digital content, Freepik contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals #8 and #9. The transaction is expected to close subject to customary approvals in June 2020. The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction value. Allen & Overy served as legal advisors to EQT, Freshfields on tax, BCG on commercial, KPMG on financial and LionTree on M&A. Drake Star Partners, Deloitte and Callol, Coca & Asociados served as advisors to Freepik. EQT Press office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46-8-506-55-334 About EQT EQT is a differentiated global investment organization with more than EUR 62 billion in raised capital and around EUR 40 billion in assets under management across 19 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America with total sales of more than EUR 27 billion and approximately 159,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership. More info: www.eqtgroup.com Follow EQT on Twitter and LinkedIn About Freepik Freepik supports approximately 32 million monthly visitors, leveraging consumer demand insights from 5 billion downloads to date, to create over 10 million high quality and curated graphic resources across icons, vectors, photos, and templates. Freepik is a global leader in the fast-growing visual content, online graphic design and digital media space, thanks to a disruptive business model and a unique, data-driven approach to content sourcing and in-house content production, supporting a rapidly growing community of 20 million registered users. More info: www.freepik.com Contacts: Victor Englesson Partner at EQT Partners Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market +46-708-481-411 Carlos Santana Managing Director at EQT Partners Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market and Head of EQT Private Equity in Spain +34-91-08-30-559 EQT Press office press@eqtpartners.com +46-8-506-55-334 This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/eqt/r/eqt-acquires-freepik-company--the-global-leading--freemium-provider-of-digital-visual-content,c3121880 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/87/3121880/1254957.pdf Press Release EQT MMEU Freepik 200528 SOURCE EQT Vietnam third best on child rights in Southeast Asia: survey A teacher visits children at a village in Quang Tri Province in central Vietnam during the Covid-19 pandemic to teach them how to wash hands, March 26, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Tao. A global ranking on child rights placed Vietnam at 57th out of 182 economies, third best in Southeast Asia following Thailand and Malaysia. Vietnam scored an average 0.786 out of 1, putting the country ahead of many of its Asian neighbors in promoting child rights, according KidsRights Index 2020 released by KidsRights Foundation, an international aid and advocacy organization. The country has done better than Asian peers like China (109th), India (113rd) and Australia (135th) in terms of protecting its children. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam stood above Singapore (65), Brunei (70), the Philippines (80th), Indonesia (110), Laos (117th), Cambodia (128th) and Myanmar (131st). Iceland topped the ranking where child rights are best guaranteed, followed by Switzerland and Finland. The Netherlands-based organization ranked 182 countries and territories around the world based on five metrics including the right to life, right to health, right to education, right to protection and the enabling environment for child rights, using data and evidence collected from the United Nations' Committee on the Rights of the Child. The index is not an absolute ranking of countries where children have the best life but scores nations relative to their capacity in implementing child rights. Of all categories, Vietnam performed better in promoting the right to life, securing 84th place with a score of 0.835, and performed worst in the health indicator, ranking 109th with a score of 0.839. The country fared poorly in the education category, ranking 92nd while it came in 87th in ensuring child protection. According to official statistics, Vietnam has 24.7 million children as of June last year, accounting for 25.7 percent of its total population of 96 million. Vietnam has cut its child labor rate by two thirds since 2000 to 9 percent. Its progress in tackling poverty has improved living conditions for many families and reduced their need to send children to work. The country has been implementing a national campaign to prevent child labor since 2016. In 2018, the country launched a Zero Hunger program that seeks to lower malnutrition rates and stunted growth through improved nutrition and sustainable food production. Kidsrights Foundation stated the fallout from measures taken by the governments to reduce the spread of Covid-19 would have lasting effects on children globally. School closures in 188 countries and territories affect 1.5 billion children, leaving them vulnerable to child labor, child marriage and teenage pregnancy. "Millions of children were out of school for a long period and we see especially in developing countries that, even after the easing of lockdown, there is an enormous drop-off rate, with large numbers of children failing to return," said Marc Dullaert, foundation chairman. In Vietnam, over 22 million students only returned to school this month after around three months of pandemic break. Courtesy Ira Latrell Toles Ira Latrell Toles didnt immediately recognize Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin in the now-viral video of him holding his knee on George Floyds neck as the handcuffed black man repeatedly told him he couldnt breathe. But when news outlets identified the officers involved, Toles, 33, realized the man responsible for Floyds death was the same police officer who barged into his home and beat him up in the bathroom before shooting him in the stomach 12 years earlier while responding to a domestic violence call. The officer that killed that guy might be the one that shot me, Toles texted his sister on Tuesday night, according to messages shared with The Daily Beast. They said his last name and I think it was him. Its him, his sister instantly replied. On Tuesday, Chauvin was one of four officers fired for his involvement in Floyds death, which has sparked protests across the country and calls for a federal hate-crime investigation. Local outlets reported that Chauvin was the officer who knelt on Floyds neck for several minutesas the 46-year-old pleaded, Im about to die. Floyd had no pulse when he was finally put into an ambulance. Burn It Down. Let Them Pay: Deadly Chaos Erupts in Minneapolis as Fires Rage Over Police Violence Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday called for Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to arrest and charge Chauvin with Floyds death. Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail? If you had done it, or I had done it, we would be behind bars right now, Frey said in a news conference. Toles believes that Floyds horrific death could have been prevented if Chauvin was properly punished for his violent arrest in May 2008. He said that while he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor chargeand still suffers pain from the bullet hole in his lower stomachChauvin continued his career at the Minneapolis Police Department with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. If he was reprimanded when he shot me, George Floyd would still be alive, the IT professional said. Story continues Authorities said that just before 2 a.m on May 24, 2008, officers responded to a domestic violence call at an apartment complex on Columbus Ave South. The 911 operator could hear a woman yelling for somebody to stop hitting her, local media reported at the time. Toles, who was then 21, admits that the mother of his child called the cops on him that night, but he was surprised when several officers showed up without announcing themselves. When I saw that he breached the front door, I ran in the bathroom, Toles told The Daily Beast. Then [Chauvin] starts kicking in that door. I was in the bathroom with a cigarette and no lighter. The 33-year-old said that Chauvin broke into the bathroom and started to hit him without warning. Toles said he returned blows to the officer because my natural reaction to someone hitting me is to stop them from hitting me. All I could do is assume it was the police because they didnt announce themselves or ever give me a command, he said. I didnt know what to think when he started hitting me. I swear he was hitting me with the gun. According to local news reports, Chauvin shot and wounded Toles after he allegedly reached for an officers gun. Toles said he doesnt remember being shotjust being walked through the apartment until I collapsed in the main entrance where I was left to bleed until the paramedics came. I remember my baby mother screaming and crying also, he added. Toles was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he said he stayed for about three days. There, he learned Chauvin had shot him at such close range that the bullet went through his groin and came out his left butt cheek before hitting the bathroom wall. The wound, he said, left a hole that never really closed and is so large he can still stick a finger inside. Once he was released from the hospital, Toles said he was taken directly to court, where he was charged with two felony counts of obstructing legal process or arrest and a misdemeanor count of domestic assault. I would assume my reaction would be to try to stop him from hitting me. If his first reaction was hitting me in the face that means I cant see and Im too disoriented to first locate his gun and then try to take it from him and for what? Toles said. To turn a misdemeanor disorderly situation into a felony situation that could have resulted in me dying? He tried to kill me in that bathroom. Toles said he only spent a day or two in jailwhere he was denied pain pillsfor the charges before he was released. Three months later, he said he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge as part of a deal. Chauvin and the other officers involved were put on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into the shootinga standard procedure for the Minneapolis Police Departmentbut were later placed back into the field. I knew he would do something again, Toles said. I wish we had smartphones back then. The Minneapolis Police Department did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment. Chauvin, 44, is one of four officers who responded to a suspected forgery in process on Monday nightalong with Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao. In the gut-wrenching, 10-minute video recorded by a bystander, Chauvin is seen pressing his knee on Floyds neck while Thao stands guard, trying to keep upset bystanders at bay. Please, please, please, I cant breathe. Please, man, Floyd says in the footage that does not show the beginning of the arrest. Im about to die, he says. A Minneapolis Fire Department report said Floyd did not have a pulse when he was loaded into an ambulance. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly after in what police described as a medical incident. We are looking and demanding that these officers be arrested and charged with the murder of George Floyd, Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney representing the 46-year-olds family, told The Daily Beast on Thursday. My hope is that there will be effective and courageous leadership that will speak to the value of George Floyds life as an example to the world that black lives matter. Its time for a change in Minneapolis. Chauvin, who joined the force in 2001, has also been involved in several other police-involved shootings throughout his career. According to Communities United Against Police Brutality, 10 complaints have been filed against the now-former police officerbut Chauvin only ever received two verbal reprimands. In 2006, Chauvin was involved in the fatal shooting of 42-year-old Wayne Reyes, who allegedly stabbed two people before reportedly turning a gun on police. Chauvin was among six officers to respond to the stabbing. A year prior, Chauvin and another officer were also chasing a car that then hit and killed three people, according to Communities United Against Police Brutality. In 2011, the officer was also one of five officers placed on a standard three-day leave after the non-fatal shooting of a Native American man. The officers returned to work after the department determined that they had acted appropriately. The citys Civilian Review Authority, which lists complaints prior to September 2012, shows five more complaints against Chauvin, which were closed without discipline. A prisoner at a Minnesota correctional facility sued Chauvin and seven other officers for alleged violations of his federal constitutional rights in 2006, although the case was dismissed and the details were not clear. Toles said that while he has not protested himself, he believes this horrific incident is a watershed moment for the Minneapolis Police Departmentan agency that he says has become the butt of a joke in the black community. We joke about it in the black community but we know that a white person calling the cops on us is gonna go in their favor, he said. The 33-year-old added that while he believes Floyd's death will finally bring change and reform that is necessary for Minneapolis, its outraged residents who will ensure that justice is finally seen. He added that while he never filed a complaint in 2008, he is now looking to sue the Minneapolis Police Department for the violent incident. Weve all reached our tipping point. Water boils at 212 degrees, he said. Were at 600. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Description GIS - 28 May 2020: The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, expressed deep gratitude to the health personnel of the country, who have become national heroes, in the fight against Covid-19 on behalf of the Mauritian population and in his own name, today at the Flacq Hospital. He was speaking at a ceremony held at the Flacq Hospital to pay tribute to the frontliners of the health sector. The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, and the frontliners of the health sector, were present. A one-minute silence was observed for citizens who have lost their lives to the Covid-19. Following the ceremony, the Prime Minister visited the Covid-19 testing centre set up at the Hospital. It is recalled that such centres have been set up across the other regional hospitals to screen patients who have Covid-19 symptoms and thus help curb the spread of disease in Mauritius. In his statement, Mr Jugnauth observed that, if today, Mauritius has recorded no new Covid-19 local positive case over more than a month, it is largely due to the dedication of the healthcare personnel, as well as to the treatment administered, that has ensured that the 322 patients out of the 334 recorded cases, have been successfully treated. The Prime Minister also highlighted that the sanitary protocol, including the quarantine measures, in place in Mauritius has effectively held in check the Covid-19. Moreover, he paid homage to those who have succumbed to the Covid-19, among whom a great professional of the health sector, Dr Bruno Cheong. Therefore, to honour him, Government has decided to rename the Flacq Hospital as the Dr Bruno Cheong Hospital, he announced. Similarly, to Dr Cheong, the work of the healthcare personnel has not been an easy one and everyone was mobilised way before the first cases appeared in Mauritius, said Mr Jugnauth. They have worked 24/7 to ensure that health services are ready to face the challenge when the disease would appear in Mauritius and they have given their best to protect the population by taking up numerous risks, the Prime Minister stated. Furthermore, he observed that history will recognise the contributions made by the healthcare personnel as a whole in these dire moments as well as the extraordinary work of Officers of the Ministry of Health and Wellness to screen citizens who have been suspected to carry the virus or who have been in contact with contaminated patients. The work accomplished by the contact tracing team has been incredible, and, presently advanced economies are starting to implement the contact tracing system, Mr Jugnauth indicated. According to him, Mauritius is now embarking on a new phase which will lead to easing the lockdown, and all efforts and precautionary measures are evolving in a positive direction. He expressed conviction that the health of the population will remain well protected thanks to the professionalism of the healthcare personnel. The Prime Minister also appealed to the population to remain cautious and expressed pride that Mauritius is among the first on the African continent to have carried out mass screenings. On the global level, when compared to the United Kingdom and Germany we are carrying out more tests but this fight will continue, he recalled. We will return to a new sense of normal but continue follow sanitary measures, he added. For his part, Minister Jagutpal, lauded the Prime Ministers commitment vis-a-vis the health sector and in ensuring the safety of the population by rolling out precautionary measures to face the Covid-19 challenge. Speaking about Covid-19 figures for Mauritius, the Minister stated that no new positive case being reported for over a month denote that sanitary measures have been well implemented. All of this has been made possible with the collaboration of all frontliners comprising health personnel, Police Force, contact tracing teams, as well as the population, to contain the spread of the virus, he stated. Covid-19 is still a pandemic and is still present in the world, and therefore we have to be alert, he warned. #ResOuLakaz #BeSafeMoris Government Information Service, Prime Ministers Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius. Email: gis@govmu.org Website: http://gis.govmu.org Mobile App: Search Gov Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 11:50:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Libya's National Center for Disease Control on Wednesday reported 22 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, the highest daily increase so far. In a statement on Wednesday, the center said it received 69 suspected samples, of which 20 tested positive, adding that one patient has died from the novel coronavirus. Before that, the center said it tested 218 suspected samples, 216 of which were detected to be negative and 2 positive. Most of the new cases are people who recently returned from abroad, according to the center. The Libyan authorities have extended the curfew against the virus for 10 days starting from Thursday May 28, to begin from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. local time. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Libya stands at 99 with 40 recoveries and 4 deaths, according to the center. The curfew is among the precautionary measures the Libyan authorities have taken against the COVID-19 pandemic, which also include border closures, a ban on public gatherings and mosque and school shutdowns. Enditem The Texas Department of Transportation will be hosting virtual meetings for those interested in learning about specific projects in the Amarillo and Lubbock areas. A meeting for the Amarillo area occurred on Tuesday but those interested in the information can view the pre-recorded video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EllMG2aItSc&feature=youtu.be. Prerna Bhutani, a partner at venture capital firm India Quotient has stepped down from her role to pursue her entrepreneurial plans, said two people aware of the matter, requesting anonymity as the discussion is private. Bhutani informed her fellow partners - Anand Lunia, Madhukar Sinha and Gagan Goyal - last month of her decision to step down, and will not be making any further new investments from India Quotients third fund which it is currently investing from. She will continue to serve on the boards of her existing portfolio companies such as lending startup LoanTap and online fashion store FabAlley for the imminent future. Bhutani did not immediately reply to queries from Moneycontrol. Bhutani has been a partner at the firm since 2016. India Quotient was started by Lunia and Sinha in 2012. The firm has broken out from many smaller Indian VC firms and angel networks, led by its bet on regional language social network ShareChat, from which it bagged a 25x return in 2018. It has gone from a $5 million first fund and $16 million second fund to its current primary third fund of $60 million, in addition to a $40 million add-on fund, dedicated to top-ups for portfolio firms. Last year, Goyal was also officially made a full-time partner. Bhutani will serve as a venture partner, in a diminished role at India Quotient for some period, as she transitions to her new startup. However in the long run, she will move away full time to her startup, people aware of the matter, added. "Prerna has been a key partner in our firm and has lead consumer and fintech investments for us. She is taking a break from active investing to explore entrepreneurial opportunities. She will continue to spend substantial time as a Venture Partner and will continue working with her investee companies," managing partner Lunia said in response to Moneycontrol's queries. Bhutani also has her roots in entrepreneurship. From 2010-2012 she was the co-founder and CEO of One Call India, an online home services company. After that, she was also co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Red Quanta, a mystery shopping startup from 2012-2015. This involves collecting information for brands. Experienced partners leaving venture capital funds is generally uncommon, given that it is seen as a 10-year life cycle from raising a fund to seeing companies exit. Most of the money that early-stage venture capital partners make is also closer to the end of the lifecycle. VC partners earn carried interest, commonly known as carry, a profit share earned when a company exits via an IPO or merger. With exceptions, limited partners, the people who invest in VC funds, prefer stability in partnership and a team that remains together across funds and investments. Senior VCs generally leave to raise a fund by themselves or to become an entrepreneur. A prominent California couple who met and fell in love at a World War II internment camp for Japanese-Americans 78 years ago have died within days of one another. Elizabeth Yamada, 90, succumbed to COVID-19 on May 20, just nine days after her husband, Joseph, died following a battle with dementia. Elizabeth was the first Asian teacher at San Diego High School, and later sat on boards for government agencies, colleges, museums and foundations, according to The Los Angeles Times. Joseph was a noted architect who helped design SeaWorld and the University of California San Diego. The pair were both born to Japanese immigrants in San Diego in 1930 - but did not meet until their families were forcibly incarcerated at Poston World War II internment camp in Arizona. Elizabeth Yamada, 90, succumbed to COVID-19 on May 20, just nine days after her husband, Joseph, died following a battle with dementia. The pair first fell in love at an internment camp for Japanese-Americans in 1942 Poston opened just months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Between 1942 and 1945, up to 120,000 Japanese-Americans were forced from their homes and shipped off to internment camps under an order signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan apologized for the internment of Japanese-Americans, saying government's actions at the time were based on 'race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.' Poston was barely inhabitable, with rows and rows of hurriedly constructed tar-papered barracks 'where sand drifted in through the walls and scorpions crawled up through the floors'. Its location in the middle of the desert meant extreme heat in the summer and extreme cold in the winter. In a 2006 interview, Elizabeth recalled being sent to the camp with only one suitcase. Not even her father - who had obtained a Master's degree from Princeton - was immune from incarceration. Elizabeth and Joseph were forcibly incarcerated at Poston World War II internment camp in Arizona between 1942 and 1945 Poston was barely inhabitable, with rows and rows of hurriedly constructed tar-papered barracks 'where sand drifted in through the walls and scorpions crawled up through the floors' In 1988, President Ronald Reagan apologized for the internment of Japanese-Americans, saying government's actions at the time were based on 'race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership' However, just days after arriving at the camp, aged 11, she met Joseph Yamada, and the course of her life changed forever. After they were freed from Poston in 1945, both Elizabeth and Joseph completed high school in San Diego. They both went on to study at the University of California Berkeley and married in the 1950s. The couple had three children while both enjoying career success. Elizabeth taught English at San Diego High School, while Joseph became a partner at a prominent architectural firm in the city. His designs helped shaped the look and feel of San Diego, with a colleague telling The Times: 'There was a sensitivity that entered into everything he did. His creativity meant that each project had its own personality.' Elizabeth and Joseph both obtained degrees from the University of California Berkeley. Elizabeth became the first Asian teacher at San Diego High School, while Joseph became a partner in a prominent San Diego architecture firm Elizabeth later became a partner in her husband's architectural firm, and established herself as a prominent speaker and writer - compiling stories about the experiences of Japanese-Americans who were forced to spend time in internment camps. But despite their individual success, the pair remained inseparable from one another. Their told The Times it is no surprise that they died within days of one another. 'They raised us with a little bit of everything. They were open to anyone and everything,' son Garrett told the publication. Realized by researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia and University of Ferrara, DIEGO is an innovative engineering solution composed by a respiratory bag (Ambu-like) coupled with an electric motor which manoeuvres a lever. Its simple design makes the device to be easily replicable and quickly available to be used in an emergency scenario where it is difficult to purchase new medical instruments. Credit: IIT-UniFe The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in collaboration with the University of Ferrara (UNIFE) has created DIEGO (Device for Inspiration and Expiration, Gravity Operated) the first totally mechanical emergency lung ventilator for the artificial respiration of patients in conditions of severe respiratory failure. The innovative engineering solution is a respiratory bag (Ambu-like) coupled with an electric motor that manoeuvres a lever; its simple design is easily replicable and quickly available for use in an emergency scenario where it is difficult to purchase new medical instruments. The device design is an open source project and can be found on IIT dedicated website: https://www.iit.it/iit-vs-covid-19/diego-ventilator DIEGO was developed by Luciano Fadiga, full professor of physiology at University of Ferrara, Giulio Sandini, full professor of bioengineering at the University of Genoa and research director at IIT, and Diego Torazza, design engineer at IIT. The IIT-UNIFE DIEGO has been conceived as an emergency tool to be used temporarily in situations of serious need to provide artificial ventilation to patients. The device can vary the frequency of respiration, from five to 30 breaths per minute, responding to different patients' breathing conditions. Moreover, the system is protected by a plastic fairing that is fully sanitizable. DIEGO uses a common respiratory bag (Ambu-like) coupled with an electric motor that activates a lever, where a weight is placed. The motor cyclically raises and lowers the mass that compresses the bag under the action of gravity. The basic idea is that the electric motor that makes DIEGO work does not compress the respiratory bag, but periodically lifts the weight from the bag, releasing it after each respiration. With this simple system, adjustments such as volume, inspiration and expiration duration and pressure are all determined mechanically without the use of electronics or complex instruments. The device is powered by a medical grade AC-DC (12 V) converter, while a buffer battery (7Ah) guarantees system operation for about four hours in the event of a mains power loss. The device can be also powered with solar energy. DIEGO was designed to pass rapidly from the laboratory to hospitals. In fact, following the first laboratory tests and the after obtaining permission for clinical experimentation by the Ethics Committee of the Italian Region Emilia Romagna, the DIEGO prototype was successfully used to ventilate some voluntary patients under general anaesthesia at the hospital of Ferrara, thanks to the collaboration Paolo Carcoforo, Full Professor of Surgery at University of Ferrara. The DIEGO system is completely open source and carries the approximate cost of a mid-range mobile phone. It can therefore be made at low cost and using components that are readily available on the market, or easily manufactured. These characteristics make it particularly suitable for places where access to biomedical instruments is limited or lacking, such as health facilities facing situations of emergency or in refugee camps. DIEGO is the first ventilator invented in Italy and submitted to the Ministry of Health for coping with the COVID-19 emergencyand given the success in the operating room, researchers have started the regulatory process to obtain the CE mark as medical device class I. The DIEGO emergency ventilator is already in production at SCM Group, a leading multinational Italian company for the manufacture of numerical control machines, which is manufacturing a 2.0 prototype and considering methods for nonprofit distribution to interested hospitals. According to Giorgio Zauli, Rector of the University of Ferrara: "This project represents an example of multidisciplinary interaction which, starting from the design and the laboratory phase, makes knowledge and benefits available to everyone. This is the outcome of Italy's cultural excellence." Giorgio Metta, Scientific Director of IIT says, "The brilliant, almost Leonardesque characteristics of DIEGO's mechanics testify to the great inventive potential of our researchers. Working to solve problems and enhance technology transfer are the main objectives of IIT." Luciano Fadiga says, "It is a beautiful story. Everyone in the team took part with great enthusiasm, and it is only thanks to this that we were able to achieve these results." Giulio Sandini says, "We decided to work with great discretion until we were sure of the outcome. With the fundamental contribution of people like Diego Torazza we have created a prototype that has been working continuously for a month in our laboratories, showing great reliability." Giovanni Gemmani, president at Scm Group, concluded: "The role of industry is to support and develop projects at the technological cutting-edge, not only for business purposes but also and, above all, for the common good. For this reason, we decided to become an active part, for identifying construction solutions and materials and contributing to development of the project." Explore further Creating a low-cost ventilator for all Provided by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - IIT Hong Kong protesters rally against China's national security law at Mongkok district on May 27, 2020 in Hong Kon - Getty Images Donald Trumps administration has declared that Hong Kong is no longer highly autonomous from mainland China, escalating a stand-off with Beijing over its new national security legislation. The move indicated that the US could end some of its special trade provisions with the territory if Beijing pushes through its controversial proposed law, which is seen by critics as undercutting Hong Kong's liberty. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, released a statement announcing that he had notified Congress on the new view of Hong Kong. His department is required to provide updates on the territorys autonomy from China. I certified to Congress today that Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as US laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997, Mr Pompeo said. No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground. The move comes after Chinese officials, citing national security, announced new legislation that would criminalise anti-government movements in the territory. Senior Trump administration figures oppose the move, which comes after months of high profile democracy protests in Hong Kong, and Mr Trump himself said earlier this week that retaliatory action was coming. Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state - Mandel NGAN / AFP Hong Kong enjoys special trading and economic terms with the US compared to mainland China which reflect the one country, two systems set-up put in place when it was handed over from Britain in 1997. That special status could change, either through US government or US Congress action, on the back of Mr Pompeos announcement. Any changes could impact major Chinese and financial companies which have used Hong Kong as an international or regional base. Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, has said Mr Trump was displeased with Chinas actions over Hong, adding: Its hard to see how Hong Kong can remain a financial hub if China takes over. Story continues The announcement came as riot police fired pepper balls in Hong Kongs main business district on Wednesday to disperse protests against the proposed law. Hundreds took to the streets in different neighbourhoods, creating roadblocks, disrupting public transport and swarming malls. Some chanted, Hong Kong people, build a nation!, a direct appeal for independence from Beijing. More than 300 people were arrested by late afternoon. Unrest has reignited in Hong Kong despite social distancing rules due to the coronavirus pandemic ahead of Beijing's expected imposition this Thursday of a sweeping national security law on the global financial centre. Chinas ruling Communist Party will bypass the citys legislature to install a law that will criminalise subversion, separatism, terrorism and foreign interference the latest effort by Beijing to stamp out dissent after last years often violent mass rallies. This place will become just like any Chinese city. You will have to be aware of what you say; you will have to stay politically correct all the time, or that could cost you your job, Claudia Mo, a pro-democracy lawmaker in Hong Kong, told the Telegraph. The authorities also seem to be encouraging people to report on supposed criminals under this new law doesnt that sound familiar? she said. What they are doing amounts to conducting a Cultural Revolution, part two. Many worry the national security law will end Hong Kongs unique system of governance one country, two systems which has allowed rights and freedoms not granted in mainland China. The proposed national security legislation gives the big picture that Hong Kong will operate under one country, one system, said Ching, 18, a student. Once that happens, we wont have another chance to protest anymore. Beijing wants us to feel the fear, but we arent, and we wont, she said, declining to give a full name. I want to show the world that were not giving up the fight for what we want. Demonstrations will be construed as trying to subvert state power, said Willy Lam, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The law also aims to stop foreign organisations from operating in Hong Kong, to stop Hong Kong political parties from maintaining a good relationship with prominent politicians in the UK and US. Authorities have stressed the law is necessary for maintaining peace and stability. The decision only targets the small minority of criminals jeopardising national security, while the overwhelming majority of members of the public who are law-abiding will be protected, said John Lee, Hong Kongs secretary of security. But many fear that legal and judicial independence will quickly disappear, as foreign judges in Hong Kong will be reportedly barred from hearing cases brought under the national security law. Riot police gather to disperse protesters - Getty Images Protesters were further roiled on Wednesday as city lawmakers debated a separate bill that would criminalise insults to Chinas national anthem, punishable by up to three years in prison and fines of 50,000 yuan (5,680). The national anthem proposal is expected to pass next week. US president Donald Trump has warned that Washington would do something very interesting before the end of the week in response, deepening a row with Beijing. The US government has previously hinted that it would introduce economic sanctions if Beijing continued to encroach on Hong Kongs treasured liberties. MPs and Hong Kong activists are pressuring the UK to hold Beijing to account at the United Nations for potentially breaching the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The international treaty, which went into effect when the former colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997, is meant to guarantee Hong Kongs unique way of life. Some are pressing the UK to approve asylum applications for those fleeing the territory and to extend the right to abode or citizenship to British National Overseas passport holders. Having BNO status affords a travel document and consular assistance, but not the right to live and work in the UK. An activist known as Grandpa Wong has an argument with riot police - Bloomberg British policymakers have been faced with calls to rethink its approach toward China, as awareness increases over Beijings encroaching influence in the UK. The government is considering ways to reduce reliance on China, and to potentially reverse a decision on allowing Chinese telecom firm Huawei a role in building the countrys 5G networks. On Wednesday, Ofcom said Chinese state broadcaster had broken broadcasting rules by presenting biased coverage of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong last year. The serious failure of compliance could result in sanctions, such as hefty fines or a cancelled broadcast license, said the media regulator. But for some Hong Kong residents, international pressure on China to redirect is far too little, too late, especially as Party leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged the military to ramp up combat readiness, an ominous sign that Beijing wont hesitate to take a stronger response. I feel sad, said Karen, 36, who took a day off work to join the protests. If we have a chance, I will try to move to another country. Stephen Bear was allegedly taken into police custody after police officers were called following reports of an assault on a woman in his Essex home on May 20. The TV personality, 30, was said to have been arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm during a row with his girlfriend, but was subsequently released on bail, the Daily Star reported on Thursday. A source speaking to the publication claimed: 'It all stemmed from Bear accusing her of cheating on him. Claim: Stephen Bear has been 'arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm after argument with his girlfriend', it was reported on Thursday 'The woman said she would go around in the morning to explain, which she did, and he took her phone off her started reading all the messages. 'Bear found out she had allegedly been speaking to another guy and he lost it.' In a statement to the Daily Star, Essex police said: 'We received a report on 20 May that a woman had been assaulted at an address in Loughton. A 30 year-old man was arrested on suspicion of ABH. He has since been released on bail.' MailOnline have contacted Stephens representatives and Essex police for comment. Footage: On May 20, Stephen filmed as he was flanked by three policemen after seemingly arguing with his girlfriend, and this is said to be the day when he was taken into custody Arrest: In a statement to the Daily Star, Essex police said: 'A 30 year-old man was arrested on suspicion of ABH. He has since been released on bail' (pictured: Stephen on May 23) On May 20, Stephen filmed as he was flanked by three policemen on his doorstep, after seemingly getting into an argument with his girlfriend. The reality personality was heard in his own Instagram story asking the officers whether they'd be upset if their girlfriends 'f**ked someone else'. Stephen filmed the three men as they waited outside his house with him, with one seemingly guarding the front door. Sounding frantic, Stephen accused his girlfriend - whose identity is not known - of cheating on him and then coming home to him and denying it straight after. He was heard off-camera saying: 'With the boys today - how's it going chaps?' This was met by silence from the policemen, after which the Ex On The Beach star asked one of them: 'Would you be angry if your girlfriend f**ked someone else, brother?' The sheepish officer guarding the door replied: 'Not my place... I dont' have [a girlfriend].' Turning the camera to one of the others, Stephen asked: 'Would you be angry mate? If your bird f**ked someone else?' Candid camera: Stephen filmed the three men as they waited outside his house with him, with one seemingly guarding the front door. Frantic Stephen accused his girlfriend - whose identity is not known - of cheating on him and then coming home to him and denying it straight after Doorstep drama: 'Would you be angry if your girlfriend f**ked someone else, brother?' Stephen asked, to which the sheepish officer guarding the door replied - 'Not my place... I dont' have [a girlfriend]' The officer mumbled something in return, to which the third chimed in: 'Mate, listen, I don't know what's going on. I'm not going to start saying anything that's...' Stephen then cut in, declaring: 'She left my house last night and f**ked someone else and then came round mine afterwards and denied it and I saw all the messages!' He then turned the camera away from the officers and up to the sun in the sky adding: 'I want to be left alone!' The video then came to an end. MailOnline approached Stephen for comment at the time. Denied: Stephen was rumoured to be dating TOWIE's Yazmin Oukhellou, but a source close to the star asserted this was not the case, ruling her involvement out of Wednesday's doorstep altercation It's not known who the woman in question is - although Stephen's allegations also suggest she not only cheated on the former Celebrity Big Brother winner but also flouted the UK's lockdown rules. The government asserts that people should not leave their own home and visit those in other households, and should remain 2m away from others at all times. If she does not live with Stephen - or the person she allegedly cheated on him with - she has flouted the rules set out to suppress the current COVID-19 pandemic. Stephen was rumoured to be dating TOWIE's Yazmin Oukhellou, but a source close to the star asserted this was not the case, ruling her involvement out of Wednesday's doorstep altercation. Ex files: Stephen counts fellow reality stars Charlotte Crosby [pictured] and Georgia Harrison as his exes She's over it: Georgia experienced a volatile romance with the hunk The pair were spotted cuddling as Yazmin locked up her boutique before heading to dinner at a local Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant last month. Despite their cosy display, a source close to Yazmin told MailOnline: 'Bear and Yazmin are just friends, shes far too busy running her businesses to be dating anyone right now.' Yazmin is currently single following her split from James Lock, who she dated on and off for two years, before splitting last year. Stephen counts fellow reality stars Charlotte Crosby and Georgia Harrison as his exes. The latter experienced a volatile romance with the hunk, with a source exclusively telling MailOnline last July that the Love Island star, 24, was locked out of the hotel room she shared with Bear as he went off with another girl in front of her. It's over: A source exclusively told MailOnline that the Love Island star, 24, was locked out of her shared hotel room with the Celebrity Big Brother winner, 29, as he went off with another girl in front of her [pictured together, left, with Theo Campbell, right] Locked out: They added that Bear then tried to lie about barricading their room, which left Georgia without medication following a monkey bite, pretending he had instead 'passed out' [Georgia's monkey bite pictured on her Instagram] The source added that he then tried to lie about barricading their room, which left Georgia without medication following a monkey bite, pretending he had instead 'passed out'. Georgia is said to be strong enough to deal with the betrayal and will never take him back, especially after he cruelly branded her a 'rump and dump' on Instagram. The source said: 'Georgia is strong enough to deal with being treated this way but she feels sorry for girls that are young and impressionable and could really be emotionally damaged by men like Bear. 'Basically Bear said he was in love with Georgia and wanted her to be his girlfriend etc. She knew it was all chat but she was having fun out there anyway. 'They were staying in a hotel together then he went off with another girl in front of her and locked her out the room. Explosive: Georgia and Bear were filmed having an explosive argument in Thailand in which the Love Island beauty was seen throwing a book at the reality star 'Two days earlier Georgia had been bitten by a monkey and needed her medication to avoid getting infections, but couldn't get in the room because of Bear. 'She asked the hotel to open the door for her but Bear had barricaded it from the inside so nobody could get in. Then the next day he tried to act like he just passed out and lied to her about it.' Georgia and Stephen were filmed having an explosive argument at the time, in which the Love Island beauty was seen throwing a book at the reality star. Explaining their blazing row, the source continued: 'The reason she threw a book at him was because she wouldn't leave him alone and kept following her around. 'Bear has hurt so many girls and s*****d off Charlotte Crosby to Georgia all the time. Georgia's friends like Nicole Bass, tried to warn her about him but she followed her heart instead. Now thankfully shell never take him back.' Community TV broadcasters Channel 31 Melbourne and Channel 44 Adelaide have planned a week of action next week in their battle to remain on the air past June 30. From July 1 they will be forced to cease traditional broadcasting and continue as an online-only proposition. This comes despite an increase in audiences during the lockdown of 23%. Shane Dunlop, manager Channel 31 Melbourne, said, Behind the scenes we have been working closely with all sides of Federal politics and are pleased to have received bi-partisan support for Community Television. These efforts have culminated in a motion that will be put to all voting Senators on June 10th, we know that the motion will be supported with a majority vote. This is a fantastic result, but ultimately doesnt change anything. Our ongoing licence sits firmly with the presiding Minister and thus far our interactions with Paul Fletcher have proven that he remains steadfast in his position to not renew. In their campaign CTV is urging supporters to use the #KeepLocalTV hashtag and to tag Communications Minister Paul Fletcher (@PaulFletcherMP) in social media posts. A petition is also running at Change.org. Perhaps she should have posed in front of Costco instead. Im talking about Tammy Murphy. Over the Memorial Day weekend, Gov. Phil Murphys wife posted on Facebook a photo of herself standing in a line. The caption read, Social distancing line at Muellers Bakery in Bay Head! Please remember to support small businesses if you can. The response was not what she might have expected. Your husband has singlehandedly destroyed small businesses across the entire state He is a tyrannical dictator who is violating civil liberties said one commenter. Another said, I am a small business owner and this post is actually making me sick A post like this is a halfhearted attempt to virtue-signal that you care about small business but in practice its obvious you do not. Well its certainly obvious to the guy who runs the surf shop down the street from the bakery. Normally, Memorial Day Weekend would be second only to July 4 for shops along the Shore as visitors stock up for the summer on beach supplies. Not this year. Back in March, the Murphy administration issued a complex set of regulations that permitted the big-box stores to engage in business as usual while small businesses were shut down as non-essential. I guess the Beach House surf shop could be seen as non-essential - if you didnt depend on it for your familys income. But it sure seemed essential to owner Eric Beyer. For the first two months of Murphys lockdown, the shop was shuttered. Last week Murphy deigned to let small businesses open but only for curbside delivery to those who had paid in advance online. That made no sense, Beyer said. You can go and buy a cheap Chinese-made surfboard in Costco, but you cant come into my store and buy a handmade American one, Beyer said. Meanwhile if you want to buy a bar of wax you have to download an app to your phone. Then you can send Beyer a buck and hell hand over the wax. After Beyer noticed that bicycle shops are permitted to open under an exception for exercise equipment, Beyer emailed the state to argue that surfing is great exercise. They emailed back to deny his request. If I ever hear the word nonessential business again ... he said. This is where Costco comes in. And it came in frequently at a Freedom March of New Jersey rally held on Memorial Day in neighboring Point Pleasant Beach along with Home Depot, Target, WalMart and other big-box stores that were permitted to remain open during Murphys lockdown. The rally featured a couple of Republican state senators, one from a district in the northernmost part of the state and another from a district in the southernmost part. Both Joe Pennacchio of Morris County and Mike Testa of Cape May County weighed in on a theme that was repeated through the day, the unequal treatment of small businesses. "Thousands of people are strolling through Home Depot every day buying widgets and gadgets, yet we're denying our small businesses the right to sell those same widgets and gadgets," Pennacchio said. Mike Testa, whose district includes tourist towns like Ocean City and the Wildwoods, brought up a couple of gaffes the governor has made. One was Murphys statement to Fox New TV talker Tucker Carlson about how the Bill of Rights is above my pay grade. Can you imagine how an elected official who places their right hand on a Bible and takes an oath to uphold the constitution of the United States and New Jersey can have the audacity to say the Bill of Rights is above his pay grade? he asked. (He has filed a suit to reverse Murphys mandate.) He also brought up another example of the governors arrogant approach to critics. That was the governors declaration that those unhappy with how his labor commissioner handled unemployment claims should go to another state. This is our state, Testa said. Who is he to tell us to leave the state? The crowd went wild, as they did when Testa attacked Murphys definitions of essential and non-essential. Think how insane this is, he said. A liquor store and a marijuana dispensary: essential. Your church: nonessential. We have to stop the insanity, and its groups like this that will stop the insanity. Actually, the group that really mattered was not at the rally but in the long line of cars going by. Driver after driver honked horns and gave the thumbs-up sign in support of the protest. Theres a message in that for the governor. And if Phil Murphy hasnt gotten it yet, he ought to read the comments on the first ladys Facebook page. Id even say thats essential BELOW - A VIDEO OF THE RALLY (TESTAS SPEECH IS AT 1:05): President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order paving the way for social media giants to be sued based on an administrations interpretation of bias and censorship. The action comes after Trump was angered this week by Twitter placing a fact-check label on a pair of the his tweets on mail-in voting. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the labels amounted to censorship and bias in action even though the tweets contained misinformation and were not removed by the platform. A small handful of social media monopolies controls a vast portion of all public and private communications in the United States, Trump claimed in the Oval Office. Theyve had unchecked power to censor, restrict, edit, shape, hide, alter virtually any form of communication between private citizens and large public audiences. The order seeks to allow the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission to study whether they can enact new regulations on the tech firms, which are granted liability protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, The Associated Press reported. The 1996 law treats the companies as platforms," which unlike publishers," cannot be sued for content. The order also instructs the Department of Justice to dig into allegations of bias with state attorneys general and directs the FTC to report on complaints of political bias. The move by Trump, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted Thursday as a desperate distraction from the coronavirus pandemic, is likely to face legal challenges, as the FCC and FTC are independent agencies. Some legal experts say it would hurt free speech and, in turn, the presidents own social media accounts. While Trump and the right have long claimed censorship by social media, the most recent dustup between the president and Twitter stemmed in part from Trumps insistence on repeating long-debunked conspiracy theories that MSNBC host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough engaged in a murder plot 20 years ago. Trumps frequent critique of Psycho Joe came as the host blasted the Trump administrations response to the coronavirus. Twitter did not take down the presidents tweets hinting that Scarborough may have killed intern Lori Klausutis. The platform said it was reviewing ways to update policies in such instances. But the company, which has given world leaders and newsmakers significant leeway for years by not removing posts that violate community standards, has tried to better monitor posts that misinform voters. On a pair of tweets by Trump on mail-in voting, including one in which he mischaracterized who California was sending ballots to, Twitter applied a get the facts label along with links to several stories highlighting that Trump had alleged widespread voter fraud without evidence. McEnany noted that the president is not against mail-in voting for a legitimate reason, but is firmly against states sending mail-in ballots out to voters en masse. McEnany argued that Twitter had failed to apply the same fact checks to misinformation from Chinese officials and even a Twitter employee, Yoel Roth, who in 2017 tweeted that Yes, that person in the pink hat is clearly a bigger threat to your brand of feminism than ACTUAL NAZIS IN THE WHITE HOUSE. McEnany said Twitter was quick to censor the president and quick to censor some of his top employees. While Trump has the authority to fire people in his administration, they are not his employees;" executive branch workers, including top White House aides, work for taxpayers, not Trump. No one believes in the first amendment more than the president, McEnany told reporters. The president will take action to ensure that big tech does not stifle free speech and that the rights of all Americans to speak, tweet and post are protected. But several free speech and tech advocates told The Washington Post it was the presidents order not the constitutionally-protected content decisions of private tech firms threatening free speech. The New York Times reported that Trump who often tweets incorrect statements and conspiracy theories benefits from Section 230, which shields websites from regulation over how they monitor content. If platforms were not immune under the law, then they would not risk the legal liability that could come with hosting Donald Trumps lies, defamation and threats," Kate Ruane, a senior legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, told The Times. The AP reported that the administration previously considered, and later shelved, a similar executive order after concerns it would be illegal and at odds with principles of deregulation and free speech. Pelosi in a statement said the executive order does nothing to address big internet companies complete failure to fight the spread of disinformation. Instead, the President is encouraging Facebook and other social media giants to continue to exploit and profit off falsehoods with total impunity while at the same time directing the federal government to dismantle efforts to help users distinguish fact from fiction, she said. Related Content: Think you know all that Greece has to offer? Think again, with our round up of undiscovered gems. Yes, Greece boasts fabulous beaches, world class culture, and fabulous bars and restaurants. But step off the beaten track, and youll be rewarded with a holiday like no other. TINOS Located in the Aegean Sea and a short ferry ride from Mykonos, Tinos is an unspoilt beauty waiting to be discovered. The famous church of Panagia Megalochari Evangelistria on Tinos The combination of picturesque villages and gorgeous beaches rival any of those found on the larger Greek islands, but on Tinos youll be treated to incredible examples of marble sculpture, too. According to legend, the famous sculptor of the Acropolis, Fidias, shared the secrets of his art with the Tinian locals, and you can spot this unique craft all over the islands houses, chapels, fountains and dovecotes, as well as in the Marble Arts Museum, in the village of Pyrgos. The Agioi Saranta, Pellon Art aside, Tino boasts fabulous food, too. From fresh seafood and mountain herbs to local dairy produce and wines, theres plenty to make your mouth water. Head to any taverna on the island to enjoy handpicked capers, artichokes, mushrooms and oregano, and youll never want to leave. PELION The Pelion peninsula is a truly forgotten corner of mainland Greece, but its one youll be very pleased you discovered. With quiet beaches, dreamy swimming, and lush mountainous landscapes, youll find relaxation, outdoor adventures, water sports, a rich culture and delicious food and wine. There are more than 70 stone-built villages to explore too, ranging from the mountain spots of Tsagarada and Portaria to the stunning coastal resorts of Fakistra and Agios Ioannis. Looking for an adrenaline rush? Why not go mountain biking, trek into the hills or go riding? SMALL CYCLADES The Small Cyclades are one of Greeces best kept secrets. Comprised of four charming inhabited islands with a tiny permanent population of residents, Iraklia, Schinoussa, Koufonisia and Donousa have a distinct character unlike any other in the Cyclades. Gala Beach, in Koufonisia, one of the Small Cyclades which remain some of Greece's best kept secrets There are secluded coves, azure waters, gastronomic delights and breathtaking walking trails all in abundance. But perhaps what youll love most is the unhurried way of life, the lack of crowds, and the feeling of having these little-known gems of the Aegean Sea all to yourselves. ALONISSOS The National Marine Park of Northern Sporades is home to the Mediterranean monk seal Alonissos, one of the four small islands of the Sporades island complex, is blessed with rugged natural landscapes. Take a leisurely walk through pine forests, olive groves and orchards, before heading to the National Marine Park of Northern Sporades. This sanctuary is home to rare seabirds, dolphins and the Mediterranean monk seal, and is an ideal attraction for families and wildlife enthusiasts. Catch a boat to explore the uninhabited islets around the national park, or take it easy at Milia and Marpounta beaches, before cooling off in their crystal clear waters. Stop by the picturesque harbour of Patitiri, where you can wander the pretty paved waterfront and enjoy the laid-back atmosphere as you mingle with the locals. If any of the residents offer you a fouskakia (traditional doughnut) or a tempting almond delicacy known as an amigdalota, we highly recommend you taking them up on it! Exactly six months ago, when the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) agreed to form a coalition government in Maharashtra under the Shiv Senas leadership, both allies knew that it would take a Herculean effort to run such an odd government for five years. Considering their extreme ideological differences, all three parties took a painstakingly long time to come up with a common minimum programme. Once that was decided, leaders of all three parties vouched to run the government successfully for five years and keep the BJP, which had emerged as the single-largest party by winning 105 seats despite contesting only 164 out of 288 legislative assembly seats, out of the power. However, it appears that the honeymoon period among Maharashtras ruling parties was short-lived. The state government has not been able to stop the onslaught of Covid-19 cases despite all its efforts, which seems to have weakened the alliance. At the moment, the chief minister appears to be fighting a lone battle with none of the prominent leaders from the alliance willing to share the responsibility of the failure to control the insidious pandemic. Maharashtra currently has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in India. With over 53,000 cases and 1,695 deaths so far, the state accounts for nearly third of total infections and deaths reported in the country. Mumbai, the state capital and the countrys financial centre, is facing the worst situation with over 1,000 deaths. Government and civic hospitals are overflowing with patients and even private hospitals are struggling to cope with the challenge. In such a situation, Mr Thackeray is unwilling to relax the lockdown. However, the NCP wants the government to allow some industries to resume activities. The Sharad Pawar-led party thinks that the continuation of stringent lockdown will build public opinion against the government. However, Mr Thackeray is unwilling to yield. Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhis statement that his party was not the key decision maker in Maharashtra has added further fuel to the fire. Congress leaders have been complaining that the chief minister does not consult them for key decisions. Soon after the Congress leaders statement, Mr Thackeray spoke to him over the telephone and assured him that the Congress was an equal partner in the government. As the fissures in the ruling alliance have become visible, the BJP has started mounting pressure on Mr Thackeray and accusing him of lacking leadership abilities . First, state BJP president Chandrakant Patil publicly said that the chief minister had left everything to the bureaucracy, which is running the government at present. Subsequently, several BJP leaders met the governor separately and asked him to intervene on the ground that the state government has failed to handle the pandemic. BJPs Rajya Sabha member Narayan Rane further stepped up the attack and demanded Presidents rule in the state. While former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis did not agree with Mr Ranes demand, he said that the chief minister was unwilling to take any bold decision to tackle the pandemic as he probably fears failure. Though BJP leaders have maintained that they will not do anything to topple the Thackeray government, only the politically naive will believe them. The sequence of events clearly shows BJPs strategy to gradually intensify its attack on Mr Thackeray and portray him as a weak and insecure leader before it tries to implement Operation Lotus in Maharashtra. In these difficult times, Mr Thackeray will need his alliance partners firmly behind him. If the ruling parties fail to have each others backs, they have no right to accuse the Opposition of destabilising the government. French carmaker Renault is poised to announce 15,000 layoffs worldwide on Friday as it unveils a plan to boost its profitability and cope with faltering sales, a representative for the CFDT union said after meeting with the company. Some 4,500 jobs would go in France, though largely through a voluntary departure plan and a retirement scheme, the CFDTs Franck Daout told Reuters on Thursday. Theyve insisted on the fact everything will be negotiated, Daout said, adding that unions and state bodies would be involved in talks over potential job losses in France. Renault was not immediately available for comment. The French group, which is 15% owned by the government, had earlier this year flagged a looming no taboo plan to cut 2 billion ($2.2B) in costs after posting its first loss in a decade last year. This has raised concern for some of its factories, including in France, although closures could be politically sensitive. The French government has already said it will not sign off on a planned 5 billion euro ($5.5B) state loan for Renault - an aid measure linked to the coronavirus pandemic - until management and unions conclude talks over the carmakers French workforce and plants in France. The coronavirus crisis has compounded the carmakers problems, accentuating a slump in demand which was already dragging on sales. ZF Friedrichshafen to cut up to 15,000 jobs, according to memo German car parts supplier ZF Friedrichshafen plans to reduce the workforce by up to 15,000 jobs, or around 10%, by 2025 as a result of a slump in demand, according to a memo on Thursday. ZF, which helps carmakers develop gearboxes and hybrid drivetrains, said in an email to employees that half of the 12,000-15,000 job cuts would be in Germany. The company employed 147,797 people at the end of 2019, according to its annual report. "As a result of the demand freeze on the customer side, our company will make heavy financial losses in 2020," chief executive officer Wolf-Henning Scheider wrote in the email memo that was seen by Reuters. Story continues "These losses threaten our financial independence," he wrote. "The crisis will last longer, and even in 2022 we will fall noticeably short of our targets for sales." A spokesman declined to comment. German media including DPA and Suedkurier first reported the planned cuts. (Reporting by Gilles Guillaume Sarah White and Tom Sims) Related Video: Click here to See Video >> Bachelor star Bec Chin recently welcomed her second child, a son named Johnny. And on Thursday, the former reality TV star, 32, was seen leaving the Sydney's Royal Hospital for Women with the newborn nuzzled into her chest. The makeup free brunette looked radiant and was beaming as she headed home with her bundle of joy. Heading home! Former Bachelor star Bec Chin was simply glowing as she left Sydney's Royal Hospital for Women on Wednesday after giving birth to her her second child with husband Dean Vicelich Bec was cosy and warm in an all-black outfit - a long sleeved top paired with tights, white socks and sandals. Following behind was her husband Dean Vicelich, who carried her tote bag and a small suitcase containing the mother and baby's essentials. He looked thrilled to be bringing home their new addition to their family. Doting mum: She opted for an all-black outfit - a long sleeved top paired with tights, white socks and sandals Happy dad: Following behind was her husband Dean Vicelich, who carried her tote bag and a small suitcase of the mother and baby's essentials. He appeared very happy to be bringing home their new addition to their family In a recent Instagram post, Bec explained their son was named Johnny after her father and her husband's grandfather. She also revealed that Johnny was born a little earlier than expected and called him a 'dream'. The couple are also proud parents to two-year-old daughter Savannah Rose, who was born in 2017. So sweet: In a recent Instagram post, Bec explained their son was named Johnny after her father and her husband's grandfather Proud parents: The couple are also proud parents to two-year-old daughter Savannah Rose, who was born in 2017 Bec and Dean tied the knot in a lavish ceremony held in the New South Wales' Hunter Valley in September 2018. They began dating in mid-2015, shortly after she was booted off The Bachelor. Bec first rose to fame on season three of The Bachelor as one of the 21 women vying for the heart of Sam Wood. LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / The domino effect of COVID-19 has slowly broken-down crucial parts of our lives. The economy has taken a huge detour, global fatality rates are climbing and social distancing has changed the way we live. The pandemic has also however spurred a great deal of compassion, healthcare innovation and philanthropy. Family offices all over the UK are launching initiatives to flatten the curve and join the battle against the Coronavirus. Brady Wealth Management for flattening the curve Given the existing lock down measures in the UK amid 265 thousand confirmed cases and over 37 thousand deaths, philanthropy is no easy feat. Partners at Brady Wealth Management have launched initiatives to help communities even in the midst of a lock down while respecting WHO social distancing guidelines. Managing Partner, James Hambury, is using the firm's high-end concierge services to help communities that are on heavy lockdown with effective supply distribution to those in need. Masks, gloves and cleaning supplies are to be donated to more vulnerable communities during the epidemic with curbside drop-offs and text notifications. Another community in desperate need comprises the dedicated healthcare workers and care providers. Shortages of hospital gowns, masks or any on-demand hospital equipment is part of the care package offered by Brady Wealth Management. "I found that family offices are uniquely positioned to promote social solidarity during this crisis - with the financial backing to create a positive impact for local communities, and an impactful example of families more than willing to step up and leave a positive legacy behind", says manging partner James Hambury. Families under the firm's management agree that some communities simply cannot afford to stay home, so they're making it easier for them to access essentials they would need to leave home to acquire. Setting the standards for philanthropy in the age of Corona Family offices are more than ever in a position to greatly support global economies and communities. Impact investment projects are a major trend in the industry as over 17% of the world's $50 billion under management goes to impact investment. Influential families are now uniting behind combatting corona much like many of the big initiatives led by conglomerates like Mastercard's COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator or the Wellcome Trust initiative by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. On the UK front, other more community-oriented volunteers are rising to the occasion by organising mutual aid groups to support vulnerable people during the outbreak. Covid Mutual Aid UK focuses on bridging the gap between vulnerable local groups and volunteers. The Duke of Cambridge has also been contributing through the National Emergencies Trust (NET) to unite charities and major UK bodies with an aim to raise and distribute funds for victims of such natural and extraordinary circumstances. The key to surviving pandemics is in the way people, governments and even family offices band together to protect vulnerable communities and support our social structure. Media Contact: Company : Brady Wealth Management Contact person: James Hambury Website: http://www.bradywealthmgmt.com Email: contact@bradywealthmgmt.com SOURCE: Brady Wealth Management View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/591786/Brady-Wealth-Management-Takes-Philanthropic-Initiative-to-Fight-COVID-19 The governments test and trace system hoped to limit the spread of coronavirus goes live on Thursday. The system means that people who come into close contact with a coronavirus sufferer will be told to self-isolate for 14 days. The introduction of the system is hoped to help contain the virus as the government works to ease lockdown rules. But how does the system work and what should you do if youve been in contact with someone with COVID-19? How does the NHS test and trace system work? If you have come into close contact with someone who is found to have coronavirus, you will be contacted by the NHS test and trace service via text, email or phone and told to isolate for 14 days, even if you have no symptoms. That 14 days starts from the date of your last contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19, according to the government guidance. Self-isolation means not going to work, school, or public areas or using public transport or taxis. Youre not allowed to outside even to buy food or other essentials, and any exercise must be taken within your home. What does the NHS mean by a contact? A contact is someone who has been close to someone else who has tested positive for COVID-19 anytime from two days before the person was symptomatic up to seven days from onset of symptoms. This can include: Someone you have spent significant time in the same household with Sexual partners Someone you have had face-to-face contact with (within one metre) including: being coughed on, having a face-to-face conversation, within one metre, or having skin-to-skin physical contact, or any contact within one metre for one minute or longer without face-to-face contact A person who has been within two metres of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) for more than 15 minutes Someone who has travelled in a small vehicle with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, or in a large vehicle or plane near someone who has tested positive. Story continues What if youve been in contact with someone who has tested positive but you havent been notified or told to self-isolate? According to the government advice, if you havent been notified you dont need to self-isolate. However, if youre concerned that you may have symptoms, or you live with someone who has symptoms, you must follow the the current guidance which says that person should stay home for at least seven days. All other household members must self-isolate for 14 days from the day when the first person in the household became ill. What if I think I have coronavirus? If you are concerned you have coronavirus, the government says you can order a test by dialling 119 or going to NHS.UK/coronavirus. If your test comes back positive, you will be asked to provide details of people you have been in close contact with defined as being within two metres for more than 15 minutes without protective equipment. Those people will be contacted by NHS test and trace and told to isolate for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms. Will I get into trouble if I dont follow the test and trace guidance? The government advice says initially the system will rely on people acting responsibly and following the guidance if they are told to isolate themselves. It adds: But if the system of voluntary compliance does not work, ministers will be able to bring in tougher measures which could see people potentially subjected to spot checks and fined if they are not following the rules. If Ive broken lockdown rules and mixed with people I shouldnt have, should I tell the NHS when asked to reveal my contacts? Yes, you should. The system is confidential and is aimed at tracking down potential cases, so its important you do. What if Ive already previously tested positive for coronavirus and recovered? If youre contacted by the test and trace team you still need to isolate as per the instructions. Thats because experts still dont know whether having the disease in the past means you are now immune, or whether you can still act as a carrier who can infect others. Coronavirus: what happened today 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 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday lashed out at Union Minister V Muraleedharan for alleging mismanagement of the COVID-19 situation in the state, saying that those holding responsible positions were continuing to make wrong statements. Muraleedharan, while levelling the charge, had said thatthe Union government had not asked states to mandatorily take money from repatriated expatriates. "Some from the state government have claimed that paid institutional quarantine was adopted in Kerala as per the Centres instruction. But the centre has not asked states to mandatorily take money from repatriated expatriates. It only said that there can be paid quarantine. Never did the central government ask states to take money from the poor," Muraleedharan said in Delhi. Hitting back at Muraleedharan, the chief Minister said those making such remarks should at least read the circulars issued by the Centre. Follow live updates on coronavirus here "Those in responsible posts have been making wrong statements and are still continuing to do so. They should at least read the circulars issued by the Centre and the undertakings that haveto be signed by the expatriates before returning," Vijayan said. The issue came up after the state government on Tuesday made it clear that those coming from abroad would henceforth have to pay for seven day government quarantine facilities. "Paid quarantine is for those who come from abroad. Lakhs of people want to come to Kerala. The state may not be able to handle all of them," Vijayan had said. However there was no need to worry as there would be affordable quarantine facilities for everyone, he had said. The Centre's guidelines on international arrivals state that before boarding, all travellers should give an undertaking to undergo mandatory quarantine for 14-days -- seven days paid institutional quarantine at their own cost, followed by seven days isolation at home. Vijayan dismissed Muraleedharan's charge of mismanagement of the COVID-19 in Kerala and said home quarantine was a success in Kerala and the people of the state know it. "The people of the state very well know that whether our state's home quarantine mechanism is a a success or not. When we declared that expatriatesneed to be under institutional quarantine for seven days and rest of the seven days at home quarantine, the centre had a different opinion. Now they have agreed to our policy," Vijayan said. by Nirmala Carvalho This is the first time in the history of Indian aviation that a group of private individuals organise the evacuation of stranded migrants by plane. Mumbai (AsiaNews) Alumni from the National Law School students, Bengaluru, raised enough funds in less than half a day to charter an Air Asia A320 aircraft to fly 180 migrant workers from Mumbai to Ranchi today. This is the first time in the history of Indian aviation that a group of private individuals carried out an evacuation by plane, of stranded migrants in this case. We have a commitment from the Jharkhand government that they will take care of the migrants once they reach Ranchi, said one alumnus. Funds have been put together by former students. Migrant labourers were identified through various NGO networks. Goretti Xalxo, coordinator of Pahunch, an NGO that works with tribal migrants in Vasai and Mumbai, approached former students of the National Law School to fund the flight of 20 tribal migrants cared for by the NGO, including a 2-year-old child, from Mumbai to Ranchi for their return home. This was accepted and the migrants arrived home today. Xalxo made arrangements to bring the 20 tribal migrants to Mumbai's national airport from Vasai, and personally helped them with the papers and procedures, waiting with them until they entered the passenger section of the airport. A tired Xalxo returned home early in the morning. This morning 20 tribal migrants from Jharkhand, stranded by the lockdown, without jobs, income or accommodation, flew from Mumbai airport to Ranchi, Pahunch coordinator told AsiaNews. These migrants worked as domestic workers and industrial labourers around Vasai and Mumbai, she explained. They had no money when I met them. We gave them rations for two months. They wanted to go home but had no money. "We were given an article according to which law graduates were arranging an airlift for migrants. We asked for the list of the tribals blocked in Mumbai. I approached the law graduates and spoke to the tribals, who were speechless, they couldn't believe it. Their first reaction was to wonder who would buy expensive tickets [for them]. We talked to them and counselled them. Since the lockdown was put in place, tribal migrants have experienced only cruelty, misery and even threats and beatings by the authorities. Their employers made false promises to them, and did not pay their wages. They lost their jobs and were left on the streets, without shelter or food. Thanks to benefactors, Pahunch gave them some cash so that they would have some. The airlift was a blessing for them. They left Mumbai at 6.00 am and arrived in Ranchi at 8.30 am. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren met them at the airport and arranged transport for them to their respective villages. We were told that these people were filled with emotion and joy. Jharkhands chief minister deposited 2,000 rupees in their accounts as a first cash payment. May God bless Jharkhand Chief Minister Heman Soren, said Goretti Xalxo. Photo credit: Goretti Xalxo Three men who posed as police officers to raid a secluded luxury country estate, stealing designer handbags, clothing, footwear and cash, have been jailed for a total of 11-and-a-half years. Police have today released shocking CCTV of two of the gang dressed in fake uniforms and driving what appeared to be an unmarked police car with blue flashing light, as they peer into the security camera. They hoodwinked unsuspecting residents at the private gated parkland housing estate of Ide Hill Hall in Sevenoaks, Kent into letting them in. Daniel Kelly, 41, left, and Louis Aherne, 31, right, from Charlton, south east London were part of a three-man burglary gang who impersonated police officers during a raid in Sevenoaks, Kent But once inside the Grade II listed housing complex, where homes sell for up to 1million, the raiders smashed their way into an apartment. The property was then 'completely ransacked and trashed', by the bogus officers, Maidstone Crown Court, Kent, heard. French doors were smashed, drawers and cupboards emptied, and kitchen cookware and children's toys strewn across the floor. Among the 4,000 worth of high value belongings stolen during the break-in late at night on July 9 last year while the tenants - Keri James and Joshua St. Ange - were on holiday were a Louis Vuitton handbag, Chanel trainers, iPhone and 600 cash. The keys to Mr St. Ange's BMW were also taken from the property but later found on the bonnet. The burglars also tried to ram the front door of another apartment but fled when the startled occupants - company director Peter Blakley and his wife Maeve - woke at the sound of banging and began shouting. After tricking their way into the estate, the men broke into an apartment which they trashed while stealing goods to the value of 4,000 Daniel Kelly, 41, and Louis Ahearne, 31, both from Charlton, south east London, were found guilty of burglary and attempted burglary by a jury earlier this year. The third man, 44-year-old Daniel Bowen and also from Charlton, had pleaded guilty to the same two offences ahead of the trial. The court heard he was the driver of the 'police' vehicle, a hired Renault Captur. Jailing Kelly for five years, Ahearne for four years, and Bowen for two-and-a-half years, Judge Stephen Thomas said on Tuesday they had carried out a 'serious, targeted and planned attack', disguising themselves as police 'to use to their advantage'. Ahearne was also sentenced to a further 12 months' imprisonment for an unrelated offence of possessing a prohibited weapon - a stungun - just five weeks after the Ide Hill Hall break-in. The judge ordered that it be served consecutively to his four-year jail term. The court heard father of four Kelly's criminal record dates back to the 1990s and includes previous convictions for burglary, aggravated burglary and kidnapping. The gang wore fake police uniforms to trick their way into gated estate in Ide Hill Hall in Kent The asphalt worker and aircon installer was also the first person to be jailed in the UK in 2016 for using a drone to smuggle contraband into prison. Maidstone Crown Court heard the the hired Renault Captur had been fitted with a flashing blue light to convince residents the car was a genuine police car Having successfully smashed their way into one apartment and the burglars tried to raid a second. But they fled when met with shouts from the homeowners who, together with other residents, then discovered the break-in at their neighbours' apartment and called police. The court heard the Renault had been leased from a branch of Avis in nearby Dartford, Kent, on the day of the burglary and in the name of Ahearne's brother. ANPR cameras then recorded the vehicle on the A25 near Sevenoaks shortly before the raid, and just under 90 minutes later on the A2 heading back towards London. Kelly's fingerprint was found on a rear interior door latch, and blood left on a cashbox in the apartment matched Bowen's DNA. A police-style jacket and jumper with an attached Velcro strip bearing the word 'POLICE' were also found at Kelly's home. Mr Blakley told police he was asleep in bed when he heard 'loud, aggressive' banging on his front door around midnight. 'It sounded like someone was trying to ram the front door down. Me and my wife jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs, shouting to scare anyone away,' he said. 'The banging came as a complete surprise and a complete horror. It was definitely a scary experience.' The court heard although the banging stopped before the couple reached the door, a lock had been busted and the wooden frame had splintered on impact. Indian Army unfurls national flag in Galwan valley on New Year, images go viral Words cannot do justice: PM Modi's heartfelt message to soldiers on Indian Army Day Watch: Indian Army displays new combat uniform for the first time Bomb diffused: Big Pulwama like terror attack averted in Valley India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, May 28: A major Pulwama like terror attack has been averted in Jammu and Kashmir. Security forces recovered an IED from a Santro car. The same has been diffused by the bomb disposal squad of the army and police at Avindgund, Rajpora in south Kashmir. In J&K, a 2019 Pulwama-like terror attack averted, car seized & destroyed | Oneindia News After searching the vehicle, a joint team of the 44 Rashtriya Rifles, CRPF and Pulwama police recovered the IED. All set for the kill, why Armys hit-list has most terrorists from the Hizbul Mujahideen The action was taken based on concrete intelligence that was provided four days back. The IGP of Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that a major incident of a vehicle-borne IED blast has been averted by the timely input and action by the Pulwama polices CRPF and Army. #WATCH J&K: In-situ explosion of the vehicle, which was carrying IED, by Police in #Pulwama. Major incident of vehicle-borne IED explosion was averted by Police, CRPF & Army after Pulwama Police got credible info last night that a terrorist was moving with an explosive-laden car pic.twitter.com/bs3KuAkdn0 Oneindia News (@Oneindia) May 28, 2020 The vehicle bore the number JK08, B1426. This is reportedly the number of a scooter, sources tell OneIndia. On being intercepted the terrorist present in the car managed to give the slip. Meanwhile, a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) visited the spot. It may be recalled that last week, the police was attacked by terrorists in Pulwama. Two jawans were injured in the attack. The terrorists had opened fire when the security personnel were patrolling the area. HOUSTON, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in collaboration with Medterra CBD conducted the first scientific studies to assess the potential therapeutic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) for arthritic pain in dogs, and the results could lead the way to studying its effect in humans. Researchers focused first on these animals because their condition closely mimics the characteristics of human arthritis, the leading cause of pain and disability in the U.S. for which there is no effective treatment. Published in the journal PAIN, the study first showed both in laboratory tests and mouse models that CBD, a non-addictive product derived from hemp (cannabis), can significantly reduce the production of inflammatory molecules and immune cells associated with arthritis. Subsequently, the study showed that in dogs diagnosed with the condition, CBD treatment significantly improved quality of life as documented by both owner and veterinarian assessments. This work supports future scientific evaluation of CBD for human arthritis. "CBD is rapidly increasing in popularity due to its anecdotal health benefits for a variety of conditions, from reducing anxiety to helping with movement disorders," said corresponding author Dr. Matthew Halpert, research faculty in the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Baylor. "In 2019, Medterra CBD approached Baylor to conduct independent scientific studies to determine the biological capabilities of several of its products." In the current study, Halpert and his colleagues first measured the effect of CBD on immune responses associated with arthritis, both in human and murine cells grown in the lab and in mouse models. Using Medterra tinctures, they found that CBD treatment resulted in reduced production of both inflammatory molecules and immune cells linked to arthritis. The researchers also determined that the effect was quicker and more effective when CBD was delivered encapsulated in liposomes than when it was administered 'naked.' Liposomes are artificially formed tiny spherical sacs that are used to deliver drugs and other substances into tissues at higher rates of absorption. Halpert and colleagues next assessed the effect of naked and liposome-encapsulated CBD on the quality of life of dogs diagnosed with arthritis. "We studied dogs because experimental evidence shows that spontaneous models of arthritis, particularly in domesticated canine models, are more appropriate for assessing human arthritis pain treatments than other animal models. The biological characteristics of arthritis in dogs closely resemble those of the human condition," Halpert said. Arthritis is a common condition in dogs. According to the American Kennel Club, it affects one out of five dogs in the United States. The 20 client-owned dogs enrolled in the study were seen at Sunset Animal Hospital in Houston. The dog owners were randomly provided with identical unidentified medication bottles that contained CBD, liposomal CBD, or a placebo. Neither the owners nor the veterinarian knew which treatment each dog received. After four weeks of daily treatment, owners and veterinarians reported on the condition of the dogs, whether they observed changes in the animals' level of pain, such as changes related to running or gait. The dogs' cell blood count and blood indicators of liver and kidney function also were evaluated before and after the four weeks of treatment. "We found encouraging results," Halpert said. "Nine of the 10 dogs on CBD showed benefits, which remained for two weeks after the treatment stopped. We did not detect alterations in the blood markers we measured, suggesting that, under the conditions of our study, the treatment seems to be safe." The findings support conducting studies to evaluate CBD for the treatment of human arthritis. Other contributors to this work include Chris D. Verrico, Shonda Wesson, Vanaja Konduri, Colby Hofferek, Jonathan Vazquez-Perez, Emek Blair, Kenneth Dunner Jr, Pedram Salimpour, William K. Decker. The authors are associated with Baylor College of Medicine, Sunset Animal Hospital, Valimenta Labs, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Boston University School of Medicine. This study was funded in part by a sponsored research agreement between Medterra CBD Inc and Baylor College of Medicine. This project also was supported in part by the Cytometry and Cell Sorting Core at Baylor College of Medicine with funding from the NIH (grants AI036211, CA125123 and RR024574). Decker, Halpert and Konduri declare their ownership stakes in Diakonos Research, Ltd, an unrelated immuno-oncology company. Additionally, Halpert is a paid scientific advisor for Medterra CBD. SOURCE Medterra CBD Actor John Malkovich has lamented cancel culture for ruining comedy, insisting what may have been considered funny yesterday could well end an entertainers career the next in this age of social media idiocy. The 66-year-old made the admonishment ahead of the release of his new Netflix comedy show, Space Force, due to launch this Friday in which he stars with Steve Carell. Towing the line finely between truth and reality, the show is centered on Carells character, Gen. Mark Naird, who has been tasked with running Space Force that has been hastily formed by an unnamed president in the midst of a tweetstorm. Malkovich, meanwhile, plays the eccentric Dr. Adrian Mallory, chief scientist of the new military division. But when quizzed about how he thought the shows jokes about President Donald Trump and his incessant tweeting habits would hold up, Malkovich told the New York Daily News' Kate Feldman he was more focused on mourning what he perceives to be the death of humor generally. Whats funny yesterday becomes illegal today and the person uttering it must be canceled, Malkovich told the outlet. Outrage culture is as strong as it is toxic. Actor John Malkovich has lamented cancel culture for ruining comedy, insisting what may be considered funny one day could well end an entertainers career the next in this age of social media idiocy The 66-year-old made the admonishment ahead of the release of his new Netflix comedy show, Space Force, due to launch this Friday in which he stars alongside Steve Carell Malkovich opined that the emergence of social media has irrevocably changed the medium of comedy forever, now that the ire of a generation is the matter of a few characters, clicks and retweets away from being sparked. Part of what makes [comedy] difficult is also the tidal wave of idiocy that can be created on social media in a day ... the outrage mob,' he said. The actors comments bear resemblance to sentiments uttered by The Hangover-come-Joker director Todd Phillips who said last year that he had chosen to step away from making broad comedy movies, opting instead for darker pursuits. Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture, Phillips told Vanity Fair. There were articles written about why comedies dont work anymore Ill tell you why, because all the funny guys are like, F*** this s***, because I dont want to offend you. Initial critic reaction to Space Force has been less than favourable, with some claiming the series feels more like an elaborate Twitter joke, rather than the blockbuster series it was intended to be, backed by a star-studded cast. Arriving less than two weeks after Trump unveiled the flag for the real Space Force, the 10-episode first season tries to envisage what a space branch of the military would look like inside the imagination of the current US president, though hes never mentioned by name. Arriving less than two weeks after Trump unveiled the flag for the real Space Force, the 10-episode first season tries to envisage what a space branch of the military would look like inside the imagination of the current US president, though hes never mentioned by name When quizzed about how he thought the shows jokes about President Donald Trump and his incessant tweeting habits would hold up, Malkovich told the New York Daily News he was more focused on mourning what he perceives to be the death of humor In addition to flawed and eccentric characters played by Malkovich and Carell, the surrounding cast bring to life figures of similar disaster, which includes the likes of Lisa Kudrow and the late Fred Willard. But the dysfunctional bunch are led by Carell, playing a character often reminiscent of his most famous role, The Office boss Michael Scott, who believes he can guide his crew of misfits to the moon. Malkovichs sassy character spearheads the science behind Nairds ambition, harbouring a deep disdain for him and the military in general. Naird is not a science person, Malkovich told the Daily News. He doesnt trust scientists because sometimes they say carbs are good for you and sometimes they say theyre bad. Id say about 70 percent of the world agrees with him. Science suffers from a lot of blah blah and speculation. During production, Malkovich said the cast paid little attention to Trumps real-life Space Force or his Twitter feed, but credits the shows writer, Greg Daniels, for pulling certain elements ... very cleverly, very amusingly from real life. For the most part, Malkovich says the outlandish show is about the possibilities of an unlikely directive to achieve a goal. On a certain level, its about teamwork, a concept quite lost in this United States of America at present, he said. Arizona will lead Aidan OBriens quest for a fourth consecutive victory in the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket tomorrow week. The Ballydoyle trainer has won the colts Classic 10 times in total and was successful 12 months ago with Magna Grecia, having struck in 2018 with Saxon Warrior and Churchill in 2017. It would be a fifth Guineas in six years for OBrien and he is happy with Arizona, who landed the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot last year and ended the campaign strongly, finishing second to Pinatubo in the Dewhurst and running better than his fifth placing suggests in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita. OBrien said: The horses have been ticking over, but obviously every time you think you had a target and put a sight on it, the next thing the target moves and you have to change again, so its a little bit tricky and horses do feel that. Its unusual and strange, but all we can do is do our best and see where they all land. Everything seems good at the moment and everyone seems happy, but we wont really know until we get going where the horses are and well get a better picture. But so far, so good really. Wichita another son of No Nay Never is set to join Arizona, while three other stablemates are in contention. OBrien said: I suppose theres the two No Nay Never colts and then theres New World Tapestry, Royal Dornoch, and Royal Lytham, thats kind of what we are thinking at the moment. Fort Myers and Vatican City might wait for the Irish Guineas. Its not straightforward this year, but we talk to the lads most days and see what they are thinking. They are the kind of horses we think we might be entering at this stage. Will the Irish 2,000 Guineas be too close to Ascot thats what we have to work out, probably the horses we are going to run at Ascot will have to run at Newmarket. "That makes it a little bit tricky for us, but thats what were thinking and we could run three, we could run four. It would be unusual a horse could back up that quickly after the Irish Guineas (and go to Ascot), but who knows, you never know. He added: Arizona is in good form, everything has gone well with him. Obviously we had our eye on the first weekend of May, but he seems to be in good form. He was getting ready for that, then we just eased back a little bit. Hes a big, rangy, scopey horse and we always thought he would improve from two to three and it would suit him being a three-year-old. Well see he ran a very good race to win the Coventry and ran some very good races after that. We think hes ready to start. You never know (if will stay a mile) until they start doing it, but we always felt he would get a mile. Im not sure how much further hed get, but he travels well and is usually coming home in his races. "Hes a straightforward horse, a good traveller, and he likes nice ground. Weve been looking forward to running him. Although aware of the standard set by Pinatubo, on whom Arizona closed the gap at Newmarket from their meeting in the National Stakes at the Curragh, OBrien, who has Love, Peaceful, and So Wonderful in the mix for the 1000 Guineas, is concentrating on his own hand. He said: We go into every race thinking about our horses and what way it will suit each of them to run their best race, thats what we always do. We dont think too much about the opposition, because youre usually either good enough or youre not. OBrien, who will not be at Newmarket as things stand, revealed he has Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck, Broom and Sir Dragonet under consideration for the Coronation Cup, which will be run this year on the Rowley Mile course on Friday, having been moved from Epsom, and like the Guineas forms part of the Qipco British Champions Series. The 2000 Guineas will be one of 21 live races broadcast on ITV Racing between next Friday and Sunday. It will be the channels first broadcast since Thurles in Ireland was shown on March 21 and will hosted by Ed Chamberlin from his home studio. Francesca Cumani will also be part of ITVs home-based team, as will Jason Weaver and all the direction and production team of the show, using innovative technology and adhering to social-distancing guidelines. Richard Hoiles will be based off site in a commentary booth. Hendersonville welcomes new City Clerk Angela Reece Angela Reece, a former sheriff's office dispatcher, probation officer and, for the past five years, town clerk in Black Mountain, has been hired as Hendersonvilles new City Clerk. The role of City Clerk is of utmost importance to a municipality and Angelas experience and education make her uniquely qualified to serve as our next City Clerk, said City Manager John Connet. The Clerk serves as the direct link between the citizens of the community and their government. We feel Ms. Reece will be a great resource to our City Council, government boards, and the public we serve. Reece starts Monday, replacing Tammie Drake, who retires the same day after serving in the role for 25 years. Reece has more than 17 years of experience in local and state government in Western North Carolina and has dedicated the past five years serving the citizens of the Town of Black Mountain as Town Clerk. Before transitioning into her role as a Clerk, she served the public as a North Carolina Probation/Parole Officer and Haywood County Sheriffs Office Telecommunicator. Ms. Reece is a certified North Carolina and International Municipal Clerk and holds a masters degree in Public Administration as well as a Municipal and County Administration certification from the UNC School of Government. Wanda Sykes has clapped back at Scott Baio's Twitter attack. The 56-year-old Emmy winning TV writer roasted the 59-year-old Charles in Charge actor on Twitter after he attacked her for supporting Joe Biden. 'I hope you enjoy whatever it is that you do,' read the comedienne's most savage takedown of the actor. Wanda in Charge: Wanda Sykes [L, in 2019] has clapped back at Scott Baio's [R, with Willie Ames in 2019] Twitter attack Scott's original Tweet read, 'Hey @iamwandasykes why is it okay for @JoeBiden to say something clearly racist but @therealroseanne gets kicked off of her own show that YOU are a writer on, for making a mistake?' 'Is it because you're a full of s**t, hack liberal?' he concluded. Baio was referring to Biden's recent comment in which the presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee told Charlamagne tha God anyone on the fence about voting for him or Donald Trump 'ain't black'. Sykes was also a writer on the Roseanne reboot, but quit following star Roseanne Barr's tweet comparing an African American White House adviser to 'Planet of the Apes'. Roseanne was subsequently fired from the show by the ABC network for the comment. Damn: 'I hope you enjoy whatever it is that you do,' read the comedienne's most savage takedown of the actor Not having a Barr of it: Sykes was also a writer on the Roseanne reboot, but quit following star Roseanne Barr's tweet comparing an African American White House adviser to 'Planet of the Apes'. Barr seen here in 2019 Sykes, however, didn't let the conservative actor's comment slide. 'Oh! Hey Chachi,' began the comedienne's reply, referring to Baio's Happy Days character. 'Apologies, I didn't see you. I'll keep it short. Joe Biden didn't say, "Then you ain't an ape." 'Well, let me get back to work...I hope you enjoy whatever it is that you do.' Baio in 2016: The Bugsy Malone actor is a registered Republican and spoke during the opening night of the 2016 Republican National Convention The Monster-In-Law star's retort led to 'Scott Baio' trending on Twitter. The Bugsy Malone actor is a registered Republican and spoke during the opening night of the 2016 Republican National Convention. Sykes was most recently seen in the Netflix stand-up special Wanda Sykes: Not Normal and is a recurring voice actor in the Harley Quinn animated series. The U.S. State Department has determined Hong Kong no longer holds autonomy under Chinese rule, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Wednesday. "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground," Pompeo said in a Wednesday statement. Pompeo informed Congress of the department's decision on Tuesday, and there's a strong chance the move will change Hong Kong's trade relationship with the U.S., CNBC reports. "While the United States once hoped that free and prosperous Hong Kong would provide a model for authoritarian China, it is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself," Pompeo said. America's economic and trade relationship with Hong Kong is separate of that with China, largely exempting Hong Kong from the tariff war between the two nations. But with the U.S. now considering Hong Kong to be more closely tied with the mainland, the region will now likely be subject to America's heavy trade restrictions. The announcement comes just a day before Beijing is slated to pass a law that will let it curtail civil liberties in the administrative region something Pompeo called a "death knell for Hong Kong," The New York Times reports. Hong Kong has long operated as an administrative region autonomous from mainland China, but Beijing has increasingly tightened its grasp on the area. Widespread protests by pro-democracy Hong Kong residents were a constant for months until COVID-19 spread throughout the country, and more demonstrations took place ahead of debate over the law at the city's legislature early Wednesday. More stories from theweek.com Amy Klobuchar didn't prosecute officer at center of George Floyd's death Prosecutor asks for patience during George Floyd investigation: 'We have to get this right' Trump retweets video declaring 'the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat' President Trump threatened Wednesday to close down social media platforms after Twitter placed a fact-check warning on two of his tweets from Tuesday, which made wild and unsubstantiated claims about mail-in ballots. The president jumbled a series of topics together in a two-part tweet at 7:11 a.m. on Wednesday. In the first part he wrote, Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives [sic] voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We cant let a more sophisticated version of that.... The second part read, .... happen again. Just like we cant let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!! US President Donald Trump (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Wednesday morning tweet was a continuation of the presidents complaint against Twitter the previous evening, when he wrote, .@Twitter is now interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election. They are saying my statement on Mail-In Ballots, which will lead to massive corruption and fraud, is incorrect, based on fact-checking by Fake News CNN and the Amazon Washington Post... Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen! Twitter flagged the presidents two Tuesday morning tweets with a hyperlink label that says, ! Get the facts about mail-in ballots. When clicked, the link opens up a page on Twitter that provides a summary of the false facts about mail-in ballots in the presidents assertions, along with quotes from and links to multiple news responses from CNN, the Hill and the Washington Post on the topic. The summary at the top of the page says, On Tuesday, President Trump made a series of claims about potential voter fraud after California Governor Gavin Newsom announced an effort to expand mail-in voting in California during the COVID-19 pandemic. These claims are unsubstantiated, according to CNN, Washington Post and others. Experts say mail-in ballots are very rarely linked to voter fraud. President Trump became all the more incensed because Twitter used the responses of media outlets he has repeatedly attacked as enemies of the people, resulting in his Wednesday morning rant. In keeping with his modus operandi, the presidents angry tweets against social media companies were aimed at mobilizing his right-wing base of supporters for a barrage of attacks on individuals. In this case, the targets were Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey as well as a lower-level executive in charge of monitoring election interference and fake accounts with bots by the name of Yoel Roth. In his own tweets, Roth had previously referred to the president as a racist tangerine, compared White House adviser Kellyanne Conway to Joseph Goebbels and referred to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as a bag of farts. By Wednesday, he had become the target of a flame trolling campaign spearheaded by Conway. Speaking of Roth on Fox News Wednesday morning, Conway said, Somebody in San Francisco, go wake him up and tell him hes about to get a lot more followers. It appears that Trumps claim that conservative voices are being silenced by social media is part of an ongoing White House initiative reported last week by the Washington Post, which noted that the president is considering establishing a panel to review complaints of anticonservative bias on social media, according to people familiar with the matter. The claim is false on its face. While there have been instances where conservative and extreme right-wing individuals and organizations have been subjected to banning, deleted accounts or content removal for violating community standards on social media, they have almost always been restored within hours or days and allowed to resume spreading racist, nationalist and neofascist views unhindered. Trumps threat to strongly regulate social media reveals that the White House has been engaged in discussions with the legislative branch about the imposition of a stiffer regulatory regime over the social media monopolies and possibly the rest of the Silicon Valley tech giants. Trumps threat to regulate the companies was immediately backed up on Capitol Hill by Republican Senators Marco Rubio (Florida) and Josh Hawley (Missouri). As reported last week, the US Justice Department and Attorney General William Barr are preparing a lawsuit against Google for alleged anti-trust violations, and also working on legislation that will force consumer mobile device manufacturers such as Apple to build law enforcement back-door access to their data encryption products. As for the presidents threat to close them down, the Washington Post wrote that the White House told reporters the president would sign an executive order pertaining to social media, but gave no further details. Just exactly how Trump would shut down the social media corporations over alleged political bias is unclear, considering that First Amendment constitutional protections limit any action the chief executive can take against the companies, according to legal experts. Moreover, given that the combined Wall Street value of the social media monopolies is something on the order of $1 trillion, Trumps threat to shut down the platforms is highly problematic from the standpoint of the investment interests of the US corporate elite and financial oligarchy. Additionally, it was reported on Wednesday that a Washington DC federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling rejecting the lawsuit filed by Freedom Watch and right-wing commentator Laura Loom complaining that Twitter, Facebook, Google and Apple conspired to suppress conservative views and violated their speech rights. As analyzed here on the World Socialist Web Site, the presidents campaign against mail-in ballots is linked to the fact that his poll numbers are falling. Trump and his Republican handlers are fearful that the expanded use of mail-in ballots necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic will result in a larger number of voters among workers, minorities and students, substantially reducing his chances of being reelected. The claims that voter fraud is rampant in America is a political hobby horse promoted by those who support right-wing and racist voter registration and voter ID requirements, which effectively disenfranchise working class and poor voters. The heightened conflict between Trump and Twitter is a manifestation of divisions within the corporate ruling elite in the midst of the health and economic crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Behind the vitriol and threatsalong with the unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud associated with mail-in ballotsis the fear that the US is on the verge of an explosion of social and class conflict. Algeria said Wednesday it would "immediately" recall its ambassador from France for consultations, after documentaries about the North African country's anti-government protest movement were aired on French public television. The interior ministry said films, including two broadcast on Tuesday, "seemingly spontaneous and under the pretext of freedom of expression, are in fact attacks on the Algerian people and its institutions" including the army. Citing the "recurrent character" of such programmes on French public TV, it singled out two documentaries broadcast on Tuesday by France 5 and the former colonial power's Parliamentary Channel. "Algeria, my love", aired by France 5, sparked fierce debates on social media. It told the story of the country's protest movement through the eyes of five Algerians in their 20s. Unprecedented mass protests rocked Algeria early last year to demand the departure of veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, sparked by the ailing 82-year-old's announcement that he would stand for a fifth term. In April 2019 he resigned, and in December, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was elected on an official turnout of less than 40 percent. Analysts say participation was considerably lower. Mass protests against the ruling system only halted when the novel coronavirus arrived in Algeria earlier this year. The second film, "Algeria: the Promises of the Dawn" was broadcast on France's Parliamentary Channel. In its statement, the Algerian ministry cited what it said were "malicious and lasting intentions on the part of certain circles, which do not wish to see peaceful relations between Algeria and France after 58 years of independence". Last week, the Department of Justice announced that in March, a former Philadelphia election official admitted to, and was convicted of, accepting bribes to stuff ballots for three Democrat candidates for Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge. He admitted to inflating the votes in primaries in years 2014 through 2016. He purportedly committed the fraud by standing in a voting booth and voting multiple times. That he acted alone seems unlikely. In Pennsylvania, each polling place must have a minimum of five poll workers to open and operate. They all work for thirteen hours where were they? This trick could explain why some Philadelphia precincts end up, unabashedly, on election nights with more total votes than registered voters, and an outcome producing 100% of the votes for Democrat candidates. This case is not an isolated incident, as other cases of altering vote counts have been successfully prosecuted. In Pennsylvania, more insidious than the overt fraud just exposed by the Justice Department, are the myriad subtler ways in which perhaps more systematized election fraud occurs. Out-of-date voter rolls often list multiple names at the same address. Deceased voters may not be immediately purged. Once an individual has voted in Pennsylvania, a poll worker is not permitted to ask for identification. If that individual keeps voting, their name remains on the rolls without question. Thats how dead people vote. Thats how multiple residents at the same address vote. Moreover, if a live voter has recently moved, it is possible they can vote in two different polling places. In the past few years, Pennsylvanians have been successfully prosecuted for: fraudulent use of absentee ballots, either through forgery, or filing without the real voters knowledge; duplicate voting; ineligible voting due to lack of citizenship; and, multiple registrations both inside and out of state. These abuses frequently occur in other states as well. In 2019, Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf signed a law that all registered voters could apply for an absentee ballot without having to provide a reason. Previously, one could only vote absentee by stating on the application that one would be out of state on election day or was physically prevented from voting in person. As previously reported, Wolf enacted one of the more stringent COVID-19 stay-at-home mandates in the country closing the entire state to all but essential workers. Pennsylvanias primary was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing stay at home mandates. Large parts of Pennsylvania cannot reopen until two days after the new primary date of June 2, 2020, and most polling places have been relocated. Predictably, chaos reigns; the likelihood of fraud has spiked. Moreover, Wolf and election board officials are encouraging voters to vote by write-in ballot. Stay home, they exhort. President Trump has a different message and has correctly pointed out the propensity for fraud and election theft when distance voting is the norm. The draconian stay-at-home measures and warnings have scared most poll workers and voters alike. As noted above, without a minimum of five poll workers, a poll cannot open. With poll workers mass refusals to work, 60% of all existing state poll locations have been closed. The remaining polls have been bunched and moved to public schools many counties have yet to announce the new locations Prior to Wolfs cockamamie change, the procedures for absentee ballot control were tighter, but problems existed. To apply for an absentee ballot, a registered voter had to apply, complete the application with the reason for the request, and mail back to the county Board of Elections, all within a certain time frame prior to the election date. When the ballot was received, it was accompanied with two envelopes: the smaller, unmarked envelope was used to seal the completed ballot, and the larger was to insert the sealed ballot and mail back to the Board of Elections again within a certain time frame before the election. The weekend before the election, the Judge of Elections for each polling place, would pick up all materials assigned to their poll. Included were the absentee ballots, the books containing the names of registered voters, and a list of all voters who had submitted absentee ballots. The list was posted on a wall and the ballots counted to ensure the numbers matched. They were then separated, and unopened until the polls closed, and the tallies were taken. When voters first enter the polling place and it is their turn to vote, they sign their name in the spot where they are listed in the registration book. If they have submitted an absentee ballot, it will be marked in the book. The clerk informs the Judge of Elections, and before the voter can vote, their absentee ballot is publicly pulled from the absentee ballot bag, nullified, and their name is crossed off the list. After the polls close, at least two pre-certified poll watchers enter the polling place (one from each party), watch the votes being counted and check the results. Only then are the absentee ballots taken out, the outer envelopes destroyed, the ballots shuffled, and counted. Cumbersome and time consuming, yes. It was far from perfect and problems abounded. Even with these controls in place, there were accusations of lost ballots, applications and ballots arriving too late to be returned by the deadline especially among the military, and stashes of absentee ballots discovered after the election and too late to be counted. While the pandemic was not a factor when Wolf changed the write-in ballot rules, it is now. And the likelihood for fraud has grown exponentially. With Democrats in a vast majority, Philadelphia as of one week ago had received 158,000 write-in ballots compared with a presidential election record of 23,000. Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, had received more than 225,000 ballots when in a normal primary they receive 10,000. In Montgomery County, a densely populated suburb of Philadelphia, the Board of Elections is also controlled by Democrats. Issues are mounting. Pre-COVID-19 restrictions and warnings, numbers such as these were never anticipated or planned for adequately. Requested write-in applications and ballots have been slow in arriving. As many as 2,000 ballots have arrived in error such as to party affiliation, wrong county list of candidates and/or with incorrect instructions. Another fraud-including factor is that the city/county of Philadelphia, and its surrounding suburbs of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery are all sanctuary counties. Investigations by the watchdog group Public Interest Legal Foundation have forced election board officials to admit that illegal residents have registered in high numbers. Estimates place the total of over 100,000. Additionally, alarm bells should be ringing in every Republicans heart from an article published in Politico, May 24, 2020, by Holly Otterbein: Key swing state warns of November election nightmare. Pennsylvania could determine the presidency. But it might not be clear for days who won the state on Nov. 3. Election officials throughout the critical battleground, which is implementing no-excuse mail-in voting for the first time ever amid pandemic, say they are unlikely to finish counting those ballots the night of the general election. If the race is close enough as it was in 2016, when Donald Trump carried the state by only 44,000 votes that could mean the status of one of the nations biggest swing states could remain up in the air long past Election Day. My nightmare is that on Election Day in November, youre waiting for Montgomery County results to declare Pennsylvania to declare who wins the White House, said Montgomery County Commissioner Ken Lawrence, a Democrat who chairs the Board of Elections there. The reality is that all of our counties are going to be in that same situation, and it will take a while to actually count the ballots. Less than two weeks away from Pennsylvanias primary, some state election officials said they lack the funding and staff needed to handle the massive influx of mail-in ballots theyve received for that race. They also said the fact that they legally cant start counting those ballots until the morning of Election Day is complicating matters Rewind: they legally cant start counting those ballots until the morning of Election Day?! If the officials start counting on the morning of election day, how is a cross check enacted to ensure that double in-person voting is thwarted? If not stopped, the Democrats seem to be setting the stage for How to steal an election , in November. Lynne Lechter is a non-essential litigator in Philadelphia, currently working remotely, and an elected member of the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee. Image credit: Niagara, via Wikimedia Commons China, the biggest consumer of pork in the world, has banned the import of pigs and wild boars from India to prevent the spread of the African swine fever (ASF), Chinese customs and agricultural ministry have announced. According to a state media report, the General Administration of Customs of China and the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs took the decision following cases of ASF being discovered among domestic pigs and wild boar in Assam earlier in May. Details of the bans impact could not be immediately ascertained. The ban has taken effect China strives to restore pig production after the deadly disease ravaged its massive herd last year, a Reuters report said. A sharp 29% plunge in first-quarter output underlines the extent of the impact from the disease and the huge task the sector faces in trying to rebuild after African swine fever killed millions of pigs since August 2018, the agency reported in April. The ASF outbreak and culling of hogs slashed Chinas pork output to a 16-year low of 42.6 million tonnes in 2019, while some experts estimate the sow herd shrank by at least 60% last year after the disease spread throughout the country. In December, tighter border controls put in place by China because of the ASF had impacted the export of buffalo meat from India. A report in the nationalistic tabloid Global Times linked Chinas decision to ban pig imports from India was linked to the recent Sino-India tension at the border. It pointed out that the ban comes after tensions between the two countries flared up in Galwan Valley region due to Indias recent, illegal construction of defence facilities on the border to Chinese territory. The charge has been categorically denied by India, which says its Chinese troops who are trying to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Charleston, SC (29403) Today Showers this evening becoming a steady light rain overnight. Low 39F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Showers this evening becoming a steady light rain overnight. Low 39F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Actor Shah Rukh Khan has now extended his support for Cyclone Amphan relief in West Bengal. The official Twitter handle for his IPL (Indian Premier League) team, Kolkata Knight Riders, posted that they would be planting five thousand trees and an undisclosed amount has been transferred to the relief fund set up by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the state. We must stay strong through these testing times until we can smile together again, in a statement issued by the team. Another initiative has been launched by SRK and KKR, named KKR Sahayta Vahan where volunteers will be going to four badly affected districts in West Bengal, namely Kolkata, North and South Parganas and Purba Medinipur and essential items like ration and hygiene products will be distributed to those who need it. The statement also says that social distancing will be followed by the volunteers and masks and sanitisers will be used by them. On May 20, Cyclone Amphan pummeled through West Bengal and Odisha and caused unimaginable damage and at least 80 people lost their lives. In the aftermath of the cyclone, SRK had tweeted his condolences saying, "My prayers, thoughts & love to those affected by the devastation caused by cyclone Amphan in Bengal & Odisha. The news has left me feeling hollow. Each & everyone of them is my own." My prayers, thoughts & love to those affected by the devastation caused by cyclone Amphan in Bengal & Odisha. The news has left me feeling hollow. Each & everyone of them is my own. Like my family. We must stay strong through these testing times until we can smile together again. Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) May 22, 2020 As expected, people welcomed SRK and team KKR's decision to step forth and help those affected by the cyclone, some even said they wanted to volunteer: #iamsrk @iamsrk hatts off to u sir ....we love u a lot ....u r truely a inspiration fr all of us Nikhil Saxena (@iamnikhil123) May 27, 2020 It's time for KORBO for the city of joy it's time to give back to the city.from #korbolorbojeetbo imran king khan (@imrankingkhan7) May 27, 2020 Thnku thnku very mch for ur effort and un conditional love for us thnku vry mch kkr family Tanweer Athar (@tanweer_athar) May 27, 2020 We bleed purple. @iamsrk man with golden heart. a (@KnightAnishxx1) May 27, 2020 Days after Gov. Gretchen Whitmers husband made a controversial remark to a Northern Michigan docking company, the incident remains the talk of the Michigan Senate. In a now-deleted Facebook post, Tad Dowker, owner of NorthShore Dock LLC, said a man called the company a few days before Memorial Day weekend asking if he could put his boat in the water. According to Dowkers post, when office staff said the company started working three weeks late so that was not going to happen, staff told him the caller said, I am the husband to the governor, will this make a difference? The post said they were moved to the back of the waiting list. Whitmer said earlier this week the remark was a failed attempt at humor from her husband Marc Mallory. On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, said in a Senate floor speech the governor lied to his office over Memorial Day weekend after Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, posted on social media criticizing the comment. Shirkey said the governors office denied the story even after it was determined the source was credible. How can we trust the governor? How can the citizens of Michigan trust the governor?" he said. What else is she willing to lie about if she lied about putting a boat into water? Passionate partisan debate over both the incident itself and Shirkeys comments continued on the floor Thursday. Barrett said his character was impugned by the governors office and said he believed the governor would have continued to try and cover up the story had he not continued to look into the veracity of the allegations. They challenged my integrity and they were wrong. They engaged in a coverup to desperately try and put the toothpaste back in the tube, he said. There is no doubt that if I had not continued to substantiate this claim, the governor and her staff would still claim it was nothing more than an internet hoax. Thats a shame. Democrats called the outrage over the incident hypocritical, asking why they werent so angry about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Flint water crisis or a recent incident where Sen. Dale Zorn, R-Ida, wore a mask that appeared to depict a Confederate flag on the Senate floor. How can we come together when the majority in this chamber is having an existential crisis?" Sen. Erika Geiss, D-Taylor, said on the floor. Your words mean nothing. The actions, however, mean everything." Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr., D-East Lansing, said hes known Mallory for a long time and assumed the remark was a joke. But regardless of the circumstances, Hertel said it wasnt appropriate to invoke the governors family in Senate floor speeches, wondering aloud how Republican senators would respond if it was their families being brought up during debates. Gov. Whitmers husband didnt run for office, Hertel said, and he is not someone who should be mentioned in these hallowed halls. During a Tuesday news briefing, Whitmer said her husband went up north to their familys second home in Elk Rapids this weekend for a night or two to rake leaves. She said when he called beforehand about the boat, he jokingly asked if being married to me might move him up in the queue. He thought it might get a laugh, she said. It didnt. And to be honest, I wasnt laughing either when it was relayed to me, because I knew how it would be perceived. He regrets it, I wish it wouldnt have happened and thats really all we have to say about it, she continued. Related coverage: Whitmer says husbands boat launch request was failed attempt at humor Gov. Whitmers relationship with Republican leaders is at an all-time low. Now they need to solve a $3.2B problem together. A 15m UK-wide donation of food from Tesco has been helping a local foodbank support those unable to afford essentials during the Covid-19 pandemic. Foyle Foodbank has seen demand surge, with 200 families per month availing of its services over the last two months alone. With almost 90% of Foyle Foodbanks stock coming from donations made in local supermarkets, the increase from Tesco is helping the food banks work. Tescos food donations have helped us greatly, as they are sending essential items that we would run short of most of the year, said the food banks manager James McMenamin. In the past two months 200 families a month have been using our services, so these extra donations ensure we can distribute as many essential food packages as possible to the most vulnerable in our community. The food banks local Tesco store at Quayside Shopping Centre has donated over 800kg of food donations since the start of the year and over the last three weeks, over a tonne of extra food has been delivered. Tesco is donating the additional 15m of food to support partner charities FareShare and the Trussell Trust, of which Foyle Foodbank is a member. Recent figures, released by the Trust, show an 80% rise in demand for food banks since the Covid-19 pandemic began. The Trusts operations manager for Northern Ireland, Paul Armstrong, said they were grateful for Tescos support during the pandemic. He said: Food banks in our network across Northern Ireland have gone above and beyond to ensure theyre able to continue to provide the lifeline of emergency food. These additional food donations from Tesco have helped to ensure people in financial crisis in Northern Ireland are able to access the emergency food and support they need during these challenging times. Tescos Head of Community, Claire De Silva, said: In every part of the UK there are charities and community groups doing amazing work to feed people during the pandemic, and we are glad that we have been able to support them in helping so many vulnerable people. The Lebanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Houssam Diab, says his country has repatriated 69 Nigerians stranded in Lebanon. Mr Diab said this at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja. According to him, both Lebanon and Nigeria ensured safe return of the stranded citizens. He said that the operation would not have been possible without the sponsorship of the National Lebanese Airlines, the Lebanese community in Nigeria and Lebanese Embassy in Abuja. The ambassador said the three assisted in funding and organising the repatriation and the 14-day quarantine of 50 of the 69 repatriated citizens. Mr Diab said the other 19 Nigerians were sponsored by the International Organisation on Migration. This operation resulted from extensive cooperation between the Embassy of Lebanon in Abuja and the Lebanese Nigeria Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Nigerian counterpart, with assistance from other governmental authorities, he said. He listed the authorities to include the Lebanese Security General and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. Mr Diab commended Nigerias Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, for overseeing the operation and clearing all obstacles that could have jeopardised the success of the mission. The ambassador said that the commitment of both the Lebanese and Nigerian governments to ensure that the Nigerians citizens were safely repatriated, was evidence of strong partnership. He said that the partnership was based on the principles of mutual trust and respect for human lives. He added that without the generous financial contribution of the Middle East Airlines and the Lebanese community in Nigeria, it would have been difficult to achieve success. This contribution complements similar donations that (have) been made by Lebanese community in Nigeria at large and in the FCT, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt in particular, he said. This, according to him, is in support of palliative measures taken by the Nigerian Government to alleviate the hardship of vulnerable Nigerians affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. He said that the donation came as a token of loyalty and appreciation from the Lebanese community to Nigeria and Nigerians who embraced them and theirs. (NAN) From April 1, 2020, ten Indian banks have merged, and four banks have been created. It has been the largest merge in Indias banking space when the government declared to make a decision on merging in August 2019. The wave of protests about the decision The decision was not met with great approval at the beginning of workers. On August 31, 2019, about 300 thousand employees of state-owned banks participated in a strike in India against government plans to reorganize the banking system. According to the workers present on strike, the reason for dissatisfaction was the governments plans to merge 10 state-owned banks into four, which gave rise to fears of mass cuts among bank employees. And we know that in India a lot of people live in poverty and losing a job is always tough for a citizen. The implementation of such a reform in August 2019 was announced by the Minister of Finance of India Nirmala Sitharaman. The representative of the bank employees union in India was strongly dissatisfied with the decision. He said that the government might call this a merger, but in reality, it would end with the closure of six banks. India is also famous for being a country where Forex is trading is gradually emerging. Lots of employees take it as a part-time job with eurusd pair being the most popular in the state. The unemployment will significantly weaken the customers involved in the trading sector and we know that people make a fortune from Forex. Across India, the banking workers who took part in the strike did not go to work and joined the protest marches. Due to the action, banks suspended the provision of a number of services, such as cash disbursements and check transactions; ATMs operate intermittently. State-owned banks account for two-thirds of the assets of the entire banking sector in India and the majority of bad loans. In 2017, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to reduce the number of state-owned banks from 27 to 12 in order to ensure the financial stability of banking institutions. The decision still comes into the effect On April 1 ten PSU banks still managed to amalgamate. Initially, the Indian state financial company Indian Bank and one of the countrys oldest joint-stock banks, Allahabad Bank, planned a merger. A government spokesman told the public that the merger was planned to be completed by the end of the current fiscal year, that is, before March 31, 2020. He said that In the next few months, bank councils should complete all formal procedures. Earlier, the government had already announced the consolidation of 10 public sector banks into four large financial institutions. According to the Indian news agency Jagran, Indian Bank currently has a large presence in the southern regions of the country, while Allahabad Bank branches are located mainly in the north and east. The combined bank will be the seventh-largest financial institution in the country. The banks noted in a statement that after the merger, their main priority, in addition to the growth and profitability of the business, would be personnel management and ensuring the well-being of employees. Other merges that need to be mentioned are: OBC and United Bank of India will be merged into Punjab National Bank; Syndicate Bank will be merged into Canara Bank; Union Bank of India will be merged with Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank. On Tuesday, the UMC (United Methodist Church) announced the dates for their General Conference. The conference will be held at its usual location -the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis from August 29 to September 7, 2021. The conference was expected to resolve longtime debate around LGBTQ inclusion but the date being set to the start of the academic year only troubled the young adult age groups who were expected to voice their opinions upon the long-awaited topic. Commission Chair Kim Simpson expressed regret for the date falling at the start of a typical academic year, unintentionally discouraging young adults to attend and voice their opinions. "Including young adults in the General Conference is always an important consideration. We affirm that their voices need to be heard," Simpson stated. Young adult delegates who requested to select different dates for the General Conference expressed to the UMC commission that the announced summer schedule could deprive the right to vote for young adult delegates. If in the case that an alternative date is not accommodated, young adult delegates requested the UMC commission to provide other options like virtual voting to be able to participate fully. "Unfortunately, this request did not come to the Commission until late in the process. By that time, the available dates were secured and any attempt to change the dates would endanger the carrying forward of the deposits to the newly agreed-upon dates," Simpson stated. Simpson stated that a date revision would possibly push the event to 2022 which would ultimately affect the overall operations of the United Methodist Church. "Pushing it to 2022 affects budgets, jurisdictional conferences, central conferences, the election of bishops, bishops' retirement dates, terms of office of general agency boards and elected denominational leadership, and more," the commission stated. "I am deeply troubled by the statement in the announcement that places the burden for action on the young people and implies that we spoke up too late in the process for our requests to be viable," Vittorio, a young adult delegate stated. The United Methodist Church is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination that holds a General Conference every 4 years; typically in late spring at the end of the academic year with the latest conference being held in 2016. The succeeding conference was anticipated to be held in 2020 only to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [May 28, 2020] MatriSys Bioscience Inc. is pleased to announce that we have been selected as a CONNECT 2020 Cool Company SAN DIEGO, May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MatriSys Bioscience, Inc., a leader in the field of microbiome-based therapeutics is pleased to announce that it was named a 2020 Cool Company by Connect/San Diego Venture Group (SDVG). Connect/SDVG is a regional, non-profit organization whose mission is to help innovators and entrepreneurs in Southern California by providing access to investors, mentors and education. Each year, Connect/SDVG picks 30 to 40 companies that have the greatest potential to revolutionize their industry. We are extremely grateful to Connect/San Diego Venture Group for selecting MatriSys Bioscience and we are proud to be identified as one of San Diegos Cool Companies said Mark S. Wilson, Co-founder and Director of MatriSys Bioscience It is an honor to receive this recognition and we are looking forward to be introduced to VC firms from in and outside of the San Diego area. Mr. Wilson has been an Entrepreneur-in-resident at Connect for many years helping to tune the business plan of early stage startups. It was at a Connect event that Professor Gallo, who discovered the microbiome technology, and Mr. Wilson met. MatriSys original business plan was conceived in the conference rooms of Connect and is an excellent example of how San Diegos lifescience community thrives here. About Connect Connect is a community nonprofit organization passionate about helping tech and lifesci entrepreneurs build great companies. Connect serves entrepreneurs throughout their growth journey with a suite of curated programs aimed to help companies grow, gain access to capital, andscale. The national venture capital community is annually presented with Cool Companies, San Diegos top-performing startups, selected neutrally by our elite community of VCs, angel investors, entrepreneurs, executives, market influencers, and community leaders. We help innovative companies thrive so they can make a meaningful impact on the economic development of the region, and together create a world-class tech ecosystem. Cool Company program Cool Companies is an annual capital program designed to match San Diegos best technology and life sciences startups ready to raise Series A with quality venture capital. The program selects top tier, local entrepreneurs raising institutional funding, and grants them opportunities for direct access to capital providers. The program regularly attracts over 200 VCs to the region annually. Since 2016, Cool Companies have raised over $400M, in just Series A institutional funding. About MSB-01 MatriSys Bioscience is currently developing MSB-01 which is a commercially viable room-temperature stable topical formulation of freeze-dried S. hominis Strain A9 bacteria for application to the lesional skin of atopic dermatitis patients. About MatriSys Bioscience MatriSys Bioscience is a clinical stage Specialty Biopharmaceutical Company focused on developing and commercializing rational microbiome therapies for the top five dermatology and skin care conditions. Our foundational microbiome therapeutics platform is based on the pioneering work of Richard L. Gallo MD PhD, Distinguished Professor and Founding Chair, Department of Dermatology at the University of California, San Diego and the http://gallolab.ucsd.edu/ . For more information, please visit http://www.matrisysbio.com/ . [email protected] 858.456.3919 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/87f7d0af-53bc-436a-818d-5d3aad538230 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] She was forced to postpone her wedding to fiance Nick Shepherdson in March thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. But on Wednesday, former Bachelor star Tara Pavlovic set tongues wagging when she quizzed fans about baby names on her Instagram stories. The 28-year-old nanny asked followers if the name 'Greg' is still popular with new parents, before revealing names she and Nick have chosen if they have a son one day. Something to tell us? Bachelor star Tara Pavlovic asked fans this week about BABY NAMES on her Instagram story 'Do you know any babies named Greg? Do babies called Greg still exist?' Tara questioned. She added in a video: 'This is really random, but I'm really curious, does anyone know any little babies named Greg. Is that still a name that you call a baby these days, like baby Greg?' She then went on to share some of the hilarious responses she got from fans, with some saying they know a few babies called Gregory, Bruce and Barbara. Trying times: Back in March, Tara was forced to postpone her wedding to fiance Nick Shepherdson (pictured) due to the coronavirus pandemic She then asked if there were any babies called Daryl out there or even a girl called Debbie. 'My mum's name is Debbie. Have you ever seen a baby Debbie? I've never seen one,' Tara said. 'We were talking about baby names the other day and she's like, "call it after me," and I was like, "NO!" She then urged fans not to get 'offended' by her conversation and said: 'Call your kid whatever you want.' Baby on the brain? Tara said she had recently spoken to her mother and her fiance about baby names The blonde - who has appeared on both The Bachelor and Bachelor In Paradise - added that she and Nick have spoken about baby names for their future family. She said that while she has chosen some names for a baby girl, she loves Arthur for a boy. In March, Tara revealed that she and Nick have had to postpone their wedding indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. They were due to marry in April. 'We decided today we had to postpone it just because of the coronavirus,' Tara said in a tearful video at the time. Emotional: Tara and Nick cancelled their wedding in March. They were due to marry in April She added: 'I could not forgive myself if someone came to my wedding and got sick. It's just not worth it, which is really, really sad.' 'When you plan a wedding and put in that much effort and time and heart and soul and it just gets cancelled for some crazy reason, how do you even plan for this? 'You cant go, "I hope coronavirus doesn't hit", because who the f**k knows what coronavirus is?' Tara said it was important to put the health of the community first, especially older and more vulnerable people. Tara and Nick announced their engagement in September last year. She had been a finalist on Matty Johnson's season of The Bachelor in 2017, before briefly getting engaged to Sam Cochrane on Bachelor in Paradise the following year. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tara for comment in relation to this article. Some Johnson County, Kansas leaders appeal to go back to enforcing the Governor's reopening plan OLATHE, Kan. - Johnson County, Kansas, leaders are no longer following Governor Laura Kelly's reopening plan, which means all business can now reopen. But local leaders are appealing for the county to change that. Johnson County is one of the few that has decided to drop Governor Kelly's phased reopening approach. Denizens of the Golden Ghetto know far too well that people can be jerks and more rules might help protect defenseless workers from angry consumer harassment that seems to be on the rise among the fading, nervous middle-class . . . Read more: PITTSBURGH, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Local personal injury law firm Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. is proud to announce the inclusion of 4 of its lawyers among Pennsylvania's 2020 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. These annual publications, released by Thomson Reuters, list vetted attorneys in over 70 practice areas. Each state's list is compiled based on peer nominations, third-party research, and evaluation by a "Blue Ribbon Panel" of attorneys within each practice area. The selection process examines demonstrations of each nominee's success and reputation including: Experience Professional activity Verdicts & settlements Special licenses & certifications Pro-bono service By earning inclusion in the Super Lawyers or Rising Stars list, a lawyer shows they have distinguished themselves from their peers by offering well-rounded counsel and service. The 2020 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists for Pennsylvania include 4 attorneys from Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. They are: Robert F. Daley , a medical malpractice plaintiff's attorney who earned his 9 th inclusion in one of the publications with this year's election; , a medical malpractice plaintiff's attorney who earned his 9 inclusion in one of the publications with this year's election; Elizabeth A. Chiappetta , a personal injury plaintiff's attorney who has been selected to Rising Stars 8 times as of 2020; , a personal injury plaintiff's attorney who has been selected to Rising Stars 8 times as of 2020; Scott M. Simon , a personal injury plaintiff's attorney who has now been selected to Rising Stars for 6 years; and , a personal injury plaintiff's attorney who has now been selected to Rising Stars for 6 years; and Adrian J. DeGori , a social security disability attorney who earned her first inclusion on the Rising Stars list this year. Selection to Pennsylvania's Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists is not a given, even for highly competent attorneys. Only 5% of attorneys are selected to Super Lawyers, and Rising Stars recognizes just 2.5% of attorneys who are either 40 years or younger or have 10 or fewer years in practice. Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. congratulates the above team members who were selected to receive this honor. As a family-owned and community-oriented firm, Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. encourages its attorneys to go the extra mile and give back to the community when possible. Recognition by trusted institutions such as Super Lawyers helps them expand their profile and do even more work for those who need it most. As a personal injury firm, the team at Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. is dedicated to serving the vulnerable in need of justice. They are thankful for the Pittsburgh community that has supported them for nearly 40 years and continues to trust them today. With nearly 4 decades spent helping injury victims in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas, Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. is the firm injury victims in Pennsylvania turn to if they're looking for justice. The team of skilled litigators and empathetic representatives work together to provide personalized support to each client throughout their case. Using this method, Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. has recovered over $1 billion for accident victims, returning hope to the injured in difficult times. The team offers free and confidential consultations and works on a contingency basis. They can be reached at https://www.peircelaw.com/. SOURCE Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. Related Links https://www.peircelaw.com NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stringr, creator of the largest international on-demand video news service, today announced that it has raised $5.75 million in a new round of financing, driven by investments from Thomson Reuters Ventures, as well as returning venture investors G5 Capital and Advection Growth Capital. Founded in 2014, Stringr has secured more than $7.25 million in financing to date. The influx of fresh capital will enable Stringr to develop additional tools and technologies that will help news outlets provide riveting coverage. The company will also continue to grow its vast network of professional videographers, who can be mobilized at a moment's notice to gather vital on-the-ground footage for media outlets. "This support from new and existing investors, is proof-positive that we're making a real difference - at a time when the whole world is shaken and reliable news reporting is critical," said Lindsay Stewart, CEO and co-founder of Stringr. "With their help, we're working on giving journalists more advanced tools than ever before, because good journalism is more important than ever before." "At Reuters, we want to ignite growth in our industry and provide better resources for new and existing customers," said Alphonse Hardel, global head of business development and strategy, Reuters. "Stringr brings a new level of innovation to newsgathering and we're thrilled to lend our support." As a first-time investor in Stringr, Thomson Reuters joins existing investors G5, the Associated Press, and Advection. Since its earlier funding rounds, Stringr has dramatically increased the size and reach of its network from 65,000 videographers to more than 100,000. Technology upgrades have also been put into place on the platform itself; including live streaming, instant transcription services, turnkey editing tools, and more. "Stringr continues to grow its network of contributors impressively," said Jim Kennedy, senior vice president of strategy for AP. "And its clients are getting the benefit of expanded coverage of critical news events like the COVID-19 pandemic." Stringr's progress enabled the company to broker and grow its relationship with the Google News Initiative (GNI); which continued into this year. Through this initiative, the footage and news packages that Stringr develops reach 75% of all American households. The program makes available vital news footage through the end of the US 2020 election, at which point it will pivot to focus on international elections. Stringr is also currently distributing coronavirus and COVID-19-focused feature news packages worldwide with GNI through the end of May. In addition to its work in the news world, Stringr also launched its brand-focused video content development arm, Embed Studios. Embed leverages the Stringr videographer network to create brand and studio content faster and more cost-effectively. To date, the studio has produced work for Corcoran, Zillow, HBO Max, Amazon, Lightworkers, TikTok, Mastercard, United Way, and MGM, among others. At a time when many TV, film, and marketing personnel are waiting for things to open up again, Stringr's Embed Studios is helping projects get back up and running while accommodating lean budgets and without requiring travel or breaking social-distancing guidelines. "Things are changing rapidly in the media world because of the current landscape. Adaptation is critical," added Stewart. "With the help of our funding partners, we're giving newsrooms, studios, and content creators the tools they need to survive and thrive. That's what we're here for and we feel fortunate to have partners that share our vision." About Stringr Stringr (http://www.stringr.com) is a comprehensive video news and content provider built on a proprietary, international network of more than 100,000 responsive videographers. Leveraging this network and its marketplace platform, Stringr provides broadcast-quality video and custom news packages to every major US market and the United Kingdom. Stringr is based in NYC and was founded in 2014 by Lindsay Stewart and Brian McNeill, who met at The Wharton School. SOURCE Stringr Representative Image Abhijit Iyer-Mitra In the past, no matter what the ups and downs of our relationship with Nepal, they have always been sorted out one way or the other. The dispute over the Lipulekh Pass though has been the perfect storm, and may quite possibly turn into a permanent lever that Nepals governance deficit politicians and their allies in China and Pakistan can turn against India at will. The incident started out with an innocuous tweet from defence Minister Rajnath Singh on May 8 stating a road had been built to Kailash-Mansarovar considerably easing the perils of pilgrims visiting that region. Normally this would have gone unnoticed, save for Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli trying desperately to cling on to power. This gave him the ultranationalist rallying call he needed to ring-fence himself. The Problem The demarcation issue depends on how one reads the relevant treaties. The Sharda/Mahakali River was deemed as Nepals western boundary. The problem as can be seen in the maps (Figure 1 and 2) is that how do you define the boundary where the Sharda ends? The piece of land in question is just into Nepal and this is for a very good reason. As the red square marked in Figure 2 (below) shows, the Shardas origin ends well short of China. India interprets its border, therefore, to be the mountain ridge on the south (marked as Om Parvat), while Nepal interprets it to be the higher ridge on the north of the river source. Till last week Nepal had a policy of not marking disputed areas on maps to avoid escalation. That changed with Oli. The Chinese Angle To note is the current Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, is a fluent speaker of Urdu with deep ties to Pakistans military and intelligence community. Her appointment in many ways marks the emerging compact of China taking the lead in Nepal under careful Pakistani tutelage. Pakistan, of course, has been much more involved in local politics and knows the lay of the ground much better. Generally aligned to the Nepal Communist Party for ideological reasons, the recent political turmoil has seen unprecedented and blatant Chinese interference with Yanqi essentially mediating between the factions of the Nepalese communists. All of this dovetails perfectly into Olis agenda. If rumours from Beijing are to be believed hes told them that he is on Chinas side. Rumours from Nagpur (the RSS headquarters) indicate that hes played the Im a Brahmin being discriminated against by the mountain nobility card. However, his comment in Nepals parliament labelling India a worse virus than the one that is believed to have originated from Wuhan in China, has definitely won him a lot more friends in Islamabad than hed cultivated over the last decade. All of this was fine up until the point Oli raised Lipulekh, because now the genie is out of the bottle and it simply cant be put back in. Every politician wanting to divert attention to a foreign hand will do so and neither country can now back off publicly. To note is that a (now deleted) tweet similar to Singhs was put out by Chinese official broadcaster CGTN, but it was ignored by Nepal and its ultranationalist Prime Minister. Going Forward Sadly the best that can be expected from here on is that the consensus of India-Nepal not discussing border disputes, given the high economic integration and free flow of people has now ended. While other Nepali politicians have been much more responsible than Oli, there is no guarantee that they too wont use it to their advantage. Complicating this is Pakistani guile and Chinese purchasing power, which will be happy to turn on the unidirectional tap of Nepalese nationalism to suit their own purposes, the hope of opening up a third front against India. Whatever happens from now on, despite Indias responsible behaviour in not responding to Oli, a border dispute with Nepal is the new normal, and we might as well get used to it. Police and state regulators are cracking down on a handful of Pennsylvania businesses that are supposed to remain shut down during the pandemic but have instead thrown open their doors. Small business owners have protested Governor Tom Wolfs closure of non-life-sustaining businesses, saying it threatens to bankrupt them the longer it goes. A few gyms, salons and restaurants have opened in defiance of the governor, risking citations, fines and license suspensions. In York County, two Round the Clock Diners that resumed dine-in service earlier this month were twice warned by state health officials before the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture issued an emergency suspension of their operating licenses Friday. Fines can go as high as $10,000 per day that the restaurants remain open while their licenses are suspended, the agency said. The diners remained open Tuesday. A message was left with the owner. Meanwhile, at least two gyms in eastern Pennsylvania reopened this week, with state police already citing one and local police threatening to cite the other. SuperSets in Hanover Township, outside Allentown, reopened Sunday. State police issued two citations to the business owner, Ed Frack, but the gym was back open for business Tuesday. Frack said his gym, which launched in October, had two choices: reopen or go out of business. He said he hasnt received any government assistance to keep going. Initially, we had no problem with closing. We werent in a position to close, but we said, Well sacrifice for a couple of weeks. A couple of weeks has turned into a couple months, Frack told The Associated Press. This is do or die for us. We either do this, or our business dies. Wolf has repeatedly said he prefers voluntary cooperation to enforcement. To date, state police have issued 351 warnings and three citations to businesses that are open despite the shutdown. Another gym, Dankos All American Fitness in Plains Township, outside Wilkes-Barre, opened Tuesday. Plains Township Police Chief Dale Binker told The Citizens Voice that Danko will be cited for every day he is open. Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Law Enforcement Pennsylvania She recently celebrated her 21st birthday amid the coronavirus lockdown with boyfriend Tommy Fury. And Molly-Mae Hague was decked out in some of her new gifts in a series of snaps uploaded to Instagram on Wednesday. The former Love Island star paraded her pins in a pair of denim shorts and an oversized checked Palm Angels shirt which her beau had surprised her with the day before. Sultry: Molly-Mae Hague, 21, paraded her pins in a pair of denim shorts and an oversized shirt in a series of snaps uploaded to Instagram on Wednesday She finished the look with a pair of crisp white thick-soled trainers and wore her tousled blonde tresses in a high pony-tail. Molly-Mae fiddled with her casual up-do as she glanced seductively over her shoulder and toward the camera. The TV personality, who had taken a trip to the coast, uploaded the snaps alongside a simple caption that read: 'Beach air.' Fashionista: She finished the look with a pair of crisp white thick-soled trainers and wore her tousled blonde tresses in a high pony-tail It comes after Molly-Mae celebrated her birthday in lockdown with boyfriend Tommy Fury in spectacular fashion on Tuesday. The reality star couldn't hide her shock after being showered with gifts and surprises by her beau, surrounded by wall-to-wall pink decorations. Both Molly-Mae and Tommy documented their birthday celebrations on Instagram, including the moment she was stunned to learn she and Tommy would be getting a puppy. Romantic: It comes after Molly-Mae celebrated her birthday in lockdown with boyfriend Tommy Fury in spectacular fashion on Tuesday The boxer shared a loved-up snap with his girlfriend surrounded by their birthday decor, with the caption marking almost a year to the day since they met in the Love Island villa. Tommy wrote: 'Happy 21st birthday my girl. Its nearly one year since we met.... thank you for the best year of my life.' Molly Mae also shared a snap in honour of her birthday celebrations, writing: '21 Today. Feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.' Molly-Mae posted plenty of snaps and videos to showcase her new birthday gifts, which included a stunning 205 Fendi gold monogrammed ring from her friend Ella. Sweet: Tommy paid tribute to his girlfriend as he marked almost a year since they first met in the Love Island villa Gorgeous: Molly-Mae also shared a snap with one of the bouquets she received for her birthday Amazing: Despite the COVID-19 lockdown, the star celebrated her birthday in spectacular fashion The star was also surprised with a bouquet of pink flowers by her Love Island co-star Maura Higgins, and other bouquets from her pals. Molly-Mae received one of her three birthday cakes from her management, along with yet another bouquet of flowers and a matching pink balloon. The star was also thrilled to receive a 995 backpack from Prada, and a 440 Dior necklace and a checked shirt. But her biggest surprise of all came when Molly-Mae learned she would be getting a puppy in two days time. Although the new pooch wasn't there to greet Molly-Mae on the day, Tommy did surprise her with a handwritten note and Louis Vuitton dog carrier, which range from between 1,880 and 2,080. Birthday girl: Molly-Mae couldn't contain her shock as she was showered with designer gifts and not one, but three cakes decorating her home Grand: Molly-Mae was also showered with designer gifts, including a 205 Fendi gold monogrammed ring, a 995 backpack from Prada, and a 440 Dior necklace Pretty: Molly-Mae received one of her three birthday cakes from her management, along with yet another bouquet of flowers and a matching pink balloon So many presents: The star was also surprised with a bouquet of pink flowers by her Love Island co-star Maura Higgins, and other bouquets from her pals The social media influencer shared a snap of the note on her Instagram Stories, which read: 'Dear Mummy, I can't wait to meet you in a few days. 'Until then have the best birthday and I know Daddy will be spoiling you rotten love you loads. Your son, Mr Chai. Woof woof. xx' Also in shot was the designer dog carrier and a pack of puppy pads. New addition: Molly-Mae also learned she would be getting a puppy, when Tommy gifted her with a handwritten note and Louis Vuitton dog carrier, which range from 1,880 and 2,080 Couple: Molly-Mae and her other half met on the 2019 edition of the hit ITV2 dating show, where they came runners up behind Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea Molly-Mae covered her mouth in shock as she came downstairs to see that Tommy had decorated their apartment in pink 21 themed balloons. The reality star admitted was 'speechless' as she noted the effort her beau had gone to, to make her day special while in lockdown. Molly-Mae's kitchen table was covered in wrapped presents and gift bags as well as a three-tier cake which featured an iced version of her toy, Ellie-Belly. Ellie-Belly is a stuffed elephant which Molly-Mae has had since birth and the toy made several cameos during her time on Love Island. Cute! Tommy appeared to have stuck to a pink theme to decorate for Molly-Mae's birthday Oh my! Molly-Mae covered her mouth in shock as she came downstairs to see that Tommy had covered their apartment in pink 21 themed balloons One of the gift bags contained a dazzling 4,300 Cartier Love Ring, which Molly-Mae proudly flaunted on her finger after unwrapping it. Tommy didn't just treat his ladylove to an array of designer goodies, he also showed off his sentimental side by creating a collage of snaps of them together. The blonde beauty also received a lavish gold cake from her fake tan brand, Filter by Molly-Mae, as well as bouquets of flower from her gal pals. Unreal: The reality star admitted was 'speechless' as she noted the effort her beau had gone to, to make her day special while in lockdown Exciting: Molly-Mae came downstairs to see her table laden with gifts and cake Molly-Mae and her other half met on the 2019 edition of the hit ITV2 dating show, where they came runners up behind Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea. After leaving the villa Molly-Mae and Tommy quickly moved into together in Manchester into the open-plan flat they now share. Earlier this week the couple celebrated Tommy's 21st birthday in lockdown, as Molly-Mae went all out with decorations and gifts. Wow! One of the gift bags contained a dazzling 4,300 Cartier Love Ring, which Molly-Mae proudly flaunted on her finger after unwrapping it Treats! The blonde beauty also received a lavish gold cake from her fake tan brand, Filter by Molly-Mae, as well as bouquets of flower from her gal pals A view of London's Nightingale hospital under construction. The makeshift hospital was built to accommodate excess coronavirus patients. Reuters A Financial Times analysis of the excess death rates of 13 countries compared to when they imposed a lockdown has shown a close correlation between the two factors. The data suggests that the less widespread the virus was when a country locked down, the lower the excess death rates. For example, the UK waited until later in the severity of its outbreak before locking down, and now shows a high excess death rate. The opposite is true of Germany. The FT used excess deaths the difference between the current number of deaths from the expected number of deaths at this time instead of countries' reported coronavirus death numbers. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A new analysis of 13 countries has shown a correlation between the date of a country's coronavirus lockdown and the number of excess deaths it records. In a graph published by the Financial Times (FT), a broad trend was found between countries that imposed restrictions sooner after the virus arrived, and a reduced excess death rate. This connects countries that allowed the virus to spread longer before locking down such as the UK to their high excess fatality rates from the virus. See the chart here: It is by no means a causative correlation, as other factors could come into play, such as the robustness of the country's health system, or availability of PPE. The FT conducted the study with excess deaths the difference between the current number of deaths recorded and the expected number of deaths at this time instead of with countries' reported coronavirus death numbers, which could be lower. Later lockdowns suggest higher excess death rate The FT analysis found that countries such as Germany and Chile which locked down quickly the coronavirus hit, and while they had relatively few infections are tied to much lower excess death rates. Story continues For example, Germany imposed a lockdown on March 23, when some 29,000 cases had been confirmed, according to statistics website Worldometer. Adjusted for head of population, its excess deaths are now under 100 per million, compared to the UK, whose excess deaths are nearing 1,000 per million. Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a news conference on March 22, 2020, the day before the country went into lockdown. Ian Vogler/Pool via REUTERS In the UK, which did not launch a comprehensive testing program, it is unknown exactly how many people had the virus at the time of its lockdown. However, the FT analysis estimated that more than 20 people per million had the virus at the time the country initiated its lockdown, compared to fewer than 10 per million in Germany. As of Thursday, the UK has reported 37,542 coronavirus deaths, and is has the worst mortality rate per head of population in the world, according to the FT. Germany's notably low death rate can also be attributed to other factors, such as mass testing and a robust healthcare system. German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on May 6, 2020. Reuters Excess deaths vs. countries' COVID-19 deaths The FT analysis, which uses excess deaths, is a different measure to counting the number of coronavirus deaths reported by each country. These have variations in methodology and definitions. The "excess deaths" measure takes into account a country's average death rate over five years, and subtracts that from recorded deaths overall. It points to anyone who died directly or indirectly from the virus, and tends to produce much higher numbers than official reports. For example, until April 23, the UK's most prominent daily announcements of coronavirus deaths initially only counted those that happened in hospitals, with a lag before deaths in places like care homes were announced, according to The Guardian. Care home deaths accounted for around a quarter of the UK's overall coronavirus death count as of May 19, the BBC reported. In an April 30 media briefing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared to recognize that a direct country-by-country reported death rate is not an ideal metric. He endorsed calculating by excess deaths as the FT has done albeit when the UK outbreak is over. "I think that the only real test, [the only] real comparison is going to be possible at the end of the epidemic when you look at total excess deaths," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider Hes a rudderless, sexually frustrated millennial. Hes also deeply religious. Hes Ramy, the Egyptian-American at the center of the comedian Ramy Youssefs semi-autobiographical series, Ramy, returning Friday for a second season on Hulu. For fans, its the welcome return of a nuanced portrayal of a young New Jersey Muslim struggling with his identity a wry blend of sacred and profane that earned Youssef a Golden Globe Award in January. But the freedom to work out ones Muslimness on TV has only recently begun to be unburdened from the pressures to be a representative and palatable Muslim. Im one of the underrepresented viewers who has waited a long time for more layered portrayals of the American Muslim experience. The problems always lay less in the dearth of Muslim images in popular culture, however, than in the responsibility foisted upon those representations. Allentown, PA (18103) Today Mostly clear, breezy, and very cold. Near or below zero wind chills by morning. . Tonight Mostly clear, breezy, and very cold. Near or below zero wind chills by morning. D ominic Cummings might have committed a "minor breach" of the lockdown during his trip to Durham, police have said. Durham police said the Government adviser's journey to Barnard Castle , which he made while he was isolating at his parents' estate, may have broken regulations. The force added that no further action would be taken because any breach was "minor". The force's investigation also found that Mr Cummings's initial drive to Durham from London did not breach the lockdown rules. It added that the force had "followed Government guidance on management of alleged breaches of the regulations" when coming to the decision. Mr Cummings, who is Boris Johnson's chief aide, said he made the journey amid fears he and his wife would not be able to look after their child if they both fell ill with coronavirus. While in Durham, he drove 30 miles to Barnard Castle, which he said was to check his eyesight before driving back to London. TODO: define component type apester In a statement released on Thursday, police said Mr Cummings's journey to Barnard Castle "would have warranted police intervention" and that he would have been spoken to by an officer if he had been stopped at the time. It added: Durham Constabulary have examined the circumstances surrounding the journey to Barnard Castle including ANPR (automatic number plate recognition), witness evidence and a review of Mr Cummings press conference on 25 May 2020 and have concluded that there might have been a minor breach of the regulations that would have warranted police intervention. Durham Constabulary view this as minor because there was no apparent breach of social distancing. Had a Durham Constabulary police officer stopped Mr Cummings driving to or from Barnard Castle, the officer would have spoken to him, and, having established the facts, likely advised Mr Cummings to return to the address in Durham, providing advice on the dangers of travelling during the pandemic crisis. Dominic Cummings / Jeremy Selwyn Had this advice been accepted by Mr Cummings, no enforcement action would have been taken. The force said it would not take "retrospective action", a move which it said was in keeping with the force's approach during the pandemic. It added: "This would amount to treating Mr Cummings differently from other members of the public. Dominic Cummings is still under pressure over his position / PA Referring to Mr Cummings's decision to go to Durham, the force added: "On 27 March 2020, Dominic Cummings drove to Durham to self-isolate in a property owned by his father. "Durham Constabulary does not consider that by locating himself at his fathers premises, Mr Cummings committed an offence contrary to regulation 6 of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020." The force also said it had seen "insufficient evidence" to support claims that Mr Cummings had returned to Durham as second time. Mr Cummings denied he had taken a second trip. Jonathan Ashworth: Hancock's support of Dominic Cummings undermines contact tracing Responding to the statement, a Downing Street spokesman said: "The police have made clear they are taking no action against Mr Cummings over his self-isolation and that going to Durham did not breach the regulations. "The Prime Minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and legally given all the circumstances and he regards this issue as closed." The news comes as Mr Cummings and the Government continue to receive widespread criticism for the adviser's actions since the Mirror and Guardian first reported them last week. More than 40 Conservative MPs have come forward to say Mr Cummings should resign or be sacked, with a further 17 criticising him publicly. Boris Johnson endured a grilling from MPs on Wednesday in the Parliamentary Liaison committee, with some calling for a public investigation into Mr Cummings' conduct. Loading.... And Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth told BBC Breakfast that Mr Cummings' actions could undermine public enthusiasm for the contact tracing programme unveiled on Thursday. Migrants wont be charged for travel either by train or buses orders SC India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, May 28: The Supreme Court has said that it is concerned with the miseries and difficulties of migrants trying to get to their native places. There are several lapses that we have noticed in the process of registration, transportation and providing food and water to the migrants, the Bench also said. A large number of migrants are forced to proceed to their native places on foot, the court observed. In its order, the Supreme Court said that the migrant cannot be charged for travel by train or buses. The states must take the burden of travel fares. Stranded migrants will be given food and water by the states where they are, the court also said. Cong to launch 'SpeakUp' campaign to raise voice of poor, migrants, small businesses The originating states shall give meals and water at the station/terminal, while the Railways will provide meals and water during the journey. The states shall oversee the registration of the migrant workers who should be sent home as early as possible the court also ruled. The migrant workers who want to travel back to their states should not be stopped. When a migrant worker wishes to go to a state, the state cannot refuse, the SC also ruled. All those who are walking on foot must be given food and shelter immediately. The Railways will provide trains without delay after the states ask for it. The court also asked the Centre and the states to submit detailed reports by next Friday. Certain unfortunate incidents relating to migrants were telecast or reported to shadow the good work done by the governments, the Centre had had earlier said. It was further stated that the Centre and the States have done a lot to control the COVID-19 situation and help the migrant workers. The SC asked the Centre to clarify if food and shelter would be provided for migrants. Can there be a mechanism to let a migrant now when he or she will get a transport instead of waiting indefinitely without any information. Congress launches Speak Up India campaign to urge govt for direct relief to poor | Oneindia News Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the Supreme Court should wait for reports from the states. He also said that he has complaints too about the prophets of doom who only spread negativity and do not have either courtesy to the nation or the patriotism to acknowledge what is being done. Those who come before this court, should establish their credentials. They earn in crores. Have they spent a single penny. People are feeling people on the streets but has any one of these critiques also come out of their air-conditioned drawing rooms to help, Mehta asked. Hopeful of returning to work, scores of migrants return home Senior advocate, Kapil Sibal told the court that under the national plan, guidelines for minimum standard of relief for food, water, shelter are to be made. Where is the national plan? Why all the responsibilities have been shifted to the states without prescribing a national plan. Why are the trains running at 3 per cent capacity, Sibal further sought to know. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan had on Tuesday taken suo motu cognisance of the plight of migrant labourers stranded across the country and had said that they need "succour and help by the concerned governments" with regard to free food and shelter. Food, fingers, shirt buttons ostriches will nibble on anything. There were three by the drive-through gate at Safari Lake Geneva, in Bloomfield, on a cloudy Friday afternoon May 22. A steady stream of cars rolled through with hands stretched out of windows holding plastic cups filled with food pellets. Safari Lake Geneva staff cautioned guests that the ostriches may try to taste more than pellets, if given the chance. I was giving it food and it got my finger, laughed Patty Aguilar, of Green Bay. Katlyn Decker, a seasonal ranger at Safari Lake Geneva, said other animals are more affectionate. Our camels are very friendly, so just be aware, you might get some kisses from them, she said. Our llamas and our emus like saying hello and sticking their heads in the cars, too. An ostrich gnawed on the buttons and shoelaces of the outfit worn by Safari Lake Geneva owner Jungle Jay Christie until he gently redirected the bird and scratched its neck. The new drive-through plan is a hit, said Christie. Were probably seeing 10 times the sales we would at this time last year. Normally, guests would take wagon rides through his preserve to catch up-close glimpses of over 70 animals. Now, people pay to drive through the picturesque farmland in their own vehicles, among the emus, llamas, antelopes, yaks, camels, bison and water buffalo. At the root of the change is the spread of COVID-19. Seeing a way to pivot his business plan during the coronavirus pandemic, Christie decided to install base roads through his property to accommodate guests. With the shift toward face masks, social distancing and increased sanitation efforts, Safari Lake Geneva offers a form of recreation that uniquely meets recommended health guidelines. As people are encouraged to keep 6 feet away from each other in public, those on the drive-through safari do not even have to leave their vehicles. In fact, Safari may be the only exotic animal preserve in Wisconsin that is offering to people the chance to drive through and feed animals from around the world. Staff wear face masks and have ramped up the sanitation effort. Anything the public touches we clean a lot more this year, said Decker. Christie said since opening as a drive-through safari May 1, they average about 450 guests a day. Aguilar said she heard about Safari Lake Geneva from a Facebook post. Working from home, she felt she was not spending enough quality time with her children, so she took the day off and drove to the preserve. Seeing her children enjoy it was the best part of the trip. Christie said people are visiting from Milwaukee, while other guests May 22 said they were visiting from Chicago and Rockford. Evidently, its kind of gone viral, said Christie. Inside tips To go on this safari, reservations must be made first online. Prices are $18.95 per adult, $11.95 per child, and free for children ages 2 and younger. Christie recommended arriving early, as admission fees allow guests to travel through the drive-through safari as often as they like during the course of the day. He said he encourages guests to support local businesses after their first ride through, then return in the afternoon because its a whole new ball game. Even from hour to hour, the animals move around so much, said Christie. Pets can also ride along on the safari. However, certain vehicles cannot. Safari Lake Geneva does not allow motorcycles, and vehicles with undercarriages lower than that of a traditional sedan may not be able to handle the roads. While pickup trucks are permitted, passengers cannot ride in the bed. Jeeps must have doors on, and convertibles must have their roofs up. For more information, visit safarilakegeneva.com. Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. U.S. President Donald Trump marked the coronavirus pandemic milestone of 100,000 U.S. deaths in a Twitter post on Thursday, a day after the threshold was reached and his silence noted. We have just reached a very sad milestone with the coronavirus pandemic deaths reaching 100,000. To all of the families & friends of those who have passed, I want to extend my heartfelt sympathy & love for everything that these great people stood for & represent. God be with you! Trump said. The U.S. Air Force has not implemented any serious solutions to fix a long-standing problem of racial disparity in the military judicial system, and did not appropriately disclose information of its own inconsistencies when analyzing the issue, according to a new study published by Protect Our Defenders, an advocacy rights group. The study, "Federal Lawsuit Reveals Air Force Cover Up: Racial Disparities in Military Justice Part II," published Wednesday, follows another 2017 Protect Our Defenders report and a Government Accountability Office study published in 2019. Together, the studies found that black troops "are twice as likely to be investigated compared to white servicemembers in each branch." Read Next: MQ-9 Drone Crew Awarded Air Force Achievement Medals After RPG Attack The Air Force has the "highest racial disparities of any military service branch for court-martial and non-judicial punishments," according to the first POD study, citing data obtained via the Freedom of Information Act. But the latest POD study, first reported by USA Today, accuses the Air Force of trying to conceal materials that show it has not taken any critical steps to solve the problem and reveals data about where issues remain. According to slides obtained through a federal lawsuit to supplement its FOIA request, Protect Our Defenders found that the Air Force openly admitted through a 2017 working group study that racial injustices are prevalent and enduring. "Do we have racial disparities in our justice system or not? Yes -- the data reflects a persistent and consistent racial disparity," states one of the unredacted Air Force slides, revealed in the May POD report. The most junior ranks are heavily targeted, according to another slide. "The rate per thousand of Black/African American Airmen receiving discipline at the E-2 level is double that of other demographics," it states, referencing data collected between 2012 and 2016. Don Christensen, president of Protect Our Defenders and a retired Air Force colonel, told Military.com on Wednesday that instead of implementing solutions, the service attempted to hide the working group's findings from the organization for the last three years -- and subsequently, from lawmakers. "It's extremely troubling to see that the Air Force is wasting valuable resources that could have been used to address staggering racial disparities in military justice on keeping the public and the press in the dark," Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat, said in a statement Wednesday. "Imagine the progress that could have been made if that same effort were devoted to actually solving the problem." She added that she intends to hold a hearing on the issue at the earliest opportunity. "It takes people at the very top to acknowledge that there's a problem and act on the problem," added Christensen, who was also the service's chief prosecutor. The Air Force said in a statement that, though it still has more work to do, initiatives at the unit level are underway. "In 2017, the Air Force enacted a range of initiatives beginning to elevate unconscious bias awareness and mitigate its impacts. Those initiatives have been integrated into various commander, first sergeant and leadership forums across multiple touchpoints," spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said in an email. "These discussions are facilitated in venues such as squadron commander courses, the First Sergeant Academy, and officer and enlisted professional military education." In 2019, the Air Force conducted "additional analysis and directed unconscious bias training for first line supervisors, as well as additional efforts like mentorship programs to assist young airmen adapt to the military culture," she added. Stefanek said that the delay in releasing the full slides was part of a "deliberative process in understanding, evaluating and addressing the source of any disparity." Christensen called the Air Force's latest explanation about why the slides weren't made available merely an attempt to preserve some dignity. "What really troubles me and the responses today, they're [the Air Force] claiming now that they have been doing training," he said. "But for the last three years, they've been arguing for a federal court that they weren't doing training and that's why they didn't have to turn over the slides because it was pre-decisional. It shows a real lack of candor." The former colonel said that implementing real change starts with the chain of command. He cited a recent New York Times story, published over Memorial Day weekend. The article reported that, while minority members are well represented in the military, making up about 43% of the active-duty force, it's rare to see black leadership at the top echelon within the Pentagon. "Now, fortunately, it looks like the Air Force will have its first African American chief of staff," Christensen said, citing the recent nomination of Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown to take over as the 22nd chief. "But it's still so underrepresented. They just need to do more." -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Related: Navy to Change Pilot Call Sign Protocol After Minority Aviators Report Bias There is no better time than right now for decision-makers to pivot to quicker, more efficient and more cost-effective ways to solve widespread problems like COVID-19 containment. Technology and humanitarian company Voice 4 Impact is pleased to announce the immediate availability of an automated contact tracing technology solution that strengthens traditional, costly manual efforts, while delivering unprecedented value and benefits at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. The Intelligent Data Ecosystem (I.D.ECO) is a Responsive Crisis Prevention and Management Tool that automates person-to-person contact in real time, giving authorities insight into pandemic movement and control over virus spreadall while helping to support public health and safety. Designed and developed using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a combination of mass marketing and social media technologies, I.D.ECO helps authorities contain the spread of COVID-19 by proactively identifying at-risk individuals who may have been exposed, and notifying them so they can take appropriate steps to self-quarantine or get testedall while protecting personal privacy. Benefits of I.D.ECO Automated Contact Tracing Up to 96% less costly than manual efforts1 Offers 6X more coverage as compared to manual efforts2 Rapid deployment with full operational capability within 72 hours 24/7, real-time monitoring and messaging, with zero delay from insight to action Automatic outbound communications to alert citizens of potential exposure and help shift behavior for positive outcomes Reaches all cell phones, not just smart phones Does not require Bluetooth or app opt-in Preserves and protects individual privacy adhering to Business Associate Agreement, a legal HIPPA compliance agreement, and is approved by Department of Homeland Security The right technology applied to the monumental task of contact tracing makes end-to-end workflow easier, faster and more efficient, and yields immediate results, when and where it matters, instead of weeks later, when infectious containment from each positively diagnosed individual becomes more and more elusive. In addition, the work effort and associated financial investment results in millions of dollars in savings along with exponentially fewer manual errors associated with human labor. There is no better time than right now for decision-makers to pivot to quicker, more efficient and more cost-effective ways to solve widespread problems like COVID-19 containment. Borne from our mission to offer technology solutions that save lives and enhance the well-being of society, I.D.ECO is an ideal solution to pandemic containment. It will speed reopening of the economy and allow citizens to return to school, work and a heightened sense of normal, said Jennifer Peters, company founder and CEO of Voice 4 Impact. About Voice 4 Impact Voice 4 Impact, Inc. is a Responsive Crisis Prevention and Management company leveraging Artificial Intelligence to predict and mitigate risk. As a woman-owned registered Public Benefit-Corp, our mission is to save lives. We are a socially conscious group of talented problem-solvers, scientists, first responders, communicators and technology masters from around the world committed to driving benefit on a global scale. We are proud to partner with leading academic institutions and subject matter experts to deliver cost-effective technology solutions that yield measurable outcomes. GET ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE NOW! Contact: Jennifer Peters, Founder and CEO jennifer (at) voice4impact (dot) com 484.410.0111 1. Based on a projected cost of $63M annually for traditional manual contact tracing efforts in the city of Philadelphia vs. $2.5M annually for I.D.ECO, assuming no additional contagion waves. 2. According to Pew Research Centers, 96% of U.S. citizens own a cell phone; I.D.ECO can reach 60-80% of cell phone users, equaling 57-77% of any given U.S. population (e.g., city, state, municipality, etc.). Growth of the digital pathology market Digital pathology is experiencing rapid growth worldwide. In 2019, the global industry was valued at $767.6 million, with experts predicting growth at a CAGR of 11.8% between now and 2027, which will see it double in size. Image Credit: Pakpoom Nunjui / Shutterstock.com Much of this growth is being generated by the increasing adoption of the technology as scientists are booming more aware of the benefits, as well as the recent advancements in technology that have recently enhanced digital pathologys offering and made it cheaper and more accessible. Currently, the market is focussed on continuing to develop workflow efficiency, as well as provide tools for faster and more accurate diagnoses of diseases such as cancer. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases has been driving the market up until this point, with scientists under pressure to advance their understanding of the disease as well as offer medical professionals faster and cheaper diagnostic methods. Further to this, as life expectancy continues to rise so do the rates of certain illnesses in our population as the older generation is more susceptible to chronic conditions. This is driving the digital pathology market, as scientists use the method to improve diagnosis. The field of digital pathology has only recently matured as technology in the last two decades has advanced and allowed the concept to be accessible to a wide number of clinics around the world. The industry is still in a period of growth, with several trends predicted to drive the industry over the coming years. Below we discuss what is expected in the future of digital pathology. What is next for digital pathology? Advancements in specific technologies such as computerization, digital imaging, multiple fiber-optic communications, and robotic light microscopy are expected to drive future market growth in digital pathology. One specific technology that has become of particular focus is that of digital microarrays. As the use of digital pathology has grown, so have the libraries of data. Because of this, pathologists require a tool to enable the extraction of actionable information from this vast dataset. Scientists have proposed that digital microarrays may be the solution. Recently, systems have been designed that allow the mining of digital archives of slides to generate image microarrays (IMAs). These IMAs allow entire single digital slides to be converted into an array of many high-resolution images, potentially thousands, with each image in the array providing essential diagnostic morphologies. In the future, we will also see an increase in the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into digital pathology. In fact, most current research is focussing on developing AI to improve the software used in digital pathology. AI is helping to develop digital pathology in a number of ways. Firstly, it is being implemented to improve digital image analysis. While previously, pathologists had been required to select regions of interest within the tissue samples themselves, AI is now being used to select these areas automatically. This is allowing pathology to rely less on manual labor that is subject to human error and use automation instead. Studies have proven that AI is more effective at recognizing and analyzing pathological features in samples than previous methods have been. This is helping to speed up and improve diagnosis, as well as making the drug development process more efficient and cost-effective. In addition, AI is helping to reduce error rates by using data to check the diagnoses made by pathologists, alerting them if the algorithms calculating their conclusion is not in line with what is predicted. Finally, AI is also developing digital pathology by allowing it to integrate with other data sources, combining a richer data set and therefore leading to more informed diagnoses. For example, natural language processing is being used to extract relevant data from text-based patient notes and incorporate it with the image-based information retrieved by digital pathology. Another area of focus for digital pathology developments of the future is moving away from the use of traditional computers and using quantum computers to process the data. Because digital pathology involves sharing an ever-growing volume of images and holding this data in libraries, the capacity of these libraries needs to grow as the use of digital pathology grows. With traditional computers, this is a problem, because they have certain storage capacities. Quantum computers, on the other hand, have a far greater storage potential. This is because they do not rely on encoding data in binary, which holds data as either a 0 or 1, as traditional computers do. Quantum computers hold data in qubits which canoe in superposition where they are both 0 and 1 at the same time, or anywhere in between the two. Because of this difference, quantum computers can store significantly more information than traditional computers. In the near future, we will see quantum computing developed for use in digital pathology, which will open up possibilities for the field, given the near-unlimited storage potential of the system. In general, the future will see digital pathology continuing to embrace new technologies, and improve its capabilities. AI, digital microarrays, and quantum computing will play a bit part in this, helping to continue to drive growth in the industry. Sources: Balis, U., Cheng, J., Hewitt, S., Monaco, J., Rodriguez-canales, J., Roy-Chowdhuri, S., Feldman, M., Shih, N., Giaccoae, G., Hipp, J., Pantanowitz, L., Yagi, Y., Madabhushi, A., Hanson, J., Filie, A., Tomaszewski, J., Brodsky, V. and Emmert-Buck, M., 2011. Image microarrays (IMA): Digital pathologys missing tool. Journal of Pathology Informatics, 2(1), p.47. www.researchgate.net/.../51925216_Image_microarrays_IMA_Digital_pathology& Digital Pathology Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product, By Application (Drug Discovery & Development, Academic Research, Diagnosis), By End Use (Hospitals, Clinics), And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027. Available at: www.grandviewresearch.com/.../digital-pathology-systems-market Pantanowitz, L., 2010. Digital images and the future of digital pathology. Journal of Pathology Informatics, 1(1), p.15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2941968/ Further Reading Boeing has restarted its Renton, Washington, facilitys production of the 737 MAX after halting production in January. The production will resume slowly, then Boeing will gradually ramp up production over the next year as it implements more than a dozen workplace safety and product quality initiatives. This comes a year and seven months after the first 737 MAX incident in October 2018, when a Lion Air flight crashed 12 minutes after takeoff, as faulty sensors (which were designed to stop the plane angling too high) activated and pushed the nose down while the plane was simply trying to fly flat. The second crash, due to a similar software issue, took place in Ethiopia, in March 2019, by which time Boeing had delivered 386 of the 737 Max jets, to airlines around the world. From that point, regulators all around the world parked the 737 MAX jets and they have remained grounded ever since, as Boeing has worked to complete a software redesign and improve recovery procedures from errant flight system activations. Official reports for both crashes largely blamed a flight control system unique to the Max series. Back to the present: Boeing is once again producing this now-infamous jet. Weve been on a continuous journey to evolve our production system and make it even stronger, Walt Odisho, vice president and general manager of the 737 program, said in a statement. These initiatives are the next step in creating the optimal build environment for the 737 MAX. As cnet.com reports, Since the temporary production suspension starting in January, Boeing says it has fixed the problems and that mechanics and engineers have been working to refine and standardize work packages in each position of the factory. The company says the 737 program will gradually increase production this year. But because the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to schedule a certification flight, a necessary step before it can carry passengers again, Boeing has not yet said when the Max could return to service. On this: Boeing said last year that it didnt expect the 737 Max to fly again until at least mid-2020. However, that was before a global pandemic upended the travel industry, so the new date appears likely to be postponed. As The Verge reports, Boeing recently announced it would be laying off nearly 7,000 employees as the novel coronavirus continues to hammer the airline industry. The Chicago-based airplane manufacturer the biggest exporter in the US had already announced it would trim its workforce by around 10 percent. More as the story develops. Read Next BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 28 Trend: The leading mobile operator has pleased the families of martyrs, disabled people and low-income families living in regions. Azercell Telecom LLC, as an integral part of the corporate social responsibility strategy, has once again demonstrated the special attitude to the most vulnerable groups in the country on the day of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Holiday packages containing food products were distributed to more than 1,000 families of disabled Karabakh war veterans, those with a disabled member involved in the liquidation of the consequences of Chernobyl NPP disaster, as well as low-income families from Imishli, Agstafa and Shamakhi districts. This time, Azerpost LLC of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan ensured the delivery of food packages to the relevant addresses once again. It should be noted that the list of disabled people and low-income families was provided by the local executive power bodies. Notably, Azercell Telecom LLC with the aim to support the most vulnerable category of the society recently distributed holiday gifts to more than 10,000 low-income families with at least one person receiving a pension for the disability of 1st degree and families with disabled members on the occasion of Novruz and Ramadan Holidays, as well as in the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. At the same time, Azercell employees contributed to the charitable initiatives as a continuation of the actions carried out by the leading mobile operator. Thus, during the period of special quarantine regime, Azercell Volunteers (Azercell Konullulri), consisting of the company staff, visited low-income families and provided them with food products. Azercell Telecom LLC will continue to focus on and provide social care to the most vulnerable segments of the population. For more information, please contact [email protected] The leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. Currently, 5 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Mobile operator controls 49% of market share; while its geographical coverage constitutes 99.2% (excluding the occupied territories); and population coverage 99.8%. Azercell was the pioneering mobile operator to introduce a number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, mobile internet services, 24/7 call center service (*1111), 7/7 Front Office service, Azercell Express offices, M2M services, 4G technology and pilot version of 5G, mobile, online customer care services and customer services through social media, mobile e-signature service ASAN Imza etc. Rapidly increasing 4G network of Azercell covers nearly 60 regions of the country, including Baku and Absheron peninsula. According to the results of mobile network quality and wireless coverage mapping surveys by international systems, Azercells 4G network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. Azercell is the only company in Azerbaijan and CIS region which has been awarded Gold Certificate of International Investors in People Standard "I am sincerely dedicated to elevating Jacksonvilles profile as a technology hub, and am excited to make sure more people recognize our city as the best place for entrepreneurs to launch and scale their companies." Craig Mandeville, Forcura Founder and CEO Forcura, a healthcare technology company that enables safer patient care transitions along the care continuum, announces that it plans to create 115 jobs in Jacksonville by the end of 2022. The company will receive taxpayer-backed incentives from the City and State to expand its staff and maintain Jacksonville as its corporate headquarters. The Jacksonville City Council unanimously approved the economic development agreement in March as Project Graph. Congratulations to Forcura on their selection of Jacksonville for their new corporate headquarters, said Governor Ron DeSantis. Florida continues to be a leader in economic opportunity and innovation because of our business-friendly environment and talent pipeline. Companies like Forcura recognize this because they are confident they have opportunities for growth. I am proud to join my colleagues in City Council to support this project and thank Forcura and their leadership team for committing to Jacksonville, said Mayor Lenny Curry. This investment will bring 115 high-skilled jobs to our city and increase Jacksonvilles prominence as a hub for innovation and technology in the healthcare sector. Forcura was founded in Jacksonville in 2012 by Craig Mandeville, who started the cloud-based software company to modernize documentation, workflows and secure communications for post-acute health care providers. The company has since expanded into data and analytics and expects to offer workflow automation products powered by artificial intelligence this year. It currently employs 73 people in Jacksonville. Our companys mission to empower better patient care actually started in 2012 when I observed my wifes frustrations in transferring paperwork between Mayo Clinics Jacksonville campus and her home health employer. I knew technology would radically improve the process, said Forcuras Mandeville. Our companys origins are here in Jacksonville, and in the eight years since, the city has provided incredible talent, mentoring and business community support that have directly impacted our success. I am sincerely dedicated to elevating Jacksonvilles profile as a technology hub, and am excited to make sure more people recognize our city as the best place for entrepreneurs to launch and scale their companies. To accommodate its rapidly expanding business, Forcura also plans to open its new 30,000 square foot headquarters at 10151 Deerwood Park Boulevard sometime this fall, depending on when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Connie Turner Interiors has been contracted to design a full floor buildout. The company plans to invest $2.15 million in improvements and equipment and make the office a reflection of its dynamic employee culture. I am pleased to take part in todays exciting announcement with Forcura and the addition of 115 new jobs to the Jacksonville community, said Jamal Sowell, Florida Secretary of Commerce and President & CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc. We appreciate all the men and women working to improve the health of Floridians and look forward to Forcuras continued success here in Florida. Forcura is an example of an innovative, local company thats taken off here and is choosing to continue to grow here in Jacksonville, said JAXUSA President Aundra Wallace. Were growing an innovation ecosystem here and homegrown businesses like Forcura are incredible ambassadors for our community as we look to attract and grow tech investment and talent. About Forcura: Forcura, a leading healthcare technology company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, facilitates continuity of care via technology, analytics and a deep commitment to enabling better patient care. The Forcura suite of tools is powered by Forcura Connect, a proprietary framework for standardizing interoperability and integration among post-acute health care organizations, physicians, electronic health records (EHRs) and other supporting technology vendors. Through our technology and analytics solutions, we are a step closer every day to elevating the opportunities of post-acute care. The company has received awards for Fastest Growing Company for the fourth consecutive year, Best UI/UX Design in SaaS, and Best Places to Work by Inc. Magazine. For more information visit http://www.forcura.com. About the City of Jacksonville: The City of Jacksonville is the largest city by land mass in the continental United States, serving approximately 850,000 residents. Located in Duval County, City of Jacksonville leadership includes the mayor and a 19-member City Council. To learn more about the City of Jacksonville, visit COJ.net. (Natural News) Recently Twitter added a fact check label to President Donald Trumps tweets about the concerns surrounding mail-in voting fraud, but the social media site has failed to apply those same fact-checking measures to verified Chinese government accounts that spread coronavirus misinformation on the platform. (Article by Lucas Nolan republished from Breitbart.com) Breitbart News recently reported on Twitters attempts to fact check President Trump, this time focusing on the Presidents tweets discussing concerns surrounding mail-in voting fraud. Twitter chose to add its own personal fact-check to the Presidents tweet, Breitbart News journalist Allum Bokhari outlined why this situation is unique in an article writing: Unlike Facebook, which gives itself plausible deniability for fact-checking bias by relying on third party fact checkers (almost all left-leaning) to pick and choose what to fact-check and what to ignore, Twitter made the decision to fact-check Trumps tweet itself, linking to an official moment curated by Twitter employees and containing numerous articles from the mainstream media calling the president a liar. In a comment to Breitbart News, Twitter said there was no way for the President even to appeal the dubious fact-check. However, despite the fact-checking of President Trump by Twitter, the site has not applied the same standards to other governments and heads of state. In particular, the site has refused to remove or even fact-check posts from Chinese government officials spreading conspiracy theories suggesting that the Wuhan coronavirus actually originated in the United States. In March of this year, Breitbart News reported that Twitter refused to crack down on misinformation from Chinese officials, with the Daily Beast reporting: Coronavirus disinformation spread by senior Chinese government officials does not violate Twitters terms of service, a spokesperson for the company told The Daily Beast on Monday. The spokesperson pointed to language on its website, which gives wide latitude to statements from government officials. Presently, the company says, direct interactions with fellow public figures, comments on political issues of the day, or foreign policy saber-rattling on economic or military issues are generally not in violation of the Twitter Rules. Republican lawmakers Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Rep. Mike Gallagher(R-WI) wrote a letter to Twitters CEO, Jack Dorsey, in March asking the CEO to crack down on Chinese propaganda on the site. The Senators stated in their letter: It is clear that Chinese Communist Party officials are using twitter to disseminate propaganda in the midst of a dangerous global crisis. Even worse, this propaganda obscures and confuses users over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and potentially undermines efforts to contain and control the outbreak. We believe this behavior more than warrants their removal from the platform. But just months later in May, Breitbart News reported that according to a study of data collected by the Hamilton 2.0 dashboard of the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a tool aggregating accounts connected to the Chinese government, the Chinese disinformation campaign had been ramped up. On May 8, the spokesperson for Chinas Foreign Affairs Ministry posted a sweet that has been liked more than 4,000 times which reads: The #US keeps calling for transparency & investigation. Why not open up Fort Detrick & other bio-labs for international review? Why not invite #WHO & intl experts to the US to look into #COVI19 source & response? The military houses and studies infectious diseases at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland. The #US keeps calling for transparency & investigation. Why not open up Fort Detrick & other bio-labs for international review? Why not invite #WHO & int'l experts to the US to look into #COVID19 source & response? Hua Chunying (@SpokespersonCHN) May 8, 2020 It was estimated by Bret Schafer, the digital disinformation fellow at the alliance, that since the beginning of April more than 200 diplomatic and state-run media accounts had published more than 90,000 tweets in a massive Wuhan coronavirus information war. Schafers analysis estimated that Twitter output from Chinas official sites had almost doubled since January with the number of diplomatic Twitter accounts tripling to 135 from 40 accounts at the same time last year. According to Schafer, the Chinese accounts have become more aggressive, more conspiratorial, and the ones who have done that are their most popular accounts and have by far the most engagement. Schafer stated that the Twitter account for the Chinese Embassy in France has significantly more followers than the embassy in Poland, for example, because the embassy in France has been a driver of the most aggressive content. On March 12, Zhao Lijian, the spokesman and deputy director of the Foreign Ministrys Information Department, who has been one of Chinas most prolific officials on Twitter, tweeted: It might be the US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. A day later, Zhao tweeted that there was Further evidence that the virus originated in the US. This article is very much important to each and every one of us. Please read and retweet it. COVID-19: Further Evidence that the Virus Originated in the US. https://t.co/LPanIo40MR Lijian Zhao (@zlj517) March 13, 2020 Zhao linked to a post from Global Research, a Canadian blog that has argued that the virus could have originated at Fort Detrick in the U.S. The post has since been removed. Zhaos March 13 tweet has been retweeted 12,600 times and liked 20,000 times. 2/2 CDC was caught on the spot. When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation! pic.twitter.com/vYNZRFPWo3 Lijian Zhao (@zlj517) March 12, 2020 On April 30, the official state-run news agency Xinhua posted a two-minute video titled Once Upon a Virus which mocked the United States response to the Wuhan coronavirus and praised Chinas efforts. This has since been retweeted almost 26,000 times an liked 50,000 times. China: We discovered a new virus. America: So what? China: It's Dangerous America: It's only a Flu China: Wear a Mask America: Don't wear a Mask pic.twitter.com/Qxugv8z73J China Xinhua News (@XHNews) April 30, 2020 In another tweet, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted: In our fight against #COVID19, the Chinese government has always been open, transparent & responsible. We always speak the truth with facts. Its crystal clear which country has been doing everything possible to ensure peoples life & health & promote anti-pandemic cooperation. In our fight against #COVID19, the Chinese government has always been open, transparent & responsible. We always speak the truth with facts. Its crystal clear which country has been doing everything possible to ensure peoples life & health & promote anti-pandemic cooperation. pic.twitter.com/jGXXVbElPL Spokesperson (@MFA_China) May 21, 2020 However, despite Chinas claims of openness and transparency, over 110 countries have called for an independent investigation of the origins of the Wuhan coronavirus and the World Health Organisations response. China has also previously rejected calls for an independent international investigation into the coronavirus outbreak, claiming that any demands for an inquiry are politically motivated. Despite all of this, Twitter has continued to refuse to fact-check tweets from Chinese government accounts, instead choosing to focus on President Trumps concerns about mail-in voting fraud. Read more at: Breitbart.com CALHOUN COUNTY, MI A recent ordered release of two ICE detainees from the Calhoun County Correctional Facility signified an important step forward, but much more still needs to be done, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney says. U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy of the Eastern District of Michigan ordered the release of two immunocompromised detainees, Quaid Alhalmi and Tomas Cardona Ramirez on May 12. The two were the fourth and fifth detainees released from the Calhoun County Jail amid the pandemic due to medical complications, according to ACLU senior staff attorney Miriam Aukerman, who heads up the organizations West Michigan office. Levy denied the release of two other detainees May 12, based on a lack of supporting medical information, according to court documents. Theres been a number of releases (statewide) as a result of litigation, including a couple that occurred before any inmates tested positive. Theres also been quite a few denials," Aukerman said. Related: Sheriff runs $6M jail boarding business that holds ICE detainees A statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Detroit stated that ICE is committed to ensuring that everyone in (its) custody receives timely access to medical services and treatment and that it has already released more than 900 medically at-risk individuals nationwide since the beginning of the pandemic. ICE says that, since the outbreak of COVID-19, it has taken steps to safeguard all detainees, staff and contractors, which in addition to reducing the number of detainees in custody, has included suspending social visitation, incorporating social distancing practices isolating new detainees for a period of 14 days and continuously monitoring detainees for COVID-19. Aukerman argues that social distancing is not practical in a detention facility, calling them "tinderboxes, waiting to be ignited. One major concern, she said, is that there have been positive tests for the coronavirus among the inmate population in the Calhoun County facility. A jail official confirmed with MLive on May 27 that there have been two positive tests to date. In a jail facility, you are right next to other people, eating your meals next to other people, sleeping in bunks right next to them, you cant separate yourself," Aukerman said. The attorney said the ACLU remains concerned for everyone detained, but has particularly concerned itself with those who are medically vulnerable. Historically, Auckerman said, the U.S. government allowed those pursuing citizenship to work and contribute to their communities while they waited for their cases to be heard. Unfortunately weve ramped up immigration detention in the last several years, she said. So, not only are we taking their liberty, but there is a good chance that, as a result of COVID, we are taking their lives as well. A federal judge in California, on April 20, ordered ICE to begin to take meaningful steps to release all detainees who were considered medically high-risk. According to the order, prior to release, a detainees immigration history, criminal record, potential threat to public safety, flight risk and national security concern pending a release are taken into consideration. Aukerman said the recently ordered releases have signified an important step forward. But, given the April 20 ruling in California, she said ICE, by denying release to any immunocompromised detainees, is breaking federal law. In addition to lawsuits requesting release of detainees in Calhoun County, Aukerman said the ACLU has filed lawsuits tied to each of the states three other ICE detention facilities, located in the St. Clair, Monroe and Chippewa county jails. Simply because these people are trying to continue their lives in America and stay here, stay with their families, that should not be a death sentence and yet ICE is refusing to release these people, Aukerman said. In a separate Calhoun Case involving detainee Fawzi Zaya, who was ordered released by Levy in April, the court found in granting Zaya a temporary restraining order, Zayas high risk of COVID-19 infection in communal confinement and serious underlying health conditions supported a finding of irreparable injury absent an injunction. Zaya, Alhalmi and Ramirez were all ordered to be released for the duration of the pandemic, or until further notice. Those three, along with the other two detainees released from the Calhoun County facility, are part of a much larger population of ICE detainees at jail. Calhoun County Jail currently houses about 130 ICE detainees. That is the largest number of any of the four facilities in the state at this time, according to the ACLU. The facility has held as many as 240 detainees and can house up to 664 inmates total. On average, the sheriffs office has reported the facility has about 150 detainees in custody, along with 325 inmates in its local population. Calhoun County Chief Deputy Randy Hazel said May 27, that the 130 detainees currently make up about one-third of the jails overall population. The jail, similar to others across the state, has been working with local law enforcement and court officials to keep its population down during the coronavirus pandemic. Hazel said the facility continues to take numerous precautionary measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Those preventative measures have included the suspension of all in-house programs such as church services, GED classes and cognitive education classes. There has also been no visitation allowed. Everybody that comes in, since the COVID, they all go through 14-day quarantine period before they go into general population, and that goes for members of our local inmate population and ICE detainees, Hazel said. We treat all inmates and detainees alike. They are all given equal treatment. Hazel said the jail underwent voluntary COVID-19 testing of inmates and staff this past weekend. In total, he said, 96 inmates or detainees and 12 staff members were tested. Results on those tests are still pending, Hazel said. To date, Hazel confirmed, there have been two positive tests for the coronavirus among the local inmate population. Also on MLive: Kalamazoo County Jail inmates, staff test negative for coronavirus Complete coverage of the coronavirus on MLive Drive-by protest planned to urge ICE to release detainees during coronavirus outbreak ICE proposes another plan for immigrant detention center at Ionia Fewer inmates in Kalamazoo, Calhoun county jails during coronavirus outbreak TOKYO, May 28, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited today announced the launch of Fujitsu Storage ETERNUS DSP (Data Services Platform), a high-volume data management solution for enterprises that rely on vast amounts for data for success.The new ETERNUS DSP enables organizations to keep control of fast-growing data volumes by implementing an agile, highly automated and intelligent as well as scalable storage-as-a-service approach that spans not just the data center and other relevant locations but also the existing and legacy infrastructure that organizations are struggling with. By combining the best features of enterprise storage and advanced data management, along with additional features such as network isolation and autonomous data access control in one single solution, ETERNUS DSP tames even the most demanding applications and even ensures IT infrastructures are ready for greater future demands.As part of the Fujitsu Storage ETERNUS series, this software-defined storage with ETERNUS Data Services Platform Software is a data management software based on x86 servers. The use of x86 servers in the hardware offers a flexible storage environment that incorporates the latest technology, including increased support drive capacity and processing performance. The solution enables flexible and rapid storage expansion, reducing management burden and costs throughout the system lifecycle. ETERNUS DSP provides holistic agility from deployment to use of different kinds of media, to make the most of existing infrastructure elements to work across generations of technology innovations and support a wide range of capacities.Fujitsu will continue to help customers achieve digital transformation (DX) by providing a leading-edge foundation with storage products, solving their data management challenges.Main Features of ETERNUS Data Services Platform that Helps Customers1. Grow on demandAs enterprise customers accelerate DX, it is a challenge to predict in advance how much data or how much performance will change, making it difficult to determine appropriate storage investments. ETERNUS DSP offers a storage environment that flexibly incorporates cutting-edge technology, that can increase drive capacity and processing performance. The solution can keep expanding as it aligns with the changing requirements of enterprise customers, as it can start from a minimum of 3 nodes and 60 terabytes of storage, and scale-out flexibly to a maximum of 32 nodes and approximately 3 petabytes.2. Variety of autonomous and automated operationsAs systems expand, the relationships between data and nodes within storage devices become more complex, placing an increasing burden on data center providers and enterprise system administrators. With this solution, the system can monitor storage usage and load bias at each node, and autonomously control data relocation and distribution to other nodes. In addition, when multiple corporate customers or multiple departments within a company use the same storage system, the scope of data that can be accessed by each user and the access rights to operate the data can be controlled, so that users can securely manage their own data without bothering the storage administrator. These reduce the burden of storage administration by 70%.3. Advanced system lifecycle managementDuring system renewal, it was a significant cost challenge to replace all of the configured storage at once. Data migration can only be proceeded during nights and weekends for not giving impact to running systems or services and tends to span weeks to months. The solution can help users to split large investments into multiple smaller projects by allowing nodes to be replaced sequentially, depending on when they are deployed, beginning with nodes that are no longer supported. Users can also add new nodes to the live storage environment without disrupting systems or services, while easily migrating data from the management screen.Future PlansFujitsu will consider incorporating the Full Stack Storage Management developed by Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. into ETERNUS DSP to reduce the operational burden on data center operators who own large-scale virtualization systems. With greater visibility into the relationship between the virtual system and the data stored on the storage, as well as into the performance load for each virtualized environment within the storage space that is assigned to the large-scale virtualization system, the new solution will enable greater operational efficiency.Pricing and AvailabilityThe new Fujitsu ETERNUS DSP is available to order starting May 28. First launching in Japan and Europe, the solution will be available from Fujitsu and its channel partners. Pricing varies according to country and individual configuration.About FujitsuFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 130,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.9 trillion yen (US$35 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.Source: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Politicians often need an economic thumping to jolt them into action on problems that have festered for years. So it is with Scott Morrison's new talk about striking a deal on skills and training. History shows it can take a recession before Australia's political leaders set aside their differences and remake a system that is fundamental to the country's fortunes. The recession could lead to the loss of up to 35,000 new apprenticeship jobs. Credit:Glenn Hunt That is what happened in the recession nobody under the age of 30 can remember, when the Keating government created the National Training Authority to inject funds into vocational education and training, or VET, and unify policies across the states. The coronavirus crisis forces a new appraisal of a system that has been neglected too long after that big, energetic construction project in the early 1990s. Morrison promises a path out of this decline but is yet to prove he has the map and the money to achieve real change. Amnesty International says charges laid against three Movement for Democratic Change Alliance activists, who were allegedly abducted recently by suspected state security agents, beaten up and sexually abused, as a travesty and ploy to intimidate the opposition. Responding to the Zimbabwe Republic Polices decision Tuesday to charge Harare West lawmaker Joanna Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova for participating in peaceful protests against hunger during the lockdown period last month, Amnesty Internationals deputy director for southern Africa, Muleya Mwananyanda said expectations were that the government was supposed to carry out investigations on their alleged abductions and not prosecute them. Mwananyanda said, Joana Mamombe, Cecelia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova are victims of police brutality, sexual assault and enforced disappearance. Before charging them for allegedly breaking the lockdown rules, authorities must investigate the crimes against them. The charges against these three women are a travesty and ploy to intimidate the opposition and send a chilling message that anyone who challenges the government is putting themselves at risk. Zimbabwean authorities should hold to account those suspected to be responsible for the enforced disappearance and sexual assault of the three female opposition leaders, rather than intimidating them with criminal charges. The charges should be dropped immediately. The three are facing charges of participating in a gathering with intent to promote public violence and breaches of peace or bigotry as defined in Section 37 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and violating lockdown regulations. Mamombe, Chimbiri and Marova disappeared after they were arrested at a roadblock in Warren Park guarded by police and soldiers on May 13th . They were part of a demonstration organized against the authorities failure to provide social protection for the poor during the COVID-19 lockdown. They were later dropped in Bindura after they were tortured and sexually abused. Information Secretary Nick Mangwana was not available for comment. General Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC), Atik Mohammed has condemned the party's boycott of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting with the Electoral Commission on the compilation of a new voters' register. The Electoral Commission called for an IPAC meeting on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 but the PNC National Organizer, Desmond Twumasi Ntow walked out of the meeting after questioning a Deputy Chairman of the EC, Dr Bossman Asare, on why the Commission has not responded to the party's letter objecting to the format of the meeting. The National Organizer, who went to represent the PNC at the IPAC meeting, told the media that his walk-out was because of the response he received from Dr. Bossman Asare. ''I came here purposefully to inquire why the EC has not been able to respond to our letter and the response I got was that then why are you here, so I walked out, he said. Addressing the issue on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Atik Mohammed rebuked Mr. Twumasi Ntow for exhibiting such conduct at the IPAC meeting. He stated emphatically that the PNC supports the EC to exercise its constitutional mandate to compile a new voters' register, stressing that the party's position on IPAC meeting is not to stage a walk-out. He further disclosed he (Atik Mohammed) was supposed to be present and not the party's National Organizer but he got embroiled in other equally relevant matters and so couldn't attend the meeting. To him, Mr. Twumasi Ntow's character doesn't reflect the position of the PNC. He was however not surprised at the conduct of the party's National Organizer during the meeting saying he went to do the bidding of the Inter-Party Resistance Against New Voter Register [IPRAN]; a group that he belongs to. "Let it be on record that was not the PNC position; to go and stage a walk-out at IPAC. It has never been our position and it wasn't our position yesterday...I wasn't surprised that he went to do what he did because he's part of that group that says they will disrupt the Electoral Commission should the Commission go ahead to do what the law permits them to do . . . It doesn't mean I should know what that group means and what it stands for. I just see they are all over the place shouting; sometimes saying things which are very treasonable," he said. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video That Chinas Xi Jinping is taking more steps to bring Hong Kong under the central governments control should come as no surprise. President Xi has long made clear that he regards the enclaves freedoms as a Western thorn in his side. With the world fixated on the coronavirus pandemic, with relations with the United States at a low, and with 3,000 delegates gathered in Beijing for the annual propaganda-fest of the National Peoples Congress, he evidently concluded that this was the time to pounce, proposing a national security law that could allow Chinese authorities to crack down on civil liberties in Hong Kong. The Trump administration was left with no option but to acknowledge the new reality. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally advised Congress that the American government no longer believes that Hong Kong has sufficient autonomy from Beijing, a decertification that opens the way to ending all or some of the territorys special trade and economic privileges. How this latest showdown plays out could have major ramifications for the future of Taiwan and for Chinas behavior in its neighborhood and the world. The question is whether President Trump has the leverage, support or stomach for the fight. Now in his eighth year as Chinas leader, Mr. Xi has shown that he is not easily dissuaded from his nationalist agenda. His treatment of dissidents and minorities like the Uighurs make clear that he has no tolerance for any challenge to the Communist Partys rule, and, as Chinas economy and military have grown, Mr. Xi has shown a greater readiness to take risks. Chinese vessels have harassed foreign ships and installations in disputed waters. Beijing pointedly dropped peaceful from its annual call for unification with Taiwan. And, if there was a time when Hong Kong was deemed indispensable for Chinas access to foreign capital, the country now has many alternatives on the mainland. After President Donald Trump declared last week that churches should reopen immediately, Paterson Bishop Arthur Serratelli sent a letter to his parishes saying the time has come to reopen for regular worship services. The bishops letter prompted some Catholic churches in Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties to announce dates as early as next week when they planned to restart indoor Masses with social distancing measures in place. But, diocese officials said Thursday those restart dates were announced too early. The bishops notice was sent out to the parishes in anticipation of Gov. Phil Murphy announcing this week that he is loosening coronavirus restrictions limiting indoor gatherings to 10 people or less, a Diocese of Paterson spokesman said. Because the governor has not made any announcements about religious institutions as of Thursday, none of the dioceses churches will reopen for indoor services yet. There was an indication that the governor was going to announce this week that houses of worship could reopen with more than 10 people, probably a percentage of the allowed seating capacity. We forwarded to all our parishes, guidelines for reopening churches so that everyone would be prepared, said Rich Sokerka, a Diocese of Paterson spokesman. The diocese has no plans to restart indoor services until Murphy gives the go-ahead, Sokerka said. Trump caused confusion Friday when he said churches and other houses of worship would be allowed to fully reopen by Memorial Day. Today Im identifying houses of worship churches, synagogues and mosques as essential places that provide essential services," the president said. Trump said he would override" Democratic governors if they dont reopen churches. But state officials said the Presidents comments had no effect on New Jerseys statewide executive order. Murphy has not said when he will loosen restrictions on indoor religious services, though he said Wednesday new guidelines are in the works. New Jerseys other Catholic dioceses -- the Archdiocese of Newark and the dioceses of Trenton, Camden and Metuchen -- have not announced dates for reopening churches for regular indoor services. Any tentative reopening date will be conducted according to the guidelines provided by state officials, and according to the ability of each individual parish to safely accommodate any changes in policy, said Maria Margiotta, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Newark. Murphy has been facing increasing pressure from some religious leaders to allow them to reopen for indoor services. The state is allowing outdoor services for 25 people or less and parking lot services where attendees stay in their cars. But most houses of worship have not seen the bulk of their congregations since mid-March. The Thomas More Society, a conservative group that takes on religious liberty cases, filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month on behalf of a Catholic priest in North Caldwell and an Orthodox Jewish rabbi from Lakewood who said local police frightened their congregations by breaking up small religious gatherings citing Murphys executive order. A group of 57 pastors said it is also planning to file a lawsuit against the state challenging Murphys authority to limit where worship services can be held. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Send it here. Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Wednesday lauded Dabangg actor Sonu Sood for helping stranded migrant labourers to return to their native places. The governor complimented the actor over a phone call and also posted the information on Twitter. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari called up actor, filmstar @SonuSood and complimented him for his dedicated work in facilitating the safe transportation of migrant people from various states to their home states, tweeted the Governor of Maharashtra. Sood responded to the tweet by saying that the Governors compliments have inspired him to work harder. Thank u so much sir. Your words inspire me to work harder. Will continue working for the migrant brothers and sisters till we unite them with their families. Honoured, tweeted Sood. Thank u so much sir. Your words inspire me to work harder. Will continue working for the migrant brothers and sisters till we unite them with their families Honoured. https://t.co/fmZjfCfAqH sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 27, 2020 The 46-year-old actor who is known for his roles in films like Singh is Kinng, Simmba and Dabangg is being hailed all over the media for arranging hassle-free passage of migrant labourers to their respective homes. Also read: Happy birthday AbRam: These photos of Shah Rukh Khans son with Aryan, Suhana, Gauri prove he is familys darling Pictures of Sood waving at the labourers seated in buses has been winning hearts on the internet since early May. Hundreds of thousands of migrant labourers have been stranded in urban areas with no livelihood and very little to survive during the Covid-19-induced lockdown forcing them to take to the path of their native places on foot. Earlier this month, the central government organised safe travel of these migrant labourers to their native places through Shramik special trains. Follow @htshowbiz for more 2 1 of 2 James Nielsen, Staff / Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Ben DeSoto, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less A federal judge has urged the Justice Department to temporarily release the former head of a Houston psychiatric clinic who is serving a 20-year prison term for Medicare fraud. Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal denied a request submitted by Earnest Gibson IV for compassionate release from the federal lockup in Arkansas where he is, due to the threat of COVID-19. But she said the court strongly recommends that the federal Bureau of Prisons grant him two years of home confinement before he resumes his incarceration. Gibson, 42, suffers from severe asthma, and Rosenthal noted in her order Wednesday since he did not commit a capital offense requiring him to remain in prison during the pandemic may be a death sentence and that cannot be tolerated. Wild West Brew Fest is the top beer festival in North America, and its an important fundraising event for Katy youth programs. The biannual event takes place at Katy Mills Mall, and its also a prodigious revenue generator for the city. Featuring drafts from more than 500 breweries, the event draws thousands of visitors that fill local hotels, dine at local eateries and patronize local shops during the three-day event. So when Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order ending public gatherings shut down the spring festival, it was a blow to both the city and beer lovers across the country. Now Wild West Brew Fest goers are anxiously watching the October 2020 festival to see if the popular attraction will still take place. According to Wild West Brew Fests official Facebook page, the festival, which takes place Oct. 22- 24, is still a go. The event is hosted by the Katy Rotary Club, a 501(c)(3) charitable service organization. The Rotary Club donates the revenue from the event to local youth charities like the FFA. David Loesch, event organizer for Wild West Brew Fest, said event organizers are carefully monitoring the COVID-19 situation, but for now, the event is still on. None of the vendors have backed out for the event, he added, and there have been no refund requests from ticket holders. Im really thankful for that, Loesch said. Its a sign that people really love this event and really want to see it happen this fall. Related: Best beers from every state For Loesch, the event is about more than just drawing a crowd and celebrating a love for beer. Without the revenue from the event, the Rotary Club wont be able to donate as much money to local youths. We give away roughly $140,000 each year, and that money goes primarily to kids who need help, he said. For instance, an FFA kid that needs help buying an animal for their project, or a band student that needs the flute, and their parents can't afford it, or you have a student that wants to go on a leadership conference, and their parents can't afford it - those are the things we target, he explained. So without this event, those are things we cant provide. More from Claire Goodman: Online predators 'more active than ever' during COVID-19 crisis, experts say Loesch said that the organizers will look primarily to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control to determine if the event is safe, but they also take cues from the Brewers Association of America, an organization that represents craft brewers across the world. The Brewers Association does a lot of tracking of the disease and follows governments very closely to monitor the situation from a beer festival perspective, so theyre a really great organization for us to be a part of, Loesch said. Loesch stated that the best way to get the most accurate and up-to-date information on the festival is via the Wild West Brew Fests Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Katy-Wild-West-Brew-Fest-173696302747587/. claire.goodman@chron.com What is the stock market telling us about the November election? Despite the fact that America currently has over 38 million unemployed workers, the market is down 8.5% this year, having gone up 32% since the late March low. Why is the stock market going up while our economy teeters on the edge of a Great Depression? There are several factors currently at work in the market with the most obvious being the extraordinary intervention by our leaders in Washington. Congress has authorized mind-boggling amounts of stimulus funds while the Fed has signaled that it is ready to purchase nearly anything and mostly everything. Even more spending and buying are sure to follow. This money flood is so massive that undoubtedly there are mind-boggling sums going into equities. Washington's interventions in the markets has had a calming effect on prices and volatility, allowing investors to begin to look ahead to November, where it seems that President Trump is ever more likely to win re-election. There are several key reasons why more and more voters are beginning to lean toward Trump. Prior to the Pandemic Lockdown, America was enjoying a tremendous economy, which many voters attributed to Trump's pro-growth policies, such as cutting taxes and reducing regulations. As bad as current economic conditions are now, people are beginning to hope that perhaps the worst has passed. The economy is starting to be perceived as poised to improve rather than worsen, certainly a trend that greatly favors Trump. Besides the hope for an improving economy, what has been happening to the Biden campaign is a pandemic of self-destruction. There are several growing scandals surrounding the Biden campaign that are unlikely to go away before November. Tara Reade's claim of sexual abuse by then-senator Biden seems to have some credibility, and for those invested in the MeToo movement, the longer Ms. Reade's claims are ignored by Hollywood, the leftist media, and the Democrats, the worse it looks for Biden. The cognitive decline Biden is exhibiting is getting worse, and similar to the Reade situation, the longer it goes on, the more voters will notice and turn away. Recently, Biden insulted black voters when he said, "I tell you, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black." Finally, there is the growing scandal of the Mike Flynn case, which continues to shine a spotlight on how the DOJ, the CIA, and the FBI attempted to take down the Trump presidency with the Russian Hoax and Mueller investigation. Joe Biden is tied to the mast of this unfolding scandal, as all of it was birthed by the supposedly "scandal-free" Obama administration. While the COVID-19 pandemic is largely a black swan event, Trump overall did a good job in handling the crisis, especially when compared to the utter insanity exhibited by the Democratic governors of New York and Michigan, Andrew Cuomo and Gretchen Whitmer, respectively. Trump's reasoned approach in leading America through the Pandemic Lockdown is far more attractive to Americans than the Hitlerian policies promulgated by Cuomo and Whitmer, policies that have significantly increased the harmful effects of the lockdown in the states those two politicians govern. Besides Trump's measured response, we also have the tremendous success Governor DeSantis has achieved in handling the pandemic in Florida, which has a COVID-19 mortality rate 90% less than New York even though Florida has a larger population and a greater number of residents living in nursing homes. Clearly, the body of evidence showing Republicans to be better at managing a crisis grows by the day. Most of the 73% of Americans who live outside urban areas have seen their livelihoods, their careers, and their local economies devastated because their states chose to design their lockdown policies in response to the high death rates caused by COVID-19 in places like New York City and northern N.J. Since this is the first pandemic most Americans have ever seen, the various governors and local leaders were initially given the benefit of the doubt with their choice of lockdown policies. But now voters are realizing that a one-size-lockdown for my entire state is an unforced error that is crushing families, businesses, and communities. Lockdown policies should be far more local in nature, crafted for a community rather than an entire state or group of states. And, instead of a careful and measured easing of lockdown restrictions, we see unscientific and draconian lockdowns being extended by the liberal Democratic governors. Evidently, these governors love their lockdowns more than their constituents. As more Republican governors successfully open up their states, enabling people to go back to work and to begin rebuilding their lives, the stale and hollow excuses the Democratic governors are offering to explain their continued lockdowns will increasingly be met with jeers and outright rejection in the form of civil disobedience. When a 77-year-old barber begins defying a statewide lockdown in Michigan, it's a clear signal (not yet received by Governor Whitmer) that something is seriously wrong and must be changed. Voters are noticing that they have power-hungry Democratic leaders who don't seem to care that their lockdown policies are destroying the lives of millions. As voters' awareness of the governors' malfeasance grows, anger will grow among the voters, who will hardly be able to wait until November to express themselves at the polls. Democrats would still have a fighting chance in November to hold the House and perhaps even gain the Senate if they would just let go of the lockdowns. But they can't, and they won't. The Democrats are heading for an Election Day nightmare on the national and local levels. I wonder if they understand that the majority of Democratic voters that they are now re-manufacturing into Republican voters will likely never return. De Lima bewails discovery of another underground COVID-19 clinic for Chinese patients Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has bewailed the recent discovery of another underground and unlicensed medical facility catering exclusively to COVID-19 patients in Makati City. The discovery of the said COVID-19 clinic last May 26 happened less than a week after authorities have raided a makeshift medical facility catering to Chinese patients inside the Fontana Leisure Park in Clark Special Economic Zone in Zambales. "How many more are there such illegal facilities which are under the radar or our health system and with unreported COVID-19 cases, a situation which impacts heavily, and alarmingly, on government's over-all response vs. COVID-19?" she asked in her Dispatch from Crame No. 804. Based on media reports, authorities found medicines, syringes, and equipment for coronavirus testing, most of which had Chinese labels, during the recent raid in Makati. It was also reported that the underground clinic lacks business permit while the Chinese doctor working there had no license to practice in the Philippines. Prior to the police raid of illegal medical clinics in Makati and Zambales, it may be recalled that the local government of Paranaque also discovered an illegal health facility exclusive for Chinese nationals where unregistered medicines for COVID-19 and sexually transmitted diseases were said to be found last April. De Lima, a former justice secretary, lamented how the Duterte administration continues to turn a blind eye to the wicked acts involving Chinese nationals and their enablers. "As usual, when it comes to Chinese shenanigans or nefarious acts, tahimik lang yung top man sa Malacanang sa bagay na ito. Very enraging!" she said. In her Dispatch from Crame No. 800, De Lima said she believes that the rise of these illegal hospitals aim to circumvent detection of COVID-19 infection among Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) workers and shield Mr. Duterte from public outrage for allowing the reopening of POGOs. India on Wednesday said it was engaged with China to peacefully resolve the border row, in a carefully crafted reaction to US President Donald Trump's offer to arbitrate between the two Asian giants to settle their decades-old dispute. "We are engaged with the Chinese side to peacefully resolve it," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, replying to a volley of questions at an online media briefing. The brief reaction to the US President's offer is seen as a virtual rejection of the proposal. The MEA spokesperson did not reply to questions like whether the US had approached India with the offer, whether New Delhi has communicated its response over it to Washington, DC or whether the Trump administration has been briefed about the current standoff between Chinese and Indian soldiers in eastern Ladakh. In the midst of this tense border standoff, Trump on Wednesday said he was 'ready, willing and able to mediate' between the two countries. "We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute," Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday morning. Trump previously offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, a proposal which was rejected by New Delhi. Asked about the situation in Eastern Ladakh, Srivastava said India is committed to the objective of maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas with Chinese and Indian armed forces scrupulously follow the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries on the matter. "At the same time, we remain firm in our resolve to ensuring India's sovereignty and national security," he said. The MEA spokesperson said the Indian troops take a very responsible approach towards border management and strictly follow the procedures laid out in various bilateral agreements and protocols with China to resolve any issue that may arise in the border areas. "The two sides have established mechanisms both at military and diplomatic levels to resolve situations which may arise in border areas peacefully through dialogue and continue to remain engaged through these channels," he said. Trump's unexpected offer came on a day when China took an apparently conciliatory tone by saying that the situation at the border with India is 'overall stable and controllable'. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday that both China and India have proper mechanisms and communication channels to resolve the issues through dialogue and consultations. 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. It is learnt that both India and China are looking at a solution to the issue through talks. On May 5, the Indian and the 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. Pools in Jackson County given guidelines to reopen KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- Pools could be allowed to reopen as early as Monday in Jackson County. Officials released new guidelines on Wednesday giving us a better idea of what that will look like. Here's warning of a local splash and the next phase of "the plan" that mostly involves fighting over cash . . . A fewapply asare now underway. Checkit: There are political differences between myself and the president. Hell say it. I will say it. I dont even need to say it. We can go do a Google search and you can find 400 nasty tweets about political differences between myself and the president. I said to the president when this started, Forget all that. At the meeting we just had, it was the same way. It was not about politics. It was not about any of that. It was about what how do we supercharge the reopening, especially in New York, which has been hardest hit? How do we take some of these big infrastructure projects that have been sitting around for a long time which if we were all smarter and better, we would have done 30 years ago and actually get them up and running because we have to do this work anyway? And because we need the jobs, now, more than ever. And it was a good conversation. The presidents from New York. So he has a context for all the things were talking about. I think the president also acknowledges and realizes that New York were very aggressive about getting these projects done and getting them done on time. This is not the typical government project. We actually get these things done. Were building the first new airport at La Guardia in 25 years in this country. We built the largest infrastructure project in the United States, which was a bridge that went across the Hudson River, now named the Mario Cuomo Bridge. It was the largest infrastructure project in the United States. We got it done on time, on budget. So if he gives us the green light, this is not going to be years of discussion. I have a shovel in the trunk of my car. Well start this afternoon. NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakh parliament's upper chamber, the Senate, has approved a draft law introducing the concept of an opposition, legislation that has been dubbed in the media as the parliamentary opposition bill and harshly criticized as misleading by the tightly controlled Central Asian nation's political opposition. The bill approved by the Senate on May 28 is expected to get endorsed by President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev. The bicameral Kazakh parliament consists mainly of members of the president-backed Nur-Otan party led by the former President Nursultan Nazarbaev, and two other parties loyal to the ruling party. The idea of formalizing the concept of the opposition was proposed by Toqaev in December 2019 at a session of the National Council of Public Confidence, a forum initiated by Toqaev to mediate between the authorities and civil rights activists. Toqaev was picked by Nazarbaev as his successor last year after suddenly resigning from the post he held for almost 30 years. Toqaev officially won an election last June -- a vote that was roundly criticized as rigged -- and has tried to position himself as a reformer, pushing forward proposals that many in the former Soviet republic have called populist. Toqaev's critics note that there is no prospect for real opposition groups to be allowed to get seats in a parliament dominated by the Nur-Otan party, which Nazarbaev continues to lead and control while also remaining the head of the powerful Security Council and carrying the title of elbasy, or national leader. The next parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2021. (Natural News) A draft of President Trumps impeding executive order that targets the censorship and political bias of the tech giants has been leaked online. You can view the draft at this link from NewsTarget.com (PDF), which ironically is banned by Facebook and all the other tech giants. UPDATE: The President has signed the EO and the full text is now posted at the WhiteHouse.gov website. This article summarizes the key points of the executive order, which stands as the first real action President Trump has taken against the extreme censorship that has been pursued for years by the techno-fascists from Silicon Valley. For the record, we have called for a suspension of all elections until a period of one year has elapsed after free speech is restored in America, arguing that democracy cannot function in a fair and free manner without protections for the freedom to speak, read, post and share. The tech giants have systematically and maliciously targeted conservatives, Trump supporters, Christians and pro-liberty individuals with extreme censorship, and their fraud is so complete that they deny they are engaged in censorship at all. Key elements of the executive order Establishes the fact that tech platforms are the modern-day public square in which public debate and free speech must be allowed to flourish. Confirms that protecting free speech is essentially to sustaining our democracy, which is the exact point Ive been making recently in articles and videos. We cannot have fair and free elections without a free speech landscape. Under the current degree of censorship in America, all elections are null and void. States that the politically biased censorship of the tech giants is, un-American and anti-democratic. Characterizes Big Techs censorship as a dangerous power. Points out how Big Tech is favoring China and even protecting the speech of communist regimes while censoring the speech of freedom-loving Americans. Several online platforms are profiting from and promoting the aggression and disinformation spread by foreign governments like China. See my related article, Big Tech Goes Pinko for more details. From the EO: Google, for example, created a search engine for the Chinese Communist Party, which blacklisted searches for human rights, hid data unfavorable to the Chinese Communist Party, and tracked users determined appropriate for surveillance. Google has also established research partnerships in China that provide direct benefits to the Chinese military. For their part, Facebook and Twitter have accepted advertisements paid for by the Chinese Government that spread false information about Chinas mass imprisonment of religious minorities. Twitter has also amplified Chinas propaganda abroad, including by allowing Chinese government officials to use its platform to undermine pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Establishes that it is the policy of the U.S. government, that lawful content should be free from censorship in our digital marketplace of ideas. As a Nation, we must foster and protect diverse viewpoints in todays digital communications environment where all Americans can and should have a voice. Calls for the scope of Sec. 230 of the CDA to be clarified. States that the selective censorship and editorializing of the tech platforms causes those platforms to be, engaged in editorial conduct, from which they should not enjoy Sec. 230 legal immunity from lawsuits. such a provider forfeits any protection from being deemed a publisher or speaker under subsection 230(c)(1). Calls for all government regulators to apply this strict interpretation to enforcing Sec. 230, meaning that any tech platform that engages in political censorship or flagging of content for reasons related to viewpoints should be subject to civil lawsuits. Calls on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to file a petition for rulemaking with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), asking the FCC to clarify Sec. 230 interpretation in a way that would preclude political bias, viewpoint censorship or similar actions on the part of the tech giants. Furthermore calls on the FCC to establish rules under which users of tech platforms such as Facebook would have to be given adequate notice and an opportunity to be heard so that tech giants cant merely blacklist entire channels without warning and without explanation. Calls for prohibiting all federal ad spending on digital platforms that do not respect this interpretation of Sec. 230 and free speech. Calls on large social media platforms, specifically naming Facebook and Twitter, to be considered the, functional equivalent of a traditional public forum and demands that they, should not infringe on protected speech. In this context, the word protected implies First Amendment protections. Orders the creation of a new complaint department to be run by the White House Office of Digital Strategy which will forward censorship and bias complaints to the FCC. The White House Office of Digital Strategy shall reestablish the White House Tech Bias Reporting Tool to collect complaints of online censorship and other potentially unfair or deceptive acts or practices by online platforms and shall submit complaints received to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Calls on the FTC to prohibit unfair and deceptive acts or practices that affect commerce. This is a broad order with potentially enormous implications, especially considering that platforms like Facebook, which censor truthful speech about vaccine risks, for example, is run by people like Mark Zuckerberg who have a financial stake in vaccine companies. Facebooks censorship of speech that criticizes vaccines is, of course, anti-competitive and antitrust behavior which is subject to prosecution by the FTC. Instructs the FTC to crack down on the deceptive promises made by social media platforms (i.e. telling users they are free to speak) while in reality those platforms practice politically-motivated censorship that contradicts their public promises. This constitutes deceptive practices which the FTC may choose to prosecute. Directs the FTC to consider criminal violations by Twitter and other large social media platforms which are engaging in deceptive and unfair marketing and commerce practices that violate U.S. law. Calls for the FTC to issue a public report about its findings after investigating possible criminal violations. Calls on the DOJ to work with Attorneys General of U.S. states to create a working group to pursue Big Tech violations of state laws regarding unfair practices and deceptive acts. Directs the White House Office of Digital Strategy to collect user complaints and forward those complaints to the DOJ working group thats cooperating with state Attorneys General. TEN URGENT ACTION ITEMS to defend your freedom do this now or lose your liberty forever Whats clear from this executive order is that the fuel which will drive all these processes carried out by the White House, the FCC and the FTC will be user reports of censorship and bias. In other words, even as Trump is laying out the framework for the federal government to aggressively crack down on censorship and bias by the tech giants, the government wont be able to get much done without a flood of user complaints. Thus, we are encouraging all readers to take the following actions: 1) DOCUMENT every instance of censorship, bias, blacklisting and de-platforming that has happened to you or your business over the last several years. 2) GATHER screen shots, on-screen messages, fact check flags and other evidence that can support your censorship complaint. 3) PREPARE to submit your complaints to the White House Office of Digital Strategy once a new complaint process is announced and made publicly available. (We dont know the timeline of this, but Trump appears to be motivated to move quickly). 4) ENCOURAGE all others who have been impacted by the malicious, un-American censorship of the tech giants to take these same actions and prepare their evidence and complaints. 5) SHARE this article if you are able. While Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube and other tech giants have maliciously and repeatedly de-platformed my voice and my websites, the following site is co-publishing this story and you may be able to share it from there: Trump.news/2020-05-28-anatomy-of-president-trumps-executive-order-tech-giants-censorship-sec-230.html 6) MOVE your channels to alternative platforms. Leave Facebook and bring your followers to AllSocial.com. Leave YouTube and bring your videos and viewers to Brighteon.com. Consider the growing ecosystem of other independent platforms. 7) SELL all stocks of Facebook, YouTube, Google, Twitter, Vimeo and other tech giants that engage in speech suppression and malicious censorship. Do not invest your financial future in their model of oppressing basic human rights. 8) CONDEMN those who work for Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Wikipedia, Vimeo and other malicious censorship platforms for their complicity in empowering evil, authoritarian regimes that crush human freedom and censor important human rights voices like Jennifer Zeng. Today, anyone who works for the tech giants is morally no different than someone who worked for the Nazi regime in 1939, for example. 9) SUPPORT the efforts of Sen. Josh Hawley and Rep. Matt Gaetz for their passionate efforts to revoke Sec. 230 protections from the tech giants and restore a level playing field of free speech for America. Tell your representatives in Congress that you demand the revocation of Sec. 230 and a new law to protect free speech across online platforms. 10) VOICE YOUR SUPPORT for President Trumps actions to defend the free speech of all Americans. Thank Trump for this decisive action and encourage him to pursue it with courage, even if the stock prices of the tech giants fall. There is no greater and more important fight for our future than the fight to defend the First Amendment and your right to speak without interference by malicious, communist-infiltrated corporations like Twitter and Facebook. President Trump is taking bold action, and he desperately needs our encouragement and support to see this through. If President Trump doesnt win in November, free speech will be obliterated in America for generations to come Finally, realize that if President Trump loses the November election, a Democrat president will reverse all this and allow the tech giants to pursue an endless, aggressive expansion of malicious censorship. That will no doubt end either in mass genocide or an armed uprising and civil war across America. Neither outcome is good for our future. It now appears that the political survival of President Trump in the upcoming election is, indeed, the only path by which the free speech of the American people can be restored. Heres my take on why the tyranny of Big Tech must be brought to an end. [May 28, 2020] Gladly Launches Payments to Turn Contact Centers into Revenue Centers and Provide Radically Personal Customer Service SAN FRANCISCO, May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gladly , the company that makes customer service Radically Personal, today introduced Payments for messaging channels. Crate and Barrel, the national home furnishings retailer, is the first Gladly customer to leverage Payments to generate revenue from the call center, closing over $100,000 in new chat revenue within the first week. According to The Temkin Group , a moderate improvement in customer experience will increase revenue by an average of $823 million over three years for a company with $1 billion in annual revenue. With Payments, Gladly customers are empowered to provide exceptional, personalized service that drives revenue and enables their customers to securely complete transactions on messaging channels. Payments is built natively into Gladlys customer service platform, which puts people at the center of a lifelong conversation. Gladly helps brands shift the contact center into a revenue center by creating Radically Personal customer service experiences that help customers engage and purchase the products they love. Benefits include: Easy Digital Payments Agents securely accept credit card information from customers digitally theyre not transferred to voice to complete the process. Payments allows customers to complete the checkout where they want, resulting in fewer abandoned baskets, increased sales, and improved satisfaction. Agents securely accept credit card information from customers digitally theyre not transferred to voice to complete the process. Payments allows customers to complete the checkout where they want, resulting in fewer abandoned baskets, increased sales, and improved satisfaction. Turning Agents into Natural Sellers Gladly arms agents with the context, history, and details they need to provide a personalized customer service experience. With rich customer information like past purchases and preferences all in a single-view, agents create thoughtful and authentic product recommendations. Agents can also proctively send messages to customers at the right time if they spend time on the website, for example, agents can help guide them to the cart and complete their purchase. Gladly arms agents with the context, history, and details they need to provide a personalized customer service experience. With rich customer information like past purchases and preferences all in a single-view, agents create thoughtful and authentic product recommendations. Agents can also proctively send messages to customers at the right time if they spend time on the website, for example, agents can help guide them to the cart and complete their purchase. Concierge Program Companies can assign high-value customers to dedicated agents to drive deeper, long-lasting relationships that go beyond the transaction. By matching customers to the subject-matter experts best able to help, brands increase sales and drive lifelong customer relationships. Deloitte , positive customer experiences can reduce the cost of serving customers by up to 33 percent. Gladlys 2020 Customer Expectations Report revealed 84 percent of customers go out of their way to spend more money for great experiences. Rethinking the contact center as a revenue generator presents new opportunities for growth. We engage with over 125 million customers each year through our stores, websites, and app, so our contact centers are an important touchpoint with customers, said Kate Showalter, Crate and Barrels Senior Director of Customer Service. Were known for delivering an exceptional customer experience and challenge ourselves to provide seamless service at every turn, enabling agents to find the merchandise and solutions that meet customers needs. With Gladly, were elevating solution-based interactions in the call center but were also undergoing a mindset shift to think of our agents as sales drivers. By meeting customers on their preferred channels, and simplifying transactions across channels, Gladlys Payments helps us improve the shopping experience, drive sales, and deliver customer service that people love and were known for. Since implementing Gladly, customers have seen an increase of over 10 percent in customer service-generated revenue. We are so proud to partner with Crate and Barrel to empower their team to drive revenue in real-time as they interact with customers, said Joseph Ansanelli, CEO and co-founder of Gladly. Now more than ever, customers want agents that know them, know what products to recommend, and can quickly get their purchases transacted. Gladly makes it easy for our customers like Crate and Barrel to turn their contact centers into a revenue center in a matter of weeks, not months." To learn more about how Gladly is helping customer service teams drive revenue, click here . For more details on Payments and how it works, click here . About Gladly Gladly is the only platform making customer service Radically Personal by allowing agents to communicate with customers seamlessly across channels. Gladly centers customer service around the person, not a case or ticket number, giving agents full visibility of customers in a single view. With Gladly, the worlds most innovative consumer companies like JetBlue, JOANN, and TUMI develop lifelong customer relationships, not one-off experiences. Based in San Francisco, Gladly was founded in 2014 and is privately backed by industry leaders including Greylock, GGV Capital, NEA, and JetBlue Ventures. About Crate and Barrel Crate and Barrel is an industry-leading home furnishings specialty retailer, known for exclusive designs, timeless style and superb customer service. In 1962, working directly with European ateliers and factories, Crate and Barrel was among the first to introduce affordable household goods and contemporary home decor to American consumers. Today, the brands essence has translated perfectly to the omnichannel era. In addition to a direct marketing division that services more than 90 countries, Crate and Barrel operates 94 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as international franchise locations around the globe. More than 100MM customers visit the companys website each year, shopping online and via the mobile app. To learn more, visit www.crateandbarrel.com . Contact LaunchSquad for Gladly [email protected] (415) 625-8555 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Zuri Marley attends the boohoo NYFW celebration at the boohoo Mansion on 11 September 2019 in New York City. (Craig Barritt/Getty Images for boohoo) Online fast fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO.L) is buying the remaining 34% of subsidiary brand PrettyLittleThing it doesnt already own. Boohoo said on Thursday it would pay 269.8m ($330.5m) in cash and shares to acquire the remaining stake in PrettyLittleThing. Acquisition costs could potentially rise to 323.8m if Boohoos share price continues to climb. Online youth fashion retailer Boohoo has owned 66% of PrettyLittleThing since 2017. Boohoo said taking full control of the company would be an important further step towards achieving its vision to lead the fashion e-commerce market globally. PrettyLittleThing was founded in 2012 by Umar and Adam Kamani, the sons of Boohoo founder Mahmud Kamani. Manchester-based PrettyLittleThing focuses on fast fashion for young women and has grown rapidly since its launch. It had sales of over 500m last year. READ MORE: ATM transactions plunge as consumers shun cash Boohoo will buy shares from Umar Kumani, who is the chief executive of PrettyLittleThing, and Paul Papworth, PrettyLittleThings chief operating officer. The pair will be paid 108m in new Boohoo shares and 161.9m in cash. Boohoo raised 200m to pursue acquisitions in May but said the PrettyLittleThing deal would be funded through the 240m of cash it had on its balance sheet at the end of February. Kamani and Papworth will remain in charge of PrettyLittleThing after the Boohoo deal closes. PrettyLittleThing co-founder Umar Kamani. (Greg Doherty/Getty Images) The move to take full control of PrettyLittleThing comes amid scrutiny of Boohoos relationship with the company. UK short-seller Shadowfall earlier this week released a 54-page report claiming Boohoo gave a misleading impression of its free cashflow, partly due to its accounting treatment of PrettyLittleThing. Boohoo said it strongly refutes the claim. Boohoo said an independent board and advisors from KPMG and Zeus Capital were involved in the PrettyLittleThing transaction to ensure it was fair and at arms length, given the family ties between Boohoo and PrettyLittleThings founders. Story continues Read more: Boohoo 'strongly refutes' cashflow claims of short-seller Umar Kamani said in a statement: Since being a disruptive start-up in 2012 to a global fashion brand that generates over half a billion pounds in sales today, I am incredibly proud of what my team and I have achieved in such a short period of time. Boohoo chief executive John Lyttle said: We are delighted to be acquiring the remaining 34% stake in PLT. It has been a brand that has delivered strong growth as part of the boohoo group's platform, and has a great future ahead of it in the UK and overseas. Boohoo has owned 66% of PrettyLittleThing since 2017. (Presley Ann/Getty Images) Shares in Boohoo rose 13% on news of the deal. The stock had dropped over 12% after Shadowfalls report was published. Nick Bubb, an independent retail analyst, said the transaction would clear up the issue raised by Shadowfall around Boohoos accounting treatment of PrettyLittleThing. Sophie Lund-Yates, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: Apart from PrettyLittleThings impressive sales performance since boohoo acquired its majority stake back in 2017, there are other reasons for optimism. Namely, execution risk is vastly reduced in this deal. PrettyLittleThing has been part of boohoos story for a while now, so this wont come as a shock to the operating system and means the benefits can be reaped quickly. The Academy of American Poets announced on Thursday the 23 recipients of its Poets Laureate Fellowships, who will use the $50,000 grants for civic projects throughout the United States, even as the coronavirus pandemic limits the in-person, community-based initiatives they typically develop. The program, now in its second year, was expanded from 13 poets in 2019 and funded through 2022 thanks to a $4.5 million grant that the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which finances the fellowships, announced in January. In addition, the academy felt strongly about supporting as many poets as we possibly could, said its president and executive director, Jennifer Benka. (The program is separate from the one operated by the Library of Congress, which last month appointed Joy Harjo to a second term as U.S. poet laureate.) Elizabeth Alexander, a poet and the president of the Mellon Foundation, said the financial impact of the coronavirus has made supporting artists even more urgent. A survey conducted by Artist Relief, a coalition formed to help artists affected by the pandemic, found that nearly 62 percent had become unemployed because of the crisis. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 20:57:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 831 after 100 more cases were confirmed, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health said in a statement on Thursday. This is so far the highest daily increase in the Horn of Africa country. The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, in a statement issued on Thursday, revealed that from the total of 4,950 medical tests that were conducted in the last 24 hours, 100 of them tested positive for COVID-19, eventually bringing the total number of cases to 831. The statement further said all but two of the 100 new COVID-19 cases are Ethiopian nationals, 53 males and 47 females, with their age ranging from three to 70 years old. The ministry also said that 191 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have so far recovered from the virus. The ministry also disclosed a 70-year-old woman succumbed to the disease on Thursday, raising the number of COVID-19 related deaths to seven. Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation with about 107 million people, confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 13. The Ethiopian government has instituted a wide range of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. In April, the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives, the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament, announced a five-month state of emergency to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Enditem New Delhi: A police jeep and fire tender outside the Delhi High court after an anonymous caller warned of a bomb explosion in the premises which turned out to be a hoax, in New Delhi on Aug 17, 2017. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, May 28 : The Delhi High Court has asked the committee (formed to keep a check on sewage management) to carry out surprise checks in South West Delhi's Najafgarh area and ensure that the regulations regarding the disposal of the sewage are complied with in letter and spirit. "The committee shall also carry out surprise inspections of the area in question and submit, in form of an affidavit, a Status Report of such inspections and steps taken by the Committee for ensuring that the Regulations are complied with in true letter and spirit," said a single judge bench of the high court presided by Justice Navin Chawla. The direction came while the court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging that waste collected by the government agencies from the septic tanks is not being treated and is directly being released into the Yamuna river. During the course of the hearing, the Delhi Jal Board submitted that the onus to ensure compliance with the regulations is on the entire committee and cannot be put solely on the representative of the Delhi Jal Board in the said committee as has been sought to be done by the District Magistrate vide his letter dated 19.05.2020. The letter written by the DM to the Superintending Engineer, South-West (Sewer Maintenance), Delhi Jal Board, called upon him to take action against the persons who are found violating the Delhi Water Board Septage Management Regulations, 2018. Following the submissions, the court has asked the committee to hold an urgent meeting to discuss the issues raised and address the same. "Such meeting be held within a period of one week from today," the court said. The court also asked the Delhi Jal Board to consider if the licenses granted by it can specify the area of operation of each particular licensee and the fact of the appointment of a licensee be advertised in that particular area. "This shall ensure that responsibility is easily put on a particular licensee in case a violation is found in a particular area and also the residents in that area are able to easily know which licensee they need to approach and hold responsible for their area," the bench said. The Delhi Jal Board in its reply before the high court stated that it has invited tenders for hiring 80 specially fabricated machines for collection, transportation and disposal of septic tank waste from unsewered/unauthorised colonies in an organised manner. "However, though the work of the same was to be awarded in the month of March, 2020, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the work could not be awarded," the DJB said. Taking note of the submissions, the court asked the Delhi Jal Board to finalise the tender for these machines quickly. "As the work involved is of public interest and in fact more needed during the period of COVID-19 pandemic, the respondent no. 2 is directed to finalise the said tender as expeditiously as possible," the court ruled. The court while asking the respondents to file a Status Report recording the compliance of its directions within a period of four weeks, posted the matter for hearing on June 29. The plea, through advocate Abhimanyu Mahajan, said the waste collected by these agencies from the septic tanks is required to be treated in sewage treatment plants, which is not being done. "The waste collected by these agencies from the septic tanks is required to be treated in sewage treatment plants. Unfortunately, the same is not being done. The waste without being treated in sewage treatment plants, is directly discharged or released either into Najafgarh drain or any other open drains in the locality, which is then ultimately released into Yamuna River," the plea said. Advertisement The Mayor of Minneapolis says he believes George Floyd would still be alive today if he had been white as it's revealed the 46-year-old black man was arrested, pinned to the ground, and 'murdered' by cops for allegedly trying to pay at a local deli with a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd, a father of two, died on Monday night after a white police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes in an incident that was captured on video and has sparked violent protests and riots in the city that left one looter dead. In widely circulated footage of his arrest, Floyd was seen on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back as white officer Derek Chauvin pinned him to the pavement until he lost consciousness and later died. In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Mahmoud Abumayyaleh, the co-owner of Cup Foods deli, broke his silence revealing one of his employees had called the police after Floyd allegedly handed them a bogus bill. Minneapolis Police said Floyd had been suspected of forgery however, they have not publicly confirmed whether or not he was using counterfeit bills. It comes after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he considers Floyd's public killing to be murder. 'I'm not a prosecutor, but let me be clear. The arresting officer killed someone,' he told CBS. 'He'd be alive today if he were white.' 'The facts that I've seen, which are minimal, certainly lead me down the path that race was involved.' Scroll down for video An aerial photo made with a drone shows firefighters battling fires set near the Minneapolis police 3rd Precinct, during a third day of protests over the death of George Floyd Chaos continues: A shirtless man was seen running near a burning building in downtown Minneapolis after a night of unrest and protests over George Floyd's death Aerial footage taken on Thursday shows the aftermath of Wednesday's protests in which angry rioters set buildings and structures ablaze People stand on a burned up car as fires burn near a Target Store after demonstrations and riots turned violent Smokes was seen filling the sky in city early Thursday after chaos erupted on the streets for a second night Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said on Thursday he believes George Floyd would still be alive today if he had been a white man A suspected looter was shot dead outside the Cadillac Pawn shop on Wednesday while businesses including Wendy's, Target, Walmart and AutoZone were ransacked and some set alight by rioters Officer Derek Chauvin (pictured) was identified as the officer pinning him down in video footage that was widely shared on Tuesday Mahmoud Abumayyaleh (center) the co-owner of Cup Foods deli where Floyd allegedly tried to pass a bogus bill, broke his silence on Thursday revealing it was one of his employees who reported him to the police It comes as: State troopers were forced to intervene after protests and riots broke out in Minneapolis for a second night Cup Foods deli owner revealed an employee called the police after Floyd allegedly paid with a fake $20 bill The family, including Floyd's brother Philonise, called for the four officers to be charged and now plan to have an independent autopsy performed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly called for white Officer Derek Chauvin to be criminally charged New video footage cast d oubt on claims Floyd resisted arrest, showing two cops forcibly removing him from his car and he appears to be complying with officers A protest broke out in the streets of downtown LA Wednesday night over Floyd's death with one man being taken to hospital after he fell from a moving police cruiser Minneapolis protesters escalated into violence Wednesday as cops and protesters clashed and stores including Target, AutoZone and Walmart were ransacked and set on fire by looters A looter was shot dead in Minneapolis Wednesday night and officers had arrested a man for homicide On Wednesday, Mayor Frey publicly called for officer Derek Chauvin to be arrested and criminally charged after all four cops involved in the fatal arrest were fired. A fatal shooting and lawsuit for excessive force: What we know about the four officers fired for George Floyd's arrest Derek Chauvin In 2006 Derek Chauvin (pictured), 44, was one of six officers connected to the death of Wayne Reyes The white police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck has already been investigated over three police shootings and a fatal car chase. In 2006 Derek Chauvin, 44, was one of six officers connected to the death of Wayne Reyes. Reyes, 42 was killed by officers after allegedly pulling a shotgun on the six cops, which included Chauvin. Also that year he was named in a lawsuit filed by an inmate at the Minnesota Correctional Facility. The case was dismissed in 2007. Two years later Chauvin was investigated for his role in the 2008 shooting of Ira Latrell Toles during a domestic assault call. Toles was wounded after police said he went for an officer's gun and Chauvin shot him. That same year Chauvin was handed a medal of valor for 'his response in an incident involving a man armed with a gun.' But in 2011 23-year-old Leroy Martinez was shot and injured during a chase given by officers including Chauvin. Chauvin was arrested Friday - four days after Floyd's death - and charged with third degree murder and manslaughter. Tou Thao Tou Thao (pictured), was part of a $25,000 out of court settlement after being sued for using excessive force in 2017 Tou Thao, was part of a $25,000 out of court settlement after being sued for using excessive force in 2017. A lawsuit obtained by the DailyMail.com shows Thao was sued for using excessive force in arrest where he was accused of punching and kicking a handcuffed suspect 'until his teeth broke'. The remaining two officers have been identified as Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng. Both were reportedly rookie cops who were still in their probationary periods. Thao, Lane and Kueng do not currently face charges. Advertisement They were identified as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng. Frey said that most people, especially people of color, would already be sitting behind bars over the incident as he urged Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to lay charges on the officer. 'I've wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: "Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?"' he said. He later added: 'I saw no threat. I saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary.' Store owner Abumayyaleh, who also said he did not see Floyd resisting officers, revealed events leading up to the deadly arrest were captured on the grocery store's surveillance footage but cannot be shared publicly because it is under investigation. He said Floyd had already exited the store after one of his workers had noticed the cash he used was 'fake.' 'My staff called the police, practicing protocol, and when the police arrived Floyd was still outside and that's when they approached him,' Abumayyaleh told Don Lemon. The store owner said a family member later witnessed Floyd being restrained outside and tried to intervene, asking the officer to take his knee off the man. 'I viewed [the footage] and what I saw was devastating. It was very heartbreaking, and our condolences go out to the family and friends of George Floyd.' When asked if he saw Floyd resisting arrest Abumayyaleh said he did not, before adding: 'Our camera angle shows exactly what was reported by the outside bystander. What I see is exactly what you see.' Cup Foods, which has been in the community for over 30 years, has been at the background of protests in the wake of Floyd's death and has copped backlash from angry residents, Abumayyaleh said. 'Although we have a village of supporters behind us, there's a small percentage of people who are angry and want answers, and we understand that. 'But let's take that anger towards the people who took the action against the individual that was killed. 'Let's take that anger and use it towards bridging and fixing the problem in our system that is causing minorities in this country to be killed,' he added. Minneapolis was bracing for a third night of violence on Thursday after protests in the city turned deadly overnight. State troopers have already been called in and Mayor Frey asked for the National Guard's help after one suspected looter was fatally shot and stores were left ransacked and torched. Shocking images Thursday morning showed the widespread destruction left overnight after stores including Wendy's, Target, Walmart and Autozone were looted and some even set on fire. Mayor Frey pleaded for calm ahead of more expected protests this evening telling residents 'we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy.' Videos also showed what was reported to be an apartment building entirely engulfed by flames as rioters stood and watched and the fire department was nowhere to be seen. Outside a GM Tobacco store, a group of four men with huge firearms were seen and said they had come to protect local businesses from looters. DailyMail.com also exclusively reported that protesters on Wednesday even gathered outside the home of fired officer Derek Chauvin and scrawled the word 'Murderer' on his driveway. A sign was propped up at the end of his driveway reading 'People don't kill people, cops do' as calls mounted for the fired cop to face murder charges over Floyd's death. Other demonstrators carried signs and wore T-shirts reading 'I can't breathe' - some of the last words Floyd said as he begged the police officer for his life. Some held signs reading 'Black Lives Matter' and pictures of Floyd as they marched on the property. They were then met by a wall of police officers who had set up security around Chauvin's home. The morning after George Floyd protests erupted in violence and fires in Minneapolis, protesters began assembling at the residence of Derek Chauvin Some demonstrators carried signs and wore T-shirts reading 'I can't breathe' - some of the last words Floyd said as he begged the police officer for his life A sign is propped up at the end of his driveway reading: 'People don't kill people, cops do' People descended on his home Wednesday and scrawled the word 'Murderer' on his driveway A local Target store was targeted by rioters who sprayed graffiti on the walls and even looted the store Aerial images showed the widespread destruction after angry protesters spilled on to the streets of Minneapolis The store owner revealed the grocery store has copped backlash following Floyd's killing Looters continue to remove goods from destroyed and burned out stores after a night of rioting and vandalism which followed a second day of protests over the arrest of George Floyd in Minneapolis Rioters and looters wearing masks were seen on Thursday removing items from local businesses as chaos broke out in the city Police chief John Elder slammed the actions of looters which he branded 'disrespectful' to Floyd's family and to the protesters gathering peacefully to demand justice over his death Minneapolis Department Police Chief John Elder confirmed in a midnight press conference that one person was shot and killed and that another person was being held in custody. Pictured: Scores of people were seen in the streets as fires raged around them amid conflicts with police Breaking overnight: New protests erupted overnight over the death of George Floyd. Some people set fires and others looted stores during the demonstrations. Police say one person was shot dead, and a suspect is in custody.@JeffPeguesCBS reports from Minneapolis. pic.twitter.com/u9BzbCJ28T CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) May 28, 2020 Eric Garner's mom says George Floyd's death is like opening an old wound as she unites with Rev Al Sharpton who called for cops who 'murdered' him to be arrested Eric Garner's mother on Thursday said the death of George Floyd is like opening up 'an old wound' after the footage drew comparisons to her sons arrest in 2014. Gwen Carr, whose 44-year-old son died after he was placed in an apparent chokehold by a NYPD officer, was joined by Rev Al Sharpton in Minneapolis days after video showed a white police officer knelt on Floyd's neck. Civil rights activist Rev Sharpton demanded the cops who 'murdered' him are arrested, telling the crowd: 'You do not need anything more than you have now to arrest those four policemen.' Carr added: 'The police officers come into our neighborhoods, they brutalize, they terrorize, they murder our children and we have done nothing.' Their comments came as Minneapolis braced for a third night of violence after protests about Floyd's death turned deadly Wednesday. Shocking aerial photos show the widespread destruction left in the wake of demonstrations. Gwen Carr joined Reverend Al Sharpton in Minneapolis on Thursday as he demanded the four officers involved in Floyd's death be arrested Carr's 44-year-old son Eric Garner (pictured) was killed in 2014 after a New York City police officer placed him in a lethal chokehold during his arrest (right). The mom spoke out in Minneapolis on Thursday saying Floyd's death was like opening an old wound Carr told protesters: 'This will not be an easy fight, its gonna be a lonely road. We will not forget this man, we will not forgot my son.' Discussing the protests, Rev Sharpton added: 'If they had prosecuted the Garner officer maybe Floyd would be alive today. We are going to make sure this prosecution goes down so we are not somewhere five years from now saying they should prosecuted in the Floyd case. 'You do not need anything more than you have now to arrest those four policemen. We want justice.' In July last year federal prosecutors said they would not bring criminal charges against the white New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo in the 2014 chokehold death of Garner. In the case of Floyd, the four officers at his arrest have been fired but there have so far been no arrests. Advertisement Congresswoman Maxine Waters speaks out on video of George Floyd's arrest saying cop who knelt on him was enjoying it Rep. Maxine Waters weighed in on the death of George Floyd on Thursday saying the cop who knelt on his neck appeared to be 'enjoying it.' In an interview with TMZ, Waters said she believed some police officers are out to get civilians on the street and Floyd was just another victim. 'I think that the officer that his knee on his neck enjoyed doing what he was doing,' she said. 'I believe sometimes some of these officers leave home thinking, "I'm going to get me one today." And I think this is his one...and he didn't care.' Maxine Waters spoke out against the death of George Floyd in an interview with TMZ 'He didn't care whether or not anybody was photographing him,' she said. 'He did what he was doing and the officers who stood there and watched him are just as guilty as he is. 'If in fact you have subdued a suspect and youre not in any danger at all because the handcuffs are on him, there is no reason for the police to do what these police did.' Waters' comments follow dozens of other politicians and celebrities who publicly condemned Minneapolis police officers' actions after footage of Floyd losing consciousness in handcuffs was widely shared online. Advertisement University of Minnesota cuts ties with Minneapolis cops after Floyd's death and will stop paying the department to work football games or other events because the community is 'angry and fears for its safety' The University of Minnesota announced Wednesday that it has severed some ties with the Minneapolis Police Department, including contracting officers to provide security at home football games. The move announced by university president Joan Gabel comes two days after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after being pinned down by white police officers executing an arrest. Joan Gabel, president of the University of Minnesota, The University of Minnesota had been contracting Minneapolis cops for football game security Gabel sent a letter to students, faculty and staff members Wednesday night, stating her instructions to university officials to 'no longer contract the Minneapolis Police Department' to provide security large on-campus events, including Gophers football games. A spokesman for the football team did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for the specific amount the school spends annually to contract Minneapolis police for games. A 2019 athletic department financial statement statement claims the school spent just over $2 million in expenses for home football games - a figure that includes security, officials, event staff, and an on-site ambulance. 'Our hearts are broken after watching the appalling video capturing the actions of Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officers against George Floyd leading to his tragic death,' Gabel said in her letter. 'As a community, we are outraged and grief-stricken. I do not have the words to fully express my pain and anger and I know that many in our community share those feelings, but also fear for their own safety. This will not stand.' Gabel said the university will also cease using the MPD for specialized services, such as 'K-9 explosive detection units.' Gabel said the MPD's role on campus will be limited to 'joint patrols and investigations that directly enhance the safety of our community.' TCF Bank Stadium, home to Gophers football, sits approximately 5 miles from the site of Floyd's death. 'Our campuses and facilities are a part of the communities in which they reside,' Gabel wrote. 'University students, staff, and faculty are day-to-day participants in the life of every community in this state, and we must act when our neighbors are harmed and in pain. Advertisement In a press conference following last night's events, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said he 'cannot allow criminal acts to occur and compound the trauma that already exists'. Floyd's heartbroken brother Philonise Floyd also urged protesters to demonstrate peacefully, but said he understood the anger surrounding George's death. 'I can't stop people right now because they have pain. They have the same pain that I feel. I want everything to be peaceful but I can't make everybody be peaceful. It's hard,' he told CNN. 'They treated him worse than they treat animals.' 'I watched the video. It was hard but I had to watch. As I watched, those four officers - they executed my brother,' he added. Floyd's case has been compared to the 2014 killing of Eric Garner and has reignited tensions between law enforcement and the black community over police officers' use of force on black suspects, particularly in non-violent offenses. Cops were reported to have located Floyd in his car near 38th and Chicago Ave on Monday after receiving calls of a 'forgery in progress' and alleged he had gotten out of the car before 'physically resisting officers'. However additional footage later emerged casting doubt on the version of events as it appears to show Floyd cooperating with officers as he is manhandled out of his vehicle and placed in handcuffs. An initial statement released by the Minneapolis Police Department on Tuesday did not include details of officers' altercation with Floyd and only mentioned he had suffered 'medical distress' following the arrest. A new incident report was also released Wednesday revealing medics arrived at the scene of Floyd's arrest to find the black man already 'unresponsive' and 'pulseless'. The release of the MFD report sheds yet more light on Monday's shocking events, detailing that fire crew were called to assist medics with a man - called 'pt' in the report - who had trauma to his mouth. It states that Fire Station 17 of Minneapolis arrived outside the Cup Foods store to find 'multiple squads on scene and small crowd of citizens'. The report points to confusion at the scene as neither the cops nor bystanders gave information to crew on Floyd or his location. It says that while the crew tried to find Floyd to give medical support, they overheard and were told by 'several people that the police "had killed the man"'. The report adds that the bystanders were 'upset but not unruly'. Crew members were finally able to find a cop inside the store who told them medics had put Floyd in an ambulance and left the scene. Two crew members got into the ambulance where they found 'an unresponsive, pulseless male', the report states. According to the report, medics never managed to recover a pulse on route to the hospital and Floyd's 'condition did not change'. Protests over Floyd's death entered their second day on Wednesday night, with chaos and disruption spilling onto the streets of Minneapolis as protesters clashed with police. The demonstrations took a violent turn when a suspected looter was shot dead outside a pawn shop. Minneapolis Department Police Chief John Elder confirmed in a midnight press conference that one person was shot and killed and that another person was being held in custody. Elder said officers had responded to reports of a possible stabbing at around 9.25pm between Bloomington and Lake Street The body of a man - who medics later confirmed had been shot - was found lying on the sidewalk outside the Cadillac Pawn shop by police officers who performed CPR on him. News helicopter footage showed protesters milling in streets near Minneapolis's 3rd Precinct station, with some running in and out of nearby stores. A Target, a Cub Foods, a Dollar Tree and an auto parts store all showed signs of damage and looting. As darkness fell, fire erupted in the auto parts store, and city fire crews rushed to control it. Protesters set other fires in the street. Officers could be seen surrounding the nearby precinct, not attempting to intervene in the looting. Multiple fires burned early Thursday at buildings and smoke hung over the city. Fire crews worked to put out flames. Blocks of buildings with broken-out windows and other damage from looting were seen, and KSTP-TV reported that some people were seen going through buildings. During the riots, a woman in a wheelchair was punched in the head and sprayed with a fire extinguisher after trying to block protesters - allegedly with a knife in her hand. Elder said that 'everything was done that we could do to try to preserve this man's life' but the adult male died in hospital. The police chief refused to confirm reports that the shooter was the owner of the pawn shop who shot the victim dead because he was looting his store. He said this was 'one theory' but that police are investigating 'a couple of different scenarios that might have happened'. Elder would not divulge what the other scenarios are. He added that there had been no other reports of injuries among protesters or police officers. The police chief also slammed the actions of looters and rioters which he branded 'disrespectful' to Floyd's family and to all the protesters who gathered peacefully to demand justice over his death. 'If people are there to truly honor the man and his family this isn't how you do it and it's so disrespectful and it's heartbreaking,' he said. 'People are utilizing this as a purpose just to make bad decisions.' A source told KSTP that the city has requested support from the National Guard to bring the violence under control. Frey pointed out that most civilians would already be in jail if they had done with police officer was seen doing in the video Wendy's, Target, Walmart and AutoZone were all looted and ransacked and rioters tried to bust open an ATM. Picture: AutoZone was also set on fire. Looters raided scores of stores, including a tobacco outlet. One man was seen looking delighted as he emerged from the store with piles of packs of cigarettes Wellwishers raise over $1 MILLION for George Floyd's family in just over 24 hours on GoFundMe as they call for cops who 'murdered' him to be arrested Family members of George Floyd, who was 'murdered' by a cop who knelt on his neck, have raised over $1million towards his funeral in just over 24 hours. Floyds brother, Philonise Floyd, set up a GoFundMe page on Wednesday afternoon, less than two days after footage emerged of 46-year-old George passing out on the ground on Monday after four officers arrested him for allegedly trying to use forged documents at a Minneapolis deli. George Floyd later died in hospital in an incident that is now under investigation by the FBI and has triggered a national outcry, with thousands of protesters to taking to the streets in scenes that have since erupted into violence. But in the wake of the tragedy, his surviving family members have been overwhelmed with kindness, with 43,000 different donors raising a staggering $1,020,020 in just 22 hours towards George Floyds memorial fund. Floyds brother, Philonise Floyd (right), set up a GoFundMe page on Wednesday afternoon, less than two days after footage emerged of 46-year-old George passing out on the ground on Monday after four officers arrested him for allegedly trying to use forged documents at a Minneapolis deli Philonise Floyd fought back tears Thursday morning as he repeated his call for the four officers involved to be arrested for his brother's murder. On May 25, 2020, my life shattered as I learned of the tragic passing of my dear brother, George, Philonise Floyd wrote in a statement on the fundraiser. From the bottom of our hearts my family thanks each of you who have reached out, he continued. While we are not able to respond to each expression of love at this time, please know that we love and appreciate each and every one of you. Our hearts are overwhelmed! Philonise Floyd described how his family watched on in terror when they saw the harrowing and now infamous footage of Floyd being pinned to the ground near the back tire of a police car by a white officer, Derek Chauvin, who is kneeling down on his neck. Floyd his heard pleading with the cop to stop several times over the course of six minutes, crying out to him, Please, please, I can't breathe' and 'My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts, before eventually losing consciousness. What we saw on that tape left us shell shocked; a white Minneapolis police officer kneeling directly on my brother's neck, obstructing his ability to breathe, Philonise Floyd recounted. As some officers knelt on his neck, other officers participated and watched; no one took any action to save my brother's life. Those officers would continue to brutalize my brother until he died, he said. Newly emerged video shows him being manhandled and forcibly removed from his vehicle by two officers as he is placed in handcuffs outside of Cup Foods grocery store on 38th and Chicago Ave. The 46-year-old appears to be complying with officers and not resisting the arrest. Police spokesman John Elder had earlier claimed Floyd was ordered to step out from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers.' Floyd, seen in a Facebook photo with one of his daughters, was arrested on suspicion of forgery, however details of his alleged offense or what he was doing in the lead up to his arrest were not released Philonise Floyd fought back tears Thursday morning as he repeated his call for the four officers involved to be arrested for his brother's murder. 'I watched the video. It was hard but I had to watch the video. As I watched the video, those four officers, they executed my brother,' he told CNN. 'They showed no empathy, no compassion.' George Floyd's death has sparked massive protests in Minneapolis, with some turning to looting and setting fires, as cries for justice arise across the nation. Philonise Floyd has urged protesters to demonstrate peacefully, though he said he understands the anger surrounding his brother's death. 'I can't stop people right now because they have pain. They have the same pain that I feel. I want everything to be peaceful but I can't make everybody be peaceful. It's hard,' he said. 'They treated him worse than they treat animals.' An autopsy report has not been released in Floyd's death, but the fire department reported that Floyd had no pulse in the ambulance and was unresponsive. Paramedics checked Floyd's pulse several times and attempted to resuscitate him, according to the incident report 'They were supposed to be there to serve and to protect and I didn't see a single one of them lift a finger to do anything to help while he was begging for his life. Not one of them tried to do anything to help him, ' Tera Brown, Floyd's cousin told the network. 'They need to be charged with murder because what they did was murder,' Brown continued. 'And almost the whole world has witnessed that because somebody was gracious enough to record it.' George Floyd's sister Bridgett Floyd, meanwhile, told ABC on Wednesday that she also wants the officers arrested, because their firings are 'definitely not enough justice for me and my family.' 'I feel those guys need to be put in jail. They murdered my brother,' she said. Some cars were also set alight during the clashes overnight. One vehicle was seen entirely burned out as flames continued to leap around its wheel arches There was carnage in stores which had been looted, with smashed bottles and other goods strewn over the floor Target was also broken into and looted and rioters were seen standing outside the store with their arms in the air. They had also sprayed graffiti on the store's sign State troopers are called in and Minneapolis Mayor asks for National Guard's help as city braces for a third night of violence after a looter is killed in George Floyd protests and stores are torched and ransacked Minneapolis was bracing for a third night of violence Thursday after George Floyd protests in the city turned deadly Wednesday evening. State troopers have already been called in and Mayor Jacob Frey asked for the National Guard's help after one suspected looter was fatally shot and stores were left ransacked and torched by armed vigilantes. Shocking images Thursday morning show the widespread destruction left in the wake of the protests over the death of Floyd in police custody on Monday. Chaos first erupted Tuesday after footage showed a white police officer knelt on the father-of-two's neck for eight minutes. By Wednesday stores including Wendy's, Target, Walmart and AutoZone had been looted, ransacked and some set alight before rioters tried to bust open an ATM. State cops wielded batons and wore body armour and helmets as they lined up against the rioters Mayor Jacob Frey on Thursday asked Governor Tim Walz for the Minnesota National Guard's assistance ahead of more expected protests this evening: there are up to 60 state troopers already on the ground Shocking images Thursday show the widespread destruction left in the wake of the protests Wednesday Mayor Frey on Thursday asked Governor Tim Walz for the Minnesota National Guard's assistance ahead of more expected protests this evening. FOX 9 reports up to 60 state troopers are already on the ground. The mayor tweeted: 'Please, Minneapolis, we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy. The area along Lake has become unsafe. We are asking for your help in keeping the peace tonight.' A suspected looter was shot dead outside a pawn shop; Minneapolis Department Police Chief John Elder confirmed the death in a midnight press conference. Elder said officers had responded to reports of a possible stabbing at around 9.25pm between Bloomington and Lake Street. The body of a man - who medics later confirmed had been shot - was found lying on the sidewalk outside the Cadillac Pawn shop by police officers who performed CPR on him. Videos also showed what was reported to be an apartment building entirely engulfed by flames as rioters stood and watched and the fire department was nowhere to be seen. An AutoZone store was also one of those which was set on fire. 'Please, Minneapolis, we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy', Mayor Frey tweeted Wednesday evening News of the shooting death topped off a night of chaos across the city as looters ransacked and set fire to stores John Elder, Minneapolis Department Police Chief confirmed in a press conference that one person was shot and killed and that another person was being held in custody Outside a GM Tobacco store, a group of four men with huge firearms were seen and said they had come to protect local businesses from looters, During the riots, a woman in a wheelchair was punched in the head and sprayed with a fire extinguisher after trying to block protesters - allegedly with a knife in her hand. Floyd's family's lawyer Ben Crump had issued a statement urging protesters to act peacefully on Wednesday night and to not 'sink to the level of our oppressors'. 'The community is understandably and rightfully upset by the wrongful death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, and their grief and outrage are pouring out onto the streets of Minneapolis. We share these painful emotions and demand justice, but we also urge everyone who wishes to raise their voice to engage in peaceful protests and observe social distancing,' 'We cannot sink to the level of our oppressors, and we must not endanger others during this pandemic. We will demand and ultimately force lasting change by shining a light on treatment that is horrific and unacceptable and by winning justice.' Protesters held placards aloft as they came up against police. One read 'stop killer cops' Several buildings were set on fire during the violent protests, including an apartment building which was under construction Some rioters had their faces covered with balaclavas, masks and cloths as they watched fires rage around them Elder said that 'everything was done that we could do to try to preserve this man's life' but the adult male died in hospital. The police chief refused to confirm reports that the shooter was the owner of the pawn shop who shot the victim dead because he was looting his store. He said this was 'one theory' but that police are investigating 'a couple of different scenarios that might have happened'. Elder would not divulge what the other scenarios are. He added that there had been no other reports of injuries among protesters or police officers. The police chief also slammed the actions of looters and rioters which he branded 'disrespectful' to Floyd's family and to all the protesters who gathered peacefully to demand justice over his death. 'If people are there to truly honor the man and his family this isn't how you do it and it's so disrespectful and it's heartbreaking,' he said. 'People are utilizing this as a purpose just to make bad decisions.' News of the shooting death topped off a night of chaos and destruction across the city as rioters stripped shelves bare, set fire to stores and tried to break into a bank. Looters steal goods from a Target store in Minneapolis in the midst of the second day of protests over George Floyd's death Looters were also seen wearing masks as they ransacked a Target store and dragged piles of goods out in shopping carts Footage on social media showed car parts company AutoZone up in flames as people were seen hurling rocks through its windows. Another structure, said to be a new apartment building, was filmed as flames entirely engulfed it and made it collapse. With the fire department initially nowhere to be seen, reports on social media said they were being forced to stay away because of the violent rioters. Stores and building near the fire were being splashed with water by citizens in an effort to stop the flames spreading. They were pictured filling buckets from fire hydrants. Fire fighters were then seen spraying buildings including the Schooner tavern which had also caught fire. At the Target store near the site of Floyd's arrest, the inside of the store lay in ruins, with stock depleted of all goods and the remaining merchandise flung across the floor. Witnesses reported thieves using power tools to break open cash registers and trying to access the store's safes, before it too was set alight and seen engulfed in flames. Rioters then turned to a Wendy's where they sprayed graffiti on the walls before moving onto a bank - trying to bust it open and raid the ATMs. A woman in a wheelchair was also punched in the head and sprayed with a fire extinguisher after trying to block protesters - allegedly with a knife in her hand. The woman claimed she was 'peacefully protesting' to stop people from looting a Target store, but she was quickly set upon by a crowd who subdued her. The crowd outside the Target store shouted that the woman had a knife, and footage showed her holding what appeared to be a sharp object. Named online as Jennifer, she later said she had been 'punched in the head several times' before others tried to restrain her. Footage of the violent clash has been widely shared on social media, including by conservative writer Andy Ngo. A group of four men with huge firearms were seen outside a GM Tobacco store as they said they had come to protect local businesses from looters, reported Minnesota Reformer. The vigilantes called themselves 'heavily armed rednecks' as they stood guard outside the businesses. EXCLUSIVE: A new start turns to a tragic end for George Floyd, who moved to Minneapolis determined to turn his life around after being released from prison in Texas George Floyd moved to Minnesota to start a new life shortly after being released from prison in Texas, but his pursuit of a better life ended tragically when he died during a violent arrest, according to court records obtained by DailyMail.com. The 46-year-old moved to the city in 2014 and worked as a bouncer at a local restaurant, leaving behind his past in the Houston area. Floyd had made changes to his lifestyle and a recent video has emerged of him pleading with younger generations to make good choices and to stop gun violence. He had been there himself years ago, first being arrested in his 20s for theft and then a later arrest for armed robbery before he turned his life around. The final straw for Floyd came after serving five years in prison in 2009 for aggravated assault stemming from a robbery in 2007 where he entered a womans home, pressed a gun into her stomach and searched the home for drugs and money, according to court records. Floyd had been sentenced to five years in prison in 2009 for aggravated assault stemming from a robbery where Floyd entered a womans home, pointed a gun at her stomach and searched the home for drugs and money, according to court records Floyd had at least five stints in jail. In one of the charging documents, officials noted Floyd had two convictions in the 1990s for theft and delivery of a controlled substance, but it is not clear if Floyd served any time for either of those offenses Floyd pleaded guilty to the robbery where another suspect posed as a worker for the local water department, wearing a blue uniform in an attempt to gain access to the womans home, according to the charging document. But when the woman opened the door, she realized he was not with the water department and attempted to close the door, leading to a struggle. The 46-year-old was working as a bouncer at a local restaurant and known in local music circles, leaving behind his past in the Houston area where he had just been released from jail At that time, a Ford Explorer pulled up to the home and five other males exited the car and went up to the front door. The report states the largest of the group, who the victim later identified as Floyd, forced his way inside the residence, placed a pistol against the complainants abdomen, and forced her into the living room area of the residence. This large suspect then proceeded to search the residence while another armed suspect guarded the complainant, who was struck in the head and sides by this second armed suspect with his pistol while she screamed for help. Not finding any drugs or money at the house, the men took jewelry and the womans cell phone and fled in their car. A neighbor who witnessed the robbery took down the cars license plate number. Later, police tracked down the car and found Floyd behind the wheel. He was later identified by the woman as the large suspect who placed a gun against her stomach and forced her into her living room, the document states. Floyd pleaded guilty to the first degree felony and was sentenced in April 2009 to five years in prison. Prior to that, Floyd was sentenced to 10 months in state jail for possession of cocaine. He had been charged in December 2005 for having less than one gram of the controlled substance. However, a few months later the charge was updated to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, amending the amount Floyd allegedly had to more than four grams of cocaine. But according to court records, Floyd was able to have the charge reverted back to possession of cocaine less than a gram. The final straw for Floyd came after serving five years in prison in 2009 for aggravated assault stemming from a robbery where he entered a womans home, pressed a gun into her stomach and searched the home for drugs and money, according to court records (pictured) He served time stemming from a charge of aggravated robbery with a firearm in August 1998 (pictured) Floyd served 10 months at Harris County jail for a theft offense Floyd was arrested in April 2002 for criminal trespassing and was sentenced to 30 days in jail Floyd had two other cocaine offenses, receiving an eight month-sentence stemming from an October 2002 arrest and was sentenced to 10 months from a 2004 arrest. Floyd was arrested in April 2002 for criminal trespassing and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. He did another stint for theft with a firearm in August 1998. He served 10 months at Harris County jail. In one of the charging documents, officials noted Floyd had two convictions in the 1990s for theft and delivery of a controlled substance, but it is not clear if Floyd served any time for either of those offenses. After his last arrest in 2007, Floyd moved to Minneapolis in 2014 shortly after his prison release. Christopher Harris, one of Floyds lifelong friends, said Floyd moved to the city to start over to find a job, telling the Atlanta Journal Constitution: He was looking to start over fresh, a new beginning. He was happy with the change he was making.' Indeed, it seems that Floyd had turned his life around before his death on Monday. A heartbreaking video emerged online of Floyd encouraging the younger generation to put an end to gun violence. The undated video was circulated on Twitter on Wednesday as protesters descended on the streets of Minneapolis for a second night calling for the arrest of the cops involved in his death. Floyd is seen addressing the camera directly as he speaks out about the need for gun violence to end. Its clearly the generation after us thats so lost, man, he says before telling them to come home. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared May 20 that he is no longer committed to the agreements signed with Israel, including the security commitments. But there are those in Israel who believe that suspending security coordination will not last long. Abbas needs the security coordination with Israel just as much as Israel does, a Likud minister told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. If he undermines the coordination, he will be hurting himself and he knows it. This comment might explain why official Israel has been keeping mum and refraining from reactions to Abbas escalating declarations. Neither Netanyahu nor his government colleagues made any statements over the halting of security coordination an issue of vital importance in the battle against terror acts in the West Bank and inside Israel. Judging from the minister's comment, Netanyahu is estimating that he should not fan the flames, but rather leave Abbas an opening to withdraw from his decision. As a reminder, Abbas made his declaration following Netanyahus stated intention to advance annexation of the Jordan Valley and West Bank settlements, in accordance with US President Donald Trumps peace plan. The unity deal between the Likud and Blue and White parties enables Netanyahu to bring up the issue for vote as early as July 1. The fact that Netanyahu enjoys the support of the senior partners in his newly installed unity government leaders of Blue and White party Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, who have expressed backing for the Trump plan has added a practical dimension to his annexation intentions. At a May 18 ceremony marking his entry into office, Ashkenazi even declared that he views a historic opportunity in the US presidents blueprint for peace with the Palestinians. Abbas has threatened on numerous occasions to suspend security coordination with Israel. While this is the 11th time in recent years that Abbas has issued such bellicose threats against Netanyahus right-wing government, this time they appear more serious. These threats join the harsh warning issued by Jordans King Abdullah in an interview with Der Spiegel on May 22 that if Israel really annexes the West Bank in July it would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Asked whether he would suspend his countrys peace treaty with Israel, the monarch responded, I don't want to make threats but we are considering all options, warning that annexation could also result in the Palestinian Authoritys (PA) collapse. Israeli military officials have been warning in recent days of the repercussions of the PAs suspension of the security coordination. According to some Israeli media reports, the coordination on the ground has completely stopped, disrupting communications on intelligence and policing issues with the PA. Taken together, these developments are creating a sense that the decisive moment is at hand and that Israels annexation plans are generating an outcry in the Arab world. However, Israel not only appears indifferent to these scenarios, Netanyahu himself is ignoring the threats by Abdullah and Abbas. In interviews with right-wing media outlets published on May 28 to mark the Jewish festival of Shavuot, Netanyahu sounded more determined than ever to take the historic step of imposing Israeli sovereignty on parts of the West Bank starting July 1 and thereby shape his legacy. In interviews with the Israel Hayom and Makor Rishon newspapers, Netanyahu described his commitment to the annexation move and to carrying it out this summer, to the extent that it depends on him, despite warnings by senior Israeli security officials of the Palestinian violence that would ensue. Netanyahu said he intends to move forward on the issue in accordance with his coalition agreement with the Blue and White party, according to which he can bring up the sovereignty proposal for a government and Knesset vote once mapping with the United States is completed, and not before July 1. Netanyahu noted that he was working in coordination with the Americans, but that the coalition agreement allows him to promote the sovereignty proposal in the government and Knesset and does not necessarily require a green light from Blue and White. However, Netanyahu made an interesting headline regarding Jordan, which illustrates the seriousness of his annexation intentions. When asked about the threats by Abdullah, Netanyahu answered that he was convinced the peace agreement between the two states would remain intact. Peace with Jordan is an essential interest not only for Israel but also for Jordan. I do not think it is about to change. Nonetheless, such moves naturally generate concerns among people, Netanyahu told Makor Rishon. Why, then, is Netanyahu so certain that annexation measures would not undermine the peace with Jordan and derail the security coordination with the Palestinians? According to assessments in recent days by Arab affairs analysts, behind the scenes some Arab leaders are signaling that they would not challenge the Israeli move on behalf of the Palestinians. The Arab affairs analyst of Israel Hayom, Daniel Siryoti, reported May 27 that several Arab leaders have met with senior American envoys, including White House adviser Jared Kushner, who is overseeing the implementation of the Trump plan, and essentially gave permission to proceed with the mapping, despite publicly lambasting the US plan. Siryoti also wrote that sources close to the Jordanian monarchy indicated to him that Jordan is aware of the consequences of abrogating its peace treaty with Israel, such as giving up its special status as custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. The king is also said to be interested in preserving his ties with the US administration. While official Jordanian reactions to Israels annexation must be tough in order to avert unrest among the countrys Palestinian population, Siryoti quoted Arab sources as indicating that the Palestinian cause was not as important as other considerations. We see what is happening in the areas of the PA in the West Bank ever since Abbas ordered the suspension of the security coordination with Israel, a Jordanian source told Siryoti. There is grave concern in Ramallah that Hamas and West Bank radicals will exploit the opportunity to rise up, as was the case in the Gaza Strip after the [2005] disengagement and the halt of security coordination with Israel. Jordan will continue voicing its official opposition to the annexation plan, mainly in public declarations by the prime minister and foreign minister, as was the case recently, and the king will allow the annexation plan to go through with a minimum of damage to Jordanian interests. The Likud minister who spoke with Al-Monitor believes Netanyahu has taken into consideration a possible outbreak of Palestinian violence, but also thinks it can be contained. Netanyahu sees a window of opportunity in the coming months to promote annexation, the minister said. He hopes Trump will be reelected, but he cannot be sure. Presumably, quiet contacts are underway with Arab states. Netanyahu has never taken unnecessary risks and I believe that is the case now as well. PR-Inside.com: 2020-05-28 08:00:35 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 470 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NICOSIA, CYPRUS / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Atalaya Mining plc (AIM:ATYM)(TSX:AYM), announces that it will host its AGM at 11:00 a.m. (BST) on Thursday, 25 June 2020 at the offices of Fieldfisher, Riverbank House, 2 Swan Lane, London EC4R 3TT.The Company notes the restrictions on public gatherings imposed by the UK Government and in order to ensure shareholders can comply with the government measures, the Company has concluded that shareholders will not be permitted to attend the AGM in person. It is currently intended that the AGM will be held with only the appointed Chair of the meeting and two other nominated shareholders attending by way of a video link.The Company requests all shareholders submit their Form of Proxy, Form of Instruction or use the CREST Proxy Voting Service (as applicable) and not to attend the meeting in person.A circular to shareholders, incorporating the Notice of the Company's AGM for 2020, together with forms of proxy and forms of instruction, the 2019 Annual Report and other relevant documents are available on the Company's website at www.atalayamining.com and also under the Company's corporate profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com Shareholders should refer to the voting instructions set out on the Notice of AGM.Shareholders may listen to the formal AGM proceedings by dialing in to the below dial-in details but this will not constitute attendance at the Meeting and Shareholders will not be able to vote by telephone:Dial-in number: +44 (0) 20 3936 2999Pin code: 409379.Immediately after the formal business of the meeting, the Company will on the same call give a corporate update presentation which will be made available on the Company's website at www.atalayamining.com and shareholders will have the opportunity to ask questions.The Company will continue to monitor the situation and issue any further updates as necessary.Contacts:Newgate CommunicationsElisabeth Cowell / Adam Lloyd / Tom Carnegie+ 44 20 3757 68804C CommunicationsCarina Corbett+44 20 3170 7973Canaccord Genuity(NOMAD and Joint Broker)Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor / James Asensio+44 20 7523 8000BMO Capital Markets(Joint Broker)Tom Rider / Michael Rechsteiner / Neil Elliot+44 20 7236 1010Peel Hunt LLP(Joint Broker)Ross Allister / David McKeown+44 20 7418 8900About Atalaya Mining PlcAtalaya is an AIM and TSX-listed mining and development group which produces copper concentrates and silver by-product at its wholly owned Proyecto Riotinto site in southwest Spain. In addition, the Group has a phased, earn-in agreement for up to 80% ownership of Proyecto Touro, a brownfield copper project in the northwest of Spain. For further information, visit www.atalayamining.com This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@ lseg.com or visit www.rns.com SOURCE: Atalaya Mining PLC The Delhi Police has filed total 35 charge sheets against 376 foreign nationals from 34 countries for attending a religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz here in violation of visa conditions and indulging in missionary activities amid the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, officials said on Wednesday. Twenty charge sheets against 82 foreigners from 20 countries were filed before a court on Tuesday and 15 charge sheets against 294 foreign nationals from 14 countries were filed on Wednesday. According to the charge sheets, all the foreign nationals have been booked for violating visa rules, violating government guidelines issued in the wake of coronavirus pandemic and regulations regarding the Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act and prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure. They have also been booked for offences under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Foreigners Act. The Centre has cancelled their visas and blacklisted them. The 294 foreigners chargesheeted on Wednesday belonged to Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and several African nations. Out of the 82 foreigners chargesheeted earlier, four of the accused were from Afghanistan, seven each from Brazil and China, five from the US, two each from Australia, Kazakhstan, Morocco and the UK, one each from Ukraine, Egypt, Russia, Jordan, France, Tunisia, Belgium, eight from Algeria, 10 from Saudi Arabia, 14 from Fiji and six each from Sudan and Philippines. A large congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in the Nizamuddin area of the national capital in March had emerged as a major hotspot of coronavirus in the country. Some of the participants, who were later tested positive for coronavirus, had travelled to their home states across the length and breadth of the country. More than 900 foreign nationals who are accused in the case belong to 34 different countries and charge sheets are being prepared country-wise, under sections of the Foreigners Act, Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act and relevant sections of the IPC. On Tuesday, the police had submitted a status report in the Delhi High Court. In the status report, the Delhi Police had said that in order to substantiate the legitimacy of their visit to India, the passports of 723 accused foreigners and ID cards of 23 accused Nepal nationals have been taken into possession. Over 150 accused foreign nationals were unable to provide their passports. Efforts were being made to account for all the passports in this regard, the report stated. The punishment for various offences under penal provisions ranges from six months to eight years of imprisonment. An FIR was registered against Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi and six others on March 31 on a complaint of the Station House Officer of Nizamuddin. Kandhalvi was later booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder after some of the attendees of the religious congregation died due to COVID-19, police said. Many Tablighi members and their contacts have been quarantined in the country after the Centre and the state governments conducted a "mega operation" to identify them. Also read: Coronavirus outbreak: India's lesson in health system preparedness from China Also read: Take gradual approach to lifting lockdown, health experts tell Rahul Gandhi Pound Sterling selling has resumed on Wednesday with sentiment undermined by a fresh bout of realism on the UK/EU trade talks. Frost calls for EU trade talks mandate shift In comments to the House of Commons Brexit Committee, UK Chief Negotiator Frost stated that the current EU Commission mandate in key areas is not likely to produce an agreement. Changes to the EU position would be required, although this might not need a formal change to the mandate. On the issue of fishing, Frost stated that it was proving difficult to reach a deal, but negotiations would continue. Im beginning to think we might not make it by the 30 June, though well keep trying. As far as level playing field considerations are concerned, Frost stated that there were disagreements at the moment on most aspects and reiterated that the fundamental issue for the UK is to be able to set its own laws. Frost also rejected having the European Court of Justice involved in arbitration disputes in this country. We are not saying that there can be no level playing field provisions, we are simply saying that there must be provisions which are appropriate for a free trade agreement. Although frost stated that Prime Minister Johnson is firmly in charge of the UK policy, there were further concerns that the UK government would not be able to focus on the talks, especially given the current row over chief adviser Cummings. Barnier reiterates offer of transition extension In a letter to Westminster opposition parties, EU Chief Negotiator Barnier stated that the UK was willing to grant a 2-year extension to the implementation phase. The European Union has always said that we remain open on this matter. Any extension decision has to be taken by the Joint Committee before July 1, and must be accompanied by an agreement on a financial contribution by the United Kingdom. Frost, however, continued to reject any possible transition extension beyond the end of 2020. Barnier also commented that the EU is looking at something much more like a Canada-style agreement. Within Europe, there have been further concerns that UK governments are unwilling to get involved in the talks, especially given the pressures of coronavirus. The evidence suggests that the EU Commission is looking for a change in its mandate, but this will have to be sanctioned by individual EU countries. The next round of negotiations will be held next week and it will be crucial to see increased political engagement by all countries if the deadlock is to be broken. After a brief bout of optimism on Tuesday following reports of potential EU concessions on fishing, fear dominated again on Wednesday with Sterling back under pressure. Sterling/dollar has dipped below 1.2250 with Euro/sterling close to 7-week highs and approaching the key 0.9000 level. Sterling/Canadian dollar has also dipped further to 2-month lows below 1.69. Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at markets.com commented; Whilst a classic last-minute EU fudge is still broadly anticipated by the market, the language from David Frost was not optimistic. Undoubtedly sterling becomes increasingly exposed to headline risks around Brexit as we move out of the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic and back into the cut-and-thrust of negotiations. More than 400 migrant workers who returned from other states over the recent weeks have tested positive for Covid-19, resulting in a surge of Covid-19 cases in West Bengals rural areas. Of them, the districts of Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Hooghly and Howrah are the most affected, as most of the states migrant workers hail from these districts. Of Bengals 23 districts, only two in north Bengal are presently unaffected by Covid-19. Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Birbhum and Bankura had been among the districts unaffected by Covid-19 till two weeks ago. However, over the past one week, Malda has recorded 70 new Covid-19 cases and Murshidabad 53 new cases, while Hooghly and Howrah have recorded 84 and 98 cases, respectively, from the rural areas of these districts. Bankura has recorded 15 cases and Nadia 19 cases while East Burdwan has recorded 21 new coronavirus cases. Most of those who tested positive for Covid-19 in the past week, except for those in Kolkata, were migrant workers. We anticipate the numbers to go up as more results are awaited, said a senior state government official who did not want to be identified. On Wednesday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the Centre for forcing the state to accept more migrant workers than its intake capacity, given the precautions that needed to be maintained. The Centres unplanned movement of migrant workers is turning rural Bengal red. It will also turn rural India red, CM Banerjee said. The state government has decided to requisition more schools to turn them into institutional quarantine centres for returning migrant workers. Those returning from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi will be sent to institutional quarantine centres, the administration has decided. Banerjees statement, however, has created a political controversy. Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, It is utterly insensitive for the chief minister to blame migrant workers for the spread of Covid-19. Migrant workers have been one of the biggest victims of this lockdown. We should sympathize with them and create proper infrastructure and management, Chowdhury said. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit president Dilip Ghosh, too, took digs at her. The CM is treating the migrant workers unfairly. It is because of the states inability to create jobs that they went to other states in search of jobs. Its the states responsibility to look after their well being, Ghosh said. A paedophile who pretended to be a nudist to get young kids to undress around him has been jailed for 17 years for a series of sickening attacks. Michael James Buckmaster, 48, from New South Wales, abused one 10-year-old girl in a series of assaults described as 'perverted and sickening'. Buckmaster is currently serving a nine years over the abuse of three other children and fronted Queanbeyan District Court on Wednesday from prison, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. In sentencing Judge Laura Wells said Buckmaster admitted he 'feigned interest in nudism' to try and encourage his victims to remove their clothes. A paedophile who pretended to be a nudist has been jailed for 17 years for a series of sickening attacks on a girl 'He was motivated by a sexual interest and he pursued this complainant ruthlessly in gaining that end,' she said. Judge Wells said one attack was so violent that despite the girl screaming in pain he continued to rape her for half an hour. After another assault the distraught girl would not calm down and was told to 'just stop crying'. In a victim impact statement the girl said she was heavily affected by the abuse and had self-harmed afterwards and had attempted to commit suicide. 'There is no doubt that she's suffered immensely as a result of the three years of serious sexual abuse,' Judge Wells said. Judge Wells said Buckmaster had done a sex offender program in prison and wrote in a letter to the court he knew he had done 'some abominable things'. A psychologist had diagnosed him with persistent depressive disorder, paedophilic disorder and avoidant personality disorder. She said, however, it is clear he 'retains the urges that led him to this position'. He received a discount on his sentence for pleading guilty - which means he will be eligible for parole in 2026. It was cancelled for the first time in its 33-year history due to the coronavirus outbreak, sparking fears for its future. But the Hay Festival of literature has become an astonishing success by going online, with events over the opening weekend being streamed more than 210,000 times in 63 countries. Events at the festival, held annually in Hay-on-Wye in Wales, usually cost from 5 to 40 but this year they will be free to view thanks to donations totalling 350,000. The Hay Festival of literature (pictured) was cancelled for the first time in its history but the digital edition of this year's event was streamed more than 210,00 times in 63 countries The opening weekend featured a preview of Stephen Frys upcoming book Troy, a conversation with novelist Maggie OFarrell and a celebration of William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy with stars including Vanessa Redgrave, Helen McCrory and Benedict Cumberbatch. All events were live-streamed from participants homes on the Crowdcast web platform which allows users to interact with guests and ask questions. Festival director Peter Florence said: Its been an astonishing and exhilarating weekend. Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch (pictured) featured in the digital event, which is normally held in Hay-on-Wye in Wales, by celebrating the works of William Wordsworth This new, global Hay crowd is reinventing the festival and offering tantalising opportunities for the future. The festival is scheduled to host 80 live broadcasts and runs until Sunday. Upcoming events include a conversation with Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel and an evening of Shakespeare with Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - As manufacturers of all sizes look to the future after the COVID-19 pandemic, new software designed to help manufacturers better predict and adjust costs may assist organizers one day with huge events such as the Olympic Games. Innovators at the Indiana Next Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Center, or IN-MaC, created the software to help manufacturers better predict overall costs and the costs associated with layout alternatives and adjustments to their manufacturing processes. The software and its continued development are part of several projects underway at IN-MaC focused on the future of manufacturing, with support from the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. "This software came after I spent 15 years in the composite manufacturing world and saw wonderful products being produced that ended up being too expensive to bring to market," said Jan-Anders Mansson, a Purdue distinguished professor of chemical and materials engineering who serves as co-executive director of IN-MaC. "This software is a predictive cost-modeling tool aimed to help manufacturers better understand the overall costs of producing a product, and how changes to the manufacturing process can affect those costs." The software tool uses a drag-and-drop palette of process steps that allows a user to vary the manufacturing process line with alternate configurations, such as equipment, robots and employees, to see how changes affect the final cost of the product. Each process step is characterized by cost parameters which can be adjusted to study the effects on overall manufacturing costs. "This software helps manufacturers strategically plan their operations and then evaluate changes, all within the scope of understanding how everything affects the total cost," said Ben Haley, the lead network engineer for IN-MaC, who worked with Mansson to develop the technology. Haley also reconfigured the software to share with the International Olympic Committee. He used data from the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro to demonstrate how the software could help event planners determine costs and configurations when dealing with crowds, security, transportation arrivals and other parameters. Mansson is the head of the Manufacturing Design Laboratory, a part of the Indiana Manufacturing Institute (IMI), located at Purdue Research Foundation's Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette. Haley said the team is working on a web version of the system, along with connecting it to real-time data sensors on manufacturing equipment. The team also is exploring ways to integrate machine learning and deep learning into their solution. The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization filed a registered copyright for the software. OTC is housed in the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in Purdue's Discovery Park District, adjacent to the Purdue campus. ### About Purdue Research Foundation The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts; administers trusts; funds scholarships and grants; acquires property; protects Purdue's intellectual property; and promotes entrepreneurial activities on behalf of Purdue. The foundation manages the Purdue Foundry, Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization, Purdue Research Park, Purdue Technology Centers and University Development Office. In 2020, the IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The foundation received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For more information about involvement and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org. For more information about setting up a presence at Purdue, possibly in the Purdue Research Park or Discovery Park District, contact the PRF Economic Development Office at parksinfo@prf.org. Writer: Chris Adam, cladam@prf.org Sources: Jan-Anders Mansson, jmansson@purdue.edu Ben Haley, bhaley@purdue.edu Click here to read the full article. FIGHTING HUNGER: Clarins and FEED, which have partnered since 2011 to provide more than 33 million meals to children around the world, in tandem with the World Food Program and No Kid Hungry, has a new initiative. Together they are offering a new FEED 10 bag design, in a campaign dubbed Woman on a Mission, which recognizes females and the community doing good for others. From June 10 to June 21, macys.com will offer the limited-edition FEED 10 tote as a gift with purchase (theyre calling it a gift with purpose) filled with Clarins best-selling products. Each bag supplies 10 nutritious meals with every sale. Customers have to spend $65 at Clarins to get a gift set. The pouch has up to $84 of free Clarins products. Meantime, a FEED 10 pouch with Clarins product was also offered at nordstrom.com from May 18 to June 3, in a gift with purchase including up to $123 in free products. This year with the closure of schools worldwide, fighting hunger has become an even more acute challenge. FEED typically works with giving partners on the ground to deliver meals to kids in school. Our domestic giving partner is No Kid Hungry and our international partner is the U.N. World Food Programme. With schools closed globally, our giving partners have had to pivot their programs to ensure that children are still getting access to these free meals they typically count on getting in school, said Lauren Bush Lauren, chief executive officer and cofounder of FEED Projects. These are certainly unprecedented times with so many families struggling to feed themselves amidst trying to stay healthy and safe. I am proud of the hunger fighting organizations FEED supports and we will do everything in our power to continue to support them through this difficult time. Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Commonwealth Fusion Systems closed on its latest $84 million in new funding two weeks ago. The U.S. was still very much in the lockdown phase and getting a deal done, especially a multimillion dollar investment in a new technology aiming to make commercial nuclear fusion a reality after decades of hype, was "an interesting thing" in the words of Commonwealth's chief executive, Bob Mumgaard. It was actually one time when the technical complexity of what Commonwealth Fusion is trying to achieve and the long-term horizon for the company's first test technology was a benefit instead of an obstacle, Mumgaard said. "Were in a unique position where its still something thats far enough in the future that any of the recovery models are not going to affect the underlying needs that the world still has a giant climate problem," he said. Commonwealth Fusion Systems purports to be one solution to that problem. The company is using technology developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to leapfrog the current generation of nuclear fusion reactors currently under development and bring a waste-free energy source to industrial customers within the next ten years. Commonwealth Fusion Systems core innovation was the development of a high-power superconducting magnet that could theoretically be used to create the conditions necessary for a sustained fusion reaction. The reactor uses hydrogen isotopes that are kept under conditions of extreme pressure using these superconducting magnets to sustain the reaction and contain the energy that's generated from the reaction. Designs for reactors require their hydrogen fuel source to be heated to tens of millions of degrees. The design that Commonwealth is pursuing is akin to the massive, multidecade International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project that's currently being completed in France. Begun under the Reagan Administration in the '80s as a collaboration between the U.S., the Soviet Union, various European nations and Japan. Over the years, membership in the project expanded to include India, South Korea and China. Story continues While the ITER project also expects to flip the switch on its reactor in 2025, the cost has been dramatically higher -- totaling well over $14 billion dollars. The project, which began construction in 2013, will also represent a much longer time frame to completion compared with the schedule that Commonwealth has set for itself. Picture taken on January 17, 2013 in Saint-Paul-les-Durance, southern France shows the model of the reactor of the future International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) . The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter), based at the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) research center of Cadarache in Saint-Paul-les-Durance, was set up by the EU, which has a 45% share, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the U.S. to research a clean and limitless alternative to dwindling fossil fuel reserves. Image credits: GERARD JULIEN/AFP via Getty Images. "We have set off to build what has been our big goal all along, which is to build the full-scale demonstration magnet were in the act of building that," said Mumgaard. "We'll turn that on next year." Upon completion, Commonwealth Fusion Systems will have built a 10-ton magnet that has the magnetic force equivalent to 20 MRI machines, said Mumgaard. "After we get the magnet to work, we'll be building a machine that will generate more power than it takes to run. We see that as the Kitty Hawk moment [for fusion]," he said. Other startup companies are also racing to bring technologies to market and hit the 2025 timeline. They include the Canadian company General Fusion and the United Kingdom's Tokamak Energy. Within the next six to eight months, Commonwealth Energy hopes to have a site selected for its first demonstration reactor. Financing the company's most recent developments are a slew of investors new and old who have committed over $200 million to the company, which formally launched in 2018. The round was led by Temasek with participation from new investors Equinor, a multinational energy company, and Devonshire Investors, the private equity group affiliated with FMR LLC, the parent company of Fidelity Investments. Current investors, including the Bill Gates-backed Breakthrough Energy Ventures; MIT's affiliated investment fund, The Engine; the Italian energy firm ENI Next LLC; and venture investors like Future Ventures, Khosla Ventures; Moore Strategic Ventures, Safar Partners LLC, Schooner Capital, and Starlight Ventures also participated. We are investing in fusion and CFS because we believe in the technology and the company, and we remain committed to providing energy to the world, now and in a low-carbon future, said Sophie Hildebrand, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President for Research and Technology at Equinor, in a statement. The company said it would use the new financing to continue developing its technology, which would offer fusion power plants, fusion engineering services, and HTS magnets to customers. Funding will also be used to support business development initiatives for other applications of the company's proprietary HTS magnets, the key component to its SPARC reactor, which also has various other commercial uses, the company said. Helping the cause, and potentially accelerating the timelines for many fusion players is a new initiative from the federal government that could see government dollars go to support construction of new facilities. The Department of Energy recently released a request for information (RFI) on potential cost-share programs for the development of nuclear fusion reactors in the U.S. Modeled after the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program that brought the world SpaceX, Blue Origin and other U.S. private space companies, a cost-sharing program for fusion development could accelerate the development of low-cost, pollution-free fusion reactors across the U.S. "The COTS program transitioned the space industry from 'Here's a government-dictated space sector' to a vibrant commercial launch industry," said Mumgaard. One investor who's seen the value of public-private partnerships to spur commercial innovation is Steve Jurvetson, the founder of Future Ventures, and a backer of Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Jurvetson acknowledged the necessity of fusion investment for the future of the energy industry. Fusion energy is an investment in our future that offers an important path toward combating climate change. Our continued investment in CFS fits strongly within our mission as we seek long-term solutions to address the worlds energy challenges, said Steve Jurvetson, Managing Director and Founder, Future Ventures. A protocol in the State of New Jersey requires all employees and horsepeople to complete a mandatory COVID-19 test before returning to work. Begin by clicking on the link provided below, which will lead to a televisit with a doctor, where you will receive a date, time and location to be tested. Be advised that there is a four- to five-day lead time from making the appointment and getting your result. All horsepeople are required to have the test prior to racing at the Meadowlands on June 5. The Meadowlands Racetrack has set up testing for COVID-19 for all employees returning to work. Testing is also provided for all NJRC-licensed horsemen and state officials. Dates of Testing: Open every day Time: 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Place: After televisit, you will receive an email and SMS with date, time, and location of testing. Procedures as follows: Pre-registration required for COVID-19 Screening: https://nmr.agileurgentcare.com/s/ Registration includes: Name as it appears on your photo ID Date of birth Address Copy of your State ID (drivers license preferable; if you do not have a drivers licence, your state-issued NJRC licence should suffice) Copy of your insurance card Employees will not be responsible for any out-of-pocket costs. All expenses for COVID-19 testing are covered by insurance; or, if you do not have insurance, the expenses will be covered by the state. Appointment is for Virtual Telehealth Visit with Provider for initial screening. Once screening is complete, you will receive a date, time, and location for testing via SMS and email. On-Site Drive Through Test Site Instructions: Please follow signs to COVID/Agile testing and line up as instructed Stay in your car Only employee/horseperson allowed Two-person max per vehicle Keep your windows rolled up until you are asked by the technician to roll them down Have your photo ID and insurance card readily available ID is mandatory Follow technician instructions Once test is complete, roll up your window and leave the testing area Test results will be provided to you as well as our medical department (Meadowlands Racetrack) US president Donald Trump has gained considerable infamy for his Twitter outbursts be it against a naysayer, or his constant strife against fake news. Now, hours after Twitter slapped a fact check label on his misguiding opinion of mail-in ballots, Trump has ironically taken to Twitter itself to state that social media platforms totally silence conservative voices. On this note, Trump has further continued to state that such companies, which would presumably include Twitter as well, would face the consequences. Strongly regulate, or close them down, to be precise. However, what is important to note is that this piece of insight from President Trump is also rather lopsided, since it is not really so easy for one person, no matter how mighty, to close down a publicly traded billion dollar company based on personal grudges. The incident On May 26, President Trump tweeted from his personal account about mail-in ballots, alleging that they are substantially fraudulent. While his mistrust may be based on a number of other reasons, mail-in ballots have actually been found to be trustworthy. As a result, in what has been a much welcomed move by many, Twitter slapped a fact check label underneath Trumps original tweet about mail-in ballots. The label linked Twitter users to a trove of articles covered by mainstream media houses, explaining what mail-in ballots are, and how they work. ....living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there, will get one. That will be followed up with professionals telling all of these people, many of whom have never even thought of voting before, how, and for whom, to vote. This will be a Rigged Election. No way! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020 This move by Twitter comes at a time when the worlds largest social media platforms are regularly coming under fire for not doing enough to curb misinformation being spread by political leaders, or other popular public figures. Twitters policy shift towards fact checking was led largely by the Covid-19 outbreak, which caused it to start labelling or removing any misleading tweets about the pandemic. This, as is being viewed by global communities, may also help host a cleaner and lesser of the propaganda-driven social media activities that were central to numerous debates during USAs previous presidential elections that instated Trump at the helm. Can Trump close them down? President Trump, however, has clearly been displeased by Twitter fact checking what he said, and this may be a problem that can spread a larger message across the world. Twitter has often been accused of not doing enough to check opinions posted and spread by public figures, and while the fear of retribution may have lent reason to their stance, given the importance of such social media platforms today, it was about time that it started fact checking everyones tweets, especially those in seats of power. ....happen again. Just like we cant let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020 On this note, what is interesting to note is that President Trumps opinion of closing down the social media platforms may not be purely factual, either. Hypothetically, if Trump was to press charges against Twitter (or any social media platform) in order to bring them down, he would, first of all, need solid, factual evidence of legal wrongdoing against them. Other ways of shutting down a company include getting a majority vote from shareholders or the board of directors (depending on the type of company) to dissolve a company, before the process to shut a company down can be set in motion. Taking these factors into account, what comes out is that personal grudges may not be enough to close down a company. With Twitters fact checking of President Trumps tweet falling very much within the legal parentheses, it is unlikely that the Republicans can shut down such massive internet corporations at free will. What this means for Silicon Valley However, this does imply a steadily souring relation between the government powers and US technology hub, the Silicon Valley in the West Coast. Technology companies have been frequently at loggerheads with government officials Apples long drawn legal battles over data privacy are well documented. With President Trumps latest tweet, it is clear that governmental administration and technology corporations are not exactly seeing eye to eye on many matters. What now remains to be seen is whether the matter remains persistent in the near future. Twitter, having already fact checked Brazilian President Jair Bolsonero in the past, may succeed in setting a much needed precedent for Silicon Valley to follow, and it will be interesting to see how this debate pans out in the long run. Citing a sharp increase in coronavirus cases during the past one week in Haryana districts adjoining Delhi, state's Home Minister Anil Vij issued fresh orders for sealing borders with the national capital. The order is likely to make the movement of people travelling across the borders without valid permission tougher. The order come just days before the fourth coronavirus lockdown ends on May 31. "I have again issued orders today that in the districts adjoining Delhi, no leniency should be shown. Eighty per cent of our coronavirus cases are from the districts adjoining Delhi. Therefore, we are maintaining strictness on our borders with the national capital and keeping these sealed," the minister said. He, however, in an order said barring the categories exempted by the Delhi High Court and the Centre, the state borders for others will remain completely sealed. "The districts bordering Delhi are witnessing a sharp increase in the number of cases, which is a matter of concern," Vij, who is also the state health minister, told reporters in Ambala. He cited the movement of people into the districts bordering the national capital as the reason behind the surge in cases. Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar are the four worst-hit districts accounting for a majority of 1,504 infection cases in the state. Faridabad has reported the maximum seven fatalities in the state followed by three in Gurgaon and one in Sonipat, according to a state health bulletin. On Thursday, Gurgaon reported 68 fresh cases followed by 18 in Faridabad and four in Sonipat. The total cases in Gurgaon are 405, Faridabad 276, Sonipat 180 and Jhajjar 97, as per the bulletin. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 13:53:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close XINING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A total of 20,000 surgical masks donated by northwest China's Qinghai Province to Burundi were shipped off Thursday morning, the provincial foreign affairs office said. The batch of anti-coronavirus supplies will first arrive in Beijing and then be shipped to Burundi to aid the African country's fight against COVID-19, the office said. In 1991, Qinghai established friendly relations with the Burundian province of Gitega, the first of its kind for the Chinese province. By the end of 2019, Qinghai had sent 19 medical teams with more than 400 members to Burundi as part of the medical assistance to the African country. Enditem We would like to express our appreciation for your continued support and patronage. You are cordially invited to attend the 109th Annual Shareholders Meeting of The Hiroshima Bank, Ltd. (the "Bank"). The meeting will be held for the purposes as described below. If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, you may exercise your voting rights by mail or by electronic method (via the Internet). Please review the attached Reference Documents for the Shareholders Meeting and exercise your voting rights in the manner described below by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. 1. Date and Time: Thursday, June 25, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. JST 2. Place: The Large Hall, 7F, Temporary Head Office of the Bank, 1-7, Nishikaniya 1-chome, Minami-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Japan 3. Meeting Agenda: Matters to be reported: The Business Report, Financial Statements and Consolidated Financial Statements for the Bank's 109th Fiscal Year (April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2020) and results of audits by the Financial Auditor and the Audit and Supervisory Board Proposals to be resolved: Proposal 1: Appropriation of Surplus Proposal 2: Election of Nine Directors Proposal 3: Election of One Company Auditor Proposal 4: Incorporation of a Wholly Owning Parent Company by Share Transfer *** PLEASE REFER TO THE ATTACHED PDF FOR A COPY OF THE FULL NOTICE AND PRESENTATION *** The transformation to a holding company structure described in this notice and the accompanying presentation involves securities of a foreign company. The offer is subject to disclosure requirements of a foreign country that are different from those of the United States. Financial statements included in this document, if any, have been prepared in accordance with foreign accounting standards that may not be comparable to the financial statements of United States companies. It may be difficult for you to enforce your rights and any claim you may have arising under the U.S. federal securities laws, since the issuer is located in a foreign country and some or all of its officers and directors are residents of a foreign country. You may not be able to sue a foreign company or its officers or directors in a foreign court for violations of the U.S. securities laws. It may be difficult to compel a foreign company and its affiliates to subject themselves to a U.S. court's judgment. You should be aware that the issuer may purchase securities otherwise than in connection with the transformation to a holding company structure, such as in the open market or through privately negotiated purchases. This notice and the accompanying presentation have been translated from the Japanese-language original documents for reference purposes only. In the event of any conflict or discrepancy between these documents and the Japanese-language originals, the Japanese-language originals shall prevail in all respects. (Securities code: 8379) Toshio Heya President The Hiroshima Bank, Ltd. 3-8, Kamiya-cho 1-chome, Nakaku, Hiroshima-shi, Japan SOURCE The Hiroshima Bank, Ltd. The county prosecutor can decide to drop the charges, proceed with the charges or, perhaps, try to negotiate a settlement, said Marc Brown, an Oregon public defender who works on appeals. For example, there may be a case in which the defendant already served most of their sentence, so the prosecutor may offer time served in exchange for a plea. Germany is now being explored by archaeologist after their discovery garnered attention. The experts found a grave with a woman's skeleton in it in a peculiar squatting position. Squatting skeleton The skeleton was uncovered during an excavation done before the construction of wind turbines near Bietikow, a village in the German state of Brandenburg. The skeleton was discovered by Philipp Roskoschinski of an archaeological consulting company Archaeros and Christoph Rzegotta, his deputy excavation director. The skeleton has been attracting attention since its discovery. According to Dr. Christof Krauskopf of the Brandenburg Authorities of Heritage Management and Archaeological State Museum, the woman was found lying in a squatting position when she was dug up. The woman was on her right side and her head was pointing to the east. The archaeologists noted the woman's internment as a contracted position burial. Krauskopf said that there were no artifacts in the grave that they dug up, so there was nothing that can show them about the exact date of the woman's burial. However, experts believe that the grave is at least 4,000 years old. Krauskopf added that the burial of the found woman may have happened during the Neolithic period. The Neolithic period was between 2500 and 2200 BC. Also Read: Asteroid Hit That Killed Dinosaurs With Fatal Angle May Have Caused Climate Change on Earth The aspects of the burial have peaked the interests of experts. Krauskopf noted that the burial is strange as the pit is too large for the remains of the woman that they dug up. The experts are studying the grave in stages, and the age of the woman at the time of her death is still not known. There is more research that needs to be done, like radiocarbon dating, strontium isotope analysis of the woman's teeth, and genetic testing. All of these could help reveal the details of the environment that the woman grew up in and how she lived. Germany's history Germany is one of the countries in the world that archaeologists are visiting because of its rich history. In 2016, archaeologists discovered the belongings of an ancient soldier in a river in north Germany. A scuba diving team found a collection of bronze tools, scraps, and cylinders in the river, along with bones of 140 warriors. The cluster of objects was tightly packed and it consists of 31 pieces of bronze. It also included a small knife, sword, chisel, and awl. According to the archaeologists, the bundle that the found in the river is first of its kind in Germany. The items that they recovered shows evidence that ancient soldiers traveled for miles just for battle. It also proves that there was a high level of social organization in the past. The team of experts identified the connection between the new objects and those that are commonly discovered in areas like the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic or eastern France. Dress pins and bronze arrowheads that were discovered in the river was used by soldiers for their clothes. Three gold spiral rings were also recovered, and they were worn by Bronze Age elite warriors in Central Europe. Aside from the dozens of artifacts, bones were also found scattered on the riverbed and the bones had strontium levels that were not consistent with isotopes found in the bones of Germans. Related Article: Astronomers Discover Ancient Galaxy Believed to Be 1.5 Billion Years Old @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Jammu and Kashmir recorded 115 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday taking the overall tally in the Union Territory to 2036, however, the Thursday figure was much less compared to Wednesdays 162 cases- the highest single day rise in coronavirus cases. The number of casualties due to the virus rose to 27 in the region after the 55-year old man from north Kashmirs Khanpora, who died at a hospital in Srinagar on Wednesday, was confirmed positive for the virus on Thursday. Officials said the man was referred from GMC Hospital Baramulla with fever and respiratory distress to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh(SMHS) Hospital in Srinagar. The patient expired within hours of admission. His sample tested positive for SARS COV-2 (COVID-19) today, said nodal officer, Covid-19, Dr Salim Khan. 24 of all Covid fatalities in the UT are from Kashmir division and three are from the Jammu division. Officials said that of the new 115 positive cases, 101 were reported in Kashmir while 14 were in Jammu division. Of the 10 districts of Kashmir division, fresh cases were reported in Anantnag, Srinagar, Kupwara, Baramulla, Shopian, Budgam and Pulwama districts, taking the total tally in the division to 1,636. The highest jump was in Kupwara with 45 new cases including 44 travellers, while Baramulla recorded 16 new cases including 12 travellers followed by Srinagar and Budgam, 11 cases each. There were single digit jumps in other districts in the Valley.. 11 out of the 450 samples tested at CD Hospital were found to be positive, said Dr Salim Khan. Among the positive cases, three are pregnant women from Anantnag and a doctor of Budgam posted in district hospital Shopian, he said. The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19 In the Jammu division, the fresh cases were recorded in Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur and Reasi districts, taking the division tally to 400. Five more patients were discharged after recovery one from Jammu division and four from Kashmir. So far, 859 out of the total 2036 cases have recovered, 763 of those are from Kashmir and 65 are from the Jammu division. At present, active cases in Kashmir stand at 849 and 301 in Jammu. For Coronavirus Live Updates Till date, 1.55 lakh people in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance 37,009 in home quarantine, 55 in hospital quarantine and 38,021 under home surveillance. Besides these, 79,474 people have completed their 28-day surveillance period. The union territory had recorded the highest single day spike of 162 new cases on Wednesday with two deaths due to the respiratory disease. On Tuesday, a 90-year-old corona positive man died at Kashmirs Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar, while two persons one each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions died on Monday due to the disease. A car packed with 60 kg explosives was intercepted in a late night operation by a joint team of security forces in South Kashmirs Pulwama district, averting what could have been a repeat of the 2019 suicide bombing of a CRPF bus that killed 40 soldiers more than a year ago. The explosives were later detonated by the Jammu and Kashmir police on an isolated stretch since it was considered too risky to defuse the car bomb. In a video released by Jammu and Kashmir Police, the car is seen turning into a huge ball of fire before enveloping the area in thick smoke. This is such great work. Imagine if this had led to loss of lives. Just grateful this is not mixed in with human ash, said Kashmir police officer Rayees Mohammad Bhat, who also tweeted a 9-second video of what he described as the ashfall from the explosion. Jammu and Kashmir police officers who examined the car bomb before it was detonated suspect Waleed Bhai, a notorious bomb maker of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group, had put together the car bomb. Huge tragedy averted in Kashmir! An intended IED attack in Pulwama in South Kashmir foiled owing to alertness of security forces. See the controlled explosion of IED in the car it was being carried in. Imagine the havoc that would've been caused if terrorists had been successful pic.twitter.com/XCoHpWAtU9 Lt Gen Satish Dua (@TheSatishDua) May 28, 2020 But the car bomb, a senior police officer told Hindustan Times, also exemplifies that the line between terror groups was only notional since they were working closely and were increasingly moved from one group of another. This is purely a Jaish and Lashkar joint operation. But the (terror) factory is located in Pakistan, whether it produces terrorists of Hizbul, Jaish or the TRF (The Resistance Front, Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh told Hindustan Times. The initial intelligence input that led to an overnight operation in Pulwama was that a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was driving the car. The input didnt indicate which route he would take. So joint teams of the J&K police, CRPF and Army mapped all the possible routes and set up checkpoints, a Jammu and Kashmir police officer said. Police officers collecting the debris off the car bomb after the vehicle was detonated by bomb experts (Sourced/J&K Police) When the car suspected to be carrying the bomb was spotted at Ayekhand, the security forces - who had positioned themselves away from the road - started firing at the car. The terrorist drove for a bit before stopping the car and escaping in the jungle. The explosives were being carried in a drum on the rear seat of the Santro car which had a fake registration plate. Possibly more explosives could be fitted elsewhere in the vehicle, a police officer said. Security forces waited till dawn and evacuated people living in the neighbourhood. The vehicle was exploded in situ by the Bomb Disposal Squads as moving the vehicle would have involved serious threat, the police said. Initial investigations said the vehicles registration number was traced to a scooter issued in Kathua district of Jammu province. The explosives were being carried in a drum in the Santro car that was stopped by security forces (Sourced/J& Police) A top Kashmir police officer told Hindustan Times that they had been working on this case for the last two months. This would have been a repeat of the (2019) Pulwama bombing, he said, referring to the suicide bombing of a CRPF convoy that killed 40 troopers and led India to carry out air strikes at a terror facility in Pakistans Balakot. Islamabad retaliated by attempting to carry out strikes at Indian installations in Kashmir. India shot down an F-16 plane that was being used to fire at Indian locations. A senior counter-terror official in Delhi saw a link to the planned car bombing and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans repeated statements about a false flag operation in Kashmir. A senior counter-terror official in Delhi saw a link to the planned car bombing and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans repeated statements accusing India of prepping for a false flag operation in Kashmir. The reference to a false flag operation is part of Imran Khan and his governments narrative that Pakistan does not sponsor terror groups in Kashmir and India falsely accuses Islamabad of involvement so that it can launch attacks. The sequence of events clearly demonstrate that PM Imran Khan had been preparing the ground to deny involvement in terror attacks orchestrated from its territory and support of the deep state, a counter terror official said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BOSTON, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) will drive a deep and transformative change in the agricultural world during the coming decades. Seeing, localising, and taking plant-specific intelligent action are no longer the exclusive realm of humans. Machines have demonstrated the technical viability and the emphasis has long shifted to the finer details of ROI, reliability, business model, etc. As such, a new class of activities in agriculture are prone to automation, just as advances in power and motion technologies mechanized many agricultural tasks, or just as advances in seed and agrochemical technology removed the human from many activities. The IDTechEx assessment is that the upcoming changes are already a question of when and not if. The transformation will not be overnight, but nonetheless, robotics and AI are inevitability in the evolution of agricultural tools and practises. The scale of the potential is demonstrated in the chart below, which shows the forecasted long-term growth in annual unit sales (vs accumulated fleet size) of various autonomous and/or robotic solutions. In this article, IDTechEx Research provides an overview of the key product categories and discusses underlying technologies which are driving this change. For each, we offer our insights about the current and future technical and adoption status. IDTechEx Research has been examining the technologies, applications, products, and players active in agricultural robotics and AI for the past five years. The article is based on the IDTechEx report "Agricultural Robots, Drones, and AI: 2020-2040: Technologies, Markets, and Players", which covers the latest developments and reflects our latest insights, analysis, and market projections. Indeed, this report analyses all the emerging product types, including autonomous robots taking plant-specific precision action, intelligent vision-enabled robotic implements, diverse robotic fresh fruit harvesters, highly automated and autonomous tractors and high-power farm vehicles, drones, automatic milking, and so on. It provides interview-based company profiles and analysis of all of the key companies and innovators. Finally, the report offers short- and long-term market forecasts, considering the addressable market size in area or tons and value, penetration rates, annual robot sales, accumulated fleet size, total RaaS (robot as a service) revenue projections and so on. The forecasts cover 15 robot types and farming sectors. Agricultural Robots: A Cost-Effective Precision Revolution? Examples of these products or robots are shown below. These are often small or mid-sized robots which are designed to autonomously navigate and to automatically take some precise plant-specific action. Machine vision technology is often a core competency of these robots, enabling the robots to see, identify, localise, and to take some intelligent site-specific action on individual plants. The machine vision increasingly uses deep learning algorithms often trained on expert-annotated image datasets, allowing the technology to far exceed the performance of conventional algorithms and to match or even exceed even that of expert agronomists. Crucially, this approach enables a long-term technology roadmap, which can be extended to recognize all types of crops and to analyse their associated conditions, e.g., water-stress, disease, etc. Many versions of this emerging robotic class are autonomous. The autonomy challenge is much simpler than a car. The environment is well controlled and predictable, and the speed of travel is low. The legislation is today a hinderance, including in places such as California, but will become more accommodative relatively soon. The rise of autonomous robots, provided they require little remote supervision, can alter the economics of machine design, enabling the rise of smaller and slower machines. Indeed, this elimination of the driver overhead per vehicle is the basis of the swarm concept. There is clearly a large productivity gap today between current large and high-power vehicles and those composed of fleets of slow small robots. This productivity gap however can narrow as the latter has substantial room for improvement. The first major target market is in weeding. The ROI benefits here are driven by labour savings, chemical savings, boosted yields, and less land compaction. Precision action (spraying, mechanical, or electrical) reduces consumption of agrochemicals by 90% compared to untargeted application. It also improves yield (e.g., by 5-10%) because collateral damage of the crops by untargeted chemical application can be minimized. This technology can further enable farmers to tackle herbicide-resistant weeds, which are a growing problem, especially in some hotspots. Finally, the robots leave behind no unusable compacted soil. These robots are evolving. Many robots have already grown in size and capability, offering faster speeds, higher frame-per-seconds, more ruggedized designs, higher on-board energy for longer operation time and a heavier load, and so on. This evolution will inevitably continue, just as it did with all other agricultural tools and vehicles. We are still at the beginning. The deployed fleet sizes worldwide are small, but this is about to change (see the chart above). To learn more about the current and future status of the technology and commercialization of these small- or mid-sized autonomous precision robots please see the IDTechEx report, "Agricultural Robots, Drones, and AI: 2020-2040: Technologies, Markets, and Players". This report provides an in-depth analysis of the field, offers interview-based analyses of the companies and developers, and includes detailed short- and long-term market forecasts covering the accumulated fleet size, annual robot sales, addressable market by crop value, penetration rate, and RaaS market value. In short, this report enables one to obtain deep and detailed insights into the past, present, and future of this technology and market. Intelligent Robotic Implements: The Inevitable Next Generation of Agricultural Tools Simple robotic implements utilising basic row-following vision technology are already mature and not uncommon in organic farms. Advances in vision technology are transforming tractor-pulled implements though, upgrading them into intelligent computerized tools able to take plant-specific precise action. The core technology here is also the machine vision, which enables the identification and the localization of specific plants. The algorithms already surpass the capabilities of agronomist in specific cases, e.g., weed amongst cotton. Crucially, the systems are becoming ever more productive (see image below), closing the productivity gap with established technology. This approach does not focus on autonomy, although the tractor itself can readily be made autonomous to render the entire system automatic if needed. This system is designed to become competitive in large farms, which demand high productivity, which in turn is linked to technology parameters such as fps (frame per second), false positives, sprayer controller speed, and so on. In the future, the system costs will likely fall, particularly if lighter versions of the algorithms on the inference side become available to render GPU processors unessential without a major performance sacrifice. To learn more please visit the IDTechEx report, "Agricultural Robots, Drones, and AI: 2020-2040: Technologies, Markets, and Players". This report provides an analysis of the relevant technologies, companies, and markets. In terms of market forecasts, it offers projections by annual robot sales, accumulated fleet size, total RaaS market, and more. Autonomous Tractors and High-Power Vehicles: Fewer but More Autonomous Systems Will Be the Future? Autonomous navigation is not new to tractors. Thanks to RTK-GPS, tractors have long been benefiting from tractor guidance and autosteer. The latter is in fact level-4 autonomy since the tractor can autonomously drive outdoors along pre-determined GPS coordinates without human intervention. The cost of implementation, as well as the adoption of such technologies have increased. In short, the technical challenge does not hinder deployment. Level-5 or fully autonomous tractors have also been demonstrated for some years. The technical barrier here is low. The required hardware is available and the autonomous driving software challenges are relatively mild given the nature of the operational environment. As with all cases, the legislative environment is a hinderance today, but will not hold back the industry for long. The determining factors here are farmer perception and added value. In terms of the latter, the additional cost incurred in going from level-4 to level-5 does not justify the additional benefits, at least not yet. This is because level-5 does not currently enable many new possibilities. This will remain the case until more tasks, and not just movement, become automated. The rise of autonomous mobility is also giving rise to novel designs. Some examples are shown in the panel below. In particular, the weight distribution can be altered without scarifying the horsepower, helping alleviate soil compaction issues. In the longer term, though, other agricultural robots will eat into the tasks that tractors perform today, potentially denting overall demand. To learn about the past and future penetration of different levels of autonomous mobility in tractors please see the IDTechEx report, "Agricultural Robots, Drones, and AI: 2020-2040: Technologies, Markets, and Players". This report provides a detailed and up-to-date analysis of the technologies, players, and markets. Robotic Fresh Fruit Picking: Is It Technically and Commercially Viable? Fresh fruit picking is still largely manual as deficient technical ability had thus far held automation back. As such, farms are faced with high operating costs and are, more importantly, grappling with the growing challenge of assembling sufficiently large armies of seasonal pickers. Is this about to change? Today, machine vision technology can identify and localize different visible fruits against complex and varying backgrounds with a high success rate. The rise of deep learning-based image recognition technologies has caused a leap in performance, sending everybody back to the drawing board, including the older start-ups and some who had given up. This technology improves algorithm precision, lowering the false positives which waste time. Crucially, a clear pathway exists for algorithm development for new fruit- environment combinations, enabling the applicability of machine detection and localization to be extended to many fruits. The robotic path planning, picking strategy and the motion control of the robotic arm are also challenges. Here, too, there are algorithmic improvements. More importantly, companies are developing novel end-effectors which can accelerate gentle fresh fruit picking whilst lightening the computational load. Robotic fresh fruit picking has therefore become possible. Indeed, the first generation of companies have been demonstrating its technical viability over the past five years. But can it become commercial? Humans today are still faster- e.g., 2-3s per picked strawberry vs 8-10s for the robot. This speed gap will almost certainly narrow in the future, lowering the comparative advantage of humans. In addition, robots can have many arms, compensating for the slowness of each arm (both articulated and delta arms are deployed). The increasing availability of more affordable robotic arms which do not overshoot the power and precision requirements will continue to help. The machine vision can identify nearly all the visible fruits, but is yet to establish a method to find hidden fruits. Therefore, a follow-on manual sweep is still needed to cover the final amount, e.g., 20%. The key to commercial success lies in the development of robust robotic and associated AI platforms which can be utilized across the harvesting season of different crops. This approach is already reflected in the latest late-state prototypes or products on the market. The total deployed number of units is small, thus the robotically harvested amount of fresh fruit is still vanishingly small compared to the addressable market. However, the technical viability is long proven. The emphasis is now in bridging the productivity gap to offer a reliable solution with reasonable ROI compared with the incumbent human picking. Importantly, there is still ample room to boost productivity and to widen applicability by making constant incremental gains within established technologies. As such, no breakthrough is required and progress is already rapid, making it more a question of timing and not of fundamental technical ability. The second generation of products have already matured compared to the first, in terms of design, size, AI, speed, and so on. The iterations will continue. Currently, the business models are split between RaaS and robot sales, just like the rest of this emerging industry. To learn more please see the IDTechEx report, "Agricultural Robots, Drones, and AI: 2020-2040: Technologies, Markets, and Players", This report provides a comprehensive analysis of all the hardware and artificial intelligence technology trends, helping assess and contextualize the current development status and to envisage a realistic future technical and market roadmap. For more information on this report, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Agri for the full portfolio of Robotics, Autonomy & AI research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/research. IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Consultancy and Event products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information on IDTechEx Research and Consultancy, contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit www.IDTechEx.com. Media Contact: Jessica Abineri Marketing Coordinator press@IDTechEx.com +44-(0)-1223-812300 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/478371/IDTechEx_Logo.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1174193/IDTechEx_Agriculture_Robots.jpg The automated background check for Ms. Johnson cast a wide net, looking for negative information from criminal databases even in states where she had never lived and pulling in records for women whose middle names, races and dates of birth didnt match her own. It combined criminal records from five other women: four Samantha Johnsons and a woman who had used the name as an alias, even though the screening report said she was an active inmate in a Kentucky jail at the time. You can totally tell were not the same person at all, said Ms. Johnson, who eventually got the apartment after she convinced the landlord she wasnt a criminal. It was not the first time she had been the victim of incorrect automated screening reports. It wouldnt be the last, either. False Reports of Crime, With No Human Review The reports can be created in a few seconds, using searches based on partial names or incomplete dates of birth. Tenants generally have no choice but to submit to the screenings and typically pay an application fee for the privilege. Automated reports are usually delivered to landlords without a human ever glancing at the results to see if they contain obvious mistakes, according to court records and interviews. A review of hundreds of federal lawsuits filed against screening companies over the past 10 years shows how hasty, sloppy matches can lead to reports that wrongly label people deadbeats, criminals or sex offenders. Among those who say they were wrongly maligned: Davone Jackson, who was denied low-income housing in Tennessee after the screening company RealPage reported that he had twice been convicted of trafficking in heroin in Kentucky and was on Wisconsins sex offender registry. In fact, those records belonged to an Eric Jackson and a James Jackson. After the denial, Davone Jackson said, he and his 9-year-old daughter were forced to live in a small motel room for nearly a year. Glenn Patrick Thompson Sr. and Glenn Patrick Thompson Jr., who said they had been left homeless near Seattle after a tenant screening company called On-Site, which is now part of RealPage, told two different landlords that the father and son had been previously evicted. In fact, the eviction was for a Patricia Thompson, who was not related to them. William Hall Jr., who lost out on a duplex in his small town in Georgia after TransUnion Rental Screening Solutions said he had sexually abused a minor. The criminal record belonged to a William Hall who was 30 years older and possibly dead. Mr. Hall said the landlord had stopped returning his telephone calls after receiving the incorrect report. Mr. Halls suit is pending; the others were settled for undisclosed sums. The screening process happens so quickly and the competition for apartments can be so fierce that prospective renters dont always know why they were turned down, much less whether an incorrect background report was the cause. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 04:08:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NICOSIA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- All previous projections on Cyprus' economy have been thrown "upside down" by the coronavirus pandemic crisis as the economy is expected to undergo a "serious recession" in 2020, said Constantinos Herodotou, governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC), on Thursday. "The economy's prospects for 2020 and afterwards are dramatically overshadowed by the negative developments of the coronavirus pandemic," Herodotou said in an introductory note included in the central bank's annual report for 2019. Herodotou said that factors other than the pandemic continue to present general downward risks for the Cypriot economy, which could decelerate its future course. He listed external geopolitical developments, Brexit, trade tensions and the high level of private debt in addition to the challenges faced by the banking sector. "We will have to face (these risks) even after the pandemic, but to an obviously greater degree," Herodotou added. He said that the progress made in 2019 supported the fast and coordinated actions of the government and the central bank in dealing with the economic impact of the pandemic. Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides on Thursday detailed a 10-point plan announced by President Nicos Anastasiades in a televised address Wednesday night, aimed at pumping liquidity in the economy in the form of cash grants and cheap loans to businesses. "After the crisis is over we will have to remain focused in the effort of full consolidation of the economy and of our banking system," said Herodotou. "This will lay the foundations on which a long-term and at the same time sustainable growth course the Cypriot economy can be based," he added. Previous projections by the central bank in late 2019 showed that the Cypriot economy was expected to see growth rates for 2020 to 2022 lower than that of last year. "This projection has been turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic," he said, adding that on this basis, "it is expected that 2020 will record a serious recession." Herodotou said the financial impact cannot be quantified with precision for the time being, given that there is not sufficient data yet, and the pandemic's duration cannot be projected. "Despite unprecedented developments and very negative short-term impact, we must consider how much worse the situation would be, had the progress of 2019 not been achieved both in macro-economic and fiscal policy issues as well as on matters relating to the stability of the banking and financial sector," Herodotou noted. A report by CBC on Wednesday said the banking system managed to reduce non-performing loans, the legacy of the 2013 economic crisis, by 561 million euros, or 5.9 percent, to 8.97 billion euros at the end of 2019. Total non-performing loans represented 27.9 percent of total loans, down from a 2014 peak of 52 percent of total loans, or over 27 billion euros. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 19:44:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MADRID, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Japanese car manufacturer Nissan on Thursday confirmed that it has made the "very difficult" decision to close its factory in Barcelona in northeast Spain. The factory, which has been running at 30 percent of its capacity since the end of 2019, currently employs 3,000 people and generates an estimated 15,000-20,000 jobs directly and indirectly. The Spanish government has lamented the decision, which it said was confirmed in a phone call from Makoto Uchida, president and CEO of Nissan, to Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism Reyes Maroto on Thursday morning. The Ministry of Industry insists that the plant remains viable, noting that it would be more beneficial for Nissan to "invest (in the plant), rather than assuming the cost of the closure, which could be more than 1,000 million euros (1,100 million U.S. dollars)." "The Barcelona factory also has a strategic character as halting production in Spain would also mean abandoning the European Union, with the consequent cost to its reputation in a market of over 500 million inhabitants," added the Ministry. Spain's Minister of Economy and Business Nadia Calvino explained that Spain had "proposed a process of negotiations" and repeated that the "investment needed in the plant is lower than the cost of its closure." "We will continue to work with the company, the Generalitat (Catalan regional authority), the Barcelona City Hall and unions, to see how we can channel this process or find an alternative solution. Ada Colau, the Mayor of Barcelona, also lamented the decision, saying "Nissan has received economic aid for many years and has a responsibility to its workers and the area." Enditem The Overstory, New York: W. W. Norton, 2018, 512 pp. Richard Powers The Overstory may be one of the most important American novels of ideas of the past several years. Winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, The Overstory is a novel about trees and our relationship with them, revealing through narrative, argument and richly informative detail just how dependent humans are upon arboreal nature. Powers is the author of 12 novels, many of which explore particular fields of study, such as Galatea 2.2 (1995), about an artificial intelligence experiment, and The Echo Maker (2006), a National Book Award-winning novel about a man who suffers a traumatic brain injury and in which Powers meditates upon the ways we construct a perceived reality through cognition and memory. In The Overstory, Powers follows nine people whose lives are all in some way directed by their relationships toand feelings of protectiveness fortrees and, in Powers elegantly complex plot, branch, touch and twine with each other in unanticipated ways over the course of five hundred compelling pages. The Overstory While its human characters travel in history from a mid-nineteenth-century Iowa homestead to the Occupy movement in Zuccotti Park (the reference to the 2011 protests is perhaps revealing) and beyond, the novel takes us back in time billions of years to the first appearance of life on Earth and intermittently recapitulates, in language at once taxonomical and poetically beautiful, the incomprehensibly deep history of arboreal life. The thematic canopy of The Overstory is that, as more than one character says, the trees need us, we need the trees, and it may be too late to save them or ourselves. Under that grim but simple canopy, Powers explores with considerable but varying success, some of the most pressing social and environmental problems of our time. However, the success of the novel as an environmentalist manifesto or social statement is seriously damaged by its grimness, its pessimistic misunderstanding of humanity. More on that later. The structure of The Overstory first establishes the nine characters in their own Roots sections, each of which qualifies as a fine short story in itself. It is in these sections that personalities are established, and moments of beauty, wonder and trauma are depicted. We see the introverted boy Adam painstakingly paint the thoraxes of ants with various colors of nail polish so that he can discern the patterns of their movements. We also see him tortured by his older brother. We follow PatriciaPlant Patty as she will later be called in collegeas a girl, as she accompanies her father on his rounds as an agricultural extension agent. These introductory chapters provide the material with which each character will face the events that arise in the long Trunk section of The Overstory. The following section of falling action is called Crown, and Seeds closes the novel with endings that are not endings, Powers suggesting in this section the various possible futures he envisions for humanity and the planet. The novels characters are for the most part compelling and believable, even in situations of extremity, such as Olivia and Nicks protesting deforestation by sitting two hundred feet above the forest floor in a giant redwood, Neelays running the worlds most successful computer game company and Dougs working as winter caretaker of a remote Montana ghost town. Among Powers most interesting creations is Olivia, who in her opening section is a self-centered but pitiably lost college student who accidentally dies by electrocution. This is no spoiler because she comes back to life ten minutes later, wholly transformed, such that people now become vulnerable in her eyes, and infinitely dear. Such a plot device is a bit out of keeping with the books commitment to realism, but Powers is planting a theme that he will cultivate later to the readers intellectual satisfaction. Olivia will go on to see and hear mysterious beings who urgently enlist her help in a mysterious cause to which she selflessly dedicates her life. Once again, the reader follows Powers where he takes us, in this case because sanity has, even by this early point in the novel, become a matter up for debate, so that when a character concludes, There was no path left but sanity, the line reaches a dozen tendrils of meaning throughout the novel. In one of The Overstorys more provocative threads, Powers introduces us to a latecomer to the cast of characters, the learners, who represent artificial intelligence (AI), which, Powers tells us, has learned, in a few short decades, what it took molecules a billion years to learn to do. While only giving us glimpses of AIs potential relationship to humankind (at one point Powers lists with a wink the stock science fiction scenarios of robots using us as fuel and putting us in zoos), The Overstory tackles more comprehensively questions of what humanity is and what trees are, what interdependence might mean, and why a recognition of limits and mortality is necessary. All of these questions are addressed by multiple characters, and there is some variety in the conclusions they reach. Almost no character draws a firm conclusion that humanity and the forests are irreversibly doomed, though these thoughts preoccupy almost every characters, and the narrators, mind. Despite its ambiguous prognosis, The Overstory is pessimistic at its core, less in the conclusions that it draws than in the premises it uses to form its questions. As Powers frames the matter of environmental destruction and species extinction, of flora and of fauna, the villain is the abstraction humanity. It is an all too culturally familiar vision, the natural world succumbing to the indomitable forces of human greed and rapacity. As one character puts it in the context of the legality of deforestation, The law is simply human will, written down. The law must let every acre of Earth be turned into tarmac, if such is the desire of people. As though people had any say in the matter! The significance of treating phenomena in their historical interconnection and subjecting them to a class evaluation comes into play here. It is easy enough, but also banal and superficial, to view pictures of denuded forests, strip-mined mountains and fouled oceans and conclude that, since human beings carried out this destruction, humanity as such must be to blame. But that is the conclusion of an impression, not of informed, scientific-rational thought applied to social life. It ignores history and the reality of our class-divided society. Production for profit and the accumulation of personal wealth at the expense of society as a whole, and every crime against both humanity and nature that goes with those processes, are inseparable from capitalism, but capitalism must never be confused with humanity itself. That very confusion speaks to a stagnant and reactionary political and artistic climate. It also speaks to the outlook of a certain social layer. In fact, the words capitalism and capital appear five times in The Overstory, but always in a way that obfuscates the distinction between that system and a suprahistorical idea of humanity. In one scene, Powers views protesters preparing to confront a road crew as trying to bail out the ocean of capitalism with an acorn cap. Certainly a handful of protesters cannot stop the machinery of capitalism, but later in the scene we see that by capitalism, Powers means some eternal, occult force, the protesters and road crew constituting ignorant armies going up against each other as they have forever, for reasons hidden from even the most vehement. Elsewhere the novels narrator interprets a group of environmentalist protesters as the latest Stop the Humans movement. If the pillage of the environment were the result of inherent and immutable human nature, this would indeed be cause for pessimism. In fact, though, it is the result of a historically determined, and historically doomed, economic and social system. For all its aesthetic virtues and all its polymathic brilliance, given its pessimism, Powers novel is ultimately one-sided and wrong on this critical issue. Cause for optimisman active, not a passive optimismemerges, first of all, from a profound understanding of social development and the specific contradictions of capitalism that provide the objective impulse for doing away with it. That understanding is attracting a growing audience in the international working class, who at this moment are waking to the horror that is capitalism, who alone have the historic role of sweeping aside capitalism and its governing logic of rapaciousness, and who alone have the strength to usher in an era of international cooperation in the interest of human welfare and planetary health. The task is not impossible. As Leon Trotsky writes in the conclusion of Dialectical Materialism and Science, The impenetrable does not exist for conscious thought! We will reach everything! We will master everything! We will rebuild everything! The Overstory is a work of art, and as such has value beyond its ultimate political message. In its intellectual sweep, its narrative intricacy, its energetic prose, and its painful and beautiful stories, it is a novel well worth reading. In fact, it is a novel readers should read. It has much to say, but it is far from the last word on the crises it does so much to illuminate. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 00:27:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KIGALI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A Rwandan man who is among top genocide perpetrators was Thursday sentenced to life in prison by the High Court Chamber of International and Cross-border Crimes in Nyanza district, Southern province, over his involvement in the 1994 genocide against Tutsi. Ladislas Ntaganzwa was indicted in 1996 by the former International Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for crimes he committed during the genocide and was on the list of the nine most wanted genocide fugitives for whom the United States had placed a bounty of 5 million U.S. dollars suspected of being involved in the killings that claimed more than a million lives. The 58-year-old man was arrested in 2015 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and extradited back to Rwanda in 2016 where he has been on trial since then. He was found guilty of five crimes including Genocide crime, incitement to commit Genocide, extermination as a crime against humanity, rape as a crime against humanity and murder as a crime against humanity. He is particularly accused of personally leading militias that killed over 20,000 Tutsi in his former commune. "We highly welcome the life sentence that has been handed over to Ntaganzwa. Justice has now been served, "Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, president of IBUKA, an umbrella body of genocide survivors' associations of Rwanda, told Xinhua on Thursday in a telephone interview. "It is exciting news for genocide survivors and victims to see those who are responsible for more than a million lives lost during the genocide against Tutsi being held to account," added Dusingizemungu. According to the indictment the ICTR made against Ntaganzwa, he participated in a plan to exterminate minority ethnic Tutsi population in his commune of Nyakizu from late 1990 to July 1994. During the 1994 genocide, Ntaganzwa was the mayor of Nyakizu commune in former Butare Prefecture, Southern Rwanda and also headed the then ruling party MRND (National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development) in the commune. Ntaganzwa was born in 1962 in Gasharu, in the Muhambara sector of the commune of Nyakizu (then in the prefecture of Butare in Rwanda), now Huye district, Southern Province. Ntaganzwa's conviction came barely two weeks after the arrest of Felicien Kabuga, one of the most wanted fugitives of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi who was arrested in Paris, France by French authorities as the result of a joint investigation with the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) Office of the Prosecutor after 26 years on the run. Kabuga was indicted by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 1997 on seven counts including genocide, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide. Another Rwandan genocide fugitive who was on the most wanted list, Augustin Bizimana is believed to have died in 2000 in Pointe Noire, the Republic of the Congo, office of IRMCT announced last Friday. The confirmation of Bizimana's death was based on the conclusive identification of Bizimana's remains in a grave site in Pointe Noire, the Republic of the Congo, said IRMCT. Enditem Bodycam footage from an officer who was at the scene of the arrest of George Floyd appears to show the cop speaking to two of the man's friends and then trying to reassure them an ambulance is on it's way to help him. Minneapolis Park Police say the video, released on Wednesday night, shows that although one of its patrol cars was at the scene, the officer had little interaction with Floyd while he was being detained by four cops from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). Minneapolis Park Police Department is a separate police force to the MPD. The Park Police are responsible for law enforcement in city parks. The four MPD cops have since been fired. The nearly 20-minute-long video was shared as violent protests broke out in both Minneapolis and downtown Los Angeles, as outraged demonstrators called for an end to police brutality and justice for Floyd. Due to the bodycam footage being heavily censored with black boxes and muted to conceal the identities of citizens, it is unclear from the video how aware the Park Police officer was of the events unfolding across the street. Footage from a responding Minneapolis Park Police officer's bodycam shows him speaking to two passengers from George Floyd's car. Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) cops are seen asking for names at the scene on Monday in Missouri A newly-released clip of body camera footage shows George Floyd in custody with MPD before the deadly incident, and various patrol vehicles nearby, including one from the Park Police The incident took place outside Cup Foods at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue Monday. Park Police Chief Jason Ohotto said Wednesday that their officer was 118 feet away from Floyd and not in a location to witness or intervene in the MPD incident George Floyd was killed on Monday as they arrested him on suspicion of forgery The Park Police footage first shows the MPD officers questioning Floyd as he sits on the ground. The bodycam-wearing cop later watches over two passengers from the victim's car. The video captured by the Minneapolis Park Police officer doesn't shed much more light on the incident. According to Park Police Chief Jason Ohotto, his officer was 118 feet away from Floyd. 'Based on a review of the body worn camera footage, which is being released to demonstrate the vantage point of the Park Police officer, the Park Police officer was not in a location to witness or intervene in the MPD incident,' Chief Ohotto said Wednesday. The bodycam footage opens with the Park Police officer arriving on the scene in his car. There, he finds two MPD officers who have detained a group of people, hidden in the video behind black boxes to conceal their identities. One of the MPD cops involved in Floyd's death points the responding Park Police officer away from the immediate scene, asking him to supervise two other people. The Park Police officer then tells two passengers from Floyd's vehicle not to interfere until the cops have completed their arrest. 'I don't want you touching anything from the car,' he states. Around two minutes into the footage, the Park Police officer with the bodycam can be seen in his car operating electronic devices. Through the window, the two MPD officers walk a man hidden behind a black box - presumable Floyd - across the street to be arrested next to a Cup Foods deli where E 38th street intersects with Chicago Avenue, shown in the bodycam footage. The Park Police officer remains on the side of the street Floyd was initially arrested on to monitor his two friends. For the majority of the footage, the Park Police officer is facing in the opposite direction to where Floyd has been detained. While the officer does occasionally turn back to look across the street, the events that led up to Floyd's death are obscured by an MPD police car. The identities of the passengers are concealed in the video released on Wednesday but the Park Police officer referred to Floyd as their 'buddy' A cop is heard saying: 'And after all this is settled you guys get to walk.' He adds: 'I'll talk to my partner and see what's up' Speaking to the men who have been detained, the Park Police officer asks: 'What are you guys taking out the car? Cigarettes? Personal items? Whose car is this?' Much of the audio is silenced and identities of those involved and passerby are concealed. The cop continues to tell them to 'stay put'. 'I don't want anyone near this car,' he adds. 'Just stay put, alright, until my partners and them are done over there and they can figure things out,' the responding officer reassures them. 'We'll figure things out alright. Right now, we're grabbing an ambulance for your buddy.' Around 15 minutes into the video, the ambulance is shown arriving at the scene, while the Park Police officer continues to stay on the side of the road where Floyd was first arrested. On the opposite side of the road to where the Park Police officer was stationed, Floyd died after white MPD officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for a staggering eight minutes. In footage initially released from a witness, Floyd is seen begging Chauvin to stop and telling him he could not breathe before he lost consciousness and later died. Four Minneapolis Police Department who were involved in Monday's incident have now been fired. The cop wearing the bodycam is from Minneapolis Park Police. The department's role in the incident was brought into question because bystander footage showed one of their patrol cars. CCTV footage from a nearby restaurant shows part of the altercation between Floyd and the officers. A handcuffed Floyd sits on the ground as a police officer, who was not seen in the original viral video, speaks to him before picking him up and holding him against the wall George Floyd was filmed Monday begging the Minneapolis cop to stop kneeling on him and telling him he could not breathe before he lost consciousness and later died Officers arrested him for allegedly trying to use forged documents at a local deli. The FBI and state law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into the man's death. A fatal shooting and lawsuit for excessive force: What we know about the four officers fired for George Floyd's arrest Derek Chauvin In 2006 Derek Chauvin (pictured), 44, was one of six officers connected to the death of Wayne Reyes The white police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck has already been investigated over three police shootings and a fatal car chase. In 2006 Derek Chauvin, 44, was one of six officers connected to the death of Wayne Reyes. Reyes, 42 was killed by officers after allegedly pulling a shotgun on the six cops, which included Chauvin. Also that year he was named in a lawsuit filed by an inmate at the Minnesota Correctional Facility. The case was dismissed in 2007. Two years later Chauvin was investigated for his role in the 2008 shooting of Ira Latrell Toles during a domestic assault call. Toles was wounded after police said he went for an officer's gun and Chauvin shot him. That same year Chauvin was handed a medal of valor for 'his response in an incident involving a man armed with a gun.' But in 2011 23-year-old Leroy Martinez was shot and injured during a chase given by officers including Chauvin. Chauvin was arrested Friday - four days after Floyd's death - and charged with third degree murder and manslaughter. Tou Thao Tou Thao (pictured), was part of a $25,000 out of court settlement after being sued for using excessive force in 2017 Tou Thao, was part of a $25,000 out of court settlement after being sued for using excessive force in 2017. A lawsuit obtained by the DailyMail.com shows Thao was sued for using excessive force in arrest where he was accused of punching and kicking a handcuffed suspect 'until his teeth broke'. The remaining two officers have been identified as Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng. Both were reportedly rookie cops who were still in their probationary periods. Thao, Lane and Kueng do not currently face charges. Advertisement Authorities claimed Tuesday that Floyd had resisted arrest by cops, however footage from the scene has cast doubt on the version of events as it appears to show the 46-year-old father-of-two cooperating with officers as he is manhandled out of his vehicle. A release from the MFD report sheds more light on Monday's shocking events, detailing that fire crew were called to assist medics with a man - called 'pt' in the report - who had trauma to his mouth. It states that Fire Station 17 of Minneapolis arrived at the scene outside the Cup Foods store to find 'multiple squads on scene and small crowd of citizens'. The report points to confusion at the scene as neither the cops nor bystanders gave information to medics on Floyd or his location. It says that while the crew tried to find Floyd to give medical support, they overheard and were told by 'several people that the police 'had killed the man''. The report adds that the bystanders were 'upset but not unruly'. Crew members were finally able to find a cop inside the store who told them medics had put Floyd in an ambulance and left the scene. Crew members were also told by an off-duty firefighter who witnessed the end of the struggle that they had seen Floyd become unresponsive on the ground while handcuffed and subdued by cops. Medics then called for assistance and the crew responded to the ambulance which had moved to 36th and Park Avenue. Two crew members got into the ambulance where they found 'an unresponsive, pulseless male', the report states. According to the report, medics never managed to recover a pulse on route to the hospital and Floyd's 'condition did not change'. Thousands of defiant protesters took to the streets to demand justice for Floyd. The victim's family's lawyer Ben Crump issued a statement urging protesters to act peacefully on Wednesday night and to not 'sink to the level of our oppressors'. 'The community is understandably and rightfully upset by the wrongful death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, and their grief and outrage are pouring out onto the streets of Minneapolis. We share these painful emotions and demand justice, but we also urge everyone who wishes to raise their voice to engage in peaceful protests and observe social distancing,' 'We cannot sink to the level of our oppressors, and we must not endanger others during this pandemic. We will demand and ultimately force lasting change by shining a light on treatment that is horrific and unacceptable and by winning justice.' After a week of gaffes, it's happened. Joe Biden is dropping in the polls. According to Newsweek: Former Vice President Joe Biden's lead over President Donald Trump has fallen by three points over the last week, according to new polling data. The latest survey by Reuters and Ipsos found that Biden led Trump by six points among registered voters, with 45 percent backing the challenger and 39 percent favoring the incumbent. The former vice president also had a four-point lead among Independent voters. A third of the group (33 percent) said they would back Biden, while 29 percent said the same of Trump. Which is the start of some kind of trend given the size of the drop. For months, Biden has inexplicably out-polled President Trump and it was strange stuff, given that even the better pollsters, such as IBD/TIPP were seeing this. What it sound like now is voters are paying attention. They're starting get a good look at this pig-in-a poke and they're not liking what they see. Three points in a week from a 48% base represents a 6%* drop. That signals a shift, given that the poll numbers have been largely steady until now. What fostered the drop? Three things stand out: One, Biden insulted black voters as an old white man declaring that either they voted for him or they weren't black. He made no meaningful apology in the wake of it -- his press secretary tried to declare it a joke, and when that didn't work Biden said he was sorry and declared his words 'cavalier,' which was a little piummy. Additional fallout came from radio host Charlamagne tha God, who said Biden was going to "depress" voter turnout. To say the least. Biden can't win without the black vote and here he was, insulting them There also was his big Memorial Day appearance where he came out of his basement isolation to lay a wreath. His halting gait, his dark glasses, combined with his sepuchral COVID-19 mask gave him the look of the thing that came from the crypt. Not exactly a look the voters flock to. Even media bigfeet such as Brit Hume, No wonder he's falling in the polls. There's also a third factor - the odious comparison. Biden's rival is President Trump, who has performed in a stellar manner in his crisis leadership, as well as looked like a leader in his public appearances, mask or no mask. He made no gaffes as Biden might have in his appearance before Michigan's autoworkers, for instance. Better still, the economy is showing signs of a v-shaped recovery, coming back quickly after a long period of being locked down. That matters because voters are starting to get their hopes back. Biden, by contrast, remains the bug-like face of the lockdown. For Biden, this looks like the beginning of the end. Biden has blown too many chances and squandered too many voter bases to ever really gain momentum at this point. His numbers are starting to turn around and if history is any indicator, they will keep moving in this direction. It's like the curve for him has suddenly flattened. Image credit: Twitter screen shot *The journalist-math in the item above has been corrected, thanks to alert reader Martin. Executive Director of Shalom Foundation, Shalom Lumor, has called on the government to scrap luxury tax on sanitary pads as the world celebrates Menstrual Hygiene Day. This comes on the back of Ghana categorizing sanitary pads under luxury products and slapping 20 percent import duty on it. Speaking to GhanaWeb, Shalom Lumor said there is nothing luxurious about periods for sanitary pads to be charged a luxury tax. Not only is it unfair, but the decision to tax sanitary products as luxury items is forcing some women to take desperate measures. Being forced to pay for the "luxury" of getting your period isn't fair, and sometimes it can be too much of a challenge. Menstrual hygiene should be a right, not a luxury. Menstrual products are essentials and they shouldn't be as expensive as they are, something needs to change, she noted. The campaigner further argued that the controversial tax on sanitary pads when removed will be a boost for girls' education. Menstrual periods are among the leading factors for girls to drop out of school in a country where most girls have no access to sanitary pads. Tax on pads tackles one of the biggest barriers to education for girls. The tax on sanitary pads when scrapped will help more girls to go to school during their periods and boost their job prospects. Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD) is commemorated globally on May 28 every year with the aim to break taboos surrounding menstruation. The day is also to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and raise awareness of the importance of good menstrual hygiene worldwide. Source: ghanaweb 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 post is part of Outward, Slates home for coverage of LGBTQ life, thought, and culture. Read more here. It seemed like Larry Kramer might live forever and yet here we are, mourning his death by pneumonia at the age of 84. Kramera writer and activist, although both of those terms seem somehow too small for himsurvived AIDS, survived the death of so many he knew, survived the heartlessness of president after president, and never lost the white hot rage that felt like it could fuel not only him but perhaps a small sun or two. He alienated many with his uncompromising, confrontational style, but he saved the lives of countless more with his fearless, never-ending advocacy for people with AIDS. Advertisement Not even becoming a respected elder statesman could calm his drive, or his rage. Kramer was the kind of man who stood outside his own Broadway show in 2011, handing out leaflets to audience members about how the AIDS crisis wasnt over. Earlier this year, during a New York Times photo shoot commemorating ACT UP, an organization he co-founded in 1987, he helped lead his fellow activists in a rousing chant of, Fuck the New York Times! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I only interacted with Larry Kramer once, briefly, via email. Back when Dan Kois and I worked on the oral history of Angels in America for Slate that would become our book The World Only Spins Forward, I reached out to him for an interview. Surely, we thought, the author of The Normal Heart, one of the first and most important plays about the AIDS crisis, would have brilliant and incisive things to say about Angels in America, a play his own work made possible. Advertisement Advertisement In classic Kramer fashion, he turned us downbut in an email so perceptive and opinionated and cranky and funny and self-promoting that we wound up using all 113 words of it in the book anyway: what can i say that hasnt been said by many others? its a very important play and its wonderful that its still being performed all over the world. that the two major aids plays, angels and my normal heart, are still being performed so extensively is quite remarkable and a testimony to the power of the theater to deal with gay history. i wish that tony would write more about gay history, as i have tried to do with my own recent book, the american people. but he has a much wider sphere of important interests than I do and we should be grateful for whatever he writes. he is a great writer. Advertisement Advertisement What can I say that hasnt been said by many others? is a question one could ask about Larry Kramer, a man who was never at a loss for words himself. One clear way that we could honor him this week is to spend some time looking at the words he wrote. In particular, two of his masterpieces, 1112 and Counting and The Normal Heart are easy to find, and complement and enrich each other. They also give a sense of their author in all his impossible, irascible, searing, funny, difficult, loving, furious complexity. Advertisement Advertisement 1112 and Counting is Kramers 1983 essay in the New York Native warning the gay community about the worsening AIDS crisis. Seldom has a work of argumentative writing drawn such intense power through simple, direct, almost artless prose. In it he wants, in his own words, to scare the shit out of you, by telling you the truth, and refusing to dress it up. Its a remarkable historical document whose rage and pain and fear and urgent drive to wake its audience the fuck up rhymes in a deep, profound way with our current global pandemic. You cant help, while reading of the lack of ICU beds, of the abandonment of the sick by their government, of the necessity of the CDC, to realize that, had we built the society Kramer argued for in 1983, we wouldnt be in the predicament were in today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont want to die, he writes, I can only assume you dont want to die. Can we fight together? That question hides within it another. What does fighting together mean? At the time he wrote 1112 and Counting, he was in the middle of a very difficult struggle over that question with the fellow members of the Gay Mens Health Crisis, the very first HIV/AIDS care and advocacy organization in the world. Kramer co-founded GMHC, but, shortly after writing 1112 and Counting, he was pushed out of the organization due to disagreements over its mission and Kramers combative, often alienating, methods. The story of his 18 months with GMHC form the basis of his other masterpiece, The Normal Heart, an autobiographical play originally staged at the Public Theatre in 1985. Advertisement According to Kenneth Turan and Joe Papps Free for All, Kramer knew from the start of his involvement with GMHC that he would one day write about it. Shortly after leaving the organization, he began work on what would become The Normal Heart, but the play almost came to nothing. The story of how it wound up at the Public reads in many ways like a miniature encapsulation of the power and difficulties of Kramers activism in general. He met with fierce institutional resistance. Agent after agent turned the play down. Advertisement Advertisement But another problem he faced was his own gift for self-sabotage. When he submitted the play to the Public, he appended a highly accusatory letter about how he knew the Public would never read it. A friend at the theatre hid the letter from Joseph Papp, the Publics founder and artistic director. But Kramers reputation for rough and tumble tenacity also helped create interest in the script. As Gail Merrifield Papp, then the head of the Publics play department, described it in Free for All, Everybody was kind of hot to read it because of Larrys reputation, which was that he can get hysterically angry to the point where he does in the very cause hes trying to put forth and that his propensity to deliver insults to a persons face in order to get their blood boiling in the proper way is counterproductive. By then, Kramer was in the habit of calling staff members at the Public, berating them, and sending them apologetic bouquets of flowers. Advertisement When Merrifield Papp read the scriptoriginally so sprawling and disorganized that it weighed seven poundsshe was shocked to find herself moved to tears. She knew there was an important work of art within the dense thicket of words, so she phoned Larry Kramer up, and the two quickly got to work on revising it. Over nine months, in response to an ongoing dialogue with Merrifeld Papp, Kramer honed The Normal Heart into its present shape, cutting a major plotline about his relationship with his brother, and focusing the work on the neophyte activists trying to figure out how to fight a disease no one understands. Advertisement Advertisement On some levelthe level of conventional taste, perhapsThe Normal Heart shouldnt work. Its a procedural about founding and running a nonprofit organization. Its arguments are often about the logistics of fundraising, or the text on a letterhead. It is, at times, openly self-serving, and the dialogue can be artless and blunt. But all of these so-called problems are actually the key to the plays power. Within those arguments about procedure is a complicated back-and-forth about how confrontational, how direct, how, well, artless, an advocacy organization can be. The play also deftly dramatizes how differences in class shape the various characters perspectives. Ned Weeks, Larry Kramers autobiographical stand-in, burns with such rage and fear because, as a Jew, he sees echoes of the Holocaust in the world turning its back on gays. But hes also so confrontational because he has a trust fund, and no job to lose were he to come out of the closet. He doesnt enjoy promiscuity, or see it as a political project, so its easier for him to tell other gay men to be celibate. He has less to lose, except, of course, like the other characters in the play, he has everything to lose. Thus we get exchanges like this, where an argument over whether their newsletter should recommend celibacy becomes an argument over sex, politics, gay identity, and values over a few short lines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bruce: We cant tell people how to live their lives! We cant do that. And besides, the entire gay political platform is fucking. Wed get it from all sides. Ned: You make it sound like thats all being gay means. Bruce: Thats all it does mean! Mickey: Its the only thing that makes us different. Ned: I dont want to be considered different. Bruce: Neither do I, actually. Mickey: Well, I do. Bruce: Well, you are! Perhaps due to Kramers merciless rewriting process, or that the characters were all thinly veiled stand-ins for real people, theres a remarkable pressurization to the dialogue. Each line says something extremely direct on the surface, but the arguments all connect to one another. A discussion about tactics is a discussion about politics, of course, but the play knows it is also a discussion about identity, and class, and fucking. Advertisement The Normal Heart wasnt written for posterity. It was written to address the specific needs of its community and its time, a time when mainstream media buried stories about AIDS, refused to print the names of the partners of the dead in obituaries, and treated homosexuality as either a pathology, a perversion, or both. It was a time when people with AIDS could not get access to medical care, when the political establishment would not mention the disease, when people were fired from their jobs for being gay, and when we still knew vanishingly little about the disease or how to fight it. Advertisement Advertisement This immediacy made the play a hitit ran for nine months and changed the lives of many people I know who saw it during its runbut it also, ironically, made The Normal Heart a timeless work of art. In its sense of throwing caution and good taste to the wind, its drive to speak directly to its own times, its rich complexity, neurotic Jewish humor, and ripped-open vulnerability, The Normal Heart is sui generis. By focusing on the struggle behind the struggle against injustice, by showing us the conflict between incrementalism and revolution, The Normal Hearts arguments resonate across the years. So long as there are fights for equality, dignity, and freedom to be had, The Normal Heart will call to us, furiously, demanding in the words of the W.H. Auden poem from which it gets its name, that we love one another or die. But the love it envisions is not a sentimental one. It is a fierce love, a love that calls on us to fight for one another, together, so we do not die alone. If you believe in what youre doing, Kramer told Kenneth Turan in Free For All, youve got to fight very tenaciously for it, try every possible avenue, and you dont take no for an answer. Were Queer People Better Prepared for #QuarantineLife? Bryan Lowder, Christina Cauterucci, and Rumaan Alam host this months episode of Outward, Slates LGBTQ podcast. Democratic tech billionaires are using their arsenal of cash in an attempt to bolster Joe Biden's chances of winning the election in November as the candidate is still struggling to adapt to a fully-remote campaigning model, a Thursday report revealed. Four Silicon Valley billionaires in particular are trailblazing an effort to help the Democratic Party with obtaining more data by creating start ups and tech tools specifically to rival Republicans in that field, according to nearly two dozen interviews conducted by Vox's digital news arm Recode. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, philanthropist and Steve Jobs' widower Laurene Powell Jobs and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt are all behind this effort to help defeat Donald Trump. As these tech billionaires line up to support Biden, the presumed Democratic nominee, President Donald Trump has upped his criticism of social media platforms. The president claimed this week that Twitter his preferred online platform for communicating directly with Americans is 'stifling free speech,' 'totally silencing conservative voices' and 'interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election.' He made the claims after Twitter flagged two of his tweets regarding mail-in voting with blue exclamation points, prompting users to 'get the facts about mail-in ballots.' Silicon Valley billionaires are backing presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden in his effort to take Donald Trump out of the White House in November by helping create start ups, tools and organizations that will bolster the left's digital campaign efforts LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman (top left), Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz (bottom right), philanthropist and Steve Jobs' widower Laurene Powell Jobs (top right) and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt (bottom left) are all behind this effort to help defeat Donald Trump The effort from these billionaires comes as Donald Trump has gone on the attack against Twitter and is preparing to sign an executive order that will make social media sites susceptible to government investigations into allegations of bias and more lawsuits Trump is also preparing to sign an executive order that will expose social media sites to government investigations into allegations of bias and more lawsuits. 'This will be a Big Day for Social Media and FAIRNESS!' Trump touted in a tweet Thursday morning. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in an interview with Fox News, which will air later on Thursday, that he would not have acted in the same manner as his counterpart for Twitter, Jack Dorsey, did in flagging the president's tweets. Zuckerberg suggested that Dorsey was acting as an 'arbiter of truth' and said Facebook would not do the same. Hoffman's top political adviser, Dmitri Mehlhorn, distributed a private 12-page memo late last month, which Recode obtained, describing that he felt the best way to win the election in six months is to best 'Trump's brand machine.' Mehlhorn also said Democrats need to build a network of 'trusted media channels with peer-to-peer elements,' as well as putting out 'content that has a journalistic flavor' specifically for the Party but the new enhanced content network on the left, he claims, needs to be equivalent to the scope and efficiency as Republicans have currently. 'When truth is tribal, traditional media and advertising can't reach voters,' Mehlhorn said in the memo. 'But people still listen to their friends and members of their communities.' One way Hoffman is seeking to boost Democratic election efforts is by backing a startup called Alloy, which is building a warehouse to store data that progressive groups collect on voters and in turn use that data to get left-leaning voters to the polls. The LinkedIn founder has invested about $18 million in Alloy his single biggest investment so far this election cycle. Hoffman's team, as well as other donors, see Alloy's acquisition of voters' cell phone numbers as key as coronavirus has upped the need for enhanced digital campaigning. 'We're already putting data into the hands of Democrats and progressives on the front lines of this critical election cycle,' an Alloy spokesperson, Luis Miranda, said. 'We're proud of our work, and we're just getting started.' Facebook co-founder Moskovitz and Powell Jobs are also giving millions to some of the country's most ambitious voter-registration programs. Trump attacked Twitter for 'stifling free speech' and attempting to interfer in the 2020 elections after the site flagged two of his tweets about mail-in voting with blue exclamation marks, prompting users to 'get the facts about mail-in ballots' Users who clicked on the blue exclamation marks are redirected to a page explaining why the claim was unsubstantiated, including an assertion that Trump's claim are 'false' and that there is 'no evidence' that vote-by-mail was linked to voter fraud Powell Jobs also financially backs Acronym, a controversial and well-funded nonprofit that aims to create digital infrastructure for the progressive movement and has so far put around $10 million into the group. Acronym is betting on creating more partisan media, like what worked for Republicans in 2016. The nonprofit's aim is to raise $25 million to set up seven local news sites in swing states that portray moderate Democratic candidates in a favorable light while still trying to appear as an objective news source. This is called an 'upworthy model,' and Democratic operatives see it as an effective way to mobilize their base voters. NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation announced today that it will award three new grants to support organizations that are working with countries, communities and regions in Africa and Asia to leverage data and technology to bolster their Covid-19 response. These grants will enhance data collection through contact tracing, symptom checking, and testing that can generate data that is crucial for ensuring efficient Covid-19 responses across community, country and regional levels. The Foundation is also expanding its support of off-grid technologies that can quickly address the energy needs of healthcare facilities currently operating without electricity. "When I was leading the U.S. response to the 2014 outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, using transparent, location-specific, real-time data was a game-changing innovation," said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. "Employing a data-driven response to outbreaks is critical to target prevention and response efforts much more precisely and return to normal more quickly." With more than 5 million cases globally, countries have turned to technology at all levels of their health systems to respond to Covid-19. Yet many lower- and middle-income countries do not have the same resources as wealthier countries to develop innovations that meet their unique needs and could aid their responses. As a result, those countries with the fewest resources to combat a Covid-19 outbreak are often the least well-positioned to leverage data and technology to drive efficient responses. "We are partnering with countries and local communities to equip them with the technologies and tools that will help to protect their health and save their economies," said Ashvin Dayal, Senior Vice President, Power Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation. "Reliable electricity is essential for effective testing and treatment, and off-grid technologies can be rapidly deployed to address this crisis." To support countries and those on the frontline in their Covid-19 responses, the Foundation is awarding grants totaling $2 million to four organizations: Dalberg, Dimagi, Medic Mobile and Odyssey Energy Solutions. These new grants build on the Foundation's efforts to improve public health and provide reliable electricity to vulnerable communities worldwide and brings its total commitment to the global Covid-19 response to over $50 million. The Foundation's new grants include: Dalberg has received a grant to strengthen the Incident Management System (IMS) capacity of West African Emergency Operations Centers to prepare for, detect and respond to public health emergencies. The foundation's grant will support work in six West African countries: Senegal , The Gambia , Guinea , Guinea-Bissau , Mali , and Mauritania . "Emergency Operations Centers help countries and communities come together in a way that saves lives and allows economies to get back on their feet more quickly after disasters have passed," said Madjiguene Sock, Partner at Dalberg. "This grant will allow us to bolster the effectiveness of the Emergency Operations Centers we have supported for more than seven years, as well as establish a platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing between centers across West Africa ." has received a grant The foundation's grant will support work in , The , , , , and . "Emergency Operations Centers help countries and communities come together in a way that saves lives and allows economies to get back on their feet more quickly after disasters have passed," said Madjiguene Sock, Partner at Dalberg. "This grant will allow us to bolster the effectiveness of the Emergency Operations Centers we have supported for more than seven years, as well as establish a platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing between centers across ." Dimagi and Medic Mobile have received funding to equip community health workers with new digital tools that can bolster a data-driven response to Covid-19 in up to 50 countries. Dimagi and Medic Mobile are the two largest developers of apps designed specifically for community health workers, reaching 700,000 community health workers across the globe. "Digital tools can make a real difference in fighting Covid-19, but only if they make it into the hands of health workers," said Isaac Holeman , PhD, Co-Founder of Medic Mobile . "This collaboration is an opportunity for our organizations to share what we know, to leverage our respective strengths in order to deliver systems that are optimized for frontline workers in hard-to-reach communities." Jonathan Jackson , Co-Founder and CEO of Dimagi added, "By creating and sharing these tools, we can help community health workers better respond to this devastating virus and optimize public health in the long-run. These tools will shape a future in which we can predict and respond to pandemics faster and more effectively." have received funding to Dimagi and Medic Mobile are the two largest developers of apps designed specifically for community health workers, reaching 700,000 community health workers across the globe. "Digital tools can make a real difference in fighting Covid-19, but only if they make it into the hands of health workers," said . "This collaboration is an opportunity for our organizations to share what we know, to leverage our respective strengths in order to deliver systems that are optimized for frontline workers in hard-to-reach communities." added, "By creating and sharing these tools, we can help community health workers better respond to this devastating virus and optimize public health in the long-run. These tools will shape a future in which we can predict and respond to pandemics faster and more effectively." Odyssey Energy Solutions is receiving funding to develop its data platform, which will enable the fast and sustainable deployment of donor capital to energize healthcare facilities with distributed renewable energy technology. The Odyssey platform will align donor efforts, targeting efficient allocation of over $200 million across at least 2,000 health centers in sub-Saharan Africa. "Over 70% of healthcare facilities lack access to reliable electricity in sub-Saharan Africa," said Odyssey CEO Emily McAteer . "By integrating key datasets with the location of priority health facilities, matching them with developers, supporting the bulk procurement of mini-grid components, and utilizing asset management technologies to track performance, this project will help address the energy needs of healthcare facilities immediately and reliably." Dana Rysankova, Global Lead for Energy Access at the World Bank noted: "The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) is supporting World Bank client countries in their efforts to electrify health facilities to help mitigate the Covid-19 health crisis. Odyssey can be a very powerful tool in this effort. In Nigeria , for example, the Rural Electrification Agency and the World Bank are partnering with the Odyssey platform for a significant Covid response effort to electrify isolation and treatment centers and primary healthcare facilities, many of which are subsequently expected to be expanded into mini grids that also serve neighboring communities and businesses." "The Rockefeller Foundation has supported the field of public health for over 100 years, fueling progress against disease through innovation," said Naveen A. Rao, MD, Senior Vice President, Health, The Rockefeller Foundation. "These grants build upon that legacy to ensure that countries can fight a 21st century pandemic with 21st century tools." The new grants are part of the Foundation's overall response to the global pandemic, as described in Dr. Shah's 2020 Annual letter. To read the letter in its entirety, visit: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/2020-annual-letter/. SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation Related Links http://www.rockfound.org Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal With an economic shutdown leaving thousands of New Mexicans without jobs, the city says the officer-hungry Albuquerque Police Department is seeing unprecedented levels of interest in its jobs. APDs April applications were more than four times higher than in April 2019, rising to 248 compared to 59 a year ago, according to the city. And officials say the 203 applicants who signed up to begin APDs three-day testing regimen June 5 is more than the department has ever seen. This is unprecedented for APD, said department recruiting director David Romo, who returned to APD last year after retiring as a lieutenant in 2017. The testing marks just the start of a lengthy process to get into the academy, a stage that only about 25% of those who take the test ultimately reach, according to Romo. Those who get through testing must also go through background screening, a polygraph exam and more to make it to the academy. But officials see the interest as a positive sign for a department that has taken a number of steps in recent years to boost its depleted ranks. Mayor Tim Keller set a goal of hiring 100 new officers per year when he took office in late 2017 and he said 2020 looks promising. We believe right now were still on track for that 100 despite the challenges (related to COVID-19), Keller said Wednesday during a media briefing livestreamed from City Hall. In an effort to hit those goals early in the Keller administration, the city boosted pay a new officer now makes $29 per hour, or roughly $60,000 annually, following a year of probation and hired many away from other departments around the state. But Keller said the COVID-19 pandemic may have created a whole new audience for the citys pitch. We know a lot of folks are out of work, Keller said. We want to articulate theres another career path that could be available for folks out there who are interested in it. Romo said his staff tapped into that audience in April by partnering with New Mexico Workforce Connections on a virtual question-and-answer session about APD that had more than 10,000 views. But he is also crediting his teams new approach for the rising interest in APD. With COVID-19 temporarily halting opportunities to recruit face to face at such events as job fairs, he said the team has bolstered its brand via social media. It posts regular videos, telling the personal stories of existing APD officers, providing physical fitness instructional videos or offering other advice for those who want to apply. He said the department was seeing year-to-year application gains even back in January and February. My recruiters are thinking out of the box and theyre doing really neat things on social media, he said. Every new commercial and residential development in a swath of inner-Melbourne suburbs would need to have zero net carbon emissions to win planning approval under an ambitious Yarra Council plan. If the move is signed off by the Andrews government, it would radically cut emissions generated within the council area, with more than 80 per cent of Yarra's emissions coming from gas and electricity use in commercial, industrial and residential buildings. It's part of a bold vision outlined in the council's Climate Emergency Plan, which it has worked on for months and is expected to formally adopt next week. New developments in suburbs like Richmond will need to have zero net carbon emissions under the council's proposed climate policy. Mayor Misha Coleman said the plan had been redrafted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a new focus on stimulating industries and creating jobs on the other side of the crisis. The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari has approved some re-organizations within the Nigeria Police Force with immediate effect. The approvals are to make the force more effective in the discharge of its duties as well as bring security closer to the people of the country. As part of the presidents approval, the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) will soon be detached from the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) so that it can become a full-fledged Department. The FIB will then be headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG). Naija News understands the re-organization was communicated in a memo personally signed by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, and sighted by PRNigeria. The memo titled, Force Re-organisation, said with the approval, the NPF now has eight Departments based on the approval given by President Buhari in his capacity as Chairman of the Nigeria Police Council. This is expected to fully integrate intelligence-led policing strategy to the community policing initiative in addressing the threats that the dynamics of crime poses to the country, said IGP. Buhari has also approved the creation of additional five Zonal Commands. They include Ondo/Ekiti Commands with the Headquarters in Akure; Enugu/Anambra/Ebonyi Commands with the Headquarters in Awka; Bayelsa/Rivers Commands with the Headquarters in Yenagoa; Yobe/Borno Commands with the Headquarters in Maiduguri; and Katsina/Kaduna Commands in Katsina. The memo added: In order to enhance the capacity of the four premiere Police Colleges in Kaduna, Ikeja, Maiduguri and Orji Rivers towards meeting the training and capacity development projection of the Force in relation to junior cadre officers, Mr. President approved that the status of the Commandants of the Colleges be upgraded to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG). This will strengthen administration, enhance the commitment of staff, and engender higher level of discipline and the quality of training at the Colleges. These approvals were granted by the President in furtherance to the need to expand and strengthen the Intelligence Department towards driving the intelligence-led policing strategy of the Force leadership and to aid in the entrenchment of the community policing practice as approved by the Federal Government. Thursday, 28 May 2020 17:51:26 (GMT+3) | Istanbul According to media reports, the Central Works Council (CWC) at Tata Steel Netherlands, subsidiary of Indian steel giant Tata Steel, may take legal steps if the management does not include the council in the process of finding a successor to the former CEO Theo Henrar. Following the departure of Henrar, the workers blocked the entrance to the plant at IJmuiden, SteelOrbis understands, while the council said the unplanned labor action has not affected the companys production. Although the company said that the decision for the CEO to step down was mutually agreed, the workers council believes that the CEO was fired and that the council should have been consulted. Henrar has been known as a strong advocate of Tata Steel Netherlands interests and has campaigned against plans to cut around 1,000 jobs in the Netherlands. Tata Steel Netherlands vice-chairman Hans van den Berg has been appointed as the new CEO. Uncertain of their statuses, Latino graduates report feeling lost and hopeless. The pandemic threatened the expenditure potential of the Latino graduates, who represent a significant portion of the U.S. workforce. As one of the youngest racial or ethnic groups in the United States, around 1 million of the minority group will be turning 18 this year and the following years for at least two more decades. In 2012, analysts predicted this number at 2030, but it was quickly surpassed at as early as 2018. Helping the graduates A number of organizations have stepped up to support these students after their graduation. These colleges called themselves the Hispanic-Serving Institutions.The Alamo Colleges District for instance posted updates on the emergency aid that was made available to the students through the CARES Act. This also included posting information to students who graduated this semester. A San Antonio district with Latino students that comprised 60% of the population offered financial relief programs to help eligible students receive $300 payment. They also made initiatives for a student fund to those who required assistance for losses sustained by unemployment and other expenses like healthcare and procurement of basic necessities. Co-founder of nonprofit organization Pay Our Interns Carlos Mark Vera said that 4 million Latinos graduated this weekend. He said no preparation would be enough to get them through the "worst job market" in history. Formerly an unpaid intern at the federal government offices, he and his group worked to secure payment for interns in Congress. Vera expressed his concern over Latino graduates, saying that the community should also give provisions to the incoming workers affected by the crisis. He added that the Latino community lacked the networks and wealth that Caucasians had for subsidy. Check these out! Latinos represent a large portion of the workforce According to the Pew Research Center's Mark Hugo Lopez, director of global migration and demography research, their careers would be affected financially and economically by the pandemic in the long run. In a separate study, Pew Research conducted a survey that showed 49% of Latinos in the United States said they or someone in their households had experienced a loss in expenditure or employment or both compared to a third of all adults in the country. The figure was especially higher for young Latinos aged between 18 - 29, with 53% claiming they were affected by the job cuts in March. A recent Latino Decisions poll presented data that proved 60% of Latino respondents either lost jobs or lost working hours. Lopez said that Hispanics were the population affected the most by mitigation measures against the transmission of COVID-19, especially since a great portion belonged in the lower-income sectors. He added that this pandemic served to highlight the deep-rooted challenges the Latinos have been facing for years, and warned that this was important to remember. Despite that the majority of young Latinos were born in the United States, accounting for about 94% of those under the legal age, the coronavirus was spread disproportionately and hit more immigrant communities. In a startling revelation, researchers have identified a 16th century German castle which could be sitting on as much as 28 tonnes of gold and other treasures that was taken away by the Nazis from across Europe during World War II. The treasure is estimated to be worth 1.25 billion UK pound which sums upto Rs 1,16,17,52,87,500 Indian Rupee (more than Rs 11,617 crore). The Hochberg Palace, which is located in modern-day Poland, is one of 11 locations which was described in the diary of a Nazi Army officer SS Standartenfuhrer Egon Ollenhauer. The existence of the diary was revealed only last year, according to a report by Sputnik news. The Silesian Bridge foundation, which had taken possession of the diary, said Reichsbank gold bars and other treasures from Breslau (the former German city transferred to Poland after WWII) valued at more than $1 billion in todays dollars may be buried under the castle. Roman Furmaniak, head of the foundation, said he had presented the diary to Polish Ministry of Culture last year, but they have yet to verify it. In an attempt to pressurise the government into launching an investigating the organisation decided to go public with the findings. Without the government's permission planning a dig and getting financers to sponsor the excavation is proving to be a mammoth task. However, the foundation says the current owner of the castle has given his permission and has reportedly out up a perimeter fence and installed CCTV cameras around the property to stop treasure hunters who are expected to flock the area. Apart from gold buillion other treasures like religious artifacts and artwork from Poland, the Soviet Union, France, Belgium were alleged to have been looted by the Nazis. These treasures are said to be hidden in atleast 11 locations according to the diary. The southwest monsoon is likely to hit Kerala on June 1, thanks to a cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal, the India Meteorological Department said on Thursday. The IMD, in its onset date forecast on May 15, had said the monsoon is likely to hit the southern state on June 5, four days after its normal arrival. The normal onset of monsoon over Kerala is June 1. However, a cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal is likely to help in the faster progress of the monsoon. "A low pressure area is likely to form over southeast and adjoining east central Arabian Sea during May 31 to June 4. In view of this, conditions are very likely to become favourable from June 1 for onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala," the IMD said. A low pressure area is the first stage of any cyclone. It is not necessary that every low pressure intensifies into a cyclonic circulation. According to the IMD, the country is likely to receive normal monsoon this year. A low pressure area has also formed over west-central Arabian Sea. It is very likely to concentrate into a depression over the same region during next 48 hours. It is very likely to move northwestwards towards south Oman and east Yemen coast during next three days, the IMD added. Under the influence of this weather system, heavy rainfall is likely over parts of south peninsular India during May 28-31, with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Kerala and Lakshadweep during May 30-31. The IMD has also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Tripura and Mizoram in the next 24 hours and heavy rainfall over Assam and Meghalaya. - The police officer who was involved in the shoot out was identified as Emmanuel Ngao while the KDF men were senior private Jeremy Malusi and David Mbugua - They mistook each other for terrorists prompting the exchange of fire - The trio sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to Bura East sub-county Hospital in critical condition There was drama on Wednesday, May 27, after two Kenya Defence Force (KDF) soldiers and a police officer shot at each other by mistake in Bura East, Garissa county. Fafi sub-county police boss George Sangalo who confirmed the incident said the KDF soldiers challenged the police officer but he mistook them for terrorists and a fierce exchange of gunfire ensued. READ ALSO: Millicent Omanga goes farming hours after facing Jubilee's disciplinary committee KDF soldiers at a past operation exercise. Photo: TUKO.co.ke. Source: Original READ ALSO: Uhuru unhappy with son who flouted COVID-19 prevention measures, went out to have fun The police officer was identified as Emmanuel Ngao while the KDF men were senior private Jeremy Malusi and David Mbugua, the Daily Nation reported. "Constable Emmanuel Ngao was challenged by KDF soldiers, senior private Jeremy Malusi and David Mbugua. He mistook the officers to be militants, he shot and seriously injured them," the police report read. "The three officers sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to Bura East sub-county Hospital and are in critical condition," the report added. KDF officers engage in a tree planting to exercise to increase forest cover. Photo: KDF. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Polisi wanamsaka mama aliyenaswa kwenye video akimcharaza hawara wa mumewe A similar bizarre incident took place in 2017 when two police officers shot at each other in Karen, Nairobi after an argument gone wrong. One officer who was reportedly ranked as a sergeant engaged in an argument with his junior and when the verbal exchange spilled over, both officers turned to their guns to drive their point home. As a result of the melee, one officer was badly injured on the arm. 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. Anonymous Tuko fan feeds 50 needy families in Nairobi | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke CLEVELAND, Ohio One of the most severe conditions caused by the coronavirus is acute respiratory distress syndrome, an inflammation of the lungs that has no direct cure. Experts are hopeful a type of stem cells could play a key role in managing that respiratory failure. The Cleveland Clinic is among 15 health systems across the U.S. participating in a clinical trial that will study whether mesenchymal stromal cells could help treat coronavirus patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS. Mesenchymal stromal cells, or MSCs, are taken from tissue such as healthy adult bone marrow. They have the capacity to self-renew and develop into several cell types, so some scientists believe they offer intriguing possibilities for treating patients. The cells also have anti-inflammatory properties, so researchers are hopeful they could help reduce inflammation the lungs so a COVID-19 patient could breathe more easily, said Dr. Abhijit Duggal, a critical care specialist and the trials principal investigator at Cleveland Clinic. This study is basically looking at whether we can minimize the damage to the lungs through the use of [MSCs], Duggal said. We know that COVID-19 directly has a significant inflammatory reaction in the lung itself. The human body responds to viruses like the one that causes COVID-19 by trying to fight them off, which causes inflammation. But that inflammation can escalate to ARDS if the inflammation in the lungs causes them to fill with fluid. That prevents the lungs from filling with air, so ARDS patients typically require the use of a ventilator to help them breathe. Because there is no direct cure for ARDS, its managed through the use of a ventilator and other supportive care. The goal is to keep the patient alive long enough for the ARDS to run its course. The new clinical trial involving Cleveland Clinic researchers is studying whether MSCs could help speed up that process. Duggal believes MSC therapy has the potential to limit lung damage in coronavirus patients. These stromal cells will go in and get situated there and help us minimize the impact of the [inflammation], and really help these patients out, Duggal said. ARDS is a severe condition that carries a high mortality rate; studies estimate that roughly one-third of patients will die after developing it. Early research indicated ARDS might have an even higher mortality rate among coronavirus patients. However, Duggal said the early data could be the result of hospitals being overwhelmed by an initial wave of coronavirus patients. A lot of the [health care] systems were just overwhelmed by the number of patients they were getting, Duggal said. But as weve kind of looked at the overall disease process itself, I wouldnt say its very different in terms of overall outcomes. Scientists have determined mesenchymal stem-cell therapy is effective for a handful of medical conditions, including cancer and some blood and immune disorders. Theyve been studying the use of MSCs to treat ARDS for years, but to date have only concluded they wont cause any major or unintended side effects, said Dr. Yasir Tarabichi, a pulmonary, sleep, and critical care physician at MetroHealth. Because those studies were geared toward safety, they were not large enough to determine whether or not the treatments were beneficial, Tarabichi said in an email. Only recently have scientists started to move to the next scientific phase of attempting the therapy on a larger number of subjects - and this was before COVID-19 struck. MSC therapy does carry some risks, though. It can cause undesirable immune reactions and is considered a double-edged sword in cancer cell therapy because it may cause tumors, according to the journal Stem Cell Investigation. And because COVID-19 patients are susceptible to blood clots, its possible MSC therapy could worsen that symptom, Tarabichi said. Last month, University Hospitals became the first clinical site for MultiStem cell therapy, a similar but proprietary therapy developed by Athersys Inc. The Cleveland biotech company says MultiStem is developed from multipotent adult progenitor cells, which are distinct from MSCs. MultiStem uses healthy adult bone marrow to treat various conditions, including inflammatory diseases. An estimated 300 coronavirus patients who have developed moderate or severe ARDS will participate in the nationwide clinical trial involving the Cleveland Clinic. While the trial is geared toward COVID-19 patients, Duggal is hopeful the research could provide guidance for treating ARDS in patients who do not have the coronavirus. As we kind of learn the lessons from this trial, I think this is something that definitely would be of interest for us in the future, to see if this can be translated to all [patients] with ARDS. The clinical trial is just beginning; researchers anticipate theyll have initial results by April 2021 and complete the study by April 2022. But Duggal is hopeful doctors could garner some information about treating ARDS in coronavirus patients while the clinical trial is ongoing. If theres a very strong signal in terms of benefit or anything, you definitely keep those things in mind whenever youre doing a randomized control trial, Duggal said. So those things definitely would be kept in perspective. Reporting of the outcomes will be done in the right way, but might give us information that will change the way we take care of these patients. Read more from cleveland.com: University Hospitals is first clinical site for MultiStem cell therapy study to combat coronavirus-induced ARDS Coronavirus and the lungs: Does COVID-19 cause more severe pneumonia or ARDS than other viruses? Ventilators play a critical role in treating coronavirus patients. Does Northeast Ohio have enough? For the past couple of months, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has wreaked havoc on the U.S. and global economy. In the U.S., more than 39 million people have filed an initial jobless claim within the past nine weeks, while the unemployment rate in India has increased from 8.7% in March to more than 27% by May 3. Regardless of the country, the results are similar. COVID-19 has also been relatively indiscriminate when it comes to the economy. Though pockets of strength have emerged, most industries have been negatively impacted by the spread of the coronavirus and the mitigation measures put in place to curb its transmission. But this hasn't been the case the marijuana industry. Surprisingly, pot sales have rocketed higher throughout numerous markets in North America. Pot sales have soared in most states and throughout Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic On Friday, May 22, Health Canada released its latest retail trade sales figures, covering total sales for the month of March. While most retail businesses were beginning to close up shop or were seeing demand weakness for their products, cannabis store revenue catapulted to an all-time high. Following a modest pullback in February's cannabis sales that may well be attributed to February simply being two days shorter than January, the $181.1 million Canadian in sales ($129.4 million U.S.) recorded in March represents a sequential increase of 19%. And Canada wasn't alone. According to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, marijuana sales for the state soared 30% in March from the prior-year period to $84 million, as well as 20% on a sequential basis from February. In Washington State, data from Headest, courtesy of Marijuana Business Daily, shows that daily sales were up between 2% and 51% from the prior-year period every day expect for one between April 1, 2020 and April 15, 2020. Why the surge in sales, you ask? The likeliest answer is that cannabis consumers stockpiled weed prior to going on lockdown. Plus, being stuck at home may have more consumers turning to cannabis products. Whatever the reason(s) may be, the fact remains that COVID-19 has been a boon for the marijuana industry. Is this sales spike sustainable or a one-time event? The question, though, is whether the cannabis industry can maintain this progress, or if this is simply an anomaly amid the marijuana industry's growing pains. My suspicion is it's more of the latter than the former. For example, our neighbor to the north is contending with a myriad of supply chain issues. Initially, licensed producers were being constrained by Health Canada's inability to review and approve cultivation and sales licensing applications in a time manner. Nowadays, supply issues tends to originate from the provincial level. In Ontario, a little more than four dozen dispensaries have been opened in the 19 months since legal pot sales began. This might sound like a decent number, but Ontario is home to 38% of Canada's residents, and it could probably house closer to 1,000 retail stores. Ontario's now-shelved lottery system did the province no favors, and now COVID-19 is delaying the review, approval, and construction/remodeling of additional retail locations. In other words, Ontario is a key cog to the success of Canada's weed industry, but it remains a certifiable disaster for the time being. Cannabis industry struggles may re-emerge in select U.S. states, too. Even though cannabis sales in California are among those that have spiked during COVID-19, California's exorbitant tax rate on weed remains the highest in the country. This makes it very difficult for the legal channel to compete with the black market. Don't buy the hype Although the coronavirus has delivered the green to North American cannabis stocks, a month or two of supercharged sales does not indicate a trend. That's why I'd suggest not buying the hype in the latest round of quarterly operating results. For instance, Aurora Cannabis (NASDAQ:ACB) recently reported fiscal third-quarter results that knocked Wall Street's socks off. Total net sales for the January through March period jumped 35% from the sequential second quarter, with net cannabis sales rocketing 32% higher. With Aurora's adult-use revenue jumping 24% from the sequential quarter to CA$41.5 million, there's little question that consumer stockpiling ahead of Canadian stay-at-home orders was driving at least some of this growth. The problem for Aurora Cannabis and other Canadian licensed producers is that much of this sales growth came from an increase in dried cannabis flower. Dried flower offers considerably smaller margins than derivatives, such as edibles, vapes, and infused beverages. Unfortunately, the coronavirus emerged right as derivatives were beginning to hit dispensary shelves in Canada, meaning COVID-19 is likely going to constrain pot stock margins, even as their topline numbers have grown. Additionally, most North American marijuana stocks are still a long way from profitability, even with juiced up sales from March and April. Aurora Cannabis reported a net loss of CA$137 million for its recently ended quarter, with most of its peers shuttering indoor greenhouses, laying off workers, or attempting to sell assets in order to reduce their operating expenses. We're in the midst of a much-needed shakeout in the cannabis space, and you'd be wise not to allow this coronavirus sales surge to unwittingly lure you into a struggling business. Hong Kong stocks swung between gains and losses after the Trump administration said it could no longer certify the former colonys political autonomy from China. The Hang Seng Index was down 0.4% as of 10:46 a.m. after rising as much as 0.7%. The Hong Kong dollar was slightly stronger. Chinas offshore yuan weakened overnight to match its record low of 7.1965 per dollar, set in September last year, and was last at 7.1854. The Hang Seng suffered its worst single-day loss in five years last week after the Chinese Communist Party shocked investors by unveiling its intention to stifle dissent in Hong Kong. Beijings move to impose a national security law has escalated tensions between the worlds two largest economies, with all eyes now on what the US will do next. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced the decision Wednesday in a statement, saying: No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground. Pompeos decision opens the door for a range of options, from visa restrictions and asset freezes for top officials to possibly imposing tariffs on goods coming from the former British colony. Any losses in Hong Kong equities may be limited by low valuations, as well as inflows from mainland-based investors. Fridays slump left the Hang Seng trading at 9.5 times reported earnings, about half the multiple of MSCI Inc.s global index and the biggest discount since 2016. Few benchmarks trade at single-digit valuations; those that do are mostly frontier markets such as Colombia, Argentina and Sri Lanka. The risk of Hong Kong losing its special trading status with the US will impact local stocks but the declines will likely be limited by Chinese inflows that had been strong lately, said Alvin Cheung, associate director with Prudential Brokerage Ltd. in Hong Kong. However, Sino-US relations will likely remain difficult before the US presidential election and Hong Kong will be caught in the middle of that spat, so its going to be a bumpy road ahead, he said. Investors should prepare themselves for huge volatility. On Thursday, property-related stocks were among the biggest losers with New World Development Co. slipping 3% and Swire Pacific Ltd. retreating 2.3%. CSPC Pharmaceutical Group led declines on the Hang Seng Index, dropping 7.3% to give back the previous days gains. Mainland money has been supporting the citys shares, in an echo of state-directed efforts to shore up markets across the border during politically sensitive times. Eligible investors, which range from brokers to insurers and wealthy individuals, have pumped $35.4 billion in this year via cross-border exchange links, the most for the period in data going back to 2017. Buying accelerated as the Hang Seng Index crashed. The Chinese embassy in the US said it would take necessary countermeasures against what it called foreign meddling in Hong Kong affairs. China has repeatedly warned that it would retaliate if the US put sanctions on Hong Kong or interfered in its affairs. Generated $3.3 million in Revenue and $843,000 in Adjusted EBITDA (unaudited) TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Adcore Inc. (the "Company" or "Adcore") (TSXV:ADCO), a leading provider of machine-learning powered advertising technologies used by digital agencies and advertisers to enhance and maximize Search Engine Marketing ("SEM"), today announced its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2020. First Quarter 2020 Highlights (Unaudited) Total revenue was $3.3 million compared to $3.2 million for the same period in 2019, an increase of 3%. Revenue less cost of revenues (gross margin) was 68% compared to 64% for the same period in 2019. Adjusted EBITDA (see "Use of Non-IFRS Measures") was $843,000 compared to $1.3 million for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 34%. As of March 31, 2020, total working capital was $6.3 million compared to $5.5 million for the year ended Dec 31, 2019, an increase of $800,000. As of March 31, 2020, the Company's cash and cash equivalents were $5.3 million, compared to $4.9 million for the year ended Dec 31, 2019, an increase of $400,000. Continued to invest in its global sales and marketing team and industry-leading technology, including developing Adcore's app for the Shopify app store. On January 28, 2020, Donville Kent Asset Management Inc., a Toronto based North American equity fund, selected Adcore as one of the twelve stocks to own in the next decade in the January 2020 edition of its ROE Reporter publication. On March 17, 2020, announced the precautionary steps it is taking following COVID-19 global outbreak. Omri Brill, Chief Executive Officer commented on the results, "I couldn't be more proud with the Company's first quarter financial results. The fact that in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and these challenging times we have managed to maintain and even increase the Company's gross profit year over year and grow our working capital by $800,000 is an impressive achievement by any standard. The Company's strong balance sheet positions us well to deal with the economic downturn related to the COVID-19 crisis and to invest in future post-COVID-19 growth opportunities. During these unique times, the health and safety of our employees, family members and partners is our primary focus. Throughout the second part of the quarter we successfully implemented temporary work-from-home policies designed to minimize the risk to our employees worldwide and ensure continued service at the highest standard to our many customers, resulting in minimal disruption of Adcore's business. I'm glad to report that as of May 3, 2020 all of our global offices except Toronto, which continues to operate remotely, have reopened." Mr. Brill continued, "When looking beyond the challenges posted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we see many promising opportunities for the company. Most notably, we see a major shift towards e-commerce, an area in which the company specializes in. Adcore is already in the process of developing some very interesting technologies in this field and plans to announce its brand-new Shopify app in the near future. I remain extremely bullish with regards to the Company's future and as we move beyond the peak of the crisis and the global economy normalizes, this should be reflected in the Company's revenues in the coming months." Conference Call and Webcast Information Adcore will host a conference call at 9:00AM ET on June 2, 2020 to answer questions about the financial and operational performance of the Company for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. The conference call will include a brief statement by management and will focus on answering questions about Adcore's results during the quarter. Please submit your questions prior to the call at: invest@adcore.com To participate from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device, analysts and investors should use this URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84089442171?pwd=QjdSOUVZQkd2T2NyRk40K1hqeGdpUT09 Password: 387624 To participate via phone, analysts and investors should dial: (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): Canada: +1 778 907 2071 +1 438 809 7799 +1 587 328 1099 +1 647 374 4685 +1 647 558 0588 US: +1 346 248 7799 +1 669 900 6833 +1 929 436 2866 +1 253 215 8782 +1 301 715 8592 +1 312 626 6799 Webinar ID: 840 8944 2171 Password: 387624 International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbTN2IARHG USE OF NON-IFRS MEASURES Adjusted EBITDA Management uses Adjusted earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") as a key financial metric to evaluate Adcore's operating performance and for planning and forecasting future business operations. Adjusted EBITDA excludes significant items which are non-operating in nature in order to evaluate Adcore's core operating performance against prior periods. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for net earnings, overall change in cash or liquidity of the business as a whole. Management believes the use of Adjusted EBITDA allows investors and analysts to understand the results of the continuing operations of the Company and its subsidiary, by excluding certain items that have a disproportionate impact on Adcore's results for a particular period. Management's method of determining non-GAAP financial measures are evaluated periodically and may differ from other companies' methods and therefore may not be comparable to those used by other companies. The following table presents the adjusted EBITDA for the periods ended: Three months ended March 31, 2020 Three months ended March 31, 2019 CAD$ in thousands (Unaudited) Operating profit 573 1,153 Depreciation and Amortization 149 134 Share-Based Payments 67 - Global Expansion & Relocation Expenses 54 - Total Adjustments 270 134 Adjusted EBITDA 843 1,287 ADCORE's first quarter 2020 financial statements are available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. All amounts are in CAD and are based on ADCORE's condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and related notes prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), unless otherwise noted. Amounts in this press release are in CAD based on the following USD to CAD average exchange rates for each of the relevant periods: For the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, 0.705, and 0.752 respectively. ABOUT ADCORE Adore is a leading provider of machine-learning powered advertising technologies. Adcore's suite of solutions empowers digital advertisers with automated solutions to enhance and maximize their Search Engine Marketing ("SEM"). Adcore's technologies are designed for in-house marketing professionals, freelancers and advertising agencies to scale their SEM activity and maximize their ROI. By combining extensive industry knowledge and experience with its proprietary artificial intelligence ("AI") engine, Adcore offers a unique SEM platform. In addition to being named numerous times on Deloitte's Fast 50 Technology list, Adcore is a certified Google Premier Partner and Microsoft Partner. Adcore serves hundreds of clients worldwide including: Digital Marketing Agencies, e-Commerce Businesses, Travel, Financial Technology and Gaming Companies and its strength as an agile and leading player in the industry has led to winning the largest online tender to date in Israel, a co-managed 5-year $125 million contract with the Israel Government Advertising Agency. Established in 2006 and majority-owned by its founder and CEO, Mr. Omri Brill, the Company and its subsidiaries employs over thirty people in its headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel and satellite offices in Melbourne, Australia, Toronto, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba and Hong Kong. For more information about Adcore, please visit https://www.adcore.com/investor FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements about the Company. Wherever possible, words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof. Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. For further information please contact: ADCORE INC. Omri Brill, CEO Telephone: 647-497-5337 Email: info@adcore.com Website: www.adcore.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Adcore Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/591801/Adcore-Reports-Strong-First-Quarter-2020-Results-Highlighted-by-843000-in-Adjusted-EBITDA Algiers (Algeria) 27 May 2020 (SPS)- The Algerian Foreign Minister, Sabri Boukadoum, confirmed on Tuesday that all manoeuvres against the international efforts for peace in Western Sahara "will fail in the face of the justice of the Sahrawi peoples cause." Mr. Boukadoum said that his country regrets "the failure to achieve the desired dynamic in the issue of Western Sahara, which has not yet reached settlement." He added that the United Nations and the Security Council have been working for many years to implement the settlement plan for the Western Sahara issue based on the inalienable right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, pointing out that it is unfortunate to note that the UN peace process has been suffering from obstacles since the resignation of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General. Mr. Boukadoum reiterated his call for "sincere efforts" in the search of a solution to the only remainin issue of decolonization in Africa, while affirming his condemnation of the desperate attempts "to impose a policy of fait accompli in flagrant violation of the African Unions Constitutive Act and the United Nations doctrine in the field Decolonization. Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs statement was made on the occasion of Africa Day (25 May), which marks the 57th Anniversary of the constitution the Organization of African Unity/African Union. He affirmed that Algeria "remains faithful" to the principles and noble goals of Pan Africanism through its "commitment to promoting peace and strengthening the abilities of our continent to take care of its own problems, and contributing to the process of integration in Africa. He further recalled that the annual commemoration of Africa Day is an occasion to pay tribute to the founding fathers of the Pan African organization, and to all those who fought and are still fighting for the materialization of African integration. (SPS) 090/500/60 (SPS) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 28 By Tamilla Mammadova Trend: The government of Georgia has decided to subsidize mortgage loans to citizens, Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia said while delivering a report to the parliament, Trend reports citing Georgia media Gakharia noted that the process of subsidizing the mortgage loan will continue until the end of the year. "We have already developed a specific plan. Its not just the help for companies, but also for the citizens who have either decided to buy an apartment and improve their living conditions, or are already involved in the process, or have paid the down payment, or have started cooperation with a construction company and their apartment is under construction," he said. All such risks will be insured by the state, said the prime minister. From May 27 until the end of the year, the state will subsidize mortgage loans for this category of the population, he added. "We have made the decision in order to avoid the situation we had after the crisis in 2008, said the prime minister. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356 TPC Group faces $514,692 in fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and is accused of three willful violations the most severe and rare category used by the agency after OSHA concluded its investigation into the Nov. 27 plant explosion in Port Neches. OSHA announced its conclusions Wednesday, giving some of the first official glimpses of potential failures at the plant since a vapor cloud explosion under a butadiene processing tower ignited flames that burned for weeks at the site and injured three people. OSHA cited TPC for three willful violations for failing to develop and implement procedures for emergency shutdown, and inspect and test process vessel and piping components, representatives from the agency wrote in a statement. OSHAs conclusions Of the willful violations, OSHA concluded that TPC Group failed to provide updated instructions on how to shut down affected equipment, didnt fix deficient equipment that could have caused the incident or alerted workers to a problem, and failed to use proper procedures on a pipeline design known to cause issues when using butadiene. The design, known as a dead leg, is constantly in contact with the chemical while it is being processed but hardly ever allowed to have products flow through normally in a way that might prevent buildups. The manual for butadiene from the American Chemistry Council (ACC), which OSHA cited several times, advises that dead legs should be avoided, as they can eventually cause ruptures. Each of these violations resulted in the maximum fine the agency is allowed to levy, which is $134,937 per violation. TPC Group has 15 days to dispute OSHAs findings, which a representative for the company said it intends to do. TPC is reviewing the citations and intends to appeal them, spokesperson Sara Cronin wrote in an email. We strongly disagree with the characterization of some of the alleged violations as willful. We anticipate future engagement with OSHA regarding these issues, and it would be inappropriate to comment further while our discussions are ongoing. TPC also faces 10 violations categorized as serious that range from not having documentation for training or procedures on the affected equipment to not sounding an alarm for evacuation. The citations allege TPC Group didnt have a proper plan for clearing five key pieces of equipment of polymer crystals known to cause ruptures in systems containing butadiene. The ACC guidance manual calls for constant maintenance and even treating pipes with corrosion resistant materials, as rust on a pipe could introduce enough oxygen to cause crystals to form that might eventually cause the pipe to build up pressure and burst. The blockages are often called butadiene popcorn polymers and are known hazards for processing plants working with the chemical. The company was also marked for not checking deficient equipment, specifically an analyzer that was supposed to monitor the butadiene in one of the towers. Where the fines rank OSHA categorizes fines over $40,000 as a high penalty case, and they are generally associated with willful violations. Only 21 cases out of the 3,960 currently being tracked in OSHAs enforcement case database resulted in initial fines higher than the ones levied against TPC. Cases in the database start in 2015. The highest fine in the time period currently accessible in the database was $2.8 million to Sunfield Inc. in Hebron, Ohio. Since then, all of the company's fines have been reduced. The auto parts manufacturer initially faced $3.42 million in fines after being cited for 57 violations, including 46 egregious willful violations, following an investigation into an incident that left two employees severely injured. Outside recent history, OSHAs fines for explosions at Texas chemical plants have varied. The agency levied $13 million in fines against BP in 2005 for the refinery explosion in Texas City that killed 15 workers and injured 180 others. Almost 10 years later in 2013, it fined the West Fertilizer Co. $118,000 for an explosion at its facility that killed 15 and injured between 160 and 200 people. The plants last inspection following the incident was in 1985. Despite the death and injury toll in the West case, it resulted in a lower penalty than the Port Neches explosion, but lawyers familiar with OSHAs investigations say the fines have more to do with what failures the agency is able to find. Brent Coon, principal partner in Brent Coon and Associates, said when comparing West Fertilizer and TPC, it comes down to how many more cases of negligence or incompetence on the part of the company investigators discover. This is a pretty hefty fine, all things considered, he said. Its not a lot of money, particularly for the petrochemical industry, but a willful violation is a very strong accusation. Coon said it is common for companies to try to dispute willful violations, not just to reduce fines, but also because of the weight they can carry in lawsuits and future investigations. If those willful violations do stick to TPC Group, its likely they will be added to the arsenal lawyers representing Port Neches residents are building against the company. Chip Ferguson, principal partner of Ferguson Law Firm, said the number of violations, their severity and the fact that TPC Group wasnt even following suggestions from the chemical industrys leading trade association says a lot about how clear the case was for OSHA. If you cant follow the guidelines written by industry, you cant meet any safety guidelines, he said. And the fact that you cant meet the guidelines speaks volumes about the way you regard safety in general. Brent Coon and Associates and The Ferguson Law Firm are both representing plaintiffs against TPC Group. Where TPC is now All proceedings in the cases against TPC Group have been halted since January after the companys lawyers filed a motion that made its way up to the state Supreme Court, asking the court to select a venue for the case. At least one of the initial cases against the company was filed in Harris County, while the rest were filed in Jefferson County. The companys representatives said that split in the filings would add unreasonable complications for their client. A judge has still not been named to the case, but Coon said it will still take several weeks to start proceedings even after one is named. Meanwhile, Cronin said all the high purity butadiene has been moved out of the Port Neches site as the company reaches the 75% mark for transporting all process materials. She said the company plans to finish the process by mid-summer. She also said TPC Group is evaluating the sites utilities, equipment and pipeline structure connected to its dock to determine if and how soon it can be used to get products to customers. The company previously stated after laying off most processing staff that it planned to use the site for storage and transport until it decided whether to rebuild. jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com 28 May Following Kimmy Low and Vivien Yeo, it was reported that Serene Lim - another Malaysia-born TVB artiste - has ended her contract with the company. As reported on HK01, while her social media accounts made no mention about TVB, her Wikipedia page stated that she left the company this month and had since returned to Malaysia. In a short interview with XUAN, Serene confirmed that her contract with TVB has expired and that she decided to leave and develop her career in Malaysia for now. However, Serene has no qualms about flying to Hong Kong again in the future if there are jobs for her there. She also added that she has already filmed all of her TVB projects, and has no need to return anytime soon. Serene signed with TVB after winning first runner-up at the Miss Chinese International pageant in 2017, and shot several series including the Kristal Tin-starrer, "Girlie Days". Two of her TVB dramas, "Line Walker 3" and "Al Cappuccino" have yet to air. (Photo Source: Serene Lim Instagram) Minister of Water Resources Ramesh Jarkiholi and MP Pratap Simha took severe exception to the statements of opposition party leaders, particularly former chief minister Siddaramaiah, for opposing the proposal to name a flyover in Bengaluru after Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Simha said, Siddaramaiah did not find any Kannadigas name while naming the canteens. Congress leaders do not know any names, except that of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. The MP asked Siddaramaiah not to play politics in these matters. The people have rejected him and unless he does constructive politics, the people will never accept him, he said. "Congress leaders have not tolerated Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and B R Ambedkar. While Congress leaders have named several streets, parks after Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, why are they worried about naming a flyover after Savarkar?" he asked. It has to be noted that Siddaramaiah had tweeted: "Naming the Yelahanka flyover after Savarkar is an insult to this land's freedom fighters." Jarkiholi said, "The opposition leaders, including former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, must support the proposal. Creating issue for naming of a flyover after a freedom fighter is not a good development." Sarvarkar Jayanti BJP leaders celebrated Savarkar Jayanti at Sri Tripura Bhairavi Mutt in Shivarampet in the city. Leonid Kuchma Open source The agreement was reached on the discussion of the forming lists for prisoners exchange at the session of the Trilateral Contact Group, as Ukraine's Presidents Office reported. The agreement on the discussion of the lists for the mutual release of captives was reached within the work of the humanitarian group. Ukraine insisted that Russia should provide access to the OSCE SMM to spot, particularly, the possible violations of the ceasefire. Particularly, the mission patrols spotted the trails of heavy armor in the territory of occupied Donbas. The parties continued discussions on the opening of new checkpoints on the demarcation line, particularly, in Zolote. They also discussed the issue of ensuring the unimpeded crossing of the checkpoints by entrants in the framework of the admission campaign, defining it as a humanitarian need, the message said. During the discussion of the possibility of the elections in occupied Ukraine by the political group, Ukraine underlined one more time that the elections might take place only after the fulfillment of the security demands, withdrawal of foreign troops from the territory of Ukraine and disarmament of the military formations, receiving of control over the border by Ukraine and only according to the Ukrainian legislation upon the condition of provision of the activity of the Ukrainian mass media, political parties, international observers. During the work of the economic group, the Ukrainian side underlined that the restoration of the banking system, tax administration might take place in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation. The Russian side would not object to the importance of the supremacy of the Ukrainian legislation in the temporarily occupied territories. Earlier, Ukraine's representatives offered to return occupied Donbas to this country's tax sphere and verify the Ukrainian property based in the occupied territories. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) Tuition fees remain unchanged because of expenses in adapting alternative learning modes for students to ensure their unimpeded education amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education said on Thursday. "[S]a karanasan ng Department of Education ay yung pagbabago nung mga lessons na naka-angkop sa loob ng silid-aralan at para maihatid ito sa mga tahanan ay may kaakibat din na mga gastos," explained Education Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Atty. Nepomuceno Malaluan in a Laging Handa virtual briefing. [Translation: Based on the Department of Education's experience, converting lessons intended (to be taught) inside the classroom and bringing them to (students') homes will entail expenses.] DepEd is pushing for methods like blended learning, distance learning, and flexible learning to ensure the education of children from the confines of their homes. The department also assured it will not be allowing physical, face-to-face learning for students. READ: Online classes still an option for August 24 opening, says DepEd This is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte's pronouncement earlier this week, wherein he opposed the opening of school classes while a vaccine against COVID-19 remains unavailable. Malaluan said the agency is currently re-budgeting funds to assist the conversion of learning materials for students into self-learning modules that may either be printed or converted into a digital format. For the conversion of television-based instruction, production work would be needed, he added. For students without gadgets or access to the Net, Malaluan assured the department is preparing printed learning modules for them and will come up with ways to deliver these to the concerned pupils. "May mga nabawas na gastusin ang mga paaralan na magbibigay ng blended learning, pero may mga madadagdag din na mga gastusin," said the education official. [Translation: While there will be a reduction in the expenses of schools that will provide blended learning, there will also be additional costs.] Should schools want to increase their tuition fees, Malaluan said they must file an application to their respective regional directors first. Applications must provide a substantiation for the intended tuition fee increase, he added. Enrollment, which the department intends to be done remotely, shall be held from June 1 to 30, it said. In a bid to get the live arts scene back on its feet after a long confinement due to the coronavirus crisis, the Philharmonie de Paris auditorium is putting on two classical music concerts, which will be filmed without an audience. Musicians are finally able to return to the stage after a break of more than two months due to the Covid-19 lockdown. On Wednesday, lead by conductor Daniel Harding, the Orchestre de Paris (Paris Orchestra) will perform to an empty auditorium of the Philharmonie de Paris. On the menu, Siegfried-Idyll and Parsifal, by Richard Wagner as well as Capriccio by Richard Strauss. On Thursday evening, the French violonist Renaud Capucon is invited to play works of Richard Strauss. The concerts will be filmed live, and made available to the public online from 8.30pm local time in partnership with Arte Concert. Capucon has been particularly outspoken in his support of culture during the confinement, and posted impromptu concerts on social media each day, saying that it wasn't so much the stage that he missed, but the contact with his public. He called on the French government to create a special fund to help independent musicians and ensembles who, without sponsorship and regular work struggle to survive. He emphasised the important role music plays in society, particularly during times of crisis. Despite lockdown conditions, Capucon was invited to play at the Notre-Dame Cathedral for the Good Friday celebration in April, where he was required to wear a protective suit due to possible lead contamination. It was a mass without worshippers, only visible online. Although many musicians were able to organise performances online during lockdown, this solution was not so easy for classical music formations, such as large orchestras which need a certain amount of space and equipment. With concert venues still in lockdown in France and festivals cancelled until the end of the summer, organisers are trying to find innovative ways to keep their activities alive and prepare for the future. Story continues Even once the lockdown measures are lifted, concert halls know that they will only be able to cater for a limited number of people at any one time, respecting social distancing and hygiene measures. There is also still some concern over the virus spreading through the use of wind instruments and with vocalists. Across Europe, other countries are also attempting to return to normal, albeit with small ensembles and a limited number of spectators. Germany has begun re-opening the doors to its concert halls, while Austria will begin to do the same on 29 May, and has announced that the famous Salzbourg festival will go ahead (1-30 August), albeit in a modified form, with fewer performances in shorted formats. Italy has cautiously chosen the 15 June for renewed cultural activities. JERSEYVILLE On Friday, Illinois officially entered Phase 3 of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers Restore Illinois plan. Under this phase, restaurants and bars will be able to reopen with outside seating. And businesses in Jerseyville and Grafton are ready to reopen for outdoor diners. Brossio Tavern in Jerseyville, which began offering curbside services on May 20, plans to offer rooftop dining. Owner Nick Bexheti said the tavern is planning to have 10 available tables, with up to 40 seats. His other Jerseyville business Nicks Pancake House will still have a closed dining area, with food available only for takeout customers. He said that this was because there is not enough room at the pancake house for both parking and patio seating. Were going to see if we can survive without outside seating, Bexheti said. If not, we will figure out what else we need to do. Similarly, the Olive Branch Cafe in Jerseyville will not offer outside seating but not for the same reasons as the pancake house. Owner J.J. Arifi said that there are too many sanitary concerns with outside seating. We wont be able to cook the food the way we should or clean everything the way we should, Arifi said. Because of this, the cafe will offer curbside service starting next week. Arifi said he is willing to wait until the state enters Phase 4 of Restore Illinois scheduled for late June. All that investment, all that stress I see no reason for it. Arifi said. DJs Pub and Grill, in addition to carry outs, plans to offer expanded outdoor dining. Co-owner Kathy Smith said that the bar has been working with city officials to provide extra seating in the alley way next to the bar. We dont know what to expect yet, Smith said. Some of our staff is worried about customer safety, especially since concerning alcohol. Despite this, Smith saied she believes they are ready to get back at it. Other Jerseyville restaurants and bars planning to offer outdoor seating include: 1880 Pizza & Pasta: Patio dining Charcoal House: Patio dining Georges Local Brew: Patio & sidewalk dining Los Tres Amigos: Outdoor dining Traceys Saloon: Patio service Uncle Als: Patio service JEM Bar: Outdoor service. In Grafton, five restaurants are planning to offer outside dining starting Friday. And while its not a restaurant, the American Legion in Grafton plans to open Friday with outside seating. Outdoor dining also will be available at: Drifters: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Tuesdays Hawg Pit BBQ: 11 a.m. to midnight Grafton Winery: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Loading Dock: Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Winery at Aeries Landing: Noon to 8 p.m. At Aeries, a limited menu will be offered under socially-distanced shade by canopy tents, with music on the weekend, according to to J.D. Lorton, director of operations. Access to the site, however, is limited to the Grafton SkyTours open-air chairlift, and temperature screening is required for all guests and employees. Timber Ridge Drive in Grafton is closed to unauthorized traffic. The Grafton SkyTours enclosed gondola cars also are temporarily offline. For more details, contact Lorton at jdlorton@aeriesresort.com; follow Aeries Resort on Facebook; or check aeriesresort.com. CAMBRIDGE Over the coming months, more than 40,000 mask kits may end up passing through Carol Thormans kitchen before moving on to Cambridge Memorial Hospital. The founder of Cambridge Mask Makers said the grassroots collective has placed an order for more than 3.5 kilometres of material enough to make 42,000 masks and 500 scrub caps for Cambridge Memorial, should the need arise. She said the group wants to be prepared to make whatever is needed if a second wave of the COVID-19 virus hits the region. This is a little bit like a war effort. They did what they had to do then, and were doing whatever we need to do now to keep everybody safe. The mask-making army of 500 volunteers has already sewn and donated around 30,000 masks to be used by patients at the hospital, allowing precious medical masks to be reserved for health-care workers. The initiative began in March after the hospital foundation launched a sewing challenge, inviting volunteers to create masks, hats and gowns for the hospital. The sewing mask challenge kind of took a life on its own, said Dr. Winnie Lee, interim chief of staff at the hospital. She said she was surprised when she heard the hospital had already been given 30,000 cloth masks to date. Hospital officials didnt give the mask makers any particular number to aim for. Initially I just thought it was going to be a small local thing, but it just kind of exploded. Having cloth masks available has allowed the hospital to preserve its supply of medical masks, Lee said, but that wasnt the main purpose for the challenge. The original goal was to bring the community together in support of a common purpose, not because the hospital was running out of supplies. It has provided an outlet for our community in uncertain times to do something to be helpful, said Corey Kimpson, community ambassador at the hospital. She said the hospital and mask makers are working together to ensure that, if supplies are needed, volunteer makers will be ready. After the sewing mask challenge was issued, the hospital added on a request for surgical caps to help prepare for the ramping up of surgeries. Lee said medical caps for health-care workers have been difficult to obtain through hospital suppliers, but once the call went out, volunteers responded quickly. Only Cambridge Memorial Hospital is distributing cloth masks to patients. On average, 1,800 cloth masks are distributed each week and around 750 procedural masks are used daily. Hospital officials say this number would be much higher if cloth masks werent available. St. Marys and Grand River hospitals report having an adequate supply of procedure masks for staff, patients and visitors to wear in the hospital. Since mid-April, St. Marys has been using around 3,000 procedure masks per day and Grand River reports using around 1,300 a day, offering them to anyone who enters the building. Both hospitals said they would be open to reaching out to the community for support if these supplies run low. Thorman said the mask makers stay in communication with Cambridge Memorial to keep up with what supplies are needed. She said the hospital told the group it could use up to 2,500 masks a week, so thats become the groups goal. The mask makers are weeks ahead of schedule and will be taking a break over the coming weeks. Should the need arise for more caps or masks, the group will have the material, the motivation and the funding from their Go Fund Me page to make whats needed. Were ready in case theres a second wave, Thorman said. Were watching the numbers regionwide as well. The right-wing legal network spawned by the Federalist Society has finally gone full Trumpian. It has morphed from a group of apparently principled conservatives debating high-minded theories of legal interpretation into a secretly funded cabal spouting conspiracy theories such as the myth of widespread voter fraud. Weve certainly seen hints that this was the case and also signals that it was coming. But we have now approached peak hackery, and that hackery is now being directed at manipulating elections. That part really is new, and it is a dangerous development that threatens the rule of law. Advertisement While the Federalist Society continues to claim officially that it plays no role whatsoever in politics, policy, or judicial nominations, and the group itself scrupulously avoids taking stances on issues like voter fraud, Leonard Leowho until recently ran operations at the Federalist Societyhas developed a network of political groups, none of which disclose their donors, funded at about a quarter of a billion dollars. So far, that effort has been mostly directed at seating deeply conservative judges on the federal bench for decades to come. But there is a new initiative afoot: an effort to engage in political dirty tricks to manipulate democracy itself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres long been a disconnect between how the Federalist Society holds itself out as a benign debate club and the reality of how it and its informally allied organizations operate in the current political moment. Very little of this is even a secret anymore. The society itself was created in the 1980s to advance conservative theories of constitutional and statutory interpretation. These theories, known as originalism and textualism, were championed by the late Justice Antonin Scalia and others. As Amanda Hollis-Brusky has shown, it became a large, powerful network of conservative and libertarian lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students who meet at conferences, debate the issues of the day, and make connections that lead to clerkships, judgeships, legal work, and more. Those conferences can tackle meaty issues from a conservative perspective and often bring in the occasional liberal (including one of us) for erudite debate. Conservative Supreme Court justices including Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch have addressed the group, and many conservative judges are members. Advertisement Advertisement All of that activity continues today. Theres nothing nefarious about like-minded people coming together to debate the issues of the day from a particular political perspective and to network with others of a similar mindset. (Thats the model of the American Constitution Society too, which engages in this activity from a progressive perspective and where we have both spoken.) Nor is there any question that groups of like-minded lawyers can and should gather together to mentor young attorneys and steer them into networks and eventually careers that will fulfill them. Theres been a recent controversy over whether it is inappropriate for federal judges to formally be part of the Federalist Society or the ACS, but even if these judges gave up their formal ties, the fact remains that the network and pipeline of clerkships and judgeships would remain intact. Again, none of this is new or particularly scandalous; until recently, the biggest difference between the Federalist Society and ACS was less what they were doing and more that the former was simply better at it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the Federalist Society has retained its formal role as an elite debating and networking club, however, things have taken a darker turn on the networks periphery. As an eye-opening new report released Wednesday by Sens. Chuck Schumer, Debbie Stabenow, and Sheldon Whitehouse contends, Leo, who is still co-chairman of the Federalist Society, is now spearheading an all-out effort to capture the federal judiciary and to seat judges who are likely to rule in favor of those secret monied interests. That is more of an investment plan than a means of preserving an independent judiciary. The Senate Democrats report details how an interlocked group of anonymous donors has been directing the judicial nominations process through media and lobbying campaigns. Many of these campaigns, including the Judicial Crisis Network, have ties to Leo, who has twice taken a formal leave from the Federalist Society to advise President Donald Trump on his Supreme Court nominations, then hopped back into his old post, while boasting that his organization was in firm control of the nominations process. Advertisement Advertisement The senators report also notes that the Judicial Crisis Network spent $7 million opposing President Obamas Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. It then spent $10 million more to support the confirmation of President Trumps Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch (targeting vulnerable Democrat Senators), and pledged another $10 million in advertising campaigns to support Brett Kavanaughs nomination. Nobody knows where the money came from. We know only that some people, or maybe even just someone, spent millions to buy some Supreme Court seats. And as Politico reported on Wednesday, the Treasury Department and IRS have just finalized regulations that will excuse some of these politically active tax-exempt groups from having to disclose their high-dollar donors to the IRS, let alone the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the three Democratic senators were quick to note on a phone call Wednesday morning, the effort to seat 200 Trump judges has gone from a Leonard Leo juggernaut to a Mitch McConnell obsession. Even in the midst of the pandemic, McConnell has been pushing through nominees for federal appellate seats, including the nomination of a protege, 37-year-old Justin Walker, for a seat that has not even become vacant yet, on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The senators report tells us much of what we knew or suspected. But the big news today is where that conservative network is heading: Their activities now go well beyond dark money political hardball into conspiracy-mongering and election-meddling efforts around the November presidential elections that endanger our democracy. Advertisement One early sign of the turn away from normal politics and toward dirty tricks occurred when conservative legal activist Ed Whelan advanced an unhinged conspiracy theory that used Zillow pages, Facebook, and yearbook photos to claim that it was not Kavanaugh who committed the attack on Christine Blasey Ford, but rather his classmate, whom Whelan named outright. Whelan later apologized and after doing a short period of social media penance is now back at work pushing the Federalist Society agenda. The unsupported claim of a different attacker was taken up by commentators and Republican senators who claimed they believed Ford about being attacked but cast doubt on whether she was correct about the identity of the attacker. The baseless theory injected just enough confusion into the allegations, Kavanaugh was confirmed, and Whelan has paid no price for it. Advertisement Advertisement Now things have taken a turn from court packing to a side grift in vote suppression. According to new reporting from the Guardian and OpenSecrets, Leo, Carrie Severino of the Judicial Crisis Network, and their dark-money backers are promoting the Orwellian-named Honest Elections Project to pressure elections administrators to limit access to the ballot and to undermine trust in elections. The messaging echoes Trumps baseless claims that various states efforts to let people vote by mail are fraudulentand turns these lies into policy. The project announced it was spending $250,000 in advertisements in April, warning against voting by mail and accusing Democrats of cheating, the Guardian explained. It facilitated letters to election officials in Colorado, Florida, and Michigan, using misleading data to accuse jurisdictions of having bloated voter rolls and threatening legal action. Calling voter suppression a myth, it has also been extremely active in the courts, filing briefs in favor of voting restrictions in Nevada, Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, among other places, at times represented by lawyers from the same firm that represents Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Whitehouse told us, in an email, that while Republican-appointed justices on the Supreme Court deliver decisions greenlighting GOP voter suppression, Leo and his network mobilize to tip elections by making it harder for people to vote. Weve seen this mischief in the records of judges Leo and his dark money groups have packed onto the federal bench; now hes mounting a direct dark-money assault on the American voter. Advertisement Advertisement It almost goes without saying at this juncture, but we will say it again: The idea that voter fraud in the United States is widespread has been debunked many times. Theres so little evidence to support the claims that the true aim of such chatter must be to use lies to make it harder for people likely to vote for Democrats to register and vote. The reality is that some Republicans have turned to suppressing the voteby voter roll purges, voter disenfranchisement, voter intimidation, and the closing of polling placeswhen they fear they cannot win an election fairly. It is also not in dispute that vote by mail is not rife with fraud, that many states already allow for no-excuse vote by mail, and that attempts to stop the franchise by discouraging mail-in voting are simply the newest flavor of vote suppression for the pandemic era. Thats why the president is dementedly tweeting about it, even as he is being debunked in real time. And thats why Leonard Leo and his confederates are directing untraceable dark money away from the judge-picking business and into the apparently booming vote-suppression business. Advertisement The attempt to stack the courts with business-friendly conservatives is an act of monied politics by another name. But until recently one might have believed that Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society could at least nominally support the idea of the franchise itself: the notion that votes should be counted and that voters should have the last word in a constitutional democracy. Apparently not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That the conservative network is suddenly engaged in spouting unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud to support suppressive voting laws and cast doubt on the legitimacy of elections in which Democrats can win is an activity fundamentally at odds with the spirit of honest debate that is supposed to animate the Federalist Society. It is also the kind of fundamental dishonesty in the service of political aims that is the polar opposite of the rule-of-law values Scalia and others had professed as being at the beating heart of the conservative legal movements mission. It takes an immense amount of cynicism to move from debating conservative jurisprudential theories to taking secret money to buy and sell judicial nominations. But the cynicism required to use that once-vaunted perch to shut down free elections is still breathtaking, even if it should no longer surprise us at all. For more of Slates news coverage, listen to What Next. In a series of comments over the past several weeks on his Twitter account, President Donald Trump has accused a former Republican congressman from Florida and morning talk show host, Joe Scarborough, of possibly playing a role in the murder of a former staffer. The unhinged tweets concern the July 2001 death of Lori Klausutis, 28, who fainted due to an undiagnosed heart condition and struck her head, according to the coroner. The death occurred in then-Rep. Scarboroughs Fort Walton Beach, Florida, office. The Congressman was in Washington at the time. On May 4, Trump suggested on Twitter that the media should open up a long overdue Florida Cold Case against Psycho Joe Scarborough. Trump tweeted on May 12, When will they open a Cold Case on the Psycho Joe Scarborough matter in Florida. Did he get away with murder? Some people think so. Why did he leave Congress so quietly and quickly? Isnt it obvious? Whats happening now? A total nut job! Joe Scarborough Trump returned to the issue on May 23, tweeting, A blow to her head? Body found under his desk? Left Congress suddenly? Big topic of discussion in Florida ... and, hes a Nut Job (with bad ratings). Keep digging, use forensic geniuses! He made similar stupid and scurrilous comments on May 24 and May 26. Trump appears to be making an effort to whip up his base of support with these outlandish claims and divert attention from the horrible reality that 100,000 men and women have now died in the US from COVID-19, tens of thousands of them the result of his administrations neglect and indifference. Scarborough was first elected from the Florida Panhandle to the House in the so-called Republican Revolution of 1994 and earned a reputation as a serious reactionary. After being re-elected in 1996, 1998 and 2000, Scarborough announced in May 2001 he would be resigning from Congress in September of that year. Various conspiracy theories in regard to Klausutiss death were floated by those who disliked Scarborough and his politics, including filmmaker Michael Moore and Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas. (Moore reportedly registered the domain name JoeScarboroughKilledHisIntern.com.) The reckless claim that Scarborough was engaged in an illicit relationship with Klausutis and perhaps murdered her to keep it quiet appears to have no factual basis, and was fueled in part by Scarboroughs abrupt departure from Congress. The circulation of such gossip by left forces only testifies to their intellectual and moral bankruptcy. Incapable of appealing to the working class on the basis of a coherent, socialist program, elements like Moore and others, in the name of a more practical means of ridding themselves of opponents, opt for scandal-mongering and similar methods. This encourages the most backward social layers and conceptions and, as the current controversy indicates, only assists ultra-right trash in the long run. Since leaving Congress, Scarborough has made his name as a media figure, first on Scarborough Country on MSNBC, launched in 2003, and then, beginning in 2007, on Morning Joe, which he presently co-hosts, on the same cable television channel. His wife and co-host is Mika Brzezinski, the daughter of Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Adviser to President Jimmy Carter and prominent Cold War strategist. Mika Brzezinski in 2011 (Photo creditWorld Affairs Council of Philadelphia) In August 2016, in an opinion piece in the Washington Post, Scarborough argued that the Republican Party should dump Donald Trump as its presidential candidate. Scarborough suggested that some of Trumps more incendiary comments about Hillary Clinton had crossed a bloody line and had left the Republican Party few options but to act decisively and get this political train wreck off the tracks before something terrible happens. Scarborough left the Republican Party in July 2017 to become an independent. In November 2017, Trump began attacking Scarborough and Brzezinski and first raised the Klausutis issue. Following NBCs Today show host Matt Lauers dismissal in the #MeToo witch-hunt, Trump asked rhetorically whether the network would now terminate low ratings Joe Scarborough based on the unsolved mystery that took place in Florida years ago? Investigate! Scarborough and Brzezinski have been critical of Trumps handling of the coronavirus crisis. On March 9, for instance, on his television program, Scarborough commented that it was sick, actually, very sick that Trump was blaming the media for concerns about the coronavirus. Scarborough concluded, The way the Trump administration has handled this has been disastrous. On April 20, Scarborough asserted that Trump needed to stop doing his daily press briefings not only for the safety and the health of the American people, but also for his own political fortunes, because every night he goes out and damages himself. Brzezinski added, You see him get angry if anyone brings up facts that get in the way of him looking good. She added that Trump behaves like a child and its not good for him to show that to the American people. The accumulated effect of such criticisms, under the present volatile conditions, apparently set off the new wave of psychopathic tweets and Trumps decision to resurrect the Klausutis issue. Klausutiss widower, T. J. Klausutis, has protested against Trumps allegations. In a May 21 letter to Twitter president Jack Dorsey, Klausutis explained: Nearly 19 years ago, my wife, who had an undiagnosed heart condition, fell and hit her head on her desk at work. She was found dead the next morning. Her passing is the single most painful thing that I have ever had to deal with in my 52 years and continues to haunt her parents and sister. Klausutis took note of the constant barrage of falsehoods, half-truths, innuendo and conspiracy theories since the day she died. Conspiracy theorists, including most recently the President of the United States, continue to spread their bile and misinformation on your platform disparaging the memory of my wife and our marriage. Trump, Klausutis pointed out, had recently tweeted to his nearly 80 million followers alluding to the repeatedly debunked falsehood that my wife was murdered by her boss, former U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough. The son of the president followed and more directly attacked my wife by tweeting to his followers as the means of spreading this vicious lie. He asked that Twitter delete Trumps comments. Twitter has declined to remove the offending tweets. We are deeply sorry about the pain these statements, and the attention they are drawing, are causing the family, Twitter told CNN Business. Weve been working to expand existing product features and policies so we can more effectively address things like this going forward, and we hope to have those changes in place shortly. Twitter did not indicate which product features and policies they had in mind, raising the possibility of further censorship, which would not, of course, be directed against Trump. The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and the Washington Examiner, all right-wing Trump allies, have criticized the presidents disoriented actions, presumably nervous about their impact on the broader public. The Journal termed Trumps accusations against Scarborough ugly even for him and suggested he was debasing his office, and hes hurting the country in doing so. Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, told reporters, I would urge him to stop it, referring to Trumps tweeting about the Klausutis case. So far, Trump has shown no inclination to stop it. The entire business is another sign of the descent of the crisis-racked American ruling elite as a whole into chaos and filth. There is an urgent need to rebuild trust in leadership, say experts, after multiple failures in UK government strategy. London, United Kingdom The United Kingdom has one of the worlds worst per capita death tolls from coronavirus, according to Oxford University research based on data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. At the start of this week, it was the worlds worst. But the countless stories of personal grief echoing around social media have given way to a raw and visceral anger directed at the governments handling of the crisis, which many see exemplified in the actions of Dominic Cummings, Prime Minister Boris Johnsons right-hand-man and a principal architect of government strategy, when he flouted lockdown restrictions and refused to apologise. On Wednesday, Johnson appeared for the first time in front of the Liaison Committee a sort of supergroup of parliamentary select committees whose purpose is to hold the prime minister to account. He had wanted to tout the launching of the long-awaiting test-and-quarantine programme in England, which is to start on Thursday and is key to government plans to ease the lockdown. It will unlock the prison, so the captivity of a tiny minority for a short time will allow us to release 66 million people from the current situation, he told MPs in their teleconferenced meeting. The programme, which launches months after strong calls from experts to institute such a scheme, will not be supported by the mobile phone app currently in testing, but will be getting steadily better to become a truly world-beating test and trace operation in the course of the next days as we go through June, Johnson added. [Source: Our World In Data/Oxford University/European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control] Johnsons performance in front of his inquisitors left a lot to be desired, Mark Shanahan, head of the Politics Department at the University of Reading, told Al Jazeera: Why is it that when the countrys crying out for a straight man, they send in the clown? Johnsons bluster in front of the House of Commons Liaison Committee today was not quite a car crash rather all four wheels on whatever political vehicle he was attempting to drive fell off. Johnson has been scheduled to appear for a grilling several times in his 10 months as prime minister, yet each time he has delayed, postponed or cancelled his interrogation. Focus on Cummings The first chunk of Wednesdays appearance was taken up by questions about Cummings. As 44 of Johnsons own Conservative MPs joined a majority in overnight polls even among Conservative voters calling for the senior aides sacking, they were not questions the prime minister was eager to answer. Cummings has been accused of seriously undermining the nations public health strategy by appearing to ignore the lockdown rules when, convinced he had coronavirus, he took his sick wife and their four-year-old son on a 260-mile (418km) journey to isolate at his parents farm, instead of abiding by the governments messaging of stay home, save lives, protect the NHS. You have a choice between protecting Dominic Cummings and the national interest. Which is it? Yvette Cooper, a senior Labour member of Parliament who heads the Home Affairs select committee asked the prime minister. Johnson answered: Well, I think my choice is the choice the British people all want us to make, Yvette, and that is as far as we possibly can, to lay aside party-political point-scoring and to put the national interest first and to be very clear with the British public about what we want to do and how we want to take this country forward. His appearance was emblematic of his handling of the crisis, added Shanahan. His rallying cry to move on from the Cummings fiasco was woeful, Shanahan told Al Jazeera. He failed to answer any of the questions posed, or to mount any reasonable defence for his senior advisers immensely questionable actions. Worse still, he had nothing but soundbites to offer on the science of COVID, on the economy or on anything else posed. The questioners were largely forensic, the answers were superficial. And this sums up Johnson not just today, but throughout his time in Number 10. Hes an eager frontman, strong on boosterism, weak on leadership. Its not just that he doesnt do detail, he cant do seriousness and is simply out of his depth when a calm and steady response is required. Todays performance? Lamentable. His overall handling of the crisis? Not much better. Benefit of the doubt lost The governments decisions during the pandemic have been fiercely criticised. A failure to join a European Union-wide purchasing scheme to bulk-buy medical ventilators was blamed on an email mishap. A lack of tests was blamed on a shortage of certain chemicals, yet chemical producers in the UK said they were never asked to produce more. An attempt to remedy a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by making a huge purchase from Turkey was announced the day before the order was even placed, and when it arrived much of it was unsuitable. 190722183952925 Until this weekend, however, the British public appeared willing to give Johnson the benefit of the doubt, believing, according to polls, that the government was doing its best in an unprecedented situation. But as reports of the Cummings family road trip gave a face to the anger felt by many, it was also reported by the Sunday Times that the governments delay in imposing restrictions saw cases rocket from an estimated 200,000 to more than 1.5 million before the lockdown was introduced. A poll on Tuesday night saw government support drop by 9 percent, cutting the Conservatives lead over Labour from 15 points to six. Campaigners have compared Johnsons reluctance to impose lockdown with 1930s Prime Minister Neville Chamberlains policy of appeasement, giving Adolf Hitler what he wanted in the hope of avoiding all-out conflict [John Sibley/Reuters] Johnson, hostile to the idea of lockdown, had boasted at the beginning of March that he was still shaking peoples hands, even in hospitals where coronavirus patients were being treated. He also said Britons could take it on the chin. The Sunday Times investigation found he was eventually convinced of the necessity of lockdown on Saturday, March 14, but it was not imposed until March 23. The delay of nine days, at a time when infections were doubling every three days, meant the UK had way more infections when it went into lockdown than any other European nation had when they took the same action. By May 5, the UK had the highest death toll in Europe. On Wednesday, the official death toll stood at 37,460, and is believed to be much higher. Lockdown delay wasnt SAGE advice One reason for the delay, given at the time, was that introducing lockdown restrictions too early would result in fewer people adhering to it for the long-term. Im not sure where that came from, Susan Michie, professor of health psychology at University College London, told Al Jazeera. We have a behavioural science subcommittee of SAGE (the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) which I sit on, and we werent asked to consider that. There are other behavioural psychology groups around government, but it wasnt something we were asked about. And its not guaranteed to be true either, she added. Systematic reviews of quarantines in other countries do suggest a trailing off of adherence, associated with financial insecurity, increasing loneliness, frustration, boredom and so on. But if one is warned in advance, one can put things into place to overcome those obstacles and help ensure adherence to lockdown rules for longer. I think a lot of people have been amazingly surprised at how well people have adhered to the lockdown. They said itll never happen in London, for example. Theres no way to accurately say what will happen when lockdown is imposed, but adherence depends on peoples needs being met financially, materially, emotionally and socially and on people having continuing trust in government. Not all bad? But its not been all bad. When the government did impose lockdown, its messaging was clear: Stay at home, save lives, protect the NHS. This was a very good phrase, as it was behaviourally specific, said Professor Michie. The first part told you what to do. The second told you why, it provided a rationale. And third protect the NHS was all about do this for others, do this for your community and that is a powerful emotional pull. All three taken together are important drivers of action. And on the economic front, the Treasurys furlough scheme paid 80 percent of salaries for millions of workers stuck at home across the country. New income support programmes, ie: the job retention scheme and the self-employed income protection scheme were also things the government had done well, said Alfie Stirling, head of economics at the New Economics Foundation. But people were always going to fall through the cracks of these schemes, and nowhere near enough has been done to strengthen Universal Credit, which is one of the weakest safety nets among advanced economies, he told Al Jazeera. The business loan scheme has also not gone well, as businesses have not been able to take on the risk and interest costs. And the financial help has not always gone to where it was most needed. Rentier sectors of the economy landlords and banks, for example have been relatively protected, whereas households and firms have taken on too much of the economic risk and pain. Banks have been able to profit out of business loans, and while landlords have had access to mortgage holidays, there has been no access to rent holidays. This means much of the governments financial support into the economy will end up flowing to those who have most economic power, making inequality worse. It all comes back to leadership, said Michie. The main issue, aside from a lack of preparation and declining infrastructure after 10 years of funding cuts, and the failure to organise a Test, Trace and Isolate programme, and to provide adequate PPE but the main thing from a psychological point of view has been the failure to work with communities and develop partnerships, she said. There was too much in the way of top-down edicts. The problem here is that, as is the case now, if the moral authority of the central government is undermined, there is nothing in place to replace and sustain it. When working in partnership with communities, not only do you have joint problem-solving, which is more effective and useful, but also more engagement and ownership in solutions, which means greater adherence and pulling together. There is now an urgent need to build up trust in leadership again. Follow James Brownsell on Twitter: @JamesBrownsell As families across the country struggle to put food on the table, Creative Outreach Ministries has found a new partner to help feed Montgomery County residents in need. Part of the work by Creative Outreach Ministries includes providing food to those in need, usually after purchasing it from the Montgomery County Food Bank. But as the novel coronavirus hit the area, the demand skyrocketed and the nonprofit needed a different way to provide more food. COVID-19: Two new coronavirus deaths takes Montgomery County total to 26 Before this project, we were giving food out in front of Angelic Resale (a thrift store operated by the ministry) to sometimes up to 200 families a week, said Dottie Compton, founder and executive director of Creative Outreach Ministries. Compton new she needed to up her supply. A board member with Creative Outreach connected the organization with DiMare Fresh, a produce and packaging company with a facility in Houston. Recently, DiMare was awarded a $24 million grant from the USDA to help provide fresh produce to members of the community experiencing food insecurity. Now, Creative Outreach has hosted two of six food distributions of fresh produce in Conroe. The distributions will be every Tuesday for the next four weeks and will take place at 103 E Davis Street, Conroe starting at 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. or until the food is gone. To spread the food as far and wide as possible, Compton contacted other organizations and churches in the area so that they could pick up pallets of boxes to distribute at their own locations. Last week, Conroe Police Department even took a few pallets to distribute as well, Compton said. CORONAVIRUS: Death toll surpasses 100,000 On the first day of the program, Compton said the ministry distributed 94 pallets of produce boxes, which comes out to around 5,264 boxes of produce. This week, 152 pallets were distributed, which comes out to around 8,512 boxes. Both distributions ran out of food before everyone who came to get produce was served, but Compton is determined not to let that happen next week at the June 2 distribution. We are doubling up on our food next week at that location to avoid anybody not getting any food, Compton said. The food is for anyone affected by COVID-19, Compton said, and people can pick up boxes for neighbors as well as themselves. Dont just take for your family, take for the people next door, Compton encouraged, noting the stories that she has heard of neighbors helping neighbors. The pictures and the testimonies that I get are just really remarkable, to be honest. Everybody is so excited about going back to work and doing all this, but we cant forget that theres people that have been struggling long enough that many of them are in serious need right now. Since 1989, Creative Outreach Ministries has been operating in the area, providing food and clothes through evangelistic outreach. The organization also operates the New Life Womens Center, which is a 12-bed, 12-month facility for women in crisis that it plans on expanding this fall to 36 beds. jamie.swinnerton@chron.com Ayodhya, May 28 : Saints and seers in Ayodhya have reacted strongly to Pakistan's statement on temple construction in corona times. The Pakistan foreign office has tweeted that "While world is grappling with unprecedented #COVID19, RSS-BJP combine is busy unabashedly advancing "Hindutva" agenda. The commencement of construction of a Mandir at the site of Babri Masjid is another step in this direction & Govt & people of Flag of Pakistan condemn it in the strongest terms." The saints in Ayodhya have asked Pakistan not to cross limits or else a Ram temple will be construction in Islamabad too. The seers have asked the government of India to give a 'befitting' reply to Pakistan. The Babri plaintiff Iqbal Ansari also echoed similar sentiments when he said that Pakistan should stop interfering in India's internal matters. Ansari said, "Muslim in India have respected and accepted the Supreme Court verdict on Ram temple. Pakistan should stop playing politics on the issue and trying to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims. It is our internal matter and we know how to deal with it." Acharya Satyendra Das, chief priest of the Ram temple, said, "Several temples were located in Pakistan after Partition and all of them have been demolished. We are constructing our temple in our land after the Supreme Court verdict and Pakistan has no authority to question the timing. India should teach those a lesson who kill our soldiers on the borders." Mahant Shashikant Das who leads the daily Saryu 'aarti', said that as Hindus, we are free to construction or renovate our temples and in this case, the Supreme Court has allowed us to construct the temple. Pakistan has no business to interfere in our matters." There is no denying that you can start your YouTube channel using just your smartphones. Most mobiles nowadays have cameras and microphones with decent quality. However, if you want to create an awesome and lucrative YouTube channel, you will need to invest in getting the right equipment. By putting out a professional job, you will attract more users than uploading something of poorer quality. Of course, you will need to buy cheap YouTube likes to help users discover your videos more easily and give a gentle push to subscribe to your channel. So, without further ado, let's see what kind of equipment you need to get to establish a successful YouTube career. 1. Camera It goes without saying that the number one piece of equipment you should get for your YouTube channel is a camera. There are many types of cameras to choose from. So, you can pick the one that is more suitable for the type of videos you create and the budget you have. No matter the camera you choose though, make sure that it records at a high quality, like 1080p. Depending on your niche, you might benefit better from a webcam, a DSLR, or an action camera. 2. Tripod A tripod is essential if you really want to make quality content. Even if you shoot on your mobile, you will still benefit from a tripod specifically designed for smartphones. In the beginning, you can just use a pile of books to bring the camera to the height you want. However, as you develop your channel and upgrade your equipment, you will also need to get a good tripod. Make sure that the tripod you get is heavier than your camera so that you avoid any accidents. 3. Microphone The next thing on your list is a microphone. A video with great image quality, might become off-putting of the audio quality is poor and no-one understands what you are saying. There are many types of microphones, so you can choose one for your budget. In many cases, cameras have decent microphones built-in. However, if you want to take the extra step, you can start by getting an affordable USB microphone. When your channel grows enough, you can move to a better quality one. 4. 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Pastor David Platt: Gospel is advancing despite challenges in coronavirus pandemic Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As a pastor, David Platt understands how discouraging it can be to walk through an empty church parking lot and into an empty church building to preach in front of a camera week after week. Its just heartbreaking, the McLean Bible Church pastor said in a recent discussion hosted by 9Marks ministry, as churches nationwide stopped gathering and took their worship services online. He admitted to feeling frustrated as he tried to figure out how to care for the congregation and carry on the churchs disciple-making mission during lockdowns amid the coronavirus pandemic. Despite his frustrations, the Virginia megachurch pastor is confident that God is working. In fact, McLean Bible Church has been reaching out to the surrounding community in ways it hasnt before. We kind of turned our main building into a factory, a warehouse for bringing in thousands of pounds of food and distributing it, Platt said. Every week, weve got thousands of boxes going out with the Gospel and people professing faith in Christ through conversations from six feet away, and masks, from cars. The church has also been reaching Muslim neighbors and sharing the Gospel with them, something we were not doing before, Platt said. Its just one example God is doing, he said. Hes working. The Good News of His grace is spreading. People are all the more open to it. Platt believes more avenues are opening for the spread of the Gospel and disciple making that were not there before. Among his own congregants, he and other church leaders have been going live on Facebook every day at noon to pray together and share Gods Word. Why wasnt I doing that before? Platt wondered. When viewing the current situation with travel restrictions worldwide and people unable to leave their homes, for the most part, it can feel as if COVID-19 is a hindrance to fulfilling the Great Commission, noted Jonathan Leeman, editorial director for 9Marks, in the discussion with Platt. But the Virginia pastor said that is absolutely not the case. Nothing ultimately is an obstacle to the spread of the Gospel to all the nations, Platt said. Yes, there are challenges as it is now more difficult to interact with people and share Christ, especially with those who have never heard the Gospel. But as the Church in the book of Acts continued to grow despite persecution and obstacles, the Gospel will continue to spread today as well, Platt noted. God has the whole thing rigged, he said. He will accomplish His purpose. The Gospel will go forward. When he thinks of China in the mid-1900s when missionaries were expelled after Communists took power, the narrative was, whats going to happen? All these people who were working for the spread of the Gospel in China are now gone. But people in China continued to come to faith in Christ through underground churches. Today, one missions group, OMF International, believes China is on track to have the largest Christian population in the world by 2030. Throughout history, God has used circumstances that we thought were significant hindrances to actually lead to a significant advancement of the Gospel, Platt noted. And thats what hes praying for now. Gods doing things that we dont see, he said. The radio industry has reached out to the government seeking a support package to help it tide over the coronavirus crisis. The Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI), an industry body of private FM channels, has written a letter to Union minister of information and broadcasting Prakash Javadekar. In the letter, the AROI has sought a one-year waiver on all license fees and charges by the government and Prasar Bharti. It also wants restoration of government advertising on radio, clearance of government dues on advertising from DAVP, NFDC & BSNL and deferment of advance regulatory payments for the current fiscal year. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry responded to the request with a three-month extension of license fee payments without interest. The AROI, however, said that the support is much less than what was requested. It also said that with the limited support from the government, the sector has been forced to undertake drastic cost reduction measures as companies are unable to generate enough cash flows to meet the salary cost and fixed operations cost requirements. Many players have unwillingly reduced salaries and rationalised manpower resulting in job losses, the AROI said. The industry body also said that the current turbulent scenario is bound to have an adverse impact on the music industry as well that employs more than 1 Lakh people. Radio is one of their primary sources of income. The medium is also a major reach and marketing platform for the music industry, said AROI. The revenue for radio was down by over 80 per cent in April and are estimated to be down by 90 per cent this month. With no revenues from the commercial segments and no government sector advertising, the radio industry witnessed an estimated loss of over 200 crore in the first two months of the current fiscal year. This is estimated to reach over 600 crore by September. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two assistant managers at William Chris Vineyards, a winery in Hye, were enjoying a glass of wine after a successful Saturday shift as they complained about back pains. For the past couple months, they had been sitting behind a desk, taking orders over the phone and doing various administrative tasks. But that weekend they were back out in their natural habitat: the tasting room floor, serving guests wine. In accordance with phase 2 of Gov. Greg Abbotts reopening plan, wineries were allowed to reopen their tasting rooms at 25% capacity on May 22 just in time for Memorial Day weekend. Texas Hill Country, one of the busiest wine regions in the U.S. for tourists, welcomed visitors back with open arms. Everybody was lighter on their feet, said William Chris co-founder and winemaker Chris Brundrett. I dont know who was more excited, our patrons or us. Because of the capacity requirements, Brundrett and his team decided to only reopen to their members for now (reservations are required). Visitors can opt to do a tasting, or simply purchase a bottle and sit outside. Inside, its tables only, spaced out, with no bar seating or standing. Now theyre thinking about when they might reopen to the general public, but Brundrett says theyre going to take it slow and ease back into it as the situation develops. Regardless, the first weekend back was a success. William Chris hosted about 250 people over four days a good turnout, even though its less than a quarter of what they usually get. Visitors also took the opportunity to stock up on wine while they were there. Financially, we got a breath of fresh air this weekend, said Brundrett. At Duchman Family Winery in Driftwood, the long weekend was the biggest for sales since the beginning of the pandemic. Their 40-acre grounds can accommodate a lot of people, even with social distancing in place. The inside space is completely closed at this time, only allowing people in one by one, masked, to use the bathroom. For now, Duchman is only selling wine by the bottle, to limit contact. General manager Tommy Wellford says they hope to resume by-the-glass pours and tastings with table service in their 4,000-square-feet event center the second week of June. Its still a careful balance: He estimates they can fit seven tables with a 12-foot gap in between, and have one server for each table. Were still focusing on reopening the right way, he said. Lost Draw Cellars in Fredericksburg has also changed the way they host visitors. A new reservation system is open to the general public for a limited number of timeslots. But because the team is doing fewer tastings in one day than usual, they can actually spend more time with customers. Were loving that our tastings are becoming a little more intimate and exclusive, said general manager Casie Ward. For the foreseeable future I think this is going to be our new normal. The courtyard, on the other hand, is open solely to wine club members. They can purchase wine by the bottle only and bring their own food; Lost Draw also implemented bring-your-own wine glass and opener. This weekend, the winery will bring back live music on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Over at Southold Farm and Cellar, 18 miles east of Fredericksburg, the new tasting format has actually reduced facetime with guests. Pre-pandemic, owner Regan Meador gathered about 15 people around one big table, and guided them through a tasting for about an hour, explaining everything about his vineyards and his wines. Now, smaller groups are spaced out outside, and the staff is spending much less time interacting with each. Were operating in a completely new way, and just learning how to be a new business, essentially, said Meador. How to do the customer service aspects and making sure people are enjoying themselves. Southold hosted around 75 people on Memorial Day weekend, which is a pretty big number for its small operation. Meador could sense people were eager to get out; he even had to cut off reservations 24 hours before opening because they were filling up too quickly. He was also surprised to see that the majority of the visitors on reopening weekend were first-timers. William Chris has also attracted new people, notably through the virtual tastings theyve been hosting on social media throughout the pandemic. Some people who tuned in have asked to become members of the winery so they can visit in person. Because of the two-month-plus closure, excess inventory has allowed the winery to let people off of their wine club waitlist. In general, Meador thinks Texas wine country will gain renewed attention. When his winery was located on New Yorks Long Island, he saw an influx of new visitors from the city after two major events: Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the Great Recession in 2008. The reason, in his opinion? Many people were staying closer to home, keen to discover local attractions and products. The same thing could happen with the 2020 pandemic. Ward also thinks Fredericksburg will be a very desirable destination this year as people will stay within the state of Texas for their vacations. While its often bustling with tourists, its still seen as a relatively small town, with bed and breakfasts as opposed to large hotels. While Memorial Day weekend was a welcome boost to business, the road ahead looks uncertain. Traffic to the region typically dips entering this time of year and doesnt pick back up until September. We know that time is running against us right now, its getting so hot outside, said Wellford. When wine country gets busy again and the pandemic slows, people may continue to be uneasy in crowds for a long time. Wellford says businesses will have to be mindful of peoples sensitivities and adapt their operations for the foreseeable future. Hes also worried about the regions tour bus industry, which relies on big groups of visitors coming into the region. Meador thinks whatever changes hes made to his tasting room now will likely continue to be a permanent feature. Were still going to be drinking wine, were still going to be celebrating with folks, he said. [But] theres no going back. Its going to be the way we do business and it will stay that way until we forget what happened. Thats life. emma.balter@chron.com Australians eager to take a well-deserved vacay during the coronavirus pandemic have jumped online in record numbers as domestic travel restrictions look to be eased. Data collected by online booking service Wotif revealed accommodation interest for travel in June skyrocketed by more than 100 per cent across the country. Wotif Managing Director Daniel Finch said the figures revealed road trip destinations were the most popular option as state and territories move to loosen COVID-19 restrictions and allow intrastate travel. 'It's these areas that provide a bit of familiarity and comfort for travellers who may want to leave the house and get out but also want to be cautious,' he said. Australians eager to take a well-deserved vacay during the coronavirus pandemic have jumped online in record numbers as domestic travel restrictions look to be eased. Pictured: Port Douglas beach in Queensland Victoria 1. Bright accommodation interest up close to 330% 2. Bendigo accommodation interest up over 320% 3. Geelong accommodation interest up over 285% 4. Grampians accommodation interest up over 270% 5. Gippsland accommodation interest up close to 270% 6. The Murray accommodation interest up over 240% 7. Ballarat accommodation interest up over 230% 8. Phillip Island accommodation interest up close to 220% 9. Great Ocean Road accommodation interest up close to 220% 10. Yarra Valley accommodation interest up close to 210% Advertisement New South Wales 1. Mudgee accommodation interest up close to 720% 2. Kiama accommodation interest up over 600% 3. Dubbo accommodation interest up over 580% 4. Orange accommodation interest up over 550% 5. Batemans Bay accommodation interest up over 550% 6. Wollongong accommodation interest up over 480% 7. Bowral accommodation interest up close to 480% 8. Blue Mountains accommodation interest up close to 480% 9. Merimbula accommodation interest up over 470% 10. Port Macquarie accommodation interest up over 420% Advertisement 'The simple pleasures are what cooped up Aussies are craving, and now the prospect of being able to go for a drive and leave the setting you've been confined to for weeks, is or will soon be a reality, depending on what state you live in.' He believes holidays to national parks, beaches and regional hubs will make a strong return. In Victoria, accommodation interest for June in Bright - a base for exploring national parks - and Bendigo shot up by more than 300 per cent. Wotif recorded an increase in interest for Mudgee, north-west of Sydney in New South Wales, close to 720 per cent. There was also a jump for Kiama, south of Sydney, at more than 600 per cent, while Dubbo, Orange and Batemans Bay cited interest up over 500 per cent. Data collected by online booking service Wotif revealed accommodation interest for travel in June skyrocketed by more than 100 per cent across the country Wotif Managing Director Daniel Finch said the figures revealed road trip destinations were the most popular option as state and territories move to loosen COVID-19 restrictions and allow intrastate travel. Pictured: A sunrise hot air balloon flight over the Yarra Valley in Victoria QUEENSLAND 1. Toowoomba accommodation interest up over 110% 2. Gold Coast accommodation interest up over 70% 3. Cairns accommodation interest up close to 70% 4. Mackay accommodation interest up close to 70% 5. Hervey Bay accommodation interest up over 60% 6. Sunshine Coast accommodation interest up close to 60% 7. Port Douglas accommodation interest up close to 60% 8. Whitsundays accommodation interest up close to 50% 9. Townsville accommodation interest up close to 50% 10. Bundaberg accommodation interest up close to 50% SOURCE: WOTIF Advertisement Mr Finch said the data for June showed Australians were eager to avoid crowds and visit regional areas for a getaway. 'While our Wotif.com data shows travel interest is returning for the country's regular local hotspots as expected, many regional areas are also trending, suggesting that while Aussies are keen to leave home, they're perhaps looking for quieter escapes away from the crowds,' he said. The Federal Government's 'roadmap to a COVIDSafe Australia' states that interstate travel should be allowed by phase-three of their three-step framework. But the return of domestic travel has been a point of contention for state and territory leaders. The ACT, NSW and Victoria kept their borders open throughout the health crisis, but banned residents from travelling. Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania decided to shut off from the rest of the country and their borders remain closed. Wollongong (pictured), south of Sydney, saw accommodation interest up over 480 per cent in June While NSW's borders remain open, the state will only ease rules on intrastate travel from June 1. Residents will be allowed to holiday anywhere in NSW. Victoria will also relax their rules on June 1, allowing residents to stay in a holiday home or tourist accommodation including caravan parks and camping grounds. Western Australia, who is in phase-two of their roadmap, relaxed regional travel from May 18. Queensland will allow residents to enjoy a 'drive holiday' in their region in June and will look to further allow intrastate travel come July. Regional travel is currently allowed in South Australia. The Federal Government's 'roadmap to a COVIDSafe Australia' states that interstate travel should be allowed by phase-three of their three-step framework. Pictured: Margaret River in Western Australia 28.05.2020 LISTEN African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) is pleased to announce its Biannual Plenary and Research Workshop to be held virtually through Zoom video conferencing from 8-11 June 2020. The Biannual is unique combining learning-by-doing research, peer review, mentoring, and networking to build and strengthen the capacity of early-career African researchers. The workshop will bring together economists from around the African continent and globally, fulfilling one of our major core mandates to strengthen local capacity for conducting an independent, rigorous inquiry into problems facing the management of economies in sub-Saharan Africa. The Concurrent Sessions Three days of concurrent sessions that cover five Thematic Groups will run from 8-10 June 2020. An agenda agreed upon by Group Chairs and the AERC Secretariat will be shared shortly with all the researchers and the Resource Persons. The presentations in the Thematic Groups will feature research proposals, work in progress, final research reports, and Ph.D. thesis post-field reports. The five Thematic Groups cover focal areas of AERCs thematic research programme: Group A: Poverty, Labour Markets, and Income Distribution Poverty, Labour Markets, and Income Distribution Group B: Macroeconomic Policy and Growth Macroeconomic Policy and Growth Group C: Finance and Resource Mobilization Finance and Resource Mobilization Group D: Production, Trade, and Economic Integration Production, Trade, and Economic Integration Group E: Agriculture, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management The 52nd Plenary Session The last day of the workshop, Thursday 11 June 2020, will feature presentations of the 52nd Plenary Session on Business Environment, Competitiveness, and Economic Growth in Africa. Researchers, academics, policymakers, non-state actors, and economists will discuss the issue of competitiveness of African economies and the ramifications for development regionally and globally. In the past, AERC Biannual Research workshops have attracted over 200 researchers, academics, policymakers and other economists who participate in our Research and Training Programmes. This time around the numbers will be fewer because the event will be purely virtual given challenges in movement as a result of the novel CoronaVirus Disease (COVID-19), which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The workshop provides a forum for participants to meet within a worldwide network of professionals to address issues relevant for Africas economic development. This provides the researchers with opportunities to apply such research ideas and policy outcomes to individual countries. They also provide an opportunity for monitoring the progress and quality of the various research projects sponsored by AERC. About the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Established in 1988, African Economic Research Consortium is a premier capacity building institution in the advancement of research and training to inform economic policies in sub-Saharan Africa. AERCs mission rests on two premises: first, that development is more likely to occur where there is sustained sound management of the economy; second, that such management is more likely to happen where there is an active, well-informed cohort of locally-based professional economists to conduct policy-relevant research. AERC builds that cohort through a programme that has three primary components: research, training, and policy outreach. The organization integrates high-quality economic policy research, postgraduate training, and policy outreach within a vast network of researchers, universities and policymakers across Africa and beyond. Are you wondering how Rush Limbaugh is progressing, since he disclosed his advanced lung cancer diagnosis in early February? According to a report by the New York Daily News, he admitted on air this week that the latest round of cancer treatment has left him virtually useless. The report said the conservative radio host, who is 69, told his listeners that his cancer treatment had been walloping his body. There have been many cycles, but this is the third wave, and this current wave, I have to tell you, is kicking my a--, Limbaugh said Tuesday on air. For the last seven days, I have been virtually worthless, virtually useless. I havent left the house. I havent done much of anything, the report quoted. Limbaugh hinted that fans soon might be tuning in to a best-of show or listening to a guest host, the report said, as he may be forced to take some time off. I hope that that doesnt happen . . . but I do feel the need to keep you informed, the report quoted Limbaugh. I got several emails . . . with questions about my physical condition, and its one of the reasons I didnt divulge a whole lot of detail, Limbaugh explained. There are many reasons why I dont do that: a) privacy, b) media doing investigations, he said. Limbaugh mentioned that one medication had bought him some much-needed time until the next treatment phase, but the drug had caused vision loss in his right eye and muscle swelling, the report said. These are extremely challenging times for me, medically nothing that millions of you havent gone through or arent going through," said the host. Referencing this weeks Tuesday show, The Mercury News reported this quote by Limbaugh: Im doing extremely well, all things considered, the fact that Im even here today. You know, every day every day I wake up and the first thing I do is thank God that I did, he said. Just waking up is a blessing. I know many of you are praying daily and nightly. I happen to believe that they work. I believe that they are sustaining me, and I pray for the energy to be able to do this," he said. Limbaugh has been host of The Rush Limbaugh Show since the nationally syndicated show premiered in August 1988. He was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom at President Trumps State of the Union address on Feb. 4, 2020. READ MORE: Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. [May 28, 2020] Data Governance - New Autocomplete Service Improves Data Quality and Entry Speed at Source PROVO, Utah, May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SmartyStreets , a leader in location data intelligence, announces the release of the new US Autocomplete Pro API , a service that improves data governance at the source and simplifies address data entry in real time. The US Autocomplete Pro API starts suggesting valid addresses as soon as the user first starts typing an address. All addresses suggested are 100% validated, standardized US addresses, and are returned to the user in a fraction of a second. Additionally, the API can determine if an address should also include a unit number, and will suggest valid unit numbers to the user accordingly. This ensures rapid, precise data entry, thereby ensuring clean address data in business databases. More than ever, businesses rely on quality address data. When bad addressesenter into a system, it can negatively impact customers, a companys revenue and even the companys reputation, explained Jonathan Oliver, Founder of SmartyStreets. The cost of unreliable address data is too high. By introducing the US Autocomplete API, we help empower businesses so they can dramatically increase the accuracy of data as it first enters their systems. Many other autocomplete services include invalid addresses in their suggestions. And, they usually do not include unit numbers as part of their address suggestions. Users who dont see their correct address suggested can become frustrated and decide to abandon their shopping cart. Or, if they decide to proceed, they can cause incorrect data to enter into a business systems resulting in shipping errors, returns and inconsistent data. All of this can be avoided by using a tool like SmartyStreets US Autocomplete Pro API. To try the API, visit the SmartyStreets US Autocomplete Pro API demo page . As with all of SmartyStreets APIs, the US Autocomplete Pro API comes with SmartyStreets unlimited customer service, 100% uptime guarantee and easy implementation. About SmartyStreets SmartyStreets is headquartered in Provo, Utah and provides enterprise-grade address data governance, standardization and geocoding services for addresses in 240+ countries and territories. SmartyStreets consistently processes billions of addresses every month. The company does this through easy-to-use website tools, and fully-documented APIs. SmartyStreets also provides free, unlimited accounts to qualifying startup companies. More information about SmartyStreets can be found at https://SmartyStreets.com . You can also follow SmartyStreets on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Media Rob Green Phone: +1.801.877.5778 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Manipur: Obstruction of traditional fishing by JAYA THAKUR May 28,2020 | Source: ORF Online The Ithai Barrage impounds the Manipur River just below the confluence of the Imphal River and the Tuitha River south of Loktak Lake, and is part of the Loktak Hydroelectric project that supplies hydropower to the seven Northeast states. Over time, the dam has affected the hydrology of the lake and caused harm to the ecology and economy of the region. The Manipur government is now urging the Centre to consider decommissioning the barrage. This brief assesses the present condition of the Loktak lake and the hydroelectricity project to arrive at a policy recommendation on whether or not the Ithai Barrage should be shut down. In August 2017, the N. Biren Singh government in Manipur wrote to the union government seeking a review of the Loktak Hydropower project and removal of the Ithai Barrage. Nothing like this has ever been done in Indiathe country does not have a history of systematic dam decommissioning due to ecological concerns. Obstruction of traditional fishing The construction of the Ithai Barrage has impacted the natural hydrological regime and obstructed the migratory routes of fish through the Manipur River. As a result, there has been a substantial decline in the population of riverine fish like Pengba, Khabak, and Shareng. Ataphum and phumdi proliferation The people living around the lake were dependent on it for fishing. With the loss of their residential and agricultural lands and a decline in the fish population, they have become more dependent on the ataphums (floating fishing ponds). Traditionally, ataphum fishing was a monsoon activity. But with the construction of the Ithai Barrage and the continuous high water level, ataphum is now carried out through the year, resulting in a proliferation of ataphum and phumdis. However, the presence of many ataphums obstructs the movement and circulation of the water and sediments in the lake. An estimated 25 percent of the lakes water-holding capacity has been lost due to the annual deposit of 336,325 tonnes of silt. The enhanced sedimentation is partially due to the obstructed flow pattern inside the lake caused by the proliferation of phumdis and ataphums. The lakes navigational benefits have also decreased due to the ataphums interference. Some fisherfolks have started using non-traditional practicessuch as using insecticidesthat have had an extremely detrimental impact on the water quality and aquatic biodiversity. Such hazardous chemicals not only poison but also increase the nitrogen levels in the water, leading to an unhealthy burst of the phumdis. The phumdis and other suspended vegetation eventually meet effluents brought to the lake by the Imphal River from Imphals sewages. This causes a horizontal proliferation of surface vegetation over the lake, obstructing sunlight and causing harmful vegetation blooms that could choke the lake. PR-Inside.com: 2020-05-28 22:30:24 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 695 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Grays Peak Capital, a Global Investment Firm, has diverted resources from its supply chain and portfolio companies to manufacture and distribute, and donate essential items for businesses, schools, government agencies, hospitals and any organizations in need of assistance.Grays Peak Capital has dedicated and repurposed their resources to produce Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including safety items such as hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, masks, gloves, and other items to help supply any organization or business in need. The company's goal has been to build a Business Back to Work Program to help these companies establish key safety components to comply with state and federal reopening guidelines."The first responders, frontline healthcare workers and businesses are putting their lives on the line every day to help people in the community stay safe and healthy. They should not have to worry about how they will stay safe while at work. They need the resources necessary to protect themselves and their families as well," said Scott Stevens, CEO of Grays Peak Capital."There have been many examples of businesses in turbulent times helping the surrounding community," Stevens says. "That's why we want to do everything we can to help during this crisis without sitting back and relying on the public sector for direction, but instead follow the example of corporate statesmen who care about the country and the people in it." Grays Peak Capital will be donating products from their portfolio including hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, masks, gloves, and organic snacks and meals for schools, health facilities, and other organizations who provide critical services to help with social distancing and isolation measures.You can contact Grays Peak Capital at donations@ grayspeakcapital.com for more information.About Grays Peak CapitalGrays Peak Capital ( www.grayspeakcapital.com) is a global investment firm that manages assets focused on the public market, private equity, real estate and credit. The firm is focused on identifying emerging business trends and technologies across a variety of industries. The firm endeavors to invest in companies that are creating innovation and disruption within their respective industry. Our portfolio includes multinational brands that have created value by disrupting industries and embracing technology led innovation.Contact:Email: info@ grayspeakcapital.com or IR@ grayspeakcapital.com Safe Harbor StatementExcept for historical information contained herein, statements in this release may be forward-looking and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Grays Peak Capital (the "Company") or its management, identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may, and probably will, differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including those described above and those risks discussed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include such factors as (i) the development and protection of our brands and other intellectual property, (ii) the need to raise capital to meet business requirements, (iii) significant fluctuations in marketing expenses, (iv) the ability to achieve and expand significant levels of revenues, or recognize net income, from the sale of our products and services, (v) the Company's ability to conduct the business if there are changes in laws, regulations, or government policies, (vi) management's ability to attract and maintain qualified personnel necessary for the development and commercialization of its planned products, and (vii) other information that may be detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.SOURCE: Grays Peak Capital One of the victims of a serial sexual abuser has said the man will not hold any power over us ever again, a court has heard. The Central Criminal Court heard that a 58-year-old man sexually assaulted 14 girls in his flat over a period of years in the 1990s and early 2000s. The Dublin man, who cannot be named to protect the identities of the victims, had pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting four girls at his then home in Dublin on dates beginning in May 1994 and ending in February 2001. Following a trial in March 2020, a jury returned guilty verdicts on 30 counts of sexual assault relating to the four victims. The man previously pleaded guilty in 2002 and 2003 to sexually assaulting 10 girls over the same period of time as these offences. He received a sentence of nine years imprisonment with the final two years suspended. While being interviewed by gardai in relation to these other offences in the early 2000s, the man denied sexually assaulting three of the four victims in this case. The man has also been convicted in both Ireland and the UK for burglary offences. He was extradited from the UK to face trial and has been in custody since March 2018. Paul Murray SC, prosecuting, told the court that while the first victim did not wish to make a victim impact statement, each of the remaining three women had made statements. In her victim impact statement, which was read before the court by Mr Murray, the second woman said that for many years this affected her badly. She said she rebelled at home and got in trouble with the law. The second woman said that she felt dirty, sick and ashamed of the person she is today for allowing this to happen to her. I am not a victim anymore, I am a survivor, the woman said. In her victim impact statement, which was read before the court by Mr Murray, the third woman said that she sometimes hated herself for not telling anyone what happened to her at the time. She said she was so glad he has been found guilty of his disgusting crimes. She said she was glad it was all over and done with and that she had got justice. In her victim impact statement, which she read before the court, the fourth woman said that she turned to drugs at a young age and ended up in a number of abusive relationships. She said she had suffered sleep paralysis and night terrors and had had to dip in and out of counselling since her early twenties. She said she was extremely over-protective of her daughter and does not let anyone else look after her. She said the man had robbed us all of our childhood and innocence. She said he would not hold any power over us ever again. A local garda agreed with Giollaioda O Lideadha SC, defending, that while his client was in the UK he worked at a homeless charity centre. The garda agreed that no charges have been leveled against the man arising from this period. Mr O Lideadha said his client was subject to a very substantial prison sentence relating to previous offences of sexual assault. He said that his client did a course while in custody which led to the man fully recognising that what he did was wrong and resolving to never do it again. He said asked the judge to impose as lenient a sentence as possible with regard for the previous sentence. Ms Justice Tara Burns adjourned the matter for finalisation on June 11, next. Abuser said if he touched and massaged girl's chest, it would grow bigger. A local garda told Mr Murray that in relation to the first victim, the man was convicted of six offences of sexual assault in the period between May 1994 and May 2000. The second woman gave evidence during the trial that her father was a cousin of the accused. She said that due to parental difficulties, she and her nine siblings were placed here, there and everywhere and she went to live with the accused man. The man would show her pornographic movies in the flat and would very often be naked. The first offence occurred when the man was in bed and he placed the victim's hand on his penis. The victim was paranoid about the size of her chest and the man told her that if he touched and massaged her chest, it would grow bigger. She went along with it as she knew no better. Other assaults included the man rubbing his penis against her backside and making her masturbate his penis. If the victim did not let him touch her, his mood would change and he would punish her for things for which she would not normally be punished. The garda said that in relation to the second victim, the man was convicted of 17 offences of sexual assault in the period between February 1996 and February 2000. The second woman gave evidence during the trial that she was the niece of the accused. She said she began to stay in the man's home when she was around nine years old and that she stayed in his home every two weeks. The man would ask her to come into his bedroom and he would be naked. On occasions he put his hands up the victim's top and down her trousers. The garda said that in relation to the third victim, the man was convicted of six offences of sexual assault during the year 2000. The third woman gave evidence during the trial that she was friends with the second woman. She said she went to the flat a lot and that the man would give her cigarettes and money. The man assaulted by her forcing his hands down her trousers while she struggled and she could not leave as the door was locked. The woman did not tell anyone about what happened as the man told her if she did she would be killed. The garda said that in relation to the fourth victim, the man was convicted of a single count of sexual assault on an unknown date in the period between February 2000 and February 2001. The fourth woman gave evidence during the trial that she was assaulted while staying over in the flat with the first woman. She said that they believed the man would not be there that night and she was therefore sleeping in his bed. She woke up to find the man in the bed with his hand down her bottoms and touching her vagina. She coughed to make him aware that she was alive to what was happening and the man left the room. Arizona has sued Google over claims that it illegally collected location data from users without their permission, according to the Washington Post. The states attorney general Mark Brnovich argued that Google kept location tracking running in the background for mapping, weather and other apps, along with searches, even if users turned the feature off. The state argued that Google made it too complicated to completely disable tracking, forcing users to dig into granular Android system settings. When consumers try to opt out of Googles collection of location data, the company is continuing to find misleading ways to obtain information and use it for profit, Brnovich told The Post. The state is asking the court to force Google to pay back Arizona profits earned through ads that monetized the data, as well as potential fines of up to $10,000 per violation. The Attorney General and the contingency fee lawyers filing this lawsuit appear to have mischaracterized our services, a Google spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data. We look forward to setting the record straight. The lawsuit is the latest in a long string of legal actions against Google over privacy and other issues. Google was recently fined $1.7 billion in the EU for abusive advertising practices and $170 million by the US FTC for illegally collecting data about children watching YouTube cartoons, to name just two notorious cases. Besides Arizona, other states and the US federal government are also probing the company over privacy and antitrust issues. On top of illegal data collection claims, Brnovich argued that Google changed tracking defaults without informing the user, much less seeking or obtaining consent. The state also accused Google of uncooperative conduct, delay tactics and general failure to comply with demands for records. At some point, people or companies that have a lot of money think they can do whatever the hell they want to do, and feel like they are above the law, Brnovich told the WaPo. I wanted Google to get the message that Arizona has a state consumer fraud act. They may be the most innovative company in the world, but that doesnt mean theyre above the law. Ashley Hicks, the mother of Rasib Ingram, 9, who accidentally shot himself to death on Tuesday, speaks on the phone in front of her East Germantown home Wednesday, May 27, 2020. Read more Rajib Ingram, 9, was alone in his East Germantown bedroom, making videos on his phone and handling a gun that has since gone missing when he accidentally shot himself to death Tuesday night, according to a police report obtained by The Inquirer. The boys mother told police the gun belonged to her boyfriend, police said. Both have been interviewed in the ongoing investigation. The tragedy unfolded shortly before 9:30 p.m., when the explosion of a gunshot echoed from the familys apartment in the Philadelphia Housing Authoritys Champlost Homes on North 20th Street. The childs mother, Ashley Hicks, had left Rajib alone with his 15-year-old brother while she sat outside with neighbors, according to the police report and witnesses. The younger boy had been using the video-sharing app Tik Tok on his phone when the gun fired, according to the police report. Rajibs older brother told police he had been playing a video game in his room when he stopped to check on his brother, then returned to his own room. Soon, he heard a gunshot, went to Rajibs room and found him with a gunshot wound to the right side of his face, the report said. He then called his mother, who was at a neighbors house, then dialed 911. When his mother came to the house she told [the brother] to move the gun. He stated that he threw the gun on the bed in his mothers bedroom, the report said. The mothers boyfriend, Syiede Booker, was also called and came to the house, left and shortly afterward returned, the report said. During an interview with detectives, Booker denied the gun was his, the report said. The weapon has not been found. Rajibs mother told detectives the gun belonged to Booker, the report said. As of Wednesday afternoon, no one had been arrested. Rajib Ingram is the second child to be fatally shot at home since Philadelphias stay-at-home order was put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus. In April, Kastari Nunez, 4, was fatally shot in her home in the Far Northeast. Her parents have been charged in her death. Shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday, Hicks returned to her home and parked her gray Mitsubishi Outlander at the curb. Whos ever held responsible for it I want them to pay. That was my baby, Hicks said, breaking into sobs on the sidewalk. She declined to comment further. Cathy Williams, a neighbor, said she had lived across the street from the family since Rajib was 2. "I watched him grow up, Williams said as she stood on her front steps looking at Hicks home, the front door area adorned with stuffed animals and artificial long-stemmed roses. He was a very loving kid. A playful child. Never started fights. Good, well-mannered child. Rajibs death came during a spate of violence in the city: Four men were injured Tuesday night in a drive-by shooting in North Philadelphia, a man was slain early Wednesday in Port Richmond, and three men were injured during a shooting four hours later in Kensington. In the slaying, a 39-year-old man was shot in the 2700 block of East Somerset Street at 3:47 a.m., police said. A gun was recovered and a 37-year-old man was arrested, police said. Just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, police said, three men at 1830 Hart Lane in Kensington were shot. All three were transported to hospitals, where they were listed in stable condition with gunshot wounds, police said. Police are still investigating the Tuesday night drive-by shooting of four men near 23rd and Diamond Streets in North Philadelphia. The 10 p.m. gunfire left a 31-year-old man in critical condition with a wound to the shoulder, police said. The three other victims, ages 31, 38, and 41, were listed in stable condition at Temple University Hospital. EQS Group-Ad-hoc: Achiko Limited / Key word(s): AGMEGM ACHIKO LTD invites shareholders to its Annual General Meeting 2020 and proposes the relocation of the company to Switzerland 28-May-2020 / 07:01 CET/CEST Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 KR The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Achiko Ltd invites shareholders to its Annual General Meeting 2020 and proposes the relocation of the company to Switzerland Zurich, 28 May 2020 Achiko Ltd has published the notice regarding the Annual General Meeting at 6:30 a.m. on 18 June 2020 in Zurich. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year's Annual General Meeting will be held in accordance with the Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council on Measures to Combat the Coronavirus. Given the measures currently in force, physical attendance of shareholders at the Annual General Meeting will not be possible. Shareholders may be represented by the proxy or participate through a video conferencing platform as set out in the notes to the notice regarding the Annual General Meeting. The Board of Directors regrets not being able to welcome the shareholders to the Annual General Meeting this year and requests shareholders to make use of the alternative participation options provided. Only shareholders that are registered with their personal information in the Company's shareholder ledger may participate in the Annual General Meeting. Unregistered shareholders who wish to participate in the Annual General Meeting are kindly requested to contact the financial institution that holds the respective shares and request their registration. The cut-off date for the participation in the Annual General Meeting is 12 June at 23:59 Central European Summer Time. Shares that are not recorded in the Company's shareholder ledger at that time will not be entitled to participate or vote in the Annual General Meeting. For technical and legal reasons, shares cannot be registered directly through Achiko Ltd. In addition to the standard agenda items of the Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors proposes the relocation of Achiko's domicile and management seat to Zurich, Switzerland and the re-incorporation as a corporation (Aktiengesellschaft) under Swiss law. This includes a complete revision of the articles of incorporation to conform the company to Swiss law. The relocation of Achiko Ltd is proposed by the Board of Directors as Achiko intends to build a bigger presence in Switzerland to pursue its strategic plans to increase its footprint in Europe. Furthermore, Achiko wants to reduce friction resulting from the current domicile of the company in the Cayman Islands, as trading may have been inhibited by compliance issues. After the Annual General Meeting, Kenneth Ting, CEO of Achiko Ltd., will conduct a company presentation with an update on the progress of the Achiko Platform and outlook for the remainder of 2020 and beyond in key strategic areas to drive future growth. The invitation to the Annual General Meeting of Achiko Ltd with the full agenda and proposals of the Board of Directors plus further information is available at https://investor.achiko.com | Events or at the following direct link: https://investor.achiko.com/events/. About Achiko Achiko (ISIN KGY0101M1024) is a commercial platform that creates win-win outcomes for businesses and their customers who seek to entertain themselves, connect and enjoy diverse and unique experiences. It is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ACHI:SWX). The company's platform enables people to pay for unique and useful things to do and intends to be a place to be. It does this through an open API and an extensible wallet platform, marketed directly to consumers and through enterprises. Achiko is continuously adding additional services, both directly and through partners, including e-commerce, consumer credit, savings and, most recently, healthcare. Achiko has significant shareholders such as MNC Group, the largest media company in Southeast Asia. Its shareholder base also includes MOX, China's largest venture capital company focussing exclusively on the mobile sector and one of the three largest global VC companies in this field. Further information can be found at investor.achiko.com. Press Contact: Germany and Austria Axel Muhlhaus/ Dr. Sonke Knop edicto GmbH E: achiko@edicto.de T: +49 69 90 55 05-51 Switzerland Marcus Balogh Farner Consulting Ltd. E: achiko@farner.ch T: +41 44 266 67 67 Disclaimer This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Achiko Ltd. and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Achiko Ltd. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Achiko Ltd. is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Workers are pictured next to a Boeing 737 Max 9 airplane on the tarmac of the Boeing Renton Factory in Renton, Washington on March 12, 2019. JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Boeing has resumed production of the 737 Max, the same day it announced it was laying off nearly 7,000 workers. The plane was grounded worldwide in March 2019, and production had been suspended since January 2020. Boeing has about 450 completed planes in storage, which it has not been able to deliver to customers due to the grounding. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Boeing has resumed production of the 737 Max, the company said on Wednesday, more than five months after it paused its assembly lines. The announcement came just hours after Boeing said it would lay off 6,770 workers, "the first" of a wave of layoffs expected this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Work at the Boeing facility in Renton, Washington, where the 737 Max is built has been suspended since January. Boeing has continued manufacturing the plane throughout its yearlong grounding, but has been unable to deliver them to customers while the plane was not allowed to be flown. Boeing has about 450 completed but undelivered planes in storage. When it announced January's assembly suspension, it said that it was running out of space to store them. Since the initial suspension, Boeing has seen the commercial aerospace landscape shift dramatically. Air travel demand is down as much as 97% for commercial airlines. Airlines have grounded large portions of their fleets and are expected to cancel orders for new aircraft or defer delivery. CEO David Calhoun said several weeks ago that the company planned to resume production this month. The company did not immediately return Business Insider's request for comment on where newly completed planes will be stored. Last month, Boeing announced that it would significantly pare back its aircraft production. Assembly of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner will be cut from 14 to 10 per month in 2020, and seven by 2022. Production of the 777 family of aircraft will be cut from five per month to three by 2021. Story continues The 737 Max, which was produced at a rate of 42 per month from April 2019 through January, will be ramped up at a slower rate when production resumes, the company said, gradually increasing to 31 per month during 2021. During its first quarter earnings report in April, the company said it planned to reduce its workforce by 10% in response to the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic, including 15% in its commercial aircraft division. Boeing temporarily suspended production at its other commercial aircraft facilities in Washington state and South Carolina due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those plants have since reopened. Do you work for Boeing or an airline affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? Reach out to this reporter at dslotnick@businessinsider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider One in Three Smart Homes in the US and Western Europe Have a Smart Thermostat Smart thermostats are the most popular smart home device overall of more than 20 different devices according to new research published in Strategy Analytics' report "Smart Home Survey Device Segment Analysis Smart Thermostats". Strategy Analytics reports smart thermostats are most popular in the US where almost 50% of US smart homes have one. The devices are also the most popular smart home device in the UK and Germany; smart thermostats are the second most popular device in France, close behind surveillance cameras. Nest is the most popular brand overall, followed closely by Honeywell. After the top two, the smart thermostat competitive landscape is wide open. In the UK, Centrica Connected Home's Hive thermostat is the most popular, almost twice as popular as Nest. In the US, ecobee is in nearly 20% of smart homes. Rounding out the top brands in Germany and France are Netatmo and tado. Jack Narcotta, Senior Industry Analyst in Strategy Analytics' Smart Home Strategies advisory service, said, "The popularity of smart thermostats isn't that surprising, given that the devices embody many of the best practices for all smart home devices. They're widely available, they're increasingly simple to install, they're becoming easier to set up and activate, and brands' apps take full advantage of consumers' smartphones when it comes to thermostat operation and creating heating or cooling schedules." Bill Ablondi, Director of Strategy Analytics' Smart Home Strategies advisory service, added, "Nest and Honeywell arguably created the smart thermostat market. Nest has a sizable presence in retail channels, where its brand enjoys high visibility among consumers. Honeywell's massive network of dealers set the stage for its presence in the smart home market, and Honeywell spin-off Resideo will help those dealers evolve Honeywell's first-generation offerings for the consumer market. Smaller brands such as ecobee, Hive, Netatmo, and tado will have to get creative to successfully compete with the top two brands." About Strategy Analytics Strategy Analytics, Inc. is a global leader in supporting companies across their planning lifecycle through a range of customized market research solutions. Our multi-discipline capabilities include: industry research advisory services, customer insights, user experience design and innovation expertise, mobile consumer on-device tracking and business-to-business consulting competencies. With domain expertise in: smart devices, connected cars, intelligent home, service providers, IoT, strategic components and media, Strategy Analytics can develop a solution to meet your specific planning need. For more information, visit us at www.strategyanalytics.com. For more information about Strategy Analytics Smart Home Strategies: Smart Home Strategies (SHS) Home Page View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005108/en/ Contacts: Report contacts: Jack Narcotta, +1 617 614 0798, jnarcotta@strategyanalytics.com Bill Ablondi, +1 617 614 0744, wablondi@strategyanalytics.com * Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4 * Hong Kong leads regional shares lower * Japan, Australia shares, European futures defy gloom * Traders worry about Sino-U.S. tension By Stanley White and Koh Gui Qing TOKYO/NEW YORK, May 28 (Reuters) - Asian shares erased gains and the yuan languished on Thursday on growing worries China's planned security law for Hong Kong would spark a broader diplomatic confrontation with the United States. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.35%, having been in positive territory earlier in the day. Shares in Hong Kong skidded 1.75%. Stocks in China fell 0.55%. U.S. stock futures pared earlier gains to trade 0.17% higher. Not all markets fell with investors in some countries keeping their focus on prospects of a post-coronavirus economic recovery. Japan and Australia were both higher while European stock futures also defied the gloom with the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 1.22%, German DAX futures rising 1.3% and FTSE futures climbing 1.34%. All the same, the outlook remains fraught. The biggest risk to equities is the Sino-U.S. relationship, which is likely to worsen after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Hong Kong no longer warranted special treatment under U.S. law. "All eyes remain on the U.S.-China relationship," said Chris Weston, the head of research at Pepperstone, a currency broker. "This is a risk for markets...one questions if the equity markets are too complacent here." The proposal for new legislation is expected to be passed on Thursday by the National People's Congress. Hong Kong shares erased early gains and fell as worries about U.S retaliation took hold. Pompeo said overnight that China had undermined Hong Kong's autonomy so fundamentally that the territory no longer warranted special treatment, a potentially big blow to the city's status as a financial hub. A punitive U.S. response to China on the issue of Hong Kong could result in a tit-for-tat reaction from Beijing, further straining ties between the world's two biggest economies and further hobbling global growth. Sources have said the U.S. government may suspend Hong Kong's preferential tariff rates for exports to the United States, a far less severe response than formally revoking Hong Kong's special status under U.S. law. Story continues President Donald Trump said he will announce a response to China's policies towards Hong Kong later this week. Some share markets chose instead to focus on signs of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Australian shares rose to the highest in more than two months after the country's central bank governor bolstered hopes for a quick economic rebound. Japan's Nikkei stock index rose to the highest since late February as investors cheered the re-opening of economic activity after a fall in coronavirus infections. The S&P 500 closed above 3,000 for the first time in almost 12 weeks on Wednesday, bolstered by bank stocks, as investors hoped that the world economy can recover as it re-opens. Yields on 10-year U.S. Treasuries rose slightly to 0.6966%. Although 10-year yields are up from an all-time low of 0.4980% struck in March, they are still a whopping 120 basis points below highs seen in January. U.S. crude futures fell 3.2% to $31.76 a barrel, while Brent crude fell 1.73% to $34.14 per barrel as investors fretted about Trump's response to China. The offshore yuan was mired near a record low of 7.1966 per dollar due to uncertainty over Hong Kong's future. In onshore trade, the yuan was near its weakest since September last year, which was during the height of the U.S.-China trade war. The euro made a fresh eight-week high of $1.1035, bolstered by a 750 billion euro plan to prop up the European Union's virus-hit economies. But it retreated as doubts about delivering the scheme crept in and last sat at $1.1015. Spot gold rose 0.44% to $1,716.41 per ounce as some investors opted for the safety of the precious metal. (Reporting by Stanley White in Tokyo and Koh Gui Qing in New York; Editing by Sam Holmes and Jacqueline Wong) The test and trace strategy will be not be compulsory and will rely on Britons abiding by their 'civic duty' but ministers have not ruled out fines if the public flout the rules. Health Secretary Matt Hancock last night said the scheme required a 'national effort' and citizens doing the 'right thing'. However, he warned it could quickly be made mandatory and the only alternative if it did not work was a continued national lockdown. The programme will mean that anyone who comes into contact with a patient who tests positive will have to stay at home for two weeks, even if they do not have symptoms. If this person then gets a test which is negative, they will still have to keep to their 14-day isolation period just in case they later contract the virus. Mr Hancock told the Downing Street press conference yesterday: 'If you are contacted by NHS test and trace instructing you to isolate, you must. 'It is your civic duty so you avoid unknowingly spreading the virus and you help to break the chain of transmission. Health Secretary Matt Hancock is pictured during a coronavirus media briefing in Downing Street, London yesterday Police officers are seen patrolling Clapham Common, London on Tuesday. The health secretary announced today that he would make self-isolation mandatory if people refused to self-isolate after being flagged on test and trace 'This will be voluntary at first because we trust everyone to do the right thing. 'But we can quickly make it mandatory if that is what it takes. 'Because if we don't collectively make this work, then the only way forward is to keep the lockdown. 'This is a national effort and we all have a role. 'We must all follow the NHS test and trace instructions as this is how we control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.' The Health Secretary has legal powers to impose fines as part of public health legislation. This could lead to spot-checks at addresses or phone calls to landlines to ensure anyone who was meant to be self-isolating is still at home. Earlier, Boris Johnson told MPs he would keep such financial sanctions 'on the table' if the public did not stick to the guidance. Appearing before MPs on the Public Liaison Committee, he said: 'We will be asking people to stay at home. If they don't follow that advice, what we will be saying is we will consider what sanctions may be necessary.' Executive Chair of NHS Test and Trace, Baroness Dido Harding speaks during a daily news conference on the coronavirus outbreak, at 10 Downing Street in London yesterday A MailOnline chart explains how the new NHS Test and Trace system is expected to work In Germany, where testing and tracing has been in place since March, residents can be fined up to 25,000 euros 22,000 for flouting the rules. Close contacts are classed as either a Category 1 risk if they live with a patient who tested positive or 'Category 2' if they have only spent a short period of time with them. A 14-day quarantine is compulsory for those in Category 1, with fines for those who disobey. The quarantine is only advisory for those in Category 2, although many people adhere to the advice regardless. Yesterday a retired doctor who piloted a test and trace programme in Sheffield said only about one in three people obeyed the guidance. Dr Bing Jones told BBC Radio 4's The World At One: 'This is a major challenge for the Government.' He explained that although the remaining two-thirds were 'mostly co-operative', many felt unable to stay at home as they worked in the NHS or social care. He added: 'They generally said 'We'd like to help but I discussed it with my manager and my manager says no'.' Last night, Baroness Dido Harding, who is leading the test and trace programme, admitted the system would not be properly ready until autumn. Although it is being rolled out today, she stressed: 'It's not going to be world-class on day one.' She added: 'It's going to take us a bit of time, and we will get better and better through the summer and we will have something that is really ready to do the job we need it to do as we head into autumn and winter.' Thunderstorm likely over Uttarakhand in next 24 hours Pune, May 28 (UNI) With the Southwest Monsoon further advancing into expanse of Maldives-Comorin (Kanyakumari) area, some more stretches of south Bay of Bengal, remaining tracts of Andaman Sea and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, conditions are becoming favourable for further advance of SW Monsoon into some more regions of Maldives-Comorin area during next 48 hours, forecast the India Meteorological Department today. It further said that similarly, with likely formation of a low pressure area over southeast & adjoining eastcentral Arabian Sea around May 31, conditions are likely to become favourable for onset of SW Monsoon over Kerala around June 1. Thunderstorm, accompanied with lightning, hail & squall (with speed reaching up to 50-60 km per hour), is very likely to occur at isolated places over Uttarakhand during next 24 hours. An Ohio voter drops off their ballot at the Board of Elections in Dayton, Ohio, on April 28, 2020. (Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images) FEC Commissioner Disputes Trumps Charge That Voting by Mail Leads to Fraud A Federal Election Commission (FEC) commissioner disputed President Donald Trumps charge that voting by mail leads to fraud. Labeling the notion that voting by mail causes fraud a conspiracy theory, Obama-appointed commissioner Ellen Weintraub wrote in a series of social media posts that vote-by-mail has expanded across the country with little negative effect. She cited a slew of news articles and opinions from journalists. She also pointed to a 2012 report from the Voting Rights Project that found 491 cases of absentee ballot fraud between 2000 and 2012 and a paper (pdf) from Lorraine Minnite, a professor of political science at Rutgers University-Camden, that argued most instances of whats described as voter fraud are actually simple mistakes by election officials or voters. A third reference was made to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York Universitys School of Law, which said in an analysis it was debunking the voter fraud myth. Weintraub, a Democrat, is one of dozens of FEC commissioners. Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a watchdog group, told The Epoch Times that experts agree that absentee and mail in voting is the vehicle for voting that is most susceptible to fraud. Voters wait in line to enter a polling place at Riverside University High School in Milwaukee, Wis., on April 7, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Fitton pointed to several sources including The Pew Center on the States-commissioned research in 2012 (pdf) that found approximately 24 million, or one of every eight, voter registrations in the country were no longer valid or were significantly inaccurate. That included more than 1.8 million dead people listed as voters. He also noted that the 2005 report (pdf) presented by James Baker and Jimmy Carter, co-chairs of the commission on Federal Election Reform, said voting by mail could see people come under pressure to vote for certain candidates. The method also increases the risk of fraud, it stated. The Carter Center, established by the former president, acknowledged the findings this year but released a statement from Carter in which he called on expansion of voting by mail. Voting by mail can be done well if certain safeguards were in place, the center said. Judicial Watch last year found millions of registrations above the number of citizens old enough to vote living in certain areas. The organization previously reached a settlement with California and Los Angeles County to remove up to 1.5 million inactive registered voters. It stands to reason when youre not voting at a polling place, and you have ballots that are being voted on lord knows where and transmitted through the mail, it increases the opportunity for voter fraud and intimidation, Fitton said. Fitton accused Democrat officials of wanting to be able to steal elections, a similar charge to statements made by Trump. He cited opposition to identification requirements at polls as another example. The Carter-Baker report recommended a uniform voter identification system. Trump this week said mail-in ballots will be substantially fraudulent, warning of mailboxes being robbed and ballot forgery. Election workers sort vote-by-mail ballots for the presidential primary at King County Elections in Renton, Washington state, on March 10, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images) All registered voters are sent ballots in a few states. California officials are doing that this year for the presidential election. Trump criticized Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying the ballots would be followed up with professionals telling all of these people, many of whom have never even thought of voting before, how, and for whom, to vote. This will be a Rigged Election, he charged. Republicans recently sued Newsom to try to stop vote-by-mail ballots being sent to all registered voters while Democrats are suing in at least 13 states to overturn restrictions on mail-in voting. The vote-by-mail issue has become increasingly relevant as a number of states start mailing ballot applications to voters because of concerns that voting in person will lead to a higher number of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases. Trump last week threatened to delay funding to states turning to mail voting schemes, calling the moves illegal. Republican Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavskes office told The Epoch Times in an email that she thought hard about sending all voters mail-in ballots. Nevada has many safeguards in place to ensure the integrity of an all-mail election, including signature requirements and verification processes, preprinted ballot return envelopes, barcode tracking, and laws against ballot harvesting. Voters concerned with mailing in their ballot may drop off their ballot at any designated drop-off location in their county, according to the statement. Michigan moved to mailing applications for mail-in ballots to all voters. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, noted that Republicans in a number of states, including Georgia and West Virginia, are doing the same. Matthew Vadum contributed to this report. Syracuse, N.Y. Onondaga County lawmakers will vote next week on a new residential energy tax that would cost a typical household about $6 per month and raise up to $12 million a year for county government. Legislators say they are considering the tax proposed by County Executive Ryan McMahon because revenue losses and other costs from the coronavirus pandemic are wrecking county finances. The county would have to consider layoffs soon without the new revenue, said Legislature Chairman David Knapp, R-LaFayette. Its going to get to people and jobs very quickly if we dont do something, Knapp said. McMahons proposal would revive a 4% county sales tax on residential energy sales that was collected decades ago but discontinued in 1982 in Onondaga County. Knapp said he didnt know why the tax was removed in the 1980s. Residential energy sales are exempt from state sales tax. But counties and other taxing jurisdictions have the option to charge residential customers a local sales tax, which is already paid by commercial customers. More than 50 other counties, cities and school districts in New York currently impose a similar residential sales tax, state records show. A typical Central New York household with electric and gas utility service pays roughly $150 a month, on average, according to data collected by the legislature. A 4% tax on that amount would be $6. If adopted, the new tax would take effect in September, Knapp said. One option under discussion is whether to have the tax sunset in December 2021, in which case it would expire unless renewed by the legislature. With support from Republican leaders McMahon and Knapp, the measure is likely to pass the GOP-dominated legislature, but not without plenty of discussion. "Its not an easy vote,'' Knapp said. The new tax comes at a time when state officials have acted to soften the financial burdens of energy costs for struggling households during the pandemic. In response to a directive from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, utility companies have temporarily stopped shutting off customers who fail to pay their bills. Compare: National Grid terminated the accounts of more than 4,100 Upstate households for non-payment in April 2019, but zero in April 2020. National Grid also postponed electric and gas rate increases totaling more than $110 million that were due to take effect April 1. (They are now scheduled for July.) County officials say its urgent to raise new revenues to avoid layoffs or other drastic cuts. Sales tax revenues, the countys biggest source of income, fell nearly 30% in late March and early April. McMahon has already ordered spending reductions of about $25 million, including furloughs for 225 hourly workers. On top of that, the cash-strapped state government is using county sales tax money to pay for roughly $2 million in local aid to municipalities and $2 million more to help distressed hospitals and nursing homes, Knapp said. We are facing a massive deficit as a result of this pandemic, said Justin Sayles, speaking for McMahon. County lawmakers cant change property tax rates until they craft a new budget in the fall. But the energy sales tax can be changed anytime, Sayles said. County officials estimate the new tax would raise about $3.7 million for the county during the final four months of 2020 and $9 million to $12 million during 2021, depending on energy prices. The tax also would raise $3 million to $4 million annually for the city of Syracuse, which shares 25% of county sales taxes. The tax would apply to customers of all utilities operating in the county including National Grid, Solvay Electric and New York State Electric & Gas. It would also apply to non-utility fuel sales such as propane, fuel oil for heating, and wood. Cayuga and Cortland counties and the city of Oswego each charge a similar tax of 4%. Some school districts, including Lackawanna, Ogdensburg and Niagara Falls, charge 7% or more. Onondaga County legislators will conduct a virtual meeting at 1 p.m. Tuesday. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources These restaurants in Central New York have closed. How many more will there be? Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Less than 1% of tests returned positive overnight; 4 more deaths Phase two could begin as soon as Friday in CNY: What will you be able to do? Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Tim Knauss is a public affairs reporter for syracuse.com/The Post-Standard. Contact him anytime: email | twitter | | 315-470-3023 You and your employer have the choice of continuing to contribute 12 per cent of basic pay as provident fund contribution, instead of the temporarily-reduced minimum rate of 10 per cent for the months of May, June and July. This follows clarification from the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). The pension funds body has clarified that employee, employer, or both can contribute at a higher rate as well. In cases where employer wants to continue deducting 12 per cent of employees basic pay as employee contribution to provident fund, employee agreement is recommended to be in line with the spirit of the relaxation being given by the government with the objective of increasing liquidity, says Sonu Iyer, National Leader, People Advisory Services, EY. The employer will need your consent to continue deducting your share of PF contribution from your basic pay at the rate of 12 per cent. No such agreement is required for deduction at the statutory rate. If the employer wants to reduce the share of PF contribution to 10 per cent and deduct an equivalent amount from the employees basic pay as the latters contribution, no employee agreement is required as the deduction is being made at the applicable statutory rate of deduction as 12 per cent has been changed to 10 per cent in the scheme for May-July 2020 by virtue of the notification issued, says Sonu Iyer, National Leader, People Advisory Services, EY. The statutory PF contribution rate was reduced from 12 per cent to 10 per cent (of basic salary plus dearness allowance) by the central government for employees and employers. The purpose was to ensure better liquidity during the three months to tide over the novel Corona Virus Disease-induced nationwide lockdown and the ensuing economic crisis. For example, if your basic salary is Rs 50,000, your employers contribution will come down from Rs 6,000 to Rs 5,000. Likewise, Rs 5,000 will be deducted from your salary instead of Rs 6,000 in the regular course. According to the finance ministry and EPFO, this move will benefit 4.3 crore employees, as also 6.5 lakh organisations. Clarity from EPFO Now, the EPFO has made it clear that it is not mandatory for either employers or employees to reduce the contributions to 10 per cent. The reduced rate of contribution (10 per cent) is the minimum rate of contribution during the period of the package. The employer, employee or both can contribute at a higher rate also, it said in the set of the FAQs. Therefore, in the example mentioned earlier, both the employer and employee can maintain their contributions at Rs 6,000 each. Alternatively, you can choose to contribute at 12 per cent, even if the employer opts for the lower rate. Experts believe you should continue contributing at 12 per cent, your cashflows permitting. If the employee wants to voluntarily contribute at a rate higher than the statutory rate, she can do so. Employees can make a request to their employers to deduct a higher amount. Most employers facilitate this higher contribution, termed voluntary provident fund, through the year. It is better to continue with 12 per cent contribution if you can afford it, as it makes you eligible for higher tax benefits and higher retirals, says Saraswathi Kasturirangan, Partner, Deloitte India. A two-percentage point lower contribution is unlikely to make a significant difference to employees, particularly those who have not faced a pay cut. It does, however, mean substantial savings for employers since they do not have to restore this amount in the future. Employees should continue to contribute to their PF at 12 per cent. While the marginally lower contribution over three months is unlikely to make a difference for most, for those who have just started out and have 30 years or more to go before they retire, even the four-percentage drop could make some dent A two-percentage point lower contribution is unlikely to make a significant difference to employees, particularly those who have not faced a pay cut. It does, however, mean substantial savings for employers since they do not have to restore this amount in the future. Employees should continue to contribute to their PF at 12 per cent. While the marginally lower contribution over three months is unlikely to make a difference for most, for those who have just started out and have 30 years or more to go before they retire, even the four-percentage drop could make some dent, says Amol Joshi, Founder, PlanRupee Investment Services. The employers contribution to employees pension scheme (EPS) 8.33 per cent of basic, subject to maximum pensionable salary of Rs 15,000 will remain unchanged. When employers contribution is part of CTC If the employers contribution is part of your cost-to-company (CTC) package and your organisation opts for the reduced rate, it will have to make good the shortfall. In the CTC model, if Rs 10,000 is the monthly EPF wage, the employee gets Rs 200 more directly from the employer as the employers EPF/EPS contribution is reduced and Rs 200 less is deducted from his/her wages, the EPFO said. This clarification, however, raises a question mark on benefits for such employers as their outgo will remain the same. Some would want to continue with the existing framework. In case of a CTC model, given the tax benefits available to both the employer and employee, employers would want to continue with 12 per cent PF contribution instead of crediting higher salaries to employees, says Kris Lakshmikanth, Founder of executive search firm HeadHunters India. Check with your employer on the approach it plans to adopt. You will, however, have to account for a higher taxable salary in case the employer transfers the equivalent amount to you under some other head. The increased tax liability will be minimal, but you can look at maximising various tax-saver avenues available to mitigate the impact, says chartered accountant Vaibhav Sankla, Co-founder, Billion BaseCamp Family Office. If you were to choose the new tax regime, which does away with a slew of tax deductions and exemptions, lower own PF contribution will not result in any change, as you will not be claiming any tax breaks under the new regime. The tax effect If you have not submitted your proposed investment declaration that employers ask for in April or have not exhausted the Rs 1.5 lakh limit under section 80C, this higher in-hand salary due to lower own contribution could result in higher tax deduction. However, we do not see any major tax impact as most employees do express their intent to exhaust this limit in their proposed investment declarations at the beginning of the financial year. Reduced PF contribution for three months is unlikely to result in any significant deviation from these declarations, says Karan Batra, Founder, CharteredClub, a tax consultancy portal. This is because, besides EPF contribution, many employees also claim deductions on childrens tuition fee, home loan principal repaid, term insurance premium paid and tax-saver investments like equity-linked saving schemes or insurance-cum-investment policies. In case you are likely to fall short, you must intimate the employer to eliminate scope for higher tax deduction during these three months. Many companies provide options to update investment declarations. Make use of the facility to indicate other tax-savers you will utilise to plug the gap, says Sankla. In any case, ensure that you keep this factor in mind and optimise all tax breaks by January when employers seek the final declarations. Coronavirus infections are spreading in warehouses run by online commerce companies Coupang and Market Kurly. The surge at Coupang's warehouse in Bucheon has also spread to a nearby call center that has some 1,600 workers. Health authorities said Wednesday that a call center worker contracted the virus while working at the Coupang warehouse in Bucheon last weekend. He developed a sore throat and cough and told the company before isolating himself. He tested positive on Tuesday. The call center is eight times the size of the one in Guro in southern Seoul where 166 employees tested positive earlier this year. Bucheon city officials set up a makeshift facility on the roof of the call center to check all 1,300 staff. The number of confirmed infections traced to workers at the warehouse has risen by 49 in just one day to 63. Health authorities believe the workers came into close contact without wearing masks in the cafeteria and smoking areas. Some 1,523 people including staff and suppliers are being tested, so the number of cases is expected to rise even more. Farmers welfare and agriculture development minister in Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet, Kamal Patel, dubbed the previous Congress governments farmers loan waiver scheme a fraud committed on farmers while dropping enough hints that the present BJP government is not going to continue with the scheme. In the run-up to 2018 assembly elections, the Congress party had promised to waive loan of farmers up to Rs 2 lakh per head. The then Congress president Rahul Gandhi had backed that commitment by claiming that if Congress failed in keeping its promise within the first 10 days of coming to power, the chief minister would lose his post. After coming to power, the Congress launched Jai kisan fasal rin maafi yojna to implement loan-waiver promise for about 5 million farmers to the tune of approximately Rs 55,000 crore. It added a rider that the loan waiver scheme will be implemented in phases with farmers having loans up to Rs 50,000 per head to be covered in the first phase and no waiver of loans for income tax payee farmers. The then government claimed to have waived off loans of 2 million farmers, worth approximately Rs 7,000 crore, in the first phase until March, 2019. The then chief minister Kamal Nath announced that about 1.2 million farmers would benefit from loan waiver of Rs 11,675 crore in the second phase that began as late as in December 2019. In an interview, Kamal Patel likened the Congress promises to that of a leader from his district, Harda, who used to contest assembly elections as an independent candidate with lofty promises to bring back Indias looted gold and silver from England, making temples of gold and peoples houses with silver and of making air travel so convenient that people could land helicopters in their fields to curb road accidents. For Coronavirus Live Updates Congress knew it was not going to win the elections. It had won 58 seats in 2013 assembly elections and feared that due to Prime Minister Narendra Modis welfare initiative, it might not win even 20 seats; hence they decided to tell lies only. The Congress Vachan patra (election manifesto) was full of promises to such an extent that even God would not have been able to fulfill it had he got down to Earth, said the minister. Kamal Patel said, The Congress tried to lure every section of the society. Farmers were promised Rs 2 lakh per head loan waiver that meant the waiver amount will multiply several times depending upon loan takers in a family. They promised Rs 4,000 per month to unemployed youths, Rs 1,000 pension to the physically challenged, regularisation of services to daily wagers and guest faculty in degree colleges and many other promises. Was this not fraud and deceit? Thats why I asked farmers to go and lodge FIR against the Congress leaders for committing fraud on them with a criminal conspiracy. The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19 The minister said the BJP government was working on making farmers self-reliant so that they wouldnt need loans. In just two months, the BJP government headed by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had taken several decisions to increase income of farmers and make them self-reliant. The bar on the maximum amount of weighing of the agriculture produce at mandis had been done away with. This would save farmers diesel and time worth crores of rupees. Similarly, raising the limit of procurement for gram, lentil and mustard from 15 quintal to 20 quintal per hectare has resulted in additional income of Rs 762 crore to the farmers. Hitting back, the then agriculture minister Sachin Yadav said Congress loan waiver scheme was a response to farmers suicide during BJPs 15-year rule in the state. He claimed the Congress government was going to launch the third phase of loan waivers from June 1 before it got toppled. I challenge chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and agriculture minister Kamal Patel to tour the state with me to know the reality. The fact is, during the BJPs regime of 15 years, Madhya Pradesh had earned a bad name as a state with highest number of farmers suicide cases due to wrong policies of the BJP. We waived loans worth Rs 11,500 crore of 2.66 million farmers in the first and the second phase and we were going to launch the third phase from June 1. He added, People are highly upset with the BJP government and will give a befitting reply to it in the ensuing bypolls in the state. The state Congress spokesperson Abhay Dubey echoed the sentiment. We had handed over a list of 21 lakh farmers to Shivraj Singh Chouhan ji at his bungalow when he was in the Opposition. There was no statement from him on this. But no one can help if BJP has decided to only tell lies. Congress will be back in power after the bypolls for 24 assembly seats and will not only waive the remaining farmers loans but also transfer some monthly amount in the bank accounts of migrant labourers, he claimed. gorodenkoff/iStockBy ELIZABETH MCLAUGHLIN, LUIS MARTINEZ and CONOR FINNEGAN, ABC News (WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump said "it is time" for all U.S. service members to exit Afghanistan, undermining his administration's agreement with the Taliban that stipulates any withdrawal below 8,600 troops be based on conditions on the ground. His latest comments come as that deal, signed in February, endangered by a sharp spike in Taliban attacks on Afghan government forces, faces a precarious path forward. The militant group and Afghan government have agreed to a 10-day truce to reduce violence and to the release of hundreds of prisoners, laying the groundwork for peace negotiations nearly three months after they were scheduled. "We are acting as a police force, not the fighting force that we are, in Afghanistan," the president tweeted on Wednesday. "After 19 years, it is time for them to police their own Country. Bring our soldiers back home but closely watch what is going on and strike with a thunder like never before, if necessary!" The peace deal between the U.S. and the Taliban called for a reduction in the number of American forces from about 13,000 to 8,600 by mid-July. At the height of the nearly two-decade conflict, there were approximately 100,000 troops in the country. A U.S. official told ABC News on Wednesday that the number of U.S. service members currently in Afghanistan is between 8,600 and 10,000, despite the president telling reporters on Tuesday that "we are down to 7,000-some-odd soldiers right now." A second official said that the U.S. draw down is "well ahead of schedule" and "close to reaching" that 8,600 number. The U.S. is set to withdraw all forces in 14 months if the Taliban also uphold their commitments in the agreement -- to sit with an Afghan national delegation for peace negotiations and to break ties with terror groups like al-Qaida. "Any reductions under (8,600) will be conditions-based, after the U.S. government assesses the security environment and the Taliban's compliance with the agreement, and in coordination with our NATO allies and partners," said chief Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman during a briefing on Tuesday. But there is concern that Trump, who has pledged to "end America's endless wars" in Afghanistan and Iraq, will push for a quicker withdrawal or one that disregards those conditions on the ground. His public statements on Afghanistan followed a New York Times report that senior military officials were preparing to brief Trump this week about options for pulling troops out of Afghanistan, including an option for a full withdrawal before the U.S. presidential election in November -- though the officials would not advocate for that option, the Times said. Asked about a November target date for a withdrawal, Trump said on Tuesday, "No, I have no target but as soon as reasonable." The aftermath of the U.S.-Taliban agreement got off to a rocky start with an escalation in violence by the Taliban against Afghan forces, domestic political squabbles, and an inability to agree on a prisoner exchange. However, there has been positive momentum in the last couple weeks as the Taliban and Afghan government work toward face-to-face peace talks of their own. Over the weekend, the Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire during the Eid holiday, and the Afghan government agreed to release 2,000 Taliban fighters it held in custody. Earlier this month, Afghan government leadership also committed to a power-sharing agreement. Hoffman called these steps "promising" but refused to say whether current conditions on the ground would warrant a further draw down in U.S. troops. Meanwhile, senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, continue to call for a reduction in violence. Eight American service members have died and 11 have been wounded serving in Afghanistan this year, according to Defense Department data. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved Wisconsin's April 7 election was one of the first of the coronavirus era, with long lines of face-mask-clad voters. Philadelphia could see the same on June 2. Here, voters wait in line to cast ballots in Milwaukee in April. Read more Huge cuts in the number of polling places. Face masks, plastic barriers, and gloves. A massive surge in voting by mail. Voting during this pandemic doesnt look like anything weve seen before. For in-person voters, theres the potential for long lines and confusion over polling place changes. For mail voters, theres a tight deadline that could make it impossible to mail ballots back in time. But there are ways to avoid problems in Tuesdays primary election. And the better prepared you are, the less likely you are to encounter issues. Heres what you need to know. If youre voting by mail, keep a very close eye on the deadline This is the first election under a new state law that allows any voter to vote by mail without having to provide a reason. Voting by mail is also a safe option during a public health crisis, and massive numbers of people requested mail ballots before the deadline that passed Tuesday. Officials expect most votes to be cast by mail this election. READ MORE: Voting by mail is a safe option. Heres what you need to know about absentee ballots in Pa. and N.J. But Pennsylvania has a very strict deadline: Mail ballots must be received by county elections officials by 8 p.m. on election night, June 2. Postmarks dont count, and the U.S. Postal Service recommends that voters mail their completed ballots at least one week before the due date, a spokesperson said. That deadline is leading elections officials to warn that thousands of voters could be disenfranchised because they wont receive their ballots in time to mail them back. (Already put your ballot in the mail? Check its status here. READ MORE: Thousands of Pennsylvania voters might not get their mail ballots in time to actually vote At this point, it may be better to consider an alternative method of getting your ballot in. The city has installed a drop box by the south portal of City Hall. Elections officials are also working with City Council to set up election day drop-off sites in each of the citys 10 Council districts, and workers will drive mobile drop boxes to locations around the city this weekend to collect ballots. READ MORE: Philly will have mail ballot drop boxes for voters this weekend and on election day. Find yours here. Anyone who requested a mail ballot, including those who didnt receive them in time, can vote in person on a provisional ballot If you requested a mail ballot, regardless of whether you received it in time, you can still go to your polling place. That may be the best option if you have your ballot but didnt receive it in time to send it back or cant get to a drop box. When you check in, the poll worker will flag you as having requested a mail ballot. You wont be allowed to vote on the citys new voting machines and will be given a paper provisional ballot, which is set aside after you fill it out. Provisional ballots are counted once city elections officials confirm you did not also vote by mail. That prevents people from voting twice. Voting in person? Polling places have changed Make sure you know where youre going. Its probably not the place youre used to. Philadelphia has dramatically reduced the number of polling places it will have this election, leaving 190 polling places instead of the 831 it had last November. Heres a map to help you find your polling place: City elections officials have set up a map and search tool at PollingPlaces.PhiladelphiaVotes.com. There will be one unified check-in process per polling place Normally, every precinct has its own poll books and check-in process, so polling places that serve multiple precincts have a set of poll workers for each precinct and separate check-in processes. This year, everyone will go through one unified check-in, with one set of poll workers per location. That means you wont need to know your ward and division numbers. Poll workers will be seated at a few different tables, with poll books divided alphabetically by voters last names. Find the right table and check in with the poll worker, then receive your blank paper ballot to feed into the voting machine. Polling places will share one set of voting machines normally, each precinct has separate systems so youll be able to use whichever one is available first. A poll worker will set it up, and away you go. Youll be given a mask and gloves The city and state are providing personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies for poll workers and voters. Poll workers will be given surgical masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer for their own use, along with either large plastic sneeze guards for the check-in tables or plastic face shields. ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters. Places for voters to stand while waiting will be marked on the floor for social distancing. Voters are urged to wear face masks, and anyone who shows up without a mask will be given one. But poll workers wont stop you from voting if you dont wear one, because, as City Commissioner Lisa Deeley said Tuesday, we cannot deny any voter their right to vote based on mask usage. There will also be hand sanitizer available for voters and poll workers to use, and voters will be given plastic gloves to use when signing poll books and making selections on touchscreen voting machines. Throughout the day, poll workers will clean voting machines and other high-touch surfaces. They are being given disinfecting wipes for regular surfaces, alcohol-based screen wipes for the touchscreens, microfiber cloths, and disposable headset covers for voters with disabilities to use the machines. After the election, prepare to wait for results Philadelphia election officials wont begin counting mail ballots until the day after the election. The unofficial results that come in on election night will only include the votes that were cast on the voting machines that day. And remember, officials are expecting most votes to be cast by mail. That means it will take time potentially days for media outlets to call a race, especially if the results are close. READ MORE: Why well be waiting longer than usual for election results And that could take even longer in November. San Antonio officials rolled out a $191 million plan Thursday to keep residents in their homes, expand internet access to the citys less wired and help small businesses stay afloat in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. For weeks, officials have grappled with how to spend $270 million in federal stimulus money intended to help residents who suffered as the virus wrecked much of the citys economy. The plan laid out at Thursdays City Council meeting calls for plugging millions of those dollars and millions more in city funds, too into workforce development, housing assistance, aid to small businesses and making sure the citys poorest households can access the internet. Now Playing: The mayor met with the Express-News Editorial Board to discuss the reopening of San Antonio after Governor Abbott announced reopening Texas. You can watch the full video of the 1-hour session on https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/ Video: mySA Theyre teetering on the edge, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said of residents whose livelihoods have been jeopardized by the virus. They want action. They need relief. On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases The proposal calls for $80 million to be put into workforce development, aimed at getting those who lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic back on their feet. In Bexar County, that number is high. Between mid-March and mid-May, about 122,000 workers here sought unemployment benefits as the virus spread and restrictions on business to slow its spread came down. About 10,000 people would get some kind of workforce training at a cost of $70 million. Of that dollar amount, $48 million would help cover household costs like rent and groceries for those seeking job training or going back to school, Assistant City Manager Colleen Bridger said. A separate $10 million pot would pay for three months of temporary child care assistance for parents training in new jobs or going back to school. That amount would cover about 5,000 children. The city also would shore up efforts aimed at keeping people in their homes, using $50.5 million on that front. The plan calls for pumping $25 million into the citys primary emergency housing assistance program geared toward helping residents with rent and mortgage payments as well as household costs like fuel, groceries and internet access bringing the total amount in that fund to $50 million. On ExpressNews.com: As coronavirus recovery begins, questions and fault lines emerge about what post-COVID-19 San Antonio should look like That program has seen a surge in demand, with more than 8,900 households applying for funds as of last week, Assistant City Manager Lori Houston said. Of the original $25 million, $10 million is left. It also would put aside $9.2 million for expanded housing options for San Antonios homeless. The city plans to house up to 500 homeless residents in a hotel to make room at the Haven for Hope shelter for a wave of newly homeless, Bridger said. San Antonios small businesses stand to get up to $33.1 million in relief out of the plan, including $27 million in direct grants to firms with no more than 20 employees. On ExpressNews.com: Council considers how to spend federal funds earmarked for pandemic District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry worried that amounts not enough. This is a one-shot deal, Perry said. If we dont spend this money wisely and get this economy going again, its like throwing that money away. The proposal also calls for $27.3 million to help close the citys gaping digital divide most of which is aimed at expanding broadband access in 50 neighborhoods by building out municipal broadband infrastructure and fiber connections, starting with neighborhoods in San Antonio ISD and Edgewood ISD. About $96 million of the funds to pay for the plan comes out of federal dollars including the $270 million in federal stimulus money the city received out of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act. The rest of the CARES Act fund would go toward payroll expenses stemming from the COVID-19 response, paying for personal protective equipment such as face coverings and hand sanitizer and a plan to expand coronavirus testing and contact tracing investigations. The remaining $94.6 million for the $191 million plan comes out of San Antonios general fund. That money will fund the efforts to boost internet access as well as most of the plans workforce development aspects. The stimulus money covered payroll expenses for many city employees including firefighters, Metro Health workers and police officers whose jobs were consumed with responding to the virus, Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez said, freeing up the $94.6 million to fund parts of the proposed recovery plan. Still, San Antonio faces a $198.6 million budget shortfall prompted by the economic crisis. Plummeting retail and restaurant sales and empty hotels have wiped out a huge chunk of the revenue that had been expected from sales taxes and hotel occupancy taxes to fund the citys $2.9 billion spending plan. Its possible San Antonio could lose more money if the economy takes a while to pick up. We still have a tremendous amount of uncertainty, Villagomez said. On ExpressNews.com: City cuts budget by $82 million, but no layoffs The reality of the budget shortfall prompted officials to take steps early on to try to blunt the blow. In early April, City Manager Erik Walsh cut $82 million in spending, furloughed 270 employees and stopped funding all contracts for arts programs. Officials cant use any of the CARES Act funds to cover the budget shortfall because of federal regulations. They also cant use any of that money to bring back employees furloughed earlier this year, Walsh said. Its likely the budget crunch will extend into next year. Council members and city budgeters will begin to shape next years spending plan over the summer. I think were all going to have to tighten our belt a little bit, Walsh said. Council members will vote on the plan for the stimulus dollars next week. Joshua Fechter is a staff writer covering San Antonio government and politics. To read more from Joshua, become a subscriber. jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports The hugely-anticipated second coming of the Pocophone is finally here at HQ and we've started work on its review. There's a lot to go over with the Poco F2 Pro, but here's a brief hands-on and key features video to get you started. Now let's open that box. The Poco F2 Pro comes with a 30W charger, a USB cable and a complimentary case. The Pocophone F1 was Xiaomi's first go at a flagship with a midrange price and it was unbelievable value at the time. We expected a Snapdragon 855/855+ powered Poco F2 to arrive in 2019, but Xiaomi had their hands full with the Redmi K20 Pro and its Mi 9T Pro doppelganger. So here we are in 2020, Poco's sabbatical is over an the Poco F2 Pro is poised to top any list of affordable flagship-grade phones around. The Pocophone formula is very much the same as two years ago - put in the fastest chipset (for Android that's the Snapdragon 865), cram in as many flagship-worthy specs, a good design and slap a reasonable price on it - in this case 500 if you pick a 6/128GB model (100 more for a 8GB/256GB version). The Poco F2 Pro is actually a rebadged Redmi K30 Pro, but seeing how only China gets the K-series phone that hardly matters for most. The phone is built around a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED screen and has a motorized pop-up 20MP selfie camera. On the back you get a 64MP main camera, while inside the 4,700mAh battery supports 30W charging. The affordable flagships also share the same styling. Our Poco F2 Pro is the Cyber Grey model and it looks nice and premium. We'd recommend using it with the supplied case, as it's a very slippery phone. The Poco F2 Pro unsurprisingly runs smooth thanks to the combination of a Snapdragon 865 chipset, UFS 3.1 storage and MIUI 11. But we can't help but lament the lack of any sort of high-refresh rate on the screen - a 90Hz panel would have made this device all the more tempting, but then again it would have pushed the price even higher. The Poco F2 Pro looks promising. We expect good results from the camera (its 5MP macro is especially interesting - more on that in the review), great battery life and solid display scores. Stay tuned for our full review. Special thanks to GearBest for providing the review unit. The Irish National Teachers Organisation has said the current public health advice will not allow all children to return to schools in September. It said the two-metre social distancing rule is not physically possible in many classrooms. The group said the Department of Education will publish a roadmap for the re-opening of schools in two weeks time. It said teachers will have no difficulty returning to their full classes if the public health advice allows it. It comes as secondary schools are implementing more rigid policies for remote learning from September. A new policy document circulated by some secondary schools says they may provide students with internet access, desktop computers, digital imaging technologies and other devices. It also says students are expected to follow the same rules for good behaviour and respectful conduct online as offline. There are also guidelines for students to submit photos of work to ensure that it is legible. John Boyle, general-secretary of the INTO, says the current two-metre social distancing guideline will be unworkable at many schools. "We will probably have to have a number of plans in place: a plan for the full return of schools with all children and workers who are fit to go back at the one time, and then maybe a plan B or even a plan C - depending on the public health advice and that key issue of social distancing. The Minister [Joe McHugh] was absolutely right when he stated that with the two-metre rules - he didn't say about us having the largest class sizes in Europe, but I suppose it's inherent in what he said - that it just wouldn't be physically possible to have all the children back together. "But I would like to be optimistic about this that the country has been doing so well in suppressing the virus that we will get into a place in August where we would have certainty as to the number of children to go back". It comes as Professor Luke O'Neill from Trinity College said the opening of schools should be done "cautiously". He told Pat Kenny on Newstalk radio: "The evidence is even more compelling that children are not a major problem here, unlike flu. "The schools closure is justified if it's a disease like flu because children pick that up among each other and then they go and spread it at home - that's why you close schools in a flu pandemic. "This is a different virus with different properties - and the more it's gone on, the more we've realised this. "Now there's really more and compelling evidence that kids aren't a big source of spread." "But I can't see why a child can't go in for two days a week... and I think for the mental health of the children it's extremely important. "And lots of studies have shown this in the past: that children kept outside of school will suffer academically later. "And then the biggest reason of all is the vulnerable children who can't home-school - they benefit massively from being in school." "There's no scientific evidence now to say that we shouldn't re-open schools cautiously". Deputy Chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk and Austrian Ambassador to Ukraine Gernot Pfandler have discussed the development of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Austria, the Ukrainian parliament's press service has reported. "The development of Ukrainian-Austrian bilateral relations, the intensification of inter-parliamentary cooperation and equal opportunities for women's participation in politics were discussed at a working meeting between Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Austria to Ukraine Gernot Pfandler," the report reads. On behalf of the Verkhovna Rada, Kondratiuk thanked Pfandler for the humanitarian corridor provided by the Austrian government to Ukrainian citizens during the coronavirus outbreak. "Thanks to this, thousands of citizens of Ukraine returned home quite quickly and safely to their relatives and friends. This brought our countries even closer," she said. The participants in the meeting exchanged information on the experience of counteracting COVID-19 and discussed the need to intensify bilateral and inter-parliamentary cooperation between Ukraine and Austria after lockdown restrictions are lifted. "I hope that the parliamentary group on inter-parliamentary relations with the Republic of Austria, which has been set up in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, will soon begin fruitful work with its Austrian counterparts. We expect the visit of the President of Ukraine to Austria and the exchange of bilateral working visits at the level of the parliamentary committees of our states," Kondratiuk said. In addition, the sides raised the issue of seasonal workers from Ukraine who intend to work in Austria. Kondratiuk emphasized the importance of creating appropriate and safe working conditions for Ukrainian workers, as well as their social protection in the conditions of coronavirus. Pfandler, in turn, said Austria was interested in workers from Ukraine and was ready to create favorable living conditions for them. According to the report, Kondratiuk and Pfandler also discussed the issue of ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women, in particular, their participation in politics. Pfandler noted Ukraine's significant progress in this direction and the increased number of women in the Ukrainian parliament. According to him, this is a positive trend that brings Ukraine closer to European standards. Kondratiuk also thanked Austria for its support of Ukraine in connection with Russian aggression. op When it developed in the southern Bay of Bengal on 13 May, the storm that was going to become cyclone Amphan was a low pressure system. It travelled north from a point a couple of hundred kilometres east of Colombo, Sri Lanka, seeking warmer waters, gathering power. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued its first warning the same day, predicting that it would intensify into a cyclone by the evening of 16 May. That is exactly what happened. The storm deepened into a depression and by the evening of 16 May, into cyclone Amphan. Climate change added a twist to the tale. It was predicted that the storm would develop into an extremely severe cyclonic storm (ESCS) by 19 May, with wind speeds of 90 knots (166 kmph). That would have been the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Instead, by the morning of 18 May, Amphan had intensified into a super cyclone with wind speeds of up to 240 kmph. In under 24 hours, its wind speed had gone from 65 knots to 125 knots. To climate scientist Roxy Mathew Koll at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, the answer lay in a marine heatwave sweeping through parts of the Bay of Bengal. Cyclones keep evolving based on where the warm waters are. We observed some of the highest surface temperatures recorded by weather buoys installed in the Bay of Bengal, with unprecedented values of 32-34 degrees Celsius, just before the cyclone," he says. Koll says normal surface temperatures at this time of the year are 29-30 degrees Celsius. But the marine heatwave led to a rapid intensification of the cyclone into a super cyclone. So in about 18 hours it developed from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm with winds of up to 250 kmph. Thats something unprecedented." The heatwave also led to massive bleaching of coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar through April and May. As last years Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes Special Report On The Ocean And Cryosphere In A Changing Climate demonstrated, marine heatwaves are a result of climate change. The global ocean has absorbed 90% of the excess heat generated by greenhouse gas emissions since 1970. The rapid, devastating intensification of tropical cyclones, as well as the destructive bleaching of coral reefs, is the result. Last years cyclone Fani, which struck Odisha in early May, had shown somewhat similar intensification, but Amphan had no peer in how rapidly it intensified. The vulnerable delta Cyclone Fani had extracted a devastating cost. It affected over 16.5 million people in 14 Odisha districts and the state suffered an estimated loss of 24,176 crore; 64 people were killed. From 2007-20, the Bay of Bengal basin has seen at least 15 major cyclones. Some of these, like Sidr in 2007, Aila in 2009, Phailin in 2013, Hudhud in 2014 and Bulbul in 2019, caused widespread damage in Odisha, West Bengal and Bangladesh. The main focus of most of these cyclones was the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta and the Sunderbans. Amphan too made landfall in the Sunderbans, between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya Island in Bangladesh, between 2.30-6pm on 20 May. The path had been predicted definitively by IMD as early as 16 May, and according to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), over 500,000 people were evacuated from coastal West Bengal. The cyclone had weakened to an ESCS and was packing winds of 160-170 kmph, with wind gusts of 190 kmph. As the cyclone headed straight for Kolkata, it left a trail of devastation in its wake over the South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts: A storm surge of over 13-14ft swept through large parts of these districts and sea water inundated the land. River embankments across the Sunderbans and low-lying districts were swept away, sweetwater ponds salinated, houses and crops destroyed. According to Sugato Hazra, director of the School of Oceanographic Studies at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, it could have been worse. The inundation may not have been as high as with cyclone Aila because the landfall coincided with a low tide in the Sunderbans," he says. However, due to the saline water, he says, waterlogging will affect the areas for a long time. Giriraj Amarnath, senior researcher and research group leader, water risks and development resilience, at the Colombo-based International Water Management Institute (IWMI), says that while the Sunderbans mangroves are a resilient system, and did a great job of weakening the cyclone, their ability to protect communities depends on the storm surge. If the storm surge is 25-30ft, even the trees can get submerged," he says, adding that the people living here will suffer the most." As more of the Sunderbans is turned into arable land, mangrove density declines. And people are subjected to greater risks. So the question is how much you want to develop in a region and how much you want to take the burden of human deaths and infrastructure losses," says Amarnath. We have to revive the channels in the delta, revive the rivers in the delta, bring more freshwater so the mangroves can regenerate fast. And the people can get some freshwater. Without this the delta cannot survive," says Hazra. While the delta took the brunt of the violence of Amphan, Kolkata wasnt spared. Over 5,000 trees were uprooted, there was large-scale flooding, electricity and water lines were down for days. The city came face to face with its climate change future as winds of 130-140 kmph battered it on the evening of 20 May. Kolkata is a very vulnerable city because of its density of population as well as very underdeveloped infrastructure because its an old city. And it is a very low- lying area, it is more or less like a basin. So water cannot escape easily," says Hazra. He emphasizes that high-intensity rainfall has increased over the past decades in the city. The city will remain flooded unless you can pump out the water. And pumping out the water will depend upon your readiness and preparedness of flood management," he says. Amarnath holds similar views on the risks that Kolkata faces. We dont really plant the trees that are required in an urban system. We dont allow for groundwater recharge. Our drains are still of 1m width and less. They are from British times and need to be upgraded," he says. Rebuilding for the future Amarnath shares high-resolution images from international disaster monitoring satellites to show the extent of flooding. As West Bengal picks up the pieces and rebuilds, detailed flooding maps like these, he says, can help chart a path of resilience. I was looking at media sources which reported that the government of West Bengal has given an initial loss estimate of 1 trillion. How can you be sure? It can even be 2 trillion. I would say use these footprints of satellite data which show inundation and breaches, then people could estimate really where the damage has happened, how much compensation should be given," he says. There is a term called post-disaster need assessment. So if you do it in a detailed way, you can come up with where are the locations and what the priorities should be for recovery planning," he adds. When it comes to cities like Kolkata, Amarnath says, We cannot plan for today and say we can manage every disaster in the future." He suggests we make a habit of climate screening for managing land, water and ecosystem services. Look at more bio-retention, more green infrastructure. You need to improve your water system, regulate for climate and plan for flooding mitigation," he says. Hazra insists the mangroves need to be taken seriously; without them, such storms will hit Kolkata directly. He also says its time the government thinks of relocating people away from vulnerable coastal areas, giving them access to other livelihood options and compensating them equitably for the move. You cannot keep them there and go on saving them. It is better to rehabilitate them a little away from the delta margin because nearer to the coast there is higher vulnerability and risk," he adds. In Hazras view, Indias climate policy leaves a lot to be desired. He says the country has a gender-blind climate policy, even when its clear that it is women who suffer the most. Theres no place for the most vulnerable people in the delta. Theres no place for the delta in the Indian plan. This is the most vulnerable part and you dont have an Indian plan for that." He says the government doesnt even generate gender-segregated data for communities affected by extreme climate shocks. What is clear is that the wounds inflicted by cyclone Amphan will fester for a long while. And given the worsening climate crisis, this entire tale of devastation may be repeated later this year, or next year. There are many questions about planning, adaptation and resilience that need to be addressed right now, but, as Hazra says, such questions should be asked all the time, not just after a disaster. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Housing at the California Institution for Men in Chino is set up in close-quarter dormitories. (U.S. District Court filing) Amid a growing coronavirus outbreak at the California Institution for Men in Chino, nearly 700 vulnerable inmates will be transferred to a dozen other prisons around the state, officials said. The prisoners who will be moved have all tested negative but have medical histories that could make a COVID-19 infection potentially life-threatening. Under the plan, agreed to by the California attorney general, the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Prison Law Office, 691 inmates will be redistributed across 12 other state prisons, a reversal in corrections policy that forbids transfers. The moves come amid a massive coronavirus outbreak at the Chino prison that has infected every dormitory used to house inmates. The prison has reported more than 600 cases and nine deaths. The transfer orders were revealed in a document filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court by California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and the Prison Law Office. California Correctional Health Care Services, which oversees medical care for prisoners, had previously opposed such transfers, saying that mass movement of high-risk inmates between institutions without outbreaks is ill-advised and potentially dangerous, noting the movement carries significant risk of spreading transmission of the disease between institutions. But the court filing said the prior approach of keeping inmates with underlying health issues in an infected facility had failed to keep them safe. Since CDCRs current and past measures have failed to stem outbreaks and stop the spread, it is imperative that vulnerable patients receive additional protection immediately, the brief stated. The Corrections Department has instituted daily screenings for all staff before entering state prisons, which are increasingly becoming "powder kegs" in the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. All prison employees are required to wear cloth masks and have been ordered to maintain physical distancing as much as possible. At the Chino and Avenal correctional facilities, all workers also have be required to be tested. Story continues The state also will institute strict cleaning protocols within the prisons, with logs to document the disinfecting of showers, toilets and sinks between use. According to the court filing, attorneys conducted an online video visit of the mens prison on May 22. The Prison Law Office noted that while the state had claimed there was at least six feet of social distancing for inmates housed in the dormitories, a live video showed otherwise. Families of prisoners have conducted drive-by protests outside the prison in recent weeks. Inmate John Blagg, who is serving an eight-year sentence at Chino for driving under the influence with injury and has a history of strokes and heart attacks, said inmates have been split up into groups of those who have tested positive and those who have tested negative. Prison authorities have also set up tents in the courtyard areas in an effort to spread the inmates out. I dont deserve a death sentence, he told The Times last month in an interview. I am afraid I am not going to make it out. .. I understand I did what I did. Ill do my time. I dont want to die, and I dont want other people to die. Californias prisons resumed processing inmates this week for the first time since Gov. Gavin Newsom suspended their intake in March. New inmates will be accepted from only four counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Fresno. It is anticipated that no more than 200 inmates will be accepted from those counties through June 19, according to the state corrections department. Inmates will go to one of two intake centers, at North Kern State Prison or Wasco State Prison. At each location, inmates with be offered coronavirus testing. If they test positive, theyll be isolated. Any inmate declining testing will be quarantined for 14 days. Thousands of prisoners have been released as the state has sought to socially distance inmates in an effort to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. The state noted in its filing Wednesday that 3,000 inmates a month are released. The lack of intake in state prisons for the past two months further reduced the number of prisoners by 6,000, according to statements made in recent federal court hearings. But outbreaks of the virus have gripped prison populations across California and the nation. At federal prisons in California, 1,800 inmates have been infected at two Lompoc facilities as well as San Pedro's Terminal Island, and 12 prisoners have died. The ACLU is suing to force the release of some federal inmates, citing health dangers. In state prisons, an effort by prisoner lawyers to force additional releases has so far failed. A three-judge federal panel and a single federal judge have rejected moves by lawyers seeking more releases for inmates in a long-standing legal fight over overcrowding and medical treatment in Californias prisons. Olathe mom warns of fentanyl disguised as oxycodone after her son's accidental overdose OLATHE, Kan. - An Olathe mom is warning parents about a deadly drug that took the life of her 22-year-old son. March 4 was the worst day of Crystal Tucker's life. It's the day she found her son's lifeless body inside their home. "It absolutely tore my heart out," Tucker said. A glimpse at tragedy in the Golden Ghetto and a reminder of another American plague that persists and kills thousands every year . . . Take a look: CROMWELL Mayor Enzo Faienza says he hopes the declaration adopted by the Town Council Tuesday will encourage Gov. Lamont to speed up the re-opening of small and medium businesses in the state. The Republican-controlled council voted 5-1 to approve a declaration authored by Town Attorney Kari Olson that challenges the governors power to regulate which stores can remain open and those that have to remain closed. Faienza said he hoped the declaration gives the governor something to think about as he prepares to move to the second phase of reopening the state on Monday. Throughout the month, Faienza has expanded his efforts to have the governor reopen small businesses. In doing so, he has raised his profile, and has had other towns reach out to me, including, he said, Killingly, Wallingford and Southington. On Tuesday, Faienza said businesses in town are, in the main, ready, willing and able to reopen, while complying with the guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They should be given a chance to compete with large big-box stores, which have been allowed to remain open for the past two months if they have an in-store grocery store, he said. Allowing some stores to remain open while others had to close is fundamentally unfair and discriminatory, Faienza argued. That said, however, Faienza insisted the town would not attempt to defy the governors executive orders and unilaterally reopen. Lamonts office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday . The vote on the Olson declaration took place in the council chambers at Town Hall with all the participants wearing masks. Councilor Allan Waters did not attend the meeting because of a prior commitment, Faienza said. But Faienza said he had spoken with him earlier in the day and Waters, currently the longest serving councilman, wholeheartedly supports this declaration. James Demetriades, the only other Democrat on the council, cast the lone no vote. The heart of Olsons argument was drawn from a paragraph contained in a May 13 ruling by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. That court, which is elected, ruled by a 4-3 vote that the commissioner of the Wisconsin Department of Public Health exceeded her authority by extending a stay-at-home order. The suit was brought by the GOP-controlled state legislature, which has sought to limit the power of Democrat Tony Evers, who was elected governor in 2018. The court was asked to determine if Commissioner Andrea Palm had promulgated an order or a rule, which would require the involvement of the legislature. The decision has left the 72 counties in Wisconsin to determine which rules to enforce or not. In drafting the declaration, Olson quoted from a U.S. Department of Justice argument in an unrelated case that was brought in the Northern District of Mississippi, Temple Baptist Church v. City of Greenville, No. 4:20-cv-64-DMB-JMV (N.D. Miss. April 14, 2020). In that case, the justice department argued, There is no pandemic exception . . . to the fundamental liberties the Constitution Indeed, individual rights secured by the Constitution safeguards. Indeed, individual rights secured by the Constitution do not disappear during a public health crisis. These individual rights, including the protections in the Bill of Rights made applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, are always in force and restrain government action. In light of that assertion Faienza said, There is no justification for keeping our small businesses from opening. He called upon Lamont to give the local retailers the go-ahead to do so. Our small businesses are entitled to have the chance to compete, he said. But Demetriades, who is also an attorney, said the Olson declaration is not in the best interest of the town nor the best interest of the health and safety of our residents. The discussion and debate that lead to the creation of the declaration has put the council at the center of a media circus that is sowing more division and taking the attention away from generating solutions, he said. The tone of the Olson declaration does not appear to be drafted to engender a discussion of how to safely re-open the Cromwell economy, Demetriades said. He also questioned what relevance a court decision in civil matter in Wisconsin had for Connecticut. The council had also asked Olson to determine if a way could be found to hold a high school graduation. Olson said Tuesday she had backed off from that effort pending discussions between the council and the Board of Education. jmill@middletownpress.com Assemblyman William Brough (R-Dana Point) talks with Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron (R-Escondido) in 2016. An investigation has found that Brough engaged in inappropriate conduct with an unidentified woman. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Assemblyman William Brough (R-Dana Point) was removed from all committee assignments Wednesday after a state investigation found he made inappropriate comments and engaged in unwanted touching with an unidentified woman who filed a complaint with the Legislature. Brough was notified of the findings of the Workplace Conduct Unit panel by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), who said the alleged conduct was detrimental to the professional environment of the Assembly and to its employees. I categorically deny harassing or offering political favors to anyone, Brough said in a statement Wednesday. I will take the recommended training. I also want to apologize to my family, friends and supporters for putting them through this unfair process. We are looking at legal options. Brough, 53, was vice chairman of the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and the Revenue and Taxation Committee. He also was a member of the Assembly Budget and Appropriations committees, among others. The Republican legislator was told that he must undergo training in workplace harassment prevention, and that more disciplinary action is possible as legislators confer on the investigative findings. Four women, including an Orange County supervisor, have accused Brough of unwanted touching and other misconduct, The Times reported in September. Brough failed to qualify for the November ballot, placing fourth in the primary election, after the California Republican Party withheld its endorsement of his reelection campaign. On Wednesday, he disputed the panels determination that he had violated the Legislatures policy on appropriate workplace conduct. I disagree with the findings and the politically motivated process. I do not believe the WCU did a complete and fair investigation; they completely dismissed many of the collaborated, factual elements, Brough said in his statement. Rendons letter to Brough and to the woman who filed the complaint redacted the womans name. Story continues This letter is to notify you that the WCU concluded its investigation of complaints alleging that on more than one occasion you engaged in inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature," Rendon wrote. The complaints also included an allegation that on one occasion you impliedly offered political favors in exchange for sexual activity." The letter continued: "After considering all of the allegations and facts and based upon a preponderance of the evidence, the panel found that on two occasions you engaged in inappropriate conduct towards [the woman], once verbally and on the second occasion both verbally and physically by placing your hand on the small of [her] back." The panel also found that on one of these two occasions you insinuated that you would provide political help to [the woman] if [she] went to your apartment with you, Rendon wrote, adding that conduct of such a nature cannot, and will not be tolerated in the Legislature. Rendon also sent separate letters to two people saying an investigation of their complaints substantiated that Brough engaged in inappropriate conduct. Brough, who is married, said his opponents used taxpayer dollars on investigations to remove me from office. He said he was targeted for proposing legislation to restrict toll road expansion in Orange County, which he said was followed by a decision to stop planning for a $1-billion extension he termed "unnecessary." Other Republicans were critical of Brough on Wednesday. Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron of Escondido said she respects the outcome of the investigation. The behavior outlined in the investigation cannot be tolerated, Waldron said in a statement. Mr. Brough has been removed from his positions on Assembly committees and I am working with the speaker on next steps." California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said it was truly disheartening and distressing to learn the results of the investigation. Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett told The Times last year that shed had a negative encounter with the lawmaker in which he allegedly propositioned and attacked her at an official event in 2011 when they were both on the Dana Point City Council. "The fact that [he] was first ousted by the voters and is now being held accountable by his peers not only delivers justice for his victims, but also hope for others who may be unsure about coming forward," Bartlett said in a statement Wednesday. An MRI with increased signal in the posterior part of the internal capsule which can be tracked to the motor cortex consistent with the diagnosis of ALS. Credit: Frank Gaillard/Wikipedia Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, lose muscle control as nerve cells or neurons in the brain and spinal cord degenerate and can no longer send signals to muscles. Previous studies have identified that problems at the synapse, the point where signals jump from one neuron to another neuron or to a muscle, could contribute to that disconnect. But it's unclear what causes these problems. New research from the Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center has identified a new mechanism by which the buildup of toxic proteinsa common hallmark of ALSdisrupts neuronal transmission. The findings provide a groundwork for understanding how to maintain the nerve-muscle connection in ALS, and could lead the search for new therapies. The study was published in EMBO Molecular Medicine on April 29th, 2020. The culprit behind inherited cases of ALS is frequently an error in the C9orf72 gene, which incorrectly instructs the cell to over-produce a repetitive sequence of proteins, called dipeptide repeats (DPRs). One of the most abundant of these DPRs is the GA protein, which forms aggregates and gradually causes toxicity that can kill the neuron. "Our collaborators in Germany had found in a previous mouse model where GA is over-produced that there are deficits in motor function," explains Davide Trotti, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience, Research Director of the Weinberg ALS Center and co-senior author of the study. "But we did not know what GA was doing in the neuron itself." The researchers cultured motor neurons, the neurons that connect to muscle, from rats to take a closer look at the GA aggregates. They found that the GA aggregates are in fact mobile, traveling within the neuron and accumulating along dendrites and axons, where synapses are found. The researchers also found that the presence of GA aggregates led to an influx of calcium ions, disrupting the electrical balance of the neuron. This imbalance can impair the neuron's ability to detect and send signals. Indeed, when the researchers examined the synaptic machinery responsible for sending signals from the neuron to muscle, they found a reduction in a key protein called synaptic vesicle-associated protein 2 (SV2) in motor neurons grown or cultured in a petri dish. SV2 regulates the release of neurotransmitters, which are the signaling molecules that neurons use to communicate with each other and muscles. This decrease in SV2 results in diminished release of neurotransmitters, preventing the neuron from properly communicating with the muscle. Importantly, this reduction in SV2 was also found in vivo at the neuron-muscle connections in a mouse model of GA aggregation, as well as in motor neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of patients with the C9orf72 form of ALS. "The results suggest that these impairments in neuronal transmission also occur in patients' cells," says Piera Pasinelli, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience, Director of the Weinberg ALS Center and co-senior author of the study. "This helps us to understand the basis for symptoms ultimately observed in patients. Importantly, it helps identify targets and mechanisms in disease-relevant systems where GA is not artificially made or over-expressed." Using genetic tools, the researchers then replenished the SV2 protein in the cultured motor neurons with GA aggregates, and found that synaptic function was restored to normal levels. Restoring SV2 also reduced toxicity normally caused by the GA aggregates, and even prevented cells from dying and prolonged their survival. Notably, the deficits in SV2 and synaptic transmission occur before toxicity and cell death, so intervening in that time window could be significantly beneficial in slowing disease progression. "We've shown that even though the GA aggregates are still present, replenishing the SV2 protein can combat the most detrimental effects of this protein buildup," says Brigid Jensen, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Weinberg Center and first author of the study. "This points to SV2 as a promising therapeutic target for this genetic form of ALS." "We now have a better understanding of what contributes to the degradation of the nerve-muscle connectivity in this devastating disease" says Dr. Pasinelli. "Future studies will help determine if SV2 can prolong muscle strength and slow disease progression in C9orf72-ALS patients," adds Dr. Trotti. Explore further ALS mystery illuminated by blue light More information: Brigid K Jensen et al, Synaptic dysfunction induced by glycinealanine dipeptides in C9orf72 ALS / FTD is rescued by SV 2 replenishment, EMBO Molecular Medicine (2020). Journal information: EMBO Molecular Medicine Brigid K Jensen et al, Synaptic dysfunction induced by glycinealanine dipeptides in C9orf72 ALS / FTD is rescued by SV 2 replenishment,(2020). DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201910722 New Delhi, May 28 : The Indian Olympic Association has constituted a 11-member IOA Olympic Solidarity Fund Committee, led by Delhi Olympic Association President Kuldeep Vats, to manage all activities of Olympic Solidarity concerning IOA/NOC India for 2020-21 cycle. Besides Vats, the other members in the panel are Sahdev Yadav, Digvijay Singh, Chander Mukhi Sharma, Hari Om Kaushik, Rupak Debroy, RK Sacheti, Rajesh Bhandari, Adhip Das, Abhijit Sarkar and Dhanraj Choudhary. IOA President Narinder Batra, in a letter dated May 26, said that the committee will discuss and keep him and Secretary General Rajeev Mehta regularly informed about the decisions. "All decisions regarding the application and utilisation of the Olympic Solidarity budget/fund/scholarships/grant etc. as well as monitoring their implementation will be approved by the IOA Olympic Solidarity Committee." Batra further stated that the committee will be assisted by Ireny Koshi and Mrinalini from the IOA office for the implementation, execution, monitoring and coordination all its activities. "The concerned staff will be responsible for handling of the online Olympic Solidarity platform." The International Olympic Committee has aleady increased Olympic Solidarity funds for exceptional Games-related costs incurred by National Olympic Committee (NOCs) due to the postponement of Tokyo 2020 from $46.7m to $57m. Shopping for a car is always a time-consuming process and for some drivers it can cause quite the headache. Finding the right car for your needs is only half of the problem, the other half is finding funding for it. Figuring out how to pay for a car can be one of the trickiest pieces of the puzzle. It can help to find a way to save and get some help towards buying or leasing a new car. Alexander Toyota understands this struggle and has found a way to give back to those who have already given much. Veterans and military personnel can take advantage of a $500 rebate at Alexander Toyota. The offer is available to active duty and inactive reserve personnel, household members of eligible personnel, retirees within one year of retirement, and veterans within one year of discharge. The rebate can then be applied to any new Toyota vehicle leased or purchased through Toyota Financial Services. If any drivers are looking to take advantage of this program, then they need to provide verifiable proof to the dealership. This can come in the form of a leave and earning statement, military ID card, or DD Form 214. You will still also need to qualify for a financing and receive credit approval. Please, reach out to Alexander Toyota with any more questions via their website, social media profiles, or text channels. Customers can also call 928-344-1170 or visit the dealership directly at 889 E 32nd St, Yuma, AZ, 85365. Alexander Toyota will be able to help with and assist with any questions that a driver might have about the rebate. Personal computers and maps are a perfect match. The ability to have a computer figure the shortest distance between two points, or find an address on a map, seems like a natural. But it wasn't always so. Mapping software requires lots of hard-drive space, since road, city and address locations need large amounts of data. It's only in the past few years that large hard drives have become inexpensive. Speedy, high-quality graphics also are required, and that, too is a relatively recent development in the IBM-compatible arena. But now that the capability is here, so is the software - with a vengeance. There are three leaders in the field, the newest one coming from a Houston company. Each approaches mapping differently - one on a national level, one concentrating on city streets and the last trying to do both. AutoMap was the first major entry, and a new version is now available for computers that use Microsoft Windows as an operating system. The point-and-click system is perfect for pinpointing spots on a map. More Information This is Dwight Silverman's first tech column in the Houston Chronicle. Computing, as it was called, launched Feb. 28, 1993. See More Collapse AutoMap, at $99.95, is aimed at the inter-city traveler; other than major highways around and passing through cities, the program doesn't attempt street-level mapping. Its strength is in its routing capabilities between cities. AutoMap knows which roads are stretches of speedway and which are dotted with small-town stop signs. You can program AutoMap to respond to your preferences for types of roads or speed levels, telling it to forsake interstates for the scenic back roads, or vice versa. But AutoMap doesn't always know what's what. I told it to give me the quickest route from Houston to Corpus Christi. The program started me off traveling southwest on U.S. 59, but then veered south to Texas 35 - a notoriously slow crawl. Fortunately, AutoMap's preference feature let me tell it I love interstates and divided highways. It then re-routed me back onto U.S. 59 and U.S. 77. The program's database of small towns is impressive. For example, it knows where to find Springhill, La. (on Louisiana 7 at the Louisiana-Arkansas border), and Edna (on U.S. 59, midway between Corpus and Houston). However, it couldn't find Bessemer City, N.C. (just west of Charlotte off Interstate 85). Houston Chronicle City Streets, a $99.95 MS-DOS program by the Houston-based Road Scholar, concentrates on local details. The program comes with a local map and sample detail maps of some cities, but you must order a specific city map from the 160 available from Road Scholar. The first map is available at no extra charge; others are $49.95. The Houston street map is remarkably detailed. But it also has some holes. For example, parts of the Sam Houston Tollway are missing. City Streets knows there's something there, but not that it's a freeway. Fortunately, you can alter the maps yourself to add both roads and their names. But the program's neatest feature is its ability to look up addresses. Type in "801 Texas Ave.," the location of the Houston Chronicle, and the program drops a red map "pin" at the intersection of Texas and Milam. Or click on a spot on the map, and it will tell you the street address. Although the graphics are quick, the streets, names and freeway symbols are crudely rendered. Printed out, they look hand-drawn by a very poor artist. But that's a minor quibble - overall, City Streets is quick, easy to navigate and accurate. KeyMap, from Softkey Software, handles both cross-country and street-level mapping, and in trying to do both, it does neither as well as AutoMap and City Streets. But KeyMap is a bargain at $39.95, and those on a budget who need both kinds of mapping should consider it. As with City Streets, KeyMap comes with a main program; any of 153 individual cities must be purchased for an additional $39.95. At the national level, KeyMap for MS-DOS has a good database of small towns, though it also doesn't always get them right. Remember Springhill, La.? KeyMap erroneously put it in far eastern Louisiana, northeast of New Orleans. But it did find Bessemer City, N.C. KeyMap doesn't allow you to pick preferences for types of roads as does AutoMap. But it seems to be a little better at picking efficient routes than AutoMap in its non-preferential mode. KeyMap gets cumbersome and frustrating at the street level. It will plot a route around the city, unlike City Streets, but there's no easy scrolling around the city map. KeyMap requires you to pick an address or indicate a new center point to get from point A to B. And you can't reduce the level of street detail, so when you zoom back for a wider view, it takes forever - even on a fast machine - to redraw the screen. KeyMap also has an address look-up feature, but it only indicates one address per block. The Chronicle's 801 Texas Ave. became 798 Texas Ave. But for just under $40, that may be close enough. Huawei recently announced the launch of its Carrier Consulting Services and 5G Consulting portfolio and practice. Huawei Carrier Consulting Services aim is to help carriers to proactively cope with the opportunities and challenges brought by new technologies, new business, and new models, to create and obtain value for customers. With changes to the ICT industry and the emergence of new technologies such as 5G, Cloud, and AI, and the rise of B2B market demand, carriers are facing more and more uncertainties and refined operational challenges. To solve these difficulties, carriers require comprehensive professional consulting services and solutions, covering strategic predictions, top-level design, product and offering designs, end-to-end network planning, operation optimisation, and reconstruction and ecosystem value-based operations, to maximise investment benefits, achieve sustainable development and positive business cycles. On this basis, Huawei will now offer consulting services for the carrier market and its customers. Based on Huawei's rich experience and global practices in the carrier field, Huawei Carrier Consulting has developed the V-ID3EA methodology, a consulting operation platform and more than 150 methods, models and tools to efficiently support global consulting project delivery. Huawei will provide carriers with 12 consulting portfolios in the four domains of strategy, business, operations, and networks. These portfolios include: 5G Business-Network Synergetic Consulting, Value-based Management Consulting, Enterprise Know-how Consulting, Operation Optimisation and Reconstruction Consulting, a DTPC[2] (Digital Transformation Practice Center), Operation Assistance Consulting, Video Consulting, Home/ Fixed Network Consulting, Consumer/ Mobile Network Consulting, Intelligent Operation Consulting, Digital Service Consulting, and Service Experience Monetisation Consulting. To address typical challenges faced by carriers in different stages of 5G development, such as a lack of confidence in 5G investment, difficulties in bridging the gap between massive sites, and the slow innovation of new products and offerings, Huawei 5G Business-Network Synergetic Consulting provides consulting services in the areas of 5G industry and service-network synergetic planning, 5G product and offering innovation, and large-scale 5G service development for carriers. It does this by offering close linkage with business design and network planning, Huawei's profound professional knowledge, its DTPC innovation, and Cloud Open Labs platform. This ensures network deployment is driven by service development, on-demand network construction and precise network construction, to achieve a positive business cycle during 5G development. Huawei has already provided 5G consulting services to carriers in China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and across the Asia Pacific region. Huawei Carrier Consulting Services aims to become a professional consulting service provider with in-depth scenario capabilities, systematic analysis and problem-solving capabilities, with global reach and telecom industry know how. As of today, Huawei Carrier Consulting has served more than 100 carrier customers around the world with the support of a consulting team distributed across nine regions and two competence centres. In the future, Huawei will continue to invest in carrier consulting services to help more carriers create and obtain value. Meanwhile, Huawei is expecting to cooperate with more global carriers, industry partners, and professional institutions to establish a regular communication mechanism to enhance mutual understanding and collaboration, thus playing a more active role in the development of the telecoms industry generally and the consulting industry specifically. -- Tradearabia News Service The city of Midland will hold the first of several planned community conversations this evening to address the May 16 incident between Tye Anders and Midland police. The events also will be a chance to discuss relations between law enforcement and minority members of the community. John Norman, councilman for District 2, said while he expects residents to ask questions about the scene that went viral on social media 21-year-old Anders lying in the grass Midland Police Department officers pointed guns at him he hopes the meeting will be a platform for open dialogue. I believe the incident is just opening the door for us to have that community conversation, he said in an interview. Because its nothing new to a lot of people. Its been going on for years across the country. Norman said he is avoiding describing the event as a town hall because he believes the phrase has a negative connotation of leaders hosting discussions and then nothing changes. He said the conversations are meant to lead to new ideas for bridging the gap between police and residents of District 2, a predominantly minority district. Theres a real truth to the concerns and frustrations of residents of District 2, and I believe in order to do something about it, we first have to sit down and listen to those concerns and frustrations, and then implement a plan of action to move forward, he said. That plan of action could include a community liaison, someone with a law enforcement background to serve as a voice for African-Americans and other minorities, Norman said, and a greater emphasis on recruiting minorities to work in the police department. He also sees the potential for additional diversity training, and possibly, more education for community members on interacting with police during traffic stops and other exchanges. The confrontation between Anders and at least five officers was the second in a one-month span in which the MPD was accused of racial profiling and excessive aggression. Video captured and shared by a bystander in late April shows 16-year-old Fernando Rodriguez being kicked to the ground by an officer. A city spokesperson later said the officer used an approved front push kick after Rodriguez, who is Hispanic, failed to kneel fully as officers had directed him to for handcuffing. We have to have these tough conversations in order to move forward, Norman said. We have to have an understanding from both sides because everyone doesnt look at everything in the same lens. We have to understand there are different lenses out there that we may not be aware of. A community conversation --When: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today --Where: Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2300 Butternut Lane. Overflow rooms will be available in addition to the auditorium. --Social distancing will be in place. Masks, gloves and hand sanitizer will be available. See More Collapse Midland County Commissioner Luis Sanchez said he would be attending the event and was looking forward to hearing the discussions. His precinct Precinct 3 includes the portion of city of Midland District 2 where the incident on May 16 occurred. The meeting will be held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center beginning at 6 p.m. Norman said it will be divided into a question-and-answer session when a panel will answer questions that residents write on note cards and are read by a moderator followed by a life experiences section, which will give residents the opportunity to speak about their personal experiences. The panel will include Mayor Patrick Payton and Police Chief Seth Herman. I believe people are willing to talk and I believe people are willing to listen, Norman said. I believe people are willing to do the right thing and make things better, as a whole, for the entire city. By Ingrid Melander and Belen Carreno MADRID, May 28 (Reuters) - European Union leaders must reach a deal fast on a recovery fund to avoid a long and painful recession for a region shattered by the coronavirus pandemic, Spain's foreign minister said. The European Commission on Wednesday unveiled a 750 billion euro ($831 bln) plan to prop up the bloc's economies, but it could face resistance in fiscally conservative northern nations dubbed "the frugal four": Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told Reuters the whole region's economy, not just those of worst-hit southern nations such as her own and Italy, was at stake. "This is not a battle between some frugal countries, and some free-spending countries. The battle today is between a swift recovery that generates jobs or a long recession that creates pain," she said, calling for the disbursement of some of the funds before a full EU deal can be ironed out. "We have to be sober and act quickly." The Commission proposal, if ratified by all, would be a milestone in a half century of continental integration, marking a step towards mutualised debt as a major funding tool for the first time and paving the way for greater EU taxation powers. The minister was optimistic a deal could be found. "In two months we have completely changed the dynamics in Europe," she said. Gonzalez Laya said the car sector, along with tourism and renewables, would be priorities for Spain when it comes to using this fund. The first two are hard hit by the crisis and the latter is a government priority. The minister, a former senior official at the World Trade Organisation and the European Commission, joined the new minority government led by the Socialist Pedro Sanchez in January. "Spain does not fear reforms, Spain is already doing reforms," she said. ($1 = 0.9020 euros) (Reporting by Belen Carreno and Ingrid Melander; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) A special court here on Wednesday remanded DHFL promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan, arrested by the ED in connection with money laundering probe against Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor and others, to 14-day judicial custody. They were arrested earlier this month under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Wadhawans brothers were produced before the special court at the end of their Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand. The court sent them to jail after no further remand was sought by the central investigating agency. The duo, also being probed by the ED in another money laundering probe linked to late gangster Iqbal Mirchi, were summoned by the agency multiple times in the Yes Bank case but they had cited the ongoing COVID-19 travel restrictions to skip appearance. In April, the Wadhawan brothers and their family members had travelled to Mahabaleshwar, a hill station in Satara district of Maharashtra, in violation of the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Five vehicles used by the family were seized by the ED. As many as 44 companies belonging to 10 large business entities, including Anil Ambani Group, Essel Group, IL&FS, Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd, Cox & Kings and Bharat Infra, among others, reportedly accounted for bad loans worth Rs 34,000 crore of Yes Bank. The ED has accused Kapoor, his family members and others of laundering "proceeds of crime" worth Rs 4,300 crore by receiving alleged kickbacks in lieu of extending big loans through the bank that later allegedly turned non-performing assets (NPAs). Kapoor is currently in the ED's custody. The Wadhawans are also being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the same case. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Minutes before launch, world's premier space agency NASA on Wednesday (May 27) postponed the launch of its most-awaited mission to take American astronauts to International Space Station (ISS) from the US after around a decade. NASA decided to postponed the Demo-2 mission due to bad weather. The next opportunities to launch are Saturday at 3:22 pm Eastern Time and Sunday at 3 pm. We are not going to launch today. Due to the weather conditions, the launch is scrubbing. Our next opportunity will be Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 pm ET. Live #LaunchAmerica coverage will begin at 11 am ET, tweeted NASA. Several people had gathered along Space Coast in Florida to watch the launch and the Falcon rocket developed by private firm SpaceX was on the launchpad when the mission was aborted. NASA had joined hands with SpaceX to launch astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken on a mission to the ISS at 4:33 pm Eastern Time on Wednesday. The launch of Demo-2 is significant because it is the first flight of NASA crews from the US soil since 2011 and the first launch of a rocket developed by a private company. It is to be noted that SpaceX is owned by billionaire businessman Elon Musk. "There wasn`t really a lightning storm, but there was a concern that if we did launch it could trigger lightning," NASA chief Jim Bridenstine said. He, however, appeared confident and said that the aborted countdown was a valuable "wet dress rehearsal." "This was an important milestone, just today. We learn a lot every time we do these things," he said on NASA TV. Launch director Mike Taylor said that several unspecified "weather violations" were responsible for halting the mission. The 53-year-old astronaut Hurley and Behnken, 49, had been strapped into their seats for around two hours before NASA decided to call off the historic launch. "Everybody did great today. It was a great practice, and we`ll do it again on Saturday," Hurley said just before climbing out of the capsule. (Natural News) Japan has, by far, the lowest death toll and number of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) infections among the Group of Seven major economies. The Japanese governments expert panel on the pandemic has identified the wearing of face masks alongside good public hygiene and social distancing as one of the reasons for this. The wearing of masks has sparked outrage in some parts of the world and was initially dismissed as ineffective by the World Health Organization. But in Japan, face masks have long been a part of everyday life, and they have proven to be useful tools in the fight against the deadly pandemic. As of writing, Japan has confirmed over 16,000 coronavirus cases and about 850 deaths. Japanese citizens are comfortable with wearing masks Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ended the nations state of emergency on Monday, as coronavirus cases tailed off. Abe also laid out plans for a gradual resumption of social and economic activities, as well as precautions against another major outbreak. Shigeru Omi, vice-chairman of the expert panel, said that strong health consciousness among the Japanese helped slow the spread of COVID-19. Responding to written questions from Bloomberg, the expert panel explained that the Japanese have a strong awareness of public hygiene, starting with the habit of washing their hands. The panel also credited it to widespread knowledge about preventing infections. We have found out that wearing masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing and avoiding talking loudly are effective in preventing transmission, the panel said. In particular, Japanese citizens are more comfortable with wearing masks on a daily basis. A large number of people are allergic to pollen, so many wear masks during the cedar pollen season that usually occurs from the beginning of the year until spring. Many Japanese also wear masks to protect themselves against influenza. This lack of pushback to wearing masks in public, combined with a strong sense of public hygiene and social distancing, has not only helped Japan weather the initial coronavirus outbreak, but also prepared the country for a second wave of infection. Despite these efforts, however, the countrys healthcare system came close to collapse. This was partly due to the fact that Japan has no legal means of imposing a lockdown. But modeling showed that reducing social contact by 80 percent would help reduce infections, and many Japanese cooperated by practicing social distancing. Japans fight against the coronavirus is still not over Despite Japans decision to end its state of emergency, the countrys fight against the coronavirus is far from over. According to NHK, an uptick in cases this week in the southwestern city of Kitakyushu has sparked enough concern that the government has sent out a team to investigate. (Related: Hokkaido lifted its state of emergency and lockdown TOO EARLY and is now facing a SECOND WAVE of coronavirus infections.) With the nation inching closer to resuming activities, experts are obliged to stamp out clusters faster than ever to prevent a more serious second wave of infections. And based on the panels responses, this entails massive PCR and antigen testing, as well as constantly reminding the Japanese public to avoid situations that put them at risk of infection. With regard to testing, the panel admitted that the country wasnt able to provide testing for all citizens that needed it. The countrys PCR testing capacity in mid-March did not expand fast enough to keep pace with the rate of infection. Overall, the absolute number of tests conducted in Japan has been far lower than in other countries, but the number of tests per reported death has been higher. The proportion of tests that yield a positive result has also fallen from 30 percent to one percent, which is relatively low compared with other countries. This means that Japans response to the pandemic, including the system of testing it has adopted, can be considered adequate and reasonable. Sources include: JapanTimes.co.jp Bloomberg.com Symphony surged 4.73% to Rs 825.25 after the company said it has witnessed a sudden spike in sales of aircoolers to high-end homes and of commercial coolers to offices, which bears well going forward. In 2019 the company had taken several measures to scale up sales in the summer of 2020. But the pandemic hit India at the beginning of summer when consumers buy air-coolers. Up until the middle of March sales of air-coolers were very robust, but the countrywide lockdown in the second fortnight of March resulted in a loss of about 15%-17% of sales for the quarter that ended in March 2020. Despite the company having firm orders from both domestic and international customers, it was unable to deliver the goods towards the end of March, leading to several orders being cancelled. Post easing of lockdown in May, sales by the channel has been very robust aided by soaring temperatures and a delayed summer. The company hopes that the channel inventory would be at acceptable levels by the end of summer. The company's sales in the current quarter has been severely impacted and will be a fraction of what it ordinarily would have been. But if the channel inventory is down to normal levels by the end of the quarter, which appears quite likely, it is expected that collections from next quarter onwards should be back at normal levels. It will remain to be seen how much of the collection the company is able to convert to sales during the July to September quarter, since the company's OEMs are facing production constraints because of labour shortages and logistic bottlenecks. The company expects production to normalize in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the company has witnessed a sudden spike in sales to high-end homes and of commercial coolers to offices. This is because the government has advised the populace to be in well ventilated spaces rather than breathe in recirculated, air-conditioned air which may spread infections. Moreover, portable air-coolers are being preferred in the current times because they do not require installation like air-conditioners. Despite the current setback, the company expects to bounce back very quickly on the strength of its asset-light and capital-light business model. On the financial front, with very little sales in the first quarter, absolute sales and consequently profitability for the full year is likely to fall short of 2019-20 sales, though the margin percentages will remain intact. The full impact of the new models introduced in 2019 and all other initiatives will be evident from the first quarter of 2021-22. In international business, the company's Mexican subsidiary has been largely unaffected by Covid19 so far,and it appears as if it will the end fiscal at a similar level as last year. GSK, the subsidiary in China, has been greatly affected by the US-China trade war, and the pandemic, but will still manage to end the year with sales and profitability like last year. The Australian subsidiary is likely to end the year with enhanced profitability due to various measures to reduce cost. Symphony's consolidated net profit jumped 37.84% to Rs 51 crore on a 20% rise in net sales to Rs 288 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. Symphony manufactures air coolers for domestic, commercial and industrial customers in 60 countries across the globe. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seoul South Korea is tightening restrictions in Seoul and its outskirts again after a significant rise in coronavirus infections, the country's health minister has announced, after a crisis meeting chaired by Premier Chung Sye Kyun. Public institutions including museums, theatres and multifunctional halls in the greater Seoul area would again be shut down immediately until June 14, Health Minister Park Neung Hoo said. Workers spray disinfectant in Seoul. Credit:AP "The next two weeks are critical," he said on Thursday. South Korea had already begun lifting the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus. Some time this week Ontario Premier Doug Ford is supposed to unveil a new COVID-19 testing strategy for Ontario. Its about time. And it had better be a big improvement. Aside from not having a handle on how the virus spread like wildfire through Ontario long-term-care homes, the governments biggest failure to date is inadequate testing. There is no clear, consistent, answer on why this is so. Across Canada and around the world, jurisdictions that have successfully implemented widespread testing have had the most success at controlling the spread of the virus. In this country, British Columbia and Alberta are among the most successful testing regimes, and look at where they are in terms of pandemic recovery compared to Ontario. But even armed with that irrefutable data, Ontario hasnt been able to grow testing adequately. Yes, it appears to be improving now, in fact one day this week we came very close to the daily maximum capacity of 16,000. But that has been more the exception than the rule. On far too many days testing has fallen far short of capacity and targets. That failure has left us in a dangerous position. It meant that Ford ended up restarting the economy without an adequate understanding of how the pandemic is growing in Ontario, because we havent done enough testing to make that determination. The government has done this backwards. We should have had a new and comprehensive testing regime in place before we started reopening. Given that daily reported new cases (not the most important metric, granted) again appear to be dropping, we may have avoided the fallout from that poor public policy planning. Then again, reopening is only a week old, and we could still see another spike given COVID-19s incubation period. No doubt the why of this failure will come up significantly in the governments independent inquiry into the LTC fiasco, but whether it will ever get properly aired in public is anyones guess since the government will control all the information. Back to the governments new and improved testing regime. In part, Ford says, it will test more people, including at work, and those who may have the virus but arent displaying symptoms. Can we feel confident that the government will get it right this time? Lets hope so, but there is reason to worry. Remember, Ford has been the loudest voice complaining about inadequate testing for weeks. He called it absolutely unacceptable and frustrating and disappointing. He has done what he does best been angry, offended, emotional and fed up but what he has not been able to do is change it consistently and for the better. Its hard to overstate the importance of Ontario, and Quebec, too, (the two provinces where the virus has hit hardest) getting their testing plans in order and quickly. There is now almost no doubt that we are months, perhaps years, away from being done with COVID-19. The World Health Organization is warning that the pandemic overall hasnt even peaked yet. Most experts are predicting a second round, at least, this fall. In part, that bleak prognosis is why Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed this week to provide federal help to provinces who need assistance establishing or re-enforcing testing strategies and execution. All provinces, especially Ontario, should accept that offer. When the next wave hits, adequate testing will be the most important tool to identify, control and fight the spread of COVID-19. No patchwork quilt of testing protocols that dont line up. A unified, national plan, for a national crisis. Read more about: He works in an MNC and analyses the insurance details of people living in the UK and the US. Its a kind of day job that any of us can relate toworking within four walls, following a set of instructions day after day, with little scope for improvisation. And yet he is different from most of us. He writes poems. Explaining how it is possible to stay within a close proximity to verses while still living in an everyday world of dull prose, Indrajit Ghoshal shares the miniature of his routine. I try touching what is beautiful within the parameters of my daily existencehe is talking on WhatsApp from the isolation of his two-room home in Gurugrams DLF Phase 3, in the National Capital Region. See, my office is in Sector 21. It takes me 15 minutes to reach office if I travel by company transport. It takes me 50 minutes if I walk the entire distance. It takes me more than that if I stop at places in between. In most of the days of his commuteand here we are talking of the BC (Before Corona) era of courseMr Ghoshal travels to work partly in public transport, such as autos, and partly by walking. I often stop on the way, I look at the scenes, I watch people.... I think. He also spends a lot of time in Metro stations looking about the fast-moving world around him. And sometimes Mr Ghoshal is overcome with feelings and turns his observations into poems by quickly jotting early drafts on his mobile phone. Mr Ghoshal writes in Hindustani which is a mix of Hindi and Urdu. These days he is poring over the work of Pirzada Qasim, a poet in Pakistan whose work often reflects his anguish at the things he is witnessing. He admits that with so many years spent in the Hindi-speaking world, he has lost touch with Bengali, the language of his parents. Raised in the town of Dhanbad, Mr Ghoshal, 33, arrived in the Delhi region in 2008 as a bru master in a Cafe Coffee Day outlet. Later, he switched jobs and careers, lived in Delhi, and moved to his current address in the Millennium City in order to be closer to his office. Since the time the lockdown began due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Ghoshal has been happily working from home since Ive always liked the isolation. His apartment is bare; he shows the place through the phone screen that connects him to this reporter. A few books are stacked on a rack, the laptop is on the floor, and theres the grilled window with a view of the blinding afternoon sunshine. In the ongoing lockdown, Mr Ghoshal does miss his walks through the streets. And particularly a chai stall on way to the office whose owner, a man from Odisha, works as a security guard in an ATM in the evenings. Mr Ghoshal shares an untitled poem he specially wrote for this page. He composed it in Hindustani and later translated it in English. POEM There is a separate world Where lacs of people In poverty, in frenzy Emptied their dreams from The recesses of their walls and With the burden of ignominy Started walking miles- The migrants- with the hope of homes in their hearts. With the alienation index complete, Home, in their villages, is the only whipstitch for their hearts torn apart, for their pleas unheard Unemployment, indignity, hunger- They didnt have anything to lose anymore. In my own space, Some nights while I try to figure out the knots of my life, I often wonder, Where would I have gone If I was a migrant? And then the still voice from within says, you have Delhi That gave you the 1st gossamer wings of hope When you had nowhere to go. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A man has revealed he wished he had said something following the discovery of two teenage boys living in squalid conditions. Two teenage boys with special needs were found in a home in the Brisbane suburb of Stafford, after emergency services were called to a residence. Shortly after 7am on Wednesday, police were called to the Midson Street address after reports the body of a 49-year-old man had been located. Emergency services told Nine News the 17 and 19-year-old boys were found in squalid conditions. Police found the body of the boy's father in the Brisbane suburb of Stafford. Source: Nine News Police said the 49-year-olds death was not being treated as suspicious and he is reportedly the father of the two boys. People who knew the man who died and the two boys have now spoken out as news outlets have obtained images and videos which provide additional context to how the teenage boys were living. One man who spoke to the ABC explained he had been to the property a number of times a few years ago and he knew the 49-year-old man through the local bowling club. "The stench was unbearable I wish I'd said something," he told the ABC, asking not to be named. "The boys were always locked in the room, the door was kicked in and there were chickens in the house." The Courier-Mail obtained photos of the teenage boys, wearing only nappies, in a room covered in their own faeces. When a concerned neighbour reportedly confronted the father about the boys living conditions, he allegedly accused her of trying to break apart his family. However, the ABC also spoke with neighbours who said the mans health was deteriorating and he did have someone come to the home to look after the boys. Concerned neighbours have documented the living conditions the children were subjected to. A video supplied to the ABC was taken by a neighbour who observed the conditions the two teenage boys were living in. Source: ABC One mother said when she observed the boys in the yard with only a nappy on she called the Department of Child Safety earlier this year and was told nothing could be done. [The department] basically said because they technically have shade, and they technically are in an enclosed yard, there's nothing that they can do, which doesn't sit well with me being a mum, she told the ABC. Story continues However, the department could not comment on whether this case was investigated, citing the Child Protection Act. The strict provisions of this Act make it illegal to disclose publicly whether an individual or family is known or not known to the department, a spokesperson from the department told the ABC. After the boys were discovered they were treated by paramedics at the scene and were taken to hospital, Nine News reported. The circumstances surrounding the care of the two boys with special needs is now being looked into by detectives attached to the Boondall Child Protection Unit and other government agencies. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 17:41:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's General Election Commission (GEC) has officially registered all 76 people nominated by the opposition Democratic Party (DP) as candidates for the forthcoming parliamentary elections, the DP said Thursday. More than 70 percent of the party's candidates are newcomers who have never served as ministers or members of parliament, Tsend Baatarkhuu, secretary-general of the DP, told a press conference. In addition, 46 percent of the party's candidates are economists and financiers, and 33 percent are lawyers, said the official. The opposition party will run in this year's parliamentary elections under the slogan "Let's allot the benefits of economic growth to every household and protect citizens by laws." Mongolia is expected to hold general elections on June 24. Mongolia's parliament is unicameral, consisting of 76 lawmakers each serving a four-year term. The landlocked Asian country last held parliamentary elections in June 2016. Enditem Visitors share a narrow hiking path Sunday at Eaton Canyon in Pasadena. After Memorial Day weekend, the popular recreational area was closed once again. (Los Angeles Times) To the editor: Have I lost my mind? Reading about the closure of Eaton Canyon because of overcrowding and people hiking bare-faced, I am trying to figure out why masks and social distancing create so much anger and malice. It is as though adults have regressed to an adolescent stage when you cannot tell them what to do, even if it supports not getting stricken with a dangerous and life-threatening illness like COVID-19. If they have regressed to adolescence, are they just rebelling? The two most important rules to follow are to stay at least six feet away from others and to cover your nose and mouth. How much simpler could it be? Now is not the time to regress with potentially dangerous consequences, but rather look forward to a healthy and safe future for everyone. Ellen Faulk, Santa Monica .. To the editor: It occurred to me while reading about noncompliance with the rules on social distancing and face masks, I may have missed something when last reviewing the 1st Amendment. Some citizens demand the premature opening of businesses and recreational venues, with increased infection rates guaranteed, and others refuse to wear masks in public. So I checked, and there it was. According to my handy pocket Constitution, following the rights of speech, religion and assembly was the right to be stupid. I stand corrected. Kerry Burnside, La Habra .. To the editor: My wife and I, both in our mid 60s, live in Riverside County. My wife really misses the ocean, so on May 24 we drove through the beautiful Santa Ana Mountains I love into Orange County, just to look at the ocean from our car. We saw crowded beaches and picnic areas. There was scant compliance with rules on distancing and masks. Title this scene, "The Unmasque of the Red Death." People will probably die because of this, some of whom weren't even there. At the grocery just this week, for the first time I saw many people shopping without wearing masks. I am actually afraid now. Terri Reeves, Lake Elsinore Mumbai, May 28 : The Indian equity market surged for the second consecutive day with the BSE Sensex closing above the 32,000 mark. Positive global cues, inflow of foreign institutional investments (FII) along with healthy buying in auto, capital goods and financial stocks pushed the indices higher, analysts said. Net inflow of FIIs on Thursday stood at Rs 2,354.14 crore and that of domestic institutional investors (DII) was Rs 144.83 crore. Rahul Sharma, Research Head at Equity99 Advisors said: "Ahead of derivative expiry today, traders were seen covering short positions in technology, banking and auto stock saw the market ending higher for the second consecutive day. Today, FPI were also buyers in select banking and telecom stock. On the other hand, high-net worth investors were seen bargain-hunting in select beaten-down stocks." He further said that at the end of the trading session, most long-positions were rolled over by traders to June 2020 contracts. According to Siddhartha Khemka, Head of Retail Research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services, investor sentiments were positive on the back of continued resumption of economic activities in the country and expectation of further stimulus announcement by the government. Global markets were buoyant on optimism that economic activity is gathering steam and authorities across countries may offer more stimulus to bolster the recovery, he said, adding hopes for potential COVID-19 vaccines under development also kept the sentiments positive, he added. Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research at HDFC Securities noted that the major Asian markets have closed on a mixed note while European indices like the FTSE, CAC and DAX ended higher. Asian markets were largely subdued due to the US-China tensions. On the technical front, Jasani said: "Technically, with the Nifty moving up further after breaking out of the highs of 9,179 yesterday, the bulls seem to be in control. Further upsides are likely in the coming sessions. Short-term support is now at 9,338." The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange settled at 9,490.10, higher by 175.15 points or 1.88 per cent from its previous close. The Sensex closed at 32,200.59, higher by 595.37 points or 1.88 per cent from the previous close of 31,605.22. It had opened at 31,827.80 and touched a intra-day high of 32,267.23 and a low of 31,641.77. ESD 1 Hears Requests From Volunteer Fire Departments The Hill County Emergency Services District (ESD) 1 Board of Commissioners discussed requests from fire departments and its new reporting system in a regular meeting held Thursday, May 21. A request from Aquilla Volunteer Fire Department to outfit a pumper so it can be used was approved by the board. The department presented a list of items that need to be purchased to allow the pumper to be qualified, and the board approved the grant, which will be around $17,000. ESD 1 will retain ownership of the equipment. It was reported that Lakeview Volunteer Fire Department has been approved for a $200,000 Texas Forest Service grant for a tanker. The actual cost of the tanker is $241,000, plus another $9,000 to $10,000 for extra equipment, according to information presented at the meeting. Lakeview VFD is expected to come before the board next month to request a grant for the remaining $51,000 to cover the extra expense. Lakeview has also been notified that it will receive a free brush truck from the Texas Forest Service and is expected to request a short-term loan of $2,000 to $3,000 for equipment to be used on the truck until other vehicles can be sold. Commissioners discussed the issue of a few Hill County fire departments that have still not implemented the district's new reporting system. The software is designed to streamline the process that departments use to report at the local, state and federal levels. For the first quarter of the year, departments were allowed to provide their reports with either the new system or with paper reports as the transition was made. Commissioners discussed whether additional extensions should be granted for the three departments that had not yet made the transition: Covington, Blum and 2604 VFDs. The issue of whether to make payments to departments that have not made the transition was raised, with the next round of payments due in July. The board opted to meet with the departments to gather more information before taking action, and the issue was tabled until next month. The board's next regular meeting will be held Thursday, June 18, at 7 p.m. - In the year 2018 Ghana earned almost $1 million from the export of cassava starch - This was announced by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) - GEPA added that US$935,000 and US$27,000 from exports came from United States of America (USA) and Italy respectively Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has revealed that Ghana earned almost $1 million from the export of cassava starch two years ago. YEN.com.gh understands that the export of the starch brought in US$935,000 and US$27,000 from exports to the United States of America (USA) and Italy respectively. Information available shows that the two countries accounted for about 96.4% of total cassava starch exports from Ghana. READ ALSO: Ghana to produce its own rice latest by 2023 Per a report by classfmonline.com, other countries that imported the starch were Belgium (US$24,000), Germany (US$6,000) UAE (US$3,000) and Finland (US$2,000). However, the export of the product to South Africa experienced a decline of 7%. In 2018, Ghana emerged as the sixth-largest supplier to the USA, whose total importation of the product amounted to US$82.2 million. Between 2015 and 2017, worldwide demand for cassava starch has hovered between US$1.58 billion and US$1.43 billion. It is however on record that China was the largest importer of the product with an estimated import value of US$938 million. In other news, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has initiated plans to halt the export of soya beans. The move is in line with attempts to ensure that there are enough soya beans to feed for poultry birds in Ghana. YEN.com.gh understands that MoFA is currently seeking legal backing to halt the export of the crop. READ ALSO: ADB supports poultry industry with GHC500 million Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Bawumia fires Mahama - Stop embarrassing yourself; always check the data before you talk | #Yencomgh Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now! Source: YEN.com.gh The number of new coronavirus infections identifiable by ZIP code grew by more than 250 in the past week, with the largest increases linked to five communities across Oregon. Eastern Oregons Hermiston, central Oregons Bend, the Willamette Valleys Salem and the metro areas Forest Grove and Gresham each saw the most new cases by ZIP code. New data from the Oregon Health Authority shows that 3,421 of 3,949 infections through Sunday are identifiable by ZIP code. Some of the states well-known hotspots, such as Woodburn and parts of east Portland, reported fewer new cases than in previous weeks. The numbers, released Wednesday, mark the states fourth weekly report disclosing infections by ZIP code. Officials list cumulative infections for all areas with at least 10 cases but dont disclose actual counts for areas with one to nine infections. (Click here to see a map of coronavirus cases in Oregon by ZIP code) Heres a look at the five ZIP codes that accounted for a quarter of all new infections identifiable by location during the past week: 97838, Hermiston The increase of 17 infections was tops in the latest report, largely driven by a workplace outbreak. The ZIP code appears to be responsible for virtually all of the new infections reported in Umatilla County during the week. At least 10 workers or family members became infected, said Joseph Fiumara Jr., the countys public health director. Fiumara declined to identify the business but said public health officials believe they have contained the spread through contact tracing. If we felt that there was additional risk to the public this would be something wed be public about, he said. Fiumara said the outbreak in question is the countys second largest to date, and largest involving an employer. The county has recorded multiple outbreaks where someone with mild symptoms feels compelled to go to work, ultimately exposing others to the virus, he said. Some workers, he said, are worried that if they dont go in theyll look bad or face other consequences, such as being fired. Sometimes its perception versus reality, Fiumara said. But if that perceptions out there, thats something we kind of want to nip. The ZIP codes total cases rose to 66 -- ranking 13th statewide and 12th per capita. 97116, Forest Grove This ZIP code in Washington County recorded 14 new cases, pushing the total to 81. Thats a big increase from the previous week, when the ZIP code added only three new infections. The 97116 ZIP code has the ninth most infections statewide and the 10th most per capita. Its not immediately clear what drove this increase. The ZIP code covers Forest Grove and extends west across swaths of farmland. 97080, Gresham This Gresham-area ZIP code added 12 cases in the past week, increasing the total to 78. Unlike some other parts of Gresham, the number of infections doesnt appear to be linked to any outbreaks at congregate care facilities. Its unknown what caused the spike in this region, which includes the hills of southern Gresham and extends east past Orient. The 97080 ZIP code in Multnomah County has the 11th most infections statewide and the 27th most per capita. 97305, Salem This Salem-area ZIP code reported 10 more infections, raising the total to 90. The ZIP code stretches from Salem north across rural farmland to near Woodburn in Marion County. It has the fourth most infections statewide and the 20th most per capita. 97702, Bend This Bend ZIP code recorded one of the largest weekly spikes based on its previous infections, adding 10 to increase the total to 35. The ZIP code in Deschutes County is tied for 34th in total cases and 69th per capita across Oregon. Other trends The Woodburn ZIP code of 97071 in Marion County continues to lead the state in total infections, with 202, but added only nine new cases last week. Thats the lowest tally for the area since state officials began releasing counts on May 5. Many of the other hotspots, including 97236 and 97233 in east Portland, 97123 in Hillsboro and 97030 in Gresham, added between one and eight infections. Meanwhile, the 97026 ZIP code covering Gervais in Marion County added three more infections, pushing its total to 46. With just 4,528 residents, that ZIP code has the highest per capita rate in all of Oregon, with one infection for every hundred residents. Oregon State Penitentiary: State officials still havent identified the surge in cases at the state pen in their weekly report. The prison isnt listed by its Salem ZIP code in the tallies, with infections there essentially lumped into an other category that makes them indistinguishable. Mark Friesen contributed to this report. Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt Felicien Kabuga, one of the last key suspects in the Rwandan genocide, lost an appeal on Wednesday to be released under court supervision. French judges have put off a decision on whether to transfer him to an international court until 3 June. Dressed in slippers, jeans and a purple shirt, Felicien Kabuga appeared before a Paris Court of Appeal on Wednesday, in a wheelchair and clad in a face mask. One of Rwandas most notorious fugitives, he listened impassively as the presiding judge read out the seven criminal counts against him, including genocide and incitement to commit genocide against Rwanda's Tutsi minority. "Those are all lies," Kabuga said finally through an interpreter. "I would not have killed my customers. They are lies." Kabuga was in court to challenge an extradition bid to transfer him to an international court in Arusha, Tanzania. But French judges refused to release the 84-year-old on bail insisting he was a "flight risk". Kabuga's lawyer had argued that his client is in poor health. Most wanted Suspected of financing the Rwandan genocide, Kabuga was arrested earlier this month in a Paris suburb after 25 years on the run. According to a statement from French authorities, he was one of the "most wanted fugitives in the world" and the United States had promised a bounty of $5 million for his capture. "The legal fight is just beginning," says Phil Clark, a lecturer at SOAS University in London and author of the book Distant Justice. Kabugas lawyers want Kabuga to be tried in France, insisting that he would not receive a fair trial at a UN tribunal. Legal battle However for Clark, "the UN has a very strong claim over this case, he told RFI. The UN indicted the fugitive suspect in 1997, and Kabuga has been the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Mechanism, the body responsible for completing the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which closed in 2015, ever since. Story continues Clark reckons also that the UN tribunals chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz, will likely try to push to obtain custody of the last of the ICTRs big fish in the wake of Kabugas arrest. "He is the strong favorite to become the next Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. He wants the Kabuga case in The Hague so he can keep his profile high while the ICC selections take place," he said. Most experts believe that Kabuga will be tried in the Netherlands, but Clark says a legal battle with Rwanda cannot be ruled out. Rwanda's Eichmann There's a real momentum within Rwanda to see Kabuga prosecuted in Kigali, rather than in some distant UN courtroom and possibly in The Hague, he tells RFI. There's a sense that justice needs to be seen as intimately as possible, in many ways it would be like the prosecution of Eichmann in Jerusalem, he said, referring to the trial of the notorious Nazi after World War II. Rwandas High Court Chamber for International Crimes will next week rule in the case of genocide suspect Ladislas Ntaganzwa, who was transferred from the UN's court to Rwanda, in what is expected to be a litmus test of Kigalis capacity to prosecute high profile suspects. Clark believes that a legal compromise may be reached, which would allow the UN to keep jurisdiction over the Kabuga case, but that the trial would be held in Rwanda. "Brammertz is going to need lots of help from Rwandan investigators and prosecutors, who played a crucial role in tracking down Kabuga," he said. Stay in France Kabuga was arrested from a flat in the suburb of Asnieres-Sur-Seine on 16 May where he was living under a false name. His arrest has raised questions about how he managed to evade the law for over 25 years. Once one of Rwandas richest men, Kabuga benefitted from a lot of protection and complicity, says Patrick Baudouin, a lawyer and honorary president of the International Federation of Human Rights. At various times, Kabuga lived in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya, as well as France, police say, although it is unclear when he arrived in Paris. Were within our right to question why he wasnt arrested sooner. I think it has a lot to do with French policy at the time, which favoured and protected the government of Juvenal Habyarimana and his entourage, Baudouin told RFI. The International Federation of Human Rights has urged the French government to launch an inquiry into why Kabuga was able evade the law in France for so long. Well-connected Politically well-connected, Kabuga made his millions out of the tea and coffee industry in Rwanda. He is alleged to have used his wealth and influence to funnel money to militia groups that massacred at least 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus during the course of 100 days in 1994. He is accused of supplying the militias weapons, including several hundred thousand machetes imported from China. The indictment against him also alleges that the radio station he partly owned, Radio-Television Mille Collines, incited the killings of the Tutsis whom it referred to as cockroaches, and revealed where they could be found. Looking for justice Kabugas lawyers have hit out at the charges, insisting their client cannot be presented as one of the main instigators of the genocide when no trial has taken place. Some activists took to Twitter to argue that Kabuga should be treated as innocent until proven guilty. Nonetheless, for lawyer Patrick Baudouin, Kabugas arrest is an important step towards justice. The charges against him are very severe. Even if we cant call him guilty until hes been prosecuted, the fact that someone of his ranking is at last being held accountable, will offer some relief to victims, he said. The French court will decide when and where to prosecute Kabuga during its next session on 3 June. Hong Kong, May 28 : Emergency services were called into Hong Kong Legislative Council's (Legco) chamber on Thursday after an opposition lawmaker hurled a container of foul-smelling rotten plants at the President's seat as a debate on a controversial national anthem bill resumed. Immediately after the incident, the Democratic Party legislator Ted Hui was taken away by security guards, and the meeting was suspended as a half-solid substance, light brown in colour, spilled from the container and emitted a strongly unpleasant smell, reports the South China Morning Post newspaper. Security guards covered the container, and used air purifying spray in the chamber, before cleaners were called in to remove it and the contents that spilled out. Soon after the debate started on Thursday morning, Legco President Andrew Leung ordered opposition lawmaker Eddie Chu to leave the chamber for displaying a placard. Opposition lawmaker Raymond Chan was also ordered to leave the chamber for protesting against Leung's ruling. Outside the chamber, Hui said he used a container of rotten plants to protest against Leung, as the President had limited the room for pan-democrats to speak up for the people against the national anthem bill. "What has gone rotten is our 'one country, two systems', our rule of law, our Hong Kong values. I want to give Andrew Leung and the pro-establishment camp the taste of it," the South China Morning Post quoted the lawmaker as saying. On Wednesday, lawmakers began debating a controversial national anthem bill which would criminalise insults to the 'March of the Volunteers'. The opposition unsuccessfully attempted to stall proceedings, while protests broke out across the city and more than 360 people were arrested for taking part in unauthorised assemblies. Delhi Police on Thursday filed 12 charge sheets against 541 foreign members of the Tablighi Jamaat who attended a congregation organised by the Islamic missionary group at its Nizamuddin headquarters in March. This is the third consecutive day charge sheets have been filed against foreigners in the case for violating visa conditions and Covid-19 lockdown rules, taking the total number indicted to 915. The charge sheets filed on Thursday against foreigners from three countries ran into more than 12,000 pages, and were submitted before the duty magistrate in the Saket court. In the same case, between Tuesday and Wednesday, 35 charge sheets were filed in the same court against 374 foreigners belonging to 34 different countries. The court is to decide on the cognisance of the charge sheets on June 25. The 47 charge sheets filed in the three days run into 40,908 pages. The 915 foreigners have all been booked under Section 14 (b) of the Foreigners Act, Section 3 of the Epidemic Disease Act, Section 51 of the Disaster Management Act and four sections (188, 269, 270 and 271) of the Indian Penal Code for violating visa conditions, lockdown rules, spreading the virus, and breaking quarantine rules, the police said. The Central government has already blacklisted them and cancelled their visas, as all of them arrived in India on tourist visas but indulged in missionary activities , which is illegal and against the visa manuals, said Delhi Police spokesperson Mandeep Singh Randhawa. Randhawa said of the 541 foreigners charge-sheeted on Thursday, 414 are from Indonesia, 85 from Kyrgyzstan and 42 belong to Malaysia. The crime branch had filed a criminal case against Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad and six other top officials of the organisation on March 31 for defying a series of government directives, which curbed religious and large gatherings to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the national capital. More than 2,300 people, including foreigners, were evacuated from the Tablighi Jamaat headquarters in March-end and lodged in quarantine facilities in Delhi by the authorities. The headquarters, known as the Markaz, went on to emerge as the biggest Covid-19 cluster in India, leading to a spurt in the rate of infection in the city. A total of 943 foreigners who had attended the religious congregation organised at the Tablighi Jamaat headquarters have been questioned in the case. While the passports of 723 foreigners and identity cards of 23 Nepal nationals have been recovered, the investigating team set yet to get the travel documents of 197 foreigners. A majority from the 197 foreigners claim that their passports are with the officer bearers of the Tablighi Jamaat or at its headquarters. Our team had searched the headquarter but did not find them. The investigators would obtain details of their visa and passport from the immigration bureau, if the documents are not recovered, said a senior crime branch officer privy to the probe, requesting anonymity. Dipen Taid (27) is an assistant teacher in a government-run school in Assam. But every afternoon he is revelling in his newfound role as a budding entrepreneur. Taid, who hails from Simaluguri village in Dhemaji district, located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river, has started a light-emitting diode (LED) bulb-making unit at his home amid the ongoing lockdown restrictions imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. Taid has been working at a school in lower Assams Barpeta district, located over 500 kilometres away from his native Dhemaji, for the past three years. He returned to his village in March owing to the prevailing lockdown restrictions and is conducting online classes for his students since then. Coronavirus outbreak: Full coverage I get busy with my LED bulb-making unit after my online classes get over. Ive got a lot of spare time because of the lockdown. I started the unit two weeks ago and have trained four youth from my village to assemble and manufacture LED bulbs, he said. Taids venture echoes the entrepreneurial bent of mind of a commerce graduate, whose late father was a humble farmer, as he has had no technical know-how of LED making bulbs. Online videos are all that he watched before starting the enterprise with an initial investment of 25,000 to buy a bulb-making machine and the parts needed to assemble 100 LED bulbs. He made the purchases from a Madhya Pradesh-based firm. The initial response to his venture has been a roaring success, as the first lot of 100 bulbs sold like hot cakes in a jiffy. Now, he has placed a fresh order for the supply parts for 25,000 bulbs from the same company. Indra Kumar Taid, Taids neighbour, waxed eloquent about the novel initiative. I visited his unit, and immediately purchased three bulbs for 160 each. Ive been using them for over a week, and can vouch that theyre better than many of the reputed LED bulb brands available in Dhemaji, said Taids customer. Ratul Missong, another customer of Taid, said the bulb he purchased five days ago is brighter than any other he has used in the past. The popularity of his product can be gauged from the social media response. On May 24, he put out a post on social media, which received over 2,700 likes and shared around 1,000 times. He has been flooded with calls from people, who either want to buy the bulbs manufactured by him or start similar units. Ive got calls from all across from Assam, except those districts located in the Barak Valley and Karbi Anglong. I cannot scale up my production because of financial constraints. Ive delayed accepting fresh orders till July, he said. Taid plans start a new brand called KB Lights the first initials of his late father Kenokamal and mother Bajumati. He has already chalked out his plans for the future. If KB Lights lights up his financial prospects, he plans to quit his job as a teacher and concentrate on expanding the LED bulb-making unit. I can only support my immediate family with my earnings, if I work as a teacher. However, I can become a job creator, if I manage to flourish in my business venture, said Taid. Assams youth dont need to migrate to other states in search of their livelihoods. They can become self-reliant in their home state, if they can start their own ventures with small investments, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON OAKVILLE, Ontario, May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Giyani Metals Corp. (TSXV:EMM) (FRANKFURT:KT9) (WKN:A2DUU8) ("Giyani" or the "Company") announces that, further to its news release of April 28, 2020, it intends to file its Annual Audited Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2019 (the "Year-End Documents") by no later than June 12, 2020 and its Interim Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 (the "Q1 Documents") by no later than June 30, 2020. The delivery and filing of the Year-End Documents and the Q1 Documents were postponed due to logistics and delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the lockdown implemented in Canada and Botswana in connection with the pandemic. Giyani is relying on exemptive relief granted by Canadian securities regulatory authorities that allows the Company to delay the filing of the Year-End Documents, required by sections 4.2 and 4.6(3) of National Instrument 51-102 ("NI 51-102") by April 29, 2020, and the filing of the Q1 Documents, required by sections 4.4 and 4.6(3) of NI 51-102 by May 30, 2020. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, securities regulatory authorities in Canada have granted a blanket exemption allowing issuers an additional 45 days to complete their regulatory filings. Until the Company has filed the required Year-End Documents and Q1 Documents, members of the Company's management and other insiders will remain subject to an Insider Trading Black Out period throughout this extension consistent with the principles of National Policy 11-207 Failure-to-File Cease Trade Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions. Since the date of the last interim financial statements that were filed on November 15, 2019, the following material changes occurred: The acquisition from Malungani Resources (Pty) Ltd of all of the outstanding ordinary shares of Lexshell 837 (Pty) Ltd. as announced on December 9, 2019 The update and amendment of the technical report for the K.Hill manganese project in Botswana as announced on April 28, 2020 The issuance of shares for debt as announced on May 6, 2020 Completion of private placement financing as announced on May 25, 2020 About Giyani Giyani Metals Corp. is a Canadian explorer and developer focused on the development of its K.Hill, Lobatse & Otse manganese prospects in the Kanye Basin, Botswana, Africa. The Company's flagship K.Hill prospect is a near-surface manganese oxide deposit currently going through a feasibility study to produce high-purity electrolytic manganese metal (HPEMM), a key product needed for batteries in the expanding electric vehicle (EV) market. Additional information and corporate documents may be found on www.sedar.com and on Giyani Metals Corp. Website: https://giyanimetals.com/. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Giyani Metals Corp. Robin Birchall, CEO Contact: Giyani Metals Corp. Robin Birchall CEO, Director +447711313019 rbirchall@giyanimetals.com Thomas Horton VP, Business Development +447866913207 thorton@giyanimetals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. persons," as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act ("U.S. Persons"), except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Company's securities to, or for the account of benefit of, persons in the United States or U.S. Persons. Forward Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Giyani expects to occur, are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of the relevant management as of the date such statements are made and are subject to certain assumptions, important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Giyani's ability to control or predict. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In the case of Giyani, these facts include their anticipated operations in future periods, planned exploration and development of its properties, and plans related to its business and other matters that may occur in the future. This information relates to analyses and other information that is based on expectations of future performance and planned work programs. Giyani's forward-looking information is based on the reasonable beliefs, expectations and opinions of their respective management on the date the statements are made, and Giyani does not assume any obligation to update forward looking information if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions change, except as required by law. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. For a complete discussion with respect to Giyani and risks associated with forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, please refer to Giyani's financial statements and related MD&A, all of which are filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Kannalmozhi Kabilan By Express News Service CHENNAI: Its a fine line between need and want. At least, thats what wed like to believe when enough time, boredom and borderline desperation has us fighting thread and blade with overgrown eyebrows. With the beauty salons and parlours out of the running for over two months now, our routine indulgences a haircut, a foot rub, a back massage, a bikini wax are starting to seem more and more like essential services. Even as the general populace are primed to make a mad dash to the nearest salon as soon as the government greenlights its operations, theres much work in store for the ones tasked with running these outlets. From sanitisation concerns to social distancing woes, these businessmen and women have much to prepare for. Precautionary tales Theres a certain level of hygiene standards that is assumed to be a given at beauty parlours, given the nature of its services and the number of people that use the common space. With a highly contagious virus doing the rounds, theres the need to amp this up by several notches. And the big players are ready to bring out their big guns. Pavithra Ashwin, director of YOLO Salon for Him & Her, says that it starts with testing all their staff for COVID-19. Initially, we want to make sure that our staff members are tested; we dont want to start off the infection from our end. We are in talks with one of the testing centres for this. We have around 30 staff members; some of them can afford the test and we are planning to sponsor it for those who cant. Now that theres no public transport, well arrange for private vehicles to take them to the centres and bring them back, she explains. Fellow players Volt Style Bar, Toni & Guy and Hadaza Grooming Studio have similar plans. Elaborating on whats in store at Volt, its owner Shweta Sada says, Hygiene and sanitisation has been important from day-one. This hasnt really changed for us because of coronavirus. We are only amplifying what we do to keep our premises hygienic. For our clients, we are working towards having disposable kits. It can be a hair colour, facial or pedicure; each customer will get an exclusive kit that can only be thrown away after use. We are even going to be specific about the towels we use. At YOLO, the disposable kits will go along with mono doses of the products required. At Hadaza, its owner Sandhya Prasath says that they are planning to replace all their equipment, towels and linen with new ones before they reopen. They also plan to sterilise all the equipment used with one client before moving to the next. Toni & Guy is going the same way, with its senior vice president Mario Weller informing us that even the mirrors would be sanitised after each client. Playing by the rules All these salons plan to stick to social distancing norms by putting their staff on a rotational shift and taking in clients only on an appointment basis so as to keep a cap on the number of people at the parlour at all times. Customers will not be allowed to bring friends or family along for the same reason. A few chairs and work-stations have been removed to ensure there is an adequate gap between clients. All work-stations will be sanitised or fumigated after each client and at regular intervals. Masks will be mandatory for staff and clients alike. They assure an endless supply of sanitiser throughout the outlet. Hadaza will even host a handsfree sanitisation station at the entrance. We have already removed unnecessary but frequently touched things like magazines and chocolate bowls, says Sandhya. Speaking for Toni & Guy, Mario says that they will not hold back on making the customers feel comfortable. We will give them sealed water bottles, and disposable cups if they insist on coffee or tea. Theres no point in running away from your basics. If a client wants coffee, you give them a cup of coffee but you take precautions. Our intention is to make the client as comfortable as possible. If this is going to be the new normal, lets approach it with two hands and not run away from the situation. They are coming in for a service and well provide that ensuring all the comfort possible. Seconding this point of view, Shwetha says, We totally understand that we have to coexist with this environment. We want to be the smartest and most responsible ones to handle this very securely. Anything that were doing is not eyewash. We are getting our staff trained, we are getting certified. Were taking this seriously. Waiting to restart While these big brands seem very assured of the way forward, the concerns of those owning local, smallscale outlets seem to be very different. Having gone two months without an income from his single store RJ Hairstyles, Gangadhar is desperate for word from the government about when he can reopen. Meanwhile, hes having trouble getting all the safety equipment he needs. Disposable caps and masks have not been available. Weve placed an order for a thousand of them, he says. With his single employee away at his native place for the lockdown, Gangadhar will be the only one working at the store when hes allowed to return to it. Hes sure he can manage his clients through appointments. He just needs to be able to start working again. Im willing to follow any rule that the government may provide. Its without a choice that Ive been sitting home, unable to earn an income, he adds. Eeswari or Shri Eeswari Beauty Parlour on Nelson Manickam Road is also awaiting instructions from the government to decide on the future course of action. Kavitha Sureshbabu, who runs two branches of Guys and Dolls Beauty Salon, is worried about how much all this is going to cost. I dont know how we will be able to afford all this. Weve already had no income for two months. Yet, we have to pay the salary for our workers, rent for the premises, electricity, EMIs and such. Besides, we might have our own problems (other than work). To provide for all this, we cant raise the price of any service by more than Rs 50. How we will be able to manage is a big question for all of us, she explains. Following social distancing norms too would come at the cost of losing out business for these small salons. The staff is supposed to work on a shift basis. But I only have three to a store; so thats not a problem. Were supposed to maintain a gap of two metres between two chairs. If its a 10x10 salon, how is that possible? We might have to take in only one client at a time, she says. At V2 Naruto, owner Meenakumaris primary concern is the restriction on the use of air conditioners. In this weather, people would not like to come in for facials and other grooming services when there is no air-conditioning. Well probably only get haircut requests for a while, given that many have had no chance to tame their hair for the past two months. Besides, with many restrictions still in place for weddings, events and social gatherings, not many would want to indulge in these services. They might only want their basic needs met. This would certainly affect revenue. We might not even be able to keep up the rent payments, she says. Running an organic beauty salon, she is also looking at the possibility of many of her products having gone bad over the two months. Things are looking bleak, it seems. The pandemic has spared very few. The beauty industry too, like almost every other sector, will have some more affected than others. Perhaps, a government order would come as a relief. On the regulation front, Meghanath Reddy, deputy commissioner (Revenue and Finance), Greater Chennai Corporation, says that decisions about checking salons and parlours for compliance will be made only after they get a GO in hand. Well simply have to wait, then. Georgia will not delay the process of returning to Ukraine the ambassador who was recalled for consultations after the appointment of Mikheil Saakashvili as chairman of the executive committee of Ukraine's National Reform Council, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has said. "You know that we have started consultations with the ambassador to Ukraine. Of course, we have to discuss many issues," Georgia Online quoted Zalkaliani as saying. As for the date for the ambassador's return to Ukraine, according to Zalkaliani, this process will not be delayed. He also said that the strategic partnership with Ukraine "will not be reconsidered." "We have many similar problems, such as the occupation of our country's territories, European and Euro-Atlantic integration, common positions within GUAM - this will not be reconsidered," Zalkaliani said. On May 7, President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili chairman of the executive committee of the National Reform Council. The Georgian government decided to recall Georgian Ambassador to Ukraine Teimuraz Sharashenidze to Tbilisi for consultations on May 8. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said on May 9 that Georgia did not intend to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine due to Saakashvili's appointment to a high position in Ukraine. op TWO young children were rescued by emergency services after being swept out to sea in separate incidents today. A six-year-old boy was pulled a mile offshore while clinging to his surfboard "for dear life". The boy had been enjoying the sun at Renville in White Strand, north of Cleggan, Co Galway, when currents, and a wind travelling out to sea, swept him and his board a mile offshore. After receiving 999 calls from members of the public and the boy's parents, Mallin Head Coastguard sent rescue helicopter 118, as well as two life boats from Clifden and sent out an emergency call to vessels in the area for assistance. One of the local boats found the boy one mile from the shore. They carried him back to the beach, at which time the rescue helicopter had arrived at the scene, landed on the beach and treated the boy. A spokesperson for Mallin Head Coastguard said it was 'miraculous' that the boy escaped unscathed from the incident. "He was okay. He was shocked and he was cold but they gave him treatment and he didn't need to be hospitalised," he said. "He clung onto that surf board for dear life, which must have been terrifying for him - a young boy of six years of age. "But also for the parents to see him washed out must have been unbelievable and he's only six years of age. "At any time if he let go of that surf board that would have been it. The winds were picking up, there were south-easterly winds, so they were blowing from the land out to sea." Separately, a major rescue operation was mounted in Kerry after a little girl drifted out to sea on an inflatable device. Coast Guard units, including the Shannon-based Rescue 115 Sikorsky helicopter as well as RNLI, Gardai and paramedics, scrambled to assist the rescue operation outside Ballybunion shortly after 3pm. The incident unfolded when a five-year-old girl apparently took an inflatable leisure device similar to a lie-low to the water's edge after attending the beach with her family. While playing with the device, she suddenly got caught in the ebbing tide which swept her out to sea. A number of adults at Littor Strand in north Kerry realised the child's predicament and tried to go to her aid but she had been carried too far out from shore. The alarm was immediately raised and the major rescue operation swung into gear under the supervision of the Valentia Coast Guard Centre. Locals tried to keep the lie-low in sight as it drifted out to sea in a bid to guide rescue services to the child's precise location. Rescue 115 was on the scene within minutes of launch and spotted the child. She was winched up to the helicopter and then transferred to a waiting lifeboat launched from Kilrush. The child, accompanied by her mother, was later transferred to University Hospital Kerry (UHK). She was being assessed and treated for shock, exposure and suspected hypothermia. It is understood the family are from Limerick and had spent the day at the popular Kerry coastal resort. The dramatic rescue took place just 24 hours after two separate rescue operations involving swimmers in west Cork. One involved four young boys who got into difficulty near Inchydoney while the second involved two young women outside Glandore. Irish Water Safety (IWS) have urged people to exercise maximum caution at rivers, lakes and the seaside as Ireland is set for glorious weather over the June bank holiday weekend and temperatures soaring to almost 27C. The Mallin Head Coastguard spokesperson urged that children must be closely monitored at this time, because lifeguards are not working during the Covid-19 pandemic. He advised that inflatable leisure devices, such as lie-lows, should not be brought near the open water. "All parents need to keep their children supervised on the beaches because there are no lifeguards at present due to Covid-19," he said. "Lie-lows should never come near a beach. Because of the current and the way the wind blows, people lie in them and they think they're in a pool but they just get swept out.. "Lifeguards would never allow them but they're just not there at the moment." CONCORD (BCN) A 52-year-old man died in a solo-vehicle crash into a pole off of Monument Boulevard in Concord on Thursday morning, police said. Officers responded at 6:14 a.m. to the crash reported on Monument Boulevard near Virginia Lane. Investigators determined the vehicle was traveling east and veered off the road, hitting a pole on the south sidewalk, according to police. The driver, identified by the Contra Costa County coroner's office as Concord resident Adrian Perez, was pronounced dead at the scene. Monument Boulevard was closed in the area for about four hours for the investigation into the crash. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to contact traffic investigator Justin Wilson at (925) 603-5962. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. San Francisco, May 28 : At a time when US President Donald Trump accuses social media firms of being biased against conservatives, a federal appeals court in the US rejected a lawsuit that alleged that Twitter, Facebook, Apple and Google conspired to silence conservative voices. The suit, filed in 2018 by nonprofit Freedom Watch and right-wing YouTube personality Laura Loomer, accused the four tech companies of stifling First Amendment rights. In a ruling on wednesday, the US appeals court in Washington, DC dismissed the lawsuit and said that the First Amendment rights regulates the government, not the private sector, TechCrunch reported. District Judge Trevor McFadden noted that the complainants could not prove that the companies were "state actors". "The Plaintiffs do not show how the Platforms' alleged conduct may fairly be treated as actions taken by the government itself," the judge wrote. "Facebook and Twitter, for example, are private businesses that do not become 'state actors' based solely on the provision of their social media networks to the public." In general, the First Amendment "prohibits only governmental abridgment of speech", the ruling pointed out. With respect to Twitter and Facebook, Freedom Watch specifically alleged that those platforms prevented Loomer from using their services. Loomer was banned by several platforms for alleged anti-Muslim statements. With respect to Google and Apple, the suit alleged that those companies were engaged in a conspiracy against Freedom Watch. The ruling dismissing the suit came on the same day Trump warned social media giants that his government could "strongly regulate" or "close them down" after Twitter fact-checked one of his tweets for the first time. These new sites will utilize self-swab tests and deliver on the company's commitment to establish 1,000 locations across the country by the end of May, as originally announced on April 27 . These new test sites will help enable the company's goal of processing up to 1.5 million tests per month, subject to availability of supplies and lab capacity. "CVS Health has been at the forefront of helping our nation scale-up COVID-19 testing capabilities, and we're proud to meet our goal of establishing 1,000 testing sites in communities across the country," said Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO, CVS Health. "Opening access to testing to more locations using our drive-thru window represents an important milestone in our response to the pandemic. We remain grateful for the daily efforts and sacrifices of our front-line colleagues who make the continued expansion of our testing possible." More than half of the company's 1,000 test sites will serve communities with the greatest need for support, as measured by the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index. The index tracks a variety of census variables including poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded housing that may weaken a community's ability to prepare for and recover from hazardous events like natural disasters and disease outbreaks. Self-swab tests will be available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, in addition to state and age guidelines. Patients must register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday, May 29 to schedule an appointment. Patients will be required to stay in their cars and will be directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window or a location in the parking lot at a few stores, where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions, and a CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly. Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and the results will be available in approximately three days. Testing will not take place inside any retail locations, and CVS Pharmacy, HealthHUB and MinuteClinic will continue to serve customers and patients. The additional new testing sites in Maryland include: CVS Pharmacy, 503 South Cherry Grove Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401 21401 CVS Pharmacy, 2504 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 21218 CVS Pharmacy, 9305-9 Harford Road, Carney, MD 21234 21234 CVS Pharmacy, 500 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 2122 2122 CVS Pharmacy, 228 Mountain Road, Fallston, MD 21047 21047 CVS Pharmacy, 1460B West Patrick Street, Frederick, MD 21701 West Patrick Street, 21701 CVS Pharmacy, 5910 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770 20770 CVS Pharmacy, 1503 Potomac Avenue, Hagerstown, MD 21742 21742 CVS Pharmacy, 7706 Milestone Parkway, Hanover, MD 21076 21076 CVS Pharmacy, 1008 Pulaski Highway, Havre De Grace, MD 21078 21078 CVS Pharmacy, 5621 Sargent Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782 20782 CVS Pharmacy, 360 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, MD 20850 20850 CVS Pharmacy, 3350 Worthington Road, Urbana, MD 21704 A complete list of CVS Pharmacy drive-thru test sites can be found here. More information on steps CVS Health has taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including support for health care providers and clinicians facing financial and administrative strain, is available at the company's frequently updated COVID-19 resource center . For downloadable COVID-19 testing media assets, including photos, video and interviews with CVS Health executives, please visit the Media Resource Center. About CVS Health CVS Health employees are united around a common goal of becoming the most consumer-centric health company in the world. We're evolving based on changing consumer needs and meeting people where they are, whether that's in the community at one of our nearly 10,000 local touchpoints, in the home, or in the palm of their hand. Our newest offerings from HealthHUB locations that are redefining what a pharmacy can be, to innovative programs that help manage chronic conditions are designed to create a higher-quality, simpler and more affordable experience. Learn more about how we're transforming health at https://www.cvshealth.com. Media Contact Tara Burke, (646) 765-4971 [email protected] SOURCE CVS Health Related Links https://www.cvshealth.com Hundreds of Nissan workers on Thursday blocked roads and burned tires to protest the Japanese automakers decision to shut down its Barcelona plant in December. The move, which had been widely anticipated but was officially announced at 10am on Thursday, means that 3,000 direct jobs will be lost. A total of around 20,000 workers are expected to be directly or indirectly affected by the closure of Nissans largest plant in Spain. Auto making is a major economic sector in Catalonia, contributing around 10 % of regional GDP. The Spanish executive said it laments the decision, and has offered the carmaker to create a working group to find alternatives. But the Japanese multinational said that, after examining the different options, we believe there is no viable possibility for the future, in the words of Nissan Europe chairman Gianluca de Ficchy. Nissan workers cut off the B-10 highway in Barcelona on Thursday. LLUIS GENE (AFP) The Industry Ministry underscored that closing the Catalan plant will be more costly than investing in its continuity: 1 billion versus 300 million, the news agency Efe reported. This amount includes compensation for laid-off workers and suppliers whose contracts will not be honored, as well as clean-up costs at the site of the plant. The Catalan head of the Enterprise and Knowledge department, Angels Chacon, said the company has received 25 million in public aid over the last 12 years. The Industry Ministry believes that the Catalan facility could have a future if Nissan invested in a new production line and assigned the plant a new electric vehicle. The Spanish government presented this plan early this year at the companys headquarters in Yokohama, in a joint project with the Catalan government and the city of Barcelona. Chacon said in a televised interview on TV3 that the regional executive will not make it easy for Nissan to leave Barcelona. She accused the multinational of disloyalty and contempt over its lack of response to the alternative plan. Anger and impotence Leaders of the workers' committee addressing colleagues at the protest. Adria Salido (GTRES) Angry workers blocked off streets and burned tires outside the plant, located in the industrial area of Zona Franca, and announced further protests. Theyve left us to die, said the head of the workers committee, Juan Carlos Vicente, after a meeting with company executives. But for many workers at this historic carmaking plant, the overwhelming feeling was one of helplessness. Its very tough news. We knew about it, we imagined it could happen, but you never think its really going to come true. There are many families who could be left out in the street, and we feel impotence and a lot of anger, said Cristina Montero, 43, a single mother with a mortgage to pay who has been working at the Nissan plant for 15 years. Wed been warning for many years that they were taking cars away from us and taking them to the plants in France or England, said Vicente. In recent months, the Barcelona factory was down to 20% of its manufacturing capacity after several models were pulled. Theyve told us that we couldnt be competitive even if they gave us a car. They dont want to keep Barcelona, but we cant allow it. We are going to revert this, he added. But not all workers see this as very likely. Things had been going badly for many years, and now its a total collapse, said Jose Antonio Pina, who has been working here for 21 years. Alex Navarro, who went to work at the assembly plant 16 years ago, was more optimistic: The negotiation is getting started, and this is when we need to apply the pressure. Difficult decision The closure will affect the production plant in Zona Franca as well as the ones in Montcada i Reixac and Sant Andreu de la Barca. In theory, the companys plants in Avila and Cantabria, which have no ties to Barcelona production, will not be affected. Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said the difficult decision was part of a move to cut the companys global production capacity by 20% to produce around 5.4 million vehicles annually. The closure is part of Nissans drive to become profitable again after posting net losses in the last fiscal year. The carmaker is also reinforcing its alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi, and planning to leave the European market to Renault while Nissan focuses on Japan, China and North America. English version by Susana Urra. A Toronto resident finally received a package after an eight-year wait. (Getty Images) Good things come to those who wait, even if the wait is longer than one could ever reasonably expect. A Toronto resident named Elliot Berinstein finally received a package of Brylcream on May 6, eight years after he ordered it. Berinstein forgot about the package but quickly figured out what happened upon receiving his long-lost parcel, noting that it went to his Ottawa address at first. He said that the company agreed to ship the Brylcream to his Toronto address, but the package never came in and he eventually gave up. I opened it and inside was an invoice from 2012 and it was a tube of Brylcream I ordered in 2012, Berinstein said to CTV News. I started laughing because I thought it was pretty funny that it came eight years later. Berinsteins experience certainly resonates during the COVID-19 pandemic as many consumers have been forced to shop online and use Canada Post in the absence of brick-and-mortar stores being open. Canada Post released a statement earlier this week stating it is receiving unprecedented parcel volumes and asked Canadians for their patience as items are inevitably delayed. This message hasnt been well-received by some, however. has anyones Canada Posts items have been in transit in Mississauga for bare time or is it just me jenny (@jennyywin) May 22, 2020 Toronto man says Canada Post just delivered package he ordered 8 years ago. On the upside, now he can finally rock that sweet Gagnam Style T-Shirt. 22Minutes (@22_Minutes) May 27, 2020 One thing that has become very apparent during COVID-19 is how big of a lie it is when Canada Post tells you your package is in Mississauga, ON. Let me tell you, its not! Julia Moniz (@juliamoniz) May 25, 2020 I get so excited when I see a Canada Post or UPS pull up on my street its ridiculous. Jean Yoon ( or ) (@jean_yoon) May 28, 2020 At this point I think the Canada post workers are wearing my clothes sagiterrorist (@teniszn) May 27, 2020 Canada Posts explanation was more than reasonable but heres to hoping that all of us dont have to wait two Olympiads like Berinstein to get our new clothes, coffee, hair cream, or whatever the case may be. Kerner loaded the bodies into a Honda Civic that belonged to Lanhams stepfather, Silva told police, while he placed the bloody towels in a white trash bag. Kerner handed him the gun, which was placed on a towel and he never touched and Silva wrapped the gun in the towel and placed it in the trash bag with the bloody towels, documents state. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) The country reported on Thursday its highest ever single-day increase in coronavirus cases, with 539 new infections and a nationwide tally that surged to 15,588. The newly-recorded infections announced by the Department of Health broke the previous record high of 538 on March 31. The agency added that 92 more have beaten the virus, while an additional 17 have lost their lives to COVID-19. These latest figures bring recoveries to 3,598, and the death toll to 921. The country now has 11,069 active cases of the viral illness, with Metro Manila logging the most number of new infections at 330 or over 60 percent. Another 55 have been registered in Central Visayas, while 99 have been recorded in other regions nationwide. Meanwhile, returning overseas Filipino workers constitute 55 of the new cases. The DOH also confirmed 15 more healthcare workers caught the disease, raising the tally to 2,452. Fifteen more recovered for a total of 1,228, while no new fatalities were recorded since May 10. The death toll remains at 31. Surge due to backlogs being processed In a Thursday press briefing, Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire attributed the surge in infections to an increased workforce that can validate COVID-19 cases. Ang trend ng mga bilang ng kaso ay tumataas, ngunit dahil po ito sa patuloy na pagtaas ng mga kaso nating nava-validate sa ngayon dahil nakapag-hire na po tayo ng additional encoders, she said. [Translation: The trend of COVID-19 cases is increasing, but this is due to the growing number of cases we are currently able to validate after having hired additional encoders.] READ: COVID-19 testing centers working round the clock to clear their backlogs She also mentioned earlier that the spike recorded in recent days is possibly just an "artificial rise" due to more test results of OFWs coming in. In an interview on CNN Philippines News Night, infectious disease expert Dr. Edsel Salvana noted that the 55 newly recorded infections involving repatriates represented imported and not community transmission. He echoed the DOH statement that the country should brace for a continued upward trend of cases in the next few days, as more backlog tests are processed. Salvana added that it is important to determine if the infections are clustering in localities. This should guide officials in carrying out localized lockdowns, while other areas with no coronavirus cases may cautiously reopen. President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to announce his decision Thursday night on whether to ease or prolong the modified ECQ implemented in certain areas. The COVID-19 inter-agency task force has earlier submitted to the chief executive a formal recommendation to place the capital region under a more relaxed general community quarantine, except for high-risk barangays. All 17 Metro Manila mayors have also recommended the easing of quarantine restrictions to jumpstart the economy. Globally, nearly 5.7 million have contracted coronavirus, with over 355,000 deaths and more than 2.3 million recoveries. At least 100 countries have joined or expressed interest in participating in the World Health Organizations 'solidarity' clinical trial, which aims to find an effective treatment for the viral disease. The Womens Empowerment and Investment Group (WEIG) in collaboration with Annan Capital Partners (ACP) and GUBA, have a team to offer seed investment to women-owned and Ghana-based Small and Medium businesses. This seed investment is part of an initiative to uplift SMBs currently affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Applications for this initiative commences from the 1st of June 2020. The Womens Empowerment & Investment Group (WEIG) is a women-led and majority-owned Ghanaian Investment Holding Company set up to efficiently channel capital and expertise into high-potential Small & Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) that prioritize female empowerment & entrepreneurship. WEIG does this by making permanent capital investments in women-focused greenfield and brownfield businesses/business opportunities in Africas KINGS economies namely Kenya, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal of which Ghana is its launch and primary focus country. Commenting on the strategic agenda for the initiative, co-founder and CEO of WEIG Adeline Akufo-Addo Kufuor said: "Through our local and international value-adding networks we aim to assist women to create long term wealth for themselves Managing Partner of Annan Capital Partners (ACP)- Robert Annan, shares her enthusiasm for the initiative adding: "We are excited to support Female-led SMEs in Ghana with investment and infrastructure to support their long term growth and development." Annan Capital Partners (ACP) is a specialized boutique investment and advisory company active in industries such as energy, health, education, real estate, agribusiness, technology, and more. They work to provide businesses with professional and insightful investment strategies that preserve their capital and diversify their investment in sectors which will give an appreciable return on their investments. This funding initiative is one that falls in line with their objectives and incredibly is significant given the current pandemic and its effect on small businesses. Dentaa Amoateng MBE, President of the GUBA Enterprise stressed on the importance of this initiative Coronavirus has greatly affected a number of business especially, small and medium businesses. This initiative is not only timely but incredibly necessary to help women businesses get back on track. GUBA Enterprise through the GUBA Expo works to provide a platform for the elevation of small and medium enterprises therefore, we are glad to be in partnership with this project. We encourage all suitable businesses to apply- she added. The seed investment available under this initiative ranges from 15,000 to 30,000 Ghana Cedis. Businesses that meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply via https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q99B669 from the 1st of June till the 1st of August 2020. This initiative is one of the many ways to help boost women businesses and the Ghanaian economy as a whole. About GUBA Enterprise GUBA Enterprise is a social enterprise organisation dedicated to the advancement of diaspora Africans and Africans back home through various socio-economic programs and initiatives. The organisation currently has various brand activities namely GUBA Awards, GUBA Foundation, GUBA Expo, GUBA Careers, GUBA Diaspora Card, GUBA Tours and GUBA Talks. Our goal is to provide an engaging network for promoting greater cultural diversity globally, as well as raising the profile of the African continent. GUBA Enterprise supports and engages the African diaspora, and aids in attracting investments into the African continent. Contact: Claudia Andrews Email: [email protected] Website: www.gubaenterprise.co.uk About The Womens Empowerment and Investment Group The Womens Empowerment & Investment Group (WEIG) is a women-led Ghanaian Investment Holding Company set up to efficiently channel capital into high-potential Small & Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) that prioritize female empowerment & entrepreneurship. WEIG typically seeks majority or significant minority positions in the businesses it invests in and thus plays an active role in the management of these businesses by integrating them into the WEIG organization and providing world-class business development, management, and back of- house support. About Annan Capital Partners Annan Capital Partners is a specialized boutique investment and advisory company active in industries like energy, health, education, real estate, agribusiness, technology, etc. With close attention, we offer family office services that are of interest to our clients and can be tailored for their desired purpose. We provide our clients with professional and insightful investment strategies that will not only preserve their capital, but diversify their investment in sectors which will give an appreciable return on their investments. https://annancapitalpartners.com/ A University of Pennsylvania-led team used an inhibitor of an enzyme called p38 kinase to suppress the spread of melanoma to the lungs in a mouse model For most people who die of cancer, the spread of the initial tumor is to blame. "Metastasis is what kills most cancer patients," says Serge Fuchs, a professor in Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine. "Yet there are not many, if any, drugs that specifically target metastatic processes." In a paper in the journal Nature Cancer, Fuchs teamed with researchers from around campus and elsewhere to overcome that lack, studying the molecular players that foster cancer's spread and identifying a strategy to stop it. Using an inhibitor of the enzyme known as p38 kinase (p38), they successfully reduced the spread of melanoma in a mouse model, significantly prolonging survival time. "In my opinion, this kind of therapy could be used in conjunction with surgery to remove the primary tumor or perhaps other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy," says Fuchs. The study emerged from conversations and collaborations that have been ongoing for years among Penn groups, including those of Penn Vet's Ellen Pure and the Perelman School of Medicine's Constantinos Koumenis, Sandra Ryeom, and Ben Stanger, as well as the nearby Wistar Institute's Dmitry Gabrilovich. All focus on different aspects of cancer biology. Many of these conversations revolved around what are known as tumor-derived factors (TDF): the various proteins, lipids, vesicles, genetic material, signaling molecules, and other compounds that tumors secrete and which, in some cases, travel around the body. Scientists believe many of these factors help "prepare the soil," as it is often described, for the growth of metastases, making areas in the normal tissues more hospitable to tumor cells that are likewise traveling the body and disseminating to these areas. "We kept saying how the tumors and the factors are so different and their chemical nature is so different and their receptors are different and how they're perceived by different types of normal cells," Fuchs says. "But these areas in the lung that invite disseminated malignant cells and are conducive to their growth as metastases are, generally speaking, all alike." Aiming to focus on what united metastases, the researchers initially looked for elements that distinguished melanoma tumor cells that tended to be more metastatic from a melanoma cell line that was less so. When they introduced TDF from the more aggressive disease into normal mice, these animals developed pre-metastatic niches: areas conducive to the development of cancer metastases. Animals that received TDF from a less aggressive form of melanoma hardly developed these niches. They also paid attention to the p38, as it is known to be activated in response to certain factors secreted by cancer cells. They observed that its activation correlated with metastasis, becoming more highly activated by the TDF from the highly metastatic melanoma and less activated by the less metastatic melanoma. To confirm that this enzyme was important in the metastatic process, the team tried two tactics: either eliminating the enzyme using genetic manipulation or blocking the effect of the kinase's activity using an inhibitor that stopped the pathway it activates. "By doing either of these, we didn't get a pre-metastatic niche," says Fuchs. To give their findings a clinical context, they looked at white blood cells from patients with melanoma. Those who did not have signs of metastasis had significantly lower p38 activation than those with a diagnosis of metastatic disease. Next they examined the lungs of mice that were given the TDF from a metastatic cancer to learn more about what p38 was doing to cultivate the pre-metastatic niche. The team found that activation of p38 by TDF in lung fibroblasts, which are connective tissue cells, increased the fibroblasts' activity and stimulated production of fibroblast activating protein (FAP), a molecule which Pure has long focused on and which has been shown to influence tumor growth and metastasis. Production of FAP then helped to recruit immune cells called neutrophils, which further acted on the pre-metastatic niche areas within lung tissue to augment their ability to trap and stimulate the growth of metastatic cells. Hoping to prevent the formation of this niche and, ideally, metastasis, Fuchs and colleagues treated mice with two different inhibitors of p38, while also surgically removing their primary tumors. Both treatments suppressed the spread of cancer to the lung and prolonged the animals' survival. One of the therapies they tested, ralimetinib, is an experimental cancer drug with somewhat lackluster performance at treating primary tumors. But initial trials have shown it to be relatively safe, suggesting that it could be a specialized component of the cancer-fighting arsenal, tamping down the primary tumor's ability to spread. ### Serge Y. Fuchs is professor of cell biology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and director of the Mari Lowe Center for Comparative Oncology in the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Fuchs's coauthors were Penn Vet's Jun Gui, Farima Zahedi, Angelica Ortiz, Christina Cho, Kanstantsin V. Katlinski, Leslie Todd, Hongru Zhang, Ellen Pure, and Daniel Beiting; Penn's Perelman School of Medicine's Jinyang Li, Ben Z. Stanger, Constantinos Koumenis, and Sandra W. Ryeom; the Wistar Institute's Kevin Alicea-Torres and Dmitry I. Gabrilovich; the University of Pittsburgh's Cindy Sander and John M. Kirkwood; the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre's Bryan E. Snow, Andrew C. Wakeham, and Tak W. Mak; and Case Western Reserve University's J. Alan Diehl. The work was supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health 2017 Health Research Formula Fund and the National Cancer Institute (grants CA216936, CA092900, CA229803, CA165997, CA206431, CA009140, and CA121973). Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton has jumped back on the cosmetic surgery bandwagon after recently having her lip fillers dissolved. The reality star underwent another round of injectables during her trip to Sydney this week. The 26-year-old documented a visit to cosmetic nurse Alvin at Juv'ae on Thursday night. Does she really need anymore? Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton got ANOTHER round of lip fillers during her 'business trip' to Sydney this week In the video, Stacey barely even winced as she had her bottom lip injected with filler. '@alvintheinjector looking after me during business trips to Sydney. Such an amazing person!' she wrote in the caption of her Instagram story. Stacey explained that she chose to have 0.5ml injected into her lips to combat 'dryness'. The blonde was in town to do a photo shoot with her former MAFS co-star, Elizabeth Sobinoff. On Wednesday, the mother-of-two transformed herself into Disney princess Rapunzel for the creative project. Projects: Stacey was in town to do a photo shoot with her former MAFS co-star, Elizabeth Sobinoff. On Wednesday, the mother-of-two transformed herself into Disney princess Rapunzel for the creative project The pair were transformed by Drew Matic of Sydney Mobile Hair & Makeup and makeup artist Rachel Marcos for the shoot in Rose Bay. Influencer Cheryl Chuy also joined the reality stars. They were photographed by Fasih Tahbin of Sydney Wedding Photography. Earlier this month, Stacey showed off her suspiciously plump pout after claiming she had had her lip filler dissolved. She posted a photo of her fuller-looking lips to Instagram alongside a caption about finding happiness. Rapunzel: The pair were transformed by Drew Matic of Sydney Mobile Hair & Makeup and makeup artist Rachel Marcos for the shoot in Rose Bay. Influencer Cheryl Chuy also joined the reality stars. They were photographed by Fasih Tahbin of Sydney Wedding Photography They're back! Earlier this month, Stacey showed off her suspiciously plump pout after claiming she had had her lip filler dissolved 'You glow differently when youre happy,' the mother-of-two captioned the stunning selfie. In the picture, which Stacey took in a bathroom mirror, the TV star looked chic in a squared-necked white broderie anglaise dress which flaunted her glowing tan. She wore a full coverage foundation with dark eyes, lashings of mascara and a soft pink gloss on her pout. More natural: Stacey had been sporting more natural-looking lips after having her fillers dissolved last month after eight years of treatments It is unknown if the picture was new or a throwback to her days on the Channel Nine social experiment. Stacey shared a video of her lip filler being removed last month. In the clip, which was filmed in March by Elamazur Creative, a cosmetic nurse injected her mouth with the dissolving agent. 'I've been getting filler since I was about 18. I've reached a point where I haven't had any in a year and a half and I've been wanting my lips to dissolve naturally on their own - which they haven't,' she explained in the video. 'Some days they look massive, depending on my water intake or the weather, there are so many contributing factors. So I'm getting them dissolved today.' 'I don't want them as big or bulky': The mum-of-two shared a video of her lips being injected with dissolving agent last month, which was filmed in March by Elamazur Creative Stacey aimed to mostly dissolve the filler which had migrated above the border of her top lip, making her face 'look puffy'. 'I just don't want them as big, bulky or full-on,' Stacey said. During her time on Married At First Sight, viewers often noticed that Stacey's lips would change in size each episode, causing much confusion. She told Daily Mail Australia in March: 'My lips fluctuate in size depending on water intake and how I've lined and glossed them. It depends on the time of day, too. 'Which is why I've now decided to remove the filler altogether to avoid the change in size looking ridiculous.' With reporting by Digital Desk staff Minister for Education Joe McHugh has said that it is difficult to see all students being back in school in September with the two metre social distancing rule in place. Even with a one metre rule it was still unlikely that all students could return, he told RTE radios Today with Sarah McInerney show. Mr McHugh said that the Department of Education will publish a roadmap in two weeks for the return of schools. He also pointed out that the Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan had indicated he would have public health advice within two weeks on the reopening of schools and what would work and not work. We have to balance all the risks. We cannot put the education of children on hold. The Minister said it was his mission to ensure as many students as possible return to school in September. Public health officials are examining international comparisons to see how the situation is being handled in other countries, he said. We are waiting to see what sort of blended education system we are going to have. On the issue of the Leaving Certificate Mr McHugh said that as of 9am on Thursday 56,000 of this years 61,000 students had registered for calculated grades. When asked if Thursdays deadline of 10pm would be extended if every student had not registered by that time, Mr McHugh said the deadline is the deadline. However, he said that if any student missed the deadline the department would reach out to their school. There could be reasons such as digital inequity and if there was a reasonable explanation the department would follow up. The Minister also defended the decision to have teachers destroy documents on which they base calculated grades. There is a system of checks and balances in place in the school system which will ensure that students are treated fairly, he said. There will also be an appeals process. A special group has been set up within the Department of Education to examine the issue of school transport, he added. Thats a challenge. It comes amid calls for schools to reopen sooner than planned in September. Professor of Biochemistry at Trinity College, Luke O Neill said there are a number of benefits in bringing children back to classes sooner rather than later. He said: "I can't see why a child can't go in for two days a week, it's beyond me and you would have less than half the kids in the school. "That would be a big decrease in risk even if there was one. I think for the mental health of the children it is extremely important. "Lots of studies have shown this in the past that children kept outside of school will suffer academically later. "And then the biggest reason of all, the vulnerable children who can't get homeschooling." When asked about the possibility of an election this year, Mr McHugh said that an election would not make sense at this time. I dont think an election at this time of crisis would be a good thing. The world has changed forever. Circumstances have changed. Mr McHugh said that politics will have to change. In the past being in opposition had been a nice place to be, that is going to have to change. It will no longer just be a case of the government coming up with policies. CLEVELAND - An international team of researchers co-led by Cleveland Clinic have identified why patients without PTEN mutations may still experience the high cancer risk associated with PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS). In a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a research team co-led by Charis Eng, MD, PhD, Cleveland Clinic Genomic Medicine Institute, and Pier Paolo Pandolfi, MD, PhD, FRCP, University of Turin, Italy, found that mutations to the gene WWP1 may be an additional genetic driver of PHTS-associated cancer. PHTS collectively refers to a spectrum of genetic disorders that carry an increased risk for benign growths and tumors (i.e., hamartomas), cognitive and behavioral deficits, macrocephaly and certain cancers and that is defined by carrying a germline PTEN mutations. While germline mutations of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN are an established cause of PHTS, approximately 75% of individuals with typical clinical features have been found to carry no PTEN mutations (termed "wildtype"). "Our findings suggest that WWP1 mutations may account for at least some portion of the large percentage of these patients we see without PTEN mutations," said Dr. Eng. "Importantly, unlike PTEN, WWP1 and the cellular pathway it regulates are druggable targets, a fact that has important implications for cancer prevention and therapy and may open the door for future drug development studies." In this study, the researchers analyzed a cohort of PTEN wildtype patients for WWP1 variants, as previous studies have found that the enzyme encoded by WWP1 can be overexpressed and/or amplified in multiple types of cancer and can inhibit PTEN function and lead to tumor growth in experimental models. They identified these variants in a family with a history of oligopolyposis (a condition characterized by abnormal growths on the inner walls of the colon and rectum) and early-onset colon cancers, and an expanded analysis of unrelated patients detected WWP1 germline variants in 4% of PTEN wildtype individuals with gastrointestinal oligopolyposis as a predominant clinical feature. This is significant because oligopolyposis has long eluded causation. In addition, the researchers found that germline WWP1 variants were significantly enriched in patients affected by sporadic cancers, including cancer types associated with PHTS, particularly colorectal adenocarcinoma and thyroid cancer. On a mechanistic level, they found that in experimental models certain WWP1 variants lead to abnormal activation of the WPP1 enzyme that inhibits PTEN function and ultimately contributes to cancer development and progression by increasing tumorigenesis. While additional studies are needed, the researchers conclude that PTEN wildtype patients with germline WWP1 variants may benefit from preventative and/or therapeutic measures that modulate WWP1-PTEN axis. "These findings are extremely exciting because they implicate WWP1 in the genesis of somatic cancers of multiple histology as well as in dictating cancer susceptibility at large, with important prognostic and therapeutic implications since these class of enzymes are druggable and natural compounds that do so are already available," said Dr. Pandolfi. ### Dr. Eng is the inaugural chair of the Genomic Medicine Institute and director of the Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare. She holds the Sondra J. and Stephen R. Hardis Endowed Chair in Cancer Genomic Medicine. Dr. Pandolfi is professor of cancer biology and genetics at the University of Turin and Harvard Medical School. This study was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professorship, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award. As the state moves toward easing restrictions aimed at curbing the coronavirus pandemic, health officials have offered a new way to study how often people are recovering from the infection. The figure for recovery rate may seem self-explanatory, but experts caution that the number must be interpreted carefully, with a heavy dose of context. WILLINGTON A woman says her 80-year-old husband a U.S. Navy veteran who grew up in Trumbull is a very lucky man after surviving a brutal attack that police say started a college students violent crime spree. Alice Franco, 71, said her husband, John, is now in stable condition. The suspect University of Connecticut student Peter Manfredonia was taken into custody Wednesday night on day six of the hunt for the 23-year-old. I just pray this ends before anyone (else) dies or gets hurt, Franco said Wednesday in a phone interview with Hearst Connecticut Media before Manfredonias capture that night. Connecticut state police said the series of events began Friday when Manfredonias motorcycle broke down in Willington. Theodore DeMers, 62, offered Manfredonia a ride on his four-wheeler before police said he was attacked with an edged weapon. DeMers was killed and John Franco was critically injured when he came to help his neighbor. Alice Franco said her husband suffered several injuries to his body. Hes a very lucky man, she said. Hes hanging in there. She said the worst injuries are to his hands. Hes a very kind and gentle person ... would not hurt a soul, she said. Im under the impression he had no clue what he was walking out to. Franco credited her neighbors with saving her husbands life after they saw the attack and began yelling, scaring the attacker away. She said they also provided first aid for her husbands wounds. Doctors have told Alice Franco her husband will regain the use of his hands, but the couple will have to adjust to a new normal. She said she is able to speak to her husband by phone for about three minutes each day, but has not been to the hospital to visit him because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Franco said shes had an outpouring of offers of help from those around her. She said her husband, a Navy veteran, retired after a career in finance, has taken up hobbies amid the pandemic, including rebuilding a stone wall on their property and cleaning up a collection of tools inherited from his grandfather. He sounds positive, she said. I feel happy about that. After the attack on the two men, police said Manfredonia committed a home invasion in Willington. The resident was left unharmed Sunday after police say Manfredonia stole his guns, food, supplies and his truck. A few hours later, police recovered the stolen truck in Derby, setting off an extensive search that led authorities to a Roosevelt Drive home about a mile away. Police said video surveillance showed Manfredonia walking directly toward Nicholas Eiseles home between 5 and 6 a.m. Sunday. Eisele, who was described by police as an acquaintance of Manfredonia, was killed after being shot several times in the head, the states medical examiner said. By the time police arrived, Manfredonia had fled and kidnapped Eiseles girlfriend in her 2016 Volkswagen Jetta. The woman and the car were recovered later Sunday in New Jersey. Police said the woman was unharmed and returned to Connecticut where she was interviewed by investigators. The political scene in Maharashtra heated up after a BJP delegation led by former CM met governor B S Koshyari and complained to him about the "failure" of the government in tackling the Covid-19 crisis. Maharashtra is the most affected state in the country and has added 2,190 cases to take its tally to 56,948. The state has added more than 2,000 cases on each of the past 11 days. About 46 per cent of all its patients have come in these 11 days alone. State Congress president Balasaheb Thorat, who also heads the revenue department, said on Tuesday that "BJP leaders in the state are greedy for power. They cannot think of helping the government in the current situation. They are trying to destabilise the government." Thorat said there is no reason to worry about the survival of the government, and asserted that the ruling dispensation is stable and functioning properly. The Congress is one of the constituents in the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. The other partner is the Sharad Pawar-led (NCP). When asked why no Congress leader is seen around chief minister or NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Thorat said, "We are in touch with each other over phone. Nothing should be read into such appearances or disappearances". Interestingly, Congress leader on Tuesday has said that the Congress does not have a key role to play in the He appears to be distancing his party from the ruling alliance that is being criticised for its handling of the pandemic in the state. Despite the fact that the Congress is part of "Maha Vikas Aghadi" and holds key ministries, said, "We are only supporting the government but are not in the key decision-making role in Maharashtra." Rahul Gandhi's statement could be a setback for the MVA government in Maharashtra, where hectic politicking is going on. Gandhi, however, defended the state government and said that Mumbai is a well-connected city and that is the reason why Covid cases are rising there. He added that Maharashtra requires the full support of the Central government as the state is fighting a very difficult battle. The (NCP), the third member of the alliance, could be the reason for the decline of the government. President went to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan, in what was described by both sides as a "courtesy call". This was Pawar's first-ever meeting with the Governor who was appointed in September 2019, crowning a series of recent political developments in the state. Praful Patel also defended Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal from attacks by and Congress leaders, who have been scathing about the lack of help from the railways in helping move migrants to their home states. While the Shiv Sena, without specifying any party or leader, has said that the opposition's efforts to destabilise the state government could boomerang, the NCP has accused the BJP of spreading rumours that President's rule will be imposed. Well, the demand for imposition of the President's Rule in the state was indeed made on Monday afternoon by BJP leader and former Chief Minister Narayan Rane after meeting the governor. Among various things, Rane has claimed the government headed by Chief Minister had failed to handle the Covid-19 pandemic crisis in the state. New political alignments, possibly even central rule, could be on the cards in Maharashtra... only time will tell. A top oil executive in Newfoundland and Labrador says a crisis sweeping over the industry has likely dealt a crippling blow to an ambitious plan to double production in the province by the end of this decade. Jim Keating, acting CEO of Crown-owned OilCo, the province's new stand-alone oil and gas corporation shaved off from Nalcor Energy, said the pandemic-fuelled shutdown of the oil industry has thrown that ramp-up into doubt. "I'd say that plan is extremely jeopardized," Jim Keating told CBC News. He made the comment this week during an interview in Bay Bulls, in the shadow of a unique ship called the Ramform Atlas, one of two vessels that will carry out three costly seismic surveys in the offshore this summer. The surveys represent an investment of about $100 million, with about a quarter of that money coming from government-owned OilCo, and the remainder from oil companies. Submitted by PGS Seismic activity enables oil companies to get a close look at the geology beneath the seabed, and that data will help make a business case for whether companies will make a bid on land parcels and commit to further exploration. Results from past seismic work helped initiate a flurry of interest, with companies pledging to spend some $4 billion in exploration campaigns over the next few years. Eight companies have submitted plans to drill 100 exploration wells this decade. But that investment is now in limbo, said Keating. "We've got now potentially $4 billion worth of work commitments either stranded or indefinitely deferred," he said. It's Keating's job to shepherd the Advance 2030 strategy into reality for the province by setting the groundwork for an unprecedented exploration campaign and the possible development of a natural gas industry. Earlier this year, that plan appeared to be on track, and Keating was referring to a "bow wave" of activity, raising hopes that drilling in the offshore would result in discoveries similar to those that precipitated development of the Hibernia, Hebron, White Rose and Terra Nova oil fields. Story continues Sherry Vivian/CBC But oil prices have cratered, along with the worldwide demand for transportation fuels, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a production war between oil giants Saudi Arabia and Russia. That's pushed the oil industry, which has routinely contributed 30 per cent of the value of goods produced in the province, into crisis mode. Despite calls for a shift away from oil and gas by those concerned about climate change, the provincial government has unapologetically charged hard in favour of increased production, arguing that offshore oil has some of the lowest carbon emissions in the world. "It's part of the solution as we transition from a carbon to a non-carbon economy," said Keating. Critics who say seismic activity damages sea life are not supported by any facts, said Keating. "We're happy and we're confident that there's been, yet to date, no correlation between the seismic work that these vessels do in any kind of loss in opportunity in fish stocks." Companies have put the brakes on capital spending, chopping budgets by 20 to 30 per cent. The fact seismic work continues is a positive sign in a sea of negativity and concern, said Keating. "It's testament to the fact that the industry still believes we have a tremendous geologic potential in our offshore." Meanwhile, there's plenty of evidence of this purse-tightening in Newfoundland and Labrador, including a decision by Equinor to park a plan to develop its $6.8-billion Bay du Nord project, the suspension of drilling activity on the Hibernia platform and deferral of important subsea developments, and what could be a two-year shutdown of the Terra Nova FPSO. Chinese company CNOOC International has also delayed an exploration campaign in the Flemish Pass, and Husky Energy and its partners have halted construction of the White White Rose wellhead platform. The oil industry and its supporters have responded by calling on Ottawa to develop an incentive plan to encourage companies to continue investing in the offshore, but after weeks of lobbying, the federal government has not yet offered a lifeline. People like Keating are quick to remind Ottawa that all four producing fields in the offshore were discovered in the 1970s and '80s, at a time when Ottawa was offering exploration incentives. Keating said every dollar spent on investment leads to $13 in value from the sale of oil, with a good chunk of that going back to provincial and federal governments in the form of taxes and royalties. Meanwhile, the presence of the Ramform Atlas in Bay Bulls is proof that all hope is not lost for the industry. The Atlas, and her sister ship, the Ramform Titan, will carry out three 3D seismic surveys in areas known as Blomidon, South Bank, and Torngat Extension, covering about 10,000 square kilometres of seabed. Submitted by Gus Byrne Still, Keating said, the industry is "very precarious," worldwide competition for scarce investment capital is fierce, and incentives in places like Norway could lure business away from Newfoundland and Labrador. "There is some sense to making these investments now, because oil companies are still looking for opportunities and we believe we still have them here," said Keating. "But the industry is notorious for having long cycles. If we're caught on the wrong side and miss that window of investment, or it goes somewhere else, it might not come back at all." Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador Burma Myanmars Opposition, Military Lawmakers Seek House Speakers Impeachment Union Parliament Speaker U T Khun Myat is seen during a parliamentary session on Jan. 27, 2020. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy YANGONMyanmars military-backed former ruling party and military-appointed lawmakers have called for the Speaker of the Union Parliament to be impeached, accusing U T Khun Myat of breaching the Constitution by acting on behalf of Daw Aung San Suu Kyis government as it launched its failed bid to amend the charter last year. An urgent proposal calling for the Speakers impeachment signed by 110 lawmakers from the USDP and the military bloc in Parliament was submitted to the Lower House on Thursday. It accuses U T Khun Myat of violating the Constitution and failing to fulfill his duties on several occasions. As he submitted the proposal to Parliament, USDP lawmaker U Sai Tun Sein said U T Khun Myat violated the Constitution and the laws of Parliament by allowing the NLD to submit an urgent proposal to form the Constitutional Amendment Committee, while blocking a full parliamentary debate on charter amendment proposals submitted jointly by his party and military lawmakers. In addition to accusing the Speaker of thwarting debate on their charter-amendment proposals, the USDP and military MPs impeachment motion cites the fact that the Speaker blocked their submissions calling on the military-dominated National Defense and Security Council to discuss the containment of the coronavirus, condemning a US Congressmans proposal to make Rakhine State part of Bangladesh, seeking an explanation of the governments actions on the International Court of Justice (ICJ)s provisional measures, and objecting to the inclusion of sex education lessons in Myanmars high school curriculum. Tensions between the USDP and military-appointed lawmakers on one side, and U T Khun Myat on the other, have been palpable in recent months, as the Speaker has repeatedly interrupted their protests and warned them about shouting from the floor of Parliament over the charter-reform push by the NLD and the ethnic parties. The USDP and military lawmakers have frequently challenged the Speaker, questioning the legality of his moves. The NLDs more than yearlong effort to democratize the military-drafted charter ended in failure in March after the USDP and military appointees rejected almost all of their amendment proposals, except for a handful of largely cosmetic changes. According to the law and by-law on Parliament, a proposal to remove the Speaker or deputy Speaker can be submitted once it has the support of 110 lawmakers, or a quarter of all lawmakers. To pass, however, it requires support from two-thirds of lawmakers (66.66 percent) in a secret ballot. The USDP and the military appointees together hold around 32 percent of the seats in Parliament. Former militia leader U T Khun Myat was elected to the Lower House in the 2010 and 2015 general elections representing the USDP. A former member of the partys Central Executive Committee, he resigned from the USDP following his appointment as deputy Speaker of the Parliament. In mid-2018, he became Speaker with the majority support of the NLD. He was also a member of the 2008 Constitution-drafting board and a member of the 2008 Constitutional Referendum Commission. The Parliament is expected to vote on the impeachment proposal in the coming week. The United States President had always found freedom using Twitter, a microblogging social media platform, until recently. President Trump vs. Twitter Both POTUS Donald J. Trump and Twitter were recently on headlines after the social media platform fact-checked one of the President's tweets claiming that mail-in ballots increase voter fraud. According to a recently published report from TechTimes, the platform tagged the President's tweet with a message urging people to "get the facts" regarding mail-in ballots and then offered a link that contradicts Trump's allegations. Because of Twitter's move, the U.S. President accused them of "stifling free speech" and said that they were "interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election." @Twitter is now interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election. They are saying my statement on Mail-In Ballots, which will lead to massive corruption and fraud, is incorrect, based on fact-checking by Fake News CNN and the Amazon Washington Post.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020 Facebook CEO Criticizes Twitter Now, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg joined the conversation and criticized its fellow social media giant, saying that they were wrong to fact-check the President's tweet. According to Newsweek, Zuckerberg went on an interview with Dana Perino from the FOX News show, The Daily Briefing. "We have a different policy, I think than Twitter on this." the Facebook founder said. "I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn't be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online. In general, private companies probably shouldn't be, especially these platform companies, shouldn't be in the position of doing that," Zuckerberg further explained. In addition, Zuckerberg told Perino that Facebook is "hands-off" when it comes to political speech, and they don't intervene with public posts unless there is "a threat of imminent harm." Mark Zuckerberg's full interview at The Daily Briefing is expected to air this Thursday, May 28. Read Also: Twitter Wants to Stop Trolls and Cyberbullying with This New Feature Signing an Executive Order After the incident with Twitter, President Trump is reportedly going to sign an executive order addressing social media companies, according to Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary who shared the news on Wednesday night, May 27. Nevertheless, reporters from the White House are unaware of what the executive order will contain, although some say it is likely related to Twitter and their fact-checking. Two of Trump's allies in Congress even told the news outlet that the order might strip Twitter of their "special speech liability immunity" that the company has received. "Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do and failed in 2016. We can't let a more sophisticated version of that happen again," Trump's allies said. The world is waiting for further information about the executive order, which would be signed on Thursday, May 28. U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, one of Trump's supporters, sent a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey questioning the site's "unprecedented decision" to single out the POTUS because of his political speech. Besides Twitter, news outlets like CNN, the New York Times, and Washington Post were also mentioned in the issue between the social media platform and U.S. President Trump. As of writing, Twitter and Jack Dorsey have not publicly commented yet regarding the issue, and people are most likely eager to hear what they have to say. Read Also: Google Did it Again! Arizona Sues Company After Allegedly Snooping Users' Locations 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. By Tessa Vikander and Moira Warburton VANCOUVER/TORONTO (Reuters) - Huawei Technologies Co's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was dealt a setback by a Canadian court on Wednesday as she tries to avoid extradition to the United States to face bank fraud charges, dashing hopes for an end to her 18-month house arrest in Vancouver. The ruling, which could further deteriorate relations between Ottawa and Beijing, elicited immediate strong reaction from China's embassy in Canada, which said Canada is "accomplice to United States efforts to bring down Huawei and Chinese high-tech companies." Meng, a Chinese citizen and daughter of Huawei's billionaire founder Ren Zheng, was arrested in December 2018 on a warrant issued by U.S. authorities. They accuse her of bank fraud for misleading HSBC about Huawei's relationship with a company operating in Iran, putting HSBC at risk of fines and penalties for breaking U.S. sanctions on Tehran. Meng's lawyers argued the case should be thrown out because Canada did not have sanctions against Iran. But British Columbia's Superior Court Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes disagreed, ruling the legal standard of double criminality had been met. "Ms. Meng's approach ... would seriously limit Canada's ability to fulfill its international obligations in the extradition context for fraud and other economic crimes," Holmes said. Huawei said it was disappointed by the Canadian court ruling and it expects that Canada's judicial system will ultimately prove her innocence. The ruling paves the way for the extradition hearing to proceed to the second phase starting June, examining whether Canadian officials followed the law while arresting Meng. Closing arguments are expected in the last week of September and first week of October. Reid Weingarten, a U.S. lawyer for Meng, said Meng should "not be a pawn or a hostage" in the China-U.S. relationship. Ties between the two superpowers are deteriorating steadily amid disputes over trade and the future of Hong Kong. Story continues "Today's ruling in Canada is only the opening salvo in a very long process ... we are confident that ultimately justice will be done," Weingarten said. Shortly after the ruling was released Meng, 48, arrived at the courthouse for an in-person briefing and left without talking to the media. Meng says she is innocent.. Shortly after Meng's arrest, Beijing detained two Canadians on national security charges and halted imports of canola seed. ICE canola futures dipped on Wednesday, giving up gains after the ruling. The Global Times, published by the People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, said the ruling "will make Canada a pathetic clown and a scapegoat in the fight between China and the U.S." The Chinese embassy in Ottawa said in a statement that China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the decision on Meng and has made serious representations with Canada. The U.S. Department of Justice thanked Canada for its continued assistance. Canada's justice ministry said its lawyers were committed to moving ahead as fast as possible. (Reporting by Tessa Vikander and Moira Warburton; Additional reporting by David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer in Ottawa, Rod Nickel in Winnipeg and Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Denny Thomas and Lisa Shumaker) More than eight in ten Ryanair passengers are still waiting for refunds from cancelled flights, a damning survey suggests. Under EU laws, airlines are supposed to issue refunds within a week. But just five per cent of Ryanair customers have had their money returned to them within this time frame, according to a poll by consumer champion Which? More than eight in ten Ryanair passengers are still waiting for refunds from cancelled flights, a Which? survey suggests Some 84 per cent are still waiting for their money back, in some cases months after they were told their flight had been cancelled due to the pandemic. Ryanair has faced fury from holidaymakers whose travel plans have been ruined by the crisis. Customers claimed Ryanair provided refund forms that didn't work, before goading them into accepting credit note vouchers with little consumer protection. At one point, the airline even suggested customers would not get refunds until the coronavirus crisis is over. Earlier this month, boss Michael O'Leary warned it will take up to six months for the airline to process 25million refunds. He said the backlog is due to the sheer scale of demand and issues with staffing during the pandemic. Other airlines have performed slightly better, although they still have a high number of customers waiting for refunds. In the Which? survey of 2,800 travellers, 63 per cent of easyJet customers said they are still waiting for their money back and just one in seven said they had received a refund within seven days. A quarter of British Airways passengers (23 per cent) and one in five Jet2 customers (19 per cent) are also still awaiting refunds. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the industry regulator, is investigating issues around refunds and has called on MPs to grant them new powers to take on airlines which flout the rules. In the Which? survey of 2,800 travellers, 63 per cent of easyJet customers said they are still waiting for their money back for cancelled flights Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: 'The regulator and government cannot sit on their hands any longer. 'The CAA must urgently hold airlines that are brazenly breaking the law to account, and the government must set out how it will support the industry where necessary if airlines are unable to refund their customers without fear of going under.' A BA spokesman said: 'If a customer's flight has been cancelled, they should call us to discuss their options. 'They can rebook, refund or choose to take a voucher to fly at a later date. Refunds can be requested at any point up to 12 months after the start date of the journey.' EasyJet added: 'Customers on cancelled flights can transfer to an alternative flight free of charge or receive a voucher for the value of their booking online. Which? found a quarter of British Airways passengers (23 per cent) and one in five Jet2 customers (19 per cent) are still awaiting refunds 'Customers may also request a refund by submitting a claim in writing via a dedicated refund webform, online. We are processing refunds for customers and aim to do so in less than 28 days.' Ryanair said: 'For any cancelled flight, Ryanair is giving customers all of the options set out under EU regulations, including free moves and refunds in the form of cash or vouchers. 'The process time for cash refunds is taking longer due to the fact we are having to process 10,000 times the usual volume of cancellations and have fewer staff available due to social distancing measures. 'Ryanair is offering vouchers and free moves as these are automated and would give customers an alternative. Customers who choose a voucher but don't redeem it within 12 months may still apply for and obtain a refund after this 12 month period. 'This also includes partial redemption, as the portion of the unused voucher will be refunded.' New Delhi: Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday targeted the Narendra Modi government for not addressing the issues concerning the migrant workers and demanded that the Centre should provide Rs 7,500 to every needy of the country for next six months. Sonia Gandhi, while addressing the Congress partys Speak Up` campaign, said, "In the last two months the lockdown to combat the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), has created a huge problem of economic crisis." "For the first time after independence, people have seen the pain and plight of the migrant workers travelling back bare foot. Their pain and plight was heard by the entire nation but not by the government," she said. It may be noted that the Congress party has launched the Speak UP campaign to take the voice of poor, migrants, small businesses and the middle class affected by the coronavirus lockdown to the central government The Congress chief further said that crores of jobs have been lost, many factories shut, farmers facing issues in selling crops but the government could not assess it. Sonia Gandhi, who is also the partys Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli, said, "Since day one, all Congress leaders, economists and people from the civil society urged the government that it is time to heal the wounds of the people. But the government is not ready to understand or help the people." she said. "Thus, Congress has decided to raise the voice of the people. We request the central government to give relief to the needy people and provide every family Rs 7,500 for six months. And instantly provide Rs 10,000 into their bank accounts," Sonia Gandhi said. The Congress party also released a video message by Sonia Gandhi to the people of India during which spoke of the plight of the migrant workers and urged the government to arrange for the free and safe travel for the stranded migrants and also arrange for their employment. "Increase employment days to 200 under MGNREGA so that they can get jobs in their villages," she said, adding that the government also needs to help the small and medium scale industries in these tough times so that crores of jobs are saved. She further said that through social media, the Congress leaders, workers, activists are raising this demand once again. She also urged the people to participate in the campaign and raise the issues being faced by the people. PHILADELPHIA May 27, 2020 Philadelphia Texas Alabama Florida Iowa Nebraska South Dakota North Carolina Mississippi Chicago Minneapolis Phoenix, Ariz. Las Vegas, Nev. Salt Lake City, Utah David Rubin University of Pennsylvania's University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania's Jing Huang University of Pennsylvania's Philadelphia http://www.policylab.chop.edu Lauren Walens Philadelphia /PRNewswire/ -- An updated county-level model released today by PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of(CHOP) shows some communities, particularly in the southern and Midwestern regions of the country, are still at high risk for COVID-19 resurgence in the coming weeks, while many other counties appear to be flattening the curve, even if case counts are higher than two weeks ago. The latest data suggest that policymakers looking to further relax social distancing guidelines consider whether hospital capacity will be sufficient in the face of greater, but stable, daily new cases.As it did last week, the model continues to identify counties in, andas being at higher risk for new community spread in the next four weeks. Increasing transmission risk is also evolving inand, and areas in the upper Midwest, such asand, are still very much in the midst of ongoing epidemics that the researchers project will take weeks to decline.Meanwhile, the majority of communities, represented by places such as, and, have seen cases rise in the last two weeks, but are forecasted to plateau with a consistent, but elevated, intensity of daily new cases. The model is careful to account for increased testing capacity in many locations, which can lead to greater numbers of identified cases, but not yet at levels indicating widespread community transmission. Higher, but stable case projections can also be a reflection of local outbreaks in a nursing home, prison, or other congregate living facility that are being contained with testing and quarantine, which are details the model cannot detect. The researchers encourage local authorities to consider increasing transmission forecasts with new daily hospitalization rates to confirm risk for community spread, which can occur more easily in areas that rapidly relax social distancing."Our data this week bring some optimism that many areas of the country may be reaching a new equilibrium, delicate though it may be, between persistent coronavirus case numbers and containing deadly outbreaks. However, in these communities, local authorities will need to be mindful of their hospitals' capacity to care for the sick and of actions individuals take to protect themselves and those around them," said Dr., director of PolicyLab at CHOP and a professor of Pediatrics at thePerelman School of Medicine. "For those areas operating close to their health care system capacity, we would caution that an elevated and sustained pattern of continuing transmission due to further relaxation of social distancing also increases potential for rapid local outbreaks in high-risk locations, like meatpacking plants or nursing homes, making it even more critical that people remain vigilant in wearing masks in crowded indoor locations, practicing other hygiene and adhering to distancing recommendations."Researchers at PolicyLab at CHOP and thedeveloped the model, known as COVID-Lab: Mapping COVID-19 in Your Community, which tracks and projects COVID-19 transmission across 389 U.S. counties with active outbreaks, representing 68% of the U.S. population and 87% of all identified coronavirus cases. The projections forecast the number of coronavirus cases communities could experience over the next four weeks based on a three-day average of their current social distancing practices, defined by the change in travel to non-essential businesses as compared to pre-epidemic. In addition to social distancing, the model continues to show that population density, temperature and humidity are all important factors in the spread of COVID-19."The next 2-4 weeks will be a critical time period as social distancing further relaxes and temperatures and humidity levels approach summer extremes in many parts of the country," said Dr. Gregory Tasian, faculty member at PolicyLab, assistant professor of Urology and Epidemiology and senior scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at thePerelman School of Medicine. "Alongside new transmission risks introduced by Memorial Day activities, we will be able to interpret fairly soon how those forces are increasing or decreasing projections for spread of this virus, providing better guidance to communities as they plan for summer activities."Utilizing data from a variety of publicly available sources, the researchers built their model to observe how social distancing, population density, daily temperatures, and humidity affect the number and spread of COVID-19 infections over time across a county, accounting for population characteristics such as age, insurance status, crowding within homes and diabetes prevalence. A scientific review of the team's model and findings is available as a pre-print article ahead of peer review on medRxiv. The data are publicly available in the form of interactive maps and graphs."Models are one of the tools in the toolbox that policymakers and individuals have to make informed decisions about how to protect themselves and those around them as we relax social distancing and reopen businesses," said Dr., faculty member at PolicyLab at CHOP, assistant professor of biostatistics in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, and a senior scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at thePerelman School of Medicine. "We assess the capabilities of our models weekly to make the best predictions possible, and we have plans to add in other important elements, such as commuting, to ensure we're considering as many local elements as possible that could be impacting local area transmission."PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of(CHOP) is dedicated to achieving optimal child health and well-being by informing program and policy changes through interdisciplinary research. Founded in 2008, PolicyLab is a Center of Emphasis within the CHOP Research Institute, one of the largest pediatric research institutes in the country. With more than 30 highly regarded faculty and 60 passionate staff who bring expertise from myriad of fields covering health, research and health policy, our work focuses on improving public systems, improving health care delivery and improving child health outcomes. For more information, visitMEDIA CONTACT:, Strategic Ops & Comms DirectorPolicyLab at Children's Hospital ofwalensl@email.chop.edu or (734) 904-2181 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-covid-lab-projections-paint-mixed-picture-for-resurgence-risk-across-us-counties-301066465.html SOURCE PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Previously, Alvinology reported on Singaporean model-DJ Jade Rasif and how she was the recipient of alleged nude photos from adolescent Singaporean boys. Citing the law and the disturbingly sexual nature of the activity that these young boys are involved in, she insisted that they stop sending her photos of their private parts. While she rightly expressed serious concern over the activity of these boys, website Goodyfeed published an article that made Jade call the author of the article and the editorial team sexist. What did Goody Feed say about DJ Jade Rasif? According to Jades Instagram stories, Goody Feeds article mentioned the photos that Jade received, and speculated on the reason why these kids would think of sending such content to her. The article (that has since been taken down) said that Where did the kids [who allegedly sent her explicit pictures] learn such behaviour? I dont know about you guys but I have a very good feeling I know where. The article also brought up the nature of Jades Instagram photos, that the author said was considered thirst trapping. Thirst trapping is considered the act of posting a photo on social media to gain attention for your physical appearance. DJ Jade Rasif calls Goody Feed sexist When Jade read the article, she was quick to post about it on her Instagram stories, and slapped the online publication with a scathing accusation of sexism. She cited that her content and her photos are in no way encouraging young boys to produce pornography, and that blaming her for their actions is outright sexism. Take a look at her posts on her Instagram stories: She admitted to receiving similar messages from adults. Then she called out the insinuation that she was encouraging the production of such content. She rightly labeled it a crime and expressed her anger at the suggestion. She asked Goody Feed how they could even begin to cast any responsibility on her for the actions of young boys. How could her content teach young boys how to create porn? Story continues Jade also went further to explain why she called out the boys in her messages, and mentioned that she was specific in highlighting the fact that only Singaporean men would send her photos of their genitals. If Goody Feed was so keen on finding blame for the boys behaviour, why didnt they touch on how only Singaporean men sent Jade unsolicited male genitalia photos? She also said that Goody Feeds article only perpetuated the victim blaming women all over the world face, where they are asked to cover up their bodies and take blame for the sexual actions of men. Jade pointed out the absurdity, sexism, and victim-blaming angle of the article, citing that free pornography sites are available all over the internet and are easily accessiblebut that she is still to blame for the nude photos that arrive in her Instagram messages. She continued to call the article out for so many blatant sexist insinuations and how it framed her as responsible for the nude photos that she received from the young boys. Jade was also quick to point out how Goody Feed failed to see how vulnerable this made the kids who sent her those photos. Pointing fingers at women who are comfortable with their sexuality and absolving men who objectify women can only contribute to grooming, she continued. Coming to the defense of women everywhere, Jade pointed out that women who post bikini pictures and pose sexily are not asking for any intimate photos from others. Using the kind of content she posts as permission and even solicitation for unsolicited male genital photos was called out as sexism. Jade continued to express her views, and said that she would tackle the issue further on her Facebook account. Goody Feed apologizes Jade was very surprised when the website reached out to her through her private messages on Instagram to apologize on the matter. They have since taken down the article and all the links that would point to it. She did not comment on the apology itself, and instead thanked her fans and supporters for amplifying her message and getting the matter more media attention. Who is DJ Jade Rasif and why is she so popular? Was the apology enough? While the apology that the website offered Jade was neither ours to accept or reject, the mention of borderline on sexism in reference to the article makes us think that Goody Feed only took notice because Jade and her fans spoke upand not because there was any sort of editing going on with that piece. No, it was not boredline sexism, it was outright misogyny directed at Jade. The article framed the crime involving children as a direct result of Jades contentwhich is her right to post as it is her body and her choice. What other people do as a result of her content are their own decisions. If you think Jades sexiness is an invitation to commit a crime, then the problem is YOU. Sending nude photos to women without explicit permission is a crime in Singapore. Parents of those boys who sent her photos should know what their children did so they can correct such bad behaviour that only leaves these kids vulnerable forever. President Donald Trump finally acknowledged on Thursday that US Covid-19 toll had surpassed 100,000, calling it a sad milestone almost 20 hours late, and promptly proceeded to blame it on China, saying the coronavirus behind it was a very bad gift from China. Trump had been noticeably quiet on the toll as he tweeted and retweeted about an upcoming executive order on social media, about his political rivals, ongoing legal case involving his first national security adviser Michael Flynn, and his predecessor President Barack Obama. We have just reached a very sad milestone with the coronavirus pandemic deaths reaching 100,000, he wrote in a tweet Thursday, hours after the Johns Hopkins University tracker marked the crossing. In a tweet minutes after, the president wrote, All over the World the CoronaVirus, a very bad gift from China, marches on. Not good! President Trump and his Republican allies have sought to shift all of the blame for the epidemic including the devastation caused in the United States by this administrations delayed and botched response, on China, where the first infections occurred last December. Approval ratings of the presidents handling of the crisis have been declining steadily. The toll had risen to 100,467 by Thursday morning (much earlier, according to some trackers), with 1,505 deaths in the last 24 hours, marking a return to four-digit toll after days. Infections rose by 18,263 to reach 1.7 million. The United State accounts for around a third of both the infections and fatalities worldwide. The epidemic has continued to take a heavy toll on the US economy with 2.1 million more American filings for unemployment benefits, according to new data released by the US department of labor. The total of jobs lost due to the Covid-19 lockdown is now up to 41 million. RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- An Army scientist earned top honors from IEEE for big data security and privacy research. IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Dr. Cliff Wang, Computing Sciences Division chief for the Army Research Office received the 2020 IEEE Big Data Security Pioneer Award at the IEEE Big Data Security Conference held virtually May 25-27. The IEEE Big Data Security Pioneer Award is given to an individual who has conducted breakthrough research and pioneered concepts and technologies in big data security and privacy. ARO is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory. IEEE noted Wang's vision and leadership in initiating several key research thrusts in big data analytics and security that have grown to full research areas. For example, he helped start early work in adversarial analysis of Intrusion Detection Software systems, and he facilitated adversarial analysis of both supervised and unsupervised learning well before adversarial learning became a fast growing new research area. Wang leads the Army's extramural basic science research program to help establish scientific foundations of information sciences and to create new knowledge in the field. Through partnership with other federal funding agencies, research labs, academic institutions, and industry, his division seeks to build revolutionary capabilities in computation and information processing and maintain the U.S. superior lead in information sciences and its dominance in innovation. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Wang earned his doctorate in computer engineering in 1996. He has been carrying out research in the area of computer vision, medical imaging, high speed networks, and most recently information security. He has authored more than 50 technical papers and three Internet standards RFCs. He also authored/edited 18 books in the area of information security and holds four U.S. patents on information security system development. Since 2003, Wang has been managing extramural research portfolio on information assurance at Army Research Office. In 2007, the Army promoted him to his current role as chief of the Computing Sciences Division, while at the same time he manages his program in cybersecurity. Wang holds an adjunct professor appointment at both Department of Computer Science and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State University. Wang is also an IEEE fellow. ### CCDC Army Research Laboratory is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. As the Army's corporate research laboratory, ARL discovers, innovates and transitions science and technology to ensure dominant strategic land power. Through collaboration across the command's core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win the nation's wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command. The House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved bipartisan changes to give small businesses more time and flexibility in using emergency loans obtained through the Paycheck Protection Program meant to aid companies and workers during the pandemic. The details: The $670 billion program provides businesses with fewer than 500 employees with low-interest loans up of to $10 million that can be forgiven if companies meet certain requirements but business owners said the criteria for forgiveness were problematic, making the program less effective and appealing. In response, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act passed on Thursday would: Extend the window small businesses have to spend their funds and still qualify for loan forgiveness from eight weeks to 24 weeks; Reduce the percentage of forgivable loan funds required to be spent on payroll from 75% to 60%, giving business owners the ability to use more of the money they receive on overhead expenses including rent and utilities; Allow payroll tax deferrals to PPP loan recipients; Extend the application deadline from June 30 to December 31; Allow more time to rehire workers; Extend the repayment time for non-forgiven loans from two years to five years for future borrowers. The bill, introduced by Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, passed 417-1. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky cast the only no vote. Whats next: The legislation now goes to the Senate, which is expected to take up the issue when it returns next week. Senators said last week that they had made progress on their own set of PPP changes, including some changes not in the House bill. The Senate would reportedly have allowed 16 weeks, rather than 24, for spending the loan money and would have kept the 75% payroll requirement. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), one of the architects of the program, has some concerns about the House version, according to The New York Times. Story continues The new proxy voting process used by the House to pass the bill also creates some uncertainty since Republicans have filed a lawsuit arguing that legislation passed in such a manner is invalid. The sponsors of the bill want the Senate to act quickly and avoid making this bill part of a larger coronavirus relief package that is likely still weeks away. I would be both surprised and disappointed if the Senate didnt pass this immediately and get it to the president, Phillips said, according to the Star Tribune. And Roy told CNN ahead of Wednesdays vote: "I hope that Congress doesn't mess this up en route to some grand bargain. Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 04:42:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A staff member displays samples of the COVID-19 inactivated vaccine at Sinovac Biotech Ltd., in Beijing, capital of China, March 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei) China's COVID-19 vaccine trial results are "very impressive," a leading U.S. epidemiologist said, echoing a recent study published by The Lancet. by Xinhua writer Tan Jingjing WASHINGTON, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The results of China's COVID-19 vaccine trial, the first such vaccine to reach phase 1 clinical trial, are "very impressive," a leading U.S. epidemiologist told Xinhua in a recent interview. China's vaccine trial has been found to be safe, well-tolerated, and able to generate an immune response against SARS-COV-2 in humans, according to a study published online last Friday by medical journal The Lancet. "The vaccine seemed to be well tolerated at the three doses tested, and vaccine recipients generated potent immune responses against the coronavirus as measured both in tests of neutralizing antibodies and T-cells," said Robert Schooley, a professor of medicine with the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. The Chinese research team conducted the open-label, non-randomised, phase 1 trial of an Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine in Wuhan, China. A total of 108 healthy adults aged between 18 and 60 were recruited and allocated to three different dose groups to receive the vaccine. Robert Schooley, professor of medicine at the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), speaks in an interview with Xinhua in San Diego, the United States, Feb. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Ying) The trial demonstrates promising results after 28 days and the final results will be evaluated in six months, according to a statement of The Lancet. "Everyone had a T-cell response and most had an over 4 fold increase in neutralizing antibodies by day 28," said Schooley, adding that the immunogenicity results from the study are very impressive. There is evidence that those who have clear pre-existing immunity to the adenovirus type 5 vector used to deliver the coronavirus antigens made less vigorous neutralizing antibody responses than those with lower levels of pre-existing immunity to adenovirus, said Schooley. "This has been seen with other vaccines that use this approach and is one of the reasons that they don't work in all people and one of the things that limits using them repetitively in the same person -- as in providing what we commonly call 'booster' shots," he noted. Further research is needed to observe whether there are differences in the strength of the responses in older volunteers, and whether the fall-off in T-cell immunity seen at day 28 continues, said Schooley, also editor-in-chief of Clinical Infectious Disease, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by Oxford University Press. A staff member adjusts equipments at a vaccine production plant of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) in Beijing, capital of China, April 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei) A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial of the Ad5-nCoV vaccine has been initiated in Wuhan to determine whether the results can be replicated, and if there are any adverse events up to six months after vaccination, in 500 healthy adults -- 250 volunteers given a middle dose, 125 given a low dose, and 125 given a placebo as a control, according to The Lancet. Schooley said one of the challenges is that adenovirus type 5-based vaccines generally cannot be given repetitively as immunity to the coronavirus falls off, because the immunity to adenovirus persists and it makes subsequent responses to the vaccine less and less potent. "Next steps here will be to see whether there are differences in immunogenicity in older people and how long the immunity persists," he said. Immunity to natural coronavirus infection also declines rather quickly, which is one of the contributors to recurring waves of infection in the human population. "If the vaccine immunity wanes as rapidly, and it is necessary to re-vaccinate every couple of years, they will likely need to develop a non-adenovirus type 5 based vaccine for the repeated vaccine," Schooley said. He also stressed the importance of global cooperation in COVID-19 vaccine development, adding that collaboration across companies, countries and research groups will be essential to get different vaccine approaches into patients. These new sites will utilize self-swab tests and deliver on the company's commitment to establish 1,000 locations across the country by the end of May as originally announced on April 27 . These new test sites help enable a goal of processing up to 1.5 million tests per month, subject to availability of supplies and lab capacity. "CVS Health has been at the forefront of helping our nation scale-up COVID-19 testing capabilities, and we're proud to meet our goal of establishing 1,000 testing sites in communities across the country," said Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO, CVS Health. "Opening access to testing in more locations using our drive-thru window represents an important milestone in our response to the pandemic. We remain grateful for the daily efforts and sacrifices of our front-line colleagues who make the continued expansion of our testing possible." More than half of the company's 1,000 test sites will serve communities with the greatest need for support, as measured by the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index. The index tracks a variety of census variables including poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded housing that may weaken a community's ability to prepare for and recover from hazardous events like natural disasters and disease outbreaks. Self-swab tests will be available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, in addition to state and age guidelines. Patients must register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday, May 29 to schedule an appointment. Patients will be required to stay in their cars and will be directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions, and a CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly. Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and the results will be available in approximately three days. Testing will not take place inside any retail locations, and CVS Pharmacy, HealthHUB and MinuteClinic will continue to serve customers and patients. The new testing sites in New Mexico include: CVS Pharmacy, 1510 Tramway Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112 87112 CVS Pharmacy, 4201 Montano Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120 87120 CVS Pharmacy, 10700 Unser Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114 87114 CVS Pharmacy, 7847 Tramway Boulevard, Albuquerque, NM 87122 87122 CVS Pharmacy, 4340 San Mateo Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 87110 CVS Pharmacy, 801 North Canal Street, Carlsbad, NM 88220 88220 CVS Pharmacy, 940 N. Main Street, Las Cruces, NM 88001 88001 CVS Pharmacy, 2907 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87507 87507 CVS Pharmacy, 610 Silver Heights Boulevard, Silver City, NM 88061 A complete list of CVS Pharmacy drive-thru test sites can be found here. More information on steps CVS Health has taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including support for health care providers and clinicians facing financial and administrative strain, is available at the company's frequently updated COVID-19 resource center . For downloadable COVID-19 testing media assets, including photos, video and interviews with CVS Health executives, please visit the Media Resource Center. About CVS Health CVS Health employees are united around a common goal of becoming the most consumer-centric health company in the world. We're evolving based on changing consumer needs and meeting people where they are, whether that's in the community at one of our nearly 10,000 local touchpoints, in the home, or in the palm of their hand. Our newest offerings from HealthHUB locations that are redefining what a pharmacy can be, to innovative programs that help manage chronic conditions are designed to create a higher-quality, simpler and more affordable experience. Learn more about how we're transforming health at https://www.cvshealth.com. Media Contact Monica Prinzing, (831) 241-8294 [email protected] SOURCE CVS Health Related Links http://www.cvshealth.com They shared photos on social media of their private jet, stacks of Tiffany & Company boxes and a crystal decanter of Louis XIII cognac, often accompanied by the hashtags #jetsetter, #millionaire, #billionaire and #entrepreneur. But prosecutors said that the lavish lifestyle that Latisha and Timothy Harron flaunted online was one that they could not afford and was attained through fraud. On Wednesday, the Harrons were indicted in a yearslong Medicaid billing scheme, in which the couple back-billed the program for $13 million in home health care services that they didnt provide, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Wednesday. The Harrons, who live in Las Vegas, spent the money on real estate, exercise equipment, jewelry that included a $58,455 Tiffany ring and clothes from Brioni in Beverly Hills, the complaint said. The couples Aston Martin and wine collection were among the items that could be seized, according to the complaint. The owner of a business that hosted crowded pool parties over the Memorial Day weekend at Missouris Lake of the Ozarks says no laws were broken and safety measures were in place to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. Social media postings over the weekend showed large crowds of mostly young people without masks and not adhering to social distancing guidelines at pools along the central Missouri lake that is a popular weekend getaway for people in the state and the surrounding region. Many of photos and videos showed people in an area of the lake nicknamed Party Cove. Political leaders in St. Louis, St. Louis County and Kansas City, along with Kansas health secretary, encouraged 14-day self-quarantines for anyone involved in the parties. Some labeled the gatherings reckless and worried that revelers would return home after becoming unwittingly exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 and potentially spread it to others. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, a Democrat and a medical doctor, noted studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. Those people can then spread the virus to older adults and people with existing health problems who are more vulnerable to more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The pictures that emerged from Lake of the Ozarks over the weekend were an international example of bad behavior, Page said. Backwater Jacks, a bar and restaurant that has a pool, was among the places with big crowds. Owner Gary Prewitt said in a statement that no laws were broken, though the images appeared to show people violating Republican Gov. Mike Parsons state order requiring social distancing. Prewitts statement said temperatures were checked at the pool entrance by medical staff hired for the event and free bottles of hand sanitizer were distributed. Staff members were given the option not to work. The statement noted that the business is seasonal and about one-third of its busy season has already been lost due to coronavirus-related closures. We stand by our decision to move forward with Memorial Day Weekend plans, Prewitts statement said. Although Missouris social distancing order gives enforcement authority to both the state and local health departments, Parson has said enforcement responsibility lies with local health departments. The health director in one lake-area county, Morgan, said he had no enforcement authority. The health director in Camden County, where Backwater Jacks is located, did not respond to email messages seeking comment. Parson allowed businesses and attractions to reopen May 4, but the state order requires 6-foot (2-meter) social distancing through at least the end of May. St. Louis and St. Louis County are just now phasing in reopening because COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, was so devastating there. More than half of Missouris 12,291 confirmed cases have occurred in those locations, along with more than two-thirds of the states 686 deaths. Ballentine reported from Columbia, Mo. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Missouri A n app logging over 700,000 of London's trees is encouraging citizens to embrace urban nature during the coronavirus lockdown, by discovering and identifying trees in their local area during their daily walk. TreeTalk, designed by Revolution Consultancy & Design, uses cleaned data from the GLA, who have merged data from London boroughs with Transport for London, who plant and manage trees along London's busiest main roads. The most common trees in TreeTalk's dataset are London Planes (Platanus x hispanica), Cherry (Prunus), Lime (Tilia), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and Sycamore trees (Acer pseudoplatanus). Director Rob Tustain told the Standard: "It's about people being able to re-connect with the local urban nature, and encouraging active travel in a fun, interesting way" TreeTalk maps over 700,000 trees in London (Picture: Alamy) Most recently, for last week's Urban Tree Festival, TreeTalk produced a London #DailyWalk Generator - and has seen tens of thousands of routes generated within the last month. Simply enter any London address, and a walk will be automatically generated for you, with information about the trees you'll spot along the way. You can also access several pre-made trails on their website, such as The Haggerston Hop or Chiswick Chase. Mr Tustain explained: "We think appreciation of nature in cities has intensified because of lockdown people have had more time to notice the environment, including the trees, around them. "Trees especially help to reduce CO2, moderate extreme temperatures, soak up pollutants and mitigate the worst effects of flooding." The app has been refined since its launch in 2017, and now functions with data from all London boroughs apart from Hackney, Brent and Croydon. Mr Tustain said: "Weve been developing our routing engine over the past 3 years and are continually refining it. That means that other aspects, e.g. air quality, tree canopy and green routes can be layered to give the best active travel experience for the user. "We've also been able to apply this across other projects such as GoParksLondon, where we have created a website with over 4,000 green spaces for Londoners, through to London Car Free Day; allowing us to incorporate event functionality to our routing offering." One TreeTalk user commented: "This is one of the best things Ive found in lockdown. Every tree (almost) in London has been mapped. Put in your address and it gives you a personalised tree walk so you can learn as you go." Another said: "This is an excellent find. Much more fun than Pokemon Go!" TreeTalk has also proven popular in other areas of the UK, and its creators hope it will be part of a broader transition towards a greener future. Mr Tustain said: "Wed love to be able to grow TreeTalk nationally and in turn, help to make a difference in peoples lives. "What is exciting for us are the Mayor of Londons Streetspace plans aiming to place clean, green and sustainable travel at the heart of Londons recovery from Covid-19. "And also, the Climate Emergency plans, where many areas are aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030, whilst dramatically expanding their tree planting, and co-design and co-creation with their residents and engagement." NICOSIA, CYPRUS / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Atalaya Mining plc (ATYM.L)(AYM.TO), announces that it will host its AGM at 11:00 a.m. (BST) on Thursday, 25 June 2020 at the offices of Fieldfisher, Riverbank House, 2 Swan Lane, London EC4R 3TT. The Company notes the restrictions on public gatherings imposed by the UK Government and in order to ensure shareholders can comply with the government measures, the Company has concluded that shareholders will not be permitted to attend the AGM in person. It is currently intended that the AGM will be held with only the appointed Chair of the meeting and two other nominated shareholders attending by way of a video link. The Company requests all shareholders submit their Form of Proxy, Form of Instruction or use the CREST Proxy Voting Service (as applicable) and not to attend the meeting in person. A circular to shareholders, incorporating the Notice of the Company's AGM for 2020, together with forms of proxy and forms of instruction, the 2019 Annual Report and other relevant documents are available on the Company's website at www.atalayamining.com and also under the Company's corporate profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Shareholders should refer to the voting instructions set out on the Notice of AGM. Shareholders may listen to the formal AGM proceedings by dialing in to the below dial-in details but this will not constitute attendance at the Meeting and Shareholders will not be able to vote by telephone: Dial-in number: +44 (0) 20 3936 2999 Pin code: 409379. Immediately after the formal business of the meeting, the Company will on the same call give a corporate update presentation which will be made available on the Company's website at www.atalayamining.com and shareholders will have the opportunity to ask questions. The Company will continue to monitor the situation and issue any further updates as necessary. Contacts: Newgate Communications Elisabeth Cowell / Adam Lloyd / Tom Carnegie + 44 20 3757 6880 4C Communications Carina Corbett +44 20 3170 7973 Canaccord Genuity (NOMAD and Joint Broker) Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor / James Asensio +44 20 7523 8000 BMO Capital Markets (Joint Broker) Tom Rider / Michael Rechsteiner / Neil Elliot +44 20 7236 1010 Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker) Ross Allister / David McKeown +44 20 7418 8900 About Atalaya Mining Plc Story continues Atalaya is an AIM and TSX-listed mining and development group which produces copper concentrates and silver by-product at its wholly owned Proyecto Riotinto site in southwest Spain. In addition, the Group has a phased, earn-in agreement for up to 80% ownership of Proyecto Touro, a brownfield copper project in the northwest of Spain. For further information, visit www.atalayamining.com This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. SOURCE: Atalaya Mining PLC View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/591746/Atalaya-Mining-PLC-Announces-Notice-for-the-AGM-in-light-of-COVID-19 New Delhi, May 28 : The Delhi Directorate of Education has asked government schools here to prepare a schedule for distributing text books among students up to classes 8, as per the Right to Education Act. The schools were asked to ensure social distancing at all times and to call the parents in different time slots for different classes. "A proper schedule for distribution of books is to be prepared at the school level so that books that have been received by the schools till now are distributed immediately," the DoE asks schools in an order. The schools in the national capital have been shut since March 12 after the coronavirus infection was declared an epidemic. While the schools remain shut, the government has started online teaching for all classes. The new academic session has started in April. New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) The Delhi Directorate of Education has asked government schools in the national capital to prepare a schedule for distributing text books among the students of up to Classes VIII, as per the Right to Education Act. The schools were asked to ensure social distancing at all times and to call the parents in different time slots for different classes. "A proper schedule for distribution of books is to be prepared at the school level so that books that have been received by the schools till now are distributed immediately," the DoE said in its order. The schools in the national capital have been shut since March 12 after the coronavirus infection was declared an epidemic. While the schools continue remain shut, the government has started online teaching for all classes. The new academic session had started in April. New Delhi: India recorded as many as 6,566 new cases and 194 deaths in the last 24 hours taking its total to 1,58,333 infections reported which includes 86,110 active cases 67,692 cured cases and 4,531 fatalities, as per Union Health Ministry date on Thursday. This is the second highest number of deaths recorded, earlier on May 5 as many as 195 deaths were reported, which was the highest single day death count. The recovery rate is reported at 42.75 %. Maharashtra continues ot be the worst hit state with 56,948 cases of which 17,918 are cured cases and 1,897 deaths have been reported. Followed by Tamil Nadu with 18,545, Delhi with 15,257, Gujarat with 15,195,, Rajasthan's total at 7,703, Madhya Pradesh totaling 7,261 and Uttar Pradesh with 6,991 cases. According to the ministry's website, more than 70 per cent of the deaths are due to comorbidities. Of the 194 deaths reported 105 were in Maharashtra, 23 in Gujarat, 15 in Delhi, 12 in Uttar Pradesh, eight in Madhya Pradesh, six each in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal, three each in Karnataka and Rajasthan, two each in Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Kerala. Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba will hold a meeting with municipal commissioners and district magistrates of the most affected cities in the country which includes Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, according to officials. Municipal commissioners of Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi/New Delhi, Ahmadabad, Thane, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata/Howrah, Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Jaipur, Jodhpur, Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu) and Thiruvallur (Tamil Nadu) will join the meeting via video conferencing, a Home Ministry official said. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo donned a face mask and rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, marking the partial reopening of the trading floor at 11 Wall Street, which had been shuttered since March 23 due to the coronavirus outbreak. It was a sign of survival of the financial heart of New York City, as the state has long been the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. The reopening comes in contrast to other major financial firms, including lenders and credit card companies, which have been more cautious, with most U.S. staff working remotely. Its clearly an exciting time, Jonathan Corpina, a trader with Meridian Equity Partners, said from Intercontinental Exchange Incs NYSE floor. Having everybody get back here and get back to business the floor community provides a lot of volume and liquidity into our markets. It was hardly business as usual, with floor capacity down by 75% to help with social distancing, Plexiglas separators between trading pods, and other measures to reduce chances of an outbreak. When we paused for the past two months, we took the opportunity to learn a lot about this virus, and what we learned is how to protect ourselves, NYSE President Stacey Cunningham told CNBC. 100 Traders The 100 or so traders, regulatory and operational staff who headed into the building were told to avoid public transportation and were screened for signs of the virus at the door, where they had to sign a liability waiver. As trading on this iconic floor recommences, New York is showing the nation that we will lead the lead way, said Cuomo, who has turned his attention to re-opening New York. Most of the NYSEs designated market makers, who oversee trading in the exchanges 2,200 listed companies, are still working from home, as are most exchange employees. The NYSE operates the last U.S. stock-trading floor, and a raft of all-electronic competitors having eaten away at the Big Boards once-dominant market share. The NYSE operated almost seamlessly during its electronic-only trading period, even with record volumes, volatility, and a 37% rally on the benchmark S&P 500 index, which broke back through the 3,000 level on Tuesday, before dipping back below ahead of the market close. That operational performance has prompted rivals to question the utility of the floor, where stocks have traded since 1792. The NYSE says recent data show less volatility and tighter bid-ask spreads for NYSE-listed stocks when floor brokers are present, saving investors millions of dollars a day. (Reporting by John McCrank; editing by Megan Davies, Nick Zieminski and Leslie Adler) Topics USA New York LOS GATOS, California, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyvos Insights, a cloud and big data analytics company, today announced their integration for Snowflake, a leading cloud data warehouse, with its latest release Kyvos 2020.2. Kyvos is a cloud-native BI acceleration platform that helps users perform multidimensional analytics on trillions of rows of data on the cloud using any BI tool of their choice. Using its Smart OLAP technology, Kyvos delivers the speed-of-thought analytics needed to deal with massive data on the cloud. With support for all major cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, Kyvos helps enterprises scale out their business intelligence (BI) on the cloud while saving costs and without compromising on performance. Kyvos' integration with Snowflake will allow Snowflake users to build OLAP cubes on their data and perform complex, multidimensional analytics at massive scale. They can visualize, explore, and analyze as much data on Snowflake as needed, across hundreds of dimensions and measures, and deep dive into the most granular details, all within seconds. "We provide interactive, self-service analytics with OLAP for enterprises with massive data on the cloud, and now deliver this capability with seamless integration with the Snowflake cloud data warehouse," said Ajay Anand, Chief Product Officer at Kyvos. "We've seen enterprises moving towards the cloud rapidly, and we're excited to bring this integration to help them accelerate their BI on massive data with Snowflake." Kyvos empowers users to transform their tabular data models on Snowflake to multidimensional cubes in the cloud. Users can now visually analyze any amount of data on their BI tool or data science application with SQL or MDX connectivity. About Kyvos: Kyvos is the world's most powerful BI acceleration platform that delivers instant insights on data at massive scale, both on the cloud and on-premise. Our breakthrough Elastic OLAP technology revolutionizes analytics by enabling users to visualize, explore, and analyze trillions of rows of data with sub-second response times. With the mission to transform businesses through innovation in analytics, we continuously deliver solutions that let organizations take full advantage of modern data platforms. Headquartered in Los Gatos, California, Kyvos Insights was founded by a team of veterans from Yahoo!, Impetus, and Intellicus Technologies. For more information, visit us at www.kyvosinsights.com . Media Contact: Brahmajeet Desai Director Marketing [email protected] SOURCE Kyvos Insights - Demonstrators took to the streets where Floyd died, with some chanting and carrying banners that read "I can't breathe" - They marched towards a police station where they smashed windows, damaged a patrol car and graffiti sprayed on the building - Several celebrities joined in the protest while sharing their sentiments across social media platforms - Ava DuVernay, Demi Lovato, Cardi B and Jameela Jamil delivered powerful reactions among other celebrities - Floyd died Monday, May 25, after a confrontation with police in Minneapolis - Four police officers involved in the case have been fired Protesters have clashed with police in the United States following the death of an unarmed black man after a white officer kneeled on his neck during an arrest. Footage of the restraint was shared widely online after a bystander filmed the policeman pinning the shirtless suspect, George Floyd, to the ground in Minneapolis, Minnesota. READ ALSO: Irate residents burn down two-bedroom property of landlord who killed tenant Footage of the restraint was shared widely online after a bystander filmed the policeman pinning the shirtless suspect, George Floyd (pictured) to the ground in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Photo: Lucy. Source: UGC READ ALSO: President Donald Trump, Twitter at war over free speech A report by Washington Post showed the four officers involved in the arrest have since been fired with the city's mayor Jacob Frey saying that was the right call. Demonstrators took to the streets where Floyd died, with some chanting and carrying banners that read "I can't breathe"- the last words the man said before dying. They marched towards a police station where windows and a patrol car were damaged and graffiti sprayed on the building. A line of riot police eventually confronted them, firing tear gas and projectiles, which protesters kicked back towards them. Cardi B, Diddy, Ciara and Halsey led the way of celebrities outraged over the incident as others took to social media to express their anger and frustration over the death of the 46-year-old man. "Enough is enough! What will it take? A civil war? A new president? Violent riots? It is tiring! I am tired! The country is tired!" Cardi B wrote. READ ALSO: Muslim woman breaks records, becomes 1st hijab-wearing judge in UK "You do not put fear in people when you do this you just show how coward you are! And how America is really not the land of the free!" she added. The incident, which was caught on tape, was likened to the 2014 death of Eric Garner in New York after a police officer choked him. He was being detained for illegally selling cigarettes and his death sparked the nationwide Black Lives Matter movement. "My heart cannot take it, seeing what has happened to George Floyd," Ciara said. "This is eerily similar to the death of #EricGarner. There has to be a stopping point in the process of arresting someone. Its all senseless," she added. Diddy posted an emoji of praying hands in reaction to the senseless death while Viola Davis put the racial imbalance of the situation and others like it into perspective. In the incident, authorities said that Floyd - who was a restaurant security guard - matched the description of a forgery suspect and subsequently resisted when they took him to custody. In an accompanying clip, a police officer had his knee pressed on the back of Floyd's neck as he pleaded with him saying he could not breathe. "My stomach hurts, my neck hurts, everything hurts ... I can't breathe," Floyd cried out before passing out. READ ALSO: Nigerian man makes it, appointed president of Obama foundation Numerous people at the scene recorded the incident which happened on Monday, May 25, with some taking the police to the task. A lawyer for Floyd's family, Ben Crump, said in a statement Tuesday, May 26, that he was exploring a legal path for the man's survivors. 'We all watched the horrific death of George Floyd on video as witnesses begged the police officer to take him into the police car and get off his neck,'" Crump said. "This abusive, excessive and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a non-violent charge," he added. Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said he had passed the case to the FBI for investigation, which could turn it into a federal rights violation case. But there were mounting calls for the officers' arrest on homicide charges. Ghanaian Pastors are crying because of the lack of offerings and tithes - Woman explains | #Yencomgh Source: YEN.com.gh NEW HAVEN A man who authorities say was involved with a New Haven drug ring was sentenced this week to serve five years in federal prison and could face deportation, officials said. Gabriel Romero Escalera-Romero, 29, a citizen of Honduras, was given a 60-month federal prison sentence on Tuesday, a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham said. He pleaded guilty on Jan. 16 to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. The charges against Escalera-Romero stemmed from an investigation headed by the DEA New Haven Task Force, FBI and New Haven police. The news release said the investigation included wiretaps, controlled drug purchases and seizures of bulk heroin and cocaine. Investigators learned that New Haven resident Duane Filyaw operated a heroin and cocaine trafficking ring in which he conspired with others to purchase narcotics from suppliers and then distribute the drugs to other suppliers of street-level dealers in and around New Haven, the news release said. Escalera-Romero, who was living in Bridgeport, worked with an associate Neftali Fernandez to supply Filyaw and others with bulk quantities of cocaine, according to the news release. During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized more than 500 grams of heroin, more than 300 grams of fentanyl, more than one kilogram of cocaine, three firearms, over $90,000 in cash, vehicles, jewelry and precious metals, authorities said. On April 8, 2018, a grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Escalera-Romero, Filyaw, Fernandez and 16 others with narcotics trafficking offenses. Escalera-Romero and several other alleged members of the ring were arrested on April 25, 2018. He has been detained since his arrest and faces deportation proceedings after he completes his federal prison sentence. Obviously, COVID-19 quarantine doesn't apply to such figures, the publication notes. A political strategist known as Dmitry Chaika arrived from Russia in the occupied city of Donetsk late last week, journalists have revealed. He is tasked with supervising the self-styled "leader" of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" ("DPR") Denis Pushilin and monitoring his popular ratings, as reported by the Spektr online outlet with reference to own sources. Read alsoDonbas warlord's official residence address in Russia revealed media It is noted Chaika had until 2016 been working in the occupation administration led by Alexander Zakharchenko. Alexander Zakharchenko died in a blast in the occupied Donetsk on August 31, 2018. An obscure species of parasitic wasp discovered by chance could provide farmers with a chemical-free way of controlling cabbage stem flea beetles. The discovery was made when the wasps appeared mysteriously in colonies of cabbage stem flea beetles (CSFB) across three sites in Norfolk. Researchers, who were studying to test feeding preferences on oilseed rape, said the wasps appeared even though the beetles were confined to potted oilseed rape plants inside micro-perforated bags. Further exploration revealed that the colonies of around 3,000 beetles collected from the sites had been infected by a parasitic wasp that lays eggs within the beetles body. Genetic sequencing and enquiries by the Natural History Museum identified the wasp as a rare species called Microctonus brassicae, which was first reported in 2008 with no further identifications until now. Experiments showed that within controlled conditions the presence of wasps in sufficient numbers led to the collapse of CSFB colonies. Beetle hosts are rendered sterile and die after the wasp larvae emerge from the body after passing through its digestive system. The short generation time of 43.5 days from egg to adult means it would be possible to rapidly rear multiple generations in controlled conditions. The John Innes Centre study raises the possibility of employing Microctonus Brassicae as a biocontrol to protect OSR from CSFB attacks. The beetle is a major threat to oilseed rape, particularly the winter crop, throughout the UK. It causes damage known as shot-holing to leaves often resulting in crop failure or poor establishment. The beetle has become a prominent pest in the UK, particularly in East Anglia, following the European Union ban on neonicotinoid seed treatment use in flowering crops. The ban on these and other systemic pesticides followed research linking their use to decline in pollinators. Further legislation in 2019 upgraded the ban to include other broad-spectrum pesticides. The study raises the possibility of employing the wasp as a biocontrol to protect oilseed rape With the removal of seed treatments for oilseed rape the numbers of CSFB and the damage they cause have increased. Figures for 2016 valued the damage at 18.4m with an approximate loss of 5% of the national crop area of winter oilseed rape to CSFB. The estimated best-case crop production for 2020/21 is 1.26 million tonnes, a year on year decline of 489,000 tonnes, putting the future of the valuable UK rapeseed crop in doubt. The study, carried out by researchers at the John Innes Centre, is the first English published description of this parasitoid of the adult CSFB. Lead author Dr Rachel Wells, of the John Innes Centre, said: Something that was initially annoying leading to the collapse of our research colonies has turned out to be fortunate. It offers the possibility of using parasitoid wasps as bio-controls and more sustainable pest management practices for farmers of oilseed rape against cabbage stem flea beetle as part of an integrated pest management approach. Using beneficial insects for biocontrol has been investigated in the past with five species of parasitoid wasps found to target CSFB. But these have demonstrated limited effectiveness and found to be economically unnecessary while the now banned pesticides were in use. Under captivity in this study M. brassicae the rate of parasitism was greater than 44%. The research suggests that the wasp may have the potential to deliver positive effects under field conditions. Further research has been performed by Rothamsted Research to look at wasp presence and parasitism levels across the UK. Moscow, May 28 : Authorities in Moscow will begin the second stage of withdrawal of restrictions imposed over the coronavirus pandemic on June 1, the Russian capital city's Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said. "Since June 1, we will begin the second stage of withdrawal of restrictions, reopening many retail and services industry businesses, and allowing residents to walk in parks, albeit with restrictions," TASS News Agency quoted the Mayor as saying in a blog post on Wednesday. "Residents will be allowed to go out of general outdoors walks between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., but only three times a week at most - two times during working days and one time during weekend," he said, adding that schedule of "outdoors days" will be published at the mos.ru website, Yandex website and mobile applications. The Mayor urged the residents to limit their walk radius by 2 km away from their homes. Moscow residents will not need digital passes for walks and fitness outdoors, Sobyanin said in the blog. "Digital passes will not be needed for walks and fitness outdoors," he added. The Mayor also proposed Wednesday to restore operation of non-grocery stores and a portion of the service industry starting June 1. Also on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the Mayor said that the COVID-19 situation in Moscow, the worst-affected region, and across Russia is gradually stabilizing, TASS News Agency reported. According to the data cited by the President, the number of coronavirus tests conducted daily grew twofold from late April to late May: from 25,000 to 50,000. As of Thursday morning, Russia reported 370,680 COVID-19 cases, the third highest in the world, with 3,968 deaths. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Almost Haunted Oregon Coast: Yaquina Bay Lighthouse Lore and Legends, Part 2 Published 05/25/2020 at 5:54 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Newport, Oregon) The Oregon coast town with two lighthouses has a rich history, and one of those lighthouses has quite the storied past even though it was only used for three years. The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse in Newport started up in 1871 and then shut down in 1874 as the Yaquina Head Lighthouse kicked into life. Yet after its closing, the little sentinel managed quite the run of drama throughout the decades, as people all around the state struggled to keep it from being torn down and it even gave birth to quite the ghost tale. (Above: Newport's lighthouse around 1900, ripe for a ghost story). In part one, Oregon Coast Beach Connection went through the first near 100 years of the historic attractions existence, as seen through the lens of local media coverage over those decades. See Landmarks and Legends of an Oregon Coast Lighthouse, Newport's Yaquina Bay, Part I. Part two picks up right at the centennial of the lighthouse, after it had been saved and after years of looking like it was haunted. Parts one and two fill in some intriguing details of the lighthouses history, but you can get a greater overview with Oregon Coast History: Newport's Yaquina Bay Lighthouse and Trying Times. 1971. 100-Year Anniversary of the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. A few local papers run similar articles on the subject. Among the interviewees is a retiree from Minnesota named Fred Carriel who is close to 80 years old by this point and leads tours of the Oregon coast attraction. It apparently opened part time as a museum just after 1956, and even then was mostly a sea museum, featuring shells and examples of local sea creatures. There was, however, an old desk from the sea captain of a shipwrecked vessel near here, one that happened in 1888 according to Coos Bays The World. Lighthouse in the 1880s. Conversations with Carriel were a mix of interesting slices of Newport life back in 71 and not-so-accurate history of the lighthouse. For one thing, he told the newspaper that construction crews came up to this spot and started building the lighthouse by mistake. That flies in the face of now-standard documentation of how the land was purchased in 1870. While unsubstantiated either way, he told one newspaper reporter from Coos Bay the bricks from the basement floor of the place originally came from the first paved street in San Francisco. They were brought by sailing ship as ballast (a kind of counterweight at sea), and then hauled up to this spot by mule team. Another is the old ghost tale of Muriel. Originally, this was published in the local paper as a short story in 1899. It involved the daughter of a mythical lighthouse keeper going missing here after the lighthouse was shut down, and then a pool of blood being discovered with her handkerchief nearby. Ever since then, she purportedly haunted the area. Weird lights were supposedly seen up here at times, but that was simply odd lighting effects caused by city lights, the distant lighthouse at Yaquina Head and fog. Cariel did little to discourage the rampant paranormal tale, which workers for state parks seemed a little irritated by. One aide told the newspaper the whole story is completely untrue, but it was clear that Cariel entertained visitors with it. The tale got mixed up rather tightly with local history and the source forgotten for decades. Somewhere in the 80s the local history museum discovered the original short story, and finally ten years later regional media began publicizing that. Still, a few Oregon ghost books were written touting Muriels otherworldly presence before and after the discovery. In more than one article, state park employee Lee Hoffman noted the kooky questions about the ghost. Some visitors even ask why theyve painted over the blood on the stairway, he said. In 1972, the lighthouse was shut down for a couple of years as the real restoration began. Not much had been done before that, even though nearly 20 years before the lighthouse was saved on the premise locals would sooner rather than later start fixing it up. Oregon Capital Journal, 1976. 100 people gathered at the state park here on the central Oregon coast to celebrate a quiet dedication to the lighthouse. Among the attendees were Gov. Bob Straub (who flew in by helicopter) and some descendants of Charles Pierce himself. He was the original and only light keeper there. Straub talked about the sad fact there had once been a farewell party for the lighthouse. He said: but there will be no more parties here to celebrate the demise of the lighthouse. That was all nearly 50 years ago, and the lighthouse has only gained in popularity over the decades, featuring volunteer tour guides dressed in period garb and featuring items and furnishings duplicating life as it was back then. Its a vision much closer to that of Wilcoxs back then (see part one), a museum that gave you the feel of being in those lighthouse keepers quarters back in the 1870s. Entrance is free by donation. See yaquinalights.org for the latest hours. Hotels in Newport - Where to eat - Newport Maps and Virtual Tours MORE PHOTOS BELOW More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted New Impartner Channel Chief Advisory Board assembles powerhouse group of channel thought leaders from those who regularly generate headlines, present keynotes at top channel forums, curate leading channel events, and are trusted channel advisors for top corporations worldwide SALT LAKE CITY, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Impartner, the world's fastest-growing, most award-winning pure play Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and channel management platform provider, today announced a new Channel Chief Advisory Board (CCAB) of top channel strategists focused on sharing best channel practices worldwide. The global group is curated from powerhouse players in the channel who are conversation setters: those who generate headlines, present keynotes at top channel forums, curate leading channel events, and are trusted channel advisors for top corporations worldwide. "Like CRM, PRM and channel management technologies are systems of record that companies use to manage their entire channel ecosystem, which represent 75 percent or more of channel revenue for most corporations," said Impartner CMO Kerry Desberg. "Our customers and prospects are making big decisions about how to best run their channel and they look to Impartner and this collective group for a continual stream of best practices and thought leadership before, during and after the sales process. We could not be more excited to have the power of this amazing assembly of channel thought leaders join Impartner in being a beacon for best practices - something the market is hungrier for now more than ever given the impact of COVID-19." As a part of the CCAB, members will contribute regular content in the form of podcasts, webinars, blog posts, surveys that highlight key directional trends in the market, presentations and 1:1s at ImpartnerCON, the company's showcase customer channel management summit, which is now set for April 2021. Kicking off content from the CCAB is a webinar, "The Inverse Channel, The Rise of Partner Power," featuring CEO Glenn Robertson of Purechannels, a UK-based channel marketing and PR firm recently named best agency by CRN Magazine, and hosted by Desberg. In the webinar, Robertson addresses how the world's recent events have made vendor partner programs that "drip onto partners" a thing of the past. In the new world order, the most successful programs will be built "from the partner up." Click here to sign up for the webinar. "Given the revenue driven by the indirect channel, the pressure for Channel Chiefs to get it right is tremendous," said Robertson. "We're thrilled to join Impartner and this amazing group of channel thought leaders in continuing to elevate the conversation around best practices in the channel to not only survive, but thrive and prosper as the market begins its path to recovery." Below is a list of the CCAB members, which is also available here on Impartner's website - along with schedule of upcoming CCAB content: Rod Baptie , President and Founder, Baptie & Co. Rod Baptie is President and Founder of Baptie & Co., the world's leading provider of Channel best practice and how-to information for executives in the technology and telecom industries. Baptie's communities and events, including their flagship Channel Focus event and their Cloud Services Community, provide invaluable insights through peer-to-peer interaction. Involved with the technology industry since the early 1980s, Baptie was Managing Director at WBN, a leading high-tech agency where Baptie was responsible for the successful launch of over 20 major technology companies into the European market. Baptie is also a popular speaker at conferences and seminars worldwide and is widely recognized as one of the leading thinkers in the IT/Telcom channels industry. Gina Batali-Brooks , President, Is Inspired Gina Batali-Brooks is President of Is Inspired, a leading technology implementation firm that helps companies choose and implement solutions that accelerate the performance of their channel. With over 30 years of experience, Batali-Brooks has extensive channel technology leadership experience in channel strategy development, recruiting, ramping and retaining channel partners and channel team building and managing, and has held channel leadership roles with LeftHand Networks and HP. Theresa Caragol , Founder and CEO, AchieveUnite Theresa Caragol is Founder and CEO, AchieveUnite Inc., a strategic consulting and education company helping global companies generate maximum results from their channel and strategic alliance partner organizations. Clients include Poly, SES, Ciena, Big Commerce and Accedian. Caragol has more than 20 years' experience building and managing multimillion-dollar indirect channel teams and strategic alliance programs from inception to sales success with top corporations including Ciena. Caragol is the recipient of numerous channel accolades, including CRN's Top 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs, and is a regular keynote at top channel forums globally. Cassandra Gholston , CEO, PartnerTap Cassandra Gholston is the Co-founder and CEO of PartnerTap, an ecosystem sales platform that directly connects thousands of sales reps across companies so they can uncover new opportunities and close more deals with partner insights. Prior to founding PartnerTap, Gholston spent her 15-year career in sales as a top sales leader in numerous SaaS and technology companies such as Concur and ADP and consulted with domestic and international organizations that were in their hyper-growth phase. Michelle Gunter , EVP, Partner Perspectives Michelle Gunter is EVP of Partner Perspectives, a full-service channel consulting and enablement firm that guides companies in launching channels, expanding existing ecosystems and developing new ways to improve channel performance, with clients such as Fuze, SAS, Autodesk and Carbonite. As a global sales and business executive with over 20 years of experience, Gunter has helped hundreds of clients design, implement and deliver channel sales, success and support motions, delivering billions in annual revenue. Before joining Partner Perspectives, Gunter was the Global Channel SVP with Sales-as-a-Service company, MarketStar. Donagh Kiernan , CEO, Tenego Partnering Donagh Kiernan is CEO of Ireland -based Tenego Partnering and Tenego Academy, which provides international channel sales development services and online channel development training programs to growing and established software companies including sales channel planning and development, direct sales execution and sales channel execution. With over 30 years of technology development experience, Kiernan has developed, sold and delivered high-caliber software solutions to many national and international organizations. Peter O'Neill , Research Director, Research in Action Peter O'Neill researches and advises on B2B Marketing at Research in Action, a leading, independent technology research and consulting company providing both forward-looking and practical advice to enterprise as well as vendor clients. O'Neill is most known for his 12 years of service at Forrester Research as an industry analyst where, most recently, he directed all Forrester's research on B2B Marketing topics including channel marketing. Before Forrester, he was at META Group and advised many technology companies on channel marketing and prior to that, held a number of channel leadership positions at HP during his 20 years at that company. Dan Overgaag , Managing Director, The Spur Group Dan Overgaag is Managing Director of The Spur Group, regularly one of Inc. 500's Fastest Growing Companies and a leading authority on go-to-market solutions, where he directs strategic initiatives and develops channel management programs for top technology firms such as Microsoft, Cisco and Google. With over 12 years of industry experience, Overgaag leads the firm's channel management, sales transformation and business intelligence practices. Kevin Rhone , Channel Acceleration Practice Lead, Enterprise Strategy Group Kevin Rhone is the Channel Acceleration Practice Lead for Enterprise Strategy Group, an IT analyst, research, validation and strategy firm that provides market intelligence and actionable insight to the global IT community. Rhone helps clients strengthen their global partner-centric strategies, programs and go-to-market execution. Before joining ESG, Rhone, a 25-year IT industry executive, spent a number of years as a consultant to senior executives at Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, Citrix and other companies concerning their partnering and go-to-market strategies, programs and execution. Glenn Robertson , CEO, Purechannels Glenn Robertson is CEO of Purechannels, a UK-based, multi-award-winning channel sales and marketing agency that supports vendors, distributors and partners and drives revenue, relationships and ROI through maximizing channel development, vendor programs and partner experience. Robertson is a CRN A-Lister, member of the Super-Brands Council, founder of Nuzoo - The Channel News Hub, and host of the "Channel Drop In." Patricia Rush , President, Rush to Channel Patricia Rush is President and Founder of Rush to Channel, a channel consultancy specializing in partner go-to-market strategies across diverse channel ecosystems. Rush brings over 30 years of multi-faceted, cross-functional experience in businesses ranging from Fortune 500 to small to midsize, rapid-growth organizations in IT, security, services and related industries. Rush has led The Channel Company's XChange conferences and consulting organizations and has led a number of channel management and sales positions with companies such as Western Digital and Maxtor Corporation. Kristine Stewart , VP of Client Success and Marketing, Channel Impact Kristine Stewart is VP of Client Success and Marketing for Channel Impact, a full-service channel specialty firm focusing on channel staffing, strategy, marketing and enablement solutions. Stewart guides clients in transforming their go-to-market strategies for the new cloud-based economy, including supporting XaaS and recurring revenue business models. She is an IT industry veteran in the unique position of having held numerous executive leadership roles across sales, channels, business development and marketing organizations at companies such as Cisco, Hitachi and Western Digital. About Impartner Impartner delivers the industry's most complete SaaS-based Channel Management Platform, helping companies worldwide manage their partner relationships and accelerate revenue and profitability through indirect sales channels. Impartner's flagship Partner Relationship Management (PRM) solution is the industry's most award-winning PRM technology and one of the industry's only turnkey solutions that can deploy a world-class Partner Portal in as few as 14 days. For more information on Impartner, which is based in Utah's tech hotbed, the Silicon Slopes, visit www.impartner.com , or in the United States call +1 801 501 7000, for EMEA general call +33 1 40 90 31 20, for London call +44 0 20 3283 4465, and for LATAM call +1 954 364 7883. Follow Impartner on LinkedIn , Twitter and Facebook . Contact: Brendan Hong Impartner +1 801-821-5556 Brendan.hong@impartner.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1174214/channel_chief_advisory_board.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/701684/Impartner_Logo.jpg The best available recourse to keep the defence sector healthy is to source most of our requirement within the country so that procurement outlays under both the Revenue and Capital heads flow within the country, recommends Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd). IMAGE: India's indigenously produced LCA, the Tejas, flying at the induction ceremony of the first Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft squadron at the Thanjavur airbase. Photograph: R Senthil Kumar/PTI Photo COVID-19 has had an unambiguous impact on the Indian defence forces. The establishment cannot afford to ignore it. Under the circumstances -- whereas Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das stated on May 22 that GDP growth in FY21 is expected to remain in 'negative' territory -- with millions of job losses and disruptions in business activities -- there is no room to hike military expenditure. The best available recourse to keep the sector healthy is to source most of our requirement within the country so that procurement outlays under both the Revenue and Capital heads flow within the country. Side by side, the necessity is to channelise a major portion of this expenditure to the private sector, thereby boosting their capabilities and also our indigenisation, simultaneously. The government has already taken a few policy decisions and amended procurement procedures to favour indigenisation in acquisition, maintenance and repair modalities, issuance of list of products where only Indian vendors can pitch in, and the like. It signals a change in our approach to defence procurement. Put together, they open up the market to Indian manufacturers and service providers and would channelise a substantial amount of the defence spending to Indian industry. The immediate advantage that the covid crisis has provided to the defence industry was manufacturing a host of equipment that were urgently required. Several defence PSUs are manufacturing ventilators, sanitisers, PPEs, coveralls and masks. Some of the products made by the private industries include full face shield masks, N99 masks, bio-suits, personnel sanitisation enclosures, portable backpack sanitisers, PPEs, trolley mounted large area sanitisers, ventilators, solenoid and proportional valve for ventilators, differential pressure sensor, etc. These are not essentially military equipment, but have some bearing on the stressed financial straits of the Indian defence industry. Turning the focus on defence products, the government had already notified a list of 126 items where preference had to be given to Indian manufacturers. Out of these, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has confirmed a list of 26 items that will be purchased only from Indian industry. The items have been nominated and the list issued vide a defence ministry notification. The instructions are applicable irrespective of purchase value, as long as they meet the minimum local content criteria. The FM in her announcements of the economic package has dwelt on the defence industry in detail. One of the major steps announced was the creation of a separate budget head for domestic capital procurement. Apparently, with no major boost in defence allocation expected, such an allotment will be scraped out of the Capital budget as such. However, it provides greater 'predictability' to domestic manufacturers and could enhance capital investment by industry players. IMAGE: The indigenously produced Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft. Photograph: R Senthil Kumar/PTI Photo The government has also announced a negative list of weapons being drawn up that will not be procured ex imports. The list will be drawn in consultation with the department of military affairs. It is pertinent to state here that we have attained fairly high standards in production of certain systems like artillery guns, air defence missile systems, certain specific categories of helicopters and light fighter aircraft, naval platforms, optical sights, communication networks, etc. In terms of sub systems and systems, a fair number of Original Equipment Manufacturers have joint ventures with leading Indian defence companies for sourcing their requirements. The government will raise the limit of foreign direct investment to 74 percent through the automatic route. The current 49 per cent automatic route limit has failed to draw major investments. While assessing the net effect of raising it to 74 per cent, it needs to be stated that FDI up to 100 per cent is allowed even now with approval. However, a wait and watch stance may be more prudent at this stage. The FM has announced the corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board. With 50 ordnance factories under the OFB, it's a huge asset that has been a laggard since inception. The FM was specific, that it wasn't privatisation but corporatisation. The establishment would be run like public sector undertakings. Fifteen OFB units will be corporatised in the first phase. Overall, the step should give the OFs more autonomy, while enforcing greater accountability. The shares of the OFs would be listed on the bourses, thus bringing in greater transparency in their functioning. The workers unions of these establishments have already threatened to go on strike. The way ahead is not easy, but a determined thrust could lead to a more profitable restructuring of the OFB. Hopefully, the plan will be executed and followed up in due course for privatisation. In a larger framework, the government has decided to give a technology push to private sector participation in defence and space sectors. The government is also trying to redraw airspace management in a big way. Though it has no monetary significance for the armed forces, it has implications for their training. Currently, roughly 40 per cent of the airspace is unavailable for civil use, leading to airlines having to use circuitous routes and thus incurring additional expenditures. The issue is being deliberated upon and a savings of up to Rs 1,000 crores is expected annually; all to the benefit of our reeling airlines industry. The indigenous production of spare parts of foreign manufactured equipment is another thrust area of the government. We have repeatedly faced occasions in the past when non-availability of spare parts ex-imports has led to low serviceability and operational effectiveness. Dependence on foreign markets for spare parts could prove to be a handicap if our forces are required to mobilise at short notice when faced with a threat. Spare parts are also a long term user requirement, thereby justifying investments by the industry. Most sophisticated defence platforms have long in-service life cycles, with increasing need for spare parts as they age. India and Saudi Arabia have been competing with each other for the tag of being the highest defence importer, globally. The Indian defence establishment is also into a modernisation spree, spurred by increasing threat from the neighbourhood. The Chinese virus has not resulted in China pressing a pause button either along the land borders or in the Indo-Pacific. The Pakistanis are even using infected mujahids to carry the virus into the Kashmir valley. Under the circumstance, with perhaps no boost expected from the treasury, we need to get the best out of every buck we can muster. Production: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Abu Dhabi state fund Mubadala Investment Company is in talks to invest about $1 billion in Reliance Industries' digital unit Jio platforms, three sources said on Thursday. Jio Platforms, which houses music and movie apps as well a Reliance's telecoms venture Jio Infocomm, has secured a massive $10 billion from investors including Facebook Inc within a month. ALSO READ: GSK to produce 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine booster in 2021 Reliance did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "Clearly Jio's platform is attracting a wide range of ... Its a mixture, said Dr. Eric Wei, a vice president of the agency, NYC Health + Hospitals, of essential workers and people who have been diagnosed with Covid maybe two, three weeks ago with lingering symptoms and now are getting worse. The state health department also looked at the question of who is getting sick enough to go to the hospital. It surveyed over 100 hospitals across the state in early May and learned that four in five incoming patients were retired or unemployed, most had been sheltering at home, and nearly all had other underlying health conditions. Information on those who are sick but not hospitalized has been harder to come by. The city and state are hiring thousands of the disease detectives known as contact tracers, but they have not yet begun work. The New York Times talked to doctors and hospital administrators, public-health officials, immigrant groups and patients themselves. Their answers varied, but they painted a collective portrait of those who are still getting sick. Workers on the front lines and their families are still getting hit hard. People who spend hours every workday around strangers naturally have more chances to get exposed to the virus, doctors said. The majority of people, its health care workers, its M.T.A. workers, its postal workers, Dr. Sylvie De Souza, chief of the emergency department at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, said in an interview in mid-May. As opposed to before, it seemed to be people out in the community, and of course a lot of the nursing home patients but almost all of them have died. President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order later Thursday that would roll back immunity enjoyed by social media platforms such as Twitter, Youtube and Facebook for content posted on their websites, according to multiple US media reports. This will be a Big Day for Social Media and FAIRNESS! the president wrote in a tweet Thursday, reconfirming a White House announcement from Wednesday of the upcoming order. But he shared no details. The order is chiefly expected to allow federal regulators to rethink a law Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act from 1998 that absolves social media platforms of all responsibility or accountability for content posted on their websites, unlike a news publication. The law leaves it to the companies to regulate, or not regulate, their published content. The executive order is also expected to provide for the Federal Communication Commission, an independent body currently headed by Trump-nominee Ajit Pai, an Indian American, to receive and review complaints of political bias of these platforms. Lastly, the order is expected to prohibit federal ad-spendings on platforms found in violation. Unidentified Trump administration official who spoke selectively to US news publications cautioned that the order was still a draft and could change. And experts have said the order is very likely to be challenged and in courts and may not survive. Trump and other Republicans have for long been calling for action against tech companies for a while now alleging they are unfairly targeted for censoring. The administration has had several iterations of the order that could finally be out later Thursday as signaled by the president. Trump has been in a twitter-rage sinceMay 26 when Twitter deployed a rarely used tool to fact-check two linked posts by him mail-in ballots. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed., the president wrote, reiterating his opposition to a voting tool he himself used in the 2018 elections. Twitter fact-checked the post, and the linked post. Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen! Trump raged in a tweet, accusing the social media company of interfering in the 2020 presidential election. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen, he wrote in a tweet on Thursday, and fired one more later in the day, alleging, Big Tech is doing everything in their very considerable power to CENSOR in advance of the 2020 Election.. Jack Dorsey, the Twitter CEO, is not backing down, not yet. Well continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make, he wrote on twitter Thursday night, and added, taking a swipe at Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook CEO, This does not make as un arbiter of truth. Zuckerberg, who has faced questions about content on Facebook, specially fake news, had told Fox News in a pre-recorded interview that private companies shouldnt be the arbiter of truth. Trump had retweeted a post of Zuckerbergs quote from the interview. President Trump tweeted Wednesday evening that he's asked federal investigators to expedite an investigation into the death in police custody of George Floyd, which sparked protests this week. The big picture: "At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd," Trump tweeted. "I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement. My heart goes out to Georges family and friends. Justice will be served!" Minneapolis's mayor said Tuesday the four officers involved in the incident had been fired. Go deeper: Biden compares "tragic" death of George Floyd to Eric Garner (Newser) A college student sought by police as a suspect in a crime spree including two slayings in Connecticut has been captured in Maryland, police said Wednesday night. Peter Manfredonia, 23, had been the subject of a six-day search involving several police agencies and the FBI. He was found in the area of a truck stop in Hagerstown, Maryland, the AP reports. He was not injured and no officers were hurt during the arrest, Connecticut State Police said. The suspect will face justice and this will bring closure. This is what is important for the families of the victims, said Trooper First Class Christine Jeltema, a spokeswoman for Connecticut State Police. Authorities have not offered a possible motive for the crimes. story continues below Manfredonia was wanted in the machete killing of 62-year-old Ted DeMers and the wounding of another man in Willington, Connecticut, on Friday. The University of Connecticut senior then allegedly held another man hostage and stole his guns and truck before going on to fatally shoot his high school friend, Nicholas Eisele, 23, on Sunday. Manfredonia then allegedly forced Eiseles girlfriend into her car and fled the state; she was found unharmed with her car in New Jersey. Investigators tracked Manfredonia to Pennsylvania, where police said he took an Uber to a Walmart not far from the New Jersey border. A man fitting his description was spotted Tuesday night near Scranton, Pennsylvania, and police later suspected Manfredonia to be in the Hagerstown area, where a ride-hailing service dropped off someone matching his description Wednesday. (Read more murder stories.) According to The Standard, the Pakistan embassy in Harare is unhappy with the protection Qaiser is allegedly getting from government offices in Harare where he repeatedly flouts the law and protocol, it has emerged.Qaiser contested as a ruling Zanu PF municipal candidate in the 2018 general election. He lost but, according to sources, he seems to have ambitions to run for parliament as a Warren Park candidate in 2023 when Zimbabwe holds its next general elections.He is the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Asian Association whose authenticity Islamabad, through its local embassy, has questioned.A trail of communication and other documents leaked to The Standard by government officials, during investigations into the diplomatic tension in collaboration with Information for Development Trust, suggests that Qaiser could have captured powerful officials in several ministries, the police and immigration, even though his real source of power could not be immediately explained.The arrest of three Pakistanis -- one male and two females -- in Beitbridge on October 30, 2019, sparked the tension between Harare and Islamabad, said the newspaper report.The embassy of Pakistan in Harare has described it as a "delicate and complex situation" and is incensed that Harare is not doing enough to address its concerns."The delay in disposal of the matter is degenerating [sic]," the Pakistani embassy wrote to Zimbabwe's director general in charge of legal and consular affairs in the Foreign Affairs Ministry and accused immigration officials of "misbehaving" by calling Pakistani travellers "criminals" on December 19, 2019.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade confirmed on November 11, 2019, that the trio -- Waqas Haider Sha (31), Parveen Faiza (27) and Bibi Asima (30) -- had been arrested at the Beitbridge border post for attempting to cross into South Africa without first reporting to immigration.They were accompanied by a three-year-old child.The Standard wrote: "The three were tried at the Beitbridge magistrates' court, convicted and sentenced to 90 days in prison with the option of a $300 fine each pending deportation. Asima and Faiza were sent to Chikurubi Female Prison and Haider, the male convict, to Harare Remand Prison.""But the first two have since been deported while Haider remains in prison under unclear circumstances," it said.Sources, among them erstwhile business partners, suspect that Qaiser tipped off the immigration officers that the trio intended to cross the border illegally with the alleged help of Waqas Ahmed, a Pakistani diplomat based in Harare, who is, however, still employed by the embassy.The main beef that Islamabad has with Qaiser and the Zimbabwean authorities are over the videos of the female Pakistanis he took at Chikurubi Prison.In the videos that found their way onto social media and were subjected to numerous talk shows and debates back in Pakistan, the women condemned their government as a facilitator of human trafficking and that infuriated the country's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, whose embassy in Harare described the videos as "heinous."Qaiser separately interviewed the detainees in the presence of immigration officials and the embassy accused him of manipulating the interviews to suit his scheme.According to The Standard, "Khan complained to the Harare embassy, which he tasked to investigate the matter, and queried why Qaiser seemed to enjoy immunity."Zimbabwean laws, unless under special arrangements, prohibit filming within prison premises, which are considered high-security areas.Islamabad is also complaining that Qaiser was used as an interpreter during interviews with the detained Pakistanis. The international protocol requires that the affected embassy must avail the interpreter.The Immigration Department recorded statements from Asima and Faiza upon deportation, and that also irked Pakistan."[Our] mission believes that the recording of statement of the detainees at the time of their deportation is not policy matter (sic). "It has never been witnessed in such cases," reads a March 9, 2020 letter to Zimbabwe's Foreign Affairs Ministry.It adds: "It is astonishing to note Mian Schail Qaiser's access to official and confidential documents in the highly sensitive institution like immigration and (the) foreign office (sic)."Qaiser released another video of the remaining prisoner from inside the remand prison in Harare and posted it on social media, "damaging the reputation and prestige of Pakistan and Embassy of Pakistan".Pakistani diplomats have been trying to secure meetings with Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga and Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo to clear the air, but are allegedly being blocked due to Qaiser's influence.It emerged that the embassy has written at least seven note verbales between November 2019 and May 15, 2020, including some requesting meetings with Moyo and Chiwenga.The Foreign Affairs Ministry did not respond to most of the correspondence despite diplomatic warnings by Islamabad that the relationship between Zimbabwe and Pakistan was on the verge of collapse because of Qaiser's activities.Islamabad demanded that a lawsuit should be filed against the businessman for defaming Pakistan and called for his arrest, but they were ignored.The embassy said it met Grey Mashava, a senior principal in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and James Manzou, the then permanent secretary in the ministry.The retention of Waqas Ahmed as the protocol attache at the Pakistani embassy could have miffed the Zimbabwean government.Manzou, after listening to the embassy's grievances, handed its officials a note verbale dated April 15 instructing the embassy to withdraw Ahmed, the protocol attache, from the country "without any warning or listening or meeting on the matter."The embassy also claimed it requested Manzou to carry out an investigation on the status of the Zimbabwe Asian Association as well as the procedure to file a lawsuit against Qaiser, "but the mission faced dejection".Requests to meet the Foreign Affairs Minister had also been ignored, said the embassy. (ANI) The French prosecutor's office said on Wednesday that 26 people had been arrested in France and Belgium in connection with the deaths of 39 Vietnamese citizens found in the back of a refrigerated lorry in Essex, near the UKs London capital last October. The French prosecutor's office said on Wednesday that 26 people had been arrested in France and Belgium in connection with the deaths of 39 Vietnamese citizens found in the back of a refrigerated lorry in Essex, near the UKs London capital last October. Belgian prosecutors also confirmed the police had arrested 13 people as part of an investigation into the case. The latest arrests were made after early-morning raids in France and Belgium as a result of a cross-border investigation supported by Eurojust, the EU's agency for criminal justice cooperation, and Europol, the EU crime agency. According to a press release from Eurojust, 26 suspected members of a major migrant smuggling group, which transported mainly Asian refugees, have been arrested after simultaneous searches in Belgium and France in early morning raids on 26 May. Sixteen house searches were conducted around Brussels. In France, 13 individuals were arrested in the region of Paris Ile-de-France. A spokesman for Eurojust said: "The suspects are allegedly part of an Organised Crime Group (OCG) that smuggles refugees from Asia, particularly from Vietnam, and that likely has transported up to several dozen people every day for several months. Prompted by the discovery of 39 deceased Vietnamese nationals inside a refrigerated trailer in Essex in the United Kingdom in October 2019, a joint investigation team (JIT) was created between Belgium, Ireland, France, the United Kingdom, Eurojust and Europol. Judicial and police authorities have since worked closely together within the JIT to map out the alleged activity of the OCG and to determine the possibility of finding cross-links to ongoing regional and local investigations of migrant smuggling activity." According to documents of the prosecutors office, Eamonn Harrison, a driver from North Ireland, drove the container truck, which carried the victims, to the port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, where it was put on a ferry to the UK and picked up at the other end by Maurice Robinson on the early morning of October 23. Apart from the two suspects, Gheorghe Nica of Basildon in eastern England was detained at Germanys Frankfurt airport on January 29. Another man, 22, was arrested in Northern Ireland on February 2 on suspicion of manslaughter and facilitating unlawful immigration. On February 11, UK police revealed that the victims died from a combination of a lack of oxygen and overheating in an enclosed space, adding that further investigation is underway. VNS Irish court tries man for suspected connection with Essex lorry deaths Irish police said Ronan Hughes, who had been arrested in the country for his accused connection with the death of 39 Vietnamese nationals in a refrigerated lorry in Essex last October, appeared at Dublin's High Court today. What does the Bible tell us about healing? Do some Christians still have this gift, and can it be learned? Can we use the spiritual gift of healing to get rid of sickness like COVID-19? How can we tell if a churchs or an individuals attitude to healing has deviated from the truth? Spiritual Gift of Healing Defined Spiritual healing is not a talent or magic power. Everyone who has the Spirit (i.e. all believers) is given a gift designated by and directed by God such as healing, teaching, or wisdom. The outcome is also determined by God. God may immediately heal [...], thats best-case scenario perhaps for the person in the prayer. Christ healed many people, of course, but, before He ascended into heaven, He also gave His Spirit as a helper. In Acts 3, Peter and John met a man lame from birth (Acts 3:4). They told him in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk (Acts 3:6). He walked. Peter and John exercised the gift of healing by the authority of Jesus through His Spirit. Pressure to Heal Some Christians quote James 5:13-15 when they say that we can all learn to heal; that any Christian, through prayer and faith, can heal physical or mental illness. He says, the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up (James 5:16). This verse is often misused to support false teaching that God always wants to heal every malady, which leads to feelings of guilt and disillusionment [...] when God actually chooses not to heal. The implication is that the suffering Christian just didnt quite believe enough or is hiding some sort of sin. These misunderstandings about faith healing have destroyed some believers. James encourages believers to try every method of healing God has laid before them but healing always comes from God at His discretion. He offers an invitation to dive deeply into faith with honesty and submission, trusting that whatever the outcome, Gods plans are perfect. Healing the Spirit Pain frequently initiates or refreshes our devotion to and reliance upon Christ. Sometimes pain leads to repentance. Jesus did not come to heal us of COVID-19 or cancer but of sin, which will drag us away from God eternally. David Platt said of the paralytic in Matthew 8: More important than even his physical paralysis was his spiritual malice. Jesus asked, which is easier, to say Your sins are forgiven, or to say Rise and walk? (Matthew 8:5-6). The crowd wanted Christs healing power but not the healer. They did not realize that they were all sick and in need of a Savior for their sin. Jesus used this opportunity to make an audacious point about who He is and why He came: To bring about better healing. He also demonstrated the mercy and love which continue to attract so many people to Him today, and which Christians seek to emulate. When Jesus disciples employed the gift of spiritual healing in His name, they followed His example. In Matthew 25, Jesus reveals that those who truly know him serve others in very real ways, which can include offering food and water or healing sickness. Meeting the basic physical needs of people often ministers more than words and ultimately gives you a kind of integrity that can lead to a deeper conversation. Sometimes, relieving immediate suffering is a gateway to gospel discussion to the ultimate healing. Spirit as Healer What the faith healers want to suggest is that healing is contained in a person rather than seeing healing as coming from the hand of God. At the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, students learn how to heal the sick as well as cast out demons. Students are taught to spread this particular form of mercy in the name of Christ. Is there a problem with this? Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness (Matthew 10:1). Paul healed many people on the Island of Malta in Acts 27. Are we not also given these same gifts? Christ assigned the gift of healing to His apostles, and the gifts of teaching, healing, prophecy, etc. are still assigned to Gods people by His perfect will. By the indwelling Spirit, some Christians are able to heal real physical suffering in Christs name (and only by His name, not for our own glory). Yet, God does not create healers per se; people with powers over sickness in their own right. He grants the gift according to His perfect will. Spiritual gifts work together to glorify God and to spread gospel testimony. Not one, single gift is preeminent over another but is of use to and through the body of Christ of which each one of you is a part (1 Corinthians 12:27). The bible teaches that its not appointed everybody to have these [gifts] all the time. In other words, ones gifting might change as the Lord deems fit. A diploma in a frame does not qualify a person to be a healer the way a degree qualifies someone to become a teacher. No school of supernatural ministry can manipulate this process. Suggesting that a student could avail himself of a gift, which has not been given him could be compared with going into mom and dads closet prior to Christmas to play with toys not yet wrapped and presented. They cease to be gifts, for one thing; but also, this kind of behavior removes the giver from the equation. If it suits God to present one with the gift of healing, then he or she will receive it, but not as a mark of special worthiness. Gifts, by definition, are never earned. Better Healing Sickness is not our punishment for sin; eternal damnation would be our punishment if not for Christ. God promises that repentant believers will inherit His eternal Kingdom through the saving blood of Jesus Christ. If God had punished us by means of disease and disability, then our problems would be over when we died. We would earn our place in Heaven based on how much or how well we suffered. Christ would not have needed to shed His blood. Nor did He come to save us from physical sickness. When the disciples returned from successfully exorcising demons and healing the sick, Jesus said do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you but rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). While the Spirit might move a person to lay hands on an individual with COVID-19 and to see that person healed, the purpose is always Gods glory and the salvation of a persons soul for eternity. Our ultimate need [is] not healing from God, but holiness before God. The certainty of our faith may not be for the precise thing we think is best, but our certainty of faith should rest on the goodness of our Father, who always does whats best for his children. While we think the best thing is for COVID-19 to miraculously disappear, we dont honor God by assuming we know whats best in any given situation. We must trust that Gods way is the best way; that the why of suffering will become clear or, if not clear, then moot when we enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In the meantime, Paul encourages us to glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope, which does not put us to shame. After all, Gods love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:3-5). Spiritual Healing Cults A healing cult places major, or even exclusive, emphasis on the treatment or prevention by non-medical means of physical or spiritual ailments, which are often seen as manifestations of evil. Such a cult might be centered around a place, a shrine, or a person. Healers sometimes operate within a cultural niche alongside established religions. Cult leaders are emotionally manipulative and might be physically, financially, or sexually abusive. They take Scripture out of context. During a pandemic, when people are afraid, cults like these grow. A leader increases in power and possibly in wealth. Christians must always test the claims of church leaders against the truth of Scripture with the help of the Spirit, with truthfulness but sensitivity towards those caught up in such cults. Church elders employ Scriptural knowledge and spiritual discernment to ensure a pastor continues to preach the gospel without adding or taking anything away from biblical truth. Suffering and Healing Sometimes the Father teaches us more and draws us closer when we walk the dark mile of suffering. Maybe a malady will remain. Yet, this sickness can become a gift of healing indirectly. Modeling honest faith in the midst of suffering often leads others into a healing relationship with the Father. Supernatural endurance through sickness or disability will sometimes inspire non-believers to wonder if there is something better than a pain-free existence. As always, God leads these people to Himself, but even those without the gift of spiritual healing can be used to reconcile friends and family to the Great Healer. Use this free PDF to heal spiritual and physical wounds: Hope for Healing - Prayer and Scripture Guide iStock/Getty Images Plus/Chinnapong Candice Lucey is a freelance writer from British Columbia, Canada, where she lives with her family. Find out more about her here. Credit: CC0 Public Domain From starling aberrations to self-turbulent fluids, 'active systems' encompass a wide family of phenomena in which individual objects propel themselves forward, allowing them to display intriguing collective behaviors. On microscopic scales, they are found in groups of living organisms which move around by squirming, and are aligned with Earth's gravitational fields due to their bottom-heavy mass distributions. Through research published in EPJ E, Felix Ruhle and Holger Stark at the Technical University of Berlin find that depending on their properties, these objects collectively spend most of their time in one of two states, between which some intriguing behaviors can emerge. The duo's insights could help to explain the mysterious properties of some groups of microorganisms, including thin films of phytoplankton which are sometimes found in coastal regions, and algae which form 'dancing' clumps. They found that these collective behaviors are determined by the ability of the self-propelling objects to swim upwards against the gravitational force, and their degrees of bottom-heaviness. For lower values of these quantities, groups of swimmers will sink to the bottom of their container just like inactive dust grains; but higher values will instead collect at the top. In between these states, smaller clusters of swimmers group at the bottom, which are fed by plumes of sinking particles. Also, porous clusters of swimmers can form, which allow individual particles to escape. Ruhle and Stark made their discoveries using computer simulations involving around 900 bottom-heavy squirmers in a fluid. Through their advanced techniques, they were able to account for any interactions between the swimmers, as well as the properties of the fluid itself. The duo's results now offer fascinating new insights into the properties of active systems under the influence of gravity, and could help biologists to better understand the roles of certain microorganisms in natural ecosystems. Explore further Mathematicians develop new theory to explain real-world randomness More information: Felix Ruhle et al, Emergent collective dynamics of bottom-heavy squirmers under gravity, The European Physical Journal E (2020). Journal information: European Physical Journal E Felix Ruhle et al, Emergent collective dynamics of bottom-heavy squirmers under gravity,(2020). DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2020-11949-8 If a hurricane bears down on Florida this summer, residents likely wont be told to evacuate to the safety of a high school gymnasium or large civic building. Instead, they may be asked to download an app that assigns them to an open hotel room -- a shelter from both the storm and the threat of a COVID-19 outbreak. State officials have mapped out all of Floridas 5,000 hotels, along with the wind rating of each facility and whether it has a generator on hand. So far, theyve persuaded 200 hotels to sign up to serve as shelters; theyre aiming to reach 1,000. Meanwhile, the state plans to work with local restaurants and commercial kitchens to help supply packaged meals for evacuees, a shift from the buffet-style feeding operations typical of a disaster response. Across the country, as summer brings extreme weather to much of the United States, emergency planners are preparing for hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters amid the ongoing pandemic. The novel coronavirus has upended nearly every plan in the disaster response playbook. Everything, everything, everything is complicated by COVID-19, said Jared Moskowitz, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. By June 1, the official start of hurricane season, Moskowitzs agency will have stockpiled 10 million masks, 1 million face shields and 5 million gloves. Those supplies will be held in reserve, to limit the exposure of first responders and evacuees in a disaster scenario. Displaced residents who arrive at a shelter may immediately be given a kit with personal protective equipment. Evacuations will look different as well. If people need to evacuate, the state will provide resources to folks who cannot afford to do so, Moskowitz said. In the past it was buses, now it might be Uber or fuel cards. Disaster amid disaster This year will be, no question, one of the most challenging that we've faced, said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services. This is about as complex a series of challenges as you could face, and all have cascading impacts. In recent years, California has been besieged by record-setting wildfires, a severe drought and the ever-present threat of earthquakes. State officials try to be prepared for two major disasters and one moderate disaster at any given time, Ghilarducci said. As wildfire season approaches, theyre already dealing with a public health crisis -- and unlike other disasters, its impact is being felt statewide. Disaster planners say theyre most concerned about their ability to provide mass care. Evacuating scores of residents on crowded buses will no longer be feasible. Cramming families into a stadium or civic center for shelter conflicts with public health guidelines. As does feeding them in a communal operation. And those who volunteer to carry out the response efforts are disproportionately older people. Officials wont be counting on them to help while the virus remains a threat. Instead of carrying out large-scale relief operations, states may find themselves coordinating an ad hoc, patchwork system of existing local resources. Hotels -- which are now largely empty of tourists -- are anticipated to be one part of the solution. College dormitories may be used as well. Local restaurants may be pressed into service. Craig Fugate, who led the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Barack Obama, said that approach has the added benefit of putting money into the hands of hotels and restaurants that have been empty since the pandemic started. We ought to be putting them back to work, Fugate said. In a disaster, any opportunity we have to engage the local workforce helps them to survive the disaster. Multiple state officials interviewed by Stateline said they expect hotels that shelter evacuees and restaurants that provide meals would be reimbursed with state and federal relief dollars. During the pandemic, California has secured 16,000 hotel rooms to shelter its homeless population, frontline workers, released prisoners and residents under quarantine. About 8,000 of the rooms are occupied now, and the remainder could house evacuees in the wake of a wildfire or earthquake. However, that would require displaced residents to disperse far across the state to reach the available rooms. Meanwhile, the state is working to distribute 1.5 million meals a week to Californians who are struggling financially because of the pandemic -- a program that Ghilarducci said can be extended and broadened to help in a disaster. In Hawaii, emergency planners typically design shelter capacity to provide each occupant about 10 square feet of space. To maintain social distancing, officials now believe theyll have to increase that to 100 square feet. The shelters are a huge challenge, and we don't have a definitive answer on that, said Hiro Toiya, director of the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management. Toiyas agency plans to work with hospitality industry groups to assess the availability and resilience of local hotels as hurricane season approaches. As in many other states, officials are planning to screen evacuees as they enter shelters and offer alternate sites to those suspected of having COVID-19 or members of vulnerable populations. Karl Kim, executive director of the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center at the University of Hawaii, said hotels could be a huge asset in the wake of a disaster. It's easier to maintain social distance in a hotel structure than a gymnasium, he said. Because of the decline in tourism, there is this surplus of capacity that's available. In places where some group sheltering is inevitable, local leaders may have to get creative. The current guidance is opening up more shelters but running them for shorter periods of time in smaller numbers to minimize exposure, Fugate said. In Louisiana, parishes often have reciprocal agreements to provide shelter if residents of another parish need to evacuate during a hurricane or flood. But instead of simply opening their civic center, parishes may need to add multiple school and church gymnasiums to the mix to help maintain distancing. The state may need to supply extra buses to combat overcrowding of local transportation options. Because much of the state is prone to flooding, its unclear which hotels in which locations would be able to offer help. But multistory hotels in New Orleans may be able to at least provide shelter in their upper floors. Louisiana has a stockpile of meals ready-to-eat -- MREs -- available to distribute, but it would be a challenge to get them to residents dispersed among hundreds or thousands of hotel rooms. State officials across the country also acknowledged that the neighboring states they often rely on for aid may not be able to supply as much help as they continue to deal with the virus. But planners universally praised the Federal Emergency Management Agency, saying they anticipate plenty of help from the agency, even as President Donald Trump has feuded with some governors and threatened funding for their states. Plans vs. reality Amid all the preparation, officials fear that residents may not heed evacuation warnings if they fear the pandemic more. You can have the best plans in the world, but if the public isn't listening to information from local officials, your plans won't work, said Mike Steele, communications director for the Louisiana Governors Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. We're trying to figure out the best way to message to the public that just because you have COVID-19 concerns doesn't mean that storm surge won't be just as dangerous this year. Responders faced an early test in Michigan last week, when flooding and dam failures displaced 10,000 residents in Midland. At shelter facilities, masks were given to all arrivals, and beds were 6 feet apart and frequently sanitized. Alternate arrangements were made for evacuees with COVID-19 symptoms. Our message with normal COVID response is to discourage public gatherings and whatnot, Midland County Public Health Director Fred Yanoski told the Detroit Free Press. And in this particular situation, it is unavoidable as weve had to move several thousand people into a handful of sheltering facilities. Evacuees arent the only concern. In states prone to wildfires, officials are rethinking the way firefighters assemble to battle blazes. This summer, they wont be gathering in large camps and eating communal meals. Theyll divide into smaller units, some briefings will be held online, and some firefighters may sleep in nearby hotels. Transportation to and from fire lines is another concern. How do you deal with COVID-19 and a major fire season simultaneously? That's what got us sweating, said Robert Ezelle, director of the Washington Military Departments Emergency Management Division. If the disease continues its current course, we're probably OK for the majority of fire season. If there's a second wave at the same time we're fighting a major fire season, that's where things are going to get very challenging. States also are concerned about the ability of overtaxed health care systems to perform in a disaster. Medical professionals have been dealing not only with the pandemic, but with furloughs and cutbacks in many hospital systems. The California Health Corps has recruited 70,000 volunteers to help battle COVID-19, and even then resources are limited. This year we're not going to be able to get as many assets out the door in the long term because of their efforts working back home due to COVID, Ghilarducci said. An earthquake right now -- it could be a big challenge for everybody. This article was first posted on Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill, speaks to members of the press at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on March 10, 2020. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo) Biden Plans to Announce Running Mate Around August 1 Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden plans on announcing his choice for a running mate around Aug. 1. Biden revealed the plan during a virtual fundraiser on Wednesday evening. The 77-year-old, who has said he wants to choose a woman who is younger than him, said the four-person panel he established to vet potential running mates is now deciding on the basic cut. Were in the process of deciding the basic cut about whether or not they really want it. Are they comfortable? Theyve asked a lot of questions, Biden said. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), and Cynthia Hogan, Bidens former counsel, are leading the vetting process. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) said they were vetted by Bidens team. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who vied for the presidential nomination, was reportedly asked to undergo a formal vetting, and Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) reportedly agreed to undergo vetting. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) reportedly declined to undergo the process. My focus each and every day continues to be serving the people of New Hampshire in the United States Senate, she told WMUR in a statement. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at a news conference in Lansing, Mich., on May 18, 2020. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP, Pool) Other possible running mates include Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, and former national security adviser Susan Rice. Some on the left want Biden to commit to choosing a minority but he has declined to do so thus far. There are women of color under consideration, and theyre women from every part of the countryso a lot of really qualified women that are ready to be president, he told CNN this week. Biden, who emerged from his home Monday for his first public appearance in months, said during the fundraiser that he wants to choose a running mate that is simpatico with me, both in terms of personality as well as substance. That means that they dont have to agree with me on everything, but they have to have the same basic approach to how we handle the economy and how we handle everything, he said. And so I want to make sure that wherever I speak to, whoever I have, has some qualities that I dont possess, as well as is willing to, in fact, tell me the truth, but also do it in a way that is between the two of us, between her and me, so that they can, in fact, be completely candid with me, because I want to have people around me that have strengths and capacities I dont. Vikas Khanna has been the talk of the town lately, however, not for matters related to whipping up delectable recipes that have graced the dinner tables of top Hollywood celebrities and even the US President, but instead, for a whole different reason - though its still connected to food in many ways. A Michelin star chef, Vikas Khanna has been stuck in New York due to the Coronavirus lockdown in the city, which happens to be a major COVID-19 hotspot in the US. However, none of that could stop this man from reaching out to his countrymen who are struggling due to the pandemic. Twitter TheVikasKhanna Ever since the lockdown was announced in India, Vikas Khanna has been doing tremendous work when it comes to helping and feeding millions of Indians who are struggling to score two square meals amid the crisis. Despite being stuck overseas, he has helped the needy in incredible ways and has single-handedly taken the charge to make peoples lives better. Here are 8 ways Vikas Khanna has saved millions of Indian lives amid the COVID-19 crisis, and it isnt just limited to feeding the migrant workers leaving Mumbai: 1. Donated More Than 2.5 Million Meals Across 75 Indian Cities Twitter TheVikasKhanna Despite getting duped by fake organisations seeking financial aid amid the crisis, Chef Vikas took it upon himself to reach out to legitimate NGOs and NDRF to procure ration and distribute it to the needy. He ensured that actual people doing on-ground relief work received his help, and by doing so, he has managed to arrange 2.5 million meals across 75 Indian cities in India. 2. Has Been Helping Street Vendors Who Are Out Of Work Twitter TheVikasKhanna Through the incredible supply chain that Chef Vikas has established over the past two months, he has also ensured that street vendors also get adequate support in this hour of need. He said, All these years, they have stood for hours to feed people. And now they don't have food for themselves. Weve reached out to them. Supplies are being sent to Hyderabad and Bangalore too. My curated menu features items from these cities. I cant let them go hungry. 3. Donated 25 Lakh Ration Meals To Remote Villages Twitter TheVikasKhanna During the initial phase of the lockdown, Chef Vikas had reportedly promised a poor family in Aligarh that he would help them secure the needed ration before Iftar, but failed to keep his promise. This made him take matters in his own hands and he began making efforts to send out ration meals to remote villages in the country. So far, more than 25 lakh ration meals have been distributed. 4. Helped Amphan Victims In West Bengal Twitter TheVikasKhanna Soon after cyclone Amphan wreaked havoc in West Bengal, Vikas Khanna stepped up his relief work to reach out to the stranded victims through local NGOs and distribute food and ration to them. Quintals of ration are expected to reach NGOs across the state via Chef Vikas supply chain. 5. Hosted Worlds Biggest Iftar Feast & Fed 2 Lakh People Twitter TheVikasKhanna While most of the country was celebrating Eid within the four walls of their comfortable homes, Chef Vikas ensured that the street dwellers and needy weren't left behind when it came to celebrating. He organised the world's biggest Iftar feast under lockdown, which fed over 2 lakh needy people in Mumbai alone. 6. Donated 4 Million Dry Ration Meals To Old Age Homes, Orphanages Twitter TheVikasKhanna Chef Vikas isnt only taking care of the underprivileged living on the streets, but also those who have been abandoned in old-age homes, left if orphanages and even leprosy centres. Many such goodwill organisations in the country have also been gravely affected due to the lockdown and Chef Vikas made sure that these places didnt run out of ration. So far, he has donated up to 4 million ration meals to such organisations. 7. Helped Distribute 72,000 Sanitary Napkins For Migrant Women Twitter TheVikasKhanna While a lot is being done with regards to the food supply, most relief organizations seem to have overlooked the need to make sanitary pads accessible to needy women amid this crisis. Well, he isnt one of them, because Chef Vikas along with Farah Khan organised sanitary napkins for migrant women and distributed 72,000 napkins amongst women leaving Mumbai. 8. Donated Thousand PPE Kits To Mumbai Hospital BCCL Chef Vikas also extended a helping hand to frontline workers who are working in Mumbai to contain the outbreak. As the situation in the state worsens, more and more doctors, nurses and paramedics are in need of PPE kits. So, Chef Vikas has donated 1,000 PPE kits to the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune. The Multicultural Media Correspondents Association (MMCA) kicked off its Beyond Coronavirus, The Road Ahead for Diverse Media bi-weekly discussion series on Tuesday, May 12 with Rep. Val Demings (D-Fl) and Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA). Other featured guests included, Rick Wade with the U.S. Chamber, Juan Senor with Innovation Media Consulting and Unsung Hero awardee, Tracie Powell with Borealis Philanthropy. Steve Clemons, Editor-at-Large at The Hill, moderated the discussion. America is defined by the institutions and individuals who tell our stories. Sadly, multicultural and diverse media faces new and unprecedented challenges as a result of the COVID- 19 pandemic. As we chart a course out of this crisis, we all have a role to play to support the many talented people and media organizations who are critical to building a better future. Im glad to join the MMCA and our distinguished panel for this important conversation, said Rep. Demings. The kickoff discussion highlighted both the critical role of, and the existential threat to, diverse and local media during the coronavirus crisis. The panelists also explored fixes that can be immediately adopted by the government, the business community, the philanthropic community and the general public. As a follow-up, MMCA announced the release of its Confidence and Diversity in Media survey to ascertain the level of support for government and philanthropic efforts to save diverse and local media. The survey results will be shared with federal, philanthropic and business leaders with a goal of shaping and driving further relief efforts. Many AAPI news outlets are struggling to survive the coronavirus pandemic due to the significant loss in advertising revenue. That is why I joined with the chairs of the Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus in urging Congressional leadership to include relief for local and ethnic media in any future Covid-19 relief legislation, said Rep. Judy Chu. MMCA is a nonpartisan/nonprofit organization leading a call to action to ensure the survival of multicultural and local media. MMCA has become a trusted convener and facilitator of thought leadership, resource and information sharing and strategic engagement between multicultural media stakeholders, industry decision makers, policymakers and corporate leaders committed to developing consensus-based solutions to foster greater diversity in media content and ownership. PRESS CONTACT: david@dmorganpartners.com Phone (202) 306-3075 http://www.mmcadc.org; @mmcadc. Learn more on our work here. Abike Dabiri-Erewa and Isa Pantami fought over accommodation The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday called out the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami and the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa who have been fighting since last week over office accommodation. The party took a swipe at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) under President Muhammadu Buhari. The main opposition said the Executive Council had become cancerous, disorganised and chaotic. The party said the current FEC is incapable of driving an organised, result-oriented system and as such should be disbanded. In a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said its position was predicated on the hostilities among officials of the Presidency, including presidential aides, ministers and heads of agencies. These, the party noted, had further exposed what it called a breakdown of the administrations central command system. The PDP described the situation as a mark of failure by the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to provide organised leadership for our nation. It added: The PDP said a situation where officials are constantly at daggers drawn against one another in unending clashes, backbiting, betrayals, leakage of sensitive documents and internal bickering over pecuniary and political interests, in manners not different from street skirmishes of common cult groups, is unacceptable to our nation. It is indeed shocking that the acrimony had sunk to a situation where the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, reportedly evicted the workers of NiDCOM from their allocated office, with guns, while Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa was on official assignment with the President. Currently, the newly appointed Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, are said to be at each others throat, with the SGF reportedly querying the decision of the President to sack the former Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Mr. Usman Mohammed. The situation had degenerated into serious confusion in the Federal Executive. Nigerians can recall the bitter wrangling, wherein the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen Babagana Monguno (retd.), earlier this year, alerted that presidential responsibilities, including presiding over sensitive security matters, have been hijacked by late Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari, thereby frustrating the fight against insurgency and acts of violence ravaging our country. Furthermore, the Power sector is still under the stress of squabbling between the SGF and the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, with the SGF reinstating some officials who were sacked by the minister last December. The nation has also not forgotten the embarrassing public fight between the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, and President Muhammadu Buharis cousins over rooms in the Presidential Villa, which further exposed the chaotic situation in the President Buhari-led administration. Before then, the First Lady had alerted the nation to a cabal that had hijacked the Federal Executive and taken over governance of our nation. It is sad that presidential hostilities have resulted in escalated cases of internal sabotage, including the leakage of sensitive documents, as exposed by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan and recently witnessed in the embarrassing leakage of President Buharis draft COVID-19 speech. Nigerians can now see how vulnerable our nation has become and why it is extremely difficult for our country to witness any progress under the Buhari Presidency, which has also ruined all the gains achieved under the PDP. Indeed, no nation can achieve meaningful development under a rancorous and shambolic Federal Executive Council, as currently constituted, with the height of irredeemable division among them. Such a situation never obtained under the watch of the PDP in the glorious years of our nation. Our party, therefore, counsels President Buhari to re-direct the course of our nations tides by disbanding his poorly assembled and dysfunctional FEC. He should foreclose the parochial posturing of his administration by engaging more competent hands to run the affairs of our nation. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 01:11:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson considers the issue involving his top aide "closed" after police said no action would be taken against him, a Downing Street spokesperson said Thursday. Johnson's senior adviser Dominic Cummings has been at the center of a major row since last Friday when it was revealed that he drove 260 miles (about 418 km) in March from London to his parents' home in the northeast city of Durham, reportedly breaking Britain's COVID-19 lockdown rules. The row has dominated headlines in Britain and led to dozens of MPs calling for Cummings to resign. In a statement released Thursday, Durham police said by locating himself at his father's premises, Cummings had not committed an offence contrary to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, but by making a journey from his father's property to Barnard Castle with his wife and son, there might have been "a minor breach" of the coronavirus regulations that would have warranted police intervention. The statement added Durham constabulary viewed this as minor because there was no apparent breach of social distancing, and will take no further action in this matter. Responding to the police announcement, Johnson said it was "now time to move on". "The police have made clear they are taking no action against Mr Cummings over his self-isolation and that going to Durham did not breach the regulations. The prime minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and legally given all the circumstances and he regards this issue as closed," the Downing Street spokesperson said. Cummings made a public explanation earlier this week that he made the car journey together with his wife and their four-year-old son from London to Durham when his wife developed COVID-19 symptoms. He was worried that if he also became ill, which he subsequently did, there would be problems looking after their young son. Critics say Cummings has failed to apologize for his actions, while opposition parties continue to call for him to be sacked. Johnson has publicly backed Cummings. Enditem Hes best known for playing doomed Jamie Mitchell in EastEnders, but 18-years after being killed off Jack Ryder is preparing for what will arguably be the most challenging role of his life parent. The actor, 38, is expecting his first child with long-term partner Ella, a child psychotherapist, and he admitted they are both excited about the prospect of raising a baby while appearing on Thursdays edition of Loose Women. Talking to the panel from home, he said: 'We are due in July. Ella and I are gushy and over the moon - I always just smile when I talk about it. Can't wait: Jack Ryder is expecting his first child with long-term partner Ella, a child psychotherapist, and he admitted they are both excited about the prospect of raising a baby 'We're prepared as we can be, we've got toys all around the place, and clothes and bits and pieces. We're ready to go. We're very humbled and grateful, it's going to be an amazing journey.' Jack won a legion of fans after being cast as fresh-faced Jamie in 1998, a role he played for four-years before leaving Albert Square for good in 2002. But he admits he is still in touch with a handful of cast-members from his time on the show, among them his trumpet playing screen girlfriend, her on-screen brother and one of its longest serving stars. Looking ahead: 'We are due in July. Ella and I are gushy and over the moon - I always just smile when I talk about it,' he told the Loose Women panel on Thursday afternoon Expectant: 'We're prepared as we can be, we're ready to go. We're very humbled and grateful, it'll be an amazing journey,' he added New venture: Jack was appearing on the show to discuss his first children's book, Secret Summer He said: 'Me and Mr. (Dean) Gaffney, we touch base quite a lot and talk shop, and me and Natalie (Cassidy), and Steve McFadden. Reflecting on his last meeting with McFadden, best known for his long-term role as Jamie's godfather Phil Mitchell, Jack admitted the timing couldn't have been better. He added: 'When I was doing Holby a little while ago we bumped into each other on his birthday. Old times: The actor is best known for playing doomed Jamie Mitchell in EastEnders (pictured with screen girlfriend Sonia Jackson, played by Natalie Cassidy) Sad: The character was killed off in 2002 after four years on Albert Square 'It was a random morning of me going in quite early and this Moped came speeding round the corner and Steve lifted his visor up and said its my birthday! I can't believe I've seen you on my birthday! Now a successful theatre director with productions of Calendar Girls, The Full Monty and The History Boys under his belt, he has now added another string to his bow by writing a children's book. Secret Summer, the first in a series of planned books from the actor, will focus on the experiences of a child whose parents have separated. And he admits he was inspired to write after discovering the works of Roald Dahl following previous failed attempts to read other celebrated Children's novelists. Well done: Jack is now a successful theatre director with productions of Calendar Girls, The Full Monty and The History Boys under his belt He recalled: I remember picking up the box set of the CS Lewis books as a kid, and I read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Then I started to read the second one (Prince Caspian) and I really lost interest. 'I think I then tried The Hobbit and I lost interest in that, and then we took a little family holiday to Cranbrook and we stayed in this country house and Matilda was on the book shelf, and I remember picking that book up and reading it, and for the first time ever being completely comforted by that story. 'I think I read it twice on that trip and then I read more of Roald Dahls work and thats what got me into reading more as a child. By Mark Leonard BERLIN A paradigm shift is taking place in relations between the European Union and China. The COVID-19 crisis has triggered a new debate within Europe about the need for greater supply-chain "diversification," and thus for a managed disengagement from China. That will not be easy, and it won't happen quickly. But, clearly, Europe has abandoned its previous ambition for a more closely integrated bilateral economic relationship with China. In the past, when Europeans sought trade, economic-, and foreign-policy reforms vis-a-vis China, their hope was always to increase contact with the country while making the relationship fairer and more reciprocal. The basic goal was to expand bilateral trade and pry open the Chinese market for European investments. Even when the European Union toughened its approach toward China, its objective was still to deepen economic ties with the country. The creation of new EU instruments to screen investments and enforce antitrust measures were presented as regrettable but necessary measures to create the political conditions for closer cooperation. In a report published earlier this month, Andrew Small of the European Council on Foreign Relations argues that the EU's engagement with China will henceforth have a new purpose: to structure the Sino-European relationship in a way that reduces Europe's dependence on Chinese trade and investment. The new consensus is that Europeans should be more insulated from the whims of unreliable or overbearing foreign governments, whether in Beijing or Washington, D.C. This new thinking is evident in statements from the EU's top officials. For example, Josep Borrell, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, recently called on Europeans to shorten and diversify their supply chains, and to consider shifting their trade ties from Asia to Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Africa. Sounding a similar note, the EU's competition czar, Margrethe Vestager, wants to change state aid rules to protect European companies from Chinese takeovers. For their part, most European governments did not want a change in strategy. Until now, they have been heavily invested in developing a cooperative relationship with China; on a practical level, they are desperate for Chinese-made medical supplies to get them through the pandemic. Nonetheless, three factors have altered Europe's strategic calculus. The first is a long-term change within China. The EU's previous China policy was based on the so-called convergence wager, which held that China would gradually become a more responsible global citizen if it was welcomed into international global markets and institutions. Instead, the opposite has happened. Under President Xi Jinping, China has become more authoritarian. As the Chinese state has increased its role in the economy and Chinese markets have become less hospitable to European companies, Xi's signature policies Made in China 2025, China Standards 2035, and the Belt and Road Initiative have not only forced European companies out of the Chinese market, but have also exported China's model abroad. China is no longer merely competing for a share of low-value-added production. It is quickly climbing up the global value chain, and penetrating the very sectors that Europeans regard as central to their own economic future. Second, the United States has increasingly adopted a more hawkish view of China, particularly since U.S. President Donald Trump entered the White House. Well before the pandemic, a broader "decoupling" of the U.S. and Chinese economies seemed to be underway. This change came rather abruptly, and was a shock to Europeans, who suddenly had to worry about becoming roadkill in a Sino-American game of chicken. Consider the way many European states are struggling to placate both the U.S. and China over the Chinese tech giant Huawei's role in building European 5G networks. In theory, Europe's new skepticism toward China should have paved the way for closer transatlantic cooperation on this issue. But by assailing Europe with tariffs, secondary sanctions, and other unprovoked attacks, the Trump administration has muddied what should have been a clear choice. But the third (and most surprising) development has been China's behavior during the pandemic. After the 2008 global financial crisis, China seemed to rise to the occasion as a responsible global power, participating in coordinated stimulus efforts and even buying up euros and investing in cash-strapped economies. Not this time. Consider one telling episode from the pandemic. Early this year, as the coronavirus was raging through Wuhan, EU member states shipped nearly 60 tons of medical equipment to China. Much of this came from national strategic stockpiles, and it was sent discreetly, at China's behest. By contrast, when the pandemic arrived in Europe, the Chinese government made a big show of offering "aid" to Europe much of which actually came with a price tag. Worse, China has been using the cover of the COVID-19 crisis to pursue politically controversial economic deals, such as a Chinese-financed Belgrade-Budapest railway plan that was smuggled through Hungary's legislature as a part of its COVID-19 emergency package. Similarly, Huawei has been loudly making the case for why the crisis justifies an even faster 5G rollout. And in the United Kingdom, a Chinese state-owned venture-capital fund recently tried to take control of one of the country's top chipmakers, Imagination Technologies. Most disturbing of all, however, has been China's exploitation of health needs to advance its own petty political interests. For example, Chinese officials have warned the Netherlands that shipments of essential medical supplies may be withheld in retaliation for the Dutch government's decision to change the name of its diplomatic office in Taiwan. Since the crisis erupted, the EU has shown more of a willingness to push back against Chinese disinformation campaigns, and has adopted measures to protect distressed European companies from being bought out by Chinese investors. But the most serious moves are yet to come. Europeans will soon start turning the talk of "diversification" into action. One way or another, the structural changes working through the global order may have eventually produced a new debate about China anyway. But now that COVID-19 has laid bare both Europe's dependencies and China's true intentions, a strategic shift is well underway. Mark Leonard is director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. His commentary was distributed by Project Syndicate ( www.project-syndicate.org ). KCD PR, an integrated communications agency for the financial services, technology and transportation industries, announced today it was named a winner of the Silver Stevie Award for Communications PR Campaign of the Year category, presented by the 18th Annual American Business Awards. The award comes on the heels of a successful year for the agency who was also named a top-ranked PR firm by ODwyers PR Magazine in 2020 for the second year in a row. Most recently, KCD PR was also awarded the Hermes Creative Platinum Award for its creative and excellent results executing a media relations campaign for an artificial intelligence and robotics PR client. More than 230 industry professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this years Stevie Award winners. KCD PRs media relations campaign for Soft Bank Vision Fund backed company Brain Corp., won accolades for its outstanding creativity and performance. The agency built its momentum from scratch with a steady stream of national press coverage in publications such as Bloomberg, Forbes, Fortune, Business Insider, CNBC and a full feature in broadcast technology program BBC Click, which aired in 200 countries with over 380 million viewers. We are thrilled to be recognized by the American Business Awards with this award, said Kevin Dinino, President of KCD PR. Our success highlights how an integrated PR campaign can truly elevate a companys brand awareness and messaging. Investing in communications is a critical function to keep employees, customers and stakeholders engaged. This award highlights that with creativity, collaboration, and ingenuity you can create an effective communications program that exceeds the needs of your customers and business. Over the last eleven years, KCD PR has cultivated a diverse client roster from fast-moving technology startups to well established Fortune 500 brands in a variety of fields, including fintech, AI, insurance, banking, transportation and B2B technology. The agency offers a full-service suite of communications services such as executive visibility, digital marketing campaigns, media relations, employee engagement, crisis communications, investor relations, thought leadership and content marketing. Despite the toughest business conditions in memory, American organizations continue to demonstrate their commitment to innovation, creativity, and bottom-line results, said Stevie Awards president Maggie Gallagher. This years Stevie-winning nominations are full of inspiring stories of persistence, ingenuity, resourcefulness, and compassion. We celebrate all of their stories and look forward to showcasing them during our virtual awards ceremony on August 5. About KCD PR The KCD PR team leverages its deep financial and technology industry knowledge to develop and implement integrated communications campaigns that drive bottom-line results. Since 2009, KCD PR has cultivated a diverse client list from fast-moving technology startups to well established Fortune 500 brands. The agency offers a full-service suite of communications services such as media relations, executive visibility and thought leadership, content marketing and digital campaign management. Details on KCD PRs services are available at http://www.kcdpr.com/capabilities/kcd-pr-agency-services/ The citywide ban would mean far fewer plastic bags on Philadelphia streets. Read more Pennsylvanias Republican lawmakers are again taking aim at Philadelphias efforts to ban plastic bags. A provision in the 2020-21 budget package approved Thursday by the state Senate and House could derail the bag ban that City Council passed in December and was set to take effect next January. The language would prevent municipalities from enforcing regulations on single-use plastics until at least July 1, 2021. The provision essentially extends a last-minute budget provision inserted last year by Senate Republicans that prohibited bans on plastic bags through July 2020. Months later, Philadelphias bill passed after years of failed attempts in City Council to regulate plastic bag use. But after the coronavirus pandemic struck, Mayor Jim Kenney announced last month despite disagreement from environmental activists and the bills sponsor that he would delay implementation of the bag ban until January. READ MORE: Philly delays plastic bag ban until January amid coronavirus pandemic Other municipalities also planned around last years restrictions from Harrisburg. In West Chester, the borough council voted to enact a ban on single-use plastic bags but also scheduled it to take effect in July. The amendment to the state fiscal code introduced Thursday in Harrisburg would halt those local regulations by prohibiting plastic regulations until July 1, 2021, or until six months after Gov. Tom Wolfs coronavirus state of emergency order is lifted whichever is later. The Senate sent the budget bill to the GOP-controlled House for consideration, which approved the Senates changes Thursday evening. Wolf would not be able to reject the plastic bag provision without vetoing the entire budget. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. READ MORE: Pennsylvania Democrats want to know why they werent told when a Republican lawmaker tested positive for coronavirus Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre) pushed for the prohibition on plastic regulations last year, which included a request that the state study the environmental and economic impact. Corman said last year that he did so because his district includes a plastic-bag manufacturer and a town that was considering a fee for plastic bags. His spokesperson, Jenn Kocher, said Thursday that Corman wasnt behind the amendment to this years budget bill, but said it makes sense to extend the measure during the pandemic. Sen. Corman has indicated that now is not the time to be banning plastic bags made from recycled materials, she said, when grocery stores have actually banned shoppers from bringing reusable bags into the stores due to concerns over spreading the virus. The Kenney administration is still reviewing the provision in the budget bill, city spokesperson Kelly Cofrancisco said Thursday. She said the city generally opposes state efforts to preempt local laws. We oppose preemption of commonsense gun laws, local minimum wage increases, and efforts like this to preempt us from enforcing regulations we know will positively impact the environment far into the future, Cofrancisco said. State Rep. Greg Vitali (D., Delaware), who spoke out against the provision on the House floor Thursday, said in an interview that he was disappointed but not surprised to see the provision in the budget bill. Ive seen this bad movie a number of times before, Vitali said, so I know what the ending is. China's top political advisory body concluded its annual session on Wednesday afternoon, calling for efforts toward realizing the two centenary goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), presided over the closing meeting of the third session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attended the meeting in Beijing. Li Bin was elected the secretary-general of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the meeting. A resolution on a work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, a report on the examination of proposals, and a political resolution on the annual session were approved at the meeting. At the meeting, the political advisors unanimously agreed with and supported the National People's Congress -- the national legislature -- in making a decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to safeguard national security. Addressing the meeting, Wang Yang pointed out that the session was held at an important time when major strategic achievements have been made by China in fighting COVID-19 and when China is endeavoring to secure a decisive victory in completing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. He stressed the importance of drawing strength from the anti-virus battle while staying confident. Demanding efforts to closely focus on the targets and missions, Wang called for effectively building consensus and extensively rallying public support and pooling strength. The CPPCC should play its role in and contribute to promoting Chinese-style democracy, he said, urging efforts to improve the CPPCC's performance as a specialist consultative body. Before the closing meeting, Wang presided over a meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. Chinese lawmakers approved a proposal for sweeping new national security legislation in Hong Kong, defying a threat by US President Donald Trump to respond strongly to a measure that democracy advocates say will curb essential freedoms in the city. The National Peoples Congress, Chinas rubber-stamp legislature, approved the draft decision by a vote of 2,878-1 on Thursday at its annual session in Beijing, with six abstentions. Chinese officials could now take months to sort of the details of laws banning subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign interference before theyre given to Hong Kongs Beijing-backed administration to promulgate. The move to bypass the semi-autonomous citys local Legislative Council has alarmed Hong Kongs pro-democracy activists and opposition politicians. It risks spawning yet more protests in the city and could potentially prompt companies to flee if the laws undermine the independent judiciary in the Asian financial hub. The Trump administration on Wednesday took the significant step of saying it could no longer certify Hong Kongs autonomy from China, which was promised before the British handed the city back in 1997. The move could trigger a range of actions by the Trump administration, from sanctions on Chinese officials to revoking the citys special trading status with the US. President Donald Trump, asked about the possible sanctions, said Tuesday his administration was doing something now that he would unveil this week. Business groups Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as US laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in announcing the decision. No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground. What Are the New Laws China Is Pushing for Hong Kong?: QuickTake Other governments also expressed worries about the legislation. Japan said it was seriously concerned by the move, while Taiwan said it would release a plan to help Hong Kong residents if they wanted to leave the city. The plan to enact the national security legislation was first announced in Beijing late last week, with Chinese officials saying it was needed to stem sometimes-violent protests that hit the city last year. They argued that Hong Kongs lawmakers had 23 years to pass the legislation, which is mandated under Hong Kongs mini-constitution called the Basic Law. All of the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong people and international investors will remain unchanged, Hong Kongs government said in a statement on Wednesday. It said the laws wouldnt erode the rule of law, an independent judiciary or freedom of expression. Hong Kongs democracy camp isnt convinced, however. While last years protests all but stopped during the pandemic, demonstrators came out multiple times since the announcement on the laws, defying police who are still limiting public gatherings. Some of them chanted for independence, a clear red line that Beijing has used to justify passing the laws. Hong Kong Police Overwhelm Protesters Now Crying Independence Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong media tycoon and prominent pro-democracy activist, said the laws could push business away and eventually turn anyone who participates in a demonstration into a criminal. Its like a knife on top of our head, Lai told Bloomberg Television. Anytime it will come to our neck. Today, Google announced that it plans to add page experience to the factors it considers when ranking pages in Search. It will also remove the AMP requirement for stories to be featured in Top Stories on mobile. Google believes the changes will help make the web better for everyone. According to the company, page experience will measure how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page. To determine page experience, Google will consider Core Web Vitals, metrics that measure user experience, as well as existing signals, like mobile-friendliness, safe-browsing and HTTPS-security. Google says it will still prioritize the best information, and while its doing away with the AMP requirement for Top Stories in mobile, it will continue to support the framework and link to AMP pages when theyre available. While all of the components of page experience are important, we will prioritize pages with the best information overall, even if some aspects of page experience are subpar. A good page experience doesnt override having great, relevant content. However, in cases where there are multiple pages that have similar content, page experience becomes much more important for visibility in Search, Google explained in a blog post. Google recognizes that the changes might take some getting used to. It says it wont roll them out before next year, and it will provide at least six months notice. In the meantime, it wants to give developers plenty of time to prepare, and it has updated its developer tools, including Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights, to help site owners get a head start. That kind of FISA surveillance, however, is unrelated to the three partly expired F.B.I. tools whose proposed extension is driving the legislation. They do things like permit court orders to gather business records deemed to be relevant to a terrorism or espionage investigation. Still, the bill before Congress to extend them has become a vehicle for broader FISA reforms, including in response to the problems with the Page applications. For example, it would add new layers of oversight to FISA wiretap applications by instructing judges who normally hear from only the Justice Department when weighing such requests to appoint outsiders to critique the governments arguments in more types of cases, including those involving political campaigns or religious organizations. But even as Mr. Trump vents his skepticism of the government surveillance powers, Attorney General William P. Barr has been pushing Republicans in the opposite direction. He warned on Wednesday that he would tell Mr. Trump to veto the bill because he thought it would impose too many restrictions on law enforcement and national security authorities. The result is a complicated spectacle of political and policy dysfunction. Traditionally, Democrats have tended to be somewhat more reluctant than Republicans to grant broad national security powers to the government, but here, Democrats appear to be the ones more eager to see the legislation passed. That is in part because some Republicans, like Mr. Barr, would apparently rather see the tools remain expired than accept the new limits included in the bill. The operational effect of the expiration is limited, because it matters only for potential investigations into new threats that may emerge. The F.B.I. can still use the authority to obtain court orders for continuing cases, and it has open-ended investigations into major adversaries like the Islamic State, Russia and China. But it is also because Mr. Trump is now suggesting that the reforms on FISA wiretaps do not go far enough, although he has not put forward any alternative. That has left it unclear what congressional Republicans actually want for the bill, other than to avoid getting crosswise with Mr. Trump. Unlike most other legislation that becomes law in Washington, surveillance bills in recent years have tended to pass with unusual bipartisan coalitions that must balance the interests of civil libertarians in both parties with those of more pro-law-enforcement lawmakers in both parties. When the House passed an earlier version of the bill in March, for example, 152 Democrats and 126 Republicans supported it. Greetings. I am Gerald Balinnya, a Roman Catholic Priest, currently doing pastoral work in the United Kingdom. You asked me to share my Covid19 experience! Well, one word or two...Nasty! Deadly! Some years back we were hearing of Avian flu, SARS, Merz, etc. as deadly diseases in China. Most of those scares did not cross borders. The wider world was sheltered from such attacks and life moved on normally. When we heard of a new viral infection affecting Wuhan state in China earlyJanuary 2020...we thought that it would be contained locally. We thought we would be spared as has been the case previously. We were wrong! Soon here in UK we heard that the disease had reached Italy and Spain! We began to get worried! Around February 2020 I heard of a lady in UK who had travelled to northern Italy and had contracted covid19. I thought that the thing would strike a few people. Life went on. Meanwhile I began having some shortness of breath and a bit of dry cough. Being winter time, I thought it was symptoms of the cold or flu. I took my usual multivitamins, vitamin C and zinc supplements. I thought I would be spared the full blown flu bout since I had had my flu vaccine in October 2019. Life carried on. Meanwhile Italy and Spain were being hit hard by the virus. UK government began alerting us about the scare. By early March, things were getting out of hand. Cases were increasingly being reported in the UK and other countries. It was getting really serious now! By mid March lockdown was announced in UK and othercountries. My last public ministerial service was a funeral for a Ugandan man who had died of esophageal cancer. I conducted the service on Thursday 19th March, feast of St. Joseph, and that weekend was when all catholic churches were ordered to be closed to the public. We had to follow social distance measures during the service. Things were really serious. Friday 20th March, I began feeling a bit unwell. On Saturday 21st I went to Brixton market to get some garlic, lemon and ginger supplies for my cold. I needed a boost for my immunity. That weekend, I took a rest as I began having a fever. I thought it was the normal unwellness during this season. I thought it was a common head cold or slight flu. Dry cough and shortness of breath continued. During the week I began coughing seriously especially in the evening. The lungs were on fire as I coughed! It was an incisive, deeply penetrating pain in the chest. I would have to sit down during the cough episodes, and the feeling was unbearable! It was as if someone had sprayed hot peppers in my lungs! I kept doing self medication while taking a rest. By the end of the week, there was no improvement. The dry cough, fever and shortness of breath were unrelenting! My colleague in the house started helping me with getting me meals in my room as I could not go downstairs to the kitchen to prepare my food. On Monday 30th March the situation got worse. My colleague called the NHS (national health service) 111 for advice and support. He waited for almost two hours to speak to someone. When he got through, they only advised me to stay home, keep monitoring the situation and wait for further advice when a nurse would call back! My brother Stephen, in east London kept calling me to find out how I was. He got concerned and he with my sister in law decided to call the ambulance. The ambulance came very quickly before 5 o'clock in the evening. I had no energy and feeling very poorly. They checked my oxygen levels and found them at 60%. The normal level should be 93 -94%. So I was 30% deficient of oxygen in the blood. This was deadly and no wonder my breathing was hard! The paramedics gently put me on a wheelchair, led me downstairs and out to the ambulance. In 10 minutes we were in King's College Hospital. I was assessed at the accident and emergency department. Later in the evening I was transferred to another ward where I spent the night. But I could barely stand up. There was no power in the legs! I had to rely on the nurse for everything. I was in excruciating pain and the lungs were on fire in the chest! It was horrible! The following day I was not any better. I got worse and they decided to transfer me to another ward with patients needing extra care. But the move from one ward to another on a wheelchair was a hellish experience. The lungs were sensitive to any slight movement of the body. By the time I arrived at the next ward I was shivering with fever and coughing nonstop! I hated it all! Another traumatic experience for my battered lungs! In the new ward we were 4 patients. We all had ventilators for oxygen. Each time I made a move or if I talked, the cough episodes were triggered! After eating food, the cough episodes would kick off! Over the weekend of 4th/5th April, other patients had either been discharged, died or moved to other wards. I remained alone. So they moved me to the next bay, but same ward. I didn't like moving, but I had no choice! That week was tough. The dry cough persisted and energy levels were so low. I had an xray, I think on 8th and CT scan on 9th April. But they could not see anything serious on the lungs. On Good Friday, they said I had made improvements and therefore I was more independent. They moved me to another ward. Whom do I find there? They were elderly men...one needing dialysis, two with dementia. The two demented men kept shouting, calling for help, swearing, using abusive language, howling, etc.! I didn't sleep well that night. It was real hell. The man next to me pooed in bed and lay there for almost two hours without help. The stench was getting unbearable. So I pressed the buzzer late at night to call the nurses. Imagine, they knew they had very helpless and vulnerable elderly patients but never bothered to keep checking on their welfare during the night. I was the only "sober" patient there! So the nurses came to do the cleaning of the mess. I was so angry at them and told them off! I asked them why they had brought me to such a ward! But they had no answer...; only a hard, guilty and helpless look! On Saturday 11th when the doctors came for their rounds I told them of my experience. I asked that either they transferred me to another ward or discharge me. I was not prepared to stay another night in that ward. Later in the afternoon I got the news that I would be discharged. This took some hours to really happen. From my experience, getting into hospital can be easy, but getting out can be a very windy business! Late evening, before 6 o'clock a porter came for me. But the wheelchair journey from the ward to the ambulance was not easy. My lungs were hurting and I was crying loudly in pain. From the hospital I was taken to another house arranged by the diocese for isolation because after discharge we are supposed to isolate for between 7 to 14 days. This place was not far from the parish where I live. I was warmly received. But climbing the stairs was really hard work. Getting out of bed to go downstairs for meals was war with my muscles and little energy! Every little activity required careful calculation and effort. It was hard. But with time I made improvements and got better every day. However the cough episodes, especially after food, were a nightmare. After a fortnight, on 26th April, I finally returned home. Home, sweet home! But still the stairs and cough remained a challenge. Every day I registered some progress. I began cooking for myself. But every activity had to be done gently at my pace. Washing, bathing, cooking, walking etc., all proved very difficult tasks. I remember in hospital, even taking a flannel to clean myself or to shave were really hard work! One time I walked from bed to the toilet, but almost failed to make it back to my bed. The lungs were on fire and couldn't support my walking! Now it's over two months since I felt unwell and six and a half weeks after discharge, but still my energy levels are not back to where they should be. I eat and sleep well, generally. But sometimes I wake up with cold sweats and slightly feverish. Cough has lessened significantly but I don't want to talk a lot on the phone for long. If I overstretch myself by doing a bit of strenuous exercise or work/ activity then cough is triggered. I hate the cold weather and the sunshine these days has brought a smile on my face. Covid19 is nasty. Covid19 is deadly! It is a very debilitating disease. It depletes or sucks up all the energy. Regaining that energy takes ages. Body aches and pains cause much discomfort and make you feel like a very old man out there! Being diabetic put me in the high risk category. Covid19 distabilized my blood sugar levels and they shot up more than twice! So, I lost a lot of weight especially in the first month of the illness. However, my mind has always remained alert. This is why I kept trying to be on various fora to let people know I was alive, though suffering and in great pain. I have been in hospital before. I know what pain is. I have seen people's suffering and I have an idea what sick people go through. Human suffering is horrible. How I wish I could alleviate it, somehow. Sometimes I ask God as a pagan: couldn't God have made a better design of life? Can't he ease our pain? But then the sense of faith asks another question: If he did not spare his own Son such suffering on the cross, who am I before him? So I get muted! For both the pagan sense and faith sense questions I have no answers. Therefore, I surrender and resign into his mighty hands and all knowing power. Please God, save us from such diseases and plagues... Covid19 is lethal. I have had a glimpse of the grave...(nnalingizaako my ntaana!) In nearly died. But the Lord snatched me from the snare of the monster! I am here (for now) to tell the tale! So help us, God. Fr. Gerard is a Ugandan Roman Catholic priest, living in the United Kingdom. A dual citizen who travelled from the United States has been denied an exemption to a mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine to visit his 83-year-old terminally ill mother at their family home in Queensland. San Diego-based Mark Talbot landed in Brisbane this week after boarding a flight in the hope of seeing his mother Ellen, before she passes away. Mark Talbot says he is frustrated with the lack of communication and flexibility shown by Queensland health authorities. Credit:Today Like many others, the dual US-Australian citizen has found himself quarantined in a Brisbane hotel while his mother's condition continues to rapidly decline less than 300 kilometres away in Hervey Bay. "She's actually not doing too well," Mr Talbot told Nine. Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see K & P International Holdings Limited (HKG:675) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 1st of June will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 10th of July. K & P International Holdings's next dividend payment will be HK$0.02 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed HK$0.04 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, K & P International Holdings stock has a trailing yield of around 6.3% on the current share price of HK$0.63. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether K & P International Holdings has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut. View our latest analysis for K & P International Holdings 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. K & P International Holdings paid out a comfortable 46% of its profit last year. 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 8.1% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low. 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 K & P International Holdings paid out over the last 12 months. SEHK:675 Historical Dividend Yield May 27th 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. For this reason, we're glad to see K & P International Holdings's earnings per share have risen 11% per annum over the last five years. The company has managed to grow earnings at a rapid rate, while reinvesting most of the profits within the business. This will make it easier to fund future growth efforts and we think this is an attractive combination - plus the dividend can always be increased later. Story continues The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, nine years ago, K & P International Holdings has lifted its dividend by approximately 3.2% a year on average. Earnings per share have been growing much quicker than dividends, potentially because K & P International Holdings is keeping back more of its profits to grow the business. To Sum It Up Is K & P International Holdings an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? K & P International Holdings has grown its earnings per share while simultaneously reinvesting in the business. Unfortunately it's cut the dividend at least once in the past nine years, but the conservative payout ratio makes the current dividend look sustainable. K & P International Holdings looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely. With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. For example, we've found 2 warning signs for K & P International Holdings that we recommend you consider before investing in the business. 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. A Midland woman remains in custody after she allegedly threatened a family member with a weapon and attempted to take an officers firearm during the subsequent altercation. Tara Elan Shelton, 23, is being held on a first-degree felony of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a family member and a third-degree felony of taking an officers weapon. She was arrested Wednesday night and remained in custody Friday night on a $37,000 bond. Midland police responded to the 400 block of South Adams Street around 10 p.m. Wednesday in regards to a disturbance. Upon arrival, officers could hear loud arguing inside the apartment and attempted to make contact with the residents. The officer could see a woman -- later identified as Shelton -- pinned up against the wall by two other females and the residence in disarray, according to Sheltons arrest report. The officers asked Shelton to come outside to speak with them but she refused. She yelled expletives at the officers and told them they werent coming into the house. The officer, noticing that Shelton was being aggressive toward police, attempted to forcibly bring Shelton outside but she physically refused. One of the other women in the house stood in between Shelton and the officer. The trio began pushing and pulling each other until the officer could remove Shelton from inside the house, according to the report. While the suspect was being escorted outside, she began to assault an officer by kicking and punching him in an attempt to break free. She allegedly then grabbed the handle of the officers firearm and tried to remove it from its holster. The officer immediately brought Shelton down to the ground and began using department- approved strikes in order to subdue her. After a brief altercation between several officers and Shelton, she eventually was handcuffed and detained. During the subsequent investigation, officers learned that Shelton and one of the women began arguing. When Sheltons stepfather tried to break up the fight, Shelton allegedly pulled a knife or a screwdriver and attempted to cut him. The stepfather told police Shelton threatened to kill him while she was trying to cut him, and in self-defense he began trying to throw furniture at her to keep her away, the report said. Shelton was transported to the Midland County Central Detention Center on charges of aggravated assault with a weapon, resisting arrest, attempting to take an officers weapon and failure to identify. If convicted of the first-degree charge of assault with a weapon against a family member, she could serve between five and 99 years in prison. She also could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of attempting to take a police officers weapon. James Cannon can be reached at jcannon@mrt.com. Sidley Welcomes Life Sciences Corporate Partner Frank Rahmani in Palo Alto Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that Frank Rahmani has joined the firm in Palo Alto (News - Alert) as a partner in the Corporate practice, with a focus on emerging companies and capital markets. Mr. Rahmani will also be a member of Sidley's award-winning Global Life Sciences practice. He was previously a partner at Cooley LLP. "Frank's diverse corporate transactional experience complements our regulatory, enforcement and litigation practices within the Global Life Sciences team," said Paul Kalb, leader of Sidley's Healthcare and FDA practice and member of the firm's Executive Committee. "His addition reflects our continuous effort to provide clients with a holistic legal approach to navigate industry changes and meet evolving market demands." Mr. Rahmani advises emerging growth and public companies in the life sciences an technology industries. Working closely with founders, CEOs, boards of directors and investors, Mr. Rahmani counsels clients in a broad range of matters, from formation and spin-off transactions, to financings and public offerings, governance, mergers and acquisitions, strategic collaborations, and technology acquisition and licensing matters. "Frank has a well-earned reputation as a trusted adviser, which is built on enduring relationships and breadth of experience representing high-growth, cutting edge life sciences and technology companies and investors at all stages," said Martin Wellington, managing partner of Sidley's Palo Alto office. "He has great energy, a high-quality practice and a clear vision for growth that aligns with ours. Frank's arrival signifies our strategy to build out Sidley's presence in Northern California." With 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices around the globe, Sidley is a premier legal adviser for clients across the spectrum of industries. Follow Sidley on Twitter (News - Alert) @SidleyLaw. Attorney Advertising - Sidley Austin LLP, One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603, +1 312 853 7000. Sidley and Sidley Austin refer to Sidley Austin LLP and affiliated partnerships as explained at www.sidley.com/disclaimer. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005734/en/ A 70-year-old priest has been arrested in Odisha for allegedly beheading a man, believing that the killing will end the coronavirus pandemic. The 55-year-old was beheaded in the premises of the temple on Wednesday night, the police said. Police officials said that Sansari Ojha is a priest at Goddess Brahmani temple in Bandhahuda area of Narasinhapur block in Cuttack. Ojha claimed he was ordered to carry out the beheading the the goddess in order to bring an end to the pandemic, the police said. On Wednesday night, when the victim Saroj Kumar Pradhan visited the temple and was bowing before the goddess, Ojha came up from behind and rained blows on Pradhans neck with a scythe. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Athagarh, Alok Ranjan Ray, said that the accused priest later surrendered to the police and confessed to committing the murder. During interrogation he admitted to the murder claiming it was ordered by the goddess, said the SDPO. The police, however, said that the priest had a long-standing dispute with the deceased over a mango orchard on the outskirts of the village. The murder weapon has been seized by the police. Odisha, meanwhile, reported 67 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday. The states tally now stands at 1,660, according to the state health department. Of the new patients, 65 had recently returned to the state from various parts of the country and were in different quarantine centres across districts, while two others were detected with the infection as a result of the contact-tracing exercise, the health department said. (Philadelphia, PA) - The main thoroughfare that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the abdomen is known as the abdominal aorta. Strong and thick-walled, this main highway is built to withstand a lifetime of use. But just like expressways traveled by cars and trucks, too much force on its surfaces and exposure to certain environmental factors can cause the vessel to wear and weaken over time - weakening that can lead to abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), a bulge in the aorta wall that has a high risk of rupturing. Risk of AAA is high in smokers, particularly men over age 50, and there is no cure. Long-term survival is poor, especially for patients with large aneurysms and for those who are not able to undergo surgery to prevent eventual rupture. But now, new research by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) suggests that AAA can be prevented therapeutically. In work published online May 28 in the journal Cardiovascular Research, they show for the first time in animals that blocking a molecule known as dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) can stop AAA from developing. "While the molecular mechanism of AAA has been unknown, we suspected a connection with mitochondria, which supply cells with energy," explained Satoru Eguchi, MD, PhD, FAHA, Professor of Physiology and Professor in the Cardiovascular Research Center, Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center, and Center for Metabolic Disease Research at LKSOM. "We were interested especially in how processes called mitochondrial fission and fusion impact AAA." Fission and fusion are normal processes by which mitochondria divide and recombine to maintain their function. But blood vessel inflammation, which can be caused by smoking, aging, and other factors, causes mitochondria to shift toward fission. This harmful fragmentation process, which is regulated by Drp1, severely compromises the integrity of the aortic thoroughfare - like the subsurface of an expressway crumbling. Dr. Eguchi and colleagues, including Hannah A. Cooper, an MD, PhD student in Dr. Eguchi's laboratory at the Cardiovascular Research Center and lead author on the new paper, and collaborators at Okayama University in Japan, observed elevated Drp1 levels in the abdominal aortas of human patients with AAA. They also observed similar Drp1 increases in AAA tissues from mice engineered to develop the condition. To investigate the significance of elevated Drp1, the researchers treated AAA mice with a compound called mdivi1, which acts as a Drp1 inhibitor. Mdivi1 turned out to attenuate AAA development, based on measurement of the diameter of the abdominal aorta and on molecular study of vascular smooth muscle cells. While treated mice still had high blood pressure associated with their condition, mdivi1 completely protected them against aortic rupture. Drp1 inhibition was further associated with reduced stress responses in vascular cells. These responses included reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells and decreased senescence, which is characterized by aging-related cellular deterioration. Dr. Eguchi thinks senescence may be a driving factor behind AAA. Mitochondrial fragmentation accompanied by decreased mitochondrial function and accelerated vascular aging set the stage for increased premature senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), an aging-related chronic inflammatory condition. "Human patients and animals with AAA appear young on the outside, but their vascular systems typically show significant aging," Dr. Eguchi said. "Maintaining the mitochondrial fission-fusion balance appears to be fundamental to attenuating senescence and having healthy cardiovascular function. A Drp1 inhibitor may be the therapeutic answer to achieving this goal for persons at risk of AAA." In future work, Dr. Eguchi and colleagues plan to more deeply explore the mechanisms involved in Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission and fusion and how they tie into AAA and other cardiovascular diseases. ### Other researchers who contributed to the new study include Stephanie Cicalese, Kyle J. Preston, Tatsuo Kawai, Keisuke Okuno, Rosario Scalia, and Victor Rizzo at the Cardiovascular Research Center at LKSOM; Eric T. Choi, MD, FACS, Professor of Surgery and Chair for the Clinical Research Committee of the Center for Metabolic Disease Research at LKSOM, Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Temple University Hospital, and Co-Surgical Director of the Temple Heart & Vascular Institute; and Shingo Kasahara, Haruhito A. Uchida, and Nozomu Otaka at Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, in Okayama City, Japan. The research was supported in part by National Institutes of Health grants RO1HL128324, RO1HL133248, and RO1DK111042. About Temple Health Temple University Health System (TUHS) is a $2.2 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care and supporting excellence in medical education and research. The Health System consists of Temple University Hospital (TUH); TUH-Episcopal Campus; TUH-Jeanes Campus; TUH-Northeastern Campus; The Hospital of Fox Chase Cancer Center and Affiliates, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center; Temple Transport Team, a ground and air-ambulance company; Temple Physicians, Inc., a network of community-based specialty and primary-care physician practices; and Temple Faculty Practice Plan, Inc., TUHS's physician practice plan comprised of more than 500 full-time and part-time academic physicians in 20 clinical departments. TUHS is affiliated with the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Temple Health refers to the health, education and research activities carried out by the affiliates of Temple University Health System (TUHS) and by the Katz School of Medicine. TUHS neither provides nor controls the provision of health care. All health care is provided by its member organizations or independent health care providers affiliated with TUHS member organizations. Each TUHS member organization is owned and operated pursuant to its governing documents. It is the policy of Temple University Health System that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 23:30:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Henry Litton, a former judge of the Court of Final Appeal of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), has highlighted the necessity of introducing national security legislation at the state level for the Hong Kong SAR. In an article released on Wednesday, Litton stressed that the threat to national security in Hong Kong is real but the local legislature has appeared unable to enact relevant laws on its own. "Internal security has worsened, with increasing evidence of terrorist activities aimed at bringing the Hong Kong police to its knees and overthrowing the government," Litton wrote, adding that a state of grave public danger has existed since October last year. During the social unrest, bully tactics had been deployed, families of police officers threatened, some businesses vandalized and people had been cowed into silence, Litton added. "A threat of this nature to Hong Kong, a region of China, clearly constitutes a national security threat," he wrote. However, in the face of the serious challenges, the existing laws are "nowhere near adequate to deal with the complicated matters" and a dysfunctional Legislative Council due to obstruction of opposition lawmakers means "no law can be passed in Hong Kong," Litton noted. The former judge wrote that unrest and street violence have been going on for nearly a year and very serious crimes have been committed but only a handful of persons arrested have been convicted. When commenting on the legislative decision of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, Litton pointed out the legislation is the right thing to do, saying that "every nation on earth, unless a failed state, has laws protecting national security." The decision to enact national security legislation provides protection for Hong Kong and the whole nation, he believed. Establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for Hong Kong emphasizes the cardinal principles of "one country, two systems", "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy, Litton wrote. Litton noted that related laws, when passed, will be enforced by the Hong Kong courts exercising jurisdiction under the common law system, based on the presumption of innocence and proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Stressing that the common law is guaranteed by the "one country, two systems" principle, Litton appealed to young lawyers in Hong Kong to truly support the "one country, two systems" principle and work towards its success, and urged older lawyers, the leaders of their profession, to cultivate a climate conducive to their juniors' success. Enditem " " A spoonful of the protein powder produced from microbes, carbon dioxide, water and a steady current of electricity LUT/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Choose three ingredients to make a nutritious meal and it's unlikely you'd pick carbon dioxide, water and microbes. But researchers in Finland are developing a way to zap that simple recipe with electricity inside a bioreactor to create a powder that's about 50 percent protein and 25 percent carbohydrates. The edible powder could be mixed into a shake or turned into a tofu-like food for people. It also could be transformed into feed for animals. Because it's processed inside in a bioreactor similar to how beer and Quorn, a British meat substitute, is made it doesn't require the tremendous amounts of land, water or other resources necessary for large-scale agriculture and doesn't emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Advertisement "We detach the whole process from the land," says Jero Ahola, a professor in the department of electrical engineering at Lappeenranta University of Technology. If solar power is used to produce the electricity, the process is about 10 times more efficient at producing food than conventional agriculture that relies on soil, says Ahola. For this proof-of-concept endeavor, the bioreactor used was the size of a coffee cup, and the process to produce 1 gram of the protein took about two weeks. Ahola and colleague Juha-Pekka Pitkanen, a principal scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, say they are working on plans to build a larger bioreactor, about 6 liters (1.6 gallons) in size, by early next year. After that, they'll apply for additional funding to scale up the system even more, building a 2-cubic-meter (71-cubic-foot) bioreactor that can produce 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of powder per day. Imagine one of those 10-pound bags of flour or sugar, and you get the idea. "We think that we would be able to scale it up rather soon now that we have got it working," says Pitkanen. At the moment, the system is running at about 26 percent efficiency, meaning that 26 percent of the electricity is going directly toward turning the mixture into food. The team says they feel confident that they can almost double that to achieve upward of 50-percent efficiency. The Recipe To make the powder, Ahola and Pitkanen combine carbon dioxide, water and Knallgas bacteria with ammonium, sulfate and phosphate salts, which act like fertilizers. When the ingredients are inside the bioreactor, the scientists deliver a constant electric current through the mixture. The electricity splits the water molecules, which are made of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Once freed from its molecular bond to oxygen, the hydrogen can be used by the Knallgas bacteria as energy, which helps the bacteria take in CO2 and turn into protein. "The first real application could be in the desert, feeding people in Africa," says Pitkanen. Although electrifying a bacterial concoction to make food seems futuristic, it actually dates back to the 1960s, says Pitkanen, when renowned German microbiologist Hans Gunter Schlegel and co-author R.M. Lafferty published a research paper in the journal Nature describing the notion. After that, Soviet and NASA scientists began experiments to see if they could use microbes to create food for astronauts. "They were investigating how one could turn CO2 and microbes into microbial biomass," says Pitkanen. But the technology for efficiently generating electricity in space was not well-developed. Space ships are a closed system, where everything must be used or recycled. Carrying heavy fuel onboard to make food didn't make sense, and renewable energy was still in its infancy. For years, the idea of turning microbes into food fell behind. Today, with renewable energy on an upward trajectory, generating zero-emission electricity and using it to convert a brew of water, CO2 and microbes into a powdery protein makes more sense. With a renewed interest in human space travel, food from electricity could find its way into the cosmos. In the meantime, it has plenty of applications on Earth. Today, 795 million people worldwide lack enough food to eat. A nutritious, high-protein powder could help address global hunger. It may also help the planet overall reduce greenhouse gases, and Finland specifically, which has set a goal to lower CO2 emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050. "Our Earth is becoming like a kind of spaceship," says Ahola. "We realize that we are approaching limits and we have to think of similar kinds of solutions for these problems." Now That's Interesting The researchers relied on a bioreactor to make their protein powder, and they suggest that consumers might have their own home reactors in the future. Doctors at Gold Coast University Hospital have revealed how a pregnant woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 was able to deliver a healthy baby and care for her child without the baby becoming infected. The 31-year-old gave birth to the baby at the hospital in mid-March, as the threat of coronavirus was ramping up locally and worldwide. The family was cared for at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Credit:Getty Images The advice at the time was mostly coming from China, where doctors were delivering babies from infected mothers by caesarean section before isolating them from their newborns until they overcame the disease. The lead author of the paper, Gold Coast Hospital obstetrician Dr Belinda Lowe, said in this case, the mother was very strongly against being separated from her baby after the birth. DENVER, Colo., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Coming in mid-June from the producers of Monday Morning Radio, a top-rated business-to-business podcast since 2012, the Small Business Paramedics website (http://smallbusinessparamedics.com) and podcast will feature experts both individually and on panels who will address a wide variety of issues that confront business and professional practice owners. Dean Rotbart, host, Small Business Paramedics Coming in mid-June, SmallBusinessParamedics.com Recurring topics will include human resources, financing, planning, taxes, inventory control, fraud, intellectual property, marketing, public relations, supply chains, facilities management, government regulations, and exit strategies. Since June 2012, Monday Morning Radio has provided weekly interviews with business owners and experts who share the wisdom of their experiences. More than 750,000 founders and entrepreneurs have tuned in to the free program, available from the Apple Podcast store at https://tinyurl.com/MMR-Apple. Small Business Paramedics will be overseen by host Dean Rotbart, a prize-winning journalist and former columnist with The Wall Street Journal. Rotbart has mentored hundreds of founders and entrepreneurs on proven strategies to expand their visibility and build their brands. Many of the owners and specialists who will be showcased on Small Business Paramedics (SBP) have previously been guests on Monday Morning Radio. They include: Ken Blanchard , author, "The One Minute Manager" , author, "The One Minute Manager" Ryan Deiss , founder, The Digital Marketer , founder, The Digital Marketer Bobby Herrera , founder, Populus Group , founder, Populus Group David Erickson , founder, FreeConferenceCall.com , founder, FreeConferenceCall.com David Ciccarelli , CEO and co-founder, Voices.com , CEO and co-founder, Voices.com Charles Duhigg , author, "The Power of Habit" , author, "The Power of Habit" Gina Rivera , founder, Phenix Salon Suites , founder, Phenix Salon Suites Dudley R. Slater , former CEO, Integra Telecom , former CEO, Integra Telecom Dave Jabas , owner, WholesaleLocks.com , owner, WholesaleLocks.com Ross Kimbarovsky , founder, crowdspring.com , founder, crowdspring.com Jay Papasan , co-author, "The One Thing" , co-author, "The One Thing" Adam Witty , CEO, Advantage Media , CEO, Advantage Media Chris Ronzio , founder, Trainual SBP is currently accepting expressions of interest from small business specialists who would like to join the core Small Business Paramedics crew. "Paramedics" will participate in podcasts and panels, and provide advice and insights to tens of thousands of owners and entrepreneurs throughout North America. "We plan to be a one-stop resource for owners and managers seeking practical advice on how to run their businesses and extricate themselves from jams," says Rotbart. For the paramedics, the new SBP website and podcast will create a synergistic opportunity to showcase their talents in the company of other highly respected advisers. "Like a high-end mall, visitors may come for a single purpose, but will almost certainly discover other valuable experts and insights," Rotbart explains. Small business operators who have specific questions that they'd like to address to any of SPB's crew members can email their queries to [email protected]. Advisers, coaches, and consultants interested in becoming part of the Paramedics crew should contact [email protected] or phone Rotbart directly at 303-800-6081. Media Contact: Dean Rotbart [email protected] 303-800-6081 SOURCE Monday Morning Radio [May 28, 2020] ServiceNow Transforms Partner Programs to Help Industries Prepare for a New Way of Working ServiceNow (News - Alert) (NYSE: NOW), the leading digital workflow company making work, work better for people, today announced expanded partner programs and industry-aligned solutions. These programs will empower its Global Partner Ecosystem to grow with ServiceNow and accelerate customers' digital transformation as they help companies adjust to the way we will work in the future. The new programs and solutions will be highlighted at ServiceNow's Global Partner Ecosystem Summit today, as part of the company's Knowledge 2020 Digital Experience. "The way people work is changing and the way that companies engage customers is driving a new era of employee and customer experiences," said David M. Parsons (News - Alert), ServiceNow Senior Vice President of Global Alliances and Channel. "Now more than ever, ServiceNow's industry and workflow capabilities paired with partners' industry experience can help customers of all sizes and across all industries make work, work better for people." Highlights of ServiceNow's new global partner programs and solutions include the following. ServiceNow Partner Industry Solutions Unveiled today, ServiceNow Partner Industry Solutions is a new marketplace that showcases partner solutions designed to address the industry-specific workflow and digital transformation needs of our joint customers. The showcase will enable partners to drive differentiation, champion their industry expertise, and unlock new growth opportunities by reaching ServiceNow's customers across the globe. Inaugural partners offering ServiceNow Industry Partner Solutions include Accenture (News - Alert), Atos, Deloitte, DXC Technology, Ernst & Young LLP (EY), and KPMG. Solution highlights from inaugural partners include: Accenture will continue to build telecommunications solutions that enable clients to run mission critical services uninterrupted. Atos Quality Inspection enables Manufacturing companies to apply new automation, artificial intelligence, and machine-learning technologies to perform cost-effective and reliable quality inspections. Deloitte (News - Alert) will provide banks with a bespoke Complaints Management solution as well as a timely Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (SBA PPP) Forgiveness Solution built on the NOW platform. KPMG will provide Powered Enterprise Service Management capabiliies with specific tailoring for industries including State and Local, Healthcare, and Manufacturing. KPMG's Physician Onboarding & Credentialing solution will help clients efficiently process credentialing, privileging, and enrollment tasks required for physicians to begin providing patient care. Built on Now ServiceNow also launched the Built on Now program, a new app monetization framework that enables partners to build, test, certify, distribute, and sell digital workflows for the Now Platform, at scale, through the ServiceNow Store, OEM PaaS, and Service Provider (SP) channels. Partners can leverage the Built on Now designation to differentiate offerings and will be able to better showcase their specific areas of expertise and drive customers to solutions built on the Now Platform. At launch, more than 70 Built on Now native app solutions are available. Highlights include: DXC Corporate Incident Response application helps companies quickly and proactively identify, address, and manage important non-IT corporate incidents, such as those related to facilities, physical security, and environment, health and safety. application helps companies quickly and proactively identify, address, and manage important non-IT corporate incidents, such as those related to facilities, physical security, and environment, health and safety. KPMG Contract Performance Manager provides visibility and executive dashboard views into all of a customer's third-party relationships and contracts, helping companies to mitigate contract value leakage across a customer's entire portfolio and take faster action based on monthly reports and analysis. Now Value methodology Now Value methodology is a customer success system that pulls learnings from ServiceNow implementations to equip partners with the tools, best practices, and frameworks needed to enable business value for customers. Harnessing expertise across enterprise functions, industries, and the ServiceNow partner ecosystem, Now Value accelerates the creation of exceptional business outcomes across a customer's digital transformation journey. Enabling Now Value, ServiceNow announced this week Now Create, a new application providing customers and partners with step-by-step guidance to create exceptional business outcomes with the Now Platform. Now Create delivers an intuitive user experience with a prescriptive methodology, leading practices, and accelerators to help customers and partners deliver implementations and upgrades faster and with less risk. Next generation Service Provider program for the next normal ServiceNow is extending the enrollment deadline for its next generation Service Provider program to September 30, 2020 to support current and prospective partners as companies navigate these unprecedented times. The transformed program benefits will be made available this summer to provide additional program enhancements, a world-class segmentation & coverage model, as well as new commercial term constructs that will help accelerate growth opportunities for Service Providers. To learn more about ServiceNow's new partner programs and industry solutions, visit the Knowledge 2020 Digital Experience. ServiceNow will host industry-specific tracks starting on June 2, including Financial Services sponsored by Deloitte, Telecommunications sponsored by Accenture, Healthcare sponsored by KPMG, Manufacturing, Government, and Service Provider. Use of Forward-Looking Statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" regarding our expectations, future plans and performance. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, our results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements we make. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements include: (i) delays and unexpected difficulties and expenses in making available the solutions described in this release, (ii) uncertainty whether sales of such solutions will justify this strategy or these investments and (iii) changes in the regulatory landscape relevant to conducting business with governments and to enterprises operating in industries described in this release. We undertake no obligation, and do not intend, to update these forward-looking statements. About ServiceNow ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) is making the world of work, work better for people. Our cloud-based platform and solutions deliver digital workflows that create great experiences and unlock productivity for employees and the enterprise. For more information, visit: www.servicenow.com. 2020 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005242/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] MENANDS Paul Cooke is the 20 million bottle man. The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society started accepting bottle donations again to help support taking care of dogs and cats Saturday, May 23, following a two-month hiatus caused when the coronavirus pandemic forced it to shut down its public operations. The piles of plastic bags containing an estimated 30,000 empty bottles towered above the 5-foot-6 Cooke by the middle of last week. Those thousands of bottles were just a five-day haul of donations. The dam burst. People were holding back until we reopened, Cooke said. The 64-year-old Lansingburgh resident has overseen the bottle donations by sorting the empties since June 2011. During those nine years, Mohawk Hudson has raised nearly $1.1 million by collecting the nickel bottle deposits, which translates to about 20 million bottles. Sometimes, the nonprofit gets eight cents a bottle as an incentive when theyre turned in. Its a tremendous program that allows people to support us, said Marguerite Pearson, humane society spokeswoman. Want more stories of those helping others during the pandemic? Join our Facebook group. Cooke has handled nearly all of the estimated 20 million bottles that have flowed in to be sorted among 33 different categories of plastic, aluminum and glass cans and bottles. Cooke didnt foresee spending nearly a decade sorting beer, soda and water bottles when he retired as a psychiatric nurse from the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center but he wanted something to do. He spent his first six weeks as a volunteer dog walker before he was asked to try his hand with the bottles. It gives me something to do. It gets me out of the house, Cooke said. I didnt like it at first. Then I found my niche. That spot was promoting the Humane Society with a greeting to every donor carrying in a bag or two of cans and bottles to drop off. Cooke wanted to entice them to keep returning to donate and help out the shelters dogs and cats a nickel at a time. I dont want to be the Bottle Nazi, Cooke said referring to the Soup Nazi character from a Seinfeld episode. I want to be the Wavy Gravy of bottle mountain, said Cooke drawing on another pop culture reference to the entertainer and peace activist, who had a long-gone Ben and Jerry's flavor named for him. Cooke is a musician who will break out his blues harmonica to riff a tune or two for other volunteers in the shed that houses the operation. Hes been playing with three different bands lately in whats been 40 years of performing. He picked up the harmonica when he didnt excel on the bass guitar. The pandemic has eliminated his performances. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Last year, he spent about 1,400 hours sorting. A seven-day week, he said, isnt unusual. Over the decade, Cooke has seen flavors come and go, then show up again for an encore. Zima came and Zima went. Zima came back and went again. Jolt Cola came and went and came and went again, Cooke recalled. Getting back to sorting bottles is a relief to Cooke even though it means gowning up in personal protective equipment to avoid contracting the virus from the thousands of empties pouring in. Before his return, Cooke spent the last two months with his daily ritual of reading the Times Union every morning. Its a habit he picked up when he was a paper boy at age 12. He supplemented that with doing two New York Times crossword puzzles a day while waiting to get back to the empties. Also at home with Cooke and his wife, Dawn, who volunteers with the shelters cats, are two chihuahuas and four cats, all of them except one cat, adopted from Mohawk Hudson. Back at Mohawk Hudson at 3 Oakland Ave., Cooke recounts his strangest find not a ship but a mouse skeleton in a bottle. And he has his wishes for what people stopping by wouldnt do. I wish they wouldnt dump off bottles that arent in bags and tied, Cooke said. And dont drop off bottles that dont have a deposit. Heading into the summer heat doesnt bother Cooke. Its the winter deep freeze he doesnt enjoy when hes sorting empties. Sometimes when Im working here by myself its kind of zen, Cooke remarked. Its not as dirty a job as you would think. A project team of Technische Universitat Dresden and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS structured an aluminium plate with a laser process in such a way that water droplets no longer adhere and dirt particles can be removed from the surface - completely without chemical cleaning agents or additional effort. The scientific evidence of the self-cleaning effect has been published in the journal "Applied Surface Science". For several years, scientists at TU Dresden and Fraunhofer IWS have been developing functionalised surfaces by means of laser-based manufacturing processes. Now, they have created a periodic surface structure that is not only water and ice repellent, but also remove dirt particles solely by rolling water drops. In this context, they particularly focussed on the material aluminium. This material is used in many industrial branches either in the automotive sector, aircraft construction or the food industry. The use of aggressive cleaning chemicals is particularly critical in food industry, as we naturally do not want to bring these chemicals in contact with our food, emphasises Stephan Milles, PhD student at Technische Universitat Dresden. In particular, the Dresden scientists studied the function of self-cleaning laser-structured aluminium. A special camera was used to analyse the self-cleaning effect of the aluminium surfaces and filmed the process at 12,500 frames per second. Thomas Kuntze, scientist in the Microtechnology Technology Field at Fraunhofer IWS, explains: This way we can perfectly see how a water drop can remove the dirt from the aluminium surface. This method is also suitable for understanding other processes, such as laser cutting and welding or additive manufacturing. In close cooperation with Fraunhofer IWS, the Chair of Large Area Laser Based Surface Structuring at TU Dresden is operating the Center for Advanced Micro Photonics CAMP. Prof. Lasagni explains: We are currently working on several exciting projects with the goal of producing large-area fine-structured structures on metals, ceramics or polymers in the shortest possible time. In these projects, the scientists are continuously developing further a technology known as Direct Laser Interference Patterning, which offers extraordinary properties compared to classical laser-based processes. Examples of such developments are applied in the LAMPAS and SHARK projects funded by the European Union. Here the scientists design laser sources and intelligent structuring processes to provide profitable solutions for surface functionalisation in various fields of application, such as automotive, food and home appliance industries. Source: Xinhuanet| 2020-05-28 11:18:50|Editor: ZD Video Player Close By Lu Hui BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinas successful poverty alleviation effort is a significant achievement not only in the history of China, but also of the entire world, said Malaysia's ambassador to China Nushirwan Zainal Abidin during a recent written interview with Xinhuanet. The ambassador hailed Chinas poverty alleviation effort as inspiring achievement, saying, It shows that large scale poverty can be alleviated once and for all. China will work to ensure achieving the development goals of winning the battle against poverty and completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects this year. The ambassador said it means China now consumes more, thus giving rise to greater opportunities for the entire world. On the current anti-epidemic cooperation between the two countries, the ambassador said success showed how strong the fundamentals of bilateral ties are. In face of COVID-19, the two countries weather the hard times together and help each other by offering medical supplies and sharing experiences. Chinas experiences are extremely valuable for the rest of the world as Malaysia has replicated many in testing, isolating and controlling, he added. A medical expert team from Guangdong was dispatched to Malaysia and visited 13 medical institutes, public universities and research facilities, holding 15 teleconferences, he stated. Our bilateral ties were burnished during these very trying times, the ambassador underlined, adding that he expected the ties to take off even higher. The two countries should take advantage of the opportunities arising from the new normal to achieve this aim, he noted. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and the countries jointly building the Belt and Road have supported and helped each other, he added. The ambassador stressed the important role the Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI ) has played in global efforts, especially in improving connectivity and promoting infrastructure development. He pointed out the Initiative can pave the way in addressing critical issues arising from the pandemic, such as using technology to find the right balance between promoting travel and public health concerns. Since many of the countries involved in the BRI have strengths in these areas, the BRI should lead the way, he explained. The year 2020 marks Chinas completion of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieving the goal of the 13th Five-Year Plan. The ambassador highly valued the achievements China has made in many areas, with the most impressive in innovation as well as in science and technology. China has led the world in the numbers of patents applied. This is not surprising. Throughout its history, China has had a tradition for innovation,he said. The ambassador is optimistic about the prospects for bilateral cooperation in science and technology, urging more to be done in this area. The Malaysian government has been very open and supportive towards Chinese companies involved in 5G, including Huawei, and more of Chinas innovative companies are welcome to be present in Malaysia,he announced. On politicizing the pandemic or stigmatizing China by western politicians and media, the ambassador argued that the best way of addressing the pandemic is to adopt measures which are science-based, rather than politics-based. Given the global nature of the pandemic, the best approach to be adopted is a cooperative one, he stressed. The ambassador also cautioned that right lessons must be drawn from the outbreak, since it has clearly revealed the strengths and weaknesses of all countries in this severe stress test. He opposed misattributing the causes of problems to globalization or blaming others. Though with shortcomings, the globalization on the whole has been beneficial, he noted, emphasizing that humanity as a whole needs to make changes in behavior patterns and in interaction with the broader eco-system to make governance more attuned to the needs of people as well as the global production chain. The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is insisting that the 2020 general election is bound to happen on the scheduled date despite the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country. There has been uncertainty on whether the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections will be held or not following the ban on public gatherings amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The Electoral Commission (EC) even had to put on hold plans to compile a new biometric voters register ahead of the elections due to the disease. But after an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) held yesterday, Wednesday, the EC, in agreement with all the political parties present has scheduled the registration exercise to commence in June, putting back on track plans to organise the general elections in December. Even though many still have doubts that the polls will be held this year looking at the time left to put all plans into action, the General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, said that there is no other option left than to hold the elections in December, per what the law says. As for December 7 [elections], it will happen. We have little room to manoeuvre according to our laws. We cannot have elections later than December 7. We can try and manoeuvre earlier than that but beyond December 7, there will be a constitutional crisis because we will not be able to get the Presidency to hand over either to himself or another person by 7th of January. So all of us must be alive to this reality and continue to encourage state institutions and our own institutions to be able to work and be able to go through the process so that December 7 comes into reality. We have no option at all, he insisted. IPAC meeting successful The main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which has since been in disagreement with the idea to introduce a new register, boycotted yesterdays IPAC meeting over claims that it had not been properly arranged. But despite their absence, the EC says the desired aim of the meeting on the compilation of a new voters register was achieved . The Director of Electoral Services at the Commission, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe explained that the Commission was unfazed since its decision to fix a date for the registration exercise was unanimously agreed by all the participating parties. Meanwhile, the NDC says the party will still challenge the Electoral Commission's decision to compile a new voters' register. The General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia says the NDC will do all it can to prevent the EC from leading political parties and Ghanaians into a dangerous and confusing situation. citinewsroom AUSTIN, Texas, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia at St. David's Healthcare wants to ensure that our testing and treatment of patients is of the highest quality, and the health and safety of our employees and those who come to us for care is our primary concern. When we observed recent media reports about a non-peer reviewed article that received significant media attention and questioned the effectiveness of Abbott's ID NOW rapid COVID-19 test, we thought it important to communicate with our communities about our experience with this test, which we continue to use as one tool to diagnose COVID-19 in our hospitals. Prior to using Abbott's ID NOW test in our hospitals in April, we conducted internal validations, which exceeded those recommended by the manufacturer. In order to make sure this new tool was of the highest quality before its use, we compared ID NOW to other PCR laboratory platforms. Our validation included the use of nasopharyngeal swab specimens, which we use to test all patients at our hospitals. Our results showed that of the 46 patient specimens that were positive on other platforms, 45 were positive on ID NOW which means a positive correlation of 97.8%. Similarly, of the 58 patient specimens that were negative on other platforms, all 58 were negative on ID NOW, which means a negative correlation of 100%. "The health and safety of our patients, caregivers and our employees are our highest priority," said Dr. Andrea Natale, M.D., Executive Medical Director, Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David's Medical Center. "We want our community to know that we take great care in evaluating the tools we use to diagnose and treat our patients and have confidence in the continued use of the ID NOW rapid test in our hospitals." TCAI will continue to monitor FDA and Abbott guidance and will retest patients if the results don't match clinical symptoms as we would do in any situation. We remain diligent in our fight against coronavirus (COVID-19). The precautions we've taken and the new protections we've put in place make our clinical care facilities one of the safest places possible to receive healthcare at this time. Urgent healthcare needs, including those unrelated to COVID-19, should not be ignored during this time. We are here for you, and we are well-equipped to handle any health concern you may have. Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute (TCAI) at St. David's Medical Center is one of the world's preeminent centers dedicated to the latest treatment advances for correcting abnormal heart rhythms such as Atrial Fibrillation (A Fib). The center is led by Executive Medical Director Andrea Natale, M.D., a world-renowned expert in the field. Natale is at the forefront of advancing treatment for A Fib, leading numerous clinical trials and participating in the development of new technologies and procedures. SOURCE Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute Teck Resources Limited TECK has resumed operations at the Antamina mine after being shut due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Antamina mine is among the worlds largest Zinc and Copper mines. Teck owns 22.5% interest in this mine, along with BHP Group BHP and Glencores share of 33.7% each, while Mitsubishi Corporation holds 10%. Antamina has mobilized a reduced workforce and plans to commence operations at roughly 80% of full capacity, while the ramp-up of full production is anticipated in the third quarter. The company is committed to stick to protocols related to COVID-19 to safeguard the health of its workers and local communities. Teck had temporarily suspended operations and demobilized majority of its workforce at the Antamina mine in April, following the restrictions imposed by the Peruvian Government amid the virus outbreak. Peru is a global mining powerhouse, ranking third in global copper production, second for silver and sixth for gold, and also owns significant reserves of zinc, lead, iron ore and tin. Following the declaration of a national state of emergency, several miners like Newmont Corporation NEM, Freeport-McMoRan Inc. FCX and others have halted their operations in the country. The company recently reported first-quarter 2020 results. Adjusted earnings per share came in at 13 cents, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 15 cents. The figure also tanked 83% year over year. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant reductions in the commodity prices, which hurt the quarterly earnings. Further, the underperformance resulted from the dismal performance of the energy business unit due to the massive decline in global benchmark crude oil prices. Teck has revoked the current-year annual guidance on uncertainties related to the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic on demand and commodity prices, suppliers and global financial markets. Copper and zinc prices have plunged following the virus outbreak. Further, disruptions at mine sites will likely hurt mine production growth in the second quarter. The company expects second-quarter sales volume at the Steelmaking Coal segment to decrease due to the unfavorable impact of the coronavirus pandemic on global economic activity, as well as steelmaking coal demand and supply. Its Energy business is also bearing the brunt of the volatility in the global crude oil prices. Construction of the Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) copper project will transform the companys copper business, making it a major global copper producer. Though the company has temporarily suspended construction activities on the QB2 project amid coronavirus fears, there are solid opportunities to increase production and mine life in the upcoming period. Moreover, it has implemented a company-wide cost-reduction program to lower operating costs and deferred some of planned capital projects in bid to counter uncertain economic conditions. Teck currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The companys shares have plunged 51.1% over the past year compared with the industrys decline of 6.2%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Story continues Just Released: Zacks 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.1% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report BHP Group Limited (BHP) : Free Stock Analysis Report FreeportMcMoRan Inc. (FCX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Newmont Corporation (NEM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Teck Resources Ltd (TECK) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. An Indiana businessman is using two digital billboards to inject humor into the national conversation about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Really? Youre sure about this? one billboard asks as travelers approach the Michigan border on northbound I-69. A second billboard on southbound I-69 welcomes Michiganders into Indiana, A Free-to-Roam State. A Swick Broadcasting Company billboard on southbound I-69 near the Michigan-Indiana border welcomes Michiganders to Indiana, "A Free-To-Roam State."Steve Swick Michigans neighbor to the south is farther along in its reopening process following a statewide stay-home order aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus. Michigan remains under stay-home order through June 12, although some businesses are allowed to reopen in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. RELATED: Whitmer extends stay-home order, closures of gyms, salons and other businesses to June 12 The billboards are not meant to be political, said Steve Swick - the man behind the quips. Hes the president and owner of Swick Broadcasting Company. "I see and feel the frustration of Michigan residents who just want a sense of normalcy, said Swick, who lived in Michigan for 44 years and still owns property and has employees in the state. We see Michiganders coming over the border daily. Those people are seeking services like haircuts and dine-in restaurants, he said. Our governor has taken methodical steps in getting Indiana open for business and getting closer to returning to some sense of normalcy, Swick said. READ MORE: Michigan coronavirus cases climb again after Memorial Day Weekend reporting lull Thursday, May 28: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Michigan Secretary of State offices to reopen June 1 by appointment only Advertisement Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that when New York City eventually reopens, employers can only allow one person in an elevator at a time but failed to mention the rule only applied when people weren't wearing masks and that in fact, elevators will be able to operate at 50 percent of their usual capacity. De Blasio was quoting from the New York State guidelines which is the only authority on reopening the cities across the state. He however failed to include the important caveat that is included in the state's messaging that staff will be able to use elevators if everyone wears a mask and fewer than half of its normal load are there at a time. NYC is still weeks away from reopening. The first phase is for construction and manufacturing workers to return to their jobs along with curbside retail but de Blasio says it won't happen until the first half of June. Office workers will not return until the second phase and even then, businesses have to meet strict requirements to keep staff safe. Reducing elevator capacity is one, as is providing staff with free face coverings and having only 50 percent of their staff in the office at one time. Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that businesses had to 'limit confined spaces to 1 person' and included elevators in that category The rules are presenting big businesses with the conundrum of bringing people back to work only for them to potentially spend hours lining up to get into an elevator, then hours lining up to get out back out of the building at the end of the day. The NY State guidance is clearer. It says: 'Tightly confined spaces (e.g. elevators) be occupied by only one individual at a time, unless all employees are wearing face coverings. 'If occupied by more than one person, keep occupancy under 50% of maximum capacity.' The actual rule, as set by the state, is that elevators can run at 50 percent occupancy if everyone wears masks On Wednesday, just 59 people across the city were hospitalized with the virus and the number of daily deaths and new cases continues to decrease. There is growing confusion over how the city and state are counting the numbers that are being used to determine when it is 'safe' to reopen. The city has around 21,000 hospital beds and 30 percent need to be free. The state's dashboard for monitoring reopening claims that only 26 percent are free - a decrease since Wednesday - which would mean some 15,000 beds are occupied. The total number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 is less than 5,000. New York City also slipped down in the number of people in ICU beds. It had achieved its benchmark of having 30 percent of those beds free but now only has 29 percent free. Both Cuomo and de Blasio say the city still isn't ready to yet because of the lack of beds and lack of contact tracers. Of the 2,500 needed, only 1,700 have been hired. Every other region in the state was able to scramble together enough to meet their requirement. Phase one, which lets manufacturing, construction and curbside retail resume, is likely to begin in the first or second week of June, de Blasio says, but he won't give a firm date for it. Phase two - which won't happen for at least two weeks after phase one - allows hair salons to reopen and lets office workers return to their jobs. People practice social distancing inside an elevator at the Word Trade Center on May 11 . Some essential services that have continued working have made their own rules while waiting for guidance from the government which is yet to come Cuomo was joined by Chris Rock and Rosie Perez at his press conference where the trio joked and complimented one another but where he did not give a New York City reopening date The celebrities were there to encourage people to wear masks. They have formally partnered with the state and will appear in an ad about wearing masks and socially distancing De Blasio said on Thursday that employers will have to operate at a 50 percent capacity, provide masks to their staff for free, and do health screenings like temperature checks or questionnaires. Only one person is allowed in a confined space at a time and that applies to elevators. REOPENING RULES FOR EMPLOYERS 50% CAPACITY FREE MASKS FOR EMPLOYERS EMPLOYEES STAY 6FT APART ELEVATORS AT 50% AND EVERYONE MUST WEAR MASKS Advertisement There will be 'random inspections' to ensure businesses are complying with the rules. Until then, he will shut down any business that reopens without his permission. Hundreds of small business owners are reopening quietly and have been shut down by NYPD cops. They have reopened once the cops left and some have even moved to different premises to avoid being caught. They say it's high time the city let people return to work with the numbers being so low. In a lengthy rant on Thursday, De Blasio said: 'Businesses don't get to make up their own rules...'I know people are anxious and frustrated. 'It is idiotic to try to open a business today that will be legally able to reopen in a week or two. How about waiting until it's legal? If you don't, you're going to suffer the consequences. 'The guidelines really are clear. 'Businesses are not supposed to make up their own rules and jump the gun. There were 74 deaths across the state on Wednesday which is among the lowest it ha been since the start of the pandemic 'If someone thinks they get to make up the rules for everyone else I hate to inform them that's not how it works in a democracy. 'We are all in the middle of a pandemic - a health crisis. The only way we've gotten things better is by all sticking together. It's working. 'I'm not into free agents. people deciding that they get to make the rules and they can do something no one else can do. 'Any business that attempts to open that should not yet be open , we're going to go and tell them shut down right now. 'If they ignore the instructions, that starts with a $1,000 fine and we'll escalate from there. When phase one is formally declared, that's when the next group of businesses can open. The bottom line is you don't get to jump the gun. 'We're talking about phase 1 beginning in a week or two at this point I don't think it's too much to ask to wait to get the all clear,' he ranted. Hundreds are reopening and say they have done their part to flatten the curve but are now being held 'prisoners'. Shuttered businesses in Chinatown on May 17. The area has been completely wiped out by coronavirus People gather in Bryant Park on May 24. Traffic lanes for pedestrians have been set up to avoid people being too close together De Blasio fumed that on Thursday that people had 'earned their way to the gateway of phase one' but that the city still was not ready to reopen. Dozens of other states have reopened. Across the country, there has been a spike in cases but nowhere has locked down like New York City did when it was the undoubted epicenter of the US. On Wednesday, the grim national death toll reached 100,000. Research modelers have reduced their predictions in recent weeks and now say it's likely 140,000 will die by August. Staten Island tanning salon is shut down by the NYPD after defying lockdown orders to reopen - as hundreds of small businesses quietly open their doors despite warnings from de Blasio that they'll be fined for disobeying him A Staten Island tanning salon was shut down by NYPD cops on Thursday after reopening in defiance of the lockdown order like hundreds of small businesses across New York that are quietly opening their doors after growing tired of waiting for the mayor or governor to let them get back to work. Sunbelievable, a tanning salon run by Bobby Catone, reopened after he complained that he was being treated like a 'prisoner'. New York City recorded only 59 hospitalizations on Wednesday and 45 people died on Tuesday. Despite the low numbers, De Blasio and Cuomo have both dodged giving a reopening date for weeks and say the city's 'numbers' aren't low enough yet. Sunbelievable, a tanning salon on Staten Island, reopened on Thursday after owner Bobby Catone (shown in light blue shirt) said he felt like he was being held 'prisoner' by city officials keeping him closed Catone embraces a friend at the tanning salon. He was not wearing a masks but others, who stood outside to protest, did NYPD cops descended on the business, shut it down, and gathered signs criticizing Cuomo for keeping them closed Catone put a sign in the window telling customers he'd been shut down by the health department afterwards There were dozens of protesters there to support Catone. Some wore masks, others did not It is enraging business owners who demand to know why they haven't been allowed to return to work and implement social distancing and disinfecting rules while retail giants like Walmart, Costco, Home Depot and Amazon sweep the market. All of those major stores have been deemed essential since the beginning of the pandemic predominantly because they sell household items and groceries. But they also sell countless other types of goods and have continued to make profits while people shop online and in their stores. Over the past week, businesses have quietly started reopening across the city. Some keep their doors locked once customers are inside and others turn out the lights to try to avoid attracting police attention. Many did not want to be named publicly because they have been threatened with 'aggressive' enforcement from Mayor Bill de Blasio, according to Bruce Backman, spokesman for Reopen New York, a coalition of small businesses. Beard Barberia Cut and Shave in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Owner Ilya Iskhakov reopened quietly on May 22 and three cops showed up to shut him down again (shown). He's since started giving people haircuts in their homes and even moved to a temporary premises to avoid being caught Peter Eliot Blue, a menswear store on the Upper East Side, has been open since the end of April My Unique, a thrift store with multiple locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn and New Jersey, is open. Peter Elliot Blue, a menswear store on the Upper East Side, has been open for weeks. The store owner, a 78-year-old veteran, is only allowing two people in at a time and is giving them masks and gloves. He says he can't affor to stay closed. 'We have 11 locations across NY & NJ, and as so many other small businesses, have been immensely impacted by the shutdown over the past few months. Owner Eliot Rabin, 78, let two people in the store at a time and provides shoppers with masks and gloves. He says he couldn't afford to stay closed 'My boss started the company in 1987, and since the COVID crisis began, hes been working around the clock trying to salvage the business and figure out how to survive this shutdown. 'Hes expressed how difficult it has been; we are a tight knit group, some employees have been with him for decades. 'We know them like family, and theyve been unable to earn the income they rely on to feed those families. 'The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority, but we also provide essential goods, and have prepared our stores with every CDC safety measure and then some. 'In NJ, our stores have been deemed essential business and permitted to open during phase 1 reopening. 'Weve been allowed to open on Long Island as well, but in NYC we have not been given the same qualification,' Chelsea McCarthy, Digital Operations, told DailyMail.com. We did what were were supposed to do we flattened the curve. So why are they treating us like prisoners?' Bobby Catone of Sunbelievable, a tanning salon that reopened on Thursday She added that the store sells items that have been deemed essential from the start of the pandemic, like paper towel, and that customers rely on their low prices for the goods. They tried to stay open but were shut down by NYPD cops, she said, who came in and told everyone to leave. Ilya Iskhakov runs Beard Barberia Cut and Shave, in Williamsburg. He closed his doors briefly and was shut down by three cops who came to the shop and threatened him and his customers with summonses. 'They are hard working Americans that dont want to be in danger,' he told DailyMail.com. He said he is now going to people's homes to perform haircuts but has also moved his own business to a temporary location to avoid being shutdown. Ilya Iskhakov, a Brooklyn barber, said he had to start cutting hair again to pay his rent, bills and buy groceries 'At the moment my customers are reaching out so I perform in house haircuts just to eat food and pay rent and utilities,' he said. Gymies, a children's gym in Brooklyn, has been closed for months. The gym area where children play is still closed but it has reopened its small retail section. Michael Weinstein runs 360, an events company in Long Island. He has reopened his showroom and is inviting clients in once again. 'We need to open in order to meet one on one sagely with clients looking to use our various services. We have a showroom that has samples and it really helps to see the samples in person,' he said. All belong to Reopen New York, a coalition of hundreds of businesses that has formed to unite against the local officials keeping them closed. 'Why is the mayor favoring Walmart and Costco over New York small businesses? 'When did the mayor and the governor become pawns against small business? It's probably the strangest position they have ever taken,' Bruce Backman, a spokesman for the coalition, told DailyMail.com. They say there is no science or data to support the notion that mega stores can enforce mask wearing and social distancing better than they can. They are calling into question the mayor and governor's entire shutdown strategy which banned small independent retailers from selling clothes and shoes, but allowed huge businesses to carry those items because they sold other 'essential' products. 'How is Walmart safer than a small children's good store or a jewelry store?' BERLIN Germany wants to impose a European travel ban and asset freeze on the head of Russias military intelligence agency and several of its spies in response to a 2015 cyberattack on the German Parliament that was traced back to Moscow earlier this month. The government will invoke a European Union sanctions mechanism, created last year, that allows member states to ask that restrictions be imposed on individuals involved in cyberattacks. The mechanism has not been used before. The sanctions, which would also include a ban on business contacts inside the bloc, have to be agreed upon by the other 27 E.U. member states. The process, officials said, could take time. A senior German diplomat, Miguel Berger, informed Russian Ambassador Sergey Yuryevitch Nechayev of the governments decision during a meeting at the German foreign ministry on Wednesday. The federal government has applauded the Edo State Government as the state inaugurates a 300-bed isolation centre and molecular laboratory in Benin. Inaugurating the facilities on Wednesday, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, lauded Governor Godwin Obaseki for the robust response of his administration to the coronavirus pandemic. The 300-bed isolation and treatment centre was built at the Stella Obasanjo Hospital in Benin, while the states third Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) molecular laboratory was established at the Edo State Specialist Hospital also in Benin. With the new isolation facility, Edo State now has over 600-bed capacity isolation centres spread across different health facilities in Benin, Auchi and Irrua. At a ceremony to unveil the facility, Mr Ehanire said: I am here to access the level of preparedness of the Edo State Government in the fight against COVID-19. This is the most significant health challenge of this generation as it has affected over 213 countries. READ ALSO: We appealed to state governments to create bed spaces and testing centres to tackle the disease. This facility has 300-bed spaces in line with the federal governments charge to states to ramp up effort to contain the pandemic. So far, Edo State has done well and even exceeded the target. I am privileged to inaugurate the PCR molecular laboratory at Edo State Specialist Hospital. Government and citizens should collaborate by following preventive measures to protect Nigerians. Earlier, Mr Obaseki expressed concern on the rising cases of COVID-19 in the state. The governor said that so far, the state had screened over 260,000 people from whom 1,583 samples were collected for testing, with over 240 cases confirmed. At the Stella Obasanjo Hospital, the Chief Medical Director, Osagie Ebonwoyi, said the hospital was established in 2007 to serve women and children hospital, but that it was later upgraded in 2010. He noted that the facility had now been re-modelled to serve as a centre to fight COVID-19. (NAN) Luxembourg Issues Guidance On DAC6 Tax Scheme Reporting by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels 28 May 2020 Luxembourg's Direct Tax Administration (ACD) has issued guidance covering various aspects of the European Union sixth Directive on Administrative Cooperation (DAC6), under which intermediaries are required to report cross-border tax planning arrangements. DAC6 (EU Directive 2018/822) requires intermediaries such as tax advisors, accountants, banks, and lawyers to report relevant arrangements before they are used. The aim is to provide EU member states with more information on the tax planning schemes that intermediaries design and market, so that they can assess whether the schemes facilitate tax evasion and avoidance before they are implemented. Member states' tax authorities are also required to exchange data on tax planning arrangements on an automatic basis. These requirements are transposed into Luxembourg's legal framework by a law of March 25, 2020. According to the guidance, information to be sent to the ACD under the law includes the following: The identification of the intermediaries and taxpayers concerned, including their name, date and place of birth (for natural persons), their tax residence, and their tax identification number; Detailed information on the hallmarks listed in the annex to the law, according to which the cross-border system must be declared; A summary of the content of the cross-border scheme to be declared, including a reference to the name by which it is commonly known, if any, and a description of the relevant business activities in a manner that does not lead to the disclosure of a commercial, industrial or professional secret; The date on which the first stage of the scheme will be implemented; Detailed information on the legal provisions on which the cross-border scheme to be declared is based upon; The value of the cross-border scheme; The identification of the member state of the taxpayer(s) concerned as well as of any other member state likely to be involved with the cross-border scheme; and The identification of any other person likely to be affected by the cross-border scheme, and the member states to which they are linked. The guidance also includes information on the following: Deadlines for the transmission of information reports to the ACD, including in situations where professional secrecy is involved; The timeframes for information exchange with other countries' competent authorities; and How data may be transmitted to the ACD. The DAC 6 rules will enter into force on July 1, 2020, and apply to reportable arrangements dating back to June 25, 2018. Michael Bealmear "Most companies produce mind-numbing training content that withers on yesteryear's delivery platform, and then question why no one is engaged or remembers the material. Through our merger, we aim to change that paradigm." Michael Bealmear, speaking on the state of training Michael Bealmear has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the recently merged companies Selleration and DigitalChalk. Bealmears proven C-suite track record in several noteworthy tech companies makes him the ideal person to lead the new venture. Companies Bring Unique Strengths to the Merger As head of the new yet-to-be-named firm, Bealmear will be combining two established companies with distinct market positions. Selleration is the developer of UPtick, a data-driven experiential learning system aimed at sales enablement. DigitalChalk is an award-winning, best-in-class learning management system (LMS) and online learning platform used in the corporate learning and continuing education market segments. The merged company will offer unparalleled learning and development solutions for Gen-I, todays interactive and digitally agile workforce. Michael is the right CEO at the right time, said Richard Rawson, Chairman of Infinity Learning Solutions, the parent company of DigitalChalk. He understands and values the customer, and has the business vision and operational expertise to grow the combined companies. Considering the added complexities of our current economic environment, I cant imagine a better fit. I have every confidence his efforts will lead to exceptional results for our customers, shareholders, and employees. Leading Into The Future of Learning and Development A mainstay of San Francisco Bay-area tech companies for the last 30 years, Bealmear has previously led billion-dollar, publicly traded firms as well as those with private equity and venture backing. Prior to his role as co-founder and Chairman of Selleration, Bealmear held the top seat at a number of high-profile organizations, including CEO of Tiburon, President of Sybase, CEO of Covansys, COO of Cadence Design Systems, and CEO of HyperRoll. Earlier in his career, he became the youngest partner at consulting firm KPMG. He also serves on a number of for-profit and nonprofit boards of directors. Bealmear earned his undergraduate degree in engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and did his graduate work in mathematics and computer science at Rice University in Houston. Simulations are a game-changing pathway to reaching and engaging talent within the enterprise, said Michael Bealmear regarding the UPtick platform. Were the only SaaS company that has the power of sims and an award-winning LMS. As you might imagine, were planning to stir things up in the market. Stay tuned. Bealmear promised that more information about his vision and the companys strategy will be revealed in the coming weeks. Information regarding the merged companys new name, brand, and management structure is expected by the end of the quarter. About Selleration Selleration has been driving modern sales enablement since 2015, providing customers with a path to measure, predict, and develop sales professionals, delivering revenue growth and speeding time-to-first sale. The company is known for measuring Selling Intelligence, which examines sales professionals behavior and key sales attributes before delivering a score that is consistent across an entire sales population. About DigitalChalk Founded in 2006 by Infinity Learning Solutions, DigitalChalk has uniquely positioned itself as a leader in the LMS market by providing a total online learning solution, no matter who you train. With a robust and full-featured LMS, curated business content, fully integrated eCommerce suite, and world-class support, DigitalChalk offers a complete training solution for their nearly 5,000 customers. Only two families enjoyed the warmth of the beach of Puffers Pond on Wednesday on what was the hottest day of the year yet. Under normal circumstances, dozens of beachgoers go swimming or lounge on the sandy shore of the 11-acre pond when warm weather hits. The pond is the largest open body of water in Amherst and a hotspot for residents and area college students alike. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, though, only five people sat on the sunny shore of the Western Massachusetts pond at noontime as afternoon temperatures in the town hovered around 90 degrees. The beachgoers recognized there may be still be fears about life going back to normal and residents filling up public spaces during the health crisis. I think if there were more people out here, Id be less inclined to go, but its empty, said Brenden Baitch, who was at the pond with his wife and three-year-old daughter. Visitation restrictions for community beaches may also be a factor in the low number of beachgoers. Although state beaches reopened this week with restrictions in place, several local bodies of water are still closed as municipal officials work to reopen ponds and lakes with guidelines. Puffers Pond, which is owned by the town of Amherst, remains partially closed to swimmers, and people are not allowed to gather on the ponds beach. The area is open to fishing, walking and hiking, Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek said. Town officials are developing a plan for reopening the Amherst ponds beaches based on guidance from the state, according to Ziomek. Were doing some assessments of how we can safely reopen our beaches with the governors guidance," Ziomek said. Were still several days, even a couple weeks away from opening." Amherst is in the same boat as a number of other Western Massachusetts communities, he noted. Musante Beach in Northampton remains temporarily closed, and the Belchertown town beachs operating dates have yet to be determined. At this point, we are discouraging, not allowing people to put down towels," Ziomek said of Puffers Pond. We are actively telling people they cannot park themselves on the beach. Despite the restrictions, a few individuals parked themselves down on the sands of the pond Wednesday afternoon, making sure to keep several yards away from other parties of people. Baitch sat on a beach towel with a picture of the Disney princess Moana on it and sandwich bags full of cucumbers and grapes nearby. Signs that read, Due to COVID-19 beaches are closed, stood a few feet away from him. The Easthampton resident, who is a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is both hesitant and excited about being able to venture outdoors again as the commonwealth looks to gradually reopen after months of operating under a state of emergency. Especially with a toddler at home, staying at home has proven difficult. Shes been losing it, he said of his daughter. Her playground now consists of a big rock and woods near our house, so this is a step up. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced last week the details of his 17-member reopening advisory boards plan to slowly begin normal operations in the commonwealth again. State beaches are included in the first part of the four-phase plan and were allowed to reopen on May 25 with restrictions in place. Visitors are required to wear face coverings in public places where social distancing is not possible, and shuttle services to beaches are closed in phase one of the plan. Beaches on Cape Cod saw low turnout on Memorial Day, despite it being the first day of beaches being allowed to reopen. Several beaches on the Cape had signs posted reminding visitors to keep six feet apart from one another. When asked whether he was concerned about beaches and public spaces beginning to reopen during the coronavirus outbreak, Baitch answered, Yes and no. I think its a matter of personal responsibility, he said. His answer was echoed by the other beachgoer at the Pioneer Valley pond Wednesday afternoon, Jessica Smith, who was there with her 4-year-old son. Ill just leave it up to peoples discretion, Smith said. People who are elderly and others who are at a higher risk of developing potentially severe symptoms from COVID-19 should probably be more wary of going to public settings with large numbers of people, she added. Life has not changed much over the course of the pandemic for Smith, who currently home schools her child. Still, she is eager to be able to go out to public spaces again. Smith noted closures related to the outbreak have been in place for enough time. I think its about time," she said. Its been over two months. Related Content: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin David Wayne Ika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, May 28, 2020 08:27 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bda8c929 3 Science & Tech GDP-Ventures,digital-technology,disruptive-innovation,business,pandemic,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free Lets refresh our understanding of digital transformation: core shifts that fundamentally change how businesses generate value for business owners, stakeholders, suppliers and customers by implementing digital technologies and the internet across all aspects of the business. Such transformation can radically change how we do business, how we deliver value to our customers and how to face the current competitive landscape. Transformations are always hard; this one is harder to do, and it has to start from the top. The current pandemic just accelerates digital transformation to where its no longer a luxury, but a necessity for survival and conquering this ever changing new landscape. For some companies, having a small initiative on digital processes, online documents, way of work and cloud computing has been the unsung hero. Those that are still on the sidelines are being forced to become more digital, which will help them over the long term. Overnight, online transactions, digital payments, on-demand delivery and distance learning are now must-haves, no longer nice to have. The good news is crisis can be a good enforcer to force us to adapt and transform a new habit or new way of doing things. Were seeing hundreds, if not thousands of existing businesses open their channel and presence at online marketplaces and e-commerce platforms, well ahead of their schedule in their road map of adding online channels in their annual plan. One thing this pandemic has done thus far is clearly separating the winners and laggards. It shows us good businesses and bad businesses; good innovative schools and ill-prepared schools; good leaders and poor leaders, and many other examples. While many are struggling to cope with the pandemic, the new rules of social distancing, remote working and distance learning programs in schools, few are not only surviving; they are thriving and excel in showing their qualities during this time. This has to do with two things: the readiness of leadership to apply digital transformation in their organizations. According to a McKinsey study, digital transformation success falls into these five factors: Putting the right, digital-savvy leaders in place Building capabilities for the workforce of the future Empowering people to work in new ways Giving day-to-day tools a digital upgrade Frequent communication with both traditional and digital ways As we ponder and plan to kick-start the transformation for our businesses, lets dive into these types of transformation. Depending on your industry, size of business, number of people in your organization and your capital-resource allocation strategy, theres no silver bullet solution. Each works differently according to our unique situation. One pragmatic way to break it down is as follows: Process transformation Revisit both internal processes in operation, creation and production to customers' journey and touch point and how they engage with our products and services. We need to set clear goals on the transformation: optimize margin, reduce cost, reduce time, improve quality, etc. Example: On-demand food or restaurant business helps maintain operation during this time, while it serves as additional business during normal times. Watch for more central kitchens being set up post-COVID-19. Business model transformation Focus on a specific part of the business that can transform your core business model. Imagine how we produce, deliver, distribute and experience products/services. Example: Online learning, online tutoring and online classes have taken center stage across the world, including in Indonesia. Many tutors and instructors offer classes via Zoom, Google Hangouts and other platforms. As social distancing and stay-at-home policies are likely to continue for a little while longer, and health in public places becomes a permanent concern, such distance learning is here to stay. Domain transformation With digital and internet becoming an ever growing aspect of peoples lives, many possibilities are presented in business to redefine value, product and services. We can identify and leverage how available technology and internet combined with our core ability can translate into new business and services. Example: Amazon expanded into the new domain of cloud computing with its Amazon Web Services (AWS). From e-commerce business, they expanded into completely different market domains, as they found ways to combine core abilities they have developed internally while building Amazon.com with the existing and growing trend of cloud computing. Now AWS contributes more profit than their e-commerce business. Cultural/organizational transformation Last but not least, these transformations require a redefinition of our organization, new mindsets, new talent and capabilities for the digital savvy customers and business. New ways of doing things and new workflows are required: being more agile, having a company culture of testing, being data oriented and doing experiments, decentralized decision making. We need to train and empower our team members to be more entrepreneurial, letting go of the need to decide everything and start letting them decide to speed up innovation and have a faster turnaround. Ideally we make transformation across all of the aforementioned elements, however not all companies are well-prepared or have the time and resources to do that. One of the most important decisions as a leader in a company is on capital and resource allocation. Our ability to allocate resources or people to the single most important task will determine the acceleration of our company. Having said that, take those four elements and reflect on your business. If you can only pick one to plan your transformation, choose one to start with. Some businesses are straightforward in how they generate value, and making money can start from process transformation. Others might see a big addressable market for your business if you expand your domain. Few businesses might take full advantage of business model transformation. As you move ahead from one element to another, bear in mind the cultural and organizational transformations will be the glue to make this transformation sustainable, well received by your team and customers. Most companies struggle with the last element. Depending on your roster and existing team members, this one is the hardest. You will probably need to bring a new batch of people, you might need to let go of some who refuse or dont have the ability to evolve. Certainly you will need to upskill and train them in order to bring them along on the transformation journey. To close, here are some pointers on getting started: Figure out your business strategy before you decide on anything Identify and leverage your internal resources and talents that can help you in this transformation Reimagine new customer experience, how they engage with your business, and see which steps or touch points you think you can make the change to drastically improve your business and how you do things Slowly, but regularly and often, start sharing and talking about these new changes and plan to your team to make them feel included and prepare them for things to come This pandemic will take a toll on every one of us. As we slow down and have more time, take it as a great opportunity to realign your business, discuss with your team. Be sensitive and take notes on your surroundings; what has changed, what things remain the same, what new behavior do we see. Some of those changes are here to stay. Everyone is faced with the same pandemic and challenge; our response will set us apart from the rest, and 10 years from now, looking back, well be thankful that we made the necessary changes. (kes) *** David Wayne Ika is founder and CEO of Kurio and EndeusTV. David graduated from Pensacola Christian College, Florida, United States with a degree in Business and Management. He is a part of GDP Ventures, Indonesias top investment group that has two key activities: investing and venture building. David built Kurio and Endeus as GDP Ventures first venture building, raised three rounds of fundraising for Kurio. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Time: Location: More info: Wednesday, January 26 - 12:00 - 1:00 PMWebinarIn this webinar, Scheherzade Rana, a corporate mindfulness trainer, meditation teacher, speaker and Founder of Innerspace Mindfulness will share ideas and strategies for becoming an inclusive leader. You will cultivate openness and awareness of bias and learn new ways to connect to your colleagues (and yourself) with empathy, compassion and courage.Using the latest mindfulness science, you will gain a greater understanding of how to create a culture of well-being and psychological safety - one that is integral to inclusive and high-performing teams today.You'll also learn the "how-to" of organizational mindfulness with a simple minutes-a-day practice that you can start right away! MAY 28: Chinese president Xi Jinping listens during the closing session of the National People's Congress, which included a vote on a new draft security bill for Hong Kong, at the Great Hall of the People on May 28, 2020 in Beijing, China. Kevin Frayer | Getty Images China's parliament, the National People's Congress, on Thursday approved the proposal to impose a new national security law for Hong Kong, and paves the way for the legislation to be finalized and implemented in the city. The NPC voted 2,878 to 1 in favor of the bill, which will pave the way for its Standing Committee a smaller decision-making body to proceed to working out details of the legislation to be implemented in Hong Kong. Six abstained from the vote. Premier Li Keqiang, the country's second-in-command, said after the vote that the decision to implement the law was "designed for steady implementation of 'one country, two systems' and Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability." Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China that is ruled under a "one country, two systems" principle, which allows the city some freedoms that those on the mainland do not have. That includes self-governing power, limited election rights, and a largely separate legal and economic framework from mainland China. Chinese President Xi Jinping walks past officials wearing face masks following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak as he arrives for the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 28, 2020. Carlos Garcia Rawlins | Reuters Ahead of that decision, protests in Hong Kong reignited. Large crowds in the Chinese territory were out in force after the legislation was first proposed last Friday at the start of the annual parliamentary meeting. The U.S. has criticized Beijing's move and said it undermines the freedoms and autonomy of Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Details of the law are still scarce but it will target secession, subversion of state power, terrorism activities and foreign interference, the Chinese government has said. The process to enact the law bypasses Hong Kong's legislature and could take a few months to complete. In response to China's approval of the bill, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam sought to assure the territory's citizens that their rights and freedoms remained intact. In a statement welcoming Beijing's decision, she said the legislation "aims to prevent, curb and sanction an extremely small minority of criminals who threaten national security, safeguarding the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and maintaining 'One Country, Two Systems.'" "It will not affect the legitimate rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents. 'One Country, Two Systems' has been Hong Kong's top advantage, and a stable and safe society will provide a favourable business and investment environment," the statement read. China's decision to press ahead with the new legislation which was widely expected followed a controversial week that saw protests surge again in Hong Kong after weeks of relative calm as the territory observed social distancing measures during the coronavirus outbreak. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that the city was no longer independent from China. In a joint statement on Thursday, the foreign ministers of the U.K., Australia, Canada and the U.S. warned that Beijing's national security law would "dramatically erode Hong Kong's autonomy and the system that made it so prosperous." They said that by imposing the law, China was breaching its international obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration the treaty that established the territory's "one country, two systems" framework. "We are also extremely concerned that this action will exacerbate the existing deep divisions in Hong Kong society; the law does nothing to build mutual understanding and foster reconciliation within Hong Kong," the ministers said. "The world's focus on a global pandemic requires enhanced trust in governments and international cooperation. Beijing's unprecedented move risks having the opposite effect." Last year, proposed changes to law that would have allowed extradition to China sparked widespread protests in Hong Kong. That later morphed into broader pro-democracy demonstrations that swamped the city for much of last year, sending its economy into a recession. Riot police patrol the streets at the Central district of Hong Kong during demonstrations against the new proposed national security law. Ivan Abreu | Barcroft Media | Getty Images Workers filed 2.1 million new unemployment claims last week, the Department of Labor reported, suggesting about a quarter of the workforce is seeking jobless aid to weather the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus. The latest figure indicates that the pandemic has pushed 40.8 million Americans out of work in just 10 weeks. DOL also reported that another 1.2 million people applied for benefits under the new temporary Pandemic Unemployment Assistance programcreated for individuals who are typically ineligible for unemployment insurance, such as self-employed workers. With those people added, the number of claims filed last week could be as high as 3.1 million, though there could be some overlap between the new program and traditional unemployment benefits. "The pace of flooding has declined, but the labor market is still underwater," Nick Bunker, Indeed Hiring Lab's director of economic research, said in reaction to the numbers. He said the raw unadjusted number of new claims reported last week is still 15 times higher than pre-coronavirus levels. California saw the highest number of new claims last week, reporting an estimated 212,343 new applications filed. New York followed with an estimated 192,193 new claims. Roughly half of those who applied for benefits since the beginning of the pandemic are now receiving them, according to Andrew Stettner, senior fellow at The Century Foundation. But legal advocates and worker groups complain that workers in many states are still facing long waits, glitches and little assistance in accessing the aid from state agencies, leading applicants in some cases, to give up. Three Uber and Lyft drivers, along with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, filed a federal complaint this week against the state of New York, alleging the length of time its taking the state to process their claims compared to other workers has been devastating. Behnaz Mansouri, an attorney at the Unemployment Law Project in Washington state, said roughly 60,000 people whove filed claims there are still waiting to receive benefits. She said self-employed workers are facing the greatest hurdles in getting jobless aid from the new federal program. Story continues They're not only getting requests for more information they're getting conflicting requests for employment information, Mansouri said. And these claimants don't know what to do. In Florida, where the state inspector general has launched a probe into its error-ridden unemployment assistance system, the state says about 83 percent of the 1.9 million claims its verified have been processed, an improvement from the less than 6 percent it reported mid-April. But Laurie Yadoff, an attorney at Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida, said her clients complain their applications are still pending and are still unable to get through to state unemployment offices for assistance. It's been a tremendous struggle and a couple of my clients I have to keep calling them and telling them to hang in there, Yadoff said. They just keep saying, What's the point? And not every state has implemented the new unemployment programs provided under the massive coronavirus relief package signed into law in March. According to DOL, so far, only 32 states have begun paying out the 13-week extension of unemployment benefits included in the CARES Act. Most states provide an average of 26 weeks of jobless benefits. While the number of Americans seeking jobless benefits has slowly declined over the past several weeks, economists forecast that the share of the workforce out of a job will remain high throughout the summer. "Although initial claims are declining, the pace may only be plateauing," Glassdoor Senior Economist Daniel Zhao said in a statement. "If UI claims remain in the millions for the next few weeks, it may signal that relaxed state-mandated restrictions alone arent enough to staunch the flow of unemployed Americans." Kevin Hassett, senior economic adviser to President Donald Trump predicted the unemployment rate could potentially shoot north of 20 percent in the Bureau of Labor Statistics May jobs report out June 5. He expects the jobless rate will continue to climb in June, but then after that it should start to trend down, he told CNN on Sunday. Despite warnings from economists that unemployment could remain high into the end of next year, Republicans in Congress have made clear that they wont support expanding the enhanced unemployment insurance benefits provided under one of the coronavirus rescue bills. Democrats want to extend that weekly $600 boost to unemployment insurance payments through the end of January. It is currently due to expire at the end of July. Instead, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said Tuesday the Trump administration may well support including a bonus to get workers back on the job in the next coronavirus aid package. He argues the enhanced unemployment payments are so high that they act as a major disincentive to go back to work. Iran's president has called for action to outlaw "honour killings" after the brutal murder of a 14-year-old girl by her father sparked nationwide condemnation. Reza Ashrafi reportedly used a farming sickle to behead his daughter, Romina, as she slept on Thursday after she ran away with 34-year-old Bahamn Khavari in Talesh, some 200 miles northwest of the capital Tehran. Romina was found five days after leaving home and taken to a police station, where she reportedly told police she feared a violent reaction from her father. But she was then turned over to the custody of her family after her father appeared forgiving, the official IRNA news agency reported. Ashrafi is now in police custody. On Wednesday, several Iranian newspapers ran the story on their front pages and thousands of Iranians used the hashtag #RominaAshrafi to condemn the murder. Curse all of the brain damaged culture and tradition that leads to the death of Rominas, one Twitter user named Azadehkt posted. In traditional patriarchal societies, including segments of Iran, women involved in such scandals are often castigated for sullying a familys honour even when they're children The case has led Irans president, Hassan Rouhani, to express regret about the killing and urge his cabinet to speed up harsher laws against such violence. Proposed legislation against so-called honour killings has apparently shuttled for years among various decision-making bodies in Iran. The countrys judiciary said Rominas case will be tried in a special court. Under the present law, her father faces up to 10 years in prison. Without a doubt our heavy duty is the judicial follow-up of the issue and harsh punishment for the perpetrator of this crime, Irans deputy justice minister, Mahmoud Abbasi, said on Wednesday, according to IRNA. But this issue isnt the end of the road. Its the beginning of a large and terrible road that requires us to take a step for the preventing of the sacrifice of Rominas in society. Information on honour killings in Iran is scant, and it is not known how many women and young girls are murdered by family members or close relatives because of their actions perceived as violating conservative norms on love and marriage. Shahnaz Sajjadi, an aide to the president on human rights affairs, told the khabaronline.ir news website on Wednesday: We should revise the idea that home is a safe place for children and women. Crimes that happen against women in the society are less than those that happen in the homes. Additional reporting by AP The representatives of three children who attended a Polk County, Ore. day care are suing multiple people and state agencies over sexual abuse for $5.1 million. The children attended the now-closed Stinky Feet Childcare in Independence owned by Ceola Harden, the Statesman Journal reported. Ceola Hardens 27-year-old son, Quinlyn Harden, was convicted of raping and sexually abusing five children at the day care and sentenced to 54 years in prison after a jury trial last year. The lawsuit filed this week accuses the state agencies involved in the regulation of child care facilities and investigations into child abuse of negligence for failing to investigate sexual abuse reports involving Quinlyn Harden and failing to ensure he didnt have access to children at the day care. Officials with the Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Department of Human Services declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the pending litigation. The lawsuit lists three minors, one of whom Quinlyn Harden was convicted of abusing. In 2018, a girl who attended the day care reported that she had been sexually abused by Harden. Her disclosure eventually led to Hardens arrest and the discovery of at least four more victims who attended the day care, police said. A revocation order issued by the Office of Child Care stated Ceola Harden let her son have unfettered access to children. She also failed to report suspected abuse to the Department of Human Services, according to a complaint filed with the office. Registered childcare providers are considered mandatory reporters and are legally required to report suspected abuse. Quinlyn Harden insisted on his innocence throughout his trial. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Agencies Abuse Molestation Oregon Hartford, CT. The U.S. surpassed a jarring milestone Wednesday in the coronavirus pandemic: 100,000 deaths. That number is the best estimate and most assuredly an undercount. But it represents the stark reality that more Americans have died from the virus than from the Vietnam and Korean wars combined. "It's a striking reminder of how dangerous this virus can be," said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington. The once-unthinkable toll appears to be just the beginning of untold misery in the months ahead as Las Vegas casinos and Walt Disney World make plans to reopen, crowds of unmasked Americans swarm beaches and public health officials predict a resurgence by fall. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, issued a stern warning after watching video of Memorial Day crowds gathered at a pool party in Missouri. "We have a situation in which you see that type of crowding with no mask and people interacting. That's not prudent, and that's inviting a situation that could get out of control," he said during an interview Wednesday on CNN. "Don't start leapfrogging some of the recommendations in the guidelines because that's really tempting fate and asking for trouble." Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 5.6 million people and killed more than 350,000, with the U.S. having the most confirmed cases and deaths by far, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Europe has recorded about 170,000 deaths, while the U.S. reached more than 100,000 in less than four months. The true death toll from the virus, which emerged in China late last year and was first reported in the U.S. in January, is widely believed to be significantly higher, with experts saying many victims died of COVID-19 without ever being tested for it. Early on, President Donald Trump downplayed the severity of the coronavirus, likening it to the flu, and predicted the U.S. wouldn't reach 100,000 deaths. "I think we'll be substantially under that number," Trump said on April 10. Ten days later, he said, "We're going toward 50- or 60,000 people." Ten days after that: "We're probably heading to 60,000, 70,000." Critics have said deaths spiked because Trump was slow to respond, but he has contended on Twitter that it could have been 20 times higher without his actions. He has urged states to reopen their economies after months of stay-at-home restrictions. Las Vegas casinos can welcome tourists again on June 4. SeaWorld and Walt Disney World plan to reopen to limited numbers of tourists in Orlando, Florida, in June and July. The virus exacted an especially vicious toll on Trump's hometown of New York City and its surrounding suburbs, killing more than 21,000. At the peak, hundreds of people were dying per day in New York City, and hospitals, ambulances and first responders were inundated with patients. The COVID-19 is a crisis, a major test, and a war, said Chinese President Xi Jinping, and also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee when joining a deliberation with deputies from Hubei Province at the third session of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC), the countrys top legislature. This year, the two sessions, Chinas top legislature and political advisory body, were shortened due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, so the central leadership also reduced the number of meetings with regional delegations. Nevertheless, President Xi specifically requested to join deliberation with deputies from Hubei, saying he must visit them as they were representatives of the 60 million people in the province. Hubei and its capital city Wuhan, as the former epicenter of the epidemic, witnessed the transition from anxiety and panic to confidence and composure in epidemic response, as they are backed by the country and the 1.4 billion Chinese people. Having gone through extraordinary adversity, deputies from Hubei province shared their experience with the general secretary. Ying Yong, an NPC deputy and also secretary of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee, said that President Xi had urged the whole country to help Hubei during the hardest time. The central government even managed to guarantee fish supply as we have a love for fish. Hubei and Wuhan are never alone, he said. Ive been through too much in my life, but to turn the table in such a short period of time is unimaginable," said deputy Yu Cheng, citing a senior citizen from a community in Hubei. Yu, who works for Wuhan Second Light Industry School, worked as a volunteer in a neighborhood to contribute to community relief effort. What we delivered to residents were not just daily necessities, but more importantly, the love and care from the CPC Central Committee and the people of the whole country, she said, bowing to President Xi in a gesture meant to express the gratitude of Wuhan residents. The deputies remarks touched the general secretary who flew to Wuhan for inspection at a critical moment in the fight against the epidemic this March. He once said, the heroic city of Wuhan would definitely be remembered by history. Meeting the Hubei delegation, he once again called Wuhan a heroic city and its people heroic people, extending his sincere greetings and heartfelt gratitude to CPC officials and people of all ethnic groups in the province. The CPC Central Committee followed the situation in Hubei every day, Xi said, adding that he knew there were still 7 cases under treatment, and 297 asymptomatic cases under medical observation. No new confirmed cases outside Wuhan had been reported since March 5, he added. Hubei people know only too well the immense difficulties they have suffered. Going through the freezing-cold winter, the province finally embraced a warm spring and regained its vitality. The vibrant Wuhan is coming back, remarked deputy Yan Zhi. During the deliberation, Xi reiterated that despite the achievements in epidemic prevention and control, the province must remain vigilant and never slacken its efforts. Having analyzed the situation both in and outside China, he warned the deputies that even the slightest negligence may lead to a huge disaster. From a long-term perspective, Xi said that one urgent task for the province is coordinating epidemic prevention and control as well as economic and social development. The president called for continuous efforts so that the hard-earned achievements in fighting COVID-19 would not be made in vain. He also said that the measures Hubei had taken and the lessons it had learnt in this battle against the disease would be useful experience to prevent and control any potential epidemic in the future, calling them a huge contribution the province had made. Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ), a leading UK architectural and design practice in the UAE, said it has completed work on the Arcadia Schools secondary campus in Dubai. This is the second school designed and built by the firm as part of a series of community-based schools for Arcadia Education delivering the vision of Mohan Valrani and the Al Shirawi Group. Located within Jumeirah Village Triangle close to the primary school, the orientation of the new secondary campus and functions within it have been optimised to exploit the view out over the central Jumeirah Village Triangle Park, said the statement from GAJ. It covers a total teaching space of 6,000 sq m including the classrooms, shared learning and labs. The ancillary facilities which includes the library, music and dance rooms cover an area of 1,500 sqm. The award-winning Arcadia Schools primary campus, designed and built by GAJ, was handed over in 2016. We have been designing and building schools for many years and we understand and value the opportunity to create unique buildings for school operators, remarked Jason Burnside, a partner at GAJ. "Each one we deliver is tailored to the specific requirements and brand identity of the school," stated Burnside. As a facility for secondary school age students the scale of The Arcadia Schools secondary campus is much larger than The Arcadia Schools primary campus and provides a more flexible and interactive learning environment, he noted. Drawing inspiration from The Arcadia Schools primary campus the reception is bright and airy opening out into a large casual seating zone with a unique 12-m-high indoor climbing wall feature. The inclusion of the wall is to reinforce the schools ethos of transparency and its desire to ensure students play a highly visible and interactive role in their education. "With this new school we wanted to ensure brand consistency and a design approach to support the ethos and visual identity of Arcadia," explained Burnside. The new secondary school also features a full-sized artificial pitch, a 25-m swimming pool and MUGA court which can be accessed by the primary school when required. This sharing of facilities also helps with the transition from primary to secondary education building confidence for the students about to move to the next stage of their education, he added.-TradeArabia News Service NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market is expected to grow from USD 2,663.04 Million in 2018 to USD 4,184.23 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.66%. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05871313/?utm_source=PRN The positioning of the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market vendors in FPNV Positioning Matrix are determined by Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) and placed into four quadrants (F: Forefront, P: Pathfinders, N: Niche, and V: Vital). The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market including are Ashland Global Specialty Chemicals Inc., BASF SE, Boai NKY Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Hangzhou Sunflower Technology Development Co. Ltd., JH Nanhang Life Sciences Co. Ltd., Dongying City Huaan Chemical Industry CO., LTD., Glide Chem Private Limited, NACALAI TESQUE, INC., and Star-Tech Specialty Products Co. Ltd.. On the basis of Grade, the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market is studied across Copovidone, Crospovidone, High Molecular Weight PVP, Low Molecular Weight PVP, and Medium Molecular Weight PVP. On the basis of Application, the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market is studied across Adhesives, Cosmetics, Food & Beverages, Pharmaceutical, and Solvents. For the detailed coverage of the study, the market has been geographically divided into the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The report provides details of qualitative and quantitative insights about the major countries in the region and taps the major regional developments in detail. In the report, we have covered two proprietary models, the FPNV Positioning Matrix and Competitive Strategic Window. The FPNV Positioning Matrix analyses the competitive market place for the players in terms of product satisfaction and business strategy they adopt to sustain in the market. The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisitions strategies, geography expansion, research & development, new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth. Research Methodology: Our market forecasting is based on a market model derived from market connectivity, dynamics, and identified influential factors around which assumptions about the market are made. These assumptions are enlightened by fact-bases, put by primary and secondary research instruments, regressive analysis and an extensive connect with industry people. Market forecasting derived from in-depth understanding attained from future market spending patterns provides quantified insight to support your decision-making process. The interview is recorded, and the information gathered in put on the drawing board with the information collected through secondary research. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players in the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market 2. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments in the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market 3. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets for the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market 4. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new products launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market 5. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players in the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size of Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone market in the Global? 2. What are the factors that affect the growth in the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market over the forecast period? 3. What is the competitive position in the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market? 4. Which are the best product areas to be invested in over the forecast period in the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market? 5. What are the opportunities in the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market? 6. What are the modes of entering the Global Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05871313/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com SANTA ANA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Allied Universal, a leading security and facility services company in North America, announces that their advanced artificial intelligence platform, HELIAUS, is helping to keep facilities secure during the COVID-19 pandemic. HELIAUS is an advanced artificial intelligence platform designed to improve safety and reduce risk by enhancing on-site guarding services. To support Allied Universal's customers' return to workplace initiatives, the company has enhanced the HELIAUS technology platform to include a new visitor screening application. The new application is fully configurable to support different client's visitor screening procedures. It offers screening questions based on Centers of Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and implements customer-specific visitor screening protocols such as instructing the security professional to take a visitor's temperature or asking the visitor to use a hand sanitization station before entry. "The HELIAUS visitor screening application includes new suggestions for workflows that help with visitor screening, social distancing management, workplace signage and maintaining a safe and clean workplace," says Mark Mullison, Chief Information Officer, Allied Universal. "All of the information collected in the course of visitor screening or custom workflows is captured electronically and fed into the platform's AI engine, which makes recommendations for improving the site's condition." For example, using GPS and Bluetooth beacons, HELIAUS understands security professional locations in real-time, even indoors. If they approach an elevator bay, it might ask whether people are present, and if they are obeying social distancing guidelines. These answers are then recorded. Over time, based on the knowledge collected, the AI engine will make predictions about when enforcement of social distancing guidelines is most likely to be needed and will notify security professionals to inspect the elevator bays and encourage social distancing at the right times. "HELIAUS has the ability to remotely message important updates or assign important tasks to your security professionals," said Mullison. "Clients can receive custom email / text reports in real-time." About Allied Universal Allied Universal, a leading security and facility services company in North America with more than 235,000 employees and revenues over $8.4 billion, provides unparalleled security services and technology solutions. With offices located throughout the nation as well as internationally (Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom), Allied Universal is responsible for protecting client sites covering multiple specialty sectors such as higher education, healthcare, retail, commercial real estate, government and corporate campuses, etc. Supported by vast experience gained from being in business for over 60 years, Allied Universal provides proactive security services and cutting-edge smart technology to deliver evolving, tailored solutions that allow clients to focus on their core business. Through world-class customer service, highly advanced systems and cohesive technology solutionsAllied Universal is There for you. For more information, please visit www.aus.com. Media Contacts : Vanessa Showalter, Allied Universal/PR Manager Phone: 714-619-9744 Email: Vanessa.Showalter@aus.com Nancy Thompson, Vorticom Public Relations Phone: 212-532-2208 Email: nancyt@vorticom.com SOURCE: Allied Universal View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/591658/Allied-Universals-HELIAUSR-Health-Screening-Application-Helps-Keep-Facilities-Secure-During-COVID-19-Pandemic In a great initiative to put people's needs first and rebuild customer relations, several hotel chains are diverting their funds more towards cleaning purposes as opposed to providing room amenities and breakfast buffets. According to an ANI report, many franchise units have made the decision to terminate services like daily housekeeping visits, breakfast buffets, complimentary toiletries. They want to use this money towards providing hygiene essentials like sanitisers, protective masks and antiviral cleaning devices. The Wall Street Journal quoted Chekitan Dev, a professor in the hospitality school at Cornell University as saying, "Lysol is the new luxury." Verge Dev, who is also a hospitality industry consultant, added that in order to implement 'operating-room level' hygiene practices, large hotel franchises are facing a challenge since they operate as a network of small-business owners and would require a new set of brand standards. A professor in the hospitality school at the University of South Carolina said, "Every crisis can be an opportunity," and added that scaling back on daily room visits and instead favouring deeper cleaning before guests arrive could be monetarily beneficial for hotel owners in the long run since they will be reducing costs on housekeeping. According to Choice Hotels International Inc., cutting down on breakfast buffets is a great way to help local food services to flourish. Unsplash On the other hand, Best Western Hotels and Resorts is paying attention to deep cleaning rooms after guests check-out, using electrostatic sprayers that are specifically designed to kill the coronavirus. According to Ron Pohl, COO of the Phoenix-based hotel chain, guests are concerned about the spread of the virus and prefer not having a housekeeper visit their room on a daily basis. However, Pohl added that housekeeping services will be provided if a guest requests for it. The hotel-chain has also removed items like decorative pillows, directories, bathroom amenity trays and certain types of remote controls to get rid of surfaces which could possibly spread the virus. Italian Bark Another hotel-chain, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has introduced brand new cleaning standards that will be implemented from September. They will have suppliers ship masks, disinfectant wipes, other cleaning items and equipment directly to its 6,000 hotels in the US. Lisa Checchio, the company's chief marketing officer said, "We want our guests to have a sense of confidence that there will be a level of consistency as the [shelter in place orders] lift and as travel begins again." OMJASVIN M D By Express News Service CHENNAI: Battling COVID-19 isnt the only thing that patients are doing right now. The mental stress and anxiety is equally daunting. Speaking to Express, Deva*, a patient in his thirties, says hes tired of staying away from his family members. Please discharge me. Let me go home. I cannot take it anymore. I do not even know how long I will be here, says the man, who has been in hospital for the last six days. Deva, a bank employee, was in the ICU and was shifted out of the ventilator only on Wednesday.I neither know where my family members have been quarantined nor what they are doing. It is difficult to stop thinking, he tells Express. The mounting mental trauma is culminating in suicidal tendencies in a few of them. Since Tuesday, two people had taken the extreme step to kill themselves in two separate government hospitals. I have not slept at all, says Deva. It feels overwhelming to be around so many patients. I am also worried about who all could have been affected because of me. I hope my wife and children are negative. Selva*, in his fifties, says the overall atmosphere is morbid. A patient, hardly 6-7 beds away, died and it took hours for the body to be shifted. Lying so close to a dead person was terrible. I could not stop thinking about when I would get to leave. Doctors have also been witnessing these episodes. A patient in his fifties started to run up and down the room due to extreme stress. We struggled to hold him down and give him an injection, says a doctor at the KMC. A lot of the stress originates from the fear of stigma they would have to face when they go back home, say the doctors. They start to think a lot about how they would be treated once discharged, or about the indefinite stay in ICU, or staying amid other sick patients, says a task force member at Stanley. They further lose hope when they find out that even doctors in the hospital have tested positive. Then they start pleading to be discharged. Mental issues, doctors say, are not always obvious. The patient who killed himself at Stanley did not show any sign of mental health issues, nor his family tell us anything, the doctor said. For our part, we have been talking to the patients regularly to make them feel comfortable. In the history of illnesses, this is probably the first time that family members are not allowed to visit, says doctor Poorna Chandrika, director of the Institute of Mental Health. They are alone, and this makes them feel isolated and lonely. She says people must slowly come out of the fear zone. We have been two months into the pandemic, we need to move forward. *Name changed PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, May 25, 2020, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset and the St. Martin Evolution Toastmasters Club held their first-ever joint club meeting via the popular online platform, Zoom, with over 140 participants from around the world. In January 2020, Toastmasters International and Rotary International entered a strategic alliance that would provide their members with even more opportunities to develop and improve their leadership and communication skills and to help members make a difference in their communities. The ongoing relationship between the two organizations will begin at the grassroots level with local club members learning and working together. Rotary and Toastmasters clubs are encouraged to work together and to build closer bonds by conducting joint initiatives. The joint meeting with the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset and the St. Martin Evolution Toastmasters Club was the very first of its kind on the island, within the region and throughout the world. This historic meeting took the format similar to a regular Toastmasters club meeting; whereby four prepared speeches were delivered as well as five impromptu speeches from persons in the audience. Two members from the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset and two members from the St. Martin Evolution Toastmasters Club delivered four dynamic speeches. Toastmasters Glennicia Rodgers and Audrey Claxton presented separate speeches from their different Pathway paths entitled Im communicating and I am. Rotarian / Toastmaster Akilah Dormoy presented her very first speech as a toastmaster entitled Fear and Rotarian Georginette Lake delivered a dynamic speech entitled Love Beyond Borders. Rotarian Franklyn, who held the role of Table Topics Master kept the audience engaged throughout the impromptu segment of the meeting, by randomly posing various questions to those in participation. As the meeting came to a close, Presidents from both clubs, Ms. Jaida Nisbett and Ms. Anne Karine Fleming encouraged Rotarians and Toastmasters in attendance to embrace the new alliance between both organizations, by attending each others club meetings and even join Toastmasters or Rotary. The success of this joint meeting echoed the theme of the night Beyond Borders as both organizations displayed that there is certainly no border between French and Dutch side organizations. Both clubs would like to extend a special congratulations to Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) Vernicia Brooks and Rotarian President-Elect Elisia Lake for their hard work in organizing and coordinating the meeting and a special thank you to all role players for the evening. The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset meets every second and fourth Monday of the month at 7:30 pm. The club can be contacted via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via the official Facebook page at facebook.com/rotarysxmsunset. The St Martin Evolution Toastmasters Club meets every first and third Tuesday of the month from 7:15 pm until 9 pm. The club can be contacted via the official Facebook page at St Martin Evolution Toastmasters Club. We work hard to build trusting relationships with our clients and when we find an agency that already has a solid foundation with their community, we know it is a good fit," said AssuredPartners President and COO Tom Riley. AssuredPartners, Inc. is pleased to announce the acquisition of Cypress Insurance Group, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, FL. The team of 20 will remain under the operational leadership of Terry Bond and Debbie Arciola. The agency currently reports $3 million in annualized revenues. Terry Bond of Cypress Insurance Group said, Since 1978 we have provided the community of South Florida with our insurance expertise. Our dedication to our clients and employees led us to join one of the largest insurance brokerage agencies in the country and we are truly excited to partner with AssuredPartners. Debbie Arciola said, We are proud to continue the legacy that Roger Bond started when he formed Cypress Insurance Group. We are dedicated to delivering exceptional service for our valued customers and were excited to join the growing team in the Florida marketplace of AssuredPartners." We are excited about Cypress Insurance Group joining AssuredPartners as our values, services and resources align and are poised for future growth. We are pleased to expand further in the Florida marketplace with our new partners, said AssuredPartners Regional President Jack Suber. We welcome the employees and clients to AssuredPartners. AssuredPartners President and COO Tom Riley said, We work hard to build trusting relationships with our clients and when we find an agency that already has a solid foundation with their community, we know it is a good fit. We are pleased to have the team at Cypress Insurance Group join AssuredPartners. For more information on Cypress Insurance Group, Inc., please visit: http://www.cypressinsurance.com. [May 28, 2020] NSR Report: Cloud Computing via Satellite to Drive 52 Exabytes of Traffic by 2029 CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NSRs Cloud Computing via Satellite report, released today, projects 52 Exabytes of Traffic by 2029, with players in the satellite and space industry contributing cumulative revenue of $16 B from 2019-2029. The market is largely satcom-centric, with a significant portion of the revenue flow going to service providers and satellite operators. "The transformation brought about by the adoption of Cloud Computing and Big Data Analytics is only beginning to impact the satellite sector," states Shivaprakash Muruganandham , NSR Analyst and report author. 'It ranges from Cloud-hosted applications by end customers to Cloud storage/processing by geospatial analytics providers. For a growing number of satellite operators and service providers, partnering with big IT and Cloud players helps them drive increased bandwidth usage with existing customers. The primary Cloud verticals, Maritime Offshore and Passenger Cruise, along with Aeronautical satcom, will generate more than $7B cumulatively over the 10-year forecast period. Additionally, Onshore Energy, Gov/Mil, and Retail & Banking satcom markets are set to expand thei Cloud-first digitization strategies. Surprisingly, Muruganandham adds the Earth Observation industry was found to trail behind in terms of raw data traffic downlinked to Cloud servers, while the downstream geospatial analytics segment shows strong signs of growth. NSR recognizes that Cloud might not be a scalable cost for all, despite its tremendous value add. Still, newer applications such as the use of satellites for Cloud storage and compute capabilities are nascent markets set to grow strongly over the coming decade. About the Report NSRs Cloud Computing via Satellite is an industry first report that provides a complete overview and assessment of the impact of Cloud Computing in the satellite industry. It forecasts the global industry outlook in terms of Cloud data traffic/volume and Cloud service revenues across regions and four key application areas. With an analysis of the current state of the market, and in-depth review of the various market segments covered, this report builds upon NSRs leading research into the various satcom and EO markets. For additional information on this report, including a full table of contents, list of exhibits and executive summary, please visit www.nsr.com or call NSR at +1-617-674-7743. Companies Mentioned in the Report Addvalue, Air Asia, Airbus, Alaska Airlines, Amazon, Arabsat, Atlas Space Operations, Bentley, BlackSky Global, BridgeComm, Capella Space, Carnival Cruises, Cloud Constellation, CloudEO, Descartes Labs, Earth-I, Emirates, Eutelsat, Global Eagle, Geely, Globalstar, Gogo, Google, Hughes, IBM, ICEYE, Infostellar, Inmarsat, Intelie, Intelsat, Iridium, JetBlue, Kongsberg, KSAT, KVH Industries, Lufthansa, LyteLoop, Marlink, Maxar, Microsoft, Panasonic, Planet, Princess Cruises, RBC Signals, Resolute Mining, Rezatec, RigNet, RS Metrics, SatSure, SES, SITAONAIR, Southwest Airlines, Spire, SSC, Taqnia Space, Thales, Transocean, United Airlines, Ursa, ViaSat, Wasabii, X2nSat About NSR NSR is the leading global market research and consulting firm focused on the satellite and space sectors, NSRs global team, unparalleled coverage and anticipation of trends with a high degree of confidence and precision than the competition is the cornerstone of all NSR offerings. First to market coverage and a transparent, dependable approach sets NSR apart as the key provider of critical insight to the satellite and space industries. Contact us at [email protected] to discuss how we can assist your business. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The investigation into a case related to the communal violence in northeast Delhi seemed to be 'targeted only towards one end', a Delhi court said while asking the concerned senior cop to ensure fair probe. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana said this 'disturbing fact' was revealed on the perusal of the case diary. The judge asked the concerned deputy commissioner of police (DCP) to monitor the probe to ensure fair investigation as police have failed to point out what investigation has been carried out so far regarding the involvement of the rival faction. The court's observations came while hearing an application for judicial remand of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University student Asif Iqbal Tanha, who has been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the case. The court further directed Tanha not to indulge in any act of violence whatsoever and to act like a good/responsible citizen as well as abide by the law of land. The court also noted in its order that the investigating officer failed to point out what investigation has been carried out regarding the involvement of the 'rival faction'. "Perusal of the case diary reveals a disturbing fact. The investigation seems to be targeted only towards one end. Upon enquiry from the IO they have failed to point out what investigation has been carried out so far regarding the involvement of the rival faction. "In view of the same, concerned DCP is requested to monitor the investigation and ensure fair investigation," it said. It, however, did not clarify who the 'rival faction' was. Even during the hearing, the judge made a particular query about 'rival faction', said a lawyer privy to the matter. The counsel further said that the investigating officer also did not divulge details about who or what was meant by it. The court had on Wednesday sent Tanha to judicial custody till June 25 after the police did not seek his further custody. Advocate Sowjhanya Shankaran, appearing for Tanha, had told the court that he was falsely implicated in the case and had no role in the alleged criminal conspiracy. JMI student Gulfisha Khatoon, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, Meeran Haider, President of Jamia Alumni Association Shifa-Ur-Rehman, suspended Aam Aadmi Party Councillor Tahir Hussain, former student leader Umar Khalid have also been booked under the anti-terror law in the case. In March, several pleas were filed in the Delhi high court seeking filing of first information reports against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma and Kapil Mishra for alleged hate speeches by them. It was alleged that their hate speeches had led to eruption of violence related to the Citizenship Amendment Act in northeast Delhi in February. Till date no FIR has been lodged against them and the high court had listed the pleas for hearing in July. Communal violence 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. Tanha granted bail Tanha was later granted bail in the case related to violence near JMI Univeristy during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in December last year. Additional Sessions Judge Gaurav Rao granted the relief to Tanha on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 25,000 and a surety of like amount. The court took note of the fact that out of the 10 accused involved in the case, eight were on bail. It also noted that Tanha was a student and 24 years old. 'Considering the clean antecedents of the accused, on the ground of parity and most importantly considering the present situation arising out of Covid-19, accused is admitted to bail,' it said. ***** Court sends 2 Pinjra Tod members to judicial custody for 14 days A Delhi court on Thursday sent two women associated with 'Pinjra Tod' group, a collective of women students and alumni of colleges from across Delhi, to judicial custody for 14 days in a case related to communal violence in north east Delhi. Pinjra Tod (Break the Cage) was founded in 2015 with an aim to make hostels and paying guest accommodations less restrictive for women students. In 2015, Jamia Millia Islamia University had issued a notice restricting female students to stay out after 8 pm. When the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) questioned the Jamia administration on it, a group of women students decided to protest against the restrictions not only in Jamia but other universities in Delhi. Later named as Pinjra Tod, the group mobilised people around several issues faced by female residents of hostels and PGs. JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, associated with Pinjra Tod, were sent to judicial custody by Metropolitan Magistrate Kapil Kumar after the police said their further custody was not required for the investigation. They are currently lodged in Mandoli jail in New Delhi. Police had earlier told the court that their custodial interrogation was required to unearth the conspiracy behind the case and identify other accused in the case. Advocate Adit S Pujari, appearing for the women, had told the court that the women were arrested in the case with a 'mala fide' intent. They were arrested last Saturday in connection with a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Jaffrabad area in February. On Sunday, they were granted bail by the court in the case. Moments after the judge passed the order, the Crime Branch of the Delhi police had moved an application seeking to interrogate them and formally arrested them in a separate case related to the violence. They had sought 14 days custody of the accused. The court had sent them to police custody for two days saying the investigation was at its initial stage. 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. The case in which they were arrested on Sunday was registered under section 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 Indian Penal Code, relevant sections of the Arms Act and 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. The Standing Committee of the Chinese "Parliament" will be able to give the final green light already at the end of June. The measure passed with 2878 votes in favor, one against and six abstentions. Hong Kong residents may be arrested for subversion, secession, terrorism and collaboration with foreign forces interfering in the affairs of the city. Beijing (AsiaNews) - The National People's Congress (NPC) today approved the proposed security law for Hong Kong. The final go-ahead for the measure will be given by the Standing Committee of the Chinese "Parliament" which will meet in late June. The bill passed with 2878 votes in favor, one against and six abstentions. The NPC, which closes its annual session today, has no independence from the power of the Chinese Communist Party. The measure punishes actions and "activities" that seriously endanger national security. Hong Kong residents may be arrested for subversion, secession, terrorism and collaboration with foreign forces interfering in the affairs of the city. The announcement of the passing of the law sparked a wave of protests in Hong Kong. For the city's Bar Association, the Beijing decision violates the Basic Law, the mini-constitution on which Hong Kong's autonomy from the motherland is based. BCCL In a major development, security forces in Kashmir today averted a huge terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) laden car was detected in Pulwama district. Read more Here's more top news of the day: 1) Assam Faces Nature's Wrath As 2 Lakh People Affected Due To Floods, Heavy Rain Predicted TWITTER At a time when the state is working towards containing the spread of COVID-19 Assam has been dealt with a double blow after heavy rains triggered flash floods in many parts. According to the Assam government, over 2 lakh people across nine districts have been affected by the floods and one person has lost his life. Read more 2) Maharashtra's Single Day COVID-19 Death Toll Crosses 100 For The First Time, Total Now At 1,897 BCCL On Thursday, the state added another grim milestone to its COVID-19 tally as for the first time the one day death toll in Maharashtra crossed the 100 mark and recorded 105 deaths in the past 24 hours. Read more 3) Delhi Farmer Buys Air Tickets For His 10 Workers To Send Them Home; Gives Rs 3,000 Cash To Each BCCL In Delhi, a farmer bought plane tickets for his 10 workers who hail from Bihar, so that they could meet their families and loved ones amidst the pandemic and lockdown, which has left millions helpless in the country. Read more 4) 400 CRPF Personnel Were Jaish-e-Mohammed's Target In Averted Pulwama Terror Attack AP About 20 vehicles carrying nearly 400 jawans of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were the target of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in the failed terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on Thursday. Read more 5) For The Third Month, Government Employees In Telangana To Get Only 50 Per Cent Of Their Salary Representational Image Telangana government had since March paid only the half salary for the month for its employees and has decided that the same will continue at least for another month as lockdown got extended for the third time this month. Read more BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Thursday stressed the importance of international cooperation in fighting COVID-19 and restoring economy to ensure mankind prevails over the epidemic. A new weekly direct transatlantic container shipping route between Cork and the US will commence next month. The Independent Container Line (ICL) will sail from the Port of Cork every Saturday arriving on the east coast of the US 10 days later. The new service is set to commence with the sailing of the Independent Vision on June 6. CEO of ICL John Kirkland said Ireland is a market they were keen to develop for a while. "We sincerely hope the Irish trade support this commitment by ICL, to bring Ireland its first direct weekly service to the USA East Coast. We look forward to working with the Port of Cork with their exciting expansion plans." CEO of the Port of Cork, Brendan Keating said the timing of the announcement coincides with the upcoming opening of the new 80 million Cork Container Terminal in Ringaskiddy. "It has the potential to grow cargo volumes from and to Ireland. This is a fantastic strategic development for the Port of Cork as we look to develop Ringaskiddy as a modern logistics hub." Thomas Mc Hugh, Director of Public Affairs at Cork Chamber said it was very positive to see that connectivity with the USA has been enhanced. "In the context of the current pandemic and the shifting sands of Brexit, the Port's ongoing investment in the 80 million Cork Container Terminal in Ringaskiddy is already proving visionary and purposeful." Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Units of the Tunisian army in the region of Benguardane Tuesday night arrested 15 Sub-Saharan Africans, comprising eight men and seven women, attempting to cross illegally into the country, security sources said here Wednesday On May 11, 1995, a new history was written in Ghana as hundreds of Ghanaians trooped to the streets in protest against the Military rule of former President Jerry John Rawlings. The demonstration, which is known to be the biggest in the country, was held against the atrocious hardships imposed by the Rawlings' regime. Twenty-five years down memory lane, the instigators of the demonstration in the persons of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, seasoned journalists Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, Kwesi Pratt, and politicians Dr. Nayarko Tamakloe, Akoto Ampaw, Victor Newman, Napoleon Abdulai, Kwaku Opoku, Dr. Charles Wreko Brobbey and Agyeri Blankson have been reminiscing about their revolution. The leaders recently met at the residence of Mr. Agyeri Blankson to mark the 25th anniversary of the "Kumepreko" demonstration. In recalling the formation of the nine-member leadership of the Alliance for Change (AFC) which ignited the demonstration, there has arisen an argument over the role of President Nana Akufo-Addo in the group. Since precision is key to history and in order not to distort facts, seasoned journalist Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has sought to put to final all questions regarding the role and impact of President Akufo-Addo to the revolution of 1995. According to Kweku Baako, he needs to rehash the position of the President to lay to rest misconceptions that he wasn't an active member of the Kumepreko protest. In setting the record straight, Kweku Baako stated emphatically that the President played a significant role as the AFC Spokesperson. "Have you Akufo-Addo anywhere anytime suggest that he was leader of the AFC? I haven't heard that . . . That meeting we held in the house of Agyiri Blankson, in a very interesting way, Agyiri Blankson was recollecting history of kumepreko. How it began in his house and all those, he was telling the story and how we constituted the nine-member leadership collectively. Then Agyiri Blankson, in the process, said 'oh and we made Nana the leader'; at the moment, I stood to correct him but the President was faster. The President said; 'Hold on! That's not correct. I was the Spokesperson, not leader'. So, where is this coming from? Everybody was present and nobody can deny this thing I'm saying," he stated. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video WASHINGTON Rep. Ted Budd frequently receives compliments on the large mahogany cabinet in his office that shelves some of his daughter's artwork. While he thanks them, the North Carolina Republican doesn't let visitors in on a secret: the cabinet also serves as his bed each night he's in Washington. The hidden Murphy bed complete with a Tempur-Pedic mattress is just one way dozens of lawmakers on Capitol Hill have made their offices a second home, sleeping on couches, makeshift mattresses or fold-out beds at night and getting ready for work before their staffs arrive the next morning. An estimated 100 lawmakers sleep in their offices, including the House's top Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. "I wanted my focus to be back here in North Carolina, where I represent the 13th district," Budd said in an interview, explaining his decision to sleep in his office while in D.C. "I didn't want it to be a Washington lifestyle." But the coronavirus has reignited a years-old fight to stop what's become known as the "couch caucus," with some lawmakers arguing that their colleagues sleeping in their offices is not only improper, it also increases the chances of spreading COVID-19 to colleagues and staff at the U.S. Capitol. A photo of the mahogany cabinet in Rep. Ted Budd's office that doubles as a Murphy bed. Budd is one of an estimated 100 lawmakers who sleep in their Capitol Hill offices when they are in Washington, D.C., a practice that is getting scrutiny amid the coronations Rep. Jackie Speier has targeted the practice, authoring a letter to Congress' attending physician and the Architect of the Capitol, the agency tasked with maintaining and operating the building, asking that it be banned in light of the pandemic. The California Democrat posted a video to her social media accounts to protest the practice. "So this is the dirty little secret," says Speier, who in the video is dressed in pajamas next to a couch topped with a bed sheetsheet. "At the end of the day, when most members go back to their apartments or residences, there are upwards of 100 members of the House of Representatives who put on their PJs at least I hope they do and go to bed here in their offices." Story continues More: 20 Republican lawmakers file lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over new proxy voting system Up to 100 homeless Members are living in their Capitol offices. Not only are staff at greater risk for harassment, it can contribute to the spread of COVID-19. The offices belong to the taxpayers, not Members. The rules must change! pic.twitter.com/GS4elc6QeN Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) May 18, 2020 Speier, in an interview, said members sleeping in their offices is "inappropriate on so many levels," noting varied concerns about spreading germs in the age of the coronavirus, which has infected a handful of members of Congress, and the potential for putting staff members in an uncomfortable position. Both the Architect of the Capitol and Congress' physician declined to weigh in on the issue when they responded to Speier's concerns, but highlighted safety efforts at the Capitol. Over the years, Speier and other Democrats have attempted to halt the practice. In 2018, several Democrats put forward an unsuccessful measure to stop it, but it failed to gain steam in the then-Republican controlled House. Among the lawmakers who slept in their offices at the time: then-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., who was behind the legislation in 2018, said he agrees with Speier about the heightened risks to lawmakers and staff. "I would hope that Congress takes a harder look at it and says, 'You know, it's one thing skirting the ethics rules, but it's really something else when you put lives at risk,'" he told NPR, noting that the Washington area has become a hot spot for the disease. Speier says she doesn't believe that a bill should be necessary, explaining the House should change the rules and arguing public sentiment is on her side. She acknowledged the House was focused on getting help to those impacted by the coronavirus but she "saw an opportunity to maybe, you know, move the ball on this." More: 'Battle against the swamp': Steve King fighting for his political life in competitive primary More: 'Falsely masculine': Biden hits Trump over face masks as president calls them 'politically correct' Over the years, members of Congress have offered varying explanations for why they choose to live in their offices when they're in Washington. Some, like Budd, say it's a matter of simply wanting to focus on their job, others point to the high cost of rent in the nation's capital, where members don't spend the majority of their time. Former Rep. Dan Donovan, R-N.Y., explained to the New York Post in 2017 that "Washington is too expensive." If we go to the point where you have to rent or have to buy [in DC], then only millionaires would be members of Congress," explained the former member of the House, who slept in a small area of his office in a cot. More: As pandemic bore down, Rep. Phil Roe snatched up Zoom shares, unloaded stock in cruise lines Chairwomen Jackie Speier (D-CA) participates in a House Armed Services Committee hearing which is examining the role of the commander of prosecutions for sexual assaults in the military, on Capitol Hill April 2, 2019 in Washington, DC. Members of the House make $174,000 annually, a salary that hasn't been raised in more than a decade. They don't get allowances for rent or additional benefits to help them pay for the added costs of holding a residence both in their home state and in D.C. But members of both parties hold residences in the nation's capital, with some opting to move their families to the city and others choosing to live with fellow lawmakers in a bid to cut down on living expenses. Budd says what makes sleeping in his office work is the half bathroom he says is included in each member's office and the gym in the Rayburn House Office Building, which includes showers for members. He credits the gym, which is closed due to the coronavirus, and all his time spent on Capitol Hill to helping better relationships across the aisle in a political moment known for its divisions. "It's been great because we're in the gym, exercising together," he explained. "We've met a lot of people that we otherwise wouldn't have met. So I think it's actually healthy for bipartisan relationships." Budd cast aside Democratic concerns about the risks associated with him and other sleeping in their offices, explaining that most members have not been in D.C. much over the last few months due to a prolonged recess over the virus. He dismissed the calls to halt the process and argued that Democrats were looking for a reason to take on the issue again. "I mean, really, who cares? I think it's almost humorous that the democrats keep bringing it up," he said, adding that those he represents "appreciate" that he sleeps in his office. While lawmakers in both parties have been known to sleep in their offices, the practice has been more readily done by Republicans. Some members have used the practice as part of their pitch to voters on fiscal responsibility, though Democrats have pointed out these lawmakers are not saving taxpayer money by sleeping in their offices. Rather, they are being provided with utilities and lodging at no expense. "You're not protecting the taxpayers, arguably, you're costing the taxpayers because you're using services that are for personal use when they're for professional purposes," Speier argued. "These are homeless people by choice." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus revives push to stop lawmakers from living in offices Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Nicosia, Cyprus Thu, May 28, 2020 12:31 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bdaa0803 2 News Cyprus,tourism,Tourist,travel,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic Free Cyprus hopes to attract tourists after its coronavirus lockdown by paying the medical costs of anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 while holidaying on the island, officials said Wednesday. The plan was outlined in a letter to tour operators and airlines detailing the measures Cyprus is taking to ensure the safety of its tourism sector. The letter was made public Wednesday and signed by the ministers of foreign affairs, transport, and tourism. The Mediterranean island is marketing itself as a safe holiday destination during the global pandemic. The Republic of Cyprus has reported 939 novel coronavirus cases and only 17 deaths. The government said it is "committed to taking care of all travelers who test positive during their stay, as well as their families and close contacts". It pledged to cover accommodation, dining and medical care if a tourist falls ill with the virus. The "traveler will only need to bear the cost of their airport transfer and repatriation flight," it said. Read also: Cyprus beaches reopen as new virus cases hit zero 'Quarantine hotels' A 100-bed hospital will be available exclusively for tourists who test positive, with more beds available "at very short notice if required". An additional 112 beds in intensive care units with 200 respirators will be reserved for critically ill patients. Designated "quarantine hotels" will have 500 rooms available for family members and close contacts of patients. Other hotels on the island will be allowed to remain open if a guest tests positive, but their room will "undergo a deep clean". Authorities have forecast a 70 percent decline in tourist arrivals in 2020. Tourism earned Cyprus 2.68 billion ($2.94 bn) in 2019 -- about 15 percent of gross domestic product -- down one percent from the previous year, which was bolstered by a record 3.97 million arrivals. Cyprus plans to reopen its airports on June 9 to arrivals from 13 countries considered low risk. These include Israel, Greece, Germany, Austria and Malta but the island's two biggest markets Britain and Russia are not on the approved list. Those arriving between June 919 will need to provide a health certificate proving they do not have the virus. That requirement will be dropped from June 20, when another six countries will be added to the approved list, including Switzerland and Poland. Cyprus says it will update the list of approved countries on a weekly basis based on scientific advice. Officials will administer temperature checks and free random testing of arrivals. Having tested over 10 percent of its population, Cyprus says it has one of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in Europe. "Very few countries worldwide, especially in the Mediterranean, can boast about such statistics," the letter said. FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - A federal judge has ruled against environmental groups and a tribe in their bid to keep a uranium mine south of the Grand Canyon from operating. The Canyon Mine near the national parks South Rim entrance has been on standby for nearly 20 years. The company that owns it, Energy Fuels Resources, is waiting for uranium prices to rebound before opening it. Still, environmental groups and the Havasupai Tribe sought to prevent that from happening. They sued the U.S. Forest Service, arguing the agency failed to consider the environmental and cultural costs of extracting uranium ore when it reviewed the companys mining claims. U.S. District Judge David Campbell in Arizona said those costs would have been minimal, considering the Forest Service projected Canyon Mines profits at a conservative $29 million. A drop in profits is not enough to defeat valid existing rights if the mine remains profitable, Campbell wrote in a ruling last week. The environmental groups said Wednesday that they are reviewing the decision and evaluating whether to appeal. Canyon Mine should not have been allowed to go forward, said Sandy Bahr of the Sierra Clubs Grand Canyon Chapter. We do know that. The risks are significant and the benefits negligible. Energy Fuels is among the companies pushing for intervention from the federal government to rescue U.S. uranium mining in a tough global marketplace. Company spokesman Curtis Moore said Wednesday that Energy Fuels is actively maintaining the site. Energy Fuels will continue to operate the mine responsibly, and we are confident the courts decision will withstand any further appeals, he said. A spokeswoman for Kaibab National Forest did not immediately return a request for comment. The Canyon Mine lies within a roughly 1,562 square-mile area that was placed off-limits to new mining claims in the Obama administration. The moratorium outside the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park runs until 2032 but doesnt prevent uranium companies with grandfathered claims from developing them. The Forest Service concluded in 2012 that Energy Fuels has a valid, existing right to mine near Tusayan. The Grand Canyon Trust, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and the Havasupai Tribe sued the following year. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived a single claim from the lawsuit in 2018 and sent it back to the lower court for a decision on the merits. The senseless deaths torment doctors and nurses the most: The man who died because an inexperienced nurse unplugged his ventilator. The patient who died from septic shock because no one monitored his vital signs. The people whose breathing tubes clogged after being abandoned in their hospital beds for hours on end. In Mexico, its not just the coronavirus that is claiming lives. The countrys broken health system is killing people as well. Years of neglect had already hobbled Mexicos health care system, leaving it dangerously short of doctors, nurses and equipment to fight a virus that has overwhelmed far richer nations. Now, the pandemic is making matters much worse, sickening more than 11,000 Mexican health workers one of the highest rates in the world and depleting the already thin ranks in hospitals. Some hospitals have lost half their staff to illness and absenteeism. Others are running low on basic equipment, like heart monitors. The Gombe State government has discharged another batch of 153 Almajirai children who tested negative to coronavirus after the two weeks mandatory quarantine period at its Amada facility in Akko Local Government Area of the state. The governor, Inuwa Yahaya, who was at the quarantine centre to mark the 2020 childrens day celebration with the kids preparatory to their departure to their respective communities, said his government is committed to prioritising basic education through a sustained support to both western and Islamic systems of education. Northern state governors recently moved to eradicate the almajiri system in the region. Under the Islamic religious education system, children are pooled from various locations into Quranic schools and they survive by begging on the streets for food and alms. Following the coronavirus pandemic, northern state governors have been dispersing the almajiris and repatriating those whose parents are from other states. Many of the street kids searching for Islamic knowledge across the north have been infected by the deadly coronavirus in recent days as state governments scramble frantically to send them back to their respective states. The governor noted that nobody can manage a child better than his parents, as such, the government will ensure the states indigenous almajiris returned from various states are reunited with their family members. These children deserve to achieve anything in life if given the desired care and attention. I assure that our administration will support them to attain their goals through a sound western and Islamic education. Gombe discharges another batch of 153 almajiris after 2 weeks quarantine (Photo credit: Gombe State Government) In fact, we are committed to bequeathing a good future for them. We shall provide structures and facilities that can accommodate them and take care of their basic needs so that they can learn and attain their goals like every other child. Education is a right and not a privilege. The governor encouraged the children to nurse and pursue their dreams of a bright future, citing Ibrahim Pantami, a minister of the federal republic as one of the products of the tsangaya system who embraced the western education and became a shining example. Earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Habu Dahiru, said the 153 Almajiris discharged from the quarantine camp were those returned from Adamawa and Bauchi states and are indigenes of Dukku, Nafada, Balanga and Yamaltu Deba Local Government areas. Gombe discharges another batch of 153 almajiris after 2 weeks quarantine (Photo credit: Gombe State Government) He disclosed that there are currently 13 almajirai in the camp waiting for their second test results. The Commissioner revealed that the camp registered a total of 684 people since inception, including 377 almajiris and 307 intercepted travellers, adding that so far, 671 have received a clean bill of health and were discharged after a second test that returned negative. The Deputy camp Director, Yusuf Danbayo, described the condition at the camp as suitable for children, with the kids taking good meals and having access to Quranic education as well as enjoying the recreational facilities there. Gombe discharges another batch of 153 almajiris after 2 weeks quarantine (Photo credit: Gombe State Government) He said the two weeks stay in the quarantine centre was recreational, hence, they were provided with all the basic things they needed throughout their stay. All the 153 discharged Almajirai were kitted with new clothes, shoes and bags containing educational materials and are to be integrated into a formal education system under the Basic Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) at their respective localities. The Delhi government on Thursday issued an advisory on preventive measures to control a probable locust attack in the national capital. It called for organising awareness programmes for the public/farmers to prevent/control the probable attack of swarms of locusts in the national capital territory (NCT) of Delhi. It said that since the swarms usually fly during the day and rest at night, they should not be allowed to rest. Concerned authorities may carry out spraying of insecticide/pesticide as per need during the night, the advisory by the Development Commissioner of Delhi said. Delhi labour minister Gopal Rai also convened a meeting at his residence to discuss preparations to meet the locust threat, ANI reported. The locust swarms which first attacked Rajasthan have now spread to four other states - Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Much of the current swarms of locusts are not yet adults. In favourable wind conditions they can travel long distances in a single day which makes tracking them difficult. The Centre has also pitched in to help states battle the locust attack that can lay to waste agriculture fields. On Wednesday, the Union agriculture ministry said that locust control operations have been stepped to neutralize the threat in the affected states. In Maharashtra, the state agriculture department has issued a locust warning alert for all 11 districts in Vidarbha and four districts in north Maharashtra. 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. By PTI ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to apprise it of the state's schemes for rehabilitation of migrant workers and their families in the state. Seeking government's say on the matter by June 1, the next date of hearing, a bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Ramesh Sinha also directed the government to apprise it of various medical facilities for migrant workers and their families to stop the COVID-19 from spreading in rural areas of the state. "The state is also required to give a complete layout to reduce migration of the natives of Uttar Pradesh to other parts of the country to earn minimum livelihood," the bench added. The order was passed on May 26 by the bench hearing a lawsuit filed by two high court lawyers, Ritesh Srivastava and Gaurav Tripathi. As far as the issue of transportation and providing food to workers, raised in the lawsuit, the bench said it is not inclined to seek any explanation on it from the state government as the Supreme Court has already taken suo moto cognisance of it. The petitioners had moved the court, through a public interest litigation, bringing to the court's notice the plight of migrant workers travelling on foot and traversing hundreds of kilometres from their work places to reach their native villages and towns. Lakhs of workers are facing joblessness and penury and a situation closer to death without any fault of their own, the petitioners submitted to the court, adding that due to non-availability of basic infrastructure for employment in the Uttar Pradesh, lakhs of people used to migrate to the other states to earn their livelihood. Such migration is not at all wrong as the entire India is a Union but the present attitude of various state governments, where these people were working, is contrary to the spirit of the Union of India and its federal structure. Accordingly, it is necessary for the Uttar Pradesh to strengthen its edifice for local employment, the petitioners demanded in their plea. Noctilucent clouds are intensifying The first noctilucent clouds (NLCs) of northern summer have arrived--and they're better than expected. NASA's AIM spacecraft is monitoring a huge blue cloud pinwheeling around the North Pole, while sky watchers in northern Europe are reporting electric-blue tendrils in the night sky. Visit today's edition of Spaceweather.com for the full story. In the summer of 2014, Gillian Anderson finally had the opportunity she desired for a great many years: She got to play Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire. Benedict Andrews directed the production at London's Young Vic Theatre, which also featured Ben Foster as Stanley and Vanessa Kirby as Stella. The run quickly sold out, no doubt owing to the star power of the X-Files icon. The run sold out just as quickly when it came to New York City's St. Ann's Warehouse in 2016. From Thursday, May 21, at 2pm ET through Thursday, May 28, at 2pm ET, the full production will stream for free on the National Theatre's YouTube channel. Below, you can read our interview with Gillian Anderson about the production from April 2016. Gillian Anderson as Blanche DuBois ( Teddy Wolff) When did you first say to yourself "I want to play Blanche DuBois?" It's been rattling around in my head for a few decades. It was only after I started actually working on the dialogue that I realized that I had spent time with the text before. My mother reminded me that when I was 16, I did one of the monologues for a forensic competition. It must have been that moment of working on that text that somehow lodged [it] inside the cells of my being. When people have said, "If you could do any piece of theater what would it be?" I've always said "Streetcar, Streetcar, Streetcar." After the London run ended in 2014, did you feel like you still had unfinished business with Blanche? Good question. No, I didn't. And yet, in the rehearsal process, I'm still going, "Oh my god, I didn't see that period there. That changes the meaning of the word and the rhythm of the sentence." In our adaptation of the play, which is approved but isn't necessarily in the Penguin [published] book, I had found that Blanche says, "I want. Magic." It's not "I want magic." Where she's at right there in her journey, it's such a desperate statement. She's about to reveal that she's a pathological liar and excuses it by what she says: "I don't want realism" period "I want" period "Magic." There's a lot of that. I imagine with this kind of extraordinary text that you're never done with the dig. It's an epic deconstruction of genius, and you can't not continue to find nuggets in there. Ben Foster and Gillian Anderson share the stage in A Streetcar Named Desire. ( Johan Persson) Why did the production choose St. Ann's Warehouse over, say, Broadway? We weren't willing to compromise the integrity of the whole of the structure [of the set] for a proscenium. It is as important as anything else in this production. [So] that narrowed it down immediately. It just so happens St. Ann's is the perfect place and aesthetic. Having it in Brooklyn between the bridges, the industrial nature of it, and the all-American-ness of that space, it works really well. We are very lucky to have St. Ann's and the malleable space that it is. It feels like it's being re-created as opposed to adjusted for the circumstances. How do you and your castmates stay grounded when you're doing a play as intense a play as this? When one agrees to jump on the Streetcar, you are subjecting yourself to something very specific. There are plenty of plays that ask of the actors everything they've got. It is unique in some ways, and part of that is the state of mind of the characters on the stage and how to stay focused and grounded and sane, dare I say, through the process of doing it day after day, multiple times, even in rehearsal. We're a very tight, caring group. We've got most of the [original] cast in New York, and most of the crew as well, so they're familiar with the needs of the production and the actors. It ultimately comes down to getting enough sleep and eating well and taking care of yourself, and just being prepared. In the end, does playing Blanche DuBois mean that you get to finally scratch Streetcar off your bucket list? This is my bucket list. After doing a piece of material like this, it does spoil you. All of a sudden, it's like, "OK, if the pot is that small of what there is to choose from, in terms of that quality of classical work, but also at my age, do I need to be clearer about what those [roles] are, so I can map it out and don't go, "Oh, no, I've missed it?" It's now a bucket list that she will always be at the top of. Watch A Streetcar Named Desire beginning May 21 at 2pm ET below: Moon Chung-in, a special advisor to President Moon Jae-in, speaks during a recent interview with The Korea Times. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul South Korea's alliance with the United States is more important than its strategic partnership with China, but antagonizing Beijing will start a new Cold War on the Korean Peninsula, a special security adviser to President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday. Speaking from Seoul, Moon Chung-in was addressing the dilemma Seoul faces in its diplomatic relations with Washington and Beijing, as tensions between the two have intensified amid the coronavirus pandemic. "South Korea is an American ally, and we maintain a strategic cooperative partnership with China," he said during a virtual seminar hosted by the Quincy Institute and the Seoul-based East Asia Foundation. "And obviously, alliance is more important than strategic partner. Therefore, for us, our number one priority (is) under the U.S., but ... we are structurally dependent on China." Moon said China accounts for 24 percent of South Korea's external trade, compared with 9 percent with the U.S. and 7 percent with Japan. South Africas agricultural sector is dualistic, characterised by a highly commercial sector running parallel to a smallholder sector of two million dominated by black producers who are still finding it difficult to become sustainable and commercial. Smallholder farmers face significant challenges particularly in the current socio-economic environment and the growing food crisis as millions of poor South Africans cannot afford food. The biggest challenges they face are the lack of infrastructure, access to competitive markets, production and business skills, funding and financial support to re-invest in their farming activities, and an inability to comply to food safety requirements. Added to these are lack of land ownership and access to arable land, drought, inadequate water resources, land degradation and soil erosion. Technology specifically AgriTech has the power to transform the industry and drive widespread positive change for smallholder farmers by improving yield, efficiency, and profitability. These possibilities are why Microsoft South Africa has introduced its AgriTech initiative as part of its Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) strategy with the Department of Trade and Industry (dti). It is a challenge aimed at identifying and appointing established tech companies in South Africa that can conceptualise, develop and roll-out high-impact solutions to address critical challenges, and make a meaningful economic impact. The solutions will need to specifically: Improve efficiencies in farming to increase yields, create consistency and improve quality Reduce cost of production Conserve our natural resources Reduce post-harvest losses Improve access to local and international markets Improve compliance with legislation and other regulations Strengthen linkages through the value chain Make better access to information and intelligence available to farmers so they can make more informed decisions around not just production, but access to finance, access to markets and new developments. By unleashing the unrivalled potential of technology, we together with South African AgriTech companies can collectively create solutions that will allow for sustainable economic growth in one of our most critical, job-creating industries, said Asif Valley, National Technology Officer at Microsoft South Africa. Click here for more information from Microsoft. L inda Lusardi has shared an update on her health after recovering from coronavirus. The 61-year-old was in intensive care with Covid-19 less than eight weeks ago, with the former glamour model admitting she was at deaths door and that she could feel her organs failing as she battled the deadly disease. However, Lusardi has now said she is nearly back to normal following her recovery and has once again thanked NHS workers for looking after her while she was sick. Speaking to Good Morning Britain presenters Ben Shephard and Ranvir Singh about the ongoing Clap for Carers, Lusardi said: The first clap I was actually in hospital, in bed, fighting for my life. Each Thursday it brings a tear to my eye to remember the staff and the nurses that brought me back to life, really. Celebrities reacting to coronavirus - In pictures 1 /34 Celebrities reacting to coronavirus - In pictures Gigi Hadid with boyfriend Zayn Malik and sister Bella during her quarantined 25th birthday celebration Instagram / @gigihadid Joe Jonas and Sophia Turner have turned their isolation boredom into hilarious TikTok content TikTok Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok Gigi Hadid celebrated her 25th birthday with family while in quarantine Instagram / @gigihadid Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have been able to enjoy time with their kids Instagram / @chrissyteigen Katy Perry recorded herself for American Idol in a life sized hand sanitizer bottle Instagram / @katyperry Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were the first celebrities to have a confirmed case and kept us updated on their recovery journey on Twitter and Instagram Instagram / @tomhanks Demi Moore and Bruce Willis in matching pajamas with their daughter and her boyfriend Instagram / @buuski Kaia Gerber adopted a puppy to keep her company Instagram / @kaiagerber Helena Christensen has been having her son take glam Instagram photos for her Instagram Brooklyn Beckham in quarantine with his girlfriend Nicola Peltz Instagram Matthew McConaughey played virtual bingo with seniors The Enclave at Round Rock Senior Living/Facebook Kim Kardashian on a flight wearing a face mask and gloves @kimkardashian Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight @naomi Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a facemask during a plane ride @gwynethpaltrow Bella Hadid wearing a face mask on a plane @bellahadid Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas @sophiet Sebastian Stan on a plane in protective gear @sebastianstan Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight @naomi Nicole Scherzinger with Thom Evans @nicolescherzinger Idris Elba announced on Twitter that he had tested positive for coronavirus @idriselba Robbie Williams greets fans with elbow bumps Getty Images Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok Joe Jonas and Sophia Turner have turned their isolation boredom into hilarious TikTok content TikTok Katy Perry has taken to dressing up in outlandish costumes Instagram / @katyperry She added she felt it was important for the Clap for Carers initiative to continue, despite its organiser calling for tonight's applause to be the last one. Those frontline workers are still going into the eye of the storm every single week and I think its important that the neighbourhood remember that theyre out there doing that, Lusardi explained. Linda has urged people to clap for carers / Good Morning Britain Nothings changed for them. Theyre still going, theyre still missing their leave. Theyre still not having their holidays, and I think its a small price to pay to go out and to clap, and to remember what theyre doing. Lusardi has previously become emotional while describing her coronavirus ordeal, with husband Sam Kane having also contracted the virus. Celebrities supporting Clap for Carers to battle Coronavirus 1 /14 Celebrities supporting Clap for Carers to battle Coronavirus Naomie Harris @naomieharris The Beckham Family @davidbeckham Daniel Craig and his wife Rachel Weisz @rachelweisz1 Amanda Holden @noholdenback Ben Whishaw @benwhishaw Katie Price with her son Harvey @katieprice Stacey Solomon @staceysolomon Stacey Solomon @staceysolomon Frankie Bridge and her family @frankiebridge Gemma Collins @gemmacollins She spent 10 days in hospital with fever, chronic chest pains and vomiting. She told The Sun: It got to the stage where both of us were praying we wouldnt wake up because it was so bad. Please take care of yourselves, loved ones and each other. Good Morning Britain continues weekdays from 6am on ITV International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is celebrated every year on 29 May. On this day, the UN commemorates peacekeepers. People also pay tribute to all the women and men who have served as military, police or civilians in UN Peacekeeping programs and operations. Their dedication and courage are commended and the memories of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace are honoured. International day of UN peacekeepers meaning The UN General Assembly appointed 29 May as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. This is also the date when the first UN peacekeeping mission, United Nations Truce, or UNTSO, began operations in the Middle East in 1948. Since the first UN Peacekeeping mission was established in 1948, 3,800 military, police and civilian personnel have lost their lives in the service of peace as a result of acts of violence, accidents and disease, including 100 last year. So on May 29, the fallen peacekeepers will be honoured and commemorated. Also read: International Day Of Families 2020: Learn About Its History, Significance & Celebration International day of UN peacekeepers significance The theme for this year's day is "Women in Peacekeeping: A Key to Peace" to mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Women peacekeepers make an invaluable contribution to peacekeeping and are essential for promoting sustainable peace and help in improving overall peacekeeping performance. They also help in improving the peacekeeping performance as well as help in promoting human rights, social parity and encourage women to become a meaningful part of peace. India is among the largest contributors of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping. It currently contributes more than 5,400 military and police personnel to the UN peacekeeping operations in Abyei, Cyprus, Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, Sudan, South Sudan, Western Sahara as well as one expert to the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia. Also read: International Day For Biological Diversity: Dia Mirza Urges People To Protect Biodiversity Happy International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2020 The world is facing one of its greatest challenges the COVID-19 pandemic. And the UN Peacekeepers are facing it too. Peacekeepers are assisting world governments as well as the local communities in response to the pandemic. Women peacekeepers are on the front lines during this battle, and the world is grateful for their hard work and sacrifices. International Day of UN Peacekeepers celebration shall be done by staying at your homes and paying respects to those working on the front lines. Trainees under Newmont Ghana Ahafos Apprenticeship Training Programme have donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth GHS 12,000 to four health facilities in the Asutifi North and Tano North Districts of the Ahafo region. The gesture is the groups voluntary contribution to the Regions fight against the COVID-19 pandemic . Beneficiary health facilities included Kenyasi, Gyedu, Yamfo and Techire all within the Ahafo mines host communities. Items donated included 4000 pieces of hand gloves, 1000 pieces of face masks, 80 bottles of hand sanitizers and four gallons of liquid soap. Presenting the items, leader of the Apprentices, Franklin Boakye said We see the fight against covid-19 as a shared responsibility so we decided to put our allowances together and support these health facilities to make the fight against corona virus in our region successful. The Asutifi North District Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Foster Nyarko, who received the equipment on behalf of the four health centers, thanked the apprentices for the gesture. He revealed that so far, the district had sent samples of six (6) suspected cases of COVID-19 to the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research, (KCCR), but all came out negative. He urged the public to observe all safety protocols to prevent the spread of the disease. The Ahafo Region has not recorded any COVID-19 case yet. The Apprenticeship Training Programme was established by Newmont Ghana in 2005 as part of the companys commitment to help young people within its host communities acquire employable skills. By Nate Raymond and David Shepardson BOSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities on Wednesday arrested a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier and another man in Massachusetts wanted by Japan on charges that they enabled the escape of former Nissan Motor Co <7201.T> boss Carlos Ghosn out of the country. Former U.S. Green Beret Michael Taylor, 59, and his son, Peter Taylor, 27, are accused by Japanese authorities of helping Ghosn last year flee to Lebanon to avoid trial over alleged financial wrongdoing. The U.S. Marshals Service arrested them in Harvard, Massachusetts, at the request of Japan, which in January issued arrest warrants for both men along with a third, George-Antoine Zayek, in connection with facilitating the Dec. 29, 2019 escape. Ghosn, who was out on bail at the time, fled to Lebanon, his childhood home, while he was awaiting trial on charges of under-reporting earnings, breach of trust and misappropriation of company funds, all of which he denies. Japan is closely communicating with relevant U.S. authorities following the arrests, a Japanese government source said on Thursday. Prosecutors said Peter Taylor traveled to Japan the day before Ghosn's escape and Michael Taylor and Zayek arrived the day it occurred with large black boxes that appeared to be for music equipment. All three met with Ghosn, who after entering a hotel room with Michael Taylor and Zayek hid in one of the boxes, which was taken to an airport and loaded on a private jet headed for Turkey, prosecutors said. Ghosn two days later announced he was in Lebanon. The Taylors were arrested after U.S. law enforcement learned Peter Taylor had booked a flight from Boston to Beirut departing Wednesday with a layover in London, according to court papers. Following their arrest, the Taylors appeared by video before a federal judge wearing orange prison jumpsuits and face masks because of the coronavirus pandemic. They are being detained at the request of U.S. prosecutors, who say they pose a risk of flight after aiding Ghosn's "brazen" escape. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Hassink said Japan plans to formally seek their extradition as quickly as possible. Story continues Paul Kelly, their lawyer, in a statement said he expects to challenge any extradition request. "Michael Taylor is a distinguished veteran and patriot, and both and he and his son deserve a full and fair hearing regarding these issues, both before the courts and the executive branch," he said. A representative for Ghosn declined to comment. Japanese lawyer Junichiro Hironaka, who had defended Ghosn until his flight from the country, said in a telephone interview Thursday that the key question is whether there is enough evidence for extradition, and that he would watch developments closely. This month, Turkish prosecutors prepared an indictment charging seven people, including four pilots, over Ghosn's escape via Istanbul to Beirut. Nissan said in an emailed statement it notes the extradition proceedings and reserves the right to take further legal measures against Ghosn. The company filed a civil suit in Japan earlier this year seeking 10 billion yen ($93 million) in damages from its former boss for alleged misconduct. In September, Nissan and Ghosn settled civil charges by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to what it said were false financial disclosures by the company that omitted more than $140 million to be paid to Ghosn in retirement. That sum was ultimately was not paid. Nissan paid $15 million and Ghosn $1 million, and Ghosn agreed to a 10-year ban from serving as an officer or director of a publicly traded U.S. company. The SEC also said Ghosn engaged in a scheme to conceal more than $90 million of compensation. Nissan sued Ghosn in February seeking about $90 million. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and David Shepardson in Washington; Additional reporting by Kevin Buckland in Tokyo; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Christopher Cushing) Islamabad: Pakistans Supreme Court on Monday dismissed appeals of at least 16 terrorists, including those convicted for the Peshawar school carnage and sentenced to death, by the special military courts, the first time the apex court has ruled on the legality of cases tried by the army. The Supreme Court in its 182-page decision ruled the appellants had not proved that the military violated their constitutional rights or failed to follow procedure. The decision is the major blow to lawyers and civil society activists who had been struggling to reverse the convictions by the military courts. A five-member full bench, headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, had reserved judgement on the appeals of the convicts on June 20. The terrorists were convicted for the involvement in the Army Public School Attack in Peshawar, Parade Line bombing in Rawalpindi, the Bannu jailbreak, and attacks on army convoys and installations. They were tried by special military courts set up after Peshawar school attack for speedy trial of rebels. It is not known when they were convicted and where the trial was held as such courts work at secret places due to security issues. Army chief General Raheel Sharif had already rejected the appeals but the convicts had challenged the sentences in the Supreme Court. The decision marks the first time the highest court has ruled on the legality of cases tried by the military. According to The Express Tribune, senior lawyer and rights activist Asma Jahangir, the counsel for the convicts, on June 20 had demanded the retrial of convicts. She also said that lawyers were not given access to the record of trial. She argued that they do not know what law her client was taken into custody and whether the due course of law was provided. She again contended that people were illegally arrested under the regulation, and later the constitutional amendment was introduced to hide the illegality. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Golden Temple Amritsar: Due to some relaxation in the last few days, a large number of devotees have been arrived in the Golden Temple, but even the police were adamant. As the devotees said that in the past they used to go for darshan, a young man said that they would have gone earlier but now it is a question of our job. Advertisement PhotoEven the police personnel are maintaining social distance from Gurudwara Shaheed Ganj Sahib and Sri Harmandir Sahib. Not only this, the police also check the i-cards of the Shiromani Committee and the employees of Sri Harmandir Sahib and then let them go. PhotoIt may be recalled that in the last few days, the media had shown pictures of the sangats standing at the checkpoints and the flags of the lockdown were seen flying and due to the arrival of June 6, the police and the administration have tightened the staff. Advertisement After waiting for hours on the streets, the sangat was seen returning home in despair, but the police did not allow anyone except for the duty staff and three guards. Journalist detained for 15 days by Moscow court for violation of rally law RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 14:12 28/05/2020 MOSCOW, May 28 (RAPSI) Moscows Tverskoy District Court on Thursday detained journalist and municipal lawmaker Ilya Azar for 15 days for repeated violation of the law concerning rallies, the courts press service told RAPSI. The journalist was arrested on Tuesday near the building of the Interior Ministrys Main Directorate in central Moscow. Azar was staying in a sole picket in support of creator of the Police Ombudsman Telegram channel Vladimir Vorontsov, who had been earlier arrested on suspicion of extorting 300,000 rubles ($4,000) from a former Interior Ministry employee, and the channels admin Igor Khudyakov. The lawmaker and his lawyer Leonid Solovyev claim that Azar's arrest and detention are illegal as a sole picket doesnt breach legislation even during the sanitary and epidemiological restrictions. US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle warplanes have stopped off at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk after flying missions over Syria and Iraq. The elite American warplanes are on their way home to Mountain Home base in Idaho after stopping by the UK base earlier this week. US F-15E Strike Eagle jets, first built in 1989, have been involved in missions in the Middle East and have seen recent action in Syria and Iraq. Lakenheath, which is 4.7 miles north-east of Mildenhall and 8.3 miles west of Thetford, hosts United States Air Force units and personnel. US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle warplanes have stopped off at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk after flying missions over Syria and Iraq US Air Force aircraft, together with British, German and Italian warplanes, have recently taken part in a training exercise over the North Sea. Around 100 personnel and 38 aircraft, including F-16 fighter jets, participated in Wednesday's exercise, which aimed to 'sharpen combat readiness', said large force exercise planner Captain Nathan Hartoin. Captain Hartoin, of 48th Fighter Wing based at Lakenheath, said the primary purpose of the exercise is to 'maintain a ready force capable of ensuring the collective defence of the NATO alliance'. He added that video calls enabled planning during the pandemic and further measures were in place to guard against coronavirus. The elite American warplanes are on their way home to Mountain Home base in Idaho after stopping by the UK base earlier this week 'Once we get out to the jets, there's a procedure for decontaminating the jets along with the pilot flying and then decontaminating after the flight as well,' he said. 'Along with in-mission planning, we're able to maintain the space based on the size of the working area that we actually have, then we're able to maintain that space again via the video teleconferences across different bases.' The drill involved F-16 jets from Aviano Airbase in Italy and Spangdahlem Airbase in Germany, alongside KC-135 Stratotanker refueller aircraft from RAF Mildenhall. Military exercises over the North Sea and in the Baltics are likely to be related to rising tensions between Russia and the Western powers. A spokesman for EuCom, the US European Command which co-ordinates military activity in Europe, said: 'We have not seen an increase in threatening activity from any potential adversaries in the European theatre; however, we continue to train and stand ready to counter any potential threat that may arise.' PR Consulting, a New York fashion shop with such clients as Narciso Rodriguez, Dries Van Noten and Raf Simons, has closed its Los Angeles office, according to a report in WWD. The shuttering of the L.A. office, which opened in 2013, follows changes at the agencys headquarters in New York. In late March, the company laid off 32 staffers in order to keep the company running under the current circumstances. PR Consulting also has an office in Paris. With the red carpet closed for the foreseeable future and no LA fashion shows on the horizon, business for many fashion-focused agencies in the city has dwindled in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Other firms that have had to cut staff due to the pandemic include Spring (which has also closed its LA office), Krupp Group and BPCM. The Morrison government is considering revamping elements of its JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme to head off a $100 billion financial cliff beyond September as it works with banks to help hundreds of thousands of Australians once mortgage deferrals end. Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe on Thursday made it clear the government will have to support the economy as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, possibly for years, through infrastructure spending and programs like JobKeeper. The $70 billion JobKeeper program, along with the JobSeeker coronavirus supplement, is due to end after September but there is growing concern this will pull $100 billion in support from the economy at a time when unemployment is expected to be above 9 per cent. Banks have deferred repayments on one in 14 mortgages worth more than $160 billion but the six-month grace period is due to expire in September and October. Deferrals on business loans worth another $85 billion are due to end at the same time. Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong income characteristics for investors to consider today, May 27th: AbbVie Inc. (ABBV): This biopharmaceutical company has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 14.2% over the last 60 days. AbbVie Inc. Price and Consensus AbbVie Inc. Price and Consensus AbbVie Inc. price-consensus-chart | AbbVie Inc. Quote This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company has a dividend yield of 5.20%, compared with the industry average of 2.57%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 4.10%. AbbVie Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) AbbVie Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) AbbVie Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | AbbVie Inc. Quote Conagra Brands, Inc. (CAG): This food company has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 6.9% over the last 60 days. Conagra Brands Inc. Price and Consensus Conagra Brands Inc. Price and Consensus Conagra Brands Inc. price-consensus-chart | Conagra Brands Inc. Quote This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 2.58%, compared with the industry average of 0.30%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 2.53%. Conagra Brands Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) Conagra Brands Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) Conagra Brands Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | Conagra Brands Inc. Quote General Mills, Inc. (GIS): This manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 2.6% over the last 60 days. General Mills, Inc. Price and Consensus General Mills, Inc. Price and Consensus General Mills, Inc. price-consensus-chart | General Mills, Inc. Quote This Zacks Rank #2 company has a dividend yield of 3.27%, compared with the industry average of 0.30%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 2.71%. General Mills, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) General Mills, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) General Mills, Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | General Mills, Inc. Quote China Distance Education Holdings Limited (DL): This provider of online and offline education services the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 2.7% over the last 60 days. China Distance Education Holdings Limited Price and Consensus Story continues China Distance Education Holdings Limited Price and Consensus China Distance Education Holdings Limited price-consensus-chart | China Distance Education Holdings Limited Quote This Zacks Rank #1 company has a dividend yield of 8.05%, compared with the industry average of 0.00%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 2.02%. China Distance Education Holdings Limited Dividend Yield (TTM) China Distance Education Holdings Limited Dividend Yield (TTM) China Distance Education Holdings Limited dividend-yield-ttm | China Distance Education Holdings Limited Quote See the full list of top ranked stocks here. Find more top income stocks with some of our great premium screens. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2021. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report China Distance Education Holdings Limited (DL) : Free Stock Analysis Report AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research China has reacted sharply to the United States seeking a discussion in the UN Security Council on the new security legislation for Hong Kong, with the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun saying, China categorically rejects the baseless request of the US for a Security Council meeting. Legislation on national security for Hong Kong is purely Chinas internal affairs. Russia came in support of China with its envoy to UN, Dimitry Polyanskiy, tweeting to say: We never discuss internal matters of member-states. Its like opening a Pandoras Box and could make damage for US itself. Meanwhile, US secretary of State Mike Pompeo dialled another P5 member, UK, to speak to his counterpart Dominic Raab. According to the US press statement, they both agreed that the international community must support the people of Hong Kong and respond to Beijings continued erosions of Hong Kongs autonomy. The handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China happened in 1997 after a 156-year colonial rule under the Sino-British Joint Declaration that ensured autonomy for Hong Kong under the One Country, Two Systems rule between China and HKSAR. On the other hand, escalating the already raging war of words, Jun called the US troublemaker of the world using power politics and bullying practices. Interestingly, this heightened US versus China narrative emerged the same day US President Donald Trump tweeted to say that the US has informed both India and China that it is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute. There was no response from the Indian or Chinese side till the filing of this report as to which leader or official on either side was informed about Americas offer or what the two countries stand on mediation is. Former diplomat Rajiv Dogra explained to News18 that it would be near impossible for India to accept such an offer due to the implications it could have. He said, As a principle, if you accept one mediation/arbitration offer, how do you refuse another? Since last year, Trump has made repeated offers to mediate between India and Pakistan over Kashmir that have been categorically rejected by India. Ambassador Dogra also pointed out that arbitration or mediation would make India enter unchartered waters and that could be quite troublesome. India and China have a mechanism on ground to diffuse situations on the LAC. The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India China Border Affairs (WMCC) is an institutional mechanism in place for maintaining peace and tranquility on the border by ensuring status quo on the Line of Actual Control. Along with this, during the two informal summits between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Wuhan and Mahaballipuram, it was stressed that difference should not be allowed to become dispute. In the Mahaballipuram summit last year in October, it was decided that the leaders of the two countries will direct their militaries to undertake more Confidence Building Measures. However, for three weeks, skirmishes broke out on the LAC at different points and the situation could not be diffused despite the mechanism in place. India initially dismissed the events as those arising out of a difference in perception of the LAC. But last week, the Ministry of External Affairs finally admitted to the situation, saying China was hindering Indias normal patrolling patterns. There were two statements from the Chinese side that had indicated that Beijing is looking at de-escalation. The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lijian Zhao called the situation on the LAC overall stable and controllable. The Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong, also said at a webinar with Indian youth: We should not let differences overshadow our relations. We should resolve differences through communication. However, reports suggested that there has been no retreat by Chinese forces on the ground yet at the LAC. Protests continued for a second day in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the neighborhood where 46-year-old George Floyd was choked to death by police officers on Monday. Thousands of people gathered at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue Wednesday and blocked traffic, demanding justice for Floyd and the arrest of the cops responsible for his murder. Protests began in the morning Wednesday, with hundreds of demonstrators occupying the block where the brutal killing of Floyd took place and continuing throughout the day and into the night. For the second day in a row police responded with volleys of tear gas, rubber bullets and sandbags as demonstrators moved up Chicago Avenue to surround the Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct headquarters. Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz tweeted late Wednesday night that the protests had evolved into an extremely dangerous situation and called for everyone to leave the area. An Auto Zone automotive store across the street from the 3rd precinct was set on fire during the chaos of the police crackdown. Police watch from the roof as people protest the arrest and death of George Floyd (AP Photo/Jim Mone) Floyd was confronted Monday evening by the police, who were responding to a forgery in progress after the owners of a local restaurant called to report that he had tried to pass what they believed was a counterfeit bill. A video from one of the onlookers cell phones shows that Floyd complained that he could not breathe as officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck. Another officer, Tou Thao, helped keep the crowd at bay as the two others helped Chauvin pin Floyd on the ground. As a result of the video going viral online and sparking national outrage, all four of the officers involved in the killing were fired Tuesday by Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey. However, as of Wednesday no arrests had been made. Private security footage published by the Washington Post Wednesday captured some of the events leading to the police killing of George Floyd. The video was provided by Rashad West, the owner of a restaurant near the 38th Street and Chicago Avenue intersection. The footage refutes the narrative spun by Minneapolis police spokesperson John Elder that Floyd physically resisted officers after stepping out of his car. After being handcuffed, Floyd can be seen cooperating with the police and being placed against the wall of the building where the camera is recording, before being dragged in front of the restaurant where Officer Chauvin murdered him by kneeling on his neck for almost 10 minutes. The two other officers involved in the killing, along with Chauvin and Thao, have been identified as Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng. While Lane and Kueng were relatively new to the police force, starting in 2019 and 2017 respectively, both Chauvin and Thao were veterans with rap sheets. Chauvin, a 19-year-veteran of the Minneapolis police force, was involved with five other officers in the 2006 police killing of 42-year-old Wayne Reyes. In 2008, he shot and wounded Ira Latrell Toles during a domestic assault call. Thao was sued in 2017 for the use of excessive force after he stopped and searched a man without cause, cuffed him, threw him to the ground and beat him up. Mayor Frey responded to the protests Tuesday by calling for the arrest of Chauvin but not his accomplices. "I've wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail," Frey said. He continued, Im calling on Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to act on the evidence before him Im calling on him to charge the arresting officer in this case. Along with the demonstrations in Minneapolis, protests over Floyds killing and against police violence have erupted across the nation, including in Los Angeles, California, where hundreds of protesters blocked traffic on the 101 Freeway Wednesday evening. The ongoing demonstrations are taking place in the backdrop of a deepening social crisis caused by the American ruling classs negligent response to the COVID-19 pandemic and growing anger over the February murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia and the subsequent law enforcement cover up. Over 60% of Irish employees are worried about the impact of Covid-19 on their job, and their ability to find a job in the future, according to new research conducted by recruitment platform, Jobs.ie. The survey conducted among employees across 40 different industries, found that Covid-19 has already impacted over 80% of peoples jobs. Of those whose jobs have been impacted, 45% have been let go on a temporary basis with a further 16% saying that they have been let go permanently. Others have experienced reduced working hours, pay reductions, company closures, redundancies or have moved to a working from home environment. According to the survey, Covid-19 has affected peoples jobs at all experience levels, including 82% of those who are in their current role for less than a year, 86% of those who have been in their role between one and three years, and 80% of those who have been working in their current job for more than three years. Future Sentiment Over 70% of employees who have been impacted by Covid-19, said they are not confident that the changes to their job will be reversed by their employer in the future. Of those, 33% say they have no confidence in the changes being reversed and a further 38% saying they do not know if they will be. Christopher Paye, General Manager at Jobs.ie says; As we move towards phase two of the Governments Covid-19 roadmap to reopening the economy, we are seeing more and more businesses opening their doors once again. However, as a result of the various operational implications arising from social distancing practises in the workplace and the obvious financial losses suffered by many businesses to date, there remains high levels of uncertainty amongst employees as to if and when they might be able to return to work on a permanent basis. It is particularly telling that amongst those who have been professionally impacted by Covid-19, over 70% are not confident that the changes to their jobs will ever be reversed. This potentially suggests a breakdown in communications between employers and employees. It is important that employers maintain open channels of communication with their employees, providing them with regularised updates on what each phase will mean for the business. In the current circumstances, clear communication and consistent contact by employers is vital to allay uncertainty and anxiety. While the pathway to reopening workplaces is far from straight forward, it is crucial that businesses continue to follow Government guidelines and take all of the relevant measures to create environments that will facilitate a safe return to work. Industry Breakdown The research reveals those working in hotels (11%), retail (9%) and travel and tourism (6%) have been most affected by Covid-19. Those within the hotel industry have been most affected by temporary job losses, with 66% of employees in this sector experiencing some level of change. A further 16% in the hotel industry say they were let go permanently. Amongst those within the tourism and travel sector, 47% of those who have been impacted by Covid-19 say they have been let go on a temporary basis. A further 33% say they were let go permanently. For those who have impacted in the retail sector, 41% say that they have been let go temporarily, with 15% saying they have lost their job permanently. Commenting on current recruitment trends, Mr Paye, adds; Recruitment is down but not out. It is true certain sectors, such as tourism and hospitality, have borne the brunt of the lockdown while others, particularly food retail, logistics and healthcare have continued to recruit. As we enter the summer months the steady reopening of the economy will bring fresh opportunities. On Jobs.ie we are already seeing an increase in job posting activity as employers begin to plan for leaving lockdown. Paris, 28 May 2020 (Roche Bobois SA - ISIN: FR0013344173 - Ticker symbol: RBO): The Company's shareholders are hereby notified that the Roche Bobois SA combined general meeting will take place on 18 June 2020 at 11.30 am at the Company's registered office behind closed doors. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, restrictions on movement and other government measures, pursuant to Article 4 of Order 2020-321 of 25 March 2020, the Board of Directors has decided to hold the combined general meeting behind closed doors at the Company's registered office. This means that shareholders (other than general meeting officers) and other persons entitled to attend will not be present, whether in person or via conference call or videoconference. The notice of meeting including the agenda and draft resolutions was published in the BALO legal notices gazette on 13 May 2020. The invitation will be published in BALO and the "La Loi" legal announcement journal on 29 May 2020. The documents required under Article R. 225-83 of the French Commercial Code have been made available to the shareholders in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements as follows: Up until the fifth day (inclusive) before the meeting, any registered shareholder may ask the Company to be sent these documents. Holders of bearer shares must provide a certificate of account registration issued by their authorised intermediary; All shareholders may also access these documents at the Company's registered office during the 15-day period preceding the meeting. Given the current travel restrictions, the Company advises shareholders to consult documents and legal information on the Company website or, if they wish to receive the documents, to provide an email address to which they may be sent. All shareholders are entitled to take part in the combined general meeting irrespective of the number of shares they hold. Given that shareholders will not be able to attend the meeting in person, they are. invited to cast their vote by post or by proxy. The voting arrangements are explained in the aforementioned notice of meeting and invitation. All documents relating to this meeting may be consulted on the Roche Bobois website (www.finance-roche-bobois.com) under the General Meeting section from 28 May 2020 onwards. The officers will be appointed in accordance with Article 8 of the aforementioned Order 2020-418 of 10 April 2020. The identity of the officers will be announced as soon as possible in the General Meeting section of the Company website. The arrangements for the general meeting could change in accordance with health and/or legal requirements. Accordingly, shareholders are encouraged to regularly check the General Assembly section of the Company website. As a reminder, a registration document was filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) on 30 April 2020 under number R.20-009. This document includes a description of the main risk factors to which the Company is exposed. About Roche Bobois SA ROCHE BOBOIS SA is a French family business founded in 1960. The Group operates in 54 countries and has a network of 332 owned stores and franchises (at 31 December 2019) marketing its two brands: Roche Bobois, a high-end furniture brand with a strong international presence, and Cuir Center, positioned in the mid-range market segment with an essentially French customer base. Through its Roche Bobois brand, the Group embodies the French Art de Vivre whose presence can now be felt on the world stage, with original and bold creations from talented designers (Bruno Moinard, Jean Nouvel, Ora Ito, Sacha Lakic, Christophe Delcourt, Stephen Burks, Kenzo Takada, Bina Baitel...) and partnerships with fashion and haute couture houses. Roche Bobois is also a committed partner in the world of culture and the arts. Including franchises, these two brands posted 2019 revenues of 490 million excluding VAT, to which Roche Bobois contributed 398 million and Cuir Center 92 million. Roche Bobois SA 2019 consolidated revenues came to 274.7 million. For more information please visit www.finance-roche-bobois.com CONTACT Actus Finance - Anne-Pauline Petureaux Investor Relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 72 apetureaux@actus.fr Actus Finance - Alexandra Prisa Press Relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 90 aprisa@actus.fr ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: l2uaZZppZZmblW5xaJZsZ2Fnb5mSw5WUmmqVyZKek8eUbZ6Rl22SbcjGZm9km2xp - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-63673-meeting-shareholder-18-june.pdf Marketing School Superintendents to Ed Tech: 'Please Stop' A Washington state superintendent set off a firestorm of support when she tweeted in mid-March to education companies: "...To every vendor, solution partner, researcher, education advocate, etc. please stop. Just stop. My WA superintendent colleagues and I confronting school closure need to focus on our communities. Let us do our jobs." Now, a survey of superintendents at other school districts has confirmed the sentiment first expressed by Susan Enfield, who leads Highline Public Schools near Seattle. Nearly half (46 percent) said what they most need from ed tech right now is "to be left alone." The survey drew responses from 67 superintendents who belong to the National Superintendents Roundtable. During a period when school system leaders are focused on making sure students get enough food and have the equipment and access they need for remote learning and are trying to figure out plans for the fall, what's not helping, they said, was a "flood of sales calls from technology vendors offering to help." "What superintendents want most is to be left alone in the middle of this crisis," noted James Harvey, executive director of the Roundtable, in a statement. "They worry that unvalidated products are being marketed to parents and teachers that distract from the district's mission." According to the survey, the main solution needed from vendors was professional development, to help teachers use the technology that schools already have in place. On a scale of one to six, with six being the most critical, that was ranked 4.1 in terms of importance. Negative experiences with vendors (mentioned by 32 percent of respondents) have overshadowed the positive ones (20 percent). As one person asserted, "We are now creating a list of which companies we are going to blacklist because of this unethical sales behavior." Said another, "Honestly, there are some vendors I will never do business with in the future because of the crazy amount of emails." Besides, said 54 percent of survey participants, they aren't even the right people to contact regarding district technology needs. What about all those free software offers promoted by hundreds of companies (and, ahem, this publication)? Two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) said those deals are turning into a "distraction from district mission." "Free offers are helpful, but we need a plan to evaluate what we are using and time to study implementation," one superintendent said. "Who doesn't like free? However, it does distract from our focus if the products aren't vetted first," added another. A lack of product vetting is also troublesome for free offers made to families and teachers, the survey found. Forty-eight percent of district leaders said they worry about marketing unvalidated products to these audiences, and a quarter (24 percent) said they're concerned that the products and services don't necessarily align with current district programs. Once those free programs end, most superintendents were pretty sure they won't adopt the new technology. Nearly six in 10 (57 percent) said they would only follow through on purchases after district review; another 17 percent said they wouldn't consider purchase at all. As one respondent bemoaned, "Given the nature of where we will be with district budgets, I don't believe we will be purchasing anything new when this is over." The overall results of the survey have suggested "that vendors would be well served to step lightly in the current highly charged and difficult environment," the report concluded. Ed tech would be better served, first, by staying out of the way of superintendents as they map a path through the pandemic for their schools and, second, directing their focus on district curriculum directors and information technology specialists. That's the best way, the report stated, to build "trust, respect and reliable long-term markets with school leaders." The report is openly available on the National Superintendents Roundtable's website. Work from home statistics show that 82% of telecommuters report lower stress levels, which, in turn, means happier, more engaged employees. Thats the sort of employee that ends up being more productive, and it may lead to a remote megatrend that gets rid of all sorts of office-related overhead for companies around the world. For many, that work-related stress might be even lower once the pandemic of over, quarantines lifted and they stop sharing close quarters with shut-in kids, spouses and others. States that are less impacted by coronavirus are opening up businesses, while those hit hard are talking about easing up on some restrictions, with companies summoning employees back to the roost. But not across the board Some companies--most notably in the tech industry, plan to continue to play the remote work game and keep their physical offices closed longer. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square announced that employees of two companies will be able to work from home permanently, even once offices begin to reopen. Google has told employees that the vast majority of them will work from home until 2021. As a bonus, the company will give $1,000 to each worker that works from home to compensate for equipment expenses. Facebook announced it would start reopening offices after the July 4th weekend but would let employees who are able to work from home do so until next year. Of all major tech companies, it seems that only Apple has requested that some employees return to work--physically. Remote work was accelerating in the U.S even before the pandemic. The share of the labor force that works from home tripled in the past 15 years, due to available technology and living costs in big cities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, some 5.2% of workers or 8 million people in the US worked full-time at home, while 43 percent worked from home at least some of the time. Now, with the pandemic shuttering workplaces, that figure has skyrocketed globally. A new Gallup poll shows that the majority of those forced to work from home during the pandemic are not emotionally ready to return to the office. Related: Has Re-Opening The Economy Been Successful? Only one in four remote workers wants to return to the workplace once restrictions are lifted, poll found. Another quarter are reluctant to return specifically because of concerns about contracting COVID-19, while half have a personal preference for working remotely. The pandemic is also accelerating this trend in other ways: Not only are some companies going to continue to allow employees to work from home, but some are even considering the creation of new remote job positions. A survey by Cybersecurity Insiders found that 33% of U.S. companies anticipate some positions moving to permanent remote work and over half planning to increase their budget for secure remote work in the near-term. A Global Workplace Analytics survey found that some 56% of the US workforce holds a job that is compatible with remote work, either partially or in full. It also estimates that by the end of 2021, some 30% of the total workforce will be working at home on a multiple-days-a-week basis. Nearly 50% of those who work from home say that theyre very satisfied with the way they live and work. This is an incredibly huge number compared to 27% of those who are happy in their office jobs. Despite breaks--and possibly even naps and juggling other domestic duties, remote workers have proven to be significantly more productive. And productivity is a major issue in the US, as it is estimated that actively disengaged employees cause U.S. companies $450 $550 billion in lost productivity annually. By Michael Scott for Safehaven.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday signed a $177 million loan to upgrade 450 km of state highways and major district roads in Maharashtra Mumbai: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday signed a $177 million loan to upgrade 450 km of state highways and major district roads in Maharashtra. "ADB and the Central government signed a $177 million loan to upgrade 450 km of state highways and major district roads in the state of Maharashtra," an official release said. Under the Maharashtra state road improvement project, two major district roads and 11 state highways, with a combined length of 450 km will be upgraded to two-lane standards across seven districts. The projects would improve connectivity to national highways, interstate roads, seaports, airports, rail hubs, district headquarters, industrial areas, enterprise clusters and agricultural areas. "The project will improve connectivity between rural areas and urban centres in the state enabling rural communities to better access markets, employment opportunities and services. "Improved mobility will expand development and livelihood opportunities outside of the state's major urban centres to second-tier cities and towns thus reducing income disparities," Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary (Fund Bank and ADB), Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance said. The project will also focus on training the Maharashtra Public Works Department project staff to build their capacity in climate change adaptation and disaster-resilient features in road design, road maintenance planning and road safety, the release said. "The project will also strengthen road safety measures by developing a road safety audit framework that will protect vulnerable groups such as the elderly, women, and children, following the international best practice," Kenichi Yokoyama Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission said. He further said the project is to update the road maintenance system by encouraging five-year performance-based maintenance obligations to contractors to sustain asset quality and service levels. By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called on Wednesday for the U.S. By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called on Wednesday for the U.S. Congress to "stop abusing" New York and other Democratic-controlled states and release more federal funds to help them combat the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking after meeting President Donald Trump at the White House, Cuomo said funding for states and local governments was essential to fostering a national recovery from the outbreak, which has killed almost 100,000 Americans and ravaged the U.S. economy. "States that bore the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic account for one-third of the national GDP," said Cuomo, a Democrat whose state has been hit hardest by the outbreak. "How can you tell one-third of the country to go to heck?" "So my point to our friends in the Congress - stop abusing New York, stop abusing New Jersey, stop abusing Massachusetts and Illinois and Michigan and Pennsylvania - stop abusing the states who bore the brunt of the COVID virus through no fault of their own," Cuomo said. Massachusetts has a Republican governor, but the other five states' governors are Democrats. States have sought more help from the federal government to get through the crisis. Democrats who control the House of Representatives passed legislation on May 15 that would provide nearly $1 trillion for state and local governments, but the bill was rejected by Trump and the Republican-led Senate's leaders. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last month suggested that states whose finances are depleted by the coronavirus pandemic could declare bankruptcy instead of receiving federal aid. The suggestion sparked outrage from some state leaders. Cuomo said his meeting with Trump on Wednesday focused on how to "supercharge" the economy by investing in infrastructure. He arrived for the meeting at the White House wearing a surgical mask. Trump has declined to wear a mask in public even though his own health experts have recommended it. New York has begun to see drops in rates of hospitalizations and deaths, while other states relax lockdowns and partygoers flout precautions aimed at curtailing the novel coronavirus. Twenty U.S. states reported an increase in new cases for the week ended Sunday. Florida reported a nearly 6% increase, while New York registered a double-digit decline. Businesses across the country are opening doors after shuttering in mid-March as states and local governments took drastic measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, almost bringing the country to a halt. The economy contracted at its steepest pace since the Great Recession in the first quarter. With a focus on infrastructure as a way to revive the economy, Cuomo, is touching on a topic close to Trump. The Republican president has long embraced the idea of updating the country's infrastructure. Cuomo, who has sparred with Trump over the federal government's pandemic response, wants to revive the economy by undertaking major transport and other projects. He told reporters on Tuesday he would discuss a federal role in investments to modernize the nation's bridges, roads and rail systems. Trump has said he believed infrastructure spending could help the economy recover from the pandemic, embracing a massive $2 trillion plan at the end of March. Senate Majority Leader McConnell last month said legislation was separate from coronavirus spending and would have to wait. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington and Maria Caspani in New York and Nathan Layne; Additional reporting by Alexandra Alper; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Andrea Ricci and Jonathan Oatis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Photo: Suzie Tremmel/Flickr Missed the most recent top news in Raleigh? Read on for everything you need to know. Raleigh Harris Teeter manager sentenced to prison for running gun pipeline to DC Read the full story on WNCN. Authorities search for 'habitual felon' after he escapes from Wake Correctional Center Read the full story on ABC11 WTVD. Data: Nearly 200 COVID-related complaints in NC received by OSHA since March Read the full story on WNCN. Man hospitalized with serious injuries after Raleigh stabbing Read the full story on WNCN. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. A now-former co-manager of a Raleigh Harris Teeter was sentenced to more than two years in prison for his role in a firearm buying scheme, according to the United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Authorities are searching for Gerrhon D. Mills, who was last seen at the minimum-security facility in Raleigh on Wednesday afternoon. Nearly 200 coronavirus-related complaints in North Carolina were filed to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration during the first two months of the pandemic, according to an online database. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa gave an exclusive interview to CNN-News18 as he completed 50 years in active politics on Wednesday. Elected to Sri Lankan Parliament as the youngest MP at 24 in 1970, Rajapaksa has been the President of Sri Lanka twice and the Prime Minister on three occasions. He was also a leading, young voice of the opposition during JR Jeyawardene and Ranasinghe Premadasas tenure from 1977 to 1993. Credited with ending the 30-year-long brutal Tamil Eelam war (LTTE) for a separate homeland in 2009 and speeding up economic development of the island nation during his previous tenure, Rajapaksa is now serving his third term as the Prime Minister along with his younger brother Gotabaya as the President. In this freewheeling chat, Rajapaksa maintained that Sri Lanka wants to maintain good relations with both India and China as the two countries find themselves involved in another border standoff. Asserting that Tamil people want prosperity and peace, not a separate homeland, he asked the Tamil politicians to realise that a separate state is just not feasible, and also declared that he would never allow terrorism, be it Tamil or Islamic. Heres the full text of the conversation: Q. You have completed 50 years in active politics, in public life. You are the most senior leader in the SAARC, who is still leading a nation. How do you look back at all these years in public life? Ans. It has certainly been a very eventful 50 years. During this entire period, we have had peace only in intervals. Less than a year after I was elected to Parliament in May 1970, Sri Lanka was ravaged by the first insurgency of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. When I became President in November 2005, the biggest challenge that I faced was the separatist terrorism of the LTTE. We have faced challenges and we have been able to overcome them together. Looking back, I am grateful that I was able to fulfil 50 years in politics, in service to my people. Q. As the President between 2005 and 2015, you destroyed LTTE and restored peace. Do you think it was the toughest job you handled in the 50 years? Ans. That would have been a difficult task for any leader. I was blessed to inherit an experienced and gifted team in the leadership of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Police, along with the best Intelligence service a President could ask for. Management of the forces was paramount, and I knew of only one man I could trust that service to, my younger brother. In fact, Gotabaya as defense secretary was the first appointment I made as President in 2005. For all of us who were involved in the war, it will no doubt remain one of our greatest achievements and it was my privilege to give them that political leadership and protection to execute that victory. After all, the LTTE as a terrorist organisation had been given the highest rankings in the world by the FBI. Q. You were out of power for five years between 2015 and 2019. Please tell us about those years. Ans. When the election results were announced, I wasted no time in putting my affairs in order and leaving straight to our family home in Weeraketiya to enjoy my retirement. The people, however, made a statement asking me to return and lead them once more. As I looked around and saw how the supposed political leadership of Sri Lanka was crumbling with the harassment of intelligence officers and the persecution of public servants under my tenure, I realised my job was not done yet. The job of grooming the next generation of leaders was in my hands as a father of this nation. I asked the then-present government to be accountable for their actions and leading by example, hopefully set a precedent for future MPs to lead in integrity and honesty. Q. You have seen SAARC from its inception in 1985. Do you think it is still relevant? Ans. Regional cooperation is all important. It is an absolute necessity. Its what enables us to remain strong. The SAARC may not be functioning as it should due to issues between member states. Problems exist, but we have to keep lines of communication open and cooperation has to take place between regional players. Q. Sri Lanka has emerged as a top global tourist destination under your regime. Coronavirus seems to have hit tourism hard. What is the way out? Ans. Although the tourism industry has been affected worldwide, we have had it slightly worse with the Easter tragedy from last year still having an effect on the industry. In the short term, we are looking at ensuring that the livelihoods of those engaged in the industry, are preserved until it is able to resume normalcy. There are suggestions that local tourism could keep the hotel industry going in the short term and that is being looked into. Q. Currently your younger brother Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the President. You are the Prime Minister. There are conflicting reports about how you are going to define this arrangement in future. Are you for return to Parliamentary democracy and a ceremonial President? Ans. Any Constitutional change will have to be discussed after the new Parliament meets. I think everybody universally accepts that we cannot continue with the 19th Amendment and the present Constitution as it is. Q. What has gone right and wrong with India in the last 50 years and how do you see the IndiaLanka relationship? Ans. There have been ups and downs in the bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka. Whenever the relationship deteriorated as in the 1980s and in 2014, both countries have suffered. Between 1948 and 1980, India-Lanka relations were on a good footing. I think we have now once again gone back to that previous era when there was a strong relationship between our nations. This should be continued under all governments on both sides. Mahinda Rajapaksa in his young days. He was elected to Sri Lankan Parliament as the youngest MP at 24 in 1970. Q. When you look back at your political career, who all do you rememberthose who mentored you and those who challenged you? Ans. From the beginning, it was my mother who encouraged me to get into politics. I am forever grateful for her urging that has shaped my life. Then it was Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike who provided me with the opportunity to serve my country by giving me nominations to contest the 1970 General Election. These were the defining leaders in my life who molded me into the person I am today. Q. Do you think that Tamil issue is settled? Ans. Before I go into this answer, it is important to note that the issues the Tamil people have in Sri Lanka are very different to the issues that the Tamil politicians have. It has been my joy to serve the people and avail them of opportunities and luxuries denied to them previously with projects and development to help with the reconciliation process. Ans. However, with the politicians, the road has been long and hard. Tamil politics in this country has for too long been dominated by the idea of carving out a separate Tamil state in in the north and east of Sri Lanka or at the very least obtaining devolution of power to an extent bordering on a separate state. This is not a practical proposition. Most Tamils live outside the North and East. In the East, the Tamils are a minority. The majority of the population of the Colombo city are Tamils and Muslims. The population of Sri Lanka is mixed so beautifully that a separate Tamil state is just not feasible. The Tamil politicians should take note of these ground realities and adjust accordingly. Q. Islamist terrorism is raising its ugly head in Sri Lanka. Even the ISIS has entered the stage. How do you deal with it? Ans. It is certainly a very serious issue. The previous government was not able to control it as was evident last year. If they had continued in power, India and neighbouring countries off the Bay of Bengal would have been at risk. The Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka was the biggest attack by ISIS on a civilian target anywhere in Asia and probably the world. All the suicide bombers were educated and wealthy Sri Lankans. The government at the time had all the information necessary to stop the events that took place. However, as it stands right now we have it under control, as we have once again strengthened our intelligence network. We also understand the importance of working together with the intelligence network worldwide by sharing information and cooperating with our foreign intelligence counterparts. Radical extremism is something that I will not allow and will address it at every turn. Q. Coming to Sri Lankas ties with China, do you think you will have to change the arrangement in the post coronavirus-world? Ans. Sri Lanka follows a non-aligned foreign policy with all nations. Both India and China are valued friends. Shri Jawaharlal Nehru and Premier Zhou Enlai of China formulated the Pancha Shila doctrine of respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and peaceful co-existence. Those are the principles we, too, have adopted and will continue to foster in the coming years. Q. What are the best and the worst moments of your life in the last 50 years? Something you always cherish and something you want to forget. Ans. My best moment, easily, was when we ended a 30-year-war that was deemed terminal and unending. Never again would we as a nation lose another one of our children to terrorism. Never again would blood be senselessly spilled under war. Instead, an era of peace, harmony and growth to hope and look forward to. What more can I ask for? My worst and most painful experience which I would strive to forget, is the manner in which myself and all those associated with me were treated between 2015 and 2019. I dont believe any political leader and democratic opposition had to face such vicious and systematic persecution and vilification in post-independence history. MPs, government officials and even members of the business community who stood by me were hauled in for questioning by the then government and some imprisoned on flimsy excuses. Even my son Yoshita, who is in the navy as an officer and had nothing to do with politics, was among those imprisoned in that manner. MPs who supported me were deprived of their party positions for standing by me. Gotabaya was also specifically targeted and harassed. It was painful and sad because when I was in power from 2005 to 2015, I never persecuted or harassed the democratic opposition. We did not waste our time doing that. We were busy winning a war, developing the country, making Sri Lanka self-sustainable, strengthening the agricultural sector, constructing roads and laying a platform for a powerful future. By Philip J. Heijmans As China and the U.S. trade barbs over everything from trade to Covid-19 to Hong Kong, the two powers are at greater risk of careering into physical confrontation. And nowhere are their warships and fighter jets coming as close to each other, with as much frequency, as the South China Sea. A military conflict would probably be devastating for both. There are no signs that either side actually wants one. Still, in times of high tension, miscalculations can have unintended consequences. In the first four months of the year the U.S. Navy conducted four freedom of navigation operations, known as FONOPS, in the South China Sea, which is criss-crossed by competing claims by nations including China, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. That puts it on track to surpass last years total of eight. At the same time, as China emerged from the worst of the coronavirus outbreak, its Navy steamed back out of port in Hainan and resumed drills in the area. Its a high-stakes game of cat and mouse between the militaries of two countries with a history of near-misses. With President Donald Trump months from an election, and President Xi Jinping rattling nationalistic cages at home to distract from a wounded economy, the mood is less conducive to the careful diplomacy needed to defuse a standoff at sea. Xi used an address Tuesday to delegates at the National Peoples Congress in Beijing to again warn the military to strengthen war preparations. While a premeditated armed conflict between China and the U.S. is a remote possibility, we see their military assets operating in greater regularity and at higher intensity in the same maritime domain, said Collin Koh Swee Lean, a research fellow at Singapores S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. The interactions of these rival assets in the area would create chances of miscalculation and misjudgment leading to inadvertent or accidental use of force, which is thus potentially incendiary and could result in escalation. This is a risk we cant discount. Story continues The U.S. and China have been dancing around each other in the South China Sea for years. While the U.S. is not a territorial claimant, the waters are a key thoroughfare for global shipping and trade, rich in fish and with large but mostly unproven energy deposits. The U.S. has supported some smaller states against Chinas increased military presence in the area, including its move to build airstrips and land strategic hardware on rocky outcrops and low-lying reefs. Beijing has also in recent times deployed coast-guard vessels decked out with the same level of armory as a standard navy ship to escort its fishing fleets. Defense Secretary Mark Esper spoke in December of his intention to prioritize the deployment of U.S. forces to the Asia-Pacific region from other areas in the face of growing competition with China. Covid-19 saw exercises scaled down or canceled and the sidelining of aircraft carrier U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt in Guam after hundreds of crew members tested positive for the disease (it has now returned to sea). Still, there remain flashpoints. FILE PHOTO: US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Deputy assistant secretary of defense for Southeast Asia, Reed Werner, last week warned of a very worrisome trendline during an interview with Fox News, accusing China of the harassment of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer U.S.S. Mustin while it patrolled the South China Sea. He also cited at least nine instances of Chinese fighter jets doing the same to U.S. reconnaissance aircraft. In an effort to bolster its defense capacity in airspace over the disputed waters, Chinas Defense Ministry has said it would formally declare an air defense identification zone after years of attempting -- mostly unsuccessfully -- to force planes from other nations flying in the area to change their course. Is unclear, though, when this might actually happen. The U.S. Navy also recently engaged in a standoff with Chinese vessels after twice sending warships on presence operations off the coast of Malaysia, where Chinese ships were shadowing a Malaysian state-contracted drill ship exploring two potentially lucrative energy blocks claimed by both countries. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Bill Merz said in a statement in mid-May that the U.S. had done so in support of allies and partners in the lawful pursuit of their economic interests. Chinas foreign ministry said at the time its survey ship was conducting normal activities in waters under Chinese jurisdiction and called the situation basically stable. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused non-regional countries of flexing their muscles in an effort to sow discord between China and Southeast Asian nations. FILE PHOTO: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Getty Images) Security experts familiar with the Malaysian governments thinking said officials in Kuala Lumpur expressed concern to the U.S. that its presence would only serve to escalate the matter. A spokeswoman for Malaysias Foreign Ministry declined to comment. The U.S. was clearly sending a signal, said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. #USSGabrielleGiffords operated in the southern South China Sea near the drillship #WestCapella on Tuesday, the second time in the past week a #USNavy LCS patrolled there supporting freedom of navigation and overflight: https://t.co/Z68nypCuFP #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific pic.twitter.com/PJ3XDMjtqK U.S. Pacific Fleet (@USPacificFleet) May 13, 2020 The U.S. Air Force sent two B-1B Lancers on a more than 30-hour round-trip sortie from South Dakota to conduct operations over the South China Sea on April 29, even as it reportedly ended its longtime practice of maintaining a continuous bomber presence in Guam. In an emailed statement, the Air Force said it had transitioned to an approach that lets bombers take off from a broader array of overseas locations, making them operationally unpredictable. I think part of the uptick in U.S. military operations is to make sure that the Chinese dont miscalculate and think that the United States is unprepared because of the fact that the Theodore Roosevelt has been out of commission sitting in Guam, said Glaser. But I also think that it is in response to the increased op-temp by the Chinese. There are mechanisms in place to avoid a mishap between the Chinese and U.S. Navy. China, the U.S. and 19 other countries have joined a Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea with a standardized protocol of safety procedures. U.S. Navy officials have said theyve been communicating more closely with the Peoples Liberation Army, and that CUES is working. Still, it does not cover the coast guard or fishing militias, which are increasingly used by China to assert its claims to more than 80% of the South China Sea. The problem is that the incidents we observe in the region arent unplanned -- in the lead up to these close encounters the rival naval forces at sea already knew each other to be present and they shadow and monitor each other underway, at visual range, said Koh from the RSIS in Singapore. There have been tense moments before. In 2001, a Chinese fighter jet collided with a U.S. surveillance plane in international airspace, forcing the U.S. aircraft to make an emergency landing in China and the Chinese jet to crash. In 2016, a Chinese naval ship seized a U.S. Navy underwater research drone in international waters, prompting Trump to accuse China of theft. It was later returned. Most recently, Chinas Defense Ministry said its navy followed and expelled a U.S. guided missile destroyer on April 28, saying it had violated Chinese territory. Under Xis watch China has refocused its military from land-based troops to air and sea capability. It commissioned more than two dozen new ships in 2016 and 2017, and said last October the development of a second home-made aircraft carrier was making steady progress after floating its first in 2017. In just 15 years, China has doubled its supply of launchers and built weapons that have extended the reach of its conventional warheads to cover most of Americas Western Pacific bases. I do worry about this situation, said Zheng Yongnian, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore. The U.S.-China relationship is in free fall now, pushed by the hardliners from both sides. No doubt, the new Cold War between the two is escalating, and now people begin to worry about the possibility of a hot war, a regional one. Even worse, there is no force to cool them down, he said. Nations in Southeast Asia are too small compared to the two great powers. The renewed tensions put those smaller Southeast Asian states in a tight spot. Singapore, while not a South China Sea claimant, has long warned against forcing countries to choose a side. FILE PHOTO: Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. (AP Photo/Duc Thanh, Pool) Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told Vietnams National Assembly on May 20 the situation in the South China Sea was becoming more complicated. Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported this month that Beijing would strictly enforce an annual fishing ban that started on May 1, prompting Vietnam to reject what it called a unilateral decision. The Philippines meanwhile has filed diplomatic protests against Chinas creation of two new districts in an attempt to administer islands in the waters, its top envoy said. Southeast Asia finds itself increasingly in a hardened new Cold War, said Paul Chambers, special adviser on international affairs at Naresuan Universitys Center of Asean Community Studies in Thailand. The tip of that iceberg is the South China Sea. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. An Aegean Airlines Airbus A320neo is docked at a plane jetway of the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, in Athens ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's largest carrier Aegean Airlines said on Thursday it would ask the country's big banks for 150 million euros of loans under the COVID-19 Enterprise Guarantee Fund, to deal with hardships related to the coronavirus pandemic. Aegean, a member of the Star Alliance airline group, said under the programme the state guarantee is set at 80% for loans lasting up to 5 years and for up to 25% of annual turnover. "We will apply for a total amount of 150 million euros, equal to only 11% of our turnover," the carrier said. That, along with 510 million euros of cash reserves at the beginning of the crisis, would give it some time to adjust, it added. The loan request will be submitted to Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank and Piraeus Bank. The airline said that government measures unveiled earlier on Thursday to support the aviation industry were a step in the right direction, even though the numbers were rather limited compared to other EU countries. Greece's measures to support the air transport sector, hit hard by the grounding of flights during the pandemic, amount to 115 million euros. Aegean said similar programs were already in place across the EU, especially in northern Europe, providing significantly greater support for payroll costs. "The measures, therefore, must continue and evolve. It is necessary to extend their validity until the beginning of the 2021 tourist season," it said. (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Kirsten Donovan) Reed Travel Exhibitions has rescheduled the dates for the three spring global trade shows in its WTM Portfolio: WTM Latin America, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) and Africa Travel Week, which is comprised of WTM Africa and International Luxury Travel Market Africa. The original dates of the events have had to be changed in response to the escalation of Covid-19. Firstly, ATM has been rescheduled from April 19-22 at Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE, to the new date of May 16 19, 2021 at the same venue. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market (ATM), said: We at Arabian Travel Market want to express our concern for everyone impacted by the coronavirus." We are fully aware of the important role that ATM plays for industry professionals across the Middle East region and beyond. We are grateful for the full endorsement that we have received from our customers and partners, who assisted in helping us reach our decision and agreed the 2020 event should be rescheduled." In the meantime, while the physical show will be rescheduled to 2021, we will keep the industry connected by hosting an ATM Virtual Event from June 1-3 featuring a series of webinars, live conference sessions, speed networking events, one-on-one meetings and much more. WTM Latin America 2020, which was due to take place from March 31 - April 2, will now be held from October 20-22 at the same venue, Expo Center Norte, in Sao Paulo. Luciane Leite, Director WTM Latin America, said: We appreciate the hard work that goes into the planning and preparations that our partners and exhibitors prepare for the event and we have to unite in this challenging period. These are difficult times, but I am sure that together we will emerge stronger from this situation. Meanwhile, Africa Travel Week, which comprises of WTM Africa and International Luxury Travel Market Africa, had been scheduled to take place from April 2-8 this year, will now be postponed until April 7-9, 2021 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Carol Weaving, Managing Director of Reed Exhibitions Africa said: Due to the uncertainty in the region and around the world, with many of our clients facing company travel bans, we have taken the decision to postpone the event to 2021. Our thoughts are with all those affected in these difficult times. Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio Director for Africa Travel Week added: We would like to thank the industry for their support in these unprecedented times. Claude Blanc, WTM Portfolio Director said: We are constantly reviewing the situation around COVID-19 and the impact on our events in line with local and national government and public health advice and World Health Organization guidelines. Our policies reflect those of the country governments in which our events take place." There has never been a more crucial time for the travel industry to work together and our newly scheduled shows promise to be the quality business events that exhibitors and visitors have come to expect just a little later in the year. We will meet at WTM events in the future. Until that time comes, WTM Portfolio has launched a new online portal called WTM Global Hub, to connect and support the travel industry professionals around the world. WTM Global Hub will keep you informed, inspired and connected. Visitor registration remains valid for the new event dates and anyone who has booked travel and/or hotel accommodation should contact their respective tour operator, airline and hotel they booked with. - TradeArabia News Service Beijing: China has unveiled the first images of the designs of a rover it aims to dispatch to Mars in 2020, as part of its ambitious plans to catch up with India, the US, Russia and the EU to reach the Red Planet. The mission faces unprecedented challenges and is designed to explore the planet surface for three months, state media here reported on Wednesday. China, which became the third nation after the US and the former Soviet Union to put man in the space in 2003, plans to send a spacecraft to orbit Mars, and deploy a rover in July or August 2020, said Zhang Rongqiao, chief architect of the Mars mission. Images displayed at a press conference yesterday showed a device with six wheels, powered by four solar panels, two more than the rover sent to the moon. Weighing around 200 kg, it is designed to operate for three Martian months, Sun Zezhou, the probes chief designer, was quoted as saying by Xinhua. Though Chinas space programme has achieved milestones like landing a rover on the Moon and successful manned space mission, but Mars has alluded it. Indias successful Mangalyaan mission - accomplished with a low budget of USD 73 million - caught the attention of China. India became the fourth country after the US, Russia and the EU to successfully send a probe to Mars. Chinas attempts to send exploratory probe Yinghuo-1, in a Russian spacecraft in 2011 failed as shortly after the launch it was declared lost and later burnt during the re-entry. This is the first time China has revived its Mars mission since then. The challenges we face are unprecedented, Ye Peijian, one of Chinas leading aerospace experts and a consultant to the programme, said. The 2020 mission will be launched on a Long March-5 carrier rocket, the work horse for Chinas space missions. It will be launched from the Wenchang space centre in south Chinas Hainan province. The lander will separate from the orbiter at the end of a journey of around seven months and touch down in a low latitude area in the northern hemisphere of Mars where the rover will explore the surface.The probe will carry 13 payloads, including a remote-sensing camera and a ground penetrating radar - which could be used to study the soil, the environment, and atmosphere of Mars, as well as the planets physical fields, the distribution of water and ice, and its inner structure. A public competition for the name and the logo of the 2020 mission has also been launched. Zhang told people.cn the Mars programme will study the planets climate, surface, ionosphere, water ice distribution, internal structure, topography and physical field. Scientists will have to design a rover that can make its own decisions because the distance between Earth and Mars will cause delays in data transmission, Zhang said. A favourable alignment of Earth and Mars occurs for only a few weeks every 26 months, and 2020 offers that rare opportunity, National Space Administration director Xu Dazhe said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Most people have not heard of Robert Probst but many have cursed his invention: the office cubicle. Eventually, Probst came to despair over what he had wrought. What he had conceived of as a way to give workers greater independence and productivity, has today become a symbol of confinement, anonymity, and drudgery. Now we are on the cusp of another massive change in office culture, as the coronavirus has moved work from home into the mainstream. In recent days, some of the largest companies in the world have announced that they will be shifting permanently to remote working. Like the introduction of the cubicle, work from home will initially be seen by many as a means of liberating workers. But like the cubicle, it will have unintended consequences that will leave many feeling worse off than before. And those most affected will be the next generation younger millennials and members of Generation Z (those born after 1995). Within a decade, Mark Zuckerberg expects half of Facebooks workforce to be working from home. Tobi Lutke, founder of Shopify, believes office centricity is over. These CEOs believe theyre ushering in a brave new era in which theyll be able to attract the best workers and give them the most advanced tools, wherever they may be in the world. Whats lost in all this excitement is the fact that careers are not built simply on talent and hard work. Even the most gifted worker needs to build up a network of supporters, mentors, and champions if they hope to advance in a corporate culture. Doing that takes time and a lot of face-to-face interaction. The thousands of micro interactions that we experience every day accrete over time into a human bond. Its those barely noticed interstitial moments that solidify our working relationships. Building those connections, and that network of support, will be much more difficult for remote workers. But this shift will not affect everyone equally. Older workers have already invested years building those alliances face-to-face. When they connect remotely with someone theyve worked with for years perhaps through late nights in the office, or on business trips all of that history and emotional connection, is felt on the other side of the computer screen. How will younger workers accrue the same strong bonds and alliances? Sure, theyll be attending meetings virtually and theyll have a chance to make an impression on their peers and superiors. But as anyone whos worked in an office knows, sometimes the most important part of a meeting can be a brief side conversation during the coffee break. Sometimes connecting with the boss happens when grabbing dinner together after a long day at the office. Its in those casual interactions, when everyones guard is down, where kinship is found. And theres another problem. A friend of mine, who is a young millennial, was recently hired in the Toronto office of a large U.S. software company. Like many young professionals in the city, he rents a studio apartment in a modern condominium building downtown. But in the weeks since being hired hes never been to the office. And wont be until at least sometime in 2021, which is how long the company has said its employees will continue to work from home. Despite the daily Zoom calls with his colleagues he feels isolated and disconnected from them. Like many young urbanites, he faces another dilemma. When he moved into his 400-square-foot apartment he never imagined hed have to use it as an office. And having to use his one table as both desk and dining table is impractical. He is anxious over a possible yearlong wait to finally get into the office and connect face-to-face with the people hes only met virtually so far. A decade from now, when some bright young Gen Z worker is staring that their home computer screen, wondering how to find an ally to help them advance their career, they might be wishing they were, instead, seated near the bosss office in a dull little cubicle. Clive Veroni is a management consultant and author of Spin: Politics And Marketing In A Divided Age. By Gary S. Schaer Today no one truly knows what the ultimate financial impact of COVID-19 will be on our state, but forecasts predict that we will be facing unprecedented deficits as we craft a budget for this coming fiscal year. Services that the state provides to families and businesses will be stretched thin, leaving the future of several programs in question. Our long-term financial health requires us to act decisively and compassionately for our residents. Families facing uncertain economic straits need stable state and local budgets that are responsive to their needs. All the while we must ensure not to abandon the core beliefs that have defined New Jersey, we must find answers our constituency deserves. The pressure on our state budget is mounting quickly, with an increase in unemployment claims and with revenue streams including the sales, income, and corporate business tax down significantly. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, states are looking at budget shortfalls into Fiscal Year 2022 which could exceed $765 billion. For New Jersey, a significant portion of our revenue comes from sales tax. However, given the current circumstances, people are staying home and simply shopping less. Additionally, even once restrictions are lifted, our sales tax challenges are likely to persist. We may find that many have modified their spending habits permanently, either by necessity or choice. Meanwhile, unemployment claims continue to rise across the country, with the latest April unemployment rate reaching 14.7%. Some economists are even predicting a May unemployment rate as high as 25%. To put that in perspective, the peak unemployment rate during the Great Recession was 10%. Here in New Jersey, the latest number from our Department of Labor shows over 1.1 million files claimed. This will amount to a significant increase in expenditures and less revenue for the state in the form of personal income tax. In Fiscal Year 2020, Gov. Phil Murphy made the wise decision to deposit $401 million into the rainy-day fund, the first deposit in over a decade. However, this deposit unfortunately amounts to 1% of our total expenditure. It will be a drop in the bucket. While the federal CARES Act and subsequent small business stimulus package will certainly help our employers, we must do more to assist our businesses. First, the state should look into providing 0% interest- or low-interest loans to our small business community. While chain corporations are integral to our states success, small mom-and-pop businesses are the backbone of our economy. We must do all we can to ensure their businesses weather this storm. Second, I believe we should implement an investment program whereby the state would make an equity investment in struggling New Jersey-based businesses. In such a program, the state would provide a business with cash in exchange for partial minority ownership of the company. Once the companys situation improves, so will the value of the states equity. This can provide businesses with the liquidity they need without forcing them to accrue long-term, growth-inhibiting debt. Third, I agree with the governor that New Jersey needs to borrow from the Federal Reserve to meet our cash-flow shortfalls. In early April, the Federal Reserve announced it would purchase up to $500 billion in short-term state and municipal debt. The state cannot recover from this pandemic without taking full advantage of our bonding capabilities. Fourth, while I am not opposed to spending cuts that make financial sense, austerity policies during a recession have proven to slow recovery over the long term. Our priority as a state should be to get money out of the hands of government and into the hands of New Jerseyans. Without a significant increase in spending, our consumer-based economy is going nowhere. Lastly, I believe there is a role for a New Jersey State bank to play in this recovery process. A state bank can provide us with an opportunity to reinvigorate communities throughout New Jersey, particularly our long-overlooked minority communities. Instead of leaving our deposits in some out-of-state or overseas commercial banks, our taxpayer dollars could be working for us in the form of targeted loans to small businesses or infrastructure project funding. Many obstacles ahead are large and looming, but our state has proven that we are at our best when we face our greatest challenges together. This pandemic will test every level of government in our state. It is imperative our leaders find bold solutions for these difficult days ahead. Gary S. Schaer is the Passaic City Council President deputy speaker of the New Jersey Assembly. He represents the 36th Legislative District, which includes part of Bergen County and the city of Passaic in Passaic County. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. cemetery workers in protective clothing bury a COVID-19 victim at the Vila Formosa cemetery in Sao Paulo Brazil's death toll highest in world for fifth straight day Brazil reported the highest daily Covid-19 death toll in the world on Tuesday with 1,039 people killed, the fifth straight day the country has topped the list. Latin America's largest country, which has emerged as a new epicenter in the pandemic, has seen its daily death toll surge past that of the US, the hardest-hit country so far. The US recorded a death toll of 657 in the past 24 hours, said the Johns Hopkins University tracker. That was the third day in a row it had come in under 700, bringing the country's overall toll to 98,875 deaths. Meanwhile, Brazil's daily death toll has passed 1,000 four times since the pandemic accelerated in the country a week ago. Brazil has now confirmed a total of 24,512 deaths, according to health ministry figures. Experts say under-testing means the real number is probably much higher. Aerial view from a drone of new graves dug to bury victims of the pandemic, in the Vila Formosa cemetery in Sao Paulo, Brazil - PAULO WHITAKER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Trump open to lifting his European flight ban Donald Trump has left open the prospect of his flight ban from Europe being lifted as he said countries in the continent were being monitored for progress against coronavirus. The US president initially barred flights from 26 European countries back in March in one of his early moves to counter the Covid-19 outbreak, later adding the UK and Ireland to the list. The ban remains in place, blocking foreign tourists or businessmen travelling to America from Europe, though US citizens and legal residents are allowed to fly home. Mr Trump was asked on Tuesday whether he is considering lifting the flight ban in the coming weeks, given signs that travel between some European countries is picking up. The announcement came as Mr Trump said he remains committed to holding a Fourth of July celebration in the nation's capital even as Democratic lawmakers from the region - one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus - warn that the area will not be ready to hold a major event. Story continues Biden: Trump a 'fool' for mocking mask Joe Biden has attacked President Donald Trump as an "absolute fool" for belittling his election rival over recently wearing a mask. Mr Trump retweeted a photograph of Mr Biden and an accompanying message that mocked the former vice president for wearing a mask at a Memorial Day ceremony. "He's a fool, an absolute fool, to talk that way," Mr Biden told CNN. "Every leading doc in the world is saying you should wear a mask when you're in a crowd." Asked whether wearing a mask projected weakness or strength, Mr Biden chose a different description. "It presents and projects as leadership," Mr Biden said. "Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely masculine." "This macho stuff," Mr Biden added, has "cost people's lives". Vice President Joe Biden is seen at War Memorial Plaza during Memorial Day - Reuters Venezuela death toll of 10 'is absurd' Venezuela's low case count and death toll from the coronavirus are likely false and could in fact be thousands of times higher than official figures, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Johns Hopkins University. President Nicolas Maduro's government has reported 10 Covid-19 deaths out of 1,121 cases in a country of 30 million people, numbers a report from the HRW and Johns Hopkins calls "absurd". "We believe the data - the statistics that the Venezuelan government give, Maduro's statistics - are absolutely absurd and are not credible," HRW director for the Americas Jose Miguel Vivanco said. The idea of so few cases and deaths "in a country where doctors don't have water to even wash their hands" and "the health system is totally collapsing" strains credibility, he said. The true number could be closer to "at least 30,000" coronavirus deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. Venezuela's government has been accused of dishonesty over the virus - EPA Chile's intensive care units at 95pc capacity Intensive care units in Chile's hospitals are nearly at capacity amid a flood of coronavirus patients, authorities said on Tuesday, and doctors are having to make wrenching choices over which patients should get available beds. Health officials said 95 per cent of the country's 2,400 ICU beds are occupied even after a doubling of capacity from the levels in March. They announced plans to add 400 more critical care beds in the coming days. "This is an extraordinarily difficult time," Health Minister Jaime Manalich said. What you might have missed Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday said that there has been a steady increase in the number of calls received on the police helpline 100, in connection with attacks on police personnel deployed during lockdown and also on frontline healthcare workers in the state. The minister said that a total of 254 instances of assaults on policemen had been recorded till date. As many as 96,697 such calls have been received on the police helpline. There have been 254 instances of assaults on policemen that have left 86 of them injured. There have been at least 40 attacks on healthcare professionals too, Deshmukh said. The helpline calls led to at least 833 arrests during the last two months, the state home minister said. Maharashtra, is the worst-affected state during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease and has reported over 50,000 Covid-19 positive cases, almost one-third of the countrys total count of coronavirus patients. A day earlier, on Wednesday, the Maharashtra Home Minister strongly dismissed reports about possible deployment of the Indian Army in Mumbai and Pune for 10 days amid rising coronavirus cases. A rumour is being spread on WhatsApp and other social media platforms that the Army will be deployed in Mumbai and Pune to implement 10 days of strict lockdown. This is completely untrue, Deshmukh had tweeted. The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has initiated action against those spreading this rumour. Do not forward such messages, he posted. Responding to the fake news that had been circulating, the Mumbai Police urged the people of Mumbai not to fall prey to it. If it reaches you, break the chain and do not forward. All essential supplies will be available and movement permitted only as per lockdown guidelines, the Mumbai Police had tweeted. The lockdown in Maharashtra is due to continue till May 31. European investors are expected to stir mergers and acquisitions activities in the coming time as the landmark free trade agreement between the European Union and Vietnam nears ratification. EVFTA to fan flames of European investor interest, illustration photo Chau Huy Quang, managing partner of Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers, told VIR that there has recently been a drastic wave of European investor interest in various industries including manufacturing, consumer goods, renewable energy, and technology. With ongoing developments, especially the recent ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), it is expected that the investment and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) from European investors shall be significantly expanded. This trend reflects that European investors are on the lookout for M&A deals to scale up presence in Vietnam ahead of the historic deal moving into effect. Polands pharmaceutical maker Adamed Group has acquired the controlling portion of shares in Dat Vi Phu Pharmaceutical, Vietnams fastest-growing pharma-maker, marking it the largest direct Polish investment in Vietnam to date. Similarly, Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor Group acquired the Cho Tot platform to tap into the growth potential of Vietnams digital services as mobile data coverage and affordable data connectivity spreads quickly through the country. Stefano Pellegrino, board member of EuroChams Legal Sector Committee, said European investors are traditionally considered financially capable, socially and environmentally responsible, and with deep technological know-how. These are their strengths in the Vietnamese M&A market. Notable sectors of interest range wide, from renewable energy, pharma, and logistics to oil and gas, food and beverage, and consumer goods, most of which will be positively affected by the EVFTA, he added. Data by the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment indicated a growing number of capital contribution and share purchases by European backers in the first four months of 2020. Specifically, investors from France have implemented 78 transactions worth $27 million, up 37 deals against last year. Meanwhile, financiers from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany conducted 32, 15, and 27 transactions, worth some $38.5 million, $46 million, and $4.7 million, respectively. According to Linda Liu, economist at Maybank Kim Eng, the EVFTA will open up opportunities for Vietnam to become a trading gateway for European businesses in the ASEAN. It will also help diversify Vietnams trade partners and bring in greater foreign investments for Vietnam. To date, Vietnam and Singapore are the only two ASEAN countries to have FTAs with their two major trading partners outside the region the EU and China thereby securing preferential market access to three main export markets of the EU, China, and the ASEAN. This puts Vietnam in a favourable position in attracting foreign investment compared to regional peers. The EVFTA will also support the liberalisation of the Vietnamese market through greater market access in the services sector, easing investment restrictions, and increased investment and intellectual property protection for European companies. This market access and loosening of investment restrictions are a catalyst for M&A interest in Vietnam by European investors, Liu stressed. Quang of Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers pointed out that the EVFTA is a significant milestone for promoting and protecting European investments in Vietnam. While Vietnams commitments under the World Trade Organization remain the primary framework governing the market opening for foreign investment in the service sector, the EVFTA will focus on providing even broader and deeper commitment. For instance, interest will grow with the gradual abolishment of economic needs tests for retail services. Moreover, raising the foreign ownership cap to 70 per cent in shipping transport services would attract new European logistics service providers while existing players may look to further explore investment opportunities. According to Quang, there are also express provisions for the clean energy field which would generate greater interest from investors. Furthermore, the EVFTA would not only benefit European investors with business interests in Vietnam, but also have a positive effect on policymaking, benefiting all in the long run. VIR Thanh Van VN Trade Ministry sets up working groups for EVFTA The Import and Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has set up different working groups to implement the the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Disgruntled residents along the NSW coast are looking for answers after thousands of face masks and plastic containers washed up along dozens of beaches on Wednesday. The APL England cargo ship lost about 40 shipping containers in rough seas off the NSW coast on Sunday night. Yet the Australian Maritime Safety Authority says investigations into a Singapore-flagged container ship could take at least a month to determine any breaches against the country's environmental protection regulations. Social media was awash on Wednesday with photos of face masks and plastic containers strewn across beaches from Sydney to Newcastle, including debris on iconic Bondi Beach. Several beaches in Sydneys eastern suburbs were forced to close on Wednesday due to the amount of cargo that washed up. Five 40ft shipping containers also washed up on Birdie Beach on the Central Coast, while others were spotted off Terrigal. Five shipping containers washed up on Birdie Beach on Wednesday. Source: Facebook/ Erin Sampson A woman holds dozens of face masks she collected from Bondi Beach. Source: Facebook Terrigal MP Adam Crouch said he would push to ensure those responsible fund the efforts to clear up beaches in the area. I will be writing to the NSW Transport Minister to make it clear that my expectation, as well as our communitys, is that the owners of APL England are held accountable for the clean-up cost, he wrote on Facebook. His comments were echoed by other angry locals, with some taking it upon themselves to clear the beaches of the washed up cargo. I hope someone is being held accountable for this, one person declared. Absolutely terrible, another said. Surgical face masks & shipping containers were among the lost cargo that washed up on Central Coast beaches yesterday. These incidents are devastating for the loss of valuable safety equipment & for the impacts these pollutants have on the environment #Take3fortheSea pic.twitter.com/zDwVL1iQJ8 Take 3 (@Take3fortheSea) May 27, 2020 Australian Seabird Rescue Central Coast announced a two-day clean-up for local beaches. Story continues Central Coast based environmental charity Take 3 said the cargo spill was devastating for the area. NSW Maritime executive director Alex Barrell on Wednesday said some 60 workers had been appointed to clean up debris from the containers as it continues to come ashore at various beaches along the coastline. Debris from a container ship has washed up on many of our beaches, including Malabar (pictured). Our crews are out now, cleaning up. There may be submerged items in the water, so please dont swim. Dont pick up rubbish, let us know about it, it may not be safe for you. pic.twitter.com/REYnlObbcr Randwick Council (@RandwickCouncil) May 27, 2020 He warned locals they need to report debris sightings so it can be logged and disposed of correctly. Almost 75 containers were damaged on deck with another six left protruding from the ship's starboard side and three from the port side. AMSA surveyors conducted an inspection of the ship at the Port of Brisbane anchorage on Tuesday before it was brought safely into the port on Wednesday. The authority's General Manager Allan Schwartz said investigations are on two fronts. The first is the ship's compliance with both Australian and international maritime safety standards. This outcome will be reached over the coming days. Fallen shipping containers can be seen on the Singapore-flagged container ship APL England as she docks at the Port of Brisbane. Source: AAP "Secondly, we need to establish if the ship has breached any Australian environmental protection regulations and or standards that apply to the safe and secure carriage of cargo," Mr Schwartz said in a statement. "The first phase of that investigation is expected to take at least a month and may take longer. "Subject to the outcome, legal action could be taken by AMSA against various parties including the ship's owner and others." ANL, the operator of APL England, said 21 of the containers lost overboard were empty and none of the others contained regulated hazardous goods or dangerous cargo. The containers held medical supplies as well as household appliances and building materials. with AAP Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. In Nigeria, kidnapping for ransom has become a feature in all parts of the country with thousands of people falling victim. Between the year 2011 and 2020, Nigerians paid at least $18.34 million (N7 billion) as ransom to kidnappers, a report on the countrys kidnap industry shows. The report from SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence published early this month captures the kidnap cases that occurred from June 2011 to the end of March 2020 using data collected from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the Council for Foreign Relations Nigeria Security Tracker, newspaper reports including PREMIUM TIMES, and SBM Intels own countrywide network of researchers. It also contains the breakdown of name of victims, date, state and amount paid respectively. According to SBM, four of the top 10 states with a high number of kidnap incidents over the last decade are in the South-South geopolitical zone, with three of them being Bayelsa 85, Delta -96 and Rivers 120. Others states with high kidnap incidents include Kaduna 177, Borno 82, Kogi 59, Edo 55, Ondo 54, Katsina 52 and Taraba 47. It would appear that in the south, while kidnapping may be frequent, the selection of victims is more targeted and the kidnappers see it more as a business transaction, trying hard to extract money from their criminal activities, part of the report reads. It also notes that victims that are unable to pay up as quickly as expected are more likely to be killed by the kidnappers. Specific targets, bandits The report says up until late 2018, kidnap attempts were targeted at specific victims who were mostly politically-exposed persons, business people and their close relatives, or expatriates. The sudden uptick in fatalities per attempt coincides with the increase in attacks by bandits on villages especially in Zamfara and Katsina states, a situation which has gradually extended to Kaduna and Niger states. These bandits have also been involved in kidnapping besides attacking villagers and travellers, or doing both at the same time. As these kidnaps are less targeted at specific persons, the bandits are less deliberate in avoiding the deaths of their victims compared to earlier kidnap attempts which appeared to have specific targets in mind. This points to the democratisation of insecurity in the North, specifically with respect to kidnapping, which is a huge reversal from a decade and a half ago where kidnapping attempts were mostly in the Niger Delta, before slowly spreading to the South-East and across the country. Overall, Nigeria is becoming less safe each year. Kidnapping has increased in almost all states, but the sharpest rise have been in Kaduna, Rivers, Katsina, Zamfara and Taraba, while only Bayelsa in the entire country, saw a fall in the number of incidents compared to the period of 2011 to 2015. Kidnapping has become safer for the victims in Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Kano, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba and Yobe as these states saw fewer deaths per kidnap attempt. For all the other states, the prospect of being attached has become a more dangerous proposition, it says. Unemployment The report also reveals that the rising levels of youth unemployment is a major factor responsible for the growth of kidnap cases. Nigerias unemployment rate rose from 18.8 percent in the third quarter of 2017 to 23.1 percent in the third quarter of 2018. UN estimates for youth unemployment last year were above 20%. In the South, the persistent problems of unemployment meet with political patronage by politicians. Previous SBM research has shown that the crime rate soars during election periods and politicians key into the mass idleness of young people by using them for political violence. Nigeria has a problem of large swathes of ungoverned spaces, areas of the country that are without government or security presence. This puts residents at the mercy of whichever criminal elements are in the ascendancy. In Delta state for example, criminal elements have capitalised on this problem by attacking communities. One of such incidents was reported in November 2019 when sea pirates raided Opurudiegbene community in Burutu, carting away generators, household appliances and an unspecified amount of cash. Three children were kidnapped following the attack, and there is no record of them being rescued. Kidnap syndicates who operate out of the North rely on big forests as their staging areas. For example, Rigasa and Birnin Gwari are areas in Kaduna with large forests that have been used as hideouts. Way forward: With the economy set to enter into another recession as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the government needs to be deliberate about addressing the countrys myriad problems including the unemployment and insecurity issues that currently afflict a majority of Nigerians. In addition to deploying hard solutions including effectively training, equipping and deploying police and military assets into the most affected areas, addressing inter-agency conflict in order to foster cooperation and coordination, and upskilling police across the country; the federal and state governments must also create the soft regulatory framework to enable effective policing. Advertisements Sensible regulation and economic reform that includes a Marshall like Plan for the North East and North West regions and significant sub-national autonomy that will significantly satisfy the southern regions, particularly the South East and the South South. It urged state governments to take the lead in promoting harmonious relations with long neglected communities (which will aid intelligence gathering) while engaging with Abuja to develop policies which address their needs as well as offer support to industries within their jurisdictions which possess comparative advantages in order to create a diversity of economic opportunity across the country. Finally, the rule of law must be strengthened all over the country the introduction of full electronic court proceedings in Borno, the countrys first is a symbolic step in the right direction. While the rule of law is a fragile patchwork everywhere, hard-hit parts of the country, especially in the north, are so disconnected from the judicial system that many Nigerians are increasingly turning to alternative forms of dispute resolution. This is a national emergency that must be seen as such because it strikes at the legitimacy of the countrys longest democractic stretch, the report suggests. New Delhi, May 28 : Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba held a meeting with Municipal Commissioners and District Magistrates of 13 worst-hit cities including the national and the economic capital, as far as COVID-19 is concerned, to review the situation. The meeting assumes significance as these 13 cities are considered to be the worst coronavirus-affected locations and constitute about 70 per cent of the positive cases in the country. The 13 focus cities are Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Thane, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata and adjoining Howrah, Indore, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur. The last two cities are from Tamil Nadu. However, Maharashtra was the only state with three cities in the 13 worst-hit cities of India. Gauba not only interacted with the men on ground - Municipal Commissioners and District Magistrates, but also Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories concerned. During the course of the meeting, Gauba reviewed the measures taken by the officials and the staff of the municipal corporations for the management of COVID-19. The central government has already issued guidelines on management of COVID-19 in urban settlements. The Cabinet Secretary asked the officials of the worst-affected cities to focus their work on high risk factors, indices such as confirmation rate, fatality rate, doubling rate and tests per million people among others. The Centre categorically told the city officials that containment zones are to be geographically defined based on factors like mapping of cases and contacts and their geographical dispersion. This would enable in demarcating a well defined perimeter and enforcing the strict protocol of lockdown, Gauba added. However, municipal corporations can decide if residential colonies, mohallas, municipal wards or police-station areas, municipal zones, towns can be designated as containment zones, as required. The cities were advised that the areas should be appropriately defined by the district administration and local urban body with technical inputs from local level. As the countrywide lockdown 4.0 is to end on May 31, the meeting is significant considering the new strategy of the Central government against the virus which has crippled not only the lives of people but also the economy, which has been passing through its worst phase. However, given the Centre's thrust of containment plans in these 13 cities, it is clear that the union government wants to ensure further opening up of the economy in these cities doesn't amount to aggravating the situation. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Consumers can still take advantage of new 5G services outside of airports Theres apparently been a deal cut regarding the chaos that AT&T and Verizons new 5G service would create on airplanes' instruments and guidance systems. As the clock ticked precariously toward the launch of the 5G enhancement, the White House stepped in late Tuesday to referee the situation. It apparently was able to get the telecom companies to agree to delay 5G C-band deployment around key airports and help airlines avoid a rash of potentially canceled flights. This ... Cynical opportunists have seized on the coronavirus crisis to further their own selfish agendas. Remoaners are trying to exploit the lockdown and resultant economic chaos to extend Britains membership of the EU and even derail Brexit altogether. The Greta Thunberg Fan Club is attempting to use Covid-19 as an excuse to curb freedom of movement, banning cars from city centres and curtailing air travel. Londons two-bob chancer of a mayor Genghis Khan has capitalised shamelessly on the financial black hole affecting bus, train and Tube services by raising fares and the congestion charge and building even more cycle lanes. Other councils are following suit. We keep being told that in future we must accept all these so-called emergency measures as the new normal. In Scotland, Wee Burney and her Toytown Tartanistas see the Covid crisis as just another weapon in their never-ending campaign to secure a new independence referendum. Across the private sector, struggling companies are shedding workers they planned to get rid of anyway and blaming it on corona, confident that the Government will pick up the bill either through the furlough scheme or the benefits system. So it was only a matter of time before the animal rights brigade got in on the act, too. In one of the more bizarre developments, they are trying to force the annual Cromer and Sheringham Crab and Lobster Festival to turn vegan. Every year thousands of visitors flock to the North Norfolk coast to enjoy the fabulous fresh seafood, caught by generations of local fishermen, going back to the turn of the 19th century and beyond. The festival, which was cancelled this year because of the lockdown, is one of the highlights of the summer season. Tourism is vital to the economic wellbeing of the area and will be increasingly as we are all encouraged to staycation in Britain for the foreseeable future. So it makes no sense whatsover to torpedo one of the main attractions. Cromer brown crab is rightly celebrated for its sweetness and fragrance. I can vouch personally for its excellence. My wifes parents retired to Sheringham and my sister-in-law and her husband still live there. No visit is complete without a tub of cockles on the promenade and a couple of dressed crabs to bring home. And Cookies Crab Shop, at nearby Salthouse, serves some of the most delicious sandwiches anywhere. Now, though, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) want to put a stop to the sale of all seafood. Theyve written to the organisers asking for the festival to go vegan when it resumes next year. Dawn Carr, who describes herself as director of vegan corporate projects, said: Because Covid-19 emerged from a market where live and dead animals were sold for food, festivals that celebrate eating animals should be a thing of the past. Hang on. Is she seriously suggesting that the Cromer and Sheringham Crab and Lobster Festival is right up there with the Wuhan Wet Market in China, which is said to be the source of coronavirus? The clues in the name. The festival features, er, crab and lobster. Wuhan Wet Market sells and slaughters such yummy delicacies as bats, pangolins, turtles, snakes, beavers, porcupines and baby crocodiles. Ive never seen a deep-fried dead dog on a whelk stall, or on the menu at a cafe near Cromer pier. To the best of my knowledge, chippies in Sheringham arent knocking out snake and chips alongside the skate and saveloys. Maybe the odd holidaymaker has experienced a funny tummy after eating a dodgy cockle, but there is no record of Cromer crab ever starting a worldwide pandemic. When was the last time anyone went to North Norfolk and ordered a plate of delicious dressed bat? Once this lockdowns over, Im heading for Cromer and buying the largest local lobster I can lay my hands on. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Izzy Wizzy Gale's in a Tizzy One of Cummingss most vocal critics is the Tory MP Roger Gale, someone never mistaken for a ray of sunshine. Gale, who used to work on The Sooty Show at the BBC, is no fan of the popular Press. So when he found himself at a formal lunch sitting opposite ex-Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie, late of this parish, he was horrified. Tory grandee Sir Roger Gale brands Boris Johnson's strategist Dominic Cummings a 'foul-mouthed oaf' He wasnt going to break bread with a tabloid reptile, so he stormed off. As Gale took his leave, Kelvin raised his right hand, wiggled his fingers, and waved him off in his best Harry Corbett voice: Bye, bye everybody. Bye, bye . . . Tory grandee Sir Roger Gale, who used to work on The Sooty Show at the BBC, is no fan of the popular Press --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why do Plod allow these intimidating picket mobs Something I forgot to mention in my recent Saturday essay about union misrule was secondary picketing. This was the once common practice of blockading businesses not directly involved in an industrial dispute. For instance, striking miners laying siege to coke depots and power stations, or car workers attempting to cut off parts supplies to their factories. It was outlawed by the Thatcher government as a result of the 1984 coal strike, which saw the widespread use of flying pickets. After that, strikers could only picket their own workplace. Even there, anyone using threatening behaviour or language, or displaying offensive material on banners or placards, is committing a criminal offence. How, then, to describe the picketing of private houses? For the past few days, Dominic Cummings has like Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg before him had to run the gauntlet of Left-wing militants outside his home. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Special Advisor, Dominic Cummings returns to his home in London, Britain, 25 May 2020 Whatever you think of him, why should protesters be allowed to intimidate Cummings and his family, including his four-year-old child? Hes been sworn at, and had Scummings and other abuse scrawled on walls. Peaceful protest is one thing, but hurling threats and insults at people outside their homes is despicable. Why isnt it illegal, too? Yet the self-styled liberal Left believe such thuggery when directed at Tories is not only perfectly acceptable, it should be encouraged. This kind of disgusting behaviour wouldnt be allowed at a factory gate, so why is it tolerated in a residential street? Perhaps now Plod have stopped scouring Cummingss satnav for evidence of a crime, they might care to enlighten us. Chief Advisor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings returns home after making a statement inside 10 Downing Street on May 25, 2020 in London, England -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last week I lamented the fact that because of coronavirus, and in the name of good hygiene, sauce bottles in restaurants are being replaced with those irritating individual sachets. Ive since heard from Mail reader Ros Gooding, who was having a meal in a pub on the River Hamble, in Hampshire. At the next table, she noticed a diner take a sachet of tomato ketchup from the condiment bowl, floss his teeth with it and then put it back. It doesnt get more hygienic than that. It reminded me of the time the new plastic fivers were issued. In a Glasgow pub I saw a bloke use one to dislodge a piece of food stuck between his teeth, then casually pay for his pint with it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Never having heard Cummings speak before, Ive been trying to work out who he sounds like. Then it struck me. Hes a dead ringer for Wearside Jack, the hoaxer who kept calling the police pretending to be the Yorkshire Ripper 40-odd years ago. Never mind Durham. Can Dom account for his movements between 1978 and 1979? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What a joy to see Pixie Balls-Cooper back, foaming at the mouth again. Shed gone quiet lately, after spending most of the last Parliament screaming like a fishwife about Brexit. I wonder how shes been getting on in lockdown with all those Syrian refugees she promised to invite into her home a couple of years ago. It must have been mighty crowded. I mean, she did take them in, didnt she? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dog grooming parlours are open, but not hairdressers. And, yesterday, pictures emerged of three freshly trimmed alpacas at a farm in Surrey. Which begs the question: why cant we get a haircut yet, but we can take an alpaca for a short back and sides? Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong on Wednesday said that China has made "great progress" in vaccine research and development in the fight against COVID-19 and, when developed, it would be accessible to developing countries. He said China and India should join hands to strengthen cooperation and fight against the epidemic together and noted that the Indian government took decisive measures to contain the spread of coronavirus. He also wished India an early victory in the battle against coronavirus. Speaking at a webinar here organised by Confederation of Young Leaders, Sun said China has simultaneously promoted vaccine research and development through five technical routes. "At present, China has made great progress on vaccine research and development. China has simultaneously promoted vaccine research and development through five technical routes. It is reported that eight novel coronavirus vaccine candidates are in the clinical trial, four from China," Sun said. "On May 22, the Chinese team led by Chen Wei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, published a report on the world-known medical journal Lancet. The phase-1 trial results of their vaccine candidate on humans prove to be safe and effective. This result is encouraging," he added. He recalled that President Xi Jinping had said that China will ensure that the vaccine, once developed, would be accessible and affordable for developing countries. "President Xi Jinping addressed the Opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly and announced important proposals to boost global fight against COVID-19. He said that COVID-19 vaccine development and deployment in China, when available, will be made a global public good, and this will be China's contribution to ensuring vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries," Weidong said. Lauding the Indian government for taking measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, he said that the support of people had played a big role in controlling the spread of the disease. "After the outbreak of the epidemic, the Indian government attached great importance and took decisive measures. I am impressed with several things. The first is swift action. Since March 25, the Indian government has taken lockdown measures in different stages, even though there were not many confirmed cases at that time. The second is solidarity. People across all sectors in India reached a basic consensus on epidemic prevention and control, understand and support the lockdown measures. The third is cooperation. The majority of the Indian people follow government instructions and advice to stay at home, and the overall social order has been stable since the lockdown," the Chinese Ambassador said. He said China and India have maintained close communication and cooperation on epidemic prevention and control since the outbreak. "Our two leaders President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have exchanged letters and our foreign ministers made phone calls twice to strengthen our anti-epidemic cooperation. Indian people from all walks of life have shown their support in various ways at our most trying time," the Ambassador said. "As sister provinces and cities, Guangdong Province and Chongqing City have respectively donated medical supplies to Gujarat state and Chennai city. Alibaba, Fosun, SANY Group and other Chinese enterprises and charities have assisted India with a large number of medical supplies such as facial and protective masks, protective suits, medical gloves and ventilators," he added. Stressing on the need for the two countries to continue working together in close cooperation to defeat the infection, Weidong said, "This year marks the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. As neighbours, friends and partners, China and India should join hands, strengthen cooperation and fight against the epidemic together. I sincerely wish India an early victory in this battle." -ANI Also Read: Should never let our differences shadow overall bilateral cooperation, says Chinese Envoy As the COVID-19 pandemic ran its deadly course in New York, governor Andrew Cuomo affirmed a state policy forbidding nursing homes to reject suffering from the disease. At least partially as a result (Cuomo himself acknowledged early on that the virus spreads through such facilities like fire through dry grass), nearly 6,000 long-term care residents have died so far. Cuomo, of course, denies any personal responsibility in the matter. He blames the homes (Do you believe a nursing home operator would accept a patient who they knew they couldnt care for? Why would a nursing home operator do that?). He blames the CDC. He blames US president Donald Trump. Cuomos usual large and in charge act seems to be crumbling under the weight of the body count. Suddenly, he was just doing his job, maybe even just following orders. Sound familiar? Hannah Arendt, Stanley Milgram observes in his classic study of obedience to authority, contended that the prosecutions effort to depict [Adolf] Eichmann as a sadistic monster was fundamentally wrong, that he came closer to being an uninspired bureaucrat who simply sat at his desk and did his job. This is, perhaps, the most fundamental lesson of our study: ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. The policies Eichmann executed and enforced policies aimed at the extermination of the Jews were intentionally murderous. The policies Cuomo executed and enforced were deadly too, but in a grossly negligent, rather than openly intentional, way. Thats the DIFFERENCE between Cuomo and Eichmann. The SIMILARITY between the two is in their shared defense: The idea that those who execute and enforce state policy arent responsible for their actions BECAUSE they are executing and enforcing state policy. The Nuremberg trials and Eichmanns later trial in Israel quashed such defenses when it came to German war crimes in general and the Holocaust in particular. Unfortunately, US law lags the Nuremberg/Eichmann precedents by decades: Sovereign immunity and qualified immunity shield governments, and those who act on their behalves, from liability for their actions. The worst punishment Andrew Cuomo likely faces for killing thousands of New Yorkers is maybe just maybe not getting re-elected governor of New York, or promoted to a cabinet position, or ever winning the presidency. If theres any justice in the world at all, hell suffer at least THOSE penalties. One size fits all. That will be Ontarios mantra for reopening the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, insists Premier Doug Ford. Even though the Greater Toronto Area accounts for 65.6 per cent of Ontarios cases, leaving huge swaths of the province relatively unscathed, Ford is rejecting the regional approach of opening up as is being done in neighbouring Quebec, Manitoba and New York state. I have to follow science and the medical advice. I always have, I always will, the premier said Thursday, emphasizing that provincial chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams and other public health officials will make the call. Ill take their advice and if Dr. Williams doesnt think its the right thing to do, then Im following his advice. I have from the beginning. Ill continue to follow it, he said. Ford admitted he is under a lot of pressure to expedite the opening of the economy in regions beyond the GTA. There are far fewer coronavirus cases in Kenora, Algoma, North Bay, Parry Sound, Sudbury, Kingston, Renfrew, Huron-Perth, Prince Edward County, and most of southwestern Ontario outside the Windsor city limits. I hear it at cabinet, I hear it at caucus. I hear it all the time from our own members, the premier said. Indeed, Progressive Conservative MPPs from outside the Golden Horseshoe privately confide that they are feeling heat from their constituents. How am I supposed to keep telling businesses in my area to remain closed for whats essentially a Toronto problem? said one rural Tory MPP, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to freely discuss internal caucus discussions. At a certain point, weve got to reopen, added the MPP, who personally lobbied Ford against the universal reopening approach. But the premier, who began the first phase of reopening the economy last week when stores with street-front entrances were allowed to welcome customers, said we just have to be cautious to curb the spread of a virus that has killed 2,248 people in Ontario. On a long weekend in the summer, therell be half a million cottagers going up to the Muskokas, the Haliburtons, up to the cottage area and theyre coming, primarily, theyre coming from the 905 and 416 area, he said. In Quebec, where 4,228 people have died from COVID-19, Premier Francois Legault has pushed a phased regional approach to opening. Outside of Montreal, the epicentre of the pandemic in that province, much of the economy will be up and running next week, including indoor shopping malls. We have to continue to be careful because we cannot afford to have large increases in the next few days or weeks in the number of people in our hospitals in Montreal, Legault said earlier this week. In Manitoba, where only seven people have died of COVID-19, Premier Brian Pallister announced Tuesday that most businesses including restaurants, bars, and gyms will be open next week. Pallister stressed slow and careful movement in the direction of easing our restrictions is the right approach. New York state has suffered 23,282 deaths more than 10 times as many as Ontario despite a population of 19.5 million compared to the provinces 14.5 million but is pushing forward with phased regional reopening. In New York, a region must meet seven different metrics before being allowed to move a broader stage of reopening, including a sustained decline in total hospitalizations over a three-day rolling average and a decline in deaths. Each region must have at least 30 per cent of its intensive care unit beds and 30 per cent of all hospital beds open and must meet diagnostic testing and contact tracing capacity. Western New York, across the Niagara River from Ontario, currently meets all seven requirements for reopening selected businesses and services. Earlier this month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo defended his plan. Close down everything, close down the economy, lock yourself in the home you can do it for a short period of time, but you cant do it forever. Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie Read more about: New Rule Could Deny Black Developers Access to $4 Billion-Plus in State Housing Funds African American developers across California are worried about a rule change the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is considering. The regulation proposes a new requirement that developers have more experience before becoming eligible for contracts awarded from a $4 billion fund set up to construct housing for the homeless. The taxpayer-funded project is called the Multifamily Housing Program (MHP). ADVERTISEMENT We urge the department to not make this change, wrote Kevin Murray, a former California Assemblymember who represented the Californias 47th district in San Bernardino County from 1995 to 1998. From 1999 to 2006, he was a state Senator, representing the 26th district in Los Angeles. In the letter addressed to the HCD, Murray, who is African American and a developer, did not refer to the racial implications of the rule change. Instead he pointed out five technical reasons the proposed HCD tweaks would be neither efficient nor advisable. Murray is now President and CEO of the Weingart Center, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that provides services to homeless people, including developing affordable housing. This change will further limit the eligible pool of housing providers that can apply for this funding source at a time when affordable housing is most direly needed, Murrays letter continued. If HCD applies the rule change, developers and the organizations backing housing projects would have to have previously owned or operated apartments for the population the housing development targets, which, in this instance, are homeless individuals. The guideline changes would apply to Special Needs and Supportive Housing projects such as housing for survivors of domestic violence and people with disabilities. HCDs current focus is housing for the chronically homeless. Under current guidelines, an individual developer can qualify for funding to build MHP projects by employing people who have the required experience. Murray agrees with the current rules. An organization is only as good as its staff, he argued in the letter that he submitted to the HCD during the public comment phase for the rule change, which closed on May 5. Some African American developers say race and gender are factors when it comes to contracting in California, and adding more rules could turn off even experienced developers in a state where land-use restrictions are stricter than in most states. Those advocates say minorities and women are often discouraged when they try to participate in programs like MHP even if they are qualified. They may say [forget] this affordable housing because it is political. Go do other things, says Veronica Smith, founder of Smith Impact Brands, Inc, a project management and affordable housing consulting service based in Sacramento. Smith is an African American woman who has development experience. ADVERTISEMENT In California, less than 1% of developers are Black, according to estimates by NewHawk, a Rialto-based consulting firm specializing in demographics and policy analysis. The California Legislative Black Caucus estimates women-owned and minority-owned businesses in the state have lost an estimated $1.1 billion each year since 1996 when the state passed Prop 209, a law outlawing consideration of race and gender in hiring, awarding state contracts, college admissions and policymaking. The CHD proposal to update MHP contracting criteria comes at the time when Gov. Newsom has prioritized fast tracking housing for the states homeless population, which accounts for nearly one fourth of all unsheltered people the United States. African Americans about 6 percent of Californias population make up nearly 40 percent of the states homeless population. Last week, Gov. Newsom announced that he slashed funding for education, public health, and other state programs in his May Revise budget plan for the 2020-21 fiscal year. At the same time, he called for increased housing affordability and availability, as California struggles to contain financial losses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. That may explain why the MHP dodged deep cuts that trimmed other parts of the state budget, African American developers say. Alicia Murillo, Communications Analyst at the DHCD, explained that the proposed amendments are not final. The guidelines are still in draft form and are evolving as we speak, she told California Black Media. A decision whether to publish any or all of proposed changes will not be made until after consideration of public comments. Murillo said, adding that the recommended updates to the regulations came from staff and stakeholder feedback as the HCD worked to process applications for the voter-approved Proposition 1 funds. In 2018, voters authorized $4 billion in general obligation bonds to kick start affordable housing projects for lower-income households. The Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act (Proposition 1) approved $1.5 billion for the states Multifamily Housing Program. According to the CHD, more than 660 homeless Californians will be housed. Thanks to the December release of $127 million tofund 17 new MHP projects. The next round of Prop 1 funding is $262 million set to be allocated in June. Awardees will receive, on average, about $12 million per award with a maximum limit of $20 million. Opponents of the HCD rule change say MHP loans arean incentive for developers to sign on to projects for lower-income renters. There is no affordable housing that gets built without these capital subsidies, said Riverside-based housing developer William Leach. As the founder of Kingdom Development Inc, Leach has produced about 30 affordable housing projects in the state. Leach says, as California faces a housing shortage, the HCD should not be making administrative statements. In Los Angeles County, Murrays organization, the WeingartCenter is located a mile from Skid Row, a tent city where an estimated 4,757 people lived, according to pre-COVID-19 calculations. Weingart estimates it helps 40,000 people a year, including providing temporary shelter and services. The county also has the highest concentration of homeless people in the state and it is the epicenter of the statess COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Smith says in communities like Los Angeles County, with large numbers of African Americans and other minorities, developers can play a critical role. Theres power in developers who understand issues, and understand development, and understand how to advance issues that could be getting things done had they not been excluded, Smith points out that it is red tape not a lack of skill keeping people sidelined. There are millions and millions of dollars that are wasted because the right people are not at the table, she says. [May 28, 2020] Water Quality Reports Show Illinois American Water Continues to Deliver Water that Meets or Surpasses Drinking Water Standards Illinois American Water announced today that results published in the company's 2019 water quality report indicate excellent water quality throughout its Illinois service area. The report, which is issued for each service area, highlights the company's commitment to providing drinking water that meets or is better than standards required by the Environmental Protection Agency. Also known as the Consumer Confidence Report, the water quality report describes local drinking water source information and test results, including all substances detected in the water and their levels. Commonly asked questions and the associated answers concerning drinking water are also included. Illinois American Water customers can search for their local water quality report by zip code at www.illinoisamwater.com under Water Quality. Rachel Bretz, Director of Water Quality and Environmental Compliance, said, "Our customers are relying on us to deliver safe, clean, reliable water to their taps. It's important for them to be able to trust in this critical service. This is why we work so hard to provide a quality product at a good value. The water quality reports are a testament to our team's expertise and dedication." Illinois American Water's water quality experts monitor drinking water quality around the clock. Water is tested at every stage of the treatment process as well as throughout the distribution system which delivers drinking water to homes andbusinesses. Bretz said, "The journey of water from its source to the tap is much more complex than many people realize, and nothing is more important than the exhaustive testing taking place at every stage of its voyage. We're proud of our track record of not only meeting water quality standards, but also going above and beyond what is required." Illinois American Water customers are invited and encouraged to review water quality results for their system in the Consumer Confidence Reports on the company's website. If a customer desires a printed copy of the annual report, they can call 800-422-2782 and have it mailed to them. About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,800 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005699/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [Related: Why does the Minneapolis police department look like a military unit?] American police departments could also take some cues from their counterparts in other countries, the former Burlington, Vt., police chief Brandon del Pozo has argued in The Times. American police officers fatally shoot about three people per day, which comes close to the yearly totals of other wealthy nations. Much of that discrepancy may have to do with the unique prevalence of guns in the United States: Where theres a lot of civilians that own guns, fatal police shootings happen more often, according to David Hemenway, a professor at Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Mr. del Pozo said that the extraordinary number of guns in the United States makes it impossible for officers here to go unarmed, as they do in Britain and Iceland. But he contended that officers could use their guns less: In Canada, for example, the police are armed, but the per capita rate of police shootings is one-seventh the American rate, which some credit to police training programs that prioritize de-escalation over confrontation. Training officers to act as if their weapons are insurance policies, rather than persuasive devices, will transform the nations police work, Mr. del Pozo wrote. Every American will be made safer by police officers whose first instinct is to communicate with the people they encounter and whose success lies in getting the psychology of persuasion right. Rethinking the role of the police To understand why American policing is so fraught, you first have to understand its history, according to Connie Hassett-Walker, a professor of criminal justice at Kean University in New Jersey. In the South, policing evolved from slave patrols, white vigilantes who enforced slavery laws; in the North, it emerged as a way to control a dangerous underclass that included African-Americans, Native Americans, immigrants and the poor. Policings institutional racism of decades and centuries ago still matters because policing culture has not changed as much as it could, she writes in The Conversation. The roots of racism in American policing first planted centuries ago have not yet been fully purged. But what would pulling out those roots really look like? For some, the answer is simply a matter of marshaling enough political will to make ambitious reforms: renegotiating police union contracts to bolster accountability, initiating a truth and reconciliation process through which the country can come to terms with its history of abusive policing, even potentially hiring more police officers. We can live in an America where the police do not kill people, Campaign Zero says. Police in England, Germany, Australia, Japan, and even cities like Buffalo, N.Y., and Richmond, Calif., demonstrate that public safety can be ensured without killing civilians. [Related: Are black communities overpoliced or underpoliced? Both.] But a growing number of people believe that the American practice of policing cannot be rescued from its origins. Systems of oppression, like slavery, Jim Crow and mass incarceration, must be reduced and abolished not reimagined, write Derecka Purnell and Marbre Stahly-Butts in The Times. Police officers, who primarily put people in cages, are the enforcers of mass incarceration. We must reckon with the reality that the police are part of the problem and stop investing money, power and legitimacy in them. Josie Duffy Rice, the president of The Appeal, tweeted: Differences in agricultural systems are highly relevant to the large income differences between rich and poor countries. There are two complementary reasons for this: poor countries are much less productive in agriculture than in the rest of the economy when compared with rich countries, and poor countries allocate most of their labor to agriculture. Whereas in rich countries less than 5 percent of the labor force works in agriculture, more than 70 percent is employed there in poor countries. At the same time, the disparity between rich and poor countries in real labor productivity is more than 35-fold in agriculture, while less than fivefold in non-agricultural sectors.1 Because low productivity constrains more labor to be engaged in agriculture in order to meet subsistence food constraints, the key question is: what are the fundamental reasons for low productivity in agriculture in poor countries? Since measured factor inputs, such as land endowments or quality, physical capital, and intermediates, among others, do not account for much of the productivity disparity across countries, the challenge is to determine what other factors may be relevant.2 An important development in the macroeconomics literature has been the recognition that production takes place among heterogeneous production units and that resource misallocation across these units can matter for aggregate outcomes.3 This insight has given relevance to many policies and institutions that affect resource allocation even if their influence cannot be detected from aggregate data. Consider, for instance, a regulation that on paper applies to all establishments but is effectively only enforced on large, more-productive producers, creating idiosyncratic effects across producers and hence misallocation; or the level of financial development that is common to all producers but may effectively constrain more-productive producers who want to expand. Figure1 There is ample evidence that policies and institutions that have idiosyncratic effects across producers are prevalent in the agricultural sector in poor and developing countries.4 Many of these policies tend to favor smallholder production systems; they include subsidized credit and intermediate inputs directed toward small or poor farm households. As a result, a symptom of low productivity in agriculture in poor countries is the prevalence of small-scale farming. Figure 1 shows the striking differences in average farm size between rich and poor countries. Evidence of Misallocation Is there evidence of misallocation in agriculture in poor and developing countries, and if so does it matter? To interpret the evidence from farm-level data, consider the situation in which a homogeneous agricultural good is produced by a set of heterogeneous farms that differ in their total factor productivity (TFP). Farm production features decreasing returns to variable inputs such as land, capital, labor, and intermediates. As a result, it would not be optimal to allocate all inputs to the most productive farm. This simple structure generates a non-degenerate farm-size distribution based on productivity differences. In the absence of any market imperfections or distortions, aggregate output and productivity are maximized when factors of production are allocated in proportion to farm productivity; that is, more productive farms are larger and farms of the same productivity operate at the same scale. Importantly, any deviation from this allocation would lower agricultural productivity, even if allocating more resources to farms with higher productivity. A key insight is that a weak correlation of farm inputs and farm productivity is indicative of misallocation. Measuring farm TFP requires detailed microdata and is subject to several relevant measurement issues. Fortunately, high-quality microdata are available for many poor and developing countries. One such data source for many countries in Africa is the Living Standards Management Study-Integrated Survey of Agriculture (LSMS-ISA), developed by the Gates Foundation and collected by the World Bank. Households are asked about all their agricultural outputs and inputs into farm production, with detailed information about the land operated by the household, including in some cases land quality characteristics. Using these data, farm-level productivity can be estimated or measured using a specific production function.5 Despite differences in institutional detail and data quality, the overwhelming finding is that in poor and developing countries, farm inputs are not strongly associated with farm productivity. In most cases there is no systematic relationship between farmland input and farm productivity, contrary to the strong association that arises in an efficient allocation and in observed allocations in developed countries. Figure 2 Consider for instance the allocation of land in farms in China, as documented in Figure 2. Whereas an efficient allocation would require a strong association between farm TFP and land input (as illustrated by the light grey line), the actual allocation of land in farms in China (dots) is, on average, essentially flat with respect to productivity (dark blue line). In this specific context, if land and other complementary inputs were reallocated to best uses, agricultural productivity could increase by 24 percent within villages and up to 53 percent if resources could also be reallocated across villages.6 These are large productivity increases just from static reallocation. The same pattern of land misallocation arises in many other countries, such as Malawi, Ethiopia, Uganda, and others. Connecting Misallocation with Land Institutions The finding of substantial land misallocation should not be surprising, given the institutional context in which land allocations take place in many poor and developing countries. Consider for example the prevalent form of land rights in Africa communal land rights where ownership resides with the state or the commune, and rural households are allocated land-use rights on a fairly egalitarian basis. This is the case in Malawi and Ethiopia. Or consider the allocation of land under the household responsibility system in China a component of the hukou system where households are allocated land-use rights by village officials to provide an equitable distribution of land among households in the village. Even though rentals of land are not prohibited in China, frequent land reallocations to accommodate changes in demographics have likely contributed to the implicit use-it-or-lose-it rules that have prevented any substantial rental activity to disassociate the distribution of use rights from farm operational scales. A direct approach to assessing the role of misallocation arising from restrictive land institutions is to study how variations in these institutions over time and space have affected agricultural productivity. Tasso Adamopoulos and I study a comprehensive land reform in the Philippines that imposed a maximum farm-size ceiling and redistributed excess land to the landless and smallholders.7 This land reform substantially reduced both average farm size and agricultural productivity. Most of the negative productivity effects arise because of the governments intervention in the redistribution of above-ceiling lands. A market reallocation would have generated only one-third as large a productivity loss. Lax enforcement of the farm ceiling prevented the productivity losses from being substantially larger. Another reform case comes from Ethiopia, where land is owned by the state and land sales are prohibited by law. Ethiopia implemented an ambitious land-certification program of use rights intended to provide stronger tenure security to farmers. The program, however, has to various degrees allowed land rentals to separate assigned land rights from land use. The reform was decentralized across regions with different timing, creating relevant variation in land rental activity across space and time. This context permits studying the effects of land rentals on misallocation and productivity.8 The overwhelming finding both empirically and through a quantitative model is that increased land rental market activity has a significant positive effect on agricultural productivity. Relevance of Measurement Error and Other Issues Quantifying the effects of misallocation in agriculture relies on measures of productivity at the production unit level. There are important reasons to be concerned with measurement issues, which are likely to be present in survey data, but the key question is whether these issues alter the big picture of misallocation that emerges. I argue that it does not. In all the studies mentioned above, the unit of analysis is the farm household and not an individual plot operated by a household. In agriculture this distinction is important, since it is common for households in the developing world to operate several plots of land. In Ethiopia, for example, households operate seven plots on average. The farm is the relevant unit of analysis in this context for two reasons. First, measuring productivity at the plot level is challenging because some inputs are shared across plots, inputs and output measures may be subject to measurement and reporting errors, and reported output may depend on shocks that are difficult to control in survey data, to list just a few issues. Aggregating all plot level data to the farm level can mitigate these potential measurement issues. Second, the institutional allocation of land is based on farm households. The distinction between the plot and the farm matters for assessing the cost of misallocation but not for the pattern of misallocation that emerges. Consider, for example, the microdata from Ethiopia. Dispersion in productivity and distortions are both much higher at the plot than at the farm level, implying reallocation gains that are almost four times larger at the plot than at the farm level. But while the cost of misallocation varies, in both cases there is hardly any association of land input with farm TFP. This is shown in Figure 3; it is precisely the evidence of misallocation discussed earlier. Figure 3 The distinction between the plot and the farm is also relevant when comparing with measurement error in other sectors. A plant in the manufacturing sector compares more closely with a plot in the agricultural sector, with the distinction that most businesses operate a single plant. Plant-level data can exhibit substantial measurement error.9 Instead, farm-level data from China indicate a much smaller degree of measurement error. Misallocation and the Inverse Farm Size-Productivity Relationship A negative relationship between farm size and land productivity or yield is a well-established empirical fact in development economics. There are at least two possible interpretations of this fact. The conventional interpretation is that small farms are more productive than large farms and, hence, efficiency and food availability would be enhanced by redistributing factors toward small-scale farming. This interpretation has had an enormous influence on development policy. Another interpretation is that differences in land productivity reflect in part misallocation. Detailed farm-level data from Uganda indicate that while farm size is negatively related to land productivity, consistent with the empirical fact, it is positively related to estimated farm TFP.10 The negative size-yield relationship becomes positive when accounting for misallocation and key features of the farm production function. The role of misallocation can also be assessed by comparing regions in Uganda with sharply different land tenure regimes: the customary land tenure regime based on communal land in the north/east region and the more modern non-customary land tenure regime in the central/west region. Misallocation is higher and there is a stronger negative size-yield relationship under communal land allocation. More generally, how useful is the inverse farm size-productivity relationship? In the case of Uganda and other poor and developing countries, there is as much dispersion in farm productivity within a farm-size class as across the entire distribution of farms. As a result, because of distortions in the agricultural sector in poor countries, farm size is not a useful instrument for policy implementation. An important general insight of the misallocation literature is that distortions deeply confound the relationship between establishment size and productivity. Broader Implications The misallocation approach generates several broad implications. For instance, it is often argued that an egalitarian distribution of land rights is effective at redistributing income. However, the evidence is that the inability of households to reallocate land-use rights sustains large income inequality, since the return to land reflects differential farming ability. An alternative allocation of resources can achieve substantial gains in agricultural productivity and at the same time reduce inequality. Another implication is that restrictive land markets tend to disproportionally affect the more able farmers, who would like to expand or choose instead to work outside agriculture. These effects can further reduce agricultural productivity by disincentivizing the use and adoption of modern technologies in agriculture and by distorting occupational selection. Secure land rights are not sufficient to generate a better allocation of resources and growth if land cannot be reallocated across households, potentially explaining the failure of many reforms emphasizing only secure rights. Is there Karnataka weekend lockdowns or night curfew? Here's what minister has to say Chances of locusts reaching Karnataka remote India pti-PTI Bengaluru, May 28: Amid locusts attack in some parts of the country, the Karnataka government on Thursday claimed chances of a massive locust swarm reaching the state are remote due to change in the wind direction. "... good thing is that the wind is not blowing towards Karnataka..according to the MET department report wind is expected to be towards a different direction,99.99 per cent it (locust) will not come to Karnataka, so farmers need not worry," Agriculture Minister B C Patil told reporters. As a precautionary measure, to face the situation in case of a locust swarm, a committee, comprising Agriculture and Horticulture directors and senior officials, has been constituted, and the officials have been directed to visit Kalaburagi, Bidar, Koppal and Yadgir districts. Coronavirus: Karnataka bans transport from 5 states amid Coronavirus fears | Oneindia News Locust attack: Centre to buy sprayers from UK, use helicopters, drones to spray pesticides "Our officials are in constant touch with officials in Maharashtra and are monitoring the situation," he added. Patil along with Horticulture Minister Narayan Gowda today held discussions with experts, disaster management cell officials and top officials of the departments regarding the locust swarm. In the last few months, locust attacks have been reported from many parts of the country, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The insects eat up crops in a field they attack, inflicting damage to the farm production. Mentioning about the change in the wind direction, an official release said the locusts are about 450 km away from Bidar district border, and may not reach Karnataka. Swarms of locusts have been reportedly seen in Maharashtra's Gondia district. Delhi govt gears up for probable locust attack; Issues advisory Stating that according to experts locusts have appeared in large numbers due to good rains last year in Rajasthan, a desert area, Patil said it has started moving in an eastward direction now. "They travel along the wind direction and not against it," he said. The minister also said as a precautionary measure, they have stocked pesticide chlorpyrifos and it can be sprayed in case the locusts come. Market Queens at the Takoradi Market Circle in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) have welcomed the decision of the Assembly to introduce a shift system using coloured cards for traders as a means to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Metropolis. The market queens in the various markets were engaged by the Assembly, before arriving at the decision to introduce the shift system using coloured cards when the markets reopened. Mr. Anthony K.K. Sam, Metropolitan Chief Executive of STMA, explained that the Sekondi-Takoradi Metro and the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Assemblies held a joint Security Council meeting to review measures put in place to control the spread of COVID-19 in the Metropolitan area. At the meeting, it was agreed that the Sekondi, Takoradi, Jubilee Park, Kojokrom and Effia Markets be close down to public from Thursday, May 28, to Wednesday, June 3, 2020. He explained that while the markets remained closed, the various Assemblies would undertake fumigation and disinfection exercises. The MCE noted that the recent increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Metropolis was due to a decision taken to get all staff of the Assembly, front line workers, health institutions and security agencies to a compulsory test for the COVID-19. He indicated that initially some market women agreed to go to the Jubilee Park but later disregarded the move and went back to the Market Circle to sell whereas some members at the fishing harbour flouted the protocols. Mr Sam disclosed that his outfit was looking for more centers to be used for quarantine, more security personnel, funds to support front line workers with PPEs as well as educate people on the need to implement more robust plans to stem the spread of the pandemic in the Metropolis. The meeting agreed that the Takoradi Market would run three shifts thus, red, yellow and green coloured cards would be used, while the Sekondi, Kojokrom and Effia Markets would run two shifts using red and yellow cards. Madam Rose Nyameye, a Market Queen who spoke to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, hinted that traders were doing their best to observe the protocols, but that there were some recalcitrant ones who relegated the protocols to the background, hence the need to close down the markets. "I believe when this is done, the traders will learn their lessons and comply with the directives when the market is reopened. Our numbers keep rising and the authorities need to do something about it," she opined. Meanwhile, market women at the Effia Market in the Effia-Kwesimintim Municipal Assembly (EKMA) have pleaded with the city authorities to exempt them from the closure. They have also pleaded with the city authorities to consider extending the closing date to enable them clear their stocks, which were already going bad. A market woman, Madam Ayishetu Anas told the Ghana News Agency that the news about the closure came to them two days to the closure. It came as a surprise since they were doing their best to comply with the social distancing protocols. Mr Philip Evans Nyarko, Assemblyman for the Effia Electoral Area, said Assembly Members were not consulted about the decision, but that it was necessary that the Effia Market was closed. If not all the people would troop there for trading and shopping when exempted, which may import COVID-19 cases into the Municipality. He said the decision to close the markets was not an easy one to take, but looking at the fact that the Metropolis was becoming a hotspot for the pandemic, it was necessary for all strategies to be put in place to fight the menace. He was of the view that the closure of the markets would inure to their good, as it would save lives and urged the market women to embrace it and refrain from the market during the period. Mr. Nyarko noted that trading has not being banned and encouraged the traders to engage in neighbourhood trading, while observing the social distancing, wearing of nose mask, and the washing of hands especially after handling money to avoid possible infections. 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 As Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government completes the first year of its second term in office, 62 per cent citizens feel the Modi government 2.0 has either met or exceeded expectations, the survey done by LocalCircles reveals. Of the total number, around 26% of citizens said the government exceeded expectations, while 36 per cent said the BJP-led government met expectations. The factors on which the government could have been rated high by people include "tough stance against terrorism, improved relations with foreign countries and India's growing global influence; passing of important and pending bills; and India's promptness in taking tough steps to control the COVID-19 pandemic", the survey suggests. Notably, the Centre's Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in February predicted the Indian economy would grow at 5 per cent in 2019-20, the lowest in the last decade. While the government was already fighting the economic downturn, the novel coronavirus pandemic pulled the economy back even further. The four phases of lockdown have resulted in huge losses for all, small, medium and large companies, job cuts and business closures. To bring some respite to small businesses and the poor, the government launched Rs 20 lakh crore Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan economic stimulus package. Also read: What to spend Rs 4.8 lakh crore on? Modi govt has long list of the desperate A total of 36% of citizens in the LocalCircles poll said prices of essential commodities and cost of living had reduced in the last year. India jumped to 63rd position in World Bank's Ease of Doing Business 2020 report, compared to the 77th spot in 2019, marking an improvement of 14 places over several measures to make the business activity easier in India. When asked if they feel doing business has been easier in the last 1 year, 43 per cent said yes and 33 per cent said no. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, India's unemployment rate saw a major spike in March and April 2020, which is the highest in the last few years. However, the nearly 2-month long COVID-19 lockdown has forced many businesses to cut back or in some cases shut down, thereby leading to many companies laying off employees and contributing to unemployment numbers. Just 29% said the government has been able to address the unemployment situation in the last 1 year, while 56 per cent answered 'no'. When it came to tax harassment, 52 per cent said they believe harassment by tax officials has reduced in the last 1 year. Eliminating corruption was an important part of the Modi government's election manifesto of both 2014 and 2019. Around 49 per cent citizens said they believed corruption in India had reduced in the last year. ALSO READ: Govt to borrow Rs 4.2 lakh crore more: 5 harmful effects on economy Around 79 per cent said India's image and influence in the world had improved, 73 per said they believed terror in India had reduced in the last 1 year. The verdict of the Ayodhya case, which was announced by the Supreme Court in November 2019, also seems to have lifted the government's image. Ahead of the verdict, there were fears of violence but the government handled the situation well and no communal incidents were reported. Around 56 per cent respondents said the government had been effective in handling issues related to "communalism" in the last 1 year, the survey claims. Around 59% said the government handled the COVID-19 pandemic 'very effectively', while 31% said it has been handled 'somewhat effectively'. Only 7% said the handling has not been effective and 3% said it has been handled poorly. LocalCircles looked at 15 key areas of government functioning and rated the performance of Modi government 2.0 based on people's opinions. The survey was conducted from April 30 to May 14, a period when most of the nation was in lockdown mode as the COVID-19 continued to impact India with the number of cases rising each week. The survey received over 1,27,000 votes from over 65,000 citizens across 280 districts of the country. LocalCircles had conducted a similar survey last year to assess that performance of the Government in 2019. When compared to last year's results, it looks like citizen ratings for the government have gone down in many areas. Last year, only 39 per cent citizens said the government has not been able to address the unemployment situation. This number has jumped to 56% this year. COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns have had a drastic effect on the already struggling Indian economy resulting in business disruption and massive job losses. This has partially contributed to the downward trending ratings on addressing unemployment in the survey. Around 43% this year, compared to 63% last year, have said that doing business in India has become easier. When it came to India's influence in the world, the ratings have marginally reduced from 88 per cent last year to 79% this year, but the approval ratings continue to be high on the backdrop of American President Donald Trump's India visit as well as India's move of providing Hydroxychloroquine to many countries. Watch: Thursday, May 28, 2020 The Stevie Awards announced today the Grand Stevie Award winners in The 18th Annual American Business Awards competition. Winners will be honored during the ABAs virtual awards ceremony on August 5, 2020. Registration for the virtual ceremony is now open. All organizations operating in the U.S. - large and small, public and private, for-profit and non-profit - are eligible to submit nominations to the ABAs in a wide range of categories, honoring achievement in every aspect of work life, from customer service and management to public relations and product development. This year more than 3,600 nominations were considered in the judging process by more than 230 professionals, whose average ratings determined the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners announced earlier this month. For a complete list of the 2020 Stevie Award winners, visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA. Grand Stevie Awards cannot be applied for directly. Winners are determined by a points system based on the total number of awards won in the ABAs, with a Gold Stevie win counting for 3 points, a Silver Stevie for 2 points, and a Bronze Stevie counting for 1.5. 2020 Grand Stevie winners in The American Business Awards are as follows: ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR: Cisco Systems, Inc., the multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in San Jose, CA, is the most honored organization in the 2020 ABAs, earning the most award points, 44.5, for nine Gold, five Silver, and five Bronze Stevie wins. MOST HONORED MARKETING AGENCY: Mayfield Consulting, a business-to-business marketing and sales consultancy in Concord, NC, earned 25.5 points for Stevie wins on behalf of clients such as AspenRidge Recovery, B&S Site Development Inc., Newberry Tanks and Equipment, and Richmond Alarm Company. MOST HONORED INTERACTIVE AGENCY: George P. Johnson, the Auburn, MI-based experiential marketing agency, earned 22.5 points for Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie wins for work for clients including AT&T, Google, IBM, and Infiniti, among others. MOST HONORED PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY: Havas, the French multinational advertising and public relations company, is this years honoree, with several of its US-based agencies earning 22 points for Stevie wins on behalf of Loadsmart, Panda Express, Spireon, Inc., Toyota and other clients. TOP 10: The following organizations will also be presented with Grand Stevie Award trophies for being among the top award-point winners in the 2020 ABAs, for Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevies won on behalf of themselves and/or clients. The number of COVID-19 cases and the death toll in Latin American countries continue to swell and not dropping despite their strict measures, according to a recently published article. COVID-19 Cases and Death Toll in Latin America Continues to Swell Latin American is one of the regions in the world that is hardly hit by the global pandemic. It led to the recession of many jobs and closure of big companies including Colombia's largest airline and the second-largest airline in the world, Avianca, which declared bankruptcy. Many countries in the region continue their fight to combat the negative financial and healthcare system brought by COVID-19. Some countries were overwhelmed and announced recently that their healthcare system is almost near to its limit. In a report presented by Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean on May 21st, they predicted that over 30 million in Latin America will be pushed into poverty while 215 million across LATAM and Caribbean will experience the same. This is what many countries feared to happen. This means that most countries in the region seem not to lift strict measures. The World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization are also concern about the increasing number of cases in Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and Chile. Here are some situations of the countries in the region: Brazil Brazil made headlines around the globe recently as they overpassed Russia. They are now the second country in the world with the highest number of cases. As of this time, the country has more than 414,000 cases of COVID-19 and a death toll of more than 25,000 according to worldometers. Despite the increasing number of cases, the countries capital and richest city where there are no beds of new patients anymore will reopen its economy and businesses this Monday. This is after Pres. Bolsonaro urged businesses to reopen because for him the virus is just a "little flu." Sao Paolo Governor said: "We will maintain the quarantine until June 15, but with the resumption of some economic activities." Peru Peru has one of the strictest measures in the region. They have 73 days mandatory national confinement, night curfews, close its borders, and more. Due to the drastic measures of the country, it left their economy semi-paralyzed. As of this time, the country has recorded more than 135,000 cases and a death toll of nearly 10,000. The country has the second-highest of cases in Latin America and which means that they are next to Brazil. Chile Chile might be the next epicenter of the virus in the coming days. Chilean President Pinera recently announced that their hospitals or healthcare system is very close to the limit. This is due to the rapid increase of infections in the country. ECLAC previously reported that poverty in the country before the year ends is expected to be at around 9.8%. However, due to the present situation of the country, ECLAC reported on May 21st that poverty in the country before the year ends will be at 13.7% Mexico Mexico is also one of the hardly-hit countries in the region. The country's Health Minister said last month that the real number of COVID-19 cases in Mexico should be multiplied into eight to see the real figures. Other health groups who said that it should be multiplied into 30. As of today, the country has recorded more than 78,000 cases and a death toll of approximately 8,6000. Despite this, Mexico is planning to reopen gradually its economic activities by early June. Pres. Obrador claimed that there is a sign that the number of cases has started to decline. The number of cases in these countries is part of the swelling of 5.8 million cases around the world and a death toll of more than 357,000. While more than 2.5 million has recovered from the infectious and deadly COVID-19. Read related articles: Five pharmacy chains in two Ohio counties have been hit with lawsuits for flooding tiny towns with tens of millions of prescription painkillers and taking minimal steps, if any, to stop the excessive sales. Lake and Trumbull counties in northeast Ohio have filed lawsuits on Wednesday accusing CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Walmart and Giant Eagle of fueling the national drug crisis that has killed more than 430,000 people since 2000. The complaints were filed in the US District Court in Cleveland and are slated for trial in May 2021 before U.S. District Judge Dan Polster. The chains' 31 pharmacies sold nearly 64million oxycodone and hydrocodone pills - painkillers most frequently diverted and abused - in Lake County between 2006 and 2014, according to federal data. With a population of 220,000, that is roughly 290 pills for every Lake County resident during that period. Lake and Trumbull counties in Ohio filed lawsuits against pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Walmart and Giant Eagle on Wednesday. File image of a CVS in Ohio above The suit accuses a Rite Aid in Painesville, Ohio, which has a population of 19,524, of selling more than 4.2million doses of oxycodone and hydrocodone from 2006 through 2014 when the retailer offered bonuses to stores with the highest productivity. A photo of a Rite Aid in Plainesville above During that same time period Trumbull County's 28 pharmacies sold more than 68million of those pills to the population of 209,837; that divides up to 322 pills for every resident. Three Walmart pharmacies in Lake County sold 6.4million opioid pills from 2006 through 2014, but did not flag any suspicious orders from 2007 and 2014. The suit also accuses a Rite Aid in Painesville, Ohio, which has a population of 19,524, of selling more than 4.2million doses of oxycodone and hydrocodone from 2006 through 2014 when the retailer offered bonuses to stores with the highest productivity. The lawsuits allege that the pharmacies were not only aware of the excessive amount of opioids they were selling, but failed to report suspiciously large orders and sales. 'They were keenly aware of the oversupply of prescription opioids through the extensive data and information they developed and maintained as both distributors and retail sellers of opioids,' the lawsuits claim. The companies 'facilitated the supply of far more opioids that could have been justified to serve a legitimate market,' the lawsuits said. The complaint alleges CVS worked with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to offer seminars to pharmacists on pain management so theyd be able to reassure patients and doctors on the safety of opioids. CVS also partnered with Endo Pharmaceuticals to send letters to patients encouraging them to maintain prescriptions from opioid Opana, as per the New York Times. The complaints were filed in the US District Court in Cleveland and are slated for trial in May 2021. A Giant Eagle in Ohio pictured above Walgreens and Walmart are accused of circumventing federal oversight policies requiring them to report large orders to the FDA in the lawsuits. A view of a Walmart in Ohio above In 2017 the Food and Drug Administration ordered the extended-release formulation of Opana to be removed from the market due to extensive abuse. Walgreens and Walmart are accused of circumventing federal oversight policies requiring them to report large orders to the FDA. CVS also lacked a companywide policy for reporting suspicious orders until prior to 2010. However CVS didnt report any orders as suspicious until February 2012, when the opioid crisis was already on the rise. Through November 2013, CVS has only reported seven suspicious orders across the country and none of those were in Ohio. The counties are suing the chains on two fronts - as distributors to their own pharmacies, and as dispensers who allegedly intentionally fueled the public demand for opioids. CVS spokesman Michael DeAngelis in a statement said that opioids are made and marketed by drug manufacturers, not pharmacists, and the lawsuits' use of 'decades old documents without context is misleading and doesn't change the facts.' Walgreens spokesman Phil Caruso referred to an earlier statement from the company claiming it never manufactured or marketed opioids and only delivered prescription painkillers to its retail locations 'Pharmacists dispense opioid prescriptions written by a licensed physician for a legitimate medical need,' DeAngelis said. Walgreens spokesman Phil Caruso referred to an earlier statement from the company claiming it never manufactured or marketed opioids and only delivered prescription painkillers to its retail locations. The other retailers have not responded to the lawsuit. Pharmacists are obliged to fill prescriptions from physicians as they are written, the company said. Ohio officials have been adamant in their fight against the opioid crisis and legal battle with manufacturers, and now distributors. These are the first lawsuits to target retail chains as distributors and dispensers of prescription painkillers. Ohio's much larger Cuyahoga and Summit counties settled a lawsuit against drug manufacturers and distributors ahead of trial last November for $260million. A trial for claims by Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, and Summit County, which includes Akron, against retail chains is scheduled for November. Pharmacies are not part of that complaint after an appeals court sided with the companies, saying Polster improperly included them. Intense fire consumes large part of Central de Abastos Oaxaca market Oaxaca, Oaxaca More than 100 people were affected by a massive fire that occurred in a popular central market in the city of Oaxaca. The fire broke out Wednesday night at Central de Abastos Oaxaca. The director of the Cuerpo de Bomberos, Manuel Maza Sanchez, noted that it took hours to control flames and added that no human injuries were reported. He reported that the fire began around 9:00 pm in the handicrafts area where textiles and various products made from reed and other flammable materials ignited. Firefighters as well as Municipal Civil Protection and other rescue bodies were on site to fight the quickly spreading flames. He said that elements from the Ministry of National Defense, Civil Protection, Public Security of Oaxaca and firefighters from the municipalities of Santa Cruz Xoxocotlan, Tlalixtac de Cabrera and San Jacinto Amilpas arrived to help battle the blaze. The massive fire could been seen for kilometres Staff from the Federal Electricity Commission came to cut power while authorities extinguished the fire, which took nearly three hours. The Central de Abasto market is the largest of its kind in the city. Information on how much of the market has been damaged has not yet been released. B rits took to their doorsteps for the last official round of Clap for Carers to show support for care staff and frontline workers. The event, which has taken place every Thursday since March 26, has seen people across the UK join in a public display of unity and gratitude. However, organiser Annemarie Plas has called for this round to be the last, saying it is it is good to stop it at its peak. Without getting too political, I share some of the opinions that some people have about it becoming politicised, she said. I think the narrative is starting to change and I dont want the clap to be negative. Annemarie Plas shared in a final official show of gratitude (AP) / AFP via Getty Images Despite expressing gratitude at the widespread tribute, some NHS staff have shared mixed feelings about its broader purpose. Many have suggested it does not go far enough to help health workers during the pandemic, with protesters calling for better funding for services and salary increases for staff members. NHS doctor Meenal Viz said on Twitter: As a doctor, Ive appreciated your support during Clap for Carers. But instead of clapping tonight at 8pm, Ill observe silence in remembrance of my 237 colleagues who have died during the pandemic. Clap for Carers: Thursday, May 21 1 /18 Clap for Carers: Thursday, May 21 NHS workers participate in a national "clap for carers" AFP via Getty Images Staff outside Abbeydale Court Care Home in Hamilton clapping to salute local heroes PA Hospital staff stand outside the Royal Hampshire County Hospital PA NHS workers participate in a national "clap for carers" AFP via Getty Images NHS staff outside King's College Hospital in Camberwell PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers Reuters NHS staff gather in a doorway at the Aintree University Hospital in Fazakerley, Liverpool PA Children applaud during the Clap for our Carers REUTERS Members of the public and NHS workers react at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital REUTERS NHS staff outside Aintree University Hospital in Fazakerley, Liverpool, during Thursday's nationwide Clap for Carers PA People outside their houses in Woodesford, Leeds PA Members of the public and NHS workers react at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital REUTERS An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital REUTERS Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson applauds outside 10 Downing Street REUTERS The Prime Minister, who took part in the event from the steps of Number 10, praised the work of "selfless" NHS staff. Tweeting a video of his own round of applause, Boris Johnson wrote: Todays clap for carers marks 10 weeks of celebrating our wonderful NHS and carers in this way. I want to thank each and every one of our wonderful NHS and care workers for the incredible, selfless work they do to look after us all. He was joined by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in marking the final round with a public message of thanks. Sir Keir tweeted: Thank you to every single person that has kept our country going through this crisis. Your work and sacrifice will never be forgotten. While his deputy Angela Raynor called for a loud rowdy tribute. Its the final #ClapForCarers tonight at 8pm, lets make it a loud rowdy one, she wrote on Twitter. They have been tremendous during this coronavirus pandemic along with so many other key workers caring for the many. Some have sadly died whilst caring for us all and we shall never forget them. Piers Morgan, known for his often outspoken political commentaries, shared a similar call for a "loud and proud" show of gratitude. He tweeted: Last (for now) #clapforcarers tonight. Make it loud, make it proud, & show all our NHS & care worker heroes how much we value their extraordinary hard work & courage during this crisis." Meanwhile, fellow TV star Kate Garraway shared a moving message to health workers as her husband Derek continues to battle coronavirus. Alongside a video of her children banging drums, she said that the gesture has been a source of weekly comfort. Garraway that she felt the tears come tonight to think its coming to an end before Dereks ordeal with us. She added: But whether we clap or not next Thursday my eternal thanks to all in the NHS goes on. They are keeping Derek alive and every one of them is fighting as hard as Derek is to give us the chance to be reunited. Its not easy but when I think of how hard Derek is fighting and the bravery of all in the NHS it helps. Gwen Carr, whose son Eric Garner died during an arrest in 2014 in New York, speaks to ABC News about George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody on May 25, 2020. - (ABC News)By JESSICA HOPPER, JOHN KAPETANEAS, CANDACE SMITH and ANTHONY RIVAS, ABC News (NEW YORK) -- It's been nearly six years since a white New York City police officer caused the chokehold death of Eric Garner, but his mother, Gwen Carr, says that the recent death of George Floyd -- another black man whose dying words echoed her son's -- has brought back all the "darkness." Floyd died Monday in Minneapolis after being apprehended by police and pinned to the ground for several minutes with a knee on his neck. In video of the incident, Floyd can be heard yelling, "I can't breathe," the same words Garner is heard saying in video of his July 2014 death. "It's just a horrible thing to go through. It's a recurring nightmare," Gwen Carr said of Floyd's death during an interview with Nightline co-anchor Juju Chang. "It's worse than a nightmare because you never wake up... It just brings back all the bad feelings, all the anxiety, all the darkness of what happened to me that day." Carr, who has spent years fighting for justice for her son, commended the Minneapolis Police Department for firing the four officers involved in Floyd's arrest. But she said police departments still have a lot to learn about dealing with police misconduct and policing in neighborhoods with people of color. The Minneapolis Police Department said in a statement Monday that its officers were called to the scene for a "report of a forgery in progress." The officers were advised that the suspect, Floyd, "appeared to be under the influence" and that he "physically resisted officers." In bystander videos taken during the arrest, during which Floyd was pinned to the ground with a white officer kneeling on his neck, he is heard pleading, "I can't breathe, please, the knee in my neck. I can't move my neck I'm through. I'm through." An ambulance was called for Floyd after he "appeared to be suffering medical distress," but he died a short time after arriving at Hennepin County Medical Center, according to the police statement from Monday, which noted there were no weapons of any kind used by anyone involved in the incident and that no officers were injured. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner told ABC News his cause of death is pending further tests and investigation. Carr said bystander videos offer unbiased accounts of incidents like Garner's and Floyd's. Her son's death was among the first whose video galvanized the nation. "When the video comes out, it shows exactly what happened," she said. "You put him in medical distress. They said they tried to resuscitate him. After you fatally injured him, now you're going to resuscitate him. What good is that going to do? It's the same scenario, same exact thing with my son." "We need the video so we can make sense of what actually happened in the arrests or takedown," she added. "We need to know this." Carr said that following the emergence of the video of Floyd, she called his family to express her condolences. "I was telling them how sorry I was for their loss," she said. "I knew what they were feeling. I was horrified by this action because it just brought back the memories of what happened to my son. And actually, while I was on that call, tears was just streaming down as I spoke to them." After her son died, Carr, a retired transit train operator, said she was "thrown into" activism in an effort to raise awareness of what had been done to Garner. "I don't want any other mother to suffer like I've suffered," she said. "And it's not only with chokeholds." Since 2014, the phrase "I can't breathe" has become a rallying cry for demonstrators protesting police-involved deaths. "I think that they are symbolizing that they didn't let my son breathe," Carr said of the phrase. "And if he can't breathe, that means that we can't breathe because there is no justice. So we are chanting so that the people in politics, the people who are in the seats who can do something, let us breathe. Do something about these bad actors [in police departments]. Get them out." Daniel Pantaleo, the officer responsible for Garner's death, was fired from the New York City Police Department in August 2019 after a departmental judge ruled that he had used a prohibited chokehold that contributed to Garner's fatal asthma attack. A Staten Island, New York, grand jury chose not to indict Pantaleo and the Department of Justice declined to press charges. Carr said there will never be justice for her son because he's no longer here. But for her, she said there will be justice when all the officers that were involved in his death are held accountable and charged. She said she plans to keep working to create change. Her efforts so far, she said, have made it clear that she's not going away. "I see a lot of times [with] these cases, they happen, we have crowds. We have thousands, tens of thousands of people who come out to support. And soon as the cameras go, soon as the lights go out, the people are going But I wanted to let them know that it doesn't mean anything if the camera is there or not, I'm going to be there," she said. "I'm going to raise my voice. I'm going to talk to whoever I think that I can get through to, and the ones I can't get through to, I'll still work on them." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Covid-19 Is An Urgent Reminder That Food Insecurity Is a Pressing Problem In many ways, the coronavirus has served as a huge magnifying glass on our society, amplifying issues many of us knew were lurking near the surface but could often ignore during the course of our busy, pre-Covid-19 lives. We knew many of our fellow Angelenos worked on the margins of the previously healthy economy, but that reality didnt hit home until we saw reports that less than half of adults in Los Angeles County had a job post pandemic. We all probably had at least heard that minorities had worse health outcomes than white Americans, but perhaps that didnt really register until statistics about the shockingly high death rates of black and Latinos from Covid-19 became reality. ADVERTISEMENT And many of us were aware that resources arent spread equitably throughout Los Angeles, but it didnt sink in until we began to see photos of impossibly long lines at food banks throughout the city and country. Now we must decide whether well harness that deepening awareness to help our neighbors in need. If we choose wisely, well cultivate community-wide solutions not just for today but for the years to come. We can start by thinking about food. The entrenched disparity in resources, particularly grocery stores, is stark. West L.A. counts twice as many grocery stores as South L.A., which is home to many of L.A. Countys 1.7 million food-insecure residents, according to a 2015 study. Before the pandemic, this disparity was already literally killing residents. With less access to affordable and healthy food, residents of South L.A. have a life expectancy a dozen years shorter than their counterparts in West L.A. and are at far greater risk for obesity, diabetes and hypertension all illnesses that seem to lead to a higher mortality rate for Covid-19 victims, incidentally. But in the midst of a pandemic, residents living in food deserts are at even greater risk. Staples like rice, beans and eggs at their local stores are often scarce. Better-stocked, larger chain stores can often require a long trip on public transportation, something many residents want to avoid. This often means that residents are having to pay more for food or go to extraordinary lengths to get groceries. Some of their stories: One single mother of two would travel to Culver City to get affordable, healthy groceries before the pandemic. Now she must travel to stores on foot or by bus, only to find empty shelves. A single father of five in Inglewood has been forced to rely on fast food for his children because local grocery stores are out of stock and overcrowded. A family of five in East L.A. has been unable to find rice and beans and switched to more expensive foods, meaning their weekly food budget has almost doubled even while their fathers work hours have been cut. ADVERTISEMENT Luckily, there have been many efforts to help the affected families. During the first week of April, the city of Los Angeles Angeleno Fund provided grocery vouchers to more than 3,000 families. We have worked with One Family LA, a campaign that has raised $1.75 million and has helped 2,600 families so far. But these efforts will not solve the fundamental food security issues in L.A. To make a long-lasting change, the people of South L.A. need immediate reinforcements and creative thinking from L.A. County and its philanthropic partners. Specifically, we need these entities to develop a $5 million fund that would provide emergency grocery vouchers to low-income families. A designated relief fund at the county level would build on the Angeleno Fund, which provided more than 3,000 families with grocery vouchers in its first week alone. As importantly, the county should create a series of incentives to bring stores that offer healthy, high-quality, and affordable food to South and East L.A. Similar programs in places like the county of El Paso, which launched a plan in 2019 to help stores that sell healthy and affordable food either expand or locate in high-needs areas by offering $1 million in low-interest loans and grants. If the coronavirus is truly a magnifying glass for our society, we cannot afford to continue to look away. We have to act on the ugly truths that it is showing us. And we cannot afford to wait. Larry Fondation is the executive director of United Parents and Students. Michael Lawson is the president and CEO of the Urban League. What have relevant officials done to keep manufacturers at home? The Gumi branch of the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) staged a rally in front of Cheong Wa Dae last Sunday, calling for the government to counterbalance LG Electronics' overseas relocation of TV production lines. It was noteworthy that citizens in Gumi, some 250 km southeast of Seoul, showed by action their concerns about the adverse economic effects LG's offshoring will have on the regional economy while local officials and political leaders did nothing. The economic growth of Daegu and surrounding North Gyeongsang Province has owed much to the industrial park in Gumi created in 1969 by the then Park Chung-hee administration. The nation's two largest electronics manufacturers Samsung and LG contributed significantly to its expansion. However, it has become inevitable for the two corporate giants to move abroad to survive the increasingly fierce global competition. Following Samsung's relocation to Vietnam, LG has come to seek an optimal balance between its home factory and overseas plants. Such a strategic shift is understandable, but localities can ill afford to sit and watch these crucial employers go abroad. Local administrative and political leaders should ask themselves what has made the local chapter of CCEJ, a group seeking economic fair play, to turn their concerns into action. Exports from Gumi Industrial Complex have plunged by 37 percent over the past six years, and its capacity utilization ratio remains at the bottom of the nation. Gumi, once the engine of Korean exports, saw the largest job losses in the country last year, and its unemployment rate has ranked in the top five among all Korean cities for seven years in a row. LG's move came all the more painful for Gumi as it runs counter to the Moon Jae-in administration's ongoing slogan for the "reshoring" of Korean manufacturers abroad. Regional leaders and citizens alike should go all out to prevent any further outflows of manufacturing bases. It is the central government, however, that ought to offer bolder incentives to keep core manufacturers at home before trying to bring back those who have already moved overseas. Such a policy switch can save not just regional but national economies as well. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 00:23:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIGA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian government's earlier promise to raise the salaries of the country's medical workers by 20 percent must be kept, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins told public radio on Wednesday. His remarks came after the European Commission in its latest recommendations to the European Union (EU) member states urged Latvia to bolster its underfunded health sector by hiking medical workers' wages and improving healthcare infrastructure. The 20 percent wage increase for medical personnel has implications for the state budget and is a matter for wider reforms, Karins said, indicating that a debate on possible tax changes is already under way in the government. "Healthcare does not come free of charge, it requires funding, but to provide this funding all of us have to pay our equal, proportional share of taxes," Karins said. He stressed that the 20 percent pay rise, which had been promised to the medics already for this year, must be ensured. Before solving the medics' pay issue, it is first necessary to agree on investments needed in the health sector, Karins said, noting that funding for this purpose has already been included in the government's strategy for dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. The prime minister believes that the resolution of the pay issue will also help reduce labor shortages in the health sector. Last year, medics in Latvia held extensive protests after the government refused to provide 120 million euros (131.8 million U.S. dollars) worth of budget funds necessary to cover the 20 percent pay increase, which had been promised already in 2018. Enditem Gettyimagesbank South Korea is "well aware" of the concerns being raised over heightening international tensions and is watching the situation very closely, its top diplomat said Thursday, apparently referring to the growing rift between the United States and China amid worries the conflict will pressure Seoul to take sides. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha also said the government is doing everything it can to protect its citizens and national interests in the face of multiple challenges currently confronting the country. Kang made the remarks during an interagency meeting held to discuss what South Korea's approach should be in terms of addressing the growing rivalry between the two major powers that has intensified over the coronavirus pandemic and China's legislative bid to tighten control over Hong Kong. "We are well aware of the concerns in relation to the heightening tensions in the international community and its repercussions," she said ahead of the diplomatic strategy meeting. "Our government has been thoroughly assessing its meaning and impact as we closely watch the situation" Washington has been ramping up its anti-China campaign by pinning the blame on Beijing for causing the spread of COVID-19 and voicing criticism on its push to enact controversial national security laws on Hong Kong to punish anti-government activities. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned of strong actions against China if it goes ahead with the legislation. "We've been doubling our efforts to make sure we protect our citizens and defend our national interests by comprehensively deliberating our responses," Kang said. Kang noted the world may seem to have slowed down its activities due to COVID-19, expressing concerns over the growing fallout from the global pandemic. An important component of every country's innovation system is the ability to attract the investment to commercialize research, incentivize entrepreneurs and grow a company quickly so that it can compete effectively. After almost five years of development, and in response to criticism both from local and overseas investors, China has introduced new investment and securities laws. These laws are designed to simplify China's investment system, making it easier to launch an initial public offering (IPO), protect intellectual property, invite foreign partnerships and encourage foreign investment. China's newly amended Securities Law was officially publicized on Dec. 28, 2019. It became effective on March 1, 2020. The main changes in the new law involve the reform of the registration-based IPO system, the imposition of more severe punishments for violations, and the enhancement of protection for retail investors. Facilitating initial public offerings Prior to the new reforms, China's equity markets were based upon an "approval system" in which a government department evaluated the prices, volume and specifics of the IPO. This was often an opaque process which could take years before an approval was granted. Under the new law, China has moved from an approval system to a registration system. Once a company files all of the required information, including a detailed prospectus, then approval should come within months as opposed to years. The regulator will then leave it to the company seeking to launch an IPO to conduct a "road show" to attract investors and market shares. Thus, the market will determine pricing independently from the heavy hand of the regulator. Promoting foreign investment China's new foreign investment law introduced this year gives much greater local market access to foreign firms seeking to operate in China. Under the system, China will offer foreign investors pre-establishment national treatment. This is in contrast to most systems operating in other countries which normally offer national treatment to foreign investors only at the post-establishment stage. Under the previous law, government approval was required in order to establish, change or discontinue a foreign investment in China. Under the new law and its registration system, no government approval is required at the pre-investment stage. Investors need only register their investments with the relevant authorities. This represents a much simpler, more efficient process for doing business in China. Enhanced protection for investors The new Securities Law also provides greater safeguards to foreign investors. This includes greater protection of IP and prohibitions on regulatory action which previously would impose the cooperation in relation to intellectual property. Special focus is being placed on protecting the legitimate interests of small and medium sized investors. Enhanced protection under the new law is also provided for minority investors. This includes improved disclosure requirements and investor protection rules. The stipulations on fraudulent issuance of securities, breach of information disclosure rules, dereliction of duty by intermediaries, insider trading and other market disruption issues have been improved by clearer and more transparent law enforcement standards and coordination between the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and other government departments. Program trading We live in an age of high frequency trading (HFT) with many share orders being generated by computer program. Article 45 of the new law provides that program trading conducted through automatic generation and delivery of trading orders by the computer programming shall comply with the rules prescribed by the securities regulatory authority of the State Council. They shall be reported to the stock exchanges and shall not impact the security of the trading systems or the normal trading order of the stock exchanges. Article 190 of the Securities Law increases the fines for market abuses and disruptions perpetrated through program trading systems. Violators shall be ordered to correct and shall, in addition, be issued a fine of no less than 500,000 yuan but no more than 5 million yuan. The person directly in charge and the other persons directly responsible shall be given a warning and shall, in addition, each be issued a fine of no less than 100,000 yuan but no more than 1 million yuan. China's new foreign investment law has been much anticipated. Hopefully, the reforms will be viewed as a significant improvement in making the Chinese market more attractive and open to foreign investment. It represents a significant step in China's further opening up which has been progressing over the last 40 years. While establishing the legislative framework is a vital step, it must also provide training and create a culture of greater transparency, openness and clear standards. If that is done, then the investment system may operate in a way that reflects both the content and spirit underlying these systemic changes. Eugene Clark is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. The IMD changed its initial forecast, which had predicted monsoon was likely to be delayed by a week due to Cyclone Amphan. "With the strengthening of westerlies and increase in convective clouds, the Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into some parts of the Maldives-Comorin area, some more parts of south Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Andaman Sea and Andaman & Nicobar Islands," the IMD said in a bulletin. The monsoon is ... 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 With many colleges and universities still deciding when to re-open their campuses after they were shuttered due to COVID-19, many high school seniors are thinking about taking a gap year. Putting off college during the pandemic might enable them to get the on-campus experience they desire in 2021 instead of going to school remotely this fall. Traditionally, a gap year is a semester or year of learning through experience. It is typically taken after high school and before college or starting a career. However, some college students choose to take a gap year while theyre still in college or before going to graduate school. As the coordinator of a research group that examines the impact of taking a gap year, here are five ways that students will benefit from the gap year experience. 1. Avoid Burnout Perhaps most importantly, given the pressure in many high schools to excel in school and extracurricular activities to gain admission to college, a gap year gives students the opportunity to do something completely different. Just taking that step off the treadmill can lead to new growth and self-discovery. 2. Gain Maturity Taking a break from your formal education can contribute to a deeper appreciation of what the purpose of school is really all about. This, in turn, allows students to begin college with a more mature and focused mindset. A gap year can provide the opportunity to discover new areas of interest and even to completely reinvent yourself. One good example was a student who spent his gap year working as a fishing guide in Alaska. That experience led him to major in environmental resource management. Ultimately, he embarked on a career in nature conservation. 3. Boost Academic Performance Could taking a break slow down a students academic momentum? Actually, research conducted by an economist at Middlebury Collegeand replicated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hillfound the opposite is true. Not only did students who took a gap year perform, on average, better than those who did not, they actually performed better than would have been predicted, based on their academic credentials when they applied to college. For instance, the study found that the students who took a gap year earned GPAs that were .15 to .25 points higher than predicted. 4. Earn Academic Credit At least one gap year program also provides the opportunity to be admitted to and earn academic credit at a variety of colleges. Other schools, such as Florida State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Princeton, and Tufts University offer their own gap year programs for students who want to postpone their on-campus enrollment for a year, but not always for academic credit. These college-based programs can also include financial assistance when needed. 5. Gain Independence It isnt necessary to stick with a formal gap year program or limit yourself to just one activity. In my 45 years of working with gap year students, Ive found that some of the best gap year experiences are those that are self-designed. If you create your own gap year experience, the most important thing to figure out is what you want to get out of itbe that work experience in a career you intend to pursue, learning a foreign language, doing community service, or gaining greater cultural or environmental awareness. Then its a matter of creating experiences that lead to that goal. One memorable example was a student from Oklahoma who spent the first four months of her gap year tending llamas at a monastery in North Dakota, the next four months working for a lawyer in Tulsa, and the last four volunteering at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. Resources Available While taking a gap year can often cost a lot of money, that doesnt mean the gap year experience is limited only to those who can afford it. Many of the more expensive gap year programs offer need-based financial aid. It is also important to remember that many self-designed gap year experiences can cost very little, or even provide the opportunity to earn money through jobs or paid internships. Alternatively, it could involve doing volunteer work while living at home. For volunteer experiences away from home, sometimes students get their travel and living expenses covered. Service opportunities are often voluntary and therefore unpaid, but programs such as AmeriCorps City Year provide stipends to cover room and board expenses. For those who want to join an existing gap year program, there are plenty of opportunities that provide students with a wide range of domestic and international experiences, leadership opportunities, and less-formal learning environments. For example, you could check with the Gap Year Association for lists of accredited programs and its own research on the impact of taking a gap year. In addition, USA Gap Year Fairs sponsors fairs around the country in late winter where gap year programs provide information about their opportunities. There are also a number of accredited independent gap year consultants around the country who can provide expert advice on gap year experiences. For high school seniors contemplating deferring enrollment in college until they can be assured of having the on-campus experience they envisioned, May and early June is the time to consider gap year opportunities and to inform the college admissions office of their desire to delay their enrollment. Not all colleges have the same gap year policies, however, and some are reviewing them in the context of the current pandemic. For these reasons, it is important to learn what a particular colleges or universitys policies are and to make sure you meet the deadlines to inform the institution of your plans. Robert S. Clagett is the coordinator of the Gap Year Research Consortium at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colo. This article was first published on The Conversation. The team are the only climbers to summit this season, and are re-measuring the height. A team of Chinese surveyors have scaled Mount Everest, becoming the only climbers to summit the world's highest peak during the coronavirus pandemic. Chinese media report the team is there to re-measure the height of Everest, which is on the border with Nepal. Until now China has put the height at 4m lower than Nepal does. The huge 2015 earthquake may also have had an impact. This year both countries banned foreign teams from climbing the mountain due to coronavirus travel restrictions. China permitted only its citizens for the climb this spring season, while Nepal cancelled all expeditions. The Chinese team began their ascent in April and summit bids had been thwarted so far by bad weather. But live footage broadcast by China Central Television showed the surveyors working on the wind-swept summit. After summiting, team members began erecting a survey marker on the snow-covered peak, which measures less than 20 square metres, Xinhua news agency reported. Climbing guides were able to fix ropes to the summit only on Tuesday, allowing the rest of the team to ascend, Xinhua said. Two professional surveyors have been withdrawn from the peak-climbing squad due to uncertainties about the weather and insufficient supplies such as oxygen, it added. Mountaineering record-keepers say it is a very rare case of Chinese climbers being the only ones on the peak. "In spring 1960, only the Chinese reached the summit. The Indians tried, but failed," said Richard Salisbury of the Himalayan Database, an organisation that keeps records of all expeditions in the Himalayas. "There were various Chinese recon, research and training climbs from 1958 through 1967 when nobody else was on the mountain, but no ascents by any of them." The all-Chinese summiting of Everest comes just when China is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its first successful ascent of the peak. Western expedition operators said mandatory quarantine for foreign climbers and suspended flights to Tibet due to lock down meant they could not go ahead with their expeditions. Re-measuring Everest China has been showing Everests height as 8,844.43 (excluding the snow cap) after it conducted a measurement in 2005. But Nepal uses 8,848m, a figure determined by the Survey of India during British colonial rule. That height also includes the snow cap. The effect of the 2015 quake on the mountain are yet to be assessed. Some geologists believe it may have caused the snow cap to shrink. Some mountaineers had reported that the Hilary Step just before the summit was no longer there, probably because of the quake but Nepali authorities dismissed the observation. In 2017 Nepal's government launched its own measurement of Everests height. It has almost completed processing the data obtained using a combination of traditional and modern techniques. We just need to do some final touching now, Damodar Dhakal, a spokesperson with Nepals department of survey, told the BBC. The idea was to hold an international workshop during this time and make the results of our measurement public. But the Covid-19 lockdown has delayed everything. During Chinese Presidents Xi Jinpings state visit to Nepal last October, the two countries issued a joint statement saying they would announce the height of Mount Everest together. It is not clear what the two countries will do if they come up with different measurements. China has previously conducted two height measurements of Mount Everest first in 1975 and then in 2005. Members of the second survey team installed a GPS device on the summit, according to the Himalayan Database. This time the Chinese surveyors have used Chinas BeiDou navigation satellite system, believed to be a rival to the US-owned Global Positioning System. Using the system, snow depth, weather and wind speed would also be measured to help glacier monitoring and for ecological protection, Xinhua reported. BBC New Delhi, May 28 : The Supreme Court on Thursday put three questions to the Centre on the plight of migrant workers during the lockdown. "Did the migrants pay for their ticket, who paid for their food on trains and who is ensuring that migrants are not hungry?" it asked. The top court also posed similar queries to many state governments. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, S.K. Kaul and M.R. Shah queried Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, "You still haven't informed us who is paying for their ticket." As Mehta replied that either it is the sending state or receiving state, as there is an interstate agreement, the bench queried further: "What about the states? How are the migrants supposed to get reimbursement? Migrants would not know which state has to pay." The bench said migrants may not know how to get reimbursement from a state or about the available transport. "There needs to be a uniform policy," it added. The court observed that if the mechanism is different for all states -- in certain scenarios, the originating state will pay, in others the receiving state will pay, then it will create confusion. Mehta responded it depends on how many migrants are in question. "It has all been decided between the states," he added. Justice Kaul asked Mehta: "How do you ensure that nobody asks the migrants to pay or troubles him? What we are saying is that the migrants should be least concerned with the means of payment." The bench asked what is the normal time, after identification, to send back migrant workers -- a week or 10 days? It said no state should decline from accepting migrant workers. "No state should say no, no, don't come or we will not take you," noted the bench, insisting on a policy on the issue. Citing middleman, the bench noted that there should be a clear policy as to who will pay for their travel. Mehta told the court that 91 lakh migrants have travelled back between May 1 and May 27, and a total of 3,700 special trains have been used to ferry them. The bench then queried the Centre on issues connected with supply of food. "With food surpluses available with the Food Corporation of India, is food being supplied to these people or not? Why should there be a food shortage among people?...We accept that it is not possible to transport everybody at the same time. But food and shelter must be given till they can get transport. Who is providing it?" it asked. Mehta replied they are being provided food. "This is an unprecedented crisis and we are taking unprecedented measures," he said. The bench observed that the government is taking measures, but looking at the number of stranded migrants, some concrete steps need to be taken. The top court queried counsel for Maharashtra, "how many persons are waiting in queues? Maharashtra is the worst affected state. People are complaining that they are not getting food etc." It also queried senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Congress leader Randeep Surjewala: "So far how are things in your state, your party is also in governance in multiple states." On May 26, the apex court had taken cognizance of the plight of migrant workers and asked the Centre and states to provide them transport, food and shelter immediately free of cost. CAMBRIDGE Rats in Waterloo Region are on the prowl for new food sources as COVID-19 shutdowns have limited existing supplies. Orkin Canadas Cambridge branch is reporting an uptick in calls for rats in residential neighbourhoods since March, particularly in the Cambridge and Kitchener areas. Calls in Guelph and Stratford, both cities with older building stock that are covered by the Cambridge branch, have also been on the rise. Through this pandemic were definitely seeing more activity because restaurants have been closed, and that food source and water source isnt as prevalent, said Cambridge branch manager Mike Dunn. So, the rodents are moving to residential areas, or areas where they can find food and shelter to sustain themselves. If the rats are able to establish new reliable sources, Dunn said it is possible they wont return to their previous feeding spots after restaurants and bars reopen to the public. This falls in line with activities seen south of the border, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning this week about unusual and aggressive behaviour in rats in major urban centres across the United States. Cities like New York, Chicago and New Orleans have already reported bold movements among rat populations in search of new food sources. Dunn said its also happening here. The region has seen a massive amount of commercial real estate left virtually empty as businesses have moved to remote operations amid the outbreak of COVID-19. In some instances, it could mean new unwanted rodent tenants when employees return. Its a real possibility as theyre searching for new food sources, Dunn said. Were expecting a real increase in calls from our commercial customers once business returns. A rat, using natural oils to help slide through small spaces, needs a hole about the size of a toonie to enter a building. A mouse needs an entrance about the size of a dime. Telltale signs of rat populations include disturbances to garbage, burrowing in the ground and natural oils left on siding. Inside a home, Dunn said to look for fecal matter, damaged products, nesting materials and oil rub marks along the walls. As for insects, Dunn said calls for cockroaches and bed bugs have remained steady during the pandemic, a stark difference to Toronto where rodent calls have increased but insect calls are down. Particularly for restaurants that had pre-existing cockroach problems, he said the pandemic could have some unfortunate consequences. A cockroach could feed in a commercial kitchen for years and years, he said. If its not been dealt with for three or four months, theyve just lived in heaven. The pandemic has also posed logistical problems for residents dealing with insect infestations, with few options to turn to when it comes time to using pesticides. Most jobs require families to leave the house for four hours, Dunn said, but in some instances it can require up to 24 hours if a person is sensitive to the chemicals. These people dont have anywhere to go, he said. They cant go and stay with family and they cant go to the mall. With everything thats going on right now, to throw bed bugs or cockroaches on top of that, people are very stressed and emotional. Dunn emphasized that having rodent or insect populations in a home is nothing to be embarrassed about a rat doesnt know the difference between a $1 million home and a $100,000 home, he said. Its better to have it dealt with. More like mom or dad? Human babies always get this curious look in their face combined with the question whom the child resembles most. The answers vary depending on the degree of kinship, gender and the time of assessment. Mandrills, monkeys living in Equatorial Africa, may recognize facial features coding relatedness better than humans. Scientists at the German Primate Center -- Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Gottingen, together with colleagues from the Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), showed by using up-to-date artificial intelligence (AI) that half-sisters, who have the same father look more alike than half-sisters who share the same mother. The paternal half-sisters also have closer social relationships with each other than unrelated mandrills. This result provided the first evidence suggesting that interindividual resemblance has been selected to signal paternal kinship (Sciences Advances). Throughout the animal kingdom, related conspecifics show similar features. Some are the spitting image of each other. However, whether resemblance between kin merely reflects their genetic resemblance or results from selection to facilitate their recognition is still unknown. A team of scientists led by Marie Charpentier of the ISEM in Montpellier, including Clemence Poirotte and Peter Kappeler of the German Primate Center in Gottingen, used for the first time artificial intelligence (deep learning) to examine the hypothesis that the similarity of the facial features of free-living mandrills is the result of selection. The database consisted of 16,000 portraits of mandrills, taken since 2012 as part of the Project Mandrillus in Gabon. This natural population of mandrills is the only one habituated to the presence of humans. Using a trained algorithm of deep learning, the individuals were first identified and then quantified in terms of facial resemblance. The results were subsequently related to relatedness data of the study animals. Mandrills live in groups consisting of more than 100 individuals and are characterized by the fact that the females are maternal relatives. They are familiar with each other and remain in the same family throughout their lives. Since reproduction in mandrill groups is mainly monopolized by the alpha male, young mandrills of similar age often have the same father. However, as members of different family groups within the large groups, they should hardly know each other. Nevertheless, half-sisters on the paternal side, as well as half-sisters on the maternal side, interact with each other more often than unrelated animals. "This observation suggests that paternal half-sisters recognize each other as relatives by their facial features. Although maternal and paternal half-sisters share the same degree of genetic relatedness, the facial resemblance is stronger among paternally related females. We suspect that the similarity of facial features between paternal relatives has evolved to facilitate social discrimination and nepotism between kin," says Clemence Poirotte. The presidents response: He threatened to punish Twitter. Sadly for Mr. Trump, the coronavirus does not respond to blackmail. And there remains much question as to what the public health situation will look like in August no matter how many balloons the president has ordered for his party. Mr. Trump knows this, as does the rest of the Republican establishment. Even as the president promised that the show will go on, party officials have been quietly discussing scaling back the gathering to make it less like a giant petri dish. But heres where the politics get tricky. Any sign that all is not perfect in the land that America has not completed its transition to greatness runs counter to the White Houses messaging. If the convention is pared down, a Republican donor told The Times, it will show. It needs to be a big show to counter the narrative that were headed into a recession. Now, nominating conventions are intricate affairs. Moving one at this stage would be a logistical nightmare: Contracts have been signed; deposits have been paid; travel plans have been made. It could also be electorally dicey. North Carolina is a top presidential battleground, one that Mr. Trump carried in 2016 by less than four percentage points and that looks as though it might go for Joe Biden this year. The state also may hold the key to control of the Senate. Thom Tillis, a Republican, is considered one of the chambers most vulnerable incumbents. His race against Cal Cunningham, a Democrat, is among the most closely watched of the cycle and so far one of the most expensive. (In late March, super PACs for both teams pumped a total of $47 million into reservations for fall ads.) Polls vary as to who has the edge, and Mr. Cunningham outraised Mr. Tillis last quarter by 2-to-1. Governor Cooper himself is on the ballot in November, and Republicans are eager to deny him a second term. And the states senior senator, the Republican Richard Burr, is neck-deep in his own drama. He temporarily stepped down as chairman of the Intelligence Committee this month, while the F.B.I. investigates some fishy stock trades he made early in the pandemic. Livestock in the United States receive over five times more antibiotics per animal than their UK counterparts, according to new research. In particular, US cattle received 8 to 9 times more antibiotics per animal than British cattle, the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics said in their report. It shows that in 2018 US pigs and poultry received twice as many antibiotics per animal as British pigs and poultry, and US turkeys received 9 times as many. The comparative data has been calculated using information contained in UK and US government reports. The US ended its use of antibiotics as growth promoters in 2017, which contributed to a 33 percent fall in farm antibiotic use in that year. In 2018, however, US antibiotic use increased again by 9%. This could be due to the increased use of antibiotics for routine disease prevention, the report said. In comparison, British farmers have continued to cut their use, by 9 percent in 2018 compared with 2017, and by 50% compared with 2014. Coilin Nunan, a scientific adviser for the alliance, said US farmers continue to 'massively overuse' antibiotics despite warnings about the threat it poses to human health. "Consumers should be concerned if a UK-US trade deal results in increasing imports of US meat and dairy produced in this way, as we know that antibiotic-resistant bacteria can pass to humans through the food chain, he said. At present the overwhelming majority of British imports of meat and dairy come from the EU, where antibiotic use in farming is generally lower than in the US. The EU has decided to ban all preventative group treatments with antibiotics in January 2022, which is expected to help achieve further large reductions in European farm antibiotic use. The US has argued against the UK implementing EU regulations which go beyond minimum international food and farming standards. Mr Nunan said that the US wanted to agree a trade deal with the UK based on minimum international animal-welfare and antibiotics standards. "If the UK government accepts this approach it risks reversing the progress that British farmers have made in reducing their antibiotic use. "British farmers would have to compete with much cheaper production of meat and dairy from animals raised in very intensive conditions with far higher levels of antibiotic use." Israel s national cyber chief acknowledged the country had thwarted a major cyber attack in April against its water systems. Israels national cyber chief Yigal Unna officially confirmed that the country in April had thwarted a major cyber attack against its water systems. The media, citing officials that spoke under condition of anonymity, attributed the synchronized and organized attack to the Government of Teheran. Yigal Unna did not explicitly attribute the attack to Iran, he only warned of unpredictable developments of an ongoing stealth Information warfare. Rapid is not something that describes enough how fast and how crazy and hectic things are moving forward in cyberspace and I think we will remember this last month and May 2020 as a changing point in the history of modern cyber warfare, he told to the audience of the virtual cyber conference CyberechLive Asia. If the bad guys had succeeded in their plot we would now be facing, in the middle of the Corona crisis, very big damage to the civilian population and a lack of water and even worse than that. Unna pointed out that the attempt to hack into Israels water systems marked the first time in modern history that we can see something like this aiming to cause damage to real life and not to IT or data. At the end of April, the Israeli government has issued an alert to organizations in the water sector following a series of cyberattacks that targeted the water facilities. At the time, Israels National Cyber Directorate announced to have received reports of cyber attacks aimed at supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems at wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations and sewage facilities. Organizations were recommended to implement supplementary security measures to protect SCADA systems used in the water and energy sectors. The government urges to immediately change the passwords of control systems exposed online, ensure that their software is up to date, and reduce their exposure online. The good news is that according to the report from the Israels Water Authority, the attacks did not impact operations at the facilities. Intelligence experts believe that Israel and Iran are engaged in a covert cyber dispute and recently also hit critical infrastructure or both countries. attacks. Most famously, U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies are suspected of unleashing a computer worm called Stuxnet years ago in an attempt to disrupt Irans nuclear program. Israel is suspected to be behind the recent cyberattack which disrupted some operations at Irans Shahid Rajaei Port, located near the Strait of Hormuz. It is a part of some attack over Israel and over the national security of Israel and not for financial benefit, Unna added. The attack happened but the damage was prevented and that is our goal and our mission. And now we are in the middle of preparing for the next phase to come because it will come eventually. Unna said the cyber attack marked a historic turning point in cyber warfare. Cyber winter is coming and coming even faster than I suspected, he said. We are just seeing the beginning. Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs Israel, Iran) Syiede Booker, 30, of the 100 block of West Roosevelt Blvd., was arrested in the accidental shooting death of Rajib Ingram. Read more Philadelphia police on Thursday charged a North Philadelphia man in connection with the death of his girlfriends 9-year-old son, who fatally shot himself Tuesday night in his East Germantown bedroom. Syiede Booker, 30, of the 100 block of West Roosevelt Boulevard, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person, unsworn falsification, tampering with evidence, and obstructing justice in connection with the death of Rajib Ingram, police said. Rajib was alone in his bedroom making videos on his phone and handling a gun when he accidentally shot himself, according to a police report obtained by The Inquirer. Ashley Hicks, the boys mother, told police that the gun belonged to her boyfriend, Booker, the report said. Booker told detectives that the gun that killed Rajib did not belong to him, according to the report. District Attorney Larry Krasner said Thursday that Booker lied to police about the weapon and what Krasner called a completely preventable tragedy. Syiede Booker not only left a deadly weapon out where this child and his young brother could easily find it, but he initially lied to investigators about his role in this horrifically tragic and completely preventable shooting, Krasner said. I cannot begin to imagine the heartbreak of this childs mother, or the lifelong trauma of the 15-year-old who heard the deadly shot and found his young brothers body," he said in a statement. "Kids and firearms do not belong anywhere near each other. Im again urging Philadelphians with guns at home to keep them locked and out of reach of children. After the shooting, Rajibs 15-year-old brother called his mother and then Booker, neither of whom was at the home at the time of the shooting, the police report said. Hicks told her older son to move the gun, the report said, and he tossed it into his mothers bedroom. Booker came to the house, left and shortly afterward returned, the report said. Booker, who is being held with bail set at $1.1 million, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 17. He also has a scheduled trial Tuesday in an unrelated case in which he is charged with making terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another person, and contempt for violation of order or agreement, according to court records. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the countrys richest temple of Lord Venkateshwara at Tirumala in Andhra Pradeshs (AP) Chittoor district, on Thursday decided against selling any of its properties, including plots of land, gifted by the shrines devotees over the years. A resolution to this effect was passed by the TTD trust board at its meeting held through a video-conference facility in Tirumala amid the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in the country. The decision was taken following a controversy over the latest proposal by the TTD to auction 50 of its properties located in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. The TTD kept the proposal in abeyance following the instructions from AP chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy because of severe criticism from the opposition parties, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and various Hindu religious groups. TTD trust board chairman YV Subba Reddy clarified that the decision to auction unviable properties was taken during the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) regime and at a recent board meeting, it was proposed to constitute teams to suggest a way forward about the earlier decision. Now, the board has decided not to auction or sell any of the properties of Tirumala temple, including plots of land, buildings, and other gifts donated by the shrines devotees. In case of any encroachment of temple land or properties, the TTD will constitute a committee, comprising seers of various mutts, devotees, and board members, to find a way out to evict the encroachers, Subba Reddy told media persons after the board meeting. The board also decided to order an inquiry into the decisions taken by the previous board during the erstwhile TDP governments rule. Weve ordered a vigilance inquiry into the decisions of the previous board. Weve also recommended to the government to take action against those who launched a malicious campaign against the TTD, the chairman said. The board has resolved to adopt transparency in the allotment of guest houses on the Tirumala hills. Specific guidelines would be followed in the allotment of guest houses, he added. The board also decided to make all arrangements for the restoration of darshan for pilgrims in the post-lockdown scenario. Weve written to the state government to allow reopening of the temple for darshan by following strict guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Once we get permission from the government, we shall open the temple for darshan again, Subba Reddy said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Naomi Watts has just adopted an adorable little puppy named Izzy. And on Thursday, the Australian actress doted over her new rescue pooch as she picked up some pet supplies at a store in The Hamptons. The 51-year-old wore a face mask and cut a casual figure in activewear as she ran errands with Izzy, even purchasing a dog bed for her new furry friend. Puppy love! Naomi Watts wore a face mask and doted on her rescue dog, Izzy, as she picked up pet supplies in The Hamptons on Thursday Naomi, who is known for films including The Ring and King Kong, wore black leggings, a blue jumper and a grey denim shirt. She skipped the makeup and wore her short locks out, accessorising with pink sunglasses and a leather shoulder bag. Naomi kept Izzy in a pink harness and carried her around in her arms, before letting her walk on the sidewalk with her lead on. Casual: Naomi, who is known for films including The Ring and King Kong, wore black leggings, a blue jumper and a grey denim shirt on the outing Naomi appeared in high spirits as she picked up a cosy dog bed. Earlier this week, Naomi revealed to fans she had adopted Izzy, who is a rescue puppy. The American-based star shared a number of videos and images of Izzy on Instagram as she announced the news. 'New family member alert with Izzy the pup,' Naomi captioned one post. She also shared a sweet video of Izzy running on the grass as the song 'Who Let The Dogs Out' by Baha Men played in the background. New addition! Earlier this week, Naomi revealed she had adopted Izzy, who is a rescue puppy 'New family member alert': The American-based star shared a number of videos and images of Izzy on Instagram as she announced the news Naomi and her ex-partner Liev Schreiber have been hunkering down together with their sons, Sasha, 12, and Kai, 11, in The Hamptons amid the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this month, the family thrilled fans when they did a fun TikTok dance routine. They performed to Doja Cat's hit single Say So, as part of the viral 'He-ain't-never-seen-it-in-a-dress-like-this' challenge. Before heading to The Hamptons, Naomi, Liev and their sons had been staying in LA with Liev's model girlfriend, Taylor Neisen. Lockdown life: Naomi and her ex-partner, Liev Schreiber, have been hunkering down together with their sons, Sasha, 12, and Kai, 11, in The Hamptons amid the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this month, the family thrilled fans when they did a fun TikTok dance routine (pictured) It is unclear if Taylor, 26, who was crowned Miss South Dakota in 2012, made it to The Hamptons with the family. Liev and Naomi announced their separation in September 2016, after 11 years together. In December 2016, Liev spoke about their approach to co-parenting after their split and said they would always be a family. When asked on CBS This Morning if the change in his personal life was scary, he said: 'Yeah, of course it is. 'But we're parents together so we'll be together for the rest of our lives no matter what and we're very close. Hopefully that never changes and I don't think it will.' Wholly inappropriate effigies of embattled Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings and business tycoon Sir Richard Branson have been hung from a bridge in Salford under a banner reading: Make the rich pay for Covid-19. The setting for the menacing protest appears to be a pedestrian bridge over the River Irwell in the Lower Broughton area, close to Manchester Arena and Victoria train station. I have always been opposed to violent imagery playing any role in politics and I feel that these effigies are wholly inappropriate to what is a serious political debate, said Salfords deputy city mayor and Labour councillor John Kerry. The phrase make the rich pay for Covid-19 has appeared in graffiti across the UK, and in many countries, since the pandemic began, often accompanied by calls for groups or individuals to hang. In the UK, the public mood has soured significantly since it emerged that Boris Johnsons chief adviser drove 250 miles to Durham during lockdown, in what he said was a bid to ensure childcare in case he and his wife fell severely ill with coronavirus. The prime ministers defence of this decision, and his aides 60-mile round trip to Barnard Castle on his wifes birthday, has plunged the government into turmoil, with more than 40 Tory MPs expressing their opposition to Mr Johnsons handling of the saga.. The governments public approval ratings plummeted 16 points on Tuesday, according to Savanta ComRes the sharpest sudden poll slump in a decade at a moment when preserving public trust is deemed crucial as ministers ask the nation to make unprecedented sacrifices. While MPs have reported receiving hundreds of angry emails from constituents, many have expressed concern at anger spilling over into the streets outside Mr Cummings home, where he has been heckled by neighbours and protesters alike. Mr Cummings has sought to blame unfair representation of his actions in the media for the opprobrium, and cited death threats as a result of allegedly flawed reporting on his decision-making during the pandemic as a factor in his choice to travel to Durham. At the time of writing, nearly 850,000 people had signed a petition calling for him to be sacked. Sir Richard has also courted controversy during the pandemic, after he wrote to employees saying his aviation firm Virgin Atlantic would need government support during the pandemic, offering up his 4bn Caribbean island as collateral for a loan. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A killer whale (orca in the fjord of Skjervoy, northern Norway AFP/Getty Virgin Group, which owns the majority share in the airline, is now desperately seeking new investment after its proposal that the government should provide a 500m rescue package in commercial loans and guarantees was rejected. It is not the first time anti-government effigies have been hung from Salford bridges, with similarly violent imagery employed as Conservative Party members arrived in Manchester for conference in September 2019. In a grim apparent reference to the BMJ study linking austerity policies to 120,000 excess deaths from 2010 to 2017, the banner read: 130,000 killed under Tory rule, time to level the playing field. Greater Manchesters Labour mayor Andy Burnham denounced it at the time as completely unacceptable, while Tory councillor Kerry Boyd said: Does this classify as death/terrorist threat? Utterly vile. The Independent has contacted Greater Manchester Police for comment. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Thursday said India is engaged with the Chinese side to peacefully resolve the current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in response to a question regarding US President Donald Trumps offer to mediate or arbitrate between the two sides. With this, India ruled out any need for arbitration. Srivastava said India and China are engaged at both the military and diplomatic level to peacefully resolve the matter, and that diplomatic channels are at work both in New Delhi and in Beijing. He added that there are at least five bilateral agreements or protocols between the two sides, starting from 1993, to ensure of peace and tranquility in the border areas. These are the 1993 agreement on Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the Line of Actual Control, the 1996 agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Filed Along the LAC, the 2005 Protocol on Modalities for implementation of Confidence Building Measures in Military Field along the LAC, the 2012 Agreement on the establishment of a Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs to the most recent 2013 Border Defence Cooperation Agreement. India said its forces scrupulously follow the consensus reached by our leaders and guidance provided and it is committed to the objective of maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas but at the same time, Delhi remains firm in its resolve to ensuring sovereignty and national security. Meanwhile, Chinese state media on Thursday said the two countries do not need help from the US to resolve their current round of frictions at the border, pointing out that the leadership of the two countries successfully solved the Doklam standoff in 2017 with "concerted efforts and wisdom". "The latest dispute can be solved bilaterally by China and India. The two countries should keep alert on the US, which exploits every chance to create waves that jeopardize regional peace and order," said the Global Times. "China and India successfully solved their Doklam faceoff with concerted efforts and wisdom. The two informal summits between the leadership of the two sides, one in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2018 and the other in the Indian city of Chennai in 2019, set the tone to maintain peace and tranquility along the border, it said. (With inputs from PTI) SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- After learning that government agencies and hospitals worldwide could not expeditiously obtain the proper FDA-approved personal protection equipment (PPE) and medical supplies that they needed to fight COVID-19, that various state agencies and hospitals were bidding against one another due to a severe supply shortages, and reports of front line medical workers using garbage bags for protection because they did not have the proper PPE, SonaShield (www.sonashield.com) took immediate action to eliminate and resolve these unacceptable systemic problems. Saving Lives Since many essential organizations could not get the proper PPE they needed, SonaShield realized it could help solve this problem by streamlining the entire process so that hospitals, urgent care centers, and government agencies could expeditiously obtain the critical supplies they need by simply placing their order on SonaShield's website without having to bid against one another, trying to identify suppliers, and without having to worry that the supplies were not FDA-approved and did not meet the highest quality standards. Committed to helping medical workers on the front lines, Sona Shield is able to fulfill all PPE and medical supply needs of hospitals, urgent care centers, laboratories, hospitality companies, and government agencies world-wide including ventilators, N95 masks, K95 masks, disposable medical masks, surgical gowns, protective suits, surgical gloves, antibody testing kits, and other PPE. Since SonaShield works directly with FDA-approved and certified manufacturers and device makers, SonaShield can meet the high PPE and medical device needs of hospitals, urgent care facilities, and government agencies. SonaShield has developed an efficient and effective logistics and supply chain to get PPE into the hands of those who need them as quickly as possible. SonaShield is able to meet and fulfill demand for PPE and medical supplies in any bulk quantities. Sona Shield ships worldwide and will price match or beat those of any competitor excluding shipping and taxes which SonaShield does not control. SonaShield also supplies wholesale to major retailers and distributors. SonaShield's mission is to quickly be able to supply the highest quality life-saving PPE and medical equipment needed throughout the world and to protect all who need protection from life-threatening infection and disease. In uncertain times, one thing is for certain, Sona Shield remains committed to providing the protection hospitals, first responders, and medical workers need to be safe. SonaShield is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Media Contact: Donald Andre Email: [email protected] Phone: (305) 527-3176 www.sonashield.com SOURCE SonaShield Related Links http://www.sonashield.com Johannesburg, May 27, (People's Daily Online) -- Professionals and scholars called on an active role of the media in providing information about the Covid-19 pandemic at a China-Africa media webinar held on May 26, 2020. With the theme of Media's Role in the Fight Against COVID-19 Pandemic, the webinar, hosted by ChinAfrica magazine, was attended by media professionals and scholars from China and South Africa. Li Jianguo, Associate Editor-in-Chief of BEIJING REVIEW Li Jianguo, Associate Editor-in-Chief of BEIJING REVIEW, stressed the role of the media in maintaining social stability and boosting confidence of the public during the epidemic. "Chinese media provided a large amount of useful information to the general public, including the latest development of the pandemic and personal prevention measures. People could make judgments based on what they learned from the media," Li said. ChinAfrica has published four issues with cover reports focusing on the novel coronavirus. The March issue detailed China's actions and the stories of medical workers in the battle against the disease; the April issue covered China's efforts at the community level to prevent further spread of the virus; for the May issue, the magazine reported Africa's efforts in combating the disease as it spread to more African countries; and the June issue will look at how the Chinese economy is gradually recovering as the epidemic is basically contained in the country, Li introduced. "I call for increased cooperation between Chinese and African media in fighting COVID-19. We should share more valuable information and experience that have proven to be successful and effective," said Li. Shannon Ebrahim, Group Foreign Editor for Independent Media Shannon Ebrahim, Group Foreign Editor for Independent Media, stressed the importance of spreading true and accurate information during the process of fighting COVID-19. In her opinion, some information given by the media about the pandemic is largely incoherent, unreliable and very confusing to most people on what should be done. She said that the media is a powerful force in shaping opinions and how we experience the world. The role of journalists should be to provide effective health communication, especially related to prevention measures, and curtail misinformation. "We know that World Health Organization (WHO) Director General [Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus] has said that this is a time for science, not rumors, and a time for solidarity, not stigma. I think that is very important," she said. She noted that media should go beyond just reporting numbers. "We have almost become desensitized to what the numbers mean. We need to try to get the story behind the numbers," she said. Zhang Pei, Chief of International Cooperation Division, External Relations Department of People's Daily Zhang Pei, Chief of International Cooperation Division, External Relations Department of People's Daily and Representative of the Secretariat of Belt and Road News Network, mentioned misconduct of some Western media in reporting the pandemic. "We regret to see some Western media organizations politicize the pandemic, fabricate and spread ridiculous opinions without considering facts. This reflects their inopportune ignorance and arrogance, as well as the disregard to the life and health of all human beings," he said. He noted that now more than ever, people need objective and accurate information and the role played by the media is more crucial than before. A responsible media should play a constructive role in promoting global cooperation and fighting the pandemic together. John Bailey, eNCA Input Manager and National Assignment Editor Speaking on the role of TV, John Bailey, eNCA Input Manager and National Assignment Editor, said that he and his colleagues started to plan programs to spread more useful information about the novel coronavirus to the public after the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. "We are making sure that we report in a very responsible way. We know how important the role of the media is during this time," he said. Bailey and his colleagues are now focusing a lot on how the governments of China and the ROK are dealing with the virus. According to Bailey, eNCA has produced various videos on the city of Wuhan, the previous epicenter of the COVID-19 in China, with focus on how the government has helped people deal with the virus. "In general, we have had very positive feedback from South Africans, and it's good to get their views on the situation," Bailey added. Kirtan Bhana, Director and Founding Editor of The Diplomatic Society Kirtan Bhana, Director and Founding Editor of The Diplomatic Society, believes that COVID-19 has had a clear and devastating effect on media, in particular print media. Many titles have shut down and the staff has to endure pay cuts, which in turn, influences people's access to pandemic-related information. He Wenping, Senior Researcher of China-Africa Institute He Wenping, Senior Researcher of China-Africa Institute, noted that the media has a powerful role. "If the media fails to report in a comprehensive and just manner, it may generate very serious consequences," she said. She cited the rumor that African people in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, were mistreated during the epidemic. "After the investigation showed that it was not true, the media should cover this so as to correct their previous false reports and eliminate the impact on the society as a whole, instead of turning a blind eye to that," she noted. She said that social media should also take responsibilities in this regard. According to her, on social media everyone can be a reporter or a correspondent. They can speak for themselves and report on what happens around them. "Social media users, especially those with a large number of followers, should make necessary research before they publicize their ideas on social media platforms, so as to make their information accurate and objective," she noted. The China-Africa media webinar is hosted by ChinAfrica magazine and co-organized by People's Daily Online More than 20 representatives of the media attended the webinar, including those from The Citizen and Business Times in South Africa, People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, China Central Television, China News Service, China Radio International, Science and Technology Daily and Economic Daily in China. Bhubaneswar, May 28 : A 70-year-old priest was arrested for allegedly sacrificing a 52-year-old man inside a temple in Odisha's Cuttack district to appease the goddess and end the coronavirus pandemic. Priest Sansari Ojha engaged at Brahmani Dei Temple in Bandhahuda area under Narasinghpur police station allegedly beheaded a man inside the shrine on Wednesday night, said police on Thursday. Later, the priest surrendered before the police. The deceased has been identified as Saroj Pradhan. The priest claimed he was ordered by the goddess in his dream to sacrifice a human in order to bring an end to the pandemic, the police said. "The priest claimed that he saw Goddess in his dream and was asked to sacrifice a human's life to bring to an end to coronavirus. Hence, to appease the goddess, he decapitated the man," said Alok Ranjan Ray, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Athagarh. While the dead body has been sent for an autopsy, police have seized the murder weapon from the shrine. Police said they were initiating an investigation into the incident as both had shared weed at the temple. Mr Paul Collins Appiah-Ofori, the outspoken New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart has kicked against the decision by the Electoral Commission (EC) to compile a new voters' register ahead of the 2020 elections. He rather suggested that the EC opened the electoral register for fresh voters to register, remove names of the dead and foreigners and update the existing software to make it more efficient. Mr Appiah-Ofori, the former Member of Parliament for Assikuma-Odoben-Brakwa(AOB) is also an anti-graft campaigner. Speaking in an interview with the media in Assin-Fosu, the NPP bigwig said: "The register and the IT systems only need an upgrade and not to be discarded entirely." "In the face of the raging coronavirus pandemic and strain on limited resources, there is no need to throw out everything and acquire totally new infrastructure when the present system could be augmented and made capable of performing the task." He also encouraged the EC to replace faulty equipment and acquire new hardware to augment the existing stock and work with the existing systems. The EC alone, he said, could not determine that the whole system was useless and saddle the nation with the cost of a new one, especially when the only foundation for its assertion were not in tandem with the reality. In that case, he charged the EC to be more proactive and act with urgency in view of the closeness of elections 2020 and publish a clear timetable of activities of the 2020 elections. The former MP told politicians to desist from bastardizing the EC for not towing to their mischievous whims and caprice. They should work closely with the EC to ensure that Ghana had an acceptable voters' register ahead of the 2020 elections, especially when there was wide consensus that the register contained illegal entries. He called on politicians to eschew pronouncements which tend to undermine the peace and cohesion of the Country and as a way of getting the EC to meet their demands regarding the register. ---GNA More than 100 thousand Americans have succumbed to coronavirus in a pandemic that US President Donald Trump once predicted would miraculously go away. Trump once even tried to pitch 100 thousands deaths as a very good job. Rather than disappear, however, the virus went on to infect 1.7 million and kill over 100 thousand Americans. The grim milestone marks one of the darkest moments in US history. The news is deeply saddening and people around the globe, including the people of China, have expressed sympathy for the victims of the virus and their families. It took only a few months for the virus to become one of the worst public health disasters in US history. The United States has a population of 330 million, which is less than 5 percent of the worlds population, but has by far the highest case count and death toll in the world. While there are many factors at play, a key factor behind the high numbers was the Trump administrations mishandling of the coronavirus crisis. With pressure mounting, Trump has tried to spin the narrative. Recently, he mentioned the grim milestone to praise his job well done and quick response to the crisis, writing, For all of the political hacks out there, if I hadnt done my job well, & early, we would have lost 1 1/2 to 2 Million People, as opposed to the 100,000 plus that looks like will be the number. Thats 15 to 20 times more than we will lose. I shut down entry from China very early! Trump then sought to pin the blame on China again, writing, One person lost to this invisible virus is too much, it should have been stopped at its source, China, but I acted very quickly, and made the right decisions. Trump also lashed out at the media and his political rivals for spreading a new narrative that he responded to coronavirus too slowly. America, the most powerful country on the planet with the most sophisticated medical technologies, did not have to lose so many lives to coronavirus. The Trump administration squandered vital time as the coronavirus spread across the country. According to a Columbia University study, the administration could have saved at least 36,000 American lives if it had imposed lockdowns and social distancing just one week earlier. Any way you slice it, the grim milestone is a failure of epic proportions on the part of the Trump administration. In the words of The New York Times, which remembered the lives lost to coronavirus in America on the front page of the newspaper, the loss is incalculable, meaning it is too big to calculate. Imagine the city of Green Bay in the US state of Wisconsin wiped from the American map in about three months time. In his inauguration speech in January 2017, Trump used the term American carnage to describe the state of the nation and vowed to stop it right here and right now. However, the coronavirus crisis shows that his administration is far from delivering on his promise of saving America. The coronavirus pandemic was a global test of governance. The pandemic tested the current administrations ability to govern and there is no getting around the fact that incompetent politicians and a blame-others strategy have caused unnecessary deaths, creating a disaster that will go down in the history books as a great failure. Sonu Sood has emerged as a huge hope for migrants stranded in different parts of Maharashtra during the lockdown. The actor has been proactive in sending thousands of people home, as well as providing food for many. The Dabangg actor is being hailed as the real-life hero for his tireless efforts. Twitter has been bursting with people seeking help from him and showering praises on Sonu. Even the meme brigade is actively posting funny but positive images about of the actor. The actor himself is quite active on Twitter as people are reaching out to him via social media and he responds to almost everyone. After winning tags like 'Twitter Hero', 'India's Real Hero', 'Home Minister', the actor is now being compared to Amitabh Bachchan. A Twitter user posted that after all the work he is doing for migrants during the lockdown, people will gather to see him outside his house, just like they do in front of Bachchan's residence every Sunday. "When things will get better, you'll have to take a break from shooting every Sunday. People will come to meet you. Tourists in Mumbai will ask where is Sonu Sood's house. Sonu Sood is next Amitabh Bachchan," read the tweet in Hindi. The actor's response was a humble one. He replied, "Why will they come to my house? I will go to theirs. They owe me a lot of aloo paranthe, paan and tea." , https://t.co/4PFSn68E13 sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 27, 2020 Read: 'Roadlift': Sanjay Gupta Jokes About Buying Rights of Sonu Sood Biopic Starring Akshay Kumar Read: Dabangg Villain Sonu Sood is Real-Life Hero to Thousands of Distressed Migrants Follow @News18Movies for more Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa has spoken about how he became homeless and developed depression before appearing on the hit Netflix show. Writing in The Big Issue, the actor explained that when he was 25 years old, having no money or job significantly impacted his sense of self-worth. Rejection became unbearable, the now 27-year-old said. Auditions werent just acting jobs, they were lifelines. The Scottish actor recalled the day he realised he was homeless, when a friend who had previously offered him help suddenly decided against it. One friend gave me money towards paying off the prior months rent and offered to let me move into their spare room rent free for a while, Gatwa stated. Recommended How Help the Hungry is helping rough sleepers and homeless people Great, I thought. An opportunity to get back on my feet and start paying people back. However, on the day Gatwa was due to move in, his friend changed his mind. As I was standing on the street with my suitcases, one thought came into my head: Im homeless, he wrote. The actor explained that to the outside world everything seemed fine, despite his financial instability. He was working temporarily at Harrods at the time, and staying with a friend. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London. PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty Id wake up from the double bed I shared with my best friend, leave the house without a hair out of place in a slick-looking trench coat and polished brogues, Gatwa said. I would get compliments for looking so presentable. When I lost weight due to eating only one meal a day, people told me how lean and healthy I looked. Despite developing depression, the actor never let people know how down I was feeling. That would have been another burden for my friends to take on, he recalled. My mind became my biggest enemy. Gatwa currently stars as Eric Effiong in Netflixs Sex Education. The actor admitted that had it not been for his role in the show, he would have been screwed during lockdown. My lockdown, for the most part, has been quite pleasant. This is something I can say from a place of privilege, he said. But I keep discussing with my flatmate how I would have managed to survive during Covid-19 if Sex Education hadnt come into my life. I would have been screwed. Gatwa continued, explaining that as an actor you have good spells and bad spells. The Big Issues vendors are not working amid the coronavirus outbreak but people can support the magazine by subscribing online at bigissue.com. The need of the hour is to ensure that each and every citizen of the country has access to nutritious and adequate food. Image credit: By Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19741949 A migrant labourer eating the carcass of a dog, a child tugging at his dead mothers clothes, a two-year-old child dying after spending 39 hours on a train, hungry, people collapsing during their long and tiring walk home, surviving on barely one meal a day. These are among some of the most heartwrenching images that will remain long after the pandemic ebbs and lockdown lifts. That we, as a nation, have not been able to provide our own people two square meals a day, point to our failure in the fight against hunger. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals envisions a sustainable world by 2030, free of hunger and poverty. India, like the other member nations, has been working hard to meet these goals. However, an area where it has failed miserably is Goal 2 of the SDG, which focuses on zero hunger by 2030. As per the Global Hunger Index 2019 (GHI), India has slipped to an abysmal 102nd rank out of 117 countries, with a score of 30.3, putting the nation in the serious category. The country is ranked below its neighbours such as Nepal (73), Bangladesh (88) and Pakistan (94). What is more depressing is that India has fallen several notches from the 95th position it occupied in 2010. The only saving grace is the GHI report conceding that Indias GHI indicator value could have an outsized impact because of its large population, as compared to its neighbourhood. The GHI incorporates four indicators to measure hunger undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting and child mortality. While undernourishment captures the state of the population as a whole, the rest of the indicators are child-specific important considering that 40 per cent of a childs brain development happens up to the age of six, making adequate nutrition during these growing up years even more vital. A paper published in The Lancet, which maps neonatal and under-five mortality in India at a district level, reveals that child mortality and child growth failure indicators have improved significantly between 2000-2017, however, differences between districts have widened within states. The paper identifies child and maternal nutrition as the main risk factor, contributing to 68.2 per cent under-five deaths and 83 per cent neonatal deaths in India in 2017. Story continues As per the report, more than 19 crore people are undernourished, while 4.9 per cent of children between the ages of 0-4, which is 56 lakh, are in the severe wasting category (extremely low weight to height ratio). Child stunting rate is also amongst the highest, at 37,9 per cent. Further, 51.4 per cent women in the reproductive age group (15-49) years are anaemic. According to NITI Ayogs Sustainable Development Goals Index 2019-20, the country has also fallen behind in alleviating poverty - a major reason behind hunger. Further, 25 states and Union territories have failed in their roles of addressing hunger and malnutrition. Tackling the dichotomy It is not as if India does not have enough food to feed its people. Where immediately after the independence India had to rely on food crops supply arriving from the United States in a ship-to-mouth existence, the country has reached self-sufficiency, today. In fact, according to the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan, there is enough food grain to feed 8 crore migrants who do not have ration cards to avail the services, for free. However, more than five decades after Indias green revolution propelled by MS Swaminathan, millions still go hungry. A major reason for this is that food stocks are not reaching people and, is instead, rotting in warehouses. In fact, according to the United Nations, 40 per cent of the food produced in India is wasted or lost in the transit. The value of food wastage is around Rs 92,000 crores annually. While a significant part of this loss happens during harvesting or post-harvesting time, much of the food is also lost in transit or in storage facilities. Food is also wasted at the retail level due to various reasons such as expired dates, incorrect labelling or excess production. Hence, if this wastage which arises out of gaps of supply chain logistics is taken care of, the dual issues of food wastage and hunger can be addressed. Further, Indias Public Distribution System (PDS) also suffers from myriad problems such as large scale exclusions, ration cards issued in one place not being valid in another, leakage of food grains during transportation, issues with storage which leads to grains rotting. The good news is that state governments are taking steps to reform agri-markets and minimise restrictions on the movement of agricultural produce, an important step towards ensuring that people have access to food stock. Under the Central Governments recommendations, a number of states have temporarily suspended the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act to enable farmers to directly sell their produce. Early May, Madhya Pradesh amended the Madhya Pradesh Krish Upaj Mandi Act, to allow initiatives such as letting farmers sell their produce from their doorsteps and setting up agricultural marketing yards. A lot of startups are also linking farmers directly to markets, thereby avoiding middlemen who end up eating into the profits. Reforms are also being carried out in the PDS system as well. The One Nation, One Ration card scheme, which will enable any citizen residing in any part of the country to access cheaper food grains through the PDS shops, will help provide adequate food grains to the poor. While the GHI shows that we had not progressed much in curtailing hunger even before the pandemic, with the current scenario whatever strides the country had made in trying to meet Goal 2 of the SDG, may be nullified. However, the crisis can also be looked at as a means of ushering in policy changes that help tackle poverty, inequality and lack of access to food sources. It is also important to bring in new technology to help small farmers, and interventions targeting women that will help reduce malnutrition in the long run. These will help ensure that millions in the country do not go to sleep hungry, while food grains are rotting in their storehouses. Hunger is a powerful force in The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbecks 1939 novel of the Great Depression, but so is the fertility of Californias landscape. The bounty of the harvest, tragically, does not translate into food for the workers and in fact, with the economy having ravaged the chain of commerce, much of the food is destroyed rather than eaten. The works of the roots of the vines, of the trees, must be destroyed to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all, Steinbeck wrote. Carloads of oranges dumped on the grounda million people hungry, needing the fruit and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains. Steinbecks observations were a depiction of reality: During the Great Depression, plummeting prices and adverse weather conditions resulted in a crisis for the U.S. farming industry and its stock. Government intervention in the early 1930s led to emergency livestock reductions, which saw hundreds of thousands of pigs and cattle killed, and crops destroyed as Steinbeck described, on the idea that less supply would lead to higher prices. Now, as experts warn that the economic effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic could be comparable to the Great Depression in the U.S. and around the world, and as the International Monetary Fund predicts that the Great Lockdown could cause the worst recession since the 1930s, similar scenes of crop destruction have taken place, with reports of U.S. farmers having to make difficult choices to dump their milk, slaughter their livestock and smash their eggs. And around the world, COVID-19 has brought food supply chains to a standstill, as farmers in China have been unable to sell their produce at closed wet markets and unable to access animal feed; in the U.K. and Germany, there has been a shortage of workers to help with the spring harvest due to lockdown and self-isolation measures. Story continues As advocates mark World Hunger Day on May 28, experts and officials around the world are hoping they can avoid adding mass hunger to the list of parallels many have seen between that period and today. Tomato crop dumped in fields by farmers protesting against a lack of fair prices in the market, at Kharkhari Makhwan, on May 18, 2020 in Bhiwani, India. | Manoj DhakaHindustan Times via Getty Images The onset of the Great Depression after 1929 left many U.S. farmers in financial ruin as prices dropped and they were left with huge surpluses of stock; in California alone in 1932, farmers unable to shift their stock lost nearly 3 million watermelons and 22.4 million pounds of tomatoes to rot. Unemployment and poverty soared, not just in the U.S., but in much of Europe and in the U.K., where manufacturing took a major hit due to declining exports. President Herbert Hoover, who downplayed the early impact of the Depression, said in 1931 that no one is actually starving the same year makeshift breadlines popped up around New York City and were serving some 85,000 meals per day, according to historians Jane Ziegelman and Andrew Coe. Across the country, families restricted their diets, which caused health conditions that had consequences even into the interwar years, as prospective soldiers failed their physical examinations due to vitamin deficiency. In 1932 and 1933, both in the U.S. and farther afield in Canada and the U.K, a series of popular protests dubbed hunger marches drew attention to the plight of the unemployed. Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter After President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, one part of his New Deal program to revive the American economy was to eliminate the surplus stock, and pay farmers a subsidy to do so. This policy became the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 (AAA), and led to depressing scenes as farmers were forced to kill their pigs and burn their corn. Under the AAA, even as poverty soared, farmers could receive payment for not producing food. The government would also buy out livestock or harvests to the tune of six million hogs nationwide and kill or get rid of it. In Nebraska alone, the government bought hundreds of thousands of cattle and pigs. Millions of acres of cotton in the South were also plowed under. Similar levels of destruction happened in other countries; in Brazil between 1931 and 1934, more than a years global supply of coffee, totaling more than 28 million bags, was destroyed. A dairy farmer dumps excess milk down a drain at Plurenden Manor Farm dairy farm in Ashford, U.K., on Sunday, April 26, 2020. | Jason AldenBloomberg via Getty Images Then as now, people could see the bitter irony of the situation. There is a failure here that topples all our success, Steinbeck wrote. And coroners must fill in the certificates died of malnutrition because the food must rot, must be forced to rot. The U.S. government wasnt only asking farmers to destroy food; at the same time, it was also purchasing and distributing food to the hungry but the idea of any such destruction was hard to stomach. Although one hundred million pounds of pork were processed for relief purposes, the idea of waste, and stories about the bodies of little pigs floating down the Mississippi River continued for years, writes historian C. Roger Lambert. And while pork products, cheese, flour and butter were initially redistributed to unemployed families, there wasnt a nationwide effort to redistribute food until later in the year, when criticism of the widespread waste became part of the public debate. In autumn 1933, Roosevelt provided $75 million to purchase agricultural products to feed the needy, and the government set up the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation (FSRC), which helped redistribute surplus food to the hungry. Farmer Dave Burrier plants corn in the Marvin Chapel field in Mount Airy, Maryland on May 19, 2020. - Dave Burrier steered his tractor through a field, following a GPS map as he tried to plant as much corn as possible amid the yellow and green rye covering the ground. Striving to get a massive yield out of his crops in rural Maryland is how Burrier hopes to make it through yet another uncertain year, beset by market disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and renewed trade tensions between the United States and China. | Andrew Caballero-ReynoldsAFP via Getty Images There were complexities and limits to the effectiveness of the AAA and the FSRC. The AAA benefited farmers by raising their incomes, and provided a framework for federal support for agriculture that lasted well beyond the Depression, as the Act was repeatedly revised and amended over a 60 year period. Some farmers at the time felt that the FSRCs distribution efforts undermined the economics of the AAA, and at a time when the idea of direct federal relief was still relatively new in the United States the program was not a silver bullet for solving hunger. In retrospect, some historians have argued that the government ended up prioritizing agricultural demands rather than seeing a responsibility to feed the needy with surplus food. It was a persistent problem; in 1972, historian Lambert wrote that the whims of agricultural bureaucrats and rural congressmen were still consistently opposing realistic efforts to resolve the paradox of want in the midst of plenty.' More than three-quarters of a century later, as the world faces another hunger crisis, efforts are already underway to prevent food from going to waste the way it did back then. In April, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it was purchasing up to $3 billion in fresh produce, meat and dairy supplies from farmers to redistribute to the needy via relief organizations, and in New York, the state is working with dairy farmers and cheese and yogurt manufacturers to turn excess milk into other products rather than dumping it. Meanwhile, as TIME reported earlier this year, before the pandemic took hold in the U.S., American milk producers have been struggling due to declining demand, and increasing numbers of small family farms have filed for bankruptcy, but many in the struggling industry are looking for ways to keep their businesses afloat while also feeding those who need it. The stakes couldnt be higher. Earlier this week, the U.N.s World Food Programs Chief Economist Arif Husain told TIME that the world is facing an unprecedented food crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an estimated 265 million people projected to go hungry in 2020, adding a global dimension to the contrasting actions of farmers who are having to destroy their stocks. Husain warned that countries need to work together to protect those living in already vulnerable situations, and that agricultural sector workers need to be treated as key workers too. Writing in the late 1930s, Steinbeck too observed the impact of hunger on the working class, and how the paradoxical waste of food destruction would enrage those on the brink of survival. In fact, the passage that gave the novel its title came after a description of burning corn and dumping potatoes in rivers: In the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 18:25:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A staff member checks the information of goods at the Changsha Huanghua International Airport in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 28, 2020. An airplane carrying almost 40,000 parcels from the cross-border e-commerce businesses departed from Changsha to Moscow, Russia on Thursday. This was the maiden flight of the regular freight air route on the cross-border e-commerce to Russia, signifying the operation of such a route in Hunan. Operated three times a week, the route will serve as a direct link between the e-commerce businesses to Russian consumers, which will shorten the delivery time of commodities made in Hunan from previously over 20 days to about 10 days. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) The United States' request for a UNSC meeting regarding China's plan for new security legislation in Hong Kong has been blocked by China, according to US diplomats. China has called it a matter completely internal to the country. Zhang Jun, China's ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted - "China categorically rejects the baseless request of the US for a Security Council meeting." "Legislation on national security for Hong Kong is purely China's internal affairs. It has nothing to do with the mandate of the Security Council," he said. Facts prove again and again that the US is the trouble maker of the world. It is the US who has violated its commitments under the international law. China urges the US to immediately stop its power politics and bullying practices. Zhang Jun (@ChinaAmbUN) May 28, 2020 He also called upon the US to stop its "bullying practices and power politics". In his tweet, he called US the troublemaker of the world. "It is the US who has violated its commitments under the international law. China urges the US to immediately stop its power politics and bullying practices." Meanwhile, Russia has supported China's move, saying that taking up internal matters of countries could open up a 'Pandora's box'. Hong Kong activists say that the proposed law effectively abolishes the basic freedoms enjoyed in the city since it was returned to China by the British in 1997. It will "fundamentally undermine Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and freedoms as guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, which was registered with the UN as a legally binding treaty," Washington's UN mission said in a statement. "This is a matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security," the statement continued. But, it said, China has "has refused to allow this virtual meeting to proceed." Thanks to new coronavirus-era procedures, Security Council videoconferences must be agreed upon by all 15 members, though normally a meeting can only be contested if a member convinces eight others to join the protest in a procedural vote. "This is another example of the Chinese Communist Party's fear of transparency and international accountability for its actions," the US statement said. The Trump administration is crafting a range of options to punish China over its tightening grip on Hong Kong, including targeted sanctions, new tariffs and further restrictions on Chinese companies, according to US officials and people familiar with the discussions. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also told Congress on Wednesday that Hong Kong no longer qualifies for its special status under US law, potentially dealing a crushing blow to its status as a major financial hub. China had undermined Hong Kong's autonomy so fundamentally, Pompeo said, that he could not support its recertification for its special pre-1997 trading status. With Inputs from AFP, Reuters. The European Union needs to agree on additional coronavirus-related stimulus "in the coming months," a top EU official told CNBC Thursday, after a ground-breaking plan to help the region was proposed Wednesday. The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, proposed to raise 750 billion euros ($826 billion) in public markets and distribute that money in the form of grants and loans to the 27 EU countries. However, some nations are reluctant to approve the idea as it would mark the first time the EU tapped financial markets together on such a large scale. The proposal needs to be agreed upon by EU members before it can be implemented. "We cannot delay (an agreement)," Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice president of the European Commission, told CNBC in an exclusive interview. "We need an agreement already in the coming months." The coronavirus has hit Europe's economy hard. The European Central Bank, in charge of monetary policy across 19 EU countries, forecasts a 15% contraction in GDP (gross domestic product) in the second quarter alone. Meanwhile, the European Commission said in early May that the 27 EU countries together could contract by 7.4% this year. "All member states recognize that we are facing an unprecedented crisis, all EU member states are in recession and we need a coordinated response," Dombrovskis said. The Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden are among the EU countries that have raised doubts regarding the Commission's proposal. (TNS) A December data breach that jeopardized the personal information of thousands of current and former Wichita State University students some of whom attended the school decades ago is now the subject of a federal lawsuit.Michael Bahnmaier of Wichita is seeking class action status in the lawsuit, which accuses the university of negligence in keeping and storing sensitive data, waiting too long to alert potential victims about the hack, and knowingly and deliberately enriching itself by not paying for security measures that would have guarded against the breach.WSU in an emailed statement said it thinks the lawsuit is frivolous.Hackers over a three-day period starting Dec. 3, 2019, targeted a historical database where WSU kept the names, email addresses, birth dates and Social Security numbers of students , some of whom attended classes 20 or more years ago.WSU quickly learned that the computer server, which was used to run student and employee web portals, had been accessed by an unauthorized person and immediately secured it, the university wrote in a March 6 letter to those whose information was compromised. The school engaged a leading computer forensic firm to investigate the breachs scope and impact.The letter says a comprehensive review of the server found by Jan. 13 that the historical database had been targeted.But the university didnt tell former and current students for nearly two months after that a unreasonable delay that prevented victims from taking early steps to mitigate harm, the lawsuit contends.WSU sat on the information for four months (total), and it had no explanation for why it was keeping unsecured data on a server for 20 or more years, Bahnmaiers attorney, Bill Federman of Oklahoma City-based firm Federman and Sherwood, said in a phone interview with The Eagle.Forget about the gold standard of security. This isnt even the bronze.WSU, in an emailed response to questions posed by The Eagle, said it had recently learned of the class action suit and is fully evaluating the legal claims and causes of action.However, we do not believe the lawsuit has merit, the universitys statement said.The university has no indication at this time that personal information was misused. However, the university takes the protection of the personal information of each and every member of its community very seriously and is offering a year of identity monitoring services to potentially affected individuals.In the March 6 letter to affected current and former students, WSU said it immediately took steps to respond to the breach, including working with outside experts to determine its nature and scope. The letter also offered 12 months of identity theft protection services through ID Experts and said WSU was taking steps to enhance our existing security protocols and re-educating our staff for awareness on these types of incidents.But Federman says 12 months of monitoring services isnt enough because the lag time between a breach and when stolen data is sold for nefarious purposes is often longer, years in many cases.Victims need to be vigilant because its simply a matter of time, he said. And they need to protect themselves because, clearly, the government agencies are not doing it for them.Bahnmaier, who attended WSU within the past 20 years, has already spent considerable time reviewing his personal accounts and monitoring his credit since he learned of the breach, the lawsuit says.Hes also noticed a notable increase in suspicious, phishing emails since the hack, it says.At the time WSU notified students of the breach, the university did not have any evidence of actual or attempted misuse of students stolen information, the March 6 letter says.Bahnmaiers and others personal information is now in the hands of cybercriminals, putting them imminently at risk of crippling identity theft and fraud, the lawsuit says.This has been distressing to him and has caused him anxiety. He feels that any day his identity may be stolen and has spent time investigating and responding to the Data Breach.It adds: WSU should be held responsible for the damages it has caused.The security breach isnt the universitys first. In January 2019, The Eagle reported that three WSU employees lost their paychecks after they were targeted by computer hackers in an email phishing scheme.Given the earlier breach, WSUs failure to take steps to protect sensitive data amounts to a flagrant disregard of its employees and students rights, both as to privacy and property, Bahnmaiers lawsuit says.They know theyre under assault by people trying to hack. This is not a one off, Federman said. And rather than fund the money to adequately protect its students its customer client base they are directing the money elsewhere.People do expect to be protected. Thats part of what youre paying for.The suit, filed in federal court in Kansas on May 14, seeks monetary damages and a jury trial. SANTIAGO, Chile The woman anxiously removes the SIM card from the cheap cellphone and cuts the chip into pieces before sweeping the fragments into the trash. When her nerves pass, she allows herself a small sigh of relief. Despite using a "burner" phone like those associated with drug deals in TV crime series, this woman is using it for a different purpose. A college-educated professional, she's one of several women in a group of abortion "doulas," part of a clandestine network willing to break the law and face prison to help women obtain abortions, as long as it's medically safe to do so. We had three girls last week aged between 13 and 16, and all were rape cases," the woman said. One had been raped by her father, and another by her boyfriend. We are doing this because the law in insufficient, she added, speaking on the condition of anonymity because she was breaking the law. Regarded as one of Latin Americas more modern countries, Chile has some of the strictest abortion laws and until several years ago was one of a handful of nations with a total ban on abortion even in cases of child rape or when the mother or fetus was unlikely to survive. In 2017, 27 years after the end of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, abortion was decriminalized under President Michelle Bachelet under three strict conditions: in cases of rape during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, or 14 weeks if the victim is under 14 years old; when the mothers life is endangered; and when the fetus won't survive the pregnancy. To qualify for a legal abortion as a rape victim, cases of girls under 18 must be reported to police either before or after an abortion procedure, while hospital directors are obliged to inform all cases in women over 18, even if the victim cannot be forced to be part of the legal proceedings. Many girls and women don't want to go through the process, the abortion doula said. So the legal route to an abortion was not an option for them. Story continues Rape victims under the age of 18 also need the signed consent of a legal representative, such as a parent, to apply for a clinical procedure, placing some victims in dangerous and confrontational circumstances. This becomes very difficult when in most cases the perpetrator is part of the family or close to it, and usually it is not a single episode of sexual violence, said psychoanalyst Leslie Nicholls, who worked on crisis intervention with women in forced pregnancies until 2017 when the new laws were passed. The inadequacies in the way the laws are implemented and the continuing restrictions spurred many women to join a march in Santiago on March 8 for International Womens Day, and more are expected to make calls for change on Thursday for the International Day of Action for Women's Health. The doula's group is one of several around the country that assist in an estimated 33,000 to 160,000 abortions annually in Chile. The country's Ministry of Health estimates that 2,500 to 3,000 legal abortions occurred in the same period, 67 percent because of rape. Most women taking the clandestine option find networks to help them either online, or through word of mouth. The doula said she and her colleagues deal with around 200 cases a year, including girls who have been sexually abused and women in the advanced stages of terminal illnesses who fail to meet the new abortion criteria, but worry about giving birth to a child who would be motherless in a country with notoriously bad foster services and limited social security. The doula defends her group's work, saying it has helped save lives. "Abortion had historically been the first cause of maternal deaths in Chile. Now that these drugs are available, even illegally, there are only six maternal deaths a year in the whole country from abortions," she said. "The figures speak for themselves, and they should obviously be available." Worries about coronavirus limiting access Under the strict laws, abortion pills are tightly controlled by the government, so groups like the doulas and others smuggle the pills in from neighboring countries. A course of 12 costs can cost as little as $8 (in U.S. dollars) over-the-counter. They have a street value of $250 in Chile because of the lack of supply, but her group provides them free, accepting only donations. The reason we exist is due to the unavailability of these drugs and confusion brought about by false information, the doula said. There is no clarity online and conflicting information. Far-right groups post false information to deter people." A woman holds the abortion medication that she and her network gather from foreign contacts who smuggle them in to Chile for her group to give to women who need them. (Liam Miller / Pudumedia.com) While her clandestine network has continued to function through the pandemic, the supply line of pharmaceuticals smuggled in from countries where they are easier to procure is in danger. The borders are all closed so the medicines we receive through international solidarity cant get through, she said. We are at a critical situation with around six weeks of supplies remaining, and expect the situation to get worse as international travel remains restricted. And as patients with COVID-19 swamp the regions hospitals, the doula is worried that women seeking assistance for abortions could be sidelined. The pandemic poses further barriers to women's access to their sexual and reproductive rights," she said. Helping out, but on high alert Just like a pregnancy doula, the abortion doula said she offers emotional support and will accompany women through an abortion. She also links them to trusted psychologists if needed. Women go to health professionals who dont understand the law or how to treat them if they are seeking abortions," she said. "The nature of having a clandestine abortion also causes its own problems. If a woman needs help, doula or one of the other doulas call them on a burner phone. They are grandma phones, she said. Very basic with no data connection that might lead someone to our location. We ask the callers to disable all of their data services, and we just trust them. The callers medical data is established carefully, and the process doesnt continue without a sonogram proving how far along the pregnancy is. Beyond 12 weeks, abortion can be dangerous or even fatal. We establish as much as we can before proceeding, the doula said, including pre-existing medical conditions, whether it's a normal pregnancy, position of the fetus, everything. The only thing we dont ask is why?" Assisting an illegal abortion carries a maximum sentence of three years and one day, while a woman illegally terminating her pregnancy faces five years, so she remains on high alert with each case. But she said she is not stopping until she and her group feel women are being fairly treated. Against abortion, for 'ethical and philosophical reasons' Health professionals and even private hospitals that receive some public funding have the right to refuse to perform abortions, which pro-choice campaigners say leaves many women vulnerable. Lieta Vivaldi, of the Feminist Association of Lawyers in Santiago, sa aidround 50 percent of doctors in Chile refuse to perform abortions, even legal ones. Its very easy to become an objector, filling out a simple form, she said. Dr. Sergio Valenzuela is one of these objectors; he does not perform abortions because of ethical and philosophical reasons. The embryo and fetus are philosophical realities belonging to the biological identity of any human being," he said, "and are only in a very early and vulnerable stage of development." He adds that "abortion is still not technically legal in Chile; the law only decriminalizes it under the three conditions. Therefore it does not generate a woman's right to an abortion, so there is no correlative duty to perform one. The high number of objectors in the system and the lack of follow-up to properly implement the changes allowing some abortions leave many women vulnerable and seeking alternative ways to terminate their pregnancies, say abortion rights advocates. Abortion has been a deeply divisive topic in Chile, but there may be signs that is changing. Activists march during a demonstration in favour of free abortion in Santiago, Chile, on July 25, 2019. (Martin Bernetti / AFP via Getty Images) Though few polls have been conducted around the subject, a December 2018 survey by the Center for Public Studies suggested general approval for legal abortion remained low at under 7 percent of women, with around 27 percent, mostly women over 55, favoring a total ban. But 71 percent of Chileans approved of abortion under the three conditions allowed in the 2017 law. Inequalities in abortion access "The law has not taken charge of even the cases it must cover; even women that qualify are regularly and systematically denied by the conscientious objection of health professionals," said Nicholls, the psychoanalyst. There is no state monitoring of these cases, which ultimately leaves everything in the hands of the woman who is already suffering through a complex matter." Nicholls added that what's most "shocking" is how it reinforces the countries socio-economic inequalities. "Women who have money can travel to have this procedure, mainly to the U.S. Those who dont end up on a pilgrimage through different health centers, finding little empathy in the process, abuse and discrimination," she said. "Its worse in rural area where there are fewer hospitals, and people are generally poorer. Presently, civil and feminist movements are focusing on two main aspects concerning abortions in Chile. One relates to the implementation of the law, said Vivaldi, the feminist lawyer. "Since the law allows abortion only in limited cases, most women must continue to seek illegal abortions, as previously. Chiles law was passed almost two years ago, but various obstacles persist that hinder even legal access to abortion, such as the use of conscientious objection, a lack of trained health care providers and a lack information available to women." Secondly, there is a bill to change to free abortion laws, where the focus is not based on why a woman wants an abortion, but purely on the gestational limits. The bill is for free abortion in the first 14 weeks, but there is little hope this bill will be passed. Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Soon after the death of Larry Kramer on Wednesday, tributes began to pour in from people moved and personally affected by the outspoken AIDS activist and playwright who grabbed humanitys attention four decades ago and never let go. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Kramer, a longtime resident of the state, was the epitome, in the midst of a different plague, of New York tough. At a time when the federal government sat paralyzed in denial of a disease that was ravaging an entire generation of LGBTQ people, Larry Kramer was fearless, uncompromising, relentless and loud characteristics that ruffled feathers but that forced a response to a public health crisis, Cuomo said in a statement. He demanded action, and countless people are alive today because of his work. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., the first openly gay U.S. senator, called Kramer a true trailblazer in the LGBTQ community. Larry Kramer was an artist, advocate and activist, whose fight for our community made people listen and helped save lives, she wrote on Twitter. May we honor his memory by continuing the march for full equality and justice for all. Born in 1935, Kramer grew up in and around Washington, D.C. He graduated from Yale University in 1957 and served in the U.S. Army Reserve, before working in film production in London for Columbia Pictures. In August 1981, following the announcement of an outbreak of Kaposi sarcoma, Kramer formed a group that eventually became the Gay Mens Health Crisis (GMHC), the first AIDS service organization in the world. In 1987, fed up with federal government inaction, he and other activists formed ACT UP the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power a radical organization that staged protests and public interventions for years to force officials to spend more money and include more activists in AIDS research. Related: Even before the illness had a name, the iconic writer and activist was sounding the alarm on the bourgeoning HIV/AIDS crisis. Story continues Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and a prominent member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, spoke to several news outlets Wednesday about his long, complicated history with Kramer. Fauci was appointed the institutes director in 1984, three years after Kramer founded GMHC and over a decade before AIDS deaths peaked in the United States, briefly becoming the top killer of young men in America in 1995. Larry Kramer was a dear friend yet he could, at the drop of a dime, trash you in the newspaper, Fauci told Stat News. He was very unpredictable. But I loved him. Image: Larry Kramer (Sara Krulwich / The New York Times via Getty Images file) Peter Staley, now a New York City AIDS activist, described himself as one of the many frightened kids that joined ACT UP hoping to push back death. He called us his kids, and, for me, he became a mentor and father figure, Staley said in a statement. We forget that ACT UP was born six years into the crisis. Six lost years, as the country and its president ignored a new virus that was slaughtering a community they despised. Larry told us to fight back. In a nod to Kramers love of antagonistic activism, author Rebecca Makkai marked his death on Twitter with a wish that he gets to choose between resting in peace and haunting every last motherf----- on his list. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a tweet, said Kramer stirred the pot, called out the powerful and, much to the chagrin of some people, he was almost always right. Kramers opinions and writing sometimes placed him at odds with the LGBTQ community, starting in 1978 with the publication of the tell-all novel about urban gay life, Faggots. Kramer used the animosity directed at him in the plot of his semi-autobiographical and critically acclaimed play, The Normal Heart. Larry Kramer. I dont have the words to properly express my gratitude, admiration, and love for you, Matt Bomer, an actor in the HBO miniseries The Normal Heart, wrote on Instagram. My time with you is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. Rest in Peace my friend. Related: Amid the global coronavirus outbreak, HIV experts, activists and survivors share takeaways from the early days of the AIDS crisis. In 2014, Kramer became the most prominent AIDS activist to speak out against the use of Truvada as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, writing in The New York Times: I am here to tell you that I've had lots of side effects from one or the other several of those side effects leading to hospitalization. I would not wish these on anyone, and taking Truvada when you don't need to (I am not dealing with the sex issue) is, I believe, a bad idea, Kramer wrote. He later told Buzzfeed News, I never was against it, and, I never said dont take it, I just said its complicated. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple and one of the most prominent gay men on earth, called Kramer an American original who got loud, acted up and saved many LGBTQ lives. His unrelenting efforts wont be forgotten and should be held up as an example of a timeless truth: `The one thing that doesnt abide by majority rule is a persons conscience, Cook wrote on Twitter. Related: COVID-19 is most likely to affect HIV-positive people through secondary conditions, such as homelessness, old age and underlying health problems, experts say. Edmund White, a fellow founder of the Gay Mens Health Crisis, said in a statement that Kramer was like an Old Testament prophet angry and righteous. Sex columnist and radio host Dan Savage said Kramer valued every gay life at a time when so many gay men had been rendered incapable of valuing our own lives. He ordered us to love ourselves and each other and to fight for our lives. He was a hero, he wrote on Twitter. Kramer married architect David Webster in 2013. Kramer survived a liver transplant, abdominal surgery and over three decades of HIV infection. Following news of his death, ACT UP shared a message for their fallen warrior. "Rest in power to our fighter Larry Kramer. Your rage helped inspire a movement. We will keep honoring your name and spirit with action," the group wrote on Twitter. Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram Albert J. Krieger, a defense lawyer who combined a prodigious memory, surgical interrogations and a courtly baritone to foil hostile witnesses against his often notorious clients, including the mobsters John Gotti and Joseph Bonanno and Miamis so-called cocaine cowboys, died on May 14 in Miami. He was 96. His death, at a care center, was confirmed by his daughter Luise Krieger-Martin, a Miami-Dade County Court judge. A New Yorker who moved to Florida, Mr. Krieger unapologetically insisted that each of his accused clients should be presumed innocent, and he carried around a totemic copy of the Constitution as a reminder. He often said that in his 60 years of practicing law he was proudest of having worked without a fee on behalf of the American Indian Movement members who occupied Wounded Knee, S.D., in 1973. He helped win acquittals or get charges dismissed against nearly all of the 150 defendants in that episode. Agartala, May 28 (IANS) In all 129 Indians, who returned to Tripura from Bangladesh, on Thursday were admitted to the institutional quarantine centre, here, officials said. The Indians, belonging to Tripura and Assam, arrived at the Akhaura-Agartala integrated check-post (ICP), near here, from different parts of Bangladesh. Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das also reached the check-post by road from Dhaka to supervise the return formalities. Lok Sabha Member and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pratima Bhowmik also visited the ICP. Tripura Education and Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath said 133 people had approached the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. "The returnees would remain at the quarantine centre till their swab samples tested negative for coronavirus. Given the wide spread of coronavirus in Bangladesh, the authorities have been extra careful about the people coming from there," Nath told the media. In Bangladesh, 40,321 people have been infected with nCoV. It has claimed 560 lives. The Minister said the Kuwait government would deport 135 Indians belonging to Assam (89) and Tripura (46). They would reach Guwahati by an aircraft on Friday night. Quoting the MEA communications, Nath said they were in Kuwaiti jail for violation of law of that country. The Tripura government will send two buses to Guwahati to bring 46 Tripura residents. They would be be tested for coronavirus on arrival and quarantined in Agartala, he said. --IAN sc/pcj She was taken Advocate Condell Medical Center with serious injuries, according to the release. The driver of the Chevrolet also sustained serious injuries and was taken to Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan. T he Government has been warned that the Test and Trace system will fail to work effectively unless statutory sick pay is increased. The NHS system which has been rolled out across England is widely viewed as an important step towards easing more coronavirus lockdown restrictions. However, there are concerns that people could be asked to self-isolate for a period of 14 days more than once in the coming weeks. While these individuals will be eligible for statutory sick pay of 95 per week, a union fears that many workers will not be able to live on this sum and will be forced to keep working. TUC general secretary Frances OGrady said: We need a testing and tracing programme up and running as soon as possible. But it will not be effective if workers are pushed into hardship when they are required to self-isolate. Example of the Test and Trace letter from the NHS / PA Statutory sick pay is just 95 per week and two million workers arent even eligible for that. If workers cant afford to self-isolate, then they will be forced to keep working. That will put them, their workmates and their local community at risk, and undermine the entire Test and Trace programme." Ms O'Grady said the Government must extend statutory sick pay to everyone no matter what theyre paid and raise it to the level of the real Living Wage, at 260 per week. She added: "And the self-employed income support scheme must remain in place as a source of financial support for those forced to self-isolate. "Thats how to show that we really are all in this together. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called for enhanced sick pay when he was asked about the new system on BBC Radio 4s Today programme. He said: There will be people whose work conditions and employment conditions make that difficult for them so they need that security, they need enhanced sick pay where necessary to make sure they stay at home. But, of course, it is perfectly possible that you could isolate for 14 days, come out, meet somebody else again whose got the virus and have to go back in. So this could be a huge burden for people. Loading.... Asked about the level of enhanced sick pay, Mr Ashworth called on the Government to look at the Living Wage and levels paid in other European countries. Mr Ashworth said there is an anomaly in the regulations at the moment, adding: Sick pay is only triggered, as I understand it, when somebody has tested positive. He added that this urgently needs to be ironed out. Meanwhile, hardship for migrants asked to self-isolate has also been raised. Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared to be caught off guard when challenged at the Liaison Committee about no recourse to public funds (NRPF) a standard condition applied to people staying in the UK with temporary immigration status. Work and Pensions Select Committee chairman Stephen Timms highlighted a couple in his East Ham constituency with two children who were being forced into destitution as a result of NRPF. Zoe Gardner, policy adviser at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, said it is essential that everyone is equally protected with a social security net so that everyone can self-isolate when they need to. Migrants often find themselves in insecure work with flexible or zero-hours contracts including many whove been keeping Britain going through their frontline work throughout the pandemic, she said. But those in insecure employment often have no choice but to continue working even where there is a risk to their health, or when they need to isolate, because they cannot risk losing their jobs or having their hours cut. For migrants with no recourse to public funds, losing their job puts them and their families at imminent risk of destitution as they are barred from accessing essential basic support like Universal Credit or Employment Support Allowance. New Delhi: Movie fanatics have been eagerly waiting to know what's going to be the future of Marathi cinema post-COVID-19 outbreak. Many discussed the possibilities of OTT releases and giving the theatre a miss. Commenting on same Paragg Mehta, the film Producer and Bollywoods renowned Casting Director said, As we all know how Bollywood big films have taken the route of OTT platforms. The general pulse in the market is that Regional films may have to depend on OTT platforms for the time being as we have to survive somehow and even have to cater good content to our audience. This was an option before us and as the emergence of digital evolution someone had to take initiative and I have taken it," he says, adding to that we are in talks with few of them and so far have got a positive response for the release and announcement will be done soon. 'Parinati', starring Amruta Subhash, Sonalee Kulkarni, and Akshar Kothari is directed by debutant director Akshay Balsaraf will be the first Marathi film to release on an OTT platform. Turkey has resumed limited intercity train operations after a two-month suspension as the country eases restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Train services restarted on Thursday, with a high-speed train departing the capital, Ankara, for Istanbul at 07:00 a.m. (0400 GMT). The trains will make 16 trips daily, connecting the cities of Ankara, Istanbul, Konya and Eskisehir. The trains are operating at half-capacity and travellers are being permitted on board only with a government-issued special code that certifies that the passenger is not being monitored for a suspected COVID-19 infection. Speaking at a ceremony at Ankara's train station, Transportation Minister Adil Karaismailoglu, said people showing sign of illness would not be allowed on board. Any passenger showing COVID-19 symptoms on board the train would be taken to a special "isolation section" and handed over to health officials at the nearest station, he said. No food or drinks would be served during the journey, the minister added. Deaths from COVID-19 in the country have reached 4,431, with a total of almost 160,000 confirmed infections. Nearly 123,000 people have recovered, according to Health Ministry figures. YEREVAN, MAY 28, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received newly elected President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan. ARMENPRESS reports this is the 1st official meeting between them since Arayik Harutyunyan assumed the post. Today we mark one of the most glorious victories of our people, the day of the heroic battle of Sardarapat and the Republic Day, which has a great symbolism for us. It shows how leaders can alter the fate of the country and people. This day has a very important message and its symbolic that we hold our 1st official meeting in official Yerevan on this day, Pashinyan said. The PM said that following the national elections of Artsakh new chances have emerged for Armenia and Artsakh to enter a stage of long-term strategic projects. Our strategies and programs should be maximally synchronized, in order to achieve a greater synergistic effect. During this process we have discussed numerous issues related to the organization of our joint efforts in the spheres of agriculture, industry and technologies. As refers to security, Armenia and Artsakh are a common security zone, and from this perspective our activities and challenges are obvious, and I am confident that we will be able to manage the challenges in collaboration with each other, leading our fatherland to a path of strategic and sustainable development, the PM said. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on Republic Day, adding that he expects the direct assistance of the Prime Minister of Armenia for making Artsakh more prosperous. Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan, Editing and Translating by Tigran Sirekanyan Two years ago, Google open-sourced Plus Codes, a digital addressing system to help billions of people navigate to places that dont have clear addresses. The company said today it is making it easier for anyone with an Android device to share its rendition of an address -- a six-digit alphanumeric code. Google Maps users on Android can now tap the blue dot that represents their current location to view and share their unique six-digit coordinate with friends. Anyone with the code can look it up on Google Maps or Google Search to get the precise location of the destination. The codes look like this: G6G4+CJ Delhi, India. Google says it divides the geographical surface of the world into tiled areas and attributes a unique six-letter code and the name of the city and country to each of them. More than 2 billion people on the planet either dont have an address or have an address that isnt easy to locate. This challenge is more prevalent in developed markets such as India where a street address could often be as long as a paragraph, and where people often rely on nearby landmarks to navigate their way. Google is not the only firm that is attempting to simplify the addressing system. London-based what3words has broken the world into 57 trillion squares and assigned each of those blocks with three randomly combined words, such as toddler.geologist.animated that are easier to decipher and share. The company told TechCrunch earlier that it had partnered with a number of firms, including several carmakers, to expand its reach. But what3words and five-year-old project Plus Codes have both struggled to gain wider traction. When Google announced this project in India, its executives told this correspondent that they were exploring ways to work with logistics firms and government agencies such as the postal department to get wider adoption -- though none of it has materialized yet. At the time, the company had also tested Plus Codes at some concerts in India, the executives said. To get wider adoption, Google open-sourced Plus Codes in 2018 so that developers and businesses could find their own use cases. If youve ever been in an emergency, you know that being able to share your location for help to easily find you is critical. Yet in many places in the world, organizations struggle with this challenge on a daily basis, the company said today. Felicien Kabuga, one of the last key suspects in the Rwandan genocide, lost an appeal on Wednesday to be released under court supervision. French judges have put off a decision on whether to transfer him to an international court until 3 June. Dressed in slippers, jeans and a purple shirt, Felicien Kabuga appeared before a Paris Court of Appeal on Wednesday, in a wheelchair and clad in a face mask. One of Rwanda's most notorious fugitives, he listened impassively as the presiding judge read out the seven criminal counts against him, including genocide and incitement to commit genocide against Rwanda's Tutsi minority. "Those are all lies," Kabuga said finally through an interpreter. "I would not have killed my customers. They are lies." Kabuga was in court to challenge an extradition bid to transfer him to an international court in Arusha, Tanzania. But French judges refused to release the 84-year-old on bail insisting he was a "flight risk". Kabuga's lawyer had argued that his client is in poor health. Most wanted Suspected of financing the Rwandan genocide, Kabuga was arrested earlier this month in a Paris suburb after 25 years on the run. According to a statement from French authorities, he was one of the "most wanted fugitives in the world" and the United States had promised a bounty of $5 million for his capture. "The legal fight is just beginning," says Phil Clark, a lecturer at SOAS University in London and author of the book Distant Justice. Kabuga's lawyers want Kabuga to be tried in France, insisting that he would not receive a fair trial at a UN tribunal. Legal battle However for Clark, "the UN has a very strong claim over this case, he told RFI. The UN indicted the fugitive suspect in 1997, and Kabuga has been the subject of an arrest warrantfrom the International Mechanism, the body responsible for completing the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which closed in 2015, ever since. Clark reckons also that the UN tribunal's chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz, will likely try to push to obtain custody of the last of the ICTR's big fish in the wake of Kabuga's arrest. "He is the strong favorite to become the next Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. He wants the Kabuga case in The Hague so he can keep his profile high while the ICC selections take place," he said. Most experts believe that Kabuga will be tried in the Netherlands, but Clark says a legal battle with Rwanda cannot be ruled out. Rwanda's Eichmann There's a real momentum within Rwanda to see Kabuga prosecuted in Kigali, rather than in some distant UN courtroom and possibly in The Hague, he tells RFI. There's a sense that justice needs to be seen as intimately as possible, in many ways it would be like the prosecution of Eichmann in Jerusalem, he said, referring to the trial of the notorious Nazi after World War II.. Rwanda's High Court Chamber for International Crimes will next week rule in the case of genocide suspect Ladislas Ntaganzwa, who was transferred from the UN's court to Rwanda, in what is expected to be a litmus test of Kigali's capacity to prosecute high profile suspects. Clark believes that a legal compromise may be reached, which would allow the UN to keep jurisdiction over the Kabuga case, but that the trial would be held in Rwanda. "Brammertz is going to need lots of help from Rwandan investigators and prosecutors, who played a crucial role in tracking down Kabuga," he said. Stay in France Kabuga was arrested from a flat in the suburb of Asnieres-Sur-Seine on 16 May where he was living under a false name. His arrest has raised questions about how he managed to evade the law for over 25 years. Once one of Rwanda's richest men, Kabuga benefitted from a lot of protection and complicity, says Patrick Baudouin, a lawyer and honorary president of the International Federation of Human Rights. At various times, Kabuga lived in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya, as well as France, police say, although it is unclear when he arrived in Paris. We're within our right to question why he wasn't arrested sooner. I think it has a lot to do with French policy at the time, which favoured and protected the government of Juvenal Habyarimana and his entourage, Baudouin told RFI. The International Federation of Human Rights has urged the French government to launch an inquiry into why Kabuga was able evade the law in France for so long. Well-connected Politically well-connected, Kabuga made his millions out of the tea and coffee industry in Rwanda. He is alleged to have used his wealth and influence to funnel money to militia groups that massacred at least 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus during the course of 100 days in 1994. He is accused of supplying the militias weapons, including several hundred thousand machetes imported from China. The indictment against him also alleges that the radio station he partly owned, Radio-Television Mille Collines, incited the killings of the Tutsis whom it referred to as cockroaches, and revealed where they could be found. Looking for justice Kabuga's lawyers have hit out at the charges, insisting their client cannot be presented as one of the main instigators of the genocide when no trial has taken place. Some activists took to Twitter to argue that Kabuga should be treated as innocent until proven guilty. Nonetheless, for lawyer Patrick Baudouin, Kabuga's arrest is an important step towards justice. The charges against him are very severe. Even if we can't call him guilty until he's been prosecuted, the fact that someone of his ranking is at last being held accountable, will offer some relief to victims, he said. The French court will decide when and where to prosecute Kabuga during its next session on 3 June. After receiving thousands of calls and emails from would-be adopters, a tortoise whose owner recently died of COVID-19 has found a new home. At 53, Ms. Jennifer may just be the oldest animal that the MSPCA-Angell has ever been charged with adopting into a new home. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 17:18:09|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Thursday the country is expected to achieve positive economic growth this year if security in six key areas is ensured. The six areas refer to job security, basic living needs, operations of market entities, food and energy security, stable industrial and supply chains, and the normal functioning of primary-level governments. Li highlighted efforts to maintain security in the first three areas. China will take targeted measures instead of massive stimulus to boost economic growth, Li told a press conference after the conclusion of the annual national legislative session. Enditem Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey speaks during an event in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2019. (David Becker/Getty Images) Twitter CEO Defends Fact-Checking Trump Ahead of Planned Executive Order Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey defended placing a so-called fact check on President Donald Trumps post ahead of a planned executive order cracking down on technology companies. Well continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make, Dorsey said in a statement. This does not make us an arbiter of truth. Our intention is to connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves. More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions. Twitter didnt place a fact check on anyone on the platform before inserting an analysis on Trumps post. In the missive in question, Trump wrote theres no way that mail-in ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed, the president said. Twitter added a line of blue text that told people to get the facts about mail-in ballots, punctuated by an exclamation mark inside a circle. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on May 27, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo) Twitter referred to several news outlets in calling Trumps claims unsubstantiated before adding: Experts say mail-in ballots are very rarely linked to voter fraud. The original analysis by Twitter included a statement that is factually incorrect. Twitter said: mail-in ballots are already used in some states, including Oregon, Utah and Nebraska. Only a few states send all voters mail-in ballots, including Oregon and Utah, but Nebraska is among the states that is sending applications for mail-in ballots to every voter, not mail-in ballots themselves. The company later removed the reference to Nebraska and added the line: five states already vote entirely by mail and all states offer some form of mail-in absentee voting. Experts told The Epoch Times that the fact-checking has dangerous implications. Twitter is essentially telling users who can and who cannot be trusted and labeling content from some users as untrustworthy, Andrew Selepak, a social media professor at the University of Florida told The Epoch Times. Determining what is true and false is what a content publisher would doand not a social media platform. Dorsey and Twitter said the fact check was made in line with company policies. Trumps tweets may mislead people into thinking they dont need to register to get a ballot (only registered voters receive ballots), Dorsey claimed. Lawmakers quickly fired back, with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) asserting Dorsey is accountable for Chinese Communist Party propaganda that Twitter has allowed to remain on its platform with no fact check. Twitter on Thursday added fact checks to several posts by a Chinese official. Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) attends the confirmation hearing of Attorney General nominee William Barr at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 15, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said in a letter to Dorsey that Twitters decision to single out Trump is alarming. Twitters decision to editorialize regarding the content of political speech raises questions about why Twitter should continue receiving special status and special immunity from publisher liability under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, he wrote. Hawley vowed to introduce legislation to end the special status, saying Twitter should have to abide by the same rules as other publishers. Trump, meanwhile, announced he is going to sign an executive order aimed at tech companies, citing the history of discrimination against conservatives seen among tech giants like Google. Doing nothing at this point is not an option, in my view. These companies have told us exactly what theyre going to do, which is engage in partisan, political activity, Brandan Carr, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, said during an appearance on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters the order will be signed on Thursday. It will pertain to social media, she said. Trump took to Twitter Thursday morning to tell followers: This will be a Big Day for Social Media and FAIRNESS! Bowen Xiao contributed to this report. 13:48 | Lima, May. 28. The aim has always been that people who have committed corruption offenses should assume their responsibility , no matter their rank or position. We are fortunate that in a time of COVID-19, so many residents have stepped up to adopt and foster pets, that there was room, Wake said. Usually South Suburban and so many other shelters across our area would have struggled to find space to take in so many animals at one time. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Ashish Chaturmohta After a cautious opening, Nifty made a low of 9,004 and then rallied throughout the day to touch high of 9,334. The Nifty closed near the highs of the day at 9,315 up by 3.17 percent on May 27. Broader market indices BSE Midcap and Smallcap saw significant underperformance compared to benchmark indices. However, both managed to log gains rising 0.54 percent and 0.27 percent, respectively, on Wednesday. The market breadth on NSE was positive with an advance-decline ratio of 3:2. The index has formed a bullish body candle closing near the highs of the day and has crossed falling resistance trend line of the last four weeks connecting highs 9,889 and 9,585. Now, if it holds above 9,200 levels, expect a rally towards 9,600 levels. If Nifty surpasses that, the next resistance is seen at 9,730 and then 9,889 levels. On the downside below 8,968, 8,800 can be expected. However, breaking below 8,800 selling pressure can expected towards 8,400 levels. In Nifty June monthly expiry options, maximum open interest for Put is seen at strike price 9,000 followed by 9,500 while for Call maximum open interest is seen at 10,000 followed by 9,500. Nifty options distribution data is suggesting a range of 9,000 and 9,500. India VIX was rangebound between 45 and 33 odd levels for last one month. Now, it is drifting lower and closed at 31.27 level. Staying below 35 level will be support for the market and any up move will cap the upside to keep the market range bound. Below are the top 5 stocks which can return % in 1-3 months: HDFC Bank: Buy | CMP: Rs 904 | Stop loss: Rs 860 | Target: Rs 1040 | Return: 15% The stock had seen sharp fall from Rs 1300 levels to Rs 740 odd levels. In April month bounce back touched high of Rs 1019 and then corrected to Rs 826 levels. Price has moved above 21-day exponential moving average. After five days of consolidation in a narrow range stock has given breakout on upside with long body bullish candle. Thus, forming higher low on daily chart. High volumes at lower levels indicates accumulation in the stock. Relative strength index given positive crossover with its average on daily chart. Thus, stock can be bought at current level and on dips to Rs 890 with stop loss below Rs 860 for target of Rs 1040 levels. Hindalco Industries: Buy | CMP: Rs 133 | Stop loss: Rs 125 | Target: Rs 160 | Upside: 20% Between January and March, the stock had a sharp decline from Rs 221 to a low of Rs 85. Since then, the stock has been trading below Rs 130 with higher lows. Thus forming an ascending triangle pattern on the daily chart. Volumes were high indicating accumulation at lower levels in the stock. Prices have consolidated above short term 20-day moving average which has acted as support on dips. Now, the stock is seeing breakout from the pattern. Price has given breakout on the upside from Bollinger Band with an expansion of bands on daily chart indicating a continuation in trend in the direction of the breakout. Thus, the stock can be bought at current levels and on dips to Rs 130 with stop loss below Rs 125 for a target of Rs 160 levels. Balkrishna Industries: Buy | CMP: Rs 1,076 | Stop loss: Rs 1,025 | Target: Rs 1,240 | Upside: 15% The stock witnessed a sharp fall from Rs 1,300 odd levels to a low of Rs 679 in March this year. It has strong support in the region of Rs 750 and Rs 680 from where the stock has seen a bounce back on multiple occasions. Thus, indicating as value area for the stock. It has been in steady uptrend forming higher tops and bottoms since the low. It has crossed 61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement of the entire fall from Rs 1,297 to low of Rs 679. Price has given breakout on the upside from Bollinger Band with the expansion of bands on daily chart indicating a continuation of trend in the direction of the breakout. MACD has given positive crossover with its average and moved above equilibrium level of zero on the weekly chart. Thus, the stock can be bought at current levels and on dips to Rs 1,060 with stop loss below Rs 1,025 for a target of Rs 1,240 levels. Tata Steel: Buy | CMP: Rs 288 | Stop loss: Rs 274 | Target: Rs 330 | Upside: 14% The stock declined sharply from Rs 500 to Rs 250 odd levels. It has taken support at long-term monthly trend line connecting lows of 2008, 2013 and 2015. The stock has seen consolidation between Rs 300 and Rs 250 odd levels for last 10 weeks above the trend line. Now, the stock is showing signs of a bounce back after consolidating at lower levels. MACD has given positive crossover with its average on the weekly chart. Relative strength index has given positive crossover with its average on the daily chart. The stock can be bought at current levels and on dips to Rs 284 with stop loss below Rs 274 for a target of Rs 330 levels. The author is Head of Technical and Derivatives, Sanctum Wealth Management : The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Photograph: Davidoff Studios Photography/Getty Images Its difficult to watch Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, a four-hour Netflix series on the now-deceased convicted sex offender without a choking sense of outrage. How many girls had to suffer to get attention? How perversely twisted is the American justice system that a Gatsby-esque billionaire, friends with such powerful figures as Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew and Donald Trump, a longstanding donor to Harvard and MIT, could buy his way out of an almost certain life sentence for child sex abuse and trafficking? Filthy Rich arrives, of course, less than a year after Epstein, 66, died, officially by suicide, in a New York jail last August. Theres no justice in this, Shawna Rivera, speaking publicly for the first time about Epsteins alleged abuse starting when she was 14, says in the final episode. There was just so much more to be said that will never be said. Related: AKA Jane Roe: behind the headline-making abortion documentary There is, however, much to be learned from the sordid, winding, thwarted path to Epsteins eventual arrest on sex trafficking charges in July 2019. Filthy Rich doesnt so much break new ground as synthesize the abundance of information with the visceral impact of first-person testimony on Epsteins crimes stories of predation, self-doubt and shame by numerous survivors betrayed by the justice system supposed to protect them. Epsteins decades-long legal saga is the biggest example Ive ever seen of somebody using their money and influence to thwart reporting on the subject and to work out an outrageous deal, Joe Berlinger, an executive producer, told the Guardian. Production on Filthy Rich began before Epstein became a household name before his death, before his shock arrest, before a 2018 Pulitzer-winning investigation by the Miami Times-Herald into the sweetheart plea deal negotiated by federal prosecutors to keep Epstein out of prison. The level of incompetence and back-door dealing that allowed him to get off no one on this production thought he would ever be arrested during the making of the show, said Berlinger, who first began work on an Epstein project in spring 2018, after he received a copy of mystery novelist James Pattersons 2016 true crime book on the reclusive billionaire (and neighbor in Palm Beach). Story continues The book infuriated me, Berlinger said, especially since, in 2018, people were afraid to tell this story. Convincing women to speak on the record was hard, director Lisa Bryant said. Some people wouldnt talk at all, some numbers were wrong, some decided they just werent ever going to talk, for various reasons. Some hadnt even told their parents about it. The case of Epstein was never a he-said, she-said situation; to quote the retired Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter in the Heralds original story: This was 50-something shes and one he and the shes all basically told the same story. But Epsteins intimidation factor was strong, and many of the survivors, their justice thwarted by the plea deal and Epsteins subsequent immunity, had moved on with their lives. Yes, there was a pattern that he had, but each persons experience with that and how they handled it is different, said Bryant. This is their story to tell, their narrative. We wanted this to be told through their eyes. The series revolves around the various experiences of the survivors, dating back to at least 1996, when the painter Maria Farmer and her teenage sister, Annie, contacted the FBI to allege molestation by Epstein and his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. It went nowhere. Years later, in 2005, Palm Beach police launched an investigation into an alleged sex ring run out of Epsteins beachside mansion, in which Epstein and Maxwell allegedly coerced high-school girls most of them around 14, in vulnerable circumstances and needing money into sex acts under the pretense of a massage for $200. Maxwell has denied any involvement. The alleged crimes expanded even further, as favorites were allegedly trafficked to rich and powerful friends for parties at Epsteins $77m Upper East Side mansion in New York, at a London townhouse, and on Epsteins private island in the Caribbean. Some survivors featured in the series are speaking on camera for the first time; others, such as Virginia Giuffre, have been advocating for justice for years. Giuffre alleges in and out of the documentary that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, who has denied the allegations and queried the veracity of a photo that exists of him with his arm around her, with a smiling Maxwell in the background. Virginia Giuffre denies she was 18 at the time of the photo; she says she was 17. Given witness testimony in the series by a former Epstein employee who alleges he saw the prince engaged in poolside foreplay with a topless Giuffre on Epsteins island, Andrews defense and lack of cooperation with prosecutors reads even more shabbily here. Andrew says he has no recollection of meeting Giuffre. The show stokes justifiable outrage through each survivors account, retracing how the Palm Beach police departments investigation was bumped up to the FBI, and was then derailed by a non-prosecution agreement the Herald called the deal of a lifetime. Signed in 2008, the deal brokered by state attorney and later Trump labor secretary Alex Acosta and Epsteins all-star team of lawyers, including OJ Simpson defender Alan Dershowitz (the only Epstein acolyte to attempt a defense in the series) was controversially sealed and kept private from the accusers. It offered Epstein and named and unnamed co-conspirators immunity from federal criminal charges; instead, he pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges in state court, and served 11 of 13 months in Palm Beach jail, out six days a week on work release. He was still seeing girls, he was still making money, he was still conducting business I mean, its just outrageous, said Berlinger of Epsteins incarceration. Epsteins elusion of justice for another decade demonstrated how the American criminal justice system was built for money and power and political gain, said Bryant. And we see that over and over again in this case. The series also addresses, but does not endorse, conspiracy theories on the cause of Epsteins death; the medical examiner ruled a suicide by hanging, though an outside expert hired by Epsteins brother raised unsubstantiated doubts, citing an unusual neck fracture. I think its up for debate, and for people to look at the evidence both ways and make their own decisions, said Bryant. There was nothing that we turned up that would definitively support the idea that he was murdered, said Berlinger, but we certainly felt [the theories] should be touched upon. Personally, Berlinger said: I do believe it was suicide. Epsteins death denied survivors their true day in court, though several did speak at a posthumous hearing. There remains the possibility of prosecuting those linked to Epstein: perhaps Maxwell, whose whereabouts remain unknown and who recently sued Epsteins estate the fund supposed to compensate victims for her legal fees. I firmly believe and hope that the survivors will get that money, said Bryant, and that statutes of limitations are reconsidered given greater understanding of childhood sexual trauma, the length and difficulty of processing enough to speak publicly. For the survivors, said Berlinger, the ultimate closure would be for everyone who enabled this sick lifestyle and everyone who enabled a wealthy white person with power and influence to have a different standard of justice to also be held to account. Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich is now available on Netflix This article was amended on 28 May 2020 to make clear that Virginia Giuffres age in a photograph with Prince Andrew is disputed. The University of Connecticut student who allegedly killed two people and injured a third was taken into custody Wednesday night, police said. Connecticut State Police said Peter Manfredonia, 23, was taken into custody in Hagerstown, Maryland. **UPDATE**Suspect, Peter Manfredonia has been found & is in custody. CSP Eastern District Major Crime are on scene in Hagerstown, MD. No injuries to any law enforcement personnel or Manfredonia. More info will be provided on Thurs, May 28 @PAStatePolice @FBINewHaven @FBI @MDSP pic.twitter.com/QFnUDuOqn0 a CT State Police (@CT_STATE_POLICE) May 28, 2020 "We know that this suspect will face justice," Connecticut State Police Trooper First Class Christine Jeltema said Wednesday night. "This is important for the victims, the victim's families." MORE: Multistate manhunt intensifies for suspected UConn killer Jeltema said officials were able to apprehend Manfredonia in large part due to social media, technology and "good old fashioned police work." PHOTO: Peter Manfredonia is a police booking photo. (Washington County Sheriffs Office) Manfredonia could be facing state or federal charges, which will be decided in the coming days, Jeltema said following his arrest. During a bail hearing Thursday in Washington County District Court in Maryland, Manfredonia waived extradition and declined representation. The state of Connecticut has 30 days to extradite him. The investigation began last Friday and involved investigators from four states and the FBI. Manfredonia, a senior, allegedly attacked two men in Willington, Connecticut, killing Theodore Demers, 62, and wounding the unidentified second victim, according to police. Story continues On Sunday, he allegedly invaded a Willington home and stole pistols and long guns and a truck, police said. Manfredonia allegedly drove to Derby, Connecticut, where he allegedly killed an acquaintance, Nicholas J. Eisele, 23, inside his home, abducted another resident, stole a car and fled, according to police. PHOTO: The Pennsylvania State Police released this image of Peter Manfredonia. (@PSPTroopNPIO/Twitter) The kidnapped victim was found later Sunday unharmed in Paterson, New Jersey, and identified Manfredonia as her captor, police said. He then took an Uber to an East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Walmart and disappeared behind the store. MORE: Police search for stolen car near UConn suspect's last known location On Monday, police reported that an SUV near the Walmart was stolen Monday and the same vehicle was discovered near a Chambersburg gas station Tuesday. PHOTO: Pennsylvania State Police have released these images, May 27, 2020, taken from surveillance video believed to be Peter Manfredonia at a Sheetz store in Chambersburg, Penn. (Pennsylvania State Police ) Pennsylvania police said Manfredonia was spotted at the station and officers released surveillance footage that reportedly showed him inside its store, wearing glasses, a maroon shirt, a blue jacket, shorts and red shoes. He allegedly took an Uber cab from the store to Hagerstown, roughly 25 miles away, police said. Michael Dolan, the Manfredonia family's lawyer, told reporters earlier in the week the suspect had a history with mental illness and had urged him to turn surrender to police. Dolan did not immediately return messages for comment about the arrest. UConn murder suspect arrested in Maryland after 4-state manhunt originally appeared on abcnews.go.com EVFTA to fan flames of European investor interest, illustration photo Chau Huy Quang, managing partner of Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers, told VIR that there has recently been a drastic wave of European investor interest in various industries including manufacturing, consumer goods, renewable energy, and technology. With ongoing developments, especially the recent ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), it is expected that the investment and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) from European investors shall be significantly expanded. This trend reflects that European investors are on the lookout for M&A deals to scale up presence in Vietnam ahead of the historic deal moving into effect. Polands pharmaceutical maker Adamed Group has acquired the controlling portion of shares in Dat Vi Phu Pharmaceutical, Vietnams fastest-growing pharma-maker, marking it the largest direct Polish investment in Vietnam to date. Similarly, Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor Group acquired the Cho Tot platform to tap into the growth potential of Vietnams digital services as mobile data coverage and affordable data connectivity spreads quickly through the country. Stefano Pellegrino, board member of EuroChams Legal Sector Committee, said European investors are traditionally considered financially capable, socially and environmentally responsible, and with deep technological know-how. These are their strengths in the Vietnamese M&A market. Notable sectors of interest range wide, from renewable energy, pharma, and logistics to oil and gas, food and beverage, and consumer goods, most of which will be positively affected by the EVFTA, he added. Data by the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment indicated a growing number of capital contribution and share purchases by European backers in the first four months of 2020. Specifically, investors from France have implemented 78 transactions worth $27 million, up 37 deals against last year. Meanwhile, financiers from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany conducted 32, 15, and 27 transactions, worth some $38.5 million, $46 million, and $4.7 million, respectively. According to Linda Liu, economist at Maybank Kim Eng, the EVFTA will open up opportunities for Vietnam to become a trading gateway for European businesses in the ASEAN. It will also help diversify Vietnams trade partners and bring in greater foreign investments for Vietnam. To date, Vietnam and Singapore are the only two ASEAN countries to have FTAs with their two major trading partners outside the region the EU and China thereby securing preferential market access to three main export markets of the EU, China, and the ASEAN. This puts Vietnam in a favourable position in attracting foreign investment compared to regional peers. The EVFTA will also support the liberalisation of the Vietnamese market through greater market access in the services sector, easing investment restrictions, and increased investment and intellectual property protection for European companies. This market access and loosening of investment restrictions are a catalyst for M&A interest in Vietnam by European investors, Liu stressed. Quang of Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers pointed out that the EVFTA is a significant milestone for promoting and protecting European investments in Vietnam. While Vietnams commitments under the World Trade Organization remain the primary framework governing the market opening for foreign investment in the service sector, the EVFTA will focus on providing even broader and deeper commitment. For instance, interest will grow with the gradual abolishment of economic needs tests for retail services. Moreover, raising the foreign ownership cap to 70 per cent in shipping transport services would attract new European logistics service providers while existing players may look to further explore investment opportunities. According to Quang, there are also express provisions for the clean energy field which would generate greater interest from investors. Furthermore, the EVFTA would not only benefit European investors with business interests in Vietnam, but also have a positive effect on policymaking, benefiting all in the long run. People in Minnesota are waking up in shock over the widespread fires and looting in Minneapolis, a city previously best known for its beautiful lakes and parks and thriving collection of large corporations that have pledged to give 5% of their profits to charity. It's not exactly Baltimore, so the notion that rioters would try to burn the place down was alien to the state whose people are known for "Minnesota Nice." This morning, local television reporters can't conceal their dismay and shock at what is happening to their city: KSTP TV screen grab. It's a serious comedown, enough to shatter the smugness that characterized attitudes toward larger cities. There are no heroes in this story, only villains. Minnesota Nice is nowhere to be found. Start with the four now ex-cops, who participated in the brutal, slow killing of George Floyd as he begged for help. Derek Chauvin's knee crushed a handcuffed suspect's neck for several minutes while his three colleagues stood by and did nothing to stop him. The Minneapolis Police Department apparently maintained a culture that led three cops to tolerate a colleague in behaving this way. "Unprofessional" doesn't begin to adequately describe the failure to train and condition the behavior. This is not the first time the MPD has hired and trained a rogue who killed a civilian. Justine Damond, a white woman, was killed by a black Somali-origin cop three years ago in an incident that exposed a lack of adequate training and supervision for a policeman who was regarded as a showcase of integration of recent immigrants into the community. Notably, no riots or even mass protests resulted from that case of inter-racial police brutality. Twin Cities residents Scott Johnson and John Hinderaker of Powerline characteristically offer the most insightful commentary to be found this morning. Scott writes: Frey and the rest of the political crowd tried to get out in front of the crowd in Floyd's apparent murder. Frey called for Chauvin's charging and arrest now, before the completion of the pending investigations. Governor Walz, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, Attorney General Keith Ellison all spoke to Floyd's death at the daily press briefing yesterday. They could barely bring themselves to discourage rioting or violence. I will post the video in my daily coronavirus update. In his remarks Governor Walz paid tribute to Ellison's "civil rights work" decades ago. I'm not sure exactly what Walz was referring to, but Ellison made his name in Minneapolis as a racial hustler for the Nation of Islam. He led protests on behalf of the Vice Lords gangbangers on trial for the 1992 murder of Minneapolis police officer Jerry Haaf. Fast-talking Governor Walz, "light-skinned Native American" Flanagan, former Nation of Islam leader Ellison this is a parade of clowns and, in Ellison's case, a malefactor. They go this far: they urge protesters to use masks and employ social distancing. Will any of them call out the violence for what it is and do something about it? The scene is surreal. John adds an important perspective. All of the many villains above the street cops the people responsible for training, supervising, and governing the cop are leftists The City of Minneapolis has been governed exclusively by liberals for decades. The current mayor, Jacob Frey, who was quick to denounce his own police department, is a left-wing Democrat. The Minneapolis City Council consists of Democrats and Green Party members who think the Democrats are not radical enough. Under left-wing leadership, Minneapolis has been governed abysmally for a long time. Its police department is but one part of an incompetently governed city. The issue isn't actually one of race. The last Minneapolis Police Department killing that made international news was the shooting of Justine Damond (white) by Mohamed Noor (African-American) for no apparent reason. The MPD has long been troubled, and its current Chief is African-American. The issue isn't racism, it is incompetence. A rational person might ask: given that Minneapolis has been governed by liberal Democrats for decades, and is now a mess in a multitude of ways, including the fact that its police department has been involved in one fiasco after another, why don't we try something different? Why don't we go back to electing Republicans, as we did decades ago? When Republicans governed Minneapolis, it was generally regarded as a model cityprosperous, progressive and remarkably crime-free. Isn't it time to draw the curtain on decades of failed leadership, exemplified by underqualified leftists like the current Boy Mayor, Jacob Frey? Having grown up in Minneapolis but not having lived there for half a century, I can add a bit of historical perspective. Until Hubert Humphrey became its mayor in 1945, Minneapolis was a corrupt city, notable for its anti-Semitism. Humphrey, to his everlasting credit, launched a reform movement and reconfigured its politics. For a couple of decades thereafter, it supported a vigorous two-party system. But with the transformation of American politics that derived from the Vietnam War (which ultimately torpedoed Humphrey's bid for the presidency), Minneapolis drifted into one-party dominance and its inevitable corollary, corruption, and incompetence. Add in the poison of identity politics, and you get today's tragic situation. Practical exercises via video conference at Universite de Bordeaux during lockdown: students and teachers measure a pendulum together with their smartphones. Credit: Ulysse Delabre, Author provided When lockdown measures were announced in France and other countries, secondary-school teachers and university professors had to quickly make the transition from classroom teaching to remote education. As a result, practical work was often abandonedexperiments were no longer possible without a lab, test tubes, oscilloscopes and other equipment. To overcome this problem, some educators used digital simulations, while others analysed existing data. But people familiar with experimental science know that simulations and simple analysis do not replace the lab bench and real experiments. The role of science is to help us to understand everyday phenomena and "real" experiments are absolutely essential. As academics working in the field of physics, we have been reflecting about developing new forms of practical work that allows for greater student autonomy for several years now. At Universite de Bordeaux and Paris-Saclay, we asked our students to create their own experiment, and in some cases, to conduct them independently with smartphones or Arduino boards, an open-source solution for experiments with electronics. Lockdown was a great chance to test autonomous practical work, so we jumped on it immediately. During the two months of French lockdownit began on March 17 and ended May 11we adapted and continued to teach using experiments without compromising the quality of content. These "life-size" tests convinced us that it is possible to remotely conduct lessons with experiments for both secondary-school teachers and higher-education professors. We have even observed very positive aspects of this new approach. It changes the student's relationship with science and with their teachers. These new education techniques are fantastic opportunities, particularly given that social distancing is likely to persist over the coming year. They do, however, require preparation. The Smartphone Physics Challenge: How to measure the height of a building with a smartphone? Smartphone and salad spinner What is lab work without a lab and lab equipment? The priority tool is a smartphone with its many sensors. Apart from recording images or sounds, smartphones can measure acceleration, magnetic fields, rotation speeds, audio spectrum, and some models can even measure pressure or light intensity. Free applications such as Phyphox can be used to measure, analyse and transfer data in just a few seconds. All you need is a bit of imagination and you can start tinkering. Want to measure the period and damping of a pendulum? Hang your phone from a piece of string and measure its acceleration. Interested in centripetal acceleration? Place your smartphone in a salad spinner and start the accelerometer and gyroscope at the same time. The imagination of students and teachers is the only limit to these types of experiments, as demonstrated by "The smartphone physics challenge". The outcome was 61 ways to measure the height of a building! And these techniques are not restricted to physics. It is also possible to conduct simple and precise chemistry and biology experiments at home. For example, you can turn your smartphone into a microscope with a drop of water (and see cells as a result) or a spectrophotometer. Just 3 of the 61 ways to measure the height of a building with a smartphone. Physics Reimagined, Author provided Reinventing education We have also adapted our teaching methods. At Universite Paris-Saclay, we asked about 100 students to autonomously conduct the physics study of their choice. The subjects chosen varied tremendously, including the study of a vinegar rocket and the acoustic modes of musical instruments, the measurement of the earth's radius and the physics behind yanking a tablecloth from a table without disturbing cutlery placed on it. Students worked in pairs to attenuate the isolation resulting from lockdown. At Universite de Bordeaux, we have set up a site, Smartphonique, that proposes a range of experiments to students and teachers in different fields, including mechanics, acoustic, optics and fluid physics. In addition to protocols, conferences and videos, we organised a collective weekly video conference, "Experiments in Lockdown", during which students simultaneously experiment and share measurements recorded with their smartphone and the means at hand. Remote practical exercises are much more interesting Such new types of practical exercises are not just emergency solutions in a health crisis. They are interesting new educational techniques because they reinforce the relationship with experimentation and the subject. Teachers are no longer looking over students' shoulders to control each gesture. As a result, students are less afraid of making mistakes, particularly without expensive equipment that could be damaged (aside from the smartphone itself, of course). Results of surveys demonstrate that most students enjoy the freedom and autonomy. An example of practical exercises at home: measuring the sound frequency of a guitar depending on the length of a chord. Credit: Physics Reimagined, Author provided Another advantage: experiments are no longer isolated in a laboratory, which means that physics is no longer an abstract science practised only highly specialised equipment. On the contrary, it is part of everyday life and, as a result, becomes real. Educational qualities also change. Imagination, tinkering and creativity each have a role to play, and they are all features of real research practise. Some student profiles will flourish using this less academic approach. Finally, by communicating about remote experiments, students use original communication forms typical of participatory science. Working together on a digital platform is conducive to collaborative action. Prepare the 2020 academic year this summer Distancing measures at the beginning of the 2020 academic year are likely to change how teaching is organised around the world. Practical work could be one of the first victims Our message is simple: teaching with experiments at home could well be a practical alternativebut not just a second-rate one. It could be a unique opportunity to review the way we teach scientific disciplines by injecting creativity, freedom and fun. But we need to prepare for it. Fortunately, learning how is really simple and even fun. If you're interested, we have developed a number of tools to get you started that you will find on the Physics Reimagined website and Smartphonique.fr. Tempted? Get out your smartphone! This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Premier Li Keqiang waves to reporters before he takes questions at a news conference via video link in Beijing on May 28, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] Premier Li Keqiang met press at 4 pm Thursday after the closing of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress. The premier took questions from Chinese and foreign reporters via video link. Here are the highlights. - China's measures are designed to provide relief to enterprises and revitalize the market. - It's essential we keep China's economic development on a steady course. - China will take targeted measures instead of massive stimulus to boost economic growth. - It's impossible for China's economy to stay immune to COVID-19 due to ties to global economy. - China's experience over the past few months inspired forceful steps in government work report. Premier Li Keqiang takes questions from the press via online video at the Great Hall of the People as the third session of the 13th National People's Congress closes on May 28 in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua] - These unusual times require extraordinary measures, but excessive liquidity will muddy waters. - Our measures are designed to provide relief to enterprises and revitalize the market. - Money invested in the people will generate wealth. - China and many other countries believe it is important to find source of coronavirus. - Our policies have a focus on maintaining jobs and protecting lives. A news conference via online video is held after the closing of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing on May 28, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] Premier Li Keqiang takes questions from the press via online video at the Great Hall of the People as the third session of the 13th National People's Congress closes on May 28 in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua] - Government to continue supporting job creation in emerging sectors. - Graduates, rural workers and veterans among key targets of job creation. - Central government committed to "One Country, Two Systems". - China-US decoupling will not benefit anyone. - China-US interests intertwined relationship can be mutually beneficial. - China-US differences inevitable, wisdom needed to expand common ground. Premier Li Keqiang (center) takes questions from the press via online video at the Great Hall of the People as the third session of the 13th National People's Congress closes on May 28 in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua] - It is crucial to ensure survival of 120 million market entities in China. - China aims to have 20,000 new businesses a day this year. - China hopes RCEP trade deal will be signed this year. - China, Japan and South Korea working on free trade deal. - It is atop government priority to ensure livelihood of the most vulnerable. - China confident in ending extreme poverty this year as planned. - China expanding social insurance for the most needy. - Economic recovery and disease control go hand in hand, open trade essential. A court in Algeria on Wednesday rejected a bail plea by a prominent journalist detained since late March, a prisoner support group said. Khaled Drareni is the founder of the Casbah Tribune website and a correspondent for French-language channel TV5 Monde and press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF). He was arrested on March 7 while covering an anti-government protest and was accused of "inciting an unarmed gathering and damaging national integrity". He was later released then re-arrested. Prisoners' support group CNLD said Wednesday an Algiers court had "upheld the rejection of a request for the provisional release" of Drareni. Weekly anti-government protests known as "Hirak" rocked the North African country for over a year and only came to a halt due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Last month, authorities blocked three news websites that had covered the protests. Amnesty has called Drareni's prosecution "outrageous" and accused the government of "arbitrary prosecutions aimed at silencing... activists and journalists" linked to the Hirak protest movement. It said last month that authorities were endangering detainees' health "given the risks of a COVID-19 outbreak in prisons and places of detention". Algeria ranks 146 out of 180 countries on RSF's world press freedom index for 2020. Beijing lawmakers have drafted a law bill that would allow Chinese citizens to sue foreign states and countries in domestic courts in retaliation against the United States. The proposed legislation is thought to be a direct response to the lawsuits filed by US states that accused China of covering up the coronavirus crisis and causing 'enormous death' in America. The bill initiator, Ma Yide, said that the move 'will ensure Chinese citizens and companies' rights to 'sue the US over its blame game', reported Chinese state media. Ma also accused the US government of covering up the outbreak in America. Beijing lawmakers drafted a sovereign immunity bill that allows Chinese citizens to sue foreign states and countries as China strikes back against US lawsuits. Pictured, delegates gather at the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People today In April, the US state of Missouri and Mississippi drew worldwide attention with a lawsuit against China, claiming the country causing 'enormous death, suffering, and billions in economic losses' to America. The file picture taken on September 9, 2019 shows Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who filed the lawsuit against China's Communist Party China's Communist Party has faced an avalanche of legal claims as lawyers around the world attempted to sue the Chinese government over the handling of its COVID-19 outbreak. A medical worker is pictured gesturing as he prepares to take swab samples from a journalist before entering the closing ceremony of the National Peoples' Congress on May 28 Thirty-five Chinese lawmakers jointly signed for the proposal and passed it to the National People's Congress for review this week during China's annual parliamentary meetings, Chinese media report. It comes as the Communist Party has faced an avalanche of legal claims as lawyers around the world attempted to sue the Chinese government over the handling of its COVID-19 outbreak. In April, the US state of Missouri drew worldwide attention with a lawsuit against China, claiming the country causing 'enormous death, suffering, and billions in economic losses' to America. The legal class action was echoed by the state of Mississippi, which followed suit and announced its plans to sue the Chinese government a day later. But experts warned that America's efforts to hold China accountable for the pandemic was likely to be unsuccessful due to the sovereign immunity offered in the federal court. The legal doctrine gives foreign governments broad protection from being sued in US courts. The US state of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced the lawsuit in a tweet in April saying: 'The bottom line: they lied to the world & should be held accountable' Experts warned that America's efforts to hold China accountable for the pandemic was likely to be unsuccessful due to the sovereign immunity offered in the federal court. This picture taken on April 20 shows two medical workers are pictured transporting a patient in New York People wait in line as members of the US Army National Guard hand out food and other essentials for people in need at a food pantry in Brooklyn borough of New York City on May 13 China has also adopted a similar principle of absolute immunity of foreign state sovereignty and their property, Ma, a deputy to the National People's Congress, told the state-run tabloid Global Times. This means that Chinese citizens, companies or governments have no legal right to sue other countries in Chinese judiciary. But Beijing's proposed foreign states immunity law would now grant Chinese residents and firms the right to sue other countries in domestic courts, Global Times said. Ma told the news outlet that 'it is urgent for China to enact a state immunity law to counter US' abuse of litigation.' He added: 'Many believe that the US has hidden key information and failed to handle the epidemic properly, which led to the global health crisis. Why can't Chinese citizens and companies sue the US government?' It is understood that the proposal has been handed in for review by party officials. But it remains unclear when a result would be published. It is understood that the proposal has been handed in for review by party officials. But it remains unclear when a result would be published. Chinese delegates wearing face masks applaud at the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing on May 28 The new proposal put forward by officials means that Chinese citizens, companies or governments have no legal right to sue other countries in Chinese judiciary. A woman walks past a photograph of China's President Xi Jinping displayed outside a hospital in Wuhan The country where the coronavirus pandemic began has been flooded with lawsuits from foreign lawyers and countries, criticising its Communist leaders of negligence for allowing the outbreak to erupt. A woman is pictured receiving coronavirus testing in Wuhan on May 15 It comes as the country where the coronavirus pandemic began has been flooded with lawsuits from foreign lawyers and countries, criticising its Communist leaders of negligence for allowing the outbreak to erupt and then covering it up. Tensions between China and US have exacerbated in a war of words as two countries point fingers at each other for being responsible of the coronavirus pandemic. In March, American lawyers launched a landmark legal action involving thousands of claimants from 40 countries including Britain and the US - to sue China for trillions of dollars over the devastating crisis. The US legal claim was launched by Berman Law Group, a Miami-based firm that employs the brother of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as an adviser. On April 21, the state of Missouri filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government over the coronavirus crisis, claiming that China's officials are to blame for the devastating outbreak that's sweeping the globe. 'The Chinese government lied to the world about the danger and contagious nature of COVID-19, silenced whistle-blowers, and did little to stop the spread of the disease,' Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office said in a written statement. 'They must be held accountable for their actions.' Schimitt's remarks were echoed by Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who announced a day later that his state planned to sue the Chinese government. The killer bug has infected nearly 5.7million people around the globe and claimed at least 356,000 deaths. This picture shows people wearing face masks queue to receive medical attention, outside the emergency area at Alberto Sabogal Hospital in Lima, on May 27 On April 21, the state of Missouri filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government over the coronavirus crisis, claiming that China's officials are to blame for the devastating outbreak that's sweeping the globe. This picture taken on May 15 shows Russian medics treat a coronavirus patient at an intensive care unit of the Filatov City Clinical Hospital in Moscow World leaders including President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron have all expressed concerns over Beijing's transparency amid the outbreak. A woman and her infant wait to be tested at a site for mass testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus in Ruaraka, a densely populated suburb in Nairobi on May 28 A ski resort hotel in the Italian Alps also presented a subpoena to a local court in April, seeking compensation from China's health ministry for its loss of business. A group of Indian lawyers recently wrote to President Modi, urging its government to allow private citizens to seek compensation from China for the spread of the deadly virus. World leaders including President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne have all expressed concerns over Beijing's transparency amid the outbreak. The killer bug has infected nearly 5.7million people around the globe and claimed at least 356,000 deaths. The Nawanshahr deputy commissioner (DC) has marked an inquiry into a Ludhiana man allegedly selling his newborn son to a Nawanshahr couple. The inquiry was marked to the district child welfare officer after the couple appeared before the DC, as the boys mother has been seeking that the child be returned to her. The childs mother, a resident of Machhiwara Bet, had delivered the boy in January. She alleged that in February, her husband sold the newborn through a neighbour woman to the Nawanshahr couple that had no child after 14 years of marriage. Three months later, the woman approached the Macchiwara police in Ludhiana, demanding that her son be returned to her. She alleged that they had received Rs 20,000 for giving the couple her son, but her husband spent the money on drugs. The woman said she had talked to the couple over phone and requested them to return the newborn. But they were demanding Rs 50,000 in cash to do so. A former sarpanch of their village offered to pay the amount, but the couple had now stopped responding, she alleged. Inspector Sukhvir Singh, SHO, Machhiwara police station, said the woman had filed a complaint to get the custody of her son. They had summoned the family that had adopted her son, but they did not appear before them and instead approached the Nawanshahr DC. The SHO said they were investigating the cash transactions between the families. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON T he immensely popular Pokemon GO Fest will be taking place in a completely online format in July this year. Starting on July 25 to 26, the new format for Pokemon GO Fest 2020 will allow players worldwide to participate from wherever they are. Last year, it was a in-person gathering but due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, changing the format to an online event is in the interest of everyone's safety. This will also be the first time Pokemon GO Fest has been held virtually. In another first, all ticket holders will be able to attend both days of this two-day event. While the traditional gathering of Pokemon GO fans will surely be missed, there's plenty for people to do and get involved in. Not only are you in for an exciting weekend of bonuses, Pokemon encounters, and Special Research, there will also be exciting ways to connect with other players and experience other fun surprises throughout the entire summer. The news was announced by Niantic Labs on its official website, where it explained: "This year, were bringing you a totally reimagined Pokemon GO Fest experience. "Save the dates: on July 25 and 26, Pokemon GO Fest 2020 will take place as a global event in a virtual format". In 2019, multiple Pokemon GO Fests took place throughout the summer in Chicago, Dortmund, and Yokohama. In total, these events brought together over 600,000 players. A 25-year-old kindergarten teacher has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a three-year-old child stopped breathing in her class and later died. Sandra M., a teacher at a kindergarten in the western town of Viersen, was arrested on suspicion of murder on 19 May, two weeks after her three-year-old student stopped breathing and died. Lead investigator Guido Rosskamp told a press conference today that police had found 'to their horror' there had been similar incidents at three other kindergartens the suspect had been employed. Three-year-old Greta was admitted to hospital on 21 April with breathing difficulties, a day before Sandra M. had been due to leave her teaching role at the Steinkreis (stone circle) kindergarten. Pictured: The Steinkreis Kindergarten in the western German town of Viersen, where suspect Sandra M. was working when the three-year-old stopped breathing during naptime The 25-year-old was questioned by the police and told officers she first realised the child had stopped breathing during nap time. The Bild reported that the three-year-old showed signs of trauma on her body, and medical staff ordered a forensic report to find its origin. Asked about the suspect, her previous employers or colleagues have wondered 'why such a person who lacks empathy with children would want to take on such a job,' the police said. A first assault may have been committed in November 2017, when she was completing a one-year internship in Krefeld, against a three-year-old boy, said investigators. After informing her colleagues that the boy was unconscious, they rushed to find him with his eyes rolling back in his head. The boy was treated at hospital but became scared of returning to school, according to Suddeutsche Zeitung. His mother said the 'joy' only returned to her son when Sandra M. left the school. In that case and other incidents, the children were found unconscious, with first-aid workers reporting that their eyes were already rolled upwards, investigators said. At her debut position, a one-year internship in Krefeld, her colleagues didn't think she was suitable for the role, police said. 'She had no empathic relationship, no access to children,' Manfred Joch, head of the Viersen criminal police, said.` At a nursery in Tonisvorst a year later, a girl told her father that Sandra M. pressed very hard on her stomach. Police said that a two-year-old boy at one of the suspect's workplaces in Kempern had four incidents which followed the nature of Greta's death. He was also rushed to hospital for seizures and shortness of breath. Separately, criminal police had also had the suspect on their file as she had in May 2019 falsely accused a man of inflicting cuts on her face with a knife. A forensic specialist had found subsequently that the suspect was responsible for the injuries, leading the authorities to recommend psychiatric help for her. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, says the recently signed Presidential Executive Orders are aimed at complementing the existing legislations and ensure inter-agency coordination in the process of implementation. Umar Gwandu, Special Assistant to the Minister on Media and Public Relations, quoted the minister as saying this on Thursday in Abuja in a radio programme. Mr Malami said the Orders are to ensure constitutional compliance, enhancing operation, enforcement and application of legal provisions as well as providing necessary supervision required for enforcement. He pointed out that the Executive Orders are naturally intended to force constitutional compliance which in the case of Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria establishes the autonomy of the state legislatures and judiciary. The Executive Order is therefore a necessary tool for the purpose of bringing to effect such autonomy by way of assigning certain responsibilities, both institutional and otherwise necessary for the purpose of enforcing the autonomy. By way of example, therefore, if the Federal Government wants to withhold the resources of a State Government that refuses to comply with the constitutional provision relating to the autonomy of State Legislatures and Judiciary then the Federal Government may require the services of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation. Similarly, if the government wants the state legislature to be part of the process relating to appropriation, for example, agreement must be reached on the need for the state legislature to be alive to its responsibility. READ ALSO: He noted that for coordinated institutional support, necessary and desirable for bringing to effect the operation, enforcement and application of a constitutional provision, the Executive Order becomes necessary. The Executive Order No.10 is meant to bring about the constitutionality associated with the autonomy of the state legislature and judiciary. It also intends to achieve supervisory role by assigning responsibilities and ensuring proper supervision desired for the purpose of enforcement and application of autonomy constitutionally granted by the state legislature and judiciary by the Constitution. (NAN) The Punjab Police on Thursday busted a drug smuggling racket seizing 8 kg of heroin valued at Rs 40 crore from a wheat field in the border district of Tarn Taran and arrested a smuggler who had allegedly buried the narcotic. Tarn Taran Police said the seizure was made by its anti-narcotic cell. The drug was buried in the wheat field situated across the barbed wire fence and ahead of the zero line near Rattoke village of Bhikhiwind sub-division on the India-Pakistan border. Police also arrested one Gurlal Singh of Rattoke village, who had allegedly buried the heroin concealed in plastic bottles. Police suspect the drug was smuggled from across the border. According to police, Gurlal and his accomplices who are yet to be identified had been in contact with Pakistani smugglers. Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Tarn Taran, Dhruv Dahiya said besides heroin, they have also recovered 30 gm opium from the border. We were tipped off that Gurlal had buried a contraband of heroin in a wheat field near the barbed wire fence ahead of the zero line. Various teams under the supervision of deputy superintendent of police (DSP-Detective) Kawaljit Singh were formed. The teams with the help of the BSF personnel conducted search operations near the fence, and during this, five plastic bottles filled with heroin, that were buried in the wheat field, were recovered. The total contrabands weight is 8 kg and 30 gms, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Tarn Taran, Dhruv Dahiya said. He said Gurlal was arrested from the village. The contraband is worth Rs 40 crore in the international market, DSP Kawaljit Singh said. The SSP said preliminary investigation has revealed that Gural is a smuggler and had earlier been booked for attempted murder and also under the Arms Act in 2015 after he along with his accomplices allegedly attempted to cross the border and opened fire at the BSF to smuggle heroin from across the border. He was also booked in 2019 for allegedly attempting to break open an ATM machine with a gas cutter at Chabhal village. DSP Kawaljit Singh said Gurlals father Karnail Singh owns 10 acre agriculture land four across the barbed will fence till the zero line and six along the fence in Rattoke village. The SSP said they expect to make more seizures and arrests in the coming days. Teachers are worried about the learning gaps that students may have at the beginning of next school year, and they support non-traditional options to try to get students back on track, such as grouping students by competency level rather than age, or looping students to the next grade with the same teacher. Theyre also concerned about health and safety if buildings open up again in the falland they want districts to make a bigger push to get digital devices in the hands of every student if school buildings stay closed. Thats according to a new, nationally representative survey from Educators for Excellence, a group that advocates for teacher leadership. Six hundred public school teachers responded to questions about instruction during the school shutdowns, their perspective on distance learning, and their hopes for next year in a survey conducted from May 2 through May 8. The image of instruction during the shutdowns that emerges mirrors much of the Education Week Research Centers findings , in its periodic surveys of teachers and administrators throughout the pandemic. By this point, as reflected in both the E4E and the Education Week surveys, the vast majority of teachers are now conducting some sort of distance learning. Of the teachers who are delivering instruction, most are using digital tools. But though teachers are logging on for lessons, there are glaring and persistent inequities in students learning experiences during this time. About a third of the teachers in the E4E survey said that 50 percent or fewer of their students participated in lessons daily. (In the latest Education Week survey, teachers said that 23 percent of their students were essentially truantnot logging in or making contact.) Teachers who work with students from low-income families say that devices, internet access, and having a quiet place to work are bigger barriers for their students than teachers who work with students from high-income families. We knew this crisis was having a disparate impact on historically marginalized students, but educators experiences show that we will need to prioritize vulnerable students as we move forward, Sydney Morris, the co-founder and co-CEO of E4E, said in a statement. Instructional Gaps, Safety Are Major Concerns In late spring, though, there are still a lot of questions about what moving forward will look likeeven as states start to release guidance on reopening school buildings and planning for the next academic year. The E4E survey asked teachers what they wanted to see in districts plans. When it comes to instruction next year, teachers were most concerned about students academic gaps and social-emotional health. But they also worry that they will be held to unrealistic expectations about how quickly they can get students back on track45 percent said these expectations were their biggest concern about returning to the classroom, above prospective budget cuts or physical health issues. To address learning loss, most teachers60 percentwould prefer to include remediation within the regular school day. Fifty-six percent also supported tutoring and after school programs. Other options, like lengthening the school day or the school year, were less popular. See also: Most Teachers Dont Want to Extend the Next School Year, Survey Shows Teachers also supported some less traditional ideas to address learning gaps. Fifty-eight percent said they would be in favor of grouping students by competency, rather than age, and 54 percent said they supported loopingmoving students to the next grade level with the same teacher. Some school systems are already considering looping as an option for next year. D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee has suggested the strategy , as a way to minimize the academic and social-emotional effects of the shutdowns. Maryland state education department guidance for next academic year also showcases looping as an option. Since looping takes advantage of teachers familiarity with students, it may be even more beneficial in the current situation because no state, and likely no local assessment data will be available to teachers, the guidance reads. Outside of teaching and learning, one of the highest priorities for teachers is safety. When asked what were the most important steps for districts to take when school reopens, 52 percent of teachers said health and sanitation measures, while 51 percent said creating smaller class sizes with staggered schedules. About a quarter said that districts should allow teachers with underlying health conditions to continue distance learning until the chance of catching the virus is lower. The results reflect the concerns that some teachers at higher risk of complications from COVID-19 have already voiced about returning to school buildings . Another poll released this week , from USA Today and Ipsos, found that 18 percent of K-12 teachers surveyed said they would likely not return to school if buildings opened without social distancing guidelines. Teacher Layoffs? Even as school systems start planning to reopen buildings, state leaders have warned that rolling shutdowns are a real possibility next school year. If distance learning is going to continue in any form, teachers say, getting tech in students hands should be first priority. When asked what districts should focus on in preparing for future remote instruction, 52 percent of teachers said providing students with the necessary learning tools, including digital devices. Teachers rated this as most important, above getting access to high-quality online curriculum, or receiving clear guidance about their duties in an online environment. See also: Why Helping Families Access the Internet Is So Challenging They also want more direction in providing special education services. Sixty-five percent of teachers in the E4E survey said that the federal government should prioritize issuing guidelines for districts to develop temporary substitutes for the obligatory supports, even if they arent as effective (e.g., virtual sessions with therapists). Another likely outcome next year: budget cuts . What if districts start to consider teacher layoffs? Most teachers78 percentsaid that before turning to layoffs, districts should consider buyouts: offering older teachers financial incentives to retire early. And if layoffs do occur, 64 percent of teachers said they should be based on multiple factors, rather than just seniority or performance alone. Image: Getty Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. In addition to our traditional advice, every Thursday we feature an assortment of teachers from across the country answering your education questions. Have a question for our teachers? Email askateacher@slate.com or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group. My first grader is attending Google Meet lessons with her teacher and classmates every morning for 3060 minutes. Last Friday her teacher joined class from her car because she was driving with her family to another state to help her mom. Today I overheard class, which she joined from the home of a friend who also lives in the distant state. Our states stay-at-home orders are being stepped back, but its clear that social distancing remains the order of the day. I dont presume that I can police the conduct of my kids teachersbut isnt it reasonable to expect that during class my kids teachers will model appropriate social conduct in the moment in which we are living? I fully anticipate that at least part of next academic year will be conducted online, so Id really like to have a policy in place that teachers cannot do this. How should I proceed? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Please Stop Making This Harder on My Kid Dear Please Stop Making This Harder on My Kid, I think that throughout this pandemic we need to be cautious about making assumptions about other peoples lives and decisions. Its impossible to fully understand anyones situation at the moment. I spend time every week with my 20 students and their families, and I can assure you that each familys situation is unique. I have students living in other states with grandparents while their parents treat COVID patients. I have students going to work with their parents because of the lack of child care. I know parents who are quarantined in the basement while the children do their best to take care of themselves on the first floor. You cant begin to imagine the diversity of each familys experience right now. Advertisement Advertisement We need to be gentle with one another right now, and assume the best. Matthew Dicks There is no way of knowing what your childs teachers life is like right now and what information she may be keeping private. I have friends who have been hospitalized for weeks with COVID-19 who have preferred to keep their hospitalization and diagnosis to themselves and a select few friends. I have colleagues sheltering in place all over the country, teaching their students from thousands of miles away because of unimaginable hardships. I know colleagues who have lost parents and grandparents to this disease but continue to teach, not saying a word to their students. Advertisement Help her mom might mean that her mother is dying. It could mean that her mother was battling cancer when the pandemic hit, and she is now unable to enter the hospital for treatment and requires round-the-clock care in the home. Help her mom might mean that your daughters teacher is making funeral arrangements for her dead father. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need to be gentle with one another right now, and assume the best. This is the message I would offer to your daughter. With so much illness, death, and financial hardship in our country right now, let us be kind to one another, and assume that your daughters teacher is trying to be the best teacher, daughter, and citizen she can be. Mr. Dicks (fifth grade teacher, Connecticut) Help! How can I support Slate so I can keep reading all the advice from Dear Prudence, Care and Feeding, Ask a Teacher, and How to Do It? Answer: Join Slate Plus. We have a kindergartener and a first grader working from home now. The K teacher has made a real effort to connect with us: a couple of Zoom meetings each week, including one with just our son and the teacher; video comments on the assignments he turns in; invitations to connect as pen pals via snail mail; a personal email to us explaining his progress and suggestions for what to work on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our experience with the first grade teacher is very different. Each week she sends out the weekly lesson plan, holds one 30-minute Zoom call, and adds a few tasks to the school apps, and thats basically it. Not a single comment on any assignments, even the ones that clearly involved a great effort; no response to the personal letter our daughter wrote to tell her how much she missed her teacher; and a one-sentence form email the first week asking if we had any questions. Im really disappointed in the lack of connection (though Im trying to hide it from Kid No. 1) but not sure what, if anything, to do about it. Its reasonable to at least expect comments on assignments, right? I dont think the explanation is an excessive workload as the teachers in our district are, if anything, being discouraged from creating significant online programs. She doesnt have children at home. Maybe shes really depressed and having trouble getting through the days? How should I handle this? Advertisement Advertisement Looking for a Little Less Isolation Dear Looking, Almost everything about school and education has been turned on its head in the last two months. But in your case, Im pleased to give you the exact same advice that I would have before this all started: You should initiate communication with your first graders teacher. We could speculate all day about why her efforts seem more perfunctory than the very high bar set by the kindergarten teacher, but reaching out to her is going to answer your questions much more clearly and directly than wondering on your own. Advertisement Before you get in touch, though, Id reflect a bit on what you really want out of the conversation. You didnt mention any concern about your daughters academic skills, and if your daughter is disappointed by the lack of response to the assignments shes submitting, you didnt mention that either. To me, it sounds like youre craving acknowledgment and connection on your daughters behalfand thats OK! Parents are shouldering an enormous emotional and logistical burden right now, so its understandable if your underlying desire is recognition of your familys efforts to stay engaged and participatory, and an indication that the teacher is still invested in your daughter. If it is your daughter whos missing the personal connection with her teacher, thats completely natural too. But it sounds like you should clear it up for yourself, because it will help you frame your communication. Advertisement When you do reach out, after pleasantries and well-wishes, I would try to articulate the need youre feeling and ask if she has suggestions rather than making them. So: Im feeling a bit lost and adrift on how this is all going. Is there a way we could connect and get some feedback about her progress? Or: Daughter is having a hard time with the abrupt loss of her school community, and I think shed like to connect with you personally because she misses you. How could we do that? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From there, hopefully, shell be able to come up with solutions that will work for both of you to create a stronger sense of connection. If not, I think youll need to let it go. To be honest, what shes currently offering sounds adequate to menot amazing, but not less than what your district has askedand aligned with what many parents have expressed they can handle right now. (I think one of the toughest parts for many teachers has been navigating the way individual families needs and preferences directly contradict one another. While youve found your kindergarteners experience ideal, for example, I can imagine that many parents would perceive it as overwhelming and unnecessaryand it sounds like a tremendous amount of work for the teacher.) Plus, the end of the school year is so close anyway. I dont think pushing any harder is necessary or going to help much, so Id chalk it up to one of the many small sadnesses this pandemic has foisted upon us. Advertisement Ms. Bauer (middle and high school teacher, New York) My daughter is at her wits end with my 14-year-old grandson. This kid is the sweetest kid you could ever meet, still a hugger at his age. If you want to talk about anything he is interested inaviation, black holes, high-powered carshe will talk your ear off, and he really knows what he is talking about! But as he is finishing up eighth grade, going to high school in the fall, he is failing every class but one. When it comes to school, he just does not care. Advertisement This is not just a COVID-19 thing. He was diagnosed with some reading issues and ADHD at 10. His parents got right on it, getting him medication, therapy, and tutors. He has a good social life, and he participates on his schools cross-country team and ski racing team. I even signed him up for cotillion last spring, and he did great! His dad is a pediatric anesthesiologist, and his mother is an EMT/firefighter, so there is some pressure to succeed, but they are not jerks about it. Any ideas on how to deal with this? Could it be depression or something else? This is the last kid in the world I would have thought to have such disregard for his education. Any advice is appreciated. Advertisement Advertisement School Is Not His Thing Dear SINHT, It sounds like your daughter has tried every appropriate intervention. One thing thats not clear to me is what your grandson says about it. He just does not careis that what he says? Or does he have some other explanation for his performance? Its worth considering that its depression. Id consult with a mental health professional about it. But if its not, maybe your daughter can just stop fighting. I teach eighth grade English (probably your grandsons grade level), and let me offer you the perspective of the mother of one of my students who was in the same situation as your daughter. I reached out during third quarter to say that, while her twin boys both had Bs at the beginning of the year, their effort had steadily declined to the point that they were barely passing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She wrote me a very thoughtful email explaining that her three older children (all boys) had struggled when they were in eighth grade as well. The issues were various, but they all had a hard year. And then they all did well in high school. She said that while she tried to make sure the twins read and encouraged them to get their work done, she wasnt going to be hard on them about schoolwork. The way she saw it, she was hard on the older three, and it didnt help at all and only made them all miserable. She told me her fight was gone, and I absolutely understood. She asked that I be patient and speak to them individually to let them know I thought they could do better. Advertisement So I did. It helped some before distance learning started, and then they both lost momentum. And thats OK. Maybe theyll be like their brothers and perform well in high school. Maybe itll take until college before they get their acts together. Maybe they wont go to college; theyll just pursue a field theyre interested in. Say black holes, aviation, or high-powered cars. Advertisement If your grandson has intellectual interest in certain areas and finds ways to learn about them, maybe thats his game. Im not saying the stuff he learns in school is useless; Im just saying hell probably pick and choose the skills that will help him pursue his passions. Would that we all did that. Advertisement Ms. Scott (eighth grade teacher, North Carolina) We have a sensitive, spirited 4-year-old daughter who has been in the same in-home day care since she was 3 months old. She loves the owner and her family and is close with two of the kids near her age (six total). Shes gotten great care, knows all her letters and numbers, is well adjusted socially, etc. We wanted her to get in at least a year of pre-K before kindergarten. She got a spot in a nice preschool near our house, starting in July. Then COVID-19 happened. Her day care is now open, but well keep her home until at least early June, and shes supposed to start at this school in July. My wife wants to put her back in the day care she knows and maybe move her to the preschool later, like August or the fall, or just wait until kindergarten. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have some reasons for wanting her in a pre-K: getting her ready for a classroom, spotting any potential learning issues before kindergarten (she avoids writing, and her fine motor skills are behind those of her day care peers), being around a larger group of kids (shes the dramatic center of attention now). The other day care families are friends with each other, and were the only outliers who dont hang out with them, which has caused some issues in the past (we never got invited to play dates; they plan theme days and dont tell us), which makes me wish for a bigger, or at least different, circle of kids and parents. Advertisement But my wife has a point, and life is different than it was before COVID. Our daughter is doing well at home, but shes bored and lonely and misses her friends. Times are weird, and comfort is important. Will it be damaging to keep her in a day care until kindergarten? Will it be a big issue if she starts later than the start date of her pre-K? Am I neglecting to teach her about resilience and some stuff? Advertisement How Important Is Preschool, Exactly? Advertisement Dear HIIPE, Since Im a preschool teacher, I am obviously biased, but I think you have some valid reasons to want to send your kid to preschool. A preschool is a more structured environment than a day care. Providers at a preschool must at least pass a certification in early childhood education, whereas day care providers are only required to pass background checks. At least in New York, where I work, preschools are required to have a curriculum and work toward state standards of education for children, which is meant to better prepare them for kindergarten. This isnt to say that day care providers arent also amazing educators, or that all preschool teachers are betterjust an observation about qualifications and expectations. Advertisement However, I dont think that the issue here is whether preschool is better or worth more than day care. It sounds instead like you and your wife have different opinions about what you want out of your child care. Youre concerned about the social group of the adults at the school and about your daughters fine motor development and social skills. Your wife either doesnt share these concerns or doesnt prioritize them the same way you do. To me, thats the crux of the decisionnot necessarily whether preschool is important or whether day care is better, but what you and your wife prioritize in terms of your daughters next year of life before kindergarten. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Again, as a biased third party, I do think that if youre concerned about her fine motor development, and her day care program doesnt have a process for occupational therapy referrals, a preschool program might help you there. I wouldnt keep a kid at a school with a group of parents that was cliquey, but that has to do with my personal priorities. So the answer to your question is not so much that preschool is or isnt important. Its what you and your wife think is important for your child. And that, unfortunately, is something only the two of you can decide. Ms. Sarnell (preschool special education, New York) More Advice From Slate It was recently homecoming week at my daughters high school, and each day had a theme for students who chose to dress accordingly. Tuesday was -er dayas in painter, teacher, lawyer, doctor and a male student chose to come dressed as a transgender female. This was not his way of coming out; it was specifically done for laughs, which greatly upset me. Should I address it, and if so, how? Table two would like a sparkling-clean washroom with a side of hand sanitizer. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/5/2020 (603 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Table two would like a sparkling-clean washroom with a side of hand sanitizer. In addition to food and drink offerings, restaurant owners are coming up with their own cleaning protocols to ensure customers willing to venture out during the pandemic are safe and comfortable. Chris Graves opened the patio at the King's Head Pub on May 4, the first day the province allowed the economy to begin coming back to life. While public health officials issued rules for capacity and table spacing, there was nothing specific about sanitizing washrooms. "There was never really a stipulation on how often we were supposed to clean the bathrooms," Graves said Wednesday. "We took it upon ourselves that we did a minimum of every 30 minutes, we were cleaning the bathrooms." Manitoba Health officials Graves contacted suggested washrooms be cleaned every 45 minutes, but it was a recommendation and nothing was codified, he said. The lack of direction has led the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association to compile a checklist to help more restaurants reopen with proper protocols in place when Phase 2 begins Monday. "If we think a restaurant is going to pay a person to stand there to monitor the amount of people going into a washroom, I don't think that's feasible or can be expected," executive director Shaun Jeffrey said Wednesday. TRIBUNE MEDIA TNS The Manitoba Tourism Education Council has launched a cleaning-standards program to teach advanced cleaning skills to people working at hotels, restaurants and retail businesses. (Dreamstime / TNS files) "For the most part its going to stay in line with increased sanitization and education." Jeffrey said he's visited some restaurant patios that have opened since May 4 and checked out the washrooms. He has seen signage outlining social-distance and capacity rules, contactless soap and paper-towel dispensers, hand-sanitizer dispensers and increased-frequency cleaning schedules. "The key message here is in education: making sure that contactless stuff, as much as possible, is available, increased (sanitizing) protocol that's documented, plus an ability to monitor the way you get to the washroom in a socially distanced manner," he said. On Tuesday, the Manitoba Tourism Education Council launched a cleaning-standards program to teach advanced cleaning skills to people working at hotels, restaurants and retail businesses. The program offers a list of areas to clean and disinfect in public washrooms, including sinks, countertops, toilet-flush handles and door handles, as well as tips for avoiding cross-contamination. Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "It can make the difference of the success of your business today," said CEO Shannon Fontaine. "People are going to be more critical of (cleanliness) and theyre going to have the expectation that theyre safe." At the King's Head, a buzzer goes off in a staff member's pocket every 30 minutes, prompting someone to disinfect frequently touched washroom surfaces. The middle urinal of three in the men's room has been blocked off only two patrons are allowed inside at a time. Staff are given gloves and aprons while going about their cleaning. And there's trust that patrons will follow the rules. "People are fine, theyre pretty respectful of the new protocols and procedures... but we also have a pretty quick trigger finger, where the fact is if anybody isn't adhering to the policies or procedures, they're asked to leave," Graves said. julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @jsrutgers Top stroke experts have issued new guidance to ensure stroke patients receive safe, timely care while preventing the transmission of COVID-19. The guidelines urge the use of telemedicine to speed treatment and advise EMS crews how to determine the best facility to treat the patient's needs. The recommendations, from the American Heart Association's Stroke Council, come amid increasing concerns that stroke patients are delaying seeking care because of fear of COVID-19. Such delays can have catastrophic consequences, including death. "Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients should continue to seek immediate care for life-threatening and emergency conditions, and call 911 for any new signs or symptoms of stroke," said UVA Health stroke expert Andrew Southerland, MD, one of the guidelines' authors. "As the only certified Comprehensive Stroke Center in Charlottesville and Central Virginia, UVA has the necessary resources to ensure both patient safety and provide the highest level of care for stroke patients. Seeking emergency care for a stroke can help save lives and reduce the risk of long-term neurologic injury and resulting disability." The Importance of Speedy Stroke Care With stroke, every minute counts, and speedy care can be the difference in life and death. It can also prevent lifelong disability. For that reason, Southerland and other telemedicine experts at UVA have worked with local EMS personnel to pioneer the use of the technology for pre-hospital care. They've placed tablets inside ambulances to connect first responders with UVA stroke experts, allowing stroke care to begin even before the patient arrives at the hospital. The new guidelines suggest this approach should be used widely. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, adds an extra layer of complexity for first responders. In addition to the need for appropriate personal protective equipment, EMS crews must assess whether each patient has the coronavirus, the new guidelines note. When possible, EMS workers should screen patients using free tools available online, the guidelines recommend. Responders should have a protocol in place in case the screening is positive or if the patient is incapacitated and can't be screened. The receiving hospital should be notified as well. Stroke patients with COVID-19 are more likely to require a ventilator and intensive care, so emergency crews should consider taking patients to a hospital with the capacity to provide that level of care, the guidelines note. Emergency crews also may need to consider hospital capacity based on the number of cases in their region. And they may want to bypass emergency rooms to lessen exposure risk. "During the COVID-19 pandemic," the guidelines state, "it is more important than ever to ensure that the patient is transferred to the right hospital the first time around." In all of this, communication between emergency crews and the receiving hospitals is key, the guide's authors say. "Now more than ever, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to work collaboratively and support our emergency medical services providers working day and night on the front lines for our community," Southerland said. "To achieve this, we must optimize communication and prehospital care for patients. Nowhere is this more important than in rural networks like surrounding areas in Central Virginia." ### Guidelines Published The guidelines have been published in Stroke, a scientific journal published by the American Stroke Association. The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association. The article was written by Mayank Goyal, Johanna M. Ospel, Southerland, Charles Wira, Sepideh Amin-Hanjani, Justin F. Fraser and Peter Panagos on behalf of the Stroke Council's Emergency Neurovascular Care, Telestroke and Neurovascular Intervention Committees. Southerland disclosed that he has patents pending related to telemedicine, has received related grants and has done consulting work in legal cases related to stroke and cerebrovascular disease. A full list of disclosures is included in the paper. To keep up with the latest medical research news from UVA, subscribe to the Making of Medicine blog at http://makingofmedicine.virginia.edu. She was recently quarantining with her siblings and famous parents Bruce Willis and Demi Moore in Idaho. Scout Willis seemed happy to be back home in Los Angeles as she stepped out on Thursday for some coffee. The 28-year-old looked stylish in a crisp, white button-up mini dress and a pair of brown loafers. But first coffee: Scout Willis seemed happy to be back home in Los Angeles as she stepped out on Thursday for some coffee, with her dog Grandma in tow The dress featured a full collar, puffed long sleeves and a half button-up design. With her Chihuahua and Dachshund mix dog, Grandma, in her arms she had her hands full with a large coffee in the other. Scout seemed to keep her accessories to a minimum, carrying a small black handbag on her arm and tiny silver teardrop earrings in. Following local guidelines to wear a face mask when in public for protection from the novel coronavirus, she Scout opted for a red floral reusable mask covering most of her face. Chic: The 28-year-old looked stylish in a white button-up mini dress in a shirt style and a pair of brown loafers The young actress still looked glamorous with her raven locks down in a sleek middle-part style and as her blue eyes peered over her mask. Scout seems to have returned to Los Angeles recently after having a mixed family quarantine in Idaho at her moms estate. Along with her famous parents and siblings Tallulah, 26, and Rumer, 31, her father's second wife Emma Heming also joined the family. Happy Mother's Day! Demi shared a snap from the holiday, as she shared it with her three daughters, ex Bruce Willis, his wife Emma Heming and their two daughters, to Instagram, at the time she wrote 'Thankful to be with family today (and every day): @brianbowensmith #bbsdrivebys.' [sic] Bruce reportedly was visiting his adult children in the Gem state when the pandemic forced travel restrictions. Emma was in Los Angeles with their daughters Mabel, eight, and Evelyn, six, and opted to stay a bit longer before joining the family in Idaho. Bruce spent Mother's Day with Emma, his ex-wife Demi, who he was married to from 1987 until 2000, and his five daughters. Demi shared a snap from the holiday with the whole gang to Instagram, at the time she wrote 'Thankful to be with family today (and every day): @brianbowensmith #bbsdrivebys.' [sic] YEREVAN, MAY 28, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Germany to Armenia Michael Banzhaf congratulated on the occasion of the 102nd anniversary of the establishment of First Republic of Armenia., ARMENPRESS was informed from the Embassy of Germany in Armenia. We heartily congratulate on Republic Day. Ambassador Banzhaf and the Embassy of Germany heartily congratulate the Armenian people on this holiday, which is exceptional in the history of Armenia, the Embassy said. On May 28 Armenians worldwide celebrate the 102th anniversary of establishment of the First Republic of Armenia and the historical victory in the battle of Sardarapat. On May 28, 1918, with the victory in the battles of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan and Gharakilisa, the Armenian peoples independence was restored which was lost over 9 centuries ago. 102 years ago, this day, the Armenian people, who survived the Genocide, entered into fight with the enemy not far from Yerevan for the sake of protecting the last inch of land of the Fatherland. The battle of Sardarapat was decisive for the Armenian people. The entire people stood up for the defense of the Fatherland. Together with soldiers, families, elderly people, children, women were in the battlefield. Defeating the Turkish army in Sardarapat the Armenian forces managed to prevent the Turkish invasion in South Caucasus and save Armenia from total elimination. On May 28, 1918, the Armenian National Council declared in Tbilisi the First Republic of Armenia. Hovhannes Kajaznuni was the first Prime Minister of Independent Armenia. Editing and Translating by Tigran Sirekanyan The COVID-19 pandemic makes clear that policy without data is a disaster or, at best, a recipe for the occasionally effective. One-size-fits-all policies satisfy few, rob us of the ability to tailor support by subgroups of people and bring a host of unintended consequences. People across the political spectrum agree that we need robust access to high quality testing for both the active virus and the antibodies so that we can determine and prioritize the right interventions and guidelines. The very same logic applies to testing students to measure academic progress as we move through and beyond the pandemic. Testing kids schooling at home as well as when they return to school buildings is needed while we navigate this disruption. Kids simply cant afford to lose learning because school is delivered differently. Experts agree that the academic slide due to COVID-19 is real and significant. Parents agree that the abrupt shift to virtual learning was clunky and uneven. Teachers know that it was challenging to engage all kids meaningfully and consistently. It is also very difficult to know exactly what kids learned over the final two months of this school year and what they will retain as we head into the next one. Our nations most vulnerable kids children of color and children living in poverty are likely to be the farthest behind given the reports of sporadic access to three critical elements: high-quality instruction, an adult at home to help students navigate distance learning and wireless internet and devices. Students need our best thinking on how to catch them up and keep them on track as we move through an unpredictable school year. What is a key part of the solution? Test kids to figure out where they are academically as they reenter school. Use that data to figure out what they need to get on track and act accordingly. It was right for states to suspend spring annual assessments and accountability ratings given the massive and holistic disruption of public education. But state annual exams provide a key tool to support recovery of learning that should not be ignored. Testing is an instrumental part of state education accountability policy, but that is not its only purpose. Testing is a critical element of teaching and learning, an inconvenient truth for those seeking to abandon the notion all together. When the 2020 to 2021 school year begins, parents, districts and policymakers need diagnostic data to build the right interventions. Then, later in the year, interim and summative assessments will be needed to understand what is working. Texas is one such state demonstrating what is possible. In late April, the Texas Education Association (TEA) released an optional end-of-year version of the states annual assessment, the STAAR, which is aligned to the state standards. It is available to districts and, importantly, directly to parents, through early June for students to take online or on paper. Another version will be available at the beginning of the school year to measure what students have learned and retained since they left school buildings in mid-March. The tests are voluntary, and the results do not count against schools or districts. Their purpose is twofold: first, the scores will help inform parents and districts about their students academic progress during the 2019 to 2020 school year and serve as a diagnostic to understand where students are when they begin the coming school year in August. That information will help both parents and educators make decisions about the right student supports. Second, TEA will use the full scope of test results to help understand the statewide impact of the COVID-19 shutdown on student learning, important data that will help inform future allocations of public funding. While some schools are acting nimbly and adapting to serve their students, there is no quick one-size-fits-all fix. But a learning recovery plan without student academic progress as the centerpiece is just nice sounding education-jargon noise. And it is a disservice to our children. Knowledge is power. That is true for the kids growing up in these unprecedented times and for their uncertain futures. That is true for districts and state agencies determining how to invest their resources of public money, time, and people to best serve students. And it is true for parents who want their children to be prepared for prosperous, self-determined lives. State accountability will likely change in reaction to the pandemic, but it wont go away, nor should it. States should use the high-quality comparable annual assessments they have in hand, right now, to support educators, parents, and their students as the Nation recovers and the next school year approaches. Wicks is director of education reform at the George W. Bush Institute. From today (Thursday 28 May), passengers arriving to Ireland from overseas will be required to complete a Covid-19 Passenger Locator Form. Under new regulations, passengers arriving from overseas must complete the form. Failure to do so will be an offence. Passengers will be required to provide an address for where they will be staying in Ireland as well as personal contact details. The forms may be used to conduct follow-up checks to make sure people who travel to Ireland are staying where they said they would. They can also be used by contact tracing teams to contact passengers should there be a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 of a flight or ferry coming to Ireland. People arriving from Northern Ireland, working in defined essential supply chain roles, foreign diplomats and passengers who are transiting through the State without leaving the port or airport will not be required to complete the form. Passengers who are travelling immediately onwards to Northern Ireland will have to fill out a portion of the form. Government guidelines asking those who arrive in Ireland to self-isolate for a period of 14 days remain in place. Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD said: This is a temporary measure that is being introduced in a time of a public health crisis. The people of Ireland have managed to suppress COVID-19 in our communities, and through their actions are enabling the resumption of social and economic life. The Government is concerned that as we move towards the easing of measures, the risk of importing new cases through non-essential travel increases. The introduction of these rules is aimed to limit this risk. We continue to advise Irish citizens and residents against all non-essential international travel, and passengers arriving into Ireland from overseas are asked to self-isolate for 14 days. Like all other measures weve introduced during this public health crisis, the purpose of these regulations to stop the spread of Covid-19 and to protect people from this virus. The Regulations introduce new offences punishable by a fine not exceeding 2,500 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or both, for the following: failure to complete and give the form to a relevant person providing information that to the persons knowledge is false or misleading (whether on the form, when presenting the form, or in subsequent follow-up checks) failure to provide further information to a relevant person upon request (who suspects that the form has not been completed properly) failure to update residence or contact details if they change within 14 days of arrival into the State. A 22-year-old jail guard who reported for duty at the Thane Central Prison on May 22, but did not enter the prison premises, has tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday. The guard was asymptomatic and has been shifted to a quarantine centre, said Inspector General of Prisons, Deepak Pandey. According to jail authorities, prison guards have been working in a shift of 21 days, and in accordance to the schedule, the 22-year-old guard had reported for duty. As per protocol, he was not allowed inside the prison premises and was questioned about his health and other details. The guard reported that he was healthy, but told us that two people from his building at Lower Parel in Mumbai had reported positive for Covid-19. We then asked him to get himself tested. On May 24, the test results showed that he was positive, a jail official said. At Arthur Road Prison in Mumbai, 120 inmates of the 158 who had earlier tested positive for Covid-19, tested negative for the virus. Also, all the 26 jail officials, who were earlier infected with coronavirus, have tested negative, Pandey said. We too are concerned about the health of everyone who is inside the prisons including the inmates and the staff. We have already submitted documents of 1100 inmates to the courts for them to be released on bail, the IG Prisons said. A horrified mother has spoken about her eight-year-old daughter having her skull impaled with a stick in a shocking accident. Addie Neilen was playing outside her Sunshine Coast home, in Queensland, on May 15 when she ran in front of her brother Levi as he was throwing a stick. Her mother, Lauren Neilen, said she heard her daughter's piercing screams and ran outside to find Addie with the 10cm chunk of wood in the side of her skull and blood streaming down her face. Addie Neilen, eight, (pictured) was playing in the backyard with her brother when he threw a stick into her skull After realising how potentially deadly the injury was Mrs Neilen told Today she feared the worst but knew she had to remain calm for her daughter. 'I played it down a little bit. I said to her that there was something stuck in her hair and we needed to get an ambulance,' she said. Addie was rushed to Sunshine Coast University Hospital where doctors found the stick had gone so far into her head that it had pierced into the meninges, a series of protective layers over the brain. Her mother, Lauren Neilen, (pictured) said she was horrified when she saw the stick impaled in her daughter's head. Pictured left is Addie's brother Levi Scans found the 10cm chunk of wood had gone so far into her head that it had pierced into the meninges, a series of protective layers over the brain Neurosurgeons at Queensland Children's Hospital were finally able to remove the stick at 2am on Saturday Doctors decided to send Addie to Queensland Children's Hospital where the family endured a seven-hour wait before neurosurgeons were finally able to remove the stick at 2am on Saturday. Despite the horrific injury, Addie recovered quickly and was full of energy just hours after the operation, leaving her doctors speechless. 'By seven o clock that night I had to tell her to stop jumping and sit down on the bed,' Mrs Neilen said. 'She ran out the hospital as if nothing happened'. Despite the horrific injury, Addie recovered quickly and was full of energy just hours after the operation, leaving her doctors speechless. Pictured left is the stick Her brother Levi said he felt 'ten out of ten guilty' for hurting his sister and initially did not know how to process the freak accident. 'Dad came up the stairs, told me to lay down because I was as white as a ghost,' he said. 'It is not every day you see a tree in someone's head.' WASHINGTON (AP) Sales of previously occupied homes fell in December for the first time in four months as many would-be buyers were frustrated by a lack of available houses, which fell to the lowest level in more than two... New Delhi, May 29 : The appointment of special public prosecutors in cases related to the riots in northeast Delhi earlier this year may lead to a fresh set of confrontation between the Delhi government and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, with the latter considering public prosecutors suggested by the Delhi Police. According to official sources, while the Delhi Cabinet has agreed on a list of public prosecutors, the LG is likely to approve the appointments of the special public prosecutors suggested by the Delhi Police. "No official announcement has been made by the LG till now. However, Delhi Police have sent a list of special public prosecutors to appear for the cases related to the riots," an official told IANS. The conflict between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the LG's office has been in the public domain ever since Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his cabinet colleagues staged a 'dharna' inside the Raj Niwas for about 10 days in June 2018. The conflict was resolved after the Supreme Court on July 4, 2018 ruled that the LG was bound by the "aid and advice" of the Delhi government, giving powers back to the city government, lack of which had created administrative issues between the two. According to official sources, the selection of special public prosecutors may start a fresh confrontation between the two. "Last month, Delhi Police had sent a list of special public prosecutors to represent them in the riots-related cases to the AAP government. However, it did not agree with the names and created a list of its own," the official said. According to the law, while the Delhi government has the power to appoint special public prosecutors as per the SC order, the LG can invoke Article 239A of the Indian Constitution. Also, in case of difference of opinion between the two sides, the matter can be referred to the President of India. "This is not the first time such a conflict has emerged between the government and the LG's office. The final decision will be taken in the next Cabinet meeting," a government official told IANS. Communal riots broke in the national capital in the last week of February, killing over 50 people and injuring hundreds. Azerbaijan is celebrating the 102nd anniversary of the establishment of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The 20th century became known in history not only as the age of science and technology, but also as the age of liberation from colonization and establishment of national states. The 1917 Russian Revolution put an end to the rule of the Romanovs and saw the collapse of the Russian Empire. Shortly thereafter, on May 28, 1918, patriotic leaders in Azerbaijan founded the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan. The Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan was the first democratic republic in the East. It was a parliamentary state, had a flag, an anthem and an army. The government was formed on the basis of accountability and separation of powers and the Azerbaijani parliament was a democratically elected, multi-party, and truly representative legislative body, the first of its kind in the entire Muslim East. In its two-year tenure, the Republic was governed by five executive cabinets and the Parliament held 155 meetings and discussed more than 240 draft laws. Another vital pillar of the state-building process came with the establishment of the Chamber of Appeals, creating in effect a modern judicial system that would check the powers of Parliament and Cabinet of Ministers. The newly formed Republic made education a primary concern and on its end, the Baku State University was founded. Despite the economic and political difficulties that the Republic was facing, it aspired for long-term human capital investment by providing scholarships for hundreds of young students to study in leading European universities. Azerbaijani was declared the official language, the national tricolor flag and anthem were adopted, a modern theater and opera were established, Azerbaijani postage stamps were printed and a national Azerbaijani currency Manat was issued. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, the establishment of friendly relations with all nations, especially neighboring nations and states, was determined as one of the foreign policy priorities of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic existed only 23 months until April 28, 1920, but it reached great achievements in the short period of its history. It was the first republic given voting right to the women and securing the equality between men and women. A great work has been done in the spheres of national army building, issuing national currency, establishing national bank, democratization, free elections, international relations and recognition of the independence of Azerbaijan by the international community, securing the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, conducting economic reforms and other fields. On April 28, 1920 the Bolshevik 11th Red Army occupied Azerbaijan and the republic collapsed. The founding day of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic is celebrated as the national holiday of Azerbaijan since 1990. [May 28, 2020] Community Banks Manage PPP Loan Forgiveness with Teslar Software Teslar Software, a provider of automated workflow and portfolio management tools designed to help community financial institutions thrive, announced today that it is helping bankers manage Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness for small businesses. Teslar PPP Forgiveness provides an automated workflow to efficiently collect and manage the documents required to work towards forgiveness of PPP loans. It automates data entry wherever possible, and can enable electronic signatures and assist in the submission of data to the Small Business Administration (SBA). The National Federation of Independent Business reports that more than half of business owners expect all expenses to be forgiven from their PPP loans, and 27% say they expect three-quarters of the loan to be forgiven under current guidelines. Small businesses can use the Teslar PPP Forgiveness application today to calculate various forgiveness scenarios on their bank's website and determine the best decisions for their business. Teslar has supported community banks throughout the entire PPP process thus far, facilitating tens of thousands of loan applications. First National Bank of NWA, a division of First National Bank of Fort Smith, plans to use Teslar PPP Forgiveness to meet the needs of its six unique communities in Northwest Arkansas. Teslar was able to implement the bank's secure portal management system for PPP applications in one day in order to offer a digitl application process for their customers' loans on opening day. That weekend the bank processed 250 digital applications, ultimately funding 100% of the 770 completed applications they received. "We were not a big SBA lender before this," explained Rob Husong, president of First National Bank of NWA. "There is no way we could have handled the volume of PPP loan business successfully without Teslar. Teslar Unite - PPP made it possible for community bankers like us to support our local businesses. I am proud of how First National Bank of NWA was able to step up to the challenge with Teslar's solutions and we look forward to helping our local businesses realize the benefit of the PPP through the forgiveness application process." Teslar is providing the forgiveness solution at a low per-application cost to make the service readily available without long-term contracts or obligations. The solution will provide banks with key features such as the ability to communicate with all borrowers at once or individually; a customizable template to manage customer information; reporting capabilities; secure document transfers; e-sign capability; and a forgiveness calculator. Teslar PPP Forgiveness will be updated regularly to meet inevitable changes in the SBA forgiveness process. "While community banks have been tirelessly working on the flood of PPP loans, we've only touched the tip of the iceberg," said Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and founder of Teslar Software. "Now, community banks must guide these businesses through evolving SBA requirements in order to maximize the benefit of the loans by achieving forgiveness. With Teslar, bankers will be able to streamline processes and help Main Street regain stability." About Teslar Software Teslar provides community financial institutions with automated workflow and portfolio management tools to streamline and improve processes with easy access to relevant information needed to operate. The Teslar platform integrates siloed systems, centralizes data and boosts efficiencies enterprise wide to optimize profits and make customer interactions more meaningful. Please visit www.teslarsoftware.com to learn more. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005174/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Yesterday, Congressman Tom McClintock delivered remarks on the US House Floor. McClintock was Thursdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: Mr. Speaker: Just a few months ago, America enjoyed the most promising economic expansion in our lifetimes, lifting millions of Americans out of poverty, boosting wages for American workers and producing the lowest unemployment rates in fifty years. Today, the American economy lies in rubble, with tens of millions of Americans thrown into unemployment, poverty and despair. That damage was not done by a virus. It was done by ordering entire populations into indefinite home detention, shuttering countless businesses and desecrating the most fundamental human rights that our Constitution commands our government to protect. We are told to follow the science and the data. That would be nice, for a change. What does the science tell us about the severity of COVID-19? We know that about 80 percent of those who get it either have no symptoms at all, or experience it as a mild respiratory infection. In New York, 74 percent of those who died were over age 65 and just six one-hundredths of one percent were under age 18. Three quarters of those who died had underlying medical conditions. So how does it follow the science to close schools where it poses the least danger while packing infected patients into nursing homes where it poses the greatest danger? Once epidemiologists began surveying general populations, they discovered the disease isnt nearly as severe as the claims that set off the global panic. Researchers at Stanford University surveyed the population of Santa Clara, California and estimated a fatality rate of 17/100ths of one percent. New York serology tests revealed a fatality rate of one half of one percent. Simply stated, if you get the flu, your chance of survival is 99.9 percent and, according to these studies, if you get COVID-19, your chance of survival is better than 99.5 percent. How does this science justify throwing nearly 40 million Americans into unemployment? Does the science support population-wide lockdowns? In 2006, based on an Albuquerque teenagers science paper, the Bush administration proposed mass lockdowns in the event of a severe flu pandemic. Leading epidemiologists warned at the time that quote The negative consequences of large-scale quarantine are so extreme that this mitigation measure should be eliminated from serious consideration. It wasnt. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has now admitted that 84 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations in New York are people either already sheltering at home or at nursing homes. Statistical analysts, including Stanford Universitys Nobel laureate Michael Levitt, Tel Aviv Universitys Isaac Ben-Israel, Kentucky State Universitys Wilfred Reilly and Cypress Semi-conductors T.J. Rodgers, are finding no significant statistical difference in the infection curves between those jurisdictions that have destroyed their economies and those that havent. A study by JP Morgan has found an inverse relationship as economies open back up. A study of 318 outbreaks involving 1,245 cases in China found just one outbreak that occurred outdoors, involving just two cases. Eighty percent of the outbreaks occurred in peoples homes. So how does it follow the science to close outdoor venues and order people indoors? Mr. Speaker, it is high time we considered how many Americans will die because of the COVID-19 lockdowns. The Well Being Trust predicts up to 75,000 deaths of despair due to suicide and drug and alcohol abuse because of the lockdown. In March alone, the Epic Health Research Network warns of a 94% decline in breast, colon and cervical cancer screenings and the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network reports a 22 percent increase in children calling for help. A 2011 Columbia University study funded by the National Institutes of Health estimated that 4.5 percent of all deaths in the United States are related to poverty. How does it follow the science to destroy the livelihoods of millions of Americans, cut them off from their support networks, force them into isolation and plunge them into poverty? I dont blame our public health officials. They have the luxury of ignoring the effect of their policies beyond their area of expertise. The responsibility rests, rather, with the public officials who failed to consider the catastrophic collateral damage they have caused who became so drunk with power and so besotted with self-righteousness that they lost any reference to common sense or any concern for the damage they have done. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM The state of Texas is trying to keep a former Waco man from being released from prison, claiming he is a sexual predator who needs further treatment for his disorder. Maureen Whittmore, a prosecutor in the State Special Prosecution Units civil division, filed a petition in Wacos 54th State District Court seeking to have Robert Anthony Fluke committed to a West Texas sex offender treatment facility before his parole from prison. Fluke, 38, is serving a 20-year prison term after pleading guilty in April 2003 to two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. He is scheduled for release in February 2022, according to the petition. Fluke is a repeat sexually violent offender who suffers from a behavioral abnormality that makes him likely to engage in a predatory act of sexual violence, according to the petition. Whittmores office will ask a McLennan County jury to determine that Fluke should be sent to a treatment facility in Littlefield instead of being released on parole. If he is committed, Flukes case will be reviewed every two years to see if he can be released or if his multi-tiered treatment plan needs to be modified. Rachael Wanklyn was told she was infertile. (PA Real Life) A new mum found herself suffering with obsessive compulsive disorder after giving birth to her baby after being told she was infertile. Rachael Wanklyn, 37, welcomed her miracle daughter after years of infertility, but the joy surrounding her birth was marred by Wanklyns irrational fear that her baby would die. The obsessive compulsive disorder manifested itself with her obsessive need to kiss her baby before she went to bed each night in case she passed away while she was sleeping. The special needs teaching assistant and her husband, Daniel, 42, were diagnosed with unexplained infertility in 2010. Read more: Jessie J shares infertility struggles The pair went on to adopt a son in 2014 and had just started the process to adopt again when they found out that Wanklyn was pregnant. The family were shocked when Wanklyn found out she was pregnant. (PA Real Life) She admitted to being dumbfounded when she found out she was pregnant and baby Clara arrived safely on 9 May 2016 weighing 7lbs 12oz. The shock surrounding Claras birth left her mum feeling consumed by fear of losing her. I convinced myself Clara would die during the night. As a result, every night I had to make sure that kissing her head was the last thing I did, so she knew that she was loved. If I fiddled with my bed pillows, or went to the toilet, or even if Daniel kissed me goodnight, Id have to get up and give Clara a kiss again to make sure it was the last thing I did, Wanklyn explained her symptoms, which are aligned with typical obsessive compulsive behaviours. Read more: Halsey discusses pain of miscarriage As well as kissing her baby before bed, she found herself picking up other common compulsive behaviours, like obsessively checking that the doors and windows were locked. I was so worried that someone would get into the house and take Clara away that Id repeatedly check the windows and doors, she explained. Wed get halfway down the road somewhere and Id think, No, I need to go back and check the front door again. It wasnt about the number of times I checked it, I just needed to make sure I checked until my hand hurt from pushing down on the doorknob so much. It was weird, but it made sense in my head. Story continues The symptoms Wanklyn suffered all fitted into the symptoms the NHS note as being typical of people suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. Read more: UK birth rate in England and Wales at all time low Noticing that this new behaviour wasnt right, Wanklyn decided to seek help when her daughter was three-years-old. It was at this point that she was diagnosed with perinatal obsessive compulsive disorder, where someone has intrusive, unwanted thoughts or obsessions about their infant. The diagnosis was followed by months of counselling, which, thankfully helped the new mum to be able to kiss her daughter goodnight without a worry that she might pass away. I still kiss my daughter goodnight but in my head the kiss no longer means the difference between her living or dying, its simply to say night night, she admits. Now, shes determined to share her story in order to encourage new families to open up about how theyre feeling. Shes an advocate for the PANDAS Foundation, a leading UK charity supporting people suffering with perinatal mental illness and their families. After experiencing it herself, Wanklyn realised that the best form of medication is a simple conversation. They were there to help me through the low point and, rather than make me feel like I was talking rubbish, they made me feel understood. EMERGENCY services tackled a blaze at a fort with "huge historical value" in Donegal today. Locals are hopeful that a glass-front extension, which had been built onto Macamish Fort sustained most of the fire damage caused, as smoke billowed all the way to Buncrana. The fort was one of several Napoleonic batteries built along the Lough Swilly shores in Co Donegal to defend the north west of Ireland against French Invasion during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Construction company owner Eamon Gallagher, said that he was working nearby and happened to look down and saw it just go up on fire like a shot. Expand Close The shores of Lough Swilly in county Donegal where firemen battled a fire at Macamish Fort (Photo: Eamon Gallagher) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The shores of Lough Swilly in county Donegal where firemen battled a fire at Macamish Fort (Photo: Eamon Gallagher) He attended the scene and said that it was not obvious whether there was any damage to the original structure of the fort which was built between 1812 and 1813. Local Councillor Ian McGarvey said that he is hopeful that it is only the extension of the structure that caught fire. As I understand there is work ongoing on the roof of an extension, which was put on a few years ago, with a glass front next to the water, he said. And as far as I know, thats what went on fire, so it was the extension and not the fort. Cllr McGarvey, who is a member of Donegal County Council, representing the Letterkenny Electoral Area, is the oldest public representative either side of the island's border. He turns 90 in July and said that he would be deeply upset if the fort was to catch fire. I would be upset. It would be very regrettable if these places with historical value were destroyed because we should not ignore the history of this country going back 1000 years. The fort would have huge historical value. A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana confirmed that the fire has been extinguished. Gardai were made aware of a small fire that occurred in the Ards Forest in Creeslough, Co Donegal. The Fire was put out by Fire services a short time later. Enquiries are ongoing. No injuries were reported, they said. The black man who recorded the now infamous viral video of a white investment banker hysterically calling the police on him after he asked her to leash her dog in Central Park, has accepted her apology - but says the exchange is evidence of a much deeper problem rooted in US culture. Harvard graduate Christian Cooper, 57, had been bird watching in an area of the park known as The Ramble over the Memorial Day weekend when he saw Amy Cooper walking her unleashed dog that was tearing through the plantings. After pointing out to Cooper that dogs must be leashed in The Ramble at all times to protect wildlife habitats, the 41-year-old quickly became irate, dialing 911 on the former Marvel Comics editor, wailing that an African American man is threatening my life. She has since issued an apology saying, I was the one who was acting inappropriately and that I hope that a few mortifying seconds in a lifetime of 40 years will not define me in his eyes. And on Thursday, Christian told the panel of The View that he has accepted that apology but urged viewers to look at the bigger picture of racism that the encounter displayed. Harvard graduate Christian, 57, had been bird watching in an area of the park known as The Ramble over the Memorial Day weekend when he saw Amy Cooper walking her unleashed dog that was tearing through the plantings. After pointing out to Cooper that dogs must be leashed in The Ramble at all times to protect wildlife habitats, 41-year-old Amy Cooper quickly became irate, dialing 911 on the former Marvel Comics editor, wailing that an African American man is threatening my life I do accept her apology, Christian said. I think its a first step. I think shes gotta do some reflection on what happened because up until the moment when she made that statement. It was just a conflict between a birder and a dog walker, and then she took it to a very dark place. I think shes gotta sort of examine why and how that happened. In the hours that followed the video's emergence, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio branded Cooper a racist as outrage over the incident commonly referred to as Central Park Karen rippled out nationwide. Cooper was terminated from her $170k-per-year role at as head of insurance investment solutions at Franklin Templeton shortly afterwards. A petition to ban her from Central Park for life also emerged, as did new legislation that would make falsely reporting an incident as a hate crime illegal from now on, should it pass. Christian said the reaction isnt necessarily about Cooper, or her snap-second judgement, but about the underlying current of racism and racial perceptions thats been going on for centuries and that permeates this city and this country that she tapped into. Thats what we really have to address; not the specifics of her, but why are we still plagued with that and how do we fix it. Christian said the reaction isnt necessarily about Cooper, or her snap-second judgement, but about the underlying current of racism and racial perceptions thats been going on for centuries and that permeates this city and this country that she tapped into' Christian, a board member of the NYC Audubon Society, also doubled down on his previous urges asking the public to stop making death threats against Cooper. If you think that what she did was wrong, that she was trying to bring death by cop down on my head, then there is absolutely no way you can justify then turning around and putting a death threat on her head, he said. Cooper explained that hes also uncomfortable with judging Cooper solely on a few secondsover very poor judgement. [Theres] no excusing that it was a racist act because it was a racist act, he told the show. But [does] that define her entire life? Only she can tell us if that defines her entire life by what she does going forward. Christian Cooper's sister, Melody Cooper, a writer for HBO who also shared the video to social media, said that when she saw the footage, she thought Its personal. I just imagined what happened to Mike Brown or George Floyd happening to him, and I wanted to make sure no other black person would have to go through that kind of weaponization of racism from her, she said. If the cops showed up, they wouldnt have seen his resume or known his job, she said of her high-flying brother, who now works as a biomedical editor for Health Science Communications. This kind of racism can kill people. It couldve killed my brother. Falsely reporting an incident as a hate crime should be criminalized, say New York lawmakers in new legislation, as city's Commission on Human Rights launches investigation into Amy Cooper Falsely reporting an incident as a hate crime could be criminalized in New York if new legislation proposed Tuesday is passed a consideration spurred by a now infamous viral video of a white investment banker hysterically dialing 911 on an African-American birdwatcher. The incident, involving Amy Marie Cooper, 41, and former Marvel Comics editor, Christian Cooper, 57, has been cited as the latest example of a white person weaponizing the police against a person of color. In the footage widely shared on Monday, Christian, a Harvard graduate and board member of the New York City Audubon Society, is heard asking Cooper to leash her dog in an area of Central Park known as The Ramble to help preserve bird habitats. Cooper responds by calling law enforcement, frantically claiming that an African American man is threatening my life. Police did respond to Central Park, but no arrests were made and both Cooper and Christian had left by the time they arrived. Following the backlash against Coopers actions, New York State Lawmakers Assemblyman Felix Ortiz and Senator Brian Benjamin have now introduced legislation to criminalize any similar acts across the state in the future. In the past year, we have seen many instances throughout both New York State and the country of people calling 911 on black people who are going about their everyday lives, only to be interrupted by someone calling the police for reasons that range from caution, to suspicious inkling to all out hated, Ortiz wrote in the bills justification. Following the backlash against Coopers actions, New York State Lawmakers Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (left) and Senator Brian Benjamin (right) have now introduced legislation to criminalize any similar future acts across the state The incident, involving Amy Marie Cooper, 41, and former Marvel Comics editor, Christian Cooper, 57, has been cited as yet another example of a white person weaponizing the police against a person of color State Sen. Benjamin, meanwhile, called the incident frightening and voiced his shock at such an occurrence happening just blocks away from where many of my constituents live. This woman was so willing to fabricate a story despite being filmed, he said, as reported by PIX11. I worry that if she had not been filmed, this woman may have been given the benefit of the doubt, and that this man could have faced serious, perhaps life threatening consequences if the police had arrived. While the NYPD say theyll not be pursuing charges against Cooper, the New York City Commission on Human Rights has announced that its launching its own investigation into the matter. At a time when the devastating impacts of racism in Black communities have been made so painfully clearfrom racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes, to harassment of essential workers on the frontlinesit is appalling to see these types of ugly threats directed at one New Yorker by another, Sapna Raj, deputy commissioner of the Law Enforcement Bureau at the Commission on Human Rights, told the NY Post. Efforts to intimidate Black people by threatening to call law enforcement draw on a long, violent and painful history, and they are unacceptable. We encourage Ms. Cooper to cooperate with the Commission and meaningfully engage in a process to address the harm that she has caused, Raj added. The Commission on Human Rights has issued a letter of inquiry to Cooper, requesting her cooperation in a pre-complaint intervention. While the body cannot bring about criminal charges, it does have the authority to implement hefty fines for any perceived violations of human rights law, and can award compensatory damages to victims, including emotional distress damages. The Commission can also order trainings on the NYC Human Rights Law, changes to policies, and develop restorative justice relief such as community service and mediated apologies, in lieu of or in addition to fines and monetary relief, the department said. Amidst the fallout, Amy Cooper has been fired from her job at the investment firm Franklin Templeton. The Central Park Civic Association has also called for her to be banned from the park for life. Concern was also raised for Coopers rescue dog, who appeared to be flailing around and trying to free itself from her grasp as she hauled the dog up by its neck harness. She has since surrendered the dog back to Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue. Central Park birdwatcher says actions of white investment banker Amy Cooper, 41, who called the cops on him when he asked her to leash her dog were 'definitely racist' - but urges people to stop sending her death threats Christian Cooper, whose video of a white investment banker calling the police on him over the Memorial Day weekend went viral on Monday, has urged people to stop sending the woman death threats. The birdwatcher acknowledged the apology of 41-year-old Amy Cooper but said her actions were still definitely racist. I think her apology is sincere, Christian told CNN on Tuesday night. I'm not sure that in that apology she recognizes that while she may not be or consider herself a racist, that particular act was definitely racist. And the fact that that was her recourse at that moment - granted, it was a stressful situation, a sudden situation - you know, maybe a moment of spectacularly poor judgment. But she went there and had this racist act that she did. Earlier Tuesday, Amy Cooper told the network she wanted to publicly apologize to everyone for her actions, insisted she didnt mean any harm to Christian or the African-American community. I'm not a racist. I did not mean to harm that man in any way, she told the network. I think I was just scared. When you're alone in the Ramble, you don't know what's happening. It's not excusable, it's not defensible. Cooper said that since the video sparked widespread outrage online, her 'entire life is being destroyed right now'. Christian Cooper, whose video of a white investment banker calling the police on him over the Memorial Day weekend went viral on Monday, has urged people to stop sending the woman death threats Earlier Tuesday, Amy Cooper told the network she wanted to publicly apologize to everyone for her actions, insisted she didnt mean any harm to Christian or the African-American community In the hours that followed, Cooper was branded as a racist pure and simple by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio in a scathing tweet. The admonishment was followed by a tweet from her employer, investment firm Franklin Templeton, who announced she had been fired as head of insurance solutions with immediate effect, following the conclusion of an internal investigation. I think her apology is sincere, Christian told CNN on Tuesday night. I'm not sure that in that apology she recognizes that while she may not be or consider herself a racist, that particular act was definitely racist Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately. We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton, the companys statement read. While the NYPD say theyll not be pursuing charges against Cooper, the New York City Commission on Human Rights has announced that it is launching its own investigation into the matter. State lawmakers have also introduced new legislation that would make falsely reporting an incident as a hate crime as many have accused Cooper of illegal, should it pass. When asked if he believed Cooper was a racist, Christian told CNN: I cant answer that. Only she can answer that. And I would submit probably the only way she's going to answer that is going forward. How she conducts herself and, you know, how she chooses to reflect on this situation and examine it. Speaking to NPR, Christian elaborated: Now, should she be defined by that, you know, couple-of-seconds moment? I can't answer that. I think that's really up to her and what she does going forward. Christian said hes been stunned by the amount of attention the video has received in the last 24 hours. He had been hoping to appear on CNN alongside Cooper to help bring a close to something that has snowballed quite significantly, though she didnt respond to the networks invitation. The 57-year-old said hes sure Cooper has been inundated with messages, just as he has, but he urged anyone from reaching out to remain civil and be careful with their words. I am told there has been death threats and that is wholly inappropriate and abhorrent and should stop immediately, he said. I find it strange that people who were upset that ... that she tried to bring death by cop down on my head, would then turn around and try to put death threats on her head. Where is the logic in that? he said. Where does that make any kind of sense? New Delhi: Putting a temporary ban, a court in New South Wales on Monday restrained 'The Australian' from releasing more confidential data on the Indian Scorpene Class submarines. Embattled French defence firm DCNS had approached the Supreme Court in Australia seeking an injunction against 'The Australian' from further publishing the leaked documents of India's Scorpene submarine project. The DCNS had also sought a court order to the newspaper to hand over the documents in its possession and for the removal of the contents from its website. Also read: The Australian expected to release information on Scorpene's weapons systems Leaked Scorpene data include weapons system details; will release more documents on Aug 29: The Australian "The publication of this highly valuable document causes a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation," The Australian quoted an affidavit by DCNS lawyer Justine Munsie. The newspaper had said that it will publish the documents regarding the weapons system of the submarine on Monday. Over 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company have been leaked. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. AUSTIN, Texas, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Health Action (THA), a nonprofit dedicated to advancing sexual wellness in Texas, is expanding access to HIV prevention medication across the state through a partnership with MISTR, an online telemedicine company. The online partnership that launched today provides patients with no-cost virtual visits, HIV testing and HIV prevention medication known as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) with little to no out-of-pocket costs to patients, including individuals in rural areas of the state where services may not be available. The MISTR platform was originally designed for men who have sex with men (MSM), but the company also launched the platform SISTR earlier this month. THA is partnering with both platforms to provide preventative care in a safe and supportive environment from the comfort of home. "This innovative partnership allows us to quickly expand HIV prevention through PrEP across the state," Christopher Hamilton, chief executive officer of THA, said. "The demand for sexual health services is increasing all the time, and brick-and-mortar healthcare delivery can't keep up." Patients can access a licensed physician who specializes in HIV preventative care through the MISTR and SISTR platforms. After the completion of lab work, PrEP is delivered directly to patients. "PrEP is 99% effective at preventing HIV, but unfortunately PrEP is not utilized as much as it should be," Tristan Schukraft, president and CEO of MISTR, said. "We hope this partnership will allow even more people to access this vital component in the fight against HIV." For patients who are uninsured or under-insured, the partnership will assist in navigating medication costs through patient assistance programs with little to no out-of-pocket costs for medication. For patients who test positive for HIV or other STIs, THA will connect patients to care through local providers or Kind Clinic programs. To book an appointment, visit MISTR at heymistr.com/tha or SISTR at heysistr.com/tha. To learn more about Texas Health Action's mission, visit TexasHealthAction.org. For more information about in-person services at Kind Clinics, visit KindClinic.org. About Texas Health Action Texas Health Action is a nonprofit organization that advances sexual wellness by providing healthcare in a safe and supportive environment. Since 2015, Texas Health Action has worked to promote and provide sexual wellness, free of stigma and judgment, and has empowered the entire community through community outreach and education, medical care through Kind Clinic, highly effective health programs, and research. Texas Health Action is led by CEO Christopher Hamilton and is located at 8140 N. Mopac Expwy. Bldg. 2, Ste. 130. For more information on Texas Health Action or Kind Clinic, please call 512-853-9547 or visit www.texashealthaction.org. About MISTR MISTR is a telemedicine (telePrEP) platform offering easy online access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in across the United States. Gay owned and operated, MISTR has brought together a network of the best doctors, pharmacists and problem-solvers to make PrEP available to all who need it. No doctor's office, no needles, no paperwork and free delivery. Media Contacts: Kat Griffith or Laura Bowman [email protected], 512-797-4002 [email protected], 512-913-6624 Elizabeth Christian Public Relations SOURCE Texas Health Action Related Links http://www.texashealthaction.org India on Thursday responded sharply to the Imran Khan government condemning resumption of construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya earlier this month, describing a one-page statement put out by Pakistans foreign office as absurd. The external affairs ministry also underscored that the Indian constitution, unlike the one that Islamabad had, guarantees equal rights to all faiths. Pakistans Foreign Office may take time out and read their own constitution to realize the difference, the external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. Srivastava also took a swipe at the treatment of religious minorities by Pakistan and a decline in their numbers over the years. Given its record, Pakistan should be embarrassed to even mention minorities. After all, numbers dont lie even if they do, he said. The Pakistan foreign office had on Wednesday condemned the start of work on the Ram Mandir, describing it as part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) efforts to advance a Hindutva agenda. It also claimed that the Indian Supreme Courts ruling last year had failed to uphold the demands of justice and its verdict had shredded the veneer of so-called secularism in India.. The foreign office statement is part of the continuing effort by Prime Minister Imran Khan to build a narrative, specially aimed at Gulf countries, that minorities in India werent safe. Over the last few months, Indian security agencies have identified thousands of handles based in Pakistan that had been trying to push this line on social media. One report submitted to the government last month had sent across a list of 7,000 such handles. These handles, like the government in Pakistan and PM Imran Khan, had exaggerated isolated instances of harassment of minorities during the Covid-19 pandemic to launch a shrill campaign that was aimed at influencing Indias relations with the Gulf countries. Islamabads condemnation attempt to attack the Supreme Courts 9 November verdict that led to setting up of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust, the external affairs spokesperson suggested that Islamabad clearly was not familiar with a credible judiciary. Also Read: After proxy war in Kashmir, Pak launches cyber war against India and PM Modi As for the judiciary, Pakistan must realize that theirs is thankfully not the norm. There are others elsewhere with credibility and integrity that Pakistan understandably finds difficult to recognise, Srivastava said. Construction work for the Ram temple began at the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya from May 11 after the Centre permitted the construction industry to resume work on projects. Since then, engineers have carried out testing of the soil around the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Janmabhoomi. On Monday, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chairman of the trust set up on the Supreme Courts orders by the home ministry had visited the Ram Janmabhoomi after around 28 years and paid obeisance to Ram Lalla, the presiding deity of Ram Janmabhoomi. He had visited the place the last time on December 6, 1992. The high-profile visit was interpreted by some people to signify the resumption of the construction work. Das told reporters that the artefacts recovered recently at Ram Janmabhoomi corroborated that Ram temple always existed at the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya and that it was remodelled into Babri mosque by making some changes in the temples structure. A trust official had said a five-foot long rare Shivling besides a large number of statues of god and goddesses had been recovered from the site. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, recognizes the winners of the 2020 Thermo Scientific Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) Research Award. Now in its sixth year, the research competition selects scientists from a pool of international applicants based on innovation and the potential impact of their work in proteomics using TMT. The proprietary TMT and TMTpro reagents are exclusively licensed to Thermo Fisher Scientific by Proteome Sciences, PLC. Winners receive awards of TMT and other mass spectrometry-related reagents, valued at $10,000, $7500 and $5000. The scientists will use these awards to quantify, normalize and streamline global protein expression studies using mass spectrometry. A panel of judges from Thermo Fisher and Proteome Sciences, PLC, reviewed the applications and selected the following three recipients based on the scientific merit of their proposals: Suzan Stelloo, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands, "High-throughput single cell proteomics to capture protein expression changes during embryonic development" (Gold Level recipient) Samuel Whedon, Harvard Medical School & Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, USA, "A chemoenzymatic strategy for quantitative middle-down and top-down proteomics" (Silver Level recipient) Kevin Klann, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany, "Dissecting the cellular degradative network by protein dynamics mass spectrometry" (Bronze Level recipient) We are excited to offer the TMT Research Grant Award for the sixth consecutive year. We received a wide range of diverse submissions from graduate and postdoctoral students. We look forward to seeing what these emerging scientists achieve with our reagents and are eager to get a glimpse from them into the future of multiplex proteomics." Shekar Menon, Market development manager, protein and cell analysis, Thermo Fisher Scientific For more information, visit http://www.thermofisher.com/tmtgrant. Thermo Fisher Scientific will showcase its newest products and software solutions in a company-hosted virtual event, vLC-MS.com, from May 26-28, 2020, and at the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Reboot Program, from June 1-12, 2020. Residents from Michigans Midland County and surrounding areas are still reeling from the impact of flooding a week ago. The man-made catastrophe was produced when Edenville and Sanford dams, two aging and neglected hydroelectric dams, failed, sending billions of gallons of water downstream, destroying homes and other property and forcing the evacuation of more than 10,000 people, many of whom are still displaced amid the coronavirus pandemic. The health-threatening conditions are compounded by the criminal poisoning of the regional environment over decades by Dow Chemical, the billion-dollar global company headquartered in Midland. On Thursday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer called for Michigans Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to investigate the cause of the dam failures last week, declaring, We must ensure accountability and prevent a disaster like this from happening again. The call for such an investigation is an effort by Whitmer to save face while covering up the deliberate negligence of Boyce Hydro LLC, the owner of the private dams, as well as all the state and federal government agencies that issued numerous safety violations over decades. North Cedar Street intersection with abandoned vehicles caught in the flood. (Photo: TC Vortex Facebook) Boyce was previously warned that if repairs were not made, catastrophic flooding would ensue. In 2018, Boyce Hydros license was revoked by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), but no action was taken to repair the dams by any government authority on any level, thus risking the lives and well-being of the population. Moreover, calls for accountability brings to mind the poisoning of Flints water supply, another man-made crisis that devastated an entire Michigan city and for which no one has been held accountable. Last month marked the sixth anniversary of the Flint catastrophe, which resulted in 199 deaths first attributed to pneumoniabut which were likely due to Legionnaires Diseaseas many as 276 miscarriages from lead poisoning, and ongoing health issues for all ages, as well as developmental issues in children. After six years, no one responsible for the disaster has been convicted or jailed. There have been countless hearings and investigations by the state and federal governments, volumes of testimony and documents pointing to the responsibility of then-Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, and numerous other officials. For her part, in June 2019, Whitmers administration dropped all the pending criminal charges, including involuntary manslaughter, against eight officials implicated in the water poisoning of the Flint population, thus wiping the slate clean. Snyder has never been charged. Governor Whitmer requested that President Donald Trump declare a State of Emergency for Midland, Iosco, Gladwin, and Saginaw Counties to make federal aid available to residents devastated by the flood. While her request was granted, the support available to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for areas it declared to be under a State of Emergency is extremely limited. For extended FEMA or National Guard assistance to be granted, a State of Disaster must be proved through residents collecting evidence, which is sent to the city and the state as well as FEMA. Residents are being asked to fill out a survey form from the Midland County Central Dispatch Authority detailing what damages they have suffered and providing photos. Preparing her arguments to justify that no substantial amount of state resources will be made available to the population to provide housing and repair the infrastructure, Whitmer said in her press conference that the state budget has been hit significantly because of the COVID-19 Epidemic. Dow Chemicals $4.5 billion 2018 profits would go a long way to covering the costs to make the residents and community whole. Sabrina Lopez The impact on residents was highlighted by Sabrina Lopez, administrator of the Midland Michigan Issues and Events Facebook page, who recently spoke to the World Socialist Web Site. Through the Facebook page, she gives news updates and helps coordinate donations, cleanups and other types of aid to the community. Sabrina narrowly avoided massive flood damage to her familys home. Im just dealing with survivor's guilt, Lopez told the WSWS. Many people have lost everything: refrigerators to store food, kitchens to cook it and cars to transport it. All they can do is rely on others to help them. No clean, dry clothes to change into, no bathroom to take a shower. Their beds are gone to even sleep in. Its heartbreaking. We have lots of local businesses providing meals where they can. This community is basically just coming together to help each other. Ive seen people putting items that they saved for garage sales out on their lawns telling people to just take what they need. They need to get the money for this community, period, Sabrina remarked, explaining the dire situation throughout the region. People are in desperate need. There are dead fish covering the ground. The lakes are gone, its supposed to rain this week and its extremely hot and humid out. The air smells like dead fish and sewage. This community needs fans and dehumidifiers. Cleaning supplies, washers and dryers, babysitters...and cars! Their cars have been ruined. They need all of the help they can get, no matter the cost! Cars engulfed in debris and floodwaters. (Photo: TC Vortex, Facebook) I can only imagine how awful this must be for them. Not only younger kids, but the older ones that didnt get to experience all of the things they normally would and now losing everything they have. They will definitely need our support for a long time. There are a lot of shops and restaurants that have been swept away, so they are in an even worse position now. With all of the awful things going on in this world today and the heartbreak and tragedy...there are good people out there willing to help those in need without asking for anything in return. People helping people is the bright spot in all of this darkness. Residents are having to rely mainly on community organizations while a broad government response is delayed. The hashtags #MidlandStrong and #SanfordStrong are prominent on social media, with workers using them to coordinate volunteer efforts and drop-off/pick-up locations for much needed supplies. Volunteers gather materials to repair buildings. (Photo: Mid Michigan Extreme Weather, Facebook) The Midland Center for the Arts, covered in mud and debris, put out a statement requesting volunteers with collections or curatorial training to assist in leading small groups to perform safe extraction measures for the thousands of papers, artifacts, and photographs that celebrate our rich history in Midland County. Resources normally available to them have been cut because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dan, another resident who lives downstream from Midland in the Thomas Township area, told the WSWS, This is the worst flood in this part of the states history. My property was under two feet of water. The house was built on a slight hill, but the garage and outbuildings on this property sustained heavy damage. Many of his familys possessions have been lost to the flood. His wife, an essential worker, could not reach her job across the river and was forced to use her vacation time during the crisis. Referring to his extended family in Saginaw township, Dan explained, Their home is considered a total loss due to multiple cracks and damage to the foundation. This crisis extends far beyond Midland and Gladwin counties. A building in Sanford surrounded and pierced by downed trees (Photo: TC Vortex, Facebook) When the flooding first occurred, Dan and his family evacuated an hour away to Mount Pleasant because closer hotels were not available. There is a local high school serving as a shelter, but anyone who can make other arrangements is doing so, due to concerns of COVID-19 transmission. Dan has experience in studying dams and engineering, and when asked about the dam failures and safety violations, he said, Knowing that a heavy rain event was coming, the lake levels couldve been lowered and drawn down quicker than what they were to accommodate the heavy rains. We still wouldve seen a significant flood event, but the impacts couldve been potentially lessened. Wixom Lake is man-made, just like Secord, Smallwood, and Sanford. Secord and Smallwood are at risk of failure and are being drained for emergency inspections. Jeremiah Another resident and small business owner, Jeremiah, described how the damage to his parents basement destroyed many childhood memories. Having to shutter four of his six events-based businesses permanently due to the COVID pandemic, Jeremiah said his households finances have been greatly impacted. He shared that he was just thankful we still have four walls to our house. Many people dont have flood insurance. Were just trying to function. I really feel for the kids, you know. In 10 years, 50, 100, they are still going to pay for all of the mistakes weve made. When asked about why the neglect of repairs was allowed to continue, Jeremiah said that they kept saying, Oh, it didnt flood last year; wont flood this year, right? And now all this happened." New Delhi: Taking a dig at Union minister Mahesh Sharma over his "skirt" remarks, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said women had greater freedom to wear clothes of their choice during Vedic times as compared to "Modi times". "Women had greater freedom to wear clothes of their choice in Vedic times than they have in Modi times," Kejriwal said in a tweet. The Culture Minister had stoked controversy after suggesting that women tourists should not wear skirts in India. "For their own safety, women foreign tourists should not wear short dresses and skirts... Indian culture is different from the western (culture)," he had told reporters in Agra on Sunday. [ALSO READ: Union minister Mahesh Sharma asks foreign tourists to ditch skirts, short dresses] He had also said that a "welcome card" was being provided to tourists visiting India and the "do's and dont's" on the card advise women not to roam alone at night and not to wear skirts. The comments also did not go down well with Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal who asked Sharma to focus on governance than clothes of women. She also hit out at drawing parallels between rape and the attire of a woman. "Rape of 2 year is also due to wearing skirts? Improve law and order, pl stop telling women what to wear or not wear. Can't believe politicians continue to equate rape with wearing skirt. So easy to shirk responsibility and blame a women's attire for rape," (sic) she said in a series of tweets. "Pl improve governance. No correlation in wearing skirt n rape. You hv put onus of rape on the girl which is pathetic," (sic) Maliwal added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. MOSCOW -- A Moscow district court has sentenced a prominent Russian journalist to 15 days in jail, while police detained several other journalists who were rallying in his support. Ilya Azar, a 35-year-old local legislator and journalist for the independent Novaya gazeta newspaper, was sentenced on May 25 after being found guilty of repeatedly violating Russia's strict protest laws. According to OVD-Info, an independent website tracking detentions at political protests, six journalists who had gathered at Moscow police headquarters in solidarity with Azar were detained. They were holding single-person pickets, which are allowed under Russian law, reports said. Those confirmed as being detained by police included Sergei Smirnov, editor in chief of the online news outlet Mediazona, and Tatyana Felgengauer, a journalist with the radio station Ekho Moskvy. Azar was arrested on May 26 during a one-person protest in support of activist Vladimir Vorontsov, who has worked to expose violations within Russia's law enforcement agencies. Vorontsov, a former police officer, was arrested in early May on extortion charges. He was later accused of also illegally distributing pornography. Vorontsov has denied the charges, saying police are seeking to punish him for his activism. Police said on May 26 that Azar was detained for violating a ban on rallies during Moscow's citywide lockdown aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Azar's arrest sparked outrage among his supporters, who said it would be dangerous to hold the journalist in jail for two weeks during the coronavirus pandemic. "Azar had every right to hold this rally according to law, the constitution, and common sense," opposition figure Aleksei Navalny wrote on Twitter on May 28. "None of these three things exists in Russia right now," Navalny added. Calling Azars detention a cowardly act, Amnesty International accused the authorities of crushing activism and impinging on human rights to silence critics. In the midst of a global pandemic, the government is enforcing muzzles instead of protective masks, and solely for its own protection, Natalia Zviagina, the London-based watchdog's Russia director, said in a statement. Not only has Ilya Azar been arrested simply for exercising his right to peaceful assembly, but he has been thrown into a crowded cell where he, and others like him, are at risk of contracting COVID-19," Zviagina said. The OSCE representative on freedom of the media, Harlem Desir, said he was "alarmed" by the detention of the journalists who were rallying in support of Azar, and called for their immediate release. With reporting by AFP and Interfax New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, continuing with series of talks on Covid-19 crisis, interacted with Johan Giesecke, a well-known Swedish physician and Professor Emeritus at the Karolinska Institute at Stockholm. Giesecke said that no country thought of exit strategy prior to announcing the lockdown. "All the countries in Europe that instituted the lockdown one or two months ago, did not think about the exit strategy at that time," said Johan Giesecke. "I think you will soon create more harm than good with a severe lockdown," he added. He said, "Every single country had said that we'll do this lockdown, we'll close this school, we'll close this border, we'll close the restaurants. I don't think at that point they thought about how to get out of it." "Now everyone is asking the same question, how do we get out of this," added Giesecke. He suggested that the exit has to be step wise. "Take away restrictions in India one by one, you take one away, you soften one restriction," he suggested. He further said, "Wait 2-3 weeks and see what happens. If you have more spread of the disease, then take one step back and try another restriction." "I think it will take months to really ease out the lockdown. But you must do one restriction at a time and see what happens," said Johan Giesecke. However, he said that it is a difficult balance there. "I think the way we have done it in Sweden is that the main thing is to protect the old and the frail. They should be protected from the disease. Everything else comes second." "So what we have done is that we have not completely shut down the country. Many workplaces are still open. Many people are working from home if they can. We don't have restrictions. You can go outside, and meet other people outside. Better than in your home," he said. He suggested that for India, "you will ruin your economy very quickly if you had a severe lockdown. I think it's better to skip the lockdown, take care of the old and the frail, and let the other people have the infection. Most people will not even be sick. They will not even notice they have it." --IANS miz/skp/ Bhopal, May 28 : The Governor's House in Bhopal has been declared a containment zone after a peon and cleaner and four other family members residing on the sprawling premises tested positive for coronavirus, it was announced on Thursday. Daily high-level review of requisite precautions will be undertaken every day in view of the infection in the Raj Bhavan, said a government statement. Manohar Dubey, Secretary to the Governor, said there will be strict monitoring of visitors' movement and health of staff. The residence and office of Governor Lalji Tandon have been declared as 'inner zone', and two of the three entry gates have been sealed. There are 64 staff quarters on the sprawling premises. The employees and their family members living in quarters will not be allowed to leave the campus for three days, except for medical emergencies. The Governor has tested negative twice. His ADC and OSD have also tested negative. The 85-year-old Governor was tested for the first time after a senior bureaucrat in the Health Department had tested positive weeks ago. The employees ordered to work from home. The health of the staff will be monitored daily. People will be allowed to meet the Governor only after sanitisation and thermal screening. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had hinted at a cabinet expansion, but now, the swearing-in might be delayed for some time. Chouhan had taken oath on March 23. After working alone for nearly a month, he had expanded his cabinet to induct five members. On Wednesday, Chouhan said the expansion will take place soon. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Berlin, Germany Thu, May 28, 2020 08:30 602 fc6853813033f564188675f8bda8d6e0 2 World EU,European-Union,coronavirus,COVID-19,global-crisis,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus,Angela-Merkel Free German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday said the European Union should take more global responsibility in the coronavirus crisis, especially as ties with the United States were currently "difficult". In a speech outlining Germany's priorities when it takes over the EU's rotating presidency in July, Merkel said the economic and social upheaval from the pandemic has turned the world upside down. She welcomed the European Commission's proposed 750 billion euro coronavirus recovery fund for the bloc but said more should be done to help other countries. "Especially in times of crisis I want the European Union to show solidarity on a global level too and take on more responsibility," she told the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung think tank by video link. "In many places, the pandemic will intensify existing conflicts and problems and will therefore also become a stress test for the European Union." She called on the bloc to speak up for the values of "democracy, freedom and the protection of human dignity". Europe could not tackle the world's problems alone, however, and she said the United States remained Europe's "most important partner". "Of course I'm aware that the cooperation with America is currently more difficult than we'd like," Merkel said, pointing to differences with President Donald Trump's administration on trade, climate change and the importance of international bodies like the World Health Organization. Nevertheless, she said the transatlantic relationship was a "key pillar" of Europe's foreign policy and security interests that needed to be upheld and strengthened. Germany had initially planned to put relations with China at the center of its six-month EU Council presidency before the pandemic pushed its way to the top of the agenda. The German leader, who is in the twilight of her chancellorship, said it was important for the bloc to maintain "constructive dialogue" with the increasingly assertive Asian giant -- seen as both a vital trading partner and a major rival. The European Union has "a great strategic interest" in working with China and "actively shaping" the relationship, Merkel said. The chancellor said she would push for progress on a long-sought investment agreement with Beijing, aimed at leveling the playing field between Chinese and European firms, as well as tackling climate and health issues. [May 28, 2020] Can-Fite to Host First Quarter 2020 Financial Results & Clinical Update Conference Call on June 1, 2020 Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE:CFBI), a biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address cancer, liver and inflammatory diseases, today announced it will host a conference call to review clinical updates and financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2020 on Monday, June 1, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. EDT. A press release reviewing the first quarter results and clinical updates will be issued prior to the call. Investors in the U.S. are invited to dial 877-423-9813. International investors may dial 201-689-8573. The conference ID is 13704594. Investors may also participate via webcast: http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=140108 A replay of the webcast will be archived on Can-Fite's website for a period of time. About Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE: CFBI) is an advanced clinical stage drug development Company with a platform technology that is designed to address multi-billion dollar markets in the treatment of cancer, inflammatory disease and sexual dysfunction. The Company's lead drug candidate, Piclidenoson, is currently in Phase III trials for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. Can-Fite's liver cancer drug, Namodenoson, recently completed a Phase II trial for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer, and is in a Phase II trial for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Namodenoson has been granted Orphan Drug Designation in the U.S. and Europe and Fast Track Designation as a second line treatment for HCC by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Namodenoson has also shown prof of concept to potentially treat other cancers including colon, prostate, and melanoma. CF602, the Company's third drug candidate, has shown efficacy in the treatment of erectile dysfunction These drugs have an excellent safety profile with experience in over 1,500 patients in clinical studies to date. For more information please visit: www.can-fite.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements, about Can-Fite's expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding, among other things, market risks and uncertainties, its product development efforts, business, financial condition, results of operations, strategies or prospects. In addition, from time to time, Can-Fite or its representatives have made or may make forward-looking statements, orally or in writing. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "believe," "expect," "intend," "plan," "may," "should" or "anticipate" or their negatives or other variations of these words or other comparable words or by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical or current matters. These forward-looking statements may be included in, but are not limited to, various filings made by Can-Fite with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases or oral statements made by or with the approval of one of Can-Fite's authorized executive officers. Forward-looking statements relate to anticipated or expected events, activities, trends or results as of the date they are made. Because forward-looking statements relate to matters that have not yet occurred, these statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause Can-Fite's actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Many factors could cause Can-Fite's actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: our history of losses and needs for additional capital to fund our operations and our inability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all; uncertainties of cash flows and inability to meet working capital needs; the impact of the recent outbreak of coronavirus; the initiation, timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies, clinical trials and other product candidate development efforts; our ability to advance our product candidates into clinical trials or to successfully complete our preclinical studies or clinical trials; our receipt of regulatory approvals for our product candidates, and the timing of other regulatory filings and approvals; the clinical development, commercialization and market acceptance of our product candidates; our ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships and other corporate collaborations; the implementation of our business model and strategic plans for our business and product candidates; the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our product candidates and our ability to operate our business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; competitive companies, technologies and our industry; statements as to the impact of the political and security situation in Israel on our business; and risks and other risk factors detailed in Can-Fite's filings with the SEC (News - Alert) and in its periodic filings with the TASE. In addition, Can-Fite operates in an industry sector where securities values are highly volatile and may be influenced by economic and other factors beyond its control. Can-Fite does not undertake any obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005074/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] NEW YORK, May 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Samsara Luggage is pleased to announce a donation of its Essentials safety kits to the frontline workers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. The company previously donated kits to Huntington Hospital in New York, a part of Northwell Health. The Essentials kit offers an enhanced layer of safety for essential workers continuing to commute to work in support of the COVID-19 relief efforts. Each kit contains ready-to-use essential products including a reusable mask with filter, single-use gloves, hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes. Samsara Luggage donates Essentials kits to the healthcare workers of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. (PRNewsfoto/Samsara Luggage Inc) "We're proud to support the healthcare workers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City as they continue to make a difference from the frontlines of the pandemic response," says Atara Dzikowski, Co-founder and CEO of Samsara Luggage. "Our company has always valued safety and we want to thank and support our essential workers with our Essentials kits to keep them safe wherever they go." The staff at Mount Sinai Hospital said the reusable masks included in each kit are "great" and are thankful to receive the essential products bundled in a convenient travel kit. Samsara Luggage recently launched the Essentials by Samsara safety kits to address the current demand for protective products for essential workers that remain in transit during the current pandemic. Samsara Luggage sees the Essentials by Samsara safety kit as a shared solution relevant for the current coronavirus pandemic and when the global community is cleared for travel again. Samsara's carry-on offers smart features that keep travelers in the know of their suitcases' whereabouts and seals the contents of the suitcase with a hard-shell casing that is both waterproof and fire resistant. The smart unit connects to a mobile app to log the suitcase's movements, including when it's been opened out of site. The suitcase's ergonomic design doubles as an on-the-go workstation for those who have to work at the gate. With this design feature travelers can avoid shared workspaces and keep their desk sanitized. The smart unit also provides a personal charging port free of malware or ransomware found in some public charging stations. The aluminum waterproof surface can easily be cleaned, even on the go. Samsara's safety features are unparalleled with any smart suitcase on the market today. The updated Samsara phone app sends real-time notifications to customers when the suitcase is moving out of range or opened. Partnered with the two-separate built in combination locks, this suitcase was made to give travelers the peace of mind they want to enjoy their travels, whether for work or pleasure. About Samsara Luggage: Samsara Luggage, Inc. (OTC: SAML) is a global smart luggage and lifestyle brand with a deep belief in creating a world where travel isn't a hassle, but rather an effortless experience. By combining smart features, including IoT technology, with innovative design and quality materials, Samsara is dedicated to transforming the luggage industry with its products. Samsara Luggage recently unveiled its next generation product line at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The Next Generation Samsara is the first to market a Wi-Fi Hotspot technology for travelers to access a secured network globally. The smart unit also features a portable and removable wireless charging dock to easily charge cell phones. Equipped with a powerful USB-C connector, the smart unit is also able to charge laptops. Using GPS and Bluetooth (5.1) technology, the IoT tracking solution gives users the most accurate location data for their smart-case. Samsara's first generation smart carry-on suitcase was named by Forbes as Best Smart Luggage of 2019, calling it the "it" bag when it comes to smart luggage. Samsara continues to be one of the fastest growing smart luggage brands in the industry, always looking for ways to stay ahead of the tech curve. The smart luggage company continues invest in the development of new and innovative product lines with improved safety features. For more information visit www.samsaraluggage.com. Forward-Looking Statements: Certain matters discussed in this press release may be forward-looking statements. Such matters involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including, without limitation, the following: changes in economic conditions; general competitive factors; the company's success in obtaining new customers; the company's ability to execute its business model and strategic plans; the company's success in integrating acquired entities and assets, and all the risks and related information described from time to time in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the financial statements and related information contained in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and interim Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. SOURCE Samsara Luggage Inc Related Links http://www.samsaraluggage.com Contributed photo Dr. Paul Epstein, a naturopathic physician and mind-body therapist in practice for 36 years, recently spoke to New Canaan Mens Club members during their virtual regular weekly meeting via Zoom, Friday, May 29. It began at 10, and went until 11:30 a.m. Epstein specializes in mind-body integrative medicine, treating his patients with stress-related symptoms and disorders. In practice in Westport, Epstein is on the faculty of the Association for Integrative Health and Medicine where he trains medical doctors in the practice of integrative medicine. He co-founded and co-directed the Israel Center for Mind-Body Medicine and leads mindful healing training and workshops worldwide. A graduate of the National College of Natural Medicine, he is also the author of the book titled: Happiness through Meditation. The National College of Natural Medicine became the National University of Natural Medicine on June 28, 2016. Accused wife-killer Fotis Dulos asked his new live-in girlfriend to go to the bank and withdraw money on the morning of his 'meticulously planned' suicide. Police in Farmington, Connecticut, released their report on the investigation into Fotis' death on Wednesday, four months after he attempted suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning at his home on January 28 and died two days later. The property developer was facing charges in the May 2019 disappearance and murder of his wife Jennifer, who is presumed dead but her body has still not been found more than a year later. The new report includes statements from Anna Curry, a 42-year-old wealth manager whom Fotis was dating and living with at the time of his death, and who fronted thousands of dollars to help him with his $6million bond. Curry told police that she was supposed to drive Fotis to court in Stamford for his emergency bail hearing the day he died, but he'd asked her to go to the bank and make a withdrawal for him beforehand. While she was out, Fotis called her at 10.59am and sounded out of breath as he told her that he was going to drive himself to court so he wouldn't be late, according to the report. Accused wife-killer Fotis Dulos (left) asked his new live-in girlfriend Anna Curry (right) to go to the bank and withdraw money on the morning of his 'meticulously planned' suicide in January, according to a new police report Curry said she was staying with Fotis at his Connecticut mansion. Police are pictured at the home after Fotis was discovered unconscious inside his garage on January 28 Curry said that she returned to the house at around 11.15am, she found computers inside that Fotis had told her were in his car, so she assumed he had forgotten them in his rush to leave. She also saw a cap from a cap from a medication bottle, possibly Tylenol PM, but didn't think anything of it, the report states. Curry said she feared Fotis had done something to harm himself after he called her and sounded out of breath - but she never called 911 Curry told police she never checked the garage - where officers found Fotis minutes later unresponsive inside his car. As she was driving to the court to meet Fotis, one of his attorneys, Kevin Smith, called her to ask where he was and said his GPS showed he was still at home. The report quotes an officer as saying: 'Anna said that, at that moment, she knew that Fotis must have done something to harm himself.' Curry said she told Smith to call 911 and get an ambulance. She said he refused to do so because he did not want to cause more problems for Fotis in case he'd removed the court-mandated GPS. The report says Curry told Smith: 'Fotis wouldn't have done that and asked him again to call for an ambulance,' but he still said no. Curry told police that she asked Fotis' lawyer Kevin Smith (right) to call 911 minutes before he was found unresponsive in his garage, but the attorney refused. Smith denied Curry's claims Fotis' attorney denies refusing to call 911 and insists: 'I would have done anything possible to save his life' Smith denied Curry's allegations to NBC4. 'The idea that I told anyone not to call 911 because I didn't want to cause more problems for Fotis if he had removed the GPS device is absurd on its face,' he said. Smith said Fotis' legal team was expecting the judge to revoke his $6million bond and have him taken into custody. 'It never occurred to me that Fotis might have cut off his GPS bracelet, and I had no indication that he was not going to meet me at court,' Smith said. 'My only worry was that he was going to get a speeding ticket trying not to be late to court, as I had cautioned him when we last spoke.' Smith said at the time that he was talking to Curry on the phone he was with State's Attorney Richard Colangelo, and that Colangelo told him police were on their way to Fotis' house. 'Anna called back and said she couldn't get Fotis to answer his phone, and she asked me should we call 911, I told her probation and PD were already on the way and asked her if she thought he'd harmed himself,' Smith explained. 'She said no, asked again if we should call 911, I reiterated that [law enforcement] was already on the way and would coordinate with medical if they were needed but that she should call 911 if she wanted or had some reason to believe Fotis had harmed himself, but she told me she did not and I hung up.' Smith added: 'Fotis's death was tragic and devastated me. I would have done anything possible to save his life.' He and other members of Fotis' legal team insisted that they had no idea he was planning to take his own life. Police are seen performing CPR on Fotis after they found him slumped inside his running car in his garage. Fotis died at a hospital two days later on January 30 When asked why she didn't call 911 herself, Curry told police that she didn't think of it at the time and was focused on getting to the house to check on him, the report states. She arrived back at the house to find that law enforcement had already forced their way in and discovered Fotis slumped in the front seat of his Chevy Suburban, which had filled the garage with a haze of exhaust. He was not breathing and did not have a pulse as officers pulled him out of the vehicle and began administering CPR. An officer at the scene described hearing glass breaking and Curry yelling for someone to call 911 while medical personnel were already on the way. While officers treated Fotis, Curry called people close to him to tell them what happened. Police executed search warrants the following day and found that the carbon monoxide detector inside the house had been taken down. Photos of Fotis and his five children, a bottle of Tylenol PM and electrical tape were found inside the suburban, along with a note signed by him. 'If you are reading this I am no more,' Fotis wrote. He said that he did not want to spend 'an hour more in jail for something I had NOTHING to do with enough is enough'. At the end of the letter, Fotis wrote: 'Above all Anna Curry, I am sorry for letting you down and not continuing the fight.' Fotis died at a hospital in the Bronx on January 30, two days after his suicide attempt. A judge agreed dropped the charges against Fotis in light of his death. Curry could not be reached for comment regarding the statements described in the investigation report. But one of Fotis' other former flames spoke out about the case last week. Fotis was facing charges in the disappearance and murder of his wife Jennifer Dulos. He is pictured during his arrest in September 2019 Fotis was accused of attacking Jennifer (pictured) in the garage of her rented home in New Canaan in May 2019 after she returned from dropping their five kids off at school. More than a year later Jennifer's body has still never been found Fotis professed his innocence in Jennifer's disappearance in a suicide note found in his suburban (pictured). At the end of the note he wrote: 'Above all Anna Curry, I am sorry for letting you down and not continuing the fight' Fotis' other former flame, Michelle Troconis, insists she knows nothing about what happened to his still-missing wife Jennifer Michelle Troconis, who had an affair with Fotis while he was still married to wife Jennifer, insisted that she knows nothing about what happened to the mother-of-five and that she should never have trusted the accused killer knowing what she knows now. Troconis and Kent Mawhinney, a friend of Fotis and his former lawyer, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder on allegations they helped cover up the killing. Fotis was accused of attacking Jennifer in the garage of her rented home in New Canaan in May 2019 after she returned from dropping their five kids off at school. Police never found her body, but they did find pools of blood in her garage which someone had attempted to mop up and clean. Fotis' former girlfriend Michelle Troconis was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in Jennifer's disappearance. Troconis spoke out last week and insisted she did not know where Jennifer was They also found traces of her blood in her car - which was later found abandoned in a parking lot - and in the vehicle Jennifer was driving on the day she vanished. Fotis and Troconis were allegedly filmed on surveillance footage dumping trash bags at various locations in Connecticut which were later found to contain traces of Jennifer's blood. Troconis initially gave her boyfriend an alibi and said they had been together all morning. She then flipped her story in a second interview with police and, according to arrest affidavits, said he'd given her an 'alibi script'. The dual American and Venezuelan citizen, who is currently out on bail, released an audio statement in Spanish last week - just days before the one-year anniversary of Jennifer's disappearance. Troconis' lawyer, Jon Schoenhorn, provided a translated transcript of the statement, in which she says people have said cruel things about her and expresses her frustration at not being able to tell her side of the story. 'Whether or not Fotis Dulos was capable of doing the things the police and prosecutors accused him of doing, I do not know,' she said. 'But based on what I have learned in the last year, I think it was a mistake to have trusted him.' Authorities refocus search for Jennifer's remains around the family's former home Sunday, May 25, marked one year since the Jennifer's disappearance. Ahead of the anniversary, the Connecticut State Police renewed their interest in a home in Avon the family lived in back in 2010, and after questions were raised by the Hartford Courant about how thoroughly the property was initially searched. The couple had lived in the home at 44 Sky View Drive for a short time in the summer of 2010, two former employees of the Fore Group, Farber Dulos' home construction company told the Courant. Records show the Fore Group had gone back to the home and spent several months cleaning it after pipes had burst inside. The home had been unoccupied since December of 2017. The state police had been aware of the Dulos' connection to the home, after interviews with current and former employees at the construction company. It was not clear how vigorously the possible lead was pursued by investigators, sources told the Courant. Investigators received a copy of a demolition permit and contacted David Ford, an attorney who currently owns the property and gave them permission last fall to conduct a search, state police source say. Cops eventually came to the house, but without a search warrant and no cadaver dogs to search in the woods behind the home or a septic tank on the property, as they did at other homes owned by Fotis and Jennifer, sources said. It was also not clear if investigators knew the the couple lived at the house for several months, while they were waiting for their first home on Jefferson Crossing to be finished. New high-resolution airborne MAG survey reveals prominent structural features throughout the Property VICTORIA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / GoldON Resources Ltd. (TSXV:GLD) ("GoldON" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the exploration status of its 100% owned Slate Falls gold-silver property (the "Property") located in the Patricia Mining Division of northwestern Ontario. The 5,656-hectare Property lies within the southwestern extension of the Meen-Dempster Greenstone Belt between the Red Lake and Pickle Lake gold camps (see Figure 1). GoldON hired Prospectair Geosurveys to complete a heliborne high-resolution magnetic (MAG) survey to cover the Property that included 50-metre flight line spacings for a total of 1,247-line kilometres (km). The final report detailing the results of the MAG survey has been received and the data reveals prominent structural features exist throughout the Property. The image below (Figure 4) illustrates the significant difference in structural detail between the historical MAG data on the left (Figure 2) and the new MAG data on the right (Figure 3). This new high-resolution information will aid in reinterpreting the various lithologies and give a far better understanding of the intricate structure, folding, shearing and faulting that has been mapped on the Property. Figure 4 - Includes overlays of historical data and preliminary interpreted fold axis and limbs While GoldON's primary focus to date has been on the numerous historical high-grade gold and silver showings that are part of the Slate Falls Deformation Zone, the MAG survey results accentuate the potential for the Property to host other styles of mineralization including: Magmatic copper, nickel, platinum-group elements mineralization within previously unrecognized bodies of differentiated gabbroic rocks (Dinel and Pettigrew, 2008). Banded iron formation hosted gold mineralization. Lode gold mineralization related to D2 structures. Felsic intrusive related gold mineralization. Base metal mineralization. To prepare for the 2020 field season, GoldON has hired Orix Geoscience to do a compilation and reinterpretation of all available historical data on the Property. This will include incorporating the new MAG survey data with all known lithological and mineralogical information and known structural measurements to build a comprehensive structural and geological map that will vector fieldwork towards those areas of highest merit for exploration. "Our team is excited about the initial interpretations from the MAG survey that underscores the potential for the Slate Falls Property to host other styles of mineralization beyond the known gold and silver showings," said Mike Romanik President of GoldON. "We look forward to receiving the recommendations from Orix that will direct our upcoming fieldwork. The goal is to define next stage drill targets on the Property." Mike Kilbourne, P. Geo, an independent qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of the Company. About GoldON Resources Ltd. GoldON is an exploration company focused on discovery-stage properties located in the prolific gold mining belts of northwestern Ontario, Canada. Active projects include the West Madsen property in the Red Lake Gold Camp, an option/JV with Great Bear Resources; the Bruce Lake property that adjoins BTU Metals' Dixie Halo property and their TNT Target; and the 100% owned Slate Falls project in the Patricia Mining Division, where numerous Au-Ag mineralized zones have been identified over the 13-km breadth of the property. GoldON has 17,208,432 shares issued, all our properties are in good standing and we are fully funded for our 2020 exploration programs. Additional information is available on our website at https://goldonresources.com; you can download our latest presentation by clicking here and you can follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GoldONResources. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Signed "Michael Romanik" Michael Romanik, President Direct line: (204) 724-0613 Email: romanikm@mymts.net Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: GoldON Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/591687/GoldON-Receives-MAG-Survey-Results-and-Hires-Orix-Geoscience-for-Project-Data-Interpretation-at-Slate-Falls-Gold-Silver-Property New plans: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives for a plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels yesterday. Photo: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images Ireland is set to get 2bn in EU coronavirus recovery grants under new plans - but funds could come with tougher rules on company tax which have long been resisted by Dublin. A huge chunk of the EU grants - perhaps as much as half - can be frontloaded in the first two years of the aid programme starting in 2021. Two-thirds of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's 750bn plan to help stave off post-virus recession will be made up of grants with the balance coming in low-interest loans. The compromise plan is an attempt to break the deadlock between Mediterranean countries worst hit by the virus and countries in the north who fear having to pay other states' debts. It follows an intervention 10 days ago by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The proposal was welcomed by countries worst hit by the virus - Spain, Italy and France - as well as by Germany. But the so-called 'frugal four' - Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden - just shifted their objection to the principle of grants and insisted that loans were the better approach. However, all sides agreed to make the plans the basis of more talks and - coronavirus permitting - there is a plan to hold up to three summits of EU leaders meeting in person from late June onward in Brussels. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar welcomed the proposals and also noted the plans to frontload the aid in the years 2021-2022. "This proposal for a substantial, frontloaded recovery instrument comes on top of the three safety nets of up to 540bn already agreed by EU leaders to support citizens, businesses, and countries," he said, adding he hoped there can be early agreement. Mr Varadkar signalled Ireland will be supporting other states to ensure the rescue plan, dubbed 'Next Generation EU', is kept separate from a planned seven-year 1.1tn budget plan for 2021-2027. "Other EU budget issues such as CAP, cohesion, research and innovation are more important than ever. I also hope that we will use this opportunity to set Europe on the right path for the future, building a greener, digital, more resilient and sustainable union," the Taoiseach added. But Mr Varadkar did not address the issue of proposed new EU taxes to help fund interest costs and repayments for the scheme, which are due to kick in after 2028. The plans also contain various new EU levies and Irish concerns here centre on a proposed tax on big tech firms such as Facebook and Google. Brussels diplomats suggested that such new taxes may in a worst-case scenario apply only after 2028. Others pointed out that tax changes still require unanimous agreement, and Ireland is not alone in opposing change - but it is clear the pressure on Ireland over its favourable company tax regime continues. For the moment at least, Ireland is likely to continue borrowing on the open market which is cheaper than even low-interest EU-backed loans. But the grants packages appear to be of considerable interest and their focus on environmental protection and tackling climate change may help boost current government-formation talks. Speaking to Newstalk's Ivan Yates, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan hailed the EU announcement as "exciting", saying it can help many environmentally friendly projects in the term of the next government. Canadian company BRP has announced it will stop making the Evinrude outboard boat engines. BRP, in a statement on its website, said, that it has re-oriented its marine business by focusing on the growth of its boat brands with new technology and innovative marine products. We will discontinue production of Evinrude E-TEC and E-TEC G2 outboard engines. Our Sturtevant, WI, facility, will be repurposed for new projects to pursue our plan to provide consumers with an unparalleled experience on the water. The company said it is "committed to our Buy, Build, Transform Marine strategy which has been underway since 2018 with the acquisition of Alumacraft and Manitou boat companies in the U.S., followed by the acquisition of Australian boat manufacturer Telwater in 2019. Company president and CEO Jose Boisjoli said, Our outboard engines business has been greatly impacted by COVID-19, obliging us to discontinue production of our outboard motors immediately. This business segment had already been facing some challenges and the impact from the current context has forced our hand. The company said it has signed an agreement with Mercury Marine "to support boat packages and continue to supply outboard engines to our boat brands. We will continue to supply customers and our dealer network service parts and will honour our manufacturer limited warranties, plus offer select programs to manage inventory. These decisions will impact 650 employees globally." The company plans to expand its role in pontoon and aluminum fishing markets. It also will consolidate its Alumacraft operations from two locations to one in St. Peter, Minn. The Arkadelphia, Ark., plant will be closed. BRP also makes Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo water craft and Alumacraft, Manitou, Quintrex, Stacer and Savage boats along with the Rotax marine propulsion system. READ MORE Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. For some, Canadas summer weekends are spent at a cottage. But this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has sharpened the edges on the rural-urban divide. Both Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have faced criticism for going to their respective summertime homes. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/5/2020 (602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion For some, Canadas summer weekends are spent at a cottage. But this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has sharpened the edges on the rural-urban divide. Both Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have faced criticism for going to their respective summertime homes. But not all cottagers are political leaders. Cottagers say they should be allowed to visit seasonal properties, with some threatening to withhold their property taxes if theyre kept away. Meanwhile, year-round residents are worried that summertime visitors will bring the risk of a second wave that could overwhelm under-resourced rural healthcare systems. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms enshrines mobility rights. But those rights are chafing up against requests to temporarily lay down this entitlement in the collectivist spirit of public health orders. The coronavirus pandemic has escalated existing tensions in a complicated, ongoing negotiation between the "right to be rural" and trends toward "disaster gentrification" driven by urban flight. Balancing individual actions against their community impact In 1968, French sociologist Henri Lefebvre first offered "the right to the city" as an invitation to reclaim urban life by putting people at the heart of civic decision-making and prioritizing collective experiences over individual entitlements. This inspired civic movements across the globe right up to present-day conversations about digital rights. Leveraging that concept, sociologists Laura Barraclough and Karen Foster are looking at whether there is also a "right to the countryside" or a "right to be rural." In cottage country conflicts, however, we find ourselves without an instruction manual to help navigate impossible questions about who has the right to be rural and who gets to decide? Towns in popular tourist areas like Bracebridge, Ont., in Muskoka grapple with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its economy and lifestyle. (Shutterstock) Cottagers arent necessarily outsiders: they pay property taxes, support local businesses and many have multi-generational ties to their seasonal communities. Further, for many rural communities, asking cottagers to stay away has immediate and long-term socioeconomic costs: when people stay home, their money stays with them and they may rethink continued investments in a seasonal property in the future. The cumulative impact is a vicious cycle of private disinvestment compounding chronic under-investment in rural communities. However, rural residents remain concerned about the risks of virus spread for delicate local ecosystems. Rural health-care capacity is often extremely limited. Experts continue to urge people to limit non-essential travel and to stay home for everyones sake. First Nations that lease land to cottagers have closed their borders. Grocery stores and essential services in rural regions are struggling to adjust to the new reality of challenged supply chains in the same way as their urban counterparts. And yet these conversations dehumanize the people involved across all aspects of this conflict. Rural people are talked about as if theyre just part of the landscape. As individual property and mobility rights clash with collective efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 crisis, it appears as if we might be losing our basic connection and responsibility to each other and entering an impossible debate over whose rights count more. Urban flight and rural gentrification If you are an essential worker making minimum wage, it is understandably difficult to empathize with people who feel aggrieved at being asked to temporarily choose between multiple residences during this crisis a luxury not necessarily afforded those most impacted by the consequences of these choices. Still, there are complex reasons why rural residents might themselves embark on essential inter-regional travel, like going to urban centres for specialist care or accessing essential goods; rural-urban linkages mean the road goes both ways. Ultimately, this conflict hinges on deeper questions about the geography of wealth, privilege and structural inequality. As sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom argued, "wealth is the vector." If British writer and critic John Lancaster is right that "geography is destiny," the displacement and replacement processes of rural gentrification must be critically examined. 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. More than half of Ontarios new cases of COVID-19 are occurring in Toronto. Meanwhile, Montreal is the epicentre of the virus outbreak in Canada. As real or imagined connections between density and disease percolate in peoples minds and remote work becomes the norm for many white-collar professions, urban flight may create more long-term shifts in rural areas that must be approached carefully if we are to avoid deepening geographic and socio-economic divides. We need carefully considered rural policy and investments that put equity at the heart of imagining the future of the right to be rural. Whether in cities like Vancouver or Montreal or in rural towns like Tobermory, Ont., or Bird Cove, N.L., responses and interventions must respect and respond to local needs and goals. We have a tendency to turn our fight or flight instinct into unhelpful us-versus-them dichotomies. Painting the country (or each other) with the broad strokes of "rural versus urban" only exacerbates that. Surviving this pandemic requires a balance between our individual actions and their community impacts. While you might have a right to visit your cottage during the pandemic, ensuring our shared future will require patience and the reimagining of the right to be rural as a civic responsibility. S. Ashleigh Weeden is a PhD Candidate in the school of environmental design and rural development at the University of Guelph. This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca. Caution: The following contains details some readers may find disturbing. A man found guilty of sexually abusing his stepdaughter decades ago has been granted a new trial after Ontarios top court found the judge improperly relied on evidence to support the complainants testimony. The man, who cannot be identified in order to protect the identity of his stepdaughter, was charged with sexual interference, sexual assault and sexual exploitation in connection with alleged incidents dating back to 1988. He was acquitted in 2018 on the sexual exploitation charge, which related to allegations that he forced his stepdaughter to have sex after she turned 12, because the trial judge found the complainants evidence relating to this time period was not sufficiently reliable. But he was convicted on the other two charges, which stemmed from allegations of sexual touching when the complainant was as young as seven. In a unanimous ruling released this week, the Court of Appeal for Ontario said the trial judge mistakenly relied on the fact that the complainant had spoken to her mother and sister about the allegations as a child to support her account of what happened. Another incident, in which the complainants biological father threatened the accused over the allegations, was also cited by the judge, according to the appeal court. In fact, the appeal court said, the complainants prior statements and the incident involving her father could only be used to rebut accusations that she had recently fabricated the allegations. Looking at the trial judges reasons as a whole, this evidence was used improperly to enhance the complainants general trustworthiness as a witness through her repetition of the allegations on prior occasions, the three-judge appeal panel wrote. The man also argued his conviction should be replaced by an acquittal, but that argument was rejected by the appeal court. The appellant has not established that his convictions cannot be supported on any reasonable view of the evidence, the panel wrote. During trial, the complainant testified that she was often drowsy as a child due to taking medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and would rest in bed before dinner. She told the court that several times a week, her stepfather would come into her room when others were out of the house and touch her genitals while he masturbated. The abuse began to escalate when she was close to 12 years old, she testified. She said her stepfather then began to force her to have sex, doing so several times a week until she left the house for good at age 20. She described running away from home several times as a teen, often staying in group homes or with friends, and accumulating a criminal record. The appeal court said the evidence related to the complainants statements to her relatives was contradictory. The complainant testified she told her sister about the abuse when she was 12, and that her sister convinced her to tell their mother. The sister, however, said the complainant was around seven when this happened. Their mother also gave conflicting information, first saying she learned of the abuse when the complainant was 10 or 11, then when the girl was eight or nine. The complainant and her mother also gave different accounts of how the father came to learn of the allegations. The trial judge also highlighted other inconsistencies in the complainants evidence, between her testimony at trial, what she told a preliminary inquiry and statements she gave to police and child welfare authorities in 1995. TAMPA, Fla., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital and the Cancer Center of South Florida have formed a new alliance, enabling cancer patients in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast to receive the world-class care and complex services that a major academic medical center provides right in their own back yard. The Cancer Center of South Florida's two locations in Palm Beach County will become the Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute, marking the first time that Tampa General, nationally ranked by US News and World Report and one of Florida's leading academic medical centers, has opened a location on the east coast of Florida. Tampa General's expansion plans across the state will continue as the institute builds relationships with additional local physicians in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast, aggregating more specialists into the Tampa General network to provide comprehensive treatment options across multiple specialties. Palm Beach and Treasure Coast residents can now receive world-class cancer treatment and services provided by a leading academic medical center paired with hometown convenience. Tampa General surgical oncologists and specialists will work in collaboration with local physicians to provide the most comprehensive treatment options in a seamless, coordinated manner. Cancer specialists will travel to Palm Beach County to consult with local patients, working closely with their referring physicians to create a comprehensive treatment plan. Patients will be able to receive case evaluations from multi-disciplinary panels of TGH experts, participate in a broader array of cutting-edge clinical trials, and benefit from new services, such as palliative care and genetic counseling. And those patients who need complex, specialized surgeries will have a new option right here in Florida; instead, they'll benefit from a convenient, streamlined process to have surgeries in Tampa with pre-and post-surgery care performed in Palm Beach. These patients will benefit from a hybrid model that allows them to have pre- and post-surgical care in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast. Nurse navigators with specialized cancer expertise will coordinate their visit to Tampa for surgery with specialists who are leaders in their fields. Patient ambassadors will help coordinate with travel and accommodations. "We're excited to provide enhanced world-class cancer care that residents in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast can access close to home," said John Couris, Tampa General's president and CEO. "Our specialists will serve as an extension of the great healthcare that exists in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast today. Our team of specialists, combined with the high caliber of local care, will allow residents across Florida to be able to receive the highest quality of care with the latest technologies and treatments, including extensive clinical trial opportunities." Current patients can still receive care and treatment planning from CCSF's current skilled and compassionate providers, who all trained or taught at top-tier medical programs, such as Harvard University. Patients will now be able to receive palliative care consultations that offer a holistic approach to care, offering patients resources to help with pain management, nutrition, mental health and other issues. They also can receive chemotherapy, radiation and other care in Palm Beach County. "CCSF is excited that this new agreement brings our patients expanded access to the very best cancer treatment options as we continue our tradition of providing care that is tailored for each patient providing care for each patient, one patient at a time," said Dr. Abraham Schwarzberg, chief of Oncology at CCSF and senior vice president for Oncology Services and Network Development at Tampa General. New services that patients can benefit from include: Access to a broader variety of clinical research trials, offering the newest treatments in cancer care Enhanced personal oncology treatment plans Access to complex, minimally invasive surgical management Innovative personalized medicine Advanced immunotherapy treatment options Expertise in rare cancers requiring complex surgeries Patients can make appointments at the new Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute locations in Palm Beach County by contacting 561-253-3980. Media Contact: Karen Barrera Assistant Director, Communications 813-844-8725 (direct) 813-928-1603 (cell) [email protected] SOURCE Florida Health Sciences Center, Inc. d/b/a Tampa General Hospital Related Links http://www.tgh.org [May 28, 2020] Merit Unveils WorkNow Program to Assist State Governments, Employers, and Job Seekers With Economic Recovery Merit, the platform that provides digital credential issuing, access, verification, and reporting for government agencies, today announced its WorkNow program to assist states with their efforts to get millions of unemployed Americans back to work. Merit is a platform to digitally and centrally store and manage the credentials and certifications that people have already earned, and is helping states efficiently tackle economic recovery as the needed infrastructure to implement and measure constituent-facing policies. By digitizing individuals' achievements, Merit also enables state agencies to provide services, training programs, and jobs that they are uniquely qualified for based on their achievements. "There are many unknowns about this recovery, but we do know that states need a way to more efficiently deliver the benefits of the public and private sectors - from unemployment insurance and services to trainings and job opportunities," said Merit CEO, Tomer Kagan. "Merit helps states act as accelerators instead of bottlenecks at a time when speed is the most valuable capability. Verified identity is a better way to get people to work faster, and Merit is already laying the grid system for that in several forward-looking states." Merit already works with states from Mississippi and California to Washington and Louisiana. In Virginia, Merit is trusted by more than 200,000 Virginia workers across more than 40 industries who have access to digital licenses issued by Virginia's Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). Those professionals have access to portable, digital licenses through Merit that can be contactlessly verified by businesses or consumers. Last month, Merit was able to instantly respond to changes required in Virginia under the declared state of emergency, effectively extending tens of thousands of soon-to-expire licenses, allowing many essential workers to continue earning a paycheck without having to worry about replacing or renewing a license during the crisis. Fully implemented in a state, Merit WorkNow will allow state agencies - including departments of workforce, labor, licensing, regulation, unemployment, and other associated agencies - to track the real-time outcomes of unemployment insurance recipients and help businesses grow by hiring workers with verified credentials. Merit will also support: Targeted Workforce Development Programming: By tracking skills and credentials digitally, states can target workforce training dollars towards programs and people who will see the most economic benefit. By tracking skills and credentials digitally, states can target workforce training dollars towards programs and people who will see the most economic benefit. Rules-Based Notifications: Federal and state legislation can be parsed to notify displaced workers about particular services available to them. Federal and state legislation can be parsed to notify displaced workers about particular services available to them. Outcome Tracking & Case Management: Someone who unsuccessfully applies for a certain number of jobs can be connected to a relevant upskilling opportunity to make them a better candidate. Someone who unsuccessfully applies for a certain number of jobs can be connected to a relevant upskilling opportunity to make them a better candidate. Data-Driven Opportunities: Trends available in state and federal Department of Labor (and other) data can be used to show people opportunities in emerging or surging industries and geographies. Trends available in state and federal Department of Labor (and other) data can be used to show people opportunities in emerging or surging industries and geographies. Link Sharing: Individuals with desired verified credentials, such as a surveyor who speaks Spanish, can be pointed to relevant job opportunities. Individuals with desired verified credentials, such as a surveyor who speaks Spanish, can be pointed to relevant job opportunities. Reporting, Analytics & Visibility: Details of federal, state, and municipal programs made available for measuring effectiveness of government programs. In the current economic and public health climate, state unemployment offices as well as departments of workforce, labor, licensing, and regulation need to efficiently communicate with each other and their constituencies digitally. Merit's platform is a public utility which will allow individuals to connect with both private and public organizations for jobs, benefits, and other opportunities - and serve as a bridge to empower government agencies and the private sector to work together for all of their certification needs to get America back to work. About Merit Merit is the first universal verified identity ecosystem for government, businesses and workers to operate with the efficiency, trust, and transparency that comes with having universal mobility. By letting everyone access, track, and organize their achievements in real time, Merit is bringing personal and professional skills verification into the digital age. Through a single, secure platform, Merit puts the power of trusted and verified credentials in the hands of professionals across the public and private sectors, supporting professional licensing, occupational regulation, workforce development, emergency services, recreation, and other digital credentialing applications. Find more information about how Merit is helping everyone shape their future at https://www.merits.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200528005219/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Massachusetts health officials confirmed Wednesday that another 74 residents have died from coronavirus, bringing the statewide death toll to 6,547. Officials also confirmed another 527 new cases of the virus, for a total of 94,220. Thats based on 6,663 new tests reported on Wednesday. Officials have now carried out 552,144 COVID-19 tests. Since April 15, theres been a 71% decrease in the rate of positive coronavirus cases, according to a seven-day weighted average; a 41% decrease in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to a three-day average; a 62% decrease in the number of hospitals using surge capacity; and a 65% decrease in the number of coronavirus deaths, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. During his daily briefing, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday said that the rate of positive cases among those tested over the course of the last week or so is roughly 8.6%, which represents a significant decrease compared to Aprils statistics. Data through May 26, 2020. Massachusetts COVID-19 hospitalizations through May 26, 2020. These numbers show steady progress, and were going to continue to carefully monitor them, Baker said. Baker was speaking at Maverick Station in East Boston, a Blue Line connection that is currently being worked on to remove a longstanding speed restriction on the subway line. After touring the worksite, Baker said the impact the virus has had on ridership and traffic has made it possible for transportation officials to focus on certain public transit projects and, in some cases, accelerate them. As we turn to reopening, we know public transportation will play an important role in making sure that people are able to get to where they need to go, Baker said. The latest figures come roughly a week after Baker unveiled plans for the first of four phases in his administrations plan to reopen the economy, and a day after public beaches were allowed to reopen. Officials on Tuesday said that Massachusetts has made it beyond the so-called surge, despite concerns about a second wave of infections as restrictions begin to lift. Weve talked a lot about preparing for and dealing with the surge, which is now something that, thanks to a lot of work by a lot of people, is behind us," Baker said. "And as a result of that many of the field hospitals that we set up around the state to add beds and reduce strain on hospitals have begun to close. Coronavirus in Mass.: Cases, maps, charts and resources Here are the cases listed by county: Barnstable County: 1,286 Berkshire County: 539 Bristol County: 6,779 Dukes County: 26 Essex County: 13,778 Franklin County: 317 Hampden County: 5,845 Hampshire County: 843 Middlesex County: 20,706 Nantucket County: 13 Norfolk County: 7,880 Plymouth County: 7,656 Suffolk County: 17,596 Worcester County: 10,647 Unknown location: 309 Related Content: RESTON, Va., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Students in the FCCLA Chapter at Westlake High School in Saratoga Springs, UT won a $3,500 prize for their chapter by placing first in the Safe Rides-Save Lives PSA Contest. The national competition was developed by the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and sponsored by The National Road Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes safe driving behavior. The contest empowers young people by encouraging them to create public service announcement messages that will have an impact on teen driving safety, with the focus this year on the dangers of speeding. Speed was a factor in more than 9,000 traffic fatalities in 2018, or 26 percent of all crash deaths. High speeds increase the likelihood of a crash because it takes longer for a driver to stop or slow down. Collisions are more deadly because crash energy increases exponentially as speeds go up. The winning PSA was submitted by Isaac Francis for his FCCLA Chapter. Candace Wilson is the Family and Consumer Sciences educator at Westlake High School and serves as the FCCLA Chapter Advisor. "Through this partnership with FCCLA, we encouraged students at schools throughout the country to participate enthusiastically in developing creative ways to spread important safe driving messages to their peers and to the community at large," said Michelle Anderson, director of operations at The National Road Safety Foundation. "We are thrilled to partner again with The National Road Safety Foundation to offer this contest to our teen members," said Sandy Spavone, executive director of FCCLA. "Together, we want to put an end to unnecessary teen deaths by making teens and others aware of the risks of speeding." The contest message is especially timely as the incidence of cars traveling at excessive speeds has increased as highways see less traffic volume during the pandemic shutdown. The FCCLA Chapter at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, GA won the $1,000 second prize and the chapter at Spring Lake Park High School in Spring Lake Park, MN won the $500 third prize. Linda Brimmer is the FCCLA faculty advisor at Peachtree Ridge H.S. and Lori Henry advises at Spring Lake Park H.S. The winning PSAs were selected from a pool of applicants from around the nation. The winner will be featured later this year on Teen Kids News, nationally syndicated on more than 160 TV stations. To view the winning PSA, visit http://nrsf.org/teenlane/contests/safe-rides-save-lives Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a dynamic and effective national student organization that helps young men and women become leaders and address important personal, family, work, and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences education. FCCLA has more than 180,000 members and more than 5,400 chapters from 48 state associations, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The National Road Safety Foundation, Inc. (NRSF) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit charitable organization that for nearly 60 years has been dedicated to reducing crashes, deaths and injuries on our nation's highways by promoting safe driving habits through greater public awareness. NRSF produces documentaries, educational programs and public service campaigns for broadcast and for use in safety, educational and enforcement programs by police, teachers, traffic safety agencies, healthcare professionals, youth advocacy groups and other grass-roots related agencies, as well as federal, state and local government agencies. The programs, which are free, deal with distracted driving, speed and aggression, impaired driving, drowsy driving, driver proficiency and pedestrian safety. The Foundation also works with youth advocacy groups and sponsors contests to engage teens in promoting safe driving to their peers and in their communities. For information or to download free programs, visit www.nrsf.org or www.teenlane.org. Contact: David Reich (914) 325-9997 [email protected] Marissa Kunerth (703) 476-4900 [email protected] SOURCE FCCLA ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- The Army awarded $2.9M to eight academic and industry partners for first-year funding of its newest program focused on expanding its autonomy enterprise. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory created the Scalable, Adaptive and Resilient Autonomy program earlier this year to expedite emerging research in specific autonomous mobility and maneuverability sub-fields the Army has identified as critical to making decisions in complex and contested environments. The research builds on findings from previous long-term projects, the Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology Alliance and the Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance. To better leverage rapidly changing technology in the field of robotics and provide the Army with flexibility to pursue research that best aligns with its objectives, the work will be executed in a series of annual technology sprints, officials said. The first sprint is specifically aligned with the goals of the lab's Artificial Intelligence for Maneuver and Mobility Essential Research Program for development and acceleration of technologies for off-road maneuver in support of Army Modernization Priorities. "The SARA program will help us accelerate our research in autonomous vehicles by including best of breed performers who will augment the capabilities of our core software, enabling future combat vehicles to operate in complex environments," said Dr. John Fossaceca, acting program manager at the lab. Dr. Brett Piekarski, chief scientist of the lab's Vehicle Technology Directorate, said robotics and autonomous systems will play key roles in expanding the operational reach, situational awareness and effectiveness of forces in cross-domain maneuver. "Current commercial autonomy solutions are limited by needed infrastructure, prior information, and structured environments. More research is needed to realize the freedom of maneuver necessary for military relevant autonomous operations," Piekarski said. Unlike on-road autonomous vehicles that will make use of well-marked roads, signs and established driving rules, Army operations take place in complex environments with dynamic conditions. "Robotic and autonomous systems need the ability to enter into an unfamiliar area, without the ability to communicate and for which there are no maps showing terrain or structures, make sense of the environment, and perform safely and effectively at the Army's operational tempo," said Eric Spero, SARA program manager. "Technologies must be identified and further developed, integrated and assessed to achieve the envisioned capabilities in perception, learning, reasoning, communication and navigation of autonomous air and ground vehicles." Partners will work in close collaboration with each other and the lab to further develop and then integrate their solutions onto representative testbed platforms, and into the lab's autonomous systems software repository, for collaboration across the Army Futures Command and Army autonomy enterprise. Disciplined research experimentation will then verify and validate both expected and new behaviors, Spero said. First-year awardees include the Colorado School of Mines; Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition; GE Research; Indiana University; University of California, Berkeley; University of Delaware; University of Rochester; and the University of Washington. In addition to focusing on emerging research in autonomous mobility and maneuverability, officials said future sprints will explore scalable heterogeneous and collaborative behaviors and human-agent teaming. The expected outcomes will form a cumulative, quantifiable and tangible realization of adaptive and resilient intelligent systems that can reason about the environment, work in distributed and collaborative heterogeneous teams, and make operations-tempo decisions to enable maneuver in complex and contested environments. The laboratory plans to bring partners together with Army researchers this summer at the Robotics Research Collaboration Campus in Baltimore County. It's the laboratory's newest facility for advancing knowledge of autonomy and intelligent systems. CCDC Army Research Laboratory is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. As the Army's corporate research laboratory, ARL discovers, innovates and transitions science and technology to ensure dominant strategic land power. Through collaboration across the command's core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our nation's wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command. ### UPPER DARBY The township finds itself without a residency requirement for employees for the first time in decades and all because of one little letter of the alphabet. Council in August 2019 passed Ordinance 3059 by a vote of 9-0 with two members excused. Then-Mayor Thomas Micozzie and former council President Donald Bonnett, both Republicans, signed off on the ordinance, making it effective immediately. The stated intent of the ordinance was to broaden the equal employment opportunity provisions set forth in section 6.02A of the administrative code to include nondiscrimination language for actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, as well as age, race, creed, color, sex, national origin and political affiliation. Article 6 of the code covered personnel rules and section 6.02 dealt with appointments, promotions, performance review and residency requirements. There were six paragraphs to Section 6.02 laying out township rules for those areas, labeled A through F. Those are still posted on the township website. Ordinance 3059, first introduced in July 2019, states that the Law and Government committee had reviewed Article 6 and recommends that amendments be made to Section 6.02A of the same. However, the ordinance then states: Now therefore, Upper Darby Township hereby ordains Section 6.02 Appointment; Promotion; Performance Review; and Residency Requirement is deleted in its entirety and amended to read as follows: The ordinance goes on to amend the language of what had been section 6.02A. But the current administration, now headed by Democrat Barbarann Keffer, claims that by indicating Section 6.02 is deleted in its entirety, the ordinance effectively did away with all six lettered paragraphs and replaced them with only the non-discrimination portion. That includes paragraph E, which stated that All persons, other than police officers and paid firefighters, hired as full time employees of Upper Darby Township must either be or become, within six (6) months after their date of hiring, and continue to remain during their employment, a resident of Upper Darby Township. Upper Darby would now appear to be operating with no residency requirement and no language from Section 6.02 at all, other than that of nondiscrimination contemplated by Ordinance 3059. Micozzie and Bonnett maintain that that was never councils intent, pointing out that the top of the ordinance specifically relates to 6.02A twice. Micozzie contends that the current Democratic administration is using what he deems an easily amended clerical error in an attempt to change the residency requirement so that directors and the Chief Administrative Officer do not have to live in the township. If we look at the prefix, if we look at the advertisement of the ordinance, if we look at the introduction to the ordinance and we look at the public hearings of the ordinance, and we look at the minutes of the ordinance and we look at the approval of the ordinance, not once is residency mentioned, said Micozzie. The easiest way to solve this would be to reintroduce the ordinance and correct the ordinance and add the letter A.' But township Solicitor Sean Kilkenny said it is not that easy. The problem is that residency requirements are bargained-for rights, which has been recognized by both the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board and state courts up to and including the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. So therefore, once the residency requirement was removed by Mayor Micozzie, then it has to be bargained for back to be reinstated, said Kilkenny. Regardless of whether it was a typo at the time, it was a rather large typo that was in front of council and publicly advertised, and that is not going to change the unions position. The current council did draft a new ordinance to replace section 6.02 this month, but it is subtly different from the old language in that the residency requirement would apply to all employees represented pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement unless there is a specific provision in the employees collective bargaining agreement modifying this requirement. That ordinance was tabled at a council meeting last week and the township issued a release stating that its passage would have been a unilateral change of a mandatory bargaining issue in violation of the Pennsylvania Public Employee Relations Act. When an ordinance uses a phrase like deleted in its entirety there is no room for interpretation, said Kilkenny Law Associate Courtney Richardson, who first discovered that the requirement had been eliminated while researching another issue, according to the release. We see a lot of municipalities getting away from these requirements anyway and moving toward the earned income tax model, said Richardson. You hate to see your clients hands tied in any situation, but our job is to help them understand it from a legal perspective and make the best of it moving forward. Transportation Workers Local 234 Business Agent George Bannon said that in his interpretation, the language of the ordinance is crystal clear that the residency requirement was eliminated. He said it had been a sticking point in bargaining meetings for at least the last three contracts and probably longer. It isnt necessarily that employees want to move out of the township, he said, but they do want to have that ability without it impacting their jobs. If you want to bring that type of employment condition back, the only way to get that now for the employer is collective bargaining, said Bannon. Doing otherwise is an unfair labor practice, he added. That is why we tabled our version to avoid a lawsuit for unfair labor practices from TWU, said CAO Vince Rongione, who does not currently live in Upper Darby. To be clear, the removal of the requirement was also a violation of labor law since it was also a unilateral change to a mandatory bargaining issue, but because it was one that the union wanted, they would have no reason to challenge it. As far as Bonnett is concerned, he is not opposed to unionized workers living outside of the township. But he said he believes the highest paid, highest ranking and most responsible employees should be residents of Upper Darby. And Bonnet said he is not alone dozens of other residents voiced that same opinion through calls and emails last week. What Im most concerned about is having a requirement by ordinance, in this case the administrative code, that requires non-bargaining personnel to live in Upper Darby Township, said Bonnett. He added that a labor attorney advised council during a recent executive session that such a requirement could by crafted that would not violate any labor laws. Bonnett said he hopes the issue eventually comes before a judge who can put it to rest, but exactly how that might happen absent Upper Darby attempting to reinstate the residency requirement for unionized workers remains to be seen. The tabled ordinance will meanwhile go back to the Rules and Procedures Committee and will likely come up again in some form. Exactly what that form will take is uncertain. PHILADELPHIA State prosecutors in California are investigating the credentials that Tara Reade, the former Senate staffer who has accused Joe Biden of assaulting her in 1993, attested to in as many as 20 criminal trials, including an attempted murder case where her testimony was deemed critical. The Monterey County District Attorneys office said it never tried to verify the credentials on her resume before using her as a paid expert witness on domestic violence issues. Reade, who went by Alexandra Tara McCabe, made several claims on her resume and in court that have now come into question. Reade said she had a bachelors degree from Antioch University, which the school denies. She said she worked in Bidens office from 1991 to 1994, while Senate records show her there from December 1992 to August 1993. And she said she served as legislative aide for Biden while he worked on the Violence Against Women Act, while witnesses and records describe her holding a more junior role, sometimes supervising interns or handling mail. We are investigating whether Ms. McCabe gave false testimony under oath, Chief Assistant District Attorney Berkley Brannon of Monterey County said Wednesday. At the time, we did not contact the schools she said she attended to see if they would disclose her records. We did not require that she provide proof of all the extensive professional training and experience listed on her CV (curriculum vitae), Brannon told The Associated Press in an email. Defense lawyers are also investigating her testimony, hoping to glean the extent of her work through county payment records. Brannon said it was not yet clear how often she gave expert testimony. Reade, testifying in December 2018, said: I was just doing the math. Its been over 20 times. A month later, before the same judge and prosecutor, she said the number was I think at least 10. Defense lawyers could seek to have their clients convictions overturned in some or all of those cases, depending on the weight of the other evidence. The statute of limitations for perjury in California is three years, they said. In the December 2018 case, Reades testimony helped send Jennifer Vasquez and Victoria Ramirez to prison for seven years to life in an arson and attempted murder case. The victim, a man, had been in a volatile relationship with Vasquez. He initially told police he saw two women running from the scene, but days later recanted, saying he had instead seen two men, defense lawyers said. She comes to court and says hes probably lying (the second time) because it was a domestic violence situation, said Roland Soltesz, who represented Ramirez. When she started testifying, she immediately started talking about Joe Biden and the Violence Against Women Act. To me, that actually made her sound credible to the jury. A month later, after James Sloop, 41, was convicted of holding his ex-girlfriend against her will, prosecutors sent out a press release that said McCabe, a domestic violence expert, provided critical testimony which aided the jurys understanding as to why victims of domestic violence recant, minimize, and frequently stay in abusive relationships. Sloop is appealing the conviction, which led to a 17-year sentence on a firearm charge and other charges. In both trials, the defense lawyers questioned Reade about her education and experience. Well, I worked originally for former U.S. Senator Joseph Biden as a legislative aide. He worked on the Violence Against Women Act. He was one of the sponsors, Reade testified at Sloop's trial. Do you have an undergraduate degree? Antioch University, she replied, according to the transcript, which the AP obtained. Reade this month has continued to challenge Antiochs statement that she never finished a degree program there. However, she has not been able to produce any documentation. She did complete a law degree from the Seattle University in 2004, but said she never became licensed to practice law. Reade, 56, changed her name to Alexandra McCabe after fleeting an abusive husband in 1996. She later returned to using Reade. Her career experience includes several stints working with domestic violence organizations, along with work with animal rescue groups. Reade earlier this year said that Biden digitally penetrated her and groped her in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building in spring 1993. Biden has vehemently denied her claims, and current and former Biden staffers say they cannot recall such an incident. Last week, as questions about her California court testimony emerged, prominent #MeToo lawyer Douglas Wigdor dropped Reade as a client. Its made my life so difficult in so many ways, but Im doing this for more of an existential reason, and also for my own justice, Reade told the AP this month, explaining her decision to come forward. A spokesperson for Reade did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday. Philadelphia defense lawyer Alan Tauber, who has worked on exoneration cases, said questions about an expert's qualifications can be enough to stain a case." The assumption is if you have an expert here, theyve been vetted, said Tauber, now the citys first assistant public defender. If you were to find one dishonest thing in her credentials, the entire house of cards falls. He has been following in his famous parents' footsteps by carving out a career for himself in the acting industry. And Rocco Ritchie showed off his individual sense of style as he headed out in London with a pal in a nautical inspired outfit on Wednesday. Madonna and Guy Ritchie's son, 19, channeled sailor vibes as he tucked a tight fitting coastal striped T-shirt into his bootleg jeans. Oi Oi sailor! Rocco Ritchie (right) showed off his individual sense of style as he headed out in London with a pal in a nautical inspired outfit on Wednesday He teamed the look with black chunky boots and a brown belt which had a gold buckle. Rocco sported much longer locks, presumably due to the closure of barbers amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The model appeared in high spirits as he chatted away to his friend during the sunny stroll. Nautical: Madonna and Guy Ritchie's son, 19, channeled sailor vibes as he tucked a tight fitting coastal striped T-shirt into his bootleg jeans Style: He teamed the look with black chunky boots and a brown belt which had a gold buckle New hairdo: Rocco sported much longer locks, presumably due to the closure of barbers amidst to the coronavirus pandemic Hungry: The pair headed to artisan bakery Gails for a bit to eat Happy days: The model appeared in high spirits as he chatted away to his friend during the sunny stroll The American-born teenager enrolled into a fine art degree at Central Saint Martins in London last September. Speaking to The Sun last January, an insider said: 'Rocco takes his art really seriously. He had a wayward few years, but now he's dedicated to this new course and feels he really fits in with his course mates. 'Both his parents are pleased he is doing something creative with his time and following his passion.' Close bond with dad: Rocco has been living with Guy in London since the director won a nine-month custody battle over Madonna in 2016 The insider continued: 'He's proved his dedication by attending all his classes and throwing himself into studying. Plus, no one treats him like the son of a superstar he feels like a normal student. 'He is inspired by graffiti artist Banksy and sees himself as a key player in the London art scene in a few years' time.' Madonna and ex husband Guy welcomed Rocco in 2000, with the couple later going on to adopt their Malawian son David Banda, 14, in 2006. They split two years later. Guy is now married to model Jacqui Ainsley, 38. The happy couple, who tied the knot in July 2015, are parents to sons Rafael and Levi, and daughter Rivka. Rocco has been living with Guy in London since the director won a nine-month custody battle over Madonna in 2016. Thursday, May 28th, 2020 (9:00 am) - Score 1,493 New research from Analysys Mason, which was commissioned by Chinese technology firm Huawei (vested interest), has today warned that the United Kingdom and most EU countries will miss the European Commissions (EC) future broadband targets unless they tackle the remaining challenges and barriers being faced by operators. A few years ago the EC proposed several new, albeit non-binding, Gigabit Society targets for all European households to get a minimum download speed of 100Mbps+ by 2025 (this must be upgradable to 1Gbps), with businesses and the public sector being told to expect 1Gbps+ (here). The UK Government has also recently committed 5bn to help cover every home with gigabit-capable broadband by the end of 2025 (here). NOTE: The report focuses on the EU27 countries plus Norway, Switzerland and the UK. The new report Full-fibre access as strategic infrastructure: strengthening public policy for Europe similarly notes that national governments across Europe are increasing investment in fibre broadband ISP networks, but it warns that this alone is unlikely to be enough to achieve the targets. Similarly European regulation has tended to favour fostering retail competition and low prices over long-term investment, which doesnt always help. At present the United Kingdom actually does quite well in terms of so-called superfast (aka NGA) coverage at speeds of 30Mbps+ (around 96-97%), while a little over half of premises can order an ultrafast service of 100Mbps+ (aka VHCN) mostly thanks to FTTP and Virgin Medias hybrid fibre DOCSIS. But sadly full fibre (FTTP) networks can only cover around 14% of premises. We should point out that Virgin Medias on-going DOCSIS 3.1 upgrade will enable 1Gbps+ download speeds to half of all homes by the end of 2021, while all full fibre networks are generally considered to be gigabit-capable by default. Sadly the UKs coverage of VHCN and FTTP remains poor when compared with our peers, with Analysys Mason predicting FTTP alone to reach just c.65% of premises by 2025. The good news is that, over the past few years, weve seen a significant ramping-up of commercial FTTP deployments in the UK. While many of these are still ambitions rather than fully funded plans and therefore may not be realised, the total alternative operator coverage ambition amounts to over 20 million premises, two-thirds of the UK. Openreach has an ambition given the right regulatory circumstances to reach 20 million by the mid to late 2020s, said the report. Much of this progress can be linked back to a combination of various policy / regulatory changes (e.g. making Openreachs existing cable ducts more accessible to rivals) and investment schemes (e.g. the 400m digital infrastructure fund, LFFN, gigabit vouchers, BDUK etc.), which have helped to drive alternative network (AltNet) ISPs to build and these in turn have put pressure on the big operators to go further. All of this investment and progress is very welcome, but Analysys Mason warns that its fragmented nature may pose problems in the future, such as inefficient overbuild (e.g. most of the commercial UK build is in urban areas where overbuild does little to help overall coverage, but it does aid competition for consumers), significant gaps in coverage, and a legacy of different architecture and suppliers that would be difficult to consolidate if that were required. Solving such issues wont be easy and strong competitive interests often have a tendency to turn such efforts into an attempt at herding cats. Nevertheless the new research appears to fancy its chances at the cat herding game and has made several recommendations, which largely focuses upon FTTP as being the best long-term solution. NOTE: Analysys Mason didnt provide a clear bullet-point summary, so weve done our best to piece one together below. Summary of General Recommendations 1. Demand is strong and does not need to be defined solely in terms of bandwidth. Bandwidth demand will move on over time, but fibre itself is a one-off. It is equally vital to recognise the long-term (many decades) advantages in terms of operating efficiency, service possibilities and environmental protection. True technology agnosticism should also encourage as far as possible the full panoply of future-looking technologies (NG-PONs, 5G/6G, Wi-Fi 6/7 and their successors), and of course of services in the digital ecosystem 2. A more dirigiste approach is required (i.e. an economic doctrine in which the state plays a strong directive role). Enabling the conditions for flourishing competition-driven innovation and service improvement is where public money is best spent, and it is to this end that policy should be directed. 3. Policy should treat fibre as infrastructure and should encourage a diversity of vendors, a diversity of operating companies and diversity of services that use it. It should encourage options for access at as low a layer as is feasible: this means a preference for physical infrastructure access or dark fibre access. Public money, where required, should preferably be spent enabling low layer access. 4. In countries, or in regions of countries, with little relevant physical infrastructure, public money may be better spent creating ducts for competing fibre infrastructures. Absence of duct access now looks like the largest single obstacle to FTTP roll-out in the most difficult European countries. 5. As an alternative to duct build, policy should encourage or mandate the building of networks with end-to-end multi-fibre. This is a critical feature of the successful network in Singapore and of the new Open Fibre network in Italy. Layer 1 unbundling worked on copper networks to the benefit of end users (lower prices, less of the artificial price differentiation based on speed typical of Layer 2 bitstream), and there is every reason to believe it also will on FTTP. 6. Where private investment is flourishing, governments should avoid crowding out private investment. However, a completely laissez-faire approach is unlikely to prove optimal in the long run, and risks a re-run of the market failures of CATV roll-out at the end of the last century. In some markets, retro-fitting a more managed approach to fibre, along the lines of the French model with its regional franchises and its de-risking balance of obligations and rewards, may avert inefficient investment and patchy or disappointing outcomes for end users and failures for investors. Oversight of already commercially negotiated shared networks or mutualised access in non-urban areas could be part of this approach, if this ultimately allows public money to be focused on the most economically challenging areas to be covered. 7. Governments should impose stricter and more forward-looking building regulation. FTTP-readiness even before the ODN is built is an obvious place to start. It would be even more future-looking to impose or encourage the installation of mini-OLTs/passive optical LANs across rooms in new buildings, which would be relatively low cost in the context of total construction costs. 8. Governments should take measures to combat the shortage in skilled workforce required for the mass deployment of fibre. Since roll-out has been uneven in Europe, there will be some pools of skilled labour from countries where most of the roll-out has been done. However, the other logical response to construction capacity shortfall is to encourage as far as possible any means that industrialises the process of roll-out, thereby simultaneously digitalising desk-based planning and file-based paperwork, and deskilling and accelerating the rate of roll-out. 9. Governments should consider tax incentives on fibre network build and on fibre customer connections. A copper scrappage scheme with a guaranteed price for scrap should also be considered. We should point out that some aspects of the above are already happening in the UK. For example, on no.4 we already see public money being spent to help build new Dark Fibre networks for the public sector (e.g. Local Full Fibre Networks), which can later be expanded to homes and businesses via private investment. Likewise several new policies are currently being implemented that will help to push fibre into new build homes and existing MDU buildings, which is similar to no.7 above. However other areas, such as combating the shortage of skilled engineers (e.g. no. 8), probably wont be helped by Brexit and COVID-19 related travel restrictions. Speaking of Brexit, the report says it is possible that the UK could push a more pro-investment line after it leaves the EU, but that will not happen immediately and in any case no solid proposals have been set out yet to show how this would work (e.g. we might see more acceptance of closed rather than open access networks where public money is concerned). Finally, theres a brief mention of unbundled fibre (the main suggestion appears to be wavelength unbundling), although we cant see Ofcom putting anything like that forward for quite a few years. Building FTTP is hugely expensive with a long payback window and the regulator has recognised that forcing an operator, such as Openreach, to unbundle FTTP too early would discourage their investment. We should add that the UK market for FTTP is currently shaping up to be much more diverse than the old copper one and unbundling also tends to be quite an expensive approach. Otherwise the full report does make for quite an interesting read. Minneapolis: Minneapolis shuddered with violence overnight, as rioters ignited fires and looted stores all over the city, standing in stark contrast to the mostly peaceful protests outside of a South Side police station over the police killing of George Floyd. The protests were sparked after the police officer was shown on video on Monday pressing his knee into the neck of Floyd, 46, who died in hospital. The video, which stirred a national outcry, shows Floyd lying face down in the street with the white officer pinning his knee against the man's throat. Floyd is heard on the recording gasping for air and groaning, "I can't breathe," before he finally grows still, while onlookers plead with the officer to let him up. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks about the coronavirus response during her weekly news conference with Capitol Hill reporters in Washington May 7, 2020. House Democrats withdrew a bill Thursday to reauthorize foreign surveillance powers as Republicans united to oppose the Senate-passed proposal. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., announced he would pull the legislation Thursday morning after the chamber failed to pass it on Wednesday. As the House considered the measure Wednesday, President Donald Trump pledged to veto it. "At the request of the Speaker of the House, I am withdrawing consideration of the FISA Act," Hoyer said in a written statement. "The two-thirds of the Republican party that voted for this bill in March have indicated they are going to vote against it now. I am told they are doing so at the request of the President. I believe this to be against the security interest of the United States and the safety of the American people." In a letter to colleagues Thursday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats want to go to conference committee negotiations with the Senate to reach a deal on a bill. The House on Wednesday scrapped a plan to vote on a bipartisan amendment to the surveillance powers bill, which was designed to limit warrantless searches of Americans' internet history. The decision not to change legislation the Senate passed this month came as opposition from Republicans and the left wing of the Democratic Party threatened the measure's passage. The bill would reauthorize divisive foreign surveillance tools that aim to help U.S. law enforcement officials track suspected terrorists or spies. Civil liberties advocates have long argued the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act powers give the government too much authority to monitor Americans' communications abroad. Conservatives became more skeptical of the monitoring tools as they alleged abuses during the FBI's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. GOP leaders encouraged members to vote against the proposal after Trump and the Justice Department said they opposed it. "If the FISA Bill is passed tonight on the House floor, I will quickly VETO it," the president wrote Wednesday. "Our Country has just suffered through the greatest political crime in its history. The massive abuse of FISA was a big part of it!" Donald Trump tweet In a follow-up tweet Thursday morning, he thanked Republicans for opposing the bill and argued it would "perpetuate the abuse" of the Russia probe. Donald Trump tweet 2 Trump in particular has targeted the surveillance tools after an inspector general's report outlined issues with applications to monitor former Trump campaign aide Carter Page as part of the investigation. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., had urged Democrats to pull the bill. He contended that if they moved forward with a vote on Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act powers, they would be "playing politics." At the same time, leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus announced their opposition to reauthorizing the powers on Wednesday. Caucus co-Chair Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., said "the people of this country are over-policed & over-surveilled," adding that "I cannot vote to continue and expand that surveillance today." Mark Pocan tweet The House easily passed a largely similar Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reauthorization bill in March. Democratic congressional leaders cited national security concerns as they urged representatives to support the legislation Wednesday. Hoyer conceded the bill is "not perfect." Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. State securities regulators release an annual list of the top 10 investment scams they are combating. While you may think you will never fall for these schemes, remember - the people who were conned didn't think they would be victims either.. Securities fraud costs Americans billions of dollars each year, state securities regulators estimate. While the new list of scams includes repeat offenders, such as trading in foreign currencies, precious metals investing, Ponzi schemes, or risky stocks, the people selling them are moving out of the boiler room and onto Main Street and the internet. A list of the top 10 scams, ranked roughly in order of prevalence or concern, is detailed below. To check out an investment or salesperson, contact your state securities regulator. 1. Unlicensed Individuals, Such as Life Insurance Agents, Selling Securities To verify that a person is licensed or registered to sell securities, call your state securities regulator, or check your state government's website. If the person is not registered, don't invest. 2. Affinity Group Fraud Many scammers use their victim's religious or ethnic identity to gain their trust - knowing that it's human nature to trust people who are like you - and then steal their life savings. From "gifting" programs at some churches to foreign exchange scams targeted at Asian Americans, no group seems to be without con artists who seek to exploit others for financial gain. In Texas, an Indian immigrant who taught Sunday school took fellow Indian parishioners - roughly 40 families in all -- for over $1 million. 3. Currency Scams Currency scams are popular with criminals because trading currencies is an exotic undertaking, has the potential of producing high returns, and has exceptional complexity which seems to give these scams additional credibility with investors. 4. Promissory Notes Short-term debt instruments issued by little-known or sometimes non-existent companies that promise high returns - upwards of 15 percent monthly - with little or no risk. These notes are often sold to investors by independent life insurance agents. In Indiana, 18 elderly investors lost some $1.4 million in a promissory note scam. An 80-year-old woman lost her life savings of $324,000. The perpetrators - who diverted the money to offshore bank accounts, made first-class business trips to China, India and Greece and bought expensive cars - even knelt in prayer with their victims to gain their trust. 5. Internet Fraud Scammers use the wide reach and supposed anonymity of the Internet to "pump and dump" thinly traded stocks, peddle bogus offshore "prime bank" investments and publicize pyramid schemes. Roughly half the states have Internet surveillance programs that watch for fraud or investigate investor complaints. Regulators urge investors to ignore anonymous financial advice on the Internet and in chat rooms. 6. Ponzi/Pyramid Schemes Always in style, these swindles promise high returns to investors, but the only people who consistently make money are the promoters who set them in motion, using money from previous investors to pay new investors. Inevitably, the schemes collapse. Ponzi schemes are the legacy of Italian immigrant Charles Ponzi. In the early 1900s, he took investors for $10 million by promising 40 percent returns from arbitrage profits on International Postal Reply Coupons. 7. "Callable" CDs These higher-yielding certificates of deposit won't mature for 10- to 20 -years, unless the bank, not the investor, "calls," or redeems, them. Redeeming the CD early may result in large losses - upwards of 25 percent of the original investment. In Iowa, for example, a retiree in her 70s invested over $100,000 of her 97-year-old mother's money in three "callable" CDs with 20-year maturities. Her intention, she told her broker, was to use the money to pay her mother's nursing home bills. Regulators say sellers of callable CDs often don't adequately disclose the risks and restrictions. 8. Annuities Annuities can be an investment scam when financial advisors replace your current annuities with inferior products so they can generate a new round of commissions from your assets.. 9. Prime Bank Schemes Scammers promise investors triple-digit returns through access to the investment portfolios of the world's elite banks. Purveyors of these schemes often target conspiracy theorists, promising access to the "secret" investments used by the Rothschilds or Saudi royalty. In North Dakota, state securities regulators are alleging a small group of salesmen, including a local pastor, used religion and family ties to bilk investors out of $2 million in a prime bank scam. 10. Investment Seminars Often the people getting rich are those running the seminar, making money from admission fees and the sale of books and audiotapes. These seminars are marketed through newspaper, radio and TV ads and "infomercials" on cable television. Regulators urge investors to be extremely skeptical about any get-rich-quick scheme. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true - it probably is. Know All Your Legal Rights and Benefits Be aware and get what you are entitled to. Keep up with all the legal benefits available to you as a service member, veteran or spouse and get updates delivered straight to your inbox by subscribing to Military.com. Houstons two major pediatric hospitals are treating children with the inflammatory syndrome linked to the coronavirus, officials at those institutions said Thursday, the areas first examples of the mysterious condition now surfacing around the nation. Texas Childrens and Childrens Memorial Hermann hospital officials said Thursday several patients have or are suspected to have whats known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. The syndrome has emerged in recent weeks as the most serious coronavirus-associated threat to kids. Previously, children seemed to escape great risk from the virus, which causes COVID-19. Thankfully, we were prepared for this, having first heard about it a month ago from colleagues in Europe, said Dr. Daniel Penny, Texas Childrens chief of cardiology. We were terrified at the prospect of COVID-19 in children, then breathed a sigh of relief when so few became infected. It turns out there is the MIS-C risk, but so far were pleased with how our cases are going. Penny said the Texas Childrens patients, fewer than 10, are on the road to recovery. Some were critically ill at one point. Childrens Memorial Hermann has treated several patients suspected to have MIS-C and all have recovered, a spokeswoman said. MIS-C is considered quite rare, though there are few official numbers at this point, some two weeks after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began recognizing the illness as associated with the coronavirus. The recognition came after cases began surfacing in New York City, now at nearly 100 confirmed cases and another roughly 100 suspected cases. Texas department of health said Thursday no cases reported to the agency have met their definition of MIS-C, even though Cook Childrens Hospital in Fort Worth publicly announced four cases Tuesday. Penny said Texas Childrens has reported cases it has confirmed to the CDC. Penny said MIS-C is characterized by an exaggerated inflammatory response, something like an autoimmune disease, wherein the body, not the virus, attacks the tissue. He said it most often occurs after the virus is gone. Texas Childrens diagnosed MIS-C after its testing found those patients had antibodies to the virus that is, that theyd previously mounted an immune response. Symptoms include high fever; a rash on the chest, back and abdomen; red eyes; swelling and inflammation of the mouth, lips and throat; enlarged lymph glands in the neck; and redness and swelling of the hands and feet, according to the statement. Texas Childrens is bringing back patients it previously treated for COVID-19 to conduct follow-up testing to ensure theres no delayed effect suggesting MIS-C. It also issued a statement encouraging parents to call their pediatrician if their child exhibits MIS-C symptoms. Pediatricians compare MIS-C to another rare illness called Kawasaki disease, which causes the patients blood vessels to become inflamed. That condition usually resolves in days to weeks, though Penny called it a severe illness that is one of the more common causes of acquired heart disease in children. Key distinctions between the two diseases, Penny said, are that MIS-C can affect older children teenagers, as opposed to kids younger than 8 and is characterized by abdominal pain more often than that symptom is seen in Kawasaki. Penny, also a Baylor College of Medicine professor of pediatrics said MIS-C appears to surface in a community at least a month after the virus begins circulating and diagnosed in adults. He said genetics likely explain which children develop the condition. todd.ackerman@chron.com Dismissed, Serving Soldiers Apprehended With 24 Sacks Of Indian Hemp In Lagos A man said to be a dismissed soldier and his accomplice who claims to be a serving soldier have been arrested by the police in Lagos State with 1,200 kilogrammes of substance suspected to be Indian hemp. The image-maker in charge of the state police command, Bala Elkana, confirmed the arrest but could not ascertain if the soldier had been dismissed. The two suspects were arrested with 24 sacks loaded with the substance. The suspected dismissed soldier, Okoliko Andrew and the serving soldier, Idowu Adebayo, were arrested by the operatives of the state task force in the Ikorodu area of the state. Tribune Online gathered that the duo were intercepted while driving through the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) corridor around Itowolo area of Ikorodu. The police task force team, while questioning them for taking the BRT corridor, perceived Indian hemp in their vehicle. The duo introduced themselves as soldiers but the dismissed soldier could not convince the policemen which division he was attached to, raising suspicion on his identity. Elkana told Tribune Online that the police intercepted the men while driving two vehicles: a Toyota Corolla with registration number CE APP 903FR and a Peugeot 307 with registration CB 686 ABJ. According to the police image-maker, the suspects claimed they were to deliver the substance to someone at Sura Market at Lagos Island and that the owner promised to pay them N50,000 after delivering them. Four Denver-based companies won SBIR contracts in a recent round of tech innovation funding conducted by the US Air Force. The contracts, totaling a quarter of a million dollars in non-dilutive funding, represent the tip of the iceberg for these local companies' opportunity with the Department of Defense. Greetly, Invictus Health, the Fluency Score and Link to Learn will each leverage their own "Phase I" SBIR contracts to unlock continued opportunities to bring private sector innovation to the DoD. Phase II funding, starting at $750,000 per contract, is only available to Phase I awardees. These awards also allow the Department of Defense to sign single-source contract with these innovators. Beth McKeon, founder of The Fluency Score, explained how the SBIR opportunity has unfolded for her company: "Just a month into our Phase I AFWERX contract, we've started building relationships with an entirely new customer base within the Department of Defense that need The Fluency Score just like our private sector clients. And they are motivated to help startups succeed in the government environment." Companies entering the world of government contracting through this "open innovation" call bring new solutions and the agility of the private sector to the DoD. Also among these Denver startups, Invictus Health is a company founded by combat veterans to more effectively treat traumatic brain injuries, at a fraction of the cost of traditional treatments. Greetly provides the only fully customizable visitor management system (VMS) in the world. The organizations digital receptionist app securely manages visiting customers, vendors, interview candidates, deliveries, facility tours and several other types of scheduled entries into facilities. The company offers the Air Force the ability to tailor Greetlys services to meet the agencys precise needs. Our entire team is honored to have earned the SBIR contract and are proud the United States Air Force will leverage our VMS by utilizing our technologys unmatched customizable capability to advance the security of those entering and exiting government facilities and military posts, said Dave Milliken, Founder of Greetly. Link to Learn's contract was awarded for their REAL (Realistic Enhanced Augmented Learning); a learning platform that delivers a "train like you fight" combat casualty care experience by merging hands-on cadaveric skills practice with augmented reality. A British woman who was allowed to fly into South Australia from the UK to visit her dying father has tested positive to coronavirus - the first case in the state in 19 days. The woman aged in her 50s was given an exemption by the state government to travel on compassionate grounds to visit her terminally ill father. She flew into Melbourne where she spent just one week quarantined in a hotel and tested negative to COVID-19. She then flew to South Australia on Sunday and was tested again at Adelaide Airport before returning a positive result on Monday. State health officials have since defended the decision to allow the woman in, adding there had been 22 exemptions allowing international travellers into South Australia. A woman in her 50s tested positive to coronavirus after travelling from the UK to South Australia on an exemption to visit her dying father 'It wasn't as if she was coming to Adelaide and was going to be wandering around,' South Australian Premier Steven Marshall told Today on Thursday. 'In fact, we put together a program. We have done this before on compassionate grounds where she would be monitored. 'She would come in, she would be in isolation, she would visit her loved one and remain secluded from the people of South Australia on the way in and around the city.' Mr Marshall said the woman didn't know she had the virus but was now unable to visit her father and was in isolation. On Wednesday the Premier said that a plan was put in place to ensure there was no risk of infection. 'I think we've got to have a heart,' he said. South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said 'we've got to have a heart' when it comes to giving people exemptions to travel 'Every time we have granted an exemption on compassionate grounds we've put together a plan which does not allow the person coming to South Australia to essentially go out into the general public.' Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said out of the exemptions given to foreigners, half had been for terminally ill relatives and the other for funerals. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement She said that due to an 'administrative oversight', South Australian officials were unaware of what date the woman was arriving in the state. 'Due to an administrative oversight, we can confirm the relevant flight details involving an overseas traveller arriving in South Australia were provided to SA Health prior to their arrival,' she said in the statement. 'What this issue has highlighted is the need to strengthen the processes involving travellers arriving from overseas and travelling between states during their quarantine period.' Dr Spurrier said everyone who had been in close contact with the British woman would be tested. 'We've been able to reduce the number of close contacts down to 19, but we're still trying to contact a couple of people and I suspect it may be even lower than that,' she said. 'All of those people have been put into quarantine and I'm confident we won't have any chains of transmission.' The woman is South Australia's only active case. Nearly half of churchgoers say they haven't watched any online service in past 4 weeks Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Nearly half of churchgoers haven't watched an online service in the last four weeks, and among those who have, only 40% say they've been watching services from their regular home church, according to recent polling data. The new data from the Barna Group was highlighted in a blog post by Carey Nieuwhof, a former lawyer and founding pastor of Connexus Church in Ontario, Canada. In the post, Nieuwhof noted that 48% of churchgoers reported that they had not watched any church online in the last four weeks. Less than half of the remaining 52% who did watch church online said they watched the service of their own church, with a surprising 23% reporting that they streamed a different church online, Nieuwhof said. And while some church leaders have been clamoring for churches to be allowed to reopen their buildings to re-start in-person services, Nieuwhof said research also shows that not everyone plans on rushing back to the pews. As tempting as it will be to reopen the doors and believe everyone is coming back, the data (right now) shows thats probably not the case, Nieuwhof noted. To begin, social distancing makes full rooms impossible and, until its safe to do mass gatherings, unwise. Full rooms are months away, if not longer. He cited recent polling data from personal growth platform Gloo from thousands of church leaders showing that there is little consensus on when it will be safe to gather again in public. Only 21.5% of pastors said a low community level of coronavirus cases would be a good time for them to reopen for services again. Some 17% said only when social distancing and stay at home guidelines are lifted, while 14% said when local businesses are open. Another 8% noted that the opening of local restaurant seating would be a good sign to reopen. Smaller percentages of pastors said they first wanted to see either widely available testing, the reopening of schools, or a vaccine before they would hold in-person services. Some 15% required all of those conditions to be met, while some 10% said they just werent sure when they would reopen. Prepare yourself for the emotional letdown of a staggered and less than optimal return. I know what it feels like to be hoping for a full room in normal conditions and seeing empty seats, Nieuwhof wrote to church leaders. That may be the reality for a while to come. My guess is a lot of leaders are struggling with the lack of normal more deeply than they realize. Get counseling, talk to a friend, pray and prepare yourself for a longer period of disruption than you want. Thats what leadership requires sometimes, he noted. Nieuwhof further noted that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has fast-tracked the digital shift in many industries, including the church world, and predicts that growing churches in the future will become digital organizations with physical expressions, not physical organizations with a digital presence. I realize there will be many who push back against this, but its foolish to ignore the fact that people connect more easily online and often admit the truth more readily online than they do in-person (that might not be right, but, as this Stanford research shows, it is often true), he wrote. To put digital church back on the shelf in the new normal is to ignore the greatest opportunity the church today has to reach people. MBABANE - Are employees of SMVAF susceptible to attacks? This is because hardly a year after an employee of the same institution was kidnapped, robbed of his motor vehicle and murdered, yet another employee has survived an attack while in her house located in one of the suburbs on Tuesday night. It is said that the female employee, who holds a managerial position, was accosted by an unknown man while entering her house. SMVA stands for Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accidents Fund. The name of the manager has been withheld for ethical reasons. A source close to the matter stated that upon arrival in the house, the unsuspecting employee spent a few minutes putting away her stuff, but little did she know that there was an intruder hiding in the house. Attacked The source claimed that it was when the employee went to the toilet that the prowler attacked her. It is said that the employee begged the intruder to spare her life. It was then that the intruder informed her that he had been sent by certain people to kidnap her. The intruder told the employee that he had been sent by certain people to tie her up and take her away. The trespasser did not state why the employee was wanted kidnapped. He only stated that the kidnapping was work-related. He said he was told to tie her up and alert the people who had sent him immediately after the mission had been accomplished, said the source. Prior to the attack on the employee, she had been in constant communication with her husband, who was at their matrimonial homestead in the Manzini Region. However, it is said that there was a period when the employee couldnt respond to the calls from her husband, something which raised suspicions. The husband is said to have requested neighbours to check on her. The husband was called to verify the information. *Musa confirmed that he got suspicious when his wife could not take his calls. I called my neighbours to check on her because I couldnt reach her on her mobile number. I believe that the intruder would have succeeded with his plan had it not been for the prompt response by the neighbours, said Musa. Neighbours He stated that the intruder tried in vain to beat the intelligence of the neighbours when they knocked on the door as he shouted who are you, as per information he also got from his wife who narrated the whole ordeal to him. Musa mentioned that his wife got the opportunity to scream at this moment. He believes that the neighbours then tried to force their way in after hearing the screams and seeing that he had no option, the intruder jumped through the window and fled the scene. We later discovered that the intruder left with a laptop. This has left us with the impression that they wanted information contained in the laptop. We are concerned about this because it is not the first time an employee of the institution was attacked while in their house. This attack happened at a time when they were eagerly awaiting the outcome of the investigation in relation to the kidnapping of the other employee, he said. Musa stated that judging from the manner in which the offence occurred, the prowler gained entry by forcefully breaking the door leading to their residence in the capital city. He suspected that while waiting for his prey, the burglar hosted a mini party. The source, when giving further details about the incident, claimed that it also appeared that the intruder ate the food he found inside the house and further drank some alcoholic beverages. It was, however, not clear where he got the alcohol from, according to the source. Police The source stated that when police arrived at the residence and after recording a statement, it was noted that the intention of the man was not to hurt the woman, but to take work-related gadgets, which he had been ordered to forcefully take from her. SMVAF Corporate Communications Manager Makhosi Magongo said the unfortunate incident had been reported to the office of the human resources. He said to their understanding, police were investigating the circumstances surrounding the break-in. So far, we are unaware of any work matter or issue that connects the fund to this unfortunate incident and are dependent on the law enforcement agencies to deal speedily with this matter, he said. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the information had not reached her office when this report was compiled after 7pm. *Not real names Cars enter the Piedmont Urgent Care at Oconee Health Campus in Watkinsville, Georgia on Friday, March 20, 2020. The clinic is offering testing for COVID-19 for patients with an appointment. (Photo/Taylor Gerlach) Kyle Sandilands has been warned by doctors that he could 'die on the toilet' due to his high blood pressure. The 48-year-old radio host revealed the worrying news on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Thursday. Kyle said his doctor had warned him of the dangers of defecating with high blood pressure, and also instructed him not to exert himself physically, take drugs, exercise or have sex. 'A lot of people die on the s**tter': Kyle Sandilands revealed on Thursday he had been warned by doctors that he could 'die on the toilet' due to his high blood pressure 'He said sex and going for a number two on the toilet is when your blood pressure really elevates. A lot of people die on the s**tter, like Elvis,' Kyle said. 'Every time I'm doing a s**t Iim thinking, "Is this going to be it?"' 'I'm thinking of it every day. Youve got to go to the bathroom but I'm paranoid about it.' Fears: 'Every time I'm doing a s**t I'm thinking, "Is this going to be it?"' he admitted. Pictured in Sydney on July 29, 2009 The shock jock said he would be 'humiliated' to die on the toilet, and has already warned his manager to roll him off the porcelain throne and put his body somewhere else in the bathroom if it ever happens. Kyle also offered an update on his health on Thursday, telling listeners he has been scheduled for a colonoscopy in two weeks' time. He made the admission while speaking to a nurse about the controversial pay freeze for public servants announced by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday. He made light of the upcoming endoscopic examination, saying he would probably need 'extra lube' to ensure his comfort. Procedure: Kyle also offered an update on his health, telling listeners on Thursday he has been scheduled for a colonoscopy in two weeks' time A colonoscopy is the main test used to investigate or diagnose bowel cancer, according to the Cancer Council Australia website. A tiny camera at the end of a long flexible tube, known as a colonoscope, is used to examine the entire length of the large bowel. Colonoscopies are usually performed so doctors can look for signs of cancers and other problems; investigate unexplained changes in bowel habits; evaluate symptoms of abdominal pain or bleeding; or discover why a patient is experiencing weight loss, chronic constipation or diarrhoea. Kyle's manager, Bruno Bouchet, told Daily Mail Australia: 'Just like everyone else in his age group, Kyles getting a regular check up.' Health issues: Kyle, who has a history of health problems, disclosed on 60 Minutes on Sunday that his blood pressure was so high his death could come 'at any moment' In November, he revealed on air he had been suffering from an extremely bad case of diarrhoea, which he compared to expelling 'hot fluid. He explained a doctor had visited him at his Los Angeles home and told him to 'keep drinking water', but nothing was working. Kyle, who has a history of health problems, disclosed on 60 Minutes on Sunday that his blood pressure was so high his death could come 'at any moment'. 'I could die - that means at any stage at any time day or night,' he said. 'I could die - that means at any stage at any time day or night,' an emotional Kyle admitted He showed 60 Minutes host Karl Stefanovic how his home blood pressure machine could not even give a reading because his pressure was so high. On May 1, he weighed himself on air and revealed he tipped the scales at 146kg - sixteen kilograms heavier than the last time he'd weighed himself. 'Yep, I've gone up a bit!' he said at the time. 'I've gone from 130kg to 146kg... I haven't done a s**t yet, mind you.' The federal government has unveiled the details of its plan to employ at 1,000 persons from each of the 774 local government areas in the country. The initiative will start October 1 and each beneficiary will be paid N20,000 monthly to carry out public works, the minister of state for labour and employment, Festus Keyamo, announced Thursday. Mr Keyamo provided more details of the programme, saying each state will have a committee to choose those to be employed and the jobs they will perform. He said political leaders in all areas will be allowed to select not more than 10 per cent of the beneficiaries in their areas. Read Mr Keyamos speech at a press conference below: PROTOCOLS It is my singular honour and pleasure to welcome members of the Press to this briefing. Sometime in October, 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, approved a Pilot Special Public Works Programme in the Rural Areas. The programme was domiciled in the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) for implementation. The Special Public Works in the Rural Areas is an employment- intensive technique acquired and adapted by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) from one of the capacity-building collaborations with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the late 1980s to the middle of the 1990s. The Project was tagged ILO/NDE Labour Based/ Light Equipment Methods of Construction, Rehabilitation and maintenance of Public Infrastructure. The ILO itself derived this idea of Special Public Works programme from several historical templates. According to the Development and Technical Labour Department of the ILO, these types of programmes were used during the Great Depression by industrialised nations to immediately respond to grinding poverty at the lowest level of society that normally bore the brunt of such economic upheavals. It was also effectively used during colonial Africa to quickly respond to situations such as drought and famine by mobilising the unskilled populace to engage in other labour intensive infrastructural projects as a means of immediately alleviating their situation. The concept was later adopted and developed by most Asian countries like India, China and Bangladesh to lift their countries out of the league of poor nations. This programme was one of the main reasons India quickly dropped in the poverty index and Nigeria overtook India at a point. READ ALSO: Consequently and arising from the need and desire of the Federal Government to create massive jobs at the lowest rung of the economy as well as to maintain critical public and social infrastructure at the rural base of the economy, Mr. President has approved that we also adopt and integrate this type of programme into the Nigerian economy. The pilot programme earlier approved by Mr. President was designed to mitigate lack of job opportunities in the rural areas through a short-term engagement of One thousand (1,000) unemployed persons per Local Government Area for a period of three (3) months. It is a dry season/off season transient job programme and was originally designed for the rehabilitation/maintenance of public and social infrastructure. Participants were to be paid an allowance of N20,000 monthly and were to be recruited largely from the pool of unskilled persons ordinarily resident in those rural areas. This pilot scheme was approved to be implemented in five local government areas in eight states namely: Adamawa, Borno, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Katsina and Kwara. Beneficiaries are engaged in: Drainage digging and clearance Irrigation canals clearance Rural feeder road maintenance Maintenance of the Great Green Wall nurseries and orchards in Borno, Jigawa and Katsina States Traffic control Street cleaning Cleaning of public infrastructure like Health Centres, Schools and the likes. A total of 40,000 direct transient jobs were expected to be created in the eight pilot states. EXTENDED SPECIAL PUBLIC WORKS ACROSS THE 774 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF THE FEDERATION You will recall that on Monday 6th of April, 2020, the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning in a Press conference, announced the approval of Mr President for the extension of this programme to all 36 states and the FCT from October- December 2020 as a means of mitigating the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy. Advertisements The Programme is also expected to provide modest stipends for itinerant workers to undertake roads rehabilitation and social housing construction, urban and rural sanitation, health extension and other critical services. Hence the directive of Mr President for the NDE to collaborate with other Ministries with rural components in their mandates. Consequently and in exercise of my powers as Supervising Minister under Section 16 (1) of the NDE Act, I inaugurated a Special Inter-ministerial Committee on the Extended Special Public Works on Wednesday, 29th April, 2020. Let me pause here briefly to profusely thank Mr President for giving me the special and onerous task of supervising the preparation and execution of this special project in addition to being the supervising Minister of the NDE. This Committee sat for some weeks and in their collaborative capacity they have proposed a list of projects within their Ministries that may require the intervention of the Public Works Programme. Over 3,000 projects and 42,000 Manpower are being proposed by them. In a Steering capacity, the Committee has also made certain recommendations to me. Having reviewed all the recommendations of this Inter-ministerial Committee, I believe that the selection of the beneficiaries and projects should be a local affair and not be done from a room in Abuja. Consequently, in line with Section 16(1) of the N.D.E Act, I have decided to constitute special committees in each State of the Federation for the purpose of deliberating, selecting and recommending to my office the names of the 1,000 persons from each of the Local Government Areas in the States to be engaged for this programme. The Committees would also identify the projects to be executed in those L.G.As. These special committees would be known as the State Selection Committees of the Special Public Works (SPW). It shall be a 20-member Committee comprising of the following persons: (1) A Chairman and Vice-Chairman who shall be indigenes of that State or who are ordinarily resident in that State. (2) The State Co-ordinator of the N.D.E of that State who will be the Secretary. (3) One representative of the Governor of that State. (4) The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria of that State or his representative/nominee. (5) The State Chairman of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs or his representative/nominee. (6) The State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers or his representative/nominee. (7) The market woman leader in that State (8) Three persons (one from each Senatorial District) representing the traditional institutions in that State. (9) Two persons (one male and one female) from each of the Senatorial District of the State (that is six persons) representing prominent youth organisations in those States. (10) A representative of a prominent Civil Society Organisation of that State. (11) Two persons representing some peculiar interests in those States. I wish to quickly note at this point that this is a distinct and separate Committee from the State Advisory Committee under section 5(2) of the N.D.E Act whose functions are different. Let me state clearly that all members of the State Selection Committees would not be persons holding any official position in any of the registered political parties. If any of those listed also doubles as an official of any political party, then the State Chairman of the Selection Committee of the SPW shall fill that position with another person representing that interest. We have stated this in order to make this process as apolitical as possible. However, we are not unmindful of the fact that political office holders are also representatives of the people. We cannot also totally ignore them in the selection process. We are only trying to guard against some of us hijacking the process solely to service our political interests. As a result and because of the need to be honest before Nigerians, the State Selection Committees would be instructed to allot to political office holders like our distinguished Senators, Honourable members, Ministers and Governors, a number in total not exceeding ten percent of the total beneficiaries in that State. This is to ensure that majority of Nigerians who do not belong to any of the political divide actually benefit substantially from this programme. I am also pleased to inform you that for the purpose of transparency and accountability in the process, the President has approved the use of select banks to register and collate data of the beneficiaries. The banks will open accounts for all beneficiaries and in the process obtain BVN for those without accounts. Consequently, all payments would be made from the CBN directly to the accounts of the beneficiaries. The banks will also simultaneously register the participants for the Special Works Programme. Apart from the transparency and accountability this will achieve, one of the benefits of the exercise is that more Nigerians would be captured in the financial system thereby enhancing the financial inclusion drive of Government. Eventually, the data collated by the banks would be passed on to my office for use in the programme implementation. It is important to note that this data to be collected would be used for other multifarious purposes relating to employment and social surveys. Already the National Bureau of Statistics, through the Federal Ministry of Finance, has requested for an allotment of ten persons each from the 1,000 persons in each Local Government Areas to carry out special social surveys and data collation by the Bureau. For the ease of supervision and monitoring of such a large programme, the President has also approved the deployment of online technology. The technology will allow for robust supervision of ongoing works in various local government areas, a reliable tracking system for all man and materials used and a robust real-time monitoring system through online feedback mechanism from citizens, stakeholders and managers of the programme. We are already at an advanced stage of discussions and negotiations with selected banks that will help us to capture, register and open bank accounts for all the beneficiaries. In the next few weeks, we shall be back here with the banks to explain to Nigerians the operational modalities. This programme is one of the biggest social intervention schemes to be carried out within a short period of time by any government in the history of Nigeria. It is also unique because it is the very first direct employment scheme of any government that targets the very bottom of the economy. Other intervention programmes have been in form of empowerments. This shows the proclivity of this President to protect and identify with the very poor. The programme starts on the 1st of October, 2020 and we are already tight on schedule. In the next two weeks we will empanel and empower all the State Selection Committees so they can commence the onerous task of selection of beneficiaries and projects locally. A website would be developed immediately where information such as composition and contact of the Selection Committees, list of the selected beneficiaries and chosen projects would be displayed for the public. We do not want any pressure and lobbying to be directed at my office. We are passing on the responsibilities to the States Selection Committees. When we publish the names, everybody would know who to contact in their different States to make their cases for inclusion. From now till the end of the projects, I will be holding regular press briefings to update members of the public on progress so far made. Thank you. FESTUS KEYAMO, SAN, FCIArb (UK) Honourable Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. By Jason Schreier and Takashi Mochizuki Sony Corp. is planning a digital event to showcase games for its next-generation PlayStation 5 console that may take place as early as next week, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The virtual event could be held June 3, though some people also cautioned that plans have been in flux and that the date may change. Other PlayStation 5 events may follow in the coming weeks and months, and Sony is not expected to reveal every essential detail on the console during its first presentation. READ: PS5 technical specs unveiled: Zen 2, RDNA 2 and up to 10.3 Teraflops of power The Japanese tech giant has only let out a trickle of information on the PlayStation 5 so far, which the company says remains on track for release this holiday season despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief Executive Officer Kenichiro Yoshida said earlier this month that Sony will soon be announcing a strong lineup of PS5 games. READ: Sony is struggling with PlayStation 5 price due to costly parts June is traditionally highlighted by the biggest games industry conference, E3 in Los Angeles, but that was canceled this year due to the spread of the virus. In response, Sony and many game publishers are refashioning their promotional plans around streamed online presentations. While only a small circle within Sony are privy to the appearance of the PS5 console, the controller has been shared with outside developers and, fearing it wouldnt be able to control leaks, the company made it public in early April. Fans have been eager to hear about the lineup of video games that will launch alongside the console and later. Microsoft Corp., Sonys most direct rival in the console wars, has put out regular streams and updates about the upcoming Xbox Series X, which is also planned for release this fall. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 00:49:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The Legislative Council (LegCo) of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday resumed the second reading debate on the National Anthem Bill and will continue the debate on Thursday as the procedure is not finished. Martin Liao Cheung-kong, chairman of the LegCo committee responsible for the bill, said at the meeting that the national anthem is the national symbol and sign according to the Constitution and Hong Kong bears the constitutional responsibility for the legislation, which implies the importance of respecting the national anthem. "We lawmakers should review the bill rationally and should not politicize it," Liao said. Lawmaker Tony Tse Wai-chuen said many western countries have passed such legislation to protect their national flag, emblem and anthem and have made deliberate insults to national symbols a criminal offence. The bill is aimed at safeguarding national dignity, rather than limiting the freedom of speech and thought. Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR government Matthew Cheung said at a press briefing on Wednesday that Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China and also stressed Hong Kong's constitutional responsibility for enacting the related law to the national anthem. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of the HKSAR government Erick Tsang said the main spirit of the bill is to let Hong Kong citizens respect the national anthem. Hong Kong will make steady social and economic progress when national security is safeguarded, and social order and security are guaranteed, Tsang said. China's National Anthem Law came into force in the mainland in 2017 and then the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress adopted the decision to add the law to Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law. In accordance with Article 18 of the Basic Law, the national laws listed in Annex III to the Basic Law shall be applied locally by way of promulgation or legislation by the HKSAR. The HKSAR government started to push for the legislation at the beginning of 2018 and the LegCo finished the first reading and entered the second reading in January 2019. The second reading that should be resumed in June 2019 had been postponed due to social unrest and the deadlock in the LegCo's House Committee. China's National Flag Law and National Emblem Law were included in Annex III to the Basic Law in 1997. The National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance of the HKSAR took effect on July 1, 1997. Enditem Los Angeles police shot a man armed with a "sword-type weapon" in North Hollywood after responding to a call of a dispute between neighbors, the LAPD said. (Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles police officers fatally shot a man who was wielding a bladed weapon, the LAPD said. At 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, officers were called to the 6400 block of Elmer Avenue in North Hollywood for a dispute between neighbors. When they arrived, they tried to approach the home of Rommel Mendoza, 50, who was "screaming at the officers from inside the home," the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. Mendoza came out of his house holding a "wide bladed sword" and "ordered the officers to shoot him," the LAPD said. The officers drew back to the street, radioed for backup and took cover behind some cars, according to the department. Mendoza came out on the street, still carrying the sword, the LAPD said. Despite "numerous commands" to stop, Mendoza refused to surrender and advanced toward the officers, prompting them to open fire both with less-lethal munitions and live rounds, the LAPD said. Paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department pronounced Mendoza dead at the scene. No officers were injured. The shooting is under review by a specialized LAPD unit that investigates fatal police shootings. The agency's inspector general is monitoring the investigation. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 00:24:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- "National security is like the air. Without it, no one can survive," said Witman Hung, a national lawmaker from Hong Kong. -- For the next step, the National People's Congress will entrust its standing committee to make national security laws to be promulgated and enforced in Hong Kong. -- "One country, two systems" will not be changed. By Xinhua writers Xu Lingui, Zhang Bowen, Fang Dong, Li Zhihui BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- China is set to make Hong Kong national security laws as a related decision was adopted at the national legislature on Thursday. The decision will also allow the central government's national security organs to set up agencies in Hong Kong when needed. Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) voted overwhelmingly to approve the decision at the closing meeting of the NPC annual session. Rounds of applause erupted in the Great Hall of the People when the decision was passed. The closing meeting of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) The NPC Decision on Establishing and Improving the Legal System and Enforcement Mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to Safeguard National Security consists of an introduction and seven articles. The decision was made to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, uphold and improve "one country, two systems," safeguard Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, and guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong residents, says the introduction. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said the decision "serves the fundamental interests of all Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots." For the next step, the NPC will entrust its standing committee to make national security laws to be promulgated and enforced in Hong Kong. HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam welcomed the move and said the HKSAR government will fully cooperate with the NPC Standing Committee to complete relevant legislation as soon as possible. On Thursday, Lam took part in a public campaign in Hong Kong to support the national security legislation. In less than five days, more than 1.85 million Hong Kong residents have signed a petition supporting the legislation. "NATIONAL SECURITY IS LIKE THE AIR" The legislative move came after prolonged social unrest and escalating street violence had plunged Hong Kong into the gravest situation since its return to the motherland in 1997. Hong Kong had witnessed rampant activities of "Hong Kong independence" organizations and violent radicals as well as blatant interference by external forces. Residents clear roadblocks and debris near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong, south China, Nov. 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) Presenting the draft to the national legislature last week, senior legislator Wang Chen said increasingly notable national security risks in Hong Kong have become a prominent problem. There are apparent "weak links" in Hong Kong's existing legal system and enforcement mechanisms in safeguarding national security, said Wang, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee. Considering Hong Kong's situation at present, efforts must be made at the state level to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security, he said. "National security is like the air. Without it, no one can survive," said Witman Hung, an NPC deputy from the HKSAR. "The NPC decision comes at the right time." PURVIEW OF CENTRAL AUTHORITIES Alan Hoo, chairman of the Basic Law Institute in Hong Kong, said national security legislation is a state legislative power no matter a country adopts the unitary or federal system. National security laws can be found in both common law and continental law systems. Hong Kong, he said, cannot remain unguarded. In an online article on the issue, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng of the HKSAR government said national security is a matter of national interest that concerns the whole population of China and falls squarely within the purview of the central authorities. Cheng stressed that it is fundamental to recognize that the central authorities hold the ultimate responsibility for national security in all local administrative regions. A resident writes down his signature in a street campaign in support of the national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Hong Kong, south China, May 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu) TINY NUMBER OF "TROUBLEMAKERS" TARGETED The decision says the country will prevent, stop and punish acts and activities endangering national security. The country will also resolutely oppose the interference in Hong Kong affairs by any foreign or external forces in any form and will take necessary countermeasures, it adds. Tam Yiu-chung, a member of the NPC Standing Committee, said the legislation does not target the ordinary Hong Kong residents but "a tiny number" of people suspected of endangering national security. Illegal activities particularly mentioned include splitting the country, subverting state power, organizing and carrying out terrorist activities, as well as interfering in Hong Kong affairs by foreign and external forces. The law-based freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly enjoyed by Hong Kong residents will not be disturbed, their daily lives will not be affected, and the security of their property will continue to be protected, Tam said. People from all walks of life attend a campaign in support of the national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Hong Kong, south China, May 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai) "ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS" NOT CHANGED Under "one country, two systems," Hong Kong, as a special administrative region of China, has a high degree of autonomy and retains its own capitalist system and lifestyle. Speaking to the press after the legislative session, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said "one country, two systems" is China's basic state policy, and the decision is designed for the policy's steady implementation. Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority Eddie Yue said the legislation will not bring any change to the fundamentals of Hong Kong's monetary and financial system. The free flow of capital and free convertibility of the Hong Kong dollar will continue to be safeguarded by the Basic Law of the HKSAR, Yue said. Neither will the legislation change Hong Kong's legal system. "Under the Basic Law, judicial independence is guaranteed, and this will continue as before," said Grenville Cross, former director of public prosecutions of Hong Kong. Enditem (Video reporters: Lin Ning, Wan Houde, Qiu Bo, Fang Dong, Zhou Jinming, Pan Xu, Di Chun, Zhang Ruoxuan. Video editor: Wei Yin) DENVER, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Curu, an automated lead recovery solution enabling lenders to fund more loans, announced the close of its $3M seed round led by Vestigo Ventures, a leading fintech firm based in Boston, MA. Vestigo Ventures was joined by Harlem Capital, Matchstick Ventures, Carolina Fintech Ventures, Techstars Ventures, Holt Accelerator, Chingona Ventures, and Upscale Fund. Curu is committed to solving the applicant retention problem for lenders by helping them to expand their total available market, reduce their customer acquisition costs, and fund more loans by improving applicant eligibility in as little as 90 days. The fintech startup intends to utilize seed funding to scale its solution via integrations with banks, credit unions, and online lenders across North America. "Curu is on a mission to provide a path to financial wellness for those without one. Our B2B SaaS platform replaces lenders' traditional rejection emails with a retention-driving Approval Dashboard where applicants can see where they fell short and follow customized steps toward eligibility," said Abb Kapoor , Co-Founder, and COO. "We are beyond excited to close this round and partner with our new investors. Each has unique expertise that complements Curu's business objectives and goal to become the standard lead recovery solution for all lenders. As COVID-19 sweeps the globe, the need for credit has spiked, yet the bridge between lenders and borrowers is longer than ever before. The entire team is ready to make a massive impact on the lending space improving outcomes for both lenders and applicants," said David Potter , Co-Founder and CEO. This round follows Curu's pre-seed raise, which closed in September of 2019. In just nine months, Curu successfully repositioned its direct-to-consumer application to an integrated SaaS product offering for banks, lenders, and credit unions. In March, Curu went live with its first enterprise partner, Bank Novo, and has just launched with its second partner, LendKey this month. To learn more about Curu and request a demo, visit https://www.CuruCredit.com . About Curu: Curu is an automated lead recovery solution that enables lenders to fund more loans by building their applicant's eligibility. With over $100B lost annually on abandoned leads, Curu's white-labeled Approval Dashboard enables lenders to expand their total available market and reduce their customer acquisition costs by showing their applicants steps they can take in order to get approved. SOURCE Curu Related Links https://www.curucredit.com National Peoples Congress votes 2,878 to 1 in favour of decision to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong. Chinas parliament has approved a decision to move forward with national security legislation for Hong Kong that critics fear could undermine the citys autonomy. The National Peoples Congress on Thursday voted 2,878 to 1 in favour of the decision to empower its standing committee to draft the legislation, with six abstentions. The people gathered in the Great Hall of the People burst into sustained applause when the vote tally was projected onto screens. China says the new law will be aimed at tackling secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in the city but the plan, unveiled in Beijing last week, triggered the first big protests in Hong Kong for months. It will alter the territorys mini-constitution, or Basic Law, to require its government to enforce measures to be decided later by Chinese leaders. The plans have prompted widespread condemnation and strained Chinas relations with the United States and Britain. Al Jazeeras Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, said the Chinese move is taking place without any consultation, any debate with Hong Kongs leaders or its government. China is taking advantage of a legal loophole that completely bypasses Hong Kongs legislative process. Details of the law are expected to be drawn up in coming weeks, and Chinese authorities and the Beijing-backed government in Hong Kong say there is no threat to the citys autonomy and the new security law will be tightly focused. But the US on Wednesday revoked its special status for Hong Kong, alleging the city was no longer autonomous from Beijing, paving the way for future sanctions and the removal of trading privileges in the financial hub. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, riot police were out in force as its legislators debated another piece of legislation, a bill that would criminalise disrespect of Chinas national anthem. Dozens of protesters gathered in a shopping mall to chant slogans but there was no repeat of disturbances the previous day when police made 360 arrests as thousands took to the streets in anger over the anthem bill and the national security legislation proposed by China. Last year, the city was rocked for months by often violent pro-democracy demonstrations over an unsuccessful bid to introduce an extradition law to China. The national security legislation is the latest issue to fuel fears in Hong Kong that Beijing is imposing its authority and eroding the high degree of autonomy the former British colony has enjoyed under a one country, two systems formula since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Al Jazeeras Adrian Brown, reporting from Hong Kong, said: There is deep resentment towards this law in Hong Kong. And I think the protests that we saw on Wednesday are going to continue, if not intensify, even though protesters know Beijing is not going to reverse course. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that Hong Kong no longer qualified for special treatment under US law, potentially dealing a crushing blow to its status as a major financial hub. The proposed security law was only the latest in a series of actions undermining Hong Kong freedoms, he told Congress. No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground, he said. The security law could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in the city. Relations between the two superpowers have been tense over Chinas claims in the South China Sea and trade. The coronavirus pandemic has also become an issue of acrimony. Already, international business is facing the pressure of increased tension between the US and China, but the enactment of Chinas security law for Hong Kong could take the tension to a whole new level, said Tara Joseph, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. This is show time for Hong Kong, Joseph said in a commentary in the South China Morning Post. US President Donald Trump has promised action over Hong Kong, with an announcement at the end of the week. More than 1,300 US companies have offices in the city, providing about 100,000 jobs. China said it would take necessary countermeasures to any foreign interference into what it insists are its internal affairs. Truck slams into concrete barrier at bottom of Patong Hill PHUKET: A six-wheeled truck carrying steel-reinforcement rods and wire mesh for construction slammed into the concrete barrier in front of Wat Patong, at the bottom of Patong Hill, and overturned this morning (May 28). transportaccidentspatong By Chutharat Plerin Thursday 28 May 2020, 12:26PM The truck slammed into the concrete barrier just after 11am. Photo: Patong Municipality Fire Department The truck slammed into the concrete barrier just after 11am. Photo: Patong Municipality Fire Department The truck slammed into the concrete barrier just after 11am. Photo: Patong Municipality Fire Department The truck slammed into the concrete barrier just after 11am. Photo: Patong Municipality Fire Department The truck slammed into the concrete barrier just after 11am. Photo: Patong Municipality Fire Department The accident occurred just after 11am, the Patong Municipality Fire Department told The Phuket News. The driver, Surachai Choosin, escaped serious injuries. No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which Mr Surachai attributed to brake failure while descending the steep hill into Patong. Traffic heading into Patong on the busy road has been affected. Officers from the Patong branch of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM Patong) are on the scene and cleaning up the oil spilled onto the road by the overturned truck. Lt Col Chompunoot Anantakul of the Patong Police told The Phuket News that he had yet to question Mr Surachai further and have the truck inspected before he could determine whether any charges were to be pressed for the accident. Mr Surachai was not tested for alcohol or other substances, but does hold the correct drivers licence for operating the truck, Lt Col Chompunoot added. Amid the ongoing battle against COVID-19, Rice Universitys Kinder Institute is gathering data to help identify areas where services may be needed most. Already established in Harris County, Rice U is reaching out to Fort Bend County to get more participants for its COVID-19 registry. DONATION TO FOOD BANK: Joint Chinese College Alumni Association donates to the Houston Food bank According to the university, the registry is a community registry designed to track the health and economic impacts of COVID-19, with a focus on the Houston region, and provide health departments with real-time information on the viruss spread across time and across neighborhoods, who is being affected and how. For more information go to https://kinder.rice.edu/covid-19-registry. On Wednesday, Fort Bend County Judge KP George moderated a discussion on Facebook with former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, Rice Universitys Bill Fulton and Fort Bend County Social Services Director Anna Gonzales to better learn about the registry, what it does and who could benefit from submitting the survey questionnaire. COVID FATIGUE: After calling out businesses for bad behavior, COVID-Callouts founder looks inward Emmett, who is now a professor in the practice at Rice University with a focus on public policy, addressed the current pandemic as something new for the region. Its uncharted territory., Emmett said. (We need to) figure out ways to learn through COVID. Kinder Institute Director Bill Fulton concurred. We are looking at ways to make this registry available to our most vulnerable populations, Fulton said. It is hoped that the registry will help identify where services are needed most in Fort Bend County. It is not only to assist people who need services now but to help determine what can be done in the future. Emmett said that learning from the response to COVID-19 now can help when the next disaster strikes. He harkened back to when Hurricane Ike battered the greater Houston area in 2008 when he was Harris County judge. NATIONAL HONORS: Houston, Sugar Land students honored as top youth volunteers The first hurricane I dealt with was Hurricane Ike, he said. I was only able to do that because of the lessons learned from Judge (Robert) Echols. Learning from the current situation is necessary so you can prepare for the next event, Emmett said. George then asked about the registry itself and why it was created. A registry is really just a registry of people who voluntarily chose to participate, Fulton said. This really emerged out of Hurricane Harvey. At the time, the Kinder Institute created the Texas Flood Registry to determine where services were needed most. The registry can help determine who is being affected, where and how. We decided to expand that registry to those affect by COVID, Fulton said. We can respond more quickly in real time. In Harris County, several thousand people have joined the registry. Gathering data is helpful when making decisions about COVID-19 response in the area including Fort Bend County. What is going on here is not the same as something that is going on in New York, California or Florida, Emmett said. We will be able to merge this with other data geographical trends and population, Fulton said. Oftentimes underrepresented groups will not respond to surveys. For instance, the Asian population has been underrepresented. By getting more people to participate in the survey, Fulton said officials will begin to know what really is going on and how can we better prepare for the next time. In Fort Bend County, Gonzales said the information gathered will help adjust plans for whats most important. (We are) continually looking at our strategic plan, Gonzales said. We are looking at the needs that encompass all the different needs in the departments in the county. The data will help identify gaps in services, benefiting Fort Bend Countys social services. Some of the needs we see in the future is things like childcare, things like job training, Gonzales said. They could potentially be needing to look for something they havent done before. Under-represented groups in Fort Bend County include minorities like the Asian and African American communities, particularly those who are economically disadvantaged and need public services most. Now it is necessary to get the word out about the data collection, build trust and help those people who need help. We saw after Harvey various groups we knew were flooded but they didnt want to say anything, Emmett said. Like the west side of Houston: They are well off and dont want to deal with the government. COVID-19 affects all people regardless of race, Emmett pointed out, but it does show some boundaries in mortality based on age. What the registry will do is follow up on those who take the survey and see how things change over time. After resurveying, it can be determined if someone needs help they did not previously need. Whats changed? How are you doing? In the first round, the really striking thing we found is 27 percent had some sort of symptom, Fulton said. Only 3 percent had been tested. We found about 40 percent of people are working at home. About 40 percent have experienced some sort of economic downturn. Were redoing the survey now and will be able to compare what May looks like to what April looked like. It is hoped that by reaching out to Fort Bend County officials commissioners, constables, civic and non-profit leaders, for instance that the people who need services most get the help they need. One of the great things about governmental entities like Fort Bend County, any of the channels you have to communicate with your constituents will help inform our public health officials, Fulton said. It will enable leaders to make better decision about who is being affected and where. Emmett stressed that the registry is not something to be leery about. There is no reason to fear filling out the survey, he said. In this case it really is in everyones interest to fill it out. Theres nothing political about this. Theres nothing partisan about this. The registry is going to be a good thing for everybody. To fill out the survey, go to https://kinder.rice.edu/covid-19-registry. rkent@hcnonline.com Actress Lesley-Anne Down has recalled the terrifying moment she was almost kidnapped as a child, shortly after Moors Murderers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady killed a young girl with an almost identical name. The celebrated actress was 11-years old and living with her parents at their south west London home in 1965 as the sadistic couple entered the final months of a two-year killing spree, during which they kidnapped and murdered five children in and around Manchester. And Down, now 66, reveals she came close to being snatched herself when a stranger tried to entice her into a car, shortly after the body of fourth victim Lesley-Ann Downey, aged 10, was found in a shallow grave on Greater Manchesters Saddleworth Moor. Ordeal: Actress Lesley-Anne Down has recalled the terrifying moment she was almost kidnapped at the age of 11, shortly after Moors Murderers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady killed a young girl with an almost identical name She told The Mirror: 'I was almost kidnapped when Lesley Ann Downey had just been found. Id run ahead of my mother. 'When she caught up, the man had stopped me, told me he needed a babysitter and we would call my parents when we got to his house 'I remember having one foot in the car. Seeing my mother broke his spell. I screamed. My mother ran to me and told me to run to my father. He called the police. Of course my mother couldnt hold him he was gone.' Horror: The celebrated actress was living with her parents as the sadistic couple entered the final months of a two-year killing spree, during which they kidnapped and murdered five children in and around Manchester (pictured following their arrest) Tragic: Down, now 66, reveals she came close to being snatched herself when a stranger tried to entice her into a car, shortly after the body of 10-year old Lesley-Ann Downey (pictured in 1964) was found With Down being close to the same age as tragic Lesley, and bearing a very similar name, the actress admits her mother was in a heightened state of panic following the incident. She said: 'If a child the same age as yours, whose name was Lesley Ann Downey, was found buried on the moors and then your child was almost taken wouldnt you be? I was 11 as she would have been had she lived.' Brady and Hindley were arrested in October 1965 and subsequently charged with the murders of Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans, all aged between 10 and 17. Bennett's body has never been found. It would transpire that Lesley had been snatched by the couple after being asked to help carry some packages to their car. Traumatic: 'I remember having one foot in the car. Seeing my mother broke his spell. I screamed. My mother ran to me and told me to run to my father,' she said of the 1965 ordeal Popular: Lesley would go on to enjoy enormous success in Britain and the United states after being named Britain's most beautiful teen at the age of 15 Classic: She would go to enjoy prominent roles in a variety of shows, including period drama Upstairs, Downstairs (pictured) Actress Lesley would go on to enjoy enormous success in Britain and the United states after being named Britain's most beautiful teen at the age of 15, with her film debut coming in 1969 sexploitation drama The Smashing Bird I Used to Know. She would go to enjoy prominent roles in period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, and hit film The Return of the Pink Panther, in which she starred alongside comic genius Peter Sellers. She also worked alongside Harrison Ford and Christopher Plummer in romantic war-time drama Hannover Street. Old times: Lesley worked alongside comic genius Peter Sellers in 1976 film The Return of the Pink Panther greece-GettyImages-1175210335.jpg Nearly 80 of the biggest names in the travel and tourist industry have written to Priti Patel urging her to ditch the "unworkable, ill thought out and damaging" 14-day quarantine plans. The 78 signatories - who include bosses of the top hotels and travel firms in the UK - say quarantine is the very last thing the industry needs as the Government seeks to ease Britain out of lockdown and re-start the economy. They warn the economic outlook is already grim and that quarantine will cause serious further damage to a sector that accounts for almost four million jobs - 11 per cent of the countrys entire workforce - and nine per cent of UK GDP. George Morgan-Grenville, chief executive of tour operator Red Savannah, who led the appeal, said: The quarantine plans are poorly thought-out, wholly detrimental to industry recovery and are more or less unworkable. Signatories to this letter are more used to competing ferociously but, on this issue, we are united. The names read like an industry Whos Who ranging from veteran hotelier Sir Rocco Forte and bosses of The Savoy, Claridges, Cafe Royal, Connaught, Ritz, Goring, Dorchester and Mandarin Oriental to travel firms like Abercrombie and Kent, Scott Dunn, Jules Verne and Der Touristik. In the letter to the Home Secretary seen by The Telegraph, they urged her to withdraw immediately the proposed legislation to impose the mandatory quarantine from June 8 which will require all international arrivals including returning Britons to self-isolate for 14 days. They criticised the Government for failing to take any action at the start of the outbreak making it easy for thousands of potentially-affected passengers to spread the virus into the wider UK community. Warning of a high probability of a severe recession, they said the travel and tourist industry had been particularly hard hit in the lockdown because it had had to continue to employ staff to either cancel, or rearrange existing, often complex, bookings. Story continues This means that whilst facing up to a 100 per cent cancellation of forward bookings, cash flows are stretched even further in order to look after and protect existing consumers. It said the Government had also been woefully slow to react and procrastinated to the point of absurdity over its backing for refund credit notes, that allow people to rebook holidays or receive a cash refunds at a later date. The very last thing the travel industry needs is a mandatory quarantine which will deter foreign visitors from coming here, deter UK visitors from travelling abroad, and most likely cause other countries to impose reciprocal quarantine requirements on British visitors, they said. France confirmed yesterday it will ask all travellers from the UK to self-quarantine for 14 days from June 8. The 78 said there was substantial merit in Transport Secretary Grant Shapps plan for air bridges for travellers from countries with low rates of Covid-19 but said the Governments apparent dismissal of the plan without due consultation was completely wrong. The people of this country do not wish to be prevented from travelling. The government itself has urged people to use their common sense in terms of their behaviour. Quite simply, it is time to switch the emphasis from protection to economic recovery, before it is too late, they concluded. The Home Office, however, said quarantine was an essential part of the strategy to prevent a second wave of the disease and maintain a low coronavirus transmission rate. It was also backed by 80 per cent of the public. Quarantine will be reviewed every three weeks which could allow a relaxation in the regime on June 29. Yesterday Boris Johnson told MPs that air bridges with countries where the rate of coronavirus infection was"at least as good" as that in the UK could be introduced from the end of June, if agreements could be reached in time. We want to drive the R down as fast as we can in this country and to have as sensible a quarantine scheme as possible and to keep flows as generous as we can," he said. A Home Office spokesman said: As the world begins to emerge from what we hope is the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, we must look to the future and protect the British public by reducing the risk of cases crossing our border. We continue to support businesses in the tourism sector through one of the most generous economic packages provided anywhere in the world. However, it is right that we introduce these new measures now to keep the transmission rate down and prevent a devastating second wave. To the editor: The Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network held its eighth mobile food pantry of the year on Thursday, May 7, in the parking lot of North Midland Family Center located on Shearer Road in Mills Township. The food giveaway was provided free of charge by the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan in caring response to the increased need for food due to the effect on the economy created by the COVID-19 virus. Thirty volunteers served 179 families (512 individuals) with 19,578 pounds of food provided by the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. The food distribution included milk and dairy products, cabbage, oranges, watermelon, onions and MIEF emergency boxes. In accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic guidelines, recipients of food remained in their vehicles for registration and for food delivery during which time the volunteer workers wore face masks. (This drive-up process will be the standard for upcoming MFP events.) We are very thankful to the Midland Police who provided assistance during this food giveaway; this assistance is planned for future mobile events. The next MFP provided by EFPN is scheduled for Friday, June 5, at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, located on Airfield Lane in Midland. As a reminder: In addition to food assistance from the mobile events, Midland County residents in (financial) need of food and personal care items and cleaning supplies during the year also may call the network number of 486-9393 to leave your name and phone number. You will receive a call to set up an appointment at one of our eight food pantries in Midland County to receive a weeks supply of food. During your appointment, you will remain in your vehicle as the pre-packaged food and other items are placed in your trunk by the pantry volunteers. Please visit us at midlandcountyfpn.org or on Facebook for additional information. The network is very grateful to the many donors of food, money and time throughout the year to the networks mission of Always food in every home. SALLY ANN SUTTON Midland County EFPN U.S. The Daily Beast via TwitterA man and woman in New York have been both fired and arrested for verbally assaulting a family on a train in an incident that police have determined to be a hate crime.The Daily Voice reported that Justin Likerman and Kristin Digesaro, of Long Island, turned themselves in on Wednesday. They have been charged with aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. New Yorks Metropolitan Transit Authority said the charges were brought in conjunction with the Manhattan Distri Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday encouraged people to wear face masks during the coronavirus pandemic, hours before the U.S. COVID-19 death toll surpassed 100,000, per Politico. Why it matters: President Trump has been resisted wearing face coverings in public and ridiculed Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden for doing so this week. But McConnell reportedly sided with CDC guidelines during a Kentucky event to deliver his message to young people. "There's no stigma attached to wearing a mask," he said, per Politico. "Theres no stigma attached to staying six feet apart." McConnell has also taken to posting images to Instagram in recent days of himself wearing a mask. Go deeper: CDC issues guidelines for reopening offices: Masks, handshake bans and more What happens if the status changes? Under the special status, the U.S. dollar can be freely exchanged with the Hong Kong dollar, which makes the city a particularly attractive place for American companies to do business. Hong Kong gets preferential treatment on trade, meaning little to no tariffs or other costs. Americans enjoy visa-free travel, making it easy for business executives to come and go. If the United States removes Hong Kongs special status, all that could come to an end. Depending on Washingtons response, the removal of the special status could lead the United States to treat Hong Kong the same way it treats any other Chinese city. That would mean higher tariffs, including those enacted amid the trade war between the United States and China. Movement between the two places would be restricted as well. Many American businesses may choose to leave. It would put Hong Kong under the same export controls over sensitive technology that the United States places on Chinese buyers. The Trump administration has increasingly limited the access of Chinese companies to American software and hardware know-how on national security grounds. Removal of the special status could lead to greater scrutiny of investments in the United States by Hong Kong companies, too. In recent years, Washington has made increasingly hard for Chinese companies to invest there. Even when a business is losing money, it's possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com? So should Kancera (STO:KAN) shareholders be worried about its cash burn? In this article, we define cash burn as its annual (negative) free cash flow, which is the amount of money a company spends each year to fund its growth. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway. See our latest analysis for Kancera When Might Kancera Run Out Of Money? A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. Kancera has such a small amount of debt that we'll set it aside, and focus on the kr3.2m in cash it held at March 2020. Importantly, its cash burn was kr36m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from March 2020 it seems to us it had less than two months of cash runway. It's extremely surprising to us that the company has allowed its cash runway to get that short! The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years. OM:KAN Historical Debt May 28th 2020 How Is Kancera's Cash Burn Changing Over Time? Whilst it's great to see that Kancera has already begun generating revenue from operations, last year it only produced kr146k, so we don't think it is generating significant revenue, at this point. As a result, we think it's a bit early to focus on the revenue growth, so we'll limit ourselves to looking at how the cash burn is changing over time. As it happens, the company's cash burn reduced by 12% over the last year, which suggests that management may be mindful of the risks of their depleting cash reserves. While the past is always worth studying, it is the future that matters most of all. So you might want to take a peek at how much the company is expected to grow in the next few years. Story continues Can Kancera Raise More Cash Easily? Even though it has reduced its cash burn recently, shareholders should still consider how easy it would be for Kancera to raise more cash in the future. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash to drive growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations. Kancera has a market capitalisation of kr599m and burnt through kr36m last year, which is 6.0% of the company's market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money. So, Should We Worry About Kancera's Cash Burn? Even though its cash runway makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought Kancera's cash burn relative to its market cap was relatively promising. Considering all the measures mentioned in this report, we reckon that its cash burn is fairly risky, and if we held shares we'd be watching like a hawk for any deterioration. Separately, we looked at different risks affecting the company and spotted 6 warning signs for Kancera (of which 4 make us uncomfortable!) you should know about. If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow. 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. EXCLUSIVE: Mueller Laid Obstruction of Justice Trap for Trump, Says Former Acting AG Whitaker The Russia collusion investigation led by then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller was artificially prolonged in the hope that President Donald Trump would move to terminate it and thus be accused of obstruction of justice, according to former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker. Whitaker, who led the Department of Justice (DOJ) between Nov. 7, 2018, and Feb. 14, 2019, said that, in his opinion, the Mueller team acted inappropriately to create an obstruction of justice trap for Trump and his officials. Former FBI Director Mueller was appointed by then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in May 2017 to take over an FBI counterintelligence investigation to determine whether the 2016 Trump campaign colluded with Russia to sway the election. By March 2019, Mueller had wrapped it up, saying the probe was unable to establish that any such collusion took place. Mueller, however, already knew this in 2018, Whitaker told Jan Jekielek, host of The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders series. Soon after taking command at the DOJ, Whitaker was briefed on the contours and what was the Mueller investigation, he said. There was no evidence of any criminal conspiracy or connection or collusion, whatever you want to call it, between the Trump campaign, members of the Trump campaignincluding Donald Trumpand the Russian government. So, therefore, the primary and sole purpose of that investigation had essentially failed to generate any evidence, and it was clear that that had been known for some time. Keeping such an investigation open isnt the regular order at the Department of Justice, according to Whitaker. He offered a theory as to why it happened. There should have been someone along that way that says that not only was there never any evidence, but we developed no new evidence, so, therefore, this investigation must be closed, he said. There were so many people involved that could and should have made that decision. And to me, it looks as if it was kept open to harass this president, to undo the 2016 election, and to create an obstruction of justice trap. Thats why he couldnt end the probe, even though, in his position, that would have been the correct thing to do, he indicated. The point of the trap was that if we had tried to put our thumb on the scale or somehow, in their perception, interfere with the Mueller investigation that they were ready, willing, and able to go after any of us, he said, calling it very inappropriate and a very dangerous precedent. The Mueller team went as far as to mislead their DOJ supervisors about the status of the probe, Whitaker said. If you put yourself in my shoes in November of 2018, Im in charge of the Russia investigation, Im being told that the report is being finished, Im being told that attempted obstruction of justice is not a valid legal theory, and Im being told theres no evidence of collusion, he said. But weeks passed, and the report still didnt appear. I was really surprised that I had not received the Mueller report, which again, I had been promised several times over the course of those months that I was the acting attorney general, Whitaker said. Even his successor, William Barr, had to wait six weeks for Mueller to finally produce the report. It seems to me that what the Mueller team was telling their supervisors was not consistent with what was actually going on inside the Mueller investigation, Whitaker said. He argued that not just Mueller, but also his subordinates, should be made to explain themselves. There are individuals, their names are well known, that should answer these questions and should hopefully get called in front of whether its the Senate or some other tribunal to find out why they werent being honest with people that supervised them, Whitaker said. WASHINGTON North Korean and Chinese citizens are operating a multibillion-dollar money laundering scheme to help fund the Norths nuclear weapons program, the Justice Department said in an indictment unsealed on Thursday. The case underscores the Trump administrations inability to halt Pyongyangs nuclear weapons program through diplomacy. The department charged 28 North Koreans and five Chinese citizens of using a web of more than 250 shell companies to launder over $2.5 billion in assets through the international banking system, according to court documents filed in February by the U.S. attorneys office in Washington. The government claimed that the money flowed back to North Koreas primary, state-operated foreign exchange bank, the Foreign Trade Bank of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. The North used the funds to support its weapons of mass destruction program. Through this indictment, the United States has signaled its commitment to hampering North Koreas ability to illegally access the U.S. financial system and limit its ability to use proceeds from illicit actions to enhance its illegal W.M.D. and ballistic missile programs, Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney in Washington, said in a statement. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio reported a decline in new unemployment claims for the eighth straight week of the coronavirus crisis, but another 2.1 million claims were filed across the U.S., according to Department of Labor statistics. Ohio received 42,082 new unemployment claims for the week ending May 23, according to data released Thursday by the DOL. The state also received more than 44,000 new claims to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which the federal government set up for self-employed workers and independent contractors who do not qualify for traditional unemployment benefits. Ohio has now received more than 1.25 million unemployment claims over the last 10 weeks, which is more than the state reported in the three years from 2017-2019, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Unemployment claims declined by roughly 4,000 from last weeks revised total of 46,862. It marked the eighth straight week that new claims have declined in Ohio. PUA claims also fell by approximately 90,000 from last weeks revised total of 134,468, according to DOL statistics. Across the U.S., more than 2.1 million Americans filed for traditional unemployment benefits for the week ending May 23, a drop from 2.4 million for the week ending May 16. Over the last 10 weeks, Ohio has distributed more than $3.1 billion in unemployment benefits to more than 644,000 claimants, and $647 million to 109,000 PUA claimants, according to ODJFS. The latest unemployment statistics come one day after ODJFS Director Kimberly Hall testified before the Ohio House Ways and Means Committee about her agencys response to the pandemic. Lawmakers grilled Hall about why Ohio residents out of work amid the coronavirus crisis have faced delays getting benefits. Hall apologized to anyone who is still waiting for benefits, but defended the overall response from ODJFS. She blamed the delays on a tsunami of claims during the crisis, in addition to antiquated technology and bureaucratic rules. The roll-out of the new PUA program also led to issues. Attorneys representing three Ohio residents filed a lawsuit Thursday over a data leak that resulted in roughly two-dozen people viewing the personal information of others seeking PUA benefits. The lawsuit names Deloitte Consulting LLP, which is administering the PUA program in Ohio, as a defendant. The ODJFS is not named as a defendant in the suit. Before the coronavirus crisis, Ohios previous high of 49,321 jobless claims in a single week came during the reporting period ending July 25, 1982. During the Great Recession, jobless claims peaked at 40,829 for the week ending Jan. 10, 2009. The quickest way to file for benefits is through the ODJFS website. Anyone who is eligible for traditional benefits can apply here, while PUA claimants can apply here. You can also apply by phone by calling toll-free 1-877-644-6562 or TTY 1-614-387-8408. The ODJFS has extended its hours to Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Read more about unemployment benefits on cleveland.com: Q&A: The latest on unemployment benefits as Ohio plans to reopen businesses closed by coronavirus FAQ: Everything you need to know about getting Ohio unemployment amid coronavirus outbreak Ohio lawmakers grill DeWine cabinet official over unemployment benefit delays Attorneys for Ohio residents file lawsuit over data leak that compromised personal info of unemployment claimants Traditional unemployment claims decline in Ohio, but 161,000 self-employed and independent contractors apply for new program Police walk past a barber near the Id Kah Mosque in the old town of Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, after the morning prayer on Eid al-Fitr, June 26, 2017. The U.S. recently sanctioned a hair products company based in Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) for its links to forced labor, but a closer investigation by RFAs Uyghur Service shows that several firms in the area operate similar business models and are likely linked to internment camps. On May 1, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) placed a withhold release order on hair products made by Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories in order to ensure that products made with forced labor do not reach U.S. stores. The company was registered in an industrial park in Hotan (in Chinese, Hetian) prefectures Lop (Luopu) county, in the same location as an internment camp. In its announcement, CBP said it will detain imported merchandise made wholly or in part with hair products manufactured by Hetian, citing information that reasonably indicates the use of forced labor. U.S. importers will be required to demonstrate that the merchandise was not produced with forced labor if they want to sell it inside the country. Haolin is the second company whose products have been banned by CBP on the grounds that they are using Uyghur forced labor in their supply and manufacturing chains. Previously, CBP also banned goods from a company named Hetian Taida. Uyghur exile groups welcomed the decision and encouraged other nations to take similar steps to address the importation of goods made with forced labor at factories that are increasingly linked to the XUARs vast network of internment camps, where authorities are believed to have held up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities since April 2017. China is the largest exporter of hair in the world, supplying more than 80 percent of hair-based products, including human-hair wigs and false eyelashes made from human eyelash hair. While a kilo (2.2 pounds) of raw human hair usually sells for between 80 yuan (U.S. $11) and several hundred yuan (100 yuan = U.S. $14), depending on quality, products manufactured from that hair can command prices of tens of thousands of yuan (10,000 yuan = U.S. $1,400). China exports around U.S. $6 billion worth of hair products each year. According to the Statista website, the U.S. is the largest importer of human-hair products from China, and in 2018 alone imported more than U.S. $3.15 billion of those products, or 42 percent of Chinas total exports. Booming industry Haolin, which was founded in January 2018 with an initial investment of 8 million yuan (U.S. $1.1 million) by a private investor, describes its business as primarily engaged in gathering and treating hair, as well as exporting products. A Uyghur employee of the Lop county management office confirmed that Haolin had been registered in an industrial park which, according to a recent report by the Asia Central Times is a 400-mu (65-acre) complex specifically built for companies manufacturing products made from human hair. The park was built close to the Beijing Industrial District in Lop in 2018 and now is home to 24 different companies that employ 4,000 local Uyghurs. I issued a license to that factory, but I dont know very much about what kind of hair they make, she said, speaking on condition of anonymity. In December, the official Xinjiang Daily published an article entitled Listen to the Graduates of Education Centers, which purported to show, via accompanying photos, graduates from the camps who had been assigned to work at factories near their homes, including factories in the Lop industrial park. The article cited Uyghurs who had been sent to work in the factories, including one Memetjan Mettohti, who is quoted as saying that if he hadnt been sent to a camp, its possible that I would have gone even further down the wrong pathit saved me and gave me a new life. Mettohti was reportedly let out and sent to work in a factory in December 2018 after having gone into a camp the previous year. The increase in hair production in Lop, which has been publicly encouraged by local officials, corresponds to explosive growth in the hair products industry in China. Between 2009 and 2018, the market for hair products went from 719 million yuan (U.S. $100 million) per year to 5.4 billion yuan (U.S. $755.5 million); in 2019, it was 6.7 billion yuan (U.S. $937.5 million). Statistics show that from January to November of 2019, exports of hair from China to North America totaled 22,200 tons at a value of U.S. $1.8 billion. RFA was able to determine that many Haolin products are partially processed in Lop factories, after which they are sent to factories in Shandong provinces Qingdao city for further processing before being sent to the U.S. and other countries. A representative of Emeda Wigs, an export company in Qingdao, confirmed to RFA that the hair the company uses in several of its products originates in the XUAR, but refused to provide further details, citing company secrets. We have our own manufacturer, we just go [to the XUAR] to source materials, she said, when asked about the companys product referred to as dark brown virgin Xinjiang human hair. Sourcing opaque The source of the hair used in products being manufactured in the XUAR remains unclear, and RFA was able to learn little from those in the industry who were willing to speak on the record. But Uyghur cultural traditions dictate that women leave their hair long and there is no history of people selling their hair in the region, raising suspicions about whether in addition to using forced labor to manufacture hair products, the raw hair may be coming from detainees in the XUARs camp network. In testimonies shared with RFA and other outlets, at least 10 female former camp detainees have described having their heads shaved immediately upon entering the detention facilities, although they were unsure of what happened to their hair after it was cut. RFA recently spoke with a Pakistani trader who gave his name as Amir and claimed to have visited a Haolin factory in Lop county four months ago where he said he saw Uyghurs newly released from the camps who had been sent there for work. Amir, who has since closed his store in Lop and returned to Pakistan, reported that he stopped trading in hair products once he learned from a friend who works in the camps that the raw material was hair taken from detainees. I visited several firms [in Lop], he said, adding that Uyghurs work therethose who were sent for training, using a euphemism for detention in the camps. Some 5,000 people work there. They work 20 to 22 hours [a day]. Some receive 500 yuan (U.S. $70) [per month for their work], and others dont even get anything. Amir cited his friend as saying that the heads of all detainees are shaved when they are sent to the camps. That is the hair [that is sent to the companies], he said. I have a friend who works in a camp. He told me that the companies take away all of the hair. RFA was unable to independently verify the Pakistani traders account. It just grows back Teng Biao, a Chinese human rights lawyer and activist who is now living in exile in the U.S., told RFA that the shaving of heads is regulation in Chinese prisons and detention centers, and suggested that local authorities would likely try to profit from the practice. There are no rules about how to deal with the hair of people in prisonsits very difficult to supervise or place restrictions from above on how to deal with hair that has been forcibly removed, he said. As a result, this has also created an environment in which [officials] are not going to turn down the economic benefits of hair that has been shaved off of people in government camps. Ethan Gutmann, a human rights researcher and current China Studies Research Fellow at the Washington-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, cited the practice of harvesting organs from executed prisoners in China as evidence that local authorities could be using other materials from those in detention to make money. He echoed concerns that the testimonies of Uyghur women who have emerged from the camps suggest the hair of detainees may be getting collected and sold off to local companies for processing. What is distinctive about the womens haircutand this is really important, I thinkis several of them described putting their head through a hole in a window, he said. So, you never even saw the barber, your hair was gone, and they didnt think the hair was being used somehow Thats a lot of women [in the camps]: 300,000 approximately, or 350,000. Thats 350,000 heads of hair, full hair. A 78 percent raw increase in production from 2017, and thats got to be coming from those women. In addition, Gutmann said, many detainees have been held in the camps for years, providing authorities with a replenishing supply. Youre getting it from everybody, and it just grows back, he said. I cant imagine the Chinese throwing that out Its essentially making a business that isnt a transplant business, its a separate business, but its using a byproduct of the body. Reported by Gulchehre Hoja for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Elise Anderson and Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 02:51:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, May 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened social media giants that his government could "strongly regulate" or "close them down" after Twitter fact-checked one of his tweets for the first time. "Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices," Trump tweeted. "We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen." The president's remarks came after Twitter slapped a warning label on one of his tweets on Tuesday, cautioning readers "Trump makes unsubstantiated claim that mail-in ballots will lead to voter fraud." Local media said it is unclear what authority, if any, Trump was citing in his threat to close social media platforms down. Enditem Shantanu David By Express News Service Even as Indians around the country were confounded over the status of their government-approved flights in various cities, theres another, more welcome chaos, in an airport in a rather more remote corner of the world. Alaskas Anchorage International Airport, tucked equidistantly between New York and Tokyo, has become the busiest airport in the world, at least on most Saturdays since the COVID-19 pandemic has ground airlines all over the planet. With more than a 90 per cent drop in passenger traffic globally, the one segment still keeping its head above the clouds is air cargo. With Anchorage already boasting the worlds fifth-busiest cargo operations, and a growing demand for home-delivered goods, on Saturdays, which have always been the heaviest cargo day for the relatively unknown airport, they are the busiest airport in the world. Airport manager Jim Szczesniak said in an interview with CNN, There are more airplanes in the sky right now to and from Anchorage than there are for both JFK and LaGuardia. Six new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed on the livestock ship docked at a port in Western Australia. The new cases take the total number of workers on the Al Kuwait with the virus to 12, after an initial six were confirmed when the ship arrived in Fremantle, south of Perth, last week. All but three of the infectious individuals were taken to the Novotel Hotel in Perth on Wednesday to be isolated, with the remaining people are yet to be transferred off the ship. A dozen crew members from the ship have now been confirmed to have the virus. Source: AAP A further two people, who were in close contact with the infectious cases, will also be quarantined at the hotel, WA Health said on Thursday. Ten other crew members on the ship have all been tested for the virus, the department said. There are now 18 active cases in the state including one person from WA, five from interstate and 12 from the Al Kuwait. The sheep are being held in feedlots and sending them to local abattoirs is considered a last resort. More to come. 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. S Gurumurthy By The Modi stimulus package is in three parts direct government spend, bank credit, and rate cut and lending by RBI to banks. Modis detractors damn the package saying the bank credit part of the package is large and the government share is insignificant. But their criticism is founded on poor understanding of the Indian financial model and the fiscal relationship between state-owned banks and the government. Comparing the Modi package with those of the Group of Seven (G7) nations is also irrational as the Indian banking model differs vastly from G7s. Unless this vast difference is understood, the logic behind the Modi package math cannot be appreciated. No bank lending in G7, only note printing The US, which sets the philosophy and rules for global finance, has but one insignificant state-owned bank. The total US bank assets is $20.4 trillion. The state owned banks share is less than 0.03 per cent. In the UK, of the total bank assets of $10 trillion, the share of the only one state-owned but not state-run bank is 8.6 per cent. In France, of the total bank assets amounting to $8.3 trillion, the share of a state-owned bank is just 2.6 per cent. In Germany, which has a unique financial model, bank assets total $9.16 trillion, of which the public sector banks share is 26 per cent. Japans bank assets total $17.42 trillion, of which state owned banks share is just 8 per cent. Banks assets of the entire EU is $47.6 trillion. And G7s total banks assets is $86.4 trillion. The combined stock market capitalisation of G7 countries is close $60 trillion. Despite the huge bank funds and stock market access, G7 nations do not borrow a farthing from the banks or stock markets; they instead resort to printing notes for the Covid package. That G7 nations do not borrow from banks for their package or access stock markets, but print notes, is hidden in the Indian discourse on the Modi package. Covid-19 bank credits are equally government risk India is a total contrast. In India, almost half the savings go into bank deposits and 70 per cent of it into state owned banks. And only 2.5 per cent of financial savings get into stocks, which is significant for foreign financial entities investing in India. The main driver of the Indian financial system is the banks, more specifically public sector banks. Public sector banks have to finance the Central government, state governments and also Indian business. Borrowings by Central and state governments have been crowding out Indian business from banks, forcing them to borrow from abroad through external commercial borrowings which is a huge risk to the economy. For the current year, state and Central government loan demand on banks will be 60 per cent more than the deposits they added. There is no way the two governments could borrow more from banks. That is why the Modi government has to limit its borrowing for direct Covid-19 spend on its account. A less known fact is more relevant now. Global rating agencies consider the credit risk of Indian public sector banks as contingent liability in their sovereign rating of the Indian government. A Moodys report said in 2016 that unprovided bad loans cause contingent liabilities to crystallise on the governments balance sheet. This virtually erases the dividing line between government guaranteed credit in the package and credit not guaranteed by government. The entire bank credit part of the Modi package, whether guaranteed or not by government, is sovereign risk. The governments direct spend and bank credit, a sovereign risk, constitute 62 per cent of the Modi package the RBI liquidity window constituting the remaining 38 per cent. Twin purpose of Modi package: Intent and aim The Modi package has a logical intent and an equally clear aim. Its explicit intent is to provide for the deprived and disturbed through direct fiscal spend from the budget. His Covid-19 relief target seems clearly defined and ordered - the distant poor first, the middle group next, and then the rest. And the aim is to restart the economy with the relief measures itself. This twin purpose is self evident from the package. Modi promised on March 26 to double the entitlement of grains to 80 crore poor people for the next three months. In April itself, 36 states had lifted 67.65 lakh tonnes of food grains for delivery to the beneficiaries. He promised free gas cylinders for 8 crore people for the next three months. Out of 509 lakh requests booked, 482 lakh cylinders have been already delivered. Through the 38 crore Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) bank accounts, the Modi government reached Rs 16,394 crore to farmers, Rs 10,295 crore to women, Rs 1,405 crore to the old, widowed and disabled and Rs 3,492 crore to 3.5 crore construction workers registered with the government, who constitute most of the migrant labour. The March 26 announcement also offered those earning less than Rs 15,000 per month in MSMEs (with less than 100 employees) 25 per cent of their wages for three months; to organised sector employees a non-refundable advance equal to 75 per cent of their wages for three months; and to the MGNREGA poor a rise of Rs 20 in the daily pay out. The government could deliver all the relief without leakage because of the architecture it had created through PMJDY and Aadhaar linkage, which enabled the beneficiary to take cash from any ATM or other authorised person through use of biometrics. Imagine India being struck by corona without the 38 crore bank accounts of the poor and Aadhaar! After March 26, Modi made the nation wait with bated breath on his next Covid-19 package. Till then he was talking about everything except the package. On May 12, after the expectation heightened, came his dramatic announcement increasing the package to Rs 20 lakh crore most of it to restart the economy. The excitement he generated was kept alive for the next five days by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mixing reliefs with reforms. The five-day show was also well rehearsed. It had Rs 3 lakh crore collateral free loan, Rs 50,000 crore equity and Rs 20,000 crore subordinated debt and debt relief of Rs 75,000 crore to NBFCs, and Rs 6,500 crore loans for street vendors and Mudra loanees all for MSMEs totalling to Rs 5 lakh crore. Food for migrant workers, provision for fishermen, animal husbandry, micro food processing, amounting to Rs 49,000 crore and another Rs 40,000 crore for MGNREGA, all for the poor, adding up to Rs 89,000 crore. For the farming class, Rs 330 lakh as agriculture loan and agri infra. And Rs 50,000 crore tax deduction at source deferment, Rs 9,550 crore PF payment by government and Rs 70,000 crore housing loan, for the middle class Rs 1,29,550 crore. Even as his detractors keep issuing statements that he had not spent from the governments pocket where there is nothing really to spend from but only from the banks, Modi has actually delivered relief to his target audience by naming each of them and calling their attention. The MSMEs do not bother whether credit is guaranteed or not, as long as it comes. The real challenge for the government is to ensure that the promised credit is delivered. Modi has been strategic in conceptualising and communicating his package. Yechury says it is all for the rich, when there is nothing at all for the rich! Even as Chidambaram says it is an empty sheet, Modi has actually delivered relief to the most. Not the final word on stimulus package Now, a couple of good news. Women beneficiaries into whose account over Rs 10,000 crore had been delivered, have withdrawn less than half of it, indicating there is no extreme deprivation due to lockdown. Another good news is the PMJDY accounts have shown surge in deposits during lockdown. Between April 1 and 7, deposits went up by Rs 8,000 crore. And by May 15, it further rose by Rs 8,000 crore a total of Rs 16,000 crore in 45 days of lockdown. In comparison, during the whole of 2019, PMJDY savings had risen only by Rs 26,000 crore. In a way it is bad news but not that bad that they are saving and not spending and to that extent there is no demand. Finally, will the Modi package so far be the final one? Unlikely. The Covid-19 challenge continues. No one knows how much further damage it can cause. That is why Modi seems to have kept the powder dry for doing as a last resort what the G7 is doing. A hint has come from the RBI governor that he has not taken a call as yet on monetisation of deficit -- namely government borrowing from RBI. Right strategy indeed. (Concluded) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Hindustan Unilever has donated 29 ventilators worth Rs 3 crore to government hospitals in Maharashtra, in consultation with the Public Health Department, the company said in a release. The ventilators are being delivered to the Thane Health Department for use across several hospitals across the state. While three neonatal ventilators and two AR 100C ventilators have already been delivered a few days back, a batch of five Philips ventilators has been delivered on May 27, 2020. The remaining ventilators will be delivered over the next few days, the FMCG major said in the release. In early May, HUL had donated 5,000 sets of PPEs, 20,000 N95 masks, 200,000 gloves, 112 pulse oximeter and 28 oxygen concentrators worth more than Rs 2 crore to the Public Health Department, Government of Maharashtra. In addition to the above, HUL will also be donating seven high flow nasal cannula ventilators worth Rs 17 lakh to the Nair Hospital in Mumbai in the coming week. RICHMOND, Va., May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Tuesday, May 26, President Donald Trump announced a breakthrough program to cap the out of pocket cost of insulin to senior citizens on Medicare. The Trump administration is partnering with leaders of Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, the American Diabetes Association, and several prominent insurers to reduce insulin prescription copays for patients on Medicare Part D plans to no more than $35 per month. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, Seema Verma, estimates that beneficiaries who join a participating Part D plan, starting January 1, 2021, could see average out-of-pocket savings of $446, or 66%, per year on insulin. This change makes insulin prescriptions far more accessible to the large diabetes patient population on Medicare. While the insulin price cap is a major step in getting insulin to patients who need it, another barrier still remains. Insulin dosing is complicated and time consuming for primary care providers. Most providers, aside from endocrinologists or specialists, do not have the time or experience to calculate the optimal insulin dose for their patients. The ALRT Diabetes Solution with its unique FDA cleared Insulin Dose Adjustment capabilities makes it fast and easy for providers to prescribe and titrate insulin doses with confidence and in adherence to best practice guidelines. Patients will benefit from better diabetes control and a lower risk of complications, providers will see an overall improvement in their patient outcomes and the total cost of care for diabetes and its comorbidities will be reduced across the board. Sidney Chan, CEO of ALR Technologies Inc. (ALRT) (OTCQB: ALRT) said, The combination of affordable insulin and an effective and low cost delivery system will improve the lives of diabetes patients wherever it is deployed. Additionally since diabetes patients with COVID-19 are among the most vulnerable for clinical complications, preventing their exposure is paramount. The deployment of a remote diabetes management system like the ALRT Diabetes Solution will reduce patient exposures to infection and save lives. The ALRT Diabetes Solution, which includes the disease management system and blood glucose testing supplies, is available at the cost of competitively priced testing supplies alone. Since almost nine million Medicare beneficiaries have diabetes, the ALRT Diabetes Solution is primed for wide adoption in the market and the revenue potential for ALRT in 2021 and beyond is truly remarkable. About ALR Technologies Inc. ALR Technologies is a medical device company that developed the ALRT Diabetes Solution, a comprehensive approach to diabetes care that includes: an FDA-cleared and HIPAA compliant diabetes management system that collects data directly from blood glucose meters and continuous glucose monitoring devices; a patent pending Predictive A1C algorithm to track treatment success between lab reports and an FDA-cleared Insulin Dosing Adjustment program. ALRT also offers an algorithm to provide physician support for timely non-insulin medication advancements. The overall goal is to optimize diabetes drug therapies to drive improved patient outcomes. The program tracks performance of all clinical activities to ensure best practices are followed. The ALRT Diabetes Solution gives providers a platform for remote diabetes care, helping to minimize patient exposure to potential infections in clinical settings. Currently, the Company is focused on diabetes and will expand its services to cover other chronic diseases anchored on verifiable data. More information about ALR Technologies Inc. can be found at www.alrt.com . Contact: Ken Robulak: 727.736.3838 email: info@alrt.com This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to ALR Technologies' business, and these statements reflect the current views of ALR Technologies with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. When used, the words "estimate", "expect", "anticipate", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. There are many factors that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of ALR Technologies and its products to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Further management discussions of risks and uncertainties can be found in the Company's quarterly filings with the Securities Exchange Commission. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 00:03:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The closing meeting of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2020. Leaders of the Communist Party of China and the state Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attended the meeting, and Li Zhanshu presided over the closing meeting and delivered a speech. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Eradicating absolute poverty, upholding people-centered philosophy and seeking new opportunities from challenges, Chinese President Xi Jinping brought reassuring messages at times of uncertainty and difficulty. Xi spoke on a wide range of topics at this year's "two sessions," which closed on Thursday. The two sessions are the country's annual meetings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, participated in deliberations with national legislators and joined in discussions with political advisors. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, takes part in a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, May 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) PEOPLE FIRST An NPC deputy himself, Xi joined deliberations with lawmakers from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on May 22, the first day of the annual session of the national legislature. "People first" was the keyword in the discussions. Xi referred to the recovery of an 87-year-old COVID-19 patient after 47 days of care by a team of 10 doctors and nurses. "Many people worked together to save a single patient. This, in essence, embodies doing whatever it takes (to save lives)," he said. China mounted swift and sweeping actions to contain the disease. It has mobilized the best doctors, most advanced equipment and high-demand resources. The eldest patient to have been cured is 108 years old. "President Xi emphasized people and lives are the top priorities," said Huhbaater, a professor of Inner Mongolia Agricultural University and an NPC deputy who heard Xi speak. NEW OPPORTUNITIES China decided not to set a specific annual economic growth target for 2020, but set eyes on winning the battle against poverty and finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Xi touched upon the absence of a numerical growth target. "Had we imposed a target, the focus would have been strong stimulus and a simple grasp on growth rate. That is not in line with our social and economic development purposes," he said. Xi urged efforts in seeking new opportunities amid challenges as he joined discussions with national political advisors from the economic sector on May 23. "Our economy is still characterized by ample potential, strong resilience, large maneuver room and sufficient policy instruments," Xi said. China has the largest industrial system in the world with the most complete categories, strong production capabilities and complete supporting sectors, as well as over 100 million market entities and a talent pool of 170 million people. The Chinese president anticipates faster growth in the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing, life and health, new materials and other strategic emerging industries, highlighting the creation of new growth areas and drivers. Xi stressed steady progress in creating a new development pattern where domestic and foreign markets can boost each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay. He called for unwavering efforts to make economic globalization more open, inclusive and balanced so that its benefits are shared by all, and to build an open world economy. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, joins a deliberation with deputies from Hubei Province at the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) PUBLIC HEALTH PROTECTION On May 24, Xi joined deliberations with lawmakers from central China's Hubei Province, which was the hardest hit by COVID-19. "We must face the problems upfront, step up reform and waste no time in addressing the shortcomings, insufficiencies and loopholes exposed by the epidemic," he said, stressing fortifying the public health protection network. Xi noted several priorities: reforming the disease prevention and control system; boosting epidemic monitoring, early warning and emergency response capacity; perfecting the treatment system for major epidemics; and improving public health emergency laws and regulations. ENHANCING NATIONAL DEFENSE When attending a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force, Xi commended their role in battling COVID-19 and stressed achieving the targets and missions of strengthening the national defense and armed forces for 2020. The epidemic has brought a profound impact on the global landscape and on China's security and development as well, he said. He ordered the military to think about worst-case scenarios, scale up training and battle preparedness, promptly and effectively deal with all sorts of complex situations, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. Noting that this year marks the end of the 13th five-year plan for military development, Xi said extraordinary measures must be taken to overcome the impact of the epidemic to ensure major tasks on the military building are achieved. A Consumer NZ survey found 80 per cent of passengers on cancelled Air New Zealand flights have been stuck with credits, leaving the airline sitting on millions of dollars of customers money. Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said only six per cent of the more than 2000 Air New Zealand customers who participated in its survey had been given refunds after flights were cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The majority of customers have only been given credits and many didnt know if or when theyd be able to use them, he said. More than $3.8 million had been paid for flights by the 1700 people in the survey who had been given credits. Fifty-four per cent had paid more than $1000 for their tickets. Mr Duffy said this money was locked up in Air New Zealands bank account. The average amount held by the airline per passenger was $2234. Consumer NZ is calling on the airline to do the right thing and offer refunds to those who want them. Weve heard from a lot of people who really need their money because theyve lost jobs or income as a result of the fallout from Covid-19. While its a tough time to be an airline, its also a pretty tough time for many consumers, Mr Duffy said. Mr Duffy said passengers were being short-changed by the airline and outdated consumer protection laws. Some customers had only been able to get refunds by relying on laws in other countries. Last week, as a result of a Consumer NZ complaint to the Commerce Commission, Air New Zealand backed down and agreed to provide refunds to all passengers on cancelled US flights. The US requires airlines flying in or out of the country to refund passengers when flights are cancelled, regardless of the reason. Air New Zealand is operating two different refund policies. Its prepared to provide refunds for cancelled US flights but many other loyal customers are out of luck and only get a credit. Consumer NZ has written to Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran, asking the airline to change its stance, but is yet to receive a response to its request. The two-bedroom apartment near an old cemetery in Glassboro, N.J., may not look like much, but it means everything to Chekesha Sydnor-Jones and her family. After an eviction, they spent 2018 crammed into a motel room. After scrimping and saving, Sydnor-Joness family was able to put a months deposit down on a rental in this middle-class town and move into an actual home. The space is tight Sydnor-Joness three adult daughters shared the finished attic with her 10-year-old daughter; her 18-year-old son has one bedroom on the main floor, and she and her partner have the other. Before the pandemic hit, things were looking up. After a bout of joblessness, Sydnor-Jones had managed to buy a car and started driving for Uber and DoorDash. Glassboro is home to Rowan University, and she found that money could always be made serving the bustling campus. Sydnor-Joness partner had returned from North Carolina and began working in construction. Assata Shakur, who is the oldest daughter at 25, struggled to find work until she landed a union job as a housekeeper at Rowan, making about $425 a week after taxes. After working for a period, she would be able to attend Rowan at a discount and finish her education. Sydnor-Joness daughter Assira, who is 23, learned that she was pregnant last fall and reluctantly took a job as a door-to-door saleswoman for a clean-energy company. But she found she had a talent for it, and between the commission she earned and her part-time job at Home Depot, where she made $11 an hour, she and her boyfriend, who also worked at Home Depot and the clean-energy company, started to save money for the baby and for their own place. Sydnor-Joness son, Lahab, who is 18, worked at Amazon for about $17 an hour and was pulling in additional income driving for DoorDash. Sydnor-Joness 20-year-old daughter, Ahlayashabi, was not working before the pandemic. Almost none of them individually made a living wage in New Jersey, one of the most expensive states in which to live in the nation, but with all of them working and pooling their living expenses, they managed. Today Sydnor-Jones and her family find themselves in the type of financial calamity that theyve never known. As New Jersey, one of the states hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, implemented stringent shutdown restrictions, almost overnight, the familys income evaporated. The door-to-door sales company that employed Assira and her boyfriend laid them off, and they had to make do on the part-time work at Home Depot. Eventually, Assira, afraid for her health, took an early leave. Construction work stopped. And when Rowan University shut down and the students left, Sydnor-Jones and her son lost almost all their income from Uber and DoorDash. Only Assata is still fully employed while her hours at Rowan University have been cut, she is still drawing her paycheck but that could be imperiled if students do not return to school in the fall. For black Americans, whose unemployment rate was double that of white Americans before the pandemic, Covid-19 is particularly disastrous. While white unemployment has risen to 14.2 percent, black unemployment has grown to 16.7 percent, according to April data from the Bureau for Labor Statistics, and experts think the black unemployment rate is most likely severely undercounted. Heidi Shierholz, policy director of the Economic Policy Institute who served as the chief economist to the labor secretary under President Barack Obama, told The Washington Post that she expected unemployment among black people to soar to an almost incomprehensible 30 percent, the worst of all racial groups. It will be an absolute nightmare, she said. And for working-class black families like Sydnor-Joness, the data are particularly devastating. Black Americans are heavily concentrated in the service sector and gig economy the types of jobs employees cannot do from home and where layoffs have been most severe. This month, the Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome H. Powell, said that in March, when the shutdowns began, nearly 40 percent of American households earning less than $40,000 a year experienced job losses. Nearly half of black households earn less than $40,000 a year. Sydnor-Jones, who is 46, cannot remember a time when money wasnt tight. Her mother worked child-care and counseling jobs that were important but low-paying. She bought a fixer-upper that they could never really afford to fix up in Camden, N.J., during the 1990s, when jobs disappeared from the city and nearly 40 percent of residents there lived in poverty, making it the poorest city in one of Americas wealthiest states. Sydnor-Jones recalls spending a winter with no heat while she and her mother lived in two rooms in the otherwise-uninhabitable house. She dropped out of college after two years and then worked a series of early childhood education jobs to support herself and her children. In 2006, she moved to Williamstown, about 20 miles south of Camden, a diverse middle-class suburb out of her price range. She reasoned it was worth it to get her children access to the safe and high-quality schools the community offered. I could live a middle-class life in Camden or be poor out here, and I decided to be poor out here, she explained. Sydnor-Jones learned from her mother how to be resourceful, supplementing her income by doing hair from her home on the side. I could live a middle-class life in Camden or be poor out here, and I decided to be poor out here, Sydnor-Jones said. Hannah Price for The New York Times But the pandemic has stymied her resourcefulness she cant merely pick up extra shifts driving for Uber or do a friends hair in her kitchen. So she has filed for unemployment under expanded terms that now include gig workers. But her claim was pending for weeks before she finally received a check in mid-May. I try to be understanding that I am one of, what is it, like, 33 million that have filed for unemployment. Not that thats much solace. With virtually no income coming in, Sydnor-Jones has cut expenses where she can. She downgraded her cellphone plan, opting for a $15-a-month bare-bones package. She got rid of cable and internet but has been able to sign up for free internet for her 10-year-old, Azhani, which is provided to low-income children so they can access remote learning. She has prioritized paying the electric and water and gas bills, which are higher with everyone home all day every day, and put off other expenses, like medication. Sydnor-Jones has severe asthma, a condition that black Americans, more likely to live near environmental poisons, suffer disproportionately and that makes Covid-19 particularly deadly. Yet she said she could not afford to pick up the $46 inhaler waiting for her at the pharmacy. Like one in 10 black Americans, she lacks health insurance. Still, Sydnor-Joness family could not pay all the rent this month. A nervous pit formed in her stomach when she had to tell the landlord they had only $350 of the $850 due. He was understanding, she said, but for how long? Last month, Sydnor-Jones headed to the food bank, something she has never done before. When she got there, she ran into many friends and neighbors. Everyone, it seemed, was trying to make ends meet. The boxes of canned goods and dried milk and beans helped restock her empty cupboards. Sydnor-Jones is also growing vegetables tomatoes, peppers, spinach and cucumbers in a plot her partner dug behind their apartment building. These days she cooks a lot of beans and rice. Thankfully I have a family that is pretty good with what some might call struggle meals. I think it is a little bit easier having adults, because they understand why it is as it is. Still, every day feels more desperate. Many adults living in a small space is never an easy situation, but the suffocating combination of almost everyones being without work, with too little money and too much time on their hands, is leading to more and more frequent flare-ups. Arguments and slamming doors have become a daily soundtrack. Assata, who also suffers from asthma along with diabetes, has grown increasingly worried that she might contract the virus by working outside the home at Rowan. Racial data that cities and states started releasing last month revealed a stark disparity: In New Jersey and across the nation, black Americans were disproportionately contracting Covid-19 and dying from it. Its an astounding yet predictable paradox: Black Americans, because of where they live and work, are among the most likely to lose work because of Covid-19 shutdowns but also have to go to work because their jobs are deemed essential. Assata feels as if she must risk her health because her entire family now depends on her income, and sometimes that makes her resentful. I mean, I want to help my family, and I feel horrible being upset, she said. But its also frustrating. And then youre all stuck with each other. I dont know how long we can keep doing this, how long my mom and everybody can keep fighting over there not being enough money. For Mothers Day, Sydnor-Jones splurged on cheap steak for the family, trying to make it celebratory, but she and her partner wound up in an ugly argument she cannot even remember over what. Hes accustomed to working, she said, and not being able to help provide is breaking him down. It is growing harder and harder to keep her family from spiraling into despair. I dont like asking my kids for help, she said. You feel like the worst parent in the world. You try to remind yourself that everybodys going through this, but it eats you up. Nikole Hannah-Jones is a staff writer for the magazine. She won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in commentary for her lead essay for The 1619 Project. Terrace House: Tokyo has been canceled following the death of cast member and pro-wrestler Hana Kimura. Japanese broadcast network Fuji Television Network announced the cancellation of the reality TV franchises current season which was on production hiatus due to the pandemic via a statement on the shows website Wednesday. We would like to express our sincere condolences for the death of Hana Kimura, who appeared on the program. We also deeply mourn the bereaved families, the statement reads. Regarding TERRACE HOUSE TOKYO: 2019-2020, we have decided to cancel the production. We take this issue very seriously and would like to continue to earnestly respond to it. Also Read: Hana Kimura, Pro Wrestler and Star of Netflix's 'Terrace House,' Dies at 22 Kimuras death was announced by Stardom Wrestling on Saturday with this statement: We are very sorry to report that our Hana Kimura has passed away. Please be respectful and allow some time for things to process, and keep your thoughts and prayers with her family and friends. Before her death, the Terrace House: Tokyo cast member had posted messages to social media alleging that she was being cyberbullied, leading to multiple reports in Japanese media that Kimuras death was a suicide. However, her cause of death has not yet been confirmed. Terrace House: Tokyo follows six strangers three men and three women as they temporarily live together in a house in Tokyo, Japan. Also Read: 'American Horror Story' Season 10 Pushed to 2021, FX Orders Spinoff 'American Horror Stories' Representatives for Fuji did not immediately respond to TheWraps request for further comment regarding the cancellation and future seasons of the Terrace House franchise. A spokesperson for Netflix, which streams the Terrace House franchise globally, outside of Japan said in a statement to TheWrap, We have no current plans to take down the latest season of this incredibly loved show. Read original story Terrace House: Tokyo Canceled Following Hana Kimuras Death At TheWrap Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 11:01:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHENZHEN, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tech giant Huawei on Thursday expressed disappointment at a Canadian judge's ruling on the case against Meng Wanzhou, the company's chief financial officer. "We have repeatedly expressed confidence in Ms. Meng's innocence. Huawei continues to stand with Ms. Meng in her pursuit for justice and freedom," Huawei said in a statement. "We expect that Canada's judicial system will ultimately prove Ms. Meng's innocence," said the statement. "Ms. Meng's lawyers will continue to work tirelessly to see justice is served." A Canadian judge ruled on Wednesday that the extradition case against Meng can proceed. According to the ruling, the case of Meng meets the Canadian extradition standard of the so-called "double criminality." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday urged Canada to immediately correct its mistake, release Meng and ensure her safe return to China. He said the United States and Canada abused their bilateral extradition treaty and arbitrarily took compulsory measures against a Chinese citizen without cause. "This is a serious political incident that grossly violates the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese citizen," Zhao said. Enditem The coronavirus hasnt been kind to car owners. With more people than ever staying home to lessen the spread of COVID-19, their sedans, pickup trucks and SUVs are parked unattended on the streets, making them easy targets for opportunistic thieves. Despite silent streets and nearly nonexistent traffic, vehicle larcenies shot up 63% in New York and nearly 17% in Los Angeles from Jan. 1 through mid-May, compared with the same period last year. And many other law enforcement agencies around the U.S. are reporting an increase in stolen cars and vehicle burglaries, even as violent crime has dropped dramatically nationwide in the coronavirus pandemic. It's a low-risk crime with a potentially high reward, police say, especially when many drivers leave their doors unlocked or their keys inside. You might as well put a sticker on the window that says come take my stuff, said an exasperated Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles County sheriff. In Austin, Texas, last month, a whopping 72% of the 322 stolen vehicles had their keys nearby. The total number of auto thefts in April spiked about 50%, and burglaries to vehicles were up 2% from April 2019. The virus has created a perfect storm, said Austin police Sgt. Chris Vetrano, a supervisor in the 11-detective auto theft unit that investigates stolen vehicle cases. The elements for that storm: Drivers are at home and not using or checking their cars regularly. School's out, so teenagers are trying their luck. Criminals are out of work and have more time on their hands or need fast money to support a drug habit. You can get on the internet nowadays and learn how to break into vehicles just searching YouTube, Vetrano said. (He should know: Someone broke into his locked Ford F-150 pickup truck, one of the most commonly stolen vehicles, about a year ago.) Salt Lake City police Detective Greg Wilking said a 22% spike in vehicle burglaries there could be from a few criminals working quickly on car prowls. Its really 10 seconds," he said. Theyre not spending a lot of time in your car. Its a smash-and-grab-and-go, sometimes in broad daylight. Wilking worries the numbers will keep rising because people get more desperate as time goes on. In Baltimore, though, a push to reduce the city's historically high numbers of vehicle thefts and burglaries appears to have paid off. Thefts from autos plunged 24% and stolen vehicles dropped 19% from January to May compared with the same period last year. Col. Richard Worley, the chief of patrol, in part credits aggressive efforts to remind residents to lock their cars, take their keys home and park in well-lit areas. In this case, however, the pandemic has actually helped police: Residents are home, driving less and keeping an eye on the neighbourhood, and officers now have time for proactive patrols because calls for service and violent crime have decreased. A thief was recently arrested with 13 stolen catalytic converters during a motor vehicle stop. Sometimes, however, it's just a matter of luck. Like for Lindsey Eldridge, the police department's community outreach coordinator, who left her keys in her car's cupholder. She realized her mistake just before falling asleep. As Worley said: She could have been a statistic. Also Watch: Western Wyoming Community College has appointed Clifford Wittstruck to the position of vice president for student learning, effective June 15. The Professional Standards Board reviewed 30 highly qualified candidates, inviting three finalists to interview with college stakeholders. After reviewing the virtual campus interview sessions, Wittstruck was the unanimous choice. Wittstruck has been serving as interim vice president for student learning at western since January of 2020. Prior to that, he served as Western's dean of academics since 2005. Since his arrival in 2005, Wittstruck has co... NASA is rolling out the International Space Stations red carpet for Tom Cruise to make a movie in orbit. The space agency's administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said before Wednesdays planned launch of two NASA astronauts aboard a SpaceX rocket that Elon Musks company is already getting customers eager to blast off. Cruise is one of them. Bridenstine said hell leaving it to Cruise and SpaceX to provide the mission details. I will tell you this: NASA has been in talks with Tom Cruise and, of course, his team, and we will do everything we can to make it a successful mission, including opening up the International Space Station," he told The Associated Press. Asked about Cruise filming on the space station, Musk told CBS This Morning, Actually, I think that remains to be seen. We are supportive and I think NASA is supportive of anything that captures the imagination of the public. Seven members of the Afghan security forces were killed Thursday in an attack officials blamed on the Taliban, the first deadly assault since a three-day ceasefire ended. The militants attacked a checkpoint in Parwan, north of the capital, said Waheeda Shahkar, spokeswoman to the provincial governor. "The Taliban have also suffered casualties," Shahkar added. District police chief Hussain Shah said Taliban fighters set fire to the checkpoint, killing five security force personnel. Two more were shot dead. The Taliban have not commented. It is the first attack that Afghan officials have blamed on the Taliban since the ceasefire -- held over the Eid al-Fitr festival -- ended on Tuesday night. According to Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, civilian casualties fell by 80 percent during the temporary truce. A drop in violence has largely held since it ended on Tuesday night, although Afghan security forces carried out air strikes in the south on Wednesday that killed 18 "militants," police said. The surprise truce offer from the Taliban and the lull in fighting has raised hopes that stalled peace negotiations between the insurgents and the Afghan government could begin soon. Afghan authorities have responded to the ceasefire by releasing some 1,000 insurgent prisoners this week, and plan to further free an equal number of inmates in the coming days. The Taliban have also said they plan to free a group of government prisoners. The exchange is part of a US-Taliban deal signed in February, which excluded the Afghan government, that stipulates Kabul would release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and the militants would free about 1,000 national security personnel. Kabul had already freed about 1,000 Taliban inmates before the ceasefire, while the insurgents had released about 300 government captives. Bless Amedegbe, the man who instigated the public on social media to burn the house of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and also kill police officers enforcing COVID-19 measures has been granted bail in the sum of GH100,000, with two sureties. An Accra Circuit Court ordered that one of the sureties must be a public servant earning not less than GH1,000 cedis a month. The 24 year-old security man, aka Don Dada Bless, is facing a charge of and assault on a public officer as well as False Communication, contrary to Section 76(1) of the Electronic Communication Act, 2008 (Act 775). He has, however, denied the offences. Amedegbe, is said to have taken the action because he believed the global pandemic was a hoax. The Court presided over by Mr. Emmanuel M. Essandoh adjourning the matter to June 10, ordered that defence counsel be provided with the courts earlier records. Earlier, Mr. Yaw Dankwah counsel for Amedegbe prayed the court to admit his client to bail because he had a permanent place of abode and was in gainful employment. Additionally, Mr. Dankwah held that Amedegbe had people of substance and high valued citizens who would stand as sureties for him. According to him, the accused person would not disadvantage the prosecution by interfering with witnesses. Mr. Dankwah said Amedegbe ought to be given the opportunity to have access to his counsel so he could prepare adequately for his defence. We pray that the accused person is admitted to bail, while natural justice take its course. We also pray that the court would exercise its discretion in favour of the accused person, defence counsel added. The Prosecutor, Detective Sergeant Frederick Sarpong, did not object to bail but prayed the court to set out conditions that would compel the accused person to appear in court to stand trial. At the previous sitting, Detective Sergeant Sarpong told the Court that the complainant was an operative of the Bureau of National Communication, National Security; whiles Amedegbe resided at Maamobi. Sergeant Sarpong said in April this year, after the President announced the restriction of movement order in the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan areas, Amedegbe took video shots of himself and circulated same via YouTube and WhatsApp Platforms, inciting the public to defy the Presidents Executive Orders on the lockdown. The Prosecution said the accused described the Presidents social distancing directive as a result of the COVID-19 as a hoax, claiming the President was going to allow telecommunication companies to install 5G network, which would cause deaths. According to the Prosecutor, he, consequently, incited the public to rise up against the President and set his house ablaze. Amedegbe, in his self-made video, also incited the public to kill any police officer executing COVID-19 duties. On May 12, this year, Amedegbe, who was being tracked, was arrested. In his investigation caution statement, the Prosecution said, he admitted having made and circulated the misleading video on his WhatsApp and YouTube platforms. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video By Express News Service BHOPAL: Two young sisters whose nikaah was to be solemnized on Thursday have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh. The two along with another sister, all natives of Lidhora area of Tikamgarh district who were residing in Delhi's Karol Bagh, returned to Madhya Pradesh on May 23. They came from Delhi by bus to Niwari district from where they boarded a taxi to Lidhora. Two of the sisters were slated to be married on May 28. While one of them was to be married to a groom from Gwalior, the other was to be married in Tikamgarh. As they came from Delhi, which has reported a large number of COVID-19 cases, the three sisters were quarantined at a centre near their home. Samples of two sisters who were to be married on May 26 were subsequently taken. Just a day before their nikaah, both the sisters tested positive on Wednesday. The sampling of the third sisters was done on Thursday, a health department official told The New Indian Express. Earlier, on Wednesday, over 100 people including a newly-wed couple were quarantined in Chhindwara district after the CISF jawan brother-in-law of the bride tested positive for COVID-19. A week back, a newly-wed woman was hospitalized in Bhopal after testing COVID-19 positive. The woman hailing from Bhopal was married to a man from adjoining Raisen district two days before testing positive for the virus. After the woman tested positive, 32 people, including her better half and the priest who had solemnized the marriage in Bhopal, were quarantined. Meanwhile, as many as 19 people, including two toddlers have tested positive in Barodiya Khan village of Indore district. While, 16 people tested positive on Tuesday, three others had tested positive two days before that. Recently, a 70-year-old woman had come to the village from Indore city. As the woman was suffering from fever, family members brought her to the village. The old womans family members also celebrated the birthday of a kid, which was attended by 40-50 guests, including children. The elderly woman died a few days later and after her death the test report of her samples showed that she had COVID-19, sources in the health department at Indore confided. Subsequently, the samples of all those who came in contact with her, including those who attended the birthday party, were taken for testing. As many as 19 persons including two toddlers tested positive for the virus. A team of doctors has been sent to Barodiya Khan village for screening the villagers. The entire village has been sealed. RAM Rating Sdn Bhd (RAM Ratings) has noted in a commentary that although digital banks may spur financial innovation and accelerate the digital transformation of the Malaysian banking landscape, their impact will be limited in the next three years. This is due to the restriction on the asset size of the digital banks, which is curbed at less than RM2 billion, which account for only 0.3% of the industry asset. Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) also requires digital banks to focus on financial inclusion to address the market gaps in the underserved and unserved segments. This will temper the head-on competition with traditional banks in the mass retail and SME markets, said RAM Ratings co-head of Financial Institution Ratings, Sophia Lee, in a statement released in conjunction with the commentary. The digital banks may also see their impact and profitability constrained during the early years due to the substantial expenses in developing their ecosystem. There is also a need to spend on occasional promotional rates so that they can grow amidst the competitive business environment. Adding to this, digital banks are required to obey the same regulatory framework as commercial banks, which will also check their growth. This is despite simplified capital adequacy and liquidity requirements that are set during the initial three to five years. That said, we do not expect digital banks to compete with unsustainable rates as they are required to prove their profitability and business sustainability to maintain their licences, said RAM Ratings. According to the credit rating agency, digital banks also have the advantage of lower operating costs because of the reduced need for human intervention. It can also make use of artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and other predictive algorithms to offer alternative assessment of credit risks, thus allowing more people to benefit from its financial products. This would include at least 8% of the unbanked adult population in Malaysia, as well as SMEs without access to traditional financing options. Ultimately, digital banks will have a more meaningful impact on the banking industry in the long run, particularly for traditional banks that fail to improve their digital offerings in time. BNM has previously announced that it will be issuing up to five digital banking licences. Several parties have expressed interest thus far, including Axiata, Sunway Group, Razer, Grab, and AirAsia. Hong Kong-based investment banking firm, AMTD, has announced that they, too, are seeking to apply. 0 0 votes Article Rating SHARE May 28 : He is the toast of the town, everybody is talking about him, he is all over social media, people want to see more of him, he is now better known as 'Haathi Ram'. We are talking about actor Jaideep Ahlawat whose latest show 'Paatal Lok' is winning hearts and Haathi Ram is everyone's favourite now. The actor recently shared a throwback video of him in Serbia where he shot for Baaghi 3. The actor took to his instagram and shared an old video when he was shooting in Serbia for his film Baaghi 3. He wrote, "#throwback...When Haathi Ram was on a different mission in Serbia. #paatallok #actor #serbia #winters #baaghi3.... Miss you brother @calecolja video shot by one and only bade babu @itsvijayvarma" The actor played the role of IPL in Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor starrer 'Baaghi 3'. Some parts of the film were shot in Serbia and the actor has shared some BTS from his shoot there. Though he has been a part of many hit films like Raazi, Raees, Gangs of Wasseypur but what made him pass the exams with flying colors is the latest web show of his 'Paatal Lok'. Jaideep plays the role of a Delhi cop Haathi Ram Chaudhary in the show whose integrity is put to test when he begins investigating a failed assassination attempt case. He worked really hard to get into the character of Haathi Ram and he even put on weight to make it look more convincing. Anushka Sharma production 'Paatal Lok' is currently streaming on Amazon Prime features Abhishek Banerjee, Neeraj Kabi, Ishwak Singh, Swastika mukherjee and Gul Panag among other. Go binge watch the show if you haven't already!! Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We cant let a more sophisticated version of that.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020 The United States' President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Thursday to limit the legal protection that federal law currently grants social media companies and other online platforms. According to the report from a news agency, people who are familiar with the draft claims the order would make it easier for federal regulators to hold social media giants liable for suspending accounts, deleting posts, and curbing free speech. The draft of the order comes a day after Twitter applied a "fact-checking notice" to the president's tweets on Tuesday following several claims of voter fraud. Trump accused the platform for violating free speech. If passed, the executive order would become the administration's most aggressive course of action against social media companies, which the president has continuously called out for years. Federal Law The social media companies are currently protected under a broad federal law that was adopted by the U.S. Congress in the 1996 Communications Decency Act. Under Section 230, online companies are granted immunity from being held liable over the actions of their users. They are also not responsible for multiple police contents on their sites. The draft order will strip tech companies of their Section 230 protection if they discriminate or act against users without conducting a fair hearing. Limiting a user's access to a platform or performing acts that are not written within the company's terms of service may also lead to the removal of their protection. Federal regulators would also enhance an online bias reporting tool the administration had set up. Federal agencies would also be encouraged to review their advertising contracts with online companies that censors speech. The president has previously threatened legal action against social media companies who go against decisions the presidents make. Last year, the White House drafted an order that aimed to penalize platforms for allegedly showing bias against conservatives but have yet to provide evidence to support their claims. A federal judge also rejected a lawsuit that claimed the tech giants conspired to prevent conservative views online. Social Media Companies Respond Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg slammed Twitter for attaching a fact-check notice to the president's tweets. In an interview with recently, he claimed digital platforms should not be the "arbiter of truth." In response to the president's warning, he claimed to choose to shut platforms due to worries about censorship was not the right reflex. On Wednesday night, Jack Dorsey-Twitter's CEO-said he was ultimately accountable for the decision to attach a fact-check notice to the president's tweets. He urged the people not to blame his employees. Dorsey also responded to Zuckerberg's statements by claiming the controversial notice does not make Twitter an "arbiter of truth." He said they only intended to clarify conflicting reports and show the information in dispute to help the general public judge for themselves. He also claimed transparency is essential, so the users of his platform can see the reason behind their actions. Read More Here: The world threat, COVID-19 has left every soul in dilemma, resulting in frustration, panic, hunger and uncertainty among individuals in all aspects of life and has thus intensified the vulnerability of young people. Seeking for health solution is increasingly becoming difficult to access, particularly in the Northern part of Ghana where borders are loose and all the five regions with a population of 4,228,116 (Population and Housing Census, 2010) depend on a recently modified COVID-19 testing centre in the Tamale Metropolis. Savana Signatures, in the midst of the deadly COVID-19, works under the precautionary measures to meet the emerging health needs of young people. Working with SHE+ Champions (a trained group of young people working with Savana Signatures), engages in sensitization exercises in the Northern region to educate the public on Reproductive Health and Rights as well as COVID-19 issues. As the number of infected persons in the country keeps rising with the latest case count of 7,117 as of today, 27th May, 2020, there is the need for innovative ways of reaching out to the public with the needed health information while minimising physical contacts. Innovative Approach Savana Signatures has modified its Young Voices Forum initiative to a well-structured online knowledge sharing platform that enables young people learn and share knowledge on topical Reproductive Health and Rights issues that affects the development of young people. This innovation rules out limitations as the online platform enables the entire public to engage in an interactive health talkwith health experts and youth advocates irrespective of participants age, gender, religion, colour or geographical location. On the 15th of May, the Forum which covers issues of Reproductive Health and Rights (RHR) tackled issues of menstrual hygiene among young people. This was streamed Live on SavSign TV Facebook and YouTube Channels to reach out to every individual at their convenient location. The educative talk show is scheduled to take place every Friday from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm on SavSign TV. Interaction during the Young Voices Forum Streaming According to Musah Mohammed Hafiz, a participant there seem to be limited sanitary materials especially in out of town communities. He however, asked if reusable pads are healthy alternative? In response to this, Hafsat Yurizaa, a youth advocate and a Nurse noted that, reusable pads are healthy alternative because they could serve the intended purpose without health implications. She expressed concerns of thehighpoverty rate of people living in out of town communities and noted reusable pads to be the solution that could reduce cost and serve girls for a longer period. How can young people who have experience their first menstruation seek information unidentified? Asked Mujahid Fordjour Oppong, a participant. According to WendyNobila, an advocate, its advisable to inform your parents about your first menstrual experience for guidance. She urged young people to not shy away from menstrual experience but rather open up for help. Adam Mardia Tipagya, a participant, encouraged parents to always feel free to talk to their children about their menstruation. She revealed that, her first menstrual period was not a challenge to her because she had a lot of discussion about it with her mother. I can state this categorically that a lot of young people lack information on these things, Menstrual Hygiene to be precise. Because parents do not want to discuss these things with their children and they are not also thought in many schools. It's really sad Mr. Oppong laments. The fact that parents find it difficult interacting with kids about menstruation, also poses an opportunity to organizations and health-related youth groups to champion more community-based outreaches, promoting the need for information access to girls at early ages, and boys to avoid stigma Mohammed Hafiz posits. Impact of the Young Voices Forum The first edition of the Young Voices Forum reached 398 persons with 183 engagements and 7 shares within 2 hours. This achievement is more than twice of the previous strategy where the Young Voices Forum used to be held in an auditorium with attendance less than 200 participants. This innovative one-hour talk show had 24 comments from the public asking questions and demanding for answers. Thehealth expert and youth advocate satisfied their needs and provided them with referral leads to health facilities that could solve their menstrual health problems. Participants expressed their satisfaction regarding the programme and suggested to have more of such educative talk shows in the country. Musah Mohammed Hafiz, a participant expressed, Very insightful discussions whereas Mujahid Fordjour Oppong noted, Interesting conversation, #MenstrualHygiene. Mr Oppong added that, we need frequent education as this one in every corner of the country. I think it would safe a lot of young people from the Stigma that comes with menstruation. Join the conversation: (https://web.facebook.com/SavSignTV/videos/3260791560683898/) (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtfegKseq1Mej4bB9zeRV1g) Airlines tend to see a spike in passengers starting Memorial Day weekend even during a pandemic, it turns out: 348,673 people passed through security checkpoints at U.S. airports on Friday, May 22, more than three times the amount from a month ago, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Still, the number of travelers was down 88% from the same day last year. I happened to be among the 350,000 airline passengers on Friday: I was flying from Los Angeles, where I currently live, back home to Charlotte, North Carolina, to be closer to family right now. It's nearly impossible to socially distance if you're traveling by air, so you're better off avoiding flying if possible. If it's essential you travel, prepare ahead of time so you can do so as safely as possible. Here's what my flying experience on Friday was like. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards The morning of my flight I get an email from American Airlines reminding me that face coverings are required on board and may be required in the airports where my trip is beginning and ending. They're required at LAX, where I'm flying out of, but not Charlotte, my final destination. My flight is direct, so I don't have to worry about stopping in other airports. The email also says that the airline is offering travel vouchers starting at $200 to switch flights, as ours is filling up. I pass on the deal. I put on my mask, pack hand sanitizer and wear my glasses to help prevent myself from touching my face. I also grab a pair of gloves, which I don't end up using. Some experts suggest using them others warn that you can easily contaminate yourself with gloves if you don't use them properly. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that they're not necessary for the general public unless you're cleaning or caring for someone who is sick. Like I would normally do, I use a rideshare service to get from my apartment to the airport. It's easy finding a driver and even easier getting to the airport. The 12.5-mile ride typically takes an hour minimum, thanks to LA traffic. But this morning, we get there in 18 minutes. Both Uber and Lyft require that all passengers and drivers wear masks. We both have masks on for the duration of the ride. The passenger drop-off area at LAX is uncharacteristically empty. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards As is the check-in area before you go through security. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Some airlines have started rolling out touchless kiosks to print bag tags using a smartphone, although the one I use isn't. It reminds me again of the face covering policy. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Going through security is a breeze with no line. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards There isn't a separate lane for TSA PreCheck, which I normally use, but with so few passengers going through security it doesn't make a difference. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Last week, the TSA announced that screening procedures will be changing to limit contact between passengers and TSA agents. Passengers should expect more distance between each other at security checkpoints, which has already started to take effect at LAX. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Passengers will also have to place their boarding passes on scanners themselves, instead of handing them to TSA agents. That procedure hasn't yet been implemented today and I hand my boarding pass and ID to the agent for review. The agent is sitting behind a protective shield, though. He asks me to remove my mask when he checks my ID. I normally allow two hours for commuting to the airport and getting through security. Today, I make it from my apartment to my gate in 45 minutes. I'm nearly two hours early for my flight and pass the time walking through the terminal, which is, for the most part, desolate. Some coffee shops and Hudson News shops are open, but most bars and restaurants are closed. I have a bag of snacks I brought from home to avoid unnecessary contact in airport shops. Signs and announcements over the speaker system remind you to maintain distance from other travelers, but I don't notice any physical markings to help indicate proper social distancing. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Here's a particularly empty gate. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards I head back to my gate at boarding time and, surprisingly, it's packed. Planes have been flying emptier the past few months, but it appears mine will not be. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards During the boarding process, we're reminded to remain six feet from our fellow passengers, but it's difficult to keep so many people apart in such a small space. Besides the fact that everyone has a face covering, boarding seems business as usual: I hand my boarding pass to the ticketing agent, who scans it and returns it back to me. There's no protective shield placed between the agent and passengers. In hindsight, I should have downloaded the American Airlines app to have my boarding pass on my phone and use touchless boarding. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards I'm one of the last to board, and the plane appears nearly full. I take my aisle seat and am inches from the passenger in the middle seat, who is inches from the passenger in the window seat. The row across from me is also full. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Shortly after takeoff, the flight attendants, wearing masks and gloves, hand out paper bags with a water bottle and snack inside. They come back around a few times to collect trash, but contact is minimal. There are no beverage carts or drink refills. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards I sleep during most of the five-hour journey. The few times I wake up, it feels like just another flight, with passengers walking through the cabin to use the bathroom. Most airlines are asking passengers to keep their masks on the entire flight, but the rule doesn't seem to be enforced. I remove mine only a handful of times to eat and drink. When we land, we're asked to stand and exit one row at a time. Upon exiting, I head straight to the airport bathroom for a lengthy hand wash. The Charlotte airport is noticeably busier than LAX. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Here's the baggage claim area. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday asked the government to unlock its coffers and help the needy affected by the lockdown to contain the coronavirus. The Congress chief accused the Narendra Modi government of not listening to the plight of the migrant workers, and demanded the Centre to provide Rs 7,500 to every needy of the country for next six months. She said the country is passing through an economic crisis, but the central government has not heard the cries of pain and trauma of people. "We again urge the Centre to unlock its coffers and help the needy. Put ... LIMA, May 27 (Reuters) - Production in Peru's mining sector will fall by at least 15% this year, representing a loss in revenues of up to $5 billion, due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a top mining executive said on Wednesday. Large-scale mining, which makes up 80% of Peru's copper production, would not be fully up and running until early June, Victor Gobitz, general manager of mining company Buenaventura , said at a virtual news conference. "Those should be the production levels that could be warning of production losses towards the end of the year," Gobitz said. Some Peruvian mining operations are partially operating after the government gradually eased restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. The sector will go through four phases of reactivation until August, the government has said. Peru's mining sector has been hit hard by the pandemic. The country has 129,751 confirmed cases of the virus - the second most in Latin America - with a death toll now around 3,788. Gobitz said companies with underground mines will try to target high-grade areas "to make up for lost time." "I think that it will only be possible to regain full production levels in the third quarter," Gobitz said. (Reporting by Marco Aquino; writing by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) Authorities in Kogi State have rejected the two index cases of coronavirus reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for the state late Wednesday. Kogi State till this very moment is COVID-19 free. We have developed full testing capacity and have conducted hundreds of tests so far which have returned negative, Saka Audu, the state commissioner for health said in a statement Thursday. This will once again reignite the controversy trailing the COVID-19 response in Kogi, a development that pitted state authorities against their federal counterparts. Prior to the NCDCs results of Wednesday, Kogi and Cross Rivers were the only states yet to confirm any case of the virus, a record widely disputed by health authorities and federal officials who believe governments in both states are discouraging tests for people with symptoms of COVID-19. Authorities in Kogi and Cross Rivers believe there is a plot to compulsorily report COVID-19 cases in the states but medical experts and federal officials said the low number of test samples turned in from the states is making it difficult to ascertain if they are actually coronavirus-free. Despite being surrounded by states with confirmed cases of the virus, the government in Kogi has at least once scuttled efforts by NCDC to coordinate COVID-19 testing. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) had condemned the continued obstruction of the NCDC by the Kogi government, calling on the federal government to probe the states free status. On Wednesday, the NCDC announced 389 new cases and two were from Kogi State. It meant Cross River State remained the sole uninfected state as of May 27. According to the centres figures, the number of fatalities increased from 249 to 254, while recoveries increased from 2,385 to 2,501. A total of 8,733 COVID-19 cases have now been confirmed in 35 states and the federal capital territory (FCT). But in Thursdays statement, Mr Audu, the Kogi health commissioner, said the government will not accept any test result conducted outside the state. We have also continued to insist that we will not be a party to any fictitious Covid-19 claims which is why we do not recognise any Covid-19 test conducted by any Kogite outside the boundaries of the State except those initiated by us. Any attempt to force us to announce a case of Covid-19 will be vehemently rejected. We continue to enjoin our people to take all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic into the State and give no listening ears to rumour peddlers and mischief makers. We are more than prepared to secure the life of our people and have no interest in playing politics with their Health concerns, the statement said. Reacting in a phone conversation with PREMIUM TIMES Thursday afternoon, the NCDC Director Chikwe Ihekweazu said the agency stands by the results it made public despite kickbacks from the Kogi government. We stand by our results and it is as simple as that. We have no reaction for its acceptance or rejection, he said. A 16-year-old girl in India has been brutally beaten by three men in front of her father as a 'punishment' for eloping with a man. Footage appeared online of the defenceless teenager screaming in agony as she is dragged by her hair and repeatedly thrashed while a crowd gathers round to watch. Police said her attackers inflicted the beatings, which took place in the remote Bilvant village in Gujarat's Chhota Udepur district, as a form of punishment. One man grabs the girl's hair while landing a blow on her back, before ripping her pink sari from her shoulders as she wails in distress The three men crowd round the teenager as they violently attacked her in front of her father, who was forced to watch The three men claimed that by eloping with the man she had brought 'disrespect to their community', Deputy Superintendent of Police A V Katkad said. Footage of the beatings, believed to have been recorded by a villager on a mobile phone, show one man whipping her with a stick while another pins her arms down, leaving the teenager unable to defend herself. The other two men repeatedly punch her in both her face and back, the force knocking her to the floor. They rip her pink sari from her shoulders and continue to beat the teenager who wails in distress. The entire incident took place in front of the teenager's father who had been forced to watch, police said. A crowd gathers round to watch the attack while the girl writhes in agony on the floor He later made a formal complaint against the men at Rangpur police station, Indian TV channel News18 said. Police said they have lodged a case against the three accused men who they have named as Desingh Rathva, Bhipla Dhanuk and Udelia Dhanuk, as well as 13 others at the scene. 'The girl had eloped with a man and went to a village in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. She was thrashed as a punishment by these accused upon her return a few days back. All 16 men have been booked on charges of rioting, criminal intimidation, assault and various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, police said. Lawmakers also amended banking secrecy laws to allow investigations into accounts of top officials. Beirut, Lebanon Lebanons Parliament on Thursday ratified a 1.2 trillion Lebanese pound ($300m) aid package for low-income families and vital sectors including agriculture and industry, as the government attempts to stave off an economic collapse exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The spending package aims to create a social safety net to support struggling families through the end of the year, and provide aid to businesses hit by the worst economic and financial crisis in the countrys history. Its very difficult to cover all the needs; as you know, the state has no money, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Zeina Akar the architect of the package told Al Jazeera. Were using money that isnt there, securing it through loans. But we think we must help. We cant not help. The 1.2 trillion Lebanese pound price tag equates to $300 million at the prevailing black-market exchange rate of 4,000 to $1 or around $375 million at a legal, but mostly ignored, parallel rate of 3,200 to $1. Lebanons currency has depreciated by some 60 percent since last summer due to an acute dollar shortage rooted in unsustainable government spending, ballooning debt, a decade-long economic slowdown and decreasing remittances from abroad. Half of the new aid package will go towards providing 200,000 families with a monthly cash payment of 400,000 pounds ($100) through December. People with disabilities, victims of landmines and explosions, and parents of public school children in need will be prioritised, Akar said. Some seven thousand small and medium-sized enterprises will receive a one-off cash payment of between 15 million and 20 million Lebanese pounds ($3,750-$5,000 at the black market exchange rate), while more than 30,000 farmers and 6,600 vocational workers will get 4.5 million pounds each ($1,125), Akar said. And some 200 industries will get $1m in foreign currency to help them purchase imported raw materials. This industry bailout is necessary because informal capital controls imposed by banks have decimated all imports except essentials wheat, fuel and medicine. Torpedoed banking secrecy Parliament also endorsed a law amending the countrys strict banking secrecy law. While the amendment originally gave judges the authority to probe the accounts of top officials, including ministers and members of parliament (MPs), a number of lawmakers raised concerns that the law could be used to target political foes of those in power, given Lebanons lack of judiciary independence. There is an intent to settle scores, Progressive Socialist Party MP Wael Abou Faour said. Lebanon regularly ranks among the most corrupt countries in the world. Over the protests of many MPs, House Speaker Nabih Berri managed to push through a last-minute amendment to the banking secrecy law that exclusively empowers members of a yet-to-be-created national anti-corruption commission and investigative commission at the Central Bank to look into bank accounts. In a way, this law was frozen. They were supposed to allow judges to lift banking secrecy, but the formula has changed, Nizar Saghieh, a leading Lebanese legal expert and co-founder of NGO The Legal Agenda, told Al Jazeera. But Lebanese lawmakers also strengthened anti-corruption protections by endorsing a law that reins in the power of ministers to advance candidates for top government administrative and oversight chiefs. The countrys Civil Service Council will now select candidates through exams and interviews, leaving it up to the government to select from among three people who qualify. Endorsing the law is a radical, positive change towards liberating the administration from the dominance of the political authorities, Independent MP Neemat Frem tweeted following the session. Advertisement 1. On April 5, 2020, the Anambra State Government was compelled to issue a statement against the determination of a handful of politicians to politicize the state governments effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the state. The state governments campaign against COVID-19 is to this day considered exemplary throughout Nigeria, with other sub national governments constantly called upon by independent bodies to learn from the proactive measures which have resulted in the state recording only nine cases so far, despite the fact that our people travel extensively more than the people of any other state and that the state has some of the largest open markets in West Africa patronized daily by millions of people from all over West and Central Africa. 2. It is regrettable that the handful of politically exposed persons have continued with the single-minded determination to politicize the Anambra State Governments war against COVID-19. Officials of an opposition party have since yesterday been going to various mass media to lobby journalists to allege that the states recent establishment of the COVID-19 Task Forces in all 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and also in all 326 wards in Anambra State is tantamount to the setting up of election campaign councils for the gubernatorial election which will hold in November, 2021. 3. Following the immense success of the Anambra State Task Force on COVID-19 headed by Governor Willie Obiano, the government decided to establish a COVID-19 Task Force in each of the 21 LGAs in the state, with the Chairman of the Local Government Transition Committee as the Chairman while the head of the Health Department in the LGA, the Information Officer, the Disease & Surveillance Officer, an officer nominated by the Ministry of Health and a representative of the Civil Society Organisation as members. We are glad every other state government in Nigeria has taken a similar step. Advertisement 4. Anambra State has now become the first state to replicate the Task Forces in all the wards, made necessary by the need to check the spread of the contagion at the grassroots. Anambra and Lagos are among the states which have swung into the community search phase of the campaign against COVID-19. 5. It is, therefore, immoral for any group of politicians to allege that the operation of the COVID-19 Task Forces in both the 21 LGAs and 326 wards is driven by the desire to win the 2021 governorship vote. In fact, the establishment of the COVID-19 Task Forces in the wards represents the full operationalization of the Primary Healthcare Centres since they were created in 1988 when Professor Olukoye Ransome-Kuti was the Minister of Health under the General Ibrahim Babangida military regime. 6. For instance, the Ward Health Development Chairman, who will play a major role in the Task Force in each ward, is a creation of Nigerias Primary Healthcare Development Agency Act. The person must be an indigene of the community which nominates him or her and must be resident there. He or she liaises with community leaders like village heads on health issues on behalf of the community. As a member of the COVID-19 Task Force, the person is required to play a major role in reporting any stranger in the community or any member of the community who has been outside the state in the last 14 days or any community member who displays such symptoms as shortness of breath, high fever and constant sneezing. 7. As Anambra becomes the first state in Nigeria to incorporate Primary Healthcare Centres in the strategy to combat COVID-19 by training PHC workers on the World Health Organization and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control protocols in dealing with the contagion, it richly deserves all the accolades it has been receiving for taking the campaign against COVID-19 to the grassroots. The attempt by some politically exposed persons to put the lives of millions of our people in the harms way by politicizing the community search phase of the fight is unconscionable. Neither the Anambra people nor even God will ever forgive such recklessness. 8. Finally, so-called professional politicians in the state are reminded, once again, that it is absolutely immoral to work with so much determination to derail the ongoing battle against COVID-19 in the name of campaigning for an election which is one and a half years away. Anambra State must remain the Light of the nation. Signed C. Don Adinuba Commissioner for Information & Public Enlightenment. WEST OLIVE, MI -- Ottawa County leaders are urging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer not to extend her stay-at-home order past the latest deadline of June 12. In a May 26 letter penned with unanimous support from the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, board Chair Roger Bergman wrote Whitmer saying there is a growing loss of credibility and belief in her stay-at-home order, and that the latest extension from May 28 to June 12 was a deflating and, frankly, demoralizing impairment of careful planning by businesses and governments. Bergman said he understands that some restrictions will have to remain in place past June 12 to protect people in nursing homes, jails and elsewhere where populations are vulnerable to COVID-19s spread, but asked that businesses and governments be allowed to reopen with safety precautions. "Our community is ready to be trusted with the reality that we will have to live with a new normal until a vaccination or treatment is in place," Bergman wrote. Whitmers stay-at-home order, which first went into effect March 24 and has been continually extended since, closed businesses deemed nonessential, such as casinos, gyms, theaters, bars and dine-in restaurants, and ordered nonessential workers to work from home to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Related: Whitmer extends stay-home order, closures of gyms, salons and other businesses to June 12 Recently, Whitmer loosened restrictions in the Upper Peninsula and much of Northern Michigan, allowing restaurants, bars and non-essential stores in those regions less hard-hit by COVID-19 to reopen in reduced capacity. Statewide, she also recently began allowing non-essential retail businesses and auto dealerships to operate via appointment only as the overall number of new cases of COVID-19 infections continue to drop statewide. Bergman wrote that the letter isnt a criticism or complaint but constructive input. He said the board is glad to see the governor take a regional reopening approach and appreciates much of what Whitmer has done in addressing the pandemic. Bergman offered two reasons why Whitmer shouldnt extend the stay-at-home order in full past June 12. The first is that people are losing faith in the credibility of Whitmers order and that, if credibility is lost, general public compliance and proper safety precautions will tend to be thrown to the wind, posing a threat to recovery, the board chair said. First, there is a growing loss of credibility and belief in the Stay Home and Stay Safe Executive Order because it is illogical that Meijer and Home Depot can be open but car showrooms cannot; that you can sit at a bar in Manistee but not in Ludington or Grand Haven -- assuming proper safety precautions; that you can sit on the beach in a crowd but not attend church -- again leaving to the congregation and clergy the responsibility for safe services, according to the letter. The governors stay-at-home order prohibits large gatherings, but Whitmer has made clear that churches wont be penalized for hosting worship services. The other reason is that governments and businesses need a fixed date to reopen so they can plan effectively to do so. We live in an area where boating, camping and tourism is very important. Restaurants cannot staff and buy food to prepare unless they have a realistic end date and then the state sticks to it, according to the letter. Candidly, most people here in West Michigan figured that end date was May 28th, and the extension was a deflating and, frankly, demoralizing impairment of careful planning. Bergman noted the county was planning to reopen its buildings June 1 to the walk-in public so long as they wore masks and passed COVID-19 screening stations. The extension threw a wrench into that planning, he said. Latest figures from the Ottawa County Health Department show the county has a total 718 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 31 associated deaths. 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. Read more: Michigan shopping malls, retail stores weigh risk of opening doors during COVID-19 pandemic Flooding chaos hits third year around hundreds of Michigan lakes Michigans senior citizens miss grandchildrens hugs, feel isolated during coronavirus pandemic Montgomerys longtime City Councilman John Champagne Jr. has resigned. The council unanimously accepted Champagnes resignation from Place 2 on Tuesday during a virtual meeting. The decision was made without further discussion. RELIEF: County creates $2.4 million lifeline for distressed renters The council unanimously voted to replace Champagne with Randy Burleigh, a longtime resident that has served on the Montgomery Water Board, Memory Park Irrigation System, Montgomery Capital Improvement Advisory Board and Montgomery Technical Operations Review Committee. In a letter dated May 13, Champagne said it is with much gratitude and a bit of regret that he announced his resignation. After almost 10 years of working in our city government its time to step aside, Champagnes letter stated. I believe our distinctive and delightful city is well positioned to thrive now and in the future. Over the years Ive witnessed many individuals that consistently give their time and effort in ways that make this town what it has become. Seeing the results of an involved citizenry and a dedicated staff confirms my conviction that we all have responsibility to safeguard the legacy we have been given. Im hopeful that continues. City Administrator Richard Tramm said he placed an announcement about the vacant position on the citys website and social media about collecting applications without specific advice from the council immediately after receiving the letter. Tramm said the decision was made in order to give the city council the widest possible latitude of possible action. Councilwoman Rebecca Huss estimated at least 600 people saw the social media post about the vacancy the first day it was on the Facebook page and in response to the two-week period Countryman believed it was safe to assume interested candidates had enough to be informed about the vacancy. The Place 2 position along with the mayors position, currently held by Sara Countryman, and the Place 4 position, currently held by Huss, was set to expire in this month. However, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the election was postponed by the city until November. Champagnes decision follows longtime Councilman Jon Bickfords decision to resign from Place 1 in February. That position has since been filled by councilman Kevin Lacy through appointment, which the council passed in a 3-1 vote. Champagne was the lone nay vote during the April 28 virtual council meeting. During the April 28 meeting, the often outspoken Champagne requested to table the decision to allow more time for applicants, discussed Burleigh, who he was aware had already agreed to serve for seven months, and announced that he intended to resign. Burleigh was one of only two applicants for the Place 2 position. Before the vote, Councilman Tom Cronin inquired if there would be any legal issue for one of the candidates who had already announced they were running for a different position. The City Attorney, Alan Petrov, said it was something to consider because placing a candidate in as an incumbent if the race is contested can be an advantage to a person but is legal. If the candidate is elected in the November, he or she would vacate the appointed position, he said. Huss shared the main concern but thought the council should move forward. I hear your thoughts on having somebody fill the position not only for what seems to be a steady stream of city council acting as the board of adjustments but just given the current health environment there could be a time when one or two of us or more could be unable to fulfill our duties it seems to make sense to have all five positions filled, Huss said. It seems silly to have four on purpose. MITIGATION: Fed up Winnie residents sue TxDOT over flooding on I-10 Cronin agreed with Huss. Countryman also weighed in on the decision, specifically regarding Burleigh. The longtime Montgomery resident and retired engineer has participated in various areas in the past several years. In February 2019, Countryman presented a plaque to Burleigh for his dedication and service to the city. Randy has been around a long time. Hes got a lot of experience with the city, and we kind of need it during this time with budgeting and everything else coming up too, Countryman said. Its good to see that someone who has been here a long time has actually tossed their name in the hat. Cronin believed the position should be filled as soon as possible but asked whether the council should vote or wait until the next meeting in two weeks to allow more time for applicants. I was not aware that this had been posted on the citys site, and its the councils pleasure, but in all fairness I think we should say that we will appoint somebody at the next meeting, Cronin said. Huss said she couldnt be happier with Burleigh as an applicant. Hes been involved with the nitty gritty of the city, sorry for the rhyme, but in terms of what we have ahead of us, in terms of the difficulties with sorting out the numbers related to our budget, the water and sewer funds, there isnt really anybody who likes getting down into the numbers quite the way Randy does, Huss said. So I am perfectly comfortable going forward tonight but if I am on my own then obviously that wont happen. mellsworth@hcnonline.com A team of scientists is working to create brain-like memristive systems providing the highest degree of adaptability for implementing compact and efficient neural interfaces, new-generation robotics, artificial intelligence, personalized medicine, etc. Lobachevsky University scientists in collaboration with their colleagues from Russia, Italy, China and the United States have proposed the concept of a memristive neurohybrid chip to be used in compact biosensors and neuroprostheses. The concept is based on the existing and forward-looking solutions at the junction of neural cellular and microfluidic technologies that make it possible to grow a spatially ordered living neural network. In combination with CMOS-compatible technologies for creating microelectrode matrices and arrays of memristive devices, this integrated approach will be used for registering, processing and stimulation of bioelectrical activity in real time. According to Alexey Mikhaylov, head of the laboratory at the Lobachevsky University's Research Institute for Physics and Technology, the interaction of different subsystems is organized on a single crystal (chip) and is controlled by built-in analog-to-digital circuits. "The implementation of a biocompatible microelectronic system, along with the development of cellular technology, will provide a breakthrough in neuroprosthetics by offering an important competitive advantage: a miniature bioelectrical sensor based on micro- and nanostructures with an option to store and process signals in multiple manners, including feed-forward approach and feedback loops, may serve as an active neural interface for intelligent control and management of neuronal structures. This potential (unattainable with the use of traditional neural interface architectures) can be extended to other types of bioelectric signals for registering signals of brain, heart and musular activity, as well as the state of the skin using portable signal processing and diagnostics systems," says Alexey Mikhaylov. To develop and fabricate bidirectional neurointerfaces, scientists currently apply complex electronic circuits realising special mathematical models and neuromorphic principles of information processing. Such electronic systems use traditional components and cannot meet the requirements of energy efficiency and compactness for safe interaction with living cultures or tissues on the same chip. "Memristors created by scientists from Russia and Italy have the unique property of nonlinear resistive memory and are promising elements for analog information processing systems, including those with a neuron-like structure. They can also serve as electrophysiological activity sensors performing at the same time the function of accumulation and non-volatile storage of information", Alexey Mikhaylov notes. A schematic representation of the proposed neurohybrid system is shown in Fig.1A. It consists of several functional layers combined in one CMOS-integrated chip. The top layer is a part of the neuronal system represented here by a culture of dissociated hippocampal cells grown on a multielectrode array and functionally ordered by a special layout of microfluidic channels shown in Fig.1B. The microelectrode layer serves for extracellular registration and stimulation of neurons in vitro. It is implemented on the top metallization layers of the CMOS layer together with an array of memristive devices (Fig.1D). "The simplest task performed by memristive devices is the direct processing of spiking activity of the biological network (Fig.1C); however, self-learning neural network architectures based on fully connected cross-bar memristive arrays can be designed for adaptive decoding of spatiotemporal characteristics of bioelectric activity. The output of this artificial network (Fig. 1F) can be used to control the cellular network via gradual modulation of extracellular stimulation (Fig.1G) according to the given protocol. Analog and digital circuits for accessing and controlling the multielectrode array and memristive devices, amplifying, generating, and transmitting signals between layers should be implemented in the main CMOS layer (Fig.1E)", Alexey Mikhaylov explains. To create a neurohybrid chip, collaborative design and optimization of all these elements at the levels of materials, devices, architectures, and systems will be required. Of course, this work must be in pace with the development of bio- and neurotechnologies to address a number of problems related primarily to biocompatibility, mechanical effects, geometry, location and miniaturization of microelectrodes and probes, and also to deal with the reaction of living culture/tissue on the interface with an artificial electronic subsystem. In the words of Alexey Mikhaylov, the concept reveals the idea of creating a brain-on-chip system belonging to a more general class of memristive neurohybrid systems for next-generation robotics, artificial intelligence and personalized medicine. To illustrate the proposed approaches and related products on a foreseeable time scale, a roadmap of memristive neuromorphic and neurohybrid systems has been proposed (Fig. 2). The key focus in the roadmap will be on the development and commecialization of specialized hardware using the architecture and principles of biological neural networks to support the development and mass introduction of artificial intelligence, machine learning, neuroprosthetics and neural interface technologies. "We assume the roadmap had its starting point in 2008, just as the current wave of interest in memristors was getting underway, and this roadmap includes ongoing research and development in broad areas of neurobiology and neurophysiology," comments Alexey Mikhaylov. The following product niches are envisaged by researchers in the roadmap at different stages of the work in this direction: neuromorphic computing devices; non-invasive neural interfaces; neuroimplants, neuroprostheses and invasive neural interfaces, etc. "The unique properties of memristive devices determine their critical importance in the development of applied neuromorphic and neurohybrid systems for neurocomputing devices, brain-computer interfaces and neuroprosthetics. These areas will take a significant share of the world high technologies market worth trillions of dollars by 2030, given the speed of development and implementation of artificial intelligence technologies, the Internet of Things, "big data" and "smart city" technologies, robotics, and - in the near future - neuroprosthetics and instrumental correction / support / enhancement of human cognitive abilities", says Alexey Mikhaylov in conclusion. ### The expert opinion on this subject has been expressed by a group of researchers in the form of a perspective concept article published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience in its special issue "New technologies and systems for biologically plausible realization of neuronal functions". Various research tasks within the framework of this concept are already being actively addressed at Lobachevsky University with the support of the Russian Science Foundation (Grant No.16-19-00144), with regard to the development of metal-oxide memristor arrays for a bidirectional neural interface, of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grants No. 18-29-23001 and 20-01-00368), with regard to brain-like memristive neural network architectures and spiking neural networks, and of the Government of the Russian Federation (Agreement No. 074-02-2018-330 (2)), with regard to noise-induced phenomena in memristive materials, devices and networks. The worst fears of Hong Kong's richest person Li Ka-shing, proprietor of trading behemoth Hutchison, are being realised. When the Union Flag was hauled down in 1997, Li recognised the potential danger to Hong Kong's democracy and free markets if sovereignty were handed over to Beijing. He has spent the last several decades diversifying the family's wealth. Li viewed Britain as a safe haven and has poured more than 40billion of investments into the country. These include Britain's premier container port at Felixstowe, water companies up and down the land and mobile network Three. A security guard at the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Last year he splashed out nearly 5billion on the Greene King brewery and pub network. That is just as well given the existential threat to less well-endowed landlords caused by Covid-19. China showed restraint last year during Hong Kong's street and parliamentary protests. No tanks lumbered onto the streets and only a handful of lives were lost. Now we know that President Xi Jinping and his nodding dog assembly was biding its time and has passed a tough security law which tightens its control over the territory. The clampdown must also be regarded as a threat to the City, which has long regarded Hong Kong as its main outpost in the Pacific. Britain's largest bank, HSBC, makes most of its money in Hong Kong and Asia and currently is engaged in a retrenchment in Europe and the US which will leave it even more heavily exposed to Beijing's sphere of influence. Our biggest insurer Prudential, may still be based in London, but operations are focused on Hong Kong and China. The London Metal Exchange is owned by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Only last year the Hong Kong exchange made a failed 32billion bid for its valuable London counterpart. Beijing's super-rich are estimated to have parked more than 800billion in Hong Kong. Bankers report that money is on the move again. A Chinese client of a Hong Kong bank bought five apartments in Singapore and moved his family investment office there this week in expectation that the People's Republic will squeeze the lifeblood out of the region. The Americans will almost certainly respond to Beijing's move by imposing sanctions on companies and individuals close to President Xi and his circle. If Beijing planned to sneak in its gradual political power grab in Hong Kong, under the radar of a pandemic, the UK must disabuse it without delay. It is in defiance of solemn undertakings made to Britain and a blow to our economic interests. Sitting Pretty At a time when the prospects of much of UK clothing retail are so dismal the success of online fast fashion pioneers Boohoo and Asos is something to savour. In spite of a quote on the less regulated AIM market, Boohoo has attained a valuation of 4.7billion, which is more than twice that of Marks & Spencer's worth, currently less than 2billion. The rise and rise of Boohoo does not mean that it is excused from normal governance rules. The decision to buy out the minority interest in its brasher sister Pretty Little Thing needs careful scrutiny. The potential 324million deal is a family affair. Pretty Little Thing is run by a son of Boohoo founder and executive chairman Mahmud Kamani and is the target of criticism from short-seller Shadowfall. It alleges the profits of Pretty Little Thing are exaggerated. Valuations for fashion enterprises are notoriously unreliable, as we learned at Ted Baker. The accounts of Jigsaw's parent company were qualified because the auditors were not able to confirm the valuation of stock. Boohoo has ambitions to build a brand presence, alongside its cheap and cheerful approach, and acquired the Coast and Karen Millen brands. It would be a pity if its advance were interrupted by questions over inter-company dealings. Vaccine race Astrazeneca has cornered recent favourable headlines with its backing for the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trials and a new heady stock market valuation. So it is good to know its UK compatriot and rival GSK is hard on its heels. GSK has laid out plans to produce 1bn doses of vaccine-efficiency boosters, or adjuvants, as it races to come up with a riposte to coronavirus in partnership with France's Sanofi. Even better it is pledging to make the adjuvant available to poor nations by donations through global institutions. That's the spirit. In this file photo, face masks are stacked before getting technical information printed on them at a factory in Mexico City, May 21, 2020. Federal authorities busted up a massive coronavirus scheme to sell a foreign government 50 million N95 face masks that didn't actually exist, prosecutors revealed Thursday. Authorities said that the unidentified government actually wired $317 million to a bank to pay for the fictional masks but the purchase was stopped at the last moment by the U.S. Secret Service before it could be completed. At least one person, Georgia resident Paul Penn, has been charged in the alleged fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia. Penn is accused of criminal attempt and conspiracy by a charging document known as an information. The charge carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison. Criminal informations are typically filed when a defendant in a federal case is cooperating with authorities and has agreed to plead guilty. The information refers to two other unidentified people who allegedly participated in the scheme. Prosecutors said that Penn, together with the others, tried to swindle the foreign government by offering to sell it 50 million 3M Model 1860 Respirator Masks, "which he and his associates did not actually possess," said U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine. Christine's office said that Penn, through his company Spectrum Global Holdings, agreed to act as a middleman in exchange for a small cut of the $317 million sales price. There is a company with that name registered in Norcross, Georgia, which is located 20 miles north of Atlanta. The founder and former CEO of South Korean cosmetics company Skinfood was sentenced to five years in jail Thursday for stealing some 12 billion won (US$9.7 million) from the company's online sales revenue. The Seoul Western District Court delivered the ruling to Cho Yoon-ho, 52, on account of breach of trust. Cho is accused of funneling more than 10 billion won in earnings from Skinfood's online sales to his private company from March 2006 till December 2018. He also had a subsidiary of Skinfood pay for his personal costs, including the purchase of horses and their maintenance, according to the court. In total, he stole some 12 billion won of revenue. "By having a subsidiary pay for his personal horse purchase and the maintenance and medical examination costs for the horses, (he) inflicted financial damage," the court said. "The financial damage inflicted on Skinfood and its subsidiary by the crime led to further damage to franchise outlet owners," the court said, adding that Cho neglected his duty to prevent financial damage to the firm. The owners of the franchise outlets Skinfood operates nationwide previously argued that the cosmetics brand did not use its online sales revenue to commercially promote its chain as other brands do. Online sales also led to a fall in offline sales of Skinfood products, they argued. Founded in 2004, Skinfood was among the first-generation lower-end cosmetics brands that helped create the global "K-beauty" sensation. Its sales once ranked as high as third in the market for budget cosmetics before it was placed under a court receivership in 2018 due to falling sales and worsening financial health. Last year, a private equity fund, Pine Tree Partners, took over the company and put it on a normalization program. (Yonhap) The Philippines coronavirus task force has reportedly recommended President Rodrigo Duterte to ease the toughest and longest lockdowns in the world for residents in the capital. According to an International media outlet, Philippines residents have endured nearly 11 weeks of restrictions activity. The coming weekend, the country lockdown will also surpass the 76-day quarantine of Wuhan, the Chinese city where coronavirus was detected. While the residents of the country want the lockdown restrictions to be eased, the authorities reported that the daily infections this week were the highest since April 6. As per a media report, the confirmed cases in the past six days comprise nearly 11 per cent of the total 15,049 recorded, of which 904 led to deaths. The Philippines' health authority has also missed the target of testing 30,000 people a day. READ: Hong Kong Protesters Removed Amid China Anthem Debate With an increasing number of cases, President Duterte is still believed to approve the recommendations of easing the lockdown. According to reports, the easing of the measures could help reduce damage to the countrys economy which has already shrunk 0.2 per cent in the first quarter. It is believed that if the lockdown remains in place then the second quarter can fare worse. Furthermore, with relaxed rules, that are expected to be in place from June 1 to 15, local officials will still have the authority to place communities deemed as high risk under lockdown. Moreover, Gathering of up to 10 people is believed to be allowed. Workplaces, shops and some public transportation will also reopen and movement in and out of Manila will be permitted. READ: Hong Kong Debate Suspended After Object Thrown No school until there is a vaccine However, even after relaxed rules, schools, universities, tourist destinations, dine-in restaurants will remain closed. Stay-at-home orders for children and the elderly will also still remain in place. Earlier this week, Duterte even reportedly said that he will not allow students to go back to school until a coronavirus vaccine is available. In a speech aired on May 26, Duterte said that the risk was too great, even if it held students back academically. He added that unless he is sure that Philippine is really safe it is useless to be even talking about the opening of classes. he further added that for him vaccine first. Duterte said that if the vaccine is already there then its ok to resume classes, however, he added that if there is no vaccine and if no one graduate, then so be it. (Image credit: AP) READ: UN: COVID Is Latin America's 'hunger Pandemic' READ: HKong Lawmaker Kicked Out Of China Anthem Debate WASHINGTON -- The National Academy of Engineering announced today a $3 million gift from the Grainger Foundation to support NAE's Frontiers of Engineering symposia. The symposia honor excellence in engineering by recognizing the work of outstanding early-career engineers and facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration among engineering's next generation of leaders. "We are pleased to continue our support for the Frontiers of Engineering symposia, an incredibly well-administered and important program," said John Howard, senior vice president and director for The Grainger Foundation. Established in 1995, the Frontiers of Engineering program includes a U.S. symposium each year and a rotating schedule of bilateral meetings of engineers from the U.S. and Germany, Japan, China, and the European Union. Attendees of the symposia are generally within 12 years of their terminal engineering degree and are selected competitively after being nominated by fellow engineers or organizations. The Grainger Foundation gift also provides seed grants to support collaborative work resulting from connections made at the U.S. FOE. "We are grateful to The Grainger Foundation for this generous gift, which supports interdisciplinary collaboration among some of our nation's most promising engineers," said National Academy of Engineering President John L. Anderson. "A current example of the impact our Frontiers of Engineering program can have is the active role its alumni are playing in the NAE's Call to Action for engineering solutions to the COVID-19 crisis. We look forward to bringing many more talented engineers into the FOE program in the years ahead, thanks to the support of The Grainger Foundation." The symposia typically span 2 1/2 days and provide an opportunity for attendees to network and learn about cutting-edge developments in fields other than their own. Approximately 100 engineers are invited to attend each year's U.S. meeting, and 30 from each country/region attend the bilateral symposia. Those meetings provide a window for U.S. engineers to learn about global developments at the forefront of technology. This is The Grainger Foundation's third $3 million gift to NAE. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, the foundation was established in 1949 by Mr. and Mrs. William W. Grainger. In addition to The Grainger Foundation, additional sponsors of the Frontiers of Engineering symposia include government and corporate entities. For more information about the program, visit http://www.naefrontiers.org. Founded in 1964, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. Its mission is to advance the well-being of the nation by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and by marshalling the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice to the federal government on matters involving engineering and technology. ### Contact: Brandon Green Communications/Media Specialist National Academy of Engineering 202-334-2226 bgreen@nae.edu By Ann Mond Johnson The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) was formed by trailblazing researchers, clinicians and academicians over 25 years ago, but a lot has changed since then and certainly with the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the ATA most recently focused on helping organizations accelerate telehealth adoption. The vision was to ensure that people get care where and when they need it, while enabling clinicians to do more good for more people. The underlying premise is that technology should be used to reimagine care and that it must do more than replace in-person visits with remote visits. Otherwise, we have not realized the full potential or promise of telehealth. The underlying challenges the U.S. faces are no different from other countries around the world: an aging population, people with multiple comorbid conditions, and inadequate access to clinicians and clinical services. Further, due to our fee-for-service model, we have a unique challenge: in the U.S., where you live is a big determinant of your health and wellbeing. There is enormous variation in care in the U.S. and the use of telehealth provides an opportunity to reduce that variation. Telehealth can help to reduce and eventually eliminate variations in accessibility to healthcare, improve cost efficiency and, importantly, advance the quality of care for all. Telehealth tools include artificial intelligence (AI), virtual care, remote monitoring, digital therapeutics and mobile health, as well as "store-and-forward" or asynchronous technologies that securely transmit data collected from wearable devices, sensors or other devices to help inform clinicians' decisions during diagnosis and treatment. And expanding technologies such as big data, AI, and natural language processing promise to help overwhelmed physicians more effectively support their patient populations, allowing more time for one-on-one interactions? ?virtually or in person. Today, we have seen the value of telehealth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering quality care while keeping individuals at home to help reduce the spread of the virus. As a guiding principle, we believe the practice of medicine can take advantage of the same kinds of technologies that let us inexpensively stay in touch with friends and relatives around the world, or that let us manage our money and purchase goods at any time, from anywhere, with just a few mouse clicks or taps on a smartphone. Of course, there are still challenges we need to address, including reimbursement and an array of federal and state regulations. And just as U.S. regulations and payment models need to catch up with technology, the ATA as an organization is working hard to keep up with the industry. We're eager to help our members reimagine healthcare. And as we do that, we're expanding the definition of who our members are, becoming more inclusive as new capabilities arise that can help consumers and providers. Before COVID and the pandemic, most countries already faced insufficient clinical resources. In addition, countries were spending increasing amounts of their GDP on health and social services. With an aging population that has multiple comorbid conditions, we'll be challenged to provide care without reimagining how care is delivered. Consequently, the original promise of telehealth is finally being realized as we see the enormous growth, from chat-first tools, powered by AI and machine learning, to real time audio-visual communication, and remote monitoring. In the current health crisis, all have contributed significantly to "flattening the curve." One chat-first solution saw close to 200,000 sessions over a three-week period in March. The benefits of video visits with clinicians has been invaluable in maintaining connections with patients while practicing social distancing. And remote monitoring where important biometric signals are monitored remotely have been used to keep chronic patients safely distant and first responders safe as they're exposed unwittingly to the virus. These are both examples of how data can be monitored and used to identify problems before they become severe. In our work with colleagues around the world, we recognized before the pandemic that every nation is grappling with many of the same issues we're facing in the U.S. And while the themes are global, the response of each country reflects their unique culture and values. Telemedicine and the use of technology to reimagine care is doing best in environments that have embraced a "value-based payment model" or similar, and are moving away from fee-for-service, which was the dominant payment mode in the U.S. As the only organization completely focused on advancing telehealth, the ATA is working to change the way the world thinks about healthcare. We are committed to ensuring that everyone has access to safe, affordable, appropriate and effective care when and where they need it, enabling the system to do more good for more people. We'll know we've accomplished our goals when everyone has access to clinically appropriate care regardless of where they live and benefitting uniformly from the best medicine we can offer. And now in this new world, our success will be reflected in the broadest and best possible use of technology. Everywhere. Ann Mond Johnson is CEO of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) in Washington, D.C. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Due to the defendants recent death from the coronavirus (COVID-19), a federal judge has vacated the conviction of a family doctor found guilty last year of prescribing a combination of highly-addictive opioids that led to a Staten Island mans fatal overdose. Dr. Martin Tesher, 84, a general practitioner, was convicted at trial in Brooklyn federal court in July 2018 of nine counts of unlawful distribution of oxycodone. He was also found guilty of one count of unlawful distribution of oxycodone and fentanyl resulting in the death of his former patient, Nicholas Benedetto. In addition to the death of Benedetto, 27, in 2016, Tesher prescribed fentanyl patches and oxycodone pills to four other patients while having reason to believe they were addicted to drugs, said Brooklyn federal prosecutors. Tesher was sentenced in April 2019 to 20 years behind bars. The physician, who was based on Manhattans Upper East Side, died on April 27, according to a death certificate attorney Ronald G. Russo provided the court. Tesher had appealed his conviction and was free on bail pending the disposition. The conviction was vacated due to his death while the appeal was pending. The indictment was also dismissed. Prosecutors consented to the defenses application to vacate the conviction and dismiss the indictment, court records show. Russo, who was representing Tesher on the appeal, said the case had been scheduled for oral argument on May 14. Russo said he believed there were substantial issues on appeal which Teshers death prevented him from arguing before the federal appellate court. Martin Teshers family is very grateful to Judge Dearie for allowing him to stay at liberty while his appeal was pending, said Russo. Given the fact that he died while his appeal was pending, Judge Dearie has dismissed the indictment, and my client is once again innocent. District Judge Raymond J. Dearie had presided over the case in Brooklyn federal court. Prosecutors said Tesher gave Benedetto oxycodone and fentanyl patches two days before he died on March 5, 2016. While under Teshers care, Benedetto had tested positive for heroin, cocaine, morphine and methadone in addition to the oxycdone and fentanyl he was prescribed, said court documents. Prosecutors said the medical examiner found the amount of fentanyl in Benedetto's system alone could have killed him. One month before Benedettos death, his mother called the doctor and asked him not to give her son any more prescription drugs because he needed to go to rehab, said an indictment against Tesher. But on March 3, 2016, Tesher saw Benedetto and prescribed the patches. The victim's mother told authorities her son was smoking the patches, which were recovered at the scene of his death, according to the indictment. In statements issued after Teshers conviction and sentence, Richard P. Donoghue, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York said: "Dr. Tesher dispensed opioids to patients whom he knew were abusing illegal drugs and the tragic result was an overdose death. In the midst of an unprecedented opioid epidemic, Dr. Tesher used his medical skills to harm, not heal and in doing so he cost a young man his life, said Donoghue. Such criminal conduct is an utter betrayal of the trust our society places in doctors and it warrants the severe sentence imposed. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island Republican Assemblymembers Nicole Malliotakis and Michael Reilly have introduced legislation with the states minority conference that would give county leaders more control over state-of-emergency declarations in their home counties, limiting the governors powers. During the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Andrew Cuomo used the expanded legal authority of the state of emergency to issue the shutdown mandates that brought the state to a halt, and has most recently outlined stringent guidelines that the states economic regions must meet before they can start to reopen. On Monday, New York City only met five of the seven goals mandated by Cuomo. The governor has overused his powers to the extent of authoritarian-type leadership, and it is past time to reinstate the powers of the Legislature to ensure citizens from all corners of our state have their voices heard. We are duly elected by the public to represent their interests and serve as checks and balances to the Executive branch, the lawmakers said. The legislation would ensure all future state-of-emergency declarations be done on a county-by-county basis and only remain in place for 30 days, with the possibility of being extended by 15 days by the governor. Any further extension would require legislative approval. The bill would also allow local county or city leaders to request the state of emergency be lifted from their county. If the governor refuses to lift the order, the bill would require the governor to say why. The bill also would subject any executive orders that limit freedom of speech, assembly, worship, the loss of liberty or property or any fundamental constitutional right to judicial review. The push comes as borough Republicans have called for Staten Island to reopen ahead of other parts of New York City and asked the city and state to look at Staten Island as a separate region in its reopening strategy. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo and City Hall have shot the idea down. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK*** Colorado State University Global is the nation's first fully online state university The custom app will provide students with access to real-time financial information and resources for practical industry-relevant use in their financial courses and careers. Colorado State University Global (CSU Global), a leader in high-quality online education, today formally announced a partnership to provide a custom version of the MyWallSt application to CSU Global students. The custom app will provide students with access to real-time financial information and resources for practical industry-relevant use in their financial courses and careers. MyWallSt is a financial publisher that has already helped millions of people plan towards their financial future with a suite of digital tools that make it easy to start investing. CSU Globals online B.S. in Finance degree program provides students with the necessary tools to apply financial knowledge -- including terminology, theories, concepts, and skills -- in practical settings. The program is designed to provide students with a strong understanding of the factors that influence financial decision-making, as well as vital critical-thinking skills needed to solve in-depth financial problems within either Corporate Finance or Financial Planning. Integrating relevant industry tools like the MyWallSt app, into our programs is a central component of our mission to provide access to dynamic degree programs characterized by academic excellence and innovative delivery technologies, said CSU Global Provost and VP of Strategic Development, Dr. Karen Ferguson. CSU Global students can expect to learn both theory and practice as they prepare for their future career. "MyWallSt is very excited to partner with CSU Global on this programme, said MyWallSt co-founder John Tyrrell. With years of expertise and industry experience behind us, we're confident that the digital solutions we have built for CSU Global will give students in their B.S. in Finance courses a more dynamic and fulfilling learning experience." Enrollment for this BS in Finance Program is open now, with classes starting every month. Interested students should contact Enrollment at 800-920-6723, email enroll@csuglobal.edu, or visit CSUGlobal.edu/BSFin. About Colorado State University Global Colorado State University Global (CSU Global) offers career-relevant bachelors and masters degree programs for working adults and nontraditional learners. As the first and only 100% online, fully accredited public university in the United States, CSU Global is focused on student success as its number one priority. Embracing the land grant heritage as part of the Colorado State University System, CSU Global sets the standard for quality and innovation in higher education through its expert faculty who are recognized as industry leaders and trained in working with adults in an online learning environment. CSU Global offers accelerated eight-week courses that start every four weeks. Visit CSUGlobal.edu to learn more. About MyWallSt MyWallSt is a financial publisher that has created a suite of digital tools designed to transform anyone into an informed and confident investor. Founded in Dublin, Ireland in 2014, MyWallSt inspires people to own their financial future. Through their multi-awards winning apps, blogs, podcasts and one-off special reports, they have helped millions of people at various stages throughout their investing journey. Backed by The Motley Fool, MyWallSt, is the trusted provider of intelligence and insight on a range of hand-picked stocks for its subscribers and business to business partners around the world. Additional information on MyWallSt can be found on http://www.mywallst.com or by emailing hello@mywallst.com The victim, identified as Stephan Deon Nicholson, of Southeast, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police did not say whether the person who drove him to the fire station remained at the scene. Regulatory News: Tikehau Capital (Paris:TKO), the alternative asset management and investment group, today announces the appointment of Natacha Valla as a member of the Advisory Board of its asset management subsidiary Tikehau Investment Management (Tikehau IM). Natacha Valla will bring to the management of Tikehau IM her expertise in multiple economic and financial fields, including investment and asset allocation, and the analysis of monetary policies and international macroeconomic issues. Tikehau IM's Advisory Board is composed of international business personalities with leading and varied profiles and deep knowledge of the asset management market. The mission of this newly created board is to provide expertise in market and economic analysis and to contribute to the reflections on the strategic orientations and development projects of the asset management activity. It will also help to further develop the business by broadening Tikehau IM's investor base and product range. Natacha Valla was until now Deputy Director General for monetary policy at the European Central Bank. She has recently been appointed as Dean of the Sciences Po School of Management and Innovation. Natacha Valla is a graduate from the European University Institute (Florence). She was executive director at Goldman Sachs Global Economic Research from 2008 to 2014, and head of the Policy Strategy division of the European Investment Bank until recently. From 2014 to 2016, she was deputy director of CEPII, a major French think tank in international economics. Thomas Friedberger, CEO and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Tikehau Investment Management said: "We are very pleased to welcome Natacha Valla to our Advisory Board. Her experience, her in-depth knowledge of monetary and market issues, as well as her knowledge of Tikehau Capital Group as a former supervisory board member, are all assets that will be very valuable to Tikehau Investment Management teams in defining their investment strategies and convictions About Tikehau Capital Tikehau Capital is an asset management and investment group with 25.4 billion of assets under management (as at 31 March 2020) and shareholder equity of 3.1 billion (as at 31 December 2019). The Group invests in various asset classes (private debt, real estate, private equity and capital markets strategies) including through its asset management subsidiaries on behalf of institutional and private investors. Controlled by its managers alongside leading institutional partners, Tikehau Capital employs more than 530 staff (at 31 December 2019) in its Paris, London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, New York, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo offices. Tikehau Capital is listed on the regulated market of Euronext Paris. Compartment A (ISIN code: FR0013230612; Ticker: TKO.FP). www.tikehaucapital.com Disclaimer This document is not an offer of securities for sale or investment advisory services. This document contains general information only and is not intended to represent general or specific investment advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results and targets are not guaranteed. Certain statements and forecasted data are based on current expectations, current market and economic conditions, estimates, projections, opinions and beliefs of Tikehau Capital and/or its affiliates. Due to various risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements or in any of the case studies or forecasts. All references to Tikehau Capital's advisory activities in the US or with respect to US persons relates to Tikehau Capital North America. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200527005999/en/ Contacts: Press: Tikehau Capital: Valerie Sueur +33 1 40 06 39 30 UK Finsbury: Charles O'Brien +44 207 251 3801 USA Prosek Partners: Trevor Gibbons +1 646 818 9238 press@tikehaucapital.com Shareholders and Investors: Louis Igonet +33 1 40 06 11 11 shareholders@tikehaucapital.com Johnny Depp's fans chose not to stand still and blasted L'Oreal Paris for including Amber Heard in its special tribute. As part of its response after the cancellation of this year's Cannes Film Festival due to the coronavirus pandemic, L'Oreal Paris released an ad where it flaunted and honored the most famous actresses in Hollywood. Beauty product enthusiasts expected L'Oreal beauties like Helen Mirren, Eva Longoria and Jane Fonda to appear on the company's campaign. However, they had no idea that it would turn into a heartless ad by including Heard on the fold. On Monday, Depp's fans got surprised and infuriated after L'Oreal Paris posted a photo of the 34-year-old "Aquaman" actress for its #WomenMakeCinema series in partnership with the Cannes Film festival. "Hollywood actress @AmberHeard highlights that a woman's inner beauty is what we should value the most," the caption read. "I would love to see women be able to be powerful, smart, opinioned, and taken seriously, even if they are beautiful." The company added that it would be fantastic to see women uphold different beauty standards rather than going for the usual ones. Because of its unbelievable move, the fans of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star threatened to boycott the brand as well as Maybelline, its affiliate brand, for supporting Heard amid her ongoing legal battle with Depp. The outlet 5Why also noted how most people and victims of domestic abuse questioned Heard's role as an "empowering role model for women." After all, she is currently being accused of physically and emotionally abusing toward her ex-husband in the past. Fans' Reactions Since last year, Depp's fans have been pushing L'Oreal Paris to remove Heard from her position as their global spokesperson. Change.org user Federica P. called the 33-year-old actress "a liar and an abuser, a shame for women" on the petition's description box. As of writing, they are 3,000 signatures away from their 15,000 goal. Meanwhile, Hillary Deanna started the same appeal and got support from 17,000 fans. "L'Oreal, it is time to remove Amber Heard as a spokesperson for your products. She has misrepresented herself, the "me too" movement, and should in no way be in a leadership position, or viewed as a role model for girls and women," Deanna stated, mentioning L'Oreal on the platform. However, their respective campaigns seemed to have been ignored, as Heard remains one of the faces of the cosmetic company. Because of this, netizens called out the brand for letting the alleged abuser earn millions of dollars. One fan said, "She abused Johnny Depp, then lied and said he beat her. Nope. Won't buy. She really cut the tip of his finger off. Y'all keep supporting Domestic violence." "How can L'oreal Paris use an abuser in their campaign? Amber has admitted to hitting Johnny with several different objects. She also cut off his finger. I'm will not be buying anymore of there products. They need to find one else," another one wrote. Despite the massive controversy, L'Oreal continues to post more about the actress with the hashtag #WomenMakeCinema, making most people think that the company might be capitalizing on her domestic abuse issue. The Expedition 63 crew is getting ready for the launch and arrival this week of two NASA astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly a decade. This follows Monday morning's arrival of a Japanese cargo craft that delivered over four tons of food, supplies and experiments to the International Space Station. NASA and SpaceX managers completed their readiness reviews and have given the "go" for the launch of Commercial Crew astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The duo will liftoff atop the Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday at 4:33 p.m. from Kennedy Space Center in Florida toward the station. They will dock on Thursday at 11:39 a.m. to the Harmony module's International Docking Adapter on the space station's forward section. Two-and-a-half hours later the hatches will open, Behnken and Hurley will enter the station and the Expedition 63 crew will expand to five members to bring space research up to full speed aboard the orbiting lab. The Crew Dragon will be docked adjacent to the newly-arrived H-II Transfer Vehicle-9 (HTV-9) from Japan. The HTV-9 was installed to the Harmony module's Earth-facing port a couple of hours after it was captured Monday at 8:13 a.m. with the Canadarm2 robotic arm. NASA Commander Chris Cassidy began unloading the HTV-9 with help from Roscosmos Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner shortly after its arrival on Memorial Day. The final mission of Japan's expendable resupply ship will stay at the station until late July. Japan's next version of resupply ships (HTV-X) will be returnable and reusable providing more cargo capabilities. Veteran cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin swapped out more fuel bottles inside the Combustion Integrated Rack to maintain research operations inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory module. The refrigerator-sized research rack enables fuel, flame and soot research in microgravity. On-Orbit Status Report Payloads Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME): The crew replaced Nitrogen/Oxygen manifold bottles in support of the continuing s-Flames investigation. The ACME experiment series being performed in the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) includes five independent studies of gaseous flames. The primary goals of ACME are to improve fuel efficiency and reduce pollutant production in routine fuel combustion activities on Earth. Its secondary goal is to improve spacecraft fire prevention through innovative research focused on materials flammability. Hourglass: The crew swapped out the SD data card from PL Control Box S/N 002 to allow ground teams to continue data downlink. Hourglass investigation examines the relationship between gravity and the behavior of granular materials such as regolith that covers the surface of planets and planetary-like bodies. Researchers observe various granular materials inside an hourglass and a measuring cylinder under different gravity conditions. Better understanding of the behavior of these materials supports the design of spacecraft for future missions landing on the surfaces of planets and other celestial bodies. Multi-use Variable-g Platform (MVP): The crew replaced the hard drive inside the Multi-use Variable-g Platform 1 in preparation of Cell-03 operations. The commercially developed, owned and operated Techshot MVP includes 2 internal carousels that simultaneously can produce up to 2 g of artificial gravity. MVP is used to conduct research in space with a wide variety of sample types, such as fruit flies, flatworms, plants, fish, cells, protein crystals and many others. Systems HII Transfer Vehicle (HTV)9 Cargo Operations: Today, the crew began HTV9 cargo transfer operations by unloading cargo from the HTV corridor. The vehicle delivered four tons of supplies, parts, and experiment hardware. HTV Rendezvous Hardware Tool Cleanup: As part of closeout ops from HTV9 capture/berthing, the crew returned the Centerline Berthing Camera System (CBCS) and Vestibule Outfitting Kit (VOK) today to their appropriate stowage locations. The CBCS supports Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) mating alignment operations necessary to berth a vehicle to Node 2. The VOK is a toolkit the crew uses during berthing operations. Completed Task List Activities: Vacuum Cleaner Set Up PCS Laptop Relocate (Post HTV) Today's Ground Activities: All activities are complete unless otherwise noted. CIR Ops Ground Support Look Ahead Plan Wednesday, 5/27 (GMT 148) Payloads: ISS Experience Node 2 setup (NASA) Systems: Emergency Equipment Gather - Dragon PCS Relocate COL1O2 ZSR Prep & Transfer Docking Dragon Monitoring Tools Setup SSC Relocate for Dragon Docking Thursday, 5/28 (GMT 149) Payloads: Food Physiology Brief (NASA) ISS Experience Recording Demo-2 Dragon hatch open (NASA) Systems: Crew Dragon Docking ISS Safety Briefing Dragon/ISS IAS Audio Checkout SODF Deploy Friday, 5/29 (GMT 150) Payloads: RADi-N2 Deploy in NOD103 Rack Front (CSA) FSL Soft Matter Dynamics container exchange (ESA) ISS Experience Hardware Stow (NASA) Systems: OBT Dragon Debrief Conference Dragon Emergency Review Emergency Equipment Transfer PCS Checkout Dragon Cargo Ops Dragon/ISS IAS Audio Checkout Today's Planned Activities: All activities are complete unless otherwise noted. Check and Report the Results of Antivirus Scanning on Auxiliary Computer System [BKC] Hourglass SD Card exchange on PL Control Box S/N 002 for data downlink UV-ATMOSPHERE. Payload Hardware Powerdown & Closeout Operations Monitor RSK1 Laptop Battery Charge Node2 HD Camera Activation [ABORTED] Monitoring and Photography of BD-2 Carriage Position Life on ISS Photo and Video Combustion Integrated Rack Manifold #2 & #4 Bottle Replacement Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill Preparation for 800A Unit R&R in the FGB Power Supply System () Battery Module 3. Work Space Setup Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT) Centerline Berthing Camera System (CBCS) and Vestibule Outfitting Kit (VOK) Restow Systems Operations Data File (SODF) Print Monthly Inspection of Video Recording Equipment on the ISS RS Vacuum Cleaning of the FGB Transfer Operations - Unpack items from HTV Multi-use Variable-g Platform Hard Drive Replacement URAGAN. SOVA Hardware and Photo Equipment Setup and Activation Countermeasures Systems (CMS) Exercise Equipment Gather On-Board Training (OBT) Conference after CBT reviews Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Originally live streamed on May 26th, 2020 at 10am PST. www.twitter.com/soarfinancial make sure to follow us & click on the Some audio issues for the first few seconds of the interview. https://twitter.com/soarfinancial/status/1265688687452360704?s=20 #Gold #Silver #USA #askHL || Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) Guest: Phillips S. Baker, Jr. Hecla Mining Co. is oldest precious metals mining company in the US. We caught up with President & CEO Phil Baker to discuss the ongoings at the company, operations in Nevada, ramp ups at Casa Berardi and Lucky Friday as well as various balance sheet items. More info at www.hecla-mining.com Follow Us! Twitter: http://twitter.com/soarfinancial Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soarfinancial/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soarfinancial/ Website: http://www.soarfinancial.com SF Live is a new format by Soar Financial Partners. The goal is give short company updates and more importantly get investors engaged directly with the companies. Intro Music: Endless Motion by Bensound.com Disclaimer: This video is for informational purposes only and not to be regarded as investment advice whatsoever. #mining #exploration #debt #financing #investing #investment #stocks #goldprice #goldmine #inflation SAN DIEGO, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OrPro Therapeutics announced today that it is expanding its patented technology platform for treatment of acute and chronic airway diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF), to address the immediate threat posed by COVID-19. In recognition of the broad potential of this approach to address key treatment gaps in airway inflammation and clearance, OrPro has been selected as a 2020 Cool Company (https://connect.org/cool-companies/) by Connect with San Diego Venture Group (SDVG). This year, 296 startups applied for the opportunity to showcase their technology to national venture capital firms and local investors. OrPro is among the elite group of 30 life science companies to be selected. "We received a record number of applications from extraordinary companies for the 'Cool Companies' program this year," stated Mike Krenn, president and CEO of Connect w/ SDVG. "OrPro and the other finalists truly stand out among the San Diego innovators addressing today's unmet needs." OrPro Therapeutics is developing ORP100S, a new type of drug to treat inflammation and obstruction in the lung associated with both chronic airway disorders and progression to severe COVID-19 disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Due to the urgent need to respond to the pandemic, especially for broad-spectrum approaches that overcome many of the limitations of vaccines, antivirals and antibody-based drugs, ORP100S is poised for accelerated COVID-19 clinical development. ORP100S is delivered by inhalation and is planned for home use with the objective of reducing COVID-19 severity and the need for hospitalization. To assist in advancing its lead product, ORP100S, pharmaceutical industry veteran Ken Wilke has joined the OrPro Therapeutics management team in a Strategy and Operations leadership role. Ken has over 30 years of experience, including 25 years at Merck, and a proven track record directing strategic initiatives, research and development projects, and operations. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Stanford University and a Master of Business Administration from Lehigh University. "Being chosen as a 2020 Cool Company is a great accomplishment that reflects the hard work of our team to develop a potentially game-changing technology for treatment of respiratory diseases ranging from cystic fibrosis to COVID-19," said Peter B. Heifetz, Ph.D, OrPro President and CEO. "Ken's expertise in research and development, operations, and pharma project management will be critical as we prepare to move ORP100S into the clinic." OrPro Therapeutics has also been selected to present at the Redefining Early Stage Investments Digital Conference on June 8 10. OrPro was chosen for both the RESI Innovation Challenge virtual poster and Featured Company Pitch Session presentation events (https://resiconference.com/resi-calendar/#pitch). About ORP100S The ORP100S therapeutic strategy is based on supplementing the activity of the human protein thioredoxin-1 (TXN1), which is normally secreted onto the airway surface where it acts selectively to modify certain types of protein disulfide bonds formed between cysteine amino acids. The thioredoxin mechanism targets airway mucus to keep it at a normal viscosity (thickness and stickiness) and able to maintain the essential process of mucus clearance that sweeps the lungs clean of inhaled material and excess fluid. Thioredoxin also targets regulatory (allosteric) disulfide bonds on immune system proteins as part of a natural homeostatic mechanism to prevent excessive release of cytokines in response to inflammatory stimulus. Together, impaired airway clearance and abnormally elevated cytokine release comprise key pulmonary manifestations of moderate to severe COVID-19 that can lead to systemic disease and poor outcomes. Unfortunately, natural thioredoxin is not suitable for delivery as a drug itself because it has a short half-life in the body, low stability in the active form, and needs to be kept on the lung surface to avoid side effects. ORP100S is an improved thioredoxin based on patented technology and optimized for safe, targeted delivery to the site of action in the airway by direct inhalation. About OrPro Therapeutics OrPro Therapeutics, Inc is a privately held preclinical-stage company pioneering a novel non-systemic biologic drug platform for treating severe respiratory and mucosal diseases, including cystic fibrosis, COVID-19 and beyond. The company's differentiated approach targets both lung clearance and inflammation as well as obstructive/inflammatory disorders associated with non-respiratory mucosal surfaces in the body. Launched in 2013 with technology in-licensed from National Jewish Health, the company has secured Series A financing and significant non-dilutive grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation with over $5M raised to date. OrPro Therapeutics is a San Diego JLABS resident company (Johnson & Johnson Innovation). For more information visit www.orprotherapeutics.com. Contact: Peter Heifetz, Ph.D. OrPro Therapeutics [email protected]; 858-242-1557 Media: Joleen Schultz, [email protected]; 760-271-8150 Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12824184 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE OrPro Therapeutics Related Links http://www.orprotherapeutics.com The U.S. economy is beginning to recover from shutdowns tied to the coronavirus pandemic, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan told CNBC on Thursday. Moynihan cited consumer spending figures from the millions of households using his lender's credit and debit cards: While transactions collapsed by about 30% in April, it was down by only 5% to 10% in May. "You're starting to see the economy come out of the hole," Moynihan told CNBC's "Squawk Box" co-host Becky Quick. "You're seeing us come out of the depths of where we were in April, and that's good news." Despite a record surge in unemployment during the pandemic, Bank of America customers have been helped by the government's stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment benefits, which supported the spending rebound, Moynihan said. Stocks have climbed this week on optimism about the reopening of the economy, and on Wednesday the S&P 500 closed above its 200-day moving average for the first time since early March. "The real difference is the amount of stimulus that has gone into the economy," Moynihan said. Balances of checking accounts below $5,000 had 30% to 40% more money in them compared with 12 weeks ago, he said. Now, as states have begun to reopen, businesses like dentists' offices are taking in customers and "that's good news, that will bring back parts of the economy," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-29 00:09:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Thursday said that the daily increase of COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 322, a record high so far, bringing the total number of infections to 5,457. The new cases included 224 in the capital Baghdad, 22 in Karbala, 21 in Erbil, 16 in Sulaimaniyah, 11 in Babil, six in Wasit, five Muthanna, four in Dhi Qar, three in each Basra and Maysan, two in each Najaf, Diwaniyah and Salahudin and one in Kirkuk, the ministry said in a statement. Four of the infected people died during the day in Baghdad's hospitals, bringing the death toll in the country to 179, while 2,971 have recovered so far, the statement said. The new cases were recorded after 5,104 test kits were used across the country during the past 24 hours, and a total of 211,485 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the statement. Meanwhile, Iraqi Minister of Health Hassan al-Tamimi said in a statement that the health situation in the country is under control and the recent sharp increase in the number of the detected COVID-19 cases is because of the increasing number of test kits used across the country. He also said that seven fast-built hospitals dedicated to treating people infected with coronavirus will be ready to work next week, one of them with 66 beds in Baghdad, and the others are 50-bed hospitals; two in Muthanna, one in Diwaniyah and three in Diyala. Since the outbreak of the disease, Iraq has been taking measures to contain the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, including a nationwide curfew. China has been helping Iraq fight the COVID-19 pandemic, through enhancing Iraq's capability of containing the spread of the contagious disease. From March 16 to April 26, a Chinese team of seven medical experts spent 50 days in Iraq to help contain the disease, during which they helped build a PCR lab and an advanced CT scanner in Baghdad. Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. Enditem A Mississippi pastor says he and his congregants will pray for the person who set their church on fire last week. We recognize that not everyone shares our belief in the Word of God as revealed in the Bible, Jerry Waldrop, senior pastor of First Pentecostal Church of Holly Springs, wrote in a commentary for USA Today. We are not offended that others dont share our firmly held belief that gathering together to worship and to study the Bible is an essential duty and necessary to the growth of the church and its members. And we will pray for the soul and peace of mind of someone who would harbor such hatred that he would take from us our cherished spiritual home, he added. The arson attack seems to stem from the church refusing to shut down for in-person gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, Waldrop said. The church was badly damaged. Bet you stay home now, you hypokrists [sic], a graffiti message written in the parking lot of the church says. Waldrop had filed a lawsuit against local officials claiming that law enforcement had overruled state restrictions put in place because of the pandemic. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves had said that churches were essential and could stay open. Waldrop says in his lawsuit that police interrupted a Bible study at the church and later the Easter service. After the Easter service was disrupted, congregants went to a nearby Walmart to prove a point that meetings were permitted in stores but not churches. People need to wake up and see it, Waldrop said. And Im sayin stay safe, but are the people thats being contacted [sic] this coronavirus are they getting it in the churches? Where are they contacting this virus? Wheres it coming from? Wheres it originate? Where they gettin these viruses at? Waldrop says the church has followed social distancing rules and held services outside when possible. We will continue to worship together and to fight together for our and every Americans right to partake in the blessings of freedom, Waldrop said. Related: Mississippi Church Pushing Back against Lockdown Orders Is Burned to the Ground in Suspected Arson Attack Photo courtesy: Sparrowstock Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Education Minister 28.05.2020 LISTEN Government has requested Parliament to waive domestic VAT amounting to the cedi equivalent of US$3,155,244.88 on local purchases and services in respect of the rehabilitation and upgrading of equipment in technical universities, polytechnics and technical and vocational training centres. The request is being made at the instance of the Government Concessional Loan Agreement with the Export-Import Bank of China for fundamental reforms in the technical educational sector, which was launched and introduced last year. The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, referred the request to the Finance Committee of Parliament for consideration and report. Government intends to mainstream technical and vocational education as the first choice for students, the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, stated during a joint sod-cutting ceremony with the Vice-Premier of China, Sun Chunlan, in Tema on November 12, 2019. He indicated that a total of 15 technical universities, polytechnics, technical and vocational training centres across the country were expected to be upgraded to world-class status as part of the plan. According to him, about GH50 million will be invested in each of the 15 institutions made up of five technical universities and 10 technical and vocational institutions. Part of the fund will be used to cover expenses for staff training, installation of modern equipment and the supply of spare parts for a period of two years. He named some of the beneficiary institutions as the technical universities in Kumasi, Cape Coast, Tamale, Sunyani and the Bolgatanga Polytechnic. Also included are the Ashaiman Technical Institute, Tema Technical Institute, Kumasi Technical Institute, Komboni Technical Institute in the Volta Region and the Cape Coast Technical Institute in the Central Region. The others are the St Paul's Technical Institute in the Eastern Region, Takoradi Technical Institute in the Western Region, Bawku Technical Institute in the Upper East Region, St Joseph's Technical Institute in the Northern Region and Sunyani Methodist Technical Institute in the Bono Region. ---Daily Guide Salina, N.Y. Two men were shot in Salina on Wednesday night, including one who is in critical condition, according to the Onondaga County Sheriffs Office. Both were taken to Upstate University Hospital. One of the two men suffered minor injuries, according to sheriffs office spokesman Sgt. Jon Seeber. The shooting was reported to Onondaga County 911 dispatchers in the 100 block of Roxford Road North at 10:41 p.m., according to dispatch logs. One man had been shot multiple times, including once in the stomach, and another person was shot in the hand, according to multiple sources. Multiple Onondaga County Sheriffs Office deputies and New York State Police troopers responded to the scene. The shooting follows a streak of serious incidents in Onondaga County since weather has improved. On Tuesday, a man who appeared to point a gun at a New York State trooper it was later found to be a BB gun was shot and killed by the trooper. On Wednesday, three people were murdered in twelve hours in Syracuse. Deputies ask that anyone with information call the Onondaga County Sheriffs Offices criminal investigations division at 315-435-3081. MORE CRIME Man shot, killed by state police in Manlius identified; meth materials found, police say 2 stabbed to death on Hatch Street in Syracuse; one man taken into custody Man killed in Syracuse apartment complex shooting Utica man charged with injuring his 2-week-old baby Cortland County man charged with DWI after rollover crash Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter. You are here: Business Chinese tech giant Huawei on Thursday expressed disappointment at a Canadian judge's ruling on the case against Meng Wanzhou, the company's chief financial officer. "We have repeatedly expressed confidence in Ms. Meng's innocence. Huawei continues to stand with Ms. Meng in her pursuit for justice and freedom," Huawei said in a statement. "We expect that Canada's judicial system will ultimately prove Ms. Meng's innocence," said the statement. "Ms. Meng's lawyers will continue to work tirelessly to see justice is served." A Canadian judge ruled on Wednesday that the extradition case against Meng can proceed. According to the ruling, the case of Meng meets the Canadian extradition standard of the so-called "double criminality." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday urged Canada to immediately correct its mistake, release Meng and ensure her safe return to China. He said the United States and Canada abused their bilateral extradition treaty and arbitrarily took compulsory measures against a Chinese citizen without cause. "This is a serious political incident that grossly violates the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese citizen," Zhao said. [May 28, 2020] Study: Listing Agents Who Received Adwerx Automated Advertising From Their Broker Saw 35% Lift in Year-over-year Productivity Compared to Peers DURHAM, N.C., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a newly released study from T3 Sixty, one of the industry's leading management consultancy and research companies, data reveals that real estate firms who provided the Adwerx Listing Ad Automation Platform to their agents saw a 35% improvement in productivity versus their peers, measured by their year-over-year listing volume increase. In addition, top producers already taking home at least 51 listings per year gained an additional ten listings. The data looked at over 30,000 agents from various firms and compared the listing performance of those who received Adwerx Automated Listing Ads to those who did not. The results were analyzed over a two year period and were highly statistically significant. "Based on our analysis of their listing data, Adwerx's services are effective in helping agents, especially top agents, grow their business," said Travis Saxton, SVP, Technology Consulting at T3 Sixty. "An improvement of over one third in year-over-year listing count certainly suggests that Adwerx plays a role in agents improving their listing count performance." Adwerx has been trusted to power automated, localized, and personalized digital display advertising for real estate agents, loan officers, insurance brokers, and wealth managers since 2013. The company has experienced tremendous growth since implementing its Automation Platform in late 2017 with over 150 enterprises and over 200,000 producers receiving automated digital advertising through Adwerx, including 25% of the Swanepoel Mega 1000 firms. In 2019 alone Adwerx automated online property ads for over 14% of all listings in the United States. "We've been told repeatedly by our brokerage clients that our service helps their agents win more listings," saidAdwerx CEO Jed Carlson. "In our own survey of top brokerage firms using listing ad automation, 87% of brokers said that the program helped to recruit and retain agents, while 94% believed the program positively impacted the firm's business, and was a good advertising investment. Now, thanks to the work from T3 Sixty, we have quantified the impact this service has on the brokerages who utilize it." To learn more about how Adwerx can help firms improve their agents' productivity, visit enterprise.adwerx.com . To view the results of T3 Sixty's study, visit enterprise.adwerx.com/t3sixtyanalysis . About Adwerx Used by over 25% of the top brokerage firms and over 15% of the top mortgage originators in the U.S., Adwerx delivers personalized, omnichannel brand marketing and automation at enterprise scale. Deliver customized ads programmatically across streaming TV, popular websites, Facebook and Instagram, and mobile apps. Drive growth through digital marketing automation that increases brand visibility, boosts productivity by 35 percent and reduces turnover by 42 percent. Adwerx works across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Learn more about Brilliantly Simple Digital Advertising at adwerx.com . NAR members receive 15% additional impressions on Adwerx campaigns, which can be combined with other eligible discounts. This exclusive benefit is available through the National Association of REALTORS' REALTOR Benefits Program. About T3 Sixty Exclusively serving the residential real estate brokerage industry, T3 Sixty provides management consulting and counseling to real estate C-level executives, organized real estate leaders, broker-owners and leaders of high-performance teams to help them grow their businesses. T3 Sixty also offers in-depth research, information and best practices with its hallmark Swanepoel Trends Report, an annual analysis of the biggest trends impacting the industry, and the Real Estate Almanac, a comprehensive examination of the U.S.'s largest brokerages, franchises, networks, associations, MLSs and technology providers. More at t360.com . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-listing-agents-who-received-adwerx-automated-advertising-from-their-broker-saw-35-lift-in-year-over-year-productivity-compared-to-peers-301066971.html SOURCE Adwerx [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Murphy Brown alum Candice Bergen became a grandmother for the first time on May 19 when her daughter Chloe Francoise Malle welcomed son Arthur Louis with her husband Graham McGrath Albert. The 34-year-old new mother announced her baby news Wednesday with a joke: 'A week into the world and still observing strict shelter in place orders.' Chloe was able to have her husband by her side at the New York hospital thanks to Governor Andrew Cuomo's March 28 executive order to reverse the prior ban on all visitors and midwives. Congrats! Murphy Brown alum Candice Bergen became a grandmother for the first time on May 19 when her daughter Chloe Francoise Malle welcomed son Arthur Louis with her husband Graham McGrath Albert As of Wednesday, there have been nearly 200K confirmed COVID-19 cases in New York City leading to over 21K deaths - according to Johns Hopkins University. Little Arthur might only be days old, but he's already become acquainted with the 74-year-old Oscar nominee's two half-Saint Bernards-half Poodles, Lloyd and Bruce. 'I know [Chloe] will be a great mom,' Candice gushed to her 161K Instagram followers back on May 9. 'All I can wish her is the overwhelming, infinite joy being her mama gave me. She is the love of my life.' The 34-year-old new mother announced her baby news Wednesday with a joke: 'A week into the world and still observing strict shelter in place orders' COVID-19 epicenter: Chloe was able to have her husband by her side at the New York hospital thanks to Governor Andrew Cuomo's March 28 executive order to reverse the prior ban on all visitors and midwives Woof! Little Arthur might only be days old, but he's already become acquainted with the 74-year-old Oscar nominee's two half-Saint Bernards-half Poodles, Lloyd and Bruce Candice gushed on May 9: 'I know [Chloe] will be a great mom. All I can wish her is the overwhelming, infinite joy being her mama gave me. She is the love of my life' The Vogue Contributing Editor is Bergen's only child from her 15-year marriage to French filmmaker Louis Malle - who passed away, age 63, from lymphoma in 1995. The five-time Emmy winner will next celebrate her 20th anniversary with her second husband - New York real estate magnate and philanthropist Marshall Rose - on June 15. Candice will then provide commentary on American Masters' documentary devoted to Mae West titled Dirty Blonde, which airs June 16 on PBS. There in spirit: The Vogue Contributing Editor is Bergen's only child from her 15-year marriage to French filmmaker Louis Malle - who passed away, age 63, from lymphoma in 1995 (pictured in 2019) Still going strong! The five-time Emmy winner will next celebrate her 20th anniversary with her second husband - New York real estate magnate and philanthropist Marshall Rose - on June 15 (pictured in 2017) Thousands of Central New York business owners might get to reopen their doors tomorrow. Or maybe not. With less than 24 hours to go before the region is expected to move into phase two of reopening, small business owners are left scratching their heads about whether they can reopen and, what will be required of them if they do. Local officials have signaled to CNY businesses they can get ready for phase two, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a radio interview today announced the state needs more time to evaluate coronavirus data before allowing regions to move into the next phase. READ MORE: What we know right now about the sloppy march toward phase 2 READ MORE: Across state, Cuomos comments on reopening spark frustration That leaves local retail, salon and office business owners, who have been told they can reopen in phase two, with conflicting information. And it puts personal trainers, massage therapist and tattoo artists, who were banking on the states guidance for phase two, with no idea about when they might be able to schedule appointments again. Some are forging ahead, confident that their plans for reopening include the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Others have already begun pushing back appointments and plans into next week and beyond. They are all stuck in a holding pattern. Heres what they had to say about the chaos and confusion: Forging ahead Tori Shires, chief development officer for the Rescue Mission, was watching the news and public officials press conferences closely today. Her organization operates 18 Thrifty Shopper and 3fifteen secondhand clothing stores in Central New York. They are a critical part of the Rescue Missions business, and supply low-cost clothes to people who need them, so Shires and her staff are eager to get the doors open again. Shires said the Rescue Mission plans to go ahead with reopening the stores tomorrow. Were comfortable with the guidelines we have in place that we can reopen safely, Shires said. Shires listened to Cuomos interview with WAMC Radio and found it to be confusing. She has questions about what he meant by the role of international experts. It was just super vague, she said. " Were still feeling confident based on what Ryan McMahon said." That said, Shires said the Rescue Mission would roll with the punches. Were perfectly ready, willing and able to pivot as needed, she said. Were just eager to get our stores open. Paul Roe, tattooist and owner of James Street Parlour in Syracuse, has painstakingly developed a plan to reopen his tattoo shop on Monday as part of phase two. He has appointments scheduled for next week and doesnt plan to cancel them. We are smart, educated and capable of doing this safely, he said. Pumping the brakes Jordan Michel, owner of Jordys Barbershop in Marcellus, was unaware of the governors announcement until a reporter informed her of it around 5:30 p.m. Thats so annoying, she said. Its like so back-and-forth, you know? She was fully booked into next week, with back-to-back appointments from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow. She will begin calling her customers to reschedule, she said. At this point, I just want to open, she said. A few days more of lost income will hurt, she said, even though she finally got unemployment assistance and some flexibility from her landlord. She worries about her customers and cant believe the state hasnt offered any guidance about how to reopen safely, which would help her open on an even playing field with other shops. Now my feelings turn more to my customers, like, theres no answers, she said. I dont understand it. The government should have a plan in place. Doug Spangenberg, owner of the Westcott Barber Shop in Syracuse, planned a soft opening for Friday if Central New York entered the second phase of reopening, but he did not have his heart set on opening so soon, he said. I was ready to kinda dip my toe in and get off to a slow start, he said. Thats kind of been the chatter, was, Hopefully Friday, but more than likely Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. He would have been able to scrounge together customers tomorrow, plus accept some walk-in customers Saturday, he said. But thats all now on hold. Still, he doesnt mind waiting a bit longer, he said. Theyre not being 100 percent forthright with the information. Theres a lot of moving parts, though, he said. .Being that New York is kinda the epicenter of this thing, cautiousness is not a bad thing. Left in limbo Kyle Hierholzer, owner of Hand in Health massage therapy, and secretary for the CNY chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association, thought that by now, the state would have offered some clarity on phase two. For him and his peers, that would mean finally knowing where they fit into the reopening plan. Instead, its just been more confusion. Its been really, really frustrating, he said. Hierholzer notes that many clients rely on massage for pain management and as part of their healthcare routine. But massage therapists, unlike chiropractors, for example, have not been allowed to operate even in a limited capacity. Hierholzer says thats frustrating because his industry is typically considered a healthcare business. We get calls, emails and texts daily from clients who want to come in, he said. Theyre in pain. Its really disheartening. While Hierholzer has not started scheduling appointments for phase two, he said he knew of several massage therapists who had. For now, Hierholzer is aiming for a June 6 opening for his North Syracuse location. He is still unsure about opening a new location in downtown Syracuse, which was originally planned for mid-June. Were really left in limbo, he said. We dont know what to do. Beth Ann Dice, owner of MISSION: midlife Wellness Studio in Fulton, is in a similar position. She hopes that personal training will be allowed in phase two, and has begun installing plastic partitions between workout stations in preparation for reopening. Dice said the whole reopening process has been confusing and even surprising. She recently learned personal trainers dont have their own North American Industry Classification code, the codes the state has been using to sort out which businesses can open and those that cant. Dice even has some experience with these terms and classification systems. Shes the former executive director of the Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce. We dont seem to fall anywhere, she said. Its very strange. Dice said she is not ready to reopen tomorrow, even if she was told she could. She is surveying her clients, and preparing to reopen when her they say they are comfortable. She has drafted a written plan that accounts for everything she can think of. Still, she said, it would still be helpful to have a date or at least a phase to start planning in accordance with specific state guidance. ... Its just been so nebulous, she said. But I need to have a plan in place. It would be nice to have two to three days to get a plan together. Small business owners: Have a question or a story to share about how youre coping through the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdown? We want to hear from you. Contact Back in Business reporter Julie McMahon: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992. CNY BACK IN BUSINESS Unsure which phase your small business can reopen in? Make a pitch, expert says A lot of home-cut repair: CNY barbers are eager to fix your quarantine hair disasters These restaurants in Central New York have closed. How many more will there be? Want to get back to the gym? Multiple gyms plan to open for personal training within a week Coronavirus threatens to pull the plug on Syracuses small business networks Syracuse DJ shares coronavirus lesson: Its OK to put passion aside to pay the bills More from CNY Back in Business Sign up for the Back In Business newsletter to get small business advice delivered to your email inbox. Glaxosmithkline has delivered a major boost in the search for Covid-19 vaccines, vowing to pump out one billion doses of a special chemical to improve their effectiveness. As the race to develop a cure accelerated, the British drug maker said its adjuvant technology would help make supplies of successful vaccines go further when they are ready. Adjuvants create longer-lasting immunity against infections and allow smaller amounts of a virus to be used in a vaccine, making large-scale production easier. Glaxo boss Emma Walmsley (pictured) has warned that a jab will still not be widely available until the second half of next year at the earliest Glaxo is in talks with governments to increase its output of the booster ingredient to help scale up production of any future Covid-19 vaccines. It could prove crucial in at least seven of the experimental jabs being looked at by scientists, including one proposed by French pharma group Sanofi, with whom Glaxo signed a collaboration deal last month. The company would not disclose the adjuvant programmes costs yesterday, saying only that production would take place in Europe and North America. Roger Connor, Glaxos global vaccines president, said: We believe that more than one vaccine will be needed to address this pandemic and we are working with partners around the world to do so. Efforts to find a vaccine have been speeded up compared to normal standards, with treatments usually taking as long as a decade to reach patients. The Government has pledged more than 1.5billion towards international efforts, while President Trump has ordered US scientists to try and produce one before the end of the year in a scheme dubbed Operation Warp Speed. Glaxos rival Astrazeneca leaped to poll position in the race last month when it signed a deal to distribute Oxford Universitys potential vaccine, which is seen as the most advanced so far. As well as its collaboration with Sanofi, Glaxo has contributed to the efforts of Chinese biotech firms Clover Biopharmaceuticals and Xiamen Innovax, as well as the University of Queensland, Australia. But despite the vast resources being poured into research efforts including millions of pounds from Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates Glaxo boss Emma Walmsley (pictured) has warned that a jab will still not be widely available until the second half of next year at the earliest. She said last month: Everyone will mobilise to go fast, but this is not an easy undertaking and it is not just about when it is ready it is when it can be manufactured at scale. The Xbox Series X will be the most compatible console ever, Microsoft has claimed, as its battle with the PlayStation 5 continues. The new Xbox console will be able to play games from the original Xbox and will bring players' progression in these games to the latest generation, Microsoft said in a new update. Those older games should even look better on the new hardware, even if they were made for previous generations, the company has said. The new updates come after Microsoft said that as well as allowing games from the original Xbox to work on the new one, it will also allow all accessories that currently work with the Xbox One to work with the new console too. They are in keeping with the suggestion from Microsoft that the Xbox Series X is more of an iterative update than an entirely new generation, with the name intended to suggest that it is part of a range of Xboxes that include the current generation and any more that come in the future. Recommended Xbox Series X will let players jump straight back into games The company has stressed backwards compatibility in many of its announcements, as it prepares to release the new console in the holiday period later this year. Microsoft says that has posed a "massive technical challenge as fundamental system and chip architectures advance across generations". It noted that developers create games for individual consoles, and that therefore bringing them to new generations requires work on both the hardware as well as the software in the new generation. It has conducted more than 100,000 hours of play testing to ensure that older games work on the Xbox Series X, Microsoft said. By the time of launch, that should have doubled, ensuring that any technical problems are overcome before the release date. Many of those games should look better than they do on the older Xboxes for which they were developed, Microsoft said. Since all games will run natively on the console, they will be able to take full advantage of its performance, which should lead to higher framerates and better resolution, Microsoft said. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty The company will also use new technologies such as "HDR reconstruction" which will allow the Xbox to add high dynamic range to older games that don't already have it, even if they were developed for the original Xbox, long before HDR even existed. Microsoft will also bring its "Quick Resume" feature to older games, which allows players to start straight away from where they left off, even if they have been into other titles in the meantime. Tanzania summoned a US envoy in the country to clarify a recent warning about the risk of "exponential growth" of Covid-19 cases in the country. A fortnight ago, the US embassy said that hospitals in the main city, Dar es Salaam, were "overwhelmed" and that the chance of contracting the virus was "extremely high". At a time when official coronavirus updates were scarce in the country, the US embassys advisory triggered huge interest from the public, reports the BBC's Sammy Awami. It also stirred some controversy, as it did not provide evidence for its claims. In a meeting on Tuesday, the permanent secretary to the foreign affairs ministry, Wilbert Ibuge, told US diplomat Inmi Patterson, that the embassys advisory contained false information and risked causing panic among Tanzanians and visitors. Mr Ibuge also reminded the American about the importance of issuing verified information, a statement from the ministry in Swahili said. 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 Google did it again. Or allegedly done it again. Google can't stop from snooping; Now, Arizona wants to file a case As reported via the Verge and the Washington Post, Google is now facing another lawsuit in connection to their alleged illegal tracking of users. At this time, the U.S. state of Arizona filed it. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich argues that Google has been keeping track of Android users' locations despite turning the GPS or location tracker off. The suit also claims that the location tracking on Google's features continues to run in the background even when using weather or searches in Google Chrome web search engine, despite manually turning off the app-specific location tracker. If you want to stop it from tracking your location, Brnovich argues that a user still needs to dig deeper into the phone's settings and turn off the broader-system level tracker that Google inputs on each device. Google needs to pay $10,000 per fine violations To legally require Google to take action on their security complaints, the Arizona lawyer wants to ask the court to make Google pay 'back profits' that the company may have earned from making money out of the taken data. To make it much worse for Google, The Washington Post also highlighted Arizona's strict anti-fraud laws, which might subject the tech giant to $10,000 per fine violations. "At some point, people or companies that have a lot of money think they can do whatever the hell they want to do, and feel like they are above the law," Brnovich told The Post in an interview. "I wanted Google to get the message that Arizona has a state consumer fraud act. They may be the most innovative company in the world, but that doesn't mean they're above the law." As of now, Google has not yet released any statements regarding this issue. No longer news for Google This is not the first time Google was subjected to a privacy lawsuit. The company last year faced a much bigger class-action lawsuit, requiring them to pay about $13 million settlement to its Street View project. Street View is a 2017 project of Google that lets users interact with panoramic images of locations worldwide. Several people filed a case against this project after their data, such as emails, passwords, and other private information, were stolen. Google argued that the collection of data was only a 'mistake.' But investigators found out that it was intentionally done from 2007 to 2010, with a technology mainly intercepting data. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. By Gina Lee Investing.com Oil was mixed on Thursday morning in Asia, with the black liquid clawing back some losses from its second venture into negative territory during the previous session. U.S.-China tensions heated up overnight as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified that Hong Kong no longer warrants special treatment under U.S. law, dealing a major blow to the citys status as a major financial hub. National security laws proposed for both Hong Kong and Macau have been the latest flare-up point between the two countries, with U.S. President Donald Trump due to unveil the U.S. reaction to the laws by the end of the week. The tensions soured investor sentiment, with WTI futures sliding 2.29% to $32.06 by 9:41PM ET (2:41 AM GMT). Meanwhile, Brent oil futures gained 0.12% to $34.28, reversing it earlier losses. WTI futures tumbled -3.93%, while Brent futures fell by 3.57%, during the previous session. Investors also digested Wednesdays report from the American Petroleum Institute (API) estimating a build of 8.7 barrels for the week ending May 22. This was in sharp contrast to analyst predictions of a 4.8-million-barrel draw in forecasts prepared by Investing.com. Meanwhile, there was skepticism as Russia said that President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman agreed on further close coordination regarding production cuts during a telephone call on Wednesday. AS OPEC prepares for its June meeting, due to take place in less than two weeks, some investors said that Russia was sending mixed signals even after the country announced that it had almost reached its cut target earlier in the week. It sounds great on paper, but the market is holding back excitement until we get a few more details about whether there will be cuts, how many barrels will be cut, and the length of the cuts, Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group, told CNBC. Related Articles Oil drops on worse than feared rise in U.S. fuel stocks Oil Extends Losses After Surprise Jump in U.S. Crude Stockpiles U.S. senators weigh additional sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream 2 By PTI BEIJING: Chinese officials have clarified that those facing charges for offences committed in Hong Kong will not be sent to China to face trial under the new security law to firm up Beijing's hold over the former British colony. China's new national security law will be incorporated into Hong Kong's legal system with built-in protections for offenders, who will not be sent across the border to mainland China to face trial, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted sources as saying. The new law permits for the first time Chinese security agencies to open their establishments in Hong Kong. ALSO READ | 'Urgent global concern': US calls for UNSC meeting on Hong Kong after China drafts security law However, the Hong Kong Bar Association has said China's proposed new security law could run into problems in courts as Beijing has no legal authority to enact its national security law for the former British colony. The association also expressed concern over suggestions that mainland security agencies would be set up to safeguard national security within the city, saying it was "entirely unclear" how that the arrangement would comply with Article 22 of the Basic Law, which stipulates that Beijing departments not to interfere in local affairs. The new legislation establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security is set to be passed by China's National People's Congress (NPC) on Friday. The bill is regarded as a political bombshell for the former British colony as China has decided to bypass local Legislative Council to bring about a new national security law tailor-made to take control of Hong Kong which has been witnessing mass protests by pro-democracy groups since last year demanding autonomy and freedom from Beijing. ALSO READ | Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says security law not a threat to freedoms It has already provoked mass protests in Hong Kong as thousands took part in protests on Sunday. Principles such as presumption of innocence and proof beyond reasonable doubt to validate a criminal conviction would be followed in related trials, the report said. Earlier, planned legislation by the Hong Kong government to extradite those facing offences to China has attracted mass protests and agitations throughout last year paralysing the city. "Offenders under the new law will face open trials in Hong Kong after the law is passed. They won't be sent across the border to the mainland for trial," the Post report said. In mainland China, some national security trials have been heard behind closed doors because of political sensitivity. The burden of proof would fall on prosecutors to obtain a conviction in national security trials, it said. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Sri Lanka has announced that it will be re-imposing selective lockdown restriction on May 31. According to reports, Sri Lanka lifted its island-wide shutdown on May 26, it has decided to reimpose restrictions in an effort to prevent the gathering of large crowds after a recent spike in new coronavirus restrictions. Aims to prevent large gatherings As per reports, 460 people had recently been repatriated from Kuwait and 252 of them have tested positive for COVID-19. In light of the surge in new cases, the government has decided to impose selective restrictions in an effort to restrict gatherings of large crowds, especially on days when large crowds are likely to form, for example, the scheduled funeral for a trade plantation trade union leader and government minister Arumugam Thondaman. According to reports, the lockdown will be lifted after May 31 and then re-imposed from June 4 onwards so as to coincide with a Buddhist Holiday. Restrictions eased across the country Sri Lanka on May 26 had eased coronavirus restrictions across the country, curfew was lifted during the day. The government has also permitted inter-district movement to all places except to Colombo and Gamapaha which were identified as coronavirus hotspots and had placed under round-the-clock curfew since March 20. Read: COVID-19 Crisis: PM Modi Speaks To Sri Lankan Counterpart, Extends Support Amid Pandemic Read: Ex-MEA Spox Gopal Baglay Visits Sri Lanka's FM As India's New Envoy; Gets Commitment Sri Lanka has reported 1,469 positive coronavirus cases and has a death toll of 10. The relaxation of restrictions on May 26 was actually the second round of curfew relaxations in the island-nation after certain changes were made on May 11 to revive economic activity, as part of which employees of state and public sector companies were allowed to travel to work. (Image Credit PTI) Read: Sri Lanka Cricket Board Suspends Shehan Madushanka For Alleged Possession Of Drugs Read: Sri Lanka To Ease Coronavirus Restrictions From May 26 For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here. How will schools be different when they reopen this fall? In San Mateo County, the emphasis will be on safety, hygiene and keeping students at least partially corralled. County Schools Superintendent Nancy Magee previewed a K-12 reopening plan that is expected to be finalized and published next week, the San Mateo Daily Journal reported Thursday. The most visible change will be that everyone, all students and staff, must wear a face covering while on campus, especially when gathered in large groups in common areas. Exceptions will be allowed for those with sensory complications or medical issues that might be aggravated by wearing face masks. A key element of the plan is to establish small groups of students and limit their exposure to other schoolmates. Groups may be assigned to a single classroom with teachers rotating through rather than students moving to a new classroom after every period. Longer classes are recommended over short sessions. Instead of opening restrooms to everyone, lavatories may be assigned to specific classes only. We want to reduce the mixing and movement of students around a campus in a day, Magee told the Daily Journal. The mask requirement may be relaxed in small group settings. Teachers and administrators will be tasked with devising ways to use outdoor spaces rather than closed rooms when possible. A recent Japanese study (not peer-reviewed) found that transmission of the COVID-19 virus is 18.7 times more likely to occur indoors than outside. Remote learning will be provided for students who cant or are uncomfortable with attending class. Sporting events, musical performances and student plays will be held, but crowds of spectators will not be permitted. Students and staff will be expected to maintain a high level of hygiene, including frequent hand washing and sanitizing. Immediate washing may be required upon arrival at school. Magee said temperature scans will likely become routine. Anyone feeling under the weather, especially those with symptoms of the coronavirus, must stay home. Magee said the plans are a work in progress and some tweaking is inevitable. Because classroom capacities and the physical layouts of schools vary greatly within districts, a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here. Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate PR-Inside.com: 2020-05-28 10:02:05 Contact: Oak Fund Services (Guernsey) Limited Company Administrator Attn: Mark Woodall Tel: +44 1481 723450 Eurocastle Announces Posting of 2020 Annual General Meeting Notice Guernsey. 28 May 2020 Eurocastle Investment Limited (Euronext Amsterdam: ECT) (Eurocastle or the Company) today announces that notice of its Annual General Meeting containing the full text of the proposed resolutions and a proxy statement has been mailed out to all holders on record as of Tuesday, 26 May 2020. In addition, the Company has posted the Annual General Meeting notice on its website under Periodic Reports and Shareholder Communications in the Investor Relations Section. As previously announced, Eurocastle will hold its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, 17 June 2020, at the Companys registered office at 2:00 pm Guernsey time (3:00 pm CET). The meeting will be held in accordance with social distancing and stay at home measures implemented by the States of Guernsey in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. ABOUT EUROCASTLE Eurocastle Investment Limited (Eurocastle or the Company) is a publicly traded closed-ended investment company, focused on Italian performing and non-performing loans, Italian loan servicing platforms and other real estate related assets in Italy. On 18 November 2019, the Company announced a plan to realise the majority of its assets with the aim of accelerating the return of value to shareholders. The Company will not currently seek material new investments from the proceeds of the realisation but, will continue to support its existing investments to the extent required in order to optimise returns and distribute cash to shareholders when available (the Realisation Plan). For more information regarding Eurocastle Investment Limited and to be added to our email distribution list, please visit www.eurocastleinv.com. Just 24 hours after touching down in Britain, the latest Mail Force charity airlift was already reaching the NHS frontline yesterday. And the message from the first recipients at one Surrey hospital was loud and clear: Thanks a million. As we reported yesterday, Mail Force has just donated a million high-quality surgical masks to the fight against coronavirus and will do the same every week until July. The Mail Force scheme has allowed for the donation of one million personal protective equipment (PPE) masks to key workers in the fight against coronavirus The masks are the charitys latest contribution to the urgent quest for personal protective equipment (PPE) for the medical and care workers who need it most. And they are the first to point out that a steady supply of PPE is vital if the country is going to keep infection rates falling and stave off the dreaded second wave. Yesterday, a Mail Force van pulled up outside Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, where staff were on hand to welcome a delivery of 17,500 Type IIR surgical masks and 5,000 medical aprons. Though the hospital has no current shortages of PPE itself, it has been acting as a hub for local medical and care organisations which do. Yesterday, 17,500 masks and 5,000 medical aprons were delivered to Royal Surrey County Hospital (pictured) thanks to the Mail Force scheme People are going to be needing this equipment for many months to come, so thanks to everyone who donated, said Covid lead nurse Jake Hellier, 38. This hospital is like one big family with everyone looking after each other. And weve been incredibly touched by the generosity of the public. Mr Hellier was not only pleased to see boxes of surgical face masks but was particularly impressed by the calibre of the Mail Force aprons. As the man in charge of training staff on the use of PPE in the battle against Covid-19, he has seen umpteen examples. I have always felt entirely safe in all our PPE but it does mean that I have now become something of an expert on aprons, he joked, and these ones are really good quality. The charity is now procuring half a million aprons every week from a new production line in Lancashire. Thank-you cards and letters lined the windows of the Intensive Care Unit overlooking the driveway where our van was unloading. On-duty staff and patients waved in appreciation. Staff on their break came out to form a welcoming committee, among them Sue Herson, the matron in charge of critical care for the last six years. Weve never known anything like this crisis of course but it has produced the most amazing teamwork, she said. And we are very proud of our survival rate here. That the hospital has kept its total of coronavirus-related deaths in double figures (just) is due, in no small part, to rigorous use of the correct PPE. But Royal Surreys chief executive, Louise Stead, pointed out that there can be no complacency. The system has worked well but there are always times when you might be down to a couple of days of some equipment left so we have a mutual aid scheme, she explained. HERE'S HOW TO DONATE Mail Force Charity has been launched with one aim to help support NHS staff, volunteers and care workers fight back against Covid-1 in the UK. Mail Force is a separate charity established and supported by the Daily Mail and General Trust. The money raised will fund essential equipment required by the NHS and care workers. This equipment is vital in protecting the heroic staff whilst they perform their fantastic work in helping the UK overcome this pandemic. If we raise more money than is needed for vital Covid-19 equipment, we will apply all funds to support the work of the NHS in other ways. Click the button below to make a donation: DONATE NOW If the button is not visible, click here Advertisement Hospitals across the county have all been ready to help each other out and to distribute PPE to smaller clinics and care homes in need. As the country starts to return to work in the days ahead, the demands on the finite amount of PPE inside the UK particularly masks is going to increase rapidly, as is the price. That will make it harder for the smaller operations especially those dependent on charitable contributions to find vital equipment. As outpatient departments start to resume, we are going to need more masks. We are probably going to be doing more mutual aid in the near future too so we really are grateful to Mail Force, added Mrs Stead, herself a qualified nurse. Mail Force has bought the latest cargo of Type IIR (fluid-resistant) masks from a long-established manufacturer in southern China. With no large-scale producers of these items yet established in the UK, there is no choice but to source them overseas. The PPE masks, delivered in a Mail Force van (pictured) to the hospital, came from a long-established manufacturer in southern China However, they have been fully checked by the Department of Health inspectorate which examines both samples and certifications before approving their use in the NHS. While some have already been distributed by Mail Force, the vast majority will now be despatched to the main NHS national distribution centre to be assigned wherever need is greatest at any given time. They follow the charitys regular donations of aprons and coveralls which all form part of the NHSs specification for PPE provision. Earlier this week, the NHSs chief executive, Sir Simon Stevens, praised the generosity of donors and described the charitys work as invaluable. In just over four weeks since its creation by this newspaper and its partners, the charity has raised nearly 9million in donations from philanthropists, businesses and, above all, the general public. Mail Force is now engaged in the urgent task of finding new sources of quality PPE at home and abroad along with fresh donations to boost the national supply. As yesterdays delightful scenes in Surrey reminded us, it is also a wonderful tonic for boosting morale out on the coronavirus frontline. As a longtime Stamford citizen, and chair of the Stamford Complete Count Committee for the 2020 Census our nations 24th decennial census I urge all who havent already done so to complete the Census today. The Census is constitutionally mandated and it is conducted because every person in the United States, regardless of citizenship status, counts for purposes of political representation. Our government at all levels also depends on an accurate count of all residents to plan services and distribute resources wisely and fairly. As of May 21, 60 percent of Stamford households had filled out their Census form. Thats a good start, but we need to do much better. Some of our neighborhoods with the most vulnerable populations have only a 40 percent response rate to date. Under-reporting has significant long-term costs to our community and our state. In 2017 alone, Connecticut received more than $5,000 per person in Census-guided federal spending, and that money flows to Stamford for vital services and benefit programs. Everyone can help keep federal funding up and local taxes down by responding to the survey and counting every person who was a usual resident of their household on April 1, 2020. The Census matters Participating in the census is important, and getting every household in our community to respond accurately to the census is absolutely critical to the health and vitality of our community for the next decade. The numbers from the census affect our community every day, as they are used to: 1. Determine how many seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and Electoral College votes each state receives. 2. Draw the boundaries of congressional, state and local voting districts. 3. Inform how hundreds of billions of dollars in public funds are allocated by state, local and federal lawmakers for public services and infrastructure like medical and mental health care services, food security programs, emergency response, schools, and road and bridge improvements. An undercount for Stamford will mean our community doesnt receive its fair share of needed public resources for the next 10 years. The Census is Secure The 2020 Census is taking place at a time when many are reluctant to share personal information, whether for fear of scams or identity theft, or because of immigration status. Participating in the census is safe. Answers are confidential and protected by the strictest privacy laws on the federal books, including the following: 1. The information provided is only used by the U.S. Census Bureau to produce statistics. 2. The Census Bureau cannot share responses with any other government agency or official, law enforcement, a court of law, a landlord, or private business. 3. Census responses are confidential for 72 years; after that, many genealogists (professional and amateur) use old census forms at the National Archives for historical research. The coronavirus challenge Census packets arrived in Americas mailboxes around the same time that the shutdowns around the country began. Everyone who could, were asked to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Social distancing measures subsequently led to the cancellation of many community events and the closing of many gathering places that would have been the cornerstone of the Complete Count Committees public outreach efforts. We therefore have been relying on social media and other forms of outreach to relay that participating in the census is easy. The Census can be completed online, by phone (in English and 12 other languages), or by filling out a paper questionnaire. The Census Bureau also offers online guides and videos in 59 non-English languages, including American Sign Language, as well as guides in Braille and large print. You can either: 1. Visit 2020census.gov to complete the survey for your household online (a first this year). The Census packet and reminder letters from the Census Bureau included a 12-character code your Census ID unique to your address. If you cant find your code, or did not receive an invitation to fill out the census, anyone can still respond by using the home address. 2. Call in your answers to 844-330-2020 (English), 844-468-2020 (Spanish), or the support line for one of the other available languages. 3. Fill out and mail the paper questionnaire your household received in April. The Census requires public outreach to count vulnerable populations. The higher the self-response rate, the less work the Census Bureau will have to do to track down those who have not responded and collect answers in person. Following new safety guidelines, census enumerators will start knocking on doors of those who have not responded beginning Aug. 11. Every Stamford resident can do their part by taking 10 minutes (or less) today to complete the Census (one per household). The fewer doors Census takers need to knock on, the sooner the count can be completed with minimized personal contact. For those who are interested in temporary but rewarding work that benefits their community, the Census Bureau is still hiring for 2020 Census enumerator jobs ($25/hour with flexible hours). Visit 2020census.gov/en/jobs to learn more and apply. Please help shape Stamfords future by ensuring that we get the federal and state aid and grant money, political representation, and private investment we deserve by completing the Census today and encouraging others to do the same. Polly OBrien Morrow on behalf of the Stamford Complete Count Committee. "Murder Hornets" are invading the United States. It's just one more test that 2020 has sent our way. For Air Force pest control airmen, however, the Asian giant hornet is old news -- the service has been fighting them for years. Read: 'Murder Hornets' a Common Challenge for US Military Pest Control Workers in Japan But the Murder Hornet isn't the only enemy waiting for military pest controllers to slip up; it just gets the most name recognition. From deserts to rain forests to base housing, there are many threats that could be just as fatal. Or annoying. 1. Fattail Scorpions With American and allied troops actively engaged from Afghanistan and westward toward the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, one pest that troops have to be aware of is Androctonus crassicauda -- Latin for "Fat-tailed mankiller." This scorpion's venom is one of the deadliest in the world, and it lives everywhere you'll find deployed troops, from the Persian Gulf to the Hindu Kush. Its sting can kill a human in a few hours -- so check your boots before you put them on. 2. North American Raccoon While little is dangerous about encountering a common raccoon going through the trash, there's a lot about a raccoon that can harm military readiness. These buggers are found all over North America and can weigh anywhere from 10 to 30 pounds. According to the Air Force's 509th Civil Engineering Squadron's Pest Management section, base housing is a flashing sign for an all-you-can-eat buffet for these guys. Raccoons are major carriers of rabies and canine distemper, not to mention fleas and ticks and parasitic diseases. On top of spreading infectious disease, an explosion in the population of raccoons can also lead to wildlife strikes with aircraft (no, I'm not kidding). 3. Mosquitoes While the United States isn't too worried about malarial mosquitoes, the military sure is. After all, they're the ones who had to go off and fight in malarial zones. For decades now, the U.S. has made a concerted effort to stop the spread of malaria through mosquitoes. Navy entomologists have been studying alongside allied partners and other U.S. agencies to learn how to stop the disease vector and stop the mosquitoes themselves. 4. Snakes Snakes are trouble, no matter where they're found. But for soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, snakes can be a threat to their job performance at best or a threat to their family at worst. Military pest control managers don't kill invading species out of hand; that's a last resort. But some of the species they encounter probably make them wish they could. The brown tree snake uses the trees to make his way onto the fence line on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Carlin Leslie) Invasive pit vipers are hunted across Okinawa, Japan. Boa constrictors are found on tropical bases and -- of course -- rattlesnakes are a danger all across the American West. 5. Murder Hornets Yes, the Air Force is squaring off against the murder hornet, a large bug with a painful sting that can cause some 40 deaths every year. At Japan's Yokota Air Base alone, the pest control team gets more than 70 calls a year about encroaching Asian giant hornets. Yokota Air Base has seen its share of Murder Hornet nests. The species is aggressive, and its sting releases a pheromone that causes other hornets to sting the same target. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook. Want to Learn More About Military Life? Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for fitness and basic training tips, or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox. Marsys Law for Tennessee, a law designed to strengthen the rights of crime victims in Tennessees State Constitution, is being postponed for now due to the abbreviated legislative session in response to COVID-19. We are very disappointed, but it became clear that there is simply not enough time to successfully clear all of the steps in both the House and Senate needed for passage this year, said Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, the prime sponsor of the legislation in the Tennessee House. But the need is clear. Crime victims are counting on us. We look forward to beginning again when the next legislature convenes in January. This is one of many important issues that will unfortunately have to be delayed for now as the General Assembly works to quickly address important budget items and other COVID-related issues before adjourning for the year, said Senator John Stevens, the prime sponsor in the Tennessee Senate. We are grateful to our legislative colleagues, to local law enforcement, and especially to the crime victims and their family members who have underscored the importance of this legislation and protecting victim rights. More than 20 years ago, 89 percent of Tennesseans voted to give crime victims the rights they deserve by adopting a Crime Victims Bill of Rights. But victims have found these rights to be unenforceable under current law and the rights of victims are not always protected. Marsys Law for Tennessee would strengthen the rights of crime victims in Tennessees state constitution. Senate Joint Resolution 885 and House Joint Resolution 822 sought to ensure that victims of crime have equal, constitutional rights on the same level as those accused and convicted of crimes. Senator John Stevens of Huntingdon and Rep. Patsy Hazlewood were primary sponsors of the bill, with Lt. Governor Randy McNally and Speaker Cameron Sexton acting as prime co-sponsors. The resolutions had broad, bipartisan support that included co-sponsors Senator Janice Bowling, Rep. William Lamberth, Rep. Jeremy Faison, Rep. Gary Hicks, Rep. John Mark Windle, Rep. Curtis Johnson, Rep. Harold Love, Rep. Ron Gant, Rep. Andrew Farmer, Rep. Brandon Ogles, Rep. Bruce Griffey, and Rep. Mike Carter. Political analysts have projected Pennsylvanias 10th Congressional District as one of the most hotly-contested U.S. House races in the nation, literally from the moment the polls closed on U.S. Rep. Scott Perrys narrow fourth-term win in November 2018. But thats cart-before-the-horse talk here in central Pennsylvania. Democratic voters on Tuesday must first, and somewhat belatedly, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, select their candidate to go up against Perry (R-York County) in this years general election. Their choice is between Tom Brier, a 28-year-old Hershey native and attorney, and Eugene DePasquale, the state Auditor General. Brier is making a Kennedy-esque, new Democrat appeal aimed at marrying progressive voters with younger and minority voters who dont usually win turnout rate battles. DePasquale is nearing the end of his second term as the fiscal watchdog of state government and cant run for that office again. For the time being, DePasquale appears to have done his party a big favor by running for Congress instead of joining what might be crowded party primary battles for governor and U.S. Senate in 2022. DePasquales luster as an incumbent statewide officeholder, whos also won local races inside this district, has captivated Democrats nationally. But he must first vanquish Briers little-engine-that-could effort that raised enough money to mount a respectable television advertising campaign. Brier backed it up by a string of strong debate performances. Brier has had more than his share of challenges thrown at him during the campaign. DePasquale supporters have criticized him (even though Brier entered the race first) for running what they saw as a vanity project that could distract from the larger goal of winning the seat in November. A mid-winter fire destroyed the Derry Twp. townhome Brier shared with his parents. And finally, a global pandemic froze the person-to-person campaigning that Brier was banking on to build his effort against a significantly better-known name. Hes been a happy warrior through it all, switching to a strong virtual campaign that allowed fundraising and get-out-the-vote efforts to continue. We just kind of had to create our own energy, Brier said in an interview as the primary campaign entered its last week. "During the pandemic, instead of that coming from politics, that (energy) came from activism and service. So we had volunteers delivering food, we started the podcast, we did noon updates on Facebook every day, calling people to see how they are. Its a different type pf campaigning but I actually think its more helpful, and once you start that type of outreach you can really generate some real momentum. Brier is having two late-game fundraising events with national Democratic Party luminaries Paul Begala and James Carville that, he said, will help determine how extensive his late ad buys can be. DePasquale has cornered the vast majority of Democratic officeholders endorsements throughout the district. Some observers said DePasquale may have benefitted from the end of in-person campaigning - and the relative lack of news coverage on most non-pandemic stories this spring - to the degree that it hurt Briers efforts to cut into his name identification advantage. But the auditor general from West York has mounted his own online efforts as well, including virtual town halls streamed on Facebook Live and shorter issue position videos. DePasquale even tapped a personal favorite on May 4th, International Star Wars Day, by asking Twitter followers which Star Wars movie he should watch that night. (The winner? Episode IV - A New Hope.") Politically, both Democrats would mark a dramatic turn from Perry, a Republican who is seeking his fifth term and second in the present-day 10th District. Truth be told, theres not a great deal of daylight between their core policy positions. Both Brier and DePasquale, for example, are unabashed supporters of new gun control efforts, taking strong action against climate change and rewriting the federal tax code in a way to create more benefits for middle- and working class households. They are also both strong defenders of a womans right to have an abortion. But comparing the two, Brier is the candidate that pushes a little further toward purely progressive goals. Here are two quick examples. Climate change Briers pledge to be a soldier in the crusade to move Americas economy away from fossils fuels infuses almost every other issue that hes asked about, from top national security challenges to opportunities to resolve our current economic inequities. Far from merely putting America back among the signatories to the Paris Climate Accord, Brier has endorsed U.S. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Edward Markeys Green New Deal, an initiative aimed at making the United States a leader in moving the world to net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. Tax reform Brier would like to upset the current federal tax code by closing corporate tax loopholes and exploring policies aimed at granting the government equity stakes in corporations that are either bailed out with public funds, or are using government-funded technological advances to make a profit. He has also specifically proposed significantly higher tax rates on the wealthiest American families and corporations. Proceeds from such moves, Brier said, could then be plowed back into badly needed investment in access to health care, education and reduced student debt loads, and lower effective tax rates for low- and moderate-income families. Its a reorienting of government that, Brier says, can make it work better for regular people. The fact of the matter is that the money is there, he said. Its a matter of how we allocate it. The newcomer has also not flinched at throwing punches at DePasquale, excoriating him for his 2011 vote as a state legislator for a gerrymandered Congressional map that was eventually tossed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. DePasquale has said that he regrets that vote, but noted that it came in the wake of a lost battle for redistricting reform. And in April, Brier filed an Federal Election Commission complaint alleging DePasquale inappropriately used old campaign funds raised for his past state races for the current Congressional bid, something DePasquale has denied. Because of what the Brier campaign has described as notarizing difficulties tied to the pandemic, the complaint has not yet been formally taken up by the FEC. DePasquale, meanwhile, has argued that hes the candidate who is built for the long haul in this race. He contends he would be the most effective representative in Washington of all the current candidates if elected, based on his track record as an official who is cognizant of the art of the possible. In the primary, he has largely run his own race and stuck to that script, addressing Briers attacks when he has had to in face-to-face forums or when challenged by the press. DePasquale has touted his independence from both parties as a two-term Auditor General who found problems in state government during both Republican and Democratic administrations. Citing his six years in the Pennsylvania House before becoming auditor general, DePasquale said he has demonstrated the ability to work across the aisle to achieve his aims. DePasquale, 48, also related that pragmatic streak to electability, a guiding star for many Democrats in 2020. My job, if Im your member of Congress, is to represent this district, not an ideology, he told a Camp Hill audience at a March forum. Thats why I can win this primary, win this general election, and send Scott Perry packing. A big point of contention in the primary campaign has been campaign finance. Brier has made a big deal of his refusal to accept any money from corporate political action committees. DePasquale, Brier said, has accepted corporate money his whole career, and Brier says its enough to raise legitimate questions about who a candidate is really representing. DePasquale has tried to blunt this attack by arguing that its a falsehood to say that receipt of a campaign contribution - or any other kind of political alliance - means the recipient has somehow forfeited their right to scrutinize said donor, industry, or special interest, and his record proves it. This is about the fights you take on, DePasquale said, adding that his terms in the state House representing York City and two terms as Auditor General provide all the evidence any voter needs to see that as a member of Congress, I will fight for you every single minute. The 10th District covers all of Dauphin County, the eastern half of Cumberland County from the Susquehanna to Carlisle, and the northern half of York County, including the city of York. It landed on the nations political consciousness in 2018, when Perry - in a district that suddenly looked dramatically different than the one he was first elected to in 2012 - held back a spirited challenge from George Scott, a retired Army officer-turned-Lutheran pastor, who was making his first run for public office. Scott is running for a state Senate seat this year. More from PennLive Pa. House member in Dauphin County faces challenger in June 2 primary Three Democrats vie for nomination in 87th Pa. House District Six Democrats vying for partys nomination in Pa.s auditor generals race A longtime pastor and a returning candidate face off in Democratic primary in Pa. Senates 15th District Three Democrats hope to unseat Republican representing Cumberland and York Coronavirus response looms large in 106th state House GOP primary race Voters guide: Meet Pa.s 2020 primary election candidates Aboriginal elder Charmaine Clarke works as a senior practitioner with an Aboriginal family violence prevention project in Warrnambool in Victorias south-west. She also ran as the Greens lead Senate candidate in the 1998 federal election in a bid to become the first Aboriginal and openly gay woman elected to any parliament in Australia. But in the space of a few seconds, while she ate lunch at her favourite cafe, the proud, university-educated Gunditjmara woman was reduced to - in her words - just being a stupid Abo. Charmaine Clarke has spoken out about the weakness of the state's anti-vilification laws. Credit:Karen Mayo Ms Clarke, represented by the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, gave evidence on Thursday to an ongoing Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the states anti-vilification laws. She has joined the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission in calling for the what it says are almost unusable laws to be changed. Climate change could cause abrupt shifts in the amount of vegetation growing in parts of Great Britain, new research shows. The University of Exeter studied the country in high resolution, using models to examine the local impacts of two climate change scenarios at 1.5x1.5 km scale. It found that even "smooth" climate change could lead to sudden changes in the amount of vegetation in some places. Most such changes were increases, caused by factors such as warmer, wetter conditions and more CO2 in the atmosphere fertilising plant growth. Elsewhere, warmer conditions could cause soil to dry out, reducing plant productivity and decreasing vegetation rapidly. "The general expected trend towards warmer, wetter weather is likely to cause an overall increase in vegetation in temperate places like Great Britain," said Dr Chris Boulton, of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter. "However, we wanted to find out whether even 'smooth' climate change might lead to abrupt shifts in vegetation. "A lot of research has focussed on 'tipping points' in large systems like rainforests and oceans. "Our study doesn't predict abrupt shifts across the whole of Great Britain - 0.5-1.5% of the land area depending on the climate scenario - but it shows numerous shifts can happen on a localised level." The researchers used a new method for identifying "abrupt" shifts to look for sudden changes in the total amount of carbon stored in vegetation over a short period of time. "We also find early warning signals before some of the abrupt shifts. This is good news as it shows the potential for being able to predict them in the real world," said Dr Boulton. GSI Director Professor Tim Lenton said: "We didn't expect to see hundreds of localised abrupt shifts in the projections. "Up to now, climate-driven abrupt shifts in vegetation have been rare in Great Britain. "Our results should not be taken as specific predictions of where abrupt ecosystem change will happen. "But they serve to illustrate that it could happen across Great Britain in a changing climate." ### The study, funded by the Valuing Nature Programme, used two climate scenarios developed by the Met Office. The paper, published in the journal Global Change Biology, is entitled: "Abrupt changes in Great Britain vegetation carbon projected under climate change." The death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis has brought harsh words from the president of the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police. Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge, who often speaks out when police officers are portrayed in a negative light, is among many law enforcement officers in Alabama and beyond who say they are horrified by the actions that led to Floyds death. In a social media post, Partridge wrote of Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, This is not a police officer. This is not American law enforcement. This is someone who has no integrity, honor, emotion or respect. Shelby County Sheriffs Office Capt. Clay Hammac echoed Partridges sentiments. My heart aches for the Floyd family, the entire community in Minneapolis, and our entire nation. We are all made in Gods image, Hammac posted on Facebook. Shelby County Sheriff's Office Capt. Clay Hammac. We just cant speak about one thing and not another in law enforcement. You know Im an advocate of making sure false narratives against police officers arent portrayed by the media or the public or certain groups, Partridge told AL.com. When you have something egregious as this, youve got to speak out about it. Chauvin and three other officers involved in Floyds arrest were fired on Tuesday. A video taken by a bystander showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyds neck as he told them that he could not breathe. The incident is being investigated by the FBI and Minnesota law-enforcement authorities. Riots and looting have erupted in several American cities in response to Floyds death, including multiple fires set overnight in south Minneapolis. Partridge said he had this reaction when he first saw the video of Floyds arrest: I was totally sick at my stomach. I really thought I was going to throw up. This type of behavior is not taught. When you have somebody do that to another human being after theyre restrained, now you can use the amount of force necessary to affect an arrest, but once those handcuffs go on, it stops because that subject is in custody, he said. Anything after that is uncalled for and unjustified. The chief said normally he wouldnt comment on the situation until an investigation is complete, but this time its different. When you have that much video evidence of what happened after the individual was restrained I cant even find good words to describe how it makes you feel, he said. Those techniques are not taught. You do not put your knee on an individuals neck and compress. And you certainly dont do it the way it was done for the length of time it was done. It should never happen at all after an individual is cuffed. If a person is resisting and youre having to fight him, you use the amount of force necessary, he said. From what Ive scene of the videos where hes handcuffed, he didnt give them any problems after he was handcuffed. Often the actions of a few are a black eye on many, and this case is no different. It affects us all. Now the good police officers have to deal with the aftermath of this, as weve seen in several cities across the country with riots and looting, he said. Youre going to have officers injured because of this. Were all going to have to deal with the aftermath because its so shocking. You just have to continue to do your job professionally and you have to continue to make those inroads in the community to let them know youre here to protect and serve the community, he said. And if you cant do that, then youre in the wrong profession. Here is the text of Partridges Facebook post in its entirety: This is not a police officer. This is not American law enforcement. This is someone who has no integrity, honor, emotion, or respect. These four people have stained every professional law enforcement officer who swore an oath to protect and defend the communities they serve. It is up to every officer, supervisor, and administrator to stand against this type of abuse of power. Each of these four officers will be prosecuted, as they should. As a police officer, I do not see color; I see human beings with thoughts, feelings and I will be the first to stand and say enough is enough to this type of rogue behavior by anyone. To see this type of brutality makes me sick and disgusted. But, I know justice will prevail in this case. We just need to allow the system to work. While Americans have the right to peacefully assemble and protest, they do not have the right to riot, loot and destroy innocent peoples property. Please know that 99.9% of American law enforcement officers do the job flawlessly every day and risk their lives doing so. We work extremely hard to make inroads into the community and build strong relationships. The Blackwater community stood in solidarity on Thursday night, with residents lighting candles, fires and lanterns in their driveways to show their support for the family of Nathan Turner. The 30-year-old local man, who health officials said had "a complicated medical history", died in his home on Tuesday and later tested positive to COVID-19 following a post-mortem examination. Nathan Turner, 30, became the seventh Queenslander to die with COVID-19. Credit:Facebook Mr Turner's partner, Simone Devon, as well as the police officers and paramedics who responded to her triple-zero call reporting that Mr Turner was unresponsive at home, all remain in quarantine. A GoFundMe campaign was set up on Thursday evening to support Ms Devon and Mr Turner's family, with more than $1300 donated in the first few hours. [May 27, 2020] Torry Harris Launches New SaaS Plans for Digital Marketplace and API Management Products to Ease Customer Challenges During COVID-19 BRISTOL, England, DUBAI, U.A.E and BANGALORE, India, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Torry Harris Integration Solutions (THIS), is a trusted advisor to enterprises worldwide in extending the power of digital access through integration. The company recently announced the launch of its product portal with new SaaS plans to ease the purchasing journey of customers. "In a post-COVID world, building digital ecosystems takes on more significance, especially to SMEs, who rely on physical contact often within tight geographical boundaries and are more severely impacted economically. We are working with enterprise customers to equip them with tools, training and strategy for empowering the SME segment," said Karthik TS, Head of Center of Excellence at Torry Harris. According to Shuba Sridhar, Vice President Strategic Initiatives, "Our products enable digital ecosystems through adoption and use of API driven digital opportunities. With our SaaS plans, we provide more flexibility and accelerated go-to-market with white-label options. We are currently offering contextual training services for digital upskilling of customer teams." The Torry Harris product portfolio includes: Tools to enable online trade, bundled offerings with partners Digital Marketplace Marketplace-in-a-box, for a quicker go-to-market IoT Glue - A mobile-enabled IoT Integration platform to connect disparate things - A mobile-enabled IoT Integration platform to connect disparate things Concierge Bank - A marketplace banking accelerator DigitMarket TM -API Manager - A complete package to manage & monetise APIs -API Manager - A complete package to manage & monetise APIs Developer Portal An API store to discover and expedite API adoption API Gateway To manage API connections seamlessly and securely Publisher Portal - An all-encompassing hub to control API activities Light-weight Developer tools to accelerate development, testing and integration RepoPro TM Enterprise Repository, simplifies asset storage and tracking Enterprise Repository, simplifies asset storage and tracking Automaton TM - No-code testing automation tool - No-code testing automation tool AutoStub - Fast-tracks API testing and delivery Digit IT Services Systems integration services include consultancy, strategy, execution and support About Torry Harris Torry Harris is a multinational provider of business, technology and IT consulting services. For over two decades, it is focused on providing solutions in the areas of Integration for digital enablement, Platform Services, Full life-cycle API Management and Digital Transformation. The company is headquartered in New Jersey (USA), with development centers in Bangalore. It has offices in Bristol (UK), Slough (UK), Dubai (UAE), Dublin (Ireland), Munich (Germany) and Paris (France). To know more, visit https://www.torryharris.com/ Media Contact: Diganta Kumar Barooah [email protected] Torry Harris Integration Solutions (THIS) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The mayor of Minneapolis asked the state National Guard to move in after protests over the death of George Floyd escalated Wednesday night with a fatal shooting, widespread looting, fires and the police deployment of tear gas. "I cannot risk the safety of innocent people and so that is what I've been sworn to uphold and that is what I am dedicated to do," Mayor Jacob Frey told NBC affiliate KARE. "We can have both things. We can have peaceful demonstrations, but I also have to ensure the safety of everyone in the city." The second night of demonstrations near the site of Floyd's death began peacefully but grew violent as the night went on. Gov. Tim Walz late Wednesday called it an "extremely dangerous situation" and urged residents to leave the area. Full coverage of George Floyd's death and protests around the country Frey pleaded with residents for calm. "I'm imploring our city, imploring our community, imploring every one of us to keep the peace. Let's honor George Floyd's memory," Frey told KARE11 in a phone interview. One person was in custody in the shooting death near the site of the protests, police said. Officers responded to a report of a stabbing at 9:05 p.m. and found a man who wasn't breathing lying on the sidewalk, police said in a statement Thursday morning. The unidentified victim was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center. At the hospital, it was discovered the victim had been shot. Multiple fires were reported, and several businesses were looted. Minneapolis police were assisted by officers from nearby St. Paul, state police and metro transit police. Beyond the shooting, there were no known injuries to protesters or police, and no additional arrests, Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder said at a news conference early Thursday. "Tonight was a different night of protesting than it was just the night before," Elder said. A reporter for NBC affiliate KARE11 of Minneapolis who was livestreaming the protest reported that an AutoZone and Target had been looted. A Cub Foods and a Dollar Tree also showed signs of damage and looting. Story continues Image: Autozone fire (Carlos Gonzalez / Star Tribune via AP) Video showed the AutoZone with broken windows and spray paint. One bystander was warning people against damaging the business, saying it had nothing to do with Floyd's death. A fire broke out at the AutoZone, a fire department official confirmed Wednesday night. "Initially ... it was just being looted, but at some point, a fire started," Ricardo Lopez, a journalist for the Minnesota Reformer news organization, told KARE11, adding he wasn't sure how it began. Protesters set other fires in the street. Early Thursday, a reporter from The Minneapolis Star Tribune tweeted images of a housing complex construction site that appeared fully engulfed in flames and video of a liquor store that was trashed with shattered glass and boxes littering the sidewalk. Elder, the police spokesman, confirmed "a large fire from an apartment building that is under construction" but he did not have a count of how many fires were burning early Thursday. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo told the local FOX 9 TV station that he ordered the use of tear gas after violence and looting. He said that he is committed to protecting the rights of people to demonstrate and most did so peacefully, but there have been groups committing criminal acts. Arradondo made a call for peace and patience to let investigations play out Wednesday night. "Justice historically has never come to fruition through some of the acts that we're seeing tonight, whether it's the looting, whether it's the damage of property and other things," Arradondo said in the FOX interview. Protesters also gathered Wednesday evening at the suburban home of the officer seen kneeling on Floyd's neck as well as the Minneapolis home of Mike Freeman, the Hennepin County prosecutor who would make a charging decision in the case. No violence was reported in those protests. Hundreds of protesters also gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, NBC Los Angeles reported. At times, the demonstrators blocked traffic on the 101 freeway. Some surrounded two California Highway Patrol vehicles and damaged them. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and alerts CHP said when it attempted to disperse a crowd on the freeway, "they were immediately surrounded" and someone broke the rear window of a patrol car with a skateboard. A CHP officer tried to leave, and a protester jumped on the car's hood before jumping off into the roadway, officials said. That person is said to have suffered moderate injuries. A second CHP patrol vehicle stopped to help that man but that vehicle was also surrounded and had its rear window shattered and that officer also left, the CHP said. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground and put his knee on his neck for about eight minutes. His detainment was captured on video, and he can be heard pleading with the officer, "Please, please, please, I can't breathe." The four police officers involved in Floyd's detainment, which stemmed from a report of a forgery, were fired Tuesday. The officer seen with his knee on Floyd has been identified as Derek Chauvin. Minneapolis police identified the other officers as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng. Demonstrators help a man who was sitting on a police car and injured by falling onto the ground during a protest to demand justice for George Floyd in downtown Los Angeles on May 27, 2020. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / AP) The Minneapolis mayor on Wednesday called for charges to be filed against Chauvin. Police had said Floyd resisted arrest, but Frey said "I saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary." His death is being investigated by the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Video of Floyd's death has sparked outrage, including from the apparent Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, who tweeted about it on Tuesday and on Wednesday called it a "tragic reminder that this was not an isolated incident, but a part of an ingrained systemic cycle of injustice that still exists in this country. President Donald Trump also weighed in on Wednesday. "My heart goes out to Georges family and friends. Justice will be served!" he tweeted. Bridgett Floyd, Floyd's sister, said on NBC's "TODAY" show Wednesday morning that she wants all of the officers at the scene to be charged with murder. "They murdered my brother. He was crying for help," she said. The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, which represents the department's 800-plus rank-and file officers, asked the public not to rush to judgment before all video can be reviewed and a medical examiner's report released. On Tuesday, clashes broke out between police and some protesters in Minneapolis, and police deployed tear gas. "We cannot have members of our community engaging in destructive or criminal types of behavior," said Arradondo, the Minneapolis police chief. He said the vast majority of people protesting have been doing so peacefully. LOS ANGELESAs he awaits trial on charges that he swindled Stormy Daniels out of nearly $300,000, the AVN Hall of Famers embattled ex-lawyer Michael Avenatti has filed a new, 72-page document in federal court complaining that the coronavirus crisis and other factors have severely impacted his ability to prepare for his trial in the case. Among other factors, Avenatti in the court filing says that his lawyer H. Dean Steward is 68 years old and suffers from diabetes, and as a result is at high risk for contracting a serious case of coronavirus infection. Therefore, Steward has been unable to spend any significant time with Mr. Avenatti to prepare for trial in the Daniels embezzlement case. When a judge allowed him to leave the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, the government insisted on severely limiting Avenattis ability to use a computer, meaning that he has been unable to review discovery material that is, evidence that may be used against him produced by the prosecutors, which exists largely in digital form, according to the court filing. Much of the document, however, focuses on Avenattis complaints with what he perceives as his mistreatment by prosecutors. He notes that he was arrested in January for reasons that remain unclear, and transported to the Manhattan facility. But instead of arresting him at his home as is customary, federal agents took him into custody while he was attending a high-profile state bar hearing at which the media was present, which predictably set off a media circus. Avenatti says he was denied the opportunity to take a shower that evening at Santa Ana jail, and was placed in solitary confinement against his wishes upon arriving at MCC in New York City. At the federal jail in Manhattan, he was placed in a top-security unit normally reserved for high-profile terrorists or individuals accused of treason against the United States, his court filing says. Avenatti, whose law license was recently suspended by the California Bar, is accused by prosecutors of diverting $290,000 from a publishers advance paid to Daniels into his own bank account. The advance was paid for Daniels 2018 memoir Full Disclosure. But Avenatti used the cash to finance his jet-setting lifestyle, including his payments on a leased Ferrari, according to prosecutors. Avenatti also claimed in Tuesdays court filing that government prosecutors have inundated his lawyer with discovery documents, dumping more than 1 million pages of material on Steward, who is a sole practitioner and would need months to review the material, even with a team of multiple lawyers on the case. Photo By Luke Harold / Wikimedia Commons WASHINGTON (AP) Congress voted Wednesday to toughen the U.S. response to a brutal Chinese crackdown on ethnic minorities, adding another factor to the increasingly stormy relationship between the two countries. The House passed a bipartisan bill that would impose sanctions on Chinese officials involved in the mass surveillance and detention of Uighurs and other ethnic groups in the western Xinjiang region, a campaign that has drawn muted international response because of China's influence around the world. The measure already passed the Senate and needs a signature from President Donald Trump, who said this week hell very strongly consider it amid U.S. anger over Chinas handling of the coronavirus outbreak and tension over a Chinese plan to restrict civil liberties in Hong Kong. Both issues emerged, along with other sore points in the China-U.S. relationship, as Republican and Democratic members of Congress spoke in support of the bill. No one spoke against it, and it passed by a 413-1 vote. Beijings barbarous actions targeting the Uighur people are an outrage to the collective conscience of the world, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a floor speech in support of the bill. It was the first bill in history to pass with proxy votes after House Democrats, over Republican objections, adopted a measure allowing such votes in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Congress late last year voted to condemn the crackdown in Xinjiang, where Chinese authorities have detained more than a million people from mostly Muslim ethnic groups that include Uighurs, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz in a vast network of detention centers. This new legislation is intended to increase the pressure by imposing sanctions on specific Chinese officials, such as the Communist Party official who oversees government policy in Xinjiang. The legislation also requires the U.S. government to report to Congress on violations of human rights in Xinjiang as well as Chinas acquisition of technology used for mass detention and surveillance. It also provides for an assessment of the pervasive reports of harassment and threats of Uighurs and other Chinese nationals in the United States. Story continues A provision that would have imposed export restrictions on surveillance and other equipment used in the crackdown was initially passed in the House but then stripped out in the version that passed in the Senate earlier this month. Despite the limitations, the legislation amounts to the first concrete step by a government to penalize China over the treatment of the Uighurs since the existence of the mass internment camps became widely known in recent years, said Peter Irwin, a senior program officer at the Uighur Human Rights Project. It signals that a member of the international community is actually taking some steps to address the problem, Irwin said. The legislation itself has to spur the rest of the international community, particularly the European Union and other powerful blocs of states, to actually take this as a template and pass their own legislation. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House China Task Force, called whats happening in Xinjiang a cultural genocide of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups. The passage of the bill with strong bipartisan support would show the Chinese Communist Party and the entire world that their treatment of the Muslim Uighurs is inexcusable and will not be allowed without serious consequences, McCaul said. China has publicly brushed away criticism of its crackdown in Xinjiang, which it launched in 2014 as the Strike Hard Against Violent Extremism campaign in a vast resource-rich territory whose inhabitants are largely distinct, culturally and ethnically, from the country's Han Chinese majority. The Chinese government, when not bristling at criticism of what it sees as an internal matter, has also said the detention camps are vocational training centers. Uighur activists and human rights groups have countered that many of those held are people with advanced degrees and business owners who are influential in their communities and have no need of any special education. People held in the internment camps have described being subjected to forced political indoctrination, torture, beatings, denial of food and medicine and say they have been prohibited from practicing their religion or speaking their language. China has denied these accounts but refused to allow independent inspections. By Express News Service VISAKHAPATNAM: Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (APCCIF) has hailed the ReSTART package announced by the State government for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Addressing mediapersons here on Wednesday, APCCIF president-elect Pydah Krishna Prasad thanked Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for his initiative to restore the falling economy. He said working capital loans at low interests to MSMEs with a repayable period of three years, including moratorium of six months for meeting liquidity crisis, is a step in the right direction. He said the ReSTART package was a way forward for sustainable growth of the MSMEs. With this ReSTART package, industry will get breathing space, APCCIF zonal chairman Sudhir Mulagada said. He said the governments plan to purchase items manufactured by the MSMEs and giving payments in 45 days will ease the liquidity crisis faced by MSMEs. Of the total purchases, almost 25 per cent are to be done from micro and small enterprises, he said. Credit limit for the MSMEs from the banks will be increased by 20 per cent without any collateral security. NPA and stressed accounts are taken care of with separate package, APCCIF director AK Balaji said. A primary school has banned a list of items from kids' lunchboxes to protect a child with severe allergies. Sandringham Primary School in Melbourne was destroyed by a fire in February, forcing students to move to temporary facilities while the damage is repaired. The new makeshift classrooms don't have sinks for children to wash their hands after handling food - posing a threat to a Year 1 student with anaphylaxis. Principal Louise Neave said the boy will have a life-threatening reaction if he touches any foods with milk proteins, the Herald Sun reported. An image of Sandringham Primary School in Melbourne before it was destroyed by fire Sandringham Primary School in Melbourne was destroyed by a fire in February (pictured) 'This includes any remnants left on your child's hands or clothes that brush against him or are left on surfaces,' she wrote in a letter to parents. Students are no longer allowed to go to school with dairy products such as yogurt pouches, milk drinks and cheese dips. Cheese-based chips including Twisties and Cheezles are also banned because the dairy-based flavourings sticks to fingers and surfaces, but cheese sandwiches are acceptable. 'This allergy is life threatening and requires adrenaline to be administered and would mean the child would have to go to hospital by ambulance.' Ms Neave pleaded with parents to cooperate with the new lunchbox guidelines to keep the child safe. She suggested coconut and soy-based products as good replacements for dairy. Cheese-based chips including Twisties and Cheezles are also banned because the dairy-based flavourings sticks to fingers and surfaces (stock image) But Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia president Maria Said told radio station 3AW that the food ban was not sustainable. 'Children can be allergic to a variety of foods, and when you're talking about dairy, which is a whole food group, it's really difficult to manage even in a home, let alone at school.' 'People thinking it's been banned creates a level of complacency it's really about developing other strategies to help reduce risk to that child.' The new buildings at Sandringham Primary School, which has about 500 students, will be completed in 2022. Children from kindergarten to Year 2 returned to school this week following COVID-19 lockdowns. The remaining year groups will return on June 9. A remote Indigenous community is pleading with the government to allow them to be exempt from coronavirus lockdown laws. Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council, in Far North Queensland, plans to write a letter to the Federal Health Minister regarding restrictions placed on remote communities. Residents are unable to go to school, leave to get essential items or fish under the rules. Mayor Ross Andrews told the ABC residents were finding it difficult to keep ties with Cairns, just 50km away. Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council, in Far North Queensland, plan to write a letter to the Federal Health Minister regarding restrictions placed on remote communities Mayor Ross Andrews (pictured) told the ABC residents were finding it difficult to keep ties with Cairns, just 50km away 'We've been restricted for the last 10 weeks and we need to try and support some of our community members,' Councillor Andrews said. 'People here have commuted for many years to and from Cairns, Gordonvale and Edmonton to do their shopping and banking and daily business, and we've got kids that go to school in Gordonvale as well.' He said it is unclear what exemptions council will ask for as they need to balance public health and relief for residents. 'It's important for us to find a little bit of balance where we can support our elderly and people who are sick [and] how can we accommodate our kids who are going to school, and people who want to do some essential services shopping during the winter months,' he said. Protests erupted in the community earlier this month over frustrations of how 'oppressive' coronavirus laws damaged their daily life. Thirty people gathered outside council offices shouting 'stop oppression' and 'freedom'. Anyone who leaves the community must quarantine for two weeks upon return. Activities such as fishing for food have also been ruled out amid the pandemic, and lack of access to other essential goods. Declarations put in place under biosecurity laws in March restricted many aspects of daily life for remote communities. Queensland's Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall sympathised with the community and called on the government to lift these legislations. 'We appreciate that the Australian Government imposed these restrictions to protect vulnerable communities, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and consulted, albeit urgently, with local communities and community controlled health services on these restrictions,' Mr McDougall said. 'As a result of the restrictions and the hard work and discipline of many people living and working in the designated areas, there have been no positive COVID-19 cases in any of Queensland's discrete Indigenous communities and this is a very commendable outcome, particularly when we look at the devastation this virus is causing in First Nations populations internationally. Protests erupted in the community earlier this month over frustrations of how 'oppressive' coronavirus laws damaged their daily life 'However, the lack of consistency between the restrictions imposed by the Commonwealth on designated Indigenous communities and those imposed by the state on the rest of Queensland, has caused significant frustration in some communities, including Palm Island and Yarrabah.' He said restrictions had been eased for Indigenous communities on North Stradbroke Island from May 16. Mr McDougall said he was glad Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the laws were under 'active' review. The Queensland Government said they are lifting restrictions in remote communities slowly. 'The Queensland Government is working on a plan with communities to enable a staged and careful lifting of remote area biosecurity restrictions when it is safe to do so,' their website stated. 'This will be done in a way that minimises the risk of COVID-19 for remote and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 'The timeframe and restrictions may vary between communities.' Press Release May 28, 2020 Pacquaio mulls for a 1 year freeze on the PhilHealth premium rate hike for health care professionals Senator Manny Pacquiao has filed a resolution calling for a one year suspension of the increase in PhilHealth premium contributions for health care professionals and other health care workers as a token of gratitude for unselfishly putting their lives on the line amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Senate Resolution 429, urges the Senate to call for the " suspension of the increase in Philhealth premium contributions for healthcare professionals and other health care workers applicable for the year 2020." Pacquiao filed the resolution as the Philippine Health Insurance ( PhilHealth) is poised to implement an increase in PhilHealth premium payments from 2.75% to 3 % of the monthly salary of their members. This increase is provided under Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care which automatically enrolls all Filipino citizens in the government's National Health Insurance Program (NHIP). This shall be further raised annually until the premium rate reaches 5% by 2024. "The first year of the implementation of the increased rate of premium contributions, coincided with the advent and continuation of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. This has constrained most, if not all, health care professionals and other health care workers in the country sacrificing and risking their well-being and even their lives, to help cure the afflicted and stem the surge of transmission of the disease caused by the Covid-19 virus," Pacquiao's resolution said. "These have resulted in the disruption of the professional practice of the health care professionals concomitantly leading to the marked decrease in the income of health care professionals and related health care workers, and to some, even to the closure of their clinics," the resolution added. Pacquiao said he is supporting the position of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) which is now pushing for the suspension of the premium payment increase as the government's way of reciprocating the sacrifices of these primary COVID-19 frontliners. "Such a suspension may help these frontliners in a small way, but the recognition and expression of gratitude will go a little farther to support them moving forward," the resolution added. Juliana Kanyomozi has come out to refute online rumours that President Yoweri Musevenis son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, is the father of her newborn baby. The former Tusker Project Fame judge recently delivered a bouncing baby boy, Baby Taj, with a Facebook page titled Top Secrets Leaked claiming that Muhoozi has been barred by unnamed people from visiting Juliana and her baby until a DNA test is conducted. This prompted the 39-year-old Kibaluma hitmaker to ask her fans to treat the reports as a hoax. She took a screenshot of the post and wrote: This is a hoax! Treat it with the contempt it deserves. Thank you. Muhoozi, 46, is a senior military officer in the Ugandan army and is considered a strong candidate to succeed his father in politics. He has served as senior presidential adviser for Special Operations since 2017. Muhoozi is married with three children. Meanwhile, Juliana has continued to protect the identity of her baby daddy and that of her son as well. She recently shared a cute photo showing Baby Tajs tiny little fingers clutching onto her thumb. She captioned it: Everything Juliana lost her firstborn son to asthma at a Nairobi hospital in 2014. Racism: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that ones own race is superior. The civil rights movement happened over 50 years ago, yet we still have a lack of understanding about how to treat each other with respect. Racism isnt a problem we can ignore as its a very pertinent issue in todays society. As Christians, we should seek to understand how God wants us to react to racism. The Bible is the source of knowledge for Christians, and it directly addresses the problem. Racism has been an issue throughout history, including when the Bible was written. Stories of Racism in the Bible The problem of racism can be found in Bible stories. God chose to work with the nation of Israel, however made it a point to tell them that they were not superior to anyone else because of this. Leviticus 19:34 states the stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Despite this, some felt that Israel and its descendants were racially superior to those around them because they descended from Abraham. They believed that their salvation was completely secure because of their lineage. John the Baptist told them Do not think to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones (Matthew 3:9). God told Peter what had always been true; that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). The gentiles were just as much of Gods plan as those in Israel and no group was superior to the other. Peter spoke to them and stated But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him (Acts 10:35). Nationality, lineage and race never determined where the Israelites or gentiles stood with God. People like Ruth, Rehab, and Luke were all gentiles who came to God. In contrast, Gods chosen people of Israel suffered defeat and near-annihilation because they consistently disobeyed Gods Word. It is clear that God does not support the authority of any ethnic group above another. Racism is a Sin Against God Most people know that racism is wrong. But as Christians, we should seek to understand why its morally wrong in the eyes of God as well. Through more education, we can better explain to others why racism shouldn't be tolerated and how to overcome the distorted thinking. Most Christians know that Genesis 1:27 says that we were all made in the image of God. No matter what color you are, you are no more worthy or deserving of dignity than any other human because we all were made from God. In addition, all believers of Christ are one with Christ (Galatians 3:28). Our most important identity is not our gender, socioeconomic status or race; its that we are Christian. We continue to be more alike than we are different because we are all cut from the same cloth. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. Christ came down to earth to break down the walls between people, not to build them up (Ephesians 2:14). We have all been made in the image of Christ and were born into the same dark world. How can we not all draw near to each other as members of this same family? Furthermore, in Genesis 11 we read about the rebellion at the Tower of Babel. God judged this rebellion, and separated the family. God considered separating them as a curse, and therefore we should not strive for it. Being partial to a group of people over another in itself is a sin according to James 2.1. When we treat people differently and build up space to create an us vs. them mentality, we are not reflecting God. Spreading the love of God is one of the best arguments against racism. Matthew 22:39-40 says that real love loves as we hoped to be loved. No one can honestly say that racism treats our neighbors as how we would like to be treated. You cannot share love and find the best in people when your life is filled with prejudice, ignorance and misguided convictions. But true love rejoices in finding what is best in others (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Reconciliation With God The good news is that despite what racial tendencies you may have had in the past, they can be forgiven if you choose to accept God into your heart truthfully and ask for His forgiveness. The Gospel tells us that we arent just brought near to God, we are also brought near to those we once considered so different from ourselves (Ephesians 2:13). God will help you restore your relationships with groups you mistreated. Its important to not only reconcile with God, but to remove the prejudice and restore relationships with those you once hurt. You can create healthy relationships that create appreciation for each other. God can bring peace where there was once violence and kindness where there was once anger. He does this within our hearts when we accept Him, and do so again with others. Since we belong to Jesus, we are a part of His movement to bring more reconciliation between people and God (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). As His representatives, we have the opportunity to share how the life-changing message of the Gospel creates a healthy relationship with God and healthy relationships between people, no matter who they are. ConocoPhillips COP recently received permission from the Petroleum Safety Authority, the Norwegian offshore safety watchdog, to use the Valaris JU-292 jack-up unit of Valaris plc (VAL) at the Ekofisk field in the North Sea. ConocoPhillips has been utilizing the rig on a contract in Norway since last November. The contract is set to expire in the second month of the next year. The consent from the regulatory authority allows ConocoPhillips to plug and abandon six wells at the field. Moreover, it pertains to the removal of five wells conductor casings, which have been plugged and abandoned earlier in the Ekofisk field, located in the southern area of the Norwegian sector in the sea. The Ekofisk field one of the largest fields in the Norwegian continental shelf was discovered in 1969 and commenced production in 1971. At a water depth of 70-75 meters, it was the countrys first oil and gas producing field. It has a reservoir from the Cretaceous geological period with 300-meter high oil column. The reservoir is located 3000 meters below the sea level. ConocoPhillips is one of the largest operators in the Norwegian continental shelf. In early February, it received five production licenses in APA 2019 in the shelf. Owing to weak commodity prices due to the coronavirus pandemic, the upstream energy player has decided to voluntarily curtail production volumes. For the month of May, the company expects gross curtailment of 265 thousand barrels of oil per day (MBbl/d). It projects voluntary gross curtailment for the month of June to be 460 MBbl/d. Price Performance The companys shares have lost 28.3% in the last six months compared with 37.7% decline of the industry it belongs to. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider ConocoPhillips currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Two better-ranked players in the energy space include Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation COG and CNX Resources Corporation CNX, each holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Story continues Cabot Oil & Gas beat earnings estimates thrice and met once in the last four quarters, with average positive surprise of 6.1%. CNX Resources beat earnings estimates thrice and met once in the last four quarters, with average positive surprise of 111.5%. Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, its expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity. A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time. See 8 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ConocoPhillips (COP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cabot Oil Gas Corporation (COG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ensco plc (VAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report CNX Resources Corporation. (CNX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research After Cyclone Amphan made headlines last week for its impacts on northeastern India and Bangladesh, the focus has switched to the body of water on the western side of India. The more pressing area AccuWeather forecasters are focused on is located over the Arabian Peninsula. Meteorologists began monitoring an area of low pressure just north of Socotra, Yemen, for tropical development late last week. Located over the warm waters of the western Arabian Sea and in an area of light wind shear, the low developed into a depression late in the day on Friday as it approached the coast of the peninsula. The depression weakened to a low pressure area as it moved over Oman and into Yemen at the beginning of the week. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Despite weakening, this low will threaten to produce periods of heavy rainfall in parts of Oman and Yemen into Monday night. Even though this system could trigger gusty winds and stir up rough seas, flooding downpours will be the main threat across the region. "The heaviest rain will fall along the Dhofar coast of Oman and Al Mahrah coast of Yemen with rainfall of 75-150 mm (3-6 inches)," said AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls. Story continues An AccuWeather Local StormMax of 380 mm (15 inches) is possible in this area including Salalah, Oman. This amount of rain would be about two years' worth of rain for the city in just a few days. Salalah typically receives about 131 mm (5.16 inches) of rainfall in a year. Widespread rainfall amounts of 1-3 inches (25-75 mm) are possible from Dhofar Governorate of Oman into the Governorates of Al Mahrah and Hadramaut of Yemen, he added. According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk, downpours can lead to a rapid rise in water, especially where water rushes down hillsides from the higher elevations. Into the beginning of the week, the system is forecast to track along coastal areas of Yemen where it will continue to produce areas of showers and thunderstorms. Widespread heavy rain is not expected during the early half of the week, but any localized downpours can lead to flooding issues. This will not be the last tropical threat for the Arabian Sea as another tropical system has begun to organize. An area of low pressure over the Arabian Sea has strengthened to a depression on Monday morning, local time. "Light shear and warm water should allow the depression to strengthen further this week," added Nicholls. According to Nicholls, the exact track through the end of the week is unclear at this time, so areas from Gujarat and coastal Pakistan to Oman will need to monitor for possible impacts late in the week or next weekend. In anticipation of heavy rain, gusty winds and rough seas from the potential tropical system, officials have suggested that fishing operations should be suspended into the middle of the week. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. A statewide public opinion poll commissioned by state Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, finds she is the most competitive candidate Hoosier Democrats could nominate next month for Indiana attorney general. The May 22-23 Victoria Research survey of 894 registered Indiana voters shows Tallian tied at 36% against Republican Attorney General Curtis Hill, with 28% of Hoosier voters still undecided. The poll has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.3%. According to the poll, Tallian is the only statewide Democratic candidate with support greater than or equal to her Republican opponent. Former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, the other contender for the Democratic attorney general nomination, is running slightly behind Hill, 35% to 37%, the poll found. At the same time, GOP President Donald Trump enjoys a 49% to 39% lead in Indiana over former Vice President Joe Biden, and support for Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb is more than twice that of Democrat Woody Myers, 53% to 24%, according to the poll. * Dollar holds its ground as conflicting forces emerge * Swiss franc long positions highest since 2016 * Graphic: World FX rates in 2019 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh (Adds editing tag) By Olga Cotaga LONDON, May 28 (Reuters) - The euro continued to rise on Thursday, boosted by a 750 billion euro ($826.35 billion) EU plan to prop up the bloc's coronavirus-hit economies, though gains were limited as doubts about delivering the scheme crept in. The EU executive unveiled a plan on Wednesday to support economies hammered by the pandemic, hoping to end months of squabbling over how to fund a recovery that exposed faultlines across the 27-nation bloc. Under the proposal, the EU Commission will disburse two-thirds of the funds in grants and the rest in loans to cushion the unprecedented slump expected this year. The 500 billion euros in grants reflects the wishes of the two biggest EU economies, France and Germany, which came up with a grants-only proposal last week. "In the event that we actually see the European Commission adopt a proposal in similar nature or stature of the France-Germany proposal, we do think that would be positive for the euro," said Parisha Saimbi, G10 FX strategist at BNP Paribas. "We would expect to see euro/dollar head higher, and in particularly euro/Swiss head higher especially given the long positioning in Swiss (franc) has built up quite significantly and as a result you could see an exacerbated move to the upside as positions are covered," she said. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told France 2 television on Thursday that he hoped the European Union could reach a deal on the package in the coming weeks. The euro was last up 0.1% at $1.1016, having risen earlier to a two-month high of $1.1035. The euro was steady versus the Swiss franc at 1.0664, though the day prior it rose to nearly a three-month high. Leveraged hedge funds held $1.14 billion in Swiss franc long positions in the week to May 19, CFTC data shows, a near four-year high. An index tracking the U.S. dollar against major currencies was stable at 98.93 as the greenback held its own in a crosscurrent between rising Sino-U.S. tensions and optimism over recovering global growth as economies re-open. Story continues The war of words between the world's two biggest economies escalated, with Hong Kong the newest flashpoint, with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying on Wednesday that China's plan to impose laws there was "only the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine" the former British colony's autonomy and freedoms. The United States is currently crafting a range of options to punish China over its tightening grip on Hong Kong, including sanctions, tariffs and restrictions on Chinese companies, according to people familiar with the discussions. The yuan was neutral at 7.1725 in the offshore market , though it remained close to the 7.1965 record low it sank to the day before.1 = 0.9076 euros) (Reporting by Olga Cotaga; Editing by Nick Macfie) The stimulus measures include extension of the 90-day moratorium on recognition of impaired loans to 180 days, in addition to several relaxations in bank lending limits, including allowing banks to fund interest on working capital loans. With incremental bank lending making up the bulk of the government's nRs 20 lakh crore stimulus package, lenders face significant asset quality challenges which can increase their dud loan ratios by up to 6 percentage points over the next two years, warns a report. The impact of forced lending on banks' impaired-loan ratios can be anywhere between 200 and 600 basis points (bps), depending on the severity of stress and banks' individual risk exposures and the higher regulatory provisions, Fitch Ratings said in the report on Thursday. The agency, however, did not offer a break-up of the NPAs between the state-run and private sector banks. The stimulus measures include extension of the 90-day moratorium on recognition of impaired loans to 180 days, in addition to several relaxations in bank lending limits, including allowing banks to fund interest on working capital loans. "These measures will put a heavy onus particularly on state-run banks which already have very weak balance sheets to bail out the affected sectors, due to their quasi-policy role, considering that much of the so-called stimulus measures is in the form of new loans," the report said. The nationwide lockdown from March 25 to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed nearly 4,800 and infected 1.58 lakh in the country so far, has taken a severe toll on businesses, supply chains and individual incomes. "We assume that both consumer demand and manufacturing are likely to remain tepid until the rising cases of new coronavirus patients are brought under control. "The stress is occurring across sectors, but MSMEs and retail are likely to emerge as higher risks due to both stressed industrial activity and rising unemployment," it added. On the likely NPA pains, the report said "impaired-loans recognition will now take longer, and the more relaxed and forced lending norms means rising balance-sheet risks, despite their heightened risk aversion and the state-run banks are more at risks due to their already weak earnings and limited capital buffers." State-run banks account for a bulk of the NPAs, with some of them like IDBI Bank reporting more than a third of total loans as non-performing assets. Being system leaders, they also have a much higher percentage of loans under moratorium than private sector peers. "There is also a risk that banks may now extend credit to even structurally weak borrowers with dimmer recovery prospects, due to a one-year moratorium on registering fresh insolvencies amid weaker future incomes," Fitch said. Delays in resolution will potentially exacerbate future losses once risks manifest over FY21 and FY22, it added. "We believe that capital support is critical for state-run banks given their heightened risks to solvency from future losses, and their inability to raise fresh equity on their own due to their sharply discounted equity valuations. Several of them also have the added challenge of executing mergers and integrating other weaker banks," the report said. A taekwondo instructor raped his 15-year-old student after plying her with MDMA at a party then assaulting her in his bedroom, a Sydney court has heard. Christopher Palmares Sy, 35, a martial arts teacher from north Sydney, is accused of assaulting the young girl, who he met when she was 12, in February. Sy is alleged to have sent the girl a pink rose on Valentine's Day along with a card, before sending her a WhatsApp message asking if she liked the gifts. At a meeting the next weekend, the Seaforth man sexually assaulted the girl at a birthday party, police told Parramatta Local Court on Thursday. He is accused of inviting the girl and two friends, also from a martial arts school, to his house and giving them MDMA, washed down with iced tea. Christopher Palmares Sy, 35, (pictured) allegedly met the young girl when he was running classes at Spirit Taekwondo at Brookvale in Sydney's north The 15-year-old girl saw the 'room spinning' and fell to the floor, before Sy allegedly picked her up, took her to his room, locked the door and sexually assaulted her, police facts allege. Friends who came to check on her were told by Sy that she was OK, the facts stated. Sy allegedly met the girl while he was volunteering as a taekwondo instructor and picked her up from her house on at least one occasion. He's accused of sexually assaulting the 15-year-old on another occasion at Freshwater on March 9 and grabbing the girl's breasts at Seaforth six days later. They are alleged to have met at Spirit Taekwondo at Brookvale in Sydney's north. 'There's a strong prosecution case,' police prosecutor John Fraser said. But his lawyer said it was a 'he said, she said' case and there were good prospects of acquittal on most charges. 'A custodial sentence is not a foregone conclusion or even likely,' Michael Adamo said. Sy is accused of sexually assaulting the 15-year-old on another occasion at Freshwater on March 9 and grabbing the girl's breasts at Seaforth six days later He is accused of aggravated sexual assault with a child, sexual touching, child grooming and drug supply, and was granted bail on strict conditions. Magistrate Rodney Brender granted Sy bail on 'very strict conditions' after hearing concerns his seven employees could lose their jobs if he remained in custody. He is a health practitioner and runs a practice. Delays and more arduous prison conditions due to the coronavirus pandemic were also factors, Mr Brender said. Sy can't leave home except to attend court, medical or legal appointments and to shop for essential items between 8am and 6pm. He must only use one smartphone and can't access the internet any other way. Sy (pictured) is accused of supplying the teenage girl and her friends with MDMA during a birthday party 'He's not going to be going anywhere much,' Mr Brender said. 'Hopefully those people won't lose their jobs.' Sy's case is due to be mentioned before Manly Local Court on June 11. tech2 News Staff The two NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were strapped in and had completed communication checks. The fuelling of the rocket had already begun but with just under 17 minutes to go for liftoff, NASA and SpaceX made the choice to cancel their first joint commercial human spaceflight mission due to inclement weather. While both the space agency and the private aerospace company had mentioned that there was a possibility of it being postponed, this was the most anti-climatic ending for what was going to be the first American lift-off in nine years, since the Space Shuttle program was cancelled back in 2011. The mission has been rescheduled for an instantaneous launch on Sunday, 31 May, 12.52 am IST (May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT) from the Launch Complex 39A from the Kenndy Space Centre, Florida, which was also the launch site for the previous Apollo and Space Shuttle missions and is being leased by SpaceX. It also has another back-up date on Monday, 1 June, 12.30 am IST (Sunday, May 31 at 3:00 p.m. EDT). Live coverage of the event will begin at 8.30 pm IST on 30 May, four hours before the launch is to take place. Standing down from launch today due to unfavorable weather in the flight path. Our next launch opportunity is Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT, or 19:22 UTC SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 27, 2020 In case youre just tuning in, todays launch was scrubbed due to weather. There were no issues with the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft. https://t.co/U1COQzFy4v pic.twitter.com/tMjvUBX2FR NASA (@NASA) May 27, 2020 A launch window indicates the time frame on a given day in the launch period (is a collection of days) that the rocket can launch to reach its intended orbit or in this case meet the International Space Station. This can be as short as a second or even the entire day. Why an instantaneous launch window? Why do we have to wait until Saturday to attempt to launch again? Here's why: pic.twitter.com/ejHrgnCFsu NASA (@NASA) May 27, 2020 The lift-off of the Falcon 9 has to be timed precisely to reach the space station, which is zooming overhead at 400 km above Earth at 17,500 mph. The spacecraft and crew have a launch window of 1-second (instantaneous launch window) otherwise the team will have to make another attempt on another day. An hour before Dragon was supposed to launch, they were still "in the red" and they would not have been able to launch in those conditions but they continued going through with the launch sequence in the hopes for clearer weather. NASA reported that they had been keeping an eye on the weather the entire time but rain, cumulus clouds, attached anvil clouds, lightning, and field mill data which measure the amount of electricity in the atmosphere all violated Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon launch criteria at times throughout the day. They had to cancel the launch when it became evident that the weather would not be cooperating with them. Adding insult to injury, weather reports said that the skies would be clear, around 10 minutes after the launch window had passed, reported ABC News. On Saturday, were doing it again. We are going to launch American astronauts on an American rocket from American soil. pic.twitter.com/d0bsQrbFi5 Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) May 27, 2020 NASA chief Jim Bridenstine said "I know theres a lot of disappointment today, the weather got us" as there was "too much electricity in the atmosphere." "There wasnt really a lightning storm or anything like that, but there was a concern that if we did launch it could trigger lightning," he said. "In the end, the right decision was made," he said. Bridenstine also said, But it was a great day for NASA. It was a great day for SpaceX. Our teams worked together in a really impressive way, making good decisions all along. We can see raindrops on the windows, Hurley told NASA. We understand everybodys probably a little bummed out, but thats part of the deal, he added. I'm so proud of the @NASA and @SpaceX team today, they were ready for launch. @Astro_Doug and I will be ready with them again on Saturday! #LauchAmerica https://t.co/n8gnyb9SKW Bob Behnken (@AstroBehnken) May 28, 2020 The propellant had already been loaded into the rocket and had to be offloaded before the astronauts could make an exit. While they do have backup dates, The Independent reports that both Sunday and Monday (IST) have predications of bad weather. The US Air Forces 45th Space Wing is giving a 60 percent probability of favourable weather on Saturday. However, we will have to wait and watch what happens next. Let's get political The launch was supposed to be a historic moment in America's history and has pulled political bigwigs to watch the launch. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump both flew down to Florida. Vice President Mike Pence, who is chairman of the National Space Council and his wife Karen Pence also made an appearance. Thank you to @NASA and @SpaceX for their hard work and leadership. Look forward to being back with you on Saturday! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020 Trump tweeted his thanks to NASA and SpaceX for their "hard work and leadership" and said he will be coming back for the next launch day. Pence also confirmed their attendance in his tweet. President @realDonaldTrump and I will be back at @NASAKennedy this Saturday to watch History in the Making as we send American Astronauts back to Space on an American Rocket for the first time in nearly 10 years! #LaunchAmerica Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) May 27, 2020 Mission Background Hurley, 53 and Behnken, 49 have extensive experience in space and have been involved in NASA's Space Shuttle flights. Behnken will be the joint operations commander in this mission and was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000. He has completed two space shuttle flights - STS-123 in March 2008 and STS-130 in February 2010 and performed three spacewalks during each mission. Hurley was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000 and will be the spacecraft commander for Demo-2. He has completed two spaceflights - STS127 in July 2009 and STS135, the final space shuttle mission, in July 2011. He was the pilot and lead robotics operator for both missions. NASA awarded two commercial crew program contracts in 2014 NASA and Boeing to develop a spacecraft that will be able to carry people to space by 2017 - Boeing got $ 4.2 billion for its Starliner capsule and SpaceX got $2.6 billion for Crew Dragon. The Demo-2 mission is almost three years behind schedule for this launch. Crew Dragon is capable of carrying up to seven passengers to and from Earth orbit, and beyond but will only be carrying four passengers during NASA human spaceflight launches. The capsule is about three metres in diameter and eight metres high and can carry 6,000 kgs. Before it was modified to carry human beings, SpaceX was using the Dragon as a cargo carrier, for resupply missions to the ISS. Like the rocket and crew capsule, even the astronaut suits were designed and produced in-house and is custom made to fit ever astronaut that will travel in Crew Dragon. The suits include a 3D-printed helmet and touchscreen-compatible gloves and is an integral part of the mission. It provides oxygen for the astronauts to breathe and also helps them in communicating with the ground team. SpaceX's Falcon 9 is a partially-reusable two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle. Its first stage is capable of re-entering the atmosphere and landing vertically after separating from the second stage, which is why it is partially re-usable. SpaceX successfully landed its first stage during its 20th flight in December 2015. The second stage of the rocket has a single-engine that can deliver its payload to whichever orbit is required. The engine can be restarted multiple times to deliver multiple payloads into different orbits. A two-stage-to-orbit or two-stage rocket launch vehicle is a spacecraft in which two distinct stages provide propulsion consecutively in order to achieve orbital velocity. Demo-2 is supposed to be the final test for SpaceXs human spaceflight system before it can be certified by NASA for operational crew missions to and from the International Space Station. This mission will also lay the groundwork for all their future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This test flight will serve as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 28, 2020) - City View Green Holdings Inc. ("City View" or the "Company"), trading through the facilities of the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") under the symbol "CVGR" and on the OTCQB under the symbol "CVGRF" - Following its press release of April 28, 2020, the Company is providing a further update on the status of filing of its annual financial statements, management's discussion and analysis and related CEO and CFO certificates for the year ended December 31, 2019 (collectively, the "Annual Filings"). On March 18, 2020, the Canadian Securities Administrators announced that they would provide issuers with a 45-day filing extension for filings required on or before June 1, 2020, as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the Ontario Securities Commission has enacted Ontario Instrument 51-502 - Temporary Exemption from Certain Corporate Finance Requirements dated March 23, 2020 ("OI 51-502"). In its April 28, 2020, press release, the Company announced its reliance on the exemption with respect to extending the deadline of the required filings pursuant to OI 51-502. The Company currently still expects to file the Annual Filings on or prior to June 15, 2020. The Company will also rely on OI 51-502 to extend the deadline of filing its first-quarter consolidated interim financial statements, accompanying management's discussion and analysis, and related CEO and CFO certificates for the three months ended March 31, 2020 (collectively, the "First-Quarter Filings"), which are required to be filed by June 1, 2020 under sections 4.3 and 4.4 of National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations. The Company is continuing to work diligently and currently expects to have the First-Quarter Filings filed on or prior to the extended filing deadline of July 16, 2020. As required by OI 51-502, and similar Instruments and Orders enacted in British Columbia and Alberta, the Company discloses the following: Until such time as the Company has filed the Annual Filings and the First-Quarter Filings, members of management and other insiders are subject to a trading black-out policy that reflects the principles in section 9 of National Policy 11-207 - Failure -to-File Cease Trade Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions . . The Company confirms that there have been no material business developments, other than those announced through news releases, since November 2019 when the Company filed its third quarter interim financial results for the period ended September 30, 2019. About City View City View Green is a leading cannabis-infused food company focused on the development of food brands, extraction and distribution. Upon the anticipated receipt of its Cannabis Act processing and sales licences ("Cannabis Licences"), City View will incorporate cannabis-infused food production and extraction at its Brantford, Ontario facility. Once operational, it is our expectation that City View will produce high quality cannabis-infused food, oils, distillates, and water-soluble products for the food and beverage markets. In addition, City View owns a 19.9% stake in Budd Hutt Inc. ("Budd Hutt"), a retail-focused cannabis company with access to cannabis cultivation and production licences in Alberta and other retail opportunities across Canada. Through its relationship with Budd Hutt, the Company anticipates securing shelf space, product placement, and distribution opportunities for City View's products. For more information visit www.cityviewgreen.ca. For further information contact: City View Green Holdings Inc. Rob Fia, CEO & President Email: rob@cityviewgreen.ca Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulations services accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements which are not composed of historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. There are a number of important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include, among others, availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, delays in the development of projects, and ability to predict or counteract potential impact of COVID-19 coronavirus on factors relevant to the Company's business. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/56754 Indiana will not be joining Florida and Georgia in vying to nab this year's Republican National Convention from North Carolina. Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday that while "I love a party as much as anybody else," he expects Indiana's capital city to be busy with another major event at the same time. Specifically, the rescheduled Indianapolis 500 is due to pack the city's hotel rooms and restaurants in the days leading up to the Aug. 23 running of the 104th annual auto race. Holcomb said that would make it impossible for Indiana to also host the Republican convention, set to run from Aug. 24-27, since most of the city's hotel rooms would be needed for delegates and media in the days and weeks leading up to that event. "If asked, we'll respond. But we haven't been," Holcomb said. On Memorial Day, President Donald Trump threatened to move the quadrennial gathering of the nation's Republicans out of Charlotte, North Carolina, unless the state's Democratic governor assured Trump the arena could be filled to capacity notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic. 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In Malawi, more than 400 people recently repatriated from South Africa and elsewhere fled a centre at a stadium in Blantyre, jumping over a fence or strolling out the gate while police and health workers watched. Police and health workers told reporters they were unable to stop them as they lacked adequate protective gear. At least 46 escapees had tested positive for the virus. Some of those who fled told reporters they had bribed police. And in Zimbabwe, police spokesman Paul Nyathi said officers were "hunting down" more than 100 people who escaped from centres where a 21-day quarantine is mandatory for those returning from abroad. "They escape and sneak into the villages . We are warning people to stop sheltering them. These escapees are becoming a serious danger to communities," Nyathi said. Nearly all of Zimbabwe's 75 new cases this week came from the centres that hold hundreds of people who have returned, sometimes involuntarily, from neighbouring South Africa and Botswana. The quarantine centres have become "our source of danger," Health Minister Obadiah Moyo told a special parliamentary committee this week. Both Zimbabwe and Malawi have fewer than 200 confirmed cases but regional power South Africa, where many in both countries go to seek work, has more than 25,000. Zimbabwe's information minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, on Wednesday told reporters that the government is increasing security at the schools, colleges and hotels used as quarantine centres. Government spokesman Nick Mangwana suggested that security officers guarding centres with high walls and razor wire might be receiving bribes to allow people to leave early. Zimbabwe's government is also worried about people crossing porous borders and failing to report at quarantine centres. The information ministry has begun sharing a hotline number and asking people to stop harbouring "border jumpers" and those who "abscond" from quarantine. Malawi saw another mass escape earlier this week when 26 people left the Mwanza border post while waiting for test results. The Blantyre district director of health and social services, Gift Kawalazira, said they were overwhelmed when more than 2,000 people turned up at the border post in Mwanza over the weekend. Holding some in the stadium was a last-minute resort after plans to use education facilities failed for lack of funds, he said. "They will be moving around while trying to elude authorities," he said of the escapees, including a smaller group that slipped away from a Blantyre centre on Monday. Eight had tested positive for the virus. "People need to understand that it is not punishment but we are only doing this to protect the general public," Kawalazira said. Few prevention measures could be seen at the stadium, with people leaving freely to buy food from nearby vendors. They told reporters they had received no food from authorities since Monday. Relatives of some of the returnees entered the stadium to visit, giving loved ones hugs. Budapest Airport already introduced the measures proposed in the guidelines weeks ago, and continuously safeguards the health of passengers and staff accordingly. The purpose of the guidelines issued by EASA and the ECDC is to provide guidance for airport operators and owners, airlines and airport authorities for the gradual and safe restart of passenger traffic. Certain protective measures are required for this, in order to safeguard the health of passengers and staff, thus reducing the risk of the spread of coronavirus at the airport and on board aircraft. In the current pandemic situation, airport operators, together with their ground handling partners, must guarantee the safe presence of passengers at the airport. Although the measures put forward by international guidelines require great efforts by airports, with their help, health risks relating to the pandemic whilst at the airport can be minimized. The guidelines cover all phases of the journey, and apply, amongst others, to arrival at the airport, the check-in process, security screening, boarding, baggage reclaim, passport and border control. The recently issued protocol emphasizes the importance of the following, amongst other things: * Observing a physical distance of 1.5 meters between persons, where reasonably possible. * Encouraging the wearing a face masks and frequent hand hygiene amongst passengers and staff. * Communicating the most important virus-related information to passengers. * Regular disinfectant cleaning, with special focus on surfaces frequently touched by passengers. * Facilitating contactless airport administration. * Continuous disinfecting of the ventilation system, ensuring an appropriate air supply. * Ensuring the wearing of personal protective equipment for staff, installing Plexiglas screens wherever possible. * Airports should ask passengers to enter the airport without escorts, thus minimizing the number of people concurrently present within the facility and ensuring social distancing. Escorts should only enter in justified cases, if passengers require special assistance (e.g. minors or persons with reduced mobility). * Airports should ensure that passengers should be aware of the health and safety measures introduced by the airport, and should comply with them, in the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment. Budapest Airport already introduced the above measures weeks ago, in the interest of safeguarding the health and safety of passengers and staff. Budapest Airport became a reputable first mover in implementing all kinds of coronavirus-related health measures, demonstrating how safe the airport can be implemented during the pandemic. In the current situation, we have two important tasks, firstly, to make presence at the airport safe and risk-free for passengers and our colleagues alike, and, secondly, to rebuild trust for air travel amongst passengers, with these measures, after the pandemic has died down, said Dr. Rolf Schnitzler, the CEO of Budapest Airport Zrt. He added: In addition to actively helping to set various guidelines for safe air travel, we also continuously ensure that we should be able to safeguard the health of our passengers and staff, in line with applicable regulations and international protocols. The guidelines issued by EASA have confirmed the measures that we introduced over the past weeks at Budapest Airport, well ahead of any official guidelines. The list of protective measures in effect at Ferenc Liszt International Airport against the coronavirus pandemic is accessible here. During the traffic-free period, the airport operator performed disinfectant spring cleaning at the airport, which it continuously maintains. In the interest of maintaining 1.5 meter social distancing, it placed floor stickers and prohibitive stickers on every second seat in the transit area. The wearing of face masks is mandatory for staff who cannot keep a distance of 1.5 meters from passengers due to the nature of their work, and Budapest Airport installed Plexiglas screens between passengers and staff, wherever possible. Disinfectant door mats will soon be placed at the terminals to prevent the spread of pathogens on footwear, and the ventilation system in the building is regularly disinfected, to ensure an appropriate air supply. Fliers have been available at the terminals in five languages since January, providing information on protection against coronavirus. Budapest Airport has placed hand sanitizer dispensers for passengers throughout the building. Source and photo: Budapest Airport "It all started with me doing this from home, so it's come full circle," he said. Mr Fisher has exported his water recycling technology to the US. It has been widely used in Australia to help overcome problems of drought. He has also supplied water recycling systems for big mining companies and the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The coronavirus pandemic has meant he has been working from home again. The pandemic has also encouraged him to adapt his technology and manufacture a new product: a reusable face mask. Mr Fisher, who is chief executive officer of his company, Aquacell, recently took his idea for a reusable face mask to the Western Sydney University's Launchpad program which encourages innovation in adversity. "A lot of what we do is remove waterborne viruses from water so it can safely be reused," Mr Fisher said. "So I had an idea to come up with a sustainable face mask to replace the disposable ones being imported from overseas. "I pitched that idea to Don Wright and his team at Launchpad and we decided to develop this in Western Sydney." Mr Fisher said his business had not suffered as much as some others and he was looking at ways to keep employing people. "We are very much about sustainability and doing good work so how can we help the community to make the best of the situation during COVID-19 and beyond," he said Image: Getty House Democratic leaders are in scramble mode to patch up a deal by the end of the day Wednesday to reauthorise crucial US surveillance authorities that lapsed some three months ago, as Donald Trump and stakeholders from both parties this week criticised current proposals on how to move forward. Mr Trump has threatened to hold up the process while Senate Republicans investigate his unsubstantiated "Obamagate" theory, which maintains that the former president and his intelligence brass sought in 2016 and 2017 to undermine Mr Trump's incoming administration with sham investigations into Russian election interference and possible ties between the country and Mr Trump's 2016 campaign. House Republicans ought to "vote NO on FISA," the president tweeted on Tuesday, "until such time as our Country is able to determine how and why the greatest political, criminal, and subversive scandal in USA history took place!" FISA is shorthand for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that governs many covert surveillance authorities in the US. House Republicans have since signalled they will side with the president against the current package of legislation and amendments. Mr Trump and his staunchest defenders in Congress have highlighted a 2019 Justice Department inspector general report that found multiple errors in the FBI's applications for FISA court warrants to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. While Mr Page no longer worked for the Trump campaign by the time the courts approved the warrant to monitor his communications, Republicans have argued that such abuse of the FISA system warrants considerable reform. The president's key allies in the House on such matters ex-House Judiciary ranking member Doug Collins, current House Judiciary ranking member Jim Jordan, and others reached a deal with Democrats months ago on a package to reauthorise FISA with certain reforms, civil protections, and legal reviews. Story continues That bill bounced back to the House after the Senate passed it last week with an amendment providing even more protections against legal malfeasance. The president's new threat to tank the legislation over his Obamagate theory is hardly the first time he has weaponised politically sensitive legislation to promote one of his central campaign pieces. Remember, Mr Trump presided over two government shutdowns in three years by holding annual congressional spending bills hostage to push immigration and border security reform. Holding up legislation as leverage for other policy priorities is common executive branch practice that long predates Mr Trump's term. It's Negotiating 101. But Mr Trump's threat to hold up the FISA legislation which most lawmakers ostensibly agree addresses the shortcomings of the old FISA system due to Senate GOP oversight investigations into the president's presumptive 2020 election opponent, Joe Biden, is puzzling in that those investigations are already underway. And passing FISA reforms into law would not alter their course. To be certain, the politics of FISA authorities are all over the place, and Mr Trump is not the only one opposed to the current plans to reauthorise them. Attorney General William Barr, House Republicans, and even a key Senate Democrat have all signalled their opposition to the House's plan to vote on legislation it had previously agreed to along with a new Senate-passed amendment providing more civil protections and a proposed House amendment aimed at curbing US intelligence officials' access to citizens' Internet search history. Mr Barr's Justice Department opposes both amendments, saying they will "weaken national security tools" while failing to address the systemic concerns over the FISA process that have held up reauthorisation. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, who is considered something of a dean among Senate Democrats on matters of privacy and government surveillance, says the House's new amendment does not go far enough to protect US citizens from having their Internet search histories obtained by intelligence officials without a warrant. A more airtight version of that amendment offered by Mr Wyden and Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines fell one vote short of passage in the Senate last week. But even if a bill reauthorising the critical FISA elements does finally pass Congress after months of political ping-pong between the House and Senate, Mr Trump could always snatch the ball and crush it between his fingers with a veto. If he does so, he will continue to have cover from House Republicans, if House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's comments to Fox and Friends on Wednesday about the president's Obamagate concerns are any indication. "We need to ... get to the bottom of that, and make sure the FISA court is protecting the liberties of Americans before we move another bill forward," Mr McCarthy said. But it might be "months" before Trump administration officials do. Mr Barr ordered US Attorney John Durham to look into the origins of the Obama administration-ordered Russia meddling investigation, but has said Mr Durham will not have findings for a few more months. And there's no guarantee Mr Durham's report will satisfy the president, who has given every indication Obamagate is something of a re-election campaign backup plan if the economy continues to sink. So what Democrats initially dismissed as a baseless conspiracy theory has become a very real legislative roadblock. Read more Officials warn Trumps 4th of July party would needlessly risk lives Trump threatens big action after suggesting social network shutdown Trump asks if he should be using insulin, a drug for diabetics Trump rages at Twitter and threatens to close social media platforms Trump threatens to close down social media platforms BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 28 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Turkmenistan and French Total company have discussed prospects for cooperation in the oil and gas industry, Trend reports with reference to Turkmenistans State News Agency. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan hosted a videoconference with Stephane Michel, senior vice president of Total company, on May 27, 2020. Turkmenistan was represented by officials of the ministry, Turkmengeologiya state corporation, and Turkmennebit and Turkmengas state concerns. The parties stressed the potential for enhancing partnership in geological exploration and seismic research, industrial development of fields, both in the Turkmen sector and in the coastal zone of the Caspian Sea. The intensification of hydrocarbon production, modernization of gas and petrochemical industry, and the development of gas transportation infrastructure were also highlighted as sectors with potential for advanced partnership. Special emphasis was placed on the introduction of modern technologies and digital systems in the industry. The parties also noted the necessity to cooperate in training of qualified personnel. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received the head of Total company in Ashgabat in 2012. During the meeting, it was noted that the company is ready to increase the partnership with Turkmenistan in the field of investment, exploration, development and exploitation of oil and gas fields. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva Children older than six will be asked to keep a distance between each other in play-pods under plans issued to providers for the reopening of childcare facilities. Documents sent last night to providers by Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone, seen by the Irish Examiner, are set to be discussed at Cabinet tomorrow for a plan to restart services - for essential workers - on June 29. The plans publication comes as the Cabinet was told by Dr Tony Holohan, the chief medical officer, that he is not ready to recommend a reduction in the social distancing rules from 2m to 1m. Under Ms Zappones plan, staff in pods should maintain social distance. Protection equipment, such as masks, however, will not be required by carers under the agreed plans for early learning and school-age childcare services. Children in play pods where maximum numbers have yet to be decided must also remain apart from other pods in shared spaces, including outdoors, and during drop off and collection. Ms Zappone, in a letter, said the central principles for reopening childcare facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic was subject to review by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and the HSE. It is understood a sustained extension of the wage subsidy scheme specifically for childcare providers is being discussed by government formation teams, which could be key to gaining the backing of services. A note for providers says: The current evidence suggests that children seem generally less likely to catch the infection and are not more likely than adults to spread infection to other people. "Children have rarely been the person who brought Covid-19 into a household when household spread has happened. However, it also says it is important for parents and childcare staff to accept that no interpersonal activity is without risk of transmission of infection. Other guidelines include: A large room may contain more than one play pod provided there are partitions that prevent physical contact between the play pods; Staff from different pods should maintain social distancing. Where two staff are part of one pod, they should social distance. Children from different pods should not play together. As far as possible, staff and parents should maintain social distancing. Staggered start and finish times and exits, may impact a facilitys capacity. Meanwhile, Dr Holohan told ministers at a meeting of Cabinet earlier yesterday there would be no change to the 2m physical distancing rule. This is despite calls for it to be relaxed to 1m to allow more public and business activity based on a World Health Organisation (WHO) opinion that 1m sufficiently protects against the virus. It is a reasonable interpretation of the evidence, and a precautionary approach to its application, and we think its the right measure for now, he said. However, a sitting minister said he is baffled as to why the Government has not moved to change the rule. John Halligan, Minister of State for training and skills, made his concerns known to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar about the hardline stance taken on the issue at the insistence of medical officials. Its time for politicians to be brave and to accelerate the lifting of lockdown restrictions, he told the Irish Examiner. I am baffled as to why we should be going against the WHO on this, considering that the Irish NPHET have found a lack of evidence in differentiating between the benefit of a one versus two metre distance, he said. Elsewhere, Health Minister Simon Harris is to seek government approval to extend the 115m-a-month deal with the countrys 19 private nursing homes by another 30 days. Mr Harris will formally get approval ahead of Sunday, the point where the HSE must contact the private hospitals to exercise the extension option in order to ensure adequate capacity in the system. Delhi lieutenant-governor (L-G) Anil Baijal and the elected Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal are again locked in confrontation -- this time over the appointment of special public prosecutors (SPPs) to argue cases related to the February communal riots in northeast Delhi. The face-off is so intense that the L-G on Thursday decided to refer the matter to President Ram Nath Kovind, citing persistent difference of opinion, officials in the L-Gs office familiar with the subject said. Documents seen by HT suggest the confrontation, brewing since April, is over whose panel of public prosecutors should represent the state in the trials pertaining to the northeast Delhi riots, which claimed 53 lives and left over 400 injured. So far, the police have registered 752 FIRs and arrested 1,300 people in connection with the Hindu-Muslim violence The L-G, in a string of written communication between him and the Kejriwal government, has stated that the panel proposed by the Delhi Police should be notified and allowed to fight the cases because the riots disturbed public order in the capital and effective prosecution was needed to restore faith of the general public and in the Delhi government. HT has reviewed the correspondence. The Kejriwal government wants its own panel of independent and technically qualified special public prosecutors to be appointed to represent the state. On Thursday, the Kejriwal government approved a panel of prosecutors in a Cabinet meeting. Hours later, senior officials in L-G office said that Baijal was referring the matter to the President for his intervention. A Delhi government spokesperson said: Invoking the provision of difference of opinion this time, the L-G has not bothered to make it clear as to how good governance, a reason cited by him in his previous such orders, is being served by blatantly subverting the process of appointment of public prosecutors. This clearly appears to be a question of Delhi governments panel versus Delhi polices panel because the L-G has not pointed out any deficiencies in our panel, nor has given reasons why Delhi Polices panel should be preferred. Delhi Police being the investigative agency should have no role in deciding the prosecuting lawyers to maintain the independence of investigation and prosecution. The tussle began in the first week of April when Delhi police proposed a set of special public prosecutors to argue the riots cases and the L-G endorsed the move. When the file came to the Delhi government for perusal by the home minister Satyendar Jain, he shot down the polices proposal, formed a fresh panel of lawyers and issued orders on April 16 that they be notified as the special public prosecutors. The proposal of the Delhi Police suffered from both technical irregularities and {was} malafide. It was malafide because certain names in the panel were found to be directly related to senior police officers..., read Jains noting on the file, seen by HT. Documents showed that the Delhi police subsequently withdrew its panel and submitted a second list of special public prosecutors on April 24. But it was again shot down by the Delhi government with Jain reiterating his order of notifying panel. Jain met the L-G on May 21, but the differences persisted. The L-G wrote to the government on May 23 and later invoked Article 239AA(4) of the Constitution (difference of opinion with the council of ministers) to refer the matter to the President. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON TOWN OF DELAVAN A man spending the Memorial Day weekend in his familys home on Delavan Lake has been charged with stabbing his father in the chest during a late-night altercation. Jeffrey T. Larak, 27, of Libertyville, Illinois, is charged with aggravated battery and recklessly endangering safety in an alleged incident May 26 in a lakefront home on Lakeview Drive. If convicted of both felony charges, Larak could face up to 27 years and six months in prison. Police had recommended a charge of attempted murder, but the Walworth County district attorney did not file that charge. The suspects father, Todd Larak, 54, was hospitalized with what police described as a stab wound in the chest. According to the criminal complaint, the elder Larak told police that he thought his son was going to kill him. Police reported that the victim was bleeding badly and was having trouble breathing when they arrived on the scene, and that the son was holding knives in both hands. Todd Larak was taken to Mercy Healthcare in Janesville, but hospital officials could not be reached for comment on his condition. Police earlier said his injuries did not appear life-threatening. Walworth County property records show that Todd Larak lives in Libertyville, Illinois, at the same address as his son. Todd Larak also owns the $735,000 home on Lakeview Drive where police were called for the alleged stabbing. According to police, officers were called at 12:41 a.m. May 26 and that they found the alleged victim bleeding and running from another man who was armed with a knife in each hand. When police ordered the suspect to drop the weapons, he initially refused and continued moving toward the alleged victim, police reported. The suspect was then shocked with a Taser and taken into custody. According to a criminal complaint issued May 29, Jeffrey Larak and his father had eaten dinner together on Memorial Day, and the younger Larak later went out. When he returned, Jeffrey Larak became angry and smashed through a patio door after thinking that his father had locked him out of the house, prosecutors allege. When the father awoke and went to investigate the noise, Jeffrey Larak allegedly attacked him, punching him at first but then grabbing knives from a butcher block and stabbing him, the complaint states. Walworth County court records show that Jeffrey Larak is scheduled June 23 for a preliminary hearing on the charges against him. 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. Nearly thirteen hundred years ago today, on May 28, 722[i], a little known but profoundly important battle was waged that set the tone for the next eight hundred years of Christian-Muslim "coexistence" in Spain: the Battle of Covadonga. Ten years earlier, Arabs and Africans, both under the banner of Islam, had "godlessly invaded Spain to destroy it," to quote from the Chronicle of 754. Once on European soil, they "ruined beautiful cities, burning them with fire; condemned lords and powerful men to the cross; and butchered youths and infants with the sword." After meeting and beating Spain's Visigothic nobles at the Battle of Guadalete "never was there in the West a more bloody battle than this," wrote the Muslim chronicler al-Hakam, "for the Muslims did not withdraw their scimitars from them [Christians] for three days" the invaders continued to penetrate northward into Spain, "not passing a place without reducing it, and getting possession of its wealth, for Allah Almighty had struck with terror the hearts of the infidels." Such terrorism was intentionally cultivated, in keeping with the Koran (3:151, 8:12, etc.). For instance, the invaders slaughtered, cooked, and pretended to eat Christian captives, while releasing others who, horrified, fled and "informed the people of Andalus [Spain] that the Muslims feed on human flesh," thereby "contributing in no small degree to increase the panic of the infidels," wrote al-Maqqari, another Muslim chronicler. Contrary to the claim that, seeing that Muslim rule was no worse and possibly preferable to Visigothic rule, Spain capitulated easily, even Muslim chroniclers note how "the Christians defended themselves with the utmost vigor and resolution, and great was the havoc that they made in the ranks of the faithful." In Cordoba, for example, a number of Spaniards holed themselves up in a church. Although "the besieged had no hopes of deliverance, they were so obstinate that when safety was offered to them on condition either of embracing Islam, or paying jizya, they refused to surrender, and the church being set on fire, they all perished in the flames," wrote al-Maqqari, adding that the ruins of this church became a place of "great veneration" for later generations of Spaniards because "of the courage and endurance displayed in the cause of their religion by the people who died in it." In the end, native Spaniards had two choices: acquiesce to Muslim rule or "flee to the mountains, where they risked hunger and various forms of death." Pelagius, better known as Pelayo (685737), a relative of and "sword-bearer" to King Roderick, who survived Guadalete, followed both strategies. After the battle, he retreated north, where Muslim rule was still tenuous; there he eventually consented to become a vassal of Munnuza, a local Muslim chief. Through some "stratagem," Munnuza "married" Pelayo's sister a matter that the sword-bearer "by no means consented to." Having expressed displeasure at the seizure of his sister, and having ceased paying jizya (tribute), Muslims were sent "to apprehend him treacherously" and bring him back "bound in chains." Unable to fight the oncoming throng "because they were so numerous," Pelayo "climbed a mountain" and "joined himself to as many people as he found hastening to assemble." There, in the deepest recesses of the Asturian mountains the only free spot left, in northwest Spain the assembled Christian fugitives declared Pelayo their new king. The Kingdom of Asturias was born. "Hearing this, the king [the Muslim governor of Cordoba], moved by an insane fury, ordered a very large army from all over Spain to go forth" and bring the infidel rebels to heel. The invaders 180,000 of them, if the chroniclers are to be believed surrounded Pelayo's mountain. They sent Oppa, a bishop and/or noble now turned dhimmi, to reason with him at the mouth of a deep cavern: "If when the entire army of the Goths was assembled, it was unable to sustain the attack of the Ishmaelites [at Guadalete], how much better will you be able to defend yourself on this mountaintop? To me it seems difficult. Rather, heed my warning and recall your soul from this decision, so that you may take advantage of many good things and enjoy the partnership of the Chaldeans [Arabs]." "I will not associate with the Arabs in friendship nor will I submit to their authority," Pelayo responded. Then the rebel made a prophecy that would be fulfilled over the course of nearly eight centuries: "Have you not read in the divine scriptures that the church of God is compared to a mustard seed and that it will be raised up again through divine mercy? [Mark 4:3032]." The dhimmi affirmed that it was so; the fugitive continued: "Christ is our hope that through this little mountain, which you see, the well-being of Spain and the army of the Gothic people will be restored. ... Now, therefore, trusting in the mercy of Jesus Christ, I despise this multitude and am not afraid of it. As for the battle with which you threaten us, we have for ourselves an advocate in the presence of the Father, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is capable of liberating us from these few." There, at Covadonga meaning "Cavern of the Lady" battle commenced on May 28, 722. A shower of rocks rained down on the Muslims in the narrow passes, where their numbers counted for nothing and only caused confusion. Afterward, Pelayo and his band of rebels rushed forth from their caves and hiding places and made great slaughter among them; those who fled the carnage were tracked and mowed down by other, now emboldened, mountaineers. "A decisive blow was dealt at the Moorish power[.] ... The advancing tide of conquest was stemmed. The Spaniards gathered heart and hope in their darkest hour; and the dream of Moslem invincibility was broken." Several subsequent Muslim campaigns jihads were launched to conquer the Asturian kingdom, and the "Christians of the North scarcely knew the meaning of repose, security, or any of the amenities of life." Even so, the mustard seed would not perish. "A vital spark was still alive," Edward Gibbon wrote; "some invincible fugitives preferred a life of poverty and freedom in the Asturian valleys; the hardy mountaineers repulsed the slaves of the caliph." Moreover, "all who were dissatisfied with Moorish dominion, all who clung to the hope of a Christian revival, all who detested Mahomet" were drawn to the life of poverty and freedom. By the mid-eighth century, the "vital spark" had spread to engulf the entire northwest of the peninsula; over the following centuries, various kingdoms, whose core identity revolved around Christian defiance to Islam later manifested as the Reconquista had evolved from this mustard seed. "Covadonga became the symbol of Christian resistance to Islam and a source of inspiration to those who, in words attributed to Pelayo, would achieve the salus Spanie, the salvation of Spain." After centuries of brutal warfare, by 1492, the last Muslim-held territory in Spain, Granada, was liberated. And it all came to pass thanks to Pelayo's Asturian mustard seed, planted nearly eight hundred years earlier at the battle of Covadonga. Despite this encounter's importance for Spain it was regularly celebrated, including in 1918 (at the height of the Spanish Flu) with Spanish monarchs in attendance it remains virtually unknown in the West, sacrificed on the altar of political correctness and Islamic "golden age" myths. Historical quotes used in this article were sourced from and referenced in the author's book, Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West. Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. Even excluding hot sport Yakima County, virus still on upswing as counties reopen CAMP MURRAY, WASH. A report released late Tuesday evening, May 26, indicates that transmission of the coronavirus and the disease it carries, COVID-19, is trending upwards in counties east of the Cascade Mountains. The report also indicates trends in the spread of the disease are slowing in Western Washington. The report findings are based on what is referred to as the effective reproductive number, a measure of how many new infections derive from a single case of COVID-19. A reproductive number below one means the number of new cases is declining while a number above one indicates an increase in new cases. The report is based on data collected between May 3-12 by the Washington State Disease Reporting System. The report stated it is likely the effective reproductive number in Western Washington on May 7 was between 0.09 and 1.05, with best estimate at 0.57. In Eastern Washington, on the other hand, the effective reproductive number on May 3 was likely between 1.12 and 1.52, with the best estimate around 1.32. Health officials have said that to continue to slow the spread of the virus, the effective reproductive number must be well below one. A number of one or higher means the virus is maintaining spread or increasing. This comes as a total of 24 of Washingtons 39 counties have been cleared by Gov. Jay Inslees office to move to Phase 2 of the Safe Start Washington plan to return to more normal economic and social activity. Of those counties, 13 are in Eastern Washington: Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Lincoln, Pend Orielle, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla and Whitman. Kittitas and Walla Walla, along with Thurston in Western Washington, were added to that list today, May 27. Kittitas was previously eligible to apply for the Phase 2 variance, along with others including Spokane County, last week, but was on pause due to an investigation of an outbreak. Since receiving approval for its variance to move to Phase 2, Spokane County has seen an increase in cases, including three straight days of double-digit figures for new infections. Part of this stemmed from an outbreak at the Philadelphia Macaroni Company that has resulted in the infection of 35 of its 72 employees. The Spokane Regional Health District estimates that more than a dozen family members of employees at the company have contracted the virus from a relative working at the facility. Additionally, a company employee who tested positive for the virus was arrested twice this past week on charges of driving under the influence, possibly exposing members of the Spokane Police Department and Spokane County Jail, leading to the quarantine of six police officers and one jail inmate. News reports said the employee was arrested on May 25 with five other individuals in the vehicle he was operating. Health District officials have claimed the Philadelphia Macaroni Company outbreak is contained and do not fear community spread. Additional information from the report indicates that if the Eastern Washington virus hot spot of Yakima County were excluded, the effective reproductive number would still be above one in that part of the state. Yakima, Douglas and Chelan counties had the highest number of cases relative to their populations. The geographical differences seen in the report likely have multiple causes, including differences in testing. Its also likely there are differences in infection rates due to behavioral and socioeconomic factors that affect COVID-19 exposure risk. As we continue to see differences from county to county, our efforts to support different regional needs for reopening become increasingly critical and so does our request that people avoid traveling outside county lines to areas with fewer cases, Secretary of Health John Wiesman said in the May 26 news release. Im asking everyone to continue their hard work to protect others in our community and our state by following public health guidance. John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com. - Smart Medical Services powered by IoT and Sensors Key to Vast Avenues in Emerging Markets, particularly Asia Pacific; Governments Become Payers, Providers, and Policy Makers, thereby accelerating Growth of Smart Healthcare Products Market - Application in Patient Treatments and Diagnostics Key to Growth; Digitization in Healthcare Industry Forms Key Underpinning to Market Expansion ALBANY, New York, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The smart healthcare products market has evolved on the back of the proposition of making medical and patient care more efficient, affordable, and accessible. Rapid pace of digitization in the healthcare industry on account of integration of an array of technologies such as sensors, IoT framework, smart data analytics with healthcare products contributes to broadening avenues in the market. Smart healthcare gadgets play crucial role in accessing patient data remotely and help in monitoring of chronic conditions. The latest valuation of the smart healthcare products market was estimated to be US$ 37.5 Bn in 2018. Expanding at CAGR of 8.8% from 2019 to 2027, the global smart healthcare products market is anticipated to reach worth of US$ 80.3 bn by this period-end. Increasing share of healthcare spending in the GDP of several countries will focus on adoption of smart healthcare products for patient care, note the analysts at Transparency Market Research. They further concede that addressing cost and privacy concerns should be crucial in making healthcare IT successful for disease diagnosis and treatment. Download A PDF Brochure of Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=9437 Key Findings of Smart Healthcare Products Market Of the various product types in smart healthcare products market, smart pills segment is expected to grow at higher rate than all others during 2019 - 2027 Rising demand for minimally invasive surgeries spurs uptake of smart pills in healthcare industry Of the various regions in smart healthcare products market, North America held the majority of share in 2018 held the majority of share in 2018 The North America market was trailed by Europe market was trailed by Asia Pacific market to rise at promising CAGR during 2019 - 2027 market to rise at promising CAGR during 2019 - 2027 Rapidly aging populations to boost patients' acceptance of smart healthcare products Explore 90 pages of top-notch research, incisive insights, and detailed country-level projections. Gain business intelligence on Smart Healthcare Products Market (By Product Type - Smart Syringes, Smart Pills, Smart RFID Cabinets and Electronic Health Record; By Application - Health Data Storage and Exchange, Monitoring and Treatment, and Inventory Management - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2019 - 2027 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/9437 Smart Healthcare Products Market: Key Driving Factors and Promising Avenues A favorable macroeconomic framework in numerous countries is key to the rapid expansion of global smart healthcare products market. Few of the trends are worth noticing. Over the past few years, developing economies have seen an incessant focus of policy makers to increase the share of healthcare services spending in the nation's GDP. This is also laying groundwork for healthcare IT frameworks to flourish, thereby helping propel positive growth of smart healthcare products market Financial specialists and global technology players see incredible potential in smart medical care, and are bolstering investments in development of IoT systems for healthcare. In recent years, developing countries of the world have seen a rapid penetration of electronic medical records Inquire for a Sample Copy of Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=9437 Key Challenges for Players in Smart Healthcare Products Market The smart healthcare products market has made some incredible strides in developing and developed world, unarguably. But a few concerns offset the gains of their uptake in the healthcare industry as following: Both the high cost of smart healthcare products and the lack of clinical expertise in cost-sensitive markets are demand dampeners In developed countries, doctors with private clinics see meagre gains in investing in smart healthcare products. This is because healthcare providers, especially hospitals, who are not part of integrated healthcare IT, the gains will accrue at negligible rate. This is a crucial restraint on the expanding revenue scope. Such findings were part of a notable Congressional Budget Office, U.S. Privacy concerns as to breach of patient's information have made patients and providers skeptical of purported benefits of smart healthcare products. Nevertheless, the factors highlighting the silver lining are more than one: Technology providers are leaning on unveiling smart healthcare products that fare well in relation to data privacy. Prominent regional regulatory agencies are gradually proving to be generous in approving smart healthcare products Research in development and commercialization of smart pills and other novel smart healthcare devices are growing at fast pace, generally in the developed world Purchase the Smart Healthcare Products Market Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=9437
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EgyptAir announced it will operate one flight from Cairo to Frankfurt on 5 June. The flagship carrier added tickets may be booked from EgyptAir's office or by contacting its call centre 1717 and 090070000. Aside from the exceptional flight, the suspension of air traffic is still in place until further notice. Egypt has halted international air flights since Mid-March to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Search Keywords: Short link: A Derry man who suffered life-changing injuries in a booby-trap bomb explosion has urged Stormont to deliver on the long-awaited Victims Pensions Scheme. The scheme had been set to open for applications tomorrow, May 29. The British government agreed that it would be open to those who had been injured through no fault of their own living with the effects of either physical or psychological injury. Payments for those who qualify will be backdated to 23 December 2014. Victims and campaigners have fought for such a scheme for over ten years. Like thousands of Troubles victims, Derry man Gerry Canning was deeply disappointed to learn that the pension has been delayed due to a stand-off between Stormont and Westminster over who foots the bill for its estimated 100m cost. Mr Canning was 20 years of age when he lost a leg after an IRA bomb tore through a house in the Creggan estate in June 1973. He was a bricklayer by trade at the time the incident occurred but due to the unpredictable nature of that work he took up a role with the Housing Executive as a night watchman looking after empty properties by carrying out repairs and preventing vandalism. The first ever mortar attack in Northern Ireland took place at the time, Mr Canning said, when the IRA targeted British Army personnel stationed at the Piggery Ridge encampment on the upper edge of the Creggan estate. On June 20, 1973, an attempt was made to draw the army in to a booby-trapped house that he was looking after in Rinmore Drive. Mr Canning lived a few hundred yards away and after the mortar attack he decided to check on the property. British soldiers arrived at the house and insisted he show them around. They suspected the IRA had attacked Piggery Ridge from the property. It was while showing them around that the bomb went off. Mr Canning lost his livelihood as a fully qualified bricklayer and was awarded meagre compensation at the time. He has never received an apology from those responsible for planting the bomb. DISAGREEMENT The DUP has always maintained that the scheme should not be open to victim makers while Sinn Fein has said there should be no hierarchy of victims. News of delays to the scheme came as no surprise to Mr Canning who has always said hell believe it when the money is in his pocket. He commented: If this money was for MPs at Westminster or MLAs at Stormont they would have no problem finding it but when it comes to victims of the Troubles they cant. The main problem all along has been between Sinn Fein and the DUP, theyve been arguing the toss for years about who should be eligible for this pension. Sinn Fein wanted ex-combatants who were killed or injured by their own actions to be included. But the DUP said no, that it should be for innocent victims. So they could never agree about what was going to happen. Delays are not helping those who have been waiting for years, he said, who are not getting any younger. I thought all along that they shouldve set aside their own argument, and pay the people who are entitled to it upfront and then argue about the rest of it. Westminster and Stormont should split the cost between them now, then argue about it later and that government can meet the cost then, instead of having victims waiting any longer. It seems like its going to drag on and that isnt helpful to any of the victims. Speaking at Stormont this week DUP MLA Paul Frew urged the Secretary of State for NI Brandon Lewis to stand by the legislation that was passed at Westminster and release the funding. Surely this scheme should be funded by Westminster, its where the legislation was passed and innocent victims go right across the UK, he added. He went on to say that Sinn Fein was the political wing of the IRA who caused so many of those victims and said it was galling that the party is asking the British government to pay for their evil. Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly said there were a wide range of victims across the board who deserve this payment but acknowledged it will not compensate for the deaths, injuries and suffering caused to families. He disagreed with the British Government approach and accused it of attempting to redefine who was a victim of the Troubles and he believes it has been widened to disregard hundreds of people. There is a legal definition of a victim in law and its been there since 2006 and the Stormont House Agreement has been in place from 2014, he added. The Sinn Fein representative concluded by saying the pensions scheme should proceed but was adamant that the British Government should pay for it as the Executive cant afford it. LEGAL ACTION The Troubles claimed more than 3,500 lives and it has been estimated that another 40,000 people were injured. A pension was finally agreed in 2014 and signed into legislation in January. Since then the scheme has not been designated to a Stormont department. Victims Commissioner Judith Thompson highlighted a catalogue of missed deadlines by the government which have only compounded distress amongst victims. She stated: It has been made clear to me that victims and survivors are not only deeply distressed but very angry that once again they are made to feel expendable. It is one thing to fight for years to get agreement on victims payment but quite another to be made to wait for delivery once agreement has been gained. We do not want a situation where Government has to be challenged in court by elderly victims and survivors to get what they have been promised. Alan McBride, coordinator of the WAVE trauma centre, lost his wife Sharon and father-in-law Desmond Frizzell in the IRA's 1993 bombing of the family's fish shop. He said the Executive faces the embarrassment of being brought to court by victims over its failure to implement the scheme. Court action is set to commence tomorrow if no agreement is reached with Stormont. With 31 fresh Covid-19 positive cases reported on Thursday, Uttarakhand reached the 500-mark in coronavirus positive cases. In the past one week, over 350 cases have been reported from the Himalayan state. The bulletin released by the health department on Thursday evening reported seven new cases in addition to 24 cases detected earlier during the day. The health department informed that Covid-19 positive cases were reported from Dehradun (3), Almora (3) and one from Nainital district. Earlier on Thursday, 24 fresh cases were reported by the state health department including cases from districts like Dehradun (6), Haridwar (8) and Tehri (10). Most of these patients had travel history from Maharashtra. Three patients reported from Dehradun district were vendors from Niranjanpur Mandi, one of the biggest vegetable markets in Uttarakhand. The doubling rate stands at 3.99 days in Uttarakhand for the last seven days, while the rate of infection stands at 2.49%. Uttarakhand has so far tested over 25,380 samples, of which over 19,702 have tested negative and results of over 4,000 samples are awaited. Meanwhile, a 32-year-old cancer patient who was under home quarantine in Ramnagar in Nainital district died on Thursday morning, and tested positive for Covid-19 hours after his death. After his death, health officials said that the person died of cancer and not coronavirus. The patient had returned from Delhi on May 20, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer since the past four months at a hospital in the national capital. Dr. Bharti Rana, chief medical officer of Nainital said that the cancer patient had returned from Delhi recently but the health department was not aware of his return. He was being treated at a private hospital for quite some time, where the doctors had taken his samples and sent them for testing. Meanwhile, the patient was sent home where he died on Thursday. As of now, we will isolate all his family members and take their samples for testing. Personal protection kits have also been given to the family members for protection while completing the rituals, said Dr. Rana. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) It was welcome news for thousands of overseas Filipino workers when President Rodrigo Duterte ordered government agencies to fast track their release from quarantine facilities. But to hundreds of Filipino seafarers on board cruise ships in Manila, a new wave of uncertainty looms as they patiently await the results of their COVID-19 tests. A 36 year-old seafarer belonging to the Majestic Princess cruise ship, who requested anonymity due to his current job, told CNN Philippines that out of 500 Filipino crew members on the ship, at least 200 are still waiting for their test results. With a few days left in Duterte's one-week ultimatum in bringing the OFWs to their home provinces, the seafarers languishing on cruise ships are not optimistic that they can get their clearances in time. Kung nawawala o hindi na makita yung test samples namin, ulitin na lang nila yung test at pakiprioritize nila," the seafarer lamented. "Hindi kasi fair na may mga bagong dating na barko at recently tested tapos sila ang unang nakababa." [Translation: If they lost or misplaced our test samples, they should just repeat the test and prioritize it. It's not fair that newly arrived ships whose crew members were recently tested would be sent home first.] The Majestic Princess arrived in Manila on April 23. The OFW said they were told to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine two days later. They also took the rapid antibody test as part of government's requirements for all returning OFWs to prevent importation of COVID-19 cases. The government, however changed its policy on May 4, requiring all OFWs to undergo RT-PCR swab testing, the so-called gold standard in getting accurate diagnosis. Crew members on board Majestic Princess were swabbed on May 8. Other crew members have received their test results and were allowed to disembark. But for the remaining 200 seafarers, the waiting and uncertainty are now taking a toll on their mental health. Mental health is starting to become a problem po dahil frustrated na po kami makauwi at desperate na rin (because we are frustrated and desperate to come home), the OFW said. What's more frustrating, he said, is the "lack of response" from government agencies tasked to handle the test results and the system in place for prioritizing those who came first in the country. READ: More people getting anxious, depressed amid lockdown The seafarers also expressed worry about the weather condition in Manila, saying it would be difficult to send them home once the rainy season starts. "Kailangan po ma-emphasize na kapag nag-start na ang rainy season mahihirapan na kami na mai-transport because of the rough waters," the OFW added. [Translation: It should be emphasized that once the rainy season starts, it will be difficult to have us transported because of rough waters.] Czar Sabinorio, another crew member of the Majestic Princess, was one of the lucky ones who were able to disembark from the ship. She said she feels bad for those who were left behind. Para kaming nakakulong na hindi mo alam kung kailan lalaya (We were like prisoners who do not know when we'd be released), she said. The Department of Foreign Affairs reported on Thursday that 30,541 OFWs have been repatriated since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 20,138 of them are seafarers from 97 cruise ships. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said it is working with the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Quarantine to expedite the release of test results of the quarantined OFWs. OWWA Chief Hans Cacdac previously said they are ready to assist all OFWs who will be cleared by the BOQ until they reach their respective hometowns. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in an online media briefing said more than 16,000 OFWs who tested negative for COVID-19 have been sent home. Duterte early this week ordered the release of 24,000 OFWs, who were stuck in Metro Manila waiting for the delayed release of their COVID-19 test results and certification. The President's ultimatum was in response to complaints that several OFWs have been stranded in quarantine facilities for up to two months, waiting for the time they can finally be reunited with their families. CNN Philippines' Eimor Santos contributed to their report. Starving rats are swarming into Sydney's surburbs in search of food as scraps have dried up in the city amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Geoff Milton, a Sydney rat catcher with 35 years' experience, said there has been a surge in suburban rat infestations since restaurants and office buildings were deserted in March. And he predicts a rat plague will swamp the city as people flood back. While rats naturally seek out homes in winter, the abrupt drop-off of rubbish in the city has exacerbated the problem, with increasing numbers of rodents invading residential areas to find a meal. Rats have swarmed into Sydney's suburban areas as garbage and food waste in the city has dried up as people have been ordered to stay home (stock) Mr Milton told the Guardian call outs to suburban areas are up 30 per cent compared to this time last year. 'Its got colder quicker this year as well. It is coming on to winter where they need somewhere warm to sleep,' he said. 'They usually get into roof voids in peoples houses, because they can climb up brick walls or they can leap from overhanging trees above peoples' houses. They can leap about three or four foot.' Earlier this week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning that New York rats had become aggressive and have turned to eating each other as food has dwindled. Professor Peter Banks, a rodent expert from the University of Sydney, told Daily Mail Australia cannibalism would have occurred 'within days' of the city being emptied. 'Rats have to eat immediately, so as soon as people stopped being in the city and providing food they would have become food stressed really quickly,' he said. 'They live off our garbage. When food runs out, they will succumb to diseases and begin to fight among themselves or go somewhere else to survive. 'If a rat dies, another rat will go in and eat it [but] it is hard to say whether they will go and kill another rat.' 'If the conditions are not right to support babies, the mother will eat them. She is concerned about other rats coming in to eat them.' Professor Banks said there have been reports internationally of rat control businesses booming in suburbs as cities have shutdown across the world. Rodent expert Professor Peter Banks said the overall rat population would have dropped days when Sydney's CBD was deserted (pictured) in May However, Prof Banks explained this is likely caused by rodents scattering rather than numbers increasing, because the population would have significantly dropped under lockdown. 'Rats are probably the biggest losers in COVID-19. What would have happened in Sydney is rats would have resorted to eating bait set out by the council and would have been killed. 'The population in the city would have been knocked down.' 'People will be seeing them in their houses or bins now because that is the only place where there is food.' But Professor Banks and Mr Milton predict the rat population in the city will rapidly bounce back once restaurants and offices reopen. 'Rats can have ten babies at a time when conditions are good, but if there is not much food they will limit their offspring,' he said. 'If we go back to the city, the rats living in the city will start to breed and numbers will go back up. Mr Milton said a potential rat plague may take over the city while those that drifted into residential neighbourhoods would remain there, continuing to breed. Prof Banks said rat numbers would return as restaurants and offices reopen. Pictured are people gathered outside a Sydney cafe 'A lot of the ones that are left unattended in suburbia will stay there. They usually eat dog food and all that, because people leave dog kibble out all night. Theyve got ready made meals really,' he said. Rats are known to carry an assortment of diseases, including Salmonella, hantavirus, and leptospirosis. While the thought of critters widely dispersed throughout metropolitan areas is disturbing, Professor Banks said people should not be afraid of contracting an illness. 'Rats are super scared of us. They have one eye on us constantly for sure, they don't want to get too close.' 'People don't need be worried about being attacked.' Citizens wait in long lines to go through coronavirus testing at a public health center in Incheon, Thursday. Concerns over further spread of COVID-19 are growing following the new cluster of infections at a Coupang logistics center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. / Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye The number of COVID-19 patients linked to a Coupang logistics center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, has been increasing rapidly day after day, putting the health authorities on high alert over further community spread. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said 82 virus patients were traced to the Coupang warehouse as of 11 a.m., Thursday, up from 36 reported at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The estimated number of employees in the center is 3,600. Among the 82 cases, 63 were employees of the logistics center, while 19 others had come in contact with them. The patients mostly live in the nation's capital and nearby areas including Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. "It is believed that the logistics center has not abided by basic social distancing rules such as wearing face masks and letting employees who feel sick stay home," Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said during a government meeting on COVID-19 responses. The cluster of infections at the Coupang warehouse began after a worker in her 40s tested positive, May 23, after attending the first birthday party of a child of an acquaintance that took place in a buffet restaurant in Bucheon, May 9. The birthday party has been linked to infections of at least 15 people, and was traced to Itaewon nightclubs that have caused the new wave of infections here. Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung issued a "no-assembly" administrative order for the logistics center for two weeks, also Thursday, practically banning business operation. "Many concerns are being raised over the further spread of COVID-19 as the virus has been detected even in hats and shoes worn by the infected in the logistics center," Lee said during a briefing. Later in the day, the government announced enhanced preventive measures against the virus, which will be applied to the capital region until June 14. The measures call for temporary suspension of operations of public establishments such as museums and art galleries, among others. "The government also asks companies in Seoul and nearby areas to utilize flexible working arrangements, or let their employees work from home during the given period," Minister Park said, stressing that the next two weeks will be crucial to stopping the spread of the virus in the region. There have been nine more Covid-19 related deaths, the National Public Health Emergency Team has announced. This brings the death toll in the Republic to 1,639. There have been 46 additional confirmed cases in Ireland bringing the total number of cases is now 24,841. As of midnight on Tuesday, 3,267 people has been hospitalised with 404 of these admitted to ICU. The number of cases associated with healthworkers stands at 7,920. Where transmission status is known, close contact accounts for 58% of confirmed cases while community transmission is responsible for 40% and travel abroad accounts for 2%. The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) met today to continue its review of Irelands ongoing response and preparedness to Covid-19. Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said that NPHET has mantained "a consistent focus on mortality" throughout the pandemic. He said they are "very awae of the sad toll of lost loved ones on families". A mortality paper was prepared and discussed by NPHET today and identifies that mortality in Ireland has been within the lower range in overall terms compared with other health systems across Europe," said Dr Holohan. Ireland will continue to report both confirmed and probable deaths from Covid-19 in all settings and direct public health measures to limit the burden of mortality. According to Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, the reproduction number is currently estimated to be 0.5. Prof Nolan said ICU and hospital admissions as well as the number of deaths per day continue to decline while the number of cases per day "remain stable". "Next week we will see figures that reflect the impact of Phase 1 measures on key disease spread indictors. "It is our hope that the R-number will remain below one and our progress is preserved." Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said that it was agreed in principle by NPHET that the sudden loss of smell, known as anosmia, and the loss of taste (ageusia) will be included in the case definition. This decision is subject to updated guidance from the ECDC, which is expected to be published tomorrow. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. By Hansi Lo Wang | NPR A group of House Democrats introduced a bill Wednesday that would push back major deadlines for the 2020 census as requested by the U.S. Census Bureau because of the coronavirus pandemic. While the bureau has collected responses from some 89 million households so far, primarily online, officials at the bureau say they will not be able to deliver to the president by the end of this year the latest state population numbers used to redistribute congressional seats and Electoral College votes among the states as required by federal law. "We have passed the point where we could even meet the current legislative requirement of Dec. 31. We can't do that anymore," Tim Olson, the head of field operations for this year's national head count, said Tuesday during a webinar organized by the National Congress of American Indians. "We're hopeful Congress will take action." Last month, bureau officials told members of the U.S. Congress they also need more time to prepare the detailed census data currently due to state redistricting officials by March 31, 2021. Four-month deadline extensions were included in the latest coronavirus relief package the House passed earlier this month. INTERACTIVE: The 2020 Census Questionnaire -- What's On It? But with bipartisan talks between the Republican-led Senate and the Trump administration stalled, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., says he helped introduce the new House bill Wednesday to try to get clarity about the census timeline sooner. Gomez tells NPR he's worried that negotiations over the next relief package could spill into late June or early July, and he has been "in conversations" with counterparts in the Senate to encourage the other side of Capitol Hill to introduce a similar bill. "We're running out of time," Gomez said. "If we don't get our act together, the states are going to have some serious problems moving forward." Tim Storey, executive director of the National Conference of State Legislatures, flagged the "conundrum" facing many states in a letter this week to Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham. "Census delays present serious hurdles for states constrained by state constitutional and statutory requirements for districting and elections," Storey wrote. For now, the Census Bureau says it's planning to keep counting for the 2020 census through Oct. 31, although it has yet to announce any new plans for going door to door to complete the count in some American Indian tribal territories that remain on lockdown, or for counting people experiencing homelessness. This week, a group of other Senate Democrats led by California's Diane Feinstein asked Dillingham to provide by June 2 a detailed explanation of the bureau's next steps for counting the homeless population. As of Tuesday, the national self-response rate was a sliver of a percentage point away from the bureau's pre-pandemic benchmark of 60.5%. Bureau officials were hoping to reach that rate by the end of April before sending door knockers out to visit unresponsive homes that had been asked to fill out forms themselves but hadn't done so yet. The coronavirus has forced the bureau to delay the start of that door knocking until Aug. 11. This month, the bureau started sending out census workers again to some rural areas, as well as communities in Puerto Rico, that have been waiting for months to have paper forms left outside their front doors. HAVE A CENSUS QUESTION? Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. A fire burns at an AutoZone store in Minneapolis on Wednesday, as protesters demonstrate against the death of George Floyd in a confrontation with Minneapolis police on Monday evening. You are here: World Flash U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Wednesday announced the end of the sanctions waivers on several Iranian civilian nuclear projects as the latest effort to pressure Tehran. Pompeo said in a statement that the measure applies to Iran's Arak reactor conversion, the provision of enriched uranium for the Tehran Research Reactor, and the export of Iran's spent and scrap research reactor fuel. Multiple foreign companies have been working at these civilian projects to keep Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. "The sanctions waiver covering these activities will end following a final, 60-day wind-down period allowing companies and entities involved in these activities to cease their operations," said the statement. According to the statement, the Trump administration extended a 90-day waiver covering ongoing international support to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, as a means "to ensure safety of operations." "We will continue to closely monitor all developments in Iran's nuclear program and can modify this waiver at any time," Pompeo added. Pompeo on the same day also announced the designation of two Iranians working for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. Analysts said ending the sanctions waivers is counterproductive. "Another bad move. Trump and Pompeo are trying to goad Iran into abandoning all nuclear constraints," tweeted Mark Fitzpatrick, a nuclear issue expert and former state department official. The Trump administration withdrew Washington from the Iranian 2015 landmark nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran. Tehran, however, dismissed U.S. calls and vowed resistance against the pressures. State officials have planned a series of virtual forums this week for the owners and operators businesses that will be allowed to reopen next week as Rhode Islands economic restart continues. The forums being hosted by the Rhode Island Commerce Corp. and the state Department of Health will outline safety requirements for reopening. Business owners will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of each forum. Governor Gina Raimondo has said the state wants business input on the decisions. The forums for gyms and fitness studios as well as general businesses were scheduled for Wednesday. Forums for personal services businesses, including hair and nail salons, and for restaurants are scheduled for today. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. For George Foster, chief executive of Foster Marketing, theres no replacement for in-person communication. The informal interactions that make for better communication, bring coworkers closer together and create mentorship opportunities, he explained, were hard to re-create with Zoom calls and emails. I always manage the business by walking through the halls and asking, How are you doing? he said. The companys Houston office which has plenty of room to socially distance with six employees spread across roughly 3,000 square feet reopened in mid-May. But others have taken to working from home. I personally would like to work from home on a permanent basis, said Itssel Jaimes, who works at a firm to deter fraud on peoples financial accounts. Not only has she enjoyed a break from her commute she has also found that shes surprisingly way more productive working from home, she said in an email. COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE: Commercial mortgage securities may be next flashpoint As workplaces begin to reopen, many employees are hoping to return to the office while retaining the flexibility to work from home, multiple studies show. Ninety-nine percent of those working from home during the coronavirus pandemic said there are aspects of working remotely they find valuable such as saving money and commuting time according to a survey conducted by market research company Harris Poll and sponsored by flexible office space company Hana. While most respondents said they wanted to return to the office at least one day a week, 30 percent said they have grown used to working from home and would like to continue to do so most of the time, according to design firm Genslers nationwide survey of 2,300 employees. And a University of Houston survey of energy workers found that some would be willing to consider a furlough or even quitting to avoid physically returning to the office. Concerns about returning were especially prevalent among those with heightened safety concerns such as minorities and families that live with older relatives and those with children who are now at home. Our advice would be to really be flexible to accommodate workers perspectives, said Christiane Spitzmueller, a University of Houston professor who studies the energy workforce. There are workers who are incredibly eager to go back they miss the social context, they miss the short conversations in the hallway that would otherwise take a longer call. But in order not to alienate minority employees, those who live in multi-generational households and those with kids, flexibility is required. Her survey, conducted April 27 to May 5, found that roughly 70 percent of energy workers would prefer to continue working from home. A significant share of companies have already said they will allow workers to continue working from home long term. When the Houston-based commercial real estate firm NAI Partners surveyed its clients on their plans, 38 percent responded that they plan to allow certain employees to work from home even when the pandemic is over. An additional 57 percent said they were considering similar options although theyd prefer employees physically in the office. Morning Report: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox I think, pre-COVID, a lot of people had a hard time thinking about the possibility of working from home, said Dean Strombom, Gensler principal. Now that weve been forced into this situation of working from home, its interesting to see how well people are able to work from home and what those expectations may be as they return to work. A Gensler study from before the pandemic suggested that people are most productive when they are able to work remotely whether from home, a coffee shop or another nonoffice setting one day a week. And the firms research has found that, in order for employees to feel comfortable coming back to the office, more individual space, stricter cleaning protocols and explicit sick policies will be paramount. In the past, if someone was sniffling at the office, they may still hang around, Strombom said. I think the expectation is they may now be sent home. rebecca.schuetz@chron.com; twitter.com/raschuetz More than 100 Alabama clergy members have signed on to a letter demanding that Gov. Kay Ivey ramp up coronavirus testing in black and rural areas of the state. But the governors office told AL.com that the petition is unnecessary because testing in those areas remains a priority. Members of the multifaith, multiracial group Faith in Action Alabama called on Ivey to provide bold moral leadership to respond to this grave reality, referring to the fact that African Americans comprise more than half of all Alabama deaths from COVID-19. The letter was delivered to Iveys office Wednesday. As faith leaders, we know that taking action on the issue of systemic racism is an essential way to give praise, honor, and glory to the God of Liberation, said A.B. Sutton Jr., pastor of Living Stones Temple in Fultondale and chairman of Faith in Action Alabamas board of directors. James 2:26 says that Faith without works is dead. we are putting our faith into action. There is no clear sign as to when the pandemic will be truly be curbed. We cannot continue to act in ignorance when our people are dying. We need Gov. Ivey to provide bold moral leadership to respond to this grave reality. The group is demanding that Ivey commit to greater access to testing in African American and rural communities while also giving more resources to food banks, nonprofits and churches to support those economically harmed by the virus. The letter also calls on Ivey to expand Medicaid. Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola said Ivey has been focused on testing in rural Alabama, pointing out that most rural counties are close to the states goal of getting 2 percent of that population tested for COVID-19 each month. From the start, Gov. Ivey has stressed the need for increased COVID-19 testing in rural Alabama, particularly in our Black Belt. She believes we could never do too much testing," Maiola said in a statement. Gov. Ivey, along with the Alabama Department of Public Health continue to advance access to testing across the state. In fact within the last week, most rural counties, including Black Belt counties, are moving very close to achieving the goal of having 2% of the population testing per month. Rural Alabama remains a priority. Alabamas Black Belt holds a special place in the governors heart, and it is where she calls home. She will continue fighting for this area of our state and for all of Alabama as we work to combat COVID-19. A man who was permanently disabled after being pepper sprayed and thrown to the ground in a 'violent' arrest has won more than $700,00 in damages. Matthew Charles Crossley had his leg broken by police while being arrested on Bank Street in Adelaide in March 2013. His leg was broken so badly that he had to have a 40cm-long metal rod put in, and he was left with a permanent limp and other complications. A judgement published this week after a hearing before the South Australia District Court proposed a $718,000 payout. But he could get an even bigger paycheck - with the court yet to determine if he should be compensated for losses to superannuation, further damages, interests and court costs. Matthew Charles Crossley had his leg broken by police while being arrested on Bank Street in Adelaide CBD in March 2013 Police used capsicum spray on Mr Crossley twice and used a 'figure four leg lock' (pictured) to restrain him. He was also not told in clear terms why he was being arrested The District Court earlier this year ruled police used 'excessive force' during the arrest, finding the three officers liable battery charges. Police used capsicum spray on Mr Crossley twice and used a 'figure four leg lock' to restrain him. He was also not told in clear terms why he was being arrested. Judge Sydney Tilmouth found officers the arrest was unnecessarily violent in a judgement published this week. 'The egregious manner of his arrest and the overuse of force is particularly blameworthy,' Judge Tilmouth said. 'There was a blatant disregard for his liberty and rights, going beyond the reasonable enforcement of the law.' He described the behaviour of arresting offices as 'particularly forceful' and said the public nature would have contributed to a sense of embarrassment for Mr Crossley. 'The situation was as humiliating as it was degrading, as it took place in public with so many onlookers present, and because of the overuse of force,' he said. While the leg-lock is an approved measure of restraint within the South Australia police force, the manoeuvre was believed to have been done incorrectly. They officer likely put his entire body weight onto Mr Crossley during the arrest. But the judge found there was no evidence of 'institutional abuse' as the officer had not intentionally meant to cause an injury. During the district court hearing Mr Crossley told the court in the six months following the arrest he was forced into crutches, but was otherwise 'basically-bed bound'. Assessments from medical professionals found he was left with permanent damage resulting in a mobility issues and exacerbated psychological trauma. The hearing also heard he had become edgy around police and was struggling to find work because of his physical limitations. 'Im not physically capable. I am always hurting myself. I dont know what I would even do now,' Mr Crossley told the hearing. Mr Crossley was arrested on Bank Street in Adelaide (pictured) where he was thrown to the ground and pepper-sprayed twice in front of onlookers Judge Tilmouth made a ruling for $700,00 in compensation to cover medical expenses, loss of income and reconciliation over the pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. A further ruling will be made over claims for compensation around superannuation losses, special damage, interest and costs. The case will be finalised at a later date. A spokesperson for South Australia police told Daily Mail Australia in a statement they were unable to comment until proceedings were finalised. 'SAPOL has no comment to make at this time as the judgement is still under consideration,' the spokesperson said. PR-Inside.com: 2020-05-28 22:01:56 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 859 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC and BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Imagin Medical (CSE:IME) (OTCQB:IMEXF) (Frankfurt & Stuttgart Symbol:DPD2) ("Imagin" or the "Company") today reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2020. All amounts, unless otherwise specified, are expressed in Canadian dollars and are presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).Recent Corporate DevelopmentsOn January 20, 2020, Imagin closed an oversubscribed non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of $1,914,000.On February 17, 2020, the Company presented at the Noble Capital Markets' 16th Annual Small & Microcap Investor Conference.On March 10, 2020, Imagin reported ongoing market research feedback on its i/BlueTM Imaging System, which focused on the i/Blue's ability to display side-by-side white and blue light images simultaneously, which would enable real-time cancer visualization during resection.On May 12, 2020, the Company announced its support of Bladder Cancer Awareness Month.On May 14, 2020, Imagin reported on its response to COVID-19, including expense reductions and cost structure improvements to extend Imagin's cash runway.On May 21, 2020, the Company announced that it had received functional i/Blue Imaging Systems from Optel, Inc., its contract design and development firm, which will be used to conduct in vivo studies and virtual demonstrations for evaluation by leading urologists."During the quarter, we focused on adapting our business to align with the conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and put several initiatives in place to extend our cash runway," said Jim Hutchens, Imagin's President and CEO. "Our focus remains on advancing the i/Blue Imaging System toward commercialization, and we are looking forward to using our new functional units to demonstrate the system's features and performance via virtual meetings with investors, urologists and key opinion leaders. While we await resumption of normal clinical device study activities - which would allow us to proceed with our planned first-in-human studies of i/Blue - we will continue to explore alternative in vivo study options." Summary Fiscal 2020 Second Quarter Financial ResultsTotal operating expenses for the second quarter of fiscal 2020 were $1,837,890, compared with $970,745 for the same quarter in 2019, and consisted primarily of research and development ("R&D") and general and administrative ("G&A") expenses. R&D expenses for the second quarter of fiscal 2020 were $1,207,381 compared with $439,404 in the same quarter in 2019. The increase in R&D was primarily attributable to the work performed by outsourced design and engineering, regulatory, U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"), legal and quality consultants for the design and development of the i/Blue System and associated FDA and regulatory plans. G&A expenses for the second quarter of fiscal 2020 were $351,767, compared with $420,505 for the same quarter in 2019. The decrease in G&A expenses was primarily attributable to a $29,857 and $50,457 decrease in business development and consulting, fees; partially offset by a $7,519 and $4,057 increase in legal & accounting and management fees, respectively.Net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was $1,870,290, or $0.01 loss per common share, compared to a net loss of $926,070, or $0.01 loss per common share for the three months ended March 31, 2019.Liquidity and Outstanding Share CapitalAs at March 31, 2020, the Company had cash of $904,174.As at May 28, 2020, Imagin had an unlimited number of authorized common shares with 177,340,278 common shares issued and outstanding.The Company's financial statements and management's discussion and analysis are available on www.sedar.com Conference Call DetailsImagin is pleased to invite all interested parties to participate in a conference call today, May 28, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. ET during which the results will be discussed.Live Call: 844-369-8770 (Canada and the United States)862-298-0840 (International)Replay: 919-882-2331(Canada and the United States)Replay ID: 35004The call will also be broadcast live and archived on the Company's website at www.imaginmedical.com under "Events & Presentations." About Imagin MedicalImagin Medical is a surgical imaging company focused on advancing new methods of visualizing cancer during minimally invasive procedures. The Company believes its first product, the i/Blue Imaging System, with its proprietary optics and light sensors, will greatly increase the efficiency and accuracy of detecting cancer for removal, helping to reduce recurrence rates. The Company's initial focus is bladder cancer. Learn more at www.imaginmedical.com Forward-Looking StatementsInformation set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Specifically, there is no assurance the Company's imaging system will work in the manner expected. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the information contained herein and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.Contacts:Stephen Kilmer, Investor RelationsTelephone: 647-872-4849Email: stephen@ kilmerlucas.com Jim Hutchens, President & CEOTelephone: 833-246-2446SOURCE: Imagin Medical One of the most enjoyable things about the #MeToo movement has been the way that a political movement the left obviously intended to take out Trump and other prominent Republicans instead ended up exposing the gross sexism and outright misogyny of prominent Democrats in the political and media worlds. One would think there would be the same pleasure in watching how leftists have tried to hurt conservatives in the wake of police shootings, since that effort, too, has looped back to hurt leftists. There is no joy with this political theater, though, because the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement weaponizes tragic deaths and destroys communities, as is happening now in Minneapolis. For the most part, police shootings, especially of black men, are statistically rare. When those shootings do occur, they can arise from corrupt or ineffective law enforcement, self-destructive crime within the black community, or racism or a combination of the three. The hard-left BLM, however, has politicized all police activities that result in a minority's death, claiming that these deaths occurred solely because of rampant racism. As I noted yesterday, there's a problem for the BLM movement and its enablers in the Democrat party (both the political class and the media). Much as they would like to point the finger of blame at Republicans, conservatives and especially Trump, all these terrible things usually happen in Democrat-run communities. The latest outbreak of BLMism is occurring in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minneapolis last had a Republican mayor in 1973. The region is a bastion of leftist virtue-signaling. I was in St. Paul last year, which is the twin city to Minneapolis, and took a few photos of that non-stop leftier-than-thou attitude: Virtue-signaling, however, is not enough when it comes to a police department that has been embroiled in two high-profile deaths. In 2017, a Somali-American police officer shot Justine Damond to death for no good reason. BLM didn't care. On Monday, though, either because of deliberate or grossly negligent behavior, Minneapolis police killed 46-year-old George Floyd when an officer kneeled heavily on Floyd's neck while Floyd's desperately fought for air. Mayor Jacob Frey (a Democrat) instantly demanded criminal charges against the police, and police chief Medaria Arradonda (a black and Mexican-American man) fired the officers involved without any further inquiry. President Trump got involved, too: ....I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement. My heart goes out to Georges family and friends. Justice will be served! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020 Even though officialdom instantly acted against the culprits, that did not stop BLM from moving into Minneapolis to organize protests, nor did that stop the protests from transforming into looting: Protesters in Minneapolis took to the streets for a second night after the death of George Floyd and also began looting Target, making away with groceries, clothes, large electronics like flatscreen televisions, numerous sources reported. Looters were seen loading up carts and running in and out of a Target located steps away from Minneapolis police's 3rd precinct Wednesday, the center of the protests over Floyd's death, Fox 9 reported. Target is getting cleaned out pic.twitter.com/0OGSHY132k Karen Scullin FOX9 (@kscullinfox9) May 27, 2020 This is awful out here. No police. Looting continues pic.twitter.com/087TpNWhPV Karen Scullin FOX9 (@kscullinfox9) May 27, 2020 So far as we know, no one has accused Target of being involved with police brutality. Instead, there's an irony attached to the fact that Target is being (pardon the pun) targeted. The retailer is headquartered in Minneapolis and is an institution with strong leftist sympathies. We all remember how it instantly climbed on board the transgender bandwagon, by opening its women's restrooms to anyone. It also makes sure every June to promote its LGBT Pride. In his show on Wednesday night, Tucker Carlson rightly said that rioting (as opposed to genuine political protest) is a complete societal breakdown. What Tucker didn't say, but could have, is that these riots don't happen just anywhere. The left routinely attacks conservatives for oppressing poor and minority people and being responsible for "systemic racism." However, it's the leftist, Democrat-run enclaves, the ones that set up their systems to fight these supposed ills, that are the first to collapse into medieval squalor and anarchic violence. Germany's top commando unit has been infiltrated by right-wing extremism, a commander has claimed, as anti-Semitic crimes last year reached their highest level since the country started keeping statistics. It comes amid an overall strong increase in right-extremist criminality that is a cause for 'great concern,' Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Wednesday. The country's Special Forces Command (KSK) is said to be in crisis following incidents of personnel owning Nazi paraphernalia, stockpiling weapons, giving Hitler salutes and even plotting to assassinate left-wing politicians. Germany's Special Forces Command (KSK) is said to be in crisis after being infiltrated with right-wing extremist Brigadier General Kreitmayr, 52, said the reputation of the KSK was 'on the line' and, addressing the extremists, demanded they leave or they would be rooted out: 'You do not deserve our comradeship! You do not belong to us! You must leave this unit and the Bundeswehr of your own initiative. 'If not, be sure that we will find you and remove you.' Brigadier Kreitmayr sent a letter round to each member of the KSK warning that the unit was going through 'the most difficult phase in our history', The Times reported. 'In our midst there were and obviously still are individuals who can be ascribed to the so-called far-right spectrum,' he wrote. 'Whether through their lack of loyalty to the constitution, their closeness to the Imperial Citizens [a far-right libertarian movement] or their right-wing extremist sentiments and their support for right-wing extremist ideologies, they have all inflicted massive damage on the reputation of the KSK and the Bundeswehr as a whole, and personally on each and every one of us.' Earlier this year, it was reported that there were over 500 right-wing extremists suspected in the German army, with a particular concentration of cases in the elite KSK. At least four KSK soldiers have been sacked for extremist ideologies in recent years. Germany's Special Forces Command is an elite military command consisting of special operations soldiers selected from the ranks of Germany's Bundeswehr. KSK soldiers carry out anti-terror operations, particularly in the Middle East and the Balkans. Brigadier General Kreitmayr, 52, (pictured) said the reputation of the KSK was 'on the line' Earlier this month, German police seized weapons and explosives at the home of a special forces soldier in Nordsachsen, Saxony, and placed him under arrest. The sergeant major, 45, had been under investigation by authorities for extremist tendencies since 2017. Interior minister Seehofer told reporters in Berlin yesterday that overall, politically-motivated crimes were up 14.2% in 2019 over the previous year, which is the second highest level since authorities began tracking such crimes in 2001. Crimes by the extreme left rose the most, increasing 23.7% to 9,849, but the majority of politically motivated crimes were from the extreme right, with 22,342 cases and an increase of 9.4%. At the same time, crimes linked to a foreign ideology dropped 23.7% to 1,897 and those motivated by a religious ideology fell 27.5% to 425. Federal police officers carry a box with secured documents during raids in Leipzig, Germany, Wednesday, May 27, 2020. Police in Germany have raided dozens of homes linked to anti-government groups suspected of manufacturing fake documents 'The largest threat, as in the past, is the threat from the right,' Seehofer said. 'Extreme-right politically motivated cases make up more than half of all of such recorded crimes - it is an order of magnitude that causes us concern, great concern.' Nearly 40% of all political crimes were classified as 'propaganda crimes' - such as displaying banned symbols like the swastika. Violent crime dropped 15.9% to 2,832 cases. Of particular note was a 13% increase in anti-Semitic crimes to 2,032, more than 93% of which were attributed to the far right. Similarly, anti-Muslim crimes rose 4.4% to 950, more than 90% at the hands of a far-right perpetrator. Seehofer said right-wing extremists had left a 'trail of blood' across Germany in recent years, noting the attack on a synagogue in Halle last year in which the gunman was prevented from entering the building but killed two people on the street, a February attack in Hanau in which a gunman killed nine people of foreign background, and the murder last June of a regional politician who supported Merkels welcoming policy toward migrants. 'We have every reason to continue with the greatest vigilance here,' he said. Charlotte Knobloch, a Holocaust survivor and German Jewish leader, said the increase in anti-Semitic crimes was 'no longer surprising' and that she was particularly worried about how visible it had become in recent years. She suggested it was being fanned by the success of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is the largest opposition party nationally with seats in every state parliament - although it has seen support slip below 10% in recent polls. 'Various extremist groups have played their part in making this anti-Semitism socially acceptable,' Knobloch said in a statement. 'Above all, the so-called Alternative for Germany.' She said the coronavirus pandemic has created a new platform for anti-Semitism, and called on authorities to crack down on conspiracy theories being spread over the internet. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, attends a news conference on politically motivated crimes in Berlin on Wednesday, May 27 Seehofer said authorities, accused in the past of downplaying right-wing activity, are not 'blind in the right eye' and have taken action to combat the trend. He noted that the countrys domestic intelligence last year increased surveillance of the Alternative for Germany, particularly focusing on its youth arm and a faction known as 'The Wing,' which has downplayed the countrys Nazi past and suggested it might pursue 'revolutionary' means to achieve its political aims. He said the decision has been 'highly effective' but has not 'wiped the ideas off the table.' Security services have also turned more attention to followers of the so-called Reich Citizens movement, whose philosophy rejects the current German state order and overlaps with far-right extremist groups. On Wednesday, police raided more than two dozen homes tied to 31 suspected members of the movement, believed to have been involved with forged passports, driving licenses and citizenship certificates, prosecutors in Stuttgart and Karlsruhe said. Seehofer said officials were also systematically checking out movement members who have permits for weapons - revoking 790 since 2016, including 380 last year - and would continue to do so. 'According to our information there are still some 500 Reich Citizens permitted to hold weapons,' he said. 'Im saying here that every weapon allowed is one too many.' Oil traded flat on Thursday morning following yesterdays correction driven by Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members signaling that they are considering extending the huge output cuts until the end of 2020. Prices fell late on Wednesday afternoon after the API reported an unexpectedly large crude build. The institute reported an 8.7 million barrel build though analysts expected a 1.9 million barrel draw. The large build in crude stocks is the first build in inventories in 3 weeks and led to a drop in oil prices on Thursday morning. Traders are now waiting to see if the build in inventories is confirmed by the EIA. Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodity research at BNP Paribas told Reuters that All in all oil is pretty much flat after the price correction yesterday. The market opened lower after the shock API numbers, but it is now treading water until EIA statistics are released,. While oil fundamentals have clearly improved since the beginning of March, traders shouldnt become too optimistic. Demand is improving in China, Europe, and the U.S., but a full recovery is not likely to materialize in 2020. Investment bank Morgan Stanley expects Brent crude prices to rise to $40 per barrel during the last quarter of the year, citing improving demand as the main driver for higher oil prices. In a note to its clients, the bank states that it expects a strong rebound in demand, and even sees a supply deficit on the horizon if current OPEC+ output cuts are kept in place. We expect demand to rebound to about 97 million barrels per day (bpd) by Q4 as economies come out of lockdown - a significant improvement although still down about 4 million bpd year-on-year, the release stated. While Saudi Arabia and some of its OPEC peers may be interested in extending oil output cuts, Russias participation in a deal extension is far from certain. Several Russian oil industry chief executives including Rosnefts Igor Sechin and Lukoils Vagit Alekperov have, in the past, spoken out against Russian participation in OPEC+ output cuts, and might do so again. On an international level, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a phone call on Wednesday that the two nations will coordinate closely on further output arrangements. Traders will once again be looking to OPEC and its partners to stabilize the oil market during this tough year for the industry. By Tom Kool of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Russias DIA seeks recovery over $612M from Yugra bank ex-managers AGN Moskva, Sergey Vedyashkin 17:39 28/05/2020 MOSCOW, May 28 (RAPSI) Russias Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) has submitted two claims for recovery of $529.2 million and 5.9 billion rubles (about $83.4 million) from ex-owner of Bank Yugra Alexey Khotin, former bank board chairman Dmitry Shilyayev, and several individuals and corporate bodies, the agency informs on Thursday. The Moscow Commercial Court is to hear on July 3 two DIA claims against former managers of the bank amounting to 1.9 billion rubles (about $27 million at the current exchange rate). Earlier, the same court ruled in favor of the DIA as to attachment of cash assets and other properties of former Bank Yugra managers. At that time, DIA petitioned the court to grant it interim relief by seizing the aforesaid property in the framework of a claim by which it sought to hold the defendants civilly liable and recover from them the damages. In the period from April 9 through April 16, the court ruled in favor of DIA as to the recovery of about 8 billion rubles (about $113 million at the current exchange rate) from the defendants, holding them civilly liable, and the seizure of their assets. These claims are to be heard on June 3. This February, the court dismissed a request of Yugra bank acting on behalf of Shilyayev to review the ruling, by which the banks license had been revoked in 2017, basing upon new evidence. An earlier petition to review the order of Russias Central Bank of 2017 revoking Yugra license was dismissed in cassation in September 2019. In July 2017, Russia's Central Bank said withdrew the license of Yugra bank, one of the top 30 banks. It imposed temporary administration represented by the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) in the bank. The DIA was ordered to conduct Yugras status inquiry. In October 2018, the Moscow Commercial Court declared Yugra bankrupt. This April, the Moscow City Court extended house arrest of the majority stockholder of Yugra bank Alexey Khotin charged with embezzling 7.5 billion rubles from the credit organization until July 18. Other defendants in the embezzlement case, ex-bank board chairman Dmitry Shilyayev and ex-president of the bank Alexey Nefedov, will also stay under house arrest until mid-July. Investigators believe that banker Khotin and his alleged accomplices have been involved in stealing the money from Yugra. The fact of the embezzlement is confirmed by the documents of Russias Central Bank, Deposit Insurance Agency and other evidence, according to the investigation. As the gatekeeper of Android, Google frequently finds itself in an awkward position. The company has its own platform-wide priorities and ways it wants its ecosystems to evolve, but it also has the goals of all the third-party manufacturers that create hardware for those virtual environments to consider. And guess what? Google's priorities and the desires of the companies making the bulk of the devices don't always align. And that forces Google to do a delicate dance in order to push forward with its own plans without saying anything that'd go directly against a device-maker's interests. Well, it's time to stop beating around the bush and just say what Google won't openly acknowledge: You should not be buying an Android tablet in 2020. Period. It's a pretty hefty meatball to toss out there, I realize, and a funny thing to hear in a column about Android but it's something we've been building up to for quite a while now. And if you've been paying careful attention, it really shouldn't come as that much of a surprise. The reason behind it, in fact, is actually quite simple. [Get fresh Googley insight in your inbox every Friday with JR's Android Intelligence newsletter. Exclusive extras await!] The Android tablet's awkward arc Before we get into the true trouble with Android tablets today, we need to briefly revisit their origins because Android tablets really are an unusual category of devices with a complicated beginning, and that awkward start informs a lot of what's happening now. Back in the early days, y'see, Google didn't have a great way for Android to exist in a "big-screen" form. (I put "big-screen" in quotes because the earliest Android tablets weren't much bigger than our current Android phones. Hey, it's all relative.) So in 2010, after Apple unveiled its first magical and revolutionary iPad, Android device-makers desperate to compete in the newly established arena rushed to cobble together their own half-baked answers. Most prominently, Samsung spewed out its inaugural Galaxy Tab a 7" slate that ran Android 2.2, worked exactly like a phone, and even let you make and receive calls with your own SIM card in certain scenarios. So, yeah: It was more or less just a big phone. Samsung The 2010 Galaxy Tab 7.0, with the requisite promo-shot mirror effect at its bottom. Early the next year, Google came out with its Android 3.0 Honeycomb software a tablet-only release that introduced a totally new foundation for Android to exist in a large-screen form. The first true Android tablets, including the classic Motorola Xoom, followed. Android 3.0 was actually an admirable framework for a whole new kind of mobile-tech experience one in which the core Android interface was completely reimagined in a way that took advantage of the newfound screen space and created a totally different type of productivity-minded environment. But it wouldn't last for long. Apple had already made a serious splash with its iPad, and Google did its usual Google thing first, failing to get developers on board quickly enough to make a good first impression with how apps operated in its newly scaled-up environment, then quickly losing its focus, pivoting away from its original vision, and ultimately just letting the idea of the Android tablet languish without any movement forward. Despite some broad misunderstanding, Google actually had a sound original vision for how Android apps and Android itself should work on larger devices but the whole thing just never quite came together. And despite Android's growing dominance on the phone front and the endless array of advantages the platform possessed, it never managed to attract any meaningful number of takers in the tablet domain. By 2016, Google had by all counts given up on the idea of the Android tablet. Android tablets still existed, of course, but Google wasn't doing much to advance or promote 'em. And it became increasingly clear that its own self-made Pixel C convertible of that time represented both the end of an era and a glimpse at what was next. The Android tablet transition So there we were, in 2016. Android tablets were already starting to feel like they were on life support. And at the same time that the traditional Android tablet was withering, Google's Chrome OS platform was thriving and evolving. While observers were mistakenly obsessing over how and when Google would "kill" Chrome OS or merge it in some way with Android, Google was actually aligning its two platforms and preparing them to coexist in some pretty interesting ways. Little by little, Chrome OS grew more Android-like in both interface and capability, and Chromebook hardware grew even more versatile, too with early touch-enabled displays giving way to convertible devices and straight-up slates with optional keyboard attachments. It all seems commonplace now, but Chrome OS was doing this stuff way before it was in vogue (and at a time when most pundits were questioning and generally pooh-poohing its purpose). A couple years back, I noted this trend and pointed out how the Chromebook was shaping up to be the "new Android tablet." And here we are today: Chromebooks are now fully capable of running Android apps an experience that isn't always optimal, mind you, but is perfectly serviceable. It's a criticism that applies just as much to Android apps on an Android tablet, really. (And between web apps, progressive web apps, and maybe even the occasional Linux app, you often won't opt for an Android app when using a Chromebook, anyway. They're more of a supplement than the main attraction in that environment, and for productivity purposes in particular, that feels like exactly how it oughta be.) Chromebooks now have Google Assistant integrated in at the system level, too, which opens up the door to some powerful possibilities similar to and sometimes even exceeding what's possible within Android itself. And a Chromebook provides a desktop-caliber work environment no traditional Android tablet can match, particularly when you're using a device that's designed to switch seamlessly between the laptop and tablet form. Most important to the concerns of any business-minded user, though and the reason I was inspired to write this story now: Chromebooks actually get updates. They get 'em quietly and automatically, directly from Google, every few weeks regardless of what company made the devices. And as of last fall, they get updates for roughly seven to eight years from the time of their launch. Those updates, just like their equivalents on Android, contain critical enhancements in the areas of security, privacy, and performance in addition to their more noticeable front-facing interface changes and feature additions. No serious business user should be using a device that doesn't receive them in a timely and reliable manner. And well, let's think about how Android tablets fare in that domain. We talk a lot about the sad state of Android upgrades on the phone front, despite misleading narratives to the contrary, but for as bad as most device-makers do with Android phone upgrades, they do even worse when it comes to keeping their tablets up to date. Take, for instance, Samsung's Galaxy Tab S6 the company's top-of-the-line flagship tablet that's positioned as a "PC-like" two-in-one productivity system. It started at $650 when it launched last fall and is listed as the "best Android tablet" in a lot of review-based rankings. The Galaxy Tab S6 got upgraded to the current Android 10 operating system software in the U.S. just this month in May of 2020. That's roughly eight months after Android 10's release eight months that owners of Samsung's top-tier productivity tablet were using an outdated and not optimally secure or privacy-protected product. If we're lucky, maybe, maybe it'll get one more major OS update before it's abandoned. And somehow, that's still better than how most other Android tablets are faring. At the same time, any random $200 Chromebook is getting both major OS updates on a monthly basis and smaller security patches every two to three weeks and will continue to do so for another several years. See where we're heading with this? The best Android tablet isn't an Android tablet at all Plain and simple, buying an Android tablet is setting yourself up for disappointment when it comes to both performance and capability and when it comes to the critical areas of privacy, security, and ongoing software upkeep. So when people ask me which Android tablet they should buy, you know what I tell 'em nowadays? They shouldn't buy one at all. If they want a Googley, Android-connected experience in a large-screen form, they should consider a decent convertible Chromebook instead. The exception and Chrome OS's remaining weakness is in the area of super-affordable, small-slate tablets. You can get a crappy Amazon-made Fire tablet for 50 bucks! And Chromebooks have yet to come around to address that demand. So if you're looking for a dirt cheap video screen or, say, something for a child to use, the low-end Android tablets might still be your only real option. When it comes to productivity and actual work-friendly devices, though situations where the computing experience itself matters and where having an optimally secure, privacy-conscious, and performance-optimized environment is important the common advice out there is increasingly misguided. The best Android tablet isn't an Android tablet at all. It's a Chromebook. One last footnote to all of this: Remember that Pixel C we talked about a minute ago the final Android tablet effort that Google put into the world? Signs suggest it was actually supposed to have run Chrome OS and that the software just wasn't quite ready in time for its debut. It should have been the first Pixelbook, by all counts the platform-defying device that steered us away from Android as the large-screen environment while still retaining its most worthwhile elements. But since the product was a touch ahead of its time, Google seemingly slapped Android on it instead and tossed it out as one last half-hearted hurrah. That was almost certainly the moment when things began to shift, even if we didn't fully realize it at the time. And at this point, despite the companies that keep pumping out Android-running slates and putting 'em on store shelves, the traditional Android tablet lives on mostly as a legacy holdout and mostly for people who don't realize that a better, more contemporary option exists. Sign up for my weekly newsletter to get more practical tips, personal recommendations, and plain-English perspective on the news that matters. [Android Intelligence videos at Computerworld] Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo inspects troops during his visit to the Natuna islands bordering the South China Sea, Jan. 8, 2020. Updated at 7:13 p.m. ET on 2020-05-28 Indonesia added its weight to recent diplomatic moves by ASEAN members opposing Beijings claims in the South China Sea, sending a rare diplomatic note to the head of the United Nations earlier this week. The letter, sent to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday, spelled out the Indonesian governments support for a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, when the court sided with the Philippines in a case that Manila brought against China over a territorial dispute in the sea. Indonesia reiterates that the Nine-Dash line map implying historic rights claim clearly lacks international legal basis and is tantamount to upset UNCLOS 1982, said the letter from Indonesias Permanent Mission to the United Nations, referring to a boundary on Chinese maps that encompasses Beijings claims in the maritime region. As a State Party to UNCLOS 1982, Indonesia has consistently called for the full compliance toward international law, including UNCLOS 1982. Indonesia hereby declares that it is not bound by any claims made in contravention to international law, including UNCLOS 1982, the letter stated. The letter, parts of which were posted to Twitter by Sidhant Sibal, a reporter for the WION news website, referred to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the international treaty adopted nearly 40 years ago. WION and Rappler.com included portions of the letter in their reports on this issue. On Thursday, a diplomat at Indonesias Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York referred BenarNews requests for comments or a copy of the letter to the foreign ministry in Jakarta. When BenarNews contacted him earlier in the day about the letter, a foreign ministry spokesman, Teuku Faizasyah, said Ill check it first. In Washington, Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, said Indonesias action broke new ground. This note verbale is the first time that any of the Philippines Southeast Asian neighbors has stood up and explicitly endorsed its 2016 arbitration win against China. Officials in Jakarta have been pushing this for four years and it looks like theyve finally won out over political fears about China, he told BenarNews. If this, or more likely the next, Philippine government ever wants to take up the cause again, Indonesian support could be an important part of building a coalition. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who took power days before the Permanent Court ruled in favor of his countrys claim to the contested waterway, has instead sought closer ties with China. The Indonesian letter is the latest in a flurry of letters from ASEAN countries and China following a Malaysian submission to the U.N. in December 2019 that claimed sovereignty over an extended continental shelf in the South China Sea off its northern coast, potentially an area with significant undersea resources. It is our sovereign right to claim whatever is there within our waters and which is not claimed by others, said Saifuddin Abdullah, who was Malaysias foreign minister at the time the letter was filed. The letter drew a response from China, which asserted sole sovereignty over the South China Sea, based not just on its claims to land features, but also on the basis of historic rights to the waters themselves. The Philippines and Vietnam weighed in, submitting protests to Chinas territorial claims. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam are among countries that, along with China, have competing claims in the South China Sea. Indonesia is not among the claimant countries, but in early 2020 and in 2016, tensions flared between Jakarta and Beijing over the presence of Chinese fishing boats swarming in South China Sea waters near Indonesias Natuna Islands. In 2002, the 10-nation ASEAN bloc and China agreed on a Declaration of Conduct, which was a statement of principles on how parties should behave in the South China Sea. But completing a more detailed and binding Code of Conduct (CoC) has proved much harder. Negotiations began in earnest in 2016 with a tentative deadline for acceptance in 2021. A draft of the text of the agreement has been released. Observers have said that Beijing would like to end negotiations early without touching basic but contentious sections including what it actually claims in the sea region. China could, by forcing an early resolution to the Code of Conduct, just shut everybody up, Carl Thayer, professor emeritus at the University of New South Wales, told BenarNews in April. Sorry, we closed the door, we cant change anything, what we occupy is Chinas and you relinquish it. Retno Marsudi statement Earlier this month, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi issued a statement saying her government was closely following recent developments in the sea region. Indonesia expresses its concerns on recent activities in the South China Sea which may potentially escalate tensions at a time where global collective efforts are vital in fighting COVID-19 she said during a speech on May 6. Indonesia underlines the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea including to ensure freedom of navigation and over-flight and to urge all parties to respect international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Retno added. She also noted that while CoC negotiations had been delayed, all relevant countries should show self-restraint. We remain committed to ensuring the conclusion of the CoC that is effective, substantive, and actionable, despite the current circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. Ronna Nirmala in Jakarta contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 09:28:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KIGALI, May 27 (Xinhua) -- To curb the spread of COVID-19, Rwanda's commercial motorists, commonly known as motorcycle taxis, are required to adopt cashless payment services after they resume operation on June 1, the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) said here Wednesday. "All motorcyclists in the capital Kigali are required to use meters and cashless payments. However, those outside the capital in provinces will start using meters at a later date but are required to use cashless payments instead of hand-to-hand cash exchange," the regulator said in a statement. Operators and passengers have been advised to use mobile money to receive and send payments, it said, adding that both riders and passengers are required to carry hand sanitizers to disinfect their hands and helmets before any trip. It also asked motorcycle taxis and passengers to wear face masks at all times and passengers who can afford helmets to use their own helmets. According to the RURA, riders must observe social distancing when parking their motorcycles, and failure to comply with COVID-19 preventive directives would be disciplined. The Rwandan Health Ministry said Tuesday that it has conducted tests on commercial motorcyclists for COVID-19 in preparation for their resumption of operation. Commercial motorcyclists, on whom many commuters rely in Rwanda, are allowed to carry goods and offer delivery services under the existing measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, but are banned from carrying passengers. As of Wednesday evening, Rwanda has reported a total of 346 confirmed COVID-19 cases with zero death and 245 recoveries. Enditem To support the Covid-19 response support program launched by Moroco, the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has decided to grant 264 million to the kingdom. The programs primary objective is to help limit the spread of the virus and further improve the effectiveness of the authorities health response. It will thus help increase the number of hospitals authorized to carry out virological screening, the AfDB said in statement. According to the AfDB, the plan will provide access to financing for self-entrepreneurs and strengthen the cash flow of very small and medium enterprises (VMEEs). The expected outcome is to preserve 75% of jobs affected by the crisis. According to Moroccan authorities, the health crisis, which has gripped the whole world, caused an increase in the unemployment rate, which jumped from 9.2% at end-2019 to16.9% in the first half of 2020. The figure concerns only formal sector jobs but not the informal sector where the impact of the crisis might be more alarming. Authorities also expect poverty to hit around 10 million people with women projected to be the worst affected. Morocco has been little affected by the new coronavirus with less than 8,000 officially detected cases and 202 deaths. The AfDB loan will hit maturity after 20 years including a grace period of five years. Advertisement Hong Kong's freedoms were declared dead today after China's parliament rubber-stamped a new security law to give Beijing sweeping powers over the city, sparking global outrage. The bill gives the Communist Party draconian powers to punish 'secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference' and allows its secret police to operate openly in Hong Kong. Chinese president Xi Jinping cast one of the 2,878 votes for the bill - with only one against - in a move which has triggered a fresh wave of protests in the city despite Beijing's promise to 'smash' any resistance. Lawmakers in the city mourned 'the end of Hong Kong' today and said the former British colony 'just becomes another Chinese city' under Beijing's authoritarian control. Washington said the move would 'fundamentally undermine Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and freedoms' which were promised when it returned to Chinese rule under a 'one country, two systems' formula in 1997. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday said Hong Kong no longer qualified for special treatment under US law, potentially dealing a crushing blow to its status as a major financial hub. Japan has also voiced concern while UK ministers are facing calls to take 'immediate action'. Taiwan accused China of 'shattering' the city's freedom, offering Hong Kong residents the chance to escape Beijing's rule by moving to Taiwan under a plan for 'humanitarian assistance'. Meanwhile, riot police were deployed across Hong Kong today after mass protests as lawmakers debated a bill that would criminalise disrespect of China's national anthem. Chinese leader Xi Jinping pushes a button to vote on the new national security law for Hong Kong, which critics say will destroy the autonomy of the former British colony today China's Communist Party leaders and delegates sit at the opening of the National People's Congress in Beijing as the country's parliament voted to impose a new security law on Hong Kong The National People's Congress voted 2,878 to 1 in favour of the decision to empower its standing committee to draft the Hong Kong national security legislation, with six abstentions A scuffle broke out at a session of Hong Kong's Legislative Council which was debating a separate measure criminalising any abuse or insults of the Chinese national anthem Pro-democracy supporters are pictured scuffling with riot police during an detention at a rally in Causeway Bay district on Wednesday. The national anthem and national security bills have re-ignited the anti-government unrest which started in June last year in the Asian financial hub The security law was 'only the latest in a series of actions undermining Hong Kong freedoms, Pompeo told Congress. 'No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground,' he said. Beijing reacted angrily to Pompeo's move, saying the decision to revoke Hong Kong's special status 'is the most barbaric, the most unreasonable and the most shameless'. In a further response today, the governments of the US, UK, Australia and Canada said China's move was 'in direct conflict with its international obligations'. Direct rule from Beijing 'would curtail the Hong Kong people's liberties, and in doing so, dramatically erode Hong Kong's autonomy and the system that made it so prosperous,' a joint statement said. 'We are also extremely concerned that this action will exacerbate the existing deep divisions in Hong Kong society; the law does nothing to build mutual understanding and foster reconciliation within Hong Kong. 'Rebuilding trust across Hong Kong society by allowing the people of Hong Kong to enjoy the rights and freedoms they were promised can be the only way back from the tensions and unrest that the territory has seen over the last year.' 'The worlds focus on a global pandemic requires enhanced trust in governments and international cooperation. Beijings unprecedented move risks having the opposite effect.' China says the law was necessary because Hong Kong has become a 'national security risk' following years of anti-Beijing demonstrations. Chinese authorities and the Beijing-backed government in Hong Kong say there is no threat to the city's high degree of autonomy and the new security law would be tightly focused. Premier Li Keqiang said lawmakers had 'passed the decision to maintain national security, and it represents the steady and lasting [execution of] one country, two systems, and the safeguard of the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.' But the move prompted immediate warnings that the law would be used to persecute protesters, and China could bring charges of subversion and terrorism against them. The Chinese National People's Congress passed the national security law for Hong Kong unanimously at its closing ceremony in Beijing on Thursday. Pictured, Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang (right) cast their votes on the national security legislation for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the closing session of the NPC on Thursday Police fired pepper pellets and made 360 arrests in Hong Kong on Wednesday as thousands took to the streets in anger to protest against Beijing's tightening grip. Pictured, police stand guard on a road to deter pro-democracy protesters from blocking roads in Mong Kok Riot police stand guard outside a Louis Vuitton shop during a protest against Beijing's plans to impose national security legislation in Hong Kong on Thursday. The bill has been approved The move will ultimately change the territory's mini-constitution, or Basic Law, adding a national security law with full details to be decided later by Chinese leaders - bypassing Hong Kong's legislature. Critics say the act would lead to the widespread use of secret police, arbitrary detentions, surveillance and even control over the internet on the island territory. The new law could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in the city, which was promised in 1997 that its freedoms would remain unchanged for 50 years. Those liberties included a free market economy, an independent judiciary, free speech and a local legislature. 'It's the end of Hong Kong... they are cutting off our souls, taking away the values which we've always embraced, values like human rights, democracy, rule of law,' said Hong Kong lawmaker Claudia Mo. Emily Lau, a former chair of the city's Democratic Party, said Beijing could send authorities to Hong Kong to set up their own 'national security office' and impose the mainland's laws. 'One country, two systems is over. It's one country, one system,' she told Sky News today, urging Boris Johnson to speak out 'however busy he is' with the pandemic. The Human Rights Foundation said the Chinese Communist Party had 'signed a death sentence' for Hong Kong's autonomy. Hong Kong's unpopular pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam has said the law will not stifle freedoms, claiming it showed 'the country's care towards Hong Kong'. 'It will not affect the legitimate rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents,' she said, adding that the new powers were there to 'sanction an extremely small minority of criminals who threaten national security'. 'A stable and safe society will provide a favourable business and investment environment. This will help better Hong Kongs development down the road,' she said. The Chinese National People's Congress passed the Hong Kong bill at its closing ceremony in Beijing this afternoon local time. The law is expected to be enacted before September. The National People's Congress voted 2,878 to 1 in favour of the decision to empower its standing committee to draft the legislation, with six abstentions. The legislators gathered in the Great Hall of the People burst into sustained applause when the vote tally was projected onto screens. A Hong Kong protester gestures 'five demands' while attending a rally in a shopping mall today Riot police were deployed across Hong Kong today after mass protests yesterday as lawmakers debated a bill that would criminalise disrespect of China's national anthem A man smokes past a line of riot police in Hong Kong during the second day of debate on a contentious bill that would criminalise insulting or abusing the Chinese national anthem Police fired pepper pellets and made 360 arrests on Wednesday as thousands took to the streets in anger over the anthem bill and national security legislation proposed by China that has raised international alarm over freedoms in the city. On Thursday, dozens gathered in a shopping mall, chanting 'good kids don't become cops,' and 'reclaim Hong Kong' as the Hong Kong's parliament continued to debate over the bill - the latest spark of anti-government unrest in the semi-autonomous city. Meanwhile three pro-democracy lawmakers were ejected from Hong Kong's legislative chamber this morning, disrupting debate on a bill that would criminalise insulting or abusing the Chinese national anthem. 'We have wanted to use any method to stop this national anthem law getting passed by this legislature, which is basically controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, because the law is just another way of putting pressure on Hong Kong people,' one of the ejected lawmakers, Eddie Chu, said outside the chamber. Protests raged in Hong Kong for months last year over plans for a separate law which would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be extradited to the mainland. The protests were spearheaded by young people, who will see China's 50-year promise of freedom expire in their lifetimes. Nearly 23 of those 50 years have already passed. The angry protests have subsided during the coronavirus pandemic, which first emerged in China, but the new bill has seen the first major demonstrations for months. China's troops have said that they are ready to 'smash' any protests against the bill. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign affairs said on Wednesday that China would take necessary countermeasures to foreign interference regarding the new legislation. Riot police detain a group of people during a protest in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong as China's move to award itself draconian powers sparked a fresh wave of protests A woman walks past riot police in Hong Kong's central business district today amid a revival of protests after Beijing voted to impose a new national security law Security guards stand in front of a barrier outside the Bank of China in Hong Kong today as protests sprung up once more Hong Kong students and Taiwanese supporters hold slogan reading 'Evil Law Under the Pressure of the Border, Work Hand in Hand' and 'The asylum mechanism is clearly in place' during a protest against Beijing's national security legislation in Taipei on Thursday Hong Kong protesters hold a rally in a shopping mall today, one of them holding up a US flag after Washington denounced China for imposing the new security law Xi Jinping is shown on a screen during a live broadcast of the National People's Congress session in Beijing today Taiwan's leader Tsai Ing-wen has called for a 'humanitarian response' with Hong Kong residents encouraged to settle in the country, which accused mainland China of 'shattering' Hong Kong's freedoms The United States, Britain and the European Union have voiced grave concern about the Hong Kong national security law, and its implications for China's freest city and one of the world's financial hubs. The United States and China clashed over Hong Kong at the United Nations on Wednesday after Beijing opposed a request by Washington for the Security Council to meet over the national security legislation. The US mission said it was 'a matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security'. China said the legislation was an internal matter. The loss of Hong Kong's trade privileges could mean Hong Kong identity card holders might lose their ability to visit the United States without applying for a visa in advance. Washington also could revoke its promise to exchange Hong Kong dollars for U.S dollars, potentially disrupting the city's financial system, Deutsche Bank economist Michael Spencer said in a report. The New York Times reported that Trump administration officials were preparing to cancel the visas of thousands of Chinese students who are linked to the People's Liberation Army. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden would also sanction China if he is elected in November, his campaign said, accusing Trump of having 'enabled' Beijing's curbs on Hong Kong freedom. If Washington opts for hardline measures it would risk 'all of the financial connectivity that China has to the free market', according to Robert Spalding, a US-China expert at the Hudson Institute. The two countries are locked in a number of other disputes, a row over Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei and a fierce dispute over Beijing's handling of the virus outbreak. Meanwhile, Taiwan promised to settle any Hong Kong people who flee for political reasons, offering help from employment to counselling. Hong Kong's demonstrators have won widespread sympathy in Taiwan, which China considers as its rightful territory. 'The decision to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong shatters China's solemn promise in 1997 to respect Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms,' Taiwan's foreign ministry said. 'Taiwan will be ready to offer necessary humanitarian assistance.' Lord Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, has called on world leaders to stand up to Beijing and help Hong Kong fight for its freedom. Lord Patten has also described the new law as 'a frontal assault' on the relative freedoms granted to the semi-autonomous city Prince Charles and the last British Governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten (left) raise their glasses for the loyal toast prior to the colony's handover to China after 154 years of British rule Meanwhile Lord Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, has called on world leaders to stand up to Beijing and help Hong Kong fight for its freedom in a column on the Financial Times. Lord Patten has also described the new law as 'a frontal assault' on the relative freedoms granted to the semi-autonomous city. He said Britain must act over the 'disgraceful breach' of China's international treaty obligations, and branded the Communist Party 'a very nasty, brutal, bullying and mendacious regime'. China blocked a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the legislation on Wednesday. Ambassador Zhang Jun said Hong Kong matters are 'purely China's internal affairs.' Labour's shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy today demanded 'immediate action' from Britain to 'ensure we defend the values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law'. 'As the world searches for a global response to Covid-19, defending the rule of law, democracy and freedom of expression here and across the world is more important than ever,' she told foreign secretary Dominic Raab. 'I am deeply concerned that in the absence of any strategic approach, China will continue to act with impunity with very stark consequences for people in Hong Kong and elsewhere,' she said. Japan said today it was 'seriously concerned' about the Chinese parliament's decision, describing Hong Kong as an 'extremely important partner'. 'It is the long-standing policy of Japan to attach great importance to upholding a free and open system which has been enjoying and the democratic and stable development of Hong Kong,' a statement said. Chevron said Wednesday that it would cut up to 15 percent of its global workforce while its rival, Exxon Mobil, said it had no plans to lay off employees. The contrasting disclosures came as the two U.S. oil majors held annual meetings in which they fought back shareholder proposals for greater accountability and transparency over their role in climate change and won approval of higher compensation for top executives. Both companies, like the entire industry, are contending with a plunge in demand and oil prices from the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Chevron shareholders voted to raise CEO Mike Wirth's 2020 base salary to $1.65 million, up from $1.6 million in 2019. Wirth's total compensation in 2019, including stock options, was more than $33 million. In a statement, Chevron said it was streamlining our organizational structures to reflect the efficiencies and match projected activity levels. This is a difficult decision, and we do not make it lightly. Chevron did not detail where the cuts to its approximately 45,000 global employees would occur and aid it could not speculate on the impact to its Houston workforce. Chevron employs about 7,000 in Houston, according to a Houston Chronicle survey. Wire service Reuters first reported Chevron's layoff plans Wednesday. Exxon shareholders approved increasing CEO Darren Woods' 2020 base salary to $1.62 million, up from $1.5 million in 2019. Woods' total compensation in 2019, including stock options, was nearly $23.5 million. Exxon Mobil plans to cut its operating expenses by 15 percent, but Woods told shareholders that those cost reductions do not include layoffs of company employees. The oil major employs nearly 16,000 employees locally, according to a Houston Chronicle survey. As you all know, we work hard to avoid layoffs, Woods said. Today, we have no layoff plans. The nations two largest energy companies, meanwhile, faced protests on social media and at Exxons Baytown refinery Wednesday as shareholders logged into their annual meetings, held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. But shareholders rejected resolutions, including some also introduced last year, calling for the two oil majors to set targets for carbon emissions reductions, report on the public health risks of expanding petrochemical plants in hurricane-prone areas such as the Gulf Coast, split the roles of chairman and chief executive, and disclose indirect contributions to political campaigns. NEWS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up for breaking news email alerts from HoustonChronicle.com here Exxon and Chevron continue to give lip service to the goals of the Paris Agreement, while failing to clarify for investors if or how they will reduce their emissions in alignment with the Paris Agreement, said Danielle Fugere, president of As You Sow, a California nonprofit that advocates for environmental and corporate responsibility. Their actions are exacerbating the climate crisis and, in turn, putting their own operations, communities and investors portfolios at risk. The Paris accord, first signed in 1998, requires nations to commit to substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting the rise of the global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Environmental activists scored one major win against Big Oil, however. A slight majority of Chevron shareholders 53 percent voted Wednesday to require the California-based company to issue a report on its lobbying efforts related to climate change. A similar proposal at Exxon garnered nearly 38 percent. The pressure from climate change activists and investors has intensified over the past year. BlackRock, the worlds largest asset manager, earlier this year urged Exxon shareholders to split the roles of board chairman and chief executive, now held alone by Darren Woods, and vote out two of the companys board members because of their stance on climate change. Woods, addressing shareholders Wednesday, said he understood concerns about the environment and corporate transparency, and said the company has held dozens of meetings with climate-focused investors, including Climate Action 100 Plus, a group of 450 investors with more than $40 trillion of assets under management. But Woods argued that meeting the Paris agreement would require a substantial change to government policy and changes to consumer preferences toward renewable and alternative sources of energy. We recognize the importance of addressing climate change, Woods said. As an independent company, we cant drive that, but we can contribute. Exxon and Chevron have taken steps toward the low-carbon future. Exxon, for example, is developing biofuels, notably from algae, while Chevron has invested in solar, wind and geothermal power sources. But environmental activists say they havent done enough. Jordan Duncan, a staff director for the Texas Campaign for the Environment, helped organize a small demonstration in front of Exxons Baytown refinery Wednesday morning during the companys annual meeting. Its disappointing, but the momentum is trending in the right direction, Duncan said. Its for us to keep putting on the pressure to hold them accountable. Bloomberg News contributed. paul.takahashi@chron.com twitter.com/paultakahashi INTRODUCTION Registering citizens to vote and compiling a voters register is a critical part of the electoral process, a basic foundation of our democratic system. It is, therefore, no surprise that the constitution mandates and citizens expect an independent, objective, and impartial Commission to conduct transparent, free, and fair elections. An election conducted on these terms informs the people their representatives are a true reflection of their vote. BACKGROUND The Electoral Commission(EC) is responsible for providing each political party on a timely basis, a clean Voters register. In this technological age, a clean Voters register is a Comma Separated Value(CSV) version of a Voters register with or without a Portable Document Format (PDF) version. In 2012 and in 2016, the EC provided what for all intents and purposes was a useless document in the form of a PDF version of the Voters register. A PDF version of a Voters Register is a flat file. It is of no use to anyone except to compare one set of totals to another. A CSV version of a Voters Register however, is a file which enables enquiries to be made by a savvy I.T. professional to determine the accuracy, reliability and credibility of the Voters register. It can tell through analysis, details of duplicates, triplicates, multiplicates and other irregularities or actions relating to the Voters Register. It is the gold standard Voters register document that must be given to every party in any election. Yet, to this day, the NPP has NEVER seen a CSV version of a Voters register. This means that the NPP has NEVER been given the Voters register for any elections ever in the history of Ghana in this Fourth Republic. THE ELECTION FRAUD MACHINE A bloated Voters register, on its own does not produce a fraudulent election result, it is however, the ability of criminal elements to weaponize the voters register by transferring the fake names or phantom registrants to actual votes, that makes for a stolen election. This is more so in Ghana where a Voters fraud machine which has perfected the art of transferring a bloated register into actual votes, exists. Sources inform us that a large percentage of the EC officials (District Managers, etc.) are NDC operatives who are part - of this criminal enterprise of rigging elections. These EC operatives staff the polling stations with known criminal elements who compromise polling stations and collation centers through their hiring and ensure their criminal purpose succeeds. A system of form-filling of polling station results has been in existence for over two decades. Which simply undermines the whole essence of the electoral system. This system has been perfected over the years, to the extent that there are some known polling stations and constituencies which are compromised to return pre-determined results in every election. A notable constituency is Ketu South. There are many others where analysis has shown that the results are just plainly false, and this exercise is possible where the party representatives of the two major parties tend to be double agents and turncoats. THE 2012 ELECTION FRAUD Since the Fourth Republic, every effort has been made by various persons to undermine the very essence of a free and fair election. Specifically, ballot-rigging through over-bloated Voters Registers, violence, intimidation, threats, abuse of incumbency, and process have been used to tamper with the electoral system to produce predetermined outcomes. It is interesting to note that when Ghana moved to a biometric system in the 2012 elections, all efforts were put in place to make it easier to rig the electoral process in a way unprecedented in the history of our country. Here was a case where the ruling government, the NDC colluded with the Electoral Commission and its two critical contractors to rig the elections. The 2012 election rigging strategy by the NDC consisted of a two-pronged attack on the electoral system: To produce a fraudulent, over-bloated Voters Register with the active support of STL, a contractor of the Electoral Commission and to provide a PDF version of the Voters Register just days before the election. Thus, making it virtually impossible for the opposing parties to have a verifiable Voters Register on a timely basis in the form of a CSV version for the 2012 election. The EC ordered two sets of pink sheets through its contractor, Buck Press, for only the Presidential election(while ordering only one set for the parliamentary elections) and provided the additional Presidential set to the NDC to enable them produce fictitious results by filling the pink sheets and signing them to replace a proper election result in certain select constituencies and polling stations, which their knowledge of the CSV version of the Voters Register allowed them to do. The lamentable and unfortunate fact is that the criminal conspiracy and collusion with a foreign company, working in conjunction with certain E.C. officials in the IT department, as well as the unwitting participation by a Ghanaian company working with high-level E.C. officials (Dr. Afari Gyan and Safo Kantanka) was never prosecuted; and no punitive or corrective action was taken against those who acted to corrupt our electoral system. This made a mockery of our democratic system. It is worth noting that this criminal act which attacked the core foundation of our democracy went unchecked because Ghanas legal system has been so thoroughly compromised as to make this country practically a lawless state. To be clear, a lawless state does not mean there are no laws in Ghana. Rather, it means that the laws of Ghana are ineffectual, toothless and often used to protect, rather than punish the very persons who are to enforce them. Recent Ghanaian criminal cases are placed in the Attorney Generals wasteland, never prosecuted or pretending to be prosecuted but slowly made to die. EFFORTS TO OBTAIN A NEW VOTERS REGISTER IN 2016 The NPP knew before the 2016 election that the Voters register was over-bloated. The party made representations to international donors to assist in replacing the over-bloated register. Through analytical reviews, the NPP was able to convince the international donors that there was a prima facie case for a new Voters register to replace the bloated register, but the international donors requested substantive evidence to support the claim. Since substantive evidence could only be obtained through a CSV version of the voters register which the EC repeatedly and persistently refused to produce, it was therefore impossible to substantiate the allegations made through the analytical reviews. Thus, all efforts to get a new Voters register failed in 2016. THE BARE STATISTICS OF THE CURRENT BLOATED REGISTER To better understand the charge and allegation of an over-bloated register, consider the following facts: In 2012, Ghanas population of 24,965,816 had a total number of registered voters of 14,031,763 which was equivalent to a whopping 56.2% of the total population eligible to vote. Kenya, with a population of 41,609,728 only had 14,362,189 which equates to only 34.1% of the population eligible to vote. Two of our West African neighbors, Nigeria and Senegal have similar figures. Nigeria with a population of 162,470,737 had 67,764,327 which represented 41.7% of the population registered to vote. And Senegal with a population of 12,767,556 had 5,302,349 which equated to 41.5% of the population registered to vote. The above supported the prima facie case for a new Voters register in 2016. The 2012 bloated register was updated in 2016 by a limited registration exercise. In 2016, the registered voters increased to 15,712,505 voters. In 2018, a limited registration exercise to support the increase in the number of regions led to a further increase of 2,200,000 leading to approximately 18,000,000 voters. By so doing, if the EC were to conduct a similar limited registration exercise in 2020, the Voters register would be estimated to be approximately 20 million voters. This will be equivalent to an unthinkable 66% of the total estimated 30 million population of Ghana. It is argued that this is very unsatisfactory because it is estimated that in a fair election [where phantom names are not added to the tally of voters] the number of registered voters will be less than 10 million. This means that if we just increase the Voters register by a simple registration exercise, we will have a Voters register where the presence of a valid voter will be counterbalanced by the presence of an invalid voter. Suffice to say, the Voters register will be woefully inaccurate, over-bloated and unsuitable to produce a free and fair election. A clear opportunity for mischief and fraud therefore will exist if we merely undertake a limited registration exercise. And this becomes more critical considering that the vigilance that took place in the 2016 election which prevented a significant amount of fraud in the polling stations and the collation centers would not be replicated in 2020. THE 2016 STRATEGY The NPP was fully aware that the only way they could win the 2016 election was that fewer people would vote in 2016 than voted in 2012. This is because significant fraudulent numbers were introduced in 2012 based on the form-filling exercise undertaken by the NDC in producing fraudulent results. Indeed, as the results show, the total number of votes cast in the presidential election of 2016 was 10.6 million and the votes for 2012 was 11.8 million. We still contend that there were still significant fraudulent votes in the 2016 elections estimated to be between 2-3 million votes. With this knowledge, the NPP is aware that the NIA registration exercise was expected to produce about 2-3 million less registrants than the 1.5 million that certain critics allege as under-registration. DEMOGRAPHIC AND OTHER TRENDS TO VOTERS REGISTER The National Identification Authority(NIA) has come under increasing criticism for under-registering people in the Northern and Volta regions. However, these criticisms ignore demographic trends our country is facing. Demographically, population changes should affect the Voters Register. In Ghana, were facing migratory trends due to various reasons. One thing that is certain is that people are migrating from the Northern part of Ghana and the Volta region to Greater Accra and the Ashanti Region. However, it was painfully noticeable that notwithstanding all these migratory trends, the voting population of the Northern and Volta regions was going up during the time the register was bloated. It was therefore to be expected that a National Identification registration exercise and ultimately, a Voter Registration exercise would lead to a reduction in the numbers in the Northern and Volta regions. Furthermore, the form-filling exercise makes it difficult for anyone to challenge the accuracy and validity of the NIA registration exercise. THE ROLE OF THE EC AND THE PUBLIC The EC has a tough job to register voters and ensure clean and fair elections. However, we have noted that they are a bunch of unscrupulous people who are bent on disrupting the proper function of the EC because they do not want a new, clean Voters register. Considering the time pressures necessitated by the COVID-19 environment, it is imperative that the government use its powers to deal decisively with such miscreants and enforce the laws. No one should allow lawless people to undermine the proper functioning of a government. Moreso, when it affects the basic democratic foundation of our governance. CONCLUSION The importance of the impartiality, independence, and objectivity of the Electoral Commission cannot be overemphasized. To achieve an honest, free and fair election, the EC must be as transparent as possible in its decisions and actions. It must communicate adequately and honestly to the citizens and all parties involved. In particular, it must ensure that all political parties receive the two critical reports at each registration center each day of the registration exercise to ensure that each party can independently produce its own Voters Register and/or verify the accuracy of the Voters register. These two reports which are given to the parties each day at each registration center of the Voters register exercise should enable us to know the details of all Voters registering each day, as well as, the statistics such as gender, age group, etc. of the people registering to vote each day. The EC must communicate its footprints of the Voter registration exercise in the country, as well as abroad, to ensure that each party has proper representation at each registration center as well as obtain the proper reports each day at each registration center to allow each party to verify the accuracy, completeness and reliability of the Voters register. The parties themselves must undertake an honest and faithful exercise of participating in the process with proper representation and ensuring that they obtain the necessary reports to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the Voters register. The EC must provide to all the parties, at least 60-90 days before the election day, both the PDF and CSV versions of the Voters register to enable each party to independently verify the accuracy and completeness of the Voters register. The success of the Voter registration exercise is dependent on the EC as well as the parties and the voting public, it is therefore incumbent on all of us to play a vital role to ensure success by being compliant as much as possible. A sanitized Voters register is in the interest of Ghana and acts as the beginning of a transparent, free and fair election. Ghana deserves a new Voters register in 2020! Ghana deserves a transparent, free, and fair election! Charles K. Amoo Asante M.A. International Affairs Connecticut, USA [email protected] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 29) In his televised briefing on Thursday night, President Rodrigo Duterte asked the Department of Education to implement a staggered type of tuition payment in schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The President added state-owned Landbank of the Philippines can provide financial assistance to parents who would encounter difficulty in paying their childrens tuition. "Itong Landbank bubuksan namin (We will open Landbank) and you can borrow money to finance the education of your children," Duterte said. Landbank recently launched its Access to Academic Development to Empower the Masses towards Endless Opportunities (ACADEME) lending program, which is a study now, pay later scheme to help private school students continue their education. The banks lending program offers zero interest to students loans. In his speech, Duterte also emphasized the need to prioritize the education sector despite the financial challenges faced by the national government in its COVID-19 response. We are hard pressed in our finances but we have to place the premium on education. The future of this country depends on how we educate our young people nowadays, the President stressed. Duterte also praised the Education Departments alternative learning methods that will reach the students amid the pandemic. DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones highlighted they will utilize online resources, printed modules, and radio and television programs as the new learning platforms for students in lieu of face-to-face classes. Im impressed with the simplicity of the program and I believe that all that you have said is really feasible: radio, television and all of these things. I believe we have a very workable program and I support you, said Duterte. DepEd earlier announced the opening date of classes this year will be on August 24 and the enrollment will start on June 1. The Education Department is also not allowing face-to-face classes, in compliance with the minimum health standards of physical distancing amid the pandemic. In his previous public address last Tuesday, Duterte supported the idea of not opening the classes for the upcoming school year unless a vaccine for COVID-19 has been discovered. A 30-year-old Palmer Township man was arrested Thursday morning on child pornography charges that were filed Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office after a months-long federal and state investigation, authorities say. Dustin Lance, of the 2100 block of Edgewood Avenue, faces 18 felony counts related to child pornography in an arrest warrant approved by District Judge Jacqueline Taschner. He was taken into custody at work in Bethlehem Township and arraigned early in the afternoon before Taschner from Northampton County Central Booking and released in lieu of $50,000 unsecured bail, authorities and records say. The Kik messaging platform flagged an upload on July 26 of two images believed to be child pornography, the attorney generals office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security say in court papers. The email address on the Kik account featured Lances name and the upload of photos of a girl between the ages of 7 and 9 was done from an iPhone, according to information provided to the attorney generals office by a Homeland Security special agent. Continued investigation indicated the upload was done from an IP address on the RCN account in Lances name and at his address, court papers say. The investigation was forwarded in April to the state attorney generals office, court papers say. At 9:15 a.m. April 15, a Homeland Security special agent and a state attorney generals office special agent spoke with Lance at work, advising him he wasnt under arrest but that a federal search warrant was being served at his home in Palmer in an ongoing child exploitation case, court papers say. Lance initially said he hadnt used the Kik app for a year, court papers say. Finally, Lance explained that he did recall sending pornography on Kik, court papers say. Lance confirmed the photos were of girls younger than 18, court papers say. Soon after, Lance granted special agents authority to forensically search his phone and gave them the four-number passcode, court papers say. Electronic devices were seized once the search warrant was served at Lances home, court papers say. There was one video and 14 images of child porn on Lances phone, court papers say. Lance is charged with two counts of disseminating photos or film of child sex acts, 15 counts of child pornography and one count of criminal use of a cellphone, records show. All are graded Felony 3. If convicted, he faces as much as seven years in jail and a $15,000 fine per charge, state statute reads. Court papers did not list an attorney for Lance. Township police assisted in the investigation. Lances preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. June 11 in Taschners court in Palmer Township. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a voluntary subscription. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Kerala government has launched BevQ, an online liquor queue management and token generator service provider app, to facilitate over-the-counter sale of liquor in the state during the coronavirus lockdown. Over two lakh people have downloaded the BevQ mobile app within hours of its release on Google Play Store. Developed by a Kochi-based startup Faircode Technologies Private Limited, the objective of this beverages app is to help in managing the queues virtually and to avoid overcrowding at the liquor stores in Kerala. In order to maintain the social distancing, this app will help users book a queue number and token for assuring a spot in the queue in the specified time slot. Liquor sales in Kerala resumed on Thursday for the first time since the nationwide coronavirus lockdown came into effect in March. The state government has permitted 301 outlets under the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BEVCO), along with 576 bars, and 291 beer and wine parlours. The liquor stores will remain open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Buyers will have to register on the BevQ app for buying alcohol in the state, similar to the e-token arrangement earlier adopted by Delhi government. Also Read: BevQ app crosses 1 lakh downloads hours after releasing: Here is why you need the app to buy liquor The BevQ mobile application is available for Android users, it is not clear whether the iOS users will get the app or not. Here's how to book a time slot on BevQ app to buy liquor in Kerala: Step 1: Download BevQ app from Play Store. Step 2: Enter name, mobile number, and pin code. Step3: Place the order to buy liquor through the app. You will receive an e-token and a QR code on your mobile. Step 4: Take the e-token to the store which will be scanned by the liquor store, post which the alcohol will be given to the customer. However, soon after the app gained popularity, many users questioned the quality of the app on Twitter. They complained that despite repeated attempts they did not receive the OTP from the company. Another user wrote that the app doesn't have an option to choose a time slot. Also Read: Kerala launches BevQ app ahead of reopening liquor sales A female reporter with the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, Aba, Chinyere Okoye, has been kidnapped, an official has said. She was kidnapped Wednesday night by unknown gunmen after close of work. It was gathered that she was picked up in front of her gate as she tried to enter her compound. The kidnappers were said to have driven her away in her own car. Her kidnap is coming on the heels of the kidnap of Pacesetter FM presenter, Chinenye Iwuoha, few weeks back. Mrs Iwuoha was later released a few days after her kidnap. General Manager NTA Aba, Nwadi Elobuike, who confirmed the incident expressed shock at the development. She noted that she left the station after the 7 p.m. news, about the same time with Chinyere only to be alerted of the development as she was about to enter her house. The victim has been a staff of the Enugu NTA Zonal Office until her recent transfer to Aba. Visakhapatnam: Its as if private schools havent heard of the Covid-19 pandemic, the total lockdown and the horrendous economic consequences. At a time when parents are facing severe financial difficulties, private schools here are insisting that they pay the fees for the new academic year right away, besides charging the usual makups on books, shoes, uniforms, etc. Some schools have even hiked their fee because they are using digital learning apps. Various NGOs and child welfare organisations are up in arms, and are lobbying the government to take immediate action to ensure that at least students from the poor and weaker sections are not hustled into paying up right away. This at a time when the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued instructions to all regional joint directors of school education and DEOs in the state to direct schools not to increase any fees during the academic year 2020-21. School managements arre supposed to charge only the tuition fee on a monthly basis. The state government too has issued orders to schools to collect only a monthly fee after reopening of schools. But many schools are acting unilaterally and demanding the parents to pay the annual fee in entirety. And the district administrations have not initiated action on such schools for seting aside the government orders. Child Rights Protection Forum (CRPF) state president Dr Gondu Sitaram said all the private unaided schools have been told not to enhance the fee this academic year. Any deviation of these instructions would result in cancellation of the schools recognition, besides initiation of appropriate action against the management, he added. The case of Timpany School Yielding to protests by parents and NGOs, Vizags Timpany School has decided not to hike the fee this academic year. However, it is yet to announce a switch to monthly fee payments. After a lot of hue and cry, parents were asked not to pay the fee until further notice. When the Timpany School management increased its annual fee by 25 per cent last year, it was stiffly resisted by parents. At that time, the DEO and other education officials intervened in the matter and asked the school to raise the fee by 11 per cent consecutively over the next three years. Following through on that decision, the Timpany management collected 11 per cent extra on the existing fee this year. However, NGOs are insisting that the 11 per cent hike be set aside this year in view of the unanticipated Covid-19 situation. Bala Vikas Foundation secretary Narava Prakash Rao wrote a letter to AP School Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission chairperson Justice R Kantha Rao complaining against Timpany for not following the rules of the state government and the terms of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. On receiving several complaints against the Timpany School by NGOs and parents, Andhra Pradesh State Child Rights Commission (APSCPCR) members visited the school recently and they spoke to its director. They directed the school management to address the allegations levied by parents and settle the issue in an amicable manner. APSCPCR member Dr Kesali Appa Rao instructed the school director to refund the hiked fee already collected from parents. He also advised the school not to sell books, uniforms and other materials on the school premises. "No child shall be put under pressure for fee payment or extra classes. The RTE Act shall be strictly implemented by allotting free seats to the poor," he said. Timpany School director Annie Cherian said the 11 per cent hike on term fee has been on hold. "We will discuss with the management on the monthly payment of fees as directed by the state government and inform the parents accordingly," she said. After receiving the message from the school management, parents celebrated by cutting a cake on the school premises. "Private schools should not hike the fee at this critical time and Timpany School would stand as role model for them in following the instructions of the state government," a parent S Hemanth said. New Delh: IIT Kharagpur will soon introduce an innovative new course that will involve researching the science behind happiness with an aim to develop a happy eco-system. The Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness is the brainchild of IIT-Kgp alumnus Satinder Singh Rekhi and will start by offering a micro-credit course for students from this autumn semester. Also Read: Money can buy happiness if purchases fit your personality The upcoming centre is a unique initiative that would conduct research and teach practical ideas based on the science of happiness and positive psychology and help develop an eco-system of happy and successful KGPians, said Rekhi. In addition to providing financial support to the centre, Rekhi would also be part of programme management as its honorary chairman. The new centre is going to be a landmark achievement and will help our students to embrace happiness and have better control over their emotions, saud IIT-Kgp Director, P P Chakrabarti. The impact would go beyond the student community of the institute and trigger happiness and positivity in the society through these students, he added. The courses will involve students researching and exploring happiness, positive psychology and related concepts in themselves and in others. Certificate courses will also be offered to outsiders. The centre will organise its first international workshop on the science of happiness next month in Kolkata and Kharagpur in which corporate leaders, working professionals and renowned academicians from across the globe are expected to take part. As Dr. Edwards noted, Mississippis James Vardaman, arguably one of the most violent racist politicians in American history, and thats quite a feat, said in 1903, a vote for Vardaman is a vote for white supremacy, a vote for the quelling of the arrogant spirit that has been aroused in the blacks by Roosevelt and his henchmen, a vote for the safety of the home and the protection of our women and children. Vardaman, who once famously said, If it is necessary, every Negro in the state will be lynched, won election and became governor of Mississippi. Indeed, untold numbers of lynchings were executed because white women had claimed that a black man raped, assaulted, talked to or glanced at them. But it goes even further than that. The Tulsa Race massacre, the destruction of Black Wall Street, was spurred by an incident between a white female elevator operator and a black man. As the Oklahoma Historical Society points out, the most common explanation is that he stepped on her toe. As many as 300 people were killed because of it. In 1944, 14-year-old George Stinney Jr. was electrocuted for the killing of two little white girls. He was the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century. His trial lasted only a couple hours. There was little or no cross-examination of prosecution witnesses or calling of defense witnesses. The all-white, all-male jury deliberated for only 10 minutes before finding Stinney guilty, and he was sentenced to death. He was just 5 feet 1 inch tall. As Laura Bradley wrote in Slate, He weighed 95 pounds when he was arrested, and was so small he had to sit on a phone book in the electric chair when he was executed within three months of the murders. Some say the book was in fact a Bible. A circuit court judge threw out Stinneys conviction in 2014. The torture and murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955, a lynching actually, occurred because a white woman said that he grabbed her and was menacing and sexually crude toward her. His torturers beat him, shot him in the head and tossed his body into the Tallahatchie River tied to a cotton gin fan with barbed wire. A few years ago, the woman admitted to an author that she had lied. Tills lynching would serve as the big bang of the Civil Rights Movement. Indeed, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on that bus, she said that she was thinking of Till. Latest News Inside the property market explosion in regional Australia Regional broker explains just how crazy the property market has been in one NSW town Christmas was cancelled for SMEs, according to Creditorwatch 'Shadow Covid' to threaten businesses in early 2022 after 45% drop in trade in December Finance executives have been invited to register for the first-ever online Vinnies CEO Sleepout in support of those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Given the restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will take the form of an interactive broadcast hosted by television personality Dr Andrew Rochford. Rather than sleeping out in major cities across the country as usual, the C-suite and executive-level participants will pass the night of 18 June in their cars, backyards, or on their couches. The range of possible locations reflects the reality for many of the 116,000 people experiencing homelessness across the country; while some may be in clear need of help, others are hidden from sight as they couch surf or sleep in cars or tents, but nonetheless require a suitable and safe place to live and sleep. The onset of a global health crisis means people facing homelessness need support more than ever, Dr Rochford said. Its great to see Vinnies, and the business and community leaders who participate in the Sleepout, adapt to ensure this years event can go ahead in the midst of coronavirus. Last year, the event raised $7.9 million for the groups homelessness services across Australia, which went towards providing accommodation, domestic violence refuges, food, clothing, blankets, counselling, healthcare and individualised case support. Unlike in years past, there is no minimum fundraising expectation for participants in the 2020 Sleepout, in recognition of the financial impact that COVID-19 has had. Interested parties can register at ceosleepout.org.au and start raising funds now. Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said Thursday she does not want to be presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Bidens vice presidential pick. It is an honor to be considered as a potential running mate, but I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration," she said in a statement. Nevada's economy is one of the hardest hit by the current crisis and I will continue to focus on getting Nevadans the support they need to get back on their feet. Her withdrawal comes as the scrutiny intensifies around whom Biden will pull onto his presidential ticket. She was one of several women suggested as a possible running mate. Cortez Masto, 56, served as Nevada's attorney general in 2006 a role that meant working with Beau Biden, who was then Delaware's attorney general. In 2016, she became the first Latina elected to the U.S. Senate. Despite Cortez Masto having mostly stayed out of the limelight, some activists believed the senator could give Biden and down-ballot Democrats a better chance in states with dense Latino populations, including Arizona, Texas, and Florida states that went to Donald Trump in 2016. I support Joe Biden 100% and will work tirelessly to help get him elected this November, Cortez Masto said in her statement. In a Thursday evening statement, Biden said Nevadans are fortunate to have Cortez Masto fighting for them in Washington. "I've admired Senator Cortez-Masto as long as I have known her because shes a leader with integrity," he added. During the search for a vice presidential pick, Biden allies have said former rivals Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren possess an edge because of their own past presidential runs. Harris had emerged as the early favorite, while more than a dozen black and Latino activists and strategists have warned against picking Klobuchar. But a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll released this week showed Warren boosting Bidens candidacy the most of any potential choice, especially among people under 45 and black and Hispanic voters. The campaign was reportedly torn over choosing an African American or a progressive running mate. Biden recently confirmed that "multiple black women [are] being considered" for vice president. Other than Harris, those often named include former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams and Florida Rep. Val Demings. James Arkin contributed to this report. TDT | Manama The Indian Community Relief Fund (ICRF), working under the patronage of the Indian Embassy in Bahrain, had reached out to distressed members in the community in many different ways ever since it launched its special initiatives during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The initiatives include the distribution of antiseptic soaps, awareness flyers and ICRF food support kits; the publishing of videos on how to protect ones self from COVID-19; the distribution and education on the use of masks in public places; and the support for those feeling mentally stressed. ICRF has taken steps to emphasise educating the community to ensure that they remain protected against infection. Special teams were delegated, with members selected from various states of India, to address this need. ICRF has so far distributed nearly 2,000 food kits containing all sorts of products, sufficient enough for approximately two weeks for nearly 6,000 community members. ICRF has also distributed more than 4,000 antibacterial soaps in labour camps. Nearly 10,000 flyers as well as posters with disease-exposure prevention instructions were produced with the support of the Embassy, in different Indian languages and distributed across Bahrain including at various labour camps. Videos in different languages on steps to prevent the spread of virus were promoted through various social media platforms. With the help of the Embassy, more than 10,000 reusable face masks were handed out at various locations in Bahrain, with another 10,000 to be distributed in the coming weeks. ICRF members also support the community police in making public announcements in various languages on the importance of the governments health and safety guidelines. Following a rise in cases of emotional distress and depression in past weeks, ICRF LIFE (Listen, Involve, Foster, Engage) mental well-being posters with numbers to reach specialist teams in times of anxiety have appeared in local print media as well as in social media. A team led by Dr. Babu Ramachandran handles calls from people on distress, depression or anxiety and he provides advice on mental well-being. ICRF has met with Ministry of Labour and Social Development Labour Affairs assistant undersecretary Ahmed Al Hayki and highlighted concerns of expats staying in a COVID-19 facility. Among the points highlighted were complaints received from occupants at the Sitra facility including the issue of poor hygiene among occupants, especially in the toilets. The Ministry has promised to look into these matters soon. ICRF Chairman Aruldas Thomas appreciates well-wishers, including business entities such as Al Tawfeek Group, Megamart, Kavalani, Damani, Zubi and Partners, and other organisations including Bahrain-India Society, BCICAI, as well as kind-hearted individuals who have come forward to extend their support financially and in-kind to ICRF. In spite of the ongoing pandemic situation, ICRF has managed to clear all pending payments to beneficiaries of the Family Welfare Fund support scheme. During the last six months, ICRF has paid INR100,000 each to 15 families. An additional 10 family welfare fund disbursements are on the way. As per the scheme, the Family Welfare Fund provides financial assistance to the dependents of a deceased Indian residing in Bahrain, who earns less than BD100 per month. This scheme has been a great support and help to many unfortunate families who lost their bread-winner. For more information or support, call ICRF joint-secretaries John Philip on 39224482 or Pankaj Nallur on 39653007. Seoul South Korea has reported the first possible cases in Asia of the new COVID-19-linked illness in children. Two children, an 11-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl, are both recovering well from what doctors suspect to be the Multisystem Inflammatory Illness in Children, or MIS-C. The boy was released from a hospital on Wednesday and it was expected the girl would go home in the coming days. Scientists are still awaiting test results on both children, who were first labelled possible MIS-C cases on May 25, to confirm that they were in fact infected with the new illness and to see whether they ever had COVID-19. Neither has tested positive for a current COVID-19 infection, but they will be tested for antibodies to see if they might have had earlier infections. South Korea unveils new rules as COVID cases tick back up MIS-C is a rare but life-threatening syndrome that has been seen in dozens of children in the U.S. and Europe. It causes symptoms similar to toxic shock and the well-known Kawasaki disease, a condition where different parts of the body can become inflamed. It seems to affect predominantly children of European descent, and no cases have been confirmed yet in Asia. South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Wednesday that the 11-year-boy started showing symptoms in late April, after returning from a visit to the Philippines in March. The girl started showing symptoms in mid-May. Both were given treatments long-used in Kawasaki Disease patients, as have MIS-C patients in the U.S. and Europe. While still unconfirmed, even the possibility that MIS-C might be affecting kids in South Korea jolted parents' nerves on Wednesday, as they start sending their children back to school. And it wasn't the only cause for concern. "If COVID-19 was a faraway thing that might happen, MIS-C is in your face. School is going to start soon, so I just hope it doesn't spread," Jesse Park, the father of a 7th grader set to return to class on June 8, told CBS News on Wednesday. He's worried about sending his daughter back to school, letting her meet with friends or resuming after school programs. Story continues As a parent and a worker in the medical field, Park knows that "basic prevention measures such as [social] distancing seem to be difficult, unrealistic in schools." More than 2 million South Korean students returned to school on Wednesday, part of a staged reopening, right as officials confirmed a new spike in COVID-19 infections. Small clusters of the virus popped up in different parts of the country, most of them in and around the capital. A mother kisses her child as they both wear masks to avoid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at an elementary school in Seoul A mother kisses her child as they both wear masks to avoid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at an elementary school in Seoul, South Korea, May 27, 2020. YONHAP NEWS AGENCY/REUTERS The KCDC confirmed 40 new cases on Wednesday. That's more new infections in single a day than the country has seen in almost two months. The newest cluster is linked to Coupang, the country's leading e-commerce operator sort of a Korean version of Amazon. Given long-standing guidance for people to avoid gathering points, many South Koreans have come to rely on online delivery for groceries and other necessities during the pandemic. With cases at the Coupang facility, some people fear the virus may have been sent straight to their doorstep. With the new clusters of COVID-19 prompting discussion of a possible return to the strict social distancing guidelines South Korea only dropped a few weeks ago, parents are worried that if the rest of the country's students do return to class in the coming weeks as planned, school might not be in session for long. As parents need to get to work, that's renewing concerns about childcare. Overall, Wednesday was an anxious day for many South Korean parents. "Now it's not just the coronavirus, there's also MIS-C," Suzie Choi, a former nurse and the mother of a 4-year-old, told CBS News. She closed her business for months, afraid that her young child would be vulnerable to COVID-19. She said she finally reopened her store just three weeks ago, and now she's not sure what to do. Black man dies after Minneapolis police officer pins him to the ground by his neck White woman calls police after black man asks her to leash dog CDC warns about "aggressive" rats as coronavirus shuts down restaurants House legislation extending surveillance authorities that the FBI sees as vital in fighting terrorism was thrown into doubt Wednesday as President Donald Trump threatened a veto and Republican leaders and top liberal Democrats said they would oppose it. Ahead of a House vote scheduled for Wednesday evening, Trump said explicitly for the first time that he would veto the measure. A similar version of the legislation had drawn bipartisan support just weeks ago. 'If the FISA Bill is passed tonight on the House floor, I will quickly VETO it,' Trump tweeted, using the acronym for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. 'Our Country has just suffered through the greatest political crime in its history. The massive abuse of FISA was a big part of it!' Trump had earlier suggested he'd oppose the measure, prompting Republicans who once backed the deal to follow Trump's lead and say they would now vote against it. The leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which has about 70 Democratic House members, also said they would oppose the legislation, saying it lacked curbs on online surveillance without warrants. Veto threat: Shortly before landing in Washington from a trip to Florida with First Lady Melania Trump, President Trump said he would veto an attempt to renew FISA surveillance laws Change of heart: Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, had led his party to support the FISA renewal. It was passed in the Senate with one amendment but is now set to lose his caucus' support in the House after Trump withdrew his backing Combined with strong GOP opposition, their defiance of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested there might be enough dissent to sink the bill. 'We cannot in good conscience vote for legislation that violates Americans fundamental right to privacy,' said the caucus' leaders, Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Mark Pocan, D-Wis. The legislation first passed the House in March with broad bipartisan support after Attorney General William Barr negotiated a deal with Republican and Democratic House leaders. But that consensus crumbled Wednesday after the Justice Department came out against the bill, which was amended by the Senate. The Justice Department's statement, by Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd, urged Trump to reject the bill. Hours later, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said it was time to take a 'pause' on the legislation. The new impasse raised the potential for the surveillance powers to remain expired indefinitely. Democratic leaders said they would move forward with a vote anyway, arguing that very little had changed since 126 Republicans, including McCarthy, voted for it in March. 'Your flailing around to find a rationalization for your change of vote is sad,' House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told Republicans in a heated speech on the floor. 'The only thing that has changed,' Hoyer said, 'is that Donald Trump has said vote no.' Pelosi that 'we have to have a bill. If we don't have a bill, then our civil liberties are less protected.' The only amendment adopted by the Senate, with 77 votes, was bipartisan language to allow more third party oversight to protect individuals in some surveillance cases. The final bill passed the Senate with 80 votes. The Justice Department's statement said that amended version of the bill would 'weaken national security tools while doing nothing to address the abuses' identified by the Justice Department inspector general in his report on the FBI investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. Trump, still seething over the Russia investigation, implored all House Republicans in a Tuesday evening tweet to vote no 'until such time as our Country is able to determine how and why the greatest political, criminal, and subversive scandal in USA history took place!' Anger: Steny Hoyer, the number two Democrat, told Republicans: 'The only thing that has changed is that Donald Trump has said vote no.' He and Nancy Pelosi now face losing the bill from a combination of Republican and left-wing opposition Abuse claims: Two of the four FISA warrants obtained to eavesdrop on and surveil Carter Page, a former Trump campaign aide, were found to be invalid after a Justice Department review McCarthy said lawmakers passed the legislation with bipartisan majorities before and should try again to negotiate a compromise. 'If the Democrats bring this bill up theyre just playing politics,' McCarthy said. 'And this is not something to play politics with.' The statements underscored the tortuous process Congress has faced in renewing the surveillance powers in the wake of an inspector general report that documented serious errors and mistakes in how the FBI used its authorities during the Russia investigation. Those problems included errors and omissions in applications the FBI submitted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to monitor a former Trump campaign adviser. Republicans have historically been hawkish on preserving surveillance powers in the name of national security. But Trump's GOP allies have joined the president over the last year in demanding that any renewal of the FBI's powers be accompanied by significant new restrictions. The provisions that expired allow the FBI to get a court order for business records in national security investigations and to conduct surveillance on a subject without establishing that theyre acting on behalf of an international terrorism organization. They also make it easier for investigators to continue eavesdropping on a subject who has switched cell phone providers to thwart detection. The powers are not directly related to the errors uncovered during the Russia investigation. But Republican lawmakers - and some Democratic civil liberties advocates - have seized on those problems in demanding reforms. The Senate passed its version of the legislation earlier this month. The chamber fell short by one vote of adding a separate amendment, sponsored by Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon and Republican Steve Daines of Montana, that would prevent federal law enforcement from obtaining internet browsing information or search history without seeking a warrant. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., announced Tuesday that Democrats had agreed on a similar, but tweaked, amendment that they would offer to the House bill. But that amendment faced opposition from the Justice Department and from Wyden, who said in a statement that the House version would not 'enact true protections for Americans rights against dragnet collection of online activity.' Democrats later dropped the amendment, and said they instead would hold the vote on the Senate version with no amendments offered. That means that the legislation would go straight to the president's desk if passed by the House. [May 28, 2020] LexaGene Places a Pre-Commercial Instrument for COVID-19 Testing in a Major Hospital Laboratory BEVERLY, Mass., May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LexaGene Holdings, Inc. ( TSX-V: LXG ; OTCQB: LXXGF ) (the Company), a biotechnology company that develops genetic analyzers for rapid pathogen detection and other molecular markers, is pleased to announce the placing of a pre-commercial instrument that tests for COVID-19 and other respiratory pathogens at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in their Laboratory for Clinical Genomics and Advanced Technology (CGAT) in Hanover, New Hampshire. Dr. Gregory J. Tsongalis, PhD, HCLD, CC, Professor and Vice Chair for Research Director at CGAT comments, Our standard test for SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that causes COVID-19, takes about 7.5 hours. Given the highly contagious nature of this virus, this is a long time to wait. We want the ability to get results much faster and to be able to screen for more pathogens at once since respiratory symptoms can be caused by numerous other viruses. Dr. Jack Regan, LexaGenes Founder and CEO, states, We are excited to be able to contribute to the fight against COVID-19 and illustrate our applications in the human clinical space. Unlike many of the near-patient testing solutions used today that only look for COVID-19 and have a significant false negative rate, the instrument we have placed at Dartmouth-Hitchcock screens for many pathogens at once, namely COVID-19, influenza, RSV, adenovirus, metapneumovirus, and seasonal coronavirus, and it performs gold-standard chemistry for exceptional data quality. Our breadth of detection allows users of our technology to generate inormative data for the vast majority of people with respiratory symptoms. This is particularly important as healthcare providers are increasingly questioning negative results from COVID-19 only tests, wondering if the test result is a false negative or the person is sick from another pathogen. The Company is also pleased to report that we have submitted our plan to the FDA for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 testing and anticipates completing the described studies in the near future. Until these studies are completed and the FDA grants LexaGenes instrument EUA for COVID-19 testing, all work using LexaGene instruments is classified as Research Use Only and cannot be used for human clinical diagnostics. The Company is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the COVID-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Signed "Dr. Jack Regan" Dr. Jack Regan, Chairman of the Board of Directors & Chief Executive Officer About LexaGene Holdings Inc. LexaGene is a biotechnology company that develops genetic analyzers for pathogen detection and other molecular markers for on-site rapid testing in veterinary diagnostics, food safety and for use in open-access markets such as clinical research, agricultural testing and biodefense. End-users simply need to collect a sample, load it onto the instrument with a sample preparation cartridge, enter sample ID and press go. The LX Analyzer delivers excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of detection and can return results in about 1 hour. The unique open-access feature is designed for custom testing so that end-users can load their own real-time PCR assays onto the instrument to target any genetic target of interest. For further information, please contact: Media Contacts Nicole Ridgedale Director of Corporate Marketing, LexaGene 800.215.1824 ext 206 [email protected] Investor Relations Jay Adelaar Vice President of Capital Markets, LexaGene 800.215.1824 ext 207 [email protected] The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors -- including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, the success of technology development efforts, the cost to procure critical parts, performance of the instrument, market acceptance of the technology, regulatory acceptance, and licensing issues -- that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations as disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The residents and businesses of Gowrie, a community of 1,037 in Webster County, has rallied together to save their local grocery store after the former owner began closing stores in other nearby rural communities. Within just 10 days, the community was able to raise $250,000 in donations and resulted in creating the Gowrie Grocery LLC which will manage Market on Market. Volunteers have been working hard behind the scenes and within new limitations imposed by social distancing, to transform the look of the store into a small independent grocery that will focus on fresh food. The next step will be to expand the store size, and return the deli to operation. But the emphasis today is on customer service and the revitalization of the 3,000 square feet of grocery space. Former area native Larry Roper is the new manager and is excited to hit the ground running where an entire community stood up to rescue their only grocery store. Larry will be able to put his expertise of working with a variety of grocery businesses at the new Market on Market. The Ripple Effect grant application was made to Aureon on behalf of Gowrie Grocery LLC by Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association, the local provider of internet, TV and phone service. In addition to the $5,000 Ripple Effect grant from the Iowa Area Development Group and Aureon, WCCTA will provide a matching grant of $5,000 for a total of $10,000 in grant funding to the community project. While WCCTA serves 16 small rural communities, Gowrie is the largest and is also the only community with a grocery store, which is located just blocks from our headquarters. The ability to keep a grocery store in the community is vital as it serves as a cornerstone to the downtown and attracts people from surrounding rural communities, says Marcie Boerner, Office Manager of Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association. Its a great thing when a community comes together around a project and thats just what happened in Gowrie. WCCTA is honored to give this Ripple Effect grant award to a project that will have a positive effect on the residents, businesses and surrounding rural communities for years to come. Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association is the leading provider of voice, video and data services in North Central Iowa. With headquarters in Gowrie, IA, WCCTA provides 16 communities with local and long-distance voice services, high-speed Internet and cable television programming. As a certified Gig Capable provider from the NTCA, The Rural Broadband Association, WCCTA provides services on a Fiber to the Home network. WCCTA is increasing broadband in rural Iowa and is staying in touch with the needs of the residents and businesses in their sixteen community area that includes Gowrie, Farnhamville, Churdan, Paton, Lanyon, Boxholm, Pilot Mound, Somers, Knierim, Moorland, Barnum, Clare, Thor, Badger, Vincent and Duncombe. For additional information call 515-352-3151 and visit them at http://www.wccta.com, on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. By William James and Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - The coronavirus lockdown will ease next week for most of Britain's population, Boris Johnson announced on Thursday, as a row persisted over the prime minister's closest adviser taking a long-distance journey during lockdown. In England, up to six people will be able to meet outside and schools will gradually reopen from Monday, Johnson said at a news conference where he was again challenged over his aide Dominic Cummings' decision to drive 400 km (250 miles) during lockdown. "These changes mean that friends and family can start to meet their loved ones, perhaps seeing both parents at once or grandparents at once," he said, adding that outdoor retailers and car showrooms would also be able to open from Monday. "You could have meetings of families in a garden, you could even have a barbecue provided you did it in a socially distanced way, provided everybody washes their hands, provided everybody exercises common sense." Johnson stressed that the changes were "small tentative steps forward", and health experts warned the situation remained finely balanced with new cases declining, but not very quickly. The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are responsible for their own public health policy. Johnson's announcement came hours after more lawmakers from his Conservative Party called for Cummings to quit. The prime minister also faces criticism for his handling of a pandemic that has left Britain with the world's second-highest death toll. Cummings travelled from London to the northern English city of Durham in March with his four-year-old son and his wife, who was sick at the time, to be close to relatives. A YouGov opinion poll showed a majority of Britons think Cummings should resign for - in their view - breaking the lockdown rules, but Johnson has said he acted with integrity. At the news conference, Johnson blocked questions from journalists put to his top medical and scientific officials about Cummings' behaviour. Story continues Johnson said he wanted to "protect them from ... an unfair and unnecessary attempt to ask a political question". The two officials, England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty and Britain's chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance, also said they did not want to be drawn into politics. The dispute over Cummings has prompted some to lose faith in the government's strategy, with many people unable to understand how a senior official had not broken the rules by driving across the country when the government repeatedly told people to "stay home" and "save lives". TEST AND TRACE The move to ease lockdown measures came as England launched a new testing and contact tracing system on Thursday for COVID-19 patients, seen as crucial to helping ease lockdown measures. Contacts of those who test positive for COVID-19 will be asked to isolate for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms. The tracing service, which will have a task-force of 40,000 specialists to test those with symptoms and identify their contacts, will initially rely on what the government described as people doing their "civic duty", but sanctions could be introduced if people did not comply. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have similar programmes just about to launch or already running. Britain abandoned a strategy of testing and tracing in March when the virus started spreading exponentially and there was insufficient capacity to test more than a fraction of those with symptoms. Official data show that more than 48,000 Britons have died from confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. (Reporting by William James, Andy Bruce, Alistair Smout, David Milliken and Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Peter Graff and Jan Harvey) A Nigerian man, Olubunmi Adefisayo, who survived COVID-19, says he finds it strange that Nigerians doubt the existence of the virus in the country, as he shared his experience. Speaking in a chat with Nigeria Health Watch, Olubunmi narrated how he tested positive for the virus, and his journey to recovery at the Yaba Isolation center in Lagos. He said, I dont remember the exact date but in the first week of April, I noticed I had lost my sense of smell and taste. I checked online to know if it was a possible COVID-19 symptom. It turned out that some survivors mentioned those as their initial symptoms too. Then I decided to call NCDC to get tested. Two days later, the Lagos State team came to my house to take my sample for testing. The waiting period was filled with a lot of tension. I just wanted to know the result so I could get it off my mind. It was a bit frustrating. Of course, I understood that the results were not immediate. Two days later, they called and said I tested positive. I gave them my address and within an hour, I was picked up and taken to the isolation centre. Advertisement My symptoms were very mild. Many people think that when you catch the coronavirus, you will die or experience debilitating symptoms. It is very bizarre that people dont believe there is a virus. I find it very strange. It is not a joke. People need to stop reading all these conspiracy theories or believing all these weird websites. Look at only credible sources for information. Read Also: BREAKING: We Have Validated Three Out Of Numerous Claims Of COVID-19 Local Cure PTF Anyway, I live in my apartment alone so I was worried about my neighbours. What if they contracted the disease from me? From touching the same gate as I did or something. Some of my neighbours were tested but luckily their results were negative. The Lagos State COVID-19 team also went to a supermarket I had visited earlier, to trace staff I may have had contact with. I dont know the results of those tests. I hope none of them tested positive. I was on admission in Yaba for 14 days. I remember a man that was brought into our ward. He was in his late 70s. He was clearly in a bad shape, he could hardly breathe. He struggled to walk. He was only with us for one night. The next morning, he was taken away. We dont know what happened to him. We asked the health workers but they didnt tell us anything. Maybe because of patient confidentiality. Nobody said anything. I wonder where he is or what happened to him. The WA government has sent a senior bureaucrat on a mission to China organised by an organisation advising the Victorian government on its Belt and Road Initiative deal with Beijing. The five-day trip, which cost taxpayers $17,328 and included a weekend, was arranged by the Australia-China Belt and Road Initiative and came just months after Premier Mark McGowan said signing up to the controversial Chinese infrastructure funding program was "not on our agenda". The WA government has sent a senior bureaucrat on a mission organised by a Belt and Road Initiative lobby group, just months after a deal was ruled out by Premier Mark McGowan. Credit:AP The Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, which advises the Premier in his state development portfolio, sent the public servant after the government was invited by the group on a "technology industry mission". A department spokesman said the October trip was to "demonstrate Western Australia's commitment to its overall trade relationship with China, and to promote Western Australian industries' capabilities to senior Chinese government officials and industry leaders". CLEVELAND, Ohio - Several Northeast Ohio Tuesday Morning stores are among those that that company will close as a result of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The company said in a statement that it plans to close about 230 of 687 stores this summer. Of those, it has identified 132 that will be shuttered, including several in Northeast Ohio. Several media reports say these stores are on the closing list: Tiffany Square, 1300 Boardman Poland Road, Poland, southeast of Youngstown. River Square, 19875 Detroit Road, Rocky River. Solon Square Shopping Center, 33507 Aurora Road, Solon. Tuesday Mornings in Highland Heights and Middleburg Heights remain open. A store in Columbus and one in Springdale, north of Cincinnati, also are closing. USA Today reports "The company joins a growing list of retailers that have tumbled into Chapter 11 bankruptcy during the pandemic, including J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus and J. Crew. In each case, the companies were already in rough shape before the pandemic began due to excessive debt and declining foot traffic." The Dallas-based company features off-price retailers specializing in name-brand home products, including upscale textiles, housewares, gourmet food and more. The company, founded in 1974, operates stores in 39 states. The company said the bankruptcy proceedings are not expected to affect the companys ability to re-open stores closed because of coronavirus concerns. Tuesday Morning began re-opening stores April 24 and said in the statement this week that comparable store sales have been approximately 10% higher over the same period in fiscal 2019. I am on cleveland.coms life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, heres a directory on cleveland.com. A six-month-old baby girl has undergone an operation to remove her second mouth, which was complete with lips, teeth and tongue. When the mass was first spotted in scans at week 28 of pregnancy it was thought to be a possible cyst or tumour. But when the little girl was born in Charleston, South Carolina, doctors found the 0.8-inch object was actually a second mouth. She is one of just 35 people known to have suffered from Diprosopus - or duplication of facial parts - since 1900. The little girl had the 0.8-inch mouth removed from her face after she was born in Charleston, South Carolina. It occasionally had a raw surface and would produce a clear liquid thought to be saliva Writing in the journal BMJ Case Reports, the doctors said her second mouth had no connection to the main mouth, and that she could breath, eat and drink normally. They added it would sometimes produce a clear liquid - possibly saliva - and at times a raw surface would appear around it. The little girl was admitted for surgery so the extra organ could be removed. This involved drilling down on her mandible to remove extra bone supporting teeth for the other mouth. 'After surgery, she developed some mild fullness of the right face at the surgical incision for which a scan was performed, revealing a fluid collection,' the doctors said in their paper. 'The fullness resolved over several months and she did not require further treatment. 'At the six-month follow-up, the incisions were well-healed and the patient was feeding without difficulty.' But they also noted she was unable to move the right lower lip downwards, which could mean muscles in that area are no longer working. After surgery she had a swelling on the side of her face but this soon went down. The girl continued to be able to eat normally Diprosopus, which has also been recorded in chickens, sheep, cats and other animals is an extremely rare condition. Scientists said it results from problems in proteins signalling facial structure during pregnancy, which can lead to a widening of facial features and duplication of their structures. A boy was born in Missouri in 2004 who had a large cleft, two separate nostrils and an abnormally shaped head due to the condition. Tres Johnson amazed doctors, who didn't expect him to live, to celebrate his 13th birthday in 2017. We are very pleased to welcome Ms. Schuring to our Advisory Board as IRONSCALES accelerates our position as a clear cut leader in email security. IRONSCALES, the pioneer of self-learning email security, today announced that renowned enterprise software executive Tammy Schuring has been appointed to the company's Advisory Board. Schuring, who has served in various chief revenue officer and sales roles within the security industry, brings her extensive background to IRONSCALES as the company scales to meet unprecedented demand. "We are very pleased to welcome Ms. Schuring to our Advisory Board as IRONSCALES accelerates its position as a leader in email security," stated Eyal Benishti, IRONSCALES founder and CEO. Bringing on a highly-respected and seasoned sales and revenue executive with valuable security industry experience is a huge win for us, and we look forward to learning from Ms. Schurings expertise in the months to come. Schuring joins IRONSCALES Advisory Board with over 25 years of leadership experience in global enterprise software specializing in high-impact security organizations, having served as chief revenue officer and vice president of sales for multiple security software companies. She is currently vice president of worldwide sales for data lifecycle & protection at Micro Focus, which delivers digital transformation software to 40,000 customers worldwide. Currently, Schuring also serves as a Board Member at Storyleaders and an Advisory Board member at CloudVector and DeepFactor. "The email security industry is on a fast growth path, serving companies of all sizes that need sophisticated, innovative tools to better address one of the most critical threats in todays world, email phishing attacks, said Schuring. "I look forward to working alongside IRONSCALES leadership team and board members to build on what is already a strong foundation as the company continues its growth and adds critical capabilities to its platform. IRONSCALES helps where e-mail security hurts the most, in the inbox with post-message delivery, detection and remediation. Through a self-learning platform that provides for fast, easy and seamless collaboration, IRONSCALES puts its customers on offense, empowering them to defend against sophisticated email attack techniques automatically in a proactive and predictive manner. Using a democratized approach to threat intelligence sharing, IRONSCALES makes anti-phishing effortless and seamless for both security professionals and end users. Additionally, IRONSCALES is the only email security provider to offer mobile applications for iOS and Android, enabling security analysts to access the platforms incident response center while on the go, providing unprecedented access to make time-sensitive decisions on phishing mitigation and resolve incidents immediately with one click. For more information on IRONSCALES, visit http://www.ironscales.com and follow @ironscales on Twitter and LinkedIn. About IRONSCALES IRONSCALES is the future of phishing protection, incubated inside the worlds top venture program for cybersecurity and founded by alumni of the Israeli Defense Forces elite Intelligence Technology unit. We offer security professionals and end users an AI-driven, self-learning email security platform that provides a comprehensive solution to stop tomorrows phishing attacks today. Using the worlds most decentralized threat protection network, our platform accelerates the prevention, detection and remediation of phishing attacks already inside your email with threat removal times in seconds, not minutes or hours. We give organizations of all sizes complete anti-phishing protection against any type of phishing attack, right now. Visit http://www.ironscales.com to learn more about The Power of Now. Indias trade with countries in South Asia has remained less than 4% of its global trade since the late 1980s while China has increased its exports to the region by 546%, from $8 billion in 2005 to $52 billion in 2018, according to a new study. The study by Brookings India, released on Tuesday, noted that South Asia remains one of the least economically integrated regions in the world. Intra-regional trade remains well below its potential, at only 5% of the regions global trade, because of protectionist policies, high logistics cost, lack of political will and a broader trust deficit. Indias regional trade growth from 1991 until 1999 was minimal, according to the study titled Indias limited trade connectivity with South Asia. In 2008, Indias trade with South Asian neighbours reached a decadal high of $13.45 billion. Following a dip in 2009 due to the global financial crisis, Indias trade with its neighbours doubled in the next five years, touching $24.69 billion in 2014. The slowdown in Indias exports to South Asia in 2015 and 2016 coincided with the 13% decline in Indias global trade, from $19 trillion in 2014 to $16.5 trillion in 2015. Intra-regional trade revived in 2017, reaching a peak at $24.75 billion, and picking up further in 2018 when it rose to $36 billion, according to the study. Indias largest export market in the region is Bangladesh, followed by Sri Lanka and Nepal, whereas the largest imports by value come from Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. All countries in the neighbourhood have a trade deficit with India, the highest in 2018 being Bangladesh ($7.6 billion), followed by Nepal ($6.8 billion). The study says that despite the growing trade volume, Indias trade with its neighbourhood has remained roughly between 1.7% and 3.8% of its global trade. This has happened despite trade agreements such as the SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA), followed by the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement, as well as the Indo-Myanmar Border Trade Agreement, the ASEANIndia Trade in Goods Agreement and the Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. In contrast, China has consistently increased its trade with South Asia, barring a slight dip after the global financial crisis of 2008. In 2014, Chinas trade reached a high of $60.41 billion, whereas India traded approximately one-third that amount at $24.70 billion. Though Chinas trade volume with South Asia is consistently larger, excluding Pakistan reduces the gap to almost half. This gap is attributed to the ChinaPakistan Free Trade Agreement signed in 2006, which increased trade significantly between both countries. The studys analysis of India and Chinas shares in the global trade of the South Asian countries revealed only the landlocked countries (Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Nepal) had a higher trade share with India when compared to China. While exports to China from the region have been minimal, imports from China have been growing since 2012 in Myanmar, and since 2014 in the Maldives, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. In the case of Sri Lanka, there was heavy reliance on imports from India till 2013, owing to the Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. However, post-2013, both India and China export at par to Sri Lanka. In the last two decades, China has established itself as a major trade partner of South Asia. Beyond Pakistan, China has made inroads into South Asia by becoming Bangladeshs top trading partner in 2015, and bolstering trade and investment with Nepal, Afghanistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. This mainly reflects the regions strategic importance for Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), particularly the smaller South Asian countries, the study said. The study recommended several steps to help improve Indias regional trade, including revisiting and redoubling the focus on free trade agreements, eliminating barriers and other protectionist policies, and enhancing cross-border infrastructure such as integrated check posts. Data from World Banks World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) database and the International Monetary Funds (IMF) Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS) database on trade by India and China with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka was analysed for the study. The study focused on Indias import and export with South Asian states from 1988 to 2018 and Chinas trade with South Asia, excluding India, from 1992 to 2018. Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size Article body Lynn Von Hagen, an Auburn University Presidential Research Fellow and doctoral student in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, spent her first semester in a faraway but familiar locationKenya, where she has worked on the ground for two years researching African elephants, specifically studying crop-raiding, a perilous issue that endangers the lives of both elephants and native populations. In January, Von Hagen began her second semester at Auburn, working with Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Professor Chris Lepczyk and Assistant Professor Sarah Zohdy, as well as University Distinguished Professor Bruce Schulte of Western Kentucky University, where she earned her masters degree. Von Hagen plans to return to Kenya for a longer stint of elephant research, working in conjunction with major conservation groups, including Wildlife Works, Save the Elephants, Earthwatch and the International Elephant Foundation. Much of her research has taken place in the Kasigau Wildlife Corridor, home to the countrys largest elephant population and an area of high human and elephant conflict. She and fellow researchers have been hosted by Wildlife Works in Kenya, one of the worlds largest carbon offset schemes. Von Hagen said crop-raiding is an often-overlooked threat to people and elephants in many parts of Africa and Asia, as elephants move from protected lands into small shareholder farms, where they consume or trample crops. This creates conflicts between elephants and people: Elephants lives are endangered when farmers retaliate, and the livelihoods of impoverished people are compromised. We successfully evaluated a new type of metal strip fence invented by Simon Kasaine, our colleague in Kenya, Von Hagen said, adding that the invention, known as the Kasaine fence, or metal strip fence, has been effective at deterring elephants. This is big news for rural people, as the method is practical, affordable and prevents habituation by elephants, three key qualities rarely found in combination. She and her fellow researchers also assessed indigenous trees for elephant foraging to determine biological indicators for crop-raiding. She also performed wildlife and elephant surveys with an aim to create a catalog of known elephants in the area that will help in tracking individual, mostly male elephants and identify habitual crop raiders. Her extensive research in Africa is far-reaching. My work as a Ph.D. student and Presidential Research Fellow at Auburn will involve ongoing relationships with the project, but will allow me to diverge and build off of the important knowledge we have gained in the region, Von Hagen said. She said she plans to conduct community workshops that focus on a variety of crop-raiding deterrents, educate stakeholders on the importance of elephants in the ecosystem, introduce climate smart agricultural techniques to improve crop yieldsand make crop raids less detrimental to farmers. She will also introduce sustainable livelihood initiatives and conduct an educational school program. Auburn School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Dean Janaki Alavalapati said this research is leading to vital change in Kenyas embattled landscape. Lynn Von Hagens work in Kenya is helping to reduce human and elephant conflict and improve sustainable livelihoods for local people, Alavalapati said. Von Hagen will also assess the ways in which large-scale fencing initiatives can impact landscape scale elephant movements and how community participatory modeling can impact conservation planning. Those interested in learning more about the Earthwatch project, or accompanying the expedition, can learn more on the Earthwatch website or by following the project on Facebook. (Written by Teri Greene) The order is expected to instruct the FCC to review laws that shield social media from responsibility for user content. US President Donald Trump is expected to order a review of a law that has long protected Twitter, Facebook and Alphabets Google from being responsible for the material posted by their users, according to a draft executive order and a source familiar with the situation. News of the order comes after Trump threatened to shut down websites he accused of stifling conservative voices following a dispute with Twitter after the company decided to tag Trumps tweets about unsubstantiated claims of fraud in mail-in voting with a warning prompting readers to fact-check the posts. The president cannot unilaterally regulate or close the companies, which would require action by the US Congress or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The order, a draft copy of which was seen by Reuters news agency, could change before it is finalised. On Wednesday, officials said Trump will sign an executive order on social media companies on Thursday. The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. Trump tweeted on Thursday morning that this will be a Big Day for Social Media and FAIRNESS! This will be a Big Day for Social Media and FAIRNESS! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2020 The executive order would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to propose and clarify regulations under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law largely exempting online platforms from legal liability for the material their users post. Such changes could expose tech companies to more lawsuits. The order asks the FCC to examine whether actions related to the editing of content by social media companies should potentially lead to the platform forfeiting its protections under section 230. It requires the agency to look at whether a social media platform uses deceptive policies to moderate content and if its policies are inconsistent with its terms of service. The draft order also states that the White House Office of Digital Strategy will re-establish a tool to help citizens report cases of online censorship. Called the White House Tech Bias Reporting Tool, it will collect complaints of online censorship and submit them to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It requires the FTC to then consider taking action, look into whether complaints violate the law, develop a report describing such complaints and make the report publicly available. The draft order also requires the attorney general to establish a working group including state attorneys general that will examine the enforcement of state laws that prohibit online platforms from engaging in unfair and deceptive acts. The working group will also monitor or create watch-lists of users based on their interactions with the content or other users. Federal spending on online advertising will also be reviewed by US government agencies to ensure there are no speech restrictions by the relevant platform. It requires the head of each agency to report its findings to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget within 30 days of the date of this order. A blistering city audit of the Oakland Police Commission found that the civilian watchdog group has not completed several of its City Charter requirements, lacks organizational structure and suggested it wields too much power in its ability to fire the police chief. The 66-page audit, which The Chronicle obtained before its official release, comes as council members weigh a new ballot measure that would fortify the commissions authority. Commission Chair Regina Jackson fired back at the reports findings Thursday, saying that auditors relied on misconceptions and glossed over the commissions achievements and improperly weighed in on the firing of Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick was fired without cause in February in a joint action by police commissioners and Mayor Libby Schaaf. The former top cop has since claimed that she was fired in retaliation for blowing the whistle on alleged misconduct by the Police Commission. You kind of have to wonder if its part of the same kind of scare tactics used of late around the ballot measure discussions, Jackson said. I just believe that it is an insult to the professionals (the commissioners) who happen to be experts in their field. Jackson said the audit was purportedly to review the commissions performance from 2017-19, but auditors included a review of an item, Kirkpatricks firing, that clearly fell outside that period. Among the reports findings, auditors noted that the commission had modified only two Police Department policies during its two-year auditing period. The commission also failed to hire an inspector general, did not complete all of its trainings and hadnt obtained required reports, auditors said. Michael Short / Special to The Chronicle However, the auditors acknowledged that commissioners faced significant challenges in running a new organization, and the city failed to provide adequate staffing for a part-time body of volunteers. The Oakland Police Commission was created following the 2016 passage of Measure LL, which received the support of more than 80% of Oakland voters. The citizen body is tasked with overseeing the Police Departments policies and procedures, and its investigative arm the Community Police Review Agency and reviews complaints against officers and recommends discipline. The audit additionally discussed the commissioners authority to remove a police chief. Oaklands City Charter allows the commission to unilaterally fire a chief for cause, and to remove a chief without cause if acting jointly with the mayor. Auditors stated that this authority is rare, though they noted that police oversight bodies in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Honolulu have similar powers. In these other cities, however, police reported to just the oversight body, whereas the Oakland chief reports to the commissioners, mayor, federal monitor and city administrator. Since the City Council is considering modifying the City Charter and Municipal Code, this provides an opportunity for the City Council to re-evaluate the provisions regarding the removal of the Chief of Police, the report states. Auditors said the volunteer-run commission has more requirements than a part-time oversight body can handle. In a rebuttal sent to City Auditor Courtney Ruby, Jackson said the auditors included false statements about the commission and omitted information about the commissions authority under the Charter. She said the audit also falsely suggested Schaaf played no role in the removal of Kirkpatrick, which would be impossible under the Charter. The report, Jackson said, fails to credit the Commissions diligent, collaborative work on a new policy that restricts police from asking people during stops whether theyre on probation or parole. Jacksons rebuttal also notes that auditors completely neglected the commissioners yearlong effort to overhaul the Police Departments use-of-force policies, and blatantly mischaracterizes the commissions authority to remove a police chief. The report suggests the Commissions removal authority is rare amongst police commissions, but then acknowledges that San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Honolulu each grant their police commissions exclusive removal authority, she wrote. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. In an interview, Jackson said she was quite frankly disappointed in the audit. I would have expected more from the auditor, and I expect more of my city, she said. Councilman Noel Gallo said he hadnt seen the audit but preferred to delay the vote on the commission ballot measure until the report was released. The proposed ballot measure, which was co-authored by City Council President Rebecca Kaplan and Councilman Dan Kalb, would allow commissioners to have their own legal counsel and inspector general, and expand the commissions policymaking authority. The Oakland Police Officers Association and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf have both opposed some changes to the commission, saying it would give the oversight body outsize control over law enforcement. In an email to residents, Schaaf said the measure would allow the commission to override police on operational decisions. At a time when Oakland must cut $122 million from our budget, this proposal is certain to add costs to Police Commission operations, as well as could subject the City of Oakland to even more financial liability from law suits, Schaaf said. Editors note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said the proposed ballot measure would allow the police commission to override police on operational decisions. Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy A boy's body found in an east Tulsa creek on Wednesday is believed to be that of a missing toddler who disappeared with his sister last week. 'We do know it's a young, young male,' and the body was sent to the medical examiner for identification, Tulsa police Lt. Richard Meulenberg said, adding that the child was wearing clothing similar to that of the missing two-year-old Tony Crook. The boy disappeared on Friday along with his sister, three-year-old Miracle Crook, from their mother's apartment building in Tulsa. Miracle Crook (pictured left), aged three, and her brother Tony Crook (right), two, were last seen on Friday at a store in Tulsa and subsequently at their apartment. Two children's bodies were recovered from waterways on Tuesday and Wednesday A makeshift memorial is seen at the spot where Miracle and Tony walked down to Mingo Creek at the Shoreline Apartments last Friday Searchers found the boy's body at around 5pm, less than a day after the body of a young girl was found in the Arkansas River. Members of the Oklahoma Task Force made the grim discovery off of 46th Street North and Highway 169 in Bird Creek near Owasso. Police said 'all signs are pointing toward this is the two children weve been looking for for days now.' Investigators have said Miracle and Tony were last seen on security video outside their east Tulsa apartment holding hands and walking toward a creek whose waters eventually flow into the Arkansas River. The mother of the children, Donisha Willis, 24, is jailed on charges of child neglect and assaulting a police officer. The girl's body was found in the Arkansas River, about 40miles from the apartment, but about 100miles away by waterway, said Terry Sivadon, a member of the task force that recovered the boy's body, about 15 miles away by water. Tulsa police have said the area received heavy rainfall during the weekend and the creeks and rivers were flowing rapidly. Emergency crews are seen looking for the missing children in a Tulsa creek on Tuesday The brother and sister were last seen getting down an embankment into a creek and never reemerging. Officers have been searching for the children by boat As NewsOn6 first reported, Tulsa Police focused their search efforts on the ponds at the apartment complex where the children stayed with their mother, before searching Mingo Creek, which flows into Bird Creek and eventually the Arkansas River. Recent rainstorms have caused the creek to become swollen with fast-moving water. Miracle and Tony were last seen on video going down the embankment into the creek, with authorities saying that there was no other spot where the children could have climbed out safely. Muskogee County authorities said bystanders reported seeing a body in the river near the Verdigris Bridge at around 9pm, reported Fox 23. First responders from Wagoner and Muskogee counties scoured the river and recovered the body overnight. The search for the missing brother and sister resumed this morning. Tony and Miracle's mother, Donisha Willis, remains in custody. A police report revealed she refused to speak to investigators and told them her toddlers 'don't even matter', according to Fox23. On Friday, a security camera at The Shoreline Apartments complex where Willis lives captured her children walking down a tree-lined grassy avenue at around 10:15am, two hours after they were previously pictured at a nearby convenience store. The new CCTV footage from The Shoreline Apartments complex where Willis lives is the last known sighting of the toddlers, circled above The children's mother, 24-year-old Donisha Willis (pictured), was arrested on Friday night accused of child neglect and assaulting a police officer Police first reported the children missing on Saturday, saying the 'surrounding circumstances are concerning' without explaining further. At the time, police said the toddlers had last been seen by a relative on Thursday evening. However, cops subsequently published a surveillance photo which showed them at a convenience store on Friday morning, when they were with their mother. Half an hour later at 9am, a witness saw the mother and her children back in the Shoreline apartment complex. The new CCTV marks the last time the children were seen. Willis, the mother, was arrested after 10pm on Friday evening and is being held on bond in a county jail, according to inmate records. She does not have custody of the children, whose aunt is their guardian. It was the aunt who found Willis passed out on the couch in her apartment Friday night. Police chief Wendell Franklin said Willis was not forthcoming with investigators, and was possibly high on drugs at the time. Speaking to local media, Franklin acknowledged that the children may be dead. 'Theres absolutely no way they couldve survived 24 hours out here by themselves, so we need the public to help,' he said. 'There's only two things that can happen here. These children are either on someone's couch asleep, and the people that they're with don't know that these children are missing, or these children are dead.' Divers have been scouring local ponds as part of a police search for the two missing toddlers (pictured above) Cops published a surveillance photo which showed the two children at a convenience store on Friday morning, when they were with their mother Officers have been searching trash cans and cars in the apartment complex while stopping motorists who leave and enter. Search dogs have also been deployed to help police divers who are scouring ponds for any sign of the toddlers. Local residents and businesses have also been asked to check their security cameras for any footage they might have captured of the children. Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the opening of the National People's Congress at The Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on May 22, 2020. (Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images) What Tasks Does Xi Have for Chinas Military? Commentary On May 26, Chinese President Xi Jinping told senior officers the Peoples Liberation Army and Peoples Armed Police Force increase preparedness for armed combat as well as other military tasks. It is a chilling thought, but Xi may have several tasks in mind, for both the PLA and the PAP. Throttling Hong Kong immediately comes to mind. Beijings communist government is on the verge of breaking the 1984 Sino-British treaty that guaranteed Hong Kongs autonomy through 2047. Another round of armed imperial bullying in the South China Sea may be in the offing. In that tense sea, Chinas artificial islands and illegal maritime claims, backed by its armed forces, have literally stolen territory from neighboring nations. Chinas land border touches 14 sovereign countries: Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, and North Korea. China has territorial, political, and ethno-cultural conflicts with several of these nations. Consider India. Since Chinas 1950 invasion of Tibet, India and China have had a difficult security relationship. The two nuclear powers share a 3,500-kilometer border, and there are several boundary disputes. In the last six weeks, Indian media have reported that Indian and Chinese soldiers have clashed along what is called The Line of Actual Control threading through the Himalayas. In two skirmishes, soldiers suffered injury, one in Indias Ladakh region and the other in the Naku La mountain pass in Sikkim. India and China constantly bicker over Ladakh and the Doklam plateau. However, Indian media have published satellite photos they claim prove several thousand Chinese soldiers have occupied Indian territory in the Galwan River valley. The South China Morning Post reported that Indian sources regarded Galwan and Naku La as new disputes. Recall the 1962 Sino-Indian War. China acclimated an assault force, preparing infantry for high-altitude operations, and then conducted a quick offensive that punished the Indian Army. India remembers. Now the stage is set for a larger war. India can interdict Chinas sea-shipping supply line from Africa and southwest Asia. China has enlarged its navy and is acquiring bases in the Indian Ocean, including a seaport in Pakistan. Vietnam could be a task with a sea dimension. China has seized Vietnamese areas in the South China Sea. The United States and China already clash in the South China Sea, and China has sparred with the Philippines as well. Beijings belligerence is spurring closer U.S.-Vietnamese cooperation. Asia has experienced millennia of Chinese imperialism. Hanoi knows at least with the Americans you get rock n roll. But Vietnam is much more than a sea squabble. In 1979, China and Vietnam fought a brief but bloody border war. Chinese forces performed poorly. Vietnam inflicted very heavy casualties on the invading PLA. China remembers, with embarrassment. The PLA is now a modernized force. Since 1949, Taiwan has been on the task list, but recent elections indicating Taiwan prefers complete independence have sparked threats by the communists to attack the island and recover the lost province. For that, Chinas generals need air superiority over the Taiwan Strait. They are building air and missile forces with that in mind. They are also procuring amphibious warfare ships to move assault troops across the Taiwan Strait. However, Tiananmen Square and Chinas failure to respect its promises to protect Hong Kongs freedoms have stiffened Taiwans spine. Xi also told the PAP to prepare. Think of the PAP as an army tasked with internal repression and ensuring Communist Party control. Subduing and oppressing ethnic Turkic Uyghurs in Chinas western Xinjiang province is a current PAP task. Landlocked Kazakhstan and Mongolia are appalled, but there is little they can do. In fall 2019, elements of two PAP divisions deployed their armored cars and armored personnel carriers along Hong Kongs border. It is a chilling thought, but Xi might task the PAP and PLA with arresting, beating, and perhaps killing pro-democracy Hong Kong citizens who refuse to kowtow to Beijings communist dictators. Austin Bay is a colonel (ret.) in the U.S. Army Reserve, author, syndicated columnist, and a teacher in strategy and strategic theory at the University of Texas. His latest book is Cocktails from Hell: Five Wars Shaping the 21st Century. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A man died Wednesday after being assaulted by another inmate inside an Alabama prison, the authorities said. Jamaal King, 33, died from injuries suffered in what appeared to be an inmate-on-inmate assault at Elmore Correctional Facility, a prison system spokeswoman confirmed to AL.com. Kings cause of death hasnt yet been determined, said Samantha Rose, the spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC). The mans body will be autopsied by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. Jamaal Cornelius King, shown in an undated booking photograph from the Alabama Department of Corrections, died on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 after being assaulted by another inmate at Elmore Correctional Facility, officials said. The ADOC condemns all violence in its facilities, and the fatal actions taken against King by another inmate are being thoroughly investigated, Rose said in an email to AL.com. King had been in prison since 2006 after pleaded guilty to murder in Jefferson County. He was sentenced to 22 years for the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Reginald Hall in Birmingham, according to court records. Two others, Fredrick Swanson and Jermaine Williams, also pleaded guilty to murder and were sentenced to five years in prison, records show. Kings family was traveling to Elmore prison on Thursday morning to meet with officials about his death. Elmore is a medium-security prison about 15 miles north of Montgomery. Updated at 2:33 p.m. to correct Kings age. BEIJING China's government passed the first hurdle of enacting a draft security law for Hong Kong on Thursday, legislation that critics warn would erode human rights protections and the territory's unique status. The move has prompted widespread concern about Beijing's increasing influence on the semi-autonomous region. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that the law would mean that Hong Kong no longer qualifies for its special status under United States law. That might open the door for the U.S. to end or at least alter the special economic and trading relationship that it currently has with Hong Kong. President Donald Trump said Wednesday ahead of the vote that he will issue a response before the end of the week. Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists, who in recent days have taken to the streets in protest, spoke out against the move. "Today's decision is a direct assault on the will" of Hong Kongers, Joshua Wong, an activist who rose to prominence during widespread demonstrations in 2014, said on Twitter. He warned the legislation "might kill Hong Kong's democratic movements." Its passage was no surprise and hours beforehand, Pompeo tweeted Wednesday that "the United States stands with the people of Hong Kong." A joint statement by the State Department, along with the foreign ministries of Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, said that China's passing of the draft law was "in direct conflict with its international obligations." They called on China to rethink the legislation, saying it raises the prospect that Hong Kongers might be prosecuted "for political crimes, and undermines existing commitments to protect the rights of Hong Kong people." China's annual National People's Congress approved the framework of the law by 2,878 votes to 1. It will now go to senior party officials in the Standing Committee of the NPC to be fleshed out. Story continues It is set to tackle issues such as secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference, and comes after a year of anti-government protests that at times brought Hong Kong to a standstill. Legal experts say it is unclear whether once passed in Beijing, the law will also need to be approved or implemented by Hong Kong's Legislature. Image: Riot police stand guard outside a Louis Vuitton shop during a protest against Beijing's plans to impose national security legislation in Hong Kong (Tyrone Siu / Reuters) Either way it represents a major turning point in China's handling of the territory. Some analysts see it as China losing patience with Hong Kong's failure to adopt national security legislation on its own after anti-government protests swept the city last year. Hong Kong, once a British colony, was handed back to China in 1997 on the agreement that it would retain for at least 50 years extra freedoms distinct from those of mainland China. This was called "one country, two systems," and stated that Hong Kong would keep its own, more liberal systems of government, the judiciary and economy. Tara Joseph, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, described Beijing's draft law as marking "the end of an era" for the region. "Hong Kong, in many ways, has become the new Berlin: the new meeting point of a big argument of big disagreement between two major powers, China and the United States," she said. "We can expect a lot of friction here as a result." Image: A woman walks in front of riot police at Central during the second day of debate on a contentious bill that would criminalize insulting or abusing the Chinese national anthem, in Hong Kong (Vincent Yu / AP) Backed by the U.S. and other Western governments, activists are worried that Beijing is now trying to snuff out the freedoms that it promised decades ago. "Hong Kong is not as free as it was before," said one demonstrator, part of a group of dozens of people who had gathered in downtown Hong Kong on Thursday. Asking to be identified as Wong for fear of retaliation, he said that Hong Kong's government was now just "the puppet of Beijing" and that it was "harming our basic values, harming our freedom, harming our democracy." Another demonstrator, Simon Ho, an information technology worker, said that it was "too late to change, but we still need to express to the government that we really do not like this law." According to Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, the passage of the draft law shows that the Chinese Communist Party has weighed-up the risks and considered them acceptable to achieve their goals. "It was potentially too embarrassing to Xi Jinping to see surrounding the elections in September, another round of very violent protests that they just couldn't control," Glaser said, referring to the Chinese president. She said the coronavirus was an "accelerant" emboldening China's foreign policy. Janis Mackey Frayer reported from Beijing; Justin Solomon from Hong Kong; and Alexander Smith and Adela Suliman reported from London. Reuters contributed to this report. Last month, while the Prime Minister was still in hospital, the BBCs Newsnight opened with an unprecedented monologue. The presenter, Emily Maitlis, was visibly angered by Boris Johnsons colleagues describing him as a fighter. In a weirdly literal and deeply ungenerous speech, Maitlis informed viewers that such language was wrong. She proceeded to give her views on inequality and other issues. On Tuesday this week Maitlis did it again, opening with a shockingly partisan attack on Dominic Cummings and the Prime Minister, declaring that the former broke the rules and made the public feel like fools and accusing the latter of blind loyalty. For many viewers, this was a step too far. On Tuesday this week Maitlis did it again, opening with a shockingly partisan attack on Dominic Cummings and the Prime Minister BBC bosses apologised for the rant not the first time that Maitlis has forced them to do so. This weeks monologue is just the latest reason the 49-year-old has been in trouble with her own bosses over the one-directional, partisan nature of her presenting. The presenter, Emily Maitlis, was visibly angered by Boris Johnsons colleagues describing him as a fighter Last September, a complaint was upheld against her for a sneering and bullying interview carried out on the programme in July. The BBCs internal executive complaints unit found that she was too persistent and personal in her criticism of the pro-Brexit journalist Rod Liddle. In truth, she didnt even bother to disguise her contempt for him. She asked Liddle, absurdly, if he would describe himself as a racist, adding because many see you that way. She then informed the longstanding columnist: All you do is write about suicide bombers blowing themselves up in Tower Hamlets. Pointedly, Liddle asked her: Do you have to, at every possible juncture, show the BBCs grotesque bias? He seemed to have been asked on to the show simply for her to insult him. And seven months before that, the BBC had to issue another on-air apology after remarks Maitlis had made on the programme about the pro-Brexit campaigner Richard Tice. You will search in vain for similar attacks on, or necessary apologies to, anti-Brexit campaigners. Maitlis has been a fine journalist but today she appears to be one of the large number of people who have been driven furious by the events of recent years. On social media, she proclaims her pro-Labour views and continues to retweet the most loud-mouthed Left-wingers and Remain campaigners. She has consistently attacked the US President and expressed other highly partial viewpoints. The licence fee is meant to assure quality content (something that has become ever less evident in recent years). And it is meant to mean that the BBC is a news source that everybody can trust How are the public meant to believe that when she sits in front of the camera to present, this deeply partisan person somehow becomes impartial? After her performance this week in particular, such an idea is impossible to sustain. Of course, plenty of media figures are open about their political views. Several have left Newsnight in the past and pursued modestly successful careers in Left-wing activism. But they did so because as Maitlis seems not to understand if you are a partisan activist you cannot use the BBCs current affairs programmes as your megaphone. While no one is forced to buy any British paper, if we want a television we are all forced on threat of imprisonment to pay a subscription to the BBC. There are supposed justifications for this. The licence fee is meant to assure quality content (something that has become ever less evident in recent years). And it is meant to mean that the BBC is a news source that everybody can trust. Impartiality may be impossible to achieve 100 per cent of the time but it is nonetheless meant to be the aspiration. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's special advisor Dominic Cummings arrives at Downing Street after news broke that he travelled 260 miles to Durham during lockdown For Maitlis to have decided to give up on it entirely will not only corrode public trust and further divide, rather than unite, our nation. It will also fuel the growing political pressure to alter the present hugely advantageous funding arrangements that the BBC enjoys. After the declining standards of recent years, I know many who no longer bother to appear on Newsnight when asked, and not just when Maitlis is presenting. Many believe it has increasingly come to resemble the unwatchable Channel 4 News and, more importantly, they feel that it is no longer worth it. Fifteen years ago, when Jeremy Paxman was the presenter, being on Newsnight was an event for guests and viewers alike. Commentators would come off air to find their phones buzzing with congratulations or commiserations. Today, the buzz has long stopped and the programme has now come to feel like it is being broadcast into a great silence. This is not a coincidence. Events of recent days are a reminder that the last stage before total irrelevance is a desperate last grab for relevance. Perhaps the BBCs bosses should conclude, like the viewing public, that the programme is past its best. Emily Maitlis' REAL political colours: Newsnight presenter's Left-leaning views are exposed in tweets and retweets to her 360,000 followers Emily Maitlis has never been shy to disguise her Left-leaning views, as even the most cursory glance at her tweets and retweets directed at her 360,000 followers reveals. Unable to contain her excitement at Dominic Cummings's trip north, she tweeted about it before her monologue on Tuesday night. But her bias goes back a long way, as Ross Clark explains WEDNESDAY MAY 27 Missing from the Newsnight presenter's chair, Miss Maitlis is busy on Twitter, retweeting Newsnight's feed, which was quoting Donald's Trump's rogue ex-press secretary Anthony Scaramucci: 'It's a very tough decision for the executives at Twitter You didn't think you were going to be in a situation where you had a pathological liar as the President of the US and now you have to sit there and measure and weigh through what he's doing.' Miss Maitlis then retweets three negative tweets about Trump, including one by comedian Sarah Cooper: 'Still processing the fact that the President has no clue what he's talking about on national television.' MAY 26 Far from having second thoughts about the way she had introduced the subject of Cummings that night, Miss Maitlis proudly retweets praise from user 'Nearly Legal', a lawyer recommended by (who else?) The Guardian: 'Okay, that is an opening. @maitlis telling it as it is.' Miss Maitlis retweeted multiple negative tweets about President Donald Trump, pictured at the White House yesterday MAY 24 Retweets a clip showing people shouting and making obscene gestures at Cummings as he walks towards his home, with a comment by New York Times correspondent Jane Bradley: 'These aren't journalists shouting at Cummings but furious members of the public.' Miss Maitlis tweets: 'The damaging thing about this whole issue for government is that Cummings instantly loses any right to tell others they are out of touch/elite/ missing the public mood. That's properly over now. He has become the thing he loathed.' Retweets the Labour Party's official account: 'There cannot be one rule for Dominic Cummings and another for the British people.' Retweets the Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff: 'Just want to say there will be good Tory MPs and ministers hating every minute of this, who need to decide if this is what they want their party to become. Politics is being demeaned and as with expenses scandal, there will be lasting damage.' MAY 14 Retweets LBC radio presenter and arch-Remainer James O'Brien: 'The far-Right routinely disseminate and pretend to believe things they know not to be true to stoke hatred and division. To see the tactic being adopted by Conservative MPs and even an actual minister is a moment of real danger for our democracy.' Retweets an anti-Tory doctor who congratulates her following an item in that evening's Newsnight: 'As a frontline healthcare worker I'm so grateful you are calling out the lies, u-turns and incompetence of this government. Proper journalism.' She also retweeted the views of LBC radio presenter and arch-Remainer James O'Brien, pictured MAY 11 Retweets Times columnist Jenni Russell: 'Boris was never up to the job of crisis leader. His role was figurehead. But his Cabinet can't fill the gap because they were chosen for Brexit loyalty, not competence. We're being led by bunch of inadequates.' MAY 6 Professor Neil Ferguson has resigned from the Government's Sage committee after his married lover visited him. In contrast to the excitement she will show when Cummings is accused of breaking lockdown, Miss Maitlis retweets a scientist: 'The lockdown is here actually to protect your community and protect the NHS So in a sense, not to let this [resignation] distract people from complying with the lockdown.' APRIL 5 Miss Maitlis retweets a doctor who has been angered by a column in the Daily Telegraph: '@Telegraph has really decided to ratchet up the blame game. Yep, it's the NHS who's to blame for the Covid19 lockdown. Oh and US-style healthcare would be better. NHS staff who's with me in boycotting Telegraph advertisers? Because this kind of accusation stinks.' The presenter retweeted a scientist's views over the resignation of Professor Neil Ferguson, pictured DECEMBER 9, 2019 Three days before the general election, she tweets: 'Don't underestimate the similarities between G.B.Done [Get Brexit Done] and M.A.G.A [Make America Great Again, Trump's campaign slogan] they each work if they are consistently repeated and chanted but never explained.' DECEMBER 7 Retweets Lib Dem candidate Sue Wixley, praising Tory voters who lend their vote to the Lib Dems. DECEMBER 4 Retweets Lib Dem activist who claims then-leader Jo Swinson has been unfairly criticised for her time in the Tory-led coalition Government. 'The irony is Jo Swinson, who no one knew five years ago, is being held to account on her record in government, while Boris Johnson completely shrugs it off.' Tweets by a Lib Dem activist who claimed then-leader Jo Swinson, pictured on election night, was unfairly criticised, were also shared by Emily Maitlis NOVEMBER 6 Retweets Jonathan Lis, of anti-Brexit group Brit Influence, after Miss Maitlis grilled Tory ex-minister James Brokenshire on Brexit. 'Maitlis puts a suggestion to James Brokenshire that simply won't go away: after so many years of attempted detoxification, the Tories are back to being the Nasty Party again.' Miss Maitlis goes on to retweet supportive comments that Brokenshire was 'completely out of his depth' during her interview and was speaking in 'banal soundbites'. OCTOBER 20 Retweets a post by the then Lib Dem MP Sarah Wollaston who had defected from the Tories. 'No one should be duped by the fake 'One Nation' Tory spin. This would be a very different and far more Right-wing #NastyParty if it gets back in. The cull of the moderates has been ruthless.' South Africa: SA supports call for two-year debt standstill President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa supports the call of the African Union for a two-year debt standstill due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at a virtual United Nations High-Level Event on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond, held on Thursday, President Ramaphosa said Africa is encouraged by the collaboration of the G20, the Bretton Woods institutions and the UN towards finding solutions to developing country debt sustainability and related issues. We support the allocation of more IMF (International Monetary Fund) Special Drawing Rights to help central banks, the corporate sector and small and medium-sized businesses to withstand the shocks caused by the pandemic, President Ramaphosa said. The President participated at the invitation of the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. The event was hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica. It aimed to formulate a comprehensive global response to provide support to developing countries to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic does not derail the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UNs 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. President Ramaphosa said South Africa endorsed the call by Guterres for the development of a comprehensive debt framework. This should start with an across-the-board debt standstill for countries unable to service their debts, followed by targeted debt relief and a comprehensive approach to structural issues in the international debt architecture to prevent defaults. We further welcome the Secretary-Generals call for a global response package amounting to at least 10% of the worlds gross domestic product. This means more than $200 billion of additional support for Africa. We must also address the threat posed to the economic stability of developing countries by illicit financial flows, money laundering and corruption, the President said. President Ramaphosa also emphasised that no one should be left behind, noting that South Africa shares a collective responsibility to not just uplift our respective countries and societies, but also those less resourced and less fortunate. Let us once again reaffirm our commitment to raising the standards of living of our citizens, to sustainably managing our natural resources, responding to the challenges brought about by climate change and to bringing material progress to all the peoples of the world, the President said. Far-reaching impacts on human health The President further reiterated that the Coronavirus pandemic will have far-reaching impacts on human health, livelihoods, security, economic development and social stability. He warned that the pandemic presents a very real threat to collective ability to meet the SDGs, particularly in the case for developing countries. As we mount a global effort to overcome the COVID-19 crisis, we need to ensure that the progress we have made towards the realisation of the SDGs is not reversed. In particular, we call on developed countries to meet their commitments to support developing countries in the key areas of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, President Ramaphosa said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-05-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. I am a retired teacher of health and physical education, with advanced degrees in both, from several New Jersey public school districts. Regarding the reopening of gyms in the middle of a pandemic: It is totally contraindicated both by the nature of how the COVID-19 virus is spread, and the configuration of most fitness centers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the main danger of COVID-19 spread is airborne, not surface contact. As a YMCA member as well for over 50 years, Ive noticed there is a lot of heavy and rapid breathing during cardio exercises. All it takes is one infected person to infect an entire room. Most gyms are climate-control engineered with little effective ventilation. Recently, two parishioners in a church infected up to 92 other people, resulting in three deaths. Open the gyms, and this will repeat itself. If any venue has a greater risk of indoor airborne contagion, it is a gym and the heavy breathing of sweaty, vigorous exercisers who could exhale the virus in all directions. This is a time for sacrifice and restraint. People can effectively work out in their homes; this is not the time for gyms. Richard A. Pisz, Union Not a doctor, but Murphy plays one on TV Gov. Phil Murphy was not elected to be a doctor or a dictator, but he is trying very hard to be both. He claims to be using science and facts to guide ending coronavirus lockdowns. Well, the states own numbers show the fact that hospital cases are way down, yet the governor keeps saying that we are not at the right numbers. He should let us in on what numbers he looking for, so we will all know. Maybe he is looking for permission from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for life to get back to where it should be. Not only is Murphy hurting small businesses and middle-class families, he is hurting kids. They are are missing out on so much graduations, sports, seeing friends and just having fun. Perhaps his own children are old enough so that it doesnt matter to him. Murphy has proven that he can make bad decisions, such as requiring nursing homes to re-admit COVID-19 patients while they were still infectious. Governor, try to make some good non-political decisions and reopen New Jersey. Kevin McCauley, Kenilworth Follow the Benjamin on voting by mail What would Benjamin Franklin say? Throughout his life, even before the American Revolution, Franklin worked towards quicker and more reliable postal service. He understood that the exchange of mail, along with the printing press, newspapers and education, all formed the bedrock of democracy. If Franklin were alive today, he would recognize instantly the value of voting by mail, especially in times of widespread illness. An attempt to forbid mail-in ballots on the trumped up grounds of widespread voter fraud would outrage one of our smartest founding fathers. And he would see right through it. Brock Haussamen, Manasquan Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 10:30:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- With 4.25 percent of the world population, the United States has suffered over 28 percent of global pandemic deaths so far. Its death toll is more than double the number of deaths reported in any other nation in the world; -- Politicians in Washington D.C. continue to ignore the wake-up call for unity and cooperation, and politicalize the pandemic struggle over election concerns; -- Besides urging cooperation, a Pew poll showed Americans largely agree the United States should look beyond its borders for ideas to combat the coronavirus. NEW YORK, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States exceeded 100,000 on Wednesday, the highest globally and a grim milestone in the country with a well-developed public health care system and highly-advanced medical technology. Nearly 1.7 million cases have been reported in the country as of Wednesday afternoon, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. New York, the country's worst-hit state, reported 364,965 cases with 29,370 deaths; New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Illinois each reported over 5,000 deaths. Flowers are placed beside a refrigerated temporary morgue outside Brooklyn Hospital Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York, the United States, on April 24, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) With all 50 states having partially reopened their economies, a key coronavirus model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation forecast that more than 140,000 people in the country would die by Aug. 4. If there is any silver lining for Washington in the midst of the pandemic, it should be coordination and cooperation within the country and beyond, observers say. "New York Times" publishes the names of 1,000 people who died of COVID-19 in the United States, on its front page May 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) DODGING RESPONSIBILITY "As we battle the coronavirus, American lives depend on a successful government response. But with rare exceptions, House Members' jobs do not," said David Litt, a former speechwriter for then U.S. President Barack Obama, in an article published by TIME magazine. With 4.25 percent of the world population, the United States has suffered over 28 percent of global pandemic deaths so far. Its death toll is more than double the number of deaths reported in any other nation in the world. Many U.S. experts believe the tragedy could have been avoided, if timely and coordinated efforts had been taken. It was not until March 16 that the White House reversed its previously dismissive stance and announced anti-epidemic guidelines, more than two months after Washington received warnings from China and the World Health Organization (WHO). If the country had begun imposing social-distancing measures one week earlier, about 36,000 lives would have been saved from the pandemic, according to new estimates from Columbia University disease modelers. People relax as they sit in circled-off areas to assure social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco, the United States, May 24, 2020. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) The researchers also estimated that if nationwide lockdowns had begun on March 1, two weeks earlier, about 83 percent of the nation's deaths would have been avoided. "It's a big, big difference," said Jeffrey Shaman, head of the research team. "That small moment in time, catching it in that growth phase, is incredibly critical in reducing the number of deaths." Experts also blamed Washington's disregard of early warnings and anemic response for the skyrocketing death toll, saying the U.S. pandemic handling was a work in progress-fragmented, chaotic, decentralized, and plagued by contradictory messaging from political leaders. "You can't have an effective response to a pandemic if there isn't effective or at least interested leadership at the top," Chris Galdieri, an associate professor at Saint Anselm College, told Xinhua, adding that the White House's disinterest has crippled the U.S. response. "The U.S. is a very powerful nation, but it has not directed its immense resources into building the kind of public health system that can be resilient in emergencies of this kind," Clay Ramsay, a senior research associate at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua. A man wearing a face mask walks by a memorial for COVID-19 victims in front of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn borough of New York, the United States, May 27, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) HUMAN LIFE VS POLITICS "More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they're doing," Obama said earlier this month. "A lot of them aren't even pretending to be in charge." However, politicians in Washington D.C. continue to ignore the wake-up call for unity and cooperation, and politicalize the pandemic struggle over election concerns. For example, to wear a face mask or not has been a raging question in the United States, but not one based on science or public health. Instead, it has become rooted in political identity for numerous American voters and a focus of fierce partisan fights with an eye to general elections in November. Photo taken on May 19, 2020 shows the window of a reopened bakery amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Recent polls showed how strong the partisanship worked behind mask-wearing, with 75 percent of Democrats saying they wear masks when they leave home and only 53 percent of Republicans saying they take the precaution. Besides mask wrangle, the list of controversial issues ranges from the use of Defense Production Act to produce ventilators, gun-carrying protests against stay-at-home orders, support for the WHO, to risks of quickly reopening economies. "What has cost the United States so many lives and jobs during the pandemic is not, at root, a failure of public health. It's a failure of democracy," Litt said. "More than any political or cultural trend, more even than President Trump, our redesigned system of government is responsible for the crisis we find ourselves in today." People wearing face masks walk through Domino Park in Brooklyn borough of New York, the United States, May 27, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) CALLS FOR COOPERATION If the United States sought more international cooperation, its own response to the pandemic could have been better, experts say. To shift blame to others, the Trump administration announced that it will permanently cut off U.S. funding to the WHO if the body does not commit to what he called "substantive improvements within the next 30 days." "The saddest thing is that on previous occasions, the U.S. has been proactive in the WHO and acted as a scientific, financial and logistical contributor to solving the problem. If the U.S. had functioned this way abroad in December and January, this would have helped its response at home a great deal," Ramsay told Xinhua. The researcher urged the United States to rejoin the world medical community and be an active partner in the WHO. "Whether the U.S. has criticisms to make of the WHO or not, the administration's passivity and withdrawal are non-starters," Ramsay said. A beachside restaurant is open with takeout service amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Belmar of New Jersey, the United States, May 16, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) Besides urging cooperation, a Pew poll showed Americans largely agree the United States should look beyond its borders for ideas to combat the coronavirus. Nearly half of them said the United States can learn a great deal from other countries about ways to slow the spread of the virus. "Ultimately, it is the international cooperation and mutual support that will eventually find medicine and also vaccines. This will be an international effort, no country alone can find the way out," Cheng Li, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, a U.S. think tank, said in a recent interview with Xinhua. Li called for more international cooperation, including cooperation between China and the United States "with a humanitarian spirit and vision," warning it would be devastating if a new cold war breaks out between the two countries, while urging the two governments and the whole world to do everything to avoid it. Behind the grim milestone of 100,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States, there are tens of thousands of grieving families, Li noted, adding the death toll continues to rise across the country and globally, which poses enormous humanitarian challenges. "We do need empathy and perspective-taking more than anything else in the fight against the pandemic," said the Brookings senior fellow. (Video reporters: Tan Yixiao, Hu Yousong; Video editor: Zhu Cong) Russian Major Nikolai Zekin is facing trial for taking bribes from soldiers in order to send them to Syria, where they can earn high salaries and other benefits writes Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. A Russian officer is facing legal action for allegedly accepting bribes from fellow officers and soldiers to have them deployed to Syria, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Tuesday. Major Nikolai Zekin was commissioned by the Russian army leadership to select trustworthy soldiers to be sent to Syria. However, he is accused of turning the operation into a racket, charging senior officers 50,000 roubles ($700) and junior officers and soldiers 15,000 roubles ($212) for the privilege of being sent to Syria, where they can earn more lucrative salaries. Another officer, Anton Danilovsky, was also allegedly involved in the bribery racket and had made 140,000 roubles ($2,000) as a result, while Zekin had earned 340,000 roubles ($4,800), Kommersant reported. Danilovsky lost his rank as captain and was previously sentenced to 18 months in prison for accepting the bribes. Land belonging to him was also confiscated in lieu of the money he had made. Zekins trial will take place on Friday after being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to Kommersant, Russian soldiers in Syria are paid a salary of 200-300,000 roubles ($2,800-4,200) according to their rank. They can also make money in other ways and receive veteran status and other privileges. In 2018, the Russian defence ministry said that 63,000 soldiers had taken part in operations in Syria ever since Russia intervened militarily in the war, backing Bashar Al-Assads regime in 2015. Thousands of civilians have been killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria and human rights groups have accused the Russian military of targeting schools, hospitals and other civilian areas. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. May 28 (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc has signed a long-term agreement with glass maker Corning Inc to procure vials for storing drugs, the companies said on Thursday. Pfizer said the glass vials will be used for some of its existing sterile injectable medicines and that they were also being assessed for storing a range of new products. The company did not provide details of these new products. Some drugmakers recently said they were working to ensure adequate supply of vials, given the expectation that billions of them will be needed for COVID-19 vaccines. Pfizer, like rivals Merck & Co and AstraZeneca , is racing to develop a vaccine for the illness which does not yet have an approved vaccine or treatment. (Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli) Sydney, May 28 : The prevalence of 'silent' symptomless COVID-19 infections may be much higher than thought and as countries progress out of lockdown, a high proportion of asymptomatic individuals may mean a much higher percentage has been infected with the coronavirus, according to a study of people isolated on a cruise ship during the pandemic. Published in the journal Thorax, the study from Australian researchers revealed that more than eight out of 10 of passengers and crew who tested positive for the infection had no symptoms. The research was carried out among 128 passengers (mostly from Australia and New Zealand) and 95 crew onboard a ship which set sail from the city of Ushuaia in Argentina in mid-March for a planned 21-day cruise of the Antarctic after the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared Covid-19 a global pandemic. Passengers, who in the previous three weeks, had passed through countries where COVID-19 infection rates were already high, were not allowed to board. And everyone's temperature was taken before embarkation. Hand sanitising stations were plentiful aboard ship, particularly in the dining room. According to the study, the first case of fever was reported on day 8, prompting the immediate adoption of infection control measures. As Argentina had closed its borders, the ship sailed to Montevideo, Uruguay, arriving on day 13. Eight passengers and crew eventually required medical evacuation to the hospital at this point for respiratory failure. On day 20 all the remaining 217 passengers and crew were swab tested for coronavirus. More than half (59 per cent) tested positive. In 10 instances, two passengers sharing the same cabin didn't have the same test result, possibly because the current swab test returns a substantial number of false-negative results, the authors said. Of those testing positive, 24 (19 per cent) had symptoms, but 108 (81 per cent) didn't. The ship had no contact with other people for 28 days after its departure, so was the equivalent of a hermetically sealed environment. The authors concluded that the prevalence of COVID-19 infection on cruise ships is likely to be "significantly underestimated," prompting them to recommend that passengers should be monitored after disembarkation to ward off potential community spread of the virus. "As countries progress out of lockdown, a high proportion of infected, but asymptomatic, individuals may mean that a much higher percentage of the population than expected may have been infected with COVID," said Alan Smyth, joint editor in chief of the journal in a linked blog. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Instagram will begin showing advertisements on IGTV starting next week. The company has been hinting at the introduction of ads on IGTV and has now confirmed it will do so starting next week. The photo-and-video-sharing platform will also share the revenue generated via ads with its creators for the first time. Instagrams Doing More to Support Creators on Instagram blog post states that ads will appear when people click to watch IGTV videos from previews in their feed. The video ads will be up to 15 seconds long and are built for mobile, which means they will be in vertical format. The company will also test various experiences within IGTV ads throughout the year such as the ability to skip an ad - to make sure the final result works well for people, creators and advertisers. The Facebook-owned app has reportedly partnered with 200 approved, English-speaking creator partners and advertiser partners like Ikea, Puma, and Sephora. Instagram will bring more partners on board and expand this group further in the coming days. Justin Osofsky, Instagrams COO told The Verge that creators will get 55 percent of the revenue, which is the industry standard. The second big Instagram feature coming up is Badges. During the COVID-19 crisis, weve seen people supporting their favourite creators in Live with comments, likes and donations. To give fans another way to participate and show their love, were introducing badges that viewers can purchase during a live video, Instagram said. Badges will appear next to a persons name throughout the live video. Fans who have purchased badges in Live will stand out in the comments and unlock additional features, including placement on a creator's list of badge holders and access to a special heart. Instagram will begin testing Badges next month with a small group of creators and businesses. Over the coming months, it will expand across the US, Brazil, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Spain, and Mexico. Mumbai, May 28 : In an unprecedented gesture, the alumni of the National Law School (NLS), Bengaluru, raised funds within hours to send a group of 180 stranded migrants in Mumbai back to their home state Jharkhand, officials said here on Thursday. A flight was chartered from AirAsia for the purpose, which left Mumbai at around 6 a.m. and reached Ranchi after a couple of hours, the airline said in a statement. The NLS alumni association hired the 180-seater Airbus A-320 aircraft of the budget carrier for carrying out the humanitarian operation after domestic flight services were resumed in the country on Monday. "AirAsia India is proud to be a part of this initiative that helped migrant workers, adversely impacted by the lockdown, reach their homes and families," said Anup Manjeshwar, Head (sale and distribution), AirAsia. Before boarding, all the passengers were screened, provided safety kits comprising face mask, sanitiser and face shield, he added. According to Manjeshwar, the airline has worked closely with the NLS alumni, which independently crowdfunded the efforts to help repatriate the migrants from Mumbai to Ranchi. The unique initiative was described as a massive group effort with Priya Sharma of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department, IIT-Bombay, and the NLS alumni, according to lawyer Shyel Trehan, one of the organisers. "NLS taught us the importance of the value of equality and dignity. We are happy to have made this very small contribution to address a massive travesty," Trehan said. All the migrants, for many of whom it was a maiden flying experience, underwent screening at the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi, where they were given food packets before being dispatched to quarantine centres across the state in buses. Jharkhand Chief Minister has expressed his gratitude to the NLS alumni, saying while the spirit of humanity has been strengthened amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the gesture will also inspire many other people and institutions to come forward and help the needy. "I was working in a company making ladies' garments. During the lockdown, the company shut down. We were finding it tough to get two square meals day. Now I will never go outside the state to earn money. This is the first time that I boarded a flight," said Mohammad Mursid Ansari, a resident of Chatra district, after landing in Ranchi. Polish scientists working in Poland, France and USA explained the mysterious -delayed proton decay of the neutron halo ground state of 11Be. Studies within the SMEC model suggest the existence of collective resonance, carrying many characteristics of a nearby proton-decay channel, which explains this puzzling decay. It was argued that the appearance of such near-threshold resonant states is a generic phenomenon in any open quantum system, in which bound and unbound states strongly mix. Nuclear clustering is one of the most puzzling phenomena in subatomic physics. Numerous examples of such structures include the ground state of the 11Li nucleus with a halo of two neutrons or the famous Hoyle resonance at 12C, which plays a vital role in the synthesis of heavier elements in stars. Narrow resonances near the threshold are fundamental in astrophysical conditions, in which most reactions occur at very low energies. For these states, particle emission channels can effectively compete with other types of decay, such as photon emissions. The widespread presence of narrow resonances near the particle emission threshold suggests that this is a universal phenomenon in open quantum systems in which bound and unbound states strongly mix, resulting in the appearance of a collective state with the features of a nearby decay channel. In a recently published paper (Physical Review Letters 124, 042504 (2020)), physicists from the IFJ PAN in Krakow (Poland), GANIL in Caen (France) and FRIB Facility (USA) provided an explanation for proton emission delayed by - decay from the weakly bound ground state of the 11Be nucleus. In the first stage of this enigmatic, two-stage process, the neutron in the ground state of 11Be with the halo structure decays into electron, anti-neutrino and proton, causing the transformation of 11Be ground state into the resonance in 11B. In the second stage, a proton is emitted from this resonance (see attached diagram) to the 10Be state. The possibility of such a halo decay process in 11Be has been explained by the existence of resonance in 11B with 1/2+ total angular momentum and parity, which resembles many features of a nearby proton emission channel. The proximity of proton and tritium emission thresholds in 11B suggests that this resonance may also contain an admixture of the tritium cluster configuration. "The study was carried out based on the shell model embedded in the continuum (SMEC). The measure of state collectivization near the threshold for particle emissions (nucleon, deuteron, particle, etc.) is the correlation energy, which is calculated for each eigenstate of the SMEC. Competing effects determine the excitation energy at maximum collectivization: coupling to decay channels and the Coulomb and centrifugal barriers. For higher angular momentum values (L>1) and/or for coupling to the charged particle emission channel, the correlation energy extremum is above the threshold energy of this channel," explains Prof. Jacek Okolowicz from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In the latest experimental work of the group at Michigan State University, proton emission was observed in 11B from a state with a total angular momentum of 1/2+ or 3/2+, the energy of 11.425(20) MeV and a width of 12(5) keV, which is populated in the - decay of 11Be ground state. The resonance at 11B proposed in this experiment is 197(20) keV above the threshold for proton emission and 29(20) keV below the threshold for neutron emission. Theoretical studies using the SMEC model include the effective nucleon-nucleon interaction in discrete states of the shell model, and the Wigner-Bartlett interaction describing the coupling between nucleons in discrete bound states and continuum states. The calculations were made for the J = 1/2+ and 3/2+ states in 11B to determine the most likely angular momentum of the proposed resonance. The shell model states are mixed via coupling with a proton and neutron reaction channels. Collectivization of the wave function was found only for the third excited 1/2+ state, for which the maximum correlation energy lies 142 keV above the proton emission threshold. Hence, it was concluded that the resonance in 11B, mediating in the decay of the ground state of 11Be, must have a total angular momentum and parity J = 1/2+. The narrow 5/2+ resonance at 11.600(20) MeV, which lies slightly above the neutron emission threshold and breaks down by the emission of the neutron or particle, has a significant effect on the value of the 10B neutron capture cross-section. This huge cross-section suggests that the 5/2+ resonance wave function is strongly modified by coupling to a nearby neutron emission channel. Indeed, in the SMEC model calculations, there is a sixth 5/2+ state near the neutron emission threshold, which strongly couples in the L=2 partial wave to the channel [10B(3+) + n]5/2+. The theoretically determined maximal collectivization for this state is 113 keV above the neutron emission threshold and close to the experimental energy of the 5/2+ state. "We investigated the puzzling case of -p+ decay of 11Be with a neutron halo. Analysis carried out within the SMEC model confirms the existence of collective resonance in 11B near the proton emission threshold and favors assignment of J = 1/2+ quantum numbers. The wave function of this resonance resembles a nearby proton emission channel. It means that in this process - decay can be interpreted as quasi-free decay of a neutron from the 11Be halo to resonance in 11B, in which a single proton is coupled with the 10Be core. The similarity of J = 1/2+ resonance to the channel [10Be + p] also explains the large spectroscopic factor for proton decay and the very small partial width of the decay of this state. However, the properties of the nearby J = 3/2+ state, which mainly decays by the emission of the particle, can be explained by the fourth 3/2+ state of the SMEC model. This state poorly couples to the emission channels of one neutron or proton. Above the neutron emission threshold [10B + n] is a 5/2+ resonance, which is crucial for 10B neutron capture. The wave function of the sixth 5/2+ state of the SMEC model shows very strong collectivization near the threshold of neutron emission, which is the explanation of the huge observed cross-section for neutron capture by 10B," says Prof. Okolowicz. The reason for the emergence of a collective proton (neutron) resonance around the proton (neutron) emission threshold is the L=0 (L=2) coupling with the proton (neutron) scattering state space. In this regard, the 11B case follows other splendid examples of threshold states in 12C, 11Li, or 15F. In the future, experimental studies of the 10Be(p,p)10Be reaction will be needed to understand the nature of proton resonance at 11.425 MeV. To better figure out the nature of the neutron reaction channel and neighboring neutron resonances, 10B(d,p)11Be reactions need to be examined. Besides, an extensive experimental and theoretical analysis will be required to determine the branching ratio for the -p+ channel, as the currently suggested experimental value is greater by a factor of 2 than the predictions of the SMEC model. Future theoretical studies should also explain the effect of L=0 virtual neutron state on the reaction channel [10B + n]. The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ PAN) is currently the largest research institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The broad range of studies and activities of IFJ PAN includes basic and applied research, ranging from particle physics and astrophysics, through hadron physics, high-, medium-, and low-energy nuclear physics, condensed matter physics (including materials engineering), to various applications of methods of nuclear physics in interdisciplinary research, covering medical physics, dosimetry, radiation and environmental biology, environmental protection, and other related disciplines. The average yearly yield of the IFJ PAN encompasses more than 600 scientific papers in the Journal Citation Reports published by the Clarivate Analytics. The part of the Institute is the Cyclotron Centre Bronowice (CCB) which is an infrastructure, unique in Central Europe, to serve as a clinical and research centre in the area of medical and nuclear physics. IFJ PAN is a member of the Marian Smoluchowski Krakow Research Consortium: "Matter-Energy-Future" which possesses the status of a Leading National Research Centre (KNOW) in physics for the years 2012-2017. In 2017 the European Commission granted to the Institute the HR Excellence in Research award. The Institute is of A+ Category (leading level in Poland) in the field of sciences and engineering. ### CONTACTS: Prof. Jacek Okolowicz Institute of Nuclear Physics of Polish Academy of Sciences Tel: +48 12 662 8493 Email: jacek.okolowicz@ifj.edu.pl SCIENTIFIC PAPERS: Jacek Okolowicz, Marek Ploszajczak and Witold Nazarewicz "Convenient Location of a Near-Threshold Proton-Emitting Resonance in 11B" Physical Review Letters 124, 042504 (2020)) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.042502 LINKS: http://www.ifj.edu.pl/ The website of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences http://press.ifj.edu.pl/ Press releases of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences IMAGES: IFJ20200528_foto1ENs.jpg HR: http://press.ifj.edu.pl/news/2020/05/28/IFJ20200528_foto1ENs.jpg The -delayed proton emission of 11Be. The neutron halo ground state of 11Be undergoes beta decay to an excited state of 10B, which lies just above the proton-decay threshold. This state subsequently decays to 10Be by emitting a proton. (Source: IFJ PAN) NORTH WALES A new volunteer board in North Wales had not had much to do so far in 2020, but that has changed recently. Borough Manager Christine Hart gave an update Tuesday night on recent activities of the boroughs five members of its Human Relations Commission. Now the commission can assemble if need be. Hopefully they wont, but if need be, they are ready to go, she said. Beginning in May 2019 council held talks on adopting a local nondiscrimination ordinance modeled after one passed in 2018 in Lansdale, which would create a local commission to hear and act on complaints about discrimination against local residents, business customers or visitors, with rulings that could be appealed into courts. The borough refined its ordinance over the summer of 2019, heard from a member of Gov. Tom Wolfs LGBTQ Affairs Commission, drafted their new proposed code through August, and formally adopted it in October, with a call for volunteers issued soon after. In January 2020 council appointed residents Patti Armstrong, Collette DAngelo, Tim Clarke, Johanna Owings and Moira Blacksmith to the board, serving a series of staggered three-year terms. Hart told council Tuesday night that all five attended the virtual training session organized by the state, learning the basics of how the commission can create minutes and answer frequently asked questions. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission is based in Harrisburg and has regional offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and has issued guidance on issues of bias, hate crimes, and most recently on issues related to COVID-19 such as how much an employer can ask about those who call in sick, whether a medical note is needed, and details regarding employer screening of new hires for the coronavirus. Hart said no complaints or concerns had been filed as of Tuesday nights council meeting, but that board will now be publicized alongside the towns other various volunteer groups. An online form residents can use to submit any incidents of discrimination will also soon be posted, according to the manager. Council President Jim Sando said he had heard from commission members that they may have recommendations for council, and Hart said she will invite the commission members to discuss those at a future meeting. North Wales borough council next meets online at 7 p.m. on June 9; for more information visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org. In an impassioned Dail plea yesterday evening, Deputy Joe Flaherty told Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton that the people of south Longford have given blood, sweat and tears to Bord na Mona and the ESB over 75 years and that this immeasurable contribution must be recognised when it comes to the allocation of Just Transition funding. Also read: To lose Mid Shannon Wilderness Park would be unthinkable for Longford The Longford/Westmeath Fianna Fail TD stated; I grew up in the shadow of the ESB power station in Lanesboro and the broad, majestic Mount Dillon boglands were the backdrop to my youth. For 75 years, our community was the cradle of the Irish energy revolution. Now, with the race to decarbonise with bright, new, shiny alternatives, we are unfortunately no longer fashionable. We must remember that Bord na Mona led one of the most ambitious house building programmes in this country, building housing estates for its workers right across the midlands. Bord na Mona and ESB workers did much more than power this country from the banks of the River Shannon. They built communities and how we go about repaying that commitment will probably define the success or otherwise of the Just Transition fund. I have not met a Bord na Mona or ESB worker who does not accept and understand the need for decarbonisation, but they do not want to be afterthoughts in the process as we set about dismantling what has been a core part of our communities. Also read: Important that Lanesboro and Longford identifies projects that will support Just Transition We must also get real about the money. Currently, the fund stands at 11 million. When we closed the sugar industry in 2005, a fund of 145 million was provided. The Just Transition commissioner, Mr Kieran Mulvey, has said that the fund needs additional financial muscle. It is also imperative that a mechanism is found to compensate Longford County Council for its annual loss of more than 1 million in commercial rates. Decisions taken by two semi-state companies and the move towards decarbonisation are set to dismantle 75 years of town, country and community in my county. I welcome Mr. Mulvey's call to replicate the Border region Brexit package which is worth 28 million. Also read: Longford County Council urged to bid for new climate change centre to be located in Lanesboro We need a similar enterprise-led package for the just transition fund area. I would also expect this House to support Mr Mulvey's call to increase the fund next year to 25 million from the carbon tax allocation. It behoves me to tell the Minister that the people of south Longford have given blood, sweat and tears to Bord na Mona and the ESB over those 75 years. Many local groups, projects, local enterprises and Longford County Council will make robust submissions to the EU Start engagement process next month. I appreciate that Mr Mulvey has said there will be a geographical spread criterion when it comes to the allocation of funding, but the process must allow a weighting for the immeasurable contribution of my community to the Irish energy revolution and the now detrimental impact on the community following the sudden dismantling of an entire sector with the flick of a proverbial switch. Mumbai, May 28 : Actress Pavitra Punia misses spending time with her "Baalveer Returns" co-actors, including Aditya Ranvijay, Shridhar Watsar and Atul Verma. Reminiscing the time spent with them before lockdown, on the sets of the show, Pavitra said: "Out of the whole unit of 'Baalveer Returns', we are the only ones who keep laughing throughout the day. We never sit in our own separate rooms and are always together in one room. We eat, sleep and shoot together. So, I am missing all of them a lot right now since we are not shooting these days." Pavitra also shared how they bonded over food. "I am especially missing the food they get from home for me. Aditya gets this special homemade schezwan sauce. It's just out of the world and all of us are crazy about it. Shridhar Ji's wife makes 'moong dal ki bhaji', which is a dry healthy vegetable and I take that away from him and finish it all by myself. Atul cooks on his own, so he too gets some delicious food items and we all enjoy our lunch time together," she recalled. Pavitra also revealed that everyone in Kaal Lok (the show's magical world) gang calls her "mummy". "Everyone in the Kaal Lok gang calls me 'Mummy' and they treat me like the mother of Kaal Lok. So, if I am not on set for even a day, they call me up and tell me that it is getting difficult for them to shoot without me on the set. It's as if something is incomplete," she shared. Aditya Ranvijay, who plays the role of Bhaymaar, too, spoke about his bond with the other actors. "The bond all four of us share is just magical, and this makes it a bit difficult for us to be apart from each other. On the sets, we would always be with each other, at any given point of time -- from the morning tea to leaving the set in the evening. Out routine would include pranking each other, but everyone used to be very sporting towards it. I used to bring homemade laddoos which everyone on the set used to eat. Now that we are not shooting, everyone must be missing that. I hope we are able to resume shooting soon and I request everyone to stay home and stay safe," Aditya said. "Baalveer Returns" airs on Sony SAB. He's spending lockdown under a bonnet - but not just any bonnet. It's a 1966 Ford Mustang and Ireland and Ulster winger Jacob Stockdale couldn't be happier working on his classic car with its blue bodywork and two go-faster stripes down its back. Read More The 24-year-old professional rugby player bought the car on eBay a year ago, and the last two months of lockdown in Belfast has given him the luxury of time to pull on his mechanic's overalls and explore the iconic 'first gen' Mustang. Stockdale won't reveal how much he paid for the car which came off the Ford assembly line two years after the first Mustang debuted. "It probably was not one of my wisest purchases, but I bought it as a bit of a project car, something to do a bit of work to as a hobby and I love it," said the Lurgan native. "Going into lockdown has given me time to tinker away on the car, and I've done quite a bit of work on it. I've replaced the entire suspension and that was a job that really needed to be done. "I re-wired a few things like the horn and the radio because they were both draining the battery. "Every time I'd get in to go for a ride, the battery would be dead." And a year after arriving in Belfast from London, the car still has no name. "No, funnily enough, I haven't given it a name which I probably should. Nothing comes to mind yet," said Stockdale. "In terms of its shape, it is my favourite style of Mustang. They ran from 1964 to '69 or '68, so I wanted one from that range." The engine is 4.3l, so it's hardly a green machine. "It's quite thirsty, put it that way. I'd say it would average six to eight miles per gallon, definitely under 10. It's not a car you would want to be doing long distances in," said Jacob. And what about speed? Stockdale is certainly no slouch on the field. The GPS trackers which players wear underneath their jerseys record their speed, travel distance and other stats. "I think the fastest I've ever been clocked moving is 10.1 metres per second, which is around 23 miles per hour," said Stockdale, who scored a try against South Africa in his first home game for Ireland in November 2017. He name-checks the Mustang Fastback, famous for their speed, but Stockdale is modest about his motor. "I would say mine is more loud and slow." And while he loves the loud sound of the Mustang, his Hungarian vizsla dog, Layla, is not so keen. Purist tendencies mean Stockdale tries to keep the car looking like it did when it came out of the factory, and while his new radio looks old, it has bluetooth. Just the thing to listen to Johnny Cash, one of his musical favourites, in the car? Not so, it seems. He prefers to listen to the sound of the car which is "a real grumble, and sounds really angry". Stockdale's first car, in 2014, was his mother's 1998 Corsa, and his road car is an Audi RS4. Yesterday, Stockdale took time to promote the Phone a Friend campaign from the mental health charity Aware which urgently needs to raise funds. Demands on their services are high due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The campaign is being fronted by Stockdale, who is a brand ambassador for Maxol, Aware's charity partner, and runs until June 5. Stockdale said: "I have my girlfriend around during lockdown which was brilliant, but I have friends who had to isolate by themselves for 10 weeks and it can be a struggle and a difficult time, especially if you are living with depression or any mental illness." President Donald Trump tosses a hat into the crowd as he arrives for a campaign rally in Montoursville, Pa., on May 20, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Economic Recovery Key to Trump Reelection in November, Strategists Say WASHINGTONThe state of the economy is a paramount issue in driving electoral outcomes, and, as the nation shifts to recovery from relief, President Donald Trumps reelection odds depend very much on a successful relaunch of the U.S. economy, according to political strategists. Trump forecasts a tremendous comeback as states gradually ease their lockdown measures and open their economies. He bets that his reopening guidelines to the states will help create a speedy recovery without causing a new wave of virus infections. Early this month, his campaign launched a new ad, titled American Comeback, positioning the presidents 2020 reelection bid around an economic revival. Until March, it looked like Trump was on his way to an easy victory in November. Then the economy went from the best to the worst in just a few weeks and his reelection chances started to look shakier. It will depend on how the public sees things, not only with the progress against the disease, but also with reopening the economy, David Pietrusza, political historian and author, told The Epoch Times. Pietrusza, also an expert on presidential electoral history, said this year could be a replay of the 1930s. President Herbert Hoover, whom many blamed for the Great Depression, lost the election of 1932 to Franklin D. Roosevelt in a landslide. While the economy remained sluggish and 8 million Americans still were without jobs, Roosevelt won reelection by a historic margin in 1936. According to Pietrusza, the voters may treat Trump like either Hoover in 1932 or FDR in 1936, depending on whether they see the glass half-empty or half-full. Voters will feel pessimistic if they measure the economic situation in November against the good times of pre-pandemic, but they may feel positive if they compare it against the second quarter of this year and see the economic recovery is on solid ground, he said. Public approval of Trumps handling of the pandemic has slumped since late March. According to a Pew survey in April, 65 percent of Americans, including 33 percent of Republicans, believe that the president was too slow in addressing the COVID-19 threat. Trump currently trails his presumptive opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, by more than five points in national polls. President Donald Trump departs the White House in Washington on May 27, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) William Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said in a report on May 8 that Biden led in 5 of the 6 key battlegroundsPennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, and Arizona. As the 2016 election proves, all this can change, he wrote. Trump is betting his presidency on the consequences of reopening Americas economy and society. If it goes wellif people can return to work and socialize in public places without triggering an upsurge in COVID-19 infectionshis wavering supporters may well return to the fold. Despite the pandemic, Trump still scores better on the economy. A recent CNN poll showed that Trump held a 12-point advantage over Biden, when voters were asked about who they trusted most in leading the economy. The biggest problem Trump has had for the past two months [is that] hes been running against the coronavirus and not his opponent, Ford OConnell, a political analyst and Republican strategist, told The Epoch Times. Trump is winning the lockdown war as Americans become less fearful about going back to normal, he said. One of the things that the Democrats have been relying on is this idea of fear. And the less fearful Americans are about going outside of their house and going to work, the better off Donald Trumps reelection chances are. A Referendum on Trump The virus has sickened more than 1.7 million people in the United States and killed more than 100,000 as of May 27. And in just nine weeks, nearly 41 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits. This election will be a referendum on Donald Trumps handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Bill Press, political commentator and former chairman of the California Democratic Party, told The Epoch Times. I do think, up until March, that Donald Trump was favored because of the economy, he said. And that was his long suit. However, Trump now needs a miraculous recovery overnight to win the election, he said. I think that would be a great help to Donald Trump. But that is not going to happen. Were in too deep of a hole to come out of it overnight. Some Democrats, however, fear that the economic debate may look very different come November. Jason Furman, a chief economist in the Obama administration and now a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, believes that the current crisis will be followed by a quick and sharp rebound and this will coincide with the four months before November. We are about to see the best economic data weve seen in the history of this country, he told a bipartisan group of top officials, according to Politico. His predictions, which are in line with the explosive numbers predicted by Trumps economic advisers, are based on the premise that the current crisis is different than prior recessions and that the economy was in a good place before the pandemic. According to Politico, his statements have caused panic among Democrats as Trump could benefit from a strong rebound prior to the election. Challenges Facing Democrats A bad economy has been historically a factor that kills a presidents chances of winning. Since FDR, only two incumbent presidents have lost reelectionJimmy Carter and George H.W. Bushand the reason was very simple; there was a major economic blip or recession, OConnell said. However, there are other factors that go beyond economics. Trumps hawkish stance on China and the Obamagate scandal are other wild cards that could improve Trumps reelection odds. Democrats believe Trumps criticism of China for the pandemic is an attempt to distract attention from domestic problems. However, public opinion in the United States has shifted significantly against the Chinese regime in recent months due to the pandemic and this has created a big vulnerability for Biden, according to Libby Cantrill, head of public policy at the investment management firm PIMCO. As vice president and in almost four decades as a U.S. senator, Biden had been friendly toward free trade and China, she said in April during a panel discussion. China is definitely a weak point for the Biden campaign, according to OConnell. The question is, how much do American voters make the connection that China is primarily responsible for the pandemic. If they do, thats a feather in President Trumps cap, he said. He noted that Americans, especially Democrats, have not been fully informed by the news media about the dangers that China poses to the United States. The same is true for the Obamagate scandal, OConnell said, adding that the mainstream media ignored the subject for the past three years. The scandal is a real boost for Trump, he said. It provides extra motivation for the Republican voters to turn out because theres fear among the Republican Party, if he doesnt win reelection, well never get to the bottom of this. Democrats, however, disagree with it, calling it another distraction. I dont think its helping Trump at all. I dont even think his base buys it, Press said. Its total nonsense. General Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC), Atik Mohammed has asked the Ghana Police Service to immediately invite the party's National Chairman, Bernard Mornah, over his seditious comments against the Electoral Commission. Bernard Mornah, who is also a leader of the Inter-Party Resistance Against New Voter Register [IPRAN], reportedly threatened mayhem should the Electoral Commission (EC) proceed with its registration exercise to compile a new voters' register. He is said to have beaten ''war drums'' saying the group will violently disrupt the process and won't hesitate to ''kill'' during the exercise. Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', the PNC General Secretary described the statements by the party's National Chairman as ''treasonable'' and therefore called on the Police to swiftly swoop him up for interrogation. He emphasized the mandate of the Police is not just ''to deal with criminals but to ensure that crimes are not even committed in the first place. So, if somebody is threatening mayhem in this country, the person's insurance cannot be the fact that he is Chairman of a particular political party". Atik Mohammed stressed that Bernard Mornah is not above the laws of the country and so should not be left off the hook. "Merely being the Chairman of a political party such as the PNC doesn't mean you can say any gibberish. It doesn't give you the licence to just say all kinds of things and I am on this occasion inviting the Police that they should invite Bernard Mornah...If you threaten mayhem, if you threaten violence, threat of violence and the visitation of violence on whoever are offences under the Criminal Offences Act. So, you cannot threaten mayhem against a State agency doing their work within the limits of the law," he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi. Listen to his submission in the video below Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 28 May 2020 Acron Group Sells Crown Potash Lease KL 279 in Canada Acron's subsidiary, 101211205 Saskatchewan Ltd. (Canada), has closed a transaction to sell Crown potash lease KL 279 to Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc., a potash business unit within Nutrien Ltd. KL 279, or Stockholm Project, is an undeveloped 263.5 km property located in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada. Acron believes that the transaction reflects fundamental value of the potash industry even amid the turbulent market environment. Acron continues to own nine Crown potash leases and one exploration permit in Saskatchewan. Acrons potash dispositions with a total area of approximately 2,000 km are divided into two prospective blocks Albany Project (six lots in the south of the province) and Foam Lake Project (four lots in the north of the potash exploration and mining area in the province). Media Contacts Sergey Dorofeev Anastasiya Gromova Tatiana Smirnova Public Relations Phone: +7 (495) 777-08-65 (ext. 5196) Investor Contacts Ilya Popov Investor Relations Phone: +7 (495) 745-77-45 (ext. 5252) Background Information Acron Group is a leading vertically integrated mineral fertiliser producer in Russia and globally, with chemical production facilities in Veliky Novgorod (Acron) and the Smolensk region (Dorogobuzh). The Group owns and operates a phosphate mine in Murmansk region (North-Western Phosphorous Company, NWPC) and is implementing a potash development project in Perm Krai (Verkhnekamsk Potash Company, VPC). It owns transportation and logistics infrastructure, including three Baltic port terminals and distribution networks in Russia and China. Acrons subsidiary, North Atlantic Potash Inc. (NAP), holds mining leases and an exploration permit for ten parcels of the potassium salt deposit at Prairie Evaporite, Saskatchewan, Canada. Acron also holds a minority stake (19.8%) in Polish Grupa Azoty, one of the largest chemical producers in Europe. In 2019, the Group sold 7.6 million tonnes of various products to 78 countries, with Russia, Brazil, Europe and the United States as key markets. In 2019, the Group posted consolidated IFRS revenue of RUB 114,835 million (USD 1,774 million) and net profit of RUB 24,786 million (USD 383 million). Acrons shares are on the Level 1 quotation list of the Moscow Exchange and its global depositary receipts are traded at the London Stock Exchange (ticker AKRN). Acron employs over 11,000 people. For more information about Acron Group, please visit www.acron.ru/en. A 52-year-old man is fighting for his life after being shot in a Whataburger parking lot overnight. The man had gotten into an argument with another man somewhere in Humble when the victim decided to drive away shortly after midnight, according to Harris County Sheriffs Office Lt. Lynwood Moreau. The man pulled into the parking lot of the fast-food joint in the 1600 block of FM 1960 West around 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning. PITTSFIELD CHARTER TWP., MI - About 100 people blocked an intersection near the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office Wednesday afternoon to protest what they said is the continued mistreatment of a black woman shown in a video being punched in the head by a deputy. The demonstrators gathered outside the sheriffs department headquarters at 2201 Hogback Road at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 27. This protest, which comes after another protest the day before, spilled into the streets, blocking off the Washtenaw Avenue and Carpenter Road intersection. The sheriffs office warned residents to avoid the intersection due to the protest, according to an alert. Sheriffs cars, as well as a few Ann Arbor Police Department vehicles on stand-by, circled around the protesters and blocked off nearby highway exits, not allowing cars to pass through the demonstration. The protests began Tuesday, May 26, after a video showing a white deputy punching ShaTeina Grady El multiple times in the head, as well as a separate deputy using a stun gun on her husband Dan Grady El, circulated on social media. Video of Washtenaw County deputy punching woman sparks outrage in Ypsilanti Township Wednesdays protest escalated as news emerged that ShaTeina Grady El was being transferred to the Taylor Police Department on an outstanding warrant rather than being released from the Washtenaw County Jail. Live: Police Protestors Block Traffic Protestors block the intersection of Washtenaw and Carpenter in response to a video of a Washtenaw County sheriffs deputy appearing to punch a black woman in the head multiple times during an arrest went viral. Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton said yesterday There is absolutely no doubt, and no argument from me, that the images in the video are disturbing, he said. It warrants a complete investigation. Posted by The Ann Arbor News on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 Deputies had ordered the Grady Els to leave the scene of a potential shooting in the Apple Ridge neighborhood of Ypsilanti Township around midnight on May 26, said the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office. When officers tried to physically remove the two from the scene, they resisted, and a deputy punched ShaTeina Grady El in the head before taking both into custody, police said. The original video taken by Ypsilanti native Tovah Taylor was removed on Facebook. However, Taylors clip has gone viral on other social media. The Grady Els were trying to film the police forming a perimeter near their daughter Jaquisy Diggins home on the 2000 block of Peachcrest Street, Dan Grady El said. The police didnt try to explain the shooting situation to them before springing into action, he said. We were just trying to videotape to make sure nothing happened outside my daughters house, which had kids in the area," Dan Grady El said. That was our whole mission. The deputy shown punching ShaTeina Grady El has been placed on administrative leave, Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton said, which is paid due to sheriffs office union requirements. The name of the deputy is not being released at this time to facilitate a fair internal investigation, Clayton said. Clayton called the incident disturbing" and that it warrants a complete investigation. We are finders of facts, Clayton said in a statement. We want to seek the truth, find the facts and provide all the context. What was going on, what was the specific resistant behavior, what was the officers attempts at use of force. Were going to respond to that. Dan Grady El said a video he tried to take of the deputies is on his phone, which was dead when he left the Washtenaw County Jail Wednesday afternoon. His lawyer William Amadeo said he will review it once he gets the chance, but is already pursuing felonious assault charges against the offending deputy. Talking to the family today, which is the first chance Ive had to do so, (the altercation) was horrifying," Amadeo said. These people are victims, and theyre charged with a crime? This is what is bothering me right now. Dan Grady El and his daughter Jaquisy Diggins at the protest over Sha'Teina Grady El, an Ypsilanti woman punched repeatedly in the head by a Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputy last weekend. She was not released, but instead transferred to Taylor Police Department on an outstanding warrant. (Nicole Hester | MLive Media Group)Nicole Hester Dan Grady El was released from the county jail without charges, but the Washtenaw County Prosecutors Office has requested more information from the sheriffs office before considering charges against him and his wife, sheriffs office spokesman Derrick Jackson said. ShaTeina Grady El was transferred to the Taylor Police Department for a felony charge of resisting officers who were inquiring about her citizenship, said Taylor Police Chief John Blair. The Grady Els claim Moorish citizenship outside the United States, and say any police action involving them needs to be handled federally. ShaTeina Grady El is the plaintiff in two federal lawsuits filed in the last year against five Taylor police officers for harassment on these grounds, according to court records. The lawsuits were dismissed. They claim they can only answer to federal authorities, Blair said. They dont recognize any local law enforcement whatsoever. When theyre driving, they (say) theyre not driving, but that theyre traveling. Thats the terminology they use. They just dont recognize local law enforcement as a legitimate entity to enforce any sort of laws against them." Were getting the run around from federal judges, because they dont want to prosecute these officers, Dan Grady El said. Theyre trying to make this as difficult as possible for us, and were in the appeals process now. Wednesdays protest more than doubled in size from the first one organized by Trische Duckworth on Tuesday. The founder and executive director of the nonprofit Survivors Speak said Wednesday her intent for the protests is to gather Ypsilanti residents of all backgrounds in the name of justice for the Grady Els. We are tired of the continued injustice at the hands of the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office, she told the crowd Wednesday. All around the country, we see police and agencies that dont fully represent the communities. We need police in the community other than killing us, beating us and harming us. Other speakers included the Rev. Michael Robinson, pastor of Ypsilanti Community Church, who said while the country is facing the novel coronavirus, African Americans are facing a racist virus and have for many years. As news spread that ShaTeina Grady El was headed to Taylor, the protesters became more enraged and started chanting phrases such as No Justice, No Peace and Hands Up, Dont Shoot, a reference to the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearbon, acknowledged that the Washtenaw County community is hurting. The incident that occurred this week causes all of us to search our conscience," she said in a statement. Brutality by anyone is never okay, and whenever we witness violence captured on video it is deeply disturbing. "Sheriff Clayton is committed to a complete and thorough investigation of all the facts and he more than many understands how important and complicated these issues are. There are many committed law enforcement members who work hard every day and put their lives on the line for us. We must get the facts, the process must be transparent and the appropriate people held accountable. But no matter the outcome, this incident is a very serious setback for this community. Another protest is scheduled in front of the sheriffs office on Thursday, May 28. LONDON (dpa-AFX) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L, GSK) confirmed the company's plan to manufacture 1 billion doses of pandemic vaccine adjuvant system, in 2021, to support the development of multiple adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine candidates. To date, the company has formed several collaborations, including with scientific partners in North America, Europe and China, to develop vaccines. GlaxoSmithKline will manufacture, fill and finish adjuvant for use in COVID-19 vaccines at sites in the UK, US, Canada and Europe. The Group is in talks with Governments and global institutions about funding for production and supply of the adjuvant. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The coronavirus is further exposing how French health workers complain about low salaries and insufficient staffing. Hundreds of healthcare workers demonstrated outside a hospital in Paris on Thursday to demand better pay and more resources for a public health sector on the front line of the COVID-19 epidemic. Doctors and nurses wearing face masks, clanging bells and banging pans gathered in front of the Robert Debre Hospital, in the north of the city, some carrying banners reading: no medals, no tear gas but beds and money! The rally was taking place as the government is working on a new support plan for healthcare workers who have been at the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Health workers have long complained about low salaries and insufficient staffing at French hospitals, leading to a wave of strikes over the past year to demand funding increases. The coronavirus pandemic has further exposed the problems faced by the sector with medical facilities in one of the worlds richest countries left short of staff, masks and ventilators at the start of the crisis. The difficulties of public hospitals started quite long ago, said intensive care paediatrician Stephane Dauger. Everybody said that all went fine for the COVID [crisis] and that we have been extraordinary, which is a fact since weve done more than we could have imagined but the difficulties have persisted, he said. The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 28,000 people in France, though the number of daily deaths has fallen sharply since the peak of the outbreak. The government has announced that all staff working in public hospitals and nursing homes in the regions hardest hit by the virus will get a 1,500-euro ($1,662) bonus from the state. On Monday, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe promised healthcare workers further, significant pay rises as part of the planned reform of the public health system. Washington, May 28 : Clashes erupted between protesters and police in the US city of Minneapolis over the death of an unarmed black man in police custody, the media reported. Video footage emerged showing, George Floyd, 46, groaning "please, I can't breathe" and "don't kill me" as a white policeman kneels on his neck after officers on Monday responded to reports of the use of counterfeit money by the victim, reports the BBC. The video taken at the scene does not show how the confrontation started. As bystanders urge officers to let him go, Floyd ceases to move and an ambulance arrives to take him to hospital where he later died. The protests that continued on Wednesday began on Tuesday afternoon, when hundreds of people came to the intersection where the incident had taken place. Organisers tried to keep the protest peaceful and maintain coronavirus social distancing, with demonstrators chanting "I can't breathe," and "It could've been me". A crowd of hundreds later marched to the 3rd Precinct, where the officers involved in the death are thought to have worked. Squad cars were sprayed with graffiti and protesters threw stones at the police building. Police fired tear gas, flash grenades and foam projectiles, said the BBC report. Four police officers have been fired and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also called on prosecutors to file criminal charges against the policeman who was filmed holding Floyd. "Being black in America should not be a death sentence. For five minutes we watched as a white police officer pressed his knee into the neck of a black man. For five minutes. When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help." The FBI is investigating the incident and will present its findings to the Minnesota state's attorney for possible federal charges. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar urged a thorough outside investigation, saying: "Justice must be served for this man and his family, justice must be served for our community, justice must be served for our country." Allegations of police brutality have been constantly highlighted since the start of the Black Lives Matter movement, the BBC said in the report. It began after the acquittal of neighbourhood watchman George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American Trayvon Martin in February 2012. The deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York in 2014 sparked huge protests. Recent allegations of police wrongdoing include the shooting of a black woman in her home in Louisville by three white Kentucky policemen and the shooting of a man by an officer in Maryland. Police in Georgia are also accused of trying to cover up the killing of black jogger, Ahmaud Arbery. Locusts have wreaked havoc in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and are slowly making their way to New Delhi from Rajasthan-Haryana border. Authorities are trying their best to get rid of these plague-causing pests that can cause catastrophic damage to peoples lives. BCCL In case you didnt know, locusts, or Desert Locust, specific to Indias situation right now, come from the family of grasshoppers. Normally they like living alone in solidarity however, in certain climatic and environmental conditions they experience rise in serotonin levels and start breeding in exceeding numbers forming large swarms. Theyre voracious eaters. To put things into perspective, one square kilometre swarm of locusts with an average population of 40 million can eat the food of as much as 35,000 people in a day, leaving no food for people. Locusts have been troubling parts of Africa, the Middle East and India for a few years now. And here are a few ways theyve been dealing with these pests to effectively take them down. Pesticides to fight locusts Definitely the most basic and effective is the dispersal of pesticides either from a car or aircraft. This method is commonly practised to take down locust swarms in African countries like Kenya, Ethiopia etc as well as in Australia. Reuters Initially, there were concerns about the use of pesticides and its harmful effects, but now, environmentally friendly biopesticides (like Green Guard/ Fenitrothion) are used, which are sourced from countries such as Japan, the Netherlands and Morocco. Monitoring locust growth using drones While drones or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are being used for effective and cost-effective dispersal of liquids (something that even Indian government is looking into), FAO or Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations has been working on a novel approach to fit UAVs to monitor growth patterns of these swarms to nip them in the bud. Reuters The FAO is currently working with university researchers and private sector partners in Europe to make drones more developing-country friendly with solar power options, optics and sensors to better track swarm and vegetation etc. Theyre soon expected to commence testing in Mauritania to refine and use it for dealing with locust outbreaks. Locust control expeditions Sure, drones and planes sound cool to take down locusts. But not all nations are developed enough to have access to such hi-tech gear. In a country like Tajikistan, people like Khojamiyor Umarov -- a senior specialist with the nations Locust Control Expedition,-- look for locusts while riding on his bike through hilly regions of the nation. His work ensures early warnings of locust outbreaks, which help in emergency responses to be laid out in time. FAO Workers in the field transmit data theyve collected directly to the central offices whore closely monitoring them. Data analyses, including forecasts and recommendations, are sent to the highest authorities for timely decisions on control operations. China uses ducks against locusts China took a different approach to deal with the locust when they first emerged in the north-western Xinjiang region two decades ago. They deployed ducks who love eating insects like locusts. In fact, they can eat as many as 200 locusts in a day. This apparently worked like a charm to help China get rid of locusts two decades ago. Unsplash Moreover, recently, after seeing the trouble Pakistan is experiencing, it announced in February that itll send 100,000 ducks to deal with the infestation. Even though there are concerns to this, pointed out by Beijings troubleshooting team expert Zhang Long, a professor from China Agricultural University, who claims that desert areas of Pakistan arent suitable for ducks to feel comfortable, who prefer pond-like areas with water bodies. KING COUNTY Public health officials for King County have set up a new online dashboard for residents to see how the coronavirus is spreading, how the county is responding, and what they need to work on next. The dashboard focuses on three broad issues, divided into eight key indicators showing how the county is faring in the battle against the virus: Current COVID-19 activity What are the trends in reported cases? Is the outbreak growing or shrinking? Has the risk of being hospitalized changed? Has the risk of death changed? The county's testing capacity Can King County test enough to detect most cases? Is the county testing quickly enough? Healthcare readiness What percentage of hospital beds are occupied? What percentage of those occupied beds are filled with coronavirus patients? As of the dashboard's launch on Wednesday, King County is meeting four of the eight targets set for each question: the risk of hospitalization and death are both decreasing, less than 80 percent of hospital beds are in use and only 5 percent of those beds hold coronavirus patients. Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in Washington. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily. Local leaders say the dashboard is a useful tool for keeping the public informed, and that the metrics it shows will be essential in guiding the way forward for the region. "In addition to monitoring the spread of the virus, public health and elected officials are examining the progress that we are making on the key metrics including testing and hospitalization, with other key targets on contact tracing and at-risk populations to be added to the dashboard soon," said Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. "For the days and months to come, the public can follow the key targets that will be the basis of our scientific and data-driven decision-making to keep our community healthy. According to the data, the county still has to work on testing capacity and flattening the number of transmissions and new cases. Story continues The dashboard as of Wednesday, May 27 (Courtesy Public Health - Seattle & King County) Of particular note is the new data on trends, which shows how close King County is to meeting the standard necessary to enter Phase 2 of Governor Inslee's Safe Start plan. To move into Phase 2, each county must have fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week period. So far 24 counties have met that standard and moved on, but King County is not among them. Wednesday, the dashboard showed that King County had 28 cases per 100,000 residents over the past 14 days, almost 3 times what is needed to make the cutoff. The state is considering a new set of standards for larger counties like King, Pierce and Snohomish that are struggling to meet the initial goal. That new standard is expected to be announced sometime this week. The dashboard can be found on the county's website here. [NORECIRC] This article originally appeared on the Seattle Patch While the majority of African countries are still underdeveloped, efforts have been made to ensure they make living conditions better not only for the locals but visitors as well. The continent has far and wide enjoyed some relative peace, but that is only the beginning when it comes to living and working. Apart from peace, people need food and water, but these are still just the basics. The best African countries to live and work in 2020 are those that have gone the extra mile to ensure all the possible aspects necessary for a working environment are catered for. Some might assume that the best countries to live and work in are the most developed, but this is not true because one has to look at the cost of living. Image: wikimedia.com (modified by author) Source: UGC Living and working in a country is dependent on several things, the first of which is political and economic stability. Political stability guarantees the protection of life at all times, while economic stability is the foundation of working towards profit maximization. As a result, countries will be ranked on how favourable they are to live and work in based on their business environment with the aid of indicators such as policy and regulation, infrastructure, paperwork and ease crossing borders. Best African countries to live and work Here are some of the best countries to live and work: 1. Mauritius According to the World Bank 2020 Doing Business report, Mauritius is ranked 13th worldwide and the 1st in the African continent with a score of 81.5 points out of 100. There were four significant reforms identified as being at the core of Mauritius, leading in ease of doing business. These reforms include the outsourcing of sewerage design and connection, which has contributed to increased hygiene and sanitation improvement. Also, the country has done major reforms in facilitating cross-border trade. This means investors do not need to worry about delays at border entry points. One of the most critical reforms which Mauritius has done better than other countries is the simplification of ownership transfers while reducing transfer costs at the same time. The last reform identified by the World Bank is the introduction of a recourse mechanism for the publication of service standards. Mauritius also ranks high when it comes to payment of taxes, obtaining a building permit, and the protection of minority investors. 2. Rwanda Image: wikimedia.com Source: UGC While many people have failed to agree on the legitimacy and whether President Kagame of Rwanda is a dictator or not, no one can deny that his country is far better off than where it was when he took power. 2019 was the first time Rwanda had emerged in the top 30 states of the World Banks Doing Business report. In 2020, the country has a score of 76.5 points out of 100. This effectively meant that Rwanda is position 38 globally on the ease of doing business and 2nd on the African continent. Over the last ten years, Rwanda has implemented about 52 reforms related to the business and investment environment in the country. Some of the core reforms undertaken by the country include fast-tracking the building permit process, the introduction of risk-based inspections, and increasing quality control in construction. The country has also introduced online services for registering goods hence making the process of property transfer easy. With the help of the countrys land registry, one can transfer property within seven days at the cost of 0.1% of the property value, making Rwanda 2nd in the world on this indicator. Rwanda is also doing considerably well in terms of access to credit, protection of minority investors, and payment of taxes. READ ALSO: 10 most visited countries in Africa 3. Morocco World Banks Doing Business report ranks Morocco 53rd worldwide and 3rd in Africa with a score of 73.4 points. It is, therefore, a leader in matters ease of working and living in the North African region. Two critical reforms put Morocco on the map. The country has been effective when it comes to the reduction of company creation time. Morocco has eliminated the requirement of affixing physical stamps and replacing it with the use of an integrated taxation system. Also, the country ranks high in payment of taxes due to the facilitation of payment procedures and at the same time, simplifying and generalizing those procedures. The environment is conducive for start-ups, especially when it comes to the execution of contracts. This makes it one of the cheapest African countries to live in. 4. Kenya In East Africa, Kenya continues to be a leader and is fourth in ease of doing business in Africa. On the global stage, the country is 56th, leaving much to be desired on its 73.2 points score. The country has been hailed on its partnership with the private sector to provide a better business environment. In 2018, Kenya implemented the highest number of business-related reforms on the African continent and has improved by 53 positions globally in the last three years. Among the significant reforms undertaken is the improvement of the reliability of electricity by adding more distribution lines and transformers. The country also ranks high in ease of access to credit information. Some of the indicators in which Kenya has significantly improved include protection of minority investors, property registration, resolving of insolvency, and execution of contracts. READ ALSO: 15 most beautiful countries in Africa in 2020 5. Tunisia Tunisia is 5th on the African continent with a score of 68.7 points according to the World Banks Doing Business report 2019 and is only the second country from North Africa. This is thanks to the countrys ease of obtaining a building permit. It takes an average of eleven days and about nine administrative procedures to set up a business in Tunisia. The country is efficient when it comes to connection to the electricity grid and property registration. It is also one of the highest paying countries in Africa. 6. South Africa Image: wikimedia.com Source: UGC Home to the most industrialized city in Africa, South Africa comes in at number 6 when it comes to the best African countries to live and work in on the continent. It has a score of 67.0 points when indicators such as development finance, export facilitation, human resources, and skill development are evaluated. The country is still a leader when it comes to tourist attraction, but on foreign investment, it is lagging. However, rapid reforms have been made, such as the creation of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) responsible for providing incentives to domestic and foreign investors. South Africa is also noted for its protection of minorities reforms that place it 24th worldwide. The country is efficient in resolving insolvency, accessing credit, and obtaining a building permit. There is no doubt South Africa leads in the best African countries to live as an English speaker. 7. Zambia Zambia is the 7th best African country to live and work in. Globally, it is ranked 85th with a score of 66.9 points. Zambia has come a long way and finds itself among the top ten economies with the most notable improvements. Three current regulatory reforms have put the country on the map. The first of these is access to credit through the new Movable Property Tax Act. Secondly, Zambia has been able to establish a new unified collateral registry that has eliminated many unnecessary processes. The third reform involves the reduction of tax rates of transferring property. The cross-border trading is much better in Zambia after the country implemented a web-customs data management platform that facilitates importing and exporting activities. The country is exceptional when it comes to access to credit and is doing considerably well in the payment of taxes. 8. Botswana Botswana is 8th in Africa and 78th globally with a score of 66.2 points. It is easy to obtain a business permit in Botswana, and the business environment is relatively favourable to investors. Likewise, registering property is no hassle in this country, but the connection to electricity is not the best. Botswana has a vibrant mining industry and has always been a destination of choice for foreign investors. Here are the best job opportunities in African countries. There is also a rampant expansion in the services industries, which is why the country has undertaken significant reforms in access to credit, obtaining business permits, cross-border trade, payment of taxes, and registering of property. 9. Togo Togo is 9th in Africa in terms of the best countries to live and work in. Globally, the country is 97th with a score of 62.3 points out of 100. Togo is among the countries that have significantly improved and continue to work towards making their business environment more friendly through several reforms. First among these is the introduction of incentives for start-ups and foreign investors. Also, the country is serious about the protection of minority investors which is why there has been an influx in the last few years. Other notable reforms touch on cross-border trade, access to credit and execution of contracts. 10. Seychelles Image: wikimedia.com Source: UGC Seychelles is one of the best African countries to immigrate to. It has a score of 61.7 points and is ranked 100th globally in ease of doing business. This beautiful country is a popular tourist destination, but it is also working hard to ensure the business environment is ripe for investors. Significant reforms have been undertaken, including abolishing of administrative barriers and giving a variety of economic incentives so that investors are encouraged to settle in the country. The recent reforms that have been noticed as making the country business-attractive revolve around resolving insolvency, cross-border trade, payment of taxes and property registration. Sub-saharan African countries continue to lag when it comes to the best African countries to live and work in 2020. Mauritius has in the recent past proved to be a leader in this respect and has emerged first for two years consecutively as the easiest place to do business in Africa. Investors are continually looking at the reforms each country is making to make the business environment more thriving, and that is why many African countries are undertaking mega infrastructure projects such as roads, rail and energy. READ ALSO: Top 15 richest countries in the world in 2020 Source: TUKO.co.ke New Delhi/IBNS: India on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Pakistan after the Imran Khan government criticised the former for constructing the Ram Temple in Ayodhya amid the Coronavirus pandemic. India said Pakistan should be embarrassed to even mention minorities. Responding to queries on a statement by Pakistan on commencement of construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "We have seen an absurd statement by Pakistan on a matter on which it has no locus standing." "Given its record, Pakistan should be embarrassed to even mention minorities. After all, numbers dont lie even if they do," he said. India said the Imran Khan-led government should read their own country's constitution before making such comments. "As for the judiciary, Pakistan must realize that theirs is thankfully not the norm. There are others elsewhere with credibility and integrity that Pakistan understandably finds difficult to recognise," the MEA spokesperson said. "India is a nation served by the rule of law and which guarantees equal rights to all faiths. Pakistans Foreign Office may take time out and read their own constitution to realize the difference," he added. What Pakistan said: On Wednesday, Pakistan's Foreign Office in a statement said that while the world is fighting the unprecedented situation owing to the coronavirus pandemic, "the RSS-BJP combine" is carrying on its "Hindutva agenda". "While the world is grappling with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the RSS-BJP combine in India is busy unabashedly advancing the Hindutva agenda," the statement claimed. "The commencement of construction of a Mandir at the site of the historic Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on 26 May 2020 is another step in this direction and the Government and people of Pakistan condemn it in the strongest terms," read the statement. It said: "The developments relating to the Babri Masjid, the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), initiation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process, and the targeted killings of Muslims in Delhi in February 2020 are vivid illustrations of how Muslims in India are being marginalized, dispossessed, demonized and subjected to senseless violence." Criticising the mob lynching incidents, Islamabad said: The frequent mob lynchings by cow vigilantes and sinister schemes like ghar wapsi, love jihad and Corona jihad are part of this mindset. The right-wing Hindutva agenda, which appears to have permeated the state institutions as well, is moving fast towards turning India into a Hindu Rashtra. As Pakistan has been sensitizing the world community, todays India under the RSS-BJP sway is driven by the toxic mix of an extremist ideology and hegemonic ambitions, the neighbouring country said. "The rising tide of religious bigotry in India is well-documented by international human rights organizations, regularly highlighted by the international media, and raised in a number of world Parliaments," it said. The Pakistan government asked the international community to hold India to account for the continuous violations of human rights of minorities and urge the Indian Government to take immediate steps to ensure "that the rights of all minorities are fully protected and promoted as per Indias obligations under international instruments to which it is a party." New Delhi, May 29 : The Russian Embassy on its verified Twitter account has confirmed that the 2017 blockbuster "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion" has found favour among TV viewers in Russia. The film has been dubbed in Russian language and telecast on a channel in that country. "Indian cinema gains popularity in Russia. Look what Russian TV is broadcasting right now: the Baahubali with Russian voiceover!" tweeted @RusEmbIndia, the official Twitter account of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of India, along with a dubbed clip of the film. Fans in India were overjoyed with the news, and the dubbed Russian clip of the film has gone viral. Fans in India are thanking Russia and Russians for receiving the blockbuster mythological action drama with such warmth. "Thank you from Telugu film industry and from Telugu speaking people.. Another addition to the list along with Pasivadi Pranam (1987) got dubbed into Russian language," tweeted a fan. SS Rajamouli's two-film "Baahubali" series opened to full houses in its original Telugu version, as well as several dubbed languages including Hindi. While "Baahubali 2", released in 2017 has done a global business to the tune of Rs 1810 crore, the first film, "Baahubali: The Beginning" opened in 2015 and earned over Rs 685 crore. The franchise made the film's hero Prabhas a superstar. The cast also includes several big-ticket names such as Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia and Ramya Krishnan. A fan, commenting on the Russian Embassy's tweet, quipped: "I wonder how song will be sung in Russian.. please upload that video having song or background song." To this, the embassy replied: "They just put subtitles." Many Prabhas fans tweeted pictures of their star, who played the central father-son characters of Amarendra Bahubali and Mahendra Bahubali, as a thank-you note. Others felt Bahubali would be fun to watch in other languages, too. "Bahubali will be so much fun to watch in German language," wrote a fan. Most users hailed it as a sign of the strong bond that India and Russia have shared traditionally, with some pointing out how Indian films and filmstars have found favour in Russia even back in the day when the country used to be USSR. Indian stars who have made an impact in Russia in the past include Raj Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty. -IANS vnc/vnc -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text A Hungarian burglar who targets wealthy homes has been jailed for 15 years after robbing a millionaire's fiancee at gunpoint in front of their young children and stealing jewellery worth more than 100,000. Bride-to-be Stacey Tomlinson lost gems including her diamond engagement ring after she was tricked into opening her front door to the attackers when they falsely claimed they had been hired to do some guttering work. During the armed raid one of the robbers opened his coat pocket to show Miss Tomlinson a firearm adding: 'Please don't make me use this' before he frogmarched her around the property looking for valuables. At the time the victim's terrified daughters aged three and three months were forced to cower from raiders at their 1m secluded house in Lostock, near Bolton, Greater Manchester. Peter Paradi, 44, admitted his part in the raid and will be deported once he has served his jail term. His accomplice, believed to be a Russian national, was never captured and remains on the run. Bride-to-be Stacey Tomlinson, pictured with fiancee Nick Astley, lost more than 100,000 worth of gems including her diamond engagement ring During the raid Miss Tomlinson attempted to distract her older child by showing possible gifts on her laptop presents she planned to buy for Christmas but the youngster sobbed: "Mummy I don't like it" as one of the robbers stroked the little girl's hair. The pair got away with Miss Tomlinson's three carat teardrop diamond engagement ring worth 45,000, another two carat diamond ring worth 35,000 plus two other rings worth 15,000, a 2,500 Tag Heur watch, a Bulgari watch and a silver goblet which had been bought as a christening present for one of the children. They also seized CCTV equipment from the house. Police later arrested former hotel manager Paradi over the robbery after a tip off he was staying at a rented house 60 miles away in Wrexham. He was already wanted over a string of other gems raids at other luxury homes he targeted across the North West. In a statement Miss Tomlinson, who is in her 30s and whose fiancee Nick Astley runs a successful private hire taxi firm and property company, said: 'I felt broken by what happened. My biggest achievement in life has been to become a mother and my only thought that day was to look after my children during this incident. I feared I would be tied to a radiator and I feared for the girls. 'Since the incident, all the family sleep in the same room and our three year old will not sleep alone. She has to sleep with us and she hasn't been back into her own room since this took place.' At Bolton Crown Court, Hungarian national Paradi, a father of one from Cheetham Hill was jailed for 15 years after he admitted robbery plus 11 charges of burglary, three of attempted burglary and making off without payment. He will be deported from the UK after his release. Another suspect thought to be Russian is still being hunted over the robbery. The court heard Budapest-born Paradi had a waged a 'campaign of burglary' against wealthy victims between September and October last year whom he believed kept expensive jewellery at their properties. At Bolton Crown Court, Hungarian national Peter Paradi was jailed for 15 years The armed robbery occurred at 9am on November 22 after he and his accomplice knocked at the door of the home Miss Tomlinson shares with 54-year old Mr Astley. Colin Buckle prosecuting said: 'This address is in an affluent area and was likely to contain high value goods and the modus operandi of Paradi was to target these type of properties. 'At the time Miss Tomlinson had her three month old daughter in her arms and her older daughter was getting ready for nursery. She initially went to the window to see who it was and Paradi said they had been called to the address by her partner about gutters. 'She didn't know anything about it but felt she was being rude by talking to them through the window so she opened the front door. She was grabbed by the neck in a firm grip and marched into the living room. 'She said: 'please don't hurt my little girls' but was told to sit on a sofa. She was told to go upstairs whilst still carrying her three month daughter whilst Paradi looked through rooms, opened drawers and threw things about on the floor. The safe was then located and emptied and Mr Astley's study was searched.' No one was injured during the robbery but the victims were left shaken. None of the items were recovered. Miss Tomlinson was robbed at gunpoint in front of her young children by two men who turned up at her luxury home in the village of Lostock, pictured, posing as workmen It emerged Paradi had previous convictions for burglary when he was living in the USA between 1995 and 2003 before he moved to the UK. Defence counsel Mohammed Nawaz said his client was 'thoroughly remorseful, ashamed' and wished to apologise for his crimes. He said the former hotel manager's father had died of cancer and his wife had left him and taken their daughter back to Hungary. 'He abused alcohol and drugs and began to gamble as well and his life fell apart at the seams,' he said. But sentencing Judge Graeme Smith told Paradi his 'selfish acts' had devastated many lives. 'You were only thinking about yourself and you gave no thought at the time to the people whose expensive houses you were targeting,' he said. 'These are people who are now afraid of living in their own homes, people whose children are afraid to go home, people who no longer feel safe in the houses where they have lived in for many tears, people who are suffering nightmares and flashbacks. These are people who now intending to move house because of what has happened. ' Mr Astley left school at the age of 15 with no qualifications but has made his millions by running Bolton's biggest private hire taxi firm. His firm, Metro Taxis, evolved out of Halliwell Taxis, run by his parents, which he joined after leaving school early and becoming the town's youngest cab driver at 18. In 2014 he ploughed part of his fortune into a Priory-style addiction treatment centre at a 3.5m mansion on the outskirts of Chorley. The $2 million reduction shows how motivated owner Salvatore Sam Cecola is, listing agent Michael LaFido of @properties told Elite Street. Cecola, who had the mansion built in 2008, first listed it for $15.9 million in 2013, and then reduced it to $13 million in 2015, $12.5 million in 2016 and $9.5 million in June 2019. The latest reduction means Cecola has dropped his asking price by half since first listing it. Advertisement The wreckage of an RAF fighter plane that tumbled from 500ft with engine failure during the Second World War has been discovered on the British beach where it crash-landed 76 years ago. Dog walkers at Cleethorpes, Grimsby, were stunned to stumble across the seaweed-matted remains of the Bristol Beaufighter, which was dredged up by moving sands near the Humber Mouth Yacht Club. The fighter flew with 254 Squadron during the war as a night and heavy attack plane which torpedoed enemy ships - especially U-boats - in the North Sea as part of the air force's Coastal Command Strike Wing. But its service was cut short in 1944 when its engines gave in shortly after take-off from the RAF's North Coates base, sending it spiralling towards the shores of Cleethorpes. Military historians say the pilot, Sgt A.W. Burborough, and his navigator walked away from the wreckage unscathed and were uninjured. The remarkable discovery was made by Graham Holden and his partner Debi Hartley while they were walking their dog Bonnie on Bank Holiday Monday. Mr Holden, who has been strolling the beach for 20 years, said: 'I never expected to find anything like this in my life - it's an amazing find. 'I went out there just last week and it wasn't there. It could be covered up by the sand again soon. Who knows when it will next be uncovered - perhaps in another 80 years or so?' Dog walkers at Cleethorpes, Grimsby, were stunned to stumble across the seaweed-matted remains of the Bristol Beaufighter, which was dredged up by moving sands near the Humber Mouth Yacht Club The remarkable discovery was made by Graham Holden (pictured) and his partner Debi Hartley while they were walking their dog Bonnie on Bank Holiday Monday Bristol Beaufighters flew with 254 Squadron during the war as a night and heavy fighter which targeted enemy ships With a crew of two - a pilot and a navigator - the twin-engined Bristol Beaufighter boasts an impressive 60ft wingspan and is 41ft long, allowing it to hit speeds of more than 300mph RAF Pilot Sgt AW Burborough who escaped death TWICE Incident logs show that Sgt AW Burborough, whose first names are unknown, had two brushed with death in as many years. On April 21, 1944, his starboard engine failed and he was forced to land on Cleethorpes beach by North Coates airbase, where the wreckage has been unearthed this week. It states: 'The aircraft suffered a starboard engine failure at 500ft while on a familiarisation flight. 'This forced the pilot to make a forced wheels-up landing on the beach just ouside the perimeter of the airfield. No injuries were reported to either Sgt A.W. Burborough or his navigator. The aircraft was deemed a total write-off and the wreck is still visible today.' A March 6, 1945 log shows another close shave when the same engine failed during a training exercise. It states: 'This aircraft was lost at 1550hrs whilst practising single-engined flying. The starboard engine failed to unfeather, the pilot overshot the airfield and raised the undercarriage at too low an altitude to raise the flaps. 'The aircraft failed to maintain height on one engine and force-landed undercarriage-up on the beach 400 yards north-north-east of the airfield. 'Pilot P/O AW Burborough and his observer escaped uninjured, though the aircraft later sank in the mud.' Do you know anything about pilot A.W. Burborough who crashed the plane? Email tips@dailymail.com Source: Bomber County Aviation Resource Advertisement Strong tides are constantly shifting the sands across the coastline, and occasionally peel back the layer covering the wreckage. The couple spent 30 minutes snapping pictures of the wreckage to immortalise the historical event before it becomes hidden again, and provided Cleethorpes Coastguard with their pictures so it can be correctly documented But they are keeping the precise location of the plane secret for fear of salvagers stripping it of its parts, or military junkies putting themselves in danger to get a glimpse. Mr Holden added: 'It is good to know it can now be logged properly. It's just not what you would ever expect to find.' Ms Hartley said: 'My partner and I were quite surprised when we found it - it made our day. We have never found anything like this before. We went straight home afterwards to research it.' The RAF confirmed that the wreckage is one of their Beaufighter TF.X, believed to be aircraft serial number JM333 of 254 Squadron RAF. Ian Thirsk, Head of Collections at the Royal Air Force Museum London said the plane crash landed shortly after take-off from RAF North Coates where it was based with 254 squadron. He said: 'On April 21, 1944 JM333 ditched near Haille Sands when both engines failed shortly after take-off from North Coates. The crew were uninjured and escaped to safety.' An incident log states: 'The aircraft suffered a starboard engine failure at 500ft while on a familiarisation flight. 'This forced the pilot to make a forced wheels-up landing on the beach just ouside the perimeter of the airfield. No injuries were reported by either Sgt A.W. Burborough or his navigator. The aircraft was deemed a total write-off and the wreck is still visible today.' Sgt Burborough also came into trouble the next year, with logs showing his starboard engine again failed when he was practicing single-engine flying. The report from March 6 states the pilot 'overshot the airfield and raised the undercarriage at too low an altitude to raise the flaps. 'The aircraft failed to maintain height on one engine and force-landed undercarriage-up on the beach 400 yards north-north-east of the airfield. Pilot AW Burborough and his observer escaped uninjured, though the aircraft later sank in the mud.' With a crew of two - a pilot and a navigator - the twin-engined Bristol Beaufighter boasts an impressive 60ft wingspan and is 41ft long, allowing it to hit speeds of more than 300mph. The remarkable discovery was made by Graham Holden and his partner Debi Hartley while they were walking their dog Bonnie (pictured left) on Bank Holiday Monda What appears to be the wing of the RAF fighter which crashed after engine failure in April 1944 An incident log states: 'The aircraft suffered a starboard engine failure at 500ft while on a familiarisation flight. 'This forced the pilot to make a forced wheels-up landing on the beach just ouside the perimeter of the airfield. No injuries were reported by either Sgt A.W. Burborough or his navigator' RAF pilots at North Coates base in Lincolnshire which during the Second World War was the home of the Coastal Command Strike Wing which targeted enemy ships in the North Sea The plane's service was cut short in 1944 when its engines gave in shortly after take-off from the RAF's North Coates' barracks, sending it spiralling towards the shores of Cleethorpes (beach pictured in the past) Protecting the sea from the skies: RAF 254 squadron The squadron was formed near the end of the First World War to perform coastal reconnaissance missions in Devon. Its airmen flew light bombers along the south coast, but the regiment was disbanded in February 1919 after Germany surrendered. It was un-mothballed in 1939 at the inception of the Second World War. At first, it operated Bristol Blenheim bomber planes before moving to Bristol Beaufighters, equipped with torpedoes to take out German U-Boats. It formed the third squadron of the North Coates Strike Wing, a part of Coastal Command designed to target enemy ships in the North Sea. It was Number 46 squadron in 1946 after the war ended and was wound down. But it was on standby during the 1963 Cuban Missile Crisis at the height of Cold War tensions when a full-blown war hung on a knife-edge. Advertisement Of almost 6,000 Beaufighters built during the war, there are only believed to be five fully complete versions remaining around the world. The discovery of the Beaufighter comes just weeks after the wreck of a car sunk on Cleethorpes beach 35 years ago was uncovered by moving sands. The Vauxhall Victor sunk in the sand after its owner drove it onto the beach in the mid-1980s. It is understood the owner cut the roof off the car to prevent it from becoming a hazard to small boats. A Cleethorpes Coastguard spokesperson said: 'This is a Vauxhall Victor, used to be green, that sunk in the sand and mud 35 years ago. 'The owner drove onto the beach and immediately got stuck. There was no way of recovering the car, which was totally covered by the next incoming tide.' The Cleethorpes Coastguard has been reminding people about how the profile of the beach regularly changes - and has issued safety advice to beachgoers. The spokesperson added: 'When giving safety advice about visiting the coast, we often talk about how the profile of the beach changes on a regular basis. 'That's just one reason why it is difficult to put signage up about where mudflats are that pose a risk. 'Sand has been washed away and has revealed the wreck that you wouldn't expect to find on the beach. 'Over the years we have had many people venturing onto the beach in their vehicles, in anything from family saloon cars to 4x4 vehicles. 'Most of them have had to be rescued off the beach, even the 4x4s. The advice is simple - don't take your vehicle onto the beach.' In a huge respite for migrants stranded in the district, the administration has allowed them to visit the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana at 10am on Friday and get on-the-spot registration for Shramik Special trains to Uttar Pradesh (UP)and Bihar. Deputy commissioner (DC) Pradeep Kumar Agrawal said the opportunity was available for migrants, who were unable to get themselves registered or their turn to board the trains had not come yet. He said for the past 24 days, several trains carrying migrants had departed for UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and other states from the Ludhiana railway station. Around 3 lakh people had departed from Ludhiana in 194 trains, he said, adding that all migrants, who were shortlisted for the trains, were contacted by the administration through calls and SMS. following the registrations on Friday, Agrawal said, the administration will raise the demand for adequate trains so that the migrants can be sent to their home towns at the earliest. He said the Punjab government was paying for the passengers travel, food, water and pick-up service from designated points. Their medical screening is also done, after which, they are issued medical certificates by the administration, Agrawal said. A travel agent in his thirties died with Covid-19 two weeks after returning from a dream trip to Mauritius. Romeo Romy Castillo Jr, 34, was sent on the trip to the Indian Ocean island by employer DialAFlight as a reward for his professionalism and enthusiasm. He was there for less than a week before the visit was cut short by the pandemic. His brother Clive, 31, said Mr Castillo started showing symptoms of the virus after returning to the UK and began working from home in Pimlico. He was admitted to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital where he lost his fight for life just three days later. Clive said: Romy was one of the sweetest and kindest souls you could ever meet, he said. He had a smile that really lit up a room. Mr Castillos parents, who live in the Philippines, were unable to attend his funeral on April 23 because of strict lockdown restrictions. The family have set up an online fundraising page to pay for a memorial next year. It has so far raised more than 6,000. Clive said: We cant thank the NHS staff enough. They really looked after my brother in his final days. Lockdown restrictions have been far tougher in the Philippines and there was no way mum and dad could come over. The huge amount of support we have received since my brother died just shows how loved he was. He added: I dont want to tell anyone what to do, but I do think some people think this virus just wont affect them. My brother was only 34 years old and it took him, I dont want any other families to go through what mine have. A DialAFlight spokesman said Mr Castillo, who joined last year, was awarded the fact-finding trip to Mauritius in recognition of his work. He loved every minute of it and had the most amazing time. Romeo was highly thought of and much loved by his team and his clients. Loading.... He loved his job and had a passion for travel and always worked hard to better himself. Everyone who worked with Romeo and who met him knew he was a genuinely lovely person. Romeo was a gentle, generous person and will be sorely missed. BEIJING, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CGKSB) is proud to announce that 4 of its professors have been named on publication group Elsevier's annual "Most Cited Chinese Researchers" list. Liu Jing, Professor of Accounting and Finance; Teng Bingsheng, Professor of Strategic Management; and Zhang Xiaomeng, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, have been named on the "Business, Management and Accounting" list, whilst Cao Huining, Professor of Finance, has been named on the "Economics, Econometrics and Finance" list. Liu Jing, Teng Bingsheng, and Cao Huining have been named on Elsevier's "Most Cited Chinese Researchers" list now for six consecutive years, whilst it is the first time Zhang Xiaomeng has been named. The "Most Cited Chinese Researchers" list aims to scientifically analyze and evaluate the global influence of Chinese researchers promoting academic advances. A paper's citation frequency is one of the most important indexes that is used to evaluate the author's contribution and influence in the corresponding academic field. Professor Liu Jing is an internationally recognized expert on equity investment and security analysis, specializing in capital markets, financial accounting and equity investment. He is one of the most cited authors among Chinese scholars of social sciences in the past decade. Professor Teng Bingsheng specializes in the fields of strategic alliances, M&A, corporate and multinational business management. In the past few years, Professor Teng has published over 20 papers in top-level international journals like the Academy of Management Review and Organization Science. Professor Cao Huining specializes in the fields of portfolio management, asset pricing and international finance. His research is widely published in leading journals like the Journal of Finance and Review of Financial Studies. Professor Zhang Xiaomeng's specializes in the inter-disciplinary areas of leadership and psychology. She is extensively published in top academic journals including the Academy of Management Journal and Journal of Applied Psychology. About Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) is the preeminent choice for management education among influential business leaders and a new generation of disruptors in China, and the preferred choice for academics returning to China from globally-leading business schools. Since its establishment in 2002, CKGSB has aimed to cultivate transformative business leaders with a global vision, a humanistic spirit, a strong sense of social responsibility and an innovative mind-set. SOURCE Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) Space is getting crowded. Aging satellites and space debris crowd low-Earth orbit, and launching new satellites adds to the collision risk. The most effective way to solve the space junk problem, according to a new study, is not to capture debris or deorbit old satellites: it's an international agreement to charge operators "orbital-use fees" for every satellite put into orbit. Orbital use fees would also increase the long-run value of the space industry, said economist Matthew Burgess, a CIRES Fellow and co-author of the new paper. By reducing future satellite and debris collision risk, an annual fee rising to about $235,000 per satellite would quadruple the value of the satellite industry by 2040, he and his colleagues concluded in a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Space is a common resource, but companies aren't accounting for the cost their satellites impose on other operators when they decide whether or not to launch," said Burgess, who is also an assistant professor in Environmental Studies and an affiliated faculty member in Economics at the University of Colorado Boulder. "We need a policy that lets satellite operators directly factor in the costs their launches impose on other operators." Currently, an estimated 20,000 objects--including satellites and space debris--are crowding low-Earth orbit. It's the latest Tragedy of the Commons, the researchers said: Each operator launches more and more satellites until their private collision risk equals the value of the orbiting satellite. So far, proposed solutions have been primarily technological or managerial, said Akhil Rao, assistant professor of economics at Middlebury College and the paper's lead author. Technological fixes include removing space debris from orbit with nets, harpoons, or lasers. Deorbiting a satellite at the end of its life is a managerial fix. Ultimately, engineering or managerial solutions like these won't solve the debris problem because they don't change the incentives for operators. For example, removing space debris might motivate operators to launch more satellites--further crowding low-Earth orbit, increasing collision risk, and raising costs. "This is an incentive problem more than an engineering problem. What's key is getting the incentives right," Rao said. A better approach to the space debris problem, Rao and his colleagues found, is to implement an orbital-use fee--a tax on orbiting satellites. "That's not the same as a launch fee," Rao said, "Launch fees by themselves can't induce operators to deorbit their satellites when necessary, and it's not the launch but the orbiting satellite that causes the damage." Orbital-use fees could be straight-up fees or tradeable permits, and they could also be orbit-specific, since satellites in different orbits produce varying collision risks. Most important, the fee for each satellite would be calculated to reflect the cost to the industry of putting another satellite into orbit, including projected current and future costs of additional collision risk and space debris production--costs operators don't currently factor into their launches. "In our model, what matters is that satellite operators are paying the cost of the collision risk imposed on other operators," said Daniel Kaffine, professor of economics and RASEI Fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder and co-author on the paper. And those fees would increase over time, to account for the rising value of cleaner orbits. In the researchers' model, the optimal fee would rise at a rate of 14 percent per year, reaching roughly $235,000 per satellite-year by 2040. For an orbital-use fee approach to work, the researchers found, all countries launching satellites would need to participate--that's about a dozen that launch satellites on their own launch vehicles and more than 30 that own satellites. In addition, each country would need to charge the same fee per unit of collision risk for each satellite that goes into orbit, although each country could collect revenue separately. Countries use similar approaches already in carbon taxes and fisheries management. In this study, Rao and his colleagues compared orbital-use fees to business as usual (that is, open access to space) and to technological fixes such as removing space debris. They found that orbital use fees forced operators to directly weigh the expected lifetime value of their satellites against the cost to industry of putting another satellite into orbit and creating additional risk. In other scenarios, operators still had incentive to race into space, hoping to extract some value before it got too crowded. With orbital-use fees, the long-run value of the satellite industry would increase from around $600 billion under the business-as-usual scenario to around $3 trillion, researchers found. The increase in value comes from reducing collisions and collision-related costs, such as launching replacement satellites. Orbital-use fees could also help satellite operators get ahead of the space junk problem. "In other sectors, addressing the Tragedy of the Commons has often been a game of catch-up with substantial social costs. But the relatively young space industry can avoid these costs before they escalate," Burgess said. ### CIRES is a partnership of NOAA and the University of Colorado Boulder. The government admits that it is still having problems with covid19, and so much of the workforce is still under quarantine, that economic growth estimates for 2020 have been revised to zero or negative growth for 2020. GDP declined 6.8 percent during the first three months of 2020. Before the virus hit at least six percent GDP growth in 2020 was expected. Despite the economic problems, the 2020 defense budget will increase by 6.5 percent, to $179 billion. In 2019 the increase was 7.5 percent. While the military gets more money, it is at the expense of repairing the economic damage done by the months of covid19 related quarantines. Three decades of rapid economic growth was accompanied by a lot of corrupt activity. Before the covid19 crises, China hoped to maintain GDP growth of at least six percent while at the same time continuing to safely reduce (deleverage) the huge number of bad loans local governments and corrupt banks have taken on since the 1990s. That plan is less viable now. The economic decline began in 2018 and could be measured in many aspects of economic activity (production, orders for raw materials, finished goods or construction and so on) and sentiments (of people running the economy and consumers). Chinese stock markets were down over 30 percent by the end of 2018, and for the first time in three years, profits of industrial firms took a dive. These trends continued into 2019, made worse by a trade war with the U.S.and economic fears over the fate of Hong Kong. The Chinese consumer grew more cautious. Retail sales were down overall, despite increased use of online sales via Alibaba (the Chinese Amazon). Chinese have been hearing the rumors or witnessing the realities of economic problems, such as corruption, bad loans, foreign firms leaving, labor unrest, unreliable economic statistics and so on, and have noted the government has no quick fix, or maybe no fix at all. Then came covid19 at the end of 2019. One reason local (in Wuhan) officials tried to conceal and downplay the virus threat was the proliferation of bad news since 2018 and the national government was demanding that local officials do better or else. Things did not get better and after months of covid19 damage, the economy is in much worse shape. Before the virus hit thousands of Chinese firms were faced with bankruptcy and there was insufficient lending capacity by Chinese banks to prevent bankruptcies and loss of jobs. So far the government has not risked widespread bank failures by ordering new loans anyway. In part that is because the government has also decided to risk losing the financial benefits of Hong Kong by canceling its special status. It was that special status and lack of corruption that brought many foreign banks, and other businesses to Hong Kong. With Hong Kong operating like the rest of China, there is much less reason for foreign firms to remain in Hong Kong. The process of Hong Kong losing its special status accelerated recently when the U.S. officially declared that Hong Kongs favored status as a trusted trading partner would end if China proceeded with implanting the new laws. The threat of those new laws led to over a year of large protests in Hong Kong. In effect, America confirmed that if China eliminated the Hong Kong's autonomy which China had guaranteed would last until 2047, then Hong Kong would become another part of a China that the U.S. and most other nations consider hostile and not to be trusted. Most of the protestors reluctantly agree with this assessment. Many wealthy Hong Kongers have already made arrangements (dual citizenship and assets moved overseas) to leave. Less affluent Hong Kongers are looking for nations that would accept several hundred thousand highly-skilled, well-educated and very pro-democracy Hong Kongers. China is trying to make the best of this by offering financial incentives to prominent Hong Kongers to go along with the loss of autonomy. There have always been some Hong Kongers willing to try that, but most of the population dreads becoming part of a China that is increasingly unpopular with Chinese in general. Destroying Hong Kong's autonomy and economic benefit, which is a loss to all of China, is seen as yet another example of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) sacrificing the welfare of all Chinese in order to maintain the power of the CCP. Just another increasingly corrupt dynasty according to Chinese history, and CCP leaders as well as most Chinese know how this usually ends. Covid19 Complications China is concerned that most other East Asian nations did a much better job of dealing with covid19. The very effective response of Taiwan was particularly embarrassing, as Chinese pressure in the UN has kept Taiwan from belonging to international health groups, like WHO. That makes it more difficult for the rest of the world to learn how Taiwan was more effective in dealing with covid19. Local allies of Taiwan, like Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and so on are able to get Taiwan virus tips quickly because all these nations are united in confronting Chinese aggression in the region. Covid19 is seen as just another problem with being a neighbor of China. Compared to China and North Korea, South Korea has suffered a much lower death rate for people infected. China admits to a death rate of three dead per million people while South Korea has a well-documented rate of five dead per million people. China claims only 58 cases per million people while South Korea has 221 per million. During the first two months of 2020, China seemed to accurately report cases and deaths and that trend indicated an infection and death rate two or three times that of South Korea. But after February China suddenly reported a sharp decline in cases and deaths. This was contradicted by many reports from people living in China. Such reporting was declared a crime and there is now much less of it. The effectiveness of Taiwan in dealing with covid19 is even more embarrassing. So far Taiwan has 19 cases per million and 0.03 deaths. Singapore has had 5,624 cases per million and four deaths per million. One very practical reason for the Chinese strategy was the realization that the health problems caused by covid19 were minor compared to the damage done by shutting down the economy in areas where the virus was active. While people want to go back to work, they are not happy with going back to work while the government insists there is no virus risk at all. That is not true and while healthy people are able to resist the virus as they would the annual arrival of Influenza, covid19 is particularly lethal to the elderly and anyone with serious health problems. In China respect for the elderly is an important part of the culture and the government policy. The government is seen as willfully sacrificing the elderly for political and propaganda reasons. The government ignores this while searching for ways to improve control over the population. It does not help when more Chinese realize that the CCP does not serve the people but the other way around. This bad image of the Chinese leadership is reinforced by the experience of neighbors like South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. This experience also displays how bad CCP rule can get because North Korea has a similar communist government, but one that is even less concerned with the welfare of its people. As a result covid19 in North Korea has become a very real hazard to Chinese efforts to deal with the virus. China has evidence of North Korean smugglers or legal Chinese visitors to North Korea coming back infected and reviving the spread of covid19 on the Chinese side of the border. Distractions Chinese territorial claims on Indian border areas, and much of northeast India, have been on hold for several years while China deals with economic and domestic problems. The longer China is distracted the better for India, which is desperately trying to close the economic and military gap between the two countries. China spends nearly four times as much on defense compared to India. This is so because China has an economy (GDP) that is nearly five times larger. Indian emphasis on economic growth since the 1990s has paid off because that growth has been spectacular lately, with GDP nearly doubling in the last decade from $1.7 trillion to the current $2.9 trillion. This made India the fifth largest economy, recently surpassing Britain and France. The rest of the top five are the U.S., China, Germany and Japan. Chinese GDP growth is slowing although in the last decade it more than doubled from $6.1 trillion to $14 trillion. But for once the annual Indian GDP growth has been faster than in China, where GDP growth rates have been declining over the last five years. Covid19-related economic damage has brought an end to over three decades of spectacular economic growth in China. Compared to 1989 the Chinese GDP is now over fourteen times larger. In that same period the U.S. GDP doubled. The distraction is less of a problem for China because now the CCP has to deal with growing internal dissent from the Chinese unhappy with CCP mismanagement of just about everything. Humiliating India with border incidents shows Chinese that the CCP is protecting them, sort of. Since the 1980s economic reforms, more and more Chinese came to believe that maybe the CCP wasnt so bad after all. While the Chinese economy enjoyed spectacular growth, the rest of the world did not. In the West and India economic growth stagnated because of increasing corruption and bureaucracy. China seemed immune to those impediments. Such was not the case. Over a century of delayed economic and social progress became possible with the return of free-market economics in the 1980s. This is a common historical phenomenon that eventually ended and the CCP liked to encourage the idea that the end would not come so soon. But now it is showing up. Chinas economic current edge will fade more slowly. In the meantime, that efficiency edge is still there in many areas. One of the most frightening to Russia and the U.S. is the superior ability of the Chinese to design and build new warships. This year the number of Chinese warships (about 360) will exceed that of the United States (about 300). The Americans still have the edge in tonnage and crew experience but the Chinese are hoping to close those gaps in the next decade or so. Russia has more serious concerns. Russian defense industries continue to have problems developing new technology or even manufacturing older items reliably. This problem is very visible in the Russian space program. 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. May 27, 2020: In Hong Kong, large scale demonstrations resumed, despite the remaining covid19 restrictions and government threats to use more force against such illegal activities. Today nearly 400 demonstrators were arrested as riot police were more active than usual in using force to punish and discourage the locals protesting the imminent loss of Hong Kong autonomy. May 23, 2020: In the south (the Indian-Tibet border) in the Ladakh region, India accused China of again trying to block the movement of Indian troops in an area that both nations claim. This is the third such incident this month. This time there was no violence. China believes its strategy of constant unarmed pressure along the border will eventually persuade India to surrender disputed territory. Until now that seemed to be working. What is different in 2020 is that the Indians are using Chinese tactics against the Chinese. This happened once before in 1962. Actually it happened by accident as Indian troops crossed the McMahon Line, which India insisted was the border. The Indian troops set up a new outpost and refused to retreat. The Chinese attacked and inflicted an embarrassing defeat. Two things are different now. First, both nations have nuclear weapons and second, since 2014 the truth of what happened in 1962 was finally revealed to the Indian public in 2014. The detained and accurate Indian Henderson BrooksBhagat report on the 1962 war was kept secret because it did not reflect well on Indian military and political leadership. Those reading the report noted this and understood why the report was still classified. Eventually, someone studying official documents of the era and interviewing key participants found that the classified report existed. The once-secret report revealed that the Indian Army accidentally built a new border post on the Chinese side of the McMahon line in late 1962. While both nations disputed the exact location of this line both, at the time, agreed to honor the line until negotiations could settle the issue. Then the Indian Army crossed it, apparently by accident, built a border post and refused to withdraw when informed that by any calculation they were on the wrong side of the line. The Indian generals, who knew their troops were in Chinese territory, advised the Indian government to authorize the use of more force to maintain the new border post. The army officially insisted at the time that the new post was on Indian territory. The Indian political leaders authorized the army to reinforce the surrounded border post and the Chinese responded by moving more forces forward. Despite the knowledge that the Chinese had moved superior forces to this mountainous and freezing area, the Indian Army went along when their politicians ordered the Chinese to be pushed back. An Indian brigade was moved into position, but the troops had little ammo, cold weather clothing or medical supplies. At that point, India had 12,000 troops in the area while China had brought forward 80,000. In a month of fighting (starting on 20 October) India lost 7,000 troops (57 percent prisoners, the rest dead or missing) compared to 722 Chinese dead. China declared a ceasefire that India accepted. China actually advanced in two areas, a thousand kilometers apart and ended up taking 43,000 square kilometers of Indian territory. The source of the 1962 war and current border tension goes back a century and heated up when China resumed its control over Tibet in the 1950s. From the end of the Chinese empire in 1912 up until 1949, Tibet had been independent. But when the communists took over China in 1949, they sought to reassert control over their "lost province" of Tibet. This began slowly, but once all of Tibet was under Chinese control in 1959, China had a border with India and there was immediately a disagreement about exactly where the border should be. Thats because, in 1914, the newly independent government of Tibet worked out a border (the McMahon line) with the British (who controlled India). China considers this border agreement illegal and wants 90,000 square kilometers back. India refused, especially since this would mean losing much of the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India and some bits elsewhere in the area. China and India have still not resolved the border dispute and there continue to be skirmishes. The information found in the classified Henderson BrooksBhagat report were not unknown. Several historians and analysts had put together the basic facts by the 1970s. But the Indian government continued to refuse to acknowledge that Indian errors were largely responsible for the war and the Indian defeat. With the Henderson BrooksBhagat report now public, its difficult for India to cling to these self-serving myths. Already government officials are starting to discredit the report, which just goes to show how history does indeed try to repeat itself. China is depending on this while India is trying hard to avoid repeating themselves. May 22, 2020: China reported no new covid19 cases (people ill with the virus) today, the first time that has happened since the virus began in late 2019. There were still over 30 people with the virus but not feeling ill (asymptomatic). There are still over fifty million people quarantined and infected people are still getting into the country as Chinese return to China. May 21, 2020: China will impose the new National Security Law in Hong Kong and the plan is to make it official by the end of May. This was proposed a year ago and led to a year of massive protests that were only diminished by the arrival of covid19. That enabled the national government to arrest over a dozen prominent supporters of the protests. China is now planning to eliminate the special status of Hong Kong despite the risk of destroying the usefulness of Hong Kong as an international financial center. May 18, 2020: While the stricter 2017 economic sanctions have cut most North Korean foreign trade, the cuts in China trade have been somewhat less. China has always been North Koreas largest trading partner and before the 2017 sanctions China accounted for over 80 percent of North Korean foreign trade. Now it is 95 percent. Even with that the sanctions still hurt. Trade with China was up 15 percent in 2019 to $2.84 billion after hitting an all-time low in 2018. Most (over 91 percent) of the 2019 trade exported to China. That China trade was down a third during the first two months of 2020, compared to 2019, because of a border shut down to deal with covid19. A major reason why the 2017 sanctions were so effective was that China agreed to cooperate. In the past, China tolerated a lot of smuggling and illegal trade with North Korea. Not so much after 2017. China wants North Korea to concentrate more on economic reform and less on ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. One of the legal imports from China is food and North Korea will need a lot of it in 2020 because problems (natural and manmade) with agriculture in the last year resulted in North Korea producing 16 percent less food than it needs to feed its population. Spending remains high for missile and nuclear weapons and this has produced a severe shortage of foreign currency for essential imports, like food. In response to this North Korea has resumed offering government bonds, which can only be purchased using foreign currency. The government wants its legal entrepreneurs (the donju) to buy these bombs. May 12, 2020: China is again imposing covid19 restrictions in cities near the North Korean border. Some of the new cases were people who had recently been in North Korea legally or illegally. Because many Chinese and North Korean smugglers regularly cross the border secretly it has been impossible to completely close the North Korean border. China and North Korea have similar problems along their Russian borders. Covid19 is still very active in Russia. May 9, 2020: In the south (the Indian border) in the Ladakh region about 150 Chinese and Indian soldiers fought with fists and blunt instruments for the second time this week. Ten soldiers were injured. Four days earlier 250 Indian and Chinese troops had a similar battle, which involved more rock throwing as well. There were over twenty troops injured, most of them Chinese. For years Chinese troops have often crossed the border in the Indian state of Ladakh (northwest India). Chinese troops are seeking to halt the construction of a new road on the Indian side of the border. China claims the road is being built on territory claimed by China. China has often sent in troops and civilians to protest Indian activities on the Indian side of the border when anything happens on terrain China claims. The diplomats have been unable to settle the dispute and these latest clashes continue because neither side will back down. May 4, 2020: China is demanding that Vietnamese and Filipino fishermen comply with a Chinese ban on fishing in the South China Sea from now until August 16th. Since the 1990s China has only enforced the ban on Chinese fishing ships but this year is threatening to arrest Vietnamese and Filipino fishermen who do not comply. The purpose of the ban is to allow the fish to breed and maintain their numbers. Overfishing was caused by China which subsidized a large ocean going trawler fleet which often fished illegally in foreign waters. Chinese trawlers still do that as far away as South America and Africa. But the first target of this illegal fishing were EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) waters that extend 380 kilometers from the coasts of nations bordering the South China Sea. When these nations sought to drive the Chinese poachers away China began sending warships in with the poachers to deter local authorities from interfering. The EEZ concept was established by an international treaty that China signed. In the case of the South China Sea China claims that the EEZ treaty does not apply because the South China Sea is traditional Chinese territory and China is reasserting ownership. There is no historical evidence for this claim but China insists it is true and is increasingly threatening to use force to keep the legal owners of EEZ waters out. Vietnam and the Philippines are calling on all EEZ nations to help prevent China from violating the EEZ agreement. May 1, 2020: In North Korea, there has been another outbreak of African Swine Fever, which is highly contagious for pigs and other farm animals. This apparently came from South Korea. The North Korean government is trying to isolate the outbreak before it spreads further. These measures often fail because the farmers are so poor and desperate that sick animals are not destroyed (burned) but butchered and the meat sold in local markets or consumed by the farmers family and friends. As a result, the livestock disease had spread by mid-May to at least two other provinces. This was in spite of growing government efforts to contain the problem as happens in South Korea and China. China is a source of similar animal killing disease. In 2019 farmers on the Chinese border suffered huge livestock losses from an outbreak of swine flu. Like human flu, this disease is easily spread (via the atmosphere) from pig to pig and although some pigs might survive they must be destroyed (killed and buried) to prevent the spread of the disease. The same tactics are used to halt the spread of Swine Fever. It is difficult to get farmers to cooperate because pork is a major source of meat in North Korea and desperate farmers will butcher and eat or sell the meant of diseased pigs and not kill and bury swine that survive. That means the epidemic keeps spreading. Earlier in 2019 North Korean farmers suffered heavy losses from another outbreak of hoof and mouth disease. This one came in via China, which can afford to cope with these outbreaks. North Korea cannot, especially not just now. Worse, the first cases, which were near the Chinese border, where the virus can get across the rural border areas because it is airborne. Farmers tried to hide the flu by insisting that the cattle deaths were from malnutrition. Thus this early misdiagnosis led to the rapid spread of hoof and mouth. Most (about 80 percent) of North Korean farmers use cattle for plowing and, very rarely as a source of milk and meat (which fetches a high price on the markets) but cattle that die from hoof and mouth must be buried or burned for the dead animal harbors the virus. Killing cattle without government permission is a capital crime in North Korea thus an uncontrolled hoof and mouth outbreak is a potential disaster. Outbreaks of these farm animal diseases are common throughout the region but North Korea suffers the most because they lack the resources to quickly contain the diseases. All their neighbors can deal with the problem and control their losses. North Korea cannot afford the losses and these diseases are more a disaster than just a nuisance in neighboring nations. April 30, 2020: The Philippines protested China declaring two portions of the Filipino EEZ. China declared an artificial island built on Kagitingan Reef (part of the Kalayaan Island Group) is now the Nansha district while Woody Island (in the Paracels) is now the Xisha District. An international tribunal ruled against China and affirmed that Chinese claims in the South China Sea violated existing treaties that China had signed as well historical precedent that sided with the Philippines. In brief: The Covid-19 pandemic has introduced plenty of challenges into our day-to-day lives. Tasks that were once routine, such as making a run to the grocery store, are now more complex and risky than ever. To avoid these headaches, consumers are increasingly relying on delivery services to do the heavy lifting for them (while also boosting safety). Human-handled grocery delivery services are great for food, clothing, toiletries, and other household necessities, but in the current health climate, they may not work so well for more sensitive payloads, such as prescription medications. Fortunately, that's where Nuro's latest partnership with CVS Pharmacy comes in. For those who don't know, Nuro is a self-driving vehicle company that has developed autonomous delivery solutions for various companies, including the likes of Domino's, Fry's, and Kroger. It seems the company is ready to expand beyond food and grocery delivery, and turn its sights toward the health industry. Starting in June, select residents of Houston, Texas, can begin ordering their prescriptions for delivery through CVS' website or official Pharmacy app at no cost. Once an order is placed, Nuro's self-driving fleet of Prius vehicles will transport the medication to an individual's doorstep within three hours. By avoiding the human component in the delivery process, Nuro hopes to reduce security and health risks for CVS customers. Delivery recipients must confirm their identity before they can unlock their delivery from the vehicles, and since humans aren't performing the hand-off, there's minimal risk of Covid-19 transmission. As per the norm for Nuro, this partnership will only use Prius vehicles for a limited time. After a few months of testing, the tech firm will start to phase the cars out and replace them with its own Nuro R2 delivery robots. We hope Nuro's first foray into autonomous prescription delivery is successful, and leads to a nationwide service rollout down the line. However, even if this pilot test doesn't pan out, perhaps UPS' will -- as we reported in April, the shipping company is using its self-flying drones to deliver CVS prescriptions in Florida. [May 28, 2020] Basilea provides corporate update Key oncology clinical studies with derazantinib and lisavanbulin remain on track FDA approves protocol amendment for the phase 3 ERADICATE bacteremia study with ceftobiprole to include a broader spectrum of severely ill patients No negative COVID-19 impact expected on global prescriptions of Cresemba and Zevtera Early R&D portfolio prioritization Basel, Switzerland, May 28, 2020 Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. (SIX: BSLN) provided a general corporate update today. The company does not expect a material impact on the timelines of ongoing or planned oncology studies with the FGFR kinase inhibitor derazantinib and the planned phase 2a biomarker driven study with its tumor checkpoint controller, lisavanbulin, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The impact on the ongoing ceftobiprole phase 3 study remains limited, with patient enrolment timelines potentially extended by up to a quarter. David Veitch, Chief Executive Officer of Basilea, said: We have assessed the potential impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our business based on the information available to date. We are pleased to report that we do not currently anticipate an impact on our key oncology clinical studies with our most advanced compounds derazantinib and lisavanbulin. As the global healthcare community is prioritizing measures against coronavirus infections, we expect a limited impact of up to a quarter on the timelines for our ceftobiprole phase 3 study. As previously reported, we have no indication from our commercial partners of any negative impact on global prescriptions for both Cresemba and Zevtera, our two marketed brands. The continued strong market demand is also reflected in the 30 percent year-on-year growth in U.S. Cresemba sales as reported by our license partner Astellas, mid-May, with sales of 155 million U.S. dollars for the period April 2019 to March 2020. For Basileas antibiotic ceftobiprole, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved a protocol amendment for the phase 3 study ERADICATE, to progress the study to the pre-planned second cohort and extend the maximum treatment duration from four to up to six weeks. ERADICATE explores intravenous ceftobiprole for the treatment of patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB), a type of bacterial bloodstream infection, in comparison to intravenous daptomycin, with or without intravenous aztreonam.1, 2 The overall target patient enrolment number in the study remains unchanged. Dr. Marc Engelhardt, Chief Medical Officer of Basilea, said: We are very satisfied that the study progresses as planned to its next stage. The possibility for an extended treatment duration is important as it enables us now to expand enrolment to patients with more difficult-to-treat infections, including those with complications such as osteomyelitis and epidural or cerebral abscess. In its continued effort to optimize resource allocation across its portfolio, Basilea has taken several decisions with respect to its earlier stage R&D portfolio. Basilea has prioritized two potential first-in-class oncology programs, these are expected to potentially enter pre-clinical, IND-enabling studies in the next 12 months. At the same time, it will discontinue the development of the panRAF/SRC kinase inhibitor BAL3833, which was developed by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, funded by Cancer Research UK and the Wellcome Trust, and in-licensed by Basilea in 2015. In 2018, a first-in-human phase 1 dose-escalation study of BAL3833 was completed by the ICR in conjunction with The Christie and Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trusts and The Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute at The University of Manchester. Basilea had been conducting pre-clinical activities to explore alternative formulations of BAL3833. In addition, it has decided to discontinue one other, externally sourced, pre-clinical oncology project. About derazantinib Derazantinib is an investigational orally administered small-molecule FGFR kinase inhibitor with strong activity against FGFR1, 2, and 3.3 FGFR kinases are key drivers of cell proliferation, differentiation and migration. FGFR genetic aberrations, e.g. gene fusions, mutations or amplifications, have been identified as potentially important therapeutic targets for various cancers, including intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), urothelial, breast, gastric and lung cancers.4 In these cancers, FGFR genetic aberrations are found in a range of 5% to 30%.5 Derazantinib also inhibits the colony-stimulating-factor-1-receptor kinase (CSF1R).3, 6 CSF1R-mediated signaling is important for the maintenance of tumor-promoting macrophages and therefore has been identified as a potential target for anti-cancer drugs.7 Pre-clinical data has shown that tumor macrophage depletion through CSF1R blockade renders tumors more responsive to T-cell checkpoint immunotherapy, including approaches targeting PD-L1/PD-1.8, 9 Derazantinib has demonstrated antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile in previous clinical studies, including a biomarker-driven phase 1/2 study in iCCA patients,10 and has received U.S. and EU orphan drug designation for iCCA. Basilea is currently conducting two clinical studies with derazantinib. The first study, FIDES-01, is a registrational phase 2 study in patients with inoperable or advanced iCCA. It comprises one cohort of patients with FGFR2 gene fusions and another cohort of patients with mutations or amplifications.11 The second study, FIDES-02, is a phase 1/2 study evaluating derazantinib alone and in combination with Roche's PD-L1-blocking immune-checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in patients with advanced urothelial cancer, including metastatic, or recurrent surgically unresectable disease, expressing FGFR genetic aberrations.12 Basilea in-licensed derazantinib from ArQule Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A. About lisavanbulin (BAL101553) asilea's oncology drug candidate lisavanbulin,BAL101553, (the prodrug of BAL27862)13 is being developed as a potential therapy for diverse cancers.14, 15, 16 In pre-clinical studies, lisavanbulin demonstrated in-vitro and in-vivo activity against diverse treatment-resistant cancer models, including tumors refractory to conventional approved therapeutics and radiotherapy.17, 18, 19 Lisavanbulin efficiently distributes to the brain, with anticancer activity in glioblastoma models.20, 21, 22 In pre-clinical studies, end-binding protein 1 (EB1) was identified as a potential response-predictive biomarker in glioblastoma models.22 The active moiety BAL27862 binds to the colchicine site of tubulin, with distinct effects on microtubule organization,23 resulting in the activation of the "spindle assembly checkpoint" which promotes tumor cell death.24 About Basilea Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focused on the development of products that address the medical challenges in the therapeutic areas of oncology and infectious diseases. With two commercialized drugs, the company is committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative pharmaceutical products to meet the medical needs of patients with serious and life-threatening conditions. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: BSLN). Additional information can be found at Basilea's website www.basilea.com. Disclaimer This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For further information, please contact: Peer Nils Schroder, PhD Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Phone +41 61 606 1102 E-mail [email protected] [email protected] This press release can be downloaded from www.basilea.com. References ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03138733. The ceftobiprole phase 3 program is funded in part (up to USD 128 million, which is approximately 70% of the total estimated program costs) with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), under Contract No. HHSO100201600002C. K. Hamed, M. Engelhardt, M. E. Jones et al. Ceftobiprole versus daptomycin in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: a novel protocol for a double-blind, Phase III trial. Future Microbiology 2020 (15), 35-48 T. G. Hall, Y. Yu, S. Eathiraj et al. Preclinical activity of ARQ 087, a novel inhibitor targeting FGFR dysregulation. PLoS ONE 2016, 11 (9), e0162594 R. Porta, R. Borea, A. Coelho et al. FGFR a promising druggable target in cancer: Molecular biology and new drugs. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology 2017 (113), 256-267 T. Helsten, S. Elkin, E. Arthur et al. The FGFR landscape in cancer: Analysis of 4,853 tumors by next-generation sequencing. Clinical Cancer Research 2016 (22), 259-267 P. McSheehy, F. Bachmann, N. Forster-Gross et al. Derazantinib (DZB): A dual FGFR/CSF1R-inhibitor active in PDX-models of urothelial cancer. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2019 (18), 12 supplement, pp. LB-C12 M. A. Cannarile, M. Weisser, W. Jacob et al. Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) inhibitors in cancer therapy. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2017, 5:53 Y. Zhu, B. L. Knolhoff, M. A. Meyer et al. CSF1/CSF1R Blockade reprograms tumor-infiltrating macrophages and improves response to T cell checkpoint immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer models. Cancer Research 2014 (74), 5057-5069 E. Peranzoni, J. Lemoine, L. Vimeux et al. Macrophages impede CD8 T cells from reaching tumor cells and limit the efficacy of antiPD-1 treatment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America 2018 (115), E4041-E4050 V. Mazzaferro, B. F. El-Rayes, M. Droz dit Busset et al. Derazantinib (ARQ 087) in advanced or inoperable FGFR2 gene fusion-positive intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. British Journal of Cancer 2019 (120), 165-171. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01752920 ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03230318 ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04045613. Tecentriq is a registered trademark of Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. J. Pohlmann, F. Bachmann, A. Schmitt-Hoffmann et al. BAL101553: An optimized prodrug of the microtubule destabilizer BAL27862 with superior antitumor activity. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting 2011, abstract 1347; Cancer Research 2011, 71 (8 supplement) ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02490800 ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03250299 ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02895360 A. Sharmq, A. Broggini-Tenzer, V. Vuong et al. The novel microtubule targeting agent BAL101553 in combination with radiotherapy in treatment-refractory tumor models. Radiotherapy Oncology 2017 (124), 433-438 G. E. Duran, H. Lane, F. Bachmann et al. In vitro activity of the novel tubulin active agent BAL27862 in MDR1(+) and MDR1(-) human breast and ovarian cancer variants selected for resistance to taxanes. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting 2010, abstract 4412; Cancer Research 2010, 70 (8 supplement) F. Bachmann, K. Burger, G. E. Duran et al. BAL101553 (prodrug of BAL27862): A unique microtubule destabilizer active against drug refractory breast cancers alone and in combination with trastuzumab. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting 2014, abstract 831; Cancer Research 2014, 74 (19 supplement) A. Schmitt-Hoffmann, D. Klauer, K. Gebhardt et al. BAL27862: a unique microtubule-targeted agent with a potential for the treatment of human brain tumors. AACR-NCI-EORTC conference 2009, abstract C233; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2009, 8 (12 supplement) A. C. Mladek, J. L. Pokorny, H. Lane et al. The novel tubulin-binding 'tumor checkpoint controller' BAL101553 has anti-cancer activity alone and in combination treatments across a panel of GBM patient-derived xenografts. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting 2016, abstract 4781; Cancer Research 2016, 76 (14 supplement) R. Berges, A. Tchoghandjian, S. Honore et al. The novel tubulin-binding checkpoint activator BAL101553 inhibits EB1-dependent migration and invasion and promotes differentiation of glioblastoma stem-like cells. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2016 (15), 2740-2749 A. E. Prota, F. Danel, F. Bachmann et al. The novel microtubule-destabilizing drug BAL27862 binds to the colchicine site of tubulin with distinct effects on microtubule organization. Journal of Molecular Biology 2014 (426), 1848-1860 F. Bachmann, K. Burger, H. Lane. BAL101553 (prodrug of BAL27862): the spindle assembly checkpoint is required for anticancer activity. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting 2015, abstract 3789; Cancer Research 2015, 75 (15 supplement) Attachments Press release (PDF).pdf [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 04:37:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkey reported on Wednesday 1,035 new confirmed cases of the COVID-19, bringing the total cases in the country to 159,797, while Iran's tally exceeded 141,000. In Turkey, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, 34 more people have died, taking the death toll to 4,431. On the same day, 1,286 patients recovered from the disease in Turkey, raising the total recoveries to 122,793. Amid the slowdown in the pandemic, Turkey's biggest city Istanbul disinfected mosques to make them ready for reopening on Friday as part of the normalization process. The Iranian Health Ministry on Wednesday confirmed 2,080 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 141,591. Over the past 24 hours, 56 more people died from the virus, raising the death toll to 7,564 in Iran. Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday the registration of 1,815 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 78,541 in the kingdom. The Saudi health ministry also reported 14 more deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 425. Saudi Arabia has announced the extending of tourist visas automatically for three months free of charge for those stranded in the kingdom whose visas expired during the period of suspension of international flights. Qatar's health ministry on Wednesday announced 1,740 new infections of the novel coronavirus, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 48,947. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 883 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 31,969. Egypt reported a record 910 daily new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number in the country to 19,666. It is the first time for COVID-19 daily infections in Egypt to exceed 900, after there were over 700 daily cases in the past eight consecutive days. Meanwhile, 19 patients died from the coronavirus, bringing the death toll in Egypt to 816, while 178 more patients were completely cured, raising the recoveries to 5,205. Kuwait reported 692 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 23,267 and the death toll to 175. The Omani Ministry of Health announced 255 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 8,373. Moroccan Health Ministry reported 24 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections to 7,601 in the country. The number of people cured has increased to 4,978 with 97 new recoveries. Israel's health ministry reported 36 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 16,793. No new death from the coronavirus was reported. Earlier on Wednesday, hotels, swimming pools and restaurants across Israel were reopened in Israel. These places returned to activity under restrictions of keeping distance, taking temperatures at the entrances and taking hygiene measures. Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased by 21 cases to 1,161 while the death toll remained at 26. Palestine on Wednesday said that eight new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of cases in the Palestinian territories to 613. Palestinian Minister of Health Mai al-Kaila said that three cases were registered in the Gaza Strip and five others were detected in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, including two children. Iraqi Health Ministry on Wednesday said that a total of 5,135 COVID-19 cases were confirmed since the outbreak of the disease in the country, of whom up to 175 have died. A statement by the ministry said that 287 new cases were recorded nationwide during the past 24 hours and 257 of them were in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Enditem [May 28, 2020] RangeForce and First Step MEA Roll Out Cloud Platform for Cybersecurity Training in Middle East MANASSAS, Va. and DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RangeForce will expand its operations in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) under a distribution agreement with First Step MEA , the two companies have announced. With more than 20 years experience in the region, First Step MEA will provide the RangeForce Cyberskills Platform through its network of resellers and customers and deliver business growth expertise aimed at upskilling cyber processionals and creating more agile, effective and responsive cybersecurity and IT teams. The RangeForce platform uniquely integrates a real-world cyber range and continuous, hands-on learning with the performance-based analytics that are essential for enterprises to understand and continually improve their cybersecurity and IT teams capabilities. The MEA region has been heavily focused on cybersecurity tools and technologies due to increased private and public sector investments in improving security posture against increasingly sophisticated attacks. In the new era of remote working, budgets for cybersecurity technology are expected to be reduced in 2020, yet security risks have increased. Adaptive organizations are boosting their investments in the people side of enabling secure remote work and in building the operational skills needed to protect infrastructure and data as enterprises maintain and expand their operations. Mastring defensive cybersecurity and closing the skills gap challenge are more critical in the region now than ever, said Geoff Brooks, First Step MEA Regional Director. The RangeForce platform is the most effective way to level up and continually assess the skills of security teams, as well as develop the skills needed to deliver more secure software and safer systems. Were excited to be bringing RangeForces highly engaging, very affordable SaaS training environment to our partners and customers. Said RangeForces President and CRO Gordon Lawson, In response to requests from customers, particularly in the Middle East, we're strengthening our channel base in the region, where malicious attacks and cybercrime are all too common. First Step MEA is the go-to channel partner due to its well-established relationships and strong technical background. Were pleased to be working with Geoff and his team to help us deliver more effective cloud-based on-demand training to enterprises that want to strengthen their approach to cybersecurity. Request a demo of the RangeForce CyberSkills Platform. Learn more about cloud-based cybersecurity training for remote teams. About First Step MEA First Step MEA has more than 20 years in cyber security sales and business development in the Middle East and Africa. By connecting technology providers with its growing network of resellers and customers, including more than 1,000 CIOs, CISOs and security professionals in sectors such as finance, telecommunications, energy and more, First Step MEA helps businesses leverage MEA market opportunities and deliver competitive advantage for customers. To learn more, visit https://firststepmea.com/ . About RangeForce RangeForce delivers the industry's only integrated cybersecurity simulation and skills analysis platform that combines a virtual cyber range with hands-on advanced cybersecurity training. Cyber and IT professionals from all industry verticals use RangeForce to qualify their new-hires, train up DevOps, IT, and Security Staff, and run CyberSiege simulations to evaluate team skills. Only RangeForce can accurately show users where expertise gaps exist, fill those gaps with highly-effective simulation-based training, and accurately report on the entire process. To learn more about RangeForce, visit www.rangeforce.com. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e28bf455-2b06-491d-ac52-c5d9b45ac1b6 Contact: Betsy Kosheff [email protected] 413-717-1410 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Delhi high court on Thursday issued notices to the city government and the three municipal corporations directing them to apprise the court of the status of the Capitals crematoriums and burial grounds of the city. The high court filed a PIL and quoted Hindustan Times May 28 report that detailed how all 80 storage racks at Lok Nayak hospitals Covid-19 mortuary were full and 28 bodies were on the floor. The Court also quoted on how eight bodies were returned from Nigambodh Ghat on Tuesday because the facility was not in a position to accept more bodies, as only two of the three CNG furnaces were working and that bodies of those who had died five days ago were yet to be cremated. The court noted that the state of affairs, if true, was highly dissatisfactory and violative of the rights of the dead. We thus take suo moto cognizance of the aforesaid violations of human rights and by this order bring the same to the notice of the Chief Justice, to take up the aforesaid matter in public interest, for issuing requisite directions, the court said. The matter will now be heard on Friday. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After backing rival sides in Libya's long-running conflict, Russia and Turkey appear to have agreed to avoid direct confrontation and instead carve the country into "spheres of influence", analysts say. The oil-rich North African nation has suffered almost a decade of violence since longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 uprising backed by several Western powers. Since April last year, eastern Libya-based strongman Khalifa Haftar has been battling to take the capital Tripoli from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). But despite the backing of Russia and the United Arab Emirates, among others, his offensive stalled on the edges of the capital. And in recent weeks the GNA, supported by Turkey with drones and air defence systems, has inflicted a string of battlefield setbacks on Haftar's forces. In April they reseized key western coastal cities, followed by the strategic Al-Watiya airbase southwest of Tripoli. In recent days, hundreds of Russian mercenaries belonging to the Wagner Group, a shadowy paramilitary organisation seen as close to President Vladimir Putin, have withdrawn from combat zones south of the capital. The US Africa Command on Tuesday accused Russia of "clearly trying to tip the scales in its favour in Libya" and also accused Moscow of sending fighter jets to support the mercenaries. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Wednesday expressed concern about the "Syrianisation of Libya". How do analysts assess the latest developments? Have Moscow and Ankara made a deal? Haftar's forces lost key western coastal cities in April and then the strategic Al-Watiya airbase southwest of Tripoli. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP/File) GNA forces on Monday suspended air attacks and gave their rivals 72 hours to withdraw from the Tripoli region. Hundreds of Wagner fighters were evacuated to Bani Walid, southeast of the capital. Russian military aircraft then transported them to the central Al-Jufra air base, some 500 kilometres (300 miles) south of Tripoli. "The suspension of Turkish drone strikes during the withdrawal of Russian mercenaries... suggests there is a Russian-Turkish understanding," said Wolfram Lacher, a senior associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. "The Russian fighter jets recently deployed to Jufra now appear to serve as a deterrent against any attempts by GNA forces to advance beyond" the wider northwestern Tripolitana region, Lacher said. "Taken together, these developments suggest that Turkey and Russia are trying to carve up spheres of influence in Libya." What will happen next? Lacher said it remained to be seen how other foreign powers would react. The US has accused Moscow of sending fighter jets to support its mercenaries. By - (US AFRICOM/AFP/File) "The US, the UAE, Egypt and France might all try to torpedo a Russian-Turkish arrangement in Libya, since this would marginalise them and accord Russia and Turkey long-term influence" there, he said. Jalel Harchaoui, a research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague, said the failure of Haftar's campaign may allow Russia to increase its influence in eastern Libya without completely breaking off ties with Ankara. "Moscow does not wish to wage a long and costly war in Libya as it has done since 2015 in Syria," he added. Emad Badi, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, told AFP that Russia would still take steps to "increase Haftar's dependence on them, as he is now in dire need for any form of foreign support to sustain his offensive and not lose face". Is Haftar losing Russia's support? Haftar has had support from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt since 2014, and analysts say Gulf countries including the UAE are bankrolling the Wagner Group's intervention. There are questions about Russia's commitment to Haftar. By - (LNA War Information Division/AFP/File) The Kremlin, for its part, has always denied involvement in the group's presence in Libya -- and there are questions over Russia's commitment to Haftar. Moscow appears to be involved in a rapprochement with another key figure: Aguila Saleh, speaker of the elected parliament based in the east who is technically allied with Haftar. In a video circulating online, Saleh is seen surrounded by eastern tribal dignitaries reading a list of recommendations from his "Russian friends". He is heard saying that Moscow advises restarting dialogue, as it no longer sees a positive outcome to Haftar's offensive. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday reaffirmed the need for an immediate ceasefire and "constructive dialogue" in Libya after talks with Saleh. Harchaoui said that, "if it was up to the Russians, Haftar would hold much less power today". STOCKHOLM, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ) and Varian Medical Systems have entered into an interoperability agreement that will allow the RayCare* oncology information system to connect to Varian TrueBeam linear accelerators. The ability to schedule radiation treatments and keep track of the treatment progress is a key functionality in an oncology information system. Under the announced agreement, a dedicated interface has been defined which allows RayCare and Varian TrueBeam to communicate the data necessary for an integrated workflow. This means that clinics will be able to use RayCare to manage all clinical activities around their Varian TrueBeam accelerators. The development of the interface is already ongoing, and the target is to release it before the end of 2020. Commercial availability will be subject to regulatory clearance in some markets. Johan Lof, founder and CEO at RaySearch, says: "We are constantly working to add support for more treatment machines in RayCare, and I'm very happy that we have now entered into this agreement. Interoperability with Varian TrueBeam will significantly expand the market potential for RayCare and improve the workflow for our existing customers." This information is information that RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (MAR). The information was submitted for publication through the agency of the contact persons set out above at 13:00 CEST on May 28, 2020. For further information, please contact: Johan Lof Founder and CEO RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ) Telephone: +46(0)8-510-530-00 [email protected] Peter Thysell CFO, RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ) Telephone: +46(0)70-661-05-59 [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/raysearch-laboratories/r/raysearch-enters-into-interoperability-agreement-with-varian,c3122277 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/1102/3122277/1255228.pdf Release https://news.cision.com/raysearch-laboratories/i/linkedin-pressrelease-rsl,c2790039 LinkedIn PressRelease RSL SOURCE RaySearch Laboratories The Orange County Jail. (Stuart Palley / For The Times) A federal judge ruled that Orange County's sheriff acted with deliberate indifference toward the safety of inmates and ordered new social distancing requirements in the jails to combat spread of the coronavirus. But the decision by U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal on Tuesday denied a request by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California to release 468 medical vulnerable inmates at risk of contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Sheriff Don Barnes said his department would appeal the court order. "While I appreciate that the court did not grant the ACLUs request to release inmates into our community, I am disappointed that the court has ordered us to implement measures which are not mandated by law or regulation," Barnes said. "I have taken seriously the threat of COVID-19 in our jails. The department has implemented CDC guidelines in our facilities, and in many instances have done more than their recommendations, long before this lawsuit was filed." Jacob Reisberg, a jail conditions advocate with the ACLU, said although its request to release vulnerable inmates was not granted, the organization was pleased with Bernal's ruling that inmates were not being adequately protected. The ACLU had challenged the conditions of inmate confinement as violating the Constitution's guarantees of due process and protection against cruel and unusual punishment. "A review of the evidence submitted suggests that although defendants may have a policy to comply with the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines, actual compliance has been piecemeal and inadequate," the judge found. He noted that the sheriff claimed to "give inmates soap and other personal hygiene supplies, but inmates report that they have not been given enough soap to frequently wash or clean their living spaces." Similarly, the sheriff claimed to "quarantine new arrivals and those with a known exposure, but inmates declare that defendants allow quarantined individuals to use the same common spaces as the general population." Story continues Bernal noted that the number of infected inmates had risen to 369 from only 26 confirmed cases on April 22. "Assuming a current Jail population of 2,826, the rate of COVID19 infection at the Jail is 12.4%. That number is astronomical compared to the rate of infection in the Orange County general population, which is about 0.14%," the judge wrote. "Plaintiffs have established a likelihood of irreparable harm.... Without additional measures to abate the spread, more inmates will contract the disease. Undoubtedly some will die. Certainly, there is no greater irreparable harm than death," the judge wrote. But the ACLU, he wrote, failed to "meet their burden to prove that the balance of equities tilts in favor of releasing all medically vulnerable and disabled inmates." Some inmates could prove a flight risk and pose a threat to public safety, he said, noting that "many of the individuals in the proposed class have committed or are charged with violent crimes." Bernal instead imposed a detailed set of requirements including "adequate spacing of six feet or more between incarcerated people so that social distancing can be accomplished in accordance with CDC guidelines." He required that inmates receive, free of charge, an individual supply of hand soap and paper towels sufficient to allow frequent hand washing and drying each day and an adequate supply of clean implements for cleaning such as sponges, brushes and disinfectant hand wipes or other products effective against the virus. In addition, each inmate must now have access to hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol as well as daily showers and access to clean laundry. He also mandated that all Jail staff wear personal protective equipment, including CDCrecommended surgical masks, when interacting with inmates. The department is also required to take the temperature of inmates, jail staff and visitors daily and test anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19. Barnes has repeatedly rebuffed suggestions that he is not doing enough to protect inmates and opposes further releases, telling the county Board of Supervisors that he has reduced the jail population by about 45% since Gov. Gavin Newsom in March issued the states stay-at-home-order and social distancing policy. The sheriff said he has implemented extraordinary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and preserve jail operations. I am not supportive of extensive preemptive releases that go beyond what is necessary to keep the jail and community safe, Barnes said. I am confident that the measures we continue to take in the jails meet our obligation to provide for the safety of both inmates and staff. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2020 / Kingman Minerals Ltd. (TSXV:KGS)(FSE:47A1) ("Kingman" or the "Company") is pleased to report that the Company is currently in the process of preparing a NI43-101 compliant technical report on the Mohave Project ("Mohave"). In 2020, Burgex Mining Consultants ("Burgex") were contracted to determine accessibility of the Rosebud Mine and complete two underground sampling programs. During the prior program, Burgex was able to use ropes and ladders to assess the safety and stability of the main production shaft and lower themselves down to the 100-foot level of the abandoned mine. Below the 100ft level the shaft was blocked by debris and garbage, which Burgex was able to successfully clear during this second program in order to gain access to the 200ft level. Additional debris was blocking the shaft below the 200ft level preventing them from accessing the 250ft level. A photo tour, videos and additional details of the first and second reconnaissance programs are available on Company website at https://kingmanminerals.com/projects/mohave-project/first-underground-program/ and https://kingmanminerals.com/projects/mohave-project/2nd-phase-underground-reconnaissance-sampling-program/ Figure 1 - Burgex examines and samples the interior of the 100ft drift level during the 1st of 2 underground programs. Figure 2 - Burgex examines and samples the interior of the 200ft drift level during the 2nd of 2 underground programs. Figure 3 - Longitudinal section of the Rosebud Mine (Mohave Project) with underground sampling results and locations from first and second Burgex reconnaissance programs. All values are presented in Au (g/t)/Ag (g/t). The samples that Burgex collected were sent to ALS Laboratories in Reno, Nevada and were analyzed using the ALS method ME-GRA21 for gold and silver. This method is a fire assay method for optimal precious metal recovery. The ME-GRA21 method is described as "Au and Ag by fire assay and gravimetric finish ". This is what ALS recommends for the type samples from Rosebud. QA/QC procedures used for this second round of underground sampling included the use of two different Au/Ag standards and one blank standard prepared by MEG, Inc. of Reno, Nevada. These standards and blank were inserted into the sample batch with the rest of the Burgex 2nd round samples. Analytical results of the standards and blank were within their respective acceptable ranges. The results of both programs will be implemented into the NI43-101 technical report. "The Company is incredibly proud of the acquisition of the Mohave Project and our progress to date. This project has immense potential and our team has really come together to make these efforts despite the obvious challenges posed by the recent COVID concerns. Kingman intends to continue to move forward undeterred and will announce its go forward plans once the information has been finalized" stated Sandy MacDougall, Chairman and Director. The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Bradley C. Peek, MSc. and Certified Professional Geologist who is a Qualified Person with respect to Kingman's Mohave Project as defined under National Instrument 43-101. About Kingman Kingman Minerals Ltd. is currently engaged in the business of precious metal mineral exploration for the purpose of acquiring and advancing non grass roots mineral properties located in mining friendly jurisdictions of North America. The Mohave Project (the "Project") is located in the Music Mountains in Mohave County, Arizona and is comprised of 20 lode claims which are inclusive of the past producing Rosebud Mine (the "Rosebud"). High grade gold and silver veins were discovered in the area in the 1880's and were mined mainly in the late 20's and 30's. Underground development on the Rosebud property included a 400-foot shaft and approximately 2,500 feet of drifts, raises and crosscuts. For further information please contact: Sandy MacDougall, Chairman & Director (604) 685-7720 sandyjmacdougall@gmail.com www.kingmanminerals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding, among other things, the completion transactions completed in the Agreement. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, regulatory approval processes. Although Kingman believes that the assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, including that all necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained in a timely manner, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Kingman disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE: Kingman Minerals Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/591691/Kingman-Prepares-NI-43-101-Technical-Report-on-the-Mohave-Project Connecticuts highest ranking state trooper came to the aid of a naked man on I-84 on Wednesday. Thats right ... a naked man who was in the grassy median between the travel lanes of I-84 in Southington. Here is how State Police told this unusual story: He may be the highest-ranked Trooper in the State of Connecticut, but he has not forgotten that his top priority is to protect the public. Colonel Stavros Mellekas was on his way to State Police headquarters Wednesday morning when he witnessed a naked man in the median on Interstate 84 in Southington. The man was clearly in distress and creating a potentially hazardous situation. Colonel Mellekas was the first Trooper on the scene and helped to rescue the man before any further incidents transpired on the highway. The man was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Mellekas has been the commander of the state police since 2019. Mellekas, who was born in Newport, R.I, and comes from a large, well-known Greek family, has been married to his wife Kim for more than 25 years. The couple has three children. Mellekas earned a bachelor of arts degree from St. Anselm College in 1990, and was an officer with the U.S. Capitol police in Washington, D.C., from 1991 to 1994. He was assigned to the Senate Division and Dignitary Protection. His special assignments included the Civil Disturbance Unit and 1993 presidential inaugural detail, he said. The commander was a patrol trooper from 1994 to 1999 at several barracks: Troop B in North Canaan,Troop L in Litchfield, Troop I in Bethany and Troop H in Hartford. He was a detective on the Central District Major Crime Squad from 1999 to 2008, was promoted to state police sergeant in March 2008, lieutenant in December 2011, and captain in April 2016. My brother, sister and I wouldnt even answer the phone when our parents would call us. Years of damage from our fathers violence, years of disappointment at our mothers acquiescence, years of their tag-team invalidation of our hurt had left us estranged from them but inseparable as siblings. But when my brother texted me and our sister that Mom was going to start coronavirus duty at the hospital where she works, the two fragments of our family snapped together in the face of this threat. Since the coronavirus had encroached on New York City, an unease had settled into our group chat. We had been texting about the mounting case count, the demographics of the dying and, most relevant to us, the shortages of personal protective equipment, hospital beds and front-line workers. We had worried about a spillover of Covid-19 patients from Bellevue Hospital to its neighboring Veterans Affairs Hospital where my Mom, who had immigrated from South Korea after getting an international nursing scholarship, has been a registered nurse since 1981. Matt Hancock says that Test, Track and Trace - the latest Government 'solution' for easing lockdown and allowing our lives to return to a version of normal - relies on goodwill and our desire to do our best for the community and 'our' NHS. Mr Hancock and Boris Johnson are not coercing us into co-operating, well, not just yet. Offering up every detail of our private lives total strangers is being portrayed as a responsible citizen's duty. But if you disagree - could fines and lock-UP rather than lock-DOWN be waiting around the corner? Unveiled this week, Track, Test and Trace works like this - anyone with Covid-19 symptoms must self-isolate for a week, take a test as soon as possible and await the results - which could take up to three days. Everyone in your home must stay indoors too during this time. If the test is positive, you remain in lockdown for 14 days, and then phase two starts. Health Secretary Matt Hancock speaks at the Downing Street press conference yesterday Matt's team of contact tracers call up and attempt to draw up a list of everyone you might have spent more than 15 minutes with or inadvertently got closer than two metres to. These contacts will be telephoned and emailed and ordered to self-isolate, and go for a test to see if they have caught the virus. According to Mr Hancock, all the personal information gathered will be stored online securely (yes, on behalf of the same NHS who have experienced endless technological issues over the past decade, and whose local surgeries operate using technology from the stone age) and we should not worry because our privacy is in safe hands. The Government is using a life-threatening virus as an excuse to authorise a huge level of intrusion into our personal lives. Something that was never thought necessary, by the way, during the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s. Now, with smartphones and the internet, attitudes to privacy has changed. The UK has more CCTV cameras than any other country in Europe. We are under surveillance in public spaces and on all our major roads. Our phones monitor our movements and even 'suggest' things we might like to do or buy. Now, this already-eroded notion of privacy is entering a new phase as the Government plans to investigate our movements, our liaisons, our shopping and exercising habits, using 25,000 people recruited and trained at very short notice, with no previous skills to collect all this information. And I wonder how well vetted they were by their third-party private employers, Groups of sunseekers pack the seafront at Southend-on-Sea in Essex yesterday Given that the project is in the hands of former Talk Talk boss Dido Harding (did you ever try to get an answer from their helplines?), I suspect it represents a mission statement rather than a concrete reality. Track and Trace is hugely ambitious, given the faulty memories of most of my fellow citizens. Since lockdown we have lost all track of time, as one day merges into another, an endless round of bickering about who is cooking, what's in the fridge, who drank the last bottle of rose and why won't the dog eat the cheap chews from Morrisons. We have no diaries, no routine, very day is more or less the same. Track and Trace might be a logical step to contain and restrict the spread of covid 19 and limit the chances of a second wave of infection, but in reality, given the British public's ability to lie and fudge the truth, it's probably doomed to failure. Calculating a list of everyone you've met over the past week is like Morse and Lewis trying to assemble witnesses after yet another sadistic late night murder on the Oxford towpath. Given that workers on the London Underground routinely rub elbows with total strangers during the rush hour each morning even now and every time I visit my local supermarket at least two workers (usually young men) are chatting side by side as they stock up the bananas and bagged salad, the chances of constructing a newly identified patient's contacts and social interactions sounds like something a professor in a white coat dreamt up in a very clean and orderly lab. A UK Government diagram explaining how the NHS Test and Trace system will work The only way that contact tracing will work is via technology, and (as usual) Matt Hancock's much-publicised Track and Trace App is a long way from being ready. Remember when it was unveiled as the Next Big Thing back at the start of May? We were told that the inhabitants of the Isle of Wight were going to be used as guinea pigs and be offered the chance to download the app, which stores information on your phone and uses bluetooth technology to let other users know if you test positive for the virus and have been in close contact with them. The app was supposed to be unveiled on June 1 - but is nowhere near to being reliable. Over 52,000 people might have downloaded it, but it's thought that a great many do not live on the Isle of Wight, which compromises the findings. It's thought a new area might have to be tested before the app is unveiled for general use. The app uses our postcodes to identify 'hot spots' which could be locked down locally. The problem with any app is that it relies on consumers being patient, understanding how it works and not being bothered that the NHS (ie the Government) is clocking your whereabouts. These contact tracing apps have been used widely in the Far East. In Singapore, over 800,000 people have downloaded Trace Together since March 20. A Covid-19 drive-through test centre at Twickenham in West London lies empty today But then Singapore is a country which regularly fines people hundreds of pounds for spitting or littering. It's been successful in countries where authoritarian governments intrude far more on their citizen's lives, where the state issues orders (as in China) and 99 per cent of the population willingly comply. If contact tracing was going to work, why did Matt Hancock abandon it on March 12 at the start of the pandemic? Last weekend, thousands of sunbathers on the beach at Bournemouth, lines of walkers snaking down the Dorset cliffs at Durdle Door and fights between drunken youths on the beach in Kent, all add up to one big truth. In those images, there will be dozens of people who have the virus - coming into contact with hundreds of total strangers as they ate their sandwiches, slapped on their sun tan cream and frolicked about in the waves. There lies your answer, Mr Hancock. Contact tracing is too late, and threatening jail sentences if we don't toe the line, is just puerile posturing. Of course some people will support the scheme. But when the sun shines the number of 'responsible' citizens willing to share their address books with an eager young 'tracer' in a call centre will magically diminish. Especially when one in five people know they have no job to go back to. They might as well enjoy the Government handouts and the sunshine while it lasts. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-27 21:27:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the opening session of Iran's new parliament in Tehran, Iran, May 27, 2020. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday called for cooperation of the new Iranian parliament with his administration to overcome the existing problems. Iran's new parliament for the next four years kicked off on Wednesday. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua) TEHRAN, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday called for cooperation of the new Iranian parliament with his administration to overcome the existing problems. Addressing the opening session of Iran's new parliament, Rouhani said that the government is "seeking cooperation with the parliament at this tough year." Cooperation between the two major institutions of the Islamic establishment will help defeat U.S. sanctions and contain the novel coronavirus, he said. Iran's new parliament for the next four years kicked off on Wednesday. The 11th parliamentary elections of the Islamic republic were held on February 21. The Iranian parliament has 290 members who are elected by the people for four-year terms. Enditem Brogya Genfi, a member of the Communication team of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has described as 'dangerous' some comments made by Mr. Gabby Otchere Darko on his twitter handle. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko in two separate tweets on his social media account wrote: Out of Ghanas 275 constituencies, Ketu South is the most populous constituency in Ghana in terms of the number of names on the electoral role. Why and How? Discuss . . . " "Ketu South constituency has 149, 219 registered voters. Dome Kwabenya follows with 144, 624 registered voters, with Ledzokuku, 142, 995 and the Ablekuma Central, 137, 154. Discuss the economic and/or social activities which give Ketu South the largest electoral roll in Ghana. Brogya Genfi speaking on a panel discussion on Neat FM's 'Me Man Nti' programme said Gabby suggested that those living in Keta do not deserve anything good. " . . from his tweet, he is telling us that those living in Ketu South are primitive and don't have any social or economic activity . . . it is a very dangerous statement. Don't they do naming ceremony, cultural activity, festival in Ketu South? all because those living in Ketu South are Ewes..." he surmised. Listen to his full take below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video South Africa: Cabinet welcomes outcomes of Presidents consultations Cabinet has welcomed the outcome of consultations undertaken by President Cyril Ramaphosa to ensure the countrys support and inputs of all social partners, as it progresses from Level 4 to Level 3 of the national lockdown. Accompanied by various Ministers, President Ramaphosa had met with communities, including labour and business sectors, the South African Council of Churches, leadership of interfaith communities, mayors, Premiers, South African Local Government Association, traditional leadership and political parties represented in Parliament. Cabinet welcomed the outcome of these consultations, which were broadly constructive and enriched planning for the gradual easing of restrictions to Level 3, which kicks in on 1 June 2020. This level will entail a further broadening of economic activity and the removal of restrictions on the movement of people. It will also enable about eight million South Africans to return to work, Cabinet said in a statement on Thursday, following its virtual meeting. During Level 3 of lockdown, Cabinet said that special attention will be given to hotspot areas, which have increased rates of Coronavirus infections. Provincial Health Departments will roll out dedicated health interventions in those hotspot areas in the form of intensified screening, testing, and quarantine and prevention measures, Cabinet said. Cabinet reiterated its support for the inclusive consultations undertaken by President Ramaphosa since the start of the national state of disaster on 15 March 2020. These consultations have made it possible for all sectors of society to play a role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, saving of lives and protecting livelihoods. False suggestions on individual Executive members condemned Meanwhile, Cabinet has condemned false suggestions that individual members of the Executive are responsible for recommendations that emanate from the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) or decisions taken by Cabinet. Cabinet said the COVID-19 National Joint Operations and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) is built on work streams comprise scientists; health specialists; engineers; representatives of the National Disaster Management centres; legal advisors; leadership of the countrys security and law-enforcement agencies, and teams from departments that make up the economic and social clusters of the Forum of South African Directors-General. The NATJOINTS receives reports from different departments and submits proposals to Directors-General (DGs) to develop recommendations that are presented to the NCCC. The NCCC deliberates DGs recommendations and also makes its own recommendations to Cabinet where proposals, including regulations, are approved. This process ensures that the Executive takes collective decisions that are consensual and inclusive, Cabinet explained. Cabinet appealed for unity in action by all sectors of society against a common and dangerous enemy, the COVID-19 pandemic. State of disaster contributed to saving lives Cabinet has expressed its gratitude to all South Africans for their continuing sacrifice and understanding during the purposeful lockdown period, noting that the Presidents declaration of the national state of disaster has immensely contributed to saving lives. The drastic containment measures resulted in significantly slowing and reduction of the infectious trajectory. The lockdown gave South Africa the time and space to put measures in place in the public and private health sectors to deal with an inevitable increase in infections. Cabinet continues to appeal to all South Africans to take greater personal responsibility to protect themselves and others to reduce the spread of the virus, Cabinet said. Ministers across a range of portfolios will unpack the details during media briefings scheduled to take place on Thursday and Friday. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-05-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. SPRINGFIELD Joining the parade of inmates seeking compassionate release from federal prison amid the coronavirus pandemic is a local defendant who torched an African-American church on the night of President Barack Obamas historic first election. Michael Jacques, sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison after a jury trial in 2011, hopes to shave three years off his sentence, according to court records. Such petitions to the courts have become routine in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Inmates and their attorneys cite risk factors including advanced age and other medical vulnerabilities. Jacques, 35, argues that he should be released because he is overweight, has high cholesterol and is at risk of developing diabetes. He is serving out his sentence at the federal prison in Devens, where there was a recent spike in COVID-19 cases. Eight inmates and one staff member have been infected, the facility has reported. A hearing on the matter is set for Thursday in U.S. District Court. Jacques and two other white men broke into the Macedonia Church of God in Christ on Tinkham Road just hours after Obamas election in 2008. Incensed by the first black presidents win, the trio doused the property with gasoline and set it on fire, burning it to the ground and causing $1.6 million in damage. The church was under construction and vacant at the time. A lawyer for Jacques, the ringleader of the racist plot, argues he was a very immature 24 years old when he torched the church, and is now a changed man. Due out in 2023, Jacques has petitioned the court to serve the balance of his sentence in home confinement. He has shown a tremendous amount of personal growth during his almost ten years of incarceration, his lawyer, Lori H. Levinson, wrote in her motion for compassionate release. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, such motions were typically reserved for inmates in the end stages of fatal illnesses. Amid the pandemic, the Bureau of Prisons has released 2,643 to home confinement, according to court records. Federal prosecutors oppose early release for Jacques, noting that prison records attribute his weight to poor commissary choices. Countering his motion, the government hit the high points of the disturbing overtones of the crime that drew international attention in the wake of the election. Within hours of the historical presidential election, Jacques and his two co-conspirators carried containers of gasoline through the woods to get to the church, forced their way inside, and poured enough gasoline to ensure total destruction of the church, prosecutors write. Jacques describes a filthy, crowded setting in his prison unit of 124, with only five functional shower stalls and a lack of social distancing in the chow line. There is no antibacterial soap available for inmates to use. Each unit has been given bottles of Virex cleaner for the unit orderlies to use and reportedly the orderlies do not regularly disinfect the unit, Levinson argues. Woman in Krasnodar Krai fined $420 for fake about ambulance doctors pixabay.com 17:17 28/05/2020 MOSCOW, May 28 (RAPSI) A court in the Krasnodar Krai has fined a local woman 30,000 rubles ($420) for distribution of fake information about ambulance doctors, the press service of the Interior Ministrys local office reports. The woman has been found guilty of misuse of freedom of the mass media. According to case filings, she published on one of the social networks a post reading that emergency paramedics, who had come to a dead citizen, allegedl offered money to his relatives for fixing coronavirus as a cause of death in a medical certification. Understanding their Medicare options helps people avoid situations in which they dont have the coverage they need, says Anthony P. Solazzo, CEO of e-TeleQuote. This is especially true when it comes to understanding Special Enrollment Periods." easyMedicare.com (https://www.easyMedicare.com), an affiliate of e-TeleQuote Insurance, Inc., released a video informing Americans about Medicare Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) and the circumstances making individuals eligible for those enrollment periods. Moving or losing group insurance coverage are common qualifying circumstances for a Special Enrollment Period. Special Enrollment Periods make it possible for Medicare beneficiaries to change their Medicare plans outside of Medicares Annual Election Period (Oct. 15 - Dec. 7) or Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 - Mar. 31). Special Enrollment Periods often last one to three months, beginning with the qualifying circumstance. easyMedicare.coms video is short and informative, with critical and actionable Medicare information. 6 Reasons You May Be Eligible for a Medicare Special Enrollment Period explains common circumstances that make beneficiaries eligible for a Special Enrollment Period. The 6 reasons cover broad categories of situations that qualify. Understanding their Medicare options helps people avoid situations in which they dont have the coverage they need, says Anthony P. Solazzo, CEO of e-TeleQuote. This is especially true when it comes to understanding Special Enrollment Periods. That is why creating educational content like this informative video is crucial to our mission of making navigating Medicare and Medicare options easier. The Special Enrollment Period video joins easyMedicare.coms collection of online Medicare resources, which includes the Medicare Basics Guide, a Medicare & Turning 65 Guide, a Medicare Annual Election Period toolkit, and hundreds of other articles and videos. easyMedicare.coms new video about Medicare Special Enrollment Periods can be viewed at http://www.easyMedicare.com. About e-TeleQuote and easyMedicare.com e-TeleQuote Insurance, Inc., the owner and operator of easyMedicare.com, is an independent digital insurance marketplace providing individuals the ability to purchase Medicare insurance from the comfort of their homes. The company diligently researches available plan options from multiple insurance carriers, helping people choose a plan that best suits their needs. e-TeleQuote provides personal consultation through experienced licensed Medicare advisors who suggest plan coverage options based on an individuals particular needs. The company has proudly served tens of thousands of people across the United States. The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson announced today that groups of 6 people will be permitted to meet outside from Monday in England. Boris announced changes confirming that measures will be put in place to ease the lockdown due to the five tests being met. these changes mean friend and family will start to meet loved ones . He also urged that people should avoid meeting too many people at once to help reduce the risk of a transmission and discouraged sleeping overnight at Friends houses. He advised having families meetings and barbeques provided it happens in a socially distanced way. The rule takes effect mainly in England as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are responsible for their own Public Health policies. Strictly Come Dancing bosses reportedly discussed filming the next series in a hotel so the cast and crew could self-isolate together amid the coronavirus crisis. According to The Sun, producers are said to have considered hiring out a hotel in its entirety with a ballroom space to reduce risk among the contestants and the crew. However, the move could have worried the partners of the celebrity contestants who would be staying in the same hotel as their dance partners after the show has had several stars starting relationships with their dancers. Plans: Strictly Come Dancing bosses reportedly discussed filming the next series in a hotel so the cast and crew could self-isolate together amid the coronavirus crisis (pictured: Seann Walsh and Katya Jones) A source told the publication: 'Strictly is the jewel in the crown, so theyre doing everything in their power to make sure it will go ahead as seamlessly as possible. 'Early in the stages of the COVID-19 crisis it was seriously discussed as an option to hire an entire hotel, and to have the cast and crew all live, train and film in the same place. 'It was mooted as a potential plan because it meant that if one of those involved in the show did start to develop symptoms, there would be no risk to the public in any way and they could easily self-isolate.' One hotel the production considered was the London Hilton on Park Lane, which has one of the largest ballrooms in the capital. Flings: the move could have worried the partners of the celebrity contestants who would be staying in the same hotel as their dance partners after the show has had several stars starting relationships with their dancers However, now BBC bosses are hopeful that the show will be able to go ahead as originally planned at Elstree Studios. The source added that the crew are hoping further lockdown easing will mean not too much will have to be changed to the show's production and it is hoped the BBC will have more news in the coming weeks. MailOnline has contacted a representative for Strictly Come Dancing for comment. A source said: 'Strictly is the jewel in the crown, so theyre doing everything in their power to make sure it will go ahead as seamlessly as possible' It comes after reports that bosses are in talks with Gordon Ramsay's 18-year-old daughter Tilly to take part. The BBC is thought to have approached the TV host in the hopes that she will be a hit on the show with a younger demographic. A source told the The Sun: 'Tilly is already popular with younger viewers from her shows on CBBC and bosses think she could bring that audience with her... Consideration: One hotel the production considered was the London Hilton on Park Lane, (pictured) which has one of the largest ballrooms in the capital 'Tilly is keen to be a star in her own right, rather than just being known as Gordon's daughter, and Strictly could be a great way for her to come out of her father's shadow. 'They've spoken to her formally and said she can take part either this year or next. They've left the ball in her court.' It comes after bosses were also said to be considering social media stars Holly H, Mrs Hinch and YouTuber Zoe Sugg for the new series. Two men who described themselves as 'armed rednecks' standing guard outside Minneapolis shops during the George Floyd riots have defended taking the law into their own hands. Stephen, 35, who did not want to give his surname, told DailyMail.com he took his AR-style pistol to the Lake Street area in south Minneapolis to prevent looting, and protect the mainly peaceful protesters. Minnesota was wracked with protests on Tuesday and Wednesday night, after the killing on Monday of a black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer. Michael Solomon, left, and Stephen, centre, with two friends standing guard outside the tobacco shop in southern Minneapolis on Wednesday night, to prevent looting Protesters in Minneapolis on Wednesday night, when demonstrations against the killing of George Floyd turned violent for the second night in a row. One man died in the chaos This still image taken from a May 25, 2020, video courtesy of Darnella Frazier via Facebook, shows a Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer arresting George Floyd on Monday night. Floyd, 46, was killed in the incident. The police officer has been fired from the force One man was killed in the violence on Wednesday night, reportedly shot dead by a shop owner. The Minneapolis Fire Department said crews responded to around 30 fires along East Lake Street between Wednesday evening and early Thursday morning. Fire vehicles were hit with rocks and other projectiles, but no firefighters were hurt. Stephen was accompanied by three friends - Michael Solomon, who like Stephen is white, and two African American men he didn't name. The four 'mostly met through recent gun rights rallies,' Stephen said. He said they supported the protests that have sprung up in the aftermath of the killing. But they did not support the looting that some of the protesters engaged in. Solomon wrote on Facebook asking for advice on equipment, ahead of further protests Michael Solomon and friends at the protests demanding justice for George Floyd Solomon and his friends support the protests, but say they are against the looting and rioting 'We went out for a couple of reasons,' said Stephen, who spent seven years working as a private security guard. 'One was recon. This is our state and our metro area. This incident will be heavily spun. So seeing it ourselves made sense. 'Also we weren't sure what the intentions of the police were.' He said he felt they were determined to protect the police precinct where the officers were stationed, at the expense of other buildings in the neighborhood. He also worried that the police would not be there to protect the non-violent majority of protesters. 'Lastly, due to the looting and violence to property, if anyone harmed people there would be no help coming. 'That would also be likely twisted by the police, as the main thrust of the protest. 'Which would be really wasteful.' Pedestrians walk past destroyed buildings after looters struck, following a demonstrations over the death of George Floyd. Police in Minnesota have appealed for calm after two nights Steve Krause, owner of Minnehaha Lake Wine and Spirits for 32 years, surveys the damage left by looters following demonstrations over the death of George Floyd on Wednesday night Looters in Minneapolis on Wednesday night ransacking shopping centers and stores Thieves swept the destroyed stores, taking away anything they could on Wednesday night Stephen, a mixed martial arts fan, describes himself on Facebook as 'a warrior sage'. He adds: 'An American patriot, love my nation. I'll spread hope like fire.' His page promotes an 'OTSS War' - believed to be an acronym for only the strong survive. He described Tuesday and Wednesday's riots - his first experience of an uprising - as being 'a sort of mildly-organized chaos.' 'It was dark and noisy,' he said. 'Lots of breaking glass and just outrageous amounts of broken glass and mass theft.' Local media captured footage of Stephen and his friends standing outside the GM Tobacco store in a strip mall off Lake Street, close to where a Target store was set on fire. Stephen explained: 'We heard from some folks about 40 minutes after getting on site that the tobacco shop was fighting off looters, and so we immediately headed over to assist. 'One came swinging a hammer at the shop owners vehicles. A local escorted him off before he could make contact with us and pose a threat. 'The awesome Palestinians who owned the tobacco shop were ready to defend their shop with machetes.' Fire breaks out on Wednesday night, on the second night of protesting the death of Floyd A multi-story affordable housing complex under construction near the Third Precinct burns on Wednesday night in Minneapolis - the second night of protests which turned violent Stephen said they stood guard outside the shop, to the relief of the grateful owner. Other shop owners in the area had already abandoned their stores. 'Sam, the owner, immediately gave us water and smokes for free,' he said. 'We exchanged numbers, he thanked me profusely for all our help.' Both Stephen and Solomon have been described on social media as 'boogaloo boys' - boogaloo being slang for a civil war. On Facebook Solomon 'likes' pages including Vigilante Arms, Vigilantes for Children, The New Sons of Liberty, Make America Full Auto Again, and Boogaloo Network. On Thursday afternoon Solomon was appealing on social media for someone to lend him their body armor, saying that he intended to be on the streets again on Thursday night. 'Hey y'all I need plates and a carrier, I know I'm gonna be a Target,' he wrote. 'Help me out and link me to good deals and stuff. I don't have much but I'm trying to make sure I'm covered.' But Stephen insisted they were not extremists, and rejected the word vigilante. 'There's no vigilanteism in defending the innocent for free, where the police and first responders cannot or refuse to go,' he said. College students today have been dealt a difficult hand. The class of COVID-19 has been forced to cut their college careers short, give up a traditional graduation ceremony and begin their professional careers during the most hostile labor market since the Great Depression. Many of these students have had their job offers rescinded, and are looking to those who graduated during the previous economic downturn, the Great Recession, for guidance and inspiration. "Economists that have looked into this carefully all agree that there are effects that persist for a long time, if not permanently, for people who graduate and come into the job market around the time of a deep recession," says Gary Burtless, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "Even after the recovery occurs, these generations often are scarred by having employment rates that are one to two percentage points lower than those of generations that graduated school in a healthier job market." Workers who graduate into a recession also report lower earnings, higher levels of student debt, and worse professional prospects. CNBC Make It spoke with dozens of college graduates as well as with workers who graduated during the Great Recession to hear what advice they have for 2020's graduating class. Comparing the Great Recession to now While workers who graduated into the Great Recession may offer the closest comparison for today's young people, there are still significant differences in the magnitude of the challenges they face, says Burtless. "This is much worse than the Great Recession. Over the entire Great Recession, I think maybe 8.5, 9 million jobs were lost over the course of a 5-year period. Between February and April, the United States lost 21.5 million payroll jobs," he explains. "And so now, people graduating this spring are going to face the worst job market in the entire post-depression history." Since March, 38.6 million Americans have lost their jobs and in April, the unemployment rate was 14.7%. It will take years to track the long-term impacts on today's graduates, but there is one similarity these two unlucky generations already share: moving back home. "There was a concept that sociologists were talking about a decade or so ago called 'failure to launch,' says Burtless. "People were staying in their parents' households longer or returning to their parents' households, they were delaying when they got married, they were delaying the first birth of children, and many markers of becoming an adult: buying your first home and so forth." Some recent graduates have already been forced to move back in with their families because they are unable to find full-time jobs. "I just turned 22. Living with my parents was not my idea of what my life would look like," says John Novakovich, who will graduate from Northwestern University on June 19th with a degree in economics. He was set to start his first post-grad job as an operations associate for Uber later that month but his offer was rescinded. Here's the advice that professionals who graduated into the Great Recession have for people like Novakovich: Lauren McGoodwin in 2009 Courtesy of Lauren McGoodwin Take care of yourself and get specific about your skills Lauren McGoodwin graduated in 2009 from the University of Oregon with a degree in education. She says her career center still remembers her because she eagerly took advantage of every service they offered, such as mock interviews and on-campus career fairs and still graduated without a job. "When I graduated, I had zero job prospects. I had had about 10 campus interviews. Never got called back for any of them," says McGoodwin. "So I graduated and had to move back home with my mom." Today, McGoodwin is the CEO and founder of Career Contessa, a career advice and job search site, and creator of The Salary Project, which helps workers compare their earnings to peers in their field. Lauren McGoodwin today Courtesy of Lauren McGoodwin Her advice to recent graduates is "to take the time to feel your pain." "I always encourage people to start with making sure they're taking care of their mental, emotional, physical health," she says. "It's OK to feel disappointed." When young people are ready to jump into the job market, she says they should master a specific skill that will help them find a job they are excited about. "My best advice is to find out what companies are hiring and go where there is demand and spend any time you have right now filling your skills gaps," she says. "I wish that I had been more specific with my skill set. I was so general. I was always like, 'I have a good attitude, I'm a quick learner.'" She continues, "I wish I could have I told myself, 'find something that you really enjoy and double down on it so that you're an expert." Erin McCann in 2009 Courtesy of Erin McCann Be patient and open-minded Erin McCann graduated from the University of Southern California Law School in 2009. "When I started law school, the economy was really good and so I had expected and anticipated that I would have a high-paying job as a lawyer. Graduating with a lot of law school debt and not having any income was pretty scary," she says. "I didn't have a job when I graduated law school and a lot of my friends that had offers, they'd been revoked." McCann is now a recruiting manager for staffing agency Robert Half. Her advice to students graduating right now is to "be gentle with yourself. It's not your fault that this happened." Erin McCann at her first court appearance in 2010 Courtesy of Erin McCann When McCann graduated and passed the bar, she also had a hard time finding a job. The first opportunity she landed was working for a divorce attorney. She took the job even though she had never planned on practicing that kind of law. "You're going to need to be flexible in terms of what kind of job that you take," she says, adding that being open to a wide range of opportunities can have some surprising benefits. "I think that graduating during a down economy did give me some skills that I otherwise might not have had in my toolbox. And it's not just me. When I look at our class, I look at the hustle that a lot of people put into creating their own firm or starting in a practice area that they may not otherwise have considered," she says. "Be flexible and open-minded so that you have opportunities that could lead to other opportunities down the road." Nirav Patel in 2009 Courtesy of Nirav Patel Take on a personal project Nirav Patel graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in computer engineering in 2009. While he faced a similar fate to those students who have been forced to move back home, his career path demonstrates what young people can do with their downtime. "I still didn't have a job at graduation. So like a lot of people, I moved into my parents' basement for a few months and kept applying and kept developing my skills and eventually managed to land a job at Apple," he says. Today, Patel is the founder of Framework, a company that aims to make consumer electronics repairable and upgradable. Nirav Patel today Courtesy of Nirav Patel "You should use all the spare time that you have to go and build things that you find personally interesting, that are relevant to the skills that you've developed in school that you want to apply going forward," advises Patel. "And it's useful because it helps you refresh your skills and helps you build on your skills. But it also shows potential employers that you are self-directed." Working on a personal project will help you "stand out from the rest of the pack," he says, even if the likelihood of your project becoming a full-blown company is low. "You'll at least have developed more of your skills and shown again that you have that entrepreneurial, innovative mindset that employers can find interesting," he says. 'Don't lose hope' New Delhi, May 28 : The governments point man on the gravest health emergency confronting the world and India is Dr Harsh Vardhan, our very own Health Minister, a Chandni Chowk MP. A doctor himself and in the main an Otorhinolaryngologist, he has risen from a doctor to a well-regarded politician. Extremely soft-spoken, he has been a minister in the Delhi government and headed the Delhi BJP and was its CM candidate. Prime Minister has a special bonding with him. And as such he heads what has turned out to be the most sensitive ministry in these challenging times. He also heads the Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Ministry. With the world witnessing the worst ever pandemic, Dr Harsh Vardhan has now been elected to head the WHO executive board. Arguably one of the busiest persons in the country currently, he took time off to speak extensively with IANS. Here is everything that you wanted to know about the corona virus, but were afraid to ask. Excerpts: Q: What is the situation of the COVID-19 cases in India compared to other countries like US, UK and China? Some research is showing that deaths in tropical climes is only 6 per cent, will rising temperatures kill this virus? A: In India, definitely, due to the timely decisions taken by our government under able guidance of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, the situation is better. As on May 26, in terms of confirmed cases per lakh population, India has so far about 10.7 cases per lakh population as against global average 69.9 cases per lakh population, 486 cases per lakh population in USA, 390 cases per lakh population in UK and 5.8 cases per lakh population in China. Further, in terms of case mortality per lakh population, India has so far about 0.3 deaths per lakh population as against a global average of 4.4 deaths per lakh population; 29.3 deaths per lakh population in USA; 55.3 deaths per lakh population in UK and 0.3 deaths per lakh population in China. As I have been saying all along and which has also been informed by various studies, there does not appear to be any correlation between the rate of infection and atmospheric temperature. The spread of COVID-19 outbreak around the world does suggest a preference for cool and dry conditions; although it is worth noting that the virus has appeared in countries with a wide range of climates, including hot-humid ones. The low death rate of COVID-19 in tropical countries compared with the Western world could be due to various reasons such as lower population density, younger average age of people, and lesser number of international travels in tropical countries as compared to Western countries. Q: You have been saying that people have to learn to live with the virus. How is it possible for the government to implement the task of distancing and yet continue the process of opening up? Is it Catch-22? A: I say that with my experience. This new virus, SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID- 19, has an incredibly fast rate of spread, but at the same time, it has a low fatality rate. In fact, in India it is due to complete lockdown as well as focus on augmenting public health infrastructure that has placed us in a good stead and helped contain the fatality rate. However, it is too early to say when the virus will be completely eliminated. Just like any other virus which remains in populations and ebbs over time, this virus may also become part of our lives in times to come. Given this uncertainty, we have to find ways and means to enable us to restart our social and economic activities that have been brought to a standstill due to the lockdown. We should remember that lockdown has not been an easy decision. This is because socio-economic and psychological costs are associated with it. Despite this our Hon'ble Prime Minister took the decision of complete lockdown as we had to prioritize lives of our citizens. Today, when we are fully prepared to tackle the spread and have made our best efforts to tackle the disease, we are mindful of the fact that this lockdown, this fight has impacted the livelihoods of a large number of our people. We cannot let our economy slow down as it would be catastrophic in the long run. That is why to reboot our economy, our Prime Minister has brought this economic package of Rs 20 lakh crore. Moreover, with every new phase of lockdown, we have been opening up the economy. We are starting activities in such a way that the relaxation allowed does not interfere with the containment measures and a balance is achieved between containment measures and the activities allowed. Moreover, unlike previous viruses, we need to remember that this corona virus spreads through lack of observance of personal hygiene and maintaining physical distancing. So, these should become part of our lives to check not only the spread of this virus but other similar infections in future. In fact, this would spur us further to develop innovative and safer ways of interaction with each other in the society. The onus of maintaining this balance also falls on all of us. Each one of us has to follow all necessary guidelines and advisories issued by the government from time to time in true spirit -- use of face covers, regular hand washing, cough etiquettes and use of sanitizers both at home and workplace regularly is essential. Crowded places and gatherings need to be avoided. Let us follow our Prime Minister's clarion call of 'Jaan Bhi Jahan Bhi'. Q: Do you think that the cause of worry is asymptomatic patients who are potential virus carriers and they may take the virus deeper and deeper into rural India? A: I am aware about WHO's mention of some laboratory-confirmed cases that are truly asymptomatic. It is equally true, that as on date, there has been no documented asymptomatic transmission. Recently, more symptoms like headache, muscle pain, pink eye, loss of smell, or loss of taste, intense chills, rigors and sore throat have been included in the list of COVID-19 symptoms by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. It will require more studies before these symptoms are finally included in our list in India. As you will notice, these are very subjective and vague symptoms which may go unnoticed, may not be remembered by the patient and, thus, may not even be reported. Even today, in almost 80% of the cases of COVID-19, which are being reported in India, the patients tend to exhibit either nil or mild symptoms. These patients are mostly contacts of confirmed cases. Interestingly, had it not been for our contact tracing efforts, and if left to their own in isolation, these patients may not have even remembered or reported their infection. Moreover, if for a moment we talk of testing such asymptotic patients, identification of all these asymptomatic cases will require repeated testing of 1.3 billion population which is a resource expensive exercise for any country and is neither possible nor recommended because of its feasibility. Q: What do you think about worsening situation in Delhi, Mumbai, Agra, West Bengal, Indore and Ahmedabad? A: I have been in regular touch with the Health Ministers of Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat. States have been trying their best to contain the disease. In the absence of drugs or vaccine for treatment of COVID-19, our emphasis has been on early detection of cases especially through meticulous contact tracing of confirmed cases and active case search through house-to-house survey as well as on provision of optimized care to patients. You would appreciate that effective containment of COVID-19 depends on the successful collective outcome of the various interventions taken to contain the outbreak. It also depends on the level of community ownership and dedication in discharging the social responsibility by its members. Any deficiency in efforts may result in worsening of the situation. Q: What is the status of testing and can more testing curb the disease? A: The current testing strategy is need-based and gives priority to individuals who are primarily at risk or have symptoms. It is revised regularly according to the evolving situation. From one laboratory at NIV, Pune in the first week of February 2020, the number of facilities has increased to a total of 624 which include 435 government labs and 189 NABL-accredited private laboratories are involved in testing at present. As on May 27, our testing capacity is 1,60,000 per day and we have done 32,44,884 tests to date. On May 26, itself, we have conducted 1,15,229 tests. As I said earlier, if for a moment, we talk of repeated testing of 1.3 billion population to curb the disease, you would appreciate that this is not only a resource expensive exercise but also neither possible nor feasible. Therefore, I am still of the view that priority-based and targeted testing will be helpful in detecting more cases for COVID-19 and curbing the disease. With our efforts at sustained and quality assured scaling up of the testing facilities, I am sure, we shall be better placed for maximum case detection. Q: When do you expect the curve to flatten since AIIMS Director Guleria has said that the situation may worsen in the next two months? A: Right now, we have a steady curve. It has never shown any exponential rise. We are now trying to bend the curve downwards. The trajectory of the outbreak is decided by a number of factors such as pathogenicity and transmissibility of virus; availability of specific treatment or vaccine; as well as collective performance of all public health interventions undertaken to contain the outbreak such as testing and early case detection, isolation, quarantine, contact-tracing, optimum care of cases and surveillance. As you know that COVID-19 is a new disease and the behaviour of this virus in evolving outbreak is unknown. We have isolated the virus and our scientists and epidemiologists are studying it with the help of gene sequencing. Not much data about the virus and the disease is available at the moment. Further as far as the issue of predictions of the further spread of the disease is concerned, let me tell you that I keep on hearing about one mathematical prediction model or the other. There are so many such models giving so many predictions round-the-clock that it is difficult to track them or justify them. But just like any mathematical model, these models are based on a number of assumptions and presumptions which may or may not match with real ground data because the data is still being generated each day and the disease has not matured across the world. Therefore, it beats me as to with so much uncertainties, whether it is possible to make accurate predictions about future scenario of the disease. Q: What is the status of vaccine in our country, how is the government coordinating the research with the private sector and by when can we expect something positive on this front? The CSIR is also working in this as are others? A: As far as India is concerned, it is among the largest manufacturers of vaccines in the world. About half-a-dozen major vaccine makers are in India and make doses against polio, meningitis, pneumonia, rotavirus, BCG, measles, mumps and rubella, among other diseases. Since the onset of COVID-19 in India, scientific community and the vaccine manufactures are working closely to bring out an effective vaccine against the viral infection. Government of India through the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Department of Biotechnology, Department of Science and Technology, CSIR, and through their Autonomous Institutes and agencies like BIRAC, TDB and SERB have been supporting academia and vaccine industries to develop an efficacious vaccine against SARS-COV-2. A multifaceted approach is being adopted to ensure that vaccine candidates utilizing different platforms and at different stages of development are fast-tracked through the COVID-19 Research Consortium under funding from Department of Biotechnology, BIRAC and National Biopharma Mission. Both, repurposing of existing vaccine candidates for immediate protection of high-risk groups and novel vaccine candidate development have been considered. Currently over 14 vaccine candidates are in different stages of development. More than 4 are in an advanced stage of preclinical. Nearly 10 have been recommended for funding support by Department of Biotechnology. Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd is being funded for a Phase-III human clinical trial of a recombinant BCG vaccine candidate. Cadila Healthcare is being funded for a DNA vaccine candidate, Bharat Biotech International Ltd for a safe inactivated rabies vector platform while Gennova Biopharma Ltd for an m-RNA vaccine candidate. Besides these, the National Institute of Immunology is developing a novel vaccine evaluation platform to support SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development in resource-limiting settings. The CSIR has funded Monoclonal antibody program through NCCS, Pune in collaboration with IIT, Indore and Bharat Biotech. Q: What is the preparation in the country vis-a-vis beds, ventilator and PPE kits? Are we adequately fortified against the inordinate rise in cases? A: Yes, the country is well prepared to face the challenge of inordinate rise in cases with the available infrastructure. As on May 27, the number of beds in dedicated COVID hospitals is 2,49,636, and dedicated COVID health centers is 1,75,982, making a total of 4,25,618. Further, we have identified 6,50,173 beds in 7,202 COVID care centres and 5,09,690 beds in 10,345 quarantine centres. Several domestic manufacturers for ventilators have been identified and orders for 60,848 ventilators have been placed which will be received in a phased manner in this month and June. Many hospitals and medical colleges are increasing the number of ventilator beds. Several hospital owners in the private sector are also coming forward to dedicate their facilities for the cause of the nation. As regards PPE, as on date 32.54 lakhs PPEs are available with states &UTs. With the help of Ministry of Textile, 109 domestic manufacturers have been identified and orders have been placed for 2.23 crore of which 89.84 lakh have already been supplied. Today we are manufacturing 3 lakh PPEs every day and distributing to states. 49.06 lakh N 95 masks are available with states, the order for 2.29 crore is placed and 114.02 lakh have already been received. Further ten domestic manufacturers have been identified for in-house production. As regards sufficiency of the infrastructure, I have said time and again that this virus, even though having a faster spread rate, has a low fatality rate. Normally, 80% of the infections of COVID-19 are mild or asymptomatic, 15% are severe infections requiring oxygen and only a maximum of 5% are critical infections requiring ventilator support. Moreover, analysis of recovery data, as on May 27 indicates that about 1.9% of all active cases under management require oxygen support; about 2.3% of the active cases under management require ICU support and 0.41% of the active cases under management require ventilator support. Q: Being a doctor yourself, how do you think people should contain the disease and which are the most vulnerable sections? For most part PM Modi's resorting to old style Indic shut down has saved India? A: As I told you earlier, the complete nationwide lockdown was a great success in containing the spread of the COVID-19 but at the same time, it is also important to note that lockdown has socio-economic costs and needs to be used very judiciously. You already quoted me earlier and I say again: We must learn to live with the virus while continuing with our economic and social activities. Employers should provide a safe environment and make arrangement as per the prescribed guidelines to prevent the spread of disease at workplace while it is incumbent on the employees to ensure that they follow the physical distancing measures and personal hygiene. With these measures in place, it will be reasonably safe to go for work. I have said it time and again that social and physical distancing is the most potent social vaccine available to us. Talking of the most vulnerable sections, I must say, these include the industrial and construction workers, in addition to people living in slums and other overcrowded areas where observance of personal hygiene and physical distancing measures is not satisfactory. Q. Was the government blindsided by the migrant issue? Did the sheer numbers overwhelm the government machinery? A: Migrants are not foreigners. They are our people. Why would their numbers overwhelm the government? Shri Narendra Modi ji's government works for the last man in the society. We have been aware of the costs that lockdown has imposed on us but lives of our people are far more precious. The government has been aware of their plight right from the first day when we imposed lockdown. With lockdown, their livelihoods have been affected. From time to time it was ensured that they had access to food, medicines and basic amenities. Orders were also issued to ensure that they were not evicted from their residential premises or from their places of work. During the lockdown, our government announced economic package of Rs 1.70 lakh crore to distribute food-grains and pulses to them through fair price ration shops apart from disbursement of cash in their accounts. The new Rs. 20 lakh-crore economic package also has a component to alleviate their sufferings. We have also tried to ensure smooth movement of migrants from their places of work to their place of residence while at the same time ensuring observance of social distancing guidelines. Instructions have also been issued for not allowing migrants to travel on foot or other unsafe mode of transport. In such cases they should be lodged at suitable places with arrangement of food and other essential facilities and register for the next train available from the place. We have tried to ensure that the migrants are kept under watch with periodic health check-ups. When all hygiene and physical distancing measures are undertaken by migrants properly and the public health procedures are followed by all concerned, risk of spread of disease is reduced and the situation does not worsen in the near future. Q: The curve had more or less been flattened till the Tablighi Jamaat carriers created a brand-new challenge? A: You are right that the curve of emerging cases had started to flatten when the Tablighi Jamaat incident happened. While 1.35 billion Indians had been placed under a three-week lockdown, large numbers of attendees at the Tablighi Markaz, with a history of foreign travel, defied social distancing norms and continued to stay there despite appearance of symptoms among few of the members. Many of these participants later travelled to various states and became a key source of transmission and spread of COVID-19 across the country. This no doubt had serious implications on the spread of the disease in the country across 24 states including Andaman and Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. There was an increase in cases over the weeks following the event. Intensive tracking of Tablighi Jamaat participants and their contact-tracing across the country and appropriate care to affected persons remained the most important issue to contain the disease and was undertaken on a war footing. This is an example of how negligence on the part of a few persons can undo the praiseworthy national efforts in no time and destroy the containment achievements. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has inaugurated its reconciliation committee constituted to reconcile all aggrieved members in the state. The committee, led by former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, was inaugurated on Thursday at the party secretariat in Ibadan. Former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, the APC Deputy National Chairman(South), had in March constituted the committee, but could not be inaugurated due to the prevailing situation in the country. The event presided over by the State Chairman, Akin Oke, was attended by Mr Alao-Akala and other members drawn from across the state. Mr Oke said that the committee was expected to consult with all aggrieved members of the party, including all APC candidates in the general and local government elections, to achieve genuine reconciliation. He charged them to identify contentious issues in the party and come up with suggestions as well as recommendations. The chairman also urged them to propose mechanisms for resolving internal crises and other relevant issues that would help in genuine reconciliation efforts. Mr Alao-Akala, in his remarks, said that the committee would be committed and give their best in the assignment considering its importance. He expressed appreciation to the party and Mr Ajimobi for finding them worthy for the important assignment of party reconciliation. READ ALSO: Members of the committee are Gbade Lana as Secretary, Kamar Ajisafe, Akin Ojebode (Oyo Zone), Olayide Abas (Ibarapa zone), Dibu Ojerinde (Oke- Ogun 2) and Adeleke (Oke Ogun 1). Others are Teslim Folarin representing the Senate caucus, Segun Odebunmi representing the House of Representatives and Niran Alarape for the State House of Assembly. Also included in the committee Mojeed Olaoya, the State Secretary, Isiaka Areokuta, State Youth Leader, Mabel Williams, State Women leader. The representatives of the three senatorial districts on the committee are Solomon Akindele (Oyo Central), Adefisoye Adekanye(Oyo South) and Rasaq Arikewuyo (Oyo North). The committee after the inauguration went into a closed-door meeting. (NAN) Advertisement A Staten Island tanning salon was shut down by NYPD cops on Thursday after reopening in defiance of the lockdown order like hundreds of small businesses across New York that are quietly opening their doors after growing tired of waiting for the mayor or governor to let them get back to work. Sunbelievable, a tanning salon run by Bobby Catone, reopened after he complained that he was being treated like a 'prisoner'. It is unclear whether or not he was able to serve any customers before police shut him down again on Thursday. Dozens of protesters turned out to support him. Some wore masks, others did not. Catone told DailyMail.com: 'The problem is they don't give you a date. Now it's phases. It went from flatten the curve to now I've got to wait a little longer.. we did that. Everybody did that. We were willing to sit in, make no money - it's not healthy to stay in, first of all, after a few weeks people started realizing this isn't really making much sense. 'We did our jobs. We trusted you. Now you're not trusting us.' Sunbelievable, a tanning salon on Staten Island, reopened on Thursday after owner Bobby Catone (shown in light blue shirt) said he felt like he was being held 'prisoner' by city officials keeping him closed Catone embraces a friend at the tanning salon. He was not wearing a masks but others, who stood outside to protest, did NYPD cops descended on the business, shut it down, and gathered signs criticizing Cuomo for keeping them closed Catone put a sign in the window telling customers he'd been shut down by the health department afterwards There were dozens of protesters there to support Catone. Some wore masks, others did not DE BLASIO RANTS AT BUSINESSES: I MAKE THE RULES, NOT YOU De Blasio on Thursday launched a lengthy rant at small businesses that reopen without his permission, claiming that was not how 'democracy' worked and warning them they would face steep fines for not following his rules. 'Businesses don't get to make up their own rules...'I know people are anxious and frustrated. 'It is idiotic to try to open a business today that will be legally able to reopen in a week or two. How about waiting until it's legal? If you don't, you're going to suffer the consequences. 'The guidelines really are clear. 'Businesses are not supposed to make up their own rules and jump the gun. 'If someone thinks they get to make up the rules for everyone else I hate to inform them that's not how it works in a democracy. 'We are all in the middle of a pandemic - a health crisis. The only way we've gotten things better is by all sticking together. It's working. 'I'm not into free agents. people deciding that they get to make the rules and they can do something no one else can do. 'Any business that attempts to open that should not yet be open , we're going to go and tell them shut down right now. 'If they ignore the instructions, that starts with a $1,000 fine and we'll escalate from there. When phase one is formally declared, that's when the next group of businesses can open. The bottom line is you don't get to jump the gun. 'We're talking about phase 1 beginning in a week or two at this point I don't think it's too much to ask to wait to get the all clear,' he said. Advertisement New York City recorded only 59 hospitalizations on Wednesday and 45 people died on Tuesday. Despite the low numbers, De Blasio and Cuomo have both dodged giving a reopening date for weeks and say the city's 'numbers' aren't low enough yet. It is enraging business owners who demand to know why they haven't been allowed to return to work and implement social distancing and disinfecting rules while retail giants like Walmart, Costco, Home Depot and Amazon sweep the market. All of those major stores have been deemed essential since the beginning of the pandemic predominantly because they sell household items and groceries. But they also sell countless other types of goods and have continued to make profits while people shop online and in their stores. Over the past week, businesses have quietly started reopening across the city. Some keep their doors locked once customers are inside and others turn out the lights to try to avoid attracting police attention. Many did not want to be named publicly because they have been threatened with 'aggressive' enforcement from Mayor Bill de Blasio, according to Bruce Backman, spokesman for Reopen New York, a coalition of small businesses. My Unique, a thrift store with multiple locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn and New Jersey, is open. Peter Elliot Blue, a menswear store on the Upper East Side, has been open for weeks. The store owner, a 78-year-old veteran, is only allowing two people in at a time and is giving them masks and gloves. He says he can't affor to stay closed. 'We have 11 locations across NY & NJ, and as so many other small businesses, have been immensely impacted by the shutdown over the past few months. 'My boss started the company in 1987, and since the COVID crisis began, hes been working around the clock trying to salvage the business and figure out how to survive this shutdown. 'Hes expressed how difficult it has been; we are a tight knit group, some employees have been with him for decades. 'We know them like family, and theyve been unable to earn the income they rely on to feed those families. 'The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority, but we also provide essential goods, and have prepared our stores with every CDC safety measure and then some. 'In NJ, our stores have been deemed essential business and permitted to open during phase 1 reopening. 'Weve been allowed to open on Long Island as well, but in NYC we have not been given the same qualification,' Chelsea McCarthy, Digital Operations, told DailyMail.com. She added that the store sells items that have been deemed essential from the start of the pandemic, like paper towel, and that customers rely on their low prices for the goods. They tried to stay open but were shut down by NYPD cops, she said, who came in and told everyone to leave. Ilya Iskhakov runs Beard Barberia Cut and Shave, in Williamsburg. He closed his doors briefly and was shut down by three cops who came to the shop and threatened him and his customers with summonses. Beard Barberia Cut and Shave in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Owner Ilya Iskhakov reopened quietly on May 22 and three cops showed up to shut him down again (shown). He's since started giving people haircuts in their homes and even moved to a temporary premises to avoid being caught Peter Eliot Blue, a menswear store on the Upper East Side, has been open since the end of April Owner Eliot Rabin, 78, let two people in the store at a time and provides shoppers with masks and gloves. He says he couldn't afford to stay closed 'They are hard working Americans that dont want to be in danger,' he told DailyMail.com. He said he is now going to people's homes to perform haircuts but has also moved his own business to a temporary location to avoid being shutdown. 'At the moment my customers are reaching out so I perform in house haircuts just to eat food and pay rent and utilities,' he said. Gymies, a children's gym in Brooklyn, has been closed for months. The gym area where children play is still closed but it has reopened its small retail section. Michael Weinstein runs 360, an events company in Long Island. He has reopened his showroom and is inviting clients in once again. 'We need to open in order to meet one on one sagely with clients looking to use our various services. 'We have a showroom that has samples and it really helps to see the samples in person,' he said. All belong to Reopen New York, a coalition of hundreds of businesses that has formed to unite against the local officials keeping them closed. 'Why is the mayor favoring Walmart and Costco over New York small businesses? 'When did the mayor and the governor become pawns against small business? It's probably the strangest position they have ever taken,' Bruce Backman, a spokesman for the coalition, told DailyMail.com. My Unique thrift store, which has locations in the Bronx and Brooklyn, has reopened some of its locations despite shutdown orders Gymies Gym in Brooklyn has not reopened its play area but it is reopening for curbside retail They say there is no science or data to support the notion that mega stores can enforce mask wearing and social distancing better than they can. They are calling into question the mayor and governor's entire shutdown strategy which banned small independent retailers from selling clothes and shoes, but allowed huge businesses to carry those items because they sold other 'essential' products. 'How is Walmart safer than a small children's good store or a jewelry store? 'Plenty of medical professionals will advocate small businesses with small groups of people will have far less spread of the virus than huge stores. 'It makes no sense and it's a crime...It's the most dangerous, reckless policy in the history of the city of New York,' he said. Backman said all of the businesses are committed to operating safely and that they all accept they must enforce social distancing and hygiene rules. 'To join this group you have to agree to follow the recommended safety regulations. This isn't some willy nilly reopen group out of Michigan with guns. It was started by single mothers, businesses who are desperate not to lose everything. CHICAGO ISSUES 13-PAGE GUIDELINES FOR RESTAURANTS - LEAVING NYC IN THE DUST Chicago has issued a 13-page set of guidelines for restaurants to reopen safely, eclipsing the complete lack of information given to restaurants so far by New York City officials. People will be allowed to start dining outdoors in by June 1, the mayor said. By contrast, NYC's reopening plan puts restaurants in the second phase which is potentially still a month away. Chicago's guidelines include; Tables must be 6ft apart or have a divider like Plexiglass separating them Party size is capped at 6 Diners must wear masks at all times apart from when eating Staff must wear masks at all times Self-service stations are banned Advertisement 'We can't open and all our clients are getting in the car and driving to Walmart. Beyond the fact of accessibility issues - most aren't in local communities and many New Yorkers don't have cars. In my own family, if I have to go out, my wife cant go to the grocery store,' he said. He thinks de Blasio and Cuomo are clinging to the shutdown to cling on the power they have over the city but that they may also be receiving pressure from retail giants. 'I think it's a power grab... you have to wonder, how much lobbying are the big box stores doing to keep themselves the only ones in business? 'When have we ever forced people to go to three stores to buy everything? It's like the Soviet Union. 'We are encouraging stores to open, regardless of what the governor says... they can't shut us all down.' The New York City Hospitality Alliance is asking for restaurants to be allowed to reopen in the first phase of the relaunch with outdoor tables. Andrew Rigie, the director, told DailyMail.com: 'People are frustrated. Many businesses and restaurant owners are frustrated they want to get open but we're not going to determine when we're going to. 'Some are angry and want to reopen right away and others that are very unhappy but are more understanding.' They need more in the way of grants - not loans - to tide them over until they can do open their doors, he added. 'If you're not going to let them reopen, what other kind of help are you going to give? It's an extended period of time that is hurting them so much,' he said. NYC restaurants plead to be allowed to open with outdoor tables and say they're in 'dire need of help' after being forced to stay closed for 11 weeks despite dwindling infection numbers New York City's restaurants are pleading with elected officials to reopen with outdoor tables and say they are in 'dire need of help' after being forced to have closed for 11 and a half weeks. The statewide shutdown went into effect on March 20 but dine-in service at bars and restaurants happened four days earlier on May 16. It means bars and restaurants across New York City haven't served anyone indoors for nearly 12 weeks now. Many have scraped by with take-out service and by taking on debt but dozens have been forced to permanently close their doors. Restaurants are not due to reopen anytime soon. They are in the third phase of Governor Andrew Cuomo's reopening plan which could still be at least six weeks away. People walk by an empty restaurant in the Financial District in lower Manhattan on May 18 amid the pandemic De Blasio says New York City will not start to reopen until the first half of June and he is clinging on to hopes of a federal bailout. GROWING LIST OF NYC RESTAURANTS FORCED TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE MANHATTAN Gotham Bar & Grill, Greenwich Village Schnippers, Tribeca Bistro Cassis, Upper West Side Randall's, Lower East Side Effy's, Upper West Side Toro NYC, Chelsea Jewel Bako, East Village Jacques Torres, Hudson Square Beyoglu, Upper East Side Coogans, Washington Heights The Aviary, Columbus Circle The Office, Columbus Circle Gem Spa, East Village The Paris Cafe, Financial District Lucky Strike, Soho Pegu Club, Soho Daddy-O, West Village Gimme Coffee, Nolita BROOKLYN Wolf and Lamb Steakhouse, Flatbush Greene Grape Annex, Fort Greene Cherry Point, Greenpoint Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, Park Slope Gimme Coffee, Williamsburg QUEENS The Irish Cottage, Forest Hills Woodhaven House, Rego Park Advertisement Just 55 people were hospitalized across New York City with suspected COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. At the height of the pandemic, more than 1,600 were being admitted. But the city remains closed while the government hires more contact tracers and waits for hospital beds to become free. In the meantime, the restaurant industry is crying out for help while also trying to work with elected officials to get themselves back on their feet. One solution for some has to be reopen on a curbside basis, letting people buy cocktails to go with small orders of food, or delivery. Andrew Rigie, Director of The New York City Hospitality Alliance, was reluctant to criticize the mayor or governor's handling of the crisis on Wednesday but he told DailyMail.com the industry and many of its leaders are becoming 'frustrated' with the ongoing uncertainty. 'We're advocating outdoor to be in phase one. We understand why we're at a greater risk than other industries... but we are the fabric of New York City,' he said. He said restaurant owners were prepared to enforce measures like mask-wearing and were eagerly waiting for more guidance from officials on how they can prepare. 'They're moving to take some action but there's no doubt we need more. 'The governor has determined the phases of reopening. The last thing that we want is a second round of this, we have one chance to get this right,' he said. One of their concerns is that even after restaurants are allowed to resume business, people will be too afraid to dine in. 'It's a very difficult balance - we understand people are in a rush to reopen but if the dining public isn't ready, it doesn't matter what the government says. 'It's going to be consumer confidence. What are we doing to make people feel comfortable? That's going to be an important component,' Rigie said. He is yet to be told by the government what capacity bars and restaurants can operate at. Just to be financially able to reopen, restaurants say they need at least 75 percent of their usual occupancy. But they still have not been guided by officials on how many people they'll be allowed to serve and the rules for masks, gloves and any other type of health measures, are yet to be laid out. Moving restaurants into phase one of the structured reopening plan would be 'incredibly helpful,' he said. 'New Yorkers are out and about. If they're out, we have a responsibility to provide them a safe place to be. 'Le'ts least open up the streets in a safe and orderly way. 'People are frustrated. Many businesses and restaurant owners are frustrated they want to get open but we're not going to determine when we're going to. 'Some are angry and want to reopen right away and others that are very unhappy but are more understanding.' They need more in the way of grants - not loans - to tide them over until they can do open their doors, he added. 'If you're not going to let them reopen, what other kind of help are you going to give? 'It's an extended period of time that is hurting them so much,' he said. NEWTOWN Scores of mourners are expected to grieve a 23-year-old Newtown High School graduate on Sunday who was slain during a violent holiday weekend string of crimes. Family and friends will remember Nicholas Eisele as a caring and artistic-minded young man, who was protective of his girlfriend and passionate about horticulture, during a 2 p.m. memorial service in the parking lot of St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown. Wake arrangements were being worked out at noon Thursday, with the expectation that viewing could be limited to 10 people at a time in the funeral home to respect social distancing norms related to the coronavirus. Arrangements were being finalized the same day as the prime suspect in Eiseles death 23-year-old fellow Newtown High School graduate Peter Manfredonia waived extradition Thursday before a Maryland judge. Manfredonia is being held without bond. He appeared in court via video (because of the coronavirus pandemic) in Washington District Court in Hagerstown, Md., Thursday afternoon on a fugitive from justice charge, and likely wont be back in Connecticut for another week or two, according to officials. Manfredonia, who grew up on the same street as Sandy Hook School shooter Adam Lanza, has been in the headlines since Memorial Day weekend, suspected in the deaths of Eisele in Derby on Sunday and a 62-year-old artisan furniture maker in Willington, among other crimes. No motive has been suggested by police or by those close to the victim or the suspect. Police concluded a six-day manhunt through three states for the suspect Wednesday night. Eiseles supporters said it was easy to remember the good life he lived, calling him committed to the things he loved. He threw himself into everything he loved, his twin brother Michael said on a crowd-funding page set up for the victims funeral expenses. rryser@newstimes.com Queen Maxima of the Netherlands beamed today as she stepped out in a summery outfit for a meeting to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the Dutch tourism industry. Mother-of-three Maxima, 49, paired a stylish bold orange blouse with coordinating trousers and brown sandals for a round table meeting at Beach Pavilion Pier 15 and Hotel De Lindeboom in Texel, one of the five Dutch Wadden Islands. The royal spoke to representatives including Michiel Uitdehaag, mayor of Texel, and Ineke van Gent, mayor of Schiermonnikoog, about how the pandemic has impacted the tourism industry. It comes just days after she visited healthcare workers who are working on the frontline in the fight against the virus. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, 49, (pictured) discussed the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the tourism industry today in Texel, Wadden Islands The mother-of-three (pictured) donned an orange blouse with matching earrings for an effortlessly stylish summer look Queen Maxima appeared in good spirits, cutting a typically glamorous appearance in an oversized blouse with matching dangling earrings. She tied the look together with tan accessories and a jacket, and swept her hair into a side parting. She wore her usual brown eyeshadow and dark eyeliner, but kept the rest of her make-up relatively minimal. During her visit to the sunny island, Maxima also wore a pair of large leopard print sunglasses. Residents of Texel welcomed the effortlessly stylish royal, with many trying to snap a photo of her on their phones. Queen Maxima (pictured) coordinated her outfit with tan accessories including heeled sandals, a clutch bag and a scarf Queen Maxima (pictured) appeared in good spirits throughout the visit which involved meeting representatives and business owners in Texel Maxima (pictured) swept her glossy blonde hair to the side and wore minimal make-up for a natural look Maxima, who took a ferry to Wadden Islands, began her day with a discussion about the financial and logistical impact the coronavirus crisis will have on Wadden springs. Arriving at Beach Pavilion Paal 15, she was received by representatives who have voiced concerns that the economy of Wadden Islands is predominately reliant on the income from visitors. The mother-of-three - who is a member of the Dutch Committee for Entrepreneurship - then spoke to businessmen and women at De Lindeboom hotel about the impact the crisis has had on their endeavours. Maxima (pictured) discussed expectations for the future with representatives, who've voiced concerns that the islands are reliant on the income from tourism Other business owners, including those who run souvenir shops and group accommodation, were later given the opportunity to flag their concerns to the royal at the beach pavilion. Maxima spoke to the management of the Texel Academy before concluding her time on the islands with a walk through the centre of Den Burg. Having had a busy week, the working visit comes as the royals continue their aim to show support and appreciation to everyone who is battling with the consequences of the crisis. As the coronavirus pandemic emerged, it quickly became clear that people with underlying conditions were at a higher risk of severe complications and death. That includes diabetics, a group that is disproportionately larger in San Antonio and South Texas than in most of the country. Researchers are studying the reasons people with the metabolic disorder are more vulnerable if they become infected. Dr. Carolina Solis-Herrera, a diabetes specialist with UT Health San Antonio and University Health System, said there are several leading theories. Solis-Herrera, who also conducts research at the Texas Diabetes Institute, has been advising patients about how to protect themselves as COVID-19 spreads in San Antonio. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Karl Tapales /Getty Images How susceptible are diabetics to complications from COVID-19? That is the burning question, right? We have some theories on how its possible that patients with diabetes are more at risk. It is not clear yet whether people with diabetes are more prone to be infected by the virus. But there is no doubt that when infected, they definitely exhibit a worse prognosis, and theyre more prone to severe complications or death. We have these receptors in our body called ACE 2 receptors, which seem to be highly expressed in patients especially with uncontrolled diabetes, in patients with hyperglycemia, as we call it, high sugars. These people have a higher expression of this receptor, and also in obese patients. It seems that its expressed in high amounts in the fat tissue, not just the lungs. The virus for this disease seems to attach to this receptor, and that would be one of the mechanisms by which, possibly, this population is at the higher risk. Most patients with diabetes are obese. Obesity, diabetes, are inflammatory states. As you have more inflammation, there are more substances that can help the virus replicate. If you have a severe infection from the virus, some of the complications that you can have are myocardial infarction, inflammation of the heart, heart failure, arrhythmias, severe respiratory distress. This inflammatory state can also make you prone to blood clots. We know that the severe cases of COVID-19 are associated with pulmonary blood clots and blood clots in other parts of the body. And of course, when you have a pulmonary blood clot, the respiratory distress is much higher. COVID-19 can cause an immune overdrive in some patients, where the immune response can do more damage than the virus itself. Could preexisting inflammation be a factor in that? Inflammation definitely is a factor. We call this a cytokine storm. It is possible that in patients who already have a pro-inflammatory state like diabetes and obesity, when the body starts fighting back this virus, it generates a huge amount of cytokines that can compromise the rest of the organs. We know that it affects your lungs, your heart and your kidneys, mostly. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio at the heart of burgeoning kidney disease crisis Diabetics can also suffer from kidney damage and failure, and thats also something were seeing with COVID patients. We know that patients with diabetes, they have a direct cardiovascular risk factor, or they already have established cardiovascular disease. There is a large percentage of patients who have some degree of chronic kidney disease. And then of course, if you acquire a virus that targets those organs, then your prognosis might be severely compromised. Terry Vine /Getty Images Since the pandemic began, what have your conversations with patients been like? This is a very stressful time for people with all types of diabetes. They want to know how to protect themselves and how to protect their families. Usually what we tell them is three things. One, take precautions. Two, be prepared. And three, if youre sick, take action. Other than the standardized precautions from our local authorities, it is important to continue taking your prescribed medications, to have plenty of refills on your medications, at least for a couple months. If visiting the pharmacy is not an option, consider getting their medications mailed. Be prepared involves having the phone numbers of your doctors, a list of your medications. Its important that you have some simple carbs available, like juice or soda, if youre prone to having low blood sugars. If you take insulin, have enough insulin for at least a week and dont run out. Have enough supplies, like rubbing alcohol, soap to wash your hands. If you are very prone to have low blood sugars, to have glucagon. Hyperglycemia is a really big risk factor to have more severe complications, not only from any infectious disease, but also cardiovascular disease. Glucose control is essential. On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases Its important that if they dont feel well, they check their sugar more often, make sure that theyre not having low blood sugars, high blood sugars. If they feel unwell, start drinking more fluids. Make sure that youre in contact with your doctor. If you continue feeling unwell, definitely look for medical help. Do you recommend that diabetics exercise more caution than other people as places start to reopen? We definitely caution our patients that, I know youve been at home for a couple of months already, and you might be tempted to go out. But you really, really need to continue exercising all the social distancing measures. Maybe be cautious about going to a restaurant. Do more takeout. Illness has been shown to be exacerbated during difficult times. Its really important that you continue with a healthy lifestyle, that you dont modify either your medications or your meal plans and include vegetables. If you have diabetes, its important that you go out, if its safe to do so, so that not only do you get distracted, but you get the wellness of the exercise. But be careful, right? Be careful, because were still learning about this disease. We still dont have a vaccine. We still dont have an effective therapy. Telemedicine has been a huge, huge advantage for patients with diabetes. We have the ability to do video conferencing or phone calls with the majority of our patients. We can adjust our therapies via telemedicine without having the patients come in, expose themselves to a large crowd or a clinic. On ExpressNews.com: Children with Type 2 diabetes suffer from advanced complications, study finds For the patients who come in for face-to-face appointments, we are very careful. We enforce social distancing in our waiting rooms. We disinfect the surfaces between every patient, and we post signs that the rooms have been disinfected. All that in order for patients to feel safe and be protected if they have to come in. Emilija Manevska /Getty Images Were seeing the coronavirus infect entire families, and diabetes tends to be generational, so wont there be entire families across San Antonio who are susceptible to the virus? We know that theres a genetic or hereditary component for diabetes, especially in South Texas. We have generations of patients with diabetes their grandparents, their parents, and then they have diabetes and their children have diabetes, even at a younger age. Even if you dont have diabetes, but your parents have diabetes, you need to be just as strict enforcing all these social distancing measures, because then you could bring it home. As the economy is reopening, you need to keep exercising these measures, even if you dont have diabetes. Because diabetes is so prevalent, someone in your family, your close friends, your significant others could have diabetes and they could have a worse prognosis. Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Lauren, become a subscriber. lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba Adeyemi Oluwatosin, a student of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ogun, has lamented his ordeal with the authorities of the scho... Adeyemi Oluwatosin, a student of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ogun, has lamented his ordeal with the authorities of the school after his graduation was delayed over a draconic policy that forbade waving of courses. In a series of posts made on his Facebook account, the 400 level student recounted how his academic journey, which had been going smoothly, experienced a sudden shakeup during his fourth year, when he learned he had failed a one-unit course which he couldnt wave after the policy came up. I failed a course codenamed CRP 404 (Agricultural meteorology). It came as a surprise to me, considering my record of keeping a clean sheet. Things got complicated when the management made a draconic policy of no waving of course, even if its a one-unit course, Adeyemi said. Based on this policy, I wrote letters on the 7th of November, 2018 to the school management to apply for pro-rata payment of school fees and request to register for the CRP 404 outstanding course, as the new school protocol implied. These were approved on March 19 and 21 respectively. Oluwatosin said he was made to pay the sum of N54,078 stated on his student portal as a part of the tuition for students with an added year but would later discover when he was to register for the course three days after that N7,686.00 had been added to his bill, which came as a shock to him. As I attempted to pay the additional school fees, I realized the portal for the payment of school fees had been closed. Even after the second payment, the money didnt still reflect on my portal till the day I retook the exam for the course. I discovered that the fees reflected after my examination, he said. I was expecting my result when other students started seeing theirs and this was giving me a lot of concern. I then made a verbal complaint to my HOD, with whom we went to go and see the ICT director. The ICT director then said what shook me; he said I didnt enroll for the session. I staged a lone protest to draw the attention of the management to my plight. In the light of this, I was advised to apply for late enrolment which I did on the 16th of October, 2019, but it wasnt approved. I was told to retake the course at the next available opportunity, even when I passed it. This dejected me, I was physically and psychologically down and depressed. I was faced with psychological trauma, not because I was advised to retake the course but because of the thought of what I passed through during the registration process. Its better imagined than experienced. The thought of this made me cry because I had been transiting between Ago-Iwoye (main campus) and Ayetoro (Agric. Sci. campus) throughout the session just to make sure the issue was rectified. If I was not at Ayetoro to attend the class, I would be at Ago-Iwoye to monitor the issues progress. During this period, I fell sick more than four times, because of the physical and mental stress I was subjected to, as a result of the dysfunctional system. The thought of committing suicide was not far from my mind, if not because of the people that God used for me. Having yielded to the advice that he retakes the course a second time on the premise that his 2018/2019 tuition would be rolled over for the 2019/2020 session, Adeyemi claimed the school management hasnt been forthcoming with regard to providing him a document to back this. I had, once again, accepted to retake the course because of their promise of using the 2018/2019 session school fees for the 2019/2020 session. I wrote a letter requesting to be provided a written document to back it up and also to effect the change on my portal, the aggrieved student said. But it is unfortunate that, since I have written the letter on the 19th of November, 2019, nothing has been done about it. Im back to square one. The situation is not in any way different from that of the last session. Right now, my future is at risk. My life is being jeopardized because of this. If this is delayed further, Im afraid my hope of mobilization for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) may be at risk due to me being 29. All my colleagues are done with service and here I am, with a 2 unit course still battling my future. Right now, I dont know if there is any hope for me. Due to this dysfunctional system, I lost lots of opportunities such as getting a job. The school made a stringent policy against any negligence on the part of the students and the student actually suffered for it but who would suffer for faulty system of the school? Its still the students! Im appealing to the management to either upload my CRP 404 result, which Im sure I passed or make good their promise by effecting my school fees and course registration on my portal so I can focus on retaking the course. I cant afford not graduating this year. My life depends on this. Tesla confirmed that CEO Elon Musk earned the first tranche of his massive incentive payout, in a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. The tranche is comprised of about 1.7 million shares of Tesla, and would be valued around $775 million based on Thursday's closing market value. Shares in Tesla closed at $805.81 on Thursday, and the options have a strike price of $350.02. Thursday's filing, which also set a date of July 7 for the company's annual shareholders meeting, said: "As of the date of this proxy statement, one of the 12 tranches under this award has vested and become exercisable, subject to Mr. Musk's payment of the exercise price of $350.02 per share and the minimum five-year holding period generally applicable to any shares he acquires upon exercise." It is not clear if Musk has yet exercised the options. Musk earned the first portion of his stock options for keeping the company's market capitalization at $100 billion on a 30-day and six-month trailing average. According to a 2018 regulatory filing outlining the conditions for the payout, Tesla also had to hit trailing-four-quarter revenue of $20 billion or EBITDA (minus stock-based compensation) of $1.5 billion for Musk to get the tranche. Musk does not take a salary at this point. He owned about 18.5% of the company as of May 1, according to FactSet, a stake worth around $24 billion. By Thursday, the proxy filing revealed, Musk's stake in the company had risen to 20.8% a total of 38.7 million shares, including 18.5 million used as collateral for the CEO's personal debt. His full award is set to vest over 12 tranches with different milestone requirements, reaching up to $650 billion in market capitalization for Tesla. Tesla stockholder Richard Tornetta is challenging the compensation plan in a lawsuit against Musk and members of Tesla's board. Tornetta alleged in the lawsuit that Tesla's board breached its fiduciary duty by awarding Musk excessive compensation. Water purifier brand Kent RO withdrew its controversial ad on Wednesday, issuing an apology after it received massive backlash on social media for depicting domestic helps as coronavirus infection carriers. The advertisement was for its atta and bread maker that said, "are you allowing your maid to knead atta dough by hand? Her hands may be infected." It went on to urge people not to "compromise on health and purity" and chose the company's atta maker instead. The ad featuring Bollywood superstar and BJP MP Hema Malini and her daughter Esha Deol backfired for Kent with many denouncing it as being "classist", "misogynist" and "discriminatory". Here is the screen grab of the taken down ad:- Also Read:Is locust swarm invading Delhi? Here's the latest update Issuing an apology on the company's official Twitter handle, Kent Ro's chairman and managing director Mahesh Gupta said, "Please accept our sincere apologies for having published the Ad of Kent Atta & Bread Maker. It was unintentional but wrongly communicated and it has been withdrawn. We support and respect all sections of society." Please accept our sincere apologies for having published the Ad of Kent Atta & Bread Maker. It was unintentional but wrongly communicated and it has been withdrawn. We support and respect all sections of the society. Mahesh Gupta, Chairman Kent RO (@KentROSystems) May 27, 2020 But by the time the company withdrew the ad, netizens had already started slamming Kent calling it out for the blatant dehumanisation of domestic helps. Here are some of the tweets: Are you allowing yourself maid to knead atta dough by hand? Her hands may be infected. These words went through multiple review cycles and made it to print. Lets take a moment to reflect. Discrimination and dehumanising is skin deep in our society isnt it? https://t.co/yvrVOa5END (@hopelesschirp) May 26, 2020 This is deplorable. Whoever is behind creating, approving and releasing this ad needs to be called out and shamed. Horrible campaign by @KentROSystems. I am astonished that @dreamgirlhema agreed to associate with this.#insensitive#wronghttps://t.co/cJ6Wmh6CGr V Jaskirat Singh Nagra (@jsn4x4) May 27, 2020 Classism, Casteism and much more this is so disrespectful. These workers are helping us day & night making it possible for us to relax and enjoy life. Its time to purify your own thoughts first #Kent#KentRO@dreamgirlhema@Esha_Deol you must stand with what is right. pic.twitter.com/aKi55DCLoO apra kuchhal (@aprakuchhal) May 27, 2020 Controversy in marketing & advertising can be a constructive way of getting noticed, reason why some brands purposely create a splash. A thought very poorly communicated by ad agency of #KentRO came out as completely snobbish & insensitive. pic.twitter.com/lZSWdeaK9u Vani Sehgal (@sehgalvanii) May 27, 2020 TOKYO (AP) The auto alliance of Nissan and Renault said Wednesday it will be sharing more vehicle parts, technology and models to save costs as the industry struggles to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Alliance Operating Board Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard said the group, which also includes smaller Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp., will have each company focusing on geographic regions. He stressed the alliance needs to adjust to the unprecedented economic crisis, to pursue efficiency and competitiveness, not sheer sales volumes. Now is the time to rebuild, Senard said, making clear he believed the alliance remained strong. All automakers are suffering from the pandemic, and scaling back or suspending production, but Nissan was reeling before the crisis struck from a scandal involving its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn. Yokohama-based Nissan is due to report its annual results on Thursday and has forecast it will slip into its first yearly loss in 11 years. Under the latest initiative, Nissan Motor Co. will focus on China, North America and Japan; Renault on Europe, Russia and South America and North Africa, and Mitsubishi on Southeast Asia and Oceania, for the benefit of the entire alliance. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida said the alliance planned to pursue fiscal strength together. The synergy is huge, he said. Vehicles sharing the same platform will double by 2024, saving 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), according to Senard. The shared technology will also include electric cars and autonomous driving, platforms and car bodies, the executives said. Nissan is a leader in electric cars with its Leaf, but such technology will be available to the other alliance members, they said. Renault owns 43% of Nissan, while Nissan owns 15% of Renault. The government of France owns 15% of Renault. Frances government announced on Tuesday a bailout of more than 8 billion euros ($8.8 billion) for the nations auto industry. A 5-billion-euro ($5.5 billion) French government loan guarantee is under discussion for Renault. The measures include subsidies to encourage people to buy low-emissions models. Story continues Analysts say automakers, including Nissan, need to slash costs. Car companies find themselves in extraordinary times right now due to the COVID-19 crisis and the impact of lockdowns and economic recession on sales. A key theme emerging in companies response to the crisis is the need to focus on core and profitable activities, said David Leggett of analytics company GlobaData. Nissan's brand suffered from the arrest of Ghosn in November 2018 on suspicion of various kinds of financial misconduct, including under-reporting promised compensation and misusing Nissan money. Ghosn had been sent in by Renault in 1999, to save Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy. He insisted on his innocence from the start and accused some at Nissan of concocting allegations to block a merger with Renault. Preparations were underway for a courtroom showdown when Ghosn fled to Lebanon while out on bail in late 2019. The Brazilian-born Ghosn holds Lebanese citizenship and Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. U.S. authorities recently arrested two Americans accused of helping Ghosn escape, reportedly by secreting him in a box for musical instruments flown in a private jet. Japanese prosecutors issued arrest warrants for them last year and are seeking their extradition. Before his downfall, Ghosn was a revered figure in the auto industry, especially in Japan, where he was a corporate superstar. ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sevastopol, Crimea, on March 18, 2020. Alexander Nemenov/Pool via Reiters Russia is shipping fighter jets to anti-government forces in Libya. En route via Syria, they are being repainted to hide their original Russian markings. It's a brazen move, because Turkey is supporting the Libyan government. Turkey has dinged Russian forces before in a series of successful drone strikes. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The Pentagon has released declassified intelligence images it says clearly prove the Russian military has transferred advanced fighter-bomber aircraft to Libya in support of the warlord Khalifa Haftar's campaign to seize control of the country. In an unusually direct move, US Africa Command released a series of images this week depicting the transfer of advanced Russian aircraft Mig-29 fighters and Su-24 ground attack aircraft to Libya from Russia with a stopover at a Russian base in Syria for their identifying marks to be repainted. "Russia is clearly trying to tip the scales in its favor in Libya. They are expanding their military footprint in Africa using government-supported mercenary groups like Wagner," said U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command. "For too long, Russia has denied the full extent of its involvement in the ongoing Libyan conflict. Well, there is no denying it now. We watched as Russia flew fourth-generation jet fighters to Libya every step of the way. Neither the LNA nor private military companies can arm, operate and sustain these fighters without state support support they are getting from Russia." The Russian government has consistently denied directly intervening in the Libyan conflict. But Moscow supports Haftar and his self-styled 'Libyan National Army' (LNA) against the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), which controls the capital Tripoli. Russia, Egypt, and the UAE have heavily backed Haftar's LNA with weapons, air support and an estimated 1,500 mercenary advisors from the Wagner Group, a private military company with close ties to Russia's leadership. Story continues On the other side, the increasingly violent conflict has drawn NATO member Turkey into support of the GNA effectively making the conflict a low-level proxy war between Russia and Turkey. A Russian fighter jet deployed to Libya AFRICOM The Wagner "advisors," along with Russian supplied advanced anti-aircraft systems, were badly gouged by a series of Turkish drone strikes last week, forcing Wagner to withdraw its troops from the outskirts of Tripoli, where Haftar's troops had been besieging the government. Multiple Russian supplied Pantsir anti-aircraft systems considered among the most advanced in Russia's arsenal were destroyed by the Turkish drone offensive, according to social media footage of the fighting released by Turkey's allies in Tripoli. It was an embarrassing setback for both Russia and Haftar, who vowed an air campaign in response that, the latest movements suggest, will be conducted by Russian air force planes. The UN has kept an arms embargo on Libya since 2011. Turkey, the UAE, Egypt, and Russia have openly flouted it. There have been open transfers of military equipment, as well as both sides importing Syrian fighters from all sides of that country's civil war. A Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum spotted at Al Jufra Airfield in Libya AFRICOM Read the original article on Business Insider Olivia Grant, right, hugs her grandmother, Mary Grace Sileo, through a plastic drop cloth hung up on a homemade clothes line during Memorial Day Weekend on May 24, 2020 in Wantagh, New York. Al Bello/Getty Images More than a third of Americans have displayed clinical signs of anxiety, depression, or both since the coronavirus pandemic began. The US Census Bureau began surveying Americans on a weekly basis in late April, seeking information on the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. According to the latest findings, 24% of Americans showed clinical signs of depression, and 30% showed clinical signs of anxiety. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. More than one in three Americans are showing clinical signs of anxiety, depression, or both, according to the US Census Bureau, which began administering a weekly survey in late April to measure the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. The most recent data, published last week, were based on responses from more than 42,000 households between May 7 and May 12. The households were asked questions typically used to screen for mental health problems. 24% of respondents showed clinical signs of depression, and 30% showed clinical signs of anxiety. The latest data represents the devastating toll of the pandemic and attendant job loss. In a 2014 national survey, the Census Bureau found that 25% of Americans experienced a "depressive mood." During the pandemic, 50% of Americans experienced a depressive mood. Anxiety and depression rates were highest among young adults, women, and poor people. The pandemic is, as Portia Crowe wrote in Business Insider, exacerbating poverty in the United States. "Government support has been meager, with limited funds to small businesses and a one-time check of up to $1,200 per person," Crowe said. "American workers," she added, "if laid off, will suddenly find their healthcare gone as well." "It's understandable given what's happening. It would be strange if you didn't feel anxious and depressed," Maria A. Oquendo, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Washington Post. "This virus is not like a hurricane or earthquake or even terrorist attack. It's not something you can see or touch, and yet the fear of it is everywhere," Oquendo added. Read the original article on Insider The number of coronavirus tests conducted in Azerbaijan has been revealed, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB). As of May 27, 4,325 tests were conducted to detect new cases of infection. In accordance with the data, in general, 280,663 tests were conducted throughout the country. Human Rights Activist Zhang Pancheng Released from Prison Lets tune in for more news on China. Zhang Pancheng, a young man who recorded a video to publicly criticize the CCPs one-party dictatorship, was released from prison on May 20. Talking to the Chinese-language Epoch Times about Zhangs incarceration, Beijing-based human rights advocate Li Bohong revealed that prison guards had his blood drawn dozens of times without asking for his permission or explaining the necessity of the tests. Zhang said he was imprisoned together with another young man, Qi Yiyuan, who was arrested for speaking negatively about the CCP. In November 2018, Zhang had broadcast a live video of Qi protesting at the entrance of Zhongnanhai. Qi was wearing black with the characters Defend freedom of speech, free human rights lawyers, restore lawyers qualifications printed on the front, and Oppose Xis ban on free commenting and his actions in opposition to right principles, oppose the CCPs one-party dictatorship printed on the back. Before they were arrested by the authorities, Zhang managed to share the video on WeChat. On April 4, 2020, a CCP court sentenced Qi to 2 years and Zhang to 1.5 years in prison for the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble. During a prison visit, Qi told his lawyer Liang Xiaojun that he had shown his support for a Falun Gong prisoner of conscience who was on hunger strike. He said he had joined the Falun Gong practitioner to shout: Falun Dafa is Good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is Good. Another human rights advocate Chen Hongwang had been told by the detention center that Zhang would be released at 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. on May 20. He had planned to join Li and the Zhang family in receiving the young man upon his release from prison. But Chen ended up being grounded at home by local authorities as police acted to limit travel around the capital ahead of the CCPs Two Sessions annual meeting. Once the meeting started, (peoples movements) were all controlled. People either get grounded at home or get forced to travel. Around 7 a.m. on May 20, Zhangs family arrived at the detention center in Beijings Xicheng District with Li to await Zhangs release. It was not until 10 a.m. that they saw Zhang come running out of the detention center, escorted by more than ten men. Li said that Zhang had become thin and pale after likely malnourishment in prison. He said that when he was in prison, his blood was drawn plenty of times. He said it was around dozens of times, Li said. His health condition, from what I can tell, he is lacking nutrition. The skin color is pale and yellow, thats a sign of being physically weak. His mental state is still vibrant, probably supported by his spiritual strength. When asked whether he knew anything about Qis situation, Li said he had not been able to visit the young man. But I have heard that Liang Xiaojun can visit Qi because he is his lawyer, he added. Qi Yiyuan was born in 1991 in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, and had studied in Australia for two years. Zhang Pancheng was born in 1995 and grew up as a left-behind child in rural Gansu Province. He once worked as a security guard at Peking University. After Wednesday's scrub due to weather, NASA and SpaceX have targeted Saturday, May 30, for the next launch attempt for the Demo-2 mission. Demo-2 is the first launch of astronauts on an American rocket from American soil since the last space shuttle mission in 2011. "I think our teams worked together in a really impressive way, making good decisions all along," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said afterwards. Launch of the mission, dubbed Launch America, is scheduled for 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday. Members of the public can participate in the mission through NASA's virtual guest operations. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More It was the last day for Yes Bank in the Futures & Options segment on May 28. At close, the stock was down 2.17 percent to close at Rs 27 on the National Stock Exchange. The NSE in its circular dated March 6 had said that no futures and options contracts shall be available for trading in Yes Bank from May 29 onwards. After the lender failed to raise required money in a period of one year, the Reserve Bank of India had dismissed the board and taken the charge of Yes Bank on March 5. After infusing Rs 10,000 crore by SBI and other private financials, the RBI on March 18 had handed over the charge to new board members. The RBI in its release had said, "The financial position of Yes Bank has undergone a steady decline largely due to inability of the bank to raise capital to address potential loan losses and resultant downgrades, triggering invocation of bond covenants by investors and withdrawal of deposits. The bank bas also experienced serious governance issues and practices in recent years which have led to a steady decline of the bank." Yes Bank stock price lost more than 80 percent of its value in last one year and it has been in a range of Rs 22-30 since April. The crisis-ridden private sector lender posted a net loss of Rs 3,668 crore in the quarter ended March 2020 on account of higher provisions. The loss was more than doubled compared with the Rs 1,507 crore loss reported in a year ago period. The gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) of the bank increased significantaly to 16.8 percent compared with 3.22 percent a year ago, but fell compared with 18.87 percent in December quarter. Net NPAs in the March quarter stood at 5.03 percent against 5.97 percent in the December quarter and 1.86 percent in March quarter 2019. The bank's deposits in Q4 declined by 54 percent to Rs 1.05 lakh crore quarter while advances fell 29 percent YoY to Rs 1.7 lakh crore. Family Feud is returning to Australian television after a two-year hiatus. And on Wednesday, host Grant Denyer revealed the secret to taking home the $100,000 cash prize. He said the best way to correctly guess the most popular answer to survey questions was to imagine what a stupid person would say. How to hack Family Feud: Australian host Grant Denyer (pictured) has revealed the secret to correctly guessing the most popular answer to survey questions 'As you know, we make it pretty easy to win, which is good because we want it to be in reach,' Grant said on the Kyle and Jackie O Show. 'In fact, the smarter you are the worse you play,' he added. Radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson replied: 'Yeah I remember you saying that. You've got to think about what the average person is going to say and what they're going to answer with, so don't get too smart with it.' 'In fact, the smarter you are the worse you play': Grant said players should try to imagine what a stupid person would say. Pictured: Steve Harvey, who hosts the U.S. version of Family Feud 'You don't need a PhD to play Family Feud, that's for sure,' Grant confirmed. The popular game show requires contestants to answer questions that have already been polled among the general public. To take home the prize money, teams need to guess the top answers to score the most points. Back with a bang! Channel 10 announced this week that Family Feud was returning to screens after being cancelled due to low ratings in July 2018 Channel 10 announced this week that Family Feud was returning to screens after being cancelled due to low ratings in July 2018. The special edition of the series will celebrate frontline and emergency workers who have served their country during the bushfire season and coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, the network asked teams with at least one member who has been a crisis-affected essential worker to apply online. Family Feud is offering the $100,000 prize every night during the limited series, but assures that 'no team will leave empty-handed'. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - United Airlines' chief operating officer Greg Hart is stepping down, but he is staying at the company to focus on 'big picture issues' including cost structure changes, United CEO Scott Kirby said in a message to employees. Kirby also warns of more cost-cutting measures and 'tough times ahead.' Jon Roitman, currently the company's Senior Vice President of Airport and Network Operations, will step into the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer effective June 1. Jon will expand his role to include Flight Operations, Technical Operations and Safety. As part of the management changes, Sarah Murphy, Senior Vice President of United Express, and Jan Krems, Vice President of Cargo, will move into Andrew Nocella's organization and Toby Enqvist, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer, will report to United President Brett Hart. In the message to United's nearly 100,000 employees, Kirby said the company is continuing to 'plan for the worst' as the sharp decline in travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. 'But at the same time, we also have to be prepared for the best,' Kirby said. 'And part of preparing for the best means thinking about the short-term adjustments that we have to make to get through the crisis as well as the long-term structural changes that will allow us to thrive once again.' The Airlines' schedule is expected to be down 75 percent in July, a slight improvement over May and June. Kirby, who only became United CEO in May after serving as its president, said Demand could be down 30% or it could be down 70%. The way to best survive this crisis is to be able to nimbly adjust the size of the airline, including labor costs, to meet demand and importantly, be ready to bounce back quickly when the virus is defeated. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Delhi on Thursday registered a record spike of 1,024 new Covid-19 cases, its highest single-day jump till date, taking the national capitals total coronavirus tally to 16,281, according to state health department data. There were no deaths reported in Delhi during the last 24 hours and the death toll due to the highly infectious disease now stands at 316 in the national capital. At least, 231 coronavirus positive patients have recovered and been discharged from various hospitals on Thursday. ALSO READ | 3 Delhi Jal Board staff test Covid-19 positive, water utilitys office to be shut for 2 days Till date, a total of 7,495 coronavirus patients have recovered and been sent home. The previous highest single-day spike of 792 cases was recorded a day earlier on Wednesday. This is the first time that over 1,000 fresh Covid-19 cases have been reported in a single day in the national capital. On Wednesday, the total number of coronavirus cases had been 15,257 in Delhi, with the death toll at 303. A total of 129 Covid-19 positive patients were admitted on Thursday in the capitals Dedicated Covid Health Centres. The Delhi health departments bulletin, however, added that the cumulative death figure of the capital refers to the fatalities where the primary cause of death was found to be Covid-19, according to a report of the Death Audit Committee on the basis of case-sheets received from various hospitals. Indias total Covid-19 count climbed to 1,58,333 on Thursday, according to Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) data. GREENWICH For the third time this month, Family Centers Inc. will be offering free coronavirus testing at its health clinic at Wilbur Peck Court in Greenwich. Testing is available by appointment only from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, the nonprofit agency said. To make an appointment, call 203-717-1760. We want to be able to stop the spread of this virus, said Dennis Torres, vice president of Health Care Programs for Family Centers. We were at capacity the last time we did this, and were hoping to be able to test a lot more people and get them the results that day. The test is free and open to everyone, although the goal is to serve residents of public housing and other hard-to-reach populations. We want to reach people and were willing to go out into the community so they can find us, Torres said. People who show symptoms of the virus or who have been exposed to someone with the virus should be tested, he said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms include a cough and shortness of breath as well as at least two of the following: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, a sore throat or a new loss of taste or smell. Family Centers has held two previous testing days at the Wilbur Peck clinic. On May 8, Torres said they did 50 tests, with 10 positive for the coronavirus. Several of the cases were diagnosed in people who did not show any symptoms but who had family members with the virus. As a result of the testing, the spread of the virus was potentially reduced, Torres said. On Thursday, Family Centers hopes to do 120 more tests then, twice as many as on the previous testing days. A backup in the lab has made instant results impossible, Torres said the results will be back that day and the clinic will notify patients with the results. The testing is paid for through the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut in partnership with the state Department of Public Health Torres said they are hopeful the program will continue into June, but he had no further details on more testing days. Testing is also be available at Greenwich Hospital through a mobile testing site in its employee parking lot. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com (Natural News) Lockdown restrictions have been a hot topic of debate in recent months in America, but theres one aspect that has been particularly controversial: whether or not religious services should be exempt from social distancing and lockdown rules. Now President Trump has weighed in, declaring churches to be essential and saying that he will simply overrule any governors who wont open them up immediately. Trump stated: Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out churches and other houses of worship. Its not right. So Im correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential. He added: In America, we need more prayer, not less. Although his words were strong, aides have sent conflicting messages on just how far the administration really plans to go when it comes to enforcing church reopenings. Legal experts have weighed in, saying that the President doesnt have much authority when it comes to changing state orders regarding coronavirus. University of Texas Law Professor Steve Vladeck tweeted that the president doesnt have the authority to override local and state shelter-in-place orders either in general or as applied to houses of worship in particular, USA Today reported. Even White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that its something that is up to each states governor shortly after the speech. Vice President Mike Pence supports remote church services, saying prior to Easter that hed be attending virtual services for the holiday offered by his Indiana church from the living room of the vice presidents residence. The CDC recently issued guidelines on reopening schools, restaurants and pools, but similar advice on reopening places of worship was placed on hold, and the AP reports that the Trump administration shelved the documents out of concerns over the federal governments place when it comes to issuing guidelines for places of worship. Is reopening churches so soon a good idea? Some religious leaders believe its better to take a cautious approach when it comes to the deadly virus. For example, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Reverend Elizabeth Eaton, told CNN: Protecting others is a faithful response. Large gatherings have been linked to many coronavirus clusters in recent months, and those in places of worship are no exception. Two northern California churches were recently linked to outbreaks, while a Texas church canceled masses following the death of one priest from coronavirus and positive tests for five others at the church. In one recent case in Arkansas, coronavirus spread through a rural church. Of 92 attendees, 35 ended up developing confirmed cases of coronavirus and three of them died, while another 26 cases that were linked to the church were identified in the community. Governor Gavin Newsom recently gave places of worship the green light to reopen, but not all of them are ready to put their congregations at risk. Thankfully, theres a happy medium here that means no one has to choose between church services and putting their health at risk: online church services. Many churches have been turning to virtual services to keep everyone safe. One Methodist reverend reports that online participation is higher than what they used to see at in-person Sunday services, and it also allows people who have moved away from an area to stay connected. It also allows distant family members to worship together. Some churches have also been holding services in parking lots, allowing people to worship from the safety of their cars. In some places, loudspeakers are being used to deliver the message, while others are emitting the services over the radio. These alternatives are a far safer way for people to worship as the world continues to fight this deadly pandemic. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com USAToday.com Edition.CNN.com FOXLA.com Company Also Announces Dates for Release of First Quarter 2020 Financials and Corporate Webinar New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - May 28, 2020) - UGE International Ltd. (TSXV: UGE) (OTCQB: UGEIF) (the "Company" or "UGE"), a leader in commercial and community solar energy solutions, is pleased to announce that it has signed three agreements in Maine to develop, build, and finance community solar projects within the state. The three projects are expected to have rated peak capacity of 4.7MW, 1.3MW, and 1.1MW, and are in the towns of Corinth and Monson, and the city of Bangor, respectively. Collectively, the projects add US$13 million to the Company's project backlog. UGE is developing all three projects under Maine's community solar framework, which will see energy users throughout the state subscribe to purchase energy from the projects at a discount to grid rates. This will allow energy users that subscribe to simultaneously go green and save money. UGE is a leader in developing, building, and financing community solar projects, and is currently in construction on one of Maine's first community solar projects. UGE expects to complete development and install the projects over the next 24 months. UGE Announces Dates for Release of First Quarter 2020 Financials and Corporate Webinar UGE also announces that it plans to release its unaudited, first quarter 2020 financial statements after markets close today, May 28, 2020. UGE will host a live webinar on Monday, June 1, 2020 at 2:00pm EDT, to review the results and project backlog. You can register for the webinar, below: Date: Monday, June 1, 2020 Time: 2:00pm EDT Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1635295255074346252 Management will be available to answer questions following the presentation. To ask a question, you will need to be logged into the GoToWebinar platform or by emailing your question(s) beforehand to investors@ugei.com. The Webinar will be recorded and posted to UGE's website following the presentation. Story continues About UGE UGE delivers immediate savings to businesses through the low cost of solar energy. We help commercial and industrial clients become more competitive by providing low cost distributed renewable energy solutions at no upfront cost and maximum long-term benefit. With over 400MW of global experience, we work daily to power a more sustainable world. Visit us at www.ugei.com. Contact: investors@ugei.com 917-720-5685 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/56702 HOUSTON - A Texas woman accused of using a hammer to threaten a vacationing couple who she mistakenly referred to as Mexican during a profanity-laced tirade in southwest Houston has been arrested. Police identified the woman as 60-year-old Constance Lynn Bono, KPRC-TV reported. Bono has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony. If convicted, she could serve up to 20 years in prison. Arturo Cordovez and his wife, Dr. Lia Franco, said Bono mistaken;y thought they were Mexican citizens. Both are originally from Ecuador and currently live in New Orleans. The couple was vacationing in Houston when they noticed a woman following them in a car on Sunday. Dr. Franco said they proceeded to stop their vehicle on the side of the road. But Bono stopped too, Arturo Cordovez said. After that, she started showing a hammer through the mirror. She was shaking her arm ... and cursing at us, I think. I was thinking, what did I do? The couple called 911 and stopped at a gas station. Dr. Franco said the woman pulled beside them and started screaming. And we go what do you want? Dr. Franco said. And she screamed You Mexicans, get out of my (expletive) country. Go back to your (expletive) country. Bono then exited her car and appeared to threaten the couple with the hammer. I think she needs help, she needs treatment, but that doesnt justify the fact she needs to follow the laws of her country, Dr. Franco said. Bonos charge can be elevated to a first-degree felony, if prosecutors think this was a racially motivated attack. The case is expected to go to a grand jury. Bono remained jailed Wednesday, and court records do not list an attorney who could speak on her behalf. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-28 10:08:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SEOUL, May 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea reported 79 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of 0:00 a.m. Thursday local time, raising the total number of infections to 11,344. The daily caseload soared above 70 for the first time in 53 days since April 5. Of the new cases, 11 were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 1,232. A new cluster infection was found at a logistics center of e-commerce operator Coupang in Bucheon, just west of the capital Seoul. A total of 69 cases have been traceable to the distribution center as of Thursday morning. No more death was confirmed, leaving the death toll at 269. The total fatality rate stood at 2.37 percent. A total of 45 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, pulling up the combined number to 10,340. The total recovery rate was 91.2 percent. Since Jan. 3, the country has tested more than 868,000 people, among whom 834,952 tested negative for the virus and 22,370 are being checked. Enditem Terrain, Disease No Match for Sudanese Doctor In this photo from 2002, Dr. Nabil Aziz Awad Alla, the Center's country representative in Sudan, works to remove a Guinea worm from the ankle of a man. (Photo: The Carter Center/ M. Pelletier) Dr. Nabil Aziz Awad Alla, the Carter Center's longtime country representative in Sudan, has not lived the quiet life of a pencil-pushing administrator. He's a hands-on boss who prefers to look his people in the eye and observe situations directly. Nabil's preference for action over office has produced a pile of perilous episodes: He once made a field visit to a town while it was under armed siege; during a Guinea worm surveillance trip, he nearly died of cerebral malaria; and he's been stranded in the desertonce with no food and little water, and another time with three flat tires. Nabil shrugs off these hair-raising incidents as part of the job. "Unless you go to be with your workers in the field and unless you talk to them, things will not move," he said. Under Nabil's leadership, things have moved. Sudan stopped transmission of Guinea worm in 2002 and hasnt had a case since. To reach remote communities in Abu Hamad, Sudanese health teams navigate the Nile River before driving hours through a vast and unpredictable desert. (Photo: The Carter Center/ M. Katabarwa) Transmission of river blindness was interrupted in Sudan's vast Abu Hamad focus in 2012, an achievement once thought impossible. "Dr. Nabil is fearless. I never heard him say, 'I dont want to go there, it's a little too dicey,'" said Mark Pelletier, associate director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Overseas Operations unit. Pelletier formerly was a Guinea Worm Eradication Program technical advisor in Sudan. "His courage gave me courage." Nabil earned his medical degree from odz Medical College, Poland, in 1970 and a Master of Science from Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, in 1977. In 1982 he received a fellowship to study administration and health planning at North Carolina State University in the U.S. He has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals on Guinea worm, river blindness, trachoma, and a variety of communicable diseases. As program coordinator for Sudan's Ministry of Health in 1995, Nabil was a key figure in the historic "Guinea worm cease-fire" during Sudan's long civil war. The truce, negotiated by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, allowed health agents in conflict zones to treat not only Guinea worm, but also other diseases, including river blindness. Nabil recalls feeling awed while hosting a delegation of Carter Center leaders. Nabil and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in March 2002 during an annual Guinea worm eradication gathering held in Khartoum. (Photo: The Carter Center) "I will never forget the day that I had to accompany President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, on their trip to Juba to establish a proper Guinea Worm eradication program in South Sudan," he said. "In that day I felt the great responsibility I was shouldering and realized I had no way to escape." Ross Cox, who worked with Nabil in the mid-1990s when Cox was with the CDC, said Nabil was able to bridge the political gulf between the north and the south because many of the people whowere serving as the de facto government in the South were former colleagues and friends of his. "His integrity and humanity made it possible for him to transcend the situation," Cox said. Nabil (center, seated) oversaw the interruption of river blindness transmission in Sudans vast and remote Abu Hamad area in 2012. ( Photo: The Carter Center/ M. Katabarwa) Scientists at CGIAR-IITA have developed a more cost and time-effective molecular diagnostic tool that can help identify different subgroups of cassava whiteflies, Bemisia tabaci, accurately, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has announced in a report. The report published May 27 was on a research by a vector Entomologist at IITA-Tanzania, Everlyne Wosula, in collaboration with researchers from Boyce Thompson Institute at Ithaca, New York and the United States Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Services (USDA-ARS). The research was also supported by members of the Virus Vector Ecology Group at IITA-Tanzania. IITA is a non-profit institution that offers leading research partnership that facilitates agricultural solutions to hunger, poverty, and natural resource degradation throughout sub-Saharan Africa. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organisations engaged in research about food security. CGIAR research aims to reduce rural poverty, increase food security, improve human health and nutrition, and sustainable management of natural resources. According to the report, the tool can be used in local laboratories in Africa that often lack expensive sequencing technologies. This innovation marks a major milestone in efforts to accurately characterise whiteflies, which transmit viruses that cause cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), major diseases that have wreaked havoc on Africas cassava crop over several decades. The combined damage resulting from infection with these two diseases is estimated to cause annual yield losses amounting to 50 per cent in East and Central Africa, equivalent to more than US$1 billion. the report said Efforts to control pests and diseases are founded on proper identification. However, the whitefly is a complex species that requires the use of genetic tools to make accurate identifications. The most widely used method has been partial sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI). This was recently found to be much less effective in identifying cassava whiteflies compared to the more robust single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based genotyping method using NextRAD sequencing, the report said. According to the report, Mr Wosula made use of the SNP data to develop a cheaper and more rapid diagnostic method using the Komepetitive Allele-Specific (KASP) PCR. This breakthrough has been published in a paper KASP genotyping as a molecular tool for diagnosis of cassava-colonizing Bemisia tabaci in the Insect Journal. This is the first time that this method has been used for insect identification. the report said. However, the KASP assay method gives reliable results in a day and at a fraction of the cost of sequencing-based methods. One hundred fifty-one whitefly specimens, 99.3 per cent collected from cassava from 12 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and tested with KASP, gave the correct identity obtained from the SNP genotyping. Therefore, using this method to keep track of potentially dangerous whitefly populations as part of their early warning systems for pests and diseases will be very straightforward for many national laboratories in Africa with limited resources, Mr Wosula said. The report added that Mr Wosula previously analysed over 7,453 SNPs occurring across the genomes of cassava-colonising Bemisia tabaci from Africa NextRAD sequencing. And the research showed the existence of six haplogroups of whitefly species in Africa, designated as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)2, SSA4, SSA-Central Africa, SSA-East and Southern Africa, SSA-West Africa, and SSA-East and Central Africa. The findings were published in the paper Unravelling the genetic diversity among cassava Bemisia tabaci whiteflies using NextRAD sequencing in the Genome, Biology and Evolution Journal. The new KASP diagnostic that has been based on this earlier research is already being used in new research programs to monitor cassava whiteflies in several African countries, although, most of the work is currently being done in the IITA-Tanzania lab, the report said. It said Mr Wosula plans to provide training so that the technique can also be added to the tool kits of national research systems and universities across Africa. The research was funded by USAID and the Roots, Tubers and Bananas Program (RTB) of CGIAR. Advertisements Mozambique's public prosecutor on Thursday called for an "exemplary conviction" of six elite officers accused of murdering a poll observer ahead of national elections last year, but denied any state involvement in the killing. Prosecutor Leonardo Cumbe's remarks marked the end of a trial in the southeastern city of Xai-Xai for the murder of Anastacio Matavele -- a local election observer gunned down behind the wheel of his car just days before the October 15 vote. Matavele's killers were caught red-handed after colliding into another car as they fled the scene, allowing police to link the murder to Mozambique's elite rapid intervention unit. Six members of the unit have since been arrested, including two officers who were wounded in the accident. A seventh suspect escaped the crash site before police arrived and is being tried in absentia. The defendants have been charged with voluntary homicide, conspiracy, forgery and illegal use of firearms. A verdict is expected on June 18. "There is no doubt that the defendants' intention was to kill," Cumbe told the court. Citing forensic reports, the prosecutor said Matavele's vehicle was hit by 13 bullets, seven of which entered the victim's back and legs. "The defendants were hunting Mr. Matavele as if he were a rhino," said Cumbe, who called for a "severe conviction" of the defendants. The two policemen caught after the car crash had previously confessed to taking part in Matavele's murder. Their lawyer, however, claimed they killed the observer in the context of an "armed robbery". The remaining four defendants have denied all charges. If found guilty, they could each face up to 24 years in prison. 'Politically motivated' Meanwhile, Matavele family lawyer Flavio Menete asked judges to hold the state "civilly responsible" for the death. Last month, the public prosecutor refused to compensate Matavele's family on behalf of the state. Court documents seen by AFP said the claim was rejected on the basis that the policemen who killed Matavele were acting "at their own risk" and not in service of the government. "Those who committed the crime are police officers, agents of the state," Menete told the court. "They used state weapons, which were picked from the police arsenal and (returned) after the crime." "Not condemning the state to pay compensation means transmitting the idea that the state allows this type of practise," he added. Cumbe debunked the accusations, claiming the defendants had planned Matavele's murder "outside office hours". "They were not assigned to any mission the day they murdered the activist," the prosecutor said, adding that the officers were "taking advantage of their functions". It is the first time the killing of a rights defender is brought to court in Mozambique. Menete claims the murder was "politically motivated". "(Matavele) was the holder of electoral information... that he intended to convey... to central level observers," the lawyer said. "They silenced Matavele because... they are not yet used to hearing a different opinion." Fuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more Shopify on Tuesday unveiled Shop, a consumer app that lets users discover local businesses, receive relevant product recommendations from their favorite brands, check out effortlessly, and track all their online orders. It can gather and track orders and receipts automatically, but it also works without auto-tracking. Consumers can list their favorite stores to get a customized feed with deals, trending items and customized recommendations. The app has a search feature that lets consumers find local stores and access their pickup and delivery options. The Shop app makes it easy for consumers to ask a question or make a return. Auto-tracking of orders and receipts, storing them in a single place, and accessing policies and returns with one tap are par for the course for any mobile shopping app, observed Rebecca Wettemann, principal at Valoir. The difference I see is its exposing shoppers to smaller retailers that cant necessarily offer their own app to remain competitive, she told the E-Commerce Times. This is particularly important right now, with the pressures on smaller retailers and consumers desire to support local businesses. The coronavirus pandemic has sent online purchases skyrocketing. Consumers are very resistant to downloading e-commerce apps for small retailers because its just not worth the hassle, said Mark Lewis, CEO of Netalico. The Shop app is available for both iOS and Android. Bringing It Together The Shop app integrates features from Shop Pay, a one-click accelerated checkout, and Arrive, a Shopify app to track online orders. Shop Pay has processed more than US$8 billion in sales so far, while 16 million shoppers have used Arrive to track their e-commerce orders. A D V E R T I S E M E N T I stumbled onto Arrive about eight weeks ago and have to admit I was skeptical at first, remarked Liz Miller, principal analyst at Constellation Research. Why in the world did I need an app to track all of this when I can do the same thing within each retailers e-commerce site? Now, shes a believer. Multiple retailers, multiple shippers, all in one spot, including details on my order, stock availability, multiple packages right there, she told the E-Commerce Times. Im in on using Shop based on how easy my checkout experience has been at Shopify retailers and then with this app, Miller said. Privacy and Security Consumers personal details will not be sold, and they can delete their account at any time, said Shopify. Its servers meet PCI compliance standards for storing credit card information, and consumers personal and payment details are encrypted end to end. The Shop app has been verified independently to handle emails securely in accordance with Google API Services, Shopify said. My guess is that Shopify will make personal data available, at a cost, to its stores, commented Nicole France, principal analyst at Constellation Research. PII may not be included, but its not clear from these announcements how easy that might be to reconstruct based on available information, she told the E-Commerce Times. Deconstructing the Shop App Existing Shopify merchants will love Shop because it lets them offer an app experience to their customers without any work on their part, Netalicos Lewis told the E-Commerce Times. However, consumers wont really care about it or know that it integrates into merchants they shop from unless Shopify or merchants push it to them, he added. Still, the app puts customers in the drivers seat, where they should be, Constellations France pointed out. This is crucial. So is the fact that customers personal details wont be sold. A D V E R T I S E M E N T The Shop app may well prove a fundamentally different and revolutionary model for connecting customers with brands on digital platforms, she said. In addition to making things easy for both buyers and sellers, the Shop app provides value, France observed. As shipping options and times have been upended in the midst of stay-at-home orders, the ability to choose among them and track progress is more important than ever. Going Head to Head With Square The local search feature is not likely to be utilized heavily, Lewis said. Its much more about Shopify trying to break into the brick-and-mortar market, which Square already dominates, he told the E-Commerce Times. Square earlier this year partnered with UPS to integrate its shipping solutions into Squares platform for sellers, a move that could help it compete with Shopify. Shopify is definitely more e-commerce oriented and e-commerce first than Square and particularly as consumers shift their buying to online shipping, theyre in a good position to help merchants, Lewis noted. Local merchants need these capabilities more than consumers, contended Ray Wang, principal analyst at Constellation Research. This is the ability to scale out local capabilities globally, he told the E-Commerce Times. Bringing small merchants together and giving them the tools of a Google and Amazon at scale. The Shop app gives small businesses enterprise-class capabilities at the SMB level, Wang said. It is the bridge between brick-and-mortar retail and e-commerce. Its Shopifys push to go even further downmarket to local retailers and bring them into the e-commerce age. - Growing Patients' Acceptance of mHealth Monitoring Diagnostic Medical Devices for Managing their Chronic Conditions Harbinger of Market Growth - Asia Pacific Market to Present Substantial Lucrative Avenues throughout Forecast Period (2019 - 2027); Proposition of Obtaining Real-time Health Data through the use of Low-cost mHealth Devices Key to their Adoption in Patient-centered Healthcare ALBANY, New York, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A wide array of connected medical devices, mHealth services, and mHealth applications are being adopted by patients and clinicians for the diagnosis of spectrum of disease conditions. Digital innovation in health and wellness industry drive the demand for patient-centered care, particularly for reducing the prevalence of chronic conditions. Government initiatives in developing region of Asia Pacific has cemented the potential in mHealth monitoring diagnostic medical devices market. Garnering an impressive CAGR of 20.5% from 2019 to 2027, the global mHealth monitoring diagnostic medical devices market is projected to touch a figure of US$ 157.5 Bn by 2027-end. The recent valuation was made in 2018 amounted to US$ 29.0 bn. Analysts at Transparency Market Research tracking growth in the market concede that rising government initiatives to create awareness about the benefits of mHealth monitoring diagnostic medical devices bolster their use among patient population. Key Findings of mHealth Monitoring Diagnostic Medical Devices Market Of the various product types, connected medical devices held the top share in 2018; their application for managing health condition remotely also reduces healthcare expenditure Among the various segments in connected medical devices, heart rate monitors accounted for the top share in 2018; use of mHealth solutions for cardiovascular care boosting the growth of this sub-segment Download a PDF Brochure of Report -https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2018 Of the various end users, B2C segment expected to account for a notable share; patient acceptance of healthcare IT products drive its popularity Of all the regions, North America hold the leading share in mHealth monitoring diagnostic medical devices market followed by Europe Explore 111 pages of top-notch research, incisive insights, and detailed country-level projections. Gain business intelligence on mHealth Monitoring Diagnostic Medical Devices Market (Product: Connected Medical Devices (Heart Rate Monitors, Activity Monitors, Electrocardiograph, Fetal Monitoring, Neuromonitoring and Others), mHealth Applications (Fitness & Wellness, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, Central Nervous System Disease, Respiratory Diseases, Musculoskeletal Diseases, Smoking Cessation, Medication Adherence and Others), mHealth Services; End-user: B2C (Patients, Caregivers), and B2B (Providers, Payers, Employers and Others) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2019 - 2027 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/2018 mHealth Monitoring Diagnostic Medical Devices Market: Key Driving Factors and Promising Avenues The broad market proposition for the adoption mHealth monitoring diagnostic medical devices in health care and wellness is the role they play in management of chronic diseases. Some of the factors associated with this trend are: The growing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic diseases imparts a huge health burden of countries around the world. Healthcare systems in several developing and developed nations consider mHealth devices and services key to digital innovation in patient care, thereby propelling strides in the mHealth monitoring diagnostic medical devices market. Per an estimate in IDF Diabetes Atlas Ninth edition 2019, as many as 700 million of adults (20-79 years) are expected to live with diabetes by the end of 2045. As many as 50% (232 million) people with diabetes were undiagnosed in 2019, resulting in mounting concern of the health burden of diabetes. Hence, mHealth apps are being increasingly leveraged in diagnosing and monitoring such conditions, without making frequent visit to hospitals Adoption of new technologies in mHealth monitoring diagnostic medical devices has expanded the horizon of patient care in developed markets such as the U.S. These devices hold great promise in managing patients with cancer and chronic diseases. Inquire for a Sample Copy of Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2018 Key Challenges for Players in mHealth Monitoring Diagnostic Medical Devices Market Despite the disruptive potential of mHealth systems in improving patient care, a few factors dampens the demand in mHealth monitoring diagnostic medical devices market. Data security breaches are a vital concern for patients. Also, the high cost of these devices and systems makes it out of reach for patients and doctors in cost-sensitive markets. Further, the lack of regulatory concerns and adequate reimbursement scenario are key restraints for players to consolidate their growth in the mHealth monitoring diagnostic medical devices market. mHealth Monitoring Diagnostic Medical Devices Market: Competitive Landscape The landscape is characterized by a high degree of fragmentation, since there are several players, with no single one currently boasting a sizable share in the mHealth monitoring diagnostic medical devices market. Most players are leaning on offering low-cost options to fuel the acceptance among patients. Numerous key players are relentlessly working on improving the functionality of mHealth systems. Purchase the mHealth Monitoring Diagnostic Medical Devices Market Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=2018